Lives up to all the reveiws
This was my second drama to watch. My first reaction to it was...what the hell am I watching? My second reaction was who the heck is this drama's visual/special effects supervisor - and why did they hire him/her -I think a child could do better? My third reaction was - bawling my eyes out. Fourth reaction was - oh my God! Why have I been missing these drama's and where have they been all my life! I'm not a huge fan of long series as I have the attention span of a 'flea' but this one kept me fixated. Xiao Zhan's acting was so intense - and how he managed to remember all those lines?! If there was anything like the Oscars in China - I sure hope he won it as he took me as the viewer on one hell of a ride.Was this review helpful to you?
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The main leads have very good chemistry both on and off screen. It is a bit confusing at first because of all the sects and families but once you start understanding everything, it's heartbreaking to see what everyone goes through.
I definitely recommend a rewatch (you will) since you can get all those tiny details you missed the first time and you will be surprised at how neatly everything comes together.
The OST is incredible as well, must listen to every song on Spotify!
If you end up falling in love with this, good news is you can get a lot of BTS content, concerts and a lot more. Just you see how obsessed everyone became!
Literally made an account just to leave a review for this drama, you definitely have to watch it! Promise you you won't regret it!
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Cast: Phenomenal. Every. Single. Actor. Was incredible to the point where it was as if they were meant to play their role. I honestly can’t get over how good the cast is, and it makes me really sad knowing that they won’t all be together again for anymore future shows. I just gotta support them individually now????
Soundtrack/music: I’m really sad because I didn’t realize how much I LOVE the soundtrack until after I finished the show. Don’t get me wrong - I recognized how good the music was, I just didn’t realize it to the full extent. Most - if not all - of the characters have their own songs, but I’m upset because I never really focused on that while watching. It’s so much fun going back to rewatch scenes/episodes and recognizing all of the music. I highly recommend searching up the songs on YouTube - the entire soundtrack has been translated...and when I tell you the lyrics are so beautiful, I mean it. It’s crazy how much emotion was put into every single song. I’ll definitely keep listening to the entire soundtrack frequently.
Rewatch value: ...You guys probably know what my answer is???? I would definitely rewatch it - and am going to. You don’t know how hard it was for me not to restart it after the last episode...I literally had to go out of my room???? It’s such a good show that deserves to be rewatched over and over and over again.
I’ll be honest - when I first saw that there were 50 episodes, I never thought I’d finish it because I have a really bad habit of dropping things in the middle (I get bored easily). However, not only did I watch the entire show - I finished it in 3 days. I can’t even tell you how much sleep I lost, but it was a significant amount. A lot of people are probably put off by the fact that a good portion of the show is just backstory - I’ll be honest, I was hesitant on watching because of that simple reason - but when it came time to jump back to the present I was really sad to see the past go...which is strange because I was counting down the episodes (until it went back to the present) in the beginning????
Overall: WATCH. THIS. SHOW. I kid you not - you will be missing out on *such* an incredible experience, and I really would have regretted not watching it. A lot of people are put off by the fact that it originated from a BL novel, but there’s not really any of that in this show...at the most it would be called “bromance”, but even that might be too much considering China’s censorship laws. While it may have probably been an awkward concept in the beginning for some actors (depending on their beliefs), you can really see how they all bond together, and all have such beautiful relationships with one another.
P.S. I’m sorry for such a long review...but I just had to say it: this show will make you adore even the enemies. Some of their backstories are so tragic that you just can’t help but feel love and pity for them???????? It’s truly amazing how the director (and everyone involved) was able to garner so many emotions from the audience????????????
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Lovely show with a great story ☺
Hahaha at first I checked this out because a lot of other people were tweeting about it but it's actually really good.One thing I can say about it though is that the timeline got kind of wonky after a few episodes. I was confused when they transitioned from the present to the past without any indicator of when it was going to go back to the present and without working seamlessly enough in my opinion. It is addicting though, even when I was so confused about it I managed to finish it all and I really liked it!
WYB and XZ's acting in the series really managed to elevate the acting into a whole 'nother level and ZZJ managed to perfectly deliver the balance between a good sworn brother to ZWJ with a rotten core to anybody else. Also one of the best parts here for me was the Yi City Arc. WHX may sometimes act exaggeratedly but SJY really acted well with him!
Another note is that you should really watch this on Youtube or WeTV... because the subtitles on Netflix... hahaha it's abysmal and it won't really help you on remembering the different titles each character holds and can somewhat affect your viewing experience. The OST for this drama is REALLY good. I would recommend you to listen to it even if you aren't familiar with the drama but don't watch the subtitles because it's full of spoilers!
The reason I gave low rewatch value is because I never rewatch shows... so yeah
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Besides the main characters, the side characters are as developed as the main characters which you don't see often nowadays. A lot of the side cast has their own story arcs, development and screen time. I won't keep this review long, so if you love epic storylines, an amazing love story that's unlike the rest and amazing supporting characters - then The Untamed is just for you!
