This lakorn was a train wreck. And I say that with the utmost appreciation for certain parts of it, but not all.

I watched this when it came out back then, and I was glued to the screen, dying for new episodes. It's the type of drama where it's so bad, it's good. I've always been a fan of Janie, for some reason I believed her to pick roles that are strong and fierce. This was not her character at all in this lakorn. She cried a lot, yearned for love a lot, forgave too much, and was too weak-willed. She tries to better her situation but nothing ever comes out of it because I guess the writers like abusive romances.

Rome's character was not a good person. He was manipulative with his stupid handsome face and sweet words. Shoot, I would have fallen for his tricks too! He hurt the FL over and over and fell in love because she never left (?) like wth dude? He does turn a new leaf and become extra adorable but it does not win me over, I do not believe he could be redeemed.

Evil Nang Rai exists strongly within. She is super creepy and maybe she should have ended up with ML (lol). The side romances were sweet and actually healthy for the most part! It really made me question how ML's brothers could treat women so well, and he was such a douche!

What really annoyed me THE MOST about this lakorn is the telling and not showing aspect. Everyone literally tells the FL that ML loves her, but we don't see his love! It's just abuse! They would be the worst people to be around if you were trying to leave an abusive relationship because they seem like the type of people to enable the abuser.

If you like to watch angsty romances that's a total mess, you'll enjoy this.

Music was pretty good ngl. I've watched the MVs a few times .

Leggi di Più

Y'all I binged this in like 2 days. It was a pretty good watch, nice dose of binge.

I found this lakorn to be so refreshing! What I loved so much about this drama was the relationship between the two leads. FL was headstrong, graceful, and knows when she's being disrespected, and she doesn't resort to nasty jabs. Class. ML is a tough little cookie but also a warm bowl of sweetness sending butterflies to my belly. At first, they don't really have an understanding as to why they needed to be in each other's lives, but as they start to grow closer, their relationship was built on the foundation of friendship that grew into love. ML is definitely a committed man to the woman he loves, it's just that he was still getting over his Ex of 10 years when he got married to FL. It took him sometime to figure out why that relationship was doomed to end, and to rediscover the world of love with a more compatible person who supports him and understood his passion for justice.

Positives:
- supportive couple discovering romance along with friendship
- ML and his mother's relationship ( I liked watching mom teaching him life lessons and FL as well)
- FL is not a pushover. She stands up to those that are disrespectful to her, even ML and Nang'Rai (the Ex aka evil Ex).
- FL is SMART. She uses her brain and trust in ML to overcome stupid misunderstandings that we see other FL struggle in other dramas time after time.
- The two leads are innocent and sweet each time they are on screen.
- Addicting story line in terms of romance
- ML is sugar and spice. A nice equation of sexy and cute. Great character with scars and insecurities. He is patient mostly, and respectful of FL when it comes to intimacy. (A+)
- ML and FL actually try to work things out like a married couple which is a nice touch of reality.

Negatives:
- OMG Evil Ex was a one dimensional character (not rare in Lakorns) She was just evil for no flipping reason, although it is explain that she's always been selfish
- Evil Ex was given way too much tolerance by EVERYONE. Like WHY? Even in scenes where she isn't necessary, her ass would be there saying crap and no one cares to kick her to the curb.
- One annoying ass second male lead that is heads over heels for FL
- Some cliches I didn't care for
- FL's sisters love lives and stories overall were boring and filler
- Sorry I love ML but his job of catching the criminals, I mostly skipped.
- Don't really understand when FL fell for ML, might have to rewatch
-ML is too handy with a gun, made me a little nervous. lol.

OST:
- sweet, loving, chill, beautiful, romantic
- overused though

Leggi di Più

I'm not a big fan of BL projects, no matter how good the storyline is, which I understand can limit me to some amazing stories. When I heard about The Untamed coming out, did I roll my eyes? Why, yes, I did. Short reason is I don't like the fetishization of gay romance/love for the enjoyment of straight people. BL, as a whole, is a genre marketed toward young girls. People can easily enjoy gay & lesbian intimacy without as lifting a finger to advocate for their rights or can sometimes even hate on gay culture when it doesn't fit their fantasy. Even the author of the novel is a woman, but of course we cannot assume she is just a straight woman with fantasies of hot gay men going at each other. I'm sure there are a lot of lgbtqia who enjoys projects like this, and for them I'm glad.

