Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin (2017)

Un chef d'oeuvre à n'en pas douter

L'histoire de ce deuxième opus se passe plusieurs années après les événements du premier. Peut-être une cinquantaine d'années plus tard, car le Prince Jing n'est plus et c'est son successeur, l'empereur Liu Jun de Liang qui est sur le trône. Ici dans, le drama tourne autour de l'histoire de la maison de Chang Lin, une puissante famille de militaire dont le chef de famille n'est autre que le grand prince royal, frère de l'empereur. La famille Chang Lin est composé de deux frères, Xiao Ping Zhang et Xiao Ping Jing, ainsi que l'épouse de Ping Zhang, Meng Qian Xue. Une famille puissante et respectée, ayant plus de 180 000 hommes fidèles sous leur autorité. Voilà de quoi faire peur et jalouser les puissants de la cour. Complots sur complots, le but de ces personnes est donc de faire tomber la famille Chang Lin afin d'anticiper une probable rébellion de la part cette branche royale.

Si NIF2 n'est pas aussi incroyable que NIF1, aussi intelligemment et savamment mené, il est émotionnellement plus fort et plus intense. La force de ce drama est justement les liens familiaux! et mes aieux, quels liens. Quelle force. Quelle magnifique leçon d'amour entre des frères. Entre le père et ses fils. Entre l'épouse et son mari. entre la belle-soeur et son beau-frère. Ici, le mot filial prend tous son sens!

Le lien qui unit les deux frères est magnifique! Un tel amour entre frère, une telle alchimie entre eux qui est inoubliable. Ping Zhang le calme et Ping Jing le fougueux. Si différent et si unis tout à la fois. L'émotion qui se dégage de leur "dispute", de leur accolade est tellement forte que j'ai eu beaucoup beaucoup de mal à retenir mes larmes par la suite.
Pareillement pour le père Royal. Nous avons eu le coeur qui ne s'en remet toujours pas. Ting Sheng a une telle sagesse dans ses propos avec ses fils, il a une telle affection dans son regard, envers eux, que cela en est poignant (sacrebleu, j'avais oublié que ces acteurs savaient jouer avec leur yeux...). Ses gestes sont mesurés et en même temps avec une dignité royale qui impressionne. Et cette seule et unique fois où Ting Sheng pleure et hurle...punaise mon coeur ne l'a pas oublié....
Je n'oublie pas Ping Zhang et sa femme, Meng Qian Xue, qui sont un des couples les plus jolis à regarder. Leur amour, tranquille d'un vieux couple, est inspirant. Tous leurs gestes transpirent d'amour et leur attention l'un envers l'autre sont adorables et naturelles.

Si la force de ce drama est ce lien incassable entre les personnages, il faut dire que les personnages sont magistralement interprétés par des acteurs bourrés de talents. Pas une seule fausse note, j'ai même redécouvert Turbo Liu que j'avais vu dans "Novoland, eagle flag" mais qui ne m'avait pas forcément marqué. Ici, Turbo Liu démontre toutes les facettes de Ping Jin, de l'insouciance à la douleur avec sincérité. Son sourire de coquin et ses regards pétillants ont donnée vie à ce personnage talentueux. Ping Jin, enfant insouciant et spontanée, parfois boudeur mais toujours à l'écoute de son frère et de son père, évolue dans la douleur et deviendra un adulte mature, usant de son immense talent de tacticien pour ceux qu'il aime.
Inutile de dire que Huang Xiao Ming est un acteur qui sait donner une profondeur incroyable à son personnage. Tout comme son père, Ping Zhang est un personnage calme et réfléchi. Ses paroles sont toujours mesurées et pesées avec soin. Ce qui en fait le personnage clé pour le maintien de la paix dans le royaume.
Hormis le clan des Chang Lin, pratiquement tous les personnages secondaires ont été interprétés avec finesse et de manière juste. Je pense notamment à la douce Lin Xi, à Yuan Qi, à mon chouchou Fei Zhan, à mon autre chouchou General Yue Yin Chuan...

Il est difficile de décrire les émotions que ce drama a engendré chez nous, chéri et moi. Une palette d'émotions violentes qui nous a amené plusieurs fois à pleurer et à vouloir aller les consoler. A se battre à leur côtés. Nous avons rarement été aussi heureux et excités que de voir l'armée de Chang Lin à la fin mener l'étendard bruyamment. Fièrement. Limite, j'en dansais de joie. Quelle scène épique. Qui résonne encore encore dans ma tête.
Certains peuvent reprocher une certaine lenteur dans ce drama. Il est vrai que nous avions envie de sauter des épisodes, juste par impatience, et non par ennui. L'impatience de voir Ping Jing leur mettre une raclée. De voir celui qui le mérite comprendre que ce qu'il a fait n'en valait pas la peine. La lenteur de ce drama est une force et une faiblesse tout en même temps. Tout dépendra de votre capacité à réfréner votre impatience à la conclusion. En ce qui nous concerne, cela ne fut pas une nuisance. L'émotion étant le coeur de ce drama, nous n'en attendions pas des actions grandiloquentes.

