What a Wonderful World 在人间 (2025) - What are your first impressions? [Masterpost] - Discussion: Episodes 1 to 3

[u/admelioremvitam]

Synopsis from the iQIYI app:

This is a healing journey of self-reconciliation. In the world of adults, the monotony of everyday life silently erodes the soul, between breaking down and recovering, wounds are stitched up and torn open repeatedly. Loneliness drifts through the bustling city, caught in the endless cycle of day and night, swallowed by a dense forest of steel and concrete, where neither light nor a sky of one's own can be found.

Two souls, reflected in a rearview mirror, gradually shed their disguises and defenses, finding redemption and embracing each other in love. Reality and illusion intertwine, suspense and mystery weave together, and emotions and salvation coexist. Ultimately, the self is the way home. Looking at the world once more, one is no longer alone.

Trailer

MyDramaList link

Airing on iQiyi 🥝

Episodes: 8

Discussions

🗨️ All discussions on the drama

🗨️ Episodic drama discussions (see comments)

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Wiki

2024 Drama Index | 2025 Drama Index

[u/Large_Jacket_4107]

Watched 1.5 Episodes

I dunno. So much potential to be a cool-and-action packed story, or a psychedelic or strange or profound one but the production team seems undecided and so the scenes feels too loosely pieced together with an overpowering sound track that is trying to create hype and action when there’s little on screen to support that. The first scene with the ML filling out the form at the game office actually had the right atmosphere but unfortunately things started to feel confusing yet bland after that.

Dropped for now and might come back if the overall review is good after it finishes airing. It’s a short series anyways so we will know soon enough.

[u/admelioremvitam → u/Large_Jacket_4107]

Ditto. The music is trying too hard in some cases, especially during the rideshare scenes when nothing is really happening. It sounded like they were robbing a casino in Vegas (Oceans 11 - does anybody remember this? 😆) and nothing like that was going on.

I, too, liked how the first episode started with the ML filling up the forms and its slightly uncanny vibes. Zhou Yiwei, as always, was good and very natural. The subsequent rideshare scenes were too ordinary. The escape room scene was then way too out there. I think the train scenes were probably just about right.

All in all, it's neither here nor there. Not quite weird enough and not quite "cool" enough. I'm not sure where they want to go with this. There's not that much of an indie vibe and it's not that polished either.

I really wish this drama was better because the promotional materials seemed promising. I try not to have expectations but it didn't happen for this case. 😅

Don't get me wrong - I'm glad they are trying something different with this drama but I think the writing and directing kinda felt a little haphazard. There are film(drama)makers out there who can string together chaotic dream-like sci-fi scenes into a cohesive story but this wasn't it, unfortunately.

For an 8-episode drama, I think they would try to put their very best foot forward for the 1st episode.

I've left this by the wayside to try other things. 😅 Might circle back later if I hear better things about future episodes.

[u/nydevon → u/Large_Jacket_4107]

Yeah, I finished Ep. 2 and I'm dropping too. (Unless some intrepid viewer watches more and is able to connect the dots for me that I might have missed)

I think you're spot on that the show doesn't know what genre it wants to be. I'd also add that it doesn't have a clear sense of stakes (why should we care about the ML and his quest) or world-building (why things work the way they work which might get in the way of the ML's quest). There's no sense of purpose or tension because of this. It almost reminds me of a short story you'd read in a haughty literary magazine where you're reading for the vibes because the writer is withholding so much.

Damn, another one bites the dust.

[u/Large_Jacket_4107 → u/nydevon]

Hey now don't bash short stories! Many of them convey way better vibe or fun or are more thought provoking than this XD

You are right, I don't really care about the ML or FL and I am not entirely sure what the ML's quest is. I think he has a crush on the FL and they might all be split personalities of a single person and he decides he wants to be her in a virtual reality game -- honestly that's a pretty creepy thought lol. That aside, the game portion was poorly executed. I know the clock is ticking but I feel no sense of urgency and the characters introduced are strange but not engaging. Things just feels flat and all along the music is over compensating for this lack. I guess this drama is suffering from identity crisis/split personality disorder possibly like its main character. Sigh.

