Drama Addiction: The Untamed

I have these strange obsessions sometimes, like at one point I will be sooo much into certain K Pop bands and another time, with this highly popular Taiwanese drama. I would be looking forward to certain days, waiting impatiently for the episodes to be translated to English subs, refreshing like crazy. Oh well. Just when that series ended, I heard of another series that would sure to bring out the obsession again but I tried to watch some episode snippets on youtube, but it didn't stir up any feelings. I just thought the actors were good looking. But there was so much noise on my IG newsfeed about this show and so I thought I would give it another try.

Okay, now I am obsessed. See lah.

It's a Chinese period drama based on the popular online novel called Mo Dao Zhu Shi or Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. It's a BL novel but the focus wasn't so much on the romantic aspects because one was quite oblivious and the other one, had a personality that was cold and aloof and no freaking hell would he let his feelings known. It was only through his actions that slowly made the lead character realise slowly that there was more to the friendship that they shared. But this confession would only take place in the 100th chapter, lol...and that was after supposed outsiders told him in his face 'are you blind or what?!' that everyone knows how the other person felt about him except for him...so yeah. 

At first, when I heard of how the lead in the novel, became from one who was smart and mischievous to one who cultivated the demonic path, I thought that well..this is like a case of good guy turns bad. Not that interested already, lol. But when I stumbled on a Facebook page that painstakingly subtitled each episode, I thought I should give it a try. I am not one who would start from the first ep, or read the first chapter, coz I want to just get to the important parts. But when I forced myself to start from the beginning, things started to make more sense because there were many layers to the storyline including flash backs and how each character was developed. You would begin to understand what had motivated these characters in their intentions, whether for good or evil.

The drama itself had no romance involved but there was definitely bromance going on. But the main core of the drama was pretty much like most period drama, about honour, friendship, loyalty, power struggles and justice. A friendly sibling relationship turned sworn enemies rivalry and ended up killing his own step brother in one of the China histories' greatest siege. While in other scenario, the lead and the second lead character, who started their friendship on an impromptu duel and many disagreements, with personalities described as fire and ice, turned out to be fierce and loyal friends to each other, who would protect at any cost and willing to bear the responsibilities, even if the actions done could not be distinguished as right or wrong.

And I liked how the stories made us believe that the more evil people are not one that was clearly wielding the swords and mercilessly killing to destroy the whole clan singlehandedly. Yes, that was still evil but at least you straight up know they are the villains. But the actual villain was the one who put up such pretense and making them believe he was on their side but in true facts, it was all 'wayang' or acting so that he could rise to power after being mistreated and embarrassed in the past by his own father and others who thought lesser than him because he was a servant's child. So him, taking over his father's Sect, was sweet revenge but not before killing his father and manipulating others, including his own sworn brothers who trusted him. That was the most evilest of evil.

For the lead character, named Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying or the Yiling Patriach, he was also a servant's child, but he was brought in to be the adopted child of a Jiang sect clan leader, as he was the child of the woman he once loved. However, his love was not reciprocated and instead, she ended up marrying one of his servants and We Ying was their child. When they died, he took him in after he discovered him living in the streets.

He already had two children from his arranged marriage which of course caused tension between him and his wife, knowing that this child came from the woman  he actually loved once. Still, it did not stop him from showering him with love, to the point it caused some tension between him and his step brother Jiang Cheng. Because Wei Ying was smart even though he can be mischievous too, there was always tension between the two but Wei Ying stayed grounded and knew where he stand saying that well, one day when Jiang Cheng become the Sect Leader, he would be his loyal servant.

However, while Jiang Cheng did become the Sect Leader through sad circumstances when both his parents were killed, and both remained on good terms until something bad happened, that made Jiang Cheng hate him. The truth was soon revealed later on why Wei Ying didn't carry the sword anymore and that he cultivated the demonic path, because he had given his golden core, the part of his body that contained his spiritual powers, to Jiang Cheng when his was destroyed. By then Jiang Cheng held him responsible for causing so much death and destruction because of his demonic cultivation but to find out the truth that he was part of the cause, he could not accept it.

Since Wei Ying could not wield the sword anymore because he would instantly be killed without his spiritual powers, when he got thrown into the Burial Mounds where corpses were buried, for three months he was stuck there, he started to cultivate the demonic path. As he was still determined to fight for justice, especially when his adopted parents were killed and the Jiang Sect he grew up in was destroyed by the evil Wen Clan, he wanted to seek revenge as well. 

But Wei Ying was misunderstood and hated by many. But he was the hero to a part of the Wen Clan who were innocent but looked down by other Clans who wanted revenge just because they carried the Wen surname. To him, it wasn't about heroism. He wanted to help the very people who had helped him. Unfortunately, his heroism didn't last for long as he was killed when he lost control of his puppet corpses of which he could manipulate through his spiritual flute.

