I think that because we as international fans, didn't feel the language or accent problems, but over all, it's such an interesting and amazing drama, in the matter of acting too, I think both the CP and the supporting roles are just amazing in delivering what they want, and the friendship between them is just amazing and going forward to better! Zhang Ping in the novel was actually how I saw him the drama, he talks too little and doesn't know how to deliver all his feeling right but he is super clever but not too wise, the drama is interesting and the cinematography is wonderful can't watch it with another actors , they just fit in! Also this is only my opinion! The only disadvantage that it's only 30 episodes!
I also agree. I have to read subtitles so the line delivery doesn’t bother me. The sets and costumes are fabulous, and the fantasy-type elements are well executed. I love mystery/suspense dramas and this one has amazing visuals, so I’m liking it a lot so far. I think it seems more unique and beautiful to me as an American than it might to someone who watches many, many C-dramas like this reviewer.
I've watched the first 13 episodes in one go and as an international viewer I also agree. Are the storylines always believable? No. That thing out of massive metal flying away like nothing? Yeah... that defies probably physics and mathematics. But I do like the set and the costumes are - compared to other dramas - believeable as day to day wear, even if they seem extremely clean. But compared to other TV shows I've seen, they are well made. I treat this more as fantasy with few historical elements, so unplausibilities don't bother me much and the language... as I'm far from fluent, it doesn't bother me at all. But I can see how a native speaker might have problems with it. I imagine it would be if you were to listen to the most hardcore dialect of you own country. So that can be taxing. Romance wise, I don't se much between the two mc's. But Mowen... yeah, this boy does have feelings for his BFF. At least that's what I see. Zhang Ping reminds me of the main character from C.S. Poe's Memento Mori Series. Although Larkin is much much higher on that spectrum, you can see parallels, which is probably why Zhang Ping's behavior doesn't bother me at all. I assume it is kind of a compulsion for him to get to the truth. He just has to finish that thought, sentence or whatever. How he walks in clothes, sits/behaves in company or comes across to other people is probably not even on his mind. I like it, honestly.
this is actually one of the dramas that contain a good story, acting and emotions.. it's up to ones liking..but yeah since it's your opinion we should appreciate yours too... we can see evryone is liking this drama
I think Weilong did a great job portraying Zhang Ping ! Zhang Ping IS an Awkward character. He doesn’t have much friends, he doesn’t really care about anything that’s around him. As we've already seen, only investigative cases and mysteries would get Zhang Ping's attention. The "Zhang Ping" (noodle maker) who use to knead the dough like it's some chore , and the "Zhang Ping" (Detective noodles) who suddenly became all active and bright when he finally got to follow his passion, which was to solve cases ......loved how Weilong portrayed that contrast ❤ It was very Natural !
This is actually my favorite drama airing right now! I think the cases are very intriguing and the chemistry between the leads can easily lends itself towards bl or bromance.
Sorry, can't agree with you. Jing acted well and initially i thought Song was like a dead wood in the drama, but after a fww episodes, realised he portraited the character well. The drama is getting interesting after the first 10 episodes, and i am eagerly waiting for the release of the rest.
I have been following your video and generally agree with your reviews except for this one. I am up to episode 19 and my family are hooked! The cases are interesting and minor and major character arcs are not stereotypical. Really not distracted whether it is an aborted BL drama because the relationship between the leads work too as 生死之交. As for SWL, I just consider his role as autistic, kinda "Rainman" - esque. Give it another shot, we are really enjoying it and looking forward to the last batch of 9 episodes next Mon!
I just watched the first episode because I was trying to finish two other dramas, including The Blood of Youth, where the plot is getting more complicated towards the end. I agree, SWL seems to be playing an autistic savant character, somewhat like Wang Yibo's character in "Luoyang." I may still check out this drama but "Three Body Problem" is up next for me.
AVX was talking about SWL's acting skills or rather lack of. Not about whether his character is a savant or not. I totally agree with AVX. I have watched 2 episodes and SWL is the main irritating factor so far. Even if his character is savant, which it is not, he is also not pulling it off.
@@PChan-yt4uf I have to disagree. I think he is doing a very decent job. His character shows development as one watches on, as if you grow with him. His actions and reactions are largely consistent, yet one can tell that there are differences when he is back in his hometown in episode 15. The facial expressions became gentler and somewhat more relaxed, as he was back in familiar surroundings. The good thing about SWL is that he always act as if he is the character himself, not just acting out the character's actions. He never over acts. If you prefer the more exaggerated style that is so typical of many Chinese actors, certainly you wouldn't like his style, but I find his style more natural.
I am an international fan, so have no understanding on the sophistication of Mandarin language. However, I really liked the drama and looking forward every Monday for the next 10 episodes. The chemistry between all the actors are fantastic. Really have no negative commends. Jing Boran’s voice is just heaven. I really enjoyed the drama so disagree to your commend.
This drama is absolutely amazing, and I binge watched the episodes as soon as they aired. I loved Song Wei Long in this role. Both leads did an excellent job.
Personally I felt that Son Weilong's chara prob has attributes of autism which makes his character all the more interesting if ppl were more aware of what high functioning autism can be like. So his protrayal of his character is realistic. In the end each to their own. Im def part of team love this drama cuz it has deeper notes that ppl miss easily if it isnt ur cup of tea.
For some reason I love this drama. I find the story interesting especially the cases they’re trying to solve. I like the main characters especially Song Weilong. His acting is great, it fits the bill. JBR is great also. SWL’s other dramas of the same year are great and have good ratings on Viki. This drama for example is rated 9.4 currently at episode 14 on Viki.
Really? I find it so lovely because it is so subtle and not bland at all. I got tired of over the top acting, and this style reminds me of Dream of Splendour. ❤️
I actually really enjoy this drama 😊 It is well developed and the characters acting were on point. The camera work and production are amazing. It really deserves more praise and attention.
I'm going to have to disagree with some of your points here. I don't think Song Weilong is necessarily terrible with his line delivery and portrayal of Zhang Ping. It's pretty clear to me that his character is possibly neurodivergent and able to perceive things in a different way than others. In later episodes, he becomes more animated, especially whenever Lan Jue is in danger and his relationship with Lan Jue grows to the point where their relationship is transforming into something deeper than friendship or brotherhood. I know a lot of the episodes were cut to navigate around the BL ban, but the undercurrents are definitely still present.
Are you guys Chinese though? If you are not Chinese, you probably cannot get why we say he looks out of place, his mannerisms, posture etc, just not very period, it's too modern and out of place. There have been similar characters in past shows, but they still look in place of the setting. You kind of do need the cultural background knowledge to get it. This is a lot of our problem with modern period dramas, the characters look and act way too modern, it's very strange.
@@flysmask But isn't this drama top of the viewing charts in China right now? I assume Chinese audiences have the cultural background but are clearly enjoying the show.
As an international fans i really enjoyed it after watch 20 episodes! I think the cases isn't really boring, i got the hype and curious what happened to the end. The story is fast paced, and zhang ping x lan jue chemistry is building up after episode 11, they more loveable as main CP. I can potray if this a real BL, they will ended up pretty good together 😳 but still i agree mowen and pheizi sells more as a main CP lmao
I don't agree with much in this review. Since I only get what's going on from subtitles, I really don't care about their lack of skill in accurate Mandarin delivery. I do object to all the editing that must have gone on. Have watched 20 episodes and am looking forward to the next 9 to come. Very much like the look of the drama, the music/soundscape, the handsome actors, the interesting cases, yes, even the mystery surrounding his expertise in use of the water bowl. From reading the other comments, it looks like only a few fans are as critical of the drama as you are.
I disagree with you. I am actually enjoying this drama. It’s not perfect but it’s way better than a lot of dramas I have watched. I like both male leads and other supporting roles. Story is interesting and production quality is good .They didn’t do promotion because of the BL censorship.
the novel that the drama was based off is not even BL in the first place. if this drama was really BL, it wouldn't of even aired. the author of the novel itself stated that it was just a novel that was not BL.
To preface, I'm not a huge Song Weilong fan. But I take issue with him not doing a good job portraying his character adequately. Right from the start I thought to myself "Oh, this guy is high-functioning austistic", or Asperger's, if you will. This would explain the speech, walk, thought processes, doggedness and attention to detail. Not having read the web novel I don't know what kind of description is given to his character, but it would be interesting to know if he's written this way rather than attribute it to a lack of acting or direction. I have a little bit of insight into this as I'm an actor and director and also married to a high-functioning, brilliant Asperger's man. Just food for thought when passing judgements.
Oh I'm autistic, also a hobby stage actor so now I get super curious about this drama. I think a ton of cdrama characters could be described as autistic. Even the "innocent female lead" trope is very very similar to autistic thoughtminds in its essence
@@klaraelisabeth It was clear to me that SWL's character is neurodivergent! His actions and personality in the drama are so consistent, they are obviously intentional characterizations.
@@klaraelisabeth i’m not comfortable with bl too and for me, i don’t get any bl vibes in this one. No long staring at each other, unnecessary skin touch etc. Their relationship just like sherlock and watson. Give it a try.
@@gameone5522 Oh, I'm not uncomfortable with BL, it's not just my type of genre :) Historical isn't my type of genre either. There's usually too much blood and torture in historical dramas for my taste. I'm sensitive to violence, but not to "sexual content" of any sort (autistics and neurodiverse oftentimes are diverse in more than one way :D). The latter would make me watch anything :D But BL just just kinda pointless for me :D But thanks for the help, I really appreciate it :)
It's good. It's fascinating. I haven't seen anything like it in a long time. The Water Illusion is hypnotism with a mysterious twist. The plot, cinematography, costume, acting, appearance are very good, which I personally think is very rare.
As someone who doesn't understand Chinese, I think this drama is a fun thing to watch. I agree with Song Weilong's acting because he is kinda stiff for me. But the other ML and his friend did such a great job. I have watched numerous dramas which does not make any senses getting hyped because they portrayed the characters beautifully. The worst thing for me was chopping down scenes, that was a nope from me. Overall I have to say, this drama is worth watching but don't expect too much CP type vibes (Ex: Word of Honour) from it. You won't get that. But if you are an avid BL fan like me then go, give this one a watch. Can't compare this with Under the skin, but won't deny that it's a good one.
I agree with you... There is really no CP vibes between the leads, I even feel like Jing Boran and his friend look way better... As for Under the skin, from the very beginning I can feel the CP, the height difference is too cute
I really didn't expect to see intimate scenes like in word of honor, and I'm glad it doesn't have any like that. otherwise the rest of the dangais might have to keep eating dust in dungeons for another eternity. 10c is probably testing the waters with ALON 🥹🥹
That's probably because the character is meant to be stiff. He's a blockhead with an expressionless face. That's the character description. All the adorable bits of the character were actually injected by the actor to make the character more lively and it wasn't overdone, which is good.
There were so many shots in this show that I went back and rewatched multiple times because they were so beautiful -- that was the main reason I loved this show.
