Nirvana in Fire (2015)

Top Notch Tale of Revenge

This was my first ever Chinese drama and I have been re-watching it at least once a year ever since. It never gets old. In fact, I just finished another rewatch and wanted to convey how much I love this drama. It is #1 on my greatest of all-time list. The acting of main cast and supporting cast are superb. There really is no weak link in the acting department. The bad guys are really good at being bad guys and the heroes are great at being heroes, especially Hu Ge, who plays brilliant strategist Mei Changsu with a vulnerability that you cannot help but root for. Every one of his subordinates and friends would die for him to help him fulfill his plans. And I as viewer feel the same way! It's fascinating to see how all his precise and carefully made plans came to fruition one by one. The plot keeps building up the more episodes you watch. The romance of Mei Changsu and Ni Huang is heartbreaking, but so are all the amazing friendships as well. The introduction song is poignant, I never skip it when watching and the songs from all 3 leads are amazing! If you start watching this drama, I guarantee you will also re-watch every year! It is just that good!

Leia Mais

The Best

I always stick to kdrama because it's relatable and I have gotten accustomed to the language but I decided to try chinese drama, I watched a few and it was not that great and I was starting to think mmm... chinese drama wasn't worth the change, the Nirvana in fire 1 happened. After I was done watching I told my parents and friends that they need to see this drama... Yes it's that good
The story, the backstory, the cast ,the custom, the beginning, the end... I loved everything about it. We have the main lead Mei chang su who is going into battle with his arsenal fully prepared , a strategy like no other , oppositions he knows how to defeat before the battle start and allies he can depend on until the very end. This story isn't just about getting revenge for his dead families and soldiers, it's about setting wrongs Right. He could get revenge without him coming into their political world but he wants to set what as been wrong which is pased as right, Right (I don't know if that made sense).

Leia Mais

This is the first time i write a review here in dramalist. and ive seen lot of drama before, especially kingdom drama like fire in nirvana. This drama is so good especially the plot and the way the story is told. for everyone who hasnt watch the show, please be patient if you want to start to watch it. this is the kind of drama that you need to figure out what is the connection between the character, you need to be involved into the story and then you will get the explanation later. this is very hard movie to watch at first (at least until ep 7). i failed to watch it twice and i regret it, that im not watch it sooner. anyway, if you need good drama, good acting, good story, good ending this is drama that you need to watch. i dare to put it on my number one list of good kingdom drama above six flying dragon, jewel in the palace or emperor qi. a very good drama.

Leia Mais

Smart Heroic!!

This has been out for years now. But I just happened to finish watching. It's a good drama that I enjoy. No wonder why scores are quite high on it.

Plot
I love how much male lead is smart and planned everything, so his friend can be crowd king for the good of people, as well as to get those bad people who wronged him before. The development of his friend character from straight rightuous into adjusting it for the good.
The drama focuses a lot on game of politics yet characters'bonds and emotional sentimental feelings are also there, which is why its a delight. And yes theres enough fighting and wuxia(martial arts) scenes to enjoy. Romance is not main focus at all but its still included. A mature romance!
The only thing is that, it ended with ML having to be hero till end. It annoys me as I actually wanted him to live in peace after all. For that reason I deducted 1 score. But then I still don't call it bad ending.

Pacing and Cinematography
The pacing is perfect for me. Lol for some reason I got into the drama with ease, I like the way the characters are introduced, it doesnt give me much confusion as some other of this genre type drama did.
Cinematography is natural or it gives natural feelings. It relaxed my eyes. I love how its so different from CGI usage these days. But the drama is S+ production of the time for sure.

All in all, I give it 9/10. A Grade.

Leia Mais

This was a phenomenon drama, really one of a kind. The casting was out of this world, the acting was just at another level, the soundtrack was amazing and it paired well with each of the scenes. This would be one of those dramas that I can watch over and over again. The storyline was epic and it was intriguing to follow through. There were so many parts of it that I couldn't help but cry for the main character and Hu Ge was just amazing in his performance. I fell in love with this series immediately and with each passing episode, I fell more in love each time.