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I absolutely loved the dynamics/love/friendship/chemistry (whatever you want to call it) between the two leads. But every other supporting cast were equally good. Wei Wuxian is the best character ever for me and you will definitely fall in love with Xiao Zhan's portrayal of WWX.
This drama has an amazingly complex story, very good acting from all the characters, best family relationships and friendships and everything else you can ask for in a fantasy drama.
I also liked that the drama made slight changes to the characters and story from the original novel but still maintained the same overall story arc. If you miss the show and the characters after you finish this, you can read the original Novel, continue on to the Manhua and round off with the Donghua all telling you the same loving story in different formats.
Would definitely recommend! 10/10 rating.
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This review may contain spoilers
I fall inlove with the lead actors. The best drama I ever scene. It made me cry laugh and fall inlove. I never thought I will watch it over and over again. Really appreciate all the cast they work hard to make this drama a successful one. Xiao zhan character is so painful to watch he makes me cry and laugh he deserves it.??? Because of this drama I fall Inlove with xiao zhan. Didi deserves also an applause. Thanks to my friend who recommend to watch it. It deserves perfect 10 ratings.,....,....... Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Initially, I found out about The Untamed through a compilation list of BL shows. Although the drama adaptation of The Untamed is not really BL, the novel adaptation is another level of BL (?). Still, you can find subtle hints in the drama series. (chickens, wearing bright red unlike the Wens, bowing three times, etc.) I actually stayed throughout the drama thanks to the music, characters, storyline, cinematics, basically everything about the drama. Even if you intended to watch The Untamed just for BL, you should still watch the entire drama because it is really, really interesting and perfect.
The drama is not only based on the two main characters. There are multiple arcs in the drama that was presented and all of the arcs are linked to one another. Viewers will get to know a bit about the families, the different clans, the characters' backgrounds and personalities. The drama is not entirely about romance, and at the same time, not entirely about fighting.
The acting and cast are perfect. Some of the characters are monotonous/ does not have any facial expression because of their personality. Do not misinterpret the lack of facial expression as bad acting! At times, the back-up actors and actresses have their own funny moments (there are some compilation videos on Youtube).
There are actually two albums on Spotify about the songs or SFX played throughout the drama. I like how some of the characters got their own songs, instead of not only limited to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.
It could be a hassle for some viewers who want to rewatch the drama. Some viewers may procrastinate due to the number of episodes. Personally, I would rewatch only some episodes at once and not the whole entire drama. There will be times where I rewatch the Yi City scenes, there will be times where I rewatch Sunshot Campaign scenes, there will be times where I watch other scenes.
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As good as it probably could have been, given censorship
Foreword:I should preface this by saying that before I first watched this show — long ago, actually, and have only just now gotten around to writing a review — I didn't know any of the main actors. To most, that may not be much of a problem but the amount of people I see nowadays calling this show popular only because of the two main leads makes me feel like it's a necessary disclaimer. I knew of Wang Yibo due to his time in UNIQ and only vaguely recognized Xiao Zhan from other dramas. Therefore, I went into this knowing almost nothing about their careers or abilities.
I think it is also pertinent to add that this is my first review on this site so I don't exactly know the etiquette around writing these. But I'll make my case as best as I can.
Story - 8/10:
For me, the plotline of The Untamed and the overarching Mo Dao Zu Shi franchise is very very strong. On the surface, it is about Wei Wuxian and his struggle with the evil: both inside him and around him. It knits politics and morality together in a painstaking and heart wrenching little blanket that you just wanna curl up and cry on. And don't get me started on the tragedies that happen. one after another after another. I don't cry very easily. I cried like a baby during this show. Let me just say this: don't get attached to anyone. For your own sake.
The pacing is slow but it's a necessary evil. There's a lot going on and a lot of years to cover. There are a lot of mysteries to solve and a whole ensemble cast of people with storylines that need to be resolved. I think the show's weakest point is the fact that the timeskip seems wholly unnecessary. If it were shot chronologically, it would be less confusing and literally nothing would change.
(Spoilers in this paragraph, skip if necessary) I also think the decision to reveal Wei Wuxian's swapped golden core weakened the story a little. I didn't realize it until watching the donghua but that final reveal could have been so gutwrenching. Instead, it fell short since the audience already knew.
And finally, I'll talk about the "bromance". I'm sure we all know what The Untamed was supposed to be. Of course, censorship couldn't let it be so. I think the authors of the script did a good job of maintaining the "relationship" between the two main leads in a way that wouldn't set off the anti-gay screeners but would also appease the fans: most of which probably came from the main novel. I love how tastefully their love story developed: though it was heavily censored, it was made clear that they had feelings for one another. Though part of that is due to Wang and Xiao's amazing acting, which I will talk about in the next section.
Some other minor nitpicks:
- There are so many names for each character that it was really confusing at first
- What the heck is the difference between the Stygian Tiger Seal and the ... Yin amulet? see I don't even know the names I just know they're both bad and are related somehow why is this so confusing
- Why does the "happy ending" not really feel like a happy ending. Everyone is dead and crying, Samantha. How is that satisfying. (half joking)
- Maybe I'm just slow but the "timeskip" timeline and "current" timeline were difficult to distinguish from one another. Especially when we jumped back to the present after the long and drawn-out timeskip.
