I found this drama randomly on viki.com. At first I wasn't very serious about it because I thought it would be like other dramas I watched before. There are many dramas I like out there so I didn't think it's gonna be a serious condition. I didn't like the title either. Well, for some reason I decided to give a try out of bore. Just to kill leisure time. After watching two episodes, I began to curious about Mei Chungsu. I decided to watch more. And after five episode, I realized it was a good drama. Then after watching to episode fifteen, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about it. LOL.. On new year's eve, I came back home from work early around 10:30 in the morning. As soon as I came back I didn't eat or do anything, but started watching it till 3:30 a.m. the next morning. I didn't know how the NewYear passed. I watched again the next day I woke up. I slept at 2:30 a.m. in the next morning again. You can imagine how I would look like by now. My eyes were red with dark cycles and eye bags. My lips were white and had to go into bathroom to wash my face with cold water many times at work. Yet I thought of this drama all day at work. T_T
The drama doesn't have much romance but it was brotherly, and family love which made my heart melts. It was about a very intelligent but sick man name Mei ChungSu, his friends and relatives. Basically political scenes but with deep meanings tied to it. I love the plotting. Every move every character made seemed simple but later revelations were astounding. That is which made the drama more interesting episode after episode. Mei Chungsu was the main character but you won't see him very often yet all characters and plots played out perfectly to convey the true character of Mei Chunsu.
It was REALLY GOOD. I didn't want it to end. I want to keep watching it. But sadly I finished it. :(
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And boy, did I regretted that choice! Not because this drama was a flop, but it was an absolute crack! I find myself marathoning the whole series one episode after another for the entire week without doing much work.
In terms of plot, I have read the novel prior to watching the show, so I came in with the expectation of a highly intricate and well-woven plot. But the changes made in the series has been mostly for the better part and I didn't find any dissatisfying moments at all! In fact, I think they have changed some of the things I could care less from the book and make the entire plot more tightly woven in terms of the narrative with a more focused perspective on the battle to the throne. I know the ending has been slightly controversial and I am glad they have decided to stay true to the original work and kept it the way it is, except for elaborating on truly dealing with how differently each character would react. The ending for this show is one of my top favourites of all time for sure!
For the acting in this series, I have to say I was surprised at the 180º change Hu Ge is able to pull off. He has always been associated as a pretty face in my impression and at most a decent actor. However, this series has officially pulled him out from the slightly-better-than-mediocre crowd and into one of the best actors I've seen in a long while! The fact that he is able to overcome most of his trauma from the accident and is able to show so much more through the way he communicates with both of his eyes is a huge step towards becoming a truly great actor. I think he has the potential to keep up with this quality of work as long as he meets a good script and good director.
This show is a definite must-watch for anyone who is interested in historical dramas or even just for the eye-candy! There are so many different types of men to choose from, it's like a feast of varieties in terms of your own preference. One thing I also really liked is the strong female characters in this show and the romance between the lead characters aren't as forced as it was in the Disguiser (a series which featured many from the same cast and the romance was handled very poorly). The fact that each woman can stand for her own is impressive and that the relationships between characters (not limited to romantic relationships) are so much more realistic and sincere without the forcibly added romance commonly seen in other dramas.
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There are many surprises coming along the way. You'd feel all kind of emotions watching this drama. Even though it feels like such a long journey to watch 54 episodes, it actually won't feel like it took that much time. Because, you just can't stop watching! Seriously, every episode leaves you hanging like 'my mind won't feel at ease if I don't watch the next episode' 'ok just one more episode for tonight' and you'll (me) end(ed) watching not just one more but MORE episodes. Lol I even got a cold because I only slept for a few hours these last few days, I can't stop wanting more, I just can't.
I like this drama because its' story is different, in terms of the main role, how he is barely struggling for his life and still wanting to bring justice and the truth, while doing this and that, hiding this and that. It's more than just about conspiracy, corrupt people, injustice, and battles.
And the scenes with sword fighting is also amusing to watch.
The actors, the actresses, their acting is marvelous.
This drama is very detailed, with the scenes, the talkings, the gestures/body language and facial expressions, etc etc.
