Glory of the Special Forces (2022)

A MASTERPIECE FOREVER

If you are a c-drama lover Do Not Miss this series highly recommended it is simply a masterpiece the story of yanpoyue from an arrogant highlyselfconfident army boy who thinks that he is and has to be the best bcz he has to rely only on himself in his life and doesnt know the importance of his comrades to a mature soldier who eventually becomes down to earth understands the meaning of teamwork and learned to value his comrades the character development of yanpoyue is great
This drama has shown every aspect of a soldier's life with a great perfection and detail
This is package full of:- bromance courage,selfconfidence,teamwork, hardwork,passion,motivation and many more amazing life lessons are conveyed very well through this drama
Yang yang has given his 1000% for this drama the hardwork he has put in for his dream role is really commendable
All the actor and supporting actor did a fantastic job in giving justice to thier roles i got connected to every character of this drama
One of the best work of yang yang so far and the best military drama till date
This drama does'nt have and does'nt need any romance its bromance love respect care for the comrades is more than enough to make people connect and fall in love with this drama
This One is surely one of my Forever favourite

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Gloriously special indeed

I’ve watched quite a fair number of military-themed Chinese productions over the years which usually contain similar themes and DNA in the storytelling structure. For more recent productions, we will come across the usual suspects as far as the villains are concerned.

- Themes: New recruits’ coming-of-age at the military academy
- The DNA: think propaganda, jingoism, and a healthy dose of flag-waving at every opportunity.
- The usual villain: Being set in present times, these days its nefarious drug cartels and its associated shadowy crime organisations.

Glory of Special Forces contains the same blueprint as outlined above. But is it exactly the same as other military C-dramas or does it showcase anything new? More importantly, is it worth your precious time to check it out? My answer is a definitive and unequivocal YES. I daresay this drama is quite likely the best in the genre that I’ve ever watched, and then some.

The drama is adapted from the novel "The Special Kind of Special Forces” (中国特种兵之特别有种) written by Fen Wu Yao Ji (纷舞妖姬), a nom de plume whose actual name is Dong Qun (董群). He is an award-winning and renowned military fiction novelist who is responsible for the source materials that form the basis for the box office hits Wolf Warrior and Wolf Warrior 2.

Directed by Xu Jizhou (Rookie Agent Rouge) who also co-wrote the screenplay adaptation along with Feng Ji, notable for having written Ark Peace (headlined by Chen Kun), The Weasel Grave and Decoded (one of my favourite Republican-era spy dramas). Principal photography took place from April to December 2019. Yes, this drama had been in censorship limbo for quite a while before it was finally released. The main cast reportedly underwent actual combat training under the guidance of active servicemen, the result of which is quite apparent in terms of their physical appearance and overall stunt coordination in the production.

The soundtrack features a total of 4 songs specially composed for the drama, along with various patriotic music and the original score. Liu Yu Ning participated in the project as well by contributing 2 songs.

The Book of Life 生命之书 - Liu Yuning 刘宇宁
Looking Up at the clear skies 仰望晴空 - Liu Yuning 刘宇宁
Climb 攀 - Zhang Lei 张磊
My Pride 我的骄傲 - Jin ZhiWen 金志文

What I Liked

The character-driven narrative. Yes, it’s about an army recruit’s coming-of-age who goes through hardships during training to finally make it into the elite special forces team and bring justice to the bad guys. But this young man’s journey takes on a multifaceted approach that includes themes of dealing with complicated backstories, complex family, team and relationship dynamics, as well as combat-related PTSD, along with the thrills and spills of the action and adventure. Despite the lengthy 45-episode count, not once did I feel bored or disconnected because the content is engaging that covers a wide range of interesting subject matters while the storytelling is brisk and finely balances the multitude of intersecting plotlines therein. There is a noticeable absence of unneeded fillers that tend to plague C-dramas of this length, which is always very much welcome.

