Veil of Shadows

Different as always, just a little too different this time

GJM's work has always been interesting and different. But this time it's a little too extra, too different and too weird. I always give his work a try even though I may not like some of the cast because I trust he will bring the best out of the actor/actress.
Story is weird, but that is ok, everything kinda make sense after episode 20 or so (if you have the patience to go this far). But from here onwards the story also goes downhill.
If you are TJR and/or JJY's fan, then this drama is for you because basically they are the main and centre couple. I don't want to say anything bad about them because whatever I said will automatically become a hater.
and the other couple (wuwu couple), is just .... sigh....disappointing.
The reason I dropped at episode 22 is because I realise the wuwu couple has been reduced to side characters and it's not fun to watch anymore.

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wow so good ✨

This drama is a beautiful mix of romance, fantasy, and emotions that truly stays with you. Love Beyond the Grave tells a touching story of love that doesn’t end even after death, showing how deep connections can go beyond time and reality.

The chemistry between the leads is amazing, and their emotional scenes hit really hard 💔. The visuals, costumes, and background music make every moment feel magical and intense.

Some parts may feel a bit slow, but the storyline keeps you hooked, especially if you love emotional and fantasy dramas.

Overall, it’s a heartfelt drama about eternal love, sacrifice, and destiny. Definitely worth watching if you enjoy deep, emotional stories 🌙

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[HEAVY SPOILERS]

Veil of Shadows was a rollercoaster of a drama, with beautiful acting, lore, and visuals. However, its treatment of some of its characters and ending was where I felt it fell short: seemingly important characters were sidelined, and the entire show was essentially erased through a 'time reversal' ending, which personally seemed like a copout (personal preference, but I don't really get/like time reversal type endings it just erases everything the characters stand for and endured). Characters dying constantly and reveals happening every episode drained some of the magic as you begin to feel overwhelmed instead of connected to the characters.

At the beginning of the show I was absolutely in love with the visuals and lore. The dynamics between characters (specifically the fox sisters) were amazing to watch and the small visual details really had be flabbergasted (when the butterfly came out of Yuan Wuhuo's mouth to turn into his mask? Amazing. Also the entire pool at the Formless Moon Sect was absolutely stunning). I also loved each of the pair's dynamics, which were so different and so engaging. I found myself caring about both relationships equally as they switched between. Wu Wangyan and Wu Shiguang were the more mature feeling couple, with a tangled past and a relationship built on deception. But lord it was so wonderfully done. The tension, the chemistry was absolutely to die for, I found myself on the edge of my seat often watching them. The Star Stone arc was such a beautiful way to show their growing devotion to each other, even one based on 'lies'. And don't even get me started on Lu Wuyi and Ji Ling. The switch from their cute relationship in the first arc to him being a puppet reveal??? I literally mourned that little fox guy with Lu Wuyi. And the tension between Ji Ling as Chi Wen and Lu Wuyi was amazingly done and so interesting to watch! I had to take a lap around my room when Ji Ling died the first time (the first time. THE FIRST TIME. Why was there so many more times ToT) and then slowly realising Chi Wen IS Ji Ling? and still loves her? Wonderful. Sublime. Everyone's acting was top notch.

However as the drama kept going on, the 'plot twists' and overall story became quite overwhelming and sudden. The overuse of the surprise factor really dulled down many moments where I began to feel more and more apathetic about the characters (I still cried...but well, less I guess). I think some of those 'reveals' could have been executed a lot better with more clearer foreshadowing: it felt like things were being pulled out of their ass at some point. Again, there was a real overuse of dramatic reveals and plot twists that kept switching up the story to the point it was confusing to follow, and honestly numbed me to the surprise. Conversely, there were also some arcs that were a little dragged at points (the Star Stone arc is the first one that comes to mind) where I remember asking myself when the arc was going to end because it felt like they had been doing the same thing for way too long. Keeping a better balance between these moments and the plot twists could have made the drama flow a bit more rather than feeling a bit staccato at times and flat at others.

