In A Class Of Her Own Review

In A Class Of Her Own (漂亮书生) is more like a coming-of-age story to me but set in ancient times. The interesting spin to it is it involves a cross-dresser from start to finish. While cross-dressing in a drama is nothing new, it can still be exciting to check out how the actress will tackle the role and what type of feel she will project to the viewers. For the In A Class Of Her Own review below, I will share my thoughts on this drama and what I like and don’t like about it. And if I have to deliver a one-word verdict on this drama, I would say it is watchable. But just don’t raise your bar too high to avoid disappointment!

My rating: 6.5/10
Episodes: 36
Type: Costume, Friendship
Aired: July 2020
Images Credit: iQIYI

The Cast Of In A Class Of Her Own

• Ju Jing Yi as Wen Xi / Wen Bin
• Song Wei Long as Feng Cheng Jun
• Richards Wang Rui Chang as Lei Ao / Lei Ze Xin
• Bi Wen Jun as Yu Le Xuan
• Chen Yi Long as Han Zheng Zhi
• Nicole Zhu Sheng Yi as Mu Xiao Man
• Zhang Xin as Han Shu Min
• Zhang Shuang Li as Principal Feng Xin Wu
• Wang Jin Song as Governor Feng Ji Chang
• Wang Ce as Lord Han Zheng Liang
• Tan Jian Chang as Mr. Ding Ruo Yang
• Yang Zi Hua as Master Wang Hao Zhen

Main Characters

Wen Xi / Wen Bin

Wen Xi is a poor girl but has a talent for writing. She cross-dresses as a man and takes on her younger brother’s identity, Wen Bin, to support her family as a writer and transcriber. Wen Xi is a witty and cheerful lass despite her poor background. She is also an optimist with a stubborn streak once she makes up her mind.

Feng Cheng Jun

Cheng Jun is the Governor’s son. He is a polite man with a scholarly demeanor. Cheng Jun is intelligent but comes off as aloof. However, he is a fair and righteous person despite his noble status.

Lei Ao / Lei Ze Xin

Lei Ao’s real name is Lei Ze Xin. He is good in martial arts but an undisciplined student. Lei Ao is fierce and doesn’t get along well with fellow scholars. His only friend is Le Xuan until Wen Xi shows up. Lei Ao also hates his father, Lord Lei, who is a Deputy Commander of the Imperial Brigade. He was close to his elder brother, Lei Ze Xun, who was deemed a criminal and executed many years ago.

Yu Le Xuan

Le Xuan is a smart man who is also very shrewd when it comes to making money although some deals may seem unethical. He is close to Lei Ao whom he has known since they were kids. Le Xuan is also a steward of the Student Council and often seen helping Zheng Zhi to do his bidding.

Han Zheng Zhi

Zheng Zhi is the President of the Student Council. His father is Lord Han who is a powerful official and military commander in the state. Zheng Zhi is an arrogant and spiteful man who often uses his powers in the Student Council to intimidate those who are against him. He is in love with Xiao Man.

Mu Xiao Man

Xiao Man is a dance and musical performer who is well-known for her beauty. She is graceful but also someone who is not easy for strangers to approach. She has interest in Wen Xi whom she thinks is a man.

Han Shu Min

Shu Min is Zheng Zhi’s younger sister. She is a little immature and falls heads over heels for Cheng Jun. Although Shu Min can be willful and naive, she is a harmless lady in general.

Principal Feng Xin Wu

Principal Feng is the headmaster of the Yun Shang Academy. He is always worried about what his superior will think of him which makes him a bit of an apple-polisher. He also provides the comical moments in the drama.

Governor Feng Ji Chang

Governor Feng is Cheng Jun’s father. He is a polite and soft-spoken man who is highly respected. However, he also appears to have a stained past.

Lord Han Zheng Liang

Lord Han is Zheng Zhi and Shu Min’s father. He is a ruthless and ambitious man who expects a lot from his son. He is also a powerful official and aristocrat whom few would dare to cross.

Mr. Ding Ruo Yang

Mr. Ding is Master Wang’s subordinate who is sent to teach in Yun Shang Academy. He is progressive in his thoughts and has an unconventional way to impart knowledge. Mr. Ding’s duty is to keep an eye on Wen Xi and Cheng Jun whom Master Wang has identified as talented scholars.

Master Wang Hao Zhen

Master Wang is the Emperor’s teacher and a highly respected figure. He oversees the Yun Shang Academy but is not involved in the day-to-day affairs. He works behind the scenes to achieve his goals. Master Wang is clever and perceptive and is open to progressive ideas.

Synopsis

Wen Xi is a petite lady dressed as a man to earn a living as a writer. She specializes in writing romance dialogue novels that would be deemed improper for scholars. Wen Xi comes from a poor family with a mother and sickly younger brother, Wen Bin. This is in an era whereby girls are barred from attending schools. So, Wen Xi assumes Wen Bin’s identity to carry out her work.

