Misleading reviews

Love is sweet is an over hyped show. It's not worth the hype. Not saying it's bad, but not that great either. This show is the classic example of how the reviews and ratings can be misleading. I had been eyeing this show for a very long time(an year almost) but never got time to watch it. In the ocean of millions of dramas out there, I either forgot it or delayed watching it. Recently I decided to watch it. Mind you, I had already watched few videos floating through YouTube, so I was a bit aware of the plot of the show. The plot is weaved along the same common lines of other C DRAMAS, though the sub-plots, screenplay and many other factors set a drama apart from the other one. Guy meets the girl, they fight, they love, they separate and eventually make up(nothing new). If I see the reviews and rating of this show(be it here or other YouTube), most people have great things to say about the chemistry of the main lead. Which is fine as this is a very subjective thing, though I find it a bit above average. If I were a new viewer to the Chinese dramas, I might have loved their chemistry. But I have already watched many modern and ancient dramas where the main lead's chemistry is off the charts and at times really passionate. I think 36 episodes were not required. 24-25 episodes were more than enough. There were many sub-plots which I found not that great. They were just there to lengthen the show. The one actor I particularly like is Gao Hanyu. That dude has better screen presence than the male lead of the show. Honestly speaking, I liked him better than the ML. The FL is good. She acts well. The second leads were good too. In the end, I would say it again, please don't blindly follow the ratings. I have watched some really great dramas which have not been abundantly reviewed or rated.

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Had not expected this

This is one of the lousiest dramas that I have watched in recent times. Though the story is somewhat different and actors are really good but they have been utilized in the worst way possible. The story is about the CEO of a company who is also a single father(mind you it's his big brother and sis-in-law's kid, but they are dead) and a Child Psychologist who loves kids in general. She meets the kid(who, by the way, is the focal point of the whole drama and not to mention uber cute) and forms a bond with him. Child starts calling him 'mummy' as he feels motherly warmth from her, and the story continues with different sub-plots, where the romance blooms between the CEO dude and the psychologist girl. No matter how good a drama is, it is never deprived of cliched sub-plots and plot holes, but this drama surpasses all of them. The story lacks pace. It's either too slow or too fast. At times, while watching the drama, I found myself confused as to what's going on. For example, the FL goes on a year long sabbatical but suddenly she joins her male friend's institution. The FL leaves for the mountain resort and upon learning this, the kid tells his dad(ML) and afterwards they both follow the FL to that place and it turns out that that the kid had to perform in the activity, but why did she leave the kid behind is beyond my wits. The FL's best friends who also happens to be her colleague, loses her job because she has spilled coffee on a wicked girl's coat. Mind you ,she was employed for a long time and yet this becomes the reason for her dismissal. I think this is the first drama where the music sucks too. I have watched pretty average shows with great soundtrack but this show had some extremely average sounding songs. It got somewhat difficult to find a connection. The screenplay is poor and shoddily done. It took the leads too long even to kiss and express their emotions towards each other. The scenes containing the second leads were confusing too. I was struggling to watch this drama after 16-17 episode. It was like, I just wanted to get it over with because I had started it. The makers took best of the ingredients but ruined it due to their lack of skills and patience.

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I dozed off many times

Makers of the show solely depended upon the lead cast of the show. The cast was a great choice, though. However, they forgot that there are several other factors that make a drama successful. The story was very regular and somewhat cliched and predictable. The music was so damn average.

The Good:
1. The star cast of the show, especially the leads
2. No unnecessary drama or viciousness in any of the characters.

The Bad(I would rather call it boring):
1. There was too much of going in and out of the past. The leads were a teen couple 11-12 years ago, before they parted their ways, and after meeting again several years later, both realize that they are still in love and rekindle their relationship. It was necessary to show the background in order to feel connected with their present day story, however in half of the show, the leads were just reminiscing their past only.
2. Lack of character development: As the story develops so do the characters. However, the supporting cast, doesn't grow at all.
3. Unrealistic sub-plots: The child of the 2nd male lead is sent to Beijing with the female lead so that she can get him admitted in a school. But this boy is sent to various other homes and people too. For example, the friend and colleague of the female lead just takes the child in, in her care as the female has to go with male lead for a 2 week long trip. The child's father is all cool with his son's living situation.
4. There was no development for 2nd leads. It's shown that the 2nd male lead(who happens to be the colleague and friend of the main lead) proposes the above mentioned friend and colleague of the female lead, but even after the leap of 2.5 years, they were still unmarried.
5. The SWAT team members act so juvenile and childish. It's like they have no work when ML and FL are around.
6. In one of the scenes, after giving birth, FL is trying to feed her baby while the ML(father of the baby) looks on. FL asks her to look away and feels very shy. I was like oh C''mon, girl, he's your baby daddy'.
7. As for the romantic moments, there were way too many staring lovingly in the eyes moments. The leads have chemistry, but bad screenplay is to be blamed for not using the romantic element correctly.

This is just a short list. There were so many annoying and boring moments. I actually slept through the scenes, and many of them I had to fast forward as they were taking toll on my nerves. All in all, it was dragging, boring and somewhat dull.

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Firefighting and romancing

I finished watching this drama yesterday. Few sub-plots seem to have been stolen from the show 'You are my Hero'. I liked it and found it watchable. However, what I didn't like about this drama is:

1. Character development was pretty slow for the supporting cast. For example, the story of The big brother of our FL, XU QIN and the bar waitress girl could have been given a romantic angle, but it ended poorly by the good waitress girl gone bad, pressing molestation charges on him. In the last episode, however, they bring her for a scene, only to lead it nowhere. What a waste of character!

