War of Faith 2024 Mini Review
If this scene looks to you suspiciously like a betrothal proposal, that’s because it is.
I’d really have to go all the way back to Killer and Healer 2021 to find a queer-coded Chinese drama that is as on point with all the BL elements as well as the advanced feminist queer politics between airing of The Untamed 2019 and now.
And just like every journey of true love the care, commitment, sacrifice, respect and devotion between Shen TuNan and Wei RuoLai just gets better, deeper and more homoerotically intense from here. Sadly I can’t add more than one video of the many highly charged commitments to stand side by side forever, acts of devotion, or extended eye-intercourse scenes between them in one post.
This scene of Wei RuoLai ascending as Shen TuNan descends the staircase of the apex Chinese financial institution is symbolic of where they were in their journey which was started in a hierarchy of two men unequally situated, and whose journey ends as equals united on the same, grand life path.
Over the course of 38 magnificently written, directed and acted episodes that go by way too fast, they exchange secrets, promises of fidelity, masterful financial strategies, life-saving blood infusions and finally common political purpose while the audience sits on the edge of its seat with baited breath a good 3/4 of the dramatic run time. Far too many scenes to count where I had to stand up while watching.
Despite all the galvanising tension there are many exquisite romantic, emotional scenes between these finance prodigy and banking genius, as well as regular points of levity. This post on AO3, where ShenLai have their own tag, is a good representation of how outrageously blatant Xiansheng’s affection for his Lai Lai is, including to the characters in the drama.
Link to original work here:
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
War of Faith won several prestigious awards and critical as well as quantitative accolades for its splendid dramatic showcase.
An array of ass-kicking, revolutionary women are also a joy and an inspiration to watch and to root for along with women who dared to love in extremely turbulent times.
Also, as is becoming the tradition of every magnificent queer coded Chinese Drama, the creators have compiled a luxurious two-hour video of all the best Shen TuNan and Wei RuoLai scenes to the delight of ShenLai shippers.
If you need a complex, sophisticated, adult, action drama to form your next shipping obsession over War of Faith is on IQIYI and on YT.