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*sniffs, grabs tissues* A BEAUTIFUL SELFLESS yet SACRIFICIAL LOVE STORY
I just finished this drama. I don't even know where to start. *lemme grab some tissues*Okay I just want to say that I gave the rewatch value a 7 because there were just too many scenes where I shed tears so I knew I wouldn't want to rewatch every single episode.
I'm currently a mess with a pile of tissues and my screen blurry because i'm half crying.
~just pointing out this drama hit home for me and made me cry so much because it made me realize how short life is and how precious every moment in life is. It made me understand what selflessness was and for once I was afraid. I was afraid of losing someone I knew. This is a bit personal but i thought id share. me and my mom haven't been on the bestest of terms and she has several illness and so this drama just made me realize that no matter how much we hate each other, at the end, we both truly love each other and secretly care and worry for each other. Life is short, don't take it for granted.~
ok. onto the review.
*its not going to be a plot review fyi it would take too long lol*
1. the production
This drama was incredibly breathtaking. Every single shot was worthy enough to be my desktop wallpaper. The costumes were just immaculate and fit every single character and scene perfectly whether it be happy, grieving, or anger. The cinematography as I mentioned was just incredible. The fighting scenes were one of my favorite parts to watch.
2. The story
The story was well paced and well written. One of the best dramas I have ever watched (coming from someone who watches many historical cdramas) Sure while watching it I felt some scenes could've been fast forwarded but now looking back every thing was worth it and a meaning.
This drama tells the story of the tragic romance between our 2 leads. Early on, it is pretty visible that they aren't destined to be, sadly. However, what we get is an incredibly MOVING AND TEAR JERKING story about their love.
The message/theme of this drama is about how ruthless and power hungry humanity is and how it brought innocent people like the wolf/prince bo and manufactured them into little puppets to control. What's super interesting and unique about this story is that the main character, wolfie was actually raised with wolves. He was super innocent and righteous never seeing the dark side of humans. But due to a betrayal that was meant to protect him, his view on people changed and became cold and very untrustworthy of his surroundings. Then throughout the rest of the drama, we see him struggling with his 2 identities: being prince bo aka the evil king's puppet and the other being wolfie, being by his true love, ma zhai xing our FL (the one person who doesn't view him as a monster).
In the first half of the drama I felt hatred towards wolfie/prince bo and was so frustrated with his actions but as the story unfolded, I felt sympathy and empathy for him. I realized how selfless and sacrificial he was along. He stayed true to his one and only love, ma zhaixing never once wanting to hurt her. What made me fall in love with this and become so invested in this was his character and his undeniable love he had for xinger. How willing he was to hurt himself to protect singer at all costs throughout all the misunderstandings and break ups they had. I just cannot explain this well enough but all you need know is that once you watch this you will be on a journey and cry so hard but fall in love with this character. I used up 2 boxes of tissues while watching the last 15 episodes.
Darren Wang played his character, wolf/prince bo so perfectly, better than I could've imagined. His subtle expressions, smirks, grins, just everything captured the wolf to the T. Also might I just add he looked fire with the costume and hair and in the fighting scenes.
At some points, I was quite disappointed and a bit frustrated with the FL's character and was actually quite close to quitting the drama but thank god i continued. She grew up, matured and realized that life wasn't black and white and accepted the harsh realities of life. The leads had chemistry for sure. Her character in the last 10ish episodes really just solidified my love for this drama. Ugh.
Besides our 2 awesome leads, there was an amazing supporting cast especially our second Ml *sadly tragic doesn't end up with the FL* Ji Chong played by Xiao Zhan. XZ played ji chong really well. His character was the classic example of the 2nd tragic ML that was always there for the FL and was kind, supporting and respectful for her. Towards the end what made me love that character even more was how willing he was to let go of xinger and support her going back to wolfie instead of staying with him.
i just cant-wolfie and ji chong-yall gonna make me use another box of tissues.
Besides ji chong, we had 2 other female leads that were quite interesting to say the least and an antagonist that made me want to punch him in the face. Everyone played their role super well huge props.
3. OSTs
IF THERE'S ONE THING YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS PLEASE LISTEN TO THE WHOLE OST
wow. and i thought there wasn't more i could say bout this drama. this ost was *chefs kiss*. Each song accompanied each scene so well and just made the tears flow even harder. Thank goodness it's not on spotify or else i would be crying in class. While listening to it, it just hits you in that spot and is just encaptivating. I'm listening to it while writing this review and i'm already reliving the drama in my head. BEST OST OF ALL TIME THANK YOU VERY MUCH
4. The ending.........what can i say...they were never fated. Sure they reconciled at the end but knew it wasn't going to work out. I cried harder than i have ever cried while watching a drama or anything.
