A Tale of the Wanderers (2021)

Best BL drama I've watched so far

Word of Honour follows the story of Zhou Zishu, ex-assassin who just wants to live out the rest of his days wild and free, and Wen Kexing, leader of the Ghost Valley with a dark past.

This show was made on a tight budget, so I can excuse the reusing of the same five sets and the average CGI. It makes up for these minor details in its plot, character development and costumes. Character development, in particular, is really well done in this show. The show is definitely not black and white, nothing is ever just good or evil. Even the antagonists, you see their point of view and understand why they made the choices they did. Do you feel sorry for them? Yes (except for Zhao Jing). And the costumes are just amazing. They are so well made and beautiful. I'm glad the team spent money and effort into the costumes for each character. The team may have had to cut back on other aspects of the production, but I am glad they didn't reduce the budget for the costumes.

I absolutely loved the relationship between the two male leads. Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun have really good chemistry and it shows on screen. You can see that their two characters really care for each other and are willing to sacrifice the world for each other. There's a lot more physical contact and flirting than I expected to see for a Chinese BL, but it still leaves the audience clues to fill in the gaps for the more subtle hints of romance. The acting is great - from the delivery, facial expressions and body language, the depth of their relationship is really touching to watch.

Since this show set in the wuxia world, it is a captivating show for many people. I totally recommend this show.

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Geralmente os novel BL são “transformados” em bromance, aliás a meu ver continua um BL, mas censurado, porém aqui não, na verdade é quase escancarado. Claro que há trechos censurados, mas de alguma forma quase não se percebe, os olhares, falas, jeito de se tratarem, as coisas que a produção deixou subentendido, espero mais BL corajosos assim.

Casal moderno é formado por um cara de pau soltinho e um sério que é no fundo é um amor. A forma como eles se entendem, é muito linda, Wen Ke Xing é realmente persistente por Zhou Zi Shu, mas não é de forma extrema ou invasiva. Nenhum dos dois é um herói, estão mais para anti-herói, na verdade quase ninguém é cem por cento bom em WoH.

Tanto Zhou como Wen têm muito em seus ombros, tragédias que poucos aguentariam, mas a forma que lidam com isso é diferente, um se revolta contra o mundo buscando vingança, enquanto ou se flagela assumindo tudo para si. Dois homens quebrados, vazios que se encontram e se reconhecem como almas gêmeas, que ganham um sentido na vida e formam uma família com a chegada de Chengling, sem contar com Gu xing e Cao Wei Ning.

Separei vários pontos que gostei comparados com o novel. O disfarce de Zhou, no caso a maquiagem, novel era descrito como pálido, mas colocaram como alguém queimado de sol, isso ficou mais natural para mim, os maquiadores estão de parabéns, um ponto interessante é que foi tirada mais rápido do que no novel e de forma diferente, bem mais poético. Fico muito feliz por decidirem levarem Zhou de volta para mansão mesmo que por pouco tempo, na novel ele vivia dizendo que sentia falta, mas nunca pode voltar. As mulheres fortes, na novel até eram, mas senti que não tinham tanto foco como no drama. não tem haver, mas quero muito dizer que amei a OST e as roupas, uma mais linda que a outra.

Algumas coisas foram trocadas de ordem e adicionadas, essas alterações são diferentes do novel, mas de algum jeito não mudaram o resultado, na verdade fico até feliz por dá momentos felizes como de Cao Wei Ning e Gu xiang, apesar de chorar tanto quanto li por esses dois. Sem contar que na novel o final foi muito corrido, já o daqui ao menos abriram o Arsenal e gostei da resolução, na verdade não entendi a parte sobre a família do Lorde Sétimo, depois lerei sua novel.

Imagino que alguns podem não ter gostado do final, eu de certa forma esperei mais, no novel é mais detalhado, porém não achei ruim, claro que seria melhor se não tivessem cortado essa cena deles extra, na minha cabeça este é o verdadeiro final. Bem, sentirei falta.

