TTR - The Truth Review

Female lead is annoying from the beginning to the end

This is a weird one because it’s a pile of rubbish, but it’s not a complete shambles.

FL and ML were in a virtual reality game but I don’t think the FL realised the ML was real?????? But I’m not really sure. A bit confusing.

Anyway, the female lead was wilful and stubborn to put it politely. I think her objective was to get a divorce letter from the ML and his objective in the game was to win her heart.??? But I’m not really sure.

The palace intrigued stuff was quite interesting, but I was a bit annoyed at the female lead and her ridiculous antics for me to enjoy that side of the story.

They’re 24 episodes at approximately 8 minutes each so you can get through it quite quickly and easily forget.

Read More

This is a new story and you would be confused if you hadn’t watched the original at some points

This is a really strange one because I quite enjoyed go-go squid but this story is kind of baffling.

Firstly, it’s not a sequel. It’s not a continuation of the story. It’s not even the same story from a different perspective of Appledog and DT.

It’s a totally new story and though the players are mostly the same, it’s like we’re in a parallel universe from the original go-go squid.

Secondly,, this is all about combat robots. At least I understood what game they were playing because I still don’t have a clue what they were doing in the original..

Finally, they recast Appledog which was a terrible choice.

I don’t know what it is about this female lead, but I saw her in ‘warm on a cold night’ and she was completely outshone by the second female lead and I feel she was outshone by her sister in this and not to mention the stunning original Appledog from the first one. Such a shame they didn’t keep her and recast DT like they did for grunt, which elevated his role in my opinion.

I just don’t think she has main character energy.

Anyway, the story was quite boring and I didn’t feel the chemistry between the leads. It annoyed me that she joined team SP when DT set up the whole K&K team for her in the first place.

Anyway, easily forgettable.

Read More

After 41 episodes approximately 45 minutes each, I still don’t know what game they were playing

This was a tricky one to score because while it was a lovely story with a decent cast and okay acting overall I have to say it is average.

Some of the reviews on here are spot on because I didn’t really buy the chemistry between the leads and it annoyed me how the female lead lacked communication skills when everybody was badmouthing the male lead when all he was doing was saving her from embarrassment.
All she had to say was
“actually mum, I pursued him relentlessly and everything he’s done and said is to save me embarrassment”
then everything would’ve been fine.

The story lagged midway and was a bit boring and while I enjoy nationalism, it was a little OTT.

I’ve realised there’s a go-go squid 2 because I was trying so hard to work out what the hell was going on with male leads cousin as he was just there without any purpose or depth.

Read More

The worst ML and FL in history???

Update: 23/06/2025: The actors are fantastic but were poorly written. No scores have been changed and I knew my reviews were authentic because I gave the actors a decent rating.

So this is another one of these messes from these Chinese drama people that tells the story of a rich spoilt, psychotic brat of a male lead being able to do any nasty and vile thing he wants to our female lead knowing that they will end up with their happy ever after. Know your place girl.

Mr Grabby ml is completely psychotic, and stalkerish and our female lead is a total pushover who clearly enjoys making bad decisions for her life. She loves a toxic, damaging relationship..

Every single character in this pile of rubbish is the worst.

From demented MLs mom who loves to slap the FL. To the SFL who also loves to slap our female lead but also causes her to miscarriage.

Before you know it, FL and mother-in-law become best friends and she’s supportive of the relationship.
Never mind the fact that she engineered SML‘s grudge against the gu family.

Our FL never once gives SML the benefit of the doubt and was always supportive of the nasty, vindictive and grabby ML.

I realised I must’ve watched this when this was released but dropped it after eight episodes. I managed to fast forward through most of it this time to get to the end and I realised why I dropped it..

Total rubbish!

Read More

Get rid of Jiang Yunqing early doors!

24 episodes approximately 40 mins each.

The first 16 episodes I thought this was going to be a strong 8 because it was fantastic. Funny, not too much political intrigue and an excellent story. I really liked the Emperor and he had some gravitas for the role he was playing. He was smart, righteous and a real benevolent leader.

Even 20 episodes in I was still thinking this could be around about 4 rating.

Then it became a complete and utter shambles.

