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"You need to write it yourself to get the ending you want"
Veil of Shadows was a rollercoaster of pain, death, pain, death, pain, death… Oops! Got caught up in a time loop! If you like for your characters to suffer and cry, be torn between love and duty, and question what is real and a replay, here you go!
What worked for me:
I enjoyed the cast, many of whom were new to me. I’d only seen Tian Jia Rui in Journey to You so the verdict was out on him. I thought he handled his roles well making each distinct, believable, and sympathetic. Yan An did admirably with his multiple roles, even as an evil butterfly. (One member of the family we don’t talk about at Butterfly reunions. lol) He and Tian had great chemistry. Ju Jing Yi and Chen Du Ling as the nine-tailed foxes were at their best when they were in scenes together as tactile and fierce “sisters.” Joseph Zeng did the best he could with what he was given. Honorable mention for Wu Han as the loyal and playful Weasel in his first credited role, at least on MDL.
The settings and costumes were beautiful.
There were arcs that I found compelling and emotionally engaging.
Cdrama characters did more than kiss!
What didn’t work as well for me:
There comes a point when people keep dying and coming back that the stakes and deaths become less impactful. The same with the pain porn dished out in this drama. After numerous suffering scenes, I was like, “Rub some dirt on it, spit up the blood, and you’ll feel better, honey.”
In the first story arc, it appeared that the mains were on equal footing narrative-wise. But that didn’t turn out to be the case. Much of the drama focused on Ji Ling and Lu Wu Yi’s tortured romance, as well as Ji Ling’s past. It gave the drama a lopsided feel, especially when it was revealed that Wu Shi Guang was a “Very Important Character.” He ended up being a VIC that got bumped down to a supporting character along with the 1000-year-old fox, Wu Wang Yan. And the little Weasel was often banished to WSG’s purse.
Much was made of Ji Ling’s man pain and loneliness, but I’d put the dragon speared to the ground for 100 years right up there with him. At least Ji had a bevy of handsome helpers and demons that called upon him often.
The fights were awful. Stunning, but much like the 10th dragon--useless. Lots of posing and CGI. There were also numerous slow-mo shots of pretty people with wind machines blowing their hair and clothing accompanied by overly dramatic music. Way too many hero walks with the team gearing up to face a challenge. Like death and torture, if they are overused, they become redundant and meaningless.
Speaking of overuse---time travel.
When I was enjoying this drama, I was really enjoying it and planned on rating it much higher. The drama was beautifully styled and featured beautiful people. I actually liked most of the characters and found myself invested in the secondary demons (Bai Ze!) and demon fighters. Then it hit a wall with repetitive deaths and agony which actually numbed me to the characters instead of ramping up my sympathy for them. When the pain porn began to feel sadistic, the ick factor started overwhelming my desire to finish the drama. The time travel issues didn’t help either. I’m not sorry I watched the drama, and it was a good average drama, at times more than that. Sometimes, less is more.
21 April 2026
Trigger warning: A snake was featured in one of the story arcs. : /
What worked for me:
I enjoyed the cast, many of whom were new to me. I’d only seen Tian Jia Rui in Journey to You so the verdict was out on him. I thought he handled his roles well making each distinct, believable, and sympathetic. Yan An did admirably with his multiple roles, even as an evil butterfly. (One member of the family we don’t talk about at Butterfly reunions. lol) He and Tian had great chemistry. Ju Jing Yi and Chen Du Ling as the nine-tailed foxes were at their best when they were in scenes together as tactile and fierce “sisters.” Joseph Zeng did the best he could with what he was given. Honorable mention for Wu Han as the loyal and playful Weasel in his first credited role, at least on MDL.
The settings and costumes were beautiful.
There were arcs that I found compelling and emotionally engaging.
Cdrama characters did more than kiss!
What didn’t work as well for me:
There comes a point when people keep dying and coming back that the stakes and deaths become less impactful. The same with the pain porn dished out in this drama. After numerous suffering scenes, I was like, “Rub some dirt on it, spit up the blood, and you’ll feel better, honey.”
In the first story arc, it appeared that the mains were on equal footing narrative-wise. But that didn’t turn out to be the case. Much of the drama focused on Ji Ling and Lu Wu Yi’s tortured romance, as well as Ji Ling’s past. It gave the drama a lopsided feel, especially when it was revealed that Wu Shi Guang was a “Very Important Character.” He ended up being a VIC that got bumped down to a supporting character along with the 1000-year-old fox, Wu Wang Yan. And the little Weasel was often banished to WSG’s purse.
Much was made of Ji Ling’s man pain and loneliness, but I’d put the dragon speared to the ground for 100 years right up there with him. At least Ji had a bevy of handsome helpers and demons that called upon him often.
The fights were awful. Stunning, but much like the 10th dragon--useless. Lots of posing and CGI. There were also numerous slow-mo shots of pretty people with wind machines blowing their hair and clothing accompanied by overly dramatic music. Way too many hero walks with the team gearing up to face a challenge. Like death and torture, if they are overused, they become redundant and meaningless.
Speaking of overuse---time travel.
When I was enjoying this drama, I was really enjoying it and planned on rating it much higher. The drama was beautifully styled and featured beautiful people. I actually liked most of the characters and found myself invested in the secondary demons (Bai Ze!) and demon fighters. Then it hit a wall with repetitive deaths and agony which actually numbed me to the characters instead of ramping up my sympathy for them. When the pain porn began to feel sadistic, the ick factor started overwhelming my desire to finish the drama. The time travel issues didn’t help either. I’m not sorry I watched the drama, and it was a good average drama, at times more than that. Sometimes, less is more.
21 April 2026
Trigger warning: A snake was featured in one of the story arcs. : /
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