#like i'd rather ppl just write out the whole word it's only a few more letters

[angelsdean]

me whenever i see /pos and /hj: why are you calling me a piece of shit and what do handjobs have to do with any of this :/

[convenientalias]

Word of Honor Review

I finished watching Word of Honor so I thought I'd write a review of it! I feel like a lot of ppl I follow/who follow me have already seen this so I'm not gonna be too thorough/organized, just some thoughts that occurred to me. Also there will be spoilers, so the rest is under the cut.

The Plot

I didn't enjoy the intrigue side of the plot that much. Imo to properly enjoy a revenge scheme, whether or not it's carried out, it's better to know the details of the revenge from the start--who's seeking revenge, what they're seeking revenge for, how they're seeking this revenge, and who they're targeting. You don't need ALL that information from the get-go, but when a show does like Word of Honor and I only find out why Wen Kexing is seeking revenge halfway through the show, I'm just not as invested in it. Other ppl might enjoy the mysteries of Wen Kexing being slowly unveiled, and I wasn't NOT into that, but as regards secret identities, I prefer dramatic irony over curiosity. For that reason I wonder if I'd enjoy the beginning of this show more if I watched it a second time.

As for the entire jianghu fighting over the Glazed Armor, eh. Besides Zhang Chengling, there's just no one involved in that dogfight I cared about, so it took up more time than I would have liked.

The romance side of the plot (I would struggle to call this a bromance, though I know it technically is) is more fun, Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu getting to know each other, Zhou Zishu slowly learning more and more (often alarming) info about Wen Kexing while Wen Kexing grows more and more invested in Zhou Zishu's wellbeing and their relationship. They're also just very flirty and fun.

I wish the pacing had been a bit more even. The beginning feels rather slow, the middle's pretty steady, and the end is pretty rushed. If we had a few less "Oh no, everyone wants the Glazed Armor" episodes and a few more "fuck, Zhao Jing is dead but the whole jianghu still hates Ghost Valley and also Xie'er is a scheming, betraying asshole and also Zhou Zishu is on the verge of death" episodes (instead of like... two of those), that would be pretty nice. That said, I can't say there was a period of the show I didn't enjoy; even when things are slow, it's just fun watching Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu interact.

Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing (And Their Relationships!)

I thought based on what people say about the show that I would be all in for the antihero/villain protagonist aspect of this show, but eh. Actually Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing's (at least apparent) apathy towards killing in the first couple episodes really turned me off and made it hard to connect to them. I found it easier to empathize with them when 1) it became clear that Zhou Zishu DOES feel guilt over his past actions (yes this should have been obvious to begin with given the seven nails, but it's not always emphasized) and 2) Wen Kexing has Reasons for being fucked up. There's more angst that way, too!

I love Zhou Zishu, the one who led a secret spy force, being in some ways the more honest of the pair, and I love him as the one who's further down the road of "not evil anymore I want to be loved now". I love him just... taking his hair down after quitting Tian Chuang because he's officially in Soft Mode, and the unnatural vibe when Tian Chuang captures him and he's presented to Prince Jin with his hair up, forced back into that role. His dynamic with Prince Jin in general is super interesting--especially how Prince Jin doesn't seem to have valued him that much while he had him, and at first is only angry at him leaving, but later is willing to beg him to come back, realizing that without Zhou Zishu he's alone.

In more functional relationships, Zhou Zishu and Ye Baiyi's family friend dynamic is so perfectly polite, artificially familiar without really knowing each other. Zhou Zishu and Han Ying make me very sad. And Zhou Zishu and Zhang Chengling (and the rest of the new Four Seasons disciples) make me annoyed bc damn it, Zhou Zishu, it's one thing if you're going to die, but if you're going to be an immortal hanging out on an ice mountain in the middle of nowhere for the rest of forever, you could invite your disciple(s) up there for at least a while in order to finish his (their) training! Even the epilogue can't fix this for me.

For Wen Kexing, I enjoyed him being casually flirty, but whenever his eyes widen or start glinting and he goes either calculatedly threatening or actually mad, that's the good stuff ;). Maybe the first moment I really loved him was when he tried to convince Zhou Zishu that watching ppl fight to the death over Glazed Armor from an inn rooftop was Great Fun. He really thinks that! Wen Kexing, no!