The largest downside to me was the sidelining of characters, which many others have also pointed out. After the Star Stone arc, Wu Shiguang and Wu Wangyan got MAJORLY sidelined. I enjoyed Wu Shiguang's character at the beginning of the drama, but as time went on he stopped bringing anything to the table. He felt like a real dude at the start and then he morphed into the most generic character that was just. There. Ji Ling on the other hand was going THROUGH it and had reveal after reveal of sad and sadder backstory. Props to Joseph Zeng for doing the most with what he got for Wu Shiguang. Similarly with Wu Wangyan, she was such a powerful character but at the end all I saw her do were a few spins, make a bigger ice sword than before, then spit out blood and cry a bit (talking about crying, seriously I hardly remember any of the character's non-crying faces. They're always crying! Every scene! Ji Ling has a teardrop run down his face so beautifully like 50 times an episode. Why are we torturing these characters so much, let them have a break! And let me have one too! I think I went through 2 whole tissue boxes throughout the whole drama. Anyway, back to Wu Wangyan). I wanted to see more of the fox sisters and their power. In contrast, Lu Wuyi becoming a 'deity' was very fun to see (although the time loop thing was. confusing to say the least, but I have to say the Lonescale was so beautiful) and I wish we saw more of those scenes with Wu Wangyan and Wu Shiguang too, especially after Wu Shiguang was revealed to be the 10th Dragon. They really gave up on their characters. The ending overall didn't quite hit, it left me feeling empty. And oh my gosh You Chi dying without Wu Shiguang and then turning out to basically be a completely different person post time reversal??? Where did my silly weasel go??? I was distraught. Loved that guy and wish his friendship with Wu Shiguang got a bit more attention like Ji Ling and Li Jue's did. I also wanted to see more of Han Ba and was sad when he also died :(

Overall, I think a 7.5 is a fair rating from me. I enjoyed the first half of the show immensely, but it dropped off slowly as time went on (perhaps I was also just physically tired from crying so much). The music and visuals were amazing though, I found myself bopping to the beats every time they played (which might have been overdone but it didn't get old for me, I loved it) and singing along to the battle music which I had no idea what they were saying (As someone who studied Chinese I don't think it was?? It was so catchy though). And as a GM currently running a xianxia-based TTRPG campaign, the visuals and plot twists really gave me a lot of inspiration (and ways to emotionally damage my players!) so that's always a good thing! I don't believe I would rewatch this show anytime soon - safe for the first 12 or so episodes.

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Dare I say holy peak

I'm not gonna lie, when I saw the trailer I was bit skeptical because the story looked way too complicated and that they would just drag out the plot for far too long, but boy was I wrong.
The plot line was not at all complicated and the acting was amazing. I am not someone who usually cries while watching shows, heck I'm the kind of person to laugh when the characters cry, but watching VOS I cried at least 10 times. Especially when we found out about Ji Ling's past. He was just a little fox who had to carry such a big burden for so long.
Usually whenever I watch C dramas the main stars are always the actors and the plot line, but honestly for me the main star of this show was the OST. Even if you don't end up watching the show itself go listen to the OST because it is an absolute masterpiece. "Not suffering" by Tian Jiarui and Ju Jingyu and "As innocent as a fox" by Tian Jiarui, I have no words to describe what I feel when I listen to these song. Especially after you find out what the lyrics mean they just hit different. I feel like I'm reliving the plot every time I listen to the full OST playlist.
Overall, all I'm gonna say is go watch it, 'cause you might regret it later if you don't.

