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Nirvana in Fire: Spoiler-Free Mini Review

Jul 10
2 min read

Updated: Sep 16

A dying man seeks revenge, in a Count of Monte Cristo-esque chess game for justice.

Nirvana in Fire poster with the whole cast

Title:

Nirvana in Fire (2015)

Platform:

Viki, Youtube, Apple TV

MDL & Douban Rating:

9.0 & 9.4

Genre:

Period Political Drama

Episode Count:

54

Parental Guidance Rating:

PG-13: Minor violence, Minimal blood and battles depicted, References an assault

Starring:

Hu Ge (Born to Be Alive)

Wang Kai (Mining Town)

Victor Huang (A Dream Within A Dream)

Liu Tao (Reset)

RBTS Rating:




8.5/10 Stars: A strategy/politics focused drama with no romance, but heaping of intrigue.


Cast From Left to Right: #HuGe, #WangKai, #VictorHuang, #LiuTao

Synopsis:

In sixth-century China, the Emperor of Great Liang orders the unjust execution of his brother-in-law Marshal Lin Xie alongside the Lin family, his 70,000 army soldiers, and Crown Prince Qi. Secretly surviving the massacre is Lin Xie's son, Lin Shu, who undergoes medical treatment that changes his appearance entirely and leaves him in a weakened state, unable to ever perform martial arts again. Lin Shu changed his name to Mei Chang Su and later became the chief of the pugilist world and established the Jiangzuo Alliance. Twelve years later, Mei Chang Su returns to the capital with a secret plan after being sought after by Prince Yu and Prince Xian during their fight for the throne. He decides to covertly assist Prince Jing, the unfavored son of the Emperor, and wisely rids the court of all scheming officials. @MDL


Stay tuned for my full review!


Hu Ge as Mei Chang Su sitting in the dark in a still from Nirvana in Fire C-drama

Spoiler-Free Mini Review:

Nirvana in Fire is a more serious and grounded period drama, but there is a sasquatch man. So... it does not have all ten toes firmly on the ground. But Sasquatch man aside, the plot is very twisty and complex, with the majority of focus on strategy and court politics. This is NOT a romance *tears*, but a chess game of revenge.


Hu Ge as Mei Chang Su and Liu Tao as Mu Nihuang holding hands in a still from Nirvana in Fire

Nirvana in Fire is considered pretty prestigious and it is/was the highest rated Chinese drama on MDL (NiF was recently dethroned by Pursuit of Jade in 2026). The narrative slower in pace, but it always for more time for intricacy. Unfortunately, you can really tell that is was made in 2014, but don't let that deter you because the story will stick with you. Also, am I crazy or does this have music from Inception?

A sequel came out in 2017 called Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin


Nirvana in Fire 2 poster with main cast


Story=5 (Interesting Arcs and solid momentum)

Acting=4 (Solid)

Production Quality=4 (Good for the time)

Ending=4.5 (Wraps up all the story points)

Enjoyability= 4 (I was never on the edge of my seat but I enjoyed the characters)



Director: #KongSheng (Mining Town)

Screenwriter: #HaiYan (Love Me If You Dare)


*Disclaimer: I do not own any of the images used on this blog. All images belong to their respective copyright holders and are used for commentary and review purposes. All reviews, opinions, and statements expressed on this blog are my own and are intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. They reflect my personal thoughts and interpretations and should not be considered as factual.



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