The ending is also beautiful in its way.
Totally worth your time to watch this drama.
Like R-E-A-L-L-Y.
P.S.: I'm re-watching it now. I rarely re-watch movies/dramas (so rare, it can be counted by fingers, especially dramas I rewatched it accidentaly when it's on tv only), moreover it's not long (ONLY BEEN ONE DAY) since I finished it. I need more Mei Changsu & Prince Jing & Fei Liu & Meng Zhi & Princess Nihuang please helpppp.
I'm in agony...
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From the very start, you are thrown into the story with little to no context. It is definitely confusing having no backstory to go on. You must give the drama your absolute undivided attention because every line of the dialogue, every little detail will come back to bite you.
This show is highly intelligent, with long conversations that drive the plot. It's tightly written and there are no filler episodes, which I appreciate. There are many, many characters but all are important. However, I did not expect them to be written so well. Every character is complex, has their own backstory, motives and a role in the Grand Plan. This cast is the most solid ensemble I've seen in Asian television. The casting director is an absolute genius.
You would expect political dramas to be more fast-paced. However, I find the slower pace of Nirvana in Fire perfect. The schemers and our heroes are not out in the open, they must try to hide their actions from the highly suspicious Emperor. And for this reason, story arcs tend to build up slowly, rather than dramatically. The slower pace also allows us to absorb the onslaught of information properly.
Upon finishing this magnificent drama, the first thought is to begin the journey all over again. To catch every single detail, to pay more attention to the costuming, to marvel at the beauty of the set, to get lost in the sounds of traditional Chinese instruments, to observe how exactly Mei Changsu kicked his Grand Plan into motion.
Ultimately, Nirvana in Fire stole my heart because of the themes it explores. The writer epically exemplifies the relationships between brotherhood, justice, truth, honour, loyalty, morality and love until you're not sure where one begins and the other ends. To fight against adversity for what you believe in is no easy feat. And it is the fire and determination our heroes use to do this that makes Nirvana in Fire resonate in our hearts.
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With all that said, the plot, as brilliantly written and executed as it was actually took a backseat to the relationships between the characters. When Mei Changsu and Jingyan were together on the screen, you could hardly look away hoping that this would be the moment that they acknowledged each other. Each achingly painful interaction felt like eternity. At the end, you really could not help but feel for both of these characters. Their bromance and loyalty to each other felt more moving than any romance arc. Other relationships such as the one Mei Changsu has with all the members of his posse felt real and were equally moving. I honestly believe that the most brilliant aspect of Mei's character was his ability to captivate people. With that quality, he managed to use, manipulate and inspire all those around him to help him achieve his goal. The fact that Mei was terminally ill also provided an interesting dynamic to his, at times, superhuman mind.
Another wonderful aspect of this drama was the slew of brilliant supporting characters. Each actor/ actress dominated their roles. The music, camera work, sets, costumes... man, I could go on and on raving about it all. The world of Nirvana really came to life. The only criticism I have is that the ending felt a bit rushed and left me feeling like I needed closure. However, it was a fitting ending to the ride. In short, this is a must watch. Go on. What are you waiting for?
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So, I finally went back to watching it. Still found it difficult, then around the mid-30ish episodes all hell started to break lose. I don't think it was necessarily that the pace picked up as much as it was just so much intricate stuff unfolding over and over you started to be curious how all of it was gonna play out...
AND the BROMANCE really started getting heated up. In vary ways, not just with one single pairing of dudes but MULTIPLE pairs of dudes did I start getting an underlying BL feel but in a very "beautiful and undirty" way. You're not ashamed to "ship" these guys being "BROS". You actually truly appreciate the loyalty and commitments everyone has for each other. Not to discount that there are some very strong females, but, YES, it is a FACT that in this series, pretty much most of the woman are secondary, except for how they can be "used" in a "positive" way to meet the objectives. But, you really do get excited for the bromances overall.
