The Untamed (2019)

An Engaging Story Spoiled by Bad Acting

I understand the hype around this series. Its complex, well-written, and twisty storyline draws the viewer into the cultivation world. For those who are not familiar with the genres of wuxia and xianxia, watching it will be a unique cinematic experience. I am sure that there are plenty of competent reviewers who have underscored the many things that The Untamed deserves praise for, though, so I will not expand on them. Instead, I would like to address its biggest weakness – the acting.

Let's start with the lead actor, Xiao Zhan.
His character, the witty rulebreaker Wei Wuxian, drives the plot forward from start to finish with his tragic story. He is the core of this series – a young man who inspires with his bravery, resilience, and kindness. He is the one who intrigues the viewer and draws them in. He is the one who should make them laugh, cry, and care the most. If he fails to do so, this series will lose its charm.
Xiao Zhan did not manage to become Wei Wuxian. His unconvincing acting failed to convey the charisma, the quiet power, and the complexity of this remarkable character. His Wei Wuxian is shallow and difficult to sympathize with. His tears look fake and so do his smiles. I believe that if the production team had chosen an actor who could handle the role, this series would have been a ten out of ten only because of Wei Wuxian. They did not.

My next problem is with actress Meng Zi Yi, who played Wen Qing, the skilled doctor of the Wen Clan.
Wen Qing is the only notable female character in this series, which suffers from a scarcity of interesting female characters – Jiang Yan Li, the other female character that the viewer will be seeing a lot, embodies a collection of stereotypes about women. This is why Wen Qing, who, contrary to Yan Li, is strong, independent, and not obsessed with cooking soup for her future husband, had potential to be memorable. However, Meng Zi Yi's lackluster acting constantly made her character blend into the background. She is a pretty actress, which might have been a factor in the production team's decision to cast her, but I think that her role demanded acting skills and facial expressions other than a deadpan more than beauty.

The third actor who demonstrated unconvincing acting is Wang Zhuo Cheng.
His character is Jiang Cheng, whose complicated relationship with Wei Wuxian is one of the central themes in the story. Jiang Cheng is notoriously bad-tempered, and his personality constantly clashes with the more easy-going Wei Wuxian's. Their interactions, which are meant to illustrate sibling love and rivalry, should have been moving, but instead bordered on the comical because in no given moment did Wang Zhuo Cheng managed to convince me that his character is actually angry or upset.

These actors' mediocre performances made me indifferent to three important characters, whom the viewer has to care for if they are to be invested in the story – and do not even get me started on the villains, both the major and the minor ones. I could not take any of them seriously despite their sinister deeds because their acting ranged from mediocre to bad.

Overall, the actors in this series, with the notable exception of Wang Yi Bo and Ji Li, delivered unconvincing performances. I could not force myself to care about their characters and eventually stopped being invested in the story. The production team should have been more selective during the casting. Such a long series that relies on its characters to drive it needs an exceptional cast.

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Is This A Chinese BL Drama?

Many people have asked about the extent of the BL factor in The Untamed. Some prefer more explicit romantic scenes between the 2 male leads while others don’t. To me, the BL scenes are very subtle. All you will get are just longing stares and teasings. Unless you have read the novel, you probably won’t even get the love message behind some of these conversations and scenes featuring Wuxian and Wangji. I guess they did get the balance right. It doesn’t offend those who are more conservative while it still has enough subtleties to excite fans of this novel. If you can’t get enough of them, you can also listen to the theme song, Wu Ji (无羁), which they sang as a duet.

The Acting
Xiao Zhan is a joy to watch as he managed to bring the Wuxian character to life. Wuxian is a pretty well-developed character with a wide range of emotions. He can be cocky, playful, sweet, and dark. You can see his change in demeanor from his body language and facial expression that it is very easy to become invested in this character.

On the other hand, Wangji’s personality is very reserved and expressionless. Hence, I feel it is a much more challenging role to assume. But thanks to the great chemistry between Xiao Zhan and Wang Yi Bo, they managed to show that Wangji is capable of deep emotions although he might look cold.

