Not Me (2021)

"Dura Lex, Sed Lex."

Cassandra Clare's books were the ones that introduced me to this term, popularly known as the Brocard Law, which when translated from Latin means "The Law is harsh, but it is the Law." Thankfully, she found a strong counterpart against this which is the family motto of the Blackthorns: "A bad law is no law."

Not Me reminded me a lot about this. If you are looking for romance in particular, then this drama might not be for you as it deals more with politics and justice than with love.

It delves into the depth of the social injustice faced by humans in the hands of law and the higher officials. Personally, I did not find it as 'dark' as viewers had said. Moreover, it brought forth certain shady topics that one would not dare to openly do so in a country. I applaud the production team and the whole crew for their bravery in putting this forward.

Four university students who work part time in a motorcycle garage decide to push the limits of law and commit acts of delinquence in order to shine light on the illegal activities being done by the major influential personalities, with businessman and politician, Tawei as their main target. When Black, their ringleader gets beaten to the point of unconsciousness, he is replaced by his more capable and refined twin White, whose existence is hidden as a result of his parents divorce.
As he seeks too find the culprit who caused his brother's injuries with the help of their mutual friend Todd while on incognito mode, White slowly starts to realize that Black was not whom he had known many years ago.

First and foremost, Thai dramas are literally the only ones listed on MDL where I feel genuinely like a useless pile of snack wrappers while watching them. All the characters are students who are passionate about their studies and what they do —- may it be Political Science, Law, Art or even Dance.
They really work hard to study and knows very well the consequences of their actions, right upto the years they would be sentenced to, once they are caught. They are purposeful and know their cause, fight for their rights and want their voices to be heard.
Issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and the loopholes of the Law of Impunity are discussed in detail and for once, I sat down to actually listen instead of fastforwarding. I aspire to be even as half as brave as them.

The entire drama follows their chronicles. And they do it as a final resort since nobody would help them. They are not the bad guys, per se. I even rooted for them. I predicted the ending since the very beginning, so I was not let down by the final episode.

The cast was spectacular, particularly Gun Attaphan who played the dual role of Black and White. It was so well done that I'm convinced that these were two different individuals instead of the same person. Same goes for Sean and Yok. The actors practically made the characters alive. Minor supporting roles such as Eugene, Namo and Nuchi and their rapport with the main characters were interesting to watch. I did not feel that any character was added in as a 'waste'.

The OST was beyond amazing and captured the essence of the drama perfectly. The opening song is so beautiful even without understanding what was being sung. (Not Me by Kang Songks.)

This was an experimental, yet a didactic experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute and would not mind rewatching it again.

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New #1 BL

Never have I felt so down that I've come to the end of a series, and neither have I felt the need to write a review on a show just to let people know how much more this show deserves.
Despite the lack of budget, this show delivers in all aspects.
The focus of the entire series itself (politics, injustice) is just so extremely fresh in the BL industry that makes you doubt how interesting the story can get (imo politics are boring lol). But when such a genre of BL becomes so educational and lets the viewers understand more about the world, you know the director is amazing. The story goes deep into topics like monopoly and impunity and how it affects the society as a whole, and such a fresh take in the BL world really draws you in.
Not to mention, the casting for the characters is spectacular. You know nothing can really go wrong when Gun takes on the main role of Black/White, even though its hella challenging. This show really stretched him as he needed to show the stark difference in behaviours of the twins, and if you ask anybody that watched this masterpiece, they would all agree that Gun nailed his characters. I don't really have to say much about OffGun as a pairing because who doesn't know how good their chemistry is lol.
Moving on to DanYok/GawinFirst damn yall have no idea how hard they robbed my hearts. Every tiny bit they had in the show brought so much impact in the emotional aspect. Gawin did so well in showing his eternal dilemma of whether to follow the system, and First shattered all our hearts by displaying the yearning pain felt by Yok from seeing Dan betray him after putting in all his trust. Really didn't expect the chemistry of this pairing to be so phenomenal, would really like to see them act together again.
Now on to the music, I really didn't notice myself cringing at the background tracks and it shows how well P'Nuchy picked out the songs. Each track helped amplify the emotions felt by the viewer and didn't feel unnecessary (which happens rather often in BLs for some reason). The OSTs suited the show so much too (although the ending track sang by OffGun ruined my crying sessions after certain episodes LOL) Overall the music in the show is amazing.
THE CINEMATOGRAPHY. It reached a whole new level in the BL industry in a way that it perfectly conveys the characters' emotions. The 4Kness of many shots really embraced the idea of 'no filter' and I really sat through the scenes with content. It's just unexplainable. The rawness of the shots really showed how realistic this BL could get (in the aspect of both plot/love scenes).
In conclusion I'm so glad that I watched this show and I think I would have equally loved it even without the love aspect in it because IT REALLY DELIVERED. Would definitely rewatch it if im craving for tears or even just really good acting.

