Miss Truth of the Art of Death.
I was excited by this drama because the backstory sounds like a Chinese version of a favorite mystery series "Mistress of the Art of Death" which is also about a medieval female crime solving coroner who teams up with a sexy man to solve cases. Like Miss Truth, the novel is about a strong and smart woman, ahead of her time in both forensic knowledge and life attitude. I was both disappointed and relieved that this drama does not dive into the forensic aspects of the cases with the chillingly thrilling gruesome detail of my beloved novels. Indeed all of the gory props are almost cartoonishly fake and any macarbe detail is rather cursorily handled. While set in Tang dynasty, the story-line barely acknowledges the main historical characters and events of the day. Nonetheless it is a short and very enjoyable watch that really stands out in its repudiation of common tropes.The drama is about a talented and adventurous young lady coroner's journey of self discovery. As she helps solve cases, unearths Marquis Sui's legendary pearl and unveils a grand conspiracy; she also finds herself and discovers the truth of her heart's desires. The drama starts with a bang by establishing Ran Yan's credentials as a brilliant forensic analyst as she is extorted to solve a murder by the criminal underworld in exchange for her shifu's gambling debts. This tosses her right into the crosshairs of both Xiao Song, a nobleman and the emperor's trusted investigator and fixer and Su Fu, a mysterious assassin who saves her life. They are both tasked by different masters to recover Marquis Sui's pearl, which is part of a larger conspiracy that is the drama's overarching plot. The drama maintains an exciting pace, with danger and intrigue lurking around every corner and builds to a strong finish on a high note with a surprise reveal. I was only able to identify the ultimate mastermind by elimination; there were not enough clues or hints along the way to figure out their identity or motives.
As a big fan of strong, smart female characters, I was baffled by how difficult I found it initially to like newbie Zhou Jieqiong's Ran Yan. She is almost immediately and recklessly infatuated with the thrillingly inscrutable Su Fu and is unquestioning of his motives. Yet this sharp tongued vixen is distrustful of and lashes out inexplicably and ungratefully at Xiao Song, who appreciates her talents immediately and employs her as his coroner. This gives her the means to escape an unwanted marriage arranged by her indifferent father and cliche evil stepmother and half-sister. She snidely calls him a merman in a tone that implies fish face or worse, dead fish and bristles when he affectionately refers to her as his foxy lady. Nonetheless they companionably squable their way through a number of well constructed cases and become a likable and effective crime solving team. While Ran Yan is the titular character, veteran actor Toby Lee's Xiao Song is the sleuth that puts all of the clues together and truly anchors all of the cases and the drama. His character was well written and masterfully portrayed - between his teasing banter, merciless goading, stern rebukes and unyielding support he managed the prickly Ran Yan perfectly. While he arguably cut her too much slack, he knows exactly how to get under her skin. He is no doormat either and knows when enough is enough. The surrounding characters are cleverly and realistically written in a way that reacts to the other characters' flaws; for example I could totally relate to the shrewd and loyal Bai Yin's dislike and ranchor toward Ran Yan for treating his master Xiao Song so poorly.
For once, I actually enjoyed the dreaded love triangle in this drama, something I normally have zero patience for. Initially I didn't like Ran Yan so I didn't really care if she made a bad decision. Ultimately she is a resilient, strong willed character who knows her own mind, is not just defined by love and can roll with the punches so there is no tragically wrong choice for her. It is completely in character for her to break all the rules, throw caution to the wind and indulge in a dangerous, exciting and most unsuitable man - something hopefully every woman gets to do at least once in a lifetime! So does she stay with the one who loves her or go back to the one she loves? All I will say is that the triangle was fittingly, somewhat poignantly and DECISIVELY resolved. She totally manned up and picked the one with the nicest chest (a purely subjective but well researched opinion)!
While I never got to like Ran Yan (she is deliberately written to be really not that nice) and didn't emphatize with her, I reluctantly admired and respected her. This drama really showed me, someone who pounds on the table for strong female leads, that I may have been more socialized to like and accept the conventional c-drama female lead than I would like to admit.
