Incessant war holds little to no benefits for the common man

Li Changge, a princess well-versed in martial arts, escapes out of the palace with a vow to return for revenge. She encounters a hundred different difficulties that test her abilities, her relationships, her trust and most of all, her purpose.

Star-crossed lovers, intelligent, power couple at that with a proper thread of good, interesting plots that wrapped well on the whole and plenty of visually appealing landscapes, awesome cast and acting, and many side couples as a cherry on top - this is a brilliant production. Almost miraculous that something like this was delivered. I didn't find it perfect however. They gave everything they could possibly though - so I guess I'm being a little greedy lmaoo.

Leads - I really appreciate them as characters. I can't say all their actions were without fault, but definitely all their motives, reasoning, and purpose were commendable which made it worth watching. Their romance was okish, not bad but um.. like I said greedy me. But their action was so so good. Both actors have really delivered their very dynamic roles so nicely from start to finish.

After everything, what captured the romance department was a princess and bodyguard couple haha. To be fair, Hao Du & Leyan were excellent so they deserve the credit.

Plot - Each arc was different - in the sense some were better than others. My favourite would be the events in Louyang (I liked it a lot :)), followed by Shuzhou maybe.

MINOR SPOILERS:

While main thread held, there just seemed to be some things that I couldn't not be a little disappointed by or things that were unconvincing. In some instances, FL's abilities working so well, allowing her to move around anywhere & everywhere, escape anything, pretty much a Houdini, only she didn't even have to implement any great tricks to do it every time. Especially when she was a prisoner in Ashile. I wasn't convinced by the ML much in that one either. Not to mention, their romance which was unclear in some places and the way it sometimes influenced the leads but sometimes didn't. Yicheng giving Mimi chances over and over again after getting betrayed every time, seemed to be a classic villain weakness given to smooth things over for later. Like I'm glad about in the good vs evil perspective, but in a critical writing and story wise, not so convincing. And I guess, small things like that here and there.

Overall - 8.5/10

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Slow, sweet, sweet revenge done right

It was worth the build up and wait. If part 1, was slow-paced and taking the time to introduce all assholes and to prepare for the world of pain awaiting them. Then part 2 has delivered and then some. The show itself, this time, seemed well-paced. Especially when compared to part 1, as it takes some patience to get through the bullying past. And yet the promised revenge came slow and sure.

This is a pure revenge story, so if that's what you're looking for, no need to look further. And they wrapped up so well with all the characters that there's no frustrating incomplete feeling at all. Yet with a proper set up in case they want to go for a part 3 which I'd be totally down for!

A 9/10 for setting up the right expectations and then meeting all of them.

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Light-hearted fun and a breezy romance

Let me lead with the cons.

The drama theme is keeping the story and the characters light. So the characters' general actions and reactions tend to be on the easy-going way of things. But this meets some trouble. Because there is a plot, the story and character do encounter some serious events, for which the way the event gets wrapped up too casually. Some of the hurt that might have been endured seem to be brushed off by a carefree explanation. So now, the light drama, starts to get dry in the middle. Because of some uninteresting serious events that you know won't matter in any plot-altering way. So ya, the episodes do get dry in the middle.

That said, the majority of the drama is such a fun watch. We're on to the pros. Most of the episodes have so much comedy, a natural growing romance. The laid back side of the plot that backs up the comedy is not actually a joke and with light good messages tucked in here and there, overall it definitely has its charm. The FL could not have done a better job, she is just so very likeable as a character and so adorable with her acting and such a riot with her performance that she immediately captures attention. She has good chemistry with the ML. They are a bickering yet healthy couple. All the characters including the leads are just cute and funny and you simply cannot hate even one single person. Even the costumes and cinematography with bright, shiny, yet mostly, light colours give a sunny feeling throughout. All around I just laughed and smiled a lot while watching this. Even the soundtrack in the background seemed so peppy. And there's a song with a mini dance sequence, it's very upbeat and you should definitely not miss out on that at least.

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Spark that starts a fire

Minor, minor spoilers.
This is why we don't give up on dramas, because they get better and better and better sometimes. Sure, this drama has BL. So BL fans now have an epic drama in their collections. But "Not Me" has so much more meaning to offer.

