Sweet Games (2023)

A Sweetly Delicious and Heartwarming Drama

This drama held my attention from the very first episode; so many deliciously sweet moments that you just could not stop yourself from smiling while watching.

The ML (WinWin aka Yan Yue) was perfectly cast. This is the first drama that I have seen him in. I am now looking forward to seeing him in "The Shadow" his next drama. That smile and dimples, everyone will be crushing over him because he is just so handsome. The FL (He Hong Shan aka An Ran) complimented him so well. She was funny, bright, pretty and she did not overly act like she knew everything being that she was older.

The drama was about An Ran who became an entrepreneur for a start-up company she started called "Sweet Games." She was always looking for investors. And you know the saying, "robbing Peter to pay Paul and robbing Paul to pay Peter back?" Well, that was An Ran. She was always short of money, but she somehow would make it work. Enter Yan Yue who was a successful voice actor that had known her when they both went to the same university. He had a secret crush on her, but he never would step to her.

Fast forward and we have An Ran renting the apartment next door to him. Yan Yue knew who she was, but she didn't remember him. So, the day that she rents the apartment she heads to a reunion at the university (as does Yan Yue) and while there she tries to get investors. It does not work out and to make matters even worse, she trips, and everyone sees the tags still on her clothes. Yan Yue was making his way to help An Ran, but her best friend Bei Meng Yao interceded before he could get to her. She helps An Ran to go the restroom where she basically tells her she is fine and that she can go. But you know she wasn't. She gets drunk at none other than a convenience store. Yan Yue comes and helps her home. She shares a kiss with him when she falls and wakes up the next morning in his bed. Yan Yue leads her to believe that something happened because he comes out in his robe.

We also have the ex-boyfriend from her university days that left her but now he tries to come back to get her. You know his situation with the girl he left her for didn't work out, so he is coming back to An Ran. An Ran is smart enough to know and doesn't want to have anything to do with him. At this point, I was a little ticked off by her bestie because she was trying to get them back together and dissing Yan Yue saying he was too young, and she didn't feel that he was the right person for her. He basically told her that it was none of her business what their relationship was and left her sitting at the table by herself. (I was high fiving him for that!)

Both parents of An Ran and Yan Yue did have similar thoughts regarding their relationship. But I was happy to see that the parents were not that forceful in trying to break them up due to the age difference. They both spoke to their parents in a way that they understood that it was no longer up to them to interfere, and they won them over.

Her game does become a success but you she did have those that tried to take it from her by planting a spy in her office and they did a cyber-attack before it was release because people were only using the beta version. Then Yan Yue was taken out of doing voice acting due to doing an audio for a book that the company was not given permission to do. There was a lot of drama here and he basically made a statement that put not only the company but An Ran's company and their relationship out for everyone to bash on the internet. Yan Yue leaves and retires from voice acting. This crushes An Ran but she waited patiently for him to return, which he did. Everything did work out with her company's game, and he got back to doing voice acting again.

The most beautiful part I felt, and my heart was just filled with such love is when I saw him doing the voice over for a book for the children who were blind. It was wonderful to see this incorporated into the drama. To see the smiles and when the one boy asks him if he could touch his face...oh, it just melted your heart. That whole part of the drama is performed so well. Kudos to the writers for these exceptional moments.

The wedding was one which was exactly how you would envision, with their closest friends and colleagues. But the wedding vows of Yan Yue were too much.

Here are the vows of Yan Yue to An Ran:
An Ran, before I met you, my life couldn't be without music. When disputes occurred, I could only choose to escape, I was used to being shackled in my own world by a pair of headphones. I thought I was living happily, free, and fulfilled. Until one day I realized that after falling in love with someone, all those noisy sounds will disappear. And the most beautiful sounds will form melodies. The perfection you gave me is a shore I can't reach by myself. Meeting you and knowing you again, I found I still have the butterflies in my stomach when I first met you. You seem to be the goddess of my campus days. So sunny, so beautiful. Thank you. Thank you for constantly blocking those unpleasant things for me. Thank you for dragging the boy hidden in the headphone cave into the sunlight. In the future, I want to grow old with you, I want to embrace your body, your heart, your dreams, your past, present, and future. An Ran, would you let me stand by your side?