The fans of the show did make me feel as though The Untamed was put on a pedestal as though other dramas throughout the last year was complete trash. Uncalled for, but it inspired me to watch the show.

I was surprised by the lack of filler scenes. Almost every scene was interesting, everything needed to be watched in detail. I really give kudos to the writing team, production team, cast and everyone involved in the ensemble. The story flourished with immense strokes of progression and amazing acting.

No character was ever 2 dimensional. Not to name any C-Dramas but many of them populate the dramas with villains... who are just bad for no cause, greedy with no reason, and cruel because the heroes needed someone to defeat. Every villain in The Untamed had a backstory that made you understand why they did the horrible things they did. That added so much more depth to the villains, and made for a much more conflicting experience. All the anger and resentment made sense because you felt it justified.

Acting was so good. Xiao Zhan did such an amazing job as Wei Wuxian. The emotional journey and inner struggle he went through frustrated me and had me rooting for him the entire time. The character is a well-rounded one so that we would support him and stay connected along the journey. He's selfless and that's also his flaw. Impulsive and cocky. He frustrated me with his holier than thou attitude at times, but that's his character and at his core, he represented heroism and good.

Wang Yibo as Lan Wanji was absolutely dreamy. He's fit and has a blank expression when in character. He's definitely hubby material, and it made sense why they were in love in the novel and ambiguously in the drama. He's a simple character with restrictions, so I think Wang Yibo did a good job restraining his emotions while still portraying someone with so much warmth towards his friends and family.

The actress for Wen Qing got some heat from fans for becoming having a "love line" with Wei Wuxian. However, that doesn't even make sense as she never said she hinted at that and her character was just extremely thankful to WWX. The interaction between WWX and the newer generation of clan sect disciples was also really fun. It illustrates his growth as a cultivator and his natural talent of genuinity drawing people to his side.

Another duo of great people I cried buckets for were Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen. They were such good buddies and met the ending we do not want for Lan Zhan and WWX. Xiao Xingchen will always have a special place in my heart, and I really like the actor who played him, he did amazing. I hate Xueyang and I don't think he is redeemable, but I applaud the actor who played him so viciously and also seductively.

I really liked the portrayal of sibling love between WWX and his senior sister. It was a really pure and refreshing relationship that we don't get to see often. All the other side characters did amazing in their roles. They're all so talented and wonderful in their craft, and I hope to see more of them in the future.

The world of The Untamed reflects a lot of social norms in society that often we don't think about. It did make me ponder and nervous how quick we can change our views on a single person as soon as they become public enemy. It shows viewers how dangerous it is to judge others without knowing what really is happening. How important it is to have the people who really know you remain at your side. And without them, you feel completely loss. WWX went through all of that, but in the end he only needed one person's validation. The person who proudly remained by his side while others didn't especially the ones WWX never expected to desert him.

People really hated Jiang Cheng, but I think his anger and hatred for WWX was what you could only expect from a man who had lived his whole life with everything just taken away. WWX lived as an orphan, knew how to be resilient and rebuild his character. JC struggled with that. One thing I didn't really like about his whole ordeal is the fact that he was written to always be second to WWX. It's such an overdone, completely cliche element to have this brotherhood where one is always second to the Male Lead, and the Male Lead is just so good at everything. JC thought even if his parents died as long as he had WWX and his sister, he could rebuild Lotus Pier and they could be happy. But then he lost his sister, and ultimately he lost WWX to demonic cultivation/rebellion. He hates WWX because he immaturely (of course) blames WWX for the destruction of his home and family. But also because WWX broke his trust and wounded his heart, he truly loved WWX as a brother. Not that he didn't do his part either, but he could have stayed strong for WWX and remained by his side as well. All in all, they sacrificed what they thought the other needed and ended up missing the mark.

OST is great, awesome, beautiful, haunting. I made a playlist and cried for each song lol. I love the personalization of each soundtrack to match each character. I really loved Shi Jie's song for Ah Xian about Lotus Pier.

