The Miracle of Teddy Bear (2022)

I may not agree with the ending but it's still an interesting BL.

My original heading was going to be don't judge a series by it's poster. But after watching the last three episodes, I decided to change it.

Story-7/10
Now here's the thing. I don't like the majority of the characters- they all had flaws and it made me hate them. From the beginning I despised Nat. However, the series ws able to explain why he was the way he was by giving a very good and thorough background story.

I didn't like Sipmuen and then later on Saen. I hated Jan from on the get go. Matter of fact, the only ones who I liked were Song, Kensit, Kensit's parents and Thaou.

I don't know why but I felt the storyline with Saen, Jan and Tathan belonged to a different story and it really didn't mesh well for me, personally. It felt a bit out of place and I honestly didn't care about the outcome, eventhough it was linked to the ML's storyline.

What I liked storywise was they were able to touch issues that not many BL's have touched for us to understand the society that they live in.

Now I know that this series could have ended at least three different ways. While I may not be happy abour it, I know that this ending was one of the ways. Do I like it? No. But I do understand it. So for all of this reasons I'm going to give it a 7.

Acting/Cast-9/10
You know, for you to get any emotions from me- be it hate or love for a character- that means that you acted really good. And that's what these actors were able to do. So I will give them a 9.

Music-8/10
The song was cute, I'm not eve going to lie. So for that, I give it an 8.

Rewatch Valu-2.5/10
I'm sorry but I'm not going to put myself through this torture again. Once was enough for me. Cause while there were good parts, the bad parts outweigh them to me. SoI'm going to go with 2.5.

Overall-6.5/10
Overall, I give this series a 6.5/10. While it was good, I just don't see myself watching it again anytime soon.

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Beautiful - and so disappointing

The Miracle of Teddy Bear:
I enjoyed most of it, but I wasn't expecting something so intricate and in-depth. I was expecting, and hoping for, something more "fluffy" and cute. I enjoyed the deep story, the family drama, the mystery, etc - but it wasn't what the trailers led me to think I was getting into.

First of all, the story of Nut & Tofu was lovely. It was beautifully done and the ways that Tofu loved Nut and Na were heartwarming. The way he brought out the truth of their feelings and mended their hearts was just so wonderful. That was my favorite part of the show.

The intricately woven story about the families, their struggles, their sacrifices and how incredibly deep this story went was remarkable. They told this story in a way that was truly engaging, and got your emotions involved as well. You really felt for the characters and what they've been through as you learned, piece by piece, about the trauma, the drama, the mystery and how everything and everyone tied together. It was so well done!!

However, I felt like once we learned all about Neung at school and met Tatarn as his best friend, and the way Tatarn looked at Nut, that as of episode 3 or 4 ish (?) I felt like the story was being railroaded and directed into getting Nut & Tatarn back together. It made it very difficult for me to really enjoy the relationship between Tofu and Nut because every time they made progress it hurt my heart because I just felt that there was no way for them to be happy together. And Tofu kept making comments about how he didn't know how long he'd have and then they showed the household items falling asleep and all I felt was an internal dread that I just KNEW where things were headed for Tofu, and it broke my heart for like 10-12 episodes straight.

I loved Tatarn's impact on Nut's past and how he helped him to survive and grow, and I think everyone needs someone like that in their life at one point. However, I think the decision to tie Tofu's existence as human directly to Tatarn's coma was a very bad one. It was something we learned VERY early on, when Tofu passed out watching the washing machine spin, and from that point onwards the writing was on the wall. At that moment we already knew that for Tatarn to wake up Tofu had to go away, or die, or become a teddy bear again.... but ultimately they couldn't co-exist. And that knowledge just ruined so much of the show for me.

So, as I was saying, I liked Tatarn's role in Nut's past and as a previous love I think it was beautiful. It was a great story and one worth telling and it was a crucial part of the story as a whole. That information needed to be told, shared and felt.

BUT -- I think Tofu should not be tied to Tatarn's ability to wake up, Nut & Tatarn should've just been friends as adults and Nut & Tofu should have been allowed to have their relationship without the shadow of Tatarn always looming over them. They should have been allowed to be happy together without the audience fearing for Tofu's existence. That fear in the back of the mind at all times just tainted the entire relationship with a darkness that doesn't need to be there. Since everything about Tofu was light, bright, cheerful, loving, caring, devoted and honest his existence never should have had that gloom hanging over him the entire show.

