Flawed but delicious, heartwarming drama
We watched Sleuth of Ming Dynasty rather quickly because the show’s pace is quick, the storylines are engaging, and the main cast is adorable.The main couple, Tang Fan and Sui Zhou, balance each other out nicely. Tang Fan is brilliant, zany, petulant whereas Sui Zhou is the caring, righteous, strong but silent type. However my favourite character was by far the powerful commander of the Eastern Depot, Wang Zhi. Eunuchs, especially during Ming Dynasty-set stories, are often depicted as snivelling, simpering, and conniving figures. It was refreshing to watch a nuanced portrayal of a ruthless and cruel but also loyal and intelligent eunuch. Wang Zhi’s little smirks and bravado made my day. I found that he stole every scene. The way in which he toyed or teased his friends, or just trolled his enemies were too enjoyable.
The show’s strengths are the dynamics between the characters and supporting cast, including Dong’er. It’s often funny and light-hearted. The cooking scenes followed by a cozy dinner made my 老公 complain that we couldn’t watch the drama on an empty belly, because it made him too hungry.
Unfortunately things start losing the thread towards the last 5 episodes. There are some illogical bumps in the road at some point, but at the end, everyone becomes supremely stupid. It’s a common issue in many dramas: sticking the landing seems hard.
My friend who read the webnovel told me that the show diverges too much from the original material. I can’t comment on that. Still, I’d recommend the drama for anyone looking for something fun and heartwarming!
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This review may contain spoilers
Not THAT kind of bromance
If you wanna watch it because you heard it’s made after a BL book and you hope to see a romantic-vibes bromance don’t bother. There’s no soulmates kind of friendship or anything else and there IS a female lead. We have a male lead, Tang Fan, a female lead Duo Er La and 2 secondary male characters who because they needed Tang Fan’s investigation skills both cater to that bratty sleuth. It’s Sui who cares the most for the bratty immature Tang Fan while Tang Fan spends the entire time when he’s not investigating revolving around that girl and lashing out at his friends over protecting her. It felt like an unrequited love on Sui’s part while Tang Fan’s only focus and attention was for the women in the series (and his investigation, of course). We have episodes and episodes where they struggle to rescue or to save that female character , wasted so much story arc on her and her dramas that I don’t know why isn’t she listed as main character . Only because she wasn’t available (and she died towards the end) they didn’t get together because if it were for Tang Fan they’d been married and with two kids by the end of the series. I mean, they tried so hard to hide the bromance by throwing women at him and making him so uncomfortable around men, so awkward at expressing friendship and fondness (unlike with the women) and so petulant that his only attractiveness is his deduction skills when investigating. He’s bratty, impulsive, ungrateful and immature. I don’t understand why Sui sacrificed himself over and over for him (and sometimes for her ) because he came across as Tang Fan’s punching bag. Sui Zhou was so so underrated and wasted for this series. They gave him so little protagonism and so little importantance …He was there just to make Tang Fan safe and to help him shine while he remained in the shadow. I would have loved a more intense bromance between Wang Zhi and Sui Zhou because by far the most interesting character in the series is Wang Zhi. He’s gorgeous, smart, witty and wicked. I adored him and I stayed till the end because of him and the royal complot.The acting was good, and so were the cinematography , the costumes and the interesting cases. I also found the emperors and their entourage very interesting and complex. Not to mention how handsome that emperor was . The found family is also wonderful.
Enjoyable series if you don’t look for bl-bromance.
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Could've been better
The story is like an investigative drama but too much emphasis is given on the drama part. Insertion of unwanted romantic subplots really takes away a bit from the story. It's like a typical Jackie Chan movie, good action and comedy, which makes it charming enough.Editing is shit, scenes just cut off abruptly. Music is decent.
There is a cooking montage every five episodes and they eat something atleast twice every damn episode. It makes you wonder if you're watching TLC instead.