I loved the drama and absolutely did not have any trouble with the Mandarin as I even used it for shadowing to improve my pronunciation as a non-native
I watched this because I happened to stumble to one of their FMVs made for bromance. I don't really know the 2 main leads of this drama but they actually has a very good chemistry, prolly because how their story was written. Contrary to her review, I really enjoyed this drama. It wasn't rushed nor slow paced, just enough to enjoy the journey of the 2 main leads.
Agree with ur comment enjoyed the series very much I rate it second best with princess agent first judging that I have been watching Chinese dramaland only on English Love bo ran and weilong acting 2 thumbs up
@chorika7670 I used to watch her a lot but then started to notice that sometimes her reviews are based on whether she likes the actors or actresses. This is what most Netizen or Cdrama fans do and gives a good drama bad review due to the actors. Not trying to say if you don't like the drama your opinion doesn't matter. But it needs to be on if the drama was well directed the writing/story, and the actors' acting abilities not on personal feelings or if the leads are handsome or beautiful. This is why we have a lot of popular actors in Cdrama who get drama back to back and can't act but the good actors are struggling because they are not popular or people don't like them. Giving extra points to the drama because you like the actors or they are pretty, beautiful, and handsome is a bonus and should come last in drama reviews.
i normally don't watch chinese dramas as I have to pause every second for the subtitle (the subtitle goes away too fast). but I don't mind doing that for this drama because it's so good. i like that it's not dubbed and the acting is good. dialogue delivery sounds fine to me as well. it's an overall well made drama. i wish it wasn't censored though.
This drama was on another level of perfection ... everything was amazing in this drama, the actors, the music, the plots and the story .. everything was very well written and amazing...the op and ed are very elegant and surreal ...the ecg was well done...the transition of the scene was extraordinary
I think the actors did great with delivery, but I'm an international fan so accents don't bother me. Dubbing always bothered me, because it's usually the same voices over and over again and I often don't feel the emotional connection. I'm interested in learning if there is a huge difference in the "modern chinese language" vs what is used in "period drama". I also wonder what you meant with "speak proper mandarin". As for the plot, I think it's a great and interesting plot without too much unnecessary drama. The cases are interesting and I think Son Weilong did great. I imagine him as neurodivergent and the emotions for him are all in his eyes. The way his character reacts to certain things is always very consistent. It's interesting to see that international fans seem much more positive about this piece.
I was anxiously waiting for this drama. A pity they have dropped the BL element - the two ML are so shippable. I like the costumes, the acting and the imagery.
The drama is so good i honestly liked it so much am still on episode 25 but I really enjoyed it from the start!! it's worth watching it got me invested from the start the relief i felt after the truth was finally discovered and the so not expected plot!!! this drama deserves more recognition it's absolutely amazing and the cast as well they did an amazing job playing their characters
I am ashamed to have discreetly donated (I had told her not to list my name on her generic). I wrote a comment on this video. I am extremely extremely disappointed in her.
Well when watching subtitles doesn't matter chinese pronunciation. I think their acting fits. I think poignant pauses are part of BL. It's BL and got released. We know it has been edited to death. But it got released. That alone is significant.
I was waiting for this one from you! I tend to agree so far, but I think I'll still watch since your reasonings are easier for non-native speakers to ignore... but I also agree with the cases being boring and the water thing - while a beautiful way of doing it - completely taking away from the mystery solving. And maaaaaaan the bl ban. Like, man. That's all I can say. I'm sad that's where we're at but it's not my place to criticize another country's decision except that I feel bad for the lgbt+ community living in a place that won't even let media go out more than anything. :(
@@kristenb3240 No, usually Cdramas are dubbed by professional voice actors. This is because the actors have accent or because of the background noises on the set. But i noticed that lately they try to use the real voice of the actors. I prefer the real voice of the actor in a show, it has a more realistic feeling, dubbing sometimes can be annoying , especially when the voice doesn't match the face, or the mouth moves differently.
I will avoid your reviews in future thelike the plague. This is a great drama and beautiful. I enjoyed it start to finish and the creativity in making this was amazing. Pearls before swine.
The rating seems off but I guess it’s ok since enjoyment is subjective? The quality of this drama is a bit too good to be compared to some of the dramas who got the same rating; But again it’s all subjective
It's a good drama.. easygoing and absorbing at the same time. It does not have the bl vibe, thankfully. Do all dramas have to have a romance angle to it. You get that in 99% of the case...and you still rant about them!
well if the novels they are adapting into films is mostly bl then of it's gonna have a romantic angle genius! goodness where do you think they're getting these bromance dramas from?
I actually agree with all of your points. Still, as a foreign fan, I didn't catch on certain things mentioned (like line delivery, other than noticing that Jing Boran seemed to be putting a lot of effort into articulating every word). I think the CP between Wang Yan and Lan Jue was sizzling hot (especially in Ep 15-20), and anything meant to be CP between Zhang Ping and Lan Jue is either just not working or was edited too badly to notice. I like Jing Bo Ran's acting, even with the sometimes strange mouth articulations. His emotional moments in 15-20 were really great too. Again, he and Hong Yao served with the (unintended?) CP. I also think it's strange that a man can get stabbed to death on camera in this drama, but they would edit out Lan Jue bandaging Zhang Ping's arm. Ridiculous.
I randomly came across this show on Viki and gave it a watch. I was astounded by how good it was. I was instantly hooked and I was completely invested with the characters and the story. I love a lot of C dramas, but none I would say are "perfect" on multiple levels. That is not the case for "League of Nobleman". The crew and cast put their heart and soul into this, and it really shows. This is not just a work of art, but it's a work of passion. They got you to care because they cared. This show MATTERS. Aside from "The Dark Lord" (my #1 C drama), this show really resonates with me on a very deep level because of how they portrayed the deep friendships and brotherhood that went through very difficult trials. What stood out to me first was, of course, the intro. It doesn't have a cliche pop song, nor does it have stupid images of the cast. No, we have eerie images of things we see throughout the show, showing the tone right away as being dark. The music accentuates this, and it's incredible. Only 2 other C-dramas have an intro that I don't skip: "Legend of Awakening" (the song and animation put together is just so good!) and "Novoland: Eagle Flag" (so EPIC!!). Now there are 3 on this list!
mmm... I've watched 5 eps so far, and quite like it. Yes, it's not the best, top quality drama, but it's very watchable and entertaining. I mean, Strange tales of Tang dynasty started well, but got a bit bogged down later, and i lost interest. Song Wei Long was really lovely in Find Yourself. i found that, for ex. when Xu kai , loved by many, was in Yanxi Palace, well that was pretty wooden acting. Song Wei Long has better expressions, and I like Jin Boran too.
To each his own…I most of the times agree with Av X , but lately I had huge disagreements about some dramas.First it is about Meet yourself, the most fake, cliché and annoying drama ever, without being unfair to anyone.Than Blood of youth is the best drama of this year, so far….And I like very much A league of nobleman , by the way .To pick on Song Wei Long and Zhang Yi and to give a free pass to Esther Yu?Pleease…
Exactly! I've seen a clip of her praising Esther Yu for her "clear diction" but dissed Wang Hedi for his accent and also she said that if it wasn't for all the music, CGI, working on the script at that level and also a good director, then Wang Hedi's performance will not be there, and that she said that if there was no director then he's not at that level of carrying the show by itself at all. (I remember saying 100%. I've watched parts of the livestream but I don't wanna watch the full thing because these clips were pretty hard to watch). Tbh these points faultlessly describe Esther Yu, but she didn't call her out for them. They're also plain stupid, for 1. There would be no drama or movie without a director. Ultimately it's the director's work, 2. Didi made a lot of improvisations when he played Xiao Lanhua in Dongfang Qingcang's body, as well as in the movie, Look Up and See Joy, he made an improvisation when basically something out of script happened, and his comedic affect, according to the director, was stronger than in the script (twitter.com/XuKai_Soso0305/status/1621723820938924033?t=x1a_vCiKSjBFx_7ZX2ZJ9w&s=09) 3. If Wang Hedi's was "not at that level at all", then he wouldn't have massively improved in his acting, 4. If it wasn't for the criticisms he faced for Miss the Dragon, then he woundn't have strived to improve his acting (well, imo his acting wasn't bad at all. Infact it was his character who was bland. Plus he actually got trolled because there was some amount of scheming). And also looking down on someone for their accents is not just cruel and disrespectful, but it is just plain stupid. For I come from a country which is even more diverse than China with so many languages and ethnicities, I believe that diversity should be celebrated instead of ridiculed. I guess she was bringing Wang Hedi down to uplift Yu Shuxin, since the former became the centre of attention with such a complex character.
As an international viewer, I am ignorant of these subtleties. My apologies. However, the story and writing are a fresh experience. Not expecting a BL but just got tired of confusing love entanglement like Unchained Love. So a detective story of CSI style is fine for me 😍 As for the acting abilities of the ML, I suppose because it's the story of a green and idealistic newbie.
It's surprising how I don't agree to this (have seen most of u disagree too) . This time it's different. Maybe cuz we are int. fan so line delivery doesn't matter to us? For her it might be unsetteling bt clearly it isn't with me. Even if she pinpoints I have no prblm with it. Contrary I'm actually enjoying the drama more than I thought. I have nt read the novel so have no idea. I thought that's how SWL was supposed to act? Like a nerd? A bit reluctant bt stubborn??? I was convinced it was his chracter which demanded him to be like that. And JBR I'm also loving him. The "TING" thing isn't it Hypothesis? Well I took it as fanatsy so I'm okay to ignore it. It isn't that problamatic as she saying , I never felt it. Maybe I never had high expectations . Absolutely no complain from my side . Loving it actually!
Song Weilong is the best actor. I would like to see more of him in Martial Arts drama. He had done excellent with Untouchable Lovers drama. The drama had a lot of meaning apply to today living such as Law is law, political compromised, and economics survival in the nation. Nevertheless, romantic scene was not too dramatic which suited for the whole family. Thank you for bringing Chinese entertainment drama to TH-cam.
I also loved him in Untouchable Lovers, and to think that he was only 17 when he filmed it. If you like to see him in action, do watch out for his upcoming dramas, Everlasting Longing, Seven Strips of Love and Thousand Fragrances (tentative names for the latter 2). All of them involve lots of action.
@@shuun2981 Thank you for keeping me posted. I just finished watching The Bionic Life story. SWL had done excellent in the drama again. He brought enlightenment, education and consciousness to viewers. His character fitted so well with actress. Now, I know why the fans adore him so much. Thank you to the writers and producers as well to keep Chinese entertainment come to spotlight.
@@katM-jd2il The Bionic Life is another excellent drama, only to be ruined by censorship. I heard the original uncensored version was much better. It's nevertheless still good. All the actors and actresses did a great job.
@@shuun2981 I believe nothing can hide from the truth, rather educate and enlightenment will help people to know what is real and unrealistic. Yes, the story was excellent even though.....
@@shuun2981 XuKai is another actor that every successful and Fame with Chinese Entertainment, am I wrong?. I like his character when he acts in Untouchable Lovers. However, I don't watch any of his drama yet. Have a wonderful day and thank you for encouragement.