In the end, as I had stated, I never truly felt like I was invested in any one particular person. It's not like the outcome was anything that couldn't be easily predicted. It can, AND it should be predictable. The thing that ended up being unpredictable and surprising to me was MY actual REACTION to the end. I in no way felt like this show was making me emotional. Intrigued, curious, yes; emotion, no. YET, when it came to the last 1/2 of the LAST episode I found myself 100% in utter tears, a sobbing mess, that I couldn't even contain myself and started literally crying out loud, saying, "WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF!?! I HATE THE CHINESE!" ...and I mean that with all deference attached to it...
I've watched a number of Asian dramas in the last 8 years and the fair share of them had heart-wrenching endings... BUT THERE ARE THE HANDFUL THAT ACTUALLY GOT ME TO LITERALLY SOB OUT LOUD! I've cried, but I'm not an easily emotional woman. I don't take to sobbing my heart out... and well, YES, that's exactly what this series pulled out of me, as much as I tried to remain unattached and emotionless through all 54 episodes... it still managed to squeeze that shit out of me against, what I felt, was my will. ...That's some powerful stuff right there.
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This review may contain spoilers
do i dare give nirvana in fire a less than perfect score? yes i do.
since 2015 nirvana in fire has been known in dramaland as the BEST C-DRAMA EVER!!!! to both dads and bl fans alike... i struggled for many years to get past the first two episodes and have watched the beginning over ten times with various different people. i literally can repeat verbatim the exact sequence of events in episode 1 because i've seen it so many times. THATS how much i struggle with political intrigue in media res many old dudes talking and plotting...anyway this time i sat down by myself and finally forced myself to binge the whole thing, and though i find the show slow to start, once it gets the ball rolling, it sucks you in quite easily. i think the absolute best thing about this show is specifically the schemes and plots. while i personally prefer the iconic zhen huan zhuan, which is also heavy on the scheming, this show has it beat in how well written and cared for the little plots are. each game/scheme is meticulously designed with a lot of detail, intricacy, and complexity and yet still gives the viewer enough clues to follow along with and even figure it out themselves! it manages to do all of this, keeping the viewer engaged and entertained, without becoming too smart, or taking on some kind of condescending tone (like bbc sherlock which actively mocks its viewers) and getting too elaborate or convoluted. it is smart enough to be impressive, and simple enough to be easily understood, which is what makes it really good writing! this is the kind of writing that can really draw viewers in and immerse them in the plot!
the show does a very good job at very wholly telling the story and themes in a way that perfectly accomplishes what their goals are. not a lot of shows are able to do this successfully. nirvana in fire is a very complete product that wraps up perfectly. unfortunately, though i can recognize this as well thought out writing...... the themes and goals of the series are just not it for me. this is where i have to knock the score down.
first of all in regards to the political system, nirvana in fire is extremely optimistic. this is not inherently a bad thing, but this show specifically seeks to express that positive change is possible WITHIN the system. and that the system can be changed by replacing all the bad guys with good guys. sorry but this is just unrealistic and frankly irresponsible- the oppressive systems that govern us are inherently flawed from their roots. to say that the answer is as simple as just weeding out the corrupt and replacing them with just and righteous people is just..... not right.... don't get me wrong, like i think that it is Good to hope! to write an ending in which you CAN create positive change!! but to say that the system CAN work and does work and you just have to get the right people on the throne.... i just don't agree with that, at all. even at the end of the series the emperor says to mei changsu (paraphrased) "you think that jing wang is different, but he isn't, i wasn't always corrupt either, once you sit on the throne... over time you will change" and i was like 'dang he has a point' and mei changsu is like 'no you're wrong' IAHJKDJDLFKD LMFAO like the thesis of the show is literally the antithesis to my beliefs. i know that the story is a story, but the POINT of stories and narratives is that they speak to the struggles and experiences of human beings, and if this was made in the modern era then it is meant to speak to modern day people. im sure that watching this was satisfying to a chinese audience in many ways that i, an abc, cannot understand, but based on my own values i just can't agree.
