The Untamed (2019)

Absolutely my favorite drama of all time!

I'm finally writing this review.
I LOVED THIS DRAMA! The Untamed is literally the most beautiful series I ever watched in my life.

The cast is 10/10. All the actors are super handsome and talented and fit their characters extremly well.
The scenery is also extremly beautiful. The different places like the residence of the Jiang Sect, the Gusu Lan Sect or the Jin Sect are all designed very individually. The same applied to the costumes.

The story is quite different from the novel at some points. Therefore the story of the Yin Iron was originally not in the novel. But it really added to the story and gave some charcters more room for character development, which is great!
The love story between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan is naturally not presented in the same way as in the novel, because of the Chinese censorship. But don't worry! Actually the only thing not included are the intimate scenes. In my opinion it's still a love story, it is just shown in a different way and nobody directly says it out loud.
The story itself is an emotional rollercoaster. It's touching, it's funny, it's heartbreaking. I don't really have words to describe just how beautiful and deep this story actually is.....

The Soundtracks really fits. You will absolutly fall in love with it. Especially the Main Track "Wu Ji" which Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo, the actors of the main characters, sung will stuck in your head for days!

The only point one could criticize are the special effects. Some are totally fine, but some look a little bit cheap and too unreal. Even tho that's the case, it really doesn't matter too much and I would totally rewatch this drama 100 times.

So all in all (I could probably write 20 pages more about just how much i love this drama and why, but you get the idea) I TOTALLY RECOMMEND IT! If you like it you should also watch the Donghua, read the novel and/ or read the Manhua.
Much love <3

Lire davantage

Watched many dramas in my life, none got me hooked like this one.BELIEVE ME! IT’S THAT GOOD

I can’t even say that the drama is amazing, it would be to little for it. I’m not the type that rewatches a drama, yet this is one is a must to rewatch, i still can’t believe that i have ignored this drama for such along time thinking that it is overrated. So, please don’t do the same mistake that i did and watch it, you won’t regret it.
The story is amazing and all the scenes make sense ( there are some dramas that are full of stupid scenes and ridiculous…stuff, etc ) the acting is insane and convincing.
I really enjoyed this drama it was beyond my expectations and you can tell that everyone worked so hard to make this grate.

Lire davantage

even the drama already on its end their journey doesnt stop here

i recommend this drama.promise
I already watch this drama for like more then twice,when realeased, during covid, end of 2020, even now i still watch it, and maybe i'll re-watch this again after the covid end, it'll make a great memories for me.
so,when i watched the first episode i'm still happy,smiling then suddenly after some episode it started to made me cry like baby made my eyes so puffy the other day.
this drama has interesting storyline,perfect characters,good plus sad soundtrack and it also mixed my feelings,from happy to sad to guilty to angry to laugh,etc
i cant move on from this drama it's been 2 years and almost 3 yeaars since i watched the drama
also i cried when this drama end i feel like theres a big hole in my heart even now i still hate the fact that this drama already end 1-2 years ago. yes it's been so long but this drama still has a special place in my heart.
i still hope there'll be 2nd season because it's doesnt enough......for me

Lire davantage

JUST GO FOR IT ! Dont think twice.

Honestly speaking I have been thinking of watching this show for 2 years. And now I have completed this show.
In one sentance - Slow start that you wanna drop it but if you will wait, you'll get to experience an amazing show. So Dont Drop it.
ep 1 and 2 - present time ( slow and confusing )
ep 3 - 32 - Flashback ( You'll also understand the first two episodes better after watching these eps ).
ep 33 - 50 - present time ( & the real excitement is here ).
Although the Novel is Utterly fantastic 👏 but but but the show is not lagging behind in potraying main leads emotions in a non sexual ( due to censorship in China ) way.

My three most favourite things in this show :-
1. Eyes of Xiao Zhan
2. Smile of Xiao Zhan
3. The Gaze of Wang Yibo ( Chills on the body )

Definitely going in my REWATCH list.
JUST GO FOR IT.

Lire davantage

To watch a 50 episode show in less than a week

How to even begin? I find it so easy to write a review about a show I had many problems with and didn’t enjoy a lot, I guess in those cases when I’m bored watching my brain is working on why is it that I don’t enjoy this to occupy itself. For a show like this however my brain is just turned off because I’m so along with the ride and just enjoying every minute fully. Basically the only thing I want to say about shows I loved is JUST WATCH IT COME ON ITS JUST GOOD I DON’T CARE WHY, but I’ll try to find out a bit about why I loved it so much nevertheless.

Setting and atmosphere: When I try to sell this show to someone else I’d always mention it’s almost meditative at times because of the beautiful nature and buildings and interior – simply breathtaking and detailed. I can watch so many scenes of characters sitting down, slowly drinking tea from tiny cups and bowing to each other without even thinking of getting bored, it’s just so tranquil yet very specific in what is going on, there’s rules and proper ways to do everything but it still feels so relaxed and just right. The ancient rural landscapes and villages feel so real that I can forget for hours our current world exists.

