Word of Honor

a beautiful and entertaining series laced with some very naughty dialogues and non-verbal gestures

this is arguably a beautiful and an entertaining series with segments/moments, dialogues, and performances that can be very naughty (suggestive; flirty). it is also one of the few good CDrama available in current market that attempts to stretch/push the boundary/ies of traditional/cultural norms on homosexuality. even with the voices dubbed to bypass China's censorship (and possibly to bypass other countries'), the series is still very naughty (suggestive; flirty) compared to almost all other mainstream CDrama. no doubt, too, the level of care and efforts in writing the dialogues, costumes, set designs, props, camera shots, direction, editing, performances and the communication of non-verbal gestures.

there are actually quite a lot that this series has to offer to different audiences. a few of the things i really like is the vast amount of proverbs or idioms, some beautifully thought-out and witty dialogues (including the flirty dialogues), the chemistry of two main protagonists, and the different ways each of the two main protagonists bring life to the roles they play.

the wire-fu and martial arts choreography in this series are aesthetically planned, designed, shot, performed and edited with care. the camera slow motion shots and editing of these slow motion captures are contextually proportionate and not superfluous. the series has many beautiful and intricate ornaments, costumes and designs. the background music/sound arrangement and selection are contextually fitting to the corresponding segment.

a few other things i observed are, the lighting can be a bit off at certain segments, some of the suggestive sexual/sensual non-verbal gestures might not be appropriate for younger audience, there are consistent traces in the series of influences from mainstream Japanese pop-culture arts/styles, and sometimes the special effects or computer graphics can be a bit annoying. also, in real life, depending on which country you are and who you are dealing with, some of the flirty verbal dialogues and non-verbal gestures can be misconstrued as a sexual harassment.

one of the big turnoffs in this series is that there are parts where certain supporting characters' non-verbal gestures are expressed/exaggerated in such a way that audience can easily decipher that those gestures are obviously meant/tuned for the camera/s. these non-verbal are sometimes communicated subtly, and sometimes blatantly. there are also moments where i feel that there are certain supporting characters are not very well acted out or the acting are not convincing in certain segments. a few of the supporting characters have way more screen time and redundant dialogues that could have been invested in other supporting characters to enhance the quality of the series. another turnoff is that there are segments that feel long-winded or superfluous.

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Definitely worth the HYPE

After The Untamed (Chen Qing Ling) in 2019, it can be safe to say that there was a dry period for Chinese bls. Word of Honor or ‘Shan he Ling’ in 2021 offers a pleasant viewing experience after this period. Inspite of the low budget, the series did a pretty good job on delivery of performance. The story is adapted from the novel Tian Ya Ke (Faraway Wanderer) by Priest, a famous web novelist of China. As an avid bl viewer the series is quite satisfactory so much so that it is the best Cdrama so far in 2021 for me.
Story: A dying ex-assassin trying to seek redemption meets another crazy guy and eventually they end up travelling together (because the crazy one won’t leave the ‘sick dude’ alone). In between all these they are entrusted with a child who has poor martial arts skills but strives to be better. Other than this found family there are a lot of royal politics and revenge plottings. I also recommend some tissues because there are a number of character deaths.
Negative points: Owing to the low budget, the series faced a lot of limitations. The CGI was not up to the mark. In lot of parts it seemed pretty unrealistic. In some other it looked quite poor. The set designings were okayish but a number of them got repeated. They used the same set with little difference in decorations for multiple scenes. Another negative point is the pacing of the show. The dramas started as nice and slow but by the end of it, it seemed quite rushed. If the series had a little more episode length or there were 2 or 3 more episodes then it wouldn’t feel as much of a problem. The editing of certain scenes could have been better. Other than the technical part the show did a good job in other aspects.
Positive points: First thing that I absolutely love about the drama are the male leads (fangirls over the CP!!!!!!). The chemistry between them can make butterfly erupt in your stomach. The flirting was the first thing that got me hooked to this show. The flirtatious gestures and the relationship between them are more explicit than previous shows (like Guardian and The Untamed). Even with the censorship you will be able to call them a couple. The lead actors i.e. Zhang Zhehan and Simon Gong Jun did a pretty good job bringing the characters to life, especially Gong Jun. I was a little sceptical about his acting but after watching the show I have no doubt about how good his skills are. The supporting cast was also fantastic and had many famous faces. I have become an absolute fan of the character ‘Scorpion King’ and the actor who played the role. Next is the music. The opening theme will boost up your enthusiasm for the drama and the ending theme will leave you sad about how quickly 42 minutes have passed. The background scores also suit the scenes good.
The script and the story didn’t disappoint the viewers. After Guardian and Legend of Fei, Priest really deserved a good adaptation of her work. The original story was really short for a 36 episodes drama. The script writer did a good job of adding material while sticking to the original work. I love the back stories of a number of side characters which were added by the scriptwriter.
An additional thing I absolutely love is Wen Ke Xing’s wardrobe collection. His makeup and costume as the Ghost valley Master are my favourite. I also love the way the leads’ costume reflect their current emotions.
My verdict: Inspite of being low on money, the production team worked really hard for the drama and achieved what many high budgeted drama can’t. The off screen friendships between the actors are also lovely to see. Our flirty Wen Ke Xing raised the standard for a lot of future dramas (Half of the times I was like “HOW DID IT GET PAST CENSORSHIP!!”). Also if anyone is wondering it is not a sad ending drama. Believe me, it has a happy ending. Anyways I love this series a lot and be sure to check it out.

