Bad Buddy

I'll never get over Bad Buddy. So this is what chemistry truly means.

When I watched the first episode, my heart sank. Not because it failed to live up to the hype after the wildly anticipated trailer, but because it was too good. How could any series sustain this quality for 12 glorious episodes? Somehow, Bad Buddy managed.

While the trailer made the series seem like a typical rivalry-turned-romance kind of story (which is fine), the show delivered so much more nuance.

Pat and Pran are forced to compete only because of rivalry between their families and faculties. From two people who can’t openly be friends, they have become two people who realise they can’t just be friends. What drives the series wasn’t so much the competition between Pat and Pran, but them navigating their friends’ and families’ expectations of who they should associate with – a particularly relatable theme for those of us living in Asian societies. To what extent should we accommodate others when it comes to love? This question is also the crux of what made the last two episodes even more heartbreaking and realistic.

A joy of watching Bad Buddy is that it feels like you are rooting for two of your good friends as they fall in love with each other. Expect Tier A acting (I won’t belabour the point on how Ohm and Nanon expertly use their eyes to communicate deeper emotions), explosive chemistry and best of all, no cringey moments. Ohm and Nanon were simply the most natural fit for their characters. Bad Buddy is an experiment gone right for Ohm and Nanon – (just) friend, acting partner and soulmate – who not only excelled as their characters individually but are also definitely better together.

Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/01/21/bad-buddy-2021-review/
Why I'll never get enough of Pat and Pran in the series: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/01/24/why-ill-never-get-enough-of-pat-pran-in-bad-buddy/

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Great chemistry between Ohm and Nanon

What a great masterpiece. I really liked thi series. Hoping for a happy ending.😭😓
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What a great masterpiece. I really liked thi series. Hoping for a happy ending.😭😓
....................................................................................................................
What a great masterpiece. I really liked thi series. Hoping for a happy ending.😭😓
....................................................................................................................
What a great masterpiece. I really liked thi series. Hoping for a happy ending.😭😓
....................................................................................................................
What a great masterpiece. I really liked thi series. Hoping for a happy ending.😭😓
....................................................................................................................
What a great masterpiece. I really liked thi series. Hoping for a happy ending.😭😓
....................................................................................................................
What a great masterpiece. I really liked thi series. Hoping for a happy ending.😭😓
....................................................................................................................

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The story of this one BL series we all wished for so hard and finally got...

Is there any stronger word than beautiful? Just breath-taking, the best bl Gmmtv made so far, and probably one of the best BL I have ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot of them).
Everything was so well written, with impressive acting and innovative storytelling. It doesn't fail to finally give us this natural, enjoyable, realistic relationship. Special mention to every BL stereotype that was broken during this series and to the adding of a powerful GL couple. The OST was on point, Nanon could sing it all. Such a big talent discovery in him, I knew him before this series and always liked his roles but with Bad Buddy, I learn a lot more about him and I fell in love with his acting, my heart is filled with his pretty dimples smiles.
Thank you P’Aof for this wonderful production, thank you Nanon and Ohm for beautiful acting, and thank you to all the persons who participated in this project. It will stay in my heart forever ❤️

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Beyond Perfection

Bad Buddy is my favorite BL of 2021, and to be honest, of all-time. Out of the 40+ BL titles I have seen, this one is the most well-made series even outside of the "BL" category. I think what contributed to how beautiful this series is the director, P'Aof, who was also behind my second and fourth favorite BL of all-time, which is A Tale of A Thousand Stars and He's Coming to Me respectively. P'Aof pours his heart out into his works, and it always pays off. It is very obvious how much effort he put into making Bad Buddy, plus the amazing acting skills of pretty much the whole cast whether it be from the main leads, Pat & Pran, all the way to the parents, friends, and other extras, this series is so well casted which is probably one of the reasons why it became successful project.