There are three main characters whose roles are equally important. The MC is constantly hungry, eccentric and smart. The other main character (or ML) is a grumpy looking guy who doesn't talk much but when he does it's so soft spoken and soothing. The last one is cunning and ruthless yet has a vulnerable edge to him and perhaps the one who goes through a whole character arc.
Love their little family and the dynamics between all the members. It's a decent watch if you have time to spare.
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Veils of Power
This detective story is an intriguing mix of suspense and drama, building up to a tense attempt at a palace coup.In this gripping drama, Tang Fan, a brilliant scholar poised to take the top honor in the imperial examinations, found himself denied a place among the top three due to the disdain of courtiers who resented his youth. Meanwhile, Sui Zhou, born into nobility, defied his family’s expectations by choosing a path as an imperial guard. He stirred the jealousy of his superior, the ruthless Commander Wan Tong, who stopped at nothing to make his life miserable. Enter Wang Zhi, a young astute eunuch who earned the favour of Concubine Wan, the Emperor's most beloved consort. His sharp intellectual and strategic mind earned the trust of the Emperor and he held a powerful position as the head of the West Chamber of Guards.
As fate wove their paths together, these three unlikely allies had to navigate a treacherous web of court politics, high-stakes crimes, and deadly conspiracies. With their sharp wits and unbreakable resolve, they worked together to unravel sinister plots involving corrupt officials, foreign infiltration, and an audacious attempt to seize power, all while facing dangers that threatened their very lives.
Here's a closer look at the positives and a few areas where it could have been stronger:
The Highlights:
Stunning Costumes: The costume design was a visual delight, with Wang Zhi standing out in a series of striking outfits. His wardrobe changes were a highlight of the series, adding a touch of elegance and grandeur to the storytelling.
Authentic Backdrop: The setting was rich with historical accuracy, creating a vivid portrayal of the Ming Dynasty.
Charming Leads and Strong Supporting Cast: The three male leads were undeniably handsome , while the supporting actors and actresses added their own charm. Notably, the supporting actors playing the villains, especially Commander Wan Tong, delivered performances so compelling that they made me despise their characters with every scene.
Emotional Ending Theme: The melodious and sentimental theme song wrapped up the drama beautifully, leaving a lingering emotional impact.
Engaging Story: Though the plot has a few glaring flaws, it was overall captivating, keeping viewers hooked as the story unfolds.
Villains Get Their Due: It was satisfying to see the evil characters face justice, a nice touch that makes the narrative feel more rewarding.
Darren Chen's Transformation: A surprising twist – Darren Chen, usually seen in a more masculine role, was shockingly beautiful disguised as a woman, showcasing his versatility as an actor and his fine facial features.
Heart-Warming Moment: One of the most touching moments came when the Empress Dowager, long known for her deep-seated dislike of her daughter-in-law, stood firmly by her side in a moment of crisis. It was deeply moving—a glimpse of wisdom and grace from a woman who, despite past grudges, chose justice over personal vendetta. In that pivotal moment, we saw not just an Empress, but a true matriarch who recognized the greater good and stood on the right side of history.
A Few Weaknesses:
Opening Theme Song: The rap-like opening theme felt jarringly out of place for a period drama set in the ancient Ming Dynasty. It was too modern and clashed with the overall historical tone.
Unbelievable Youth: Eunuch Wang, supposed to be barely 20, appeared far too mature and intelligent for his age. Similarly, Dong Er, around 15, was portrayed as a genius, which felt a bit exaggerated for the historical setting.
Villain from a Bygone Era: The main antagonist was revealed to be a descendant of the illustrious Tang Dynasty’s Li family—a classic trope that dramas often lean into, drawing on the grandeur and mystique of one of China's most celebrated dynasties. While the nostalgia for the Tang era certainly adds a sense of legacy and depth, it stretches historical plausibility. After all, the Tang Dynasty ended nearly a thousand years before the Ming era. Would it not have been more fitting—and more believable—to trace the villain’s lineage back to the Yuan or Song dynasties, which were far closer in time and relevance? The connection felt more like romanticized embellishment than credible backstory.