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A love story from China!

I don't know where to begin so let's just say I really liked it.

The love story of the two main characters was beautiful and in fact quite explicit, there is also a lot of details and symbols throughout the series to express their love in a subtle way. The chemistry between WKX and ZZS makes us really believe in their affection towards each other. Someone made a video on YouTube about those details if you want to know more about it but in the comment section of the episodes on Youtube there is also people explaining. I think it really adds something to know about those details. That is one of the reasons the censorship couldn't censor their love and obvious relation.
One other is that the actors emotions and expressions are truly mastered, all of them really played perfectly but I'd like to emphasize Simon Gong (Wen Ke Xing)'s acting as I was really touched by all his scene and it was said that people were worried about his ability to act. It turns out they were SO wrong.
Also the ost were beautiful and OMG the costumes! That was beautiful and both pleasant to ears and eyes.

The only default is the story in itself: it was interesting and all but I really felt struggle to comprehend it. It was difficult for me to know who was who and who was who's allies (it's a lot of who). Maybe if there was more episodes it would have been easier for me...

PS:be sure to watch the epilogue as it is really changing the ending and is essential.

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Yet another drama so brilliant that I must read the book.

I'm gonna pause this.

I'm on minute 2 of episode 36 and I'm going to pause right there, because the girl isn't ready to say goodbye.

I've read only one Priest book and that's Guardian. It is BRILLIANT. Everything about that book is beautiful. So much so, that I was pissed that the screenwriters changed a lot of great plot points in the show—and the ending ಥ_ಥ

I'm going to read Faraway Wanderers before I watch the whole of episode 36. Then I'll write a proper review.

What I can say, though:

• Simon Gong and Zhang Zhehan are my new favourite ship (in the show).
• I always knew ZZH was a good actor, he just need a good script.
• SG is going places and wherever they may be, may he find his way back to ZZH.
• Priest is my new favourite BL web novel writer.

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Worth falling in love with them

What can I say other than that I've never been more content or in awe of a pair of soulmates, than I have been with Zhou Zi Shu (Zhan/Zhang Zhe Han) and Wen Ke Xing (Gong Jun) since I watched another well known bl series. That's where that little mention ends because this series was nothing like it to me. I didn't get to read the actual manga this was based off of, but I feel the writer, screenwriter, directors/production team, and heck all involved, did well to express that it was bl without twisting it to due to censorship issues. Some of the fight scenes, the graceful moves, skilled timing and choreography therein are just to be in awe of. Oh the scenes and backgrounds/drops do that too! There was mention that this was low budget, but I was thoroughly impressed. The lead actors really made tangible the relationship between ZiShu/A'Xu & KeXing. From the flow of their dialogue, interactions, wealth of their emotions smh I just love it. In the beginning the use of light or makeup on ZiShu was a little excessive to me because it almost whited out his face. Were they trying to make him seem and look ethereal/heavenly? But they cut back on the heavy use as the series progressed. There was a little bit of a disconnect, where I felt a little lost, in later episodes, but I think they did this because we're mostly going off of Zi Shu's point of view so for there to be confusion & a little secrecy that we are not able to see through is because they want us to find out as Zi Shu does.

