Handsome Siblings (2020)

A little disappointed in this drama but decent enough

I started this drama in 2022 not knowing anything about it or not knowing any of the cast as I was new to CDramas in 2022. I finally finished this drama in July of 2023 after having watched a lot of CDramas and several other shows by the 2 leads. Why did it take me so long to finish? I initially stopped watching this drama after about 6 or 7 episodes in the beginning because it wasn’t keeping my attention but decided to revisit it for the 2 leads.

The Story:

Despite the odd English Title for the drama, I was originally intrigued by the plot and thought this would be a great Wuxia and hopefully without a lot of the CDrama tropes we see in romance Wuxias with the strange falls leading to random kisses and the predictable love triangles. It was nice to see that they didn’t focus so much on those aspects in this drama although we may have seen 1 or 2 instances of the long stares and the awkward contact between MLs and FLs. It’s still not a romance heavy drama and focused the main story on the self discovery journey of the 2 leads.

One downfall to this drama is there were a lot of throw away episodes that made this drama longer than it needed to be. It could have been cut down to 24 to 30 episodes max. There were some side plots that dragged out too long and could have been summed up in 1 or 2 episodes but dragged out over 5 to 6 at times. Also episodes 29-34 were filler episodes as they seem to try to play more on the unnecessary romantic stories they forced on the MLs, leading to drawn out boring conversations. I enjoy a good romance, just was done poorly in this one. I did not like the ending of the final episode, it just sort left things hanging.

The characters

This is a loaded topic because you have some good with some bad. I’ll start with the female characters… none were that interesting.

Tie Xinlan was sort of just there. She was in the way most of the time and didn’t add any real value to the overall plot. Not much character growth from her as she didn’t add much in the beginning either. Her acting was also subpar…not much in the way of facial expressions.

Su Ying… I don’t even know why they added her character at the end of the show. Though she was supposed to be the match of Jiang Xiaoyu, their “love” story was very forced and the 2 actors had 0 love chemistry. Their back and forth banter was okay but still unconvincing. I adore Liang Jie in The Eternal Love series as the connection she had with the ML in there is worth a watch.

For the male characters…

Jiang Xiaoyu carried this story as his character was fun and charismatic. So much character growth from him while still staying true to himself. Chen Zheyuan did an amazing acting job here. He embodied the character well with his troubles expressions and lightheartedness throughout the show.

Hua Wuque only showed slight character growth and Hu Yitian seems to take on a lot of emotionless character roles. I thought he could have done better than hat was betrayed because he didn’t portray many emotions here. I can compare his character to Wang Yibo’s character, Lan Zhan in the untamed but although dull and tough, he expressed so many emotions without having many spoken lines.

Production/OST

Overall production value was average. Some camera shots were grainy and blurry at times but had decent fight scenes and CGI. The OST did not stand out.

Leia Mais

Feel like watching another version of untammed

Starting of the story was good . I felt like one of their parents should alive . I bored after watching first 10 episodes . The reason i watched it till end because i wanted to know how they both came to know that they are siblings. The story was somewhat resemble to untammed . In untammed thay first were enemy and they became swore brothers .in this first they became enemy but gradually became friends but due to some reasons one wanted to kill another and suprisingly that other knew about it . The difference in this drama from untammed that this story had a love story which completed at the last part of the last episode , I means to says that both the couples accepted eachothers at the very last part of the last episodes . I didn't like the story much .

Leia Mais

Top notch bromance !!!!!!1

Hua Wu Que and Xiao Yu are non-identical twins separated twins. Hua Wu Que is manipurated by his masters that xiao yu is their enemy and he has to kill him personally.
The main story line was pretty good however it was less interesting in the middle I would have dropped the series if xiao yu was not this cute!!!!!!!!!!
The chemistry between the leads was not that great however it cam be compensated by the bromance within the male lead. Xiao yu was very charming, clever and cute whereas Hua Wu Que is handsome, powerful and strong.
You can watch this series for the male leads both are great actors and have done their best in their roles.

Leia Mais

Can love transform into hate?

What happens when your lover disappoints you? Can love turn to hate? What is the limit of that hate? That is what the Chinese drama “Handsome Siblings” explores, as an evil princess, obsessed with her entitlement to the man she wants, is outraged when he has the audacity to elope with her humble servant maid. She kills both her ex-lover and the mother of his twins in her jealous rage and curses their twin boys to a fate of rivalry. Separated by the princess at birth and not allowed to know that they are brothers, one boy grows up in the palace and learns wind style kung fu from the elites, the other twin grows up in a city of criminals, learning all sorts of lies and magic trickery. The evil princess attempts to brainwash them into believing that they are from enemy clans and that their life goal is to kill each other, so that the ghosts of their dead parents can watch in horror as their sons torture each other in pure evil spite for their dead spirits.

