This review may contain spoilers
"Who cares about the crowded broad street, I'll walk on my single plank bridge till it's dark."
The Untamed is an enchanting drama.As someone who hadn't read the novel or even heard much about Untamed before watching the drama, i fell in love with this story in the first 5 minutes of watching it.. U might think that there isn't romance in the drama, but if you just look at it carefully, you can see the sparks flying between Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian.
Story: If you have read the novel, u won't be disappointed, drama stays faitful to the novel in so many ways. The romance part is made into bromance. But don't be fooled. Yes, there will not be kissing or confessing their love, but there will be many moments that will make u giggle because of their sparks. What they couldn't express in words, they expressed them in the way they look at each other and the way they subtly touch.
To those who don't have any knowledge of untamed, it tells a story about Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian is playful and mischievous, while his counterpart Lan Zhan is uptight and virtous.
All Wei Wuxian ever wanted was justice. "I, Wei Wuxian, wish that i can always stand with justice and live with no regrets."
So when faced with injustice, he can't just stay put and because of this he faces many obstacles and this ruins his reputation. He is faced with disdain due to his decisions and deemed as someone who walks on a dark path. He becomes an outcast, a threat that must be exterminated only because Wei Wuxian can't watch the sects do injustice to innocent people.
Lan Zhan, who is from Cloud Recess, a very conservative sect. He feels the same way as Wei Wuxian, but tries to stop Wei Wuxian from being reckless, because he knows other sects will try to hurt him. Lan Zhan still always helps and protects Wei Wuxian, even though he doesn't follow him on his "single plank bridge". Only after losing Wei Wuxian, he understands that all he wants is to stand next to Wei Wuxian, no matter what happens. "Who is right? Who is wrong? What is black? What is white?"
Cast: PERFECTION. XIAO ZHAN IS THE PERFECT WEI WUXIAN AND WANG YIBO IS THE PERFECT LAN ZHAN.
The whole cast was amazing, but naturally these two stood out the most.
Xiao Zhan plays the playful Wei Wuxian like he is Wei Wuxian himself. His smile lights up the room and i noticed myself smiling whenever he smiled. He also portayed his pain so realistically that i cried so much. I really have no words to describe how amazing his performance was. Xiao Zhan portayed Wei Wuxian with his smile and face, while Wang Yibo portayed Lan Zhan with his eyes and subtle moves.
To Xiao Zhan's counterpart, the very talented Wang Yibo was the perfect choice. He played the stern and emotionless Lan Zhan so well. Both men are absolutely gorgeous yet handsome. The way Wang Yibo conveyed Lan Zhan's feelings with just his eyes and subtle touches really made an impact on me. His acting was top notch. He didn't say anything yet his eyes were telling the whole story to me. The confusion, worry, pain and love, you could just see it and feel it yourself. I just cannot imagine anyone else as Lan Wangji. I mean i was already very familiar with these men but now i'm even more obsessed.
Jiang Cheng was played by Wang Zhuo Cheng and i feel like he was a perfect pick too. He played Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian's "brother". Jiang Cheng's father took Wei Wuxian in when he was a small child, so Wei Wuxian grew up with Jiang Cheng and his sister Jiang Yanli. Jiang Cheng doesn't often say how fond of Wei Wuxian he is and is always getting angry and scolding Wei Wuxian. Deep down he loves him like a brother and cares for him deeply and is put into a hard situation when Wei Wuxian decides to stand by Lan Zhan and justice. He feels like Wei Wuxian is betraying the Yunmeng sect and often begs Wei Wuxian to stop and to just come home to Lotus Pier with Yanli and him. Wang Zhuo Cheng portayed Jiang Cheng's conflict very well. "When you’re standing on their side, you’re the bizarre genius, the miraculous hero, the force of the rebellion, the flower that blooms alone. But the second your voice differs from theirs, you’ve lost your mind, you’ve ignored morality, you’ve walked the crooked path"
Other cast was amazing too but aside from these actors the ones that stood out to me the best were Qi Pei Xin as Jin Ling and Meng Zi Yi as Wen Qing.
