This review may contain spoilers
A MUST WATCH
Soooo good. I just wished the mc would be more expressive though. ML is the love of my love when he cries i want to turn into a napkin to wipe his tears away. A lot of the characters are loveable even the ghosts (well some of them) when i saw the 78 ep i was thinking how i could watch like it would take years but it is never enough! They even skipped some scenes and the ending for me was not it! Though happy ending it still fell short compared to the novel. But everything from acting to pacing, vfx to cgi whatever it was and the story *chefs kiss. Some stupid ass reasoning might’ve caused unnecessary drama but it’s bearable(at least for me) and at some point ( yeah right more like all the time) you want to just press the heads of the mc and ml and say *now kiss and hug and cuddle etc.) so watch it!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Best in horror
Oh my god, where do I even start? The Spirealm isn’t just a show—it’s a full‑blown emotional and psychological assault in the best possible way. Imagine being thrown into a VR world where each of twelve doors is a twisted reflection of your deepest fears, traumas, and desires—and you can’t leave until you face them. That’s the roller‑coaster ride Ling Jiushi (Huang Junjie) and Ruan Lanzhu (Xia Zhiguang) take us on, and I LIVED for every second.Huang Junjie as Ling Jiushi brings the perfect mix of cynicism and vulnerability. You see his PTSD, his guilt over creating this nightmare‑machine, and you feel it. Then there’s Xia Zhiguang’s Ruan Lanzhu—the calm, unflappable leader who melts under Ling’s fierce protectiveness. Their chemistry? Off the charts. Even with China’s censorship rules, every stolen glance and subtext‑packed scene screams devotion.
The world‑building is INSANE. One door is a haunted mountain village where the dead stalk you. And it never feels repetitive—each nightmare‑realm is a new gut‑punch. The production design, the lighting, the score—all of it drips with dread and beauty at once.
Yes, it got pulled from iQIYI (thanks, censors), but that just proved how powerful it was. Fans rallied, international platforms picked it up, and now we all have this gem on Viu and Viki. Because this show deserved to be seen.
Li Dongyuan (Liu Xiaobei) and Cheng Qianli/Yixie (Liu Ruogu) round out the cast with their own heartbreaking backstories, adding layers of family trauma and betrayed trust. And the female characters? Finally, real, supportive women who hold their ground in this men‑only nightmare arena.
I’m a sucker for painful, tragic, mind‑bending stories, and The Spirealm delivers all of it. I wanted it more brutal, closer to the novel’s raw horror—and yeah, I’ll always crave the uncut version—but even in its edited form it’s a masterclass.
100/10—for the twisted thrills, the tragic beauty, and the unbreakable bond between Ling Jiushi and Ruan Lanzhu. If horror and heartbreak are your jam, drop everything and watch this now.
P.S i have read the novel and trust me it ismuch more grim and graphic than this series. I just wished they had enough budget to release every door page by page. Every door was so traumatizing that i had to take a few deep breaths before starting another one.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The Plot Twist Broke Me Into Pieces
The headline must tell somethimg like not a good ending, many people find it good and pleaseing but as for me–i can't realy say it is happy. The whole story is very good, I learned a lot not just the life lessons it gives you but the ways hoe to manage something, solve riddles, and logics. This is a very interesting series, worth towatch AND REWATCH.Was this review helpful to you?
It’s worth your time
I accidentally stumbled upon this series. Being an avid fan of mystery dramas , I found the series very intriguing and captivating. My friend who happened to watch one episode midway also got hooked to this. For someone who had no idea about the original plot , my friend was able to pick up the romantic tension between the leads.So the chemistry between the leads undeniable. The ending was satisfying . I have seen so many contradicting theories online regarding the climax. My advice would be not to read them before watching😎. The side characters have their own soul and get connected with you. Recommended.Was this review helpful to you?
Very addictive
I got to watch the reformatted 38 longer eps vers.I loved the dynamics of the 2ML they obviously developed a deep bond and affection for each other to the extent they would die for them. Their lives are put in danger enough times that it is clear to see how they look after each other. Both leads are above average intelligence and looks so they carry the drama easily.
Huang Jun Jie plays Ling Jiu Shi had an Alpha male persona but was somewhat restrained in body language.
Zhi Guang plays Ruan Lan Zhu in his first major role and at 24 yrs old I feel this will open a lot more doors (pun) to his career.
The side characters are also interesting although their screen time is shorter. The Spirealm game has tasks behind the 12 doors; to locate the door ghost, find the exit key and uncover clues on how to not get killed are what kept me hooked.
