Reviews

A very realistic tale of why it’s an almost love

I loved everything about the storytelling.

It was engaging, honest, raw, and they kept everything real especially Xu Ruohan’s delivery of a bright, young girl having experiencing her first love. Dare I say, she really excels in her ability to keep things natural.


The title pretty much sums it all, but I was grateful that the movie allowed us to throughly see how things went wrong. The misgivings, resentments, unsatisfied dreams, tired heart who’s always hoping, reaching… everything about this is just so human. Very relatable, sometimes hits close to home.



I have a personal beef with the ML. I just hope we do not meet someone like him who had no backbone, makes you wonder if he truly loved the FL. Li Wenhan, on the other hand, is so amazing in his delivery. Both him and Ruohan managed to convince the audience that they truly like each other.

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Beautifully shot drama about being friendzoned and moving on

I have to admit - I am not a fan of Yu Yin. However Hei Ze got me curious about this drama. I had only seen him once in a minidrama about crossdressing FL. I decided to give this drama a chance after reading positive comments on reddit and youtube. I watched this on iQIYI a few months ago and enjoyed the drama.

What I liked:
1. Editing - Beautifully shot drama.
2. Styling - Great outfits selected for FL & ML. I liked FL's 90s grunge look. I also think Hei Ze had amazing hairstyle in this drama.
3. Supporting characters - Fu Gui & Yi Ning were my favourites.
4. Writing - Mature way of friendzone situation. I loved that line about FL upset that ML didn't believe in her love for him.
5. FL characterisation - I liked that she felt devastated by rejection but didn't wallow in self-pity for too long. She also never gave up her dream.
6. Acting - Solid performances by the cast.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonist - Chen She Chuan was a scumbag for being possessive friend & mean to Fu Gui. FL's mother was pushy & condescending.
2. FL's crying - This is my second drama of Yu Yin and I still feel she isn't a good actress. She could not do a decent crying scene - in this drama, it sounded funny.
3. Intimate scene - It looked like a dream sequence with the sheets going on like waves. Bad lighting / filter. It spoilt the scene for me because it looked like a music video montage instead.

Favourite scene
When FL had a honest conversation with SML at hospital

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Life

The words will be finite if I started to write about this drama... So ,I would put it in short ...This 'Veil of Shadows' is one of a kind drama who touches every souls of audiences and feel the character emotions .... Crying , being happy , sad with the characters is not an easy . I cried too much in each eps...there's every dialogue lines has meanings and it teaches us life. Thank you so much actors who portrayed every characters very well... I started to watch this drama because of Ji Ling and I carried on cause I couldn't help. One skip leads to lose whole story ..so many twists and turns ...but connecting with the whole complete story without leaving a loop whole... Bg music , ost,act, visual ,actors are all the best of the best...I must say it's the best wuxia drama if the year 2026 .🥺❤️‍🩹

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Electric chemistry between the leads led to my enjoyment of angst-filled melodrama

I watched this drama a few weeks ago when I was in vertical drama slump. Saw that Bai Yan and Wang Yi Ran were the leads so I clicked Play on my iQIYI app. Wow, what a rollercoaster ride. I certainly experienced different emotions but overall I like this drama. I have watched Bai Yan & Wang Yi Ran's other collaboration but I like this one more.

What I liked:
1. Acting - I had never seen Wang Yi Ran cried so much until I watched this drama. Brilliant performances by both him and Bai Yan. Amazing chemistry and I think they brought out the best out of each other.
2. Angst - I don't usually enjoy angst-filled melodrama but this one is an exception because of the acting.
3. FL characterisation - I didn't like that she staged a cheating scene to break up with ML in order to protect him. However her character grew on me once we learned about her struggles. I liked that she was adamant about clearing her father's name.
4. ML characterisation - Pitiful lover who later became vengeful but mellowed down once he calibrated the situation.
5. Romance - Tumultuous post divorce. The tension was high once FL reappeared in ML's life and what a love journey. I could sense love and passion between them two.
6. Supporting characters - I liked their child and FL's father.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - ML's family friend / supposedly fiancee was annoying jealous b. Daddy's princess who thought she could get away with bad things. Her father / ML's benefactor was cunning too. I disliked him for being selfish.
2. ML's action - I thought it was silly that he never knew about the downfall of FL's family much earlier.

