Love Is Sweet

半是蜜糖半是伤 ‧ Drama ‧ 2020
Completed
Theeniecee
0 people found this review helpful
Nov 22, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Please don’t drop this drama!!!

Got to know Leo Luo when he acted in the drama ashes of love. Actually have watched dramas acted by the main casts of the drama so it I know the acting will definitely not disappoint.

The chemistry between the leads was superb, and yes I must say that the kids scene is really not those typical c-drama kids scene where the lips just touch. They’ve got some action going on *winks* definitely love their interaction on and off screen!!

Kido Gao’s acting really wowed me, I was so into his role and drew the character so well!

Although I did skip some parts of Riley and Shane, but I was just so into the main story!! The drama really shows how much Yuan Shuai loves Jiang Jun, although much like typical c-drama plot, but you can never get enough of it!!

PS. I definitely love wang cai the corgi! Too adorable!

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Completed
CLS in the US
0 people found this review helpful
Nov 4, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5

Sweetest thing.....

Loved this series. Even after they fell in love, it was still interesting. Some dramas lose me after declaring their love because it becomes boring, but not this one. Loved it, please watch. I wasn't too sure of the ML because after seeing him in Ashes of Love, I had bad memories of him. But this series, changed my mind. I want to see him in more current dramas. Loved the FL in everything she has played. She is a good actress and I would love to see her in more things too. The ML and FL had so much chemistry that it was off the charts. Well Done!!
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Completed
snorlaxintheroad
0 people found this review helpful
Sep 18, 2024
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

The Leads Carry This Series

I think a lot of other reviewers mentioned this, but the two main leads were really outstanding in their roles here. They had chemistry and I genuinely laughed out loud during several moments of this series. However, the story was lacking in my opinion, which made watching it a bit of a slog. This is so unfortunate as the lead actors were really amazing. What frustrated me the most was that the premise of Jun's character having an allergy to tears, though somewhat absurd, could actually be viewed in such an interesting light, but didn't quite get realized in the story.

My thought on her tear allergy at first was that it was an obvious shortcut to create tension for Jun's entry into the investment banking world. But there were a couple of interesting points that were brought up but never really challenged that made me think that this tear allergy/inability to cry could have been an interesting way to explore some of the dynamics, especially gender dynamics, that were at play.

Yuan tells her early on that the kind of work they're doing is so difficult, time consuming, and often soul-crushing that only about 20% of the people working in investment banking are women; essentially, he says that this job is so difficult that a lot of men can't hack it, but especially a lot of women. Because, apparently, women are inherently mentally and emotionally weaker. For Jun, having an allergy to tears makes this kind of work dangerous to her health and well-being; apparently, women cry all the time when things are hard, and Jun doesn't even have that luxury. There's obviously some very patriarchal ideas at play here. Obviously, Jun proves that she can succeed because she's not the same 'weak and timid' girl Yuan knew in their schooldays. She proves that she's learned how to control her emotions better and that Yuan needs to get to know her again before making any judgments. But I thought it would have been interesting if the narrative challenged this initial premise in a more nuanced way.

For one, the idea that crying proves some kind of mental or emotional weakness, especially for women because, apparently, men don't cry (mmmhm) could have been looked at more closely. And, secondly, that the reason for a lack of gender parity in this field is that the majority of women are somehow too weak to handle it could have been examined through the lens of the first point.

For Jun to succeed in this field, she must prove that she won't cry; at least, that's the standard that Yuan holds her to at first. This is the part that seems the most absurd to me; the metric here being that if one sheds tears because things are hard, that one is unfit to deal with those hard things. For both men and women this type of gendered idea about crying is especially heinous for reasons I don't think I should have to get into. The narrative somewhat challenges this by showing that Jun is not just capable but talented in her work; even if she cries because something terrible happens to her (the mugging that happens early on for example) she can still do her job and do it well. But, I think the crux of this very idea about whether crying is acceptable or not gets lost in the premise of Jun's tear allergy. If she cries, it's literally dangerous to her, which lets Yuan's character and the audience off-the-hook for thinking she's unfit because of her "feminine emotions"; he's just concerned about her well-being. So, instead of facing the very idea of crying as being both inherently feminine and a sign of mental/emotional weakness, the narrative avoids it entirely.

