Lighter & Princess (2022)

A Memorable Show: TRUE LOVE WILL TAKE ITS COURSE

Overall: 10/10
This year I have seen too many modern Cdramas but only this drama has Reached a 10/10 for me or may 100/10 ( L&P just Won my Heart Over)
Chinese dramas are mostly youth-themed about a journey from high school to Adult Life. But this one totally outshines them all for me and will remain a masterpiece of them all. The last Modern Day Cdrama I Rated 10 was Go Ahead, exactly after 2 years I got to watch this gems, both these dramas had such meaningful stories and Beautifully portrayed characters that stay with us for a long long time...(also we got a little reunion of "father Ling and father Li" from Go Ahead).
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LESSON LEARNED: That life goes on and sometimes we have to learn to forgive and forget to continue living our lives in peace, if we hold on to the past our future will be dark and wasted "FORGIVE OTHERS NOT BECAUSE THEY DESERVE FORGIVENESS BUT BECAUSE YOU DESERVE PEACE"
An Emotionally Satisfying Ride.
I'm not very good at nitpicking, so when I like something I just express it through my reviews, this one was definitely THE ONE for me. RECOMMENDED 100%
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Story: 10/10 Outstanding elaboration of the story
Mostly modern-day Cdramas become draggy and messy as the Storyline unfolds but this one was unlike any other Drama and kept me craving for more and more, the real enjoyment was to wait each week to watch it and get satisfied with new episodes. It just keeps getting better and better and you keep asking for more and more. It has so many touching/motivating dialogue, The Story Successfully Attracts and holds the interest of its viewer till the end(cause I was hooked).
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We live in a society where many times we are being outshined by those who are better than us. It takes guts to admit defeat and take benefit from who is someone better than us, just like Zhu Yun did. but Success Fades When Ego Kicks in just like Gao Jian Hong Ruined his happiness just because he wanted to defeat Li Xun once... Many are calling Li Xun rude and narcissistic but why can't he be it? not everybody is a happy-go-lucky type of person, he was a prodigy student and why can't he show it off? He was a Genius of IT (nothing narcissist just 100% FACT) even their Professor was unable to get rid of the Virus he created. ;p
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Main Characters:
Li Xun:
His character is an Introvert and Anti-social person who doesn't like to make friends and finds it a waste of time to interact with people instead uses that time for something more productive like coding, After all the hardships he faced and his mother's death left him with only loneliness, still he worked hard went University and wanted to dedicate his life to create a chance to find a cure so that others don't go through the things he went through. ( LIXUN TT )
he was a soft-hearted person but wasn't good at expressing himself. He made Gao Jian Hong Embarrassed during the website project which was a bad idea but he had Gao Jian Hong's goodwill in mind as it was explained afterwards that it was his way of teaching Gao Jian Hong so that he learns from his mistakes just like Li Xun learned from his mistake when he got a burn on his hand by playing with fire, I also believe the best way a person can learn is by facing failure and learning from their mistake but it had a negative impact on Jian Hong.
But Gradually he becomes a friendlier and happy person when he starts dating Zhu Yun and it is shown that he is a gentle person as he made up with his sister and maintained a healthy relationship for 3 years(these moments were like a cherry topping on a cake) cause it showed their relations stability. He was in his early 20s when he lost his only family, the guilt of not being able to protect his sister and his fury made him do something irreversible and it was hard for him to maintain a relationship when a lot was going in his mind amidst of all this He broke her heart(he wasn't farsighted at this and didn't imagine how much she loves him and what a great blow it was to her TT. We all make mistakes at some point in life or in our youthful days but that doesn't define our personality but helps us to become a better person which he indeed became...

Whenever I will think about this drama ill always remember the youthful days of Lixun Zhuyun and their smiling eyes
Those who Find Li Xun Toxic Are living their lives too Far from Reality nobody is a Mr Perfect in real life and everybody has some flaw...
The fact That His Love For Zhu Yun didn't Change Even After What He went Through And enduring all that pain And still smiling, similarly Zhu Yun Supported him again even though he broke her once but she still believed him and knew Li Xun better than anyone else that he wasn't Bad Person in the end because she was closest to him. He did break her heart and Was Mean to Her but who hasn't hurt a loved one?
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Zhu Yun:
She is a Darling Friend, the Most Supportive Gf, and a rebellious child (that only after meeting Lixun but again it was an independent move not Li Xuns fault, he just gave her an ample amount of confidence due to which she started making her own decisions and have her own dreams.
Parents want their kids to be always safe but in that process, they repeal their kid's choices, and Zhu Yun's breakthrough from her controlling mother was much needed and a positive change in her personality though she didn't give up or proved to be wrong till the end(having a teacher as a mother can be a horrifying sometimes)...
In this fast-growing society If u r not able to make your own decisions then Ur life ahead will be hella hard ( cause the world doesn't show mercy to the weak, they just stomp on them and move forward)
But we should all thank her mother it was only because she sent Zhu Yun to the CS field where they met...
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PS: Too Many Happy Tears for My babies who fought against all odds AND won back L&P.
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Gao Jian Hong:
From The Start Considered Li Xun a Competitor even After getting defeated multiple times, He didn't give up even though he knew what Li Xun was Capable of. Friends can get jealous and talk or fight it out which is healthy but envy is dangerous it keeps building inside you and eats you within which is why it is unhealthy. Everyone around Gao Jian Hong was heads over heels for Li Xun even his Professor, his Classmate and the only girl he ever loved does great damage to one's personality.

