just want to point out the differences

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I wrote an in-depth review on GOODBYE MY PRINCESS previously, so here I just want to point out the differences in this "Director's Cut" edition and the originally aired edition of the drama. The main thing you are probably wondering is if there are "3 extra episodes" and the answer is NO NOT REALLY. Sorry to disappoint.
The reason there are "3 episodes" MORE in the Director's Cut and the original drama is that the first two episodes and the final 2-3 episodes have more scenes added in. Most especially in EP #1 & EP #2? Meaning, so many "cut scenes" were added back in, that is added up to approx 120-130 minutes of cut footage which extended the show by 3 episodes.
The MAJORITY of the show has absolutely zero changes. If there were any "extras" in the middle episodes they were so subtle, I didn't notice them. I wish we had more scenes with our leads extended in the middle of the show and after the Oblivion Falls shenanigans, but no such luck.
All that to say, I really did like the additions that were added in the beginning and in the end. They would have been MUCH appreciated if they had originally aired.

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I felt more frustration than "love" unfortunately

*UPDATE: Finale was a big MEH for me as predicted. Sad Panda.*
I will likely come back and update this once the final episode air.
SO, the acting is wonderful. I love the characters and the storyline and this is definitely one of the steamiest shows on Viki. I love everything this show could have possibly been. I still love the show but feel more frustration than "love" a lot of the times which is why I'm giving it 7 stars instead of 10 for right now.
My issues:
1. For a drama romance to work, there has to be a bit "more" to keep the main characters apart. In my personal opinion, after 10 episodes, the "why not" just isn't there and it drags the entire storyline down in a major way.
2. The Chu Kehuan's ex is a bit of a one-dimensional & psychotic/dependent/weak character on ALL levels and it makes her whole storyline aggravating to watch. Since they also keep shoving her in our face as a "reason" the main character's don't just get together already, it makes episodes painful to watch and honestly, cringe-worthy. When she keeps repeating the same shit over and over again about "10 year relationship" and "but I love you" and so on. So. Painful. Already.
3. Speaking of #2 above, we all know from little hints that she has some hidden secret of WHY she got an abortion all those years ago and broke her man's trust in their relationship, but IF & WHEN she finally reveals it... do we even CARE??? No. No we do not, so that plot point is null and void and won't make any impact on us as viewers because she's a douche and we couldn't care less at this point.
4. ZWW's ex, 321. He might be CLUELESS and a bit of a bore AND he has 0 skills when it comes to knowing what a woman thinks, and so on, BUT I feel like the writers turn him into a bit of a manipulating, violent ASSHAT in a single episode because they didn't know what else to do to vindicate ZWW's decision (as if she needed any other reasons) AND to keep the plot moving along with drama thrown in for good measure in nearly the last episode. Now, with ONLY TWO episodes left and the previews showing 321 still showing his ass in the next episode, well, I don't foresee us getting MUCH actual ROMANCE/happiness between ZWW and Chu Kehuan that we've all been anticipating with bated breath.
OK... I have more issues with the show than I realized. And, sadly, I'm only watching the last episode because I love the actors and have invested way too much time NOT to see the ending. :/

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This drama was a hot mess for a lot of reasons...

This drama was a hot mess for a lot of reasons, but the most glaring being the FL's "character". She was a hardened last-man-standing against an entire army GENERAL who is going back in time to STOP a devastating WAR. And from episode 2 on... she's only a frail little girl who speaks softly, worries about trivial crap, and never does anything outstanding as a LEAD. Nothing outstanding as a GENERAL. Nothing even remotely resembling someone on a MISSION to save the future. She isn't badass. She doesn't fight much. She doesn't scheme at all. She doesn't even come up with ANY real plans of her own. Disappointment is an understatement. & let's not even start on the messy storyline and absolutely incomprehensible time travel element... because this drama just uses it as a ploy and doesn't follow any type of rules of engagement. We have WAY more questions "What happens if..." now that when we even started. The only good thing in this drama was the FL's beauty & the ML's flawless acting. Seriously HATE him in Princess Agents... like wanted him to die a slow and painful death hate, but there is no doubt he's an epic antihero! He's a FABULOUS actor!

BUT... even as an antihero, he had MAJOR flaws. Ones in the script, not in his acting.
((( light spoilers below )))

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The ML is supposed to be an antihero, I'm guessing. A TRUE ML antihero who isn't afraid to do a LOT of bad things to make "right" or get revenge on some bad guys. HOWEVER... that means (in this drama at least) that he is willing to USE, HURT, & MANIPULATE the FL to further his agenda. I *get* that he knows she can't DIE, however... him whipping her and hurting her physically (she feels PAIN, DUDE!) just to shrug it off, like "well you'll heal anyway & that's the only way I could think to get you out" EW.
Not only that, but he is CONSTANTLY manipulating her, using her, putting her in danger JUST for his own benefit. These traits are NOT attractive EVEN in an ANTI-HERO ML.
The ONLY way the episodes that have aired so far would work with the ML KILLING her, hurting her, using her, etc... is IF they wrote it to where he is willing to do all this because he doesn't REALIZE YET that he loves her. THEN (maybe) we could understand/connect with the ML later when he figures out his feelings and then REGRETS his past actions. This drama has left NO room for that and completely cut out the opportunity for character growth in that regard.

