I had no idea what to expect coming into this drama. As if Peking opera and WW2 aren't already very general public unfriendly, it is a BL adaptation of a novel most people have never heard of before; and it is one that BL fans would reject bc the main character is canonically married to a woman and the 2 leading actors are not young fresh actors but veterans in their 30s, 40s. Plus the controversial producer. I personally first started watching bc I already have some affinity towards Peking opera, but how do I even go about promoting this drama to the casual viewer? their first thought would be "it looks boring", which I get it, I thought so too.

BUT if you’re reading this have some interest towards any of the topics presented in the this drama, I would strongly suggest giving it a try; it could subvert your expectations in a big way. The way this drama presented Peking opera is so vibrant, elegant, and romantic and it's so well incorporated into the story. Having background knowledge about the operas SXR sings really enhances the experience and actually motivated me to look at more Peking opera material (which I know is rather difficult without knowledge of Chinese, but again, narrow topic!). The sets, costumes, cinematography all just screams effort and quality. I don't think much need to be said about the acting. Anyone can see from the cast list that these are all the big guns. They're not gonna draw a crowd of fangirls, but you can expect on point acting from A to Z. The leads, the supporting actors, all did their job superbly. I do have to give special attention to Yin Zheng, bc Shang Xirui is a very difficult role; any role that involves a Peking opera singer will be, but SXR is extra crazy. tbh I found him unlikeable in the novel, but it was so fascinating to watch him grow and change. Yet Yin Zheng manages to express the duality of SXR's elegance as a opera singer and his rabid dog personality offstage. They aged the character up significantly (the immaturity of SXR makes more sense in the novel as he was only 17/18) but Yin Zheng somehow still made it work as an adult. And the fact that he is so visually gorgeous and mesmerizing in opera costume sobs.

For the aspects I'm not keen about, one is WW2 (which is a topic I don't think many drama viewers are keen about anyway lol). While I ate all the plotlines about opera right up, I did have to skip some military scenes. I know these 2 kinda have to go hand in hand bc history, but I'm glad the show kept a fine balance and the war stuff didn't feel too bogged down. I also felt like the "bad guys" could be more multifaceted and natural. I think they really tried with 2 annoying opera troupe boss coming around to SXR at the end and there's that ONE good Japanese person, but all those arcs felt too cheesy. I also don't dig the OST much, which is truly a personal preference. there are really amazing Peking opera fusion songs out there with perfect vibes for this drama, and they did use one for the opening song, but I just wanted more.

Lastly, I know a burning question people have is about the "bromance" or BL. Well the official answer is, it's there. They're the deepest of soulmates and there is no character in the drama that wouldn't acknowledge it by the end. ngl I was expecting just a true socialist bromance because of the synopsis: "Shang Xirui and Zhu Fengtai are moved to make sacrifices for their country". I can tell you now that's not what happened lol. Towards the end the plot moves solely by the constant sacrifices they made for each other. There is zero sexual motivation between them (which there was plenty of in the novel, and I know BL fans are at least looking for hints of that), but I felt like they encompassed the emotional depth of everything from romantic love, to familial love, to unconditional love etc. the kind of love that makes you free just by being in the presence of the other person. There are no daring fanservice scenes like kabedon or bathing scene or that much slowmo, but the script/dialogue is fantastic and if you really listen to what these 2 characters are saying to each other I promise you’ll get plenty of emotional fulfillment. I do admit that I don't think YZ and HXM have sparks flying chemistry, but it's enough and both of them are so good at acting that I'd eat up any relationship they want to portray.