Le plaisir de traquer les traces du passé a presque été un péché de gourmandise. Tout le long du drama, quelques détails révèlent les liens des personnages avec Mei Chang Su . Nous étions si heureux de voir parsemer ici et là des détails sur Mei Chang Su et le Prince Jin, ce jeu de devinette sur qui est lié avec Mei Chang Su était un petit moment de plaisir qui a donné une dimension de retrouvaille avec de vieux amis et ce jusqu'au dernier épisode. L'apothéose fut la révélation finale. Ceux qui auront vu le premier, comprendront ^^ .

Pour finir, l'OST. Certaines musiques sont magnifiques et siéent parfaitement à cette fresque épique. Nous passons tour à tour des rires aux larmes et des sanglots à l'émerveillement. La chanson de fin est SUBLIME. Une chanson, version féminine et masculine, qui monte en puissance telle une litanie d'amour et de douleur. Les paroles sont belles et si tristes à la fois. J'aime la version féminine, mais j'admet une nette préférence pour la version masculine, plus puissante et plus douloureusement lyrique.
Si NIF2 n'est pas aussi abouti que NIF1, il est toutefois plus intense et plus difficile émotionnellement.
Nirvana In Fire 3 est en préparation et c'est donc avec impatience que nous attendons ce troisième opus après la réussite incontestable des 2 premiers.

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I binge watched this drama in 2 days after finally deciding I was going to give it a shot. Updated edit after a rewatch: I'm hesitant to compare this against NiF 1 anymore (even though I still do think it was better produced, I'm more emotionally attached to the characters in NiF2) because I think they're such great companion stories for each other. While 2 is a sequel (it takes place about 50 years later after the first), it's an entirely different story with a different premise. Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster - this show will earn your tears and your emotional investment.

Story
The story focuses on the family of the general of the Changlin Army (the army that was created in Mei Changsu's memory). Ting Sheng, the head of the family and of the army, was one of the slave boys that Mei Changsu had saved in the original, and was later adopted by Prince Xiao Jingyan. Ting Sheng's oldest son, Xiao Pingzhang, is his right hand man and the named heir, while his younger son has lived a spoiled and sheltered life (in the sense that his family lets him have a lot of freedom and not have to worry about the responsibilites of being in a military family)  and spends most of his time on Langya Mountain. Both sons are supremely talented - Ping Zhang is an incredible military strategist and represents his family in court with the Emperor to navigate the political waters. Ping Jing, while young and a bit brash, has had his sharp instincts honed by his father and brother and has street smarts in spades. While very different, the two brothers are very close, and much of the first half focuses on their family's bond.

While the original story focused on one central storyline, the sequel follows the ups and downs of the  Changlin family - because of this, the plot isn't as tight as the  original as it is much more complex. The political stuff was a bit too much at times (and infuriating), but the reasons behind most of the conflicts were logically sound.

One of the pluses of the drama was that there was a strong focus on relationships - be it family (THE CHANGLIN FAMILY - ugh, I'm still recovering from all of the feelings), romance, friendship, the bond between a person in  power and those who serve him, or the relationship between the past and future (sooo many name drops - it was kind of fun to figure out who was related to a character in the original story). The original had elements of this of course, but due to the story being about the Changlin family (who are also a military family), the emphasis on interpersonal relationships is much greater. The romance was also much better in this one than the first, in my opinion - Ping Zhang and his wife have such a great, healthy relationship and the mutual respect (and love) that they have for one another is wonderful to see. The younger couple was cute as well - and I liked the fact that while both could lead very independent lives, it was the times that they were together that made them the happiest.

Probably one of the biggest criticisms of the show is that it is centered around a boy/man who is barely 20 when the story begins - but to me, this is one of the best selling points of the shows. Perhaps younger viewers may not appreciate this, but the freshness and youthful enthusiasm of Pingjing was an absolute delight (more so because is he is played by someone who is right at that age), and watching him grow up and mature was both bittersweet and awesome. There are times where you wish he was more self-aware, but he's not a stupid character - just a very young one, and that's part of the charm. I can honestly say Pingjing is probably my favorite drama protagonist in the last...I don't even know how many years.

There's also this bittersweet satisfaction knowing that we are, in a way, watching what the 19 year old Lin Shu would have been like, because we never got see him go through that growing up process - we went straight to adulthood. It's noted by several characters that both Lin Chen and Xiao Jingyan, who were probably Lin Shu's best friends, were both incredibly fond of Ping Jing and spoiled him accordingly - in part because they are very similar in personalities, though obviously the roads they walked were very different. It's a subtle reference that I really enjoyed - they are not the same people at all, but the spirit of Lin Shu/Mei Changsu lives on through Pingjing.
 
I found in particular the discussion of nature vs nurture to be pretty interesting - this is a topic that is pushed pretty hard in the drama, as the debate follows multiple characters who walk on different paths. The idea of fate is also nicely interwoven in - no matter how much effort we put in, no matter what choices we make, are we always going to end up at the same destination?

