Great story BUT HORRENDOUS pacing
The pace of this drama was horrendous. From a strong start to the most boring middle and a very strong finish... You really have to be a fan of Cheng Lei (or other actors) to stick to it without dropping it in the middle.This being said the cinematography, color palette, light, and photography was top notch. The whole drama was gorgeous served by very strong performances by the main cast. The story was great too, although the 2ML did raise my blood pressure quite a bit at some point.
Apart from the pace my biggest complain, which is more personal taste than anything, is that I wished we had spent more time with Prince Annan than with Jin An. Dark and brooding Cheng Lei is the best🥵🥵🥵
The biggest plot-hole remains Cheng Lei's hair length variations which were all over the place during the last arc. Once you start to notice, it's just impossible to unsee.
This would have become an ultimate favorite had it not been for this awful pacing. The pop music surprisingly fitted the show as well. As it stands, it was a very good one-time watch.
8.5 for me.
Liked the journey but I doubt I'll do it twice.
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The show started nicely, though kinda odd with the whole witchcraft shenanigans and many plot holes but I didn't care.
After 6 or 8 episodes (can't remember) I put the show on hold because it became boring, slow and I felt there's no development (only ML & FL bonding) I found the Jin An identity of the ML to be unappealing, boring, flat. There was no real interest in finding out who he is, which is weird, if you lose all your memory, won't it bug the hell out of you? There was no real mystery when there should have been (even though we know who he is from the first ep).
I expected the 3 identities to add a ton of angst and mystery but for the most part, there was almost none or at least, not enough.
I think the premise was really good but the script, and the execution were lacking.
The actors were good, CL is one of my favorite actors and the only reason I completed the show and didn't drop on the 3rd episode. Tbh, SY (FL) is an actress I can barely stand, I find her really annoying, but she was good in the show and bearable 😂.
The fight scenes were somewhere between good to meh, the fact that the FL shoots arrows from such a short distance looked too unreal, and in some scenes you could tell the actors were tied to ropes.
The best thing about the show was Prince Annan Identity and he should have came way sooner than he did, at least they should have gave us flashbacks!
I almost gave this show a 8.5/10 because the last 8 episodes made me forget the previously 20 something boring episodes.
7.5/10 and I think I'm being generous enough.
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Overall Lovely But Requires Patience
Over all, this is ultimately a lovely show. However, the story line bogs down quite a bit. First it is a slow start on the first act, taking several episodes to engage the audience in the characters. Then it slogs through the second act where the characters develop. But when it gets to the third act, it suddenly rushes through to the finale. Some plot tension threads are just dropped as everything is okay now without really understanding what changed and why. The acting is spot on even with some seriously contrived writing. The costumes are gorgeous. Music is very lovely.Was this review helpful to you?
For those who love excessive romance
I don't disdain romantic dramas if done well and for Cheng Lei (Ryan Cheng) I can stand the romance genre.But here we went to the extreme. From ep. 12 to 22 is a succession of images between the two protagonists who play doves. Very few advances in the plot and I was about to drop it from frustration, fortunately then the action resumes after ep. 22.
This is the classic case of a writer who wants to try her hands at something she doesn't know.
Hong Wan Ling is an accomplished web novelist with lot of her works adapted into dramas, all of her novels are Xanxia genre but here she wanted to try her hand at Wuxia genre with little elements of Xuanhuan failing miserably.
The plot revolves around the war between two states and the Palace intrigues with the addition of the romantic part between the female general and the OP ML (Xuanhuan element) ..... too bad that the part relating to the warfare is utterly superficial and ridiculous. Little fighting, no scouts, a military camp in the middle of the forest exposed to easy ambushes with a general who is more often at home than in the field.
The palace intrigues are childish. A Crown Prince who is publicly humiliated by his Prince brother is an absolutely inconceivable thing for the time. But everything is fine as long as there is romance.
The actors had to adapt to all this and did it in a very good way despite the drag of 10 episodes full of honestly boring dialogues (I don't know how they resisted). The last episodes she cry and cry and cry and ....cry.
The actress Song Yi is not suited to the image of a general, too skinny and her voice when she gives orders is shrill. Unfortunately, she failed to convey to me the image of a strong woman who grew up in battle
Ryan Cheng has proven once again that he is a great actor who manages to go from a cold and imposing character to a kind and smiling one in a second. I've always said that his eyes speak volumes.
