Sweet Combat (2018)

As a fan of the webtoon "Girls of the Wilds" I have always wished for a live action dram to be made from it. I was excited when I came across "Sweet Combat" shortly after it had started airing. However, this can only be described as a loose adaptation of the webtoon. Even though it's not an exact production of the original story, I do think that the main plot is there and the personalities of the all the main characters are also close to the original. It's obvious that around episode 15 the writers decided to veer away from the original story and just sprinkle things in here and there. But they did stay true to the main plot and the feelings of the main characters. The only thing that I'm really disappointed in is the fight scenes and the lack thereof compared to the original story. The intense fight scenes of the original story was one of the biggest draws I think. But, this is a Chinese idol drama and has to fit that mould as well as a budget that probably couldn't afford a Jackie Chan stunt team. All in all I think it is a decent drama to watch. And if you haven't read the original webtoon I would suggest checking it out, but maybe wait until after watching the drama.

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My god. The acting was SO bad in the beginning. Everyone was speaking rhythmically, and it just sounded like they were reciting lines. The acting got better for most characters, but there were still a lot of scenes later on where I felt like the acting was robotic. When I watch shows I love to pay attention to the little gestures by characters who aren't at the center of attention in the scene to see how they play off the script when they are only reacting. In this show, that was all very unnatural; the "little gestures" looked awkward and TOO scripted and exaggerated.

The cinematography also got better, but the first few episodes had so many internal monologues, even by characters that I didn't care about, and not only did it make the plot move super slowly, but it just felt like they were trying to cram in all the tragic backstories at the start so that we didn't hate the characters.

I was super excited about the plot at first, but the way dramatic irony was implemented meant that I was just constantly frustrated because I knew about secrets maybe even TEN episodes before the characters would figure them out. I was also super annoyed by the "problems" that the characters were facing—most of them were caused by the characters not trusting each other and miscommunicating.

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Ming Tian did not finish high school because he was left to take care of his two young siblings, who are twins, when his mother up and left because she got fed up with her husband, three years ago.

The husband ended up dead after a while, therefore a teenage Ming Tian had to shoulder the burden of looking after his two young siblings by eking out a living any which way he can.

While on a work errand, he came across a rather arrogant girl, who thought that money is enough to solve everything. This girl was Fang Yu.

Ming Tian really wanted to go to college and as luck would have it he was accepted into sports university in the Shenzhen City in the Guandong Province of China.

His little family left Macau to be able for him to enroll at Zhengze University where coincidentally is where Fang Yu is the queen.

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"Sweet Combat?" More like, "What Combat?"

Pros:
The acting is mostly good, with the supporting cast in particular knocking it out of the park. Not just with the acting but their stories were honestly more interesting than the main plot. Even one of the villains gets sort of a redemption arc as the series goes on and it was genuinely interesting to see them try to become a better person. Cheng Yanan is honestly one of the best tom boys I've seen as of late, and Sun Hao was just the best part of the show period. There's one fight towards the end that was honestly well choreographed. Also the characters have really good taste in fashion. The T-Shirts are honestly some of the best visual gags.

Cons:
For a show whose opening plays up everyone's interest in martial arts, it's not really a focus at all. The tournaments barely last longer than half an episode and you don't get the sense that what happens in them actually means anything for the characters personally. Then there's the actual plot, aka the romance between Ming Tian and Fang Yu. It was one of the worst on again off again romances I've seen. Ming Tian does nothing wrong, all of the conflict comes from things out of his control or the actions of other people. It's more Fang Yu having to overcome obstacles that she creates for herself to be with him, which leads to just constant annoyance as opposed to actual tension. Fang Yu is the most frustrating character in the series and I was constantly begging the tv to just have Ming Tian forget about her and find someone else.

Then there's our star, easily the weakest actor in the group, (excluding the children), though that's hardly surprising considering he's got nothing to work with with how dull the script is. He hardly has any agency throughout the entire series. It's such a joke when the three side romances has better development and a more believable conflict than the main one.

