Love of Nirvana (2024)

Good production and storyline, but leads lack chemistry making it a waste

The production of this drama is of high quality with right pacing. There isn’t any boring episodes although the last few episodes did drag out the fighting a little.

For a fan of all 3 leads I was looking forward to this drama. But strangely when you put them together it falls so flat. Let me explain my thoughts
1) Ren Jialun was my first C drama super crush. I was so obsessed and charmed by him in The Glory of Tang Dynasty. But since then the only good acting and drama that came from him is Under The Power. I can’t finish anything else with him to the extent that I stopped liking him. The issue is, I think he has stagnated in his acting or has become too self-conscious. He constantly frowns and have this pout or stone face trying to act cool. Dude. Relax. You were so relax and good in GOTD. It has become so boring when he is on screen these days. Just same old single expression. And his chemistry with FL is hardly there. Like there is a barrier. Again in GOTD he was so natural and convincing that I thought he was really in love with Jing Tian. C

Jeremy Tsui is super charming in most dramas. I like him here too. Always deliver. Very expressive. But this script here is illogically making him obsessed over the FL at one stage. Perhaps it’s due to the lack of on screen chemistry and compatibility. He was so good with Andy An in Legend of Dugu and in Autumn Ballad. That’s how it should be. Something just lacks here. B+

Li Landi is very pretty. But she has lost her innocent or cute look. Maybe she has lost weight. Go watch her in Dreaming Back to Qing Dynasty with Wang Anyu. They were so young but so good. Even in the Starry Love, she was so convincing. I think she is miscast here and just not able to generate any spark with either men. This FL role needs someone with really strong character who can handle hurt and deception at a young age. She just cannot. B-

With the 3 leads together, the older casts like Lord Pei Yan’s mum and the Emperor became the real acting powerhouse, even convincingly conveyed the emotions of their young spurned love and sacrifice. Worth mentioning that minor actors that played Mr. Cui and Ms Dong had more sparks than the leads.

Overall the drama has a good story but falls very flat with the acting or lack of chemistry amongst the leads. I think RJL has run out of ideas on how to act and think too much. Maybe he needs to get some acting classes to learn more expressions. Even with a sad background surely the character can afford a smile and don’t need to knit his brows all the time.

Watch if you still like them. Otherwise it’s a torture watching your favourite actors ‘reading scripts’.

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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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Political intrigue

The plot centres around xiao wuxia who is eagerly seeking for justice for the people of yuelou,his father inclusive
I greatly enjoyed the first episode .the ml was focused on accomplishing his task of capturing teng rui which was ruined by the fl .
Pei Yans character initially was manipulative but later ,I was happy wen he decided to join hands with wei zhao .
All in all, the story was intriguing and I loved all the actors for the great work done .I liked the marital arts scene very clear and on point.
I too also liked Dr.cui character .for the first time , HE DESERVED THE BETTER

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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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Fell a little short because of the romance

This story would have been much better if they left the romance completely out. I get that romance is CDrama’s kryptonite and without it, maybe some people won’t want to watch it but it is not needed in every drama. CDrama’s tend to try to force romance no matter if the situation is murky and it takes so much away from the story sometimes.

The Good

Started strong steeped in some mystery with a murder/revenge plot. The original plot was actually engaging and intriguing. The main characters were all setup nicely, had strong acting and were a great fit for their roles. Costumes, makeup, wigs and sets were decent as well.

The Bad

The romance. I love a good romance story like the next person but the connection between main leads felt lackluster and partly due to the extreme treatment he put her through. This caused a huge disconnection of even wanting to see romance or even believe it. Again, the romance was not needed or warranted after all he had done. It became forced and became the identity of the story as it went on towards the end. They could have been great allies since their stories intertwined but the shallow romance left the ending for the main FL unsatisfying for me. I also did not like that the two MLs were dubbed. I don’t think it was necessary since both can dub themselves.

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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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