I know that Tofu was thankful to still be in Nut's life at the end and to still be an "awakened" teddy bear after he changed back from a human -- but I also feel like that is cruel and forcing him to watch Nut love Tatarn for the rest of their lives is absolutely heartless. Being the consolation prize was insulting to him as a character. Plus, we already knew that Tofu was jealous of Tatarn and hurt because he worried that Nut would leave him for Tatarn or that Nut could never love him as much as he loved Tatarn. Why force him to witness Nut & Tatarn live their "happily ever after" despite his feelings?? Yeah, he seems to have come to terms with it at the end and found a kind of peace in the choices he made -- but should he have needed to do that??

I wanted so, so, so badly to love this show -- but now that it's over I think I'll give it like an 8 through episode 14 and some of 15 and then a 2 for the ending. I hated that I could see what the ending would be *SO* early on just based off a few clues that they dropped, because predicting what was going to happen just ruined the whole experience for me.

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Don't let the title deceive you

[Updated] Early warning! Watch the series only until ep 15 to save your heartache lmao
I almost skip this series because how ridiculous the premise was. I expected this series to be full of cringe, sunshine and rainbow, but man how wrong was I.. Who would have thought that BL series whose plot is about teddy bear turning into human would be the one who deliver the most realistic problem of LGBTQ+

[Story]
This series managed to address many delicate issues; mental health, domestic violence, society problems, etc seamlessly into the story. It's like peeling an onion, while we try to solve the mystery how the hell Tofu turn into human, the issues kept surfacing upon another. It may sound exhausting, but there were some cute moments to rest your mind lol. I do find the complexity of the story very compelling, we got the chance to understand what make flawed characters to be what they are. Nut is very layers character, his temper really peeved me at the beginning, but as the story progress I start to pity him and understand why he became the way he is. All his life, he has been wronged and hurt by people around him so I sincerely want the best for him. On contrary, Tofu is the most selfless and innocent character ever. His only desire is to make Nut happy, and that somehow feel sad. This make his feeling often got ignored and brushed out. [Updated] I HATE THE ENDING!! it's very cruel for letting tofu go back being teddy bear, it'll be better if they let him die and reincarnated. That way he can find his own happiness and worth rather than this false happiness. I also dont agree that Nut getting back with Tharn. Dont get me wrong, I think Tharn is a great guy. But sometimes we met a great person at the wrong time. Their relationship was meant to be Nut's personal growth, to forge Nut be the person he is now. That what was hinted throughout the story. Nut himself said that he already moved forward on his life. Tharn was his past and he thankful for that, it should be stay that way. Tharn also deserves someone who can love him fully.

I dont mind a sad ending, as long as the writer doesn't unnecessary "torture" the characters. Literally no one win except Gen-Song. After all the shit he got, Nut should find a peace and move on from both Tofu and Tarn by finding a new love. Sometimes we met beautiful people just to give us a lesson, and that's what Tarn and Tofu did for Nut.
I think this kind of ending would be more beautiful than the false happiness that the writer currently offer.

[Acting]
Hand down the best acting you can get in BL series. Personally, I wont put Inn and Job at the same level with other BL actors, they are actor ACTOR. Inn did a good job as Tofu, he embodied the innocent, naivety and childlike very well. He got very expressive eyes, especially when he has to suppress his sad feeling. Job also did a good job as Nut, he made me want to smack him several times lmao. I dont think I have to talk about Apasiri's acting, she never missed ofc.

[Rewatch value]
The ending gave me emotional damage, do u still think I am going to rewatch?!? BIG NAH

[Overall]
This series made me experience a roller coaster emotions and I enjoy the ride very much (at least until ep 15) . I wont be petty and score this low just because I dont like the ending. It still by far one of well made BL series. But yeah, the writers will find me under their beds from doing Tofu dirty like that.

