Visual Feast and I am not just talking about Cheng Lei
It is Cheng Lei's drama and he is the backbone of it. Now, this is what I can call unique. Atleast this drama tried something new (plot wise ) and the way Cheng Lei is doing three characters here is laudable for sure. He is breaking his mould. It is my first time seeing him doing comedy, goofy/innocent type of character. Obviously his usual indifferent one is also part of his other character but it is refreshing to see him doing something different than what he is already good at.If I have to describe cinematography- just pause anywhere during the episode and it looks like a scenery that you could use it as a background image, it is that level of beautiful. I am loving all the editing which is done smartly something that was completely missing in Legend of female general. That is how one puts 'impact' in a particular scene especially action scenes, even though Song Yi (FL) still doesn't have that physical apperance of a general but it still looks good and powerful. The one that really stood out to me was that herbalist girl. She is so natural in her acting. Maybe it is just the character but she is doing really great though I cannot say the same for her partner the other deputy general or something. I am enjoying side characters banter and obviously villain of the story. A well suited actress for Empress's role. She perfectly delivered those bewitching, obsessed and unstable vibes that was demanded by her role. There are some great action scenes and choreography is really smooth. Now the worst part- when someone writes a female general's character, the most important quality of a leader is his/her descision making abilities. FL is shown pretty smart/vigilant one here but all her decisions as a general are very questionable. She goes alone fighting, takes handful of soldiers to fight against a big bandit group and ultimately she becomes damsel in distress who needs ML to save her. If we really think about it she is not fit for a general's position who leads a huge group (mostly men). That is the worst thing of this drama. Why do they write female characters like that is still a mystery to me. Either make her so sharp to get out of trouble using her brain or simply make her physically strong to fight her way out or don't make her a general or leader. It can still be a great character without such position. It is VERY FRUSTRATING.
Overall it is a unique and enjoyable drama (minus above mentioned parts).
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This review may contain spoilers
A must watch for Cheng Lei!!!
This drama was a pleasant surprise. I wanted to watch this for Cheng Lei, but was so surprised at how hooked I was from the first episode. I found the story to this drama just so interesting and different from a lot of the dramas I have watched, and I really loved the romance through this whole thing. If your a romance lover I don't see how you couldn't enjoy this love story.Cheng Lei and Song Yi
These two just really shine through this whole drama, and I really enjoyed their chemistry. I just wanted to watch more of these two. There is a lot of romance between these two it is not lacking at all. Cheng Lei showing three different sides to one character was so good to watch. I loved the costume for the man in black it was incredible and Cheng Lei rocked it. He also plays a bit of a comedy role but I thought he played it kind of cute in a way. Plenty of kiss scenes for those that really enjoy them in a show.
Darren Chen and Shi Ce
These two were really cute and they made me laugh quite a bit. I do wish they would of done a little bit more with their love story together. It was like you could tell they liked each other but they didn't want to focus on the romance between them just how they were important to the story. Darren has been playing characters that I just really love watching him as. He is so silly and always makes me laugh. I wasn't so sure about Shi Ce's character at first but she really grew on me and she is such an amazing friend for the female lead to have.
The Story
It was so different to watch. It is about the ML's character becoming a shadow puppet and his blood master accidentally becomes the FL. He wakes up with no memory of who he was and how he got these strange powers or his connection to the FL. Through this bond that they don't understand they start to fall in love with each other. I found the whole story so interesting and so well done. I didn't find no episode boring and the fight scenes were amazing. That is literally all I can keep saying for this drama is nothing but praise. I really enjoyed and it was such a surprise. So give it a try and see if it is also a drama that you may love.
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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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This review may contain spoilers
It's an entertaining drama, as long as you don't think about it too much. If you do, it falls apart.
In short:It's very entertaining to watch, just make sure to turn off your brain while you watch it. If you like superheroes, vampires, fantasy, men who act like puppies or Cheng Lei being shirtless, this is the drama for you.
In long, for people who cannot turn off their brain:
I'm still not sure what the plot was intended to be.
You might want to think it's exploring the meaning of loyalty, war and peace - except nothing like that is actually expressed at any point, and nothing that happens ultimately has any deep meaning or impact.
You could say the story is exploring the concept of identity - except ML never really shows any signs of identity confusion at all, and there is no actual conclusion to the question of his identity.
