Reviews

When stupid is an understatement

I had to write a review because the drama is mind boggling.

I was so happy to see this drama available on Netflix because I had been wanting to watch it for a long time. The drama started pleasant enough for me to get entertained by it but even early on I could see the issues with the writing and characters. The story is all over the place, and overkilling here and there. I get they wanted to get the whole "you can't trust anyone" vibe, but it just got ridiculous at how much characters fall for obvious traps. There is no critical thinking. I mean, how many times do you need to get kidnapped to know to check whos knocking before opening the door? Also, I have never seen this weird birth secret that all came out of nowhere. There was no introduction, no hint, nothing what so ever and suddenly there are a couple of birth secrets.

I get twists and turns. I like twists and turns. That wasn't it. That was coming up with things as you go.

As for the characters and their storylines, nothing makes sense and all was forced. There wasn't any hint For a detective drama, it sure had a lot of romance. Honestly, from the first episode I hated Wu Ying Xiong. He's rash, acts before he thinks and doesn't realize the damage he's causing. Throughout the whole drama, I didn't see him solve anything. All he did was brood over his love life, also without taking any actions about it. Chen Zai Tian's backstory is weird but his character was pleasant enough. My favourite scenes of him is when he's interrogating those girls when he was put in a different team (was it social committee team or something, I don't remember). The only character doing actual police work was Lan Xi Ying and she wasn't even police. Also, she was ignored by everyone else all the way to the end when she's the one who saved the day. Xiao Ming is basically a Deus Ex Machina, here to save the characters when they are all acting stupid. Everything concerning the mafia boss and the police is deranged stupid.

My favourite part was early on in the drama with Kingone's character Gao Yi. I found that performance outstanding and maybe the only thing worth checking out. That and maybe some other characters that are pleasant to look at haha

The ending is weird at best. Basically, we get a couple of things to read about the fate of some characters, enough information for a whole second season. We also a scene showing some terror action still happening, pretty much an open ending that makes you wonder what was the point of watching this story. Not that I’d watch a continuation or a second season.

I love the music though, typical of that era. It made it a little bit easier to finish up the drama when it became to frustratingly dumb to continue.

Also, as a side note for a character backstory you can't be "pure" when you have an affair with a married man who has a family.

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Just about watchable

At the start, I thought this is going to be at least 4 1/2 out of 10 because even though the FL lead was annoying, immature and a spoilt brat she seemed to have a good heart and apologised when she was clearly overmatched. I like this kind of stoic male lead and he didn’t have to do too much but still had main character energy and presence.

I like the gay twin brother (even though he didn’t realise it yet) and the introduction of the gay doctor was quite amusing.

2ML started off decent but quickly became murderous and psychotic and was forgiven every single time which was annoying highlighted through episode 15 to 17 which brought the score down because the sequence of episodes were a complete mess. The crazy Mum the crazy uncle and our heroes just constantly gave them the benefit of the doubt every time they showed you who they were..

Even in the end by episode 20 when psychotic 2ml turned up, it was clear he had no good intentions yet they still entertained him.

And the worst for me was right at the end when everybody seemed to be taking evil uncles kill shots, fl was was standing next to 2ml, allowing him to embrace her and when he took evil uncles kill shot for her (his dad btw) and died, she looked like she was in mourning and was actually crying for him.

Blew my mind!

Music was atrocious and was not appropriate for the scenes in many instances.

20 episodes about 25mins each but if you’re like me, you’ll get through in half the time.

At least we got a happy ending

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I usually refrain from comparing drama and anime adaptations considering the limitations dramas face but this one was a let down! It's a shame cause I was looking forward to watching it when I figured about it.

My main issue with this drama is the acting.
-I still remember that Maki was a very very interesting character in the anime but here it's just an empty lookalike! that overacts. the only positive about him is looking exactly like the character from the anime and that's it. his facial expressions are just not it.. he lacks the charisma!
-Considering all the effort of the drama to cast someone so similar for Maki's role. the casting for Suzuki/Aoki wasn't right in my opinion. he doesn't look like the character. even that aside he is too stiff and inconsistent. still better compared to Maki's.
Maki and Aoki were my favorite duo in the anime and It's quite unfortunate that the connection of Maki and Aoki was butchered due to stiff/awkward acting.

The acting of the rest of the cast is okay.

Let's talk about the pacing and the plot!
The first episode is so all over the place! scenes are just thrown in! If I wasn't aware of the plot beforehand, I would've dropped it.
Episode 2 wasn't doing any better! I didn't feel anything while watching what happened since it was very rushed!
It got slightly better after ep 3 but still the acting of 2 main characters was either too over the top or too stiff so it kept distracting me.

