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A review by sashapasha
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
4.0
3.5 stars.
Started reading this because I’ve recently become hugely obsessed with the show The Untamed.
So far I think I like the show better. Wei Wuxian’s character in the show is more likable—he’s usually either being charmingly adorable or kind of badass—whereas in the novel he strikes me as rather obnoxious. I’m particularly not super into with how he seems to mess with the feelings of Lan Wangji, who has a rather obvious and largely unrequited crush on him. The show depicts WWX’s teasing, but without the willful ignorance and mindfuckery.
My current impression is that the friendship between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji (and Lan Wangji’s crush) is more subtle and nuanced in the show, and while I know that that is partially an outcome of the censorship laws, I think the creators of the show did an excellent job of translating the relationship without losing any of the impact on the viewer and also making their friendship seem more equitable. The show makes it so obvious why Lan Zhan overcomes his internal struggle and his sect’s disapproval and remains loyal to Wei Ying, and also how much Wei Ying needs the support of someone who believes in him. And in particular, the show makes it painfully clear how innately selfless, well-intentioned, and courageous Wei Ying is, which makes everything that happens all the more heartbreaking.
Still, I’m enjoying the novel nonetheless. It’s nice to have additional background and clarification on certain events, and it’s interesting to see where the show tweaked things and where they decided to stay true almost word for word to the source material. Not all of it is related to censorship. For example, the sequence of events in the show vs the novel is entirely different. With the show, we get the introduction and contextualization in the “present day” for the first couple episodes and then switch to a sequential retelling of the events sixteen years prior, whereas the novel switches back and forth, spending more time in the present than in the past. I think some of the impact of the present day events is actually lost by this, since we don’t have all of the backstory.
Highly recommend the show, supplementarily recommend the novel.
Started reading this because I’ve recently become hugely obsessed with the show The Untamed.
So far I think I like the show better. Wei Wuxian’s character in the show is more likable—he’s usually either being charmingly adorable or kind of badass—whereas in the novel he strikes me as rather obnoxious. I’m particularly not super into with how he seems to mess with the feelings of Lan Wangji, who has a rather obvious and largely unrequited crush on him. The show depicts WWX’s teasing, but without the willful ignorance and mindfuckery.
My current impression is that the friendship between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji (and Lan Wangji’s crush) is more subtle and nuanced in the show, and while I know that that is partially an outcome of the censorship laws, I think the creators of the show did an excellent job of translating the relationship without losing any of the impact on the viewer and also making their friendship seem more equitable. The show makes it so obvious why Lan Zhan overcomes his internal struggle and his sect’s disapproval and remains loyal to Wei Ying, and also how much Wei Ying needs the support of someone who believes in him. And in particular, the show makes it painfully clear how innately selfless, well-intentioned, and courageous Wei Ying is, which makes everything that happens all the more heartbreaking.
Still, I’m enjoying the novel nonetheless. It’s nice to have additional background and clarification on certain events, and it’s interesting to see where the show tweaked things and where they decided to stay true almost word for word to the source material. Not all of it is related to censorship. For example, the sequence of events in the show vs the novel is entirely different. With the show, we get the introduction and contextualization in the “present day” for the first couple episodes and then switch to a sequential retelling of the events sixteen years prior, whereas the novel switches back and forth, spending more time in the present than in the past. I think some of the impact of the present day events is actually lost by this, since we don’t have all of the backstory.
Highly recommend the show, supplementarily recommend the novel.