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Not a perfect drama but nearly there.
I am not someone who normally leaves reviews but I love this drama so much that I wanted to. Honestly, I am a fan of the novel and I have been really anticipating the drama since it was first announced. However, I was scared because most novel adaptations don't live up to the novel itself. I am happy to say that this is not the case here. In fact, I would dare to say that the drama was actually better than the novel in some aspects.
Plot:
Lighter & Princess is a story about life journey of two individuals from opposite backgrounds who fall in love and face some very challenging situations. Neither Li Xun nor Zhu Yun are perfect people. They both have flaws but together, they fit perfectly. Li Xun is someone who has a lot of confidence in his abilities and is determined to walk on his own path but he lacks love and trust in his life. Zhu Yun fulfills that. She gives him her unconditional love and support, eventually making him open up and fall deeply in love with her while she takes courage from Li Xun and learns to stand up for herself, especially against her mother. Without giving too much away, this is a story about love and courage, about making choices and living with their consequence, and about not being defined by your one mistake or your poor circumstances..
The drama was very faithful to the novel but some things that it did better than the novel was fill in some gaps and develop the supporting characters well. One of the changes I particularly liked in the drama was that Li Xun learned about Zhu Yun's struggles and actually apologized to her. There's no doubt in the novel that Li Xun loves Zhu Yun and is regretful of how he acted in the past but he never actually apologizes for his action in words...I think by making him do so in drama, it showed a level of growth that the novel was not able to bring to the character.
They also made Gao Jianhong's betrayal more believable by showing a steady build up of resentment in him. In the novel, the betrayal did feel a bit jarring. I wasn't too fond of Li Xun's attitude towards Gao Jianhong (and this is one of the changes from the novel I disliked) but I understand the need for it.
Another change I absolutely loved is that they made Zhu Yun's gift of lighter more meaningful. In the novel, the lighter holds no importance really; he carries it because he is a smoker and she gifts him a lighter in exchange for her dress. But in the drama, the lighter carries a lot of importance for him and Zhu Yun fixing it and returning it to him made the whole exchange much more meaningful and heartwarming. Overall, it's clever changes like these that improved the novel plot in my opinion.
Acting:
The leads of this drama, Chen Feiyu and Zhang Jingyi, were simply phenomenal. Their chemistry felt so natural and they didn't hold back while showing intimacy...the kisses, the hugs, the cuddles were just perfect. They are now my standard for drama couples. Not to say there isn't room for improvement. There definitely is but honestly, I don't care. They are exactly like how I imagined Li Xun and Zhu Yun to be and they made me fall in love with them all over again.
The supporting cast did well too. I did find Zhao Zhi Wei (Gao Jianhong) and Cui Yu Xin (Fang Zhijing) a bit lacking during more spirited scenes. Hence why, I rated the acting as 8/10. Minus 1 for each of the actors....but really, it didn't affect my drama enjoyment too much.
Apart from that, I don't have many complaints.
Soundtrack:
BEAUTIFUL! The soundtrack for this drama has been on repeat for me. Falling You and Firework even made it into my YouTube Music Top 5 for 2022. And given how this was released just last month, I can't even say how many times I would have replayed it to make it to the list.
However, more than just good songs, the music is used very well in the drama. An example of this is the famous snow scene before the separation. It's a romantic setting and the words are sweet but the music is so melancholy that the viewers get a very bittersweet feeling watching the scene. Very well done!
Direction:
Finally, I need to drop a word of praise for the director. I have watched a fair amount of contemporary Chinese dramas and I can honestly say, I have never seen a drama that paid so much attention to details. There are a lot of subtle details that speak to a character's state of mind or stage of life. It's impossible to list them all. Here is an example of the level of detail this director included: https://twitter.com/afterrnoont/status/1598215644666699776?s=20&t=iAMC3_gR80pYJnnHGfMVAA
Also, several parallels like this one: https://twitter.com/blueasbutterfly/status/1598197957727514626?s=20&t=iAMC3_gR80pYJnnHGfMVAA
Artistic scenes like this one: https://twitter.com/wreckerofmyjoy/status/1592534190356303872?s=20&t=iAMC3_gR80pYJnnHGfMVAA
Amazing, amazing work!
