WORD OF HONOR: Episode 9 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2025-03-24 13:00:06 +0000 UTC*MOONLIT HEADPHONE WARNINGS*
Please excuse me being an absolute MESS during this episode - but I was fangirling, making inhuman sounds, and just FLOORED at what this show is giving us already with these two should-be soulmates!
Chaos breaks out as the glazed armor counterfeits start to circulate, but the reaction Wen KeXing wanted from Zhou Zishu...isn't quite what he gets! Is this our duo's first legitimate fight?!
LINK TO PIP REACTION: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/qR5ax58ed8NHnwZofgThjZ
Thank you for watching with me and for all the support!
Comments
There hasn’t been a bad episode yet, but this is definitely a stand out one! The rooftop date scene is just DREAMY and had me fangilring so hard! I honestly cannot believe we have it ALREADY! And of course, like you said, we can’t have nice things! That scene where WKX is like a damn cat that’s put the mouse in front of his hooman…*screams* Oooh, thank you for the notes on the soulmate scene! I’ll have to get into that in an intro down the road! But that is really neat! Maybe how we got by the censors! ;) The hero conversation in town and how they can look at each other and fill in the sentences? SO GOOD. And how that ties back to WKX realizing this about ZZS from the start? SHOW. And that’s a great point about how they can be similar and yet still on DIFFERENT wavelengths! The way these hotels have become ways to symbolically show their relation to one another and interpersonal communication? It SLAYS me! And the fact that the armor that the sages died with is one that WKX caused…yeah…THE QUINCIES! I was really hit by the sages deaths, and we JUST met them! That is a great point about ZZS too and how he just doesn’t want innocent people to die! :’) Thank you for the encouragement on the subs, though! That is good to know! Thank you so much for the comment and kind words!
Romaniablack
2025-03-28 18:44:32 +0000 UTCRIGHT?! Heartbreak cityyyyy! It hurt so much this episode after all the good we had between them. Yes, GX is lucky that CW is just smitten and not paying *a lot* of attention to what else is going on around them. Also, more justice for Chengling! I HAAAATTEEEE the reveal of ZZS losing his senses. It’s so sad! And yes, the realization of slowly losing them is just horrifying to me as well. I was a flailing, fangirlng mess this episode, especially with the flute! The soulmate talk? STOP, SHOW. The Soulmate scene was so soft and just adorable and sweet…no way a precursor to tragedy, right?! I do love how ZZS views “heroes” in that talk to WKX as well! The symbolism to the bottle versus the jade is FASCINATING and I like your headcanon on this! The subtle change of colors to muted for WKX’s robes and his softness at the knocking - it’s so noticeable and breaks my heart! This show definitely knows how to give you characters for a short while but make them extremely memorable! And yes, WKX’s actions bringing death to people that definitely didn’t deserve it - what a way to learn a lesson!? And that zither to sword exchange?! HEART. BREAK. CITY. That’s such a good point to bring up! Right…glad I’m not the only one who was…caught off guard by morning wood in this episode. AHEM. ANYWAY. I forgot to share a screenshot of the ghosts in that scene to the discord, but the Oogie Boogie vibes are definitely there! I love how vibrant the ghosts are in this series! And yes, the set designs are so good throughout - for having what people say is a smaller production budget than the Untamed, I really think the sets and costumes are GORGEOUS throughout. And HONEY AND MORI from OHSHC is really on point! I can so see it! Thank you for the comment and kind words! Onto the next episode!
Romaniablack
2025-03-28 16:24:50 +0000 UTCNut companies for the win! I mean, I'd let them get away with ANYTHING on this show! And seriously - this show really gets you into all of these characters, even if they're only on screen for a hot second or just "metaphorically" - the break up vibes and sadness are so real right now in this show! Thank you for the comment and kind words!
Romaniablack
2025-03-28 15:43:30 +0000 UTCYes! Oh, I can so see the connections with that! Let's really hope that the story with ZZS and WKX does NOT go the angsty, tragic route like Yi City! *sweats* Thank you for the comment!
