michaelb_mannheim

The video game-loving Lin Jiushi finds himself in a VR game that feels more real than reality itself. Along the way, he meets the group Obsidian and their leader Ruan Lan Zhu. The games behind the doors are designed like escape rooms, and anyone who breaks (initially unknown) rules pays for it with their life. Whoever dies in the video game soon dies in real life as well.

The appeal of the series lies in the variety and creativity of the individual game levels. The show also takes its time to develop the main characters. A deep friendship-essentially a bromance-develops between the two leads. All of this is incredibly charming.

I would deduct a few points for the depiction of a psychiatric hospital set in the U. S. Not only are all the staff portrayed as Asian, but all the signage remains in Chinese. One might consider this a bit illogical. There are also undertones of anti-American sentiment in the series, with a general message that evil capitalism threatens the pure Chinese video game. But to be fair, this reversal of good and evil is often just as clichéd in the other direction in Western media.

Ultimately, though, the series is simply so well made and thrilling that I still think it's brilliant. And without spoiling anything: the ending-often a weak point in Korean dramas-turns out to be surprisingly well thought out in this Chinese series. It puts everything in a new light and ties many threads together.

A truly fantastic series that's so addictive, 38 episodes just aren't enough.

I have watched several GMMTV BL shows, and the better ones often thrive on the strong chemistry between the lead characters. That's half the success. In Wandee Goodday, you can definitely feel the harmony between the leads. The story of two very different guys who initially dislike each other but gradually progress from anticipation, through friends with benefits, to lovers is full of fun and romantic scenes. The producers also made a great choice in casting the supporting actors. You might enjoy this series if you liked Bad Buddy, though Wandee Goodday is a bit more mature and serious. As with every GMMTV series, there's some overly obvious product placement, which makes certain scenes unintentionally funny-like a typical champagne scene where they use something resembling special milk in a tetrapak for the celebration, or the inclusion of a vaccination campaign in the storyline. However I recommend the series if you are searching for a better Thai BL with great actors.

The dream team of Pastewka and Engelke elevates this rather short series miles above the average German romantic comedy. Bastian Pastewka takes on the Lorioesque role of the dry sports retail salesman and newly divorced family man plagued by bad luck, while Anke Engelke plays the bookstore owner whose relationships and job are cursed with bad karma and a lack of tact. Whether the two ultimately find each other is left to the imagination, but their paths cross frequently, defying all odds, yet they somehow manage to miss each other perfectly, as the title suggests. The series gleefully mocks luxury wellness, gourmet restaurants, and false friends. And it does so with such attention to detail and irony that it is reminiscent of the best of Loriot's sketches. Loriot himself would probably have enjoyed these absurd scenes as much as the viewers. A German series with humor? Yes, they do exist.