O Isqueiro e o vestido da Princesa (2022)

Good production trying to re-spin a tired trope of glamourising toxic relationships

I give this an 8 out of 10 which is highly generous considering the subject matter - being made into some unique love story. This is mainly for the overall production quality. But overall, a very problematic drama which in essence glamourizes toxic behaviour and puts narcissistic behaviour firmly on the map. For watchers like myself, it's not an issue, as it's just a drama, but for younger impressionable audiences, quite damaging to see and think normal and even made acceptable.

Yet again, we are treated to "band-aid" relationships, where usually the woman is lowering herself to accommodate the man under the guise of being gallant and changing him for the good. Reality is, these types of relationships usually end in disaster and this story tries to paint over that fact. Even to the very end, the ML "buys" a property (a big life decision) without even consulting her. These are classic controlling narcissistic behaviours, with very little in way of seeing him change in in the final episode. The only change is the fact, he finally accepts the FL and end up in a relationship, again...scary stuff.

The acting is good, although I feel CFY is more or less acting like his real life character and not a far stretch to play a part like this, so it suits him down to the ground. JJY is the work-horse of the drama. Even how annoying she is to still hang in such a toxic relationship, she told the story well through countless scenes of humiliation and curiosity.

There were parts that dragged on. To get to the point, some episodes really did not need to be. The so-called baddie character played by ZZW was a bit weak, especially towards the latter stages when he was going off the rails were some of the most awful gurning and over-the-top nodding going on. You know something is wrong when you're giggling instead of concentrating on the actor's emotions.

Nonetheless, it's a decent drama, but the subject is not new and re-hashes that same old "only I can change this man's behaviour" trope to make female audiences feel more personal and special. I think that's more imaginary rather than reality.

Leia Mais

If you want romance in the air

Usually I cant complete C romantic dramas without losing patience, but this is one of those few exception. Yes it has its flaws but overall I feel its a decent melo drama. I would recommend if you are ok with such kind of genre. The outline of the show is pretty basic like any other melodramas however the execution is different. The dialogues felt rich, acting by the main leads was lively and romance was flirty. The first half the show [1-14] was good and engaging. Infact during the first few episodes I used to feel like an hour had passed by though in reality only 15-20 mins would have gone. The conversations between the leads made me wanna listen to them. Middle section [15-22 ep] of the drama was a total makjang and looked like forcefully added in the storyline to create drama. The latter section was draggy with unnecessary arcs and a mild revenge story, only saving grace being the romance section of the leads. I fast forwarded a lot here. I legit had no interest on the side characters romance and their so called life and friendship element which was added for filler purpose.

I want to add my two cents for some of the hyped points of this drama:

1. Male Lead- He has been hyped as a bad bad guy who hardly care. What I felt was completely the opposite. Yes he was not one of the goody caring angelic of a person but seemed a real person to me. He advocated education and importance of practical experience. With his background. instead of bullying or indulging in bad habits like alcoholism, he worked his ass off to start his own company to the extent his health got weak. He never once emotionally blackmailed the FL and on many occasions expressed he will support and respect whatever decision she takes. Not being talkative is not a toxic trait in my opinion. He was closed and had trust issues yes but that's normal. In the middle though his arc deviated and they added the "breakup because obviously we need drama" trope leaving him bad and toxic. But in general I liked his character.

2. Female Lead- See I don't need all my FL to be sassy, bold and loud. I am open to understand different natures though I despise damsel in distress characters. Here I liked the FL, she was hard working, obedient, naïve, loyal and her best quality being straightforward in her communication. She always spoke her mind and went to clear out things without creating unnecessary drama. However on few occasions I wished she would have sorted out the matter herself instead of relying on the ML's intelligence . Her dependency on the ML was alarming though. He was like the center of her universe to the point that she could not handle the breakup. Something I disagree to.

3. Romance- Logically speaking this kind of romance in real life is not recommended at all. From the perspective of the drama alone, it was enjoyable for me. No shame about admitting that LOL. Good kiss scenes and nobody felt asleep on top of lips (hehe)

The acting felt fresh to me. Usually with such kind of ML persona (giga genius and low EQ and social skills etc etc you know what I mean) we get a block of ice with no expressions as such on the screen. Arthur Chen had added his charm to the character with his smirky smile and hand mannerisms which oddly made me believe that I am seeing a real life human than an on screen character. I don't know how to explain exactly.
The antagonists were caricature-ish and dumb. The friends were immaterial with Rendi and FL best friend (i forgot his name) being the only exception. That Old Zao was whiny and always crying on how LX was better than him and never bowed to him. He was the most annoying for me tbh. And the girls were ready to die for LX without even having a proper conversation with him like girl at least talk to the guy before you do love gaga on him.
FL's parents were so toxic. Initially I understood their dislike for LX and concerns for their daughter as normal but boy how they treated her. I legit wanted to slam them hard. They locked her up when she was clearly in depression, slapped her and emotionally berated her for any decision she takes. Totally horrible. I wished there was some kind of consequence in the drama for them instead of just a small verbal dispute towards the end.