I'm a fan of Zhan but this series not only allows us to see his strong performance capabilities, but that of all of the actors; all of them were incredible! Li Dai Kun is playing Scorpion King/Xie, a dark, sad, scheming and brilliant character who contrasts greatly with the character he played from another series name Xiao Qian Qiu (The Taoism Master) and he did not disappoint with his performance. He brought out the Scorpion King's character so much so that not only did I dislike him, but I ended up liking him despite myself and feeling for his emotional turmoil, hoping he would do better - then feeling a bit upset that he didn't really want to redeem himself.

Then there was the couple of cute, the definition of budding trust & devotion - Gu Xiang (Zhou Ye) and Cao Wei Ning (Asher Ma). I'm almost speechless here as I think of them; their individual performances were sweet and defined their characters. And together, boy the things my heart felt & hoped for them. I felt really attached, especially WeiNing, who played the part of wide-eyed and innocently sweet so well that I could feel my teeth ache but I loved him for it. That's all I can say there as not to spoil it. Definitely watch this series & while watching it fall in love, scream, cry, get angry, gasp and feel all the skill & beauty they put into it for us. Jiao/much luck to all involved to all their future endeavors!

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Missing Wenzhou.

Okay, where do i even begin?
I started watching this drama with zero expectations and knowledge about it.
I have never read the novel and i have never heard about this drama until about a month or two ago.

I will be completely honest, after watching the untamed i never thought i will be able to find another drama that will have the same impact on me, but i was not disappointed.

The chemistry between the two leads was overflowing and their little moments together and the way they looked at each other every single time made me feel so fuzzy and warm inside.
AND THE SOUNDTRACK? it's one of my all time favorites.
whenever i start a new drama i pay attention to the music, good music is one of the first things i notice in a drama and it's what makes it more enjoyable for me, and word of honor's soundtrack definitely did not disappoint.

Having a soulmate is one of the most precious and beautiful things one can have, and that is what word of honor portrays so well.

If you watched the untamed and loved it, i promise you that you will fall in love with Word Of Honor too.

don't forget to watch the special episode for their happy ending!!

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Simon Gong shines!

Positive: The story has a good pace and keeps you interested. The characters are likable and interesting. The two ML are attractive.

Negative: The ending episodes. Could have ended with a happy wedding.

OST: Okay

Zhang Zhe Han's role was a bit boring and tasteless. He is a man who is like a coward, but is somehow admired, respected and excels in martial arts. He created a self-inflicted system (if you leave, you get 6 nails put into your body) in which Simon Gong's character tries to find a cure for. Since he created the system, somehow I find no sympathy for his struggle. But find it annoying that Simon Gong has to try to save him. Overall, Zhang Zhe Han's character is not the best here. But I liked how they gave him a tan and he's handsome as always.

Simon Gong's character was likable, interesting, and filled with depth. He's faithful, a loyal friend, excel in martial arts, and mysterious. He brings light to the scenes. And it is really his character that makes the drama interesting. He's cute, funny, and charming. I was amazed at his acting. Simon did a wonderful job portraying a carefree, playful, yet troubled character. I really think he excelled in this role and will get many fans from now on. Loved his character!

I really liked the pace of the drama. The whole drama was interesting and came together well until the very ending twist. The first episode was really unnecessary, as I thought the drama was going to be about the Window Of Heaven organization, but that organization was hardly in the drama. The first episode could have been flashback scenes, which would make more sense. The scorpion clan is also very interesting, but wished they had more fight scenes with them. Overall, it's about a bunch of clans fighting for all the fragments of a key to an armory full of powerful scriptures. And because of that, there's betrayals, and grudges.

I picked up this drama because of Zhang Zhe Han, but came out loving Simon Gong instead.

