A Tale of the Wanderers (2021)

I HAVE REWATCH IT COUNTLESSLY

I don't love any drama this much, but Word of Honor is a LEGIT adaptation.
Despite some differences between the original novel and the adaptation, both have been beautifully made.
This drama contains a deep, deep emotion conveyed through witty, sassy yet lovely, and warm convos between the main characters.
I watched the other drama if you know what I mean, but WOH stunned me as I could not move on.
There's something in the chemistry between the two male leads, and also the chemistry of the WHOLE cast is also not a joke.
How the plot is unraveling, interlinked, and affecting every part of it.
In summary, this drama is a word of love poem embodied into two people named Wen Kexing and Zhou Zi Shu.

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A Very Satisfying Wuxia Drama

I’m not here as a BL drama fan (because I’m not), but as a long-time wuxia drama enthusiast since childhood. A year after it aired I finally decided to watch this drama because I’ve recently been in the mood for some historical actions (I’ve watched The Longest Day in Chang’an and Ancient Detective before). Also, I’ve actually been planning to see it for quite a long time, for in the middle of its high fame last year I came across a fanmade video of its fighting scenes on YouTube and I was so fascinated. So, why not? And here I am now, loving it so so much. I wouldn’t say it’s a perfect drama but I gave it a high score because it’s very, very, very good in so many aspects; but there are also some things that I don’t like about this drama, so I will point both of them out. Watch out, it’s gonna be long.

- What I like about this drama:
1). The story. The entire wuxia story, really. After the first few episodes I got the feeling that this drama (or the original book, if the story is exactly the same) is some sort of a fanfiction of Jin Yong’s famous works. Not only the sects (Shaolin, Emei, The Five Mountains Sword Alliance, The Beggar Sect), but also the formula: the star-crossed lovers (one from the upright side, and the other from the evil side; but they are in love no matter what others say), the hypocrisies of those self-righteous people in the pugilistic world, the struggle and endless fight over a precious thing which makes people think they can be the best and rule the world, the vibes and so on. I don’t remember there are any modern wuxia dramas these days that have this kind of “classic formula” because it’s either wuxia romance, wuxia detective, wuxia conspiracies, or xianxia stuff that I’m never interested in. But Word of Honor has this formula, and it’s very well written, well developed, and very well executed. Although I’m not satisfied with some of the plotlines (due to editing and cuts, I guess), in general, the jianghu story is very, very satisfying.
2). The romance between the two main leads. I have to say that it’s also very well written and well developed. It’s been a long time since I watched a very heart-wrenching love story which is sad not for the sake of being sad, but for the characterization of the two lovers and what they have been going through in their life. And everything just makes sense: the sadness and the anxiety, the differences in opinion and how they deal with it, the acceptance of the other’s evil deeds and background, the sacrifices for each other. It’s all there because it has a solid foundation, not merely for the sake of being romantic and angsty for no particular reason. And it’s so so beautiful (and hilarious, too, thanks to Wen Kexing’s endless flirting and quirky humor) to watch.
3). The acting. First thing first, I want to say that I really, really like both Zhou Zishu’s and Wen Kexing’s characters. They’re like completing each other: while ZZS is calm, wise, and has integrity; WKX is funny (people in the drama say “lunatic” but he’s just funny, really; coz every time I saw him I just wanted to laugh), carefree, sly, and very complicated and devastated inside. Tbh, I’m not a fan of either Zhang Zhehan or Gong Jun but I have to say that their acting is really, really good. They can represent each of their character really, really well. I feel that they are indeed meant to do these roles. (P.S.: I really, really like Gong Jun’s eyes expression every time he turns evil and “lunatic”)
4). The costumes of both main leads. Tbh I don’t like the costumes of the other characters because they look too “modern”, but I really love those worn by ZZS and WKX. And the hairstyle, too. Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun seriously look so handsome and dashing in those long-hair styles.
5). The soundtrack. Well, I mean the opening song sung by Liu Yuning. I have it on the loop and cannot stop.

