The Untamed (2019)

The Boy and his Single Plank Bridge (A Two Year Marinated Review)

I happened to come across this drama when it was airing its early episodes. After I finished it, I was itching to write a review but my feelings were too strong at the time. I knew that if I wrote a review in that timeframe, I would be strongly biased. So, you can say that this is a highly marinated review. I rewatched key scenes and here I am, two years later, to write a review for my absolute favourite drama.

I have consumed many media from many regions, from novels, mangas, webtoons, audiobooks, movies, video games -- you name it. Despite my frequent exposure to various storylines, The Untamed still holds a special spot in my heart. Why?

The storyline is quite slow in the first dozen episodes and the influx of characters can leave the viewers confused -- but when it clicks, it CLICKS. I have recommended this drama to many and this has been the trend every time without fail. This is a flaw due to the high requirement of interest but the originally confusing first 10 episodes transform into something precious when you rewatch it.

(Spoilers territory)

This drama excels in creating connections with the characters -- for both main characters and minor characters. Even now I still think the protagonist, Wei Wu Xian, was created for the actor Xiao Zhan. He completely embodied his character and dare I say, even gave the character a little more depth. Wei Wu Xian is a cunning, assertive, playful yet selfless protagonist. He needs to appear both childish/easily approachable and powerful at all times and I can easily say that Xiao Zhan performed all his scenes incredibly.

This drama's main feature is grey morality -- what is right and what is wrong? It depicts the human tendency to witchhunt - to find a scapegoat for conflicts and thus, also features its impact on the said scapegoat.

"I see. If you want to kill me, you can do whatever you want. But if I want to protect myself, I must be careful about not hurting this one, not hurting that one. If I die, it's because of my bad luck. You can ambush me, but I can't fight back. Have I said it wrong?"

Of course, it features many other themes and is honestly a breath of fresh air in the drama world. In fact, I haven't even mentioned my favourite character Lan Wang Ji but I will refrain from doing so because I want to write a review, not a book. This is an impulse late-night (1 AM to be exact) review and I can never translate my feelings into words but I think my praise for this drama is highly overdue.

From its OST, setting, characters, plot, acting and novelty, The Untamed either hits you like a truck or completely misses you. I have indeed gathered many other media that I love after The Untamed introduced me to the world of novels. Though the upcoming statement is quite extreme, I have to say it: two years ago, The Untamed made me realize that I could find happiness in a story-based medium and this drama completely intercepted my unhealthy dependence on celebrities. No matter how many times I see this drama mentioned, I feel happy every time I am reminded of it. Thus, even if I have read more favourable stories or met more favourable characters, I think it would be a plain betrayal to give this drama anything less than a 10.

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My all time favorite CDrama

Excellent story, wonderful cast, and the music are gripping. Everything about the Untamed was wonderful, I've actually watched the whole thing over 50 times because I loved it so much. There is so much chemistry between the cast, Xiao Zhan was an amazing Wei Wuxian and Wang Yibo did fantastic portraying Lan Wangji. I laughed, I cried, I raged. It will give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside when you watch the relationships between Wei Wuxian and everyone around him, and you will fall in love with the adorable, untamed genius that he is, and then the story will crush your very soul as it progresses.

This story gets very heavy and a bit dark midway through, and I found myself so angry at all the injustice that Wei Wuxian faced, but don't worry, it redeems itself in the end and it gives closure.

10/10, I'm probably going to end up watching it another 50 times at least.

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One of the Best

This is an intricate, touching and emotional drama. Almost every character in this drama is morally grey. ‘The Untamed’ is not a simple, casual watch. You have to pay attention to what’s happening to fully understand this drama. Once you’ve watched this show in its entirety a few times, that’s when you can randomly turn on an episode and listen to the amazing soundtrack in the background. This drama was not supposed to do as well as it did, so the budget is a bit low, I chuckle a bit at some of the CGI but honestly, the storyline and the characters make me forget about all that. I watched this drama, all 50 episodes, in about 2 days (along with the regular life stuff). I felt very empty after, so I watched the
special edition, then I watched the original with my mom, who loved it as much as I did. When you get into MDZS/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation/The Untamed (all the same thing) you can’t turn back.

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A WORK OF ART!

Where do I start, I’ve watched so many series through out my life from American to Korean to whatever and none can compare to the cast in these.


I’ve never watched a series who’s cast fit so well like these people, even the extras fit perfectly. They never really said they were a couple but I felt their chemistry, love and affection towards them.

I liked how realistic it was, Wei ying gave his all and after coming back the second time he became more selfish and focused on himself after sacrificing himself for others the first time.


