O Indomável (2019)

Recommending this to all MDZS Fans! (It's actually better than I initially thought!)

Well, this is going to be one hell of a long review, so be warn of spoilers! xD So if you don't want to read spoilers, just skip this review!

Knowing this adaptation is based on my favourite novel 'Mo Dao Zu Shi' by MXTX, at first with the rumours flying around how they were going to make Wen Qing the love interest, I was so annoyed, and I told myself, I am NOT going to watch this!!! Because Wangxian is the ONLY ONE FOR ME!!! How dare they trying to make it heteronromative!!! But when this started airing, and also because I have also follow other online social media sites, I heard fans said that the first episode doesn't disappoint when it comes to Wangxian side of things, so I decided to just check out one episode to see what it's like, and wa-lah! Just one episode in, and I'm sold! Wangxian is indeed strong in the first episode, coming from Wei Ying's pov, and I actually love that change they put in showing just how Wei Ying feels about Lan Zhan <3

To be honest, there are definitely changes in this adaptation (when comparing to the novel), some changes are for the better, some weren't. Well, it's the same as each version have it's pros and cons, and I accept that.

E.g.

Likes:
- Jiang Cheng's character for me, in this adaptation, I actually love him better, whereas in the novel, I didn't really like him until the end, when he changed. Jiang Cheng is actually a positive change in this adaptation for me, because I love seeing him showing concern/care for Wei Ying like a family member (and not as a subordinate kind of feeling which I got in the novel). There are instances when Jiang Cheng showed me he cares, I just can't help but like him more in this adaptation. I love how he go against what his father said, and still went out to seek Wei Ying (when Wei Ying went out on that journey with Lan Zhan) and bring him back (because he was worried about him), that's plus points for me. While others may not like the Jiang Cheng x Wen Qing ship, for me personally, I do love it, despite that ship went no where in the end, because it is through this ship, that makes me like Jiang Cheng better, since he shows that he doesn't hate all Wen's. (Wen Qing excluded).

- Another change I love about this adaptation is how strong they made Wei Ying and Lan Zhan's bond is, even in the past, I love how Wei Ying doesn't set a clear line with Lan Zhan, I love how Wei Ying actually welcomes Lan Zhan to help him, and I love how he actually shows me that he really cares how Lan Zhan sees him, i.e. Lan Zhan's trust on him, means a lot to Wei Ying, and I love that, you can really feel how happy he was when Lan Zhan shows he trust him, similarly, how sad/disappointed he was when Lan Zhan shows his doubts. So, yeah that was a change I welcome in this adaptation.

- Wei Ying and Sizhui relationship, I love their whole reunion, and how Sizhui remembered, that whole scene was really touching to me <3

Dislikes:
- I didn't like how instead of calling out "Lan Zhan" (like in the novel) when Wei Ying was held captive by Jiang Cheng and when Fairy was drawing nearer to him, Wei Ying called out "Shijie", that's actually left a bitter taste for me, because I love that moment in the novel. Since I find that something subtle to show just how much Wei Ying can rely and trust in Lan Zhan to subconsciously call out his name when he needs help.

- I didn't like how they downgrade Wei Ying's powers, because in the novel, he's stronger than this. I was most upset because Wei Ying is supposed to be the FOUNDER of this path, NOT some stupid Wen's, and how SuShe out-did Wei Ying (through the help of Jin GuangYao) at Nightless City, and when Wen Ning lost control, I just literally swore, because OMG, I will be less bitter if this was Xue Yang or Jin Guang Yao, but seriously, that scum, SuShe?!

- Poor NMJ got robbed of his screentime as a fierce corpse, they really tamed down the whole theme of what makes it 'MDZS' when it comes to those fierce corpse (bye bye Fierce Corpse NMJ :( ) Bye, bye, painted eyes, blood bath granny/Wen Remnants...

- I will never understand (due to plot inconsistency) why it took Lan Zhan 3 years to go down and find Wei Ying's body, when in the novel, he went right away after he found out. I know it's because of the discipline whips (and this is another change I didn't like, I didn't like they change the reason behind Lan Zhan's discipline whips, Ok, I know why Lan Zhan got it, but the novel touched me more). So this is why I am personally glad they never bring up the reaosn why Lan Zhan got the brand mark(scar) on his chest, since I don't want them to distort the original meaning. Just leave it there, to show LZ love, but novel fans will know the reason without an explanation. I am fine without an explanation in CQL. Anyways, when Wei Ying fell down the cliff, Lan Zhan clearly didn't have the discipline whips yet, but did he seriously not went down to search for Wei Ying's body, right away? This doesn't make sense to me.

