The Wolf (2020)

A pleasant surprise

I went into watching this drama with very few expectations. I had tried to watch it when it first aired, but I found the first couple episodes not very engaging and a bit cheesy. I decided to finally give it an honest try this year and loved it. After the third episode, things picked up for me and I found myself getting swept into the story.

I really enjoyed the messy relationship between the two leads. I found them very fascinating, even when their dynamic was quite toxic. There's a lot of the trope where the characters (the ML especially) lie and hurt the other in order to "protect" them. If you really dislike this trope, this might not be the drama for you. For me, I've never been especially fond of the trope but I thought they did it in a really engaging way. I was glued to the screen.

There was one point towards the end of the drama where this trope felt over-used and tired, but it was luckily a brief arc.

What really makes the drama shine to me is the ensemble cast. All the side characters were interesting and I enjoyed the dynamics formed between the side chars and the leads. I really liked Bao Na and Ma Zhaixing's friendship especially and I also really enjoyed the family dynamic of the Night Fiends. Ji Chong was also a really fun character and I liked the friendship between himself and Ma Zhaixing, and even later his dynamic with Prince Bo. Chu Kui was a pretty interesting villain as well, there were times I forgot he was the bad guy!

There were a few moments that could be triggering to viewers that I want to point out. There were two instances of attempted sexual assault. In both cases, the ML does it to make the FL stop loving him, and they're not treated as romantic, but they're very uncomfortable to watch. A scene in Ep 15 especially is very uncomfortable. There is also a miscarriage scene in EP 16.

Overall, I really liked the drama and I'm glad I gave it another shot. If you struggle through the first couple episodes, be reassured the third is where it picks up, and by the fifth I was hooked. 49 episodes just flew right by, and I really had a lot of fun with it.

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Engaging, Beautiful and Tragic

If you enjoyed Romeo and Juliet, Kdrama Moon Lovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo or the British period drama The White Queen, then this drama is for you.
This series will have you feeling emotionally draining but so captivating at the same time, that after you are done watching it’ll be one of those shows that will leave a hole in your heart days after. Darren Wang did a phenomenal job portraying The Wolf. Amazing cinematography, beautiful music/ost that I ended up purchasing one of the songs for my music playlist.
That scene on the bridge, wow!
Well done, engaging and one of the best period romance drama I’ve seen in general.

I highly recommend this Cdrama.

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Tragic romance full of angst, sacrifices and regrets

8/15/2021

I debated whether to rate this drama an 8 or 8.5 and I ended up rating it a little higher. I really like the general plot and story of Wolf Boy and Princess Ma. However, I think the execution wasn't done right and there are plot holes here and there. I read that the drama was cut short due to censorship and this might have contributed to these plot holes.

Negatives:
Plot/Plot Holes - As I mention, I really like the general story of Wolf Boy (ML) and Princess Ma (FL). I love the story of how they met and their lives together in the mountain. I like the struggles that they both endured before meeting again, and all the angst in their romance. However, there are a few unexplained plot holes and illogical events (e.g. lighting explosives hidden in the slave's bodies without fire?) in this drama. Is it due to the reduction of episodes or the writing, I do not know. Here are a few examples that I remember to write down. I am sure there are more towards the beginning of the drama.
Example 1 - what is the big conspiracy of the Chu Crown Prince's death that has to do with the King?? I never really figure that out. The crown prince's death played such an important part in ML's decision to stay by the King's side and do his dirty work, but it was never fully explained what the King did to finally prompt ML and his 4th brother to cut ties with the King.
Example 2 - If Jao Ji is so in love with ML, why did she want to kill him 5 years ago, even if she did not get the leader position? If she hated him so much back then, how come all of a sudden they were so close again?
Example 3 - Did Ji Jong officially announce his divorce from FL? Did no one bat an eye when ML and FL got together again towards the end of the show? Are we just skipping through this controversial divorce?

