A League Of Nobleman - Tumblr Posts
@gaywatch With all the chinese dramas you have watched and the ones to come, you will eventually know all the actors from all the Lost Tomb/Ultimate Note adaptations.
Here the ones that you know as of right now from
You know him from "a league of nobleman" and play Zhang Qiling aka Xiaoge in time raiders.
You know him from Guardian, here play Wu Xie in "reunion sound of Providence"
You know him from "Mysterious lotus casebook" play Zhang Qiling aka Xiaoge in "lost tomb 2"
You know him from "mysterious lotus casebook" play Wu Xie in "Ultimate note"
And if you end up watching "Spirealm" in the future you will know one more actor who plays Zhang Qiling aka Xiaoge in "Reunion sound of Providence "
Ps: Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling are one of the many reasons why this series of books/dramas is so loved. Their ship is just incredible in every adaptation.
Have a good day <3
Ripe Town Ep. 1 visuals: Under the cover of light
I am absolutely LOVING the historical crime drama Ripe Town. It's moody, nicely paced, and has really solid acting. The show reminds me of a grimmer, more ruminative A League of Nobleman, and its restrained but equally masterful cinematography caught my eye from the first scene. If you're looking for a prestige drama, this is it.
I wanted to share some of the cinematography choices the show makes in its first episode that help set the perfect tone for a crime drama. Film nerds, there are so many goodies in this show.
Under the cover of light
What a great cold open.
The show drops us (literally) in a farm field with our main character, Qu Sangeng, and his partner, Gao Shicong. They are bailiffs who have been sent out into the fields to investigate the mysterious appearance of a scarecrow, and they soon discover it's the dead body of Sangeng's mentor, Captain Leng.
(Side Note: There's something intriguing about the way the camera lingers on this sea of gold as it swallows and propels Sangeng and Shicong toward the scarecrow. It's almost like the field is its own character with its own memories. I don't think this will be the last time the plot returns us to this location.)
We learn at the coroner's that Captain Leng had not only been strangled but also pierced with a wooden rod bearing the Confucian quote "My principle is unified." This inscription paired with the theatricality of the body's staging (in broad daylight, in an open field) lends a deeper meaning to the murder. As an officer of the law, it is Captain Leng's duty to uphold justice, so why else would the murderer distort a classic work of philosophy if not to indict Leng of some moral malpractice?
And to a certain extent, we can understand that indictment by how the show portrays Captain Leng and Sangeng's colleagues in the criminal court system. Just look at how these officials are introduced:
They're filmed in darkness or shadow, the use of low-key lighting giving each a suspicious air. The strategic use of props further reinforces our first impression of them as sinister, incompetent, and corrupt men.
It makes you think about what other crimes have been committed in these rooms under the guise of justice.
The virtuous (but unstable) lone cop
Given how the show portrays the police and court system, it's notable how our main character, Sangeng, is often blocked in relation to them. As a bailiff, Sangeng is intelligent and principled. When we look at the composition of his scenes with men in power, he is often positioned towards the other end of the screen with the vertical lines of beams or doors physically demarcating his separation from them. He doesn't share their ethics nor does he tolerate their power plays.
And yet in Episode 2, we see the usually stoic Sangeng display a startling amount of violence and abuse of power, similar to a colleague he had criticized for the same behavior during this episode. I'm curious to see if and how this investigation continues to unravel him.
If these walls could speak
Ok, my favorite part of this show's cinematography is its use of dirty framing. Look at these gorgeous shots:
Dirtying the frame is when the camera crew uses things like architecture, objects, or even people in the foreground to add depth to a shot. Ripe Town constantly uses windows, plants, etc. to frame our characters as they discuss the case, which is such a smart way of upping the show's creepy factor. It feels like there is always someone (possibly the killer?) watching from beyond the frame
But maybe even cooler is the constant use of background action:
Check out how often there are people in the background near enough to our main characters to observe but far enough to not be intrusive (or helpful). Throughout Episode 1, we see farmers, bailiffs, and other workers stand around as Sangeng works the case. Like with the dirty framing, there's a sense of surveillance but this time from the townspeople as a whole. It's the classic small-town mystery trope where you suspect everyone knows more than they let on.
I wonder if this notion of surveillance will become one of the show’s major themes: are people watching because they’re trying to protect a secret or are they watching because they're hoping someone will reveal and take accountability for those secrets?
Together, these filming techniques create a fascinating world where murder is committed during the day and secrets are revealed in the dark. I can't wait to see how the story continues to deliver more and more interesting visuals as its mysterious plot unfolds.
The way this show was basically all the noble men of Lan Jue's dating history.
And on top that, the show works equally well as an argument for polyamory or harem dynamics in fanfic.
A League of Nobleman is one of the best mystery shows I've ever seen and is excellent just for what it is. Good noir mystery, beautifully shot. But like Tang Dynasty noir, which should certainly be a thing there is more of. Like I absolutely recommend this to anyone, even if you're not familiar with cdramas, or not looking for subtextual media to fall in to.
But also I would watch 900 hours of a prequel of 'Wang Yan loves Lan Jue.' Literally give me 900 hours of Lan Jue reading and sipping tea while Wang Yan gazes at him from across the tiny creek running through Lan Jue's insane compound. Let Wang Yan whisper "Peizhi" with the intimacy using a birth name instead of a courtesy name deserves in their culture. Hearing it, Lan Jue would glance up and see that Wang Yan wanted nothing more than his attention, however briefly. Lan Jue would smile and pour Wang Yan a little more tea before returning to whatever he was reading.
But seriously, straight from the show itself, the way they interact is incredible. Man, there's no heterosexual explanation for this. Like none at all.
I have watched this vid so many times because I can't get enough of these gazes. Two people who so clearly like each other, so happy to be together, and so entangled every emotion is possible.
You should watch this show. For reasons. Whatever they may be. Even if it's just because you like a good mystery and beautifully shot television.
Happy Valentines Day!!! May you be as loved as Pei Zhi is by his boyfriends i.e. the all兰党
/ᐢ⑅ᐢ\ ♡ ₊˚ ꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ ♡‧₊˚ ♡ ./づ~ :¨·.·¨: ₊˚ `·..·‘ ₊˚ ♡
#there's something about men letting their hair loose
AI-Less Whumptober Day 17 - Misunderstanding/Abandonment
Hotel del Luna - Ep. 14
A League of Noblemen - Ep. 4
Bed Friend - Ep. 7
Two Worlds - Ep. 4
Fall in Love with a Merman
Bitter Blood (Partners by Blood) Ep. 11
Love in the Air - Ep. 13