The Untamed Review

I’m pretty open when it comes to relationships and hence, I have nothing against a Boys Love (BL) drama. Having said that, I have not watched one before until The Untamed (陈情令). Therefore, I have no expectations of what it could be like. It was with much curiosity that I started watching this drama which is based on the novel Mo Dao Zu Shi (魔道祖师) written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. I can say that it has been a nice surprise and The Untamed review below will give you a full account of this xianxia drama.

Type: Xianxia, Fantasy
Episodes: 50
Release Date: June 2019
Images Credit: Tencent

The Cast Of The Untamed

• Xiao Zhan as Wei Wuxian / Wei Ying
• Wang Yi Bo as Lan Wangji / Lan Zhan
• Wang Zhuo Cheng as Jiang Zheng
• Liu Hai Kuan as Lan Xi Chen
• Zoey Meng Zi Yi as Wen Qing
• Paul Yu Bin as Wen Ning
• Xuan Yu as Jiang Yanli
• Wang Hao Xuan as Yue Yang
• Zhu Zan Jin as Jin Guangyao / Meng Yao
• Ji Li as Nie Huaisang
• Cao Yu Chen as Jin Xizuan

The Characters And Sects

Yunmeng Jiang Sect

The base of the Yunmeng Jiang sect is in Lotus Pier.

Wei Wuxian / Wei Ying

Wuxian is a disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang sect and is also known as the Yiling Patriarch. He was an orphan and raised by Jiang Fengmian like his own child. Wuxian is a witty, cocky, and mischievious guy. But he is also loyal who will protect the weak in his own way. He wields the Suibian sword and also a flute. His specialties are demonic cultivation and the invention of spiritual techniques. He has a soul mate in Lan Wangj and is living in the body of Mo Xuanyu.

Jiang Cheng

Jiang Cheng is the son of Jiang Fengmian. He became the leader of the Yunmeng Jiang sect after the death of his parents at the hands of the Wen clan. Jiang Zheng grew up together with Wuxian but their relationship became strained when the latter started straying into unorthodox cultivation practices. He also tends to feel inferior to Wuxian as the latter is smarter and better than him in cultivation techniques. However, Jiang Zheng is an honest man who likes to play by the rules. He has feelings for Wen Qing which didn’t work out due to his hatred for the Wen sect when his parents were killed by them.

Jiang Yanli

Yanli is Jiang Zheng’s elder sister. She also treats Wuxian like her own little brother and dotes on him. Yanli understands Wuxian very well and has always trusted him to be good. As such, Wuxian is also very protective of her. Yanli’s love interest is Jin Zixuan whom she later marries and bore him a son, Jin Ling. She died during the battle between Wuxian and all the other sects’ members.

Gusu Lan Sect

The residence of the Gusu Lan sect is in the Cloud Recesses surrounded by mountains. They cultivate using music. As the sect was founded by a monk, it has very strict discipline imposed upon its members. There are thousands of rules in the Cloud Recesses.

Lan Wangji / Lan Zhan

Wangji is also known as Lord Hanguang in the Gusu Lan sect. He wields a sword and zither. Wangji’s uncle, Lan Qiren, is the respected elder of the sect while his brother, Lan Xichen, is the leader. Both of them were brought up by Lan Qiren in a very strict manner. Therefore, Wangji is very aloof to the point of being cold and expressionless. But he is an upright man who is very straightforward and his reputation precedes him. His personality is a total opposite to Wuxian but they are soul mates.

Lan Xichen

Xichen is Wangji’s elder brother. He is also the leader of the Gusu Lan sect. Jin Guangyao and Nie Mingjue are his sworn brothers. Xichen is a calm and understanding person. He is also very trusting of others.

Lan Sizhui / Lan Yuan

Sizhui was saved by Wuxian when he was very young. He lived among his clan members together with Wuxian for some time. Later, he was saved by Wangji who brought him back to the sect. He grew up to be a disciplined, rational, and capable disciple.

Lanling Jin Sect

The Jin sect is based at Carp Tower in Lanling.

Jin Guangshan

Guangshan is the leader of the Jin sect. His favored son is Jin Zixuan whom he preferred to be his successor. However, he has a few illegitimate children due to his womanizing ways including Jin Guangyao and Mo Xuanyu.

Jin Guangyao / Meng Yao

Guangyao is the illegitimate child of Guangshan. His mother is a prostitute. As such, he is constantly being looked down upon by others and rejected by his own father in the initial stages. Nie Mingjue took pity on him and appointed him as his deputy general. Later, Guangshan accepted Guangyao back into the Jin sect when his stint as a spy helped everyone to destroy the Wen sect. Guangyao is a patient and good-mannered person on the outside but has much emotional baggage due to his illegitimacy.

Qin Su

Qin Su is Guangyao’s wife. She is the daughter of the Laoling Qin sect’s leader. This sect is a subordinate of the Jin sect. Guangyao went ahead to marry her to secure his own position in the Jin sect. He is also not in a position to offend either side for his own survival.

