Budsmom
I have only one thing to say about this drama and that is is EXCELLENT. I really love the Wolf. As a viewer of kdrama and Cdramas ( mainly the wuxia and historical genre) I find The Wolf unusual and captivating from start to finish. The characters have depth and not only because they were all gray. They have depth because they were all flawed especially LB. Everything was raw: the emotions, the characters, the angst. Kudos to Frankie Chen (one of the directors and writer) she brought out the best in all her talents that resulted in a masterpiece. I really fell in love with Darren Wang, though this is the first time I've seen him as well. He made both Wolfboy and Lord Bo fully realized. His acting was just brilliant and his looks refreshingly different. I am a fan of Chinese wuxia and historical dramas and for the most part I have noticed that actors in these genre almost always give more attention to the action and not so much the emotions of their characters. Wang talu brought both action and emotion to his character in equal parts plus he has a natural charisma that just oozes out of our TV sets. His acting was so believable that you love him as Wolf boy in the beginning parts of the drama then you hate him in the middle as Lord Bo, and love and hate him at the same time in many scenes. Many times I felt like the heroine MZX - I should thoroughly hate him - but I can't ???. Talu made an unlikeable character who was cold, cruel, even sadistic at times bearable, understandable and even pitiable. A few fans of the 2ML criticized him for "not emoting" or for having "weird expressions" but in the context of his character as a stoic wolf-like Lord Bo he did a superb job. It's not easy emotionally, to act two different persona in one character. Plus all his expressions were clear for viewers to see like an open book. that is a hard thing to do especially when you are supposed to act indifferent and cruel yet conflicted and emotionally tortured deep inside. His chemistry with Li Qin was strong and Li Qin herself did a superb job at her role. Her character was weak and simple but she is single minded and stubborn in her ways to bring Lang zai back to her side. I think in MZX's case other than love, guilt is the main driving force as to why she was unwilling to let Wolf boy go. She knew deep inside that she was partly responsible to whatever or however Wolfboy became -the cruel, killing machine LB. Sometimes guilt is stronger than love. that's why she tolerated all his cruelty towards her. She wanted to save him in order to wash away her own guilt. Xiao Zhan as Ji Chong also did a good job pushing the story forward as 2ML and Yao Ji is such a surprising character that gives another dimension to the story. Truth be told, I was rooting for YJ and LB towards the end of the drama. I thought her relationship with LB had a steadier foot to stand on and they had longer history than MZX. this drama is definitely a character driven drama so it is heavy on the dialogues. You really must pay attention to the dialogues in order to not get lost in the flow of the story. Also, the theme of this drama is IMO more appropriate for adults and those who have had relationships not because of any visual adult content but because you need some level of maturity in order to understand the characters , their challenges ,and the plot.I also loved the production quality. I didn't see in abundance fake trees and flowers which always irritates me. The make up was also good especially for male characters. No pasty white make-ups , eyeliners and bright lipsticks for male actors.I just don't like men portraying valiant warriors or the God of war himself looking like fairies. Their hair also got messy and overall actor/actress appearance didn't stay looking well put together even after a horse ride, and during battles and fight scenes. The attention to details by this director was meticulous.The cinematography is also something. I would even dare some scenes and sequences in the Wolf were far better than Disney's Mulan. And those tight shots and close-up shots of Talu and Lin Qin were a masterpiece in and of itself. Again Kudos to the director. I only wished they gave us the whole 58 episodes. I heard those episodes were more action-filled it could have balanced out the long dialogues and narrative that often plague character-driven dramas like this one. Still, I would and have re-watched this drama from start to finish because it's that great. Honestly, I think everyone who have seen the Wolf should re-watch it too in order to understand the main characters and their challenges and the whole plot. It was easy to get distracted by Talu's great visuals, superb acting, and swoon-worthy moments the first time you see the drama you forget about the plot. If you re-watch it and really pay attention then everything makes sense.
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