Word of Honor

''The world is not important. What’s important is finding a soulmate.''

If you've heard about this drama you know it has been heavily compared to The Untamed, and I can honestly see why.

Such as The Untamed, Word of Honor is an adaption from a BL novel. Though, Word of Honor is way more obvious and daring considering Chinese censorship. Word of Honor is probably the next big Chinese BL drama after The Untamed considering the enormous international support it has been recieving. Story-wise and production-wise I don't think Word of Honor can compare to The Untamed, and part of it has to do with the budget and number of episodes (The Untamed with 120 million for 50 episodes and Word of Honor with 30 million for 37 episodes). What I do think is equally fantastic about the two, is the casting for the main leads and their chemistry. Fans, including me, cannot imagine any other actors playing the roles of Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan, and Wen Ke Xing and Zhou Zi Shu. They are two inseperable and irreplacable pairs.

But that's enough about the differences and similarities between The Untamed and Word of Honor. Let's get into what I loved about Word of Honor solely and what I think could have been done better.

I'll start with what I think could have been done better, or its flaws in other words. One aspect I highly take into account when considering to give a drama a 10/10 rating, is its supporting cast; their depth, the way they are portrayed and whether or not they can keep me captivated even when the main leads aren't on screen. Unfortunately, specifically in the middle of the show, I often found myself thinking about when the two main leads would pop up on the screen again during interactions between the ''villains''. Especially the pink and green-clothed couple and bandit gang just did nothing for me. To me, the ''villains'' and their interactions, for example the scorpion king and his father, only got really interesting towards the end of the show. The pacing has its flaws as well. It started of very very well, but it felt quite rushed towards the end. I didn't like how they just briefly talked about Wen Ke Xing faking his death afterwards and showed very small clips of certain interections (for example Wen Ke Xing's short interaction with Ye Bai Yi), when it was such a big deal. And the women of the Ghost Valley weren't given much attention during the final huge battle at all. The Beauty Ghost and her master died just like that, while they were two of the most important supporting cast members. Also, the show ended with plot holes. A major one is what happened the prince and what role he played in the ending. In conclusion, I strongly believe this show would have been worth a 10/10 with at least 40 episodes, giving it more time to further deepen the supporting cast and fill up some of the plot holes.

As I have now recognised its flaws, it is time to move on to what makes this drama so special and why it will probably remain as one of my all time favourite dramas. To start off with Wen Ke Xing. He is by far my favourite character of this show. I absolutely love how he (and Zhou Zi Shu, too) is portrayed as a ''grey'' character, as I appreciate it more when characters aren't simply seen as good or bad. He had a very traumatic past, losing both his parents at a young age and being both mentally and physically abused in the Ghost Valley, which led to him gaining power by becoming the Chief of the Ghost Valley to get his revenge that he plotted for years, but at the cost of killing innocent people and losing himself in the meantime. Mentally he was very unstable and it showed in his actions. Though, his character developed a lot and for the better as his relationship with Zhou Zi Shu deepened, which was beautiful to watch. Another thing I absolutely love about Wen Ke Xing is his poetry. I am a fan of poetry myself, and so I found it amazing how Wen Ke Xing often used poems to describe either how he felt or the situation he was in (but oftentimes just to flirt and show off how refined he is, as we all know). I recommend to watch AvenueX's video on the poetry used. Besides that I am in love with his hairstyle and costumes. They were just perfect. I loved the colours, the sillouettes, the patterns, his matching hair piece and, not to forget, his deadly but beautiful white fan. I loved everything about how they styled his character. I was also really impressed by the styling of the Beauty Ghost and her master, the Scorpion King and Du Pu Sa, who all had signature looks that suited them perfectly. Another thing I loved was the interactions between Wen Ke Xing and the top 10 ghosts. It was fascinating to see that side of him and I thought the technique used for the camerawork was amazingly captivating at those times. The OSTs, too, are very memorable. I loved them and will probably continue to listen to the opening and ending songs for a long time. The fighting scenes were stunning and for me it had just the right amount of fights. But, what the best thing of the whole show is, which raised my rating a lot, is the chemistry between the two main leads and how they seem to be very different from each other but share key similarities; they are both trapped in their past, while one seeks revenge, the other seeks freedom. They are absolutely perfect for each other. I loved their interactions and the way their last fight in the bonus episode resembles one of their first fights, but in the end they face each other instead of facing opposite sides as they did in the beginning. That is very symbolic, which I love. Their outfits add to it, as they previously had very contrasting styles but end with matching outfits of which only the colour contrasts, symbolizing they have grown together as one.

