urthpainter
I rank Nirvana in Fire up with the best of the best: writing, camera, production - it's a damn near flawless presentation of story and ideas. While sets and costuming are noteworthy, it's amazing how few locations Nirvana in Fire uses through 50+ episodes. All the power is in the dialog, characters and acting. Individuals make choices for an empire, and generally the dialog itself has multiple levels of meaning - some apparent to the characters, some aimed directly at the viewer. It's media that makes you think, made all the more rewarding due to a high level of entertainment.10/10
aisidne
CostumesCostumingYou will love this 54 episode thrill ride. The 2015 drama is based off of Hai Yan's novel Nirvana in Fire and stars Wang Kai as Prince Jing Yan and He Gu as Mei Cheng Su. The drama opens twelve years after the massacre of the Blaze Army at Plum Ridge and sucks you into Mei Cheng Su's plot to put Prince Jing Yan on the throne and right the injustice that happened in the capital as well as on the battlefield so long ago. Too much said, I will be spoiling. All I can say is that once you get strapped into your seat with this roller coaster ride of politics, palace intrigue, romance, and revenge, you won't be able to stop watching. The tension increases with every episode until you are hooked, needing to see the next episode. This drama is hard to turn off. Every nuance in this drama means something. I admire the directors, Kong Sheng and Lix Xue, because there is not a moment wasted. The costumes, scenery, acting, and cinematography are brilliant. Everything about this drama is intelligent and thought through, very well done and enjoyable.
Jack C
The literal translation for this series title is LuoYang List, which is a list of the best martial artists in China at any given time during the 5th century. The dialogue is not dumbed down or forced like almost all Asian TV dramas. It is painted with classic four character Chinese metaphors/colloquialisms. Native speakers will enjoy the intricate writing. If you only speak English, know that much of the beauty is lost in translation. Try to watch it with a native speaker who can give you the beautiful literal translations for each phrase.There is an ever evolving story line of political intrigue and martial arts fights. There are dozens of complex characters who are a part of the succession struggle for the throne of the sitting emperor. Game of Thrones without the sex, dragons, and zombies.There are also implicit parallels when compared to modern Chinese politics. Historical Chinese dramas are one of the very few avenues where the common man can still levy criticisms of present day Chinese government.I am proud that the Chinese entertainment industry has finally graduated to the next level. I truly hope that there will be more dramas of this caliber.
zhushirui
When Several friends recommended this TV series to me, I didn't expect much at all, but I'm so happy I watched it - twice already. I was very disappointed with Chinese history dramas in recently years - either the stories being over-exaggerated or the computer graphic was so bad that you couldn't bare watching. Nirvana in Fire saved my hope for the Chinese TV drama. I have watched many Asian, American and European dramas - this was definitely the best one in 2015, and has been the best Chinese one in 10 years. Not going to tell you what happened but it's a very touching story packed with good acting.