(Edited after rewatch): This isn't the same story as Nirvana in Fire and if you're expecting that, you're already going to be disappointed. NiF was a story of triumph, of redemption (more so than revenge, in my opinion), mingled with bittersweet elements. Mei Chang Su set out with a specific goal in mind so he had everything planned out and the climax was when he obtained that goal at the very end of the series.

NiF2 is very different - it's more like a chronicle of the Changlin family, with a specific focus on Pingjing and the people around him. For some people, the climax of the story probably happened around episode 36, and I agree, to a certain extent. I think the point of the story isn't about the fall and redemption of the Changlin family - it's about family and bloodlines; it's about growing up and living with yourself and the choices that you make. I understand what people mean by the anticlimatic ending and the final arc (and I do agree that the writing was a bit poor towards the end), but to me, it felt right and matched everything we had learned about all the characters up to that point.

Acting/Cast:

Huang Xiaoming and Liu Haoran as the two Changlin brothers exceeded expectations for me. This was also a heavily criticized decision when the production first started, because Huang Xiaoming is known as an idol actor, but like Hu Ge before him, he turned in a strong performance - if HXM doesn't overact, he has this natural warmth that comes from his real life personality and it worked so well for his big brother role. Seriously, never doubt these directors - they know what they're doing when they cast people (well, for the most part - see below for what I didn't like about the casting choices).

Pingjing was a really tricky role to play (and to cast for) and I feel like it has to be acknowledged - you're talking about a story that spans about three or four years and the character goes from a carefree, sheltered prince to a solemn, matured young general (this isn't a spoiler - it's in the synopsis). So basically your casting options would be: 1) Pick an older actor (early to mid 20s) - a la Hu Ge in The Disguiser - which...wasn't great. They would be able to handle the second half well, but you would cringe your way through the first half. If people already think (then) 19 year old LHR was a bit hard to watch acting as a 20 year old, I have no idea how they'd tolerate this.

2) Pick a younger actor (late teens, presumably) and hope that they don't look like a child pretending to be an adult when they reach the second half. In the Chinese market, there just simply aren't a lot of candidates that would fit all the criteria (age, looks, height, acting talent, public recognition, temperament, demeanor, and ability to pull off both arcs). As great as Daylight Entertainment's reputation is, they also have to have someone who has some degree of popularity as the main role. The word that is most associated with Liu Hao Ran on Chinese media is "youth" (even before  NiF) - it's not his age, necessarily, but a spirit that he has in spades - and it served him so, so well in this role. He was able to rely on it to carry him through the first half, and then the natural contrast between his youthful demeanor and the burden on his shoulders really tugged at the heartstrings in the second half. I cried when he cried, I laughed when he laughed - he embodied the character perfectly for me. He's not a polished actor by any means - but he's got a good foundation and definitely grew as an actor throughout the drama. Again, he just turned 19 when he filmed this - 19!

The shining star in terms of acting though, definitely goes to Sun Chun, who plays the brothers' father. What a masterful performance by a veteran actor.The character felt 100% real and he really fleshed out every aspect of Changlin Wang - as a father, as a friend, as a brother, as a general, and as a loyal servant of the Emperor. The way he delivered his lines - oh man. If China actually did legit drama awards, he deserves one.

Sun Chun, Huang Xiaoming, and Liu Haoran also had phenomenal chemistry as father and sons which made some of the later scenes all that more emotional for me. (If you want something cute, go look at their weibo comments and posts to each other throughout the drama - it's like if the family lived in the modern age and could access social media, ha. Some of the other cast members also occasionally pitch in their opinions on where the story is at).

Squeals for Zhang Bo, who was great as the head of the Imperial Guard - I will never ever forget his performance as Sun Quan in Three Kingdoms about seven years ago and he was just as awesome in this role. He just has this natural charisma and gravitas that works so well on screen (and gets better as he ages). Why is he not more popular?! Tong Liya and Zhang Huiwen turned in decent performances as the main two female leads (though of course like the first one this is a very male-dominated cast) - Tong Liya in particular had some great scenes. I liked Zhang Huiwen's Lin Xi, but wish she was used more, particularly in the second half. Guo Jingfei probably had a blast in his role and I was torn between laughing because I knew he probably enjoyed the performance and also superbly creeped out because he turned in a very good acting performance.

I am conflicted on how i feel about Wu Haochen, who plays a pretty important role. I think his acting was solid (especially in the final arc - he was phenomenal), but somehow he just never visually fit into the part and it became distracting to a certain degree. I know that there's been a lot of comments about his appearance and I've never really been all that concerned about looks when it comes to acting, but the visual presentation took me out of his scenes more often than not. I had no issues with him in Ode to Joy, so I wonder if it's because he doesn't quite fit the "gu zhuang" look. I also just never cared about him - especially in the second half - I just wanted to see more of Pingjing - and I think that's because while Wu Haochen did a good job acting, he never made me feel anything about the character. In the original NiF, Prince Yu (played by Victor Huang) was definitely not a protagonist but I really felt for him (and part of that has to do with charismatic Victor was in the role).

