The Untamed (2019)

It is simply perfection!

I liked how the actors played it. The atmosphere of the series was amazing.I could watch it again.In some moments it was very sad and in others it was funny.The places in the series are beautiful.I liked how suddenly Wei Wuxian became an enemy.I watched this series because it's very popular and I'm glad I watched it.I watched it for almost three months.After trying it, I had to watch similar series.When the series ended, I was sad because I wanted to keep watching as I enjoyed it.After trying the series, I had to watch the Anime version and read the Novel.I would simply rate it as one of the best series.

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i... am speechless by the amount of justice this does to the novel.

honestly, i read all of the novels way back and when the drama came out i was more than skeptical, considering people were saying it isn't very good. I personally found it great! xz and wyb are great actors and even though censorship exists, they managed to get the chemistry between wwx and lwj very intense.
just a thing, if you are a chinese speaker like myself, i would reccomend subtitles in simplified (or traditional idk what you know) because i've never heard of some of these terms. (obviously this does not affect the rating at all) and it might be because i am not from mainland china but taiwan, so that might be it.

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What a masterpiece!

How can I explain my love for this show? There aren't enough words. This is the first review I write, and that can only be for the best drama I've ever watched in my whole life: the untamed, of course. It is absolutely perfect: Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo did an amazing job portraying Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan, I cannot imagine anyone who could do it better! I loved almost every character (and not only the good ones) and every actor of this drama, they were perfect in every aspect! The soundtracks are wonderful, I cannot stop listening to them almost every day. The plot is original, engaging and really intense.
Rewatch value? Well, I have already seen it five times and I could watch it forever so... It's a 10 for me!

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Execution is not perfect but the drama is perfect nonetheless!

One of the most amazing story with characters that are so vivid amd understandable it's imposible not to feel for them. The Untamed has been graced with a cast perfect for the amazing chemistry they all have. And the script is so well done that the deveopment of the story can be considered even more cohesive than the original material of the novel. A must watch not only for the BL undertone between the two main lead but for the comment on our society that is one of the most interesting aspects of this drama.
This is a drama that proves how a well done script and a good casting can always overshadow techincal problems of the production.

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I feel bad for those who are yet to watch the untamed because why?

Preview;
I can’t believe I’m finally reviewing this in 2022, I first watched it 2022, and I just watching it yesterday for the nth times. One thing about this drama? You can’t get tired of watching it, I can watch it over and over and over again.
I remember the first time I watched it 2 years ago, it was really hard to understand, I was really close to just dropping the drama because I wasn’t understanding it, but I kept watching because of how handsome the actors and actresses were😉, and also apart from their looks, for some reason I could drop it.
ACTUAL REVIEW
The untamed is one of the best, if not the best drama I’ve ever seen in my whole life, I personally love every bit of it. It’s funny, it’s cute ( Lan Zhan and Wei ying moment) , also sad moments, tbh this drama is like a ride of rollercoaster.
ANYWAYS , YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY WATCH THE UNTANED 😍

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Actually i pretty honestly feels like this series is overhyped and overrated. I know most of the people liked it a lot, but it wasn't up to my alley. I love the main actors role a lot and that's why i gave it 6.5ish because of them and bcz of music.
Actually i have seen the anime that was the main reason i didn't like it that much, because i am someone who can not watch same thing again&again. So basically i knew the story so it was kinda boring to me. And honestly I didn't like an anime too that much. It was slow like the drama, and a complicated plot atleast for me. Chinese names and terms are pretty tough so i got a hard time to fully understand the thing. Actually TMOPB was much easier to remember characters name, and that drama still holds top place in my chinese drama genre.
And that is the reason i am reluctant and skeptical to watch "kings avatar", because i have seen the anime too, and didn't like it that much either. Most of the people here have seen anime and read the novel too, yet the liked the drama a lot. That's not my case, and that's why i do not watch live action version of anime. Because i won't like it.
I am telling this because many people gonna dislike it and say you don't have taste and blah blah, so i am just giving my reason why i didn't like this drama that much.
Plus i only liked main actors and some of the other cast and music. That's all. Rest of the thing i find meh..!!
And i have seen the anime and didn't like that too, i find this little boring in between, though its not draggy at all. But i still didn't like it till episode 33. And at the end it felt like it was rushed they haven't shown any reunion or more clarification on wei ying present life.
Plus whenever wangji played that instrument it seems synchronized but when wei wuxian play flute it never matches with the sound, it doesn't feels like the actor is really doing its part and that's why those scenes never touches my heart. They were totally off synch.
And they have changed many things from anime as i haven't read the novel so can't say which one of them stays true to the story.
Anyway i am not disappointed, i just didn't like it like many other people.

