The Untamed (2019)

Falling in love with this drama is the easiest thing in the world.

Let me start by saying that this is the only TV show I ever rewatched just because I felt like it. It's interesting seeing how I kept it in my "plan to watch" list for months because 50 episodes seemed too much at the time. After finishing it I wouldn't mind if it had 50 more.

I love pretty much everything about The Untamed, but if I had to pick something that could be better it would be [some] CGI and [some] fighting scenes. Objectively speaking they're not the best and at first it was hard to watch some of the first few episodes, but later I didn't even pay attention to it because everything else that is good about this show overshadowed those negative points. And speaking about CGI, I actually liked how some of it looked [f.ex. talismans, resentful energy, some spells], the only issue were big 'monsters'.

Now, things I LOVED:

1. Story & characters - I love how complex and well thought out everything was. We had enough time to get to know the characters before the story picked up momentum. It stayed consistent throughout the show and every episode was interesting and exciting. There were many story arcs and all of them had their own charms. Thinking about it now I cannot possibly choose my favorite. I love how everything that happened throughout the show affected characters in a visible way. Their development was done masterfully. Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng and everyone else went through so much and differences in their characters at the beginning of this story and at the end are so stark but also completely understandable and natural. Seeing them going through these phases of development was heartbreaking but gratifying. Relationships between different characters are probably my favorite thing about this show. Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji, Yunmeng Siblings (my heart still aches when I think about them), Lan Xichen/Jin Guangyao etc. all of them were layered and well portrayed. I’m not a big fan of romance in TV shows so I absolutely loved how they depicted love between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. It’s something between bromance and romance and it’s done flawlessly. There was so much tragedy and angst throughout these 50 episodes, but the ending was happy, and that’s also something that I appreciate a lot. Give me angst and anguish but make the characters happy after all those tribulations.

2. Music/OST – Music in this show is something out of this world. Let’s just say that months after watching it for the first time I still listen to this OST almost every day. I also used to listen to instrumental OST every day before going to bed. It’s the best lullaby you could wish for. I love how every character [the more important ones] has the theme song with lyrics that do such a great job at portraying them. WuJi, Qu Jin Chen Qing, Bu Wang, Hen Bie, Huang Cheng Du etc. are beautiful songs with beautiful lyrics that will make your heart ache once you know the full story behind them. Really, the person responsible for music in this show deserves nothing but praise.

3. Costumes and sets – First of all, costumes were beautiful and they didn’t look cheap or fake which is case in some dramas. Locations and sets were also really pretty. I loved the whole aesthetic behind different sect/clan residences and how all of them portrayed these clans and their characteristics in a visual way. Visual aspects of Cloud Recesses, Lotus Pier, Unclean Realm, Nightless City and Carp Tower really contribute to the clan (and character) characterization. Also, I really like those names!

4. Acting – When it comes to acting I’m a bit torn. I really love how some actors portrayed their characters, but in some scenes acting wasn’t the best. It wasn’t unwatchable, but it could’ve been better. Many of these actors didn’t have much experience in acting so it’s understandable and to be honest I didn’t mind that much. Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo as main leads did a fantastic job tho. When it comes to supporting cast I really like Liu Hai Kuan’s (Lan Xichen) and He Peng’s (Wen Chao) acting. Their facial expressions were really interesting to watch.

There is something addictive about this drama. If you decide to give it a try there is a good chance that you’ll absolutely love it. When it comes to me personally, deciding to watch it was one of my better decisions this year. It introduced me to the world of Chinese TV shows and it gave me motivation to start learning Chinese. Falling in love with these characters and actors was the easiest thing in the world.

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Bingeable, but also beautiful to consume in little amounts

Absolutely stunning, high re-watch value. I have consumed literally every form of MDZS/untamed that i could get my hands and eyes on. This storyline is gorgeous. The pacing of this drama may seem daunting when you see 50 or so episodes but it only takes about 38 hours at most.. Everyone who worked on this project very clearly cared about it, you can tell with the quality of everything. "BL fans" might be disappointed by this but this story and the subtlety of their relationship and feelings are personally what make this drama so special to me. I cried and laughed so much, I'm glad I finally gave in and decided to watch this version despite seeing others before.

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How on earth did this series pass china's censorship?

