“A League of Nobleman” garnered a lot of attention when it was first aired because it’s one of the few censored adaptations being broadcasted when many are still stuck in limbo. However, if you are watching this because you thought this is a BL or have hints of a BL, then you might be disappointed. In the last 5 minutes of this whole drama, the writer force-feeds you the information that Lan Jue (played by Jing bo Ran) is not gay. That information came out of nowhere and the sole purpose is to get this drama through the censorship board.

Even if this is not a BL, I was still expecting good chemistry between Lan Jue and Zhang Ping (played by Song Wei Long). Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I was looking for bromance and brotherhood but I find their scenes together lack chemistry. I think Lan Jue has more chemistry with his buddy Wan Yan (played by Hong Yao) and old friend Gu Qing Zhang, where Lan Jue has more of a BL vibe than with Zhang Ping. Is this the writer’s fault? Editing/Censorship? Director or the actors? I am not sure.

There was a lot of initial buzz on the feeds when this was first aired, and mostly praising Jing Bo Ran’s beautiful long hair. (And I agree, it’s a sexy look on him especially with his all white flowy attire) Then, the buzz stops. I wonder if it’s because many drop this drama within the first few episodes. I find the pacing quite slow and with the lack of leads chemistry, I had to really power through those early episodes. But once I saw how the initial crime investigations are tied to the main plot, I became more invested. I was glad I didn’t drop this drama. It also did not help that I was so tired and fell asleep watching this. But it’s more of my fault and not the drama’s. As I rewatched the episode and scenes I missed, the story is interesting but I do need to pay attention.

The acting is decent. Jing Bo Ran is great as Lan Jue but I feel that he could do better. I enjoyed his earlier scenes when you saw glimpses of his character’s lighter side and also the episode when he was delusional and heartbroken. I haven’t seen Song Wei Long in a long time and his acting is fine, not good and not bad. He looks like he lost a lot of weight. But I think the ultimate scene stealer is Wang Duo as Gu Qing Zhang. His character doesn’t show up until the latter half of the drama but I was mesmerized by him. I looked him up and realized he’s the 2ML in “Bloody Romance” and he was awesome in that drama. His role in “A League of Gentleman” carries a very similar vibe.

Overall, this is an OK drama. If you can get past the slower episodes in the beginning, you will enjoy how the different side plots all tied together and contribute to the big secret in the end.


Other Random Observations:
1. These episodes are quite short - about 30-35 minutes each.
2. The white cat with big eyes really reminds me of Song Wei Long.
3. I didn’t know shooting salt and gunpowder into the sky can make rain?
4. I think you can still breathe in the polluted/pollen air if you wear a mask or cover your nose.
5. For some reason, I mixed up all the ministers in the palace scenes. As a veteran C-drama watcher, I usually don’t have this problem.
6. How did Gu Qing Zhang just magically start living in Lan Jue’s house?


Completed: 5/27/2023 - Review #311