Bad Buddy (2021)

Romeo et Juliette à la sauce Thaï BL

Je précise de suite que je ne m’intéressais absolument pas jusqu’ici au BL, pas plus qu’aux GL d’ailleurs ! Mais j’ai quelques amies qui avaient l’air si enchantée du BL qu’elle regardaient que je me suis dit : « Elles ne sont pas incultes, ni tordues, ni sottes, il doit y avoir une raison à cet enthousiasme, allons voir ! »
Et me voilà partie à regarder ce drama qui, disons-le de suite, au niveau scénario et réalisation reste du style « school-drama » de base, avec des étudiants qui n’étudient jamais et un jeu parfois assez pauvre (les bagarres… ) et le coup des amours entre familles ennemies on connaît ça depuis Roméo et Juliette !
Cependant, je me suis retrouvée dans l’état d’esprit de ma première découverte de drama, attirée par la naïveté d’un scénario qui finalement n’était que le prétexte à la mise en place de la relation entre deux personnes entre qui va se créer un lien amical, puis amoureux… Enfin, l’amitié ne met pas longtemps à laisser voir la réalité de l’amour qui se construit entre Pat et Pran, Pat n’en fait guère de mystère, d’ailleurs, et si Pran l’envoie régulièrement promener, il est bien évident que ce n’est pas forcément très sincère…
Donc oui, la montée du sentiment amoureux, puis sa déclaration, puis la façon de le vivre dans le contexte familial et social, c’est ce qui m’a vraiment plu, parce que toutes les scènes entre les deux garçons étaient très convaincantes et leurs façons différentes de réagir à ce qui leur arrive m’a bien plu. L’un, Pat, est clair dans sa tête et simple, Pran répond à son amour, la vie est merveilleuse et tout va bien… Mais Pran, presque malgré lui finit par admettre son amour, mais il n’en est pas heureux et en souffre. La belle scène de la fin de l’épisode 5 est parfaite, le seul sourire de Pat et les simples larmes de Pran racontent tout en quelques secondes…
J’attendais une atmosphère plus tendue mais non, dès le 6 on revient à la comédie de situation (se cacher, jouer la comédie…) En passant leur entourage n’est quand même guère observateur, parce que on ne peut pas accuser Pat de faire dans la discrétion et la froideur !
Un autre moment fort c’est quand leur relation est révélée à tous (le truc du rideau qui tombe… Enfin vraiment avec le bazar qu’ils faisaient derrière, le public aurait dû se poser quelques questions ! ) J’ai beaucoup aimé la réaction générale d’acceptation immédiate et sans problème, et là je me suis souvenue que ce n’était pas un drama sociétal mais un BL donc centré uniquement sur la relation Pat/Pran et que faire que tout le monde l’accepte permettait de ne se consacrer qu’à ladite relation, de même que la réflexion du père de Pat « tu peux aimer un garçon si tu veux, sauf le fils des voisins ! »Là aussi toute la problématique familiale devant la relation homosexuelle est totalement escamotée, en particulier l’absence probable d’héritier futur, en Asie ce n’est pas un mince problème… Encore une fois tout ça est balayé afin de ne laisser que le sentiment amoureux, le désir (certaines allusions étaient discrètes mais drôles, comme la conversation un matin entre les deux :
- J’étais Bon ? (réponse de l’autre : )
  - Alors ? Heureux ?
J’étais écroulée, ce sont les poncifs les plus caricaturaux d’un dialogue après l’amour quels que soient les sexes en jeu ! C’était peut-être voulu, ce côté caricature, je l’espère, car le reste du temps les dialogues entre eux sont au contraire bien écrits, avec ce qu’il faut d’humour, de sincérité et de tendresse… A ce propos j’ai beaucoup aimé la réaction de Wai (?) le meilleur ami, qui est furieux, non que son ami aime un garçon, mais qu’en tant que meilleur ami il n’en ait rien su… C’était une réaction juste et vraie.