I enjoyed his relationship with Gu Xiang a lot; at first Gu Xiang annoyed me but later I liked how he wasn't just protective of her but saw her as someone similar to himself, someone who'd been through similar trauma, whose personality had been forged into a similar shape of violence and a craving of affection, safety, and acceptance--someone who faced the same dangers as him (both physical and emotional) and who, too, might want to seek love and independence and leave Ghost Valley behind. While Gu Xiang understands Wen Kexing and accepts him in a way that many others wouldn't, too.

Also I love every time Wen Kexing and Ye Baiyi interact. The way they rub each other the wrong way from the beginning, and while Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing's bantering and mutual annoyance is harmless play, Wen Kexing and Ye Baiyi always are on the verge of something more dangerous--and in the end, when the facade of friendship between them breaks at the revelation that Wen Kexing is the Ghost Valley Master, it feels inevitable but still somehow upsetting because the fragile balance of friendship, even if it was based on deception, was still something real. Also every time they FIGHT fight, it's like... hand impact goes BOOM! what more could you want.

As for WenZhou itself, it's just fun to watch those two hang out. But also, they really do get each other. There's a moment where Zhou Zishu is remembering all his good times with Wen Kexing and there's this heartwarming montage of their past interactions, and then he (who currently thinks Wen Kexing is dead), says, "Actually, I knew what you wanted all along". And at the time I thought to myself, yes, he wanted to be with you forever/have sex with you, the montage makes that obvious. But Zhou Zishu says, I can't remember the exact words, something like, "You wanted to destroy this world and kill everyone in it", and like. What a great followup to a heartwarming montage. Wen Kexing almost always shows Zhou Zishu a smiling face, but Zhou Zishu knows the turmoil lying underneath, and although at first he wants to change it, later he's even willing to accept it and comes within an inch of saying Wen Kexing was right to feel that way. That's love.

Zhao Jing and Xie Wang

Finally, some thoughts on the villain villains of this show!

Zhao Jing is boring as hell but for this show that's pretty much what he should be. After all, this show (and Wen Kexing) doesn't see Zhao Jing as the root of all evil in the jianghu, the root of the MC's problems. It's the jianghu at large that is the issue, the accumulation of petty ambition and cowardice, ppl neglecting to stand up for what's right and easily accusing others of wrong. Zhao Jing is just the best person to represent this type of banal evil, and he really is fucking banal. Like, we know he had an inferiority complex to the rest of his friend group, and there's no apparent reason for it, he just did. Most of his big murders he didn't even commit but got someone else to do--Gao Chong wielding the blade he poisoned, Ghost Valley killing Wen Kexing's parents, etc etc. He's just this boring ambitious guy who knows how to manipulate ppl and get what he wants. I have no idea what Luo Fumeng saw in him but I guess that's her problem.

Also I think Zhao Jing would never have seen his ultimate fate coming. Like he could picture Wen Kexing or some other foe killing him, or his ambitions ending in disgrace. But Xie'er breaking his leash, betraying him, and keeping him as a helpless prisoner for the rest of his (admittedly short, but only by happenstance) life? It's not within his range of calculations; he really, really doesn't pay enough attention to Xie'er.

Liked Xie'er a lot! I've seen ppl say he's a lot like Wen Kexing but I don't really agree with that. I mean, they're both silk hiding steel, suave and friendly, obsessed with their man, and actually very violent with a terrible reputation, so there's that. But Xie'er's arc is him realizing his master is using him without valuing him, may betray him in the future and is not worthy of following, and ends with him betraying and not-quite-killing his master--seems more Zhou Zishu to me. And the Scorpions seem more similar to Tian Chuang than to Ghost Valley; sure, their personalities are similar to the ten top ghosts, but their function is that of an assassination squad, not that of a Bunch of Evil Fuckers Who Go Around Causing Trouble Bc They're Evil. Anyway idk I think Xie'er is more like Zhou Zishu than Wen Kexing BUT I also think Xie'er/Wen Kexing would be a more fun ship and I wish there was more fic for it. (If anyone has recommendations, let me know.)

Overall

A good show. I don't think it would go on my list of favorites bc 1) like I said, the intrigue plots bore me, and I usually love intrigue and 2) the uneven pacing is annoying. But I liked most of the characters and there was really some great fighting. As wuxia shows go, I'd say I liked it better than Ancient Detective but less than The Flame's Daughter or Handsome Siblings. That's very much a matter of taste, though. (If I ever did a review on The Flame's Daughter or Handsome Siblings you'd find out I recommend them only with a bunch of caveats).

Anyway I'm glad I watched a popular show for once, bc that means there's quite a bit of fanfic and fanart out there! I should have fun.