Word of Honor

To me, one of the most attractive aspects of period dramas is the looks of the main actors and actresses. The male lead Wen Kexing (played by Simon Gong Jun) and female lead Gu Xiang (played by Zhou Ye) passed my test! They both are very good looking and have good acting skills.

I almost gave up this drama when watching the first episode. The guy who played Zhou Zishu is unflattering; he has only one expression and the distance between his eyes is unusually narrow. I was turned off by his constant staring acting. It was so boring to watch this dude killing innocents and then became a beggar.

The turning point was the Ghost Valley scene. Wen Kexing, the Master of Ghost Valley, caught my attention when he came out near the end of the first episode. His intimidating aura makes people shudder. He looks super cool in the red outfit and with heavy makeup.

When Gu Xiang was with Wen Kexing, they were so lively. A Xiang called Wen Kexing her master but the two are more like brother and sister. I enjoyed watching these two beautiful characters' interactions and how they became each other's light.

I often just watch highlights of a series, especially Chinese series cause many them of have such a large number of episodes with a lot of filters. However, each episode in this series is quite dense with plot details and forshadowings. Actions scenes has good choreography and stays true to its genres. The two leads portray their character spendidly, especially through their eyes and microexpressions. They also performed most of the action scenes themselves. The supporting charactors also have interesting backstories. Dispite the limited budget, the crews has delivered a high quality series with a lot of hearts in it.

I think this drama is the best adaptation of Chinese novels in recent years. It interprets the love of two boys in the period of ancient Chinese knights. The two mutual salvation dramas contain many classic expressions of love in China and the world. There is no direct expression of love in the play, but the love expressed by the eyes gestures of the two actors can make you want to stop.

Wen Kexing stole the show. This role was so successful and popular because Gong Jun interpreted it very well and immersed himself in the role. WenKexing is a multi-faceted and complex character. How Gong Jun handled the switching between kindness and cruelty is spot-on. WenKexing is a classic role and will forever be in the hearts of the audience.

On the other hand, I am confused by the blank stare acting of Zhou Zishu. It is odd and illogical for an immoral former leader of an assassination organization to act like a saint after he left the organization. It is either due to poor script or poor acting. This character is a turn-off for me and therefore I couldn't give this drama a 10-star.

The screenwriter is a genius. You will be surprised to see how she plays with words, how she gives it deep meanings, and that she can tell a very deep story even with a simple sentence. Her name is Xiao Chu. I will definitely remember this name.