Completed
cdramalama
204 people found this review helpful
Oct 27, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 6
Overall 10
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.5

DO IT FOR THE MAIN COUPLE & THEIR CHEMISTRYY

Please, PLEASE, if you're thinking about watching this show, DO IT. START NOW.

The main couple's chemistry is off the charts. If you hate bad kiss scenes, this is the drama for you. Not a fish kiss in sight, and the intimate interactions between both couples were perfect. And there were sooo many ;)

Luo Yunxi (Leo Luo) was AMAZING. I saw him for the first time in My Sunshine (one of his first roles) and let me tell you, the boy can ACT. He was hilarious, and the perfect mix between a serious, childish, and romantic male lead. Bai Lu did really well too, I loved her character!

I was hyper-focused on the main couple, and the other side stories were just okay. To be honest, I skipped around the actual drama scenes, as it was uninteresting and unnessasary, which is why story/plot got a 4/10. But it's got tons of comedic moments, and barely any drama between the leads. Bonus, there is no evil second female lead so the couple barely has any misunderstandings between them!

Trust me, this is one you'll definitely want to give it a try!

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Completed
MEANIEBIRD
116 people found this review helpful
Oct 22, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

"ITS NEVER TOO LATE TO START A GOOD DRAMA"

A Sweet Love Story A Must Watch for All CDRAMA Fan.
The Story is Good and Like any Other Office Romance but
Some plus point:
+ The chemistry between lead is Super-Duper on/off-screen (if you have seen the bts videos).
+ Bai Lu has always been my favorite.
+ First time to watch *Good-Looking LEO* and I'm Quite Impressed.
+ Kido and Riley Wang Are such EYE-CANDY.
+ Adorable Secondary Couple.
+ Supportive Friend like Xu Li (Xiao Yan) and Qiao Na.
+ Wealth.
+ All the actors have done a good job portraying the characters.
I don't watch many ongoing shows but couldn't resist this one
A DRAMA YOU WILL MISS AFTER ENDING It. T_T

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Completed
keyi chen
37 people found this review helpful
Oct 27, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

Lol, I think I'm more in love with Luo Yunxi because of this drama

Tissue Rate (aka how much I cried); 0.5 out of 5 (this drama really just me smile and laugh a lot)

Omg I don't even know where to begin with this drama! Like the cast is absolutely AMAZING! The two main leads (Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu) chemistry is so so cute (I love how comfortable they are with each other in the behind the scene clips)! I really hope there is going to be another drama together with them in it! I also really love how each character developed nicely and there weren't many backstabs throughout rivals (compared to other dramas) and I love how the main two leads always stayed true to each other and I love how they are always there for each other even if they one were to be upset with one another or something bad happened in the relationship. I also enjoy how sweet the romance is and how funny the scenes are whenever the kiss (lol like when the younger cousin saw making out or when Jiang Jun’s mom caught them on the couch). This drama has each a good lighthearted and feel good vibe that you get when watching this drama!

Also this drama has really made me fall in love with Luo Yunxi's acting (like really in love lol)! I've seen him in Ashes of Love and I loved his acting there but his acting in this drama just hits differently.

But overall, i definitely would recommend this drama to others (Already got one of my friend's hooked to this lol)!! The office romances in this drama was super lowkey and not cringey so don't be scared to go for it when starting this drama!!

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Completed
Sam
22 people found this review helpful
Oct 28, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

WORTH THE WATCH 100 PERCENT

It's my first time reviewing a drama, I have been watching C dramas since the onset of the coronavirus, and hands down this drama has topped my list in terms of every aspect, from chemistry to storyline. I swear you will never regret binging all the 36 episodes at one go, cause u will be hooked right from the start. And the kisses, it burns u from the inside, the passion, the hunger, the love, and the sexual tension. My goodness god gracious, It's forever gonna be one the best dramas I have watched. I will rewatch it every time I am in need of some love and fluff and intense romance.

WATCH ITTT U WILL NEVER REGRET IT

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Completed
sony_t Finger Heart Award1
117 people found this review helpful
Oct 28, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 26
Overall 6.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Love is Sweet.... and apparently dull as a door knob.

