The Problematic of the Unproblematic

The Third Song 第三首歌 《赤血长殷》 – "Loyal Blood Runs Forever Red" is an allegorical memorial song for the novel 《琅琊榜》- The Langya List, which is the original novel on which the drama "Nirvana in Fire" was based. It is a story-retell (剧情歌) song which narrates the life of Mei Changsu and the Chiyan army. The song was written and produced by fans of the novel and published on April 26th 2014. It became very popular amongst the novel's fan base. During the filming of “Nirvana in Fire” the production team held a competition to find songs for the drama. The collection period lasted for a month during which almost 1000 songs were received. “Loyal Blood Runs Forever Red” was eventually chosen after being highly recommended by the fan community.

Let some ranting follow the raving ! There were many, many BAD dramas this year, let's be honest...  but which ones were the worst? While there was quite a bit of diversity in what we liked, we seem to flock together in the things we hate... I see one very clear winner :D

Kakashi: For the second time, we're not doing a end-of-the-year review, but a short(ish) list of our favorites this year. Accompanied by a second post about the things we liked a bit less. For obvious reasons (= list of dramas being squee-capped), we are opening these lists to all Asian dramas. Ha! This is kind of like our own Lang Ya Bang... oh dear. Nirvana on my mind. Are you ready, SqueeCappers? JoAnne: This year is hard. I have a LOT of dramas that I really liked, because I look for something different than you do. Blessed be. I really hope that 2016 is a better KDrama year for me... That said, I love the diversity in our likes!

In the previous episode, we left Mei Changsu and Xie Yu facing each other in the courtyard. And even though there are many people around them, it is clear that ultimately, this is a duel between those two. Both are calm and collected, still smiling even - but lets not fool ourselves; this is a deadly game. And for at least one of them, this will most definitely not end well...  JoAnne: Despite my anger discussed at length in the previous post and comments, I'm hoping that it's Xie Yu who isn't happy at the end of this, of course. Eleanor: I am wishing now that I had taken one of those heart fortifying pills to get through this duel of wits and outsmarting. And it had better be Xie Yu who meets his not so happy end. 

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?! In fact ... WE ARE! Here comes the much awaited and much dreaded birthday party that changes everything. Mei Changsu gambles very high ... but can he actually control what he has set in motion? JoAnne: Kakashi, you've accidentally included the picture where Grand Princess Liyang explains to Jingrui how babies are made. Eleanor: I am so distracted by the filter they used to get that shade of lipstick on Jingrui o.O it's like cerise pink!

Things start moving, quicker and quicker ... it's Jingrui's birthday soon and I don't know about you guys, but I feel a mixture of apprehensiveness and excitement for that event. What exactly is it that Mei Changsu is planning?! Eleanor: Me too!!! I also feel excited, but yes, Mei Chang Su's plans are rarely the super happy kind. I think I'm just going to concentrate on that lovely screencap of Nihuang and Su Zhe for now.  JoAnne: It is a pretty shot, that's true. He doesn't look so wispy and frail here, either.

kakashi: Hi, hi! This RAWR is late because ... well, nobody had to say anything until recently. It's a sad state of affairs...  Jaehyus: Hi Everyone! OMV was a bit boring the past couple of eps, and I'm now on the fence regarding SFD. And they're the main ones after WuXin for me. bcook: gives side eye. OMV boring?! are we watching the same show?  Shuk: 'Tis the season. The very busy season, between family holiday events and the craziness at work during the end of the year. But I still wanted to pop in and wave. [waves] JoAnne: I worked until 9:30 then came home and fell asleep.  Tonight is another night, my friends! Do we make this a final RAWR for 2015, and do the Best of/Worst Of in place of RAWR for the next couple weeks, then come back in January? kakashi: Yes. I went to bed at 8:30pm and woke up at 6:30 this morning. Now I feel like sh**. Too much sleep kills. Works for me! I've been doing 12-13-14 hour days for close to 3 weeks now and that won't re

