I haven't watched many Taiwanese dramas, but Chen Baron as Du Zi Feng and Lai Megan as Pi Ya Nuo are good actors and had great chemistry together. Megan played Ya Nuo like a tomboy rather than a boy and I think it made her character more believable. The other actors were good also.
The music was ok, but they play the same song too much.
I might rewatch this someday.
I recommend this drama if you like mushy cute romances.
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https://kdramasanonymous.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/bromance-review/
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This review may contain spoilers
I really love gender bend stories. I know it's cheesy but when a man is questioning his sexuality, because he seems to like him/her in a special way, first of all it is hilarious and secondly it just holds the truth that love is blind, it has no boundaries.I came across Bromance while it was still airing and decided to wait till it finishes. Since the rating is 8.0 I had my expectations pretty high but at the same time I kind of knew that I am not going to like it as much as other people did, because I have very high standarts. And sadly I was right, while it wasn't bad, it definitely doesn't deserve an 8.0.
The only thing that made this drama good was the two main characters and I am not even exaggerating.
The story and pacing is all over the place. At the start the story was progressing way too quickly and the second half was draaaaged on, there were hours of usseles fillers and sooo much cheeese. To be honest I don't even know if the thing that this drama had going on could be called a story. Bromance had just a few boring plot lines and the writers kept jumping between them so in the end I didn't care about the story at all. You could say it is a badly written slice of life. There were a lot of things that I wish they could have spent more time on like Zi Feng's past before he was adopted or the whole mafia thing...seriously why are they mafia? Why are they not mafia? What do they do? Am I the only one who was confused? Basically all the scenes with Zherui were stupid - unnecessary and unrealistic drama. The reason why Pi Ya Nuo dressed up as a man...I know it is hard to find a good reason for such a stupid thing but...really? Altogether the plot was uninteresting and pretty boring most of the time. There are more things I am unhappy about but spoilers...
Nonetheless the two main chatacters were such a delight. Zi Feng was very unique, he was a 'bad boy' but not a bad person, he was kind but not soft. I can not describe him well enought. There is one thing I have to give props to for this drama. I was uncomfortable during the first few episodes, because I couldn't get used to the fact that Pi Ya Nuo looks basically like a real man. She acted like a man, talked like a man but there were so many subtle things that made me think, "Ahh, she is a woman afterall" wich was perfect. While I did like Du Zi Feng and Pi Ya Nuo to bits, at first they seemed really weird, like their personalities were mature but they acted very childish. Later on I got used to it. I don't know, maybe that is just how humans are and I am just being stupid.
Other characters...*sigh*...most of them were fine, but that's all they were, the show could have perfectly continued without them. Then there were other characters that I didn't really like. For example Du Zi Han was such a mean bitch, I don't understand how no one seemed to mind that. Qing Yang - while I liked him at first, later on I noticed how stiff and boring he was. Bii's acting skills were pretty bad, but he's hot so I can forgive him since it didn't annoy me ;) I liked Han Shen's character development, but they didn't give him enough screen time wich is a real pity. While Na Na's character was very interesting and fun at first, later on I found myself uninterested, because her fate was predictable.
While the show as a whole is skippable, I still recommend it solely for Zi Feng and Ya Nuo, because they made this drama shine with their interesting personalities and undying love.
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Another thing I have to warn about is the audio. I bet the sound team was never allowed to do another project again. The background noise. If you listen with head phones you're gonna be shocked by what you pick up. From trains, cars, to full blown arguments by bystanders. The audio drops in volume, then booms up.
Other than that Bromance is pretty well made. A fantastic soundtrack! Trust me the songs will hit you when you're having a great mood. Wonderful cinematography. Though someone was getting a little showy with the lighting shots. Sometimes I felt like I was watching the new Star Treck movies.