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You're missing out on a GEM if you skip this, trust me

A beautiful story that comes from a cruel world.

The first time I read the summary and watched the trailer, I’m very skeptical about the theme and concept. Sometimes even the most basic themes of BL series (high school, college, family) failed at making things look realistic, LET ALONE a complex non-relatable story about gangsters and political drama. I’m worried that they might not be able pull this off.
But, boy was I wrong!

-----THE REVIEW-----
Not Me series has proven their quality in storytelling game in its own unique way.

A story told from the perspective of White, with his inner monologues and voice-over style narration, this series make it works like magic. The way they capture every moment, along with the acting, music, cinematography, and as I mentioned, the voice-over, everything somehow fall into place in a beautiful way to deliver both the right message and the right emotions.

STORY
The story surely is something fresh from the typical “everyday life” theme. At first, I thought it’s just gonna be about gangsters, violence, generic fight scenes, but it was definitely more than just that.

The main idea is about how we all live in the same planet, but most definitely not the same “world”. Life is unfair, yes, but things can change to make the world a better place, also a yes. But then where do we set the boundaries of creating those changes at the expense of lives? Where do we draw the line between our idealism and empathy? Not Me explores on how the characters deal with these questions.

The romance part of the story is very well written too. Despite all the political dramas going on, they show the journeys of character development, relationship development, while accepting and sharing their vulnerabilities and longing feelings that has never been addressed before.

ACTING/CHEMISTRY
I don’t have much to say about this, we all know how good Off & Gun are at delivering their characters, and how amazing their chemistry is.

But I do have to mention, that the MCs in this story are not easy to pull off, as they have very strong backgrounds and mindsets, and the 2 actors did amazing bringing them to life. Their eyes remind me of the sayings “eyes are the windows to the soul" with those silent scenes that speaks a thousand words and emotions just from the look in their eyes. Also, Gun did amazing portraying 2 very different twin brothers.

PRODUCTION
- The cinematography is to die for. I love good visuals (especially after watching ITSAY) and I don’t get how they make abandoned buildings, concrete walls, and rooftops, look both beautiful and melancholic at the same time.
- The editors deserve a raise for the amazing montages and of course, great music choices. The music fits all the shots and the feelings that the scenes are trying to convey.

OVERALL
- no cringy screenplay & editing
- no unlikely turn of events
- realistic relationship & character developments
- outstanding portrayal from the actors
- a solid story foundation
- beautiful shots and montages

In these 5 film aspects: story, screenplay, characterisation, acting/chemistry, cinematography, Not Me is mostly scoring high in all 5.

