Not just a BL drama: Not Me uses its platform to advocate
Boys’ love, often known as BL, is a genre that highlights male-to-male affections for a projected female audience. However, some BL dramas have emerged in the last few years and are now showing the struggles of the LGBTQIA community. Additionally, BL dramas like Not Me are currently depicting progressive ideas that have an impact on society.
Not Me is a Thai BL action drama television series that revolves around White. White disguised as Black to find out who betrayed and assaulted his brother and placed him in a coma. The way it portrays societal issues sets it apart from other BL series. How? As the storyline develops, White will learn that his sibling was a member of a masked vigilante that planned aggressive actions.
Not Me uses its platform to advocate
Dynamic characters
The focus of Not Me extends beyond the White and Black twins. It also chronicles the adventures of Yok and Gram, who are close friends with Sean and Black. As well as White’s love interest, Sean, and Black’s friend. They are extreme activists who expose Tawi, a corrupt businessman. Tawi disobeys the law, abuses employees, and hides his wrongdoings with money.
Meanwhile, the story led the four boys to rebel, but as the story progresses, we see that they aren’t evil people. These eager young guys are driven to change society for the better. Yes, they are enraged, but their rage is centered on a corrupt bureaucratic structure that favors the rich while ignoring the underprivileged. They witness injustice and inequity and desire to upend the status quo to bring about social change.
The characters in the series are all-inclusive. It has diverse characters that speak for oppressed communities, including homosexuals, a trans character, and Yok’s mother. The series reveals how it differs from other BL series.
Utilization of art
The series employs art to depict social causes in addition to radical activism. Yok’s love interest and police officer, Dan, creates politically sensitive murals. Also, Black’s ex-girlfriend Eugene uses expressive performance art to convey herself. Every character has a way to educate others. Inspiration complements both advocacy and the arts. Art is a creative language that emotionally connects with its viewers.
Inequality and discrimination
Yok is from the working class, was raised by a single parent, and looks after a mother who is disabled. He uses sign language to communicate with his mother since he loves her so much. Moreover, Yok becomes aware of the prejudice against the disabled community as a result of his mother’s circumstances. She struggles to get employment because hostile employers cannot see beyond her muteness. Yok needs to speak louder and battle harder to be his mother’s advocate since her voice is not being heard.
Corruption
Tawi serves as a metaphor in the series for all the morally corrupt powerhouses. It’s possible that Tawi bribed judges and police to silence his wrongdoing. However, Sean and his friends carry out their kind of justice by making the controversies surrounding the corrupt businessman known. The four of them stand on behalf of all of our society’s underprivileged and oppressed people.
White, however, was making an application for a position in the ministry. Even though he went through the hiring procedure, White was accepted because his father, an ambassador, utilized his connections to help him. Even though it’s a brief scene from the series, it illustrates the subtle corruption that goes on all the time. The fact that they even depict forms of corruption we assumed to be normal speaks about the series.
Justice
Sean represents all the oppressed individuals who are treated unfairly by those in positions of power. Sean’s father got shot while transporting drugs for Tawi, who has no responsibilities because of his riches and influence. Sean’s father and Tawi both worked for the same drug cartel, although one of them lives in luxury while the other is brutally murdered.
In part as vengeance for the death of his father, Sean intends to ruin Tawi’s image. But his character isn’t simply looking to inflict personal harm on someone. He wants to stir up political turmoil and expose the corruption in the flawed legal system. Sean’s actions and the cause can benefit many others, even if they were motivated by personal reasons. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone.
Social progress
Not Me commendably promotes marriage equality and supports trans activists. The series doesn’t solely concentrate on LGBT culture, though. The plot touches on a number of important human rights issues, including salary inequality, legal injustice, disability advocacy, and others. Making progressive claims and starting important conversations are Not Me‘s primary concerns. Unlike anything else out there, it was the first to introduce a variety of real-world themes into the BL genre.
On the other side, one of the episodes shows a political protest against injustice and prejudice evolving into a beautiful celebration of equality and love. With a huge crowd of activists cheering them on, the two leads, White and Sean, march side by side beneath the pride flag. Given how many people leave their homes, march, and yell in the streets to support various causes, this episode gave me chills.
In essence
Not Me features several identities, circumstances, and challenges of various people in our society. As the show’s portrayal of advocacy reveals, which a difficult process with many obstacles and no assurances. A lot of people have a bad impression of those who stand up for the oppressed and underprivileged. Advocates throughout the world will feel more empowered after watching Not Me.
Meanwhile, the story needs to be improved in a few areas. I’m hoping we get to witness Tawi’s downfall for our satisfaction. It may indicate how successful Sean and his friends’ efforts and the struggle for justice have been. It might convey to the audience that what they are doing is genuine and not just for show. I can see why they made it more realistic and also let the viewer decide on the conclusion. Not Me is unquestionably food for thought since it makes you reflect on the story, the themes it explores, and the reality of your surroundings.