Re-watch value is about medium for me. I think the emotional turmoil is too much for me to watch over again and again, but it was such a good first watch.

The story of The Untamed is not a totally original concept. It has the black sheep equation with wrong place, wrong time equation. It still weaved a very enjoyable story and thrilling show. The actors did such a wonderful job and so did the editors, directors, producers, staff members!

I'm glad I gave The Untamed a chance because I am looking forward to these actors in new roles, and the story makes me appreciate the message it's trying to send.

Leggi di Più

I really liked Phao and Thee. They were the only couple I was excited to see on the screen. They had the better story in terms of romance in my opinion. I kinda wished the whole show was about them, so we could get to see a better thought out story line. But I get there needs to be a difference in each love line for the whole drama to work since it was about three friends and their love relationships.

Anyways, Krit (Mark) has this one-sided-love with Arunsri (Kimberley), who is already in a relationship. I felt like he deserved better, but she was the one for him, so he continued loving her until the very end. He is one of those silent secret admirers that is actually super nice and genuine. No comment on Arunsri, she was a bit wishy washy, but nice.

Wat (Boy) has a delirious Nang Rai of a fiancee named Naem who he doesn't even want to be around, so he hides from her. Fai (Marie) and Wat start out not liking each other, but through certain commonalities, they become drawn to each other and rely on one another as friends and then love grew. I think they had a better love story than Krit and Arunsri.

Okay, now... Pao and Thee were the funny couple in this whole thing. It balanced out the seriousness and more depressing elements of the other love stories. Phao is a cute and spunky veterinarian while Thee is a cheeky philanderer with a long-term girlfriend (but they seem to be in an open relationship). Thee insults Pao and she vows to make him fall for her and begins this lunacy of being Thee's girlfriend, which is hilarious to watch. She talks to him like they're actually dating and makes him do boyfriend things, although he protests it he succumbs to her commands without realizing he's doing them! He slowly starts to fall for her. Only the thing is, she doesn't really want to date him for real! Why? Because he's a total eff boy. She only wanted to put him in his place, to make him apologize and to not look down on her. The only thing that bugged me about their story was that Thee's girlfriend Korn was so mature about it all but it really hurt her that Phao was playing this prank on Thee. But in the end it all works out and there are no hard feelings.

I'd say if you're a fan of Mark, Kimberley, Boy, Marie, Ken, or Toey then this is a sweet lakorn to watch over the weekend. There's three different stories, so you can choose the ones you want to follow.

Music: Did not really pay attention to music...

Re-watch Value: YES, for Phao and Thee.

Leggi di Più

Not fully cultivated - Had potential!

I like Bambi, believe she is a strong actress, in a sense, she always understand the assignment she's given. She's also beautiful! Dylan is handsome, and I like watching him on the screen. I couldn't understand why I just couldn't see the spark in the two. They're both beautiful and look good together! I'm only watching for them, but the love story is bland as others have said. Just what is the Dragon King fighting so hard for? What about Liu Ying was so dear to him, except that she was the first to care for him when he was injured? That development had no substance and she reincarnates over and over just to repeat without getting anywhere in the relationship. After finishing the drama, I realize Liu Ying's character isn't that fully fleshed out. She's merely a passenger in the story. Long Yan makes the decision for their love, and she's mainly unaware until the very end.

The beautiful sentiment of love separated by death and reincarnation is interesting and bittersweet. But you couldn't really feel that desperation with the main characters. It's like they were just telling us without showing us. Or the performance just fell very flat.

The second couple has more spark than the main. Deng Wei (Xue Qian Xun) is a stronger actor than Dylan Wang. I believe he was able to do his part well, overshadowing Dragon King. Qing Qing played by Pan Mei Ye is a cute and loyal character, but I can't stand her sometimes when she's on the screen too long, especially her scenes with Xue Qian Xun. She's adorable but annoyingly snobby at times.

I was looking forward to this drama from the get-go! Unfortunately, it hasn't hit any expectations. The music is dreamy, and I guess one of the elements that I really like about the drama.

