Have been following this actors show for a year and the more I watch of his shows, the more impressed I am. His acting is not perfect but gripping. Fine details and micro expressions often add to the enjoyment of his scenes.
Here is a particularly balance review of his acting and works.
Finally finish watching this adaptation of the web novel "The Brocaded Tale of the Girl Si" (似锦) by Willow Leaves In Winter (冬天的柳叶). I wish they had follow the source material more. Some of the stories are quite griping. The acting, props and cinematography is great. Plotwise, there are some wonderful and poignant moments, mostly the parts that follow the book. Will add on to this later.
Acting wise, this show help discover many actors who were unfamiliar to me before. Adding on to this but most prominently Zhang Wan Yi, whose playful and lively Yu Jin the seventh prince of the kingdom left a lasting impression.
The show start in a battle field with fire raging in the background. A spear pierced through a soldier's heart. The sound of soldiers falling. Blood was every where. Another soldier cut down by a blade. Another fell with arrows piercing his chest. Another die. And another. A war flag went down.
A young soldier, face coved with blood watched as a blade strike him down, disbelieve and anguish in his eyes.
A bloodied hand holding the young soldier dangling on a cliff in the next scene. " Xiao Shu, You must live. For the sake of Chi-Yan." The owner of the hand said as he let go of the young soldier from the earlier scene. The boy screamed "Father!" as he fell into the abyss below.
Nirvana in Fire or 琅琊榜 is one gem of a drama series. The story which revolves around a The Count of Monte Cristo like character who returned to seek justice and revenge when all thought he was dead.
{--- SPOILERS AHEAD----}
The drama begins in a brutal battle field 12 years from the story time line. We later learned that the 70000 strong army lead by a celebrated General Marshall was eliminated under orders by the King. the General Lin, together with a highly regarded Prince, Prince Qi were charged with treason and their family, allies and anyone who dared speak up for them were executed.
Our hero, the son of the General, Lin Shu somehow survived and spent 12 years using a different identity, Mei Chang Shu/ Shu Zhe, (We will call him Shu.) making plans and preparation to seek justice for those die. At the beginning of the story, there are hints that the time Shu have is limited due to his health. As the story unfolds, we learn more and more about what happened 12 years ago, the people behind it and at the same time marvel at how Shu take them down one by one. Revenge and justice are however, not the only or even the central theme. Shu have in his plan something bigger. As the story progress, Shu's health deteriorates, more of his friends learn of his real identity and we see more of the legacy Shu wants to leave after he is gone.
Besides an intriguing story, there are plenty of eye candies, superb acting, costumes, sceneries, and plenty of bromance and an extremely touching romance that is given way too little screen time.
Check out the Trailer :
I thought the Trailer thoroughly show the epic quality of this drama series but it have a very traditional quality that may feel a little slow for some. So here are some theme song MVs too.