This review may contain spoilers
FIREFIGHTERS DO MORE THAN FIGHT FIRES!
This year, I watched three firefighter-themed dramas: Each took a different angle on firefighting. Among them, I particularly appreciated this drama for its focus on the professional side of firefighters—how they save lives, undergo rigorous training, teach others, and handle challenges. Even after the credits, it educates viewers on dealing with fires, earthquakes, and more. What stood out was the minimal emphasis on romantic narratives; while many viewers anticipated this, I found the focus on the firefighters' growth and challenges commendable.Initially, I hesitated due to circulating spoilers regarding a contentious ending involving the main characters. Contrary to the popular reaction, I found the conclusion satisfying. The unity and selflessness displayed by the firefighters, risking their lives for their country, left a lasting impression. The final scene, with the female lead dancing and the firefighters in the audience, warmed my heart.
The dedication of firefighters to saving lives and properties knows no bounds, persisting until their last breath. Their role extends beyond extinguishing fires, encompassing rescues from imminent dangers, collapsed buildings, forest fires, landslides, floods, and even everyday emergencies like overheated car engines or lost items. This portrayal reflects the multifaceted life of a firefighter—their pivotal role in life-and-death situations deserves our utmost appreciation.
This drama taught me a lot. I enjoyed its humor, budding relationships, and the strong bonds among the firefighters. Their station was more than a workplace—it was a home where colleagues were family. I empathized with their losses, struggles with mistreatment, and team conflicts. However, their unity amidst challenges was inspiring. While every drama has antagonists, here they mainly affected the female lead rather than the male lead. What resonated most was the enduring love between the main characters despite their demanding careers.
This drama shines in portraying firefighters. The cast's performances, including real family members in certain episodes, added depth. The struggles depicted were compelling, leaving impactful messages for viewers.
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When the only redeeming factor is a supporting actor...
What a waste of time... yes, certainly both leads had chemistry and they were cute on screen, but they remained flat.ML did his best with what he was given, but all the abuse, the consequences from higher-ups etc. it all gets old very quickly when there is only the party-line of 'accept it and move on'.
FL is unconvincing, has limited range and besides a few moments where we see her fight (more than her boyfriend), she remains a dreamy ideal.
I really was not into her supporting cast. Cute and fluffy, but just plot stuffers that nobody needs.
The only part I kept on for was Liu RuYi, adorable or cute or gut-wrenching in every scene he is in never mind the nature of the overall scene. He is memorable in this up to his last scene in a character that is lovable and you cannot help but feel with him in so many moments.
It's really sad when the ML is so incredibly upstaged by most of his supporting cast...
The youngsters. A nice idea that could have been something incredible, was underused apart from some home-made drama, only towards the very end do the actors actually manage to make their faces work on camera.
The ending. What a wreck. For a wow factor at the ending where all you will feel is outrage. It is symptomatic for a really badly thought out script that cannot tell a continued storyline if its life depended on it (it did and it died miserably between Zhang Ling He's half open mouth in any given scene and the youngsters' empty faces).
The editing is shoddy and odd: beginning scenes of each episode that once are future glimpses, then again from the past make non sense and made it incredibly confusing.
This is badly thought out fanfiction (where a character sacrifice puts so much responsibility on his best friend... convoluted paths of 'destiny' leading both leads to dicover that their parents had an indirect connection... in a land that has so many people... the mc-guffin that is so useful and FL's heritage to the world discovered by chance... ) put to the screen with huge effort, but there is no substance here and it's really sad because we've seen how these dramas could be so much better. Even FomH was better and that is saying a lot.
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Fell short of what it could have been
I expected more. I loved most of the cast and the characters. I laughed and I cried with them. (The goodbye speech left me distraught for the rest of the evening.) And I respect the attempt to honor heroes. However- the story of the male and female lead didn’t make any sense. First of all- she’s the queen of bad luck. But she’s also very bland. There’s not much to like or dislike about her. She’s just sort of there. Male lead was fun and charming… would have liked to see some romance but it was all very cold. I still have no idea why they separated in the middle. Apparently the writers didn’t think this was an important part of the story.The side stories were also largely skipped over. The supporting actors were great and it would have been good to see more of them, instead of just a recap here and there. And the ending left me rather confused- not just about the storyline but about what the directors were even thinking. It was weird.