Leggi di Più

I loved this drama! I read the beginning of the original novel and was so excited to see it finally become a drama. I was completely drawn in by the first episode. Zhao Yao was kicking ass so early on!

Bai Lu was a phenomenal Demon Sect Leader who didn’t care to be good. I loved that! She wasn’t a goody-two shoes, meek little Young Miss. But she still had heart. Such a well written character with flaws and struggles. Bai Lu portrayed Zhao Yao perfectly. I was hesitant about Xu Kai because I never watched his works before. I was blown away! People thought he was boring, but he wasn’t acting in extravagant actions. His eyes and demeanor showed so much longing and was much more detailed than what meets the eye. He always fought side by side with his lover, never for her. I definitely became a fan of Xu Kai’s after this drama.

There wasn’t only romance but friendship. Like actual FEMALE friendships! Move over, bromance! I always hated it when the other main female character hates the female lead and is the enemy. That happens all the time in C-Dramas. Xiao Yan played a great supporting character doubling as Zhao Yao and Zhi Yan. She comes to care for the Demon Zhao Yao, and Zhao Yao herself becomes soft-hearted for this innocent girl. They become good friends who help each other out when needed.

I really did like this Jiang Wu character until he got too proud and basically overpowers Zhao Yao and Mo Qing. In the later half, Zhao Yao does suffer from injuries which made her physically limited. I didn’t mind that as much as her tolerance for Jiang Wu, who annoyingly ruined her wedding, tried to harass her, and literally imprisoned her man. It was a bit out of character for her to still be laughing and enjoying his teasing. It doesn’t last long, but I still thought it was weird because Zhao Yao is ruthless towards others who hurt the people she cares about. I also found it weird when Zhao Yao had such an emotional response to his character getting hurt, like girl he was the worst!

I’m not giving the drama a full 10 because there was so much filler. The same scene with supporting characters discussing the same thing over and over. Characters who I did not care for getting 20 minutes of screen time. There were side characters I liked watching and they were mainly the friends of the main couple. The editing was annoying at most, but I didn’t mind it. The costumes and production value seems high to me so I don’t know what people are saying about it being low quality. It’s not some small web drama with poor costume designs or bad lighting.

The ending was confusing and it did make me frustrated that they edited it to be so tasteless. My all time favorite drama could have been so good. I can say it was still a good watch and worth it. OST has some good ones, but not many songs. They added a cuter and livelier song in the last episode, which I love.

Rewatch value is high for me. Give it a try if you want more female characters supporting each other, loyal male lead, strong female characters, and a bit of angst but also a bit of fluff.

Leggi di Più

Hunsa is an eccentric character doing the most to make you like her adorable personality but also shake her aggressively for being so, well, dumb. Tim is also very eccentric in the sense that he's a total hot-head and uses his words to insult others, it's in his nature (?). When he likes you, he berates you, when he hates you, he tells you you're garbage. It made me white guy blink sometimes. What really annoys me is he doesn't seem sorry enough for being this way. Well, why not? He's been the best all his life, so he ridicules others.

They were very cute together, and you can see how they both make each other aspire to be better human beings. Along with Tim's perfectionism and "I must be #1" attitude, once he's in love, he goes after Hunsa with a passion. It doesn't get overbearing at all, but shows his commitment to tell her that he's for real.

Side characters were entertaining and well put into the overall story. I liked Hunsa's friendship with the others, especially with Minnie. There is also a mystery to the drama, which led me to accuse many characters of being the perpetrator, but alas you never see it coming. Hunsa is a little annoying at times with her insecurities, but she turns around.

It's a cute light watch if you're not too busy or into anything with a dramatic story line.

Leggi di Più

A typical fantasy movie with romance and magic

I'm a big fan of mermaids, fantasy and all that jazz, so when I heard about this movie, I had to give it a try. Attempting to find it with English subs was a challenge, but I was able to watch a version dubbed in my language.

Overall story was basic, easy to follow, and romance is not over the top cheesy. I liked the supernatural aspects of the story. Like the others say, it is a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a twist. It's not completely out of nowhere, but it's a little different. I don't like toxic relationships, so I was a bit turned off by the FL's husband.

Music is forgettable, unfortunately.

Leggi di Più