I'm so glad I saw the glowing comments here and decided to give this film a chance, because I don't know whether I would've otherwise and that would mean missing a truly unique gem. Like others have already said, I would definitely recommend you go into it with as little information as possible and just trust the director's journey, because it absolutely pays off.
I really wanted to start this, but from what I’ve read it ends in a cliffhanger? Without giving away any spoilers,…
A fair amount do end in cliffhangers, but there are also plenty of cdramas that conclude within a single season. I just don't want to be stuck in drama limbo with no guarantee if/when there will be a second season. Thanks for your input tho! I liked the first two episodes, but I think I'll wait to finish the rest, at least until I definitively know a sequel is in the works. (I feel like I've been waiting 100 years for a sequel to Tribes and Empires and Bloody Romance and I'd rather not do that again. ಥ‿ಥ)
I really wanted to start this, but from what I’ve read it ends in a cliffhanger? Without giving away any spoilers, is it one of those jarring endings where you’re left in the middle of the action and nothing is resolved, or is there some feeling of closure? Were you satisfied where it ends, or would you rather they have just wrapped up the story?
Definitely seconding more scenes between the Nie brothers! I also really love that bit from the novel where WWX shows LWJ around Lotus Pier prior to their visit to the ancestral hall. And I know it wouldn't be possible since they didn't include the original siege on the Burial Mounds, but I would've loved to see some version of that moment where the Wen remnants come out of the blood pool and help protect everyone. It gets me every time. ;o;
Hahaha i am the opposite, i want to watch many more drama like the untamed. It will best if something similar…
I would add Guardian to that list if you haven't seen it yet. Like The Untamed, it was based off a BL novel but the drama itself was written into a bromance. Great chemistry, plenty of lingering stares, and a really beautiful relationship between the two male leads. :') I'm with you though! It has definitely been difficult to move on from The Untamed. Baby steps, haha!
would you recommend this drama for someone who is still a beginner to chinese dramas? I'm also on a huge drama…
If you’re in a drama slump, I would definitely recommend it! But just know that if you end up really loving it, you might end up in a different kind of drama slump where nothing else compares because it’s just that great. ಥ⌣ಥ
Firstly, I have no idea how WN turned into this uber confident man. There's no trace of that stuttering cinnamon…
Agreed! What they did to Wen Ning’s character was probably the worst offence to me. Because he’s shown to be a really smart, observant, and strong character throughout The Untamed. Granted, he doesn’t fit into the mould of a typical male lead, but that’s one of the reasons why I was looking forward to the film. Watching that Wen Ning take on a case while working through his insecurities and proving that he’s just as effective would’ve been wonderful, but the writers made him almost unrecognizable in TLD.
I understand that some time has passed when the film opens, but that doesn’t explain just how drastically Wen Ning has changed. And we’re not even given the slightest hint of what might’ve happened in the meanwhile that would help justify that change. It just felt like really lazy writing. Like shoehorning in the Yin Iron with literally no explanation.
Just watched the movie. Honest... it was not as good as I have expected. I really love Yubin (Wen Ning) So I really…
I have to agree. And part of the charm of Wen Ning is that he's still a strong and capable character in his own right, despite being a bit clumsy and lacking WWX levels of confidence. It's one of the reasons why I loved him so much in The Untamed -- not that I didn't love him here, but like you said, he almost feels like a totally different character without the writers at least hinting how he got that way.
When Zewu-Jun explains about LWJ's scars, he talks about LWJ fighting Lan sect leaders. When does this happen?…
(listen. LWJ suffers terribly in every adaptation. i think we can all wholeheartedly agree. but… but i mean…. /if/ we were going to compare? hypothetically?? three extra years of grief, 300 more whips, and the love of your life wrenching out of your grip? to save you?? right before your very eyes????? *clutches chest*)
I could be totally wrong, but I always assumed they added 3 years essentially for the sake of appearances, so that LWJ and WWX wouldn’t be running around and seemingly endangering a bunch of young’uns with their ghost-busting shenanigans. I mean… technically they’re still fairly young at ~16 years (even if that age was probably considered “older”/close to adulthood back then), but if the kids had been too young, I don’t know that the dynamic would’ve worked out quite as brilliantly in the live-action. (Actually wait, A-Yuan was already a couple of years old before the time jump, so is Sizhui and co. supposed to ~18+?? Who even knows.)