Characters: This is a show where every character has some sort of purpose and everyone gets a part to play, so no-one jumps out as completely underdeveloped or useless.

Wei Wu Xian is simply fun to watch, his personality is perfect for a main character since you know if you are following along with him it’s impossible to get bored. He’s easygoing and brave, and also has enough vulnerability to him that you are just holding your breath when he gets into trouble and hope nothing bad happens to him. I can relate to his outlook on life as people around him tend to be more serious and down to earth, he knows that life is a game which doesn’t have to be so bogged down in rules and seriousness.
Lan Wang Ji could have been the boring stoic character, but there was enough quirks and endearing qualities to him that he turned out so much better than I could imagine. His contrasting personality with Wei Wu Xian was fun to watch, even more so seeing how much their relationship changed by the end and how much emotion he ended up showing. Their relationship was a huge, huge drive of this show and I can't get over after a whole year of watching just how enjoyable it was to watch them develop, I'd watch another 50 episodes of them just doing whatever.
The supporting cast had arcs of their own and it would take forever to recount all of them, needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed their stories nearly as much as our main characters own.

Story: Spanning a whopping 50 episodes I never felt any huge lull or huge slowing down of the story, it was always going in a clear direction. The fantasy and mythological elements were constantly fascinating to follow and were always integrated deeply into the storyline. For a small minus, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the way the show was set up with the first episode what was going to happen in many many years, making it a bit of a waiting game sometimes ‘so when have we finally arrived at that spot from the start of the show?’, but I didn’t mind it too much.
There were humor and fun moments littered throughout the show in just the right times and were thoroughly enjoyable every time.
The show was packed with exciting moments, twists, and the plot armor only existed for the main leads, there were some characters that died that I never thought would and it was a very good, tragic kind of shocking.

Some cons:
- The story had great drama, but some of the dramatic moments could have been executed better, it almost felt too much at times – was it the way it was directed/acted, I’m not sure, but not all of the moments hit right
- There were particular music pieces throughout the show that were breathtakingly amazing, with traditional instruments and beautiful melodies. Sadly the piece playing during some of the most dramatic moments was not that good and felt a bit overused, it feels like those moments would have hit much harder for me if the song there was different so it’s a shame
- Some of the villain characters were definitely a bit stereotypical evil, there could have been a bit more nuance there. Though the show managed to surprise me at the end where I felt sympathy for one of he main baddies Xue Yang, albeit briefly.
- The special effects: While this problem got better later, early on some of the effects were not good at all, straight up comical and would ruin the immersion a bit. It's such a shame since I really want to watch this with other people but I will end up being embarrassed early in the show because of how goofy the effects look lol, not a huge deal as it gets a lot better but it's definitely something that could have been improved

Besides the nitpicks, I would never have imagined I'd binge a 50 episode show and right after its end I'd want to watch it all over again, like, moments after. Truly excellent

Lire davantage

Is this love la la la laaaaa

I didnt know I was walking into a BL, so this goes to show how good the story and acting was to give me that signal. I fell in love with this drama cause Wang Yibo was so handsome (but I am now a hardcore Xiao Zhan stan lol). I finished the drama within a week in 2020, cause I keep seeing it be number one on mydramalist. My favourite is the Yicheng arch, man that was rough... if i wasnt bound by societal morals, then I'm the biggest Xue Yang stan. Maybe it was the Zhou Shen OST that really got to me, but yea RIP. I also read the novel (it's spicy ;)), that took me a week too it was goddamn long too. I would recommend this based on how much you care about looking at handsome guys, because even if the plot is great, it was confusing to me before I read the novel. The acting was what made me really enjoy the drama, the chemistry, the love and the hate. Yea, there will not be a second The Untamed in Chinese drama history, definitely one of a kind sort of drama.

Lire davantage

Do not look further: if you are still wondering which drama to watch. This is the one.

Story/plot: ★★★★★
I just love the story. I have been always a fan of BL but I do have not seen any proper adaption into a drama.
This is the first one and it has settled a bar for any great BL drama (or should I say bromance) to come. I really hope more great BL novels and mangas get this kind of level of adaptions so these masterpieces can be seen by more. That being said, this piece is certainly not a pure bromance drama but the description of the two life stories of Wei Wu Xian (WWX), his struggles in life and battle against the general crowd by sticking to his believes and values. Throughout the journey WWX experiences extreme sorrow and challenges that helped him to grow. I am absolutely fascinated by the character development WWX is going through in the drama. It made me reading the original novel and listening to the audio drama which made me fall in love with the original story Mo Dao Zhu Shi. And I am just grateful that the adaption stuck mostly to the source materials, one of the main reasons why the drama is so well done.