IN CONCLUSION
please watch. you will not regret it. if you are thinking about dropping it, please don't. its a true gem and one of the best dramas of all time at least for me.
if you've read up to here, wow.....thank you! hopefully you'll love it too!
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Best C-drama of 2020
I watched this show because of Li Qin and I have never seen any of Xiao Zhan or Darren Wang's dramas before but it seems most people are watching The Wolf because of Xiao Zhan and his popularity from Untamed. What captivated me from the very beginning was the selfless love that Zhai Xing (Li Qin) had for Lang Zai. I was surprised at the incredibly fast-paced, action-packed storyline with barely any fillers. From beginning till end, it never lost its pacing which is exceptional as I find a lot of C-dramas rush at the end and just kill everyone off but this series feels so complete from beginning to end. It really is a satisfying series to watch with many action and fighting scenes, beautiful scenary, exceptional acting, strong storyline, really loveable characters and a heart-wrenching love story that will make you tear and cry.Darren and Li Qin did such an amazing job and they have very strong chemistry. They had some really difficult scenes to act out but they nailed it. Darren was impressive and he had such dynamic acting. He was the gentle and kind Lang Zai as well as the cruel and powerful Bo Wang who was vicious from his brutal training by the emperor. Yet he loved Zai Xing so deeply that I have to say, this was one of the most touching love stories I have seen in a C-drama. Xiao Zhan was very cute and he played his role out well, I understand why so many ppl had SL syndrome but I was rooting for the ML and FL from start to end. The ML and FL lead had to go through was so much torment and suffering, I really just wanted them to be happy.
This series isn't perfect with some unrealistic scenes but I am totally ok with that. I was trying to take my time to watch the show to really savour it but I binged watched it in several days like many people here. I felt so sad and heartbroken at the end with a sense of such longing for more but I was also satisfied. There is so much character development even with the side characters that I really couldn't ask for more. I will probably rewatch this show a few more times. I really miss Lang Zai and Xing Er. Hopefully these three can collaborate in a show again.
You can tell they put their heart and soul into their acting and I will now probably have to check out their other works.
The Wolf was definitely the most unforgettable drama that I've seen in a while. I think the last time I felt like this after watching a drama was after watching Ashes of Love, and I can't even remember before that. The soundtrack is very addicting and more modern than the typical ancient dramas which is refreshing.
Grab some tissues, you will need it for some scenes!
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Unique story line with fabulous acting
Good acting on more female & male leads.Love how the storyline goes but the endings is the only part that is frustrating?.
The male leads has fabulous acting skills from a jungle boy to the prince. Story line with lots of love and hate relationship.
I like how the Lang zai protects the girl he loves even if it is not known to zai xing at times but he has always been there for her through the hard times hiding his true feelings. Zai xing also has never let go of him even if she was filled with hatred over misunderstanding that is created in the plot
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The Never Ending Misunderstanding Love Story
It had a interesting synopsis at first, until I sat down to watch it. Ma Zhai Xing is portrayed as headstrong, stubborn, curious and intelligent girl, willing to solve a mystery, but for the life of her can't figure out why her Wolf boy isn't the same boy she knew or why he keeps pushing her away. The first 3 episodes went well, but the 8 afterwards went quite slowly. I know it was for character building, but the pace was too slow for my liking. It picked up after Xiao Zhan's Ji Chong showed up in episode 11, and quite frankly, I was interested more in his story arc than hers so would fast forward Lord Bo and Ma Zhai Xing scenes to get to his because it was a lot of "I'm pushing you away because I don't want you to get hurt because my adopted father may kill you because he knows I love you" and for her it was "Why can't you love me? Why can't you be Wolfie (Wolf Boy depending on which translation you're watching) and I know you're Wolfie, stop lying". It dragged on too long, and I seriously wanted to slap her in some episodes.It bothered me a lot how she reacted to Lord Bo treated her so badly - in most dramas, the bad treatment is usually in private and in public cold but civil; but the scene where he humiliates her in public, in front of three men who previously proposed to her and the city's castellan, and the almost rape scene were maddening. At times she's brave and commanding, then others a lovesick teenager with terrible expectations of love. The almost rape scene in particular - she tries to push him away and say no, and when he stops, her behaviour is apologetic and then tries to encourage him into it by saying she wasn't prepared for it but he can continue if he wants. She is essentially chasing him for nearly half of the series until she realizes his secret, which wasn't even really his fault. That Ji Chong fell for her is understandable - but it becomes the whole nice guy never wins; it's always the bad boy. You felt more for Ji Chong's unrequited love than you do for Ma Zhai Xing and Lord Bo. He changed for her; from the free wanderer back to the reluctant royal prince, helping her to gather her troops and wage war against Lord Bo & Chu Kui to gain her revenge. I will admit, she does redeems herself in the end - the one part I'm thankful for is for releasing Ji Chong, Lord Bo, and pretty much everyone in the entire series. It just took her character a long time to get there. A lot of the things that happened, could have happened much more quickly.