Over-the-Top Poison Scene: The scene where Tang Fan tested a deadly poison in a desperate attempt to save his love was overly dramatized. It lacked the subtlety and depth needed to truly convey genuine love in a believable manner.
Overused Names: The name "Qingge" was already used in another drama for a heroine, which felt like unoriginality creeping in. Why must so many dramas recycle names and locations from each other?
Dramatic Ending: The ending was nothing short of dramatic, but it felt a bit at odds with the sharp wit of the three lead characters, who were portrayed as exceptionally intelligent. Despite their brilliance, they were outsmarted by the key villain in a surprising twist, nearly losing the showdown with him in the process. It was a tense conclusion, but the leads' momentary lapse in strategy left me questioning how such clever minds could be so easily outmaneuvered.
Additional Thoughts:
Tang Fan's Emotional Turmoil: As brilliant and intelligent as Tang Fan was meant to be, he often behaved like a drama queen, making impulsive decisions that feel more emotional than logical.
Predictable Plot Twists: Heroes rarely die midway through a drama, so the outcome of the poison testing scene was all but predictable, reducing the emotional stakes.
The Pipa Scene: Baby Zhang's (Qingge) performance on the pipa was less than convincing. Her fingers seemed out of sync with the music, making it clear she wasn’t playing the instrument convincingly.
Final Verdict: Despite a few flaws and some over-the-top moments, this drama is highly entertaining and well worth your time. The performances are strong, the costumes are gorgeous, and the plot is captivating enough to keep you hooked. If you're looking for a mix of mystery, drama, and historical intrigue, this is a solid choice.
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For everyone that isn't into romances
I started watching this drama a while ago, but gave up after the second episode because I couldn't follow the plot. I'm glad I came back after watching other dramas. They gave me more background knowledge to follow the complex political structures and plots.While the plot was interesting, it was the characters that really got me hooked, especially Wang Zhi. His character and story had so much more potential and I would love to see a whole show with him as the main character. It kind of blew my mind that he was so young - and while his actions sometimes made you forget that, the show manages to remind you of his youth in some really great scenes.
Overall, the show suffered from the same problems that many shows do: the plot gets too convoluted, the stakes don't fit the established tone of the show and some plot holes are hard to overlook. For example, there should have been a better way to introduce the Empress as a warrior, as it came out of nowhere (twice). While the action scenes were great in the beginning, when they tried to raise the stakes in the last few episodes, it became over the top and felt out of place. Also, some of the serious issues they were trying to address (e.g. PTSD, domestic violence, human trafficking) went nowhere and had no consequences.
Despite these problems, I really loved the show and its main characters. They had great chemistry, and I'm curious to see what a BL adaptation of this show would have been like.
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This review may contain spoilers
Okay
The first half of the drama was quite good but the second half was a bit of a mess. There were a lot of plotholes and inconsistencies which made you wonder whether you accidentally skipped an episode that explained some of the things that were happening. I would have also liked to see more endings e.g. what happened to the street children who were part of Wang Zhi's network? Did Tang Fan and Sui Zhou get promoted after the incident? etc.I expected more fight scenes in the series but I wasn't severely disappointed by the few that happened. My favourite was the fight between Gao Yi and Amasanj. As for music, it wasn't memorable but it wasn't bad.
I liked most of the characters. Wang Zhi was a favourite when he wasn't infected with a plague called 'Tang Fan'. Sui Zhou was also very impressive whenever Tang Fan wasn't around. As for Tang Fan, I had an 'on' and 'off' like for him. He was very good at times but in others, he was the egotistical person who took advantage of the affection of those around him. It was also strange how he could be knowledgeable about politics in one instance but a novice in others. For example, he once asked Wang Zhi to request supervisory power from the emperor which inevitably risked Wang Zhi's life. At that point, he seemed unaware of the implications of his actions. However, he also told Wang Zhi that it would be good if a day came when the emperor forgot him which shows that he understood the threat to Wang Zhi's life due to how powerful he had become. There are such many contradictions that leave you wondering. There were also instances of him causing trouble because of his self-righteousness and belief that he couldn't possibly be wrong. Overall, Tang Fan wasn't my favourite.
