Amor do Nirvana (2024)

From hate, to understanding, to mutual respect and love

Picture this: you've just selected the perfect perch to admire beautiful people and drink expensive wine. Little do you know, you've now infiltrated a carefully laid-out assassination plan, one which the lives of an entire city hinge on.

A simple case of wrong place, wrong time pushes our happy-go-lucky heroine into dangerous waters, caught up in a high-stakes political chess game. This drama is dark, and unafraid of going to extremes!

For a country bumpkin, Jiang Ci really surprised me: she is innocent, but she is not naive. It takes a certain kind of mettle to hold your own (life—ahem, thanks to a certain masked man) between two powerful schemers. On one hand, she is kept in the mansion of Marquis Pei Yan as bait to lure out the culprit, while on the other, she is hurt and poisoned within an inch of her life by the assailant himself. Jiang Ci has no power, no connections and no martial arts, nor does she have anyone to rely on. Yet, she possesses a formidable inner strength and bravery. She is aware of her restricted agency, yet she persists in finding a way to escape, making her own moves without regret.

As you root for her, you cannot imagine ever understanding, let alone forgiving, Wei Zhao's cruelty towards her. This is when a second perspective emerges, and we learn not everything is so black-and-white as a chessboard— the reality is chillingly bloodstained, involving decades-long genocide and enslavement. It is Wei Zhao alone who carries this burden, dedicating his entire life solely to freeing his people from subjugation,

For viewers, this is a turning point in the story that seems to be polarising: the drama, true to its name, explores the fluidity of empathy and human nature. In truth, Jiang Ci is just sticking to the principles that have guided her since the beginning of the story: her concern and compassion for the people. When she realises it is not just a matter of her own life, she promises to protect the secret of his mission. At this point, our leads shift from "enemies" to "acquaintances no longer in each other's way".

The romance is subtle and slow-burn, progressing from mutual respect and helping each other in Nanling, to admiring and falling in love with each other in Yueluo. Li Landi and Ren Jialun's chemistry is so heart-fluttering that I didn't even care about the lack of skinship. Where Jiang Ci was flirtatious and forward, Wei Zhao is shy—but he is equally deep in yearning. He expresses his feelings in his own hidden ways: the way his eyes track her, smiling when she is happy and noticing when she isn't; when he returns her promises about their future; when he takes care of her while she's sick; and when he gives her his only family keepsake, again symbolic of his own secret promise to her.

There are a few annoying characters in the story: Pei Yan, who for the majority of the drama, is obsessed with keeping Jiang Ci trapped with him. He does get redeemed in the end though. The other is Jiang Ci's master, who mainly served to create more conflict and angst, but this is luckily wrapped up quite quickly.

The final arc in Qingkang is fast-paced, angsty and politics-heavy.

OVERALL: The drama is one of a kind, and the romance was a beautiful and rare, authentic portrayal of enemies to lovers. Wei Zhao is a complex, cunning and selfless character who I fear I will often be comparing to future male leads. He's just THAT guy! The same goes for Jiang Ci: her being a physician and playing an active role in the battles makes SO much sense for her character, because she is not the type to sit still in the face of others' suffering. In that sense, she is as much a protector of the weak as Wei Zhao, which is what incites their mutual attraction.










ENDING SPOILER:
I felt the ending was so unnecessary, and seemed to be directly contradicting all the buildup, foreshadowing and symbolism of the earlier episodes. But, I love this drama too much to give it a lower rating. With that being said: for those considering watching, don't let the ending scare you out of missing on this beautiful story. I don't regret watching it at all!

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عالی بود

به نظر من بین سریالای رن جیالون دتبه ی دوم و داره الان توی قلبم ( بعد از یکه و تنها ) نقش اصلی دختر کاراکترش رو مخم بود ولی نقش اصلی پسر رو خیلی دوست داشتم و تمام قسمت هایی که توی یوئه لو بودن با تک تک اشکاش و ناراحتی هاش منم گریه کردم و واقعا درد و ناراحتی شو با تمام وجودم حس کردم ، اهنگای سریالم خیلی قشنگ بودن و تا پخش میشدن اشک منو درمیوردن

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JUST WATCH IT.

