Bromance

Pros:

Yanuo is passably male for a good portion of the show.
She is a master martial artist and she doesn’t ever have a scene where she loses to someone and then someone tells her, or she thinks, it’s because she’s ‘still a girl’ or some other bullshit.
The friendship is strong in this show. And it is beautiful. Seriously my favorite scenes were of their wonderful, amazing friendships. The teasing, the playfulness, the loyalty, the mindfulness. Gorgeous.
All the characters are lovable (except that one asshat, but that’s rather the point).
There is no point where Zifeng has a gay panic, so if that's something that puts you off a gender-bender show, don't worry. He does think he's gay, but there's no panic.
It’s bazonkers, but that makes it funny. Several times I was like ‘this is so unnecessary, why is this happening?’ because something silly and easily avoided was happening.
There’s a love triangle, but not really, because the other guy was never an option.
Zifeng finds out Yanuo is a woman partway through the show (won’t say when because spoilers and all), but he doesn’t alter how he treats her in the slightest. He doesn’t start telling her to not come do Triad business with him, or not to get into a fight, that something is too dangerous, etc. He does caring, thoughtful things for her just as much before as after he knows.
Qingyang is Soft Boy. The softest boy. So many times he came on screen and I was just like ‘heeee’s sooo sooooooooooooooft.’ This has nothing to do with the plot, but I felt you should know.

Cons:

The cinematography is awful. Camera angles were terrible. Everything was so close up. I was like ‘wow, do I need to see their pores in this scene?’
“Give him this cup of water.” What cup? I don’t even see you, the person offering the cup, let alone the cup, because the camera is focused so close up on the lady you’re talking to.
“How do I look?” I have no idea, because I can only see the barest slice of you, in 4 different shots, while the camera shows us your hesitant face and his ‘wow’ face.
The kissing scenes were really awkward. Like, they seemed to be trying to make it look natural, but I was like just ‘I feel bad for any actual significant others you two have if this is how you really kiss.’
Zifeng is a mafia boss, the head of a Triad even, but nothing illegal happens under his watch. He runs an amusement park and pulled the Triad out of all illegal business. It’s a Thing in the show. (and it's literally the first thing you learn in the show via Zifeng talking to his dad, so Not Spoilers). It took 28 out of Netflix’s 30 episodes for there to be any real threat (imo) to someone's life.
The longer the show went on, the more Yanuo acted like a girl. Like, sitting like a girl and demurring in a very feminine way and speaking in a quieter, almost breathy tone all the time. She started out acting very boyish, and I don’t believe that 25 years of acting like a guy would vanish that fast (<100 days) just because you fell in love. They even started giving her more feminine makeup the longer the show went on, though the character never started wearing make up within the show.
Whomever did the music for the show is on par with whomever did the cinematography for the show. Music starts and ends randomly, sometimes switching songs mid-scene and mid-music swell, music abruptly stopping mid-scene and with nothing happening on screen to signal why the music would stop.

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Very Satisfying Gender Bender Romance Balances Sillyness Of Screenplay

The bromance to romance between the lead couple gave me basically everything I want and hope for in a gender-bender relationship. It was so very satisfying in that regard that I'm rating this higher than I technically would otherwise. I've listed the main points of why I found the romance so satisfying under the "general spoilers" section further down in this review. Overall there's mutual respect and trust, giving support and working together as equals, great chemistry, romantic and sexual tension, a ton of skinship, some passionate kisses, flirting, and sweet words delivered in a heart-felt way. The set-up of the friendship is super fast and unrealistic, but then the progression of their relationship flows well and Yanuo is in male form for most of it.

There were things with the screenplay and direction that would usually annoy the heck out of me yet the production somehow kept things fun. The main romance is the focus throughout and the connection between the lead characters was believable and touching enough to balance out the other shenanigans in the show.

There was melodrama and many unrealistic and silly situations that the show leaned into (didn't take itself too seriously) so the cheesy, ridiculous, and low-budget-feeling moments had me laughing out loud along with it instead of feeling outright disdain. It did require a lot of suspension of disbelief, but the show's approach was consistent so I found myself mostly able to roll with it. Things in plot, settings, and characters come and go purely based on what's needed at the time. For example, except for one scene at the beginning the leads never practice their martial arts, yet when they need to fight they are always in top form. And the head of the triad doesn't seem to have much power or any access to bodyguards or underlings for protection. Those kinds of things.