First, I have to dive deeper into my appreciation for Ohm and Nanon's acting. The way that in some scenes, they would make us feel all the emotions they were trying to communicate to the audience without saying a single word is actually unbelievable. There was no awkwardness or cringe factor at all, which seems to be one of my biggest problems when watching shows overall, I cannot handle acting that seems like they're reading off a script. This was quite the opposite, everything felt so natural and real. They single-handedly raised the bar for the standards of BL and BL actors so high up that I wonder if there will be a series by GMMTV in the next few years or so that could ever beat this level of perfection in terms of acting. I would also like to add that I appreciate Jimmy (Wai) for working hard to keep up with Ohm and Nanon's acting during that fight scene in Ep. 5. Jimmy is new to the industry and does not have any prior acting gigs, so the fact that he was able to hold that tension during that scene and be at par with the level of acting that the two very experienced actors have is really commendable.

Next, the story, script, and the way it was executed. In the past, there have been numerous BLs that seemingly have a pretty good story or a pretty good script, but turns out mediocre or even worse sometimes because of the execution. Bad Buddy is the perfect example of the way a story should be told, a perfect blend of a good story, script, and execution. When I tell you there is not one boring scene in this drama, I mean it. There were no filler scenes, no useless information, every single scene had a meaning, explanation, and reason behind it. The fact that when the first trailer came out, everyone thought it would be another cliché university-setting enemies-to-lovers trope, but they were able to turn something cliché into something that a lot of people find exceptional is truly a rare talent. There were absolutely no scenes where I felt like going on my phone like I do with a lot of (even some of my favorites) shows whether it be a BL or not. Pat and pran have one of the healthiest and strongest relationships I have seen in a BL. I won't dive deep into this because I don't want to spoil anything, but once you watch the show, you will understand what I mean. Anyways, I know some of my favorite scenes from the series are actually unscripted or improvised by the actors themselves, but I still wanna give a huge congratulations to everyone behind the script of Bad Buddy, it was flawless and so well put together.

I just wanted to add that in addition to all this, the OST tracklist of this show has been on repeat for me for months now.
"Just Friends?" by Nanon Korapat (actor who plays Pran)
"SECRET" by Kacha Nontanun
"OUR SONG" by Nanon Korapat
"Same Page?" by Tilly Birds (old/original OST)
All songs mentioned above are worth listening to. Give them a listen if you want to explore more Thai music too!
(All available on YouTube, Spotify, etc.)


Now if you're going ask me if this is a show worth watching, my answer is a big YES! You would be missing out if you haven't seen this. It is everything I've ever wanted in a BL put together into one series. I would like to say thank you to all the cast and crew of Bad Buddy for making one of the happiest and memorable 12 weeks of my life, especially because of the pandemic that is still going on, this has been such a breath of fresh air and an escape from reality for me. I would recommend this show to anyone, BL-fan or not. Thank you P'Aof, Ohm, Nanon, Love, Milk, Drake, Jimmy, Mark, Marc, Lotte, Prom, and many many more for your hardwork. Thank you for keeping me happy and giving me something to look forward to each week. Til' the next Friday @ 9:45, see you soon Pat & Pran.

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Bring tissues and enjoy the worthwhile ride.

Sobbing cause it ended even though...Yes it was a happy ending; So watch without worry for those of you who don't like sad endings. My heart is aching because I'm gonna miss them all so much. The journey it took us on was a hell of a ride and I loved it all. Only thing I wish was for... and this is where I get into spoilers so don't read on if you don't want to be spoiled... Pat's dad and Pran's mom to apologize to Pat and Pran cause I only ended up respecting Pran's dad honestly but can't stand Pat's dad the most; Like it was said in narrating tho; Not everything has a happy ending. Glad my girls InkPa stayed together years later as they should. In my head Korn is engaged to Chang instead of a girl and no one can change my headcanon on that. It wasn't clear for me if Wai had anyone but I'll go with no for his karma, since nothing really came from what happened besides his big mouth getting him in trouble. In the end I still cared for Wai but still thought he was due a bit of a punishment for his impulsiveness even if his feelings of feeling betrayed were valid; His action wasn't, luckily they weren't surrounded by homophobia. LOVE my Doctor, Jimmy tho. Speaking of the friends, I wanted to see more of them this finale, it's like they suddenly disappeared. I thought we'd see them in the time skip for the reunion but it turned out to be the reunion I didn't think of oh well lol. That ending? Screaming and that's all I'll say. This series is gonna be so missed that I'm heartbroken that it's over. It taught us lessons and gave us hope and made us feel very single and has become a for sure comfort show of mine. Everyone gave what they were supposed to have gave, especially Ohm and Nanon; Who delivered on their emotions so well. I felt every kiss conveyed such emotions with so much intensity and passion and no awkwardness, their chemistry is next level. Will we get to see them in more projects together? Hope so but if not, we get to look back on this masterpiece for their first project together as a CP.

