The Untamed (2019)

An epic, over-hyped as bl and undermined as an idol drama

It is hard to describe and review The Untamed.
- It is adapted from a danmei novel (mdzs), but it is not a bl drama per se.
- Its cast consists new young actors mostly in their 20s then, with no veteran actors, but it is not an idol drama.
- It is produced as a web series with a limited budget and web viewers in mind, but its popularity is at an unprecedented scale.
- It received rave critical reviews domestically and globally for its strong plot, well-developed characters, incorporation of Chinese cultural elements, but antis continue to bash the drama.
- Some people simply shun or dismiss this drama as only a bl idol drama with young candy eyed idol cast that simply can’t act.
- Some diehard novel fans find this drama a lousy adaptation because of the toned down bl and gore.

* Transcendence of danmei novel into a critical production *
While this drama is adapted from a danmei novel, the two male leads are portrayed as soulmates in the drama, and the "soul" of this drama is not on their relationship (more on the “soul” later). That said, the chemistry between the two male leads is top notch - strong brotherhood, with some queer subtle for the experienced bl enthusiasts. The toned down bl and gore is not just because of censorship but the difficulty of portraying some of those gore details in live action, compared to in the novel or anime. I would add that the censorship transcends the danmei novel into a critical production, that brought more people especially international viewers to read the novel and the writer’s other novels.

* Big story on ugliness of society *
Beyond the candy bl-idol outer layer, at its core (“soul”), this drama depicts the ugliness of society, the struggles to uphold justice and the growing up journey of the key characters. It delivers powerful messages and quotable lines on society norms, the oppression one faced in going against society, how people often surface judge, how hypocritical nobles manipulate society norms for selfish power hungry causes, good vs evil, weak vs strong.

* Well developed multi-dimensional characters *
As a drama with ensemble cast, The Untamed has many characters, each with his own distinct complex traits, story and purpose. While the evil deeds they did are unpardonable, the key antagonists didn’t do evil for evil sake. The mistreatments they experienced as kids shaped their values and they did show their compassionate sides to those who respect and care for them. While there is no female lead, there are two endearing female characters: the best martial sister (shijie) who may appear gentle, but can really go all out and fight back to protect her brother, and the no-nonsense, courageous and righteous Wen Qing who unconditionally care for her brother and help others within her means.

* Passionate, determined, youthful cast with empathy portrayal *
The actors were selected based on their fit for the characters and their performance did not disappoint. This bunch of passionate, determined youths put in their hearts and souls to bring to life the many iconic and complex characters and their heartbreaking stories. Unconstrained by professional technical acting methods which they lacked, and under the guidance of the directors, their empathy portrayals allow the viewers to resonate with their characters. Remember the Empathy technique used by Wei Ying to experience A-Qing’s and Nie Mingjue’s past encounters? The cast’s empathy portrayal of such complex multi-dimensional characters make this drama and its characters both iconic and endearing‬, so much so that there are still many memes on the characters circulating in social media.

* Music and Chinese cultural elements *
In this drama, music is not mere bgm. Besides intrinsic depiction of each character via the character songs (pay attention to the lyrics), music is also a powerful tool that can both kill (Chord Assassination) and heal (Song of Clarity, Unrestrained), and introduces Chinese musical instruments - guqin (7-stringed zither) and flute. Just recently, in Jan 2022, "Moscow Metro News” published an article about how The Untamed promotes Chinese "guqin" culture in Moscow. Besides music, there are also tons of Chinese cultural elements infused in the drama, from the invitation cards, maple, lotus, cranes to the Tiger Seal, masks etc.

* Other aesthetics *
The CGI is bad, but the actual location filming such as at the Cloud Recesses and Yunmeng Lake and the elaborate 3000+ custom-made costumes and accessories make up for those awful CGI.

* Rewarding rewatch(es) *
There are a lot of details in each scene, including background objects such as the maple tree, crane, moon etc, that convey deeper hidden messages and backstories of the plot and characters. See spoilers in comments. Each rewatch not only re-rips one apart but also rewards with new understanding of the details that went into the production.

* Overall verdict *
In short, there’s so much depth at its core, beneath its pleasing aesthetics (casts, costumes, sets, OSTs). Censorship transcends the mdzs novel into a critical drama on Chinese culture, martial arts, sorcery, mystery, adventure, clan rivalry, power manipulations, society norms, kinships, friendships, good vs evil, weak vs strong, music that heals and kills, laughters, tears, angsts. Thanks to censorship, the re-focus on the multi-dimensional characters, empathy portrayal, strong plot, quotable lines, music and Chinese cultural elements make The Untamed an epic drama, in a class of its own‬.

Put aside preconceptions of bl, novel adaptations, young inexperienced idol actors, and watch this sincere, compelling production with an open heart and mind, and be awesomely charmed by an epic masterpiece that unfolds, and that creeps and stays in your heart for a long time to come.

“At best, you’re the untamed hero; at worst, you offend people wherever you go.”
- by the novel MDZS writer

P/S: This is a drama that touched me immensely, and the only drama to-date i rated a perfect 10, as it got me so invested, surfing for analysis videos/articles related to the drama, noting down the quotable lines and set me thinking a lot.

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As a person who didn't read the novel...

