Love is More Than a Word (2016)

For the casual western viewer, this period Chinese melodrama poses some real challenges. However with patience, an earnest desire to comprehend the production, and a good rewind button, the rewards are worth the effort. Ancient China, court intrigue and courtly etiquette, an evil plot, assassins, beautifully handsome young actors and actresses, and a bit of comedy for the groundlings, Love is More than a Word is a tale unfolding upon the screen as if in stunning calligraphy upon an unrolled parchment. The sets and staging are amazingly brilliant and lush in color, the costuming and makeup likewise breathtaking, the huge cast and extras all very convincing in their various rolls. Few stories of this homoerotic genre are told with such obvious material investment; one can easily believe the budget for this production was immense. Director Chen Peng has previously had a success with another similar production in this genre, Like Love, an unpretentious, lively and light-hearted tale of a college romance between a brooding, menacing undergrad, An Ziyan, and his endearingly ditzy but earnest classmate Maiding. But despite its enjoyable playfulness, where Like Love lacked for budget and production quality, this much more impressive effort shines brightly.
Not for the culturally feint hearted, the complex plot and obscure cultural touchstones make this wonderful little film a genuine effort as I have previously stated, but if you have the time and a willing heart, you won't be disappointed.

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STORY: An illiterate and uneducated young man becomes mayor of a province because the position was bought for him. Now he must overcome his humble background and learn to navigate court life. Also his position requires him to act as a judge. The setting is in China's past. This show has a lot of things you would see a drama about court life: intrigue, gossip, backstabbing, evil plots, etc. This also showcases many conversations of people speaking politely with each other but their words are a double-edged sword. There is a bromance between TaoMo and GuShe that lasts the entire series.

SIDE NOTE: Been watching the English Sub, YouTube, 1080p, approx 30 minutes per episode, translated by Yzd_International_Fanclub, thanks guys!

ACTING/CAST: This is quite an attractive cast, and they play their parts very well.

MUSIC: Very good throughout the series.

REWATCH VALUE: Yup.

OVERALL: I'm am AMAZED at the production value of this! The set design and costume design are A+. It's a gorgeous production. I can't wait to watch more!

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What a great and actually gay drama. As in, Tao Mo & Gu She are really in love and they get their happy ending - and that’s why the Chinese censorship cut the drama from 28 eps to 12, which is why the beginning is rather slow and the last ep very rushed. Because the censors might’ve cut the show but the director and everyone involved still scrambled and did their best to give the viewers the book ending, the fairy tale ending for Tao Mo and Gu She. And the very last scene is one of the most touching, softest and sweetest thing I’ve seen in a Cdrama yet, hands down!

So yes, I can highly recommend the drama. There are scenes that drag a little - see above - but Tao Mo & Gu She and their love - their scenes in general, really, they range from touching to truly hilarious - are worth it. The actors’ chemistry is fantastic and they were in 3 dramas together already, twice playing lovers, so… Thumbs up from me, for sure!

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I just finished this drama. The acting isn't great, some characters were better but at least the mc's were good. There wasn't any kissing or anything but you know there is chemistry and they know it too. Music is on point and is a bl but because its China, my fellow bl watchers will know what that means, hence, there isn't any physical stuff but the emotion is there.
The plot is okay, if you watch 'the untamed', this is similar to that but is lacking in some areas where 'the untamed' excels. I don't hate it and i don't love it, its more over eh. I liked it i guess but i wish there was more interaction between tao mo and gu she so yeah. Its not long so its definitely worth a watch if you need a bl to watch cause we all know that the bl world is lacking in the action genre. We seriously need ore of the HIStory 3: Trapped type shows or even like 'long time no see', the only Korean bl that actually is good.

Quick spoiler:


They get married, though its not stated explicitly. Its heavily implied with the red and the ending quote at episode 12. "How can you marry one person with just a cinnabar banquet?"
The characters wipe each others tears and their servants are crying as they watch. Gu She and Tao Mo come down together in red. Us bl watchers (especially in Chinese bl) must rely on these hints so that we can know what they are trying to tell us without actually saying it.

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Overall, I really enjoyed Love is More Than a Word. I did have some issues with it though.
The actors were great and the overall story was enjoyable. There were a lot of cute scenes where you get to experience the great chemistry between the actors.
The problem for me was that it felt like they cut out a lot. I'd be watching and enjoying one scene and then it would just cut to another scene. This happened a lot throughout the whole show and it made feel like I was missing something.
As for the ending... I'm happy with outcome but it's a pretty loose ending. Once again I felt like it was cut short. It feels like a special was needed or something to give more context.
If you're looking for a quick binge show that is cute, this is something you should watch. Just don't expect a really detailed story.

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A CHINESE DRAMA WHICH IS A TRUE BL (NOT ADAPTED TO BROMANCE)

In midst of all the Chinese BL dramas which get adapted into bromance due to censorship, THIS DRAMA SHOWS A REAL BL PLOT. MY EYES ARE BLESSED WITH THE LAST SCENE I SAW...NEVER BEFORE I SAW A MARRIAGE SCENE OF 2 GUYS IN ANY HISTORICAL DRAMA EVER!!!!! OFCOURSE, It showed a platonic relationship because of censorship but their chemistry was very very sweet and there were actually some romantic scenes.
I liked the plot but the love of the MLs for each other was the driving force for each other. Unlike typical historical dramas where the charecters are always on guard and highly cares about other people's opinion, here the protagonist Tao Mo who played the role of a naive magistrate who was so pure and innocent at heart, and who just loved Gu She so much that just the mention of his name makes him leave all his work wherever he is and he rushes to him. And Gu She who was cold and aloof loves to spend time with him and melts even at the thought of him. There were some loopholes in the story though. It seemed like Gu She has known Tao Mo for long but we didn't know how. The ending was abrupt ( I looked up for more info and found out that the drama originally should have been of 28 episodes but was cut off due to censorship).
DAMN I REALLY LOVE COSTUME AND PERIOD GENRE AND WISH TO SEE MORE SUCH UNCENSORED TURE BLs in this genre.