In conclusion, it is a very addictive and enjoyable drama with its flaws which in a critical sense would be worth a 9/10 at highest, but the unforgettable two soulmates whose adventures are delightful to watch completely make up for it. I'm happy I was able to follow this drama as it aired.

Final rating: 9.5

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martial mating” delight!

In episode 35, for a moment, I was completely without action...Static I asked myself: what is this, my God? The climax of this exquisite work was at its peak and my heart broke into pieces... Today, after the 36 traditional episodes and 01 very short special, unfortunately, I can say that this is, without a doubt, a drama of unsettling beauty and uniqueness. Disquieting for the countless sensations it brings to us and unique for its lightness and boldness in dealing with a highly censored topic in China, BL, with such dexterity and charm. If The Untamed was a milestone in my golden world, Word of Honor was a new burst of countless feelings and imaginations. How I wanted more of these two wonderful men! 36 six episodes were not enough to quench my thirst for this “martial mating” delight! Excellent script, impeccable acting, stunning photography! My wallpaper images list thanks you. Ost perfect, beautiful and ravishing. Despite having a multitude of positive points, my only reservation is the excessive number of sects and their little evolution or importance in history. I haven't read the novel, which makes me deeply regret it, since this gap must be amply covered in it. Another lament was the feeling of incompleteness of some characters, whose character lacked greater clarity or definition. An example of this is the beautiful and strange Scorpion King. I wanted to get to know him better. Although I fell deeply in love with Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing, our adorable couple, I also really liked our second couple, the sweet and beautiful Cao Wei Ning and the adorable and wild Gu Xiang. All the actors, including the main ones, were unknown to me. But they exhausted my heart of emotions in different ways. All in all, a charming, unforgettable drama. I already feel full of longing. Worth every minute of time. Highly recommended!

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Must watch C drama

It's been too long I wrote any review . This drama was indeed enjoyable with emotions getting developed in audience slowly slowly. The relationships got better and was attention worthy.
Both the male leads were best and suitable for their particular role. Indeed they work hard.
And the results tues out to be BEST.
NOT only of male leads but side or supporting characters also performed so much well and their story or life ( of supporting characters) are catching attention.
The twist and turns were unexpected and took place on very crucial moments /parts.
The story is full of Chinese poems. Full of Chinese literature ( I don't know any of it though, so I searched many).
But you will like it if you watched it carefully coz the plans and schemes are really something.
Go for it. And ep 37 you won't find on YouTube but on :-https://drive.google.com/file/d/17j75HUImJ8La3maDX77Mt9kEJhoZGMob/view?usp=drivesdk .
This above link.

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chengling is bbg

probably my favorite costume drama of all time. and second favorite cdrama.

story: amazing. totally didnt expect the plot twists.

acting/cast: the acting was done very well. there weren't any scenes where i thought the acting "fake." I had a gongjun obsession era after watching this. (still love him)

music: i love all the tracks!! every song fit the scene it was played in.

rewatch value: i rewatched it like after 7-9 month and it was still super interesting.

i would say this is better than the untamed.. please dont come for me. everything from the cg to acting to production were just better. i dont blame tu because they had a low budget.

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Enamorada. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Seriously this is one of my comfort shows, I love them so much, all of the cast did an incredible job. This ending was sad but perfect (taking the especial episode where they end up together dancing in the sky) I loved this series with all my heart, it was funny, it was emotional, I loved the chinese culture, everything perfect, if u as me wish you could watch it again for the first time I highly recommend y'all the book "Faraway Wanderers" where this drama is based on, it is SOOO good I couldn't stop reading, and there is no censure so in the novel they kiss and all this stuff (sorry if my english isn't good, it isn't my first language I just wanted to express how much I love this serie, I even have merchandising 🙂‍↕️)

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Amazing drama and definitely should watch!!

