#Tan Zaozao

[agendratum]

the spirealm as text posts (1/?)

[zishuge]

The Spirealm 致命游戏 (2024) | Ep. 33

[luxhesperus]

i think one of the best things that the spirealm did is how they approached the female door gods; specifically the nurse from the waverly hills sanatorium, the lady in the rain, and satchan/sachiko (sorry i forgot her name in the show 😭)

but before i get into it, i have to preface this by saying i find it so interesting how nearly all the female door gods are only violent and vengeful as the result of a man's betrayal

and the thing is, if you take a look at the stories of asian ghosts, most of them are women and the violence that made them is almost always the handiwork of men (as a seasian, i could tell you stories)

and that's just a long-winded way of me saying that the spirealm taking the route of tan zaozao who makes the move to empathize with two of the door gods (the lady in the rain and the nurse) that ultimately helps them get out of the door is such a nice twist

like, it was the violence of men that turned these door gods into something twisted so of course violence will only spur on their hatred; but like i also get that they didn't exactly have time to empathize and such considering what they were going through was life and death

but tan zaozao appealing to their humanity that it helps them greatly in the end is just so *chef's kiss*

and that's like another thing i like about the spirealm, how they might be door gods but their characters are a little more fleshed out in the show that makes them just more human-like, ya know?

anyways i don't know if i made sense at all but egh 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ (i suddenly remembered some of my thoughts about the spirealm rn but when i finished it like when it was still being fansubbed, i was simply 'head empty, no thoughts' lmao)

[petewentzssilkpress]

I love the relationship between tan zaozao and ruan lanzhu. He is the bitchy older brother to her annoying little sister.

[naughtynanzhu]

🌟 tan zaozao 🌟

[patpranishome]

Like I said in the previous post, I had spent the entire night binge-watching The Spirealm and by the time I finished it, I could not delay my sleep anymore because I had to go to work the next day. So, I didn’t have time to write my thoughts coherently about this series except for a few snippets of posts here and there. Therefore, I want to use this opportunity to convey my feelings about the show and my thoughts on it. 

First, and foremost, I want to thank every single person that recommended the show. Every single one of you. If not for you hyping the show so much, I would not even touch the show. How horrible is that? Being deprived of a masterpiece which sat in front of you because you refused even to acknowledge its existence.

Second, OH MY GOD THE SHOW IS SO FREAKING GOOD!!! Going into the show, I was not exactly putting much hope into the plot and was just here for the bromance. But, the plot is so good. It had been a while for me to put my whole focus on a show and truly digest the plot of it.  I have never read the book and probably will never read it, but, based on my experience with Chinese bromance shows, sometimes when the setting of the show needs to be changed to adhere to the censorship rules, the plot of the show becomes way too convoluted to the point of incoherence and sometimes downright ridiculous (Guardian, I love you but, you are the worst offender of this). However, this show managed to change the fundamental setting of the story which is supernatural happenings to VR Game almost flawlessly. They set their own rules and managed to stick to them which gave the viewers the ability to understand and follow along while still maintaining the bigger parts of the show. At one point I felt my reason for watching the show changed. If before the romance is the main dish and the plot is salad, now, the plot is the full meal and the romance is the sweet bonus dessert you get free of charge. 

Next, also related to the plot, is how the show team managed to make the show feel alive and lived in. They make every single speaking character in the show feel like a human. Sure, some of them are downright despicable ( looking at you, Yan Shihe, may you rot in hell) but, they still feel human, even the non-human also felt human. Which leads to the woman in this series.

Quoting the wise word of Le Sserafim, “All the girls are girling girling, all the girls are girling girling, all the girly girls.” I. Love. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. The only time I cried in this show apart from Ruan Nanzhu scenes is Tan Zaozao’s death. From the first time she appeared in the show, I was already half in love with her. Sure, she might not be the brightest in the head but, she is so lovable that I understand how even Ruan Nanzhu is willing to break his principle to save her. I had to stop watching the show for a moment when her video ended because I was just plain sobbing (And I have to stop talking about her right now because man, do I have so many things to say about her). And she is only one example of a female character that I like in the show. Yeah, you read that right, one of the many female characters which was kind of a luxury in this type of show. And many of them are likeable and have so much depth even though they are just NPC. This show even makes me like Zuozi/Sako, the girl that scared the shit out of me every time she appeared on the screen (That moment when the three lady ghosts just chilling and vibing with each other at the final episode is one of the highlights of the show for me).

