Veil of Shadows

Dedication of love: Love bonded in sacrifices.

When the main criteria is love.
Love devotion, was the main theme of this spectacular series. It tells you love don't bloom from nothingness or constant glances, It builds on actual substance before it blooms to those valley of flowers.

The main characters tale of love differ from their own building, but each of them were interesting had their serious likes and some dislikes, not all have to like the love between a particular character, because love is what causes you to defy the world.

Many seem no to like their stay in the void, but not for me, their stay in the void was about the building of their love, not really about the demonstration of their fight scenes, when they had their stay in the void, their love was constantly building on hopelessness despair, raising a child, old age, flirtness and more.
The void depicts the main origin of the story where the story gives us a highlight of what happened in the past and is affecting lives in reality, the void was the building essence of the story.

The OST was fantastic, it wasn't underwhelm scenes, it's uplifts all those romantic, fight, emotional scenes.
The fight scenes was an excellent masterpiece of all ages it was raw, well defined, and real

All the characters of the show played a significance, their wasn't one playing an insignificant role.
The guest stars was stunning, Chang Hau Sen as Han Ba was interesting an fun. We also hot Gong Zi Shang form My Journey to you and she literally brought her character of MJTY, to the show.
We also saw Xia Shi Guang as a powerful fox and his portrayal as that love driven character was touching and heartbreaking, but he played it in an amusing stance.

The villain of the story was well written but has flaws, bother he villain and the dragons.
How did the villain and the dragons exist in the thrive by and small mortal world, no reason on why the villain wants the mortal world destroyed, we had an overpowered villain which is interesting but it felt really undying and sophisticated, when the villain falls the scripts actually comes up with something that brings him back to being alive, It was great, cuz our main character has to be that exhausted fighting a villain.

Overall the drama was a well written love story, where love literally occurs with our main characters, side characters and guest roles, and the execution was nothing void of phenomenal. The beautiful fight scenes, OST, romance, supernatural elements, where converging to a common points and it was killing a typical undying villain.

Read More

I can’t believe it’s over

I loved the whole drama. I can’t even put it into words about how I feel about this drama truly.

I just can’t believe that I finished this. Not because it was long, nor because I didn’t like it either. It’s because I waited from the beginning. From the day the first trailer dropped and the months I had to wait for the drama to finally come out with the first episode. I didn’t want to believe that the drama I waited so long for has ended. I’m literally in shambles thinking about what to watch now that this is over.

From the ost to the visuals, everything was so beautifully put together. Every episode made me cry, and every episode had its own twist. Everything came down to a wonderful conclusion.

Finally, I’m so glad I watched this when it aired. I’m so happy to finish this, and that I thank the actors and actresses and the production crew for making a beautiful drama. For filling my boring days with happiness, I thank you for the last time.

Read More

Every MJTY fan's dream

If you loved MJTY, this series will come as a patch on your wounded " yearning a 2nd season for MJTY" heart. And that is only a small bonus for what this show offers so far ( ep 24). Leave aside actors and locations from MJTY and that dark mistery vibe, there is a whole story waiting to be explored, through tantalising music, idol performance and delightful romance. There are also some amazing performances from actors like Chen DuLing and Yan An, just to name a few.
Regarding Chen DuLing, I didn't think I could love her kn a series ever again after TTEOTM, but this is it, the role that made me love her again.

Read More

Nice world building and insanely hot cast

I picked this up because of Joseph Zeng, but I think I also became a fan of Tian Jiarui.

Both pairs did so well, but later on I feel like the focus became more on the story of Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi, esply Ji Ling. Which I'm not complaining. The whole backstory on him, his sacrifices, and all the misunderstandings he had to go through to get rid of Jiu Ling is just so terrible and my heart breaks for him. Nearer to the end, he became my favourite character. And the way his loyal followers all believed in him unconditionally is so heart warming. The number of death tolls in this destroyed me lmao (hot guys and girls dropping dead one after another), although the ending salvaged it a bit. Safe to say, Ji Ling never had to worry about becoming forgotten and unknown because all the viewers felt for him. And he became one of, if not the biggest, reason everyone can live peacefully.

The plot and world building is also very good. Although a bit puzzling at first, they all came to make sense. I was looking for another drama that'd give the vibe of Fangs of Fortune and this came very close to it. Lots of the same cast from FOF too. Another drama that I finished in 2 days, soooo thankful that it's finished because I'd die if I have to wait with the suspense.

