Bad Buddy

If you haven't seen this, drop everything and go watch it right now

This review is basically going to be me raving over this series for however many paragraphs it takes.

Take that as your first and final and only warning.

Where do I start?

The story is of two young men who are studying in different faculties in the same university. Pat, Engineering. Pran, Architecture. Historically, the two faculties have been rivals and several of Pat and Pran's friends take this all very seriously. The first scene of the very first episode is a bunch of Engineering students chasing down and beating up an Architecture student, so you know the rivalry is intense.

To make things even more complicated, the two young men grew up right next door to each other and their families absolutely loathe each other. We don't find out why until nearly the end of the series, but it's not a trivial reason, and the hatred on the part of Pran's mother towards Pat's father is warranted and justifiable.

Unknowingly, Pat starts courting Pran (it's a mix-up that does completely make sense) and, when he discovers who it is he's been exchanging notes and gifts with, he doesn't immediately have a meltdown at the mere though of liking a boy (which I half expected, because it's such a trope in BL), he doesn't punch Pran or accuse him of deception or any of the other things that happen in these situations in other BL's.

No, they pretty much agree to stop being rivals and start being friends, before things develop into more. They use bets and competitions as flirting and it is hilarious.

They have such good communication with each other. They talk about things honestly and openly and they both apologise to the other for their mistakes and they stick by each other when one of them is in trouble and....it's so refreshing and wholesome and good to see.

The acting is on another level, especially for a BL. Ohm (Pat) and Nanon (Pran) are both very skilled and it shows. I already knew Ohm was good, having seen him in Make It Right and He's Coming To Me (I recommend the Book/Frame cut of Make It Right if you haven't seen it, and He's Coming To Me is an excellent shorter series in which Ohm partners with Singto. It's a gem.)

I hadn't seen Nanon in anything else, though his resume is quite impressive, so I wasn't sure what his acting would be like going in, but I need not have worried. He's so good it's almost unbelievable. If they gave out awards for TV acting in Thailand, he should be up for Best Actor. His emotional range is impressive.

The chemistry and dynamic between Ohm and Nanon takes this series from great to excellent.

There are only two songs used throughout the series, and one of them is kind of over-used, but both are still lovely and the incidental music is good too. I like the fact that they avoided so many of the ridiculous sound effects that other shows tend to overuse. Moderation is key, and it's clear the director and editor agree with me.

Even the product placement, whilst definitely there and noticeable, has been toned down, which is so good to see.

And, to make things better, we get an actual GL second couple in this, even if their relationship isn't as developed as the main leads. There's talk of a sequel to this, and to be honest, I don't want one. I'd like a spin-off instead, focusing on Ink and Pa's relationship. There's a time jump at the beginning of episode 12, and I'd like to see how their relationship developed over that time.

REWATCH VALUE: high, high, so so high. I'm rewatching it now, in fact.

I've said in other reviews that no show is perfect, and this isn't either, but this is the only one that I've felt justifies the full five stars/10 out of 10 rating. I watched this and I didn't feel cheated, I didn't end up feeling like I'd wasted my time and the ending was satisfactory and fulfilling.

That, to me, is the hallmark of a great series.

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just what I needed.

I cannot put into words how I exactly felt during this series. It's like someone had known all the things I would love to watch and put them in one drama. Firstly, I was already a big fan of Ohm and Nanon, their work always pleased me and I even rewatched their projects a few times. On December 3rd of 2020, when Bad Buddy was announced, I absolutely freaked out, not only because of the super fun plot, but also because my favorite boys (and my favorite girl Love) would be the protagonists on that show. I didn't even watch the trailer a second time, because I wanted to forget about the scenes so I could watch the show without already expecting something to happen.

There were hard times, Nanon got covid, the filming was postponed, as well as the airing date. A lot of things were going wrong, but I always persisted. I never stopped believing Bad Buddy was going to be IT. Everytime I remembered it was going to be a real series with dear actors, I would put on a big smile and search for updates. When GMMTV announced they would come to life on October 29th, I got so happy. When I watched the first episode, I got even happier. It's not a joke, their chemistry is UNMATCHED. The scenes were funny and goofy as I was expecting from a gmm BL series. The dialogues I'd been waiting for, the bickering I'd been waiting for, the LOVE STORY I'd been waiting for. Everything on that freaking show had me completely insane!