I can forgive you for billing it as a romance when the love interests barely have any screen time together when it’s actually more of a bromance drama, I can even probably forgive the terrible production, including the loud music which drowned out the dialogue at times.

But what I can’t forgive is constantly letting the villains off because you want peace but EVERY… SINGLE… TIME…. They go back to plotting and scheming how to kill everybody.

And what were we left with? Most of their friends and families got killed by the end episode war and even Yue Chi just stood there while the fake princess stabbed him and tried to blow everything up.

She was then allowed to just jump off the building to her death and that was that…… hmmm!

The white haired prince then turns around to our hero and says, “actually we are the same and have the same goals. I’m good now and will look after my people.”

Okay dokey then. Sigh!

It ended up being a complete farce and became really unwatchable.

Read More

Where is season two?

I’ve just finished watching this in 2025.

31 episodes at 10 minutes each and I was still bored for most of it.

Episode 16 to 18 was a complete mess. Why didn’t our female lead just tell our male lead that it was wheelchair boy who was the big bad villain when she was arrested? Instead, she just screamed that it was all a misunderstanding and she needed to explain.

The writing choices in the show were atrocious. I get it in low budget, but does that mean we can’t have a decent story?

The only good thing out of this was the male lead who definitely has something. I don’t know if it’s the X factor or stage presence but he was the only one I was convinced of that had some level of talent and acting skills.

I knew that by the time we got to episode 29 the ending was gonna be a disaster because there was way too much to be done to cover in 20 minutes of two episodes.

Turns out it was a set up for a second season, but I’m not surprised it hasn’t got one because it was total rubbish.

Read More

This is not a romance and quite disappointing despite the happy ending

There are eight episodes under 45 minutes, but it’s still felt like it dragged on.
The female lead can’t stare at people in the eye and the male lead is allergic to touching people. They meet and the female lead literally can’t stand the male lead though he appears indifferent but not nearly as dismissive as her.. anyway they realise they have feelings and end up together. the end.
The problem with this show is they made the female lead act as though she was mentally retarded because she couldn’t stare at people in the eyes. They had her twitching and shaking and hiding. It just looked ridiculous.. though the male lead had his own quirks like carrying around a suitcase with several different shirts to change into, he was generally calm and his demeanour never looked stressed. She had an unrequited crush on the mail leads best friendbecause it was a mistaken identity but I didn’t like the fact that until the last episode is when we saw her actually showing affection towards the male lead. He’d been stepping closer to her every single opportunity for her to actually just be mean and a bit cruel at points. I wasn’t really rooting for her and her redemption, growth appeared to be negligible. The corporate intrigue was a bit flimsy and not well thought out but I suppose that’s what you get for such a short series even though as I said it did seem to drag and I was pleased when it ended.

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

Had to knock a point off for the ending

It’s a good show, the story has lots of palace intrigue, convincing villains. I like the heroes and the actors were top-notch..

This seemed like a big budget but 16 episodes ant approximately 20 minutes each it packed quite a story.

The biggest problem I had with this show is the FL‘s best friend Yin Cong.

Let’s recap, she actually killed the ML and was fully involved in the plot for the FL to have a miscarriage and was front and centre in the rebellion to take the throne from the ML and FL.

Just because she did one decent thing doesn’t forgive the fact that she’s a total and utter scumbag.

And the reason I took a point off my score is because the FL was crying so hard at her friends death she seemed more distraught than when the ML died.

Still a pretty good show, nevertheless.

Read More

What was the point?

So this one episode was 24 minutes long and I wasn’t expecting much and it truly delivered on that.

We got a little bit of resolution from a couple of the couples and the other side characters who are all planning to do their best and work hard, et cetera, et cetera.

However…………

FL still hasn’t bothered to tell the ML that she’s got a job in her hometown and is utterly burying her head in the sand when he’s given her ample opportunity to tell him herself.

When she eventually does, we get this weird, poetic monologue from both of them that doesn’t make any sense and they’re standing at the top of the Lighthouse watching the sea as the credits role.

What a waste of time.

Read More

For a sequel to hidden love it was a lot harder. Watch.

I liked it, but I didn’t love it and I really wanted to.

