TTR - The Truth Review

Just about watchable

At the start, I thought this is going to be at least 4 1/2 out of 10 because even though the FL lead was annoying, immature and a spoilt brat she seemed to have a good heart and apologised when she was clearly overmatched. I like this kind of stoic male lead and he didn’t have to do too much but still had main character energy and presence.

I like the gay twin brother (even though he didn’t realise it yet) and the introduction of the gay doctor was quite amusing.

2ML started off decent but quickly became murderous and psychotic and was forgiven every single time which was annoying highlighted through episode 15 to 17 which brought the score down because the sequence of episodes were a complete mess. The crazy Mum the crazy uncle and our heroes just constantly gave them the benefit of the doubt every time they showed you who they were..

Even in the end by episode 20 when psychotic 2ml turned up, it was clear he had no good intentions yet they still entertained him.

And the worst for me was right at the end when everybody seemed to be taking evil uncles kill shots, fl was was standing next to 2ml, allowing him to embrace her and when he took evil uncles kill shot for her (his dad btw) and died, she looked like she was in mourning and was actually crying for him.

Blew my mind!

Music was atrocious and was not appropriate for the scenes in many instances.

20 episodes about 25mins each but if you’re like me, you’ll get through in half the time.

At least we got a happy ending

Read More

It’s just Meh!

I’m giving this drama a two, which I know is quite a high score that’s because I have seen much worse but it is still really rubbish.

The story isn’t too bad and for the first 15 episodes the acting wasn’t terrible, even though the FL lead is a bit bratty and the ML lead is simping after her constantly..

I am confused at what message it is trying to say because ultimately the female lead stole the body of a prostitute. Yes, she was a prostitute who tried to kill herself because the one she loved wouldn’t marry her.

I’m surprised the Chinese drama would allow this morally questionable story to play out.

There are 24 episodes each less than 10 minutes long so if like me if you really push, you could get the whole series done in less than two hours.

After episode 16, it becomes a total mess and I don’t know if they run out of budget but the acting just got worse and make up on things like blood, we’re laughably woeful.

Read More

A Masterclass in Gaslighting and Narrative Sickness

If Part 1 was a struggle, Part 2 is a complete, utter narrative shipwreck. The writing abandons all common human decency. When the ML finally takes rough justice against the people who butchered his family, the story has the audacity to demonize him with foreboding music while his hypocritical parents cry self-serving tears.
The final arc is a horrific soap opera. From the ludicrous cliff-side murder attempt by General Zuo to the explosion caused by Wang Yanji, the plot is purely designed to provoke rage. The 5-year time jump is a disaster, and the FL's cold breakup while the ML is half-dead is the height of heartless storytelling. The most insulting part is the expectation that we accept a "Happy Family" finale where the abusive parents are forgiven with a honey cake and the grandmother is treated with reverence. It is pure sickness to frame this level of emotional neglect as "harmony." Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi give elite performances, but they are trapped in a script that is pure, unadulterated nonsense.

Read More

Who is this rage baiting nonsense target audience?

24 episodes are an average of eight minutes of a weird rebirth drama.
The FL was killed four different times, yes, four different times by various villains around her but it turns out the male lead had been using his life force to help her be reborn each time.
The most galling aspect of this drama is how the FL decides she must try and save everybody, especially those who have either killed her or repeatedly tried to kill her.
It’s really weird because these people are pure evil, particularly the evil consort and the evil Prince but she still tries to save them.
So we get this tragic story where only one of them can survive at the end but we had to go through an absolute horrific mess to lead up to this point where the cruel and abusive ML (apparently done to protect the FL) sacrifices himself.
I guess the target audience for this specific drama isn't the "Revenge/Slap-back" crowd (who prefer dramas like The Double or Story of Kunning Palace).
The Target Audience for this show is aimed at traditional Melodrama viewers (often older demographics or those who prefer "Suffering Leads").
The Goal is they want to see the FL suffer unjustly for 22 episodes so that the final 2 episodes of "forgiveness" or "redemption" feel more emotional. It is essentially Masochism cinema and pure misery porn.
The producers want you to argue in the comments. As they see your rage as engagement, pushing the drama to more people.
Does this stuff actually work because I would never press next episode if I wasn’t getting this stuff for free?
Don’t get me wrong, it is just about watchable but it is really rubbish.

Read More

Brain-rot writing that makes the "strong female lead" trope feel like a total scam

With 36 episodes of approximately 45 minutes each and with an iQ IYI rating of 9.7 I was expecting a spectacular epic but it failed pretty miserably.

