'THE UNTAMED': STARTING POINT FOR THE RISING OF CHINESE XIANXIA DRAMA

 

The Untamed Official Poster (image by WeTV)

Once not allowed to air, The Untamed has now become one of the best Chinese xianxia dramas of all time. 

The drama, which aired in the summer of 2019, was considered controversial because it was supposed to contain boys’ love which was adapted from the danmei novel, Mo Dao Zu Shi by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. The controversy has also been exacerbated because China is vehemently opposed to matters related to LGBTQ+.

In fact, there is absolutely no LGBTQ+ element in this drama. The drama, directed by Zheng Weiwen and Chen Jialin, has been heavily revamped to pass the screening censorship in China. This drama was finally able to air with 50 episodes, on Jun 27, 2019 - Aug 7, 2019. The broadcast of this drama was a huge success, not only in China but also internationally.

“The good or bad of a thing is decided by ourselves, while slander and respect are the other party’s decision. Regardless of the gains and losses that will be obtained.” – The Untamed

Showing three different periods, this drama focusing on friendship, brotherhood, and regret between Wei Wuxian (Xiao Zhan) and Lan Wangji (Wang Yibo) carries the xianxia, fantasy, action, and mystery genres. This drama tells about adventures in the cultivation world, offering the reader a unique and exciting plot. The character depiction of each character is very detailed and relatable, where each character has a reason for carrying out their actions. Besides that, like most other Chinese costume dramas, the CGI in this drama can already be said to be good, considering the filming was done in 2018.

Even though this drama’s elements of adventure, friendship, and brotherhood are quite strong, regret is the main focus in this drama. The audience will be confused to guess who is black and white, who is full of tactics and who protects, who is evil, and who is good.

It doesn’t feel like an exaggeration if this drama is called a symbol of the rise of Chinese xianxia drama. As of December 2021, this drama has reached 10 billion views and received high scores on three drama rating websites: 8.9/10 on IMDb, 9/10 on My Drama List, and 9/10 on WeTV.

This Drama has also received various prestigious awards from 2019 - now and has reached 42 awards. The following are some of them:

  • 26th Huangding Awards in the Best Television Series category.
  • China Entertainment Industry Summit (Golden Pufferfish Awards) 2019 in the Best Drama and Best Marketing categories.
  • Sogou In Award 2020 in the Drama of the Year category.
  • WeTV 2020 Awards in the Best Wuxia/Xianxia Drama category.
  • Weibo TV Series Awards 2020 in the Most Popular Television Series category.
  • Tencent Group in the Business Breakthrough Award category.

Interest in watching it? The Untamed is available on the WeTV / Tencent streaming app.

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