The scope of characterizations. Most dramas of this nature focus purely on the leads while everyone else is neglected - supporting characters and antagonists alike. Not this show though. Although the ML drives the drama, and magnificently at that with a depth of character and strength of conviction that shines through, the rest of the characters are afforded a certain extent of the spotlight which elevates them beyond mere one-dimensional caricatures or inconsequential afterthought. The mentor(s), families, comrades-in-arms, friends, and even the villains are able to breathe life to their presence as crucial elements of the story, each with their very own character arcs that interweave seamlessly into the overarching plot.

The authenticity in the depiction of the military aspects. I’m no military expert but from years of watching such content, be it Asian or Western, there is a marked deftness to the portrayal of the special forces’ operators. In terms of the intensity of the firefights, the brutal hand-to-hand fighting and the coordinated execution of the field missions. Likewise the hightech hardware, weaponry and gadgets showcased.

Another facet of the military life that forms the bulk of the story is the hardcore training. Now there have been many forms of military training showcased in various dramas, most notably the recently aired Operation: Special Warfare’s harsh “Shaolin-esque hell’s camp” where bricks are smashed on participants’ heads, among other things. How true that is, we’ll never know but in this drama there is no such brutality that beggars belief, which reflects a measure of realism felt from the scenes shown. That said, there is a scene involving breathing apnea for underwater training and carving chrysanthemums out of rice grains to improve calmness and shooting accuracy…

Finally we have the cast themselves. My personal opinion - this drama could possibly be the turning point in Yang Yang’s acting career. I enjoy watching him especially in the currently airing Who Rules the World. He is definitely leading man material who possesses the charisma to light up the screen. As the ML here, however, his overall performance is more than a couple notches above and quite possibly his best ever. The level of commitment in undertaking tough preparations to literally transform himself physically into a tanned lean and mean machine to fully convince viewers he is a bona fide special forces soldier. As if that isn’t enough, he goes on to display a complete spectrum of emotions in his acting. If you’ve ever wondered how a distraught, tormented and agonising Yang Yang looked like, you can see it all here.

Despite the FL billing, Li Yi Tong actually has a smaller role as a supporting character. Nonetheless, her character of a resolute military officer is subtle, nuanced and unobtrusive. The one character that impresses me tremendously is Jiang Lu Xia who plays sniper Guo Xiao Xiao. One of the best written and depicted female soldiers ever in a C-drama. This is not a pretty face that’s shoehorned into the role of a tough-as-nails female character - she really is the real deal. In fact, she used to be a national Wushu champion before becoming a star of the much-lauded Operation Red Sea. As for the rest of the supporting cast, they generally delivered a decent account of their respective portrayals.


Perhaps Could’ve Been Better

This drama is not flawless by any means but without nitpicking, I honestly do not have major concerns on the production quality or significant complaints on the plot, both of which have exceeded my expectations in general. However I do wish there had been more action in terms of active missions and actual operations to balance out the training scenarios, in addition to a stronger and more impactful ending to the story.

Not a popular opinion perhaps, but I also wouldn’t mind having light romance added into the mix as part of the ML’s development. Not too much but enough to depict a more wholesome emotional growth in an overarching side story and to flesh out the relationship dynamics between Yang Yang and Li Yi Tong’s characters.

Despite the obvious improvements in the portrayal of the antagonists in this drama, I feel more depth could have been written into the characterization and backstory to heighten the complexity of the storytelling as well as to avoid the pitfalls of merely resorting to unsound villains with psychotic tendencies as the go-to trope.

Final Thoughts

I have thoroughly enjoyed the best military-themed C-drama as well as Yang Yang’s best performance, to date. There is much to love about Glory of Special Forces and I’m glad it delivers despite the long wait and extensive running time. This is absolutely recommended viewing indeed.