Romance - I hesitated and procrastinated to watch this drama, as I've read complaints about the toxic relationship. I can see how others are uncomfortable and unhappy about it. However, I am generally fine with the "toxic" romance after understanding what ML has gone through and without really any positive role models in his life. I do find the back-and-forth of the main romance a little slow in the middle. I wish they could have reduced a few episodes of misunderstanding happened in the Bo Manor, and use the time for other storylines. There are too many different misunderstanding/noble idiocy self-sacrifices in this drama. As for the ending, for some reason, I didn't want to see Ji Jong and Princess Bao Na got together. It's only been 6 months and Ji Jong already let go of his love for FL? He was so in love with her and sacrificed so much for her that I wish he traveled around the world alone.

Positives:
Acting - I enjoy the acting of the whole cast - main and supporting. It's my first drama watching Darren Wang and wow...what an amazing portrayal of Wolf Boy/Prince Bo. You see and fall in love with that innocent smile when he's Wolf Boy and then he changed into this cold and cunning Prince Bo. When he's not on the screen, I miss seeing him. He's the main draw of this drama for me. This is my second drama watching FL after "Joy of Life". I find her the weakest link in JOL and her romance with the lead is my least favorite. However, she totally changed my mind in this drama. She showed so much more range - from acting innocent to a little spoiled and to a more mature woman in the end. I read that some don't like her acting here, but I actually thought she did a good job. As for our 2ML Ji Jong, this is my 4th drama watching Sean Zhan (Untamed, Joy of Life, Duoluo Continent). I wasn't even aware that he's in the drama and I bet many watch "The Wolf" because of him. I have to say that this is the best I've seen. He is able to portray his carefree character well (just like his other roles) yet I love him more when he's being FL's protector and when he's heartbroken. I think he showed a lot of range in his role here. The supporting cast also do a great and convincing job. There isn't anyone too annoying and despicable in the drama, though Princess Bao Na almost got to that point.

OST/Music - I see that Jolin Tsai was listed under the Music Department, so I am not sure if this has something to do with all the great songs and music in this drama. I love each song played and I am glad there are more than 2 songs. Otherwise, I get really bored when the same song gets played over and over again. I think in general, the songs came on at the right moment, usually a romantic moment. The music is loud enough and not too loud that I can't hear the lines.

Cinematography/CGI/Costumes/Make-up - Great cinematography in this drama. I enjoyed the scenes when the leads are in the mountain the most. I also find the CGI wolves to be realistic. The costumes are also great and the cast wear more than one or two costumes. I am not sure if it's really cold or ML is really buff - I also felt that he looks like he's wearing a lot of clothes and looks very bulky. I enjoy the more formal clothing ML wore when he's in the palace, and then a more casual/wuxia look when he's not. For the (first?) time, we have leads who are not covered with makeup that make then look pale and sick. I love the more tan look of ML and 2ML. Even though you know it's spray-tanned (some shots are more apparent than others), I still enjoy seeing a much "healthier" skin tone, esp. when we're talking about a wolf boy who ran around in the sun a lot. Even for the other actors, I don't see anyone that's pale-looking.

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I really don't know why I am unable to just push through and finish watching this. I am already more than halfway through, but I just can't seem to get back into The Wolf.
I really mostly enjoyed this story. Unfortunately, I couldn't properly emphasize with the ML, and the FL, though mostly ok, was too frustrating.
Lord Bo is the personification of hot, so there's that. Ji Chong is pretty bad ass as well, and good looking too, so there's also that. Sigh. I don't know. I wish I could have finished, but I dropped it with every intention of coming back to it. Unfortunately, I left it too long, and I really can't work up the care for the MC's

