Once again, if the subs and the video qualities are into your liking, you are welcome to download it.
Thank you... 👋🏽
PS : Working on those 5 angsty episodes reminded me of a sentence that my kids used to say after doing their Maths tests : 'Miss, we are having emotional damage now. So sad...'
Update : - I have uploaded episode 63 - 65 [13 episodes to go] - Re-uploaded episode 55. Thank you @Lyson for your help to merge the subs into the video.
Allow me to share some infos about this series. I put the twitter link from where these infos are from.
Timeline of #TheSpirealm
Jan 7, 2022 NRTA announces a sweeping ban on all adaptations of danmei novels •Any new drama based on a danmei novel is denied approval for production. •All dramas that have already been approved face re-evaluation. •Completed dramas are no longer allowed to air.
Oct 11, 2022 A casting company announces to seek actors for a top-secret project based on a popular IP. The project is said to be an urban/unlimited-flow drama shot in Sichuan.
Casting rumors also emerge, mentioning an actor born in 1995 and an idol born in 2000.
Dec 24, 2022 It is confirmed that filming for The Spirealm (formerly Kaleidoscope of Death) began a month earlier (Nov 22), featuring Kuan Hong (1995, Taiwan) and Xia Zhiguang.
A clip of Huang Junjie running through the streets of Chengdu (Sichuan) emerges around the same time, but netizens do not recognize him.
Mar 4, 2023 Xia Zhiguang posts “It’s a wrap” with a picture that doesn't reveal the project's title. Netizens quickly identify it as The Spirealm starring Xia Zhiguang and Huang Junjie.
A blogger expresses surprise, noting that Xia Zhiguang's location on posts is usually listed as "Beijing," leading them to believe he wouldn't be involved in this project.
News of an adaptation of Kaleidoscope of Death first surfaced in July 2020. However, filming wouldn't begin until late 2022, attributed to the high cost of acquiring adaptation rights and lengthy negotiations.
Despite the existing ban on danmei adaptations, the investors opted for domestic production, ignoring alternative possibilities like co-production with foreign entities or international release.
They approached the project with meticulous planning
•Shorter Format: They registered the production as a short drama, capitalizing on NRTA’s less rigorous oversight for this genre.
•Distancing from the Source Material: They deliberately distanced the drama from the original novel, including altering the main character names.
•Unique Genre: They gambled on the "unlimited-flow" genre, a rarely seen and challenging genre. This novelty factor held the potential to be an investment-worthy venture and contribute to the diversity of entertainment options, potentially increasing approval chances.
# Unlimited flow is a subgenre of Chinese web fiction that features protagonists who transmigrate between different worlds. These worlds can be movies, comics, novels, games, apps, and so on, with no limit.
There are two main types of unlimited flow. 1. The protagonist enters a different world, completes tasks, and levels up before being able to return to the real world. 2. The real world itself transforms into a different world, and the protagonist must fight in dungeons and complete tasks to return the world to its original state.
The term "unlimited flow" comes from the first popular Chinese work written in this genre, titled Unlimited Horror (published 2007).
"Unlimited flow" literally means "written in the style of Unlimited Horror" #
•Secrecy: They maintained a low profile, minimizing public attention and preventing potential sabotage from competitors. Despite being a high-tier project, they didn't cast well-known actors, avoided traditional ceremonies, and refrained from any pre-release promotion.
•Surprise Release: They released the entire series unexpectedly, catching both the audience and authorities off guard. This strategy made it difficult for the authorities to intervene and halt its release.
The Spirealm established a precedent for danmei adaptation dramas to be aired in their entirety, despite the ban.
However, this specific model (utilizing short dramas and a low-key approach) is not a universal solution. It cannot be applied to already completed dramas awaiting release such as Hao Yi Xing, Feng Huo Liu Jin… as they have already been registered in different formats and cannot be converted.
On top of that, several bloggers slammed iQIYI's approach as unfair. iQIYI pulled a fast one by dropping their show at the same time as AASOL, stealing the thunder from the latter show. Additionally, iQIYI's move might backfire and lead to tighter censorship of short dramas, which will hurt everyone from streaming platforms to indie content creators.