Fave characters - Other than Ji Chong; the Night Fury - Wen Yan, Ha Die, Mo Xiao and Yao Ji, and Bao Na. Loved them. They brought character to the series.
The acting in the series was quite good - Xiao Zhan in particular. Ji Chong's character had charisma and he shone in his role and in this series. Li Qin's Ma Zhai Xing was believable and I can't blame her for the storyline or the direction her character was given. Hard for me to believe that she's an intelligent, forward thinking leader, when she spends half her time wishing the red string didn't break or wondering what she did to make Lord Bo so distant with her. Darren Wong is more believable as Lord Bo than Wolfie/Wolf Boy, and at times I felt he was acting, versus Xiao Zhan's Ji Chong. He was Ji Chong; Darren was acting as Wolfie and Lord Bo.
The Rewatch factor isn't there for me - watching Ma Zhai Xing and Lord Bo interact is so difficult and made me nearly tear my hair out. I really had to fast forward their scenes. I get all the people who talk about misunderstandings, but there were just too many. And it bothered me she couldn't get past the fact he grew up - she held on to Wolfie for far too long; and made the person who did everything for her so unhappy.
Why watch this? If you love Xiao Zhan, you'll love him in this role too. He makes this series and thank goodness, he has a happy ending; although it was a little hard to believe he and Bao Na have a romantic relationship because everyone felt she was a little girl with her spoiled behaviour. Overall - I gave this a 7. If Ji Chong wasn't part of this series, I couldn't have gotten through it.
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Ok, bear with me, this is going to be looong
No spoilers! Since reviews are mostly for people who didn't watch the drama yet :)First the disclaimer. I am not trying to be a critic. To me whether I enjoy a drama (movie or a tv show) depends on it's ability to catch My interest. I can overlook bad CGI (especially in c-drama), dubbing, costume and some plot gaps. I don't mind clichés and I don't base my opinion on whether I like the characters. What is important: acting - if it's bad, I'll drop it, being able to sympathize or at least understand character motivations (not agree, just understand where they are coming from) and at last some idea of end-goal, as in this is going somewhere: to resolve a mystery, a conflict, find treasure, anything that at least promises some culmination at some point.
So, for all that I'm going to complain later on: I did like this drama. There were some moments that made me facepalm, some plot gaps (mostly due to deleted scenes, I think). But. I watched this, waited for the next episode, never thought of dropping it and very rarely felt the need to fast-forward (not never, I think it's impossible to never want to fast-forward with most c-dramas, some scenes are just dragged out. Yes, I'm talking about you "let's stare dramatically at each other or into distance" type of scenes).
So what did I like? Let's start with positives.
The acting is very good. I honestly don't have much to say about it, other than: it never felt overdone or robotic, I understood everything they were trying to portray.
The overall storyline. No this is not political. Some people compare this to the JOL and just no, if that's what you're looking for The Wolf is not it. They are not the same, other than being costume and somewhat historical. To me this drama was about people (how they grow or don't for that matter) and their relationship (not the romantic ones, if I had to, I'd say this is more about family: the one we have and the one we choose). I did not get invested into the main couple (explain later in the negative), but that does not mean I thought their story was unrealistic or outdated. Every relationship is different. Somewhat toxic, self-destructive ones are real too. They are just not pleasant to look at.
To me what was important is that all the characters were in place, they all had their roles and weren't just used as a plot device. I did not feel indifferent when something happened to them and they all had just enough backstory for me to understand them, but not so much that it distracted from the main plot. That is another good point: this drama is pretty concise. While there were some scenes that, IMO, could be shorter, most of the flashbacks and dialogs were interesting and to the point.
I did see characters grow and change. No one was one-dimensional (even if sometimes inconsistent).