So- mostly great cheaters that I would like to have seen more of. Relationship issues that left me more confused than anything. Plenty of eye candy. Should have done a few more episodes and told some complete stories.
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What an ending...
Long time want to watch this but quite hesitate cause of Johnny Huang. Quite bored see him only in military drama. But in the end quite glad I'm watching this...Quite confusing reading the summary given by MDL, if I only read the summary here, prob not gonna press the play button...
The story start with a girl, Nan Chu (NC), rescue by fire fighter from fire accident. When NC want to met her savior, she learned that the fire fighter died not long after recue her. Then the scene move forward to 5 years later, when NC grow up to be a dancer, but due to her financial problem she finally sign contract with management artist that give her the job to be in reality show aimed at promoting firefighting knowledge.
In that show NC met many fire fighters but her get most impression with Lin Lu Xiao (LX) , the head of station. After sometimes in their interactions, NC finally learn that the one that actually saved her 5 years ago is LX. & finally their love journey begin...
What I like:
+ The lesson about fire hazard in the beginning & end of each episode.
+ The Family of fire fighter. One really solid family relationship between all the fire fighter.
+ The good chemistry between Johnny Huang & Zhang Jing Yi
+ No stupid love rival. There's a little bit competition to win over NC, but in the end the other party just drop it, maybe a little bit too fast. But he makes no drama about it. Even after NC & LX separated...
What I don't like:
- NC is like the curse girl that attract fire. Haha... In the drama she involve with big fire accident, are like 4-5 times. That's too many for me. She's already like Conan or Shinichi that attract case where ever he go. Haha...
- The stupid separation between NC & LX. They even lost contact with each other
- The open ending that makes me want to scream WHAT THE H*CK!!! We really need special episode for this...
Overall this one fire fighter drama that a little bit too close to reality. We get the bond of each fire fighter, the death & all the incidents... Prepare tissue if you want to watch this. Haha...
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Wrong choice of script?
How many times in a lifetime can you possibly get caught in a fire? I can set aside one when she was at the brigade. When you are in a fire brigade, your chance of being trapped in a fire will also increase. With that in mind, how many times was Nan Chu trapped in a fire? Is it even possible when you're only in your twenties but faced with that many accidents? It's the critical problem that made me can't give them a good score. Please make it more rational if there is a next time.I like they're using a different story background from others, a firefighter and an artist. They're supposed to be less likely to meet each other at a fire scene by coincidence. The ending is crystal clear to me. In my opinion, it's not an open ending. I don't have any problem with it.
I used to like those epilogue kinds of safety advice. In this drama, they took them way too casually. It seems most of them recorded at their hotel with casual outfits and minimum preparation. I saw many of them only speak as they read the safety info. That makes me skip their safety advice.
ACTING - Huang Jingyu does very well in this drama. He serves his firefighter character nicely. He saved this drama from my dropped drama list. I love his chemistry with his comrades and his two newbie juniors.
Zhang Jing Yi seems like having a wall around her. HJY chemistry keeps hitting the wall. I have high hopes her act will get better after Lighter & Princess. But it turns out I was over-expecting from her.
Shout out to Hu Yi for playing Liu Ruyi's character successfully. I got his comedy and inner conflict messages.
MUSIC - Li Jiawei's "He Comes From The Fire" and Liu Yuning's "Destined" are masterpieces of this drama. Gao Rui's "Star" is like an onion in front of your eyes that goes straight to your heart.
REWATCH VALUE - It's unlikely I will rewatch this drama. I will only watch their short clips at most.
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Watch, if you like firefighter’s story!