The side couples were not interesting to me so I fast-forwarded all those parts. However, I did like the ML's Mother's story, she was a loveable character.

Ep 19 is a special episode. It recaps the lead's long romantic story, has an exaggerated yet still hot rough and playful heavy make-out scene, and some behind the scenes footage.

Why I found the bromance to romance so satisfying:

General Spoilers Below.

- The actress playing Yanuo actually has, not just the face, but the body and physicality to believably have been raised as a male who practices martial arts. She is tall, has broad shoulders, some stockiness to her arms, and large strong hands. She looks more like a grown man (with slightly softer features) than the 'cute boy' look that many other gender benders rely on.

- There's lots of time (many episodes) with the ML falling for Yanuo as a person who happens to be in male form, and many moments of both romantic and sexual tension.

- Zi Feng experiences and works through the confusion of his growing feelings and attraction, reaches acceptance, and makes the decision to act on his love *before he learns Yanuo's secret. There's no disgust or gay panic.

- When the Zi Feng overhears Yanuo's secret, he respects it, trusts there's a reason for it, and waits for Yanou to tell him.

- Once Zi Feng knows the secret, his approach towards wooing Yanou becomes more direct. There's a lot of time with them becoming romantic and quite a few passionate kissing scenes while Yanuo is still in male form (not knowing that Zi Feng has learned the truth).

- Zi Feng's family can tell his bond with Yanuo starts looking more like lovers than bros and ultimately show signs of acceptance through their actions *before the last episode.


While I was watching, I wanted to know the exact point that Zi Feng learned Yanuo's secret so I looked it up. If you're like me and want to know, the basic info is below; episode numbers are given but no other details.

... ... ...

SPECIFIC SPOILER BELOW.

In Ep 18 the audience and FL learn when the ML found out she was female (he overhears it in the eleventh episode).

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Siiiggh. I was hoping for this drama to get better and such as I kept watching this with my husband and we both agree that this drama isn't very.....dramaful?
I like watching dramas that have lots of tearjerkers and it lacked a lot of that.
All the "sad" scenes didn't even last long??? Like...it was settled within a few minutes and the drama makes it all happy again?? I can't even.

-WARNING!!! DON'T READ UNLESS YOU WATCHED ALL THE EPISODES-

Story:

The main characters were so...bland...Very undeveloping. It just felt like a bunch of fanservice between Pi Ya Nuo and Du Zi Feng.. Their relationship had NO tension NOR drama.
Like oh?? Her van is spinning outta control? Nah, she's ok.
Oh? She got shot in the arm? She's ok..
Oh? He got shot in the back and Yanuo's crying so much?! IT'S A STINKING PAINTBALL GUN?!!?!?
Like I would be just dying for something terrible to happen to them. I personally enjoy dramas more like that..It makes me feel like the characters really go through a lot together and that tells me that they really love each other.
This?? They have like...nothing.... The couple was WAY too perfect and predictable. I was hoping there would be a shocking moment he found out Yanuo's a girl? Nope! They don't show that scene until the very end making Zifeng look like an idiot not knowing Yanuo's a girl!! It made me think he was super dense...And what made me even more mad that I didn't even see a majority of the characters reactions when they found out Yanuo's a girl?? The ending felt way too dang rushed... It just felt unfair and that the characters were so underdeveloped... The other side characters were way more interesting. Nana's story had way more development..A little more drama..Wish it had more but it was way better than watching things be perfect all the time. As for Zifeng's dad... Why couldn't we see flashbacks on what happened? Wouldn't it be more dramatic that way? Nope..Everything's hunky dory! Ugh. Even dramas that's genred under comedy have more sad moments than this. I watch drama mearly for crying and feeling my heartstrings tugged. This drama isn't for people like that..
I won't ever be rewatching this drama.

Acting/cast:

At least the acting parts were good..The parts I enjoyed were the comedy. I laughed a lot about it.
Not much to say since I didn't really enjoy the story.

Music:

Music was so perfect. Even though I somewhat hated this drama, I would like the soundtrack for this. Each song is catchy.