I have not much to complain about regarding the rest of the cast. Some are great such as Paul Yu Bin who played Wen Ning while others are passable. But the highlight is still the 2 main leads and this is what I find pushes the drama up a notch.

Overall Verdict
I have to say that The Untamed can be a bit difficult to follow especially for those who have not read the novel. There are plenty of characters that somehow tie up to one another to create a chain reaction that can be confusing in the initial stages. There is also a lack of explanation on certain important aspects such as the flute that Wuxian wields and the Stygian Tiger Seal. The ending is open to interpretation and viewers are never really told how and why the ultimate mastermind arranged the whole scheme. The clues are there but you would have to piece them together and make some guesses.

However, I wouldn’t say that the whole drama and its ending are disappointing. In contrast, it is very much worth a watch. You just have to be patient to gradually pull off the layers and understand the full picture. After all, about 30 episodes are flashbacks to give viewers the back story of Wuxian. It is certainly not as straightforward as TVB’s Deep In The Realm Of Conscience or so heroic like the Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre.

My overall verdict for The Untamed review would be to watch it for the plot and chemistry between the 2 male leads. Be patient and after about 10 episodes or so, you will be able to get into the story and can’t let go from there. The BL factor is not as strong as the feeling of brotherhood which supercedes any romantic notions to me. While others might interpret it differently, it doesn’t detract from the overall plot and enjoyability of this xianxia drama. So, go and watch it!

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When I started watching, I didn't know that it was based on a book - so now, I'm starting to read the novel online. Funny enough, I didn't know it was based on a BL novel. LOL. I watched the 1st episode and I was going, "hmm... there's something going on with those two..". But seriously, the BL or the hints of BL is so secondary. The two main characters have such a great bond and they have interesting background story. You just want them to find joy in the world. You'll be cheering them on, crying with them and laughing at their jokes. Watch for the story, for the characters, for the friendship, bromance, family and sibling love, amazing, amazing scenic locations and beautiful, beautiful music. (I am considering visiting China coz of this drama just to see the beautiful locations they have).

Side note: I didn't know that Yibo is from a Kpop group Uniq so now, I'm checking out Uniq.

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AAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I usually never binge shows like I'm binging this one! Everything about this drama is amazing. The beautiful scenery is just amazing, it takes you to a fantasy China world, and you can really feel like you're there.
The story is so captivating. Although I have to admit that the start of this show was a bit bumpy/hard to understand, by around episode 10 I was completely hooked and wanting to find out more. There is so much mystery, so much "Why did this happen?". They reveal things not too much, but not too little. I'm always wanting to watch more and find out more.
The main characters are to die for. They're people you can cheer for. Their personalities are unique. They have their own quirks. The character relationships are deep, it makes you attached to them even more.
The actors and actresses are all so good! They portray emotion so well, stick to their role so well. They are able to move you.

This is the best Asian drama I've ever watched, and I'm not just saying that!

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I don't know what happened but...

I'm probably in the absolute minority here but I did not like this show. It did start off interestingly enough and I was digging Xiao Zhan as Wei Wuxian but something (I can't even put my finger on what it was) didn't appeal to me. Maybe it was the plot as a whole or perhaps the fact that I wasn't as invested in the side characters as they wanted me to be, but I had to drop this drama, as hard as it is to admit. I also wasn't a big fan of Lan Wangji since all he did was looking at people with contempt or arrogance and it bored me after a while because his emotions were pretty much nonexistent or at least weren't plain enough for me to recognize. Overall I was bored of his emotionless face and the same expressions. I'm sure it wasn't even Wang Yibo's fault because I've seen snippets of his other dramas and he was REALLY good so I'm guessing it's the way his character had to be portrayed that didn't move me in the slightest. Too bad because I really tried liking this show :(
I don't remember anything about the soundtrack so it's not worth mentioning unfortunately. As for the rewatch value I wouldn't dare recommending this since I haven't even finished it myself but due to its popularity (internationally) I won't be too concerned :)

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So China has a LGBT censored or law or whatever.... but you can see the love!!!its there!!!! the writers and producers has done an amazing job so far with following the book script by script.. I knw they still on flashbacks and why not but I still love it... OMG the actors are amazing... the dude playing wei ying I was made for his role. He is funny and always picking on lan zhan ... I guess he loved he from the start... I cant believe all lan zhan needed was wei ying.ruskdjdnfjdkwñalaofnenszkd fjeisnzmndkeekenneozodkendjdndmjhďddddddddddddddddďddddddddddddddddddddd

