The Spirealm

This my first ever review and I felt compelled to write this after watching the drama and then reading the novel. Prior to this drama I had no knowledge of the novel or any of its content at all. This was a no skip drama, and like the other reviewers have commented, it left me feeling empty and wanting more, which led me to read the novel too.

First off I will do a review on the drama before I read the novel, theres a review for the novel comparison afterward, that may contain some spoilers.

Initial Rating: 8-9
Final Rating: 9
*Story*
The story speaks about how Lin Qiu Shi finds him self stuck in this virtual world where he has to pass these "Doors" in order to escape the game and the overall story very compelling with each arc representing each door getting more interesting than the other. Each of the arc is a standalone story and kept me on my toes. I do not usually watch horror, but the mystery and the story telling of the this drama kept me engaged. From how the main character slowly piece together the puzzles within the door and how the level of difficulty each door gets, To how Lin Qiu Shi's character building up his skills to pass through each door, as well as his interactions with Ruan Nan Zhu. The characters itself also made it more likable to watch and the interactions between each character really brought this drama to life. Knowing this is based on a BL novel versus not knowing makes no difference. The interaction between the main leads, mostly comes off as more friendship or like someone of great importance which makes alot of sense, since they are basically entrusting each other with their life for every door they go into.

Acting:
Majority of the acting cast of this drama are new actors or relatively young actors with minimal experience. However each of these actors managed to bring each of these characters to life and embodied the characters themselves. I will mostly speak of the main characters as this drama has a pretty large cast, but I will have to say that almost all the minor characters got me relating to them in some way. Some that made me cry or laugh because of their interactions.

First of all Xia Zhi Guang, for those you who may not know him, I've known this guy existed like almost 6-7 years ago, because I watched X-Fire and then I also watched Produce 101 season 2 china version. I will have you know that if you watched him in any of these none of you will think of him as Ruan Nan Zhu. There was even a post about it on weibo that was questioning "How on earth did the directors and producers managed to see a Ruan Nan Zhu in Xia Zhi Guang? Cause I sure as hell didn't" and the proceeds to pulls up his past clips. I have seen him in these shows and his existence was practically invisible, guy has strong skills in dancing, but he didn't really stand out to me much. His acting here was amazing, from the occasionally drama queen to coolness and coldness of Ruan Nan Zhu. Of course, he is still a new actor and his acting isn't perfection, but I felt he really embodied Ruan Nan Zhu.

Huang Jun Jie should be consider as relatively experience actor, I have seen him in other works and can say that he act well in certain roles and sometimes his acting is not good. In here, while I wouldn't say this acting is phenomenal, I say he brought out the character Lin Qiu Shi, showed his growth and coldness as person, once he started adapting to the world of doors where you don't have time to worry about other people life or death when you have to manage to survive yourself.

Music:
Definitely not the best, tbh for a low budget drama, they did a pretty good job. I felt the team that worked on the music and background noises did a pretty good job of putting sounds at the appropriate timing to bring in the mood. Such as when something eerie was gonna happen or when Lin Qiu Shi/Ruan Nan Zhu felt something was off. I think the importance of the music/sound used in this drama really added to the element of it and made it easier for me to get more absorbed into the storyline and naturally feel scared. I almost didn't dare to even watch this at night time. However, there were 2 songs that stand out, the song for Lu Zuo Zi, which is still stuck in my head and did it creep me out the almost every time I heard it and I Know – 高佳依.

Rewatch Value:
I will definitely rewatch, the attention to detail in this drama is pretty insane and while I watched almost every episode without skipping anything. I feel like I missed some clues and I definitely will rewatch it, just because every arc and story is so engaging, I don't feel like watching it once is enough.

SPOILERS
Now below is where my review comes after the novel. It will contain a bit of spoiler towards the novel and the drama so read at your own risk. It is also comparison between 2 and how it affected my final rating. I will try to avoid major spoilers, but no guarantees.

