So I am a HUGE fan of the original novel, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. It's what got me into danmei. So when I heard that they were adapting it to a live action drama I was very VERY skeptical. How would the cast be? Would they butcher the story? How were they gonna treat Wangji and Wei Wuxian's relationship due to censorship? Would it have a bad ending? How could a web drama with not as big a budget as a regular Cdrama be any good? So I didn't jump to watch this when the first episodes aired. I waited to see if it was going to be any good. Even after the reviews kept giving it glowing praise, it still took me a hot minute to get around to finally watching it. Imagine my surprise when this drama swept me off my feet just like everyone else. People are giving this drama so much praise because it deserves it. You can tell that so much love and devotion was poured into this by the directors, writers, and actors. Everyone played their part to their fullest capacity. I even came away with a new found appreciation for some characters I hadn't given much thought to before. They nailed the emotions of the most heartbreaking scenes. Of the happiest ones.

And best of all? They nailed Wangxian without ever explicitly stating that these two are in fact in love and a couple. That was, hands down, my biggest surprise. With every glance, every touch, every FREAKING moment LWJ and WWX are on screen together, you can tell how much they care about each other. And this is a large part due to how Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo portray them. I wasn't happy with Yibo being cast as Wangji when I first saw the trailer. 'He's too babyfaced. How is he going to portray such a complicated character like Lan Zhan?' Well, he more than pulled it off. Yibo must be a natural born actor because he spoke more with his eyes than most actors say with a novel length script of words. LWJ is a character who feels much but says little. Wangji doesn't even have that many words to say in all 50 episodes. But you know what? He doesn't need them. Yibo was able to bring out the core of this character with his eyes and body language alone. I am appalled. I cried so hard because he was able to convey just how much LWJ cares about his Wei Ying. And Xiao Zhan? He brought WWX to life just as much. Now that it's over, I can't imagine any other actors playing these characters. I love how much attention went into showing yet never telling how much these two love each other by the directors. They went above and beyond skirting around censorship. I hate we live in a world where their relationship has to be censored, but their love still shines through all the same. In my opinion, their love shines even brighter because the small moments matter so much. There is no outright confession (unless you count 'Wangxian' being played in the background 50,000 times lol) yet the way they look at each other and treat each other speaks volumes. I still hate that this had to be censored and I hope fans of the drama who loved their 'bromance' and don't know about the original novel won't erase the canon love the two have for each other when they find out they are happily married.

Romance aside, the plot was so riveting that a 50 episode drama never stalled or got boring. I usually drop Cdramas half way through due to how lengthy and padded out they are. The Untamed doesn't suffer from this problem. In fact, I could rewatch it all right now even though I just finished it. That's how good it is. The music? Superb. I listen to the soundtrack regularly. The only complaints I have are small issues. The fight scenes are lacking and sometimes the CGI feels cheap. But I know this is due to their budget not being as big as other dramas. It never detracted from the enjoyment at all. Another criticism I have is with the tencent subs. I don't know if it was paid for it to be translated into English or it was fan translations. If it's the former, I do take issue with how wacky the word choices can be at times. 'Childe' instead of 'master', the infamous 'spiritual energy is stored in the pubes' line, etc. That did bother me and took some getting used to. But everything else is wonderful. The sets are gorgeous. They really brought the world of Mo Dao Zu Shi to life in the best of ways. Every sect was gorgeous, especially Cloud Recesses and Yunmeng Jiang. And also hats off to the actor of JGY. He brought out every layer of his multifaceted character.

In conclusion, everyone brought their A game here. This drama is a masterpiece and it is hands down my favorite drama of all time. I wish I had watched it when it aired. Even better, I wish I could erase my memory so I can experience it all over again for the first time. Thank you Untamed cast. You deserve every award and accolades that come your way.

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