Ann

A great classic that tackles taboo themes, way ahead of its time. Brigitte Lin's most prominent role for sure, along with her role in Bride with White Hair, another favourite of mine. And Jet Li is always charismatic and endearing, even when he's playing a drunken womanizer.

What a powerful, but unfortunately underrated movie! I had tears in my eyes while watching, which I don't usually do. I grew up with Jet Li's action and wuxia movies, so it was a very different experience to see him in a purely dramatic role, even though I knew that he had acting chops. But I totally forgot that it was Jet Li, the martial artist and action star, who totally disappeared in the role of the caring, loving father. His image as the martial arts actor overshadows his acting talent at times. I'm glad that some more ppl get to see and appreciate him as a drama actor as well.

Well, it's a bit complicated. I originally wanted to major in sth else. But I've ended up studying business and economics first. And since I'm of chinese origin I wanted to study something east-asian-related subject too, and like you, I was also an avid manga reader and anime watcher (well still am lol). And I found the japanese language very beautiful. That's why I've decided to major in that subject lol.
I know that it's not easy to study it in your free time, it's very time-consuming. And memorizing the kanji is not easy either and you need to keep on doing it constantly, otherwise you forget them easily. I hope you'll find the time and can pick it up again.:) But the most important thing is that learning it should be fun.

That's how I take it too. When you watch a show or read a novel and the time skip is mentioned or displayed, it's usually to be taken literally.

I love WY because he's a great person, tragic but also strong, who thinks out of the box and isn't afraid of defying social norms. And his development is very interesting to watch (not to mention that XZ's acting really brought that character to life). He is more in the gray area in the novel, and I think it's a shame that he was a bit whitewashed in the drama. Still, he's an engaging MC and a well-written character in the drama.
Yes! LZ's dedication and love is beautiful and touching. And I totally agree with you that their love in the drama is expressed in a deeper level that, imho, also feels more intense without the physical aspects of the relationship. They bonded in a way that transcends the physicality, they were truly soulmates. And it helps ofc that both actors had such a great chemistry. Most of the cast did a great job!
I find Jiang Cheng's character the most realistic one, and also the most tragic one in a way, actually.
Tbh, as despicable Mengyao is, I find him quite interesting as a character (though I do agree with you, his actions can't be justified), more so than Xueyang who I felt could've been developed a bit more. I think Mengyao and WY are like the oposite sides of the same coin, they are both outcasts (Mengyao as a prostitute's son, WY as a servant's son and unorthodox, free-spirited cultivator), but while one strives to fit in and be accepted by the society and lives under pressure and fear of the people, the other doesn't mind other people's opinion, has the strenght and courage to go his own way and lives by his own principles.

And yes! The music is beautiful. Music plays a significant role in the drama too and it's great how they put a lot of effort in that department and exceeded there as well, with the creation of the OST, MV's and character songs.
Oops! My answer got longer than I intended. Sorry!^-^°

You said that we can't expect them to be precise in the timeline and document each time skip between the events. But you see... The time passed between the events was actually pointed out each, like "3 months later", "one month later", "one year later" and so on, which ironically makes the timeline inconsistencies even more obvious, at least to me (and some others).

But I get your point even though I don't agree. You see the "16 years before" as figuratively speaking, not exactly pointing to a start of the flashbacks but that it just means the whole past events that happened leading up to WY's death 16 years ago, while I interpret it as literally, that "16 years before" meant, well, just like that, 16 years counted back from the scene where WY fainted. As I've said we can agree to disagree.

My first language, strictly speaking, is the mother tongue of my parents, the Min dialect. My second language is german. I've also learned cantonese from a young age, mandarin passively too, but only the basics. So actually, my japanese is much better than my chinese. I can read chinese (but only simple, day-to-day stuff) mainly because of my japanese knowledge. Though there are kanji that don't mean the same in chinese as in japanese.
How long have you been studying japanese and why? :)

Yes, if we take the "16 years before" literally, that it means the arrival at Gusu as the starting point, not WY's death and the events following up to it as a whole, then it certainly doesn't add up.

Gosh! If I really have to choose one then WY. But each character has its charm and is so well-developed and relatable in different ways. I'm also very fond of Wen Ning, Jiang Cheng, and ofc Lan Zhan. And Yanli is the best sister-character in all stories I've seen so far. I really love the interaction of the Yunmeng sibling, they are my favourite scenes, actually. Who's your favorite?
Another thing I love about the drama is the dialog. The speech of Mengyao in the last episodes are some of the best I've heard.

You're welcome.:) I think, if you watch it the first time you won't even notice since you don't know about the events yet. Only when you rewatch it and pay a bit more attention to the timeline you'd probably notice the discrepancies.
(You know japanese? Cool! I've majored in japanese studies, actually.:D)
No, WY's thought didn't. And as you've corrected me, LZ's dialog was also in line with the timeline stated in the novel.
If you consider that the flashbacks started 16 years ago with them arriving in Gusu and that WY supposedly died "16 years ago" too, all the events in between don't line up. Like their time in Gusu, WY's time in the burial mound where he cultivated his guidaoshufa, their time in exile to the burial mound, Yanli's marriage and then Jin Lings birth (and that time has passed during these events were either confirmed in the dialog or stated in the drama)... all these can't happen within a year. These are the inconsistencies in terms of timeline (Ofc, I've noticed some things in the dialog that don't add up, storywise. But as you've probably read the novel you may have noticed them too).

Oh, thank you! I love reading thoughts and opinions of other people too, and The Untamed is such an engaging, multi-layered story that there's lots worth discussing and talking about. And I totally agree, it's nth short of a miracle and the staff and cast did a great job! I'm glad that this drama exist. It's been quite some years that I've enjoyed a C-Drama that much.

