Bromance

I watched this for the chemistry of the main leads. I'm not going to lie. I am a romance junkie. As others have said before, the story is super cliche and drags in places. The two main leads, however, basically smoldered whenever they were on the screen together. It was tough to get into the story. It took me a good 3-4 episodes before I was hooked. That being said, after a while I felt that the two main leads were written to be 'too perfect' if that makes sense. They always did the correct thing or said the correct thing in any situation which made them not very realistic imo. The secondary characters were also charming and helped keep me watching as well. I adored both sets of parents and all of their friends. However, I didn't really care for Nana's and Quinyang's story, just how I felt personally.
I wouldn't rewatch the whole thing, but I admit to already rewatching the kissing scenes. *fans myself*

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I would have given it a 💯 if it were not for the lackluster 2nd pairing. There is no chemistry between Bii and Katie Chen despite being easy on the eyes. The story is not as airtight as other melodramas but this is meant to be romantic fluff and we should treat it as such. Having said that, I cannot get enough of the lead characters and they served up quite a good amount of skinship, some are uber hot and some ultra sweet that you would need to have a quick shower before going to the dentist. Megan Lai, who I found annoying in other older dramas, convincingly plays a pretty man. Baron Chen's hair meanwhile becomes a third wheel. This drama turned on my fangirling mode I have thought long dormant.

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I started watching this a while back and didn't make it through the first episode. I figured I had the mom and the sister pegged as nasty witches who would make Pi Ya Nuo's life miserable and I figured Zi Feng for the typical jerk-lead.

I started again because I needed something lighthearted inbetween the angst-fests I'm currently watching (Scarlet Ryeo, W and a couple of others). I'm so glad I picked it back up, this drama is one of my new favorites. It's a gender-bender and it has all the tropes that such a story involves - accidental near-misses with towels and showers, the gender-bending character frequently winding up in uncomfortable close proximity to the other lead, accidental kisses, second-hand-embarrassment, etc. But it's SO much fun to watch I had a hard time finding a place to stop because the end of each episode left me wanting to know what was going to happen next.

*Reasons I loved it:*

The main lead is not a jerk. Far from it. Xi Feng is adorable as he struggles with his growing feelings for his "sworn brother." Also, Xi Feng/Baron Chen is damn sexy a lot of the time, especially when he is teasing Ya Nuo by being "thisclose" to her face and then psyching her out or whispering in her ear. (the motorcycle scene comes to mind).

There was no "second lead syndrome." There is a second lead, and while he's likeable, there isn't a case of "dang the first lead is a jerk why doesn't the female lead pick this guy instead."

I genuinely liked just about every character in the drama. Even the mom and sister I figured I would end up hating wind up being fleshed-out characters who come to love Ya Nuo and treat her as part of the family as she is Xi Feng's sworn brother. Ya Nuo's cousin is a hoot and steals every scene she's in, which winds up being not quite enough in my opinion.

There are several romance subplots in addition to the main one, all of which I found enjoyable.

THE KISSING. OMG THE KISSING. It takes a long while to happen but when it does, it was totally worth the wait.

You must watch at least the last 15 or 20 minutes of the special for the behind the scenes look.

There is an actual plot besides the "will they/won't they" romance, including some intrigue and gangsters. The plot is not just "what catastrophe will the gender-bending-character/female lead find herself in this week," either. This is why I gave the story a 9. Because there IS one.

Lastly, make sure you watch the last 3 minutes of the final episode. DO NOT MISS IT JUST BECAUSE THE CREDITS ROLL.

Things I did not love:

The fight scenes are pretty hokey.

Ya Nuo does her fair share of crying/being hysterical when catastrophes ensue. On the other hand, she also does her share of ass kicking, which was refreshing.

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Longish review ahead!

I'd never watched a Taiwanese drama before this one, so I wasn't sure what to expect after only watching Korean/Japanese dramas. I have to say I was quite impressed. I definitely wanted to keep watching and I marathoned it in 2 days. For some reason Netflix has this drama as 30 episodes and not 18 so it felt like it took longer. Overall I give it an 8.5, mostly for it's characters and the chemistry between the main leads. The plot besides the whole gender-bending thing felt very flimsy, like it was tacked on AROUND the gender-bending and romance. But it honestly didn't matter so much in the grand scheme of things, because I truly do feel like this is a romance drama before anything and that SHOULD take priority. It's a story of two people overcoming so much for the sake of love.

One of the things that impressed me the most was how this drama did quite an amazing job at showcasing how gender doesn't really matter when it comes to love. You fall in love with who you fall in love with - everything else will fall into place with time. If you're worried about any homophobia - don't be, is all I have to say. Really, it's all handled very well, almost to the point where I wished Yanuo WAS male.

A small problem I had was how separated the characters felt from each other outside of their pairings. I would have liked for them to interact more. Like Nana and Yanuo confiding in each other, more interactions between Qingyang and Zifeng. It felt like their interactions became all too rare. You ARE allowed to have friends outside of a relationship.

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Characters
(I will only do the characters you see early on - the rest I may count as spoilers)

All the characters were portrayed very well and none felt the same.

