The Untamed (2019)

A perfect example of a series that can be made into a really interesting and incredibly addictive historical series without having to introduce or rely only on the great, moving romantic love. The drama is very well filmed. It captivates with its beauty and acting, widen the chemistry between the main characters. The set design and costumes created for the series are also enjoyable to watch. I am also pleased that the story is presented in a completely different way than expected. This is not a TV series for people who are looking for love raptures or romantic scenes between heroes. Although we are dealing with great feelings, they are an expression of fraternal, friendly love. I really enjoyed the drama. I also love the smooth transition from thread to thread without the viewer being unnecessarily confused.
I recommend watching the drama, you'll fall in love with it.

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This was, hands down, the best Chinese drama I’ve ever seen. From the first episode you could see that it was made with love for the original material and the crew did their utmost to squeeze as much as possible from the money they had and from the amazing chemistry between the leads. Because as much as I loved everything else, the true gem of this story were Xiao Zhan & Wang Yibo.

I’m so glad that this drama brought them both so much fame, they deserve it, they really do. Xiao Zhan for his hard work and for the many times he wasn’t treated right by the industry, from his own agency to variety hosts, and Wang Yibo for proving all the naysayers who didn’t trust his acting skills so wrong.

This drama pushed all my buttons mainly with Wei Ying and Lan Zhan’s story. Lovers or “just” soulmates, that never really mattered to me because their love was an almost tangible thing, expressed with tender looks and gentle touches and sweet, profound, everlasting loyalty and trust. And that’s what I found so glorious.

I admit I cried at the end of the final episode. Not because of the actual ending but because the drama was over. It felt like saying goodbye to a loved one. It truly had a profound impact on me.

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This was my first Chinese drama - I'd only ever watched Korean dramas (and one Japanese drama) and wasn't sure if I'd like them or not. Well, I absolutely loved it! Now, I've watched several others and loved those too. Chinese dramas hit a little differently (at least the ones I've seen). Now, on to The Untamed :) This review will be coming from someone who didn't read the novel this drama is based on. That being said, I'm kind of glad I didn't. I loved how the show portrayed the two main leads and their relationship, and I believe it absolutely showed that they loved each other. The only thing I wasn't 100% satisfied with was the "vagueness" of the ending. Now, I firmly believe that someone was there when their voice was heard (trying to be non-specific here), but would it have hurt to show that person? I would have liked to see it xD I loved the fact that Wei Wuxian wasn't just a silly character, not that there was much time for being silly (prepare tissues), but he was so smart and they showcased it well. He was also really cool! Loved Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo as Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, respectively. They had great chemistry and did so well in their roles. Even though Wang Yibo didn't have many lines as Lan Wangji, he showcased his emotions so well with microexpressions. Loved it so much. I also loved the music in this series, especially the opening and ending. The duet with Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo is so beautiful. Okay now I'm just rambling. Go watch it!

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Such a captivating story. Taking place over more than 16 years, the story is involved and complex. Characters grow and develop, and blur the lines as no characters are truly evil, and no characters are truly good. Right and wrong is tested and redefined time and time again. Xiao Zhan is a fantastic Wei Ying, bringing to life his playful attitude, and extreme confidence. Wang Yibo grows into his role as Lan Zhan, giving life to his stoic and upright, yet caring nature. While not perfect (the CGI isn't great, among other things), the story and its characters pull you into their world, and into the darkest (and brightest) moments of their lives. Definitely recommended.

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Since there is a plethora of reviews for this drama already,
i'll just state why I really enjoyed it and how its different from other xianxia dramas.
First of all, I tried watching the anime version and never really got through the first few episodes. Not really an anime fan but after this drama I think I'll give it another go.
Back to the topic at hand, one of the reasons why I enjoyed this drama so much is that there's NO ROMANCE between male/female leads. The reason why I like that is cause I seen way too many cliche dramas of boyxgirl romance, PDA, etc. In a way, it can get really boring quick.
Therefore, The Untamed was a refreshing turn of events. No romance, but there's BROMANCE and even if there's no PDA involved. it's all in the emotions and the way the actors treat and look at one another.
Speaking of the actors, Wang Yi Bo and Xiao Zhan did a WONDERFUL job portraying their respective characters. This is one of the rare dramas where I enjoyed and loved all the actors/actresses because they played their part REALLY well. Even the actor who played Meng Yao, although he was irritating, I have to admit his acting was superb!
I love the that the drama display loyalty between the Weiying and Lan Zhan. Also include Wen ning and Jiang Yanli's love, dedication and loyalty for Weiying despite everyone else was against him. Despite whether or not he's wrong, they show us that you have to understand someone before you decide which side you want to be on.
Some of the sword choreography was lackluster, the editors focused too much how good it looks rather than letting us see more of the sword fights. Sometimes I was disappointed in that aspect, however I wouldn't dock points off of that.
The overall cinematography was wonderful as well as the scenery they filmed in were beautiful.

