So You Want To Watch The Untamed
A Primer By Me, Your #1 Untamed Watcher Friend
What’s It About?
First off, our main character, the notorious necromancer Wei Wuxian, dies.
Then he wakes up.
It’s been 16 years, and he has no idea who would resurrect him - with his terrible reputation? yikes - or why. Also, his crush from his first life keeps inconveniently showing up while he’s trying to figure out the mystery. Almost as if he recognizes him…
Interesting. I Do Like Crushes And Necromancy. Go On.
Chen Qing Ling or The Untamed is a queer fantasy love story/mystery/adventure that follows many of the genre conventions of xianxia, a Chinese fantasy genre influenced by mythology and martial arts. Xianxia literally means “immortal heroes” and features protagonists who are trying to cultivate their qi to improve their magical skills, strength, and eventually lifespan, a fictional pursuit loosely based on the real Daoist practice of cultivation. Practitioners are referred to as “cultivators” and you will hear them reference their dantian or “golden core”, the central source of qi in the body, and their “meridians”, through which qi travels. (A strange note to have to make but it’s gonna come up: occasionally you will see cultivators cough up blood, which has to do with experiencing intense emotion, which affects the meridians - nothing to do with tuberculosis, don’t worry, nobody is dying and everything is fine.) Cultivators study for years to develop their spiritual energy and often travel around helping nonmagical folk with magical problems.
The book The Untamed is based on, Mo Dao Zu Shi or The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, is explicitly queer, while the live-action show had to be adapted to pass Chinese government censorship of queer storylines and instead is as loudly implicit as it is possible to be about how much the two leads love each other. (I’ll get into exactly what I mean in the Lightly Spoilery section below.) Other adaptations of this very popular book are able to be more explicit about the romance: there is an audio drama, a comic, an animated show, and the English translation of the novel itself is being released in volumes. If you’re looking for the fastest way to get into this story, the animated show is super fun, but if you’re in it for 12/10 heights of romance and swooning, you’re gonna need to settle in for the live action show.
Another thing that gets censored in The Untamed: the zombies. Since the entire story is about the rise and fall of a powerful necromancer, this occasionally makes it tough for the show to convey, like, the actual plot that is supposed to be happening. There are a few reasons why you can’t have zombies in your Chinese show, but unfortunately it seems to boil down to: censorship is arbitrary. Someone decided zombies are Bad and now everyone in The Untamed has to go to great lengths to explain that the growling people shuffling around are “puppets” who are alive, actually, and will be fine later. Basically, every time a character begins a long explanation related to puppets, you can just mentally think “zombies” and congratulations! You have successfully figured out what’s going on.
I’ve Never Seen a C-Drama Before, Please Help Me
If you’ve ever seen a soap opera, you’re essentially good to go. C-dramas are long (The Untamed is a cool 50 episodes), plotty, and emotional, with twists and turns and a lot of screen time devoted to eye contact underscored by dramatic musical cues. I’ve seen some very high budget c-dramas and some extremely cheap green-screen-and-rubber-costume situations, and I would place The Untamed squarely in the middle: most of the money in The Untamed goes to cool outfits, beautiful locations, and wires to fly people around on, with basically none left over for lighting or CGI. Go into it expecting effects that are Not Great and you’ll be all set, and maybe even pleasantly surprised once or twice.
IMPORTANT NOTE: C-dramas are dubbed!!! Almost every single actor in every single c-drama I’ve ever seen is dubbed, oftentimes by the actor themselves. Part of the reason for this is the Chinese government’s investment in standardizing accents across media, but a big reason is that many fantasy or historical dramas are filmed in Hengdian World Studios, a massive film studio built on acres of farmland that includes, among other things, an entire replica Summer Palace. There are usually several productions filming simultaneously at Hengdian, meaning that most of the audio they get is totally unusable and has to be recreated in the studio later. Hence, everybody is dubbed. Though it can take getting used to, the silver lining of all the dubbing is that it makes important terms and names MUCH easier to pick out if you’re a second language viewer!
Some Untamed-Specific Notes
The Pacing
I’m gonna be real with you: the first two episodes do not make any sense on first viewing. At all. This is okay, and normal, and you’re doing great. At the end of the second episode, the show enters a 35 episode flashback (yes, I wrote the correct number of episodes there), after which the first two episodes will not only make more sense but also be emotionally crushing in several different ways. Yay! I’d say by about episode 5 I was getting the hang of things and invested in what was going on, and by episode 7 I was absolutely permanently gone on these characters and willing to wait however many episodes it would be. The romance is a slow burn and the show is essentially structured around getting the most out of that payoff, so the show’s priorities are definitely in the right place.
