Not Me (2021)

Nothing is easy, but this was easily a 10

Everything about this was well-thought-out. From the clothing, lighting, props, and music to the dialogue, line delivery, and message.

It doesn't paint its protagonists as always right. More often than not, their points of view are challenged, often by each other. And, there is no easy answer. Peacefully protesting is a great way to speak out but does not guarantee a solution. Many companies are happy to wait it out until the public forgets about it. Acting illegally but nonviolently to expose deep-seated corruption is another way. But you can be arrested and/or have the public turn against you. For many, the end does not justify the means. And, if the law can be so easily disregarded, what is the point of it? Removing one person in power doesn't necessarily make the root of the issue go away; someone else will take their place.

None of it is easy. Even though this drama ended, it wasn't the end for the characters. They won the battle, but they're still fighting the war.

Our protagonists, while working together, aren't even on an equal playing field with each other. I think this is best shown through White's internal dialogue about growing up privileged and ahead of others and how unfair that is reflected by what he sees around him and what others say.

This wasn't a cash-grab romance drama with "brownie-points" material thrown in. This was a genuine attempt to portray working-class people being taken advantage of, discriminated against, and still fighting for equal rights.

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Hey that’s my button!

Very, very good. If you're debating watching, don't even read my review, just go watch it.

This story is incredibly captivating! Honestly, I’m not sure I need to write a review on this one because there are so many already but I do have a few thoughts on some things that I am a little confused about. None of these are drama-ruining, just thoughts.

1. White's Dad. What happened to that dude? White was like "I'm out!" and his Dad was just like, "Yeah okay *shrug* Have a nice life without me.” We literally never heard anything about him after White left. I guess both parents are just really uninterested in being parents.

2. I don't fully understand who took the picture of the van and how there came to be a full-on protest that intercepted the van...

3. Todd - Why so wishy-washy? Are we trying to kill Black or nah? Why did Todd let Black go after almost drowning him when he almost had him killed before? Later he says that he can't kill him because they're friends but then why beat Black within an inch of his life before that? If all he wanted to do was lure White to help him, why not kidnap Black and tell White he needs to go undercover to find out who took him?

While there are some spots when this drama feels a tad slow with the side stories, looking at you Eugene, and other times where production seems to have messed up what time of day it is, it’s morning in one place and midday in another. At one point it was an entirely different day in one scene but still the day before in another. DESPITE those production errors, the main story is really compelling. Sean and White are adorable and watching their relationship unfold was really a ride. This drama really delivers angst without being terribly uncomfortable. It's just the right amount to keep you on the edge of your seat unable to stop yourself from needing to see what happens next.

Don’t hesitate on this drama. It’s worth the watch.


Would 100% Recommend
Would 100% Re-Watch

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Less Rhetoric and More Stories

I was excited about this series. It looked dark, and dingy with A+ actors such as Gun and Off, but I walked away very disappointed. I have been to Thailand and I know about the political protests, but in my opinion, there was way too much moral grandstanding and preaching. I felt like the writers took 1960's American talking points and wrote a story around it. To me, this is an example of the elites, grooming other elites to be "revolutionaries," but who will probably be authoritarians themselves when they take power in the future (e.g. look at the leaders who imposed pandemic lockdowns, travel restrictions, freezing bank accounts of protestors, throwing protestors in jail without bond, etc). They missed opportunities to present problems that poor Thais face (except for Yok's mom), and chose to use rhetoric instead. In social science classes, we are always reminded that by sitting in a chair at university, we are by definition elite, regardless of where we start in life. Yok is the only member where you see a person living in poverty with a disabled single parent. Since this is fiction, of course, he is probably on his way to becoming a famous artist, and he saves himself (successful artists become rich) at the end by describing proletariats as a state of mind, not SES, or class. Instead of white savior syndrome, it's university educated syndrome, reinforcing that a formal education is the only pathway to a meaningful future. This is just my amateur opinion.

The acting was top notch, and I could see a difference between Black and White, that's how good Gun's acting was. I think that Gun deserves many acting awards for this role. I enjoyed seeing him paired with women partners too. Off has really grown as an actor as well, and he has gotten over his awkwardness when he has to do intimate scenes with Gun. I especially liked that they didn't use the normal filters, so we could see the actors' pores, blemishes and lines on their faces. The sets they used were just as gritty and grimy, fitting with the tone of the story. I felt that Black and White disowning their family was another 1960's cliche, and it made it seem like, all people working in government and the legal system are morally corrupt people.

I'll only rewatch if I fast forward through all of the rhetoric. Had they spent less time on rhetoric, and more time focusing on the characters (Yok's mom could have used more screen time) and people who are really struggling, I think that I would have enjoyed it more.

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It's very good, but that ending...

