Lighter & Princess (2022)

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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romanticizing toxic relationship for 36 episodes!!

I was rooting for this drama to be good, namely because Arthur Chen is in it. His other projects aren’t watchable for me as I’m waiting for Immortality… but for now I will watch this drama and take my crumbs here and there.

At first the drama was good, then good enough, and now it’s getting hard to watch. Simply because it is too long of a show for the narrative it has. And it’s a shame, because with the story it had potential.

One of the main things that really sends it home is that the main characters aren’t like able. Li Xun, played by Arthur Chen, has a lot of problems and acts rashly and behaves horribly to others around him without any conveniences. And the whole reason why? Well .. there is no explanation. You get half an episode (20 minutes) on his background to explain why he is closed off.. meanwhile you get full few episodes for plot points that don’t advance the story along at all. As for the story it’s hard to tell what it is, but it should’ve been wrapped up sooner.

The whole thing with their coding is hard to watch and boring because I know how coding works. I code, and they language they use may not be the same I do, but the story around the coding isn’t working. Arthur Chen is just good at is, there was no build up or reason why, and Zhu Yun is even worse. He keeps her by her side and she never has a chance to show her being good, she just picks up where he left off etc.

The show is pretty at times, but other than face value it isn’t great. The tonal shifts are so jarring, I don’t know why C-Dramas do this thing where the dynamic between the leads is so toxic but they play it off as charming. Li Xun is not charming, realistically no one would respect him with the way he is acting even if he is good at coding.. he’s got pretty privileged.

Now the kicker for me is the part I’m at where they just now introduce a childhood friend of Zhu Yin’s that took her own life.. and it’s tone deaf. It’s weird to me because they have a character that clearly has things to explain about his upbringing, but Zhu Yun- who has never had any moments building up or any recalling of this friend .. suddenly remembers? She is triggered for the sake of more episodes and I’d be fine with it if they didn’t have Li Xun’s character where they could have time to develop him. And at this point the drama is offensive when she tells another new character that he killed the girl, meanwhile mental issues like that shouldn’t be solely put on one person to blame, she is immature for that and I don’t like her for that. That behavior is so wrong and should’nt be portrayed as righteous. The guy who she pins it on wasn’t perfect, but you never blame someone for anyone’s death unless it’s murder. Mental issues are horribly misunderstood and it’s shameful.

I don’t hate the drama though. I just have issues with it because I’m sick of waiting for Arthur Chen’s Immortality to release because he put a lot of work into that also. This drama for him is on, he gets time to shine and recognition. Other than watching it for him I don’t recommend. Maybe for the hater to lover trope.. honestly watch something else for that. This is taking too long for these two and it can be over shorter and written better overall.


… update… they really are not having any redemption for this drama here. I am really at odds with all the amazing 10/10 reviews.

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The drama itself I found to be decent and enjoyable at times. Plotwise, it is pretty standard. It's got your classic college to working life story arc. The only difference is that the ML disappears for a couple of years due to some incident and then the story starts back up again after he returns. However, what happens to the ML is a pretty common trope in melodrama plots, so this is not anything new. Speaking of the ML, he is a cocky asshole just because he's a genius programmer. There was no reason for him to be so stubborn and rude. He's unlikable except for that pretty face of his. The writers try to justify his attitude by giving him a "tragic" backstory. I still don't think his past justifies his behavior. Part of his story arc is learning how to make friends. I think they did a good job with this. He still, however, has that cocky attitude until the end of the drama.

The way the writers set up the story in the second half makes it seem like it's going to be a revenge story after the male lead returns. They also set it up to be a business drama about a start up company. The start up related stuff is fun to watch. The revenge story fell flat for me. There was all this buildup making it seem like they were going to get the perfect revenge. What actually happened to the bad guys was not worthy of all that buildup. I really wanted to see one of the antagonists go down in flames. Yet all I got was 5 seconds of him going down for his own unrelated wrongdoing.

Now for the romance, this couple was cute at times (there were a lot of tickle attacks). However, someone mentioned their relationship was toxic and I have to say I kind of agree. In the beginning, a lot of it involved ML leaning in, invading her personal space, trying to make her blush, and ordering her to do things. He would get away with being bossy and rude because of his pretty face and the fact that he is a "genius" programmer. FL's obsession with ML was a bit alarming. They manage to slip in a shirtless scene toward the end for the thirsty folks...so I guess that's a plus. Like I said, they were cute together, but there were a lot of red flags that should not be ignored either.

