Rewatched Apr 14, 2021 marisa’s review published on Letterboxd:
trying to explain the untamed is impossible. episode one is borderline unwatchable. it's unbelievably bad. by episode five you're ready to lay down your life for wei wuxian. the cgi is worse than something from the '90s. it's both an emotional romantic drama about war and morality... and an episode of buzzfeed unsolved but with a gaggle of adopted teens. it's childhood trauma. it's love. it's manipulation tactics. it's a spectacular collection of thirty-inch lace fronts. it's a masterwork in character writing. good luck thinking about anything else ever again
Twogether (2020) - Reality Travel Netflix Original. The hilarious antics and interactions of Lee Seung Gi and Jasper Liu as they travel around exotic Asia destinations (Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal) recommended by their fans, provide instant comedic relief to the pent-up desire to travel, adventure and hang out with friends. While mainly in Korean language with some spoken Mandarin (Jasper is a Taiwanese), this is subbed in English and easily accessible on Netflix.
Our Song (2019) - Chinese Singing Variety. Immense pleasure watching and listening to modern twists to classic songs belted out by, and the sizzling chemistry of, the young-veteran duo teams (Zhou Shen-Hacken Lee, Xiao Zhan-Na Ying). While Emil Chau never failed to amuse viewers, never knew veteran Fei Yu Qing is such a delight on the show as well. This is also Fei Yu Qing's last variety appearance before his retirement. Available on Youtube.
“At best, you’re the untamed hero; at worst, you offend people wherever you go.” - by the novel MDZS writer
Just chanced upon this editorial on "Atypical Male Leads in Costume C-Dramas". "Wei Wuxian is arguably the most energetic, mischievous, and carefree character out of the ones mentioned in this article. I love his “ray of sunshine” personality, which doesn’t prevent him from turning serious when the situation calls for it. His strong moral backbone is to be admired, even though it is part of the reason why he eventually ends up in despair, persecuted by the entire cultivation world." https://kisskh.at/article/atypical-male-leads-in-costume-c-dramas
And yes, ironically, i was rooting for Homecha's Ji Sung Hyun, instead of the ML. Happily satisfied when he finally realised his true love had been at his side all along
Have no doubt it is the same drama and have no doubt also the same drama won't appeal to all, as with any other…
I actually do plan to post a comparison of TU and NIF when i have time for a deeper analysis, or after i watch Joy of Life. Briefly, TU and NIF are not apple-to-apple comparison as the genres, production values and target viewers are different. (A comparison of NIF and JOL will be more apt). The range of emotions for the NIF ML is also more limited comparatively, and there is no explosive moment that touches me as immensely as TU ML. Even the short Yi City arc focusing on the support characters touches me deeply..
So I want to contribute to this comment section by sharing a review I wholeheartedly agree with. One of the few…
Have no doubt it is the same drama and have no doubt also the same drama won't appeal to all, as with any other dramas.
Adaptation from a hugely popular novel with a huge fanbase is a double-edged sword: on one hand, it brings in this fanbase to watch the drama, with some die-hard novel fans not liking the adaptation. On the other hand, it also brings in non-novel fans to know of such a novel and read the novel, and the writer's other novels.
The main plot stays, though the details have toned down, not just because of censorship but the difficulty of portraying some of those gore details in live action, compared to in the novel or anime. BL censorship transcends it to a critical series to focus on the intriguing plot on society norms, good vs evil, weak vs strong, and the protagonist’s ordeals going against society, practising unorthodox cultivation to fight evil and help the weak. As for BL aspect, it shows the deep relationship between the two MLs without explicit scenes, and this makes it even more touching.
The casting and acting can't be better, with each bringing to life the complex 3D character each portrays, bringing many viewers to resonate with the characters and on such an emotional ride.
The CGI is bad, i admit, but the actual location filming such as at the Cloud Recesses and Yunmeng Lake make up for those awful CGIs.
Ok, I can't do this anymore.I'm not a big fan of Chinese dramas specially historical ones, and believe me, no…
@LysonP Breaking down into 3 seasons is a good idea and actually very fitting of the protagonist's growth and development in this drama: Season 1: Episodes 1-15 Early carefree days Season 2: Episodes 16-32 Downfall Season 3: Episodes 33-50 Revival
same, i've struggled too, i don't know how many times i've tried to watch this drama, but everytime i failed to…
“At best, you’re the untamed hero; at worst, you offend people wherever you go.” - by the novel MDZS writer
The ML is such a character. He shows his chivalry, righteousness, sensitiveness and seriousness within that seemingly sassy, unruly, frivolous exterior image as the story develops - He remains steadfast to the point of going against society to fight the evil and help the weak, and putting himself in danger to help even those who had wanted him dead. Just like how he names his sword, not because he doesn't care, but quite the inverse.