About the main leads, Ohm and Nanon are such great actors, I've got nothing to complain about that. Ohm is amazing with emotional, clingy and goofy scenes, Pat was the perfect role for him as he resembles the other so much. Nanon is just the BEST at expressing trivial feelings, his precise delivery got me thrilled, because his past recent roles were full of angst and serious faces. Now, even though there were angsty parts, he was able to portray a lighter character, who frequently smiles and laughs. Their gaze, their sparks, their touching, every little detail was what made my heart so fulfilled. Not to mention their improvised scenes, it was such a good addition! I would go on about these two boys for hours, but I don't want my review to be THAT long. Well, I love them very much!

The side characters had their function on the show of course. Although I don't like Wai, only we (the viewers) know what he did to PatPran. He wasn't punished so I just stopped caring about him honestly. Korn has his flaws but at least he was a great friend to Pat when everything seemed to be falling apart. Now, the stars on this path of side characters: INK AND PA! I would never imagine that Aof would create a storyline for two girls falling in love omg I absolutely LOVED it. That scene in the park when Ink offered to take photos of Pa just to fool around was the first sign, I was already thinking "Hm, WHAT IF these two become a couple..." but I didn't know they would seriously make this happen, and I am so happy that they did. Even with just a few scenes, nothing was rushed and implicit, they got their moment and even more than I expected. Kisses for InkPa my beloved!

About the main plot, I got really happy that they weren't apart because of their parents. When we all found out they pretended to break up, I let out the biggest sigh of relief and started laughing SO hard I love them so much ughhhh. Aof did a brilliant job changing the climax (because in the novel Pran is transfered to live abroad because her mom sent him). Pran was indeed away, but because he CHOSE to. He saw a job opportunity that seemed interesting and had an agreement with Pat that they would still be together. Just the best couple of all time... I was already a fan of Tilly Birds, but now when I listen to them I sometimes think of PatPran, it's always a beautiful moment.

Final thoughts: this show added a big amount of happiness and love inside my heart. I am really proud to say I was here since the beggining of this beautiful journey (and even before, since I watch everything Ohm and Nanon do). It brought recognition, and a lot of LGBTs felt comforted while watching it. ALL my "thank yous" to the cast and crew, they were phenomenal. I'm going to miss them a lot, and I will surely rewatch it with my friends when I recommend it to them :D It's now one of my favorite BL series.

):)

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Just a breath of fresh air

I finished this series yesterday, but I am now finding the time to give a review. And what can I say? This series was indeed a breath of fresh air for me! I mean, the last Thai BL that I watched and I gave a 10 to was 'A Tale of A Thousand Stars' while the last good BL that I watched and gave a 10 to was 'Kieta Hatsukoi'. And yes, I know that this BL had some glaring flaws. However, the best parts outweighed those flaws for me, personally.

Stoey-10/10
It's a simple story that has been told many, many times. Yet, I feel in love with it. They were frenemies and became lovers. Heck- they were friends from since they were small behind thier parents back! And I felt that it was portrayed in such a beautiful way. And, okay, yes, Wai was a huge d@ck for doing what he did to them and not apologizing, but in the end, he accepted them.

And what I loved about this series that I am not seeing a lot of people are talking about is that the parents, while they don't like each other, they are very acceptable to whoever thier children are dating. Like Pran's mom accepted that her son would date a guy( she just didn't want it to be Pat though). And Pat's parents were totally cool that Pa was dating Ink (I'm sorry but tis is huge to me as I will forever be scarred by BL's parents who don't accept thier kids due to who they are dating). And coming down to the ending- like the parents know that they are secretly dating and have (kind of) just come and accepted it.

And, okay, I thought that it was a trival reason for why the parents hated each other. But when I saw an explanation for the reason- I understand why they became the way that they did. I'm not gonna say that this series is perfect in all of it's ways- yes they are flaws. But those flaws don't really stand out to me.

Acting/Cast-10/10
Hands down. One of THE best acting that I have seen in such a long time. From the amin cast to even the supporting role- they all were phenomenal.

Music-10/10
I love the music so much that it honestly didn't bother me, no matter how much times that they have played the song in the series.

