This review may contain spoilers
I thought this drama was some kind of traditional Wu Xia drama with intrigues in the palace. No this drama is a very special kind of drama in the setting of the plot, the characters, how the events and story develop. The drama is very intelligent and coherent with different layers of times and places which relate to each other in a logical and scientific way as in "science fiction". Many people speak of time travel but there is no time travel here. It is more complex than time travel. It is real science fiction with its themes and ideas describing a vision of humanity and it's future.STORY:
The story is very interesting and is about a child saved by a man from a dangerous situation and he is raised in the "countryside" and then called to the Capital city to discover it's true identity and fulfill his destiny. Using this storyline, the drama presents numerous and interesting, colorful flamboyant characters. These are very well depicted in different and effective ways (they speak, they act, people talk about them, people act for or against them, they are mentioned...) and they have quickly a huge dimension and impact even for a few scenes or episodes only.
So our hero evolves in this ruthless word of struggle for powers while he is just trying to find his origin. But he is up to par and even better. He is smart, handsome, funny, charming, cunning, cheeky to find his way out of traps and attacks against him. Like in a folktale, he falls in love at first sight with a beautiful damzel but he must go though different quests given to him as challenges but has one sometimes two great sidekick with him to help him. He visits different places. He meets people. Great, funny, helpful people with their unique colorful identity and impact in his life. Dark, mysterious, cunning adversaries who are in a fight for power using schemes but not in a way which leads the viewers but it in a way which entertains the viewers. Fan Xian fights them with smart words, swords, schemes, humor, playfulness and his beliefs in life. In the end he comes back almost home with a better knowledge about his origins. The story is a great mix of adventures, political schemes, palace plots, humour, friendship, romance, action.
CAST/CHARACTERS:
It was my first drama with Zhang Ruo Yun. He was perfect for the role. He was Fan Xian with his natural charm and his innocent but cunning boy looking face. I was impressed by the senior actors. Chen Dao Ming, Wu gang, Gao Shu Gang. Sometime lenient fatherly figures. Sometimes cunning opponent and challenging adversity for Fan Xian. The rest of the cast were great even in minor role they did the most to be sympathetic or hateful or both. Specially: Song Yi as a daring supporting sister RuoRuo, Xin Zhi Lei as DuoDuo in between best female friend and lover, Tian Yu as Wang Qinian the multi tool accomplice, Thomas Tong perfectly stiff as hilarious Uncle Wu Zhu, Frida Li as Si Lili a cold spy who falls in love, Wayne Wang as Teng Zi Jing. I also liked Second Prince, guard Yan Xiao Yi, Xiao En, Emperor of Qi, Eunuch Hong, Young Fan Xian and the actors playing them. Overall the cast was just great.
MUSIC:
The original song at the beginning gives a mysterious tone and vibe well adapted to the story and characters in the drama. It quickly became the annunciation of 45 minutes of a good show so I liked it. I thought the music in the drama was fine and well orchestrated between funny scenes, action and scheming scenes.
REWATCH VALUE:
I won't rewatch it entirely but there some great scenes here. All the ones with Fan Xian as kid. The ones with Uncle Wu Zhu. The ones with Guard Yan XiaoYi when he fights Wu Zhu or Fan Xian. Eunuch Hong scenes are great. Very emotional scenes with Teng Zi Jing family.
OVERALL: To tell such a story in this layered world is something unique. This is one of my favorite Chinese drama started in 2019. MUST WATCH. The only bad thing about this drama is now I have to wait to see the next season.