Firstly, I liked a few things about this drama including the acting (especially the FL), the ML was alright, nothing special but okay. It’s a good story with good music and they clearly spent a bit of money on everything to give it that high-end production feel which it probably is.

There are many things that I don’t like about this drama, but I’m sure you will see that in other reviews. I’m only going to focus on the FL‘s family dynamics, particularly the grandmother.

I don’t know what other people think, but in my opinion the "filial piety" trap is used as a lazy excuse to reset the plot whenever the writers run out of ideas.
The Grandmother literally casts out the FL, humiliated her and tried to strip her of her livelihood. In any logical world, the FL would use her "Tea King" skills to start a rival business and succeed independently. Instead, the show forces her back into "Dutiful Granddaughter" mode the second the Grandmother shows any hint of vulnerability or mentions "family honour“.
The Grandmother is actively destroying the only thing she claims to care about—the family’s wealth—just to prove she still has the FL under her thumb. It’s illogical behavior. None of the other elders or business partners speak up about the massive financial loss because the script requires them to be oblivious so the Grandma can remain the final antagonist.
It makes the FL look spineless and inconsistent. You cannot market a character as a "strategic genius" who outsmarts imperial officials, only to have her become subservient to a woman who treated her poorly. It’s not "virtue"—it’s a total lack of self-respect that hinders the character's growth.
The fact Grandma face zero consequences while the FL just takes it, is what makes the show difficult to watch. It creates a frustration loop where the antagonists are never punished and the heroes never learn.
The showrunners basically prioritize melodrama over character consistency. They want the heartbreaking scenes of her sacrificing her happiness, but they forgot they spent the last 20 episodes making her a capable character who shouldn't tolerate this treatment.
I have quite a few examples of this behaviour throughout the drama but I would be here all day.

Read More

A toxic masterclass in gaslighting disguised as a romance

40 episodes at approximately 45 minutes each and I was basically hate watching from episode two.

I would be here all day talking about the problematic elements of the show, but the only thing I’m gonna talk about is the grandmother.

her love is conditional and though she is the only protector Luo Yining (FL) has, her kindness is heavily tied to family reputation and bloodline. It’s frustrating to see her dote on Yining while remaining completely cold toward Luo Shenyuan (ML) simply because of his illegitimate status. Her niceness has sharp edges when it comes to anyone she deems unworthy.
She enables the father who is a coward, but he’s a coward because the Grandmother allows him to be. She keeps the peace by letting him indulge his mistress, only stepping in when things get messy enough to hurt the family's reputation. Her silence is essentially a green light for the abuse Yining and Shenyuan suffer.
She sits on her high horse acting like the moral compass of the house while watching a young man (ML) freeze in the snow or get beaten without lifting a finger. It’s that refined cruelty—she doesn't get her hands dirty, she just lets the lesser people suffer because of their low birth.
She uses tradition as a weapon. She demands respect and "filial piety" while giving absolutely zero genuine empathy to anyone who doesn't fit her perfect mold of a noble family member.
She doesn't apologise for treating the ML like dirt; she simply starts treating him better once he proves his worth and becomes the family's only hope for political survival. It’s not an apology; it’s a pivot.
The show frames her past coldness as her "doing what she had to do" to keep the Luo name respectable. It’s a classic trope where the narrative makes excuses for the elderly character’s bias by blaming "the times" or "the rules of society."
I guess it’s so popular because it sells a specific kind of social pornography: the fantasy that if you are abused, neglected, and treated like dirt, you can "win" by becoming so undeniably successful that your abusers are forced to depend on you. In my logical mind, this is demented. To the target audience, it’s "aspirational".
This storytelling is acceptable to a demented audience because it prioritises Social Stability over Individual Truth
The actual Truth is the Grandmother is a child-abuser or at best an enabler for child abuse by his so-called father.
For Storytelling purposes The Grandmother is a strict matriarch who eventually sees the light when the child becomes a genius.
Honestly, this is truly horrific if this is what the culture sees as entertaining and popular and a good story. Crikey! Smh

Read More

A Brutal Study of Child Neglect Disguised as "Domestic Comedy"

The first half of this show is an exercise in frustration. Zhao Lusi is phenomenal as a girl who has been marginalized, bullied, and abandoned by a cold, calculating mother and a monstrously selfish grandmother. You feel her isolation and her brilliance as she outwits the bullies of the capital. However, the narrative issues start early: the show tries to make the grandmother’s abuse "funny" with silly music and slapstick antics.
Watching the ML (Wu Lei) enter the frame with such intensity and pain is the only thing that keeps you going. You hope for an epic about two broken people finding justice, but even here, the Emperor’s "funny grandpa" act is clearly a mask for a weak leader who allows a 15-year-old girl to be a political scapegoat. It’s a slow-burn setup that hints at greatness but is already showing signs of the twisted logic to come.