I'm now entirely convinced that XY played some part in WN’s loss of control, even if it was only a small one. I had totally forgotten about that convo WN has with WWX, and lbr, XY is basically reverse LWJ: Always wherever the chaos is, except he’s the one causing the chaos. Oh my gosh tho the corpse eyeballs. I actually hadn’t even stopped to consider the fact that they have different colored eyes and now I’m really curious whether that was intentional or not. Do WN and SL have the black eyes as a side-effect of XY’s nails in their head? And then they retain their normal eyes once the nails are removed to differentiate them from the other mindless walking corpses? Otherwise it seems like white eyes are the standard, at least in the drama.
Also how dare you put that adorably painful image in my mind?? (…I say, as I immediately file yet another excruciating entry away into the LWJ whump diaries.) Can I just have an entire drama of LWJ’s struggling dad chronicles? Because I need to know more about this man’s charmingly unorthodox parenting skills. Like you can’t just tell me he buried a toddler in rabbits and not show it to me. And did he do that because he and WWX are BOTH charmingly unorthodox parents with similar methods? Or because he wanted to emulate WWX for Sizhui’s (and/or his own) sake?
(okay you’re right. this is definitely, 1000% A Thing. But the saving grace of hurt!LWJ is that he gets his happy ending, so we don‘t have to feel -too- guilty about it. And don‘t feel guilty about the long posts either! I love reading them! :D ...And leaving my own too, apparently, omg forgive me.)
When Zewu-Jun explains about LWJ's scars, he talks about LWJ fighting Lan sect leaders. When does this happen?…
omg no I totally get you. I will fight to defend LWJ’s honor in any adaptation, but I hold drama!LWJ especially close to my heart. And while I understand why they tacked on 3 extra years of grief for WWX’s death/disappearance, did y’all really have to increase LWJ’s punishment from 33 whips to 300? Has the poor man not suffered enough?? (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
“You are not qualified to talk to me” and it’s utterly perfect line delivery is just… *chef’s kiss* Whoever decided to pair WYB’s face with LWJ’s voice actor made literal magic happen.
I did wonder about Xue Yang and the nails, but I’m a bit murky on his timeline after his first run-in with XXC and Song Lan. Granted, he’s as sneaky as JGY, so him popping up at Koi Tower when the Wens surrender, even covertly, would certainly make sense. Or it could’ve just as easily been JGS blatantly lying like you said, since it would absolutely be within his character to do so.
As for all of the Wens surrendering, that has always confused me as well. Especially because I thought the order was only for WN and WQ to turn themselves in. Unless the other Wens went as a sort of support group? It’s only WN and WQ that ascend the Koi Tower stairs while the rest of the Wens stand at the bottom, so perhaps they had originally gone because they felt morally/emotionally obligated to see them off? And then of course things escalated and JGS used that as a convenient excuse to kill everyone. My other theory was that the Wens thought that turning all of themselves in would protect WWX, since they knew at that point that JGS definitely wouldn’t let things go. As for why Wen Qing says that Fourth Uncle will watch over him and he just… doesn’t? Not a clue… unless he really did plan on returning from the Koi Tower trip? Except that scene always feels like they all know it’s going to be a one-way trip. They’re not crying or grief-stricken as if they’re losing only the Wen siblings, but rather look determined and resigned to the fate that they’ve all chosen. And they notably leave A-Yuan behind as if they know it’s not going to end well.
Again, one of those moments that I wish was clarified -- but I also sort of like that it’s open to interpretation? If only because these moments lead to really interesting discussions. Such as the very first episode when Sizhui says that the song sounds familiar… and I immediately proceed to die because hold up: Does this mean LWJ played Wangxian/Wuji in the Cloud Recesses? Why is it only familiar to Sizhui and not Jingyi?? LWJ did you play it for your son when he was smol???
loljk he would've more likely played it all alone in the Jingshi while he privately mourned WWX's death, which is somehow infinitely worse. These are the things I agonize over.