Mistakes can happen. Sorry if I don't think that it's perfect. But it's still a great drama nonetheless. I've said my part why I don't think it's adding up. We can agree to disagree.

Well, it doesn't make sense to me when I consider all the events happening during the time. But if you find no fault in it and when it makes all sense to you, good for you. Even as a non-reader back then when I started watching I've noticed some plot holes (I don't mean the timeline), though I don't want to start a discussion here, since I've already talked about it with another person here.
The drama is well-written, no denying there, but it's not without faults and holes. Still, I gave it a 10 because I rate a drama based more on the enjoyment value than on details.
We can just agree to disagree.:)

I didn't mean that WY should say it, I meant that the drama itself stated that time for us audience and that it didn't make sense once you do the math. It was stated how many years it's now going back right after WY fainted (and I know that WY himself meant that he wanted to go back to the happy time) and when the scene of him sleeping on the boat was showed. I can read chinese, so it did say "16 years ago".

Ok, so LZ was specific and the thing with Xueyang happened 16 years ago, my fault (I haven't finished reading the novel yet). The script may be correct in that part of the dialog, but still, the timeline as a whole is messed up. I'm not so confident that it was calculated and that the "16 years ago" statement in episode 2 was meant figuratively, like you do, and I still think that it was an error that somehow didn't get noticed in the editing room.

No worries lol! I apologize too for my long answer!
Tbh, I didn't notice it either when I watched it the first time around, but after rewatching it (yes, like many others here I was prompted to watch it again) I've noticed that all the events don't add up in terms of timing. But that doesn't diminish my enjoyment of the drama. I can overlook some plotholes and other weak points, because the drama has many other great points that make it up and more.

I understand what you mean. But this is really confusing, since it's a specific number. I love the drama, but I do think that it was an unintended mistake and hole the script writers didn't consider. Why not just use "many years ago" or "in his previous lifetime" (though the latter sounds odd and spoilery even though it's clear from the start that he was kind of resurrected)?
And isn't it odd that LZ would be so unspecific? He of all people would certainly remember the timeline. Again, it's a mistake in the script.

Right! If they really needed to change the timeline they should've considered all these things. If the age of the juniors were an issue and they wanted to make them older, for whatever reasons, then the flashbacks shouldn't start "16 years ago", but 18 or 19 years ago.

I think you've totally misunderstood me. I didn't criticize YOU, I was genuinely confused as to why the age would matter when the marriage doesn't get to be mentioned in the drama. I wanted to know what exactly needed to be censored then. I didn't see the change making sense then. If they DID include marriage in the drama, THEN it would make sense to change the timeline, and the age therefore.
I didn't have a problem with the change from 13 to 16 years, but they messed up with the timeline in doing so, like some things don't add up. If you read further down the comments you see what I mean. I'm too tired to type all these here, since others have mentioned them already.

Still doesn't make sense to me, bc in the drama there's no marriage mentioned of either Shizui nor Jin Ling, so I don't understand why they would have to change it. Unless it's bc of practical reasons? Like they couldn't cast younger actors to play the juniors? If they had to change from 13 to 16 years, they should have considered the timeline, and make the whole thing happening like 18 or 19 years ago.

That's what bothered me too. It doesn't make sense. Especially when years have passed between their time in Gusu and the death of Wei Ying. Even in the drama it was mentioned, that time DID pass. Like when Wei Ying and the Wen survivors retreated to the burial mound, or when Jiang Yanli gave birth to Jin Ling and they were celebrating his first month. Also, in the present time when LZ went to that tavern with WY and they heard the other guests talking about the Chang family massacre, LZ told WY that Xueyang became guest of the Jin Clan. And guess what, that also happened 16 years ago! They screwed up the timeline, and I still don't understand why they did it.

Tbh, I'm glad that this wasn't the first drama of Xiao Zhan I've watched, otherwise I would've prob never given The Untamed a try. Yes, he's handsome in it and very charismatic. But looks and charisma aren't enough for me. He was quite wooden in this drama. In fact, the whole cast was kinda awful. And the story is just not my cup of tea (then again, I've never been the kind of girl who likes harem or pure romance stories). The costumes and setting looked amateur-ish and cheap. As I understand it, this drama served as a promotion for the boy band. Despite my negativity I don't blame the cast, they were still inexperienced back then so I cut them some slack here.
And Xiao Zhan has proven that he has talent and amazingly improved so much over the course of a few years.

I agree with you. It shouldn't matter, but it does. Celebrities and politicians, public figures generally, are role models for some and have significant influences even, depending on their work and social status. And we know that, while the individual can be smart and independent, the mob isn't. There are, sadly, ppl who get influenced by these celebrities. It's unfortunate for her that she's got branded now somehow, but it is not uncommon that certain offices want to make a precedent, an example out of someone, to discourage ppl to do the same. FBB's huge fame and celebrity status didn't do her any favor in this matter.

I know about the chinese government, but I honestly think that it's the fans that make it out to be sth that it isn't. That's why I ask. In China it's not unusual to act affectionate to each other, as friends, in a way that may seem "gay" to western's eyes already. As long as they don't kiss on their lips or have sex in public, I don't think that they would be banned. If being "gay-ish" friendly is already a sign of homosexuality, than The Untamed would be banned from airing altogether. And we see Wei Ying and Lan Zhan acting a lot more affectionate with each other (like they are supposed to as we know, even though it's officially "bromance") than Yibo and Zhan do in real life. Imho, Zhan and Yibo are perfectly safe, and I don't see them being careful or acting differently as they used to.

Actually, I don't understand why they should be careful. I mean, never seen best friends having fun together?

Why did XZ get hit? What happened? Also, I've heard some fans talking bad about his family on his b'day, but I'm not sure.

Happy b'day! He's so manly and goodlooking! And very talented too!