All in all, I'd say this is a great addition to well done Xianxia dramas.

Read More

Beautiful Chinese drama.

This drama made me laugh, cry, get angry, and feel the rage, helplessness, and pain that the characters, especially Ji Ling, felt. 🥹 There was no dull moment; all the characters were well-developed and had very distinct but charming personalities. I was absolutely charmed by the character Ji Ling, my baby, my little boy, my sunshine. I cried a lot with his story; despite suffering many misfortunes, he was always a ray of sunshine and a sweetheart. I really identified with his character and I was surprised that he was an INFP LIKE ME AAAAHG OMG. Despite everything, I'm very glad he had his happy ending, living like a normal person without the burdens and suffering of loneliness. I really liked his character development. Tian Jia Rui is a spectacular actor; he did not disappoint at all, perfectly portraying several characters. I clearly noticed the difference in each of their attitudes; he was able to convey to me the pain, loneliness, suffering, devotion, and love he felt for Lu Wuyi.

I loved the romance story of both couples, both well-developed. My favorite without a doubt is the WuWu couple/ship; their chemistry was incredible! I honestly didn't expect the bed scene.It was well done, I completely loved that couple. For a moment I thought it was going to have a very tragic ending, but thank God it didn't. My favorite arc is when Wu Wangyan and Wu Shiguang entered the dragon illusion; their relationship was very romantic and sweet. And the fact that Wu Shiguang cut off his arm and leg to get closer to his beloved Wangyan, who was worried and desperate to have him near 🥹. My favorite character is Wu Wangyan, although sadly he didn't have much screen time, he still managed to capture my attention and that of the viewers; he has a natural charm. Chen Duling perfectly embodied Wu Wangyan; she has the beauty and talent to do it, it's a shame the director didn't appreciate her despite the dedication she put into the role.

As for the visual aesthetics it's incredible, no actor or actress is ugly at all, everyone is visually appealing and the costumes worn by all the characters looked high quality and spectacular. I really loved the fox sisters' outfits, and Ji Ling looked divine in the Dragon God's clothes, even though they had a painful meaning; he looked gorgeous in those hanfus.

Read More

10/10

Okay, this is easily one of the best C-dramas of the year so far—I absolutely love it!
​Everything from the special effects and the cast to the direction and the OST... absolutely everything is beautiful. It’s a literal work of art and has definitely made it into my top favorite dramas of all time.
​It keeps you entertained at all times and you never get bored. I didn't feel the need to skip or fast-forward through any scenes because they felt dull; it’s worth every single minute.
​Even though the story was a bit hard to follow (at least for me), I loved it. I cried and felt every single emotion possible.

​If someone asks me for a Chinese drama recommendation, I’m definitely recommending Veil of Shadows.

​Wu Shiguang and Wangyan—I love them so much, and their song is stunning! ♡

​P.S. This drama has one of the best OSTs I’ve ever heard; I even created a playlist so I can listen to it all the time.

Read More

finally an actually good fantasy drama LOL

sorry i really haven't enjoyed any of the recent popular fantasy cdramas until now. from the story, production, casting, music, and characters, i feel like they hit everything quite well.

want to preface this by saying i'm a really picky romance drama fan in the sense that i will not enjoy it if i find the ml ugly which is more times than not because i don't usually like most male actors in general lol
- although i didn't necessarily find tian jia rui to be "attractive" but i really loved his character(s). he pulled of his role SO well, and the styling was top tier omfg like why don't more fantasy dramas do a better job like this im sorry like the sparkly fits long hair makeup accessories YESSSSSPLEASE
- any scene w the dragon deity ended up being what i cared abt the most LOL

although the airing time between the two couples was kiiiinda disproportionate i really felt like i connected with all 4 of them. lu wuyi's character was so insanely interesting, although i did get thrown off that we suddenly really stopped seeing anything from her pov in the entire last quarter of episodes (when her role was most important)

thought the story was well executed and i expected that silly open ending sacrifice thingy with ji ling i'm glad the actual plot was solved in a way that didn't waste all the build-up from all the previous episodes.

chen du ling is so beautiful and mesmerizing in all her roles. wish we had gotten more from her has a "main" lead!

was interesting to see how all the side characters stayed important throughout the plotline just random cameos (on that note yay huasen appearance)