I picked up this drama because of the hype and because I had heard of the novel and manhua beforehand. I think the high rating comes from people who have read the novel and therefore are attached to the characters in a completely different way compared to me. I tried to like it and understand it. I honestly tried. However, I could not rate this drama any higher. (Please don't kill me.)

Story - The story was very hard to follow as a person who had no knowledge of the plot beforehand. I'm familiar with the concept of cultivation (vaguely), but there were some points I just didn't know, like the "golden core" concept. I had to google quite a fair bit about the plot while watching to understand it as well as explain it to my mother (yes, I watch dramas with my mom). The names in particular were hard to remember because every single person had like 3 names so I really wish there was a chart of the characters out there like there was with Nirvana in Fire.

Anyway, I had no idea what was happening in some points. I didn't really realize that Wuxian gave his core to Jiang Cheng until later which then led to him developing demonic cultivation. I didn't even know what happened when Wuxian fell into the graveyard. The entire first 30 or so episodes is dedicated to a flashback segment which kind of left me bored, but I understood that they needed to hook you. A lot of parts were dragged out. I literally hated that it took 4 episodes for Meng Yao to explain his whole evil plan. So yeah, the plot was a drag. I did appreciate the key moments between Wuxian and Lan Zhan though.

Acting/Cast - I really liked Wang Yibo, Xiao Zhan, and some others. The acting was decent for the most part. The most annoying thing was the way the zombies acted. Every time they were getting ready to attack, they just stopped and yelled out.

Music - I really love the theme song. I streamed it so many times on Spotify already. Yanli's song was a nice addition too. There was this one instrumental that kind of threw me off though because it was very modern(?). It just didn't fit.

Effects - I was actually impressed with some of the effects because they looked a lot better than those of 10 Miles of Peach Blossoms. However, there were still some moments that I just died laughing because of how bad the effects were, especially the dog-dungeon scene.

Overall - For the average drama watcher, I wouldn't recommend this. It's too confusing and long without proper context. If you're a fan of the novel, go ahead. Most fans enjoyed it so I don't see why you wouldn't.

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The biggest no homo BUT it’s a masterpiece.

I’ve read the novel and got concerned at how they will adapt a show that has gay romance as the core plot of the story, however, I was shocked to watch this show and discover the bromance which somehow passed the censorship. Though they never disclose the fact that they are in love with each other, the show directors filmed in such a way to show the close relationship between the two main characters without making it straightforward. After you watch it, you can clearly say “they are in love” rather than a scope of friendship. It’s simply genius. Such a soft bl, I was smiling so much during lan and wei’s moments. I am absolutely obsessed with this show that I watched the anime, read the novel and rewatched this show about 6 times. Not a single regret and would recommend this drama to everyone.

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Dark cultivation, corrupt sects, political intrigue and immortal boys love

A well beloved drama by many fans, I was too curious to pass on watching this. Last year I dropped this twice and for some reason I couldn’t watch beyond the first episode. On my third try, I promised myself to finish this no matter what. The drama is about two immortal male disciples who fight against the schemes of the corrupt sects and unveil the secret events of the past. The setting is very much wuxia, the main focus is political intrigue between different sects, with xianxia elements (immortality, dark cultivation, monsters etc).

Episodes 1-2 are a flash forward to the future where the male lead (Wei Wuxia) has come back from the dead. From episode 3, the actual story begins and until episode 33, we follow the plot of how he died and all events that connect with episodes 1-2.

The best part about this drama is hands down the male lead Wei Wuxia and his relationship with the other male lead Lan Zhan. I absolutely loved seeing their relationship build up and all their moments together. Their dynamic was a mix of mischievous bits and “I’ll die for you” vibes. This drama is heavily censored and it was interesting that I feel it’s both acceptable and normal to interpret their relationship as BL as well as a simple bromance. Well, I personally totally ship them as a couple.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t a huge fan of the plot/pacing. The story did always make sense and there were no stupid misunderstandings or plot holes. In fact, some key moments in the drama were executed fantastically and are very memorable. But in general I found the drama too long/draggy and boring at times. After episode 12 I started to ff/skip a lot as I was inpatient to see how it all plays out in the end.

POSITIVE:
- Great chemistry between the main leads. Their dynamic was the best part!
- Fantastic relationship build up and execution of the story between the main leads. I loved all of their scenes and interactions.
- Complex, endearing, hilarious and badass male lead (Wei Wuxia). His lines always cracked me up. His story is memorable!
- The best “if looks could kill” vibes from the male lead (Lan Zhan).
- Music instruments as weapons that look beautiful and totally badass.
- Dark Wei Wuxia with his flute slayed! I love that flute and his look so much!!!
- Brilliant acting from the whole cast, especially the main leads Xiao Zhan and Wang Yi Bo. In fact XZ deeply impressed me with this outstanding performance and portrayal of a character that is the total opposite of his other xianxia “The Longest Promise”. It’s safe to say I’m totally in love with XZ.
- Great villains. A good drama needs good villains and this one did not disappoint in that department.

NEGATIVE:
- Beginning of the drama is hard to watch and many people including me drop it multiple times.
- Not vibing with the plot/pacing. I like angst and political intrigue but this one felt too long, too dark, heavy and sometimes brutal.
- Unimpressive fight scenes. I might be spoiled with the recent high budgeted cdramas I’ve seen but unfortunately I didn’t like the CGI/visuals and fight scenes. Except the flute. I loved the flute. But the monsters and zombie-like people as foes were super weird and skippable.