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What can I say except I love MDZS, I love the book, the characters, the plot, the development, the worldbuilding. I am such a fan. I love love love the love story, no other characters fit together as a ship stronger than the 2 leads! The author already set up such fan-worthy material, and the anime brought it to life before my eyes, if you haven't seen the animation, by God it is the most beautiful anime I've seen, on par with the most beautiful anime movies from Japan! Ahem - back to the drama.

The Untamed was a satifying watch but I can't help but think that I am biased, as a fan. Just seeing the two MCs step forward as Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo was enough for me to squeal. These two actors physically, do have the aura of the characters that play! The casting is good for the main characters, but not as great for the side ones. Nevertheless, Xiao Zhan is a good actor, bringing out the playful boyish charm while able to be commanding and badass when he needs to be, of our beloved Yiling Lao Zu. Wang Yi Bo struggles, particulary in the first two episodes but is able to show his cute protective side of Lan Zhan as the series progress and he grows more comfortable in his role. The two are super young into the acting thing, and it shows. Sometimes the actor of Jiang Cheng pulls some exaggerated faces which makes me laugh out loud. However, they play the characters with heart and as a fan, am grateful that even a live drama exists!

The story follows the original story with slight deviations and addins which makes for some weird pacing. It may be hard for those unfamilar with the story to catch on. Those who like action, adventure, sword-fighting with nasty things, and bromance will leave with exactly what it promises. This drama won't leave you surprised in terms of effects, cinematography, and all that technical stuff, but it will leave fans excited to see their favourtie scenes come to life.

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I tried watching it, stopped. Read reviews that told me to power through the first few episodes because the pay off is so good, so I got back on the horse and powered through the beginning. I finished the drama and was completely let down. Episode 1 was as confusing as can be, even for the " let's figure it out together" approach from the director. It was so confusing that I really had no interest from the start. Second, the GC for the first episode was horrible. It was like the producer was trying to make people not like the show from the beginning.

While the pace, story, and GC does pickup and improve as the series progresses, the pay off is just not there. Starting from present day in Episode 1, really ruined a lot of the surprises of the story. I would even recommend not watching episode 1. Episodes 2-10 were meh. I will admit that the series does pick up tremendously from 11-about 35, with an apex that was really satisfying, worthy of a concluding episode. But then the roller coaster takes you down again for the last 15 or so episodes. Really the resolution of the story was laborious, obvious, and basically a let down. With mysteries like these, you want to be surprised a bit, but guessing the mastermind was pretty obvious and the reveal was less than satisfying, in fact rather draggy and painful.

I walked into the drama knowing it was a boy love film that was toned down. I actually didn't like the chemistry between the leads and I actually felt a bit uncomfortable watching some of their interactions. It wasn't a bromance, nor was it a love story... just weird suggestions that missed both marks.

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Visually Stunning But Doesn’t Make Any Sense...

