Epic Lovestory with Life Lessons
I never thought I would binge-watch a wuxia drama without romance or kissing, but the enthusiastic reviews made me do it and now I’m totally captivated.This series is an adaptation from BL novel “Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation/Mo Dao Zhushi". I recommend reading the novel to get a better insight in the characters of the male leads, their mutual love and inspiration. Moreover it leads to a better understanding of the messages in this story,
* There’s no good or evil, black or white.
* People who seem flawless can be wrong. Those who won’t follow the rules can be right.
* It doesn’t help to explain things, sometimes the world just needs a target.
* Stay true to your heart.
That is “The Untamed” in a nutshell, an epic lovestory with life lessons.
Synopsis
This is a fantasy story set in ancient China about two young martial heroes who are soul mates but completely opposite in character. In flashbacks we see them as antagonistic students attending the same class but very soon entangled in a bloody power struggle between the clans. One is the typically charming bad boy who can’t abide by the rules. Due to his impulsive actions, and his tendency to fight and save everyone, Wei Wuxian becomes an infamous demonologist.
The other, Lan Wangji, is the serene and shining example of wuxia manhood. He seems allergic to Wei Wuxian who gets him out of balance every time they meet, but he ends up completely lost and untamed himself, when Wei Wuxian tragically dies before his very eyes.
In retrospect Lan Wangji understands that his friend was right, and the others wrong, and he’s full of regrets.
For mysterious reasons Wei Wuxian's soul is invited into the body of another young man 16 years later and the friends get reunited. They join forces to solve the mystery behind the evil events in their past, uncovering a sinister conspiracy and stunning revelations about each other.
The Good
“The Untamed” creates a fantasy world with a beautiful scenery, soundtrack, strong plot and brilliant characters . Xiao Zhan is the perfect choice for the flippant, dark and passionate Wei Wuxian. The way he can smile, or cry in front of a camera is amazing. In the novel the character Lan Wangji is described as the typical Tsundere, impressive, large and powerfully built, so I was surprised to see young idol/dancer Wang Yibo getting the part, but he really rises above himself here. Although he has few lines in the script, his acting is very natural, with subtle micro-expressions, and beautiful chemistry with Xiao Zhan.
The Bad
It’s almost common in cdrama, needless repetitions, underdeveloped CGI, unsynchronized flute playing. It took me six episodes to get into the story, also it is difficult to get all the names and clans right. Unfortunately the last episode was filled with several flashbacks before the final scene got me by surprise. It's needless to say, I prefer the ending in the novel version.
Overall
However this is still an outstanding adaptation of the novel, even better at times if you look at the philosophy part. It left me full of emotions, ready to rewatch everything all over again. The leading couple made me laugh, cry, and support their love that is unspoken in the series, but oozing from the screen. WangXian4Ever!
Was this review helpful to you?
A show that will engage you and take your breath away!
The Untamed is truly a show that lives up to the hype it receives. The characters, story, scenery, and music are breathtaking. I became so deeply invested in the characters and storyline that I couldn't stop watching, and before I knew it 50 episodes felt too little. The casting was beyond perfect, and the chemistry between everyone was amazing! Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian were the most perfect duo, and watching their scenes was one of my favorite parts of this series. The fight scenes were extremely fun! Yes, there was plenty of dramatic flying and dramatic action but that's what made it so fun! It's going to be hard to move on from this drama and find something nearly as amazing, but on the bright side, I can always come back to The Untamed and relive the beautiful and fun moments!The Untamed will forever be one of my favorite dramas and I highly suggest you watch it, you truly won't regret it!
Was this review helpful to you?
Not only that but their friendship is what inspired me the most because even though it may seem as though they don't show it, you can tell how greatly they care about one another and how they value their friendship.
Second of all, the storyline itself is consistently hooking, and doesn't lose its plot or interest throughout the course. To be frank, it is a lovely story and the actors really made it one of the most inspirational and time worthy drama of all time.
I really recommend you guys watch this with all my heart.
Was this review helpful to you?
Love❤️❤️❤️?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Truly a masterpiece!
I just cant move on from this drama. Everyone did a great job in it, even the small roles!I read the novel first and thought that it was a total masterpiece despite not really into BL. I was actually reluctant to start watching this because the novel had excessively explicit sexual scenes. I didnt have much impression of Wang YiBo and XiaoZhan as I dont really know them and havent watched any of them on screen before The Untamed. I was actually curious when people keep talking about how great their friendship was when it's clear the novel had them hooked up as lovers. To be honest I was skeptical and delayed watching because I was preparing for the worst. However the drama proved me wrong as they manage to stay truthful to the novel despite a few changes to show bromance instead, which I truly adore! It's definitely different from typical love story like the other wuxia dramas that I've watched. There's no silly female characters chasing after the male leads, I hate it when they flock around male leads like leeches. And I dont care how much other people keep saying that they have BL element in this, I personally see those scenes as bromance!
I especially LOVE the sibling relationship between Jiang Cheng, Jiang YanLi and Wei WuXian. The pain suffered by WWX and JC when JYL died was so heartbreaking and I cried each time. In fact, I actually like the drama more than the novel, especially the scene where WWX broke down after JYL's death. I love the ending too!
Watched the special edition twice to relive the memorable moments after I finished with the full version, watched the anime version (up tp season 2) too, and still cant get over this. Watched behind the scenes shots and was surprised WYB was actually more goofy than XZ. It takes considerable talent to play the cold stoney Lan Zhan with someone of that character, and my hats off to all of the cast to be able to make the characters real. It was indeed really hard for me to move on from this story.