I also liked her highness Wan Zhen'er. She was a badass woman but also soft when it counted. She was great, especially in the last two episodes.
The bromance was just okay. The chemistry is incomparable to some of the greats like 'the untamed, word of honour, advance bravely, love is more than a word, guardian, etc' but it was okay. There was a total lack of ambiguity though which was a bit disappointing. Luckily, neither Tang Fan nor Sui Zhou ended up with a woman.
I don't think I will rewatch this drama any time soon but I will probably do so in a few years.
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This review may contain spoilers
Too much sleuthing for me
Tang Fan’s features and movements make him seem almost effeminate in a way. I later found out that this was possibly intentional since the source material for this drama seems to be a BL novel. But make no mistake, Darren Chen is definitely still a cutie.Playing his uh… best friend, is Feng MengPo as Shi Zhou. Opposite Tang Fan, this guy is clearly a man’s man. He has that silent type, brooding and thoughtful character that I have come to expect from children born to high class families. He has a strong sense of justice and is very sympathetic to the common people.
Let me be extremely honest. I am a simple person who does not like to complicate things. By episode 12, I got tired of all the sleuthing and the secrets and the conspiracies.
For the full review, here is the link:
https://thislifehappened.me/the-sleuth-of-ming-dynasty/
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Perfect Detective Drama
I purposely watch this one slowly because I didn't want it to end. There aren't many ancient detective dramas so I consider this a niche drama. Great Bromance brewing slowly over series of events. Even minor characters are written so well that I didn't skip one minute.3 ML it was hard to determine who's the favorite. Wang Zhi by far was the most complex calculating. I could not believe he's just starting in his career as his facial expressions were so on point. Make it seemed like he acted all his life.
Tang Fan at times seems childish and annoying but also provided so many comical moments
Sui Zhou the manly loyal guard with his sexy accent (I rather hear this than some random dubbed voice) was the protector of all.
The 3 unlikely characters worked together to solve so many crimes. All the characters are interconnected in the end.
Supporting cast were all interesting - the doctor that loves Tang Fan's sister, Dong Er with her photographic memory, the funny noodle shop lady, Wu Yun the archer who end up staying. Too many to name.
The icing on top is all the food displays from cooking methods to explaining the symbolism dishes expressing the importance of love and family.
Lastly the fight scenes with Jacky Chan style displayed. This was just a perfect executed drama all around. I am going to miss this drama that's for sure!
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Game Of Thrones-ing the Past with the Food Network
Rated= 4 ~ 17/50 ~ 3.4RPG Scene // Troll hunting me through a Haunted House. About to beat me to death with my own club.
I prefer to go into show blind as I find it better to reach my own conclusion and/or opinion on a show.
I normally like detective style shows but this is one of those ones that I dropped simply because I didn't like the characters.
This show uses some pretty heavy material for it's mysteries which if you are anything like me, will put the anxiety through the roof as your watching. This show was not good for my heart in that aspect. So if you are sensitive to very violent source material, be warned here. When I meet material as dark as this, I need to have something to counteract that kind of information. I need deeply heroic people and compassionate people. I am fully aware this stuff happens in life and the people responsible get to walk. I do not find it entertaining to watch it in a show. I am a viewer who doesn't need step by step reality in my shows.
Having said that, the characters fail me in this. The leads are the only truly likeable people, at the start. Everyone else is a truly an evil person. There are no excuses here. It's a kill or be killed kind of reality. I get it. The past sucked.
Our 3 main leads are a stoic and solemn guy with a violent past, the effeminate baby girl genius guy with a sad past and the hard nosed palace eunuch that you're not sure whether or not to trust, and I couldn't be bothered to find out his past.