The twins face difficult fates that are destined to collide. But what happens if they are able to realize that they are brothers?

Handsome Siblings teaches meekness, care, brotherly kindness, a respect for karma and the universe, empathy for people who fall into evil ways, and the virtue of not lusting after power, money, and pleasure. It teaches that in the end, the universe will reward the just and punish the unjust.

More philosophical reviews: https://transcendentphilos.wixsite.com/website/post/the-philosophy-of-chinese-dramas

Leia Mais

The Best Handsome Siblings Ever!

I am a true Gu Long fan, especially after watching The Legendary Siblings in 1999. It was a great drama and I ended up reading his novels. But I discovered that the novel was way better than the 1999 drama. In the novel, Xiao Yu Er is really smart, but in the drama he is constantly being saved by other people. The 2020 version is perfect. It stays true to the novel and depicts Xiao Yu Er the way he should be. Chen Zhe Yuan's portrayal of Xiao Yu Er makes the drama even more enjoyable. We see him grow from believing he is the smartest man on Earth to actually becoming the smartest man on Earth. The interactions between Hu Yi Tian and Chen Zhe Yuan make you want to rewatch it again and again as you notice how they both change and grow from being enemies to the best of friends.

Leia Mais

I enjoy this drama overall. In the beginning I watch this drama because of Hu Yitian. The plot and acting were good not bad.

I don’t understand why a lot of people are saying that Tie Xinlan is not a likable character, okay you can have your own opinion. But Tie Xinlan’s material art was never good before. In the beginning she can beat Jiang Xiaoyu is because Jiang Xiaoyu never really practiced material arts. Instead he use to play trick. First of all, in the beginning Tie xinlan also asked Taohua if a girl that wears a red dress was there. When taohua said no she immediately calmed down. That’s because she knew that she can’t beat Zhang Jing. Overall, if you watch this drama multiple times you will understand why I said Tie xinlan is actually a likable character.

Moving on with Xiaoyuer, honestly for me. Xiaoyuer is not a likable character at all. He played with the woman’s feelings like I can name a lot of them. Even though he didn’t liked them he used Duan San to find out more about the murder mystery that happened in Shuang shi biao ju. He knew that Duan San liked him so he is using her. Of course, xiaoyuer know he liked Xinlan but just wouldn’t admit it. So they are not supposed to be together anyways.

I really hated the character su ying. Just because she likes Jiang xiaoyu doesn’t give her the chance to set people as their enemy. For example, she said Xinlan would be her enemy if she likes hua wuque and she will still be her enemy if she likes Jiang xiaoyu. She also made Tie pinggu stayed away from Jiang xiaoyu. She also decided to poisoned hua wuque at the end so Jiang xiaoyu can win the race which is UNFAIR. The fight is against Jiang Xiaoyu and Hua wuque not Su Ying and Wuque. This also made me feel bad for Hua wu que because every one he know all wanted Jiang xiaoyu to win the battle between him. They all begged Wuque to not killed Jiang xiaoyu but why nobody begged Jiang xiaoyu to not killed wuque? Overall, I just find suying this character useless.

For Hua wuque played by Hu yitian, I really liked the character that was played by him. A lot of people said his acting are not good but I think it’s okay. He is a new actor at that time. Since this movie was filmed in 2018 and his first cdrama was released in 2017 which is (a love so beautiful). Yes, I know he needs more practice on his acting skills, but hey it isn’t that bad.

Overall this is a great drama. I recommend you to watch it if you like wuxia.

Leia Mais

It had an interesting start, but a little confusion around the betrayal was quickly cleared up and had me hoping for a positive ending for the couple. But then tragedy ... and that hard hit was well played out. Was hoping for the same raw but compelling drive after the main couple but came across some parts of this series that was a bit rough around the edge. I saw it all by watching it on/off and boy is Chen Zhe Yuan adorable!! Look at that smile! When brothers find out the truth between them...the best moment throughout! They did good! Hu Yi Tian good job sweetheart! If I did rewatch this series, it would be likely for the parts I loved most.

Leia Mais

I saw the trailer for this on Netflix, and was like YES! I love watching Hu Yitian, and ended up loving Chen Zheyuan in this as well.

I thought the story of this was really interesting, and love a historical drama, so I thought it was really cute! - a few things I did find a little annoyed was the character Vicky Liang, who was Tie Xinlan. She was a little annoying for me, She seemed a little needy in this, but I think she's a really pretty actor though!