So, #TheSpirealm can't be released in China. Can't they just sell it to platforms like Netflix or try their luck in other countries like Japan?
The answer is: no.
Imagine the Chinese censors as a strict parent controlling everything you do. Once a film registers for production with them, they oversee it from beginning to end. Even selling it abroad involves similar procedures to exporting goods.
This means if the censors take down The Spirealm (banning its release), it can't magically get an export license.
How come Word of Honor also got banned, yet it's still airing in Japan, you may ask. That's because when sold to Japan, Word of Honor was still showing in China, and its cultural export license was valid.
There's one way to avoid the censors' control: don't register your film with China at all. Shoot it directly for foreign markets.
A drama called Stay With Me, based on a danmei novel by Chai Jidan, did this last year. It was filmed in China with a Chinese crew, but only aired in Taiwan.
However, this approach has its drawbacks. Selling Chinese films abroad usually focuses on gaining recognition, not significant profits.
The income from overseas markets is often too small to cover the cost of even mid-sized projects, let alone top-tier ones. For actors, building their careers still heavily relies on domestic recognition. Despite the buzz surrounding Stay With Me, the main actors, both Chinese, remain relatively unknown.
This dilemma extends beyond The Spirealm. All S+ level danmei adaptations, like Hao Yi Xing, Feng Hua Liu Jin, Tian Guan Ci Fu… are caught in the same trap: unable to be shown domestically, and facing limitations overseas.
So, what are the options?
1. Wait patiently: Hope for policy changes that might allow these shows to be released in China someday.
2. Risk it for the biscuit: Try selling the show abroad unofficially, but face potential penalties like career restrictions, similar to what happened to director Wang Xiaoshuai. He took his film to a festival overseas without approval, won an award, but came back to a five-year filmmaking ban.
I have merged the English subtitles to each episode. So far, I have done it until episode 62. As for the rest, hopefully I can finish all of them within this week.
Please be notice on the notes below:
- Episode 1-10 : The subtitles are from the Twitter folks, the ones that we can get on their google drive along with the videos.
- Episode 11-29 : The subtitles are from @IchigoMilk. He/she made it using ChatGPT
- Episode 41-45 : The subtitles are from @PetitesLectures. He/she made it using ChatGPT
- As for the rest of episodes, the subs are done by me. I use the Chinese subtitles from the Twitter folks, and made some adjustments for the translation results.
- For episode 55 : I haven't been able to merge the video with the subtitle, not sure why. So I uploaded episode 55 with the subtitle file. Once I manage to merge it, I will re-upload the video.
- If you find any 'broken' video or incorrect subtitles, please let me know so I can fix it.
- If the subtitles are into your understanding, and if I may suggest, please download th3 whole 78 episodes, and share them to your friends, family, colleagues.
It may sound like sharing something ilegally, but since this series might not be aired anytime soon, this is the only way for us to support the main actors and the whole crew who had worked hard.
Last but not least.. Thank you so much for others who had made the translations as well.
Thank you guys, you are really awesome... 🙏🏽 🙏🏽 🙏🏽
If I haven't done it myself, I wouldn't have known how difficult and complicated the process of making subtitles is.
PS. Actually, I'm doing this for my personal convenient in watching this series because I like it so much. I humbly apologize if there are mistakes found.
- I have uploaded episode 66 - 70 [8 episodes to go]
Here is the G-Drive link for the series with the merged English subtitles.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1P5f0c2RG1K0uv8oo2W1Nu-i580SxAJYk?usp=sharing
Once again, if the subs and the video qualities are into your liking, you are welcome to download it.
Thank you... 👋🏽
PS : Working on those 5 angsty episodes reminded me of a sentence that my kids used to say after doing their Maths tests : 'Miss, we are having emotional damage now. So sad...'
It is indeed so sad... 😭
Happy watching...
- I have uploaded episode 63 - 65 [13 episodes to go]
- Re-uploaded episode 55. Thank you @Lyson for your help to merge the subs into the video.