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Acting/Cast: 10/10
I haven't seen any other work of both leads but I'm 100% Sure, no one Literally no one can replace Chen Feiyu and Zhang Jingyi as Li Xun and Zhu Yun. Li Xun's smiling face Around Zhu Yun when she is irritated and their eyes were always full of love, All their Emotions felt so Genuine and Pure...it surely is very hard to resist their chemistry. We might hate some characters but in the end, it was all because of the Outstanding Acting that we felt invested in the story. I'm gonna miss this badly TT
FINAL BYE TO ZHU YUN AND LI XUN
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Music: 10/10
After Ending It with tears in my eyes I Fell asleep while listening to Its album on repeat, after effects of this drama are undeniably high. With so many beautiful OSTs I enjoy the opening theme the most while all the songs are super amazing too.

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Great Story, Amazing Acting, Best of Chen Feiyu

Just as I thought Chen Feiyu’s acting somewhat lacking in Ever Night, he gives me a bombshell here in this drama. While I thought only Song Weilong has those eyes with words that cannot be spoken, Chen Feiyu possesses those similar irresistible gazes that make the viewers' heart ache. As I thought this drama is "just" another youth drama with immature characters and silly storyline, this story touches the real challenges of youth in the cutthroat IT world today.

Lighter and Princess or L & P, is adapted from a popular novel. "Lighter" depicts the lighter that the male lead possesses whereas "Princess" is the nickname given to the female lead by the male lead. The story is narrated by Zhu Yun (Zhang Jingyi) of her encounter starting in her freshman year in college, 2012. The story has a span of 7-8 years with four years in college, 3 years in adulthood (not shown in details), and the current year of 2019. L & P has also come to mean "Lucky and Power" in the story.

In college, Zhu Yun is an innocent girl, but she is not naive. She is intelligent but unafraid to ask questions and to admit errors. She is obedient and responsible, at home and at school; she is the perfect daughter all parents want – an obedient child who never lies nor defies the parents. Having said that, Zhu Yun later begins to tell white lies and secretly defy her mother who is judgmental. I wish Zhu Yun had stood up to her mother and given her an ultimatum: “accept us or lose a daughter”. Zhang Jingyi puts up a perfect performance here as an uncertain and yet determined Zhu Yun. The actor’s adorable adolescent look and demeanor make her so convincing and lovable.

In romance, a perfectly good girl has to meet a totally opposite character. Here, Zhu Yun meets Li Xun (Chen Feiyu), an outrageous, arrogant, untamed, super intelligent, confident and unconformable character. Li Xun is a very misunderstood character, not only by people around him, even many viewers also don't understand him and therefore condemn him.

Here, I want to address some criticisms from viewers about Li Xun. Many viewers complains that Li Xun is misogynistic. Li Xun is definitely not a misogynist. He looks down on people not because they are women but because they are being mediocre. Those people he looks down on are usually people who get to high positions through connections, either they have powerful relatives, or they bribe their way through; these people do not have substance. This is a common phenomenon happening around the world. People buy their credentials and tout themselves as the experts, sitting in high positions, receiving high salaries and benefits, claiming credits for everything, while the real people doing the actual tasks receive measly compensations and no recognition. This is what Li Xun despises. He despises people with no substance but still have no self-realization to try to improve themselves further. And to improve, he laughs at those for reading and memorizing from text books. For him, improvement means getting your hands dirty, making mistakes and learning from the mistakes. Contrast his attitude towards Ren Di. He likes Ren Di because he feels she is authentic, pursuing her passion even against her father's will. He helps her in every way he can: financial support, a place for her to live, and extra school credit points from his coding club, etc. All these prove that Li Xun is not misogynistic.

Despite how Li Xun looks and behaves, deep down, Li Xun is a decent and kind person who loves his mother and sister dearly, and cares for all his friends even he himself is in a dire position. He is compassionate but doesn't give a damn how others think of him. Only Zhu Yun knows how he thinks, puts up with him and stands up for him throughout.