I think all things considered (production value was not that high) this drama should be a 7.5-8.0 but I gave it a 8.0 for being so different in the best of ways in terms of avoiding most (not all) cliches, very smartly written and unconventional characters, hot male leads, exciting pace and cases and ending at the climax.
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Sherlock Holmes, Criminal Minds, Forensic Files - All in One
What an interesting drama this is. All the main leads are new to me, so I watched it not for them. After the first episode, I realized it's a love triangle. Normally in other dramas, love triangles usually give weaker or less liked 3rd characters. In this case, it's hard not to like either of the main male characters. In fact I was pretty torn in the beginning because I found both male characters desirable and attractive in their own ways.This drama is a combination of Sherlock Holmes with Criminal Minds and Forensic Files. As a forensic expert, Ran Yan (played by Zhou Jie Qiong) is a daring, unpretentious girl who is always determined to find the truth. Unlike most girls of her time, she has no qualm touching dead bodies and slicing them up. Even the men around her are sickened by the sights and many cannot even stay on. I love this character so much. Though she has flaws, she is courageous, kind and upstanding, without the annoying noisiness and self-righteousness of many main female characters in other dramas.
When Ran Yan first meets the man who has saved her and falls in love with him, I fell in love with the man she loves too. Su Fu (played by Tim Pei) is cold and mysterious. How his cold heart is eventually melted by Ran Yan's warmth and kindness, and in the end falling madly in love with her is really a fun journey to watch.
Of course the main story revolves around the two main characters, Ran Yan and Xiao Song (played by Toby Lee). I absolutely love the dynamics between them, how they toy with each other and hang each other out to dry. The constant bickering and bargaining are really fun to watch. Each gives the other nickname that becomes part of the character; Xiao Song calls Ran Yan, "Fox", whereas Ran Yan calls him, "Human Fish". The addressing seems to stick for each other till the end of the show. I love watching the look on Xiao Song's face when he's seething with jealousy over Su Fu. Seeing how a powerful figure of his stature fighting for the love of a woman and getting jealous over her is very amusing, and Toby Lee has performed this role perfectly with his piercing eyes. Together with Ran Yan, they work as one, melting two minds together. They reconstruct crime scenes, figure out motives of killings, put the jigsaw puzzles together; their chemistry is simply enviable. Though there were some misunderstandings between the two, it's quickly dispelled without making the pair losing their love and care for each other.
Overall, this drama improves significantly after the first half. I didn't find major plot holes and significant flaws apart from some of the poor acting by peripheral characters like over exaggerated death scenes, obvious fake props (supposedly solid stone door that shifts when forced against), etc. Editing could be rough for some episodes. As for most Chinese dramas, the attention to details is still lacking. I wish the production team treats viewers with more intelligence. All this poor editing leaves tons of errors for all to see. Some logic is really bad and makes one rolls one's eyes.
Having said that, the acting of the three main leads is very good, despite this is the first major drama for Zhou Jie Qiong. Her performance is marvelous. The details of scenes that required further explanations are cleverly done in black/white flashbacks without breaking the flow of the story. It makes the story very easy to understand and follow. The twists and turns make the whole thing interesting and compel me to follow it faithfully for weeks.
Yes, a great drama to watch. Don't miss this one!
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Murder and Misdaventures
This was the drama I didn't know I needed or was waiting for but I was hooked from the moment the FL jumped into the bath with the ML. None of us would ever be the same again. :DAt the heart of this crime solving drama is the love story between two larger than life personalities. It begins with an unexpected intrusion, then an almighty clash of wills. All that belied a meeting of minds and a passion for getting to the bottom of inexplicable occurrences that came their way. The two bicker their way to the autopsy table and there they become a formidable pair of ancient sleuths trying to uncover criminal activities and make sense of their growing feelings for each other while navigating a thorny love triangle that includes a former betrothed who has secrets of his own. The show also manages to thrust them into one of my favourite tropes -- the contract marriage -- in entertaining fashion. I admit to cringing at the start with their respective nicknames but came to love them once they evolved into terms of endearment.
