EmaraSign

All of his performances give me so much secondhand embarrassment. Is no one around him telling him to step away from the mic?

Oh, mine was about the revisionism of the American Civil War in graphic novels and children's literature!

Oops, I had no idea that happened!

And hey, I've enjoyed really shitty content in the past because I was in the mood to consume it, so I'm not judging anyone for liking CP! Everything I say is in the interest of healthy debate and moving discussions forward, not for picking fights. I leave positive reviews as they are and mainly comment under comments that I find interesting or want to provide my take on. It's my debate club heart talking lol

Yes, but most of us also don't go to users personally and call them immature just because they find a relationship toxic?

Also criticism isn't hate. There's a HUGE difference.

I hope NuNew pulls a Jeff Satur and uses BL as a springboard for a more serious music career. He has the voice for it.

I mean, if Gulf can become a 'rapper', anything can happen.

Is there really any need to comment on someone on a personal level? We're just discussing the show here, let's be civil :)

Anyway, good luck for your thesis. I defended my own PhD thesis a month ago so I know how nerve wrecking it can be!

And people say those who dislike CP are the 'haters' with the insulting opinions.

Most people who call out toxicity ARE older. I'm 26 for example. Younger viewers can't differentiate between healthy and toxic relationships unless the latter is overtly abusive.

Also, I've gone through all the comments under OP's post, and most of us are being respectful and only engaging in discussion about the content of the drama without resorting to personal attacks. If you see even that as 'hate', I don't know what to tell you.

But Kuea and Lian were not in a relationship when they kissed though? Lian had told Kuea he didn't love him and the latter was on his way to breaking the engagement.

If they were already in a healthy, loving relationship, it would've been fine.

Anyway, good luck with your thesis!

It seems like the show is following the novel quite closely so we can expect Episode 7 and 8 to be fluff.

I love him too because he's so relatable. There are plenty of 17 year-old boys (and he IS only 17) who have trouble expressing their feelings. Luckily he has friends and a Daonuea to push him out of that zone and into a space where he can express himself more freely.

Bad Buddy is an example of what great acting and a good main couple can do to a basic plot. Not everything needs to be revolutionary, simple plots can be great if they're done well.

For example, Semantic Error in Korea is also a 'basic' university 'enemies to lovers' story. But, it became so popular because of the chemistry between the leads, the fleshed out characters, and the unique twist they added to the genre.

On the other hand, a show shouldn't be praised just because it has a different concept if it isn't able to execute it well.

His INFP self is trying, but he's so dumb lol. Still I can't be too mad at him because I'm very similar and it's also one of the reasons I don't allow myself to get into relationships. I can't spring those issues onto my partner.

I can't believe what I'm reading tbh. Dom/Sub relationships require EXPLICIT consent, contracts, tons of rules, etc because without those things can go into abusive territory very quickly. The foundation of BDSM is good communication and a clear understanding of boundaries.

If Cutie Pie did want to get into those dynamics, the show could've been revolutionary in portraying what healthy dom/sub relationships can look like. But that's not what the novel or the screenwriters intended to do. They intended to make the 'tops' controlling bastards because fujoshis find that sexy.

Anyway, I don't intend to take BL shows in general too seriously. But, it's just fun to discuss and debate with others who enjoy the same content. I'm not going to stand on a soap box irl and spew hate against CP lol

The issue with the 'kink' angle for me is that there were no discussions between the characters about the kinks and no consent being given for these characters to treat their partners that way.

To me, it seems like Kuea and especially Diao allowed their partners to be controlling 'fathers' not because that's what they genuinely want, but because they haven't known any other kind of relationship. Both of them have been tied to Lian and Yi respectively since they were kids and this is how they're used to being treated. They don't KNOW what a healthy, non-controlling relationship looks like, they have no reference point for this.

It's fine to establish a line and and have your characters enjoy power dynamics that others might consider toxic. For example, Fiat in Don't Say No (even though I dislike the drama overall) establishes early on that he likes rough sex. But he's only able to know that because he's sexually experienced and has had time to figure out what he enjoys and what he doesn't.

On the other hand, if Fiat was only having sex with one person his entire life who was always rough with him, and he THEN says that he likes rough sex, it becomes toxic because he has no reference to what healthy, gentle, 'vanilla' sex feels like. Get the difference?

Also, there are plenty of healthy dom/sub relationships. But having conversations and establishing consent is SUPER important. If we had a scene with Yi and Diao for example, where Yi says that he's going to set curfews for Diao and asks Diao if he's okay with it, and he agrees, that would've made the dynamic less questionable. But having the viewers just assume those conversations have happened behind the scenes isn't enough.

I don't agree with this take.

The same people who love the healthy relationships in Bad Buddy also love shows with extremely questionable, morally grey characters like Pornographer or Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese - both beloved shows that feature some extremely messed up characters doing messed up things.

However, the thing with those shows is that the messed up characters were not romanticized. They weren't portrayed as ideal, understanding, and loving partners. The script, plot, and even the cinematography ALWAYS made sure you knew that these characters weren't good people.

The thing with Cutie Pie is that that's the opposite of what the screenwriters were hoping to achieve. They glossed over the toxicity of Lian and Yi and tried to portray them as 'ideal' partners for their fiances without going deep into WHY their dynamics are messed up and unhealthy. It's the same issue as TharnType were rape and noncon were portrayed as erotic and romantic.

I have no problems with shows that have grey characters and unhealthy relationships. For example, in Star in My Mind, one of the main characters is uncommunicative and emotionally stunted to the point of frustration. However, the show and the characters in it ALWAYS lampshade this and comment about how he's dumb, isn't the greatest example of a good boyfriend, and how he needs to work on his issues and get himself together before dating someone. This doesn't happen in Cutie Pie where the 'top' characters being controlling and borderline abusive is seen as sexy.

I can't comment on KinnPorsche since I dropped it after Episode 2 (mafia plots are not my thing)

But at the end of the day, the show is still called 'Cutie Pie'. It was clearly not meant to be taken seriously lol

Grooming isn't defined by sex. In fact, grooming is exactly what you mentioned - preparing an underage child mentally to be your partner so they're more open to giving themselves up physically when they come of age.

Lmaoooooo

There's nothing to spoil, it went EXACTLY how we all thought it would lol.

The way I rolled my eyes when they talked for 3 minutes and went straight to sex. Checks out with how their relationship has been progressing so far.