After watched CQL (the untamed), I wanted more of these dramas. I came across WoH, which is a wuxia drama. What I love about this drama is that they are not afraid to show the relationship between the main leads. It’s hard to pass off as bromance, the actors did so well in their characters. Even the supporting characters are great and I love how the female characters in this aren’t just a weak damsel in distress. They are written amazingly and are strong. The main two have depth and the actors did a great job, I’m used to have okay acting in Asian dramas. Even the side couple was amazing. You will laugh a lot and get emotional. It’s a low budget drama, but I really only noticed in one scene where they used sfx. Everything else it’s hard to believe it’s low budget! The effects and costumes look amazing for what it is. Good for anyone getting into cdramas, 36 episodes went by so fast!

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Oh my god

This drama is amazing, I've been obsessed with it a lot. The two main characters are well characterized, they both have different reasons for acting the way they do and yet they totally understand each other. Their relationship is one of the most heartwarming I've ever seen. They accept each other for who they are. All they want to do is spend the rest of their lives together, because only then can they be happy.
Seriously, after 3/4 episodes you start getting addicted to this drama! And there's nothing you can do about it! The story is fantastic, the characters are well delineated, the scenes are absolutely wonderful. As soon as you finish it you want to watch it again.
Warning, make sure you have tissues available while watching it. I cried a lot!

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The Most Daring Costume BL Drama China Has To Offer

Needless to say, I really really really liked Word of Honor, and it's probably the best BL drama (including the Japanese and Thai series) I've seen thus far. Among the C-dramas I've seen, it definitely has one of the highest rewatchability percentages because I actually wanted to rewatch it the moment I finished it! I loved it so much that I felt compelled to read the book version written by the popular danmei author, Priest. But despite my obvious bias, I cannot ignore the fact that it is not a perfect series.

The positives:
This series has the best male leads in any BL drama I've seen, period! They are utterly perfect! Some would most likely disagree, but for me, their onscreen chemistry is so palpable I can taste it! Hahahaha. Don't get me wrong, I do not ship the actors, I don't do that sort of thing, but their portrayals of Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing are undeniably spot on. I feel that they really understood what they needed to do to bring these characters to life and just had a blast doing it. I was so shocked to see so much touchy-feely scenes and the sexual innuendos in the dialogues are so blatantly obvious that even if you were as pure as Mama Mary herself, you wouldn't be able to brush them aside and just say, “Oh, they must be really close.” But for someone like me whose brain is practically living in the gutter, I almost choked on my own saliva from laughing so hard and giggling like a maniac. I'm surprised they were able to escape the proverbial axe of China's censorship board. I am still wondering how they were able to make it work. But BL stuff aside, I found these two characters incredibly interesting. Both have questionable morals and tragic pasts, and they go through redemption arcs. I love that most of the characters in this series are gray and they could go either way. I was sometimes confused whether to despise or sympathize with particular characters because of it.

Zhang Zhehan as Zhou Zishu is captivatingly gorgeous. I have to admit, there were times when I would just stare at him and not understand what was going on. Hahahaha. But he brings a certain depth to the character that I didn't expect. You'd think he's just another pretty face, but the subtlety of his micro-expressions effectively convey the self-loathing, guilt, sadness, and remorse of Zhou Zishu. As the founder and leader of a massive private army of assassins and spies working for an ambitious Prince, he projects a cold and ruthless front. But the weight of that responsibility and the guilt of working for a megalomaniac bears down on him, so he chooses the most brutal of means to buy his own freedom. He starts out as a more stoic character but slowly becomes more playful and even cheeky as the series goes on, especially when he meets Wen Kexing and Cheng Ling.