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A top tier BL drama/Lakorn

At first, I was just curious as to how In and Job will do justice to their roles as Tofu and Nut. Both haven't appeared in a BL series yet with In playing mostly straight roles. They did not disappoint me in terms of acting. I really love the visuals of In/Tofu, so innocent, naive and curious. And the layered acting of Jon/Nut. (I don't know if they are the first choice in playing the role but I saw in an early version in some article that a certain Por will be portraying the role of Nut, can someone enlighten me on this.)

The story is something different. I commend the writer for this exceptional storyline. There's a lot of issues to tackle like mental health, depression, sadness, brokenheartedness, insecurities, trust issues, longingness, etc.. But I believe this will be resolve as the story is now midway to its whole 16 episodes.

I just had some worries about its ending..
These are only what ifs that's playing in my mind..
1. I dont know if we're going to have a happy or sad ending. I dont want Tofu to be a Teddy bear again. I want Tofu and Nut to have their happy ending. I want Nut to be happy as I can really relate to his character having a not so happy childhood memories
2. Even if I said at the first part of the review, I'm still optimistic that all the issues will be resolve in time.
3. Mrs. Na should have her happy ending too..

I'm hoping for a more surprises in the coming episodes but so far after episode 7, I'm satisfied and I recommend this for everyone to watch on Netflix.

Btw, kuenchai is soooo adorable.

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NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE TO WATCH LONG EPISODES, IF YOU'RE A SUCKER FOR HAPPY ENDINGS - SAVE YOUR SELF AND NOT WATCH THIS SERIES. BUT IF YOU'RE INTO A GOOD STORY, TO EXPERIENCE A ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SOCIAL ISSUES WERE BATTLING TODAY THEN YOU'RE IN FOR A TREAT. THIS SHOW WON'T BE RELEASED IN A FREE-TO-AIR CHANNEL IN THAILAND FOR NO REASON.


STORY: There were so many BL shows out there that has good storyline, lighthearted but this show hits me like ITSAY some years back. Yes, it is a fantasy series and it can end in every possible ending we could have think. However, it tackles and sheds a whole lot of issues ranging from - childhood trauma, LGBTIA+, generation gap, Alzheimer's disease and its effects to the person, societal norms etc.

ACTING/CAST: Love them or hate them, they did a stellar performance to each of the character that they played. As the show progresses, we learned all the why's that led to situations they're facing.

REWATCH VALUE: If not for almost 90 minutes runtime, I would. However, despite the longer than usual runtime than most BLs, each episode is engaging and keep wanting for more. It is a good thing that they released it as 3 episodes a week.

OVERALL: Maybe it is just me but all throughout the series, there's subtle messages that it would end the way we don't want it to be as we have grown attached to each characters especially Tofu and Nut. Nut went through a whole lot since he was young which explains his complex character. Tofu on the other hand become a more complex character as he learns more and feels more human as he digs deeper into the mystery of Nut's family and the people around him. In a parallel universe, they deserved to have a happy ending. In reality, not all the time we'll have that happy ending we have always wanted but in the process, we have to learn be strong, to be kind, to appreciate things as they are and live not in the past but in the present with plans for the future.

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Good, But Too Long to Binge

This was a really good series with some really good (and pretty) actors with some good story (aside from the talking furniture..). This is one of those series that you have to watch while it's airing because it's incredibly too long to binge. Had I watched this during its airing, then I think I would've appreciated this series more, but most of the time, I was ready for it to be over.

Let's Dive In.

TMOTB is another wacky plot about a human falling in love with -- a tangible object -- a teddy bear-turn-human. This concept was way beyond me, I was sure it wasn't going to be good, but -- in reality, it's actually really well thought out, and with In's (Tofu's) acting, it's believable that he's a human who knows nothing about basic human things (until later in the series). It also worked out for them because they didn't just have him be some teddy bear, he was a bear in a human's body who had bad implications for Nut and an even sadder tale for Song and his father. Like it's really good.

I shipped Tathan and Nut as soon as we get a glimpse into Nut's backstory. I love first-love stories. And Tathan was such a genuine person, with even more genuine intentions. Their kiss was -- incredible. I'm glad they're end game, which is why my score for this series is a bit higher because I would've been upset had Nut and Tofu stayed together. He's a teddy bear, it just wasn't going to work (for obvious reasons)

I think Tofu and Nut were cute, but something in me didn't care much for them. His death was sad, just because seeing Nut so distraught was hard (Job's acting is superb). But in the end, I couldn't be happier about the ending. he's still there (just in tangible object mode) and Nut still gets to be happy with his first love (who is played by Judo who's the prettiest man I've ever seen and I can't wait for his series with Fluke from UWMA).

