1This review may contain spoilers
I had no idea what to expect going into it. And the little things I did expect were completely shut down. I don’t know if I’m just not yet used to the format/style of Taiwanese dramas, but it felt weird to me.But I liked it. I'm so torn about what to rate it, I keep going back and forth between 7.5 and 8. It's like a 7.8
There’s just something about it that kept me watching.
I started watching when there were already eleven episodes out. I kept telling myself, “This is a good place to stop. I’ll do something else, I’ll go to sleep, and I’ll finish tomorrow” and then I’d finish the episode and hit the next button and the process would continue until I was caught up with the lives.
Here’s the thing: you have to watch this drama with an open mind. I’m sorry, but I could not take the plot seriously. It was pretty predictable, and, I know this is a korean term, but it was a makjang drama. I don’t know how else to describe it. It was so weird and cheesy and over-dramatic, but I found it funny and enjoyable. If you go into the drama expecting some serious movie-like mob drama, you will be disappointed.
It was so freaking cheesy. Like every possible cliche happened within the first episode. The entire drama was like this, but it didn’t bother me because I thought it was hilarious. I know some people get annoyed with cliches though, so I’m letting everyone know now.
Also, part of the reason I couldn’t take it seriously from the beginning was because everything happened so fast. Like a whole episode’s worth (or two) of plot set-up happened within the first like ten minutes? It moved really fast and it was really extreme. But don’t stop watching because of this.
Also there were some little details with the plot that bugged me. For example: not putting someone into dry clothes when they have hypothermia, a person who just had surgery walking around without crutches. The birth. But whatever, I’m a nit-picky person.
One thing that made me really happy was that Megan actually looked like a guy. The stylists did a really good job. It was the first time I’ve seen a gender-bender drama where the girl convincingly looked like a guy. Also, she blew me away with her acting. She did a really good job at acting like she grew up living like a boy. Her posture and the way she walked were so convincing.
The romance was so enjoyable, they had fantastic chemistry together. And they had so many amazing kisses! Like a ton of them! Passionate ones! The main lead was nice from the start, and was a genuinely good and caring guy. I am now a fan of Baron Chen.
There are some issues I had with the drama, I won't go too deep into them because most of them contain spoilers. Basically I docked points from the rating because of some issues I had with the plot and some of the acting. I thought the cast had great chemistry together, but the things that should have been taken seriously, I couldn't take seriously. However, overall I enjoyed it, which is saying something coming from a person who doesn’t really like gender-benders.
What really made me happy about this drama was that there was never any homophobia. “As long as two people genuinely love each other, does it matter who the partner is?” Like damn, the messages in this drama were so good, I’m kind of wishing they were actually gay to make a stronger point. The message still came across strong, and not just through our leads, but through the other couples too.
This was a fun drama, and despite the issues I had, I’m glad I watched it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Being familiar with previous dramas there was never an inkling to watch Bromance. It’s like eating the best ice-cream one has ever eaten in their lives. Once one has that experience it becomes borderline impossible to find another ice-cream whose texture might be better than that one. Coffee Prince, You’re Beautiful and Beautiful Boys are like vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice-cream; the most amazing flavours in the planet for some, for others, might be mango, lemon and raspberry or any other flavour, perfect, unique, irreplaceable.
Bromance will not top up the most amazing ice-cream one will ever have within the genre. Not because it’s bad overall, not because the script is bland, blasé, inconsistent and positively appalling, not because the acting is awful dabbing into dreadfulness at times making one cringe in agony, or the music so loud one that one is left tuning the sound down as not to hear the screen coil in desperation. Bromance will not become a favourite ice-cream flavour for either aficionados or newcomers for the simple reason that afficionados already have their favourite ice-cream and unless there’s nothing to watch, which there is with interesting plots most likely will stray from it and newcomers have their flavours to discover and Bromance does not make the top list, regretfully.
Bromance is a really good drama surprisingly and rather addictive from about minute 2 of episode 1 to the point where one will want to binge watch it straight.
The script is very consistent and full of texture like a raspberry sorbet, with the right balance and essence; the acting from an audience point of view is compelling and believable, bring the story to life in what seems like an effortless manner alternating scenes of pure screen silent screaming to giggles to a very loud laughter and nearly jumping on the sofa like a teenager being silly, enjoying a really tasty ice-cream, and not feeling one bit bad about it. The highlight being the end of each episode with entails the start of the next one when one binges on 15 episodes of Bromance in a day and half. To think that there are dramas that still have that effect on someone after countless dramas, some really spectacular, others not really but that’s the life of a drama enthusiast.