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Beautifully Shot, Narratively Fragile

You don’t need to question the aesthetic and cinematography of this director, but as usual, you should question the plot hahaha.
I love this drama, all characters are interesting, and I like how Lu Wuyi-Ji Ling and Wu Wangyan-Wu Shuguang’s stories are equally good (side-eyeing MJTY). The actors’ acting is so good, I think so far this is Ju Jingyi’s best role, she suits Lu Wuyi so much. The music is on point. The CGI in the earlier episodes was so bad, only getting better in the final episodes. This drama is so good it made me binge-watch it. But I hate how the plot holes seem so obvious, like they don’t care as long as the cinematography is good.
SPOILER
-I still don’t understand the twin butterfly demons. At first I thought they became Yan Wuhuo (they became one). Then there’s a scene where the twins’ image overlapped with Li Jie and Yan Wuhuo (in the illusion world), I thought it implied that they’re the twins. But then the scene shows the general died and he can come back to life because of the butterfly demon’s cocoon, and Yan Wuhuo also came into being, so I’m back to square one. At the end it was revealed that they’re both born from the original Yan Wuhuo’s obsession. So where are the butterfly demons? It’s kinda confusing.
-Well, talking about the butterfly demon, at the beginning they always talk with their hand in front of their mouth, but later they don’t do that anymore and there’s no difference. I thought some catastrophe would happen if they opened their mouths freely, so I guess it was just for show? To look mysterious maybe hahaha.
-The weasel’s father suddenly appears and saves the day. No one questions how he can be there? And when the others come out of the illusion and see the weasel crying while holding his father’s stick, without the weasel explaining anything they somehow know that his father sacrificed himself and fought Jiu Ying’s fragment?
-When Lu Wuyi told her rewind story to Ji Ling, we saw her grab black clothes (similar to what she wore when she stole the manuscript). But in the later flashback, she’s wearing white clothes in the 1st-18th rewinds. Then in the last rewind scene (I suppose the real rewind) she’s wearing black.
-Lu Wuyi severed her tails so she could talk to Ji Ling as a doll. It wasn’t explained how many/which tail she cut. The scene was also kinda vague, at first I thought she was gonna cut them all, but then in the next frame she was sitting on the floor and we could still see her tails.
-The height differences between Lu Wuyi and Ji Ling are inconsistent. Sometimes she only reaches his shoulder, sometimes she’s taller than that. It’s not a modern drama where we can see the character wearing high heels or flat shoes.
-After Ji Ling successfully removed Lu Wuyi from the original timeline, what happened to him in the original timeline then? We saw him trying to kill himself (prevented by Lu Wuyi, but now there’s no Lu Wuyi), so I guess he survived because he has dragon scale inside him. But why do people act like he doesn’t exist? Lu Wuyi’s timeline is only 50 years ago, and Ji Ling has become the dragon lord for more than 50 years. So what happened then?
-At the ending, Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi (seemingly) go to another timeline/universe. Are they having amnesia? Are they born again and starting anew as babies with no memories? Because they seem like they don’t know each other.

There are many more plot holes that I haven't listed, and many of them actually (imo) impact the main story, not just unnecessary plot holes like the height difference. Go ahead and watch it and just ignore the inconsistency of the story. And for people who say there’re no plot holes and that you just have to focus on watching the story, there are plot holes, okay. Plenty of them aren’t explained well even in the final episode. Stop glorifying this producer. He’s good at cinematography, but he doesn't really care about the plot, just like his other dramas.

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I might need therapy and some tissues.

I was actually able to sit through this entire drama and enjoy it. I do agree with some people that there was definitely more chemistry between Ji Ling and Lu Wu Yi than between Wu Shiguang and Wu Wangyan. I love both couples, though. Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi were more like newlywed couples, and Wu Shiguang and Wu Wangyan were more mature, which technically did happen in the drama. Besides the romance, I really like that each character has their own story. I do find the first story about Xiaowei a bit confusing, but I kept watching and went back to figure out what went on. Ji Ling's backstory made me cry the most, poor little fox ;-;... he suffered and was lonely, only relying on the little fox doll. Tian Jia Rui did a good job portraying like six different characters, which made me love him so much as an actor and all his characters. I have watched Guo's other works: My Journey to You and Fangs of Fortune, but those two dramas didn't really make actor TJR stand out as much as VOF *for me*. I was never a fan of Ju Jingyi because she looked the same in every drama, and I was just not interested; however, this drama has made me see her differently. I see that her acting is all in her actions and physical movement. I wished that she could work on her crying scenes because I noticed that the sound of her sobbing sometimes does not match her facial expressions (she still made me cry, though). Joseph Zeng, I have nothing bad to say about him. Chen Du Ling, my favorite versatile actress, I also have nothing bad to say about her. I love her character Wangyan so much; she hates to kill because of her soft heart. She feels guilty and horrible after every slaughter mission she receives. Plot twists were great too.