First off compared to the drama, where it is based on a virtual world, the novel is more mystery based. The whole concept of the doors are actually different between the 2 and if you were watching the drama, im pretty sure there are a few plot holes that didn't make sense at all. Once you read the novel and the setting it will fall in to place. In the drama, Lin Qiu Shi is stuck in a virtual world where supposedly his "old friend" mailed him a game and unless he plans on stopping to play game entirely he can't avoid it. This concept actually doesn't really sound realistic and the only reason this reasoning works is because Lin Qiu Shi works with game designs (If I remember correctly). However infact, this concept of compelling people to play unless this person doesn't plan to play a video game at all doesn't work for all people. In the novel, the condition for doors to appear for a person is if they are approaching death whether it is an accident, murder, suicide or a terminal illness and the only way to prolong their life is through doors. So now the players don't really have a choice but to go through the doors, cause regardless they'll die and this also gives reason for people to cheat and play dirty. Also, the level of each persons door is heavily dependent on players performance, on their first door which is their test. So what determines the condition of their first door is how close they are approaching death, the closer they are to death, the higher the level.

The drama downplayed alot of the story and pretty much revamped alot of the concepts of the story, however it is still phenomenal on its own, though the novel is definitely the better one. In the drama, where Lin Qiu Shi was connecting with the NPCs and helping them resolve their stories, this did not happen in the novel at all. The novel was more gruesome, horrifying and gore. The door gods had feelings, but they didn't all have back stories, they simply just wanted to kill the players. It is definitely not for people who are scared of horrors or easily able to have nightmares. Reading this novel, I got a bit scared opening and closing doors, turning off the lights or even looking at myself in mirrors. For people afraid of gore, I don't think you'll be able to eat for awhile. Also, the novel had more arcs than the drama, but I believe due to budget problems, they couldn't cover it or possibility of censorship that they took them out. The drama did alter some of the arcs most likely due to the gruesome nature of the original story and to be honest great choice, cause if they kept it, this would have been classified as full on horror. They honestly did so good with the altering in stories, that I thought it was the original story until I read the novel. I won't speak into some specific details, because some are just way too gruesome. Also, there are certain drama plot holes that were explained in the novel, i'm not sure if they filmed and it was cut, or they just simply forgot about such small details.

Also, compared to the novel, the drama actually brought more interaction between the characters. In the novel, they were more like a few lines about each characters interactions with the main leads, while the drama really brought more of these interactions to life. Compared to the novel, I related more with all the characters in the drama since it was told from a more third person point of view, while I think the novel made it point that is from Lin Qiu Shi's POV, he really shouldn't get that close to people when there's a chance he might not see them again. Also, they changed a bit of the interactions between Ruan Nan Zhu and Lin Qiu Shi, which I'm sure everyone expects this due to the censorship. The writers tried their best to keep the lines, but took away some of Ruan Nan Zhu characteristics, which is he especially shameless to Lin Qiu Shi and loves teasing him alot, which doesn't show in the drama.

Overall, after reading the novel, I got to give this drama a solid 9, the novel in every arc there was new characters and zero repeats, but i'm pretty sure considering how low budget this drama was, there was no way they could hire that huge amount of people, especially when they got so much other small details and different sets they have to afford. The creation of this mysteries organization really saved this problem and explained why we would see some repeat characters. After reading the novel, I realized how many choices the director/producer/writers made to ensure this would be able to air and though this drama was only able to go online for 30 mins to an hour which is really sad. It really showed how much effort was put into this show. They really tried to reflect the drama each and every arc sets as realistic to the novel as possible and it was almost to perfection. When I was reading the novel, I had a clear image of how their surrounds would actually look like.

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this left me feeling a whole lot of things

This show had so so much potential, and for some of it, they really did a great job. For other things, they just flopped hard.

Jiushi is a game developer who stumbles across a VR game that's so much more than just a game and gets pulled into the world of 12 doors that you have to make your way through, each of them opening up into unique virtual universes with new life threatening challenges, and when you die in the game, you die in real life. When Jiushi goes into his first door, he meets Lanzhu, a master gamer who owns a company that takes other gamers through the doors.

The story is intriguing, it's a fresh spin on the real life VR trope, and the strange worlds that lie behind each of the doors are well thought out and incredibly creative. The main storyline though could have been SO much better. The main story line was veiled in so much mystery, I love not knowing what's going on and learning little bits as you go, but the reveals were lame! There were also psrts of the plot that didn't really make sense that just threw you for a loop and you just had to roll with it. I'm a sucker for a happy ending too, and I saw a lot of ways we could have had a satisfying ending, but this wasn't it. It was disappointing after staying with the story for so long, just for it to end and leave you feeling empty.

