The Spirealm

I love you spirealm

I lovveeeeee The Spirealm. Having watched it before there were proper subtitles and read the webnovel it's based on (Kaleidoscope of death) I think they were able to make an incredibly world come to life, with storytelling that went beyond even the need for language some times!

To begin with, there were a lot of changes made between the original novel and the drama. Maybe controversial but I actually like The Spirealm better than KOD. There is a lot more elaboration in the drama on the stories in the doors, making them the focus rather than the character, and the ending is arguably more coherent. Though there were some doors I wish they had included, I think all the decision made in adapting it to a live-action made sense and were, for the most part, for the better. I understand that censorship forced it to be a "bromance" rather than a romance but mannnn there was a reason it was forced off 2 hours after it originally dropped.

Acting: The acting in the show was probably the weakest part of it, which is saying something because it was still very good. Xia Zhiguang was so good as Ruan Lanzhu it made me forget he is an enemy of mine (in r1se). He perfectly embodied the character as someone who is both mischievous but also clearly very powerful and smart. He nails the subtleties in switching between RLZ in-doors and RLZ out of doors. The chemistry between him and Huang Junjie as Ling Jiushi, read as romantic or platonic, was fantastic. They work seamlessly as partners and their emotional moments are deeply touching because you really believe how much they care for each other. While Huang Junjie is not the best in the show he plays LJS well, clearly getting better in the role as the show goes on and he is allowed to be more jaded and emotional. Most of the side characters hold up just as well against the main pair, with even the door NPCs doing a solid job. Liu Ruogu absolutely kills it in the dual role as 2 very different people and carries his emotional scenes.

Characters: I love you Ruan Lanzhu, one of the greatest to ever do it. A deeply complex character who has mysterious motivations and seemingly multiple personalities. He is a joy to watch and try to figure out and also is just really cool. LJS is a refreshing foil to him, much more straightforward of a character and much more reliable in who he is. Its a key point in his personality that he is essentially unchanging but how his character is able to subtly develop in the show adds to the depth. Almost every character is given a personality and motivation for why they are the way they are, even side characters that are killed off. It makes the world of the show so rich and really lets you connect with every character. The re-occuring characters are such a delight, there is someone for everyone as they are all very different and interesting (Tan Zaozao my love) and all serve a different purpose.

Visuals: I think this show is near perfect in terms of visuals. The use of practical sets and props plays a massive role in this. They kept most of the doors very limited in their space but they were all so beautifully designed it didn't feel trapped. You could feel the wealth of these worlds in the set designs. Yes there was some cheesy CGI but I don't think there was any world in which there wasn't considering its a show with supernatural elements. The door masters were also really well done. Keeping them more visually simple meant that the little things that made them inhumane were striking. Directing was also spot on, there was nothing i noticed that stood out in a bad way which is very rare for such an elaborate show.

Storyline: Like I said, I actually like the drama better than the novel because the drama took more time to add to the stories in the doors. By giving more thought into the doors they were much more engaging and allowed the characters in them to develop in a way that showed, not told, us the audience they were developing. I also really liked the mysteries, they were fun and left hints along the way so you were able to start guessing the mystery along with the characters. The story gave the audience time to understand what was going on rather than forcing the plot too fast. While there were obviously things that could never be guessed by the audience I don't think there was any door you couldn't engage with even a little. There was also a good balance with the overall plot (beating the game/finding out why it involved LJS friend) and each of the subplots in the doors. For as much as it is an action/mystery show, the heart of the story is how the characters connect with one another. The emotional beats are strong and feel justified. Making the doors a game and some sort of Chinese national pride thing is pretty funny but it doesn't take anything away from the show in the end so its whatever.

I once said The Spirealm was a bad adaptation but a better show for it and I still believe that! I personally love this show and have rewatched multiple times so I cannot recommend it enough!

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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 8.5, it's enough to get me hooked & curious.

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, this 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 series tryes to be more than fanservice, but mostly failed

I did not read the BL Novel, so I´m no insider. But I am very familiar with the genre. In the past few years there where a couple of shows that tryed to make a interesting series, that´s more than adapted fanservice. The best example from China for a BL service turned into a Bromance Series is the Untamed.
The Spirealm tried very hard. But vital elements that would explain the universe inside the series where missing. So without haven´t read the book it´s hard or imposible to understand many parts. If you have to google to understand, while the content inside the series and the plotholes overexplain the riddles and puzzles inside the doors. The viewer feels stupid and simutaniously are there missing vital information.
And I know because I researched, that it had nothing to do with the BL part, that was cut out.
I understand, that the series was banned in China, probably because of the virtual reality part, wich is very imaginative.

