Nirvana in Fire

[dorinda]

As sakana17 mentioned over here, I finished watching the series "Nirvana in Fire"!

Reader, I loved it. I found there was a bit of an effort for me to get hooked in--I watched the first episode, and (even after the prologue flashback) it just kind of drops you in to the middle of a complex web of factions, hierarchies, secrets, histories, characters, and emotions. Plus I'm reading subtitles. So at first I was all at sea.

So I gave myself time to think about it, and I watched episode 1 some more, and then I continued on. And gradually it familiarized me with who's who, and who's doing what, and who USED TO be who but is now theoretically somebody else while also being full of SELF-DENIAL AND PINING. :D (Points to clam icon. ;____; )

And eventually I was enmeshed in that web, and had VERY STRONG FEELINGS about characters who were tragically flawed but understandable, characters who needed to be flung into a volcano posthaste, and characters I wanted to tuck into my pocket and protect forevermore . ♥_____♥

The plot was excellent--it's the show that Game of Thrones only wishes it could've been (no rapes, though, sorry George). There's politicking and kingmaking and a strategist who is truly clever and lets things play out slooowwwwly. And sometimes it'll have a surprise happen, and you realize that the surprise was subtly planted many episodes ago. So satisfying.

Plus, as sakana17 says, the visuals are soooo deliiiicious. The costumes, the production design, the props. And I could talk about the characters for days and days.

I'm so glad I took the recommendation. And I look forward to watching it again when I get a chance!

Comments

[sakana17]

♥___♥ Rewatching it is definitely a rewarding experience! Something to look forward to. I'm so glad you liked it!

[przed]

I've been thinking I need to watch that, but couldn't find a legal way to watch it online. (Any suggestions for obtaining it gratefully appreciated!)

Not only does it sound fab, but I've finally committed to getting back into Mandarin through Duo Lingo (79 straight days and counting), and I figure watching some wuxia isn't the worst way to practice comprehension. :D

[thevetia]

It's available on Viki and Amazon video in the English dubbed version, which I am told is quite horrible, so much as to not even be worth it. I've seen this version on youtube as well.

I downloaded the version with English over Chinese hardsubs and Chinese audio from DramaCool, and this version can also be found on some other Asian drama sites, like DailyMotion. After extensive searching, this seems to be the only non-dubbed version online.

Despite its sleazy appearance (lots of soft-porn windows popping up) DramaCool didn't give me any computer problems after I figured out how to make it download episodes. I guess this isn't really a legal site, but now, 5 years after airing, there seems to be no other way to watch NiF.

I hope this helps! It was totally worth the effort to get it!

[przed]

It doesn't look to be on Amazon Canada, though I'd rather not watch a dub. (::shudder::) Especially since apart from actually wanting to see the show I also want to use it to practice my Chinese.

Looks like Dorinda might be supplying me with a stick!

[dorinda]

Yep, I am on it! I was be-sticked by the kindness of a friend, and in the grand fannish Keep Circulating The Tapes tradition, now it is my turn. :D

And yes ugh no dubs. This one is apparently especially dire, but I wouldn't be up for it anyway.

[dorinda]

I know that international mail is currently pretty slow, due to Things And Stuff, but I'd be happy to send you a stick!

[przed]

I would gratefully accept a stick! Let me know if you need my home addy. (Rumours have it we won't be in the office until 2022.)

Also let me know if there are any Canadian goodies (media or actual sweets!) I can reciprocate with.

[dorinda]

I've emailed you! \o/

[(Anonymous)]

Oh! I didn't realize you were not in the States. I second Dorinda's offer of USB stick!

[amedia]

I obtained a copy of Nirvana in Fire with subs (ask me no questions) and thought about watching it a couple months ago, but I was in a really bad place emotionally and people said that it was satisfying, but not happy, and I had a feeling it wasn't for me at that time.

So I watched Sungkyunkwan Scandal instead, which was delightful.

I'm in a much happier place now, and I think I could deal with NiF ... although I'm also tempted by Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty. It's nice to have a wealth of choices!!!

[dorinda]

Yes, I can totally see that! You would know your emotional needs best, and must look out for yourself. I found it moving, and heart-clenching but in that cathartic fictional way--but yes, I don't think I'd say the ending is emotionally happy, although there is great success and triumph. It's that sort of success/triumph that comes at a cost? However, I will also say, because I have the kind of fannish brain I have, I see big spaces where the show completely allows me to retrofit some fixes for some costs.

I'm considering Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, it looks good, although any big watching commitment for me needs to wait until after Yuletide.

Please pardon me my Swiss-cheese memory, but have you considered (or watched) the Taiwanese BL show "HIStory3: Trapped"? (Did we already talk about this? See above re: Swiss cheese. :D ) It's the one about a cop and a crime boss who fall in love while a mystery is solved--it's comparatively short (10 eps), it has a happy ending with two canon m/m couples, and it's got depth and tenderness and very attractive actors. I've watched it twice through already; it's been good for my morale.