I am so beyond picky with historical cdramas, and I don't know how to express in words just how much it takes for me to actually get through one. Even with ones I like, I can't help but skip through and watch the parts that only stick out to me more. With Love of Nirvana, this was not the case.

I have some criteria that really determines whether I watch or not. The most important, is the characters. I am impressed with all three of our main leads in this drama. Truly, the actors did a phenomenal job as each was complex, flushed out, and most importantly, real. They aren't "perfect" people, which I tend to see in a lot of dramas. That makes it hard to connect with the characters but in this case, its clear that they are driven by their own motivations, conflicted, and so human I can actually sympathize with them all. Their intentions are not always clear, sometimes are questionable, but it makes it all the more intriguing to watch and remain captivated.

The FL is such a breath of fresh air. I really can't stand spineless characters as it just makes the show too draggy and I get impatient. While I do love a really badass FL too, sometimes cdramas fixate too much on that element which really washes out the character. Our FL has her strengths and weaknesses, but is overall quite clever and cheeky. I really love her character, and how she develops through the story.

Even our ML. Initially, I found him questionable but as the story unravels its interesting to learn more about him. Additionally, the progression of the relationships with this drama are more realistic and natural which makes them more believable. The side characters too are enjoyable. Sometimes cdramas focus only on the main cast, making the rest of the world more 2D but all the characters in this show played a role making the world feel more real.

Now the plot. Generally, I find it hard to really care and engage with the world in historical cdramas. Usually whatever is happening only processes on a very superficial level for me as I am more interested in the character dynamics and chemistry (which this drama definitely has). This drama keeps you on your toes. Along with the characters, things are unclear and only later revealed it just makes you want to keep watching. Scheming, plotting, unclear motivations, puzzles and mind games executed with characters who play the role just right. Some themes are heavier which I prefer especially when they are executed so brilliantly as in the case of this drama.

Even the music. Usually, I don't notice it but this drama did well in coupling the right music with certain scenes (seriously, I never really give this attention but this drama managed to make me notice).

Anyway, just watch it. I'm impressed with how sucked into the world I got with this drama. My watch style really doesn't mesh well with historical dramas as I find their plots to be too much effort and too lengthy to involve myself in. This drama really just hooked me though.

The only complaint I have is that it does start out stronger than it ends (I enjoyed the first half more than the second half).

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Drama focused more on theme

I liked the beginning of the story where the male protagonist, with his face covered by a mask, infiltrates a place to carry out an attack. The female protagonist unknowingly intervenes in his mission, putting him in a tough spot. He even considers killing her because he doesn't want any obstacles, even innocent ones, in his path.
This plot twist gave me goosebumps. Why? Because moments like this add spice and elevate the story.
As the story progresses, we see that the three main characters are all battling their personal struggles, each with a painful past. Their conflicts stem from these heart-wrenching histories. Initially, all three are suspicious of one another, dealing with each other cautiously. But later, we learn that two of their pasts are connected, and they then face emotions like revenge, hatred, jealousy, and love.

The drama doesn't have many romantic scenes, as it focuses more on the main theme. Except for two characters, the rest have happy endings.

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An awesome epic weeper

A really awesome watch. An epic 2-tissue-box weeper. A love triangle which will make you feel that all other love triangles are but shadowy caricatures of the real thing. The script overall is truly powerful, but this is a 10star watch because the plot, character arcs/characterization and the acting power of the leads are so magnificent that an 11stars would have been a nice option for them alone. Pay careful attention to the prophecies of the blind face-reader and the three cat metaphors (kitten, shameless and genuine/false clay). The lyrics of songs in a chinese soundtrack always carry extra clues to the plot -- I loved the opening credits particularly.

The magnetic and charismatic Ren Jia Lun (as Wei Zhao/Wu Xia) can really act, even with his face in a half-mask for 1/4 of the movie -- watch him fall in love with his eyes. Landy Li (as Xie Jiang Ci) is the best actress I have seen in a long time -- across her face roll waves of love, fear, happiness, sorrow and the best glare ever. Jeremy Tsui (as Pei Yan) with the mellifluous voice (a separate v-actor?) has amazing stature and dignity; he also carries off beautifully a fine transition between obsessive love to facing reality; I also have never seen an actor do this so well.

