Great male lead but to many annoying elements.
This drama has some good points but they are overshadowed by the presence of annoying side characters, annoying scenes seemingly never ending monologs... Flashbacks, montages, and the extreme over use of the words: "from this day on... " over and over and over again... Accompanied by lots and of second hand embarrassment...The female lead, is very much an overly timid scaredy cat who is supposed to be bad ass and act tough, stronger, faster than most men and what not she comes off strong as a person who does not really care much about gender, saying that the only difference between her and a man is the lack of penis...(which is kind of a problematic way of saying it). I think it is supposed to be progressive but it ends up a bit of a mess and can be interpreted as both pan, trans, bi, etc friendly but it can also come off as the opposite depending on who is watching and how the dots are connected. There are definitely ways of interpreting this as very lLGBTQ+ friendly, but also spaces that can be interpreted either way.
The Male lead is however perfect in every way sweet, lovable, charming, kind. smart and definitely stands some good pan representation. His parents are pretty lovable too and so is the female leads cousin. But there is where the lovable characters end.
So in conclusion, not very good, not very entertaining, but the ML and fighting scenes do make it an ok watch. and stand for all the stars for this drama...
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This review may contain spoilers
I really love gender bend stories. I know it's cheesy but when a man is questioning his sexuality, because he seems to like him/her in a special way, first of all it is hilarious and secondly it just holds the truth that love is blind, it has no boundaries.I came across Bromance while it was still airing and decided to wait till it finishes. Since the rating is 8.0 I had my expectations pretty high but at the same time I kind of knew that I am not going to like it as much as other people did, because I have very high standarts. And sadly I was right, while it wasn't bad, it definitely doesn't deserve an 8.0.
The only thing that made this drama good was the two main characters and I am not even exaggerating.
The story and pacing is all over the place. At the start the story was progressing way too quickly and the second half was draaaaged on, there were hours of usseles fillers and sooo much cheeese. To be honest I don't even know if the thing that this drama had going on could be called a story. Bromance had just a few boring plot lines and the writers kept jumping between them so in the end I didn't care about the story at all. You could say it is a badly written slice of life. There were a lot of things that I wish they could have spent more time on like Zi Feng's past before he was adopted or the whole mafia thing...seriously why are they mafia? Why are they not mafia? What do they do? Am I the only one who was confused? Basically all the scenes with Zherui were stupid - unnecessary and unrealistic drama. The reason why Pi Ya Nuo dressed up as a man...I know it is hard to find a good reason for such a stupid thing but...really? Altogether the plot was uninteresting and pretty boring most of the time. There are more things I am unhappy about but spoilers...
Nonetheless the two main chatacters were such a delight. Zi Feng was very unique, he was a 'bad boy' but not a bad person, he was kind but not soft. I can not describe him well enought. There is one thing I have to give props to for this drama. I was uncomfortable during the first few episodes, because I couldn't get used to the fact that Pi Ya Nuo looks basically like a real man. She acted like a man, talked like a man but there were so many subtle things that made me think, "Ahh, she is a woman afterall" wich was perfect. While I did like Du Zi Feng and Pi Ya Nuo to bits, at first they seemed really weird, like their personalities were mature but they acted very childish. Later on I got used to it. I don't know, maybe that is just how humans are and I am just being stupid.
Other characters...*sigh*...most of them were fine, but that's all they were, the show could have perfectly continued without them. Then there were other characters that I didn't really like. For example Du Zi Han was such a mean bitch, I don't understand how no one seemed to mind that. Qing Yang - while I liked him at first, later on I noticed how stiff and boring he was. Bii's acting skills were pretty bad, but he's hot so I can forgive him since it didn't annoy me ;) I liked Han Shen's character development, but they didn't give him enough screen time wich is a real pity. While Na Na's character was very interesting and fun at first, later on I found myself uninterested, because her fate was predictable.
While the show as a whole is skippable, I still recommend it solely for Zi Feng and Ya Nuo, because they made this drama shine with their interesting personalities and undying love.
