11 Left (2021)

Who Are You?

This short mini-series moves by really fast. You blink and you can miss the small details. This series can be really interesting with all the small detailing in the symbolism and trying to figure out the mystery in the mobile game OR may prevent you from enjoying the show. What I liked was that we viewers only know as much as Chen Zhenyu knows, but through the symbolism, it becomes a little mystery game for us to figure out the details and predict what may come next/hint at. So, the show becomes more engaging as you pay more attention and try to connect everything together. If you're like me, you'll find yourself re-watching each episode at least 3-4 times just to find some clues.

While Li Xian plays different characters, the writer did a good job at giving them distinct character traits to differentiate his different selves. Note: the one single and distinct outfits for each character helps as well. Instead of thinking of it as "another Li Xian," I've come to connect names to those characters instead. So credit goes to Li Xian's portrayal here as well.

The cinematography was done beautifully from the sets that showcased the symbols to how they remind me of HK-style films. I like that despite it being filmed in a boxed set (pawnshop), warehouses, or narrow alleyways, the director used all the space and interesting angles he can with the movement of the camera to capture the scenes.

There are a few plotholes and there's much more left to explore because it's so short but it seems like there's a possibility for a second season. Another setback was the lack of subs for the text messages that could make you lost if you don't know what missions/messages were being sent but a quick Google translate can easily fix that.

Bonus: As this was set in 2026, I loved the electronic hip-hop and rap soundtracks in here!

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