No story has stayed longer than Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's "Mo Dao Zu Shi" in my Heart
Disclaimer: I have read the novel, so my understanding of the drama may be slightly influenced by prior knowledge.
It's been six years since I've watched "The Untamed", so recently, I've decided to give it a rewatch. Despite the *very* corny CGI and low production value, this story is one that has managed to make itself at home in my heart.
Anyhow, I think the greatest reason to watch "The Untamed" is its intricate characterization. I have not forgotten a single character over the past six years, and each—including the side characters— have their own unique complexities and character development. The characters are all distinct from each other, but all of them manage to come alive; there is this deeply evocative romantic and tragic undertone to most of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's characters. Unlike most other shows, the antagonists (with the exception of Wen Ruohan and Jin Guangshan) are multi-faceted, well-developed, and truly strategic.
The stellar character development is possible only because of an elaborate and sincerely radical plot. While there is an effective, over-arching story centered around the identity and morality of our protagonist, Wei Wuxian, "The Untamed" shines in its handling of subplots and character relationships. Each subplot can stand alone as a short story. In these subplots, the side characters are well-developed; difficult questions about morality, ethics, and truthfulness are raised; and the stories themselves are dripping with well-paced emotionalism. The tragedy is never pointless, and each subplot contributes to unveiling the show's "bigger picture." On the subject of writing relationships, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu is a genius. There are too emotionally rich relationships in this drama to list, but the relationships with commentary on family/found-family stand out; in those there is tension, skepticism, contempt, trauma, and love. This complexity raises jarring but important questions about how human relationships coexist with societal expectations, a theme that goes under-investigated (almost surely for political reasons) among Chinese literary work. For people expecting a rehash of the novel, however, note that the drama changes some of the story's events. These changes mostly affected semantics and not the spirit of the novel, so I wasn't too bothered.
While I have infinite praise for Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's ideas, my concern with "The Untamed" lies in its lacking execution. Beyond the show's inevitably poor production due to budgetary concerns, the choppy pacing and questionable acting detract from the original story's immersive quality. I understood and followed the choice to examine the "present" from episodes 1-3, the "past" from episodes 4-34, and the "present" with flashbacks from the "past" from episodes 35-50 well enough. However, the slower pacing in episodes detailing the "past" combined with the sheer number of episodes spent on it made the "present" seem like an afterthought. I find that sad, for the post-reincarnation (present) storyline is substantially more interesting. On the issue of acting, almost everyone in the drama gave a mediocre or superficial performance. This is not to say there were not some good performances; Xiao Zhan's portrayal of Wei Wuxian is deeply moving and mostly in-character.
There were definitely redeeming factors for the show, however. Compared to the novel, the show's spent much more time and effort developing the female characters (Jiang Yanli and Wen Qing). The exploration of the relationship between Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian was genuinely loving and poignant; it was a refreshing and necessary break from the cynicism, misunderstanding, and tension that shrouds most of the drama's other relationships. Additionally, the BGM and OST of "The Untamed" are almost unmatched. Beyond the quantity of tracks (there has to be 3-4 hours of music), there is genuine quality. The melodies are mostly unforced, and the lyrics are poetic and closely married to the drama's plot.
Given that, I don't have much more to say besides give it a try. While it is by no means perfect, it is a lovable work with riveting and important storytelling. I know the drama is now censored in most places, but I've heard that Rakuten Viki streams it and has decent subtitles (or so I've heard).
It's been six years since I've watched "The Untamed", so recently, I've decided to give it a rewatch. Despite the *very* corny CGI and low production value, this story is one that has managed to make itself at home in my heart.
Anyhow, I think the greatest reason to watch "The Untamed" is its intricate characterization. I have not forgotten a single character over the past six years, and each—including the side characters— have their own unique complexities and character development. The characters are all distinct from each other, but all of them manage to come alive; there is this deeply evocative romantic and tragic undertone to most of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's characters. Unlike most other shows, the antagonists (with the exception of Wen Ruohan and Jin Guangshan) are multi-faceted, well-developed, and truly strategic.
The stellar character development is possible only because of an elaborate and sincerely radical plot. While there is an effective, over-arching story centered around the identity and morality of our protagonist, Wei Wuxian, "The Untamed" shines in its handling of subplots and character relationships. Each subplot can stand alone as a short story. In these subplots, the side characters are well-developed; difficult questions about morality, ethics, and truthfulness are raised; and the stories themselves are dripping with well-paced emotionalism. The tragedy is never pointless, and each subplot contributes to unveiling the show's "bigger picture." On the subject of writing relationships, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu is a genius. There are too emotionally rich relationships in this drama to list, but the relationships with commentary on family/found-family stand out; in those there is tension, skepticism, contempt, trauma, and love. This complexity raises jarring but important questions about how human relationships coexist with societal expectations, a theme that goes under-investigated (almost surely for political reasons) among Chinese literary work. For people expecting a rehash of the novel, however, note that the drama changes some of the story's events. These changes mostly affected semantics and not the spirit of the novel, so I wasn't too bothered.
While I have infinite praise for Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's ideas, my concern with "The Untamed" lies in its lacking execution. Beyond the show's inevitably poor production due to budgetary concerns, the choppy pacing and questionable acting detract from the original story's immersive quality. I understood and followed the choice to examine the "present" from episodes 1-3, the "past" from episodes 4-34, and the "present" with flashbacks from the "past" from episodes 35-50 well enough. However, the slower pacing in episodes detailing the "past" combined with the sheer number of episodes spent on it made the "present" seem like an afterthought. I find that sad, for the post-reincarnation (present) storyline is substantially more interesting. On the issue of acting, almost everyone in the drama gave a mediocre or superficial performance. This is not to say there were not some good performances; Xiao Zhan's portrayal of Wei Wuxian is deeply moving and mostly in-character.
There were definitely redeeming factors for the show, however. Compared to the novel, the show's spent much more time and effort developing the female characters (Jiang Yanli and Wen Qing). The exploration of the relationship between Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian was genuinely loving and poignant; it was a refreshing and necessary break from the cynicism, misunderstanding, and tension that shrouds most of the drama's other relationships. Additionally, the BGM and OST of "The Untamed" are almost unmatched. Beyond the quantity of tracks (there has to be 3-4 hours of music), there is genuine quality. The melodies are mostly unforced, and the lyrics are poetic and closely married to the drama's plot.
Given that, I don't have much more to say besides give it a try. While it is by no means perfect, it is a lovable work with riveting and important storytelling. I know the drama is now censored in most places, but I've heard that Rakuten Viki streams it and has decent subtitles (or so I've heard).
Was this review helpful to you?