Music: 10/10. I Love the fact that Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo sing the theme song. I'm listening to the soundtrack album on a loop.
Rewatch Value: Immediately after watching Untamed, i wanted to start from episode 1 again. It's been a couple days since i watched it and i'm already wanting to go back.
I HIGHLY SUGGEST THIS DRAMA TO EVERYONE.
This drama became my favorite drama in just a couple of minutes and now i can't get over it. This drama will permanently stay with me for the rest of my life. The powerful message this drama sends to you is unreal. Watch it, You won't regret it.
"If the face says nothing, listen to the heartbeat”- Hanguang Jun / Lan Zhan
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Worth it.
To be fair, I wanted to drop it halfway through.I have a hard time sticking to a story.
I usually drop them very fast.
But I'm glad I didn't.
I am really interested in Costume design and set designs when it come to shows, this did not let me down.
the music is also amazing.
50 episodes went by so fats.
My little breakdown:
This was my first Chines drama.
I read a lot of BL mangas/webtoons ever since 2013 and decided to give BL shows a try.
I didn’t read the books when I watched it. And without the comments on YouTube, there’s a lot I didn’t understand. I also hate flashbacks and this story has them (a lot of them).
The reason I kept coming was because my curiosity got the best of me “Why do all these people keep hyping this show up?”
I finished it thinking that after going through the first 20 episodes, I might as well push through.
Story wise, If you read a lot, it’s not world changing.
You probably read something similar before. But it’s done very well. The characters have good motives. You understand where they come from and why they make their decisions.
I like how characters aren’t portrayed as white or black, but as moral greys.
“It’s about perspective”
This story involves perspectives as a plot devise. I liked that a lot.
The writing is smart. I never felt like I had figured it all out before the characters did. This story doesn’t hold your hand either. You have to put in some involvement if you want the full story to make sense.
Aside from that, It’s censored (not a fan of that) But it’s done tastefully. You can tell that the main characters have chemistry. It takes a while but once the two grow close, they are truly close.
I do like a slow burner when it comes to romance and this fits the idea.
The story is also done in a way that asks you to rewatch it once it’s done. It has a rewarding felling after the first time watching.
For once, understanding the mystery doesn’t ruin the plot once it’s revealed. Instead it invites you to come back and try to figure more out on the second watch.
I felt proud rewatching the first episode after finishing the show, because what at first made me question if the story was just a mess, or one of those “I’ll explain it later” plots, revealed to be almost obvious on the second watch. It was nice for everything to make scenes without making me fell like I was just stupid all along.
I also enjoyed watching it on YT because the comments helped me understand what I might have missed during the episode. Or some easter eggs explained by native chines speakers and those that have read the book.
If you want to watch the show, I think that doing so on YouTube is the best.
The comments add to the experience! Just watch out for the replies below the comments (some of them spoil the plot by going into the books and further episodes) And read the comments after the episode is over, not before or during.
Everyone is praising this to the heavens already so I'll back off a bit. But if you have the time, it's worth the try.
Give it a shot.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Untamed is good drama, i feel like its a need to watch drama.
The Untamed is a beautiful drama that you’ll never forget... the way lan WangJi loves wei WuXian is unexplainable, although with the china restriction the romance was great. If I sit down and think about it i realized there wasn’t exactly any flaws... i felt like the untamed would’ve been a greater drama than it already is if it had a sad ending- like i dont know what the heck is wrong with me.. I wanted to cry but i didnt cry.. the cliff scene is beautiful.The actors did so well. All of them fit their own roles and i dont know the acting was just perfectly perfect that I can’t say how perfect it is.
