TimeFliesAway
A BL Drama for the Queers and such a fresh breath! Sets the bar high for the industry.
23.5 is airing currently and after watching the 1st episode, I found out that Milk & Love (the two actresses who play the lead couple in 23.5) are also a side GL couple in Bad Buddy! I didn’t even know there‘s a lesbian couple in BB, when I added the series to my watch-list a year ago.
Bad Buddy was really good actually. I was surprised by how good – I had not expected such a fresh breath in many aspects!
It often reminded me of SOTUS & SOTUS S... But it’s more of an “updated”, more modern version of S. It’s like what S & SS could’ve been, if homophobia hadn’t been such an issue back then.
Which is nice. S had been (and maybe still is) a classic in the (Thai) BL fandom, but essentially is very outdated already. BB shows how much the world/genre has changed – for good. How much we’ve grown. A new, better generation started.
While most BL Dramas are made for straight women, this series feels like it’s been made for us, the Queer community.
PatPran’s relationship is so healthy, so natural and just happy vibes. They’re not together because the “kisses are hot”, but because they’re each other’s safe space. All the physical stuff that comes with most romances is more like a side bonus for them, but not the main reason for the relationship.
They communicate and respect each other’s boundaries. They fight for happiness and don’t let jealousy get the better of them. (Thus resulting in plot points being cleared quickly, without unnecessary dragging.)
Not only that, it also calls the toxicity of other BL Dramas out, especially those that are very heteronormative & stereotypical. Plus it shows how to do it better. Some quotes as an example:
1.) “I can’t say exactly when. I don’t even know for sure when I changed. Maybe I’ve liked men for so long, but I just realized it.” – Pat
“I thought you’d be like: ‘I’m straight but Pran is the only guy I like.’” – Pat’s sister
2.) “Does calling me a wife make you feel superior?” – Pran to Pat
And finally: SWITCHES!!!
Not only was it not heteronormative, it also had no homophobia.
Just like Only Friends, a world where queerness is simply normal and not very special anymore. That was for example shown when a guy had a crush on a girl, but that girl was on a date with another girl and he realized he was totally third-wheeling, so he stopped pursuing her and accepted his “heartbreak”.
Generally, female characters are treated well.
I’ve mentioned it in my review of Only Friends already, but even though BL Dramas have women as its target audience, female characters are usually treated the worst, for some reason.
Not here.
Except for Pat’s attitude towards his sister, there was no misogyny present at all and females are actually respected. As you can see in the example above, GL isn’t seen as “girls being girls” either.
Parents actually seemed like parents.
Writing a realistic & natural family dynamic is apparently difficult everywhere in the world. But gmmtv managed to write the parents as people, not just characters who have a certain role in the MCs’ lives. Conversations felt natural, not scripted, and their dynamics felt real.
The “rivals to lovers” trope was also really well done. Even though they were more like frenemies, their rivalry didn’t magically stop once they started dating. Their bickering totally continued and they used that to their advantage in the relationship (e.g. by pushing each other through competing).
I loved the comedy.
Just like in Only friends, no one served as the comedic relief, everyone had funny scenes. Scenes that went along with the story and weren’t forced in. Scenes that felt natural, not written. Scenes that will still make you laugh even after re-watching it for the 10th time.
The actors' chemistry is just as wonderful as in Only Friends. Maybe even better, since PatPran’s relationship was much more explored on the romantic level, than any of the couples in OF.
~
Mixed feelings:
Upon first watching, I wasn't much a fan of Pat's personality, but that's mostly because of his attitude and the way he was treating his sister (Pat's family dynamic generally is rather toxic, compared to Pran's). But he warmed up to me in the 2nd half and especially when he was using that "charm" of his to help Pran out. Plus, Pran didn't let Pat win as easily, so there's also that. They balance each other out and you can see why the universe paired them up.
At first, the reason for the feud seemed pretty anti-climatic. The way it was built up and given it’s a drama, you’d expect something more “extreme”, more devastating.
But after re-watching and imagining myself in the person’s situation, who was the most hurt by the reason, it is actually pretty dramatic. I guess the problem was just how they revealed it, that made it seem like it’s not really worth being so upset about it, but if you really think about it and put yourself in the shoes of the person (and think back 30-40 years, times were different), it gets more understandable. And totally valid.
The zero waste village was rather contradicting. As an environmentalist I do like the idea and am glad that gmmtv uses their popularity to talk about these things. However, on the other hand, the amount of plastic they've used and continued to use, as well as promote brands that are just plastic...