Glad I wasn’t privy to all that info. I watched it because it looked interesting and I loved it. Not every c-drama is perfect anyway. All the leads were good looking which is something I always look for, there wasn’t women scheming and backstabbing, and it was only 29 episodes. I’m glad it wasn’t a BL, bromance. There are a lot of them out there and this show didn’t need it. I fell in love with B. Jing.
Actually the drama is not bland. Perhaps it aired at a time of 3 body and Blood of Youth and other exciting dramas! Secondly, it may appear to be merely a slow, no-thrill crime solving series, with a few good-looking guys in league together. But beneath the apparent sedate surface, their fates are tightly intertwined from a dark conspiracy that took place in the past. There is in fact a sinister plot that is kept concealed at the very bottom! Song Wei Long, with his awkward gait and line delivery actually perfectly embodies the character of a child survivor from a very ghastly past. Nevertheless, plot has holes & last few episodes are not up to par.
The abrupt ending is probably because of the heavy censorship. Important dialogues explaining the leads' decision were totally omitted, which is a real pity.
Putting aside the fact that this was supposed to be a BL adaptation series, I actually really liked the plot. I've watched quite a number of CN series which had genius detective MLs, but i found most of them too over-the-top tbh. With this one tho i haven't read the novel yet, but as the story moved along, I understood how the characters were being portrayed. So I'd say even tho some of the series i watched had similar concept, i felt like here they didn't just focus on Zhang Ping's ability to deduct crimes, but also his vulnerabilities and weakness. He's gifted. A genius, but not perfect. There was a whole character development in the story, and i like how they showed it in the series. For me, SWL did a great job in portraying his character. Of course same with his co-stars as well. One thing I was kind of upset about tho was that it was just 29 eps. So some of the scenes in the latter episodes felt a bit rushed and there were weird parts where they put the timeskips. They could've pushed for one more episode just so it didn't feel rushed as it neared the ending.. Well with all that said, i still think i couldn't ask for a more satisfying way to end the series.
To me the biggest maidian is the aesthetics of subtlety, (relatively more) authenticity and liubai (leaving negative space). Unlike the majority of production that utilises double-camera work, it's obvious that the single-camera work in LON enabled amazing lighting to be done with depths, light & shade, freedom in camera angle (random low-camera angle is a crime!! YES it ruins WOH, one of my favs). Big shout out to the atmospheric and realistic lighting! Also, I seldom see C period dramas with authentic-enough-looking streets/ shops that do not invoke the feeling of being in a period video game. Big shout out to the sentiments subtlely expressed via minimalistic lines, acting and BGM! This drama has one of the best BGMs -- it celebrates not only the minimalistically exquisite aesthetic of the traditional elites (i.e. Master Lan), but also the simple joy and beauty of an ordinary life led by a community of commoners, be that in the city or the countryside. The song played in the last episode resembles some of the sounds of contemproary Chinese folk music scene. Anyone? I do agree with the detective plots not being designed thoughtful and compelling enough. Another big turnoff for me is the trope of avenging for parental reasons. If it had altered motivation (and theme) of characters to something less "grand", perhaps it would suit its down-to-earth and traditional Chinese aesthetic of subtlety better.
Gosh, I actually enjoyed this drama! It's fast and the cases being solved are so interesting. Best of all, it's not time consuming like other Chinese dramas which I hardly watch except for Nirvana in Fire. This drama is pretty good!
I was soooo excited for this one. I couldn't agree more with you. Tbh, the whole SWL problem doesn't reach me at all cause I'm from Brazil and can't really understand mandarim so... but the case solving part I just can't buy it. No way. The way that they find the clues and put it together it's so artificial. It doesn't even make sense! It would be better if we could see during the crime scene some hints too, because that way it wouldn't look like the scripwriters just forced some weird solution on us. The whole serial killer crime was too much stupid and forced to me. And it would be fine if the CP could distract me from the plot itself, but they left only some cute glances that JBR character gives to SWL to hold onto.
Now I understand what your previous hints were about regarding this drama. I get it. I agree with everything you said… although I still give credit to them having a little more chemistry than expected. Even though we can tell the BL scenes have probably been cut, there is an interesting dynamic between them and I still enjoy it. But between the two of them, Jing Boran is the stronger lead in the acting department. And though Song Weilong is struggling with his diction, as a non-native speaker my ears couldn’t catch it. Ignorance is bliss in my case. I applaud them for using their real voices though and taking on that challenge. I think my eyes stay for them and their chemistry and the cinematography. It’s not perfect at all! But I’ve enjoyed the truncated and flawed 20 episodes so far. 😆👏 Thanks for another thoughtful review. 🙏❤️ Hopefully someday we can all review a proper, full BL drama again in the future. 💯🙏🌹
I can't agree with AvenueX this time, after meet yourself and blood of youth drama i couldn't find a drama to watch until i found this drama. And i think this drama still enjoyable after the 2 drama i mentioned before
I am looking forward to your evaluation about "Da Ming Under Microscope". The plot of the series is not about love and not about fantastic adventures, this will make it difficult for most typical viewers of Asian dramas who are accustomed to beautiful faces and trivial plots to understand. But for connoisseurs of historical series, this drama is a real treasure. The narrative is built around a historical event when an ordinary land surveyor revealed inaccuracies in land accounting and tax fraud in his province, which caused a scandal in the circles of local officials. The case gradually became known throughout the country and led to a revision of the tax system in the Ming Empire. At first glance, the plot is about the hook-making in the accounting department of that time, but everything is not as boring as it seems, believe me. The story is furnished with a great deal of humor and played by great actors. I would classify the series as a "situation comedy" and "social satire" genres, which also include the Russian classics from Gogol - "The Inspector" and "Dead Souls". In European classical literature and in the theatrical genre, Moliere and Dickens wrote this way.
Ok. You are totally wrong on this one. A beautiful drama! Great story, super acting, gorgeous art and lighting, and the BL element comes through even past the censors. The poignant pauses are indicative of caring and passion that is deliberately understated. Works beautifully but maybe one has to understand that. And a GREAT ending. I think the best ending I have ever seen. And that is my biggest gripe about Chinese dramas. The story is interesting and unique. Yes. It is edited. I love they ended on ep. 29. It proves that. You are missing a lot on this one.
Not all drama has to be BL or CP. Thank the goddess! Otherwise our lives would be crushingly hip. And it's a mistake to call the intriguing simply bland because it doesn't compare to the more sensational of various genres, like detective stories with complicated plots or exquisitely fashioned period dramas. I think this drama integrates several drama styles and does a good job of it - as you point out it is part mystery, part detective, part supernatural, part period drama, but in a gentler key than many of the more sensational and clearly defined dramas. There are a lot of cliché series in dramaland, this isn't one of them, really. Great dance scenes for a change; if you want to talk about bland, most dance in dramaland is embarrassingly so. And the production team needs kudos for those amazing looking kittens they found - white and light blue-eyed - that look like they dropped in from another dimension. I enjoyed it.
I really liked this drama. I found it thoroughly engaging and looked forward to watching it every night. I thought the CP was wonderful I felt their chemistry despite all the cuts. And yes the actual detective story side of it was a bit clumsy, but it was still wonderful
I have to agree with you on SWL's "wood" acting and the CP things between the two ML didn't work for me either. I prefer JBR with HY better than SWL. But I am still following this drama because of JBR and other supporting actors.
I simply love the plot and cases in this drama. And yes, even if this isn't a BL, I didn't tend to see the chemistry overflowing here. Booo to Chinese cutting and cutting, ahh😵 At least make it like untamed. So because of cutting, the leads chemistry in this Drama is lacking but the cases has me curious that's why I like it at least. I'm just hoping Other Dramas get released, like winner is king etc.
I can't really agree with you here I think this drama is quite good. I don't mind about language as I'm international fan. This drama was honestly one of the best cdramas I've seen in terms of acting, scenes and effects, it wasn't overboard and it was quite good. I even bingewatched it and I plan to read the novel as I'm interested in how different it might be from the drama. It's an adaptation so I don't mind changes in the story as it's like reading two stories basically. ~
I really have to disagree with your review and I'm glad others are too. It might be because I'm watching with English subtitles but I don't think the 2 male leads acting are that terrible and bland. I believe Zhang Ping was played accurately based on the character that he was, smart but antisocial, maybe a bit autistic like other comments suggest. The way Song Wei Long walks and acts is consistent with his character's personality so I didn't feel like it was bad acting.... Also, I feel like the cases hooked me in from episode 1 which is really rare for someone like me who has a really hard time looking for cdramas that I can keep watching till the end
i will STRONGLY disagree with you. me being chinese, i think song weilong portrayed his character very well as zhang ping. people just need to understand zhang ping as a character and how song weilong did a good job of showing how zhang ping is a person that is hard to show feelings, is very straight forward, and only talks when he wants to. this drama has a good and well structured plot unlike some dramas which is about some weak lovey dovey story, seen from other dramas with song weilong and others with jing boran. i think this drama is great, because with lovey dovery stuff, this drama is meant to be focused on the detective side and is NOT BL. the author said themselves that it is not BL but many get the misconception that it is. not every drama that stars two male leads is BL. i would disagree with the cases not being interesting. the cases are not cliche and boring, and it is interesting how everything pieces together. with a lot of twists and interesting clues, it makes the cases engaging, well for me it is. also, zhang ping just "dinging a bowl" was a very important part to the plot. it was not there to get answers, but it was to get clues to lead to the answers. this was shown when zhang ping looked into lan jue's mind. he did not get answers, but got clues and built on from that. and the main focus of his bowl is not to just 'ding' it and get all the answers. it was to show the past, his mysterious origin, his relationship between him and mr jinghu, and to show the troubles of his unknown childhood. it was not there to 'ding' it. also, i do not see what you mean when there were scenes cut out. i only know one part that was cut out, but that was because i really analysed the scene (where lan jue bandaged zhang ping). but by all means, this was not meant to be a BL drama, so the extra scene being cut out did not contribute to this drama being not so good. and also about wang yan and lan jue just going together because they had more moments then the main. i will agree with you on that, but it doesnt add to this drama not being so good. saying it again, this drama is not meant to BL, and of course wang yan and lan jue would have more moments, they have been friends for ages, what did anyone expect? zhang ping and lan jue didnt have much moments together because it was not even meant to be a BL. not every drama has the two main leads in a relationship can how can some not speak properly? 'iF yOu cAn'T dO iT prOpeRlY, mAyBe dUbBinG wOuLd bE a BeTtEr cHoiCe' maybe then dubbing isnt the better choice because they said their lines, i dont understand how someone cant say lines properly (coming from a chinese). and just because this drama stars song weilong, doesnt mean people can just compare it to a completely unrelated drama about some random love story that is totally different to this drama. find yourself is literally about a girl finding love (very cheesy) while a league of nobleman is about a whole detective story. also, even though chinese dramas are long, its usual for each episode to only have 30 minutes per episode. i know a chinese drama that has 20 minutes per episode, 10 minutes per episode, and even sometimes 3 minutes per episodes. so what difference does it make? and just because the drama got scenes taken out that werent even supposed to be there in the first place, it does not change the interesting plot in any way, it just took away the 'romantic' side of things even though it wasnt even supposed to be there in the first place. it doesnt change the plot and doesnt degrade the value of the drama. many people around the world love this drama and majority of the comments in this video say its a good drama. that was fun to write LMAO
Thank you, I could not agree more with your review! Bland acting, recycled plot and a certain very palpable general lack of rhythm (probably due to all the cutting) made this drama unwatchable for me. Yes, Song Wei Long is very handsome, and his beauty had carried me through a very sizable part of Untouchable Lovers, but here he is just a lump of clay. However, your remarks concerning the line delivery left me stunned. How can an actor work in such serious productions and be so lacking in what is fundamental to the profession? Maybe it's a technical problem? The sound capture is at fault?