None of the male characters talk to each other unless it's about the girls, excluding the bad guys that is. Oh they actually talk to each other and other male characters, but that's because they're evil I guess. Sun Hao, aka best boi, has like maybe three conversations total with Ming Tian, and two of those have to do with romancing Fang Yu. Is there a male version of the Bechtel test because oh wow this show would fail 85% of the time.

Finally, the product placement here is laughably awful. It honestly becomes a drinking game to see just how much is trying to be sold to the public and that's with me not understanding Chinese characters and brands.

Final thoughts:
This show is trash and a waste of your time. Do not watch unless you want to test if you can stomach the endurance test that is Fang Yu and Ming Tian's relationship. On the lighter side though this did get me to watch the Taoism Grandmaster just to see Pei Zitian (Sun Hao) in a leading role. I'm hoping this guy hits it big. Looking forward to Legend of the White Snake.

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Easy to watch show with some serious story telling issues

While this drama was easy to watch, it has some serious story telling issues. Yes, the OTP has chemistry and are good looking but it is not raw passion. The romance is a slooow burn with every bit of push-pull and misunderstanding style tropes thrown in just to prolong the journey. The final confession didn't happen until ep20 and the FL was still trying to wiggle out of admitting her feelings for the ML. Seriously, if they drag this out any longer, I would have dropped the show right there and then. Thankfully, they did acknowledge their love for each other and we get a few episodes where they were a happy couple. Of course, the well worn path of Chinese drama haunt us and we get the nasty plots to break them up and the forced separation. The annoying thing is that the writer seemed to start off writing one show and ended with another. The original setting of the school was fairly fresh and generated a lot of funny moments in the first 10 episodes or so. The interactions were easy and a role switch with all the female characters being strong and determined, welcoming. But by mid show, the story line is firmly back in well established romance/melo drama territory. Early set ups and back stories faded into the generic plot pool. The middle part of the show was so focused on the OTP's messy relationship that key events (like the tournament that was SO important) ended up going nowhere and had little impact. By the last third of the show, the writers seemed to have run out of steam on the OTP and a lot of screen time went to the support casts. It is not a bad thing as those relationships (we ended up with 3 more pairs!) is actually more interesting than the OTP by then. Their plot lines felt more real and organic in comparison. The down side to that is that it served to highlight how contrived and forced the main story line has become. Seriously, the last quarter of the show was a mess. Weak writing and awkward editing resulted in very odd tonal shifts. When they wheeled out the "Death Strike" as a deus ex machina plot device in ep33, I knew the writer(s) are in trouble. The lazy plotting also extended to how amazingly easy for the OTP to be manipulated to engineer their breakup. We did get an eleventh hour happy ending, no surprise there! I would have been a lot happier if they cut out a lot of the "will they, won't they" shenanigans in the last episode, get the OTP back together quickly and let the ensemble cast have some happy scenes together. That would have been a nice fan service. In the end, the show had a promising start but lost momentum mid way and it ended as a meh show. I was only going to rate it 6 but the support casts (love the cute kids) deserved a point for their efforts.

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Pros: Plot and Casting
Overall a good series. Casting was on point, male and female leads have great chemistry making the love story feel genuine. I would have rated the story higher if not for the inconsistent pacing. Some episodes advance events at a crawl while other episodes have 3 major events happening at the same time. The overarching story is fairly well written and kept me invested so I would definitely recommend the show as a whole.

Con: Lack of fight Scenes and Subpar Choreography
The most disappointing part of the show was the limited number of fight scenes and the subpar fight choreography. For a show called "sweet combat" there was actually very little combat shown on screen, mostly just training. Personally, as someone who has done martial arts since childhood, I found the fight choreography be be incredibly underwhelming, mostly just simple I attack you dodge/block 1 step sequences, no extended exchanges or technical depth whatsoever. Particularly underwhelming were the grappling sequences where the lack of technical expertise really showed. Grappling exchanges were unrealistic and oversimplified BJJ submissions with poor/completely incorrect technique. Perhaps I just got my hopes up too high and am being unreasonable but I really expected more out of the fight scenes and fight sequences.

