Nathan

A flood demon, blind and broken, once said: "Love can make one seek the bright light... but it can also sink you deep into an abyss."

What stands there that makes a fool of you, blinds you, soft like a veil and heavy in meaning is what this series is about. The things you cannot run from.

Behind it, shadows who will gladly destroy themselves to bear its weight. And every one of them would walk into the dark to reach it. In every timeline, in every choice.

Story:

An intriguing premise right from the start: A fox demon carves hearts from living bodies or so the rumor goes. Everyone is chasing the culprit. But the truth? The real horror doesn't need claws. It lives in the space between a promise and a betrayal.

You will see a world painted in silk and blood, beautiful enough to hurt, with characters who carry a second skin, soft enough to hide. Behind every glance is the quiet dread of the knowledge that no beauty lasts.

Horror, wuxia, rofan, obsession, they are all here, woven together like the chains you cannot see. Chaotic, but everything fit in one drama, and seeing the weight one bear by choosing to embrace even when they cannot save can also be tragically beautiful in a way. And this drama ultimately answers two questions: What happens when immense power is fueled by raw emotion? And to what lengths would one person go to achieve their ends if trapped inside an illusion of control?


Characters/Acting: (I feel like introducing everyone is a spoiler, so skip this or read at your own discretion. Also I usually critique based on characters most of the time so this might take long to read.)

They are all shadows behind the same veil each carrying a chain they cannot see. Some were born into it. Some walked in willingly. Tons of characters, yes. 'Almost' everyone gets a good climax, resolution, and a couple. Even the man made of muscles, Li Jie, is so loyal he becomes a GPS; he hasn't got time to even feel alone (jokes aside). And yes, there is even a slice of abs and biceps thrown in here and there.

The Female Leads
Wu Wang Yan (WWY) and Lu Wu Yi (LWY) are siblings to seven others, sharing a very strong bond and one memory. Born as immortal foxes in a hidden realm, they are bound to follow without question the orders from their oracles and queen. Chen Du Ling and Ju Jing Yi were slaying their roles the whole premise, not just for their beauty no less, but more so for their acting. If you've seen them as villains before, you'll know they portrayed their character's identities in a great way.

WWY always shows her seductive side, but is actually empathetic. Deep within, she has always despised how her loyalty brought her many regrets. She had nowhere to pour her own overflowing feelings and always tries to hide it even from her own little sister. Through CDL's portrayal, you can easily see through her as loyal, rebellious, and self-contradictory just with her eye acting. It is perhaps due to her sisterly love and piety, she willingly chains herself to the one place causing her problems.

LWY comes across as hard to understand as she is often vague in her words, decisions, and thoughts. You will feel like you'll never know or understand her fully as a unique person. That's intentional. Her origin, revealed later in the series, explains why. JJY was perfect for this role, as I've seen her portray a villain role in 'In Blossom' before, she could make you feel intimidated staring at her the moment you look her way. LWY is like that, you will fear her intentions, but still helplessly do what she bids of which Ji Ling totally fell for.

But beneath the surface, both are deeply sensitive to emotions the very thing that makes them aggressive and broken, until they meet their equal person. Both sisters hide their emotions well but will do anything for the people around them. Also, both of them help control each other's madness in a way.

The Male Leads
Some wear their hearts like open wounds. Others hide theirs behind lies, muscles, or revenge. All of them are reaching for something they cannot name.

Ji Ling shows many sides throughout the series, each surprising without fail. A disciple of the Shiling sect and a pharmaceutical genius (think Tian Jia Rui's Gong Yuan Zhi from MJTY, but the silly, hopeless romantic version). He's empathetic to the point of foolishness and shows his affection like there's no tomorrow. TJR nicely acted out the meme who looks like a cinnamon role but is actually a cinnamon role LOL. There's no room left to wonder LWY fell harder for this guy.

Wu Shi Guang is a man haunted by a gruesome past, full of misty hours. Blood never leaves his side wherever he goes but neither does his sweet and sour personality perfect with the spiciness of his partner and the cuteness of You Chi, his best man whose a feisty and fiery lad. Joseph Zhang really fits roles whose kindness can defeat even the most tainted intentions. I've seen him done this role for many times already, and I still can't get enough of it. WSG was the one existence that WWY needed to push herself out of her own prison.

Chi Wen is pragmatic and deceitful, a piece-of-something smarty-pants. Everyone looked up to him, and that obsession became his cage. He's hard to reach… until one person sticks to him like glue. (Spoiler) Again TJR, he slayed portraying this annoyingly proud, but touch-starved immortal. TJR's acting technically will be the one to make your eyes sweat mostly for the most part of the series. One minute he's docile enough to give you his own clothes, the next he's actually a wolf in sheep's clothing. LWY became his one comfort and karmic fate that fit him for her unchecked persona as she is for his isolated soul.