The soundtrack will be on repeat I can tell you that. Such catchy tunes, great lyrics and vocals ♡

I thank you Aof and the writers and producers and everyone else on staff for this amazing series that subverted all the BL tropes, it will remain in my heart forever...You all still owe me for emotional damage lmao

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the best show gmmtv put out

this show is literally so good!
like you’re missing out if you don't watch it!!!
the improvised scenes are life... the best scenes in the show are unscripted which makes the show so good and you’ll also know how amazing the actors are
everything about the show is insane
p’aof is the best director and every show he puts out is it’s prove
the main actors have such a good chemistry... like they really love each other, they make you feel the feeling the characters are feeling
the series are so real that it hurts like it makes you wanna just wanna live delusional life watching drama- like scenes (i’m talking about end of the 11th ep)
but the fact that it physically hurts also proves my point.... it’s so good!!!😭😭
the side couples (platonic or romantic) are amazing but i wish they had more screen time (now you see me punching the air because i wanna more inkpa and kornwai scenes)
OVERALL ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS I HAVE EVER WATCHED
I ASSURE YOU THAT WATCHING BADD BUDDY IS MORE THEN WORTH IT💕💕

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Best BL Ever

Can't say enough about this beautiful series, everything from story to direction, execution, the music (especially Nanon's songs), amazing actors, no unnecessary drama.
I loved how natural it was, even the product placement didn't look so bad 😅
And lastly Ohm and Nanon! they are gems. Such great actors none over powering each other but beautifully complimenting each other, their chemistry is so hot. The communication between them was great.
I guess I can keep on writing if I have endless energy,
Again, one of the best BL ever and certainly the best Thai BL

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Deserving of all the praise and love

At first, the concept of the show looks very much like a cliché, it’s Romeo and Juliet (minus the deaths) in the 21st century, but with 2 guys. The team behind Bad Buddy was very smart in quickly resolving the win they/won’t they dynamics. Everybody knows that they would be together, so, by having them kiss on episode 4 and being a couple by episode 6, the show could explore the relationship way better.

It’s obvious, to anybody that has seen a series or movie with either Nanon or Ohm, that they’re both fantastic actors. Nanon had never been in a BL before, while Ohm has been part of the BL world for years by now. It’s not a fluke that Bad Buddy became a phenomenon from the first episode. GMM has had many successful couples before, from classic pairings like TayNew and OffGun, to recent powerhouses like BrightWin and EarthMix. But all those couples have something in common, the actors were pretty new faces in acting would. That’s a major difference when compared to Bad Buddy, where you have two actors that, despite their young ages, have been loved by critics and fans for years. I believe that a major part of the success of this series comes from the fact that the main couples REALLY works. The characters have chemistry and so do the the actors.

The side characters also work. They don’t really fall into major BL troupes. We didn’t get the homophobic family; we don’t get the best friend that’s secretly in love with the protagonist; nor the protagonist that pretends that he doesn’t like guys, he just likes THAT specific guy. And most importantly, we don’t have a couple that obeys by the ridiculous power dynamics for the top x bottom / big x small guy. Bad Buddy somewhat plays with all those tropes as jokes at some time. We learn that Plan’s family has no issue with him being with a guy, it just cannot be the neighbors son. We think that Wai has a crush on Iran, but that turns out not to be the case. Ink was not a character from their past brought it to delay the main couple being together, and she has her own agenda and A LOT of personality. We also got a official GL couple out of this show, and InkPa could not be a cuter couple!

Like every show, Bad Buddy also has a few small problems. There’s not real resolution for the fight between the families. though they appear to be okay with Pat and Pran being together, by the end. I actually think there would have been hard to try to fix the issue, since we only knew the reason for the fight quite late in the season. We also didn’t get the secondary couple that everybody was waiting for: WaiKorn. From a strategic business point of view, it makes sense. Drake is part of a famous couple, with Frank, while Jimmy will start in his own BL later in 2022. It would not be a very smart business move to “sabotage” the Vice Versa couple by making JimmyDrake a reality. But at least the show gives the public a few glimpses of moments between them, specially in the finally. They obviously knew that people would ship them together.