The acting in this is superb - all the actors did an excellent job, even all the minor parts. Some of that is good directing - there are actors in this that have been mediocre elsewhere that were fantastic in this. Standouts for me were Off, who had way more star power than he has in the past (and he's gotten mighty fine, I must say). There's a scene with Gawin that's an 11/10 - you won't be able to breathe (although some of that is beauty). Gunn has always been good, so no surprises there.

The Music is pretty good. It didn't really stand out to me very much, but it avoided tired cliches, never got in the way, and supported the story.

The story... this is a tough one. With the number of plot threads introduced, I kind of expected some of them to be dropped, but not ALL of them. The ending of this wasn't an ending - it just stopped, and it was way, way too happy for the story. It even ends with the tired cliche that this series had avoided up to that point, the triple-take kiss, which made me LOL it was so silly. I don't like sad endings, but come on. The only thing it was missing was a rainbow and unicorn. What was the point of Todd's character? He never did anything that was important to the plot, except for one thing before the series starts, and we never find out why he did it. He never does anything of consequence again (except look sexy).

The 2 BL romances were good, the straight ones just chewed up time and had nothing to do with the story. There's a lot of violence in this - a lot of it is necessary, but there's a lot that's just eye-rolling machismo and wasn't needed at all. For example there's a scene where someone hurts someone emotionally - it would have been a lot stronger if it was all words and not lots of punching. In another, a decision is made by an actual physical fight between the two viewpoints. This is never done again despte there being a huge number of times there was no consensus, so why that one time? There's another case where a character deliberately beats someone into a coma. How on earth do you calculate how much beating to administer that leads to worse than unconsciousness, but not quite death? Dumb and unnecessary.

All-in-all, this was a refreshingly different series - I just wish it could have been more nuanced than rich=bad and poor=good. Evil powerful people tend to be wealthy because evil poor people don't have the means to gain power (except in revolutions), not because rich people are inherently evil. Although to be fair the ending was so abrupt that it's not entirely clear even the main villain was a villain. In any case, you don't get points for including social issues if you having nothing to say.

I guess the secret to enjoying this is to not take it very seriously. Let's face it - this is a story about a law student who replaces his evil twin in a marxist motorcycle gang. (I know Black isn't evil, but he's definitely not the good twin). In the end, it contains some really good romance with great chemistry in both couples, and that's what saves it from it's total lack of plot. (Before anyone says it - consider a rope ladder. If you use excellent materials and fashion it with skill and artistry, but you never hang it up, is it a ladder, or an expensive pile of rope?)

I don't think I would rewatch this, but there are scenes I might go back to - there were several that were in the top handful in all of BL.

Overall: 8. It would have been a 9 or 9.5 if it had an ending.

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Not perfect, but a very promising path for GMMTV BL shows

I’ll try to be straight to the point, because with a show like this you can end up extending yourself too much cuz there’s so many things to talk about. But I think this one was pretty much almost impeccable in a few aspects, especially regarding its production quality. Well, if we ignore a few special effects here and there, where it felt a bit too amateurish. But it’s easy to ignore that when the rest is so on point. Art direction, music, acting by pretty much all the cast. The fact that we could finally see skin that looks like skin!!! That’s important too.

The social commentary theme is also a breath of fresh air in BL shows (and it’s brave too considering the political context in Thailand!!). It’s often too on the nose, but I think as a show that’s targeted at younger audiences they have to uncomplicate things for better and broader understanding. There’s also the writing conveniences which are mostly done by making the boys’ gang act clueless. Their plans are a mess! But I also think that it’s important to show those characters as far-from-mastermind individuals. They’re super young, after all, and they’re mostly moved by their emotions. Especially Sean. But honestly, all of them with the exception of maybe White, who seems to be the most rational character.

As far as the actual BL parts go, I must admit I was never that into SeanWhite as a couple, despite me thinking that the OffGun chemistry is perfect. What I was invested in, though, was the side couple DanYok, which kinda pulled me in even before I started watching the show (just from seeing Twitter/IG clips). There was something that felt magical in how the storyline began and proceeded to develop for majority of the episodes. Chemistry was fire. But then I don’t understand why the writers/director decided to make them so chaste? Like, Yok looked like he wanted to eat Dan with his eyes. And Dan looked like he was willing to be eaten. And then those two guys end the series with a hug? I’m not saying they should be having wild sex on screen (but I wouldn’t complain if they had)!! Not at all! But they barely kiss. And kissing is not a problem in this show, clearly. See, in the one scene they had in episode 13 they are there having a moment, a heartfelt conversation. The intimacy is visible just by the way they talked and looked at each other. Then Yok looks into Dan’s eyes and gently touches his face. His eyes move to Dan’s lips and that alone was sexy as hell. And then Yok proceeds to touch his lips on Dan’s for about half a second. And then sexy time is over. I don’t know whose decision it was to “nerf” this pairing like this, but it was very tasteless.

