Addictive
I started this because of Wang Yibo – after watching his drama, Gank Your Heart. To be honest, I have tried this a few months ago, but stopped because I felt it looked too cheesy and I was super confused at the beginning scene. Then I read the synopsis, and felt that it has a boys love vibe (which I was not comfortable with)However, I was motivated after finishing Gank Your Heart. It’s also one of the highest rated drama on MyDramalist, so I decided to get over my prejudice and watched this.
The first 2 episodes starts off in the present time, which makes it super confusing. It dives right into the climax of the story, without any introduction. The beginning of the tale starts in episode 3 and it all starts making sense – with flashbacks. After the flashbacks, I began rewatching the first 2 episodes to see what I’ve missed.
What I really like about this drama:
• Plot twists! I did not see some of it, and I have also anticipated some of it.
• Eye candy galore. I have never seen such a pretty cast. Guys/Girls/Villians
• Mysterious/addictive. There’s just something about this drama that I find very addictive.
• I love watching the interactions between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. When they fight together, it’s just totally in sync.
• Villain development. I can sort of understand the villain’s motivations. I did not want to but, there’s a bit of empathy towards the villains.
What I didn’t like about this drama:
• Even though I was not comfortable with the boys love drama – I felt the lack of it in this drama. There seems to be chunks missing from the drama. When/How did Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian become so close? I hardly seen any interactions. It seemed to go from A -> Z and all of a sudden they’re BFFs.
• The ending! Whattttttttttttttttt. Something’s missing because of the Chinese censorship
• Some CGI looked cheesy. Haha. The colour of blood was bright red and looked too fake. They could have made it more creepy if they darkened the blood colour and made the music creepier.
Acting: In the beginning episodes, I thought Xiao Zhan (Wei Wuxian) over acted a bit, but as the show progressed I thought he was really good. He plays a very happy guy. However, when Wei Wuxian gets angry - Xiao Zhan was perfectly scary. Wang Yibo was the stoic Lan Wangji, but I never felt he was wooden - I do not know how much is this attributed to Wang Yibo and how much is it is from the Voice Actor.
The voice actors were amazing. I didn't realize this was dubbed at all until I watched some BTS footage. Though... lol I should have because I've already seen Wang Yibo in another drama.
Now I’m probably going to read the novel… to see what the censorship covered. Haha.
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best drama ever !!
i felt the need to write a review for this because it's an absolute masterpiece , i went into this drama with a mindset of disliking historical/costume dramas because i thought they were boring. little did i know after finishing this drama i started watching more and more costume dramas & even picked up history to learn more about ancient china. the untamed is such a great drama and i can assure you that you will definitely fall in love with the actors , the storyline is amazing , the OSTS are literally bomb and lets not forget their chemistry on set UGH im obsessed! i've never seen a better chemistry between actors , the costumes in this drama is phenomenal. you can never get bored of this drama! i watched it over and over again & i kept on watching the bts of it too~ i highly recommend this drama and trust me , you'll never regret watching it!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I put off watching this drama for a very, very long time because I have heard so much about it and it had always been hyped up, but I often saw fans talk about how good looking the characters were or about the main ship in the show. I thought that it would be another overhyped show that was only popular because of the characters' appearance & the fetishisation of the BL aspect. As someone who is Chinese as well, I always found it kind of weird when people talked about the show and pronounced/wrote the characters' names incorrectly, which put me off more. However, I decided to give it a go anyways and I don't regret staying up till 2 am every night watching all 50 episodes within 4 days.This drama's themes have actually been extremely thought-provoking, with one of the main ideas being the question 'who is truly good and who is truly evil?'—it is interesting that the main character was actually seen as a villain by the public in the story and uses unorthodox practices that are perceived to be evil, but for a good cause; the episodes really encourage the reader to question to what extent there is an absolute way to measure 'righteousness'. The drama also explores the idea that just because a society collectively believes in something doesn't make it right, and explores cancel culture and its severe influence on the attitude and actions of a crowd. The plot beautifully weaves together themes of friendship, trust, injustice and power to create an absolute emotional train-wreck that I was definitely not ready for.
