The Sweet Girl (2020)

The Sweetest Couple!

Because the plot on MyDramaList was a little confusing at first, I constantly ignored this drama and put it aside. The female lead Mi Jiu Er is known as Superflash, and is a poor heroine who protects and takes care of refugees in the city. She ends up swapping places with her doppelgänger, who is the manager of the male lead's clothing workshop. Honestly, this drama is an underrated gem, and generally is very solid with one of the happiest and most well-written endings that I've seen recently in Chinese dramas. If you go into this for sparkly and passionate romance, a really cute main couple, and don't except an intense story too much, I definitely encourage you to watch this!

I'd highly recommend having a watch if you like these tropes:

♡ Enemies to Lovers: Luo Yin Ran and Mi Jiu Er are constantly bickering in the beginning. While Yin Ran is a cold, reserved male lead who hates uncleanliness and is devoted to his work, he never hurts the female lead. Over time, he grows to protect her, and even puts down his own feelings and his wellbeing for Mi Jiu Er's happiness. The relationship between these two is incredibly healthy, and Luo Yin Ran never crosses boundaries that could hurt the female lead. This trope is also repeated with the second couple in this drama, who are also very loveable and also have a very sweet relationship as well.

♡ So Many Kisses: The amount of passion and sweetness in all the kisses made my heart flutter! Both the main actor Kris Sun and actress Jin Wen Xin are adorable, and their kisses are so well shot. There are sweet and lovely kisses, but also romantic ones, and even some that show tinges of bittersweetness. The actors did a great job in showing the emotion of their characters through all of the kiss scenes, and many of the kisses were lengthy and passionate (instead of being frozen or stiff).

♡ Gorgeous Production Value: All of the clothes (especially as this is a drama which focuses on the clothing industry) are beautiful. The scenes are so wonderfully shot, and the buildings and sets are gorgeous. I believe that this is a Republican era drama (it isn't exactly clear in the series because the show doesn't really focus on the political context) and so you will see an interesting mix of Western clothing on Pei Zhuo and Chinese clothing on Luo Yin Ran.

♡ Generally Drama and Angst Lite: There are moments where the drama ventures into more sad scenes. Our main couple does experience some periods of sadness, but they also communicate and try to work out their problems. This is therefore great to pick up if you just want something to relax to and something where you don't have to think too much.

♡ Solid Storyline and Very Watchable: There are enemies and problems in this drama, but because it's only 24 episodes, there is little to no filler, and you have a great beginning, an interesting setup, and one of my all time favourite endings. If you want a whole story that's completed, instead of finding out that there's a cliffhanger or a "Season 2" after finishing, I highly recommend that you watch this. You will be completely satisfied by the progression of the story.

♡ My Boy Fan Xiao Dong: If you've watched the Chinese drama the Rules of Love, Fan Xiao Dong is the actor who plays the second male lead. If your heart was crushed by second lead syndrome in that drama, it'll (unfortunately) also be crushed here too as Fan Xiao Dong plays the lonely second love interest Pei Zhuo. I think that out of all the actors, Fan Xiao Dong did the best job, because he was simultaneously a character that you could be deeply sympathetic with at one second, and then hateful towards during the next. In any case, I think his character had one of the biggest changes to his personality and mindset, and that this drama is an opportunity to see another side of his acting.

However, there are also some things you might not like about the drama:

♥ Chemistry: It took some time for me to get used to Kris Sun and Jin Wen Xin. They do have a large age gap, and I felt very lukewarm about their chemistry during the first couple episodes. In addition, I feel that some of the earlier episodes create more sparks between Mi Jiu Er and the second male lead Pei Zhuo, and have more scenes with them clearly showing some affection towards each other. However, once you keep watching, especially when Luo Yin Ran begins to fall for Mi Jiu Er, you start to warm up to them and the kisses definitely are exploding with chemistry.