ZYY Empress Dowager Qin She was exceptional in her role, she perfectly conveyed the weakness and madness of a woman consumed by her obsession.
In the end, if there hadn't been endless moments of geekery and repetitive dialogues about how good, strong and perfect she is (but how many times does she have to hear it to be satisfied?) it would have been a much deeper and more apt drama
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This review may contain spoilers
at first I didn’t really enjoy this drama partially also because I couldn’t move on from tlofg, Cheng lei’s other drama. But I saw the trailer and was drawn to his character in shadow love. First few eps were rather slow and boring but starting from ep 12 onwards IT GOT SO GOOD!!! The ost eats and they’re not overplayed. Ppl who say main leads don’t have chemistry is WRONG. I’ve seen enemies to lovers but lovers to enemies?? That’s new! I rly lovee Prince annan soo fine omg and song yi’s acting was rlly good! This drama is on par with tlofg… I fear Cheng lei only pick GOOD scripts Was this review helpful to you?
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Hating it until episode 31
This is a tricky one because there’s 38 episodes at approximately 40 minutes each. They obviously spent a bit of money on this and the cast are all really good looking people and the acting was pretty good.However, for the first 30 episodes I thought I was going to score this a 1 because I really hated the fact they kept falling for the villains schemes and traps willingly. I get the trope and I get it’s a vehicle to move the plot forward but the story just felt terrible and I thought it was a pile of horse crap Because they just kept letting the villains go every time they stopped one of their despicable schemes which were all targeted at their deaths.
Anyway, the story got good from episode 31 when he remembered he was a prince and I thought the story was actually good but I couldn’t forget how frustrated I was for the first 75% of the drama hence why I can only score at a five. I liked how the main villains all got their comeuppance and we got a happy ending.
Again, I understand the story was romance driven but the sub plots and political intrigue were lacking. Style over substance..
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MASTERPIECE !!!
I STARTED WATCHING THIS DRAMA ONLY FOR THE ML & SERIOUSLY WAS EVEN POSTPONING WATCHING IT SINCE SONGYI WAS THE FL ( I hadn't seen any of Song Yi dramas before ),BUT ONCE I FINISHED WATCHING SL,
SHE REALLY BECAME MY NO:1 FAVOURITE CHINESE ACTRESS ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
HER ACTING FOR THE PLOT & HER CHEMISTRY WITH THE MALE LEAD GAVE AN EXHILARATING FEELING ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
IT'S REALLY TOOOO PAINFUL SEEING SO MANY HATE COMMENTS EVERYWHERE ON SONGYI (DON'T KNOW WHOSE FANS ARE MAKING THOSE COMMENTS ) -> ABOUT HER APPEARANCE , ACTING AND COMPARING IT WITH LOTFG ACTRESS & SAYING THIS DRAMA GOT SAVED ONLY DUE TO MALE LEAD !!!
TO BE FRANK, SONGYI WAS MUCH MORE CONVINCING AS A FEMALE GENERAL & THE BEST PAIR FOR (THE ML IN THIS DRAMA ) !
&
REALLY I HAVE NEVER BEEN THISSSSSS INVESTED IN ANY DRAMA BEFORE ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ ITS GIVING WORST EVER WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS & WILL ALWAYS REMAIN MY ALL TIME MOST FAVOURITE DRAMA ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
&
EQUAL CREDITS GOES TO ( CHENGLEI & SONGYI ) AND THEIR CHEMISTRY 🔥🔥🔥 🔥🔥FOR THIS DRAMA'S SUCCESS !!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Where (shadow) love conquers all ?❤️
💕 Romance 💕To start, I didn't expect too much from the show? It's my understanding that that same lack of expectation was pretty widespread, and that the show ended up surprising a lot of viewers. 🤣
When I tell non-drama watchers about Shadow Love, I say it's sort of like some Marvel superhero meets a historical Chinese drama. I think that's a pretty accurate comp to make, lol.
Now let's take a moment to appreciate Cheng Lei in all three roles: Jin An, Man in Black, and Prince Annan, as well as some combination of those three at various points of the show. He impressed me when I first saw him in MJTY alongside Tian Jia Rui (yeeeeee, crazy poison Didi and tsundere af Gege really stole that show!). But I didn't realize just how talented he was until I saw his range in one show.
The character development was top-notch imo. Li Shuang goes from being a tough, duty-bound general by adoption to a lovestruck heroine who has to make tough decisions. Repeatedly. Song Yi captured Shuang's honorable, serious side but also her adorable, softer sides as she allowed herself to be vulnerable with Jin An.
