Friday 18 September 2015

Nirvana In Fire

Drama: Nirvana In Fire
Chinese Title: 琅琊榜 / Lang Ya Bang
Broadcast Network: Beijing TV, Dragon TV

Broadcast Period: September 19, 2015 - October 15, 2015

Genre: Historical, Palace, Politics
Language: Mandarin
Episodes: 54
Director: Kong Sheng, Li Xue
Screenwriter: Hai Yan
Production Company: Shandong Film & TV Production, Hesong Tiandi, Cinematrix, Daylight Entertainment
Origin: China
Related: Nirvana in Fire 2, Nirvana in Fire 3
Source: Adapted from a novel of the same name by Hai Yan
Watch Episodes On: Viki (eng subs), Youtube (eng subs)

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Synopsis and Plot Summary

The story revolves around a sickly man who vows to right the wrongs that he has faced. Equipped with an intellectual mind that sees no parallel, he moves to change the tide in a political struggle for power.

Twelve years ago, General Lin and his men set off to war, but meet their end due to a conspiracy against them. Lin Shu (Zhang Zhe Han) who is the General's 17-year-old son barely survives the massacre and reemerges several years later as Mei Changsu (Hu Ge). He suffers from a terrible illness because of his near-death experience though it doesn't stop him from being a formidable character in Jianghu. He is the leader of the Jiangzuo Alliance and his presence has attracted the attention of Kings and royalty. The Langya Hall has touted him as a divine talent and stated that anyone who has his support can conquer the world.

In the present day, Mei Changsu feigns illness as an excuse to return to the capital, and it ignites a long-running revenge that has taken years to plan. Even when his former fiancee Ni Huang (Liu Tao) and childhood friend Jing Yan (Wang Kai) stand before him, he silently endures and bides his time until the day that he can clear his family name and assist a king worthy of the throne.

Ending Spoilers

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Fun Facts

It premiered September 19, 2015 on Beijing TV and Dragon TV.
It is produced by Hou Hong Liang, directed by Kong Sheng and Li Xue with a screenplay written by Hai Yan who also wrote the original source novel.
Due to the drama being under Daylight Entertainment which also produced The Disguiser, much of the ensemble cast remain the same.
Hu Ge has filmed many costume dramas before, but it is his first historical drama without any fight scenes.
The protagonist Mei Changsu experienced a terrible tragedy before escaping death. Back in 2006, Hu Ge got into a serious car accident that almost took his life, which is why he finds parallels between himself and his character.
It is Wang Kai's first time acting in a historical drama, and it proved to be a breakout role for him as an actor.
Its sequel Nirvana in Fire: The Wind Blows in Changlin continues the storyline to tell the story of the next generation, and it stars Huang Xiaoming, Tong Liya and Liu Hao Ran.
The source novel was initially supposed to be in the danmei genre (BL-novel), but the story was eventually changed.

Dialogues/Quotes
"If one dies, that's when they lose everything.
Might as well consume everything in the fight"
- Marquis Xie Yu to Princess Li Yang during the time they were surrounded (episode 22)

"JingRui is the most accepting person that I have ever seen.
Maybe God gave him this magnanimous and forgiving personality to offset all the pain he will have to suffer."
- On JungRui before leaving the city after knowing about the truth of his birth (episode 26)

"Succeeding will be up to fate, but strategising is up to people"
- Jing Wang to Mei ChangSu during the plan to rescue Wei Zheng (episode 33)

"Even though my heart has never changed for Ni Huang but for this lifetime, she and I can not be together.
I can't say these words to her, I'm afraid she will not be able to handle it.
Nothing is absolute in the world, life is difficult, you understand it."
- Mei ChangSu to Xia Dong on his love for Ni Huang (episode 48)

"They all say fate lasts for three lives.
In the next life, I hope that we can be born into ordinary families, and spend the rest of our lives together in peace."
- Mei ChangSu to Ni Huang before they went to battle :( (episode 54)

Cast

	Hu Ge as Mei Changsu / Lin Shu
	Tamia Liu Tao as Princess Ni Huang
	Wang Kai as Jing Wang
	Chen Long as Meng Zhi
	Leo Wu Lei as Fei Liu
	Victor Huang Weide as Yu Wang
	Gao Xin as Xiao Jingxuan
	Jocelyn Zhou Qiqi as Gong Yu
	Guo Xiaoran as Yan Yujin
	Cheng Haofeng as Xiao Jingrui

