What a Wonderful World (2025)

A BEAUTIFUL AND COMPLEXE DRAMA FOR GENIUS PEOPLE <3

From the first minutes of the first episode, I was captivated by a dark and enigmatic atmosphere, an intense closed-door story centered on a protagonist in search of healing. We quickly sense his cry for help, but the intrusion of disturbing temporal elements blurs our bearings. The line between simulation, reality, and the interference of other characters blurs, creating a disconcerting but fascinating atmosphere.

The romance, meanwhile, is off the beaten track. Strange, almost unreal, it captivates with the mirror-like nature of the bond between the two characters. The chemistry between Li Ying and Yin Fang is striking: their performance, of rare precision, exudes truth and nuance.

It feels like we're watching a feature film, such is the meticulous direction. The cinematography is remarkably beautiful!

The water drops sparkle in the darkness like star fragments, and the impressively masterful special effects give the story the feel of a film. For a "small" drama of only eight episodes, the visual quality and the resources employed are breathtaking.

This is a resolutely ambitious drama, tailored for curious minds eager for depth. From the very first scenes, we sense this desire to delve into the twists and turns of mental health into poetic, almost dreamlike material. Each metaphor seems carefully placed, like a tightrope strung between pain and beauty. This mysterious script, laden with symbolism, possesses the captivating charm of works that reveal themselves only to those willing to lose themselves completely in it. It has, somehow, the power to steal a piece of your soul if you watch it with an open heart.

The direction, as unique as ever, once again deserves praise: it's daring, it's disconcerting, it's fascinating. The casting, for its part, seems tailor-made, so inhabited are the performances.

Certainly, some gray areas remain, questions remain unanswered, but in hindsight, the essentials are self-evident, like a silent evidence. This is exactly the kind of drama I crave: a work where you can feel the writer's deep investment, the desire to create something dense, atypical, almost experimental.

I highly recommend it, but with one caveat: don't start it lightly. Give it your full attention, settle into a calm, open mind. Only then will your mind truly be able to immerse itself in its unique universe. LETS goooooo!!!

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As a fellow person, I can empathise. This is more than meets the eye.

Disclaimer:
1. I am a person of logic and lack social "normal" etiquette.
2. I keep to myself most of the time
3. I seldom write reviews. It is either a love or hate relationship for me.

This drama.. I wanted to give it up so many times..
I started watching this drama just before episode 7 was available, so I knew I hadn't long to wait. (By the way, autocorrect suggested that I write that I was hooked by episodes 6- 7. Hell, no.)

This is a good reflection of mental health. This is not a spoiler but an invitation.

Many directors have tried to depict what the brain of someone with autism looks like. Now, here is another way of looking at things—but not through the eyes of autism. This is something different.

I watched this x1.5- 2 most of the time and FF.

But it is worthwhile to get to the end.

It leaves you with something you want to ask about your current state of living..
I think that is what the scriptwriters and the director wanted.

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Finished the Drama… Emotionally Confused but Respectfully Invested

So, I’ll be honest—the first reason I watched this drama was Zhao Liying. No shame in that. Then I read the synopsis, got intrigued, and hit play.

At first? Total confusion. I genuinely thought I accidentally skipped an episode or five. I almost dropped it. But then I saw some comments saying it actually has a deep message, so I thought, “Okay, let’s suffer through this confusion together.”

I’m glad I stuck with it—because by the end, it hit me: this guy might’ve been struggling with mental health, and all those strange scenes? They weren’t just artsy edits—they meant something. (Kind of. I think.)

But hey, I still have questions:

What does "alter" even mean in this context? Are they imaginary friends? Emotional roommates?

That last episode—were they living in parallel worlds or what? Because my brain left the chat.

Episode 1, in the car—when the three characters showed up... was that even real? Or just in his head? Or my head? Honestly, unsure.

Also, can someone explain how the five characters are connected to him and how they became his alters? Like, respectfully, I watched all the episodes and still feel like I missed a secret manual.

In the end though, this drama has a message, strong acting, and visuals that kept me watching—even if my brain was doing somersaults the whole time. If you're into layered storytelling and a bit of mental gymnastics, this might just be your thing.

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What a watch...

Watched this for my Alphabet Challenge—and when I saw that Zhao Li Ying’s drama was only 8 episodes, I just clicked play… Hoho.

Lately, Zhao Li Ying has moved away from simple idol romances. All her recent dramas are serious, well-produced, and artistically driven. While this shows her growth as an actress, it also means not all of her dramas are my cup of tea. Nonetheless, they are all amazing in their own right. And this particular drama… Left me completely speechless.

Let’s talk about this drama…

The story follows Xu Tian (XT), an Uber driver who becomes obsessed with a girl named Jia Xiao Duo (XD).

XD frequently books his service, and with each ride, XT’s obsession grows. Desperate to understand her better, he signs up for a beta test of a virtual reality (VR) system where users can experience life from another person’s perspective—specifically, he plans to enter the world as XD.

But just before he begins the VR session, XD books his car again—so he leaves to pick her up instead.