Anyways, despite the underwhelming finale (not just because of the DanYok hug, but as a whole), this show was a pleasure to watch and follow weekly. I hope other thai BL directors feel inspired by the work done here because after this the standards are gonna be high.

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A story that goes beyond BL

Wow just wow!!!!
Not me was a new bl everyone was excited for since its announcement and especially since offgun was leading. The show itself did such a good job of balancing the bl aspect and non bl storyline to the point were u couldn't pick which you enjoyed more.

Beautiful performance from all the cast especially Gun like that boy definitely showed how great of an actor he is under gmm and even in the thai acting industry. The switch up between black and white is so insane u just cant picture gun being like that, but he pulls it off effortlessly.

DanYok the bl side couple that did something most bl side couples lack and that was pure PASSION. Fluke my husband did a splendid job and im really proud this show gave us a different side of him especially since gmm doesn't seem to respect hes worth.

Overall acting 10, storyline 10 also the pacing for this show is amazing definitely respected them for not dragging the stories out. Definitely gmms top bl id recommend everyone tap in and u won't be disappointed

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Not me! No, I was not disappointed at all!

Overall, the show had a few flaws here and there, but I was not expecting such a bl to be produced. The concept of this entire show is just incredible and kept me wanting more at a few episodes. Notice how I said "few"? That is because sometimes, they spent too much time trying to justify the gang's ideology that I felt like it was such a drag. This aspect did make me skip a few parts throughout the show as I was simply uninterested. However, the scenes that deprived the story of the element of the gang did move the plot, but I don't think it made much of a difference. After it ended, I went, "now what?" because it was just incredible. 100% WATCH IT! It's worth it! Trust me. Other than this criticism, this show is just MWAH. The central character development is so visually understandable, and you can see the shift in the change of personality of the main character. Fantastic acting and a good story pacing for this type of story! WATCH IT IF YOU LIKE violence and gangs mixed in with some unique love story.

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Satisfying In All Aspects!

(No spoiler until the bottom of the review)
This is the most fulfilling series! The acting, script, cinematography, music, production value, everything! The show is not 100% perfect, but it still FEELS like a 10/10. The mood it set, the tension that was built, the deep bonding between characters... it hooked me immediately and kept me enthralled throughout. I didn't fast-forward through anything, it was all worth watching.

Everyone is perfectly cast! Gun especially did a fantastic job as the two twins White and Black. His energy, the way he carried himself, and the look in his eyes were so distinct between them. Phenomenal acting. All the characters, even the secondary ones, felt like fully-fleshed people. The script, acting, and directing all supported this. I became invested in almost all of the characters! And I loved the different group dynamics.

I loved how this was done: It's hard to describe but it felt like the focus was on the slowly built bond and trust between White and Sean, NOT on the romance of it. Yet when it did become romantic, it was immensely powerful because of how carefully their connection had been built up. It felt so real/realistic and filled me with warmth, happiness, and satisfaction.

The politics of the story was interwoven very well with the plot. I appreciated that it often gave arguments from opposing viewpoints and mostly didn't feel too heavy-handed or preach-y. Instead it was easy to invest in the group's goals and root for their cause, even if they had disagreements amongst themselves (or with others) on the best way to go about it.

Most of the time I wasn't conscious of what the background music was doing. I like that because it means it was an effective support and not a distraction. Whenever I did notice it, it fit perfectly to enhance the emotions I was already feeling.

I already know this is a show I will watch again and again, at least once a year. It has filled my heart full of feelings and prompted some thoughtful thinking.

GENERAL SPOILER on the ending:
I liked the ending. It felt like a natural lull in a story that would continue. A time when our beloved characters are in a good spot even though their fight is not over. They still have goals they want to accomplish but we are able to be hopeful with them. It felt like a satisfying end to the show but didn't feel like an end to their story. Beautifully done.

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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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THE BEST BL I HAVE EVER WATCHED

I honestly don't have much to say other than watch this BL. It was SO GOOD. I was completely entranced every episode, I didn't want it to end. The acting, the music, the cinematography, the story it was all so good and I can't get it off my mind and literally no series hits the same anymore. Also like I loved every single side character and was invested in all their stories which is so rare for me. GRAM AND YOK AND DAN their stories like held their own but were also beautifully entwined with the main storyline. And don't even get me started on the level of acting Off and Gun brought to this show. the characters were all so complex and the actors DELIVERED. The soundtrack was so good I have OEOEOEOEOEOE playing on repeat on Spotify (if u kno u kno). Lit just rambling but that's how good the show is I can't even think straight. I can't wait to rewatch it. I'm praying for a season 2. WATCH IT!!!!

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This is quite a big mash-up of BL in the thick of action-drama series about social issues.

