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.

The best thing I like about Wuxia dramas is the beautiful fight scenes and intricate martial arts choreography. The background in this drama is a bit fake (due to low budget?) but the fight scenes are awesome. I've really enjoyed watching Wen Kexing fighting with martial arts masters like Zhao Jing, Mo Huaiyang and Ye Baiyi; he looks really cool when showcasing his self-taught kung fu.

Gong Jun portrayed the deep-minded, innocent and cruel Master of the Ghost Valley Wen Kexing very well. Wen Kexing is a moody person and the interchanging of emotions is difficult to act but Gong Jun nailed it (e.g. One second he is happy and the next second he is angry). Wen Kexing is cruel but has a kind heart. He wants to avenge his murdered parents but he has never harmed any innocent people. I like watching his gentle interactions with beautiful A Xiang and Chengling.

Gong Jun and Zhou Ye are the best-looking artists in this drama. :-)

This is the best wuxia series I saw in recent years.

The relationship between the main actors is romantic and delicate. You can tell by every words they say and every expression they make. I can feel the spark and its change between them. It uses a lot of Chinese poetries and articles. If you can speak Chinese, you will feel the power and the beauty of the ancient sentences that they talk to each other. If not it's okay too, Youku made their best to provide the translation in 13 languages on Youtube.

The editor made a very complex Zhou Zishu. And Zhang Zhehan (portray ZZS) plays really well. This character is changing all the time as the story goes. And Wen Kexing is also changing inside as he interacts with his soulmate Zhou Zishu. The eye acting of Gong Jun (portray WKX) is very attractive. They both had the dark history that they don't want to touch. But along with each other, they find the new meaning of life. Besides the main characters, there're a lot deep and lifelike characters as well. You will be touched by even a bit part. The acting and the story is very enjoyable!

Also, the composition looks typically Chinese-elegent. As a wuxia drama, the martial art is graceful, flexible and diverse. In different scenes you will have different feelings.

Although the film editing and effects are not perfect, and I know the budget is limited, I still love and highly recommend this drama.

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.

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.