There's a lot missing
So I was actually quite excited for this series but with each episode it becomes more uncomfortable to watch. First, I kind of liked the idea of 'Bed Friends' but there's seriously no storyline whatsoever.They basically just casted good looking actors and filmed a lot of 18+ scenes.
But there's actually not much tension between them. I don't really understand what's going on to be honest.
It seems like they just mixed a bunch of 'sex' scenes and some 'flirty' scenes together without thinking about a plot or a good storyline. Atleast I don't get the storyline behind that and some scenes don't really make sense or are necessary.
And in my opinion they portrayed the trauma /past Uea went trough also really weird
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More!
Both the male leads are hot and their chemistry is simmering explosiveness.I can understand both leads perspectives. Uea was raised by a cruel homophobic mother. He's undeniably gay but not openly comfortable with expressing it. King is flirtatious and seemingly shallow. However, I'm getting strong undercurrents of unrequited love and definite sexual interest. He does thoughtful and responsible things for Uea. I really don't get the comments about "rape". Uea ask for his attentions. Morally King should have denied him due to how drunk Uea was but the sex was still consenual even if Uea was cognitively impaired. While King could have taken the "high" road and just held Uea instead of having sex, there is a degree of responsibility on Uea's part to not drink to the point he is passing out.
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Not just a steamy romance
Reviewed after completing EP. 3___________________________________________________
I started watching this series coz I wanted to watch something lighthearted and maybe sizzling romance. But after 3 episodes, I am sure Bed Friend is going to demand much more emotional involvement than I thought. It's kinda like an emotional rollercoaster...
Though I am seeing a pretty consistent theme with Uea here. It's like he has got all the problems in his life and others lives are seemingly perfect. I hope King also has some story and depth to his character.
Finger crossedđ€for future development in the story....
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MAYBE NOT A FAN OF THIS KIND
I got to be honest , I really tried my best appreciating this drama but I just can't, but it is not the show's fault, some people may like this one but also maybe not me.I did not like the fact that the time is just spent on bed scenes, but I thought this is the reason why the title is bed friend, so I just ignored that and skipped those parts, acting on bed scenes somehow lacks something, I cannot feel the desire specially on the Eua's face , But King is stealing the show here .
It is about trauma as far as I think even I cannot finish the show anymore , and like what I've said maybe this show is not for me, I just tried watching it because of Net, but yeah sadly I did not liked it
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Not delivering
I think the series has the same problems as Cutie Pie did. It makes me disappointed because Net is a good actor, the visual is stunning and they should be able to sort the rest out.The biggest problems are the slow pace and the lack of conviction in what theyâre doing. The slow pace is evident in how they talk, which is not natural and full of pauses. This results in a feeling of lack of chemistry and a plot thatâs kind of not happening. Their interactions are done with a body language thatâs not convincing, because it seems like theyâre not convinced themselves. This I think is mostly James problem, he canât pull off taking his shirt off or rubbing the crotch in a sensual way. It falls flat.
Next problem is the balance of the characters. The mother is way over the top. Itâs difficult to understand why Uea would stand for that kind of abuse as an adult. And why does he turn down King whoâs nothing but kind to him. Uea seems mostly bratty and King is so underdeveloped itâs impossible to understand his fascination for Uea.
Overall the humor doesnât work. This was also the main problem in Cuie Pie. Theyâre not funny, theyâre trying to be, which makes it cringey.
Lastly, I agree with the comment of someone else; in which century are they living? âYou have sex without being in love?â canât be asked like thatâs unheard of in todayâs society. Itâs just not very realistic.
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something so special
This is one the very few drama that Im giving a 10 solely because this drama made me feel things that no other drama did/could/will.Maybe it was me relating to Uea's charecter, or me falling head over heels for King or just Netjames insane chemistry idk what it was but it definitely left a huge impression on me.
it became my comfort show despite the heavy themes.
Net's eyes are so expressive, the love and adoration King had for Uea was so clearly visible. They also had a very healthy and understanding relationship.
Considering there's most likely no more netjames in future, maybe this is all I'll have left as a wonderful memory of them both together.
May king and Uea live happily ever after â€
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Not the greatest, but better than Cutie Pie the series
Okay. I knooow a lot of yall won't agree with this, but if you like Cutie Pie's story, then I kinda get why you won't like Bed Friend's more realistic plot. I mentioned Cutie Pie because they came from the same production and even in the same universe, I think? But they're like in the opposite ends of the spectrum for plots.I'll start with the good elements:
1. Plot- Bed Friend touched on a very triggering, but very, (disappointingly and disgustingly) real issue of sexual abuse, pedophilia and r*pe. Bed Friend did a good job of how they were able to translate the trauma, the trauma responses, and the not openly talked about PTSD of victims of this abuse. PTSD is not just for war veterans; it happens to all victims of any trauma.
