Bad Buddy (2021)

Main Leads are So Cute

I watched more than 250 dramas.. But This is my first review.. Ohm & Nanon are so cute. Their chemistry is so good.. I know BL series lacks some acting & story. Yes it is just a general story something like Romeo & Juliet. It lacks some elements. But I normally watch BL's based on Visuals. Because other than that we can't expect much from BL's in my point of view. In some BL's they don't even have proper chemistry between main leads.

In this drama I love their chemistry. Even their kiss scenes looks natural. They don't seem forced. I watched Ohm's acting in other dramas. He is a good actor. I am TayNew shipper. In lot of videos they mentioned Nanon is one of their son. So I just want to watch Nanon's acting. It has more kisses compared with other BL dramas.

But I became his fan after watching this. Because he is super cute.. I like his dimples a lot

Leia Mais

I really liked this show!
Wasn't completely hooked with the first episode, so maybe consider watching a bit more, it only gets better and better. I really am a sucker for a Romeo and Juliet storyline and that's why I started watching: it turned out it isn't as dramatic though. What I really appreciated was the acting, everyone is great and Nanon is amazing. I also loved that it subverted some BL stereotypes. Only things that I wasn't there for: weird sound effects at times, and far too many product placements (they made them work sometimes! but not always).
Overall one of my favorite shows ever ♥

Leia Mais

I didn't expect anything less!

Well, I don't exactly know where to start with this one to be honest lol. I guess I'll start by saying that anyone who's a fan of the Boys' love genre probably already knows how good of an actor Ohm is. This is his fifth BL series and it's definitely his best. BUT when it comes to Nanon, it's his first one and he did exceptional. I have no complaints about his acting at all. In fact, him being casted for a character like this seems almost perfect because Pran is similar to characters he's played before and played very well. I think that the two of them together made/left such an impression on everyone who watched that none of us can even imagine anyone else doing it. I know they're really good friends in real life but if someone didn't know that, I'd think their a real couple. That's how good their chemistry is on screen(probably off screen as well tbh). Tension, anger, sadness, true love, happiness, fondness, friendliness... all emotions that BOTH of them are able to express without any words being said. JUST PURE TALENT.
I wasn't exactly super impressed with the plot of the story AT FIRST. I honestly didn't see anything super interesting or unique about it. Enemies to lovers isn't a trope I dislike but it's been done so many times in so many ways that it has to be really good to keep my interest. Well... this one was really effin good. I still think the relationship between the parents of Pat and Pran was pretty petty and extremely immature, especially when your emotions as a parent are being pushed onto your children for no reason. But I still think that even though this annoyed me, it wasn't even a huge focal point of the drama til pretty much the end. I appreciated that. I think the focus for the most part was on the development of two college boys who never really even hated each other and learning that their feelings are much beyond what they thought. Feelings are really complicated and I think this drama showed that perfectly.
As for the side couple/characters, all wonderfully done. I don't think that I ever really had a dull moment. I enjoyed watching the growth of each character.
OH AND THE FREAKING OST IS A MASTERPIECE. Come on Nanon. You are one talented dude.
I can't watch to rewatch this again in the near future and show it to all of my friends.

Leia Mais

I WANT MORE ??????

I fell inlove with this series from thr start I love Pat and Pran this series made me feel all the emotions as if I was part of their journey and I loved it so much

I want to see more and more of Pat and Prana relationship as they grow into adulthood.

They would be an amazing team of they opened up a campany together seeing that Pat is an engineer and Pran is an architect what an amazing company it would be.

And to see their families try atleast to come together for thr sake of their sons love for eachother and not having to hide it from them.

I love would to see then get married and start a real life together.

Im really going to miss them tho

Leia Mais

It left me wondering about their future.

Well the Series was good and I enjoyed it. I felt like the side couple lacked a story. I loved how it wasn't all about cheating to make each other jealous or hey lemme go date this girl. I like how the two mains fit each other. The thing I didn't like was how the main couple had to hide their relationship. Although its realistic it made me feel bad. They hide it for so long just to come out to hide it again. I felt like it was just sad. I mean they had a happy ending if you call hiding it happy. It seems as their parents know but still. Other than the ending I enjoyed the series and found it quite charming.

