[Mainland Chinese Drama 2018] The Rise of Phoenixes 凰权·弈天下

[skibbies]

4 hours ago, Pollen Ainne said:

Do you still remember what episode it was? I remember seeing it but for the life of me I can't remember where it was...

I remembered wrong, she actually pull out the sword at ep 24, 15.40~16.00, it's a Shaoning flashback with Zhiwei voiced over (that was already read in ep 22 but that had completely different imagery) so you don't hear what she's actually saying. I think I remember the next ep preview had her pointing the sword at him, maybe there's a later flashback too. Let's see. Found it! Ep 53 24.53, but it's literally just a flash.

 

Also I found Gu Yan saying bye to his wife and kids. It's the start of ep 23, so it's drama canon. I should really rewatched this drama. ahhh.

 

On Chen Kun's acting, I agree he's fairly intense but I think it fits pretty okay with people that have most scenes with him. Namely the emperor, Xin Ziyan and Zhiwei. He never felt like aggressively overpowering other actors to me? Maybe I've just got used to his acting? I've read comments that he overpowers Yuan Hong/Prince An, it didn't pull me out of the scene so I didn't really noticed?

[Pollen Ainne]

52 minutes ago, skibbies said:

I remembered wrong, she actually pull out the sword at ep 24, 15.40~16.00, it's a Shaoning flashback with Zhiwei voiced over (that was already read in ep 22 but that had completely different imagery) so you don't hear what she's actually saying. I think I remember the next ep preview had her pointing the sword at him, maybe there's a later flashback too. Let's see. Found it! Ep 53 24.53, but it's literally just a flash.

 

Also I found Gu Yan saying bye to his wife and kids. It's the start of ep 23, so it's drama canon. I should really rewatched this drama. ahhh.

 

On Chen Kun's acting, I agree he's fairly intense but I think it fits pretty okay with people that have most scenes with him. Namely the emperor, Xin Ziyan and Zhiwei. He never felt like aggressively overpowering other actors to me? Maybe I've just got used to his acting? I've read comments that he overpowers Yuan Hong/Prince An, it didn't pull me out of the scene so I didn't really noticed?

Thanks!

 

And this is the first time I have recognized Chen Kun. (I did see Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, though I didn't really know who he was or bothered checking.) And I never felt like he overpowered anyone. His acting was obviously different to others at times but it just kinda made sense to me. Like for example when he was being dramatic about being humiliated (during the poison-Zhanbi thing) and when he was complaining to the Emperor vehemently and implying Ning Sheng's involvement. The expression in Ning Sheng's face was like "Sht this drama queen." Everyone's reaction gives credence to the character he is portraying. 

 

Anyway, I tried meshing some clips together and placed some music on it. But for some reason, the quality isn't as great after upload... but I still wanna share...

 

[GiaGia]

Ep 63!!!! Finally, ZW and NY have a kiss :)!!!!!!! I'm on episode 65!!! I cannot believe I like the drama much more than I think I will, it is a really good drama that keeps me wanted to see more and more. The plot, acting and visual is amazing. Post later..................

[mollyp]

On 11/4/2018 at 11:13 PM, stella77 said:

I finally made it to episode 27 and am so happy the plot has picked up the pace and moved forward!! 

I promise you it only gets better form here! I’m rewatching for the 2nd time and having watched it once I appreciate ep 1-25 a lot more because there were all these tiny moments in the drama that I missed because the politics were boring to me. So much romance and adorability theta I rushed though because of the boring princes vs NY. Like in ep 24 when ZW is pushed at NY in the dark he has to SNIFF her to realise who she is so basically he knows her smell! Ughhhh swoooooon. Lots of other little moments like that too!

[mollyp]

20 hours ago, skibbies said:

I remembered wrong, she actually pull out the sword at ep 24, 15.40~16.00, it's a Shaoning flashback with Zhiwei voiced over (that was already read in ep 22 but that had completely different imagery) so you don't hear what she's actually saying. I think I remember the next ep preview had her pointing the sword at him, maybe there's a later flashback too. Let's see. Found it! Ep 53 24.53, but it's literally just a flash.

 

Also I found Gu Yan saying bye to his wife and kids. It's the start of ep 23, so it's drama canon. I should really rewatched this drama. ahhh.

 

On Chen Kun's acting, I agree he's fairly intense but I think it fits pretty okay with people that have most scenes with him. Namely the emperor, Xin Ziyan and Zhiwei. He never felt like aggressively overpowering other actors to me? Maybe I've just got used to his acting? I've read comments that he overpowers Yuan Hong/Prince An, it didn't pull me out of the scene so I didn't really noticed?