The Subtitles
The subtitles are doing their best, but this is a fantasy show and there are a LOT of names, terms, and concepts that would be tough to explain in English with a couple of minutes to do so, let alone .5 seconds of subtitles. I’m going to round up what I think my own biggest questions were on first viewing, based mostly on the Netflix subtitles (The Untamed is also on Viki and the special edition is on YouTube, both of which have their own excitingly different subtitle issues). This will be the spoiler-free section; later I’ll get into some lightly spoilery stuff that I think is either helpful to know or interesting and cool.
Who Are These People
There are a lot of characters in this drama, all from different sects with particular traits and politics. AND most of the main characters have several names they are referred to and addressed by. It’s a lot. But I’m here to help! And the sects are color-coded!
Naming Conventions
In xianxia stories like this (and in actual ancient history across East Asia), people have both given names and courtesy names. Your courtesy name is the one strangers use, the one you sign documents with, the one most people know. It’s formal and appropriate regardless of context. Your given name, on the other hand, is a little more intimate, and people don’t usually call each other their given names unless they are related or emotionally close. This creates great narrative opportunities to signal growing intimacy with the forms of address the characters are using with each other (or, in Wei Wuxian’s case, to signal that someone has no boundaries by calling their crush by their given name immediately without permission). Think Regency romance: when the leads address each other by their first names for the first time, it’s a huge moment.
Important figures can also have titles, and most of our main characters do (or eventually gain them). Additionally, in Mandarin people often refer to and address each other by their relationship - older sister, maternal uncle, second brother, and so on. Here’s a short list of relationship names/forms of address you might hear, but never see - Netflix apparently finds this important aspect of the show unnecessary so you are only going to see “Wei” in the subtitles when someone is saying “Wei-gongzi” etc. (All forms of address go after the name of the person.) I have added a terrible pronunciation guide, you’re welcome.
Gongzi (gohng-ZZZ) - “young master”
Guniang (gwun-NYAHNG) - “lady”
Xiong (shyohng)- “bro”, “friend”, “buddy”
Qianbei (chyen-BAY) - “elder”, “teacher”
Ge/gege (guh/GUH-guh) - “older brother”
Di/didi (dee/DEE-dee) - “younger brother”
Jie/jiejie (jyeh/JYEH-jyeh) - “older sister”
Jiu/jiujiu (jyoh/JYOH-jyoh) - “maternal uncle”
Shu/shushu (shoo/SHOO-shoo) - “paternal uncle”
Our main boy Wei Wuxian is informally adopted, so he calls his siblings shijie (SHH-jyeh), “older martial sister”, and shidi (SHH-dee), “younger martial brother”, meaning they were raised together and trained together, but they are not related.
Nicknames also appear a lot! Jiang Yanli calls her brothers “A-Xian” and “A-Cheng”, where adding “A-” to a name is an affectionate prefix roughly analogous to saying like “Danny” instead of “Daniel”. (You will only see “Xian” and “Cheng” in the subtitles.)
And here’s a longer list of forms of address used in The Untamed! Thanks, fandom!
If you’re interested in more about how Chinese naming conventions work and are pronounced, specifically with respect to The Untamed, this is a great guide as well.
The Main Cast
Wei Wuxian
Our main character, our good-time boy, our sweet cheese. He is an angel and a huge gremlin. He can’t remember things that happened to him yesterday, and he would defend you with his life. He plays magical flute and likes to wear red and black.
Courtesy Name: Wei Wuxian
Given Name: Wei Ying
Title: Yiling Laozu or “The Yiling Patriarch”
Lan Wangji
Would rather die than make one (1) facial expression. No friends because people are stupid. Invented the kind of sarcasm that sounds like being polite. Still waters run extremely, extremely deep, oh my god the force of this man’s emotions will break you. Plays magical guqin.
Courtesy Name: Lan Wangji
Given Name: Lan Zhan
Title: Hanguang Jun or “Light Bearing Lord”
Jiang Cheng
So angry and nowhere to put it. Excellent at most things but unfortunately his adoptive brother Wei Wuxian is better at all of those things, somehow. A good boy but gets no credit for it. Loves his siblings more than anything else in the world.
