Bromance (愛上哥們) is an old Taiwanese drama that was aired back in 2015. I have always been curious about it but had kept putting off watching it as there are plenty of more recent dramas to binge on. Finally, I took the plunge recently while waiting for You Are My Glory to complete its screening. Furthermore, it has been some time since I watched a Taiwanese drama and I wanted something different. So, is it worth the time to go back to this 2015 production? Catch my Bromance review below to find out more.
My rating: 7/10
Episodes: 18 or 30 (depending on version)
Type: Romance, Cross-dressing
Aired: October 2015
Images Credit: TTV
The Cast Of Bromance 2015
- Baron Chen Chu He as Du Zi Feng
- Megan Lai Ya Yan as Pi Ya Nuo
- Bii Shu Jin as Wei Qing Yang
- Sean Lee Shao Xiang as Dr. Chu Zhe Rui
- Katie Chen Yu An as Yang Na Na
- Mandy Tao Yan Lin as Du Zi Han
- Amanda Chou Xiao Han as Fan Xiao Jing
- Johnny Yang Ming Wei as Liao Guang Chao
- Tou Chung Hua as Du Guang Zhu
- Vickey Liu Rui Qi as Sister Feng
- Tang Chih Wei as Mr. Pi
- Wang Chuan as Mrs. Pi
- Joseph Hsia Ching Ting as Nan Xing Tian / Uncle Tian
- Chen Wei Min as Wu Wan Hao / Uncle Hao
- Edison Wang Jia Liang as Wu Han Sheng
Main Characters
Du Zi Feng
Zi Feng is the adopted son of a former triad leader. He cleaned up the organization and is now the appointed head after the disappearance of his father. Zi Feng now runs an amusement park as its General Manager. He is a dashing guy who values kinship and brotherhood.
Pi Ya Nuo
Ya Nuo is a girl but is forced to live her life as a male by her parents until she is 26 due to an advice by a fortune teller. She is used to it and takes it in her stride. Ya Nuo has good fighting skills and is a helpful gal. She runs a food truck selling hot dogs.
Supporting Characters
Wei Qing Yang
Qing Yang is Zi Feng’s good friend and they grew up together as part of the organization. Their fathers are sworn brothers. Qing Yang is a quiet person and a cafe owner. His parents have disappeared together with Zi Feng’s father.
Dr. Chu Zhe Rui
Zhe Rui is a vet and Ya Nuo’s neighbor when they were kids. He is a nice and courteous guy who has feelings for Ya Nuo.
Yang Na Na
Na Na is a cancer patient. She was brought up solely by her mother who has since died. Na Na is courageous and cheerful despite her sickness.
Du Zi Han
Zi Han is Zi Feng’s younger sister. She is willful and impulsive but means no harm. She also has a crush on Ya Nuo.
Fan Xiao Jing
Xiao Jing is Ya Nuo’s cousin and the only other person who knows about her gender besides her parents. They have a close relationship and Xiao Jing is always setting Ya Nuo up with Zi Feng.
Liao Guang Chao
Guang Chao is Ya Nuo’s friend and food truck partner. He can be a little blur and clumsy with a comedic character.
Du Guang Zhu
Guang Zhu is Zi Feng’s adoptive father. He loves Zi Feng and treats him as his own son. He is a former triad leader who has since gone missing for 7 years. Guang Zhu also has a daughter named Zi Han.
Sister Feng
Sister Feng is Guang Zhu’s wife. Zi Feng is her adopted son while Zi Han is her daughter. She is a supportive and loving mother.
Mr. & Mrs. Pi
Mr. and Mrs. Pi are Ya Nuo’s parents. They are superstitious and protective parents who want Ya Nuo to have a long and blessed life. Mr. Pi works at the amusement park run by Zi Feng.
Nan Xing Tian / Uncle Tian
Uncle Tian belongs to the triad organization and is one of Guang Zhu’s sworn brothers.
Wu Wan Hao / Uncle Hao
Uncle Hao is also a triad member and a sworn brother of Guang Zhu. He is more ambitious and wants his son to be an achiever and better than Zi Feng.
Wu Han Sheng
Han Sheng is Uncle Hao’s son. He is always looking at ways to bring down Zi Feng to take over the leadership. He is an ambitious and jealous person who will resort to dirty deeds to win.
Synopsis
Ya Nuo is a food truck operator. She happened to help Zi Feng who was under attack by a bunch of gangsters. Ya Nuo is a woman but has to take on the identity of a man due to her superstitious parents. When Ya Nuo was born, a soothsayer had predicted that she will have a short life if she doesn’t live her life as a man until she is 26 years old. Hence, everyone knows Ya Nuo as a male except for her parents and cousin.
After Ya Nuo helped Zi Feng, they become sworn brothers. Zi Feng also hires her to be his personal assistant. Both of them begin to develop feelings for each other. Zi Feng also starts to doubt his sexual orientation when he finds himself being attracted to Ya Nuo whom he thinks is a man. As for Ya Nuo, she has to hold herself back due to her secret.
Bromance Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
Bromance has a happy ending with Ya Nuo and Zi Feng getting married. The last scene is of their wedding. Prior to that, Zi Feng has proposed to Ya Nuo in front of their families and friends. 2 other couples also end up together – Na Na and Qing Yang as well as Zi Han and Guang Chao.
