19th Floor (2024)

The reason you should watch this.....

According to me this drama has everything that you look for in a drama. After reading the synopsis of the drama in MDL and you feel like you understood the story, then you are mistaken. I wanna complain about the way where only few people have watched this drama until now. It is such an underrated drama.

The story, especially the way the games were designed, is the highlight of this drama. Every game they play is so interesting and dreadful. I love the screenplay and the writing. Kudos to the author, the screenwriter, the director and the actors for making this drama happen.

Coming to the acting, everybody have done a phenomenal job. Kudos to them. Yeah, like I said there is everything in this drama friendship, fear, happiness, love, jealousy, romance, subtle comedy. I don't know how others felt regarding Xiao Kai Zhong's(Qiang Ge's) acting, but to me he is the entertainer in the entire show. According to me he is a comedian(this is the highest praise I give to someone) in this drama.

Yeah, I do some complaints other than this show not being recognized by a larger audience. That is this technology that they introduced in the drama is too much for me to believe. It just felt like something that only happens in a drama not in reality. Also, I did feel like Chun Yu's character could have been played by someone else. Sun Qian did a great job but idk why I felt that way.....

PS - Irrespective of the genre you like, my suggestion is WATCH THIS DRAMA!!!!

Read More

Building 19; An Underrated Show

19th Floor or Building 19 as I think it should have been called because we never really saw 19 floors but the number on the building itself. This show was ridiculously underrated and that's sad. I didn't expect it to be good and only really knew ML, FL, and Bai Shu's characters from a few previous series. But it had a great storyline that never dragged and only a few baubles.

Pros: A show has to be good for me to watch it with AI subs as it's something I very rarely do because they give me a headache. But even before I knew when Viki was actually going to drop with subs, I was invested in watching. I'm so glad that romance wasn't the priority shoved in there like most even sci-fi shows have done. The teamwork and friendships built gradually amongst the players of this life or death game was the main theme. We did end up with two couples ultimately but it was a very toned down process that wasn't forced.

Favorite characters were def ML and FL; the essential high IQ and EQ alpha male (GX) and female (CY) who really in a sense were childhood sweethearts. He had searched for her high and low and they ended up in the game together as her father helped him find and protect her. All of the members of the team went from annoying, having issues, or jackasses to great friends and supportive of each other. Absolutely everyone evolved and grew. I'm actually glad Uncle Lin never regained his game memories because someone else taking over his body and the rest of that would have been pretty traumatic. There were 3 fathers in this series that had daughter issues including the villain but he was just insane. I wish GX hadn't sacrificed himself to save him. I would have let him fry. Thankfully it didn't take GX too long to return to the land of the living and have his memories restored.

The basic premise of this show is that a villain (YML) hijacks a game from two other creators and creates a horror show where players must "die" somehow or figure out a way to pass each level to survive. Players never choose it, but a chip is implanted in their heads because they tried a free VR game and the device implemented it. Those that die in horrible ways, end up in a coma with their lives basically in this dude's hands. And all of this because of his own selfish actions and being unable to save his daughter but because the paramedics didn't get there in time, he blames the world and wants everyone to suffer.

The CGI was truly amazing how realistic they made each world. They showed a video of each level in the game and how it's created. There are comical moments too and tear jerking ones. They also showed each important person's family life and how imperfect it already is plus each night, they get sucked into the game no matter where they are; sitting, standing, on the toilet. All of the twists and turns of this series really had you wanting more. Even YML up until his last episode, you wanted to use a flamethrower on.

Cons: Starting with YML; he was just a loony that deserved jail time or to die in his own game. So him being saved by GX and from just a few of GX's words understanding his mistakes that for 29 episodes he didn't get wasn't very believable. Yes, this was an AI-VR sci-fi show so reality was superficial but this was basic human nature stuff and a leopard doesn't change his spots so fast.

The fact that the group actually believed him when he said he'd remove the chip was poor writing. Also when they sneaked into a high tech building on some occasions but got caught in others was unbelievable. A place like this that had guards and cameras everywhere, how could you not get caught? Or think you were in the clear? It was very unrealistic and this happened like 4 times. Another weird plot hole was that in the last episode the policeman speaking to the press said they'd been investigating this for months and had "the masses" tell them this was going on; what masses? Her dad that was in Uncle Lin's body? Only the ones in the game knew about it and the doctors that were made to disappear or director of the hospital. Where did this mountain of evidence come from that they'd been compiling? The group was afraid to go to the police because they didn't think they'd be believed. Meanwhile, the police supposedly knew and yet didn't do anything about it until they mysteriously and randomly showed up at the place when YML was chucked into reality by GX in the second to last episode to arrest him? Makes no sense.