Like can you imagine anyone else playing their roles? who fits lan Zhan more than wang Yibo? Who can play wei WuXian better than Xiao Zhan? Who can have that innocent and cute energy like Yubin when playing winning? Who can roll their eyes better than Marius Wu while playing Jiang Cheng? All the cast was amazing and would never be able to find replacement.
The music is soooooo good especially ‘Bu Wang’ ‘WangXian/Wuji’ and the one Yubin sang oh also Xiao Zhan’s solo song
I’m currently rewatching but i do feel a bit dragged... so i cant finish it in 3 days like i did with the first time i watched.
Overall just watch it because its good and deserves its praise and much more, please support the actors too.
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I'm not over it yet ?
I really liked the drama. The emotions that stirred up while watching it are unexplainable. It's really great drama that everyone should watch. I was reluctant to watch before as watching whole 50 episodes was like something undoable for me. But here I finished watching the drama, and now it is my favorite one. I hope that I can rewatch it again if time permits.Edit: i re-watched this drama so many times since I watched it for the first time. I watched it's chibi version , donghua . And constantly reading updates on reddit.
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A classic that stands out amongst other excellent dramas
There are some dramas that are excellent and popular in their time but end up being forgotten soon enough. This series, however, has the makings of one of those classics that can well get remade again and again with room for a different interpretation or emphasis on different things, kind of like some of Louis Cha's novels that have been repeatedly made into new series. The complexity of the plot, the intertwining of the plot and subplots, together with the nuances in characterization make this a series that truly stands out.There are some series or movies that become famous because of the stars, and there are actors who become huge stars because of a particular series or movie. But this is one of those instances in which it works both ways. Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo have become really famous because of the series, but, at the same time, it would be hard to imagine anyone else playing the two main characters. It is one of those series where, if there is a remake years down the road, people are going to look back and say that it can't match up to the Xiao Zhan/Wang Yibo pairing.
The series is adapted from a novel with strong BL elements, but it does not tell the story simply for the sake of showing the relationship between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. This distinguishes it from a lot of BL series in which the relationship between the main characters take primacy over all else. For instance, the attention paid to Wei Wuxian's relationship with Jiang Chen and Jian Yanli (more like siblings to him although he isn't really an adopted son in the family) also makes the story really moving. Although I see commenters who don't seem to see the depth of Jiang Chen's brotherly love for Wei Wuxian, the series actually portrays Jiang Chen's emotions with nuance. Sure, there may be resentment because of some misunderstandings and even a bit of jealousy, but even when Jiang Chen seems determined to kill Wei Wuxian, he still doesn't hate Wei Wuxian thoroughly. When Wei Wuxian is able to fall off the cliff, Jiang Chen seems to hate him enough to want to stab him to death, but he ends up stabbing the rocky cliff instead (it's rather hard to miss his target, so he probably couldn't bring himself to end Wei Wuxian's life at that crucial moment). From the start, even when they are on good terms, Jiang Chen's bark is worse than his bite, and he is very harsh with his words when talking to Wei Wuxian. But he really cares about Wei Wuxian--even after the Jiang Sect is exterminated and he seems to blame Wei Wuxian for it, he still has enough trust that Wei Wuxian will not turn evil and *pretends* to fall out with him when other sects are out for Wei Wuxian's blood.
The brotherly relationship between Jiang Chen and Wei Wuxian is a nice contrast to the relationship between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. In a way, the feelings between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji cannot simply be bromance. Although Lan Wangji usually maintains a cold and emotionless exterior, his feelings are shown quite early on through his brother (who seems to be able to read his mind), through how he keeps everything related to Wei Wuxian, including Wei's favorite wine (which is contraband in his sect). On Wei Wuxian's part, he also quite early on seems to like to get Lan Wangji's attention and be close to him, trying to talk to him when others try to avoid him out of fear. He also asks Jiang Yanli at one point about what it's like to "like" someone (who else could be be referring to?). He just doesn't seem to realize how much Lan Wangji loves him. Then there's also the symbolism of Lan Wangji's headband, which he is not supposed to let anyone but his beloved touch.
