Chen Fei Yu’s face now triggers my fight or flight response (pros: chemistry, cons: writing)
I love how this drama gave us the fattest load of potential I’ve seen from cdramas in awhile only for it to sadly explode in our faces. I was (rightly) excited for Lighter & Princess because of Chen Fei Yu, but the writing definitely does not match up to the talents of the cast.STORY
This drama can best be described as a mix between your classic college rom com and a business revenge drama. I didn’t have much of a problem with the plot, but if you’re looking for a masterpiece, you should stop thinking about this drama, period. It has all the markings of your classic annoying cdrama—uselessly over-the-top events, dumb misunderstandings, toxicity, and a neat ending that doesn’t make sense at all.
What I really took issue with was how the characters were written. I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to make the leads (and the side characters) some of the most insufferable, selfish, unaware people I’ve ever seen. I personally think I’m someone who easily forgives the plot, but a horribly cliche story paired with the most annoying characters known to man is not a good combo.
Li Xun is your usual cold, unemotional genius, but he’s also incredibly rude, overly arrogant, possesses an insane superiority complex, and never changes. Zhu Yun is basically his puppy-eyed sidekick who cannot seem to think for herself. I think this drama would’ve been 300% more enjoyable if these two actually realized they weren’t the center of this world.
ACTING
And what pains me even more is that the acting was actually pretty good. Chen Fei Yu actually brings emotionally subtlety to his cold ML character, a trope that is usually rife with stiff and personality-less acting. I liked the aloof, seemingly-apathetic nature Chen Fei Yu gave Li Xun. It was so natural that it felt like he was the character, so much so that his face now triggers my fight or flight response (hence the review title) since my brain equates Chen Fei Yu to Li Xun and I have come to despise Li Xun xD.
Zhang Jing Yi as Zhu Yun wasn’t half bad either. She captured pretty well Zhu Yun’s childlike innocence and stubborn determination. But I felt like she could have been far more emotive, and also it seems as though she has no idea what to do with her body while acting. She stands still with her arms hanging by her sides 97% of the time.
The chemistry between Chen Fei Yu and Zhang Jing Yi was the sparks-flying type, though. Great bantering, cute scenes, and some nice cuddling scenes. I enjoyed it thoroughly before the drama went down the drain.
MUSIC
I loved the soundtrack to this show. From Zhou Shen’s dramatic and heartfelt ballad to punk rock and band covers—the music in this drama were honestly all bops, especially the songs Ren Di’s band covered. Plus the Pu Shu songs they included? Chef’s kiss. Really managed to capture the hopeful, young sadness that this drama was going for that the writing didn’t succeed in conveying.
REWATCH VALUE
BYE, there’s no way I’m putting myself through this pain again. Maybe the first half, though. Maybe.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I must have been watching a completely different show than everyone else
Please remember, this is just my personal opinion. I'm not telling anyone else what they should think about this show, only putting my thoughts down (mostly because my memory is so bad that I have to have reminders of what I thought of shows, so I don't waste my time on something I've already watched).1) I thought this show was PAINFULLY draggy. Do they not have editors in China? Are they trying to get an award for the greatest number of episodes with the least amount happening? Do they get paid by how long the show is? It's a mystery to me. Unfortunately, I find this to be true in most of the C-dramas I've watched, even more so than K-dramas. I was keeping track of what episode I was on, and I felt like I was watching paint dry. There was so much time when there was actually nothing going on. Lots of time spent walking from one place to another, sitting at computers, staring at each other while trying not to be seen staring at each other.
2) Too much programming/code talk. I get it, that's what they were doing, but we could understand that without having to watch the process.
3) ML. When you have a tsundere character, you need to be able to see him changing over time. There was some at the end, but even then, there wasn't much expression change. And I think if we hadn't been shown the prison stuff at the beginning, his behavior might have made a little more sense. But I just kept wondering why he was so mad all the time, especially before prison.
4) FL. To me, she was extremely irritating. Why did she keep following him? There was something so "I'm better than you are" about her, I just couldn't like her. She was always just around him. Was that supposed to show that she would support him regardless? Which brings me to...
