The Wolf (2020)

The Love Story of a "Wolf Pup" and a Spoiled Princess

EDITED 12/02/20

Summed up for lazy readers:
-Wuxia Romance involving some politics and obviously, the concept of wolves.
-Not exactly tragic, but you will probably cry.
-Misunderstandings that some would call "stupid" or "unnecessary", but show the purest love. (just don't watch it for you can't bear misunderstandings)
-All main leads and seconds leads mature throughout the drama.
-Not the best CGI, but not the worst either.
-Not for people who dislike darkness and war.

This drama is simply...how would I say it...majestic. You may not be a big fan of wolves and darkness, but one thing is for sure: the moment you click that play button on episode 1, you are sucked into this mesmerizing world in which you cannot escape from. I ensure you, this drama will result in your panda eyes for the next few days.

(this review is kind of long. The main parts are in the first two or so paragraphs in every section)

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Story: 9.0
The Wolf is a romance drama in which their story starts with an unbreakable bond of friendship. We have "Lang Zai", or Wolf Pup, the nickname given to him from Xing'er, our female lead. He was abandoned at birth, but miraculously saved and then raised by a wolf pack. They become his family, and he learns the way of the wolves. He is a "wild man", but he has the purest and kindest heart inside, and will protect his family and friends at all costs. After he meets Ma Zhaixing, the pampered and doted daughter of the city master, he starts to learn that he is a person, not a wolf, and they become the best of friends. It also includes the concept of political power; Prince Bo must learn to avoid the devious plot of others and gain the emperor's full trust. And with this, he must obey the evil emperor, even if it means sacrificing his purest love. At times, these scenes bored me, because I'm not particularly a fan of politics in dramas, but it was satisfying when the evil are exposed.

Why would I call this drama majestic? The story simply reminds me of mountains, of peaks that soar into the sky. First of all, the CGI in my opinion, is quite breathtaking. The animals created by computers may seem simple to make, but they include such intricate detail that their interactions with Wolf Pup, the later Prince Bo makes it hard to believe that wolves would have such kind hearts to take in a baby boy, a human, a wolf's greatest enemy. They truly do give us that feeling of familial love, the warmth, the affection, how much they care for each other. And when Wolf Pup's family members sacrifice themselves without any hesitation to save him, the tears start falling like an endless waterfall, they really do.

Xing'er starts out as this spoiled girl, the "jun zhu", or princess, of the city. Even though she is just the daughter of a concubine, she is most doted on by her father, and they have a very strong father-daughter bond. She is a playful and adventurous girl, always giving off happy bouncy vibes. After she meets Wolf Pup, she begins to go to the mountain to visit him regularly, and she eventually even persuades and encourages him to go down the mountain to see the world of humans, and that not everywhere is as evil as he thinks.

(SPOILER ALERT) We meet our next box of tissues when they have to separate. (I will not say much in case I spoil it too much) In every drama, sacrifices must be made, and unlike many other ones, this one was certainly not "childish" or "stupid". The female lead had a very good reason to leave our dear Wolf Pup, even if it was too heartbreaking for some of us to handle. The separation lasts 8 years. Xing'er still refuses to marry, as she can't let go of her love for Wolf Pup. Meanwhile, Wolf Pup has been adopted by the emperor and is made the third prince, Prince Bo. He is strong and powerful, but it hasn't occurred to him that his survival was just for the emperor to manipulate him for more power. After a tragic event, our princess meets this cold and ignorant prince, who keeps denying his true identity. Their relationship starts out on a bad note, but they become closer and closer over time. But as we progress further into the story, we meet our doom: a misunderstanding that causes even more heartbreak. Unlike the first sacrifice, this one seemed a little stupid and cliche. Chu Youwen breaks Xing'er's heart on purpose to "protect her" and although this is pretty necessary, his way of overcoming this situation was not the very best. Misunderstandings lead the drama for quite a long time, but we, the audience, could definitely learn a few life lessons as well as enjoy the bitter romance. At first, I thought that explanation would've been better, but I was wrong: The silent sacrifices that both of them made for each was true love. Some people say that it was dumb and that they could've just told each other everything, but would you be able to tell your love that you betrayed them? Most likely, no.


But the few misunderstandings doesn't stop us from loving this drama and following the couples as they experience love, hate, trust and doubt. It is truly an adventure. As for the ending, if you want to be spoiled, it will be at the very bottom.

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Acting/cast: 9.0
CHU YOUWEN- Darren Wang's wild side is truly wild. (and sexy!) He starts off as that "wolf" who is oblivious about everything, but after he experiences the terrible heartbreak from the person he was closest to and becomes a royal prince, Chu Youwen. That cold air around him is so cold that it makes me literally shiver. He still loves Xing'er, but thinking that she despises him, tries hard to let go of his past. (which, obviously, he fails at) We can see the desperation in his eyes when Xing'er is in danger, and he always saves her in that moment of terror. Xing'er's hero. And when he's cruel to the enemy, he is truly c-r-u-e-l. If anyone hurts his Xing'er, they're basically doomed. Prince Bo is not just a royal prince, he's also a wild wolf, loyal to the ones he love, but merciless to the ones he hate.