STORY
The story is beautifully written. I have not read the novel so I will not be comparing the drama to the novel and the following will be based purely on what happened in the show. For me, the first episode immediately captured my attention and I loved that they opened with the scene where Wei Wuxian fell off the cliff at Bu Ye Tian (Nightless City): although we do not know why this was happening at the time, I was already eager to know why the main character was so hated by everyone except for Lan Wangji, who was the only one who tried to save him. I really liked that the writers started with this scene before proceeding into a flashback of what happened 16 years ago; it draws the viewers in from the start and encourages us to question why he ended up like this. But I think more importantly, it adds to the dramatic irony because after the flashback starts, we already know that WWX will be driven to this lowest point and eventually die no matter what he does, leaving us with a sense of inevitability and helplessness as the events unfold which in my opinion makes what happens more tragic.
A lot of people have said the action/plot in the first few episodes is not particularly great, which I agree with but only to some extent. In the next section with the events at the Mo Mansion, to be honest I didn't find the battle especially exciting. However, for me that doesn't mean this part was 'bad'—instead of the action being what drove my interest, what actually kept me watching was the hints of the past relationship between WWX and LWJ, from WWX thinking of someone from his past when he saw Lan Shizhui to WWX hiding from LWJ and finally LWJ's famous 'Wei Ying, is it really you?'
When we go into the flashback of 16 years ago, the roles of Jiang Cheng and LWJ are almost reversed and now, LWJ is the one who cannot stand WWX whereas JC and WWX are close friends, which piqued my interest further. And though I agree that the action in the first few episodes is not amazing, I enjoyed watching the dynamics between the characters, from the beautiful fight between WWX and LWJ on the rooftop of Cloud Recesses (Yun Shen Bu Zhi Chu) and WWX constantly annoying LWJ, to JC's frequent bickering with WWX but also the deep care they show for each other beneath all the verbal quarrels.
After the first few episodes, the drama takes off and we're thrown on a high-speed train that does not stop for the rest of the show. I am not kidding when I say I got so invested in the plot that I would watch 15 episodes in one sitting. The characters and their actions and dialogue, coupled with all the mysteries and scheming and questions, really make the show shine. The events are very unpredictable and entertaining but now that I look back with hindsight, the foreshadowing is all there. And though the special effects in battles are not perfect as this is a relatively low-cost drama, they are still enjoyable. I particularly liked the Yi Cheng arc where the atmosphere was actually scary and intense.
CHARACTERS (I accidentally got carried away and wrote way too much. Also contains spoilers)
The first time I watched this, WWX was my favourite for many reasons. I loved his carefree attitude (which did add a lot of comedy to the show) and how he doesn't like following strict rules. This aspect of him also paves its way into a more significant trait: he does not like to blindly follow public opinion and always sticks to his own thoughts and values, which I find admirable. I also loved how much he cared for his friends, such as making sure Jiang Yanli actually marries someone who will truly love her, and helping LWJ when his leg was hurt; he is committed to standing up for them even if it means more trouble for him. Although he then switches to practice demonic cultivation, I believe he still has a strong moral compass; he just believes that the ends justify the means. His core values never changed: he is still just as determined to protect the ones he loves and to live without regrets. Moreover, the practicing of demonic cultivation didn't come out of nowhere and I think that him inventing his own way of magic/cultivation is consistent with the independent and carefree nature of his character; I like that the writers already foreshadowed this from the very beginning, when he questioned why they couldn't use darker spirits to their advantage if it's for a good cause.
His biggest trait that I was drawn to, however, is his selflessness: from sacrificing his golden core for JC, to drawing a zhao yin qi (a flag that attracts evil spirits) on himself to save the young cultivation masters. The way he still upholds his values, despite having practiced a method of cultivation that was seen as 'evils', not only shows his strength of character, but also proves that there isn't a single way to determine right from wrong.
When I revisited the show again however, I suddenly found a deepened appreciation for LWJ. For me, the best part was watching how he changed as the relationship between LWJ and WWX developed: seeing the elegant, seemingly-perfect LWJ grow from despising WWX's rule-breaking and playful antics to slowly accepting this and becoming friends with him as they overcame life-threatening events together. I really loved seeing how LWJ and WWX started off being polar opposites, but gradually began to understand each other as they share a common dream to fight against evil and to help others in need.