Supporting Cast

Ding Yongdai as Liang Di
Liu Mintao as Jing Fei
Angel Wang Ou as Qin Banruo
Wang Jinsong as Yan Que
Liu Yijun as Xie Yu
Zhang Yanyan as Princess Li Yang
Wang Yongquan as Xia Jiang
Zhang Lingxin as Xia Dong
Wang Hong as Li Gang
Zhao Yilong as Zhen Ping
Jin Dong as Lin Chen
Fang Xiaoli as Empress Yan
Yang Yuting as Yue Guifei
Zhang Xiaoqian as Mu Qing
Tan Xihe as Gao Zhan
Ning Wentong as Ji Wang
Fu Tao as Lu Yuan
Zhang Yujian as Lie Zhanying
Li Shuai as Wei Zheng
Kuang Muye as Xie Bi
Dan Yingzhe as Nie Feng
Wei Wei as Tong Lu
Zhong Weihua as Yan Dafu
Jin Feng as Juan Niang
Feng Hui as Chen Zhui
Li Duo as Cai Quan
Liu Haoming as Zhuo Dingfeng
Yan Jie as Zhuo Qingyao
Gong Fangmin as Shi San Xian Sheng
Liu Guanlin as Xia Chun
Sui Shuyang as Xia Qiu
Han Zhenhua as Liu Cheng
Sui Yumeng as Xie Qi
Bridgette Qiao Xin as Yu Wennian
Guo Dongyue as Yu Wenji
Chen Lina as Hui Fei
Amber Lu Shan as Liu Shi
Jiang Linyan as Princess Yu
Zheng Yuzhi as Empress Dowager
Zhang Juming as Ting Sheng
Zhang Xinqi as Xin Yang
Zhang Xinyao as Xin Liu
Li Long as Bai Liqi
Ni Tu as Su Tianshu
Wang Kan as He Jingzhong
Wang Hucheng as Zhou Xuanqing
Yin Yuanzhang as Lou Zhijing
Liu Shuo as Xu Anmo
Zhang Zhehan as Lin Shu (Young)
Pan Xiaoyang as Ni Huang (Young)
Jeffrey Ji Chen as Qi Wang

Soundtracks

Lang Ya Bang (琅琊榜) by Hu Ge (胡歌)
Hong Yan Jiu (红颜旧) by Tamia Liu Tao (刘涛)
Chi Xue Chang Yin (赤血长殷) by Wang Kai (王凯)

Episode Ratings

Dragon TV
Date	Episode	CSM50 Cities (%)
Date	Episode	Ratings	Audience Share	Ranking
2015-09-19	1-2	0.482	1.380	10
2015-09-20	3-4	0.587	1.650	8
2015-09-21	5-6	0.517	1.480	10
2015-09-22	7-8	0.544	1.560	9
2015-09-23	9-10	0.690	1.980	4
2015-09-24	11-12	0.749	2.110	4
2015-09-25	13-14	0.694	2.000	4
2015-09-26	15-16	0.739	2.070	4
2015-09-27	17-18	0.730	1.990	3
2015-09-28	19-20	0.655	1.820	3
2015-09-29	21-22	0.727	1.970	4
2015-09-30	23-24	0.751	1.990	4
2015-10-01	25-26	0.671	1.970	4
2015-10-02	27-28	0.702	2.110	4
2015-10-03	29-30	0.715	2.080	4
2015-10-04	31-32	0.865	2.470	3
2015-10-05	33-34	0.794	2.240	5
2015-10-06	35-36	0.928	2.550	5
2015-10-07	37-38	0.897	2.350	3
2015-10-08	39-40	1.081	2.990	2
2015-10-09	41-42	1.055	2.900	2
2015-10-10	43-44	1.057	2.840	3
2015-10-11	45-46	1.161	3.110	2
2015-10-12	47-48	1.063	3.030	2
2015-10-13	49-50	1.072	2.960	3
2015-10-14	51-52	0.987	2.760	4
2015-10-15	53-54	1.159	3.270	1
Average	1 - 54	0.817	2.283

Beijing TV
Date	Episode	CSM50 Cities (%)
Date	Episode	Ratings	Audience Share	Ranking
2015-09-19	1-2	0.574	1.640	6
2015-09-20	3-4	0.594	1.670	7
2015-09-21	5-6	0.573	1.640	6
2015-09-22	7-8	0.529	1.520	10
2015-09-23	9-10	0.603	1.730	8
2015-09-24	11-12	0.531	1.500	9
2015-09-25	13-14	0.661	1.920	5
2015-09-26	15-16	0.649	1.820	5
2015-09-27	17-18	0.524	1.430	5
2015-09-28	19-20	0.604	1.680	4
2015-09-29	21-22	0.833	2.260	3
2015-09-30	23-24	0.832	2.210	3
2015-10-01	25-26	0.825	2.410	3
2015-10-02	27-28	0.831	2.500	2
2015-10-03	29-30	0.720	2.100	3
2015-10-04	31-32	0.755	2.150	4
2015-10-05	33-34	0.869	2.450	4
2015-10-06	35-36	0.977	2.690	4
2015-10-07	37-38	1.044	2.730	1
2015-10-08	39-40	0.691	1.910	6
2015-10-09	41-42	1.017	2.790	3
2015-10-10	43-44	1.185	3.180	1
2015-10-11	45-46	1.223	3.280	1
2015-10-12	47-48	1.254	3.570	1
2015-10-13	49-50	1.196	3.300	1
2015-10-14	51-52	1.085	3.030	1
2015-10-15	53-54	1.050	2.960	2
Average	1 - 54	0.823	2.299