Here comes my biggest compliment for the drama!
They managed to recreate the unsettling feeling of watching the dead's experience on the screen. It was awesome!
I'll be watching this till the end just for this alone!!

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The Prisoner of Beauty that needs to be Unchained ⛓️‍?❤️‍?

When you have watched a certain number of historical drama it cultivates a sense of taste. The first few episodes are solid for me. I can vividly recall some of the beautiful scenes at that point. Likewise, the premise opened a lot of possibilities for the plot to move along. However, it started to dwindle at mid part, I am troubled getting past the story. I am mentally blundered as if I am watching two different drama at the same time. It was such a great loss of potential when they reinforced the love department but tend to forget the plot. That is why it feels rushed at the end. A big chunk of whole was allocated to the love story without lending leverage to the political aspect, the villains, the conquest etc. to make the drama cohesive and tight. Like I said, the villains are incompetent or they meet their doomed pretty quick. If only there is or are rivals that have the same strength, leadership and power that our male hero possessed then the war plot will be much more dramatic and epic. They just remembered to incorporate everything around the latter part at the last minute. Overall, this drama delivered in terms of invoking emotions, joy, fluffiness, passion to the audience. It is appealing because of the good quality production and character portrayals of the actors. It may not be the best drama out there for 2025, but this is one of the good romance cdrama in spite of all the cliches and tropes. I don’t know if I will remember this for a long time or it would be forgettable as new drama aired. Let us see! 👀⚡️

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Worth to watch Again and Again.??

Actually I started watched this drama Because of Liu YuNing but,After watching this drama I started to think Woow The screenwriter is a Great and I really love this drama and It Plot.....🔥✨️.


First start with Enemies but After time passes They became Lovers actually When In the other dramas They will write the plot like In the middle of the drama they turn to lovers ,but For this Drama isn't like that....✨️.The plot Flow like naturally.🥰😘...I really love this drama Because The 4 Generals and the other acting casts are really Great and They are act soo well....woow...🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Actually The part I start to cry is When wei Liang General died part and also Cousin sister died part......Actually miserable.🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭

(For the drama) I really hate and get annoyed by the Lady yulou character and That Idiot king and Lady qio Uncle....But they get what they deserved at the end...😱
Actually This drama worth watching....😍🩷🩷🩷🩷❤️❤️.Actually I should rewatch this drama....🥰😘Because This drama shows us The Great Lord wei and Lady Qio......🩷🥰✨️🩵.....

(I don't know what to type but Actually I really love this drama....On the above what I type is i don't know some can get this what I'm trying to say and This review will be helpful for you.....But,No matter I want to say is You must watch this drama.....This drama,actings,actor casts,Ost,Plot Everything is well made and Worth your time to watch this drama...)....🥺😭😱🥰🥰🖤🖤🖤😎😎😘😘😍😍🩷🩷🩷🩷✨️✨️🔥🔥🔥🔥Best 2025 Enemies to Lovers Drama 🔥🩷 The Prisoner of Beauty🩵🔥

I'm now waiting for Liu Yuning Next Upcoming drama....🩷🩷🩵🩵🩷🩵🩷🩵🩵🩷🥰😘😘🖤🖤.

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Cried, Screamed, Shipped It—Enemy-to-Lovers Done Right

I’m giving this drama a solid 9 out of 10 for the acting alone. The entire cast nailed their roles, and the storyline really pulled me in. But I won’t lie—losing one of my favorite supporting characters absolutely wrecked me. I cried through the whole episode. Why do they always take the good ones?? 😭

Also, I did not see that twist with A'Fan coming… you know what I mean. And while I loved most of the pacing, I did catch myself zoning out a little when they got too deep into all the political talk and war planning.

The villains, though? Too good. So good that I genuinely wanted to punch the screen every time they appeared. That’s talent right there. 😂

The ending wasn’t super satisfying plot-wise, but at least everyone’s happy. Still, I really hope we get a Season 2! I’d love to see Ci become the lord of Yuanzhou, and I’m dying to know how Shiyuan’s love life turns out (give the girl some peace!). And honestly, I need to see A'Fan’s child grow up to become a badass general in Boya—manifesting that.

If you’re into enemy-to-lover tension, epic moments, and characters that get under your skin (in a good way), this drama is 100% worth watching.

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This drama was a strange one, and I don't mean it in a good way.
It felt as if it was two different dramas -- one that ran for about two thirds of the total and another that started around the end of episode 7 or 8.