next up is both mei changsu's character arc as well as the themes associated with it. i'm gonna go ahead and say that mei changsu's character arc is specifically tied to masculinity. the person who lin shu was, was the chinese vision of ideal young manhood: noble, righteous, loyal, honest, brave, a warrior. not only was he a hero, he was also a talented genius. they literally wrote him to be like a storybook character, the picture of upright heroism. with the fall of the chiyan army, lin shu not only lost his clan and almost everyone he loved, he lost something even more important- his masculinity, and in turn, he lost his identity, and was forced to become mei changsu. he lost all of his strength and vitality, he became weak and frail and delicate, losing his martial arts and all of the traditionally masculine traits he had. no longer bright, forthright and honest, he now works from the shadows, he schemes and manipulates, sacrifices people as pawns and is the definition of cold, calculating and deceptive. it is extremely clear from the beginning that mei changsu hates himself, and is ashamed of what he has become. single mindedly dedicated to his goal, he views all of his schemes as sacrifices of his good character in order to attain his end goal. in particular a scene that really struck me was specifically when he had to hurt innocent people in order to expose some bad guy's plots, and one of the women died from the stress and pain. the narrative focuses on HIS pain, as if this was a sacrifice that Had to be made, and that he had to be cold and heartless to attain his goals. the narrative did not accuse him or blame him, instead it asked us to Sympathize with him??? it really rubbed me the wrong way, i hate this manpain kind of shit esp when women are just seen as collateral damage and their deaths are just used for HIS character development.
anyway, the narrative very much says that in order to attain his righteous goal of filling the court with good people, mei changsu had to be the LAST bad guy, and that was his ultimate sacrifice- his own goodness. he will be bad to get the job done so that jing wang doesn't have to sacrifice his character and morals, and can remain good and untainted. when jing wang asks him to be a part of his court when he's emperor, mei changsu actively refuses because he does not want a calculating and scheming person such as himself there. when jing wang tells him he should come out as lin shu and reclaim his former identity, mei changsu resolutely refuses, because he believes that the mei changsu he is now would taint the good memory of lin shu, and that he would rather lin shu have DIED a hero on the battlefield, than become what he has. like???? jfc talk about idealization of the past, and specifically traditional chinese righteous masculinity. the thing is, this is all actually really interesting to me as a character?? the way that both jing wang and nihuang repeatedly still refer to him as 'lin shu gege' and 'xiao shu,' the way that they still see him as lin shu and maintain that he IS lin shu and want him to continue to live as lin shu, much to mei changsu's reluctance, is really interesting. esp when compared to his doctor friend who says 'i don't know who lin shu is, i ONLY know mei changsu.' the show also shows that he does have so much value AS mei changsu, not lin shu, and is lovable, and kind, someone who is a good leader to his sect and has many loyal followers who admire him. they showed that he was a good brother to fei liu, and that he could be playful too. jing wang specifically came to care and love him for who he was even before he found out he was lin shu. literally everyone loves him SO much, everyone goes to bat for him and would do anything for him, jing wang, nihuang and meng zhi are ready to start a rebellion and sacrifice hundreds of lives for him at the drop of a HAT. to me, all of this seemed to be pointing at a thesis that goes something like "the past that which is romanticized can never be returned to- the dream of idyllic heroic masculinity does not exist, but it is okay to accept yourself for not living up to it, and who you are now is valuable and deserves life and love" which could've been cool...................................... jokes on me i am the clown... INSTEAD, mei changsu literally decides that he doesn't want the rest of his life, and goes back to being a soldier on the battlefield and DIES as lin shu the way that he always wanted to. not only did they say that you CAN reclaim your heroic masculinity, they also said that it is worth DYING for!!!! and that his literal reward for all of his pain, his sacrifices, and his efforts, was the honorable and glorious death in battle!! literally, wtf!!!!!!! mei changsu didn't learn ANYTHING!! and then jing wang names an army after him to honorably commemorate him forever and this is all shown as a great thing! like mei changsu's doctor and everyone else was begging him to live the rest of his life in peace and go on fucking vacation which is what he actually deserved! just like.... imagine if the storyline was actually kind to who mei changsu had become, and allowed him a character arc of self acceptance, that said, ok you can do this one last thing for who you once were 13 years ago, and afterwards you can be free, and live as the real life person that you are, not as a romanticized idea.............. what a disappointment and what a shitty final message.
