The Untamed (2019)

Such a Heartthrob !!

I watched this drama years ago but am writing this review very late and still I don't have any words for how amazing this drama is .. it's just a masterpiece. It is not a rom-com but the bromance and chemistry between yibo and zhan is just amazing ...two amazing actors together on one screen, it's just surreal.
there is no reason not to watch it.
it has thriller, mystery, comedy, friendship, and many heartwarming moments.
the direction and screenplay is commendable.
it is the best drama till now.
after reading many comments and reviews i think everyone who'll be reading this review ( if anyone ....though am writing this very late ) must have known it's a must-watch
if someone follows c and k dramas and hasn't watched this has wasted all of it.. your c drama and k drama journey are incomplete without it.

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Heartbreaking yet still awesome storyline

I have watched and rewatched many dramas before, but this is actually the first drama I fell deeply in love with.

I did not expect myself to fall deeply into this dark hole known as "The Untamed" as I was actually spooked by the 1st ep (not a fan of horror/gore). I'm glad I persevered and now I'm still deep down in "The Untamed's" dark hole haha. So far, I have watched the drama 3 times, Special Edition once, currently on my 4th watch and reading the Novel.

As I have not read the novel before, the unexpected and intriguing storyline managed to capture my attention quick.

Points I love about the drama
- Storyline : The drama felt like an emotional rollercoaster and multiple scenes made me cry buckets of tears and broke my heart... :'(
- OST : "Unrestrained" was on repeat mode for about 6 months or so. ? I love it so much!!! I also have to comment on the beautiful instrumental OST which made the drama even better than it already is. Majority of the character songs are also pretty well done. I like Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji and Xue Yang's character songs the most.
- Sets/Scenery : The sets are all so pretty and/or majestic, especially Lian Hua Wu (Lotus pier?), Yun Shen Bu Zhi Chu (Cloud Recesses?) and Jin Ling Tai (Golden Koi Tower?).

The only odd point for me is how some of the CG effects look a bit too fake haha. However, I understood why after finishing the drama, it was because they did not have much budget.

Just my own random thought : I accidentally saw 2 spoilers about the last few eps on Weibo while I was still on the first lap of my first watch, I really wish I can wipe away my memory and watch the drama again, just to experience what all my other friends did (shock, sadness, happiness). ?

I'm not very good with words, so I can only recommend everyone who has yet to watch or considering whether to watch, to give this show a shot. This is the first drama that stuck with me so deeply, and I hope more people will come to know it too. :)

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My One And Only, THE UNTAMED

I am a new Fujoshi and my journey started from THE UNTAMED. It's more of like a bromance but it never disappointed me. It shows how Love doesn't always needs to have kisses or intense moments.

I've watched tons of movies, dramas and shows (both BL and Non-BL) but never watched something like THE UNTAMED. I've watched a lot of shows which are more sad than this one but THE UNTAMED is the first show that made me cry. Usually I never cry for shows but this one is different. When I watch new dramas or movies, at some point I just give up in the middle or skip some scenes but I never skipped or gave up on THE UNTAMED. Something about this drama pulled me like a magnet.

I never ever rate shows 10 on 10. This is the first time I'm rating this a 10 on 10.

STORY:
The first few episodes may seem confusing and it's totally understandable. But do not give up yet. The twist and turns in the story and the storyline is on a different level. This story touched my heart. The storyline will make the audience stick to their chairs. This story is totally unforgettable. I never thought a drama would have such a big effect on me. I really need a Season 2 with the same cast.

ACTING/CAST:
I swear to God, each one of the cast is so gorgeous. This is the first time, I found the whole cast of a drama this attractive. I usually like 1 or 2 actors of drama but I fell for each one of the cast of THE UNTAMED And their acting skills are on different level. No one can play the roles better than the cast did. Whoever selected them for the roles did a brilliant job. I really loved Lan Zhan (Wang Yibo) and Wei Ying (Xiao Zhan) acting. Their chemistry was beyond excellent.

MUSIC:
Bruh... have you heard the OST of THE UNTAMED. Especially WUJI sang by the 2 main roles of the drama, Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo. I ship these 2 so hard. They all have character songs and I love each one of them.

REWATCH VALUE:
THE UNTAMED is worth rewatching. I basically don't rewatch any movie or drama. This is the first drama ever that I rewatch over and over again and I am still rewatching but still I don't get bored. The storyline, the chemistry, the cast and everything about this drama is worth rewatching.

OVERALL:
If you haven't watched THE UNTAMED yet then your life is a waste. So go!! And watch it if you haven't. Even if you have already watched it, watch it again..
Once you get in, You can't get out.

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Outstanding in may ways. A rare diamond to be enjoyed.

This drama is outstanding in my opinion.
I think that the first 4-5 episodes are a little slow, but that it gets amazing quickly.

Story: Complex, enchanting, full of deatils and the scenes are well planned. Many things that happen early in the drama is revealed to be of great importance. For example, the promise between Lan Zhan and Wei Ying to always be on the side of justice.
Or the reason as to why old master Lan is so against Wei Ying's methods.

