Nirvana in Fire (2015)

An excellent production in every measure: the plot, acting, good looking cast, cinematography, music, costume. I had watched some of the mega newer Chinese dramas like Ten mile peach blossom, Fu Yao and Ashes of love. When I initially saw that the rating of this drama was higher than the former three, I could not believe it. The former three are already so good, how is it possible to beat that. Now that i have completed watching it, i am very impressed. Every episode keeps you captivated and is of very high standard with no slackening throughout the series. There are only two elements I don't like about this drama. The sad ending is depressing. It made me cry and i am not one who cries easily . The explanation of the hero's illness and the difference with his deputy's situation is somewhat ridiculous. For these, I rated the story 8.5, otherwise it would be 10. While i would re-watch Ten mile and Fu Yao, i probably won't rewatch this as the ending is too much of an emotional roller coaster for me. But i have to say this again, it is an impressive production.

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I've probably watched this drama more than I can remember. When I first saw its trailer, I thought it was a movie given the quality (setting, acting, action scenes, etc.) and cinematography. I've long anticipated what was to happen when the drama was nearing its end but there's just this stubborn thought and a constant hope that the ending wouldn't be what the drama was pointing at since the beginning. Some say that it resembles the plot of Count of Monte Cristo but I would suggest that you keep that thought off of your minds. Nirvana In Fire is a different league on it its own. This drama is definitely one to watch.

And to the hopefuls like myself, here's something for you: https://talesofathirdworldnurse.wordpress.com/2018/02/26/the-unofficial-nirvana-in-fire-ending-youve-never-seen/

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I've had a difficult time reviewing this because of the sheer thought and unbelievable effort that was put into making such a provoking drama and a few short paragraphs don't do it enough justice.

The story revolves around an old frail man who is a thousand steps ahead of everyone else, who has his own ambitions and ultimately will see those ambitions come through no matter how costly it is to himself.

The casting was excellent. WK played his role beautifully. The action and sword play was very exciting to watch and although watching a seemingly old man start flying around like a young Jet Li seemed a bit much, you do have to suspend disbelief somewhere.

It was a solid start, enough to keep me interested with the usual meddling in the middle and a very somewhat predictable race to the finish. For fifty odd episodes, a drama has to stay interesting for the viewer to want to come back and this one did enough to do that. It took a total of two months on and off to complete.

I did feel that the writers dropped story lines in the sense that characters who I thought were going to be big players turned out to be one and done. It was to help the main plot go forward but there weren't any subplots to latch on to because of it. There is a romance element that is very discreet. You could argue that it was never really there in this timeline but the strong sense of bromance is in full effect if that's your liking.

All in all, a good drama to get away from the real world. If the ending seems bleak, I prefer the alternate one that's out there and really is the true ending.

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Justice, Revenge, and Lasting Friendships

A well planned and executed scheme to shed light on past injustices.
Watch this for the well written script, seasoned acting, and virtuous friendships.

1. Story
Certainly a drama where watching a second time would make things more clear. I admit the first 10 episodes were slightly dull to me being that it is more heavily on script than others. Though the story actually builds momentum gradually throughout and never slips until the ending, which is how dramas should be.

Its definitely not everyone's cup of tea but besides the exceptional leads and supporting cast, it also had some of the best war scenes without too much CGI used I have ever seen.

2. Characters
Mei Chang Su's chemistry with all of the cast was outstanding but the obvious is with Prince Jing. They shared an authentic connection and engaged viewers through their relationship.

Princess Ni Huang (Tamia Liu) also had fantastic chemistry with Hu Ge but it wasn't the main focal point, though I wish somehow they would have allowed more moments between them cause the chemistry could have rivaled other romantic dramas.

There were many supporting characters to like in this drama so its too much to list them all, however there were a few intriguing characters that maybe you could have sympathized with.

(1) The Emperor -- towards the end where Xiao Shu entered the palace to plead the Emperor to re-investigate the case, they shared a moment which I thought was very interesting. Their relationship seems to be complicated.