Favourite scene
When ML learned the truth about FL's situation

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I enjoyed this snappy drama about cheating and moving past divorce

I was in the mood for a Song Chen drama so I chose this one because of the short running time and positive comments on YouTube. It was worth watching!

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - She was reasonable - She already noticed potential threat to her marriage and warned ML. She was decisive and confident. Once trust was broken, she never gave him a chance for reconciliation - way to go, girl. I also liked that she didn't feel the need to conform to societal pressure.
2. Length - I loved that this drama was under 1 hour. The pacing was great!
3. Acting - This is my second time watching Zhang Zhang in this type of role (scorned FL) and she nailed it. Loved her icy stare and assertiveness. ML was infuriating so well done to Song Chen for getting on my nerves. Well done to the actress playing junior secretary because she was cloying.
4. Supporting characters - I liked ML's first secretary who knew what is right and what is wrong and reported to FL. I also liked ML's parents for being sensible and immediately condemned ML's behaviour.
5. Romance - There were two arcs in this drama: one with ML before things went downhill and another one with new love interest. Enjoyed both although the actor who SML wasn't attractive to me.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - ML was certainly the main antagonist in this drama. He humiliated FL by being away from home for months and bringing intern-turned-junior secretary to events that should be attended by his wife, the FL. Emotional cheating is still cheating and he did that. That junior secretary was pathetic.

Favourite scene
The confrontation at ML's mother's birthday

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It completely lacks the feeling of heart-stopping

I only managed to finish this drama because of the original work and Lee Joon gi’s acting.

The later part of the plot feels rushed to the point of being ridiculous. I couldn’t feel the female lead’s fear at all, nor the sense of tension and heart pounding anxiety that the title suggests. I really don’t understand why it wasn’t simply titled Moon Lovers. To me, it has no strong connection to the Chinese drama Scarlet Heart.

If you are watching the Korean version because of the original novel or the Chinese drama, I would suggest you don’t, because it will likely leave you disappointed.

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A series worth rewatching

For anyone who don't watch many historical cdramas like me, this is NOT a wuxia with flying people, dragons, gods or demons. This is a simply a series set in ancient times about war and romance.

Story: I really like how the story starts off fairly simple. You learn about the village the main lead is from and what kind of character she is. I'm always drawn into what situation she will find herself in and how she resolves it. I found the later half of the story to be a bit more confusing, which is natural as it becomes more political and complex relationships between characters get introduced. This causes the pacing to slow down a bit but by this time, you're at episode 35.

Acting/Cast: All the characters are hot. even the villains are hot. What. Anyways, Yan Zheng and Changyu's actors have fantastic chemistry. Their bond was felt instantly and I couldn't stop watching them go from fake love to real love.

The supporting cast was also fun to watch. I was cheering for the 2nd leads to get together and I hated the villain's guts. All of which is because they did a fantastic job with their scenes. All the acting felt natural and I believed all of them could be from ancient times. Major props to the child actors who played a huge role as well.

Music: I never skip the ending credits. Many of the songs are distinct and fits well with the scenes whenever they play. This means you know whenever a certain song plays that things are about to either be intense or cute.

Rewatch value: This is a series I didn't want to end. Precisely because I wanted to keep watching the ML and FL together. Even if it was a slice of life, I want to see them on screen together. Then there's details that you'll inevitably miss the first time around.

Overall: I think if you like romances with very good looking actors and mystery, then give this series a try. The chemistry is next level and even if you aren't into historical drama, I think this will surprise you how much you'll like it. It did for me. I know people who binge watched this in a week or less. I personally took my time and finished it in 2 weeks, which is still nearly 3 episodes a day.

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hard to take seriously

I tried to like this drama but had a hard time taking anything about it seriously. To be fair to other viewers who liked it, dramas that are about shamans do not appeal to me. I guess I don’t fully understand the whole shaman ‘lore’ - whenever I watch a drama that heavily relies on shamans, their meaning and purpose have very weak roots to begin with. I know it involves the spirit world, but it seems to me that, depending on the writer, anything goes in this genre, that’s why I can’t take shaman genre’s story line seriously.