- Lan Zhan's decision in the end where he just 'suddenly' decides he can't travel with Wei Ying, even when Wei Ying never think of walking separate paths with Lan Zhan, since he was thinking where they will be going next. I don't know but this is really just OOC to me when it comes to Lan Zhan's feelings, and Wangxian pov, when compared to the novel. Sadly because of what I have been shown here, I just can't take him as MDZS Lan Zhan anymore :( I personally didn't like why he can't do this together with Wei Ying, I didn't like that it comes from Lan Zhan to make this decision, because this doesn't fit my understanding to Lan Zhan's character (in canon), By that time in canon, heck even when Wei Ying came back into MXY body, he don't want to leave Wei Ying side again, and the irony here is, CQL! Lan Zhan did said that he regret not staying by Wei Ying side during Nightless City, but in that final episode, Lan Zhan's decision hinting to 'each to their own paths'... Just felt out of place, and I felt like it was a slap to the face, for those who actually believed in him for always staying by Wei Ying side T.T No matter how much fans shed light, that moment just really hurted/disappointed me on a personal level and it's really heartbreaking. Wei Ying was sad/hurt, but he is trying to be understanding, I am too, but I just can't, you know, like what I was shown in that moment. I just wish that it didn't have to come to this, even if it's temporary, or it didn't come from Lan Zhan.... I know Lan Zhan have things he needs to do, and he's honoring the promise that they made together, but here's the thing, their wish is the same, can they not do this together? Anyways, I just can't like it because for me, I RATHER THEY DO THIS TOGETHER!. In CQL, I can take any heart-break, but this, really hurted me so much that I can't really accept it...

ENDING:
When I first watched the ending, I was really confused, because I didn't understood if there was a time-skip or not, but after others pointing this out, I went back and watched it and realized they indeed made it very very very subtle about this, and I'm like, I wish they made it clearer T.T But then again, I guess they are trying to play if safe and make it ambiguous, So, for me, I am very thankful to Xiao Zhan (who plays Wei Ying) by reassuring us, when he said:

"In the end he's still smiling because the light he has been waiting for has finally arrived"

And I find that so romantic, because this really confirms and emphasize that Lan Zhan is his light, and that whether Lan Zhan returns or not, this is how Wei Ying feels, i.e. he will continue to wait for him <3

In terms of ending goes, I understand it is a HE, and I'm honestly extremely glad that they stayed true to Wangxian, and managed to give us a HE by having Lan Zhan return to Wei Ying, even though we don't see them standing side by side, but there's no doubt that, the person who called out "Wei Ying" at the end was Lan Zhan. I still prefer to see them standing side by side before the credits roll, but I'll take this calling out "Wei Ying" over nothing at all.

While there may be some parts I wish was done better (for all said), but taking this like an AU is not so bad, I come to appreciate this ending in a different light, because through their separation, and when Wei Ying plays their song (Wangxian/Wuji), it really does connect him to Lan Zhan, because it shows me how much he actually misses Lan Zhan, and I love that, the whole yearning, the whole waiting, and how Lan Zhan can find Wei Ying again, no matter how far apart they may be, is just simply romantic.

There is a lot of sub-text, and hints showing how strong Wangxian is, where they referred to each other as 'Soulmates', and I love that.

Actors - 10/10 for me, I love both Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo as Wei Ying and Lan Zhan. At first I wasn't convinced with the casts, but when I got into the drama, I just came to love them and I have grateful to both Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo for their great chemistry that makes it very fun to watch! Xiao Zhan is awesome for understanding Wei Ying's character indepth! And he is the perfect RL human Wei Ying for me! Wang Yibo is awesome for bringing out a natural Lan Zhan that I can appreciate, and he deserve an award for this, because Lan Zhan, imo, is a very difficult character to play, but Wang Yibo expresses his emotions very well in this area! <3

Music: I fell in love with Wuji/Wangxian, and knowing that it's sang by Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo makes me love this song more!

Ofcourse, the other character songs are nice too!! <3

Rewatch Value = Definitely! I am rewatching this again on my end anyways! <3 In this review I just wanted to be honest, because there are indeed things I didn't quite like and wish was done better, but when looking at all this censorship, I can't really put it against CQL since they really, really did their best in remaining faithful to the original source, and for that, I am forever grateful. They really didn't have to give us that HE, but they did, and I'm grateful to them for giving me this (otherwise, I wouldn't have liked it). Looking at this in an adaptation pov, it's definitely a good adaptation, and I feel like it has taken a life of it's own in their world (kinda like an AU), and I do recommend this to all those MDZS fans, and don't worry about queer-baiting on Wangxian, because I can guarantee you, Wangxian is the only one in this series, and that is why I love this live-action on my end, because they stayed faithful to Wangxian despite all the odds, so I am grateful for them.

