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I freaking LOVED it!!!
Unexpectedly the actors were awesome, the casting of the actors are amazing!!! The cast had very good chemistry!Recommend people to watch it, though I sped up x2 ><
The pacing was good enough that I was not bored until ep 27. But it was only for 1/2 ep that I was bored, then the storyline was back on track again.
This story really makes me think that although the villain is bad, they are not that bad. Likewise, the protagonist is not all that good (though everything he does was with good intentions).
What is RIGHT and what is WRONG? There will always be gray areas whereby we will always stumble into... Rumours are the true killers. But who started the rumours? Who spread the rumours? Who continued the rumours? We are actually all killers, saying without thinking and killing without feeling remorse...
Although this show might seem happy go lucky all the time, the underlying core of the show really made me think a lot:)
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WANGXIAN INVENTED LOVE!
This is hands down one of the best shows I’ve ever watched. Despite the censorship, the actors did an incredible job accurately portraying their characters and the relationship. In fact, I’d even say this was gayer than some of the “gay” shows I’ve watched before lmao. I once read somewhere that “the characters shouldn’t have to kiss in order for you to realize they like each other” and this show is the perfect example of how two characters can be so in love without having kissed each other. Wangxian invented pining, invented being soulmates, invented LOVEI know they’re officially married with a confirmed son (sizhui) in the book and I do love the donghua, but cql is still my favorite version. Seriously, the acting, storyline, pacing, visual effects & production, characters... amazing. I love it so so much!
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good drama
I remember I first tried watching this and had no clue what it was based on so the plot was very confusing to me. But as with most dramas, after the first two episodes, I was hooked and had every day to look forward to when binging it. A very good fix.I love the leads and the story has something for everyone. The ost also feels very emotional when hearing it after finishing it. Although, the ending was a bit disjointed and I'd rec looking for an explanation on youtube as that's what I had to do. But other than that, it was great. At one point I thought I'd never be able to move on from it, that's how attached I was to the storyline. Also, some people have said the first half before it "resumes" where it left off at the start is boring, but I disagree. The backstory was absolutely essential for the present and would've been so nonsensical if they had jumped back in first without showing us.
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I never enjoyed a drama after I watched Ashes of Love, which makes me rewatch it again and again. I can't move on for months, I even told myself, maybe nothing can really beat Ashes of Love. But when The untamed was finished airing, it became extremely popular that's why I tried watching it. I've finished it 7 months ago but I still can't move on. I've been watching it for the 5th?6th time? I am not sure. I've lost count. Just like how I felt when I finished AOL, I am now stucked in The Untamed. I tried to look for other high-rated dramas but I always ended up rewatching it. I watched the other dramas of XZ, listen to his songs while I watched all of Yibo's dance?
I fell inlove with all of them specially the 2 main leads. I even watch the Mo dao Zu Shi(donghua version) and I read the original novel, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. I have never thought I would fall inlove in BL stories?
Xiao Zhan is gorgeous and Wang Yibo is talented!!! My gallery is flooded with their photos. All of them, even the actors who played minor roles!
Xiao Zhan is now my favorite actor and singer! While Wang Yibo is my favorite dancer!
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Story: The story is pretty much the same as the novel and the manga which was suprising for me since most novel dramas always get changed up at most parts. Of course the bl aspect is not their but like I said they show it (like Lan Zhan waiting for Wei Ying to return after he died, they way they look at each other and so on). The only huge change from the novel/manga/anime was that in the drama Wei Ying personally knows Xingchen which isn't the case in the anime. In the anime lan zhan is telling him the story about him.
Acting/Cast: The Cast is brilliant every actor did such a good job but honestly I was so happy to see Wang Yibo here (I was such a big UNIQ trash) and his acting was top-tier. He didn't had as much lines as Xiao Zhan (the untamend behind the scenes) the character development was huge from a cold Lan sect kid who follows only the rules of his clan to someone who is only on Wei Yings side to protect him and uncover the truth.
Music: God the music is everything I even downloaded all of the osts but we all agree that the WangXian is the best ost ever I cried so much everytime the song played... Also Xiaos & Yibos solo songs are so good no need to say much the music is a masterpiece itself. Yibo's song is still my favorite you can feel how hurt he is for waiting for his love to return to him.
Rewatch value: Excuse me? Of course y'all can't believe how sad I was when I watched the last episode and realized that this is the end. I will rewatch this more than once.
Overall: Honestly a masterpiece. You have to watch it.
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And, yes thank you to untamed I got to know about Wang Yibo .........
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This review may contain spoilers
True to the Hype
Rated= 8.5~ 42.5/50 ~ 8.5RPG Scene // Playing with Mermaids in Sky City. Excalibur has human form.