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This review may contain spoilers
Entertaining and Enjoyable
Great characters, interesting plot and no lazy filler plot. The music was very cleverly utilised- including rock, blues and yodelling! Fantastic application of music to highlight a diplomatic discussion which degenerates into a free-for-all while one character disassociates. Romantic elements included and managed with sensitivity, warmth and humour. The character development is integral to keeping the story moving and preventing the plot from fizzling out over one character. Wonderful to see the actor from Sunshine By My Side (the horrible husband) turning into a friend worth having despite his greed and slipperiness. A long wait for Xiao Zhan’s appearance but well worth it due tis outstanding performance in a non-romantic, complex role. Good acting all around with a great Dorian Gray- type character in there as a ticking time bomb. The premise for the film is, what if we used contemporary values in a hanfu drama? This makes for compelling watching without the usual cliches. Refreshing indeed with plenty of laughs and a young fire-breathing lead fighting for his integrity. I wish all C-drama was this much fun to watch. Wonderful to see representation of disability in the form of chronic illness, blindness and also wheelchair use. All of these characters think for themselves and do not let their disability define them; one of the drivers for FL is the way she and ML combat the prevailing wisdom to get better health outcomes for her and help her improve her independence. Excellent viewing which can be watched by a whole family if desired. I have already started watching s2.Was this review helpful to you?
ML i FL are the worst in this drama
I watched this drama a year ago and it's still difficult for me to judge it. Interesting plot, great acting, visually really good, interesting, original music, but - horribly irritating ML, totally unremarkable FL. It's not the actors' fault, it's the story. The heroes of the second and third plan are wonderful, each has its own interesting story and I want to know as much as possible about each of them, but I wanted to murder ML around the tenth episode and FL - as soon as she appeared. They are boring. She is bland, he has too much opinion of himself and everything comes too easy for him. I would like to throw them both out of the whole story and give it only to the characters of the second and further plans.I have good memories of the humor. I had a lot of fun in places. When it comes to acting - daring in the performance of every actor, even for five minutes. Superb little Fan Xien. Is it worth watching again? Sure, even a few times, although I rewind some scenes. Unfortunately I rewind those with ML and FL.
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This review may contain spoilers
finally finished
I have to stop watching unfinished drama... huhuhu....After I've watch snow sword stride (SSS) I decided to watch this. I have to say this drama have the same vibe with SSS, or should I say SSS have the same vibe with this one. But while SSS have no cliffhanger when they close the curtain, this was like Princess Agent have a frustrated cliffhanger that makes me want to punch the writer in the face. Yes I know they have the 2nd season on the road, but never I've expected they have the same open ending like princess agent.
Don't know to be cry or excited waiting for the season 2. Because I really don't know will Xiao Zhan ever come back to this drama due to his pack schedule.... While his character rather quite important here, and if they change the actor I don't know what my reaction will be.
So yeah I'll gonna put this drama on hold until the second season aired & I will be able to watch that... & after that I'll gonna rise the score too....
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After hold it for 2 years, finally I'm able to finished this drama. Also still with thought in my mind, will I regret myself for watched this series before all of it aired...? Well... We'll see then...
Story about Fan Xian (FX), a man who 'reborn to ancient time'. He lives in a rural town as the illegitimate son of the Minister of Finance, raised by his grandmother. FX lived free life, guarded by a blind martial arts expert, Wu Zhu (WX), his mother's bodyguard. One time, there's a master of art of poison, Fei Jie (FJ), who come to the town to teach FX the art of medicine & poison. With that FX learn the art of poison from FJ & martial arts from WX.
After an assassination attempt, he decides to venture into the capital to find out more about his mysterious mother and why anyone would want to kill him, as he perceives himself to be an unimportant person. In the capital, he accidentally meets Lin Wan Er (WR), the sickly illegitimate daughter of Princess Royal, and falls in love with her. Unbeknownst to him, she is the woman the emperor chose for him to marry so that he would be the new overseer of the Royal Treasury, an institute Fan Xian's mother established in the palace and currently handled by Princess Royal.
In the capital, however, he gets entangled in the intrigues of the Emperor and the two Princes, as well as the Overwatch Department, leading to him questioning his whole identity and inducing him to find his true life goals, abandoning his original intention to just "enjoy life". So, how his journey will go from here...?
That's basically what this drama about, this time MDL wrote quite accurate about it. Haha... Now let's talk what I like and don't like...
What I like:
+ The interesting character. You can say everyone in here, from FX, WR, Emperor, Chen Ping Ping (CPP) till Wang Qi Nian all interesting in their own way.... Everyone seem to have layer of character / face that will reveal in the perfect timing...