Rewatch Valu-10/10
Yes! I will most definitely rewatch this series again. I love it so much! And I shouldn't be surprised because the director of this series, Backaof Noppharmach Chaiwimol, has developed phenomenal series over the years with outstanding actors and I will continue to support him!

Overall-10/10
Overall, I give this series a 10/10. I have stated in previous posts that for me it's how the actors and he directors are able to bring across a story that you have seen a 1000 times into a way that can either take our breath away or make you feel...meh. They were able to do the former for me and for that I am grateful. I would most definitely recommend this series to others to watch!

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Good chemistry can fill in for where the story is lacking

Bad Buddy has taught us two things. First is that a great chemistry between the actors can bring out the emotions of the viewers no matter how good the story is and second is that the standard for BL dramas is tragically low.
And by neither of those points do I mean to say that the story of this drama was awfully constructed, but am simply pointing out how the plot itself isn't anything note-worthy compared to the real strong points of the series.

STORY:
With the exclusion of the romance we aren't left with much. The main point of the story is that the guys were forced to become rivals due to the pressure from their parents, but even if the reason for the hatred between the two families is explained and they eventually let their sons interact with each other, we've never really found out why the two families decided to live next to each other if they've been in a conflict since high school.
The story is introduced by a fight breaking out, but we still don't know why Pat and Pran ended up getting involved with the "gangs" in the first place or why their faculties had such a deep rivalry to the point when they were willing to beat each other up.
Everyone seemed to start secluding Pat and Pran after having found out about their relationship, but when Pat went to give Pran the USB and was asked to shout out his love for Pran, nobody had expressed a disagreement with it.
There was a build up to Wai being a fake best friend who was guilt tripping Pran and using him when it was convenient, but then he did a complete 360 and suddenly came around to help Pat and start being friends with them after only one favour.

I think a lot of these points are related to how the story of the novel was changed in order to introduce a happier ending, but this had unfortunately fragmented the plot into serious and dark parts followed by easy solutions and light-hearted moments with happy conclusions which made me feel like there wasn't a very consistent flow of the overall plot.

HOWEVER, the romance part and the way the drama revealed its plotwists was the more significant and majority part of the story.
We were introduced to Pran and Pat being faculty rivals who had nothing in common, but the impression was progressively broken as the two began revealing their closeness, common history and their long-term pinning for each other. The reveals had the power to make people invested in their story and want to know more about the characters' true feelings and further developments. The build-up was done at just the right pacing, we watched Pran realise his feelings while Pat was out there subtly flirting for 5 episodes straight. The first kiss was completely unexpected, yet hadn't brought a conclusion to their story, instead opening space for even more difficulties and the flirting game which ended with Pat finally indirectly confessing his feelings brought quite an exciting development with a satisfying end. And even after they'd started dating, their relationship dynamic was fun and sweet enough to keep people interested no matter what the non-romance part of the plot was focusing on. Episode 11 felt like a promise of them staying together no matter what the rest of the world thinks or how conflicting their opinions were and episode 12 had absolutely delivered and diligently stuck to this mindset.
Each of the episodes ended in a way which made the viewers highly anticipate and theorise about the next progress of the story no matter at what point their relationship was.

Lastly, let me talk about the low standards for BL dramas now.
I have this opinion partially because of the non-relationship part of the story and mainly because of all the harmful stereotypes Bad Buddy has managed to avoid.
One of the two reasons this drama is so highly praised is the healthy relationship development between both of the main couples. The dialogues have not only omitted any uncomfortable BL tropes, but also outright mocked them. We had the whole "it'd be ridiculous if I said I was straight and you were my only exception" conversation, no mentions of wives or girlfriends in regards to Pran and Pat's relationship and even when Pat was roleplaying as Pran's girlfriend in episode 3, he'd purposely exaggerated his behaviour to seem as a guy who was jokingly acting like a girl instead of portraying himself. The dynamic between Pat and Pran never felt one-sided, they both respected each other as partners, neither of them was overpowering over the other and they talked out their conflict with each of them being allowed to equally express his opinions.
The relationship between the girls was portrayed so refreshingly too, they didn't have any long-lasting conflicts, it was just pure love that started out of a coincidental meeting and their dynamic was fit to be that of a side couple. There is such an underrepresentation of GLs that it made me overjoyed to see this kind of relationship in a popular drama of its neighbouring "genre".
Neither of the couples were sexualised, there was no bottom/top talk, none of the kisses and touches happened without consent or while under the influence of alcohol.
And a really thoughtful detail was shown at the end when Wai with Korn openly "flirted" as a part of their bromance despite both being in a stable relationship. It proved how people can be great friends while still flirting and jokingly acting as a couple, as long as they have that kind of trust with their partner.