Then the question of what is black and what is white ('孰正孰邪，孰黑孰白？') comes to light when WWX is forced to practice demonic cultivation and this particular question is portrayed through LWJ's internal conflict when he witnesses how much WWX has changed. It was evident how hurt LWJ was, but at the same time I could see he still wanted to trust WWX as a friend. Although this was a painful experience to watch, I thought this internal conflict was essential in the development of their relationship and I enjoyed watching as LWJ slowly questions what he was raised to believe and they both get closer to realising that there isn't a single standard for what is right. It is also intriguing for a Chinese wuxia drama to explore this theme because in wuxia culture, pure righteousness and following what society deemed to be the 'correct path' were seen to be unbreakable rules, so it was interesting to see characters who challenged this belief. At this point I was really encouraged to question to what extent the ends justify the means as WWX uses the dark arts to defeat Wen Ro Han: I loved that his core values have not changed even though his methods have, which truly emphasises that there shouldn't be one way to achieve righteousness.
The buildup to the battle of the Nightless City and WWX's death is extremely tragic but a captivating watch. First we have the dramatic irony I've already mentioned; the viewers already know that his death WILL happen no matter how hard he tries to stay out of trouble. We can only watch helplessly as WWX is blamed for the Qiong Qi Dao murders, as WWX is forced to build his own life in Luan Zang Gang (Burial mounds), as LWJ is forced to stand on the opposite side as him: the characters' feelings of desperation and hopelessness is now mirrored by that of the viewers'. Finally we are brought back to the scene in episode 1, but this time watching it was much more tear-jerking for me knowing how alone Wei Ying must have felt, and that is when I realised how smart the writers were for arranging the events like this to accentuate the tragedy.
Fast forward 16 years later, and you can tell that after seeing WWX die once and going through 16 years of searching, LWJ has made up his mind to stand by WWX's side and now wholeheartedly trusts him. He even stood up against his own upbringing to question the idea of morality, a major turning point in his character development—this made me love him so much as a character. As LXC later reveals, this was an extremely difficult decision for LWJ to make but he did it anyways. This sense of powerful trust and understanding is also emphasised by the contrast between his previous doubts and conflicts and his current unconditional faith in WWX. Because of all this that happened in the story, I became truly attached to this '知己之情' of theirs: one would translate this to 'confidant', but I don't think I can find an appropriate English word that encompasses the mutual trust and understanding between them—it's as if they can 'see' into each other now. Their unwavering friendship is further accentuated by something that WWX himself has said in a scene that made me sob uncontrollably: everyone wishes to kill WWX, but LWJ is the only person who still believes in him; this effectively combines the themes of cancel culture and trust into a heartbreaking dialogue. LWJ cares for WWX so much in his own way: carrying WWX when he was injured, crying when he found out about WWX's golden core.
Though the relationship between WWX and LWJ is my favourite element of the drama, that is not to say that the side characters were not interesting: the side characters are equally well fleshed out. I love seeing how much Wen Qing cared about Wen Ning as well as her courage in helping WWX and LWJ despite knowing the repercussions she would face; I was crying so hard when she sacrificed herself and the Wen Clan by turning themselves in to try to save WWX. I was endeared by Wen Ning's innocence and kindness as well as his loyalty towards WWX, especially when he couldn't stand seeing WWX being beaten up by JC and was determined to tell JC the truth about the golden core despite having been attacked by JC multiple times with the purple lightning. I also found the changing relationship between JC and WWX interesting but tragic: maybe in a different world where people didn't constantly bring up the competition between them, where the public didn't decide to shun WWX, where JGY didn't exist, where JC wasn't so pressured by society to be a good successor to the leader of the Jiang clan, they would've been great friends till the very end. I loved Nie Huaisang, whose carefree attitude mirrors WWX at the beginning and added an element of humour, but also his depth of character as he also plays a part in scheming and revenge.
Even the villains of the show are well-designed and no villain acts without reason (apart from maybe Wen Ro Han who is more of a stereotypical power-hungry villain). Although I absolutely despise Xue Yang for what he did to Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan, he is an intriguing character. In a sense I found it interesting that though Xue Yang and WWX are enemies to each other, it can be argued that Xue Yang and WWX were actually very similar in terms of background, both being orphans; WWX just happened to be saved by the Jiang clan whereas XY had to endure years of loneliness and pain. It makes me wonder what would've happened if Xue Yang also had loving people care for him, but unfortunately he lost his happiness and 'righteousness' due to the years of hardship. Momentarily a glimpse of this happiness was brought back by XXC, but XY didn't know how to deal with it, so the arc of Yi Cheng was a blend of thought-provoking and painful.
