Extraordinary storyline and great acting
Prepare to get your heart broken into million pieces and your mind baffled at the fantasy world. If you are looking for fantasy, great games and riddles mysteries to solve, thrill and most importantly amazing bromance. This is for you.The phenomenal idea of making a VR game which allows you to pass doors but makes the dangers real is so well done. The game is upgraded jumanji with technology. Each gate mystery is excellent and the way leads are smart and handle them is a delight to watch.
The show stealer is the chemistry though. Ruan Lanzhu and Lingling dont even hug but every hidden glances, nuances in their conversation and promises made to each other is more than a kiss or hug could convey. And Ruan is sooo damn transparent with his emotions that you will swoon.
Watch it!!! Or you will regret missing out on a great creation.
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Great Horror Series
This was a great horror series and also one of the best series of 2024 for cdramas. Even though this show was only allowed to be aired on international platforms due to source material being a BL, I hope that cdramas are able to make more horror style shows such as this in this future. This is a highly recommended.The Good
Strong plot! The show executed the horror theme very well and kept things engaging throughout. It didn't have any boring plots or stories in the doors throughout for me. Production was decent for a modern drama and the OST was nice. The highlight of the show were definitely the relationships between each character and the connections they formed with each other. The acting was also decent and everybody played their character well. Each of the characters were also interesting throughout the series. I appreciated that romance wasn't the main focus of this story as it is with most cdramas. It's nice to watch something different sometimes. I loved that focus of the story was on the doors. They rarely deviated from the main plot of the story with subplots which kept our attention on what mattered most in this show.
The Bad
A couple of loose ends that never was handled such as Ling Jiushi's friend still being shrouded in mystery. The last 20 minutes of the last episode fell a little flat for me but I assume it was to pass censorship. Wish ed it could have wrapped it up stronger. Would have liked to see a little more world building and character backstory for some of the other characters but was satisfied with the overall focus being on what was happening in the doors.
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Refreshing
Just to preface, this is a very censored adaptation of a BL novel, you will barely even see the main “couple” touching each other, although it is clear that the relationship between them can be seen as a bit more than bromance by the way they talk with eachother.The whole series keeps you captivated every single episode.
If you’re a liver of Sci-fi, horror and games, this is the series for you.
You’re supposed to feel emotional during this series so expect to laugh and cry hysterically.
The ending is bittersweet, it’s not anything you would expect (unless you’re like me and read the spoilers before watching).
Honestly it’s one of the only series that I actually listened to the opening, everything about it was beautiful and sentimental.
The opening song is a big clue as to what happens
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This review may contain spoilers
Censorship Doesn't Dim the Romance in this One!
Yes, indeed I did watch this phenomenal series and, while not a gamer nor 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.
https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/10/11/the-spirealm-series-review-ep-1-to-78/
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A Thrilling Journey Through Virtual Reality and High-Stakes Drama
This series has captured my mind due to the excellence in weaving a storyline that is so exhilarating and engaging that you can’t help but to binge watch and hope to see more of it. Using the medium of virtual games (a term used loosely here) and multiple short plotlines while building a central mystery creates an intriguing and enjoyable viewing experience.The story centres around a virtual game that has manifested in the real world. Players are forced to engage in this sadistic, high-stakes game, where losing means death in the real world. Our protagonist, Lin Jui Shi, finds himself trapped in this world, and Ruan Lan Zhu comes to his rescue. Together, they work to unravel the mystery behind the game while trying to survive.
The game involves entering doors and encountering different scenarios each time, based on urban legends. The series excels in creating an atmosphere of dread and mystery, with each storyline being unique. It's fascinating to see the characters navigate the game, interact with NPCs, and decipher clues to escape safely. However, the series delivers a not-so-subtle message about the greed of capitalism. The game, designed by a Chinese developer in America, is manipulated by greedy capitalists to make more money. Our protagonists must solve the riddle, fix the game, and save the world from capitalism—a theme that is a bit on the nose.
What truly sets this series apart are the characters. Beyond the two main characters, the rest of the cast delivers outstanding performances. The story is rich with emotion, and viewers will often find themselves sympathizing with the characters, saddened by their predicaments, and moved by their losses. A compelling storyline is bolstered by exceptional acting.
However, the series is not without its faults. The game world is poorly explained, and viewers are expected to go with the flow. There is no clear understanding of how altering the game's code causes it to affect the real world. Questions arise, such as why players who die in the game die in real life, how the game can be corrected by simply winning all the doors, and why the game can't be re-released by the greedy capitalists even after it's been fixed, rendering the protagonists' efforts potentially futile.
In conclusion, despite many unanswered questions, "The Spirealm" is a great watch due to its amazing storyline and stellar acting. Additionally, the series contains very limited BL scenes or dialogues, primarily portraying the main characters as very good friends.
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One of the great bromances however...