I think I'm done ranting here...All in all, I don't think it deserves such a high rating, but that's just my opinion.

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Seriously, when I found this, I didn't really know what should I expect. I like cross-dressing, and I like a little BL, but I was afraid that it may involve the LGBTQ stuff and all.
After I watched the first episode, I was in. Trapped, never being able to go out. This show didn't let me escape.
Well... not like I wanted to.
This was such a perfectly done show, there wasn't too much drama, the characters were reasonable, they were realistic, yet all of them were strong in their own ways.
The main characters knew that he/she had a secret, yet they didn't force her to tell them, they reespected each other, they were all kind and beautiful people.
Even the antagonist was a perfectly made character. He had reasons, he had ways, he had everything needed to be realistic, yet loveable. I was seriously in love with him.
All the "couples" got together, as expected, but I think that even if I could predict most of the show, I was always surprised by how smooth they dealt with all their problems.

There were some negative things for me, although these are nothing compared to how perfectly great it was.
First... when Zifeng "found out" that his other half is a girl... I wish we could have seen his face when he realised just why exactly was Yanuo so shy. I wanted to see him realise everything. I wanted a flashback, then a cute blush from him...
But I'm perfectly fine with the way it became. I really wanted that scene, but I guess I have to deal with this.
Second problem... I don't know how to say this, but this show ruined all the other normal romance dramas. After this, my expectations are just too high. This was so much better than all my previous shows, and I seriously feel like that this can never be surpassed.
It's just... too perfect.

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campy, chaotic, completely charming

If it weren't for the incredible chemistry between the main leads, the soundtrack, the shattering of stereotypes (strong female characters and healthy masculinity for the win!) and the absolutely stunning, intimate relationship of Du Zifeng and Pi Yanuo, this drama would've received less than five stars from me. Don't get me wrong, I love drama. But I think that they tried to fit way too much of it into this show. And at random moments too. The cheesiness is just off the charts.

Though I appreciate the relationships between Zifeng and his father, Nana and Qingyang, Qingyang and Zifeng, Yanuo and Zherui, and Nana and her father, the story that accompanies all of this is too plot heavy and often takes away from the beautiful relationships the show is set up for.

The fight scenes are pretty awesome since the actors do a lot of their own stunts, but definitely more funny than serious.

The the over-the-top drama is well-placed in Zifeng and Yanuo's actual relationship, though. The rooftop scene, the food truck scene, the paint gun scene, etc. Melodramatic and funny as they are, some of the dialogue exchanged between DuPi in these scenes is just so heartwarming and shows how genuine and strong their bond is. I could talk about their relationship for hours, because they are so in love with each other no matter background, gender, or circumstances.

I truly love this drama and have watched it at least ten times. I’ve practically memorized it in Chinese. It's one of those feel-good shows that you watch when you just need an incredible romance or something that will make you smile. As bad as it is, I will never hesitate to recommend this show that really helped me in trying times.

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I haven't been very impressed with the Taiwanese dramas I have seen lately, but this title turned it all around. I don't mind cheesy, cliched dramas as long as they don't take themselves seriously, and this one fit the bill. It was just so funny that you were able to forgive imperfections in the writing.

I will start with the relationship between the MLs which is the best part of the entire show. Two people come together during unconventional circumstances and manage to make their relationship work. The beauty in this is watching our hero accept his love for the object of his affection without reservation. He doesn't dwell on whether others will accept it, he doesn't shy away from it, just accepts it and follows his heart. He is mature about it. This earns the highest marks from me. It shows and usual amount of respect and integrity in the writing not often found in these types of comedies. The show was heartwarming and hilarious, there are plot holes but the airtight writing around the main characters allows you to overlook that.

The show is full of cliches and ridiculous behavior. It can be over the top and cheesy in a very funny way, supporting characters disappear for large lengths of time without explanation and some story lines did not have adequate wrap ups. I think the sub story lines were just not as important to the writers as the MLs were, so they didn't spend a lot of time on fleshing them out. In my opinion, they had some really good characters which I would have liked to have seen more of but, perhaps the focus remains where it should. Just watching the MLs flirt shamelessly with each other is a treat given their excellent chemistry, I wouldn't be surprised if these two wound up falling in love in real life because that's how good they were. (I was able to catch some of their behind-the-scenes banter and the chemistry and fun they had was present there as well. You could tell they were 150% comfortable with each other.) Our MLs are beautiful and I just want to run my fingers through Baron Chen's hair just once! His hair is amazing! Kudos to the costumers and makeup team who made them look cool and stylish.