In regards to Chen Kuns acting- honestly I’m blown away! I respect anyone who is willing to be so raw and semantic and passionate. I mean he plays the idiot (earlier eps)  so well, all the whole being this incredibly intelligent man.he is intense but I feel the intensity adds massively to the character! And ZW more then keeps up with him in their scenes when they are together! I swear their flirtation/ raw sexual chemistry is everything! Such a shame that there are probably so many hours worth of film we don’t get to see!

[mspilgrims]

22 hours ago, Pollen Ainne said:

Thanks!

 

And this is the first time I have recognized Chen Kun. (I did see Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, though I didn't really know who he was or bothered checking.) And I never felt like he overpowered anyone. His acting was obviously different to others at times but it just kinda made sense to me. Like for example when he was being dramatic about being humiliated (during the poison-Zhanbi thing) and when he was complaining to the Emperor vehemently and implying Ning Sheng's involvement. The expression in Ning Sheng's face was like "Sht this drama queen." Everyone's reaction gives credence to the character he is portraying. 

 

Anyway, I tried meshing some clips together and placed some music on it. But for some reason, the quality isn't as great after upload... but I still wanna share...

 

Great video, thank you!

 

I don't know if you remember that I was not too much into it at the beginning.

 

Well, now I'm totally crazy about this drama, I don't even understand myself...

Now I'm re-watching it for the second time and I love it more than the first. 

I'm in awe over the terrific acting and at the moment I cannot watch anything else! ^___^

[GiaGia]

I finished it!!!! Oh my heart :(!!! They are truly like Romeo and Juliet!! Question, when she played the flute song that they both know at the end, it simplify her farewell to NY..............right??? I know that with ZW's personality, she cannot lead and live a happy life with NY, knowing everything that happens. Poor Nanyi, he's going to be alone now~

 

NY is also going to be alone forever now too, like his father's said, an emperor is always alone as long as he sits on the throne. Overall, I am glad I watched this drama, even though there were so many sadness and heartache.

 

I saw Chen Kun in Mulan and Painted Skin, but I must say, his role as NY left a long lasting expression on me, because of how he portrays the character so well-----such a complicated and lovable character!!!

 

On a more sunshine note, Prince Ji is adorable :)!!!!!

 

[Pollen Ainne]

1 hour ago, mspilgrims said:

Great video, thank you!

 

I don't know if you remember that I was not too much into it at the beginning.

 

Well, now I'm totally crazy about this drama, I don't even understand myself...

Now I'm re-watching it for the second time and I love it more than the first. 

I'm in awe over the terrific acting and at the moment I cannot watch anything else! ^___^

Welcome to the club of craziness. I too am trying to watch something else but I still can't. I am glad you didn't give up on it then. I rarely like a drama that I have bad first impressions on so I didn't think you'd change your mind. But I am glad you gave the drama a chance. 

 

[raifee]

As there was no body shown for Zhiwei it can suggest that she is still alive and is paving the way for a season 2. Just my suggestions. I read somewhere that Zhiwei faked her death or something in the novel so I’m just going off that. Trying hard to be optimistic about the future of this show  as it is without a doubt the best period drama I’ve ever seen so far. It brings the best and the worst out of you and you just want to keep watching more of it

[GiaGia]

29 minutes ago, raifee said:

As there was no body shown for Zhiwei it can suggest that she is still alive and is paving the way for a season 2. Just my suggestions. I read somewhere that Zhiwei faked her death or something in the novel so I’m just going off that. Trying hard to be optimistic about the future of this show  as it is without a doubt the best period drama I’ve ever seen so far. It brings the best and the worst out of you and you just want to keep watching more of it

That would be awesome if there is a 2nd season :)!!! Yeah, a heroine usually survive her falls, so hopefully we can see a season 2, where  NY and ZW have a happy ending. 

[Pollen Ainne]

3 hours ago, raifee said:

As there was no body shown for Zhiwei it can suggest that she is still alive and is paving the way for a season 2. Just my suggestions. I read somewhere that Zhiwei faked her death or something in the novel so I’m just going off that. Trying hard to be optimistic about the future of this show  as it is without a doubt the best period drama I’ve ever seen so far. It brings the best and the worst out of you and you just want to keep watching more of it

 

3 hours ago, rosierosie said:

That would be awesome if there is a 2nd season :)!!! Yeah, a heroine usually survive her falls, so hopefully we can see a season 2, where  NY and ZW have a happy ending. 

