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Shadow Love chinese drama review
Completed
Shadow Love
1 people found this review helpful
by CV_58
Oct 22, 2025
38 of 38 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 10.0
This review may contain spoilers

My Little Baby Jin An is actually a Red Flag

Welcome back to my review and I hope you guys won’t be bothered of how I’ve been delaying my review for ‘Shadow Love’ since I’m too lazy to get ahold of it myself. It’s been quite a messy week with my dropping ‘Love in the Clouds’ and support ‘Tales of Dark River’ instead. Moreover, I’m also skipping ‘Whispers of Fate/Shui Long Yin’ because I don’t see the point of watching it and the ML isn’t my favorite. Another thing that I’m skipping is ‘Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Sword and Beloved’ due to my trust issue against Cheng Yi (Fu Shan Hai’s failure contributes much for it. I’m indeed a great fan of his, but I can’t seem to buy his act anymore).

Alright, it’s time to get back on track. Back in 2024, I’d learned about the existence of ‘Shadow Love’ as one of Jiu Lu Fei Xiang’s works (one of the novelists whose works I truly enjoy). I immediately read the novel in one go since it wasn’t that lengthy and I was ecstatic when I found out that Ryan Cheng and Song Yi would be headlining the cast for this show. So now, what’s my take of it? Scroll down below and we’ll be rocking…

The story tells about two warring dynasties – Taijin and Yao, who have been on edges against each other for years. However, the Yao State always has the upper hand because of their master strategist and also one of the royal family’s members, Duan Aodeng. Prior to the main event, Duan Aodeng’s brother was abducted by Empress Qin, with the aid of her underling Jin Wujian (formerly Wuling Mount’s disciple). To save his brother, Duan Aodeng sacrificed himself and became the host of Jade Linglong, losing his memory in the process. Nevertheless, this ancient artifact also brought about supernatural power for the amnesiac Duan Aodeng.

After escaping from Empress Qin and co, Duan Aodeng comes across Li Shuang who’s battling against some Yao soldiers. Without any hesitation, Li Shuang takes him back to Lu City and names him Jin An as she wishes for peace for both dynasties and Taijin would brim in prosperity. As both of them spend time together, Jin An becomes her emotional anchor whenever things come up and the two create a meaningful bond in the process. As they navigate the complexities of battlefields and imperial courts between the two dynasties, a powerful love blooms beneath the shadow, setting a masterpiece in a tale of love and war (at least, it’s not a flash in the pan).

This time, I won’t be mentioning about the script quality as it fits most of my requirements and I’m glad a love triangle is done right with lots of tension and jealousy in it. Second couple, as I see it, is fitting for each other too, mainly because they’re obsessed with medical and herbs despite their clashing point of view towards the world.

Acting is superb as always. Ryan Cheng and Song Yi shine in their respective roles and what’s more, their chemistry is firing hard that I always feel butterfly in my stomach. Even when the amnesiac arc wears off, the story is still pretty entertaining, though it’s a pity I only watch until ep 33 due to ‘Love in the Clouds’. By the way, Bi Wenjun has gotten better and better in every project, and I hope he can get more roles like this in the future – he deserves better. As for the rest of the casts, I also appreciate their effort in fleshing out their characters, so kudos for all.

OSTs, costumes, backgrounds, setting, and props are as pleasing as always since I don’t find any of them troublesome.

Overall, a highly recommended show if you’re into romantic tension, war-mongering countries, blazing chemistry between the leads, a jealous third wheeler, and many more. It’s a 10/10 for me, for sure. Okay, time to end my review. Good luck and happy watching!!!

P.S.
As the title of my review suggests, Jin An can be described as a red-flag boy just by looking at the way he stares at his love rival. You’ll know when you have a good look at him.
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