Here is the G-Drive link for the series with the merged English subtitles.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1P5f0c2RG1K0uv8oo2W1Nu-i580SxAJYk?usp=sharing
Once again, if the subs and the video qualities are into your liking, you are welcome to download it.
👋🏽
I put the twitter link from where these infos are from.
Timeline of #TheSpirealm
Jan 7, 2022
NRTA announces a sweeping ban on all adaptations of danmei novels
•Any new drama based on a danmei novel is denied approval for production.
•All dramas that have already been approved face re-evaluation.
•Completed dramas are no longer allowed to air.
Oct 11, 2022
A casting company announces to seek actors for a top-secret project based on a popular IP. The project is said to be an urban/unlimited-flow drama shot in Sichuan.
Casting rumors also emerge, mentioning an actor born in 1995 and an idol born in 2000.
Dec 24, 2022
It is confirmed that filming for The Spirealm (formerly Kaleidoscope of Death) began a month earlier (Nov 22), featuring Kuan Hong (1995, Taiwan) and Xia Zhiguang.
A clip of Huang Junjie running through the streets of Chengdu (Sichuan) emerges around the same time, but netizens do not recognize him.
Mar 4, 2023
Xia Zhiguang posts “It’s a wrap” with a picture that doesn't reveal the project's title. Netizens quickly identify it as The Spirealm starring Xia Zhiguang and Huang Junjie.
A blogger expresses surprise, noting that Xia Zhiguang's location on posts is usually listed as "Beijing," leading them to believe he wouldn't be involved in this project.
News of an adaptation of Kaleidoscope of Death first surfaced in July 2020. However, filming wouldn't begin until late 2022, attributed to the high cost of acquiring adaptation rights and lengthy negotiations.
Despite the existing ban on danmei adaptations, the investors opted for domestic production, ignoring alternative possibilities like co-production with foreign entities or international release.
They approached the project with meticulous planning
•Shorter Format: They registered the production as a short drama, capitalizing on NRTA’s less rigorous oversight for this genre.
•Distancing from the Source Material: They deliberately distanced the drama from the original novel, including altering the main character names.
•Unique Genre: They gambled on the "unlimited-flow" genre, a rarely seen and challenging genre. This novelty factor held the potential to be an investment-worthy venture and contribute to the diversity of entertainment options, potentially increasing approval chances.
# Unlimited flow is a subgenre of Chinese web fiction that features protagonists who transmigrate between different worlds.
These worlds can be movies, comics, novels, games, apps, and so on, with no limit.
There are two main types of unlimited flow.
1. The protagonist enters a different world, completes tasks, and levels up before being able to return to the real world.
2. The real world itself transforms into a different world, and the protagonist must fight in dungeons and complete tasks to return the world to its original state.
The term "unlimited flow" comes from the first popular Chinese work written in this genre, titled Unlimited Horror (published 2007).
"Unlimited flow" literally means "written in the style of Unlimited Horror" #
•Secrecy: They maintained a low profile, minimizing public attention and preventing potential sabotage from competitors. Despite being a high-tier project, they didn't cast well-known actors, avoided traditional ceremonies, and refrained from any pre-release promotion.
•Surprise Release: They released the entire series unexpectedly, catching both the audience and authorities off guard. This strategy made it difficult for the authorities to intervene and halt its release.
The Spirealm established a precedent for danmei adaptation dramas to be aired in their entirety, despite the ban.
However, this specific model (utilizing short dramas and a low-key approach) is not a universal solution.
It cannot be applied to already completed dramas awaiting release such as Hao Yi Xing, Feng Huo Liu Jin… as they have already been registered in different formats and cannot be converted.
On top of that, several bloggers slammed iQIYI's approach as unfair. iQIYI pulled a fast one by dropping their show at the same time as AASOL, stealing the thunder from the latter show. Additionally, iQIYI's move might backfire and lead to tighter censorship of short dramas, which will hurt everyone from streaming platforms to indie content creators.
https://twitter.com/cjournl/status/1764232395090464952?t=UrdmMCWpnWzZMl5hoa3IgQ&s=19
=========================
So, #TheSpirealm can't be released in China.
