I gained 10 years of the time I lost watching mediocre dramas
Well. I just registered here to rate this one because it has been a month but I'm still repeating the Untamed. Look at me. I'm not a BL fan. And I'm super obsessed with a big old hetero OTP because I used to imagine myself as the female lead.But this? This is revolutionary. Everything that is unorthodox to an old drama fan like me. I've been watching dramas since Stairway to Heaven days, and I just lulled into this saturated state because everything is just repeating. The quality of the dramas just degraded in my case because they can't simply pull off conflict-heavy dramas in this day and age.
But still, I keep on watching with a bored heart. I liked a few dramas occassionally. Bubu Jing Xin? Healer? Master's Sun? The Hong Sisters dramas. Some Day or One Day.
But damn, I think nothing will come close to the rewatchability of this drama. It was like a drug. You just can't watch this once because you need to feel things again on second watching, or even third. Because you will surely miss things and that's deliberately planned. On first watch, you will just follow the adventure. But once the truths are revealed and you finally figured out who the characters were on the different timelines, you will feel so hurt or happy in your heart.
The leads were amazing. I've never shipped a m-m CP before. And I was so late to jump into the WangXian train but here I go. Completely eating my words that I will never watch a popular drama just because I didn't really like Goblin or DOTS that much.
I think I am in love. I think I'm back to the good old days where I really look forward to come home and play my kdrama DVDs.
Thank you tencent.
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No. 1 series
I have a lot to say about this series, The first one is their portrayal of the character is so on point especially xiao,they really give justice to the great novel.
Story: The story so long that I really want it to not end because of how the author writes it with a never-ending plot, the story and how the actors act here is so perfect that I really feel that I'm in the series too, the emotion that they give is so fulfilling.
Acting: Again these series give everything that I want in a whole series or a novel, it gives the vibes that make me want to be there too.
Music: The music is so touching I really want to cry just hearing "Wu-ji" it gives me chills while recalling everything in my head
Rewatch: I eagerly want to watch it again and again The story is not tiring to watch all over again, every time that you watch it again a new feeling is given by this series.
Overall: Overall these series set the bar too high, that other series is made look like a 'mehh' in this series when it compared to this.
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Characters who grow on you
In the beginning all I could think about was "there's no way I'm watching 50 episodes of this" then I watched the 1st one.I believe this story has a moment for everything in life and a journey full of lessons, some more difficult than others but watching every single character grow makes everything better.
Still not sure if it was the music, the wonderfull outfits, the beautiful story, my sense of justice, the amount of times I felt proud for Wei Ying, the amount of time I felt Lan Zhan's pain... my juniors (OMG I love my juniors so much) or my precious, Wen Ning.
All I know is that I'm not the same person as before.
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The cast was perfect, Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo did the characters justice and both just played their roles perfectly, I could never imagine anyone else playing LWJ or WWX. Although the acting in the beginning was a little stiff, they adapted incredibly well to their roles and made the story come to life.
Due to the ban in China for BL’s, many parts were changed so it would be able to air but don’t be disheartened because the writing really captured all the emotions between the two male leads that were acted out wonderfully.
The music is something else I need to applaud. Basically the entire OST soundtrack was sung by the cast themselves and the music was beautifully timed during the drama.
I would definitely rewatch the drama, I’m currently in the middle of rewatching it and am 28 episodes in again. Rewatching it makes me realise I missed some important parts that I will not spoil so you guys should definitely watch!
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This review may contain spoilers
If you’re looking for an epic, heart-wrenching Bromance, this is it. I’d go even further and say that this drama is primarily about loyalty and love between two very charismatic men. Although there are female characters and hints at possible romances, the women are secondary to the romance between the two main characters, as well as many of the other men.There were a couple of times when I thought the drama dragged a bit and it could be a little confusing, especially when it jumped back and forth in time and when the characters discussed other people (hint: learn everyone’s name). The CGI was not great nor am I a big fan of zombie-type dramas so I did roll my eyes at some of the over-the-top fight scenes with the CGI creatures. And there was one scene near the end involving Dimples where Monty Python and the Holy Grail kept running through my head: “It's just a flesh wound.” But other scenes made me feel like crying into my coffee. And I thought that the ending was perfect.
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THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DRAMA I'VE EVER SEEN. OUTSOLD ALL DRAMAS. PERIODT
this is the most amazing drama I've ever seen in my whole life and tbh i never repeat this much on the same drama. i even repeat certain episodes more than 10 times and i never get enough of it. some people complain how can this be called bl when there's no skinship like others bl drama that has kissing and even s e x. lemme tell u something, bl drama aren't just about that, it's much deeper than that. i even scream my lungs out although what lwj did was just take care of wwx and show how much he love wwx by his action. the way he stand for wwx and fight for him touched my heart even more andthe way he crying when he knows about what happened to wwx golden core and when he searched wwx for that long when wwx disappeared and all of other moments makes me crying inside out because it was too beautiful. not to mention the music. especially wuji. taste luv, taste. it makes this drama even more gorgeous 😭😭💕 idk if u can understand what I'm trying to say since I've poor eng. skills but thanks for reading. and don't forget to watch THE UNTAMED. YOU'LLL NEVER REGRET IT I FUCKING SWEAR.Was this review helpful to you?