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THE BEST BL OUT THERE FR

This show would have gotten a 10/10 for me if not for the loopholes here and there. For example, White's dad. I do not understand how White was gone for so long, and there was no attempt to reach out to his son. Also, I need to know who took a picture of the van that the gang was in when they got kidnapped. How did they know that people were being kidnapped? Also, I wish they could have fleshed out Todd's story a little more. I may just be slow, but I feel like some things were missing, especially in his encounters with both Black and White. Also, I wish we got more BlackWhite moments 🥲
Are these plotholes enough to make this show bad? Not in the slightest. Which show does not have loopholes, you know?
Unto the good stuff now.
1. I just need to commend Gun's acting. The way he pulled both Black and White had me believing that they were two different human beings. His voice, facial expressions, and demeanor all changed while alternating between both characters, and that was so impressive to see. He pulled off both roles so flawlessly, I'm still in awe of how great of an actor Gun Atthapan is.
2. Off's acting has greatly improved, and I am glad that I get to witness his growth as an actor. Off literally became Sean, and you can tell while watching him on screen. Every tear he shed, every word he said, every action that he took, was executed so meaningfully, and I am so proud of the actor he is today.
3. First did an amazing job portraying Yok. Every tear that man shed, I shed it with him and every time he smiled, I smiled along with him. He made me go through every emotion along with him, and that makes him an outstanding actor.
4. Mond, who played Gram, was so great with his facial expressions. Although I wish he got more screen time, he still did a great job while on screen.
5. Papang who played Gumpha was so great at being a mother bear. He took care of those kids so well, and I kinda cried sometimes because of how kind he was.
6. Todd was a hot villain. He slayed being manipulative.
Namo, Eugene, and Nuch also did such great jobs and I am glad that their characters had depth to it.
All in all, this was such a great show. It attacked very important social justice topics. I commend them, especially because I know how the government is in Thailand. They could received huge backlash for this show. The romance did not feel out of place at all. Everything was so seamless, from the pacing of the show to the editing. Fantastic job to all who were involved in Not Me! I hope to see another show from them.

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could have been better

Maybe my expectations were too high after watching the trailer because I was not impressed at all. Gun's acting was really good, as always and the music was good too which are the the only good things from 'not me'.

The plot had potential but was really executed terribly. Talk about plotholes. It was clearly supposed to have a heavy plot but when something like that has plotholes, it becomes less enjoyable to me. The cast and bts people kept talking about how they didn't have a budget which is bad but how does that explain the writing? For example how they got saved from the bad guys, what was that? It is a no from me

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Not me has it´s own unique charm but also lots of lost potential

It's really refreshing to have a series that is not set in the regular setting of a high school and is actually trying something different and new. That's really the reason why I'm giving it a much higher rating than it objectively deserves. And with that said, Not me is a series that bit a little bit more than it could chew.

This show has very heavy premise about injustice in Thai society. It's a heavy topic to cover and this drama has a very childlike view of it, at least in the first half of the series. Like it's trying to tell you that society isn't black and white but in the show it kind of looks like there is good and bad and nothing in between.

But I'll admit I was being a little bit too hard on this show at the start because it's a Thai BL drama I can't really expect it to cover social issues in a believable way. Instead, Not me does it in its own, somehow charming way.

There's something very charming about this drama overall. I would say it is similar to the charm of Manner of death.

With that said, this series gets better and better with each episode. I wasn't sold on it the first few episodes, but then I got invested even through some setbacks in episode 7 and 8. Like when this show nails the scene, it nails it almost perfectly and for the last few episodes, this show has some really interesting moments that actually hooked me.

Story.

The story is good. It's interesting enough to make you interested but this show is very unfocused on what it wants to do. Like it's an mystery drama but at the same time it's a social critique drama and at the same time it's a romance drama. It tried to do so many different things and for that reason failed to execute them properly. The main plot point with the undercover twin and investigation of who hurt his brother, gets lost and almost doesn´t matter for the majority of the series.

I also feel like we are so preoccupied with the actual plot, that we can´t make much of the characters and environment and it all leaves us with so many questions. We see with White´s eyes, yet he never wonders why did Black do all those dangerous things or why his friends have no idea that he was almost killed even though he suspects them for hurting him in the first place. Where did Gumpa came from? Why does he do the things he does?

Characters

I had a lot of issues with the characters. Sometimes they do things that are unforgivable and the show likes to act like you have to forget them and move on. That was probably my biggest problem.

Sean is the worst example of this. I hated him but not for the type of character he is, but because his character doesn't make sense. He is a douchebag for the first half of the series. He is violent, reckless and just overall a bad person. But there is a turning point that comes out of nowhere when we learn about his past and yeah, while it's sad, it doesn't justify how he treats others but the show likes to act like it does. And all of a sudden, for the second half of the drama, Sean is caring, very sensitive, emotional and sometimes outright pathetic and dependent on White. He is a completely different character and we are supposed to just accept that.

I guess the show is trying to tell us that his love for White changed him but I don't think that's a really good message to give and it made their relationship not believable for me.