What kind of person was ML when he was still Prince Annan? Why is Jin'an the way he is? Was Prince Annan secretly a puppy all along and has just been putting up a menacing front? How does Jin'an feel when he remembers being Prince Annan? Does he regret the things he did while he was Jin'an? How does Prince Annan feel when he remembers being Jin'an? Does he regret the things he did while he forgot about being Jin'an? Did being Jin'an change Prince Annan? Who does he want to be? Who is he in the end? It would've been interesting to find out but we'll never know, because we weren't told.
So why watch this then? Because even though the writing is a mess, there are many other things to like about this drama.
The acting is pretty good, the costumes are some of the best I've ever seen, the cinematography is great, there are some really wild transitions and effects, the music is fun and genre-breaking. Some more rare and unique concepts are incorporated, such as superheroes in ancient times, blood magic and powerful women.
A picky vampire superhero that looks like he walked straight out of some trashy anime with his own theme song who is a puppy by day, what more do you really need?
This drama is extremely entertaining to watch because it's flashy and crazy, which is why I have to rate this much more highly than the writing warrants.
Unfortunately there is a lot of untapped potential because the premise failed to really deliver in the end. But while this drama could've been a lot better than it actually was, it's still pretty good.
Cheng Lei's aura as Prince Annan is great. Jin'an and his superhero alter ego are pretty novel characters, and his acting brings out the difference between his identities. Prince Annan's costumes and styling are amazing; the capes, the velvet, the studded leather gloves, the beaded hair chains - he's the most fashionable prince I've ever seen. Even his raincoat and horse look stylish. The only thing I disliked is the face mask, which made him look like Ancient Chinese Hannibal Lecter (not in a good way).
Li Shuang is great as a fairly strong FL with a surprising amount of agency, in the beginning of the story at least. She gets to take control and take initiative in her love life; she's authoritative and kind at the same time. Song Yi's acting was very good. She was hilarious while taunting and rage-baiting Prince Annan. Towards the end Li Shuang unfortunately lost her agency, but that's business as usual for this type of drama. It's a shame that she wasn't even allowed the agency to take part in deciding her own outcome. In the final episodes, everything is decided for her by other people and she just goes along with whatever happens to her, seemingly depressed and apathetic and then in the very last episode, suddenly happy. This made what could've been a really great character fall flat.
Empress Dowager Qin was amazing as a villain. Her main motivation is jealousy over a man, so she should've been a terrible character. But because everything about her is completely over the top, from the extremely campy acting and the jewelled claw-like rings she wears to the way she goes full dominatrix mode on her little minion, she was actually hilarious instead of annoying. Her crazy minion was a little confusing as a villain because we never really got to find out why he was so devoted to her to begin with; I guess maybe he just really liked being whipped and couldn't find anyone else to dominate him. When he wasn't getting whipped, he went around telling anyone who would listen illogical nonsense in an attempt to manipulate them. He was terrible at making up convincing stories, but for some reason many people fell for it. It was kind of funny.
The writing was quite smooth until episode 22 or so, where things started going downhill. The last 8-10 episodes were the weakest part of the drama for me. Characters started acting increasingly strange just to drive the plot forward. Stupid things happened for no reason and with no payoff. The premise of the story fell flat because the emotional state of the characters was left entirely blank. What could've been meaningful and tragic ultimately felt a bit frustrating.
In the end, the story still managed to reach an ending that felt appropriate for what the characters were like during most of the story, but the process of getting there was questionable. Characters didn't communicate or act when they should have, or instead deliberately deceived and acted weirdly just to create or resolve any situation the script wanted.
Way too much time was spent on the rivalry of Taijin's princes, which wasn't interesting and ultimately pointless. Su Muyang's character was whatever the plot needed him to be at any given moment. He was kind and benevolent, cowardly and weak, just pretending to be weak, turned evil for contrived reasons, pathetic and selfish, corrupted by power, completely delusional, a terrifying psychopath, impulsive and destructive out of petty jealousy, and finally he got a last-second redemption arc and was pronounced "a good emperor who led the people and nation with compassion and diplomacy." If his redemption was that easy, did he really need to go crazy for so long? His craziness wasn't even fun to watch, it was just a collection of the worst and most annoying tropes.