Both Zhu Yun and Li Xun are classmates in computer programming. But Li Xun is well ahead of his class as he is a computer whiz kid and a brilliant programmer but he doesn't use this skill for hideous crimes. He humiliates everyone as they seem childish to him with their shallow knowledge of the course. Everyone hates him for his badassness, and yet loves him for his ingenuity. Li Xun doesn’t follow frivolous rules; he finds generally people only care about how things look on the surface and not the substance inside, so he calls them fake. I love how he looks at everyone, a classic condescending look. Li Xun is a person with an attitude, and for me, that's Chen Feiyu’s natural look; Chen Feiyu fits into the Li Xun character seamlessly as if the character is written for him. In real life, if your boyfriend is such a character, I empathize with you, but in a romance, this type of personality captures the viewers’ imagination. I am so in love with this character.

According to readers, in the novel, Li Xun is flamboyant and has many girlfriends but none last long. Here in the drama, the Li Xun character has been whitewashed – instead, girls throw themselves at him, but he doesn't even look at them as if they are non-existent; they usually leave him alone after getting humiliating scolds from him. None of the girls attract Li Xun’s attention, until Zhu Yun comes into his sight. With her, he experiences jealousy and longing, and with him, she always believes in, no matter what. I really love how their relationship develops, slowly and steadfastly. It takes half of the drama for the trust and love to blossom before the couple is officially together.

College life ends at Episode 22, and the kids graduate, each starts their work life, further education, or something else (spoiler). Three years whizz past, present life continues. Our characters struggle with life, career and revenge. This is the beginning of romance 2.0, mature, steamy and sensual. Here we can see the growth of the characters compared to their college years.

The official sound tracks and background music are beautiful, capturing the ups and downs of our characters, and the mood of the story. I'm so glad that my favorite singer, Zhou Shen, sings one of the songs, Fireworks.

My Verdict

For me, not one episode is considered redundant or boring as I relish every scene and every moment. I really enjoy watching how the characters being carefully explored in detail, giving viewers multiple dimensions of the two main characters, both have flaws, both learn from their mistakes, and grow to become better person of their own. The writing of the characters is very realistic. In life, all of us could come across many of these characters: a child with outrageous hair color and an attitude, a sister who is also the perfect daughter, a classmate or a colleague who sabotages your projects and stabs you on the back, even the parents of Zhu Yun are the typical Chinese parents that many Chinese viewers can empathize with. There are many fine and sweet improvised moments of the love birds; this is candy for any romance buffs. The love is pure and deep, and reciprocated. The sacrifices are relatable. The humor is subtle and delightful. Not least, Chen Feiyu is a heartthrob.

In China, the Li Xun character is an outlier, but in the west, he’s a norm. Therefore when he's being called a "bad boy", my heart aches. What bad boy? Just because he doesn't conform to the norm? It upsets me that such a beautiful soul is being treated so unfairly by a society that demands conformity. Many people are fearful of making life changing decisions. Li Xun is decisive and fearless. Once he makes up his mind, he doesn't look back. For me, this is a highly valued quality and is well depicted, among others, in the multiple times he helps the hesitant Zhu Yun in clicking the submit button.

As Zhu Yun puts it, “He never looks back, confident, courageous, energetic, care-free. Forever with a determined direction, never with self-doubt.” These are the qualities all viewers would be inspired by the character.

Towards the last few episodes, the writing becomes soften with somewhat conflicting messages; everyone, including Li Xun, compromises in achieving a win-win outcome. The writing even has Li Xun get back in line with what society expects of him, and what it means by success - wealth. Nonetheless, this slight change of tone has not reduced my excitement of the Li Xun character and my enjoyment of the overall story.

This drama captures my heart, my imagination and my emotions, hence deserves a 10/10.

TWO THUMBS UP!

BRAVO!

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Fantastic couple, wasted on immature writing

This entire show can be summarized as the power of one woman's obsessive love and sacrifice.

Pros:
1. Fantastic chemistry. Really top-notch acting from both leads. they suit each other. especially Zhang Jingyi. I can feel her yearning, her boundless love, every time she looks at him. Their romantic moments seemed so visceral and raw, it almost felt voyeuristic.
2. Beautiful music and the editing really emphasizes it. The songs were placed with much thought and really heightened every scene.
3. Well-written villain (Gao Jianhong) for most of the show I heavily empathized with his feelings of insecurity, shame, anger and despair. He was indeed mistreated by the male lead and sometimes female lead too. Some of his actions are not justifiable but you can really understand why he became the way he did which I think is important in these revenge stories

Cons:

1. We, as the audience are aware who the main lead is but in this show all the characters also act like Li Xun is the male lead. It's like he has the protagonist halo. The supporting characters all behave as if they know they're just extras. It doesn't matter that Li Xun is rude, cruel and arrogant. He can yell at his friends. He can yell at his colleagues. He can humiliate them in public and they just sigh and say 'oh well thats Li Xun for you' 'hes smart and handsome so he can do and say whatever he wants'. It was so unrealistic. Nobody in real life is that passive or accepting of terrible behavior no matter how smart the other person is.