5) Chemistry. This was a relationship that I just couldn't get behind. He was mean to everyone, and he was the same with her. She didn't like him at all and made no bones about the fact that she didn't like him. This was supposed to be enemies to lovers, apparently, but I never saw a moment that made sense for them to start liking one another. Why would you like someone that treats you so badly? Granted, for my own sanity, I had to fast forward through a lot of it, maybe I missed it. They were somewhat cute at the end, but I still couldn't really feel the chemistry, maybe because I didn't like either character.
Was this review helpful to you?
For Romance lovers who like Flawed characters making Flawed decisions in Love.
Subjective Gut Rating - 8.5 (because I am obsessed with Arthur Chen)I can see why this drama is rated so high, especially for romance lovers. I can also see why others think the main romance is toxic and the drama is not sending a positive message to young adults. Personally, I really like the romance - the longing, loving gazes, side glances, flirting, angst and heartbreaks. I am not in the tech field and know nothing about coding. So, I can’t comment on how accurate the codes are or if the tech parts make sense or not.
The chemistry is sizzling. Arthur Chen really shines in his role as Li Xun and practically carries the show on his back. My eyes can’t stop following him around and his eyes are speaking to me, showing all his emotions. I am embarrassed to say that I am crushing on him big time, especially during the college days when his hair was dyed back brown (the blonde hair wasn’t working for me). I’ve enjoyed his role in “Ever Night” but he’s so charismatic in this drama that no wonder Zhu Yun (FL) couldn’t stop following him around.
I can totally understand Zhu Yun’s adoration and admiration of him for so many years. The slow burn romance keeps me guessing and wanting them to be a couple. Yet on the other hand, I love the push-and-pull, will-they-won’t-they dynamics so much that I want the flirting and stolen glances to continue as long as possible. Zhang Jing Yi, though not quite at the same level as Arthur Chen in terms of acting, I do think she does a pretty good job as the female lead. I last saw her in “Fall in Love” but her role here is quite different. Zhu Yun might not be the smartest cookie in love, but I appreciate a smart female lead who can pull her weight and contribute professionally. As much as I admire her undeniable trust in Li Xun’s ability to change the world, I do think their romance can be interpreted as very unhealthy especially after they reunite. Li Xun rejects and breaks Zhu Yun’s heart so many times with verbal insults and embarrassment and giving her mixed signals for most of the second half of the drama. It’s really not healthy but I can’t help but love every single minute of it.
Gao Jian Hong, the second male lead, played by Zhao Zhi Wei, is an interesting and pitiful character. I feel really bad for him and what he went through. For someone who has been #1 for most of his life, meeting a genius like Li Xun and being bested by him every single time, is not something Gao Jian Hong can get past. This grudge never goes away even when they were friends then. The revenge plot takes up quite a lot of time in the second half of the drama. Overall, I think Zhao Zhi Wei did a pretty good job as the second male lead and shares the spotlight with Arthur Chen.
Well, my somewhat high rating is mainly because of how much I enjoy the main romance and Arthur Chen. But there are certain aspects of the plot that I don’t like. The secondary and tertiary romances are not as well-written. I do not understand why Xu Li Na is so in love with Li Xun when she barely knows him or has much interaction with him. Being attracted to Li Xun is understandable, but holding that infatuation for so many years is not logical. On the other hand, the small romance plot between Ren Di and her bandmate boyfriend is not well developed. You can skip that romance and you wouldn’t miss anything.
I am also not a fan of an overbearing and controlling mother. I understand where her concerns are coming from, especially when Zhu Yun was still in college. But when she’s in her mid-20s and late-20s, this type of overprotectiveness is unacceptable. Luckily, there are a few other side characters that are more likable, e.g. Professor Lin, the hacker, and the co-workers. Lastly, I really like the OST. I enjoy almost all the songs esp. Fireworks (焰火) by Zhou Shen and Light Red (轻红) by Cao Yang.
I would recommend this drama if you like slow burn, complicated romances of flawed characters making flawed decisions.
Completed: 3/24/2023
Was this review helpful to you?
THE BEST OF 2022! I WISH I COULD WATCH THIS AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME
This drama took me by surprise. It was never in my radar, neither do I know any of the actors, or novel. Therefore, rest assured this review does not contain bias.I've been randomly seeing clips of this from Tiktok and didn't really immediately caught my attention. In fact, I dismissed it as another cringey shoujo type high school romance after seeing those clips of this seeming tsundere blonde haired boy. I was still on the process of browsing shows looking for something that my possibly top Love Between Fairy and Devil.