The acting was alright. Most of them were good actors, especially Xia Zhiguang who plays Lanzhu, he's amazing. There wasnt anyone terrible, but the guy who plays Jiushi wasnt a great actor, so it threw things off. These two could have had chemistry to kill for, some of their scenes you just sit there holding your breath, but the writers must have been scared towards the end since there's not much chemistry outside of the sad parts. I get it though, because ultimately the show was taken down, so sadly, their fear was justified.

Production value was great, the world graphics were mostly good quality,the music was awkward though? There was literally only actual music on what was supposed to be the romantic scenes, but it felt forced in there.

Overall I enjoyed this, but not nearly as much as I anticipated. It could have been amazing, and the ending just leaves you empty.

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It’s definitely worth your time.

I've been looking forward to this ever since I heard it would have a drama adaptation cause the novel is one of my favourite. I almost had a heart attack when I heard it was released ( for one hour). The drama did justice to the arcs and characters; the actors were perfectly cast and had great chemistry. However, they changed some things ( added some characters / removed some) and removed my favourite line, which made me a little upset. One thing I didn’t like was the change in the plot for the last doors. I was looking forward to seeing the plot twist from the novel, but because of censorship, they changed the concept to gaming, which also altered the plot twist. Nonetheless, the actors, actresses, and crew all did an excellent job. The songs were also great, and the script was very well done. I'm glad I lived long enough to watch this.

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For all the hype. Is it worthed?

Quite wonder about this drama, when everyone excited about this 'not supposed' to be aired drama. And after I've watched it. I must said I'm happy this magically aired... Haha....

A little shock about the ending & the plot twist. But for me this still one beautiful drama, so no matter what I can't give this drama a lower score...

U can say this drama about human brain, human psychology and friendship. But in the end this also about survival.

Ok. Now let's talk about drama...

This story about Ling Jiu Shi (JS) who got a VR beta game that's stop in the middle when he played. Wondering about the game, he insisted to search for the 'real' game, and no long after that there's someone mail the game to him. And with that his journey in the spirealm game started. And this game different than any other VR game. When u hurt in the game, u hurt in real life. And when u died, u'll died in real life to, the difference just the way u died in the game & real life is different.

In the game he met Ruan Lan Zhu (LZ), who turn out has a company that collected player to finished the game. His goal, to purify the game back to what it supposed to be, not the game where every player died & hurt, just simply a VR game, where every player can enjoy the game with no fear for their life.

In the game, JS met all kind of player. Like Li Dong Yuan, the other company owner who collected the player for the purpose of money, by guiding new player to avoid death. Or like Yan Ba Lang, the other company owner who collected the player for the purpose of master the game, to make the duplicate of the game. Or simply like Tan Zao Zao, a player that enter the game & just hoping to finished the game without she need to died.

Well no matter how fun or scary the game for the player, cause u know some sick people find this 'scary game' as fun, once u enter u must finished it. The way to finish the door or level only 2, by death or get the key. The game once a while (don't know the duration between the game) will called u in to enter another door and u have no way to avoid it.

Ok. That's a little summary about the game. Now let's discuss about what i like & don't like.

What i like:
+ The eye contact between JS & LZ. Oh so so long don't find the eye that talk about their feeling without any 'lust' behavior... The moment we saw that eye contact we know we watch hidden BL. And all that hidden or implicit dialogue... No wonder this has hard time aired from China government.
+ We can feel human selfishness when they face death. Or
+ The friendship that shape between the player. Especially in the Hei Yao Shi or LZ's company.
+ When u put genuine empathic/care for people, u get genuine feedback/friendship. Like when JS genuinely care to the NPC door guardian/spirit, they become his friends when needed.