I liked the colour palette used and often moody lighting added to the sense of danger. The opening track, Cánh Cửa - Hạ Chi Quang (The Door) and deep singing voice is very hypnotic. Huang Junjie also sings the ending theme OST. The other tracks are magic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qPMm_cCrDo
This is based on a novel and apparently suffered a little from the adaption but not having read the story I thoroughly enjoyed this version and was never bored.
Was this review helpful to you?
Even though it made me cry a lot, I still love it so much!
Was this review helpful to you?
This is the best bromance
This is one of the best bromance I’ve watched. And I hope you will watch it after seeing my review paragraph. I’m not good at speaking or writing but I just wanted to share this best drama to all of bromance lovers 🤍.Was this review helpful to you?
I am confused...???
I am confused everyone keeps saying this show has been dropped and is illegal yet how am i able to watch it on viki? The episodes on viki are also about 40 minutes each and have 20 episodes so am I not watching the same thing as everyone else?? Please can someone let me know if this is the wrong one then does it at least have a good ending?? I am already in love with the main charactres and all the side characters are working on me as well plus cant forget to mention how talented the cast is!!Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Bienvenue dans le monde à l'intérieur des portes...
Ouvrir une porte est un geste automatique et sans incidence. Jusqu'à ce qu'on entre dans le monde de The Spirealm. Les portes peuvent devenir mortelles si on n'y prend pas garde. Lorsqu'une nouvelle porte s'ouvre, vous ne pouvez pas l'ignorer.Je connaissais les grandes lignes, mais j'ignorais à quoi m'attendre. Dès le premier épisode, les portes m'ont envoûtées. Résister à l'envie de regarder l'épisode suivant était presque d'une torture. Les portes sont devenues mon obsession. Les personnages ne pouvaient pas les rejeter ? Très bien, je ne pouvais pas non plus. Je n'arrêtais pas de penser à elles. Elles me hantaient, littéralement ! Et une fois terminé, je n'avais qu'une envie, me replonger dans cet univers qui a fait s'éparpiller mes pensées pendant des heures entières. The Spirealm m'a vraiment fasciné.
Chaque porte se distingue par son scénario et son thème, regroupée en quatre catégories et avec un degré de difficulté changeant. Inspirées des quatre animaux (le Dragon azur, le Tigre blanc, l'Oiseau vermillon et la Tortue noire), les portes renferment un mystère à résoudre pour trouver la clé et déverrouiller la porte de sortie. Avec un rythme soutenu et une immersion totale, l'histoire mêle l'horreur aux mystères et déborde de sources d'inspiration. Contes (les frères Grimm), légendes (Teru teru bozu), lieux emblématiques hantés (Waverly Hills Sanatorium), musiques (Satchan) ou encore peintures (Lady in the Rain). Les portes dissimulent des univers dangereux et captivants où les personnages évoluent.
Ling Jiu Shi (Huang Jun Jie) est un développeur qui vient de quitter son emploi et se retrouve propulsé dans le monde de The Spirealm. Je n’avais pas revu Huang Jun Jie depuis Truth or Dare. C’est agréable de voir que son jeu s’est amélioré. Sans être parfait, Huang Jun Jie incarne un personnage qui projette différentes émotions. Confusion, surprise, maturité, confiance et charisme sont quelques-unes d’entre elles. De plus, Ling Jiu Shi connaît une belle évolution au fil de l’histoire, tout comme son acteur, qui affine son jeu au fur et à mesure.
À ses côtés, Ruan Lan Zhi (Xia Zhi Guang) qui dirige l’organisation Obsidian. Toujours tiré à quatre épingles, personne n’est préparé à la perfection de cet homme. Xia Zhi Guang dépeint un personnage aux multiples facettes. Il apparaît comme un joueur sérieux et fiable, parfois indifférent ou dangereux. En dehors des portes, il garde ce charisme propre à Ruan Lan Zhi, tout en dévoilant un côté plus doux et affectueux (particulièrement envers Ling Jiu Shi). Dans ses tenues élégantes, Xia Zhi Guang séduit ses adversaires, mais aussi ses alliés et les spectateurs.
Le reste du casting est tout aussi riche. Alliés, PNJ et antagonistes. Liu Ruo Gu, qui incarne un duo de jumeaux (Cheng Yi Xie & Cheng Qian Li). Liu Xiao Bei (Li Dong Yuan) devient un allié qui nous brise le cœur, tout comme Lu Meng Lin (Tan Zao Zao) qui apparaît comme une épine dans le pied, mais à laquelle on s’attache sincèrement. Natas Akosa (Zhang Wei) en tant que savant fou ou encore Zhang Ji Nan que j’ai détesté jusqu’au bout.