The biggest problem was the execution of ML's memory loss and remembering his identity. I love a good amnesia plot, but here you have no idea what ML remembers and doesn't remember at any given time. During his transitional phase from starting to forget his time as Jin'an to resetting to his old self as Prince Annan, his behavior resembles neither Jin'an, Prince Annan, nor a mix of both. His actions are essentially completely random for maximum dramatic effect and trying to fabricate a false sense of tragedy and a few flashy scenes where the actors get to look cool.
The worst offender were episodes 30/31 where ML seems to have remembered many of his old memories, but doesn't tell FL anything and instead deceives her and uses her in order to secretly assassinate her dad at his birthday party. Not only that; when the killing fails he flees like a coward, leaving her behind alone to deal with the fallout. He was only in a position to attempt this because FL trusts him, so she is culpable for his actions. Therefore when he decides to betray her in that situation, he's completely destroying her reputation and future by implicating her in treason.
If at that point he couldn't remember who she is anymore, this might have been an acceptable and very tragic plot. However, he still claims to love and remember her right after the assassination, which feels jarring since at the same time he has zero intention of taking any responsibility for his actions. Hell, he doesn't even admit his identity to her; she has to find out who he is from her jealous crazy ex.
What exactly is this supposed to show us?
Tragedy due to fate? No. If he'd suddenly forgotten about her completely just before they lived happily ever after and then accidentally "betrayed" her by killing her dad, setting dramatic events in motion, that would've been a tragedy of fate. If he still remembers her, it's not fate since he still has the agency to make choices and control the outcome.
Tragedy due to him having to make a hard decision between loyalty to his wife and his country? No. If that were the case, he would need to completely remember everything in order for that choice to have any impact at all. There is no such thing as making a hard, tragic choice when you don't remember the majority of the considerations and stakes.
It seems like ML simply has brain damage at this point of the story and behaves erratically because of it, but that's not very satisfying nor meaningfully tragic.
The character setting of Prince Annan is lacking in general. ML spends most of the drama as Jin'an, and his "original personality" as Prince Annan is just an inconsequential cameo. He shows up for a few minutes in the first episode and then for a few episodes in the end. They didn't show much of him, and yet they couldn't even make the little bit that they did show consistent. Is he cunning and scheming or aboveboard? Is he ruthless or actually a really nice, upright guy? Is he warmongering or does he want peace? The writers weren't sure.
Why has he been waging war for so long? Is it for honor? For his brother? For territorial expansion? Is it because Taijin has good grapes and he really likes grapes? All of the above, apparently.
If was just for the sake of grapes that would at least be believable, because he really does seem to love grapes: If you look closely, he almost always has a plate of grapes on his table, whether he's Jin'an or Prince Annan, in his military tent or his residence, in Li Shuang's residence or his dilapidated luxury prison. The poor boy just wanted to wage some war so that he could eat better grapes, but instead in the end we had to make him pretend that he's been waging war because he's the most virtuous and righteous person who ever lived and the tiniest amount of territorial expansion will definitely fix all of Yao's issues and let the people of Yao live in prosperity forever. Wait, wasn't he just bragging about the territorial expansion that Yao has already undergone thanks to him? How come the people are still perpetually on the verge of starving then? Oh well, better go and wage war on Taijin some more; I hear they got great grapes.
The whole setting is contrived. Between Taijin and Yao, which one is stronger? Why have they been at war for decades? Taijin is supposedly prosperous with a weaker military, while Yao is barren with a strong military. Somehow Taijin only has one army with just 20K soldiers and exactly two capable generals (FL and her dad), while Yao has an infinite supply of armies of 50K soldiers each and their generals seem to grow on trees. Empress Dowager Qin slaughtered ML's entire army? No problem, there's 15 more armies in my secret underground dungeon. ML beheaded three of their generals within a few days? Who cares, there's another 234 generals where those came from. If Yao is so barren that the population is constantly on the verge of starving, where are all of these soldiers coming from?
In the end, suddenly there is peace because the script said so. All the people that have been stubbornly warmongering for who knows how long suddenly decide that they're extremely committed to righteous peace and prosperity. It came out of nowhere and felt cheap because seemingly two scenes ago, everyone was still very much committed to waging war. Either their past warmongering was a grave mistake and now that everyone has seen the folly of their ways they should at least express some genuine regret about their past actions, or this sudden peace means absolutely nothing.