Leia Mais

Whoever says it's not worth watching surely haven't even watch the show !

It's my 1st time writing a review bcz I'm mad the rating went done due to what seems to be a conspiracy of 1 star reviews of people that may haven't even watch the show at all! Honestly I just want to tell everybody to not hesitate ! You can watch my list of viewed shows and BL and you'll see I've watch enough to tell that Bad Buddy is a true MASTERPIECE in the BL genre and will stay the BEST BL out there for quite sometime bcz ofc .. they broke the sterotypes but not only that there's so much more reasons! You want to know why? Just watch the show ... but just to motivate you if you are looking for the healthiest relationship even more healthy than your whole life then just let you tempted by Pat & Pran love story. Kuddos to all the cast and crew they did an AMAZING job especially Nanon, Ohm and P'Aof (although everyone was great and realistic in their role)

Leia Mais

A near masterpiece of its genre

It's not really a review, it's a list of strengths (these are not just things I liked – these are the things that made the show successful) and weaknesses of "Bad Buddy". Generally speaking: it was the best BL I've seen, deserving high praise for direction, story, music and - most importantly - acting of Ohm and Nanon.

== Strengths ==
1/ Dynamic of Pat and Pran
(1) Communication. They didn’t overanalyse things nor kept their problems and doubts to themselves – they discussed everything of importance (they argued like twice). Hence the often praised lack of toxicity, jealousy and stupid BL drama over nothing (BTW: a lot was said without uttering a word. I’m glad someone finally realized that on TV you don’t have to say everything, you can show certain things instead – with a gesture or a glance or a flashback). (2) They supported, took care of and respected each other for real. Pran calling Pat back in ep. 8 and making him feel better when he was low after an argument with Ming is one of my favourite scenes of the series – and there’s plenty of other examples of them being for one another. (3) Cuteness and banter. That’s self-explanatory, I guess. Don’t know how much of that was scripted, probably not much or none at all, but it made the two mains even more likeable. No wonder so many reactors called their relationship wholesome and healthy.
2/ Story structure and direction
(1) Simple premise and plot, no convoluted story elements (with one exception) complicating matters for the audience and the two mains. With a simple structure, the show was easy to follow. Not something widely known to BL screenwriters. (2) Focusing the story on Pat and Pran (minimizing plotlines of side characters) and then going one step further: making sure, since at least ep. 8, that no externally caused problems will destroy the relationship of the two main characters – not Pran’s fears about other people finding out about him and Pat from Pat’s IG posts, not the reactions of Pat’s and Pran’s friends, not the feud of their parents nor their wishes. Pat and Pran weren’t able to “change the world”, but didn’t let the world change them. It was their story, their love and they were in control, because they wanted it. And yes, faking a break-up and lying to their parents was an option they had the right to choose and use.
3/ Show’s self-awareness
It was a rom-com with a simple plot – and it didn’t pretend to be anything else. It also didn’t take itself too seriously – hence it was able to keep a light, optimistic tone for most of the time. Product placement was included as a necessary evil and treated as such – by both teleplay and the actors.
4/ Trope and stereotype busting
The show dealt with the “I’m straight, you’re the only man I like” trope in an unceremonious manner – laughing it out loud. It also dealt - in a more polite, but still firm manner - with assigning roles of wife and husband in same-sex relationships.
5/ Intimacy done correctly
BB features real kisses instead of the "traditional" GMMTV awkward lip-pressing. Ep. 5 rooftop kiss (The Kiss, Mother of All BL Kisses, Kiss of the Century) and ep. 11 evening beach kiss were amazing. The show also addressed sex-related issues – sometimes through metaphors, sometimes openly. According to many comments Pran and Pat are both versatile (I got that feeling myself after ep. 11 and 12), which – even if it wasn’t stated directly – is of note, also from the trope-busting perspective.
6/ Inclusion of a GL plotline
Cute, short and to the point. Story-wise it wasn’t a necessity, but it got the deserved praise – which shows that people want GL content.
7/ OhmNanon
I'm mentioning this last, but the casting of the two mains was the shows biggest asset. Would the story work with a different cast? Probably. Would it be a success? That depends. It needed a coupling of two attractive, young guys with enough chemistry to get us emotionally involved and convince us, that we’re watching a cinematic masterpiece. I've seen some great chemistry in other shows, ATOTS chief among them, but OhmNanon’s chemistry was of the charts, beating everything I know (including EarthMix) and lifting this simple rom-com with a basic plot to a cosmic level. With eyes glued to the screen, I followed the show week for week, watched reaction videos to savour OhmNanon's scenes together again and again. Mesmerizing. If you’re not convinced about the importance of chemistry in a production like this – compare BB to “Fish Upon the Sky” (Pond and Phuwin had little to no chemistry) or “Tonhon Chonlatee” (Podd’s and Khaotung’s chemistry was one of the very few good things in that show and the only reason I rated it at 7.0 and not much lower). OhmNanon is a powerhouse and a force of nature. I'll say what I've said elsewhere: OhmNanon is the superior ship. Amazing.
8/ Music
Kacha's "Secret" is an optimistic song appearing several times to indicate that things are improving/the situation isn't as bad as we think (see first use in ep. 6 or ep. 12), I liked it upon listening to it for the first time. All three songs by Nanon are not just part of the soundtrack, but actually get used within the show: the first is "Just Friend?", in-show written and performed by Pat and Pran, and then covered in-show by guest starring Gemini and Ford, the second - though played mainly for laughs - is Sizzy's and Nanon's "Love Score" (the car scene in which Pat - or rather Ohm - interprets the song, is priceless), and lastly we get "Our Song", presented in-show as Pran's work-in-progress since his high school days, completed and performed in ep. 11 (an instrumental version of the same song is used in the opening credits of every episode). I loved how all those songs were not just used, but entwined into the story. In a post-credits scene of ep. 12 we even get a brief callback to "Same Page?" by Tilly Birds, which was used for the first trailer of BB. There's more of good music used in the show - like the musical backgrounds during the rooftop kiss scene in ep. 5 or Pran's and Dissaya's confrontation in ep. 10. Special praise for his input into the shows score goes to Ohm for his xylophone performances - the one in ep. 8 is emotional and powerful (I remember several reactors staying silent for that whole scene – so captivating were the visuals and the music).