I loved lan Zhan, he never gave up on Wei ying even when his family did. He loved him so much he gave up on what he believed in, the crazy part is they didn’t need to tell you they loved each other by theirs actions you could tell.


This is my best series of all time, you just have to be patient enough and pay attention and trust me when I tell you there’s nothing like it.

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My mental health has never been the same

(Apologies if my review doesn't get through to you, it’s my first one on this site. And I'm not really good with words please bear with me.)


My review: Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it.

Thank you for reading.



Just kidding... I actually don't know where to start but I have so many words to say about this drama. One thing is that it is definitely a 'need to watch in your lifetime' kind of drama (imo). I watched it last summer and It has become one of my favorite dramas of all time. I'll always hold it in a very special place in my heart. No matter how many times you rewatch The Untamed, it'll never get tiring. The Untamed is SO well produced and the writing is so well-thought-out. Everything from the story, acting, stunning costumes, props, details, cinematography, etc. is just beautifully well done. This is a type of show that leaves you hanging and craving for more even if it has ended. And it is perfect for me. Pretty boys and girls, angst, action, an interesting plot, etc. If you like all those things and don’t mind atrocious CGI and/or some plot holes, then this is the right show for you! (The writing is so good it’ll make you forget the bad CGI..)

So I wanted to watch this drama for FUN since I had nothing to do but oh my… I did not know what I was getting into. I only heard that this drama is insanely popular and that it's based on the novel mdzs and it has a donghua. Note: at this time s3 of the donghua just started airing and I had just finished reading the novel svsss (one of MXTX’s books). And based on the description "Two fruity soulmates face treacherous schemes and uncover a dark mystery linked to a tragic event in the past.” or whatever, I was convinced.

Spoilers!

STORY:
At first, the story seems quite confusing and chaotic because of all the random names getting thrown around, and *that* opening scene made it even more confusing. But after watching a few more episodes, I was HOOKED. (It was slow 1-10 episodes but once you get over that little boulder it gets much better) I thought, why didn't I watch this masterpiece sooner?!? While I was watching eps 3-33, I totally forgot that we were still in the flashback, I guess I was too immersed in the story lol. I have to say, there are some(many) plot holes and unanswered questions that made me a bit confused. Ex. The yin tin iron shit, where was Wei Wuxian’s body during those 16 yrs, the dead cat thing, I can name so much more. I know some of them were made up by the production team but most likely, you can find some of the answers in the novel, “mo dao zu shi” or “Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation” by MXTX (GO READ IT!). But since it is a live-action and some of the things are different (compared to the original source) it can be based from your interpretation as well. (Some just flat out don't make sense so it's fine too if you don't loll) Aside from that, the story is so well-written; it’s a masterpiece. (special thanks to MXTX) I finished the drama in 3-4 days…. I suggest you watch it at your own pace because you'll probably miss a lot of important details. And if you do, just rewatch it hahaha. But it also goes by very fast! The story is definitely one of the strongest things about The Untamed. It is so engaging and I absolutely love the complexity and layers each character has. There are so many plot twists I was appalled. And it was an EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER. One thing about The Untamed is that it’ll make you cry! There are many tragedies and there were so many moments where I cried, felt angry, genuine joy, it’s just an experience.

The story portrays; betrayal, self-sacrifice, exploitation by society, guilt, forgiveness, abandonment, family dynamics, sibling love(literally and not literally), the changing of values and the challenges that come with it, standing up for what is right no matter the consequences but still taking responsibility, how actions can affect the people you love, judgment/evaluation of others, living with regret, living regardless even with regret, unconditional love, etc. In conclusion, a lottt of trauma.

I loved the characters. Esp the main character(s) and side characters. I loved all the character's interactions with each other and I loved the Wangxian (wwx & lwj) dynamic so much. Their relationship was so pure and enduring. The sacrifices that they made for each other speaks volume! Kinda wish they communicated better tho (I’m talking about during the flashback, but I heard that mdzs Wangxian were worse at communicating so I’ll let them off. )Their trust and care for each other were so enduring. Lwj’s unconditional love for wwx >>> And the way censorship made their relationship seem even more romantic loll. But a funny thing was that I didn’t know what “censorship” was while watching The Untamed. I was sitting and waiting hopelessly for a kiss but that was fine by me. The romantic subtext was there and I took all of the crumbs! Although we got that ending, what I got out of it was: Wangxian married with a son!