Secondly, the lack of gender parity that Yuan cites early on was something that should have been challenged more in the narrative. Is it that women are just not as fit to do investment banking or are there very gendered conditions that exist that are the real reason? The narrative touches on the truth here in so many ways without even realizing it. For example, there's a storyline early on about workplace sexual violence. Jun discovers that a young woman in an entertainment company is the victim of sexual violence by the CEO. They use this to oust him from his role there. Another example happens later on when a colleague forces Jun to entertain and drink with a client. While toxic drinking culture isn't inherently gender-based, gender still comes into play here. Jun isn't just targeted and forced to drink exorbitantly by this client for being the newbie, but she's also sexually harassed in this scene as well. This hazing takes on another layer because she's a woman; they treat her as though she should act as an escort to their male client. But this touches on an important aspect about women in the workplace; sexual violence and harassment are a very real issues in many industries. Such issues make those workplaces unfair, toxic, and even dangerous for women to work in.

Then there's the underlying issue about working women, in general, and romance. When one of the other characters finds out about Yuan and Jun's relationship, she warns Jun that they should be careful; if it's found out, Jun will be the one who has to leave. Later, towards the end of the series, Yuan pressures Jun to resign because she's being so overworked her health is suffering as a result. While, Yuan walks this back later on, both of these points in the series illustrate one of the key issues at play here. When it comes to love, marriage, and starting a family, Jun's career can and should be sacrificed, because her first priority should be being a wife and mother. There's too many compounding and complex issues related to this very idea that I won't go into, but it does speak to the reality for many women in the workplace: that women are treated like they don't actually need to be there.

But rather than really explore some of the themes laid out initially, the series deviates through so many predictable and flat storylines, love triangles, and side couples. Jun doesn't even get to participate in the most consequential storyline related to her own character; once again, the men take charge and leave her out about finding the truth about her father's death. Instead, Jun is forced to navigate petty jealousy from colleagues and really... nothing else. She holds back her tears, because crying is weakness in this shark tank of a business (but also she has an allergy!!!1!). A lack of gender parity in a workplace is sometimes not because women can't do the job, but rather because there's often a gendered culture that is prohibitive towards women even being there. But if you cry about it? You're just proving them right.

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Completed
Rachida
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 8, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

WORTH IT!!

I really love the this drama so much , I love the story , I love all the music, and I love the characters specially Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu. This drama thought you how to strengthen your relationship with your partner.
* The chemistry of the main character are good
* Ideal boyfriend Luo Yunxi
* Ideal girlfriend Bai Lu
* The characters is very good in acting
* I really love the story
* Must watched
* Giving you some tips how to strengthen your relationship with your partner
*
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Completed
frankly
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 25, 2022
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

Cotton Candy Drama - Fluffy and Sweet

Yes the plot is fluffy and forced at times...but the leads poured on the sugar and made this drama so sweet.

I must admit, I watched this for LY after watching him in Ashes of Love. It was just what I needed to cleanse the bitterness from watching RY's character being run into the ground in AoL. And, to my surprise, BL as the FL did not disappoint, helping to cleanse the sourness of YZ's performance in AoL.

Sweet Things
- Watching LY in a light-hearted role (compared to AoL)
- LY and BL were cute as a couple
- Strong FL character (not sickeningly helpless)
- Music was good and fit really well with the scenes

Bland Things
- Last 5 episodes were unnecessary (didn't like how they made the 2nd ML more immoral due to his obsession w/ FL)
- 2nd couple romance was unnecessary

The short and sweet of it is: If you like realistic dramas, this is not for you. If you are ok with fluff and want to just enjoy a light-hearted, comedic romance, then give this a try.

Looking forward to watching BL/LY in Till the End of the Moon and LY in Immortality!

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Completed
Kritiika
0 people found this review helpful
Nov 18, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

You will feel like ypu are watching them in real

I had just completed furst romance and i was searching riley wang's drama. And found this one , i must say if you love to watch your crush changing from childhood to an educated and a gorgeous adult then you should watch it means it have all the things we genrally do,. We used to bully them for theri attention ya they also. We used to hate them for their time ya they also.
So many things is best about this drama, the actors are just living the real life means they are doing the great job man, their expressions, dialogues are so well to hear and to see .
Damn sure, after watching thus you will gonna fall for them ❤

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Completed
ohSEHUNable
0 people found this review helpful
Mar 11, 2021
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

WANT TO LEARN ABOUT FRIENDSHIPS, RELATIONSHIPS MANY MORE? MUST WATCH THIS!