i find pretty much none of the other characters are well written, nor do they even have character arcs or much depth at all. rather they generally tend to just be very one note symbols of righteousness, or corruption, or whatever. The emperor was generally pretty interesting and a good character and I think that Princess Liyang also had the potential to be interesting too if she was given more time. that's pretty much it?? yu wang also was pretty interesting in his storyline as a prince who was extremely favored and yet still held at a distance and never given the throne.... couldve been an interesting father-son relationship but then that devolves into lazy information reveal about his backstory and heritage that was also quite disappointing. and jing wang and nihuang who are also supposed to be main characters get pretty much nothing??? extremely simple and one note?? in fact nihuang literally is not in 3/4 of the show???
this show has also been sold to me as extremely emotional and tear jerking and i gotta say..... it was really good at Doing the technical storytelling thing of making emotional moments, but it really failed at deliver depth, if that makes sense. a good example of what i'm talking about is how mei changsu works very hard to keep all of his emotions repressed under a mask. in all of his scenes w jing wang there is a brutal cold and technical formality where he is holding back every single bit of warmth and genuine personality. smiles are rare, any talk that isn't politics doesn't happen either, it's 'jing wang this' and 'dianxia that' all very formal speech. and then jing wang is being stupid and about to get himself killed and ruin all their plans, mei changsu finally screams his real name at him and berates him for being an idiot. the emotional release of this scene... super effective!!!! very compelling and engaging!! mei changsu finally lets down his formal walls and allows himself to be human for a second! very well done at making the audience really feel his frustration, fear, desperation, and how deeply he actually feels! mei changsu is actually super emotional and by depriving us of this emotion, it allows for the moment to hit so much harder when they finally give it to us. unfortunately........ all of this happened...... not because of some careful writing of mei changsu and jing wang's characters, not because they wrote a genuine conflict between the two of them, which they have a wealth of a basis for......... but because of..... misinformation...... that the enemy laid ....... as a trap to sow discord................ do u all see what i mean by the writer being technically proficient at making the audience feel things, but didn't bother to give them real character arcs and complex relationship arcs, beyond jing wang eventually trusts mei changsu, and a conflict that would actually develop the characters instead of just being like jing wang is a fucking idiot??? there's depth but it feels really shallow, and just doesn't go very far.
plus most of the emotional moments are just the work of some sad glances and a mumbled 'you remind me of someone i used to know' combined with a swell in the musical score....... i'm sorry it's just not cutting it for me when the very excellent soundtrack is carrying the emotional work of the show. it's that and sentimental objects like the egg sized pearl! all of it just feels like cheap shortcuts. even though mei changsu and jing wang's relationship is supposed to be the emotional core of the show, there really just wasn't nearly enough depth, complexity and development considering what they're set up as... don't even get me started on nihuang she is literally just not even there... this is literally mei changsu's love interest and there is nothing happening beyond her continuously seeing him as lin shu, which is not explored at all. so disappointing!! also fucked up that banruo is villainized for wanting to avenge her people and country but mei changsu is a hero for working within the system instead of destroying it LMFAOO
tldr: the show IS technically very good in many ways, well written plots, successful in their goals and in conveying their themes in a whole and complete manner. unfortunately it falls short on the character and relationship writing, and i also just personally don't agree with any of their themes. i understand why ppl see it as an impressive introductory cdrama, but ultimately its aesthetics of being a high budget, very serious, very political, high quality drama can't be backed up by enough actual depth. i have seen a LOT of frankly, very low budget, very trashy shows, that were a lot more fun than this and ultimately had something better to say.