The set design in the show is *Chef’s kiss*. I was so used to weird CGI sets that the practical set in this show is such a fresh breath to me. Every single door has a distinctive vibe that is very different from one other. The combination of amazing set design, good lighting and clever camera angle really help you to be immersed in the story told in each door. The overall vibe of the show is really something that I cannot quite express in words because it was very specific, but, if I do have to try, the show gave me the dark sky after rain kind of vibe. Like, you know, the rain has stopped but, the sky is still dark, promising more rain to come. That kind of a vibe but, not quite. I am truly vibing the vibe because the show, at least for me, is always carrying this melancholic vibe even during its funny moments.

Lastly, Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi. Man, it has been a while since a pairing hit me hard like this. The last time this happened was my namesake, and they still reign supreme. But, RNZ and LQS brought with them this understanding and acceptance that was so intimate and private. There was no doubt that they loved each other. I mean, LQS spent fifty years of his life just to recreate the world where RNZ existed so they could be together. RNZ bet his life away if it meant LQS could live happily and safely. The actors brought this character to life so well that they understood the assignment clearly and made sure the sub in the subtext was silent. Bro, Xia Zhi Guang’s Nanzhu is so magnetic, charismatic, and intense that every time he is on the screen, he just takes my breath away. Huang JunJie, for me at first, was just okay but, slowly he grew on me with this casual way he acted like he was Lin Qiu Shi. He did small things, but those small things shaped the character well. The scene where he was trying to break down the door to save Ruan Nanzhu. Phe👏No👏Me👏Nal👏. And his smile is so cute. Anytime these two were in the same room alone, it felt hard to breathe even though they were doing nothing, just looking at each other. Their love for each other was never uttered, but it was never silent. 

And because of that, I would probably never read the book, well, at least for now. Even before the show, horror genre books had never been my favourite. So, the interest in reading the book before the show is already all-time low. I was satisfied with how the show ended and I wanted to preserve that feeling as long as I could. This is because I knew that I would start comparing the book and the show, and then, I would be left with what if which would affect my feelings for the show. I also love the portrayal of Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi in the show, and I am aware that there is a difference between the characters in the show and the book. As of now, I just do not have the capability to separate the book and the show as two different stories which was, for me, probably the best way to enjoy both of the two worlds. 

I have no idea if it was recency bias or what, but, I would put it at the top of my favourite BL series of all time. I may get hate for this but, I truly would put it even above The Untamed, a series that endeared me greatly. The Spirealm left me with this lingering feeling that I cannot understand and the urge to rewatch it again. I am not even a rewatch person. I am sorry for this long ass post. I thought I would be able to express my thoughts clearly after a bit of time, alas, I am still greatly affected by the show to the extent I just felt the need to shout out this feeling into the world.

[hokannko]

[ KALEIDOSCOPE OF DEATH SPOILERS ]

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“Thank you, everyone.”

[bl-is-totes-my-jam]

[candidsoup]

ok tan zaozao winning what appears to be the equivalent of a razzie award and actually showing up for the ceremony but then going into the door in the bathroom? and then Ling Jiushi pretending to be her assistant was not on my Spirealm bingo card

[noona96n]

also, i just realized... Tan Zao Zao's greatest ability is basically Talk no Jutsu lol

[zishuge]

The Spirealm 致命游戏 (2024) | Ep. 12

[i-am-ambedo]

reblog bc I’m obsessed

[petewentzssilkpress]

The Spirealm is just 78 episodes of grief and loss and grief and loss and grief and loss and gre

[naughtynanzhu]

[patpranishome]

I only came for the bromance, why am I crying over a video, man......

[merinnan]

TAN ZAOZAO! MY BEST GIRL!

Best character surnamed: Tan

Come and vote for the best characters with the same surname!*

What does best mean? It's up to you! Whether you love them, are intrigued by their characters, love to hate them, or they're your '2 second blorbos whose personality you made up wholesale', these are all reasons for you to vote for your favs!

*note, the surnames are not exactly the same in all the cases, as often there will be a different character. I am, however, grouping them all together otherwise things got more complicated.

Propaganda is very welcome! If I’ve forgotten anyone, let me know in the notes.

This is part of a larger series of ‘best character with X surname’ polls’. The overview with ongoing polls, winners, and future polls can be found here