I loved watching spirealm! I loved the bromance, the stories, the characters and the cast in general was great! Even though the show doesn't follow the novel ending, it is still a satisfying ending considering censorship.However, I have had one big problem with this show and it was Huang Junjie's acting. In my opinion, he failed to show some emotions and in some scenes his acting was pretty awkward. So while the bromance in general carried the show, the emotions were mostly seen from Xia ZhiGuang. Huang Junjie's ling ling had the same angry face, crying face, thinking face, he just squinted his eyes and that's it. And in some of the scenes where he was supposed to act surprised seemed exaggerated. This took out some fun from his character but otherwise the show was really good 👍
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This review may contain spoilers
Welcome to the world inside the doors...
(CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILER WARNING)Wow... after finishing this drama I genuinely had to stare at the wall for 10 minutes to process what just happened.
The Spirealm... a drama that left me in awe. Every world inside the door had amazing characters and storytelling, and not a single boring episode; the number of plot twists and tension during scenes had my full engagement throughout the show. Personally, my favourite door was the 5th door (Sako door), I loved the story behind everything that happened and how the horror elements were executed so well.
However, I thought that the ending was kind of unsatisfactory. Although it was an open-ending, I thought they could of cleared up some misunderstandings towards it (e.g. was it a dream or did it really happen in virtual reality?) but other than that, I love all the characters and the pacing of the drama. I think this is one of the few shows that will hold a special place in my heart, despite the minor flaws. I just loved this drama so much from start to finish.
Overall 9.5/10
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This review may contain spoilers
WOW! The first bromance drama after Chinese government's ban.
After a year of hearing about the Chinese government's ban on bromance dramas or BL novel adaptations, I'm glad we finally got to see this beautiful bromance drama from mainland China in 2024.I still remember when this drama first aired—it had a rating of only 7.8. But now? It's 8.9! MDL ratings don't lie.
For me, if a drama has more than 8.0, it's enough to get me hooked.
Ruan Lanzhu—he’s incredibly talented. Just because of his acting in this drama, I totally adore him now.
Every time I see him with Ling Jiushi, it makes me happy. Their chemistry reminds me of Lan Zhan and Wei Ying (The Untamed vibes!).
Sometimes I just wanted to slap Ling Jiushi—he’s so slow at picking up hints from Ruan Lanzhu. Haha!
Ruan Lanzhu’s gestures every time he looks at Ling Jiushi… they seriously made me feel shy!
Li Dong Yuan is also great—his acting is good and he’s hilarious. I want to see him in more bromance dramas too.
The OST is very good and easy to listen to.
But yes, the drama itself is a bit creepy—and the songs make it even creepier! I watched it at midnight… still acceptable though. Haha!
Spoiler alert—what I didn’t like was finding out that Ruan Lanzhu isn’t human.
I’m sorry for spoiling it, but I really felt Ling Jiushi’s pain—his sadness and disappointment when he knew that Ruan Lanzhu was just a creation of a virtual world.
Their bond was so strong, but in the end, they had to say goodbye because they came from different worlds.
Thankfully, it still has a happy ending, even though the final episode felt a bit too short.
They met again after a decade—Ling Jiushi created a virtual world game just so he could see his friend, Ruan Lanzhu, again. And Ruan Lanzhu lives on in that virtual world.
I really hope there will be a Season 2 with the same cast. I still remember them so clearly.
Highly recommended!
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This review may contain spoilers
So amazing
Absolutely loved this drama finished within about 4 days. Episodes are short enough that you don’t get bored and long enough to feel like your actually watching an episode not a clip. Recommend to people who especially like supernatural elements and censored bl. Honestly one of the best chinese dramas i have watched (which is a lot) and is up there with the untamed, word of honour and killer and healer. It has no romance per say but the way the main leads act together is a chefs kiss. Definitely a tear jerker.Was this review helpful to you?
Ruan Nanzhu x Lin Jiushi ... my ship sailing XD
Story in the beginning very great. But the end of story made my heart so broken, seeing separation between Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Jiushi after they passed 12th door ... they meet again after Lin Jiushi already became old man. It's so sweet but felt so sad. I loved the way Ruan Nanzhu tease Lin Jiushi and ask him to protect him, seem so cuteyWas this review helpful to you?
makes you completely obsessed
There is no comparison at all
Extremely Beautiful
Mesmerizing
Exquisite
Masterpiece
Stunning
Stupendous
My words can't described its beauty. This is the masterpiece.
Bromance god censored just because of its⚗️🧪🌋 Chemistry
I just forgot the time.
Watching it day and night
already completed 58 episodes....
Insane level of chemistry ,visual....You know that🔥I don't need to say , 🫠🫠🫠🫠
Why Chinese government is so cruel to take down this masterpiece..... This can break all the BL records 💯🔥 without any doubt
Let's support the actors and series as they deserve highest
You can get Correct 💯 translation from Bilibili platform under retro fiction. They are updating every day and completed 58 episodes also
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