Read More

Fiasco in Styles

Prior to watching “Veil of Shadows”, I admit that I have a lot on my plates right now, with “Love beyond the Grave” still ongoing and other stuffs catching behind. I wouldn’t have been tempted to have a peek on “Veil of Shadows” if it hadn’t been for my pretty boys (Tian Jiarui, Yan An, Chang Huasen, and more on the deck) casted in this drama. To be honest, I try to remind myself to be as realistic as possible to the painfully obvious fact that we’re dealing with the one of the most notoriously controversial directors, Guo Jingming. Back in 2024, I had an unpleasant experience of binging “Love Game in Eastern Fantasy” and “Fangs of Fortune” simultaneously – and ended up giving the latter a 9.0 due to my gullibility. But this time, it’s going to be another way round because I won’t be deceived for the second time anymore. I’m also fully aware that this may be an unpopular opinion, yet I still have the urge to pour out my inner words in this review, because I can’t bear to see a lot of people wasting their time on this type of drama. There will lots of yapping below (I can even yap about Youku as the laughingstock of all C-drama's platforms, or even Ju Jingyi's controversy about tax issue with Siba Media and yeah, I know that company is always up to no good), so please bear with me.
Edit: You can simply skip the first paragraph as I've changed my mind quite a lot from my earlier perspective.

“Veil of Shadows” is an original script written by Guo Jingming himself and is loosely based on one of his previous movies, Painted Skin: The Guo Jingming Edition. The story itself features four leads who are divided into two couples – the first couple comprises of a vengeful flood dragon demon Wu Shiguang and a cunning nine-tailed fox demon Wu Wangyan; the second an innocent-looking demon hunter who turns out to be a Dragon Deity himself, Ji Ling and an equally sly nine-tailed fox demon Lu Wuyi. Through interwoven fate, they meet in a chance encounter, when Xiaowei (a traitor of Formless Moon Sect) devours humans’ hearts and wreaks havoc in the human world, thus reluctantly join hands to catch Xiaowei. However, fate hasn’t stopped fooling with them yet, as they are faced with numerous life-and-death trials involving the blooming love of hundreds of years prior to this era.
Edit: The storyline improves gradually as the drama proceeds, even I begin to find my pleasure in watching "Veil of Shadows".

All the paragraphs below will be dedicated for my yapping session as I find numerous issues in this drama. Beware of spoiler alert too.

Firstly, the overly loud BGMs and the painfully inaudible voice-over. Honestly, I grow frustrated over times because of adjusting the volume of my buds and sometimes the BGMs are ear-splitting too. However, I still have to praise Guo Jingming for his bold move on using EDM-based BGMs with strong bass and beats in historical dramas, which is rarely seen in other historical counterparts. The more I listen to them, the more I'm getting possessed by those instrumentals.
Edit: I'm no longer yapping over the BGMs, rather I'm waiting for the production crew to release them globally. More people need to appraise those beautiful instrumentals.

Secondly, Guo Jingming still sticks to the so-called label of “all styles no substances”. Why do I say so? If you pore over the drama properly and strip it off from the xianxia trope, you’ll see that the main core of the plot is of murder mystery VR game-esque (if you have watched “Love Between Lines”, you can try to compare them), with the leads sitting and discussing what they should do to catch the murderer (Xiaowei) while trying to do something productive at the time being. Furthermore, the drama is plagued by tons of shallow empty talk which leads to nowhere and ends up becoming a humdrum to me, even ChatGPT can write a better script than him. Those dialogues aren’t even meaningful too, just an obvious attempt to force the plot to move from one scene to another. And who in their right mind would still flirt when murders are happening left and right (pointing out to Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi)? The only setback may be the main couple's interactions and the void conversation they have (sometimes I fast forward the second couple's scenes due to similar reason too).
Edit: EP 12 and 13 show remarkable improvement and no longer stick to the VR game's scripts, beginning to venture into a more intense game of manipulation amidst the hunt of the Star Stone. Another thing is that I'm completely invested in Li Jie and Yuan Wuhuo's backstory and I badly want to see how their arc will evolve (six-eyed butterfly demon is a nice choice, though. I always love butterfly demons). Also, EP 21 will become my latest favorite as my baby Tongguang finally shows up with his own love story (I mean Chang Huasen). In addition to that, we get a proper revelation of Li Jie and Yuan Wuhuo's flashbacks and how they are created. EP 24 showcases a lot of emotional impact regarding Ji Ling's flashbacks, why he volunteered to become a fake dragon deity, and his gradual transition from a simple-minded little fox to a mature and emotionless god.