2. The way their relationship and ml and fl character arcs are written is so particularly infuriating. Straight-A student Zhu Yun who is perhaps tiring of her parents' controlling nature meets arrogant, brilliant, mysterious and carefree Li Xun as freshmen in University. She is somewhat fascinated by him but mostly they get on each other's nerves. But she acknowledges his genius and they fall in love as they work together. Ever since their partnership in the programming base, Zhu Yun is particularly loyal to Li Xun. She stands resolutely with him no matter how rude or cruel he is to her friends coz ultimately he is right and they are wrong, he is smarter and better than them so she and all their friends need to be accommodating of his cruel brilliance. She's probably the only one in the show to even try to confront him but rather than confrontation it's more of a compromise. She ends up agreeing with him anyway or justifying his actions. They begin a romantic relationship coz she chases him and swears she will forever be unrelentingly supportive and kind and submissive. Then he goes to prison. You'd think their characters or relationships would change after this huge shift but no. she's still blindly sacrificial and supportive and giving while he teases, insults, sneers and is at best detached. When they finally get together it's not a happy moment coz I didn't feel for one second that he loves her as much as she loves him. All the sacrifices, all the adjustments, and all the pain in this relationship have been borne by her. He gives nothing but he takes endlessly. The development to their reunion is shoddy at best. Once again they get together coz she pursues him. They don't even have one real conversation despite having gone through so many traumatic changes.. Everything is swept under the rug to tie the endgame up in a nice, pretty bow. The audience is still left with the feeling that they know as much about Li Xun as they did in the first episode and he still is that arrogant college freshman. You're left feeling something akin to pity for Zhu Yun coz you know for the rest of her life she alone will be bearing all the responsibilities and the emotional weight of their relationship.

Perhaps I am in the minority but alas I could not enjoy an unequal relationship where all the burden of the sacrifice and the fate of the relationship is solely on the female lead.

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Not a 10/10 for me

If you’re wondering whether to start this drama, just know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. And just because I expressed my different opinion about this drama, I received hate from those who loved it. But that’s ok, it’s contrary to popular opinion and I guess some just cannot have an open mind.

The pace and the storyline is quite fast and interesting. I did not really fancy the first 25 episodes. The general storyline of starting university, facing its ups and downs was fine. However I could not like the ML and the way he treated the people around him. And the way the FL just followed him like a puppy just didn’t sit right w me. Episodes 26-36 was much better as it showed more maturity and development in most of the characters.

The one I felt most sorry for was Lao Gao. Yes, what he did was terrible, very malicious and downright horrible. BUT… I do believe Li Xun had a part to play in how he turned out to be. And the fact that till the very end- Li Xun was not even a little bit remorseful of how he treated Lao Gao during the early days was truly sad.

Li Xun was the most disappointing character of all. At the start of uni, he was arrogant, tactless, self-absorbed and narcissistic. After going to prison for 3 years, you would have thought that he would change, be more humble, learn a tough lesson in life no? Truly.. no. He comes out of prison, he’s still the same incorrigible stubborn a**hole. He even admitted it himself. There were many many things he could have done better:
1) Treated his teammates in his IT club with more respect, more courtesy and be less condescending. That is a mark of a good leader.
2) He should have treated Zhu Yun with more dignity and respect. Instead of doing things his own way, he shld have been open and honest and letting her decide and make her own choices. Not manipulate the situation “for her own good”.
3) Zhu yun- in a way I respect her for sticking by his side. She could get past all his flaws and “help” him become a better man. But in that manner, I felt she lost her own self respect and what could have been a different future.
4) make more effort in trying to convince ZY parents. At least show them how much he loves her, that he will take care of her etc.. after all, that’s what most parents want for their children anyway. That assurance. nope nothing… didn’t even try. Or try harder. Ok the mum was over board and pretty much condescending (just like LX) and prejudiced towards him as well. But I did not agree with them getting married just like that behind the parents back.

The ML had a god-like complex, where he thinks he is the best and he is superior. If he had changed towards the end of the drama (which had some hints of it around Epi 30-34) but come 35/36 again he showed his superiority, I may have liked him more ;)

Anyhow, in conclusion: the drama itself is quite good. I just won’t glorify the ML’s character and behaviour or agree with his actions. So it’s not your typical hero/ fantastic/ romantic/ “perfect” ML, FL.. just watch with an open mind:)

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good drama, terrible message

Let's be clear. I watched the drama and liked it, but I'm pretty freaked out by the amount of people giving it 10.
As a drama watcher I could give it a high score, but not as a woman.

The moral to take away from this as a woman is that we better meet a brilliant man and be his shadow. No matter how brilliant you are, be content to sacrifice yourself for him and everything will be fine.

