Word of Honor

Enough Excitement

In a way, Word Of Honor reminds me of Legend Of Fei. Both are about looking for keys to open a vault that houses some valuable items. But Word Of Honor has a more structured and fast-paced storyline. Viewers are told clearly what the sects are fighting for by the middle of the drama unlike the ambiguities in Legend Of Fei. The excitement is heightened by the mysterious Ke Xing and the whodunnit nature of the tragedy befalling Rong Xuan. Of course, the bromance between the 2 male leads also takes the drama up a notch which is a refreshing change from the usual romances.

A Well-Presented Plot
Basically, the plot is about revenge and the fighting for keys to an armory. It is nothing new in that sense as these are common themes for wuxia dramas. What sets it apart is the way the story is told. The start can be confusing but once you get an idea on what the story is about, it is easy to get hooked. You will get drawn to both the male leads as their different backgrounds have a melancholic aura and their past links are gradually peeled off as the drama progresses. Thus, there is that chase factor to make you want to know more about what happened in the past and how things will be resolved in the present.

I think the screenwriters struck the right balance in maximizing the mysteriousness of the characters while minimizing the ambiguities to avoid causing viewers too much confusion. There are also a few twists and turns to keep things interesting. So, overall, it is a well-executed drama that successfully uses a bromance to flush out the meaty part of the story which leads me to the next point.

Acting And Chemistry
Personally, I prefer this BL pair than the one in The Untamed. This is because Ke Xing is a very flirty character while Zi Shu has his way of responding to all the teases which is cute to watch at times. The way Simon Gong and Zhang Zhe Han played their roles as soul mates are very easy on the eyes. Even if you are not a fan of BL dramas, their interactions are merely suggestive of what it could be rather being plainly overdone. This is made possible with the great chemistry between the 2 actors who show a lot of depths in displaying their characters. While Zhang Zhe Han’s chemistry with Ju Jing Yi in The Blooms Of Ruyi Pavilion and Legend Of Yun Xi has caught a lot of people’s attention, his cooperation with Simon Gong is just as good, if not better.

In Word Of Honor, both Ke Xing and Zi Shu are tormented souls. Both the actors successfully projected the pain needed in some scenes to make viewers feel for these 2 antagonists. You can also see Simon Gong’s intense expressions in his eyes as he projects the anger in Ke Xing’s character. In short, there is nothing to complain about regarding the 2 lead actors’ performance.

A Small Weakness
For me, a small weakness of this drama is the swift introduction of various characters which has the potential to be confusing for some viewers. Things are pretty vague in the initial episodes as these different characters belong to different sects and you will be at a loss of how they are linked to each other. It takes about 10 to 15 episodes for me to gradually understand the bigger picture.

Therefore, Word Of Honor is not exactly a straightforward historical drama such as A Girl Like Me or even The Wolf. Certain things are kept hidden to heighten the anticipation. Hence, you need to have some patience to wait for the reveal. But the upside is the episodes are easy to sit through because the story moves pretty fast and the bromance between the 2 male leads will make you want to follow their adventure.

My Verdict – What Else But Watch!
Word Of Honor is indeed worth watching. If you are tired of the usual historical romance dramas of generals and princesses, this would be a welcome change. Just like The Untamed, the BL element is obvious but with a soft tone. In the drama, the men are projected as soul mates which is apt as both of them are tormented by their past. So, don’t let that BL label scare you away if you are not into same sex pairings.

Furthermore, there is depth of character in Word Of Honor. Rather than a totally good or bad guy in the usual dramas, Ke Xing and Zi Shu have layers to their personalities. Hence, they are not so one-dimensional. They have committed sins and suffer from guilt and remorse. Ke Xing is also an angry and revengeful man. All taken together, the characters are well-developed which makes them interesting to watch as you get to see both their good and evil sides especially Ke Xing. But ironically, you will still root for them mainly because of the great storytelling and well-planned character development which will beguile you as you watch on. It reminds me of the Night Immortal in Ashes Of Love whereby you could easily relate to the evil side of the character.

