Love of Nirvana

A Drama of Deception and Depth: Love of Nirvana's Unforgettable Tale.

A masterclass in strategic maneuvering and character depth, "Love of Nirvana" delivers a cerebral experience, where every interaction is a calculated move in a high-stakes game. Ren Jialun's portrayal in this intricate political landscape is a dream realized, showcasing his ability to navigate complex schemes with nuanced expressions. The drama thrives on its characters' sharp intellect, each move anticipated and countered, creating a thrilling dance of wits. The narrative's strength lies in its ability to keep viewers guessing, revealing layers of strategy only as they unfold, leaving a trail of satisfying "aha" moments.
The foundation of the story, the initial animosity between Yueluo and Liang, is crucial. It sets the stage for a conflict-driven narrative, where love is a hard-won prize amidst war. The leads' journey from adversaries to allies is a testament to the drama's commitment to realism, eschewing romantic clichés for a raw, authentic portrayal of evolving emotions.
The characters are a tapestry of complexities, each wearing a façade to mask their true intentions. Wei Zhou's layered persona, from ruthless assassin to burdened leader, is a study in duality. Jiang Ci, with her seemingly carefree demeanor, is a master strategist, defying expectations and asserting her agency. Pei Yan, the gentle manipulator, adds another layer of moral ambiguity, blurring the lines between good and evil. Their motives are clear, yet their actions are shrouded in mystery, compelling viewers to dissect every scene.
The script is a labyrinth of symbols, metaphors, and hidden meanings, demanding close attention and rewarding keen observation. The caged white bird, the repelling of water, the black orchid seed—each element carries profound significance, enriching the narrative with depth and nuance. The use of objects to convey intentions, like the tea scene with Madam Ronggue, speaks volumes without uttering a word.
Foreshadowing is masterfully employed, from the song lyrics to the characters' dialogues, hinting at future events and adding layers of intrigue. The drama trusts its audience to connect the dots, weaving a narrative that unfolds with precision and purpose. The contrast between Pei Yan's control and Wei Zhou's liberation of Jiang Ci's spirit is a subtle yet powerful commentary on their characters and their understanding of love.
Deceptive storytelling keeps viewers on their toes, revealing plot twists through carefully placed clues and misdirections. The use of poems and riddles adds a layer of sophistication, turning conversations into strategic exchanges of veiled messages. The themes of revenge, freedom, hope, prejudice, and filial piety are explored with depth and sensitivity, reflecting the complexities of human nature.
The drama doesn't shy away from difficult choices, portraying the characters' dilemmas with honesty and empathy. Pei Yan's struggle between duty and morality, Wei Zhou's sacrifices for his people—these moments resonate deeply, highlighting the weight of their decisions. Despite the heavy themes, the drama offers glimmers of hope, like the blooming Lingjiu flowers and the evolving relationships between the characters.
The romance, though slow-burning, is tender and heartfelt. Ren Jialun and Li Landi's chemistry is palpable, their silent exchanges filled with unspoken emotions. The subtle gestures, like Jiang Ci comforting Wei Zhou during his nightmares or their exchange of flowers, speak volumes about their deepening connection. The scene where Jiang Ci feeds Wei Zhou orange after war, shows a lot of unspoken emotion. The drama excels in conveying emotions through subtle cues and unspoken words, making every interaction meaningful.
"Love of Nirvana" is a triumph of storytelling, a drama that engages the mind and touches the heart. Its intricate plot, complex characters, and profound themes make it a captivating and unforgettable experience, a true masterpiece of the scheming drama genre.

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drama of two halves

I have mixed feeling about this as the last two story arcs were comparatively poor. Up to this point the plot unfolded at a modest but gripping pace that allowed the viewers to understand the different complexities of the main characters. Jiang Ci and Wei Zhao changing relationship from antagonism to love felt credible for the most part, spurred on by Jiang Ci understanding of the impact of Emperor Liang's genocidal policies on WZ and the Zhengrong residents but I have reservations about the Stockholm syndrome aspect of this relationship. The second half of the drama is disappointing. The third arc involving the Shifu was trite and cliched and did a disservice to the development of complex characters in the first half of the drama. The final arc dragged and was predictable and involved too many flashbacks,
Generally, the actors portray the main characters well. But Ren Jialun’s acting is still a bit underwhelming and Ji Landi portrayal of J CI does not really convey the “free spirit” of the character, which is a big part of why J Ci opts for WZ not Peil Yan. On the other hand, Xu Zhengxi delivers a great performance as s the ambitious and manipulative Pei Yan. Still, it is one of better new costume dramas of 2024 (i.e. excluding season 2 /3 dramas), which have so far been disappointing.

