Nirvana in Fire

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.

The whole series is a journey of understanding for me. The overall story arc is revealed in bits and pieces. Imagine a huge garden in spring. Once the flowers start to bloom, one begins to see a pattern and the viewer starts to think that "Ah-ha, that is what the picture looks like." As more flowers bloom, more patterns are revealed which congregate to create an even bigger pattern. Each episode is like a single flower blooming. The main character is faced with a seemingly impossible task and he is comparable to the legendary Kong MIng of the Three Kingdoms era. Each step, each solution is logical without any "contrived" situations that insult my intelligence.

I've watched the whole series twice through and through and more when it comes to certain "emotional," "triumphant," "ah-ha" segments. Clues are littered everywhere for the audience to catch and these become obvious on the second run through. I highly recommend it to everyone who likes an insightful experience. This is not for "heavy Kung Fu" action movie afficionados although there are some action scenes sprinkled throughout the series.

This is my favourite drama of all times, even after watching it three times, this drama still puts me through a spectrum of emotions.

Hu Ge's acting was just amazing (as well as other casts). He himself experienced a serious accident which probably made him feel his character better. Cinematography and music in this drama is outstanding as well

What I liked most of this drama is that they trust their audiences to get what they are talking about (and to feel their emotions), without saying everything out plain. This is unlike a lot of other dramas, which treats their audience like retards. For me, this actually adds on to the beauty of the drama. That being said, it is advantageous to know the language and some Chinese culture, or have someone who is a native speaker to watch it with you. The language used in this drama is indeed poetic, and adds on to the beauty of the drama.

In addition, this drama has a reputation of being strict on detains such as the etiquette, courtesy and costumes, which matches actual history.

To me, this drama represents a warm ideal of the author, with regards to politics, loyalty and friendship and unity, which myself also has, yet not to expect in real life. Really, this will be the best Chinese drama you will ever see.

If you never experience watching the best TV drama, Nirvana in Fire is really the only thing you are looking for. It's all about revenge, deep critical thinking, amazing strategy, bromance , martial art, justice, romance, costume, loyalty,..., & historical period drama. The whole series is very very very brilliant & most reasonable. You can't even guess what going on. You will feel you yourself are so brainless. Moreover, you will experience what you never feel before. All I can say it's like breathless, addicted, crying, laughing, heart breaking,.... The cinematography is amazing. The costume is so beautiful. Not to mention actor performance. They are so talent. Not only the lead actors, everyone is great. It's so hard to not fall in love with the lead role actor. Nirvana in Fire won't give you a chance of boring. You probably feel uneasy on it first episode but believe me if you can pass it you will be unable to withdraw from your seat. Plese! don't miss it. It's really everything you can describe as the best TV drama you have ever seen.

This is definitely one of the best shows I've seen in my life! Speaking from someone who has watched countless US and Asian shows over the past 15 years. It is definitely a plus if you are fluent in Chinese because part of the beauty of this show lies within the writing and I especially enjoyed the concise and poetic style that the characters spoke with, but aside from that, the acting, music, costumes, story, and character development are all extremely well done, worthy of your time every second. I am currently watching it a second time, and it is even better this time around because I am able to better connect the dots from the very beginning and I must applaud the writers and directors for their incredible achievement of presenting such a complicated and emotional story in such a breathtakingly beautiful way.

The story really reminds me of the Count of Monte Cristo, but it is much more grand in scale and more noble in motivation. The suspense and logic within the story is on par with shows like Sherlock and GoT. The music is beyond perfection, every piece fits the atmosphere perfectly, similar to the level of precision found in True Detective and Hannibal. The casting is also spot on, every protagonist and every villain is portrayed with such accuracy and care, you can't help but feel that the actors are all extremely emotionally and mentally invested in their characters, which makes a fictional story that takes place 1600 years ago seem so real and intimate.

Overall, Nirvana in Fire has captured my heart in more than one way upon second viewing. It's been a really long time since a show has made me feel such a complete spectrum of emotions. I would recommend this show to anyone who likes complex, beautiful, and thought- provoking stories.