I recommend this show for anyone who is tired of watching shows with immature, dysfunctional couples who behave like idiots. This show makes you breathe a sigh of relief that there are artists out there interested in actually writing something more realistic. It's funny, romantic, and rewatchable. The music is one of the best parts of this show. Bii's "Back In Time" is played often throughout the series. He has a nice singing voice and has a part as the secondary romantic couple opposite Katie Chen.

I will be adding this series to my rewatch list.

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A gender bender that's so cheesy it's good

It's the kind of drama that you would like to hate but can't stop watching just because. Many lines made me cringe. The logic behind why the FL must be a man was loony. Situations for love development were engineered tropes. I did not particularly like the two CPs other than main one as I find the second FL to be too needy, the second ML too emotionless, the third FL too bossy and the third ML too comedic bordering on parody. But man, the chemistry of the main CP is just through the roof that I can't believe it was only acting. Their romantic and kiss scenes have pure electricity. Their story was not love at first sight but was built because of experiences together. I like the fact that the FL was not just pretending to be a man but IS a man that's actually a woman. She can also stand on her own in a fight. As for the ML, he was really a good, reasonable and kind person. No wonder the FL can't help but fall for him. Even when I thought he would be angry, he wasn't, he always try to understand the other person. And he loved the FL as a person not because of her gender.

So if you are not averse to cheesy romances, give this a try.

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What makes me decide to write this review is because of the actors. Baron (i find him so attractive) and Megan for me are one of those superb in acting, and what a great chemistry they have. Often times when u watch a story with cross-dressing you would somehow feel a little aback because of how the plots gets a little dificulty to convey the chemistry of the leads to the viewers, but not in this drama. The chemistry here for me is so powerful that the leads can show love pretty well and does not matter what gender or if you are straight or not, as long as LOVE is there and it grows each and everyday.
Again for me it is worth watching, i love the characters and actors in this drama, a heart warming story...
❤❤❤

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I feel like I'm 12 again

because this drama sent me back to the days when I used to binge cheesy romance novels on wattpad. Like another user said, this drama is definitely like makjang in the sense that NOTHING makes sense. And that's kind of the point. Since the very first episode until the very last this drama was crazy silly, crazy cheesy, and crazy fun. However, there were definitely issues with pacing, since a fairly fast paced plot lost a lot of its traction in the second half when there wasn't much else for the couple to do besides being lovey-dovey together. Additionally, I admit that I really disliked the female side characters. Zihan seemed like your typical toxic girlfriend, while Nana was too whiny and got very easily upset. I think the male side characters and the great main leads made up for those characters, so at the end of the day, I wasn't too upset. I think this drama set the record for the most amount of times I cringed while watching it. As per usual cheesy rom-com style, our leads were put in countless crazy and embarrassing situations, and I got second hand embarrassment every single time. Overall, this drama is a wonderful mindless watch and ended up growing on me after the first few episodes. Besides the mind-numbingly boring second half due to a lack of plot progression, this will be a super entertaining watch.

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I dithered between 7 and 8.5, finally deciding on a 8 because I don't do halves！A 8 is a good drama and rewatchable and anything higher than 8 is good, rewatchable and something I must own.

I want to own this series because it was a feel-good drama with comic relief, a low level of suspense despite the mystery and mob background of the storyline. The cast chemistry was excellent especially between Megan Lai and Baron Chen.

I deducted points because of the plot and cliches. Though these negatives had its own charm, I felt there was no enough substance to maintain the pace of the show. It might have been better to make the series a few episodes shorter. tightening the sub plots.

I would recommend this for its sweetness, and how they treat the subject of same gender love, for the chemistry between the leads and for the laughs. But do not expect anything substantial.

PS: I >might< still decide to own this series. =^_-=

How I rate
---
5 = okay, but will never watch again
8 = good with rewatch value
>8 = good with rewatch value and must OWN!

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