The Untamed

I watched it more than 10 times by now!

Well, where shall I start, I never imagined one day I would be fangirling over an ancient Chinese fantasy detective romance drama but here I am. Personally The untamed is one of the best dramas I have seen and I could write essays about it but for now, I'll try to keep it short.

Xiao Zhan did a phenomenal job at portraying Wei Wuxian's character that no other actor can do justice to it. He literally born to portray Wei Wuxian. His journey makes you smile, sad, desperate, angry but hopeful. Wang Yibo is amazing as Lan Wangji and their chemistry is on fire (yeah if you think it is bromance you need an eye check). But that's not the main point, each character is unique and their interactions make you squeal. The acting might feel cringe at first but trust me stick with it and you'll be amazed. All other ensemble cast did a decent job. The music is 10/10.

The drama tried to stick with the original novel of the storyline as much as possible but eventually left a few plot holes which can be ignorable. Rewatch value is 10/10 and trust me you keep watching BTS, interviews afterward. Go ahead and I'd suggest stick to at least 15 episodes and there will be no point of return.

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Endearing wuxia with heart wrenching sacrifices

Watched it last year and it still remains as one of my top dramas of all times.

Korean drama enthusiasts like my friends might not agree as the pacing of the story is slower but for a new Chinese drama fan who hasn’t watched Korean dramas yet, I was totally sucked into the storyline.

The beginning was a bit confusing and I found myself playing back certain parts. But stick with it and you will be transported to a world of martial arts filled with beautifully choreographed fighting sequences.

The rapport between the 2 main leads was very natural and while both actors were good, Sean Xiao was in his element as Wei Wu Xian. He played a range of emotions as he grew from charming and cheeky to serious and responsible. I watched other dramas he acted in but could not find the same magic. Seeing how different he is in real life goes to show how good an actor he is.

With each sacrifice, my heart strings were tugged and my tears flowed. The final one caught me by surprise and I was sobbing like a big baby.

A definite must watch for wuxia and Sean Xiao fans!

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First of all it is a drama therefore, they added some scenes or changed some scenes to make it suitable to their audience and their taste. Each adaptation has its own unique color and this one is no exception.

STORYLINE: The only reason I am giving it a 9.5 is because the timeline can get a little confusing at the beginning for first time watchers who haven't read the novel, listened to the audio drama, or watched the anime. Though the storyline picks up quick and it starts to make more sense as there are more episodes where the plot/story start to unravel. But for those who have read the novel or watched the other adaptations of this, it is so enjoyable and you get enlightened because everything make so much sense !!

ACTING: THE ACTING IS PHENOMENAL. Oh my goodness I cannot stress this enough. The actors really gave so much depth and color to their character, not only in their dialogue but in their expression as well. You love. You hate. You pity. You cry. You laugh. You get chills. You feel for their characters.

MUSIC: Perfect absolutely perfect, it goes too well with this drama.

It has been 2 weeks or more since I have finished this drama and I am still not over this drama! I am absolutely in love!

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Take a Bow Sean Xiao and Wang Yibo for the Splendid Performance in Untamed

I absolutely LOVE this show.... I was quite stunned that I managed to watch 50 episodes of this drama. Usually 20 episodes in the maximum I can endure. And usually I watch Kdrama and I would definitely avoid any Kdrama which has over 24 episodes. But Untamed is exhilarating to watch. Sean Xiao as Wei Wuxian (WWX) and Wang Yibo as Lan Wangji (LWJ) are perfect. Whoever did the casting, did an excellent job, every actor they chose was perfect for their role.
I read the novel after I finished watching the drama series on Netflix. There are several deviations and understandably, because of the censorship restrictions in the country they filmed in, they couldn't show any BL scenes from the book. But Sean Xiao and Wang Yibo did a wonderful job showing the bond and love they have for each other without breaching any of these restrictions. Kudos to the director and the 2 actors and the writer who adapted the book to the screen.
I cannot stop gushing over how well everyone in this show acted their respective roles. The storyline is fabulous, there is no boring part in this show and it stayed true to the novel with a few deviations.... I am glad I watched the show first before reading the book because I could visualise every actor when I was reading the book. Now that I have finished reading the book, I will rewatch the entire 50 episodes again - it would be better the 2nd time because I now know what everyone is feeling and thinking!
I highly recommend watching this fabulous show. The actors are fantastic. The cinematography is great. The film set and the costumes are fabulous. The plot is gripping and highly engaging. It is one of those rare shows that I watch and feel fully satisfied after watching it. Sean Xiao and Wang Yibo gave a very touching and poignant performance when they showed in their subtle way how much they cared for each other.... It made me cry to watch that and my friends also told me that they too cried when they watched these 2 actors together. Their portrayal of WWX and LWJ was absolutely stunning. I cannot think of anyone else who could play these roles as perfectly as these 2 actors. Well done everyone!