== Weaknesses ==
1/ Outing without consequences
Wai in “evil bitch mode” (that's a quote, btw), revealing Pat and Pran to everyone in the theatre, was a scumbag many loved to loathe (Jimmy did a great job there); lack of consequences of that, Pran’s attempts to make up with Wai and Wai’s convoluted “redemption arc” were all let-downs. A short, simple and honest scene with Wai apologizing to Pran and Pat would clear the air. A connected, but smaller let-down: the initial reaction of Korn, Mo and Chang. What was the point of them acting like jerks for one scene - only to be Pat's friends in the next one?
2/ First 20 minutes of ep. 12
Keeping the audience in the dark for the first 20 minutes of ep. 12. Unnecessary and pointless – especially for all those watching the show once all episodes aired. It did – in combination with very manipulative previews for ep. 12 – make a lot of people watching the show wonder what really happened. The sigh of relief when Pat opened the door for Pran and said “You said you’d sleep at your house” (indicating they’ve been together this whole time, with Kacha’s song confirming that everything is okay) was heard all over the planet – but it wasn’t necessary to have us go through what preceded it.
3/ A world without homophobia (again?)
I understand that the tone of the show was meant to be light and there couldn’t be too many obstacles the two mains had to overcome, but – seriously – we got another GMMTV show taking place in a fantasy world free of homophobia. Real Thailand, real Asia and the real world are still homophobic. I’m dragging the real world into this because – once ep. 11 and previews for ep. 12 – a lot of people discussed Pran’s and Pat’s break-up in “real-world” categories, explaining to the wider audience (meaning: to the comment section) that in Thailand/Asia parents have an actual hold on their children, need to be respected and so on. The showrunners apparently shared this attitude (hence the 4-years-long deception explained in ep.12), so I feel like including the lack of real-world homophobia in this list of the show’s weaknesses.