Untamed and it's corresponding animes were all over the internet in 2019 and I deliberately ignored it. I don't usually trust anything with that much hype because it's usually fans of the actors just getting really excited. I've also never watched a wuxia before and wasn't sure what to expect.
Having said that, I got bored one day and decided to watch it. I was pleasantly surprised.
Plot Pacing - Possibly one of the best ways to open a series I think I've ever seen. I was instantly hooked. The pacing for the first 30 episodes is perfect as we find out what actually happened to get the starting scene, which from a visual story telling pov, I really loved that. When we get back to the current time line, it does however slow and takes on a shorter chapter pacing to reach the end. The big finale fight is more of a reveal than a fight. These last 20 episodes are the reason I marked this down a little. After the onslaught that is the first 30 eps, I honestly got a little bored from 34 - 42. There were also a few things I feel weren't explained very well or were just left out entirely. It never mentions what exactly the true plot was and what was being searched for.
Ending - Surprisingly didn't mind the ending as much as I'm pretty tolerable of open ended endings especially since this is a BL in China. I summarized that it was Wei Wuxian who returned to Lan Zahn. Lan did enough running after him and also feel he's too noble and loyal to run off into the sunset. His 'ice' melted and gushed like the waterfall behind him in those last scenes. He had gotten the resolution he wanted, and his emotions were set free. I like to think even physically, he got to love his lover finally, and knew his love was returned, and so was contented to allow Wuxian to go be himself while he sorts the mess out. The conversation that happens at the mid way point to me is almost like 'the after glow' conversation where both know they are parting ways for a while, represented by the parting of the water.
I also clocked that each of the clans is represented by an element, with the Lan clan being air and the Jiang clan being water, however the guys represent each other's element. Lan Zahn is water, or in his case, ice, trapped emotion, whereas Wuxian is like air, and he's tied down with rules, so the ending scene taking place at the top of the Cloud Recess's waterfall, where air and water meet is very poetic to me. The emotions now run free and the wind has willingly come home.
When I came to that conclusion, I find myself really loving the ending.
Visually, absolutely stunning. I have never watched a chinese fantasy before but I've always been aware that a lot of effort goes into the set and costuming and I wasn't disappointed. It is a beautiful visually. The make up department for the enemies did well, however I did find the lava people a little corny. That whole set up felt a bit like power rangers. I do wish they had used more ghosts as that one ghost scene was awesome and I really loved her entrance.
There is some homo-erotic imagery in the last episodes to slip through the censors that can also be read as a physical relationship 'behind the scenes' of the characters or can just be left as they are. I honestly kind of liked that. I feel like chemistry between the actors is a very a subjective thing and I didn't feel like there was a lot of 'heat' between the leads but there was definitely a deep bond feeling between them which, like the ending, allows the viewer to create their own opinion about what's happening without the censors.
I do wish Wei Wuxian had been a little bit more vengeful though, I cant lie. There were times when he could have legitimately been more brutal and it would have been justified as a viewer, but, at least for the show, his 'big bad, evil dark lord' turned out to be all rumour which did leave feeling a little cheated. Another reason I've marked this down. I do genuinely wish they had gone deeper into the plot morality of what is right and wrong. The scene opens with this broken man being painted as an absolute monster and I was genuinely expecting a brutal anti-hero character and it turned out to just be people talking crap. I was a little disappointed with that.
Overall, still did really enjoy it and is definitely on my rewatch list.
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This review may contain spoilers
I love everything about this drama. It knew when to pull at my heartstrings and when to make me laugh. The casting was perfect. Wang Yibo played Lan Zhan so well and Xiao Zhan was a perfect fit for Wei Wuxian's mischevious personality. All of the characters had very good development and were interesting to watch. Even characters I didn't like would pull me in to learn more about them. Wang Hao Xuan specifically made me sympathize with such an awful character like Xue Yang. He was fun to watch and somehow still manages to make you hate him. I think my favourite secondary character has to go to Lan Sizhui. When he was first introduced I knew there was something about him that I loved. As we went through the past and A Yuan was introduced I loved him. It broke my heart when the remaining Wen clan was hung but I knew something was up. We are reintroduced to Sizhui back in the future and I had connected the dots. Sizhui was indeed A Yuan. His character was so soft and caring. The final episode where he tells Wei Wuxian that he is A Yuan and they reunite I sobbed for at least five minutes straight. Also on another note, the soundtrack of this show was amazing. I listen to the songs almost every day. Another one of my favourite characters was Xiao Xing Chen. He had such a sad plotline and I felt very sorry for him. All in all, i think this drama is wonderful and definitely worth watching the fifty episodes it has to offer. Was this review helpful to you?