It may seem odd to find such a low rating among the sea of 9s and 10s. While watching the drama, I wondered the entire time how come everyone is falling in love with this except me? There is nothing that makes this drama distinct from the hundreds of other rom-coms that are coming out. There is no novelty to the plot, no substance, unimaginative and is quite frankly a nicely packaged ordinary thing.

Premise
Twenty-eight year old Jiang Jun is trying to join MH, one of the top investment banks. At MH, Jiang Jun meets her childhood playmate, Yuan Shuai.

The drama starts with our FL sitting for a job interview. She is confident and kind, as she helps calm the nerve of a fellow interviewee and has a pleasant exchange with another female candidate. Although Jiang Jun gets to the final round, our ML (Yuan Shuai) who’s one of the managing partners, deems her “a sheep in a business filled with wolves” and lets her go.

Determined to get the job, she attends a function held for the who’s who of finance to bypass Yuan Shuai.
The drama didn’t even give viewers the chance to dip our toe in before it hit us with clichés in the first episode. Evidently in a world where physics is obsolete, our FL trips and falls not only in the arms of our ML but with their lips align to land on each other’s. This phenomena doesn't happen just once but twice as the gravity defying lips of our leads end up entangled again in a latter episodes.

I initially thought this drama would avoid the distasteful cliché of pitting women against each other given the early interactions between Jiang Jun and other female candidates. Alas drama world dictates that no two women, be it in love or career, can occupy the same space and time unless its to be rivals.

The male lead was written with the protagonist halo. Not only is he a genius in financial markets, but he's unbeatable in car racing and he can throw a punch or two. This financial wiz, in an industry filled with “wolves” is not a ruthless businessman but rather one with a heart of gold, who fights for the little guys. Of course a ML like that can only be matched with a FL with equal caliber. Our FL who has no prior experience in investment banking, not only is good at her new job she seems to do every task well. Her fellow new hires with their fancy degrees and experience can only be disappointed and jealous. I wish to take them aside and tell them that its not their fault they are written as supporting characters.

Romance

The ML has been in love with the FL since childhood so he does everything to protect her and make her like him. If you doubted they’d be good for each other, the writers made every effort to rid you of that doubt. To squash the idea that the love rival might have a chance, the writers took it upon themselves to prove to the viewers in a “scientific” way. The 2ML's dating app matches our leads with-100% compatibility. Yes, 100% match! Who is 100% with anyone? Not even twins are this compatible. To add to this preposterous plot, when the male love rival tried the app he had a 0% match. I honestly wish I had dropped the drama at this point and saved myself.


The romance of course also has the usual cliches, like the noble breakup, and 2 love triangles on each side. Mercifully two of the characters unrequited love plot was tackled without any major drawn out blood.

The main third party is another investment banker who is both a work and relationship rival to Yuan Shuai. This is by far the most inconsequential, irrelevant character in this drama. His entire existence is bewildering. The work issues and challenges were laughable and as for love he never even had a chance. And yet this character takes up too much screen time where he was neither a villain nor a hero until the last episode when the writers decided to use him as a last pebble our leads need to stumble over. What a pathetic existence. I really felt bad for both the actor and character.

Second Couple

The 2FL is our leads best friend. My initial take on the character was, strong, slightly wacky but confident and sensible. That assumption quickly evaporated. The 2ML played by Riley Wang is a college student who is working on a dating app. The algorithm he is working on for this app is based on his belief that data has a better chance of finding you a life partner than randomly meeting people and letting emotions dictate. This is the guy our 2FL decides to hang her love life on.

It is well known that a drama can enhance its quality with a good side story. A strong side couple can not only make boring parts of the drama bearable but can even salvage one. However, in this drama we have one of the dullest, uninteresting frankly quite annoying side couples. Our 2FL walked off her job to be a writer. However, this woman saw a handsome young man at a 7/11 and after learning he frequents that store for its Wi-Fi decides to answer the “help wanted” sign. She goes on to chase the guy in the most cringy, clingy way possible. I got confused if I was watching a middle schooler or a grown woman of 28.