It's refreshing to see that instead of just focusing on the senseless steamy, NC scenes, ( I was honestly getting tired of the overly steamy NC scenes making it look like BL is just a collection of softprn for impressionable teen girls who's pining after a superstar) they used the s*x to explain why they are in a friend with benefits situation in the first place, used their multiple s*x scenes that lead them to catch feelings for each other, and also portray the changes and how comfortable Uea is becoming with King.
Since Uea is openly gay, and is even feminine representing, it's a breath of fresh air to see his portrayal that isn't as flamboyant as other feminine openly gay characters. Especially in an industry that uses gay characters as a comic relief. Uea was given a complicated, and dark history that thoroughly explains his character, and his attitude around people (how he doesn't open up to people) and his self-sabotaging decisions.
I've read a comment on YT that said that there were too many scenes of trauma that they think didn't need to be on there, but on the contrary, those scenes were very necessary. It just proves that a person who has not gone thru what you did, will never understand how you feel. Those memories of trauma were engraved in his brain, as much as affecting his everyday function because his traumas weren't addressed then, and worse, his family (except his sister) were one of the perpetrators. A person who has not gone thru this level of trauma can never begin to understand how and why, but Bed Friend was able to translate that on screen. And for that I commend them.
I'll mention an example that might help this point- Sky in Love in the Air, Daisy from SCOY- characters that only wanted to love and be loved but were let down and hasn't healed from it yet.
I know this plot isn't unique, but there aren't a lot of series that did a good representation of this like Bed Friend did.
2. Resolution- And even more, how they delivered the resolution. Making sure the perpetrators got what they deserved, and how Uea took time before becoming official with King. And I love how they did in the final scenes of the series. Uea needed that. I know it's a bare minimum to have a good resolution, but lately, we've been having shitty series enders and I'm just happy to get all the good endings I can.
3. Acting- Net's eyes are *chefs kiss*. This guy can act with his eyes, and I love that because they needed work on their communication so how else will King be able to portray his feelings for Uea? His fcking eyes.
And don't get me started on James. James's take on an openly gay feminine character was amazing. It was a perfect blend of a he knows he's sexy, but is silent, and reserve. He's obviously feminine, but he wasn't overly flamboyant. He was hurt and he had his walls up, but he was confident and knows how to set his boundaries. His complexity was palpable even though he didn't say much.
The supporting characters did okay. They were able to add value to the storytelling, and was helpful with the narration, but not the best. Which made it realistic because Uea is not the type to have a big support group because he wasn't easy to trust because of his family. And also, on King's side. I love his family. And they even made it obvious why King was so set on Uea. Uea was so much like his mother.
4. Pacing- If you don't have enough content for 12 episodes, make it shorter. Which they did. I love how they only had 10 episodes and spared the watchers of senseless fillers. But they were able to give the characters closure and reassurance.
Bad Elements:
1. Blocking- I have a little issue with the blocking. It's like the characters look out of place in a setting in times.
2. Editing- The editing is not the best either. It felt choppy, almost awkward.
There's actually not a lot I can think of. Well not enough to be memorable anyway. Although the series started a little rocky, and they were not able to fully explore on why Uea hated King's gut so much, except that he was a womanizer. Although it would make sense since it seems like Uea has always found King attractive. You'll never have strong emotions for people that don't matter to you. Period.
Overall, it was a good watch. It needs a clear PSA, just to warn viewers that it'll deal with traumas.
Okay, that about it. Peace!
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Everything,almost,in the right dose.
We all know the majority of the BLs has the curse of same old clichés & tropes.Bed Friend is not the exception.No originality or uniqueness.As a whole is nothing extraordinary,special or memorable.But if you break it into smaller parts you will find heartwarming and sweet moments,raw feelings and emotions and great messages.The trope "friends with benefits"is done so right here,unlike some others(cough -Fahlanruk-cough!)
Production is good.Cinematography is beautiful,with some really artistic scenes which added alot.
I really liked the Osts and all music scores,and this was a plus to me as iam not a fan of Thai soundtracks.
Direction was almost perfect.I give extra credits to it because masterfully managed to cover the average/rookie acting,giving the impression of more solid performances.
I know many complained about the long stares and pauses.At first i was annoyed too.But i thought this might be one of the director's tricks to allow his actors to focus more and build their emotions easily.I mean if i was a rookie actor this definitely would work for me.Ofc iam not an actor and i just say BS!
So in terms of acting,Net(King char)was way better than his co-starJames(Uea char)
His performance was natural,his body language conveyed his emotions in many scenes too.