Story:
I think the story is told very well! It is a very long drama, with 50 episodes. I am used to watching much shorter series, so I was expecting each episode to be very dragged out. But every minute of the drama is part of the story, and no time is wasted! The story is captivating, and you grow an emotional attachment to the characters. Garunteed, by the time you finish this drama, you will have a favourite and a deep opinion on every single character.
My only complaint with the story telling is the first two episodes. The story is being told, and then it is put on hold for a long time. By the time you get back to that part of the story, you have most likely forgotten what has happened at the start of the story (if it is your first time watching it. unlike me, who has rewatched it countlessly haha). they could’ve avoided this, but i do understand why it was told like that. it adds dramatic effect and makes sense in a wag. you can always watch the first two episodes again if you forget haha.
Acting/Cast:
Amazing!!!!! Cannot stress this enough. I love all of the actors so so much. The cast have my heart. The actors did an incredible job playing their roles. A lot of story can be told just by the expressions of characters. I sometimes get that uncomfortable feeling when you can see past an actor’s character on screen. But they all did perfectly! Even the extras steal the show lol. I would particularly like to praise Wang Yibo, who plays Lan Zhan. A character who walks around with a blank face but has a lot of emotional complexity can’t be an easy role to fulfil. You can also see how much wei wuxian ans lan wangji care for each other. The love is THERE. Xiao Zhan ans Wang Yibo said screw censorship
Music:
Without spoiling anything, there are two specific songs that stand out in this drama’s soundtrack. One is the main theme, which you will figure out why, and the other is a big part of a certain scene that beings me to tears even THINKING about it. If you love it when a drama effects you emotionally like that, you have come to right drama.
Rewatch Value:
I have watches this drama 5 times during quarantine and I think that speaks for itself. Especially when there is a lot of ground to cover, you will discover things you missed the last time you watched it every time. There is a lot of symbolism and cute stuff hehe
Overall:
Definitely worth watching!! Even just as a casual watcher, you will enjoy this drama. If you end up being sucked into the fandom, don’t say I didn’t warn you. :)
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This review may contain spoilers
Completely worth watching for a beautiful plot
Don't get me wrong, just because my score isn't a perfect 10, doesn't mean I don't love this drama to bits.The Untamed was my first exposure to this series. The characters have a lot of names and at the beginning, it was extremely convoluted and hard to follow. This struggle almost made me drop the drama, but I didn't. And I'm glad I didn't!
The story is beautiful. Everything eventually falls into place and all the questions are answered by writers. It's beautifully written and the subtle bromance and relationship between the two leads had me hooked. I usually hate subplots in dramas, but The Untamed made sure that the subplots of all the other characters were interesting and important to the main plot! Wen Ning's story and leading to how he became known as the Ghost General, Yanli's relationship with Jin Zixuan, everything was like a perfect puzzle, nothing out of place. I haven't watched a show this long with a plot written as finely and as perfect as The Untamed in a long time. The 50 episode count had me baffled at the beginning, but the episodes flew past me so quickly that by the end I realized that barely any episodes were wasted, unlike some dramas I have seen.
The points I've deducted are for a few things. They don't affect how much I love this show, but they did affect my quality of enjoyment while watching the show.
1) I had to skip through a lot of this drama. Especially the long few episodes spent by the Jiang clan just mourning over the death of their people. Yes, I know it's supposed to be sad and showcase the change in behaviour and emotions towards the Wen clan, but letting it take at least two episodes? For me, it was too much.
2) The beginning was just so confusing. Now I know it's probably because I have no prior knowledge of cultivation and the concept of having two or three names, but it made it very hard to follow, especially with the flashback that lasted 30 episodes. After finishing the drama I went on to watch the animated adaptation, just to get a better sense of what the original plot is about, and was very pleased by the structure of the show. It cut between present and past and made it very clear what was what. This structure made the story much easier to follow, and I wish the drama could've taken better steps to make things clear, especially for new audiences like me who weren't fans of the story prior to watching the drama.
3) The acting wasn't very good at some scenes. I usually get very emotional watching dramas, but for some reason, I barely cried during The Untamed. Only Yi City arc had me in tears. Of course, you don't need to cry to get invested in a show, but sometimes the acting or the awkwardness of some fight scenes or "emotional" scenes ruined the moment for me. (Like Jin Guangyao's sobfest at the end. I don't know why but I just couldn't feel sad at all because the crying was just funny to me)
Overall, I'd watch this again, because I feel like this is the type of show that just gets better the more you watch because you'll see more of those tiny details that you missed earlier. And of course, the best reason to watch this show is for the story. The story is amazing, though a little convoluted and dragging at times, it's perfectly written to the point that I was amazed when everything began to come together and make sense.
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