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Hands down one of the best dramas I've ever watch. I never had any interest in Chinese dramas (even though I'm Chinese lmao), and I certainly didn't watch anything that was not obviously gay. I mostly went for gay Korean dramas, but this time I made an exception because I knew this drama was an adaptation of a really gay Chinese novel.Even though it's not "straight-in-your-face" homosexual, you can see the obvious love Lan Wangji has for Wei Wuxian (which is why there's a "romantic subtext" tag on this drama). What kind of bromie would play Inquiry for 13 years straight in hopes of contacting his bromie's spirit AND branding himself with the same WEN CLAN logo as his bromie on his chest WHILE drinking his bromie's favourite wine??? If that ain't gay, I don't know what is.
Anyways, I have to admit, even though this drama pretty much censored every distinctly gay moment in the novel, manhua, and donghua, I still like this drama much more than all of those. The drama elaborates on the story more than the mentioned versions, and it's much more interesting to watch. Really looking forward to Wei Wuxian finally finding out that Lan Sizhui was his son ????????
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This review may contain spoilers
A long rant, but it gets better by the end!
First and foremost, the adaptation kinda ruins the 'grandmaster of demonic cultivation' aspect of the novel. Why? SPOILER: because Wen 'mofo' Ruohan and by extension Xue Yang know how to do demonic cultivation, and are quite adept at it. That kinda defeats the whole point of the 'I've written a manuscript on demonic cultivation' facet to Wei Wuxian's character, which is the reason he is so notorious as the Yiling Patriarch. No one before him has ever dabbled in demonic cultivation to his extent. So, there goes that defining feature of the MC. (And don't get me started on the whole arc on the yin metal. I'm still sore with that. Although, to be freaking fair to the script writers, they've managed to squeeze in 'original' WangXian content. Wow, bless!)Second, what is with the weird mechanics of the transmigration? I mean, I get it. It's going to cost the brain cells of the viewers to associate a single MC to two different cast actors, but!!! The execution of how Wei Wuxian hides his identity is sloppy. A mask... really? Worse, it's a half-mask. I suppose this is a popular trope in Chinese dramas where oops, if I wear a mask, people who have literally been with me from adolescence will not recognize me? Ok, no. SPOILER: Even Xue Yang has had a better disguise as Xiao Xingchen in Yi City. Come on.
Third and last, the drama is on the low-budget spectrum and it shows... Never mind the props. I think the swords, and just most of the trinkets and what-not that the characters carry are great. But, the sets? They are a hit or miss for me - especially the Nightless City. The set design for that is a downer, SPOILER: considering that a chunk of Wei Wuxian's downfall happens there... and the number of extras they had for the Slaughter in Nightless City and Siege of Burial Mounds is too few. This could've been remedied with post-prod editing, but I guess this isn't a priority. It would've made the battles more intense, in my opinion.
GRANTED, the first two criticisms won't matter so much to people who'll watch this without knowing the source material, but still these plot holes are silly! On the flip side, the additional arcs and scenes contribute to fleshing out the side characters better than in the novel. For example, Wen Ning and Wen Qing, Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan. They're introduced much earlier in the drama than in the novel so their exposure is more substantial.
Okay, so on to the things that made me go, OH YES THIS IS ART! A MASTERPIECE. The chemistry of the lead actors is outstanding. Given, CQL is just 'bromance' - boohoo for us novel readers - but the spark between WWX and LWJ is there. I think that both Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo have done their characters justice, and whatever popularity they are getting post-show, they truly deserve it. You can see it in their eye contact, their gaze -- I don't know how much direction they've had to take to achieve the synergy, but they both blew me away, more so Yibo because it's difficult to act out a character that's meant to have the emotional range of a statue.
The supporting cast aren't bad either. Most of them give off the unique vibe of the characters they are portraying. Hello, Zhu Zan Jin, I'm looking at you and your slightly-dimpled smile, and your take on SPOILER: charismatic yet scheming Jin Guangyao. I love and hate you. Also, Liu Hai Kuan, I feel your constant exasperation as Lan Xichen. I can relate as an older sibling (sigh). However, some of the styling choices do make me waggle my eyebrows and click my tongue. What, just what have they done to gorgeous Wen Ruohan and Nie Mingjue? Not to mention Uncle Jiang? According to the novel, they're ALL supposed to be beauties... Oh, well. Also, the make-up for the corpses is terrible as well. Squiggly, black lines. That's it.
