This review may contain spoilers
LOVE LOVE LOVE GJ AND ZZH
My first venture with cdrama BL, and I absolutely fell in love with the two mains. I thoroughly enjoyed the growth of their relationship amidst all the plot-heavy shenanigans around them. I also loved the mains’ relationships with the supporting characters, esp. with Ah Xiang, Chen Ling, Ye Bai Yi, Aunt Luo and her girls, and each Window of Heaven ZZS loyalist that appeared.I cannot praise enough the casting of Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan. Both of them portrayed pain, struggle, and lovely funny moments perfectly. I was LOLing and crying along with them all throughout the series. The last 2 eps had me continuously bawling. Thank God I read the reviews and I learned that there was an Ep 37!
Going in, I was already a fan of ZZH, and now I’m also a Gong Jun fan. Watching ZZH’s performance here gave me so much life! My favorite scenes of his in the past are him being playful, and those were few and far between. BUT here, there were so many scenes of him being subtly (at first) and even overtly (later) playful I couldn’t get enough! And now I have a new favorite for him: when he’s glassy-eyed, emotional, holding back tears, staring into the horizon or to whoever he’s talking to, and he suddenly chuckles... Good lord he kills me! I love ZZH so much!
And GJ’s character is my favorite. Even though I love ZZH, my Slytherin self related more with Wen Ke Xing’s character and GJ’s quirky and flirty portrayal. I loved his public Philosopher Wen side, his Ghost Valley Chief side and of course his Dont Touch My Soulmate/My Family side. His love and protectiveness for Ah Xiang and Ah Xu will forever be in my heart.
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Most daring BL drama to date
I've been a fan of ZZH since Yunxi Palace although I've seen him in Decoded, Beauty Maker and some where he has 2nd leads. ZZH has worked hard in his acting career but truly, he shined in Word of Honor. ZZS is not an easy character to portray and neither is WKX but arguably, ZZS's backstory is more tragic. Storyline flows relatively well. I had wished for more fight scenes from ZZS. What I love the most is those not as subtle looks, glares and smiles. There was far more touching on hands than I would expect or you would expect from a wuxia drama. But the themes of brotherhood and love are amplified. The level of this made me giggle at times and other times, I wondered how daring the drama is in even pushing a bit of the boundaries. I was just so happy all episodes have aired as I was afraid the hype with it would attract scrutiny from censorship officials. 36 episodes is too short even for a wuxia drama but there is no filler air/story. It proves yet again that a low production budget can spin out a high quality and good story that grabs out attention. I'm always in favour of a good execution of the plot with good acting skills over the money spent on CGI, etc.Was this review helpful to you?
Acting/characters: This is where the story truly shines. Both the male leads are very well casted and they did a great job with the characters. (I could go on a ramble here about how much I love Wen Ke Xing but i'll spare you that and just keep this part short.) This goes for the rest of the cast as well, mainly the scorpion king and Ye Bai Yi, which both ended up as my favorite side-characters.
Plot:
The plot is compelling, however I will say that the story sometimes felt a bit convoluted and at times it was difficult to follow along, this might just be me though and the language barrier might be a part of it. The ending felt a bit rushed and there where a few episodes in the middle with a lot of exposition which felt a bit too much.
Music:
Wasn't a huge fan of the opening at first but it grew on me, and the overall score is beautiful.
Technical Aspects
They made this drama on a tight budget and this does come through in technical aspects. However I still feel like they tried their best with the limitations and they put a lot more effort into the elements like staging and costuming.