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So I am a HUGE fan of the original novel, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. It's what got me into danmei. So when I heard that they were adapting it to a live action drama I was very VERY skeptical. How would the cast be? Would they butcher the story? How were they gonna treat Wangji and Wei Wuxian's relationship due to censorship? Would it have a bad ending? How could a web drama with not as big a budget as a regular Cdrama be any good? So I didn't jump to watch this when the first episodes aired. I waited to see if it was going to be any good. Even after the reviews kept giving it glowing praise, it still took me a hot minute to get around to finally watching it. Imagine my surprise when this drama swept me off my feet just like everyone else. People are giving this drama so much praise because it deserves it. You can tell that so much love and devotion was poured into this by the directors, writers, and actors. Everyone played their part to their fullest capacity. I even came away with a new found appreciation for some characters I hadn't given much thought to before. They nailed the emotions of the most heartbreaking scenes. Of the happiest ones.

And best of all? They nailed Wangxian without ever explicitly stating that these two are in fact in love and a couple. That was, hands down, my biggest surprise. With every glance, every touch, every FREAKING moment LWJ and WWX are on screen together, you can tell how much they care about each other. And this is a large part due to how Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo portray them. I wasn't happy with Yibo being cast as Wangji when I first saw the trailer. 'He's too babyfaced. How is he going to portray such a complicated character like Lan Zhan?' Well, he more than pulled it off. Yibo must be a natural born actor because he spoke more with his eyes than most actors say with a novel length script of words. LWJ is a character who feels much but says little. Wangji doesn't even have that many words to say in all 50 episodes. But you know what? He doesn't need them. Yibo was able to bring out the core of this character with his eyes and body language alone. I am appalled. I cried so hard because he was able to convey just how much LWJ cares about his Wei Ying. And Xiao Zhan? He brought WWX to life just as much. Now that it's over, I can't imagine any other actors playing these characters. I love how much attention went into showing yet never telling how much these two love each other by the directors. They went above and beyond skirting around censorship. I hate we live in a world where their relationship has to be censored, but their love still shines through all the same. In my opinion, their love shines even brighter because the small moments matter so much. There is no outright confession (unless you count 'Wangxian' being played in the background 50,000 times lol) yet the way they look at each other and treat each other speaks volumes. I still hate that this had to be censored and I hope fans of the drama who loved their 'bromance' and don't know about the original novel won't erase the canon love the two have for each other when they find out they are happily married.

Romance aside, the plot was so riveting that a 50 episode drama never stalled or got boring. I usually drop Cdramas half way through due to how lengthy and padded out they are. The Untamed doesn't suffer from this problem. In fact, I could rewatch it all right now even though I just finished it. That's how good it is. The music? Superb. I listen to the soundtrack regularly. The only complaints I have are small issues. The fight scenes are lacking and sometimes the CGI feels cheap. But I know this is due to their budget not being as big as other dramas. It never detracted from the enjoyment at all. Another criticism I have is with the tencent subs. I don't know if it was paid for it to be translated into English or it was fan translations. If it's the former, I do take issue with how wacky the word choices can be at times. 'Childe' instead of 'master', the infamous 'spiritual energy is stored in the pubes' line, etc. That did bother me and took some getting used to. But everything else is wonderful. The sets are gorgeous. They really brought the world of Mo Dao Zu Shi to life in the best of ways. Every sect was gorgeous, especially Cloud Recesses and Yunmeng Jiang. And also hats off to the actor of JGY. He brought out every layer of his multifaceted character.

In conclusion, everyone brought their A game here. This drama is a masterpiece and it is hands down my favorite drama of all time. I wish I had watched it when it aired. Even better, I wish I could erase my memory so I can experience it all over again for the first time. Thank you Untamed cast. You deserve every award and accolades that come your way.