♥ Somewhat Rocky Acting: There are some scenes where I as not really convinced of the main actors and actress. Jin Wen Xin's interpretation of Mi Jiu Er definitely can come off as very childish (especially as she is so petite). This also gets me on to the dubbing, where Jin Wen Xin's absolutely lovely husky voice in real life is changed into a very childish-sounding, high pitched one, which some viewers may not like. However, over time her brash and straightforward personality becomes very endearing. Sometimes I also felt Kris Sun struggled with the more emotionally demanding scenes, especially ones that involved crying or anger. However, I think both still did a solid job, but whether it was their acting or the story itself, I do think that there are some scenes in which the acting is a little stiff and/or unnatural.

♥ Some Parts Can be Boring, Especially the First Stretch: I did skip some times during the drama, and do find that the beginning is probably the hardest to get through, because the setup is done in a way where you don't feel like it's high stakes or are drawn in to the story. I did drop it several times initially, before I started getting through the more expository episodes, and started really seeing the romance develop.

♥ Not a Huge Focus on Succeeding in the Clothing Industry: The background plot does involve the vying for power in the clothing industry amongst different businesses that are in the industry. I do think that this was a great idea to tie in the overall story and to give some urgency to the plot. However, note that this is not a story of how Mi Jiu Er overcomes obstacles and becomes a wonderful and capable manager, or that she grows to become skilled in the industry. While part of the story does involve how Luo Yin Ran acquires greater fame in the industry, the main focus is really on our main couple. So you will not really be seeing the characters improve per se, but instead a greater emphasis on the romance that develops between them (and then some scheming that occurs from other companies.)

I'd recommend you watch this if you liked dramas that have lots of fluffy romance, are beautifully filmed, and also love a lot of romantic tropes. I do think you need to have your expectations set - this is no groundbreaking Chinese drama where you may feel the need to binge watch - but is a very solid and well done show overall. If you're looking for something that's sweet and light, then this is for you!

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Thanks to sulkytofu's review, I was prepared for what to expect. I recommend reading their review first and then reading mine as I do make a few distinctions.

I enjoyed this drama! The beginning episodes were hard to get through at first (I'd say ep1-6) but after that, the main leads really start to latch onto me and their romance start to build a lot more. The female main lead did feel a little annoying at first, but--again--after the 6th episode, I really liked her. (The male main lead also felt a bit stiff to me at first but after the 6th episode, I liked him too.)
This isn't a show that's jam-packed with drama, plot twists, etc., thus, why I called it a "low-key" drama. It's fun to watch and nice to watch when you have time or are just looking for a drama that's not going to pull any weird/strange twists. (In fact, I think it gets quite intriguing in the middle of the series! I binge-watched a lot of those eps.)
I also enjoyed the soundtrack a lot! I've one back to listened to it several times and can hum a couple of the tunes. It was pretty catchy and the scenes it played over was memorable.

My biggest letdowns from this show were just 2 things:
1) the secondary pairing's relationship is super cute but towards the end of the series, they don't get a lot of screen time. It's a shame as I enjoyed them very much & would've loved a whole lot more of them, especially from the girl.
2) some characters' endings felt a bit...too easy (as if the plot didn't know what to do with them, so the characters were dealt with in a kind of cheap way, I'd say. But again, I liked the low-keyness of the drama and am glad the overall series wasn't too short nor too long.)

Overall, the drama was enjoyable! Not the greatest, not the worst, just a fun drama to watch. The OST is really good and I've found myself listening to it a lot.

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Beautiful cute story you should watch.

Okay so I am usually very picky when it comes to dramas especially historical dramas. Many dramas have death and may not have a happy ending. The story overall is so cute. A thing I love about is the actors and actresses they are all good looking and act very good. It takes place in historical times but has some more stuff that cansa years after an example is a car also the houses in it and lastly the hair for the guys is short not long. If you like laughing I recommend it. Many people may like some sad stories this has some sad parts but it’s cute and a beautiful drama it has to be one of my top 3 dramas. The music is beautiful and I love the music.