Overall:
I gave the drama a 8.5, the parts that drag the score down is mainly the flow of the plot. However I would recommend this drama to pretty much anyone and i promise you, you will end up loving the characters and want to re-watch it the minute you finish it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Epic Bromance Wuxia did not get the deserved coverage due to unjustified black listing by
A masterpiece. The story is epic. The production one of the most beautiful i’ve seen for a wuxia. The two main leads are an eye feast , beside acting outstandingly (i am a woman), and normally am more inclined toward classical romance rather than bromance… But I was curious because of the very high rating, and because of Gong Jun, who i found perfect is the drama “Love equations” (which i recommend even if less ambitious)This drama did not get the coverage it deserved for an awful reason. Little after its release and immediate popularity, as it is outstanding, It has been banned in China on all platforms, and censorship has had every coverage of the drama, its main Lead Zhang Zhe Han past present and future activities etc. purely and simply removed/ cancelled etc, without any legal proceedings and condemnation, just after an amazing smearing coordinated campaign, following an old post from a trip in Japan in 2018, alledgely in front of a temple where japanese officers= who were at war with china and are considered criminals by china… were buried.
https://www.whatsonweibo.com/op-ed-⎪-cyber-bullying-and-fake-news-what-you-should-know-about-the-zhang-zhehan-story/
If you dig a little bit in the story, you will understand that the picture was not in the temple, but in the neighboring cherry blossoms site that is touristically very famous. Thats a pure shame.
https://www.whatsonweibo.com/op-ed-⎪-cyber-bullying-and-fake-news-what-you-should-know-about-the-zhang-zhehan-story/
My understanding, considering that there is no legal condemnation of any activity by the legal authorities, and that the smearing campaign was obviously orchestrated by the very authorities that decided to blacklist ZHANG ZHE HAN and make pressure for a total ban by chinese third parties …
so my understanding, is that he must have been courted by someone extremely powerful at the top of the organization, and denied his favors, and faced subsequent punishment. Thats the only rationale.
it happens every day in the corporate world. Whether you re a man or a woman.
Zhang zhe han has an instagram account… showing that he is still alive.
https://www.instagram.com/zhangzhehan_super3/
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Honest Review
Basic Summary: The story, casting, chemistry, music and rewatch levels are all 10/10 and they are deserving of that title.Story: The story in the first episode was a little draggy, but considering it was the first episode, it doesn't really count. The story was very beautiful. The scriptwriter really did the original novel justice. The ending is bittersweet and a HE. You can really see the trust and the love that WKX and ZZS have for each other even if it is not said out loud.
Acting/Cast: The casting was spot on. Gong Jun captures WKX's soft and hard nature. The scene in the rain was very good. Zhang Zhehan also captured ZZS very well. Zhou Ye was also very good at playing Gu Xiang. Overall, all the actors did very well.
Music: The music is beautiful. That's all I really have to say. I saved all of them to my Soundcloud playlist cuz I couldn't find it on Spotify
Rewatch Value: I've already watched all episodes but I am going back to watch it again already. You will notice a lot of hidden easter eggs and things that you didn't notice the first time, and that just makes it even more interesting. Things will make more sense. Even though I am rewatching, the emotion that I had the first time around is still there. Shows how good the drama is.
Overall: Really great. I don't have many complaints. The production value is low, but that the drama makes you forget about it completely. The costumes are really good actually, and the looks are great as well. Chemistry is great, and I love the wordplay that is used in the drama. Subtle, but you can catch it. There are many posts on what was really said in the drama under the dubbing. The chemistry is just great. I loved the side couple, Gu Xiang and Cao Wei Ning. They were adorable.
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A very limited adaptation
This drama benefits a lot from the plot of the source material in the beginning and from the eye catching performance of Wei Kexing (newbie actor Gong Jun). However it ultimately falls short due to the budget level acting of most of the cast and most importantly, the adaptation lacking necessary plot points from the book.It's very clear that the budget is limited here. Firstly they don't have a single good big name actor. Gong Jun is charismatic but his inexperience shows when he is trying to portray more complex emotions.. Huang Youming as Ye Baiyi was fine and well suited to his role. The wheelchair kid was the best villain in the story. Almost everyone else had noticeable flaws. For a veteran actor, Zhang Zehan is better when he's not trying to depict any emotion however this is the case for most of his roles. The general acting level was hard to tolerate as the series went on because the story stopped being supported by the level of the plot.