After dropping so many dramas (Kdrama, Cdrama, Thai) I was really bored, I gave in and and started it when there was probably like 6episodes aired.
Although first 2 episodes are intriguing and totally different from what I expected, it did not really hook me when they started the flashback scene of their college life. I was only half paying attention to it when I stream it. I think it wasn't until episode 7 or 8, AND THEN I'M HOOKED.
SOMETHING IS REALLY SPECIAL SPECIAL WITH THIS SERIES. I try to list down here the things that I like and don't like :
1) This drama is NOT cringey at all. Most modern Cdramas are either boring or super cringe. L&P is unique, the way the script was written is very realistic.
2) The chemistry between the leads is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! I love them, they are so perfect for the role. Their adlibs and how they deliver their scenes is just truly perfect. I tend to cringe easily whenever couples in a series get together, I lose interest and get annoyed by their sweet scenes. But this is different, all their scenes together as a couple will give you butterflies.
3) There are no annoying second couple. This series focuses on the main couple. You will not be forced to watch filler episodes of characters you do not care much about.
4) The way the characters are written is so wonderful and matured. There is no cutesy high pitched voiced FL, but ZhuYun the FL here, is possible the best FL in dramaland. Her unwavering love and support for LiXun is truly beautiful to witness. She is neither a doormat nor a domineering FL. She is a well balanced FL, she strong and capable and yet still always emanates innocence and softness.
LiXun also is an amazing character, another complex ML that you also can't help but care more and more as the story progress. I know it looks like in the beginning of the series that he's a jerk and a red flag. But trust me, HE IS NOT A RED FLAG AT ALL. He's got some issues but he's far from toxic. They are actually wonderful and super strong when together.
5) The soundtrack is amazing!
6) The production is high quality. The set, the outfits (specially the present time ones) are really beautiful.
7) Probably the most important. The story is captivating. You will care so much and root for the characters and always makes you curious what will happen to them. I cannot go into the details of the story without spoiling. But it truly is one that will stay with you for a long time.
8) I know it may sound like the story is super serious and intense, it is indeed intense, but there is always humour within the episodes. Specially around the Feiyang company, their journey is really a feel good story.
The only thing that I didn't like about it is that it has to end. I miss this drama so badly already.
Was this review helpful to you?
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO MOVE ON? Li Xun and Zhu Yun will forever hold my heart. <3
I am not the best at writing reviews, so I rarely write them. But I’m going to do my best to tell you that this is probably one of the best Dramas out there.Summary: Li Xun and Zhu Yun meet at university. Li Xun is cold, and withdrawn to everyone but strangely not to Zhu Yun. Zhu Yun and Li Xun have a friendly rivalry, and with time it’s obvious that Zhu Yun affects Li Xun unlike anyone else. From there on work together, they make plans, and dream big dreams and even fall for each other in the process. But just when everything was going great tragedy strikes. Because dramas just like real life are tumultuous affairs.
What did I love most about this drama?
- The Chemistry between Chen Fei Yu and Zhang Jingyi. They lit up the screen any time they were together.
Both the leads have done a fantastic job, there was never a dull moment with them. Chen Fei yu blew me away with his acting, every small micro expression told a story. He’s an actor I’d like to watch more of. Zhang Jingyi was amazing in her own right, she was Zhu Yun, I could feel the earnestness of her character, again I’m definitely going to watch more of her work.
I saw a lot of comments that said the first 20 or so episodes were boring, if you’re looking for drama, action, massive plot changes it’s not in the first 20 episodes. The first 20 episodes are uplifting, they are funny, they are adorable, they are the meat of the storyline. If you skip the first 20 episodes you will miss out on everything. You won’t get to see Zhu Yun and Li Xun fall in love, grow up together, make a bond that is unbreakable. And if you miss out on the first twenty episode you won’t get to correctly experience the raw pain, the angst that would follow those episodes.
All in all, I can only say that you will regret missing out on L&P. So give it a watch because you will not regret it.
But I warn you this show, it’s not one that’s easy to move on from. The show, the soundtrack, the characters they’ll stay in your head rent free for many years to come!
Was this review helpful to you?