Yes, some plot armor are present, and plot holes, for example, how Xiao Xingchen didnt't recognize Xue Yang's voice. But in the big picture, it doesn't really matter, in my opinion. There are not many plot holes.

Music: Very nice. Unforgettable. Listen to the soundtrack on spotify a lot these days. Really awakes emotions. Especially the music in the scenes with Wei Ying's flute.

Acting/cast: Very good in my opinion. Especially by the villains that become more apperant in the second half of the drama.

What I liked the most about this drama is that there are no kisses or anything like that, because it's not needed in order to prove Wei Yings and Lan Zhans unbreakable friendship. Instead, we understand it through their actions and not by kisses or romantic scenes, which I loved.

I also find the villains and one of the main themes of the drama excellent; “what is evil, and what is good?”

Lan Zhan has also taught me to be calm and deal with things calmly.

Overwall, first few episodes maybe a bit slow/confusing, but they can be enjoyed as “the calm before the storm” in my opinion.

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I can't believe I found the perfect drama with all its ingredients working together perfectly

When I started this, I was had a little apprehension because I never really leaned on BL dramas even though this was tagged as censored BL. But damn. It was so so good that I can't believe I swallowed everything that I said before. Yizhan's chemistry is really one for the books. I regret that I shipped late.

Story.
This is a masterpiece. In your first watch (yes because you need to watch this for so many times), you will be fed with the details of the adventure. Why WWX needed to avenge the one who summoned him. Why he needed to hide his identity. Who the mastermind is. But upon second watching, you will be flooded with the feelings. The structure of the story is intentionally created like that for you to feel the pain of the separation. The longingness. The knowledge of who the real characters were pre-and-post timeskip. It is very detailed and has attention to the flow of emotions. You need a lot of mental power and emotions to invest. You will emulate the characters because all of their journeys are very very important. Everyone has a story to tell and I must say that there is no actual villain in the story.

Acting.
Most of the cast are newbies and it is just amazing. This proves that audition actually works. And for Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan? They are perfect. You will never envision anyone else for the role. Lan Wangji's temperament is really Yibo. And Xiao Zhan's smile will outsell you to take him as Wei Ying. They are perfect. I can't say the are the best actors of this generation, but they understood their character so well that you will feel for them. This we have to commend the director and the people behind the prod who made them understand their characters like it is the back of their hands

Music.
I need to emphasize that every character has their own OST. Wuji is so perfect in every WangXian scenes. You will cry everytime Yi Nan Ping plays in Yan Li's parts. Even Jiang Cheng's arc can tug your soul just by listening at his song and its meaning. My favorite is how WWX's song is meshed with LWJ's individual OST. WWX's lyrics says he's been hearing the guqin in his dreams. While LWJ's says he is playing inquiry to search for his soul. Ugh. They really worked so hard even with the OSTs.

Rewatch Value.
Need I say more? You really need to watch this a few times, not because you will not understand it in first watching. It's just that, you needed to understand more of the other characters after knowing the reveal. You will pay more attention to the subtleties of the other passive characters because actually, they are not all passive. There are layers of stories running under the main arc and it's just nice to see that. Huisang's megamind plan. The truth about Sizhui and how it will tug your heart the first time he meets with WWX without knowing who they are. LWJ's hidden sacrifices. The angst that Wen Ning carries for witnessing every sacrifice that WWX deals with without being able to speak up for it. Ugh. I can go on and on about the easter eggs that you can find.

All in all, this is really perfect.

You will not get over this drama.

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Nothing can compare to it!!

Hands down, the best series I have ever watched. I had just completed watching it & went right back for a second time, because that's how good it was & I couldn't get over it. The show has an air of beautiful melancholy about it that you can't help but be drawn to it. I cried, I laughed, I felt sad, I felt happy throughout the show.

There's an underlying theme of love, be it the love of a friend, familial love or the love of someone special. This love is very well portrayed by the relationships that the ML Wei Ying has with the different characters in the show.

The two ML Wei Ying & Lan Zhan have the most beautiful relationship ever. The love & respect they have for one another is unparalleled & just out of this world. Although they may not have said the words, you can't miss the love portrayed through their actions, decisions & those longing stares.

After watching the show, I wanted to be transported to their world. I dreamt of exploring the back hills of the peaceful Cloud Recesses & going boating on the lakes of the Lotus Pier.(*wink)

The acting is the finest I have ever seen. They all portrayed their roles stunningly. Of course I'm going to be biased & say that my favourites are the two main leads.

All in all, this show is now the standard I hold every other show to.
I would go back & watch it a thousand times more.