I can understand this set up in the beginning but they were still the same by episode 20. I knew nothing more about them other than Stoic guy is kind, everyone hates the eunuch and the effeminate ML is as annoying as all hell.
I don't do tsunderes. I don't find them cute or endearing or even funny. They just annoy me. 20 episodes in and our ML is supposed to be exceptionally intelligent. He is the 'sleuth' in the main title and yet he will pout and stomp is his feet like a baby, rush into a situation on emotion and will straight up tell the Emperor to go away because no one is above the law and I just don't want to. I'm sick, I'm getting married, I'm dead. Seriously? This is our Genuis ML? The Emperor could have you and your friends gutted on the spot. Is a bit of tact too much to ask for from our supposedly competent genius? Am I supposed to cheer this on?
The surrounding characters aren't very fleshed out by episode 20 either. We've got the super genius adopted sister who remains in the background eating sweets until she's useful and two foreign characters that are just kind of there. They fell into the plot randomly and now there's a romance trying to be pushed between foreign girl and the ML.
Also, the food p@rn. I really don't care for. Am I supposed to feel something? Was this to counteract the absolute devastation of the mysteries? It does nothing for me.
First time in my life, I also found the cinematography annoying as well but perhaps that's just the mood I had when watching. Someone really loved getting picture-esque shots between doors and at side angles with lots of props in view. After a while, this started to give me a slight headache as I tilt my head with the camera. Yes, the surroundings are beautiful but every other angle doesnt need to be up and down and side to side.
Overall, I can see the appeal if detective shows are your thing. Not alot of action. It's all sleuth or at least until 20 but it is an exhausting show to watch. From the annoying lead, the camera angles, the dark material and deep web of lies and deceit in the royal court, there was just too much going on for me to be able to enjoy it properly.
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Produced by Jackie Chan and does not disappoint
Tired of the finger pointing Action Dramas?Watch this!
A Detective Crime Solving Drama with Wuxia filled with Action! No over the top CGI and actors that can only fight in slow motion and by finger pointing!
There's a little bit of bromance here too but it's not BL. Some say that this doesn't do the novel justice but not all literature can be portrayed perfectly on film and there's always some changes to help viewers enjoy it more on TV.
I would really like a sequel or for Jackie Chan to make more dramas
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Forced chemistry is not a plot twist.
Started off promising—Tang Fan was sharp, the cases had some intrigue, and Sui Zhou had that quiet authority I usually like in an imperial guard type. But somewhere around episode 6 or 7, the tone started slipping. Sui Zhou softened way too fast, and not in a layered or earned way—just felt like they dulled him down to make room for buddy vibes. The tension dropped, and so did my interest.Tang Fan stayed clever, but the drama kept throwing him into weird filler scenes. That whole chopstick revenge arc with Dong Er? Way too many scenes for something that didn’t matter. It felt like they were trying to force enemies-to-lovers trope between them, but it didn’t land. I don’t mind light moments, but this was narrative padding that stalled the mystery.
This isn’t a bad drama. It’s just one that mistakes chemistry for proximity and tension for soft smiles. The “pairing” feels more like a studio mandate than organic storytelling — a half-hearted wink to the censors rather than something the plot needed. Mysterious Lotus Casebook had a similar balance of male camaraderie and female side characters, but it trusted its central dynamic to carry the weight and let female characters exist without forced romantic framing. The bonds there felt natural; but here, they feel like PR damage control. I wanted to love it, but at 15%, I could already tell this case wasn’t worth solving, at least for me.
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The best drama.
3 main roles are perfect.I love Tangfan the way he talks so lovely.I love Sui Cho because of his quiet manner.Wang gonggong looks so lovely.Every support roles are perfect too.I love Doctor Pei,Ting rong,Tong Aer and the son of Tangfan's sister. The story is very good for me because I never read the book before I see this drama.For someone who ever read the book may be get a little disappointed that I understand.The Emperor is good too.I think he the most handsome Emperor.Listen his voice! so powerful.I'm waiting for part2 . PleaseeeeeeWas this review helpful to you?