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I haven't watched many Taiwanese dramas, but Chen Baron as Du Zi Feng and Lai Megan as Pi Ya Nuo are good actors and had great chemistry together. Megan played Ya Nuo like a tomboy rather than a boy and I think it made her character more believable. The other actors were good also.
The music was ok, but they play the same song too much.
I might rewatch this someday.
I recommend this drama if you like mushy cute romances.
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Both main couples did have cute chemistry at first, but after so many episodes I felt like I was watching repeats of the same moments and they lost their charm. Relationship building was all over the place, too fast and too slow at the wrong times.
After awhile, it dawned on me that the main girls really bored me. Nana lost her spunk after a sadly short time. Really, she left her personality on the cruise ship. She had potential!! Later when basically on a dates-not-dates with Qingyang, she brings up her mother over and over and over and over again. I get it. Your mother meant everything to you, but if you want the boy you have to stop talking about her so much. No guy wants his relationship with the girl he likes to be about her mom. Honestly, I think Qingyang ends up knowing more about Nana's mother than he does about Nana herself.
And Pi Yanuo...she had no personality from the get go. Her character exists entirely for Zifeng with no interests and no goals that aren't his. She's basically the blank slate female main who is there so the viewer can imagine herself/himself dating Baron Chen. Strong female protagonist she most definitely is not.
They are also unbelievably innocent. Don't let the "mob boss" description fool you. Hansheng is the only one who would last a day in a triad family. And the fight scenes...it's clear from the very first episode he's introduced that the "villain" is no match whatsoever on any level. Nothing is keeping Yanuo and Zifeng from happiness except for Yanuo who doesn't seem to be bothered by it much.
Zerhui, the vet, might as well not exist at all for all the effect he has on anything. He only serves as a disposable meat shield so the viewer has a reason to see Hansheng as anything worse than a guy with a bad attitude and inferiority complex.
Edison Wang as Hansheng (who I like to call "Abs" and sometimes "Smirk") and Amanda Chou as Xiao Jing (who I call "Best Girl") are the scene stealers of this show each with unfortunately little screen time. They are the only characters who move the story forward. Otherwise, it stagnates in the waters of overly-long, bland discussions about vague feelings, memories, and staring off with sad eyes into a pretty landscape.
Another thing that bothered me was that the cast more than once referred to Guang Chao as ugly--and Johnny Yang is far from ugly. It made me shake my head and say "are you blind or just stupid?" and unfortunately I think stupid is the answer.
However, all that aside, I did enjoy it for the awkward, if not forced, comedy until about episode 9. Afterward, I ended up skipping to Hansheng and Xiao Jing scenes because absolutely nothing happens in this drama without them instigating it.
A good note, Bii contributed some beautiful songs to the soundtrack. I wouldn't download and listen to them on their own, but they are well done, atmospheric songs.
Sounds harsh, but it wasn't terrible. It has its place, but it's not on my rewatch list for sure. There are much better mindless rom-coms I would rather watch for a third, fourth, and fifth time before pulling this up again. If you want cheese and some laugh out loud "wtf are you serious?" moments, this is your drama. If you want a compelling plot, think twice because you might get as bored as some of the characters look.
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The does he or doesn't he question is the fun of watching. I would definitely recommend with some fast forward moments and some skipping.
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This review may contain spoilers
The story is well built and has lots of good elements to it. What I really liked about this show rather than others who do the whole" girl dresses as boy;" was that not all characters found our really soon that Pi Ya Nuo was actually a girl. In other shows like "You're Beautiful" or "To The Beautiful You" they didn't find out until really close to the end which was pretty great. When Du Zi Feng found out that Pi Ya Nuo was actually a girl was really placed in perfectly; him keeping the secret until it was time was very well done. The characters were very well rounded even the minor or supporting roles. Most shows like this the characters don't develop very much other than the main roles but this one had all characters develop which was great. The relationships on the side were good too because they actually developed slowly and were rally good. In "Coffee Prince" the other relationships were rushed or ended badly in "Bromance" they develop slowly and end happily and satisfyingly. I usually don't like other relationships developing on the side of the main relationship but Qing Yang and Na Na's relationship managed to bring me in and want me to know more about it and see it become something. The relationship between Zi Hao and Guang Chao was too predictable to me because of how much Zi Hao didn't like Guang Chao and because of how Guang Chao kept perusing her but it was still nicely done and it was nice seeing it rise slowly. Chu Zhe Rui as a love interest was a good addition even though he didn't get the girl you could clearly see him developing as a person.
