A Tale of the Wanderers (2021)

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.

Citeste mai mult

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.

Citeste mai mult

I went in to this drama pretty blind despite it being a very popular drama. Despite it's flaws, this is a must see drama!

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.

Citeste mai mult

The woman was to stunned to write a review

Ottima storia, certo. Però un casino. Bellissima, quindi consiglio a tutti di guardala (anche solo per il protagonista), ma un po’ un casino, ci sono punti estremamente lenti che portano ad un finale quasi fatto di corsa e un co-finale un po’ aperto (che poi aperto non è, ma non ho voglia di scrivere 500 caratteri su due minuti effettivi di epilogo). Tutto si risolve bene? Forse. Tutto si risolve male? Forse. Certo è che la storia poteva giovare di qualche puntata in più (anche solo due o tre), per creare un flow migliore. Un kudos bello grande lo devo dare ai personaggi secondari (che erano tutti, o quasi ben caratterizzati, anche quelli che alla fine si vedevano per qualche puntata). Tutto ciò per dire che con alcune pecche, è comunque un lavoro molto valido e merita, soprattutto se piace il genere

Citeste mai mult

BEST BL DRAMA I HAVE EVER SEEN !!! Watching again after just finished!

10/10 why?

Surprisingly I have started this series a year ago when it appeared, but for some reason I dropped it after the 1st episode. Lesson learned to always give a chance to the series that may have no logic or seem not interesting at the beginning.

One year later, by accident, I start again and I had like a deja vu while watching, then I remember I have actually started it a year ago, but this time I wanted to give it a chance.

Firstly, I want to comment on the score that it has here. I am quite disappointed after watching it to see so many bad reviews. People compare it to The Untamed. I understand the hype for The Untamed, but objectively speaking Word of Honor is way better.
My point is, and I haven’t seen this in any other drama, bl or fantasy etc. The dialogue was so beautifully created. I have stopped and rewatched many of the scenes only for the dialogue and I have also written down some quotes. You can feel the chemistry, love and affection only, and only by reading the dialogue while is composed mostly of classic sayings and poems from different dynasties.

Secondly, the chemistry and beauty of the two male leads is breathtaking. There are no kisses obviously because of the censorship. But there are a lot of glances, hugs, touches, flirting and many more.

I loved their every interaction and how beautifully their story grew from two people who were nothing to two people who would risk and give their life for each other.

There were a few scenes that I have recorded on my phone and I have been rewatching them for 100 times and I am not joking.

The special scene where Lao Wen was drunk in the room and Ah Xu came, Lao Wen looked at him a little confused when he felt his hand touched by Ah Xu and looked at him with desire and admiration…that scene is sooooo powerful!

Or the one when they called each other’s name three times!

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

Or when Lao Wen was again drunk and he hugged Ah Xu…

- The world is not important, what's important is finding a soulmate

I can say for sure that I have never felt so obsessed with a drama the way I am still with this one. I rewatched the episode over and over, the BTS and I still feel emptiness after it finished, like I would never be able to find a drama as better as this one.

Gong Jun and ZhangZheHan were perfect for each other, I can say for sure now is not easy for me to see them play with others.

Watching the BTS also makes me wanna thank ZhangZheHan for putting so much effort into his acting and even in directing some of the sugar scenes, to the director, crew, scenarist and everyone who was involved. Also a big shot out to Gong Jun who portrayed We Ke Xing so well!

Guys, this drama will be life changing for your if you like romance, deep meaning, if you are emotional.

Citeste mai mult

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/

Citeste mai mult

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.

Citeste mai mult

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.

Citeste mai mult

It’s a pretty good movie , the cast and everything was on point but I just think they rushed the ending especially in episode 33, I was a bit confused but overall good movie, not the best but it’s still good , I’m personally not the typer to rewatch movies, but once’s again it’s good would recommend, it has a great story line, I’m a bit confused on how china let this movie to air with out taking it done, the main couple (the two dudes) surprisingly had a lot of skinship especially when he hug him when he was drunk kinda forgot the episode but yeah still surprising

Citeste mai mult

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.

Citeste mai mult

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.

Citeste mai mult