Wish Upon A Star
Nirvana in Fire Season 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin
4 people found this review helpful
by Wish Upon A Star
This review may contain spoilers
If NIF is a gem, NIF2 is a hidden gem that outshines when uncovered
A drama that I should have watched immediately after I completed NIF in 2021.
My gripe with NIF is the slow pace (i.e. story pace is slow and everyone speaks, walks and moves slowly, as they should be in royal palace settings) and character-story arcs that did not engage nor move me. Thus, I made a terrible mistake of not continuing with NIF2 immediately, but watched only recently, 2 years later, because all other c-historical dramas that I could find were simply unwatchable (after sampling a few episodes per drama).
NIF2 retains the style of NIF, telling the story of the third (grand) generation of Mei Chang Su. But the pace is faster, with more martial fight scenes and war scenes. Viewers get more engaged with the leads, and I was touched and moved to tears periodically by the stories and deep honor and bonds of the Chang Lin family (the two brothers and their father, and I would add also big brother’s wife), for one another and for their country and people. It was an emotional yet gratifying watch, as the Chang Lin family remains unswayed by insinuations and attacks on their loyalty.
Solid performance from all including the supporting cast. I’m especially impressed by Liu Hao Ran. Born Oct 1997, he was only 20 years young when the drama first aired in Dec 2017. As the main protagonist, his role’s transition from a frivolous pugilist protected by his family to a stoic military commander, shouldering the responsibilities of his beloved deceased brother, and to being finally enlightened, and putting down the burdens and living his true self, is naturally evident.
What could be better? The antagonist’s story and motives could be strengthened. Greed for wealth and power was mentioned to cause the antagonist’s father to forget one’s original intention and heart. The antagonist understood his father’s crime and was at peace. He trusted no one and never readily agreed to work with anyone. Left alone without his parents, he swayed between right and wrong, trying to get a foothold. So was it his sense of insecurities that led him down the doomed path? Or was the key intent of the antagonist's lack of solid motive, only to accentuate the honor-sacrifice-trials-tribulations of the main protagonist who is also his peer?
Do one need to watch NIF before watching NIF2? No, there’s no need, as the story focuses some 50 years later on the third generation. But having watched NIF will help you understand NIF2 better, plus there are smart references to NIF, especially the one in the last second episode, when you thought the story was ending, and all references to NIF would have already appeared at the start, or at most up to the first-half or second-thirds of the series.
Heard that there would be NIF3, and yes, I’m looking forward to NIF3 if it happens.
My gripe with NIF is the slow pace (i.e. story pace is slow and everyone speaks, walks and moves slowly, as they should be in royal palace settings) and character-story arcs that did not engage nor move me. Thus, I made a terrible mistake of not continuing with NIF2 immediately, but watched only recently, 2 years later, because all other c-historical dramas that I could find were simply unwatchable (after sampling a few episodes per drama).
NIF2 retains the style of NIF, telling the story of the third (grand) generation of Mei Chang Su. But the pace is faster, with more martial fight scenes and war scenes. Viewers get more engaged with the leads, and I was touched and moved to tears periodically by the stories and deep honor and bonds of the Chang Lin family (the two brothers and their father, and I would add also big brother’s wife), for one another and for their country and people. It was an emotional yet gratifying watch, as the Chang Lin family remains unswayed by insinuations and attacks on their loyalty.
Solid performance from all including the supporting cast. I’m especially impressed by Liu Hao Ran. Born Oct 1997, he was only 20 years young when the drama first aired in Dec 2017. As the main protagonist, his role’s transition from a frivolous pugilist protected by his family to a stoic military commander, shouldering the responsibilities of his beloved deceased brother, and to being finally enlightened, and putting down the burdens and living his true self, is naturally evident.
What could be better? The antagonist’s story and motives could be strengthened. Greed for wealth and power was mentioned to cause the antagonist’s father to forget one’s original intention and heart. The antagonist understood his father’s crime and was at peace. He trusted no one and never readily agreed to work with anyone. Left alone without his parents, he swayed between right and wrong, trying to get a foothold. So was it his sense of insecurities that led him down the doomed path? Or was the key intent of the antagonist's lack of solid motive, only to accentuate the honor-sacrifice-trials-tribulations of the main protagonist who is also his peer?
Do one need to watch NIF before watching NIF2? No, there’s no need, as the story focuses some 50 years later on the third generation. But having watched NIF will help you understand NIF2 better, plus there are smart references to NIF, especially the one in the last second episode, when you thought the story was ending, and all references to NIF would have already appeared at the start, or at most up to the first-half or second-thirds of the series.
Heard that there would be NIF3, and yes, I’m looking forward to NIF3 if it happens.
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