Hisui

The sociopolitical relevance and depth of the plot makes you forget the low budget graphics. Wei Wuxian might be the most well written character I’ve ever seen. The shift in tone between a carefree privileged adolescent to standing against convention and corruption at the cost of everything is jarring. The Untamed depicts the dangers of mob mentality and how fear can be used to control people incredibly well. One of the best things about it is that the characters are not infallible. They make mistakes and have flaws. Lan Wangji’s flaw is that his moral code is so deeply ingrained that he fails to turn against a corrupt system. As a result he loses the most important person to him and lives in regret for 16 years, but when given a second chance he doesn’t make the same mistakes as he did in his youth. Wei wuxian is impulsive and arrogant and those threatened by his strength use that against him to demonize him. While many of those close to him knew he was not in the wrong they were too afraid to speak out, and, as a result, perpetuated a system of oppression and tyranny, demonstrating the danger of passivity. The way that fame, love, and admiration can turn to fear, hatred, and villainization is a haunting reflection of society and human nature. There are very few that I would consider to be a masterpiece but this is undoubtedly one of them. It has an unbeatable cast, an unmatched soundtrack, and handles comedy, morality, societal conformity, and tragedy with ease.