There is a particular moment, where they are given an award for a project where the FL has been the leader, but he is the one who gives the speech and gets the credit. Because what's going to make you happier than seeing your man succeed!

The same goes for Xu Li Na. The egg scene is extremely disturbing. Her husband is clearly an abuser, but she still stays with him, because it's our responsibility as women to make men better through our love.

No, thanks. I've had enough of this. The better the drama is, the more it pisses me off that it has such a toxic message.

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L&P DESERVES AN AWARD! MUST WATCH CDRAMA OF 2022!!!

I am not exaggerating, this drama is phenomenal, I highly recommend it if this is your first time watching cdramas!

The storyline begins in the present time which is actually a good attention grabber. It will make you wonder what happened, why and how did it come to this point. The drama will then take us back to the past where it all began, freshmen year of college. The concept of this drama is computer programming, and you really see them mostly focused on typing codes, and make programs, etc. Albeit, I'm not sure if the coding itself is real but I have not seen this kind of drama elsewhere which is quite unique.

What really makes this drama come to life and why its so popular is the acting, the chemistry, character development and the storyline.

Zhu Yun (Zhang Jing Yi) : Zhu Yun as a character is a book smart, follow the leader kind of gal in the beginning but eventually she will find her voice. She can get a little bossy, and sometimes I think she lets her emotions make the decision instead of thinking from a practical point of view. She's very passionate when she wants to prove she can do something, as well as very caring and understanding of her friends espeically towards Li Xun. Zhang Jing Yi played her part very well, nothing to outstanding and her acting is quite natural - like she truly is the character itself who's in love and willing to do anything for the love of her life. I have only seen one drama of hers so its difficult to judge if she improved or not - seems like the same to me.

Li Xun (Chen Fei Yu) : Li Xun is your typical rude, selfish, arrogant male lead who believes everyone sucks at computer programming compare to him. However, he's very misunderstood, he's more of a practical guy - he has more experience in the field thus he knows what is sellable or not. Many viewers, espeically if they don't understand mandarin, would think that he's always rude but most of his replies esp to Zhu Yun are quite funny or sarcastic - its unfortunate its not translated well into english. :( Li Xun may be your nerdy, introverted quiet kind of guy but towards Zhu Yun - he cares in a subtle way, and tend to keep a lot of things to himself which is a double edge sword. His character develops pretty nicely, he's not always like he was in the first few episodes. He learned to be apologetic and show remorse for what he has done. However, he still keep things to himself, and sometimes he believes its better to work alone than to bring people in to help him. Yeah, he definitely needs therapy to deal with the losses and feelings. Chen Fei Yu did an amazing job as Li Xun because his eyes does a lot of the acting when he doesn't talk, and it really sucks you in. I also only seen one other drama of his, but despite of that, there's a huge improvement in his acting!

There is a couple time skips and unfortunately we do not see much of the beginning relationship between the leads, but regardless, their relationship was very cute, fluffy, and natural - its like they're a real couple honestly. Amazing acting from both of them!
There's many other great actors in this drama but I have to highlight is Gao Jian Hong played by Zhao Zhi Wei. Without spoiling too much, his character is very competitive, and insecure in his computer programming skills. I did not like his character from the get-go, he seemed fake - a two-faced character. Other than that, you would have to watch and see why his acting was amazing.

Ren Di played by Jenny Zheng: From the beginning of the drama, the way Jenny acted as Ren Di seem so incredibly natural as if she played herself. I just wanted to point that out, the outfits, and her personality fits the actress so well - its very natural and I hope she gets a main role. She honestly compliments well with Chen Fei Yu - the tall couple. hahaa Okay but in reailty, the characters have no romantic interest to one another.

In terms of love triangle, there is one, however it will not make you pull your hairs out so its not a big deal.
Music is amazing, the settings are amazing esp when the main leads got together - the background, the cinematography was beautiful.

Definitely highly recommend this drama if you enjoy watching dramas in a college setting, slow burn but realistic and natural romance, computer programming, games, the dreaded angst, friendship, and betrayals.

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OVER THE TOP! SUCH A MEMORABLE SERIES! <3

Please, love everything!!! Maybe because it's from a novel so it's well-written. Well-written, good dialogue and everything is perfect! There's so much motivating and touching dialogues. The plots are seriously great and amazing. Not to mention the values. Too many values are given in this series. Lately, if you feel like you don't believe in love anymore, please binge-watch this series. Full marks!! There's no draggy and messy at all but kept me craving for more and more. Such a perfect series and this is what I want! It is not a repeating drama, not typical enemy-lover story omg I'm getting tired. This drama had such meaningful stories. Gotta says finally I found the best Cdrama for this year <3333 And of course it will be my favorite drama for all the time!