I can go on and on this drama but I'll stop now.. Until next review bye!

Leia Mais

Don't read this review if you hate spoilers and are easily excited!

The hero is successful in his studies and soon in the business world. As a result, he arouses the envy of friends who soon turn against him.
At some point, the revenge chapter begins, settling accounts with enemies.The revenge later changes from settling accounts to forgiveness.
Pity prevails with whining and crying, the ML finally allows mercy to prevail.

Obviously we should learn to forgive and to forgive instead of punishing.

But one should then also keep the extent of torment and brutal meanness to the extent that forgiveness is still possible and does not seem absurd.

His girlfriend, "Princess", the FL, abandons him, later they get back together. Her share of forgiveness for the criminal is particularly large. Shame, one thinks, she should actually be by the side of her long-tortured friend.

Many critics gripe about the toxic ML, saying he's cold as ice. Put yourself through what he has to suffer serially.

The FL is criticized as well, even for not getting her parents' culturally customary consent for the relationship. These parents beat their daughter, hold her captive and do all sorts of other monstrous things - consent from these parents? Only so much, they should go to hell.

Although, especially at the beginning, the story is quite interesting, I'm reluctant to recommend the series, because as soon as it starts, it goes full throttle through mess and misery.
Save yourself the many incomprehensible character jumps, don't get angry, make love instead or go to the pub. Maybe she is sitting there! Or him!

Post Scriptum: I hope I didn't spoil too much, according to the rules of etiquette in the forum.

Leia Mais

This is so frustrating

The show is both enjoyable and terrible at the same time. I liked the fl at the start but she really does become pathetic as the show continues. She blindly follows and defends the ml even though he is a horrible person. He walks all over everyone else and has a massive superiority complex, I keep wishing for his downfall. He treats his friends and the fl so badly and they all for some reason accept it. It finally seems like his best friend has had enough and wants revenge but he's being made out to be the bad guy even though he's completely justified. I wish the ml would fail but it seems unlikely at this point so I think I'm going to have to drop the show.

Leia Mais

Thats how you do it

This one of the best c-dramas I have ever seen. The acting is just perfect for what they are portraying. The story is written in a way that if you watch it, you have that feeling of it's not too slow nor too fast. For a whopping 36 EPs it felt surprisingly short as I've fallen really in love with the characters. So all in all I can only say that it's all about the people in this drama and how they're played, written and shot (the camera work). Props to everyone in this drama, but the FL and ML stood out because of their chemistry.
Thus far, I've not watched many c-dramas, but most of the time I encounter one problem: How they're acting and how the story is written. Most of the time, the dramas tend to be very plain. But this one (at least for me) has shown that if you give the right people a budget, get a good written script and to get people who show their chemistry believably you can get this drama.

Leia Mais

Incredible drama and perfect romance

This drama was a masterpiece from start to finish, the main characters were incredible and super well developed. It's easy to understand Zhu Yun and agree with everything she does. As for Li Xun, whose behavior is unpleasant at first, we end up adoring him in the end, understanding all the suffering he has accumulated by being alone all these years.
As for the plot twist, I really wasn't expecting it, I didn't think Lao Gao was going to end up betraying them, I really liked this trio, I really appreciated that it had a happy ending despite everything that happened, I think Lao Gao had every right to get nasty with what was going on even if it doesn't excuse everything he did, but you could really see his suffering through the screen despite the horrible actions he did.
The romance between Li Xun and Zhu Yun was, in my opinion, perfect, the directors developed their relationship superbly and didn't rush it, and I also liked that they had a happy ending with everything they'd been through, they deserved it.

I also loved the secondary characters, especially those we see in the second half of the drama when Li Xun gets out of prison, the "My Heart Flying" team were really funny and united against any obstacle.

For me, this drama was a masterpiece and everyone should watch it at least once in their life.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

ONE OF THE BEST C-DRAMA I HAVE EVER WATCHED.

Everything about this drama is amazing from the casting , the acting , the visuals, the storyline, the background to the ost. And the best part is it just get better and better by each episode. The chemistry between the female lead and male lead and their characters development is on another level.

Everything about this drama is amazing from the casting , the acting , the visuals, the storyline, the background to the ost. And the best part is it just get better and better by each episode. The chemistry between the female lead and male lead and their characters development is on another level.