Jin Guang Yao was another masterpiece—while his role as a villain was unexpected, this was also foreshadowed very well in previous episodes. For some reason, though I found him a bit suspicious and something about his vibe was off to me in some of the scenes, I still desperately wanted to believe he was good, which entirely mirrors how betrayed Lan Xichen felt and that's when I know the writers did a good job at making us empathise with the characters. His character is also used to explore the idea of the public and how damaging the words and opinion of the public can be, given how much he was hurt by everyone calling him '娼妓之子' and looking down on him, to the point where his resentment and desire for revenge drove him to become 'evil'. But even as he became the biggest villain of the show, his relationship with Lan Xichen is yet another tragic one and I think I've never felt such conflicted feelings about a villain before.
ACTING
I loved the acting in the show even though I've never seen the actors before. Some actors definitely stand out more than others but honestly I'd say the story itself is so great that I probably overlooked the problems in the acting, if any, because the well-written characters just completely make up for it. But if we consider the ones that really caught my attention, I was so impressed by how Wang Yibo managed to convey so many of LWJ's feelings with such a limited amount of dialogue (because LWJ does not speak much due to his personality); it's actually so insane that so much has been expressed purely through his expressions and eyes. Like when Wen Ning told JC about the golden core, Wang Yibo didn't even have to say anything to make me start crying uncontrollably because I could literally feel how sad LWJ was when he found out WWX had to go through all of that. Also, Xiao Zhan portrays WWX perfectly as not only does he embody WWX's playful attitude in the happier and more carefree scenes, but his talent also shines through his expressions during the moments where he thoroughly shows WWX's hopelessness and despair. (eg battle of Nightless city).,
MUSIC
This show has hands down one of the best soundtracks I've heard and it's now downloaded on my Spotify because I literally listen to it while doing homework, when I go on walks, etc maybe because I like to torture myself by making myself cry. But anyways I thought that every scene had the perfect music to go with it and now whenever I listen to a track from the OST, I automatically associate it with specific scenes or characters because it is that memorable and powerful; Lian Hua Wu (Lotus Cove) reminds me of Shijie, Zui Meng (Drunken Dream) reminds me of the Cloud Recesses as well as WWX and LWJ, and Ye Ben (Night Run) reminds me of the one and only episode 33 when WWX falls off the cliff. Every track gives off a specific feeling, some of them being indescribable feelings that a piece of music can express more than my (bad) english can. I could go on and on about the OST because it is That Good but of course I have to talk about Wu Ji (the main track), which brings back all the memories of so many scenes and encompasses so many emotions in a way I can't even explain. Not to mention how the sung version by XZ and WYB once again makes me amazed at how talented they are.
I think another thing to mention about the music is that it is especially important since music is another thread that runs through the whole show. Music is a major component of LWJ and WWX's relationship: LWJ learning how to play Qing Xin Yin (Clear Heart Sound) illustrated his internal conflict as well as his immense care for WWX; WWX playing LWJ's song was the reason why LWJ immediately recognised him when he came back to life. Moreover, music is also a source of tragedy in the show with JGY's Luan Po Chao being used to kill off multiple people. I think the fact that music is simply just a tool that can be used for both good and evil deeds in this show once again reflects how nothing is absolutely good or evil, it all depends on one's intent. Because of how important the role music plays in this drama, I think the amazing OST adds even more to the story than it normally would in another drama.
The only reason why I gave rewatch value a 9.5 is because it is very long and staying up till 2 am watching it every night has definitely made me so exhausted during school the next day lol but I'd gladly do it again when I have the time.
I've never written a review before and I wasn't planning on ever writing one, let alone one that is this long but The Untamed is just different and I clearly got carried away because I could talk so so much about it. I've never seen a show that made me change my impression on it by 180º so quickly and now I can definitely say it is NOT the overhyped drama I used to (stupidly) believe it was. It is a masterpiece—an extremely well-done exploration of morality and friendship and in all honesty it's kind of changed the way I see things.
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First 15 episodes were meh then BAM episode 16 the quality suddenly improves
As somebody who has never read, or even heard, of this story, this is a completely unbiased opinion. Truly unbiased as I primarily watch kdramas and stumbled across this show while browsing the Top Rated shows on MDL. The only other cdramas I've watched are Rise of the Phoenixes, parts of Nirvana in Fire, and Prince of Lan Ling.Overall, I liked this show. It was entertaining, but don't expect it to be absolutely perfect. It's goofy, with cheesy CGI and plotlines, but fun to watch. The characters are a bit exaggerated in their movements and acting, but like I said, it's a fun show. To be honest, this show reminded me of a Saturday cartoon or a video game in its storyline, but I grew attached nonetheless; basically, the storyline felt juvenile at times, and the characters' logic seemed flawed, but the characters and the fights are what keeps you watching--as well as the comedy.
