A marking unconditional love story - You'll either like or dislike it (I LOVED it)

Let me start by saying I'm generally picky with what I watch, and I drop dramas as soon as I feel the story hasn't much going on for itself anymore. I naturally take scores and reviews into account when I'm searching for stuff to binge, lighter and princess included. All of this to say I didn't pick this up with no expectations, I wanted it to be good, and oh my god! It was!

After watching you are my glory, I was looking for another nice modern c-drama with good romance, and while a very different type of dynamics, LP didn't disappoint me on that. This drama is superb. Admittedly, it has several flaws (which some reviews already pointed out here) but I can only think of about 3 dramas with a picture perfect storyline anyway.

A few reasons why I liked this despite the bad boy/good girl trope that I often can't stand to watch :

- Li xun is cocky and rude yes, but not because he is popular, rich, spoiled or something like that. He has a heavy past which has closed him off from social relationships and his confidence comes from his exceptional skills. I'm not excusing that though! Those are FLAWS, which made me want to pull out my hair sometimes but I'd rather take that than male leads who manhandle, BULLY FL's at the beginning of some shows just because they were an "eyesore" to their distinguished sockets only to magically change because du-du-dum *LOVE*. Li xun here isn't the nicest guy, he has trouble with empathy and emotions in general, but he doesn't brag, just does things on his own and others feel bothered because of that. He won't abruptly change, yet he does show signs of wanting to improve by the end of the drama for Zhu yun. He never bullies her, they BOTH bother e/o at the beginning and if anything it feels like they're flirting and in denial the whole time.
- Zhu Yun is never helpless. It is her who comes from a rich family, who has the power. They are quarreling but it feels like she could get out of those situations at any time if she *really* wanted to (she actually did once!). Tbh their relationships of cats and dogs even start with her always coming back to interact with him despite his rudeness.
- They are complementary. The two characters have apparent flaws, especially li xun, but she brings him something just as he brings her something. They are both the person who makes the other better.

//SPOILER WARNING, this section will mainly be me discussing the main characters and the negative takes on them in detail//
Lighter and Princess is above all a captivating love story. Some said and will say that the FL runs after the ML too much and I won't argue with that. However, despite it all it is definitely one of the reasons why this drama touched me so much.
YES when they meet again, it is Zhuyun who still pursues him despite what the break-up did to her, and I can totally see how it may not please some who waited for the opposite to happen, but instead of being angry at that, I was agreably surprised.
She does not pursue Li xun because she has no respect for herself like many people say or because she is incompetent without him, she wants to help him professionally because she values his skills a lot and she herself is every bit qualified to do so. She acknowledges his pioneering dream, relates to it and want to be a part of it. She also feels the most alive and in control of her life thanks to him (his presence gives her strength to follow what she wants, as opposed to her parents who dug a path for her). As much as I love my girl bosses with their own dreams and objectives, I feel it's a bit unfair to label her as dependent just because she wants a man to be part of her projects. Li xun himself doesn't force her to do anything, if she wanted to quit working with him he'd 100% support it as he believes she can change the world (YES HE SAID THAT). Also, Zhuyun only mentions mending their relationship post-time skip when she confirms that he still thinks of her, never before that. She knows what she wants, they've already wasted a lot of time so she doesn't hesitate. She knows Li xun more than anyone, as well as his wounded past, so she sees through his indifference and hurtful words.
NOW don't misunderstand me! I was mad pissed at what he did, and I'd have slapped him across the face more than once. But everyone has different ways of internalizing things, and while I did think she should've been angrier and he more apologetic after he trampled on her feelings in the office (that scene UGH), I think it's one of the rare cases where I was convinced by the sheer determination of a character despite the criticism I might have had. I'm not ignoring the depression she went through at all but she succeeded in bouncing back, and is very resolute in pursuing what she wants. It's her choice at the end of the day so my thoughts became more of a "damn girl, you sure like your man I hope you tamed him by the time you have children" and that's all lol. He clearly starts to open up again, and you feel like she can do it! Both characters stay faithful to their personality whether it be the good or bad points and it diverges from the standard relationship development of clear cut redemption ; it was fresh in an unexpected way.
//End of the section//

The ending could've been longer (I wanted more) and the revenge aspect could indeed have been better. But hey, I came for the romance and I was completely touched by the unconditional love she has for him and vice-versa. I'm not the type of person who looks for 100% mellow, healthy and perfect relationships at all costs in tv shows (those don't pique my interest in the long-term fiction-wise actually) so I quickly accepted the lows of their relationship, which despite everything was so beautiful to me.
If you have experienced temporarily unbalanced (not related to love because he loves her just as much, it's more of a communication problem) relationships irl and can't separate it from fiction, maybe you won't like this. It's what most negative opinions of this drama are about tbh. And that's totally valid, but I don't agree at all with people who claim only teenagers will like this or that all mature people will find it tasteless. I, in fact, experienced rocky relationships but as I said, this drama is not about my life, so I had no problem enjoying the story. It all depends on what type of dynamics you like to watch.

Their chemistry was natural and pleasant to see, both actors convey their attraction through their eyes and they're pretty what can I say? (eye-candy + eye contact is THE combo). They managed not to make me cringe (quite the contrary) at interactions that would have made me roll my eyes (like that leaning in thing Li xun was obssessed with?? if not for his beguiling side-profile and charming eyes that would've been a no no) in other dramas and for that I congratulate them. I like relationships which start with bickering so I feel like I'm in the minority that didn't feel bored at all in the first episodes + it was very nice to see them gradually act like a couple before they even made things official.

Also the kisses and intimacy are GREAT yall! Thank the lord.

As for the osts, they are perfect for the drama and quite a few are in my playlist (I'm looking at you hugs in the snow). The cinematography was really good as well!
A con : the quality of the translation wasn't that good, it's a shame because knowing mandarin will make you appreciate this more.

All in all, a memorable drama with more to offer than the cute and simple high-school/uni romance, which made me pick up editing again after years of inactivity. I say if you like the enemies to lovers genre, flirting hidden by bickering, a relationship that develops seamlessly, and characters that are everything for each others, give this drama a chance !

Read More