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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Outstanding acting, OST and action scenes

I was most blown away by Leo's acting of A'Sun as the last time I watched him was in Nirvana on Fire when he was still a little kid. I cannot believe how much he has matured and his emotional scenes were better than those I've seen from seasoned actors. He was excellent portraying a fierce warrior and did an incredible job with all the fight scenes. Although he is only 21-22, his acting is dynamic and he is so interesting to watch. He also worked really hard to build his physique to match that of the character.

Diliraba's portrayal of Li Chang Ge is a nice change for her and I can see she has improved a lot with her acting. Her previous roles which were often very weepy and she had the tendency to frown a lot in many of her sad scenes. I'm glad she has improved on that a lot and is able to show a lot more emotion using more subtle facial expressions which is much more tasteful to watch as a viewer.

The SML and SFL had a wonderful storyline. Zhao Lusi's character is very different here than in her previous roles and I appreciate her taking on a very different role. She did a great job with her character and the development of her character was very interesting. I found myself captivated with her storyline. I often skip or fast forward scenes that don't involve the MLs in other dramas because they often feel like fillers. Overall I found all the 4 main characters very different from one another, and they all had their role to play to make the story come together. They all went on a journey and major transformation through many trials and tribulations.

The action scenes in this series were done very well. I initially wasn't quite fond of the anime cut scenes but I soon started appreciating them because many of them were used during war scenes where animals would have been involved otherwise. I think this is far better than causing animals which I know often suffer during filming. Many of the dramas like Legend of Xiao Chuo involved so many live animals, it made me sick to think of the potential injuries and traumas they had to go through to shoot those scenes. I think this was but better although it did make some of the battle scenes less intense and life-like.

Finally, the music is one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a while. Overall this drama has been a gem. I've already rewatched many scenes several times and I have been enjoying the soundtrack also.

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