19th Floor

The cast & plot make up for the poor editing & transitions

Despite the classic chinese drama style bad scene transitions, this drama roped me in firstly for its plot, and then for its cast. I have new favourites in, especially Bai Shu (yang bawan) & Sun Qian (chun yu) - their reactive acting was exceptional, and the rest of the cast were great too! In the beginning, I found Chun Yu's acting quite expressionless but, in time, that explains itself.

Few scenes (especially in the beginning) were not convincing enough, and repetitive dialogues made me roll my eyes, but again, the plot (what happens next) kept me going.
It's purely the cast and visual fx that pulled the 9 star rating. Even when I got bored in parts, I came back for them. I will definitely rewatch this drama for the cast. Their chemistry was spot on.

All in all, I highly recommend the drama.

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Very Entertaining

This was surprisingly good. all graphics and everything was very well done. They chose experienced and good actors which made it even more entertaining cuz even scenes between side characters were enjoyable. that suspense factor was there in every episode till the last episode. and ending was very wholesome cuz everyone got a happy ending. I was annoyed with the evil girl but thankfully she didn't get to do much damage.

There are many loopholes, yeah definitely there were times when I felt that this was unnecessary or that didn't make any sense but that happens in almost every drama, nothing major, overall everything was neatly tied by the end. I binge-watched it and didn't feel like I wasted my time cuz it was worth watching.

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INCREDIBLE

This drama was just soooooooooo good! So the story is about this group of people that enter a game that turns dangerous because they realise that when people die in the game they go into a come in reality. So it's just about them growing together, building a bond and figuring out what happened, and why it is happening. It SUCH a well played out drama that it's truly exciting. The games were very innovative and different and I absolutely loved watching the growing relationships between each character, whether it be friendship, comradeship or romance, it was just magical. Loved watching this drama soo much and in sure you will too if you like dramas with exciting, clever plots and just as much romance and growing friendships. The storyline was really interesting and each episode was enticing! Watching this brilliantly laid out drama was truly incredible. The actors have done SUCHHH a good job in this drama, like they truly brought their characters to life, I absolutely enjoyed watching their onscreen chemistry with each other. And the music was just perfect! It perfectly suited the vibe of this drama, and it's soo great! Overall, it's an incredible drama that has a clever plot and brilliant storyline with cute characters that are so fun to watch, as fathers-daughters, friends, and something more. 🏚️🎮👩🏻🙂🧑🏻🎮🏚️

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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.

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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.

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Great First 10 Episodes, but fell off after

I guess to compare, it's basically squid game but a watered-down version. No, I think it would be more similar to Alice in Borderland.

The story at the beginning was really, really good. It's hype, it's intense, and the stakes are high. But after you get past episode 10, that's where it goes downhill. I'm not the type who reads comments when I'm currently watching the show, just to avoid poisoning my own judgment and enjoyment of the media, but when I was still probably in the first 5 episodes, I couldn't help but read a few just to see what's up because I'm liking it! It had a strong start! And some people said, "Ohh, fell off in 2nd half, fell off after the 3rd death game," and yeah, I can kinda see why. I didn't fall off after episode 10 like other people. I fell off around 17-18, and that's when I started watching this show at 2x speed just so I could move on to the next show.

Here's why: I think the main problem is that the writer has overwritten the side characters too much. I get that they want to make the viewers get invested with the side characters too, and it worked, but they did too much, to the point that it made the show draggy. The writers know that, of course, ML and FL are going to stand out; they're strong and smart, people are gonna like them, but they didn't want them to be the only main stars of the show; they didn't want them to overshadow the others. So to offset that, they tried to give more screentime to the side characters by giving them a lot of exploration, but I didn't like it sometimes, especially when it comes to 'Zhang Tian Qiang' This guy is introduced clearly to be the asshole of the show, but they showed some vulnerable moments of him too. At first, I liked it because it gave balance to his character, but when they kept repeating it over and over, is where it starts to get annoying. Like we barely got any exploration for ML; we did, but personally, I feel like that was just the tip of the iceberg. I had a lot of curiosity towards him. With FL it was fine since we got some, but it got confusing a little bit because of the twists and turns. I can also see why the romance aspect got in the way of the show; at first, I liked the subtleness of it, and I wished for it to develop even further, but when it did become obvious, I don't know... there's just something about it that made me feel like "Naaah... can we just go back to making it open for interpretation?"

The games in this show were good; they gave each character a chance to shine and show their strengths. The CGI was alright, nothing to complain about, but I couldn't wrap my head around that dungeon space that they've introduced, where the people who died in-game are just trapped there and can still live normally like in real life. Like "Yeah sure, while your real-life body is barely living off of dextrose." And I feel like there could've been other sci-fi ways to realize the vision for that part. I don't know if it's culturally rooted or not, but I liked the 2nd game, where they listen to a song and guess which symbol they're gonna insert through the door. And I don't know about you guys, but I was so annoyed that they kept being mysterious about how these people were entering a VR game without a helmet (I'm so dumb!!! That's why it's a mystery!!). But when they did explain it, I was still dissatisfied because the one thing that made me question it was, how did these people not feel the sting when the chip was injected into their head? Because it was revealed that it was injected in real time when they were testing out the helmet. So you're telling me, you can feel the mosquito biting into you, but you can't feel a chip being injected deep into your brain? That sounds like crap.

