NICE CHEMISTRY
Shadow Love" is a visually stunning and emotionally engaging drama that excels in its unique premise, strong performances, and high production values. While it has minor flaws in pacing and character balance, it offers a refreshing take on historical fantasy romance. Cheng Lei's performance is a standout, making the series worth watching for his acting alone.Recommendation:
- For Romance Lovers: The slow-burn chemistry and intimate moments will captivate you.
- For Fantasy Enthusiasts: The supernatural elements and mystical artifacts add depth to the story.
- For Action Fans: The well-choreographed fight scenes and war strategies keep the adrenaline pumping.
"Shadow Love" is a **must-watch** for those who enjoy historical fantasies with complex characters and intricate plots. It successfully blends romance, politics, and supernatural elements into a compelling narrative that deserves recognition.
---
Note: This review is based on the first 12 episodes of the drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
The female general and her- Lover boy, Protector and Arch Nemesis.
I have a question- what will you do if your life is suddenly surrounded by 3 very mysterious people!?-One is the shy and sweet LOVER BOY who gives you sweet promises and flowers. Swearing to stay by your side to protect you.
-Second is the supernatural, powerful and mystical PROTECTOR with silver hair and a sexy mask who just appears out of nowhere to protect you whenever you are in danger.
-Third is the ruthless, cunning and formidable ARCH NEMESIS who you are sworn to kill as duty.
This my friends is a classic recipe to a 'disaster' or 'an epic romance' because the real plot twist is THEY ALL ARE THE SAME PERSON.
PLOT-
1 man. 3 identity. And a bond forged in blood.
Shadow love follows the story of a female general and a prince/general who both are sworn enemies whose kingdoms are at war with each other but somehow get their fates entangled together after a series of events which lead the ML to transform into a shadow puppet with the FL as his blood master. In the process the ML loses his memory and his identity. Together they navigate through blood connections, crazy consorts, sly court politics, wars, hidden identity, supernatural powers/ artifacts and hidden enemies.
MUSIC, COSTUME, DIRECTION AND CINEMATOGRAPHY-
The cinematography of the drama is just top notch, the colour grading and costumes go well with the whole vibe of the drama and suit the character well.
The background music add to the charm of the drama. The OST specially is beautiful.
The fight scene are also immaculate, like you actually grip your seats while watching them. With the supernatural element in the drama we see quite a lot of high quality VFX.
The director are the same as from 'the prisoner of beauty' so you can totally imagine the unique and beautiful way the scenes are portrayed. The way of story telling hooks you to the drama immediately.
ACTORS-
Both the main cast have been a spot on casting, they are literally made for their role. I had reservation about the FL in the start but as the episodes progressed she did really good in portraying her role a female general.
I have to take a moment and appreciate the ML, like cheng li had 3 characters to play and he played them soo well. From soft and determined to ruthless and unhinged, he played all his 3 characters really well. His eyes sing emotions.
And I mean if a character makes you hate their guts it means the actors slayed and in this case the villains slayed hard.
OVERALL MY THOUGHT-
The plot is intriguing, and keep you hooked from the very beginning. Watching it you feel the love, anger, hate, happiness, sadness through the screen. You actually connect with the character's and theirs story. The music and cinematography gives the drama a different vibe that makes it addicting to watch.
The scenes are done soo perfectly, like the whole direction of fight scenes and intimacy scenes is next level. I mean I can clearly see the director of TPOB and this is same by the way the scenes are presented.
I love the romance part of the drama, the small touches and kisses are really well done. There are alot of intimacy scenes which doens't really have kisses but like small touches, act of service, them protecting each other, the whole blood sucking thing. All this just adds to the romance vibes.
I love how it was more romance plotted than political which was nice, the attention was the main leads and their dynamics.
Overall the drama is a must watch. And deserves the time you invest in it. It might not be perfect but it deserves the recognition.
SOME of my favorite scenes till now-
-the transformation scene/ blood pool scene (ep 1)
-the charcter introduction scene (ep 1)
-the blood sucking scene (ep 5)
Was this review helpful to you?