Definitely my no.1 pick for 2019. :)

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I'm trying so hard to be objective in the review ratings on this, being a fan of both XZ and WYB. Questioning whether I'm scoring it too high and readjusting. First off, The Untamed is based off of MDZS, which was a webnovel by MXTX. I started off watching the animated version of MDZS , and shortly after (while waiting for more episodes), read the original MDZS webnovel, so went into The Untamed knowing the story on which it is based.

Story - This drama was really well-adapted. I was surprised. Yes the BL elements were removed but it does not take away from portraying the loyalty and bond of the main leads (and really some of it is open to interpretation). There is some jumping between timelines to explain the story but I also think they handled it well without making it too confusing. Of course there are changes from the original webnovel but it stayed surprisingly true to the original work as far as character relationships and themes. I do rather wish the ending was not as open-ended in the drama since the original work was pretty clear on where things went--but its fine. Also, while the main leads and most supporting characters are male, I DO appreciate the presence of strong female characters even if they are minor. Yu Ziyuan might not have been the kindest to WWX (she has reasons although still unjustified), but this woman is strong, can fight, and does not hesitate to give her own special weapon to her son and send him away with WWX while she faces a planned massacre bearing down on their home while her husband is away (and when he finally comes back after she has been fending them off on her own all day he STILL is taken down before her--i might have facepalmed a bit here). Jiang Yanli and Wenqing may not be the greatest in combat but they will standup for their younger brothers in the face of authority and won't shy away from danger to protect them if they feel it is necessary. In XianXia stories where female characters can sometimes be portrayed as weak, needing some kind of protector, or just...not smart, it is refreshing to have strong females (flawed but definitely still having clear strengths).

Cast - As much as I'd love to give a 10 here because I'm a fan of both the leads, I think a 9 is more fair from an objective standpoint as there were still parts that could be more polished in general from both leads and supporting cast. The cast was fantastic but objectively, did not have the subtlety and polish of some more experienced actors although there were definitely many moments of brilliance. But then I also want to take into account that these ARE newer actors and they DID to an amazing job on this production. XZ and WYB were fantastic for their roles. Especially considering they do not have that much acting experience under their belt at this point in time, their performance was actually very impressive. And you can actually SEE the improvement in the drama itself as they got a better understanding of their roles and finetuned and polished their portrayals. As an example, some of the earlier episodes had scenes where WYB had "dead fish eyes" and some viewers commented he looked sleepy (he kinda did lol). Actually he said himself he didn't have a full understanding of LWJ right away but sharpened his gaze later which made a huge difference. Its actually really hard to act LWJ since he doesn't talk much and doesn't have alot of lines, so the portrayal has to come from minute facial expressions, eyes, posture. WYB did an amazing job. Xiao Zhan was also excellent portraying both the playful mischievous side of WWX as well as the intimidating "Don't F with me" side. His character has to play out a huge range of emotions, from playfulness to grief to rage. With XianXia since things are often not filmed in order as much as a modern drama, sometimes he would have to film a playful scene followed by a raging scene and would need to get himself into the appropriate state for that character. I don't imagine this to be easy but he did so well. The supporting cast in general did well too, especially considering many were very young and very new--some scenes where they needed to emote came across a bit exaggerated but overall the entire cast did an excellent job.

Music - I have the OST regularly playing. Enough said.