White is somewhat a boring character. I feel like they could do so much with his development but he felt underwhelming. They were trying to set him up as smart , but he did things that were not thought through and just dumb. His character flaws aren´t really flaws and they get fixed at the end of the series, like him not knowing how to parkour. At best, he was sweet and caring and little naive.

His twin though was something different. I actually enjoyed his character a lot even though he was a douchebag. This time around it was well portrayed. Black is not a good person, he's violent, selfish and reckless and he solves problems in a way that actually causes more problems to happen. His environment made him that way and it makes sense.

I have to just say that Gun is one of the most talented actors in BL because he managed to be two completely different characters and he did such a stellar performance with Black.

Yok and Dan, I actually really enjoyed their characters and romance more than the main couple. Their chemistry was just better and their story was somehow better executed even though it was sad. At first I hated the plot twist they made with them, but it wasn´t so bad I came to realize. They both were too nice for the series so I guess something just had to go wrong.

Sean and White

The second-worst thing about the show besides Sean, was the main couple. And I am really sad to say this because I feel like for the majority of people the fact that they are played by OffGun is enough, but it just isn't enough for me.

Just like Sean's character the relationship between White and Sean changed overnight and they went from hating each other to loving each other unconditionally in the span of one episode. I just kept on thinking what made Sean change his mind. It's a shame because you had one of the best chemistries between Off and Gun and it didn't do it for me. It just wasn't enough .I didn't enjoy their romance at all, it felt rushed and unnatural, which is a shame because it had so much potential. Like they are actually so sweet at the end but the way they got there doesn´t make sense.

Overall thoughts

But not to just criticize this show, it actually has some really good things going for it, first is the soundtrack. It's just really good, the music plays just at the right moment at the right time. It's 10 out of 10.

Another thing - the show doesn't look cheap. The locations are interesting, the camera work is actually sometimes really creative, costumes are great. You can see that it tries and yes, sometimes it tries TOO hard, but that's better than not trying at all. Some characters have their setbacks, but you can't really say that they are bland. I think you will be at least intrigued by their motivations and you have an interesting story backing it all up.

The main premise gets kinda lost in the noise of the show, there is lots of things going on, there are some logical errors BUT the finale is very satisfying and things end in a realistic way that was actually very mature. Which I wasn´t expecting starting this show. 8.5 = worth watching.

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Meh.

So this is a story of a guy who joins his comatose twin brother's thug gang members who take the law into their own hands and get hurt... a lot. Oh, and two gay couples emerge from it because, you know, that's what always happens within dangerous gangs. The End.

Here are my pros and cons:

PROS

FLUKE (Dan). For me, he was the best actor in the show. And... he's GORGEOUS. He can pose naked for me any day.

CONCEPT. It was interesting, especially in the first half of the series.

OST. I liked the theme song.

CONS

GUN AS A GANG MEMBER. I'm sorry, but are we seriously supposed to believe that Gun is a dangerous gang member that could actually hurt anyone? Sure, he's a decent actor, but he's built like a fem twink and has no arm muscles whatsoever. Yeah... I'm sure everyone is REAL scared of him...

STORY. What started out as an interesting concept got tired very quickly. The characters were mostly unlikeable, the whole Tawi thing got boring and, in the end, I couldn't have cared less who got together.

I'm giving it a 6.0.

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A masterpiece

I’m loving it! Probably one of the best Thai BL (or I should say Thai drama, because this is not an usual BL this is something different) I’ve watched so far, like really addicting.
The story is engaging, the acting is chef's kiss, the chemistry between White&Sean (Gun and Off) is almost tangible.
I’ve already seen the couple Gun and Off in “Theory of love” (2019) but in this drama this couple is far better (I did not like their characters so much in that drama, the story was not really to my taste), this duo is gold and with “Not Me” we can finally see all their potential on screen.
OST on point and very good production.
Up to now, no complains at all.
Go watch it if you haven’t done it yet!

Can’t wait for the next episodes, it’s gonna be better and better I can feel it!

*EDIT*
I just finished it, and now I can say: this drama is a masterpiece.
I loved everything. Every minuscole part and scene was flawless.
The cast was superb. The chemistry was tangible.
Beautiful OST (just go find the playlist on Spotify and press play, they are all great songs).
Beautiful script. Beautiful cinematography.