Overall, I will give a score of 8/10 for this Word Of Honor review. It is hard not to love this drama given the well-executed plot and characters. The fact that you have 2 handsome guys having a bromance is the icing on the cake here. You won’t miss the typical fluff and sweetness that come with the usual romance dramas. The 2 men simply have enough chemistry between them to generate the necessary sizzles for a change.

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The best wuxia drama ever !!!

To lovers of the untamed , word of honor is one drama you most definitely need to watch. The story shows or depicts the relationship (soulmates ) between our two main leads ( ZZH,WKX) , one is a former assassin organization leader who has got a few years to live and wants to spend his remaining time drinking and the other is the chief of the ghost valley . WKX flirty skills are top-notch and how he starts chasing around ZZH is quite interesting.
They soon realize they are closely related and by a series of events find out why certain things happen and had happened in the past and present . ZZH time is running out , an immortal with white hair gives WKX a method but that would involve him using himself as furnace . He doesn’t tell ZZH this . Most say this is a sad ending but actually it’s not . There was this special episode whether ZZH has a disciple who is practicing a sword play that WKX uses . Also , a scene is shown when WKX and ZZH are fighting with WKX having white hair . Some believe he became immortal but now has to live in the snowy mountains forever and ZZH remains with him . Parts of the drama will make you happy,angry and sad(crying too) . Overall it’s a brilliant drama ,whenever I hear the soundtrack or background music ,it gives me this nostalgic feeling . 10/10

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I just feel that to be alive, to have the sun shining, and to have someone for me to call is so good

My review will be focused and divided on the story, acting/cast, music, re-watch value, pros (why you must watch), cons (why you will drop/not watch), overall opinion, similar drama suggestion.

Story:
The story start with us meet Zhou Zi Shu as the leader of an assassin organization. I straight up got hooked on the first scene as it is already interesting and somehow "dark". And at the end of the episode 1, we finally got a 10 seconds (i guess) appearance of mysterious Wen Ke Xing. After watching the first episode, I guess this drama will have a dark and maybe heavy plot like something as The Untamed. Yup, I come across this drama as it is another BL-adapted drama from China which is censored as "brotherhood". But as soon as episode 2 start, I dumbfounded lol as Wen Ke Xing without any warning suddenly start to "flirt" with Zhou Zi Shu. But it is interesting on how Wen Ke Xing somehow want to be "clingy" with Zhou Zi Shu and it is funny to watch. The first part of the drama (1/3) is an enjoyable watch for me as it filled with tons of light scene, which quite fun to re-watching some scenes, and to admire the poems/Chinese literature used in the drama! Around the second part of the drama, the main plot of the story started getting it place and a little bit scary too as we move from light to semi-serious watch. But I have to say that I didn't yet found any of unnecessary scenes, plot, story. All the scenes are naturally taking its place. But nah, around episode 22, the third/last part of the drama is quite a ride! We just got a bits of light/sweet/fun scenes as this part it focused more on the relationships. You will love all the relationships that appeared in this drama. All the relationship's stories are beautifully showed to us. It is amazing how I found myself rooting for each of the characters. I should say, it is hard to find this type of Chinese Wuxia Drama. And it is my first time watching a Chinese Wuxia Drama without getting confused with the story, characters relationship, and the plot. But I need to give this a 9 stars out of 10, rating, as this drama can definitely have more episode to elaborate, tell more about some part but it is okay already just like we (I) need more!