Overall this drama is a very well put together package and I wonder if the cast/crew surprised themselves a bit. The actors were not big names at the time but all of them (main and supporting cast) put on a performance that they should be proud of given their yrs of experience at that time. The music and OST is just lovely and really boosts certain scenes. The CGI....*cough* lets skip this and chalk it up to smaller budget. Worth watching, worth rewatching.

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Uma experiência incrível do gênero Xianxia

Os Indomáveis é um "must watch" para todos os fãs de doramas, mas esse drama chinês demanda atenção, tempo e disponibilidade emocional para aproveitar tudo que a narrativa tem para oferecer.

Dos 50 episódios, aproximadamente 28 são expositivos, se passando 16 anos antes do tempo presente da narrativa, ou seja, antes do regresso de Wei Wuxian através do ritual realizado por Mo Xuanyu. Ficamos sabendo de várias informações relevantes sobre o mundo de cultivação e muitas questões geopolíticas são contextualizadas. Os outros episódios exploram as consequências e novos desdobramentos a partir dos acontecimentos do passado. Cabe dizer que há uma leve mudança no tom e no ritmo (pacing) entre as narrativas do passado e do presente. A primeira é mais séria e lenta. A última, com cenas cômicas mais frequentes. Nada muito drástico, é apenas uma diferença que acabei notando.

O enredo é muito bem desenvolvido em diversos aspectos, principalmente no que tange a relevância de vários personagens para a construção de uma narrativa complexa, os acontecimentos da trama e para várias reflexões sobre a dicotomia "bem x mal". No entanto, algumas coisas ainda não são explicadas, mal exploradas ou simplesmente deixadas em aberto com uma frase de efeito vaga de brinde. É claro que não há necessidade de deixar tudo fechadinho, mas quando não se explora um ponto que é relevante pro progresso da história, fica uma situação chata. No entanto, a proporção desses momentos mal explorados é muito pequena para ter um efeito super desagradável.

Os personagens são, também, muito bem desenvolvidos e super interessantes, cada um com seus motivos plausíveis para as suas ações. Os protagonistas, Wei Wuxian e Lan Wangji, possuem uma dinâmica muito boa e é ótimo acompanhar seu relacionamento florescer ao longo dos episódios. As pequenas mudanças nos seus comportamentos, incluindo as entrelinhas homoafetivas, são ótimas. Essa é uma característica marcante desse dorama: o desenvolvimento orgânico dos personagens. Nunca há uma mudança repentina (sem razão alguma, pelo menos). Outros personagens também acabam se destacando mais, como Wen Ning e Qing; os membros do clã Jiang, os membros do clã Nie; Xue Yang, Mian Mian, os jovens cultivadores do tempo presente… E a lista só cresce, são todos ótimos.

A trilha sonora é impecável! Uma das coisas mais lindas de se ouvir que complementa muito bem a atmosfera e a atuação do elenco. Uma atuação que vale um panelão de sopa de raiz de lótus com costela feito pela Yanli, aliás!

Em suma, ótima história, ótimos personagens, ótimo desenvolvimento, ótima trilha sonora e um ótimo ritmo de narrativa. Uma experiência que recomendo para todos.

PS: Relaxa, depois de alguns episódios você decora os nomes de todos os personagens e seus títulos :)

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Tutto sommato, un'ottima serie

Ci sono dei riferimenti alla serie, ma sono out of context, quindi non li reputo veri e propri spoiler, dato che non svelerò nulla di importante per la trama.

Storia: Davvero bella, se non fosse per alcuni errori che io ho trovato piuttosto grossolani, definirei di cero questa serie un capolavoro (come lo è il libro). Complessa e profonda, ma a tratti anche leggera e divertente. Peccato per alcune scelte di trama che mi hanno fatto storcere il naso non poco (Soprattutto una cosa alla fine della serie).

Personaggi: Li ho amati tutti, per lo meno quelli ben caratterizzati, alcuni entrano troppo in una caricatura stereotipata, cosa che non ho sopportato (Wen Ruo Han soprattutto). Ho amato follemente Meng Yao, ma questo grazie alla fantastica interpretazione di Zhu Zan Jin, a mani basse l'attore migliore della serie. I due protagonisti ci hanno dato un'ottima interpretazione dei loro personaggi, soprattutto Wei WuXian, anche perché purtroppo, a mio parere, hanno lasciato troppo poco spazio a Lan Zhan.