Can't they just sell it to platforms like Netflix or try their luck in other countries like Japan?
The answer is: no.
Imagine the Chinese censors as a strict parent controlling everything you do. Once a film registers for production with them, they oversee it from beginning to end. Even selling it abroad involves similar procedures to exporting goods.
This means if the censors take down The Spirealm (banning its release), it can't magically get an export license.
How come Word of Honor also got banned, yet it's still airing in Japan, you may ask. That's because when sold to Japan, Word of Honor was still showing in China, and its cultural export license was valid.
There's one way to avoid the censors' control: don't register your film with China at all. Shoot it directly for foreign markets.
A drama called Stay With Me, based on a danmei novel by Chai Jidan, did this last year. It was filmed in China with a Chinese crew, but only aired in Taiwan.
However, this approach has its drawbacks. Selling Chinese films abroad usually focuses on gaining recognition, not significant profits.
The income from overseas markets is often too small to cover the cost of even mid-sized projects, let alone top-tier ones.
For actors, building their careers still heavily relies on domestic recognition. Despite the buzz surrounding Stay With Me, the main actors, both Chinese, remain relatively unknown.
This dilemma extends beyond The Spirealm.
All S+ level danmei adaptations, like Hao Yi Xing, Feng Hua Liu Jin, Tian Guan Ci Fu… are caught in the same trap: unable to be shown domestically, and facing limitations overseas.
So, what are the options?
1. Wait patiently: Hope for policy changes that might allow these shows to be released in China someday.
2. Risk it for the biscuit: Try selling the show abroad unofficially, but face potential penalties like career restrictions, similar to what happened to director Wang Xiaoshuai. He took his film to a festival overseas without approval, won an award, but came back to a five-year filmmaking ban.
https://twitter.com/cjournl/status/1763574770426368163?t=jfdu9SsoV5wXJs0b5fI5uw&s=19
PS : Once a series or a person gets banned, there will be a very little to none posibilities that it can see the light out.
Just kidding.
Thank you too... 👌🏼😬
It is fun doing it tho, I really enjoy it.
I have merged the English subtitles to each episode.
So far, I have done it until episode 62.
As for the rest, hopefully I can finish all of them within this week.
Please be notice on the notes below:
- Episode 1-10 : The subtitles are from the Twitter folks, the ones that we can get on their google drive along with the videos.
- Episode 11-29 : The subtitles are from @IchigoMilk. He/she made it using ChatGPT
- Episode 41-45 : The subtitles are from @PetitesLectures. He/she made it using ChatGPT
- As for the rest of episodes, the subs are done by me.
I use the Chinese subtitles from the Twitter folks, and made some adjustments for the translation results.
- For episode 55 : I haven't been able to merge the video with the subtitle, not sure why.
So I uploaded episode 55 with the subtitle file. Once I manage to merge it, I will re-upload the video.
- If you find any 'broken' video or incorrect subtitles, please let me know so I can fix it.
- If the subtitles are into your understanding, and if I may suggest, please download th3 whole 78 episodes, and share them to your friends, family, colleagues.
It may sound like sharing something ilegally, but since this series might not be aired anytime soon, this is the only way for us to support the main actors and the whole crew who had worked hard.
Last but not least.. Thank you so much for others who had made the translations as well.
Thank you guys, you are really awesome... 🙏🏽 🙏🏽 🙏🏽
If I haven't done it myself, I wouldn't have known how difficult and complicated the process of making subtitles is.
PS.
Actually, I'm doing this for my personal convenient in watching this series because I like it so much.
I humbly apologize if there are mistakes found.
Here is the G-Drive Link :
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1P5f0c2RG1K0uv8oo2W1Nu-i580SxAJYk?usp=sharing
Happy watching folks 👋🏽
https://twitter.com/cjournl/status/1763574770426368163?t=I10Bd1RIP_pWUd3CDW9pLA&s=19