When Did Ya Nuo And Zi Feng Get Together?
Ya Nuo and Zi Feng become a couple in Episode 13 after he confesses his love for her in Episode 12. They maintain a very low profile relationship due to her assumed gender. Ya Nuo did not tell Zi Feng about her secret until her 26th birthday which is in Episode 18. When Zi Feng proposed to her, she still thought that he sees her as a man.
When Did Zi Feng Find Out Ya Nuo’s Gender?
Zi Feng found out that Ya Nuo is a girl in Episode 11. He overheard her conversation with Zhe Rui who is in love with her. But Zi Feng pretended that he didn’t know and would rather wait for Ya Nuo to tell him.
As for the viewers, we are not told that Zi Feng already knew about Ya Nuo’s sex in Episode 11. He only revealed it in Episode 18 when he wasn’t surprised to see her in a skirt and she questioned him about it. But after Episode 11, there is indeed a change in the romance intensity and Zi Feng also dropped some hints that he knew her secret.
Is There A Love Triangle?
Yes, Zhe Rui is also in love with Ya Nuo but the love triangle is not the toxic kind. Zhe Rui did confess his feelings in Episode 11 and also asked for a chance in Episode 17. But Ya Nuo is very firm and decisive in her feelings for Zi Feng. Zhe Rui also knows that he doesn’t stand a chance to capture her heart and is contented being just her brother in the end.
Why Did Zi Feng’s Father Disappear?
Zi Feng’s father went missing for 7 years because he was nearly killed and lost his memory while on a visit to an island with Qing Yang’s parents who also disappeared. The culprit is Han Sheng. He killed Qing Yang’s parents because they found out that he was doing drug trafficking.
Zi Feng’s father witnessed the incident and Han Sheng tried to kill him too. But he survived after being saved by a fisherman but lost his memory. He also held on to Han Sheng’s cuff link which could link the latter to the crime. In the end, Han Sheng surrendered to the police when he saw his father trying to take the blame and go to jail on his behalf.
Bromance Taiwanese Drama Review
Bromance is basically a cross-dressing romance drama. And I have to say that the way they have styled the female lead is perfectly done. It reminds me of The Heiress whereby the female character actually looks like a male to fit the part. It is unlike In A Class Of Her Own or My Unicorn Girl whereby the cross-dresser looks too feminine to pass off as a boy as the plot demands. So, Bromance is great in that sense – the female lead looks convincing enough as a man in terms of styling and appearance but at the same time, not too masculine to put a damper on the romance.
The other point to note is that the title can be misleading as Bromance gives off the impression that this is a BL drama. It is not. From the very beginning, viewers are told that the female lead is a woman. So, there is no suspense to make us guess her gender. The anticipation actually comes from when the male lead will discover her secret and his reaction.
Simple Plot
The plot is pretty simple. You have a woman pretending to be a man from young due to some superstitious beliefs. As predicted, she then falls in love with a man who loves her back but doubts his own sudden change in sexual preference. I guess you just have to take it as pure entertainment and not question its logic because I could just see the plot holes emerging.
As such, Bromance is not something that you would watch for the plot. Everything that happens is to provide an avenue for the couple to love each other more and more. There is little suspense over the male lead’s father’s disappearance and the culprit responsible. Instead, you would get hooked over the main couple’s chemistry and sweet moments.
Chemistry Between The Leads
If there is one good reason to watch Bromance, it would have to be the leads’ chemistry. Their BTS (behind the scenes) and other promotional clips are something worthwhile to savor over. In fact, they could be sweeter than the actual scenes in the drama! So, it is pretty obvious that Baron Chen and Megan Lai are very comfortable with each other. This automatically translates to a sizzling chemistry on-screen in Bromance. To me, their interactions carried the drama all the way to the finishing line rather than the plot.
Megan Lai’s acting too is commendable as she portrays both a man’s and woman’s characteristics. She displays masculine traits when she needs to be and effeminate shyness when love takes hold. It is a very delicate balance which she got it right in most scenes.
My Verdict – Worth It For The Chemistry
Personally, I find this Taiwanese Bromance drama to be a little long-winded. I watched the 18 episodes version which means each episode is over an hour long which made the boredom worse. The producers could have really shorten this drama and I think the effect would have been much better. So, I have to admit that I fast-forwarded some parts especially those that involve the side couples. Their stories just fail to hold my interest.
My other complaint would be the anti-climax when it comes to the gender reveal. I think it could have been better handled to give viewers more anticipation and excitement. As it is, the reveal kind of falls flat. Nevertheless, I still feel that Bromance is worth a watch mainly because of the awesome chemistry of the leads. It is like Love Is Sweet and My Little Happiness whereby the chemistry is what makes a huge difference to the watch value.
So, for this Bromance Taiwanese drama review, I would give it a score of 7/10. I wouldn’t rewatch the whole drama as I find it to be draggy. But certain loving scenes are worth replaying. Basically, you watch it to feel the love of the couple and their sweetness. If you like cross-dressing dramas, this should also be on the list as the girl is more realistically portrayed as a man here. And if you like romance, the kisses should excite you. They are not perfectly done but good and long enough to be more than pecks and fish kisses. For an old drama, I would say give it a go. You can always skip the boring parts anyway and still follow the story all the way through due to the simple plot.
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