The Untamed (Chen Qing Ling/陈情令 in Chinese) is a fifty-episode Chinese web series about two powerful cultivators searching for their shared path in a fantastical version of Ancient China, where the only thing more dangerous than demonic cultivation is political intrigue. The series is based on the webnovel Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu.
The majority of The Untamed‘s story is told in a long flashback, showing us the first meeting of the devil-may-care young Wei Wuxian (played by Xiao Zhan) and the aloof young Lan Wangji (played by Wang Yibo). The two clash initially, with Wei Wuxian’s carefree ways infuriating the rule-abiding Lan Wangji. They soon realize they must work together to hunt down the scattered pieces of the Yin Iron—a substance infused with demonic energy that must not fall into the wrong hands. But that’s easier said than done, and events conspire to drive them apart, leaving viewers to wonder whether they will ever be reunited.
Netflix: the moment danmei went supernova
First released in China during the summer of 2019 by Tencent Video, early adopters in the English-speaking fandom had the chance to watch The Untamed with English subtitles as it aired on Tencent’s international platform, WeTV. Word of mouth was positive, and audiences were enthusiastic. But it wasn’t until October 2019, when all 50 episodes appeared on Netflix, that things really took off.
It’s no understatement to say that the release of The Untamed on Netflix was the moment at which danmei fandom went mainstream in the Anglosphere. There were think-pieces and reviews on major news websites, and fans gathered on social media outlets like Twitter, Tumblr and Discord to share their enthusiasm. For many, The Untamed was their introduction to danmei, and their love for the show led them to try other popular series and embrace a whole new genre.
But what made The Untamed so compelling? The answer is simple: Wangxian.
Wangxian: apparently they invented love
The release of a hugely successful series based on an already popular novel sent the growing danmei fandom into overdrive. The number of fans skyrocketed. People shared stories of starting the first few episodes of The Untamed to see what all the fuss was about, only to find themselves emerging bleary-eyed 50 episodes later with a new hyperfixation. Fans were enraptured by “Wangxian,” the affectionate nickname for the pairing of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.
The story had already captured a devoted audience in its original form, the serialized webnovel Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi/魔道祖师 in Chinese). Originally published on JJWXC, a major Chinese web publisher of serialized online novels, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation was already hugely popular in China and was an underground hit in the West thanks to online fan translations. The core appeal of the novel is the love story between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, which is explicitly a romance.
As an adaptation, The Untamed was subject to censorship from the Chinese authorities, so the central relationship between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji was officially changed to friendship. But the romance between the two characters lingered in subtext, with longing looks and meaningful gestures that its fans interpreted as anything but platonic. Official translations, including the Netflix translation, even referred to them as “soulmates.”
The Wangxian pairing is at the heart of the show’s popularity, but the key to its success is how well the two leads work as individuals. Wei Wuxian is an irreverent joker and cultivation prodigy. After going through a terrible ordeal for the sake of his clan, he takes up demonic cultivation and struggles to balance his desire to protect the weak with his fragile grip on the inherently dangerous art. And yes, he swaggers around in sexy gothic black the entire time.
The Untamed: The Official Artbook (Hardcover)
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This stunning hardcover collection is a full-color guide to the rich world of historical fantasy The Untamed. This full-color hardcover (300+ pages long) is an art-and-text guide featuring beautiful shots from the show, character features, cast interviews, explorations of fashion and settings, illustrations and concept art, song lyrics, and more!
Meanwhile, Lan Wangji is a stickler for the rules, and his cultivation talent manifests via strict discipline. But with Wei Wuxian at his side, he begins to understand that sometimes rules have to be broken, and he remains loyal to Wei Wuxian to the end when everyone else has abandoned him. As he strides around like an ice queen, Wang Yibo does his best to look tall enough (it was said that production had to make him stand on a box in a lot of scenes), and always wears stark white that contrasts with Wei Wuxian’s goth-style blacks. On the surface, these two are nothing but contrasts–yet they believe in the same values and are drawn to each other again and again. The dynamic is a heady one.
The supporting cast: they’re great too
Surrounding Wangxian are a cast of characters who are just as compelling in their own right. There’s Wei Wuxian’s martial brother Jiang Cheng, who fears he will never be Wei Wuxian’s equal, and their brave and loyal sister Jiang Yanli, whose relationship with the spoiled young master Jin Zixuan has far-reaching repercussions. There’s also Lan Wangji’s wise and gentle elder brother, Lan Xichen, and Lan Xichen’s best friend, Meng Yao, the unacknowledged son of a powerful clan leader whose attempts to prove himself have consequences for the entire cast. Each character and their various relationships also have their devoted followings, and reams of fanfiction and fanart.
The start of bigger things for danmei
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, the novel that inspired The Untamed, had previously only been available in English in the form of unofficial fan translations. Thanks to the show’s popularity and a general wave of enthusiasm for danmei as a whole, it wasn’t long before the novel was officially licensed in the West. In August 2021, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they had acquired the license to publish the novel in English, and did so in five volumes released over two years. The series immediately shot to the top of the New York Times’ bestseller list based on preorders alone.