I just finished watching 20 episodes of the drama and AvenueX's first impression videos comes right on time. Good: This drama is watchable. The crime stories are interesting. Actors are good (except some). I find the color grading quite suitable to my preference. Title songs (rather music) are interesting. Starting title music almost gives a horror theme drama vibe. Not so good: SWL's acting and ZhangPing's character both are really annoying. The episodes are too short. Its like they turned a 20episode x 45 min drama into a 29ep x 30min one. Also they go over the back story over and over, like asking a 5 year old child to memorise a poem... Father was framed, one person did this, one per done that, this person could be suspicious.... over and over and over... Its really annoying. 🤦♀ Currently I would give this drama 1.25GM (75%) on AvenueX scale. Still 9 episodes to go 🤞...
I have to disagree. I loved the drama overall! The cases and procedures were very interesting, just saying. And, honestly, I loved that Zhang Ping is played as neurodivergent and with great accuracy. So yeah, no, I'd rewatch this show anytime!
Gonna watch the drama then I will come back to give my comment but all in all I don't judge anyone I know it's hard sometimes to bring everything perfect. It better to enjoy what we see
Maybe try to stick to it for some more ep?? I don't know personally I'm quite hooked and I've seen around than I'm not alone on this lol and maybe it's because I'm starved from some kind of bromance/bl content from china but I do love the dynamic between Lan Jue and Zhang Ping, very much TT- *tho I agree with the acting that may be lacking 😌*
This is the first time watching your review that I have had to disagree you . He doesn't come over as wooden really as he's playing a character who is clearly not normal or socially adequate, so it comes over to me as a sincere understanding of the role he is playing. And as I'm foreign I can't comment on the dialect problem But coincidently while watching the series the sound of the language made me think what a beautiful sounding language chinese is. I have watched many chinese dramas before and never had that thought, inexplicable. I guess it's because you were watching other dramas that suited you better that this one had so little impact on you.
I don't speak Mandarin, so I can't comment on line delivery. I agree that the story feels flat too. But visually, with lighting and people, it's pretty enough to fill my evening.
I do agree with you about swl's acting and even his looks doesn't suit period drama.. But however i loved the world they built so much... The way they made it looks magical even tho it's meant to be "normal" and the exotic feel that they added was amazing... The cases were pretty good and the overall plot is pretty intersting... I watched 20 episode so far and they were good... I understand the CP cutting things but still you can see that they cared about eachother and there was a "thing" between these two... Jang boran looked so beautiful and did a great job acting his role...i actually loved this drama
Wow! I don’t know much Mandarin or other dialects but I could pick out a few times where the words being said by the character Zhang Ping sounded like they were pronounced non-standard. But since my Mandarin knowledge is limited, I just guessed there was some nuance I was missing and shrugged it away. So I was surprised to hear that the actors all dubbed themselves and that you have a hard time understanding him! I’m going to agree with others who defend the actor by saying Zhang Ping appears to be on the autism spectrum. As an autistic person myself, I strongly felt it was coded from the black and white thinking to the lines and their delivery, to the way he stood and walked. Because in addition to the cognitive traits, many of us also have awkward gait and flat baseline expressions. Certainly though, there may be things that feel temporally out of place-but if the time period is fictional couldn’t you argue that anything seeming anachronistic is fine? As you probably know, in the West, many recent dramas that take place in fictional places or periods-even if heavily influenced by a real time period or historical event-will have anachronistic elements such as racially diverse characters, or more modern/accessible dialogue, or costumes made of modern fabrics, or non-contemporary silhouettes, or a modern gesture or greeting. It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I think the genre existing is fine and so can’t be considered a flaw, but rather just not up to an individual’s taste. I think this drama would fall in that category and don’t see anything wrong with more dramas doing this, granted there are still dramas that are based on nonfictional time periods with high historical accuracy. But like, most of the costume dramas I’ve seen have inaccuracies (eg women wearing their hair down or modern fabric choices). Still, always interesting to hear your insight as a Chinese person. I learned a lot about this drama that I didn’t know before.
I totally cannot agree with you. I have no problem understanding SWL's lines, and neither do any of those around me who have watched his dramas.. If we as foreigners can understand, I don't understand how the Chinese can't. It's true that his lines delivery are not the conventional type of line delivery that is so typical of a lot of Chinese dramas, and that's probably why many Chinese do not like it, but I actually prefer his type of line delivery. It sounds much more realistic that the dramatic type of line delivery that often puts me off many Chinese dramas. To mention Wang Hedi is even more ridiculous; Wang uses voice actors.
Yep. This conventional line delivery is the reason why Wang Hedi has to use voice actors. Being a fan of his, I really wish that he breaks the mold and doesn't get restricted to "perfect" Mandarin.
@@eshaleemadgavkar Which is why I always support SWL. Even though he's always criticised for his lines, which I actually kind of like as it sounds very natural and he has a great voice, I still think he should persevere and insist on not using voice actors. Some of his best works are all done in his original voice and it suits the characters perfectly.
I just watched this series last week on Netflix. Today I plugged League into the search engine here to see what was out there. As I scrolled I saw that the series available was around 59. min an episode so of course I wondered. Thank you for telling me.I never would have pegged this as a BL drama though I shipped those two leads in the first episode. I enjoyed the movie visually. But for the character played by Wang Duo, all the characters are not familiar to me so I had no expectations based on previous roles. I LOVED the set design, the lighting, the costumes, and the scenes involving the stage productions. In the first episode I thought the character played by Song Wei Long was neuro divergent and the other characters seemed to support that. I don't get to watch enough Chinese Drama particularly TV shows. I appreciate the suggestions you made and I will be really happy to watch them.
They completely censored the relationship between the two male leads, so it made it look like there is not much chemistry between the two leads. Even the "brotherly" bond between the two leads look forced. Because of this, I do not want any BL drama to come out in 2023 if they're going to chop up the relationship this way and make it boring. I think companies shouldn't feel obligated to release BL projects in fear that the production quality will decrease if they shelf it for too long. I think a good story that flows is more important to get people's interest than an outdated CGI quality. There's been rumour going around that winner is king will be next. I'm genuinely worried for that one now because it's one of the ones i'm really interested in watching. I don't want to see all the important scenes get cut out because of the BL content.
I love the cases and plot so far and the live recording. Line delivery tho, kinda questionable most of the time and I’m not even Chinese lol Totally agrees with the weird hypnosis magical part but it is supposed to play into the plot later When you mentioned how it resembles other dramas, I also thought it kinda feels like Sleuth of Ming Dynasty with the random cooking scenes, at least it’s relevant cuz Zhang Ping’s job is a cook lol
You look charming avenue X in your Hanfu and hairstyle ❤️❤️ Suits you so much Thank you for the review, i've liked the cast and their performance in it maybe because of the cinematography and imagery. Waiting for your opinion about " under the Microscope " the new IQiyi period drama.
Ok now that I’ve finished the entire drama I’ve gotta say that the detective part was not the main plot at all as the cases are linked together for the buildup later. So although I agreed with most of the technical points here, I’d say it’s unfair to assume this is bad. The fact that the plot got edited and chopped off so much doesn’t quite help but if you’re here for sugar, there is still some sugar. And cinematography is quite gorgeous. Although I don’t quite understand random bokeh that looks so fake at times Regardless, understandable first impression vid tho. For anyone who watches this video I’d say go into this with an open mind for anything that can happen. I’m not saying it’s excellent and great plot progression but prepare to be bamboozled lol
as an international audience, I still enjoy this drama so far, I haven't reached half of it yet, let's see what I'll think later. BUT I do agree about the chemistry, jbr has better chemistry with his friend than with swl. I think I can pretend that they're the real "CP" lol
Thank You for you reviews and I understand what you are saying about the language. I don't understand Chinese and so I read the subtitles. And I am loving this show. I think the acting is fine for the type of drama it is.And the interactions are better with every episode. I really like the plot and cinematography. Almost all the characters have made a very positive impression on me. And good characters interaction is really what I care about. I also think some of the music is really beautiful. I love the end theme so much I've learned to play the melody. I just don't agree. I'm truly enjoying this show a lot.
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I think that because we as international fans, didn't feel the language or accent problems, but over all, it's such an interesting and amazing drama, in the matter of acting too, I think both the CP and the supporting roles are just amazing in delivering what they want, and the friendship between them is just amazing and going forward to better! Zhang Ping in the novel was actually how I saw him the drama, he talks too little and doesn't know how to deliver all his feeling right but he is super clever but not too wise, the drama is interesting and the cinematography is wonderful can't watch it with another actors , they just fit in! Also this is only my opinion! The only disadvantage that it's only 30 episodes!
Yes, I speak a bit of Chinese, but I can't tell at all if the actors deliver their lines properly... 😊 They seem OK to me... 😎
I also agree. I have to read subtitles so the line delivery doesn’t bother me. The sets and costumes are fabulous, and the fantasy-type elements are well executed. I love mystery/suspense dramas and this one has amazing visuals, so I’m liking it a lot so far. I think it seems more unique and beautiful to me as an American than it might to someone who watches many, many C-dramas like this reviewer.
Yes! 😘
I've watched the first 13 episodes in one go and as an international viewer I also agree.
Are the storylines always believable? No. That thing out of massive metal flying away like nothing? Yeah... that defies probably physics and mathematics. But I do like the set and the costumes are - compared to other dramas - believeable as day to day wear, even if they seem extremely clean. But compared to other TV shows I've seen, they are well made. I treat this more as fantasy with few historical elements, so unplausibilities don't bother me much and the language... as I'm far from fluent, it doesn't bother me at all. But I can see how a native speaker might have problems with it. I imagine it would be if you were to listen to the most hardcore dialect of you own country. So that can be taxing. Romance wise, I don't se much between the two mc's. But Mowen... yeah, this boy does have feelings for his BFF. At least that's what I see.