TL;DR
Good overarching plot with solid lead chemistry that keeps you invested. Held back by less than ideal pacing and atrocious fight choreography. Watch it for the love story, not the combat.

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This was tough for me, unfortunately, I really wanted to give this an 8 at the very least but the problems here could possibly be turn-offs for some people. This show really drags on stretching time to its full limit, making you wonder whether or not even a day has passed between episodes. So if you are expecting tons of action or at least a decent amount turn away. The show depicts itself as a type of martial arts academy (even though it is a college) that has rankings, a major tournament, and extremely competitive students but fails to really implement any of those major aspects that the setting is offering. In fact, it isn't until halfway into the massive 37 episodes that Ming Tian(main) finally has an actual fight. You could count the number of significant fights on one hand if you wanted. So again this is not really an action show, more lightly themed and sprinkled with some choreography here and there(not all good). But what sweet combat lacks does not take away from a good time all together. Characters top to bottom were fantastic, believable, and well-acted. You really couldn't help but smile when you see the main group of friends interacting with one another. This thought applies to support characters as well, never really overstaying their welcome but making their own presence felt with each scene. Its pretty heavy on the romance, which I don't mind but at some point, it just feels like they were forcing any character they introduced to have someone by the end of the show which was kind of annoying. Still, it does not take away from the main romance that was both compelling and heartfelt Finally the plot has its high points and its low points but all in all well rounded, nothing special but not bad. Leaving me with my final impression that this is a solid show that has lots of enjoyment Let the characters take you, get to know them and you will feel you are apart of the group as well feeling both their joy and their pain.

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Drama was okay, but the story isn't quite like expected.

STORY--------------------------------
One thing that I didn't understand was the connection between the Title of the drama and the drama itself. I'd expect "Sweet Combat" to be finding love and developing the love story through boxing or taekwondo. I seemed to imagine a more "hot", "love at first sight" sort of thing. But the story was the complete opposite. There were only 2 major love scenes between the leads in the drama. Also, I didn't really like the female lead character that much, since it was too much of a stereotype Queen Fighter, trying to hide their feelings, acting tough, being chased by guys, etc. This is another one of the dramas where the leads are separated by someone who is trying to sabotage their relationship, and it isn't until the last 20 minutes of the drama where they reunite and find the truth. It was a combination of the plot and the characters that made me a little iffy about a good rating.

ACTING/CAST-------------------------
I think both leads were okay at acting, though I personally liked the male lead, Song Xiao Mi, Fang Zhou (female lead's brother), and Chen Ya Nan's dad the most in the drama. They had really unique personalities.

MUSIC-----------------------------------
All the music was good, and I almost memorized the lyrics to all of the songs!

REWATCH VALUE--------------------
I don't think I will rewatch it for the story/experience. I would at most rewatch it for the cast/acting and music.

OVERALL-------------------------------
The reason why I wouldn't recommend this drama is because the story and characters don't seem right. The only reason I would recommend the drama is because there is lots of humor, the cast is good, and the music is amazing.

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Best. MMA. Drama. Ever.

I really liked the plot of this story in general. I think the drama was trying to say that you could overcome your goals when you have friends to do it the whole way. The friendships in this show really did hit different. The couples really were something else too.

Fang Yu was a little frustrating at first, but then I stopped because her grandpa is kind of the reason why she's like that. I mean being groomed to be perfect can and will have effects on people. Ming Tian is the kind of person you'd want to be around with just because he's so hardworking and kind. He's always looked down on, which made me mad. Sun Hao is honestly a ball of sunshine. So bubbly and loyal, I could hug him for the rest of my life. Song Xiao Mi's role was kind of confusing. Like, she was a rival to Fang Yu and Cheng Yanan in way, but they were also friends. Cheng Yanan faced everything head-on, except when Luo Guan Yan admitted about his feelings. Luo Guan Yan was a interesting character, but I was a little sad that he came in the show about halfway. Fang Zhou reminded me of my brother, and I still can't tell if that was good or bad.