I also mostly watched because the guy with the glasses was so freaking cute, playing alongside Tee (Song). They were a good addition to the show, and I liked how their plot played along.

I won't lie though, I skipped through a lot of TMOTB, like a lot. So the mother's plot is a little wonky for me, along with the girl with the curly hair (who seems to have a crush on a woman by the end). But I get the gist of most of the other plots, so it's fine. But this was just really really long. They could've cut out a lot to keep it mid-length (and given the rest of the time to Korea/Japan). So most of the episodes past episode 8 were lightly skimmed through.

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - It's complex, it's deep, it has a nice flow, and all conflicts are resolved. It's good, but it's just too much and too long.

Acting: 9/10 - Job can ACT for real. In was good too, but I think Job just surpasses what he has. The others do an excellent job too.

Music: 6/10 - I didn't pay attention to it, but it wasn't distracting so good!

Recommendation Value: 5.5/10 - I would've recommended this higher had it been airing, but I can only slightly recommend this while it's over because it's a lot to sit through. Unless you're patient and can watch an episode per day, then go for it, but I like to finish a series (when I'm binging) in at least less than a week. But the story is good, it's compelling and it was an okay watch (only okay because, again, it's too long).

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I'm pretty sure that many of BL fans don't fond of its endings, considering that no matter how good HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count was, there are still a lot of haters. Coupled with the very long duration of each episode, I'm positive that many people dropped this series as early as possible.

Personally speaking, this series is actually interesting. With a different theme from any other series that I've been following, plus a complicated (and of course prolonged) conflicts, it makes me even more curious about the storyline of this series. Moreover, this series is played by supporting actors whose performance cannot be underestimated.

But to be honest, there are some parts where I have to speed up the pace while watching it. Not because it's too boring, but because of the limited time and long duration that made me have to manage my time effectively to be able to finish this series every week.

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It's completely different from usual BL Thai drama

I have seen a lot of BL drama, and to be honest most of Thai BL drama are teen oriented so the stories are cute, lovely which is great....but when I first heard about this i wasn't even planning to watch it, i thought it is so typical...a fantasy teddy come alive....
Then suddenly i don't know why when episode 2 was released it first came to my suggestion list in Netflix...and i was very skeptical but i was like why not I'll stop watching if not good.......and my journey started and it ended with the story it self with their last episode....
I loved everything about it....it can't fall under one or two genre.....it started with fantasy then mystery continued with comedy, drama, family trauma, sociological issue, phycological effect, romance, thriller, heartbreak....everything I might not even cover......I loved the whole journey...…I cried my eyes out in the end....and i am still angry with the ending....even though i understand where they where coming from Tofu is a fantasy that can't be part of reality.....but i just can't accept it.....the whole journey ended with no one knowing who he was and what he did and suffered and how much he sacrificed......even in the ending when he was drinking poison he was understanding...and was thinking......that was what had to happen......Tofu deserved happy ending..........
The only reason for me to give the Rewatch Value 8.5 is even though i would love to watch it again i won't be able to relive with the ending as my eyes are already swollen from crying

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it's a waste if you won't watch the ending ?

it is a good series to watch but it's ending was so unexpected and such a lovely twist for all of the characters were so well played and until the ending i loved it , but the fact that he is going to marry his first love got me heartbroken it is my personal thinking because tofu himself wants him to not stuck in the past let him move on. it's okay ( Gwenchana Gwenchana) ?? overall it's a worth watching. the creativity of the writers to make things lively was the best part, ❤️❤️❤️ I'm jealous of Judo( Tatarn ) he was a support role but he got nut in the end ??? since his presence was the for the origin of tofu I'll let him slide

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Heartbreak feels good in a series like this.

The Miracle of Teddy Bear is a bit intense for a Thai BL drama. For instance, an hour and a half per episode? Are you kidding me! But. BUT! It did perfectly fine with such a long run time per episode. It didn’t have a lot of nonsense void fillers that would have been riddled with ads (Looking at you, Love Sick 2).