The format of the drama sees the two stumbling or being led into cases which may or may not have immediate relevance to the overarching Bad Guy plot. The pair with their combined abilities resolve them quickly but their exploits and romance soon come to the attention of larger forces at work. What I found especially interesting is how these individual cases have direct lessons for the pair regarding their own journey to finding true love.
The star of the show in my book is Xiao Song, a veritable Sherlock Holmes styled character whose knack for deductions earns him the appellation of being the country's premiere investigator ("The Sorrow of Chang'an's Ghosts"), a highly valued official of the Tang emperor's court. He falls for the sassy and skilled Ran Yan who is inevitably Dr Watson to his Holmes. Xiao Song is not one to do things by half. He lives large and loves large but desperate times bringeth forth the man, showing his true mettle. He is played by the wonderful and delightful Toby Lee whose versatility gives flesh to the character beyond the super sleuth template. At times he is the lofty official that throws his weight around barking commands, the next he is a mischievous suitor to his reluctant coroner pushing her buttons to get her to bend to his will. There is however, also a tender almost boyish side to him, glimpsed when showing genuine concern for the people he really cares about. Overall he is really the best written character whose passion for the truth and for the woman he loves makes him someone you can't help rooting for.
Newcomer Pinky Zhou plays the lovely, smart and strong-willed titular character who accompanies Xiao Song on his fishing expeditions ;) albeit reluctantly at first. It doesn't take long before she gets bitten by the bug and becomes an adept detective in her own right. Zhou is generally adequate to the task although I suspect a more seasoned hand would have produced a more nuanced and satisfying performance.
Our main duo are ably supported their motley crew made up of the doggedly loyal Bai Yi, Wan Lu, the cowardly but multi-talented scholar extraordinaire Sang Chen and Uncle Wu, Ran Yan's teacher and mentor. Occasionally the former fiance, SF finds himself on the same side as his bitterest rival.
As a long-time fan of crime fiction, I really enjoyed riding on the whodunnit and whydunnit bandwagon following the mystery of the week while the couple bickered and completed each other's thoughts. But the single most important highlight was discovering Toby Lee who was born to take on this role.
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unfortunately not worth the time
This drama started out very promising, despite my lack of expectations considering this is Zhou Jieqiong's acting debut, and as our leading lady right off the bat. The first few cases were pretty good, not amazing, but I wasn't mad at it. It kept me watching. I also appreciate that these cases were all linked to the main plot of the show. They served as plot points that moved the story forward, not cases written for the sake of episode filler. There's quite a few opinions regarding Ran Yan as a character: either you're annoyed with her or just indifferent. In my case, I leaned towards the latter for the first half. Ran Yan does cause a bit of trouble and is reckless, but she redeems herself by pulling her weight when solving cases and she's good at what she does.The second half of the drama is where, well, Everything went downhill. I'm not sure if it was bad editing or just lazy writing, but logic flew right out the window. There were so many plot holes; some that are sloppily filled in through dialogue later on, while some we didn't even get an explanation! Frankly, I'm convinced the show was originally a 50 episode drama that was forced to be shortened to 36 episodes, or else there is no reason for the editing of later episodes to be completely different other than just plain terrible scriptwriting. Ran Yan's choices and behaviour were also very questionable to me, completely opposite and inconsistent with early episodes. Her fickle mindedness between the two male leads made me sigh so many times I honestly lost count.