And that's why I think it's a huge shame such a bare minimum has to be celebrated when this should be the norm for all BL/GL dramas. Imagine how good a drama of these "genres" could be if it had more than a basic plot while still focusing on this the relationship dynamic in this way and to this extent. Obviously, we're still at a point when we need to up-bring the healthy gay relationships in order to increase the quality of these "genres" and make them more realistic instead of settling for anything we're offered. So hopefully Bad Buddy can be the motivation for directors and writers to do better and not ignore the voices for the actual LGBTQ+ viewers.

ACTING:
This brings me to the second reason of why this drama was such a success.

Ohm and Nanon's amazing chemistry has seeped into the characters they were playing and further served to improve the relationship parts of the story. The bus stop designing scene from episode 3 probably would've been quite awkward if actors who weren't as close had to portray it. All the expressions of affection felt very natural since they'd put effort into practising even those kinds of things off camera. They'd always managed to express the right amount of affection and adoration during the scenes and dialogues.

All the main side actors were great, but the OhmNanon chemistry is definitely the main highlight of it all.

MUSIC:
Pran's two songs were well composed, catchy and memorable and their incorporation into the plot also made them stand out. They complimented the atmosphere and despite having quite cheesy lyrics, it worked well with the pair.

What I personally minded was the rest of the soundtrack. Some songs felt too overpowering to the point when they seemed to be interfering with the scene instead of setting the atmosphere. There were scenes with rapid changes of mood where the strong changes between background music wasn't very pleasant and felt too dramatic and unnecessary to me.

OVERALL:
Despite its minor flaws, Bad Buddy absolutely has to be one of the best BLs to have ever been produced in East Asia. This drama has finally reached the standards which should be considered the norm and aimed to be achieved by other BL dramas in the future.

I'm just really hoping the fans of this "genre" can also improve their mindsets together with the dramas and learn to do their part by ceasing to ship the actors, making a clear divide between the character and its actor and stop obsessing over the top/bottom debate (it's just as harmful as thinking gay relationship need to have the traditional labels of the husband and wife roles). I believe that if these kinds of opinions stop being so normalised in the BL community, we have a higher chance of seeing the quality of future dramas improve.

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This show and the feelings.

This show is an absolute watch. The rating imo is too low for this show. I really think it should be at AT LEAST a 9.0 avg rating. All episodes have been amazing and great to watch. Love ohm, I mean who doesn’t. Am I right? And Nanon has been killing it. His acting in this show is on point. I was a little worried at first given it’s his 1st bl but he has been flawless.

Conclusion: Fuck this show and how it messes with your feelings. Fuck…….. this……….. show. 10/10 would watch again.

Update: The show is now unfortunately finished and i already miss them. Watch this series and i can promise you, you will not regret it. This series is refreshing that it breaks the BL norms. This is most likely my fav bl ever.

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What a ride!

Overall: Bad Buddy is one of the best bls of 2021 and just in general. Breaking the stereotypes of bls, the monotonous story, the homophobic parents, the lack of chemistry and the lack of healthy relationships. 'Bad Buddy' did what a lot series wished they have done, from being the most talked about bl with over 1 million mentions on Twitter every Friday, to make me cry on ep. 11. that's legendary (lol). 'Bad Buddy' will go down in history as one of the standards, when you watch a new bl, you would think about 'Bad Buddy' before, and now you'll measure the writing to that of BB. I know that for sure, I say this because after 'Lovely Writer' I couldn't stop comparing every bl I watched so. Anyways, enough talking. 'Bad Buddy' is excellent, unforgettable and overall one of the best bls writing in history. PERIODT!

