Adapted from the hit novel and very successful donghua (Chinese animation) series "Mo Dao Zu Shi" (otherwise known as "Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation"), "The Untamed" had to be one of C-drama fans' most feared and anticipated dramas at the same time. Why? Because with a BL novel as source material and unsavory rumors about original female love interests flying around, fans were rightly terrified that their beloved story would be defaced in the worst way.
And yet.While the CGI and general production value certainly could have been better and some aspects of the story were changed (that probably shouldn't have been), "The Untamed" turned out to be a captivating watch. Here is why you should definitely check it out and why this drama has become one of the best shows of 2019.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
People are people
Irreverent, cheerful, playful, devoted, loyal, ruthless, clever, cunning... There are so many ways to describe the protagonist of "The Untamed." Wei Wuxian (played by Xiao Zhan) is a fantastic character and will make you fall for him right off the bat with his antics.
But what makes him so lovable is that he is, first and foremost, human. He loves, he laughs, he fears and rages and grieves. He's a good person who's capable of terrible deeds, and in the same way, the villains of the story are capable of true love even while their hands are stained with blood. "The Untamed" ultimately remains a story about people who do what they can with what they're given.
Although the live action tamped down a lot on the many shades of gray that make up the original novel (go read it!), you can still see them. One example would be the way hatred affects different people in the story. One of the characters stews in it for over 13 years, another manages to forgive if not forget, and another takes his time to plan a meticulous, terrible revenge. Shades of emotions, shades of gray. People.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Subtlety, thy name is Wangxian
A few months ago, I swore to myself I would never ever watch "The Untamed." I had just heard that the production team was planning on replacing the epic love story between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji (played by Wang Yibo) with female love interests and just couldn't take it. Yet when the show came out, everyone was talking about how unsubtle it was regarding the relationship between the two men.