I wish a happy ending for them too. But Zhiwei vowed her soul to eternal damnation if she married Ning Yi in this lifetime. So maybe another lifetime?

[mspilgrims]

I have a question: in ep. 63 Prince of An of Dayue wants to marry ZW. Is it a political move or did he really fall for her? After she loses her memory, he seems affected by her. What do you think?

[Pollen Ainne]

1 hour ago, mspilgrims said:

I have a question: in ep. 63 Prince of An of Dayue wants to marry ZW. Is it a political move or did he really fall for her? After she loses her memory, he seems affected by her. What do you think?

I wouldn't say love. But I think he desired her. I am not quite sure of the implications of marrying a Tiansheng princess who is already married to the King of Jinshi, so it might not be the best political move, especially for someone aiming to be King. I didn't really see his marriage to Zhiwei as anything that would help his plans. I can only see it that he desired her. I mean lying to her and saying they were married might have been a maneuver but marrying her for real was something else. Guess Zhiwei's affections for Ning Yi that she declared incorrectly to Jin Siyu affected him. He wanted that strong love directed at himself. 

[raifee]

4 hours ago, Pollen Ainne said:

 

I wish a happy ending for them too. But Zhiwei vowed her soul to eternal damnation if she married Ning Yi in this lifetime. So maybe another lifetime?

Ning Yi yes. Not Liulang lol. Who knows 

[GiaGia]

At the end, she calls out to Liuland, so to me, that is a more endearment name she use to call him. To me, it means she remembers him as he were when they first met. When they were young, childish and they were just ZW and Liuland, not ZW and the emperor. 

 

At the end, why did Prince Helieng sacrifice himself to save ZW? The big bald guy is ZW's brother?? But, why is ZW seems more important than him?? And who was the Huofeng girl that killed Prince Helieng at the end?? Somehow I dont understand why the big bald guy (ZW"s brother Zhang) works with Prince Qi, at the slave market, and trying to sabotage Prince Yi??? 

[Yinye]

I also finished the drama (giving up sleep) this weekend. 

 

Overall thoughts:

The good:

- Amazing production, cast, acting and costumes - I don’t regret watching;

- Had some best epic dramatic scenes: ‘FZW and her family in front of the emperor’ was epic;

Spoiler

- Adaptation of the novel plot wise: despite being very linear and arc formula, certain segments of this drama was really good for specific segments; it had creativity in so many ways e.g. switching the blood curse

- Nini impressed me since this was my first time watching her TV drama;

- CK is amazing as always minus my thinking he is too intense at times that pulls me out of the drama;

- In light of the drama on its own, I even can accept the tragedy ending since they changed so much. 

 

Weakness:

- Pacing, direction and editing wasn’t consistant in terms of quality. It lagged too much from episode 1-25 and near the end. Some plot and characters were just dropped..(what happens to GNY)... the last episode was so rushed that after investing 70 episodes, they could have ended it with more closure. I get that they had to cut due to regulations and I wished it was done in a better way.

- Novel fans (like me) of course are a bit disappointed at how different at a fundamental level the characters of NY and FZW are from the novel. This is where the adaptation is the weakest. The drama made this into a story about political power plays among royals vs a story of a young lady who is on a journey to find her destiny. In the novel, FZW would never commit suicide. She was so much stronger. Same for NY. 

-I also really dislike how much emphasis they put on specific things when they didn’t need to. E.g NY overacting all the time; 2nd tier side characters etc. 

 

 

[Pollen Ainne]

2 hours ago, rosierosie said:

At the end, she calls out to Liuland, so to me, that is a more endearment name she use to call him. To me, it means she remembers him as he were when they first met. When they were young, childish and they were just ZW and Liuland, not ZW and the emperor. 

 

At the end, why did Prince Helieng sacrifice himself to save ZW? The big bald guy is ZW's brother?? But, why is ZW seems more important than him?? And who was the Huofeng girl that killed Prince Helieng at the end?? Somehow I dont understand why the big bald guy (ZW"s brother Zhang) works with Prince Qi, at the slave market, and trying to sabotage Prince Yi??? 

No, Prince Heliang did not sacrifice himself for Zhiwei. He got overpowered by his jealousy and listened to Zhang Sunhong (the 4th Da Cheng Prince). He pretended to aim an arrow at Zhiwei so Ning Yi would shoot him and Zhiwei would hate Ning Yi. He of course intended to survive Ning Yi's arrow.