Read More

It’s absolute psychopathic writing. There is no other way to describe it.

So this one is 24 episodes at approximately 45 minutes and if I thought flourished peony was bad this sequel is probably worse.

In the writing of In the Name of Blossom, the creators have confused "moral superiority" with "total lack of self-preservation." They are using a tired, outdated trope to keep the plot moving, and it fails for several reasons.

Writers often think a "perfect" FL must never descend to the level of the villains. By making her find excuses for them, they try to prove she has a "big heart." In reality, it just makes her an enabler who is responsible for the next victim the villain hurts.
If she actually finished off villains like the Flower Guild leader, teribble stepmother or the Princess when she had the chance, the show would end in 10 episodes. Her "mercy" is a cheap tool to ensure the villains can return to frame her again in the next arc.
I also understand that there is a traditional cultural trope where maintaining social harmony and showing "forgiveness" is seen as the ultimate female strength. However, applying this to people who are literally whipping you is a logic failure that feels like gaslighting the audience.

In the first season, she came across as a relatively smart businesswoman. In this sequel, her IQ has been lowered so the Male Lead has a reason to exist. If she were competent and ruthless, she wouldn't need him to "save" her every three episodes.
The whole thing was a complete mess, from the concubine trying to poison her and being let off. To the princess trying to burn her alive and throwing a tantrum with the writers playing sad music for us to try and feel sorry for her when she was literally trying to kill a load of people five minutes before.. to finally the inexplicable scene where the 2ML goes to the ML’s mansion and literally breaks down the wall but it’s only asked to apologise. He doesn’t receive any punishment he doesn’t even have to compensate him for breaking his wall.. property rights seem to have gone out of the window and the whole thing just descended into a complete mess.

Read More

Mostly style over substance

22 episodes at approximately 20 minutes each is exactly my style in speed. What it means is you can’t have too many fillers and you have to get on with the story..
This show is not bad. I really like the cast and the story is a slightly different take on the reincarnation trope.. the female lead is born again into a different character, but three years before but is identical to herself in this timeline if that makes sense. She eventually gets together with the ML in this version and they fought her father the main antagonist who killed her mother and who plans a rebellion but is taken down by our heroeswith the help of the Crown Prince and her former herself from three years ago.. the one thing I will say about the FL is that her former self was a bad character. She actually was a villain and you have to suspend belief to reconcile a change between the two even though they are the same person. Overall it was enjoyable though they ended it with her being the author of this story in modern times and meeting the ML and having love at first sight as it ended. Not too shabby.

Read More

Sweet, delightful and heartwarming

This is a really great show. They’re only 12 episodes approximately 30 minutes each but I enjoyed each one.. the male lead is a vet in the capital city and the female lead is a police officer in a small rural town who once met under tragic circumstances when they were both kids but are finally reunited when the mail lead comes to work at his grandfather’s veterinary hospital in the small town. The female lead recognises him straight away, but it appears as though he’s forgotten her so she pretends not to know him.. it takes awhile before they recognise each other and begin to fall in love and I love every bit of it. It’s an extremely good looking cast with fantastic acting and though I initially thought this wouldn’t be for me it really touched my heart for how endearing and lovely it was.

Read More

There is no way real people would’ve scored this drama higher than a one

So the female lead is torn between the vampire villain and the righteous and caring Simp of a male lead.
She excuses every single murderous act the murdering villain vampire does. She is emotionally damaging the male lead at every opportunity, she’s immature, she shows no growth from beginning to end and the ambiguous ending appears as though she’s alone.
There is nothing good about her indecisiveness and the way she plays with the feelings of the men with no self reflection or realisation by the end. In fact, all she wants to do is blame the male lead and scream at him how much she hates him even though she’s responsible for most of the mess.. it is complete trash and a total waste of time

Read More

I hate the female lead. Hate hate hate hate hate.

I hate the female lead. she’s spoilt, selfish, self absorbed and completely stupid. The male lead was a complete doormat, yes he was a little domineering but it was clear he was a decent fellow. The second male lead was abusive, a liar and manipulator and a total scumbag yet the female lead was with him for the majority of the show and she loved him.. so in the beginning she loved the male lead then for most of the drama she loved the second male lead and then by the end she loved the male lead again. The whole thing was a complete mess and ludacrous and I hated it from beginning to end. The only decent thing the ml did was leave her at the end and then she realised how much she actually loved him and told him like that was meant to be some cathartic emotional release for the audience when she’d been telling the second male lead how much she loved him throughout even though he was coercing and manipulating her. The whole thing was just total rubbish and I hated it.