J’en arrive à la dernière découverte, celle des parents (au passage on a enfin compris pourquoi ils étaient ennemis) qui se passe à la fin de l’épisode 10. Je m’attendais à un 11 de bagarre, larmes, disputes et menaces parentales, mais non, les deux gamins se barrent gentiment pour aller passer quelques jours loin de tout ça, juste entre eux, en lune de miel, comme dit Pat. C’est entre eux seulement que va se discuter la marche à suivre, encore une fois les autres sont en retrait, les scénaristes (ils s’y sont mis à trois, quand même ! ) ne s’intéressent visiblement pas aux familles qui ne servent que de prétexte à créer un problème de difficulté nécessaire à la dramaturgie.
Et on en arrive à l’épisode 12. J’aurais déjà dû comprendre que ça ne se passait jamais comme je l’attendais mais là… Déjà quand j’ai vu que Pat avait changé de coiffure dans le preview, je me suis dit « ça y est ! le temps à passé »et paf ! 4 ans !
Mais je me suis dit » bon, les parents sont au courant, tout le monde le sait, ça va bien rouler! «  Eh bien non ! on fait tout pour nous faire croire que depuis 4 ans ils sont définitivement séparés… Jusqueà la soirée des anciens élèves où ils ne se parlent même pas… Jusqu’à ce que quand même arrive l’explication, et bien sûr, ils s’aiment toujours, blablabla, il fallait faire plaisir aux parents (toujours cachés ces abrutis)
Alors là je déteste complètement ce genre de twist où on me prend pour l’idiote de service, comme dans les drama mit maladie incurable, où tu vois le héros mourir dans les bras de l’héroïne, puis le temps passe (encore! ) et la vie semble avoir repris et tout coup paf ! qui voilà ? le héros bien vivant (il a été opéré, on lui avait une RCP ou je sais quelle explication boiteuse) et là le public idiot sèche ses larmes et tape dans ses mains…
Eh bien pas moi !
Je déteste ça ! Toutes les explications bien artificielles qui enfin débarquent comme des cheveux sur la soupe, c’est lourdingue ! Je sais que les scénaristes ne cherchaient pas le prix Goncourt, mais là, c’est nul … pour moi ! Bon naturellement tout finit bien, avec un après générique très amusant où Pat dis à Pran, plein d’ardeurs, « arrête, on ne tourne pas un porno ! » et on finit sur un éclat de rire, ce que j’ai apprécié !
Un mot sur les deux acteurs, vraiment soit excellents soit vraiment amoureux !! particulièrement Pat, d’un naturel parfait, à l’aise et vraiment irradiant la joie. Pran avait un rôle demandant plus de retenue et il l’a très bien assumé aussi ! Et quel bonheur de voir des visages sans retouche, des corps ni squelettiques ni bodybuildés, quoique bien musclé quand même, et de retrouver ce que je trouve aussi chez les Japonais : la réalité d’un visage naturel (bon avec un excellent orthodontiste quand même ! mais ça c’est tout le monde ! sauf les Japonais ! )
Alors, au final, j’ai passé un très bon moment, en plus dans des circonstances où j’en avais vraiment besoin ! J’ai été amenée à faire des réflexions sur moi-même qui ne m’avaient pas effleurées jusqu’ici ! Quand les deux filles sont tombées amoureuses, je me suis dit « pour l’équilibre, ça aurait été bien qu’elle aime Wai » puis j’ai réfléchi (ça m‘arrive ! ) et je me suis dit que je ne m’étais jamais posé cette question de l’équilibre du drama quand on n’a que des couples hétéros… Donc il y a encore du chemin à faire… Comme vous le savez je suis une personne d’une génération où on était conditionné à envisager l’amour et le couple suivant un stéréotype bien gravé dans le marbre… Encore heureux que j’aie eu des parents très ouverts et un ami homo qui venait chez nous tout le temps et qu’on adorait quand j’étais ado… Mais quand même pour moi ça n’a pas été simple de regarder ce drama, parce entendre, et savoir c’est une chose mais voir c’en est une autre… Mais ça n’a pas duré longtemps, et j’ai adoré l’épisode 5, comme j’ai adoré le même genre de situation dans d’autres dramas avec la même situation garçon/fille, la vérité du sentiment et la magie de l’amour faisaient tout !

