The Spirealm

definitely entertaining but the lore collapses in on itself in the final stretch

Where to begin? Like I say in the headline, I can't make sense of the lore. There's a lot I don't want to spoil from the last few doors, so I can't bring up most of the inconsistencies, but let me give an example of the least spoiler-y one. It's established very early on that death in the VR game = death in real life and violating a taboo condition means the Door God will kill you. The Door Gods are (typically) presented as unkillable, and in multiple doors a person is either immediately killed by the Door God after violating the condition, or a supernatural force ensures their death (i.e. the Sunny Dolls door). So when Ling Jiushi accidentally breaks his egg in the Fitcher's Bird door (second door challenge), why does the Door God just give up after one failed attempt at killing him? Two other people have already died in that door for violating the same taboo condition and they are killed minutes after their eggs break, but the Door God doesn't attack Ling Jiushi until he's sleeping (the egg was damaged a while before) and then he just gives up after one attempt at stabbing him?? Huh? Like multiple days pass after Ling Jiushi's egg breaks, and he gets out of that door unscathed. It doesn't make sense to me.

Then there's also the misogyny - the majority of women we meet are Door Gods (aka antagonists) where basically all we know about them is how much they have suffered, and then there are three women who I would consider prominent characters. One of them is Xia Jie, a one dimensional villain who's set up to be this huge threat but then she's following orders from the male antagonist of the show so it's not even like she's the one making these elaborate plans to try to get the upper hand against Obsidian, and while she is ruthless and absolutely willing to sacrifice other players for her goals, we never actually see her use violence which makes it hard for me to view her as an actual danger. Then there's Zhuang Rujiao who mostly exists to be incessantly mocked by Ruan Lanzhu and to pine after Li Dongyuan. And then there's my favorite character Tan Zaozao - when we first meet her, she's there to be comedic relief and throughout the show there are A LOT of jokes at her expense because she's "stupid", but she actually becomes a fairly well rounded character as we see her complete more door challenges, but then episode 60... iykyk. That episode is actually when I basically stopped having fun with the show and I just felt really worn out watching the remaining 18 episodes.

All that being said though, the show doesn't pull punches when it wants to emotionally devastate you. The character dynamics are really good and whenever there's a blow to the team, you feel it. If you care more about a narrative successfully hitting emotional beats than you do about logic, you'll enjoy this. It's also very gay for a censored cdrama, so if that's your main interest, you'll probably enjoy the show in that regard as well.

(Also, I do think the final two episodes fumbled the ending but that also kinda ties into my complaints about inconsistencies.)

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If you don't wanna wach it, watch it for last few episodes. It's worth it.

My headline says it all.

Oh my goodness..it left me with tonnes of surprises at the end. In the last few episodes, i racked the hell out of my brain. Even i myself was struggling which is reality and which one is vitrtuality, let alone ling jiushi. Till ep 70, i didn't liked it much, thought of dropping it many times because they were just passing doors with new scenario each time and nothing new could be found, but thank god i didn't. Very last 5-6 eps are the essence. The 11th door just took my heart away. Each and every character got straight into my heary especially qianli and li dongyuan. And guys, stop spreading rumors of bromance, i couldn't see even a pinch of bromance, it was all about pure friendship.

Ofcourse not to forget, there were some loopholes in the story, wasn't flawless for sure but that's somewhat understandable where you are going all into the doors of mysteries and supernatural things.

1st surprise attack was when they revealed that zhu meng actually is the NPC, that was a major reveal. And another shock was all of those mystery doors were just a dream of ling juishi. I was literally shocked.

And then seeing each and every character fit and fine around him was such a relief. I was screaming hard out of happiness. Last episodes left me with emptiness, because i really was missing their friendship now. But to my disappointment, they were all strangers in reality but thankfully all were alive and healthy. And the very last scene of all them being together again in spirealm was kinda potion booster.

Guys if you wanna watch, go for it..
And even if you don't wanna wach it, watch it for last few episodes.
It's worth it.

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Wonderful, emotional, and just beautiful (except the ending haha)

If anyone's read the novel before going into the series, they would surely have high expectations, and I certainly did too. I was not disappointed in the least, the plot, the mystery, the acting were all just executed to perfection. I love the cast, and they all suit their characters really well.

I felt that I was really able to develop such a deep bond with so many different characters, and in such a short time, which is something even the best TV series don't always manage to achieve. RNZ and LJS are adorable, and they give off such obvious lovey-dovey vibes i keep squeeling and kicking my legs everytime they're together.