I'm not gonna lie, I watched this show before LoTFG. It gripped me a lot quicker, honestly. The premise was just too good: enemy generals fall in love through some blood pact, doomed to eventually fight one another.
Earlier this month, I had praised When Destiny Brings the Demon for its romance. The romance in that is still applaudable. But I actually think Shadow Love’s romance topped it. From Jin An creating magical moments all for Shuang (peach blossom pastries, sweetening bitter medicine, that plain but precious hair pin) to Shuang risking everything for her beloved, to their emotional bond overcoming the Jade Linglong, and the blood pact, and war, and AMNESIA.
~SWOON NOISES~ (o゜▽゜)o☆
I also can’t ignore the side characters. Lu Xin and Mo Yin were a delight to watch. Though their love story was calmer, I still loved the way Lu Xin gently teased Master Mo and made herself completely at home at Wuling Mountain. The smile on Mo Yin's face every time he realized just how much he liked this bold healer was priceless. And the friendship between them and Shuang/Jin An was touching and well-written!
😂 Comedy 😂
There wasn’t excessive comedy in this one, but the lighter moments really worked. I laughed out loud when Prince Li called Jin An Shuang’s wife while Mu Yang got stuck with the concubine label 🥴. Mo Yin and Lu Xin brought a playful energy to their scenes, and Jin An was quietly adorable throughout.
🌀 Plot 🌀
I felt like everything was wrapped up quite nicely. I was relieved that Su Muyang was able to turn himself around in the end. I was worried there. And yes, he made some questionable decisions before we reached the finale, but the guy went through a lot.
Satisfying poetic justice deaths:
💀 Prince Li
💀 The Evil Empress
💀 Emperor of Taijin
💀 Jin Wu Jian
🎶 Soundtrack 🎶
There were so many great tracks in this show! Of course, Jane Zhang and Liu Yuning's songs were 👨🏻🍳💋 (That Jane Zhang ED theme is rivaling how often Kpop Demon Hunters' "Golden" gets played in my car. Sorry, kids! lol)
Apparently Cheng Lei himself sings "Caressing Shadows", one of the most haunting tracks. Omgggg… and Song Yi sang a track as well? I don't think "Waiting for You" was played as much, but it’s also a lovely piece.
My favorite might be "Bringing Peace" by Huang Xiaoyun. That song is just… it’s so Jin An x Li Shuang 🥺 "Old Age" was another gorgeous piece. This drama did not suffer from a shortage of Spotify-blastable music.
🌏 World-Building 🌏
The world-building was adequate. I was definitely left with some curiosity about the Jade Linglong and the Wuling Mountain sect, but the primary story was set in Taijin. The political strife was designed well, and I was satisfied with the ending. I especially loved how the leads got to live together freely with peace in the realm, just like Li Shuang always wanted.
👁️ Visuals 👁️
This drama had some of the most gorgeous sets, somehow, without it being a xianxia. That floral loft Jin An created early on for Shuang? Their wedding bed in Wuling Mountain? Shuang's little paradise prison during her stay in the Yao kingdom (after Prince Annan moves her out of the dungeon, ofc). These two had some truly beautiful scenes with settings to match.
📈 Binge Factor 📈
The only reason I wasn’t watching 8 episodes a day at first was because I was juggling other dramas (When Destiny Brings the Demon, Blossom). But by the end, it was nearly impossible not to stay up all night for “just one more episode.” 😉
🎭 Acting 🎭
Cheng Lei in three roles = brilliance. His range blew me away and cemented him as one of my favorite rising leads. Song Yi balanced strength and vulnerability perfectly.
The supporting cast also shined. Lu Xin’s warmth, Mo Yin’s subtlety, and even the villains leaned into their roles with conviction.
🔥 Conflict 🔥
The stakes were always high, but I think the most emotional to watch from this show was when Jin An had his memories back and was torn between vengeance for his brother, whom he thought was dead, or the life he wanted as Jin An with Shuang.
⭐ Final Thoughts ⭐
I posted a meme about the existential crisis one experiences after finishing a series. I definitely felt that with this one. It's hard to move on. It will be on my mind for a long time, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes action, great storytelling, and swoon-worthy romance.
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BEST DRAMA OF THE YEAR
Honestly, no words needed.I love the ML for the versitale acting, FL for EVERY emotional scene. Chemistry between them - one of the best that I've seen.
