A Tale of the Wanderers (2021)

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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The story

The story is good and also the actors chemistry
is ✨undeniable✨. They are so perfect to be casted as Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing. Their might be some scenes that might be boring for you but overall their scenes are perfectly good, if you focus on their actions they literally did what should the lead actors should do. The drama screams "censorship who"😩❤. At first I don't have a strength to watch this since I watched "TU" but after I watch this drama I became a fan of the actors bc of their chemistry. They're so good that I want them to be in the same drama again, a modern drama. I literally rewatched this multiple times because I couldn't move on and also the ost's is so good, im not even chinese but I literally memorized the lyrics.

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Following the footstep of 'The Untamed'

This drama follows very much in the footsteps of 'The Untamed' - a bromance, a cheeky 'fallen' hero, 2 gorgeous male leads, theme songs co-performed by the male leads, and the list goes on. And in a lot of pre-broadcast reviews, it has been marketed as its parallel. So I cannot help but make the comparison.

Although I enjoyed this drama, I still think 'The Untamed' is much better produced - who could beat a combination of Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan? Also, the dark scenes were a lot better crafted - the death valley Wei Ying (Xiao Zhan) fell into was eerie. The entire production was much better edited with the mystery and suspense very well built up. Wei Ying's fall off the cliff was dramatic - the Wei Ying's heartbreak at the death of his 'sister' and Lan Zhan's desperate attempt to save him. I must also say the theme song was very well sang.

In some of the early episodes in Word of Honor, I was about to write it off as just another average wuxia drama. But it got better. There were some humor in the drama, and some of the plots actually got me really mad. And the story was interesting.

Gong Jun's (Simon) acting was really good. One of the greatest skills of an outstanding actor is in his facial expression and Gong Jun is excellent in this. Mischief, anger, evil, caring, flirting - he did all of these remarkably.

Although I am not homophobic, I really do not appreciate romantic scene between same genders in dramas or movies - do not work up any sentiments in me. I respect the rainbow community but I do not share their romances. This drama was a little bolder in this regard but it did nothing for me. Any production of such dramas must make up for this lack of empathy with the general audience (other than the rainbow community) with good story, cast, scenery, cinematography and editing.

Considering all of these, I rated it a 9 overall.

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If I could insert a gif it would be one of me sprawled on the floor with a gun to my head because this stupid drama done got on my last nerve. I have nothing but a distaste for the story which btw gets its popularity by riding the BL train of The Untamed (a series I hated). Both ML characters are evil people in pretty packages and despite the writer's attempt to repurpose and repackage them as having turned over new leaves, the havoc and damage they perpetuated were too deep for me to suddenly forgive and forget. They neither deserved my sympathy nor my admiration.


The story itself was rather lackluster as in I didn’t care if the armory was ever found nor did I care if our leads got their happy ever after. In fact, I rooted for them to die....the more painful the better.

The acting left much to be desired and their chemistry was absent. There was also a lot of miscommunication.

The supporting characters were caricatures that we’ve seen multiple times in C dramas. Just the same old evil people who must rule the world come hell or high water.

In all, I gave up at episode 24 and immediately felt happier that I wouldn’t have to see Wen Ke Xing’s (Gong Jun) smug, smirking face.

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100%! you should watch it! There's a bit of spoilers but yeah!

Okay, when I watched a fmv of this and i thought it as AMAZING! I literally went to watch the episodes on YouTube. Back then it was just 4 episodes. The way Wen Ke Xing stared/firted with Ah Xu is cute and wholesome. <3 I loved both main actors!! I really recommend this if you finished The Untamed and want more. There's 21 episodes out on YouTube right now! Watch the first episode before you say its trash, once you get more into it it'll be interesting and you'll probably get obsessed with it!

Okay onto the ACTUAL review!

We'll start off with actors!

Wen Ke Xing, also known as Simon Gong! His acting is perfect, everything is perfect. In the drama he's flirty with Ah Xu! The best ghost chief <3 The way he acts quite wholesome and cute makes my heart melt. 🥰 His face of shock when he found out Zhou Zi Shu's wound/nails was everything I could wish for. The way he cried in the rain. When he said if he knew,he wouldn't follow him around, but he still sticked with him. <3

Zhou Zi Shu, also known as Zhang Zhe Han (If im sure lmao)! His acting is also amazingly perfect! In the drama hes like a stubborn stressed mom! Although he had put the seven nails in, he's gonna die (I'm only at 21 episodes and I'm not willing to use websites!). He's like a stubborn tusandere mother! He kinda flirts with him but its cute! <3 They're perfect for each other!

Music:
3 words: I LOVE IT! <3

Story:
It's confusing a bit but you'll understand more and more in!

Overall, I would watch it again! <3 I 100% recommend it, sorry if I gave a bit too much spoilers. 😞 Try it out and you'll probably like it! ☺

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The are outdoing BL wu xia again!!

If you had watched The Untamed, this is even better! You just need to watch the first 2 episodes to get all the feels!! As the casts are all actors to start with, not idol-turned-actors, the feelings of the characters are really portrayed inside the series. Not even the dubbing and censorship can cover the affection between the leads and the side characters.

Let me start with the story. It is not exactly similar to the novel, they made some changes to it. However it was a good adaption. The lead's story followed through well. As any xian xia dramas, it is about the greed of mankind which resulted in the fight of power of the different clans, in search of key to unlock some secrets of martial art and long life, and we need 2 heroes to stop this disastrous leading event.

The OST really complements the series well. The lyrics makes me tear at times (I'm not kidding).

Next, the acting. It was superb. You do not need to judge the actors. IMO, they are really good at it to a point I suspect that both really love each other. From the playful look from Gong Jun to Zhe Han, to his sacrifice at the end of the episode, I felt that no love can be stronger than Gong Jun's to Zhe Han. Toward Gong Jun's advances, Zhe Han responded really well. From slowly warming up to Gong Jun's playful advances, you can see when he starts to change his mind about Gong Jun and accepted his love. Especially at episode 6 when he revealed his true face. Omg they are the perfect pair, I need them to be together in real life too.

Lastly the details. Not only the acting (the smirks, actions)... But can I say the references to Chinese culture really stands out to me as a Chinese! For example the sleeve cutting action, it is a reference of homosexuality in ancient china. And how many times have the leads cut each other's sleeve??! Also the part where ah xiang has her wedding, the single "喜" is really inauspicious and it leads to a real tragedy. (I knew instantly something bad will happen as it should be 喜喜 for any chinese wedding) The poems they read for each other, if you read into the details, it is actually an excerpt of love poems. I love the meaning of it as well.

I had watched twice before commenting, because I think everyone needs to know how good it is! If you think The Untamed was good, this is better with the acting and chinese culture references. Even the censorship is strong, if you uncover the meanings, you will know what it means!!

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