Acting/Cast:
First of all, I really didn't know any of the actors here. I have no idea who are the casts and what their previous works. It is my first time seeing them. I got curious so I searched each of them in the mid of watching, and I'm surprised! Most of them can be consider a newcomers in thee industry! But wow, theirs acting sure definitely didn't show any flaws or awkward or unnatural expression! It is as if they are made for the character the played in this drama! I loved all the characters even the supporting characters and the villains/antagonists. I want to praise all of them but I will just shortly mentioned a few to keep this review short. First, Zhang Zhe Han and Gong Jun, their characters feel alive, as if I can imagine ZZS and WKX exist in real life. And both of them sure have a eyes pleasing facial expressions! I got scared when they changed to "serious" side of them as it a bot scary because we got tons of theirs smiles but they did a great job! Zhou Ye as Gu Xiang, her character is such an apple to the eyes! I feel like watching my own daughter (i am 22 and still a single young miss). Zhou Ye showed a good type of mischievous yet caring sister to Cheng Ling, and her master, WKX. I really looking forward to her next work especially Back from The Brink. Next, our Ye Bai Yi which is by actor Huang You Ming, as expected he is really great! If you see her previous work list, you will be shocked as you always remembered his role in a few drama. I hope he can get more recognition. Lastly, you need to mention actor Li Dai Kun as the Scorpion King! WOW! That's all you need to say - WOW *applaud. However, I read many negative and critics comments regarding the casts. Well yes, most of the characters can easily be played by others veterans (aka popular, your bias) actors and might be more better, BUT our WOH casts really did their best and already portrayed perfectly theirs character. I can feel their efforts in delivering the character as I can felt and easily understand each character's background and feeling. I hope we can stop comparing actors as I'm sure, each actor definitely give their best in their own acting. (nah, i'm taking this opportunity to call out and remind you guys.)

Music:
I need to say that this drama is one of the drama with a lot of beautiful music and lyrics! And we got Liu Yu Ning to sing for this drama which I really love his voice and his songs! The song are just beautiful to hear too! And both Zhang Zhe Han and Gong Jun also participate to sing a OST! This drama have a whole of beautiful song! You guys really need to check out it, can search on Youku YouTube Channel as they created a playlist for the whole OST and it felt so good to listen to the playlist! PS: even if you not watching this drama, you will definitely wouldn't hate the playlist. Do give it a try!

Link to the audio compilation playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGIk2nSYexA

Here, I list the playlist of the OST for Word of Honor;
1. Liu Yu Ning (刘宇宁) ~ Heavenly Question (天问)
2. Zhang Zhe Han (张哲瀚) ~ Lonely Dream (孤梦)
3. Zhang Zhe Han (张哲瀚) & Gong Jun (龚俊) ~ Faraway Wanderers (天涯客)
4. Shuang Sheng (双笙) ~ Vanquished Fate (缘灭)
5. Henry Huo (霍尊) ~ Letter Forward (锦书来)
6. Hu Xia (胡夏) ~ Untitled (无题)
7. Wang Jia Cheng (王嘉诚) ~ Return (归)
8. Elvis Wang (王晰) ~ Blind (盲)
9. Ye Li (叶里) ~ Broken Heart (落心)
10. Xian Zi (弦子) ~ Drunken Moon (醉江月)
11. Man Shu Ke (满舒克) ~ Looking At The Jianghu With A Smile (笑看江湖)
12. Tian Ye Ke Boy Band (甜牙客男团) ~ Gazing At The Horizon (望天涯)
13. Steve Chou (周传雄) ~ Journey of Mountain And River (山河行)

Re-watch Value:
Nah, I re-watch this for 3 times already! And there are a few episode that I always replay. It is just good for re-watching as it is not a heavy plot drama. It plot just straight and simple to get through and also it is not complicated at all, be it the story or/and the characters' relationship. If you already done watching a 50-60 Chinese Historical or Wuxia or Xianxia drama which already make your head aches and felt sick after finishing it, you can return to WOH to ease the pain and so felt a light but pure Wuxia drama about martial arts practitioners and humans' relationship!