Zhang Ping reminds me of the main character from C.S. Poe's Memento Mori Series. Although Larkin is much much higher on that spectrum, you can see parallels, which is probably why Zhang Ping's behavior doesn't bother me at all. I assume it is kind of a compulsion for him to get to the truth. He just has to finish that thought, sentence or whatever. How he walks in clothes, sits/behaves in company or comes across to other people is probably not even on his mind. I like it, honestly.
im chinese but this has to be my favourite drama.
this is actually one of the dramas that contain a good story, acting and emotions.. it's up to ones liking..but yeah since it's your opinion we should appreciate yours too... we can see evryone is liking this drama
I think Weilong did a great job portraying Zhang Ping ! Zhang Ping IS an Awkward character. He doesn’t have much friends, he doesn’t really care about anything that’s around him. As we've already seen, only investigative cases and mysteries would get Zhang Ping's attention. The "Zhang Ping" (noodle maker) who use to knead the dough like it's some chore , and the "Zhang Ping" (Detective noodles) who suddenly became all active and bright when he finally got to follow his passion, which was to solve cases ......loved how Weilong portrayed that contrast ❤ It was very Natural !
yessss i agree
He is like on a spectrum
League of Nobleman for me is one of the best dramas I have ever seen. It didn't have the greatest storyline, but still, I enjoyed it!
This is actually my favorite drama airing right now! I think the cases are very intriguing and the chemistry between the leads can easily lends itself towards bl or bromance.
I really loved the aesthetics of this drama Very *aesthetic* and *artistic*
Sorry, can't agree with you. Jing acted well and initially i thought Song was like a dead wood in the drama, but after a fww episodes, realised he portraited the character well. The drama is getting interesting after the first 10 episodes, and i am eagerly waiting for the release of the rest.
In 7 last episode it become better in term of acting
I have been following your video and generally agree with your reviews except for this one. I am up to episode 19 and my family are hooked! The cases are interesting and minor and major character arcs are not stereotypical. Really not distracted whether it is an aborted BL drama because the relationship between the leads work too as 生死之交. As for SWL, I just consider his role as autistic, kinda "Rainman" - esque. Give it another shot, we are really enjoying it and looking forward to the last batch of 9 episodes next Mon!
I just watched the first episode because I was trying to finish two other dramas, including The Blood of Youth, where the plot is getting more complicated towards the end. I agree, SWL seems to be playing an autistic savant character, somewhat like Wang Yibo's character in "Luoyang." I may still check out this drama but "Three Body Problem" is up next for me.
AVX was talking about SWL's acting skills or rather lack of. Not about whether his character is a savant or not. I totally agree with AVX. I have watched 2 episodes and SWL is the main irritating factor so far. Even if his character is savant, which it is not, he is also not pulling it off.
@@PChan-yt4uf I have to disagree. I think he is doing a very decent job. His character shows development as one watches on, as if you grow with him. His actions and reactions are largely consistent, yet one can tell that there are differences when he is back in his hometown in episode 15. The facial expressions became gentler and somewhat more relaxed, as he was back in familiar surroundings. The good thing about SWL is that he always act as if he is the character himself, not just acting out the character's actions. He never over acts. If you prefer the more exaggerated style that is so typical of many Chinese actors, certainly you wouldn't like his style, but I find his style more natural.
@@PChan-yt4uf it gets much bttr after ep 5
@@maryannrondinella5680 Yibo wasn't playing an autistic character..lol If he came off autistic is his acting 😂
I am an international fan, so have no understanding on the sophistication of Mandarin language. However, I really liked the drama and looking forward every Monday for the next 10 episodes. The chemistry between all the actors are fantastic. Really have no negative commends. Jing Boran’s voice is just heaven. I really enjoyed the drama so disagree to your commend.
This drama is absolutely amazing, and I binge watched the episodes as soon as they aired. I loved Song Wei Long in this role. Both leads did an excellent job.
Personally I felt that Son Weilong's chara prob has attributes of autism which makes his character all the more interesting if ppl were more aware of what high functioning autism can be like. So his protrayal of his character is realistic. In the end each to their own. Im def part of team love this drama cuz it has deeper notes that ppl miss easily if it isnt ur cup of tea.
For some reason I love this drama. I find the story interesting especially the cases they’re trying to solve. I like the main characters especially Song Weilong. His acting is great, it fits the bill. JBR is great also. SWL’s other dramas of the same year are great and have good ratings on Viki. This drama for example is rated 9.4 currently at episode 14 on Viki.
Really? I find it so lovely because it is so subtle and not bland at all. I got tired of over the top acting, and this style reminds me of Dream of Splendour. ❤️
Right
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Same here. Can't stand over the top acting.
I actually really enjoy this drama 😊 It is well developed and the characters acting were on point. The camera work and production are amazing. It really deserves more praise and attention.
I'm going to have to disagree with some of your points here. I don't think Song Weilong is necessarily terrible with his line delivery and portrayal of Zhang Ping. It's pretty clear to me that his character is possibly neurodivergent and able to perceive things in a different way than others. In later episodes, he becomes more animated, especially whenever Lan Jue is in danger and his relationship with Lan Jue grows to the point where their relationship is transforming into something deeper than friendship or brotherhood. I know a lot of the episodes were cut to navigate around the BL ban, but the undercurrents are definitely still present.
It seems clear to me that SWL's character is neurodivergent and I give props to him for embracing the comedic aspect of his role.
Are you guys Chinese though? If you are not Chinese, you probably cannot get why we say he looks out of place, his mannerisms, posture etc, just not very period, it's too modern and out of place. There have been similar characters in past shows, but they still look in place of the setting. You kind of do need the cultural background knowledge to get it. This is a lot of our problem with modern period dramas, the characters look and act way too modern, it's very strange.
@@flysmask But isn't this drama top of the viewing charts in China right now? I assume Chinese audiences have the cultural background but are clearly enjoying the show.
Well said 👏.
Agreed. Other faster moving dramas perhaps kept Avenue X a tad distracted. This is quite a nice under-rated drama
As an international fans i really enjoyed it after watch 20 episodes! I think the cases isn't really boring, i got the hype and curious what happened to the end. The story is fast paced, and zhang ping x lan jue chemistry is building up after episode 11, they more loveable as main CP. I can potray if this a real BL, they will ended up pretty good together 😳 but still i agree mowen and pheizi sells more as a main CP lmao
I don't agree with much in this review. Since I only get what's going on from subtitles, I really don't care about their lack of skill in accurate Mandarin delivery. I do object to all the editing that must have gone on. Have watched 20 episodes and am looking forward to the next 9 to come. Very much like the look of the drama, the music/soundscape, the handsome actors, the interesting cases, yes, even the mystery surrounding his expertise in use of the water bowl. From reading the other comments, it looks like only a few fans are as critical of the drama as you are.
I disagree with you. I am actually enjoying this drama. It’s not perfect but it’s way better than a lot of dramas I have watched. I like both male leads and other supporting roles. Story is interesting and production quality is good .They didn’t do promotion because of the BL censorship.
Right, its better than most dramas I have seen but I expected more from a detective story.
the novel that the drama was based off is not even BL in the first place. if this drama was really BL, it wouldn't of even aired. the author of the novel itself stated that it was just a novel that was not BL.
To preface, I'm not a huge Song Weilong fan. But I take issue with him not doing a good job portraying his character adequately. Right from the start I thought to myself "Oh, this guy is high-functioning austistic", or Asperger's, if you will. This would explain the speech, walk, thought processes, doggedness and attention to detail. Not having read the web novel I don't know what kind of description is given to his character, but it would be interesting to know if he's written this way rather than attribute it to a lack of acting or direction. I have a little bit of insight into this as I'm an actor and director and also married to a high-functioning, brilliant Asperger's man. Just food for thought when passing judgements.
Oh I'm autistic, also a hobby stage actor so now I get super curious about this drama. I think a ton of cdrama characters could be described as autistic. Even the "innocent female lead" trope is very very similar to autistic thoughtminds in its essence
@@klaraelisabeth It was clear to me that SWL's character is neurodivergent! His actions and personality in the drama are so consistent, they are obviously intentional characterizations.
@@disasporadic2338 Thanks! So interesting! I'm not into bl dramas that much, but might at least need to watch clips :)
@@klaraelisabeth i’m not comfortable with bl too and for me, i don’t get any bl vibes in this one. No long staring at each other, unnecessary skin touch etc. Their relationship just like sherlock and watson. Give it a try.
@@gameone5522 Oh, I'm not uncomfortable with BL, it's not just my type of genre :) Historical isn't my type of genre either. There's usually too much blood and torture in historical dramas for my taste. I'm sensitive to violence, but not to "sexual content" of any sort (autistics and neurodiverse oftentimes are diverse in more than one way :D). The latter would make me watch anything :D But BL just just kinda pointless for me :D But thanks for the help, I really appreciate it :)
It's good. It's fascinating. I haven't seen anything like it in a long time. The Water Illusion is hypnotism with a mysterious twist. The plot, cinematography, costume, acting, appearance are very good, which I personally think is very rare.
As someone who doesn't understand Chinese, I think this drama is a fun thing to watch. I agree with Song Weilong's acting because he is kinda stiff for me. But the other ML and his friend did such a great job. I have watched numerous dramas which does not make any senses getting hyped because they portrayed the characters beautifully. The worst thing for me was chopping down scenes, that was a nope from me. Overall I have to say, this drama is worth watching but don't expect too much CP type vibes (Ex: Word of Honour) from it. You won't get that. But if you are an avid BL fan like me then go, give this one a watch. Can't compare this with Under the skin, but won't deny that it's a good one.
I agree with you... There is really no CP vibes between the leads, I even feel like Jing Boran and his friend look way better... As for Under the skin, from the very beginning I can feel the CP, the height difference is too cute
I really didn't expect to see intimate scenes like in word of honor, and I'm glad it doesn't have any like that. otherwise the rest of the dangais might have to keep eating dust in dungeons for another eternity. 10c is probably testing the waters with ALON 🥹🥹
動画投稿ありがとうございます😿
youtubeei.com/watch?v=1tjBsAOJwVE
実際にあの1マスから動物産まれてくる瞬間不思議な感じでした笑
That's probably because the character is meant to be stiff. He's a blockhead with an expressionless face. That's the character description. All the adorable bits of the character were actually injected by the actor to make the character more lively and it wasn't overdone, which is good.
I'm in episode 20 and enjoy it a lot.
There were so many shots in this show that I went back and rewatched multiple times because they were so beautiful -- that was the main reason I loved this show.
I am in love with this drama ❤. League of nobelman is all i am living for at the moment ❤
I loved the drama and absolutely did not have any trouble with the Mandarin as I even used it for shadowing to improve my pronunciation as a non-native
I watched this because I happened to stumble to one of their FMVs made for bromance. I don't really know the 2 main leads of this drama but they actually has a very good chemistry, prolly because how their story was written. Contrary to her review, I really enjoyed this drama. It wasn't rushed nor slow paced, just enough to enjoy the journey of the 2 main leads.
The drama is good. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is not worth seeing.
Agree with ur comment enjoyed the series very much I rate it second best with princess agent first judging that I have been watching Chinese dramaland only on English Love bo ran and weilong acting 2 thumbs up
I agree.