THE MUSIC I GIVE FULL MARKS BECAUSE WHO CAN DENY THE PERFECTION OF THE OST? Like, we mere mortals do not have the right to pass judgment onto it. I don't know a lick of Chinese but I've listened to the entire OST on YouTube far too many times and I still get a little teary-eyed. Impossible.
Finally, and this is more of a comment in general -- be it for casual viewers or readers of the novel: the pacing of the drama can be a little off-putting at times. There are a lot of unnecessary panning shots so some scenes do get dragged out. BUT rest assured, these reviews do not lie. Fans tend to shower praises on something that they love, and certainly this series isn't immune to that, but The Untamed lives up to its hype. The latter half of the series is especially precious and action-packed, in contrast to the heart-wrenching flashbacks, so dropping it early is such as shame. Just give it a chance!
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Wow...first off I have to say that I have never come across a show that has made me feel so much as The Untamed did. The cast is so incredible that I couldn’t help but fall in love with all the characters, even those who were meant to be the villains. In terms of storyline, I tend to love dramas that make me think or who have characters that each have their own back-story (which was partly why The Untamed appealed to me so much). I have to warn you in advance though, the drama is so good that you probably won’t be able to stop binging it until you are done with all 50 eps (and have re-watched about 3 times). The main characters, Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan are both so different and amazing in their own ways and the way both of the actors portrayed them is incredible.
The chemistry/bromance between both of the characters and actors is unforgettable and everything about the drama was just breathtaking. Although Wei Ying and Lan Zhan don’t actually voice their love for one another, it’s rather obvious with all of the intense staring (Lan Wangji) and teasing (Wei Ying) that goes down lol. When I first started this drama I had never watched Wuxia before so it was a little hard for me to understand. Don’t worry though, the story really isn’t that hard to grasp after the first couple of episodes. After watching this drama, I know that can never move on from Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and just The Untamed itself. I really hope the actors can do another show together soon! I really hope you found this review a helpful and are now encouraged to give The Untamed a try. I promise you will not be disappointed!
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The OST is another one to recommend, seriously its do beautiful and almost haunting, it gives me goose bumps. Each character song resonates so much with the character and pulls at all your emotions. Even the opening theme, I dont think Ive sat through an opening theme in every single episode Ive watched, so beautiful <3
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One month later, i have rewatched the untamed 3 times, read the original novel, finished the audio drama, read the manhua and finished the donghua till their latest episodes.
This drama is legit the best I have ever seen in my 20+ years of watching all sorts of dramas.
PROS:
-The storyline is beautifully written, it is a mixture of suspense, love, loyalty, mystery, kinship, fantasy. Character development is top-notch, not just for the main characters but the side characters as well.
-OST is addictive and beautifully crafted
-Acting is top-notch especially from xiaozhan and yibo! I'm especially impressed as these actors are mostly so young.
-Lotsa eye candy *-*
-Rewatch value is 10/10, because there are so many tiny secretive details hidden that it is impossible for you to catch them unless u rewatch it! Seriously i would recommend even those of you who have finished watching the untamed to try all the other adaptations as well because due to censorship some parts of the story (not just the boy love aspect) were changed and you can appreciate this beautiful work so much more if you delve into the other adaptations. Especially the audio drama (which sticks alot closer to the original novel) and manhwa which I personally enjoy even more than the untamed.
Cons:
- The multiple names of the characters may be a little confusing in the first 10 episodes or so. But please DO NOT drop this drama even if you are confused. All will make sense later on and you can rewatch the series :3
- Netflix's english translation can be a little inaccurate at times. (I'm fortunate to know Chinese)
-The biggest con: once you watch this you are very likely trapped by it (like me :D). Seriously I'm struggling to get into another c-drama, k-drama, j-drama, english dramas to no avail. Any recommendations will be welcomed :3
In short: Just watch it, i guarantee you will have no regrets.
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Thanks for the Director to pick up such an amazing story and put up a great adaptation.
The love story between Lanzhan and WeiYing is one of its kind. They are just a perfect fit for each other. Although China censorship does not allow any BL content, the Director really manages to take great risks to keep up the true essence of the story with incredible directing and actings. Without any confession, LanZhan unconditional love can be felt. He loves WeiYing with all his hearts and he shows it with clear actions. It will be nice if this drama can be remade sometime in the future when china censorship has lessened their censor for certain things. But I'm still quite satisfied with this.Nevertheless, the BL content is not the best part of this drama (I do enjoy good BL, but this drama offers more than that). What I love the most is the fact that there are many interesting characters and each of them is really complex. Both the villain and protagonist have their own faults, bad and good. You will feel ache and sympathize with each of them.
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