The absurdity in this second couples plot continues when our 2FL tries the dating app and gets a 1% compatibility with 2ML. But this is drama so they have to end up together somehow right? So what does that say about the app AND the writers when this line of plot which matches one couple with 100% compatibility and our 2nd couple with a 1% chance and they all end up together? I don’t expect true and proven science in my dramas but I’d still like them to be sensible. To add to their nonsensical plot, these two people have no chemistry. No spark, no subtle vibe nothing. Every scene they were in was just dull. And they stayed that way to the bitter end. The fast forward button was invented for this couple.

So you can imagine with out an interesting side story to alleviate the dull parts of the main story, there was nothing to stop someone from sinking into boredom.

Good traits

Leo Luo’s character is thankfully not your usual cold, detached, arrogant type. He is actually goofy at times, friendly, funny. I especially love his scenes where he had to shout in surprise or shock, for some reason I find those scenes cute and adorable.
Bai Lu’s acting is wonderful as well as most of the supporting casts. There is a bit of over acting with some characters that just made them look weird, but not too much to turn you off.

The romance progressed quite quickly. Although I don't see the chemistry everyone seems to be fawning over, they at least work well. The romance was mature, in a way that it is based in reality of how actual humans their age date. There wasn't a lot of running around in circle or pretending that intimacy doesn't exist in dating world which a lot of c-dramas suffer from. They fought silly fights, and had ordinary boring nights just like any normal loving couple. Watching their domestic bliss was the only saving grace of this entire drama.

The production quality for this was definitely not cheap. From the outfits to the set everything was top notch. Which is why I was initially shocked by some of Bai Lu’s outfits. Its like the writers were confused which trope to follow. The FL showed up to her interviews well dressed in suit pants and heels. On the job, she immediately switched to baggy jeans, some weird shoes and oversized blazers until the manager scolded her like a child to dress more professionally. I don’t understand why they took this directions unless its to make the other woman look and sound mean and the FL sympathetic. It didn’t work on my part. FL was not some broke, penniless, farmers daughter who came to the big city to pursue her dreams. It just ended up making her look unprofessional. But thankfully this lapse in judgment didn’t last long and we see Bai Lu dressed fashionably for the rest of the drama. The makeup for most of the cast was tastefully done. The shooting locations seemed to be in a more affluent areas.

Conclusion

As I always say, two beautiful people does not make a rom-com. Content matters. The drama is just plain predictable and boring, littered with illogical and cliched plots with no substance to make up for its weakness. Personally even my love for Luo Yunxi couldn’t salvage this for me.

The drama would have benefited from shorter episodes. Frankly, 24 episodes would have been ideal but it could have ended on ep 32. But to stretch it from 32-36 episodes unnecessary and tasteless plots were included. For c-drama it seems to be fate that a drama can’t cross a finish line if it doesn’t shoot one of its foot and wobble through.

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Completed
Nathaliadam
17 people found this review helpful
Oct 29, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

Definitely sweet

So there is nothing new to this story, it's childhood friends turns to lovers kinda thing. Yes, full of misunderstandings, cheeky handsome male lead and charming hardworking female lead.

Well than you might ask me: "why so highly rated then?"
- Because Leo Luo and Bai Lu deliver the best couple of Chinese drama of the year (Oh the romance is heavenly, and they did not spare on the kiss scenes or PDA).

OMG the chemistry was FIRE!! And while the plot is, in deed, a bit cliché they keep you interested in the drama.

There isn't too much angst, and the problems/misunderstandings are all resolved pretty quickly, so you don't get bored and you also don't get the feeling that the drama is dragging.
This is a lighthearted drama, that wraps all lose endings, that you should not miss.

Even the secondary couple is cute (Jun's best friend, Xu Li, is so nice and their friendships is really great and relatable), so you get your time worth even when the leads are not on the screen.

Yes there are bad parts (but honestly, all dramas have them) but they are not bad enough to put you off watching the drama, and they probably help the drama to get momentum and move the plot forward.

It was definitely worth my time and there are scenes I'll definitely comeback to watch again.