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This military drama killed it, as did Yang Yang

Glory of Special Forces opens with a bang with a team of 7 elite soldiers mounting an assault on a drug lord’s stronghold. Bullets and grenades are flying fast and furious in all directions as the soldiers’ attack are met with fierce opposition. The scene cuts to protagonist Yan Po Yue [YPY] as he takes a hit and plummets into the water. The sequence ends; the next time we meet YPY again he is entering the military academy as a recruit. The bulk of the drama charts YPY’s journey as an arrogant, selfish man-child who transforms into a first-rate soldier through grit and determination.
From the onset, drama creates a military training setup that is expansive, realistic and gritty — the sense of being in a war zone and getting caught in cross-fire gave viewers those ‘oh-sh**’ moments. As for the training that the soldiers must undergo, there is no let-up in pacing as the soldiers are relentlessly challenged and tested. Only the best, in terms of physicality and aptitude are accepted; and of course, that includes not pissing off your commanding officer. And that’s where YPY finds himself, constantly at odds with his superiors.
About Yang Yang who plays YPY. In here, he’s shed his pretty boy image, and turned in a performance that’s committed, believable, even psychotic at one point. No easy task since this role appears to be more emotionally and physically demanding than his previous ones. Seeing him scaled walls, traversed hard terrains, and dodged bullets made viewers cheered him on. We wanted him to succeed however hard the tasks were, and however much he was side-lined by his superiors.
The world of YPY would have been one dimensional if the director had just trained the spotlight on Yang Yang. Accompanying him is a supporting cast that’s strong and effective in adding layers to the story and YPY’s character. The perfect foil for the stiff and stubborn YPY is platoon mate Wu Xiao Tian, played by actor Jiang Long. Previously seen in The King’s Avatar as funny motormouth Huang Shao Tian, Wu Xiao Tian is wonderfully irreverent, cowardly and in the end, a much-needed catalyst that transformed YPY. Actress Jiang Lu Xia’s turn as sharpshooter Guo Xiao Xiao is brilliant and her pain become ours as we watched her struggle to accept her friend’s death. Unfortunately, lead actress Li Yi Tong’s role as Captain Ai Qian Xue is less effective, and didn’t come across as being relevant to the plot. At best, she’s an attractive injection in a testosterone-filled military environment.
As with most military genre, jingoism as subtext is inevitable. But the director has deftly tempered it with powerful action sequences and tight storytelling. Its annoyance quotient is nothing compared to watching non-Chinese actors bombed at carrying out a simple English dialogue. Perhaps they've run out of budget to hire someone to edit those lines.
Overall, this is a rare instance where I didn’t fast-forward a 40-odd episode drama to catch the best moments. I stayed throughout to watch a protagonist’s simple quest to be the best, and the love of brotherhood that helped him achieve that quest. And yes, those ‘oh-sh**’ action sequences were one of the best hooks in TV-drama land.

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What a way to start my cdrama life

The first cdrama I've watched and I'm afraid it had put the standards way too high for me from now on.

It's a really good drama, with great character development and friendship stories, the action scenes are stunning and I loved when they used the video game pov.

I don't usually rewatch things but my dad got interested in this drama when I was in the middle and decided to start it too, so I can say I did rewatch it already 😂.

The last episodes kinda looked like a train off the track, plot-wise speaking, compared to the thrill it had over the whole drama, but I was already hooked and in love with each character, so I hung in there until the end.

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Watch it if you have doubts about Yang Yang's acting

Completed - 4/29/2022 - 9.25 rating
(minor spoilers at the end of the review)

“The Glory of Special Forces” is one of the few realistic military dramas and it follows the character and career development of a young, self-centered, genius soldier, to become an outstanding team captain of the Special Forces. Just reading the synopsis, it seems like any other military story. But this drama excels in its amazing acting performance by everyone, esp. Yang Yang, and the high production value and realistic portrayal of the military. It’s not a perfect drama for me, because I have mixed feelings about the last 5 episodes which I will discuss at the end of the review with minor spoilers.

What I Enjoy:

Yang Yang - If it wasn't for Yang Yang, I would not have watched this drama. I have seen my fair share of YY dramas. He melted my heart in “Love O2O” and “You are my Glory” as the amazing boyfriend. I’ve also enjoyed his cool, calm and collected personality in “The Four” and finally a funnier side of him in “The King’s Avatar”. I understand others questioning his acting. But if you are in doubt, please watch this drama. Yang Yang is AMAZING in “The Glory of Special Forces”. You can see his usual, calm and cool self, and also the pain he endured when battling the demons of a traumatic incident, losses in life and the confusion of why doing his best is just not enough. You don’t see the idol Yang Yang anymore. I see a soldier struggling to be the best, learning to believe in his teammates and being a proud member of the Special Forces.