Pros (why you must watch and/or point that can turn you on):
- Handsome male lead (ZZS)
- Beautiful male lead (WKX)
- Bromance (BL *cough)
- Cute younger couple
- Handsome + cute villain (Scorpion King)
- Flirtingsssss
- A fine Immortal (Ye Bai Yi)
- Simple and light story
- Beautiful costume (especially WKX)
- Lot of Chinese poems, literary
- Beautiful women
- Can make you suddenly burst out crying

Cons (why you will drop/not watch and/or point that can turn you off):
- Cheap production
- Simple CGIs
- Plain
- Not familiar with the casts
- BL (Boys Love)
- Younger/side characters might come out annoying to you
- Expected another The Untamed

Overall Opinion:
Well, Word of Honor is definitely a recommended must watch drama in 2021 by me. This is just a story about what happened in martial arts world and practitioners. No other complicated or unnecessary drama/plot here that felt useless. And it was an enjoyable and great watch for me. I hope to see more of this type of drama in the future. Short, 36 episodes but consists all elements that you can found in 50+ episodes drama and leaving you a little lingering but high satisfaction feelings afterwards.

ATTENTION: THIS DRAMA HAVE 3 SPECIAL EPISODE WHICH CONTAIN ADDITIONAL SCENE AND 1 ADDITIONAL EPISODE WHICH THE EXTRA FOR THE ENDING. SPECIAL EPISODE FOR EPISODE 6, 12 & 17. YOU CAN WATCH IT ON YOUKU YOUTUBE CHANNEL. FOR EPISODE 37 (BONUS), YOU CAN WATCH ON YOUKU YOUTUBE ONLY IF YOU JOIN THE MEMBERSHIP BUT FOR FREE, YOU CAN JUST SEARCH ON YOUTUBE AS FANS MAYBE UPLOAD IT.

Similar Drama/Movie/ Show (Recommendation/Suggestion):
(PS: I recommend based on the similar feeling and vibe it give, with no regard to the genre or storyline)
- Killer and Healer
- Guardian
- The Untamed
- The Eternal Love
- The Ying Yang Master
- Hikaru No Go
- To Get Her

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BL and not bromance

Okay how do i even start. Firstly, the story/plot I would say is good not remarkable but good. The entire plot revolves around this revenge of Wen Ke Xing. What I love about the plot the most is the overall character development. Like Zhou Zhi Shu, a man with stoic and cold expressions who preferred duty over love took a U-turn. As the episodes progess you start seeing the beauty of Zho Zhi Shu as the man starts to smile, tease and show his vulnerable side. In the end he preferred his soulmate over anything. That was a huge ass development in his character as you get to see his soft side, his emotional side, his loving and teasing nature. You just keep on falling in love with this man with every passing episode. The other one is Wen Ke Xing who yet again was a flirt in the beginning and would never talk about his past or cry too began to open up to his A-Xu and cried. A-Xu illuminated his world with light, showed him the path and finally was able to show him the right direction that Wen Ken Xing lacked. They started with bickering and ended with willingness to die for each other. Other one is Scorpion, the guy who was so much deluded by what his father said, did what his father commanded ended up plotting against his own father. Secondly, OST. Oh god! I for even once never skipped the opening music. It is really good and so is the ending song. Now everytime I will be hearing it I am gonna be bombarded with all these memories of this show. Acting was really flawless. Even that father's acting was so remarkable that I couldn't like him for once. His acting was amazing and so was of all other side characters. I especially loved Zhang Zhe Han's acting. Why? Because of tiny gestures and details that he showed in his expressions even when he did not have his dialogue. His entire posture, expressions, silliness, coldness, anger, pain, smile, affection was so raw. His character was not expressive as that of Wen Ke Xing. But even without that this man was able to convey every emotion. Everytime he smiled i felt like it's not Wen Ke Xing's life that's being illuminated but my own. It was all so innocent. What I love the most is that they are anti-heroes, grey chars and not the typical white and black. The have done bad deeds infact loads of bad deeds but it is the heart that matters, right? And also, my innocent Cao Wei Ning is a very tender and down to earth simple man who fell in love with this stupid, destructive, loving and affectionate woman, A-Xiang. Their love was so beautiful. After watching BLs I thought I no longer liked hetro love but these two brought me back to my senses by displaying how beautiful it too can be. It is completely rewatchable. Why? Because even when I was so behind, already knew what was going to happen in coming episodes and even watched without subs I still waited everyday patiently to watch it. That's how much thrilled I was. SO DO WATCH THIS SHOW AND FALL IN LOVE WITH ALL THE CHARACTERS!!!