Personally, though they made weird overtures with that random dude in the last 3 minutes of the show that there may very well be a season 2, I don't want it. Cast will most likely be different and the reason for it wouldn't make sense anymore. Leave well enough alone. Should have just ended it on our group walking away together from that alley fight.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Just wait for Viki to drop with proper subs; it's a great series if you like sci-fi despite some flaws in the cons. All of the actors did a good job. Worth the watch.

Read More

The PG-13 Chinese Version of Death Games and Why Number 19

Fans of death games are familiar with dramas like the Korean Squid Games and the Japanese Alice in Borderland, and this one is a Chinese version of the death games and a drama adaptation of an award-winning Chinese psychology suspense novel. I wrote the "Chinese version" because every Chinese drama watcher knows how strict Chinese censorship is. Therefore, in contrast to other countries' death games that are R-rated, this one is PG-13: minus profanity, nudity, and violence. I will also explain why the drama title has the number 19 in it.

STORY/PLOT:

The MDL synopsis is accurate so I won't add anything to it. "19th Floor" (actually, there are no physical floors, more likely levels) is a drama adaptation of the novel "The Nineteenth Floor of Hell" ((地狱的第十九层), a winner of the 2005 Sina Book of the Year Award, written by Chinese best-selling psychological suspense novelist Cai Jun (蔡骏). In the novel, according to Baidu, "the story aims to express a profound proposition beyond fear. Everyone has the original sin of greed, jealousy, selfishness, or anger in their hearts. Once tempted and the truth is revealed in broad daylight, there will be uncontrollable and unreasonable consequences. One's bizarre behavior, falling into layers of hell is a cruel punishment for the inner demons".

To pass the NRTA review, there are big changes made. Firstly, the word 'hell' is omitted, because CCP is atheist, and hell is a religious word, thus should not be in modern titles (can be added in xianxia's titles that are merely mythical stories). There is a Hong Kong movie adaptation "Naraka 19" with a plot that is true to the novel. Secondly. because the drama's mission is to educate young viewers, since the main characters mainly are university students, the drama focuses on the character growths of the main and important supporting characters who are the game players. Thirdly, there are no real deaths, as stated in the synopsis, the losers fell into a coma in the real world. Fourthly, there is profanity, nudity, and violence, thus making this drama a PG-13 version. Although I don't read the novel, I assume the novel is scarier than the drama. Fifthly, because it's a university setting, a slight romance is added to this drama, and the romance subplot does not take over the mystery plot.

Why Number 19:

It was in the Tang dynasty when the more popular concept of the “18 levels of hell” came to be, circulated by the Buddhist text "Sutra on Questions about Hell", which mentioned 134 worlds of hell that were then simplified to a total of 18 for convenience. Each of the 18 levels contains a specific method of torture for a specific sin. At the end of my review, before the spoiler of the ending, I will list the 18 levels of hell for your convenience.

The novel adds the 19th level of hell on purpose which I won't spoil you what it is, especially since the drama doesn't describe any hell nor do the games symbolize the 18 levels of hell. The number 19 in the drama simply is the number of the abandoned school building where some of the games are played.

Plot-wise I gave this drama a 9.0 because in their real lives, the story is a bit draggy with the character growth process some young characters have to develop. The games themselves are fast-paced, some I even think are too fast since the games end in only one episode. Definitely, they are thriller games, not suspense games (unlike, for example, Spirealm which I'm watching currently in which one game takes several episodes to finish).

Because of the character growth process, some conversations are deep and heart-to-heart. Therefore, is better if viewers understand Chinese either written or spoken. Unfortunately, some of us watched it through the bad translation of MangoTV, so we lost the depth. Fortunately, Viki will pick the subbing up. Hopefully, the late viewers would appreciate this drama more and thus will rate it higher.

CHARACTER/ACTING:

Chun Yu, the Female Lead, is the focus of this drama (also in the novel). She is intelligent, brave, and cute, but she holds a hatred towards someone that later is addressed in this drama.

Gao Xuan, the Male Lead, becomes Chun Yu's companion in solving the mystery and overcoming the game's challenges. This character is somewhat mysterious, because of the nature of Gao Xuan in the original source (I will spoil you about him at the end of the review). Casting Wei Zhe Ming as Gao Xuan is perfect, as I have seen him playing antagonists (or semi-antagonists) in the past.

I won't spoil you with the supporting characters, but the many characters are flawed/three-dimensional. As its original source explores characters with the sin of greed, jealousy, selfishness, or anger in their hearts, so does this drama but with positive outcomes.