In general the way the screenwriters chose to begin the series was promising, revealing a good trail of clues up to around the point when Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu reveal their true identities to each other. However by that point a lot was changed in the source material and the logic of the plot fell apart as a torrent of characters was introduced in quick succession. Wen Kexing's new backstory is ok but a lot of the background of the ghosts, background of Tian Chuang and so on were omitted making it hard to follow the motives of such a large cast. The writers tried to make up for this by majorly playing up fan service between the leads but this lowered the quality by taking away necessary plot development time.
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A Heartfelt Drama
There are some dramas where the story is needed to keep the viewer watching or the relationships fall short of the mark. WoH is not one of those dramas.WoH starts as your basic wuxia drama that follows different sects who are for fighting for some coveted item. It is nothing to the wuxia/xianxia world hasn't done before nor is it particularly exciting (for me at least) but the basis plotline is not the whole picture. Viewer beware, there will be a lot of information thrown at you very quickly so be ready. There are a lot of sects and many (many) side stories we follow along the thirty-six episodes. Out of the many side characters, only one was (however necessary) rather bland but the others were absolute perfection. This is a drama that is going to make you angry, smile, and cry often.
Although the story lacks individualism, the relationships and characters shine bright. The acting was wonderful, with obvious character development brought through in micro-expressions and interactions. The romance depicted between the various couples are sweet, built on good foundations and pure. I honestly loved the wholesome aspects between the non-romantic and the romantic relationships as toxicity was scarce. WoH is all about the simple things like learning to rely on someone and the happiness that loved ones can bring you. The chemistry between the cast was engaging no matter the scene and I was delighted and heartbroken throughout the course of the watch. The costumes and choreographed fight scenes are only an add-on to the growing list of reasons to watch this. They are respectively flawless, vibrant and eye-catching. The detail in the fight scenes and the costumes really brought me a lot of joy while watching. The OST is stunning, heartfelt, and follows the tone of the drama perfectly.
My only complaint with this is obviously the basis for the storyline felt a little bland but the pros outweighed the cons in this case and it hardly impacted my viewing experience. The pacing at times felt a little fast in some places and a little slow in others, with the ending feeling a tad rushed. It might have benefitted from a couple more episodes to iron out some storylines but I will say the drama rarely felt draggy. There are A LOT of side stories in this so be prepared to devote your full attention. It's very easy to miss important information and then get a little lost.
All in all though, WoH is a wonderful drama with heartfelt relationships that result in a rewarding watching experience. It has wuxia and romance as well (or bromance if that's your thing) which are both flawless pulled off. I highly recommend.
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This review may contain spoilers
Make sure you watch extra episode 37
I have to say had there not been the "extra" episode 37 I'm not sure my final overall score would have been this high. The show ending was the worst ending since Princess Agents (actually worse).As a recap, Zhou Zi Shu in an effort to end his life in peace and repentance reforms the seven nails torture on himself to leave The Window of Heaven, basically a gout of assassins for the Prince of Jin. He only has a few years to live but at least he would be free. While traveling he meets Wen Ke Xing a mysterious man. It turns out Wen Ke Xing is the leader of Ghost valley and at odds with the martial arts world and "heroes" , After the murder of the Zhang family, the only surviving son, Chen Ling, is entrusted to Zhou Zi Shu. The three become a family and travel together, unraveling the secrets and corruption on the martial arts world and their tragic histories on the road to redemption. Of course the "heroes" are not that heroic and the "ghosts" are not all evil. Eventually the tragedy that was Wen Ke Xing's life unfolds and how he is related to Zhou Zi Shu and all of the "heroes" . Unfortunately the plan he put in place to right the wrongs of the past have consequences.
To start with the story is a little confusing and a lot of characters are brought in and not fully developed. I admit I was lost with the back story from 20 years early and who all the people were. I had to re-watch a few times to get the idea of how the current leaders were integrated with Rong Zuan, the immortal Ye Bai Yi and Wen Ke Xing's family, Plus some of the heroes come and go and I forgot who they were by the time they reappeared. Also, somehow the Prince of Jin was involved (that was never really explained) and there were other "princes" but not sure if this was an effort to get to the throne, The story line with the 3 main leads was very good, a long with the second couple Gu Xiang and Cao Wei Ning was very well written.