Plot/Pacing - The pacing of this drama is excellent. Each episode is packed with action and thrilling events. 45 episodes flew by just like that. There are many mini-climaxes throughout the drama that keeps me entertained. As we follow the character and career development of Yan Po Yue (ML), I am happy to see that there’s enough progress and setbacks. The drama also deals with PTSD after a soldier’s first killing, the death of a comrade, and survivor’s guilt. Each character’s background story is compelling and different, so you get to understand what it takes for young men and women to enter and stay in the military. I do have a few criticisms about the plot which I’ll discuss later on.

Acting/Supporting Cast/Training - There is no weak link in the supporting cast. The overall acting is amazing. I am sure this is not the only military drama where actors have to train off and on camera. But through this drama, you appreciate the actors dedication to their craft and the effort they put into making every scene believable. They walk, talk, march, salute, just like a regular soldier. For most of the drama, each soldier is in armor training or completing missions. Only a very small part of the drama is when they are just hanging out and chatting. Moreover, even the teen version of the main characters look like the adults! Good casting!

Guo Xiao Xiao - I want to single out the only female main character, Guo Xiao Xiao, played by Jiang Lu Xia. GXX is such a cool and badass sniper/soldier. I realized that Jiang Lu Xia is a martial artist and it really shows. Most of the time, actresses portrayed as soldiers still don’t act soldier-like. But not GXX. Her training, missions, and fights are so realistic that could put some male actors to shame. I also really enjoy her backstory and really sympathize with her character. I am also glad she remains a good team member/comrade. No love story. Just plain friendship.

Production Value/Fight Scenes - Not sure if the drama is sponsored by the government, but to my untrained eyes, this is one of the most realistic military dramas I’ve watched. I also recently watched “Operation: Special Warfare”, which I enjoyed, but comparatively, “The Glory of Special Forces” is definitely a more realistic portrayal. On another note, I really enjoyed all the physical fight scenes, and there are quite a few in this drama. They are hardcore fights which seemed to be shot in one frame (not piece together fake fights with wide angle shots). I like the fights here more than in some wuxia dramas. Nothing seems cheap - from settings, equipment, uniform, training and missions locations.


What I have Mixed feelings about (Minor spoilers)

I think the drama might be better off ending at episode 40 when the drug cartel storyline ended. That was one big, explosive mission and was so exciting. However, the drama continues with sending the Special Forces to the academy to be trained as leaders. I understand this is the next step of career advancement. However, after the initial reluctance and dissatisfaction to learn about new military technological advances and the importance of languages, the drama does not show us how the Special Forces eventually realize and accept all these important lessons. They are quickly sent off to the international competition. The competition should be the perfect setting for the crew to appreciate lessons learned in the academy. The episodes in the academy went completely lost and went down the drain. The only thing it did is to send one soldier home, and to introduce another elite team. Oh, and also to let Li Yi Tong to show up on screen again. I read that the drama was cut short due to censorship, and I wonder if that was why those last 5 episodes felt a little off.

In these 45 episodes, most of the time was spent on training and competitions. There are actually 2 real-life missions. One about a drug dealer in the village and the big drug cartel mission. I would have loved to see more real-life missions. Maybe those were cut as well when the episode count was reduced?


Other Observations:
1. No, there is no romance and it’s not needed. This is from someone who LOVES romance. There’s enough going on to keep me entertained.
2. Yes, there are many handsome men in uniform. Eye candies galore! LOL
3. There are few songs that complement the drama well and not overplayed.
4. Don’t watch this for Li Yi Tong. She has a small role and is definitely not the female lead.
5. I do find it annoying that Leng Jing kept on mentioning Guo Xiao Xiao is a female soldier when GXX doesn’t care.
6. I know they are Special Forces, but sometimes I feel that they need more people in the team to fight against the drug cartels.
7. All soldiers recover quite quickly from the injuries
8. They must have super, duper, powerful bulletproof vest.