Courtesy Name: Jiang Wanyin (hilariously, absolutely no one calls him this except when he’s in Big Trouble)
Given Name: Jiang Cheng
Title: Sandu Shengshou or “Three Poisons” (Buddhist concept. The 3 poisons are ignorance, attachment, and aversion/hatred)
Jiang Yanli
A gentle cinnamon roll. Little to no cultivation powers for unexplained vaguely medical reasons, excellent however at making soup and mothering her two rapscallion brothers. Deserves the world.
Courtesy Name: Jiang Yanli
Given Name: none/unknown
Title: none
Jin Zixuan
It’s hard to be anything but a self-important jerk when your dad is the richest guy in the entire cultivation world. Technically, he is doing his best, which, yes, is a little sad.
Courtesy Name: Jin Zixuan
Given Name: unknown
Title: none
Wen Qing
A medical genius who will absolutely cut you in a non-medical way. Has a baby brother to take care of and no time for main characters and their romance shenanigans.
Courtesy Name: Wen Qing
Given Name: none/unknown
Title: none
Wen Ning
Said baby brother. Medically fragile, has never done anything wrong in his entire life. I love him.
Courtesy Name: Wen Qionglin (nobody calls him this)
Given Name: Wen Ning
Title: Gui Jiangjun or “The Ghost General”
Nie Huaisang
Every Day I Am Forced To Do Cultivation When All I Want To Do Is Paint Fans. Very smart, very useless. Constantly in trouble but his big brother will handle it.
Courtesy Name: Nie Huaisang
Given Name: unknown
Title: The Head-Shaker (as in shaking your head while saying, “I don’t know anything!”)
Nie Mingjue
The leader of the Nie sect and Huaisang’s extremely long-suffering older brother. Fierce and loyal.
Courtesy Name: Nie Mingjue
Given Name: unknown
Title: Chifeng Zun or “Crimson Blade Lord”
Lan Xichen
A slightly older version of Lan Wangji with added social skills. People like him, unlike his brother, who he prays every day will make simply one friend. Is in the market for a cute lower-class boyfriend.
Courtesy Name: Lan Xichen
Given Name: Lan Huan
Title: Zewu Jun (tough to translate but sort of like “the lord who is generous and quiet, like a meadow”)
Meng Yao
Lower-class boyfriend-shaped.
Courtesy Name: it’s complicated
Given Name: it’s complicated
Title: it’s complicated
Cultivation Sects in The Untamed
Gusu Lan Sect
Colors: Light blue, white
Location: Cloud Recesses in Gusu
Their deal: Cultivation through music, vegetarianism, being strict and learnéd
Who’s in charge as of 16 years ago: Lan Qiren, Lan Wangji’s uncle
Lanling Jin Sect
Colors: Gold, yellow, white
Location: Jinlintai or Koi Tower (or “Carp Tower”, thanks for nothing Netflix subtitles) in Lanling
Their deal: Superiority, being richer than god
Who’s in charge as of 16 years ago: Jin Guangshan, Jin Zixuan’s dad
Yunmeng Jiang Sect
Colors: Purple, dark blue, turquoise
Location: Lotus Pier in Yunmeng
Their deal: Honesty, adventurous spirit, swimming
Who’s in charge as of 16 years ago: Jiang Fengmian, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli’s dad and Wei Wuxian’s caretaker
Qinghe Nie Sect
Colors: Gray, silver, brown
Location: The Unclean Realm in Qinghe
Their deal: Warlike zeal, brute strength
Who’s in charge as of 16 years ago: Nie Mingjue, Nie Huaisang’s older brother
Qishan Wen Sect
Colors: Red
Location: Nightless City in Qishan
Their deal: Zombies, being evil, living in an active volcano
Who’s in charge as of 16 years ago: Wen Ruohan
This Is All Very Helpful But I Was Promised A Sweeping Romance
Well you’re gonna get one!!! The heart of this show is a long, drawn-out slow burn that treats every current shift in the relationship between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji as worthy of attention, so regardless of what’s going on in the plot, you are also getting a heaping side of Pining and Yearning. Regency romance is really not far off the mark here; stories set in Regency England and ancient China are both focused on societies that value elegant manners and buttoned-up emotions, meaning that the smallest of interactions looms large between characters. The chemistry between the two leads in The Untamed is off the charts, and they sell the heck out of the building tension, but the show also sneaks in a bunch of “if you know you know” style clues about their romance that can be helpful (and fun!) to know in advance. These are all light spoilers for the show!
