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A confusing start with too many threads at times, but worth sticking with once it finds its rhythm.
Review: Veil of ShadowsI initially found Veil of Shadows difficult to get into. The opening episodes are confusing due to minimal character introduction and very similar styling, making it hard to distinguish between characters.
Once the story settles, it becomes much clearer and more engaging.
The acting is consistently strong across the cast and helps carry the drama, particularly in the early episodes.
However, the number of storylines can feel overwhelming. There are moments where the narrative becomes confusing again due to too many concurrent plot threads. Despite being marketed around four main leads, it often feels like Zeng Shunxi and Chen Duling are sidelined.
The romance is a slow burn, relying on subtle moments rather than constant interaction. This will appeal to some viewers, but may feel too slow for others. Visually, the drama remains polished throughout.
Overall, it rewards patience. A confusing start, but an engaging story once it finds its rhythm.
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Of Dragons and Foxes...
I went into this with zero clue as to what it is all about. I just knew that it was partly based on Painted Skin, a short film Guo Jingming directed some years back which I haven't seen. I must admit, the first episode pulled me in like Alice following the white rabbit into a hole new world. Yes, I made a pun. But kidding aside, the world it drew me in was a world of dragons and demons, rich with lore and characters that are not quite what they seem.As expected of a Guo Jingming drama, the visuals in this are impeccable, from the sweeping shots to the dramatic angles. The costumes and makeup are some of the best I've seen in any drama, including Guo's own works. Everything about it screamed high production quality to me. This was indeed a treat to watch. But... and this is a big BUT, the writing leaves something to be desired. Despite the promising premise and complex characters, the execution is poor with a plot that's all over the place and confusing, and a feverish pacing that ends almost abruptly. Perhaps this is the result of the shortened number of episodes or maybe Guo Jingming is simply not a very a good screenwriter in spite of his artistic approach to filmmaking. I don't think I have rated a drama of his higher than an 8. Even though I largely enjoy them, they don't hit as hard as I want them to and that's mainly because of the not so satisfactory writing.
I do like the fact the drama keeps you guessing and yet also gives you enough clues to figure things out by yourself. I was also deeply moved by the backstories of each character. I never thought I would feel compassion for an obviously CGI blind fox and empathize with his suffering. I have to hand it to Tian Jiarui for breathing life into this character. In fact, he played seven distinct characters if I'm not mistaken and he did it like nobody's business. I have to give credit to Yan An as well, it was because of his believable portrayal that made me grow attached to his Li Jie and his close relationship with Ji Ling.
I'm just a little disappointed that they dropped the ball on Joseph Zeng's character, Wu Shiguang. He started out to be this awfully cool and mysterious character with a badass weapon. I wanted to see more of that, but the moment his backstory was revealed, he started becoming less interesting. So he's a dragon too. Yeah... I don't really care. Ji Ling as Chi Wen was mesmerizingly ethereal and pretty, but the humanity of Ji Ling was what made the character far more compelling to me. Even the weasel demon became more interesting than Wu Shiguang right before the end. And even though I liked the musical score and soundtrack for the most part, I didn't appreciate that weird trap music with the freaky chanting blasting like no tomorrow every chance it got. Did they have a quota for the number of times that song was supposed to play? Seriously, there were scenes that didn't need it, but no, they just had to play that darn song! It drove me nuts! lol
Fortunately, the pairings were a hit. Surprisingly, Joseph Zeng and Chen Du Ling had real chemistry! I didn't think their pairing would work but it did. They did end up looking like an old married couple who had learned and accepted each other's good and bad habits. They were adorable together. But I must say, I liked Tian Jiarui and Ju Jingyi's pairing more. Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi's epic love is reminiscent of romances I've only read in old high fantasy books. Their journey as lovers, the sacrifices they made for each other, and the lengths they went through to be together reminded me of Luthien and Beren's story from JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion. It was overly melodramatic bordering on ridiculous but incredibly romantic. This kind of love is one that exists only in fairy tales, something people only dream about, but it sure is a beautiful dream. And their love is the core of this story, poignant, tragic, but ultimately triumphant!