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When Love Survives Even Lost Memories
This drama was a very pleasant surprise. While the beginning took some time to build the characters and their relationships, that foundation ended up being important for the emotional impact later on. Once the story really started moving, it became much more engaging and rewarding.The biggest strength of this drama for me was definitely the male lead and the main couple. The male lead was such an interesting character because of the contrast between his personalities. At first, we get to see his softer side: powerful, protective, caring, and emotionally expressive. Later, seeing his colder and more ruthless side was actually one of the most entertaining parts of the story. Watching a character who seemed so gentle become someone more distant and dangerous added a different layer to him instead of taking away from his appeal.
The romance was also one of the highlights. Their relationship was not just based on attraction, but on trust, memories, choices, and the feeling of finding each other again despite everything that happened. The memory loss storyline could have easily become frustrating, but I think it worked because it created a completely different dynamic between them and allowed the characters to explore their connection in another way.
The female lead was another strong point. She was capable, independent, and remained consistent as a character. However, I do feel that there were moments where the story focused more heavily on the male lead and her character became slightly less prominent.
The political side of the story was interesting and helped create the conflicts, although for me the emotional journey of the characters was always the strongest part. The villains also added a lot to the drama, especially the Empress. She was chaotic, intense, and honestly one of the most memorable characters. Even though she was completely unhinged, she brought a lot of tension whenever she appeared.
The Emperor was a more complicated character for me. I could understand his actions better towards the end, and he did make some choices that helped the main characters, but I never fully connected with him as a character. Still, he added another interesting layer to the story.
Overall, I think this drama succeeded because of its characters and emotional storytelling. It is not just a romance, but a story about identity, memories, sacrifice, and choosing the person you love despite everything standing in your way.
I would recommend this drama mainly to people who enjoy historical fantasy romances with a strong focus on the main couple and character development. It had some slower moments, but the emotional payoff made it worth watching.
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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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Tsundere, selfless FL x ML with 3 identities who all love and protect her
The court schemes are scheming, war is happening left and right, and mystics from jianghu are going rampant. Amongst all this is our main couple, Li Shuang and Jin An, acting cute, falling in love, and battling evil from both kingdoms. Overall super captivating, fast-paced (as it balances a lottt of plot points), action-packed, and swoonworthy, SHADOW LOVE blends well-loved tropes into an epic, supernatural romance.BUT - the first couple of things you'll need to get past:
1. FL actress's high pitched voice - I love Song Yi and she's a great actress, but her higher-pitched voice (dubs?) kind of take the "general" out of "female general." Maybe that's just my personal bias but it doesn't match what I expect a fierce general to be like (which her character is supposed to be - tough on the outside but softie on the inside).
2. The random music genres - LMAO don't get me wrong I love the songs but the anachronism also takes me out of the story sometimes. We got some rap, pop/rock, and then actual traditional songs. The ML's theme music when he transforms is so,,,, the song is so good (I love the singer), but it's so cheesy (bye I said what I said).
OKAY so now that that's out of the way...
PROS:
❀ Watching the main couple fall in love was so satisfying | Despite some qualms, I found the progression of our main leads' romance and eventual partnership very satisfying. The ML's character with his amnesia was very boyish and goofy, while the FL's character of selflessness was well-portrayed through her actions and dialogue. She's the type to put others before herself, while he's the type to make sure she actually takes care of herself and indulges. Green flags all around people!! I loved seeing the small gestures he would do for her - like make her favorite pastry - and how she tries to protect him - like not handing him over to any kingdom. It's truly satisfying to see main leads care for and look out for one another in an equitable way (usually it's the ML doing the bulk of the work), and this series definitely delivered on that front. Of course a main contribution was the actors' great emotional expressions and way of conveying emotion. Like dang, my heart feels so warm. Also refreshing to see the FL recognizes the ML's supernatural form very early on so there's really not much conflict or misunderstandings in their romantic development on any front. The very limited battle scenes where do they fight together (I wanted more!!) were stunning as well.
❀ Upgrading secondary characters I see | I really liked the side characters, especially our second couple the FL's best friend/physician and the Wuling Mountain master. Their dialogue was very endearing and I like how the FL's bestie got her own romantic line with its ups and downs. I also appreciated the good relationship the FL's bestie and ML had - these relationships just flowed so naturally in the writing I had to make a point. The FL's younger brother had great character development and 2ML was,,, wow, a very complex yet surprisingly satisfying character. I found him fun, annoying, stupid/delulu, and at the end was also proud to see his character progression. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster! Even characters who get minor screen time like the FL's father and her right hand woman had touching scenes that were short, yet pointed.