As someone who extremely hates watching any visually scary / even the tiniest bit of horror, I love that while the story is one of horror mystery, they somehow managed to make it not that horrifying, and most of the time I actually felt it to be slightly comedic. I was really glad the director took into consideration scaredy-cats like me.

Finally, the ending. This was the only reason I had to take the .5 off that 10/10. The ending was a tad chaotic, unexplainable, not understandable, and slightly sad. There were many things that I failed to understand, but ultimately if I switched my brain off, I still enjoyed the very last few scenes of melancholic happiness.

Ps - to novel readers: the ending is quite different than that in the novel, and definitely not as happy i would say, since the series left the ending quite open-ended

PPS - to all international fans out there, I actually feel so bad for you since the subs are probably not that easy to understand (or not understandable at all haha)

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escape rooms in fantasy of life and death virtual game..

basically just watch the drama, for my interpretation of the storyline... with the guessing words from not accurate/auto generated subtitles.. just for reminder sake of comfortable watching, i do put a mindset for this drama that to just follow the flow of the drama, don't expect too much, and have a funtasy virtual journey through the end, it's really worth my time, because i couldn't stop watching the drama till the end of episode.

1st episode i'm hook up for the RPG storyline, any dramas about RPG in beautiful scenery always added to my list to watch.. that's what i thought at first... then, unbelievably it's a horror one, and to added it to my surprise it's a spooky and gory one, i do horror but not the spooky-gory kind (such as "sell your haunted house"), so i'm a bit hesitant to continue at first, but after 2nd episode, i get my nerved tone down for the mystery of each door to solve, i like the solving cases storyline, so i can't stop continue watching them even in night time..
yep it's no draggy storyline, but yet a bit fast pace, i couldn't get too much attached emotionally, even when there're deaths of the support characters, i couldn't get the sadness about them, i just thought it's part of the game which is required to, after all it's a life and death virtual game.
for me, every solving cases storyline just need decent ending, and this drama is one of them, i don't expect much to have it a happy or sad ending, just enough for my logic to have the resolve ending.
and good BGM made me hook up through all the storyline.

both Main Lead characters Ruan Lan Zhu and Ling Jiu Shi give a superb chemistry, in gestures and eyes telling, they're so in sync in mind too, the calmness and knowing what to do from both ML, made the drama enjoyable to follow through the end, no fussy scenes from them, i always love the pair of Introvert characters, so comfortable to watch.. i love the early attitude from RLZ for his sassy and love to tease LJS, through gestures, eyes and words ("what's yours are mine, what's mine still be mine", keep me laughing hearing this sassy remarks), but it's getting lesser from the middle to the ending, a bit disappointed actually though, LJS still the same but a bit upgrade from too oblivious to a bit quick to catch RLZ rephrase.
and i prefer with RLZ's hair style of the 1st episode with his bangs down, soo real RPG character, breathtaking, lol..
i love BL storyline, but this drama not enough to be categorized as BL one IMO, just Bromance, because the storyline didn't focusing about their feeling, just a gesture here and there, not too emotionally attached storyline about them ("Untamed" were more for the romance than here), again IMO.

Re-watch the drama only when i miss RLZ, it's too spooky and gory for my nerve, just for a day-watch, not recommended at night-watch, if you don't have a strong nerve as me, lol.
well, just a tiny wish-of-thoughts about the whole set of story, it'll be really awesome feeling if it's actually done as the novel set of nuance that it's a real door, not just a virtual game, ayy just a bit imagining thoughts whether it'll feel different when i know it's not just game-set storyline, hehe, the drama already awesome as it is.

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Loved watching it.. Must recommended drana

The character development of all the characters was so good... I mean the vfx, acting, story plot everything was so good im just obsessed with this drama and even though they got kinda sad ending but the overall chemistry btw them was so nicee.. At the starting drama was full of horror but coming to last eps it was sad & literally hurt my soul & my heart aches whenever i think abt ending and lingling Ruan.. My lingling baby deserved a very happy ending though... He was so kind & polite.... My baby deserved to be loved as the same way he loves everyone but unfortunately the fate was so cruel.. But im happy that atleast his frnds were alive.. Even though they forget him but at least they lived their lives to fullest.. This drama lives in my heart rent free and if you've not watched this drama yet you're missing out best drama so watch it.. Hope this review helped you guys out.... But moreover i wrote everything i felt after watching this drama