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If I have to fly to China to find out the true ending of this show I'll do it

After watching 'The Untamed,' this really was the next logical step in my pursuit for similar shows with similar themes of found family, moral ambiguity and fun characters.
I'm happy to say I found what I was looking for in Word of Honor!
While 'the Untamed' generally seemed to lack in the female character department, Word of Honor does a bit of a better job writing female characters that are pivotal to the plot and not just cannon fodder or fuel for the male characters vengeance.
That being said... I'm pretty sure like all of them die anyway.
To be fair though I'm pretty sure nearly every major character in this 'dies' or is, at the very least, MIA.
Gu Xiang really is a favourite of mine just because she seems very unique to the genre as a character. We don't normally get 'fun' female characters. Especially in historical settings... But Gu Xiang is SO fun! She's a very capable young woman that can beat the hell out of anyone but is also very emotionally vulnerable due to the circumstances of her childhood and I think that's a nice change from the 'tough lady, no cry' or 'weak lady, yes cry' character tropes that seem to be prevalent in, well, every genre. I think her relationships with the other characters are great too because they all seem to adore her in different ways. Who can blame them really she's the best. She deserved so much better than getting murdered on her wedding day like HELLO. SIR. JUSTICE FOR GU XIANG 2021.
Not to mention the Romeo and Juliet thing the two main characters have going on with one another. Wen Kexing fakes his own death. Zhou Zishu chooses to avenge him but has to slowly kill himself in the process. Wen Kexing comes back to life and kills himself to save Zhou Zishu. I hate it here. Can the two of you pretty please stop trying to die for each other and just, I don't know, talk. Please.
Anyway, the ending for this show was awful. It didn't wrap up anything and from what I've heard it really wasn't supposed to be finished like this. I have to assume that's the case or I'll go insane. I'm considering reading the novel it's based on for my own mental health. That being said I loved it all the way up to episode 34. So that's why I gave it a good score.

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...this show is evil.

I would have given this a higher score probably if the producers kinda left things as they were by the end of like, episode 32? I don't even remember anymore. I'm gonna need y'all to set your biases aside for a sec and think critically with me.

On the upside: Word of Honor has lovely music, and the symbolism—both subtle and aggressively unsubtle—plus the poetry references did not go unnoticed. The actors delivered beautifully, often in spite of the script.
To be fair, I wasn’t immediately sold on the chemistry between the leads (Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun), it took a few episodes for them to grow on me. But once it clicked, it really clicked. At its best, this show is about a relationship built on healthy communication, understanding, mutual respect, love, and growth on both ends. Love that for them, MUAH.
And the found family trope? I eat that shit up every single time.
Xie Wang (the Scorpion King) is a compelling, charismatic antagonist. But, jfc, the author deserves to be mauled for writing all that incest fuckery. J A I L !!!! What the fuck was that.... Which brings me neatly to the downsides.