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YOUR LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE

It doesn't matter if you're new to Cdramas or BLs. the only warning i can give you is your life will change forever after the untamed.
it's worth your time and every second of the series is worth rewatching. the acting , chemistry between actors , visuals , OST, storyline , directing and literally EVERYTHING is the best of all times.
i keep watching it and it doesn't get boring even after 100th time.
if you're a big fan of yaoi and bl don't hesitate watching it. there is also the novel and some fascinating fan-arts that you'll fall in love with once you watch the untamed.

long story short , highly recommended!

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Worth Watching cause if you don't you are Missing Something Amazing

I have no words to describe what an amazing and beautiful drama it is!! it was my first traditional Chinese drama i had no expectation regarding it.. but i am glad I watched it !!!! it is a total package.... I have laughed watching it,, I felt the feeling of aww while watching it ,, i felt the characters happiness and pain too!! there was a part where i cried like a baby like it felt as if i was there reliving it !! there was a part where i couldn't stop smiling!! it was a total roller coaster ride!! full of smiles and pain hidden smiles!!
the chemistry between Wei Ying and Lan Wang is something else!! not just them but the chemistry between each and every character is so beautiful!!!! words cant describe it. every relationships - siblings, brotherhood, friendship everything shown is just amazing!!
"Where lays the line between good and evil? "It is my favorite line in the drama.. it is said by Wei Ying .. i cant describe how much i loved his character! its just i cant even write my mind is so full of things i want to write the but i can't describe them ..... i felt so contacted to him that when everyone misunderstood him i cried !! even when i am writing it makes me teary :(( it felt like first time i understood the meaning of the line..( low key frustrated that i am not able to words to y feeling)
if anyone one asks e why i liked this drama so much i dot know how to give the answer i can i just can describe what i felt for once instance i can say it out loud but to write like this its difficult cause too many thoughts at a time and i am nt sure if i am conveying it right whether i a giving justice to it or not
I will just say one thing to whomsoever reading those review just watch the drama and i swear you wont regret it...

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Magical experience

This show was on my watchlist for quite a while however I was always skeptical to begin watching due to its length. 50 episodes did sound a lot back then. However all Chinese dramas seem to be in the range of 40-50 and recently I completed watching a 40 episode C-drama - The King’s Avatar which I thoroughly enjoyed and decided to give this a try. I am glad I did! 50 episodes went by in a flash.

This is a fantastic drama adapted from a great source which has almost all entertaining elements you could wish for in a drama - adventure, action, comedy, bromance (bordering on BL), all woven together nicely. Central characters Wei Wu Xian and Lan Wang Ji form the crux of the story, however I absolutely loved the support characters and their relationships with the main ones. Special mention to the adorable brother-sister relationship between Wei Wu Xian and Jiang Yan Li.

Things I loved:
- Story (it will immerse you in a fantasy and I lost myself in that place)
- Magical music/background score (this is really important for any fantasy/adventure drama and this one nails it)
- Strong character development (not just central characters but also support ones)
- Great backstory for support characters (some episodes are completely dedicated to showing support character arc which was great to watch)

Things that were missing and I wished were included:
- Romance for the ML (I understand that there were hints for BL and from what I have read that seems to be from the original source but I wish they could have taken some creative liberty with this adaption seeing the chemistry between Wen Qing and Wei Wu Xian)
- Visual FX (The drama began with some action scenes and lets just say the visual FX shown left a lot to be desired. However I understand the costs and technology involved behind creating robust visual FX may not be possible for such a big production)
- Less tragedy for the ML (without spoiling too much I will just say you will know what I mean here after you watch it)

I highly recommended this drama to anyone who wants to leave reality for a while and go along a magical experience that this drama will surely take you through. It's almost perfect and only falls slightly short in some regards.

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Very captivating series!

The first time I watched the series makes me addicted to it. It gives you all kinds of emotions by watching it. The movie has a wonderful story and one thing I learned from it was that no matter how good you are or how much you helped towards others, there are still people who will judge, betray, and envy you. Just like Wei Wuxian, he's a carefree lad that's ready to help whenever he sees one, but most people misunderstood him and some even take advantage of his ability but luckily there are people who truly believe in him.
I could totally recommend this series because it's totally worth watching. I've watched the series over a hundred times and I won't get sick of it because I really love how the story goes. The music was great as a perfect match for the series.
I was amazed at how the actors portray well in their character especially Xiao Zhan! He's one of a kind actor, a very talented one.