Wen Kexing is played by Gong Jun, who is also frustratingly attractive I kept screaming at him to stop being so cute. Hahahaha! Wen Kexing is the leader of a notorious group of criminals who are so terrible and repulsive that society no longer sees them as humans but ghosts or devils. He, too, has a painful past that drove him into the deepest pits of hell and made him obsessed with revenge. Gong Jun plays him to a tee, animatedly displaying Wen Kexing's flamboyance and flirtiness, but also showing his more sinister, volatile, and melancholic side. And his interactions with Zhehan's Zhou Zishu are some of the most touching and humorous moments in the series.

Apart from the main actors, I would also like to mention, Zhou Ye, and her character, Gu Xiang. I gotta hand it to her for making me initially annoyed at her silliness, but eventually loving her character that I cried because of her and her suffering.

As for the plot, I suppose I could sum it up to a power struggle between warmongers and ambitious politicians all racing to find a vault that is supposely filled with all the ancient martial arts secrets known to man. Knowledge is power, after all. But it's actually more than that. In fact, it appealed to me more than some of the C-dramas I've seen because it reminded me so much of the kung fu films I saw as a kid. It just has that same vibe to it.

The fight choreography is one of the best I've seen in any wuxia film or series. It's so poetically beautiful that I almost forgot how bad the CGI could be sometimes and that some of the backdrops didn't quite suit the scenes. But for a wuxia drama that only had half of the budget of The Untamed, I'd say they did remarkably well with what they got.

The musical score is surprisingly good, too. I don't normally like musical scores in C-dramas as they don't usually stand out to me. But I actually liked the soundtrack almost as much as I liked the soundtrack of Mysterious Lotus Casebook.

The negatives:
First off, this drama was supposedly made with just 50 million RMB, which was considered cheap for an epic costume drama. So suffice to say, the production value of this drama is nothing to write home about. There are parts when the CGI is just plain awful and the sets are obviously reused again and again. Not to mention, the costumes and props look plasticky and inexpensive. I don't think it will hinder people from enjoying the drama, though. It certainly didn't take me out of it.

Second, the editing is a little clunky, inhibiting the smooth transition between scenes and affecting the pacing. But I guess it's because they had to cut down the number of episodes due to budget restraints and move the plot around to fit the planned scenes. I thought the last few episodes were rushed and would've benefitted from more episodes to flesh things out better.

And last, the fact that the supporting characters are mostly morally ambiguous, as perfectly imperfect as they are, they are unlikable to say the least. Aside from Ye Baiyi, I couldn't bring myself to really care about the others. Even though I found Qianqiao's misguided love for the wrong man heartbreaking, I can't say I cared about her enough to empathize with her. And that has something to do with the writing, I think. And probably with the acting as well.

Overall, this series led me down a rabbit hole for weeks on end. I couldn't make myself watch anything else and that doesn't happen to me very often. It was a very entertaining 36-episode ride!

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When a Lunatic Psychopath and a Former Assassin Form an Unlikely Duo

So, how am I going to start my review? For your information, I've dropped this on ep 5 before I picked up where I left off. As I continued further, the story became more and more interesting. So, let's just begin!!!

Alright, let me explain the plot first. It revolved around the former head of the Window of Heaven who stepped down from his position due to his own reasons - Zhou Zishu and the head of the Ghost Valley - Wen Kexing. As you can see, the both of them had very different personalities and it would be too UNLIKELY for the both of them becoming soul mates. After experiencing the ups and downs amidst the chaos in the martial arts world, they became more attached and decided to trust each other for this lifetime (just like those sworn brothers did, but I guess soul mates are on a more intense relationship, considering this is a censored BL).

I also want to specially mention a very important property which contributes to the story - the Glazed Armor. The Glazed Armor was made by the 5 righteous sects in the martial arts world. It was rumored to be keeping all sorts of martial arts techniques and manuals which have been hunted by lots of people. However, the actual KEY is the jade hairpin that Wen Kexing always wore - not the Glazed Armor.