¡¡Disclaimer!!
I'm writing this review from personal perspective. It is not meant to encourage/discourage you from watching. This is going to be quite a lengthy review so if you're not into that go ahead and skip reading it.


Why did I postpone watching this for this long? This is by far one of the best chinese series I've ever watched. Like literally there was barely anything that I've hated while watching. I've seen quite a few reviewers complaining about the lighting/props and styling/acting/plot changes....etc, and while I understand where they're coming from and I do agree with a lot of what they had pointed out, I can't help but disagree with a few things.


Story/plot:
I'll talk about the romance in here for the most part cuz there's more to point out in this side than there is in the plot as a whole.
For those who didn't know, this is originally a same-sex relationship type of novel. While the drama stayed true to the novel for the most part, the script and plot were changed quite a bit to pass the chinese censorship policy because china sadly has some (unreasonable) issues with lgbtq+ content being aired/advertised so they removed the love confession and a lot of the intimate parts. For me, this is probably my favorite version, and that's probably because I'm not that keen on skinship or sexual themes in romances, so this drama was very much up my lane especially since there was no kissing or any of the very touchy feely scenes. Some people didn't like this adaptation because of the absence of straightforward romance between WWX and LWJ, people mostly referred to it [their relationship] as platonic rather than romantic (to which I disagree) so having said this, a lot of people rated the plot a bit low for that reason. I personally think the director was playing with fire while making this, like I legit can't comprehend how this show passed the censorship policy. This did a good job in portraying how love doesn't need kissing and/or sex to be romantic/true, and the chemistry between the two leads was definitely there throughout the second quarter of the show all the way till the last episode. While most people couldn't see the very obvious signs/actions pointing at their relationship being a same-sex romance, I couldn't help but giggle at those very same actions/gestures and their meanings (LWJ tying his headband on WWX wrist, the ost literally being named wangxian, LZ giving WY two chickens/roosters while he was drunk, LZ letting his hair down while with WY, WY riding the donkey while LZ leads it.....etc) having pointed that out, the only reason that I could think of for this show to get the pass is that the one who gave them that pass was secretly an lgbtq+ supporter.
Now with that out of the way, let's move on to the plot as a whole. There were a few plotholes here and there (e.g. where was WY in the last 16 years? What happened to his parents exactly? What happened to LZ and ZJ's dad? Why did SL lose his eyes?) And I couldn't help but wonder why these aspects of the plot were left unexplained/unaddressed but apart from that, I really liked the plot and I could immediately tell who was the mastermind of everything (I won't spoil who but his very innocent act and the way he behaved was a dead giveaway and I'm not talking about JGY lol)


Acting/cast:
I had a love-hate relationship with the acting and cast and I'll get to why later but I'll rate the actors for the leading roles' work first.
~Xiao Zhan: A
I really liked his portrayal of WWX and I think he embodied the character surprisingly well. I honestly believe he did slightly better than yibo in terms of expressing his emotions and getting into character. I was a bit dubious at first about his abilities and if he'll do the character justice or not, but I was pleasantly surprised so, props to him for that.
~Wang Yibo: A-
A lot of people seemed to dislike his acting in the very beginnings, calling it emotionless and whatnot, but they all seem to forget that LWJ's character is exactly like this given the way he was raised and how he was treated, so I think yibo did pretty well in portraying him. He did a very decent job considering both him and zhan were not even actual actors but idols, so props to him too. I also applaud him for trying his best even tho he had quite a few trips to the hospital while filming.
I personally think that the casting was pretty good, especially the females' casting cuz those were probably my favorite thing in the whole show. What I didn't like tho, was that some actors seemed to struggle to get into character and how some extras looked so out of place especially during fighting scenes, hence the two stars that I've dropped from the rating. Also, I have to say that the best male actor among all those actors (for me at least) was Yu Bin. Like I literally die everytime WN is on screen and I can't gush enough about how adorable his character was.


Music:
The music was everything. I have nothing to complain about in here and I'm literally obsessed with the soundtrack on this, part of that comes from the fact that I don't have any specific preferences sound wise, if I like an audio then I like it, regardless of the genre of the music so from beginning to end, the bgm and osts were a hit.


