Aiyou de Mishi

Imma just put it out there, but I genuinely think this anime is gonna be the "Link click of the season".

First off, for a Chinese anime, or Donghua, this stuff has incredible animation and an eye-catching art style for its scenery. And I'm not even joking, but the CGI is really bloody good. Right now, I am only about reaching halfway through the airing of this, but I am wholeheartedly invested in this, that is how gripping the plot is.

To put this into context, I, myself, have seen and completed over 100 animes, so I like to think that I know a thing or two ... about what makes an anime good. And this one just doesn't disappoint. I am in love with the way the story is told, unfolding a mystery from one thing, but then out of nowhere, that leads to an even bigger mystery from that.

The escape room and game-like element fit really well with the storytelling, and the anime literally pulls a "never let em know your next move."

Right now, I feel like I am on an acid trip trying to understand what is going on, (in a good way).

The story begins with zooming on a duo main cast, but we then begin to see just who exactly the MC is and things start to spiral out of hand.

Like seriously, the MC here is having a bloody nightmare about an escape room.

So, without trying to spoil much, just please go ahead and watch 1 episode. You honestly will like this, if you would enjoy the psychological, borderline supernatural mystery to it.

I previously gave a preliminary review after 6 episodes, giving it a 9 and calling it a must watch unless they screw up the ending. I'm going to downgrade it to an 8, which is still a high recommendation.

Aiyou de Mishi has an incredibly strong start, and does so much to build atmosphere and tension that it just draws you in. Watch the first episode, and you won't be able to escape.

There's something odd about the escape room that Yuechu and his coworker try out. There's rumors of people becoming obsessed and getting dreams about the escape room or the beautiful owner Aiyou. Aiyou uses ... a spooky salutation for all the leaving customers: "I will never let you go"

It's a thriller where it's probably best to not spoil anything. Like Link Click, Aiyou de Mishi or X&Y likes to end episodes on cliffhangers. The primary draw of this show is the mystery, so you'll have a different experience if you are watching the simulcast with everyone else. You (the audience) look for clues to understand what's going on. Unlike Link Click, there isn't much of any B plot, and it doesn't evoke many emotions beyond that of mystery.

It does a good job using atmosphere to create tension. The direction is near flawless. Everything (the cinematography, audio, pacing, transitions) comes together to generate the mood.

The animation is good. Backgrounds are lush and detailed. Lighting is used effectively. There aren't really heavy action scenes to animate, so there isn't any really spectacular sakuga, but the scenes are all set nicely.

The OP has outstanding visuals and music which really set the mood of the show. The ED is also great. It's hard to express just how well they mesh with the show.

The ending wasn't as strong as I would have liked. But the journey was good.

I don't get why this anime doesn't get more recognition—maybe because it's Chinese and not an "isekai" anime?
If you liked Link Click, you'll probably like this one too. (Both are Chinese,mystery, and the art is kind of similar.)
Story:I like the idea behind escape rooms, and the whole show reminds me of "no end house creepypasta" (I definitely suggest you read it if you liked this show), just a big room with no clear cage. Life is like an escape room, isn't it?
Art : is probably the best part of the show in my opinion; every scene and character design is clear and very well made. Also,  ... I find the camera angle really cynematography-like and less anime-like, if that makes sense to you.
Characters:I think they did a really good job for Xu Aiyou; they described really well the whole exterior figure and gave a lot of insight into her past,her personality, and the myths behind her.
For other characters however, it seems they gave them no space; we don't know about their past, personalities, etc. It seems like the whole show revolves around one figure. To be fair, I don't mind that,but I would appreciate more space for at least one more character.
The show right now is a beautiful mess,a really good mystery,I'm curious to see if the finale will make sense,that's my only fear.
A must watch if you are into mystery.

An excellent combination of well executed plot and fantastic animation – That is how I would like to describe this anime. Animes like ‘Aiyou de mi shi’ are just proving the fact that Chinese animes are getting better at an astonishing pace.

Plot(8/10): The plot of this anime centers around a mysterious woman and the escape room which she owns. And as male lead we have a relatively normal guy, who is not that normal (Big twist at the end) . As a mystery show it ticks almost all the boxes. It had good pacing, several interesting characters combined with great direction. Some of ... the scenes really justified the suspense tag it has. The initial phase got me hooked easily and made me watch the whole show. Though we barely discover what happened throughout those days and what was the motive behind it, the story is still intriguing until the point it covers from the source material.

Animation,Audio(9.5/10): Probably the best part of the show. Background art was outstanding, character designs were also great. I read some chapters of the source material afterwards and compared it with the anime. I was genuinely shocked to see how much the anime improved the art. Great job done by the studio.The backround music and sounds were good as well. It was able to create the vibe needed for the situations. It has an ending song which was also not bad .

Overall (8.5/10): Out of the few Chinese animes I have watched so far ,‘Aiyou de mi shi’ stands out as one of the best among them in terms of quality of the story and animation. The story stops at a crucial point and it definitely deserves a second season. It hasn’t got even half of the recognition it deserves , probably because it’s a Chinese anime . If you are not bothered by the language, you should definitely watch this. Highly recommended.

Bypassing the intricate plot details, let me highlight what appealed to me in this anime. If you're a fan of mystery, thriller, and psychological genres, it's worth checking out. The anime kicks off with a powerful start, although it encounters a temporary slowdown after episode 5. This momentum is effectively regained towards the conclusion of the series. However, the overarching story and subtle clues remained engaging, prompting me to reconsider earlier episodes, which little anime are able to do. The combination of pacing, hints, music, animation, the conclusion, and the central character, along with the unique focus on escape rooms, makes it a compelling watch. ... I'd rate it 8.5/10

This was honestly beyond my expectations! Starting off with it being a donghua adaptation, the animation style and the cgi was fairly impressive! What caught me most is still how the story proceeded with lots of twists while giving us character development as much as possible.

I loved how the story proceeded with the starting episode. It basically was the best way to grab people's attention with the escape room theme. As much as once could piece the story together, the ending still caught me hanging and wanting for more.

There were definitely a couple of loose ends throughout but honestly it feels like they ... were kept in purpose to enthrall the user experience and keep them wanting for more. I do feel a couple of scenes were exaggerated however it didn't fail its purpose and I liked that it made me think.

It was a great watch altogether! Binge-worthy!

If you enjoy psychological mind games then this underrated donghua is a must see.

Aiyou de Mishi is a Chinese animated adaptation of the manhua Ai You De Mi Shi by Bi Shui Yu. We're dropped into the life of Yuecha, as he and a work colleague visit an escape room called X&Y. The story quickly pulls you through an anxiety inducing, riddle solving journey that slowly starts to mess with your mind. It leaves you with the feeling that you may have escaped the room, but the room has not escaped you.

The plot is really good. I cannot say much without giving spoilers, but going ... in blind in this case is not a bad idea.

The animation quality is great, this and Link Click give me hope for the future of Chinese animation. The music is excellent, opening title animation and music really gives it an edgy feel. The main character is interesting, with an complicated unfolding backstory. Aiyou, the owner of the escape room, is intriguing and mysterious. Overall, cast is just *chef's kiss* complete with mad hatter moments.

For me, the biggest drawback was the poor translation quality that gives the interpersonal dynamic a discombobulated feel. Ironically it works to add to the overall confused feeling one has, but at key moments meaning is sometimes lost. It is my sincere hope that Chinese production houses will pay more attention to localization of their English audience. I wanted to read the manhua in order to flesh out critical scenes, but unfortunately English translation is not up to date.

I would have rated this donghua higher if not for script translation issues, 8/10