kakashi: We do not often get to see Mei Changsu's vulnerable side. In fact, he not only seems to be one of the smartest people alive, he is also in almost total control of the situation around him. At this point, we are expecting it to go well for him. And it is - another milestone is reached in this episode. And yet, we are once again reminded of the exceptionally heavy burden this man is carrying and get a glimpse of the daily struggles he is going through. Wanna bet he does not only have occasional but rather frequent nightmares? Great job of making me very afraid for him. JoAnne: It bothers me a little that I'm not obsessed with this drama like you two. I like it a lot, I completely agree with your estimation of the quality of every aspect, and it's a thoroughly enjoyable, memorable experience - especially due to the additional commentary with which we're blessed - but I don't feel it in my gut the way you do. The way I do for some of the characters in that OT

Shuk: Halfway through the show! Are we halfway through the romance? I'd prefer to already have the cohabiting out of the way, thank you very much. Are we there yet? Are we there yet? JoAnne:  But the cohabiting is the BEST PART. I get a dreamy look on my face when I think about it... Quirkstine: I do enjoy the rated SPG “accidents” that happen in kdramas.

The Second Song 第二首歌 The second song in the series is "When the Wind Blows", the ending theme of NiF. Sung by Hu Ge himself. Ms Hai Yan the author of the original NiF novel wrote the lyrics and the music composition was done by Meng Ke who also composed much of the music you hear in this series. How many of you guys have actually listened to this? I was guilty of not listening to it until after I finished the series because I was too busy clicking on the next episode link to listen to it. However once I heard it, it soon became one of my favorites. So without further ado let’s dig in!

From time to time, we provide you with glimpses of what is going on behind the scenes of Squeecapping. It's a dark, brutal and twisted world, I tell you! For example: innocently, I opened up the post for our next RAWR (they tend to sit in draft mode for about a week before we post) and went to bed. The next morning, JoAnne had started a war. Enjoy. FIRST JoAnne: So banner-worthy. So mine. Kakashi: What if I won't make one though. TAKE THIS .  Someone will. You watch. Of course, I can just keep putting up pictures that would be perfect, to help that along. I'm not that childish! I would never put up huge pictures of my biases just to irk someone. And anyway, I will tell Jing Dong. Ding Dong? Jin Dong! *Eleanor sneaks into the RAWR* *Eleanor tiptoes out again* *comes back to check* JOANNE!!!!! I'm pretty sure I won this round ;P *becca enters* Four can play this game....   And because I'm a consort, too.... *becca

It's possible to kinda feel ... something for Prince Yu, right up to this episode. In this, however, he is revealed as absolutely ruthless scumbag. No more cookies for you, Yu! But it seems that slowly, slowly, Prince Jing's time to shine has come. JoAnne: Would it hurt the guy to smile? Eleanor: Jo, he doesn't yet have me in his life, of course he can't smile. Plus, this way we can see his magnificent jawline so well.  Why would he smile in this situation though!!! Ah: "Prince Jing, look this way! Yes! Thank you, now smile for the camera!"

This is one of my favorite episodes so far - so much attention to detail, so beautiful! The Lantern Festival, the scene at the Music Court ... the colors are phenomenal. And those sets! I also like how Mei Changsu wins a round against Xie Yu and moves his grand plan several steps further ... but I don't like that Jingrui is continuously the one that gets hurt. It's a sin to hurt the innocent. JoAnne: Our worried seal looks pissed off. I hope he will be okay. Eleanor: He does have some fabulous lip colour there. Or maybe they dialed the filter up a tad too much. It looks really nice with the blue though. 

Jaehyus: Just leaving SoJiSub saying Ah over here:  JoAnne: He sort of looks like a Tim Burton drawing. kakashi: Hi! I'm not even here (I won't say anything about how he looks here either) .  Bcook: What happended to my husband??! (I'm late to the party but fashinably so *wink* )

This is a very clever episode! We learn a lot about many different people, even though most of them do not get a lot of screen time and we experience Su nimbly fixing something that had the potential to blow a thousand holes into his lovely plan. By now, we have come to know our main protagonist quite well. And that is why we also realize that nothing he does is without a purpose, even if it probably means hurting people he cares for. JoAnne: Oh, I wonder if this is the episode where I didn't like him too much... Eleanor: Yes, that plan also had potential to blow a thousand holes into some people as well.

