Protector of human couples' love!
"Then, dear security officer, do you have any relationship problems?"
— Shu The Witch
"Universal Love Grocery", "Ultimate Love Bazaar", Love Magic Grocery or Wanneng Lianai Zahuodian is a Chinese romantic comedy manhua from 2018 by Liyu Wan Yi published by Kuaikan Manhua, adapted as a cartoon released in 2023 by Tthunder Animation and produced by IQIYI. Crazy things are happening in Sweet City, usually love related things. So, the witch Shu opens her interdimensional Love Magic Grocery shop to solve all of these love trouble with her plethora of magic items! But her goods may create even more chaos than before, or so security officer Liang Shiye thinks, and yet, he is still pulled into Shu's shenanigans time and time again. It's always the time for love at Shu's Love Magic Grocery!
This series provides examples of:
- Amazing Technicolor World: The environment is constantly bright and full of many colors, especially shades of pink.
- Bait-and-Switch: Shu gives Lan a magic clock that'll make her crush Hecheng fall for her. She eventually gives in and uses the clock. He gets up from his seat, says there's something really important he needs to say, walks towards her... and right past her towards poor officer Shiye, begging him to become his friend.
- Beautiful All Along: This trope is the crux of episode 2, in which Shu makes Shiye wear a mask that makes him ugly for his blind date. This has two purposes: The first is so Shiye's date isn't just interested in him for his looks, and the second is that his date, Miss Bai, is a livestreamer that used one of Shu's magic goods to become beautiul, thinking this would make people like her, and Shu is attempting to use this occasion to teach a life lesson. When the effect of the mask wears off Shiye, instead of thinking of this trope, his date assumes Appearance Is in the Eye of the Beholder.
- Played with with the Otherworld God Mian, who wears a mask to hide how stunningly gorgeous he is. But even with it on, people can tell that he's Tall, Dark, and Handsome.
- By-the-Book Cop: Shiye's Establishing Character Moment is stopping at a red light during a chase. He justifies his actions that as someone who upholds the law, he should be the first to obey it. He has no issues quoting very precise articles from the law as well, and he recites the entire "you have the right to remain silent" spiel while beating up thugs.
- Brick Joke: In episode 3, Shiye snuck inside the Love Magic Grocery wearing a bunny mascot costume, and spends some time offscreen taking it off and fighting off Shu's little cat-like creatures. At the end of the episode, Shu snaps him back to the city with actual bunny ears and tail.
- Central Theme: Obviously, it's love, specifically relationships. Each episodes' lesson has something to do with having or maintaining a relationship, from having the courage to confess, being truthful, leaving a bad relationship so on and so forth.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Bai tells an uglified Shiye that she is a looks-oriented person, Shiye mishears her as a "salt-oriented" person ("looks" and "salt" sound the same in Chinese), and proceeds to pass her the salt. Awkward.
- Cute Witch: Shu is a fun blue eyed pink-haired witch that uses her magic for the sake of love. She even has her shop in the Otherworld, and cute little cat-like creatures.
- Dimensional Traveler: Shu hops in and out of the Otherworld and the human world on a daily basis for her business. She can pull in clients as well through various means, which includes a pink magic tram.
- Domestic Abuse: Episode 4 focuses on a woman named Tianzao who is trapped in an abusive marriage. Her husband Che treats her like deadweight, thinks she should just be a housewife rather than thinking about doing what she loves, and isn't above shoving her around. She has thought of leaving already, but has been shamed for trying to leave a young and rich husband who doesn't smoke or do drugs. With the help of Shu, Shiye and Dachun, she decides to break up with her husband, take control of her own life, and uses Shu's wishing notebook to summon a dream that takes her away. Shu points out that the dream will only last three days, and that the magic only works if because she's determined to change, reassuring us and the other characters that she'll be fine.
- Dumped via Text Message: In episode 5, tragically for Lan her boyfriend Hecheng breaks up with her this way when he has to leave to study abroad. She understandably spends the rest of the episode in a horrible mood.
- Goofy Suit: Shiye tries to sneak into Shu's store along with Lan by wearing a big pink bunny suit, and true to life, he's clearly boiling in there.
- Humans Are Flawed: Shu lampshades this when the Otherworld god asks Shu if humans are worth all the effort, Shu agrees that humans are full of contradictions, but that she used to be one of them, and that the humans' emotional balance maintains the Otherworld.
- I Just Want to Be Loved: Bai uses Shu's beautification masks thinking she will be loved by being more beautiful. However, one of her ex shows up and treats her terribly, and falls for Shiye while he's been uglified for his personality, making her realize that those who already know her won't change their behavior just because she looks better, and that Appearance Is in the Eye of the Beholder. She returns the beautification masks to Shu, and decides to continue streaming with her true appearance.
- Out of Character Is Serious Business: Shiye in episode 4, punches Che in the face, the guy is such an asshole even Shiye is willing to break the rules just to cave his face in.Liang Shiye: "Oops, sorry. My hand slipped."
- Lascivious Beauty Mark: Of the Chick Magnet variety. Shiye has a beauty mark below his left eyes, reenforcing his attractiveness.
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Shiye, who keeps his hair tied, is in-universe considered very attractive, although this brings him more unwanted attention than anything else.
- Married to the Job: Shiye's excuse when turning down advances: He's busy enough at work, and has no interest in dating. Shu isn't convinced.
- Mundane Utility: When Shu isn't using magic to run her business, she uses it for basically anything and everything, from teleporting, to transform and transport things...
- Skewed Priorities: Like mentionned above, Shiye thinks it's appropriate to wait for a traffic light during a chase, and answering his mom's call mid battle. Yet he still catches up to the criminal, and kicks their asses.
- Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: Shiye definitely qualifies at the beggining of series, seeking to arrest Shu for creating disturbances. However, he quickly realizes that she helps people her own way, and stops trying to lock her up. He's still very interested in her business though.
- Truth Serums; A variant with truth balloons from Shu's store. When the balloon pops, whoever holds it will have their head turn into a cartoonish pig, and speak the truth about their situation for a short while. This can be used to out a cheater, or make someone admit their true feelings.
- The Tease: Shu never misses a chance to tease Shiye about his constant persue of her, which he swears is not meant that way.
- Sexy Man, Instant Harem: Right after giving a seminar at Pepper University, Shiye is swarmed by female students asking for his number and if he has a girlfriend. He refuses to answer such personal questions and asks them to step back, clearly looking very uncomfortable.