All the kisses scenes were breathtaking. I swear I loved THAT song in a way that even I myself can’t describe.

But this is not just a romance or action drama. This is a social protest. This is a beacon of hope, and I think everyone should give it a chance.

Thank you P’Nuchy and all the cast for this beautiful work of art. It was an unforgettable experience.

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Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique

For everyone who plans on watchign this show: It's important to note that this BL doesn't follow the typical BL formular and isn't mainly about the love story. A huge portion of this show is focusing on the social political issues in Thailand and how the gang and other people are suffering from it and trying to fight against the system. If you find yourself totally uninterested in anything regarding politics or anything that ISN'T a very romanticized version of a Wattpad mafia/gangster story than this isn't for you. I highly recommend this show to everyone, but it's important to go into this show with the right idea in mind of what to expect.

Story: I think this is one of the Thai BLs that actually swept me off my feet. When it first was promoted as another OffGun show, I wasn't expecting too much of it. And I don't mean that in a negative sense, I mean that I didn't expect OffGun to take part in a show that was more serious and dark, since I've only seen them play in lighter and typical BL stuff. But HOOOOH BOY WAS I WRONG. It's way darker and more realistic than I thought it would be, but there were enough funny and cute moments to balance things out.

There went so much love and care into this show and you can really tell. I adore every character. They were all incredibly facinating to watch and flawed. They all deserved so much more screen time and sadly, some of them didn't get their deserved time to shine.

While the main love story of White and Sean (Gun and Off) is never an afterthought, it takes its time to be developed and doesn't take away the attention from the main plot or the development of each character. There is no unnecessary drama or abusive bs.
The side couple with Dan and Yok (Fluke and First) was a great addition that was not only really sweet but also relevant for the main story (and I do love when there are side couples that actually contributes to the story). They are the total opposite of White and Sean but were created with just as much care and love in mind.
The third couple I will not talk about for two reason 1) it would be a spoiler and I wouldn't want you guys to miss out on being shocked by that plot twist and 2) I wasn't really invested in them.

The friendship was really wholesome and really sweet to watch and aside from like the political scenes, one of my favorites. The relationships between the characters were all unique and deep and complicated.

Acting/Cast: The whole cast was great and I thank whoever was in charge of it. They all acted their ass off and it really shows. The whole crew did an amazing job. But I have to mention two actors specifically whose performance stuck with me.

1) I was seriously impressed with Gun being able to pull off playing White and Black and White pretending to be Black and Black pretending to be White pretending to be Black. You always knew who was talking and he managed to play them very differently. The way he smiled, talked and even cried. Just amazing really! I know that there were a few people criticizing the show for not using actualy twins, but seeing what Gun did with these characters, I can't imagine anyone else in these two roles.

2) Also not to forget: First who had some really great scenes all filled with different, complex emotions that he all nailed. But the ones that stung out to me the most were the ones where he was able to perfectly capture the rose-colored glasses look, the puppy eyes and just the absolute adoration in his acting and the one where he totally broke down in tears, crying his eyes out.

Music: Amazing. This show wasn't afraid to use silence when it was necessary, but it also shone with the choice of music. There were many great songs that I still listen to daily, but the one that got to me the most (musically and storywise) was Everlast (if you know you know).

Rewatch Value: Super mega high.

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A love story in a gritty and promising backdrop.

Okay, I have to say that this series was interesting in many ways, and I like the direction the recent BL series are going.

To begin with, it's the story of Black and White who are twins with a powerful connection, but when their parents divorce, they are separated completely with a different parent, for fifteen years.
But everything changes when White returns to Thailand after having lived around the world, he is then contacted by Tod, a childhood friend who tells him that Black is in a coma following a violent attack.
White then decides to appropriate Black's life to discover, without anyone knowing, who is the traitor who put Black in a coma. He then discovers that his twin brother lives a very special life, in a gang, and that he is not what he thought.

I must say that I was very entertained by the series, the story already is not common, and even if I guessed the traitor very quickly, I liked to follow the development of the story.
The overall production was very good, we are far from these very polished series with perfect houses, perfect schools, no, here the sets made the story believable, the garage, the warehouses, the universities, the streets, the sets contribute really to make the story more raw and real.
The aesthetic tones of the series are rather dark, it gives a more mature impression and far from the light-hearted series, and thank goodness, because it is consistent with the story told.