Jin Jixuan

Jixuan is a proud person and assumed heir to the Jin sect. However, he is fair and just in all his dealings. Jixuan and Yanli have a betrothal agreement but it was canceled initially due to his reluctance to be pressed into an arranged marriage. But as time passes by and he realizes how good a person Yanli is, Jixuan fell for her and they ended up as a married couple. He died at the hands of Wen Ning.

Jin Ling

Jin Ling is the son of Jixuan and Yanli. His parents died while he was still a baby. His paternal and maternal uncle is Guangyao and Jiang Zheng respectively. Jin Ling is short-tempered and can be a little arrogant and mischevious just like Wuxian.

Jin Xizun

Xizun is the cousin of Xizuan. He is arrogant and revengeful. He also regards Wuxian as his enemy.

Qishan Wen Sect

The base of the Wen sect is in Nightless City. Its motif is the sun which signifies longevity. It is the most powerful sect but with power also comes arrogance, especially when they began to get their hands on the Yin metal.

Wen Ruohan

Ruohan is the leader of the Wen sect. He is very ambitious and wanted to rule over all other sects. To achieve his aim, he hunted down the Yin metal pieces one by one. He also killed off anybody who opposes his ambition.

Wen Chao

Wen Chao is one of Ruohan’s two sons. He is a cruel and arrogant person who does not hesitate to kill.

Wen Qing

Wen Qing is a doctor and belongs to the healer branch of the Wen sect. Her ability to heal means she has value to Ruohan. She has a reserved personality and is kind at heart. She also has a younger brother to protect which forces her to do Ruohan and Wen Chao’s bidding at times.

Wen Ning

Wen Ning is Wen Qing’s younger brother. He is very shy and has a strange ailment due to a near-death experience when he was young. But he can easily relate to Wuxian as the latter has been kind to him. Wen Ning is very trusting of Wuxian and respects him a lot. He is also known as the Ghost General.

Qinghe Nie Sect

The headquarters of Qinghe Nie sect is in the Unclean Realm. Their cultivation techniques involve more aggression by using fiercer spirits and heavy blades rather than swords.

Nie Mingjue

Mingjue is the leader of the Nie sect. He can be short-tempered but righteous. He wields a blade and is a fierce cultivator. The Nie sect’s cultivation method will gradually transform his temper from bad to worse. He took pity on Guangyao but his other subordinates never respected the latter. Mingjue severed his relationship with Guangyao when the latter killed his General as revenge. The General often taunted Guangyao as being the son of a prostitute and hence, unworthy. However, their relationship was somewhat repaired when they became sworn brothers after the Sunshot campaign that brought down the Wen sect.

Nie Huaisang

Huaisang is Mingjue’s younger half brother. Mingjue expects a lot from Huaisang but the latter has no real talent in cultivation. Huaisang has both fear and respect for his older brother. In the early days, Huaisang would often fool around with Wuxian. After Mingjue’s death, Huaisang inherited the leader’s post. He often appears as clueless with little knowledge as to how to manage the sect’s affairs but he has the support of his brother’s sworn brothers, Guangyao and Xichen.

Others

Xiao Xingchen

Xingchen and Wuxian’s mother were disciples of Baoshan Sanren. He left the mountains to come down to the mortal world but he is not a member of any sect. Xingchen is a good swordsman and has a good friend in Song Lan. He became blind when he gave his eyes to Song Lan who have been injured by Xue Yang.

Song Lan

Song Lan is a cultivator from Baixue Temple. He was blinded by Xue Yang but regained his vision after Xingchen secretly donated his eyes to him. When Song Lan caught up with Xingchen again in Yi City, he has to fight off Xue Yang but was unsuccessful.

Xue Yang

Xue Yang is a very evil and cruel person. He has a tragic past being an orphan with little to eat on the streets. Bullied by Chang Cian when he was young, he exacted revenge by killing all its members years later. Xue Yang worked for Ruohan to gather all the Yin metal pieces and later collaborated with Guangyao. He was saved by the blind Xingchen when he had been heavily injured by enemies and was on the run.

Su She

Su She is the leader of the Moling Su sect. He is an ex-disciple of the Gusu Lan sect but betrayed them due to his wimpy behavior in the face of pressure. He went off to establish Moling Su by using the same cultivation techniques of his former sect. Thus, he doesn’t have a lot of respect from the others due to his inferior skills compared to Wangji. However, Su She enjoys the protection of Guangyao who uses him to achieve his own selfish aim.

Synopsis

This Chinese fantasy drama starts with the resurrection of Wei Wuxian who has been dead for 16 years. He has taken over the body of Mo Xuanyu, an illegitimate son of Jin Guangshan. A sacrificing ritual enables Xuanyu to give up his body to summon Wuxian’s spirit. His purpose was revenge as he had been cruelly treated by his mother’s sister and her family as well as being cast out of the Jin sect.

Flashback

After being resurrected and coming into contact with family members and acquaintances, Wuxian had a flashback as to what happened before his death. He was a servant’s son and orphaned at a young age. He was adopted by Jiang Fengmian and grew up together with his children, Jiang Zheng and Jiang Yanli.