Visual Feast and I am not just talking about Cheng Lei
It is Cheng Lei's drama and he is the backbone of it. Now, this is what I can call unique. Atleast this drama tried something new (plot wise ) and the way Cheng Lei is doing three characters here is laudable for sure. He is breaking his mould. It is my first time seeing him doing comedy, goofy/innocent type of character. Obviously his usual indifferent one is also part of his other character but it is refreshing to see him doing something different than what he is already good at.If I have to describe cinematography- just pause anywhere during the episode and it looks like a scenery that you could use it as a background image, it is that level of beautiful. I am loving all the editing which is done smartly something that was completely missing in Legend of female general. That is how one puts 'impact' in a particular scene especially action scenes, even though Song Yi (FL) still doesn't have that physical apperance of a general but it still looks good and powerful. The one that really stood out to me was that herbalist girl. She is so natural in her acting. Maybe it is just the character but she is doing really great though I cannot say the same for her partner the other deputy general or something. I am enjoying side characters banter and obviously villain of the story. A well suited actress for Empress's role. She is perfectly delivering those bewitching, obsessed and unstable vibes that is demanded by her role. There are some great action scenes and choreography is really smooth. Now the worst part- when someone writes a female general's character, the most important quality of a leader is his/her descision making abilities. FL is shown pretty smart/vigilant one here but all her decisions as a general are very questionable. She goes alone fighting, takes handful of soldiers to fight against a big bandit group and ultimately she becomes damsel in distress who needs ML to save her. If we really think about it she is not fit for a general's position who leads a huge group (mostly men). That is the worst thing of this drama. Why do they write female characters like that is still a mystery to me. Either make her so sharp to get out of trouble using her brain or simply make her physically strong to fight her way out or don't make her a general or leader. It can still be a great character without such position. It is VERY FRUSTRATING.
Overall it is a unique and enjoyable drama (minus above mentioned parts) and I hope it continues that way till the end. I can definitely recommend this one for now.
Was this review helpful to you?
Great chemistry, angst and action scenes
It starts off with some really nice action scenes and visuals..and talk no less..it only keeps getting better.We also have the build-up of the chemistry between the leads..and their understanding of eachother...only reached ep 24 until now...soon to be turn to enemies to lovers as they discover their feelings again.
The plot is also awesome (yeah it will make you hate the antagnoists)...romance with fantasy element filled. Both the leads fits into their characters and carry it very well.
Was this review helpful to you?
Ryan cheng aced all three characters with superb acting
Story is well paced. I read the novel . I think drama adoptation is a lot better than novel. All three characters .. jinan being pure innocent and a green forest, xuan yi ke being brave and enigmatic and duan aodong being cold ruthless and intellegent person ..all character aced by ryan cheng. He deserves a lot more appreciation and acknowledgement for his work.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Visual feast with strong leads and engaging plot
Obviously, this is a review for the first 12 episodes, but... this drama honestly blew me away!! And this means something, as I've grown overly impatient and critical of cheaply made Chinese dramas, and I've been dropping many of those I started watching recently. Not only is this a drama for romance fans that fancy a bit of a twist, but also for (super)hero fans, I would say. Cheng Lei is super badass in his role, but so is Song Yi. Best female general I've seen so far. Those who say she constantly needs saving are wrong, and episode 12 proves it without a doubt. Yes, she gets saved by him a lot too, but that is fine, as many of the scenes were created with that intent in mind and include many of his own strategies being used by her, which obviously have him at the centre as the main fighter. Plus, the favour gets returned, and she saves him many times as well.The acting is great, the side characters are fleshed out and are actually important to the story, the visuals and CGI are STUNNING, and everybody makes well-informed, logical choices, which leaves almost no room for unnecessary drama or plot holes (although the reason why he transformed into a child still needs to be explained BUT it could be argued that he was still recovering from his wounds when he was changing back into a child). Cheng Lei is the highlight of this drama in my eyes. The way he seamlessly transitions between badass fighter and harmless, charming guy is amazing and deserves praise. I'd recommend this drama alone based on that, as it's rare that he gets such a good chance to show his acting range!
If you're a fan of blood pacts/dark magic (vampire style), awesome slow-burn chemistry between the main leads and a solid, intriguing plot- you should check out this drama ASAP!
Was this review helpful to you?