Something that threw me off a little and reminded me why I don't really watch Chinese dramas is the dubbing. It's hard for me to get used to the added sounds and mouths not exactly matching. As far as I could see, The Untamed was dubbed just like most cdramas. That was my biggest complaint, but it is not a con since it seems to be the norm for cdramas. Also, I got used to it as the show went on.
One thing that was hard as a viewer with no other context is how confusing the show was at times. Expect to be incredibly confused for the first few episodes, but STICK WITH IT! I'm telling you, once you hit episode 16, the show seems to change its tone and get on a solid footing. Suddenly, it becomes Game of Thrones level serious. Some scenes ran longer than they should have (especially in the last few episodes, my god, I kept wanting them to move on but for the last couple episodes something just gets dragged so much I had to deduct a star). Some episodes were just flashbacks with scenes we'd already seen, so I felt the need to skip those out of repetition. These two reasons are why it was not a perfect show, in my opinion.
The music/instrumentals/background tunes at least in the early episodes were lighthearted and goofy, reminding me of a children's show; I think if they added an entire different soundtrack it'd change the mood of the show to more serious, but that was not their vision, as I understand. Like I keep saying, it was a fun show, and more often than not, this show felt like a comedy. Then it would be a serious, engaging tragedy. Back and forth, laughs then tears then giggles then screams. The more serious tracks were amazing, as well as the main song between Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan.
Very clever show. By episode 9, I was attached to the characters. You seriously fall in love with the characters. Kind of loved them. And will not forget them. Wei Wuxian was an amazing character, and Lan Zhan, who reminded me of Legolas from Lord of the Rings, also won my heart.
In sum, don't compare The Untamed to kdramas or high production shows with big budgets. Take it for what it is: an entertaining show that can tug on the heart. Don't expect perfect acting or seamless editing. I had some laughs and fun. That's all that should matter. The main characters and supporting characters were super likeable, and that's probably why people love this show so much. It grew on me, too. I will definitely be watching clips and going back to it at some point to rewatch my favorite scenes.
I hope this review helped for those who need an unbiased opinion. :) :) :)
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Out of all C-dramas I have watched especially fantasy ones, I'd say it has done the best with planning and the use of budget.
Production/cinematography/directing: amazing job
I think it's probably one of the best aspects of the drama to me. The drama was not one of those with the HIGHEST budgets as a webdrama, but used it's money pretty well imo. Like most time I have problems with the shabby CGI in Chinese dramas. But The Untamed knows how to limit it and when it's using it then it's pretty decent. For the cinematography, all places and background sceneries are all wisely chosen.
Story: decent script writing + changes and differences with the original work
The reason why the story is outstanding is probably thanks to the original novel and the scriptwriter doing a decent job. I have to say the changes made for the part of changing/leaving out the romantic love between the male protagonists actually made the drama more different and more outstanding to me. You could focus more on the criticism of clear fake separation of good and evil and also societal pressure (IMO). I personally preferred the original story telling with the time jumps in the novel, which keeps more curiosity and expectations alive. But in general I can understand this decision might be coming from being afraid that the viewer would getting too confused with all those jumps.
What I didn't like that much was probably the end ark, I felt compared to the rest of the drama, it was a little bit draggy and I felt they could invested the time in the previous episodes more instead. Besides of that there are some few changes I didn't like or preferred to have not done. But those are still pretty OK to me.
All in all I think out of all Chinese dramas I have watched, The Untamed actually has the best story and script writing despite some changes.
Acting/Cast: competent idol cast with amazing lead
I think all the cast were chosen well and they doing a pretty decent job especially if you consider actually nearly all actors are having an idol background. But I never felt some BAD acting. The best choice I have to say is actually Xiaozhan as Weiwuxian. He was literally bringing the character alive and being able to do a great job either playing as the playful troublemaker or vengeful dark avenger completely. Despite never having received acting lessons and coming as an idol. So I'm not surprised that he roses to fame still with that big amount of potential.
Music: Best C-drama BGM to me.
All melodies are suiting the scenes and backgrounds. And the Qin and flutes are all well placed. Nothing much to say just perfect OST.