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Completed
janosch
35 people found this review helpful
Oct 27, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Pure Fluff

Story
If I had to describe this drama in a few words, I'd say it is a drama that is more on the cliché side but executes it so well, that even the more predictable things are just a joy to watch. I think most people would agree that what carries this story and journey is the impeccable chemistry of the Main Couple. Just for that, I think this show is worth a watch.
But further, than the absolute fluff and wholesomeness, what really made this drama memorable is that you don't hate any characters. Sure, at times there are the villains that of course you dislike but as far as I am concerned, every one of the key roles gets their redemption.
What I truly love about this kind of drama is when there are no misunderstandings. For someone like me, that is very sensitive towards angst and drama, I really enjoy it when I see a couple that trusts each other and goes through everything together.

OST
I have not a lot to say except that I fell in love with the Soundtrack. I downloaded the whole OST already and I have it stuck in my head all the time. It's just so fitting and cute and well, just plain good.

Should you watch it?
If you are like me, a sucker for fluffy and domestic romance with a little drama here and there that doesn't make you too anxious, you should give it a watch. If cliché and a few predictable plot lines aren't a turn off I genuinely think you will enjoy watching!

The rest of the review will contain spoilers:

What I didn't like:
- I was a bit disappointed that the second lead Du Lei was made very evil, if I may say so, in the last few episodes. I mean I get that he loves her but, please my dear, that's plain assault:( So I was happy that they cut him off from their friend group.
- The allergic to tears plot point could've been build on more. What I mean is that towards the end it was as if the writers forgot it existed. I first suspected that it would cause more of a drama but maybe that's just me.

What I liked:
- I said it earlier but, the MC chemistry is just off the charts. Amazing. One of my new comfort couples.
- I love when every character gets their happy ending. This show satisfied me.
- Dog
- The side couples weren't overwhelmingly great but I still rooted for all of them and loved their collective support and friendship.
- Another thing about the Main Couple, I love how they support each other and just have trust. Even though they fight sometimes it felt like they truly cared and that was what made this romance feel real.
- I can't pinpoint many other things right now but overall I just really looked forward each week to the new episodes. It is a nice show that I won't forget!

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Completed
harvi_Ruby17
15 people found this review helpful
Nov 4, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

One of the BEST SUPERB C-DRAMA I've watch BUTTTT.....

I really love this show, This drama have that k-drama quality like it's SUPERBB and that's what I like about it because you can't see it on other c-dramas. Now let's talk about the plot. The story is quite nice. A childhood friend from the past that loved you for 10 whole years. I have mixed feelings about Jiang Jun (A.K.A The FL) Yeah, she tryin to pull of that "strong independent woman living in the city alone" vibes that's cute but what I don't like about her is that SHE NUMB. Like SISSSSS can't you feel anything!? Imagine Du Lei LIKING HER FOR NEARLY 3 YEARS and she doesn't feel it until ML said it to her then realize DU LEI IS ALREADY OBSESSED WITH HER. (Im sorry for the spoiler LMAO) She tryin to pull that strong independent woman but in the end of the day ML always saves her. Im sorry hun that ain't cute. What I really also don't like bout this drama is that THE SECOND COUPLE IS ANNOYING. Yeah, LITERALLY ANNOYING! ESPECIALLY THE GIRL Xu Li or what ever her name is (she the best friend of FL) she's literally clingy and immature to be in a relationship. She quit her job for what? To chase the boy of her dreams. (Doesn't suit my feminist a**) Li Xiaochan (Brother/cousin of the ML) however is very typical nerdy,univ boy. HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY PERSONALITY ( Eye-roll intensifies) I found my self skipping a lot of parts of them tbh. IM SORRY BUT THEY RUINED THIS DRAMA. Now to the supporting characters, IDK why they did Du Lei so bad in this drama, he fine but towards the ending it's MEH. Why you gotta make my dud like that!? Linda her sis tryna pull "clueless" like love story (a.k.a step-bro love story thing) but failed, it's quite weird IMO lol. Ms. Qiao is my fave character towards the end don't ask me why.