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nice light drama

The drama is set in the early years of the 20th century, so an interesting time of diversification of customs and fashion. The plot tells about the world of fashion designers of that time. The main character ML designs beautiful clothes and is a young creative designer. Another fashion house with traditional designs competes with him, so the owner tries by all means to win against the young main ML. The main character of FL Mi Jiu Er / Superflash turns out to be very similar to the manager of the male leader's clothing workshop and by coincidence switches places with her. ML is kind, good-natured, brave, but doesn't show much brains. Generally, I can neither write nor read, nor can I cook or embroider. She only knows a bit of martial arts, which are of no use to her new job as a fashion house manager. She is also not very eager to learn anything, she is very resistant to knowledge. So I was wondering why both male characters ML and Pay Zhuo fell in love with her and later competed with each other to the point where she almost married Pay Zhuo if ML hadn't kidnapped her at the last minute. Then FM caught up a bit with ML and was more in the know when it came to running a fashion house. However, I was absolutely annoyed by the fact that FM completely failed to realize that ML knew about her, that she was not Lu Yiling. How could you not realize that the tattoo was to mask her birthmark on her arm to protect FL from revealing her true identity. How could you not notice the many other facts that were plain to see that ML knew who she was. So either she was really stupid or she was so fixated on ML just using her to get the book that she was blind to all the facts around her. In general, FM only realized in episode 20 that ML loves her and not Lu Yiling... I missed more chemistry between them for so many episodes and in the last episode where they had a wedding night after the wedding and again they showed it in a not very romantic style.
I also liked the second pair of D - Su Yi and Lvshai. They had nice realities, the script neglected them a bit.
I was very impressed with the clothes - especially since it's a drama that focuses on the clothing industry) they were really beautiful.
To sum up, I recommend the whole thing, because unlike other dramas, the plot is not so annoyingly dramatic and you can watch it without stress that there will be dramatic twists and turns. The drama ends well, so that's fine for me, too.

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Surprisingly Good!

I don’t expect much from C-dramas so I go in with low expectations. The Sweet Girl, however, exceeded those expectations. Not once in the 24 episodes did I get bored and press the fast forward button. I think that’s due to most of the drama being focused on ML/FLs romance rather than side romances or intrigue. Don’t get me wrong, there is, indeed, intrigue as a competing workshop tries to cheat their way into winning the chamber of commerce’s competition, but those scenes are kept at a minimum. Just like the secondary romance between Su Yi and Lvshai. Also, there’s plenty of psycho chicks who think they’re the only ones worthy of ML/SMLs love because somehow hanging around them entitles you. But, the psycho chicks, although annoyingly sure of their own worthiness, in no way has a rat rear end’s chance of coming between ML/SML and FL, and subsequently get banished by ML/SML for trying to do so. Nice to see men that take immediate action against these toxic women. Well, anyway, on with the review.

This period piece was set – I think – in the 1920s, which immediately wet my interest. Any time I find a C-drama set in a historical time period other than the dynasties, I pounce like a cat on a mouse. The costumes were romantic and a welcome change to the typical dynasty garb. I just wish more of the women had 20s hairstyles – really only Su Yi’s mom fulfilled that wish. At least, the men had short hair (although with A LOT of product in it), not man buns or long flowing tresses.

ML – If I didn't have a bad case of SML syndrome right from the start, I would have liked him better. Also, if his hairstyle for the first half hadn’t remind me of Edward Scissorhands, I might have like him better…but it was cute how he could expel a puff of air from his mouth and move that one strand of hair on his forehead. Wonder if he could do that naturally or it took him practice. I was impressed with the actor’s ability to express his character’s emotions. His expression turned so sweetly loving when he looked at FL (once he’s fallen in love with her, of course). He really did look like he adored her. And he expressed a fair amount of angst when FL nearly died and then when she was scheduled to marry SML. He also brought humor to the drama – not laugh out loud humor – just smiling to yourself humor. I would have been perfectly satisfied with FL’s choice if it weren’t for SML syndrome.

SML aka Mr. Pei – FL didn’t fall in love with him, but I did, and my heart broke for him as FL gravitated toward ML. I guess that’s the advantage of proximity. Honestly, there was no reason for her to choose ML over SML other than proximity…and the script told her to. Mr. Pei was sweet and kind and elegant. He was so happy when the evil Mrs. Qin arranged for him to marry FL, and my heart broke once again when she was snatched away from him at the last minute. Too be so close to your dream and then have it taken from you – no wonder he hated ML after that! Yeah, he strayed in the psycho chick territory for a while – she’s not yours if she loves the other guy, sweetie - but I still loved him. I kept telling FL that there were worse things than marrying Mr. Pei, and she just wouldn’t listen to me. Darn it!