So the series, being an hour and a half per episode, really had me in a choke hold. I was so invested per episode probably because of the long run time, and the fact that it didn’t really use any of its run time with unnecessary scenes. As a result, I really got to feel the emotional gravity of each character, from Nut’s mom’s mental illness, to that annoying girl Phrippri who for some reason after pining over boys who happen to be gay ends up, or is heavily implied, with a girl! So, going back to my point, the long run time of each episode and the mix of a sort of complicated story was just an amazing experience. Again, I have to reiterate, such a unique experience coming from a Thai BL.

The story was quite… special? Out Tofu is a beloved teddy bear of our dear Nut that somehow turns into a human. Just like magic, I know! But that random and loose end of that meteor passing by in episode 1 was such a strange and wasted storyline. They could have literally just removed it, because it had no relation to the whole story. But I’ll digress. The story had a lot of facets to it. From abusive parents, mental illness, Thai politics all the way to a woman fetishizing gay men, it was such a rollercoaster of a story.

The ending, even if it was still an hour and a half, a bit of a mess? Right off the bat, hot pink for a poisoned drink? I LOVED IT! AND! Can you frame a last goodbye any better? At that point, we all knew our bb Tofu was going to die! Though, I find it a bit curious that Tofu says that the miracle is actually his impending death. So sad!
Also, I’ll never get over the amount of emotional trauma Nut has gone through all his life culminating in Tofu’s death! He deserves that happily ever after. Lastly! Tarn’s art studio is the place for Tofu got poisoned? No one’s gonna talk about that? He literally was dying on the floor of the scene in the studio. Amazing.

At the end of it all, the highlight for me was the not so subtle commentary on Thai politics. Also, as a gay person, I just really want to say, straight people are the worst. Oh, my God, it all stemmed from them. But at least it ended all gay. GAY RIGHTS!

Some humans can be the worst of us, but somehow a teddy bear was more human than most of us.

Heartbreak feels good in a series like this.

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Different, deep but HEARTBREAKING

I'll try to express my thoughts as best as I can consider english is not my main language but its easier for me to use it in this context.

At the very start I thought I might not have like this show this much because of the fantasy in it, I'm more of a reality based stories's girl and I did not like to much the idea of a teddy bear becoming human, but as time passed I've literally fallen in love with the character of Tofu. I did not know Inpitar (the actor behing Tofu) before this show and I found out he's an amazing actor, I loved his acting and I loved the goodness of Tofu.

At the start Nut was not my favorite character since he came out on screen very rude and most times also way too bad to his mother. The way he treats her sometimes went way over what's acceptable in my opinion and if that was reality and not a show I'm not sure I'd accepted to forgive his attitude. I mean, the story explains to us why Nut is like that to his mother and the relationship between them, but still... you can leave her and the house, you do not need to be so violent. Though in the end if we can pass over that initial part you'll learn to empathize with him and be sorry for what he had to go trough while growin up. No kids should ever grown up in such an enviroment.

I'm not a fan of flashbacks in books or movies and this series had a bit too many for me. Though would have been impossible to undertsand the story without them so you sort of deal with this director decision. I still must admit there were way too many and especially with Tarn.. they showed soo much of his past relationship which was not needed to undertsand it and Nut's past.

I think the story was written to show a lot of Nut and Tarn past to make the viewers more attached to Tarn which you'll need to be to not hate the end too much. If you start felling bad for Tarn and Nut and for the fact they loved each other and couldn't be together you'll sort of start feeling sad for them and accept Tarn character a bit more.

When you find out that Tarn is in a coma and the only way for him to ever wake up is for Tofu to disappear, you start knowing that probably a bad end will come soon. You start thinking that the logical end (uluckily) its the one where Tarn (Nut's hige first love) lives and wakes up while Tofu goes back to be a teddy bear (since in real life teddy bears cant be human, the circle of his MIRACLE needs to end). You start thinking of the title, the word miracle and you understand the miracle will have an end and the miracle is that Tarn's LOVE brought Tofu to life. So could they really let him die? When Tofu existence as a human was connected to Tarn's love for Nut...???