Overall, this is an amazing drama. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought. If you are a fan of Yang Yang, this is a must-see! If you have doubts about Yang Yang’s acting, please watch this as well.

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The most thrilling drama

What was not in this drama?? Thrill, emotion, hardship, motivation, inspiration, the urge to going forward, sadness, happiness, the pain of loosing comrade, the proud feeling of completing a mission!
The hard discission... The growing up of Yan Po Yue!!! Yang Yang you are truly an amazing actor! I will say this hundreds of time! You carried out the character Yan Po Yue so beautifully. You gave birth to Yan Po Yue. You made Yan Po Yue live! The emotions that you delivered!! You made me cry, happy, awestruck!!!
The drama us full of surprises... You won't be able to decipher what's next. Also you can't wait to see what's next. The burning sensation to watch the next episode is beyond words!!!
The best drama, best casts, best osts, best actions, everything is best!!! No matter which Country you belong you will feel the patriotism through out this drama. You will see the sacrifices a soldier make!!!
Watch this drama soon!
"Dispatch me in the first battle, victory will be assured"

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From the strong to the warrior..........,

.......... the Glory of Special Forces takes you to experience another way of opening the Military drama.

Thinking about the plot prospect of Glory of Special Forces, Yang Yang's Yan Po Yue seems to be the first time he plays a role that is not a growth type but a correction type. It seems that there are very few protagonists of this type in military dramas. A person who seems to be well trained enters the army and realizes that his growth is not completely suitable for the needs of the army. We rarely see a strongman protagonist who is over-trained to grow before entering the main story. This is also when the commander of the army sees Yan Po Yue.
The plot is presented in a way that makes people feel that the commander's treatment of him is not the way one would normally see a thorny geek who doesn't obey. Instead, I wonder how the protagonist's behaviour is like this, which is not normal. Military discipline not only cultivates people's discipline and teamwork. In fact, our army pays great attention to the regulation of people's thoughts and behaviours. To put it more clearly, before Yan Po Yue entered the army, he probably belonged to him. Those who over-protect their hearts and don't feel that their bodies have limits are the ones who have been trained by irregular and incorrect military training methods, and a good seedling is almost dismissed. Yan Po Yue was not entirely a lone wolf, but the individual training before enlisting in the army had no team. In addition to relying on himself, he doesn't seem to expect the level of others in the team. That is to say, the team in his mind must rely on a solid organizational structure, distribute the power of the team, and hold the bottom line of the team's capabilities, rather than trust the capabilities and potential of everyone on the team. Yan Po Yue's obsessive-compulsive disorder is probably unbearable to his shortcomings and shortcomings. If there is, he will improve his training. If he can't improve, he will use methods to avoid it and improve efficiency. This seems very effective, but our people's army does not train soldiers in this way. Therefore, rather than saying that the Glory of Special Forces is the growth process of Yan Po Yue, it is better to say that the army and Yan Po Yue, through formal training and actual combat, the process of correcting and complementing each other.
In modern social life, the protagonists of many stories are no longer blank sheets of paper and become colourful stories. But everyone is an unfinished puzzle. There are more and fewer, and the system is fragmented. It is not very complete, and it is not a state of accumulation of completely suitable fragments. Therefore, when looking at the Glory of Special Forces, it is better to look at the character of Yan Po Yue and his story from another angle. This will be a very interesting way to watch the drama.

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No Doubt, it's ''All time great Military genres Drama''❤❤

about this drama, one word:
masterpiece, great screen plot, intense, character development, coming of age❤❤
Each episode will fascinate you❤❤
....................
Let's talk about Story:
first of all, I want to talk about this screen plot, screenwriter Feng Ji did a great job. In other dramas or military dramas, we can see the only focus on the lead character, but in this drama, they focus on every character and try to show us their story.
Also, I want to thank the director Xu Ji Zhou to gift us with this wonderful drama with his great direction.