The music was just alright. Nothing spectacular. I look forward to music and not just songs and since the composer was the same as for The Untamed I was hoping from some really amazing music but have to say even during emotional scenes the music didn't really leave an impression or add to the scene, so that was disappointing,
Finally, the ending was not my favorite thing, WARNING this is the spoiler part. The last 2 episodes were horrible, I mean stop when everyone is happy. I get the that Zhou Zi Shu removed the nails after he thought Wen Ke Xing died, and therefore had a short time, but the second last episode killing Gu Xiang and Cao Wie Ning was just heart wrenching. I mean they were so happy for their wedding and then it was just a blood bath, and they way Cao Wei Ning died from his master was awful. Then you have the end with Wen Ke Xing basically using all of his body and soul to save Zhou Zi Shu. The show "ends" with all of Wen Ke Xing's meridians destroyed, his hair all white, and he hands limp losing Zhou Zi Shu grip as he collapses. I mean I was so depressed and annoyed, but then I found there was a special episode 37 and that made it better. Although not for Gu Xiang and Cao Wei Ning!
So what I did like, was the story line between Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Ke Xing with their "son" Cheng Ling. I Loved Wen Ke Xing's relationship with Gu Xiang. I felt the main 5 characters were well developed, all likable even if not perfect, and you really felt and understood their relationship.
The best thing about the show was Gong Jun and his portrayal of Wen Ke Xing. To say the least he was a complex character. Not really bad but he did bad things to get revenge / justice for his parents and the child that we was. Raised in a cruel world he assumed he was not worth saving and he would take the world down with him. Then when he meets Zhou Zi Shu and realizes that someone does care and that there is something fro him to care about and live for, it is bittersweet as he is concerned that if Zhou Zi She and Chen Ling know who he is the he would lose everything. Gong Jun managed to convey all of that, the edge of madness, the bitterness, the silly and playfulness, in the portrayal. This is right up there with Mark Chao as Ye Hua in TMOPB and Xiao Zhan in The Untamed. He makes this show well worth the watch.
Just make sure you stop before episode 35 or find a copy of the extra (and short) episode 37.
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BEST WUXIA BL IN CHINA IT'S A MASTERPIECE
This is my 1st BL Wuxia in China. I'm happy watching this. I love the two characters ZhangZhehan and Gongjun they really played their characters very well. I love their actings and expressions throughout the whole episodes. I love the actions, ost, and cinematography. I love the side characters Gu Xiang, Yi Ba Ye, and also the Scorpion king. I watch this while quarantine I'm happy to discovered this wuxia drama. It deserved the recognition. Highly recommended. WATCH! WATCH! WATCH! WATCH! WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOU WENZHOUWas this review helpful to you?
⚙⛓ Games Ghosts Guys & Fierce Glaze ⛓⚙ °6° °high average°
20 years ago, Rong Xuan was killed at Mt Qingya. The fabled Armory he left behind would make anybody invincible, but it can't be opened without the glazed armor trinket. That Lyminster was smashed into half a dozen pieces and distributed around the martial arts sects. To open the Armory, one would have to collect all the pieces, /find/ the Armory, and unlock the door. So, e'erbody and their uncle Bai is looking for the pieces, including Prince Jin. He's been secretly training assassins and planning a revolt. They're killing e/o over rumors.We watch Shu (Zhang Zhe Han, who starred in and directed August, is our ML, Zhou Zi Shu)
tell the royals that he can be their sword but he only has talent for fighting. He cannot help rule. He asks for a quiet death - alone in his hometown. He's already inserted 6 of the 7 nails, you see, to prevent him from ever being used as a weapon of mass destruction again. By inserting them over a period of months, he'll retain half of his martial arts and most of his reason for most of the 3 years until his death. The viewer is left with so many questions. Who is this guy? Why is he loyal to this King? Why did he go on a 10-year Journey past the point of no return? Why did he kill everybody he loves? “Whey-shima?” And why, oh why, did he don a face mask, disguise himself as a beggar, and proceed to live the life of a bum, drinking in the streets? That's what he was up to when Xing & Xiang first lay eyes on him.