Chu Kui is not a "villain" you sympathize with, but he is also not just flat boring "bad guy". I could see what he's feeling, how he consciously makes choices that alienate people around him, how he deteriorates more and more.
Ma Zhai Xing is an interesting one. In the begging it's very frustrating, because it seems like she's stuck in one place and is not willing to grow. But she does grow and change, it just takes a long time. And maybe that's more realistic? Because people don't just change overnight, sometimes it's difficult to accept reality and take responsibility.
I don't want to list all the characters. They are all pretty good and in place. I do have a favorite though, and it's Ji Chong. No it is not because of the actor. I just think that this character has a very charming personality. He is, sometimes, childish and stubborn, but also smart and free spirited, kind of a bright spot in this drama along with Bao Na (who we unfortunately don't see as much of). He accepts good and bad things that happen to him, learns and moves on. A rarely sensible character.
Ok, to the bad parts then.
The script. OMG. To me this is the weakest point. It's problems were made even worse by censoring and deleting some scenes, but even without cuts it's... weak. The characters are very inconsistent at times: MZX goes from smart and astute to simpering idiot in a blink of an eye. And Bo Wang's actions (to me at last) sometimes defy logic. Some situations and explanations are just... the only reaction I got was: "WTF is going on??". Sometimes it's due to cuts: the last few episodes are, honestly, a mess. But some things just can not be attributed to deleted scenes. The two main characters go back and forth so much in the beginning, it frustrating to watch (goes to much into the soap opera territory for my liking).
Which also brings me to my next point. I did not feel a drop of empathy for the ML and FL. There is no Relationship, only a mess of misunderstandings and ridiculous sacrifices. The whole "Romeo and Juliet" vibe is annoying. This is not love, it's infatuation, that would not survive past the honeymoon phase under regular circumstances. Therefore all of their romantic scenes, to me, were kinda "meh". Nor did I feel sad when they argued with each other.
This drama left a good impression. I would not rewatch it, but I did enjoy the experience.
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Must watch! Amazingly good drama and acting especially for Xiao Zhan. Love Ji Chong.
Heard how much Xiao Zhan had worked on this drama, I am so impressed with him after watching the wolf. He said he had to take lessons and write an essay/report every night after filming to reflect about his character/role. It really pays off as he did a great job as Ji Chong. The story is very touching and there are several scenes where I need tissues on hand for my tears. Darren as the wolf boy did a great job in portraying his character from child hood to when he became a prince. I love all the action scenes where he jumped and moved like a wolf. Li Qin (Female lead) did a great job as a mature princess but not as convincing when she acted as a younger girl. I love Xiao Zhan's portrayal of Ji Chong, carefree, masculine, handsome and playful. He had shown clearly how he matured in this movie from a carefree bounty hunter to a prince. He was a happy guy as a bounty hunter with no worries but when he went back to his family as a prince, he had to take on the responsibilities. I liked the relationship between Lang Zai (Male Lead) and Xing er (Female Lead) when they were young and playing in the forest but I was rooting for the Female lead to fall in love with Ji Chong (Xiao Zhan) in the later part of the story as the ML is still responsible for the death of FL's family and Ji Chong had sacrificed his own safety several time to save and help the Female lead. But I am still happy with the ending where Ji Chong ended up with someone who loves him unconditionally (Bao Na).There are so many crying scenes and also full of great fighting/action scenes.
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Bittersweet Angsty Psychologically Tiring Love Story
Just wanted to put my running thoughts here as my heart still feels bittersweet and empty. It’s weird for a drama to make me feel this way, especially one like The Wolf. I don’t know if it was 3 years of waiting for it to air, but there’s this feeling of non-fulfillment. It was probably because I wanted to like it, I saw potential, and loved certain characters. Despite the flaws, I felt emotionally attached to the characters and drama.8 out of 10 comments talks about how ridiculous the plot was, the number of misunderstandings, and the lack of character development. 2 out of 10 talks about how this was the best drama of 2020 with the best plot. I can agree with both of these arguments. I understand that we all have our differences in opinions but sometimes I feel like drama viewers these days are too judgmental on the way that a story gets presented to us. Certain shows are not serious enough for me to take it seriously, so I enjoy it for the entertainment it should be giving me. Other shows try so hard to be great and it falls short and then I start mentally judging them. However, when I am presented with something new, I always try to go about it pretty open-minded. Dramas and movies help illustrate the flaws in relationships and everyday lives. In this sense, we see a lot of different relationships that could have been relevant to those back in the days or even today.