OKAY! So this is my very first review and I actually finished watching it last month and I just tried to write a review about this CDRAMA because I just can't help myself but to share my feelings while watching it.

I don't know where to begin but I will say that I really love the casts lol. Honestly I thought I wouldn't like this at first because knowing that the FL and ML are both childhood friends, you know that kind of relationship is a bit cliché , but I was WRONG! haha I just found myself wanting more every episode of this drama.

*Characters & Story*
The first time I saw Du Lei, honestly I was shocked with his visuals, he looks like someone who came straight out of Anime. But I really love this drama of course because of the ML, Leo Luo haha I was surprised that he really looks like Ji Chang Wook (that's my opinion tho~ ^-^ v) When he smile ~ okay I can't help but smile too. I really love the part when he started do some aegyo HAHAHA so cute. I love how Bai Lu, portrays Jiang Jun's character. It was my first time to watch them in a drama but I was amaze already to their acting skills. I never felt the cringe-feeling when they are acting cute to each other.
I was just felt bad to Xu Li's character, a girl who chases his crush, who only wants to do is to focus on his project. Though I can relate to Li Xiao Chuan as I am an IT student, if you're working on a project all you have to do is focus on it to finish. (really guys it's hard to be in a relationship if you're an IT/CS student. idk but well kudos to those people who can still manage their relationship & studies HAHA.) LXC is kind of person who really don't like to share what's on his mind. He has many things on his mind but can't express it well (love his character, it's really realistic HAHAHA)

Well the character I pity the most is Du Lei TT TT. I mean why did they choose to turn him like that. I thought they will be friends but then *that* scene came. WUUAA I feel bad to Jiang Jun.
But well all I wanted to say is, I really love how realistic they mindset is, how Yuan Shai protects Jiang Jun at all cost. uwu I wanted to have a boyfriends like HAHAHA (ok not to be more delulu, even just his personality, that's enough TT^TT ) He sacrifice a lot for Jiang Jun, imagine those 10 years of waiting. OMG. To how he understand and respect each others decisions. Tho~ it's really hard to decide and manage your career, relationship and health, good thing they both handled it very well by trusting each other. What I love the most in this drama is they prioritize to trust each other, although they doubt at first but manage their feelings and emotions professionally. (coz you know most of the dramas we watch is full of doubts, mistrust, miscommunication and so on..) I know it's just a fiction drama but it teaches us some lessons. Idk if you feel it the way how I feel it while watching this haha. We have different opinions so I don't force you to agree with me. I hope you respect my review.

*OST*
YOW! THIS DRAMA HAS THE BEST OST FOR ME. HAHA I MEAN AMONG THOSE CDRAMAs I'VE WATCHED 'LOVE IS SWEET's OST WAS THE BEST. It fits really well to their story.

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Completed
Nefelibata
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 4, 2022
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10

Don't procrastinate to watch this amazing storyline!!

It is worth watching till the end. Also it is mostly office/business related one. And if you like office romance I recommend it. If you are a romance lover you will like it the most!!!! It has a beautiful plot and there are two couples in the drama. The second couple's love story will be very long to achieve success. But in total it is a best romance drama. If you are fan of Bai Lu or Luo Yun Xi then you should must watch it.😅👍👍............................................................................ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Completed
Raima Sen
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 29, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

Definitely one of the best C-Dramas of 2020

So, I just finished all the drama yesterday and I'm in love with the drama. Like I'm constantly re-watching the episode clips on YouTube. YS is just so sweet that you might even get diabetes from watching him. And don't even get me started on their chemistry. Leo Yunxi and Bai Lu just have so much chemistry that it would make you 😩.

So, below I'll list what I liked about this drama and what I didn't.