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i love this shit man

I was quite sceptical at first, to be honest. I have been avoiding this drama for like months just cause it was set in the dynasty era. It was my preference lmao BUT when I started watching, man I LOVED IT.

I found out there were many other adaptations of this drama (some that were produced before this drama and some after) but I've never watched any of it, hence I was new to the whole storyline. I do agree, it was confusing at first. But, that's just how it is when you start watching a new series, it takes time for ya to understand what's going on. It is safe to say though, I have a minor PTSD whenever a flashback comes on any other series' lmao.

Jokes aside, the acting is so good, especially Wang Yibo not having many lines compared to the other actors, he is so good at expressing his emotions and Xiao Zhan's playful yet serious acting got me binge-watching the series. All other actors including Wang Zhuocheng, Xuan Lu (omg I love her scenes), Yu Bin, Zhu Zanjin and SO MANY OTHERS, literally it's the best drama ever. The bromance is to die for, although it is not intimate, I love it this way, the unsubtly subtle romance between Lan Zhan and Wei Ying is so cute.

The music is just chef's kiss. I love the theme song, listening to it tears me up until now, I'm a sucker for classical music so the music in this series is just so good, I love them. But yeah, honestly, in conclusion, 50 episodes seemed A LOT but I NEED MORE TvT

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Excelled because of WY AND XZ

I’ve been wanting to watch this drama for the longest time, but I was honestly scared to start because of the hype. The hype around The Untamed is absolutely insane, so I really wanted to understand what everyone was talking about. After finally watching it… I have very mixed feelings. It is an incredible drama and I genuinely enjoyed it, but I also had a lot of problems with it.
Let me start with the main issue for me: the production. I’m watching it eight years after it aired, and you can definitely feel that. The cinematography and the overall production quality felt outdated to me, and at times it even looked a bit lazy. If I had watched it back in 2019, maybe I would’ve felt differently, but watching it now in 2025, I constantly felt like the production kept pulling me out of the story.
The fighting scenes weren’t great — you could see the choreography too clearly. And the zombies… I could not take them seriously. The makeup was just not it, and it made it so hard for me to feel anything during those scenes.
Costumes, though, were really nice. Especially WWX — everything about his look was perfect: hair, styling, overall vibe. As for Lan Zhan, Wang Yibo already has a long face and the forehead ornament just made it look even longer. It wasn’t my favorite look on him, but he still served, so I let it slide.
I also think the hype worked against me. It was overwhelming. I feel like a huge part of why people are obsessed with this show comes from those who already read the novel and were attached to the characters long before watching the drama. Because I didn’t read the novel, it took me a long time to get attached. I don’t think I truly “got” the hype until I was more than 20 episodes in — which is a long time to wait.
Another personal thing: I’m not the biggest fan of purely platonic relationships — they don’t usually work for me — even though the chemistry was definitely there. So that was a small minus for me too.
As for acting, some performances weren’t strong. Mainly the villains. A lot of the actors were new, and you could feel it. I don’t hate any of them, but some scenes just didn’t land. Also, none of the villains were surprising or satisfying. I kept waiting for a shocking reveal after hearing everyone talk about it… but only the final reveal did anything for me, and even that was mild.
People always say The Untamed is easy to follow. For me, it was not. It’s full of characters, timelines, narrations, flashbacks — it took effort to stay on track. But surprisingly, the 50-episode length felt perfect. It didn’t feel too long for what it wanted to do.
The story itself is actually very good. The execution is where it struggled a bit.
Once the male leads “clicked,” I really enjoyed every moment between them, whether you see it as bromance or BL or just deep bond — it worked. The brotherhood themes were beautiful, and a lot of the relationships in the show were genuinely touching. The music was also amazing.
And I completely understand why people rewatch it. The first time is confusing because of the plot, but on rewatches you focus more on the emotions and the characters.
Do I think it’s worth watching? Yes.
Do I think it’s overhyped? Not necessarily — I think it was perfectly hyped for 2019. Watching it now in 2025, the excitement isn’t the same, but I can still see why it was a cultural moment.
What I wish (even though it’s impossible because of the drama behind the show) is a newer version — remade with today’s budget, effects, and production quality. The story deserves it, and the leads would shine even more in a better visual environment.
Despite everything, I did enjoy it. It was entertaining, fun, emotional in many moments, and definitely something I’m glad I watched.

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