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Shameless cat??

I am in shambles. Cried too many tears, it’s not okay. I think it took me a bit long to watch the first ten episodes, but once I reached episode 10/11, I just inhaled the show. It had me hooked and anticipating it the same way “Eternal Love” did earlier this year!!🤭🤣 I was just always looking forward to watching more!

I loved the OST (so sad that it’s STILL not on Spotify 💔) and the styling in this show! Although, Wei Zhao’s assassin’s wig was … not my favorite to be honest!! But everyone looked so, so dashing⚔️🥹, and I really enjoyed the scheming and plotting throughout the show. If you’re into scheming plots, political/internal power struggles with a pinch of heartbreaking romance, then this show is great! Also, Li Landi’s acting was so good, I need to watch more of her shows! RJL was great as expected and Jeremy Tsui had a very impressive and intense screen presence as well; everyone acted amazingly in this show!!

My favorite episode was probably the one during this Winter party when our leads were dressed in red, both looked so good (and HAPPY and WELL). Anyway, I have a headache now🤣💗 Ren Jia Lun, I deserve compensation after this and “One and Only”!!!!!💰

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The usual mix of good and silly told differently

Good that it didn’t have the usual unrealistic fluffy romance but it overdid it for me as the first 15 episodes were devoid of any sparks. How the SML turned obsessive was nothing new but I appreciated that he didn’t stay that way. How he and the FL and ML worked together in the ending episodes were the highlight for me.

The epitome of silliness for me was when the group of bad guys were sent in to kill the beggars that were locked in a compound. This beggars were starving and could barely walk. After slaughtering some of them, the bad guys heard the good guys coming and said that they should stop killing and just take the remainder beggars away… It takes less time to drag people who could barely walk then to use their sword to strike them down?

Lots of little things like this that don’t make sense but I laugh it off then continue as I love the FL. So carefree and not lovestruck. ML was good enough for me and excels (naturally?) at showing a puzzled-dumbfounded look during some of loving moments. A bittersweet but fitting ending.

The other couple involving the SML’s advisor was lovely yet sad as they were both realistic and knew things would not work out for them. Glad to have this instead of some unbelievable love conquers all romance which most dramas are fond of doing.

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a hero to people that matters

I just finished ep40, cried so badly.

I think this show has quite a good balance of political and the slow burn romance. in addition, the political setup was not boring and flows very consistently.

i felt this has to be one of RJL’s best works in recent years after One and Only. he’s just brilliant in historical dramas.

I love Wei Zhao. his character is layered and complex. from a villain, to a hero (to Yueluo and his close comrades), he went through A LOT. he went through physical and emotional hurdles, had to face his enemy everyday, always be alert, help the Yueluo slaves, this guy didn’t rest at all. like Yu Lian said, he’s someone who doesn’t feel pain at all. he’s numb to it. it’s saddening to see a young promising guy like him endured such a life.

I thought his death served the purpose. because he fought all his life for one thing - to free Yueluo from all the slavery and policies put on them. he learnt from his father that ultimately it’s protecting the lives of people in Yueluo that matters the most.

Ci is the light to his darkness. a light that shines on the path he took so he wouldn’t be lonely. she’s always there for him. never left. Ci is smart and independent, and she’s also emotionally strong. she lost people in her life yet she’s resilient living her life.

Pei Yan is such a interesting character BUT why the show wasted on him being love brain most of the time? him working together with Wei Zhao was one of his best highlights and him siding with Yueluo, is just so amazing!

overall it was a really nice show.

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If Only…..

I am so heartbroken!!! Why does most Ren Jia Lun series have tragic endings?? If we could for a minute forget that there isn’t a happily ever after in this drama, I would have given it a solid 10 stars, 15 if possible. The story was amazing, the conspiracies, the politics, the quick thinking leads, the soundtrack was like icing on the cake, not to forget the amazing costumes of Ren Jia Lun and Jeremy Tsui. I’m sure the makers of this series have attended to every minute detail in the show to bring us an amazing series, if only they could give the leads a happy ending after all they went through. I suffer from the second lead syndrome in most shows, but even if Jeremy Tsui was an amazing second lead, I didn’t get the second lead syndrome, this shows just how good he was in character. What do I even say about Ren Jia Lun! He was amazing, he is the champion of sacrifices, subtle glances for romance, and tragic climaxes. On top of it, he looked super awesome too! As for Landy Li, she was perfect in her girl-next-door personality and I loved her chemistry with RJL.

