Platinum Fox

Jin Guang Yao (Meng Yao) and Lan Xi Chen, LWJ's biological brother

Since I don't know how far you are I don't want to spoil anything for you.

It would appear that granny Kang's sacrifice was for nothing, and Ning is captured by the Qingfeng stronghold as a plot arc. They said she was walking around the streets of Lin'an looking for Chang yu, and they grabbed her. They didn't realize who she was until the Sui guy mentioned that she was related to Wu'an.

You are not the only one. I made it to episode 24 and have to take a break from it or drop it completely. For me, it is just a mash up of all the popular dramas from the last couple of years (POB, TD, LLtG, B, etc.). Nothing new watched it before.

Viewers focus on the relationship between WWX and LWJ because they are the main characters. In the novel they are lovers. In the drama, they are just friends and spiritual brothers. For me, the chemistry between the two is non existent (WYB's acting is the reason). Their relationship is just window dressing to appease the audience. However, the writers do manage to include a great deal of homosexual symbolism into the drama for this couple (the rabbits, the two bottles of alcohol, the two chickens, etc.

The real story is told through the villains and the people who love them. There is a second couple in this drama (JGY and LXC). They act as foils for the main couple and can do and be anything. They can be tainted whereas the heroes cannot. It is their story that portrays the true message of the drama about homosexuality and thus why the drama could be aired, not because they made WWX and LWJ platonic. This message began in the second to the last episode and finished in the last episode.

The portrayal of women also allows this drama to be aired. Women in this drama are play things and baby makers. They have no real power in the sects and were hidden away in the mountains, a house, a cave, etc. The one "strong" woman (WWX's adopted mother) is portrayed as a witch with a b. Which was quite common in Chinese dramas from 2010 to 2019. She is eventually killed off protecting her family which is what all good women should do. The same with the other women of "power" (the sister and Wen Qing). How the sister dies is just plain silly and weakens the story.

So while I can appreciate the cultural significance of this drama for its time, I can't get behind its message on women and homosexuality as portrayed by the second couple.

Most viewers do not understand danmei stories. They believe them to be stories about the love between males. This is wrong. They are actually stories about women exploring their sexuality and identity through men. Male love is just a plot device. In this danmei, LXJ is the man and WWX is the female. If you want a true male love story adapted from a yaoi story (the Thai version of a danmei), the Thai drama Bad Buddy is the best example. China and Thailand have two very different opinions on homosexuality. It shows through their dramas.

This is a scholarly opinion on The Untamed. I hope this helps. If you did not like the drama, it is okay. Not every drama is for everyone. For me, I found the message quite interesting to say the least.

Happy drama watching.

Glad I could help. If I have to see one more drunk girl scene and hear the words, "Does it hurt," and "Don't be afraid; I'm here." I'm going to scream.

For me, the only way this could turn into a good drama is if this is actually a parody on more recent historical dramas POB, etc.

Thanks for having the courage to share this because all the reviews are like 10 and I started to doubt around episode 10.

Happy drama watching!

Episode 19 is where, for me, it started to go off the deep end with some moments before that, so you're not the only one. Right now I am on episode 22 and starting to struggle to finish. jmo.

There was actually supposed to be 10 more episodes, but they cut it to 56. I agree with you. Eps. 54 and 55 were pointless. Otherwise, I thought they handled the mirror story structure very well, and the social commentary was wonderful. Season 2 for me had a very different feel, I still haven't figured out what made it different.

Happy drama watching.

Could be. Just know that it is part of the trilogy.

What you have just commented on, they do in the second season. This drama agrees with you that 15 year olds are not ready for marriage. They actually do not get married until she is 21. This drama is a social commentary on teenage marriages. None of the women are married off until they turn 18 or they don't get married.

Also, if you don't watch the second half then you will miss the big reveal as the second half is General Ling's story.

Just finished this drama several days ago and I'm glad that others enjoyed it. However, while I can appreciate this drama for its cultural value for its time, I found its portrayal of women and message about homosexuality quite interesting to say the least and not in a good way.

Happy drama watching!

Yes, she is trying to impress SHM's mother, but because she is not rich, like the other girls, her hair and makeup are off just a tad. In the next episode, she will start to do even more to look like the part of the social elite, like a fake shine in the hair. It gets to the point where you don't know where the real her begins.

The actress has been Zhao Lu Si's younger version in two other dramas: The Story of Pearl Girl and Who Rules the World.

That's because in the beginning there isn't any love between them. It is all one-sided with her.

Keep going. What you have pointed out is the point of the first 14 episodes. How fake and phony everyone is.

Remember an imugi is a spirit that takes on the form of whatever body it possesses. At first it was a dragon, then it was in the shape of a person, before finally possessing Yun Gap. So if you want to get technical, physically the child would be Yun Gap's. YR has the best of both worlds. In Yun Gap she has his handsome body and the personality of Gang Cheol. As for the spirits who turned evil, look at who they actually kill. The people who didn't change their ways with the exception of the queen which was just righting the universe as the whole village lost their lives because of a cowardly king. The girl spirit was allowed to hurt the prince who raped her, but not kill him as that would turn her into a vengeful ghost.

Yeo Ri is all about figuring out what the ghosts need instead of just immediately banishing them to the afterlife. She personally cares for all ghosts, even the "evil" ones. jmo

It took me three tries to watch this drama, but I'm glad I did as I now understand all the hype. The plot will thicken as time goes on, and there is a really nice twist near the middle.

The novel and the drama are two very different things. Just because no one dies in the novel, doesn't mean the writers have to copy that ending. Remember this is based on, not an adaptation of the novel.

This drama is about appearance vs. reality. In the end, XFF gets her wish for revenge, but at what cost? Think Princess Wei Young. The ending is perfect as she has gone too far in her revenge against the princess. Now XFF is waiting to see if the gods will bless her with a happy reunion or kill off her beloved. At the end, you see him riding back and they meet up again, so the gods have blessed her with a happy ending. The two side kicks of XH's have to die because that is the opposite of what happens in another drama that this drama is poking fun at.

If this drama were an adaptation of the novel, it would be a straight scene for scene of the novel. The screenwriters here have done something that most viewers have missed. It is aptly named The Double for many reasons.

Thank you for the discussion and happy drama watching.

Doesn't matter if they are following a novel or not. The screenwriter(s) are clearly poking fun at the way boys and girls meet in period pieces, especially the way women fall for boys.

So what point are the screenwriters trying to make when they have a boy fall in love with a "girl" at first sight? Now that "girl" just happens to be a boy. That is what satire is. It takes a societal belief and pokes fun at it. In Chinese culture homosexuality is frowned upon as it goes against the concept of Chinese family values. How can you persuade people that homosexual love is just like any other love? Have them do the same thing that heterosexual couples do, hence Meet You at the Blossom.

Danmei is the exploration of women's sexuality through boy love. You could replace JXB with a girl, and it wouldn't be as funny, but it is how most period pieces start.

Thanks for the discussion and happy drama watching.

Actually, the drama ending is just as it should be. Giving in to the audience demand for a happy ending goes against everything the writers set up in the drama. The happy ending is there if you interpret the drama the way it should be interpreted. jmo

Actually, I have to disagree with you on Meet You at the Blossom. I watched the first four episodes, and they are definitely poking fun at heterosexual couples in period pieces. It seems to be a satire on period dramas.