- sausage fest. there are no "main" women at all. (yes, jiang yanli does NOT count as a main. i'm sorry but it's true.) I know this is technically a BL but it would be nice to see a badass woman that can fight and actually survive through the night. please.
Cast - 9/10:
Let me just say that I became a MASSIVE Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan fan after this. The two male leads did a great job of reading in-between the lines, sending one another loaded looks and just generally being so comfortable around one another that I couldn't help but feel the romantic implications despite censorship trying so hard to hide it. They quite honestly carry this entire show on their back and that's why the producers were able to get away with a second version of the show, based entirely around Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's relationship (yes, I watched the whole thing right after finishing this version and yes, I loved it as well).
Xiao Zhan is so great. I don't even know what to say. His smile is so sweet and I could tell he really connected with his character. Sometimes I wondered if he was just acting in front of the camera or reading lines as himself in a costume. I had doubts about Wang Yibo going into this. I knew he was an idol and I knew he had been in other dramas prior to this but I still had my reservations. But he absolutely blew me away. His microexpressions are on point. His character was so obviously in love that my heart honestly stuttered sometimes. (Get you a man who looks at you the way Lan Wa...)
I think the only think barring me from giving this section a 9.5-10/10 was the fact that some of the supporting actors didn't feel... right? I know this was the first major production for a lot of these actors and none of them had really had experience prior to The Untamed, but I could tell. And that's not good. For some scenes in particular (and for a few actors in particular), I could feel the disingenuity and it just felt forced. Those scenes were few and far between and, like I said before, the two male leads were outstanding enough that it didn't really bother me all that much. It just took me out of the emotions of the scene for a few seconds and I dreaded seeing them come back onscreen.
Music - 10/10:
Ho.ly.crap. This music. I should probably warn you that I'm just a sucker in general for traditional sounds and instrumentation. The thing that drew me to The Untamed/Mo Dao Zu Shi in the first place was the fact that musical cultivation played a big role in the story. The soundtrack has both the regular instrumental background tracks but there are also character songs, many of which are actually sung by the actor that plays that character. Some personal favorites are Lan Wangji's character song and Xue Yang's character song.
I still listen to the soundtrack regularly. I barely know any mandarin yet I could probably sing you Wuji and Bu Wang from memory. Overall, these tracks are the perfect accompaniment to the story. Mournful and oppressive when the time calls for it, playful and lilting whenever Wei Wuxian is fooling around, and it always feels full. A beautiful and simple soundtrack fitted perfectly to the show.
Rewatch Value - 7.5/10:
The lowest of the bunch. Honestly, I should probably give this one a higher rating considering I've rewatched The Untamed probably about three times in full already. But I think I'm just an outlier.
The show is LONG and the tragedy never really ends. It is a very heavy story and I can understand why some people just don't want to put up with it again. It's not a happy-go-lucky story that's fun to watch over and over again. I'd also say that after a while, the shock value of the plot loses its... well, shock value.
The genius of the story is its ability to conceal and reveal, hiding villains and plotpoints in plain sight and revealing them at the times that would garner the most reaction out of the characters and, subsequently, us as viewers. To a person rewatching, who knows all the twists and turns, it probably won't be as exciting. (It's precisely why I can never rewatch crime or mystery dramas/movies. The excitement you got while watching it the first time just isn't there anymore. The suspense was the whole fun of it.)
But if you loved the romance, the character relationships, the fight scenes, the cinematography: welcome to rewatch hell. I said previously that I've watched it three times in full. Yeah, in full, but I've skimmed through it so many more times than that. The emotional moments hit HARD especially when you know how it's going to end and the character moments are, in my opinion, the highlight. It's not a fun rewatch, not by anyone's standards, but it's beautiful.
Overall 9/10:
I was originally going to give it an overall 8.5/10, but I just couldn't. This show made me fall in love with the Xianxia genre, two amazing new actors, and introduced me to a soundtrack that would carry me through a large part of quarantine. This show is not perfect but it has cemented itself as a staple for both the BL genre and the Xianxia genre. It is credited for skyrocketing the careers of two talented actors—both of which have become household names. I will say it's not a perfect show but it is definitely worth the hype it's gotten.
Final Word:
If you're about to watch or have already started, just keep pushing through. I dropped this show a few episodes in when I first started and then continued after I saw clips on Twitter a friend of mine posted and man, am I glad I did. I'll admit, it can get slow at times, and it's definitely a confusing plotline. But, let's be honest, most of us aren't here for plot.
If you can loosen up a little and embrace the confusion for a short while until each arc is resolved, you'll love this show. If you're just here for the gays then you'll definitely love this show.
I definitely wrote too much and no one's gonna read all that but I just love this show so much. I'm quite literally obsessed. Please watch this show.
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