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4 different dramas wearing a trench coat
Don't get me wrong, the 4 stories are still connected.....somehow.... but its not cohesive. The tone shift gave me whiplash every time.
" Veil of shadows" never stops moving. There is always something happening. Another plot twist, another secret identity, another suspicious character, another supposedly earth-shattering discovery.
Yet somehow, all that activity makes the story feel aimless.
Drama 1: The murder mystery
Five supernatural beings arrive at the same location, each pursuing the same murderer for different reasons. Some want money, some want recognition, others have been sent on missions, and some have motives that aren't immediately disclosed.
As an opening premise? Its fine albeit a bit crowded. There's an opportunity for rivalry, shifting alliances, conflicting interests, and a genuinely entertaining investigation.
I cant say I enjoyed how this investigation portion was done. Everyone is dancing around each other, giving cryptic remarks, vague compliments, knowing glances and fake smiles. So mysterious individuals that have mysterious relationship with each other go to this mysterious place in pursuit of a mysterious murderer with mysterious intentions (for everyone involved) And they're just trying to be mysterious all the time. Its trying way too hard, It gets pretentious. question get piled up and answers aren't coming fast enough. what made stick around? Commander Li Jie biceps + the dramatic music + visuals.
The mystery isn't a clue-driven one. It's a revelation-driven one, where you have to sit on your ass until the story decides to tell you what actually happened. Every door you open, there's another one behind it. And then, surprise!!! Another plot twist!!!
Even discovering who the murderer is doesn't feel like an answer. It's just another door leading to another set of questions.
Which, frankly, is exactly what I expected from an Edward Guo drama.
Drama 2: Pinocchio and many identities
Of the four different dramas stitched together here, this is easily my favorite. Ji Ling's storyline introduces some genuinely interesting philosophical questions about identity, individuality, and personhood.
Ji Ling starts as an unremarkable simpleton with limited powers but right off the bat you know he is not that simple. He was sent by Shiling, the most powerful demon hunter sect in this story, on a mission way above his abilities and his side kick is unusually powerful. Then he gets injured and turns into wood. We come to find out that he is a fraction of a much more powerful person put into a wooden doll. A mere substitute that can be replaced. Sad thing is: he doesn't know. This isn't just about identity anymore. Its about personhood. Also about agency.
If someone possesses only fragments of another being's memories and abilities but has thoughts, feelings, and a consciousness of their own, does that make them any less of a person? Does being created for someone else's purpose mean their existence belongs to that purpose? And if their memories are artificial, does that make their experiences and emotions any less real?
we get bits and pieces from everyone's past. Shared histories, forgotten memories and devotion. puzzle pieces are coming together. finally some answers. Not much but after that drought....
Drama 3: Alternative life inside a rock
The lore thickens and not in a good way.
All five of them are sucked into a rock ( yep, you heard that right) where time passes differently than real world. every year they spend there is a second in outside world and lo and behold the people outside take their sweet time talking about a bunch of vague stuff for minutes .
This gave me so many conflicting feelings. on one hand an incredible amount of mythological crap is being piled up on each other. From magic rocks to demonic butterflies to 9 headed snakes to magical catastrophes to confusing timelines to ..........
One the other hand the romance is actually moving forward. They're stuck in an unfamiliar world, surrounded by people who have no idea that they've lived entirely different lives. All they really have is each other. This forced proximity and shared secret push them into situations where they discover sides of themselves and each other they never had the chance to see before. And somewhere along the way, the relationships are given enough room to develop naturally.
Wu Shiguang and Wu Wangyan's romance was absolutely beautiful. Mature, sizzling, full of tension and chemistry. I rooted for them, I cried for them, and I was genuinely invested in their relationship.
Meanwhile, Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi had these adorable little moments of tenderness and vulnerability. Watching them slowly lower their guards around each other, despite their difficulties with trust, was genuinely sweet.
I also enjoyed the glimpses into the characters' pasts, particularly Li Jie and Wu Shiguang. Those revelations gave me something to care about beyond the increasingly ridiculous supernatural mythology.
And that's what makes this entire section so frustrating. The smaller, more intimate stories are genuinely compelling, but they're buried beneath an avalanche of lore and supernatural disasters.
Drama 4: complete and utter chaos
This part starts immediately after they are out of that god forsaken rock. Wu Shiguang and Wu Wangyan get sidelined both as individuals and as a couple in favor of the less interesting leads, Ji ling and wu yi. I don't know what the writers were thinking. These two seemed like were made for harvesting the maximum amount of tragedy. Ji ling had a bajillion identities and every single one were miserable. Wu yi travelled in time a bajillion of time and in every single one she was miserable. I couldn't even bring myself to feel sad because it felt like emotional manipulation.
And while these two are busy competing in the Misery Olympics, the plot is having a full-blown identity crisis of its own. What was this story even about? what were these people about? Honestly this story was spiraling probably from episode one but now its just a tornado.
Time is meaningless. Death is negotiable. The antagonist has unlimited power. The writer is confused so am I. The real evil is everything and everyone and everywhere. She is almost defeated until she isn't so they take yet another trip to the past, but this time to a timeline that allows them stop the evil and lou wu yi from existing, effectively wiping it out the ENTIRE GODDAMN STORY.........
Im tired. But somehow everyone ends up being alive. even the ones that died the episodes prior. What was the point?? what were they trying to tell us?
