[Mainland Chinese Drama 2017-2018] Nirvana in Fire: The Wind Blows in Changlin 琅琊榜之凤起长林

[JoycceeDreamer]

I just can't wait until Monday, because the next eps will be AIR!!!!!

 

About PJ and LX's relationship, I just wonder what will happen... I remember the trailer and LX say something about sacrificing herself... I wonder what she means by that? Any thoughts? 

[ForgottenSoulx]

5 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

There's plenty in 19-24 to love indeed but the progression in LX and PJ's relationship is probably my favourite. It isn't just about developing the romance either but I love how the writer integrates that with PJ's character development and draws out his best qualities. PJ is just the sweetest kid. At times he comes across as being a bit brash, a bit too big for his boots and a little whiny but when the chips are down, he pulls his weight and shows what he's made of. His fearlessness is genuine, comes from the better part of him and pervades every aspect of his personality. I also love how the Old Master of Ji Feng Hall acts like the fairy godfather and quietly provides them with all kinds of opportunities to get closer.  On top of that, PJ is earning his way into her heart above and beyond the betrothal. The fact that she's falling for him despite parental admonishment and personal reservations is a testament to the substance of his character.

 

The other highlight from 19-24 is the fleshing out of Grand Sec Xun.

  Hide contents

He could quite easily be the one-dimensional political villain of many Chinese dramas but thankfully, he isn't. Sure, he does his bit of manipulation from behind the scenes to keep the empress out of trouble but he really does care about the royal family and the country as a whole. I admired the way he made the effort to gain support from Pingzhang to seal off the city to keep the epidemic under the control.

 

 

Spoiler

What you said about Grand Sec Xun is exactly what i think, hes loyal to the royals and i can understand why he dislikes the chang lin's family and power. I understand his arguments that if a bad changlin member comes along they could wipe out everyone , im on episode 18 but at the current mark he does not want the changlins dead but out of power. 

 

He does not want them dead for the sake of revenge , he wouldnt want them dead to hurt the country and lead to them getting invaded. 

 

This is from wiki so not sure if true but if it is then my stance on him will change.

 

During an expedition, Grand Secretary Xun Baishui (Bi Yanjun) cuts off supplies to the front line, and Xiao Pingzhang is severely wounded.

 

Xiao Pingzhang dies from poison during the war, and a year later the Liang Emperor (Liu Jun) passes away from sickness. The Yu Dynasty takes the chance to invade, and Xun Baishui and Xiao Yuanqi, the Prince of Laiyang (Wu Haochen) coaxes the new Emperor (Hu Xianxu) into releasing an edict banning the Changlin Army from going into battle.

 

 

4 hours ago, rhaps said:

Ohhh this is the progress that I love the most too . Like I said, I love how subtle and natural their romance is.  Yes, PJ is just the sweetest kid .. how could LX not falling for him ?   . And agree with the Old Master of Ji Feng Hall as the fairy godfather *LOL* , and of course PZ as the most understanding older bro.

 

Then again : 

  Hide contents

Didn't PJ say that they were friends? Please CMIIW, since I only understand very very very simple Chinese words. Sigh, how come I felt that he, himself, didn't realize that he liked her ?

 

 

On the other hand :

  Hide contents

LX crying(well, she tried to hold her tears) for him is so touching and sad. I really like Zhang Huiwen acting here. She can act as a calm cold lady, while still being soft-hearted and gentle.

I really2 like this director style, especially in how he handled epi 23-24 . He knew how to build a suspense or playing with the viewers' emotion.

 

 

 

Regarding the Grand Sec Xun :

  Hide contents

I'm actually annoyed with him because he is just like the Queen, being too afraid and too prejudice on the power of Chang Lin and didn't want to be honest to his nephew. Then again, yeah, I also like his help in the epidemic arc. It seems that he really care about the country and the royal family. And in the Northern Kingdom arc, he could still think objectively and admitted that the Chang Lin's suggestion was right .  It's just, I cant blame Xu for not trusting him, because he himself has been lying several times. And he even worked together with PYY. That guy looked evil and couldnt be trusted, so how could he believed his words ?
 

