maybe the bar is low but this was good

oh woah im glad i ignored the comments this time, this was good???

the main couple was drama-free and had good communication and zero misunderstandings.
the relationships between all the characters was good, if this was longer i do wish they would have fleshed out more backgrounds tho (like the MLs for example). and had developed them all more, though i can tell they had to pick between finishing the storyline or more character scenes.
her vice-commander stays a good friend instead of some love triangle!!! that was cool. and rare.
the prince ends up getting a redemption arc which i initially didnt like but eventually ended up wamring up to, mostly because the FL didnt just forgive and forget the pain he caused– even if he had been brainwashed –but she also was able to challenge him to be a better ruler this time.
actually, on that note, i liked that the FL's trauma from the past stayed relevant but didn't overtake her decisions; it effected her and she was able to work through it. she also didnt get reborn as a genius,; the timeline changed alot and there was alot going on that she didn't know about in her past life, and, to her initial knowledge, she didn't get reborn with a particular purpose beyond 'avoid the imperials'. so she wasn't out here all calculating and knowing how to circumnavigate every situation, she just kept her eyes peeled and waited for her opportunity to fix things. it felt very normal in some ways.

ADDITIONALLY i am SHOCKED no one (that ive noticed) has commented on the super unique eye colors??? idk how the artist kept that up so consistently, considering their eye colors were all so non-traditionally colored, but i loved it! that and the hair colors of alot of the side characters - particularly the usuage of teal and teal highlights i really liked.

my complaints would be the lack of character background on most characters and character interactions, the the fast pace of story meant most details got kinda glazed over, and how much time we wasted on the villians lmaooooo they were annoying, which ik they're supposed to be, but i did end up skipping like 90% of their scenes. particularly the GT bitch, godddd she was so annoying and pointless.

but ya. overall this was solid. it told the story it wanted to without compromising too much.