@chorika7670 I used to watch her a lot but then started to notice that sometimes her reviews are based on whether she likes the actors or actresses. This is what most Netizen or Cdrama fans do and gives a good drama bad review due to the actors. Not trying to say if you don't like the drama your opinion doesn't matter. But it needs to be on if the drama was well directed the writing/story, and the actors' acting abilities not on personal feelings or if the leads are handsome or beautiful. This is why we have a lot of popular actors in Cdrama who get drama back to back and can't act but the good actors are struggling because they are not popular or people don't like them. Giving extra points to the drama because you like the actors or they are pretty, beautiful, and handsome is a bonus and should come last in drama reviews.
Has enjoyed this thriller ❤. Congratulations to the casting team especially Song Weilong & Jin Boran . Lovely OST too.
i normally don't watch chinese dramas as I have to pause every second for the subtitle (the subtitle goes away too fast). but I don't mind doing that for this drama because it's so good. i like that it's not dubbed and the acting is good. dialogue delivery sounds fine to me as well. it's an overall well made drama. i wish it wasn't censored though.
This drama was on another level of perfection ... everything was amazing in this drama, the actors, the music, the plots and the story .. everything was very well written and amazing...the op and ed are very elegant and surreal ...the ecg was well done...the transition of the scene was extraordinary
I think the actors did great with delivery, but I'm an international fan so accents don't bother me. Dubbing always bothered me, because it's usually the same voices over and over again and I often don't feel the emotional connection. I'm interested in learning if there is a huge difference in the "modern chinese language" vs what is used in "period drama". I also wonder what you meant with "speak proper mandarin".
As for the plot, I think it's a great and interesting plot without too much unnecessary drama. The cases are interesting and I think Son Weilong did great. I imagine him as neurodivergent and the emotions for him are all in his eyes. The way his character reacts to certain things is always very consistent.
It's interesting to see that international fans seem much more positive about this piece.
Omg icb its jing boran's actual voice??? It sounds so deep whoa im seeing him in new light
I was anxiously waiting for this drama. A pity they have dropped the BL element - the two ML are so shippable. I like the costumes, the acting and the imagery.
Think jbr was shippable with everyone .lol
The drama is so good i
honestly liked it so much am still on episode 25 but I really enjoyed it from the start!! it's worth watching it got me invested from the start the relief i felt after the truth was finally discovered and the so not expected plot!!! this drama deserves more recognition it's absolutely amazing and the cast as well they did an amazing job playing their characters
You are wrong. I Love the drama and think is very good. I never Will Watch your comments Again.
I’ve unsubscribed from her channel a while ago.
I am ashamed to have discreetly donated (I had told her not to list my name on her generic). I wrote a comment on this video. I am extremely extremely disappointed in her.
I am really loving this drama so far ❤️
Well when watching subtitles doesn't matter chinese pronunciation. I think their acting fits. I think poignant pauses are part of BL. It's BL and got released. We know it has been edited to death. But it got released. That alone is significant.
And Tang Dynasty I stalled at ep. 12. This one I am pouring through. The dance scene with smoke was amazing!
I like this drama so much, better than Splendid Dream
I was waiting for this one from you! I tend to agree so far, but I think I'll still watch since your reasonings are easier for non-native speakers to ignore... but I also agree with the cases being boring and the water thing - while a beautiful way of doing it - completely taking away from the mystery solving. And maaaaaaan the bl ban. Like, man. That's all I can say. I'm sad that's where we're at but it's not my place to criticize another country's decision except that I feel bad for the lgbt+ community living in a place that won't even let media go out more than anything. :(
I personally enjoy this drama very much, especially because the actors use their own voices. I like Jing Boran's voice a lot.
I'm new to the cdrama field so hence the question.....do the actors normally not use their own voices? Curious. :)
@@kristenb3240 No, usually Cdramas are dubbed by professional voice actors. This is because the actors have accent or because of the background noises on the set. But i noticed that lately they try to use the real voice of the actors. I prefer the real voice of the actor in a show, it has a more realistic feeling, dubbing sometimes can be annoying , especially when the voice doesn't match the face, or the mouth moves differently.
@@1313dmari Interesting. Thanks for the explanation!
I like his voice a lot too
I love the drama so much. And I feel song weilong and Jin boran were good
I will avoid your reviews in future thelike the plague. This is a great drama and beautiful. I enjoyed it start to finish and the creativity in making this was amazing.
Pearls before swine.
The rating seems off but I guess it’s ok since enjoyment is subjective? The quality of this drama is a bit too good to be compared to some of the dramas who got the same rating; But again it’s all subjective
It's a good drama.. easygoing and absorbing at the same time. It does not have the bl vibe, thankfully. Do all dramas have to have a romance angle to it. You get that in 99% of the case...and you still rant about them!
People can want whatever they want. Get over it
well if the novels they are adapting into films is mostly bl then of it's gonna have a romantic angle genius! goodness where do you think they're getting these bromance dramas from?
I actually agree with all of your points. Still, as a foreign fan, I didn't catch on certain things mentioned (like line delivery, other than noticing that Jing Boran seemed to be putting a lot of effort into articulating every word). I think the CP between Wang Yan and Lan Jue was sizzling hot (especially in Ep 15-20), and anything meant to be CP between Zhang Ping and Lan Jue is either just not working or was edited too badly to notice. I like Jing Bo Ran's acting, even with the sometimes strange mouth articulations. His emotional moments in 15-20 were really great too. Again, he and Hong Yao served with the (unintended?) CP. I also think it's strange that a man can get stabbed to death on camera in this drama, but they would edit out Lan Jue bandaging Zhang Ping's arm. Ridiculous.
I randomly came across this show on Viki and gave it a watch. I was astounded by how good it was. I was instantly hooked and I was completely invested with the characters and the story. I love a lot of C dramas, but none I would say are "perfect" on multiple levels. That is not the case for "League of Nobleman". The crew and cast put their heart and soul into this, and it really shows. This is not just a work of art, but it's a work of passion. They got you to care because they cared. This show MATTERS. Aside from "The Dark Lord" (my #1 C drama), this show really resonates with me on a very deep level because of how they portrayed the deep friendships and brotherhood that went through very difficult trials.
What stood out to me first was, of course, the intro. It doesn't have a cliche pop song, nor does it have stupid images of the cast. No, we have eerie images of things we see throughout the show, showing the tone right away as being dark. The music accentuates this, and it's incredible. Only 2 other C-dramas have an intro that I don't skip: "Legend of Awakening" (the song and animation put together is just so good!) and "Novoland: Eagle Flag" (so EPIC!!). Now there are 3 on this list!
mmm... I've watched 5 eps so far, and quite like it. Yes, it's not the best, top quality drama, but it's very watchable and entertaining. I mean, Strange tales of Tang dynasty started well, but got a bit bogged down later, and i lost interest. Song Wei Long was really lovely in Find Yourself. i found that, for ex. when Xu kai , loved by many, was in Yanxi Palace, well that was pretty wooden acting. Song Wei Long has better expressions, and I like Jin Boran too.
To each his own…I most of the times agree with Av X , but lately I had huge disagreements about some dramas.First it is about Meet yourself, the most fake, cliché and annoying drama ever, without being unfair to anyone.Than Blood of youth is the best drama of this year, so far….And I like very much A league of nobleman , by the way .To pick on Song Wei Long and Zhang Yi and to give a free pass to Esther Yu?Pleease…
Totally agree👍
I do agree abt Esther yu I still can't understand how she got on her good books but Ig preferences
Exactly! I've seen a clip of her praising Esther Yu for her "clear diction" but dissed Wang Hedi for his accent and also she said that if it wasn't for all the music, CGI, working on the script at that level and also a good director, then Wang Hedi's performance will not be there, and that she said that if there was no director then he's not at that level of carrying the show by itself at all. (I remember saying 100%. I've watched parts of the livestream but I don't wanna watch the full thing because these clips were pretty hard to watch). Tbh these points faultlessly describe Esther Yu, but she didn't call her out for them. They're also plain stupid, for 1. There would be no drama or movie without a director. Ultimately it's the director's work, 2. Didi made a lot of improvisations when he played Xiao Lanhua in Dongfang Qingcang's body, as well as in the movie, Look Up and See Joy, he made an improvisation when basically something out of script happened, and his comedic affect, according to the director, was stronger than in the script (twitter.com/XuKai_Soso0305/status/1621723820938924033?t=x1a_vCiKSjBFx_7ZX2ZJ9w&s=09) 3. If Wang Hedi's was "not at that level at all", then he wouldn't have massively improved in his acting, 4. If it wasn't for the criticisms he faced for Miss the Dragon, then he woundn't have strived to improve his acting (well, imo his acting wasn't bad at all. Infact it was his character who was bland. Plus he actually got trolled because there was some amount of scheming).
And also looking down on someone for their accents is not just cruel and disrespectful, but it is just plain stupid. For I come from a country which is even more diverse than China with so many languages and ethnicities, I believe that diversity should be celebrated instead of ridiculed. I guess she was bringing Wang Hedi down to uplift Yu Shuxin, since the former became the centre of attention with such a complex character.
Esther Yu is very good only when potraying some character like Cai MinMin
As an international viewer, I am ignorant of these subtleties. My apologies. However, the story and writing are a fresh experience. Not expecting a BL but just got tired of confusing love entanglement like Unchained Love. So a detective story of CSI style is fine for me 😍
As for the acting abilities of the ML, I suppose because it's the story of a green and idealistic newbie.
It's surprising how I don't agree to this (have seen most of u disagree too) .
This time it's different. Maybe cuz we are int. fan so line delivery doesn't matter to us? For her it might be unsetteling bt clearly it isn't with me. Even if she pinpoints I have no prblm with it.
Contrary I'm actually enjoying the drama more than I thought.
I have nt read the novel so have no idea. I thought that's how SWL was supposed to act? Like a nerd? A bit reluctant bt stubborn??? I was convinced it was his chracter which demanded him to be like that.
And JBR I'm also loving him.
The "TING" thing isn't it Hypothesis? Well I took it as fanatsy so I'm okay to ignore it.
It isn't that problamatic as she saying , I never felt it. Maybe I never had high expectations .
Absolutely no complain from my side . Loving it actually!
Song Weilong is the best actor. I would like to see more of him in Martial Arts drama. He had done excellent with Untouchable Lovers drama. The drama had a lot of meaning apply to today living such as Law is law, political compromised, and economics survival in the nation. Nevertheless, romantic scene was not too dramatic which suited for the whole family. Thank you for bringing Chinese entertainment drama to TH-cam.
I also loved him in Untouchable Lovers, and to think that he was only 17 when he filmed it. If you like to see him in action, do watch out for his upcoming dramas, Everlasting Longing, Seven Strips of Love and Thousand Fragrances (tentative names for the latter 2). All of them involve lots of action.
@@shuun2981 Thank you for keeping me posted. I just finished watching The Bionic Life story. SWL had done excellent in the drama again. He brought enlightenment, education and consciousness to viewers. His character fitted so well with actress. Now, I know why the fans adore him so much. Thank you to the writers and producers as well to keep Chinese entertainment come to spotlight.