As for the story itself, I have to say that I liked that the art students discussing the arts, law students discussing and debating about the law, I like that it was coherent.
This series covers several themes around law and justice in Thailand, the power and influence of the rich who use their privileges to sit on the laws and citizens of the country, LGBTQ + rights. It was really a very politically oriented series for Thailand but also resonates in every society around the world, regardless of culture.
I also liked that the story was interesting and intense without the need to use toxic plots, the partners did not use violence between them, they were respectful, there was no kissing or even sexual relationship without consent or the influence of alcohol, they were tender and wild at the same time, proof that you can do both.
The two young women on this show were a far cry from the seedy clichés these shows generally categorize them into, but they were mature, understanding, strong and knew what they wanted for themselves.
Shout out also to Nuch, the only transgender woman on the show, who instead of embodying the usual fangirl cliches in the shows, was someone who clearly had better things to do than pine for other people's relationships, she often displayed her knowledge in her chosen fields and I love that she fought for LGBTQ+ rights.
I liked that our protagonists had the desire to fight for their country, their society and their citizens.

On the other hand, I wouldn't lie, the very smooth execution had some skipable moments.
Just as the parents of Black and White only have very brief appearances, then we don't see them at all, it makes you wonder if they care about their children.

About the second gay couple, they weren't just there to fill the void like in other series, but had their own evolution and story, of which these two characters had a lot of chemistry and good acting.
I wouldn't say they've outdone the main couple, but they definitely have potential, and I think a series centered around them could be very popular given a good script.

Special mention to Gun Atthaphan Phunsawat, who played the role of the two brothers to perfection, embodying the different personalities smoothly and he really evolves with each new drama.

So it's a good series, not the best of all time, I've seen better, but very entertaining and interesting. To see.

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Not Me started off as a slow burn but eventually expanded into a huge flame that, unfortunately, lost a bit of steam near the very end. While I enjoyed the gritty ambiance and production value from the very beginning, I don't think Not Me will have every single one of its viewers hooked from the start. It takes times for both the plot and romance to really get rolling but once it does, this series proves itself to be one of the best Thai BLs as of late.

Maybe I am speaking from a subjective standpoint but I think that Sean/White's slow burn enemies-to-lovers dynamic is one of the best yet. I really enjoyed seeing them and seeing how they gradually became lovers in a world where they prioritize social justice over their own lives.

There are decisions in Not Me's writing that I think could have used some fine tuning. For one, I find the whole "Parent Trap" arrangement to be completely unrealistic. It would have been easier to believe if Black and White had occasional reunions throughout their years apart. It could have easily been explained away with saying that Black visited his brother and father in Russia on certain holidays; that way, it would still be justified that Black's gang had no idea about White and it would have made the scene between White and his mother near the end of the show more impactful. Tbh, that entire scene between White and him mom felt shoehorned in, considering he never concerned himself with the whereabouts of his mother, nor was it mentioned beforehand that Black and his mother were on bad terms. With 14 episodes, they could have easily explored that relationship deeper.

And don't even get me started on GramBlack. As much as I was rooting for a GramBlack relationship, I'm not faulting the writing for the bait-and-switch with Eugene being Gram's endgame. I just think it was overall sloppy writing that the audience was given the illusion of Gram and Black being best friends. After Gram was done with the exposition dumping and being used as red herring for hurting Black, it's as if he never had a friendship with Black at all. Gram didn't seem to care about Black being hospitalized for weeks, or the fact that he kept his twin a secret for their entire friendship. Any chance that I had for liking the Gram/Eugene pairing was ruined when the flawed execution presented itself.

And, lastly, I thought the entire final arc of the show could have used a different direction. For a show about a gang conspiring corporate espionage, there was very little action in the last episode. The scene in the van was tense but it soon fizzled out right after the gang got saved. While I do understand the message about how the fight against an unjust system isn't over but has just begun, I think the last arc could have used a big bad. Other than Sean and White's relationship, everything about the final episode felt underwhelming.

Still, despite all of that, I still think Not Me is one of the best BLs yet and I highly recommend it.

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