Story wise Bromance tried something different, yet managed to still check up drama tropes one by one. It ended up being both refreshing and annoying. The strongest aspect of Bromance is that Zi Feng doesn't know Ya Nuo is a girl. As usual the story of why she has to pretend to be a girl is on the hilarious side, but it works. This drama is campy fun, it knows its audience and totally panders to it. I like the struggle Zi Feng feels for falling for a boy, but totally embraces love. It's beautiful and something I wish more gender benders did. It's always the story of a side character in love with the female lead, but the male lead always figures it out quickly. Zi Feng also doesn't need her to be feminine, he likes her being strong and if it's manly it's how she is. He doesn't need her to be some fragile woman.
Bromance has a fantastic cast and I loved the side stories and characters. The other main couple Na Na and Qing Yang have such a sweet romance and I loved it just as much as Zi Feng and Ya Nuo's. Though be prepared to get cuteness and not the hot passion of Zi Feng and Ya Nuo.
This also features some of the best male characters ever. Zi Feng is such an amazing male lead, so is Quing Yang. Zi Feng is fiery, but he thinks and cares. He respects people and I love how he acts. I'm so tired of rude/jerk/asshole leads. Qing Yang may be the quiet male figure, but his facial features tell so much. You quickly get enough depth to understand him. I like that he was more than the quiet dreamy male lead.
That said the endless drama tropes and clichés they have to pack in gets tiring. Not to mention that towards the ending the pacing lags and the writers get lazy. Side characters are stories are totally abandoned for a while. Yes they're picked up and given closure at the end. However, I think there were a lot of better ways to take things. Some totally awesome characters were completely abandoned! Why! Why! (Ya Nuo's cousin was one!)
That said I appreciate the message. This is light fluff considering that Zi Feng is the head of a gang. A gang that is really PG, heck most of the time G. I'm a bit confused about how they all make there money now, such as drugs trafficking is now bad. Many of the men spent time in jail. Maybe they're recovering bad guys? That aspect was a bit cloudy. Yet, it worked well. The show highlights the importance of family, forgiveness, love, unconditional love and friendship, and hope. Not to mention redemption.
A very solid gender bender. If you have a weakness for them—like me—this one is a do not miss. I won't claim it's brilliant or anything, but I enjoyed most of the show smiling and laughing. There's so much great writing, jokes, and humor. Some scenes demeaning towards women, but you got the humor backing it. ^_- The characters were all wonderful and I loved how lively Bromance stayed. While the latter episodes to get draggy, they still deliver in character story and give fans what we want! The actors are all great and I loved the chemistry the entire cast had. Not to mention Zi Feng and Ya Nuo's chemistry! I love how comfortable they are with each other. I do appreciate the sexy kissing, but sometimes real intimacy holds an even more potent punch. I'm positive you'll now right away whether this drama is for you, especially after 4. You'll either think it's cheesy and run, or be totally compelled. There are brilliant aspects to the story, but sadly brought down by cliches. I will be rewatching many short scenes—yes, the kiss scenes—for sure, but won't be in a rush to do a true rewatch.
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The longer version: This is not a complex show, and it doesn't try to be. That doesn't make it bad, but it does mean that you really need to not think too hard about it. Luckily, the story moves at a quick pace, not lingering too long on storylines, which is honestly a blessing. If you don't think about the plot too hard, it kind of works if and just enjoy the characters.
The characters are what truly made this show work. Megain Lai, as mentioned before, was fantastic. She sold the part well, and I found myself rooting for her and sympathizing with her at all turns. Baron Chen was certainly charismatic, and the two leads had amazing chemistry. He did a decent job selling you on the idea that he may have confusing feelings for a person he shouldn't be attracted to. The vet friend, played by Sean Lee was never really a great fit with the overall structure of the show, but he was a fun foil for the main couple at times when the story needed him to be. The secondary couple, Bii and Katie Chen were adorable, though I found their stories to be a bit boring and saccharine for my tastes.
As for the rest -- there were certain supporting characters who I just loved. The sister, played by Mandy Tao was hilarious, falling first for our lead female, and then eventually finding love herself. Her character grew the most, which is saying something, since there was very little actual character growth throughout the series.