On the other hand,James was perfect for this role mostly because of his physiques.Cute,fragile and let me add feminine too.
(The only alternative i could think was Saint.)
But as the character of Uea was more demanding than King's,James couldn't really support this role as his performance was weak.
He had to portray the victim of sexual assault,domestic violence and harassment in work place.The role was too heavy for his shoulders.
But iam not really complaining and i gave 7,5 stars(above my average rating)because i felt all their hard work and dedication.I do believe those 2 actors have great potentials and and if they pair them in future projects,will definitely improve their acting skills.
And although here,acting is not the best,the chemistry between them is really good.Many-many sparks and iam waiting for the future fire!
The story touches many topics.As i mentioned above the main lead (Uea)has to deal with his many traumas.The one which scarred him the most was ofc the sexual assault by his step-dad.I liked the "talk" about it and how he asked help from a professional psychiatrist to deal with all his issues,the medication he had to take etc.I liked the fact that they didn't present it as a taboo.
The story doesn't really go deep into those issues(to make the drama more melodramatic)neither was superficial (to take those issues in a light or funny way)
As i wrote in the title everything was in the right dose.
Special mention to the educational speech King gave to Uea about health-check,safe sex,condoms and protection.
In my opinion,in every BL or any Drama related to sex,has to have such mentions,openly.
Another plus was the rules setting about their FWB relationship.This is the healthy way to play this kind of games.
Though the rule Uea established (you are not allowed to see anyone else but me)cannot really apply to FWB,Lmao.
But it was a nice detail to show us the "real"King and his true colors and feeling towards Uea.He agreed to it simply because he had already fallen for him and he was heads over heels.
King is such a sweetheart and too softie for a player/casanova.Lol.Sweet caring and protective.
Uea when he is not acting bitchy,he is such a tease!
Their little cosplay (mewao!)was adorable!I know it meant to be sexy,and actually it was for many(not me but still i liked it!)
And here i have to comment about the amount of the hot/sexy/spicy moments this series gave us.It was a pleasant surprise because in every single episode they gave us some juicy scenes,and lets admit it,they are never enough.
In many BLs we have to wait for many episodes to have a kiss or a sex scene.In bed Friend we have in every episode BUT all those scenes always left us craving for more.We have a saying here in Greece.They gave us those scenes with a dropper!
All seemed short and incomplete but i never complained about.
I gave a total 8 because of the small details which made this drama interesting,because of the smart direction and mostly because of the effort behind this project.
Do not judge it harshly,give it a chance and iam sure you are gonna like it!
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It's alot more than the title says
Before starting this drama I thought of it as a sex driven, office romance and one night stand story. But the moment I started I realised it's such a realistic story if you know what it's like to face harassment and discrimination. The story of Anol is quite heartbreaking and I can understand his lack of emotions and communication, once it hurts it stays and on top of that being molested by his step dad and a abusive and unsupportive mother who supported her husband was a big trauma on his side just because of his sexuality. Over-all I liked the Story line and got the message which this Drama tried to pass on!Acceptance is really important and on top of that parental acceptance can make or break someone's whole life!
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Loved it (if ur sensitive about sdxual abuse don't watch it)
If I'm being honest, i really loved it. There wasn't a moment in which i got bored. From the chemistry to the plot and even the way it was portrayed was really great. (Ngl my opinion might be kinda biased)So here are my comments:
I really liked the way that even when they both were in a sex partners relationship, King always took care of Uea and cared about how he felt. For me, it's the way you can feel King falling in love with Uea.
Besides the characters, the plot is great. It really focuses on King helping Uea with his trauma and letting him know that it's not his fault, and i like that they weren't afraid to put such a topic despit it possibly beoing sensitive for some ppl, because it's like speaking up on sexual abuse.
Besides that, something i don't know how to feel about is the way Uea is like a magnet of predators, because in the series he was harassed (or almost) about 3 times, and the obstacles that stopped the main couple were not a possible love triangle, or some kind of misunderstanding but Uea being constantly harassed.
Overall i really liked it. In my heart is like a 10/10 but we all know there's a lot of room for improvement.
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Just Loved it..Go for the uncut version
Don't judge the book by it's coverAnd Don't judge the story by reading the negative reviews..
Just go for it.... It's a lovely and wonderful story...And you will surely love it..
Uea and King are so sweet...King is probably the mature one because he understands Uea's problems very well and he comforts Uea as much as he can... Since they are in Friends with Benifits relationship, throughout the story we can see Uea and King love each other from the bottom of their hearts...
There are no major misunderstandings between the couple and they are sorting out all the things very quickly.. Just loved the series..
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