#nb yu and red as well of course.

[millidew]

i am deeply predictable.

[hamliet]

Mulan Retold... with the emphasis on “told”

Or, my review of Female General and Eldest Princess. 

NB: I’m reading a translation, and many thanks to the translators for their hard work! It’s possible some of my below perspective are influenced by the translation (in my understanding translating Chinese to English is not an easy task because Chinese allows for far more nuance) and/or my lack of cultural understanding, which is all on me, so grains of salt. 

My review of Female General and Eldest Princess can essentially be summed up by saying it’s a story that is lifted above the plot’s attempts to strangle it by the strength of its main characters , albeit not without bruises. I’d give it a solid 7 out of 10, mostly on the strength of the main leads. Heaven knows we need more of this kind of representation. 

It’s also true that my past exposure to Chinese web novels has been MXTX’s three novels, which are rare gems by any literary standard. MDZS is one of the handful of works I can think of that actually explores the full potential of each plot element and character introduced, and MDZS, TGCF, and Scum Villain all have a thematic consistency that sets them above most literary works. Scum Villain has more narrative flaws than the other two, but even in it, the themes are just so polished and clear that it eclipses the blemishes. Those are a tough act to follow.

FGEP doesn’t quite get there, but it has potential to. The author talks in her notes about preferring to write plot rather than do deep character dives, and that’s certainly reflected in the work. Which is rather a shame because the two main leads are the story’s strength. Both Lin Wanyue and Li Xian are highly likable and complex. The courtly life is fascinating and the family dynamics compelling; I would like to see the author further develop those kind of dynamics in future works. 

Both Lin Wanyue and Li Xian see innocence in each other, but each others’ flaws are actually also the very strengths they need. Lin Wanyue isn’t willing to compromise, but as a result she can become too bloodthirsty and cruel. Li Xian is clever and willing to play the games of politics, but as a result she can be insincere and cruel. Lin Wanyue is free (in appearance). Li Xian is sheltered (in appearance). Lin Wanyue longs for the sheltered innocence of her home life, and Li Xian longs to be free. The irony of course is that Lin Wanyue actually has to conceal her gender, just as Li Xian has to smile while trying to stop would-be usurpers from assassination attempts. 

My main criticism is that in FGEP, the side characters and antagonists all felt forced into their roles; they were plot devices rather than characters--which again is a shame because they’re often highly likable and thereby have potential. As a result, the emotional stakes around the secondary characters were weak at best. For example, the moment Lin Yu walked onto the page, I knew that I loved him and that he was a walking red shirt. Lin Yu and also Yu Wun existed merely to die and give the main pairing a daughter. It’s fine to use your secondary characters for the purposes of developing the main characters (that’s what they’re there for) but it would have helped if the actual development that came from their demise was shown to us rather than told. Like, the author doesn’t show us Lin Yu’s death; we hear about it through a letter to a POV character who barely met Lin Yu. 

I will add that the problem of concept vs. execution isn’t just limited to the side characters; like I said in my opening, the main protagonists both battle with being plot devices as well, but unlike the side characters, they manage to defeat the plot. A lot of their falling in love had pacing issues--it’s obvious looking back why they fell in love with one another, but it isn’t obvious at the time, and hence I felt a bit like I was being told “Lin Wanyue loves Li Xian; as evidence, see how she’s sad Li Xian is getting married!” rather than shown why she felt like she was losing Li Xian and why she wanted her to stay. As the story goes on, we do see why, but pacing-wise I wished it had come earlier.