Anywho, I really loved how complex the characters were. You'll end up questioning yourself and ur morals. The saying "What is black and what is white? Who is right and who is wrong?" is such a strong message and can be applied to literally ALL of the characters in the story (ahem except Jin Guangshan). It can even be applied to the “Villains”. Plus, their story is so tragic; I felt empathy and sympathy for the so-called “villains” of the story (Xue Yang and/or Jin Guangyao- from some viewers' point of view, not mine personally). They have so much depth in their backstories and layers to their character which IMO, makes them SO human and that’s what makes it sorta hard to hate them (ignoring the killing people part and uhh marrying your sister part…). I am not justifying their actions in any way, but I can understand why they did what they did. So I really can’t hate them completely. It makes you question, are they really villains? Are they really the villains for trying to survive the cruel world and society’s harsh circumstances that were put on them by force? Is it really their fault that they grew up in shitty environments, not getting the love and support they deserved- which shaped them into who they are now? Is what they did really wrong when they’re the ones who were wronged first? Yes but no. No, but yes. That’s up to you to decide. And I really think that's the fun part about The Untamed. It’s all up to your interpretation.

ACTING/CAST:
Their performance was spectacular! Everyone and esp Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo did so well with their roles. The side actors really impressed me as well! I did not know that almost all of the actors and actresses were rookie actors at all. (Some I could tell, but others I didn’t think so). I can tell that everyone put their hearts into bringing their characters to life and for that, I applaud them! (Also props to all the producers, directors, editors, prop artists, stylists, costume designers, + everyone who took part in the making of this drama!)

MUSIC:
PLEASE…. listen to the tracklist of the osts. Every single one of them is so beautifully composed. I also really liked that some of the actors sang their characters’ song likee a multi-talented cast? I see you. But I think my favorite music pieces of all were the instrumental/ the music that played during the drama. IT EITHER HAD ME CRYING OR LISTENING & ADMIRING ITS BEAUTY… listening to it made me transcend to another dimension. The production of the music was absolutely magnificent. The creativity was *chefs kiss* and I loved everything about it. Shout out to the producers and the people who composed the pieces! They knew what they were doing when they composed the instrumentals for The Untamed. I absolutely loved how the instrumental clashed with the reoccurring theme of some of the characters using instruments as weapons/ using music-based-cultivation (and how some used their instrument to influence others- in this case, the music influenced me). I loved that music played a crucial part in the show/story and the producers were really smart in using that to build like the whole aura(?) which I thought made the drama more complete. Idk how to really explain this but I feel like the music was just the cherry on top for me. (Again, go listen to the tracklist! You won’t regret it.)

REWATCH VALUE:
ABSOLUTELY. I can’t even count how many times I’ve sat down and searched “The Untamed” and binge-watched it. Idk if it's just me (aka someone who gets fixated on every show they finish), but The Untamed is SO rewatch material. You’ll never get tired of rewatching it and you’ll always catch details you probably never noticed before. Anyways, yes the rewatch value is out of the world.

OVERALL:
Absolutely one of my favorite dramas of all time. And it’s an honor writing my first review on MDL dedicated to The Untamed. I will never forget this drama, the impact it has on me ( and my mental health…) is impeccable. Although I didn’t expect it to end up that way, I was still really satisfied. (I was crying when they separated.) But Wwx traveling around the world, finally finding peace, playing “Wuji", then lwj calling his name at the end and wwx smiling brightly was REALLY IT. I loved it. I’m also looking forward to reading the novel! (go read it) Although I am quite regretful that I didn't watch this masterpiece sooner, I'm glad I've been introduced to such a wonderful story and great actors/actresses! (Sorry for this long review and don't mind my English)

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This show is incredibly addicting!

I have never sat through a series this long before, but the series is such an emotional roller coaster its difficult to keep yourself down to under 3 or 4 episodes at one sitting. I got into the show thinking it looked like a comedy from the ads but it is WAY more than that. Its a peculiar blend of buddy movie comedy, detective series, crouching-tiger style flying swordsman action, some game-of-thrones style family drama where everyone is related to everyone and trying to kill each other over revenge over one slight or another, toss in a couple of Ray Harryhousen style movie monsters with a touch of the walking dead. The sets and scenery are stunningly beautiful (except for a couple where you can see the ground is painted canvas). The casting and acting is top notch, the effects are very credible usually considering that it is such a low budget series. The music is breathtaking (seriously, I still run into the music in my YouTube feed and still tear up a little bit to some of the songs). The comedy is often laugh out loud funny. A couple making me nearly fall off the couch laughing (and I then had to run to google to do some research on the joke's context). The fighting is well done, particularly when you are wrapped up in the story. This is the only show I've ever seen where as soon as I finished the last episode, I seriously considered immediately starting over at episode 1. I only wished I could erase my brain to watch it for the first time all over again. One warning, you might want to keep a box of Kleenex nearby, maybe a bottle of wine or perhaps a therapist because the tragedy in the series is just as sad as the comedy is funny. And when all is said and done, it ends up heartwarming. To me this show is a 10 out of 10.
When I finished it I did go searching the internet and found it also has a book, a comic book, and an anime (which just finished up) called Mo Dao Zu Shi and The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (respectively). Its really that addicting.

