This review may contain spoilers
Do not look further: if you are still wondering which drama to watch. This is the one.
Story/plot: ★★★★★I just love the story. I have been always a fan of BL but I do have not seen any proper adaption into a drama.
This is the first one and it has settled a bar for any great BL drama (or should I say bromance) to come. I really hope more great BL novels and mangas get this kind of level of adaptions so these masterpieces can be seen by more. That being said, this piece is certainly not a pure bromance drama but the description of the two life stories of Wei Wu Xian (WWX), his struggles in life and battle against the general crowd by sticking to his believes and values. Throughout the journey WWX experiences extreme sorrow and challenges that helped him to grow. I am absolutely fascinated by the character development WWX is going through in the drama. It made me reading the original novel and listening to the audio drama which made me fall in love with the original story Mo Dao Zhu Shi. And I am just grateful that the adaption stuck mostly to the source materials, one of the main reasons why the drama is so well done.
The reason why I did not give a 10 is because of some plot holes the drama was not able to adapt too well from the novel: e.g. the whole pre-story around collecting the Ying metal pieces is just super confusing and not necessary; why would the sword soul of Nie Ming Jue be caught in the left arms of people? Also the end scene; while indeed it is very beautiful it totally speaks against the character of Lan Wang Ji (LWJ). This scene is inserted to create the reunite scenes which I feel was a bit artificial. One adaption I also really did not like was that the both Jin Zi Xuan’s death and Bu Ye Tian’s death were blamed to Jin Guan Yao and which again looked artificial to me. The best in Mao Dao Zhu Shi’s WWX is that he is human. He was blinded by revenge and was controlled by the dark spirit of Ying Huo Fu. That partially to his downfall and death, out of which he learned after his “rebirth”. But by then introducing these plot changes it showed an inconsistent picture, that at the end it was not WWX’s fault but he is just perfect?
Though the drama has created some of the most favorite scenes in the drama such as the goodbye scene in the rain, the snow scene in Yun Sheng Bu Chi Chu or the reveal scenes to Jiang Cheng in Yun Meng.
Acting: ★★★★☆
If I just judge the drama just based on the two lead characters Xiao Zhan and Wang Yi Bo I would give it a 10 (even a 100 if there is). Xiao Zhan has done an amazing job portraying WWX as if he jumped out of the book. I have since then been in love with Xiao Zhan. His smile is just magic and makes you smile too.
Also, Wang Yi Bo has done a terrific job by portraying LWJ though the emotions he is allowed to show are limited he is still able to reveal his feeling through small facial movements, gestures, and vocal changes. Something that the book does not really describe as it is purely written form the angle of WWX. Both actors are fairly young and have no proper acting schooling. Despite playing lead roles in very harsh conditions, this is excellent performance and surprising to many. And besides, they are both damned good looking... just perfect for a BL adaption!
However, the reason why I deducted the two points is because of the supporting characters. While some of them performed great (e.g. Zhu Zan Jin playing Jin Guang Yao, Paul Yu playing Wen Ning and oh I just love the amazing job of Zhang Jing Tong playing San Niang Zi, mother of Jiang Cheng) other actors and actresses are rather only ok. One can see that their actions are still at an early stage and many need more training. A big pity I find was the triangle side story of Xiao Xing Cheng, Song Lan, and Xuan Yang. It is one of the best well-written side stories of all time. The complex deep feeling hidden inside the characters did not come out well from the acting.
Music: ★★★★★
The drama has one of my favorite OSTs. I have been listening to the songs (both instrumental and the character songs) over and over. And the combination of Chinese flute and Gu Zheng is just really beautiful and perfect enforcement to highlight the drama’s high and low moments.
Camera work & post-production: ★★★☆☆
This is, unfortunately, the only part that needs quite a bit of improvement. While I agree that some scenes are beautifully shot (e.g. those I mentioned above) and most fighting scenes are quite nicely performed, many key scenes are quite disappointing:
The fight at Bu Ye Tian is just full of chaos - one cannot see who is who and not even the faces of the lead characters.
The evil spirits and zombies are just a laugh... one could have made those a bit more real (they could have referred to Korean dramas such as Hotel del Luna or Master Sun to learn how to make those real but not turn into horror movie characters.) In the end, we want to display demonic cultivation and living death and not a Halloween party. So what’s up with these grey smokes? And the mop in the water?
Throughout the whole drama, the lighting is often dull and grayish, making the characters look a bit sick.
And the worst part is the CG. They were just in some areas a bit too cheap and badly done.
I understood that the drama really did not have much of budget - so these areas must have been where they saved money. But I cannot stop thinking how much better this drama would have become if some more work is out on the camera and post-production.