The second lead, Hanguang-Jin, Lan Wang-ji or Lan Zhan, was there for him even though they had a rocky start to their friendship with Lan Zhan being the ice to Wei Ying's fire personality. He grew up in a very strict upbringing and spoke little but highly regarded as a cultivator because of his skills. But when he was with Wei Ying, he started to question as to whether, all the things he learnt since he was a child, was worth it, and his sense of justice became stronger as he followed his heart, even going against his uncle and even his Clan. 

When Wei Ying died, he was in mourning for 13 years until one day, he discovered that Wei Ying had reincarnated into another person's body by someone who wanted to seek revenge and had called upon his soul. The discovery came about when Wei Ying played their song on a bamboo flute to subdue his right hand man, the Ghost General Wen Ning, who made his reappearance after 13 years when his master Wei Ying, made a comeback. 

Lan Zhan did not want to make the same mistake of losing Wei Ying again so in the second arc of the storyline after his reincarnation, he protected Wei Ying at all costs after he became the public enemy number 1 of other Sects. They wanted revenge after the 1st siege where Wei Ying used the Stygian Tiger Seal, to perish 3000 over people. When he was reborn, he could not recall that siege and how Lan Zhan had actually brought him away to protect him after that siege and went against his Clan and in retaliation, he received 33 discipline whips. For 3 years, he did not find Wei Ying because he was bedridden, but upon hearing the news that the Wen clan Wei Ying protected, were destroyed, He went back to the Burial Mounds even though he was still not recovered, to look for his body but could not find. Instead, he found A-Yuan, the little child that Wei Ying looked after, and was the last Wen member to have survived because he stayed hidden and had become sick.

To bring him up, was to serve as a memory of Wei Ying, and A-Yuan became Lan Si Zhui, who carried the mannerism of Lan Zhan, because he was personally brought up by him as a disciple of the Lan Clan. In both the drama and the novel, the reunion between the three of them, when Wei Ying found out that Lan Si Zhui was actually A-Yuan, the small kid that he had missed and thought had died, was the most touching. This and how the Ghost General, who was also from the Wen Clan, made the same discovery that his clan was not completely wiped out. He made the discovery when in the later years, when the corpses who had risen from the blood pool and helped Wei  Ying against other corpses controlled by the bad guy to destroy him, were actually his relatives whose bodies were thrown into the pool after they had died. And one of the corpses, described to be the granny looking after A-Yuan when he was small, walked up to him slowly and almost wanted to touch him as though she knew him.

Later on, Wei Ying's name was cleared though his deeds were not forgotten in the history. However, he was taken over by Jin GuangYao, the fallen Sect Leader, whose cunning and manipulative misdeeds took over as the talk of the town. His death was in the hands of his own sworn brother, Lan Si Zhen, who had lost his trust but Jin Guang Yao had insisted, despite his scheming ways, he had not betrayed him because of his kindness towards him. 

Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, eloped for three months, and then came back to Gusu, and became cultivation partners. They were semi retired but still go on night hunts once in awhile and where help was needed. Wei Ying had a good relationship with the younger Lan disciples who looked up to him despite their rough start because he taught them ways to defeat mountain demons and ghouls outside of Cloud Recesses where the GusuLan sect reside and also the home to over 4000 over rules, lol. 

I have not written about every character here otherwise there would be many parts to this blog post, haha. But just as how the novel had sucked me in, so did the drama though I am only in the middle of it. Since I have read most parts of the novel, the storylines made more sense now and I could connect more to it even though the drama changed some parts due to censorship and also to make a clear distinction from the novel. Overall, it was not some random wu xian drama. 

There was also another sub arc, which was just as touching and complicated as well, lol..how Xue Yang, as evil as he was, mostly due to his upbringing, had a change of heart, when he was shown love and concern by Xiao XingChen who became blind. They were actually arch enemies and did not know that he had been taking care of the injured Xue Yang throughout the 8 years they stayed together in the Coffin house with another girl who was supposedly blind. Xue Yang had actually seeked Wei Ying's help to bring back Xiao Xing Chen's soul after he had committed suicide when he found out that he had been caring for his arch enemy and had made him kill his own friend unknowingly. But Wei Ying could not bring him back because he said Xiao Xing Chen's soul had gone in peace. 

It made Xue Yang mad and wanted to kill the two of them but in the end, was defeated by Lan Zhan. In his final moment, Xue Yang was holding on the candy given by Xiao Xing Chen, just like in the book though for the book, he suffered serious injuries but was not known if he died because he was transported back by a mysterious person. But in the palm of the severed arm of Xue Yang, was the candy which had turned black from constant gripping.

Oh my gosh, there was a culmination of various emotions the more you read the book and everyday I also look forward to watching an episode or two. It just gets more interesting the more you read and watch. Never been this captivated before, haha.