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ready to lose my memory to watch this all over again

I honestly don't know how to even start expressing how this drama made me feel. i went into watching WOH with no expectation , the only thing I knew was this was a censored LGBTQ+ drama from China.
But I was hooked the moment I saw Zhao Zishu (Zhang Zhe Han) and the way he carried the character was just so perfect, he made sure that we knew that he is the most powerful general under Prince Jin. And then came in the character Wen Kexing (Gong Jun) if a person could ever steal my heart that will be Wen Kexing.
The plot was exquisite, like i said in my headline " i am literally really to lose my memory to rewatch this again " it might seem a little slow paced in the beginning but it was good enough to get me hooked to it.
The plot reminded me much of Romeo and Juliet ( spoilers ahead )
In Romeo and Juliet , we know that Juliet faked her death to by drinking a fake poison given to her by a wise advisor just like Wen Kexing faked his dearth by falling of the cliff with the help of Ye Bai Yi (Huang You Ming) and then comes Romeo not knowing about this plan too actually killing himself by drinking poison and this last word being "Here's to my love! O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick." and in the series we know that Zhao Zishu removes the Nails of Seven Apertures for Three Autumns which caused him to die sooner and his words before removing the nails being "the world is not important but my soulmate is, since my soulmate is gone , what do i have to care about", and then when Juliet wakes up from her fake death she realizes that Romeo is dead and then decides to kill herself with Romeo's dagger, so here is where i noticed the change in the drama cause as we know Wen Kexing found out that Zhao Zishu is dying so he lied to Zhao Zishu about how exactly the combined six cultivation methos is gonna work , Zhao Zishu thought that both will be turning into immortals together but that was much further away from the truth, so then we found out that Wen Kexing gives his soul(m not really sure what that's called) into Zhao Zishus body making only him into an immortal which cause wen Kexing to die . But then of course there was ep 37 where we see both of them living happily in the mountains.
These were my main thoughts on the drama .
I can never forget the side couple Gu Xiang (Zhou Ye) and Cao WeiNing (Asher Ma) if I say their death didn't cause me pain i would be lying, they deserved to be happy after all they have been through but ya I guess that how they were supposed to end.
when it comes to the dramas production it is very noticeable that it was a low budget but I guess the acting made up for that not gonna lie certain scenes and shots ever funny but I'm gonna let it slide.
The MUSIC is just another master piece just so beautiful in every way possible I have been listening to all of them on repeat nowadays.
Rewatch value for word of honor : EVERYDAY and I mean it literally if I had a choice.

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Literally the most AMAZING Chinese Historical Martial Arts Drama ever made!!!

THE BEST CHINESE BL HISTORICAL DRAMA EVER!!! I wish I could give it 100000000 stars!!

First off, YOU MUST WATCH THE MINI EPILOGUE EPISODE (find it on Reddit!). I watched this drama and finished it in two days on Netflix and CRIED thinking that was the ending but then i found that mini episode 37 and the whole world felt peaceful once again aha

Second off, HOW IN THE I STILL CANT FKN BELIEVE IT did this drama past China's strict censorship? I'll tell you how... with genius scriptwriters, directors and talented actors, that's how! Everything about this drama was perfect, especially the fight scenes. I was mesmerized by each fight scene, it was like nothing I've ever seen before! I wish there were more dramas with such amazing cinematography and martial arts fight scenes!

I loved both the MC and ML, they are so talented and this drama was just everything I could ever imagine! Makes me want to read the novel now. I wish there was a season 2, but I don't think they'd be able to escape the strict censorship nowadays aha

This drama has everything: Romance, angst, revenge, deep bonds between characters, and every other good thing you could possibly imagine.

Obviously, even though the novel is a BL, this drama adaptation could not be BL because of China's censorship rules. BUT they did an excellent job in depicting the love between the MC and ML. Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing could communicate their love through silent actions such as their eye contact, the concern they show for each other, the sacrifices they are willing to make in order to save the other person, it was beautiful. I wish I could find more dramas like this one, please let me know if you know of any dramas similar to WOH!