So for the stunning visuals, well-fleshed out characters, strong acting, engaging love stories, and great tracks from Liu Yuning, Yan An, and Tian Jiarui, I give this a solid 8.
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Great show that could have been the greatest
I’ll be honest, I’m already a fan of this director’s cinematography and world-building, which was clear from *Fangs of Fortune*. Going into *Veil of Shadows* (VoS), my expectations were naturally high. In many ways, the show delivers. In terms of lore, structure, and pacing, VoS comes out on top, while *Fangs of Fortune* still does a better job with character likeability and emotional attachment.That said, I found VoS easier to follow because of its quicker pacing, especially in the first two-thirds of the show.
Before getting into what didn’t work as well for me, I want to highlight what the drama did really well, since these are also the things most viewers seem to appreciate.
The visuals are stunning. From costumes to set design to framing, almost every scene looks carefully crafted. The director’s style stands out and plays a big role in keeping the show engaging.
The cast chemistry also worked really well. The interactions between characters felt natural, and the emotional dynamics helped keep the story engaging even when the plot became a bit complex.
Another strong point is the layered storytelling and themes. The show explores ideas like identity, hidden motives, and the tension between fate and choice. When it works, it keeps you hooked as more details are revealed over time.
The action and fight choreography were also very impressive. The scenes felt dynamic and well executed. I even showed a few clips to a friend in the US and they were genuinely surprised by how good the fight sequences looked.
Coming to my issues, I don’t have any major complaints overall, but I do feel like the writers lost some direction in the last 4 to 5 episodes.
The biggest issue for me was the repeated cycle of characters dying, coming back, and then dying again. It reduced the emotional weight of sacrifice. When death stops feeling permanent, it weakens character motivations and makes some emotional reactions feel less convincing.
To be fair, the writers did a great job early on in building the characters. Each one had clear motivations, and the actors delivered those backstories convincingly. That is why it felt jarring later when some characters started behaving inconsistently or even naively.
For example, Wei Shuanguan was shown as stubborn and straightforward, but never unintelligent. He was powerful and action-driven, yet in the later episodes he is pushed into the background. His transformation into a dragon should have been a major moment, but it ended up feeling underwhelming and did not lead to much impact.
Cheng Du Li’s arc had a strong setup, especially with the reveal about her missing core memory, but it did not get enough development afterward. It felt like a missed opportunity.
Up until around episode 20, most of the main characters received balanced writing attention. After that, things started to feel uneven. The rewind element was interesting in concept but became confusing, especially in terms of character motivations.
A lot of viewers also felt that the narrative became disjointed toward the end, possibly due to editing choices or changes in the original structure. The pacing in the final stretch felt rushed, and some emotional moments did not have enough time to land.
What worked well was how the story unfolded in the beginning. Each character’s behavior made sense, and their motivations became clearer over time. It kept the audience engaged without relying too much on forced twists.
What did feel forced was the constant use of sacrifice in the final episodes. When it happens too frequently without real stakes, it loses impact.
From a technical standpoint, the show is still very strong. The cinematography, action choreography, and stunt work stand out. One common issue is the lighting. Characters often appear overly lit, which reduces the sense of realism. It is a common stylistic choice in high-gloss dramas, but still noticeable.
The music was decent, but it could have been more memorable, especially in key emotional moments.
Overall, despite its flaws, especially toward the end, *Veil of Shadows* is still an enjoyable watch. The visuals, performances, and core concept keep it engaging even when the writing becomes uneven.