Grade: 10. This is a great story!
Visit my blog a detailed review!!
https://souvenirmyshyyange.wixsite.com/website/post/bad-buddy-review

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Happy Modern Day Romeo & Juliet

Overall: they did many things right but there were still some flaws/things I wish had been different. (minor spoilers below) Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel. Later released on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/39522c-bad-buddy

Content Warnings: fights, slap (not between m/m ship)

What I Liked
- Ohm and Nanon's acting, amazing, great chemistry well done kiss scenes
- the tropes that were subverted such as cute food sharing, the "gay for you" trope
- the protagonists actually communicated with each other, they apologize to one another, care for each other, the great examples of consent, really a wonderful relationship to watch
- there is a mix of seriousness with humor (Pat's flirt skills were top notch)
- we got the backstory/set up right away, it was clear when there were flashbacks
- the director's cameo
- avoiding a super cliched/stupid ending
- some pretty well done product placements

Room For Improvement
- I think there were maybe too many flashbacks/songs in the final episode, I wanted a good scene with each of the parents.
- Wai's redemption arc was so stupid. He should have been groveling but Pran apologizes to him?? He does the bare minimum for being a decent human and all is forgiven, I disliked this whole episode. For me, what Wai did is pretty close to unforgivable.
- the four parents lied to their children and put them thru so much distress. They owe Pat and Pran huge apologies and none of them apologized to their children. Also, they appear to know their children are in a romantic relationship at the end but then don't tell them so they have to keep sneaking around, wth???!!! Grow up (to the parents, especially Pat's dad, go an apologize to Pran's mom)
- there is never a reason to slap your child, never a reason to slap anyone unless in self defense
- the plot/editing was pretty choppy from episode to episode a few times. I thought 'did I miss something when we were in a different location possibly different day?'
- time passing wasn't clear and felt rushed. I remember once I saw a "Sophomore Year" at the beginning of an episode, weren't they Freshmen, so a year plus had passed? This should have been 2 seasons or more, 1 in high school and 1-2 in college/beyond. 
- they were fixated on the husband and wife terms which seemed unnecessary, can't two guys be husband and husband???
- that Pat's sister was doing Pat's laundry, do your own laundry
- technical issues or delayed subs with the YouTube premiere (I'm super excited that it's on YouTube, but at this point GMMTV should have the staff/knowledge how to make a glitch-free premiere with the English subs on)
- the title "Bad Buddy", something with Rival like "Next Door Rival" would have been a better title

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Completed - 3/6/2022

When “Bad Buddy” was airing, the MDL feeds were spammed with comments, screenshots, reviews, and everyone was praising this drama. I thought I would pick this to be my first Thai drama (I ended up watching “I Told Sunset About You” first). Maybe the expectations were too high, and I fail to see how the drama could justify a high 8.6 rating. As reviews are very subjective, please do not hate me for not loving it (I like it OK). I am a new Thai drama watcher, so maybe I am not getting some of the cultural or BL references/biases. I am judging this based on my enjoyment level.

What I Enjoy:

General Plot - I do enjoy this modern and BL take of “Romeo and Juliet”. Even though for the most part, I was confused about why the two families hate each other so much. The reasons given in the beginning of the show didn’t seem to justify the animosity. But I like the premise and how our main leads break that tradition. I enjoy the development of how Pat and Pran compete with each other since childhood. This sense of competition never goes away, even when they become lovers. I have always been a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope and I think the transition of the different stages of their relationship is done relatively well.

Chemistry - Pat and Pran really do have great chemistry together. I love their bickering and the continued competition throughout their relationship. This I-am-not-losing-to-you spirit adds spice to their chemistry.. I like the embarrassed and twist-my-arm looks that Pran always has on his face. I also like the smitten looks that Pat has when he’s looking at Pran. They complement each other very well. Their few emotional scenes were done really well. The couple gives off a very rom-com vibe - cute, fluffy, sweet and fun. However, at some point, the flirting became a little too much (more in the negative section below).

Love who you want - I am not sure if other Thai BL dramas are like this, but this drama doesn’t make a big deal when someone is in a homosexual relationship. We have heterosexual, gay, lesbian couples in this drama. No one was alarmed, no one was criticizing or judging. It’s giving a message of “I don’t care who you love as long as you are happy”. It’s different from “I Told Sunset About You’. There’s no coming out of the closet angst, stigma or prejudice. We really need more drama like this to present a healthy, supportive message to the world.