I watched Head over Heels because of the very talented Choo Young Woo. This is the 5th drama of his I’ve watched and it very nicely showcases his wide range and I was not disappointed with his acting here. He was able to shift characters smoothly making it easy to know when he was Gueyon U (with a depressed flat affect) or Bong Su (who was mean, murderous, and abrasive for most of his arc).

My favorite character CYW has played so far is the carefree storyteller, Chen Seung Hwi, in The Tale of Lady Ok, followed by Dr Yang Jae Won in Trauma Code - both excellent dramas…, but I digress.

Back to HOH -
Cho Yi-hyun’s Sung-ah as a High Schooler by day - Shaman by night was very likable and truly well acted. Cha Kang Yoon’s Ju Hu, the loyal friend (with a late and misplaced confession to Sung-ah) to both Sung-ah and Gueyon U was great even if a little cringy a time or two.
The other Shamans - I can’t critique them because I was confused half the time.
I do agree with another reviewer, the lack of accountability for grevious acts was disappointing. Maybe that’s part of the Shaman ‘lore’.

I try my best to take a story as it’s presented and rarely rate a drama poorly just because I didn’t like it. I’m writing a review this time because, beyond the shaman theme, I just could not follow the story. I wonder how many other viewers felt the same way. It seemed there were too many elements and motives of the various characters to follow that the story of the two main leads kept getting lost- so much so that it made the drama was too long.

I did like the budding romance, and I’m aware they needed to figure out issues but, again, a lot of the sub-stories at times were unnecessary interruptions to its progression.

I’m neutral on the music, it neither added or subtracted from the story itself. Nothing stood out to me. 75% of the time I’ll download and listen to OSTs at least once, but don’t feel compelled this time.

I personally would not recommend this drama.

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An average but likable drama