 If there is one criticism that I have of this production team, it's their tendency to reuse actors that they've casted in previous shows - sometimes I like it as it's kind of like spotting Easter eggs, but sometimes it can also be very trying. I wasn't fond of the casting choice of Qiao Xin (she was already in the original as the oh-so-memorable-for-bad-acting Nian Nian!!). It'd be one thing if they reused an actor with great acting talent, but Qiao Xin is definitely...not that. Also, you could have done away with her character completely and it would probably been fine - I just found all of her scenes completely unneccessary.

The cast overall (especially the veterans) weren't as phenomenal as the supporting cast in the original, but the main cast really carried the show well, so it was okay.

Music
I love how the music is the same, yet just a tiny bit different. It brought back just the right amount of feels. The theme song has two different versions and has a much more stronger tone than Hu Ge's song in the original - probably due to the more military, war-bent nature of this one.

Rewatch Value
I took one star off because there were about ten episodes straight where I was just crying nonstop and I don't know if I can handle that again. But the emotional roller coaster is worth it, and I think I will definitely be rewatching very soon.

Overall
This is very different story than from the original Nirvana In Fire. As I mentioned previously, I think the first was a better production overall, but the second one has me invested way more in the characters, and if you don't mind a younger main character (and are interested in watching a growth arc), i think you may find the show a blast to watch.

Sequels are probably never going to live up to the original, but I love that they changed almost everything (the story, the cast) and still maintained that definite "Nirvana In Fire" vibe - it is definitely worthy of being considered a quality stand-alone show.

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Sequels usually end up in disaster and are terribly bad, but this sequel was much better than I had ever hoped for!!

Story:
The story is much more different than the story of NIF1. In this drama, the theme focuses more around familial ties as well as loyalty and righteousness towards the emperor, the country, and the people in general. Overall I loved the story, although I must admit that the final few episodes were just a tiny-bit underwhelming.

I personally feel that the characters in NIF2 were much more "human" and relatable than the characters in NIF1. But the plot in NIF1 is a bit more complex since it focused more on the political aspect rather than the familial aspect. I sincerely ADORED so many of the characters. I loved Pingzhang's cautiousness and wisdom, Pingjing's playful and carefree manners, Lin Xi's calm and collected poise, Qianxue's love and understanding, Tingsheng's awesome fathering skills and loyalty to his brother and his country, oh I could go on with Xun Fei Zhan and Lin Jiu, and etc.

Plus every time they hinted at or mentioned someone from NIF1, the feels would really start to hit :')

Acting:
I'm sure everyone was in doubt towards the actors when the casting was first announced. Much to my surprise, HXM did wayyyyyy better than I expected. LHR is very young (only 20 yrs old) and I think for his age, he did amazing and portrayed his character of Xiao Pingjing very well, from playful/carefree young lad to a changed/more solemn young man. I loved the female actresses too; TLY and ZHW both portrayed their characters very well. And of course, all of the supporting casts that Daylight Entertainment likes to reuse in all of their productions also acted very well.

Music:
Opening theme is a variation of the opening theme of NIF1, with a slightly more hopeful melody (as with the more happy ending than in NIF1).  I love the ending theme song as well (both the female and male versions). Instrumental was good too.

Rewatch:
There are A LOT of specific scenes that I think are very worth rewatching, such as a lot of the early wuxia-fighting scenes were wonderfully filmed. And of course, all of the deep and emotional family scenes (Tingsheng and Pingjing!) as well as the daily Xiao family shenanigans. I wouldn't rewatch the whole drama though, but there are a lot of scenes I will definitely rewatch.

Overall:
Absolutely loved this show. Compared to all the sequels of movies/dramas I've ever seen in my life, this is a sequel that can almost be equal to its prequel. Both NIF1 and NIF2 are equal in my heart, and both have their pros and cons. Definitely worth giving it a shot if you've seen NIF1 and are debating or not whether to watch this!! If you haven't seen NIF1, then by all means, watch this, because this is still a very good quality drama on its own.

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Closure

While NIF2 works as a superb standalone story, it is best appreciated if watched after NIF. Also be aware some of my comments may be spoilers for NIF so best not to read this if you haven't watched it.

NIF2 is the story of the changing fortunes of the Changlin family as together with the Liang empire, they navigate a changing of the guard. While the story skips a generation, the ghost of Lin Shu "haunts" the drama. After all, the powerful Changlin Army is the legacy Prince Jing created in Mei Changsu/Lin Shu's memory. Xiao Tingsheng, the now elderly Prince of Changlin instills in his family the same moral values, duty, honor and loyalty that were innate to Prince Jing and Lin Shu. His sons Xiao Pingzhang and Xiao Pingjing grow up with and share a deep bond beyond blood ties with their imperial peers, especially the Crown Prince and their cousin Xiao Yuanqi. Their proximity to the throne and unbalanced power in the court is feared and envied by many. This sets the stage for political plots and intrigue at the highest levels of the court that pose many challenges for the Changlin family. This brings the free spirited and fun loving Pingjing back from the famed Langya hall to aid his more responsible elder brother Pingzhang, the heir who already shares their father's duties.

