Taming The Untamed

Have you ever watched a Chinese historical drama and thought it was very horrible or that it lacked interest visually? Let me recommend a visually stunning and tear-jerker Chinese historical drama that is worth binge watching.

The Untamed or also known as Chen Qing Ling in China, is a 50-episode fantasy drama, based on a fictional web novel called Mo Dao Zu Shi or The grandmaster of demonic cultivation.

Interestingly, the series begins with a glimpse of the death of the main character. It was followed by the main character's resurrection, only to be perplexed when he awoke 16 years later. The following 30 episodes are made up of a significant flashback that recounts what transpired over the course of 16 years and how the death occurred. The narrative revolves on the themes of love, vengeance, and endless mysteries. Someone seeing this for the first time will be in constant "What? ", or bewilderment about what is occurring due to the complexities of the phrases and character names. Although it will eventually make sense, it is beneficial to search the characters names and their other names to decrease the confusion while viewing it.

Wei Wuxian, commonly known as Wei Ying, is an exuberant cultivator that enjoys exploring the cultivation world. Despite being adopted from a clan, he is recognized as one of the most promising students in his class. Apart from him, Lan Wangji, also known as Lan Zhan, is one of his clan's top growers despite his early age. Despite their differences, they have a unique relationship and ideal chemistry when it comes to investigating mysteries and abnormalities that arise around their land. Wei Ying became a target of attention and hostility as a result of his gleeful and reactive behavior. As he is being commended for standing up for what is right, he is also despised by the antagonist clan for doing so. Events get rough for the main figure, as the villain succeeds with taking control over different clans. This drove Wei Ying's decision to use demonic cultivation, which helped him defeat the villain. However, the story didn't end there, as the other clans despised and denounced Wei Ying for utilizing demonic cultivation, including Lan Zhan, his lifelong confidant. The animosity for him resulted in several clan conflicts and deaths, including his own. Lan Zhan wept, underwent penalties, and performed music every day for the next 16 years after his death, believing he would return. After Wei Ying's return, his connection with Lan Zhan grew deeper, as they worked together to fight evil and clear Wei Ying's name. After a lengthy journey, it came to a rewarding though tense conclusion and plot twist.

Societal Issues Discussed in the Untamed

What's more intriguing about the series is how it addressed numerous societal concerns such as political issues, propaganda usage, and even cancel culture. Personally, I think the main struggle in the series is establishing and recognizing the relationship or romance between the two male leads, which is strengthened by the external conflicts they encounter. The series implies that even what they think is an extraordinary occurrence such as spiritual exorcism, couldn’t be possible without actual human beings making it possible to happen. In simple words, all the external conflicts portrayed in the series are driven by people’s greed for power which can be considered as a major political issue. When power is involved, it is possible to manage and control every element of any clan. This was utilized to promote brutality and wicked actions as propaganda. Countless relationships have been destroyed, and countless lives have been lost as a result of thirst for power alone. This also fostered the clans' cancel culture. People were gullible and despised the main character, resulting in his disownment and utter opposition to seeing his figure in cities.

These issues are seen in reality, especially now. The return of the Marcoses in the Malacanang is a great issue in the society. With the power of being president, it is now much easier to use it to his advantage and start to revise history and impose on Filipinos their twisted facts. The recent election demonstrated clearly and amply how power can disseminate false accusations and information quickly and have a significant impact on Filipinos' attitude.

The Series Vs. The Novel

Going back to the series, it is crucial to analyze the series' parallels and contrasts to the novel or book version. China is known for its heavy censorship in media and in films. The Untamed, based on a web novel, is classified as a Yaoi (Boy's Love) novel. That being said, it was only permitted to run if graphic sections from the novel were modified or eliminated. For people who haven’t read the novel, it is such a great series with great plot twists and incredible friendships however novel readers can see through it. The series’ directors' creative and genius minds reflected on the series as he managed to insert subtle acts of love language between the two male leads. Even though it doesn’t bluntly show and portrays “love”, unlike other series there is substantial chemistry built. To illustrate, in the 36th episode of Untamed, Lan Zhan is offering Xiao Zhan a chicken. Giving or gifting chicken to someone in Chinese tradition signifies that the couple's relationship will be more prosperous in the future. Even the subtle skinships and eye-flirting were enough to tell how the bromance was inserted in the series. The plot itself hasn't changed much which gave the series more popularity even among the non BL fans.

It not only depicts typical types of love and soulmate cliches well, but it also teaches lessons about trust, family, and moral ideals. The number of character deaths that are essential to the narrative, as well as the anguish of waiting and betrayal, make it a tear-jerker series.

Above all, there is something that has effectively dominated the series. It is the belief that pure love and genuine respect are excellent tools for settling internal and external conflict. A love that understands, and love that never forgets.