THE STORY: In short, I like both the BL story and the non-BL story, it's a rarity that both stories actually work. I love the theme, I love on how the script could cover a lot of social issues in Thai (read the news, folks, three fingers salute) without having to bore the viewers, but yet simple enough to understand. Looks like, everything can be outfront, except the monarch. One more thing to appreciate is this BL series does cover LGBT rights, something that often missed out on other popular BLs. However, I have to admit there are some parts that doesn't go: the heist and escape drama needs more thrill, White's journey disguising as Black are filled with "side" quests that gave virtually no point other than "our gang members can be fucking cool", and twice the episodes are ended with fake alarms ("it was just my friend testing me").

ACTING: We've seen Gun Attaphan's award-winning acting in The Gifted, so it's no surprise that Gun can play two different characters of a completely different aura. We've seen White for so long and when we finally get to be introduced to Black, it feels amazing, I'm once again in awe of his acting skills. I also give applause for other actors and actresses: Off's acting is an upgrade (his acting under the rainbow flag scene is on point!), First and Gawin's love story stole the show, and others too.

DIRECTING & OTHERS: Nuchy herself is an award-winning film director, so I feel relieved the series is on her hand. Otherwise I cannot imagine how horrible the series would be without her (and her amazing team). The series put excruciating details on the visual; and notice that many of the camera techniques used throughout the series were cinematically different than other GMM TV series; I feel like watching a movie rather than a TV series. How about the music? Rather than staying with a set of basic scores, Not Me has put some 200 different songs sampled to accompany different scenes and moods, and this creates another cinematically different experience compared to other GMM TV series.

CONCLUSION: I see BL fans might get disappointed because the non-BL story dominated the overall series, but this is what I want from BL series. Many BL series put too much effort on romance and fan service, abandoning overall story and other aspects - Not Me successfully balanced it. Kissing scenes and other romantic moments were built without stereotyping and while they are intense, they don't hypersexualizing it. While Sean & White's love story were built under poorly made bricks, Yok & Dan's love story is concrete and solid. Looks like the action and non-BL drama needs more improvement, but Nuchy still can cover it and make it enjoyable, quite decent for a TV drama standard.

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This was not just another BL

It was obvious from the beginning that this was going to be in another level. But, it still exceeded all of my expetations. Gun nailed it in playing two characters, you could really see the difference between White and Black, you could actually think they were two different people. One complain I have is that I really wish we had seen more of Black, maybe more flashbacks or having him come back two episodes earlier, he pretty much only showed up to be hot and kick ass, but he did those two things VERY WELL.
Off, Papi really went off with this role, everytime I see the scene when they break in Tawi's factory and they have to act only witb their eyes, I still have chills, his voice breaking when he called Black's name while he was beating his ass up...
Now, the story, the polical satire, pushing for diversity, and the fact that they were doing that through art is what really got me. The show ended with a reminder that things can't and won't change over night, but as long theres people willing to fight, there will be hope. The van scene, the people saving them gave me teary eye, because it show how much power the people have if they unite in one cause.

The relationships:
White and Sean. Chemistry on point as we would expect from OffGun, well devoloped, cute, hot and the right ammout of angst. They were surprisenly good at communication even with the secret identity between them
Yok and Dan: the acting was on point, they were so emotional and cute. Yok's pain of being betrayed by Dan really hit me, and I loved that by the end Yok fargave Dan without knowing why he did what he did, It was like saying that all he needed to know is that he was sorry and was ready to change and that punch was weirdely satisfying
Gram and Eugene: NOOOO. That made absolutely no sense, we were led to believe Gram was in love with Black and I understand not having time to develop something between Gram and Black wich Im convinced was the initial plan, I know they had to reshoot most scenes from the last episodes so ... I understand, but I was fine with Gram having a one sided crush, why stuck him with Eugene ? Also, who does that to a friend? To me it just doesn't fit Gram's character to go after his friend's ex. It doesn't fit Eugene either, she was obviously not over Black, it also bothered me when Eugene is having her flashbacks remenbering her relationship with Black, most scenes was the ones with White. They did had chemistry, it just didn't make sense.
White and Black: weirdely enough, it actually work, never mind that we had a scene with the twins where Gun actually got naked but had to be cut from the waist down. They had amazing brotherhood, their supernatural connection played it well on the story without being cringey. I dont know what else to say, they were very good together despite the fact that it was only one actor playing both roles.
The Gang: so, this is where the story gets me, the trio Gram, Yok and Sean were awsome together. The rooftop scene, the banter when they were making plans, especially the hug when Sean gets shot, everything was well scripted and the loyalty and brotherhood was there, but, White felt out of place in it which made sense in the first episodes, but towards the end it felt like he still wasn't part of the gang despite telling them the truth, it was like he was just taging along. While Black was barely part of the group, at the beginning we were told that he was their leader but when he comes back and they learn the truth about White nobody stops to ask where the hell have Black went.
PS: those parkour jumps were awful.

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