I just can't help it, but I really root on Wen Kexing also known as the Lunatic Wen. He's a real psychopath and had deep hatred engraved in his heart. The last thing he wanted to do was to destroy the world and then pay for the sins he had committed. However, after he encountered Zhou Zishu, he changed his perspective and tried to cherish his life as possible.

Adding the depth of the story are Gu Xiang (Wen Kexing's loyal subordinate), Cao Weining (Gu Xiang's lover), and Zhang Chengling (an orphan who was defected by the Ghost Valley's ambush which killed his family in the process and also Zhou Zishu's beloved disciple). By the way, the sad ending for Gu Xiang and Cao Weining was unnecessary at all. Why should you kill them off and causing bloodshed again? That double-faced master of Cao Weining - he shouldn't have trusted him or this kind of accident wouldn't happen at all.

The acting is... WOW!!! Sometimes, I just can feel the main leads' bromance. I'm not a great fan of BL, but this drama has made into one. Shout out to Gong Jun who portrayed Wen Kexing flawlessly. I hope he will get more psychopathic roles in the future. Zhou Ye did marvellously too and it is where she showcased and utilized her full acting skills which helped her gaining popularity. Not a great fan of Zhang Zhehan, but his acting is commendable, I would say.

The set, CGI, and cinematography is quite nice to me. I don't understand why people said everything was fake and cheap-made. Overall, a ten out of ten and will probably rewatch when I'm in the drama slump.

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MASTERPIECE

This is from the perspective of a non reader.
As a non reader, this series was so compelling and very much interesting to watch to the point that I can't bother sleeping just to finish the entire series. It was very engaging to me, no boring moments and the casts are just superb. They say it's about soulmates but bruhh I saw something else there! Their chemistry is to die for! Every actor in this series was just so awesome; special mention for Scorpion coz I really like his hair that's why I kept on imitating it for days! Hehe. I'm so inlove with this series. Just simply a masterpiece for me. No joke. It's my opinion so yeah hehe

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The love story of Wen KeXing and Zhao Zi Shu

I would not pass this drama, it's addictive! I mean who can you not fall in love with Zhao Xu, Lao Wen, Gu Xiang, Cao WeiNing, little idiot Zhang ChengLing, and Ye BaiYi. The story is around this character and the actors delivers in the best way. You can't find Zhao Xu character from other actor better than Zhang Zhe Han or flirtatious Wen KeXing other than Simon Gong because these two main leads are reminiscence of Zhao Xu and Wen KeXing. Iam not into BL, don't like Untamed, but I love this one. Zhang Zhe Han is so gorgeously beautiful man, and flirtatious Simon Gong is so dang handsome. . . when Ah Xu started to warm up with Lao Wen and understood how much love and devotion Lao Wen has toward him, they're soft gazing to each other, smiles, barbs back forth, and helping each other to overcome emotional and traumatic past, co-parenting ChengLing. Sad ending for Gu Xiang and Cao WeiNing, too much love between Ah Xu and Lao Wen - they want to give the best life and health to the other man. I would give credit to Simon Gong I think he's the best in here, he's flirtatious in minute and cruel to people he hates in next. His chilling laugh, cold stares, tight lips, killing and revenge mood, his fan was deadly more so than BaiYi sword. The next scenes he'll be laugh happily, sparkling in his eyes, sweet smile, proud uncle master to ChengLing, concern and loving soulmate to Zhao Xu and kind master to Gu Xiang. That's why I love Simon Gong....he embodied all. Lately I realized Zhao Zi Shu seems to have a good and spoil life. His master/wife adored him and treated him like their own son. All members of the sect respected and adored him, 81 of original members died in his watch including his dear junior. He's been so much in power since 'naive and knew nothing' young man who brought the sect to serve Prince Jin and yet remaining member still loved him (in case of Han Jing) to the end. There where his guilty conscience played important role as he redirected his mind set into totally different perspective...change his life for the better but dying...this is where 'Word of Honor' story started. Where our love story and obsession began with the character of Wen KeXing, Gu Xiang, Zhang ChengLing, Cao WeiNing and Ye BaiYi. This drama will become a classic..one of the most memorable drama to many of us.

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