Summary: ★★★★★
Despite some shortcomings, all in all, I can only recommend anyone, whether new or veteran into dramas, BL or non-BL fans to watch this. It is indeed the best drama of 2019. It is the first drama I have completely rewatched, after the audio drama and the novel (and I have watched many dramas!). I believe also you will fall into the magic of Untamed/Mo Dao Zhu Shi as much as I do.
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no thoughts, head empty, just wangxian on the mind.
OH GOD I THANK THE HEAVENS FOR LETTING ME DISCOVER THIS AMAZING PIECE OF MEDIA.i dived into this drama thanks to my friends screaming about it, but got confused within the first five episodes that i had to drop it and wait until i got the momentum to continue it. i started this drama in 2020 but binged the remaining 45 episodes in 2021, and OH MY GOD why did i not finish it earlier??? literally *chef's kiss* i must say!
this drama hit the right spots for me as an angsty person. the whole wen clan arc really hurt my heart so bad but it was a different type of hurt that made me want to continue it instead of dropping it. not to mention the death of jiang yanli? i literally went full-on sobbing when she died like :(
but let's talk about wangxian! now here's what makes it different from other bl dramas. due to the censorship, they only have to incorporate queer themes subtly and THAT is what makes it different. the rabbits? the rooster scene? wei wuxian hanging around lan wangji in both of his lives? lan wangji immediately recognizing wei wuxian in the dafan mountain? wangxian referring to each other as soulmates? OH MY GOD it literally made me lose my mind!!!
in conclusion, literally the BEST (or if not, maybe ONE of the best) bl drama for me. i think i can never get over them in a few days, or even months, i give you that. i will forever think of them as one of my favorite fictional queer couples to exist.
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A famous Chinese drama
This Chinese drama is amazing . I recommend you to watch it . I love the cast , song ,and plot . The drama that I’ve watched and loved the most . I bet after you watch it you will crave for season 2 . I watch this drama three times already and still can’t move on . I really really love Xiao Zhan the main cast of the untamed his acting skills is brilliant and Yibo is such a great actor as well. A bout the supporting actor and actress are also talent . I will never regret after finish watching the drama .Was this review helpful to you?
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THE ACTOR
Okay, I want to say that I rewatched this drama for 4 times or 5; because this is the only Chinese historical drama I love.The main lead"OMG" he's so cool and cute between with Lan Zhan..
But if you just roll with all of that, The Untamed rapidly becomes addictive, as interesting and watchable as it is complex. Like many stories within the Xianxia fantasy genre, The Untamed features highly advanced magic-wielders known as cultivators. We follow a brilliant cultivation student, Wei Wuxian (Xiao) as he first excels, then rebels within this tradition. While at cultivation school, he forms an unlikely frenemy-ship with dreamy but untouchable ice prince Lan Wangji (Wang), Somewhere between the first and third or fourth time he’s tried and hilariously failed to flirt with his crush, you stop sweating the confusing plot details in order to enjoy their blossoming chemistry.
From there, the story entangles you in gnarled plot threads and subjects you to constant, delicious emotional upheaval, as Wei Wuxian becomes a target of scorn due to his ability to wield black magic. Alongside becoming completely invested in the two main characters, you start to love nearly all of The Untamed’s expansive cast; I came for queer exorcists, and by the end, I was obsessing over villain hats and sobbing about adoptive families and sworn brotherhood.
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A PHENOMENAL SERIES THAT DESERVES REWATCHING
This was my first Chinese BL drama adaptation, and as an introduction to the genre 'The Untamed'/CQL was incredible! The chemistry between the main leads was so evident in their actions and facial expressions, and the intricately-designed costumes and well-choreographed fight scenes were amazing to watch. I wish the ending wasn't so open-ended, though.Story - I'm so thankful to novel fans for insisting that the drama be a faithful adaptation (there were rumors of a love triangle between the two main male leads and Wen Qing). Wei Ying and Lan Zhan are truly 'soulmates'/zhiji and they won't let anyone forget it, lol.
Acting - Despite it being their first time to lead a drama (and a BL adapation at that), Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo both did an amazing job. When a certain main character died protecting him, you could really see and *feel* Wei Wuxian's heart break onscreen. And despite his seemingly-stoic personality, Wang Yibo managed to insert a softness in Lan Wangji's character when it was most needed—like bringing contraband into Cloud Recesses just to make his Wei Ying smile (in front of his brother, THE SECT LEADER, no less).
Music - How many times do I have to listen to the theme song "Wuji" before I get tired of it? At least 13 years, to match how many years Lan Zhan waited for his Wei Ying to come back. It only gets better when you watch the live rendition sung by Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo. My other personal favorites are "Bu Wang" (Lan Wangji's character song) sung by Wang Yibo and "Qu Jin Chen Qing" (Wei Wuxian's character song) sung by Xiao Zhan.
