Excellent Revenge Story
After watching "The Princess WeiYoung" I was desperate for another period drama with a strong revenge plot and deep romance to move me to tears and give me a satisfying feeling. I scoured websites looking for similar shows, and this show was recommended to me. So I started watching. This was very different from WeiYoung because there was minimal romance, the main character was a man, the drama was way more believable, and less annoying and the revenge was a slow moving magma. It took me a while to get into, but slowly but surely the plotting was on. The schemes were taking hold and they wouldn't let go. By the end of the show I was in tears, and begging for more! Tears of joy, and sadness, and satisfaction. I'm disappointed there wasn't more romance, but honestly... I have to say that's about my only disappointment.At first I wasn't impressed by the main character as I couldn't get a good feel for him, and found him way too cold and cavalier. He didn't have that burning passion that most main characters do. But Prince Jing Yang made up for it I suppose, and the main character eventually gets a bit fiery. The music was nice, I enjoyed the ending theme. I really love that the intro and the outro don't give anything away like most Chinese drama's do. The acting was A+! really pulled me in and had me getting the feels. Story was amazing. Took me a while to put the entire family tree together and piece it together with the story but that's minor.
By the end all those long episodes came together rather nicely, and I didn't even notice the slowness anymore. I was racing through all the episodes by the time things started taking shape. The revenge is sweet and the ending is sweet with a hint of bitter. But it's worth it. I wouldn't rewatch anytime soon because I prefer faster moving stories, and I am also not one to rewatch shows. But maybe one day many years from now I might. HOWEVER, if YOU are reading this and are curious about whether or not you should invest your time? I have two words for you: WATCH. IT.
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This review may contain spoilers
Beautifully interwoven story
This is probably the best Chinese drama I have watched to-date. I gave a 10 for almost every attributes. The acting was first class - leading and supporting actors and actresses were all impressive, besides being good-looking. There was no lull moment. The plot was very well woven. The lead characters, Hu Ge and Liu Tao had excellent chemistry. The heart wrenching and gut rending moments made me cry and I do not cry easily. If I am to find any fault is the ending left me unhappy for a couple of days. The lead characters deserved better. But that is life - not everything ends happily. Later I found out that there was actually a clip which suggested a happier ending - I would have prefer if that was chosen instead.But there were some flaws - the appearance of the white-haired monster and the medical explanation for it was ridiculous. For a historic epic, there should be a more realistic medical case. If this is a fantasy drama, I would accept that. For this I took half a point off the story.
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Hu Ge, with his chiseled good looks, is the undisputed Su Zhe. I always think his face is far too thin and his shoulders too narrow, but this makes him physically perfect to play the sickly Su Zhe. He has a naturally melancholy face and a haunted look that’s almost eerie, fitting for a man coming back from the dead. The best part of his acting is his body language. You can see the subtle differences in his posture when he is calculating and determined, compared to when he feels hurt and tortured. His is a carefully crafted and deliberate performance. Credit to the director for taking advantage of Hu Ge’s strength as an actor.
Wang Kai, with his chiseled good looks, is the undisputed Prince Jing. This man is hotheaded, impulsive, and inflexible at times. He will stand by what is right even if it kills him (and possibly his followers, too). The good thing about him is that he's fully aware of his own faults and willing to shoulder the consequences of his actions. Unlike the stoic Su Zhe, the prince wears his heart on his sleeve, which is why Wang Kai is ideal for the role. Other than looking ultra-masculine, he has very expressive eyes that hint to all sorts of emotions boiling beneath the surface. In real life, a man with such a pure heart will find it near impossible to make it far in politics. But if Prince Jing ever make it to the top, you know he will make the world a better place.
Su Zhe and Prince Jing do make a great team, with one serving as the brain and the other the heart of the operation. They are each other’s foil, each making up for the qualities that the other person lacks. Their friendship and their struggle give us hope that we can change the world without sacrificing our integrity and the very things that make us human. Hu and Wang is one of the greatest onscreen duo ever. Every scene with the two of them is worth watching and rewatching.
Also worth rewatching are scenes where the men engaged in a battle of wits and will: Su Zhe vs. Xia Yu, Su Zhe vs. Xia Jiang, Xia Jiang vs. Yan Que, Su Zhe vs. Emperor, Prince Jing vs. Emperor. These scenes are a thousand times more suspenseful than the bloody battle sequences. They lead you to question what kind of life is worth living, and what kind of things are worth fighting and dying for.
Romance is never the focus here. Prince Jing’s wife is barely a blip and Su Zhe’s relationship with Princess Ni Huang is sidelined for most of the series. Liu Tao really shines as Ni Huang in the last few episodes. I never knew she has such a beautiful singing voice.
The first 20-plus episodes are draggy, to the point that I almost quit watching. There is an excessive use of deus ex machina. Minor characters that you really don’t care about pop in and out of the story. A lot of time is wasted on watching people bow to each other and walk around. I get the need to properly set up the story and characters, but this is just an inefficient use of screentime.
The direction is weirdly inconsistent. It feels like there’s two different directors at work here. The acting can be “pose-y” and a little unnatural in some scenes. Sometimes the actors just stand around like mannequins on display. Maybe it’s a stylistic choice, but it’s not one that I personally like.
Despite the flaws, this series will always be a classic to me.
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However, after I have watched “Joy of Life”, I then finally have the courage to start the series. NIF really is one of the masterpiece. The storyline is very well-written and the casts are very portrayed, acted, and immersing. To achieve the goal of uncovering the bitter truth of the past false accusations, the main character meticulously planned each step and carefully studied the political environment in the Capital and across ministries. The processes and events to uncover the truth is very well carried out and each plot makes so much sense and very logical. There are so many aspects of the drama that makes me feel so attached including the emotional attachments among the characters creating a perfect world for the drama to exist. The OST are also very emotional and very well reflect the storyline of the drama itself. Overall, this drama is superb, fantastically great in every aspects that the writer, the director, and the actors intend to offer to the viewers; in comparison to the dramas I came across so far.