Interesting storyline with great characters
Ok, first of all- there’s eye candy everywhere! I am really enjoying that part. Ml is fantastic and I’m highly impressed with his ability to jump between his different roles. (Even more so when said jumping involves losing his shirt, but still.) Side characters are also very easy to watch. Fl is cute, intelligent and kind. It seems really difficult to find shows where the fl is so well balanced, but this show does it well. The actress is a little too delicate to convincingly portray a bad ass general, but at least she’s not hyperextending her arms every time she tries to pick up a sword. Overall, she does well. Chemistry with the ml is on point. 🔥The side characters are great, they add a lot to the show. Love the 2nd in command and the female doctor. The newly introduced coachman and the strong woman look promising, as well. Again- lots of eye candy! But also entertaining and they add some fun to the story. It’s interesting to see that both kingdoms are being led by someone evil or incompetent. Probably an indication they’ll be replaced by our more beloved main characters.
I like that’s it’s a different story line instead of one that’s been done 10 times in the past couple of years. And I love the action scenes where he has his super powers. That’s not usually a draw for me on these shows, but I have been enthralled by them here. Both the actor and the special effects are amazing. The incredible music may play a big role in that. Did I mention the music? Absolutely phenomenal!
I’m hooked and hope it continues to play as well as it has started.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The Boredom Takes Over
So… I’m officially dropping this drama. Don’t curse me yet—hear me out first. I’m dropping this not because I haven’t moved on from LOTFG (Cheng Lei’s other drama), but simply because I don’t get the hype. Watching this feels like forcing myself to do something I don’t actually want to do.When the first episode came out, I immediately hit play—and just a few minutes in, I already knew this wasn’t for me. Still, I kept watching, hoping it would get better, but instead, it just got more boring. It’s a unique drama, sure, but I honestly don’t know why I couldn’t enjoy it. Maybe it’s intuition. I did manage to push myself to episode 10, but let’s be real—on the first day, I only finished 2 episodes, even though I had time to watch more. That alone was already a sign I wasn’t into it.
Now about the female general—don’t hate me for this—but she’s been trained since childhood, yet if Jin’an wasn’t around, she would’ve been dead already. And yes, I get it, people will say “bro, she’s a human being, flaws are normal”—and that’s true. But here’s the thing: the way they placed those flaws was the problem. If you make the FL helpless from episodes 1–6, it leaves a bad impression. Flaws aren’t bad, but they need to be balanced and placed properly in the story.
And that 30 lashes scene? I was honestly confused why she didn’t just say the word earlier to escape it. It made her look worse for no reason.
Overall, the real killer here was boredom. Same reason I dropped Moonlit Reunion—the only difference is that there, I didn’t have issues with the characters. Here? I just don’t vibe with Li Shuang (no offense to Song Yi, don’t get me wrong).
Was this review helpful to you?
Another C-drama without substance
I watched 6 episodes, then i took a break, then to day i tried to watch episode 7, but i can't so i decided to drop for good.There are (in my point of view) honest a lot of C-drama without substance but with famous actors/actresses. Shadow Love is unfortunately and simply one of them.
It i such a great pity that Song Yi played a role in this drama because i like her so much.
While acting is not bad, as no substance in the story, the actors/actresses can not help but play along with.
Episode 6 actually the worse of the first 6 episodes where FL punished her fake brother with 30 lashes - my patience ended and stopped watching - still today i tried with ep 7, but simply I can't. Therefore I dropped at episode 6.
The audience is vary - from all around the world, many might run after the names of actors/actresses yet some may look for the meaningfulness of a storyline.
Was this review helpful to you?
I Didnt Know There Would be Some Mystical Fantasy
I watched it for Cheng Lei but i got disappointed. at the first ep there was this mystical magical fantasy scenes and i'm not into that kind of drama.geeat acting by Cheng Lei as always.
Songyi however, i dont think she suits the general role. she doesnt have the charisma of a female general. she did her best but still she couldnt bring out the general aura. if i could choose an actress for the role, i'd choose Bailu or Zhu Xudan or Liu Shishi.
the opening theme is good but the background music can be annoying sometimes.
ao i dropped thia drama at ep 2, i couldnt get myself to enjoy it even with Cheng Lei in it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Pretty lame tbh
This show is like Just an average show that you can watch when you're bored or something. I give it a 5 out of 10. And I have watched i think 11 episode so far. The female general always needs saving and she's just not very convincing as like a bad a*s female general. And when ML turns into a kid, it literally makes no sense and is never explained. Even the fights scenes and the war scenes are just horrible.I just finished watching legend of female general and the fightings were so amazing.This show is such a let down honestly. Ill probably end up dropping it.Was this review helpful to you?