Yun Shang Academy is a prestigious school that trains scholars to become government officials. Its students are mainly from noble and rich families. The weaker ones will merely hire poor but talented commoners to provide them with answers during the the eligibility exams. This is how Wen Xi ends up getting enrolled in the school after some mishaps and bumping into the righteous Cheng Jun.

Wen Xi has to share a dorm room with Cheng Jun and Lei Ao. She also relies on Le Xuan to help her to make money to support her family. As Wen Xi navigates her way through life at the school, she builds up a close friendship with the 3 men and later falls in love with one of them. They also get drawn into the political side of things through Lei Ao who is trying to investigate his late brother’s case and the evil intentions of Zheng Zhi and his father.

In A Class Of Her Own Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Does In A Class Of Her Own have a happy ending? Well, that depends on how idealistic you are! I see it as having a realistic ending with a happy tinge to it. This is because Cheng Jun and Wen Xi did get married and there is a brief wedding scene. So, it ends on a happy note. However, if you are also expecting Wen Xi to become a government official since she did graduate as a scholar, then you will be disappointed. I guess you can say that she paved the way for girls to attend school but she hasn’t broke that tradition that bars women to hold government positions.

It is also a realistic ending because one cannot dismantle an entrenched culture overnight. Furthermore, she has to return to her brother his identity. Wen Xi entered Yun Shang Academy as Wen Bin. After graduation, Wen Xi reverts to being herself as a woman while Wen Bin becomes a capable government official. Shu Min has become more matured and has been studying to widen her knowledge. You can read In A Class Of Her Own episode summary for a full recap of the drama.

When Did They Find Out Wen Xi Is A Woman?

Different people find out at different times about Wen Xi’s real identity. But all of them keep quiet about it after finding out and continue to pretend that she is a guy except for Mr. Ding. The first person to find out that Wen Xi is a female is Le Xuan. He chances upon her taking a bath and gets the confirmation of her gender in Episode 16. Even before that, he kind of has an inkling that she is different for a guy.

The second person to know the truth is Mr. Ding in Episode 19. This is because Wen Xi falls sick and is treated by Mr. Ding. Lei Ao is the third person to know Wen Xi is a woman and this happens at the end of Episode 25. Wen Xi falls into a pond and Lei Ao saves her from drowning. He knows it when he performs CPR on her.

The last person to find out the truth is Cheng Jun in Episode 31. He overhears her kidnapper threatening her that he will expose her gender. But Cheng Jun pretends not to know until Episode 35 when he has to strip her to treat her injuries. Wen Xi is also forced to tell Xiao Man her gender in the same episode when the latter insists on risking her life to save Wen Xi.

Wen Xi only finds out that Le Xuan and Lei Ao have known that she is a woman all along towards the end of Episode 36. They make a slip during a drinking session. As for Master Wang, his conversation with Mr. Ding at the end of the drama seems to indicate that he has an idea about Wen Xi’s gender too early on but pretends not to know.

What Happened To Wen Xi’s Father?

Wen Xi’s father is Xue Ding Kun who was a teacher with very progressive ideas. He was pushing for equality in education whereby girls and the poor should be allowed to go to school. He was Mr. Ding’s mentor and his students included Mr. Li Hu, Mr. Qin Bei Chuan, and Lei Ao’s late brother. Xue Ding Kun then wrote a memorandum to the Emperor to change the eduction policy. This was signed and supported by many commoners and some aristocrats.

However, the memorandum was switched on the way to the palace on the orders of Lord Han who opposed such plans. It was replaced with treasonous materials. As such, Xue Ding Kun and his family as well as his students were hunted down and executed. They were deemed as traitors. 2 men helped some of these people to escape. Lord Lei spared the lives of Xue Ding Kun’s pregnant wife and daughter although he was under orders to kill the whole family. Hence, Wen Xi’s mother never mentioned about her father to her and her brother due to the danger.

The other man who tipped off the students to enable them to escape was Mu Jiang who was Xiao Man’s father. That saved Mr. Qin and also helped Lord Lei’s eldest son to live for a few more years before he got arrested and executed. In the end, Mu Jiang and his wife were executed as well for his role in helping the “traitors” and Xiao Man becomes interested to redress the injustice.

Does Lei Ao Love Wen Xi?

Yes, he does but decides to keep his feelings to himself in the end. He has bought her a hairpin but never gave it to her because he knows she loves Cheng Jun. He accepts that he will only be a brother to her. Le Xuan can guess his feelings and always hints to him to let go. After all, both of them have kept from each other Wen Xi’s real identity. Towards the end of the drama, Lei Ao and Le Xuan are seen riding together and they still have each other for company.