+ One of the greatest 'chess' politic in drama land. Oh... When you hear what CPP & emperor actually planning / cooking under the table, in the few last ep... You will either be amazed by them or you will shake your head, wondering how they have the heart to do so to FX.
+ Watching drama from 5 years ago bring some familiar face that unfamous back then, but now they're someone who are the lead in the drama, like Song Yi as Fan Ruo Ruo. Oh when I watched this 2 years ago, I don't remember nor know her, but now at least I know who she is. And that's make the drama more interesting to watch...
What I don't like:
- The series divided into 3 parts & we have to wait it so damn long for the next series.
- Everyone sometimes so damn stupid, they really willing to do anything in the name of their country... That's kinda pissed me off...
Overall I really think this one of unique drama. But the 3 parts really pissed me off. So yeah, I still need to lower the score... And in the end I still quite excited to watch the next part...
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A good drama with superb acting and characters except for the ML.
My review is more of my rant on the ML who ruins this great drama. I dropped this the first time because I couldn't stand the ML's character. It took me a while to restart it but I persevered this time to finish this one. First of all the ML isn't smart. That would be the last thing I would use to describe him. He had the fortune of being born with knowledge unfamiliar and unknown to the other characters in this drama so I would describe him more as lucky than some once in a century talent. The Zhuge Liang of his era. The drama really tries to portray him as this all knowing persona who has come to enlighten the backward feudalist people yet most of the time he just come off as gullible, arrogant and superficial. The entire first 10 episode is wasted on finding Fried Chicken Girl who ML wants to marry. He literally turned the capital upside down and implicated people so he could break off engagement with someone the emperor picked so he could marry the very beautiful maid wearing expensive gown and jewelry AKA Fried Chicken Girl . *Spoiler alert* Well not really a spoiler. It turns out very beautiful girl wearing expensive gown and jewelry was not a maid but a princess, well duhhh! and was actually his betrothed, even more duhhh! Even a half wit would know that.Was this review helpful to you?
masterpiece
Finally, Nirvana in Fire has a contender to stand at the top of the costume political drama haha.story: very epic, all connected, fun, light, no plot holes
Music: I love it. I always watch Opening OST over and over again, even though at first I heard it was normal. Then the cowboy backsound is so cute haha.
Acting: Zhang Ruo Yun is the core of the success of this drama, his character is very strong, maybe at first we are not sure why he is the main actor, but as the episode progresses, he is very suitable.
Rewatch: Yes, it's a light and funny drama. Don't get bored if you repeat it.
highly recommend this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Let me start by tipping my hat off to the writer because what a great story and I wasn't even surprised that we will have season 2 because this was just amazing!!!The story from ep 1 had me fascinated not to mention how handsome Fan Xian is! It was my first time seeing him in a drama and I was not disappointed he is a great actor.
I feel that there is a lot to be said abt the mystery of his mom and how she come to be such a great women and end up with the king no less! I did not see that one coming Fan Xian was a prince!!!
The writer kept us on edge most episodes and although I'm usually a hopeless romantic I for once found myself not concerned about whether his romantic relationship would grow or not, I wanted more on the politics and the suspense. I got goose bumps every tym a secret was revealed or a plot was discovered like wow I didn't see that coming.
All the actors did a great job, I mean that king and the overnight watch, like masterminds. Those guys must be good in chess cause their minds are just amazing.
I have rewatched this 3 times now and I'm still amazed at some of the plots I missed the first time. DEFINITELY A MUST WATCH!!!!!
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WATCH IT PLEASE !!!
After The Untamed I barely liked any other historical drama, as it never lived up to my expectations but this one was a Masterpiece. If you're looking for wuxia, this one for you.Plot and story - Honestly, very well written and crafted plot. It was amazing, there were twists and turns at every point of the story. You would never know who is good and evil. You get surprised at each and every episode. The cliffhangers are mindblowing, I loved it.