I was most impressed by the presentation more than anything else. I don't know how else to call it. Editing, Screenplay, Visual or Production, call it what you want, just that it was so beautiful to watch. Well-paced, suspenseful, and what caught me most, was how implicitly and subtly they conveyed many things. This is what we want. Focus on what you want to show, and can show really really well and just leave hints for 1, the things that need to be said, but are going to be obvious and boring if you have a long drawn out scene with predictable dialogues for it, 2, they are things that are not the focus of this story. And, they didn't rush anything because they had too much cover in too little eps and they didn't slow stuff down and drag because they had too little to show.
Now for the theme. Fighting for a cause, not for me, not for you, but for everyone. How it can start, how it can evolve and how it can bring about a change, the same as a spark that can start a fire. But how there might be more than one way to do it, only that there will always be consequences. It's for those fighting to decide what's it worth to them. This was so well done.

All in all, you'd notice I haven't actually spoken much about the BL part of it, because, a) I wasn't actually in a bl mood when I watched it, so that might a reason, why that's not on mind. If I have any complaints it'd be that somehow I was not as into the romance at all times, as I would have liked to be.. but that's probably on me this time solely. I think I'll watch it all once again when I do have the bl bug. b) because having said that still, all I have is appreciation. I might not be in the mood, but I'm not blind. Please, we already know that this main couple can be extremely convincing from their previous works and their acting as always is so on point here too, that I would really not even do justice if I said anymore. So all of you, just sit back and enjoy!

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Definitely entertaining, but keep the magnifying glass outside

First off, Lee Sung Min gives a heck of a performance and a lasting impression as Jin Yang Cheol CEO. Song Joong Ki is as suave as ever. There are some good dynamics and relationships that can make you curious, happy, angry and so on. Chaebol makjang that kdramas excel at, with fast-paced business empire knots and tactics. Be prepared to plunge halfway into the world of stock exchange. If you're looking to just get some entertainment, this can definitely do the job and then some.

But if you put it under a magnifying glass, you might find some holes and ditches leaving you disappointed. So don't come to this, if you're looking for a super clever story that has the i's dotted and the t's crossed all wrapped in a pretty bow. This only has the bow.

There is some romance but nothing that'll make the butterflies jump out of the screen. There is some pain and trauma but it didn't leave me bawling. So these are not things you should expect to find here.

I was not looking for these thankfully, so I was quite entertained.

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Kim Woo Bin, Sci-Fi, Entertainment + Bonus performances

I needed Kim Woo Bin's face to have been without a mask more often. Sure, Song Seung Heon is a villain but sometimes I almost rooted for him. Jung Seol Ah, Yoon Sa Wol and so on, great cast and good performances. Well-paced so it wasn't boring at least. Very good stunts. Whatever they started, they finished. So glad about that. What they conveyed was definitely clear enough. However, if they could've fleshed it out more and come up with more content and world building, and still managed to wrap it up well, it would've been epic indeed.

Overall 8.5/10, can watch once for entertainment.

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Short, warm, friendly & funny

It looks like I'm describing a person but it was similar to meeting this friendly, bubbly & weird character that you want to chat with often to lift your spirits up :)

To be honest, to me, it was more weird than funny, both the characters and the story. But they still quickly piqued my curiosity and it was like I was growing attached to the weirdness which made it all cute and hilarious. Lol, this is sounding less and less like a review. But that should suit this drama which is also a bit bizarre in my opinion.

But ya, zero seriousness but still covering a daily office atmosphere and a rom-com and some sarcastic turns on makjang sprinkled along the way. Definitely worth a watch to put you in a silly mood.

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Intense, but hardly genius

There was good acting, good music, good hidden mystery. But when it went from story outline to actual scenes, it started to seem unrealistic and not always convincing .. There was also many shifts in story focus connected by the main thread - mystery behind Park Wonseok's death. Which did make it interesting, but I think it all opened up having more holes and weak logic.

And really, if I start talking about the police work I'll be here all day.

Overall, it's just an ok watch.. better to watch as airing drama I think - you'll forget to keep track of a lot of things.

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It's a 10

So why I gave it 9.5? I'm asking myself that and I might change my opinion soon. But the answer is not important. Review is just a number when it comes to this drama. You as a viewer has to come up with what this drama might mean to you. And in that aspect it has a lot to offer. First of all, this review is coming somewhat late and it's my first review on MDL ever, so I might not do the drama any justice so I should give up now. But I just couldn't resist hyping up this drama. Because it truly deserves it. I have no idea at this moment what I was thinking when I went into this drama. But after watching, I am left with this feeling of comradeship and a subtle motivation. The latter I think, is in my poor formation of words, is the best thing ever.
This process, this journey of life, that seems to be monotonous many times but without letting you catch a break, that's what this drama is all about. But then, how come you still feel good after watching it. I heartily give up on explaining this point right now and instead recommend you to watch it and find out for yourself.

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