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The Unwatchable

If you were on social media in 2019 then undoubtedly you came across fans raving about the Untamed. Seriously you would have thought it was the 2nd coming of Christ with the way some were acting. I've never seen anything like it then or even till this day. I heard praise such as "this is the best Asian drama ever!!!" Of course being a drama lover I was interested. So color me surprised when I sat down to watch this show back in 2019 and couldn't understand a damned thing. It was messy, it was campy, and oh so childish. It started with an ending scene with ZERO explanation and went straight into a mind numbingly boring flashback that lasts apparently 30+ episodes. WTF??! Plot, what's that? Character development?..the untamed does not know her. CGI?? Complete sh!t. Acting? Abysmal and amateurish. Sluggish pace with 100s of characters introduced as their names briefly flashes on the screen making the viewer, or I should say me, even more confused. I gave up and dropped the Untamed.

What was going on? Was I in some polar universe? Why couldn't I see what it seemed everyone else sees in this show? I had these questions as I over the years tried to find any criticism about this show on the internet. Anyone that felt the same way that I did. And you know what, I found none. The untamed had broke another record of being the only drama that gets perfect praises no matter where you look. It has no "one star" reviews on imdb, which is unheard of. Almost all 10 star reviews on this website and is still ranked as one or the highest scored dramas on mdl. Quite a feat. And I know what this drama and it's fans reminded me of...it is comparable to a really crappy Kpop song, where the fans are so ardent and forceful with their beliefs that the song is amazing, it inevitably scares anyone from speaking their mind and giving criticism to a mediocre product. It unfortunately happens all the time in fandoms, and the untamed is no different. What I learned was that this show starred two famous pretty boys that were already idols. The untamed show comes from a massively popular spicy bl webstory. And speaking of bl, we outside the bl fandom know how gung ho followers of that genre can be. With all mentioned, it starts to make sense to me why this below average drama is so popular and overrated!

Just look at the positive reviews fans give of this show. A popular mention is how pretty the two leads are. The leads eye staring contest had their heart in a flutter. How cute one of the leads are with rabbits?? Tell me this doesn't sound like a vapid teenager talking about her fav boyband. I'm too old for that sh!t. "Cute" boys glancing at each other does not a good drama make lol. And after three attempts of trying to give the untamed a chance, I'm done. No more. I've been told to hold on and that it gets really good at episode 33. Episode 33!!!? B!tch I could have watched 3 masterpiece jdramas in that time and had room to spare. If a show takes 33/50 episodes to get interesting then maybe just maybe the show is hot garbage. Just a thought...

Rating: 1/10

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It's a story which doesn't get old for you. I, myself, am one of those guys who can't watch a story twice but I usually watch each episode three or four times and still like to watch is again. If it was not the curiosity of what's going to happen next, maybe I was still watching episode one again and again.

Story is filled with tiny delicate detail both in content and form. Eyes, regards, smiles, musics, sounds, and breath sounds filled with special mean makes the story amazing. I advise you to watch it personally and use headphone.

While watching the story you laugh, you cry, you get scared and mostly feel all those feeling in a same time which is wonderful. It drives your heart laughs.

As you may saw characters biography, Wei Wuxian, the main cast, is inventor of mixed cultivation. He gives you this point of view that you can cultivate your soul without being so boring and following stupid rule. SO THE STORY IS FILLED WITH FUN MOMENTS.