OVERALL:
The Untamed feels like a classic and I understand the appeal of it even if it wasn’t 100% my vibe. I recommend giving this drama at least 10 episodes before deciding if it’s for you or not. If you want a wuxia setting (political intrigue between corrupt sects) and xianxia elements (immortality, dark cultivation and monsters) with beautiful bl/bromance relationship, give this drama a chance.

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You give me the sweetest taboo.

This drama flirts dangerously with the forbidden: dark cultivation, zombies, black and white magic, transmigration and boy love. The lead character Wei Wuxian (Xiao Zhan) is a free spirit who refuses to be tamed by social conventions; he lives by his own rules, is not averse to exploring dark powers and appears romantically open to both genders. The delicious exploration of such a slightly wicked character and taboo themes under the watchful eye of Chinese censorship put this high on my watchlist. I started watching with high expectations shortly after it aired.

The story is based on a hit novel and is indisputably a very good one but the way it was told in the drama was really not good. While broadly true to the book, the production lazily assumes the viewer actually read it. The plot is centered around the attempt to restore a powerful magical artifact that the various cultivation sects vie to alternately control or suppress. The story opens with the mysterious reappearance of Wei Wuxian, the infamous Yiling patriach after a sixteen years hiatus. The fact that this is achieved by the sacrifice of Mo Xuanyu whose identity he assumes is one of several plot holes that never gets fully flushed out. Thus he conceals himself behind a (hideous) mask. The viewer is dropped right into in the middle of unfolding events and a wide array of characters without any backstory. Then we go into a prolonged flashback all the way back to the very beginning and up to the conspiracy that led to Wei Wuxian's fall from grace and long disappearance. This takes well over half the drama, which peaks around episode 34 with Wei Wuxian's apparent demise. We are then back to the present where we go into several shorter flashbacks intended to shed more light on the conspiracy. That made it messy and was less interesting because by then the two main villains are known. While the story regains some momentum towards the end, it doesn't come close to the mid-drama peak and the final denouement where the ultimate mastermind is revealed comes almost as an afterthought. That character was one of several insipidly acted roles and the final reveal tied up a few loose threads that wouldn't have been missed. This story would have been much better paced and less confusing had it just been shot chronologically.

The cast is inexperienced and even the main actors struggled to get into character for a long time. Some actors were just plain bad throughout. The first 15+ episodes were painful and the acting didn't get noticeably better until the mid-20s. I dropped it after episode 7 and many more times after that. Although there were some great parts, it just never hooked me. It took me 5 months to finish watching and I wouldn't have if I weren't so damn bored during the c-drama ban. What kept drawing me back was Xiao Zhan's infectious grin - he must have the best smile ever. He really did bring the marvelously controversial Wei Wuxian to life in a way that compels us to indulge the character's many obvious flaws. I was less impressed with Wang Yibo's Lanzhan; it is a stretch to describe his initial pissed off or constipated expression as statue-like or unemotional. He slightly relaxed his face muscles and improved markedly much later on and I really liked his Lanzhan at the end so kudos to him for that. I was also surprised by his grace and athleticism in the fight scenes. The two leads had good chemistry but where I saw sparks fly was between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. That confused me as I sensed from the start there was an emotional connection, that Jiang Cheng's feelings for Wei Wuxian were complex and went beyond sibling rivalry and envy. I don't think this was intended.

In genres like this, the heroes are only as good as the villains and therein lies the problem - the villains were not that hateful nor were they empathetic. Both actors were similarly styled and portrayed such similar mannerisms their roles could have been interchanged. They both overacted, had the same intense face lowered evil glare, mad eyed expression and crazy gloating smile. The directors were so lazy they pretty much gave them the same cliche traits and may as well have just used one actor for both roles. Surprise surprise, we are supposed to be sympathetic because they both also had serious daddy issues. Indeed this is the default excuse that explains the flaws of many characters including Jiang Cheng. Key takeaway: don't be a bad dad it really messes up the kids. No wonder I was bored! As for the ultimate mastermind, he was so well concealed he went unnoticed and no one would have cared if he remained that way. The ending was a bit of a crowd pleaser with a bit of something for everyone. I was just relieved it was over.

At this point it goes without saying that the production team for this show pretty much sucked. It would be a shame if the success of this drama despite terrible execution elevates them into a position to destroy other fantastic story-lines with poor editing, storytelling and shoddy camerawork. The only thing they got very right was walking the line perfectly between bro-mance and romance in terms of Wei Wuxian and Lanzhan's relationship.

So what made this such a huge hit? Well, the forbidden fruit nature of this drama can be highly addictive and is bound to resonate deeply with certain demographics and at some life stages though not for everyone. All the hidden meaning in certain interactions, the imperceptible flicker of an eyelash, the barest hint of a smile and the slight double entendre in the dialogue can be tantalizing for those looking for signs of a secret taboo romance. That kind of fun speculation only amused me for short spates. Ultimately a good, well acted story is all that I look for- whether or not it is about boy love would not make any difference to me. I was touched by the bro-mance between the two soul mates (which was all that I saw) as well as the relate-able and moving relationships between both sets of siblings - these were the high points for me. Sadly it was not enough to keep me engaged for long. I almost wish I had read the book. Maybe I would have enjoyed the drama more but even if I eventually get round to it, I am unlikely to re-watch this.