What i don't too like:
- No matter how strong the eye contact between JS & LZ. I still hope this other countries production. Cause you know we still can hope to see some 'bed scene' or at least some kiss scene. Haha...
- No time stamp. We don't know how long it past from 1 game to another
- Sometimes so frustrated by how stupid JS was... Like how the game connected to him. I get maybe it's already long2 time not met up with his friend, but really how slow ur brain can be. Even I can already guess big picture who design the game...
- The ending or the plot twist. Ughhhh i almost smash my tab when they reveal the ending. I think I scream as long as the final episode to 'beg' the director not that cruel to us.... What is it do u ask? Hoho... I'm not that CRUEL OR CRAZY to put it here. U may message me for it.

Overall this really one unique drama that I'm glad out here for us to watch

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Sometimes bromance is better than bl

This review is from someone who has not read the novel nor new anything about this drama so I watched it casually and it was awesome . I saw the hype and decided to give it a try and it was worth it.
I have watched untamed word of honour and gurdian this was my 4th bl and it was amazing . The chemistry between the male lead was amazing it had an open ending you can take it as you want . I am glad they did not include kiss scene because Chinese people are so bad at kissing in dramas (if you have watched Chinese dramas you will know kissing scenes are not good but they manage to give so much intense chemistry) . Everything about this drama is awesome and I will patiently wait for other dramas. To be honest I like xianxia and wuxia themed danmei modern danmei are not my cup of tea I am still waiting for heavens official blessing drama 2ha and winner is king . Let's wait for other dramas . 10/10 recommend to everyone.

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AMAZING? AMAZING!

When I tell you how this took over my life and left me questioning what is real and what is not around me, I'm not kidding.

I went into the show, I did not expect to be watching a masterpiece. The acting, ost, plot, characters, everything was on point. The way Ruan Nanzhu looked so lovingly at Lingling was so cute. The way Ruan Nanzhu fell first but Lingling fell harder. All the doors were so interesting to watch and especially the 11th door.

The ending left me absolutely sobbing. You are telling me Lingling waited 50 years!?!?!? 50 years to recreate The Spirealm and have all his friends in that world and live with them. With the version of them that remembered him and loved him. He chose to live in the virtual world where the people he loved remembered him and their story and not the real world where they were alive but did not remember anything. How heartbreaking that part was to watch. Everyone was around him in his life but not in the way he wanted. And the most important person, the man he loved so so much was not there. So, he created the virtual game again, the 12th door of Lingling's happiness, entered that world to live there for the rest of his life with his husband and friends. Loved how the moment he and Ruan Nanzhu's hands touched, Lingling was back to the young age he was when they had first met. Now he could live with his husband for an eternity!

The concept of choosing which one would you want to live in? The Illusion of Life or the Reality of Death? It so perfectly went well with Lingling's story. He chose the Illusion of living with Ruan Nanzhu and his friends then live with the reality that Ruan Nanzhu, the NPC created for him did not even exist.

WATCH THE SHOW NOW!!!

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Magnum Opus! The total Package!

Yes, indeed I did watch this phenomenal series and, while not a gamer nor fully understanding much about the intricacies of this series, I treasured its theme and ambition. This series is breathtaking in its presentation, cinematography, storytelling, and acting. I was completely mesmerized and astonishingly could pretty much follow the gist of the story minus the minutiae and detailed storylines. Being a Westerner, I also got hopelessly entangled by the names and relationships of individuals. None of that mattered to me, however. My focus was on the two main protagonists and the heart of their story.
To say this series is unconventional would be an understatement. Interestingly, it was adapted from a BL, but it is NOT a BL. Is it romantic? Oh God, yes. It is beyond a bromance but certainly not a BL. It is in a category all by itself. The two leads, almost from the beginning, develop a strong and inseparable bond between each other that is unshakable. Early on there is a natural affinity between them and it does not take long for both to pledge fidelity to one other.
One of the best series of 2024! You can read my full review of this series at BLBliss.com.

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Amazing drama that will capture your heart

First of all, I admit that I haven't read the original novel. Actually I didn't know neither about the novel nor about the existence of its adaptation, just got very curious when all this story suddenly began in February... So I accepted the adaptation as a given and really enjoyed all its storyline and twists.