When Zewu-Jun explains about LWJ's scars, he talks about LWJ fighting Lan sect leaders. When does this happen?…
My heart! No wait, LWJ’s heart!! The Nightless City battle is already sad enough without me having to imagine LWJ’s 16-year guilt, on top of everything else, that he didn’t make things clearer to WWX sooner that night and potentially avoid all of the tragedy that follows. Like he literally says “Trust me” -- and then in the next second Jiang Yanli shows up. It’s just… highkey heartbreaking all around.
Oh my gosh, you’re right tho. I hadn’t really considered it, but JGY and Su She are the only major sect leaders LWJ runs into at Burial Mounds. So that scene must take place almost immediately after WWX’s fall. Especially since we don’t even see JGY and Su She fighting at the Nightless City, so it makes sense that their spiritual energy is still in tact for the Burial Mounds raid. (Plus, knowing their sneakiness, they probably devised it that way so that no one would be around to witness their scheming in case WWX was still alive. But of course they underestimated the GOAT that is LWJ.)
As for Koi Tower and the Wens, gah, I wish we got more details about what happened during that time. Apparently LWJ spoke up for them, and at some point Wen Ning lost control. As for why the latter happens, I always wondered if it wasn’t also due to JGY and Su She’s behind-the-scenes musical manipulation. That way, if he seemingly loses control in front of everyone, they would have an excuse to “kill” him, while simultaneously gaining an invaluable weapon. But it also makes sense that Wen Ning would’ve lost control anyway, without anyone’s intervention, once it became apparent that Jin Guangshan wouldn’t keep his word and everyone was going to be killed. As for the Lan Sect, I know it’s mentioned that around 30 of them were killed on Qiongqi Path, but I’m not sure if any of them were at harmed at Koi Tower. Which… actually hurts my heart a little, because that means LWJ speaks up for the Wens even after WN killed his own people. Like how good of a person are you??? I can’t.
I return your graduation thesis with a small trilogy, haha. Really tho, I love trading theories and interpretations as well! And this has been super helpful in clarifying/solidifying some things I wasn’t super clear on before. So thanks! <3
(*´д｀*)
I'm with you though! It has definitely been difficult to move on from The Untamed. Baby steps, haha!
I understand that some time has passed when the film opens, but that doesn’t explain just how drastically Wen Ning has changed. And we’re not even given the slightest hint of what might’ve happened in the meanwhile that would help justify that change. It just felt like really lazy writing. Like shoehorning in the Yin Iron with literally no explanation.
I could be totally wrong, but I always assumed they added 3 years essentially for the sake of appearances, so that LWJ and WWX wouldn’t be running around and seemingly endangering a bunch of young’uns with their ghost-busting shenanigans. I mean… technically they’re still fairly young at ~16 years (even if that age was probably considered “older”/close to adulthood back then), but if the kids had been too young, I don’t know that the dynamic would’ve worked out quite as brilliantly in the live-action. (Actually wait, A-Yuan was already a couple of years old before the time jump, so is Sizhui and co. supposed to ~18+?? Who even knows.)
I'm now entirely convinced that XY played some part in WN’s loss of control, even if it was only a small one. I had totally forgotten about that convo WN has with WWX, and lbr, XY is basically reverse LWJ: Always wherever the chaos is, except he’s the one causing the chaos. Oh my gosh tho the corpse eyeballs. I actually hadn’t even stopped to consider the fact that they have different colored eyes and now I’m really curious whether that was intentional or not. Do WN and SL have the black eyes as a side-effect of XY’s nails in their head? And then they retain their normal eyes once the nails are removed to differentiate them from the other mindless walking corpses? Otherwise it seems like white eyes are the standard, at least in the drama.
Also how dare you put that adorably painful image in my mind?? (…I say, as I immediately file yet another excruciating entry away into the LWJ whump diaries.) Can I just have an entire drama of LWJ’s struggling dad chronicles? Because I need to know more about this man’s charmingly unorthodox parenting skills. Like you can’t just tell me he buried a toddler in rabbits and not show it to me. And did he do that because he and WWX are BOTH charmingly unorthodox parents with similar methods? Or because he wanted to emulate WWX for Sizhui’s (and/or his own) sake?
