Other Media Review

Guest Squee: Nirvana in Fire

NB: It’s time for a squee!  This is for a Chinese period drama with all sorts of gorgeous scenery and amazing costumes. 

The Nirvana in Fire squee comes from Castiron. Castiron spends her days wrangling book metadata and her evenings wrangling yarn and kids. Her desert island solar-powered ebook reader would include Jeannie Lin’s Pingkang Li duology, Courtney Milan’s Brothers Sinister series, Georgette Heyer’s The Unknown Ajax, and the complete works of Lois McMaster Bujold, along with a good instruction manual on how to survive on and escape from a desert island.

Nirvana in Fire (Lang Ya Bang) is a Chinese historical(ish) drama TV series based on the novel by Hai Yan, set in roughly 4th-century China. The blog post where I originally learned of the show said it’s been described as “the Chinese Game of Thrones“, and the opening scene — a gory battle — might strengthen that impression.

I’m not a fan of gore, so I almost bailed right there, and again later in the first episode when a minor character is bloodily killed. I’m glad I persevered, though: the better description of this show would be “the Chinese Count of Monte Cristo”, and the gore of episode 1 isn’t representative of the series as a whole. It’s a wonderful saga of political machinations, romantic longing, and the slow but steady righting of wrongs, with gorgeous costumes and scenery and dramatic wuxia combats.

The summary: Twelve years before the start of the show, the Chiyan army was betrayed and almost completely slaughtered, and the Crown Prince and his household were killed, all because the Emperor believed them to be traitors. Lin Shu, the son of the army’s general, was one of the few survivors of the massacre. Now he returns to his former home under assumed names and patiently seeks justice. Over the course of two years, he pits two warring palace factions against each other to their destruction; builds the political base of his chosen candidate for Imperial Heir, Prince Jing; takes down various people who helped commit the massacre; and steadily gathers evidence and support for the pardoning of the Chiyan army and the late Crown Prince, all while fighting an illness that he knows will soon kill him.

Caveat: I am an American of European ancestry. My knowledge of Chinese literary and popular culture has the breadth and depth of a raindrop landing in west Texas in August. It’s entirely possible that the characters and plot elements I find fresh are old hat to someone more familiar with the tropes.

Content warnings for the show, besides the bloody violence mentioned above: Torture. Attempted rape; reference to past rape. Suicide. Reference to stomach-turning medical treatment.

So, with that said, here’s why it’s worth watching all fifty-four 45-minute episodes.

(Spoilers follow.)

  • The characters are complex and beautifully acted. The protagonists, even the seemingly omniscient Lin Shu, have flaws and make believable mistakes that they then have to cope with. The antagonists have virtues; even when I rooted for their downfall, I also felt pity and sorrow for them, because the actors and story show so clearly what they could have been if they hadn’t let their flaws take over.
The protagonist Lin Shu/Mei Changsu/Su Zhe (the three names he uses in the story)
The protagonist Lin Shu/Mei Changsu/Su Zhe, which are the three names he uses in the story.
  • There are a wide variety of female characters, with distinct personalities and as much agency as their societal limitations allow. Nihuang, Xia Dong, Concubine Jing, Ban-Ruo, Grand Princess Liyang, the Empress, Gong Yu, and others: all have different backgrounds, different personalities, and different limitations, but all act, despite their constraints — or sometimes using their constraints.
  • It’s visually beautiful. The producers clearly had a huge budget for scenery and costumes, and they made the most of it.

A fleet of ships in fog

  • Overall, the story flows well. As one situation is resolved, new complications and new subplots appear (though as I began my second viewing, I saw that many of the new subplots were subtly signaled early on), and there were times in episodes 40-45 when I wondered if everything would resolve by the end. But indeed, eventually the subplots converge to a satisfying ending.
  • The politics are believably tangled. The Emperor is ultimately in charge of everything, but there’s a huge bureaucracy below him, which means lots of officials who can be swayed. There’s infighting between the Crown Prince and Prince Yu, and officials who each has won to their side. There are organizations who claim neutrality but may not be so in practice. There are external nations, allies and vassals and enemies. There’s the Inner Palace, where the Emperor’s wife and concubines maneuver for position for themselves and by extension their sons. There are family connections that lead to people supporting sides they might otherwise prefer not to. This means there’s a lot for the viewer to keep track of, but it also makes the story world rich and intriguing.
The Empress. Her adopted son Prince Yu competes with the Crown Prince for favor and power.
The Empress. Her adopted son Prince Yu competes with the Crown Prince for favor and power.
  • While I wouldn’t describe the story as having a happy ending…
    Show Spoiler
    it is at least a positive ending: Justice ultimately prevails. It is not without cost or pain, and the wrongs cannot be undone, but they are recognized as wrongs, and the reputations of the dead are restored.
  • What Lin Shu ultimately wants is not an epic battle or other action by force; it’s a retrial. How often do you see a big epic story with swordplay where the character’s main goal is essentially a legal appeal? Not nearly often enough.
  • This is not a romance, but several of the subplots involve love stories, though most end sadly. Lin Shu clearly still loves his former fiancée Nihuang, and she him, though they do not have a HEA;
    Show Spoiler
    Lin Shu dies offscreen at the end.
    Another couple does get an unexpected HEA, and it’s very satisfying.
  • The closing credits for each episode are a montage of brief clips from throughout the series. The extremely spoiler-adverse might want to skip these, but I found the spark of recognition when I finally saw one of the clips in context added to my enjoyment, as did the anticipation of where other clips might finally appear. One in particular that appears near the end of the series was an utter gut-punch when I finally saw it in context. (For all I know, similar montages might be a standard technique in Chinese television, but for me it was new and fascinating.)
Princess Nihuang in her casual wear - a blue and silver robe.
Princess Nihuang in her casual wear.
Princess Nihuang in her military armor. She's controlled the military forces of her family for a number of years.
Princess Nihuang in her military armor. She’s controlled the military forces of her family for a number of years.