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Story:
I tend to be a little wary with Chinese historical dramas, because too often you get bogged down by all the palace politics and it might be intriguing for some people, but not for me. Nirvana In Fire didn't let itself get fixated on what was going on in the palace - Mei Changsu was the heart of this story, and it's so refreshing to have a drama with such an (actually) intelligent character. I'm hesitant to label this as a revenge story - I actually see it more as one of redemption. Mei Changsu was a beautifully complex character, who was once a noble and upright young man and has been hardened and jaded. That doesn't mean he's lost his moral compass, but he is no longer as innocent, and it's reflected well in how he manipulates the people around him. I loved how deftly Mei Changsu handled every situation - not that Plan A always worked out - but while he always tried to maintain several steps ahead of his opponents, he was also well aware that wasn't always possible. Prince Jing's character was essential to the story, and while I did find his sense of right and wrong tiring at times, it was awesome to see his friendship with Mei Changsu develop. Despite being fifty episodes, there wasn't a dull moment, and the writing was intelligent and well thought out, without being confusing and overwhelming. The direction was beautiful and everything was well shot - it had a very cinematic feel to it.
Also - I actually really liked the fact that the story is not based on real history. It means that the writer has a little more leeway with her characters. I especially love the existence of strong female characters here - one is a detective and one is a general, and they are both so awesome.
Characters/Acting/Cast:
The fanwars aside, this cast was absolutely amazing. I love ensemble casts because the story doesn't depend on one star - instead, they can play off each other and bring the best out of one another. With that said, props to Hu Ge - as someone who has seen a lot of his works over the years (from his very first show to his most recent one), I am astounded by how much he's grown as an actor. This was an amazing role for him, and he embodied the complexities of Mei Changsu perfectly. As I mentioned earlier, I found myself so frustrated with Prince Jing at times, but Wang Kai was absolutely great in the role - even though he played a stiff character, he was also able to convey a lot of the fears and hangups of Prince Jing.
And of course, hats off to the rest of the phenomenal cast - especially Victor Huang as Prince Yu, Liu Min Tao as Consort Jing (though when is she not awesome?), and Wang Jin Song as Marquise Yan. The latter especially actually played a small role in comparison, but he had such a great presence. One thing that the Shanying team has been great in is pairing up their youngest stars with a great veteran cast, and Nirvana In Fire was no exception.
Music: The music that they chose for this show was beautiful, both from a musical and lyrical perspective. I love the fact that Liu Tao, Hu Ge, and Wang Kai all got to sing their own versions of some of the songs - it added a bit of dimension to the music and made some scenes even more poignant.
If you've been burned by Chinese dramas in the past, don't skip out on this one - this is probably as perfect of a drama as you are going to get.
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2Let's talk about politics!
Last year I started this drama with the expectation of an epic revenge-historical story given the high ratings and reviews. However, the drama turned out to be more of a political story than a historical drama and being too boring for my personal taste it ended up on my drop list. This year I decided to give it a second chance trying to put my prejudices aside, but the drama did not pay off my patience and proved to be an extremely overrated title.The promise of revenge in a historical setting is transformed from the first episodes into a political drama told through the dialogues of the characters. I cannot declare in a review that the drama is boring and that this type of directing is not good because it depends on personal taste, but I can judge if the directing is suitable for the type of story being told and the answer is NO.
As I always say, a drama can have the best story in the world but it is useless if it is told badly, and the storytelling chosen for NIF is bad. Not only is the action reduced to a minimum, but a large part of the story is told through the dialogues of the characters, listening to them or rather by reading the subtitles, we will discover facts and/or people that we have not yet seen on the screen and, in some cases, we will never see. Add to this a story that is not as exceptional as many say.
The protagonist is a strategist acclaimed by many since he has been planning his revenge for years, thanks to a dense network of spies. He is also afflicted by a disease of which very little is revealed to us for the sole purpose of being able to then exploit it for twists related to pills and various poisons. In addition, he refuses to reveal his identity to his allies even when some of them still discover the truth, the reasons behind it is the same as above, being able to exploit the relationship of friendship, trust, and distrust that is created precisely because of his false identity.
From this type of protagonist, who can only fight with the intellect and not with brute force, I expected refined strategic plans, instead, he actually limits himself to waiting for his enemies to get into trouble, when this happens, he maneuvers the court to bring them down and replace them with trusted people. Being enemies of high rank, the punishments they go against are summed up in exile or loss of rank - political power, leaving the viewer with a sense of dissatisfaction, as the main purpose would theoretically be revenge.