Rewatch Value: very high
Due that there are so many different medias for this work like novel, audio drama, manga, animation and audio book, I think it's actually pretty worth to rewatch this drama and compare the differences. The view might have changes or the viewer might being able to look deeper into the story than before and discovering other differences/changes.
Overall: One of the best C-dramas I have watched with a good cast, amazing male lead, great cinematography, perfect BGM and deep story. Definitely worth having a try at least.
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Yes yes YES
The best. Honestly I love the acting so much - both actors played their characters incredibly well. I love this drama so much that I can't form the words to explain why I love it, but basically the main actors' subtleties made this whole thing. I originally didn't want to watch it, mostly because everyone hyped it up so much that I felt like it couldn't be that good, but I'm super glad I did. I've already re-watched it four times (and I don't normally re-watch) so if that doesn't recommend it, I don't know what will.Was this review helpful to you?
Action speaks louder than words_A true GEM
If you're a fan of BL like me, "The Untamed" will definitely be on top of your favorite list.This was my first ever Chinese drama during the pandemic and I didn't know what to expect when I watched it. Little did I know that this was actually a live action of the anime version of Mo Dao Zu Shi, which is one of my favorite anime.
For someone who have not read the novel, the plot was entertaining and exhilarating, easy to get immerse into. The combination of action, suspense, comedy and even the subtle romance will be a good recipe for an enjoyable watch until the end.
WYB and XZ were the perfect cast for the main roles. Their visuals, chemistry and acting skills added flair to the drama.
The ending may not be the same as in the novel or anime but after learning about CN's censorship, I don't mind it. I've loss count of the times I have rewatch this but it never gets old hahaha
A true masterpiece at its finest!
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Story:
What makes this drama outstanding is the complex and detailed story telling of the world that our characters are set in. It is a little difficult to get what is going on, since there are elements/traditions which are unfamiliar to us. Reading the novel really helped me understand the plot a lot more (exiled rebel scanlations has a translated version of the book online, and it’s great). But once you get into, man do you get into it.
The attention to character development is fantastic, as well as the character motivations. I love the moral dilemma that Wei Wuxian undergoes throughout the drama, and his understanding of the hypocrisy of human nature is explored through his own transition from seemingly good to seemingly evil. Lan Wangji’s understanding of what is black and white (good and evil) is also explored, and he asks questions of whether you can judge someone based on the rules and laws that the world forces upon you - this is heavy since he is someone who is righteous and sincerely believes that rules can hold a person upright. However, his view ultimately changes when he meets, and develops a connection to Wei Wuxian.
Acting/Cast:
Our two main leads are phenomenal. Xiao Zhan really carries his performance of Wei Wuxian exceptionally - from mischievous to menacing, his range as an actor stands out here. Wang Yibo plays Lan Wanji, and while you may have a negative impression of him at first, I really do believe his portrayal of Lan Wangji is true to the novel. It’s extremely difficult acting out a cold, indifferent, character with little to no lines in a way that is not arrogant or boring. We often associate characters with no emotion as lack in acting skills, but Wang Yibo conveys his emotions through his eyes, and each movement is deliberate as are his words.
Their relationship throughout the drama is not neglected, and this is a major reason as to why this drama stands out from the rest. Despite the possible backlash, they still emphasised the deep connection that these two men have (despite their genders), while also not detracting from the overall story. While it is not romantic in traditional means, I appreciate how Wangji and Wuxian’s relationship can be up to the viewer’s interpretation - and it is acknowledged that the two do love each other (whether it be romantic or not, up to you).
I want to delve into the rest of the cast, but then this would make this review too long, but I do want to point out that everyone casted (including our juniors cast) are amazing and really portray their respective characters well.
Camera/Directing:
Something that is difficult for the novel to portray is visual aesthetics - and this is what The Untamed shines at. Every shot is no joke, breathtaking. The depth of field, as well as the camera directions all contribute to the story, and that’s why every promo pic you see of The Untamed is freaking gorgeous.
The CG effects though, can often times degrade the beautifully shot scene. Sometimes it would be awkwardly placed, and you can easily tell as a viewer that it’s not meant to be there and it looks cringy. However, there are some moments in the drama, where the CG adds to the episode, and enhances it. I think this is uncontrollable though (because of budget etc) but that’s one thing to keep in mind when watching.