Yanuo, one half of a pair the story centers around. Forced to dress as a boy because her asinine parents believed some fortune teller when he told them their daughter would die before the age of 26 if they didn't try to 'trick' the universe. It's flimsy, but if you try to believe this story takes place in an alternate universe where fortune tellers are actually a real, 100% factual thing then it makes it vaguely okay. Though the fact you have to jump through those hoops is rather silly. Yanuo is deeply empathetic and loyal. She believes in justice over everything and won't stand for it if the people she loves are hurt. The chemistry between her and Zifeng is almost instant. Honestly, Yanuo was quite a well-rounded character that I couldn't help but find charming in her own way. Lai Megan did such a good job emulating the mannerisms of a guy, they way she walked and her body language all made her seem like one, even her outfits were well chosen. I was pretty impressed with how boyish she actually looked. Usually with gender-bending drama's they still look quite girly, so it was a pleasant surprise. Overall, I had very few gripes with Yanuo.

Zifeng the other half of the main pair. He didn't have too many flaws if I'm completely honest. He's good at seemingly everything he tries. Even his personality is pretty strong, he's loyal almost to a fault, caring and compassionate. Not to mention he is an absolutely gorgeous man. I am forever grateful he wore suits almost all through the drama. Because Chen Baron is such a good actor, you really feel the pain, struggles and happiness he goes through. All in all, Zifeng, and Chen Baron himself, was the perfect match for this role.

Bii sold me on Qingyang completely. His quiet, caring and sensitivity were illustrated very well.To people not willing to look past the surface, they may never know how he truly is. He's not a very emotional character, but that works for him. Seriously, I am a huge Zifeng fan, but Qingyang stole my heart so many times. If you're not impressed and inspired by him as the story goes on, I'd be very shocked. I can't sing his praises enough.

As for Nana, I don't know if it was the acting or something else, but I couldn't quite enjoy many scenes with her in. She is absolutely stunning and her hair is gorgeous. Yet I found myself getting annoyed when scenes with her in dragged on. I do think her acting was maybe a little sub-par compared to the rest of the cast. It didn't feel as genuine.

Zihan was a not-so-secret favourite of mine. The first thing I want to address is how much she reminded me of Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. I know that's kind of a weird comparison to make but she did. It was immediately obvious to me. She is so, so pretty and I really felt for her as the story progressed.

Xiaojing was an absolute breath of fresh air. Her bubbly personality and her willingness to do whatever she can to make Yanuo happy was a wonderful thing to see. There needs to be more characters like her in dramas because I really couldn't take my eyes off her whenever she appeared. It really brightened up the drama.

Guangchao is what I like to call a comic relief character. Maybe even the mascot character - though that might be reserved for something else. He constantly makes a fool of himself and appears a little girl crazy. But just because I say he's a comic relief character, that doesn't mean he isn't actually funny, because he is, if maybe a little over the top, but I think that's the point.

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Sound

The soundtrack was good, though one song was played a little too much and I don't know if it was just the Netflix version, but sometimes the music would just cut out halfway through and enter into a new song very suddenly. It kind of took me out of the moment because it was so jarring. Other than that, I really can't fault it. Even the one song they played a tad too much I ended up humming along to when it came up.

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Rewatch

It's a bit long, but I could see myself watching it again if the mood struck.

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Overall

I had a good time watching this drama. If I didn't, I wouldn't have watched it in such a short amount of time.There is something oddly addicting about it. Besides all the cheesy moments, thin plot and maybe a slightly sub-par side story, you won't find many flaws at all with the main concept. So I recommend you sit back with a nice drink and let yourself enjoy it for what it is.

--For the full thing WITH spoilers, go to my tumblr: kanawafu . tumblr . com --

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I watched this drama on a whim when it was recommended to me so I didn't really anticipate much on what it would be like. It absolutely had me hooked by the end of the first episode though which I did not expect. It seems a bit cheesy at first so if you like dramas that have a bit of a campy humor side to them to balance the angst then this is a good match for you.

Throughout watching the series I found myself literally laughing out loud, yelling at my tv, and basically all the other ridiculous reactions that happen when a story really grabs you. There's also a fantastic level of appreciation for the characters that you often don't see in gender bending dramas. By this I mean that the lead female isn't berated for being male presenting and even when she often says she is much more comfortable like that there are a variety of other characters that support her to overwhelm the few who judge her on it. I found myself extremely pleased by the love and support in the dialogue as well for same sex couples it was truly treated in a respectful and amazing way and not looked down on.

I only docked points on the acting because like I said at the beginning it can be a little too cheesy dramatic like you see in a lot of older dramas where it's a bit like soap opera acting at times but it's still so fun and so good of a story that the acting even still fits it. Overall I would recommend this drama to anyone who loves gender benders or just light romance stories in general. In fact I even got a friend to watch it right after I finished it and she was head over heels for it as well. If you're considering watching it or you've got it on a 'maybe' list then go ahead and take the dive it's a good one!