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Sweet Combat? More like Sweet Misunderstandings

Starting with the nice parts, I genuinely enjoyed this drama. Initially, I was skeptical about this at first, considering the rating it has on here. (which was right) But that was quickly thrown off my mind as I started watching this. I wouldn't say it was perfect in every aspect. But it was perfect in being the drama that I needed right now!
The episodes towards the start were highly addictive. I binge-watched about half the drama in a day. The chemistry was cute and the humor was surprisingly good. This drama gave me a lot of nostalgia, making me rethink what I want to cherish in life. I was so emotionally invested in the characters that this drama have me Post-Series Depression. :(

And that is sadly where all the good things end.

They took the title of this drama and threw it out of the window. This whole drama was a dumpster fire of misunderstandings. The story felt extremely inconsistent. At one time, Ming Tian has an internal monologue about how amazing fighting someone in the ring is. How hard he's going to work to be the best and protect Fang Yu from everyone. Then the next minute, he can't even properly throw a punch or is seen wasting his time. The story made it seem like the boxing/martial art aspect would be one of the major plot points of the story. Like hell, the dude even defeated the EdgeLord! the same dude who was #1 in the yearly tournament, who also beat the crap out of Fang Yu, but then BOOM! Next year, Ming completely forgets how to box. During the time skip, all we see Ming doing is roll tires and stare into the air. The male leads have 0 interactions unless it's about Fang Yu. We've seen Sun Hao and Ming converse only three times. The group sometimes acts like best of friends and sometimes like they are, sworn enemies. The ending was another disaster that I'll talk about later, but the story had a lot of plot holes. Like what happened to Luo Guan learning the death strike move? Did Ming and his bully have another match? Did Ming go further in his boxing career? What was the point of EdgeLord? Was he related to them or did he just randomly show up? Where is Auntie Ji's son? They eventually going to marry, so did Grandpa finally agree? Everything was left half-written. I'll only call this terrible writing.

People called out the ML and FL for bad-acting. I believe the acting was pretty good. Only the dialogue delivery was bland and felt robotic at times. I think the studio did not have any money; they showed the same cutscene like 20 times in every episode. At least film a few cutscenes and rotate amongst them. It doesn't cost that much. The flashback scenes were the exact scenes. Copy Paste. Lazy editing and production.

The ending was so incomplete that the ML and FL decided to continue the story in real life and finish it themselves (LOL). Despite the show being a great binge, the ending was one of the worst ones I've ever seen. Usually, dramas follow the - "They break up midway and get back around the last second episode"; but this drama took this a step further. Giving us the 'get back together in the last 7 minutes! Like there is a way to write an 'open ending' - where you got to interpret it yourself, left to your imagination. But this Ain't it, Chief. There were so many things I wanted to see towards the end. Fang Yu joins the college again. Ming wins a tournament. Ming and bully moments. The whole group celebrates Mama's wedding. Ming finally earns a good amount of money to make his siblings live in comfort. BUT NO. They had to do some stupid fountain scene.

OVERALL - Decent drama to watch when you don't have enough brain cells to spare for dramas. When you're looking for something funny, a clingy, butterflies in the stomach kind of love story. Worth the time?? IDK

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I'm very happy and excited to write this review when I seen the tittle Sweet combat I thought it is fighting show
But When I saw the first episode I was shocked
Storyline (9.0) I liked the staring of the show but after 32 episode I thought slightly boring
Casting (10) After I watched this show
I want all shows with real couples Just Like Guan And Lu Han I just love them the compliment each other On Other Hand Li meng meng and Zhao You are cute
Ost (10) I want to give I 20/10 The best sound track whenever I listen to this song I cried Hahha
Re Watch (10). After two days completing this show I want to watch it again and watched again
Overall(10) Overall I just love it I have seen some of the comment they are saying Lu han and guan are waste Guan is nation girl of China if u don't know ok
And They are in love. if u have don't time so don't watch shows
They are stars ok u have not ability to reach them ok thnx bye

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