❀ There's three million plot points going on but honestly I love how messy it was and how everything was tied up | Fam it's the age of historical Cdramas with good endings with no crazy loose ends and open endings - thank god! Kudos to the writers for being able to address all the plotlines and even side characters' fates within all the episodes. The show starts off with a literal bang as the FL is in the middle of war, the ML is also in the war but also trying to save his brother from an evil concubine and sorcerer who has a supernatural item in his hands... yeah, we're balancing kingdom politics of TWO nations, their relationship, the mystical items of the jianghu (martial arts world, I guess), constant wars on the battlefield, and the main characters' romance on top of it all. If that's not enough to keep your attention, then I'm not sure what will.
❀ Love the production, OSTs, costumes, etc | Gorgeous scenery + matching outfits between the main leads + emotional music (once you get past the anachronism) = visually aesthetic show from start to end. I also liked all the accessories and hairstyles - usually I don't notice this but the hair pieces, earrings, and even weapons were so slay.
CONS:
✕ Dramatic wind-blowing scenes | I'm sorry it was just a lot and it took me out of the storyline. I can handle them especially during battle scenes but when it randomly shows up in like a throne room I'm like y'all,,, let the actors' expressions do the dramatic work please.
✕ I never really felt that "enemies-to-lovers" angst | Despite the story being set up with our main leads as enemies, when the ML regained his memories (very much later in the series) he was still really nice to the FL and I never felt that heartbreak and nostalgia from the FL that I expected. They tried, with certain dialogue and scenes, but I couldn't really take it seriously considering the ML was never that cold and distant. So, good in terms of romance, but a little lacking in terms of angst.
✕ Too much anticipation/storyline set-up | Maybe this is just the impatience in me but I found the storyline dragging in the set-up of major events. For example, we're told this sacrifice is happening and a lot of characters' fates are contigent on that day but the show makes us anticipate that sacrifice day for like 5 episodes while everyone is still prepping and scheming. I'm like, when is this damn day happening so the plot can move forward??!
OVERALL
Get you a mans who falls in love with you while not knowing his own identity and promising to devote himself to you, then forgetting about you while remembering his past as your enemy, then STILL being in love and wanting to protect you. ML plays the romance card well and the FL reciprocates whole-heartedly. Sure there are mystical items, annoying princes, an evil concubine and her scheming sorcerer, and nations at war in the way, but SHADOW LOVE proves without a doubt that love - and justice - always prevails.
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Born & die together~The female General & her bewitched lover boy | Love is stronger than any sorcery
First of, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to this drama and all the people who made this possible as it became a huge source of support, relief and inspiration to ease the distress I was experiencing...it helped me attain peace of mind and motivation to move forward, so thank you very much!I don't think my words are enough to describe how beautiful and inspiration this story is. I'm not the articulate type but I will do my best to deliver what my heart feels and want to express.
Diving into this story is one of the most wonderful experience I have had this year so far. It was sweet, delightful and heart fluttering which renders me into this euphoric state that allows me to see different colors of hope, happiness and peace. I know this has been sounding so poetic but this story truly gave me this feeling of extreme happiness and excitement.
The story was greatly written as it addresses all the plots twists, conflicts and revelations and didn't leave a plot hole for me to criticize on. The introduction gave us the right amount of information to set the mood and mysteries on the story, followed by the events that introduces us to the main leads and the beginning of their bond and shortly to the growth and progress of their romance. Something I am grateful about is their decision of not using overly tropey and cringey scenes because doing so typically kills the story for me. I am glad that they were able to keep its charm by showing us just the right amount of scene elements while making sure that all the crucial informations are being served systematically and naturally without overdoing it and throwing everything all at once.
Rising action, climax and falling action were all magnificently executed. One significant reason that made me say so is their proper utilization of the characters on each plot they have set up. Nothing was misused, overly used or left out and each of them was resolved and settled on their own natural way without being questionable and unreasonable.
The finale was exceptionally satisfying! Not just because they gave us a happy ending but also for making sure that we got a glimpse of the growth/development of the characters we cared for. I am truly grateful to the director and writer for giving us such ending because they could've easily pull a plot twist and offer us a tragedy yet they still chose the other way around and even provided us more than what we're asking for. I am ultimately satisfied of the story's outcome.