- What I don’t like:
1). The props and the lighting. The props don’t look ancient enough and the lighting somehow weakens the “wuxia vibe” of this drama.
2). I’ve mentioned above that I don’t like the costumes of the supporting characters, but here’s another problem: the clothes worn by the female servants made me think they’re in the Tang Dynasty but the uniforms worn by the palace guards suddenly threw me to the Ming Dynasty. So, what dynasty are they exactly in??? This is so confusing.
3). The fighting scenes. Well, I got mixed feelings about it after seeing it with my own eyes for the entire 36+ episodes. It’s enjoyable to watch but the movements are so repetitive to the point that you cannot differentiate which gongfu of whose. Each sect, each hero is supposed to have their own signature movements but no: they just swirl and swirl and ZZS has no other movement than swaying his sword left and right. And I actually love the way WKX fights using his fan but that’s it? Really? Throwing it to his enemies all the time?
4). While this drama is not particularly feminist (though quite women-friendly), it’s not misogynist, either; but there’s still sexism that bothered me when I watched it. First, in episode five ZZS said to Zhang Chengling, “You’re a man, you cannot cry in the future”. I mean, WHAT? Seriously? And Cao Weining’s character really has that “male heroic syndrome”. What’s with this desire to protect Gu Xiang all the time when he knows she is a very capable fighter and can protect herself?

Well, that’s it―the list of both what I like and don’t like about this drama. All in all, though, Word of Honor is still a very good wuxia drama for me. I just love it and fall for its love story. I binge-watched the last 16 episodes in two days and got hangover for the entire day after finishing it. I don’t know if I can move on after this.

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WEN KEXING

Honestly coming up with a headline was so hard because there isn’t enough space to convey my thoughts there. So I came up with the very best thing I could think of.
OMG, Wen Kexing. Where do I even start. Gong Jun aka Simon Gong has made me a fan for life with this performance. To say he brought Wen Kexing to life is such an understatement. I have rewatched this so many times and every time he’s on screen my heart sings.
I was completely heartbroken with the death of one of the major characters but i could understand the director’s intention with that, it was still a hard pill to swallow nonetheless.
My favorite scene is when he came to save Zhou ZiShu. He’s entrance was so majestic, it’s leaves me breathless every time I watch it. It give meaning to the song “he came in like a wrecking ball”. And the entrance song was just way too beautiful.
I have watched this scene so many times, I can’t keep count.
Who are you, sir?
“The way he smirked sarcastically at the question was so bad ass”
I’m Wen, Wen Kexing
The Chief of the Ghost valley?
“The best part of this scene was right before he said”
This was supposed to be a secret.
The way he said aiiiii, my heart couldn’t take it.
I don’t know if my love for the series and mostly Wen Kexing has come through with this review but i am completely and irrevocably in love and obsessed with Wen Kexing.
The fight scenes were incredible. The way Wen Kexing calls Zhou Xu was adorable, the Way he says he’s a good guy and he’s philanthropist Wen while plotting evil was genius. Simon embodied everything Wen Kexing was supposed to be and so much more. To say I can’t and won’t move on from this series is such an understatement.
I am a fan for life. I know I raved only about Simon but the Cast and Crew all did such a wonderful job. Congrats to them all.

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Definitely Watch it for sure !!!!

Just yesterday I finished this wonderful drama. After The Untamed and Joy Of Life, I was not satisfied with any of the drama I watched which could give me a wonderful drama watching experience but World of Honor gave to me, I completely enjoyed the drama from the starting episode till the end. The plot was cleverly written to avoid censorship and also at the same time giving us "Aww" moments a lot. Every actor was perfect for the role, Zhang Zhehan, and Simon Gong chemistry was top-notch, I really was laughing like an idiot during their cute interactions, also a special mention to actors of Scorpion King and Ye Ba Yi both of them were iconic and have a special place for them in my heart. The music and action scenes were the literal highlight of the drama. There were many plot twists that were unpredictable, and also who can forget the iconic flirting of leads. I wished the CGI could've been better but that did not stop me anywhere.
This one is a must-watch according to me. So give it a try for sure.