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STORY: Let's be honest, this is not the the most unique plot we've ever watched in television. But one of my favorite genre is gender-bender that is the reason why I watched this show. Well, overall the show is a bit cringe but really funny though. Anyways, if you wanted to watch something that makes you feel good and has a good kissing scene this is it!
CAST: Megan Lai and Baron Chen, this is the first drama I've watched starring the two of them. I would say that the staff did really well and making Megan look like a man because he really did look like a man. I also liked the secondary characters too, like Nana (she's very pretty!!!) and Sister Feng. I think the staff made a great choices with the cast.
MUSIC: I love the music! I downloaded some on Spotify. Now, I can listen to the song while I am driving! HAHAHA
REWATCH VALUE: I would definitely rewatch this!
OVERALL: I didn't gave this show a 10 despite liking it because of the storyline/plot but aside from that everything was well done!

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I am picky when it comes to watching Asian movies/series. This one hits the top five of my favorites so far. I understood the story line from the get go, because their are American versions of the same thing. But what makes this one stand out is how the story line is laid out, and how everyone and everything in it makes sense to the over all plot. The only thing I disliked about the whole series is the rushing of the ending. Though the very last little clip is hilarious. Visual appeal five stars, screen write five stars, acting five stars; and seamlessly rolling romance, drama, comedy, and action into one I also give five stars. I will continue to watch this one over and over again. Love it.

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I was actually surprised to find that this only has a 7.1 on MDL because of all the buzz about this drama when it was airing. To me it was the break-out T-Drama of the last few years. I will admit when all the buzz was going on, I tried to watch it and didn't get through the first episode. I saw it on Netflix recently and was more in the mood for a T-Drama and gave it a go and generally liked it.

I actually am a fan of the gender bender genre though I know it is ridiculous. It works better in historical setting because there can actually be a legitimate reason for a woman to pretend to be a man re: safety or economic necessity. Bromance goes all in T-drama style on the silly and just says, shyster shaman/silly parents, deal with it. Basically you have to suspend reality or this drama will not work for you. Like I said, it took me two attempts. Having said that, I had trouble with how Coffee Prince handled this because at a certain point, there was no reason for someone not to tell so the writers contrived something silly. It really bugged me. I'd rather just know it is all silly from the get go.

Cons: The secondary story line didn't do much for me and the actor (who I think is a singer) was just ok.

Writers knew what buttered their bread and gave us a lot of the leads, but it would be nice to have some kind of coherent story other than constantly throwing them in compromising situations. They threw in some mafia stuff, but it was all pretty silly at the end of the day. I've watched idol dramas, and I just think the writers need to get better because they just rely on their stars to see them through.

It was too long, as are most of the modern T-Dramas (MARS this is not.). I really liked the lead characters, but after a while with both the mafia stuff and the romance, it got repetitive. This could have been done better at 15 episodes.

Pros: Megan Lai is fantastic and easily takes on Yoon Eun Hye as the most realistic woman playing a guy in a gender bender. Baron Chen is also great. They have great chemistry and are the basis for this drama being so popular imo.

I liked that the 2nd male lead character (the vet) story line was different without all the usual posturing. I also liked the hotdog guy and the sister as well as the cousin. She was a true friend.

So I notice some of the negativity is that this show didn't have the angst as, say, Coffee Prince. However, I liked that because this is lighthearted fare and it is a pet peeve of mine when I start watching a light romance (I mean, again, a shaman is involved), and it turns into a melo. This drama keeps to its roots and while it doesn't mine the anguish of a sexual identity crisis like Gong Yoo in CP, it does tell of acceptance of oneself, who one loves and what goes into that. I can't really get into it without spoilers. I do think the writers were trying to stay away from Coffee Prince territory because it's been done and time has gone on and this is Taiwan not Korea. I think they did well making sure neither lead character was knowingly causing the other angst. I really appreciated that.

So I'll admit to some fast forwarding through mafia business and secondary stories, but Megan and BC shined in this. I also appreciated some sizzling scenes as well. I took off one point for being over long and one point for the lackluster secondary love story and mafia business stuff.

Other Opinions:

I did not downgrade for the contrivances, the cheese factor or the cliches in the story. Also, the godawful background music. I just take them as part and parcel of Taiwanese dramas these days, but I notice this bothered many people.

There is a bit of a surprise at one point that irked some viewers. And as before, I think many viewers wanted the intensity of Coffee Prince....this isn't CP and it never acts like it want to be.

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Cross Dressed ...

Okay so this drama, took me awhile to get through it, mainly because there were really some frustating episodes where you like really!! I had no idea what to expect going into it. And the little things I did expect were completely shut down.

There’s just something about it that kept me watching.

I started watching when there were already eleven episodes out. I kept telling myself, “This is a good place to stop. I’ll do something else, I’ll go to sleep, and I’ll finish tomorrow” and then I’d finish the episode and hit the next button and the process would continue until I was caught up with the lives. It was so freaking cheesy. Like every possible cliche happened within the first episode. The entire drama was like this, but it didn’t bother me because I thought it was hilarious. I know some people get annoyed with cliches though, so I’m letting everyone know now.

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.

Overall This drama was a 50 / 50 watch, for me, mainly because of the cheey cliche and them trying to make it thorugh to her birthday, which by the way literally took up the whole drama.

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