The Latest Thriller Detective Drama - A League of Nobleman You Shouldn't Miss

"A League of Nobleman" (君子盟) is the latest thriller detective drama directed by Yang Fan and Jia Xiaoxiong, starring Jing Boran and Song Weilong, broadcast on January 30, 2023.

The drama is adapted from the novel Zhang Gong An (张公案) written by Dafeng Guaguo. It tells the story of Zhang Ping, a simple and upright young man who loves reasoning and investigating, and young gentlemen Lan Jue, who is elegant and gentle Ceremonial Master. They jointly explore and investigating cases, find the true circumstances of Lan's birth, and work together to maintain justice and protect the peace of the people.

 

Next detective drama classic?

Classic detective dramas appeared frequently in the early years. "Young Judge Bao" not only has eye-catching ratings but also makes many classic clips unforgettable to the audience. "Detective Dee" series not only had the highest ratings at that time but also created the most classic image of Di Renjie in the history of TV series. The drama "Judge of Song Dynasty" in 2005 is still a classic in the hearts of many audiences. The series is enough to surpass most ancient costume detective dramas in terms of plot, performance, and theme depth.

However, with the ubiquity of cdrama modeled and routinization, costume detective dramas have also seen a low point. With the merger of romantic dramas and detective dramas, the quality of the series has declined rapidly, and content homogenization has become more serious. It was not until last year's "Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty" that the detective dramas returned to their peak with quality far beyond expectations.

On January 14, 2023, the modern criminal investigation drama "The Knockout" was launched, and quickly become one of the most discussed dramas of 2023. The opposing ancient detective drama also released the latest drama "A League of Nobleman". Once released, it directly reached the most popular top of mainland Chinese dramas. In fact, this drama was completed as early as 2020. Later, due to the limited theme, the schedule was changed many times. This time, it suddenly began broadcasting surprisingly.

"A League of Nobleman" is an detective drama that pursues visual stylization. Bizarre, weird and suspense are the main elements. For example, the brutal murder scene, and the thriller anomalies. These unconventional thriller details constitute the main narrative clues of the previous episodes. Because of this, the detective story in the drama is covered with a layer of magic. The impressions are a bit like the "Di Renjie" series directed by Xu Ke - beyond imagination and hidden mystery. The producer Gongfu Films and supervisor Zhang Jialu are the core team of Di Renjie's film series. Their works have always liked to shape demon wonders and conspiracy stories, as do "A League of Nobleman".

 

Introduction to the plot of A League of Nobleman

Unlike traditional costume dramas, "A League of Nobleman" does not first tell the identity of the protagonist and then paves the plot. Instead, the screenwriter combines the main line with bizarre events.

The beginning is a carefully planned mystery. Yong Dynasty, the Ceremonial Master Lan Jue (played by Jing Boran) wrote a secret letter to the enemy state. The content of the letter was related to his father's unjust case. He tried to clarify the truth in this way. But if the letter was obtained by his opponent, it would have caused him to incur a death sentence. Therefore, Lan Jue lurked in the inn to intercept profiteers who specialize in selling intelligence. His secret letters to the enemy are just right hidden in the beads worn by the profiteer's waist. Lan Jue used tricks to bring him into the inn and prepared to get the beads.

Unexpectedly, an impulsive person appeared halfway. This person is Zhang Ping (played by Song Weilong), a teenager who went to the capital to take the exam and pursue his ideals. He is delicate, logical, and loves reasoning. He found clues from belt scratches, clothing cuffs, and hot dishes in the store, and finally confirmed Lan Jue's room.

Seeing the plan being gradually dismantled. Lan Jue urgently used a move of escaping by crafty scheme to get out smoothly. This is the scene of the two main character met for the first time, not only accounting for the identity background but also the intelligence and wisdom of each other. Lan Jue, carry family hatred and make good use of tricks. Zhang Ping, from an ordinary background, extraordinary wit.

Then, the scene switches to Lan Jue's birthday banquet, and several officials attended the banquet. The scene seemed peaceful, but in fact full of crises. Guo Yun, who is also the Ceremonial Master, regarded him as a threats and wanted to get rid of him. Before long, a thriller murder broke out, the dancing girl hung in mid-air and caught fire all over.

At this point, several narrative lines of the plot are gradually clear.

First, the power struggling line. Guo Yun and Lan Jue have indeed been hating each other for a long time. In addition, they are competitors, and the relationship is very tense. This shows that Lan Jue has been involved in court disputes for many years, and there are more than one or two officials who have opinions on him. A more complex power struggle conspiracy will be involved follow-up.

Second, the revenge line. Lan Jue's father was identified as a collaborator, leading to the annihilation of the Southern Expedition Army. So he was condemned as a traitor and finally saved by the empress dowager. This became the heart devil to Lan Jue. What happened to father? Was it a real injustice or something more? In order to defeat the heart devil, Lan Jue and Zhang Zhan decided to join hands to find the truth.

Third, the friendship line. Lan Jue appreciated the persistence of Zhang Ping and helped him from a poor boy to an official career. Zhang Ping helps Lan Jue to clear the obstacles on the way to clear his father's injustice. In the process of working together, two people with different identities and very different personalities, from strangers into a relationship of both teachers and friends.

 

Is "A League of Nobleman" worth watching?

The scenes, costumes, and makeup of "A League of Nobleman" are relatively pretty. The architectural structure, the dim and twinkling candlelights, and the classical elements of characterization make the overall atmosphere of the series have a sense of the treacherous, gorgeous and ancient charm of the ancient detective drama. The director is very good at using the changes in light and shadow and the display of signifying thriller elements to create a suspense and thriller atmosphere.

In terms of content, the storyline of "A League of Nobleman" is indeed basically original, as the author of the original work said. The beginning of the original work is the case of the troupe, and the case in the drama takes place at Lan Jue's birthday banquet. Before this, he and an intersection with Zhang Ping, the plot of the first account of two different personalities, a gentle and elegant, a straight and serious.

As Ceremonial Master, Lan Jue mediated on officialdom all year round. He also had his own secret, that is to find out the truth that his father was convicted of treason with the enemy in those years. Therefore, he was supposed not only to get a higher position in the court to get more opportunities to find out the truth but also to hide his secret of seeking the truth.

Zhang Ping is much simpler. He is a candidate who goes to the capital to take the exam and opens a noodles stall to make a living. In addition, he is not affected by external resistance and insists to find out the truth of the case. Each character setting has its own characteristics and is supplemented.

Judging from the ten episodes and trailers currently broadcast, "A League of Nobleman" is obviously not a traditional detective drama, and the next plot will revolve around the treacherous court and confusing cases.

Compared with decrypting the case, the screenwriters have more plots about seeking power. But at present, the power-seeking part is also limited to the competition between Lan Jue and Guo Yun for the ceremonial position. Where the Empress Dowager in power puts Lan Jue, what kind of struggle will happen between the Empress Dowager and the seemingly unreliable little emperor, and the secrets of Lan Jue's father all depend on the follow-up case.

The drama has both strange case doubts and court disputes. The intricate forces, the interweaving of various clues, and the gentleman's friendship make "A League of Nobleman" more attractive and attract the audience to keep watching.