Thirdly, Guo Jingming’s tendency to include sismance (and perhaps GL) stuffs as the girls always have intimate touch with each other. This also occurred in “Fangs of Fortune”, but it can be categorized as a minor issue to me.

Fourthly, Guo Jingming also loves over-the-top theatrical flair, which can be tedious over time. I know that he means to create huge emotional impact for the watchers, but I don’t feel anything at all – just staring blankly with a meh on my face. I’m not someone who can be affected by emotion, so maybe I’m an exception here, but who knows?

If you read this yapping session and perhaps, you’re a hardcore fan of Guo Jingming, you may see that everything is dedicated to castigating Guo Jingming. Well, I can’t blame the actors because they’re given those materials and have to make do with them. The boys are fine so far (but I don’t fast-forward Tian Jiarui and Yan An’s scenes only). For Joseph Zeng, I’m sorry that I’m no longer your fan, so let me fast forward a bit. The girls are more troublesome, and I literally fast forward all of their alluring tempting small talks – Chen Duling and Ju Jingyi have both worked hard to embody the vibe of nine-tailed vixens, but I still can’t help it and have least sympathy when skimping through their parts.

There are 20 OSTs in this drama, which is a shocking number for a moderate drama like “Veil of Shadows”, but my favorite will be Zhou Shen’s title song and Tian Jiarui's about the innocent fox. Other than that, I also like Yan An's song for Li Jie's theme. It hooks me up since I play the OST preview in loop.

I also want to commend the production team for creating grandeur background settings, beautiful costumes, and dozens of magic trinkets and artifacts. After a back-and-forth consideration, I decide to go all out with a 9.0. Honestly speaking, I should've made the score lower, but I can't bear to do it myself as I'm rooted deeply for "Veil of Shadows". Who cares about substances anymore?

All in all, I take back most of what I yap before, and perhaps I may rewatch the part where the over-the-top EDM tracks are played. One more thing I need to remind you is that don't get dizzy after going through the whole yapping. Good luck and happy watching!!!

Read More

Not a fan of storytelling style and uneven screen time distribution

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

I waited for the hype to die down before watching the much anticipated “Veil of Shadows”. Given this is another Edward Guo production with new crowd favorites Tian Jia Rui and Yan An as the leads, expectations are high. I have to say, I did come in with some pre-conceived criticisms, but I can’t deny I think I enjoy this drama more than “Fangs of Fortune”.

“Veil of Shadows” shares many of my praises and criticisms of “Fangs of Fortune” and even “My Journey to You”. MJTY is darker and more serious, so it might not be fair to compare. As I re-read my own review of FOF (https://kisskh.at/profile/virgievirgie/review/407720), I was nodding my head and saying… yup…same here in this drama.

Plot/Pacing
I like the general plot of “Veil of Shadows”, however, I am not sure if I like the storytelling/execution. This could very much be a ‘me’ problem that I don’t like the style. The drama first confused me, then dumped a lot of info to clarify what happened (often without foreshadowing). I was looking forward to the journeys of Ji Ling (played by Tian Jia Rui) and Wu Shi Guang (played by Joseph Zeng). They should both be main leads, with complementary storylines of their history, romance, development and road to heroism. There’s so much material that should be enough to fill a full 40-ep drama, yet this drama is only 29 episodes long. I wasn’t sure why the drama wasn’t longer and what goes behind the scenes in how screen time is distributed. I was also quite confused in the beginning in the second arc when 3 different parallel storylines were happening in different years. On the other hand, though I really enjoy Ji Ling’s story and his romance with Lu Wu Yi, it’s unfortunate that Wu Shi Guan and Wu Wang Yan got the short end of the stick. Their stories should be just as interesting and compelling, but they were relegated to the bench in the last arc. At the end of the second arc when identity secrets are revealed to the audience, Wu Shi Guang should have increased screen time, especially when his romance also wasn’t as developed in the second arc as the other pair. The pacing of the drama is actually pretty good for the most part. It held my attention throughout and there’s no draggy part. In fact, the last 5 episodes are so packed with plot twists that I felt like I never got a breather. Secrets and schemes were exposed one after another and I hope it actually slows down and gives me time to pause and think.