In NIF, we can only imagine what young Lin Shu's life was like. NIF2 invites us to experience being in the bosom of a close and loving family at the epicenter of power in the empire. We laugh and we cry with them, their friends are our friends, their foes our enemies, their hopes our hopes and we feel the pain of their losses in an acute and very real way. The script-writing and plot in this drama is deep and masterful in a way that rivals that of NIF. While political plotting, revenge, justice, loyalty, morality, duty and envy are still strong themes, it dives more deeply into relationships between sovereign and subject, parent and child, husband and wife and siblings and cousins while exploring the fine line between good and evil and nature vs nurture. Unlike NIF, the story does not revolve around one core character but a number of key characters. Like NIF there are many grey characters and even the good characters are very realistically written with their own strengths and flaws. These lead characters evolve over time as the story-line spans a generation shift and explores how these characters deal with change. The second half of the drama focuses on the younger generation and this is where weakness in the acting emerged as these demanding transitions are played out by younger and less experienced actors. That said, overall the cast was very strong and well populated with many veteran actors.

Newcomer Liu Haoran's Xiao Pingjing was stellarly portrayed from start to finish. He managed to "grow up" from the immature, playful, outspoken, impetuous and slightly irresponsible younger son to be a skilled pugilist, brilliant general and military tactician, the rising star of the Changlin family. This actor immediately conveyed that Pingjing must be what a young Lin Shu (whom we never met in NIF) would have been like. He is the young actor to watch coming out of NIF2. Sadly his love interest Lin Xi was played by a limited and forgettable young actress. Lin Xi's father was killed before she was born so she is an aloof character, a talented and capable lady doctor. She had to make a terrible, controversial and life altering decision in this drama. This is an awesome part that a better actress could have killed. This one wore a perpetually tragic expression and when pressed to defend her decision she overacted, wailing in a completely out of character way. There was no chemistry between Pingjing and Lin Xi and as a couple, they were not convincing. Pingzhang and his wife Meng Qianxue on the other hand were touchingly in sync with each other. Fortunately this is not a love story although there is more romance than NIF. Both female leads were strong and well written characters but only Meng Qianxue's role was well acted.

In the second half of the drama, cousin Xiao Yuanqi also comes of age, clawing his way up despite the disgrace his father (the youngest son of Prince JIng) brought on to their branch of the family. Yuanqi is a chameleon and the most interesting, complex and empathetic character in the entire drama. To be fair it is a challenging role, one that actor Wu Haochen was not up to. While his performance was technically good, it was also pedestrian and boring. He simply lacks onscreen presence and charisma. I didn't want to watch him and would either tune out or tune into whoever he was sharing the screen with. This was too critical a role for them to have miscast so badly. The character itself was exceedingly well developed, it just didn't come to life in the right way. It is why for me this drama is not a perfect 10 even though the script, plot and story-line can hold its own against NIF.

NIF broke my heart because even though Lin Shu/Mei Changsu got his justice, it was his final act. What he lost could never be recovered. I was inconsolable for a long time. Watching NIF2 was cathartic because NIF2 shows us that his legacy and everything he stood for lives on in all the lives he touched. And despite its own tragic moments, in NIF2 we get to imagine that maybe Lin Shu came back to fulfill his final promise. That gave me the closure I badly needed.

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Family. This is what this drama is all about. The core of it, actually. Of course that I was the same like all those hard core fans of Nirvana in Fire, all scared and in hesitation and doubt whether to give a chance to sequel or not. We all know how sequels rather rare become good enough to justify all the glory of prequel. But if done right, yes it is possible. Like it’s the case with Nirvana 2. It really succeeded to give me the same vibe like Nirvana, to make me attach so much and care for the characters and their lives, to make me sit on the edge waiting what will happen next. The quality is high and you could easily see that it comes from the same director, the same production team, the same excellent writing and amazing cinematography. Whereas it’s less one character driven and concentrated on more characters and their lives, still it manages to make everything worth watching and full of greatly written characters. It’s important to not compare these two dramas because honestly they are very different, the whole story is different. So I decided to do that and found myself loving every episode, every scene spent with Xiao family.
Let me tell you something about Xiao family. They are certainly for me the best and most amazing family I have ever seen in dramaland. They way they care for each other, the way they protect and love each other, the way they talk and haven fun with each other, the way they deal with problems and the way they are loyal and honest, everything makes you admire them. And makes you love them all. I really like their interactions and how they were also close to the emperor and his son, they literally felt like one big happy family from the neighbourhood.
Drama actually has two parts, you could easily see how before one certain event things were and how they changed completely after that. I can’t say for sure which part was better but let’s say first part was more happy, blissful and joyful and the second more tragic, sad and bittersweet. I felt such huge pain, my heart hurt and I couldn’t stop sobbing while watching some scenes and if you watch the drama, I bet you’re gonna feel the same. I had to make pauses in watching until I got back being myself again.