[amedia]

Yes, I can totally see that! You would know your emotional needs best, and must look out for yourself. I found it moving, and heart-clenching but in that cathartic fictional way--but yes, I don't think I'd say the ending is emotionally happy, although there is great success and triumph. It's that sort of success/triumph that comes at a cost? However, I will also say, because I have the kind of fannish brain I have, I see big spaces where the show completely allows me to retrofit some fixes for some costs.


I find this both insightful and encouraging! The GoT comparison was also helpful. I didn't watch GoT myself, but TODS enjoyed it, so I think he'd enjoy watching NiF with me, especially if it's better.

but have you considered (or watched) the Taiwanese BL show "HIStory3: Trapped"?

I saw some yummylicious songvids for it last year (or maybe earlier this year, I'm a bit foggy). Although you never know with songvids - I mean, imagine if someone judged Guardian by that gorgeous (but misleading IMHO) vid to "Wicked Game"? So your description is very welcome; that sounds like a show I would love! And I need a show or two for myself while TODS is watching Boardwalk Empire. :-)

[dorinda]

I can safely say that the two songvids I've seen (bonibaru 's "Waking up Slow" and Sisabet's "Light of Love") are both very accurate representations of HIStory3:Trapped. (Warning for spoilers! Although I saw the first one at Escapade before I ever watched the show, and it didn't ruin my enjoyment at all...though I'm not sensitive to spoilers, so YMMV.)

And they give interesting looks at different angles of the show--the main pairing in "Waking Up Slow", and a Tang Yi character study in "Light of Love". I think the only thing left out is a look at the secondary pairing, but I'm sure there are vids out there about it, because people love it. :D

[glymr]

My absolute fave canon-compliant fixit: https://www.archiveofourown.org/series/751155

[dorinda]

Ooooooh, thank you very much! And I see it has a Jingrui/Yujin installment too--hooray! ♥____♥

[the_shoshanna]

You certainly make it sound fabulous! Although also possibly a lot of work?

[sakana17]

If dorinda will excuse me butting in... It's a bit of work, if only because the cast is large, most characters have multiple names/appellations, and the strategies are complex*. However, the show is good at leading the viewer along. Also, there are fannish guides to the show (with various levels of spoilers) to help anyone getting lost. Everyone's mileage varies but FWIW when I watched it the first time, I was hopelessly lost in episode 1 and didn't care because everything had me intrigued and the characters were all interesting. I kept watching and got the hang of things.

*ETA: Hmmm, I should also mention: the English subtitles that are available are by and large quite good, but there are some inconsistencies and misspellings of names that can be confusing at first. /o\

[dorinda]

Yeah, agreed--a bit of work to get onboard, but the show wants you to, and as happened to sakana17, I got so interested that I was happy to stay with it and gradually sink into immersion.

And you don't have to know everything immediately--I was unclear about some people's place in things for a while, until they became more relevant and were brought more to the forefront. Or, like, there's a character who is basically the son of two houses, with two "dads" and two "moms", etc., and while I didn't grasp his precise situation at first, that was fine, because the story circled back as time went on, and details got filled in. (And in the meantime I was happy just to love him because, sigh, Jingrui! ♥)

Plus fans and friends are helpful... As sakana17 mentioned about the subtitles, for instance: there's a (wonderful) main character whose title early on is in the subtitles as "Princess". And since a central storyline is about the Emperor and his Prince sons who are struggling for power, at first I thought she must be his daughter or something. But no, she's someone else altogether, and sakana17 and thevetia let me know about that. The subtitles eventually started calling her "Duchess" instead, which felt more helpful in terms of telling me she's a noble with an important rank, but not to be confused with the central ruling family.

[the_shoshanna]

I've also just seen umadoshi linking to this Nirvana in Fire starter kit, which I have bookmarked, as it looks like just the thing I might want!

(Unless, I mean, I had someone watching with me and taking me through it who didn't mind stopping every now and then to explain things to me. I mean.)

At the moment, however, I'm a bit overloaded with other things. But I have made a note of this!

[dorinda]

That's a great resource! I'll make sure to recommend it to przed too.

But also, should you ever be in the mood to watch it, I would love to co-watch and explain! Just like sakana17 and thevetia did for me. ♥

[amedia]

(pardon me for poking my head in mid-thread)

This is all helpful to hear! I got used to the multiple names and incomprehensible first episode(s) with The Untamed, so this doesn't sound too different. And Sungkyunkwan Scandal's Viki subtitles got me used to the idea that different translators will use different spellings/names/terminology, sometimes within the same episode, so it's all good.