⛔Mini spolier: The Window of Heaven leader (Norman Chui) will not submit to Prince Jin. The prince demands that Shu kill his Shifu and the sect leaders or he would kill them anyway, and wipe out the 81 remaining disciples along with them. Shu carried out Jin's evil orders. He saw no other way to save the lives of his followers. Instead of a quick death, Shu inserted the nails of seven torments in his Shifu. The nails slowly take the senses, reason, and then life itself over the course of 3 years. His final move: Punish himself with the nails of seven torments and go live as a bum while he waits to die. That's how Xing stumbles over him. Thus, they meet.⛔
WoH is a 2021 release that is rated 8.6 on MDL. The directors are Gary Sing (Eagles and Youngster), Jones Ma (The World of Fantasy), & Li Hong Yu (Please Don’t Spoil Me). Screenwriters Xiao Chu & Qi Ming worked on Miss Ye in Wonderland, and this was based on the original work by Priest, who also brought us Justice in the Dark. It is 1 season consisting of 36 45-minute episodes, and ep1 is not an easy one. WoH has been associated with the masterpiece, the Untamed-8.6. They're both based on novels involving BL stories in a typical Chinese fantasy template, but that's where the similarities end. TU is a five-star Michelin meal while WoH is Panda Express. The depth of the 2 leads’ devotion, in TU, is breathtaking. WoH is too sprawling. It wanders and is unfocused. Slow paced things are fine, however this teeters on dragging. The bond between the two MLs is not established well. WoH is an outline when held up to the rich tapestry of TU. It is lightweight, and flirty, and never leaves the shallow end. TU is so complex that I couldn't rate it a 10 because it is confusing, but that's actually a good problem. I'm looking forward to the day that I watch TU again because I expect to be rewarded with more insight in the second go-round. No one could ever accuse WoH of being complex.
Zhou Ye (I loved her in Everyone Loves Me-7.4) is Gu “Xiang,” and Gong Jun (Begin Again) plays her master, Wen Ke ‘Xing”. Xing recognizes Shu as a “variable” and takes him back to Mirror Lake Manor. About Xiang: She's so dang cute. She's partially comic relief, and she handles it well. About Xing: He acts like he's 35,000 ft up in the air, looking down on everything. He's good natured, but he's a touch snide and condescending. Is he joking or mocking? It's a bit of a hybrid. Every now and then he gets a glint in his eyes that's downright scary, and we'll see that he can be utterly menacing. This is not a guy that one wants to anger. Yet, he claims his nickname is “Philanthropist Man.”
One of the martial arts sects in the mix is actually a group of ghosts. Chen Zi Han plays
Tragicomic Ghost or Xi Sang Gui. She is gorgeous, and her first credited work was from 1988, so she's been around for a while. Her look is the most beautiful of the show. Some of her highest rated pieces are A Happy Life, A Dream within a Dream, & New Life Begins. In Ghost Valley, Hanged Ghost has stolen the chief Devil's piece of the glazed armor! He demands EVERYONE work on retrieving the rest of it as well as eliminating Hanged Ghost. The one who is successful will be the leader of The 10 Devils. Ghost Valley's first target for searching is the Mirror Lake Manor. Their raid and razing of the place wakes up Shu and Xing. The Ghosts Prevail.
Shu gets rooked into escorting the youngest son of the manor, and sole survivor, to the safety of his uncle's nearby alliance. Xing knows there's something interesting and mysterious about Shu, so he tries to get them all together as a traveling party. Shu refuses, at first. Nevertheless, they keep running into eachother on the road and Xing’s fascination only grows. They each suspect the other is looking for the glazed armor. At the end of ep10 we learn more about who Xing is. It's doubtful that Shu is unaware or would be completely surprised. Both of these travelers have been very short on curiosity and very long on observation. They each know they're dealing with a martial arts master. Probably a master among the masters. Neither one of them is simple. Neither one of them is completely good, and neither one is completely evil either. They're complex people.