16 years ago, Wen Ruohan was trying to expand his power. His aim was to use the powerful Yin metal, which has been broken into pieces and sealed off at different places, to rule over all the other sects. The belief was that there were 4 pieces of this metal, of which Ruohan had collected 3 of them. In the conflict with the Wen sect, Wuxian’s adoptive parents were killed and Jiang Zheng’s golden core was melted. The golden core is integral for cultivation and Wuxian knew Jiang Zheng would waste his life away without the ability to cultivate.

As a result, Wuxian secretly gave his golden core to Jiang Zheng with the help of Wen Qing. Without a golden core, he didn’t have the ability to defend himself when he was caught by Wen Chao. Dropped into the Burial Mounds, Wuxian absorbed a lot of those negative energy. He also forged the Stygian Tiger Seal to help him wield control over corpses and dark spirits through his flute. Advised by his good friend, Lan Wangji, to stop demonic cultivation which could harm his body and soul, Wuxian stubbornly refused.

Present

Wuxian died by dropping himself backward off a cliff. He lost his mind after the dark spirits that he summoned indirectly caused the death of his adoptive sister and her husband. His good friend, Lan Wangji, tried to save him but Jiang Zheng came from behind to stop it. 16 years later after Wuxian was resurrected, strange things began to appear to lead him and Wangji into uncovering the truth behind Yanli and her husband’s death. Who is the actual mastermind behind the scene? Did Wuxian steal the last piece of the Yin metal?

The Untamed Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

The final scene in the last episode of The Untamed shows Wuxian and Wangji bidding each other goodbye. But just before it cuts off, Wuxian turns around after a voice that sounded like Wangji calls out to him. So, you can say that it’s a happy ending.

Did Wuxian Steal The Yin Metal?

The answer is no. Others have always speculated that Wuxian was the one who stole the last piece of the Yin metal from Xue Yang while the latter was being held captive. But his Stygian Tiger Seal is actually forged from the sword found inside the giant tortoise he slaughtered while trapped in a cave with Wangji.

Who Killed Yanli And Jixuan?

While it seems that Wuxian was the one who killed Jixuan when he lost control of Wen Ning, the villain behind the plot is Jin Guangyao. Guangyao knew Jin Jixun would be laying an ambush on Wuxian while on the way to celebrate the birth of Yanli’s son. He told Jixuan about the matter which led to the latter rushing to the scene to stop the fight. Then a dark tune secretly stolen from the Gusu Lan sect was subtlely used to interfere with the tune of Wuxian’s flute. This caused Wen Ning to lose control and stab Jixuan.

A similar situation happened during Wuxian’s battle with all the sects after the death of Jixuan. Wen Qing and Wen Ning surrendered themselves and presumed killed. Feeling angry, Wuxian summoned the dark spirits to battle all his enemies. But these spirits became unrestrained when Guangyao played a tune to control them in hiding. In the confusion, Yanli died after being mistakenly stabbed by a member of another sect who wanted to kill Wuxian.

Guangyao’s Fate

Guangyao died at the hands of Lan Xichen. They were sworn brothers and Xichen did show him mercy towards the end when his bad deeds were revealed. However, Nie Huaisang tricked Xichen into stabbing Guangyao. Huaisang claimed that Guangyao is preparing to attack Xichen from behind.

Guangyao was the one who killed his own father as revenge for the ill-treatment and married his own half-sister, Qin Su. His wife is also an illegitimate secret child of Jin Guangshan. Qin Su was conceived after her mother was raped by Guangshan while drunk. She kept it a secret from her husband as well as Guangshan until marriage between Guangyao and Qin Su was arranged to take place. Qin Su’s mother then told Guangyao the secret but he went ahead to secure his own safety and position. He also arranged for his son to be killed and blamed it on his enemy as he knew his offspring was a product of inbreeding. When Qin Su learned of the secret, she was immobilized by Guangyao and later died when she took a knife and stabbed herself in front of everyone.

As for Nie Mingjue, Guangyao slowly poisoned his mind with dark tunes and eventually killed him. Although they were sworn brothers, Mingjue had always been suspicious of Guangyao as being the culprit who let Xue Yang escaped. Mingjue’s head was chopped off which was then kept by Guangyao in a secret chamber in his room. It is through Mingjue’s spiritual blade and spirit that provided Wuxian with clues that Guangyao is the villain behind his death.

The Real Villain Behind The Scene

It wasn’t delved into in great detail but the brains behind all the happenings turn out to be Huaisang. While he seems clueless for almost the entire drama, his real personality emerges towards the end. He has been patient and biding his time for revenge against Guangyao who killed his half brother. Wuxian suspected so at the end but as he said, it doesn’t matter anymore by then.

Huaisang probably learned of Guangyao’s dirty deeds through Mo Xuanyu although I didn’t see this being revealed in the drama. This is my guess as Huaisang would never have known what Guangyao had done. This also explains why the last mark on Wuxian’s arm disappeared after Guangyao was killed. It signifies that the revenge on all of Mo Xuanyu’s enemies has been completed.

Since Huaisang is weak in cultivation, he needed Wuxian’s help to unmask Guangyao. Along the way, he helped to drop hints to lead Wuxian and Wangji to Guangyao.

The Untamed Review – 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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