Here are An Ran's vows to Yan Yue:
Yes, I would. Of course, I do. I never thought that I could become someone's strength, I always thought that life is a battle one fights alone. Yan Yue, thank you for resolutely walking towards me. There is a kind of heroism in this world knowing that marriage is hard, yet still longing for it. Now I finally understand this heroism because of you. Because of your love and tolerance, I finally have this courage. Whether our future is dark or bright, I am willing to forge ahead with you. Mr. Yan, would you exchange our missed youth for a lifetime of championship?

Of course, he said I do.

I highly, highly recommend this drama because it is just the stuff that we are all looking for so get yourself a nice piece of sweet chocolate that leaves a lasting taste in your mouth just like this drama will. It is so good!

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the lack of slice of life in cdramas

my sister recommended a drama to me because the male lead is her favorite k-pop idol. i declined several times, but after finishing taeri's drama, i decided to give it a chance. my dear friends or my unfamiliar family showed koreans doing slice of life so well but there's no good slice of life in cdramas, but i found "the forbidden flower" to be an exception. recently, i started watching "sweet games." these types of dramas may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you enjoy this genre, "sweet games" is a solid choice. i wish "do you like brahms?" had more comedic scenes like this drama because it strikes a great balance between drama and comedy.

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Good acting with good chemistry, memorable characters, average scenario

The story could've been better with 16–20 episodes, the soft-cute vibes should keep on it; most of us like this drama because of this feeling, it's not a revolutionary drama with a unique story, but the biggest reason is that everyone likes it; feeling good dramas are my favorite, and the first 16 and last 4 episodes did this very well, but the other episodes were meh. But I'm not going to drop a lot of ratings because of this because I enjoyed this drama.


Yanyue's podcasts' screen time becomes shorter and shorter with each episode, when the best part of the drama was his monologues, his worlds about the world, and his parallels between reel life and movies.


Two memorable OSTs and three memorable characters People are going to call this cliche but will go watch a wuxia or school drama with cliche stories, rom-coms are their punching bag.

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The Progress of a Newly Gaming Company Plus Cute Romance Between Our Leads

The title of this drama is Sweet Games but I would define it as "Sweet" because of our lead couple being so adorable during their times together. Great amount of chemistry between our leads and the connection between An Ran and Yan Yue. "Games" because the plot revolves around the gaming company; the struggles, to success, to another problem, before finally reaching their goal. My personal favorite is the monologues each episode feature that either Yan Yue or An Ran was monologuing because it was something each have learned about their life, as they were narrating, since it revolved around their life. While it does have a few things I wish would've been better, I still considered this as one of my C-drama favorites for 2023.

Story:
What was great for me:
* Now while some people may find the gaming company part uninteresting, I personally like seeing the growing of a gaming company, who's creating their first gaming app. The success and struggles they faced and finding solutions to their struggles. I mean there's even an episode where it shows how An Ran met with each of her team members and formed her gaming company. It just gives you a feel of how important they were to her as she was to them and I appreciated that.
* The history between An Ran & Yan Yue: I love the flashbacks of their small meetings. It was cute even though it was just a one-sided crush at the time. Then we go to the present time, where he still likes her all of these times and for An Ran to gradually fall in love with Yan Yue, seeing that he's not just some young person with a crush on her, but a person who genuinely loves and cares for her.
* Great supportive teammates & friends for both An Ran & Yan Yue. An Ran's childhood friend actually remains as a friend and not a love interest. Big plus to this drama!
* Their parents while realistic at first questioning their relationship, also are supportive of their relationship.

What lost points for me:
* Yan Yue had a story of his past trauma but this seemed like it was brushed off, so he didn't have much of story focus despite seeming like his character suffered a lot in this drama.
* Hated the breakup part. This drama couldn't avoid the typical C-drama break up cliche. For how this drama was, the breakup part wasn't necessary at all.
* The problem revolving about the copyright issue causing a big mishap for Yan Yue just didn't make sense for me. It seemed a bit random in a way where it was thrown in there as a random problem. It would've made more sense to me if that finding the voice show, Yan Yue was a judge in, caused the problem for Yan Yue than the copyright issue, just because they were getting frustrated with Yan Yue
* No reason why that hacker decided to ruin Gaishi Unparalleled mobile game and other smaller gaming company. Like what was his motive for doing this? Just being a bully to new gaming companies? Make at least some connection otherwise this just felt like a random last minute bad guy.