Zheng Zhi and Xiao Man

Zheng Zhi and Xiao Man used to be lovers but were forced apart by Lord Han who was against their relationship. However, Zheng Zhi has never stopped loving Xiao Man. But she is disappointed in him and starts having feelings for Wen Xi. In Episode 35, she knows Wen Xi is a female and finally understands why Wen Xi has never been interested in her.

In the end, Xiao Man goes back to Zheng Zhi and comforts him after his father is found guilty for his crimes. She has also noticed that Zheng Zhi has progressively changed into a better person earlier on.

In A Class Of Her Own Review – Forget The Romance

If you are thinking of watching In A Class Of Her Own because of the romance, then I would suggest that you drop it. I wouldn’t call this a romance drama because the friendship and brotherhood seem to be the main focus rather than any strong romantic vibes. There are no kisses for you to savor except for one simple peck on the cheek that Wen Xi gives Cheng Jun. This is a 36-episode drama and Cheng Jun only admits that he knows Wen Xi is a woman in Episode 35. So, you can imagine there is really very little room for a normal boy-girl relationship to develop with real dating.

Main Couple Lacks Chemistry

To me, the main couple of Cheng Jun and Wen Xi is not too exciting to watch because they lack that romantic chemistry. I get it that Cheng Jun is a serious chap and he truly thinks that Wen Xi is a guy for the most part of the drama. So, I think this is where the right balance of romance and bromance is important to make our hearts flutter and yet, doesn’t give off a weird feeling. As it is, their relationship is really a little bland to me as Cheng Jun keeps treating her like a little brother.

Thus, I prefer to watch Wen Xi’s relationship with Lei Ao who has more depth to his character. The way she whines and softens the hard-hearted Lei Ao is cute to watch. But there is no prize for guessing who Wen Xi would end up with. It is already obvious from the beginning of the drama.

Acting

I like Ju Jing Yi’s acting in In A Class Of Her Own. She plays this type of spunky characters rather well as can be seen from her previous role in the Legend Of Yun Xi. In this drama, she didn’t try to portray a very manly Wen Bin which is the male identity that she assumed. Instead, I think she successfully made herself stand out from the rest of the men rather than blend in. Perhaps that was what the director wanted as she is surrounded by men throughout the drama. She acts tomboyish but with some elements of femininity to make her interesting and different.

As for Song Wei Long, I personally feel that he has a long way to go to be a polished actor. I prefer him in Find Yourself which is a modern role whereby he is caught in a relationship with a much older woman. He appears a little wooden in In A Class Of Her Own with no unique characteristics which makes the role he played very one-dimensional. Seasoned actors can take an aloof and serious character and inject some eccentricities or uniqueness to make it more interesting to watch. Allen Ren in Under The Power is one such example. The other is Vengo Gao in Eternal Love Of Dream and Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. It is about giving life to the character which I think Song Wei Long fails to do well enough in this drama.

Plot

As I have mentioned, the romance is not the main plot for this drama. It is more about getting through school and developing friendships as the characters face numerous problems ranging from unrequited love to political intrigues. I don’t think the producers should have stretched this to 36 episodes because there is really not much happening in some of them. For instance, Zheng Zhi’s jealousy towards Wen Xi can get kind of repetitive. So, it won’t be surprising if some viewers might find that the drama drags midway through.

The drama also spends quite a bit of time on the criminal and political side of things. So, if you are expecting the plot to get more focused on unearthing Wen Xi’s identity as a woman, that suspense is missing from In A Class Of Her Own. Even the revealing lacks excitement as one by one of her close friends and associates find out the truth under different circumstances.

My Verdict – Don’t Raise The Bar Too High

In A Class Of Her Own is a watchable drama but don’t raise your expectations too high either. Personally, I completed it because of Ju Jing Yi. Her character just seems lively and cute among all the boys. It is a drama that is on the lighter end of the spectrum with not much angst to drag you down just like the other cross-dressing drama, Dr. Cutie. So, if you are expecting a lot of suspense and anticipation for her gender to be revealed, then this drama is not for you. Neither would it make sense if you prefer a manlier cross-dresser as in The Heiress because Wen Xi is very much a pretty boy here with her petite size and feminine looks which ties back to the light-heartedness of this drama.

I would give this a 6.5/10 score. The In A Class Of Her Own review above has shown it does have a few weaknesses which is a shame because the story itself is interesting. Just like The Twin Flower Legend, it is the execution which could have been better done to make it more enjoyable rather than appearing draggy at times. The romance is under-developed which is a waste and the bromance is also lacking among the guys.

Hence, don’t set the bar too high for this one. Tone down your expectations and just watch the fun of a girl hanging around a bunch of boys while getting dragged into some political shenanigans. I think that pretty much sums up In A Class Of Her Own.