There are other details that I don't understand yet, like PYY's background story, so I'm waiting for the English subs too. I'm so thankful for viki and the subber team for providing it quickly. This guy is crazy, isn't he ? He killed his own brother. I admire the actor's acting, but his character is the most detestable one right now.
 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, JoycceeDreamer said:

I just can't wait until Monday, because the next eps will be AIR!!!!!

 

About PJ and LX's relationship, I just wonder what will happen... I remember the trailer and LX say something about sacrificing herself... I wonder what she means by that? Any thoughts? 

 

Spoiler

Regarding PJ and LX didnt they say the romance has a good ending so thats a pretty big tell ;p

 

[40somethingahjumma]

21 hours ago, rhaps said:

Ohhh this is the progress that I love the most too . Like I said, I love how subtle and natural their romance is.  Yes, PJ is just the sweetest kid .. how could LX not falling for him ?   . And agree with the Old Master of Ji Feng Hall as the fairy godfather *LOL* , and of course PZ as the most understanding older bro.

 

Then again : 

  Reveal hidden contents

Didn't PJ say that they were friends? Please CMIIW, since I only understand very very very simple Chinese words. Sigh, how come I felt that he, himself, didn't realize that he liked her ?

 

 

Well, I did say "progression".  Undoubtedly on such matters relating to love he is a bit slow on the uptake. But there's no doubt in my mind that he likes her. It's fascinating how he's quite the detective and can be perceptive about certain things but he can't see that she likes him. I chalk it up to inexperience.

Yes, he did use the word "friend" to describe their relationship as a way to persuade her that between friends there's no need for fear in such a situation. I adore PJ in this arc... he throws himself into the carer role completely. 

 

Regarding PYY:

Spoiler

 

He and his family are from a vassal state of Liang called Ye Qin. Children are selected and trained in a special academy. Only the best can continue to achieve the next level. That's why some of them have only half of the flower tattoo. He and his brother were twins so he was able to exploit their likeness to wield their leader's decree and command everyone who trained under that regime to do his bidding.

25 years prior, there was a plague similar to the one we saw in 19-24. Many people from Ye Lin city died in an epidemic. Mainly young people survived and many were left orphaned. PYY recreated the plague and spread it in Liang as a form of vengeance.

 

 

@Wotad

I think Secretary Xun will always be a complex figure depending on what he's doing at the time and what's going on. I imagine that he will always do what is necessary to protect the throne especially because there's a blood connection. He's the uncle of the future of the emperor after all. My impression is that he styles himself as a watchdog against any potential excesses that may come from the House of Changlin. Where their interests intersect, he's happy to ride on their coattails but his primary loyalty is to the throne. As he tells PYY, he's not against Changlin when it comes to the defence of the country but he certainly wants their power curbed. That I suspect is the tricky part. How much is too much? Who decides? 

I don't consider him an outright bad guy. From his perspective he's thinking ahead and being cautious. It's not as if he's plotting to rule. He just wants (at least from everything I've seen) the crown prince to rule from a secure foundation.

If he thinks a certain action will benefit the throne or consolidate the power of the emperor over Changlin, I expect he will act accordingly.

 

@JoycceeDreamer Could you provide me a link to the trailer so that I can listen to it and work out the context?

[dekaron]

Balancing powers is ideal in monarchy, to prevent puppet emperors or coup in the worst case scenario. But this has also lead to killing of strong successful generals, ministers etc by their own rulers due to their growing power/popularity among citizens eventually leading to the downfall of the dynasty.

 

 

[40somethingahjumma]

3 hours ago, dekaron said:

Balancing powers is ideal in monarchy, to prevent puppet emperors or coup in the worst case scenario. But this has also lead to killing of strong successful generals, ministers etc by their own rulers due to their growing power/popularity among citizens eventually leading to the downfall of the dynasty.

The destabilization that causes also allows external forces to manipulate the situation which indeed occurred in this instance. The discontent which led to the plotting among Minister Song and his fellow conspirators gave PYY and his minions the foothold to create more mischief in the Ganzhou incident. It's interesting that Secretary Xun is worried about an impending civil war occuring within Liang but has not highlighted the potential enemies from the outside if the internal rumblings gain momentum.

 

2 hours ago, rhaps said:

 

You're right. A little progression is better than nothing *LOL*.