As for the characters, since I've said my piece regarding the side characters being overwritten, no one really stood out to me like he/she is my favorite character, so I'm just gonna try to comment on each one.

For FL, it's more about her actress Sun Qian, and probably an unpopular opinion, but this is what I've been meaning for her. I've watched 3 works of hers at this point with 'All These Years' and 'A Robot in the Orange Orchard' being the others. From what I can gather, I think her strength lies in characters where she's not required to act cutesy. Now, I still need to watch her other cutesy character dramas to confirm it, but that's how I feel currently. She's rocking this tomboy concept by the way.

For ML, This is my first drama of him, and I love it when he speaks very low, ghaaad!! I can feel it deep in my eardrums, and he's a great actor. If Sun Qian and Wei Zhe Ming get paired again, I hope it's a romance drama because I liked the spark of chemistry that I felt from them.

For Yang Ba Wan, my ghad! I hate him so much; he's such a cringe character. He's the type of person who would get bullied a lot in real life for being such a dork and cringe, but because of his development throughout the show, he's become somewhat okay, like whatever.

Nan Xiao Qing, I think she's okay, but I didn't liked her romantic development with Bawan. I was like "No, No, No! I do not approve this relationship!" But they have a good dynamic together later on. As for the actress Rachel Wang, I was amazed by her look. At first, I was shocked, but I think she rocked it.

Zhang Tian Qiang, bro, it would've been fine for me after the scene of you caring for your bros who are in a coma, but after it kept repeating like it became annoying to me because they would show a scene, then he would fumble the next episode. And you pair him with Bawan, It's like a match made in heaven of Annoying and Cringe. I can also feel his actor being 200% into this character.

Qing You, girl, I feel what it's like when your bff is being stolen by other people, but there was something about it to me that didn't look smooth as it was being built up.

For the rest, they are all okay. I laughed when the CEO antagonist chased after FL after some sad family drama happened to her and just casually asked "Please help us finish this death game project." like what????... Yeah, sure Mr. CEO even though it will cost us our lives. lmao.

Overall, it's alright. started strong, but slowly dwindled because of the over-written side characters. This could've been shorter if you cut all the draggy scenes. I wouldn't recommend it personally.

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A Hidden Gem: *19th Floor* Delivers Thrills and Gripping Performances

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*19th Floor* is an exhilarating drama that masterfully blends suspense, excitement, and exceptional storytelling, yet it remains vastly underrated. This is a show that truly deserves more attention and praise for its captivating narrative and outstanding performances.

From the very first scene, *19th Floor* hooks viewers with its fast-paced and thrilling plot. The drama skillfully balances intrigue and action, creating a rollercoaster of emotions that keeps you at the edge of your seat. The writing ensures that every twist and turn feels earned, making the viewing experience both unpredictable and satisfying.

The cast selection is impeccable. Each actor brings depth and authenticity to their roles, breathing life into the complex characters. Their chemistry is palpable, making the story even more immersive. It’s rare to see a cast so perfectly aligned with the vision of the narrative, and *19th Floor* excels in this aspect.

While the drama occasionally delves into elements involving artificial intelligence, which may leave some viewers wanting more clarity, this minor flaw is easily overshadowed by the sheer brilliance of the rest of the story. The AI subplot could have been explored in greater depth, but it doesn’t detract from the overall impact of the drama.

In a sea of overhyped shows, *19th Floor* stands out as a true hidden gem. Its thrilling pace, stellar performances, and engaging storyline make it a must-watch for anyone seeking quality entertainment. If you’re looking for something gripping and unique, give *19th Floor* the recognition it so rightfully deserves—you won’t be disappointed.

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was really great in the first half then became so slow to the point i basically dropped it

The premise sounds interesting: Six people involved in the same car accident + 1 mystery person end up trapped in the infamous haunted Building 19 of the university I don't remember the name of. There are monsters and puzzles, similar to an escape room. The CGI is fantastic. And the story does live up to what the synopsis promises, in the beginning at least. For the first 10 or 15 episodes, I was pretty engrossed in the whole story and the puzzles and the relationship between the two leads (they're cute). However, the plot slowed down so much after that (I think during the circus level), everything began seeming repetitive, and whatever was supposed to be a plot twist just never really hit at all. And the lack of realism in parts of the plot was pretty annoying. Also, I just didn't really fw the team at this point and the power of friendship stuff and whatever. I got so bored at the end that I ended up skipping over the last 5 episodes because I just could not force myself to sit through that snail's pace of a plot.

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In another world...

The series has an interesting script. The first half is emotional, and it goes more into the concept phase than the second half, which lowers the tension a bit. There is a lot of positive characterization growth for all the characters, but the characterization of the main female character is really difficult and the author completely transforms her into someone else.

It have romance. They are two couples who are very beautiful together, but I would have preferred the romance of the main couple in the series to have a different form and instead of childhood love, they gave us a hot couple, which is just my personal opinion. I wanted their feelings to spark during these games and I really wanted those romantic relationships...

The special effects of the series and the locations are really good. I don't say it's great, but it had good special effects. It was a successful series. action sequences were no joke. In some places, it was really stressful to watch. The theme song that was playing also helped in this matter. Between the osts, I loved the ending ost.

In short, if you are looking for a series in the style of survival game, it is interesting to see the series for once. If the screen writer had worked better at last 10 eps, it would definitely be one of my suggestions...

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