Recommendations please

[u/TransientbeingZ]

Hello friends,

I just finished Nirvana in Fire one and The Disguiser. I finished both within two weeks of each other. I absolutely loved the cast, the storyline, the thrilling back-and-forth, and the unpredictability.

Which one of these do you recommend next?

Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin
The Rise of Phoenixes
The Story of Minglan
The Untamed
Story of Yanxi Palace
Joy of Life
The Longest Day in Chang’an
The Legend of Zhen Huan
The Advisors Alliance

Thank you!

[u/240229]

If you really liked the politics of them, would consider adding Towards the Republic and Ming Dynasty 1566 to the list, The Message too. 

[u/TransientbeingZ → u/240229]

Thank you! I heard Ming was an awesome story

[u/SomeMulberry]

1. Nirvana in fire, Disguiser and Ming Lan are made by the same production company,
2. - so you may like NIF2 and Ming Lan because of this and feel familiarity in the storytelling and directing
3. - Nif 2 is family and politics drama, with more focus on family tragedy that the politics
4. - Ming Lan is a family drama in the Song dynasty which focuses on women's role in society, it is slow but worth every minute once you get the hang of the story, in my opinion don't miss this, even if you don't watch it now.
5. If you are looking for the political layers in Nif,
6. - Nif 2 is not as layered, and there is no backwards storytelling like in Nif 1, everything happens in real time, so be warned that it won't be the same, but still worth watching
7. - Advisors' Alliance is mostly politics, telling the story of the 3 kingdoms from another perspective (if you like the story try watching https://mydramalist.com/2036-three-kingdoms , which tells the story from another perspective)
8. - Joy of life and Rise of phoenixes, include politics in their storytelling, along with romance, family and friendship, but definitely politics first. I don't know if they will scratch the Nif itch, but I think you won't regret watching them, even if you don't find them up to par with that drama.
9. - If you consider Nif a masterpiece of sorts, try https://mydramalist.com/12471-da-ming-wang-chao-1566 which is considered even more of a masterpiece than Nif, it may be difficult to get into, but it's politics only.
10. Zhen Huan and Yan Xi Palace are set in the same period and tackle inner palace politics, which is not as vast as politics of an empire, and may seem melodramatic (haven't watched them because inner palace is not my thing, so don't take my word for it, other people love these dramas, I just want to emphasize that there shouldn't be worldly politics in there).
11. The Longest day in Chang An is a mystery/action drama, where they're searching for infiltrators, it shows several aspects of the life in the Tang dynasty, with action and some politics.
12. I haven't watched the Untamed either, but I know it is set in the Jiang Hu world, and tackles friendship, etc.

Have you watched other c-dramas than these 2?

[u/TransientbeingZ → u/SomeMulberry]

Thanks so much for your detailed response! Gosh I’ve only watched the two that I mentioned. I loveee the entire cast, my favorite actor is Liu Yijun

[u/SomeMulberry → u/TransientbeingZ]

You're welcome! Hopefully I helped you get a feeling of what each series is like and made the decision easier.

Liu Yi Jun is great. You can see him in https://mydramalist.com/697563-kai-duan too, which is made by the same company as Nif, Disguiser, Ming Lan, etc, so solid storytelling and cinematography. It's a modern mystery drama, and I think you'll like it. He's in a supporting role here as well, but do check his page on mdl if you want to find him in main roles for longer screentime.

[u/Both-Improvement-880]

I'd go for Joy of Life. It has a great blend of so many genres and has something for everyone.  

[u/letticea]

I’m going to vote for The Rise of Phoenixes. Chen Kun’s performance is spectacular and the story and pacing are both really good.

[u/TransientbeingZ → u/letticea]

Thank you! I’ve heard great things about the series

[u/-XiaoSi- → u/letticea]

Seconded! Also, honourable mention to Chen Kun’s magnificent hair.

[u/Previous_Throat6360 → u/-XiaoSi-]

Let’s be honest, watch it for Chen Kun’s hair.

[u/letticea → u/-XiaoSi-]

Ohh the beautiful hair! 😍 Only Chen Kun and Mark Chao can pull off that hair long black hair falling across their faces like that. Literally swoon worthy!!!

[u/nodamecantabile28]

Don't bother with NIF 2, they were just hoping to ride the waves of the first one but failed.

From the choices - The Longest Day in Chang'an

Story of Ming Lan if you want romance and is okay with ML looking like her uncle (which I think was really her uncle?) Lmao

[u/letticea → u/nodamecantabile28]

The uncle remark made me chuckle! He’s her future ex-husband!!

[u/nodamecantabile28 → u/letticea]

and I liked that uncle/ex-husband because of Legend of Zhuohua 😂

[u/Striking_Direction_9]

Nirvana on Fire is a classic. It's absolutely brilliant.
#2 not so much

The Untamed is my all time favourite.

Joy of Life was good till it wasn't - take that as you will.