More and more English-language licenses were announced for official translations of works of other popular authors, while other live-action adaptations such as Word of Honor (2021) and Guardian (2018) gained large audiences and active English-language fanbases. The phenomenon was no longer just about The Untamed. It was official: danmei had arrived in the West.
The impact of The Untamed – danmei and dangai in the west
The incredible popularity of The Untamed had a huge domino effect. A plethora of other live-action danmei adaptations—also known as dangai—were greenlit, including such popular series as Word of Honor (based on author priest’s Faraway Wanderers) and Immortality (based on author Meatbun’s The Husky and His White Cat Shizun). Word of Honor was another huge hit. Much like The Untamed, it went right up to the line in terms of depicting a subtextual romance between the two leads, who were canonically lovers in the original webnovel. It looked like a dangai boom was well and truly underway.
However, the live-action adaptation of The Husky and his White Cat Shizun was suddenly shelved and never released, even though all fifty episodes had already been filmed. There has been no official confirmation that the production and release of danmei adaptations as a whole are forever banned, but no more have been forthcoming despite the continuing danmei boom.
The Untamed also sent the career of lead actor Xiao Zhan into the stratosphere. Xiao Zhan played Wei Wuxian and garnered a huge and devoted fanbase—and inevitably, some controversy became attached to his name. In 2020, a number of his fans reported the fanfiction website Archive Of Our Own (AO3) to the Chinese government for hosting RPF (real person fanfiction) featuring him. Shortly afterwards, AO3 was blocked in China by the government firewall. While there has been no definitive confirmation that these actions led to AO3 being blocked, many Chinese users of AO3 held Xiao Zhan and his fans responsible and criticized him heavily. The incident was high-profile enough that it even appeared in mainstream news reports.
But none of that could dampen enthusiasm for The Untamed. The show remained hugely popular—and more and more danmei continued to be licensed in English, raising the profile of the genre yet further.
More of The Untamed: live concert, special edition and spinoff movies
If you can’t get enough of The Untamed itself, you could check out the recording of the live The Untamed concert, which took place in Nanjing on November 2, 2019. A concert tour across North America was planned for 2020, but was unfortunately canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Watch The Untamed: Concert in Nanjing (2019) on the following streaming services:
Fans can also check out The Untamed Special Edition, which was released in 2020. The original 50-episode run was cut down to 20, with a greater focus on the Wangxian relationship. It also includes some additional footage–including Lan Wangji without his shirt on.
Watch The Untamed: Special Edition (2020) on the following streaming services:
There are also two spinoff movies. The Untamed: Fatal Journey delves deeper into the relationship between half-brothers Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang, and The Untamed: The Living Dead features the Ghost General Wen Ning and Lan Sizhui reconciling with their traumatic pasts after the original series’ conclusion.
Watch spinoff film The Untamed: Fatal Journey (2020) on the following streaming services:
Watch spinoff film The Untamed: The Living Dead (2019) on the following streaming services:
Other adaptations of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: novels, animated series, and graphic novels
If The Untamed itself isn’t enough, the original Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation novel is licensed in English by publisher Seven Seas Entertainment. All five volumes are available in North America, though availability in Europe and other areas of the world may vary. There’s also a donghua (animated series) and manhua (graphic novel) adaptation. The translated manhua is currently being released in English by Seven Seas and the The Founder of Diabolism donghua is complete and currently available to watch on multiple streaming services. Also available to stream is the adorable parody spin-off series, The Founder of Diabolism Q, featuring the cast as chibi versions of themselves.
Check out our book catalogue for a comprehensive list of where to buy the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi novels, manhua, and artbooks in English.
More danmei novels from the author of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation
As for the author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (known as MXTX by her fans), she has two other popular series available to read in English: The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong and Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu, both also published by Seven Seas.
If you loved The Untamed and want to try more of her work, we recommend checking out both series. Scum Villain is a parody of the “trapped in another world” or isekai genre with profound emotional beats, and Heaven Official’s Blessing is a centuries-spanning story of epic love that still has MXTX’s signature comedic touch.
Merchandise for The Untamed and Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation
If you’re a fan of The Untamed and want to buy merchandise, there’s plenty available in North America. (If you live outside North America, always check the delivery information and shipping charges before ordering!) Some of the most popular merch includes acrylic standees, figurines, soundtracks, prints, and even jewelry and full cosplay outfits.
The most popular sites to buy The Untamed merchandise in North America are listed below.
Conclusion: so that’s The Untamed
It’s impossible to overstate the impact The Untamed has had on the cultural landscape. Its popularity spearheaded the rise of danmei in China and its breakthrough in the West, creating a genre boom that shows no sign of slowing down. The original novel is now a New York Times-bestselling series, available in English in five beautiful volumes filled with gorgeous illustrations. There’s the graphic novel/manhua, which retains the explicit romance of the original–and of course, there’s the animated donghua, and even the audio drama. Fans can enjoy the story in different formats, again and again.
It’s not hard to understand why the series has such a huge and devoted fanbase. The show’s legacy is assured, but what makes The Untamed so special is not just its epic story, its incredible cast and gorgeous costumes, or even its role in bringing danmei into the mainstream—it’s the timeless love story between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. Their romance has staying power that brings fans back to watch and re-watch how they find each other against all odds.