Speaking of our male leads, Su Fu's whole character development is more like character regression towards the end with his equally erratic behaviour, which they do provide an explanation as to why he is the way he is but I was not convinced. Also his lack of facial expression was disappointing (I know he's a "cold-blooded assassin" but that doesn't mean he has to be emotionless, especially in front of the girl he loves. It just does not cut it for me). Xiao Song seemed the most consistent out of the three, though certain scenes did not make any sense which, once again, I blame on the editing and writing. As someone who can't stand love triangles (it's so cliché), the love triangle was something I could stomach. Both male leads loved Ran Yan and put her safety before themselves, which earns a nod of respect from me, but the romance was quite bland. There weren't any specific romance scenes that stood out for me that made my heart flutter, so I honestly didn't have a preference on who Ran Yan should end up with.
Overall, this show was below average at best, which is a shame considering the potential it had in the beginning. The story was OK, and characters were also OK. The fact that my favourite character in the show isn't any of the main characters speaks volumes (it's Bai Yi by the way and his friendship with Sang Chen carried the show for me). There's plenty of other historical suspense dramas. This one, unfortunately, isn't worth the time.
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This review may contain spoilers
Why you SHOULD watch this drama!
When this drama first came out, I wasn’t very interested. But later, I decided to watch it and finished it in 2 days!!! (Lol skimmed through unimportant parts) Anyways, second lead syndrome killed me, he stole my heart. This drama is very different in the roles and approach of the characters.SPOILER WARNING:
Su Fu (Second male lead) mainly took the whole love interest plot- this is very surprising but I think it took away some elements of how the male lead is usually the one where the female lead is in love with over the second male lead. I really rooted for Su Fu and Ran Yan. But, Ran Yan and Xiao Song fall in love towards the end (the ML was in love with her but Ran Yan loved Su Fu.). This drama has a happy ending where the main actors are together. The ending has a cliff hanger... not on the main couple but Su Fu. In the last episode, Su Fu sacrificed himself and died. As a huge Asian drama fan, I always try to predict what may happen. After that scene, I felt like Su Fu would actually still be alive and he was. I say it ended on a cliff hanger because Su Fu is still in love with Ran Yan and there was an ominous chill. But I really doubt they would make another season of this drama. If they do a sequel, maybe it would focus on Su Fu but I don’t know how they would expand and create another drama plot.
ANYWAYS, I really recommend this drama! You will experience an emotional roller coaster ride and even question yourself on who Ran Yan should’ve ended up with.
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Solving the cases was more interesting than the main story
The story revolves around a female coroner, Ran Yan. She is a female ahead of her time in many ways as she is trying to support herself independent of her family. Along the way she meets and is saved (frequently) by an assassin Su Fu, and she also meets the local magistrate Xiao Song. Xiao Song immediately respects her intelligence and hires her to work as his medical examiner. Together the 2 of them, with Su Fu coming in and out, solve cases together including what really happened to her mother and the plot to overthrow the emperor.The character of Ran Yan is an intelligent female but who can be abrasive and mean, but worse I found her lack of common sense staggering at times. I lost count how many times did she fall into a trap and have to be saved. For a smart person, she was stupid at times. Su Fu is the typical stoic assassin. In many ways he uses Ran Yan, but he also cares for her deeply. Xiao Song was to me the most developed character. Highly intelligent he solves every case in front of him with a Sherlock or Di Red type mind. He respects Ran Yan and his ability to bicker with her is fantastic. His was the character that showed the greatest range of emotions.
The acting of the show was good. The actress playing Ran Yan was fine, nothing spectacular. I wonder of the character was annoying because the actress didn't handle the complexity of the role since she only seemed to have one or two emotions, The actor playing Su Fu was ok. He basically played stoic all the time and that was all. I've seen other shows where stoic doesn't means stone faced (watch Bloody Romance). Which brings us to the reason I scored the acting as high as I did, the actor playing Xiao Song. By far the best actor and the person carrying the show, He was able to show the brain of Xiao Song, the playful bickering with Ran Yan, and the hurt and loss he felt being insulted and rejected almost every episode.