MA ZHAIXING- Personally, Li Qin's acting at the beginning was not the best, but the emotions she showed eventually were so top-notch that (you guessed it!) my tears start falling every few minutes or so. I wouldn't consider myself someone who cried often, but I'm just a few episodes in and my eyes are strawberry red. Xing'er's love for Wolf Pup is just so pure that you sometimes wonder why she won't simply just go explain to him why she said those terrible words to him. The tragic event causes a personality change in Ma Zhaixing, and although she is still bright and relatively talkative, we don't really see that spoiled princess anymore. Xing'er is intelligent, and undoubtedly kind. She will sacrifice almost anything for the people she loves, including her life, if she has to.

When I said that they were made for their roles, it also included chemistry. Their chemistry is one of the very best. When the main leads get close to each other, we also feel the excitement and the butterflies in our stomach. Their expressions show everything. Even if they try to be cold to each other, the coldness is only temporary.

As of the supporting roles, we have quite a few talents, including the subordinates of Prince Bo and Ma Qing, Zhaixing's friend. They are servants, but they are the most loyal and most caring. The evil characters were unlike the ones we see in other dramas. They are purely evil, evil to the point that they could manipulate people so easily that they wouldn't be discovered for years. We also have two other supporting characters that really gained my love: Ji Chong and Bao Na.

JI CHONG- Ji Chong, played by Xiao Zhan, is the second lead that will give you second lead syndrome. (unfortunately) He's there when the female lead needs him, and loves her as much as the male lead, but he just doesn't get the chance to show how much he loves her, because the female lead only sees him as a friend. He married Zhaixing, kissed her, hugged her, but failed to gain her affection. It has quite heartbreaking for me, because Ji Chong is a talented, caring and intelligent man, and he's no worse than Chu Youwen. He stayed with Ma Zhaixing for quite a long time, and helped her a tremendous amount, but no matter what he did, it simply wasn't enough. He met her later and that was the main disadvantage. Xiao Zhan's acting was especially nice (but it could also be because I'm a fan of him). As Ji Chong, he showed he care and desperation for Ma Zhaixing clearly, and I felt him tremendous pain when he knew that they weren't meant to be together. So yes, we have the ill-fated love triangle.

BAO NA- Bao Na is another character that I love. She starts out as the bratty princess who thinks that she will get everything she wants. She was "deeply in love" with Prince Bo at the beginning, and was terribly annoying. I was afraid that she would be a second female lead, but she actually isn't. She realizes her mistakes and after seeing Ma Zhaixing also die to protect her, becomes great friends with her. She also grows into an intelligent and brave young woman, very different from the whiny and bossy princess she started as.

YAO JI- She starts off as the archenemy of Chu Youwen because of certain reasons, and we hate her from the very start. I mean, even her look is 100% evil! She is skilled in astronomy and poison, and is very skilled in scheming. She is that most hateful character at the start, but she's unlike Bao Na, who just pesters Prince Bo. She's more of his competitor, but it always seems like she wants to kill him. But...that's not the case. As we move further into the story and she reveals more of her personality, it is clear that she cares deeply for Prince Bo, but she simply can't express her feelings. She has helped Prince Bo go through multiple hardships, and in the end, they become great friends, the kind of friend that will stick together no matter what. Bravo, Xin Zhi lei, for showing us that someone may look evil, but are the most caring inside.

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Music: 10
There are only a few songs (7 to be exact), but I simply love the OST. While they may seem repetitive at times, the songs are presented to us in quite a few ways: Normal singing, different instrumental backgrounds, and the change in speed and pitch. The singing is beautiful, the background instrumental music matches perfectly and the lyrics are like the ripples of a river, moving the story along slowly. The songs clearly show us the longing the two main leads feel for each other, and the unsaid words they just need to say. There is also some rap incorporated into one of the songs, which takes the music up another notch.

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Rewatch value: 8.5
I do not think that I will ever get tired of this drama. The amazing scenery alone is enough for me to stare at the screen for hours. And with the interaction of the main leads and second leads, oh, how would I not want to rewatch it?

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Overall: 9.0
This beautifully written and majestic story is one rarely seen in C-dramas. We do start with a spoiled princess, but she meets the wild boy, and learns that some people have the evilest hearts. Even if you wanted to go take a break, I don't think you could, because this drama is certainly not merciful in terms of allowing you to get out of your seat. There are a few misunderstandings that seem a little unreasonable, but they all work out in the end. We are presented with the occasional comical scene to give us a short break from the next situation. Oh, and prepare the tissues and the explanation to your friends and family about why your eyes are so swollen and red.

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