Everything about this drama is amazing from the casting , the acting , the visuals, the storyline, the background to the ost. And the best part is it just get better and better by each episode. The chemistry between the female lead and male lead and their characters development is on another level.

Everything about this drama is amazing from the casting , the acting , the visuals, the storyline, the background to the ost. And the best part is it just get better and better by each episode. The chemistry between the female lead and male lead and their characters development is on another level.

I highly recommend this drama.

Leia Mais

gritty, inspiring, absolutely perfect casting

First off, **major spoilers** everywhere so be warned, and this is gonna be long.

Absolutely addicted and love this drama, so why did I not give it a 10? One, because the parents annoy me, which is why I’m writing this review before finishing the last ep. Two, because Li Xun went on a path of self destruction.

Now, let’s talk about Li Xun. This man is an absolute genius through and through. He’s pretty cold and indifferent, but I ADORED this man…until he blinded a guy. I completely support the revenge path and whatnot, but that was just so out of character. I get he was grieving and people make bad decisions, but man PLANNED that shit. He’s so intelligent, so why would he throw his whole life away just for that? Even more, he not only gave up zhu yun but was a complete jerk about it. She did not deserve that AT ALL, and his idea was just so bad. Like you had so much time and that’s what you come up with? Aside from that, I feel like he didn’t deserve zhu yun’s forgiveness. He never really tried to make it up to her, and the apology wasn’t satisfactory enough for me. He deserved way more than that one slap. But oh well, that happened. Although I complained a lot, I still like his character. He went through a lot, and nobody’s perfect. In their uni days when they were together, he was such a golden retriever bf and it was so adorable. Combusted everytime he called her princess. SO CUTE!!! Also, this might be just me, but his walk is so funny. Like, someone sign him up for the runway. He’s perfected the angry boy walk. On a bright side, the actor is incredibly handsome. His eyes speak wonders, and not everyone can rock a buzzcut, but he definitely did.

Next, I wanna go over Gao. Keep in mind, I was one of those avid supporters of him up until the prison fiasco. He was relatable. It’s understandable to feel like someone else’s shadow and want to find their own light. Plus, Li Xun was also being an ass towards him at the beginning. He only cared about results and made Gao do his bidding. I get that he has a vision and all, but people were hurt in the process. Gao was doing everything right, going abroad and all. His mistake was blaming Li Xun for losing that opportunity and going on a revenge path. Fast forward, after prison, Gao is still suffering from his inferiority complex and only after money. I was like okay, understandable, cuz some people really only go after money in life, but he was playing dirty for it. His villain arc was very thorough and relatable. I actually cried for him when he was in the hospital. He was a good guy in the beginning. I hope he survives his procedure.

Well, if we talk about Gao, we have to talk about Fang Ziying or whatever his face was. Not much to say really. He was already a bad person at the beginning 💀. Breaking up with someone isn’t a crime, but pretending to be a victim is. He shouldn’t have pinned the blame on the girl. He also should have felt bad about her death. Fast forward, still a bad guy 3 yrs later. I don’t know where he gets the face to show up after being exposed before. I don’t think Li xun’s sister death is his fault because he only moved her hotels, not hire a truck driver to kill her (unless I missed something and that was intentional). Anyways, it was definitely wrong to trick the sister, but it’s not necessarily his fault she died.

Xu Lina. I don’t exactly like her, but I don’t hate her either. At the uni, I definitely did not like her. She lead on Gao, using him to get closer to Li Xun. Also went for him even after knowing he was with Zhu Yun. You don’t go after taken men. She still even went for him after he got out of prison. Like girl, he barely even spoke to you, what do you even like about him?? She was tolerable when she stayed with Gao and gave him oranges. That was really sweet, and it shows that she cares even a little.

Know, onto the characters I liked. Ren di and fang shumiao. AMAZING. Great friends and couldn’t ask for better ones. XIUZHU GE THIS MAN. Actually perfect. He can cook. He can clean. He’s kind, funny, patient, AND successful. Literally glowing green flag. Like, I’ll take him, hello?! Also, shoutout to the office workers because they were such goofballs and great people.

Saved the best for last. ZHU YUN MY LOVELY. She was definitely my favorite character in this entire drama. Intelligent, funny, caring, pure, loyal, AND AN ABSOLUTE BADASS. I don’t think I’m gonna find another FL like her. She is the most loyal character IN EXISTENCE. Like bro, I woulda left Li Xun to rot in his emo attitude. Ms girl really sticks to her words. She’s so strong TT. Also, GORGEOUS. I cannot stop looking at her. She steals the scene everytime, and the actress is so beautiful. I definitely feel like she has a staring contest with Li Xun every episode, but I can practically feel them using telepathy. She’s so pretty ><. This is true unconditional love. Literally won’t find that in the real world 💀, or maybe I’m just a pessimist.