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THIS IS A WAY TO ESCAPE YOUR REALITY . MASTERPEICE MARVELOUS ACTING STORY SETTING COSTUME PERIOD ETC

YOOO DUDE THIS IS MORE KIND OF A BL YET AN ENJOYABLE SERIES NOT MUCH MISUNDESTANDING
KEY FEATURES ;
#MALE LEAD WITH BURNING REVENGE
#PUBLIC ENEMY
#BRILLIANT MASTERMIND
#ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
#MYSTERY
#TRAGEDY
#ANNOYING ML
#CAREFREE ML
#BLOODSHESD
#GREED
#POWER STRUGLE
#BEAUTIFUL ACTING
CHRACTER DESCRIPTION
#WEN KEI XING;MAIN ML, CAREFREE BOY,HAPPY LIFE ,WANDERING HERE AND THERE ,HIDDEN IDENTITY ,GAY,GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILL,MAD IN BETWEEN,CONCELED IDENTITY,GOOD LIER ,PHILANTRAPHIST WEN ,FAKE NAME GHOST VALLEY MASTER ,CUTE OUTSIDE EVIL INSIDE, TRAGIC STORY(PAST)
ZHOU ZI SHU ;MORE LIKE WANGJI FROM UNTAMED

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This was good, BUT?

Word of Honour was not a bad Bl adapation drama, but it was not a good one either; I disliked how they brought some scences to life and the lack of direction the show would take at times, gave an almost directionless feeling to the show at times. The actor who played the Ghost king, the title Ghost King almost did not seem real you never really see him act like at ruler and his personality changes so much throughout the show that it's slightly weird, in a bad way.

While the ex-assassian seems to think that because he knew wen kushin when they were young he has a say in his life now, this would not bother me that much if he was not so judgmentle on Wen Kushin choices.

I liked the outfites, besides the music, they were my favorite part of the show.
Plus Scorpion King aka Scorpion, was my favorite villan, he father was a great villan but I have to say I liked Scorpion better.

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the ending

I'm sorry guys , but I can't understand the ending and I can't accept it , like I just have finished it and I can't stop crying over it frrrrr??
the story is amazing, and the actors just mind blowing, the feelings and the scenes were the best .
I've watched after The Untamed, and I don't wanna compare between the two of them .
But to be real I was expecting moreeeeee, because the two of them have passed by hard times and they were very close to each other.
I'm not regretting watching this amazing serie but If I knew that the ending is gonna be like this , I don't think I was gonna watching .

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A Couch Potato Review of the Series: Word of Honor.

I am going to warn early as this is also going to be posted on MyDramaList, I am not going to be a gushing fangirl with all sorts of lines like "OMG OMG OMG OMG this is the best Wuxia BL ever!!! (in spite of the high review I did give there). This is more a reflection of how far some countries have come when dealing with LGBT/BL story lines and how far some countries still have to go to accepting the 10%+ of the population that exists within its borders. I'm reminded to reinforce this concept as the late Mira Furlan once said as the character Delenn of Minbar, "...everywhere Humans go, they create communities out of diverse and sometimes hostile populations. It is a great gift and a terrible responsibility. One that can not be abandoned..."

I have to say that after seeing the teaser for it in my recommended videos on YouTube's main page, I had mixed feelings of sitting there and watching yet another Chinese series that originally had a strongly BL theme to it. Since watching Guardian which also had a strong BL theme in the book and then turning it into a "friend-zone interest"/bromance my taste for these levels of censorship died in the 80s when I was already some years out of the closet and enjoying more positive and independent LGBT cinema works. In fact in my never-ending study in humanities and the aspects of human love regardless of sexuality, sexual identity and even proclivities, I have routinely found that out of all the countries that I have sampled stories involving LGBT/BL levels of relationship, China and Brazil seem to share a 60+ years in the past Hollywood mindset of killing off LGBT/BL characters to even stamping out through censorship and downplaying anything that might show as sexual tension or even sexual attraction between same sex characters.