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Poorly done as an adaptation; Poorly done as a stand-alone show

The biggest problem about this show is undoubtedly the script. The pacing is too slow and the plot-writing is all over the place. The first 16 or so episodes are nearly incomprehensible plot-wise and I am convinced everyone who finished watching this show only powered through for the romance or the characters, because the storytelling in this show was so messy I'm sure nobody really understood it. The Untamed also tends to be overly dialogue heavy and compresses all necessary information into a long infodump, like it did during the last few episodes. Also, I can tolerate plotholes in stories but the amount of plotholes in this show is unforgivable, especially because most of them could have been avoided.

One of the best aspects of MDZS is its nuanced exploration of moral themes, but all that was completely scrapped and flattened in this adaptation. Wei Wuxian's character here is completely different. The thing about his original character is that he's supposed to be a genius who created the demonic path. In this show, it was Xue Yang's grandfather who created it. And worse, everything that Wei Wuxian does in The Untamed can be done by literally everyone else. Why the hell was Wen Qing able to manipulate the puppets? Why was Su She able to manipulate Wen Ning? Everything that made Wei Wuxian special in the original novel was scrapped. The reason why everyone was so terrified of him was because he literally could do things nobody else could. He was an unpredictable wild card. The show made him look like a pathetic victim when he was supposed to be a dangerous, unstable demonic cultivator. Making him completely innocent and pushing all his crimes onto Jin Guangyao ruined the nuance and complexity of both their characters.

Another issue is Wen Qing. Her character in this show is basically a deus ex machina that randomly appears whenever the heroes are in trouble. The thing about her is that she does so many things that effectively make her a traitor towards the Wen Sect, and the Wens KNOW this, and yet she never suffers any real consequences for her actions. There's no real risk involved because all she gets are cheap threats in the throne room that never amount to anything bigger than a verbal warning. And the most idiotic thing about this is that despite the fact that the Wens know that she is helping Wei Wuxian, they literally do not do anything to monitor her. I mean, Wen Ruohan knows she's not 100% on their side, why would he give her so much freedom and even entrust important missions to her? It makes no sense. Her character feels terribly hollow because she's set up to be this trapped hostage character but the audience never feels scared or concerned for her no matter what she does because she ALWAYS gets away with it. And after all those threats towards Wen Ning's life, what did the Wens do when they found out she saved Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng? They just threw them in jail. That's it. Then what the hell were all those dramatic threats for? Just for show? And how did she escape the Jin cultivators and end up in the market? She was shown being dragged along with the other Wens, and then suddenly she's in the market with no explanation whatsoever. How did she escape and get there? With her Mary Sue powers?

There's also the weird Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing romantic subplot that came out of nowhere with no buildup whatsoever and then was dropped randomly.

Bad script aside, the sets and costumes were lovely. The OST itself was superb, but the problem was how overly repetitive the editing felt. WuJi and Yi Nan Ping are wonderful pieces but they were overplayed in every scene. Fighting scenes were awful, no way around that. Shoutout to Wang Yibo though because his fight scenes are actually quite nice to watch because of how well he executes them. Was not at all surprised to find out he is a dancer because it really shows in his movements.

The acting was subpar, but I l did lower my standards here considering nearly everyone in the cast were either idols or newbies. Xiao Zhan did well to show Wei Wuxian's mischievousness, but he failed to embody the character of the Yiling Laozu, who was supposed to be terrifying and intimidating. The parts where he was supposed to be scary didn't feel that way at all. Wang Yibo did pretty well as Lan Wangji. I didn't like his acting in the first 12 or so episodes, but he really blossomed later on and made me love Lan Zhan even more. Xuan Lu was simply perfect as Jiang Yanli and is (in my opinion) the actor who did the best in the show. Wang Zhuocheng really overacted at times, but I think he did fairly well for his first big role, and Jiang Cheng IS a difficult character. Wen Qing's actress is the worst of the main cast. She can cry and smile, but when the scene calls for more nuanced acting she falls flat. Even Lan Wangji shows more emotion than she does. They really should have picked a better actress for such a prominent character.