Besides acting out greed, jealousy, selfishness, or anger, most actors and actresses did a good job of portraying fear, considering they don't face real monsters but greenscreens. The actors' or actresses' facial expressions befit the characters' confusion or stress when facing horrendous situations or trying to solve (time-ticking) puzzles or mysteries.

VISUALS:

This is a death game theme with monsters, puzzles, and mind games, therefore, props, sets, and CGI depicting the darkness and the intensity of each game are a must. They are pretty much well done and some give you jump scare or suspense without gore or horror. I specifically love the jump scare of the first game with the shadow puppets. I have watched many mystery-genre Chinese dramas in which shadow puppets become mysterious aspects, and in this drama shadow puppets are monstrous aspects.

OST:
The ending OST is "The Last Light" by Wang Mi Ran, a Mongolian-descent singer, with the stage name Miya. Actor Xiao Kai Zhong who played the character Zhang Tian Qiang, sang the male version of this OST as an insert song during the scenes with him in it.

SPOILERS (Scroll down if you want to know about 18 levels of hell according to Buddhism, the character of the Male Lead, and the ending)






















18 Levels of Hell (Not mentioned in the drama, because it's considered religious - Buddhism belief or mythical/superstition per NRTA censorship)

1. Hell of Tongue-ripping, where those who gossip and spread trouble with their words will repeatedly have their tongues ripped out.
2. Hell of Scissors, where those who destroy someone else’s marriage will have their fingers repeatedly cut off.
3. Hell of Trees of Knives, where those who sow discord amongst family members will be repeatedly hung from trees made of sharp knives.
4. Hell of Mirrors of Retribution, where those who have managed to escape punishment for their crimes while alive will be repeatedly shown their true horrific selves.
5. Hell of Steamers, where hypocrites and troublemakers will repeatedly be steamed “alive.”
6. Hell of Copper Pillars, where arsonists will be repeatedly chained to red-hot pillars of copper.
7. Hell of the Mountain of Knives, where those who have killed for pleasure or without good reason will repeatedly be made to climb a mountain made of sharp blades sticking out of it.
8. Hell of the Mountain of Ice, where adulterers, deceivers of elders, and schemers will be repeatedly left out on a barren mountain of ice to freeze.
9. Hell of the Cauldrons of Oil, where rapists, thieves, abusers, and false accusers will be repeatedly fried in vats of boiling oil.
10. Hell of the Cattle Pit, where those who have abused animals will repeatedly be hurt by animals in turn.
11. Hell of the Crushing Boulder, where those who have abandoned or killed children will repeatedly be made to hold up heavy boulders, eventually being crushed by their weight.
12. Hell of Mortars and Pestles, where those who voluntarily waste food will repeatedly be force-fed hell fire by demons.
13. Hell of the Blood Pool, where those who disrespect others will be thrown in and submerged into a pool of blood.
14. Hell of the Wrongful Dead, where those who have committed suicide—considered deliberately going against the karmic course of the universe—will be forced to repeatedly wander the realm without a way out, while being pelted constantly by the Winds of Sorrow and the Rains of Pain.
15. Hell of Dismemberment, where tomb raiders will have their bodies repeatedly torn into pieces.
16. Hell of the Mountain of Fire, where thieves, robbers, and the corrupt will be repeatedly thrown into the fiery pits of an active volcano.
17. Hell of Mills, where those who have misused their power to oppress the weak will repeatedly be crushed in a stone mill.
18. Hell of Saws, where those who have engaged in unethical or unfair business practices, or exploited loopholes in the legal system, will be repeatedly sawn in half by demons with saws.

Regarding the Male Lead Gao Xuan:
In the novel, Gao Xuan is an antagonist. In the drama, Gao Xuan is a protagonist

Ending:
Overall a happy ending, EVERYONE is alive and played the final game to fight the villain. Broken relationships are mended. There are two romantic couples formed, Chun Yu and Gao Xun are one of the couples.

The last scene depicting a new death game starting is probably just a tease for the possibility of Season 2. So, the drama doesn't end with a cliffhanger or open ending.

Because of this type of a wholesome happy ending, my final rating is 9.5.

Read More

Not sure?

The first few episodes were really REALLY good. And then it starts going downhill, tbh i was a bit generous in my ratings purely due to the first few eps and it comes up to a 6. I remember being super excited for this show to the point of watching it without good subs.