 

Pingjing is indeed inexperience and naive, and I think it's not just in a mater of love. I guess that's why he fell into the enemies' hands sometimes, eventhough he was intelligent. He naturally doesnt think too much about everything, unless if he has too, so he just do what he likes. I also have no doubt that he likes her, but perhaps he never thinks too much about how he really feels, knowing that he already has a marriage arrangement.

 

True. But it could be that she sends off mixed messages and that confuses his simple-minded approach to the whole thing.  She's cold and lukewarm and not terribly encouraging.

Something that he said in Ep. 5 about his brother asking the emperor permission to marry Xiao Xue makes me think that if he felt freer or had the right sort of encouragement, he would be courting her more assiduously.

 

As for PYY

Spoiler

As far as I can tell I don't think we know what his real name is. But I've only watched Ep 23 and 24 once.

 

[ForgottenSoulx]

Some Ratings update .

 

It hit 0.461 and 0.478 with its most recent episodes on TV which is like a 0.1 jump over the previous episodes, its getting like 300 million views a week online. 

 

NIF had a average 0.809 and aired 2 episodes daily. 

[dekaron]

Another problem with big powerful family males is if the person you love is not of the same status or higher, she cannot be the main wife and either has to be left or ends up in a concubine position fueling "harem" conflicts later on. I'm actually surprised PZ is not pressured to get a concubine or PJ is forced to get married to continue the Changlin line so far considering their age

[blueclueblue]

How is the pacing for this series? Any unnecessary flashbacks? Or is it very much similar to the pacing of the original?  I am just looking for a series with good story line and not really care much about named actors or actresses or cinematography.  I have never seen any of the casts’ series before; I just know a few of them because of entertainment gossip. 

[ForgottenSoulx]

3 minutes ago, blueclueblue said:

How is the pacing for this series? Any unnecessary flashbacks? Or is it very much similar to the pacing of the original?  I am just looking for a series with good story line and not really care much about named actors or actresses or cinematography.  I have never seen any of the casts’ series before; I just know a few of them because of entertainment gossip. 

very similar to s1 pace wise and i dont remember any flashbacks in the first 18 episodes.

 

1 hour ago, dekaron said:

Another problem with big powerful family males is if the person you love is not of the same status or higher, she cannot be the main wife and either has to be left or ends up in a concubine position fueling "harem" conflicts later on. I'm actually surprised PZ is not pressured to get a concubine or PJ is forced to get married to continue the Changlin line so far considering their age

 

i think its because the emperor really respects them that he wasnt forcing it like he said he wanted PJ to be free.

[40somethingahjumma]

3 hours ago, blueclueblue said:

How is the pacing for this series? Any unnecessary flashbacks? Or is it very much similar to the pacing of the original?  I am just looking for a series with good story line and not really care much about named actors or actresses or cinematography.  I have never seen any of the casts’ series before; I just know a few of them because of entertainment gossip. 

Pacing is quite decent, similar to the original series IMO. The show moves when it needs to, slows down where necessary. Flashbacks are very well handled like in a good detective drama. There are mainly 2 kinds of flashbacks here. Ones that are new cuts to provide more backstory. The others are old scenes positioned in a new way in light of new discoveries/occurences. Unlike T&E every shot, every detail really matters to reveal important facts regarding the overall plot.

Among the leads the only actors I was familiar with were Huang Xiao MIng and Tong Liya. You'll also see familiar faces from NiF 1 pop up in different roles here.

[ForgottenSoulx]

4 hours ago, rhaps said:

You're right :D.  I believe that he could guess her correctly some times, like in the earlier episodes when he saw through her for being soft-hearted, deslite the cold exterior. But, he also noticed that she felt annoyed to receive his kindness. So perhaps he wants to be near her without making her feel uncomfortable .

 

Ow yeah, if there wasnt that marriage contract, then he would chase her even more aggresively than PZ did

 

The pacing is slow but still decent.The story revolves around family, politic/strategy and investigation, so we're watching the characters discussing about facts and findings, making conclusions and plans. The story is moving from an 'arc' to another really smoothly, so we dont realize that we're actually in a new one. I'm actually someone who is impatient when watching a series and usually fast-forward a lot, but I put my attention to detail for this because one detail can be meaningful in the future scenes. The bromance and family relationship feels really warm here, as one of the highlight of this series. And the action sequences are superb.

