Glory of Special Forces (特战荣耀)
First Impressions
episodes 1-7
Story
Glory of Special Forces (特战荣耀) (formerly China Special Forces – 特种兵) is a military drama that’s part of Shanghai’s major literary and artistic project. The drama is an adaptation of the famous Chinese military novel writer Fen Wu Yao Ji‘s (董群) Zhong Guo Te Zhong Bing Zhi Te Bie You Zhong (中国特种兵之特别有种). It focuses on Yan Po Yue, portrayed by Yang Yang (杨洋), who is a 20-year-old that aspires to become the strongest soldier. He has a mysterious past that allowed him to grow his skills to become an exceptional recruit. However, his company commander, Commander Li, sees his skills and the fire in his eyes as something that could be harmful in the long run. So, instead of hounding his skills, Commander Li continuously pushes Yan Po Yue back to stay a step behind his peers. Instead of allowing the personal setbacks to let him fall behind, Yan Po Yue continues to train harder and longer. His passion for becoming the strongest soldier only becomes more powerful.
Characters
Our main character, Yan Po Yue (portrayed by Yang Yang), has a lot to unpack from his past that made him become who he is and shaped his goals. Yan Po Yue was a victim of human trafficking due to his father’s identity. He started military training when he was an elementary student. His closed-off personality, low EQ, and drive right from the beginning make Yan Po Yue come off as a character that’s already exceptional. But seeing him go through unfavorable hurdles during his recruitment makes you realize that maybe Yan Po Yue isn’t so perfect after all. He is still young, and though his skills are superior to his peers, he lacks real-life experience. Yan Po Yue has the drive, but he tends to be hot-headed and narrow-minded. Even the most beautiful diamonds have to go through being cut and refined as well. I’m curious how the writer will reveal his journey to achieving his dreams.
This is my first drama from Yang Yang since Martial Universe (2018). I have yet to feel like certain scenes were overwhelming or underwhelming. Because Yan Po Yue is known to be silent have a stoic face, he doesn’t express much. However, he is a young man, so his expression slips when irritated, confused, or disappointed. Yang Yang did a good job at just slightly showing those emotions in his eyes before collecting himself as the stoic Yan Po Yue again. He’s starting to become much more carefree and less guarded under the guidance of Squad Leader Fan. So far, Yang Yang has exceeded my expectations for this role, and you can tell he took this role seriously. Yang Yang went through special military training before filming, and viewers can definitely see he worked out for this role.
Our second character that stood out in the first set of episodes was Xiao Yun Jie, portrayed by Meng A Sai. He is Yan Po Yue’s friend who signed up to join the military with Yan Po Yue. While he isn’t Yan Po Yue, his skills aren’t lacking either. His goal in the military is unknown, but he stays loyal to Yan Po Yue by sharing the blame and punishments alongside Yan Po Yue. At times, Yun Jie acts as Yan Po Yue’s spokesman.
The third character is Lu Xiao Tian, portrayed by Jiang Long, a weak recruit who always falls behind in training. He sticks closely to Yan Po Yue and Xiao Yun Jie even though they don’t bother to help him much. In doing so, he gets involved in their antics, and they receive the same punishments. Lu Xiao Tian is known as the show’s comedic relief as he is the weaker link. He displays his cowardly personality but has his moments of being bold.
Overall Impressions
I have a really good impression of Glory of Special Forces to this point of the show. It feels so good that I want to pick up where I left off on The Glory of Youth (2021) and Operation: Special Warfare (2022). The Glory of Youth wasn’t a bad start; I didn’t have enough time to slot it in 2021 and have yet to go back to it. While Operation: Special Warfare felt a bit underwhelming to my liking. What stands out in Glory of Special Forces is the pact storyline. It moves fast yet includes all scenes necessary to better understand the plot or our characters. Yan Po Yue’s character development isn’t too fast or isn’t draggy on with filler scenes. There’s this perfect balance in pacing.
Four positive points for me so far in Glory of Special Forces:
- The comedy/lighthearted feel. I didn’t expect little pieces to be present to make me chuckle, from the weak Lu Xiao Tian, the commanders, Xiao Yun Jie, and even the low EQ Yan Po Yue.
- The action scenes are present, intriguing, and well shot. We don’t see a long-standing crossfire for no reason. It plays as a plot device but in a way that enhances our characters’ stories or for upcoming arcs.
- It doesn’t feel like a patriotic fart. Chinese military dramas tend to do this a lot where it feels like they’re trying to force patriotism into the show. There’s no forced character dialogue of how one wishes to be patriotic, why one should die for one’s country, etc. Glory of Special Forces isn’t patriotic-free, but it doesn’t do it in a way where it feels off-putting, like in your face product placement. I do feel like I’m shooting myself in the foot, though, and will have to swallow my words later on. We still have several more episodes to unravel before I can make this bold claim.
- All the characters we have seen so far, from our three main soldiers to our commanders/squad leaders, feel realistic and likable. We have characters that act as forces against the protagonist, the mentor, the comic relief, the support, etc. I think there’s a good mix in the pot here.
My biggest worry about the story is having it drag. This show is 45 episodes long, and while I see Yan Po Yue’s character slowly develop before he joins the special force, I’m wary of filler scenes that diverge out of his story or important arcs.
Lastly, we have Li Yi Tong, who appears as a staff officer in the academy, Ai Qian Xue. So far, her role isn’t really present. She has made a bit more of an appearance after episode six. I’m curious how big her part will be in the future and what role she will be playing in her relationship with Yan Po Yue or the overall story. Li Yi Tong is in the main cast on several platforms, so I will be expecting more of her presence on screen.
This will be it for the first impressions of Glory of Special Forces. I hope I have the drive to cling to it till the end. Episodes are released daily, so if I don’t fall behind or the plot sticks, I’ll continue to see you all in a final review post. If you’re watching Glory of Special Forces and care to share your thoughts, I’d love to read them!