STORY
The plotline was a whirlwind of “I’m here already?” because things happened so fast, like the first 20 episodes. Then the rest of the show just kind of fell into a slump and this probably must be due to lack of character/story development. The writer’s decision to make the characters do a certain thing or act a certain way makes me question the plotline. This makes me curious if the postproduction and 3-year wait messed up the flow of the drama. If so, by how much or did it even matter. I feel like there were quite a few plot holes in the drama that never got addressed. I know that they cut off some episodes during postproduction.
ACTING/CAST/CHARACTERS (CONTAINS SPOILERS)
To be honest, I am biased towards the main cast. I was introduced to Darren Wang in “Our Times” and so far, I’ve enjoyed his works (that I have seen). Li Qin was discovered in “Princess Agents” and Xiao Zhan in “Oh! My Emperor”. In my opinion, they all did great in their roles.
Darren Wang as Lord Bo/Wolfie was spectacular! At the beginning where he displays the innocent side of the wolf who sees beauty in everything contrasted to his stoic face and anger that he portrayed later in the show. He did great at showing his struggle between Wolfie and Lord Bo. Such as the anguish he felt when he was put in a difficult decision. For most of Darren’s past roles, he has been playing the tough/bad guy. I was hoping for more of him as Wolfie and not Lord Bo, especially since Darren is supposed to depict two personalities as Lord Bo and Wolfie. I feel the drama should have presented the plot/characters to us in a way where we as viewers should instantly recognize him as Lord Bo or Wolfie, as Ma Zhai Xing claims she can.
I understand that this drama has more of a “dark” and “angst” theme and the writer wants to establish Lord Bo’s character as someone ruthless like a wolf. However, there are countless ways to go about making him seem ruthless than the amount of sexual assault he has inflicted on Ma Zhai Xing.
So, we know that Lord Bo grew up with wolves, which I hoped we would have gotten to see in the drama. That didn’t happen nor did they give Wolfie/Lord Bo a proper background. How he grew up with wolves, his family, or even his real name. We only saw the two leads playing around in the forest. He had a questionable amount of power for some reason, we know he was a test subject for the king but that shouldn’t make him invincible/stronger.
It is mentioned he wanted his revenge. What I never understood is as a smart character himself, how did he get so stuck in the king’s lies. It made me realize that no matter how awful the king was, Lord Bo saw him as a father figure that he never had. He craved that fatherly love and that’s why another scene that made me sad was when the King of Jin was talking to Wolfie about his sons and how they have dinner together and how Wolfie could come and find him to talk and treat the place as his home. He who was pretty much demoted and living in the shabby area with the other ex-slaves finally found a “home” or at least a place that would welcome him (even if it’s to use him for war purposes). I love how even though he is Lord Bo, he values his relationships. He treats his brothers/family/friends nicely or at least tries to.
LI QIN does a great job at acting all flustered and shy, however, I do not find her crying scenes as sad as they should be. As a character who cries a lot, especially in recalling painful moments as we have seen her gone through, we should be crying with her. I didn’t feel sad most of the time when I saw her cry through her trials, probably because I felt like it should have been a cry of anguish and not pity or hoping that Lord Bo would react to her.
There were quite some complaints about Ma Zhai Xing and how she kept trying to make it work with Lord Bo, even though she kept getting hurt. I just want to say that all Ma Zhai Xing ever had was taken away from her. The one thing that was left and was beautiful was Wolfie, which she fought so terribly hard for. It’s like having a beautiful memory that you don’t want to tarnish, so you try so hard to protect and keep it alive. I think she does a wonderful job portraying this character. It’s not healthy and it’s ugly but it’s so well done. Her character isn’t new to us, as I’m sure we know or heard of people like her character.
She was pretty smart and strong at the beginning, solving the case to prove that Wolfie was innocent. However, that was before the fall of the Ma’s. She submitted to Lord Bo because she knew where her power stood with the death of her father. No matter how smart she is, she plays the role of a female and one who doesn’t know anything about leading a troop. Ma Zhai Xing was irrational when Yao Ji tricked her because revenge was a spark she couldn’t stop from flaming up. We have those moments where we can’t be rational or that it’s hard to be. Even Wolfie knows that if Ma Zhai Xing doesn’t get her revenge, she would never be able to let it go. This leads to his ultimate sacrifices. While it was only for a short moment, her fight scene was beautifully done, wished they would’ve given her more scenes like that than her falling off the horse.