The reason why I did not give a 10 is because of some plot holes the drama was not able to adapt too well from the novel: e.g. the whole pre-story around collecting the Ying metal pieces is just super confusing and not necessary; why would the sword soul of Nie Ming Jue be caught in the left arms of people? Also the end scene; while indeed it is very beautiful it totally speaks against the character of Lan Wang Ji (LWJ). This scene is inserted to create the reunite scenes which I feel was a bit artificial. One adaption I also really did not like was that the both Jin Zi Xuan’s death and Bu Ye Tian’s death were blamed to Jin Guan Yao and which again looked artificial to me. The best in Mao Dao Zhu Shi’s WWX is that he is human. He was blinded by revenge and was controlled by the dark spirit of Ying Huo Fu. That partially to his downfall and death, out of which he learned after his “rebirth”. But by then introducing these plot changes it showed an inconsistent picture, that at the end it was not WWX’s fault but he is just perfect?
Though the drama has created some of the most favorite scenes in the drama such as the goodbye scene in the rain, the snow scene in Yun Sheng Bu Chi Chu or the reveal scenes to Jiang Cheng in Yun Meng.

Acting: ★★★★☆
If I just judge the drama just based on the two lead characters Xiao Zhan and Wang Yi Bo I would give it a 10 (even a 100 if there is). Xiao Zhan has done an amazing job portraying WWX as if he jumped out of the book. I have since then been in love with Xiao Zhan. His smile is just magic and makes you smile too.
Also, Wang Yi Bo has done a terrific job by portraying LWJ though the emotions he is allowed to show are limited he is still able to reveal his feeling through small facial movements, gestures, and vocal changes. Something that the book does not really describe as it is purely written form the angle of WWX. Both actors are fairly young and have no proper acting schooling. Despite playing lead roles in very harsh conditions, this is excellent performance and surprising to many. And besides, they are both damned good looking... just perfect for a BL adaption!
However, the reason why I deducted the two points is because of the supporting characters. While some of them performed great (e.g. Zhu Zan Jin playing Jin Guang Yao, Paul Yu playing Wen Ning and oh I just love the amazing job of Zhang Jing Tong playing San Niang Zi, mother of Jiang Cheng) other actors and actresses are rather only ok. One can see that their actions are still at an early stage and many need more training. A big pity I find was the triangle side story of Xiao Xing Cheng, Song Lan, and Xuan Yang. It is one of the best well-written side stories of all time. The complex deep feeling hidden inside the characters did not come out well from the acting.

Music: ★★★★★
The drama has one of my favorite OSTs. I have been listening to the songs (both instrumental and the character songs) over and over. And the combination of Chinese flute and Gu Zheng is just really beautiful and perfect enforcement to highlight the drama’s high and low moments.

Camera work & post-production: ★★★☆☆
This is, unfortunately, the only part that needs quite a bit of improvement. While I agree that some scenes are beautifully shot (e.g. those I mentioned above) and most fighting scenes are quite nicely performed, many key scenes are quite disappointing:
The fight at Bu Ye Tian is just full of chaos - one cannot see who is who and not even the faces of the lead characters.
The evil spirits and zombies are just a laugh... one could have made those a bit more real (they could have referred to Korean dramas such as Hotel del Luna or Master Sun to learn how to make those real but not turn into horror movie characters.) In the end, we want to display demonic cultivation and living death and not a Halloween party. So what’s up with these grey smokes? And the mop in the water?
Throughout the whole drama, the lighting is often dull and grayish, making the characters look a bit sick.
And the worst part is the CG. They were just in some areas a bit too cheap and badly done.
I understood that the drama really did not have much of budget - so these areas must have been where they saved money. But I cannot stop thinking how much better this drama would have become if some more work is out on the camera and post-production.

Summary: ★★★★★
Despite some shortcomings, all in all, I can only recommend anyone, whether new or veteran into dramas, BL or non-BL fans to watch this. It is indeed the best drama of 2019. It is the first drama I have completely rewatched, after the audio drama and the novel (and I have watched many dramas!). I believe also you will fall into the magic of Untamed/Mo Dao Zhu Shi as much as I do.

Lire davantage

no thoughts, head empty, just wangxian on the mind.