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Surprisingly good

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The dynamic between the leads was engaging, though i initially wasn’t a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, as I often find it overused and cliche. Despite that, i found myself enjoying it, even though there were moments when i wanted to skip scenes. It didn’t always feel like a true enemies-to-lovers story, as the fl often seemed disadvantaged in their interactions. Still, i couldn’t skip any episodes, which is impressive for me, especially in a political drama.

I liked the fl’s character. she has this genuine desire to make people around her happy, and even though she helps others, she doesn’t come across as a pushover. She genuinely seems content with helping, which is heartwarming and made me connect with her on an emotional level.

That being said, some things bothered me. The ml’s initial treatment of the FL was frustrating. He acts like he’s going to kill her, using threats to keep himself safe and hidden, even though she’s a defenseless girl with no martial skills. His approach felt unnecessarily harsh. This is part of why i don’t typically enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope—it often feels forced, with little thought given to why the characters are even at odds in the first place.

Also, the fl’s inconsistency with her principles was frustrating. She helps one person, then immediately goes back on her word just to reconcile with the ml. It made me wish she would stand up for herself more and follow through on her own path, rather than bending to fit his.

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Scheming, scheming and more scheming

I love watching scheming, political, fighting for the throne type of Chinese dramas so I had to give this one a shot.

Where do I even begin with this. I mean, the storyline itself is mediocre at best. It's the typical political/framed hero type of storyline, so I am very used to this. However, what I like about it is that it has so many unlikable characters and people wanting the throne.

Of course, it has the two brothers fighting for the throne, but it also added the scorned ex lover who is crazy enough to believe that she deserves the throne after the emperor casted her aside. I mean, who even saw that coming.

Lets start with the main leads:

Wei Zhao/Xiao Wuxia: I like Allen Ren and I like how he plays this character. Don't get me wrong, he was not the nicest male lead. I mean, he tried to kill her every chance he got, so yeah, not the nicest man alive. Does he deserve her undying love? No, he does not. But I do understand where he is coming from. She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and saw something she shouldn't have. And yes, he did also saved her a lot of times, but I don't think that makes up for the fact that he also tried killing her so many times either. I also like how him falling in love with Jiang Ci did not deter him from trying to reveal the truth behind his father's unjustified death. All he wanted to do was clear his father's name and restore Yueluo to its former glory while trying to serve the one person who is behind it all. One thing I would say about him is that for someone who is so smart and supposed to be one step ahead, he still fell into the emperor's trap. However, I really do like how they ended his arc. He died a hero to the Yueluo people. He was able to accomplish what he set up to do, even though the world may not know that the real truth, he was able to bring peace to Yueluo. And to me, that's the greatest thing he did by sacrificing himself, he protected the people he wanted to protect the most.

Pei Yan: Don't even get me started on him. Argh. He is my most hated second male lead. He's obsessive, controlling, and manipulative person ever. He used Jiang Ci for his own good and even tries to control her. He wants her to be trapped in a cage even though she only wanted to be free. AND he knew that, but yet, he wanted to control her. Every time he says that he's doing it to protect her, I just want to slap him because he's not doing anything for her. He is only pushing her further away from him. She respected him as her savior and he went and become someone she hated. I do feel pity for him because he grew up under his mother's reign. She used him and treated him like a puppet and her meal ticket to the throne. He deserved a better mother than that. However, that does not excuse him for trapping Jiang Ci because he was trapped by his mother. Even to the end, he foolishly protected her when she deserves death for staging a coup.

Jiang Ci/Princess Yong'an: I like her carefreeness, but boy, she got herself in a lot of trouble. She's always at the wrong place at the wrong time. Honestly, out of the three main leads, I wished they explored her childhood more. They barely touched based on her father and mother and her master/aunt. I mean, we met the master/aunt and then she disappears for more than half the drama and shows up towards the end and then she's dead. I wanted to get more of her background and stuff. As for her secret birth, I haven't read the novel, so I don't know if this was part of the original story, but I can go without it. I don't really think we needed her to be a princess but I guess it's just way to trap her even more. Who knows. I just wished they would have showed her being a doctor or something. Throughout the show, they showed her as someone who likes medicine and is knowledgable in it, but yet, they just ended it like that. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like that they gave her a child and she returned to her home with Wei Zhao/Xiao Wuxia, but at least make her a doctor or something. You know? Like give her something more than just being a mother.

Cui Zhiming: I don't have much to say about him, but I do feel like they kind of messed up his relationship. He was so cute with Miss Dong and they just ended like that. He deserves someone to be his side. He was the only one who treated Jiang Ci like a real person and not just someone they can used. He was nice to her and cared for her -- genuinely. I am glad that he is finally free from Pei Yan. So, I am happy with that. I really do like Gao Han since Falling Into Your Smile, I especially enjoyed him in Love Like the Galaxy, but I do wish that they gave him someone.