This drama spent a lot of hard work and effort in firefighter knowledge for us to understand, the storyline is good. I like the teamwork and their relationships among firefighters.Talking about the acting, ML-Johnny Huang (LuXiao) deserved to be praised! He carries up the show, loves his acting.
FL-Zhang Jing Yi (NanChu) kind of disappointing to me, acted poorly! The way she acts so not naturally and when she’s talking really made me feel like wanna take a nap first, sorry to condemn it. Many times feel like dropping the drama because of her, but the ML supported her character up. She’s not the right FL to be in the drama, pull down the rating of this series. (I guess I won’t be watching drama that the main lead is her anymore) Although her Lighters&Princess was so famous but she doesn’t shows any improvement on her acting at all…
Many characters as firefighters are great, many hilarious and funny scenes I enjoyed and feeling relax to watch them (except the FL ??)
Thank you so much!
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Is he died at the end ?
I already watched "a date with the future" so i liked such stories and that's the reason i had more expections with this story but at many places i had started comparison about the dramas . Started with the similar story then little tra ke had changed . She didn't know who save him ,she only knew the name .with the name she had started looking the person .Then she came to know that the person was no more and she felt sad and then she continued with her work . Afterwards she due to many reasons she and the male lead come infront of eachother and then she came to know that he was the one who saved her and they had fallen in love with each otherLast part confused me a lot . Was he died in the forest fire ? If he died then why was he celebrating the other day with his colleagues.?The last part of the drama when she was giving tribute to firefighters through her dance so he entered the theatre sat on the chair watched her act ,he cried and when her act was over ,she looked towards the audience the seat was empty so what was that ? Disappointed with the scene.
What i liked about the drama was the safety precautions they were telling at the end of each episode.
Acting was good.
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Talk about bad plots, another unbearable firefighter drama this year from CDrama land.
Bright Eyes in the Dark - is yet another drama this year about firefighters. I am getting picky, and this one is a bomb, just like Fireworks of My Heart. The only firefighter drama I could complete was "A Date with the Future" for this year with William Chan and Zhang Ruo Nan.This one is so bad on many levels, even though it has a well-known supporting cast like Tang Xiao Tian, Wang Zi Qi, Zhang Ling He, and Wu Gang.
- In real life, having a reality show with ordinary people to go put out fires with firefighters is not realistic. Talk about liability issues.
- Wang Zi Qi played a bad character in this drama and the worst acting I have seen of him. Maybe he is better in a RomCom type of role.
- Johnny Huang is better at playing cop/detective. His character is weak in this drama despite being the fire department director.
- His on-screen chemistry with the FL (Zhang Jing Yi) is non-existent on many levels. They both appeared awkward, and no spark between them.
- It is not realistic for firemen not to have time to see family. The scriptwriter and director wanted to create tension and drama for this series but failed to deliver it.
- I have watched 24 episodes as background noise to kill time since nothing is good airing for CDrama after Hidden Love.
I invested enough time in this drama and am dropping it. I give it a 4.5 rating for bad plots and acting.
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Waste of time
After watching the first half of Zhang jingyi's new drama ( Blossoms In Adversity ) which is currently airing, there was nothing else to watch, because the rest of the episodes haven't come out yet. Since she was very good in Blossoms In Adversity and Lighter & Princess, I thought I would give this one a try too. But I was completely disappointed and super bored watching Bright Eyes in the Dark. The Acting, Story and the Chemistry between the ML and FL is so poor that I had to drop it. And I was shocked to see her acting in this drama, is this Zhang jingyi whose drama Blossoms In Adversiry is currently airing and acted in Lighter & Princess? Sorry to say but after watching 25 episodes I couldn't bear it anymore. I'd rather sleep than torture myself watching this. Yeah but ML and the other supporting characters were good their acting also not so bad.Was this review helpful to you?