I have to give a special kudos rot the actors playing the characters of Sang Chen and Bai Yi. Sang Cheng is the frightened scholar who cluelessly loves Ran Yan. Bai Yi is the loyal bodyguard to Xiao Song. The two were fantastic characters and almost ran away with the show, There scenes together were so well done and added some ,much needed humor. I found them more likable then two thirds of the main cast. The scene with Bai Yi and Xiao Cheng, without giving spoilers, was one of the best scenes in the show,
Would I watch it again, at 36 episodes it is a quick watch so yes but not right away and not before some other shows.
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Disappointing!
It was going so well, love the actors, a fairly decent production (except for continuities fall short in some places). The cases and plots are pretty good. And I was really enjoying it until Episode 7. I just stopped instantly when I saw something glaringly unforgiving and impossible even in drama (which is fictitious anyway, a stranger (the assassin) walked into the constabulary unescorted and roamed freely!!! OH BOY, that is just one HUGE STUPID mistake that ruined my enjoyment so far. Please use a bit of the brain and a little initiative to think of a better way to let him slipped into the building, just that one silly mistake has made me stopped watching the series. And the leading lady character can only be characterised as a slut in that period setting, it's ok for a girl to sleep as many men at the same time these days, and no one will bat an eyelid, but not a Tang Dynasty's noble girl, no matter how liberated she is!Was this review helpful to you?
Teenage Forensic Pathologist Adventures
This is a drama not without its faults, but one that I found so enjoyable that I actually watched it a couple times through (I can't think of another drama I have watched through more than once).Instead of an emotionless FL, or a silly bubbly one, we are treated to a relatable, calm, intelligent, and yes, very beautiful one instead. This is a refreshing change and a pleasant surprise. The FL, does act rather like a teenager, but only in the way she kind of mopes a bit, but never to the point of becoming annoying. She is victimized by her family, and it does have an emotional impact on her, but she doesn't spend too much time in self-pity, which is excellent.
The story itself details how she finds herself working for the city magistrate as a volunteer coroner (not really volunteer, as she doesn't have a lot of say in the matter). Subsequently, she finds herself helped by both the magistrate ML and a mysterious, stoic assassin SML character. Therein lies the love triangle, as both the ML and SML vie for her affections.
I admit to being one of the few that really enjoy love triangles, and this one was no acception. Both male characters had equally mysterious pasts, and as she got to know them better, the FL found her affections shift from one male lead to the other. Personally, this makes sense to me, as I find dramas more interesting when the FL's affections are staked in both male leads. It really bothers me when a FL spurs the SML when he has usually sacrificed everything to be with her. Plus, FLs in C dramas often fall in love too quickly, and don't take the time to really investigate how they feel about their male suitors. I liked how the FL in this drama had time to get to know each male lead over time.
Anyway, there are a handful of mysteries that the FL and ML must solve together, on top of the main storyline which involves the FL's own family, and her trying navigating her feelings about the two male leads in her life.
The mysteries have some cliche elements to them, and some outlandish elements as well, but I liked the fact that ultimately, there was a semi-rational explanation for the crimes that were investigated (well, kind of, sort of). I don't remember skipping through large sections of this drama out of boredom like I usually do, and that is saying a lot!
The SML is a big, ripped, stoic hunk of a man, with absolutely no character, who mainly just towers over the other characters looking very jacked. I am assuming he is more of a model than an actor. However, he kind of just fit into the story, and he wasn't annoying in any way.
I sometimes forget that these C dramas aren't animated. The colours are so rich (though pastel), that in my memory, everyone and everything gets turned into an animated drama. The way everything looks manicured in these C dramas, including the clothes of the characters, makes me view it in my mind like an animated series. I remember the cinematography being very good here. Beautiful colours.
If you are looking for a female character led mystery romance, this is my favourite. I like it even more than, "The Royal Coroner", which was also great (I liked this FL better than that one).
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Nice Detective storyline but ignore the acting
This is one of those underrated dramas that less people will get to watch. If you enjoy Ancient detective story lines you will enjoy the story but don't expect a big budget production or strong acting.FL - Acting started out ok but later episodes got worse & worse as she can't portray the array of emotions needed. "love, anger, sad" all end up with this blank stare reciting lines.