The Headband
Lan disciples all wear sacred headbands that represent their commitment to Lan discipline and mark them as members of the clan. Lan Wangji tells Wei Wuxian in episode 6 that no one may touch another person’s headband unless they are blood relatives or that person’s significant other. About fifteen minutes of screentime later, Lan Wangji wraps his headband around both of their wrists in a visual that deliberately recalls handfasting. There are several other occasions in the show when Wei Wuxian touches or handles Lan Wangji’s headband with absolutely no comment from the cultivation world’s number one rule follower Lan Wangji.
Rabbits
Lan Wangji loves rabbits, and in episode 7 Wei Wuxian elicits Lan Wangji’s first on-screen smile by painting a rabbit for him. Rabbits are used throughout the show to signify their growing relationship in part because the Chinese god of gay men is called The Rabbit God. At one point, two rabbits touch noses in a sneaky lil representational kiss.
Zhiji
By episode 7, Wei Wuxian is already referring to Lan Wangji (in front of his relatives no less!) as his zhiji or “soulmate” (the subtitles often use “confidant” here). A zhiji is not necessarily romantic, but it is deeply intimate - the one person on earth who understands you, who is your other half. People don’t say it lightly.
Wangxian
While trapped in a cave after a fight with a monster in episode 14, a feverish and injured Wei Wuxian requests that Lan Wangji sing to him. The song Lan Wangji hums is an original composition; when Wei Wuxian asks its name as he is drifting to sleep, Lan Wangji tells him that the song is called “Wangxian”, which combines a syllable from each of their names. Wei Wuxian doesn’t retain this title in his memory and Lan Wangji never performs “Wangxian” for almost anyone else, which is why when Wei Wuxian plays it on the flute 16 years later (in episode 2), Lan Wangji knows for certain that Wei Wuxian really has risen from the dead. (*Fun fact: the title of the song in real life is “Wuji”, which is just the other two syllables of their first names combined. Romance!)
They Get Married
Traditional Chinese marriage ceremonies involve three bows: once to Heaven and Earth, once to the parents and elders, and once to each other. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji perform all three of these bows on separate occasions throughout the show, with the third and final bow occurring in the Jiang ancestral shrine in episode 46.
A few other things happen in the show purely to remind the viewer of marriage: in episode 36, Lan Wangji is drunk and careening around town doing shenanigans. He steals two chickens from a nearby coop and hands them to Wei Wuxian, asking if he thinks they’re good. Why? Another ancient Chinese marriage tradition involves the groom gifting chickens to the bride, either as part of the proposal or during the marriage ceremony itself. Later on in the show, they also gift a young child lucky money, which is traditionally something married couples do together.
I am deliberately not mentioning another thing the show includes to show that they are married, and that’s because it’s a heavy spoiler, not a light one. You’ll know when you get there.
The Special Edition
The Untamed was so popular that the production company eventually released a supercut of the show for international audiences that condenses the plot and adds back in a bunch of little romantic moments that were cut for censorship reasons - extra seconds of eye contact, a shirtless scene, and the way the ending emphasizes their continuing association with one another. It’s a fun watch but honestly you can also do what I did and just search for the added-back-in content, which only adds up to a few minutes.
Content Warnings and FYIs
Lest you think I am setting you up for 50 episodes of fluffy romance, you should know: dark stuff happens in The Untamed! (I mean, the very first thing that happens onscreen is that the main character dies, so you do kind of know what you’re in for, but still.) Some of the darkest concepts in the book are literally censored in the show, but there is still plenty of the spookiness and upsetting content that you might expect from a story about necromancy and war. Highlight the invisible text for the CWs.
Content warnings: blood, violence, suicide, gore, war, trauma, murder, genocide, child abuse (emotional + physical), alcohol consumption
Offscreen but mentioned: mutilation, dismemberment, torture, incest, necrophilia and rape, implied cannibalism
Yi City
Episodes 38 and 39 are devoted to an essentially self-contained side story about wandering cultivators who meet a grisly and tragic end. A few of the above CWs are just referencing these two episodes. Some people love the Yi City arc, not least for its metaphorical resonances with Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s relationship, which are indeed meaningful and emotional. But I’m gonna be honest, I usually skip Yi City on my rewatches.
I Think That’s It! Time To Hit Netflix
I adore this show and the world it’s about, and I hope you love it too. If this 3000+ word explainer didn’t answer all your questions or convince you fully that this show is for you, here are a few other primers I used to make this one:
A Short, Catchy One From Bustle
One Only A Little Shorter Than This One, Slightly More Spoilery, With Fic Recs At The End
Another Fic Recs Series I Endorse
This Is Just About Fanfiction Now
Thanks for reading and if you end up watching, tell me all about it!!!