The only reason I gave this drama less than 10 is how messy the plot was. I was sometimes confused, like "how did we get here??" for some scenes. Thank goodness there weren't predictable scenes. The star stone scenes were a bit messy, but I managed. Some fight scenes were kinda dragged out. I didn't really like that. The ending was more of an open ending and felt rushed. The only reason people call it a "happy" ending is because the couple sees each other again after a catastrophe. What about their memories? Besides Shiguang, will the others be able to remember their past? I have many questions for You Chi, he's dead and came back to life, but does he remember the battle against Jiu Ying? He didn't mention anything about the battle against Jiu Ying but he does show that he still remembers the past because he came up to Mu Long. Li Jie, poor him not knowing where Ji Ling is now. After Ji Ling entered the time loop, where do the OG Ji Ling and LWY end up? Are they the same people at the end where one is selling flowers and the other with the raspberry basket? So many questions need answers because the drama was supposed to be 40 episodes, but was cut down to 29 due to censorship.

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A drama that makes you crack your brains for every minute!!!

Veil of shadows is a drama with a very multi-layered and deeply wrapped plot with brain racking twists and turns.
STORY-
The story is well written with many interlaced concepts, predestined fates, secrets awaiting to be unearthed and tracing down the fragments of Jiu Ying, the evil force behind all the chaos and menace.
ACTING-
Chen Duling and Ju Jingyi, as the fox sisters, from Formless Moon sect, excelled in their roles as Wu Wangyan and Lu Wuyi respectively. Their background stories of carrying out missions, sharing memories, coming to rebirth with the Power of Moon after every mission, the oracle stone, all seemed very interesting. Their bond was also very good without any unnecessary misunderstandings. 👍
Tian Jiarui as Ji Ling, a multi faceted and multi layered character, also was outstanding in his performance. 👌
Zeng Shunxi, as Wu Shiguang, totally nailed his role, as the Tenth Dragon son, the last hope for the world left by his brothers. His performance in the last episode was superb👌
Yanan, as a commander of Shilin sect, who wanted to know who was he exactly, also, was very good in his acting👍
All the other actors were perfectly cast and totally brought life to their roles.
OTHERS-
The bgm's were good and seemed to fit the situations perfectly.
The costumes deserve a high appreciation. They were beautiful and elegant 👏
FAVOURITE COUPLE-
Of course, it was Wu Shiguang and Wu Wangyan for me. Their story, though started in an illusion, became a deep affection for both of them in reality. I liked their little conversations and all their scenes in the star stone illusion. 🤗
NEGATIVES-
I felt that the plot could be more focused on the mission of eliminating Jiu Ying and the steps to gather power required for that.
Upto episode 18,everything went perfect, but I felt it went downhill from there till episode 27,again where the real fight with the main antagonist starts.
The director could have reduced time for unfolding the secrets and relations of Li Jie and Ji Ling and Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi as well.
I think the parts involving Li Jie, Lu Wuyi and Ji Ling dragged for a longer time which made me skip many scenes involving them.
The focus could be kept on how the Tenth dragon son would be trained for this mission of world peace and how everyone supported it.
It was not until the climax, that everyone is shown to unite against Jiu Ying, which felt very rushed for me.
The plot could be more developed in this direction.
Anyways, this is honestly my personal opinion.
On a final note, this drama is" A MUST WATCH AND HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ONE".👌💯
Watch for its interwoven theories that will definitely make your brains work, but would rather never turns out as we we expect!!