In addition, I am overjoyed and gratified with the much deserved finale of our main leads. Because after chaos and constant turbulence they had to face on, they have finally attained carefree life and lasting serenity. To be free and unrestricted while roaming the world is the best gift and ending they could ever have...would have been great to see Jin'an getting stressed over their kids too. Haha!
Chemistry between the 3 CPs are great! Their synergy is oozing with immense charisma that you won't get tired looking at them. Qiao Er & Ouyang Jun for example got so much potential (it's not like they don't exude any in the first place) it's just sad that they didn't ended up together...well at least, Ouyang Jun embodies her values by adopting and raising abandoned/orphan kids. Similarly, Yu Xin & Mo Yin's were exceptional. I love their bickering moments specially when Yu Xin's being so shameless and Mo Yin got no other choice but to "always" surrender and yield out of his adoration, affection and love for her. Finally, Li Shuang & Jin'an/Duan Ou Deng whose chemistry went beyond and above. Didn't really expect much from them but damn! their compatibility is unmatched. One of the best I have ever seen recently. They're made for each other, that's for sure. Their aura combined is overwhelming and irresistable.
Action scenes and CGI were all impressive! Close combat fight scenes are unexpectedly good. The only disappointing thing about this drama are their fight scenes during the war—which are either off-screened/non-existent and/or lacking actual presentation and effort. Must have been a budget issue, but this is wartime themed drama afterall, so i expected quite a lot...at the very least they could have given us bare minimum at best? unfortunately they did not! CGI are great. Jin'an's transformation and all his action scenes were all pretty insane to me. They really all want out on making him look cool and badass. He was on fire! Also, I just wanna mention here Li Shuang's high yet soft tone whenever she's giving out orders. It was so soft and gentle sounding that I cannot take her seriously at times. I am so sorry. >_<"
Lastly, the Crown Prince...watching him grow from a wimp to a decisive, authoritative and ruthless ruler (to people who threatens him) was such a rollercoaster ride to me. At one moment I feel really bad and pity him then after several episodes, started spitting out fire and cursing him for how cunning and merciless he is. I understand all the things he's done was part of his coping mechanism for all the injustice and trauma he's suffered and of course as part of his characters growth but at the end of the day, I can't just stop myself from hating him. I am just glad that he still came to his senses at the end and still values Li Shuang's life and welfare. Because if not, I would have hated him to core.
P.S. All the blood sucking scenes, specially the neck blood sucking scene on Ep.5 was so sensually arousing to me. Cheng Lei was oozing during those scenes. Whataman!
Story - 10, Story was great! It was consistent from the beginning till the very end. Every conflicts and issues were addressed + they're remarkably efficient and considerate for giving us the best ending. Also, I will not take the war scenes against them as I will simply consider it as a budget issue. This is in consideration of this wonderful craft.
Acting/Cast - 10, Magnificent set of actors/actresses! Gosh! I don't know how to epress my satisfaction and gratitude that Song Yi and Cheng Lei got to lead this project. They're outstanding in their own ways but what stood out to me is how they complement each other as a love team (not just them but the 2 other CPs too) very well. Among everyone, I am really astounded on Cheng Lei's fluid execution of his characters. Him acting playful and gleeful in a childish way was unthinkable and is something I never expected at all. It's so refreshing to see him like this + he's so good in acting submissive. Wanna give some praises to Darren Chen for his seamless performance of Mo Yin. This man doesn't really age at all! So youthful and beautiful! Shi Ce and Liu Yi Hong was amazing in here too! Indeed a spectacular cast!
Music - 10, The chosen songs are perfect...they l're soft in melody and has this endearing tone that are like cotton to my ears + the accurate placement of songs that matches the vibe of the scenes is another notable feat of this productions sound team.
Rewatch Value - 10, For sure! Like, most certainly. One of the dramas I will not get tired of watching over and over again.
Overall - 10, A high quality drama that I am quite sure everyone can enjoy! I fell in love with this drama after finishing it and I hope I can share this unexplainable pleasure and happiness to everyone as well. A highly commendable drama!
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
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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?
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 ) !
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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 ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
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EQUAL CREDITS GOES TO ( CHENGLEI & SONGYI ) AND THEIR CHEMISTRY 🔥🔥🔥 🔥🔥FOR THIS DRAMA'S SUCCESS !!!
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