Personally I love the novel better in terms of overall story, consistency and the ending for Wangxian, but I still love/enjoy CQL on my end, because they were able to bring out something, which made me love/appreciate and made me so head over heels in love with this drama, that I wouldn't even mind streaming on my phone using my phone data! I am sad that it has ended! But at the same time, I'm happy because now I don't need to worry about 'the ending' or 'anything bad happening to this drama'. I'm just happy that this drama was able to aired smoothly. Honestly without all these restrictions, I do believe that CQL would have been even better than it is now!

So in the end, I do recommend this to all MDZS fans, and please don't hate on this drama, because it's still great in it's own way!! Don't make this a novel fan vs CQL fan because, that's just sad! Enjoy it for the love, and that we can get this masterpiece adapted, even when it's loosely based on canon, but CQL did their best to give us so much, so let's just be grateful to the cast/production team! <3

Leia Mais

This drama is mainly about the connections between men: familial, friendship and more romantic (though not explicit). The acting/characters in this are superb! Esp. Xiao Zhan (Wei Wu Xian) who is an excellent mix of snarky rebelliousness with a heart of gold.

The show begins on a literal cliff hanger, so I binge watched the first 30 episodes. After that, the plot itself slowed down a lot for me, and I felt that it limped towards the end. The exploitation of power elements were much more interesting than the ghost stories which started to blend together. The ghost/zombie 'action' scenes also got boring : there's not many ways to look cool while playing the flute.

I grade on other criteria as well:

Complex Themes - 8
Lots! Obedience is not the mark of true character; it's helping and advocating for the less fortunate. Be loyal for a lifetime to those who deserve it. Many look rotten on the outside but are good on the inside and vice-versa. Almost everyone can be corrupted by power.
Character Growth -5
There are complex characters, but once the initial reveals happened, there wasn't a lot of growth after episode 10 or so.
Nuanced Women - 3
The characters were fairly static on this show, and the women even more so. Used as plot points instead of active characters of their own.
Cinematography/Production Values - 7
The outdoor/scenery shots are plentiful and add a realistic feel. The CGI and green screen work is better than most C Dramas but still looks cartoon. Most of the production budget seems to be spent on the CGI - costumes/color palettes are the same over many many episodes.

Leia Mais

I love it I can't stop rewatching

I gotta admit that when I first started watching it I couldn't take it seriously. The visual effects were actually not good, we all know that. I also was not a fan of watching old time dramas. As it started it was really confusing, I wasn't understanding anything so I dropped it for several months. This year I decided to keep going, with a more open mind. I was not expecting to get to a point where I didn't want it to end at all. As I kept watching, everything started making sense and I loved the characters more and more. Everything just got me so emotional: Lan Zhan was such a strict guy but he helped the most messy person because not only he was in love but he knew that doing the right thing was beyond following all the rules or being on the other clans' side. Wei Wuxian could be a pain in the ass but he was such a great person and it was so unfair how most people treated him. The couple against the world is one of my favorite tropes and just seeing them together against everyone was everything to me. I also loved so many characters and the villains were so well written and executed. The visual effects could sometimes be terrible but I just laughed at some things like the giant dog. The costumes and soundtrack were impecable in compensation. I finished it and I had to start over 'cause I became an orphan of this series.

Leia Mais

Mystery & Deceit rolled up into a Fantastic Series

First, I want to say that this was my first watching of a Xianxia (I didn't realize before watching this and being told LOL) that this is a separate genre from Wuxia. I'd steered clear of these because I pretty much assumed (wrongly) that they would be all fighting and stuff and I was so super stoked when I fell in love with the layers of plot and that while yes there is some fighting it's not anywhere near the amounts I was expecting. I will definitely be watching more in this genre! :D

I'm not going to layout the plotllines or analyze the characters. Suffice it to say that there are the good, the bad and the ones that irritate and even having said that I think they all worked fine within the script. One of the things that I enjoyed most/appreciated most was that there was a constant thread of mystery going on through the series. And even better--it was well explained at the end so that there were no gaping plotholes (or at least I didn't notice any. I'll be rewatching it again and again so maybe if there are and I missed them I might notice them then--but I'll still enjoy it!

I fully admit that there were a few scenes that made me cry (ok, maybe even sob once!) but even so the ending was far more upbeat than I had ever hoped!

I have read that this was heavily censored--but I didn't feel like that seriously impacted the story. The 2 MLs were so perfect and there were a lot of meaningful looks, small stances of body language and musical cues that let you watch it either as a Bromance or BL Romance (depending on how you prefer to interpret it).

If you're on the fence about watching this--do it! It really, truly is worth it!