Perhaps in the future, in a more open-minded world, we will have a remake that showcases the censored BL more. But the censoring of the BL elements isn't necessary a bad thing. Of course, if everything else remains the same, it would be at least a bit better if the love between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian had a chance to be shown more clearly. Yet, the series seems to do better than the novel (which I have read only snippets of) in showing the emotional bond between the two characters, and the relationship is more romantic with the sexual aspects taken out. (I can totally do without softcore-porn scenes although I would appreciate a clear portrayal of them as a couple rather than "confidantes".)
The Untamed has often been compared to Word of Honor, which is also one of my favorites. But Word of Honor really doesn't come close in terms of developing a good story with a range of complex characters with interesting development. What Word of Honor does better is passing and bypassing the censors simultaneously, but I think this strategy probably started with The Untamed and is pushed further in Word of Honor.
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Just Masterpiece
I am pretty sure that i couldn't find anything better than this ever ever ever in my lifetime??✨??For the two things i couldn't find a proper word ,firstly to describe how it was❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️and then when i realize that it's going to end soon??????????i had finished ths drama a year back but i really feel like it was yesterday...i came to write a review bcoz i thought like nobody should miss ths magical drama✨?i hope atleast just a few ppl will watch ths drama after come across my review..#Go for it..Thank me later??Was this review helpful to you?
Must watch for anyone getting into cdrama!
Although this isn’t my first Chinese drama, it’s one I actually stuck to and watched entirely through. The Untamed blew any expectations I had away. I don’t watch many cdramas but this got me addicted so I watch other shows like it now.The story can be intimidating at first, but it has fifty episodes to explain the plot line. I really liked it, as the story gave importance to all characters, both side and mains, even the “villains.”
The acting was definitely a surprise. I know the actors aren’t the most famous (at the time) and experienced, but their acting surprised me. You can tell how genuine and heartfelt they were to their characters, especially Xiao Zhan! He shocked me at some parts, where he looked like he was actually in pain. I’m also a fan of Wang Zhuocheng and Song Jiyang’s amazing acting in this.
Lastly, the music was also a surprise. I first watched the animation, so the music was already in my mind. But they did a great job to keep the music fitting to their characters without being exact copies.
Overall, (sorry for the long review) I really enjoyed this show. The sfx and cgi isn’t anything Hollywood style, but it wasn’t too distracting to me. But the amazing acting and characters is a 10/10. Please watch the Untamed! It definitely didn’t feel like 50 episodes in the end. Just to warn anyone, it’s an emotional rollercoaster! I was laughing, smiling and crying.
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CAN NOT MOVE ON
I already watch this film five times since September 20, actually i already downloaded this film on january 20..but after play the first episode, i close it soonest because i dont have "click" with this film.
BUTTTTTT this film make me "addict" with !!!!!!! OMG, this film truly A MASTERPIECE.
I can not move on from this film until now...
XC and WY made the best pairing couple that we will be remember for many years and years to go..
hopefully chinese film industry will produce film that make us feel this feeling..
others film were good, but this film the best and no replacement...
thank you for the director, producer, WYXC and other actor and actress that gave us this kind of feeling...
i love watching film but this is the first time i can not move on to other film because of you THE UNTAMED.
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Unforgetable
I previously dropped this drama at episode 9 because the story just didn't seem to hold. However, over spring break, I was bored and decided to watch this drama again. Who knew I was HOOKED to it. This drama definitely deserved the hype from 2019. Sad how I didn't hear about this drama in 2019 due to some family issues that brought me down.The acting of the main leads is phenomenal. The CGI work is MEH but who cares... when you have two awesome leads. The chemistry is amazing. The supporting cast are all truly amazing. This really is a masterpiece. I finished on March 31, 2021. I don't usually watch older dramas, but I can't stop thinking about this drama. It's always in my head and every single time I'm on Youtube, a fan edit pops up.... ugh the pain....
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