As for the characters, I think I came to love too many of them. And hate too. If I were to pick one who stood out the most, I’d say it’s Tingsheng. His calm presence, his unwavering mind, his loyal soul, his wisdom out of this world and his unconditional love he had for his sons, everything he was and he felt and said was the core of this drama. I loved intelligent, clever tranquil Pingzhang; elegant supportive skillful Xiao Xue; impulsive, joyful smart fighter Pingjing; brave, loyal Feizhan; wise, amazing emperor, and many others but Tingsheng was the one who carried everything as he was the bond between this drama and original  he was the one who experienced everything. I found so emotional and beautiful each time they mentioned Mei Chang Su or Prince Jing or anyone from the original and it was done in such a wonderful way in many important moments.
I won’t talk about villains, there are lots of them too but sadly they didn’t leave some big effect on me, yes I hated them (specially the empress who was so stupid) but I couldn’t understand their actions and the reasons why they did everything they did. That was a bit let-down in this drama and how they ended with one of the characters- I get it was needed for the story to move on and for our lead guy to mature and take charge and grow up, but still it could have been done lot better. That was the weak part, it felt like a bit lazy writing so I couldn’t give the highest score. But everything else, from the characters, Xiao family, cinematography, music, battle and fighting scenes, I applaud for everything else. And most important, a great ending and closure of the whole story, its protagonists, antagonists and villains. I will leave it like this with my favourite sentence:

"I have seen the coldest aspects of this world. But in my life there are 3 things that I found fortunate to have experienced. First- I received teachings from my Master and that eliminated the grudges and hatred in my heart; Second- I got adopted by the former emperor and experienced two generations of wise emperors. I have never been doubted by anyone. The third thing was that I have a harmonious home- I was able to have good children like you and Pingzhang."
I will remember this for the rest of my life. Personally my favourite scene and moment where I gave all my heart to them, to that lovely and wonderful family, to that goodhearted amazing parent, who is so far, the best well written parent character ever existed in my opinion- papa Tingsheng.
So do not hesitate and give it a chance, do not think in advance how it will be bad, trust me it won’t. You will have your heart broken so many times, you will feel the characters so strong, you will cry with them, smile with them and care so much for their happiness, you will also hate some too and wanting to kill them so much, you will feel a need to grab your family so tight and wanting to protect them forever. All of this Nirvana 2 will give you. And more. Yes I say that prequel is better and nothing could ever beat that drama, that original Nirvana in Fire but if you watch this one and not compare, you’ll see that it’s also one phenomenal piece of art where family bond is everything, loyalty is real and existing, battle scenes executed in amazing way, breathtaking landscapes and where power and greed aren’t everything. Nirvana 2 definitely did become one my all time dearest dramas and I am glad that I gave it a chance and watched it while it aired. And now I don’t think I will be able to watch anything in the near future because of the amount of emotions I felt during the watch. Thank you for that, thank you drama for giving me such an amazing, heartwarming, heartbreaking, beautiful time, I will always cherish that and I am forever grateful to all the people who participated in making this drama come to life. I know I said too much and that my review is a very long one but that’s the case with Both Nirvana 1 and 2. It’s never too much. They are pure love. <3

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One of the recurring themes in this drama is how children are different from their parents and how they shouldn't aspire to be exact versions of their parents but should instead carve their own paths. In a way, this could also be applied to the drama itself. Nirvana in Fire is considered by many to be one of the best dramas and with that comes high expectations but also in my opinion, unfair expectations to be another version of its predecessor. What I mean by this is that I've seen people wanting another drama to be led by a highly intelligent character as he methodically matches wits with similarly intelligent characters in the quest to clear his family's name. However, I am for one glad that the writer decided to switch lanes and attempt something entirely different while also touching on themes from the first Nirvana in Fire such as justice, brotherhood and family.

One of the interesting themes this drama examines is the collision between tradition and modernity. It is clear that the times are indeed changing throughout the kingdom and country. Many of the characters that will soon wield a great deal of power are young in age. In response to this, a lot of the adult characters seem reluctant to relinquish their power and do no trust that the youth are equipped to lead. Some of the adult characters even have no issue in manipulating the younger characters for their own personal petty reasons.

On the other hand, you had characters like Pingjing and Feizhan who were free to and encouraged to explore life outside the palace to acquire new knowledge/perspective. Similarly, there's an acknowledgement that women in particular lived harsh lives within the palace. Often, they had their lives set out for them with no say in the manner. Girls as young as 12 were sold and expected to be servants. It is expected that women put their fathers/husbands first and live to serve them. However, there are characters like Qian Xue who is a formidable fighter in her own right and has a husband who accepts that she may be an outlier but loves her all the same. There's also Lin Xi, who has her own aspirations and hopes to make a positive contribution to the world even if it's not ready to accept them from a woman.

Even though I empathized with Mei Changsu, I also liked following the journey of a more "human" character like Pingjing. In the beginning of the drama, we meet Pingjing as he is living his life carefree at Langya Mountain. A world away from what awaits him if he has to follow in his father/brother's footsteps and assumes his role in the Chang Lin Army which is more strict and rigid. It takes him a long time to adjust and he is constantly reprimanded by his father and brother but it's necessary because what he is fighting for is bigger than him. Above all us, I appreciated the fact that Pingjing just wanted the option of being able to choose to live his life the way he wanted to. Much like how the two main characters are strong in their own right but also having overlapping qualities, the two dramas should be appreciated on their own merits. If you go with wherever the wind takes you, especially if it takes you to Chang Lin (sorry), you'll be rewarded with what I consider to be one of the best dramas.