Production/props/styling:
Ok, here's the downside of this drama (and almost every other xianxia/wuxia adaptation) the props and the sets are quite low quality. The styling on this one in all honesty wasn't that great either. The lighting in some parts was very awkward and the contrast/saturation was a bit of an issue in here. The angles of the camera were kinda funny in some parts, and the way they had the characters flying around like they're doing the naruto run midair was hilarious. But since I've gotten used to these loopholes in chinese historical dramas, it didn't bother me as much cuz I've sadly seen way worse. What bothered me the most was the random bleeding/spitting blood and the very wobbly swords given to the extras and some side characters. Also the fact that sometimes the weapon doesn't even graze them and they drop dead had me cracking up so many times.


All in all, this series was a huge step forward for chinese series/dramas in terms of portraying a same-sex relationship. And considering that it is going to take quite a while for china to become more open to stuff like this, I believe they're going in the right direction for now. I must admit, I was a bit skeptic about how this was gonna turn out taking into consideration the fact that the original novel was big on the romance part and that the two leading roles were given to amateur actors, but I still found myself enjoying their interactions, the very little touches and the way their eyes expressed everything. And finally, I definitely recommend giving it a try, and if you can get past the low quality in designing and props, you'll quite enjoy the show.


P.s: I liked JC's character in here way more than in the novel/donghua for some reason, they made him a slightly better person/brother and his personality was definitely more likeable. Also, I'm still mad that WQ and JYL died in the novel and all adaptations, but I also can't imagine them staying alive for some reason so I'm a bit confused here lol.


Edit: so I edited the part where it said that MDZS is a BL because it has been bothering me way too much tbh, I feel like saying that it's a BL is selling it short and isn't really befitting for such a masterpiece. This has exceeded the realm of BL and ventured into a completely different level of greatness. You rarely stumble upon such magnificent storyline and absolutely stunning characters, more importantly, this is not just a romance-originated storyline, it's much more than that, it's fricking god tier levels of genius complexity and beautiful simplicity simultaneously. MXTX is really just that great and for any fans of The Untamed, I recommend you read the original novel and check out the author's other works, cuz their work is just *chef's kiss* so yeah, I really advice y'all to read their novels. Also, I recommend the audio drama and the donghua, especially the latter cuz let me tell ya, the animation is just otherworldly and it's definitely less censored than the drama. But the audio drama? HOLY turnips that one yeeted censorship all the way into burial mounds lol, so I definitely encourage giving them a watch.

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One of the Best Chinese dramas

Frist, I struggled to Watch this serie, because it was so high rated and the ML‘s were so popular. It Must be overrated! But than i started to watch and i was addicted.
The story is good and touching. The characters are Even better. Such strong, Deep and difficult. I loved Wei Ying and LAN Zhan. Their brotherhood and deep understanding was breathtaking. They are so different, but together they Feel like the Best combination. Both actors were brilliant and their dynamic over the top. I can understand, why so much people can‘t let Go of the Story, the characters and the actors, now.
I will read the noval, now… because it feels like i miss some facts. Don‘t get me wrong… the story was good, but it is a Drama and you can‘t display the whole cake. Okay, we have 50 episodes, but their could be so much more.
I miss the cast and the whole Untamed world After finishing. But i will continue with the noval and the Anime. I also will rewatch the Drama After Healing My Poor heart ;) and hearing the wonderful OST.
All in all i Really enjoyed every minute of the Drama. I am no hardcore fan of the 2 ML, but i loved their dynamic and acting skills.
Fine job of the whole cast and thanks for creating such a good Drama without boring love Story. I know there is some love between the 2 Main character and the original Story, but i truly loved the brotherhood and Loving understanding as Well. Everybody can see the love without a Kiss :)

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Probably one of the best asian dramas I've seen! Everything was sp good, the acting, storyline, music, cinematography everything!
My husband loves anime and I love watching dramas like this and normally he cant stand my dramas but he loved this. The bromance in this series is outstanding and the loyalty makes you want to believe this actually happened lol.
I'm also glad that they didnt put any long winded romance storylines in this and the back stories to each character was not too long winded and built up so much and then all the actions happened at the end.
I actually enjoyed it more than Eternal Love which ranked highest on my list for a long time. Please bring out a season 2!

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Absolutely my favorite drama of all time!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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JUST GO FOR IT ! Dont think twice.

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

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

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

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To watch a 50 episode show in less than a week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Is this love la la la laaaaa

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

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