Sun Xi Lun (A Love So Beautiful, Looking Up) plays Zhang Cheng “Ling,” the young master of Mirror Lake Manor who has now been orphaned. His family's sect, of the world-renowned 5 Lakes Alliance, was wiped out in a single night. Xing ends up assisting Shu in escorting him to the closest family he has. This kid is a bit of a wimp. He's practically effeminate. It doesn't make sense that the child of a high level martial arts sect wouldn't know how to take or land a punch. Shu & Xing deliver this kid to his relatives. They aren't the warmest bunch. His uncles are only thinking about how they can use him to their advantage, and one of them arranges for him to marry his daughter. The sect doesn't accept him because he's behind in his martial arts (the show made it clear why that would be, so they are bullying him and he's miserable. Xiang visits him so she's aware of this.
I knew Huang You Ming looked familiar as Ye Bai Yi. When I looked him up I realized I've seen him in Song of Youth-7.2, Boss & Me-7, & Love, Redemption-10, and Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (which I abandoned at a perfect ending at ep 49. Up until that point, it's outstanding, but then I learned only heartbreak was coming and I decided to put that on hold till I was ready for it). He plays the kind of guy who is not up to any good, usually. Here, he's an ancient master (He was Shu's master's master). Xing can't stand him, however. These two end up spatting constantly. Their comedic timing is exceptional, so it's amusing. When he shows up, things begin to get a little more interesting. The show borderline drags until the late teen episodes. As it approaches episode 20 it becomes more tolerable.
I go into shows cold, most times I don't even read the synopsis, because even when I do, the opinions generated by doing so rarely align with the show itself. By now I've loved too many shows that wouldn't have appealed to me based on the synopsis alone. WoH is based on a BL novel which isn't my dopamine factory. I'm watching it for its value as a fantasy piece only, and it feels gutted. When factoring in Heaven Official's Blessing-8.8 and Legend of Exorcism-8.8, which are shows of striking beauty and better romantic moments, I'm 3-for-4 in liking the BL pieces I've seen. I just don't like WoH. I do appreciate the significance of fighting against heavy government censorship and oppression. Many fans of this show clearly place a high premium on what it represents.
As for romance, it's surfacey, just like the rest of the show. Xing is a brash flirter, and he never lets up. Shu is stoic - he's miserable, actually. He's probably the type to fall hard, once his resistance is whittled down. (With him, everything is forever). The secondary couple is cute. Xiang was just using Cao in the beginning. He's too easy and naive! At some point, she realizes not only how much he'll miss her when she's gone, but also how much he'll be taken advantage of when she's not there to protect him. That really p!$$es her off. She then takes her anger out on him. That ain't fair! 😅
“Are they even human? The righteous clans of the martial arts world? The difference between them and the Ghost Valley is that one is blatantly evil, while the other is wearing a cover of benevolence, justice, and morality. As soon as they see flesh, they can't wait to tear off their human skin and start barking and biting! How exciting.” Shu looked the villain in the opening. Slowly, the viewer realizes that he is not an evil person. Whatever he did, there must have been good reasons, whether it was the right decision or not. Around the halfway mark we see that another character, who posed as someone kind and decent, has actually been pulling the strings in the background with nothing short of evil genius. He is a mass murderer. He murdered his own. It seems that he's being held up in contrast to Shu.
I wouldn't go as far as saying WoH isn't worth watching. Arguably, WoH is worth watching just to see the loud-mouthed, snide, red haired dwarf. Maybe it's just me, but he really tickled my fancy. The Longyuan Cabinet kid also tickled my fancy. There's plenty of great elements. They just failed to tie it together well.
What else is there to like? Scorpion Sect, Five Lakes Alliance, Window of Heaven… The Chinese are just better at naming things. So many elements are familiar, but unique. I am enthralled with the elegance and artistry of Chinese features. There's a cadence that seems to hail directly from ancient times. The acting is always superb. Turning a Chinese fantasy piece is usually like walking through the looking glass. It's a complete immersion into a magical land. The sect that got my blood stirred the most is Longyuan Cabinet. They devised all the fancy booby traps, machinery and thinganaobs. It was they who designed the World's Armory. Their leader has a disease that keeps him in the size of a child and wheelchair-bound. He's pasty and extremely arrogant. He's absolutely a delightful character to watch, and the kid’s acting is excellent. The costumes are gorgeous. The women are gorgeous. The men are, too.