The last six episodes were rushed as hell. I’ve had enough of misogynistic fujos (yes, I’m looking at you, MXTX and Priest), meaningless deaths, and approximately 5000 unresolved plotlines.
Gu Xiang’s death hurt the most, not only because she’s my fav character, but because there was absolutely no reason for it. She deserved none of that bullshit, and neither did Cao Weining. Gong Jun’s acting in that scene was also… surprisingly weak? :|
From that point on, the show felt like it was undoing everything it had built.WHEN did Qian Qiao drink the Water of Lethe?? That felt like such a pivotal moment, and yet it's left completely unexplained. And how is Xie Wang shocked she’s dead when he himself said no one was leaving alive???? Wtf was the point of that????
Gu Xiang’s death is barely addressed at all, and while I loved WenZhou, the misunderstandings that followed from WKX faking his death and continued all the way to the finale were never actually resolved. They just laugh it off like, “welp!! guess we’re fine now!!!”.......Dude.
And perhaps the worst of all: Zhou Zishu leaving Wen Kexing behind after the Ghost Valley battle because he’s dying and can’t face him, followed by WKX willingly sacrificing himself to save ZZS...? Huh??? Sure, that was a choice. And an out-of-character one. Why? Because all the themes about healing, breaking cycles of abuse, and choosing to live after giving up are completely discarded in the final episodes. Things that characters explicitly said they didn’t want just… happen after a fucking time skip. Half the main cast dies for no reason. Even if the budget ran out, why backtrack everything after all that progress? It makes all that emotional growth feel pointless.
So anyway, thank god I didn’t read the novel. Fuck you, Priest.
That said: the ending isn’t actually as bad as people make it out to be. Personally, I liked it. Is it heart-wrenching? Absolutely. Fear not, because the bonus episode salvages all that mess.
Oh, shit wait. My bad, I forgot it’s fucking paywalled.
Stay winning, I guess.

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a gem!

Word of Honor is one of the best dramas I've ever watched.

This isn't a coming-of-age story. The protagonists have already seen their share of the world and are journeying to leave their past lives behind. At an age where it's hard to open up to new people, they decide to give their all to this relationship and end up finding solace in each other. Throughout these 36 episodes, the characters grapple with their pasts, try to come to terms with their trauma, and make mistakes. Sometimes their moral compasses are questionable, but in the end, they're good people-- very human-- and find redemption in each other.

The strength of this story really lies in its characters. Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing are both incredibly complex and flawed characters, and really bring out the best in each other.

The leading actors, Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun, really blew me away. I had reservations at first, but by the end they'd convinced me they were meant to play their respective roles-- I can't imagine having anyone else play these characters. I was especially impressed by Zhang Zhehan. Although Zhou Zishu is such a restrained, introverted, and complex character, Zhang Zhehan managed to bring so much life into him. Not to mention, he has the most gorgeous smile ever-- his eyes turn into little half moons, and his features soften-- it's like he's a completely different person! I wasn’t a fan of Gong Jun’s acting before, but it’s like he unlocked another dimension of his acting working with Zhang Zhehan. Together, their chemistry is incredible-- they make one of the best pairings I’ve ever seen on-screen. The support cast is wonderful as well, and I especially loved Zhou Ye's portrayal of Gu Xiang-- she's another young actress I'll have to watch out for!

The script shocked me at first, because it was so bold. I was surprised they managed to slip everything past censorship. Flirting, hand-holding, hugging-- it's all in there. Although not stated explicitly, I interpreted the relationship between the two leads as more than friends, more than lovers even-- they really bring a new definition to the word "soulmate".

The fighting scenes are well-choreographed and beautifully shot, and the cinematography is gorgeous throughout. There are many references to Chinese poetry in the script, which I feel was a nice touch. The costumes are amazing. Despite not having the highest budget, they really spent money on the right things.

The drama isn't perfect by any means. I found the pacing to be a little off in some later episodes (too slow around 21-27 and too fast around 31-32), and there are a few stray plot holes. In my opinion, too much screen time was given to Zhao Jing / the Scorpion King and scheming villains, when I would have preferred more WenZhou scenes. However, I think everything else about this production makes up for its few imperfections. I’ve already gone back and rewatched episodes, and it’s indeed the type of story that’s so detailed you take away something new each time.

Thank you to the cast and crew for giving us Word of Honor. This is the first piece of work in a while that has made me cry and laugh and feel so many emotions at the same time. This is a story that's going to stay with me for a long time.