Romaniablack
2025-03-28 15:42:31 +0000 UTCMaybe part of the reason that this show can get away with so much is because they are sponsored by a nut company. The innuendo is good for business, lol. It’s impressive that this show can make us feel this much for the 4 soulmates when we were just introduced to them this episode. That whole scene was nearly as upsetting as our boys’ ‘break up’! Thanks for the video!
Amalia Jungclaus
2025-03-25 08:52:36 +0000 UTCYi City remain one of the best but also saddest arcs I ve ever read 💔
Be Happy
2025-03-25 08:50:48 +0000 UTCZhou Zishu daydreaming about a soulmate to roam the world with reminded me of Xiao Xingchen & Song Lan and how they were clanless cultivators who just wanted to roam the world together (funny that I mention Xiao Xingchen since soulmates got blinded and throat-sliced this episode)
Visascake
2025-03-24 18:45:40 +0000 UTCAaaaaaa what a fantastic episode! Definitely one of my favorites (though, let’s be real, I say that about a lot of episodes, this show just hits different haha). I absolutely love the rooftop date scene! They look so carefree and intimate, just enjoying the simple things together. But of course, everything has to come crashing down, haha. I especially love the moment when the fighting starts, and they begin to hear the sounds nearby, ZZS looks confused, trying to figure out what’s happening, while WKX just glances over with this knowing smile, like he already saw it coming. I’ve replayed that scene so many times! Since they bring up the idea of “soulmates” again in this episode, I think it’s worth looking into the meaning behind it. In the scene where ZZS and WKX are on the tower, looking at the four sages, they use two different terms: “zhiji” (知己) and “zhiyin” (知音). Both convey the idea of someone who truly knows and understands you, but there’s a reason they specifically use “zhiyin” for the four sages, and it’s tied to music. Your subtitles pointed this out but didn’t explain the full story behind it, which is the tale of Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi. Quick summary: Yu Boya was a musician, and the only person who truly understood his music was Zhong Ziqi. When Zhong Ziqi died, Yu Boya broke his instrument because he didn’t see a point in playing anymore. If you look at the last sage of Anji, who smashes his instrument and kills himself at the end of the episode, the parallel is right there. Meanwhile, WKX and ZZS use “zhiji” (知己) to refer to each other. The literal meaning is something like “knows self,” as in, someone who understands you as well as (or even better than) you understand yourself. It’s not inherently romantic, but it totally can be, so the word “soulmate” is kinda the closest translation we can get here. That’s why we see how well WKX and ZZS understand each other, sometimes without even speaking. When they’re looking at Fang Buzhi’s dead body, ZZS thinks that he died because he stole the glazed armor from WKX and basically brought it on himself. He doesn’t say this out loud, but WKX immediately responds like he read ZZS’s mind. Later, in the marketplace, they talk about what it means to be a “hero”, and how they both just want to be wanderers instead. Also, back in ep 1, WKX just glances at ZZS and knows that he is enjoying the sunshine. But just because they get each other doesn’t mean they’re exactly the same. ZZS sees people fighting over the glazed armor and thinks, “These people are dumb, I want nothing to do with this”. He’s only involved because of Cheng Ling. Meanwhile, WKX sees the same thing and goes, “These people are dumb, let’s make them even dumber by pouring oil on the fire”. They’re on the same page a lot of the time, but there’s still a long way to go. One of my absolute favorite details is how you can literally track the progress of their relationship by the way WKX enters ZZS’s room. You pointed out a bit of this too! Back in Episode 3, WKX rents out a whole inn for ZZS and Cheng Ling. He walks into ZZS’s room, gets kicked out, and has the door slammed in his face. He just laughs it off and waits downstairs for ZZS. In this episode, when he brings food, he knocks first, and when ZZS opens the door, he confidently walks in. After their meal and conversation? He stops knocking altogether and just kicks the door open, and ZZS doesn’t even complain. But after their fight? WKX is back to nervously knocking and calling out to ZZS. I love this so much because no matter how much WKX pushes, it’s actually ZZS who controls how far things go between them. Last episode, you pointed out how WKX had this adorable, childlike excitement at the market and circus. But now, we’re seeing that same innocence in a much darker way. He knows ZZS is mad. He’s scared and trying to make up for it, but he still doesn’t get why until he sees