Music:
The music within the drama plays an important role in story telling since our two main leads play very popular instruments. The music within the show enhances the visual performance as well as aesthetics, and are well arranged. Though sometimes certain songs/melodies would be overplayed at times, but I think the different renditions of the songs really helped this. Not only is the soundtrack of the show great, the original songs part of the soundtrack is fantastic.
Conclusion:
I am so glad that they created a live action of this amazing story. The aesthetics is consistently gorgeous, all of the actors fit their role almost perfectly and the story is well written and adapted despite censorship in China.
That was my long winded review, if you managed to read to the end please comment or message me your thoughts!
If you’re still deciding if you want to watch it or not… WATCH IT ASAP!
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A must watch
Almost everything is perfection. It shows that even if you have a monstrous censorship bureau above you, you can still make things work by elaborating the script and acting. And it turns out to be a even more romantic drama than those cheesy ones kissing, playing sweet all the time. This drama has changed my taste to one that prefers love conveyed in a more poetic way, in a single eyesight, or within a touch. It's just so aesthetically pleasing to realize the love within a trivial interaction between the main characters without even asking them to confess to each other.I'm now very anti-"if you don't say it, how would he know?" sorta logic, because this drama sets a contradiction to that argument.
I don't think I'll watch love dramas for a long time because so far nothing can compare the elegance of love in this one.
But still there are things that could be improved. For example, the pace of Guanyin Temple arc is too slow. I feel there are some unnecessary scenes in this arc like JGY spit out blood to dispel the ghosts summoned by Wei, and possessed Wenning attacking Jinling, and the scene where Weiying cleanse the sword spirit is dragged too long and they didn't even completely finish the CGI part. This arc can sure be reduced and sped up a little bit, and then make Yi city arc longer as i feel the storytelling of Yi city arc is incomplete, especially about how XXC found out who XY is, and what happened during these 3 peaceful years.
The acting is sometimes not on spot, but mostly in the first part of the story. JC's and XY's acting in early stage can be improved a lot, though in later episodes I would rate them 10/10, especially Yi city arc and golden core revelation. JGY in guanyin temple arc should speak faster because when he speaks slow I feel like I'm watching a Broadway show on a stage instead of a final boss scene that's supposed to be emotionally intense.
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A life changing drama.
*Review edited on 09/04/2022*It's been about two years since i watched 'The Untamed' and it's still on my mind ever since.
To say that it changed my life is not an exaggeration!
From story to production, soundtrack, acting and dialogs, i love everything.
It's exciting and everything else that you need to enjoy watching a drama to the fullest, at least from my perspective.
50 episodes may seem like a lot to some people, but as soon as you start watching it, time goes by so quickly, that's how good it is!!
I already rewatched it once and plan on rewatching it many more times in the future.
It's one of my favorite dramas ever.
btw i love Wangxian so much okay thank you bye :')
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Average
Like what some of the reviews I've read have mentioned, as someone who has not watched/read the anime version, I personally felt that this drama was overrated and over-hyped. Story was overall decent with it's ups and downs but can be at times confusing - with poorly thought out and timed flashbacks. Was initially pulled in by the story at the beginning but had to constant wait for the timeline to be pulled back to the present - which I've heard had taken 34 episodes out of 50 to happen! Furthermore, there were certain plots here and there that were not explained or written well IMO - for example, the scene whereby Yunmeng clan chief went back to help his wife only to be stabbed in 5 seconds?? (Really??? he was the clan chief for heaven's sake!), the scene where Wen Chao cut of the ropes trapping many of the clan juniors in the cave (honestly, some of them are martial experts and the cliff was not vertically dropping???) and many more...Production wise, it was obvious that it wasn't exactly high quality with poor CGI all round and shoddy camera works on multiple scenes. Some of the actors were definitely not up to par though I felt that the main leads acted out their roles well and it definitely improved as the series went on (at least up till the point i've watched). Music was great as well - the top redeeming point for me.
Overall, I am shocked that drama of this quality is able to top the ratings in MDL - overtaking the likes of masterpieces like My Mister, Signal and the much better Nirvana in Fire. For someone who had no inkling of the storyline beforehand, this was at best, an average drama.