The sci-fi aspect of the show literally made zero sense and towards the end i was so bored i wanted to get it over with.

another infuriating aspect is how we had very basic characters, i can literally describe all of them in less than 1 sentence and you would know everything there is to know about them in the show
ml and fl -> smart and solve every issue and instantly in love but they actually met as kids
the gang of three guys -> seem like bad guys but good and loyal at heart
shy girl-> jealous of fl (bestie) having a life but gets over it eventually
streamer girl -> seems like self-absorbed but has a past
bully+rich girl -> crush on ml and ofc hates fl for no apparent reason
fencer girl -> strong but has trauma
coward boy -> funny side kick who likes fencer girl
driver -> seems like a nice man but secretly the game creator ( and MAJOR spoiler : related to dad of fl)

Now something that absolutely pissed me of was how gullible the leads were, i understand all the side characters being dumb but how can the leads act that way too? They literally keep going to the HQ of a technology company and break in without knowing there are cctvs? also they sign contracts without fully reading through them and dont learn fro their mistakes after getting cheated on again and again.

The ending was honestly SOO boring idk how i got through it, especially with bad subs.I purely watched this for miles wei and saw hope in the beginning but all of it was lost unfortunately. Its almost like the writers are trying to throw us off by making the most random explainations to these sci-fi shows and they are so random that they make no sense

Read More

Definitely Watchh!!

From the music of the drama to the their acting that attracted me... they acted so realistically that I was amazed!! I know the lead actor from his other chinese dramas. Even though he played a different role in the end, he played it very well here too. I've never seen this leading lady before. This is my first time seeing her, but her acting was pretty good. I think she will be known for this drama too. Finally, there were very impressive scenes since the first episode!! I hope it continues without getting bored in the following episodes!! I definitely recommend you watch it!! Love from Turkiye

Read More

Decent watch but could have been better

Qiang Ge’s character was well written and the actor really brought him to life. I like that his character’s cowardice, bravery, selfishness and selflessness reflects how complex and contradictory humans can be.

Some other characters, however, did feel a bit more superficial/two dimensional. In all honesty, I felt like the story could have progressed without so many players entering the game.

I like that the drama included traditional/older architecture in its filming sets (e.g. Chun Yu’s home), which was quite a stark contrast to the more futuristic VR plot. Kind of helps to ground the story for viewers + aesthetics.

Another thing that I felt the drama missed out was the meaning behind its title “19th Floor”. Chinese literature mentions that sinners are sent to the 18 levels of hell (18层地狱) to receive punishment after death. In a sense, the concept of 19 floors in the VR game trials draw on this ideology but this wasn’t quite reflected in the drama (other than it being the school building’s name). In the novel, there were 19 levels of trials for the players. Granted, this would probably have been a little too much for a 30 ep drama adaptation but okay.

Overall, still a decent and enjoyable watch.

Read More

A Perfect Blend of Fantasy and Emotion

I'm a huge fan of this genre; it's similar to 'Alice in Borderland' and death games drama. This show encompasses everything one could ask for in a perfect drama: from friendship to romance to angst, it covers it all. The actors did a commendable job in portraying emotions, and the games they designed are highly entertaining to watch. Despite the predictable plot, the execution is exceptionally well-done. The best thing about it is that it has no filler episodes.

I'm familiar with the lead actor from other dramas where he typically plays CEOs and in romance dramas. Hence, it's truly refreshing to see him in the fantasy genre.

Each character is depicted with a clear motivation. Even those who start off as annoying gradually learn from their mistakes and come together to form a perfect team. The father-daughter dynamic is shown in a very realistic manner.

The only downside is that I find myself less invested in the love story of the leads. Instead, what captivates me is the chemistry each character shares with one another.

Overall, it's a very well-done drama. The OST is great.

Read More

Good story but tired clichés

Great acting, great set design and production. Good story. But tired clichés.

I can accept the gangsters being good guys, the cowards being brave, and the geniuses instinctively knowing how to solve the puzzles and technical problems. But the flawed characters suddenly being understanding and accepting after a short morality speech, especially when the actual problems aren't addressed, is so frustrating. Add a few plot holes and a cliffhanger for a second season that's probably never going to be made, and.... Smh Sometimes I really wonder what the writers are doing.

Honestly, other than that, I really liked the story. It was easier to suspend belief and accept the situations due to the majority of the story being within a virtual game. So things didn't have to make sense. Unfortunately, the story/mini-games made more sense than "reality" a lot of the time. But I'd say more than half of the story was in-game, and the actors did everything they could to pull off believable characters, and I appreciated that.