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Impressive Wuxia-cum-BL

Believing that the BL would be transformed into bromance and that the story would focus so much on the (b)romance that it would not be a good wuxia, I did not expect much of this series at first. Surprisingly, the series fares well in both aspects. In the first few episodes, with Wen Kexing blatantly flirting with Zhou Zishu, the wuxia does take a backseat. Similarly, when the story focused a bit more on the wuxia aspects of the story, the BL took a backseat. Nevertheless, give it a bit of time and the series brings both aspects of the series together very nicely.

The BL

The BL was what I started watching the series for, and it did not disappoint. This wasn't simply because I wasn't having high expectations in the first place. It is a pleasant surprise that the series manages to portray what is quite obviously beyond bromance or friendship between the main characters. The way they gaze at each other, dialogue (with them basically referring to each other as family and basically wanting to just live with each other happily ever after) and the body language when they hug quite explicitly portray a romantic relationship.

A lot of the BL is rather sneakily done, of course. For instance, when Kexing and Zishu move to the Four Seasons Manor (a large place that used to house many disciples), they sleep in the same room though I would assume there are lots of rooms available. The other characters sometimes speak to them teasingly, like the way one might tease a married couple (like threatening to complete about one of them to the other).

The BL does eventually integrate well with the rest of the story, showing the transformative power of the characters' love. Zishu, who is guilt-ridden about the things he has done as an assassin, is at first just waiting to die after injuring himself severely so that he can leave his job. Kexing, who is so obsessed with vengeance that he suppresses his innately kind nature, also finds a reason to live besides taking revenge.

There are some moments when the series seem to disavow the gay relationship through apparent hints of heterosexuality, such as when Zishu says he does not mind having a beautiful lady like Gu Xiang tag along and when Zishu tells his disciple, Cheng Ling, that Kexing bought a whole lot of decorative stuff for their manor because they are sold by a beautiful lady. There is something cunning about these scenes for while they may seem to disavow the homosexual relationship between the characters at first, they also hint at jealousy or an attempt to make the other party jealous in a romantic relationship.

To be sure, I do think that the BL would have been even better if the characters can be openly portrayed as having a romantic relationship. But we do not really lose anything significant, which is an admirable feat.

The Wuxia

I couldn't believe it when I first read that this is a low-budget production. It doesn't look low-budget to me though the production could have run into sponsorship problems at some point. Maybe there are those who expect more of the CG, but not being a fan of CG, I'm actually fine with the execution.--nothing stood out to me as being badly done.

What impressed me early on is the choreography of the fighting sequences. There's nothing exceptional about it, but it is very competently done and made it convincing that the makers of the series are taking the wuxia aspects of the series very seriously instead of relying on the BL elements to attract eyeballs.

The range of sects and characters are also typical of the genre, and the series does manage to develop on several of these characters quite well. As with many wuxia stories, the characters from the so-called respectable sects are often hypocrites, bullies or simply unscrupulous villains. On the other hand, those from the unorthodox "evil" sect are not necessarily bad people and can be surprisingly humane. The back stories of characters like the Glamorous Ghost and the Tragicomic Ghost are interesting even if not strikingly original.

The rather perverse relationship between the villains, Zhao Jing and his foster son, the Scorpion King, is rather unique in the genre of wuxia. Despite supposedly having a father-son type of relationship, the Scorpion King's affections towards his foster father appears more like those of a lover. The parallels drawn between his predicament and that of the Glamorous Ghost (a woman betrayed by her lover despite her devotion) reinforces the idea. Yet, instead of being demonized, the Scorpion King's affections with homosexual undertones give a glimpse of the more humane side of an otherwise vicious and ruthless character. We can sympathize with him insofar as the way Zhao Jing treats him is concerned, and he seems to be able to genuinely identify with Glamorous Ghost and wants to help her.

As a wuxia series, Word of Honor displays a very good grasp of genre conventions. It would have been a very good watch even if the BL relationship had been toned down, and I think the makers of the series deserve respect for daring to take the risk of portraying such a close relationship between the main characters. Even if one fails to recognize it as BL, the portrayal of the male characters go beyond conventions of masculine behavior, which is in itself already laudable.