Characters
First of all, why do they speak so slowly?? LOL... Anyway, I enjoy all the main characters and the main supporting characters. They are all unique in their own way, though a few of them I would like to get to know more on a deeper level. The guest stars in each arc also bring something special to the drama. I especially enjoy seeing Xia Zhi Guang, Fan Shi Qi and a different side of Wang Duo. Compared to “Fangs of Fortune”, the characters in this drama have more close 1-on-1 relationships than team camaraderie. Everyone is lovely and it’s nice to not hate on anyone or find anyone irritating. For a drama like this, you should expect some of your favorites might die. Well, be prepared because they die and don't die, then die and don't die….. Did they really die? LOL

Acting
I think the overall acting of everyone is pretty good. No one really sticks out like a sore thumb. Tian Jia Rui probably has the toughest assignment for his different roles. I do think he is still better as the young and happy Ji Ling, than the more imposing and serious Dragon God. Joseph Zeng is fine but I also don’t think he’s given enough, or challenged enough to do better. Chen Du Ling is fine and definitely better than in “Fangs of Fortune”. I might have to say this might be the best I’ve seen Ju Jing Yi. She always gets a lot of flack for just being pretty, but I do think she finally is given a role that could challenge her and let the audience see she can be more than a pretty face. Yan An still has those mesmerizing eyes, just like when he was in “Fangs of Fortune”. But here, he is given more to work with and to show a more vulnerable side.

Romance
Where should I start with this? I did not buy the romance at all in the first arc and I really dislike Ju Jing Yi’s dubbed voice LOL I don’t feel any romantic chemistry at all. Luckily, things got better in the second arc when each couple had dedicated time to build on chemistry. Ji Ling + Lu Wu Yi have a much better written romance in the second arc inside the mysterious Star Stone. They were adorable together and I had a lot of fun watching them get to know each other, open their hearts and share backstories. I just wish the other couple was given just as much. Wu Shi Guang + Wu Wang Yan romance is more mature and I actually like it more. The time they spent together as Cang Hao and Qing Yi, learning to live together, get to know each other and grow old together is a touching story. But we don’t see many heartwarming moments of them together. Because they need to grow old fast, their timeline moves so much faster than the other couple’s. When this couple is given touching moments, e.g. bracelets and ice embrace or facing the consequences of a secret alliance, Joseph Zeng and Chen Du Ling did a fantastic job with those emotional moments. When romance plays such a big part in the general plot and the last arc, it’s really difficult for me to buy in when I don’t see the development of them falling in love, and even how and when Lu Wu Yi falls madly in love with Ji Ling. “Veil of Shadows” tries to tell me their romances are heartwarming, heartbreaking and can move heaven and earth ... but didn’t quite SHOW me how that all happened, so I can be more invested.

Production
This is without a doubt a high budget production. Did you see all the hairstyles and costumes of every single character? Beautiful! Ok, they could also calm down on the white filter/makeup. I think the team might be a little partial towards Tian Jia Rui and not as much towards Joseph Zeng. If you like CGI and the special effects in big fight scenes, you would not be disappointed. Each battle is exciting, eye-catching and a small production itself. The fight scenes in the first arc had too many slow-mo moves to my liking, but they improved throughout the drama. The cinematography is beautiful but I also find it somewhat pretentious with many shots where the actors are just posing and looking pretty. The OST boasts a cast of big stars. If you could assemble Zhou Shen, Liu Yu Ning, Mao Bu Yi altogether in one album, you know this is going to be an awesome OST. I also like that many actors have their own songs as well. Because there are so many songs in the OST, the drama doesn’t have to play the same song over and over, yet music is played ALL the time. There are times when I just want to hear the dialog, or let the emotions fill the gap, but then music will play. The battle music also feels like video game music, for better or for worse.


Despite my criticism, I did have a good time watching “Veil of Shadows” and enjoyed it slightly more than “Fangs of Fortune”. This is probably due to the fact that romance is so central to the plot compared to FOF. Although I am a big fan of wuxia hard-hitting close combat fight scenes, I can’t deny I also enjoy the big production action scenes and the elaborate use of CGI here. The actors all actually did a really great job in these action scenes. The OST is beautiful and the story is interesting. I just wish I liked the storytelling/execution more, and that screen time is better distributed between the four main leads.


Completed: 4/26/2026 Review #686

Read More