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Must watch!!! (even if you've never seen a chinese drama)

This is actually the first time I'm writing a review which shows just how good this drama is.
I started watching The Untamed because I was looking for a chinese drama to watch to improve my chinese skills. And since The Untamed was the best rated drama on here I just went with it! Little did I know I would become completely obsessed with the characters, the plots, the music, everything basically. It's the highest rated drama for a reason after all.
To be honsest, I have had some trouble understanding the plot for the first few episodes but once the flashback starts everything starts to make sense. That is the point I became obsessed with the drama and hold myself back from just watching one ep after the other without stopping.
The actors did an amazing job bringing the characters to life. I honestly couldn't have imagined better actors for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji... Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo absolutely nailed it. Their chemistry on screen was amazing. For all the BL fans out there who are worried that the romance got lost because of chinese censorship laws let me tell you: These two characters have more chemistry than any other couple in a BL I have ever watched (and that is quite a lot). It didn't really bother me that there weren't any ROMANTIC romantic scenes because the amount of affection they showed for each other was just enough and the way it was portraid by the actors turned it into a love story (without being one officially). You will get what I mean, especially in the scenes after the flashback ends.
But I was not only getting attached to the two main characters, the other characters all had their fair enough amount of screentime, while always staying connected to the main plot. This is the reason I got never bored during any scene of the drama and also enjoyed watching episodes that wasn't featuring one of the main characters (lan wangji), even though he was my favorite.
Another great thing about The Untamed is the OST. There's an OST album with all the official sountracks that features the iconic Wuji (main theme) and character songs for all the characters! The songs not only fit the character's stories perfectly they're also beautifully written. Besides the OST album there's an instrumental album with all the instrumentals used as background music and trust me when you listen to those instrumentals after the show ends you WILL cry and feel all emotional inside. I have honestly never watched a drama that had such beautiful instrumentals playing in the background.
All in all I can confidlently say that this is the best drama I have ever watched.

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Amazinggg, there is no other way to put it. One of the best shows I have ever watched. The characters work together so well; the actors are chosen perfectly. No exaggeration, they are legit perfect for each other. The setting, the outfits, the expressions. The actors are soo talented in this aspect. Those subtle hints of emotion, especially Lan Zhan's tears had me bawling multiple times. Normally when the main character dies, the watchers can become bored with the show and I was suspicious that would occur with this drama, however, the way they managed the plot, the interactions between the characters, the scenes and situations, I felt nothing of such. I finished the whole series in 3 days. Yeah, cuz I just couldn't stop watching. But the one thing I really wished they would have done is added more sensual scenes between Lan Zhan and Wei Ying. But I do understand that due to existing homophobia within China, having such scenes may have canceled the show and I definitely don't want that. But still, through eye-catching, longing stares between the two characters, their actions towards one another you can most definitely, see a spark. I really hope and wait eagerly that they continue the series into a second season. I researched online but couldn't find anything about such yet but, I have high hopes. The series blew up in the publics eye and has great ratings. It has remained as one of the top Chinese shows these last couple of months so I have hope that season 2 will surely arrive.
Whoever wants to start this series and is unsure, look, listen to me, it will blow your mind. People say that you can get confused with the first three episodes since they play around with time but I didn't feel so. It was easy to follow. But it changes per person and his/ her perspectives of each scene. You will love it, trust me.

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" The Untamed " managed to balance many characters and genres and end up with a decent result.

The story was nicely presented, with a perfect pace that didn't let things to get boring or confusing. They did a nice job with the many plot lines too and they even wrapped up everything in the end, leaving only very few open endings. The action scenes were plenty too and well choreographed. The characters, in addition, were interesting and had good chemistry that helped the drama a lot. The twists were unpredictable, as well, and entertaining. Finally, the performances were pretty good and the settings and costumes were beautiful.

So, overall, nine out of ten.

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The best of the best!!!

The first ever cdrama that I am stuck. I find myself watching the drama repeatedly for its good story, the characters , ost and the whole plot. At first episode, I wasn't sure if I should continue watching this because of its long episode for I am only used to 20 episodes in kdrama for I am a fan of kdrama before. But to my surprise I find myself hook up in the drama and I even recommended this to my friend and she likes it too. What made us hook in this drama is that each character has their own views which we are eager to know of what's behind of their actions. As for the main cast, Wie Wuxian which is portrayed by Xiao Zhan and Lan Zhan portrayed by Wang Yibo are both characters that I really love in this drama. As I love their characters in the story I also love them as themselves. They made me stream their songs on spotify, watch videos related to them and I even join a lot of fan page for them. This drama is really the best of the best for me .


Sorry for the typo I'm not so good with words .

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