How they got rid of the antagonist Wu Han Sheng was nicely done too it was a tad cliche but it worked. Although they could've kept him and had like him slowly like Ya Nuo or have him have a very deep, distinct background that he was actually in love with Zi Feng would've worked too but how they did it was nice too. When Zi Feng's father couldn't remember and Han Sheng was showing up more I really knew it was going to be him that was responsible for Zi Feng's fathers disappearance. But learning that Han Sheng's father had covered for him was shocking to me because I thought that it was Han Sheng in it alone and seeing their relationship really deterred me from actually thinking he helped; having Han Sheng's father be forgiven slightly was a wonderful and well crafted moment in the show.
Zi Feng finding his father was a good addition too because you expected it but you didn't know if it would actually happen. At first I was a little confused when he saw his father at the fountain because I thought that it really wasn't his father and he was just thinking things. But seeing that it actually was his father really comforted me and also helped with Ya Nuo and Zi Feng's relationships grow. Having Zi Feng's father like Ya Nuo more was a fantastic thing to do because Ya Nuo could get close to his father helping Zi Feng also get closer, she could also help with him recovering his memories, and Ya Nuo and Zi Feng both trying to recover his memories really was a big thing that helped them get closer. Seeing Zi Feng and Ya Nuo's relationship flourish was lovely to watch and the things that helped build up to it was great too; like when they brought in Zhe Rui you could tell that Zi Feng was slowly figuring out his feelings for Ya Nuo.
Now the kiss scenes were done very well and it wasn't like some other dramas where they lightly touch lips it was a real kiss like they truly meant it and weren't acting. The scenes where it got a little racy weren't like other dramas where they're sometimes very aggressive and fast or really droned on where it got to the point where it wasn't very good; they were sweet and ended at the right times. The kiss scenes and the scenes where it heated up a bit was very strong and beautifully perfected; there was clearly emotions there that you don't see in most dramas.
All in all the show was beautifully done the ending was short and sweet but it really hit home. This is the second drama I ever watched and I was happy that I did so because it was a lovely show and I'd definitely watch again to see what I missed when I first watched.
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Utter nonsense you somehow love it ??
Utterly ridiculous and stupid but hilarious that it doesn’t even matter that this drama is packed full of cliches and drama tropes because you somehow tolerate it all. Between Baron’s hair(😎🥰) and smoldering gazes, the strange mix of silly and comedy don’t quite mix with the supposedly serious plots of mafia and murder and disappearance of characters- just make sure to leave the comments on and enjoy the watch with others! Its a must. I will say I skipped a good 7 episodes around the half way mark, it got a bit boring and draggy - and I had no care in the world for the whole nana plot - that could have been cut completely. One big plus for this show is the chemistry between the main leads - they were on fire, and the bts at the very end of ep 19 is fun to watch. The soundtrack is whack just like this drama, but if you need something to lift the spirits, this is perfect, just don’t take it too seriously and enjoy this nonsense 🤣🤣🤣Was this review helpful to you?
This maybe the one of most cringey show I've ever watched.
A RomCom from top to bottom. If you can get over all the cringey mushy stuff, you'll appreciate it's entertainment value. Romance + Comedy + Fight Scenes, is a very good formula of a good show.This shows how familial love/loyalty can be more than just about blood. How real love should be, or how it can overcome social status or even gender.
It was funny to see a straight guy fall for a man, how he struggled to understand his feelings.. ML and FL started as sworn brothers, from being each other's support system to falling in love. Luckily for him, it turns out that she's a girl after all.