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HONEST REVIEW(opinion)!!

this sentence is the only thing you can experience in this cdrama and that is "a roller coaster" ,im talking worries, sorrows , sadness and anger ,and a whole bunch of stuff that you could imagine .you can never drop this man, YOU JUST CANT. ITS TOO GOOD ,I WRITING THIS AND IM CRYING CAUSE I JUST FINISHED IT [T-T]. umm if you see this and just about to watch it. GOODLUCK . at first you might experience some turbulence throughout of the first episodes but TRUST ME!! it will get better and the characters are so cute and handsome Im sure your gonna love them so much that'll you'll also cry when you finished this drama so thats a plus points for them being cuties!! thats about it fighting!!

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Exceeds expectations

CAST
Both MLs are, in my opinion, insanely good looking, so I might not be objective, when I also praise their acting. They had a difficult task to show to us, viewers, that they are lovers, and at the same time to show the communist censors that they are just friends. They don't get to have much physical contact, so they are limited to the way they look at each other or the tone of voice, but with those limited means, they did a great job. Another great actor was the one cast as twins - he managed to create two characters of not only separate, but actually opposite personalities, one - lovable, the other - not so much. This must have been difficult too, and again, executed just perfectly.
MUSIC mostly matched the mood, but, as is often a problem in Asian dramas, sometimes was too invasive.
STORY
Here start spoilers!
***
At first, I thought that there would not be much of a plot outside of the game itself, but I didn't really mind. Each of the "doors", or levels of the game, had its own story, interestingly told, visually pleasing and emotionally moving. The actual premise seemed absurd: there is a game that kills people, some gamers can magically play it as a team and earn money, and when the MLs complete this game, it will be purged of evil, brought about, obviously, by the US (censors bless us!). Therefore, I just resigned to the idea that this show would be guilty pleasure - stupid but fun. The ending changed my perception completely!
This drama tells a story of a person, who was so lonely that he hallucinated a whole universum where he has love and friendship. People, who he saw around him and knew their names but never dared to talk to, in his hallucinations became teammates for life or foes to death. As for love - apparently, he never even fantasised about loving someone real, so he completely invented his lover without basing him on an existing person. His real-life friend, with whom he reportedly planned to create a game, turned out to be just one of his school colleagues, who he wasn't close to at all - he didn't even know what studies that guy had taken up and couldn't recall his face - the character in the hallucinations always wore a hood.
When he woke up after this imaginary experience of closeness and affection, he didn't even try to change and to be more outgoing, so that he could find closeness in real world. No, instead he dedicated his life to recreating his hallucinations in the form of a VR game. Gives you food for thought, gives you a picture of how secluded modern people are. Breaks your heart.
***
Here end spoilers.
To sum up, this show goes way beyond a gaming drama or a censored BL. It tackles real problems faced by all too many people in the modern world. I strongly recommend it.

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Best Chinese BL (censored) I've ever seen !

What a ride! This kind of mystery/detective games are just my type, I enjoyed this series so much. They all had their happy ending. The game has been purified, those who were dead in the game are now happily living in the real life & Jiushi is finally going to the love of his life & the virtual world, where he belongs! The plot was well executed & enjoyable. The leads are perfect for this series & their bROMANCE is chef's kiss; give it a shot, you won't be disappointed. And I'll love to see (actually manifesting) Xia Zhi Guang & Huang Jun Jie in another BL/bROMANCE series in future :) [I actually found 3-4 little plotholes (basically unanswered questions) but that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch this] Sako & box demon's cases are my favourite. Try reading the novel in your free time, you'll thank me later :) [especially if you wanted to see Baijie so bad like me]

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Amazing drama...

One of the best dramas I have seen. I loved it really much. The plot, the acting, action scenes, the effects everything is perfect. It deserves to be the best drama. I want it to become a big success. If you really love games, thriller, mystery, bromance, friendship you guys will really love it too...

Don't think about the ending it's bittersweet but really worth watching. Don't avoid the drama because of people saying it would have sad ending, but don't fall for it. The way they portrayed friendship, love, trust, it really made me cry in the last few episodes. I would definitely rewatch it and would recommend my friends to watch it.

The chemistry between the male leads was awesome to the core 💯. I would really love to see them working together in many projects. Every character has played their role perfectly.

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