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Most progressive BL from Mainland China- took the country by storm

To keep it short this is a beautiful BL adaptation with good chemistry and pacing. In addition, it's also the most progressive BL to pass mainland censorship. The directors and designers are extremely talented to produce a high-quality drama from a low budget and in addition, the lead actors are very dedicated to their roles. The costumes are especially beautiful and the OST are very good including songs by Zhang Zhehan (Lead) and Liu Yuning
DON'T FORGET !! to watch the special episode 37 (real ending), special scenes (contains deleted scenes), and also look up the original lines (some were dubbed over to pass censorship) so that you can get the full image of what the crew and actors wanted the drama to portray.

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A must see drama it's a McDonald's happy meal everything included ?

Just finished and Wow I want more I'm so sad it's over, but remember to watch episode 37 epilog till the end. This was a phenomenal drama from the Storyline, CAST, Clothing and set .10++This was a "Mcdonald happy meal" everything included. You laugh you get angry you cry you yell alot you love alot. The chemistry/Bromance between the two ML you could see and feel that they are soul mates. It's funny that at the beginning I didn't like Zhou zu(ML) from Window of Heaven until I understood his life story then you will fall in love with him. Then we have Wen ke xing(ML) who wanted to be good, but the demon in and around him made is hard and he was the leader of Ghost Valley. Until the day that these two meet and there lives changed forever. This storyline is about the Pugilist world and who could control the world's power with getting the 5 pieces of glazed armor and the key to open the armory. They say inside the armory has all the secrets of each sect and the book of Ying&Yang to cure all. They is also an area that shows how to bring peace to the world. In the next episodes 1-37 will show you what happiness is within a sect and how power and greed can kill all. It start with Zhou zu who works for Prince Jin and is tired of killing people for the last 10yrs and he want to quit and travel. In order to Leave you must endure the seven nail implanted in your chest and Zhou zu has been implanting nail over mo/yrs. with a life of 3yrs. Once he got out he disqueised himself and lived a quiet life in Pugilist world for 3yrs until he meets Wen ke xing and there adventure begins. There is so much to see and no dull parts (yeah) A must see . China has definitely stepped up in 2021 with so many great Drama to watch sometimes I'm not sure where to start lol.

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Sandroluc

Com certeza, eu nunca fiquei tão ansioso por um próximo episódio como eu fiquei com Word of Honor. Essa obra é simplesmente magnifica. Comecei a assistir sem por ser mais um trabalho de Gong Jun e fui contemplado com um primor único. Tudo está na medida certa, nem de mais, nem de menos, os atores, os diálogos, as locações, tudo é muito prazeroso. A história, dizer que é envolvente, seria eufemismo. ela nada mais faz do que te aprisionar por inteiro, aguçando o teu querer de saber mais, ouvir mais, conhecer mais.
Os combates foram muito bem feitos, dirigidos e executados, é um verdadeiro deleite para os fãs do gênero assim como eu. Este, sem duvida alguma, é para se assistir mais de uma vez.

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''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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Después de The untamed, mi Bromance/BL cdrama preferido

Si te gustó The untamed, míra este drama!!! Si te emociona el bromance chino o eres fan de BL déjalo todo y mira este drama! Quedarás enamorada de esta fantástico Wuxia donde se combina la aventura, el misterio, las luchas de artes marciales y el bromance romántico. Es maravillosa esta historia de dos almas gemelas, dos seres imperfectos y llenos de heridas, que consiguen sanar sus heridas apoyándose el uno en el otro. Aunque la producción parece ser que no fue de gran presupuesto, la escenografía, el vestuario son preciosos, la fotografía es bellísima, la música muy bonita, los actores son carismáticos y algunos de ellos de primer nivel y sorprendentemente el bromance salta a otro nivel regalándonos confesiones poéticas, abrazos y flirteos como no había visto hasta ahora en este tipo de dramas. Los fans felizmente nos preguntamos qué se había tomado el Sr. de la censura ese día que dió el ok a la emisión de este drama!!!!! Pero gracias a ese momento de despiste (jajaj) hemos podido disfrutar de momentos muy muy románticos entre nuestra couple de asesinos. Gracias a todo el equipo por ofrecernos esta serie! Leer menos

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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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