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my first bl drama & it’s amazing

never have I ever liked a drama so much, to the point where I would rewatch them and actually liking ALL casts from a drama

it’s a super amazing show, Zhang Zhe Han & Gong Jun truly bring the characters to live, and let us believe that they’re the characters with their amazing acting

the osts are so amazing too, zhang zhe han not only can act, he can also sing, his voice is sooo good, and the theme song (not sung by him) is constantly stuck in my head

the plot of the entire show is very well paced, though towards the end there were these two episodes where I felt rushed and was a little confused as they brushed off certain things, but other than that the plot were very good

the story behind the drama is pretty deep too, not everyone who looks righteous is good, and not everyone who is known to be evil may be evil
there’s always a story behind someone’s behaviour and never to judge anyone based on their appearance

I love the small family of Zhou Zi Shu (zzs), Wen Ke Xing (wkx) & Zhang Cheng Ling (zcl) & Gu Xiang (gx) & Cao Wei Ning (cwn), they’re all meaningful to one another’s lives
while wkx is zzs’s reason to continue living, zzs is wkx’s light, and path to going back to the living
wkx & zzs are both important fatherly figures to zcl, considering the fact that he has lost his whole family, yet zzs willingly take care of him, despite him being stranger initially ❤️
tbh, zcl is one character that I like a lot, considering how I pity that he has to endure seeing so many deaths in front of him, and losing so many people who are important to him and he has a huge character development he may seem like a kid who cries all the time, and is weak, but he only shows his weakness to the people he are close to, zzs wkx gx etc. and fight the others when being bullied and stayed strong when being tortured so I honestly feel that he is an underrated character which makes me like him even more I guess
gx is a sister to zcl, despite teasing him all the time, she stood up for him & protected him whenever he needed it

next up, it’s gx & cwn, they’re truly a pair that breaks my heart the most. their r/s kind of depicts that of wkx & zzs, where gx & wkx are both trying to find the path back to human world bc of their love for their lovers
I honestly still think that gx & cwn deserves better, and both are too innocent and naive for this cruel world
their love for each other are so strong, that they’re willing to give up their life to be with the other (just like how wkx & zzs do)
thankful for the foreshadowing of them being able to meet each other even in their next life and hopefully in their next life, they’ll have the happy ending they deserve

next, gx & wkx on her last day, wkx asked her to not be spoilt anymore and she asked “did you ever spoil me” in a way that she doesn’t feel it, but he does, or she wouldn’t have been able to stay alive despite teasing him so much, and his love for her was so huge, he went insane when she passed right in front of him
he has always treated her as a daughter/ sister, and they’re not in a master/ servant r/s for him
it’s just sad how she only knew how much she meant to him during her death and how she was unaware that she was the small light he had which helped him stay sane in that horrible place

lastly, wkx zzs, as mentioned before, to zzs, wkx is someone who makes him want to live, when he only thought of dying previously whereas zzs is wkx’s light, where he can put away his dark past and wanting to live his life for himself
I honestly envy their relationship, having trust in each other & zzs’s patience with wkx & willingly fight against the world together
their love is so pure where they also are willing to give up their lives for the other party ❤️
I honestly just love them so much TT

gong jun & zhang zhe han really did a great job portraying the characters, the small details throughout the series made it so much better, they are the characters themselves ❤️ I cannot imagine other actors taking up these characters tbh

anyway overall I really love it, and I’m already rewatching it despite finishing it only recently, & I appreciate it so much more bc I am able to catch the details the second time which makes the drama more lovely ❤️ however, i skipped many parts that wkx & zzs & zcl & gx & cwn aren’t involved :/

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Great drama to rewatch

It is an awesome production. I rarely rewatch a drama, but this one just cant leave me alone after one time watch. I kept watching and watching... No end. This story line is unique and I have enjoyed every bit of it. The eposide 1, I have found relatively weak start but it just gets its speed up at the end and kept me enchanted to finish the whole series at once. Awesome character development as story progress. I am not very fan about the acting skill of actors. Cant really judge if other actors would have suited this drama better or worse. But at the end, these main actors just seem to be perfect for the whole plot. All credit goes to storyline, if I be honest.

