Bad Buddy (2021)

This is simply the best BL you will find. Why? Because it’s healthy, it’s well-written, the actors actually have good chemistry, and—most importantly—it was made for us, the LGBTQ+ community. It has no stereotypes, no "I don’t like men, I only like you" bullshit, no internalized homophobia, and no commercial soft porn. It’s not for straight cis girls to feed their fetish; it’s a lovely, romantic story for us. We can't say that about many other BLs.

People will probably say, "Oh, but BL is made by women for women," as if they are so right. But not this story. In here, there is zero heteronormativity. There is no dude saying shit like, "You will be my wife," or "Let me touch your boobs." There is no rape being normalized and romanticized. There is no "strong" guy and "weak" guy. The director and his team took every bad trope that exists in the BL industry and threw it in the garbage.

He did an amazing job. He said "fuck off" to all that bad stuff and created a good rom-com. He took the enemies-to-lovers trope and made it healthy (something that has never been done right in this industry before)! He took an actor who had never played in a BL before and made him feel comfortable. There is not even one awkward scene between the actors. With the main couple being friends in real life, it could have gone in a completely wrong direction, but it didn't. It’s comfortable to watch; their performance is believable and lovely. This series is a breath of fresh air. It took bad BL tropes and made them good. I don’t believe anything will ever surpass it, but this director might just surprise us again.

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It has the making to be one of the better, if not the best BL series.

Let's be honest here, this show is not going to win any award anytime soon - the plot is not new, it's another one of those university-themed BL series that is already a little bit of a cliche in itself. An enemy-turned-to-lover slightly diluted Romeo & Juliet story so common in a lot of Thai dramas. However, they have proven that even the simplest story can be great with proper execution. It's like they took note of all the bad comments from all the other series and aspired to make it better - even promised not to fall in the trap of those tiring BL tropes.

There is no "I'm straight but I only like you"; they made fun and tackled the wife and hubby misconceptions; they made the parents (and friends) cool about their preferences; the main couple even fooled the parents (or so they thought) into thinking they did what they wanted them to do but instead they're really just following their hearts. What made me appreciate it, even more, is their positive depiction of a same-sex relationship, and how it is so relatable in real life.

What about the cast? Ohm and Nanon's chemistry is off the charts they set the bar so high it will be difficult to watch any other series without comparing it to their performance. These are actors who genuinely look like they're enjoying doing the show and not just doing it for fan service. GMMTV should be lining up projects for Ohm and Nanon, sooner rather than later, and as partners. This couple deserves to be in the pantheon at the same level as the original BL trinity.

The show isn't perfect - we hated how Pran and Pat were outed by a supposed friend, which thankfully was resolved in one episode and we still ended up forgiving Wai. I also felt like the tension between the parents doesn't justify the family feud. Do I need the mention the product placements? Thankfully the shows' strengths canceled out all the negatives.

I also need to mention that satisfying ending, where they tied everything perfectly, albeit leaving a little chance for a second season.

A special nod should also be given to Backaof Noppharnach's direction and his partnership with his screenwriting team. Although I'm not a big fan of My Dear Loser, he saved the Together series with the much better Still Together, then gave us A Tale of a Thousand Stars, and now this! I am now a bonafide fan, and I'm looking forward to his future works.

Also, I have to mention how great the OST is.

Rewatch value is 10, and yes I've watched each episode a few times. Overall, it's a 9.5.

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