Exciting and thrilling at times (especially ep 19-28), but confusing, messy, convoluted, nonsensical, and aimless at others. So many plot points that don't make any sense. Characters whose decisions and actions don't make any sense. A villain with a weak resolve. It is like a epic fantasy Chinese version of Game of Thrones with its themes of feuding families and desire for power (though not as good). The series is visually stunning though. The production design is absolutely beautiful. The costumes are stunning. The hair gorgeous. The classical Chinese music soars wondrously. It is unfortunate about the Chinese censorship on lgbt content in film and series though. The Bl relationship could have been so much more. It is still pretty cool seeing a series with a close male friendship and that is based on a BL series get so much attention worldwide though! On a side note, I felt that the series was completely overrated. I've read people talking about how this series ruined every BL for them as there wouldn't be anything as good or that there is only a 'before' and 'after' after watching the series. Hilarious! Thai BL are much better. They're shorter and actually have BL content.

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A few things before I write my review:
- I am Chinese so I watched the entire thing in Chinese
- I have never watched any MDZS materials before watching the show
- was not a fan of Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo before this (as in I didn't know who they were, so that was not why I watched the show)

Originally I watched this show because I heard the hype around the BL. However, I generally don't watch a lot of Chinese dramas because they're usually really bad, so it took A LOT OF hype to get to me to watch it. I also heard a lot of hype around XiaoZhan, and since I live in China, it's almost impossible to avoid his face, so I finally gave in.

First, the bad stuff (let's get it out of the way, but don't go away, cause the good stuff is worth all the cons combined)
- Horrible CGI...and questionable visuals: let's be honest, this was never cdrama's forte, I quit a lot of dramas because of this. So I would recommend people to try to ignore it when viewing and try not to be as pedantic as I was and try to focus more on the characters
- Horrible editing (and maybe a director's choice or script problem): Specifically fight scenes and sometimes certain scene would cut really weirdly (e.g. one scene will just cut to another and you'd be like...ok, how did they get there? how did the tension from the last scene not get resolved?) This DOES get in the way of story telling, hence why I didn't give the story 10/10, not because the story isn't good, but the way it's told is quite confusing at first. This is something that viewers will get used to, you just kinda get used to not understanding until the very end.
- A lot of jargon: this is not necessarily a con, but I can see how it can deter people from watching it. As someone who is fluent in Chinese, I don't see this as a problem for Chinese people or people who are used to "Wuxia" novels. Honestly I am surprised at the amount international viewings for this drama because honestly how did you guys figure out the clans and the 3 names each person has. Tbh, the jargon doesn't get in the way of the plot, so don't worry too much about it especially in the beginning if this is your first ancient/wuxia-ish cdrama.

Ok, let's get to the GOOD (hopefully you're still reading)
- Excellent casting and acting: Idols NEVER impressed me in acting. Never. I was not only proven wrong by ONE idol, but TWO! Let's just say that the main two leads realllllly understood what the source material was. As someone who can understand Chinese, I was worried about not only poor acting, but also cringey line deliveries. It also doesn't make it easier that they're supposed to be gay. But wow, if there's anything I have to give to the director and the two lead actors, is the fact that they got it "just right".
- Explored deep relationships: the main two leads being romantically attracted to each other isn't news, but I was pleasantly surprised at the other relationships this drama explored. Sibling relationships, friendships, psychopathic twisted love (?) ...just to name a few. Surprisingly, this show isn't just about BL like I had originally hoped, but I actually came out more invested in the other relationships because they were even more frustrating and heart-wrenching.
- Explored morals: I can't give too much details without spoiling too much, but this show has a message! (Ok I'm gonna guess you've come to realize that I had very low expectations for this show) The good thing about this show is that the message is actually quite important to the plot and is the main focus, instead of just the BL. And the message is surprisingly very important for us today (mental health, bullying..etc).
- Villain: This show has one of the best villains I've seen in a cdrama and that's all I'm going to say...

Ok, now go watch the show and remember to bring a box of tissues. If there's anything cdramas are really good at, it's that they make you cry your heart out.

