I know I typically enjoy non-problematic tropes. Seeing a bad boy x good girl sort of trope with a multitude of side characters who hurt and create obstacles in their relationship would usually never appeal to me.

I guess it's just because I never saw it done well... until now.

Lighter and Princess is a must watch, with a compelling storyline (it's very thorough) and well thought-out character arcs. Characters truly have their own distinct personalities, and there's a lot of realism in their development. They all have their strengths and their flaws, and the drama does make you question what's really good or bad or in the gray zone. It doesn't hurt that the cast is absolutely eye candy, including Jenny Zeng, Arthur Chen, and Zhang Jingyi.

I was one of the people putting off watching it because I thought it'd be one of those stories where a female lead revolves and orbits around a toxic male lead. I found instead that the female lead, Zhu Yun, really found her independence, identity, and goals in life after working with Li Xun, something she didn't have before. Li Xun received care and learned love from Zhu Yun. It was a complementary relationship that I enjoyed watching. Of course, no sane girl should go after a Li Xun like character in real life; however, I really thought this relationship was one of my favorites watching the show. I don't see the anti-feminist or misogynist implications that a lot of people try to place here.

The storyline is a great revenge/strategy plot like you'd see in a Wuxia drama seamlessly woven into a sweet romance. I really enjoyed it and binged watched this whole thing in three days (yeah, definitely not good). It is melancholy, it can be dark, and it does explore themes such as depression, monopolization, jealousy, etc.

Overall, a masterpiece. I think 2022 was a really good year, yielding both Reset and this.