Is it perfect? Of course not. Lin Shu’s omniscience and preparations occasionally stretch the suspension of disbelief. (Then again, so do Edmond Dantes’s preparations, e.g. how early he planted the idea of poisons in Helene de Villefort’s mind, and I rarely hear people complain about the Count of Monte Cristo being too omniscient/competent.) There were a few cases where a plot line seemed to be introduced solely because another one had been resolved and they needed something else to keep the story going. Prince Jing is said to have a concubine, but she’s never introduced as a character, which bothers me.

And in the final episode, Lin Shu’s decision comes out of the blue; intellectually I can convince myself it makes sense, but it wasn’t well foreshadowed in earlier episodes. I’m sure there are other flaws, but they go right over my head because I don’t know the language or simply because I’m having such a good time watching.

So, where can you watch it? I’m in the United States and was able to watch it free-with-interruption-by-ads at viki.com; it has the show subtitled in English and some other languages. (Yes, it is possible to turn off the comments from other viewers; there’s a floater that appears on the upper right.)

I don’t know how good a translation the English subtitles are, but they at least make sense and are coherent. There exist DVDs with English subtitles; I haven’t shelled out the money yet because I’m not sure they’ll work on my ancient DVD player, so I can’t speak to the subtitle quality.

A lot of characters are thrown at you right away (and one of the most important characters doesn’t even show up in episode 1), and it can be hard to keep track at first, especially since many are referred to by multiple names. Sherwood Smith’s review at BookViewCafe, where I originally heard of the show, includes a detailed synopsis of Episode 1 that I found very helpful for orienting myself.

The blogpost “Nirvana in Fire Character Profiles” at JoleCole’s Station, is a good guide to sort out the connections between many of the characters.

Wikipedia has an episode guide (with spoilers, of course). TVTropes also has a page on the series.

Add Your Comment →

  1. Bea says:

    That someone who would bring #AllTheBujold to a desert island recommends this… is a really good recommendation.
    Thanks!

  2. Lady Jaye says:

    Nirvana in Fire is one of my all-time favorite dramas from anywhere!! Flaws or no, it is beautifully written and excellently acted. Superlative

  3. ReneeG says:

    This sounds like my jam, from one Bujold fan to another!

    It looks like there is a sequel planned to be aired sometime in 2017.

  4. Mikki says:

    I have to ask, since you cited Sherwood Smith’s review, are you a fan of her writing? Cause that would be fantastic! I meet so few people who have heard of her, and she’s one of my absolute favorite authors.

  5. L. says:

    Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

    BTW, I recommend this show as well.

  6. AnitaL says:

    Same here – totally love the Show and it is even watchable in male company. No snarky remarks from them either but total adoration. HU Ge the actor of Protagonist Lin Shu can emote without saying anything.

  7. CINDY says:

    OMG NIRVANA IN FIRE REVIEW ON SMART BITCHES YEAASSSSHHHHHHH!

  8. I CAN’T SCREAM LOUD ENOUGH HOW HAPPY IT MAKES ME SEEING THIS POST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I review romance Asian dramas on my YouTube channel, but mostly they’re the 16-20 episode long format. I have NEVER touched a cdrama that hit the 50 ep mark.

    And even though this show sounds like it’s ALL OF THE THINGS, I gotta steer clear because it’s not a definitive 100% HEA. I know, I’m a sucker, but I get way too traumatized by fake people dying. Seriously, the kmovie Always with So Ji Sub? When THAT ONE SCENE HAPPENED IN THE PARKING LOT?! My bitch ass literally starting crying so hard I vomited. LIKE WHO DOES THAT?!?!?!

    But, still, anytime Asian dramas get love, I get happy. I’ve been toying with the thought of giving Eternal Love (AKA Ten Thousand Miles of Peach Blossoms) a watch because Tumblr’s been losing its shit over that show. But AHHH 58 EPISODES OUCH! Like, when you used to 16 hours and done, 58 is a big ass commitment LOL.

  9. Ellielu says:

    Had me at Bujold too. But what’s keeping me is that peacock headdress. Must have it!

  10. KD says:

    This is on my watch list, but, seriously, y’all should definitely also watch Eternal Love (aka, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms), a Chinese drama adaptation of the novel Three Lives, Three Worlds. It blends romance, drama, fantasy and a bit of comedy, and it’s fantastic– 58 episodes of awesomeness. I binged on this series and rewatched another 2 times! ❤

    for those who are interested. ❤

  11. @KD OMG OMG OMG I TOTALLY SAID THE SAME THING!

    I super wanna do a video review of Eternal Love because I’ve never done anything longer than a 20 episode drama on my channel. Then again, I rarely do historical cdramas BECAUSE OMG SO MANY ARE SO SAD! Is Eternal Love a definite HEA? I think I remember reading comments on MyDramaList saying they were.

  12. Linda says:

    NIRVANA ON FIRE. Ah a special place in my heart for chinese period dramas even though I no longer have the patience to watch them.

  13. Castiron says:

    Mikki — I’ve only read a couple of Sherwood Smith’s books, but what I’ve read I’ve liked; I need to read more of them. I also enjoy reading her blogposts at BookViewCafe and LiveJournal.

  14. Mikki says:

    Castiron — Yay, that makes me happy! Have you read the Inda series or Banner of the Damned? They’re probably right up your alley, based on this review.

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