OH GOD I THANK THE HEAVENS FOR LETTING ME DISCOVER THIS AMAZING PIECE OF MEDIA.

i dived into this drama thanks to my friends screaming about it, but got confused within the first five episodes that i had to drop it and wait until i got the momentum to continue it. i started this drama in 2020 but binged the remaining 45 episodes in 2021, and OH MY GOD why did i not finish it earlier??? literally *chef's kiss* i must say!

this drama hit the right spots for me as an angsty person. the whole wen clan arc really hurt my heart so bad but it was a different type of hurt that made me want to continue it instead of dropping it. not to mention the death of jiang yanli? i literally went full-on sobbing when she died like :(

but let's talk about wangxian! now here's what makes it different from other bl dramas. due to the censorship, they only have to incorporate queer themes subtly and THAT is what makes it different. the rabbits? the rooster scene? wei wuxian hanging around lan wangji in both of his lives? lan wangji immediately recognizing wei wuxian in the dafan mountain? wangxian referring to each other as soulmates? OH MY GOD it literally made me lose my mind!!!

in conclusion, literally the BEST (or if not, maybe ONE of the best) bl drama for me. i think i can never get over them in a few days, or even months, i give you that. i will forever think of them as one of my favorite fictional queer couples to exist.

Lire davantage

A famous Chinese drama

This Chinese drama is amazing . I recommend you to watch it . I love the cast , song ,and plot . The drama that I’ve watched and loved the most . I bet after you watch it you will crave for season 2 . I watch this drama three times already and still can’t move on . I really really love Xiao Zhan the main cast of the untamed his acting skills is brilliant and Yibo is such a great actor as well. A bout the supporting actor and actress are also talent . I will never regret after finish watching the drama .

Lire davantage

THE ACTOR

Okay, I want to say that I rewatched this drama for 4 times or 5; because this is the only Chinese historical drama I love.
The main lead"OMG" he's so cool and cute between with Lan Zhan..


But if you just roll with all of that, The Untamed rapidly becomes addictive, as interesting and watchable as it is complex. Like many stories within the Xianxia fantasy genre, The Untamed features highly advanced magic-wielders known as cultivators. We follow a brilliant cultivation student, Wei Wuxian (Xiao) as he first excels, then rebels within this tradition. While at cultivation school, he forms an unlikely frenemy-ship with dreamy but untouchable ice prince Lan Wangji (Wang), Somewhere between the first and third or fourth time he’s tried and hilariously failed to flirt with his crush, you stop sweating the confusing plot details in order to enjoy their blossoming chemistry.

From there, the story entangles you in gnarled plot threads and subjects you to constant, delicious emotional upheaval, as Wei Wuxian becomes a target of scorn due to his ability to wield black magic. Alongside becoming completely invested in the two main characters, you start to love nearly all of The Untamed’s expansive cast; I came for queer exorcists, and by the end, I was obsessing over villain hats and sobbing about adoptive families and sworn brotherhood.

Lire davantage

A PHENOMENAL SERIES THAT DESERVES REWATCHING

This was my first Chinese BL drama adaptation, and as an introduction to the genre 'The Untamed'/CQL was incredible! The chemistry between the main leads was so evident in their actions and facial expressions, and the intricately-designed costumes and well-choreographed fight scenes were amazing to watch. I wish the ending wasn't so open-ended, though.

Story - I'm so thankful to novel fans for insisting that the drama be a faithful adaptation (there were rumors of a love triangle between the two main male leads and Wen Qing). Wei Ying and Lan Zhan are truly 'soulmates'/zhiji and they won't let anyone forget it, lol.

Acting - Despite it being their first time to lead a drama (and a BL adapation at that), Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo both did an amazing job. When a certain main character died protecting him, you could really see and *feel* Wei Wuxian's heart break onscreen. And despite his seemingly-stoic personality, Wang Yibo managed to insert a softness in Lan Wangji's character when it was most needed—like bringing contraband into Cloud Recesses just to make his Wei Ying smile (in front of his brother, THE SECT LEADER, no less).

Music - How many times do I have to listen to the theme song "Wuji" before I get tired of it? At least 13 years, to match how many years Lan Zhan waited for his Wei Ying to come back. It only gets better when you watch the live rendition sung by Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo. My other personal favorites are "Bu Wang" (Lan Wangji's character song) sung by Wang Yibo and "Qu Jin Chen Qing" (Wei Wuxian's character song) sung by Xiao Zhan.

Lire davantage

Addictive drama that you can't move on from.

Its known to be BL but isn't like that, without any confession or steamy scenes you can feel their love for each other. A series of unconditional love, trust, mystery and family relation with a cruel face of truth. With awesome music, flute music that can relax your mind, top- class scenery, perfect story line with unexpected comic timing, awesome cinematography. Some CGI effects are not that 'perfect' but it can be considered good because whole set is been created by crew. Beautiful costumes with different designs customs of each clan/city. Wonderful cast even if in dog scene Xiao Zhan did some over acting but it make viewers to laugh. But the series can make you cry, so please keep tissue while seeing but it was a happy ending ( can be disappointing for a glance of a person ).
Series is worth watching after watching this its been a year but I still cant move on. Give it a try then you will know why its so good.

Lire davantage