I almost gave this an 8.0 - but I felt I had to knock another 0.5 points off for the fact that it had a certain je ne sais quoi that just bored me silly when I wanted to love it. That and that simply god awful mask that would top the Don't list in any c-drama edition of Glamour magazine's defining list of fashion Dos and Don'ts.

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At times I felt that I must somehow be watching a different drama from everyone else …

I initially wrote a review for this drama a few months ago when I decided to drop it at episode 27. But I ended up giving it another chance, and this is now me rewriting my thoughts after finishing all 50 episodes.

I REALLY should have liked this drama. It has fantasy, epic bromance, sweeping landscapes, touching loyalty, battles, an ancient setting, undying devotion, powerful magical objects, tragic friendships, and famous swords. It’s basically like someone took everything I love (aka all the ingredients of The Lord of the Rings), put it in one drama, and somehow came up with a far more unsatisfactory result that I would have imagined possible.

There was a lot in this drama that just wasn’t as good as it could have been. I largely blame the lackluster directing, which somehow managed to bore me in scenes that should have been powerful. There were a handful of moments when I genuinely felt touched by the connection between the two leads, but unfortunately those moments were rare highlights in 50 episodes that I otherwise felt indifferent to.

The storytelling is muddled, to say the least. It jumps back to the past and stays there for about 30 episodes. In principle, I don’t have a problem with a nonlinear timeline, but it didn’t really work here. I don’t think the importance of the time skips were clearly communicated to the viewer. Though learning that Wei Wuxian betrayed everyone was certainly an intriguing hook, I spent so long waiting to see how that would come about that by the time I actually reached that point, it was rather anticlimactic. If it had just gone chronologically, it could have been a heart-wrenching twist, rather than a disappointment. The transitions between scenes sometimes felt abrupt. There are also times where they hide information from the audience for the sake of dramatically revealing it later. Perhaps they thought it added a bit of mystery to Wei Wuxian’s character, because we were missing pieces of his story, but I didn’t see much point.

Even though I think there was a pretty good overarching story, I was often bored out of my mind while watching this drama. I guess I could say that this drama had pacing issues, or that the dialogue scenes were too long, but I don’t think that’s truly my problem with it. Some of my favorite dramas/films are slow-paced and dialogue-heavy. The problem is that the execution of these scenes often made it feel unbearably tedious, even when I thought I should be interested in what was going on. Far from being compelling, the acting often felt cheesy, the script was bland, and the directing brought little interest, except in sometimes succeeding at being simultaneously overdramatic and exceedingly dull. “Humdrum” and “uninspired” adequately describe the execution, and when you stretch that out over long back-and-forths between characters, it’s not something you can really get away with. Every so often, I did feel like the director had put some thought into how to construct a scene beyond the most obvious, utilitarian option, but there are only a few scenes in the entire drama that I would really say were well-done.

As for the plot itself, the first half primarily consists of the mustache-twirling-evil Wen clan plotting to kill everyone and a steady stream of fantasy-action scenes wherein the good guys fight the bad guys or the evil monsters they’ve conjured. This would probably work if the action scenes were really epic, but the choreography is boring and special effects aren’t particularly good, so not so much. The second half is pretty much Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji hunting down mysterious evil-doers, followed by a face-off with the bad guy. My impression was that it was a little lighter on the action scenes and a bit more focused on the interactions of the leads, which is probably why most people seem to like the second half better. However, I have to say that the only part of the plot that was particularly interesting were 5-10 episodes in the middle of the drama.

Unfortunately, the climatic battle is pretty laughable, because all these extras are randomly swinging their swords at nothing. I’ve been told that they’re battling invisible “resentment energy” or something like that, but that hardly changes the fact that all these supposedly seasoned martial artists look like they belong in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. So people are dying and I’m supposed to be sad, but all I can think is “Lol, look at that extra.” I don’t have particularly high expectations for well-executed battles in Asian dramas, but this was a new low. If you can’t make the fighting look good, at least make it inconspicuous enough not to distract from the other elements.

I was quite surprised to discover many people consider this drama rich in moral themes. On further inspection I admit that some of these themes are there. However, I don’t think they can really be said to have been well-developed, explored in depth, or presented in a new way. Personally, I never once found this drama to be thought-provoking. The only themes I felt were treated with some consistency were rumor and reputation, but even then, I’m not really sure what I got from it other than, “people are judgmental and will believe what they want to believe.”

I have to say I was also a little disappointed in the development of Wei Wuxian’s character. He’s certainly interesting, but some of his character transformations were not very well communicated, in my opinion. I also thought he was shaping up to be a pretty great character around the midpoint of the drama, but I didn’t really feel like it followed through on all the potential. Nor did I think the morality of his actions was really explored in a satisfactory way. Lan Wangji is less complex, but I found his progression to be more even and satisfying. There were a few supporting characters that I thought I should like or find interesting, but the only real emotion I felt towards any of them is some petty annoyance at the villains.