The other character I adored was the cousin, played by Amanda Chou. She was like your drunk fairy godmother, coming in at just the right moment and being sweet and loud, and the perfect person to push the heroine to the edges of her comfort zone. I wish there had been more of her throughout the series.
The parents of both leads were wonderful as well. I found myself liking that they were reasonable and normal -- no potentially evil mothers-in-law or anything like that. They were all true to their situations.
The villains were probably the weakest and most predictable characters, but honestly, those stories take up so little time that it's not worth being bothered over.
Overall, this was a fun watch, and I wouldn't say no to a rewatch. Just don't go in expecting too much depth, and you may be pleasantly charmed.
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No nutritional value- absolutely none. It tastes delicious while you're eating it, because you just want to eat the entire thing in one go, and while you're eating it you can't imagine eating anything else. It's simply the best thing you can think of. And then you finish the chocolate bar, and you realize that while yes, it was still pretty good, you probably shouldn't eat it again. It was sweet, and you liked it a lot, but there wasn't a lot of substance., and it wasn't very good for you.
The acting from all parties is mediocre to below average. In the acting department, it isn't perfect- but it doesn't really need to be.
The plot? Hah. HAH. You make me laugh, mortal, for this drama has no plot. Absolutely no substance, as I said before. There are minor inklings of plot as the episodes go on, but they are few and far between and utterly underwhelming. There wasn't a second of this drama that I was surprised or impressed with the writing when it came to the plot.
Maybe it's because I come from watching mostly Korean dramas- this is only my third or fourth Taiwanese drama- but this drama seemed to focus 98% of it's screentime to fluff. It was sugary sweet cotton candy, granted, but very fluffy. And even though there seemed to be little else in this drama besides romance, it seemed to be that there was very little advancement in each relationship- for the most part the tone was set from the very beginning, and then kept on going. Passionate couples remained passionate, conservative couples remained so.
While so far this might seem like a negative review, it isn't. I loved this drama. It was the first in a very long time to get my heart racing, to make me squeal like a fangirl, and to really get me talking about it. There was very little to be annoyed with, and every episode had me highly anticipating the next. It certainly can't be compared in quality to more serious dramas, or plot heavy dramas, but if you're looking for a drama that you want to indulge in, for a fluff-fest of a drama wouldn't win any awards besides 'Best Kisses', then this is the one to watch.
Also, most of the people in this drama are pretty attractive, and the chemistry between the main couple is like dynamite. So there's that. (Seriously, if Baron Chen isn't actually attracted to Megan irl I will eat my teacup, because I can't believe that.)
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The characters were very well rounded even the minor or supporting roles. Most shows like this the characters don't develop very much other than the main roles but this one had all characters develop which was great. The relationships on the side were good too because they actually developed slowly and were rally good. In "Coffee Prince" the other relationships were rushed or ended badly in "Bromance" they develop slowly and end happily and satisfyingly. I usually don't like other relationships developing on the side of the main relationship but Qing Yang and Na Na's relationship managed to bring me in and want me to know more about it and see it become something. The relationship between Zi Hao and Guang Chao was too predictable to me because of how much Zi Hao didn't like Guang Chao and because of how Guang Chao kept perusing her but it was still nicely done and it was nice seeing it rise slowly. Chu Zhe Rui as a love interest was a good addition even though he didn't get the girl you could clearly see him developing as a person.
How they got rid of the antagonist Wu Han Sheng was nicely done too it was a tad cliche but it worked. Although they could've kept him and had like him slowly like Ya Nuo or have him have a very deep, distinct background that he was actually in love with Zi Feng would've worked too but how they did it was nice too. When Zi Feng's father couldn't remember and Han Sheng was showing up more I really knew it was going to be him that was responsible for Zi Feng's fathers disappearance. But learning that Han Sheng's father had covered for him was shocking to me because I thought that it was Han Sheng in it alone and seeing their relationship really deterred me from actually thinking he helped; having Han Sheng's father be forgiven slightly was a wonderful and well crafted moment in the show.