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If u are confused whether to watch it or not,do not hesitate anymore, just watch it

Now my life has only 2 phases, before watching this and after watching this
Does anyone know how to recover, because I can't. I never knew that we could become this much addicted to one drama,❤️
When i was debating on whether i should watch this or not (since it has 50 eps)i kept on reading reviews,and i thought is this another overrated drama or are these people for real.
But trust my words friends,you can never ever find anything similar to this.
After watching i got so so obsessed that i read the full novel, even i started watching the anime version.
Since i read the novel after watching the series, my precious Xiao Zhang's ost would play ij my mind at the important parts❤️
The theme song 'wuji' should have a fanbase of its own I'm telling u.
I have to finish the anime and after watching some other drama I'm planning to rewatch this again.
The fact that all the emotional scenes in the drama,novel as well as the anime makes you cry no matter what
This drama is the definition of flawless drama.
The cast,crew, ost,visuals, everyone and everything about this is just perfect, I can't imagine even a small change in this drama, it's too perfect ✨

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BEST CHINESE DRAMA IN 2019

To be honest, I started watching this drama because of Xiao Zhan and Yibo since Xiao Zhan is my ultimate chinese bias and Yibo is always bias in UNIQ since 4 years ago but I gotta say this is the best chinese drama that I ever watched. The casts, their acting, their visuals, their chemistry, storyline, costumes, OSTs and everything down to production is perfect. I'm never into Chinese classical or historical type of drama but this drama is indeed an exception. I don't get watch such a good Chinese drama for such a long time. This drama made me laugh my heart out at the beginning but starting from episode 32 until the last episode, there wasn't a single episode I watched without bawling my eyes out because I could feel the pain potrayed by Xiao Zhan as Wei Ying and it's so heartwarming seeing how Lan Zhan always stands by Wei Ying's side and never leave him the moment he reunited with Wei Ying again. I always live for their bromance whether in the drama or during BTS. Morever, I really love Yunmeng Jiang siblings and it breaks my heart seeing how shijie died and Wei Ying & Jiang Cheng drifted apart after that when they used to be very good bros. I'm so thankful of shijie for keep treating his A'Xian nicely even though the world condemned him, hate him and everyone wanted him to die. I don't mind seeing Xiao Zhan & Xuan Lu to act as lover in drama because they're kinda look cute together. I've been a fan of Zhan Zhan for many years now and I've been waiting for world to notice how talented he is and now my dream finally came true. Xiao Zhan does not only have such a soft and sweet voice, but he's good at acting through his eyes too. All his fans know how talented and hardworking he is which is why he totally deserves everything that he got now. he's always be my inspiration It feels like I hit jackpot when I see my two biases act in the same time and they got so close with each other. They really complement each other and I couldn't keep my uwu everytime I see them. My YiZhan is my everything now and I need them in my life everyday. Have no idea to put into words how much I love them. I really wish to see both Xiao Zhan and Yibo to act in the same drama or movie again, Will continue to root and support them in no matter what they do in the future.

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The Untamed

I have watched this 4x and it is my number 1 favorite drama. My favorite things about it is that the actors did such a great job that I felt everything. The pain, the love and I felt the sorrow when they lost people close to them. Wei Ying , Lan Zhan and his brother, Jiang Cheng, and Ghost General have to be one of the best looking characters of all. Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo your song Wuji is so beautiful. Just want to say you both have amazing voices. Hope to see you in another great drama together soon. For anyone who has not seen it yet i guarantee this is definitely worth watching either on youtube or on the kdrama app.

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Watch it if you are tired of romantic dramas.

When I saw for the first time how popular this title was, I couldn't understand why. I've read the description and honestly, I wondered how can someone become so addicted to something without so much romantic scene and so on. I have to admit, I am not a big fan of Chinese SF dramas or mystery dramas, therefore I thought I can't watch it without dropping it. Some day I was so bored with all sweet, romantic, funny, and cute dramas without any action, so I wanted to try something new. Well, everyone was crazy about this one, so I gave it a try. Honestly, one of the best things I've ever made. Some people say that it moves slow, but for me, everything moves very well, the action was there, their friendship was there. Anyways, I have to admit, I was so disappointed because Jiang Cheng was almost every time irritated with Wei WuXian. I hoped that they will make up, but nope. I mean, they did sort of, but not how I would want to.
Anyways, this drama will in my heart forever, and if you watch it, you'll understand why.

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Demonization of clans can lead to atrocities

As fate would have it, a young and rambunctious sorcerer becomes the target of the most austere of swordsmen as personalities clash. The one, preferring a carefree life, ignores all the rules of the school. The other, finding honor in obedience, seeks to punish the sorcerer into submission to the rules of the clan. But when war breaks out over the land, the swordsman realizes that honor and righteousness are not such simple matters to ascertain.

The powers of dark magic become a temptation during hard times. People begin to vilify that which they can't understand. Revenge is meted out in abundance. Betrayals are made in darkness. Eventually the pursuit of justified revenge becomes corrupted into hate and excesses of cruelty. The powers of darkness get out of control. Everything would seem lost. But the ultimate sacrifice ends up changing the fate of many lives in the end.

"The Untamed" (陳情令) is a great series because it fleshes out some complex archetypes. This "hostile brothers" archetype dramatized the types of things that can happen when one puts politics above brotherhood in their hierarchy of values. It shows how the demonization of clans can lead to collective guilt and the abuse of those who are guilty only by association. It shows that those who fight fascism can, once victorious, also become fascist in their unchecked righteous indignation towards the demonized "other". Morality is not always as simple as it seems.

More philosophical reviews: https://transcendentphilos.wixsite.com/website/post/the-philosophy-of-chinese-dramas

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