That's a lot of negative for a 9.5 rating IK lol sorry, but now let's talk about the positives
1.Cinematography,clothes,quality- As I said earlier it's STUNNING the quality is just SUPERB I LOVEEE ITTTT.
2.Chemistry-Love the chemistry between FL AND ML. Even Ml and Du Lei can make a great couple LMAO
3.Cast- Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu portrayed their characters so GOOD. Luo Yunxi is so handsome I can't- He looks like Ji chang Wook and Johnny Orlando combined. And the girl have that massive glow-up (She was the Fl on Lucky's First Love and they did her bad in that) Supporting characs did also a good job.
4.Plot-It's GOOD okay? To be honest I wish they just make it into 24 episodes. But it's good even if it's 36 ep. it didin't bore me.
5.Kissing Scene-I SWEAR THE KISSING SCENE OF THIS DRAMA IS ELITE. CAN YA'LL JUST WATCH THIS DRAMA FOR THE KISSING SCENE PLEASE? I bet you will not regret it. Other c-dramas have that type of kissing scene where they just peck then don't move their mouths AT ALL whereas this drama, THE KISSING SCENE IS SO GOOD I wonder if it's real because of their high level chemistry.
6.MALE LEAD'S CHARACTER- he ain't like other man in Chinese drama world. HE HAVE PERSONALITY AND IS VERY SWEET INTELLIGENT. He carried this show tbh, made me watch it becs of him.
Favorite scene/ep. of this drama are: Eps 22,26,33.
-The elevator kiss from ep. 22 made me blush hard Its gave me Fifty Shades of Gray vibes.....
-The office kiss where they freaking kiss underneath the table and where they make-out inside the office of yuan yuan? SO HOT IM EVAPORATINGGGGGG
-Their first time!? Im just like watching like ???. So hawt I can't LMAO- anyways it's the WATCH for me (wink) gives me wattpad vibes ahhhh.....
-The part where yuanyuan meet the FL'S mother, SO CUTEEEE!~
-The part where they fought because of work, health and private life. (My favorite part because it tackled about the reality of being live-ins) That's why I LOVE THIS DRAMA SM despite the negatives BECAUSE IT'S REALISTIC.

The OST's are adequate, Love that the music is in English tbh.

I will surely re watch even if it's 36 eps long.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS DRAMA ONE OF THE BEST I SWEAR YOU WILL NOT REGRET WATCHING IT. MUST WATCH! ESP IF YOU LOVE OFFICE LIKE DRAMAS. SORRY if my review is bad it's my first time :D

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Completed
Sinasina
18 people found this review helpful
Jan 14, 2021
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Good OTP romance, but everything else is trash.

Yes, the leads have great chemistry with each other and the build up to their romance and their actual relationship stuff were entertaining to watch. However no amount of hot kisses can make up for the terrible writing. (if there ever was a couple hooking up, while shooting a drama..) The writing seriously is more than just terrible. I have given 10/10 to bad writing before, but I think this is the worst written drama I've ever finished. From the get go the premise is pretty hard to get onboard with. (tear allergy..) Then we get a workaholic male lead that is good at everything including & not limited to racing(he is better at racing than professional racers), playing the piano, BOXING & maintaining a ripped body. Truthfully I could have forgiven all of the above, since those things are pretty normal in cheesy Chinese romcoms, but there is a LOT of focus on the corporate life at an investment banking firm and all the plots there and I mean ALL OF THEM are just bad, It's difficult to describe in words how bad. The second lead is just the icing on the poo, I mean come on now, really? A character that has a completely different personality in every single episode, what were the writers thinking? Were they thinking at all? There is also a lot of contradicting information & moments where I felt the writer is insulting my intelligence. For example it's a big plot point, how supposedly FL only called ML Brother Yuan once, wait a few episodes & he is brother yuan in like every single flashback.. I'm okay with cliches in cheesy romcoms really and I'm sure it doesn't come as a surprise that this drama is a cliche-fest, however I think it's worth pointing out that the "oh no I accidentally fell onto your lips" thing happens TWICE in this drama, yep you've heard that right!

I decided to give the drama a relatively high rewatch value, because despite all of the above, if you know the story in advance, it's super easy to skip all the scenes where the 2 leads are not on screen & that way it's almost prime entertainment..

edit: So a rewatch happened after all. Fastforward buttoning all the trashy office intrigue has led to a much more enjoyable experience as expected, but the whole breakup plot annoyed me much more than back then. Just why?