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its a decent watch without any drag...
this is my first wuxia drama so there was some stuff that i didn't understand and it took me 6-7 episodes to get used to everything... so i might not have enjoyed it as much as people who like this genre enjoyed this drama as i was confused with some things that happened... i also know that this is based on a BL book and i haven't read those books so my perception of characters might be entirely different from those who are a fan of the books... books give more insight towards each character than dramas...the overall story was very good and i didn't feel that it dragged anywhere even though it was 50 episodes... but even though i was very invested in the story i wasn't emotionally invested in any of the characters... when major characters were killed off i didn't feel anything and i just wanted to know what's gonna happen next in the story...
the overall flashback story reminded me of empress ki( as in everyone was united to bring down the big bad guy but after that, they started fighting among themselves)... i guess one of the reasons why i never got emotionally invested in any characters is because of the acting of most of the cast... even with the main 2 guys i really liked wei wuxian's acting but lan wangji was literally having single to no expression for 50 long episodes... the actor playing wwx has an expressive face and he seems to naturally have a very mischievous look which went perfectly with the character as well... so he was very believable as wwx who does what he believes in rather than what others believe in... but lwj looked like a robot in the majority of the scenes... i know he is like this cold guy who rarely shows any emotions but bad acting or lack of acting was clearly visible... there are lots of asian dramas with characters like him and there are some actors who made those characters look real rather than a robot...
when i read the synopsis i thought the drama is about wwx and lwj but for me, it felt like an overall wwx show... even the name untamed seems to be based on his character... at some point, i felt even jiang cheng and wen ning had a more important part than lwj...
for me, some aspects of the drama were very well done but other aspects were average like the vfx and sets were amazing but the makeup was bad... i dont get how they can master in vfx but screwup with the makeup... some characters had so much foundation on their face that they looked more like the ghost general than wen ning did...
Jin Guang Yao and xue yang were perfect as the evil ones.. their smile in every situation literally got on my nerves and as villains, it was a good thing but since they looked so irritating to me i didn't feel anything towards their sad past and was more than happy when they died... none of their justification for how they turned out made me sympathetic towards their tragic past... they were too villainous to have any sympathy towards them... they were the same as the head of wen clan and his son who were simply bad guys and power-hungry... i hated all of them the same way...
one of my major issues with the drama is the lack of female characters... there were only 3 female characters that held some kind of importance and 2 of them died.. i was really impressed by how mianmian stood up in the court for wwx against all those powerful people who badmouthed wwx and thought she might play a major role in the rest of the story but after that scene, she just simply vanished and came for just one scene which didn't have any importance to the main story... yanli even though had a very strong bond with jiang chang and wwx, outside of that she is quite a weak character... all she did was cook soup for the guys and get bullied by jin zixuan only to end up marrying him... why wasnt she involved in the cultivation when there were clearly women who did it? she went to lwj's home with jc and wwx to attend a seminar but she was never shown to attend the classes... did she just go there to make soup for the guys and get insulted by jzu? the only female character with some kind of talent as well as importance was wen qing but she was killed off and even her death was just brushed off... wwx was shown to atleast remember yanli but wen ning seems to have completely fogotten about his sister whose entire life revolved around him... atleast she could have been kept as an important character till the end... also none of the head of the clan were shown to be women.. if 1000 yrs ago lan clan can have a woman head why were no woman clan head 1000 yrs later? at least just for the namesake, they could have shown a woman heading any of the minor clan or at least show mianmian creating her own clan and leading it successfully...
i really liked some scenes and the last 4-5 episodes were literally perfect... i loved the conversation b/w wwx and the rest of the clans before he died 16 yrs ago... his counterattacks on all the allegations on him were very powerful... that scene literally showed why he is superior and why the rest of them hated him even though they knew whatever he said is right... i also love the bond b/w jc, yanli and wwx... i personally liked the brotherhood b/w jc and wwx more than the bromance/romance b/w wwx and lwj... the only scene in the entire 50 episodes i got emotional was the final confrontation b/w jc and wwx inside the temple...
i also liked how nie huai sang manipulated everything and put an end to jgy.. he literally used jgy ways to end him... even if he used manipulative ways to end jgy i didnt mind it because he and his brother genuinely loved and respected jgy at one point of time but jgy used that to get ahead, the relationship b/w wwx and wen siblings...
i also liked how subtle they played the bromance/romance b/w wwx and lwj... if people want to see it as a friendship then its friendship but if they want to see it as a romance then its romance... as viewers we can interpret it the way we want to...
except for some bad acting and lack of emotional connection towards characters as a viewer, i really liked the overall story and wwx is one of my favorite characters of all times but i dont think i will rewatch this drama... maybe i will watch some scenes i really liked but i am not sure if i will rewatch the entire drama...
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