Let's talk about acting :

the main lead character is Yan Po Yue as Yang Yang, In my opinion, this is the best drama YY ever cast. I'm really impressed by YY's acting. how dedicated and passionately YY acted in this series. That's really impressive.❤❤
i don't describe YPY;s character. —No NEED❤❤❤

Li Yi Tong as Ai Qian Xue, no doubt did a great job. but in my opinion, I'm a little disappointed As the second lead character Li Yi Tong's screen time was too short.😒

Jiang Lu Xia as Guo Xiao Xiao, I do not have enough words how to describe her acting. she is unbelievable and impressive. If this drama has any romance, then I want to ship YPY and GXX.❤❤

Meng A Sai as Xiao Yun Jie is my favorite character in this drama. I can't stop laughing cuz of him. also he is most supportive of YPY. Also loyal friend.❤

Jiang Long as Wu Xiao Tian, if I do not mention this character in my review, my review was incomplete.
our three musketeers ( Yan Po Yue, Xiao Yun Jie, Wu Xiao Tian). this trio whenever they are together will mess up something.
I do remember the drill mission, they messed up😂😂
but sadly Wu Xiao Tian died to save YPY.😥

Also Qin Feng as old sly fox 😂,Li Xiang as psycho commander😂, kitchen leader feng jin❤,Bai Long❤(when he leave, his crying scene,also crying me),Yue Kong❤( sadly he also died😥),Cao Ben(great captain, when he put on machine gun in his shoulder,,that scene really fascinating.❤❤ )Lu Tu,❤Leng Jing❤ . they are a great contribution to this drama.🥰

About ost: it's good. so so. however i love ending ost🥰🥰

About rewatch : in end every episode,i rewatch atleast two time😋😋

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One of the best Military Drama

If you want to watch about real special forces soldier training and mission, this is for you! Beware, there's zero romance so never expected to hve romance because this drama doesn't need it. They cant show everything but they still show some 'basic training for special forces' such as Hellish Week and their drill lol so crazy like real! If youre so afraid to watch bcs u know this is Cdrama, no need to worry because its focus in character development and not only for Yan Po Yue but almost everyone, I even shed tears for some character no matter theyre main or support character. The action was so great that I thought, cant you slow down a bit, too intense. Everything was good but only one thing, they never hve proper Psychology Counselling which is should be smth mandatory or atleast a must after each real battle, but they are none of it but punish directly that make it worst alth I know its for character growth but thats kinda bad. Ok, I dont want to write abt spoiler but ok the ending tho, wow. I thought the final winner is China since its their drama but not, and tbh I respect that they use real situation in the past to recreate in this story how to solved it. Thats so brilliant.

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An impressive and very well-made military drama.

I finished watching Glory of Special Forces more than a month ago. I was initially hesitant to watch it, because I thought 45 episodes was a bit long for a military drama, but I'm glad that I dived into it. After I've completed this drama, I was actually hoping there would be more episodes!

Things that I like, which kept me engaged throughout the series:
• It has a very engaging and well-paced storyline that made me excited to know what's going to happen next.
• Interesting characters with great character development, especially Yan Po Yue.
• I'm very impressed with Yang Yang's acting here. He's one of the reasons (or the major reason) why I picked up this drama. He was able to convey all emotions - sadness, joy, confusion, anger, fear, resoluteness - he nailed them all! I can't imagine someone else playing Yan Po Yue.
• The rest of the cast also gave good performances. Kudos to the entire cast and crew for a job well done!
• The drama showed the challenges and hardships that the soldiers had to go through in their training, as well their teamwork and the victories they gained in the process. There are also glimpses of their past, events that shaped them to become who they are.
• Opening and ending themes songs that fit the drama so well.

Other Comments:
• This drama has little to no romance - there are hints of potentially something developing between the main characters (like they could be more than friends), but that’s just about it, that angle is not developed further. It would be good to expound on that.
• It would be nice to have more stories about the next stage in their military careers.

Overall, I really enjoyed this drama, so I highly recommend it.

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