XIAO ZHAN really surprised me here as I have yet to see “The Untamed”. He shows us so many sides to him during this drama as the ruthless bounty hunter, the playful/thoughtful Ji Cong, and the serious Prince of Jin. I’ve come to realize that his character was probably my favorite in the drama as my top moments were filled with him (see below).
Honorable mentions to the actor and actress who played Yao Ji and Wen Yan.
MUSIC
This is probably just my opinion, but there are not many dramas out there that can make me fall in love with the whole soundtrack. I think that the entrance/exits of some scenes could have been better in the show. There was a lot of slow-motion with dramatic music playing, which I love, especially when it is done right. I believe only one of the soundtracks (apart from Bo Na’s instrumental) is upbeat and happy. The rest of them gets me emotional and sounds moody (my type of vibe).
RE-WATCH VALUE
I don’t re-watch a lot of dramas. The number of dramas that I have re-watched is no more than 10. Even when I “re-watch” I only play my favorite scenes or after a certain part of the drama, if that even counts as re-watching. I don’t find myself in love with this drama to the point of a re-watch. There were so many repetitive issues being cycled through that I don’t think I can watch them again. I might just skim to find my favorite scenes.
!! THE FOLLOWING SECTION CONTAINS SCENES AND ENDING SPOILERS !!
LOVES
One of my favorite scenes was when Ji Cong eavesdropped on his father’s conversation with Ma Jin Xing. He finally understood why his father made the decisions that he had. While I have yet to experience parenthood, I know that there are sacrifices that parents like to make because they believe it would be best for the child. This doesn’t have to be true; it probably isn’t the best for the child, but I guess parental instincts feel like it would be so they make decisions for us when we can’t/don’t want to. What made this scene beautiful was when Ji Cong walked step by step with his father whilst on the roof. While they never talked it out, it was like they finally understood one another’s intention. It was like Ji Cong has forgiven his father.
The second scene that stuck out to me was when Ji Cong confronted Wolfie on Qi Mountain. It made Ji Cong’s character a lot more beautiful than he already was. While he learned about the truth of Wolfie’s decisions, he was willing to give up Ma Jin Xing to make her happy. He knew that Wolfie could make her happy and encouraged him to tell her. His next words were also one of my favorite lines from the show, if we didn’t fall for the same women, we could’ve been friends. While I loved those words, they were weird once you thought about it because Ji Cong had minor interactions with Wolfie, even as foes. If there was more bromance thrown in, it would have made this scene even more beautiful.
One of my favorite lines from the show was how they should have stayed on Wolf Mountain and never came down. How all the monsters were at the bottom of the mountain. This line we draw where it defines who the actual beasts were, it made me ponder on it a lot. I feel like we all have beasts, demons, or even monsters inside all of us. Whether it’s a physical appearance that makes us feel inferior or our mental beasts. While I know that people can be beautiful and the world could show me so many beautiful wonders, I’m often stuck in wanting to enclose myself elsewhere. It brings me back to what my brother once told me about the reason why America has no more forests. Before the westward expansion and I’m sure settlement in America, there were acres of forests. However, people were scared of the beasts and darkness that lurks in the forests, so they decided to chop them all down (I know this isn’t true as they wanted to utilize the land and the wood, however, I like my brother’s version more). As we grow older, we start to see that beasts (or wild animals) are just like people, they’re just trying to survive the best way that they can. They can get scared and hurt as well. So, it comes down to who is the real beast?
DISLIKES
I think the weirdest thing that no one pointed out was the fact that Ji Cong and Bo Na ended up together. She “disliked” him up until he decided to divorce Ma Jin Xing. I understand that she probably finally saw him in a different light when he was willing to let Ma Jin Xing go. She followed him once to the battalion under the guise of a soldier. They bicker for a bit and they eventually ended up together. While I love that Ji Cong finally found his source of happiness and freedom that he has always wanted, it came too unexpected within the last not even 10 episodes.
Eventually, it wasn’t misunderstandings anymore. It was about the lack of communication and doing what we think is best for the other person. If we learned something from this drama, don’t make decisions for other people. This loop of them going back and forth got tiring. I really thought she gave up and was willing to move on and I was happy for her. We all don’t like to see people suffer, so when she had something good going with someone good, I was happy.
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A strange unsettling feeling may wade in you after watching The Wolf.
Scripts and scenes from this drama appeared to be overboard as the scriptwriters tried to make it look realistic. Throughout the drama, except for the last few episodes, I felt most episodes heavy to watch . Words and scene were so harsh on the main female character, Ma Zhai Xing. Sometimes, when Bo Wang was saying things to hurt her, the conversations were so unbearable that I had to fast-forward the scenes to escape all the harsh words MZX had to go through. I find this kind of scenes very unsettling , edgy and not refined.