Kakashi Sensei: Who would have thought that a silly little interview would have such an impact? Haha. Well, let's do another! I love page views, and anything to do with our Wang Kai seems to generate tons of it right now, so let's strike while the iron is hot!! Apart from that, I also adore the man, which helps. Not only am I lucky to have Eleanor with me, but this time, I have also invited two of the Chinese-English subbers of Nirvana in Fire and The Disguiser and co-collaborators of WKI to join me. Hi there, Eleanor , moonlil and Joyce !

Kakashi: Hi all! Let me introduce guest blogger Joyce to you (one of the subbers of Nirvana in Fire and The Disguiser and one of the lovely commentors on the recaps of this show). Foreword 前言 Usually when I like a song it’s because the lyrics are a beautiful poem in itself. One of the main reasons I started watching NiF was because of its songs which literally pull me into the story. The series has 3 main theme songs and an additional song which was recorded as the theme of an online game based on the characters and story of NiF. All 4 songs are beautifully written and composed with a distinct Chinese flair. This series of posts intends to deep dive a little into the literary background of the lyrics in these songs. Hopefully this will allow you to enjoy them beyond the base translations provided which is oft not able to provide much information on the cultural backgrounds it’s referring to.  Much of the information in these posts was gathered by me when attempting t

When New Year's Eve comes, new devilish plans from his arch enemy Xie Yu demand Mei Changsu's special attention. Can he not have one day of peace, this poor man? JoAnne: Thank you for this picture of my Meng. Although he does look sort of like an emo hipster in a white turtleneck having a bit of a pout on his bed, complete with man bun. Wow. You're on to something. General Meng, the first hipster in history?   Eleanor: My first thought was: I didn't remember Meng Zhi having a tattoo, oh wait, it's a pillow. Perhaps I should clean my glasses or put in my contacts or something. 

kakashi: Haha, not a word written on Sunday evening! Are our RAWRs dead? JoAnne: Not dead, I think, but several folks have drifted off... and you and I are mostly watching two shows that are being recapped - and recapped at double the pace of a normal show! There's not much else to talk about right now, I guess. But that's okay, right? It'll change again. becca: I haven't been watching a lot of dramas lately because I'm gearing up for finals. Which apparently means that I spend all my time studying and mainlining U.S. procedurals. Slowly plodding along.... Jaehyus: Way, way out of things because of a stomach viral infection.  Just dropping in to say, GilTaeMi, I love you, and will miss you after this week.  Will write more for the next Rawr, probably all about my grief.  Be prepared.  Nabi: I actually watched a bunch of stuff over the past couple weeks, but totally ran out of time to RAWR about them. And I don't have many screenshots yet either. I promise t

A situation gets defused and family ties mended in this episode, as mandarins reveal a secret about smuggled gunpowder. Mei Changsu really feels like a puppet master, doesn't he, one that carefully picks up some threads and puts down others, just as an opportunity presents itself. JoAnne: After my marathon up through episode 30 this weekend, I'll confess that I've come to a similar conclusion about him. It's not so much that he plans out every thing that will happen every step of the way - it's that he has a plan, yes, but also takes advantage of unexpected opportunities, and adjusts to unexpected results. All of it, quickly. His plan evolves, and he is truly amazing at strategic thinking. Eleanor: Mei Changsu is impressive. I think he would have made a truly marvelous military strategist if fate had not pulled him into his role as Mei Chang Su. He is utterly and completely impressive. 

Kakashi: Once upon a time, there was a guy called Kai Kai. In Chinese, his name looks as cute as he is in real life: 凯凯. There also was a girl named Eleanor and that girl fell quickly and very hard for the boy called Kai Kai. A few weeks after initial contact, Eleanor not only has opened the first English Facebook page about him, no, she even made a website - and it is that website that I want to promote here! Here it is: http://www.wangkaiinternational.com/ . And you know what, we are very lucky to have Eleanor here! With me! So that I can ask her a few questions about the website. And her love.