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Highlights:
~ The Untamed offers a stunning, emotional live action adaptation of the novel that tugs at the heartstrings of viewers.
~ Xiao Zhan and Wang Yi Bo, despite some hiccups, perform with utmost beauty and charisma in their roles, portraying Wei Wu Xian and Lan Wang Ji exactly how I imagine them in the novel. Not to mention they are utter eye candy.
~ The bond between WWX and LWJ, the soul twisting plot that overwhelms you, and the mesmerizing soundtrack are what make this drama truly stand out from the rest.

Let me start off by saying that I *highly,* recommend reading the novel Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation prior to watching this live action adaptation. I first watched the live action, and while it is captivating on its own, the novel offers a much more detailed explanation of the plot and layout of events, which guided my understanding of the entire series. More over, there are actual BL scenes in it to fulfill your craving for their intimacy!

Now, I want to say that like many, I was confused when watching the first few episodes of the drama. It seemed a bit off-putting and I felt as though I was bombarded with too many unknown characters and elements. I urge all of you to stick around and overcome this hurdle, as the rest of the episodes allow the story to fall into place.

As for the acting, Xiao Zhan and Wang Yi Bo steal the show. Xiao Zhan does a wonderful job grasping the mischief-loving yet silent hero of WWX, while Wang Yi Bo boasts a seemingly cold, yet tender hearted LWJ. My heart melts in all of their interactions, especially with how much you can tell LWJ feels for WWX and protects him, just with expressions.

The show as any, of course, is not without faults. Due to the censorship in China, some of the iconic lines and scenes from the novel are altered or entirely eliminated, thus leaving fans of the novel with feelings of something missing. Overall, however, they are doing well with what they are able to.

Please, just do yourself a favor and give this show a good try. I am quite reserved with my ratings and have few dramas that I score greater than 8.5. The OST is beautiful as well, the lyrics to each song are relevant to the story and characters, grasping their pain, emotions, and regrets into sweet melodies. Overall, a definite drama to remember for many years to come.

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As someone who dislikes many Chinese dramas due to their length or better said, due to the fact that they tend to ruin many good characters, The Untamed got my heart! I have read beforehand the novel and watched the donghua/animation version also, so I already knew the story line and the characters, but man the directors of this drama truly kept to the original idea of the novel, as best as they could with the censorship that they have in China for both BL and corpses, zombies,undead themed dramas. The actors also have great compatibility and although I wasn't very convinced from the first 2 episodes, as I was watching, the acting got better and better and fell in love with them! The soundtrack, the background and even the secondary characters such as the Coffin City arc are very well thought details and in no episode did they ignore the main plot. I recommend this drama to all who like fantasy, brotherhood to the borderline of slight BL, well balanced characters and gorgeous background sounds and pictures!

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I FINALLY UNDERSTAND THE HYPE

If you're considering watching this at all, DO IT!

As someone that had never watched a Chinese drama before, I had no idea what to expect when starting The Untamed. I have had it recommended to me countless times but always put it off because of the length of the series. Finally, I figured I should go ahead and give it a shot - and I immediately fell in love with it. This is one of the best series I have EVER seen, and I don't say that lightly.

There's no way I could ever give a proper summary of this show without spoiling some major plot points, but this story explores the world of cultivators, where warring clans bring about questions of honor, loyalty, and trust. Wei Wuxian is our main character and is wonderful to follow not because he is without faults, but because he has many. Throughout the (admittedly, messy) timeline of this show, the viewer watches Wei Wuxian face hardships that make him question time and time again if he is doing the right thing. After you watch him promise to "live with no regrets", you see it constantly become more difficult for him to do so.

There is nothing better than a show that properly delivers a complicated protagonist that makes the viewer question if they agree with their actions. This is done exceptionally well in this show. Additionally, I found that the political issues between clans were very interesting and engaging, bringing up complex topics where you can see both sides. This adds to the complexity of Wuxian's character extremely well. Wuxian is constantly battling between maintaining order by doing what everyone wants him to, and diverging from the status quo to do what he thinks should be done - and this gets him in a lot of trouble. Plus, the relationship between Wuxian and Lan Zhan is just wonderful; I know a lot of people weren't happy that this isn't explicitly queer, but believe me, it may as well be. I was worried that because this is a much longer show than I'm used to that it would get boring and repetitive, but it never did. Each story arc connected to the next perfectly, and continued to build until the very last episode. The only issue I could see people having with this one is the time jumps, which as long as you're paying attention, I don't think are too bad. Same with the names of the characters, as many of them have multiple names. As long as you can get through that, this show is absolutely wonderful. It's beautifully emotional, visually engaging, and will have you staying up late to watch another episode. Deserves no less than a 10/10.

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