The drama starts like quite a few Japanese detective dramas do: An eccentric main character, often a genius, accompagnied by one or two equally eccentric (or very straight-laced) side-kicks solve a "case of the week" , often with a twist or using unusual methods. Their "lair" is appropriately colourful and chaotic, the way the first few cases are laid out follows the pattern of traditional mystery dramas.
And I do love this kind of mystery drama, I liked 99.9 Criminal Lawyer, The Locked Room Murders, and more.
But Inheritance Detective failed to connect me with the team members. It neither develops their quirks well enough for them to really become a running gag (for example Tomonaga is supposed to often speak very quietly, so that nobody can understand him, which is used only occasionally in the earlier episodes, and never in the later ones. Haie himself eats dry coffee beans when he takes on a case, but it's never explained why or at least commented on or, I don't know, *something*, he just does.)
The drama's cases are neither good detective cases, where the audience can either guess along or be astonished at the genius detective's abilities, nor are they connected by a common thread (except by inheritance and wills), unlike the themes of "identity" and "mother-child-relationships" in Don't Call it Mystery.
I could have followed either direction -- comedy, mystery, philosophy -- but this drama failed to evolve any of these possibilities to a depth I could have been satisfied with.

And then the "showdown" with the real villain started, and it felt as if I watched a completely different drama. Any hint of levity was gone, characters suddenly seemed to change (from antagonists to supporters), and it felt like a revenge thriller or court drama, complete with seemingly life-threatening situations.
But this too was never developed deeply enough, even the villain stayed one-dimensional, the speech Haie gives in court near the end felt more contrived than moving -- mainly because I wasn't invested in anything.
Actually, I went through the first five episodes like a breeze, slowed down later, and the last episode took me long enough that I watched both seasons of Minato's Laundromat (which were at least not boring, just frustrating), *and* 8 episodes of Monster Next Door in the meantime.

And it's a real shame that the script was so bad, because the main actors were brilliant. I almost didn't recognize Akaso Eiji, he completely disappeared behind his role.
I think, based on the actors' abilities, I could have loved the team -- but not with this script.

However, there *is* one thing in the script I loved: When Haie tries to sideline his female sidekick "for her safety" (not his male sidekick), she doesn't let him, but involves herself again without his consent or even knowledge.

Was it good? -- It had some good ideas, but wasn't consistent in theme or tone. The actors were brilliant.

Did I like it? -- I would have given the first part a 7/10 or the second part a 6/10 -- but put together, no.

Would I recommend it? -- No. Neither to mystery nor to thriller aficionados.

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"Water cuts through rock, not because of its strength, but because of its persistence"

The idiom used from right the beginning is the gist of the story.

✅️ Overcome family/clan hatred
✅️ Navigate marriage in historical times
✅️ Strong ML and Strong intelligent FL
✅️ Some scheme and politics
✅️ Some slice of life, and humour
✅️ Poignant to deep felt love

Qiao Man is like the water, seemingly gentle and harmless but inner strength and utmost perverance. This and her beauty captured Wei Shao's heart and changed the course of their lives and the two clans' future.

It's also a story that showed how trust can be earned and how two people at opposing ends find themselves adjusting their footsteps to match each other and finally in tandem. In life and in love, somtimes one needs to 'bend over', tolerate and give in first. That doesnt mean one loses. And thats the thing we see QM and WS gained as they navigated their marriage.

Despite a seemily heavy trailer, prologue and first episode, about 70% is littered with feel good and lighter moments. These ranged from the comedic F4 Weis as well as the advisor, the bubbling cute story of XT and WL, the daily life and bickering of our main couple and the sweet marriage of her sis with BZ. So if you are adverse to dark themes, this can be right up your ally.

The drama surpassed by expectation because to me it was a upgrade compared to the novel:
1. ML was a much bigger jerk in the novel. They've really tone down his violence
2. Novel waited until the end for ML to redeem himself. Whereas the drama, he was much more approachable, gentle and expressed more of himself
3. FL had more backbone and much more interesting with her intelligence, wisdom beypnd her year as well as an understanding and patient temperament.

Its been truly engaging from start to finish. Its not without flaws but the performance from our leads keep you hooked. I did not expect such moving acting from both and was even swept away by their intensity. The sizzling scenes are bonuses we hoped but didnt dare to expect.

Disclaimer: Im not a LYN or SZE fan. His best work for me was probably in A long ballad. Som others i didnt finish. While hers was The Bond. I watched TPOB cause the trailer pulled me in and ive put it on my to watchlist for so long. The novel I've read and was curious how they would adapt it. My curiosity has been rewarded.