I WILL say that he gets better (later) in the drama, but it's like a switch flipped and weird. Not a natural transition of falling in love and regretting past actions and moving forward to love & protect. Instead, it's like... use/abuse/all for the greater good then POOF like it never happened, I'm the perfect slightly damaged ML who is just misunderstood. Such an unnatural shift that you NOTICE the shift as it happens.

Sad about this drama. Such epic potential.

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****BEWARE ENDING SPOILERS BELOW****
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The drama started off decently. I had a major case of 2nd Male Lead Syndrome after the first few episodes though.
At first it was a really decent storyline with some complicated and interesting characters.
I was really enjoying it & the romance was cute.
Then... things went a bit south.
This show should have ended in 12 episodes TOPS.
The guy who was in debt to the mafia went WAY over board.
The last 6 episodes were filled with stuff that didn't matter and side plots that weighed down the story majorly.
THEN we see the BFF get not only forgiven immediately, but, also get to live VERY well, and even better than the FML who had been through so much. I mean, she at least got to LIVE and have a HEA, right? -_-
And then the ending. Him dying. Not a shocker.
BUUUUT her getting randomly crushed by a rockslide to "reunite" with him????
NOPE. That was out of place and over the top.
Not to mention... wouldn't she be reunited with her original true love and not the guy who happen to have his heart?
MEH.

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I really enjoyed this Thai Drama, though I may be biased because the ML is so darn good looking ;-)
It was cute & fluffy and filled with adorable moments and great side characters that though we didn't get to dive deeply into them as characters, they were still somehow memorable and great support for the lead cast. (honestly, shows with super complicated side character plots kind of annoy me in Thai dramas anyway because they are rarely well done/interesting enough for me not to want to just skip through. Personal Opinion.)

I (opposite of others, it seems) actually was not that convinced by the acting of the main antagonist, the evil step sister, so her role and how important it was to the plot/story was probably one of the only issues I had with this show. It felt off to me.

One other minor "issue" I had with the show was in a scene we see people deceive the FL to "test her feelings" which really hurt her, enough to call a BFF and cry. I felt this whole scene was played off way too easily and the ML should have really had to pay for this mistake and rethink what he was doing/how he made her feel by doing that. I think her insta-forgiveness (literally) was unbelievable and ticked me off as a woman/viewer. That kind of emotional manipulation is not OK and it could have been handled better in the show.

BUT, other than the two minor issues above, this show is lovely and I would DEF re-watch! I LOVE the cast and I LOVE the REAL kisses and REALISTIC emotions from the ML & FL. Adorable.

OH & an FYI. I started to watch this show with Eng Subs on a random website, but noticed in the first few minutes that the subs seemed "off". I found the show on YouTube and the subs there were GREAT, so I definitely suggest watching on YouTube for the better subbing experience :)

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I really enjoyed this Lakorn.

The leads were fantastic in each of their roles, the romance was smart and well done. There was plenty of action, great side characters I (for once) didn't want to fast-forward through and the ending was wonderful.

One of my main complaints of a Lakorn is watching 16-30+ hours of a show only to get 2.5minutes of a "happy ending" tagged onto the end. I want a better pay off, you know? THIS is the first Lakorn I have ever watched where the "happy ending" was nearly an hour long. I LOVED and was SHOCKED by it.

I put this Lakorn off for so long and I really regret not watching it earlier. It was fabulous.

Give it a try. I'm certain you'll enjoy it! :-)

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Wanted to love it... but really didn't at all.

I really wanted to like this drama and had high hopes during the first several episodes despite the FL's weak backstory/reason for being bullied/her mom disliking her, and her allowing herself to be bullied, etc. I had hoped her character would progress and grow, but that, as it turns out, was the least of my worries.

The entire drama was disjointed and messy plot-wise. Scenes and storylines had nearly no transition phases and it was beyond me why NO ONE was smart enough to figure out she was the phoenix. Seriously though?? Not only that, but the writers/directors didn't give us enough reason to fall in love with the leads or time to really hate the villains.

There were SO many times we were led to believe a BIG pivotal moment was coming (though the build-up actually even lacked) only to get to that "peak" that only turned out to be a huge and utter disappointment. The human world wanting to kill the phoenix was so over the top and underwhelming all at the same time. The 2nd "arch" of their past lives brought nothing new to the drama and it didn't move the plot anywhere... it just felt... MEH. By the time we got back to the present via not-well-shot or thought-out fight scenes, I was already yawning at the next mediocre death scene... annnnnnd the next one!