Zi Feng is a triad leader and the general manager of an amusement park. He commands respect although not as a villain but as a man who works hard, loves his family and protects those he cares about. Zi Feng is so incredibly human that is surreal and that humanity is what makes the audience empathise with him. He’s lovable as a male character; he’s honest and caring, incredibly loyal with a great sense of justice and responsibility but also struggling with his feelings for the person he loves in the beginning, a woman pretending to be a man. Zi Feng falls in love with Pi Ya Nou as a person, not caring whether or not Ya Nou is a man or a woman.
Ya Nuo is a young woman living as a young man due to a fortune telling prediction that she should leave as such until she reached her 26th birthday. She meets Du Zi Feng with whom she becomes sworn brothers but over the course of time develops feelings for him. Ya Nuo is fiercely loyal, kind and generous putting everyone’s needs in front of hers. She complements Zi Feng in ways that many female characters do not complement the male and for that the writers should be credited for. Megan Lai performs Ya Nuo brilliantly giving the character a life of its own.
Zi Feng and Ya Nuo should go down in Taiwanese drama history land as one of the most amazing couples ever to grace the screen so in tune they are with one another, like Ying and Yang.
The OST is particular vibrant with two solid exciting tracks performed by Bii, Ephocal Times & Back in Time.
Overall Bromance is a breath of fresh air in drama sphere biased towards old conceptual premises, however the mix of flavours between gender bender echo chic cliché with an original setting and character frames is like putting different ice-cream flavours in a blender. One might think that the consistency looks slightly off, that the taste might be just too familiar to give it a try but it’s left in awe wonderland when trying it out, wishing for more, needing more, wanting more and realizing that the ice-cream is nearly over so it’s better to start enjoying it while it lasts and before it melts.
The best things in life are those one has to wait the longest to achieve but in the end it’s all worth it!
Was this review helpful to you?
Reading the reviews I see that the majority actually thought that the main relationship was the biggest draw for this show, but I whole-heartedly disagree. I'm not new to dramas so I know that there are bound to be cliches and tropes in any drama that I watch, doesn't matter if it's an international drama or an American one. I can get past some cliches and general tropes, but if there is one thing that I hate in any drama it's when a situation/couple becomes so contrived that they become an annoyance. Almost everything about Pi Ya Nou and Du Zi Feng was contrived, from their ridiculous sworn brothers ceremony after hours of knowing each other to the reasons that had to look at each other or touch each other. Nothing about these two felt natural to me. It got so bad that I eventually was begging for them to get together not because I cared, but because I figured if they did the writers wouldn't have to think up such contrived ways for them to physically interact. Thankfully when they did get together it did feel a bit more natural, but by that time I didn't give a shit anymore. Couple aside, the individual characters of Du Zi Feng and Pi Ya Nou did nothing for me as well. There was no discerning quality about either of the characters that made me like them or not like them, they were just there for me.
Now the secondary characters (My Loves)
Fan Xiao Bing probably had to be my favorite female character which is a shame because she didn't get nearly enough screen time. She was just such a breath of fresh air. I instantly felt happy when she came on screen. She was so peppy and happy and just a delight to watch. When she was interacting with Pi Ya Nou my general urge to fast-forward ceased because Ya Nou actually managed to have a bit of a personality when with Xiao Bing. I would've loved more interactions between them. Xiao,Bing's interactions with Du Zi Han were also full of win.
Du Zi Han was also another female character that I liked even if she was over the top at times. She was so freaking funny to watch, especially when interacting with Liao Guang Chao. I don't think this show had a character they were trying to make out to be a "bitch" which was just so refreshing. Although if you had to pick out a character that fit that stereotype it would be her. Even when she had her bitchy moments she didn't feel like a bitch to me. I'm not sure if the credit goes to the writers, director or the actress so it's probably a combination.
Yang Na Na was so cute and optimistic despite her circumstances that I just felt drawn to her. She was incredibly strong and extremely charismatic. Her storyline with Wei Qing Yang was my absolute favorite storyline because it felt so real and so natural. It actually stirred emotions in me much better than any of the "emotional" scenes Ya Nou and Zi Feng had. The scenes with them sending messages to God were some of the sweetest and most beautifully shot scenes throughout this entire show. The plane scene was hands down the best scene of the entire show for me. When watching a show a sense of realism is what I tend to be drawn to. I wanna feel like this could actually happen to me. Not a kiss was shared between Na Na and Qing Yang and I still enjoyed their relationship the most.
Wei Qing Yang is a hard character to really describe because I wasn't able to really undestand if his character was supposed to be emotionally detached because of the situation with his parents or if that was just Bii's acting. I'm not familiar with Bii or his acting so it's hard to judge. I feel like perhaps it's how his character was supposed to be because Zi Feng made some comment about Qing Yang never complimenting anyone when he said a slightly nice thing about Na Na. Plus at first he didn't seem to be comfortable with any touching from Na Na's end, which made me believe he's never been in an actual relationship or has opened himself up to anyone before outside of Zi Feng and Uncle Tian. Either way I thought his character was very sweet when it came to Na Na. He just seemed to be very thoughtful when it came to her.