Li Jie is the man who never skipped pec day. His position as commander probably made him want to rip the sleeves off his clothes to show off his biceps, especially when his master gets depressed. Yan An were irreplaceable as Li Jie in my eyes as I know he's worked really hard to have those muscles... oops ehem- I mean to maintain those breathtaking action scenes! The underwater scene something totally took my breath away. It felt like I was the one drowning in blood.

Others Behind the Veil
The Old Master - He likes mushrooms in his meals, otherwise he won't bother eating what you serve. Very kind, but will turn you to stone once angered. Have seen him in Guardians of the Dafeng and I thought he was 20 something there. It is here that I realized a beard can really change one's perception of you, he looked so mature here that I almost didn't recognize him.

Bai Ze – The all-knowing encyclopedia / kind / loyal secretary / gorgeous fae. You will absolutely admire him. He was a scene stealer and I know you'll also be glued to the screen when you see him.

Xiao Wei – Who can command the day to turn to night instantly, yet cannot even speak the truth behind chestnut cakes. He's the embodiment of the kind of love bordering between desire and gratefulness.

Wu Zhi Qi – A man whose guilt chains him to the past and drowns his dunes. His story was no less tragic than the leads, the reveal of his clan's demise causing his su*cidal tendencies, were one you won't know hit you in a sad way even as it came.

Han Ba – Someone whose identity makes the words he can't say hurt everyone. Him and Wu Zhi Qi are like sand and the scorching sun: overwhelming and heavy.

Nuwa Jun - Has the immense power to control and mold, thus stripping others of their free will. She was an interestingly flawed leader, whose own greed is shallow but still impactful enough.

All of them were part of a journey that stays with them and with you long after the screen goes dark.


Music:

The music lives inside the story. Every time a character stands at the edge of a choice they cannot undo, a track rises: part traditional, part unforgettable.

But here is the strange thing, almost every cast member sings an OST for this drama. And my favorites? None of them came from the artists I already know and expected.

There is 雾时光 (Misty Hours) by Xin Liu. There is that unreleased BGM that still lives rent-free in my head. And then there is 不苦 (Not Suffering) sung by both Ju Jing Yi and Tian Jia Rui. There is a duet version that I (and others) am still waiting for. The other is 赤子如狐(Innocent as a Fox) of which TJR sings the opera part of the song. I am continuously stunned by his talent. My favorite line from that song is "The moon accompanies me as I walk this world and as it looks at me it says: You're not alone."

Funny, isn't it? I got in expecting my favorites. Yet I leave enchanted for the ones I never saw coming. (So yes, the series pulled Mao Bu Yi, Zhou Shen, Sa Ding Ding and Liu Yu Ning. I'm ecstatic. But they are not the ones haunting my playlist.)


The Flaws:

The pacing sometimes drifts. You will watch characters circle the same wound for longer than necessary, and you may find yourself willing the screen to move faster. It is understandably a very bad way to present a story. Afterall, there should be a separate process or episode where viewers can digest the heavy themes, so as to not make any plot anticlimactic.

The cast is vast. Some faces will blur together on first watch, and you might not remember their names until their third appearance. Yet if you can handle them, and if the characters are interesting enough for you like it was for me, then this is not a problem.

And the sorrow is not shy. If you need your pain whispered, this series shouts. Every glance, every pause, every silk sleeve carries the weight of impending heartbreak. It can feel like too much. Unless you're used to or prefer the angst and heartbreaks. And the themes around greed and trauma can be a long process of inevitability and frustration, which clearly could not be perfectly done through a 29-ep drama.

The ending? Somebody must have rushed writing it. Otherwise I won't feel disappointed that there were this two bonds I wish were not broken. I'm sure if you finished this drama or read other reviews, you'll know whom this unfinished bonds belong to. If you really want to know (Spoiler) Lu Wu Yi &Wu Wang Yan, and Ji Ling & Li Jie. I said earlier that everyone gets a good resolution though it wasn't enough in my eyes. Its hopeless to wait for a 'Director's Cut' with a GJM directed drama, because it was a HE, but clearly not for everyone.

GJM could have given more thought while planning the pace and length of this drama, but here we are already presented a dish that feels unfinished. I still couldn't help eating so as to not leave anything on the plate.

Overall, this series will not hold your hand. It will blind you, slowly, like what happened to the flood demon. You will watch shadows destroy themselves for something you cannot see, and you will understand why.

For me, I know I watched this drama for the characters who smile like they haven't lost everything even as they lose everything. And when it ended, I have sit in the dark, reaching for something I cannot name, and realized: I have been behind the veil all along bounded by chains just like the characters. The heaviest chains have no weight at all. It could be a veil made of silk and satin, of chestnut cakes, of flowers, of knowledge, of your memories, of fate.

I feel this series have heavy Psychological themes as well which can be either a trigger or interesting or both. Which was why through this review, I wanted to expressed what I felt while watching. Though yes you can definitely watch this for MJTY's angst, TTEOTM moral chaos, or just the beautiful faces.

PS: Loved reading all the post, theories and comments for this series. It made visiting MDL this month enjoyable for me. If there is a Season 2, though improbable, I'd be happy to see the same people on the page.