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STORY: The sequel to Nirvana in Fire takes place about 50-60 years after the end of the original, following the story of the children of Xiao Ting Sheng (the son of the late Prince Qi, who is later adopted by Xiao Jing Yan). As this was essentially an original story, the writers had a LOT of places they could go with it which has it's good and bad points. The first season was definitely more intricately wound. Everything revolved around the main plot of Lin Shu finding out what happened to the Chi Yan army 17 years prior and bringing to light all those who harmed his family.

The sequel, more so just follows the various families (Chang Lin Prince, Marquis of Laiyang, Xun family), and builds stories around that. While everything technically links up to other parts of the plot, overall there felt like a bit of disconnect to me. Essentially it felt like you were watching the story in phases which were related, but still felt distant. There is the general main split in the story (which is spoiled for viewers on most site's show descriptions), but even within those two halves, there are so many smaller sub-plots going on that it feels much less connected than the original did.

Overall the story was not bad, especially for a sequel. Most sequels are terrible in comparison to the first, more popular season, but this one was not as terrible as I feared. While there were points that were fairly predictable (who was going to be the bad guy, who was going to fall in love with who, etc.) it was still an intriguing watch. I never felt as though there was a big "A HA" moment while watching, but again, it was still a decent watch.

ACTING:

Liu Hao Ran - By now, most people know that there was a lot of criticism for Liu Hao Ran, a young actor being the main anchor of the show. I definitely think he did a great job portraying the younger version of Xiao Ping Jing, but feel he was lacking the power and stature a bit for the second half of the show. He did a good job portraying the different ages/personality of the character, but I do think he was a bit too young to be the main focus of such a weighty drama. As the younger XPJ, he had that youthfulness and brashness that went along very well with the character. He was cheeky and didn't always listen to others, but was loyal and brave. As he goes through the events of the series, his personality matures a lot, but I felt a disconnect between his acting and character when he was the older XPJ.

Huang Xiao Ming - I have a friend who wouldn't watch this drama because of how much she disliked HXM. Honestly, he again was a bit lacking at times (especially because I compared his character to Mei Chang Su/Lin Shu - yes I know, they are two different seasons and I shouldn't compare, but it's inevitable). He was supposed to be this awe-inspiring general who was brave and strong and so on, but (and yes this is a plot line) you never really get to see that out of him. Within the first episode he is wounded and spends most of his screen time recuperating from his wound (hence again the comparisons to MCS/LS). Whether it was his choice to portray Xiao Ping Zhang that way, or if it was the screenwriter/director - HXM just felt very soft and demure the whole way through and never gave off that aura of the strong general or Shi Zi(prince) that he was.

Tong Li Ya - probably my favorite of the four main leads. Meng Qian Xue had that strong energy and outgoingness that I felt with Xiao Jing Yan and Ni Huang in NIF. She was respectful and a good and filial wife and daughter, but was also a badass who could outtalk others and beat them in a fight as well. I felt the best range of emotion with her and enjoyed all the scenes she was in.

Zhang Hui Wen - another young actress, who - compared to the other leads - was a bit lacking in my opinion. My biggest impression of her was just her having a deer in headlights facial expression for most of the drama - when she was supposed to be sad, angry, etc. While she wasn't terrible, she is IMO the weakest link of the main characters. While it was also plot, her character felt a bit one note - she always was just kind of there - not necessarily happy or sad, but just there. The few scenes where she was supposed to be upset, you felt a bit more energy out of her, but overall meh.

REWATCH VALUE: As I learned with Princess Agents, I definitely feel differently about a show when I can watch the whole thing in it's entirety vs watching it as it airs, so eventually I'll watch it again to see if I have a better impression the second time around. While definitely not a -bad- show, it just pales so much in comparison to the original which was almost perfect from most standpoints. NIF 2 just falls slightly above the average for me.

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I came to this with much apprehension as I had thought that the first season was brilliant and I couldn't imagine that a second season could match it in quality. But I  am so glad that I watched it for if it is not as brilliant as the first, it definitely is more beautiful. I was invested more emotionally into this.
The best thing here was the family, the love, trust and loyalty which gave me such a warm fuzzy feeling. The emperor and Tisheng , the father and his sons, Pingzhang and his wife - there were such heartwarming scenes between them.
And then the battle plans, the brilliant strategy, and the sword play were all stunning. I liked the fact that though there were a series of plots instead of a single one, the action flowed seamlessly from one plot to the next. And towards the end, the canvas grows broader and the scope widens before the story draws to a conclusion. The various threads are tied up satisfactorily and the end is as it should be.
I would unhesitatingly recommend this to everyone who loves period drama

