#a court of bongs and fangirling

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[nocturnalharpy]

I’ve never done a review post before nor do I intend to publish one regularly. However, I might be posting one or two once in a while for the purpose of ranting. hehehe… It would be hard to make me stop gushing when I fangirl so I will try my best to write sanely. Well, I can’t wait any longer! I might as well share my thoughts. Besides, sharing is caring. Oh yeah! 🙂

If I can bet my life on a good Asian drama series at a time plagued by oppas, ajussis and the fantastical and mythical productions in the likes of Goblin, Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon, Legend of the Blue Sea, etc., NIRVANA IN FIRE is on the top of my list!

Based on Hai Yan‘s novel with the same name, Nirvana In Fire or “Lang Ya Bang” (琅琊榜) is a 2015 Chinese historical drama. If you haven’t sank your teeth into this 54-episode praise worthy masterpiece, you are definitely missing out on the good stuff.

So, what made Nirvana In Fire so appealing?

HU GE (Ok, this is me being biased!). Does the name ring a bell? With multiple award-winning dramas under his belt, it’s easy to access his body of work given the numerous downloading sites online. Though he is Chinese and his works are in Mandarin, don’t fret! Like K-dramas, Chinese dramas are subbed in English as well! If you haven’t heard about this wonderful person yet, you need to come out of hiding and start exploring his body of work! I loved him in Chinese Paladin and I enjoyed his character as Guo Jing in The Legend of the Condor Heroes. In NIF, Hu Ge proved once more his caliber as an A-list actor. I particular liked the kind of restraint he’s put into the character of Su Zhe/Mei Changsu in the series. Although he plans and executes the devious tasks in expense of another character in the drama, as for me, his role is still highly likable. I was particularly charmed by his intelligence as Chief of the Jiangzhou Alliance and his no-nonsense approach to exacting revenge. As a master schemer, he was able to change the fate of the other characters in the series. Talk about a manipulative person!

The rest of the cast didn’t fall short of talent. All throughout the 54 episodes, I never once thought of any actors from the drama that didn’t fit their respective roles. They were a talented bunch with a good grasp of what their characters need to portray. They breathe life into those characters. During the most part, I felt like they were not actors acting but they were the characters themselves.

I hate to break it to you but unlike most Chinese and Korean drama today, NIF clearly dodged the idea of silly romance between the opposite sex. There was no showcase of cheesy gestures (pulling the heroine for a kiss, back hugs, etc.) which are very common nowadays. I was very happy to have found a series that didn’t depend on the love story of the main characters to appeal to the masses. It was, however, explicitly shown in few instances how concubines and consorts win favors. The ladies of the inner court surely are well-versed in the game of flirtation!

CGI was on point! Everything looked flawless. As a viewer and spectator, I have seen quite a number of C-dramas that looked so unrealistic! Honestly, when I saw the trailer, I thought it was a movie. I don’t think I need to elaborate more on this. You have to see Nirvana In Fire to know what I mean.

Martial arts. I’m a sucker for anything martial arts! My fascination goes way back when I was in grade school. To this day, I still think that is still the coolest thing ever! The execution of the martial arts moves in the drama was very well done. The actors surely placed a lot of effort into perfecting their craft. I was at the edge of my seat every time! You have to look out for Fei Liu, Ni Huang, Jing Rui, and a lot more from the pugilistic world as they wield their swords and use their fists as they fight their way to seek justice.

The story itself was well put up. The lines were straight to the point and was easy to understand. The stories behind each character were properly told. Character development was done nicely which added intrigue and suspense to the series. The flow of the story was smooth and not dragging like most historical drama.

There you have it folks! Those are some of the many reasons why I love Nirvana In Fire. I can go on and on and on! 🙂 I am watching it for the 3rd time. You? Are you ready for it?

  Drama List: Nirvana In Fire I've never done a review post before nor do I intend to publish one regularly. However, I might be posting one or two once in a while for the purpose of ranting.

[faeobsessed-cauldronblessed]

Not-so gentle reminder that real humans and their feelings are more important than your favourite fictional couple/potential couple and no I will not ever change my mind on this. Y'all need to chill.

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I've officially gone off the deep end

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Nesta, the romantic.

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Ianthe is one of my all time hated characters of all time and she deserved the fate she met

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Tarquin about to file a claim

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Oof, no wonder he's feelin beasty

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Nessian meme

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Made a meme of one of the few subjects the entire Fandom actually agrees on

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...and then I said "Stay with the High Lord and that bitch thought I meant Tamlin! Hahahahahha , I know, I'm so extra for that"

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I'm going to be honest, I'm not good at giving book reviews! But I liked all of these (I won't finish something I hate, I'll DNF and not give a fuck).

•Favorite book I read this month: These Hollow Vows. So good, I cannot wait until the next one. While it gets compared to ACOTAR often (rightfully) it gave me major Holly Black vibes as well with the various fae and political introgue and Seelie/ Unseelie courts.

•Least favorite: Daughters of Ys. The artwork was beautiful and it's based on a very old tale. It was just much sadder than I'd anticipated.

•Surprise of the month: I gave in to curiosity and started the Ice Planet Barbarians series. While in no way is this the height of literature, I am surprised at how enjoyable they are. Bashit crazy? Yes. Fun to devour before bed every night as an easy read? Also yes. My favorite so far was the 2nd, with Liz and Raahosh.

•Song of the Forever Rains: it took me a while to get into this, but when I finally did, I really enjoyed it. I'm reading the 2nd one now.

•Piper: a graphic novel of the legend of the pied piper. I actually LOVED this, even if the ending wasn't happy, it also wasn't totally hopeless.

•Dance with a Fae Prince: a standalone novel but set in the same world as Deal With An Elf King (which i slightly preferred to this.) This was super enjoyable and has some elements of Cinderella throughout.

What was your favorite read this month?

[faeobsessed-cauldronblessed]

A Court of Silver Flames was half comedy tbh