A broken lighter and a run away princess... who turns in to a knight
Another drama that could have been great if they only cut it in half... or skipped a bunch of draggy scenes and unnecessary detours.As this is indeed the story of the pretty naive but bad ass princess who falls in love with the broken lighter. The broken lighter has a bunch of red flags and completely lacks communication skills, he has however learned the hard way how to manipulate his surroundings to get what he wants instead of using actual verbal words.
The princess, has parents who pretty much want to control her, do not value her opinion at all an basically oppress her in the name of "mommy knows best" basically forcing her to either do as they say or find ways to lie to them. And while the parents here are pretty much as awful if not worse than most parents in c- dramaland they do make way for a lot of character development for the female lead and are one of few examples of controlling parents who actually contribute to the plot in a good way. However this was underdeveloped and I can not believe I am writing this but I would have wanted a little bit more screen time for this part of the plot.
The romance in this is top tire, with or without being in an actual relationship the leads have great energy, bickering, great chemistry, a bunch of beautiful scenes and though you will have to wait for the kisses, the drama does offer a bunch of steamy kisses and more. The female lead is pretty much addicted to the male lead but manages to be so without becoming pathetic (odd but true). Oh and they do seam to have a basic idea about consent .
So what is it I am trying to say here...
The main coupe may not be goals but they are indeed entertaining and fun to watch. However the surrounding plot with all its twists and turn make little to no sense, there are some good and important lines and scenes here and there about second chances, struggles, bullying, jealousy (a lot of jealousy), needing help to climb mountains, betrayal, inequality all done pretty ok, but they made it feel cluttered and draggy and just prolonged the main couples struggles and took up screen time.
Some parts of this are great others meeh, the pacing and time skips are kind of off too. Some of the long build ups are wrapped up with unsatisfactory lines or flash by in a second. One moment they are kissing the next moment it is 3 years later. Inconsistent as it may be it is gif worthy, and binge worthy fluff worth a watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
A must watch Cdrama of the year!!!
This is my first time rating and reviewing a drama. Thanks to this one which forced me to do so. I would just share my thoughts about this drama. Firstly, why you should watch this drama?.... Not just because its a good story its a really a good story. Its really different from all those stories that I have watched up till now. It is a wholesome drama where you not only find romance but also can actually relate this with your life too. It has soo many motivating scenes that boosts you up, especially for the youngsters and also who are working soo hard to be successful in what they love. It inspires you to cherish the things that you love the most and work on it without giving up. This is what I find something one of the best thing that I see in this drama.Secondly, the characters are really special and unique in there own way. Each character has its own good and bad qualities, which is again one of the most admiring thing I could find. The character I liked the most is Li Xun. His qualities, actions and the "Never GIVE UP!!" attitude drawn me the most. Although sometimes you would feel that he is a complete jerk but as you keep watching him you would realize that you would be the same on his place. The more you try started hating him the more he makes you to love him. This is how he is.
Thirdly, thanks to Chen Fei Yu & Zhang Jing Yi for taking up these roles and bringing up such an amazing and speechless chemistry to there viewers. There chemistry never felt like they are trying to acting it out, it all felt soo real, natural, effortless and heart warming through out the episodes. Never felt awkward, cringed or tiring.
Also a big thanks to its scriptwriters, directors and everyone behind the screen for there unending efforts for making a perfect drama. From the very 1st episode till the last it caught my full attention. Never skipped a single second of any episodes. Every episodes where spectacular and never felt boring.
At the end I would say its worth your time and watching it...
Thank you!
Was this review helpful to you?
Not everyone's cup of tea if they're looking for proper plot and character development
I'll probably get hated for this review, but the ML is full of himself throughout. One should be able to differentiate between a genius and a complete narcissist self-absorbed person. I get that his past hasn't been the best, but that does not justify the way he treats people.Had it not been for Arthur Chen's good looks/striking eyes and some other not-so-handsome actor, I'm pretty sure more people would have hated the character. The ML-FL relationship was very toxic, I'm rather amused that people are glorying such toxicity and finding it cute, lol.