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Recommending this to all MDZS Fans! (It's actually better than I initially thought!)

Well, this is going to be one hell of a long review, so be warn of spoilers! xD So if you don't want to read spoilers, just skip this review!

Knowing this adaptation is based on my favourite novel 'Mo Dao Zu Shi' by MXTX, at first with the rumours flying around how they were going to make Wen Qing the love interest, I was so annoyed, and I told myself, I am NOT going to watch this!!! Because Wangxian is the ONLY ONE FOR ME!!! How dare they trying to make it heteronromative!!! But when this started airing, and also because I have also follow other online social media sites, I heard fans said that the first episode doesn't disappoint when it comes to Wangxian side of things, so I decided to just check out one episode to see what it's like, and wa-lah! Just one episode in, and I'm sold! Wangxian is indeed strong in the first episode, coming from Wei Ying's pov, and I actually love that change they put in showing just how Wei Ying feels about Lan Zhan <3

To be honest, there are definitely changes in this adaptation (when comparing to the novel), some changes are for the better, some weren't. Well, it's the same as each version have it's pros and cons, and I accept that.

E.g.

Likes:
- Jiang Cheng's character for me, in this adaptation, I actually love him better, whereas in the novel, I didn't really like him until the end, when he changed. Jiang Cheng is actually a positive change in this adaptation for me, because I love seeing him showing concern/care for Wei Ying like a family member (and not as a subordinate kind of feeling which I got in the novel). There are instances when Jiang Cheng showed me he cares, I just can't help but like him more in this adaptation. I love how he go against what his father said, and still went out to seek Wei Ying (when Wei Ying went out on that journey with Lan Zhan) and bring him back (because he was worried about him), that's plus points for me. While others may not like the Jiang Cheng x Wen Qing ship, for me personally, I do love it, despite that ship went no where in the end, because it is through this ship, that makes me like Jiang Cheng better, since he shows that he doesn't hate all Wen's. (Wen Qing excluded).

- Another change I love about this adaptation is how strong they made Wei Ying and Lan Zhan's bond is, even in the past, I love how Wei Ying doesn't set a clear line with Lan Zhan, I love how Wei Ying actually welcomes Lan Zhan to help him, and I love how he actually shows me that he really cares how Lan Zhan sees him, i.e. Lan Zhan's trust on him, means a lot to Wei Ying, and I love that, you can really feel how happy he was when Lan Zhan shows he trust him, similarly, how sad/disappointed he was when Lan Zhan shows his doubts. So, yeah that was a change I welcome in this adaptation.

- Wei Ying and Sizhui relationship, I love their whole reunion, and how Sizhui remembered, that whole scene was really touching to me <3

Dislikes:
- I didn't like how instead of calling out "Lan Zhan" (like in the novel) when Wei Ying was held captive by Jiang Cheng and when Fairy was drawing nearer to him, Wei Ying called out "Shijie", that's actually left a bitter taste for me, because I love that moment in the novel. Since I find that something subtle to show just how much Wei Ying can rely and trust in Lan Zhan to subconsciously call out his name when he needs help.

- I didn't like how they downgrade Wei Ying's powers, because in the novel, he's stronger than this. I was most upset because Wei Ying is supposed to be the FOUNDER of this path, NOT some stupid Wen's, and how SuShe out-did Wei Ying (through the help of Jin GuangYao) at Nightless City, and when Wen Ning lost control, I just literally swore, because OMG, I will be less bitter if this was Xue Yang or Jin Guang Yao, but seriously, that scum, SuShe?!

- Poor NMJ got robbed of his screentime as a fierce corpse, they really tamed down the whole theme of what makes it 'MDZS' when it comes to those fierce corpse (bye bye Fierce Corpse NMJ :( ) Bye, bye, painted eyes, blood bath granny/Wen Remnants...