Deep inside, you still have hope though that they'll let you have your happy ending in the very end, but NO. NO WAY.
In the last episode they not only decide to make Tofu go back to being a teddy bear, NO. They decided ti KILL him and make him going thorugh the huge PAIN of being poisoned (which we all know its not for sure a painless death). We see his life slowly leave him and we see his heart stop forever and then, we CRY. We do not have any alteratives than crying so bad, so much til the end of the show.

Because not just only he dies, but then he go back being a teddy bear and Nut go back marrying Tarn. We see Tofu having to spend the rest of his life looking at Tarn and Nut together (which in my opinion was a weird choice). They made it look like Tofu was so happy that they are back together and he's so happy he brought them back to each other and also he's so happy to be able to be by Nut's side forever just as 'simple' teddy bear... but wait a minute.. really?? Tofu LOVED Nut so much and he was so jealous as well of Tarn.. so how come that at the end he was just this happy theddy bear to accept stay there forever seeing the other two so in love??? Plus.. they give you SENTENCES and moments between Tofu the bear and Nut the last 10 minutes of thw show in which it looks like that Nut surely knows that Tofu the bear is the same as Tofu the human and he still loves him... cuddle him... and says he'll love him forever (which is a bit weird as a vibe. He gave me the vibe of one with two love at the same time).

At the end the show talked about very important matters for LGBTQ+ community and for parents influence in kids future, it was a great cast and acting. The story was beaituful and I enjoyed it overall but I did not like that end. I cried way too much and Tofu's death was something at today, almost a week after the last ep, I still can't accept. I feel sad if I think about it and I keep thinking Nut and Tofu deserved to be happy together forever. You can tell me the end was logical, that it must have been that way but NO... In my heart the right end will always be Nut and Tofu married and happy for the rest of their life.

BYE

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A BL fantasy worth watching.

I've reached episode 10, so my ratings may change later after the series are completed, and may add a few more things to this review later.

I must say there are some episodes which seem to drag too long, and become somewhat boring (especially episode 8) but I'm still watching it. I've never seen the acting of the two main leads before, and they're really good. Job Tuchapon Koowongbundit was great acting as the temperamental, somewhat abusive and unlikeable, adult Nut, but wow what a change when he becomes the shy, insecure, teenage schoolboy Nut. In Sarin Ronnakiat played his role well as cute, sweet, curious Tofu, but then suddenly has a different body language when he becomes the cool, popular, (assumingly) straight basket ball athlete, Nueng.
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Ok, now I've completed watching this series and whew, it is both tiring and exciting for me. Watching a 16 x 90 minutes show was too long, but I somehow did not give up. When at first they said there were only 15 episodes, I was a bit surprised when I watched Episode 15, how come it did not seem to end? There were still mysteries that had to be answered, and yet it was made into a forced happy ending with the two main leads spending a holiday in a beach resort. But wait, how come they still have previews for the next episode? Surprise, surprise, it did turn out to be a 16-episode series like many others.

Now episode 15 for me was overwhelming. Too many twists and too many mysteries were unfold at the same time, and yet there were more that were not yet answered. The biggest question I had each time I saw each episode was: when is Tofu going to reveal that he IS Tofu the Teddy Bear? Tofu may have many questions in mind, but at least one thing he knows is that he was Nut's Teddy Bear. He could have told Nut earlier, but then maybe there wouldn't be much of a story if he did.

This was certainly a different kind of BL compared to the ones I've seen before. Yes, there were always family matters, but this one was more complex with issues of sibling rivalry, jealousy, having an abusive father and a weak mother with mental health problems, The story line also included workplace interactions, political activism, capitalism vs enviromentalism, and (attempted) murder. Yet all these matters were perfectly seamed into the story, without us have to think this is heavy stuff.

I loved both Job and In Sarin's acting. Job in particular, did a great job playing the role of an abusive, introverted guy with many traumatic experiences in the past. I give my thumbs up to both of them! The other supporting actors/actresses also played their roles really well. The ending was sad, very sad, but I knew that it would have to be that way, but final scenes made the ending also sweet at the same time. Love this series, but may have to wait a few months before I rewatch it.

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