Word of Honor carries with it all the typical plots and subplots, contrivances, tropes and hundreds of major and minor characters you'd expect of any Wuxia story. One of the protagonists -- Zhou Zi Shu (played by Zhang Zhe Han who I had first caught in another period piece called Legend of Yun Xi) -- is a disillusioned and disheartened leader of an imperial force called the Window of Heaven. He imposed on himself the same pain and agony he did while serving as the leader of Window of Heaven: the Nails of Seven Torments which are inserted into a Kung Fu Master's meridians thereby ensuring that he will only live no more than three years before dying in the sort of agony no one would want to have being deprived of all seven senses and the amount of pain being unbearable. The other protagonist -- Wen Ke Xing (played by Gong Jun who I will be looking into more in the future) -- that from a tragic past turns out to being the leader of the Ghost Valley (a place of criminals wanting to maintain their criminal lives without ever being part of the human world).

Pros

Wen Ke Xing's comments towards Zhou Zi Shu when they first met -- even when Shu was in disguise -- were overtly sexual compared to the heterosexual counterparts both in this story as well as other Wuxia stories I've watched. Not to mention the continued overtly sexual and flirtatious comments are definitely a step in the right direction when it comes to the censorship that China continues to maintain on LGBT/BL stories.

Zhou Zi Shu warms up to Ke Xing's flirtations and attention. While it becomes clear that this happens through prolonged exposure and coming to accept the fact that Ke Xing's not going to be going away, Shu seems more accepting of the budding relationship going on.

Zhang Cheng Ling's (played by Sun Xi Lun) acceptance of the relationship between Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Ke Xing without question or social stigmas reminds me of how many kids did the same thing when they found out that their fathers, fathers of friends and complete strangers they encounter in their life were gay or lesbians. This to me has always been a step in the right direction that the younger generations will always be more accepting than the older.

Extra points when it came to Wen Ke Xing's comments during the second Heroes Conference when he defeated Zhao Jing (played by Wang Ruo Lin) when confronted by all the leaders of the sects attending the Heroes Conference when they discovered he was the Leader of the Ghost Valley even after he was able to prove his lineage leads back to the destroyed sect from the Healer Valley. I don't often catch when the survivor of some made-extinct sect has been discovered to be the leader of the villains of the story, and his delivery of "where were all the allies when my father was killed" shamed everyone attending to humility a welcome addition I would like to see happen more. Because more often times than naught the lines between good and evil are not only black and white in Wuxia films -- they are as unchanging and unmalleable.

Zhao Jing being the center stage of true villainy within the story. Through 20 years of story and grievances, you find out he's the kingpin of all things evil going on within the story. Wang Ruo Lin pulls off such a character that people can just love to hate from beginning to middle to end as the story unfolds as to how he was involved with all the plots, counter-plots and ministrations that pulled everything together and apart through the majority of the story.

The almost Oedipus-like love/hate relationship between Zhao Jing and Prince Xie -- or Scorpion King -- (played by Li Dai Kun) going on since Xie's introduction was positively palpable when he discovered time and time and time again at just how much his godfather used him whenever his godfather could. The way that Li Dai Kun can make such a subtle expression come off as hurt and painful is an honor to his acting teacher and directors in this film. I could almost feel sorry for him as a villain given that his godfather used him every step of the way through this story.

The rich and intertwining stories going on with many of the supporting characters. Namely Liu Qian Qiao or Glamourous Ghost (played by Ke Nai Yu) with Yu Qiu Feng (played by Liu Han Yang), Xi Sang Gui or Tragicomic Ghost (played by Chen Sha Sha), Ye Bai Yi or Sword Immortal (played by Huang You Ming). This is the sort of story telling that can only make the world richer and more living than what westerners do with making the stories so main character-centered.

