yourstruly
This review may contain spoilers
Bad Buddy, a Romcom BL drama close to perfection
This show is hands down one of the best BL dramas out there. It was so well down in every aspect possible (of course it still has flaws because nothing can absolutely be perfect) and I found myself becoming so invested in Pat and Pran that when it ended I felt so hollow.
For context, I watched this show after watching the 2gether series (I went into a detailed rant about that drama in my 2gether: the series review) and although all the issues I had with the series was resolved in Still 2gether, I found myself hesistant to start another BL drama from GMMTV. However, I saw many people praising Bad Buddy in their reviews and thought that I should at least give the first episode a watch......and boy was I glad that I did.
Bad Buddy did everything that the 2gether series failed to do and more. The actors, Ohm and Nanon, have insane chemistry and were so perfectly cast as Pat and Pran. The two characters felt like a real genuine couple and in more of the emotional scenes, for example the rooftop kiss scene in episode 5 (or even in the whole of episode 11), you find yourself getting so lost in whats happening that you forget you're even watching a show in the first place. That is how strong the chemistry, writing, directing and acting is for Bad Buddy. Another thing I want to note is how the show doesn't seem to be catering to a straight audience/to the heteronormative agenda at all. It felt so genuine with how they portrayed a healthy gay relationship (even having the side couple be sapphic which made this show all the more special). Where the 2gether: the series felt like it was mocking the audience in some scenes, instead of focusing on showing a genuine romcom, Bad Buddy is a refreshing romcom with stellar performances from the main actors, fortunately avoiding all the negative tropes found in other BL dramas.
Despite how much I have praised this show, Bad Buddy is not exempt from criticism. The biggest flaw with the show is the motive/reasoning behind the feud. Considering this show is a spin on Romeo and Juliet (enemies to lovers), one of the more important things aside from the main relationship is the feud. However, Bad Buddy's reasoning is very juvenile, from both the parents side and the friend groups side. It is definitely something that can put you off from watching/ enjoying the show if thats an aspect in the enemies-to-lovers trope that you personally enjoy a lot. Regardless, I found myself really liking the show and its all because of Ohm and Nanon's portrayal of Pat and Pran. You can tell when watching that the team behind the show focused a lot on the main relationship (which is great!) but in doing so the side characters were often neglected at times/weren't fully realised as characters which made them feel like caricatures at times. I think the only side characters where it didn't feel like that were with Ink and Pa (reasoning: they got enough spotlight to develop (while still minor) into a relationship).
Hands down one of my favourite things about this show is how the actors Ohm and Nanon seem to genuinely love doing their scenes and being on this show. From little candid moments where you can see they were genuinely laughing or just how they added their little 'isms into small moments which added so much to the overall scene. I really really want a second season! I have never felt invested into a show like I have for Bad Buddy in quite some time and with how it the show ended there is room to explore the characters further. I wouldn't even be mad if they gave us 5 episodes for s2 like Still 2gether got, I just really want to see more from the characters specifically Pat, Pran, Ink and Pa.
Before I submit my review, there's one more thing I want to praise this show for and its the OST. The OST 'Just Friends?' alone was so good and I even added it to my playlist because its genuinely good. I really liked how Bad Buddy incorporated the OST into the show and you may even catch yourself singing/humming along. The show was able to reuse their music in multiple episodes without it getting old which is a great achievement if I'm being honest.
I highly recommend this show to everyone who ends up reading this review!
My Favourite Episodes: Ep 5 and 11
Rewatch Value: 10/10
For context, I watched this show after watching the 2gether series (I went into a detailed rant about that drama in my 2gether: the series review) and although all the issues I had with the series was resolved in Still 2gether, I found myself hesistant to start another BL drama from GMMTV. However, I saw many people praising Bad Buddy in their reviews and thought that I should at least give the first episode a watch......and boy was I glad that I did.
Bad Buddy did everything that the 2gether series failed to do and more. The actors, Ohm and Nanon, have insane chemistry and were so perfectly cast as Pat and Pran. The two characters felt like a real genuine couple and in more of the emotional scenes, for example the rooftop kiss scene in episode 5 (or even in the whole of episode 11), you find yourself getting so lost in whats happening that you forget you're even watching a show in the first place. That is how strong the chemistry, writing, directing and acting is for Bad Buddy. Another thing I want to note is how the show doesn't seem to be catering to a straight audience/to the heteronormative agenda at all. It felt so genuine with how they portrayed a healthy gay relationship (even having the side couple be sapphic which made this show all the more special). Where the 2gether: the series felt like it was mocking the audience in some scenes, instead of focusing on showing a genuine romcom, Bad Buddy is a refreshing romcom with stellar performances from the main actors, fortunately avoiding all the negative tropes found in other BL dramas.
Despite how much I have praised this show, Bad Buddy is not exempt from criticism. The biggest flaw with the show is the motive/reasoning behind the feud. Considering this show is a spin on Romeo and Juliet (enemies to lovers), one of the more important things aside from the main relationship is the feud. However, Bad Buddy's reasoning is very juvenile, from both the parents side and the friend groups side. It is definitely something that can put you off from watching/ enjoying the show if thats an aspect in the enemies-to-lovers trope that you personally enjoy a lot. Regardless, I found myself really liking the show and its all because of Ohm and Nanon's portrayal of Pat and Pran. You can tell when watching that the team behind the show focused a lot on the main relationship (which is great!) but in doing so the side characters were often neglected at times/weren't fully realised as characters which made them feel like caricatures at times. I think the only side characters where it didn't feel like that were with Ink and Pa (reasoning: they got enough spotlight to develop (while still minor) into a relationship).
Hands down one of my favourite things about this show is how the actors Ohm and Nanon seem to genuinely love doing their scenes and being on this show. From little candid moments where you can see they were genuinely laughing or just how they added their little 'isms into small moments which added so much to the overall scene. I really really want a second season! I have never felt invested into a show like I have for Bad Buddy in quite some time and with how it the show ended there is room to explore the characters further. I wouldn't even be mad if they gave us 5 episodes for s2 like Still 2gether got, I just really want to see more from the characters specifically Pat, Pran, Ink and Pa.
Before I submit my review, there's one more thing I want to praise this show for and its the OST. The OST 'Just Friends?' alone was so good and I even added it to my playlist because its genuinely good. I really liked how Bad Buddy incorporated the OST into the show and you may even catch yourself singing/humming along. The show was able to reuse their music in multiple episodes without it getting old which is a great achievement if I'm being honest.
I highly recommend this show to everyone who ends up reading this review!
My Favourite Episodes: Ep 5 and 11
Rewatch Value: 10/10
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