You must be prepared for it gets more and more emotional.
I know right? Ep37 is by far my favourite. Xiao tingsheng's death was the most emotional point of the story. I love this character so much. He lost his parents as a child, lost his mentor when he was a teenager, and lost his son when he was old.He was abused and misunderstood,this man suffered so much hardship his whole life，yet he never blamed anyone.He still had a pure heart with integrity, loyalty, honesty and courage. He died with honor and pride. It felt different than Pingzhang's death. I was sad, of course, but not painfully sad. It was deeply touching and somehow satisfying.
is this really as good as nirvana in fire. just asking before i watch it
But when it comes to film rating，douban，China's version of IMDb, has always been the major authority site. Its score is usually considered as authoritative rating reference by Chinese normal audience and professional critics. I honestly don't think Soku or any other video websites can be compared to it.
I know that just like Ice Fantasy/The Legend of Chusen/Sparrow，this show also has attracted a large audience and gets a lot of views, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a great drama, because nowadays these big-budget costume dramas with popular stars can easily be hot in China, yet very few have received strong critical praise like NIF. I do respect that many people love it, although it's not my place to rate a drama I haven't watch, I have to believe there must be some reason for such a low rating.
I was asked by a user my opinions of the show & whether its worth watching. Thought I'd paste my response here…
I think nirvana in fire should not be simply defined as a revenge drama. It's more about justice, loyalty, friendship, ideal of political administrations. Since Lin Shu's family, Chiyan army and Prince Qi were killed as traitors, the whole courntry has been afflicted by political corruption for 12 years. So when Mei Changsu returned to the capital, he has two purposes to achieve: clearing the name of his family, Chiyan army and Prince Qi entirely, and helping Prince Jing to get the throne. That is, he didn't come back to seek revenge，he came to right wrongs, and his ultimate wish was the revival of the country. In order to complete the plan, he had to act as an adviser with his true identity concealed. that's why he kept calm, restrained all the time.
I know that just like Ice Fantasy/The Legend of Chusen/Sparrow，this show also has attracted a large audience and gets a lot of views, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a great drama, because nowadays these big-budget costume dramas with popular stars can easily be hot in China, yet very few have received strong critical praise like NIF. I do respect that many people love it, although it's not my place to rate a drama I haven't watch, I have to believe there must be some reason for such a low rating.