I highly recommended you to give this drama a try, as it will not only bring you to an exciting and emotional journey, but offers you some excellent life lessons as well.
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This was a phenomenal drama.
I will admit I was skeptical about how good this drama was. I was watching it waiting for the shoe to drop, but my head is still intact and I completed the drama. I was truly amazed at how well written and acted this drama was.
Pros:
1. This was a drama about the throne without the 'drama' of the throne just the 'game' of the throne.
2. Although you knew the ending of the drama by episode 10 you still could not predict what would happen and the ending still surprised you.
3. Brains will always win.
Cons: There was no romance of any kind! I repeat! no romance even though there were marriages.
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Simply amazing
I’m currently rewatching this masterpiece! It’s one of the best if not the best Chinese dramas I’ve ever watched! Such an interesting and complex story and characters! So many plot twists! All of the characters, whether they’re good or evil are so well written and the actors did a great job too! I recommend it to everyone!!!Was this review helpful to you?
Reviewed in increments~ Intense, straightforward storyline! 5 Stars!
Ep 19 ~ so glad I finally found a complete eng sub version of this drama series! The cast is amazing! Storyline intriguing,… intense, with very few draggy scenes up to this, almost halfway point! Love it so much!Ep 50 ~ omg! The performances of the entire cast is fantastic! This has been one of the best drama series I’ve seen in a very long time! I will miss this storyline and the characters very much!
Completed! Enjoyed this series so much, I’ve binged-watched late into the night! I can’t stop gushing accolades for this drama series! ML ~ played by HU GE is phenomenally sublime!
Would definitely recommend,.. AND would definitely rewatch!
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I don't know where to start. So I guess I will talk about the storyline, which in my opinion was one of the best storylines for a TV Show, I am not Chinese but I absolutely loved this show, because the story had a deeper meaning to it, it felt as if we were part of it or as if it had happened to us somehow and that was made possible due to the brilliant cast.
The story makes me feel a sense of despair and agony, it always feels like as if this could be happening right now in this present day and age. I do not want to mention anything about how the story progressed or what the relationships were between the characters, it would be best if you watch the show and not do any extensive research to avoid such dismay.
I don't want to write a lot and raise your expectations but I do want to mention that this show has taught me a lot of life lessons. It taught me how important family ties is and how we should all be treating each other. It taught me to never judge or make assumptions, how important virtue is, showing respect, trusting people, patience and integrity. This could go on but I should stop. Have patience and wish me luck with the post-series depression, I really wish I could start over.
Why do great shows have to be so short. I wish there's a prequel to this show, it would make this story even more sweeter. But overall absolutely brilliant cinematography, fight choreography, storytelling, acting, music and soundtrack and lastly casting.
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A great story. Intelligent and engaging. Just be patient at the start
Dramas that are as long as this one, tend to take a while to really get going. And even then you may not be fully invested in the characters for a while longer than that. For me, Nirvana in Fire was no exception to this rule. BUT it was well worth the wait. By the end, I cared way too much about all of the main characters but especially the ML who seriously deserved for the truth to be known. What a journey for them all but particularly for him. I wouldn't say that he was ever after revenge and he wasn't as cold or heartless as I was expecting him to be. He just wanted what was wrong to be set right. And how can you not want that for him when the wrongs were so great and the struggle was so hard. Of course, he doesn't get everything that he (and we) wanted but it was fascinating to watch him as he got closer and closer.So, it was all quite epic really. And it's very smart. There are a few reversals in the fortunes of important characters that are brilliantly manipulated by MCS. There are moments of so much tension and then pure joy. Really fun to watch.
I was expecting it to be confusing at the start so I sought out a cheat sheet for names and relationships and that was helpful. I also expected it to be funnier from what I read in advance. And it wasn't despite a lot of smile moments. It didn't matter though. This was a brilliant drama in terms of premise, writing, the intricate story arcs, the subtle and realistic characters, their significant development, the firm direction, impressive costuming ... and especially the acting. There are some very impressive performances throughout this drama but especially at the end.
Anyway, I loved it, didn't want it to end and would recommend it to anyone who's willing to pay attention and wait for it until it grabs you ... which it surely will. It's so refreshing to find dramas that are this good.
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This drama gives the exact feeling which you get while watching Game of the throne you start watching LOTR. You understand that this drama started the trend of cunning plot genre with badass characters. You will be lucky if this is included in the first few C dramas you watched but if if you have already watched later dramas which were inspired from Nirvana in Fire than you will not get that same joy.
Points that were best in this drama
Acting- specifically the guy who was playing the king, I watched his scenes many times on repeat he is such a good actor. Although I didn't like the acting on only character which was mother of Prince Jingyan the consort Jing and annoying chinese dubbing made it more unbearable.
Plot- Plot is the main thing in this drama which is the reason it inspred many other later dramas.
No Romance- I liked it that creators dared to make a drama with barely any romance in a time where Romance was very important part in the dramas.
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Obra Maestra
Esta serie es una auténtica pasada. Las tramas, los misterios y las estrategias te mantienen totalmente enganchada a la serie, que evita los estereotipos y clichés en gran medida. Me encanta ver mujeres guerreras. Es una obra maestra y si estas leyendo esto, no dudes en empezar a verla.Además, es una serie con muy buena ambientación, un vestuario precioso y una música muy reconocible y característica.
Está completa en Viki aunque la traducción a español es bastante mala. Al principio te lías con los personajes porque se llaman muy parecidos.
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