One thing I liked was FL's growth story. She becomes a better programmer and gains more confidence in herself. I wish she gained the ability to stand up to her parents. I think she actually did toward the end, but I don't think it actually resolved anything.

Overall, I think it's a decent watch. It's not amazing or mind-blowing as some people are making it out to be. The romance is okay (though it has some red flags). The songs are pretty awesome. I think if you lower your expectations, there's a good chance you will enjoy it.

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really good drama, eng subs don't do it justice :(

Prior to this drama's release, I had heard about the cast and filming of it. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the drama, the cast's chemistry, the storyline, and the soundtrack. The writers did an amazing job adapting the novel to the screen, maintaining many key moments from the novel and the two main characters' relationship, while making minor changes to plot and character backgrounds for better story flow and progression. The drama covers the story of romantic, familial, and friend relationships.

I think the story portrays a very realistic relationship between the two main characters. The male lead, Li Xun, and the female lead, Zhu Yun come from very different family backgrounds and experiences, Li Xun a more tragic and Zhu Yun from a loving, well-off family. The story starts as more of a friends-to-lovers trope, but it's very clear how quickly they fall for each other. Zhu Yun, having always been an obedient daughter sees a side that she desires to be in Li Xun, and by being with him, she can rebel and be her "true self." The leads are not actually together for much of the drama, however, the team did a great job illustrating the push-pull of feelings prior to the actual relationship.Both characters have flaws--Li Xun is too closed off, a bit arrogant, and impulsive, but both love each other immensely, shown through LX pushing away ZY to protect her, and ZY still trusting him all throughout. Aside from the obstacles in their relationship, The college segment of the drama was so charming; all characters were lovable and the interactions and work they did remind me much of my own college experiences.

The distinction between the college romance and workplace romance is something I really enjoyed; there was a very obvious character development and while things seem different, they still are the same. LX and ZY still love and trust each other, continuing off from before, LX is still pushing away ZY to protect her, but ZY comes back stronger and determined to help him win his life and dreams back. I really love ZY's character in the way that she is strong and does everything in her power to protect LX because she loves him. I also think that the other coworkers at Feiyang are so funny a highlight of these emotional first few episodes of part 2.

Both lead actors portrayed the characters so well, I truly believe that they were meant to play them. Through behind the scenes clips, you can tell how hard they worked on bringing Li Xun and Zhu Yun to life. Chen Feiyu and Zhang Jingyi had amazing chemistry--there were so many moments in the episodes where they improvised and their interactions felt so natural.

I watched this drama completely in Chinese and had read the novel prior, and the Youtube English subtitles don't do the lines justice, often translated too simply or cliche/cheesy. Many of the lines hold deeper references to the novel and directly relates the personality and character progression, which is lost in these translations. Lighter & Princess is so much more than your standard idol drama; there's a long time span, imperfections in characters and relationships, and growth. While I feel like the ending few episodes of Lighter & Princess were a bit rushed, I'm still amazed by the closing scene, quoted exactly from the novel, with the carousel turning back time through their relationship, the coded heart stops beating, Li Xun's breathing, up to where they first met in college--this time from Li Xun's perspective. Though it's a happy ending, I can't help but feel a little sad every time I see that last clip. I will definitely be rewatching.

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World is a battle field , few just haven't given up yet.

If you're here to connect with few characters deeply to their present, past and future, this drama is for you. If you are one of those who doesn't want to hope because of broken friendships or relationships, This drama is just right for you.
You live through the rash youth, the one where you have hope, You will live through the adulthood where you have to push yourself to hope and maybe , maybe if you have atleast one person in your life who would stand for you when the world stands tall against you, this is where it is. Overall watch this to see dreams , to just love even when you have nothing and when you are just surviving, it is alright , This is your fight.
Loved few characters , hated few but overall lived through it all.

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best youth drama..i love it!!

i was never a fan of chines dramas until i watched L&P. once you watch its first ep you become crazy to know what caused all of them to this stage and then you go for it! it has amazing storylines ,some dialogues are worthy to be written down on your dairy . FL and ML made the drama fantastic . i just cant help myself not to be obsessed with it .truly love love love it!!! briefly it is an excellent combo of romance, comedy, seriousness and the things which we youth are facing these days . it deals with reality that you just cant say it does not Happen in real life , i suggest you must watch it .I BET YOU WONT REGRET IT :)

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Holyyyyyy mother of god this was such a boring watch.