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Addictive drama that you can't move on from.
Its known to be BL but isn't like that, without any confession or steamy scenes you can feel their love for each other. A series of unconditional love, trust, mystery and family relation with a cruel face of truth. With awesome music, flute music that can relax your mind, top- class scenery, perfect story line with unexpected comic timing, awesome cinematography. Some CGI effects are not that 'perfect' but it can be considered good because whole set is been created by crew. Beautiful costumes with different designs customs of each clan/city. Wonderful cast even if in dog scene Xiao Zhan did some over acting but it make viewers to laugh. But the series can make you cry, so please keep tissue while seeing but it was a happy ending ( can be disappointing for a glance of a person ).Series is worth watching after watching this its been a year but I still cant move on. Give it a try then you will know why its so good.
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Well-written story with a stunning setting, costumes, and acting; absolutely beautiful
This is my first time watching a Chinese traditional drama and I enjoyed it so much. I thought that the 50 episodes is too long but after binge-watching the whole show, I really want to see more. The first few episodes were a little bit confusing to understand the concept and flow of the story but after watching few more episode, I was already captivated with their cultivation world. I admit that there are few episodes that made me feel bored but honestly it didn’t affect my overall impression to the show.The character design and location of the scenes are fascinating. It was convincing and realistic setting, obviously the crew did a great job filming it. Also, I was amazed with the editing skills and animation quality, it was pretty good and well suited for the concept. I loved how they presented the different skills and abilities of most of the popular cultivators and how they presented the intense fighting scenes of the clashing of clans, it was so intense.
Wei Ying and Lan Zhan are worthy to be the main lead. The two of them are killing me with their chemistry thanks to Sean Xiao and Wang Yibo. Although it was only a bromance compare to the BL story from the novel, it was still lovely. Both of them really brings joy and excitement every time they shared a scene together. Wei Wu Xian being the energetic one and Lan Wang Ji being the serious one were a perfect match. One of the reason why I watched this is also because I really like Wang Yibo and lead me to this drama. The drunk Lan Zhan is my favorite scene of them hahaha it so cute. The last few episodes made me realize how strong the love of them for each other, I was deeply touched that Lan Zhang are always on Wei Ying’s side despite the hate he received from the world. No doubt, it was love.
The acting from the rest of the cast were all very good. They were perfectly in character and delivers the role and emotion needed in each scenes very well. I was super annoyed with the antagonist, cried every time someone close to Wei Ying died, and feel the stress from the plot of the show. Clearly, it was a job well done acting from each of the cast. Then for the music, it was all good and perfectly sync to the scenes. Whenever I hear a sound of a flute, The Untamed will always be the first thing that come to my mind.
After watching the show, I’m going to read the novel specially because I want to know the original story of it showing the BL part of it which were really the thing I want to see in the drama. I hope someday a season 2 will happen and that they no need to change the cast because I am well satisfied from each one of them.
The Untamed made its way to enter my top list of favorite drama of all time and the only thing that I regretted is that I am too late from watching it. I really love how beautiful the story is and how it was exceptionally different from what I typically watch. This kind of storyline is new for me and I found it as a good thing because I do enjoy it so much. The love story of Lan Zhan and Wei Ying will be the pioneer of BL historical-fantasy drama in my heart.
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The right balance of Adventure, Drama, & Bromance
[Spoiler-Free]Just gonna give a few pointers that are less-spoken about since so many folks have already said good and bad things about The Untamed
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Good points:
(1) Although comedy is not the main genre of The Untamed, the humour, banters, and silly side of many character's personalities make the show very light to watch. If you're a cry-er, you will cry. But it won't feel heavy on you and your mood won't go down after watching any of the heavy scenes. I believe this is not easy to accomplish for a director but these folks managed it and I love that!
(2) It's taken from a BL manhua and simmered down for releasing publicly. So there is an element of bromance that is so perfectly balanced that it all depends on the perspective of the viewer. If you want to see Brotherhood, you will see brotherhood. If you want to see BL, you will see BL. If you want to see deep friendship, you will deep friendship. The chemistry between Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo is so much better than any of the regular couples I have seen. If this was a proper BL series, they would be my favourite couple. Actually, they are my favourite couple nonetheless!
(3) If you are a fan of animes like Naruto, Dragon Ball, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, The Last Airbender, you will definitely feel similar adventure vibes from this show. Following on their journey through thick and thin was super fun.
(4) Wuji, the theme song. I fell in love. It's sung by the lead actors too. I have been listening to Korean songs for 2 years but never tried learning the lyrics even once. But this song was so beautiful that I had to learn it by heart and sing it out loud. Even if you don't watch The Untamed, do listen to Wuji.