I'm not even going to talk about the emperor and Madam Rongguo, because they're just so unlikable. They make my blood boiled and at the end of it all, I was wishing for their deaths. So let's just leave it at that. Two of the most detestable persons in drama land.

Overall, I gave this an 8 out of 10. I feel that it could have been shorter and I wished they took some plot lines away that were not necessary at all to the main plot. I also wished that Wei Zhao/Xiao Wuxia or at least Pei Yan have evidence of what happened 20 years ago so the world can truly know that their "beloved" emperor was the cause of Prince Qi's death and the fall of Yueluo. Don't get me wrong, I am satisfied with how they wrapped that up, but I wished there was evidence to really let the world know what happened. Other than that, I am happy with how they wrap up the story.

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Life after Love Of Nirvana, Wei Zhao, and Jiang Ci

Overall I would say that this show had me interested 75% of the time but the 25% really REALLY got to me.

First things first credit where credit is due.
1) Li Landy, Ren Jia Lun, and Jeremy Tsui all did a wonderful job at their respective roles and were able to truly bring them to life, these roles felt 3 dimensional and not just 2D.

2) The writers truly fleshed out the Li Landy and Ren Jia Lun's characters. They each had a back story that unraveled as the drama unfolded, their motives were clear, their priorities were set and they did what they set out to do. (Win my heart that is.)

3) Jeremy Tsui was truly able to make me fall in love and hate the Second Male Lead, I don't know if that was the intention but...

4) Yueluo's arc is truly phenomenal from the story line to the development and the future of Yueluo.

The 25% that truly bothered me
1) Jeremy Tsui or Pei Yan and his mothers story could be made into another drama altogether and that could have been interesting instead of roughly meshing together 2 stories. There were parts in the second half of the drama that I was truly skipping because of this and funny thing is it did not take away from the story. If these parts were made shorter and brief it would still have had the same effect desired. I feel like this drama did not do Pei Yan or the second storyline justice.

2) I have not read the book and I will not claim to do so just to prove my point but from my engagement with the viewers who had, it was clear that the drama did not follow the same storyline as the novel. If we assume that that is the case then I do not understand WHY they HAD to give it the novel's ending. For a character who is shown to have mental, and physical prowess, I do not understand why the drama ended the way it did. One situation that I truly found ridiculous was the last episode and everything has gone to hell he says - “Today's story is mine to tell. The Emperor of Liang died at the hands of a sycophant, Wei Zhao.” If you are so keen on telling the story then you need to be *alive* to do that. He could have left, he could have been alive but maybe it's the actors love for sad endings, honestly I could have done without this.

3) Minor details - It truly made be scoff when the emperor reveals who killed Wei Zhao's sister and why. Like Sir are you okay? This could have been SOMETHING but she died for what. Also Pei Yan's unnecessary overbearingness and obsession is rough to witness, I'm just glad he realizes it and moves on. Lastly, one night and pregnancy is a bit much even if it's a period drama like can there be some build up, some fluffy domestic scenes, etc. I have no problem with a pregnancy trope but do it right instead of just throwing it in at the last moment.

I know it may seem like I truly disliked the drama - that is not the case. I encourage anyone who reads this review to watch the drama at least once and skip when you feel like it too. Its a good watch and you can learn a few things from it about life.

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Half Worth the Watch, At Least Not a Total Waste of Time

I don't even remember what I liked about this drama that i have endured the early eps. It's 40 episodes and is one of the longest dramas I've watched. And in the end, after finishing it, I can say it's half worth it, but probably because of the amazing performance and characters of both male leads. Don't get me wrong, the female lead is a great actress; I just don't like the damsel-in-distress type and the, what do you call that, naive type who claims that she doesn't know how to seduce men but has done all the things a man would fall for and claims that she didn't want that love at all, like what? I can't blame the second male lead for falling and obsessing over her. She clearly sent some signals unknowingly. I feel bad for the second male lead; he's such a good character at first but was driven mad by love and became obsessive. He's tragically begging for her love at any given chance, like, bro, there are many fishes in the sea; don't waste your time on someone who can't love you back. But I'm glad that in the end, he realized his obsession. It's just how the story is written; you're just not the female lead's type, haha. I really feel bad for him and at the same time admire that, until the end, you can still see in his eyes that he still loves her but is now ready to let go. I liked the male lead at first but lost interest probably at the same time when the female lead started becoming unbearable for me. Overall, not that worth of a watch; just felt pity for the second lead and just want to know how the story ends.

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