While in the car, XD is on a phone call, but XT mistakenly thinks she’s talking to him. It turns out she’s arguing with her boyfriend, Wang Yang Ming (YM). Not long after, YM shows up and blocks XT’s car. Worried for XD’s safety, XT follows them and eventually catches up—only to witness their fight escalate before XD returns to his vehicle.

After taking XD home, a frustrated XT finally enters the VR. Inside, he experiences himself as XD and gets into a Virtual Escape Room (VER), where XD works as an NPC or host. In the VER, he experiences something out of the ordinary—it feels incredibly real.

The next day, YM books XT’s ride — this time to explain everything. He tells XT that he and XD have already broken up, but XD refuses to let go. YM claims he’s now with someone else and that XD often harasses him. He begs XT to “man up” and take XD off his hands. He even calls XD "crazy" and says she likes to twist the facts. As proof, he shows XT a video, claiming that what XD said about their relationship is different from the truth.

XT, however, doesn't seem to care whether XD is "crazy" or not.

After his meeting with YM, XT returns to the VR world. This time, he chooses to revisit the first time he met XD, wanting to see what her first impression of him actually was.

In the VR world, many strange things happen, and XT "dies" there. When he wakes up, he is shocked to find himself as XD — not XT. Even more disturbing, the VR operator tells him he has always entered the simulation as XD, not XT.
Now completely confused, XT visits a psychiatrist the next day... and that’s when the real truth begins to unfold.
And here’s where I’ll stop — because revealing more would spoil everything.

What I like:
+ The entire cast plays their roles beautifully, especially the two leads, Zhao Liying and Yin Fang.
+ The drama takes the concept of obsession to a whole new level—psychological, intense, and deeply unsettling.

What I don’t like:
- The plot can be confusing and hard to follow at times. Some twists don’t feel fully explained until the very end.
- This is one of the hardest reviews I’ve ever written — there’s just so much to unpack, I don’t even know where to begin or how far I should go with it… haha.

Overall, this is a truly wonderful suspense drama. You won't fully understand it unless you watch until at least episode six. This is definitely not for everyone, but for me, with only eight episodes, it was absolutely worth my time.

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Just ok.

Cinematically beautiful, but with little depth to the characters.
The actor who plays Xu Tian is very weak, he spends all the episodes on the same note (being a weirdo), while Xiao Duo presents many more layers, which is unbelievable, since she is not the original personality. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the original should be cooler or anything like that, but that he should have something, even if it's just the fact that he is someone empty.

I believe that the show would have benefited if it had given more space to the other personalities (especially the biker, great acting), making it possible for us to understand Xu Tian's subconscious more deeply through them and their traumas. However, I think it is a good series, especially because of the visual aspect. Beautiful shot.

The epilogue is completely unnecessary, made exclusively for those who watched it while sleeping and for some reason still hadn't understood what happened. They decided to take this person by the hand and make sure she understood.

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Three things you need to know to better appreciate this drama

This short, meaningful, and deeply unconventional drama is a journey toward healing and self-love that takes us, the viewers, on a compassionate and empathetic ride through the inner world of someone struggling with mental health.

It’s not a romance. It’s not a thriller. It’s not sci-fi or fantasy (don´t believe any of the possible categories they tag it). Bear with me a little longer, because if you’ve started this drama and dropped it, or are just curious about it, trust me: it’s worth the try at some point in life.

Thruth is, you can’t come into this show the same way you do with others, not just because of the subject matter, but because of the director’s intention: to create a form of storytelling that immerses you fully in the protagonist’s mental state. So, besides being in the right state of mind and mood, here’s what I suggest to truly appreciate the watching experience, IN THIS PARTICULAR ORDER:

1. Don’t go in blind if you aren´t a seasoned film and series watcher of different genres

Beyond the basic MDL synopsis, which tells you this is the story of a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), it really helps to know a bit more about the condition itself. That knowledge is what allows you to surf the, at first, seemingly disjointed and confusing waters of the narrative, and connect with what and who you´re seeing.

The following is enough: DID—previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder—is a mental health condition where an individual hosts two or more distinct identities, each with its own personality, voice, memories, and even physical traits. These “alters” may or may not be aware of each other.

“Dissociate” literally means to disconnect, and this disconnection often results in memory gaps besides affecting the ability to connect with reality. DID is typically a response to severe trauma, especially in childhood, where the mind protects itself through this division of identities.

2. Pay close attention to everything.

Every line, every strand of hair, every written word (or character, lol), every little detail that appears in the frame matters. Understanding the basics of DID is what allows you to catch the subtle clues that drop constantly throughout the series as scattered puzzle pieces that slowly start to align.

How each characters stands, who does what, the visual methapores, a reflection in the floor, all matters. By the time the thruth comes out on ep 6, you´ve already figured it out enough to be prepared for it, but not enough as to stop watching and know the final outcome.

3. Let it goes and enjoy the ride.

Don’t try to force this into a box of what a drama “should” be—especially one dealing with mental health. As I said before, this show doesn’t tell you what’s happening. It doesn’t even really show you. It puts you in it. For that, allow yourself to be vulnerable, and surrender to the director’s vision, the brilliant cast, the poetic cinematography, and the unique narrative flow.

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