Conclusion
Every single one of the cast members did such a wonderful job. I CANT think of a better casting. Their chemistry is definitely enough to cause a reaction. Overall, this show is very addicting and well-written. It takes its time and their love endures <333

Leia Mais

Who doesn't love a bad boy/good girl romance? With all the thrills and problems it implies . . .

*Discussion of Red Flags at the end*

This modern romance has the life/death feel of a historical drama set in the present day. Li Xun is your black sheep general or heir, highly strategic, intelligent, competent and cold as ice. Zhu Yun is your earnest and bubbly sheltered daughter of a palace adviser who has a hidden righteous fury. Li Xun could conquer the world in one step, if not for his weaknesses which are the family and friends around him especially Zhu Yun. Their journey to happiness takes years of twists and turns, revenge plots and separations.

The beginning creates a lot of suspense by jumping back and forward in time. The end is touching and perfect acknowledging the years that have passed. In the perfect last flip of perspective, Li Xun never says it, but we get to see that Zhu Yun was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Chen Fei Yu as Li Xun excels at a smirky teenage cool. Zhang Jing Yi as Zhu Yun excels at a straight-forward eagerness and stubbornness. They have excellent chemistry together, but limited range. Even as the years pass, you do not get a sense of any time passing for their characters. There's no large moments of self-doubt, no hidden flaws or temperaments that only come out later on. What you see is what you get. Zhao Zhi Wei as Gao does a much better of job of changing into a more bitter, muddle headed adult.

Music is fine, and I wouldn't really rewatch.

I grade on other criteria:

Complex Themes: 9.0
Men who have chips on their shoulder, jealous, unscrupulous and thirsty to succeed can indeed be bad partners. But, these men can come from any economic class. It's wrong to assume that ambitious men who grow up in poorer circumstances will have bad values compared to those from other wealthier backgrounds. Upfront, straight-forward, reliable people of whatever background are worth a dozen schemers.

Complex Characters/Character Growth: 5.5
Gao changes a lot and it’s a very believable change, that he was unable to accept his own limitations, and had unhealthy level of grudges and aggression that grew with time. Li Xun and Zhu Yun stay very consistent throughout.

Complex Women/Complex Relationships Between Women: 7.5
Zhu Yun and her mother have a very complicated and contentious relationship. With her mother unable to see her potential, and so sure that her daughter is the same as her. So, some points there. Otherwise, there are women friendships and characters but they are drawn a bit thin.

Production Value/Cinematography: 5.0
This is filmed very straight on with not too much creativity to clothes or sets let alone camera angles. There’s a camera choice for the very end where it switches to Li Xun that is powerful, but otherwise this category did not stand out to me at all.


*RED FLAGS*
Both Li Xun and Gao display numerous red flags including: smirking in the face of distress, not showing vulnerability, taking away people’s choices, defensiveness, feeling like you are ‘above the rules’ or ‘above the law,’ a lack of friend/familial relationships, uncomfortable feelings, dreams outsized to current reality, quick to sacrifice other people’s feelings to meet your goals etc.

The highly problematic myth of the bad boy/good girl romance is that the love of a good woman can ‘tame’ or soften a bad boy and these traits, and that myth is highly on display here.

What’s worse is that Zhu Yun shows all the signs of someone in the thrall of limerence/obsession running after Li Xun and getting crumbs for 95% of the show. She declares at the end that she knows he will soften/ripen like a peach, but we the viewers see little indication that that’s the case.

Leia Mais

Mediocre slow paced drama focused on coding and revenge

This drama is highly rated so I decided to give it a chance. It is focused on the relationships between Li Xun, Zhu Yun, Lao Gao who met in college. The beginning started off with Li Xun being released from prison, the next 23 eps goes back in time of how these three have met and build up of their relationship. There are sweet moments between Li Xun and Zhu Yun, and also the bitter relationship between Li Xun and Lao Gao. The drama itself is very slow paced, although I did enjoy some of the sweet moments, I felt it has dragged for finally when there are some action on eps 23+. This section is focused on how Li Xun build himself up from after prison to get revenge. I still end up skipping a lot of scenes as it is draggy. Overall, romance and revenge is sweet on some parts, but can't make up for the drama being draggy.

Li Xun is handsome but his acting is dull (in fact not just this one, I seen about 3 dramas from this actor already), maybe the drama would've been more enjoyable with a better actor.. Zhu Yun does portray her character pretty well. Lao Gao face is just hateable, I guess that means he did his part for the drama?

Leia Mais