Leia Mais

Healthy

With the first look, this series is not anything special and they have a really common plot in Thai (bl) dramas (but I never understood the rival between engineering and architecture in Thailand. I am an architecture senior and let me tell all my classmates was dating engineering guys...). But OK, this is not important at all.

The important thing is the relationship of Pat and Pran. They are two realistic young people trying to understand themselves and the others. They have the expectations of their family in their shoulders, they want to fit in with their friends. They have their backs and forths like every teenager/young adult out there. And this reflects in their relationship which is actually healthy and completely realistic.

I would like to give a big applause to the creative team of this series, from production to actors/acresses. They actually made a drama with a healthy relationship and environment. We have seen a lot of romance dramas, especially bl, with problematic tropes and representation of lgbtq+ people (I spoke more about this in the review of History4: Close to you, which is the worst, most problematic BL ever). They didn't use abusive attitudes like unwanted kisses or staff like that, they didn't fetishise lgbtq+ people, they didn't use the homophobic "You are the only man I like" (like it is some fashion to be queer), they didn't use the BL stereotype with the seme and uke (the manliest and the most feminine/weaker) , they didn't use the crazy, evil girlfriend/female admirer trope.

Instead, they made a comforting rom-com with real people and a healthy relationship in which they are equal, they are joking about both their female and male admirers, there are some really well written, strong, independent female characters (I have a crush on Ink, who can blame me?). I really, really enjoyed it. And I really hope this can be a start of a change in opinions for the better and better, healthier represantation of relationship without misogyny and homophobia. Because a lot of production of the romance genre (not only BL) has problematic relationships, see for example the boys over flowers franchise...

Leia Mais

we want chimonnanon but ended with ohmananon huhu

I really love this series. In the first episode, I was excited because we had been asking Ohm and Nanon to have a new BL series for a long time, then they gave us this series. So in the first episode we immediately found out why Pat and Pran can't be friends. And in other episodes, they proved that they can be friends even if there is a fight between their parents. In episode 5, while they were talking on the rooftop I was immediately sad but they suddenly kissed at the end. I felt different emotions every time I watched it. Apart from OhmNanon. I love the chemistry of Pa and Ink. We are having a girl love in this boy love series. But I'm also sad for Wai because she can't have Pa because she likes girl. And in episode 10, we found out that Pran's mother and Pat's father used to have a connection about the scholarship. But I also felt disappointment with their parents because it's not Pat and Pran's fault if they love each other or if they become friends. The story of the parents is only for them, the child can't take over their parent's quarrel, right? And also for episode 11 that they moved away just to move on from the problem that happened in their family. They can talk to their parents and just let them because if they really love their child they will let them love because love is in the relationship between two people and not to embarrass the reputation of their family.

Also in the series, we learned acceptance and learning from mistakes

please let wai and korn be boyfriends~

-out of the topic-
we want chimon and nanon have a bl series but they gave us ohmnanon then we are very grateful that nanon is having a new bl series not suspense and science fiction story. you can't get me? then it's your fault bye hehe

Leia Mais

Best recommended this drama

For my opinion I really enjoy this drama. One of the main reason is with the casting, both P'Ohm and P'Nanon really have so much chemistry, and with the character in the story that really is similar to their real life. Seeing them together really makes me so much happier. And with the plot of it, its the plot where I really expected to see in many dramas before but I just finally get to see them in this drama, with the part that they don't have the part in the series where they argue about their relationship and decided to be far away or even break up. I like that the story is mainly about a two character that started from the feeling of hate towards them and started to built a closer relationship and ended happily. This series is the first series that I never really felt annoyed with the things happening throughout the story. Everybody will fall in love with this couple after watching this series, if you're not you would be considered a weird person.

Leia Mais