I do not recommend watching this to anyone. Just watch the short clips on tiktok. It does the trick.
" Veil of shadows" never stops moving. There is always something happening. Another plot twist, another secret identity, another suspicious character, another supposedly earth-shattering discovery.
Yet somehow, all that activity makes the story feel aimless.
Drama 1: The murder mystery
Five supernatural beings arrive at the same location, each pursuing the same murderer for different reasons. Some want money, some want recognition, others have been sent on missions, and some have motives that aren't immediately disclosed.
As an opening premise? Its fine albeit a bit crowded. There's an opportunity for rivalry, shifting alliances, conflicting interests, and a genuinely entertaining investigation.
I cant say I enjoyed how this investigation portion was done. Everyone is dancing around each other, giving cryptic remarks, vague compliments, knowing glances and fake smiles. So mysterious individuals that have mysterious relationship with each other go to this mysterious place in pursuit of a mysterious murderer with mysterious intentions (for everyone involved) And they're just trying to be mysterious all the time. Its trying way too hard, It gets pretentious. question get piled up and answers aren't coming fast enough. what made stick around? Commander Li Jie biceps + the dramatic music + visuals.
The mystery isn't a clue-driven one. It's a revelation-driven one, where you have to sit on your ass until the story decides to tell you what actually happened. Every door you open, there's another one behind it. And then, surprise!!! Another plot twist!!!
Even discovering who the murderer is doesn't feel like an answer. It's just another door leading to another set of questions.
Which, frankly, is exactly what I expected from an Edward Guo drama.
Drama 2: Pinocchio and many identities
Of the four different dramas stitched together here, this is easily my favorite. Ji Ling's storyline introduces some genuinely interesting philosophical questions about identity, individuality, and personhood.
Ji Ling starts as an unremarkable simpleton with limited powers but right off the bat you know he is not that simple. He was sent by Shiling, the most powerful demon hunter sect in this story, on a mission way above his abilities and his side kick is unusually powerful. Then he gets injured and turns into wood. We come to find out that he is a fraction of a much more powerful person put into a wooden doll. A mere substitute that can be replaced. Sad thing is: he doesn't know. This isn't just about identity anymore. Its about personhood. Also about agency.
If someone possesses only fragments of another being's memories and abilities but has thoughts, feelings, and a consciousness of their own, does that make them any less of a person? Does being created for someone else's purpose mean their existence belongs to that purpose? And if their memories are artificial, does that make their experiences and emotions any less real?
we get bits and pieces from everyone's past. Shared histories, forgotten memories and devotion. puzzle pieces are coming together. finally some answers. Not much but after that drought....
Drama 3: Alternative life inside a rock
The lore thickens and not in a good way.
All five of them are sucked into a rock ( yep, you heard that right) where time passes differently than real world. every year they spend there is a second in outside world and lo and behold the people outside take their sweet time talking about a bunch of vague stuff for minutes .
This gave me so many conflicting feelings. on one hand an incredible amount of mythological crap is being piled up on each other. From magic rocks to demonic butterflies to 9 headed snakes to magical catastrophes to confusing timelines to ..........
One the other hand the romance is actually moving forward. They're stuck in an unfamiliar world, surrounded by people who have no idea that they've lived entirely different lives. All they really have is each other. This forced proximity and shared secret push them into situations where they discover sides of themselves and each other they never had the chance to see before. And somewhere along the way, the relationships are given enough room to develop naturally.
Wu Shiguang and Wu Wangyan's romance was absolutely beautiful. Mature, sizzling, full of tension and chemistry. I rooted for them, I cried for them, and I was genuinely invested in their relationship.
Meanwhile, Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi had these adorable little moments of tenderness and vulnerability. Watching them slowly lower their guards around each other, despite their difficulties with trust, was genuinely sweet.
I also enjoyed the glimpses into the characters' pasts, particularly Li Jie and Wu Shiguang. Those revelations gave me something to care about beyond the increasingly ridiculous supernatural mythology.
And that's what makes this entire section so frustrating. The smaller, more intimate stories are genuinely compelling, but they're buried beneath an avalanche of lore and supernatural disasters.
Drama 4: complete and utter chaos
This part starts immediately after they are out of that god forsaken rock. Wu Shiguang and Wu Wangyan get sidelined both as individuals and as a couple in favor of the less interesting leads, Ji ling and wu yi. I don't know what the writers were thinking. These two seemed like were made for harvesting the maximum amount of tragedy. Ji ling had a bajillion identities and every single one were miserable. Wu yi travelled in time a bajillion of time and in every single one she was miserable. I couldn't even bring myself to feel sad because it felt like emotional manipulation.
And while these two are busy competing in the Misery Olympics, the plot is having a full-blown identity crisis of its own. What was this story even about? what were these people about? Honestly this story was spiraling probably from episode one but now its just a tornado.
Time is meaningless. Death is negotiable. The antagonist has unlimited power. The writer is confused so am I. The real evil is everything and everyone and everywhere. She is almost defeated until she isn't so they take yet another trip to the past, but this time to a timeline that allows them stop the evil and lou wu yi from existing, effectively wiping it out the ENTIRE GODDAMN STORY.........
Im tired. But somehow everyone ends up being alive. even the ones that died the episodes prior. What was the point?? what were they trying to tell us?
I do not recommend watching this to anyone. Just watch the short clips on tiktok. It does the trick.
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