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Completed
Marshmallow-Chocoholic
17 people found this review helpful
Nov 1, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

A Sugary Sweet Romance Story...

Love is Sweet accounts the tale of emotionally sensitive and hardworking investor Jiang Jun ( Bai Lu) , who after landing a place at MH firm, runs into her old childhood friend Yuan Shuai ( Luo Yunxi) , now one of her conniving bosses determined to make her life a living hell. As Jiang Jun tries to guide her new career between work and making allies with the sudden arrival of a new friend from a rival company Du Lei ( Gao Hanyu) , Yuan Shuai’s secret feelings from his youth are rekindled again for Jiang Jun, as Jiang Jun finds herself more and more bamboozled by Shuai’s actions.

As you may have guessed, Love Is Sweet is filled with all the cliches and certainly isn’t what I’d typically define as “ original” or “ unique” in regards to a new concept for a Chinese drama. From high school crushes, boss and worker / cohabitation romances , excessive product placement ( looking at you Burberry ) and the “ older woman and younger man” tropes, it certainly does beg the question what on Earth is the point of watching a drama which has been seen and done before a million times.

Going into Love is Sweet with zero expectations ( and certainly seeing this concept done incessantly in Chinese Dramas before ), one of the things which immediately clarified the answer to this question for me, was its ability to hook you as a watcher from episode 1 ( despite the tropes) , something which must exceedingly be praised as a consequence of relationships between characters and of course the cast‘s acting abilities . None is this more shown than Bai Lu’s portrayal as Jiang Jun. Whilst I will be honest that Bai Lu didn’t entirely tread new ground within her new portrayal as the “ workaholic, independent woman” trope, yet, she did perfectly capture the essence of a successful, yet hardworking and emotionally- driven businesswoman (something which I wish some Chinese dramas would portray more in romance dramas rather than the “ airhead “archetype ). In addition to this, there is no denying that Bai Lu’s chemistry and the scriptwriting for her character was approached in a refreshingly modern manner to her romance with , Luo Yunxi’s character, Yuan Shuai.

Again, the relationship between Yuan Shuai and Jiang Jun has been seen and done before a million times in Asian Dramas, but, the one thing which did impress me in a more realistic manner ( and no, we are not talking about Shuai’s aftermath of excessive product placement in buying her gifts ) to their relationship rather than the “ tight embrace; do or die ” approach of most asian dramas, was that refreshing respect and obstacles within their relationship as two working individuals. This was shown particularly throughout the drama by ; the distances sometimes their jobs presented within travel, the occasional arguments and the respectful distance that the characters would take as well as respect of privacy ( well, in most cases),and of course ,Yuan Shuai’s refreshing speech near the end of the show, where he tells Jun that he will respect her choices, just as he hopes that she will respect his. Undeniably, this is something which was brilliantly portrayed by Bai Lu’s costar, Luo Yunxi, who took upon the role as the smart yet love crazy businessman brilliantly, and a portrayal which I hope that Asian Dramas seek to explore more often.

Like with all dramas, however, there is the dreaded cliches of love triangles without respect to the characters’ contrasting personalities in a forced manner, particularly through Du Lei ‘s sudden transition to feelings for Jiang Jun and of course, Jiang Jun’s supervisor Qiao Na ( Zhao Yuan Yuan)’s “ feelings since she knew him” cliche for Shuai. Whilst thankfully the show didn’t dive into the oldest trope in the book by putting Qiao Na and Du Lei together, there was still a lot of inconsistently with the love interests here for the leads; not least destroying the friendship between Du Lei and Jiang Jun ( with little redemption either ) and writing off Qiao Na’s feelings in order to make way for the relationship with Jiang Jun and Shuai by pairing her with a younger lead by the end of a drama. Whilst there was certainly nothing entirely wrong with deciding new love interests both characters, the way this was done demeaned a lot of unnecessary time in the show apart the obvious “ spanner in the works of love” trope, which took away a lot from both these characters as individuals.