I loved the bond between the two brothers, and how they were just there for each other! And I thought the plot was so interesting and just keep be wanting to watch more and more as I continued it!

Leia Mais

A fine adaptation of a classic

Story:
Twins separated at birth due to a conspiracy, and their journey of discovery and growth will unfold towards a devastating end.

Characters:
The main characters’ arcs, relationships and trajectories of growth were written very well, in my opinion. Whether one will prefer or like a character more is a matter of preference, as I think writing and arc wise, none of the characters were shortchanged too much. Having a solid base of the original novel to derive from, and willing to be faithful to it had been beneficial.

Performance:
Performances by the veterans were solid. A bit of a mixed bag when it came to the younger actors. Personally, I thought some of the casts performed better than others. Still, in terms of character portrayals, nothing much was amiss, and each was executed brilliantly.

Pacing and subplots:
Pacing and action did pick up as the show progressed, but don’t expect this to be an action flick full of mind-numbing thrills. It is not. Expect dialogues and lots of expositions, as well as detours into other subplots and mini-stories, though all will be tied up with a neat bow by the end. The hallmark of a great WuXia-cum-mystery.

Cinematography:
Beauty and prettiness permeated the whole show, and it’s an entertaining romp amongst lofty architectures and sceneries (aided by copious amount of CGI), one worthy of our imaginary JiangHu. I also found the imageries to be more realistic and seamless than the ones I saw in Legend of the Condor Heroes (2017).

Choreography:
Quite blown away by the seamless action and elegance displayed in the martial art moves in this show. Most action scenes were amazing.


The main plot of this show was one already familiar to me, and I was finally willing to give it a try because I love Hua Wu Que as a character, and was highly interested in how they will develop him and his relationships, especially with Tie Xin Lan. The knowledge that this adaptation was relatively faithful to the source material was also a major factor. Even more of a HWQ and TXL fan now than before I started.

Jiang Xiao Yu, as in all adaptations, stood out.

This was a classic tale of “heroes vs villain”, less so a “good vs evil”, as both the heroes and villains exhibited various good and bad traits. What made one a villain and hero are also ideas one needs to ponder on. Spiritual lessons, if one is receptive, also abounded. What I love about WuXia has always been the fact that at its best, it adds to that debate and understanding. This adaptation, I think, is a worthy addition to the genre. I am just glad I loved it too.

Leia Mais

Too long

I really found this series to have to much unnecessary drama and was way to long.

The basic storyline was there twins that got separated and had different up bringing in two different sectors.

I tend to lead more to Second ML just because he seemed to experience more once he was let out, basically survival skills or street smart. The first ML for me was too proper and just didn't get it.

Even though they eventually found each other it wasn't the whole brotherhood love.
This series could have been simple and to point, but that wasn't the case.

Leia Mais

Don't let the first episodes cut you off from this masterpiece! Theater play meets a polished Chinese production = an incredible adventure.
This is the story of two brothers separated at birth. The series shows us the evolution of the two young men and how, despite their fundamentally different upbringings, they come together at all cost.
A bit of romance, humor, action and satire here and there, and a bit of a plot hole despite the absurdity of certain situations.
It's a good serie, like you're watchin a theater play but on a screen, and with cute main lead.

Leia Mais

How to avoid the obvious for 43 episodes

I will start off by saying, I was pleasantly surprised by this drama. The reviews were not bad, but I had expected to find it difficult for me to watch based off previous attempts to watch the first episode.

I loved the acting by Chen Zheyuan, Hu Yitian and Vicky Liang. I really enjoyed the dynamics and chemistry the three shared despite circumstances pulling them apart. I liked how feelings came and left and that they did not automatically abandon their aims for each other. Whether for right or wrong, you could really see how their different upbringings drove their decisions and priorities, and why they could or could not accept certain sacrifices.
I also really enjoyed how a 'righteous' upbringing did not make the characters more feeling or make better/more morally correct decisions.
It has also been a while since I have sat on the edge of my seat screaming in desperation for a character to be killed.

But this is where we get to the but. I did not enjoy Su Ying's character (likely due to her vicious nature) and could not bring myself to like her relationship with Xiao Yu'er (he had more chemistry with almost every other female character imo).
Also, I don't understand how they could drag the rivalry out for that many episodes without them finding out the main secret... I began to get sick of the diversions... I also felt that all the villains (except for one) got off too lightly... but maybe that is my craving for revenge, and I can accept the brother's decisions.

Honestly, with the dragging out, if it had not been for Hei Zhi Zhu and Muroung Jiu, I'm not sure I could have gotten through this drama.

Leia Mais