~
Overall I love it, it's become my favorite of gmmtv.
I watched it on the 12th March 2024 the first time and re-watched the entire series just one day later. I'm swooned and can't help to come back to them.
Bad Buddy was really good actually. I was surprised by how good – I had not expected such a fresh breath in many aspects!
It often reminded me of SOTUS & SOTUS S... But it’s more of an “updated”, more modern version of S. It’s like what S & SS could’ve been, if homophobia hadn’t been such an issue back then.
Which is nice. S had been (and maybe still is) a classic in the (Thai) BL fandom, but essentially is very outdated already. BB shows how much the world/genre has changed – for good. How much we’ve grown. A new, better generation started.
While most BL Dramas are made for straight women, this series feels like it’s been made for us, the Queer community.
PatPran’s relationship is so healthy, so natural and just happy vibes. They’re not together because the “kisses are hot”, but because they’re each other’s safe space. All the physical stuff that comes with most romances is more like a side bonus for them, but not the main reason for the relationship.
They communicate and respect each other’s boundaries. They fight for happiness and don’t let jealousy get the better of them. (Thus resulting in plot points being cleared quickly, without unnecessary dragging.)
Not only that, it also calls the toxicity of other BL Dramas out, especially those that are very heteronormative & stereotypical. Plus it shows how to do it better. Some quotes as an example:
1.) “I can’t say exactly when. I don’t even know for sure when I changed. Maybe I’ve liked men for so long, but I just realized it.” – Pat
“I thought you’d be like: ‘I’m straight but Pran is the only guy I like.’” – Pat’s sister
2.) “Does calling me a wife make you feel superior?” – Pran to Pat
And finally: SWITCHES!!!
Not only was it not heteronormative, it also had no homophobia.
Just like Only Friends, a world where queerness is simply normal and not very special anymore. That was for example shown when a guy had a crush on a girl, but that girl was on a date with another girl and he realized he was totally third-wheeling, so he stopped pursuing her and accepted his “heartbreak”.
Generally, female characters are treated well.
I’ve mentioned it in my review of Only Friends already, but even though BL Dramas have women as its target audience, female characters are usually treated the worst, for some reason.
Not here.
Except for Pat’s attitude towards his sister, there was no misogyny present at all and females are actually respected. As you can see in the example above, GL isn’t seen as “girls being girls” either.
Parents actually seemed like parents.
Writing a realistic & natural family dynamic is apparently difficult everywhere in the world. But gmmtv managed to write the parents as people, not just characters who have a certain role in the MCs’ lives. Conversations felt natural, not scripted, and their dynamics felt real.
The “rivals to lovers” trope was also really well done. Even though they were more like frenemies, their rivalry didn’t magically stop once they started dating. Their bickering totally continued and they used that to their advantage in the relationship (e.g. by pushing each other through competing).
I loved the comedy.
Just like in Only friends, no one served as the comedic relief, everyone had funny scenes. Scenes that went along with the story and weren’t forced in. Scenes that felt natural, not written. Scenes that will still make you laugh even after re-watching it for the 10th time.
The actors' chemistry is just as wonderful as in Only Friends. Maybe even better, since PatPran’s relationship was much more explored on the romantic level, than any of the couples in OF.
~
Mixed feelings:
Upon first watching, I wasn't much a fan of Pat's personality, but that's mostly because of his attitude and the way he was treating his sister (Pat's family dynamic generally is rather toxic, compared to Pran's). But he warmed up to me in the 2nd half and especially when he was using that "charm" of his to help Pran out. Plus, Pran didn't let Pat win as easily, so there's also that. They balance each other out and you can see why the universe paired them up.
At first, the reason for the feud seemed pretty anti-climatic. The way it was built up and given it’s a drama, you’d expect something more “extreme”, more devastating.
But after re-watching and imagining myself in the person’s situation, who was the most hurt by the reason, it is actually pretty dramatic. I guess the problem was just how they revealed it, that made it seem like it’s not really worth being so upset about it, but if you really think about it and put yourself in the shoes of the person (and think back 30-40 years, times were different), it gets more understandable. And totally valid.
The zero waste village was rather contradicting. As an environmentalist I do like the idea and am glad that gmmtv uses their popularity to talk about these things. However, on the other hand, the amount of plastic they've used and continued to use, as well as promote brands that are just plastic...
~
Overall I love it, it's become my favorite of gmmtv.
I watched it on the 12th March 2024 the first time and re-watched the entire series just one day later. I'm swooned and can't help to come back to them.
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