 

The acting and chemistry between actors (plus the costumes and cinematography) are all good and enjoyable. Some people doubt Huang Xiaoming's acting before, but he turns out to be very decent. I've never heard about Liu Haoran before, so I took a peek of his series 'With You', in order to know why a young actor like him was chosen to star in NIF sequel. I think that his acting was good and natural, and I feel the same way of watching him NIF (so I have to disagree with people saying that he has a bad acting). On other actors, I recognize several familiar faces as the supporting actors/ villains, like Guo Jin(g?)fei as the High Priests Puyang Ying.  In other words, I think that all actors can act.

yeah i dont see how Liu Haoran is being called a bad actor when hes acting what he was given well ;p 

[JoycceeDreamer]

22 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

@JoycceeDreamer Could you provide me a link to the trailer so that I can listen to it and work out the context?

 

 

@40somethingahjumma it starts at 3:00. 

 

 

[JoycceeDreamer]

20 hours ago, rhaps said:

Pingjing is indeed inexperience and naive, and I think it's not just in a mater of love. I guess that's why he fell into the enemies' hands sometimes, eventhough he was intelligent.

 

I wouldn't agree less. This is why, I'm already scared lol... because we all know that his cousin is going to betray him later...especially when PJ trusts him. I feel that this will tear him apart. 

[40somethingahjumma]

5 hours ago, JoycceeDreamer said:

 

I wouldn't agree less. This is why, I'm already scared lol... because we all know that his cousin is going to betray him later...especially when PJ trusts him. I feel that this will tear him apart. 

I don't know that Yuanqi will necessarily "betray" him although I'm sure from certain perspective it could be seen as an act as a betrayal. He may believe that he has good reason to think that deploying troops at a certain point in time is not the best cause of action. It's hard to know at this stage that he is being obstructionist for the sake of it or whether there's something else behind it.

 

As for the trailer, it's hard for me to make out from just that statement alone what it is that Lin Xi is referring to. I'm inclined to think it has something to do with marrying PJ and into the Changlin household.

 

5 hours ago, rhaps said:

You're right. I hope that Commander Xu Feizan will still be a good guy and help PJ. I like him, he seemed to be a nice and noble man

Undoubtedly the success of the villain's scheme will be seen in how the fissures that are created within the Liang royal court will become full blown disunity. Feizhan standing apart from his uncle philosophically, with the best of intentions, will become one of the many things that will no doubt destabilize Liang politically. 

 

11 hours ago, rhaps said:

 

 

The pacing is slow but still decent.The story revolves around family, politic/strategy and investigation, so we're watching the characters discussing about facts and findings, making conclusions and plans. The story is moving from an 'arc' to another really smoothly, so we dont realize that we're actually in a new one. I'm actually someone who is impatient when watching a series and usually fast-forward a lot, but I put my attention to detail for this because one detail can be meaningful in the future scenes. The bromance and family relationship feels really warm here, as one of the highlight of this series. And the action sequences are superb.

 

 

I'd definitely agree with the seamless way in which one arc progresses to another. I also really like how the conversations bring out both the personality of the speaker and the kind of relationship he/she has with the person spoken to (and I don't mean honorifics). It's so well done.

 

Now that I'm rewatching the older episodes, I'm seeing things in a different light and paying more attention to details that I'd missed the first time. What used to be suspicions became confirmations and now when I rewatch certain scenes, I can't help but marvel at the attention to detail. It was what the first series was acclaimed for as well.

[blueclueblue]

Thank you @Wotad, @40somethingahjumma and @rhaps for answering my questions.  I'll give this a go since I need a drama cleanse after T&E and many others series that I dropped in 2017. 

[40somethingahjumma]

Episode 26...

 

Spoiler

 

Dear me it was such a sob fest. Even when I knew all of that was coming it was still heartbreaking and the tears came. Poor Xiao Xue. Dear me... even now when I think about those husband-wife scenes, I just want to cry.

A lot of the medical jargon went over my head but there's no mistaking PZ's dilemma. If only they only had more time. It was awful having to choose between his father, brother and his wife.

The implications of all of this is what worries most... how will it impact PJ and LX's relationship in the future? Will it come between them?

I wonder too if all of this was "foretold" in Langya Pavilion's answer to PZ. I don't think we've been told what was in that pouch still.

