fullmetalbender

Oh my god! I couldn't believe my eyes when I randomly came across this title while browsing Okada Masaki's page - this is one of my most favourite anime ever! It's such a beautiful story and deserves to be told in as many forms as possible, so I'm really glad this drama is happening!

I kind of wish Ayano Go was in the cast, I feel like he'd be perfect at portraying either Yakumo or Sukeroku (I'm also a little confused about his title being changed to Yurakutei...) but I look forward to Okada's portrayal of one of the most interesting and complex characters I've seen!

Soratobu Kouhoushitsu truly belongs here, I sensed this feeling of 'healing' throughout the drama from the first episode to the last. It's beautifully written, characterised, acted, and composed. And in such a remarkably natural way too!

Admittedly, I haven't watched the others, but now I'm more likely to since they're in the same list as Soratobu! ^^

To say this is 'wonderful' would be underestimating a truly unique gem.

Since I have no words of my own to express it in, I will quote amrita828's review in saying that this drama possesses something "powerful and lasting". And what amazes me is how it achieves that with simplicity rather than melodrama, angst, action, or even plot. In fact, you can't quite call this a regular slice-of-life either because, in my perspective, it goes a little beyond that too.

If I had to choose the most outstanding aspect of the drama it would be characterisation - and in extension the acting that delivers this. The characters are written and developed with the kind of care, honesty, and warmth that's unparalleled. And the acting, especially from the leads, is among the best I have ever seen.

While I can't recommend this enough, I will also request that you don't limit it to a particular 'type' and expect specifically only what the genre tags offer. If you let it, this drama will show you much that is above and beyond expectations.

Indeed, the only genre it would best fit within is one I believe is particular to Japanese TV: healing drama. And, without stumbling over any further praises, that is one thing I can most certainly say Soratobu Kouhoushitsu is.

as a movie, this was a good take on the original story. the 2 leads did such a good job, especially Oguri Shun!!

for those who liked it - please check out anime and/or manga because it's excellent and there's sooo much more to it!

This drama...it's been nothing but frustration, unfortunately. I'm up to episode 10 and normally I'd give it a bit more time seeing it's such a long one. But considering it's from the writers of SFD and TWDR, it has really disappointed me so far - I see none of the sparks that made both those series compelling from the very beginning. Perhaps because it was their first work together, who knows...but even that aside, the casting, directing, and acting are also very underwhelming. I don't know if that's something typical of Kdrama standards back then, all I can say is that I'm completely unimpressed.

I really want to continue and see how it fares for a few more episodes, for the sake of the team who produced some great works and because I'm interested in the story concept after all, but if it goes on like this I can't possibly invest in 50+ episodes of frustration.

Hi, I just wanted to clarify some of the points you mentioned because I feel like you didn't get that they were done sake of storytelling.

1. The 'deja vu' rebellion was one of the many parallels between the 2 series, it was to create a sense of irony - that 'history repeats itself' even though Jingyan and his court (prepared by MCS/Su Zhe/Lin Shu) tried their best to bring it under control. But on the other hand, Yuanqi's rebellion is almost like the grander scale of what Prince Yu's one could have been. The reason it was almost successful and caused more damaged is that, unlike MCS, Pingjing didn't see it coming at all and isn't as capable a strategist as MCS was (he's still good). And of course, this rebellion was to serve as the climax to the story, while in NiF1 it was one of the many end stages to clear a path for the final showdown in court.

2. Not sure what exactly you mean by "contrived" but the reason for the large army gathered was because something you already identified: "just to scare them into surrender". Think about WHY the Chang Lin army was needed - it wasn't to fight another country or even another faction loyal to their cause/leader. Yuanqi's whole rebellion is based on trickery and manipulation of soldiers through a few of their leaders, like general Di Ming. None of them, except the henchmen (like that He guy), truly knew their leader, Yuanqi. Not his backstory, his motivations, his final goal. So OF COURSE a ragtag rebellion army who doesn't even know what's going on would want to surrender to a legitimate army of the nation especially when the emperor's among them too. On the other hand, the Chang Lin army also wouldn't want to kill soldiers of their nation unless absolutely necessary. You have to remember this wasn't all out war - rather the subjugation of a rebellion started by Yuanqi alone.