@@katM-jd2il The Bionic Life is another excellent drama, only to be ruined by censorship. I heard the original uncensored version was much better. It's nevertheless still good. All the actors and actresses did a great job.
@@shuun2981 I believe nothing can hide from the truth, rather educate and enlightenment will help people to know what is real and unrealistic. Yes, the story was excellent even though.....
@@shuun2981 XuKai is another actor that every successful and Fame with Chinese Entertainment, am I wrong?. I like his character when he acts in Untouchable Lovers. However, I don't watch any of his drama yet. Have a wonderful day and thank you for encouragement.
Glad I wasn’t privy to all that info. I watched it because it looked interesting and I loved it. Not every c-drama is perfect anyway. All the leads were good looking which is something I always look for, there wasn’t women scheming and backstabbing, and it was only 29 episodes. I’m glad it wasn’t a BL, bromance. There are a lot of them out there and this show didn’t need it. I fell in love with B. Jing.
Actually the drama is not bland. Perhaps it aired at a time of 3 body and Blood of Youth and other exciting dramas! Secondly, it may appear to be merely a slow, no-thrill crime solving series, with a few good-looking guys in league together. But beneath the apparent sedate surface, their fates are tightly intertwined from a dark conspiracy that took place in the past. There is in fact a sinister plot that is kept concealed at the very bottom! Song Wei Long, with his awkward gait and line delivery actually perfectly embodies the character of a child survivor from a very ghastly past. Nevertheless, plot has holes & last few episodes are not up to par.
The abrupt ending is probably because of the heavy censorship. Important dialogues explaining the leads' decision were totally omitted, which is a real pity.
Putting aside the fact that this was supposed to be a BL adaptation series, I actually really liked the plot. I've watched quite a number of CN series which had genius detective MLs, but i found most of them too over-the-top tbh. With this one tho i haven't read the novel yet, but as the story moved along, I understood how the characters were being portrayed. So I'd say even tho some of the series i watched had similar concept, i felt like here they didn't just focus on Zhang Ping's ability to deduct crimes, but also his vulnerabilities and weakness. He's gifted. A genius, but not perfect. There was a whole character development in the story, and i like how they showed it in the series. For me, SWL did a great job in portraying his character. Of course same with his co-stars as well.
One thing I was kind of upset about tho was that it was just 29 eps. So some of the scenes in the latter episodes felt a bit rushed and there were weird parts where they put the timeskips. They could've pushed for one more episode just so it didn't feel rushed as it neared the ending.. Well with all that said, i still think i couldn't ask for a more satisfying way to end the series.
I looove song wei long in “Find yourself” and “ Go ahead”💜
To me the biggest maidian is the aesthetics of subtlety, (relatively more) authenticity and liubai (leaving negative space). Unlike the majority of production that utilises double-camera work, it's obvious that the single-camera work in LON enabled amazing lighting to be done with depths, light & shade, freedom in camera angle (random low-camera angle is a crime!! YES it ruins WOH, one of my favs). Big shout out to the atmospheric and realistic lighting!
Also, I seldom see C period dramas with authentic-enough-looking streets/ shops that do not invoke the feeling of being in a period video game. Big shout out to the sentiments subtlely expressed via minimalistic lines, acting and BGM! This drama has one of the best BGMs -- it celebrates not only the minimalistically exquisite aesthetic of the traditional elites (i.e. Master Lan), but also the simple joy and beauty of an ordinary life led by a community of commoners, be that in the city or the countryside. The song played in the last episode resembles some of the sounds of contemproary Chinese folk music scene. Anyone?
I do agree with the detective plots not being designed thoughtful and compelling enough. Another big turnoff for me is the trope of avenging for parental reasons. If it had altered motivation (and theme) of characters to something less "grand", perhaps it would suit its down-to-earth and traditional Chinese aesthetic of subtlety better.
Gosh, I actually enjoyed this drama! It's fast and the cases being solved are so interesting. Best of all, it's not time consuming like other Chinese dramas which I hardly watch except for Nirvana in Fire. This drama is pretty good!
I was soooo excited for this one. I couldn't agree more with you. Tbh, the whole SWL problem doesn't reach me at all cause I'm from Brazil and can't really understand mandarim so... but the case solving part I just can't buy it. No way. The way that they find the clues and put it together it's so artificial. It doesn't even make sense! It would be better if we could see during the crime scene some hints too, because that way it wouldn't look like the scripwriters just forced some weird solution on us. The whole serial killer crime was too much stupid and forced to me. And it would be fine if the CP could distract me from the plot itself, but they left only some cute glances that JBR character gives to SWL to hold onto.
But I really love their chemistry
The actor playing Lan Jue's friend is Hong Yao who worked also in Fighting Youth and Court Lady. A really decent actor.
Now I understand what your previous hints were about regarding this drama. I get it. I agree with everything you said… although I still give credit to them having a little more chemistry than expected. Even though we can tell the BL scenes have probably been cut, there is an interesting dynamic between them and I still enjoy it. But between the two of them, Jing Boran is the stronger lead in the acting department.
And though Song Weilong is struggling with his diction, as a non-native speaker my ears couldn’t catch it. Ignorance is bliss in my case. I applaud them for using their real voices though and taking on that challenge.
I think my eyes stay for them and their chemistry and the cinematography. It’s not perfect at all! But I’ve enjoyed the truncated and flawed 20 episodes so far. 😆👏
Thanks for another thoughtful review. 🙏❤️ Hopefully someday we can all review a proper, full BL drama again in the future. 💯🙏🌹
I can't agree with AvenueX this time, after meet yourself and blood of youth drama i couldn't find a drama to watch until i found this drama. And i think this drama still enjoyable after the 2 drama i mentioned before
I am looking forward to your evaluation about "Da Ming Under Microscope".
The plot of the series is not about love and not about fantastic adventures, this will make it difficult for most typical viewers of Asian dramas who are accustomed to beautiful faces and trivial plots to understand. But for connoisseurs of historical series, this drama is a real treasure.
The narrative is built around a historical event when an ordinary land surveyor revealed inaccuracies in land accounting and tax fraud in his province, which caused a scandal in the circles of local officials. The case gradually became known throughout the country and led to a revision of the tax system in the Ming Empire.
At first glance, the plot is about the hook-making in the accounting department of that time, but everything is not as boring as it seems, believe me. The story is furnished with a great deal of humor and played by great actors.
I would classify the series as a "situation comedy" and "social satire" genres, which also include the Russian classics from Gogol - "The Inspector" and "Dead Souls". In European classical literature and in the theatrical genre, Moliere and Dickens wrote this way.
Ok. You are totally wrong on this one. A beautiful drama! Great story, super acting, gorgeous art and lighting, and the BL element comes through even past the censors. The poignant pauses are indicative of caring and passion that is deliberately understated. Works beautifully but maybe one has to understand that. And a GREAT ending. I think the best ending I have ever seen. And that is my biggest gripe about Chinese dramas. The story is interesting and unique. Yes. It is edited. I love they ended on ep. 29. It proves that. You are missing a lot on this one.
I love it !!!
This drama is good. I don't know why she always hated all drama I liked lmao.
I dont follow this channel. I follow 'Marcus here'. As his review is more objective than hers
I can't answer that since my opinion usually lines up with this channel lol
Not all drama has to be BL or CP. Thank the goddess! Otherwise our lives would be crushingly hip. And it's a mistake to call the intriguing simply bland because it doesn't compare to the more sensational of various genres, like detective stories with complicated plots or exquisitely fashioned period dramas. I think this drama integrates several drama styles and does a good job of it - as you point out it is part mystery, part detective, part supernatural, part period drama, but in a gentler key than many of the more sensational and clearly defined dramas. There are a lot of cliché series in dramaland, this isn't one of them, really. Great dance scenes for a change; if you want to talk about bland, most dance in dramaland is embarrassingly so. And the production team needs kudos for those amazing looking kittens they found - white and light blue-eyed - that look like they dropped in from another dimension. I enjoyed it.
I really liked this drama. I found it thoroughly engaging and looked forward to watching it every night. I thought the CP was wonderful I felt their chemistry despite all the cuts. And yes the actual detective story side of it was a bit clumsy, but it was still wonderful
剧很好看，非常引人入胜，很久没看到这样的剧了。镜花水月是带有神秘色彩的催眠术。剧情、质感、服化道、演技、颜值等各方面都在线，个人觉得非常难得。
I have to agree with you on SWL's "wood" acting and the CP things between the two ML didn't work for me either. I prefer JBR with HY better than SWL. But I am still following this drama because of JBR and other supporting actors.
I love Jing Boran the most and the chemistry with Hong Yao is super good. I became his fc because of this drama ❤❤
I simply love the plot and cases in this drama. And yes, even if this isn't a BL, I didn't tend to see the chemistry overflowing here. Booo to Chinese cutting and cutting, ahh😵 At least make it like untamed. So because of cutting, the leads chemistry in this Drama is lacking but the cases has me curious that's why I like it at least.
I'm just hoping Other Dramas get released, like winner is king etc.
I can't really agree with you here I think this drama is quite good. I don't mind about language as I'm international fan. This drama was honestly one of the best cdramas I've seen in terms of acting, scenes and effects, it wasn't overboard and it was quite good. I even bingewatched it and I plan to read the novel as I'm interested in how different it might be from the drama. It's an adaptation so I don't mind changes in the story as it's like reading two stories basically. ~
i just really like jin boran's face in this lmao
I think I like this drama so much!
Your review is too negatieve for a good drama. I have watched it till the end. And i enjoyed it so much.
Good drama, Jun Bo Ran’s voice is awesome
I really have to disagree with your review and I'm glad others are too. It might be because I'm watching with English subtitles but I don't think the 2 male leads acting are that terrible and bland. I believe Zhang Ping was played accurately based on the character that he was, smart but antisocial, maybe a bit autistic like other comments suggest. The way Song Wei Long walks and acts is consistent with his character's personality so I didn't feel like it was bad acting....