I would’ve had a much better time with this drama if it was at least 12 episodes shorter. So many things were needlessly dragged out and it completely sucked the enjoyment out of a story that could’ve been so much more entertaining than it ended up being. While pacing is my #1 issue with the drama, I don’t think I will ever be able to forgive this drama for the route that it took in breaking up the characters. After watching this I’m 100% certain that my absolute least favorite trope in the history of drama tropes is the stupid fucking “pushing people away to protect them by lying to them” trope. Sometimes it’s done well if the person is pushed away without any deceit, however when lies become involved is when I absolutely tune out. There is absolutely no reason… none. I will never be okay with LX’s actions in this drama no matter how many times they are explained and justified. Not only did he lie and push ZY away (and can we talk about the 3 years of clinical depression the poor girlie went through?), he continued to do so even after coming out of prison. He made her cry so many times and betrayed her trust over and over, and we’re just supposed to be okay with this because ZY is an idiot who loves a very very toxic man? Absolutely not. Overall, my unpopular opinion is that this drama is really really not worth the glowing ratings that it gets. The only redeeming points are the chemistry between the leads and the great OST. I’d skip this one if you’re considering watching.

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He is a true king and she is his princess knight

There was not a single moment in this drama where characters were OOC.
Amazing chemistry between leads and the heartwarming story line was something I can never forget. They were so true to themselves and their love.
From the start to the end of drama it was not a let down. Not a moment felt draggy and pointless.
LX and ZY were amazingly played by chen fei yu and zhang jing yi. You could see the emotions in their eyes. Their love and guilt and regret.... it was so heartwreching and beautiful to watch these two together.
The story line was meaningful and had a lot of lessons in it.
Almost all the characters had depth in their personality. There was no complete black and white -except for FZJ that was a true trash- and I cried when I finished the drama just because it was truly beautiful.
I'm glad the drama ended on a high note and didn't disappoint at the final episode.
The song tracks were so so beautiful that I couldn't resist playing them over and over.

I will rewatch it again because I can't get enough of this truly wonderful couple!

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Best drama of 2022!

First of all I’m not one to cry at all during a drama but for the first time in my life I’ve actually cried for a damn couple they really do have an extraordinary acting skills for the characters I want to say i’ve seen zhang jingyi in fall in love and i have to say she’s a real talent and for the case of chen feiyu this is my first time ever seeing him in a drama and i gotta say he’s a really versatile actor I really am lucky to have ever watched that drama the details the storyline and from the support character is extremely incredible I really do recommend this extremely well played out drama

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Be ready to stuck by lightening

Where to start… its amazing story. From start to end a journey full of emotions, love and compatibility. The chemistry was on fire n I am not exaggerating if i say that they didn’t even need to kiss to create fire 🔥. Don’t worry you will get plenty of 😘. My favourite character was Li Xi although he seemed to be a stubborn guy (exactly opposite to a gentleman, sometimes acted like a jerk yes an extremely proud guy .. or Atleast he pretended to be) but deep down he was a softy. He took his time to understand his surroundings and value friendships but he tried after many events (considering his background we can digest it). All in all I congratulate Arther Chen for being my new offical crush (damn cute). The FL was good. The thing i like most about her that she was not hesitant to express herself. She didn’t care about the so called ‘I am girl’ image n confessed her feelings from time to time . She trusted him in every stage. She was not blinded by jealousy even he purposely tried to mislead her yet she knew him so well and trusted him till the very end!
Other characters played their parts well. Guo showed most versatility in his character. He made me like him, hate him and felt sorry for him. I wished he could stop himself but … it was too late when he realised! The friendship was stained…!! ( Still happy that he ended up with Xu Luna at the end (an ending different from novel)). Ran Di was cool… Fung Xiamo was also unique in her own way( I wished she could ended up with that guy from uni days (who had a crush on her) but the director didn’t put attention on her storyline as she was already additionally acted from novel). I like the changes they made in drama version but i also liked the novel (except the last part where the writer dragged it). All in all it was one of the best dramas with a good rewatch value.

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