(2) Prince Yu -- once you learned about his story then its entirely appropriate to sympathize with him. He was another actor who played his role perfectly.

(3) Xia Jiang -- one of the main culprits in this drama yet you could find reasons to sympathize with him. The scene when his Son was revealed to him as still alive was very touching.

3. Romance
More friendship than romance but again, if this story had been a romantic drama between Xiao Shu and Princess Mu Ni Huang, then no question their chemistry would have been off the charts.

4. Costume / Music
An exceptionally moving soundtrack yet was only sparingly played throughout. Its one of those times where I felt the soundtrack actually did not play enough but when it did, it made an impact. Costume and wardrobes were average, the drama had an old feeling about it, also not to mention this drama is very hard to find to watch in HD.

Soundtrack -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4US7gLYPEJk&list=PLA-Ut9mBTLeIM4dJIeSvpT5m6sbaUHm5X

5. Ending
Very tragic ending though lightened by the directors by not directly showing the tragedy, it was a fairly quick wrap up. Perhaps they felt it was unnecessary to extend such a sad moment.

However, one thing that lacked was the explanation or showing of what happened to the other supporting casts. Though the story was based on Mei Chang Su, I was very curious about the other characters and how they ended up.

A drama that deserves a re-watch to fully grasp indeed for some.

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Tbh I don’t get the hype about this series. I felt that the series that could have been wrapped up into around 45 episodes were dragged to 54. Because some scenes were dragged and I felt as if some scenes were even repeated. Some important scenes were missing as well. I also personally didn’t like the fact that female characters were given almost no screen time.

Other than that the costumes and the character development of male characters were pretty darn good. Also acting is also pretty good. Loved the fighting and the martial art scenes though there were very handful.

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Joy of Life is a lot more interesting

If you were wondering why everyone recommends this drama, perhaps this was a hit at a time where the audience was sick of being delivered idol dramas or poorly produced narratives that only served best as an accompaniment to doing work or chores around the house. For these viewers, this might have been a refreshing piece in cdramaland to alleviate the pain of having to suffer the insult of being patronised by aforementioned productions featuring flimsy writing, careless direction, and talentless actors who scored roles solely due to their popularity.

However, despite it being a revered drama, it falls short on delivering excellence, and is at best, a drama you cannot label as an 'idol' drama. I want to be frank and say here that, just because a production doesn't have young, pretty liuliangs, it doesn't necessarily mean that the drama will be a 'good' one, just because it is deemed 'serious'.

Firstly, the acting was standard, (subpar for Liu Tao), the leads had no screen presence, the actors had no chemistry, and the biggest problem with the premise is that you don't really believe in the brotherhood between the two main characters. If we are to care about the protagonist at all, we should be able to feel the care he has for both his longtime friend and his past lover, but all I felt was his love for chess play, allbeit in his detached manner.

This comes to another major weakness of the drama, which is Hu Ge's interpretation of the character which seemed rather superficial. While he portrayed the intelligence of the character, I wasn't convinced that he was a humane, layered being with varying emotions. I didn't feel the connection between himself and his friend, and the love story felt unnecessary. Hu Ge's inability to convey poignant moments also made it difficult for me to empathise with his character and it made it hard for me to believe that he had any himself.

While Joy of Life definitely has its flaws, the amazing storyline, fast-paced direction, and strong characterisation will leave you more than satisfied if a serious, political intrigue drama is what you're into.

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A slow burn

It took me a long time to get into this — I rarely watch historical dramas, much less something so heavy, so I had a lot of trouble with the character tree and not really understanding what the backstory was.

About 25 episodes in, however, I really started to hit my stride. I was really interested in how the different plots would unfold, and especially in the tension between the main characters Mei Changsu and Jingyan as we gradually got a few identity reveals — none of them disappointed.

Overall, I ended up really enjoying this one and would probably enjoy it a little more had it not been for the ending, which I understand thematically but still feels tacked on. It always feels kind of underwhelming when a drama adds a mini plot after the main one is over. It feels unexplained and rushed, and I really will just…pretend it doesn’t exist, to be honest.

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