Alors je ne dis pas que j’en verrais d’autres, sauf s’il y a un sérieux effort de fait au niveau scénario et réalisme, mais ça a été une très jolie expérience qui m’a beaucoup apporté !

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A nice watch

Bad Buddy is a nice watch, especially if you dont like to think too much and like mild, fluffy, funny BLs. This series is special to me due to the fact that this was the first BL that I watched where the actors didn't look like they wanted to puke because they were acting in a BL. They had great chemistry, the scenes weren't abrupt, the dialogues were not banal - in short, everything about this production was great!

It was also nice to watch BLs where the uke/seme distinctions were blurred. I generally like a drama where the characters are in a balanced relationship, so having an absence of charaters where one was trying too hard, and the other far too stingy was like a fresh breath of air.
The friends were also very funny, and in general complementing to the entire setting, which only added to my delight.

Its a great watch and i totally recommend watching this to anyone who just wants to have a good time :)

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My favorite series

I watched it when it first and out but no matter how Many times I rewatch It is still amazing. I think Ohm and Nanons Acting skills are incredible and I think that they show the characters personalities really well and overall the story and the acting is just phenomenal!!
The way they both compete to see who will fall in love first even though they both already know they like each other is so funny and played out so well, you can really tell they both love each other a lot and as they get closer but others still don’t except them they always have each others backs <3

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I don't mind fluff - MSP is one of my favorite dramas I've seen in a long time, and maybe this hurt my experience of watching Bad Buddy.

I had heard so much good about this series that I think it set me up for disappointment. It had some similar themes to MSP but I did not feel the same magic. There was basically no plot other than the watered down Romeo and Juliet - most of the time the episodes didn't really have any direction or end goal. Pran - while I understand he was tsundere and more introverted - often seemed legitimately put off by Pat, to the point I kind of felt sorry for Pat most of the time. I think it did some things well that have been stated before (addressing bisexuality, dismantling the top/bottom-husband/wife cliche) but I don't know that it was enough to put it in the top BLs out there for me.

Even the fluff felt kind of one-dimensional - it all felt like it had the same tempo throughout the entire show and did not really pick up. I also don't understand why they chose to do the time skip and the decision (or lack thereof) with the parents in the last episode - that felt like it was undoing a lot of the progress that had built up until episode 11.

I don't know, I guess maybe I just don't get the hype.

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A BL Masterclass

I decided to watch this show while waiting for 23.5 to release bc I knew milklove was in this series and didn't expect to fall in love with this show as much as I do. This has to be the best bl I have ever watched and I can see myself coming back to it again and again (as someone who doesn't really rewatch shows). If I had to recommend a bl to new fans getting into the genre this is the series I would recommend. It contains some basic elements of bl but has its own twists. I highly enjoyed how the characters of ink and pa were their own characters, as many bls reduce women to either being the villain or just someone only there for the male characters. Both PatPran and InkPa had amazing development and their stories were very well told.

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Based off my personal rating criteria specifically made for BLs

1. Characters 9/10
+ I cannot express how much I appreciate the narrative consistency of Pran and Pat as characters. It felt like all their actions were extremely true to themselves as characters and they always felt like real people
- The friends were very much put on the back burner making them extremely insignificant by the end
- I understand the need for flawed characters but I don't think I can ever get over Wai's actions (I also hate the absolute childishness of Pran-Pat's parents)
=> the main characters themselves were everything I could ever ask for

2. Shipability 10/10
+ Their competitive dynamic throughout the entire show made for some intense tension that not only made me love to see them together, but also always put a smile on my face because the show made sure to show how much they cared for each other
+ Ohm-Nanon literally creates fan wars for a reason. I think their chemistry is unrivaled (let's forget about First-Khao for a moment) and they really sold just how much they love and care for each other. Seeing how much Pran-Pat loved each other made it impossible to not love them as a pairing
=> I cannot imagine any aspect of their pairing being better than it already is

3. Plot 9/10
- I personally feel like the faculty feud was excessive bordering on unnecessary. I get that it was the conflict to push the story along but I personally felt like it overstayed its welcome
=> overall, this is one of the best portrayals of the Romeo-Juliet trope I've ever seen