(okay you’re right. this is definitely, 1000% A Thing. But the saving grace of hurt!LWJ is that he gets his happy ending, so we don‘t have to feel -too- guilty about it. And don‘t feel guilty about the long posts either! I love reading them! :D ...And leaving my own too, apparently, omg forgive me.)
“You are not qualified to talk to me” and it’s utterly perfect line delivery is just… *chef’s kiss* Whoever decided to pair WYB’s face with LWJ’s voice actor made literal magic happen.
I did wonder about Xue Yang and the nails, but I’m a bit murky on his timeline after his first run-in with XXC and Song Lan. Granted, he’s as sneaky as JGY, so him popping up at Koi Tower when the Wens surrender, even covertly, would certainly make sense. Or it could’ve just as easily been JGS blatantly lying like you said, since it would absolutely be within his character to do so.
As for all of the Wens surrendering, that has always confused me as well. Especially because I thought the order was only for WN and WQ to turn themselves in. Unless the other Wens went as a sort of support group? It’s only WN and WQ that ascend the Koi Tower stairs while the rest of the Wens stand at the bottom, so perhaps they had originally gone because they felt morally/emotionally obligated to see them off? And then of course things escalated and JGS used that as a convenient excuse to kill everyone. My other theory was that the Wens thought that turning all of themselves in would protect WWX, since they knew at that point that JGS definitely wouldn’t let things go. As for why Wen Qing says that Fourth Uncle will watch over him and he just… doesn’t? Not a clue… unless he really did plan on returning from the Koi Tower trip? Except that scene always feels like they all know it’s going to be a one-way trip. They’re not crying or grief-stricken as if they’re losing only the Wen siblings, but rather look determined and resigned to the fate that they’ve all chosen. And they notably leave A-Yuan behind as if they know it’s not going to end well.
Again, one of those moments that I wish was clarified -- but I also sort of like that it’s open to interpretation? If only because these moments lead to really interesting discussions. Such as the very first episode when Sizhui says that the song sounds familiar… and I immediately proceed to die because hold up: Does this mean LWJ played Wangxian/Wuji in the Cloud Recesses? Why is it only familiar to Sizhui and not Jingyi?? LWJ did you play it for your son when he was smol???
loljk he would've more likely played it all alone in the Jingshi while he privately mourned WWX's death, which is somehow infinitely worse. These are the things I agonize over.
Oh my gosh, you’re right tho. I hadn’t really considered it, but JGY and Su She are the only major sect leaders LWJ runs into at Burial Mounds. So that scene must take place almost immediately after WWX’s fall. Especially since we don’t even see JGY and Su She fighting at the Nightless City, so it makes sense that their spiritual energy is still in tact for the Burial Mounds raid. (Plus, knowing their sneakiness, they probably devised it that way so that no one would be around to witness their scheming in case WWX was still alive. But of course they underestimated the GOAT that is LWJ.)
As for Koi Tower and the Wens, gah, I wish we got more details about what happened during that time. Apparently LWJ spoke up for them, and at some point Wen Ning lost control. As for why the latter happens, I always wondered if it wasn’t also due to JGY and Su She’s behind-the-scenes musical manipulation. That way, if he seemingly loses control in front of everyone, they would have an excuse to “kill” him, while simultaneously gaining an invaluable weapon. But it also makes sense that Wen Ning would’ve lost control anyway, without anyone’s intervention, once it became apparent that Jin Guangshan wouldn’t keep his word and everyone was going to be killed. As for the Lan Sect, I know it’s mentioned that around 30 of them were killed on Qiongqi Path, but I’m not sure if any of them were at harmed at Koi Tower. Which… actually hurts my heart a little, because that means LWJ speaks up for the Wens even after WN killed his own people. Like how good of a person are you??? I can’t.
I return your graduation thesis with a small trilogy, haha. Really tho, I love trading theories and interpretations as well! And this has been super helpful in clarifying/solidifying some things I wasn’t super clear on before. So thanks! <3