 

And yes, the bald guy is the 4th Prince of Da Cheng and is Zhiwei's brother. Zhiwei is actually not more important that him. But they also wanted to use her as she is in a position of power and is close to Ning Yi. However, the ultimate goal is the revival of the Da Cheng Empire, so wether it was Zhiwei or Sunhong, it doesn't really matter. And Sunhong never worked for Ning Qi. He only pretended to be working for him but the reality was he was using Ning Qi so that the princes would kill each other and he can destroy the Tiansheng Empire.

 

4 hours ago, raifee said:

Ning Yi yes. Not Liulang lol. Who knows 

It's the same person. You think you can cheat heaven like that? lol

 

[GiaGia]

On another note, I am looking forward to CK new drama with Zhou Xun, The Weary Poet. It looks like an exciting drama with plot, and actions.

 

Sigh~ I'm still feeling so sad for NY and ZW's fate. Watching BTS helps though :), it is funny on Croton youtube. Watch it, it will prob help to ease the sadness and ending of the drama. 

[Pollen Ainne]

8 hours ago, rosierosie said:

Sigh~ I'm still feeling so sad for NY and ZW's fate. Watching BTS helps though :), it is funny on Croton youtube. Watch it, it will prob help to ease the sadness and ending of the drama. 

Yes, they struggled so much and yet they still lost each other. So sad. But yes, the BTS are so funny. Chen Kun and Ni Ni's interactions off screen are so funny too because they are so playful. I feel like being playful off screen really makes the chemistry on screen sizzle. When the actors are reserved and shy off screen the chemistry becomes kinda lacking.

[sonosong]

3 hours ago, Pollen Ainne said:

Chen Kun and Ni Ni's interactions off screen are so funny too because they are so playful. I feel like being playful off screen really makes the chemistry on screen sizzle. When the actors are reserved and shy off screen the chemistry becomes kinda lacking.

omg, Yes! I love that about them. I find them so frikkin adorable! I've watched every single clip I could find on youtube with them, and I'm definitely going to watch yours on my break! Aside from Zhao Wei and Zhou Xun, she's the only other actress I've seen his eyes light up when he talks about her. And even though I doubt they'd ever date (Ni Ni seems to have a "type" and Chen Kun seems content being a single dad), in the interview where she talks about her character, she mentioned the relationship she had with Chen Kun as if it was so precious, and said she considers him a good friend. I really hope they come together for another drama or movie in the future. One with a happy ending, please! 

11 hours ago, rosierosie said:

On another note, I am looking forward to CK new drama with Zhou Xun, The Weary Poet. It looks like an exciting drama with plot, and actions.

Too bad it's only going to be a movie and not a tv series. Zhou Xun is an amazing actress, and I can't wait to see them together.

 

But my poor heart. I'm not ready to see Ni Ni romancing another actor yet. I read she's shooting for her new drama with Chen Chang(?). For once, I'm having evil thoughts, and not wanting her to get along with him as much as she did with Chen Kun. 

 

Btw, I don't understand what others mean by Chen Kun's acting is "overpowering." Do they mean he's hamming it up at times? To me, Ning Yi can be so fragile and emotional, and I feel this is consistent and true to his character, a man who had his childhood ripped away from him at age eight, and who feels undermined and unloved. 

 

The man has moments where he sheds beautiful tears, but he also gets real and ugly cries when he doesn't get what he wants, which I absolutely LOVE. The two scenes I can think of in particular is the one where he comes back with

Spoiler

Chang Zhongxin's head to bargain for Zhiwei's life but is refused by his father, and the scene after that where Zhiwei makes her second oath and turns him away. 

 

I honestly felt that every single actor in this drama reeled me in. Rather than just "acting", they were "living" as their characters. This series did an amazing job of world-building, too, and I felt completely transported. 

 

Just wanted to add that I found an article on Chen Kun here: https://www.recordchina.co.jp/b596249-s0-c70-p1.html 

Apparently Japanese girls were going a bit crazy for Chen Kun's looks as well (so I'm definitely NOT blind). Nishikido's fans thought they looked similar, and it became a topic on twitter. Nishikido is over a decade younger, so I find that to be a huge compliment. 

「無修正写真でも完璧にハンサム」 
He's perfectly handsome even in unaltered photos. (Yes, girl, I agree.)

 

Twitter user is saying he's so good-looking, she's going to die, and how she can't believe he's over 40 years old.

 

Here's Nishikido Ryo arriving in Taipei earlier this year (and I think Chen Kun was also there to promote something?). Do you think there are any similarities?: https://aramajapan.com/news/concert/nishikido-ryo-arrrives-in-taiwan-announces-kanjan8s-first-overseas-concert-at-taipei-arena/87751/