Monday, March 29, 2021

REVIEW: THE RISE OF PHOENIXES

 


It was THE RISE OF PHOENIXES 天盛长歌(TROP) which got me into C-drama.  Before TROP, I had never watched any C-drama nor had I any interest to.  Truth be told, it was my non-Chinese speaking husband who got hooked onto TROP first.  When he is not paying you attention, the competition has to be investigated.  That left me glaring at what the heck was he watching, to staring longer at the intriguing scenes - till eventually I was all in.   

Initially, what caught my eye were the exquisite costumes and the beautifully crafted sets that formed mesmerising picture frames on my TV screen. 

Then, I realised that a pretty intense plot was going down. The scenes were compelling. I was inexorably shipped into the unfolding story.  Hubby thoughtfully shuffled sideways to grant me space on the TV couch.  I couldn’t help but sit down to watch.

TROP is a period drama about power struggles in the imperial palace and rivalry amongst the princes of the Emperor.

The main character is Ning Yi, the 6th son of the Emperor - a multi-faceted, unpredictable contradiction of cunning villainy and hopeless victim, whose tragic past and vulnerability hooks you in.  You find yourself rooting for him to succeed in his plans and feeling sad when he feels sad.

I was stoked to discover that the name, ‘Ning Yi’ has significance.  Ning Yi in Chinese is宁弈 where 'Ning' is the character’s surname and 'Yi' is his personal name.   In fact, the word 'Yi' means ‘Go’ (i.e. Chinese chess), an ancient board game played with black and white pieces on a 19×19 grid of lines containing 361 points.  TROP is replete with references to the game of Go in dialogue and many scenes feature characters sitting across each over a game of ‘Go’.  Clearly, the reference to ‘Go’ is a metaphor for the games – the schemes, conspiracies and manipulations – which the characters plot, play and pit against each other.

Ning Yi is played by celebrated actor, Chen Kun 陈坤.  After watching TROP, I will say that Chen Kun’s fame and acclaim is well-deserved.  The way Chen Kun portrays Ning Yi is really something to watch.  He can make us see Ning Yi processing a range of different and conflicting emotions in one moment.  Chen Kun’s performance is so masterful that we are pulled to join Ning Yi as he goes through his dilemmas and tribulations. 

Incidentally, Chen Kun is helming the 2021 movie, 'The Ying Yang Master' 侍神令 (not to be confused with the 2020 movie, 'The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity' 阴阳师: 晴雅集).  Both movies are now streaming on Netflix with English subtitles.

The second main character is Feng Zhiwei, who is an equal to Ning Yi’s intellect and happens to be female. Feng Zhiwei is played by the luminous Ni Ni 倪妮.  Standing a statuesque 1.7m tall, Ni Ni wears her period costumes so magnificently.  Such a visual treat.  More pertinently, Ni Ni has acting abilities to match Chen Kun’s and her portrayal of Feng Zhiwei is captivating.

The relationship between Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei is the golden chord which runs through TROP and the biggest gift of TROP is the amazing on-screen chemistry between Chen Kun’s Ning Yi and Ni Ni’s Feng Zhiwei.  From what Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei say or do not say to each other - to what they do, risk and sacrifice for each other - it is spellbinding drama enthralling to watch.  Every time those two characters share a scene, magic happens. 

Overall, TROP has a rich plot that is full of action, with many exciting twists and dramatic turns. Viewers will be glued from episode to episode.  The main characters all undergo major changes as they make choices which determine their fate or when other characters make decisions which impact them, ensuring that viewers get a high dose of drama, irony and emotional payoffs.

When I was watching TROP, I knew next to nothing about the actors or those behind the production of TROP.  Later, I found out that not only are the main leads of TROP A-list actors in mainland China, TROP also feature many veteran and well-known actors in the secondary roles.  No wonder the level of acting is so outstanding.

After TROP, I went on to watch many other C-drama serials.  Recently, I went back to re-watch TROP. Now that I have more yardsticks to compare with, would I still be impressed with TROP?  Yes, even after having watched many other worthy C-drama serials, I still think that TROP is a first-rate production.

For great acting, eye-popping costumes and sets, an intricate plot, unforgettable characters with a sizzling love story in the midst – TROP delivers. 

TROP is currently streaming on Netflix with English subtitles. Check out the trailer for TROP here: https://youtu.be/DyAsfo6rEz0

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Born and bred in Singapore, Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss left school achieving the distinction of being practicably unable to read, write or speak Mandarin despite 10 years of studying the language. Her mono-lingual world ended when she stumbled into the land of Chinese drama during lockdown. To date, she has binge watched quite a number of C-drama serials already, all thanks to English subtitles, without which she would not have come this far.

If you are a C-drama fan from the English-speaking, do hit "Like" at her Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/EngSubsPls to connect and chat with her.

 

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