Characters and acting - Hats off to writers for writing characters with good development as the plot progressed. Like there are many characters but each one of them will be remembered by you. You get attached to them, But you never know who turns out to be what. Xiao Zhan comes later but he blew my mind with his acting and omg the ending twist, he nailed it. Each and every actor were placed perfectly for their role. I loved the lead, mostly the whole cast impressed me a lot. The lead was adorable not too stiff but witty and funny also enjoyable, He carried the whole drama in his hands.
Pace and Other: Fast-paced but maintained its story. Not lengthy conversation neither too much of backstory. It's like a mystery box that is to open gradually. The romance was the cutest part I loved the lead conversation, Like no shit love triangle and all. I was happy how they trusted and supported each other. It has modern-day essence in it too, so was interesting to watch from that aspect.
I am glad I watched it, it was worth each minute. This is not ending but beginning. It has a second season. More mysteries to be revealed, unanswered questions, characters turning point, Problems to be solved. It's a long journey to finally decide who's gonna win the game. I'm excited a lot. It would've been good if they made Legend of fei like this, instead it became a mess. This is what a wuxia drama is. I knew Xiao Zhan would not disappoint me (I loved wolf too). Anyway, let's be patient in this waiting game.
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Unlike most people, I did not start the drama because of Xiao Zhan (though I do love him) but damn this show is great. Each character had their motives and weren't shallow, the acting was good and so was the story! I just finished this but want to rewatch it already.
If anyone reading this is wondering if this show is worthwhile, i'd say give it a go. It's honestly one of the only two cdramas for which i did not take a break in between (the other one is 'go ahead'). Usually it gets difficult for me to keep my attention on cdramas since they are sooooo long but i wish this one was longer :(
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worth the rewatch; ready for S2
I first saw this show 2 years ago, when I first started watching Chinese dramas. At that time, I felt that it was one of the better shows I've seen in any language. Today, over 150 shows later, & about half of them costume dramas, I'm realizing Joy of Life S1 is probably one of the best shows I've seen in the last 3 years.This production has a very different feel to it from the regular diet of C-dramas. The dialogue is fast, smart, & funny, & the acting is superb. Few shows are able to create & sustain so much tension, with enough comic moments expertly executed to move the story along. Each character evolves with each scene as new information changes the way we see them, but rather than make everything dizzying or confusing, the story itself gradually comes to light. It's a complex puzzle but each move is closely examined. Deftly intertwined within the policital arc is the romantic development between the main character & his royally approved betrothed.
The story gets deeper as each character tries to outsmart the other, & it becomes a challenge to remember who knows what, like trying to keep several moves ahead of all players in a huge game of chess. Alliances form & change on the fly. But this is what kept me engaged in the story, moving along with Fan Xian as he discovers the secrets of his own identity, & as he grows from a sequestered village boy into the possible heir to the 2 (& possibly 3) most powerful organizations in the capital.
It's a story that's not about good vs evil, but about motivations. It's about the struggle for power while staying true to your principles & loyalites, or not. No character is one sided. Uncle Wu Zhu, the blind swordsman, has to be one of the coolest, badass characters of any martial arts show around. Invisible as a shadow, unmatched & unrecognized in his skill. He, too, has a secret forgotten past.
The story is so complex that I'm glad I decided to rewatch S1 in preparation for S2. I've picked up more details & gained a better understanding of all the characters, & even developed a new theory about Uncle Wu from all the clues I totally missed on 1st viewing, like when FanXian asks him in one scene, "Are you human?" I'm now ready for S2.
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Must watch!
My favourite c-drama by far. About to watch it for the third time. So looking forward to the next seasons, especially after having just finished reading the novel.The script for season 1 of the drama is a bit different from the original novel but they did a great job with it and i am very much looking forward to seeing how it develops over the next 2 seasons.
Casting for season 1 is amazing, all actors did a great job, especially the actors playing Fan Xian, Wu Zhu ( Tong Meng Shi as Wu Zhu is my favourite character ever), Wang Qinian, Chen Ping Ping and the Emperor.
Zhang Ruo Yun and Li Qin have great chemistry and they portray the characters ( Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er) very well.
Would be great if they would cast Ma Tianyu as Thirteenth Wang in the next seasons. I thought of him when reading the novel and i think he would be perfect for the part.
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