I first saw Huang Jun Jie as Zhang Qiling in DMBJ universe. Back then, watching Reunion: The Sound of the Providence, I thought that something was wrong with his role and realized: he does his best, of course, but this role isn't meant for him. It doesn't let him display his talent. But here in The Spirealm Huang Jun Jie truly shines! Perfect match. I totally loved his character's development, from being confused, unconfident, shy and a bit funny in the beginning to mature, confident and charming later. Ling Jiushi is kind, loyal and compassionate, and what I like most about him is that he doesn't harbour resentments. "I cherish what I have now".
Surely people already made a lot of comments about Ruan Lanzhu. Let me share my impression too :) Xia Zhi Guang performed such a complicated task brilliantly, I admire how he portrayed different sides of his character: mischievous, flirty, charismatic (and dangerous) behind the door, other times serious and (seemingly) indifferent, and his soft side meant for Ling Jiushi alone. And their wonderful bond. How this relationship changed them both. I don't mind the absence of frank confessions, because all is so crystal clear! To tell the most important things without words, just with those affectionate gazes, full of love and caring, that's beautiful. This is what art is.
The whole story is engaging and I would even say, addictive! I felt comfortable with the plot structure, foretasting every new adventure in the world of doors. All arcs were carefully written, characters, visuals, music, all is good. And personally I accept the ending.
Will I rewatch? Definitely yes! No goodbyes. Just see you later...

I wrote this review almost two months after completing the drama. Still can't let go.

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I'll take Episode 77 as my ending. PS: WOW I LOVED IT [9.9/10]

ᴍʏ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ ꜱʏꜱᴛᴇᴍ: 10 = [ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴛ, ɴᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴀɪɴᴛꜱ, ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴏᴘɪɴɪᴏɴ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ 'ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ', ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʀᴇᴄᴄ ɪᴛ]

I'll take Episode 77 as my ending (or ignore the last 8 min of episode 38 in the new format)
It was really thoroughly enjoyable, I loved it. Everything from the acting to the complex plot of the game levels to the music. Def rewatchable for me, I'm already rewatching it with someone.
As for the GOOD, it was actually GREAT, and there wasn't anything BAD in this.

I've rounded it up to a 10 rating because I've come to terms with the ending.
But my non-MDL rating remains 9.8 because, while I love ambiguous endings, I think endings to stories where you end up having to wonder if EVERYTHING you saw in the series was meant to be real or just the MC's dream/imagination, is just lazy writing. These kinds of endings would honestly generally raze any and all feelings I had for the show under normal circumstances.

That said, even after finding out that Lanzhu was an NPC, I found myself still entirely invested in discovering the outcome, I wasn't actually irritated at all, and quite outstandingly, I enjoyed the subsequent episodes as much as all the previous ones. I was surprised by this, because generally out of sheer irritation, I'd drop a show that springs the nonsense on me of a very VERY important MC not even being real three quarter way through a series (this long too). But I didn't want to drop this because I was really interested and invested in the plot and characters and after finishing it, I can honestly say don't regret anything I felt or thought while watching this, and it's very, very rare that I shed tears watching a show, but I did for this, so I'll give it a 10 to round up, but if MDL allowed, it'd be a 9.9.
Overall, I'm walking away satisfied.

Also, I choose to consider the mini episode of 78 optional because I think it was unnecessary, especially since 77 was far more solid as an ending for this series. 77 ended on a much, much more engaging, strong and ambiguously positive note.
So for me, Ep 77 was the close of this series.

HIGHLIGHTS:
- Too many to mention all of them, but I enjoyed the Sanatorium Door and the Box Master Door SO MUCH and I love the ost song The Door by Xia ZhiGuang.

As for the BL aspect. The censorship is hella obvious, we're all too familiar with it now in Chinese BL's, it's always so clear, what with how the ML's don't even so much as hug each other even when they're emotionally staggering specifically because of something going on between them, but they're touchy feely with everyone else 🤣 This is as common and unrealistic as ever. BUT the emotionally charged conversations between Lanzhu and JiuShi are SOMETHING ELSE. Really. As well as some of the scenes in which the way LanZhu looks at JiuShi is very intense. There is a quality to those moments that carries beyond the censorship. This show definitely goes beyond bromance, their feelings for each other, especially Lanshu's from very early on, is pretty obvious and only become more obvious as the show goes on.