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THE WOLF IS THE BEST CHINESE COLOSSAL DRAMA IN 2020

The Wolf is THE GREAT DRAMA level Movie not only Drama TV because with very high cost production, they alrady produced the best scene and visual drama, the best script story and the prefect arrangement of soundtrack song . All Actor and Actress showed their awesome acting (included Xiao Zhan, Darren Wang and Qi Lin).
I have been waiting this drama since 2017. Thanks GOD... I still have opportunity in my life to watch The Wolf.
In 2017, I am so interesting with the story of THE WOLF because it has different story than others Chinese Colossal Drama. After I saw the Trailer of THE WOLF.. I knew right away that this is GREAT Drama with fast rhythm so never boring and after I saw Behind the scene of the Wolf ..wow.... .I amazed how hard work all the crews, all actor and actress all producer-director-writer script to make this drama will be prefect.. I like Darren Wang as main actor and believe his acting would be awesome. When in 2018.. I just knew about Xiao Zhan... so I am so happy when knew that Xiao Zhan play in my favorite drama too.. Now.. Xiao Zhan is My Idol ... I really surprised see his acting in THE WOLF.... because so awesome... and his face which usually looks cute overload and handsome......suddenly looks so Manly...I never think that Xiao Zhan could explored all his Talent in Acting in THE WOLF.... . Xiao Zhan showed that although in 2017 he still less experiment but he tried do the best to representative Ji Hong 's Character. ..his acting is so awesome... The love story of this drama is so unique .... because t the figure is not selfish... the most important is the happiness of his/her lover. All side of the wolf drama is prefect...so I really recommend to you to watch THE WOLF Drama . God Bless You

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Interesting idea, bad execution

I wanted with all my heart to enjoy this drama, but the plot, the characters and acting of some actors was so bad that I had to drop it, even though I usually finish things just for the peace of my mind. The story has constant plot holes or rather I would say there is no plot, just things suddenly happening. It might be because during the post-production so much material had to be cut. Nevertheless, the efect is no storyline whatsoever. But still, I would survive that. What I can't stand however is the lack of consequence when it comes to the characters. They all seem to be bi-polar, especially ML, acting cold, bringing the FL down, doing some really horrible things (I won't spoil it, if you decide to watch the Wolf, you'll definitely know what I meant) to suddenly become kind and sweet without any logical reason. FL is strong only when she needs to impress males. Otherwise she has no character apart from being in love and constantly sick. Don't get me wrong, both Darren Wang and Li Quin are good actors and it's easy to see that though the drama. They're doing what they can to bring another dimension to their characters, but unfortunately it's not enough to rescue the awful lack of character development. Xiao Zhan's character stands out, although to me, it's so appreciated and praised mostly because compared to other characters it is more dimensional and secretive. Still, there's no development when it comes to his character, the same as for the male leads his actions and motives are hard to understand. I won't talk about other characters too much. Up until 20th episode on which I gave up, their acting was mediocre, as well as the personalities with some borderline annoying. I don't know if it's the dubbing, the actors or some of the characters, but their parts gave me a literal headache because of how idiotic and whiny they were. Also. I know this is a fantasy drama, even though it poses as a historic one, but the politics and scheming and court affairs are just so unrealistic that I found myself laughing at some of the events. Plus weird, SF-looking outfits of the ML made me spit my tea, they looked so ridiculous. The CGI was a disappointment too, something that is not too important to me, but I was expecting more because of the trailer.
There are two things I want to praise; the score and the scenery. Some of the shooting spots were beautiful, it was a joy to watch the scenes just because of them. The score wasn't perfect in touching my feelings, but overall the music fit the scenes and did it's job.
So overall, would I recommend this drama? No. But it's light, not extremely boring and definitely let's the brain rest. So I guess it can be enjoyable, as long as you don't expect a show that at least tries to portray real human beings instead of Mary Sues and Wolverines.

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Sadly, this Wolf had to be put down

When I heard Xiao Zhan was going to star in this drama, I was excited. The Premise was interesting to me. Two childhood best friends meeting again in a tense time. I was hooked. The first episode was a bit shaky but I was ok with that.

First, let me say the positives: The music was AMAZING. I loved the music that accompanied the little bit of the series! And the actors were great with what little they were given. Will say that Lord Bo's actor was stiff in some places but it's to be expected. And of course, amazing performance from Xiao Zhan!

Now, on to the review and the reasons why I couldn't finish this.

