Like many others, The Untamed TV series was my gateway into the Chinese danmei subculture. After seeing one million billion tumblr posts about pretty sword boys, my wife and I hopped on Youtube (this was back before the paywall) and watched the whole series with rapt attention. Xianxia had a bit of everything we loved: history, religion, homoeroticism, supernatural shenanigans, layered mysteries, and complex characters. We wanted more, which led to reading Scum Villain Self-Saving System, Heaven Official’s Blessing, and, finally, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. The MXTX circle is complete!

After a fiery death as the cultivation world’s villainous demonic cultivator, Wei Wuxian is surprised to wake up in a new body, with a new name, and newly running into his old colleagues. The reason for his new life–and how it all came to this point–are the ongoing mysteries of the series. Also. Why does Lan Zhan keep looking at him like that? 

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation the novel and its television adaptation The Untamed pair shockingly well together. I like both equally, which is a rare occurrence. The book’s jumbled timeline didn’t add much to the mystery, tension, or themework. It was complication for complication’s sake. The show rightly smoothed all past scenes into one long flashback before returning to the present to finish off the mysteries there. The 50 episode run time also filled in characters, like Jiang YanLi and Wen Qing, which made their fates all the more poignant. On the other hand, Seven Seas didn’t skimp on the queerness and intimate scenes. China’s homophobic censorship team can stuff it. Though I’m not familiar with Mandarin, the first couple volumes’ translation felt shaky, but everything smoothed by volume four.

While I adored the plot and characters, I was most impressed by how MXTX discussed modern problems in a fantastical historical setting. While Scum Villain focused on one sect, Grandmaster expanded to include multiple sects and their politics. The General PublicTM holds true one version of events, but the actual truth holds much more nuance and depth. Don’t take stories at face value–investigate. Wei Wuxian may have never touched a smartphone, but he knows the painful reality of gossip, (self-)righteousness, confirmation bias, and cancel culture. I ate it up.

Overall, I highly, highly recommend both the novel and TV series of Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian’s love story. Seven Seas’s five volumes are treasured in this household. If you’re looking to get into danmei, it’s the perfect place to start. If you decide to watch the show first, I’d recommend reading the linked primer on xianxia and danmei concepts. The powerpoint will help you understand what’s going on in the first few episodes.

An Intro to the Untamed by Porcupine-Girl: https://porcupine-girl.tumblr.com/post/638176107593711616/still-not-sure-whats-up-with-the-untamed-and-at

My review of Scum Villain, Vol 1: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f797e4a5-9dc6-4810-bedd-0b2704a871b0

My review of Heaven Official’s Blessing, Vol 1: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/7ee6755d-ec9e-4ff1-a3ab-c4e0c133ca75