2. Too much adulation for fire fighters and their work. Well, no exaggeration. It was too much to handle. The city seems to be on fire and it's citizens in trouble all the time, all because firefighters have to rescue them. ?. In one of the episodes, a group of 4 firefighters go to a shop just to catch a spider. ?‍♀️

3. The story of Li meng and Jiyang yu never took off until a slight glimpse of their possible future romance in the last episode. Their romance could have been written and played during the show.

4. Why kill the Cute firefighter Da Peng when he was about to convince the girl, he was in love with, to be with him. This was totally unnecessary.

5. Yang Yang landing in hospital every now n then, only to be treated by our FL, XU QIN. C'mon! ?

6. I didn't understand the equation and understanding between FL and her brother with their parents. One moment, they're infuriated by their parents, and in the next moment they all are having dinner. One moment the big bro of our FL is leaving home, telling his mom that How terrible she has been as a mother, and in the next moment, they are sitting across from each other as if nothing at all happened.

7. There's a scene where our FL, XU QIN, leaves her Home n Car keys at her parents' home, as she decides to leave the house given to her by her parents. But next day, she's in that same home packing her belongings and getting ready to move. I wonder if she had an extra key.

Despite all this, there's a sensitive topic this drama has brought up, the emotional damage caused by the controlling and emotionally unavailable parents, and how children, inspite of being adults with successful careers, still feel controlled by their parents.

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Warm and engaging

This show is such a delight to watch. The makers have taken you to the kitchen of a Chinese household. I love the cooking scenes of the Main leads and how they show the connection between food items and the emotion connected to it. The main lead is so good. The ML(Gao Hanyu) looks really handsome . In one particular party scene, he is wearing black suit and looks breathtakingly handsome in that. The chemistry of main lead warmed my heart and their kissing scenes are so passionate. Often the second lead is not particularly that good but in this show the second lead is really awesome. I liked how they too have got enough screen time and not treated particularly as the second lead. Overall, it has been a great watch and I might consider it watching it again after some time.

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Annoying and lousy

This drama starts off well, but after only 2 episodes, it starts getting pretty boring and dragging. There's much annoying stuff in this drama.
From ML's little sis, and FL's mom to the 2nd lead, this drama is full of irritating characters. The ringtone has more screentime than the actors. All the characters have the same ringtone(including FL's mom). The second lead couple appears more on screen than the main lead. It looks like they are central figure of the whole show. The sub-plots are boring and dragging. There was no need to make 45 episodes. The whole show could have been done within 28-30 episodes.

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Candy floss served in an expensive dish

My little happiness is like a straight road, without any bumps, potholes, twists & turns, and that's what makes it bland. When will the makers and the audience wake up to the fact that Romancing is not about all sweetness and fluff. There has to be an equally compelling story line too. Honestly, too much of sweetness and cute moments also make a romantic story dull and boring, and this drama exemplifies it.
Childhood friends separate due to circumstances and fate brings them together after many years. Our ML Dr. Wen Shao Qing is a neurosurgeon in a top hospital, and our FL Cong Rong is a law intern who happens to land in the same hospital to complete her internship project. ML doesn't pay much attention to FL until he realizes that she is the same childhood friend that he has been waiting for so many years, and this realization takes place with the FL introducing herself. All these years, he just goes under a huge tree and waits on her. It doesn't occur to him to take advantage of the advanced technological help that is at his disposal. He suddenly falls in love with her and starts showing extra care towards her. All this time, I was wondering, how come the ML's name didn't jog any memory of him being her childhood friend. or may be she is used to address ML as FATTY(ML was fat as a lil boy). OR MAYBE SHE DIDN'T CARE TO LEARN HIS REAL NAME. Anyway, this marks the beginning of the cheesy and over the top sweet flirty scenes between ML and FL. The so called famous and dedicated neurosurgeon becomes OH SO DEDICATED LOVER. He waits for her at the bus stop to pick her up. Coddles her like a little fragile baby. Coaxes her to have breakfast with her each morning. MIND YOU, all this happens while FL is unaware of the fact that ML is her childhood sweetheart. Well , she soon learns that the same handsome doctor(ML) is her childhood friend, and soon after this revelation, they start a relationship full of KISSING, HUGGING, HE LEANING OVER HER, GETTING EXTRA COZY at the drop of the hat scenes. UGGGGHHHHH!!! It was so much that I felt one of my tooth decayed due to the cavity caused by over the top sweetness. Not to mention, staring in the eye scenes(they were too many). There's a limit to everything, but WAIT, the worst of all is that she signs up to volunteer to help at an earthquake affected area, so that she can be with the LOVE OF HER LIFE (ML). At this point, I just lost it. I mean, C'mon man, she didn't care about her cousin who also went with the medical team to the earthquake affected area. She was just concerned for being with ML, making the whole RELIEF HELP MISSION look like a joke.

Well, enough with the ranting, the only thing that got me glued to the show, was the chemistry and romance of the Second lead. I am usually not the one who ships for the 2nd leads, no matter how good they are. But here, I literally watched the show for them only. Their relationship doesn't start with romance. It rather starts with tiffs and arguments, but gradually it builds up and leads to love and romance. They are the spicy couple of the show, unlike the main leads who are just burying faces in each other's necks. Some people have commented on their height difference. I don't care much for the height difference. It's just that there are various other elements that the makers didn't focus much on.

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