Ma Zhaixing, the adopted daughter of General Ma, befriends a feral boy whom she names "Wolfie". So when he's accused of killing a government official, Xing'er (what Wolfie calls her) tries to chase him away and make him "hate" her until the Ma family finds out that it wasn't Wolfie's fault (it was a servant who killed the government official using Wolfie as a scapegoat). But Xing'er is much too late to tell her adopted brother that Wolfie is innocent as Wolfie is cast off the cliff to his seeming "death" (Wolfie is saved by the Emperor and is trained to be a ruthless killer) and Xing'er suffers a leg injury caused by her adopted brother.

So we skip ahead a few years to Xing'er being an adult and being a jaded woman. Then one night, her entire family is killed with her as the sole survivor. The Emperor planned to marry her to Lord Bo (the Third Prince) to gain the Ma Family's army. And thus, we begin our story of Xing'er reuniting with Lord Bo, through trials and tribulations of love and war.

I have to say, the first few episodes were strong tho shaky. There was very obvious chemistry between the leads to where I thought they were pretty sweet. But the consistent and meddling misunderstandings and some of the dumbest actions really killed it. Some of the misunderstandings made sense but the majority of them made it seem like Lord Bo and Xing'er were absolutely brain dead. I think where it came to a head where I said "I don't know if I can continue watching" was when Ji Chong came in and became a much much MUCH better match for Xing'er than Lord Bo.

I'm all for romances where you can never forget your first love. I love that stuff! But here, it was absolute brain-deadness and the scene where Xing'er throws herself off the cliff to prove that Lord Bo is Wolfie in episode 19 or 20 just solidified in my mind that it was only going downhill. Especially up until that point, Lord Bo had extreme mood swings to the point of being downright ridiculous.

The attempted sexual assault scene was very...uncomfortable to say the least and i've seen many people defending it. The fact Lord Bo already embarrassed the fuck out of Xing'er for her dance was enough. I think him forcing himself on her was a bit too much, no matter how drunk or how much he wanted to make her hate him for whatever reason. And this is coming from someone who didn't bat an eye at similar situations in other dramas. Here, it was too much. The embarrassment was enough.

I know other people loved this drama but I truly feel that the only character that wasn't horrible was Ji Chong (Xiao Zhan) and I'm sad that he never had a chance with Xing'er.

So say what you will. I unfortunately had to put this Wolf to sleep and can't see myself picking it up again. Even Ji Chong couldn't save this series.

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For the most part I enjoyed this drama. I got a little bored near the end but I think it was me and not the drama itself.

Let me start with the cons:
-I was disappointed the song Never that was played in the trailer would be in the drama!!
-No werewolves. Hoping for a directors cut to see some cool werewolf parts!
-The CGI didn't bother me at all but just putting it here because some people don't like. There isn't much of it but I personally think it was great for 2018. It is way better than say the CGI in Ice Fantasy that came out 2 years earlier. If the CGI does bother you feel reassured there isn't a lot of it.

Pros:
-Overall I found some parts of the plot predictable but I enjoyed the ride. I am always a fan of birth secret plots.
-The music was good. Even though they didn't play Never.
-I liked the main characters. Ma Zhai Xing is your typical altruistic female character but she surprised me in the last episodes in couple ways. I enjoyed the character of Prince Bo too. I felt the leads had great chemistry and I am always a fool for the over used childhood friend/crush story lines. My favorite character was probably Ji Chong. He was a great 2nd lead that didn't due stupid desperate things to get a girl who didn't love him. I found him refreshing and was content with his ending. I really liked the night fiends too! I think I would have enjoyed side stories with.
-I didn't hate the ending. It is not picture perfect but there is closure!

Will I rewatch? Probably not? Unless it is released with the cut scenes and then I would just watch those parts.

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Sad story but with the best actor

If you like happy ending Cdrama then skip this to your bucket list. Because I cried and my heart was broken of how they made the ending.

But i really love Darren Wang's acting. He is very expressive and he put so much life to his character whether a lover or a general.

The female protagonist did very good. I loved how she portrayed herself as never ending hope for wolfie. She has soft spot for their past together and always believing they will be together and forever. Their love together has so many sacrifices and the stars were not aligned for both of them.

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