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Blazing Fire! Blazing Love Chemistry❤️
[First Impression (Ep1-10)]The drama starts off tense, exciting and heart-wrenching with the fire rescue of Nan Chu (Zhang Jing Yi) and the earthquake rescue. It establishes the distinct characteristics of Lin Lu Xiao (Huang Jing Yu) and Lou Ming Ye (Wang Zi Qi) well and gives us a glimpse of our female lead, Nan Chu. Lin Lu Xiao is fearless, selfless, a born leader, but may be prone to react emotionally. Lou Ming Ye is analytical, practical, a revolutionary perfectionist, but incapable of relating to his peers. Nan Chu is calm, resilient, artistic, and determined to pursue her dream of dancing. Thank goodness, this is not a love triangle.
It is light toned and comedic with introspective moments, but surprisingly not macho. Along with the standard bravery, many of these firefighters show a "maternal" side. Story leans more towards firefighting, the ordinary everyday cases and the spectacular rescue missions, developing the next generation, with brotherhood at the heart. But it also has a good dose of romance. Nan Chu and Lin Lu Xiao meet again through the reality TV show, naturally develop feelings toward each other and have a mature and supportive relationship. Even though he has saved her countless times, I don't feel an overabundance of hero worship.
Along with our leads, I am really enjoying the supporting firefighters. Instructor Yang is the mother hen. Former engineer Yu Qi Lei and master Jenga player is the stable core. Cute bulldog Liu Ru Yi balances humor and wisdom. The Newbs, Yi Jiu and Shi Quan, may be annoying in the learning process, but I do root for them. There's also thrifty Lei Da Gong, stuttering guy, good looking upcoming Qi Huo, and a pair of background twins. The non-firefighters, eccentric Jiang Ge and pitiful little brother Lin Qi round out this world. I hope Zeng Keni's character Yan Dai gets more screen time.
Episodes 2-6ish and sometimes the reflective thoughts of being a firefighter parts are slow, but it culminated to an emotional resonance in Episode 10. I enjoy seeing how these missions affects all at the fire station, the firefighters and the reality TV actors. I see blazing chemistry in our main couple, it is sweet, comfortable relationship. There's also a tiny, adorable side romance with Liu Ru Yi and Dr. Wan. Mostly, I am looking forward to the bromances.
[Actors/Actresses]
Huang Jing Yu is the default tough guy of Chinese Entertainment. I haven't seen him before, but he really embodies this role. He is physically strong, but there is emotional vulnerability. Zhang Jing Yi doesn't quite fit the stereotyped image of a dancer/actress, but her quiet acting style works for Nan Chu's resilience. Wang Zi Qi has perfected his uptight face and I am giddy each time Lou Ming Ye and Lin Lu Xiao interact.
[Behind the Scenes]
This group of fire guys; Huang Jing Yu, Wang Zi Qi, Tang Xiao Tian, and Zhang Ling He, are the 185 guys. Wang Zi Qi's measly 185 cm pulls down the average.
Huang Jing Yu and Wang Zi Qi became really good friends after this drama and are filming another one together. So many filming leaks. They are like 2 little kids on the playground, always rough housing. HJY posted this cute video: "A pair of good friends who seem inseparable but are distant now". https://weibo.com/1989519725/NksMudYbu
Bro Moments #2 - https://weibo.com/7837228036/NlPgdtDnS, #3 - https://weibo.com/1989519725/NlZbzzUx7, #4 - https://weibo.com/7837228036/NmSpHwVSN
Pool: HJY 1 - https://weibo.com/6065285238/NmgVFl9Jk, 2 - https://weibo.com/5941634924/NmU1Br2DZ, WZQ - https://weibo.com/1831127035/NmgVA3gFF
Interviews: Failed Jay Chou Concert - https://weibo.com/3953405721/NmaLQ1FMw, Boy Band - https://weibo.com/6525010965/NmgvB308S
LLX helping Nan Chu with her uniform - https://www.douyin.com/video/7281734771363925285
Ep 3 & 26: WZQ interview -https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1696746833168158.html. Small details were designed to show LMY's meticulous and rigorous personality like keeping his toes in a horizontal plane. Most memorable scene? When his mom came. (It's his real Mom on episode 26) - https://weibo.com/5999417377/N0BFCupgN
Ep 12: ZLH playing "Twinkle, twinkle little star" - https://www.douyin.com/video/7281338306942520637
Ep 13: LLX teasing Mother Yang about his crush - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqBsaICnmxc&ab_channel=TANHT75, HJY & TXT ghost - https://www.xiaohongshu.com/explore/650fb39a000000001e0337ea?source=webshare
Ep 19: Lu Si Yu being an awesome actor - https://www.iqiyi.com/v_1b8vy0s9kxc.html
Ep 21: The "my homework was burned in a fire" kid actor has a lengthy resume. We just saw him in I Am Nobody as Zhu Ge Qing's little brother but more Netizen laughter inducing, he was young Song Yan in Fireworks of My Heart.