Songs - I like all the songs in this drama. I always look forward to scenes when Pran picks up the guitar and sings.


What I Don’t Enjoy:

Excessive Flirting+Shirtless Pat = Fan service - I love flirting as much as the next romance watcher. However, the flirting in this drama is excessive and cringey to me. A whole episode was dedicated just to the leads’ flirting before they are officially an item. At times, I also find Pat annoying when he keeps on pestering Pran and just repeating these cringey love lines. I wish the drama had toned down on the flirting, and focused a little more on the family drama/history and not just waited till the last couple episodes. Additionally, are we having too many shirtless scenes of Pat? Don’t get me wrong, he’s hot and has a great body and I do enjoy seeing this handsome guy. But I feel like the excessive flirting and shirtless scenes are just for fan service to create buzz when the show is airing. It “cheapens’ the quality of the drama.

Faculty Rivalry - I also feel that the drama spends too much time on the Architecture/Engineering rivalry. These college students are acting like high school kids, with no self-control whatsoever. When you get busted so many times, it’s time to think before you act. With the excessive flirting and rivalry scenes, the drama could be cut down to 10 episodes only.

Product Placement - There are so many products being advertised in this drama. We have the usual suspects of drinks and snacks. I’ve never seen a printer advertisement by a male lead before (I guess we still need to change ink cartridges these days), and the multiple scenes of our leads cleaning each other’s face with makeup remover.


Other Observations:
1. Pat’s father looks Chinese and his character’s name is Ming. It’s also interesting to see him reading a Chinese newspaper.
2. Do Thai beers really have such light color and no foam at all?
3. The ending is good enough for me and we don’t need a Season 2. Love the subtle acknowledgment of the parents.
4. To show that the kids are adults, you just need to get their hair styled back - no more hanging fringes.
5. My first time seeing and listening to a Thai Xylophone. It sounds great!

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Amazing!

I watched my first BL Series in 2004 (yes i am an old lady) and many others after, but never have i seen such a realistic BL Series like this. The Chemistry of the Characters are amazing, also the Storyline is beautiful managed. And what impressed me the most was the realism. If you are in a relationship, especially at this age you want to kiss your partner, hug your partner and experiment all kind of things. You don't want to listen to your parents and make your own decisions even if they might be wrong. The Series made me think of my youth and the decisions they made and the way they expresst there feelings and longings are on point. If you are interested in a more realistic BL Series than is that one the right choice!

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Bad Buddy has raised my standards for bls

So I went into this drama having 0 expectations, I hadn't seen the trailer, had no ideas what it was about or that it even existed until 5eps had already aired. I saw reaction videos about it popping up and decided to give it a try. It wasn't exactly "love at first episode" but I kept going and here we are now- this drama has completely taken over my life and I don't think I'll ever get over it.

What I love about the series:
- The acting!!! Every scene feels so natural + the way Ohm and Nanon can show emotions through their eyes is amazing. Of course it's not just the leads, everyone working in this series is very good at what they do.
- The chemistry between Pat & Pran. Ohm & Nanon are very close friends irl who are completely comfortable around each other and it shows with their characters.
- The music. Always switching just as the emotions of the scene changes & helps to enhance whatever the characters are feeling.
- The product placements have created some of the cutest & most memorable scenes.
- There's so much fluff!
- Pat & Pran does this thing called "talking to each other" so we avoid a lot of annoying issues most dramas have with the miscommunication trope (I personally hate it with passion)
- Girl characters aren't used just to create conflict between the main couple & they actually feel like characters not cardboard cutouts... (*looking at most bl series*)
- One of the best bl kiss scenes.
-It's nice to see environmental issues casually brought up throughout the series (like the eco bus stop & green camp they went to)
- There's no homophobia which I personally like. Everyone has issues with Pat & Pran being together but not because they're both men.
- The story itself isn't really anything new and unseen but the way it's told is what makes it special and enjoyable.
- They keep subverting our expectations, sometimes you're sure everything is going one way but then something else happens.
- It's acknowledging and breaking annoying tropes commonly seen in BLs
- Highly rewatchable episodes

Best Thai BL of 2021 for sure.

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