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Worth the watch!

I agree with some other reviewers that the MFL, should have had more of a backbone or at least shown developing one against her parents and especially her dirt bag sister. There were plot holes: Why did her parents allow her sister to do what she did???? Then pretend they cared for her??? The FL should have cut ties with her family right after that happened. As far as her first love interest, even being blind, or maybe because of it, he should have known the sister wasn't the one he cared for. The story was ok, but it would have been better if the FL was able to "wake up" to her own worth a lot sooner than later and the parents and rotten sister should have gotten more comeuppance for their actions.

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Simple but told in a Wonderful way to Captivate

Before that, I want everyone to know that the core of this drama is how to reconcile two big families that have a bad history because one of them betrayed, causing the other to be slaughtered. This is not about investigation or revenge, but how this marriage will lead the two main characters to reach a point where hatred is replaced by kindness with sincere love. (Side note: I like Slow-burn romance and not over-the-top comedic act elements here, they just suit my taste.)

Wei Shao and Qiao Man are two complex characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. They are consistent in their personalities but also show development thorough it. LYN and SZE's acting is really great.

In addition, the other characters are no less important. Even when I thought that they were useless to the story, in the following episodes I was proven wrong.

They are complex in their own right, adding depth to the story. There are even some scenes where the characters are played so well that they can amazed and give me goosebumps.

This drama is simple but so well-made despite the budget is moderate. Hands down to the production team who worked hard to make this and the actors who acted brilliantly to be able to bring this story alive.

Of course this is not a masterpiece or a great work. They have some episodes that seem boring. After all, different audiences, different perspectives. However, sometimes what we think is boring, actually contributes to the story in this drama. So it is necessary to watch carefully to understand the story and why a character acts the way they do.

It is easy to assume that FL is evil and manipulative and ML is too submissive to his wife, when in fact all of these things have a clear basis and explanation in the drama.

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NOT ME isnt just a drama

as the headline says NOT ME isnt just a drama, but a show that has captured the essence of young people fighting against the system, and finding small light rays in the dark.

-might sound overly dramatic, but the drama is one of few that gives the full picture of captialisme and human rights. From the rich using money as a sheild to the poor struggling in bad work conditions.

The story is interesting and i never felt bored as its packed with action and tension between the couples.
I'm not gonna spoil it for the lucky ones who planned on watching it for the first time- yet its imposibble not to mention how well the couples are, the tension, dialogue and character traits that make every character so interesting and memeorable.

short said, NOT ME is more than worth watching and a drama that have moved BL into dealing with more serious themes.

thanks for reading - Fridazzz

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MUST WATCH!!

TPoB is now added to my short list of all-time-favorite series/drama. I’ve waited everyday for episode release, and it’s all worth it. No filler episodes or boring scenes(or maybe there is- the villain screen time haha). I laughed, cried, and giggled with them. I love everything here- the cast, the costumes, the acting, and the music. The chemistry between the main characters is top tier. It’s like they are not acting at all because it feels so real. LIU YUNING, THE MAN YOU ARE!! SO HANDSOME <33. FL is also so pretty!! I love TPoB to the point that I’m now reading the novel. This drama is lighter than the novel but it’s good! I am 100% sure that I will rewatch this again and again.

NOW GO AND WATCH THE PRISONER OF BEAUTY!!

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I came for resolution. Got flashbacks, filler, and secondhand discomfort instead.

Although I enjoyed this drama, this did not quite pack the same punch as the first. It was a watered-down version of the original premise I loved, although no less significant. Here, we see the stronger individuals that the MCs have become, but they could still rely on each other.  

I am quite unsure how I feel about the brother arc, though. I am not saying that it was an unnecessary addition to the plot, but I would have liked it expanded to include the parents’ role in Mikoto’s abandonment.  

While the first season was very self-aware of the implications of presenting a taboo relationship, the second season pushed the envelope further by uncovering their past entanglement. During the first installment, we can excuse this as a mentor preventing a mentee from attempting suicide, as a life-changing lesson, but it is harder to prove the naysayers wrong with this problematic second season.

However, the drama is still very cognizant of the fact that this is a taboo relationship when Mikoto rejects all of Haiba Jin’s advances. She explicitly says she will wait until they are no longer in a teacher-student relationship before being intimate. To this end, we can say that the production is doing their due diligence by not showing any type of skin-ship between the two.

Having said the above, this drama is still a decent watch, although unnecessary. I would have been satisfied if the show had ended with the first season. This is more of a filler for the staunch fans of the pair.

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