Costume was an overkill. The designer tried too hard and tried too many new things. Bo Wang looked heavy in some of his clothing, which made him look awkward. Xiao Zhan also looked weird in his clothing after he became the prince. It's too shiny. Overall costume was weird and didn't fit well on most of the main leads.
The cinematography of this drama is just weird. They tried so many new angles and compositions, resulting some of the martial art scenes to look completely ridiculous. There wasn't a need for a good martial art choreographer in this set. The cameramen virtually stole the job of the choreographer. There was also a lack of attention to detail, they simply caught a Tom, Dick or Harry to be the stuntwoman Ma Jing (MZX's sidekick) without caring if the stuntwoman had the same body shape as Ma Jing.
Darren Wang's performance in this drama was not on the dot. Very often I can't really guess the next moment of the drama because I couldn't read the expression of Darren correctly. Watching a good drama is alot about anticipating what will happen next. As audience, we would be satisfied if the actor could bring us into the story by setting a mood as to what would happen next. This didn't happen all the time with Darren in this drama. I felt that he was either too stiff or too jubilant. It was as if he couldn't own his character. On the contrary, Li Qin and Xiao Zhan did better job in expressing themselves and owning their characters. Many smaller details of this drama also didn't jive well, a lot of holes. The editing was not well done but I guess this wasn't important compared to the bigger problems above.
The only thing that I liked about this drama is the OST. I like most of the songs as they are contemporary and modern. It takes away some of the negativity of this drama.
I won't rewatch this drama mainly because I find it too heavy.
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It was good after awhile..
I started this drama because Xiao Zhan was in it. I would say the first few episodes were good and it got me hooked because of the chemistry between Zhai Xing and Lord Bo aka "wolfie." However, as the story progressed, I was just dying inside and wanted to finish this drama right away. There were some scenes that were unnecessary and repetitive that it just dragged the story longer than expected. I honestly really wanted to drop this drama but kept going for the sake of Xiao Zhan. Some reasons why I didn't like this drama was mainly due to the characters.First, the characters were just annoying as heck. At first, I really liked Zhai Xing because of her cute bubbly personality in the beginning. However, once she got older, she just got super annoying how she would repetitively keep calling for Wolfie wolfie wolfie! Like dang shut up! Even when Lord Bo and her were together already, she would continuously keep bringing up about how he is not the wolfie that he was 8 years ago bla bla bla. Like she's seeing two people in one person indirectly saying as if the current Lord Bo is a bad person if he doesn't act like wolfie. Then she passive-aggressively like pushing him to bring some aspects of wolfie back which is just annoying as hell. Like girl, people can change throughout the years, it's common sense. Do you seriously expect that he'd be the same exact person after 8 years? She's too busy living in the past. If I was Lord Bo, I would've dumped her HAHAHA. These type of scenes just repetitively went on for like who knows how many episodes out of 49 that it made me genuinely hate her. I especially felt so bad for Ji Chong, he tried his best to win her over but she was she soo madly obsessed and in love with Lord Bo that he couldn't break their bond and had to let go of her. BUT, he sorta did end up with Bao Na in the end, which I feel like is the only BEST thing that happened throughout this whole drama LOL.
Lord Bo, I had mixed feelings for him because he was just utterly horrible to Zhai Xing throughout who knows how many episodes (which is prob the only times I felt bad for her). Like I know he's acting cruel to her because he is trying to protect her and knew she'd hate him if she found out the death of her family had to do with Bo's clan. However, he was just too cruel and extra that it was hard for me to re-like him again even after he redeemed himself. At one point, I did sorta start to like him when he started showing more of his soft side when he attempted to sacrifice himself (but ironically didn't die like 1000 times which I have no idea why or how). But still, I just ended up really hating both Zhai Xing and Lord Bo because of how they were. Towards the end of the drama, I basically just skipped all their sweet moments together because I could care less. I just didn't care anymore what happened to them in the end of the drama (whether they die or whatnot). But I guess this is called "good acting" maybe? I don't know. I think the only people I actually liked in this drama was Bao Na and the Fourth Prince.
