Nirvana in Fire excitement!
Jan. 27th, 2019 08:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kraitI'm almost through - there's just one episode left!
Lin Chen is rapidly installing himself in my heart; every time he manages to make Mei Changsu smile I also smile like a fool. I also love his Drama Fan (seriously, he just carries a fan around so he can make melodramatic gestures with it, guys, it's hilarious!) and his squabbling with Fei Lu; the scene where he's unexpectedly drenched made me scare the cats by bursting into helpless snickers!
Loved the confrontation between Mei Changsu and the Emperor; it hit me exactly in my appreciation for stories with "family connections are not sacred and there are valid reasons to extinguish them" outcomes. I was your uncle, I took you on outings doesn't stack up next to I agreed to the execution and slander of your entire family under false accusations, no matter how tearfully offered. His hesitation, and then retreat without speaking, was so satisfying; I read it as not only a personal decision, but also an echo of his promise that they need never meet again - a conscientious display of his own honour, in contrast to his uncle's.
I'm so happy for Jingrui; for a while there I had decided that it was his fate in life to be disappointed by family members, but his mum came through in the end! If anyone deserves to have a little family success, it's that boy. Somebodycoughcough Yujin cough needs to hug him! For like the next three days straight.
Next episode, here I come!
Lin Chen is rapidly installing himself in my heart; every time he manages to make Mei Changsu smile I also smile like a fool. I also love his Drama Fan (seriously, he just carries a fan around so he can make melodramatic gestures with it, guys, it's hilarious!) and his squabbling with Fei Lu; the scene where he's unexpectedly drenched made me scare the cats by bursting into helpless snickers!
Loved the confrontation between Mei Changsu and the Emperor; it hit me exactly in my appreciation for stories with "family connections are not sacred and there are valid reasons to extinguish them" outcomes. I was your uncle, I took you on outings doesn't stack up next to I agreed to the execution and slander of your entire family under false accusations, no matter how tearfully offered. His hesitation, and then retreat without speaking, was so satisfying; I read it as not only a personal decision, but also an echo of his promise that they need never meet again - a conscientious display of his own honour, in contrast to his uncle's.
I'm so happy for Jingrui; for a while there I had decided that it was his fate in life to be disappointed by family members, but his mum came through in the end! If anyone deserves to have a little family success, it's that boy. Somebody
Next episode, here I come!
no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 06:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 02:50 pm (UTC)If you would like more fandom knowledge: Thirteen years ago, the army led by Prince Qi was accused of treason, attacked by surprise, and massacred. Of 70,000 people, only a handful escaped, and the entire army - including the royal prince who led it - were pronounced traitors. The prince took poison when it became clear that his father the Emperor didn't believe he was innocent.
The emperor's sister married into the Lin family and had a son, Lin Shu, who was a member of the prince's household and a Marshal in Qi's army. He survives the massacre and takes the alias 'Mei Changsu' to hide his identity. His goal is to clear the names of the 'traitors' and he does so by manipulating Imperial politics, removing both the Crown Prince and the next in line so that the formerly-disfavoured Prince Jing (who was close to Prince Qi) becomes the Crown Prince.
His goal is to force the Emperor to reopen the case and prove them innocent. What this works out to is breaking down the power and emotional stability of the Emperor, who of course doesn't want to see/admit that he executed his son and 70,000 soldiers on false charges.
Until the climax, the Emperor hasn't really believed that Mei Changsu is his nephew, despite the suggestion being made. It's a really intense scene, therefore, because the Emperor is finally facing his mistakes, and they're being presented to him by his sister's son whom he thought was dead.
(I have mentioned in other posts that I really admire the Emperor's actor; he's amazingly good at conveying the character's inner conflict and emotions without even using words!)
After conceding to the demand to reopen the case, the Emperor makes one condition: "Lin Shu," his nephew, can never return to the court. He's willing to see all of their names cleared, but not to have one of the formerly accused walking around as a constant reminder of the whole mess. Mei Changsu agrees, and says that in fact they need never speak again. When he turns to walk out, the Emperor watches and then calls after him, heartbreakingly raw, that he remembers being his uncle, taking him riding and flying kites with him. Mei Changsu stands but doesn't turn, and walks out silently.
It is made of awesome and I want to watch it over and over again.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 09:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-29 03:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 07:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 09:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-29 03:13 am (UTC)I regularly consume 50-ep anime shows, so the length wasn't a concern for me (although, funny story: when I started, I was under the impression that it was a 10-14 episode type deal; boy was I shocked when the plot seemed to have barely started and I went to check the actual number!)
My thing is that live-action media doesn't usually spark a fannish reaction in me, so I was worried that I'd bounce off it for that reason.
Luckily for me, I did not! (Less luckily for me, I'm getting the feeling this is one of those canons where, when you ask for something else like it, people sort of stare around, make thoughtful noises, and eventually admit that there isn't anything. Woe!)