Final review:
If it wasn't clear enough, I LOVED THIS DRAMA!! SO SO MUCH!!! I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good romance drama to watch.
Plot:
Lighter & Princess is a story about life journey of two individuals from opposite backgrounds who fall in love and face some very challenging situations. Neither Li Xun nor Zhu Yun are perfect people. They both have flaws but together, they fit perfectly. Li Xun is someone who has a lot of confidence in his abilities and is determined to walk on his own path but he lacks love and trust in his life. Zhu Yun fulfills that. She gives him her unconditional love and support, eventually making him open up and fall deeply in love with her while she takes courage from Li Xun and learns to stand up for herself, especially against her mother. Without giving too much away, this is a story about love and courage, about making choices and living with their consequence, and about not being defined by your one mistake or your poor circumstances..
The drama was very faithful to the novel but some things that it did better than the novel was fill in some gaps and develop the supporting characters well. One of the changes I particularly liked in the drama was that Li Xun learned about Zhu Yun's struggles and actually apologized to her. There's no doubt in the novel that Li Xun loves Zhu Yun and is regretful of how he acted in the past but he never actually apologizes for his action in words...I think by making him do so in drama, it showed a level of growth that the novel was not able to bring to the character.
They also made Gao Jianhong's betrayal more believable by showing a steady build up of resentment in him. In the novel, the betrayal did feel a bit jarring. I wasn't too fond of Li Xun's attitude towards Gao Jianhong (and this is one of the changes from the novel I disliked) but I understand the need for it.
Another change I absolutely loved is that they made Zhu Yun's gift of lighter more meaningful. In the novel, the lighter holds no importance really; he carries it because he is a smoker and she gifts him a lighter in exchange for her dress. But in the drama, the lighter carries a lot of importance for him and Zhu Yun fixing it and returning it to him made the whole exchange much more meaningful and heartwarming. Overall, it's clever changes like these that improved the novel plot in my opinion.
Acting:
The leads of this drama, Chen Feiyu and Zhang Jingyi, were simply phenomenal. Their chemistry felt so natural and they didn't hold back while showing intimacy...the kisses, the hugs, the cuddles were just perfect. They are now my standard for drama couples. Not to say there isn't room for improvement. There definitely is but honestly, I don't care. They are exactly like how I imagined Li Xun and Zhu Yun to be and they made me fall in love with them all over again.
The supporting cast did well too. I did find Zhao Zhi Wei (Gao Jianhong) and Cui Yu Xin (Fang Zhijing) a bit lacking during more spirited scenes. Hence why, I rated the acting as 8/10. Minus 1 for each of the actors....but really, it didn't affect my drama enjoyment too much.
Apart from that, I don't have many complaints.
Soundtrack:
BEAUTIFUL! The soundtrack for this drama has been on repeat for me. Falling You and Firework even made it into my YouTube Music Top 5 for 2022. And given how this was released just last month, I can't even say how many times I would have replayed it to make it to the list.
However, more than just good songs, the music is used very well in the drama. An example of this is the famous snow scene before the separation. It's a romantic setting and the words are sweet but the music is so melancholy that the viewers get a very bittersweet feeling watching the scene. Very well done!
Direction:
Finally, I need to drop a word of praise for the director. I have watched a fair amount of contemporary Chinese dramas and I can honestly say, I have never seen a drama that paid so much attention to details. There are a lot of subtle details that speak to a character's state of mind or stage of life. It's impossible to list them all. Here is an example of the level of detail this director included: https://twitter.com/afterrnoont/status/1598215644666699776?s=20&t=iAMC3_gR80pYJnnHGfMVAA
Also, several parallels like this one: https://twitter.com/blueasbutterfly/status/1598197957727514626?s=20&t=iAMC3_gR80pYJnnHGfMVAA
Artistic scenes like this one: https://twitter.com/wreckerofmyjoy/status/1592534190356303872?s=20&t=iAMC3_gR80pYJnnHGfMVAA
Amazing, amazing work!
Final review:
If it wasn't clear enough, I LOVED THIS DRAMA!! SO SO MUCH!!! I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good romance drama to watch.
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