6 Reasons to Watch Nirvana in Fire 2

At first, I was hesitant to watch Nirvana in Fire 2 because of the negative opinions about the casting of Huang Xiao Ming, and it being a sequel to Nirvana in Fire (a highly praised drama, although I haven’t watched it!) as sequels usually turn out worse. But now I am glad that I decided to give it a chance!

1. The Story

The story revolves around the Changlin family, a family of the general of the Changlin army with strong military power, and its ups and downs due to political rivalries. The head of the family, Xiao Ting Sheng, leads the family of two sons: the older son Xiao Ping Zhang, a great general and heir to Changlin family, and the younger son Xiao Ping Jing, a young martial arts hero who lacks interest in politics. The story follows Ping Jing as the main protagonist through his transformation from a young carefree boy to a great commander achieving incredible military accomplishments. 

You will go through an emotional roller coaster and feel attached to all the main characters as the story advances. Although the story involves lots of political enemies and schemes, the main theme here is the relationships - the brothers, the father and sons, the romance, and even the relationship between the kings and the Changlin family.

2. The Bromance

The two brothers, Ping Zhang and Ping Jing, have great bromance in this drama. One is a general with strong military experience of leading battles - he is wise, mature and calm, and can calculate steps ahead. One is a young, energetic hero with a strong sense of justice - he is very street-smart and clever but maybe a bit impulsive. Both complement each other in every way.

The bromance is very genuine so you can see their care and concern for each other, the older’s love and concern for the younger and the younger’s respect for the older.

3. The Family

It’s not just the brothers, the father is also one of the best father figures I have seen in a drama. He is not the kind of father who thirsts for power only. He is loyal to his country and its ruler. His love for his sons is also evident throughout the drama. He is not overly strict, nor overly spoiling his sons. The relationships with his sons and his daughters-in-law are full of love and respect.

4. The Strong Female Leads

Qian Xue is trained in martial arts and is strong enough to protect and hold the family together without her husband.

I have never seen a drama this full of strong female leads.  NIF2 has two female leads - Meng Qian Xue, the wife of Ping Zhang, and Lin Xi, the love interest of Ping Jing.  Although these two female leads are not as important as their male counterparts, they do hold strong presence on their own. 

Some people may dislike Lin Xi because she seems cold and indifferent at times but I admire her for being independent. She made her own decisions and lived with them. She does not depend on Ping Jing like a damsel in distress (like other typical female leads) but lives her own life, pursuing her own dream, which is pretty rare in Dramaland. 

5. The Cast

He was very convincing in portraying Ping Jing as a young, carefree, sheltered prince and also as an invincible general leading the most powerful army to defend the country.

Of course, without the strong cast, it is impossible to portray the emotional depth of all these characters and the cast of NIF2 did very well; everyone, from the main leads to supporting characters to even the villains, perfectly portrayed their characters.

Although people doubted the casting of Huang Xiao Ming, he did a great job as Ping Zhang. As for Liu Hao Ran, it was my first time seeing his acting and I have become a huge fan. I can see that he has so much potential to become a great actor (and not just an idol actor). Although he is still quite young and lacks experience, he was already able to lead the drama on his own, especially in the second part of the drama.

6. The Cinematography

This drama has a great production value. For those who love grand cinematography and care about little details such as costumes, this is the right show for you. Every scene is visually appealing and mesmerizing.

And a very big plus point for me is the action choreography. I did not expect a lot of martial arts scenes from this drama as it is tagged more as a political drama. But, with Ping Jing as a martial arts hero, there were lots of action scenes and they were beautifully choreographed. Both Liu Hao Ran and Zhang Hui Wen have amazing flexibility and graceful stance due to their background in dance which makes them very fluid and natural in martial arts scenes.

Personally, I think this is one of the best dramas of 2017. It has everything it takes for a great drama - the storyline, the characters, the cast, great production, and cinematography.

You will definitely enjoy this drama if you are already a fan of Chinese historical dramas. Even if you are not a fan yet, check it out because it is one of the better dramas out there. 

Lastly, watch the opening theme song of Nirvana in Fire 2 to get a glimpse of what is waiting for you:

And this amazingly edited video of Nirvana in Fire 2 here:

Thanks for reading!