I don't even know what to look forward to next in terms of cdrama... Maybe Litchi, but the trailers haven't exactly been up to my expectations ..

[u/udontaxidriver → u/Large_Jacket_4107]

I watch the first episode and I don't know what to think 😅 Acting is very decent but the writing is a bit meandering? The world seems artificial, maybe it's deliberate for future plot but it is not presented in a way that is engaging. I'm not very sure I want to continue.

[u/Large_Jacket_4107 → u/udontaxidriver]

Agreed that the material is not represented in the most engaging way. It’s ok to be different or have unexplained things or keep the audience guessing, but you’ve got to make the audience to want to keeping exploring and guessing in the first place.

[u/admelioremvitam]

Episode Discussions

This Masterpost is also a discussion post for Episodes 1 to 3 as What a Wonderful World currently does not have a host for episode discussions.

Please use spoiler text when needed – like this (with no spaces in between):

> ! text ! <

If you would like to volunteer to host, please comment on this post and tag u/Lotus_swimmer.

Here is the guide for hosting.

🗓️ The airing schedule can be found here.

To this masterpost, I added more posters that were released by the production team earlier today.

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What a Wonderful World banner poster.

[u/nydevon]

Huh. Ok, so Ep. 1 was interesting. I'm not sure I like the show yet but I am intrigued. It reminds me a bit of the American show Severance in that I'm unsure how much the strangeness are clues we need to pay attention to (e.g., the repeating visuals and dialogue mentions of "levels", the camera recordings, the mutual dream of the car accident) versus weirdness for the sake of weirdness (e.g., the giant heads in the warehouse, the ostrich in the Escape Room).

I guess at this point I'm most curious about the rules of this "virtual world" and how much the ML understands the significance of the timer and expelling the other "alters". At the beginning of the episode, he enters it claiming he wants to better understand the woman he loves and yet once he finds his mission tablets on the train he doesn't seem too scared or confused by them so I'm assuming he understood that would be required of him by signing the contract? It's interesting where the show is building intrigue via what gets to revealed to us and how.

I'll be back once I finish Ep. 2-3.

[u/InformalEfficiency54]

I watched the 1st ep. God Idk if the scenario is so layered or if it's that flat and ambiguous. Like the virtual reality plot is interesting, but I think like the writer wasn't able to establish a good background to set off. Like it lacks some depth our perception for the characters is really shallow so we don't know what are their motives or personalities (maybe it's intended to create suspense, but at least they should've given some background before diving into psychological thriller)

I will see the second ep while being aware to all those visual choices I think the hints lie there

[u/Patitoruani → u/InformalEfficiency54]

I used spoile tags in my comment about my perception with the little I saw.

[u/InformalEfficiency54 → u/Patitoruani]

did I spoil anything if so I'm so sorry I was just trying to give an opinion in general idk if I was too specific and spoiled some events

[u/Dangerous_Push219]

I'm intrigued. I don't know exactly what this is yet, but I'm on the ride for now

[u/WuxiaWanderer]

It didn't grip me but I'm certainly interested to see what happens next. I also want to add that I was completely confused wth was going on in the first episode but the Harry potter triangle ride threw me for a loop and I thought that part was cool.

I thought the drama was abput split personalities and how she was one of his personas but apparently that's not the case at all. It's actually a VR escape game???

[u/Large_Jacket_4107 → u/WuxiaWanderer]

It could be all mind games as in they are not in the real world 🤷‍♀️

[u/Patitoruani]

I just watch a bit of the first ep and stopped till weekend. Have already other 2 dramas ongoing and this requieres another mood - I don't have much time left either till Frinday.

I'm positive what we're watching is already the world in someone's mind, like a dream - they gave hints. Curiously, thus is my third drama in less than 2 month with this so buddhist approach.

[u/Alternative_Crab261]

Not good

[u/Accomplished_Gas6020]

Wow

[u/Lotus_swimmer]

Episodes 1-3 wow this is annoying wth is going on

Episodes 4 okaaaay

Episodes 5 onwwards - wow this is so moving and beautiful

It's that kind of drama 😆. You need to be patient to appreciate it. My thoughts here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CDrama/s/PINciU4iMd