The actors playing the most important 'supporting' roles, Zhang Feng Yi as the Emperor (Xie Che) and Wen Zhang Rong as the mother of Pei Yan (Rong Yu Die) give powerful, finely understated and magnificently ambiguous performances as the two poles of the "interesting times" in which our 3 true lovers are caught. Here is a question for you: how would the lives of Pei Yan and Wu Xia been different had Jiang Ci not left her master and mountain village behind to go see the world of 'rivers and lakes'?

I enjoyed the finely detailed and solid structure of the provincial corruption. I dont like battle scenes or overly confusing palace intrigue generally; less melodramatic and stereotypical than usual, these here held my attention. There were some very fine moments visually, but overall I think the battle scenes do not match the expertise of the rest of the series. The imperial intrigue, less claustrophobic than usual, was run from the outside of the palace. Wait for the most nerve-wracking 24 hour build-up to a wedding ever seen!

There are moments where the soundtrack, cinematography and script do not mesh well, marring an otherwise masterfully written and structured show. A few cheesy or schmaltzy moments during the two wars, mainly due to an out of control soundtrack which did not match the action. The impressionistic storyline of the wars was closer to a realistic experience than the usual easy-to-follow narrative. Many other minor sequences also had interesting, more modern storytelling structures. I think this might make the show a rewatch possibility.

The costuming was really intensely beautiful, very little of the standard pink and blue filmy drapery. The cinematography was overall excellent and professional with many really great shots. The director is only eight years into the business and was able to pull off this cast-of-thousands epic, so I look forward to his next shows.

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El primer ML es psicópata. No es broma.

Es un sádico que lastima a la FL sin ninguna razón en absoluto. Es demasiado espeluznante y demente pensar que esos dos son la pareja principal. ¡Me da escalofríos! En cada episodio él es violento con ella. No aporta nada a la trama.
Casi mata a la FL al menos 3 veces, la apuñaló, la envenenó, la torturó, la ahogó con agua. Y ella decide hacerle papilla a cambio.
Tambien hay muchas inconsistencias en la historia, me surgen interrogantes:
¿Por qué la chica es experta en intrigas y tácticas, aunque fue criada en aislamiento? ¿Por qué la chica se preocupa por la autoconservación pero se niega a renunciar al extraño que no conoce y que está tratando activamente de matarla? ¿Por qué le tiene miedo un momento y al siguiente está alegre y animada?
¿Por qué traicionaría al hombre que la salvó solo para proteger al hombre que la quiere muerta?
El ML puede entrar en la mansión fuertemente custodiada del Marqués cuando quiera, pero ¿corre el riesgo de que la chica a la que intentó matar cuatro veces espíe para él?
Lo lamento mucho porque los actores son brillantes, pero qué desilusión este drama, es muy frustrante. Basta para mi.

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The last few drama for Jeremy Tsui

I am watching this because of Jeremy Tsui and Li Landi. I love both these two actors.
The beginning is interesting though still somewhat slow … I believe CP is Ren JL and Li Landi.
I really like what I see of Jeremy Tsui thus far …
Wei Zhao (REN) seemed to be the nephew of the emperor as his mother was the emperor’s sister. Likely some conspiracy that implicate the Emperor…. Pei Yan ( Jeremy) is a Lord who seemed to be entrusted with managing some talk with another neighboring country…
However, during the talk, Wei Zhao tried to kidnap or believed to try to assassinate the delegate for talks nd was foiled by Li Landi ‘s character, more a wrong place at wrong time situation….

There is a lot of angst and fights between the 2 MLs and FLs in the first 10-12 episodes. Initially, 1st ML and FL fought quite furiously… until about ep 14/15 where their relationships became closer due to common case interests. Ep 17 has got to be the highlight of all the episodes I watched thus far….the dynamics between FL changes from being supportive of Pei Yan to Commander Wei. I do like how nuanced the interactions are between all 3 leads … I see Jeremy Tsui and REN’s role as both leads … there is a “reverse “ harem with the doctor, Wei Zhao and Pei Yan all liking FL ( Li Landi’s role)…

Definitely a good drama to watch … the story and characters all have complex personalities and nuanced storytelling…

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