FL – a typical spunky heroine although she was also incredibly stupid. How could she not know for 20 episodes that ML knew who she was? How could she think that he was in love with the previous Manager Lu when he told her to her face over and over again that he loved her? I can understand thinking he used you to get the book- since you heard something to that effect - but there’s no way she can't know that he knows who she is unless she’s just stupid.

Second couple – Su Yi and Lvshai. They were one of the first C-drama second couples that I was actually interested in - probably because the scriptwriter/director kept their story to the minimum. Their romance didn’t distract from the MC. I did find SFL’s timid behavior rather annoying, and honestly, would these Chinese parents really accept their son marrying a maid/shop worker? I know we’re in the 1920s, but these parents were surprisingly kind and accepting of their son’s choice in wife. Not that I’m complaining – I’ve had more than enough meddling Asian parents! I’m always happy to see nice Asian parents – although I could’ve done without the concubine thing. Sad to know that kind of stuff was still going on in the early 20th century.

The villagers did get on my nerves. First of all, what is this? A village of women and children only? How come Agui was the only male in the village? And why was FL the only woman willing to stand up to the bad guys? I guess the helplessness and dependency of the villagers just rubbed me the wrong way. Also, Grandma had TB but somehow recovered? TB was pretty deadly in those days so I found her recovery a bit far-fetched.

Finally, the ending seemed a bit odd to me. Why would FL suddenly decide to take the kids and head out on an adventure, leaving ML behind? Did she get bored because she was no longer Superflash? I don’t get it. And then ML runs after them to join them in their travels. Uh, who's minding the shop and producing money? Why did this family suddenly decide to travel when everyone was perfectly content at home for the previous 24 episodes? Just makes no sense to me.

But, overall, this drama exceeds my expectations, and I would highly recommend it.

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I’m certainly feeling like a sweet girl after this drama!

i enjoyed this so much! well exceeded my expectations. definitely deserves a higher rating. while the FL is a bit jarring, she gets better after about 6 episodes. even then, it wasn’t unbearable enough to drop the drama, i’ve seen worse childish FL in chinese dramas before. the plot is nice and the pacing is good. leads has brilliant chemistry and although the drama clearly didn’t have the highest budget (that beautify filter was abused in some scenes lol), i still thought the set and costumes were very nice! i liked that the ML knew of the FL real identity early on and fell in love with the FL for who she was. one thing i thought was a bit rushed was how they dealt with the real Lu Yiling.
other than that, a nice cliche drama with cute romance. don’t go in expecting anything outside the box and you'll enjoy it loads. the best for when you want something not too stressful. defo recommend! 8/10.

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Du potentiel, mais une réalisation énervante !

Désolée, moi, je n'ai pas aimé cette série.

Il y avait pourtant du potentiel :
1/ La story est cohérente et le plot intéressant.
2/ Le contexte de la couture/haute couture et l'époque auraient pu créer une série captivante.
3/ Beaucoup d'acteurs sont vraiment handsome et talentueux (bien que je suis plutôt réservée sur la FL, dont le personnage, puéril, décrit comme "maline" mais très souvent idiote est agaçant).
4/ Pour une fois, les personnages amoureux se comportent en lovers.il y a pas de kisses et les contacts ne sont pas systématiquement évités.
5/ Les OST n'ont rien d'exceptionnel mais relativement adaptées ce type de drama.

MAIS :
- Il y a pas mal d'anachronismes.
- La réalisation est lente, avec des scènes inutiles et des longueurs
- les "great villains" sont trop trop exagérés (pervers, voire "evil")
- le ton est plus que mélodramatique !!

Je voulais voir ce drama dont les commentaires sont très favorables, mais j'ai fait du zapping par agacement et j'ai fini par lâcher...

Ne perdez pas votre temps, il y a plein de séries plus intéressantes à regarder.

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