The cast is fantastic. The story is amazing as it’s essentially a sequel to my favourite hidden Love.. would’ve been nice if it was the same cast however I understand the reasons for the change.

Though it was good, it was excruciatingly slow moving.

At times I was frustrated by her lack of communication, even though I knew the reasons why it was like pulling teeth watching her squirm and not say anything.

I didn’t like her reasons for leaving and breaking the man she loves heart.

The FL mother was a total disgrace and I’m glad they didn’t try and do some weird redemption arc for her after she abandoned her when she was nearly raped by her sister-in-law‘s son. She would have to live with the guilt for the rest of her life and I felt a sense of satisfaction with that.

Read More

I can’t speak high enough of the young girl who played the FL. Incredible!

Yang Enyou is a Revelation. It would be an absolute travesty if Yang Enyou (who plays the young orphan, Zhang Xiaoyu) does not become a global megastar after this. Her performance is truly, unbelievably brilliant. In a genre often dominated by stoic fighters, she brings a raw, visceral vulnerability that anchors the entire film. You don’t just watch her pain and anger, you feel it in every single frame she occupies. She goes toe-to-toe with martial arts veteran Xie Miao and in many scenes, completely steals the spotlight. Her ability to convey that level of soul-crushing grief and white-hot rage at such a young age is nothing short of a masterclass in acting.
The only reason this isn’t a perfect 10 is that it is occasionally very difficult to stomach. Even for a gritty revenge thriller, the level of violence directed at a child is extreme. Seeing a young girl get gang-beaten, kicked, strangled and even poisoned is incredibly heavy and may be too much for some viewers. While it successfully fuels the fire for the eventual revenge, those specific scenes are undeniably brutal.
The sequel manages to surpass the original by adding a profound emotional core. Watch it for the top-tier action, but stay for the legendary performance by Yang Enyou. If this is the start of her career, the sky is the limit.

Read More

No mercy given

The absolute standout of this film is the subversion of the tired mercy trope. Usually, in C-Dramas, villains who commit unspeakable atrocities get away with a slap on the wrist or a moral lecture. Not here. When the villain—a man guilty of murder, torture, and rape—has the audacity to beg for his life, the ML gives the most satisfying response imaginable. Instead of taking the high road, he promises a brutal, visceral end (breaking limbs and worse) before finishing the job. It is refreshing to see a hero actually deliver the level of justice the crimes deserve.
At just over 60 minutes, the film feels a bit too short. The world-building and action are so tight that you’re left wishing there was more time to sit with the characters.
The inciting incident involving the leading woman is incredibly heavy. The combination of her being brutally assaulted while her family is massacred was a bit too excessive and too much for my personal taste, even for a revenge thriller.
Overall, if you’re tired of holy protagonists who forgive everyone, watch this for the ML's uncompromising brand of justice. It’s a lean, mean action flick that doesn't pull its punches.

Read More

The Most Toxic and Demented Drama You Will Ever Witness

This series is a complete disaster from start to finish. What begins as a story about a young woman in a traditional opera troupe quickly turns into a "misery marathon" that rewards evil and punishes the innocent.
The plot is fundamentally broken. The heroes are treated like punching bags for thirty-eight episodes at 15 minutes each. The ML is subjected to relentless, brutal torture, while the FL remains passive, often nodding along to her own abusers. To make matters worse, the show kills off the most likeable characters off-screen, including the FLs protective older brother, who dies alone in exile.
The most offensive part of this drama is how it treats its main villain. Despite him being a cold-blooded murderer and a torturer, the show gives him "poetic" moments. In the final episode, while the hero is literally bleeding and broken on the ground, the villain is allowed to look clean and handsome while giving a long-winded speech about "love."
The finale is truly upsetting. The female lead weeps over the villain’s body and calls out his name, completely ignoring ML who is collapsing from his injuries just a few feet away. It suggests that obsessive violence is romantic and that the feelings of a monster matter more than the lives he destroyed. The ML also dies at the end leaving her alone but we get this strange dream sequence where she has a conversation with her senior older brother and the ML.
There is no "powerful awakening" or emotional relief here. It is a hollow, frustrating and morally confused mess. If you value your time and your sanity, stay far away from this one.

Read More