Liao Guang Chao was my favorite male character. Him and his "golden hands" cracked me up. I don't know what Miss Zi Han was talking about when she said he wasn't that good looking...I thought he was pretty cute. Plus he was so sweet and dedicated lol.
Overall the acting was solid. The actress that played Yang Na Na really stood out to me. The scene where she was learning how to make her mom's coffee was so good OMGosh.
The show didn't really have much music at all except for one song that while beautiful, was played so much that I wasn't sure if I liked the song because of the song or because it was played so often.
Rematch value is low for me because while this show does have worthwhile secondary characters the main focus is on Zi Feng and Ya Nou and I couldn't, nor would I, sit through them again. Even if they had some hot kissing scenes (which they did).
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Great male lead but to many annoying elements.
This drama has some good points but they are overshadowed by the presence of annoying side characters, annoying scenes seemingly never ending monologs... Flashbacks, montages, and the extreme over use of the words: "from this day on... " over and over and over again... Accompanied by lots and of second hand embarrassment...The female lead, is very much an overly timid scaredy cat who is supposed to be bad ass and act tough, stronger, faster than most men and what not she comes off strong as a person who does not really care much about gender, saying that the only difference between her and a man is the lack of penis...(which is kind of a problematic way of saying it). I think it is supposed to be progressive but it ends up a bit of a mess and can be interpreted as both pan, trans, bi, etc friendly but it can also come off as the opposite depending on who is watching and how the dots are connected. There are definitely ways of interpreting this as very lLGBTQ+ friendly, but also spaces that can be interpreted either way.
The Male lead is however perfect in every way sweet, lovable, charming, kind. smart and definitely stands some good pan representation. His parents are pretty lovable too and so is the female leads cousin. But there is where the lovable characters end.
So in conclusion, not very good, not very entertaining, but the ML and fighting scenes do make it an ok watch. and stand for all the stars for this drama...
Was this review helpful to you?
The plot was just all over the place. The premise was very promising and different from drama norms. I wanted to see the mafia storyline play a big part. Not only did the drama water down the mafia, it wasn't really utilized consistently through out the story. When it was used, it felt extremely unrealistic.
The saving grace was definitely the actors. I appreciated how the director/writer wanted to show how love can surpass society expectations and gender restrictions. Baron and Megan's chemistry was definitely capable of portraying their love. Like wow, seriously off the charts sparks flying between them. And the make out scenes in this drama are some of the most intense I've ever seen in a drama. Definitely very hot and heavy for drama level. However...the choppiness of the plot and the dragging still made my drama experience with Bromance less enjoyable than it could've been.
This is Bii's first huge role in a drama. Though I like him as a singer, his acting skills still need some sharpening. He's cute but his expression is very singular throughout the drama. I wanted to like his relationship with Nana because visually they were gorgeous together. However, the love/attraction the drama was trying to show us between them just didn't come through effectively. Katie Chen (Nana) is trying her best to show her love for Qing Yang (Bii) but she's countered by Bii's cool expression. It just didn't work for me- as much as I wanted to love them. I think Bii just needs some more practice then he'll be a more emotional actor.
The other actors were pretty well cast as well. I actually really wanted to see more interactions between Zi Han (Mandy Tao) and Guang Chao (Ming Wei); they're really cute together. Shout out to Edison Wang, who plays main protagonist. He has improved tremendously from Be With You and he is super convincing as the bad guy.
As usual, Bii's soundtracks are lovely and the songs were emotional.
I wouldn't re-watch this, hence the low re-watch value rating. Regardless, I still recommend this drama if just to see Baron and Megan flirt HARD and their amazing chemistry behind the scenes as well. (8/9)
Was this review helpful to you?
Underrated Gem
Do not sleep on this drama. It is one of the best dramas! If you love the rich man/poor woman dynamic this is it. I love seeing Chaebol/Rich be KIND AND NICE. Most are always cold and mean to everyone including the love interest. But the main character is nice and fair to everyone! ALSO! The kissing scenes?! OMG. These are grown folks kissing! Not the resting lips on each other and don’t know what they’re doing. This drama i’ve been avoiding for a while but, once i finally gave it a chance? I couldn’t stopWas this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
The does he or doesn't he question is the fun of watching. I would definitely recommend with some fast forward moments and some skipping.
Was this review helpful to you?
