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Love Is Sweet chinese drama review
Completed
Love Is Sweet
1 people found this review helpful
by Vico SDL
Aug 10, 2023
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers
Well, I my review is probably useless since there is a lot on this classic Chinese drama.
But hey, I'll go anyway.
So, let's be clear: I loved it. The mix of humor, romance and realism make it a spicy cocktail that I love. But I would say that the biggest asset of this drama is clearly our two leads, whether it's the fictional relationship between them, the crazy chemistry between the two actors or even simply the two actors separately. The mix of complicity, teasing and devotion between Jiang Jun and Yuan Shuai is just a real delight and we love to see these two confront each other, bicker, reconcile, have fun, kiss... Obviously, Luo Yun Xi and Bai Lu are on an equal footing in their acting performance and the chemistry between them perfectly reflects the relationship between two teasing childhood friends.
However, there are a few flaws in this relationship that I will come to later.
I will now come to the plot: what I like is that it is simple but realistic, referring to the workingplace without doing too much but is not boring, being full of rhythm. The supporting characters are (almost) all interesting.
BUT : there are still some flaws in this drama that prevent me from giving it the 10/10 that I REALLY wanted to give it.
At the very beginning, I mentioned the bubbly relationship between the main characters. But while as I said, this relationship is the drama's biggest asset, it's not without flaws. Thing is, Yuan Shuai's devotion to Jiang Jun is often at the border of a controlling overprotectiveness, especially in the first 10 episodes when he does everything to keep her out of his company because he thinks 'she doesn't have the strength necessary and wants to protect her, and so basically he bullies her to prevent her from working at his place. Not to mention the fact that the guy somehow manages to makes her move out and even finds ways to make her move in right next to his place. In short, even though his devotion was adorable, his overprotective side and his habit of trying to control her life and to bully her supposedly to protect her were quite infuriating (it all depends on your tolerance). While we thought we had gotten rid of this after the first 10 episodes, it comes back running around episode 21-22 (something like) but the writing tries to make it pass with the female lead punish him (okay, I admit, this part was really fun) but it comes way too late and fails to catch up with the mistake made for some reason I'll explain.
Also, the tropes of "I use crazy methods to make her be my neighbor" and "I bully her because I love her" have been used and abused, and have long been out of trend in an increasingly feminist society, so people should think twice before using these ! Also, although I love Jiang Jun (because I just can't hate a character played by Bai Lu), I think that although the drama tries to present her as a strong and smart woman, she's often in "damsel in distress" situations where she needs the male lead or second male lead to come save her. Even when it was for her father's case, they still had to take care of it. I think it would have been beyyer for the writers to make her a bit stronger and more resourceful, and give her situations where she saves herself instead of relying on others. Another trope which is no longer in trend and would have been dispensable. This is also what makes that when Jiang Jun "punishes" Yuan Shuai for having kept her in the darkto protect her, although it is fun, it is not enough to make up for the mistake : with Jiang Jun constantly needing others protecting her and never proving her own strength by herself, this "consolation" that they try to offer us for his bad methods of protection does not manage to make up for this.
Then the supporting characters. I mentioned they were almost all interesting and they were. I would say what is best about them is the fact that they are all constantly evolving. BUT there are still two characters in particular who are exceptions to this : the second couple in the story, Xu Li, Jiang Jun's best friend (played by Xiao Yan) and Xiao Chuan, the hero's cousin (played by Wang Yi Lun). Clearly, the intention of the writers was for us to be as attached to them and their story as we were to the leads. But this is a total failure, and believe me, I'm not the only viewer to feel that way. There are plenty of reasons but I would say the most important is that their story is uninteresting, childish, boring, even annoying. When we all see your the nonsense that Xu Li is ready to do to conquer Xiao Chuan (like working at the convenience store when he goes), when she barely met him... well, it's embarassing (clearly, even if I love this drama, feminism takes a blow here). Also, she and Xiao Chuan (well, especially her) are pretty childish, which makes them kind of annoying. To continue, the two actors don't have any chemistry, don't especially show any acting talent here, and their characters aren't particularly likable or attachng, since they're so immature and kindavstupid. The problem is that these two have a lot of screentime, a screentime that the viewer will basically skip out of boredom. So if these two had much less screentime the drama, it would have been better.
Finally, one last point that REALLY left me disappointed. I say it again, a point that I like in the drama is the constant evolution of the supporting characters. But there's one in particular that gives me the feeling of a piece of food stuck in my throat, because it's so frustrating and poorly exploited. As in any good romance drama, our male lead has a rival, Du Lei. His rival who wants to defeat him professionally, who has a complicated and difficult past which explains why he became manipulative and cold, and who gets close to the heroine to use her against Yuan Shuai but ends up getting sincerely attached to her and even falls in love with her. During the first 30 episodes, his evolution was fascinating to follow but also touching: to see his difficult childhood which allowed us to better understand him, to have pity on him without approving him, to see him slowly change and reevaluate himself after spending time with Jiang Jun, finally realizing his toxic xays, his past faults, seeing him work as a duo with Yuan Shuai to help Jiang Jun and do justice. There was even a cute little bromance profiling between him and Yuan Shuai. ANYWAY : the guy was the one who had evolved the most since the beginning of the drama and I loved it, to see how this character had freed himself from the toxicity in his life and seemed to move towards peace and happiness.
And there, tragedy : the last 6 episodes. This last arc of six episodes which, frankly, brings nothing to the plot, is even rather useless and above all, ESPECIALLY, makes a COLOSSAL throwback to the character. We had taken 100 steps forward since the beginning of the drama, he suddenly takes a 1000 steps backwards. This guy who had managed to get rid of his manipulative and cold personality thanks to Jiang Jun suddenly becomes a crazy and obsessive psycho precisely because of his love for Jiang Jun. Damn, what a waste...it left me incredibly frustrated for the character who made me feel incredibly sorry because the harsh, cold environment he grew up in, with no love and warmth.

And so, it's for these reasons that even if I love the drama, I can't give it a 10/10 but I have to take away two good points.
This drama is nevertheless a classic: I recommend it to those who love romance and comedy without angst or anything complicated, and more particularly Bai Lu and Luo Yun Xi who shine here.
But for feminists who want a strong and smart female lead who doesn't need anyone's help and a male lead who leaves some space to the female lead, who hates some of the stereotypes mentioned above... uh, go your way, no kidding.
However, we can tolerate these flaws for the rhythm of the plot, the relationship and the awesome chemistry between our two main characters.
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