The acting is below par. There really isn’t a single strong performance in the drama. Actually, Xiao Zhan was occasionally excellent. The problem is that he was very inconsistent. He would go from good to bad to great to mediocre. Overall he was definitely the strongest actor in the drama, but it was far from a top-notch performance. I do think he’s talented, just very unpolished at this point. I would call Wang Yibo’s performance barely passable. He was never terrible, but he was rarely good either. He did manage to hit the right notes in a few important scenes, but spent most of the drama playing his stoic character a bit too stone-faced. Perhaps the even bigger issue, though, is the number of supporting actors who were overtly bad. Sometimes it was just a bit annoying, other times it completely ruined tragic scenes, because all I could think was how fake the actor’s crying looked. I think Jiang Cheng, in particular, was far too important a role to be portrayed so incompetently.

In terms of cinematography there are some pretty landscapes and moody blue-tinted shots, but it’s not 2009 anymore, so that doesn’t really constitute a stunning drama. Plus, there are a lot of awkward camera angles, dated-looking zooms, unattractive color grading, etc. The design of the sets and costumes had some nice details, but they often looked rather cheesy. And well, since I’m being a gloomy storm cloud anyway, I may as well just say that I have some issues with the design as well, particularly many of the materials they chose for the costumes. I mean, wrinkled (faux)leather hanfu? Seriously!? I do think this drama made an effort with the visual aspects, but the result wasn’t so great. By 2019 standards the production is mediocre at best.

I initially had very little opinion about the music. It simply wasn’t very unique or memorable to me. However, since people raved about the soundtrack so much, I started listening more carefully. Unfortunately, rather than appreciating the music more, I began to notice how unsuited some of the background music was to the scenes or the drama in general. I think I know what they were going for, but it really didn’t work. It was just bizarre. I will say that some songs/pieces were very pretty, so the music definitely had it’s high points, but it also had some low points, and overall I can’t say it’s a particularly great soundtrack.

It probably seems like I absolutely hated this drama. I really didn’t; there were a few parts I even liked. It was just incredibly frustrating to me, especially since the longer I watched without becoming immersed in the story, the more my nitpicking tendencies took over. Had there been some element that was truly brilliant, I might have been inclined to overlook this long catalogue of flaws (I can be pretty forgiving if you give me a reason to be), but even the things this drama got right, did not strike me as exceptional.

Overall, it's a story with potential, hampered by poor execution. I can kinda understand this drama’s popularity. However, given the very mediocre quality of the acting and production as well as the lack of compelling direction or storytelling, it’s hard to rate this drama as anything more than average (personally, I think it's below average). I really fail to see how this drama could possibly merit the oft used term “masterpiece,” when the skill and craftsmanship that created this drama is far from extraordinary.

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Never seen a story like this one!

This has got to be one of my favorite CDramas that I have ever watched. I’ve never quite come across a story as captivating as this one! I didn’t read the summary before going in so I had no clue what it was about. It kept popping up on my recommended shows. The plot definitely did not follow the path of a typical CDrama. Although there were misunderstandings between the 2 MLs, they did not drag it out as we see with most CDramas. The story progression was amazing along with the progression of the characters. It was very well thought out as there wasn’t a ton of plot holes or unanswered questions.

Every actor perfectly fit the character that they were cast to play. Wei Wuxian/Wei Ying is definitely an unforgettable character. He is very relatable as being kind can sometimes make you the target of hatred. Also, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced as many emotions as I have watching this one. I found myself crying, laughing, angry, etc.

The soundtrack was also amazing and really nice to hear the two MLs singing on the OST. Even though some of the visuals were bad and you can tell it was a low budget show with some of the props and visuals looking too cheap and fake, it did not take away from the show. This is definitely a show that I can rewatch multiple times and never get tired of it.

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An Academy Award deserving series!

This is the 4th Chinese drama that I’ve watched but it is by far the best. The professionalism and chemistry of all of the actors is hard to beat. Coming from the US, being a writer of fiction myself, I love the amazing character development. The directors and producers absolutely did a fantastic job with casting. I’m one of the few fans out there that do not view WYB and XZ or their characters as a couple though I understand that’s what the novel said. Instead, theirs is a brotherhood and bond rarely seen nowadays and brings memories of the 1940s and comrades in war (and I mean that for both the actors and their characters). The younger generations today aren’t used to this. I do wish there was better continuation within the series as many scenes were a bit out of whack. Thank you for a wonderful series Tencent that I can’t stop rewatching since mid-December! This series deserves an Oscar because it rivals many shows on TV from many countries especially here in the US. I can’t wait for Oath of Love, Legend of Fei, Doulou Continent, and every other production these young and talented young men will do. A million times thank you!

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“Who’s right and who’s wrong? Who’s black and who’s white?”

I think this iconic quote from the drama pretty much sums up the message that the story is trying to convey. This quote is applicable to pretty much every plot, story, and character. The drama discusses the line, or lack thereof, between what is considered good and what is considered evil.

After watching, rewatching, and watching others watch it, I’ve come to really appreciate the great attention to detail that the crew put in. There are so many little moments throughout the drama that are intertwined and connected, and many of them went unnoticed the first time I watched it. It was only after rewatch after rewatch did I notice these moments that added so much deeper meaning to the story. Speaking of detail, I also was impressed that there were no unexplained plot holes*. Some may disagree with me on this, but I think that even if something wasn’t explicitly explained, it was implicitly implied enough so that I could understand. This made the story flow really well. I am well aware that the drama does not fully follow the original plot, but I think they did a pretty good job adapting to some of the changes that they had to make because of censorship. I understood the story pretty well even without the background knowledge from the novel.