Story: I enjoyed the idea of the escape room game turned into a series. Sadly the story wasn´t always explained much. some characters were cut short, some information about the universe were missing. (example: why and how long do they have to wait for the next door?) 7/10
Acting/Cast: Very young actors need more experience. Sometimes flat emotions. They obviously tried and you could feel the effort. 7/10
Music: Did not fit a horror themed drama. Only one sad song that I liked, but I did not like the rest. 6/10
Rewatch Value: None for me 5/10

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I actually knew a little about it from my sister and a friend who recommended it to us in the BL group as an amazing bromance. I said to myself why not and I don't regret it. I was afraid that I wouldn't enjoy it and that it wouldn't be that well-made, but I was afraid for nothing. The cast was legendary and so was the acting of the actors, who were mega skilled. The whole idea of the story was original and I really liked it. The same processing. I would never have thought in my life that the Chinese could do something like this, just wow. I cried several times there and I'm honestly still crying because the ending completely got to me. First of all, how it ended and secondly, that it ended. If I could, I would like to see it again for the first time. This is such a masterpiece that deserves more attention! I recommend it endlessly. Believe me, you won't be disappointed, because it will grab you right from the start and you won't want to take your eyes off it! And to be honest? I haven't seen such a nice series like the Spirealm in a long time and it has to be stopped. I really applaud everyone who participated in the series, I'm going to cry again that it's over. I miss everyone already, oh yeah.

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This censored bl suppressed (all bl drama industries) there are so many dramas and very few are interesting but this drama is at another level. It makes you feel a different Level of feeling ❤️‍🔥☄️☄️and emotions
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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I am blown away!

If you’re unsure about watching the show or not, I cannot recommend it enough. From the first episode till the last this show was brilliant. I personally didn’t find a single moment boring and I absolutely loved the acting and the chemistry between the actors, especially the two male leads. The chemistry between the two male leads was indescribable, every time they had a little cute moment I couldn’t help but giggle. The bromance/romance between the two guys was soooooooo good that I finished this show in just six days and I’m currently thinking about re watching it immediately. Not only the chemistry, but also the plot was incredible. I loved the different types of quests the doors had where some of the plot twists inside and outside tbh were so crazy, I almost fell out of my chair. This is One of the best shows if not the best I’ve ever watched so I can’t advise you to do anything but to watch it and see for yourself!

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WATCH THIS NOW!!!

I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCH THIS YET, YOU'RE A NOOB, BRO THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SERIES I'VE EVER WATCH, AND IM BASICALLY A BL FAN, BUT EVEN THO THIS HASN'T HAD MANY ROMANCE SCENE LIKE THE OTHERS, THE PLOT, THE ACTING, THE CAST, ITS EVERYTHING, I REALLY LIKE HOW EACH DOOR HAS A UNIQUE STORY BEHIND IT, ITS VERY CREATIVE, AND ALSO THE STORY BEHIND THE DOORS IS NOT REPEATING, ITS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SERIES, IM JUST SAD THAT THIS IS BANNED IN CHINA, BUT HOW COULD THEY BANNED SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SERIES, IM ALSO NOT DONE WITH THIS, BUT ITS JUST I DON'T REALLY WANT TO FINISH, I LOVE THIS SERIES WITH ALL MY HEART, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME IF I FINISH THIS, JUST LIKE THE UNTAMED I WILL NEVER MOVE ON FROM THIS, AND BECAUSE OF THIS SERIES I KNOW LOVE XIA ZHIGUANG AND JUNJIE OMGGG THEY ARE LIKE MY FAV NOW, THEY'RE VISUALS ARE VERY GIVING

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Beautiful and thought provoking

This show put me into an existential crisis. On the surface, it's beautiful, but so heart-breakingly, soul-destroyingly tragic I can't handle it. But if I'm interpreting it right, it's actually unbelievably brilliant, and ridiculously complicated, and even more romantic and beautiful than it appears. And, more importantly, has a happier ending than it appears.

"Many things can be explained by common sense, but sometimes our thinking is also limited by it." - Lanzhu

I’m gonna be honest, I only just finished it, and it exploded my brain and ripped apart my heart. So I'm actually writing this review as a way to try to process this super complicated story and explain it to myself, so I'll be talking more about how I interpret the story and ending, rather than commenting on the acting etc. (Though, seriously, the actors did an amazing job! And everything about the show is very well done. And even the CGI, which starts a little shaky, gets better as the show goes on).

Warning: incoherent ramble and MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

DISCLAIMER: I haven't read the book, so I'm only theorizing based on the show, and how I interpret the show, with no other information.

When it comes to how to interpret The Spirealm, I think there are a lot of options, and I think the show is made in such a way that they are all true. We're told over and over again to question which version of reality is true, and even given the choice to pick our own version of reality or illusion. The references to the multiverse at the end, make this even clearer. And I really love that the show lets us decide how to interpret it... even if it makes it very challenging to process.

Personally, I have two specific ways I like to see it: one is super sad, the other is super happy.

The first option, as I see it, is the most straightforward. It’s a beautiful but incredibly tragic version. In this version, this story is a sci-fi, where most of the show happened in Jiushi’s head while he was in a coma, and Jiushi then spent his entire life trying to make that dream real. After 50 years, he finally succeeded in creating a virtual reality where he could make a version of his dream real (a version where everyone was alive and happy) and he spent the last few minutes of his life in that virtual world with his virtual friends and virtual lover, before he died.