Encore une fois, la Chine démontre son talent pour broder des romances qui n'en sont officiellement pas. Après tout, est-ce vraiment une surprise ? Word of Honor. Killer and Healer. Guardian. Ce sont que des bromances à l'impact fort, bien plus que certains BL qui usent des scènes explicites, plongeant parfois dans l'absurde et le ridicule. La subtilité est parfois plus frappante que l'explicite, la Chine l'a compris. Cela montre aussi la créativité d'une production afin de contourner la censure. Subtilité, double sens et jeux de regards font illusion.
Le final est différent de l'œuvre originale. Personnellement, j'ai voulu connaître la fin du roman avant de terminer mon visionnage (je ne remercierais jamais assez les lecteurs qui partagent ces détails dans les commentaires de MDL). Celle du drama est douce-amère, mais cohérente. Cela dit, connaître les deux fins a adouci mon amertume vis-à-vis de l'adaptation. Le traitement est différent, ce qui me fait apprécier les deux versions bien que celle du drama m'a donné envie de ramper sous ma couette et de sangloter pour les vingt-quatre heures suivantes.
Qui dit drama chinois, dit doublage. Il n'est pas exempt de défauts, mais il est satisfaisant. Malgré un budget limité, la production a accompli un travail formidable dans son ensemble. Les visuels sont captivants et agréables, les effets sont de bonne facture et la bande originale particulièrement efficace. Si les scènes horrifiques et la vue du sang vous donne la nausée, peut-être que vous devriez passer votre chemin.
En bref, The Spirealm m'a malmené pendant des heures, mais j'étais toujours là pour en redemander. C'était à la fois terrifiant et grisant d'être autant fascinée et désespérée de traverser une nouvelle porte. Parfois, j'oublie à quel point certains univers chinois ont une force d'attraction unique.
Was this review helpful to you?
Vale seu tempo do primeiro episódio ao último.
A história pode parecer longa com seus 78 episódios, mas que passam voando quando se está imerso na história.Os personagens principais têm uma química perfeita, o núcleo de apoio é magnífico e tem seus tempos de tela perfeitamente colocados, nos dando medo, amor e tristeza no decorrer do drama.
Roteiro e atuação trabalham juntos nos trazendo reviravoltas e reações tanto dos personagens quanto do telespectador que por vezes nos sentimos revoltados com as escolhas e dilemas da série, mas se olharmos pelo ponto de vista do roteirista é esse o real objetivo, fazer-nos importar tanto com a cena a ponto de querer mudá-la para nosso bem mental/emocional! (😢)
Resumindo, é uma escolha perfeita para quem gosta de imergir no drama de personagens que acabam demonstrando mais e mais suas emoções a cada episódio, onde no final você não conseguirá dizer, adeus.
Was this review helpful to you?
10/10 I'm not surprised it was banned in China
10/10 I'm not surprised it was banned in ChinaOk... Now, few hours after finishing, I think I'm ready to write this review. When I heard it was banned but Chinese fans were smart enough to download all episodes, I was really excited to watch this. In the end, not dissapointed.
I totally loved all main characters, even tho I was kinda lost in their names, but that is fault of not official subtitles, which I truly hope will get better. LJS and RZM were amazing and their chemistry really did spark. To be honest, I'm not surprised Chinese government had to ban this drama, but it's pitty, because the story was just perfect. In the first place, this is drama about dangerous deadly game and few people trying to survive. BL aspect was just part of it. I'm about to read novel, so I'm looking forward the scenes which didn't make it up the drama.
I don't really like horrors so I was asking myself: "Am I really watch this just bcs is censored BL?" The answer was clear, to be honest... But I really loved the story. Sometimes it was really scary, sometimes not. Sometimes I felt butterflies in my belly, sometimes I fet like I'm about cry the whole night.
Every single doors containes different story and characters have to find clues and find our what's goin on. It's not easy, but when they work together, it's not even hard. The story is full of tension which made me watch whole drama in few days and I really recommend this one.
But I have some reservations towards the ending. I mean, ! can't say I didn't like, but neither that I did. The last scene just doesn't make sense to me. Overall. I really enjoy this. If you are afraid it's just bromance and you want BL, don't care. Yes, it is bromance, but as I said before, I'm not surprised China bannes it.
SPOILER ALERT >>> I haven't read novel yet, so maybe I just didn't get it correctly, but why did he have to make whole new world? Why not just new NPC? I mean, it was possible for his friend to create NPC which is able to come out of game, so why not do it again? I know it's not easy, but this is supernatural or rather kind of scifi show and it was possible one time. Why not again? And I would like to know who was that friend from high school.
Was this review helpful to you?