The story itself was okay and somewhat interesting, disregarding the annoying female/male leads. Like I said before, there were a lot of repetitive and necessary parts that was just unbearable to watch. But watching some of the intense scenes and the development leading up to the climax of killing off the antagonists were good. One good thing I can say is that I actually liked the way the drama ended. Not because the female/male leads that I hated died in the end, but it's actually a perfect way to end the drama. Having the female/male lead die together in the place where they had their happy times together. It's different from most happy endings which I liked. It's like a bittersweet ending for me.
Overall, I don't think I would watch this drama again or recommend it to anyone. Wished they had shortened the drama so I wouldn't waste 49 hours of my life watching the majority of repetitive scenes and annoying characters.
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Looking objectively
I really don't like this drama, but after many days of struggling, I decided to put my own feelings aside and evaluate The Wolf as objectively as I can.I don't like this drama because I'm a thousand years too old for it. Plot is infantile, and so are the heroes, but that's what it is meant to be. This is a costume idol-drama that is not meant to be difficult or clever, it's entertainment to pass the time and arouse emotions, just as the audience demands, so in this respect, The Wolf is excellent. The music combines old-time features with a modern style, which is an ideal solution for today's young audience. There are tender scenes for romance lovers and very good fight scenes for lovers of something stronger. Even I found elements here that I really like.
The actors are definitely brilliant. Everyone has given their heart to this drama and it shows. Even if a character irritates me so much that I feel like tearing it apart, it's just proof of how well it was played.
Completely getting rid of subjectivity, knowing in what style The Wolf is shot, after watching 16 episodes with a clear conscience, I give 10. Maybe I'm too old for this style, maybe some elements seem funny to me, but objectively The Wolf perfectly filled all the elements of the drama of the style, which it represents and in places even exceeded the expectations of the genre.
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OMG, I expected this so much... And I hated it so much !
Yeah, I know, there's a lot of praises about this dramaBut sorry I can't force myself and I need to vent on
Like a lot of people, I waited for this drama for a long time and with a lot of expectations due to the amazing trailer, and the amazing casting.
But oh crap : shitty writing
The story actually started off as really nice. I liked the premices : a pretty young maid who finds an innocent young boy raised by wolves and bounds with him but they get separated by tragedy before reuniting... And that's where it went downhill. Even Li Qin and Xiao Zhan couldn't save this drama (God, I hated their dubbing so much ! it was just too obvious and made them sound like teenagers ! it felt so frustrating when i remembered after hear their real, deep voices in the trailer that sounded so much better than these weird sounds)
First of all, writers : if you want to write a good story, AVOID AT ALL COSTS TO WRITE A SECOND MALE LEAD WHO'S BY ALL MEANS BETTER THAN THE MALE LEAD ! That's my first clue : if so many viewers have a big second male lead syndrome then that's a big flaw and failure to the story as it generates insatisfaction and frustration to the viewer rooting for the second male lead (and therefore hating the male lead). Here, we have the usual male lead who finds nothing better than to hurt the female lead nonstop, insulting her, humiliating her nonstop, sometimes even pretending to be about to molest her, basically does everything he can to let her think he hates her. And for what reason ? Oh yeah : the usual "I hurt you to protect you". OH GOD, I HATE THIS TROPE SO MUCH !!! On the other hand, Ji Chong, second male lead played by Xiao Zhan who starts at the very beginning like a rogue but develops such a cute and sincere devotion for the female lead... I'm sorry, and you still expect us to root for the male lead ? Moreover, I know a lot of people will disagree with me and I apologize in advance for the fans I'm gonna offend but I think that whether in terms of acting or charm, Darren Wang is clearly not at Xiao Zhan's level (actually, I thought Darren Wang was pretty mediocre : please don't kill me)
What was even more annoying is that the lead couple kept going around in circles nonstop : there were so many misunderstanding coming between them AGAIN AND AGAIN. For like two episodes they would be the cutest couple and then suddenly for some stupid reason or misunderstanding, they would have to (pretend to) hate each other for like the next 10 episodes and then they would suddenly reconcile... before falling out again and so on and on. URGH !
Basically the reasons why I fast forwarded the story like crazy and felt the need to rewatch "Youth Begins" to wash my eyes after that
Also, I think the costumes and sets weren't great, especially the costumes... But that's no big deal, I can easily let pass that one. And so many other characters were so annoying (like that bratty princess), barely even showing a correct acting (but then again, that awful dubbing made it even harder to bear... I mean, to judge). And finally the female lead was supposed to be smart and brave... but she was actually quite stupid and weak, she often needed to be saved.
So in other words : WHAT A HUGE DECEPTION !
Now, let's go, come at me, you fans that I must have terribly offended, I'm ready to accept my punishment !
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