I think this is a plausible and reasonable way to interpret it. The biggest questions would be about Jiushi's hallucinations at the start, and how he knew everyone’s names and occupations in the dream (and after). For the hallucinations, the most plausible way I can think to explain them is that they were part of a bigger emotional breakdown. We saw other evidence of this when he quit his job and was generally so miserable and aimless even his idiot friend was worried about him. It would explain why Jiushi became so deeply attached to his dream. As for how he knew so much about the people around him, I think there’s a very simple explanation: the story makes it very clear Jiushi was a genius. Geniuses can process a seemingly supernatural level of information at both a conscious and subconscious level. Some of the people he saw regularly in his community (eg the twins in the gaming hub, and Li Dongyuan the street seller), others he passed on the street right before the accident and overheard their conversations. With the rest, it’s entirely possible he overheard conversations and names while semi-conscious, even while in his coma. All this information was in his head at a subconscious level, and his coma-brain combined it all together into a slightly distorted representation of reality. Naturally, his coma-brain got some things mixed up (eg. he turned his doctor into a vet, and the wolf game was also the phone game was also his dream of changing the world). Also, his emotions heavily influenced everything. Eg, in reality Dawei abandoned Jiushi and went into economics, but in Jiushi’s dream, Dawei still cared about him and entrusted him with their childhood dream to save the world.

I think the coma-dream interpretation of the story makes perfect sense and is very beautiful. But it’s heart-breakingly, soul-destroyingly tragic. Seriously, if Jiushi spent 50 years trying to recreate a dream, creating a brilliant and world changing form of technology, just so he could spend a few minutes with his imaginary lover in their imaginary life (a lover who may or may not have been an idealized version of the man that left him to die after an earthquake... ouch!) before he died, that hurts way too much.

But, thankfully, there’s another plausible interpretation to the whole thing. But this option is harder to explain, so here goes.

Version two: the story is a fantasy in which the physical, technological, and spiritual/supernatural are interwoven. All the worlds we saw are real. All the events really happened. And the ending is real. And I might just say upfront, the show is listed as a 'fantasy', and tagged as 'Supernatural', 'Fantasy World', 'Survival', and 'Crossworlds Traveler', so I think that strongly suggests we ARE meant to see this as a fantasy world with crossworld travel, not simply a dream. And since the dream option is super sad, I much prefer this option (even if the other one is still a good story).

Basically, in this version, there are different realms. Primarily, there is a physical realm, and a super complex, multi-layered spiritual realm (but again, physical, technological and spiritual/supernatural are interwoven, so it's not quite that clear cut). The virtual self, is actually the 'spirit' self. There are also beings who only exist in the spiritual realm—like in other fantasy stories. All the realms (at least, all the ones we see) have been corrupted, and the problem has to be solved at the deepest level (inside the doors/spirit-realm/spirealm). Restoring/purifying the spiritual realm, purifies the physical realm. That’s why the physical realm changes and no one remembers the doors. Everything really happened, but precisely because it happened, the corrupted reality doesn’t exist anymore. It’s been purified. Now the physical realm exists in its purified version. People are now able to be their true, purified selves.

The thing is, when the realms are purified, the ‘old’ versions of people (the versions we know and love) cease to exist. Now, we have a purified version of the physical realm with purified versions of the same people. And Lanzhu doesn't exist anymore, because Lanzhu was never human. He’s more like a god that came into existence specifically to purify the worlds, and now he’s fulfilled his purpose and doesn't exist anymore. So, Jiushi has to essentially create a spiritual version of the old world, for the ‘deleted’ versions of everyone to exist in. More importantly, a reality where Lanzhu can exist and be ‘made real’, like Jiushi promised. This world is independent of the physical world, it's purely spiritual. Everyone inside is independent of the physical world and the purified version of them that lives there, and they are purely spiritual. And in his realm, Lanzhu is ‘real' and complete too. He has been released from his programming and mission and is autonomous, just like the rest of them. Jiushi has made him 'real'.

In theory, even thought the old doors have ceased to exist, doors are still possible and Jiushi has made new ones? So it's still possible for them to move between worlds if they want to? Unless Jiushi locked himself in the new world when he died? I dunno, I’m still figuring that part out.

But speaking of Jiushi's death... Jiushi was old when he first entered the spirealm because he was still the spirit of a living person. But when he becomes young, that was the moment he died in the physical realm and crossed over to live forever in the spirealm as a spirit/god. Now, he's just like the others.

I really like this reading of the story. Jiushi creates an entire world, saves everyone he loves, saves Lanzhu and makes him real, and they all live happily ever after. Jiushi and Lanzhu live happily ever after, together. And, most importantly, it’s all real. As I've said, it's listed as a fantasy with crossworld travel, but I do think both interpretations make sense. Actually, I kinda like that it was left open to interpretation. Pick the illusion or reality, life or death, just like the 11th door.

Lanzhu tells us: "Many things can be explained by common sense, but sometimes our thinking is also limited by it." So maybe, even if we're told it's a dream, that doesn't mean it is one? And also, maybe more than one thing can be true at a time, even if they seem incompatible?

I’m still wrapping my head around it all. I’ll probably come back and edit this after watching it a few more times and processing it more. But in summary, awesome show. Highly recommended. But be prepared to cry a lot.

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