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let me start by saying, OH.MY.GOD. What a phenomenal rollercoaster of a drama that was. NIF1 does not need to be watched before watching NIF2, though there are occasional small references to the 1st that's nice to catch onto. For most people, if they compared this to the NIF1, they'd give it a 9/10. If they viewed it as it's own separate drama, it's definitely a 10/10. Now I LOVED NIF1, it's my favourite c-drama (well, past tense now). I loved the plot, and I loved how smart the characters were, the detailed plotting and strategy of it all. If I were to compare 1&2, I'd say NIF1 took me by the brains but NIF2 took me by the heart. It's so rare for me to find characters that I become emotionally attached to and this drama knew exactly how to tug at my heartstrings in all the right directions. There are so many inherently good characters in this drama and not just good, but smart good if you know what I mean. You can't help but root for their success and their happiness, and cry when they're in sorrow.. I even felt compassion for a lot of the "villains" in this. There was rationale and practicality behind these characters. Most importantly, this drama told stories of acts of heroism not just by main leads, but the efforts of the middle men and little men that never often get their stories told. This whole drama is about unison, an "US", not YOU or ME. The lead couples were just ughhhh my heart ached for them. At some point tears just consistently flowed out of my tear ducts because that's how emotionally invested I was. I HIGHLY recommend this.

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This drama is must watch. The first one was spectacular and this was a worthy sequel. Although it have a different storyline and directly not related to the first one, I feel it is excellent in its own class. As a fan of drama with family values, friendship, and loyalty, I really loved this drama. The cast were amazing in portraying their own characters. Complex characters are believable. Wise words, and reality of life relationships were depicted very well indeed. Can help but to truly love-hate and feel for the characters. Truly, there are so many things you can learn from this drama. Truly, tears, smile, laughter, regret and understanding, content, letting go and acceptance can be found in these 50 eps. It is definitely a worthy drama to watch.

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WOW! I was one of those that when I first heard of this drama, I was thinking "Oh heck no, I would NEVER watch this." I LOVED Nirvana in Fire 1, it was different from other dramas in terms of schematics and revenge. After I started watching NIF2, I was like WOW!!! It took a while to recall characters from part one, and figure out who is who, but after you do it's a really great drama. The storyline and plot moves well, and doesn't drag. The writers did a really great job with this sequel. Although you do not need to watch the first one (you should anyway lol) to follow this drama, it's nice seeing all the easter eggs and cameos/mentions from NIF1.

The thing that makes NIF and NIF2 so captivating is the writing. Usually when I'm watching dramas, I can GUESS what will happen. I could't ALWAYS guess what the outcomes would be. For example, I thought Ting Sheng just had a evil face and would have thought he WOULD take advantage of the emperor(s). But I was sooooo wrong! 

Cast: I'm not familiar with any of the actors in this drama (that's why I didn't want to watch it lol), but everyone did a great job. Liu Hao Ran came through shining, his was BLAH in the beginning but he did great in here. I'm surprised. Huang Xiao Ming also was fantastic. The supporting cast also did well, and I really enjoyed watching all the supporting cast as their characters develop.

Overall, great drama. I'd definitely watch this again! Drop some easter eggs in the spoilers if you caught any!

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If NIF is a gem, NIF2 is a hidden gem that outshines when uncovered

A drama that I should have watched immediately after I completed NIF in 2021.

My gripe with NIF is the slow pace (i.e. story pace is slow and everyone speaks, walks and moves slowly, as they should be in royal palace settings) and character-story arcs that did not engage nor move me. Thus, I made a terrible mistake of not continuing with NIF2 immediately, but watched only recently, 2 years later, because all other c-historical dramas that I could find were simply unwatchable (after sampling a few episodes per drama).

NIF2 retains the style of NIF, telling the story of the third (grand) generation of Mei Chang Su. But the pace is faster, with more martial fight scenes and war scenes. Viewers get more engaged with the leads, and I was touched and moved to tears periodically by the stories and deep honor and bonds of the Chang Lin family (the two brothers and their father, and I would add also big brother’s wife), for one another and for their country and people. It was an emotional yet gratifying watch, as the Chang Lin family remains unswayed by insinuations and attacks on their loyalty.

Solid performance from all including the supporting cast. I’m especially impressed by Liu Hao Ran. Born Oct 1997, he was only 20 years young when the drama first aired in Dec 2017. As the main protagonist, his role’s transition from a frivolous pugilist protected by his family to a stoic military commander, shouldering the responsibilities of his beloved deceased brother, and to being finally enlightened, and putting down the burdens and living his true self, is naturally evident.

What could be better? The antagonist’s story and motives could be strengthened. Greed for wealth and power was mentioned to cause the antagonist’s father to forget one’s original intention and heart. The antagonist understood his father’s crime and was at peace. He trusted no one and never readily agreed to work with anyone. Left alone without his parents, he swayed between right and wrong, trying to get a foothold. So was it his sense of insecurities that led him down the doomed path? Or was the key intent of the antagonist's lack of solid motive, only to accentuate the honor-sacrifice-trials-tribulations of the main protagonist who is also his peer?

Do one need to watch NIF before watching NIF2? No, there’s no need, as the story focuses some 50 years later on the third generation. But having watched NIF will help you understand NIF2 better, plus there are smart references to NIF, especially the one in the last second episode, when you thought the story was ending, and all references to NIF would have already appeared at the start, or at most up to the first-half or second-thirds of the series.

Heard that there would be NIF3, and yes, I’m looking forward to NIF3 if it happens.

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