ML 1 - I think he carried the show in terms of acting
ML 2 as Su Fu - I've enjoyed some of his other works and obviously he's manly hot but his lack of expression didn't do the role justice
What I enjoyed:
Mysteries that connected to the bigger mystery of the missing mom
The love triangle was well written, better than most actually. Instead of the standard 2nd lead syndrome she had real feelings for both although with Su Fu it's more because he saved her. A mysterious badass assassin that random shows up and rescues you is obviously appealing.
Xiao Song started off as a like/hate relationship. As the story continued they grew to love each other while she's trying to forget Su Fu for his betrayal (but which she didn't try to understand why? and she's "Miss Truth" WHAT WHAT??)
Nicknames for each other: Fish & Fox very cute.
Pace of the drama didn't feel slow. Not so many "filler" moments
Sidekick Sang Chen was a fun character
What's lacking
Obviously needed better acting
Story was a bit too fast, they founded clues super speed
Lack of character development, No depth to the characters. How they started out is how they ended
I really wished there was more story to the ML
Su Fu : Initially not too much background on him. Too many questions of why later episodes. Total downfall of a great character potential
What you will need to ignore:
Standard jumping out of water scenes and "insta dry" moments
The cheesy freeze flying fight scenes (low budget) not very well choreographed
The countless moments of she being knocked out, pass out and randomly wake up on a bed
The cheesy props
Last 2 ep. very rushed. Didn't make a lot of sense to me
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This review may contain spoilers
Mystery, Murder & Malcontents
If Agatha Christie had been a mystery solving trio, it would be the three mains of this drama.Miss Truth follows the two mains story, Ran Yan and Xiao Song, along with the third loveable (in his own way) assassin, Su Fu. Ran Yan is a rebellious body examiner who sticks her nose in all sorts of happenings and is smart and capable. It was highly enjoyable to watch her run around and bargain her way into cases. This is very much a Sherlock-esque drama that is based in the Tang dynasty. There is an overall plot in Miss Truth with little cases peppered all throughout that tie together at the end.
It was a fun journey to get to know the characters and try to figure out the ultimate villains. There are enough twists and turns to make for an easy and riveting watch. The acting was decent, and each character has their own unique qualities. There were equal parts comedy, romance, and thrill to this that kept it from be monotonous. Sang Chen and Bai Yi were probably my favorite characters in this as they made for a lovely comedic pair.
The only thing I could complain about is the romance in this. It was quite lackluster, and there is a love triangle. If you're not into super dramatic and sad love triangles, you might want to steer clear of this. The main relationship came off as more possessive rather than undying love. There was also some heavy SLS in this one, and it made it difficult to enjoy the main couple.
All in all, an enjoyable mystery drama with enough suspense to keep you wanting to watch. I would recommend if you're looking for something with plot and enjoyable relationships, with a peppering of dramatic romance.
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Low budget but still a lot of fun!
Story: This is a investigative drama where each episode there is a new case while there is an overarching plot that brings it all together. Truthfully, I wasn't that invested in the cases more so as I was invested in the romance.This show has one of the best love triangles I've seen in a historical drama. Mainly because both male leads actually have a chance with the FL. In many dramas the 2nd ML will like the FL but she usually never considers him. But in this drama the FL actually falls in love with the 2nd ML but due to circumstances chooses not to be with him and eventually move on to the ML.
In a lot of dramas a love triangle is mainly used as a plot device to move the main leads together, but here the love triangle is used to develop the FL character. She starts this show being a rebellious and naïve girl who learns that not everyone is who they appear to be and maturely exits out of a relationship.
Acting/Cast: The acting I thought was fine but the dubbing wasn't great. I especially noticed it for the FL. There would be parts where you could see the voice and the acting not match up. It wasn't a deal breaker for me but I wish it was done better.
Overall: A great story with fantastic character development for the FL. Although it is a low-budget drama it was still very enjoyable!
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