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Great show

I enjoyed watching it and I like the two main characters and they deserve each other and I think that the other people need to leave them alone. I also like to listen to their music on my Spotify music app. I am happy that Zhang Zhe Han and Gong Jun have met each other after a long complicated journey on the way. I have also follow their Instagram account on my Apple iPhone 14 and I have to say that they both have great style of clothes and hair style too. People need to mind their own business and leave Zhang Zhe Han and Gong Jun alone and stop being in peoples business and they make a really great friends with each other. Having friends is great and they will be there for you, when you feel sad or hurt or lonely and they will be there for you anytime. That’s why I have great friends from my school and I keep I touch with them since I have graduated from school. I also think that Zhang and Gong will become great friends in the future and don’t stop them from being friends.

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Enjoyable but not great.

This drama is enjoable and if i judge all the different aspects separately they are good, but the whole is somewhat lacking.
Acting is great, characters on paper are compelling, production is appealing, music is engaging, the story intriguing, yet it seems to lack in passion.
To me it seems pretty obvious that this production has been trying to replicate the success of the Untamed, and failing to do so because no matter how much you try to hide it, there's a difference between wanting to tell a story and telling it because it seems an easy way to grab the public's attention.
Technically speaking this drama is better than The Untamed but personally I cannot feel the heart of this production just an endless ruse to say 'look, look, we are great in telling a BL story despite censorship so root for us'. It's true that there are much more explicit dialoges and lot of small pieces that makes it interesting to watch the details put into the picture, yet all them seems like mannerism and they land flat emotionally at least for me. In my perception they seems mechanics and not really felt, as if this drama is much more about appearance than real substance.
Personally the most compelling characters are the support ones such as the Scorpion King, Gu Xiang or Glamorous ghost and Tragicomic ghost.

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Love it!

I won't write about the story line or character details because they have been written many times, so this is just my opinion for the series.

I am not a fan of BL, which is why I have been putting The Untamed and Word of Honor on the to-watch shelf for a long time. I hesitated to watch this because of the BL storyline. But I didn't regret watching these two because they are one of the best chinese costume dramas that I've watched. The best ones in my opinion are Story of Yanxi Palace and Nirvana In Fire, but these two came close.

Word of Honor has all the elements that I like in a drama, good acting, handsome actors, beautiful costume and setting and wuxia scenes. Viewers are spoiled with beautiful colors in the costume, setting and cinematography as well as very amazing sceneries. There are plenty of WuXia fighting scenes in this drama that left you at the edge of your seats. There are also plenty of nice songs in the OST, I like the opening and ending theme and several others. That's why I always click "watch credit" and "play from the beginning" on Netflix for this drama because of the songs.

This drama is a rollercoaster of emotion for me. I felt sympathy for the characters, can feel happy, laughing at several scenes in the episodes, then change to feeling sad for some of the characters. The last three episodes in particular was a rollercoaster ride for me, like I didn't expect that to happen, why did it has to happen like that? Sad, then happy, and sad again.

I have to give a special shoutout to Simon Gong Jun as I thought he did a superb and excellent job as Wen Ke Xing. Huge kudos to Simon Gong!!!! I originally watch this because of Zhang Zhe Han, but Simon Gong stole my heart! He is so expressive and did very well in playing such a complex character. I first saw him in Begin Again, but after watching Word of Honor, I have just became a huge fan of Simon Gong Jun!!!

If you hesitate in watching this because of the BL element, please don't. It's there but it's subtle that I can just pass it on as true friendship and brotherhood. This drama is so much more than that, it is a story of friendship, family, loyalty, heroism and courage that it's very easy to overlook the BL element. It's there but in a subtle way, not "in your face" BL like those in Hollywood movies/series and Thai dramas. I would totally recommend this drama (and The Untamed of course).

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