The more the story progresses, the more we realize that the protagonist is infallible, even in the few moments of difficulty, which obviously occur when he is unable to act due to his illness, we already know that he will be able to get away with it. All this makes the story particularly tedious, but also predictable and above all unexciting, since we already know that there will be no serious consequences for the enemies and that the ML will win at the end. Rinse and repeat for 54 episodes and you will start to not feel anything for anyone, included for those few twists plot placed along the way.
Overall, the author is one of those who makes everything fit together in a convenient way and the story develops in a very repetitive pattern, including the characterization of the characters. The clever and lazy style of the author stands out particularly in the ending, where not knowing which alternative to choose, he proposes both, with a protagonist that in the penultimate episode declares one thing and then does the opposite in the final episode.
Add a non-existent romance, some stupid characters to the point that the protagonist always has to explain to them the reason for his actions, villains of little depth, more annoying than bad, and what remains? Great cinematography, music, and good acting, definitely not enough to balance almost 54 hours of political chatting.
Overall, NIF is a political drama where conspiracy rules instead of revenge that it takes courage to call it such since the main purpose was actually to bring justice to innocently slaughtered people. The convenient writing that passes itself off as intellectual and the direction that uses dialogue to tell a story that should be shown have damaged the entire production. Cinematography, music, and acting are saved, but they are not worth the hours it takes to finish it.
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After a few episode this instantly became my obsession and I finished all 54 episode in 3-4 days. Amazing. Simply amazing, whether it was the brilliant storyline, the inhumanly good acting by the heroes and villains alike, or the astounding cinematography. The music was also so on point I actually want to download all of it now.
The relationships between the characters are heart wrenchingly good, especially the bromance between the two male leads. It might just be me, but I especially liked the fact that the second main lead had no idea the first main lead was his childhood friend and kept going back between distrustful cooperation yet suspicious hope and longing. The bond was very deep and moving, I actually cried at one point, though the last time I cried because of a show was in like... 2004 when a character died in some cartoon and I was 7. The grief and heartbreak they feel is almost tangible, that's how good the acting is. Bonus points for not focusing on the romance part of the story too much as it often ruins everything in other dramas, though with the skill the writers have shown here they might just have pulled it off even if they wanted to take that path.
I also liked how the mc wasn't God incarnate and stupidly good at every single thing. It is established early on that though his mind is extraordinary, his illness gives him an extremely weak body (that doesn't magically become strong because the plot requires it). It develops the character in wonderful ways, where you can see how he has to be extra extra careful to stay one step ahead and protect himself. The moments of illness also make some really good, touching scenes especially to help the bromance along.
One of the things I liked most was how almost all of the characters actually had a brain. The logic behind their actions is (for once) something that actual people would do in their place, not some retarded, half assed hero plan that doesn't sound remotely plausible yet works because hey he's the mc. Everything is just written so cleverly; the characters are all intelligent! We are told the mc is a genius but unlike other dramas where we're told he is one and then he proceeds to act stupidly for the duration of the show, with halfassed plans that work because the power of friendship solves everything, not good planning and strategies, here we have amazing plans, brilliant counters, you can basically feel genius oozing off of him, there's no need for the show to even state he's a genius (tho it does) because the acting and writing are just that good. As a bonus, there are also no dumbass cartoon villains with halfwit subordinates.
Honestly, all in all this was just so satisfying it often had me screaming in glee with my family/friends nearby rolling their eyes and asking if it was that good. The answer is yes, yes it's that good.
So good, in fact, that I rewatched it immediately after finishing it for the first time. It was actually that amazing.
One thing you should not thought is that the first episode can be kinda hard to get into, you really start getting into it by the end of episode 2, and from then on its basically a roller coaster ride of sleep deprivation because your eyes are glued to the screen. All I can say is thank god I only watched after it finished airing, or I would have been anxious waiting for every single episode on the edge of my seat.
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1Negative correlation between Prince Jing’s looks and the number of his working brain cells.