Their acting is much better. To be honest, no one can replace Chen Feiyu and Zhang Jingyi as Li Xun and Zhu Yun. The chemistry of the main lead love love love! The way they looked at each other were full of love and everything felt so pure. I love Zhu Yun's character the most. I love everything about her. If I'm a man I'm gonna date her then never let her go. SERIOUS TALK! What a beautifully portrayed characters that will stay in my heart for a long time!!

Every OSTs are sooooooo good! Suits the situation, the vibes are indescribable!! The effects of the OSTs, every time I listened to the songs, I miss the drama and keep wanting to rewatch the series. Yes, I’m not moving on!

Will rewatch this drama again and again. Highly recommended! 100% RECOMMENDED!!

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THIS BECAME TOP #1

There had not been a cdrama that topped Forever Love for me, til I started watching Lighter & Princess. This is the most unique story with a side of comedy and seriousness. The strong personalities of the characters were unmatched. Finally, there is a female lead who is standing up for herself and for what she believes is the truth. The main lead is untouchable, he is at the top of geniusness but still needs the female lead. The dialogues between them were amazing. THE CHEMISTRY is literally the best. I’m so glad its not another cdrama where the female lead acts all shy and shocked when they touch. It was realistic. This whole drama was so so good- EVERYONE GO WATCH IT.

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One of the best Cdramas in 2022. Get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions!

L&P is not just your average Cdrama. I dare say it surpassed the usual dramaland cliche for many. If you are in for a very different and intriguing drama, L&P is your best bet!

Story:
The story revolves around college students. At first, it might seem like many school dramas, but as the story goes on, we go deep inside the lead's lives. we realize how different and hard life can be for some. It's not glittery or fluffy all the time. It has its dark moments and happy moments.
The story is divided into 3 phases: Present, past, and again present all within the span of 3 years. All focus on character development and the lead's interactions. The writers did a marvelous job depicting these characters and we get to know how they are. it's thorough and sweet altogether. Kudos to the writers for their awesome job and to the novel writer for creating a masterpiece!

Acting:
It was my first time seeing Chen Feiyu, but i dare say he is really talented and such a great actor. His face is full of emotions and he will melt your heart while watching the drama. he deserves an award for his role!
Zhang Jingyi, aka the FL. She seems a bit naive and poker-faced at first to some, but as the story goes on, she shines and develops into a character that you will never forget. She really matured and by episode 36, you will realize how the actress made the character lovable to us.

The villain and other cast were all also great. Especially the villains. The actors did a wonderful job.

Chemistry:
One of the best aspects of this drama is focused on chemistry. due to the fact that this drama has 3 phases, We encounter leads in different situations in their lives. In the first college phase, they open up and start a relationship. we gradually see changes in their behavior and they turn into one of those power couples. Yet the story gets interrupted, and the other phases follow. But you should know the couple has a burning chemistry. They might not touch or kiss directly, but you see their eyes full of emotions, Their looks burning their existence, and their actual intimacy and skinship like a natural pair.
And if you are into romance, this drama will satisfy your cravings. There are many kiss scenes, many intimate scenes, hugs, bed scenes, etc. Get ready to enjoy it fully lol

OST:
The songs are brilliant. They match the mood, the scenes, the emotions, Everything! even the lyrics speak for the characters in each scene.

Production:
Unlike many Cdramas with shabby locations, this one actually has a really decent production. The places they filmed different scenes are greatly exerted. From the college to companies, and their private homes, all are in accordance with the story.
Especially the scenes where important events happen, we get to envision special effects and great shots ( trees, forests, snow scenes, etc)

All in All, one of those memorable dramas that will stay in your mind for a long time!
It's not cringe-worthy, it is not silly, and there are no loopholes.
watch it for an awesome chemistry and an engaging story altogether at once( Which is really rare tbh)

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Beautiful love story with a fascinating underlying storyline

This drama has everything. A beautiful love story, a great underlying plot, extremely smart and well written, so well that there is no unnecessary secondary plot, just one… the production and, ost are perfect too.
It is relatively short (36 ep of 40mn makes it 24 ep regular)…
You just need to go beyond the first 2 ep, set à the middle of the story, before going back to the past, for the main part of the drama. You just need to know that the ending is absolutely perfect…
And what a great cast…
As stated by others, the chemistry between the leads is over the top, with a lot of sweetness and cuddling, as expected from a loving couple, and as we seldom get to this level in any drama, whether Chinese or Korean.
The way their journey unfolds, how they meet and fall in love, gradually, feels just right. You understand what attracts them to each other, the unique bonding they develop over time. They are very supportive and bring the best out of each other, which I don’t recall having even seen in another drama. (

Big spoiler: Even their parting at some point can be understood. Having lost his sister, his only family left, bc of a mean rival, he knows that the revenge he wants to exact, not using his brain this time, could affect her, and that anyway her family will never accept him, so he forces her out of his life, trying to make her hate him… so that she can move forward… youth mistake, lack of foresight and understanding of what really matters in life, not applying his principles of self preservation….and the short solace brought by revenge and the heavy price to pay…
But the power of true love will bring redemption and second chances for the better…
Everything in this story makes sense.
And is extremely interesting….
This story is mesmerising, from beginning to end.