Zi Feng finding his father was a good addition too because you expected it but you didn't know if it would actually happen. At first I was a little confused when he saw his father at the fountain because I thought that it really wasn't his father and he was just thinking things. But seeing that it actually was his father really comforted me and also helped with Ya Nuo and Zi Feng's relationships grow. Having Zi Feng's father like Ya Nuo more was a fantastic thing to do because Ya Nuo could get close to his father helping Zi Feng also get closer, she could also help with him recovering his memories, and Ya Nuo and Zi Feng both trying to recover his memories really was a big thing that helped them get closer. Seeing Zi Feng and Ya Nuo's relationship flourish was lovely to watch and the things that helped build up to it was great too; like when they brought in Zhe Rui you could tell that Zi Feng was slowly figuring out his feelings for Ya Nuo.
Now the kiss scenes were done very well and it wasn't like some other dramas where they lightly touch lips it was a real kiss like they truly meant it and weren't acting. The scenes where it got a little racy weren't like other dramas where they're sometimes very aggressive and fast or really droned on where it got to the point where it wasn't very good; they were sweet and ended at the right times. The kiss scenes and the scenes where it heated up a bit was very strong and beautifully perfected; there was clearly emotions there that you don't see in most dramas.
All in all the show was beautifully done the ending was short and sweet but it really hit home. This is the second drama I ever watched and I was happy that I did so because it was a lovely show and I'd definitely watch again to see what I missed when I first watched.
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Acting: I have to give the acting lots of points. They were committed to their characters. I bought the chemistry and camaraderie they portrayed. Overall the acting was beliveable I will say this wouldn't being a drama without so dramatic over acting and a whole lot of ugly crying but ehh. No real complaints.
Music: Unannoying, calming and pleasant. Not super catchy but hearing it will bring back good memories and matched emotions.
Rewatch: It is definite rewatch. You have to watch it at least twice to catch things you missed the first time.
Overall. Funny, light hearted and Baron has awesome hair. Really watch once just for Baron's hair...it's alway perfect even in it's imperfection. The characters were likable and not once did I wish for someone to just die so that is a good sign.
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This review may contain spoilers
Longish review ahead!I'd never watched a Taiwanese drama before this one, so I wasn't sure what to expect after only watching Korean/Japanese dramas. I have to say I was quite impressed. I definitely wanted to keep watching and I marathoned it in 2 days. For some reason Netflix has this drama as 30 episodes and not 18 so it felt like it took longer. Overall I give it an 8.5, mostly for it's characters and the chemistry between the main leads. The plot besides the whole gender-bending thing felt very flimsy, like it was tacked on AROUND the gender-bending and romance. But it honestly didn't matter so much in the grand scheme of things, because I truly do feel like this is a romance drama before anything and that SHOULD take priority. It's a story of two people overcoming so much for the sake of love.
One of the things that impressed me the most was how this drama did quite an amazing job at showcasing how gender doesn't really matter when it comes to love. You fall in love with who you fall in love with - everything else will fall into place with time. If you're worried about any homophobia - don't be, is all I have to say. Really, it's all handled very well, almost to the point where I wished Yanuo WAS male.
A small problem I had was how separated the characters felt from each other outside of their pairings. I would have liked for them to interact more. Like Nana and Yanuo confiding in each other, more interactions between Qingyang and Zifeng. It felt like their interactions became all too rare. You ARE allowed to have friends outside of a relationship.
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Characters
(I will only do the characters you see early on - the rest I may count as spoilers)
All the characters were portrayed very well and none felt the same.
Yanuo, one half of a pair the story centers around. Forced to dress as a boy because her asinine parents believed some fortune teller when he told them their daughter would die before the age of 26 if they didn't try to 'trick' the universe. It's flimsy, but if you try to believe this story takes place in an alternate universe where fortune tellers are actually a real, 100% factual thing then it makes it vaguely okay. Though the fact you have to jump through those hoops is rather silly. Yanuo is deeply empathetic and loyal. She believes in justice over everything and won't stand for it if the people she loves are hurt. The chemistry between her and Zifeng is almost instant. Honestly, Yanuo was quite a well-rounded character that I couldn't help but find charming in her own way. Lai Megan did such a good job emulating the mannerisms of a guy, they way she walked and her body language all made her seem like one, even her outfits were well chosen. I was pretty impressed with how boyish she actually looked. Usually with gender-bending drama's they still look quite girly, so it was a pleasant surprise. Overall, I had very few gripes with Yanuo.