It feels like a show that had the potential to be exceptional and came close in many moments, but did not fully deliver in the final stretch. (cleaned typos using gpt)
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Life
The words will be finite if I started to write about this drama... So ,I would put it in short ...This 'Veil of Shadows' is one of a kind drama who touches every souls of audiences and feel the character emotions .... Crying , being happy , sad with the characters is not an easy . I cried too much in each eps...there's every dialogue lines has meanings and it teaches us life. Thank you so much actors who portrayed every characters very well... I started to watch this drama because of Ji Ling and I carried on cause I couldn't help. One skip leads to lose whole story ..so many twists and turns ...but connecting with the whole complete story without leaving a loop whole... Bg music , ost,act, visual ,actors are all the best of the best...I must say it's the best wuxia drama if the year 2026 .🥺❤️🩹Was this review helpful to you?
Need to wear a thinking cap, it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
I have watched 20 episodes out of 29.Pro:
- If you like thought-provoking drama, this is a great one.
- Top-notch chemistries. I thought JJY would be paired with JZ, I was worried. But I was wrong, the actual pairing works best.
- Everyone is visually attractive. The best one is the Moon sister in their original form..... JJY and CDL did a great job.
- Fight scenes with computer tech are addictive and keep you on the edge of your seat.
- As predicted, if you are a fan of GJM, it is not disappointing.
- Choice of BGMs for the story segments is perfect. CDL's and JZ's love stories in the ancient world always have a perfect BGM, pulling your heartstrings.
Con:
- Some segments feel dragged (you can FF them, and you are missing nothing), but some are too fast.
- Some story segments jump from one to another, a little bit confusing
- This director, you've seen one, you've seen them all. You just have to be a fan of GJM in order to appreciate it
- Some of the CGI looks cheap (or more like not believable, you know it's CGI)
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A High-Potential Matryoshka of Mysteries with a Forced Happy Ending
This was a drama that put extra effort into creating a mystery within a mystery. The pacing is very fast, so you might occasionally struggle to understand what is going on. Just when a mystery is revealed and you say, “Ah, so that’s how it is,” you soon realize that what seemed resolved actually isn't. With constantly shifting truths and character identities, it has a structure that peels back layer by layer, almost like a Russian nesting doll.However, the drama’s biggest problem is that this complex structure lacks sufficient control. A good mystery surprises the audience but also makes everything feel like it falls perfectly into place when looking back. Here, some plot twists feel tacked on later; they aren't organic and are aimed more at creating shock value. This causes a sense of disconnection while watching. The time travel and flashback plot was unfortunately poorly executed and fell short of expectations.
Another notable issue is the lack of a clear timeline. It is sometimes confusing which event takes place in which time period, and the chaotic transitions between scenes make it difficult for the audience to keep track. Combined with the mystery plot, this creates unnecessary confusion rather than a sense of "depth."
The narrative constantly jumps from one thing to another, taking a different direction right after events or mysteries are seemingly resolved. Character relationships are not deepened enough. Characters added in the newer episodes are often thrown into the story without a proper introduction to who they are, and they immediately start using their powers. Frankly, since I liked the side characters, I thought their pasts, developments, and powers should have been explored more. These characters needed to be integrated into the story in a more natural and balanced way.
The power scaling also feels highly inconsistent. Some characters are portrayed as overly powerful or unnecessarily weak depending on the script's needs. This breaks the audience's immersion and damages the credibility of the universe's internal rules. In particular, pushing Ji Ling's story too far into the foreground made the dragon (Wu Shi Guang) character feel much weaker than expected in the finale.
The inability to eliminate the main villain is another problem. The story revolving around a single main antagonist creates a sense of repetition after a while and severely lowers the perception of threat.
In summary, it has a constantly shifting and layered mystery plot, but this structure doesn't always rest on solid foundations. The stories of side characters are underdeveloped, and character relationships lack depth. In my opinion, the writers sometimes tried to create forced mysteries. Despite its disjointed narrative, it remained a watchable drama. The fantasy elements, creativity, and CGI were not bad. The world-building, cities, and spatial details could have been handled better. With a more balanced narrative, strong character building, and a consistent power system, it could have been a much more impressive piece of work.