- I will never understand (due to plot inconsistency) why it took Lan Zhan 3 years to go down and find Wei Ying's body, when in the novel, he went right away after he found out. I know it's because of the discipline whips (and this is another change I didn't like, I didn't like they change the reason behind Lan Zhan's discipline whips, Ok, I know why Lan Zhan got it, but the novel touched me more). So this is why I am personally glad they never bring up the reaosn why Lan Zhan got the brand mark(scar) on his chest, since I don't want them to distort the original meaning. Just leave it there, to show LZ love, but novel fans will know the reason without an explanation. I am fine without an explanation in CQL. Anyways, when Wei Ying fell down the cliff, Lan Zhan clearly didn't have the discipline whips yet, but did he seriously not went down to search for Wei Ying's body, right away? This doesn't make sense to me.

- Lan Zhan's decision in the end where he just 'suddenly' decides he can't travel with Wei Ying, even when Wei Ying never think of walking separate paths with Lan Zhan, since he was thinking where they will be going next. I don't know but this is really just OOC to me when it comes to Lan Zhan's feelings, and Wangxian pov, when compared to the novel. Sadly because of what I have been shown here, I just can't take him as MDZS Lan Zhan anymore :( I personally didn't like why he can't do this together with Wei Ying, I didn't like that it comes from Lan Zhan to make this decision, because this doesn't fit my understanding to Lan Zhan's character (in canon), By that time in canon, heck even when Wei Ying came back into MXY body, he don't want to leave Wei Ying side again, and the irony here is, CQL! Lan Zhan did said that he regret not staying by Wei Ying side during Nightless City, but in that final episode, Lan Zhan's decision hinting to 'each to their own paths'... Just felt out of place, and I felt like it was a slap to the face, for those who actually believed in him for always staying by Wei Ying side T.T No matter how much fans shed light, that moment just really hurted/disappointed me on a personal level and it's really heartbreaking. Wei Ying was sad/hurt, but he is trying to be understanding, I am too, but I just can't, you know, like what I was shown in that moment. I just wish that it didn't have to come to this, even if it's temporary, or it didn't come from Lan Zhan.... I know Lan Zhan have things he needs to do, and he's honoring the promise that they made together, but here's the thing, their wish is the same, can they not do this together? Anyways, I just can't like it because for me, I RATHER THEY DO THIS TOGETHER!. In CQL, I can take any heart-break, but this, really hurted me so much that I can't really accept it...

ENDING:
When I first watched the ending, I was really confused, because I didn't understood if there was a time-skip or not, but after others pointing this out, I went back and watched it and realized they indeed made it very very very subtle about this, and I'm like, I wish they made it clearer T.T But then again, I guess they are trying to play if safe and make it ambiguous, So, for me, I am very thankful to Xiao Zhan (who plays Wei Ying) by reassuring us, when he said:

"In the end he's still smiling because the light he has been waiting for has finally arrived"

And I find that so romantic, because this really confirms and emphasize that Lan Zhan is his light, and that whether Lan Zhan returns or not, this is how Wei Ying feels, i.e. he will continue to wait for him <3

In terms of ending goes, I understand it is a HE, and I'm honestly extremely glad that they stayed true to Wangxian, and managed to give us a HE by having Lan Zhan return to Wei Ying, even though we don't see them standing side by side, but there's no doubt that, the person who called out "Wei Ying" at the end was Lan Zhan. I still prefer to see them standing side by side before the credits roll, but I'll take this calling out "Wei Ying" over nothing at all.

While there may be some parts I wish was done better (for all said), but taking this like an AU is not so bad, I come to appreciate this ending in a different light, because through their separation, and when Wei Ying plays their song (Wangxian/Wuji), it really does connect him to Lan Zhan, because it shows me how much he actually misses Lan Zhan, and I love that, the whole yearning, the whole waiting, and how Lan Zhan can find Wei Ying again, no matter how far apart they may be, is just simply romantic.