Also, I feel like the cases hooked me in from episode 1 which is really rare for someone like me who has a really hard time looking for cdramas that I can keep watching till the end
i will STRONGLY disagree with you. me being chinese, i think song weilong portrayed his character very well as zhang ping. people just need to understand zhang ping as a character and how song weilong did a good job of showing how zhang ping is a person that is hard to show feelings, is very straight forward, and only talks when he wants to. this drama has a good and well structured plot unlike some dramas which is about some weak lovey dovey story, seen from other dramas with song weilong and others with jing boran. i think this drama is great, because with lovey dovery stuff, this drama is meant to be focused on the detective side and is NOT BL. the author said themselves that it is not BL but many get the misconception that it is. not every drama that stars two male leads is BL.
i would disagree with the cases not being interesting. the cases are not cliche and boring, and it is interesting how everything pieces together. with a lot of twists and interesting clues, it makes the cases engaging, well for me it is. also, zhang ping just "dinging a bowl" was a very important part to the plot. it was not there to get answers, but it was to get clues to lead to the answers. this was shown when zhang ping looked into lan jue's mind. he did not get answers, but got clues and built on from that. and the main focus of his bowl is not to just 'ding' it and get all the answers. it was to show the past, his mysterious origin, his relationship between him and mr jinghu, and to show the troubles of his unknown childhood. it was not there to 'ding' it. also, i do not see what you mean when there were scenes cut out. i only know one part that was cut out, but that was because i really analysed the scene (where lan jue bandaged zhang ping). but by all means, this was not meant to be a BL drama, so the extra scene being cut out did not contribute to this drama being not so good.
and also about wang yan and lan jue just going together because they had more moments then the main. i will agree with you on that, but it doesnt add to this drama not being so good. saying it again, this drama is not meant to BL, and of course wang yan and lan jue would have more moments, they have been friends for ages, what did anyone expect? zhang ping and lan jue didnt have much moments together because it was not even meant to be a BL. not every drama has the two main leads in a relationship
can how can some not speak properly? 'iF yOu cAn'T dO iT prOpeRlY, mAyBe dUbBinG wOuLd bE a BeTtEr cHoiCe' maybe then dubbing isnt the better choice because they said their lines, i dont understand how someone cant say lines properly (coming from a chinese). and just because this drama stars song weilong, doesnt mean people can just compare it to a completely unrelated drama about some random love story that is totally different to this drama. find yourself is literally about a girl finding love (very cheesy) while a league of nobleman is about a whole detective story. also, even though chinese dramas are long, its usual for each episode to only have 30 minutes per episode. i know a chinese drama that has 20 minutes per episode, 10 minutes per episode, and even sometimes 3 minutes per episodes. so what difference does it make?
and just because the drama got scenes taken out that werent even supposed to be there in the first place, it does not change the interesting plot in any way, it just took away the 'romantic' side of things even though it wasnt even supposed to be there in the first place. it doesnt change the plot and doesnt degrade the value of the drama. many people around the world love this drama and majority of the comments in this video say its a good drama.
that was fun to write LMAO
HAHA helloo
Thank you, I could not agree more with your review! Bland acting, recycled plot and a certain very palpable general lack of rhythm (probably due to all the cutting) made this drama unwatchable for me. Yes, Song Wei Long is very handsome, and his beauty had carried me through a very sizable part of Untouchable Lovers, but here he is just a lump of clay. However, your remarks concerning the line delivery left me stunned. How can an actor work in such serious productions and be so lacking in what is fundamental to the profession? Maybe it's a technical problem? The sound capture is at fault?
It is very entertaining and beautiful drama for me as an international viewer😊✨
I just finished watching 20 episodes of the drama and AvenueX's first impression videos comes right on time.
Good: This drama is watchable. The crime stories are interesting. Actors are good (except some). I find the color grading quite suitable to my preference. Title songs (rather music) are interesting. Starting title music almost gives a horror theme drama vibe.
Not so good: SWL's acting and ZhangPing's character both are really annoying. The episodes are too short. Its like they turned a 20episode x 45 min drama into a 29ep x 30min one. Also they go over the back story over and over, like asking a 5 year old child to memorise a poem... Father was framed, one person did this, one per done that, this person could be suspicious.... over and over and over... Its really annoying. 🤦♀
Currently I would give this drama 1.25GM (75%) on AvenueX scale. Still 9 episodes to go 🤞...
I have to disagree. I loved the drama overall! The cases and procedures were very interesting, just saying. And, honestly, I loved that Zhang Ping is played as neurodivergent and with great accuracy. So yeah, no, I'd rewatch this show anytime!
Gonna watch the drama then I will come back to give my comment but all in all I don't judge anyone I know it's hard sometimes to bring everything perfect. It better to enjoy what we see
Maybe try to stick to it for some more ep?? I don't know personally I'm quite hooked and I've seen around than I'm not alone on this lol and maybe it's because I'm starved from some kind of bromance/bl content from china but I do love the dynamic between Lan Jue and Zhang Ping, very much TT- *tho I agree with the acting that may be lacking 😌*
This is the first time watching your review that I have had to disagree you . He doesn't come over as wooden really as he's playing a character who is clearly not normal or socially adequate, so it comes over to me as a sincere understanding of the role he is playing.
And as I'm foreign I can't comment on the dialect problem
But coincidently while watching the series the sound of the language made me think what a beautiful sounding language chinese is. I have watched many chinese dramas before and never had that thought, inexplicable.
I guess it's because you were watching other dramas that suited you better that this one had so little impact on you.
I don't speak Mandarin, so I can't comment on line delivery. I agree that the story feels flat too. But visually, with lighting and people, it's pretty enough to fill my evening.
I do agree with you about swl's acting and even his looks doesn't suit period drama.. But however i loved the world they built so much... The way they made it looks magical even tho it's meant to be "normal" and the exotic feel that they added was amazing... The cases were pretty good and the overall plot is pretty intersting... I watched 20 episode so far and they were good... I understand the CP cutting things but still you can see that they cared about eachother and there was a "thing" between these two... Jang boran looked so beautiful and did a great job acting his role...i actually loved this drama
Wow! I don’t know much Mandarin or other dialects but I could pick out a few times where the words being said by the character Zhang Ping sounded like they were pronounced non-standard. But since my Mandarin knowledge is limited, I just guessed there was some nuance I was missing and shrugged it away. So I was surprised to hear that the actors all dubbed themselves and that you have a hard time understanding him! I’m going to agree with others who defend the actor by saying Zhang Ping appears to be on the autism spectrum. As an autistic person myself, I strongly felt it was coded from the black and white thinking to the lines and their delivery, to the way he stood and walked. Because in addition to the cognitive traits, many of us also have awkward gait and flat baseline expressions.
Certainly though, there may be things that feel temporally out of place-but if the time period is fictional couldn’t you argue that anything seeming anachronistic is fine? As you probably know, in the West, many recent dramas that take place in fictional places or periods-even if heavily influenced by a real time period or historical event-will have anachronistic elements such as racially diverse characters, or more modern/accessible dialogue, or costumes made of modern fabrics, or non-contemporary silhouettes, or a modern gesture or greeting. It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I think the genre existing is fine and so can’t be considered a flaw, but rather just not up to an individual’s taste. I think this drama would fall in that category and don’t see anything wrong with more dramas doing this, granted there are still dramas that are based on nonfictional time periods with high historical accuracy. But like, most of the costume dramas I’ve seen have inaccuracies (eg women wearing their hair down or modern fabric choices). Still, always interesting to hear your insight as a Chinese person. I learned a lot about this drama that I didn’t know before.
I totally cannot agree with you. I have no problem understanding SWL's lines, and neither do any of those around me who have watched his dramas.. If we as foreigners can understand, I don't understand how the Chinese can't. It's true that his lines delivery are not the conventional type of line delivery that is so typical of a lot of Chinese dramas, and that's probably why many Chinese do not like it, but I actually prefer his type of line delivery. It sounds much more realistic that the dramatic type of line delivery that often puts me off many Chinese dramas. To mention Wang Hedi is even more ridiculous; Wang uses voice actors.
Yep. This conventional line delivery is the reason why Wang Hedi has to use voice actors. Being a fan of his, I really wish that he breaks the mold and doesn't get restricted to "perfect" Mandarin.
@@eshaleemadgavkar Which is why I always support SWL. Even though he's always criticised for his lines, which I actually kind of like as it sounds very natural and he has a great voice, I still think he should persevere and insist on not using voice actors. Some of his best works are all done in his original voice and it suits the characters perfectly.
I just watched this series last week on Netflix. Today I plugged League into the search engine here to see what was out there. As I scrolled I saw that the series available was around 59. min an episode so of course I wondered. Thank you for telling me.I never would have pegged this as a BL drama though I shipped those two leads in the first episode. I enjoyed the movie visually. But for the character played by Wang Duo, all the characters are not familiar to me so I had no expectations based on previous roles. I LOVED the set design, the lighting, the costumes, and the scenes involving the stage productions. In the first episode I thought the character played by Song Wei Long was neuro divergent and the other characters seemed to support that. I don't get to watch enough Chinese Drama particularly TV shows. I appreciate the suggestions you made and I will be really happy to watch them.
Is A League of Nobleman available on Netflix? If so, may I ask which region you're in? It doesn't seem to be available in my region. Thanks.
@@shuun2981 it's available on Amazon Prime...
They completely censored the relationship between the two male leads, so it made it look like there is not much chemistry between the two leads. Even the "brotherly" bond between the two leads look forced. Because of this, I do not want any BL drama to come out in 2023 if they're going to chop up the relationship this way and make it boring. I think companies shouldn't feel obligated to release BL projects in fear that the production quality will decrease if they shelf it for too long. I think a good story that flows is more important to get people's interest than an outdated CGI quality.
There's been rumour going around that winner is king will be next. I'm genuinely worried for that one now because it's one of the ones i'm really interested in watching. I don't want to see all the important scenes get cut out because of the BL content.
I thought this was a good drama that I enjoyed watching and ultimately, that's the bottom line for me.
I love the cases and plot so far and the live recording. Line delivery tho, kinda questionable most of the time and I’m not even Chinese lol
Totally agrees with the weird hypnosis magical part but it is supposed to play into the plot later
When you mentioned how it resembles other dramas, I also thought it kinda feels like Sleuth of Ming Dynasty with the random cooking scenes, at least it’s relevant cuz Zhang Ping’s job is a cook lol
It always a pleasure to learn more about these dramas! Great work AvenueX!
You look charming avenue X in your Hanfu and hairstyle ❤️❤️
Suits you so much
Thank you for the review, i've liked the cast and their performance in it maybe because of the cinematography and imagery.
Waiting for your opinion about " under the Microscope " the new IQiyi period drama.
Ok now that I’ve finished the entire drama I’ve gotta say that the detective part was not the main plot at all as the cases are linked together for the buildup later. So although I agreed with most of the technical points here, I’d say it’s unfair to assume this is bad. The fact that the plot got edited and chopped off so much doesn’t quite help but if you’re here for sugar, there is still some sugar. And cinematography is quite gorgeous. Although I don’t quite understand random bokeh that looks so fake at times
Regardless, understandable first impression vid tho. For anyone who watches this video I’d say go into this with an open mind for anything that can happen. I’m not saying it’s excellent and great plot progression but prepare to be bamboozled lol
as an international audience, I still enjoy this drama so far, I haven't reached half of it yet, let's see what I'll think later.
BUT I do agree about the chemistry, jbr has better chemistry with his friend than with swl. I think I can pretend that they're the real "CP" lol
Thank You for you reviews and I understand what you are saying about the language. I don't understand Chinese and so I read the subtitles. And I am loving this show. I think the acting is fine for the type of drama it is.And the interactions are better with every episode. I really like the plot and cinematography. Almost all the characters have made a very positive impression on me. And good characters interaction is really what I care about. I also think some of the music is really beautiful. I love the end theme so much I've learned to play the melody. I just don't agree. I'm truly enjoying this show a lot.
This drama is now on Rakuten Viki. I have not watched it yet. I just finished watching Princess Silver which I enjoyed.