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The best CDrama and the best BL Drama of 2021! Period!

The best surprise in terms of CDrama and KDrama was definitely "Word of Honor". I remember when I first saw the poster and just thought "Mmmh looks a lot like the one from "The Untamed" - Dunno." But then, I saw more and more people going on and on about the show and I just had to see what it was about. It was the best decision I could have made because no show has surprised me as positively as "Word of Honor".

"Word of Honor" clearly had a much lower budget, the scriptwriter was a complete newbie, almost all the actors fell under the heading of obscure, unknown, new or of little importance. Youku didn't bother to advertise much, just served up the show without much fanfare. In that respect, I can't help but compare the show to the BBC version of " North and South" with Richard Armitage, which was similar. A small show, based on a not very good book with two main leads that no one knew at the time. What led to "North and South" and now "Word of Honor" becoming a huge success? Many ingredients.

1. For one thing, there's the script. Xiao Chu may be a greenhorn, but she made the most out of a fairly unknown little book by priest. Her love for BL and the Chinese language are undeniable. The script is not perfect, as the show does suffer from certain lengths in the last third of the show, but it's pretty darn good.

2. The cast: as I said, the cast is not exactly made up of well-known A-listers, but it is a cast that gives its best and is completely committed. Zhan Zhe Han (Zhou Zishou) and Simon Gong (Wen Kexing) in particular cannot be praised enough. As we all know, censorship in China regarding LGBTQ content is just nasty, but both actors have managed (despite all restrictions) to give us the most obvious Bl couple ever, easily surpassing Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan (sorry guys - I still love you both dearly). The looks, gestures, absolutely everything leaves no other conclusion than that we are dealing with two men who love each other deeply.

3. The direction and back crew in general: All this wouldn't be possible if the rest of the crew weren't also on board, but they are. The camera settings, the cuts, everything helps.

4. The music: The music is also surprisingly good!

So is the show a straight case for a 10.0? Not really. In all honesty, the show is probably more like an 8.5, because of the lengths in the script and also because the look is really a bit on the cheap sometimes, but I have zero problems in overlooking that.

The only real reason for point deduction is the ending. Anyone who doesn't know better will think that the show really ends with the 36th episode, but that's not the case. The real conclusion of the show has been put behind a paywall by Youku (only available to Youku Ultimate Fan Pass holders, or people who have a Viki Standard Pass). The reason? I don't know. Possibly censorship in China, or just a way of Youku trying to make some more money, but since the series is so damn good, I pulled out my wallet without batting an eyelid. To tell the truth, it's definitely well worth it.

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I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!

I'm extremely impressed on how much I liked this drama.
PROS
1. The plot kept making me want to know what happens nexts and it was a good pace for me. 2. The acting was impressive, especially Gong Jun's! He perfectly portrayed the multiple sides of Wen Kexing (innocent and adorable vs ruthless and a straight up maniac).
3. One of the things I enjoyed in this drama was how well-rounded the characters were. No one was completely good, evil, or innocent. Each character had his or her own flaws which made it interesting and not one dimensional. 4. This show made me cry, smile, and become furious at times. I personally feel that this is a well-rounded show.
5. I also enjoyed the starting ost so I often didn't skip the intro.
6. Has good character growth - I could see how much the characters evolved by the end of the show.
RECOMMENDATION - The production cleverly managed to wiggle through some of the ban by having secret lines throughout the show. I would recommend international viewers to watch some of avenueX's videos on woh because she shows and explains the hidden lines which are dubbed over due to the ban, through lip reading. You'll be surprised to find how many there are. She also talks about the meaning of Kexing's poetry which can help with understanding the drama.
CONS
Terrible graphics - I shouldn't be surprised since this is a low budget drama but the graphics made me cringe when I initially started watching it.
Over-dramatic moments - There are a quite a bit of these in the drama. I was personally not bothered by it but, some people might find it quite cheesy.

I would definitely recommend people to give this show a try. This show is something I won't forget and I'm definitely going to rewatch this again to catch all the details of this story. I'm really glad to have chosen this as my first wuxia drama!

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