Leia Mais

Masterpiece, Mind-blowing ,Fantastic

This is most most most and most fantastic, mind-blowing, masterpiece drama. I never liked any drama like untamed. The main lead are like made for each other. Every character was too good in their role. It is funny, emotional, sweet and cute drama.
I cried a lot,I laughed a lot and I enjoyed the most. No matter how many times I watch the emotional scene I cry the same as first time.
There was not any kiss scene not even a single kiss in cheek but also it was too romantic and Wei ying and Lan Zhan never confess the felling they have got for each other but they seem like soul mate 💗 (even though I hope there was a kiss scene and confession 😙)
Some episode were scary too but not too much 😃
No one can describe about this drama clearly because no one can find the words to describe about it.
But the saddest part is that the ending was not satisfied 😩 I think 97% percent of viewers didn't like ending.
It's been three years but I still want season 2 .
Not only me but every viewers are waiting for season 2 till now with same cast .
#stillwaitingforseason2
#season2withsamecast
#hopeyouwillunderstandourfelling
#season2
#season2

Leia Mais

Simply a masterpiece!

I would definitely give ratings more than 10 if it was possible. This is my first ever c-drama and I absolutely loved it! The beautiful depiction of the friendship of Wei Ying💜 and Lan Zhan💞 is just on the next level. Their friendship makes me feel that even though the whole world stands against you, one true friend is enough to face the challenges of the world. Wei Ying's naughtiness and ways of making Lan Zhan smile will surely warm your heart and bring a smile on your face. Lan Zhan's cute and short smile☺ is just endearing!! The plot twists and the whole plot of the story is just unimaginable. In short, this drama is a masterpiece!!!✨✨

Leia Mais

The BEST BL/Bromance I've Ever Watched

This drama had been on my watch list for years. I finally got to watch it last year. At first, I didn't understand much of the plot because it doesn't start in order without much context. However, as I continued watching, I found myself binging every episode. I thought I would get bored after a couple episodes; 50 episodes did look like a lot. But in reality, 50 episodes is just not enough... the things I would do to watch more.

Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan did Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian JUSTICE!! I absolutely cannot imagine these characters being played by anyone else. Due to China's strict rules on non-hetero relationships in entertainment, I was a bit nervous on how they will turn a BL novel into a bromance drama. However, despite there being no kisses or direct love confessions, watchers could feel their love. This drama is the best example of how actions speak louder than words!!!! The supporting cast also did an amazing job. The acting and casting was a 10000/10.

The storyline was also very easy to get into as long as you stay attentive. I love fantasy and action, so this drama was my type of drama. I would rewatch it again in a heartbeat. The character dynamics is top notch.

THE OST!!! Wuji was on replay everyday after I finished this drama. It made me cry every time. I don't think I ever moved on from this drama despite watching it a year ago. It is just toooo good. PLEASE watch this drama, you won't regret it.

Leia Mais

This show might just be perfect.

I can rarely watch a show more than once, but I've watched this twice and could probably watch it again a few more times without getting bored and despite it being 50 episodes long, it's THAT good. Despite the changes and deviations from the novel, this show still managed to tell a fantastic and interesting story, it goes beyond being a BL drama, it's a genuinely great story and plot which just happens to have an incredible same-sex lead couple, that's how I saw it. Censorship aside, the actors who play Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are brilliant at letting the audience know they're (ultimately) more than friends in the moments where it counts. It's excellent and doesn't detract or feel like an aside from the story plot, in fact, their relationship is what brings the entire plot together so well. The pace and narrative are all on point, the cliche's are few and subtle enough to not be annoying and the chemistry between all of the main cast members was comfortable and organic, whether friend or foe in the show. BL fan or not, this show is worth watching.

Leia Mais

As the quarantine is on-going, might as well make a review to the best Historical Chinese drama I've watched. I hardly watch chinese historical dramas as most of the time i drop it after giving it a try, but I never expected I will be so hooked watching this drama; despite it having a lot of episodes which i rarely watch unless the plot is really good. For beginners in historical genre, I think this drama is the best to watch. I'm glad that I watched this drama after lot of hesitations. No words can explain how much I love this drama. This drama influenced me in watching other historical dramas. There are a lot of characters in this drama, the character of wei wu xuan was very complex but was portrayed really well by sean xiao (xiao zhan). I also love how the character of wei wu xuan and lan wang ji was expressed in this drama. Even though some of the actors are beginners the acting of the actors in this drama was great! As for the plot, I was actually confused at first with a lot of things going on, but as I watch per episode I can't stop myself from watching as the story is very interesting having it based from a novel. 10/10 for the plot! Watching this series is actually a rollercoaster of emotions for the watchers, but I assure you that it is definitely a kind of drama that will keep you wanting for more. This drama will always have a special place in my heart, and will always be one of my favorite chinese historical dramas.

Leia Mais