The Untamed Television Review
Sep. 19th, 2019 07:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arias_hollowHaving binge-watched this series twice back to back, I think it's time I review it properly. Basically, it's a fantasy/action/drama series taking place in Fantasy Ancient China, where our protagonist Wei Wuxian (Birth Name Wei Ying) is a powerful sorcerer hated among the the cultivation clans (cultivation being how most magic users obtain their magic from the spirits in their swords, and focus on sword fighting while Wei Wuxian uses resentful spirits for his magic and no sword fighting), who is brought back from the dead to fulfill this dude Mo Xuanyu's revenge, which leads to a whole mystery after the 30-episode flashback of 'what insane plot stuff even lead to this guy using wack magic and being dead in the first place'. He does his investigating with the one fella who doesn't hate him at present, Lan Wangji (Birth Name Lan Zhan), who is the Second Lord of the Lan cultivation clan.
This series has 50 episodes, each over 40 minutes long, so one thing that stands out about it is the scale of the story. It covers a lot of big plot events with a lot of different characters and does so well, allowing most of the side-characters to be somewhat fleshed out in their own right as well as giving plenty of time to the main characters. The 30 episodes of flashbacks is so much a plot of its own that none of it felt unnecessary, it's worth the wait to get back to the Present to see how much the characters develop and how certain key events change them. There are a few plot threads that could have been elaborated more perhaps, but that is easily forgiven for how much the majority of the show captures that saga-like feel.
I really adored all of the characters in this series. As mentioned above, there are quite a lot of them, but save for one minor character I thought all really had something going for them, and they all felt unique. The main relationships on the show are incredibly well done and very emotional, and they all feel totally natural too, and you can follow everyone's character motivations whether you agree with them or not. Since this is a drama, the characters being likable or at least interesting is crucial to the enjoyment of the series, and I thought they did a terrific job with them all.
It must also be said the the cinematography, costuming, and especially the sound score are all fantastic. They add a great deal to the overall experience of the series, making the emotive scenes all the more gripping and poignant. And the acting was absolutely spot on, every little expression made the characters feel alive and often said as much if not more than their words. Both the comedic scenes and serious ones are done equally well.
Finally, I was pleased with the pacing and overall plot. For a series with A Lot of tragedy, they balanced it out with enough of the lighter scenes that it didn't just feel like some meaningless oppressive slog, which I really appreciated. And this series mastered the Steadily Escalating Stakes, especially in the flashback arc, where things start off just...shady, a bit troublesome, and then things get worse and worse and worse until finally we are caught up to the present and it almost feels like things are calmer for a bit until suddenly they aren't anymore.
Obviously, I really liked the show. I did watch it twice in a row after all, so I have to give at least a 9/10, possibly a 9.5/10. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming spinoffs, and definitely recommend it to anyone interested in this type of series!
This series has 50 episodes, each over 40 minutes long, so one thing that stands out about it is the scale of the story. It covers a lot of big plot events with a lot of different characters and does so well, allowing most of the side-characters to be somewhat fleshed out in their own right as well as giving plenty of time to the main characters. The 30 episodes of flashbacks is so much a plot of its own that none of it felt unnecessary, it's worth the wait to get back to the Present to see how much the characters develop and how certain key events change them. There are a few plot threads that could have been elaborated more perhaps, but that is easily forgiven for how much the majority of the show captures that saga-like feel.
I really adored all of the characters in this series. As mentioned above, there are quite a lot of them, but save for one minor character I thought all really had something going for them, and they all felt unique. The main relationships on the show are incredibly well done and very emotional, and they all feel totally natural too, and you can follow everyone's character motivations whether you agree with them or not. Since this is a drama, the characters being likable or at least interesting is crucial to the enjoyment of the series, and I thought they did a terrific job with them all.
It must also be said the the cinematography, costuming, and especially the sound score are all fantastic. They add a great deal to the overall experience of the series, making the emotive scenes all the more gripping and poignant. And the acting was absolutely spot on, every little expression made the characters feel alive and often said as much if not more than their words. Both the comedic scenes and serious ones are done equally well.
Finally, I was pleased with the pacing and overall plot. For a series with A Lot of tragedy, they balanced it out with enough of the lighter scenes that it didn't just feel like some meaningless oppressive slog, which I really appreciated. And this series mastered the Steadily Escalating Stakes, especially in the flashback arc, where things start off just...shady, a bit troublesome, and then things get worse and worse and worse until finally we are caught up to the present and it almost feels like things are calmer for a bit until suddenly they aren't anymore.
Obviously, I really liked the show. I did watch it twice in a row after all, so I have to give at least a 9/10, possibly a 9.5/10. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming spinoffs, and definitely recommend it to anyone interested in this type of series!