 

 

 

 

@rhaps I didn't recognize the actor who plays PYY from Decoded. I watched that drama until the halfway mark. It fell short of my expectations. The premise was good and right up my alley but I was very uncomfortable with the treatment of the main character and finally dropped it when it felt like they were saying that everything was his fault for not trying hard enough despite his disability.

 

NiF 2 is not based on a novel but the screenplay is written by the author of NiF 1.

[40somethingahjumma]

55 minutes ago, rhaps said:

Episode 25-26 : 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Luckily that the NIF team had announced that PZ was gonna die a long time ago, so I watched after preparing myself.  But, I never thought that HXM-LHR's chemistry and love were so good and HXM was so charismatic and loveable here. It's so hard to accept that he has to go . I watched HXM the first time in Return of Condor Heroes 2006, and eventhough that story was my favourite among the trilogy, I still didnt like him there as much as I love him now. He was good playing the adult Yang Guo and so so as the teenage one. It seems that he is more suitable to act as a mature calm character.

 

I really2 want to fast-forward these sad episodes and watch the mature PJ. I'm okay with PZ dies, but it's too sad the watch the process 

I believe that either choice (which one to live or die) will hurt. The writer is cruel enough to not give any chance for him to choose otherwise. Plus, if he chose to sacrifice PJ, then he himself will be guilty and wouldnt live in peace (although PJ must feel guilty as well), considering that he was an adopted child. He surely want to pay back the kindness of the family who had raised him.

Owh ..and imagine how PJ will feel .. The spoiler was right. When PJ walked out from his bro in epi 23, he stopped, turned back and smiled at him. That was a preminition, the last time he saw him alive  . I hope that he wont be angry at Lin Xi for helping PZ sacrificing his life for him
 

 

 

Oh so NIF 2 is not from a novel. Okay thanks!

Spoiler

 

I didn't even cry this much in the first installment. But here every time I see the husband and wife suffering with the knowledge of what's to come, I bawl my eyes out. It's such an evil gambit... and really PYY... to channel all his energies into killing one man and destroying Liang like this is despicable. Whatever happened in Ye Qin, all his plotting and scheming has been inexcusable. He is the reverse Mei Chang Su.

 

But the physicians did come up with a feasible solution in which both brothers could benefit from the single snake gall except the recovery period for PZ would be quite lengthy. But the return of Tuoba Yu  to announce impending danger to the Old Prince put a kibosh on that plan.

 

Anyway I'm glad PYY is dead although I suspect and am very sorry that his legacy will probably live on in Yuanqi. I'm so angry right now with his mother for how she managed to contribute to screwing up his life. 

 

 

The chemistry between the two brothers has been superb. The balance has been just right and their interactions spot on.

 

[JoycceeDreamer]

3 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I didn't even cry this much in the first installment. But here every time I see the husband and wife suffering with the knowledge of what's to come, I bawl my eyes out. It's such an evil gambit... and really PYY... to channel all his energies into killing one man and destroying Liang like this is despicable. Whatever happened in Ye Qin, all his plotting and scheming has been inexcusable. He is the reverse Mei Chang Su.

 

But the physicians did come up with a feasible solution in which both brothers could benefit from the single snake gall except the recovery period for PZ would be quite lengthy. But the return of Tuoba Yu  to announce impending danger to the Old Prince put a kibosh on that plan.

 

Anyway I'm glad PYY is dead although I suspect and am very sorry that his legacy will probably live on in Yuanqi. I'm so angry right now with his mother for how she managed to contribute to screwing up his life. 

 

 

The chemistry between the two brothers has been superb. The balance has been just right and their interactions spot on.

 

Spoiler

PYY may be dead... but then... who is the true conspirator? The drama ain't done yet. Is it?

 

 

[JoycceeDreamer]

Spoiler

Anyone who understands chinese... is PJ going to this brother and father? I hope he isn't too late to see his brother breathing for the last time... 

 

[40somethingahjumma]

@JoycceeDreamer

 

Spoiler

 

PZ is going to his father. Their friendly country has opened up access to a strategic mountain pass to Liang's longtime enemies, the state of Yu.

I don't think there is another external conspirator unless you include the state of Yu who seems constantly to want to war with Liang. I believe the next chapter will see a lot more internal strife partially triggered and set into motion by PYY. It seems that his intention was to create fissures within the Liang royal court which will become seismic tensions in time to come. This will leave them vulnerable to external threats.