Princess Agents and Eternal Love are my favs and I'm still missing them and watching them on repeat. This drama gave me a subtle vibe of both. Everything was thoughtful and done with the taste. Tempo was amazing, not too fast and not too slow, enough to catch attention.
This drama finally gave me the fresh air. I highly doubt that I'll watch something better this year(and I'm quite happy about it).
Love Cheng Li in this drama. I hope he'll take more projects like this.
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Ryan cheng aced all three characters with superb acting
Story is well paced. I read the novel . I think drama adoptation is a lot better than novel. All three characters .. jinan being pure innocent and a green forest, xuan yi ke being brave and enigmatic and duan aodong being cold ruthless and intellegent person ..all character aced by ryan cheng. He deserves a lot more appreciation and acknowledgement for his work.Was this review helpful to you?
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Good story, but the execution of plot could have been better.
So as some of you know, I have been complaining on the forums about parts of this show. A lot of people loved the last third of the show, whereas I found that stretch to be the weakest part in a lot of ways. I picked up SL right on the heels of another Cdrama that near topped the list of my favorite Asian dramas of all the time. That was my first mistake, as all of the things I loved about that one - the transparent communication and honesty, lack of love triangles and possessive third wheels, how the amnesia subplots were handled with the right amount of angst balanced with mutual affection - all only served to highlight all of the shortcomings in the last part of Shadow Love. Secrets were kept that did not need to be, secrets that had serious implications for the person that they were being kept from. It seemed like lies were told to just create more needless drama, information was withheld from each other “just because”. Especially in the last several episodes, soooo much of the drama could have been prevented if the leads just communicated honestly with each other. Both of them were prominent military leaders who have stared death in the face multiple times - why are y’all acting so immaturely? But what helped make up for the flaws a little bit was the fact that most of them were eventually addressed. The ML didn’t get off the hook for the horrible crap he did to the FL when he was losing / had lost his memories. He didn’t get off the hook for keeping the fact that he regained his memories of her a secret. I appreciated that, but it still doesn’t take away from how much stuff could have been prevented if they had just acted more like adults.And I was very disappointed with the FL during the last stretch as well. She should have told Prince Annan who he was after he lost his memories of her completely, especially when he asked her directly, and I will die on this hill. He had the right to know who he was during the last year. It was HIS life, and with him being the prince, there were SERIOUS implications for him also being Jin An and the masked man. Her keeping that a secret and then later LYING to his face about it robbed him of his autonomy and his right to choose what to do with that information. It does not matter if he would have believed her or not. It was still his right to know and she took that from him. And what happened shortly after? The bitch Empress sprung that information on him as a weapon in front of all of his officials, catching him completely off guard and humiliating him. Like I said, so much of the silly drama could have been prevented if they had just acted like adults and communicated.
Other complaints- the memory loss of Shuang, and remembering his real identify could have been better. It was confusing, but the show had it seem like Jin An remembered his love for Shuang AND remembered that her father supposedly killed his brother when he was the prince, so he then proceeded to secretly plot the assassination of Shuang’s father at his birthday banquet with her right there… after telling her he loved her and wanted to be with her for life. He then tried to literally murder the FL’s dad in front of her. And then told her he loved her afterwords in the woods. What???? I get others have said that his memory was in and out during that time, and that’s fair, but it could have been better. How about we have him completely lose his memories of Shuang prior to the bday banquet, then have Shuang find him and be like “Hey my dads banquet is tonight” and for him to be like, “Oh, I can take advantage of this situation and kill this woman’s dad.” You get the gist. It didn’t sit with me at all having his surprise assassination attempt on his girlfriend’s beloved father sandwiched between two love confessions.
Oh, and the love triangle was annoying. There was a possessive third wheel and it felt like the FL was sending him a little bit of mixed signals until she set her firm boundaries later. Ugh. Even then he couldn’t take no for an answer and it took him waaay to long to pull his head out of his ass 🙃
Regardless, this show was enjoyable and I will probably rewatch it. The chemistry was great with the leads, the ML was delicious to watch shift in and out of his different personas. I missed the gorgeous silver-haired ninja man the last chunk of the show, though. We also didn’t get enough blood sharing scenes (tragedy). And despite my beef with Prince Annan, he was 🤌🏻 👌🏻to look at. Honestly this is probably a show that I will like more the second time around. I probably missed some of the nuances that other viewers have seen, and now that I know the big picture I may enjoy it more when I rewatch it.
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