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I have not rated this 10 for 2 reasons:
(1) The plot involved the use of many magic/spiritual items or techniques. Certain fight scenes heavily rely on how the magic works. I felt that it was sometimes explained in detail and sometimes I didn't understand how it worked and got lost in the logic of the magic. There were moments where magic worked conveniently for the fight but I couldn't understand anymore as I got lost. Even though this is not the agenda of the show, as the premise is circled around magic, a decent explanation would have been preferred.
So here it lost half a point.
(2) This is actually my first C-drama. I was aware that Chinese dramas acting/directorial skills cannot be compared with K-drama, but I still have a little expectation. There were moments where the acting was exceptional by the lead actors as well as the side actors. But it JUST didn't hit the mark sometimes. That plus the action scenes were decent. Production was focused more on the beautiful sets and costumes, but they could've actually spent a little on animation and graphics to depict the action scenes better.
So here it lost half a point.
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I'm nitpicking so much because I loved The Untamed. I loved Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. I loved Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo. I loved it a lot more than Kdramas tbh. I was a Cdrama skeptic before this. Now, I cannot wait to watch more (^_^)
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...I Love It !
At this point ...The Untamed is my favorite !!!
Awesome performance by the main characters Xiao Zhan and Wang Yi Bo and also a big thumbs up for all the other actors/actresses ! 10/10 :)
You really get carried away in the story...From the moment you start watching, you want to keep looking Non-stop :)
(Anyway i did ... :p )
Thumbs up for the Costume Designers as well ... !
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One of a Kind - My all time fave
My all time fave Cdrama - Love so muchI love The Untamed, Cdrama I watched it twice in complete series (1 to 50) and still watching my favorite episodes like Episode 2, 24, 25, Episode 33, 43 , 46 and 50 until now in Netflix. The storyline was really amazing, the character development of each characters were really superb! The OST was really stunning and my morning music.
I was so impressed with Lan Zhan/Wanji and Wui Xian characters , that's why I followed them in real life hehehe Wang Yibo and Sean Zhao thru Instagram. The costumes was really fantastic! It represents the good and the evil. But at the end of the story the truth will reveal. And that's why I am so in-loved with this drama.
I hope I can still find a story like this in the future. Censorship is not an issue to me. I will still continue to watch this over an over again.
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The Untamed Changed my life
Honestly before this drama I don’t know what I was doing, I lived an honest couple months before I stumbled across this. It was defined fate. To this day the sound of Wu Ji makes me tear up, even in broad daylight. Now as for the show the story is censored from the original novel, even with that being the case the two leads portray exactly what they are supposed to. Point being is that I can tell they love each other, they really are soulmates. Each scene is so crystal clear, each ost is on my playlist. Wu Ji chorus addition was my number one played song this year and I continue to listen to it.Was this review helpful to you?
A must see!
Ok, first let me just start by saying that this is by no means a flawless drama. It has flaws, specially in the production and in the technical aspects. For example, the lightning can sometimes be a bit off, as well as the cgi. These are things I personally can look past when it comes to C-dramas and The Untamed is certainly not an exception. Because the good points definitly outweighs the flaws and as someone who has watched the show three times now I can't recommend this drama more!Characters:
I'll start with the characters as I think this is the strongest aspect of this drama. Our two main characters are very likeable and very well played by the actors. I have to give major probs to Xiao Zhan for his amazing portrayal of Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian's relationship with not only lan wangji but also with his siblings are heartwhelming and heartbreaking at the same time. There really isn't much more here for me to write without me writing an entire essay which I want to avoid.
Plot:
Before watching this drama I was told that the plot is the weakest point and honestly I really don't get that? The plot is not the most original but it is well crafted and very emotional. I will be honest, I am a total sucker for these kinds of storylines and character plots so it's not super odd that I love it. I usually don't like too make paralleles or draw comparisons to other films/dramas but I will say that The Untamed has a bit of a Lord of the Rings esque theme to it, and I mean that in the best way possible since the Lord of the rings movies are my favorite movies of all time. I mention this because going into this drama I though it would just be your usual constume c-drama.
Score/music:
The music in this drama is absolutly stunning, and whenever I hear just a second of the score I get chills. One of the best, if not the best c-drama score ever.
Production/technical aspects:
As I mentioned in the beginning, this is where the drama lacks the most. Some of the camerawork is a bit odd and overall seems a bit cheap? at times.
Conclusion:
Despite some of the minor flaws I could not give this drama anything other then a 10. Because at the end of the day those flaws didn't take away from the overall story for me personally, as well as this being the most emotionally invested i've ever been with a c-drama. The Untamed will leave you empty by ep.50 and you will never really get over this show, I know i'll never be.
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