Now a bit more about our heroes:
The character of the male lead - awesome Arthur Chen Feiyu - makes perfect sense, brilliant, driven, charismatic, unforgiving for displays of stupidity and mean behaviors, abrasive in the way he may speak, hiding a pure heart behind protective fences… which the FL understands so well…
Demanding of others as he is for himself, totally justified by a gifted intelligence placing him above others, yet willing to share with his friends, provided they are not stupid enough not to assess themSelves correctly, blinded by weak egos…
Thé FL is bright and shining… what a perfect match
And what a journey… with a perfect ending.

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A must-watch for angst-lovers and hopeless romantics!

I went into this drama without any expectations, but it ended up blowing a massive hole in my heart.

[SPOILER-FREE PART OF THE REVIEW]

At first, it seemed to be a typical high school romance. In many ways, it is -- it has many of the same clichés that we always see in modern c-dramas (namely, the cold/genius ML, programming/compsci, time-skip/separation, the struggle to start a business, etc.)

What makes this drama stand out, though, is the chemistry between the leads.

It's the type of chemistry that truly makes you believe that the actors are in love. In every gesture and every glance, Chen Feiyu and Zhang Jingyi are able to communicate exactly how much the characters care for each other. Often, it's without saying a word. Some might find the ML to be too cold, but in my opinion, as long as you look closely, his feelings are apparent. He's a man of actions, not of words; besides, his coldness becomes very comprehensible once you learn of his tragic backstory. The FL, on the other hand, wears her heart on her sleeve. I found her to be endearing, strong, and intelligent; she's a good example of how you can be a 'clingy' FL without being annoying. She IS independent, but knows how to rely on others. The two complement each other perfectly. Perhaps it's not a 'new' dynamic (it's similar to bad boy/good girl), but it DOES feel special. Also, the transition from high school acting to workplace acting is very well-executed and natural; you can clearly see a jump in the characters' maturity. (Zhuyun's wardrobe change certainly helps with that, too!)

Meanwhile, the plot - though far from perfect - IS a perfect driver for the good kind of heart-tugging angst. There is jealousy involved, but no full-fledged love triangles. There are misunderstandings, but they are mostly cleared quite quickly due to the level of trust and love that Zhuyun and Lixun have for one another. Problems largely stem from external forces, so it's more about how they back each other up. Basically, you won't feel like the leads ever really betray their love for each other (even though there are some very heartbreaking moments.)

Is it perfect? No, definitely not. If I were to give it a 10/10, that would be based purely on my own enjoyment of the show. Realistically, there are some areas that either didn't quite work, or didn't quite make sense. (By this I mean that some of the side plots pertaining to side characters are seriously disjointed and rushed, and the ending, while happy and satisfying enough, doesn't resolve several plot points properly.) But because I'm a hopeless romantic and an absolute sucker for angst, this drama has become one of my all-time favourites.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

I thought I'd just vent about some of plot-related problems here, if anyone else has seen the drama already and is reading this.

I adored Lixun and Zhuyun together. But at the end, after they slept together, did he really just say with a straight face that he would have gotten back together with her if she'd just brought it up? Firstly, that's not very romantic of him. Secondly, it's not even true! He pushed her away so many times and even outright said that the past is the past when she asked if them being a couple was even possible anymore. I'm okay with him being cold and a bit emotionally stunted, but that was a bit ridiculous. We'll forgive him though, because the poor boy is not exactly very good with all of this emotional stuff.

The villains of the story are really well acted, but the writing doesn't do them justice. How does Gao Jianhong just flip like that? We can all see his mounting dissatisfaction, but I feel like a step is missing between him being sick of living in Lixun's shadow and him becoming a sort of comically exaggerated Entity of Evil. His reconciliation with Xu Lina at the end? Also not very convincing.

Then there's the matter with Fang Zhijing. So his eye got gouged out by Lixun, right? Literally can't tell at all. I mean, I know that prosthetic/glass eyes exist, but come on... it feels like the eye thing just got thrown in to extend Lixun's prison sentence.

Also, what on earth was Rendi and her boyfriend's subplot towards the end? It was so rushed, so random, and lowkey just existed so that the producers could pad out the episodes and so that the audience could watch two hot actors making out.

Anyway, what a watch. I haven't rewatched it yet, but I can imagine it has great rewatch value.