Although there was this 1 particular English song I wasn't a fan of, music wise, it was great overall. Love the intro and outro songs.

Overall, it's our leading couple that stole the spotlight for this drama. I just love every moment they were together. WinWin's adorable smile really made each scene even more lovable, the important side characters were always supportive, and most importantly, a great happy ending.

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Sweet Exchange of Heart and Hope

This is a cute series where the ML is younger than the FL yet in many ways more mature. Both leads are driven in their respective careers, however both struggle with insecurities that bleed into other areas of life. The growth factor (career and relationship wise) within this series is pretty good. There are parts from a business perspective that seem off. However, the writers tried to 'fix' it quickly in following episodes. The chemistry factor was sweet. The OST was decent. The parent interaction was good in voicing concerns without being overbearing. Trauma points were not over-the-top or a main focus which was refreshing. Overall production was solid. Worth the watch.

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I used my yearly romantic comedy pick on this drama, and I really enjoyed it.

I found the English subtitles on WeTV to be subpar, so I decided to watch the show on Viki instead. While I'm not typically a fan of romance dramas, I enjoyed watching this show during my breakfast and other daily routines. However, I did find myself pausing the show several times and waiting to finish it later when I had more time. Although the show started off promising, it ultimately fell short of my expectations. While the chemistry between the male and female leads was great, I found the female lead's character to be inconsistent between her behavior at the office and at home, which felt unrealistic. Overall, it's a decent drama to watch if you're looking for something enjoyable but not too demanding.

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Soft & sweet rom-com with slice of life vibes

The drama tells the story of the female lead who moves to a new place and the male lead who is her neighbour. She hires him as a voice actor at her start-up company called "sweet games" (hence the title) for her game project. What she doesn't know is that the male lead (who is six years younger than her) has had a secret crush on her five years prior to their meeting.

The beginning of the drama didn’t grab me but after a few episodes I began to be invested in the story and really enjoy it. However around episode 18, a break-up happens and afterwards it got boring for me as there was no particular plot aside from work related issues. So the beginning and end of the drama are weak but the middle is super enjoyable to watch.

Overall, the drama is a mix of rom-com with slice of life. The male lead is adorable and for him and the cute interactions he has with the female lead, it's worth watching. The story follows a typical plot line so there is nothing extraordinary about it. Lots of parts are quite predictable but if you are looking for a soft and sweet rom-com with somewhat realistic work/life situations, you’d enjoy this drama.

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Nice, sweet, realistic and romantic series (but not a Masterpiece either)

PLOT: A young (24 year old) ML, voice actor, very introverted, meets again his crush from university, the FL, a few years later. She is actually 30 years old, director of an animation start-up. She becomes the tenant of the apartment next door, which the ML's mother owns. They will work together, fall in love, face countless difficulties (age gap, unfair competition, return of the FL's ex, etc.).

PROS:
+ discovery of Winwin as ML, beautiful, touching, subtle with a whole range of micro expressions, ... He brings this tormented character to life in a masterful way. (ﾟ∀ﾟ) Green flag, 10/10. I'm waiting for his next series!
+ A very endearing CL, and well-developed secondary characters (colleagues, parents).
+ The storyline is (almost) realistic: there is no CEO, no Mary Sue, just young adults who try to live and work with passion. The psychological evolution of the characters is consistent.
+ Great OST (all in English), very suitable.

CONS:
- slightly slow pace of narration: there is no Great Villain, nor any twist.

Drama recommended for its softness, during the long winter evenings ╰(✿´⌣`✿)╯♡
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Série sympa, sweet, réaliste et romantique (pas un Masterpiece non plus)
PLOT : Quelques année plus tard, un jeune (24 ans) ML, doubleur, très introverti, rencontre à nouveau son crush de l'université, la FL, dirigeante d'une start-up d'animation. Elle devient la locataire de l'appartement d'à côté, dont la mère du ML est propriétaire. Ils vont travailler ensemble, tomber amoureux, faire face à d’innombrables difficultés (age gap, concurrence déloyale, retour de l'ex de la FL, etc.).