The filming and artistry is excellent. In ep22 they crank up the action with some rousing fights. It's fun to see how Ling's training is paying off. They've been working him relentlessly - on just footwork - and none of the bad guys can land a strike. They're helping out an orphan, and it turns out one of them was an orphan who was not helped out and it had wide reaching negative effects. We see poison coursing through Shu's veins and the special effects are pretty good. China has come a long way in that arena. I've seen laughable special effects in shows that are otherwise, some of the best things I've ever seen. Hollywood is the opposite: Glorious special effects, but empty and soulless content. I'll take the shows with souls, please. Paper medallions fall like snow. They are weapons that kill and we see many embedded in the trees. Cool. The beggar sect are fearsome and well organized fighters.
The martial arts are thrilling, tbf. Knowing this is a Danmei novel is messing with my head, though. As Shu is fighting 75, or so, beggars, Xing feels no need to get involved. He sits at a table with a cup of wine and yells out encouragements, such as: “Your soft sword is too soft.” (Seu was smacking down foes with a wet towel). Then Xing yells “Get out your weapon.” These lines have to be /intentional/ double-entendres, don't they? Then, there's all that flute playing… “I did not expect this man to blow this type of flute.” 😜😜😜 That's straight out of the g@y joke book!
The ending is pretty good. The wrap-up is too brief, but the last couple episodes are better than what came before. I'm left with the impression, given WoH's popularity, that this will appeal to those for whom BL is a particular passion more than the general.public at large.
QUOTES🗣
I was strong in will but weak in power.
Reasons are no more than excuses in a nice disguise.
IMHO〰🖍
📣6 📝6.8 🎭7.6 💓5 🦋5 🎨8 🎵/🔊7 🔚8 🤗3 ▪ 🌞4⚡6 😅2 😭5 😱3 😯3 🤢4 🤔4 💤4.5
The music is truly lovely
Age 14+ D@mn, Throat slashing, sexual content. Rated: Everyone
Re-📺? No
⚡/🔮
Ancient Love Poetry-8.6 21,
Douluo continent-9.1 21,
Eternal love-8.3 17,
Eternal Love Of dream-7.4 20,
Handsome siblings-8.7,
Heavenly SWORD-9,
House of Flying Daggers-8.5,
Legend of the two sisters in chaos-7.7 20 the ending is bittersweet,
Love and Redemption-10,
Love Between Fairy & Devil-8.9,
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain-7.5,
Overlord-8.4,
The Princess Royal-8.3,
The Princess Weiyoung-8,
The Rebel Princess-8.5,
The Rise of Phoenixes-9,
Ruyi's Royal love in the palace ‘18 (episodes 1 - 49 are a 9.3,
The Sword and the Brocade-8.6 ‘21 (in the style of ancient Chinese opera),
Under the Power-8.6,
The Untamed-8.6 19,
Who Rules The World-7.5 22,
Netflix's Marco Polo-8
In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:
🌐💓 -
C🇨🇳:
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1;
Wait, My Youth-8.4
🇰🇷:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9
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Beautifully Series
This series is beautiful in every way. the characters and storyline are perfectly set. The actor's chemistry is amazing. This is close to the book and was a great action, character growth, and chemistry. There are two only down parts for me, one the ending was left open-ended which I hate they needed to do a better job with the ending, and two that it was censored without the real beauty of it being BL. It is sad that China is still living in the dark ages and censored anything of BL. This would be a 10 easily if they allowed for it to be fully shown and shown the right way with the beauty of BL. The bromance was nice, but you always felt you were missing the true BL of even a tender kiss would have made all the difference. The two main actors were amazing playing the characters and you felt the growth and development of their love. The books are even better. Please China grow up and stop censoring the BL world and welcome it.Was this review helpful to you?