Ep 22: Our trio being punished - https://weibo.com/7837228036/NlPBi6rhV
Ep 26: LLX ties Nan Chu's hair - https://www.iqiyi.com/v_yhxby1hx6o.html, WZQ & his mom 1 - https://www.tiktok.com/@meyvatziq08/video/7287813087678237958?_r=1&_t=8gMGte6S72g, 2 - https://www.xiaohongshu.com/explore/651a8c49000000001a02354c?
Ep 29: The crowd reacts to the kiss - https://twitter.com/19990710z/status/1709501949782216772?s=46, WZQ soccer BTS - https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4954691886909139
Ep 30: HJY helping WZQ with mask - https://www.douyin.com/video/7282072568658480418, Cooling down after the rescue interview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kinarb1LdJA, WZQ soaked - https://weibo.com/1622861757/Nmz09x2hm
Ep 31: Zhang Jing Yi blooper. HJY and ZLH giggling at her - https://weibo.com/7837228036/NmKagk7Nm
Ep 32&33: Crying - https://weibo.com/1831127035/Nmh71f8m8, Wall shove - https://www.xiaohongshu.com/explore/6513796c000000001a016abf?
Ep 34: HJY & WZQ drinking - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N6RhpjNWY8
Ep 38: HJY holds a snake. Eek! - https://weibo.com/7837228036/NnvuVxQbt, Rural life and drones - https://weibo.com/7837228036/Nn31ghC6K
Ep 40: HJY crying, little bro WZQ consoles - https://weibo.com/7837228036/NnviKB6wl
HJY wears a mask - https://weibo.com/7837228036/Nnn3jFTJe
[Ending] Open Ending
[A Highlight] Episode 20 Pre-credits: Elevator
[Music] Favorite OST from the drama are: 是不是注定要相遇 (Are We Destined To Meet?) by: 李紫婷 (Mimi Lee) & 命中注定 (Destined) by: 刘宇宁 (Liu Yuning)
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A Realistic Portrayal of the Lives and Comradery of Firefighters
I definitely went into this drama not expecting much since I first tried a few episodes of Yang Yang's Fireworks of My Heart when that was airing. However, this drama completely pulled me in and I was surprised at just how good it was yet not many people were recommending it. Fireworks of My Heart pales in comparison to this drama. Both are dramas about firefighters with romance but Bright Eyes shines in almost every aspect. Realistic portrayal of firefighters' lives, natural and fantastic acting, balanced romance and firefighting scenes, and educational. Moreover, the story and character have logical development, which is somewhat rare in modern-day dramas.The first and most important thing is the realistic scenes of firefighters' daily lives training and going on rescue missions was really impressive. It was really realistic and eye-opening. The drama really realistically showed the struggles of the firefighters' family members and how firefighters juggle being so busy. However, as a Chinese drama, there is a bit of propaganda but I don't feel that bothered by it because I believe any person would want to believe that firefighters are devoted and willing to protect them in cases of danger. It also isn't very obvious since it is subtly hinted at through the characters' actions and dialogue. Another thing is the comradery of the firefighter team members. I could really feel how much they trusted each other and their teamwork in rescue missions really touched me. The drama did great at making you feel connected to every member of the firefighter team just by watching a few episodes of them together. I really cried and felt relieved with them every time. Even the sacrifices of the members, though are expected since this is a firefighter drama, felt so heartbreaking and I bawled my eyes out. The dilemmas and mindset of firefighters are also effectively portrayed in many scenes and experiences of the firefighter team. The director did great at directing those scenes with those camera angles and bgm. Also, since the firefighting scenes are realistically portrayed, it is very educational about what causes fires and tips in case of fires. Particularly, it was helpful that they talked about the firefighters who deal with wild fires because people don't usually think of them. I found that part interesting and I learned a lot about what they do. It was also nice that they ended the episode with a short clip of fire safety tips. This is what a fire education drama should be like, unlike other dramas ahem.