Zifeng the other half of the main pair. He didn't have too many flaws if I'm completely honest. He's good at seemingly everything he tries. Even his personality is pretty strong, he's loyal almost to a fault, caring and compassionate. Not to mention he is an absolutely gorgeous man. I am forever grateful he wore suits almost all through the drama. Because Chen Baron is such a good actor, you really feel the pain, struggles and happiness he goes through. All in all, Zifeng, and Chen Baron himself, was the perfect match for this role.
Bii sold me on Qingyang completely. His quiet, caring and sensitivity were illustrated very well.To people not willing to look past the surface, they may never know how he truly is. He's not a very emotional character, but that works for him. Seriously, I am a huge Zifeng fan, but Qingyang stole my heart so many times. If you're not impressed and inspired by him as the story goes on, I'd be very shocked. I can't sing his praises enough.
As for Nana, I don't know if it was the acting or something else, but I couldn't quite enjoy many scenes with her in. She is absolutely stunning and her hair is gorgeous. Yet I found myself getting annoyed when scenes with her in dragged on. I do think her acting was maybe a little sub-par compared to the rest of the cast. It didn't feel as genuine.
Zihan was a not-so-secret favourite of mine. The first thing I want to address is how much she reminded me of Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. I know that's kind of a weird comparison to make but she did. It was immediately obvious to me. She is so, so pretty and I really felt for her as the story progressed.
Xiaojing was an absolute breath of fresh air. Her bubbly personality and her willingness to do whatever she can to make Yanuo happy was a wonderful thing to see. There needs to be more characters like her in dramas because I really couldn't take my eyes off her whenever she appeared. It really brightened up the drama.
Guangchao is what I like to call a comic relief character. Maybe even the mascot character - though that might be reserved for something else. He constantly makes a fool of himself and appears a little girl crazy. But just because I say he's a comic relief character, that doesn't mean he isn't actually funny, because he is, if maybe a little over the top, but I think that's the point.
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Sound
The soundtrack was good, though one song was played a little too much and I don't know if it was just the Netflix version, but sometimes the music would just cut out halfway through and enter into a new song very suddenly. It kind of took me out of the moment because it was so jarring. Other than that, I really can't fault it. Even the one song they played a tad too much I ended up humming along to when it came up.
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Rewatch
It's a bit long, but I could see myself watching it again if the mood struck.
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Overall
I had a good time watching this drama. If I didn't, I wouldn't have watched it in such a short amount of time.There is something oddly addicting about it. Besides all the cheesy moments, thin plot and maybe a slightly sub-par side story, you won't find many flaws at all with the main concept. So I recommend you sit back with a nice drink and let yourself enjoy it for what it is.
--For the full thing WITH spoilers, go to my tumblr: kanawafu . tumblr . com --
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Utter nonsense you somehow love it ??
Utterly ridiculous and stupid but hilarious that it doesn’t even matter that this drama is packed full of cliches and drama tropes because you somehow tolerate it all. Between Baron’s hair(??) and smoldering gazes, the strange mix of silly and comedy don’t quite mix with the supposedly serious plots of mafia and murder and disappearance of characters- just make sure to leave the comments on and enjoy the watch with others! Its a must. I will say I skipped a good 7 episodes around the half way mark, it got a bit boring and draggy - and I had no care in the world for the whole nana plot - that could have been cut completely. One big plus for this show is the chemistry between the main leads - they were on fire, and the bts at the very end of ep 19 is fun to watch. The soundtrack is whack just like this drama, but if you need something to lift the spirits, this is perfect, just don’t take it too seriously and enjoy this nonsense ???Was this review helpful to you?
