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Lighter & Princess chinese drama review
Completed
Lighter & Princess
3 people found this review helpful
by silvia
Sep 3, 2023
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 10.0
This review may contain spoilers

If I want you, true love will take its course

"And in the end we're all just humans, drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our brokenness", Fitzgerald.

This was by far the best cdrama I've ever watched. I usually don't do reviews of dramas - I just comment under an episode if I have to say something - but it felt like it was needed here.

Now, it has been some time since I've finished it, so pardon me if I forget something.

I'm a huge fan of these youth dramas, set in high school and college days and whatever, so of course I couldn't miss this one. First impression? Too cool. We finally have a female lead who isn't stupid and weak, I immediately fell in love.

The first episode was a prolepsis (flashforward) until half of the second one, where we return to the present - seven years before. At first I didn't understand anything, I remember I was so confused that I tried to read some comments but most of them were even more confusing, so I just gave up. Until the second episode, where I officially started the journey with Zhu Yun and Li Xun.

I couldn't loved it any more.

It's the first day of college - I suppose - and they're waiting for their books. It's so casual that made me resent watching it - I mean, it made me want to watch some light romance dramas again.
Zhu Yun and Li Xun don't get along well at first - one is doing her best to please her mother's wants, the other is living life like an arrogant young boy, which he is btw - but they slowly start to feel something for each other. Zhu Yun is attracted by his weird personality, his strong abilities and his intellingence, meanwhile Li Xun is confused and attracted by her stubborness, the way she treats him and the fact that she isn't afraid of getting close to him and dare him.

These college days are the best, but as usual, after the sun comes the storm. Li Xun ruins his life by committing a crime. If only it ended here, Zhu Yun would've stayed by his side no matter what. However, this mf (sorry, I had to, I hated him in these moments) lied to her and broke her heart. This led to her leaving him and changing country - literally.
(Don't tell anyone else, let's keep this a secret, but I skipped these episodes. If you don't wanna cry your heart and eyes out, skip episodes 21 and 22)

They "reconcile" several years later, both knowing what they feel for each other. Li Xun keeps trying to push her away, but Zhu Yun knows he's lying.

And this is the most beautiful thing about this drama: their relationship. There's something Zhu Yun tells Li Xun: "Choose me, I won't betray you". It seems a normal sentence, but if you've watched the drama you know how important and touching this is.

'Cause no matter what happens, they are committed to each other, they believe and understand each other so profoundly that it breaks my heart knowing I won't ever have a relationship like that.

They are powerful, not only because of their abilities and intelligence, but mostly because they're ready to risk it all for their significant other. They're for sure the best cdrama couple I've ever seen.

And I believe I should say someting about Gao Jian Hong. This mf (#2) betrayed his best friends 'cause he couldn't accept that there's always someone better than us. I hated him until the very end, but at the same time I understood him: I know it's frustrating having someone who outshines you in everything you thought you were good at, still you should prove you're mature enough to understand not only your limits, but also the other's and the moral limits. Gao Jian Hong actually represents those who can't accept their own boundaries and push themselves to the limits, until they reach the ultimate stage of their miserable lives.

Unfortunately, Gao Jian Hong didn't stay loyal to his friends and suffered for that. I believe that his end was perfect, even though that illness prevented us to see how well our protagonists would've handled the revenge plan.

Another character that I should mention is Zhu Yun's mother. Just gonna say I hate her. I in general hate parents who want their children to live a life already decided by them. I mean, once a person turns eighteen (or whatever age a person is considered adult in your country) the parents have no right on their child's life: they can only advise them, but not decide for them. So yeah, I hated her mom 'cause she first chose her major and then tried to choose even her boyfriend/future husband.

Actually her presence wasn't that prominent in the last part of the drama, so I didn't feel her efforts to couple Zhu Yun and Tian Xiu Zhu that much, but it was still nerve wracking.

Overall, Lighter&Princess is a 10/10. I feel like I shouldn't rate everything about this drama a 10, but it is what it is. The story with its tropes was amazing, original and touching. The cast was perfect and so was the acting - just a little reminder of Chen Fei Yu's eyes 'cause that man didn't portrayed Li Xun, he IS Li Xun - : most of the cast is new with few years of experience so it was really refreshing seeing these young people acting so good with so hard characters to depict. And let's not talk about the soundtracks 'cause I'm literally obsessed! They complete the drama in a way that is really hard to see nowadays (I'm a musician so I have ears for these things).

And of course, the rewatch value. Useless to say that I'm literally on my way to rewatch it. It's too good to discard after being watched just once.
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