This is a late bloomer drama that might start flat and be confusing for many. After the initial intro cum character development episodes, the story and plot should start to engage. Much like a roller coaster ride that starts slow and flat before the twists and turns. It will be a wild, untamed ride of emotions as one journeys on with the ML.
Can also self-filter the list based on the year the drama is screened, as the year is conveniently displayed with the drama. And wow, i saw a pre-2000 drama... specifically 1996 Japanese drama Long Vacation! Maybe i should check out this drama
How far back to consider "older" dramas? Screened at least 5 years ago in 2016 and before? I am probably among the bunch who got on dramas during the pandemic, so actually watching some not that old dramas only recently :)
Prince of Lan Ling followed by A Korean Odyssey. For the former, you are left with just another 10+ episodes to completion, and this is a drama that touches hearts. For the latter, it is a good adaptation to the Journey to the West. Enjoy!
Just noted an interesting observation: at this point, there are 54 voters with 33 actresses for "Most Overrated Korean Actress" but only 33 voters with 27 actors for "Most Overrated Korean Actor". Does that mean in general there are more vases around?
If voted wrongly due to misunderstanding, one can always rectify by deleting previous "wrong" name and include the "correct" name
Review by marisa
The Untamed 2019
Rewatched Apr 14, 2021
marisa’s review published on Letterboxd:
trying to explain the untamed is impossible. episode one is borderline unwatchable. it's unbelievably bad. by episode five you're ready to lay down your life for wei wuxian. the cgi is worse than something from the '90s. it's both an emotional romantic drama about war and morality... and an episode of buzzfeed unsolved but with a gaggle of adopted teens. it's childhood trauma. it's love. it's manipulation tactics. it's a spectacular collection of thirty-inch lace fronts. it's a masterwork in character writing. good luck thinking about anything else ever again
Our Song (2019) - Chinese Singing Variety. Immense pleasure watching and listening to modern twists to classic songs belted out by, and the sizzling chemistry of, the young-veteran duo teams (Zhou Shen-Hacken Lee, Xiao Zhan-Na Ying). While Emil Chau never failed to amuse viewers, never knew veteran Fei Yu Qing is such a delight on the show as well. This is also Fei Yu Qing's last variety appearance before his retirement. Available on Youtube.
- by the novel MDZS writer
Just chanced upon this editorial on "Atypical Male Leads in Costume C-Dramas". "Wei Wuxian is arguably the most energetic, mischievous, and carefree character out of the ones mentioned in this article. I love his “ray of sunshine” personality, which doesn’t prevent him from turning serious when the situation calls for it. His strong moral backbone is to be admired, even though it is part of the reason why he eventually ends up in despair, persecuted by the entire cultivation world."
https://kisskh.at/article/atypical-male-leads-in-costume-c-dramas
Be both annoyed and charmed by the protagonist
Adaptation from a hugely popular novel with a huge fanbase is a double-edged sword: on one hand, it brings in this fanbase to watch the drama, with some die-hard novel fans not liking the adaptation. On the other hand, it also brings in non-novel fans to know of such a novel and read the novel, and the writer's other novels.
The main plot stays, though the details have toned down, not just because of censorship but the difficulty of portraying some of those gore details in live action, compared to in the novel or anime. BL censorship transcends it to a critical series to focus on the intriguing plot on society norms, good vs evil, weak vs strong, and the protagonist’s ordeals going against society, practising unorthodox cultivation to fight evil and help the weak. As for BL aspect, it shows the deep relationship between the two MLs without explicit scenes, and this makes it even more touching.
The casting and acting can't be better, with each bringing to life the complex 3D character each portrays, bringing many viewers to resonate with the characters and on such an emotional ride.
The CGI is bad, i admit, but the actual location filming such as at the Cloud Recesses and Yunmeng Lake make up for those awful CGIs.
Season 1: Episodes 1-15 Early carefree days
Season 2: Episodes 16-32 Downfall
Season 3: Episodes 33-50 Revival
- by the novel MDZS writer
The ML is such a character. He shows his chivalry, righteousness, sensitiveness and seriousness within that seemingly sassy, unruly, frivolous exterior image as the story develops - He remains steadfast to the point of going against society to fight the evil and help the weak, and putting himself in danger to help even those who had wanted him dead. Just like how he names his sword, not because he doesn't care, but quite the inverse.
This is a late bloomer drama that might start flat and be confusing for many. After the initial intro cum character development episodes, the story and plot should start to engage. Much like a roller coaster ride that starts slow and flat before the twists and turns. It will be a wild, untamed ride of emotions as one journeys on with the ML.