I don’t dislike the last episode, but I also don’t love it either. I think the episode wastes a bit too much time trying to make it look like Pran and Pat are not together anymore. That’s obviously way better than breaking them up or having them fighting and make up in a single episode, but still. I wish we got more moments of adult Pat and Pran together, on their own.I also think that we should have had at least a small kiss from InkPa, they’ve been together for 4 years by the end. At least the last sequence was fun and took advantage of that amazing chemistry.

Bad Buddy also shines in the way it uses music and the OST. Not since ITSAY and IPYTM have I enjoyed a soundtrack so much and felt like it perfectly complements the series.

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amazing plot with amazing acting

usually i don't write reviews however i felt this deserved it!
why i think they deserve it, well because the acting, the directing everything was amazing. there was consent. both were comfortable with their sexuality and weren't all "oh i like women but he's the only man i like" neither was there any strong and weak guy. Both were accepting and comfortable with each other. there was not one awkward moment but rather a healthy relationship for a enemies to lovers.
first thing they did not do the wee breathe smell thing when pecking!!!!!
second one of the most non toxic relationship!!!!! they had brains and did not let their parents hatred stop them, overall. yes, they were scared but i felt it was a normal reaction to have when most of your life your parents have been pressuring you to hate each other. one of the things i loved about their relationship was that it was realistic, they fought, they argued, they had romance and were comfortable with each other that they did not need word to express how they felt. that is what i loved most. Ohm and Nanon did an amazing job!!! best acting I've seen in bl and did not have much of that awkwardness when they spoke to each other either. they portrayed their characters really well.
their friends: ahhhh there were some questionable things they did i.e the fights at the start and what Wei did later on. however overall i loved the friends and was grateful they supported them later and helped them hide.
i loved that the side couple Pa and Ink got a fair amount of screen time. p.s they were the only ones with brains.
on to the parent. what can i say they are more childish than the kids. i understand were the mother was coming from however felt it was not necessary to pass their hatred on to the kids and lie to them.




now I'm gonna go cry in a corner because i can't get over the feeeeeeeels...

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Bad Buddy - Worth the hype

When I first started seeing Bad Buddy take over my bl friend's TLs, I was definitely curious. Seeing that many different people liking the same thing caught my eye but I hadn't watched a series as it aired yet. I didn't wanna do weekly waits, so I waited until the week episode 12 was going to air to start watching.

After ep 12 aired, I watched a few other series and now just completed my first rewatch of Bad Buddy. Of all the GMMTV series I've seen, Bad Buddy is my favorite and I think their best and a great example of where modern BLs should be.

The characters of Pat and Pran are rich and complex and I did love the constant conflict between their own tensions/desire for each other always contrasted against the backdrops of other people's feuds - their faculties and their families. I like that the "will they, won't they" was pretty much resolved by the first arc but them realizing their mutual feelings isn't the same as being able to actualize their relationship because of the rest of the world. A really good and very queer plot and framework.

Ohm and Nanon both got to showcase their talents through this series and it felt comfortable watching no matter who the POV was. The side characters were ok. Outside of Pa, most just supported the main story/conflict.
I am not the biggest fan of the heavy sound effects, or triple cuts, or very staged and posed shots, so that lowers my rewatch and overall score a bit.

I do think overall this was a solid series and Bad Buddy is presently my 5th top BL.

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Memorable

If you're looking for a BL drama that's light on the BL but has all the fluffy romance, cute scenes and soul shattering heart breaks then Bad Buddy is just for you! You'll find one of the best kiss scenes in recent BL (not debatable) ,with a relatively new storyline, visuals for miles, adorable side couples and most importantly, it's relatable. So many of us live the lives our parents want without a care for what we want or how we feel. We spend our time trying to appease them and end up forgetting what we personally want. It's realistic and I think that's what will seal this drama in a lot of our hearts. The ending was so happy it made my heart flutter. The MC chemistry is amazing and I expected nothing but the best from Ohm and Nanon, which is exactly what I got! I'd definitely recommend to pretty much anyone lol
Enjoy...

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