Coming to the finale, we partially see the consequences of the changes made in the past. It was a nice detail that Wu Shi Guang retained his memories. The encounter between Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi at the end, where they don't recognize each other, was emotionally effective, but their story could have ended differently. Looking at the fates of Wu Shi Guang, You Chi, and the demon hunters; it's very clear that the writers strove to create a forced happy ending where the characters who died didn't actually die. After such a shocking and fast-paced storm of mysteries, a happy and relatively stagnant finale is presented. It feels like a story that couldn't reach its full potential—despite having the makings of a longer, more detailed, and grander work—due to a lack of budget or weak writing. How well it fits the general flow of the story to forcibly turn a drama that was heading towards a dark, tragic ending into a bright finale through alterations in the past is highly debatable. Finally, seeing the deceased demons—whose powers were sealed in the ring—and the demon of loneliness help Ji Ling by opening portals within portals was a really nice touch.
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The drama started at a slow pace. The first two episodes felt like I was watching a cartoon. After that, the pace improved, but the story still lacked impact. However, what kept me watching until the end was the background music during intense scenes, the performances, and the love stories.
The direction was good, and the costumes were attractive. The only flaw in the drama was the storyline. Even the ending felt rushed and poorly executed.
I
watched this drama because I like Joseph Zeng—he is my favorite. However, Tian Jia Rui, as Ji Ling, stole the limelight. His portrayal of different emotions while playing multiple characters was so impressive that I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
There were many other actors who gave fantastic performances as well, including Yan An as Li Jie, Wu Han, Bai Ze, Chang Hua Sen, Ju Jing Yi, and Chen Du Ling.
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Convoluted plot, but loveable characters
Director Edward about Tian Jiarui: I want that man in countless headbands! And I want him to cry at least once an episode! Also get him a brother! It doesn't matter if they die or if he's just a replacement brother, make it happen!What can I say about this drama? I think at this point I know what I'm getting into when I watch this director/writer's work. He's fantastic at creating relationships and characters that feel so alive. He's not so fantastic at creating coherent plots. It's often convoluted and confusing, and I think that's the dividing line for people that enjoy his work and those that don't. For me, I love his characters too much to really care about the messy plot, and honestly even if it is messy at least it's different and interesting (unlike the many copy and paste cdramas coming out every other week).
I will say that Veil of Shadows is certainly one of the most convoluted of Director Edward's dramas. It really got confusing at the end and if he is going to have five climaxes and deaths (oh wait! they're alive again!) it begins to loose it's impact. I totally respect the people that didn't like this drama, but I'm not one of them. I'm completely aware it's not that great, but Li Jing and the rest of the crew were there pulling me along all the way to the end.
So keep it up Director Edward! Keep making your messy dramas. But please hire Tian Jiarui for them all.
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The good, the bad, and the ugly
I'll start with what was good about this drama:The acting was great. Tian Jia Rui was a standout for me in the first half, along with Chen Du Ling. I felt Joseph Zeng deserved a more fleshed out character arc but he made the absolute most of his character, and gave a performance that would be easy to undervalue but would be obvious if you would have swapped him out for a lesser actor. Yan An ended up surprising me in the best way, as he played his 5 different characters so differently and so well, and ended up having a lot of impact overall. Ju Jing Yi was the weakest of the main characters, I felt she had a hard time transitioning believably between the different sides of her character, but still put in a solid performance that I would still rate as good and did not detract from the story at all.
The first 2/3 of the plot felt like a spool of yarn unraveling, as we were introduced to multiple mysterious characters who clearly had secrets, only to slowly uncover them one by one as the the two mini plots of tracking down the heart ripping demon and the time spent in the star illusion played out. The plot was complex but in a good way that made you really invested in finding out who these people were and how it would all turn out. All the characters felt layered, no one was purely good or evil.
Here's where the good ends. Cause the last third of the drama it all fell apart.
