darkstar

I don't find this one on Viki, even on the "coming soon" list.
Edit: found it under the title My Military Valentine. Quite different.

Nirvana in Fire is excellent but is also a case where the s2 is different than s1 and also misses when compared to similar stories and genres. Neverthless, both NIF and JOL are two examples of excellent Chinese productions and I would have a hard time choosing between both.

I did not reach the end yet. However, based on my personal taste, it deserves at least 9.5 (I rated s1 as 10). Not as much action as in s1 since s2 is more on the strategy part. The strategy isn't as good as Nirvana in Fire, hence a 9.5 instead of 10 (so far).

Got it. Thanks! Hopefully they will continue with two per day after this Sunday.

Same here. However, I am curious about those numbers in the second row (calendar on the link). What are they?

Thanks! Do you know what the 6, 7, 8, etc. mean? Are they the June days of the following releases?

What's the deal with iQiyi? It has been releasing two episodes daily. Today it stops and only one tomorrow? Anyone knows what's the release plan from now on?

Derailment, Parallel Word, and Serendipity are very good also.

Try Derailment and Parallel World

Awesome series. History inside a very nicely written story. Impecabble combination of production, directing, acting, soundtrack and special effects.
This small sample made me imagine what was lost during the "cultural revolution" that massacred dozens of millions and destroyed years of Chinese History. It's great to see the attempts to restore it.
This series surely deserves more seasons.

Posting it on Viki's request page so it streams season 2 also. Season 1 was awesome.

I agree. The original character had a feisty/aggressive personality that seems transformed into a tamed/broken type in season 2. Cannot even recognize her.

I'm on the 21st episode now. They have been spending way too much time on the corruption and examination. I haven't read the book. Does it also spend several chapters on this topic?

She's my favorite character also.

Viki has also been saying "coming soon" for a (long) while. I guess that the term, like for those fantasy 10,000-year-old deities in the Chinese dramas, can be very loose. Like one day in the heavens is one year in the mortal world. ;-)

Looking great so far. Yang Mi never disappoints.

@CristyRawks I thought about that but since there are several veteran actors in season 1, I think it's more related to what @Lili suggested about the season 2's overall concept of it being more geared towards strategy and scheming and the previous more towards action and go with the flow. I watched a few season 1 and 2 back to back and the difference it noticeable. Both are great and show how versatile the actors and director are.

By the way, episode 12's scene where the second prince was wondering whether he was poisoned or not was really good. I laughed too hard on that one. The Qi princess (MXT) also did really well on that "battle horse" scene. :-)
However, I liked HJN better playing Ling'er than GJ. She conveyed the character's personality better.

Thanks! Makes sense, even though I feel like the actors themselves are a bit different, hence I even thought it was a different director and screenwriter. Neverthless, it's interesting watching them acting in a different pace.

Anyone else feeling a difference between both seasons? I cannot pinpoint exactly where. However, when I watch season 1 episodes back to back with season 2, the newer season feels a bit more "mellow" while the first one felt more "snappy" (not sure I am describing well, since I myself cannot tell exactly where the difference is). I looked at the director and screenwriter and they are both the same in season 1 and 2. I'm watching from Viki, so still on episode 8 (9 and 10 only released today). So far enjoying season 2, but feeling there's a difference.

You should read your own posts. This "presentism vs. historicism" argument you are using is a fallacy in this case. You are falling in the trap that several governments typically use to justify their change in position and new interests but the underlying problem remains the same.

E.g. 1: England "condemned" Portugal and Spain until it got a piece of the pie. It then showed it was no different, if not worse than them. For example, after it set its hold in China it used all barbaric means to keep it, including flooding that country with opium to destroy the population (and then blamed the Boxer uprise on the Chinese). Same England that condoned slavery until its industrial revolution required consumer markets and it unilaterally outlawed slavery (only in the areas that interested it). Same England that only let its colonies go on their own after it lost its power after WWII.

E.g. 2: Wars are wars and did not change much since Sun Tzu, whose strategies are still up to date. No matter it was the Chinese warring states or Russia-Ukraine the strategies are the same, only technology and (some) tactics changed.

So, a spade is a spade in this case. For some reason you are desperately trying to defend a series that is decent but not more than a typical fictional entertainment that distorts historical accuracy in order to attract audiences. It's because of that that I am with the OP and rate this series as a 7.5/10.