The supporting characters were fun to watch too. The show gave a bit of a backstory for our characters really well.
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I like that the characters weren’t unnecessarily mean to each other just to create some tension.
There were some truly beautiful moments of trust and friendship in this drama.
Zifeng – male lead
Everyone thinks he’s some kind of gangsta. He seems to like Yanuo straight away.
I really came to love Zifeng’s expressions especially when he was unimpressed or didn’t like something. He expresses a lot with his eyes.
That motorcycle bit was so hilarious when he thought Yanuo was asking him for something completely different.
Pi Yanuo – heroine
“I don’t think I have the courage to look into your eyes and tell you, we are no longer bros.”
Megan Lai is one hell of an actress. She is so generous with her emotions. Her excitement was always so cute.
I think Yanuo’s expressions and behaviour are very masculine. There’s a roughness to her that is pretty convincing.
I like whenever anyone confesses to her, she has this appalled look on her face.
She doesn’t have that over fussy personality that is often depicted in gender benders. She doesn’t overreact to things. But her responses are also very genuine.
I like her steady gaze and her brooding nature. It’s kind of fun.
She’s very cool. I loved her.
She doesn’t have any airs of a girly girl. And it was awesome. Even her facial expressions are so perfect when she sneers or when she’s angry.
I also love that she didn’t have bravado, she really did have confidence in herself.
Unlike other cross dressers in dramas, she’s really comfortable in her own skin. She’s not pretending to be anything.
Honestly, this actress has chemistry with everyone.
It’s great that she’s so tall.
Romance
For a while it gets a bit boring with Yanuo being all girly and ditzy, but then she jumps back in charge again and it was great.
I like that Yanuo and Zifeng communicate their jokes with a glance. I like how they teased their friends that way too. The drama really shows how well they know each other. And I find that very unusual the friendship they had.
Even though Zifeng sometimes takes his frustrations out on Yanuo, he is quick to amend his ways when he realises what he’s doing.
I like how the drama showed how openly Zifeng loved Yanuo and how Yanuo was always a little little bit closed off because of the secret she kept from him. Zifeng was so relaxed and affectionate but Yanuo always had this invisible line drawn in the sand that she had to keep from him.
Side Characters
The side characters are also quirky and interesting. The poor English made me crack up.
Xiao Jing is so cute and Zifeng’s mother is not overbearing at all. She has her opinions but she absolutely doesn’t strong arm her children. And I really loved what a beautiful character she is as the show goes on. She really has her own personality and story.
I appreciated Zifeng’s functional relationships with his family. They supported each other. They might get in each other’s way sometimes but they knew how to be united and they trusted each other.
The parental roles are surprisingly self-sacrificing. They at first looked like typical elders but the way they backed their children was very dignified.
Also, the themes of the bro-ship extend to the older generation as well and I like how they explored that.
In a way, it’s a bit hilarious how well the family get along.
Dr Chu
Just when I was getting into the swing of this drama. In comes Dr. Chu to liven things up. Sure it’s an age old trope of introducing a guy that knows the girl is a girl but come on, it’s hilarious. And the drama does it well. That hot springs moment...OMG.
Qing Ying
“The onlooker sees most of the game”
For some reason I really connected with Qing Ying’s character. He’s a bit too serious but that’s what makes him fun. Qing Ying is really cute and kind and sexy with his earrings and I know that’s what the drama is trying to shove down our throats, but I couldn’t help but fall for him anyway. He seems really real and he’s probably the first character that I had this impression that I could smell him. Isn’t that bizarre?
His role is a bit funny because he’s often observing but he generally has this look that says, “You guys are so weird/up to something”.
I also like his dress style.
He’s the kind of guy that doesn’t care about people until they are slightly in trouble or concerned and then he has the most gentlest and sweet attitude towards them.
And I really loved seeing Qing Yang’s role in the dramatic stand offs.
His secondary romance is surprisingly engaging.
Korean vs. Chinese Drama Notes
It’s funny how I also feel that in Chinese dramas it’s rude to call someone by their name with no -ssi or anything.
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