The show became a tedious mess of endless flashbacks, repetitive storylines, and cringe-worthy exposition dumps that constantly over-explained things we’d already seen or under-explained key points to understanding what was going on. The characters also became more one dimensional, as all of them ended up being super duper really good guys, without the realistic shades of grey that made them so interesting in the beginning. It got to the point where the main plot and the character arcs didn't have much impact anymore because it was a convoluted slog.
That was the bad. Where it got truly ugly was the staggering levels of cheap emotional whiplash. I lost count of the dramatic, sobbing "death" scenes and heart-wrenching emotional confessions/breakups/revelations, only for the dead character to miraculously wake up in the next scene or the people to reunite half an episode later and forget they ever spent 5 minutes of slo mo pouring their hearts out or for the dramatic "truth" to be contradicted or forgotten about.
I'm not even joking when I say every character fake-died at least twice and every main character must have "died" 10 times by the end. One duo spent most of the last third dramatically trying to sacrifice themselves for each other over and over, having drawn out dramatic scenes crying over their poor fate each time, surviving by some random twist each time, only for them to seemingly be fine with one of them dying in the end. (Only for them to also magically survive yet again). One character spent like 10 minutes in an emotional monologue about how another character couldn't be saved from a "loneliness demon" cause no one was willing to die for him, only to have multiple people die protecting him literally a scene later, only for him to still "die" of loneliness cause no one cared about him apparently. (Don't worry this character came back to life after that and then died and came back to life like two more times before the end)
Somewhere around episode 23 I was completely checked out. It’s impossible to care about the story or the characters when you know every high-stakes emotional moment or idea will be undone probably within minutes. It made the whole journey feel pretty pointless and superficial. The ending, which essentially just undoes everything that happened in the entire story just to force a happy ending, is like the grotesque cherry on top.
I really enjoyed the first 20ish eps, and it may be worth a watch for those alone, just get ready to make ample use of the fast forward button for the last third.
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Unlikable leads, repetitions, cliches and tropes
Do you like wasting your time watching something you hate? Do you want your leads to be unlikable and annoying? Do you enjoy watching one cliche after another? Do you like watching filler episodes? Do you like repetition? No? Then, this is not the show for you.It takes a lot to make me drop a show altogether. There are shows I've watched at 2x speed or skipped through scenes. But even at 2x speed and skipping many scenes, I couldn't keep watching this.
I didn't expect a masterpiece or a 10/10 show. I just wanted a xianxia that's enjoyable. It was too painful to keep watching this. I feel sorry for the actors and other talent who had to be a part of this.
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Waste of time type of ending
Was a 7.5 for me until the ending and they practically did one thing I hate in any series that doesn't focus on said concept. They pulled the old switcheroo and ended in a way I felt just makes the entire story building pointless.So this deserves a 5.5 in my eyes.
I won't spoil it but I'll say Stein's Gate explores the concept throughout the series. This series doesn't do any of that it just happens and it happens in the most pathetic way possible to end the series in a good note.
This series peaks in the middle part where they explore the past vs present and you get to understand their motivations and backstory. It was appealing and I enjoyed it because it was good pacing.
Where it falls apart is the start of the "story writer" part of the ending and it's something if you watch you'll realise how weak it is because Stein's Gate did it better and which is why you don't ever throw it in a series as something that just happens. It's too weak like if the entire series was like that then I'll be more positive because at least you build around that concept and explore that concept not what they did here.
I feel the story weakened immensely due to this.
World building was good, visuals was good, acting was good and music was kind of not my thing but it was okay minus the dub dub dub wub wub wub sounds as I was never into that kind of stuff.
I would love a spin off just focused on more shounen anime style of becoming a demon hunter that be great. I think they have some concepts here but they didn't explore any of that like how do humans get powers, how do humans level up, and such so I would actually be down to watch something akin to that but obviously this series is more about the main leads and love, trials of love etc... not how to become a top demon hunter and impress a girl who is trying to assassinate you and is secretly a demon.
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