Another aspect of the story that I really appreciate is the stories of each character, and how the actors portrayed the characters. Each character had their own story that added significance to the plot or the message. There was no character that was shallow or dull. I salute the actors/actresses for putting their efforts into portraying their character convincingly and carefully.

Of course I cannot ignore the fact that the production quality was not top notch, but I find it easy to ignore the technical difficulties and focus on the story instead. After all, it seems like it is easier to have great production than to have a great story, from what I’ve seen of other dramas. It may seem like I'm overrating by giving straight 10's, but like I said there are flaws. It's just that the flaws are not enough to bring down the overall score.

I have to disagree with those that say the beginning few episodes are “boring” because those episodes were really critical in developing the relationship between not just the main leads but also the supporting characters. Most dramas that I’ve seen are like this in that there has to be some sort of introduction before the action can kick in, not to say that the beginning wasn’t full of action because it was.

This drama won’t be for everyone, especially those looking for a soft romantic drama to sit back and enjoy. I assure you this one is the complete opposite! There are many many sweet moments, but that’s not the point of the story. On the contrary, I think this one is full of action that forces you to sit on the edge of your seat in order to take in every single detail because most of them are essential to the plot. It will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions ranging from deeply sad (sad is an understatement to describe the wreck that this drama will make you) to fluffy and cute.

Finally, what I really learned from this drama is that there does not have to be any physical romantic scenes to “prove” there exists some bond between two people.

“I am satisfied for having one person in my life that truly knows me.”

*Edit: After rewatching and reading discussions, I realized that what I said above about no plotholes is actually wrong because there are some questions that do not get answered in the drama. However, since I understood the story just based off the drama (without help from novel or anime background) I would say there are no plotholes that are significant enough to affect the main plot.
**Edit for edit: I added the edit in case people define "plot hole" as anything significant or insignificant that may contribute to the plot, but like I said in my edit, there are no such holes that take away from the main plot. It's just that there are a few small questions that remain unanswered.

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First off, just some disclaimer:
1. These statements are mostly my point of view and opinions, so if you have any issues with mine then go find your own because I'm just here to spill my tea.
2. This review is from someone who has been there from the beginning of the novel when it was translated, seen the donghua (currently watching the second season and my heart uwu), listened to the audia drama, and read some of manhua (but didn't really continue, but that's another story for another day), so yes I will have a lot of opinions and things to say.
3. This review may have too much comments on random things like the clothing and ect.
4. I have not read any of the other reviews so I' sorry if my review may or may not be similar to the other viewers or yours.
5. This will be a long review so if you plan on reading then grab some tea or popcorn. *Probably the longest one you will read if you do read*

Story/Plot: 6 stars
To be honest, the plot here may be the lowest rating I gave out of all the adaptations of the original novel that I've seen (listed above). I liked that the plot took a different route, but there are some things about the plot that bothered me and that's why I gave it and 6.5/10 rating. At the beginning, I didn't like that the writing made WWX seem like he misses(?) WLJ. Not that is was wrong, it was awkward because the novel was different. Also, couldn't they have done something like changing his hair style or adding makeup to WWX instead of making him wear a mask? Like he's going to take off the mask anyways and still have the same face as WWX so why can't they add a little detail for us to differentiate that he's WWX in MXY's body? Besides, XZ is really handsome and it frustrated me then I couldn't see his face because of the mask and I bet LWJ felt the same way too. I just have to say that I was one of those fans that didn't like how they made it so that the Stygian Tiger Metal was not created by WWX and that WRH wanted to use it because to me that was a big part of what made WWX the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. The drama also made it seem like the leads weren't even that good at fighting. Here's the tea, the original story/plot from the novel is way better. I don't care how much the scriptwriters had to change to make it into a drama and pass censorship, but they could've done better.

Acting/Cast: 6 stars
Not gonna lie I was going to drop this drama at episode 3 to 6 because of the bad acting and editing (but we'll talk about that later). Literally, all the acting from episode 1 to like 6 was basically the actors just ACTING or reacting! A lot of their acting seems force, unnatural, and awkward. The actors such as XZ and WYB were the reasons I almost didn't start this drama because they're not originally actors and I had already imagined other actors playing WWX and LWJ's roles (will get into that later). And I don't think I was the only one. When I first heard of the casting I was like, "Isn't WYB too skinny?" Like I don't know why but I've always imagined LWJ as someone who is bigger than WWX as in like having a wider chest and bigger build. But it was also because of them that I continued to watch this drama because I wanted to give this drama another chance because everyone was telling me that I have to have a different mindset or think of this drama as a fanfic so I did. The acting did improve after episode 6 and episode 13 was when I really felt that chemistry I was waiting a million light years for. I really think if I hadn't seen like the first 6 episodes I would've given XZ a 8/10 for his portrayal of WWX, and WYB a 6/10 for his portrayal of LWJ. They're honestly the reason why my acting/cast rating is at an 6 stars because without them it would've been at like a 3/10. I really like when actors can act with their eyes and that's what I love from both WWX and LWJ actors! I love shi jie's acting after episode 6 because she just kept improving in acting and also in portraying Ah Li's character. I love it when she stood up for WWX because it shows how strong of a character she is. She gives off this really lovely vibe. I'm just gonna put it out there that she is way more mature than JC. There's a saying a few times that was like, "The past is the past." and that they shouldn't dwell on it anymore. Ah Li, WWX, and JZX were the people I think embraced this the most wonderfully and LWJ later. Jiang Cheng's acting was pretty consistent throughout and that is overly expressing himself such as his actions and facial expression which I thought was disappointing because it shows that he clearly lacks acting experience on screen, might be better for plays/musicals since audience is far away and has to be able to determine your expressing skills. What bothered me the most was that a lot of the actors are inexperienced so a scene that could've been executed perfectly had flaws as in it couldn't give me the full emotion that it was trying to deliver for example that scene of XY and XXC when they found out the truth and when JC's mother taught that bad woman a lesson. I felt like it could've been more. There are a lot of scenes that I did felt was extremely well done such as WWX and LWJ's scenes of course, some of the fighting scenes such as the ones with WYB and I am thankful that he's a dancer because those scenes looked so graceful and beautiful but some of those fighting scenes were bleh. Like when Shi Jie was dying like??? What are all those people doing in the background (actually that's a lot of what happens now that I look at it closely when there are fighting scenes in this drama)? And btw that scene made me cried a river in the other adaptations but this one I raged instead and cried a little after. I also cried a river when JC's parents died and held hands. That scene was beautiful besides the fact that they died. I died a little seeing that scene just like how I died a little seeing WWX letting go of WLJ's hand. I have so much more characters/actors to talk about but that's too long so I'll end with someone interesting. I don't know about you guys but Xue Yang literally gave me GAY vibes whenever I saw him on screen.