Pros:-

1. The lead couple have so much chemistry together that you wouldn't be able to stop yourself from loving them together.

2. The OST was so damn good. I am listening to it on the loop since I finished watching the drama. I think maybe this is the first time I liked the whole OST of a drama instead of a single one. But yeah I do have a favourite song and no points for guessing that it is Things I Do for Love.

3. No long separation or break ups. I definitely was tired of watching the leads in C-Dramas seperating for years just because of some stupid misunderstandings. They do break up for a episode or two but they get back together almost instantly. There is almost no time gap in between their break up and patch up.

4. Almost non-existent love triangle. Our FL had never shown any interest in SML. Like never ever. It was completely one sided.

5. Realistic couple. The main couple were so realistic. Like their relationship wasn't exaggerated for a single bit. The drama showed a true realistic couple in my opinion.

6. Career or Love. The drama showed that we don't have to sacrifice our careers for love. And I loved how our ML supported FL in her career. He never asked her to choose between him or her career. Yeah, he did suggest that she resigned but it was only because he cared for her health. But in the end he understood that she very much loved her job so, he supported her every decision. JJ had both a successful career and a very supportive partner.

7. The SFL. I first thought that like in most of the C-Dramas, the SFL here was also going to be an obsessive lover. But I loved how she never jeopardized our main couple's relationship. She liked our ML but she also understood that he never had any feelings for her. So she never comes between the main couple.

8. Wan Shai. Who was the most adorable character of this drama? Without any doubt it was their dog, Wan Shai. I freaking love her so much that I had to make a seperate point for her.

9. Lifelong crush. I loved how YS waited for JJ for so long. It was like he knew that fate would bring them together again. Well, I don't know about everyone else but I definitely loved YS's devotion towards JJ. He continued to love her even when he had no idea if they would meet again. And I also love the flashbacks from their highschool and elementary school.

Cons:-

1. The SML's obsession with FL. He was literally obsessed with JS. It was scary watching him being so obsessed with a woman who had never showed any interest in him. I never had any Second lead syndrome while watching this drama. I didn't like him from the start and I despised him in the end. His character was the worst character in this drama in my opinion.

2. The second couple's story in the last 6 episodes. I didn't exactly love the second couple's storyline but in the last 6 episodes it was not even watchable. Before the last 6 episodes I atleast didn't skip their scenes but in the last 6 episodes their scenes were illogical and you wouldn't feel bad for skipping them.

3. The 2 years time gap. The time gap didn't make any sense to me. It wasn't exactly bad but they could've shown us some flashbacks for the skipped 2 years.

4. The lack of YS's family. I wanted to see JJ meeting YS's family for the first time. The lack of YS's family presence was something which disappointed me. Like they showed us the bonding between YS and JJ's mother but there was no interaction between JJ and YS's family.



Well, that's all I could think about right now. But I can guarantee that you wouldn't regret watching this drama. And if you're single like me then you'd definitely feel the lack of a partner more than ever after watching this drama 😩.

If you are looking for a sweet rom-com then you can definitely give it a go.



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Completed
XS33
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 3, 2024
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 10

Sweet as the title suggests

LIKE

Shipped for Bai Lu and Luo Yun Xi after this drama - they looked so good together

Sweetness overload after misunderstandings

DISLIKE

Li Xiao Chuan - he looks weird to me and I just have no frequency

MUSIC

Nothing to my liking

REWATCH VALUE

Yes to be sweet all over again
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Completed
MicahEllen
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 16, 2022
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Love is sweet and slightly naughty

This has been in my watchlist for so long. Now that I've finally finished it I can say that it might have been slightly overrated but I'd still recommend it for the steamy kiss scenes, strong FL, dreamy ML, and a fluffy story of success in both love and career.

The ML bullies the FL to make her mentally strong, so she will not cry easily in the future and trigger her tear allergies, this is his way of protecting her. He has been crushing on her for 10 years but she was oblivious and thinks he was just mean. After seeing that he is not a 'bad wolf' in the investment industry, she began to have feelings for him. When they got together, their love is truly sweet with lots and lots of kisses, and naughty times (especially in the office 😉).

Another thing that I liked was that the SFL was very relatable. She can be jealous but she was not evil. One of my favorite scenes was when she caught the main CP in one of their moments and they had to pretend to be cleaning.