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The visuals........?

Thats what I enjoyed the most about this piece. It was stunning. Chinese historicals and fantasy pieces are masterful in their makeup. A peasant girl in a linen shift with a single headpiece can look like a queen of a nation. A poor stableboy with a robe and wisps of floating hair can come out looking like a prom king. Now let's take that to a full next level drama built around heavy CGI productions and immersive story telling. I don't review many as I'm more into Kdramas but not even they can touch any levels of Chinese and their historical works~
I'm guessing this was expensive to make. Looked like it. The story was meh, abit hard to follow. The usual surprises and subterfuge but I didn't care The cast was beauty and perfection incarnate and definitely not the type of drama I'd normally go for. It just worked here. I wasn't bored for a second watching this~

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Complex but worth it

I have to admit that Veil of Shadows was not an easy drama to get into. During the first episodes, I often found myself struggling to keep track of all the characters, storylines and hidden motivations. The world is incredibly rich and detailed, but the drama does very little hand-holding. At times, it felt as if I was missing important information, and I wondered whether I would ever be able to connect all the dots.
Thankfully, I stuck with it.

What initially felt overwhelming slowly started to make sense, and once the various storylines began connecting with one another, the entire experience became much more enjoyable. Looking back, I actually appreciate how ambitious the writing is. This isn't a drama that relies on simple storytelling. Instead, it asks viewers to pay attention and trust that all the pieces will eventually fall into place. And for the most part, they do.

If there is one thing that immediately stands out about Veil of Shadows, it is how absolutely stunning it looks. The costumes are gorgeous, the sets are beautifully designed, and the cinematography constantly creates images that feel almost dreamlike; every location feels unique and carefully crafted.
The visual effects deserve special praise as well. The supernatural creatures, transformations, and battle sequences are impressive to watch and add a real sense of scale to the story.

The music complements the drama perfectly and helps create its emotional atmosphere. Some scenes would not have had the same impact without the beautiful score playing in the background.

Once I became familiar with the characters and their relationships, I found myself much more invested in their journeys. Beneath all the fantasy elements, the drama explores themes of destiny, sacrifice, loyalty, identity, and love. The emotional core of the story becomes stronger as the series progresses, and many characters reveal layers that are not immediately obvious during the opening episodes. I also appreciated how the drama never takes the easy route. Alliances shift, secrets are revealed, and characters are often forced to make difficult choices. There were several moments where information revealed later completely changed the way I viewed earlier scenes.

It may not be the easiest fantasy series to follow at first, but its intricate storytelling, breathtaking visuals, fantastic soundtrack, and immersive world make the effort worthwhile.

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Best xianxia in quite a while. Great chemistry in the romances, and interesting twists

I'm neither someone who never gives high ratings nor am I someone who gives everything 10/10, but this one really surprised me. Guo Jingming's other works had style but no substance: My Journey to You I gave a 6.5, Fangs of Fortune I dropped after like 12 episodes because it was boring and I realized I really didn't care to know what happened. A lot of xianxia/fantasy dramas these days are pretty boring and unoriginal, so I kept my expectations low but was really surprised. Definitely recommend to everyone to watch WITHOUT spoilers because the twists contribute heavily to the emotional impact and viewing experience. I say this as someone who often looks up spoilers and if a drama is good enough, spoilers don't usually ruin my experience if the execution is carried out well enough.
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Characters, acting, romance: the heart of what made this drama memorable for me.
I knew Tian Jiarui would deliver, and he did in spades. He played the most complex character, and each characterization was decidedly different without falling into caricature. Even the same character had to show and conceal many faces, showing coldness and secrecy within while his heart inside is bursting.

I expected a solid but not particularly memorable performance from Joseph Zeng, which is what we got (some of it is because his character is the least complex of the 4 leads, so he did the best with what he was given). Still, really nothing for me to complain about. His character was the classic hero male lead type, and Joseph excels at that.