There is a lot of sub-text, and hints showing how strong Wangxian is, where they referred to each other as 'Soulmates', and I love that.

Actors - 10/10 for me, I love both Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo as Wei Ying and Lan Zhan. At first I wasn't convinced with the casts, but when I got into the drama, I just came to love them and I have grateful to both Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo for their great chemistry that makes it very fun to watch! Xiao Zhan is awesome for understanding Wei Ying's character indepth! And he is the perfect RL human Wei Ying for me! Wang Yibo is awesome for bringing out a natural Lan Zhan that I can appreciate, and he deserve an award for this, because Lan Zhan, imo, is a very difficult character to play, but Wang Yibo expresses his emotions very well in this area! <3

Music: I fell in love with Wuji/Wangxian, and knowing that it's sang by Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo makes me love this song more!

Ofcourse, the other character songs are nice too!! <3

Rewatch Value = Definitely! I am rewatching this again on my end anyways! <3 In this review I just wanted to be honest, because there are indeed things I didn't quite like and wish was done better, but when looking at all this censorship, I can't really put it against CQL since they really, really did their best in remaining faithful to the original source, and for that, I am forever grateful. They really didn't have to give us that HE, but they did, and I'm grateful to them for giving me this (otherwise, I wouldn't have liked it). Looking at this in an adaptation pov, it's definitely a good adaptation, and I feel like it has taken a life of it's own in their world (kinda like an AU), and I do recommend this to all those MDZS fans, and don't worry about queer-baiting on Wangxian, because I can guarantee you, Wangxian is the only one in this series, and that is why I love this live-action on my end, because they stayed faithful to Wangxian despite all the odds, so I am grateful for them.

Personally I love the novel better in terms of overall story, consistency and the ending for Wangxian, but I still love/enjoy CQL on my end, because they were able to bring out something, which made me love/appreciate and made me so head over heels in love with this drama, that I wouldn't even mind streaming on my phone using my phone data! I am sad that it has ended! But at the same time, I'm happy because now I don't need to worry about 'the ending' or 'anything bad happening to this drama'. I'm just happy that this drama was able to aired smoothly. Honestly without all these restrictions, I do believe that CQL would have been even better than it is now!

So in the end, I do recommend this to all MDZS fans, and please don't hate on this drama, because it's still great in it's own way!! Don't make this a novel fan vs CQL fan because, that's just sad! Enjoy it for the love, and that we can get this masterpiece adapted, even when it's loosely based on canon, but CQL did their best to give us so much, so let's just be grateful to the cast/production team! <3

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This drama is mainly about the connections between men: familial, friendship and more romantic (though not explicit). The acting/characters in this are superb! Esp. Xiao Zhan (Wei Wu Xian) who is an excellent mix of snarky rebelliousness with a heart of gold.

The show begins on a literal cliff hanger, so I binge watched the first 30 episodes. After that, the plot itself slowed down a lot for me, and I felt that it limped towards the end. The exploitation of power elements were much more interesting than the ghost stories which started to blend together. The ghost/zombie 'action' scenes also got boring : there's not many ways to look cool while playing the flute.

I grade on other criteria as well:

Complex Themes - 8
Lots! Obedience is not the mark of true character; it's helping and advocating for the less fortunate. Be loyal for a lifetime to those who deserve it. Many look rotten on the outside but are good on the inside and vice-versa. Almost everyone can be corrupted by power.
Character Growth -5
There are complex characters, but once the initial reveals happened, there wasn't a lot of growth after episode 10 or so.
Nuanced Women - 3
The characters were fairly static on this show, and the women even more so. Used as plot points instead of active characters of their own.
Cinematography/Production Values - 7
The outdoor/scenery shots are plentiful and add a realistic feel. The CGI and green screen work is better than most C Dramas but still looks cartoon. Most of the production budget seems to be spent on the CGI - costumes/color palettes are the same over many many episodes.

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