Now the acting! Johnny is the perfect person to play Lin Lu Xiao! Before watching this drama, I had no clue that Johnny played so many characters with uniform but wow, he sure looks great in his firefighter gear. His build really brings out a charisma that Yang Yang could not do. It is like he was made for this character- he embodied Lin Lu Xiao and I can't imagine anyone else doing it better. His line delivery and acting were also just top-notch! He was amazing at being strict yet also soft towards his team. His crying and tearing up skills are so natural and real that I couldn't help but cry with him. So rare to find a male actor with that kind of charisma, line delivery, and acting skills. However, it isn't just him who is great at acting- the entire firefighter cast was amazing! They were all new faces but they all did great in their roles. I grew attached to each of them and felt heartbroken at how every one of them ended up. My heart still hurts a bit thinking of them. The firefighter team also realistically pulled off all the firefighting scenes to the point where they actually looked like firefighters. I really enjoyed the chemistry between all of the team members- Lu Xiao, Lao Yang, Lao Yu, Lao Liu, and Lao Lei.
The romance and firefighter aspects are also balanced nicely. I am not someone who likes too much romance so I found it enough that it was about 65% firefighter story and 35% romance. Life isn't only about romance so it felt real that it wasn't all about their love story. They are also firefighter so it makes sense that it doesn't show as much of their personal lives. It also isn't like there weren't any romance scenes at all because it was quite sweet for a while and cringe. To be honest, I enjoyed the firefighter aspects much more than their romance. If you are going in looking for a lot of romance, I don't think you would enjoy it as much. Everyone talks about the ending but I believe that the ending is however you want to interpret it. I don't mind open endings as long as the entire story was
Overall, I really enjoyed this drama. It is more heavily focused on firefighters, but rightfully so since firefighters do so much for civilians but don't get much attention in the media. So, this drama is a very good way to learn more about the work they do and what kind of lives they live (at least in China lol-). I will miss these characters, particularly Lu Xiao and his team. China should produce more of these high-quality dramas to educate about these kinds of occupations. Anyways, totally recommend this drama for those who enjoy dramas focused on special occupations. I can see why people keep comparing this to Fireworks of my Heart and criticizing Fireworks. I have to agree that they are on different levels. The only reason i didn't give it a 10 is that some episodes did feel a bit slow but that was only a few. PLEASE TRY!
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Has everything still feels empty.
It literally has everything, beautiful ML & FL, their romance, high quality cinematography, breakup, emotional stories of fire fighters and their issues, realistic firefighter calls etc still I didn’t feel anything....They had such a beautiful cast but it was totally wasted.The character doesn’t have much depth or backstory(even if they have it hasn’t been told properly) so its very difficult to connect with them, the leads are soo damn good but they don’t have chemistry with each other(despited having good kissing scenes), the story is all over the place and didn’t create any impact.
I personally hated the way they shot Nan Chu's dancing as it should appear graceful but it looked so plain and tasteless, nothing at all like a trained dancer should look.
I can see they they have invested alot in the drama but the propaganda is literally overflowing to the point that drowned the whole drama....At some point it feels like i am watching a documentary
The ending was a major let down again...
It was quite disappointing for me
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