I gave My Boss a try because I like the male lead actor. I’ve seen some of his previous dramas, including Love Between Lines, and I really like both his acting and his appearance.
The ML's character has a great sense of style, carries himself well, and truly looks like a lawyer. His comic timing is also quite good—I really enjoyed the humorous scenes.
I also liked one of his assistants, Bao Rui. He is quite funny and entertaining. In fact, I liked all three of his assistants—Bao Rui and the other two as well. The other two, as a couple, have good chemistry and look really cute together.
I also liked the ML’s best friend, Wu Jun, who is also his business partner. He is quite funny and sweet. I especially liked the way he was emotionally invested in the female lead’s sister, as he truly loved her.
As for the FL, initially she was quite enjoyable to watch. She was cute, funny, and expressive. Also i liked how eager she was to learn from her boss and improve herself. She seemed like a very dedicated employee who was genuinely willing to learn new things.
Another interesting character is the male lead’s mother. She is quite funny, and I loved watching her on screen.
Even the negative character—the woman who became a partner in the ML’s company and also liked him—was well portrayed. She was jealous of the female lead and created problems for her. Her acting was very convincing; she really made me dislike her, which means she did a great job in her role.
The female lead’s sister also stood out to me. She looks quite mature, is very beautiful, and truly looks like a lawyer.
Now, coming to the things I didn’t like—initially, the ML’s character was quite dominating and rude. He was quite torturing the FL. He made her work overtime, and even when she went back to home, he expected her to cook for him twice and clean the house as well. He was always threatening her with things like her year-end bonus and other consequences. It honestly felt like torture, and it was disheartening to watch the FL being overworked and treated that way.
The male lead is shown as very professional, but treating employees like this is the complete opposite of being professional. Also, whenever he had personal issues—whether it was insomnia or later his problems with the female lead— he would take out his anger on his assistants. That was not professional at all.
The FL's character, especially in the initial episodes, was portrayed as extremely kind, cute although extremely naive. Even though she was a rookie lawyer, she was quite sincere in her work. I like how dedicated she was towards her work and how eager she was to learn from her boss.
However, her styling throughout the drama was quite disappointing. Her dress sense was very poor, and she hardly dressed formally, even in the office. I understand that she was a struggling, rookie lawyer and maybe the director wanted to show that, but you don’t need expensive outfits to look professional. She often wore jeans and baggy clothes, which didn’t make her look like a lawyer at all. She didn’t appear professional most of the time. Only once or twice did she dress properly, like when she borrowed her sister’s clothes to meet her parents. Her hairstyle was also not well done throughout the drama.
Up until the ML confessed his feelings, her character was enjoyable to watch. But after the confession, it felt like she lost all her expressions and liveliness. Even though she accepted his feelings, the romance that followed felt very bland. It seemed like she wasn’t really into the male lead and didn’t look happy at all.
I’m not sure if this was the director’s choice to show her becoming more mature, but maturity doesn’t mean removing all liveliness from a character. Or maybe the actress wasn’t able to portray romantic emotions effectively. It was quite disheartening to see that most of the effort in the relationship came only from the male lead. The FL didn’t seem to reciprocate properly. Her smiles and expressions didn’t reflect someone who is in love. Instead, she often looked tired or unwell because of her lack of expression.
Both the male and female leads have flaws in their characters. I understand that the female lead wanted to become a good lawyer and make a name for herself in the industry. However, she was aware that the male lead was significantly older than her. If she didn’t have the time or willingness to put effort into the relationship, she probably shouldn’t have accepted his confession in the first place. It might have been better for her to choose someone closer to her age. While I can understand her perspective, it was still disheartening to watch her not properly reciprocate his love.
As for the ML, even though his intentions were to protect her and help her grow into a successful lawyer, some of his actions created problems for her. Repeatedly implying or telling others that she was his GF made her work life more difficult. This eventually led to her changing companies. Even then, when he openly acknowledged their relationship, people started seeing her only as his GF rather than as an individual.
I understand that his intentions were good—he wanted to support and protect her—but this was exactly what she didn’t want. She wanted to succeed on her own and build her identity as a lawyer. His behavior sometimes made her feel inferior, as if she wasn’t capable on her own. It also didn’t help that others labeled her as a “bimbo” or just an eye candy who was successful only because she was dating the boss. That’s why she wanted to prove herself independently, which is completely valid. I think he should have understood this earlier, but I’m glad that eventually he did understand what she truly wanted.
I didn’t like how the ML’s other admirer—the woman who later became a partner in the company and had one-sided feelings for him—was handled. She treated the female lead very badly, yet she left without facing any real consequences. She didn’t even properly apologize, which was the least she could have done. That was quite frustrating to watch.
As for the second ML, Wu Jun, I generally liked his character throughout the drama. However, this was the only time I disagreed with his actions. In the name of mediating between the main ML and that female lawyer, he let her go without consequences. As the ML pointed out, it would have been appropriate to involve the police, but Wu Jun seemed more concerned about her career. At the same time, the female lead’s career could have been seriously damaged if she hadn’t won the case, especially since that woman had tampered with crucial evidence. Being neutral in such situations is not always right—sometimes you have to stand for what is fair and just. I really hoped that the female lawyer would face consequences for her unprofessional and toxic behavior. At the very least, she should have been removed from the company or resigned on her own. But nothing like that happened. Instead, she simply went to the UK for further studies. It felt unsatisfying, especially because it suggests that she might return later and still become a partner in the company. Although this wasn’t shown, the last update about her was just that she was leaving for the UK.
Regarding the ending, I’ve noticed this pattern in many K and C-dramas: the story is stretched until the second-to-last episode, and then everything is rushed in the final episode. This makes the ending feel abrupt and incomplete. Only a few dramas truly feel like they have a satisfying and well-rounded conclusion. In this case, the ending felt unsatisfactory. It was shown that the FL still wanted to become a partner in the ML’s company, and earlier she had mentioned needing about five years to achieve that goal. However, the time skip shown was too short. The child shown in the final episode belonged to the second lead, and the main couple didn’t even properly get married on screen. If the drama shows proposals and hints at marriage—like teasing the male lead by calling him her husband—then it should also show the actual wedding. Otherwise, it feels incomplete. The time skip should have been longer, and they could have shown her becoming a partner first, followed by their proper marriage. Even the wedding scene shown in the last episode felt rushed and underwhelming. The bride and groom didn’t even look like they were getting married—they were dressed casually, and there was no proper ceremony or ring exchange shown.
Overall, the ending lacked depth and closure. A longer time skip and a proper wedding would have made it much more fulfilling, showing both leads as successful in their careers and happily married.
Overall, the drama is watchable, likable and funny. However, as I mentioned, there are several aspects that could have been handled better, which would have made the drama much more satisfying.

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