Also, a lot of time seems to be wasted on unreal IT-based competitions as well.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Boring ,Long , NO self respect
I really liked this show in the beginning and it kept me hooked but the story eventually became boring and now I just decided to drop this show, The story is not that unique but not that bad either . The ML Lin Xun is a bad boy with a genius brain but is arrogant with everyone while the FL was smart , brave in the starting but later she really annoyed me when she left her own Self respect and like a puppy followed the ML everywhere even after he mistreated her and this was one of the reasons I am not watching this show anymore like I was expecting her to be a smart girl but it looked like she was nothing but tail of the ML. The relationship was good but sometimes it looked toxic as the ML made all the decisions in their relationship and the FL who is Zhu yun just ran after him and eventually forgive him, it looked like she was obsessed with the ML to that point that she was on the verge of suicide during their breakup , like girl common , I really wanted her to be strong and not run after Lin xun and have her own life and start loving herself first before loving anyone else.The other cast was good and the enemy Gao was a jerk, though I knew it from the start that he is going to betray Lin xun (ml) after seeing their heated relationship. Ost of the drama is nice specially " FALLING YOU" and "Love cycle" .
In short you can watch this drama if you are okay with the problems I just mentioned I had with the show and if you love a drama that has revenge and love then you can atmost watch this drama for once.
Was this review helpful to you?
IT WAS SICK, I’M HOOKED
I finished it on Friday but i’m still stuck. There is so much to talk about but lets start with the story which is so good I, as a CS student love it and because i’m a CS student that what makes it more interesting. The whole thing, it was just so amazing. Now lets move to the characters will only talk about the main one, Zhu Yun the MFL was so fking sweet and caring how she cares and believes in Li Xun it was so refreshing to watch. Now Li Xun the MML although he looked cold from outside but was a complete softie at heart just not for the girl but for his friends too. I personally think my personality relates so much with Li Xun. Both characters were very well played they are still on my mind. They were so good its hurt to watch them, especially Arthur Chen because he is so pretty its actually hurt to watch him. Lets move to the plot, not gonna say much or i will give a spoiler or something but the whole plot was so fking good. All scenes were fire, the dialogue were fire. The whole cast was fire. I love almost all the characters except from Fang Zhi Jing and Gai Jian Hong, Especially Fang. I think they played it so well that I actually hates their characters.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
True Love Will Take Its Course
It has been a long time since I last saw such a perfect Cdrama. This one is a masterpiece. I hate jerk MLs. And contrary to what some viewers said, the ML is NOT really a jerk here. He was quite a cold and complex character and Arthur Chen did an amazing job portraying him. This is my first drama of him and I am quite impressed. The ML is understandable and lovable if you try to see things from his POV.The FL is my favourite. Maybe the best FL I have seen in a Cdrama. She is the epitome of STRONG. She goes against the world for the ML . And she doesn’t look pathetic doing that. She is the knight in the shining armour in this drama. Some people might call her dumb but the same people would have lauded a ML for the same actions.
The love story is BEAUTIFUL.. The build up was done right. I didn’t get bored at all which is my common problem while watching Cdramas. The banters, teasing, flirting before they get into the relationship is just chef’s kiss. The separation was truly painful. I was so touched by the FL’s emotions when he goes to jail..The ending where they get together after so many hurdles was very satisfying.
The only problem was the friend who later becomes the villain. The whitewash of his character to make viewers sympathise with him has gone wrong. Nothing can make me sympathetic towards him after what he did.
Was this review helpful to you?
Princess and Her Dauntless Guard Dog
This is the enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers, mutual pining couple I didn't know I need.The story centers around Zhu Yun and Li Xun, the princess and the lighter, or rather, her fierce, dauntless, tsundere guard dog, for lack of better terms. It started from their college days when they were freshmen, up until they are working adults. Their story is a slow burn, but it's not boring at all with the conflicts here and there that keeps mounting up to the big problem. I still watch this mostly with 1,5x speed because the pace is a bit slow, but it's still good.
What I love the most, though, is the acting. CFY and ZJY as a pair lovers is very convincing. Their looks, their constant need to always touch each other, their pull towards one another looks so natural as if they are truly in love. I love every scenes they have together.
The supporting casts are all very good, I dare say this drama is character driven as well as plot driven, because their personalities are pretty complex and layered.
For a youth drama this is a bit dark, with some frustrating and sad story arcs that boils my brain. Don't expect green flag characters from this.
I expect more closures for the ending actually, but it's already good enough for me. After it ends, I was in quite a slump because of how good it is and how strong the aftertaste is.
If you can stand the first two episodes, do continue. This is a very good one.
Was this review helpful to you?