The 3rd arch I don't even want to talk about. Makes no sense. Hated it and everything about it. What purpose did those episodes even serve? There wasn't even ANGST present to pacify me. Just... nothing. Felt like the entire third arch was a filler arch. And now... two episodes left and I don't care once teeny bit what happens. Why? Because the writers never made me care about the leads, care about their journey, or even despise their enemies. How can they make you even hate the egg??? LOL. But, they somehow did.

Do yourself a favor and skip this one.. give Love and Destiny, The Journey of Flower, or maybe Novoland: Pearl Eclipse a try instead!

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meh. I hate that they made a big deal over HER (stopped before it was too late and when she was super vulnerable) indiscretion when he was a cheatin' asshole. MEH. That ruined it for me and honestly I hate it when the original couple stays together after the hell his "mistake" put them through. I would have rather her ending up with ANY of the other guys in the show. ICK. I gotta say that chick was a crazy one though. YIKES. Until the very end she was creepily stalking and ruining lives.
I'm also of the super firm belief that basically 0 relationships will ever be the same after a cheat. There is NO way you wouldn't have some sort of worry in the back of your mind that it wouldn't happen again. Does he smell like perfume? Was he really late just because of traffic? Business trips? noooooope. Once that trust is broken it may be glued back together, but the crack will always remain. And the relationship with be fragile as a result of that crack.

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I LOVED this show and I'll tell you why. ;-)

#1. The female lead was smart, tough, considerate but not so considerate she let people walk all over her like we see most "kind FML's" do in Lakorns. And I found her to be super beautiful in a unique way compared to other Lakorn actresses.
#2. The writing was good. The side characters were interesting and not too over the top like the majority of Lakorn side characters and I liked that as well.
#3. The "bad" guys were bad and did horrible stuff and we had the normal, jealous, spoiled, do-horrible-stuff-to-get-my-way characters, but they ended up differently than most Lakorns. I can forgive a LOT when watching a Lakorn because I know what to expect but one thing that rubs me the wrong way is how EASILY the bad guys get away with stuff and/or are forgiven like they didn't try to murder/rape/poison/whatever anyone in their path. I HATE how a ton of Lakorns play this off at the end. THIS drama didn't do that as badly as most and it was refreshing.
#4. The male lead is adorable and the acting across the board was pretty good!
#5. I really enjoyed the romance and the slower pace in this one. It felt real and beautiful and, aside from our ML's penchant for being "so good" that he did stupid self-sacrificing stuff, I felt the romance was perfect.

Need I say more?

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Since there are no other reviews, I figured I'd go ahead and write one with a few thoughts after watching MIA NOI.
(BTW you can watch it in pieces via YT if you search "Thai Mistress English Subs" on there.)
So. I've watched a TON of Lakorns. I've seen the good, the bad, and definitely the ugly. This one (for me) definitely fell into the "good/best" category, but that's not to say it didn't have any flaws. I think we ALL can agree, that ALL Lakorns seem to have them and they are usually pretty noticeable.
HOWEVER... let's be honest. Don't we watch Lakorns for those tropes we all love to complain about? Crazy Exes/mothers? Must Have. Super aggressive/hot-headed ML? Duh. Slap-crazy chick fights? Yes, please! However, some do those above with an actual STORY and good acting, while others... not so much.
So, here are a few random thoughts about this drama.
1. There is a LOT of abuse in this one and rape insinuated several times.
2. The above is HARD to watch. It was heart-wrenching in this show.
3. The acting was very good, imho.
4. The storyline, while a trope, felt fresh because of the FML... they wrote her with a LOT of inner strength to rise up from the Hell she'd fallen into and I thought her character was SO well written.
5. One plot point towards the end (what happens with her parents) felt forced and like they just threw that at you for no reason whatsoever but just to have more "drama". I personally felt it was so out of place and unnecessary.
6. The last few episodes was like a shoot-em-up at the OK Corral. Insanity. But, hey, this IS a Lakorn and they tend to be a bit over dramatic, am I right?
ALL IN ALL... I actually REALLY enjoyed this Lakorn and it definitely landed at the top of my "fav lakorns" list!

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The show was ONLY good/okay.

I enjoyed but didn't love love this show.
The problem (for me) was the lack of chemistry between leads, the FL's acting & facial expressions were off especially during intense battle where she had kind of a half smile on her lips while attacking (not a cool smirk, btw, just a weird smile), which always seemed out of place, and also the writing of the FL's character... she was supposed to be a bad ass swordswoman/martial arts, second to only the ML in skills and yet she was ALWAYS getting her ass handed to her and having to be rescued.
Why SAY/ACT like she was supposed to be amazing after those 3 years only to let all the mediocre bad guys always win over her without the ML's help? Not. Cool.
Finally, I hated the character arch for several of the side characters. Too many went to the "dark side", got kill needlessly, or made decisions at the end that didn't make sense at all based on the story up to that point, but... I held out through 20 too many episodes to see the end.
The show was good/okay. The fight scenes were great. I don't regret giving the show a try, BUT I would never waste my time watching it a 2nd time. If you want a show with a similar feel, watch THE FLAME'S DAUGHTER (which I loved) & skip this one.

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