3. I don't know what to say about the "reunited lovers" perhaps you found it cheesy? But I will say it was not quite "happenstance" since Lin Xi already knew where Pingjing would be so it was easier for her to find/wait for him. What would you have wanted anyway, if I may ask?

P.S. I wonder if Tingsheng actually knew he was Prince Qi's son.........

P.P.S And I'm like 99.98% sure about this but can someone please confirm - was the bracelet given to Pingjing Lin Shu's Chiyan bracelet?

Wow I'm so emotional! What an amazing, epic ride! The original series had set the standards sky high so it was a great achievement in itself for this second chapter to live up to it. I loved how beautifully connected the 2 stories were, yet with just the right amount of detachment to set them apart. I loved how artful the storytelling was so that, despite being a sequel, it almost retold the 'prologue' of the first. I loved how many parallels there were to characters and situations between the 2 series (eg. another marquis, Yuanqi's immoral grab for power and his helpless, tortured wife). I loved how the political aspects were present in both series, but more court intrigue in the first and war tactics in the second - like 2 sides of the same coin. And I LOVED every time there was flashback to my beloved characters from the first series of Nirvana! :')

Omg the finale of this epic, epic drama comes out tomorrow!! I don't want it end but I also want the last 2 episodes RIGHT NOW!!!

I saw a few pictures of dramas (asadoras, I assume) in the thumbnail that I felt interested in. I'm not sure if they were mentioned in the article - could you lists/show them somewhere please?? :)

Thank you for this most informative article! I've always wondered what on earth an asadora drama is and even saw it referenced in other dramas without making the 'asa + dorama' connection lol. I also didn't know each ep was only 15 minutes! It definitely makes me want to start one straight away bc I've been regretfully piling them up in my 'plan to watch when i have 150+ hours to spare' list! ^^

Yes! I watched the other eps from another subber but she hadn't subbed the last yet, so this was the only way I could've watched ep 10 with subs!

This is really well-written and very informative! Probably the best among the 'stalker's guide' because it's more than just a fangirl's gushing and has been so helpful to me in learning more about my favourite Japanese actor! :)

Please do!

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The 2 previous seasons give you so much more insight and backstory to the characters and premise of this great drama!

Anyone still needing the subs for episode 10

https://community.livejournal.com/-yamapi/

NOTE: you need to make a livejournal account, confirm your email, and join this ^ community, and scroll down to find episode-by-episode raws and subs. I was desperate for subs after ep.9 and, despite the slight hassle, this was a great help!

This drama is so terribly made. From the writing to directing and everything in between, it was a huge mess, almost embarrassing to watch. Honestly, after putting it on hold many times, I only managed to finish it because of Yoo Seung Ho and even that was because I knew of his acting abilities (which found no justice here).

I'm not sure what you mean by dubbed, it's in Chinese...? I'm pretty new to the drama scene so probably missing something, esp if you mean the Mandarin/Cantonese thing with the C-dramas.

Same, though I watched the movie first. Now I'd made it my mission to look up all the Prince Sado related content! ^-^
Btw if you haven't already seen it I'd also recommend 'Nirvana in Fire'. It's a Chinese drama and the only one so far that captivated me as much as SFD. (In fact, I found SFD in search of something as good as NiF!)

Oh cool! Have you also watched Yoo Ah In's portrayal of Sado in 'The Throne'?

Although the only real alternative is to rewatch it....I highly recommend the other dramas by these writers. As well as 'Secret Door' - I found it to be almost as intelligently written with heavy politics, excellent character writing, and focused on yet another fascinating historical figure: Prince Sado.