This is indeed one of the best cdrama I've ever watched. My only regret was not watching it much earlier!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
i don't think so i've ever thought i will ever be hooked up to a show this much. the overall plot of this show is superb it was well written despite the censorship, the uniqueness of every single character, even the villians such as Jin Guangyao and Xue Yang i couldn't completely hate them because of their background stories, even though the show focused on the main characters, they did not neglect other characters background stories. this is my top favorite show, i dont think so any show would top it this is my top favorite show. the ost is PERFECT, every single soundtrack is flawless and, im hooked up to every soundtrack since they also tell the stories of the characters(since most of the characters got their own ost). i dont think so any show would top it, that i even rewatched it 3 times in the span of 4 months already, and read the original novel 2 times. so i encourage you to watch it ! Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I saw the drama and then I watch the anime and read the novel^^!!!! I didn't know I would end up loving this drama so much! The acting was amazing, the plot was great, and character development was remarkable. Everything in this drama was just great! I would re-watched over and over again. All the music here was so pleasant, love the OSTS!!!!! I cannot say anything bad about this drama, it's just very good. It's definitely one of the best dramas I have watched in recent years. The acting didn't disappoint, and every episode----I'm always wanted more. I'm glad the episodes were all out before I start it, and so I binged watch it. It was that good! Our MC is a playful, smart, caring, and supportive brother and friend. He is a master at his martial crafts, and he is one of the best characters in the drama. He went from playful to mature and growing up. He suffered a lot in his past, but towards the end, he accomplished all that he wants to and he leads a happy life. There were happy, disappointed, and sad moments all in this drama. The Jiang siblings make my heart ache for what they went through----The loss of their parents through murder and the loss of their loving sister. You have to watch it!! Was this review helpful to you?
Epic
Magnificent Chinese drama and whilst there are 50 episodes, the story is split into 3 and some supporting characters change with the timeline, so it never drags or gets dull. For me it went really quick and I totally got into it.The acting is very good and the main characters are so likeable. It's a bromance between Wu Xian and Wang Ji ~ 2 total opposites who have a huge amount of respect for and belief in, one another, which becomes stronger through their adventures and experiences.
I've read the novel and their relationship is a lot steamier in that, but considering China's censorship laws and views on homosexuality, it could never be portrayed.
There is familial love, betrayal, competition, plotting, tragedy and fun too. Add to this supernatural and Wuxia content, and it = one heck of a show!
The locations, costumes and actors/tresses are stunning.
I laughed and cried, sometimes in the same scene!
Some of the SFX are a bit low budget, but personally, I could overlook it because the story gripped me so much. Also, there are several scenes, especially near the end, which are a bit wordy and, therefore, feel a bit drawn out; however, they are few in comparison to the total number of eps though.
There are a LOT of characters, so I found having an online cast list open, helpful.
The early transmigration scene was a little confusing after, mainly because facially the characters were the same, but it all becomes clear... we 'see' Wei Wuxian as he always was.
My favourites were Wei Wu Xian, Lan Wang Ji, Wen Qing, Jiang Yan Li and Wen Ning, who frequently plucked at my heart strings.
Definitely worth watching... more than once
Was this review helpful to you?
It's Wonderful
I'm a big lover of the title for multiple reasons. I'll start by saying that I'm a fan that comes from reading the novel it's based on, Mo Dao Zu Shi, and I'm very pleased with how this came out. The acting and cast are lovely and I don't have any complaints with how they portrayed the characters. The music is very nice and I honestly love that the title song was actually sung by the actors that play the characters. There's a song from the novel that Lan Wangji composes about the two of them called Wangxian, which is a obviously a combination of their names. The song that they created for the title is called Wuji which is an alternate combination and I love that they went that route, keeping that little easter egg in there.Overall, the storyline is pretty coherent and keeps to the novel which is the best anyone can hope for when it comes to novel adaptations. The characters all look similar to how you'd imagine them and things happen as they're supposed to. I've already watched the whole thing through twice already. The props can take some getting used to as some scenes and shots, you can definitely tell their props are fake because swords will wiggle or things will move a little oddly, but for the most part it's easy to ignore. The only real complaint I have is against China's restrictions on what they allow. Mo Dao Zu Shi is originally a love story between Wangji and Wuxian and would have loved to see more than just the bromance/best friend relationship that they got reduced to.
Was this review helpful to you?
Best Ever Drama
Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo, main actors took the story to the next level through their acting skills, chemistry and beautiful cute eye contact and expressions.. overall the best. They are the best friends, even I completed watching behind the scenes, their cute fights and their friendship.. overall it's a good good good drama.Xiao and yibo did great job in this drama, story is excellent and their costumes and makeup are excellent. We can see overall team put great efforts in the drama. Everybit of this drama went awesome. I love main leads eyes and smile.. their chemistry, friendship and eye contact..
Was this review helpful to you?
Absolutely Lovely!
I went into this drama with little to no expectations but was very very pleasantly surprised by the time i finished all the 50 episodes. This being my first CDrama, I was very new to the Chinese Wuxia/Xianxia world and it took me a while to actually get involved and be intrigued by this story. A little patience is needed in the beginning but the story gets more and more interesting as the episodes progress.I absolutely loved the dynamics/love/friendship/chemistry 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.
Was this review helpful to you?