Monologhi: Una delle cose che più ho apprezzato nella serie, sono i monologhi. Oltre a quelli di Meng Yao, che mi hanno fatto letteralmente venire i brividi, abbiamo anche quello di Jiang Chen, che invece mi ha fatto riempire la casa di lacrime.

PARTE SPOILER: COSE CHE NON HO SOPPORTATO

1. Addossare tutta la colpa ad un altro personaggio per lasciare il protagonista impunito. Una delle cose belle del libro, era proprio il fatto che il protagonista non era l'eroe perfetto, puro, immacolato, bensì un essere umano che aveva commesso sbagli anche molto gravi. Nella serie invece fanno di tutto per mantenerlo immacolato, davvero irritante, e toglie molto al personaggio.

2. Xue Yang: Il perché fare in modo che "ci sia del buono in lui e che sia palesemente innamorato di Xiao Xing Chen" proprio non lo capisco, fa schifo e non ha senso. Con lui si attua una depenalizzazione del carnefice disarmante del tipo "Certo, ha fatto questo, ma era per salvare Xiao Xing Chen" cosa mai esistita nella vita, e inoltre pure insensate, visto le cose terribili che gli fa fare. Sarebbe stato molto più sensato lasciarlo come era nel libro, soprattutto perché così il personaggio risultava più coerente.

3. Lan Zhan. A quanto pare a fine serie hanno deciso di abbandonarlo completamente. All'inizio c'erano anche molte parti anche carine con Wei Wuxian (nel libro si mettono insieme a fine libro), ma poi il personaggio si perde per strada, non viene praticamente più mostrato, ED È IL PROTAGONISTA MISERIACCIA.

4. Molte cose, anche piuttosto importanti per comprendere il rapporto fra i vari personaggi (Meng Yao con la madre, Nie Huaisang con il fratello) sono state totalmente tagliate, scelta che non ho per niente apprezzato.

CONSIDERAZIONI FINALI

Questa serie ha alti e bassi, ma nonostante questo mi è piaciuta e mi ha intrattenuto, do un voto piuttosto alto grazie soprattutto all'interpretazione di alcuni dei personaggi, che ho trovato davvero formidabile (date un oscar a Zhu Zan Jin, vi prego), anche se ci sono stati molti errori e scelte che non ho apprezzato.

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best ancient chinese drama with Bromance theme

I really love this drama. I would say this is the best ancient chinese drama with Bromance theme.

1. This story itself is so beautiful and so rich in moral message. We who watch it will be intrigued to think and to make reflection on several moral topics. So it s not a lame drama about melancholic love only. Our view on moral standing would be upside down after watching it. It is so enriching.

2. The actors are so perfect. Eventhough sometime i am amazed why all of them are extremely so thin like malnutritioned. I dont know, i might be because i m used with Thai actors with good body. lol

3. The music and songs are perfect. except for those for harps moments, so boring because they were so few and almost all are same for all occasion. how come.

4. Well the novel was about BL. But it comes that it s not only about that. It s more deep than that. So touching and shaking. too beautiful to express it in words. It s not only about killing, or any other thing. it s so deep.

I would say thank you to all of those who make this series possible and done. Including Chinese government. Eventhough there were “several” (or many) BL moments not in the series either being modified, at least It is so wonderful that Chinese government allows this beautiful drama aired until the final episode.

Oh Lan Zhan and Wei Ying, im happy knowing you both are having happy ending and live happy life ever after. ^.^

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MUST WATCH!! THIS IS DEFINITELY A BL

I put off watching this for a while due to the number of episodes and it supposedly being a bromance. After watching it, I thought that 50 episodes weren't enough. I fell in love with this series. The acting, the chemistry, the storyline. Everything was amazing. It didn't even feel like a bromance. The way the romance was depicted felt to raw and intimate even though they never out right did something like kiss. I can whole heartedly look at this series and go "what bromance?" lmao. It was honestly such a beautiful series, and the storyline that came with it was really nice too!! Both the couple(s) and storyline had me hooked! I even went as far as buying a pet bunny and naming it after Yanli... So yeah, go watch it if you haven't already. Even if the number of episodes seem scary, just start it, and it will be over before you know it.

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