It took me 3 attempts and “harassment” from a friend for me to finish it. I said it once, I will say it again - this drama could be a podcast. I don’t quite vibe with the tell not show style of directing I’ve got here. I did not really watch the majority of the events unfold, I watched characters talk to each other about said events. While I did get more invested closer to the end, it was not because of the clever shenanigans, but because of the entertaining clownery.While the journey of me watching it did not become enemies to lovers for me and NIF, enemies to partners in crime, calling out everyone for being dumb, for me and Su might have been a more fitting conclusion. I feel like I went through a whole ass character development and existential crises while watching this drama, since complaining about it was part of my mdl personality for the past 5 years.
Do I think it's a masterpiece? Hell fucking no. I still think it's a podcast dressed as a drama. It should have been around 10 episodes shorter. They should have shown more, talked less. I want to see shit happen, not people describe it to each other as they sit in their fancy homes sipping tea spiked with poison. I WANT TO SEE THE TEA HAPPEN!
Is Chang Su a master strategist whose IQ is higher than the combined IQ of all of humanity? Maybe in that universe, but it's not hard to be a genius when everyone around you has a negative number of brain cells in their head. And yet, strangely I think I’ll miss Chang Su, even though I found his well organized plan to be more of a quick reaction to whatever issues other people created and the conclusion to his character being shockingly ridiculous in presentation. This man mastered the art of judging other people’s stupidity and I aspire to get to that level at some point in my life.
The whole court power struggle and the “who’s gonna be the crown prince and future emperor” question was for me dumb for a simple reason - the country would be doomed whoever wins. Prince Yu in his fancy attire was too egocentric and prone to conspiracy thinking while also being way too naive to rule, and Jing Yan and Jing Xuan were, to put it simply, dumb and dumber.
Jing might have been hot, but also had a surprising level of brainlessness at times. He was not connecting any dots whatsoever. Clueless. I was waiting for him to march with clown makeup at some point. You want to give him the country to rule when he cannot even control his own emotions? More often than not he needed to chill, relax, drink some tea and touch some grass.
Personally, I believe Jing's mom should have become the ruler and no one was even close to being as qualified as she was. Patient, smart, observant, good at manipulating people around her for her goals, taking good care of her people, and loyal. None of the men got anything on her.
The biggest issue I had was the fact I just did not care about any of the characters, I didn't care about who would sit on the throne, who would survive, if they would get the revenge. I just do not care. The tiny underlying love line between Chang Su and Ni Huang I should care about because why? They went full on melodrama on their 3rd or 4th meeting, while I still knew nothing about their past - so why should I get emotionally invested? Add to that some unexpected moments like a cameo from Bigfoot or Fein Liu fighting against gravity and winning, and you truly have a whole clownery making the watch entertaining, but lacking emotional stakes.
All that said, I truly did enjoy watching the last 10-15 episodes. Things finally started happening, all the characters were fully established, I understood their motivations and I could enjoy them proceeding with whatever plans they had in mind. The tea was spilling and it was scorching hot. I accepted the flaws of all the characters, tuned my brain to the level of brain energy the drama presents and just went on the final ride with a smile on my face.
Overall, I am completely incapable of objectively judging this drama. Truth to be told, the 5 years journey I had with it makes me incapable of judging it even subjectively - I don’t REALLY know what I think about it and how I feel about it. I don’t think I’ll ever know. My opinion is painfully blurred by the fun interactions I had with users about me struggling so much. Watching these 54 episodes became literally a memorable long term project/event in my life, and for that I know I am grateful.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“I said you are simple. Do you really not use your brain?” - said by the Emperor. Reach of him to say that when he himself had maybe half of a brain cell working.
“You have loyalty and honor, but why do you not have a brain?” facts Su said to Jing and I’m questioning why he wants him as the future emperor.
“The reason you lost to me is because you are stupid”
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and secondly i dont watch dramas with a lot of episodes, but this drama after episode 6 it hooked me! The plot was brilliant you dint know what to expect ,the acting was so realist in some scenes i could hold my tears.Finally for me this drama was top in chinese dramas.
Please excuse me for my bad english
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