Leia Mais

This story was brilliantly told if not portrayed. I loved everything about this drama and finished it less than a week.

The cast was outstanding and well-balanced. When emotions were to be conveyed they did such a wonderful job doing it that it would pull at the hardest heart strings of any viewer.
Mei Changsu planning was meticulous and his way of delving out justice was eye-opening as his agenda wasn't about getting revenge but making things right.

The bromance in this is by far the best I've ever seen...and I've watched a hell of a lot of dramas.

The reason I took off a half a point is because this is really like story-telling, there are some scenes I would have wished to have seen, but instead it was explained away instead.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good bromance, know what you getting into by reading the synopsis and okay with crying a few tears.

Leia Mais

Not quite perfect, but not far, either.

My first foray into Asian dramas and I wasn't disappointed! It's an epic 100% worth the time and among the greatest of all time television series (including western TV). Costuming is so perfect you'll want to cry and the cast's acting and chemistry is unparalleled in anything I've seen before. Pacing is good and there is little filler, and I appreciate that a lot of things, sometimes huge things, happen unceremoniously offscreen. The show only rarely pontificates, repeats, or overexplains things; in other words, it doesn't treat the viewer like an idiot who can't keep up.

However, not knowing who Liu Tao was meant that I largely went "so what" over what little romance there was; what few scenes there were were out of place, not well written, and seemed to rely largely on her star power. Zzz.

I also wish there had been more intimate (platonic) scenes and between Su and Jing. I don't feel like their brotherhood was really given the time it deserved. Some flashbacks would have also helped illustrate just how deep their bond ran... because otherwise, we are just supposed to trust the things coming out of their mouths.

Chinese censorship is also felt through the lack of dimensionality - in Game of Thrones, you have several factions, some of whom have justified claims, and all of whom have their own (usually competing) interests. How those interests resolve is what made GOT so fun to watch, and its morally gray characters were some of the best characters in the series. By comparison, Nirvana in Fire just feels like it's lacking dynamism and, in the end, is very much just a "good guys vs bad guys" kind of show, which was a bit of a letdown to me.

All in all, it's a great show, definitely worth watching the entire 54 episodes at least once. However, I don't know that I personally will be rewatching it in its entirety, namely because while I loved many of the characters, the main protagonist and his shallow relationships left me with an apathetic feeling about the supposedly bittersweet events taking place. I'll likely go back and rewatch only a handful of episodes, particularly the ones around the spring hunt.

Leia Mais

binging this when i'm sick in the first week of new year with exams going on was not the best idea. a couple of boxes of tissues comes in handy because oh wow was this rollercoaster both emotional and iNTENSE.

it took me 5 tries to get into this drama because i'm an absolute clown listening to political talks. the first 3 or 4 episodes can be overwhelming with the amount of information bombarded at your face. on top of that, you have character names to remember. basically, you literally need to have an open mind like literally open your brain, have it turned on and make it function because you never know what impact those characters have on the story.

the charming points that caught my eye is ma boi sir su, ma girl princess nihuang, relatable meng zi, babie boi fei lu and hella fine prince jing.
ma boi sir su is such an admirable character that doesn't fail to interest me. he had everything planned to attain justice not for himself but for the many who had their reputations smudged by false facts that were made to be known for many years. he is not careless to make a single misstep and where there is one, he is quick to resolve the problem.

while the ending was emotional, i didn't feel like it was that climatic. what i do like is it leaves room for questions and makes me eager to watch season 2.

