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The Untamed versus Word of Honor: Which is the better Chinese drama?
Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo’s The Untamed as well as Zhang Zhe Han and Gong Jun’s Word of Honor, both have a massive fanbase.
Wuxia and Xianxia dramas have been favourites of fans around the world for many years now. With their grandiose settings and handsome actors, they are easy crowd pullers. What makes them even more fantastic are these detailed storylines which have been inspired from famous novels. But what are they all about?
Wuxia and Xianxia
They are genres of Chinese fiction which highlights skilled and powerful warriors who use martial arts as a form of expression and protection as well as immortal beings who wield magic. Two of the most loved and talked about novels which have been adapted into equally fabulous shows, The Untamed and Word of Honor. As both hail with a male-male soulmates storyline, the shows are quite the eye-pleasing creations. While they each have a magnanimous fanbase, separate for the literary and the live adaptations, they harbor multiple similarities which makes it inevitable to do a comparison.
The Untamed
Adapted from the Chinese novel Mo Dao Zu Shi, it stars Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo in the lead roles of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji respectively. The story exchanges between the present and the past where Wei Wuxian first entered a sacred sect with his clan members to receive training. There he meets the righteous and calm Lan Wangji who is different from him on so many levels. However, Lan Wangji is his soulmate who continues to stay by his side throughout the many tough times that await him. The Untamed runs around a secret discovered by the two that would upend the many sects of the land. Over time circumstances make Wei Wuxian lose his spiritual power and he is banished to the Burial Mounds where his practice of the demonic cultivations is heavily frowned upon by the other sects. A series of unfortunate events make him fight against the many sects and he ends up killing many members of other clans, including those close to him. He ends up dead, unable to handle the guilt of his actions. His rebirth is marred with the aim of revenge and his return is only recognised by his soulmate who then joins him on his journey to reveal the truth.
Word of Honor
Adapted from the Chinese novel Faraway Wanderers, Zhang Ze Han stars as Zhou Zi Shu while Gong Jun plays Wen Ke Xing. Word of Honor is the story of redemption of two companions who cross paths and bear different goals at the start which end up getting intertwined on multiple occasions. As the former leader of The Window of Heaven, Zhou Zi Shu has only three years left to live however he now wanders aimlessly seeking freedom. Wen Ke Xing is out for the blood of the murderers of his parents and is a cheerful soul with a hidden sadness in his heart. The two discover a hidden secret about the Glazed Armor, which creates chaos in the land as they go on a hunt for the five pieces that supposedly complete it. Zhou Zi Shu is a respected man with many skills and harbors the guilt of the end of his clan. The course of the show reveals the palace politics and the inter-clan clashes to be the reason behind the death of his people. Wen Ke Xing uses the facade of being the chief of Ghost Valley to develop his plan and launches the “ghosts” under him to avenge the death of his parents and discover many untold and horrifying happenings while doing so.
Which one is better?
The Untamed relies heavily on its storyline as it goes back and forth between its timelines while Word of Honor focuses on its cinematography to lure the viewers, that is not saying that either of them are lacking in the said categories. The Untamed comes to an almost happy ending, as the show does not fully capture the novel’s nuances and the two leads head to a mountain where they frequently meet. On the other hand, Word of Honor’s leads end up together with one using his energy to save the other.
Vote for your favourite one in the comments below!
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