Ambivalence

I find myself not too keen on the use of the word Soulmate when describing these two (as well the minor set of characters from our Sages of An Xian (played by Yu Zi Kuan, Lu Chun Sheng, Zhang Zhi Wei, Tong Xiao Mei and Yu Zi Kuan) that seems to imply a more polyamorous relationship). While I understand that this might be Ciwen Media/Youku attempts at introducing the concept to China's mainstream audience in the same way that Longtime Companion (1989) introduced Significant Other to the English-Speaking mainstream, it's taking a phrase steeped in metaphysical and philosophical knowledge and trivializing it to a euphemism. As though people are that incapable to making the jump from their world into another.

The witless heroes and petty villains of this story. Namely Gao Chong (played by Hei Zi), Mo Huai Yang (played by Wang Bo Qing), Long Xiao (played by Wang Zi Run), his father Long Que (played by Zhang Shuang Li) and Wang Mo Xuan (played by Ren Xi Hong) who I'm sure they had better roles in the book written by Priest, but came off as nothing more than MacGuffins for continuing the story. While I understand that all of these examples are supporting roles to the main character, they seem to be more downplayed than expected and just show up when some plot device needs to be pushed forward and seemed to lack a richer back story I'd come to expect from many of the other characters we were introduced through the 36 episodes.

The occasional CG blunders that pulled me out of immersion and temporary suspension of disbelief. While I understand CG special effects with humans as objects is still in its toddler stage, there were moments when you could clearly tell it was a computer drawn image instead of the actor/actress. Fortunately for me, it wasn't the sort of routine occurrence I would expect from a low budget series so it didn't make me regret my decision to truck on with the series.

Cons

I must've missed some Eastern/Chinese Mores in the transformation from Shu pushing Ke Xing away from him because he was dying to accepting Ke Xing as a Soulmate to live with through the end of his days. Further there doesn't seem to be any indication what internal energies changes from Shu to actually see Ke Xing as a Soulmate he could never live without. In fact, because I might have missed the social queue that occurred, it comes off as an 180 degree change without any explained internalized decision how it changed from the character.

The anticlimactic way Zhao Jing was killed off during the avalanche at the end of the series. This painfully reminded me of so many books I've read and stories I've watched where the writers don't know what to do with a character/villain hanging by the wayside and instead of letting them be forgotten, choose to just wipe them out through some deus ex machina event to just remove them from the plot. While I might have cheered a moment because it removed a loose end, thinking about it later I would've much rather preferred he live out the rest of his days as a mute invalid.

The transformation from pained and tormented villain Prince Xie to two-dimensional and even more petty villain he became fawning over his mute and invalid father while trying to prove just how much of a villain he was and how his father underutilized him through much of the story. If there was a reason to use a dues ex machina to remove a character -- I would've voted for Prince Xie instead of his godfather Zhao Jing, because it's clear from a story telling standpoint, he would be used in future stories in some way or another.

The insane way that the theme song for Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Ke Xing gets hammered into the scenes at every frelling opportunity. While I appreciated the extra work that was done for translating everything in the movie (from dialog to street signs to the plaques in the internal scenery, which is definitely more a pro than a con), the fact that the song had to be translated every bloody time it played along with the song playing through several stanzas was enough for me to be off-put wanting to find it. It's one thing when Chen Wei Ru's Rice Omelet of Love was used at the beginning of the episodes of HIStory 2: Right or Wrong and a plus when it was used in instrumental form through some of the series... To have it play complete with Lyrics so routinely as to try to artificially manipulate the heartstrings of the audience comes off instead as cheap and cash-grabbing.

The 1950s attitude that EVERYTHING needs to have a tidy ending. Villains are vanquished and dead. Questionable characters defeated and given the choice to live outside of the world they were introduced never to be seen again or killed for their loyalty to villainy, and heroes -- other than the protagonists (that will come with the bottom line) -- live happy and prosperous. Further, this particular series heavily relies on Shakespearean-like plot tropes of killing off even minor characters if they transgressed against the fealty and filial of their family and/or their Sect Leader. This is why I usually go looking for indie films and series instead; because with them at least they attempt to make it as gray a world and as messy as life can be as possible.