Just for the SFL and chemistry of the main CP, I really wanted to give this a perfect score but sadly I can't because the tropes used felt contrived and manipulative. Maybe I am just not a fan of the idea that when you like someone, you can make decisions for their life for 'their own good' without their consent and characters in this drama does this a lot. There was also forced cohabitation and while this definitely drew the leads closer, drama conveniently forgot that the ML rented an apartment that he just kept empty. Also, when the issue about the FL's father's death was resolved, the vibe in the series changed and the next few episodes felt like fillers, an afterthought arc for the SML and mostly PDAs of the main CP. Frankly, I was like 'i know your relationship is good, get married already!'.

I actually felt kind of bad for the actor who played the SML because his character was just there for convenience. Need to increase the tension of the main CP through jealousy? Enter the hottie but bad SML. Need a villain who will sabotage the main CP's jobs? Enter the bad and sneaky SML. Need a helpmate for a ML to resolve the FL's trauma? Enter the reformed SML. Need to prove the relationship strength of the main CP for the filler episodes? Enter the jealous SML who became bad again! He reformed again but his ending felt lackluster. He was really not developed properly and there's no real development with his loveline with FL either. It was quite hard for me to accept that he loved the FL so much because their interactions were so few and not really that meaningful. His angst was not fully explored. It would have been much better if there were tropey scenes like the FL and the SML going to important places in the SML's childhood, or just anything that actually showed the FL helping the SML with his resentments.

The second CP also did not help this series as their interactions were boring and had no chemistry. You have to believe they're in love just because of some lighting changes and because they said so. Again I felt like the girl was forcing the guy to like her by doing all kinds of nice bordering on masochistic things for him. If I will rewatch this, I'll skip their scenes and just focus on the main CP.

Overall, this is a good watch if you have time to spare and want to see an adult relationship realistically portrayed.

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Completed
ronnie091
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 15, 2025
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

The love was sweet, the story was not.

The energy and chemistry of the leads really carries this show.

I don't find the Luo Yunxi conventionally handsome but his animated personality and the way his eyes smile on their own makes him very charming. At first I thought I wasn't going to like him because he came off as controlling and sexist. But when it becomes apparent that it's just a front, he becomes very loveable. All the fun activities he's always coming up with to cheer up Jiang Jun is adorable. They're both quirky in the best way and really make a great match. They portrayed a relationship where the CP is also best friends and I loved that. I think the fact that Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu get along so well off screen just made it seem like we were watching them play and have fun the whole time.

Everything else in this drama I really didn't care for. Aside from the few dilemmas our CP worked together to solve in the beginning, the plot was weak and it became apparent that their love story was front and center.

Side characters:
Du Lei started out as a nice and supportive 2ML. But the more we learned about him he was just a weird guy with an equally creepy adopted sister. For me, his dark past was a little TOO dark and deranged for this type of drama. I knew a mental breakdown was brewing the whole drama but completely pushing him over the edge in the end and making him full blown crazy just seems externally forced on his character and unnecessary. Very rarely am I understanding of the female lead not seeing the 2MLs feelings in a drama but it is actually believable here. He really does politely stay in the friendzone most of the time and has never pushed barriers. Which is why him snapping seems faulty. But then he's so quickly forgiven after SEXUAL HARASSMENT??? Who approved this writing?

The FL's best friend I find very annoying and I really tried to like her. But her relentless pursuit of the 2ML was cringe and boring. He was also equally unenjoyable and rude. He basically kept rejecting her and indirectly told her to wait until compatibility on his silly dating app was 100%. Is she color blind? He gave her so many red flags in the beginning but she kept forcing herself into his world. I'm usually not offended by Riley Wang but his character here did nothing for me.
Their collaboration on The West World and the event at the aquarium was the best I saw from them.

The ending: They forced a pointless villain in and a selfless break up. Could've done without that. Cheesy I can handle, but the ridiculous "serious" parts of this drama just killed it for me. I don't mind serious moments/topics in romantic comedies if it's done well. But here, besides the main CP, everything else is just terrible. (I'm not even getting into the tear allergy) But they do finally get back together after 3ps or so and the ending is sweet.

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  • Score: 8.4 (scored by 26,861 users)
  • Ranked: #716
  • Popularity: #269
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