Music: 7.5 stars
I love all the songs, especially the song dedicated to Xue Yang by Zhou Shen. I love that the beginning ost had no singing because obviously this story can't be explain in words and that's beautiful. I love the fact that shi jie was given a song. Love WYB and XZ for singing the Wuji ending theme song. The reason why this rating is not a 10/10 is because it's a song I wouldn't listen to on a daily basis like the WangXian song from the donghua. So I took a point off for personal preference. But I took 1.5 point off because some/a lot parts in the drama random songs/ instruments just played and it ruined the mood sometimes. One time I forgot which episode but the Wuji song was played for a scene for someone else other than WangXian couple and I was confused for the whole day and decided to forget about it so I could move on.

Rewatch Value: 6 stars
I could see myself rewatching quite a few times as I did so with dramas like Guardian and also because I have rewatched the donghua many times, reread the novel, and listend to the audio book. But would this be the first one I go to if I was to see an adaptation of the novel? No. Overall, this was an okay/good drama and did exceed my expectations.

Now you can stop here is you don't want to see me rant about other stuff about the drama, but if you do stay I can't promise it'll be short. Below are the things I want to get off my chest and are related to my overall rating of this drama.

1. Oh my goodness who did the EDITING??? It's so bad. I should also question who did the camera work because why all those weird angles and unnecessary movements? You could tell the editor didn't know whether which color of brightness/saturation/concentration looks good on screen so in one scene the editor would keep changing the color tone and it annoyed me so much. And the camera work. It's so frustrating because the camera work is the definition of bad camera work. Like why can't you just keep some angles straight? It is because the two main leads aren't? *and when I realized that I was SHOOK, but no. Still don't like that idea of weird angles camera work* It's really bothersome that on close-up scenes that the actors forehead or chin or hairstyle is cut of. Like???? Why? I understand scenes that focus on the eyes and face but why part of the head?

2. Clothing. The clothing was so...idk. Weirdly styled and colored? All I can say is that LWJ had the best outfits. WWX's outfits aren't even second to LWJ, I would say Wen Qing's outfits were better than his. WWX is third in terms of his clothing. The rest is a bit of a mess although some of the characters did pull of theirs or had pretty average looking outfits but nothing in this drama was too fancy. Someone that for sure pulled of his clothing JGY because he's really pretty that kind of makes him look good in any clothing. The sect's clothing is very questionable. Why does the Jin sect look so poor with that mild yellow color on? Like I thought they were the sect with the most money and wore yellow and gold clothing. The Lan sect got it easy by getting white, but their clothing looks heavy. I wasn't a big fan of some of the Lan outfits having too much ugly blue color. Maybe sheer light blue would've been nice. I know the Wen sect is evil but why are so many of them wearing black? Call me a WWX stan (cuz I am) but WWX was the only one who looked good in wearing black throughout the whole drama. I honestly feel bad because I feel like the Nie Sect and (especially) the Jiang Sect got the most ugly colors. They were wearing all shades of purple and brown/gray outfits. It looks to me that shi jie and Jiang Cheng were being experimented on with a bunch of random colored outfits. I will also add that the hairstyles were very simple and I liked that at first but later it seemed as if everyone just had the same hair styles besides the main leads. The only thing that was different in their hair was the head piece for most of the cast.


3. Day/Night/Lighting
This the one where I had the most issue with. Because of this issue the whole drama just screams LOW BUDGET to me. If there's one thing a production should invest in besides the cast is lighting. I was always displeased with the lighting in this drama. It was always inconsistent and strange or weird to look at. For example, when shi jie was dying, when JC came flying to her side the lighting was a bit red because they were at the Wen's base but when she started talking to WWX the lighting in the background was dark/night time and when she was murder it was going back and forth from black background to red lighting background with people fighting in the back. The reason why lighting is so important because it describes the mood of the scene or gives the audience/viewer an idea of what time of day it is or a sense of reality. I also didn't like the fact that they were night hunting in the day. Like what??? I watch so many wuxia dramas before and hunting any sort monsters or yao has always been in the night. How could the drama production make such a mistake? At least change it to day hunting or something less questionable.