Bottom Line: While it's clear that it was written in such a way that even the protagonists were going to suffer in the Shakespearean-like way where a non-heterosexual couple has to pay some sort price because it's not the "norm", with enough of the Eastern/Chinese Mores learned, coupled with some attention to details that cropped up during the last episode of this particular series, I was able to do what I've been doing since I was a toddler. Make the ending the way I wanted it to be. Because of that, even with the twists and turns that were introduced to the story, coupled with how many pros there were to cons (listed and unlisted), I found this to being an enjoyable romp through a Costumed, Wuxia, Period Piece. I might go looking for the epilogue to confirm my suspicions. Whether I re-watch it remains to be seen.

One notable afterthought that comes to mind deals with Wu Chang Gui or the Changing (Impermanence) Ghost (played by Xue Fei). I was incredibly impressed with the vocal resonance which Xue Fei used when he was speaking his lines. While I can't seem to find any interviews to confirm whether that was his normal speaking voice or if he pitched it specifically for the role -- I'm off to watch a couple of movies he did support roles to confirm my suspicions.

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ENDING SPOILERS!!!

So i wanna start off by saying this is one of my favourite Chinese Bl dramas. The storyline its beautiful, the actors did an amazing job. BUT WHO THOUGHT THAT ENDING WAS A GOOD IDEA ? Im not even talking about the main protagonists ending because that was an okay ending, but the Xiang and Weining one. They we re literally my favorite characters after Zhou and Wen. I never cried so much while watching a drama. I wanted to leave this here in case someone reads my review. If you are sensitive, cant stand sad endings and you wanna see only happy endings, prepare yourself before watching this. Im not saying dont watch it because it s worth watching, but just prepare yourself mentally, grab lots of tissues. Hope this helps!!

Also, dont let the reviews fool you. I ve noticed some people talking about the plot, about the "lack of emotions". This kind of upset me a little bit if im being honest since this is in my top 3 Chinese dramas. If you really think the characters in this lacked emotion, i honestly think you didnt watch enough dramas with 0 emotions in which the actors had no chemistry whatsoever and it hurt to watch. But Word of Honor ? Seriously ? The reason why Zhou seemed distant and "average" is because thats how he had to be for the storyline to make sense. In a drama (dramas in general, not just BL), the protagonists dont have to be all over each other to make a good drama series. If one is colder and the other one isnt, that s fine too. But that doesnt make it a bad or average drama. No way. I loved and love everything about this, and when i say everything, i mean EVERYTHING.

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PERFECT?️‍?

im saying. this was my 2nd chinese bl drama i watched (guardian was my first)... honestly. i watched this drama about 7 times, and each time it gets more interesting somehow. maybe im just biased or something, but like, most things are just perfecttt

the storyline was well thought through. with the last part (wkx's plan) not being in the novel, it was nice how they added on the idea of wkx's and zzs's past on top the main story. many plot twists were added, but not too much to overpower the whole drama.

the acting... zzh's and gj's acting felt like they were immersed into the character a lot, but emotional scenes could be portrayed better (but shhh, its already so good help-)

the music. its perfect, its the best thing that ever happened. my favourites of the ost is shan he xing, tian ya ke, tian wen, yuan mie, gui, jin shu lai (and every single other one).

the drama makes you bond with the characters a lot. although there are so many characters, it builds up so the viewer can bond with the main ones the most, and the end just makes you- ?even it being censored, the soulmate thing is still there- it just makes them feel like they're already together (+ one child)

so... yes, my favourite drama of all time

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From a novel reader

As a reader of the novel, I'm going to say this might be the closest novel to drama adaptation ever. It kept almost all of the parts in the novel and added storylines to the main and side characters the original novel was pretty quick and simple but the drama added more depth to it. I'm kind of disappointed that because of budget and time the drama had to end on such a 'cliffhanger-y' note but the extra episode at the end of everything(ep37) gave us a good simple explanation of things as long as you look closer into the scenes and details. Watch it, the costumes, effects, music(omg the music in this drama was ALMOST just as good as The Untamed) I recommend going online to find the ost of Word Of Honor after or before watching it because the songs were beautiful. Stop reading reviews and just go watch it gogogo!

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