On a more positive note, I was mildly surprised by the emotional depth behind the build-up of the relationship between Jiang Jun’s best friend Xu Li ( Shane Xiao) and Shuai’s younger cousin and technology genius Li Xiao
Chuan ( Riley Wang). Playing upon the overrused cliche of the “ older, slightly ditzy” woman and the “ younger, attractive and cool- headed” boy, it was inevitable both leads would end up with one another through the “ opposites, attract” scenario, yet, what did surprise me was that rather than the female lead entirely chasing after the Male lead, the show reversed the old trope by providing the Male lead being in the female lead’s shoes later in the show; as shown with his jealousy when Xu Li is “ being hit on ” by another guy. Whilst there are a couple of criticisms I do have within the portrayal of Xiao Chuan’s controlling nature over Xu Li at times during later scenes , it was a surprising reverse on the trope to see a level of depth to this cliche.

Overall, it’s fair to say that Love Is Sweet doesn’t tread on new ground with overrused tropes, product placement and inconsistencies for a romance drama. Despite this , it was a surprisingly enjoyable show within watching our two leads and our side couples slowly developing over the course of the drama without toxicity and often realistic mutual respect in their relationships , something which I’d hope more Asian Dramas will be able to portray in the future.

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Completed
michelleoc
11 people found this review helpful
Nov 7, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 3.5

Excellent chemistry against a backdrop of corporate intrigues

Unfortunately, I watched this show on the heels of Dating in the Kitchen, which in my mind, is the gold standard for Chinese drama/chemistry/romance, and a show that generally has it all. I've heard good things about Love is Sweet, so I decided to give it a try, hoping to continue to feed my romance fix.

The only thing I'm going to give away is that he's loved her for years. I always love that in a show. They meet up again and are, rather than friends, antagonists.

Leo Luo is the male lead and he's terrific. Always impeccably dressed, powerful businessman and extremely handsome. As when they were kids, he also bullied her in the workplace, but I felt that it was to better her performance at work. He, behind the scenes, always took care to make sure to protect her.

Bai Lu (Son Ye Jin lookalike, if you ask me) as the female lead was good as well. One of my favorite lines was when someone was looking at her and she said something to the effect of "People tell me I look like Bai Lu, have you heard of her?" A little tongue-in-cheek humor never goes amiss.

As a couple their chemistry was wonderful, but once they got together their romance took a back burner to the office intrigues, of which there were a lot. I found that aspect of the show to be very drawn-out and boring. Them admitting their feelings and acting on them was hot/hot/hot for a couple of episodes, though. There was the obligatory time jump, but it happened with about 6 episodes left, and their lives had settled and become pretty mundane. I think this show would have benefitted from tighter editing and less episodes (about 10 less!)

The costuming was good, especially when they were dressed in formal wear. The buildings/sets were visually interesting, as was the soundtrack. As with so many other Asian dramas, I was obsessed with the jewelry.

I never did enjoy the secondary couple. Though I have liked Riley Wang in other things, and he was good enough in this, I didn't feel they had any chemistry and she was a little too immature and stalker-ish for me. I kept hoping for some improvement, but it never materialized for me.

The female lead's allergic disorder was mentioned and addressed time and time again throughout the show, and then completely forgotten at the end, which I thought was a cop-out. I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't cry at that proposal?!?!

Everyone got their happy ending, including, to a certain extent, Du Lei, who was really a scumbag, but maybe he really did give up his wicked ways.

So, though I can recommend it as a show worth watching if you don't mind the multiple, endless and convoluted storylines, if you are looking for strictly romance, this one falls a little short.

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Completed
Xiyue
16 people found this review helpful
Nov 6, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 6.5

sweet indeed but not so interesting for me

Leo Luo and Bai Lu's acting was great. However, there's really nothing unique or special about the story.

It's the typical seeming cold hearted powerful male lead loving a kindhearted female lead.

There's also a sidekick best friend and second male lead that fell in love with each other.


I fast forwarded most of the latter episodes because the story was getting predictable especially the last one.
There's also the 'accidental kiss' that happened about twice.
Watch this if you want unwind from stress.
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Love Is Sweet (2020) poster

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