Read More

Great start, but loses steam in the second half

Great first half, but disappointing second one. Started off amazing, but once the main characters discover what it is all about (at around ep 15 almost everything is revealed and the rest you can easily guess) it becomes a bit of a drag.
Would have preferred if the story would have focused on them actually playing the game to the end (instead once they discovered the truth behind the game it became a whole different thing) - I would have actually liked if how the game existed was left a mystery and they never interacted with the tech company.

Props to the main FL, which was amazing during the games in the first half and was actually smart (not like a lot of FLs I see in Asian dramas).
Romance was there, but did not feel much chemistry in the lead couple, while the second leads were very cute.

If I need to compare it to another series, I would compare it to Reset. I felt the same when watching both series: Great first half with a mystery that has you on the edge of the seat and cheering for the leads to figure out what is going on, but once the truth it's revealed the drama starts to lose its appeal.

Read More

The weight of the world in the FL shoulders

Well.... i need to rant about this one so, please bear with me. Also i'm going to talk about a MAJOR SPOILER of the last episode so don't read if you don't want to know.

The story started pretty well, very "Alice in borderland" vibe, i was enjoying it. I didn't particulary like when they where in the real world because this people were highly annoying and boundary crossing jerks (Specially the FL) but it was mostly everything on the game so all good.

The moment we know all the truth and the main mystery ends everything started to get incredible boring. Sooo boring.

For me the main leads have to complement each other. Normally the story have one main character sure but the second main is there to balance the story. For example in "The untamed" (Again with this drama woman???) we know Wei Wuxian is the main lead, we follow his story in demonic cultivation and tragedy, but Lan Zhan is his perfect counterpart as someone firm on his believes and his love to balance his story. Or the most recent "Love next door" were the main lead is Baek Seok Ryu, we follow her journey back to Korea and a diferent life, but we have Choi Seung Hyo to balance her story being someone already stable in his life and his place in the world.

In this one.... there is no balance. Everything is about the main lead, Chun Yu. She is OP in the game, finding out everything about all the game before any of them. At some point we get to know that her father help her at points but still... he could have help the ML. To balance a little. But no. Still the ML, Gao Xuan, was pretty good in reading the game (Since he is also a programmer) and they play each other pretty good in the game.

But in real life is all about her: Suddenly we get to know all the game was just about her and the rest were just casualties, coincidences. This deminish the important sacrifices and choices all team did. Also it put a incredible pressure on the character of the FL since, being everything about her, you are suppose to be on her side and like her.

I'm sorry, but i don't like her. The actress Sun Quian was incredible good on her performance of Chun Yu because this characters is unbereable. I know she is depressed because she lost her mother at a young age and it seems her father neglected her but she is so hostile with everyone. She also seems unable to speak her mind no matter what. We saw her father trying with her at some point when she was little and she didn't even talk to him, she save Quin You for being bullied but then treated her like she don't like her around, she seems to have feeling for Gao Xuan but she is unable to talk to him when she believes he is hiding something. I also don't particulary like how she treats her grandma.

I really, for real, knows how hard depression is. for real. But there have to be someone you have to be able to talk to and be yourself with or you will end up dying in your own grief. So i feel her character was just too much.

And then, after all this problems, in the very last episode, episode 30, we have amnesia plot for the ML!!! 🤦🤦🤦. It is also done super weird because they cramped a lot of the romance in the last episodes (Unnecesary because this wasn't romance) and he seems to not recognize her but then he did but then not in their time in the game... it was just a mess.

I will recommend it? clearly, not. It is just too long and it is really not worth it.

Read More

I picked up this drama both for the intriguing plot and for my beloved Sun Qian, and I'm happy to say I wasn't let down. Quite the opposite, the series exceeded my expectations, and although perhaps not absolutely perfect, it's still one I can wholeheartedly recommend!
The premise was nicely developed, the setting very nice, and the production value pretty high.
The whole cast did a marvelous job, seriously. My hat goes off to all of them! Honorable mentions for Sun Qian, for Luo Yu Tong (who grew on me so much that by the end of the drama I was liking her even more than the FL - and that's saying quite a lot!!!) and for Tao Hai.
The script was very good and I particularly appreciated how well they accomplished character development and how nicely they managed to convey a wonderfully positive, ethical message.
The only reasons I'm not giving this a perfect 10 are, on the one hand, that I really didn't like how they set things up for a potential second season (I'm talking about the very last scene with the never seen before character - totally unrelated to the rest of the series), and on the other hand, that I found a coupla scenes a bit weak/forced. But then again, perhaps the machine-translated subs (that at times one had to *interpret*, rather than simply *read*) are to blame for that? Whatever, beggars can't be choosers and machine-translated subs are still a whole lot better than no subs at all, of course. 9/10

Read More