Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation versus The Untamed: The best and worst of both worlds
Just before Christmas the long-awaited worldwide English-translated version of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu was released globally. While some folks in certain countries are still waiting for their books to arrive, millions around the world are now in possession of the coveted title.
The exceptionally long story (over 100 chapters in total) was originally published in China as a web novel. It follows the lives of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, two bright and talented cultivators who meet in their teens. Little did they know at that time that their lives were destined to be entangled together through life, death, and resurrection so long as they both shall exist.
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation is a story of intrigue and magic set in ancient China, but it is also a very raunchy, unapologetically gay love story. In 2018, China began filming a live adaptation version of the story titled The Untamed which burst onto screens in August 2019. Due to China’s extremely strict laws regarding the depiction of homosexuality on television, The Untamed went through stringent censorship before hitting screens.
Despite this, the core components of the story remain, and Lan Wangji (Wang Yibo) and Wei Wuxian’s (Xiao Zhan) love for each other bleeds through the screen, despite China’s best efforts to promote the show as a ‘bromance’. No one in China bought it as such, and no one else did anywhere else either. Someone should tell them, legislating the gay away doesn’t make us any less gay! Wangxian especially are gay, they’re stupidly in love, married, and they even have a son!
So, knowing that there was a lot removed from the original story so that it could make it to screens everywhere, what are the major differences between the novel and the live-action version? Here are just a few of the differences between the two.
Let’s talk about sex (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation vs. The Untamed)
Simply put, the novel has it and the live-action does not. In the novel, although the clueless idiots that are Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji take a really long time to start getting their freak on, once they do, it’s on like Donkey Kong.
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian bang in fields, in inns, they break every bathtub in Gusu (the town they end up living in), in libraries, hell even in their dreams. In summary, they bang every day – because every day means every day – and they do it wherever they can.
The sex in the book is graphic and some have commented that it borders on violence at points as well. Some fans raised some issues of consent at some places throughout the novel, while others had absolutely no issue with the scenes in question at all. It’s a bit of a point of contention in the fandom.
In the live-action version, there is no sex. In fact, there is no kissing, no hugging, very little touching of any kind, and certainly none in a romantic nature. This aspect of WangXian’s relationship is entirely removed from the live-action version. So how then, were the creators able to portray a deeply romantic soulmate story between these two men without any of that?
They appealed to our sense of human connection.
Relationship building
Despite the complete absence of a physical relationship, there is no world in which love exists and the relationship that develops between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji is anything other than complete and utter romantic devotion to each other. In the book, they say ‘I love you’, but they can’t do that in the show.
The creators of the live-action found the two most perfect actors to play Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. The raw emotion Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo bring to their characters allowed the world to not only see how much these characters loved each other, but feel it too.
Mostly it’s in their eyes and their micro-expressions, but their love bleeds onto the screen through their steadfast devotion to each other as well. This is actually something common to both versions of the story. Lan Wangji just refuses to leave Wei Wuxian’s side.
Gay side stories
Mo Xiang Tong Xiu clearly stated that in her novel, the only gay couple was WangXian. Despite this, the creators of the show definitely took some liberties with other characters and their relationships with the people around them. While no one who worked on The Untamed actually confirmed that any other character was in a gay relationship enough implications were made that fans had no problem connecting the dots.
In The Untamed a lot of people believe that Lan Xichen (Liu Haikuan), Lan Wangji’s brother, was in love with Jin Guangyao (Zhu Zanjin) and vice versa (they make ‘em pretty gay in that Lan family, huh?). At one point in The Untamed, Lan Xichen tells Lan Wangji that he holds Jin Guangyao in the same regard that Lan Wangji holds Wei Wuxian.
Additionally, the relationship between Song Lan (Li Bowen) and Xiao Xingchen (Son Ji Yang) was portrayed as something very akin to what Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji share. WangXian even seem to acknowledge it too. Throw in all the jealousy Xue Yang (Wang Haoxuan) exhibits over the coupling of Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen and you’ve got yourself a whole lotta extra gays outside of the WangXian relationship.
Lan Wangji
The depiction of Lan Wangji in the live-action, as opposed to the novel, is another point of contention for certain members of the fandom. While his core traits remain constant throughout both versions (his stoicism, his love, and devotion, his determination to always do the right thing, no matter the cost), there are some aspects of Lan Wangji’s character from the novel that are absent from The Untamed.
Mostly, this is related to who he is as a sexual creature. In Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, once his motor gets going, Lan Wangji is an extremely forceful sexual man. He is brutally rough to the point where some would say he borders on violence.
That part of his character clearly didn’t make it into The Untamed because of the censorship, but many fans online around the world have said they have a really hard time even visualizing that aspect of Wang Yibo’s portrayal of Lan Wangji being possible for the story. While the Lan Wangji that exists in the world of The Untamed is undoubtedly fierce, he isn’t that. This has caused some divide in the fandom between book purists and fans that prefer Wang Yibo’s Lan Wangji better.
The ending (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation vs. The Untamed)
At the end of The Untamed, despite being separated for sixteen years, after declaring their love for each other, acknowledging that they have a kid together, and defeating their enemy, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian part ways. Wei Wuxian wanders off to the top of a mountain somewhere with the promise of reuniting again soon.
This heartbreaking decision was made because of the censorship guidelines in place for the Chinese entertainment industry. Two men, living together, sharing a home and a child is way too gay for their entertainment standards, so a change had to be made. The implication is that they do reunite though, so all is not lost, but jeez, it’s a heartbreaking scene to watch.
In the book, this never happens. They get married, shag in a field and Wei Wuxian goes back to Cloud Recesses with Lan Wangji to live out the rest of their days. There are a whole lot of “extra” chapters where readers are treated to WangXian’s daily domestic bliss and their very strenuous and active sex life.
The hubbub and excitement over the English release of the novel has sparked many renewed fandom conversations online in recent weeks. These are just some of the differences we noted when we compared the two. Watch this space for more talk about The Untamed and Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation.
The Untamed is available to stream on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Viki, WeTV English, YouTube, and all other Tencent platforms. You can buy a copy of the first volume of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation at the Seven Seas Entertainment website, local bookshops, and online. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!
Feature Image: Courtesy of Netflix