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Questions-AND Review

Does anyone know who wrote the screenplay? And is the uncensored scrip online anywhere so it can at least be read? I really enjoyed the drama a great deal, and hated the way it got chopped up by the censors. And the ending is the original cliffhanger! Is this the way the novel ends too?! I dont read Chinese, and the novel has only been partly translated, by half a dozen people. So I may never know unless someone can tell me. Also, does the director have a weibo account or email account? So, in order to get this posted-500 characters in all are required, apparently-I have to do a sorta review after all. So here goes.
The one gripe I have is the writer-both novel and screenplay-did not do their homework. Cut sleeve romances were not condemed historically in China. BUT, men were expected to marry and produce sons, what they did on the side, no one really cared, through most of China's history. Same sex activity among men was just seen as average normal male behavior. Other than that... it's really hard to tell much, the episodes were chopped up so badly and the whole storyline rushed, because of the censors. But what I could understand, I loved. This was never portrayed as a 'bromance', it was a romance from the beginning, and love was the main element, no wham bam thank you sir. The sexual tension was there, certainly, but it was more a slow sizzle than a raging bonfire. And all the better for it. I would have given the storyline a higher rating, but for the censorship. I thought the acting was very good and I loved the OST and would buy it if I could find out where to purchase it legally. The costuming was gorgeous. And yes, for anyone who cares, I'm queer.

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Censura maldita

Com exceção dos pontos que ficaram em aberto gostei muito dessa série. A história de Tao Mo perder o pai tão tragicamente, e sendo analfabeto decidir comprar a posição de juiz apenas para honrar a memória de seu os ajudando os outros é bem bonita. Também gostei do ponto dele fazer um trabalho brilhante mesmo sendo analfabeto.
Os pontos que as histórias de época geralmente mostram também se fizeram presentes, os amigos leais, os falsos, as intrigas e jogos de interesses, inimigos que brotam do nada e sem motivo aparente para o mocinho, os aduladores que conspiram para o mal. Além disso, o elemento "magia" também apareceu, com aquelas pessoas voando (nunca entendi o fundamento disso, mas gosto).

Gostei do elenco, da ost, dos cenários. Não existe um exagero de efeitos especiais estranhos como em outras obras de época. Simpatizei com os personagens, achei que combinaram com os atores.

Fiquei bem chateada com a quantidade de coisas que ficaram sem explicação, sem um fechamento. Tao Mo jurou vingança pelo seu pai e não o fez, o vilão que chegou no final querendo matar todo mundo, ninguém sabe o motivo, nem o que ele fez, se atacou antes da tarde como ameaçou fazer. A relação de Lao Tao , Hao Guo Zi e as amigas voadoras deles não ficou bem explicada pra mim. Não existiu punição para Cui Jiong, simplesmente tudo isso foi cortado para a cena do casamento, sim, era um casamento, eles dois tiveram seu final feliz. E depois de muita revolta minha por não ter entendido o final, descobri que a série tinha 28 episódios que foram reduzidos para apenas 12 pela maldita censura chinesa, então pelo menos tivemos o final feliz, mesmo sem entender todo o resto.

Essa cena do casamento entre eles, foi uma cena muito importante para os BL's chineses, pois a censura não conseguiu impedir a cena. Os personagens já davam indícios de que compreendiam que o relacionamento entre eles era romântico, mas o fato de existir um casamento, com eles chorando de felicidade e abraçados pela família e amigos e magnífico.

Enfim, recomendo. Assista sabendo que mais da metade do conteúdo foi cortado, por isso muitas cenas estarão cortadas e situações não serão explicadas.

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Mostly this show is just really fun and cute. Tao Mo the naive and awkward but well-intentioned and sometimes quite sharp mayor is definitely a new fave character, and his and Gu She's relationship is lovely, how it moves from "I barely know you but it's love at first sight" (though of course the romantic angle remains heavy subtext) to "I would charge into danger for you/probably die for you" and all the shades in between. The minor characters are also quite fun, though somewhat undeveloped.

The frustrating thing is the lack of development in the plot. I heard this show was originally supposed to be longer but was shortened due to censoring--well, it shows. Tao Mo and Gu She's backstory is only slightly explored, the demonic cult angle is left as a random side element, and the ending is quite unresolved (though lovely and very romantic, of course). I may have to actually read the novel to get the resolution, something I was not initially planning on doing.

On the other hand, the individual cases of the plot are quite interesting, as is seeing Tao Mo and Gu She try to resolve the various problems both in the county and in their own lives. And again, the characters' relationships are great, and the production value, costuming and music and all that, is beautiful. I suppose I'd recommend if you don't expect anything too deep and want some good mellow romance/bromance.

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The Hero & The Moron

What a disappointing production! And what the heck was that ending? I must have fallen asleep and missed something, but I didn't!

If the character Tao Mo was supposed to be naive and simple-minded, that would have been kind. He was a moron! I couldn't even like the character. Gu She was convincing and probably the character I liked the most, but I just couldn't get any chemistry.

I had hopes for this storyline, being controversial and with great potential. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver.

The reviews were so positive and promising - and I'm wondering if I watched the wrong series because it didn't come close to anything that I read.

I absolutely would never watch this again.

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