All of us know a girl pretending to be a guy and a handsome man going gay for her is probably one of the most recurring and unoriginal plot in dramas. Granted, the reason for Yanou's gender-bender ways was different from the usual ones. But still, Bromance was full of typical gender-bender stock scenes and cliches.
What made this drama special, was the way the sexuality of the male lead was handled. His affection for his sworn brother transcended beautifully into love and the issue was handled so delicately, it simply made the whole experience amazing. Du Zi Feng's acceptance of his sexuality and acknowledgement of love and attraction as something that crosses boundaries of gender, was beautiful. He sent a strong message that sometimes, love is not about the person being male or female but simply, a person you have come to love. It felt like a subtle protest against the segregation of human beings based on these terms and that simply made me love this drama. People surrounding Zi Feng and Yanou were also extremely supportive and wonderful.
Coming to the cast, Megan was so flawless while portraying a guy. Everything from the way she walked to the way she talked, you could get a dude-vibe from her. I have never seen a girl playing a guy act so realistically. Good acting from her. In fact, the female cast did a fab job altogether. From the moms to the sister to the cousin and everyone else, the female cast had a strong presence in the show.
Coming to the male lead. Honestly, Baron Chen's acting is mediocre but he has really great screen presence, which worked for the show. The character of Zi Feng was certainly the most interesting in the show. Besides being overly handsome, he was so kind, caring and open-minded, it made him all the more attractive. I don't remember him being a jerk even for a second.These kind of sweet and gentle male leads are rare (let's face it, dramas generally have jerks and bullies as leads, however much we love them). He never blamed his homosexual feelings on Yanou, which truly earned him extra points.
The music was really good. And the rewatch value for this show is pretty decent too because the two leads have great chemistry and many cute scenes together. The sub-plot is also pretty interesting. Bromance is definitely among the best Taiwanese dramas of 2015!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Pros:Yanuo is passably male for a good portion of the show.
She is a master martial artist and she doesn’t ever have a scene where she loses to someone and then someone tells her, or she thinks, it’s because she’s ‘still a girl’ or some other bullshit.
The friendship is strong in this show. And it is beautiful. Seriously my favorite scenes were of their wonderful, amazing friendships. The teasing, the playfulness, the loyalty, the mindfulness. Gorgeous.
All the characters are lovable (except that one asshat, but that’s rather the point).
There is no point where Zifeng has a gay panic, so if that's something that puts you off a gender-bender show, don't worry. He does think he's gay, but there's no panic.
It’s bazonkers, but that makes it funny. Several times I was like ‘this is so unnecessary, why is this happening?’ because something silly and easily avoided was happening.
There’s a love triangle, but not really, because the other guy was never an option.
Zifeng finds out Yanuo is a woman partway through the show (won’t say when because spoilers and all), but he doesn’t alter how he treats her in the slightest. He doesn’t start telling her to not come do Triad business with him, or not to get into a fight, that something is too dangerous, etc. He does caring, thoughtful things for her just as much before as after he knows.
Qingyang is Soft Boy. The softest boy. So many times he came on screen and I was just like ‘heeee’s sooo sooooooooooooooft.’ This has nothing to do with the plot, but I felt you should know.
Cons:
The cinematography is awful. Camera angles were terrible. Everything was so close up. I was like ‘wow, do I need to see their pores in this scene?’
“Give him this cup of water.” What cup? I don’t even see you, the person offering the cup, let alone the cup, because the camera is focused so close up on the lady you’re talking to.
“How do I look?” I have no idea, because I can only see the barest slice of you, in 4 different shots, while the camera shows us your hesitant face and his ‘wow’ face.
The kissing scenes were really awkward. Like, they seemed to be trying to make it look natural, but I was like just ‘I feel bad for any actual significant others you two have if this is how you really kiss.’
Zifeng is a mafia boss, the head of a Triad even, but nothing illegal happens under his watch. He runs an amusement park and pulled the Triad out of all illegal business. It’s a Thing in the show. (and it's literally the first thing you learn in the show via Zifeng talking to his dad, so Not Spoilers). It took 28 out of Netflix’s 30 episodes for there to be any real threat (imo) to someone's life.
The longer the show went on, the more Yanuo acted like a girl. Like, sitting like a girl and demurring in a very feminine way and speaking in a quieter, almost breathy tone all the time. She started out acting very boyish, and I don’t believe that 25 years of acting like a guy would vanish that fast (<100 days) just because you fell in love. They even started giving her more feminine makeup the longer the show went on, though the character never started wearing make up within the show.
Whomever did the music for the show is on par with whomever did the cinematography for the show. Music starts and ends randomly, sometimes switching songs mid-scene and mid-music swell, music abruptly stopping mid-scene and with nothing happening on screen to signal why the music would stop.
Was this review helpful to you?