Ju Jingyi and Chen Duling really surprised me as I didn't expect a lot from them. They both embodied their characters incredibly well and evolved their characterizations appropriately as the story unfolded. In the beginning you saw them as opaque and hard to decipher their true motives and feelings. They were seductive, playful, cryptic: what you expect from Nine-Tailed Foxes. They absolutely nailed this characterization, the best portrayal of fox spirits I have seen. The rich costumes and heavily-stylized makeup suit them well in this case. Fortunately, they didn't just stay this way. Slowly Lu Wuyi (JJY's character) showed her innocence, dogged stubborness, bottomless devotion. Wu Wangyan (CDL's character) showed her vulnerability, sense of honor, and steadfast love.

Their romances reflected these differences too: Lu Wuyi and Ji Ling's dynamic was big emotions (once they admitted their love), stubbornness, and stopping at nothing for the other. Their love is the "I will love you through multiple lifetimes, I will carve out my heart for you, I will defy the laws of nature for you" type of stuff that I just absolutely eat up when I watch xianxia. Wu Wangyan and Wu Shiguang on the other hand, had a very grounded love that I still felt was still as deep as the other couple; they loved each other through decades of quiet devotion, conveying their love through tender, small acts. This is the only drama so far that I've felt CDL has had palpable chemistry with a male lead; I was afraid her character would try to deny her love for Wu Shiguang far longer than needed, but thankfully I was wrong. She didn't deny her love, she didn't withhold her reciprocation.

The OST, oh my goodness. GJM dramas always have top notch OSTs and this was no exception. I've been reading the lyrics, listening to the songs on replay, and crying everyday.
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Really, the main negatives that lowered my rating was (mild spoiler):

1. The last 2-3 episodes of "We killed the bad guy....no wait just kidding we didn't" over and over got really boring and was the only time I actually used the 2x speed. The very last episode was a bit confusing as well...like how...? You know what, nevermind, I don't need to understand. I'm just glad that (SPOILER) ..............the ending was happy. GJM usually likes to give sad endings not just in his dramas but also the short movies I've watched, so he had pity on us this time! Someone joked that he went to therapy, which made me laugh. Maybe I'll get it on the rewatch (which trust me, I will rewatch this).
2. I love self-sacrificing scenes, that's a big draw of xianxia for me, because it definitely brings out a good cry for me, but it got a bit repetitive. Fortunately since I already love this kind of stuff, I still cried through most of them. Each time they did carry different reasons and twists.
2. The Luo'an drought arc was draggy and probably the weakest arc. Did GJM just want an excuse to cast Jin JIng in his drama again?

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Overall I was going to give it about an 8/10 rating because I think the negatives are not-nothing (sorry for the double negative), but I bumped it to a 9/10 because of the lasting impression it gave me. I always consider the emotional impact a drama has on me, not just objective considerations. I absolutely acknowledge some of my favs have big flaws but if they are truly unforgettable, I think it's worth bumping the rating. After all, I think we all watch cdramas not just to idly pass time, but to deeply feel, which this one definitely did. Xianxia especially, since they always involve sacrifice, rebirths, love across time and space, a lot of things that aren't really posssible outside of fantasy genres (except sacrifice).

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an adrenaline rush disguised as a Cdrama + the BGM alone deserves an award

Just when I thought I had finally grasped the plot, the writers would throw in another twist and completely change the trajectory of the story. It genuinely blew my mind how they managed to fit in so many arcs while still keeping everything engaging instead of messy.

The pacing is extremely fast but somehow it works perfectly with the intense, high-stakes aura the drama was going for. There’s barely any breathing room, yet it never felt dragging to me.

Also, the BGM during the fight and tense scenes? Absolutely incredible. It added so much weight and adrenaline to the overall experience.

But beyond the action and twists, what really stayed with me was the chemistry and trust between the leads, the sibling bond between the sisters and the costumes. The drama just had this grand, emotionally charged atmosphere that made it so easy to stay invested.

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