PROS :
+ découverte de Winwin en ML, beau, touchant, subtil avec toute une gamme de micro expressions, ... Il donne vie à ce personnage tourmenté de façon magistrale. ( ﾟ∀ﾟ) J'attends ses prochaines séries !
+ Un CL très attachant, et des personnages secondaires bien développés (collègues, parents).
+ La storyline est (presque) réaliste : il n'y a pas de CEO, de Mary Sue, juste des jeunes adultes qui essaient de vivre et travailler avec passion. L'évolution psychologique des personnages est cohérente.
+ Super OST (tous en anglais) très adaptés.

CONS:
- rythme de narration un peu lent : il n'y a pas Great villain, ni de twist.

Drama conseillé pour sa douceur, pendant les longues soirées d'hiver ╰(✿´⌣`✿)╯♡

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A cliché story that could have been made 20 years ago

It's very cliché. ALL the tired old tropes of k-drama and c-drama mashed together.
- Clumsy female lead who makes a fool of herself. She tells lies or pretends to be something and is exposed; she drinks too much and makes a disgraceful scene; she misunderstands and jumps to conclusions; she adopts a whiny voice and childish demeanour/behaviour to be cute and obtain what she wants; her wardrobe a sorry mess of clownish clothes much too big for her; . CHECK
- Aloof and seemingly cold male lead with childhood trauma. CHECK
- Male and female lead who start off badly but become next-door neighbours by chance and, also by chance, have to work together. CHECK
- drunk scene of the female who vomits all over the main lead, and this is portrayed as funny and cute and doesn't impact at all the ML's opinion of her or his crush on her - on the contrary, it serves to bring them together. CHECK
- Jerk ex-boyfriend who comes again to claim FL. CHECK
- Group of friends with a dream of making a successful online game company but struggle at first until finding success. CHECK
- Second lead couple is the funny one, their romance is the comic relief. CHECK
- The group of friends is made of stock characters: the quiet girl, the fashion-conscious girl, the very shy guy, the fat guy. And there is also a non-descript guy (the programmer). They all have no character ark, their characteristics are shown in all scenes, and each one has only characteristic defining him or her. CHECK.

The male lead is promising, for a newcomer to acting: he's not embarrassing, but surely he's inexperienced and it shows, especially in the beginning of the show. I must say though that his interpretation, while it won't certainly blow you away, gets better and better as the episodes go on, and by the end of the show he shows great improvement, to the point that you wouldn't think he's a newbie. I think he has potential, and a lovely voice too.
And don't tell me that in the beginning he's so wooden because he plays an introvert. It's a misunderstanding that playing an aloof and introvert character doesn't require acting. It's actually a trap for rookie actors, and they fall into it head first. Acting is not about big dramatic gestures, laughing and crying etc. Even when playing a "mysterious and cold" character, one has to show the little details that the other characters in the show might not catch but the audience will notice, to convey what is behind the aloofness. Aloof people are good at conceiling their true feelings, so it's actually MORE difficult to act those characters, because it's all about subtlety.
The female lead is okay but nothing to write home about. She is exactly like all the other Chinese actresses out there, and not in the league of the outstanding ones. Of course her character is also like all the other Chinese female leads. Although she's supposed to be a "driven entrepreneur", and she's shown as very competent at her job, she still does things like banging her legs on the bed and squealing in delight, and in her personal life she's totally childlike and immature.
This show might have been made ten years ago and - apart from the fashion and the technology shown - you wouldn't know it. It's lighthearted and sweet, you don't hate it, but it's like a zillion others we've already seen, it brings nothing fresh. I would change the title to "Sweet Dreams", because I used it to relax before sleep, and it worked like magic, taking the stress of the day away. But this doesn't mean it's a good drama, does it?
The OST was good, the clothing department really, really sucked. I couldn't believe how they dressed the characters! And... do really Chinese people go to meetings with prospective business partners dressed in beachwear, overlarge shirts or T-shirts over shorts?)
If you haven't watched more than ten or twenty Chinese or Korean dramas in your life, you might enjoy this more. Otherwise, it will soon be buried in the heap, and after a while you won't even remember what it was about, the remembrance will be blurry, seeing how it's so similar to so many others that you've watched.

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