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One of the best modern c-dramas in the recent years

Among the normal youth c-drama, there might be some dramas with unexpected depth and warmth. Lighter & Princess is one such drama. Great acting, amazing chemistry, good soundtracks, and wonderful cinematography - this drama has everything the audience needs to enjoy it.


Lighter & Princess is adapted from the novel The Lighter and the Princess’ Gown, written by Twentine. The name is taken directly from the story. 'Lighter' symbolizes the ML, Li Xun. He always carries a small lighter along with him, which he got from his father. 'Princess' depicts the FL, Zhu Yun. Li Xun always used to call her Princess and also gifted her a 'princess gown', when they were in college.


L&P proves that rather than an over-the-top plot and dumb comedy, a simple plot and depthy characters are enough to make a drama loved. Lighter & Princess is actually a hard-hitting drama with a slow and subtle plot build. It touches many real life problems as well. The pace of the story was perfect and catchy. The drama started in the present day and shows flashbacks to the past, when the leads were in college and, in Li Xun's case, when he was a high schooler as well. I won't talk much about the plot because of the risk of spoiling something, since the synopsis barely says what actually happens in the drama. The thing about the story that wowed me the most was how everything has a rich backstory. Everything is explained without loopholes. The reason why Li Xun always carries a lighter, why he dyed his hair blonde when he came to college ( yeah, we get to see Chen Fei Yu in blond hair, and believe me, he looks awesome in that! ), and why he always calls Zhu Yun "princess" or "your highness" etc. Everything connects with each other and makes the story beautiful and moving.


The romance in the story is another aspect I liked. Li Xun is an arrogant but brilliant student, who is very much ahead of his class in coding and programming. He was even more gifted and talented than his teacher. He's handsome as hell and attracts many girls, whom he drives away through humiliation. He's always been confident in himself and hasn't had even a bit of self-doubt. Many people admire him for his brilliantness and good looks, but they hate him for his arrogant attitude. He never trusted anyone but himself and always acts like he's the king. He doesn't abide by any rules and thus becomes completely opposite to Zhu Yun's character. Another aspect of the story that I enjoyed was the romance. Li Xun is a conceited but an intelligent student who is well ahead of his peers in coding and programming. One could say tha he I as gifted and talented even more than his teacher. He's  also handsome as hell and attracts a lot of girls, whom he drives away through humiliation. He's always been self-confident and has never had any doubts about himself. Many people admire him for his intelligence and good looks, but they also fear and despise him for his arrogant demeanour. He never trusted anyone but himself and always pretended to be a King. He does not follow any rules and so becomes the absolute opposite of Zhu Yun's character. Zhu Yun is the ideal daughter that any parent would desire. She's beautiful, innocent, and pure as well.


When Zhu Yun first meets Li Xun, despite despising him, she's attracted to him by his carefree personality and confidence as well. As far as she could remember, Zhu Yun had always walked along the path that her mother had paved for her. She hasn't made a single decision for herself before and came to study programming because of her mother as well, not because she likes it. Thus, when he, Li Xun, entered her life, Zhu Yun had an urge to step out and experience life by herself. Because of Li Xun, she even started to have a liking for programming as well. Slowly, she saw herself falling in love with him. Li Xun noticed himself caring for the 'princess', who suddenly barged into his life, giving off warmth in his cold life. The romance was kinda slow burn and we got to watch how they warmed up to each other and dealt with every difficulty together.


The side characters were as interesting as the main characters too. No one felt unnecessary, and everyone had their own individual stories even without much screen time. The side characters were absolutely necessary for the plot. My favorite side character is, of course, Ren Di. I love her personality and how she deals with problems and follows her heart. In a way, she's similar to Li Xun but more open and friendly.


Now let's talk about the acting. I have not watched any works of Zhang Jing Yi or Chen Fei Yu before, but I have heard people say that Fei Yu's acting was lacking in Ever Night, his first drama. I don't know about it, but in this one he was absolutely phenomenal. I like actors who portray emotions through their eyes, and Fei Yu is one like that. He has gotten on my list of favorite actors with just this drama. Just through his gaze, one could decipher what he's feeling. That pain and anger that had been inside him for solong, we could see it. Zhang Jing Yi's performance made it seem like she was born for this role or that the character was made just for her. Her innocent appearance is perfect for the character and makes it believable.


The cinematography in L&P was simply beautiful. Each and every scene was aesthetically pleasing and very pretty to watch. It's rare to see such top notch cinematography in a c-drama, unless it's historical or xianxia.


The songs and background music used in this drama were catchy and very much in sync with the actual drama. I especially liked the song "Fireworks" by Zhou Shen and the opening theme.


Finally, it has been a long time since I properly liked a modern c-drama. I was disappointed in almost all the modern c-dramas I have seen this year. But, thank God, this came to my rescue. I highly recommend this drama to everyone who has been disappointed in the quality of recent modern C-dramas because I'm sure this won't disappoint you!

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