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The 2018 Chinese drama starring Dilraba Dilmurat as Lie Ru-Ge, Vic Chou as Yin Xue, Vin Zhang (Bin-Bin) as Zhan Feng, Liu Rui-Lin as Yu Zi-Han/Prince Jing-Yuan, and Lai Yi as Anye Luo. Based on the novel by Ming Xiao-Xi.
Brief summary: In a pugilist world run by powerful guilds, Lie Ru-Ge is the young (and somewhat naive) daughter of Lie Ming-Jing, the master of Flame Villa. On one of her explorations, she attracts the attention of a mysterious gentleman in white, who seems to know only two things: how to joke around and Lie Ru-Ge. But things are about to get crazy because Anye Luo of the Dark River Palace has just decided that it’s time to take over the world.
This drama was a blast! It’s fun, the story and plot is really gripping and well-organized, and the characters all have fantastic depth. Frankly, I kind of want to read the book now, even if I can’t read Chinese characters all that well!
Starting this drama is like jumping into a pool of frigid water or waking up at night from a long nap that you started in the afternoon— you’re not sure how you got there or how things came to be this way, you don’t get an explanation right now, so you decide you’re just going to have to roll with it. Fortunately, this drama is like a big puzzle in which all the pieces are there, but you’re not going to have the complete picture until it’s done.
I have to admit that this drama played with my head a little, especially regarding Yin Xue’s and Ru-Ge’s relationship. We’re probably supposed to be confused until the final episode, bu even now I have difficulty explaining it to myself. Yin Xue seemed to have a Timelord/Doctor Strange thing going on that he knew Ru-Ge but met her in a different story but they share the same story’s ending. Since I’m still confused but happy for these fictional characters by the end, I’m probably just going to let it go.
I’ve noticed that it’s a trend in Chinese dramas to either leave little description for the supporting characters’ endings or to kill off nearly all and spare only few. This drama is hardly an exception. I didn’t like that about the ending, but what am I going to do about it? I’m also ready for Zhang Bin-Bin to come out in a drama as the main protagonist that actually gets a happy ending!
The theme that I found most beautiful in this drama was “Evil may triumph over good someday, but it won’t last forever.” Both Yin Xue and Ru-Ge say this line. It seems to apply throughout the drama, from the betrayal forced on Ru-Ge to the characters’ struggle against Anye Luo, but it’s also applicable to reality. If there’s one thing to walk away with at the end of this drama, it’s definitely that line!
Even if I was occasionally confused, “The Flame’s Daughter” was still great! I especially loved that story line. 4/5 stars!
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