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Good Buddy

Melhor casal, relacionamento saudável, um desenvolvimento emocionante que te leva por cada detalhe do que fez um se apaixonar pelo outro. O casal secundário das InkPaa também foi algo que eu não imaginava que aconteceria, e me fez amar essa série mais ainda. Acho que é a série que você pode recomendar pros seus amigos que estão querendo começar a ver bls thai, porque é não tem erro, bad buddy representa tudo o que a industria de bl tem de melhor. Foi a primeira série que acompanhei o lançamento religiosamente toda semana, e não me arrependo por nenhum segundo cada manhã que acordei cedo nas férias pra ver kkkkkkkkk O Ohm e o Nanon são os melhores atores tailandes na minha opinião, e isso pode ser visto não só em Bad Buddy como em todos os outros trabalhos deles. Os dois são atores desde criança e são ótimos amigos há muitos anos, então fazer eles atuarem juntos foi a melhor decisão que o P'Aof poderia ter feito. Eu comecei a ver porque apareceu nos meus recomendados do YT, e não tinha muitas expectativas. Eu achava que o Pat seria mais um protagonista clichê, levemente homofóbico, hétero top, mas foi o personagem que mais me surpreendeu. Um real Golden retriever, a bandeira mais verde. Não imaginava que ele fosse se tornar meu personagem conforto, porque comecei simpatizando tão profundamente com o Pran e não gostava tanto do Pat. Enfim, acho que esse foi o maior comentário que deixei aqui kkkkkkk parece uma carta de amor, e talvez seja mesmo

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I usually despise a time jump!…

All the rave reviews are not wrong. This is simply an outstanding BL, even if some storylines or plot points could be considered recycled from many used tropes. Who cares! Bad Buddy does it well!

From two people who can’t be friends, to people who can’t be just friends. Though that seems like just your ordinary enemies to lovers scenario. Bad Buddy is truly the definition of that comfort show you’re looking for that does it better than even the best. I watch this stuff because I like it, and Bad Buddy was done so well that it made me love it.

All of it, beautiful to watch. It check marks all those boxes. The acting from the MLs is truly spectacular, which definitely boosts the whole show. But you see, Bad Buddy has that little something extra. It has a beautiful and meaningful message. Even if you can’t change the world, that doesn’t mean that you should let the world change you. Live your life how you want to! Find what makes you happy and do your best to avoid what causes you unhappiness. Everyone else can either deal with it or suck it.

But to my “time jump” spoiler. I am frickin sick of a years long time jump gap that seems to be trending in shows. And yes, Bad Buddy once again was like, trope it up! But seriously, it’s done so well. Other shows should take note that this is how a time jump is done!

So yeah, I recommend this show and I dare you to let me know if you’re disappointed. There’s just no way. (P.S. if you find a way, that’s on you…)

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Defintley on my top 3

I watched Bad Buddy each Friday when a new episode would come out, but I decided after rewatching it a second time I would write a review.

The story was pretty unoriginal and has been done countless times. The enemies to lovers, rivalry, music, college. But Bad Buddy definitely did it right, and much better than a lot of BL's. I've watched this trope so many times and it usually felt boring and repetitive, but Bad Buddy did it so well, and made it unique in it's own way.

The BL wasn't too depressing and serious at times, though it was. There were also tons of humor and jokes that I actually laughed at! This is really uncommon since I almost always keep a straight face during "comedy" in BL. But when there were emotional moments like in episode five when Pran hears that Pat as a crush on ink broke my heart. Pran's tears and acting pulled my heartstrings, the acting was so amazing and I really felt the emotions of the characters.

The chemistry between the two was incredible, they picked the perfect actors since they were already friends, and it just made it not so awkward or tense feeling. The show had no cringey moments where I had to pause several times, or moments that were so awkward between the two. It was relieving.

Though the two had a bit of a toxic rivalry at first, once they started developing feelings and understanding their difference their relationship was so adorable, and not TOO unrealistic. There were no rapey or non-consensual acts, so I didn't feel grossed out. It made it so much better since there was no stereotypical bottom/top thing, they were both equal in the relationship and were both presented as masculine guys, which is hard to come across since there is almost always one that is more feminine than the other.

I also loved Ink and Pa's relationship, I really want a season two just with them because they deserved so much more deep dive into their relationship. They are so adorable, and I usually don't seek out GL since I am a gay guy, but they had so much chemistry and I had to keep watching for them since I loved them so much.

I didn't skip any moments in this BL, it didn't get boring, and I enjoyed all of the characters In this show. Except Pat's parents and the actor who played the rival rugby team player, who shot Pat which was so sad. (Of course, I mean their characters, the actors are incredible and did such a good job.)

The music was so good, that I literally searched up the names of the songs just to listen to them on their own that is how much I liked them. The music was spot on and fit perfectly, especially Pran's and Pat's song that they made in high school, it was so good I couldn't help but keep replaying it.

It was so good, 9.5/10 for sure, and I recommend it to anybody that loves this kind of trope.

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