4. CGI/Props
The CGI and Props were the last thing I worried about some dramas can do without it or people sometimes forget about it and I did forget a lot of it. But there was one I could not forget and that is when Wen Chao and his crew were floating/flying in the sky in a triangle formation. That scene was so funny because the cgi was so bad. I swear these actors were placed in front of a green screen with fans blowing at them and then when it was getting edited the editor just replaced the green screen with a sky full of clouds background. The props were okay but you can totally tell a lot of them were fake or cheap like the swords. Real swords don't wobble and aren't that skinny. How do I know this? (That's a different story for a different day.) One cgi I was really looking forward to was when that wrench sent a firework signal to Wen Chao. It was not as great as the donghua. There was literally one firework shown and two from far away in a very big background which literally looked like a dot and just colors flashing on that wrench. I actually quite like the cgi when WWX was tormenting WC with a red ghost woman, but the real question is: Who Is That Ghost?

That's all I have to say. If you have made it this far you are a great person with good patience. I hope you have a nice day and thank you for reading this long review. ^-^

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let me preface this review by stating that i have not read the novel or engaged with any other forms of this story. i am rating+reviewing this drama on its own merits rather than on its quality as an adaptation. (this review is spoiler-free!)

instead of a plot summary, i will say that the untamed is a story that explores:

- personal morals vs. cultural morals
- the structure that rules—spoken or unspoken—uphold 
- what being loyal means
- the pros and cons of selflessness
- when the norms of society must be questioned
- the complex, morally grey nature of revenge
- groupthink and its consequences
- when violence is(n’t) justifiable

all of these concepts (and more!) are but branches stemming off from the narrative’s thematic core: what is good, what is evil? what makes the untamed special is how it handles that question; although the theme is extremely familiar, it is executed in a fresh, unique way. it doesn’t feel like an examination of morality you’ve seen hundreds of times over already in fiction. it is rare to find media that approaches such a common theme from a new angle.

the mischievous, unorthodox wei wuxian and the scrupulous, rule-abiding lan zhan are our protagonists, and the relationship that grows between them is the heart of the drama. their development is just gorgeous. the love and trust the two have for each other is staggering. you can feel the incredible intimacy between them; sometimes i feel i should look away from the expressions they share with each other, because it’s not for me to see, it’s for them.

it too cannot be emphasized enough that as individual characters, both wei wuxian and lan zhan are intricate, amazing, and fascinating in their own right. i don’t want to say too much, as their arcs are best to discover and experience on one’s own, but it’s been a good long while since i’ve met characters i love as deeply as i do these two. their motivations, mistakes, development, and flaws all make sense, and their stories are satisfying to the very end. 

the supporting characters are also wonderful, and the time the narrative spends with them is not time wasted. jiang cheng is frustrating and fascinating; wen qing is intriguing and heartbreaking; jiang yanli is steadfast and loveable; xue yang is over the top and extremely fun; i could go on and on. the entire array of characters is worthy of praise. 

on that note, the acting is superb; both of the main actors fully inhabit their characters. xiao zhan is a powerhouse. he is an incredibly dynamic actor, and he portrays the richly layered wei wuxian with care and dedication. he has great control of his face, and is able to convey a wide array of emotions with nuance and delicacy. xiao zhan makes you truly feel what wei wuxian is feeling. 

and then there is wang yibo’s lan zhan. lan zhan’s stoicism and way of internally processing emotion demand that the actor utilize subtlety to the utmost degree. with just his eyes (just his eyes! i can’t get over it!) wang yibo is able to reveal the sheer breadth and depth of the character’s feelings and internal workings. he speaks a thousand words with one look. it’s such a stellar performance—he’s a treat to watch. 

beyond the protagonists, the entire cast does a magnificent job. while watching, you lose yourself in their performances; they succeed in making the characters seem not like characters, but like people. the antagonists too all obviously had a good time playing their roles; there are some performances that can come off as a bit too much, but as long as you lean into that particular brand of cheesiness, it all works. (there are certainly some smaller roles where the acting is pretty eh, but frankly? it’s easily overlooked.)

the production is not something i really want to linger on here, but to touch on it for a moment: the cinematography is usually pretty adequate; rarely, there are shots that are truly stunning in their inspiration and symbolism. the costuming is lush and lovely, and most of the outfits communicate symbolism through color and patterning. and the music! it is such a beautiful and transportive score, and there are some really great moments of diegetic instrumentals. while some pieces of the score are used often, none are overused to the point of annoyance.

but to get to the point here: the important thing i want to say in this review is that the untamed is not quite like anything else i have watched. i didn’t expect this at all going in; i was just looking for something to pass the time. instead, this drama evoked emotions in me that no other piece of media has, and it has carved its way into my heart. i am in awe of this story, and i am going to be thinking about it for a long, long time.

i rarely, rarely give a perfect rating to anything. but the untamed deserves every 10/10 it receives; it’s on a whole different level to anything else. it has something special. i cannot recommend it enough… everyone should get to experience this story. it is absolutely incredible. 

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