I always briefly think it'd be great to see these shows redone without censorship, perhaps not by China, I thought the same thing about The Untamed a long time ago. But then I realize I don't ever want to see characters like Lan WangJi, Ruan NanZhu, Wei WuXian and Lin QuiShi played by any other person other than the actors in the Chinese version, and I quickly forget about that idea. When casting is perfect, it's perfect, it is what it is.

Edit: After finishing the novel and I gotta say, the ending of the book is 11/10.
That said, where I usually think the original is best, honestly, I'd say I prefer the series in more ways than the book.
Comparing the two;

Book preferences-
The Ending
Some of the door events and conclusions
The relationship (BL) duh

Series preferences-
Basically everything else
I even prefer the characterization changes and choices in the series when compared to the book, which almost never happens for me. What they did with the series actually added gravity and a lot of emotion to the plot that I didn't feel reading the novel.

Also, imo, I don't think this is bromance at all. I've always taken that label on Chinese BL's with a grain of salt, we know the original is not bromance and they basically HAVE to call it that, it's almost like a bad joke.

So, yeah, whether you like BL or not, I would recc it!

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"Welcome to the World of Doors"

Did you know? The Spirealm became a saving grace for those of us who truly cherish Chinese BL and bromance stories. Shortly after its release, it was pulled from iQIYI, vanishing within an hour. But then, as if by fate, a devoted fan came to the rescue, sharing the raw footage through Google Drive. It was like a gift we never expected, reviving something that could have been lost forever. And every episode that followed, with its fan-made subtitles, felt like a small miracle, allowing this beautiful story to reach those who truly love and appreciate it.

I’ve watched it three times already. The first time was the very day it broadcast on iQIYI. But as fate would have it, there were no English subtitles because the platform took it down within the hour. Luckily, one dedicated fan had downloaded the raw episodes just in time. That’s when the real adventure began. I remember a fan on Twitter who, out of pure passion, made subtitles for every episode and uploaded them to a shared Google Drive. Every day, fans like me waited eagerly for the next episode, the next translation. Some tried using AI-generated subtitles, but those never quite captured the nuances.

The second time I watched it on Viu, where I finally got to enjoy a decent set of subtitles that captured the story so much better. And then there was the third time—this time, it was Filipino-dubbed and uploaded on Viu. Hearing the characters speak in my own language made the experience feel fresh and even more personal.

There’s something about The Spirealm that keeps drawing me back. It’s more than just the story itself; it’s the whole journey, from the raw, fan-subbed episodes to seeing it officially dubbed. This series has become a part of me in ways I never expected.

Looking back, I realize how dedicated I’ve been. I’ve been a fan since day one, long before it gained the attention it has now. Back then, it felt like a secret treasure shared by only a few of us who stumbled upon it first. Watching this series again and again isn’t just about the story; it’s about reliving that experience—the anticipation, the community, the thrill of finding something special before the world caught on.

The Spirealm may have faced challenges, but for those of us who love it, it remains a precious reminder that some stories find their way to the right people, no matter the obstacles.

I don't want you to spoil anything about the story but I want you to meet Ling Jiushi and Ruan Lanzhu, who will guide you through a world of mysterious doors. Each door reveals new connections, hidden challenges, and a story that pulls you in with heart and courage. Step through the first door—there’s a journey waiting just for you.

Welcome to the world of doors!

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Find Your Happiness to The End of The World

Kaleidoscope of Death

I know this book but haven't read it because of the horror elements, but super curious to watch it because of the 'accidentaly uploaded the whole 78 episodes' that I read about.

It was really a great series.
Funny, scary, sad, happy moments all through the series and also the bittersweet ending.

Damn... China really has their own way to create such a wonderful series.

Had it not been banned, I believe they would have created such wonderful BL series that would give such a crazy emotional turbulence to us.

The chemistry is great, LJS and RNZ were not the typical lovey-dovey pair but they had a deep emotional bond that reflected through their words and actions.

The deep gazes, the smiles, silly words and remarks.

Even without the sugar-coating romantic sentences or sexual physical contacts, we can see that they love and care about each other.

Everything is wonderful, I'm really grateful for those who managed to download the whole 78 episodes and willing to share it to the world.

The message that I got after watching it is that, never give up on reaching/creating our own happiness and be with our loved ones.

Definitely worth to watch and re-watch as many times as you like.

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