p.s. A+ for the beautiful ost, the pigeon and yes to the tangerines

Leia Mais

Yes, the characters jump 20 ft in the air. Yes, the tone can kind of be ridiculous sometimes and seem over the top. Yes, this is also one of the best shows I've ever watched in my life. THE STORY TELLING IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT. The foreshadowing even from episode one is so clever and Mei Changsu is just SUCH A PROTAGONIST. Like I love crafty, scheming characters and he is no exception. His will to do anything in his power to receive justice and put Jingyan on the throne no matter what happens to him... Like his line about doing the things Jingyan won't be able to do like he really said I'll be the bad guy so you don't have to <3 like those two are INSANE. Mei Changsu is just a brilliantly written character. He's extremely sick and always one step away from death, but he's man on a very dedicated mission. And atp he really does have nothing to lose so ofc he's going to do the actual most and have all the audacity ever. Ugh i love him. That being said, I also ADORE Prince Jing as the justice focused, honorable soldier type who doesn't even want the throne until master manipulator Mei Changsu comes along. Jingyan and Changsu complement each other so well and just have one of the best dynamics of all time like YEAH THEY !!! Ofc the plots are so well thought-out and leave you on the edge of your seat and YEAH Jingrui's birthday party arc is my favorite arc of television EVER. NO ONE could've prepared me for the sheer insanity that I witnessed like just. HUHHHHH. How was any of that real... WHAT AN INSANE COUPLE OF EPS. And yeah that being said never invite Mei Changsu to your bday party. But yeah the plot is perfect and so brilliantly written and every single one of the twenty million characters are brilliantly. Yeah, it can be hard to keep track of all of them but they're all perfect. Commander Meng is loyal to a fault and such a fun character like what a guy I adore him. Fei Liu is just <333 Another loyal to a fault character he was just everything I love his dynamic with MCS. Prince Yu is so hilariously pathetic he's so funny. AND THEN THERES THE WOMEN !!!! Nihuang is perfect, Xia Dong is perfect, Consort Jing may be the best character in the show, AND THEN THERES BANRUO. No one has ever gaslit gatekept and girlbossed like her im absolutely OBSESSED WITH HER. Like Prince Yu is so STUPID he would be NOWHERE without Banruo. This show is just genuinely incredible and completely keeps your attention for all 50+ eps ugh i just truly am obsessed with this show its just so well written <33

Leia Mais

Possibly one of the best court dramas in any language

A piece of fiction that has all the basics covered. The plot is exiting at every instance, the characters intriguing. While there are many twists and turns that the side characters go through, we see the drama through the focal point of all those twists and hence, the audience is let in on all there is to the drama. The showrunners, therefore, counted on the characters to be relatable and flawed enough that their reactions to those twists to be the anticipated parts of the drama.

The overarching story, therefore, is very simple. It's a story about a man whose family and friends were wiped out by a proud, foolish emperor. Instead of revenge being his driving principle, he sought after seeking justice for their legacy and a better future of his homeland.

Music fixes a lot of the flaws of the drama. It has a romance plot between the protagonist and his former betrothed. Their relationship was sadly not explored enough but the saving grace was the acting and the music alleviated them as much as possible. A lot of characters were also not explored enough. Consort Jing for example never had any role in the story besides feeling sad for the past and helping her son and the main character. Unfortunately, almost all female characters in the story shared the same fate. They had no desires or interests of their own aside from helping the male figures closest to them.

But, despite its flaws, it is possibly one of the best court dramas ever made. It has the right pacing, the right plots, the right actors and the right dialogue to keep audience on their toes. The values espoused by this drama are the same as most dramas that tell age old tales of brotherhood, community and bravery. Hence, I recommend everyone to watch it. It has something for everyone.

Leia Mais

I usually dislike long drama series. Mostly because i find long serial drama has too much plots and it felt dragging. However, this is not the case with this drama. Each plot has reasons and justify the progress to the end. This is the exact example of well written script.

This drama is exceptional with the push of the talented actors and actress as well. Hu Ge especially has been able to display Lin shu's passion to clear his family and army which is hidden behind his frail body. His tale is indeed sad but inspiring. He is an amazing person who is also recieved love the most from everyone around him. All of his followers follow him not because of fear, but love and loyalty. He is an unforgetable character and has become one of my most fav too.

Another thing that I love is the fact that the story highlight the importance of loyalty, family love and amazing display strategies.
This drama is a total must watch.

Leia Mais