Read More

Why is every female character ridiculously stupid in this show?

This is quite fluffy and has some nice moments, but the infuriating parts have left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Firstly, every single female character is a spoiled, childish, immature brat without a single brain cell between them.

This kind of show puts women back 50 years because if they can’t get their way they throw tantrums like spoil brats.

The female lead, though gorgeous and clearly a great actress was done so wrong.
None of the women in this show are strong or capable but whiny, pathetic and ridiculous.

I could go on for ages, but I’ll highlight one of the bigger things that’s wrong with this show.

1. FLs actress rival set her up to appear that she’s being bullied by female lead to ruin FLs career and gets a warning from ml doctor to stop messing with her.

2. FLs actress rival films female lead talking with her agent and decides to post it online to ruin fls career. Gets away with it for now.

3. FLs actress rival post private conversation she had with. 2ml to ruin FLs reputation and gets another warning.

4. FLs actress rival tries to humiliate female lead on set of a movie and gets fired. female lead then goes to comfort the same actress rival and all is forgiven.
Even the agent at this point has to ask why would she go and comfort somebody who’s been so despicable to her and asks if she’s just stupid or naive.

So……the moral of the story is do as many despicable and disgusting things to your rival as you can and as long as you give a half hearted apology all will be forgiven and you will have to take no accountability for your actions.

Just rubbish

Read More

Really boring for most of it and a ridiculous ending

36 episodes at approximately 45 minutes each of a total bore fest.

Firstly, I was annoyed with the female lead for most of the show because she was whiny, very annoying and what made it worse was every time general Chilan appeared, she totally stole the scene and I couldn’t get it out of my head that she should’ve been our female lead.

I usually watch these shows in isolation but I had to look her up about 10 episodes in and realised she was a female lead in such shows as ‘skip a beat’ and although I gave it a poor review, I couldn’t deny the star power she brought in that show.

I didn’t like the forced skinship of our fl and ml because she had some weird cold disease. It was a lazy way to create chemistry between our male and female leads rather than an organically grown connection.

The young prince (2ml) following her around like a bad smell got very annoying, very quickly.

I really liked OG crown prince and he seems to have a lot of charisma and star power but was underused as much as general Chilan even though she appeared a lot more in the later episodes.

OG Crown Prince exit to move the plot forward felt flat and empty because he was a strong character and having long lost Qi bro being disguised as him for 10 years felt messy and nonsensical.

The story dragged on and had quite a lot of threads from the in fighting with the Qi people and the political intrigue within the Qian people. Problem is, by the end, none of these were resolved and were in fact, just totally ignored.

The main villain seemed to get away scot-free, which I actually didn’t mind because I didn’t really care about a happy ending for our leads to be honest.

Even the ridiculous ending where she was dead, but he used his Qi power to keep her alive was really flat and disappointing and rushed.

Bit of a shambles in the end. She had all his power and they lived happily ever fighting crime within the inspection bureau.

Easily forgettable.

Read More

An incredible story that probably deserved a 10

I really really really really really like this show. The acting was fantastic. I enjoyed the music and the story was excellent. The female lead was interesting looking… I liked her… and she reminded me of Cate Blanchett. (If you know, you know). I really liked how she evolved from a timid and shy girl to quite a bold and confident and assertive character.

There were a few reasons why I couldn’t give this a 10 but this is a must watch and at 36 episodes and approximately 45 minutes each you will enjoy it.

The reasons I marked it down:

1. The time at the Reunion Inn seemed to go on and on and it was definitely a few episodes overkill. I enjoyed the story with the weird, psycho, puppet girl, but it did seem to drag on.

2. If I thought the reunion inn stuff dragged on then it wasn’t nearly as bad as the underworld city painting world. I get it was Groundhog Day but once you’d seen the same thing three or four times, I needed it to wrap up.

3. And probably the biggest crime was with the bullied girl Xinging who was not only beaten and abused by her husband but from the story, she was repeatedly raped by the local scumbag and they just seemed to brush the whole thing under the carpet like it wasn’t a big deal and it really left a bitter taste in my mouth.

4. I’m a romantic so though the ending was good I was still disappointed for the tragic duo.

Overall, it was really excellent, and I will remember it for a long time and I probably would’ve marked it higher if there was, let’s say…. 30 episodes.

It was a shame we didn’t see more of commissioner Sima because I really liked her character being so strong confident and powerful but I didn’t really like the fact that she kept on chasing the chief constable because she was much better than him even though he was a decent bloke.

The other side characters we’re all really interesting and I enjoyed their parts as much as our leads.

Read More