the four sages die. And the worst part? They didn’t even die for the real glazed armor, they died for a fake one that WKX spread himself. ZZS doesn’t care about people who willingly fight and die over greed, just like he doesn’t care about Fang Buzhi’s death. But he does seem to care about the innocent people who get caught up in the mess, like Cheng Ling and the four sages. As he said, the word hero is written in the blood of the innocent. For characters who were introduced and killed off in the same episode, the four sages' deaths hit way harder than they should have. They just wanted to play music and live peacefully in the forest, damn it! Also I think Youku sub has some parts that are weird too. It's just more popular since it's available on youtube and most people, including me, watch the show there, so we are more familiar with it. Your sub is fine in my opinion
Pancake
2025-03-24 16:34:02 +0000 UTCWhat an episode to start your Spring Break with 😅 Guess you got a different kind of break than what you were expecting (break-up instead of Wen Ke Xing and Zhou Zishu having a break from the plot) 😂 I'm unsure if Gu Xiang's method of trying to find information about the Heroes Conference, and pretending the singer wasn't the person she wanted to talk to, would not work with someone who isn't as smitten as Cao Weining. Bless our sweet Cao Weining 🥺 That pain of finding out Zhou Zishu starting to lose his senses is really like a slap in the face to remind you of the predicament he's in 😭 I reckon slowly losing your senses like that would be so much more terrifying than losing them all at once 🥺 Only a couple of episodes have passed but it is amazing to see the difference in Zhou Zishu's acceptance of Wen Ke Xing's help with his flute playing 🥰 The flailing and fangirling over that whole scene is worth it. Nine episodes in and the soft soulmate talking 🥰 Definitely makes me melt every single time. Really weren't expecting that entire scene were you? 😆 That scene overlooking the Four Sages of Anji is definitely one of my favourite moments in this show. It's so beautifully shot, and the looks on Wen Ke Xing and Zhou Zishu's faces is just perfect. Poor Chengling 🥺 But I'm glad for his reunion with Gu Xiang 🥰 Gotta love Gu Xiang knowing exactly what advice Wen Ke Xing imparted on Chengling for trying to get Zhou Zishu to be his Master. I adore Zhou Zishu's outlook on how the idea of heroes is just a childish fantasy, and rather the path to being considered a hero is paved on your own blood or the blood of others. Perfect with this episode when all these self-proclaimed heroes kill each other over fake glazed armour pieces. The camera pan to the bottle of alcohol and the jade tea pot; Zhou Zishu's two options for that night: alone with his jade, or with his soulmate watching the moon. I may also be reading too much into it but in Chinese culture I believe jade is symbolic of justice, virtue, and kindness. The bottle of alcohol has speckles of red on it, kind of like blood splatter. By choosing the alcohol and moon-watching with Wen Ke Xing Zhou Zishu learns of Wen Ke Xing's nefarious, bloody plan which is kind of unkind and unjust. The break-up hurts so much especially because we really had so much this episode before that moment. And then we have Wen Ke Xing losing his vibrancy, both in the colour of his clothes and how he enters Zhou Zishu's room (knocking over just kicking the door open). We had the soulmates, the Four Sages of Anji, only one episode but the show manages to make it hurt so much for us. The chaos Wen Ke Xing brought about led to so much pain and death 💔 And only with the deaths of these four does Wen Ke Xing realise his actions have consequences he didn't predict. All the more heart-breaking to have the one with no martial prowess to throw away that which linked him to his soulmates (his zither) and take up the sword so that he might join them in death 😭 Romania: I'm not saying I looked... The show was simply trying to give us some authenticity of a man being forcibly awoken in the morning 😏 Totally agree that the lighting and camera work in the scene with the Changing Ghost and the ones in white and black is exactly like Oogie Boogie's lair. Just needed to borrow some dice from Hua Cheng's Gambling Den 😆 I continually am blown away by the set designs for this show. And the juxtaposition of the Four Sages of Anji on their boat and them in that room with the banners and arrows; they're so far removed from each other. On the boat they were free and happy. In the place they die they are enclosed and surrounded. Feng Xiaofeng with his companion (potentially because of seeing the fanart for them before watching your reaction) did make me think of Honey and Mori from Ouran High School Host Club 😆
Anime Annie
2025-03-24 16:03:27 +0000 UTC
