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General female lead falling in love with the prince of her rival kingdom? Sign me up.
Shadow Love turned out to be one of those dramas that I just couldn’t stop watching. It’s full of clichés, familiar tropes, and some really cheesy romance with a perfectly timed soundtrack, especially Cheng Lei's scenes as the "hero in black". But honestly, it’s exactly the kind of cheesiness that I enjoy. It's super cute and also has it's comedic moments which makes you giggle throughout the whole episode.
The story itself isn’t anything groundbreaking to me, and some villains (Empress Dowager Qin, Taijin Emperor, Jin Wujian...) feel a bit cartoonish at times, and yet it completely had me hooked all the way to episode 38 because the story, the tropes and characters were "creative" in its own way and gave me a completely different feeling from other fantasy C-Dramas. The pacing felt a bit off at first and I wasn’t sure how the plot would progress since the writing felt a bit inconsistent. But with the second half it suddenly got much better with every episode.
Especially the last few episodes made me emotional and when a drama manages to make me cry even just a little, that says a lot 😭
I’ve watched almost all of Cheng Lei’s dramas where he plays a main role, and this is the one where I liked his character and his acting the most. He did an excellent job portraying three different personas in one role, and it really showcased his range better than his other characters.
Going in, I was actually hesitant about Song Yi. I didn’t enjoy her acting in Destined, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But here, her performance felt more natural, and I found her acting much better and fitting for the role.
The one thing that bothered me though was that the main leads didn't have a lot of on-screen chemistry.
Also: A big applause to the secondary couples, especially Lu Xin & Mo Yin (they were so adorable together), but also Qiao’er & Ouyang Jun, even though they didn’t get much screen time. At times, I actually found them even cuter than the main CP.
And finally, the OST: Absolutely spellbinding! It has become one of my favorite drama soundtracks of all time and really makes me wanna rewatch the entire drama all over again.
So, while Shadow Love is predictable most of the time and does drag occasionally, it’s still exciting, emotional, and incredibly addictive and I really like how it is unique in its own way. It managed to stand out among the dramas I’ve watched recently,, so the final score is... 9/10!
Special thanks to @Kasia Krakowianka for the recommendation! I enjoyed this drama through and through 💕
The story itself isn’t anything groundbreaking to me, and some villains (Empress Dowager Qin, Taijin Emperor, Jin Wujian...) feel a bit cartoonish at times, and yet it completely had me hooked all the way to episode 38 because the story, the tropes and characters were "creative" in its own way and gave me a completely different feeling from other fantasy C-Dramas. The pacing felt a bit off at first and I wasn’t sure how the plot would progress since the writing felt a bit inconsistent. But with the second half it suddenly got much better with every episode.
Especially the last few episodes made me emotional and when a drama manages to make me cry even just a little, that says a lot 😭
I’ve watched almost all of Cheng Lei’s dramas where he plays a main role, and this is the one where I liked his character and his acting the most. He did an excellent job portraying three different personas in one role, and it really showcased his range better than his other characters.
Going in, I was actually hesitant about Song Yi. I didn’t enjoy her acting in Destined, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But here, her performance felt more natural, and I found her acting much better and fitting for the role.
The one thing that bothered me though was that the main leads didn't have a lot of on-screen chemistry.
Also: A big applause to the secondary couples, especially Lu Xin & Mo Yin (they were so adorable together), but also Qiao’er & Ouyang Jun, even though they didn’t get much screen time. At times, I actually found them even cuter than the main CP.
And finally, the OST: Absolutely spellbinding! It has become one of my favorite drama soundtracks of all time and really makes me wanna rewatch the entire drama all over again.
So, while Shadow Love is predictable most of the time and does drag occasionally, it’s still exciting, emotional, and incredibly addictive and I really like how it is unique in its own way. It managed to stand out among the dramas I’ve watched recently,, so the final score is... 9/10!
Special thanks to @Kasia Krakowianka for the recommendation! I enjoyed this drama through and through 💕
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