This review may contain spoilers
Much ado about nothing
Oh dear. Where to beging. I am writing a review on the 2022 BL Thai Series "Cutie Pie", featuring NuNew and Zee as MC. The first thing coming to my mind after it FINALLY ended was what Bilbo said in Lord of the Rings: feeling thin like butter stretched over too much bread. And for once, I have a hard time to seperate my feeling for the story itself from the quality of the series, which I usually try to keep seperate.
If you ask me just personally, not trying a somewhat objective review yet: this was one of the most absurd selection of couples, behaviors, setups I have seen in a long time. I groaned the last three episodes, praying for a quick end because the "issue" went on and on and on.
But let me try to step back into more subjective terretory. The plot was that for some relatively illogical reasons a grandfather asked an older child to forever take cake of his grandson. Maybe if I watched it three or four times more I may get why anyone would do so, but then, I'd rather not. If there was a somewhat reasonable motivation, I missed it, for it made no sense at all. Everything seemed to hinge on this idea Kuea (NuNew) was seen as sort of inept to care for himself until a point he believed it about himself too, without any reason why HE would think that about himself for any other reason than everyone treating him like that. The grandpa arraging marrying an older guy, the mother keeping all things secret and his to be married Lian Wang (Zee) keeping him in this perspective. Something that so much borders gaslighting, that no matter with how many romance, music, kisses and "oh but I love you" I could not overlook.
The ending was kinda suggesting that both were to blame equally, since Kuen too had a life he hid from Lian, but objectively see this is quite some hogwash if ever I heard one. Kuen was expected to show a perfection, told so by his family and fiance, so he was pushed into this fear to hide his true self, whereas Lian enjoyed knowing all about him and letting Kuen make a fool out of himself being in the dark throughout almost the entire series. Above love there is truth and trust. I understand such things grow. And maybe I am just weary of this "childhood friends to lovers" theme, because TBH I find this quite unrealistic. We all know the friend zone issue. Maybe in 2022 it was okay, because it was an early time for BL, but I am used to this plot device from Manga and Webtoon for 20 years, and it has gotten old and implausible for me. And then people who want to stay together have to share some interests, have to have something in common beyond just love. Love is just not enough. And Kuen and Lian... what did they have in common? But then, this is an issue alas with many BL stories.
It also didn't sit well with me how strongly especially Lian/Zee was glued to the role of the "emotionless" top/seme trope I am so tired. I have seen NuNew and Zee in this prince thing, and I can't say how much the actual acting range of Zee is, but in both I felt it isn't much. A bit sad, a bit surprised, a bit serious, and I can't say if it's the actor or the directing, but it was boring. I am not fond of stoic tops. NuNew surely was acting very good, also a good singer and the highlight of the series. But 12 episodes of indecision... and then we have not one no TWO side couples with the same issue.
No comminication. I have seen Max who play Yi in several series, and somehow he always seems to play the same role: he stares like a villain, I never can buy his "I am in love" expressions in any series, and while his ship partner Nat who play Khon Diao has more to offer, it was the same stoic top vs overly emotional bottom just with even LESS story and logic. We had a third love story with Syn and Nuer, but I won't say anything about this other than it felt entirely superfluous to the plot whatsoever.
The problem I mainly had was it was unplausible to me. Keeping banale things a secret in fear to not fit to expected values may be plausible in Asia, but I can only speak from the lens I am accustomed to, and if at least the secrets had been super dramatic, I could understand. But loving to make music and studying car engineering instead of computer engineering and not being a doll? Wow, that surely is one set of secrets to be totally dramatic over... NOT! But worse, the transactions to save Kuen's family fortune doing it behind his back to "not trouble him"? BOTH mother and fiance? Seriously?
You know I grew up with a mother who to this day things I am quite inept do handle anything harsh, so MAYBE I am more sensitve to REALLY being ANGRY about the idea to being treated like that. But I would surely NOT marry a guy who treats me like that, love or no love. Overall, this series in long parts simply bored me. It was fluff, it had its moments, but I KINDA feel like I want my time back. I can't say it was horrible either. And before I tired you with an endless review I give it an okay
6/10
With an extra 9/10 to NuNew for acting and singing.
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This review may contain spoilers
Cute in Parts
The show was definitely entertaining, I was able to get through the end, though not without some massive skipping.Pros:
1. Unique premise. I love a BL arranged marriage trope, so unique and open minded by the families + the secret identity (Kuea's duality) trope.
2. Speaks about LGBTQ+ rights and Equality, wonderful stuff.
3. Comedy. Especially between Kuea and his friends + the wonderful secretaries of Liam and Yi.
4. Yim. And Tutor.
5. Loved the relationship between Nuea and his friends. They supported each other but also established clear boundaries.
Cons:
1. Constant lying and manipulation by the leads.
2. Kuea and Diao were both kinda immature and acted their age. Their partners were unfortunately way older and controlling such that their "romance" was abusive and toxic. The relationship was giving me parent-child vibe more so than lovers. Kuea and Diao were actually fearing their partners at some point and the relationship only gets slightly better towards the end; its still massively imbalanced.
3. Acting. Most of them were passable or good, except Lian and Nat. Lian's expression makes me want to punch his face. He was a bit stiff or was made to pretend he didnt love Kuea for the most part, while Kuea was very open about his feelings for him. Idk if its the acting or the directing, either way that chemistry was weird in the beginning. Nat was acting like an immature puppy/child, just like Kuea. Atleast Kuea had some bad ass side gigs that showcased the duality in acting.
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For All Those That Enjoy Fluff
Ok, I initially checked this show out bc Zee was in it and I hadn't seen him in anything for a while. I really enjoyed the side characters and the chemistry between everyone was great, but that is kind of where my list of compliments ends.In my opinion it really dragged in the middle. I don't know if it was just me but there was a point where I just started cheering for them to argue because I was bored of all the fluff. Keep in mind, I'm the type of person that gets annoyed with other shows for dragging conflicts out for to long or basing the entire plot on miscommunication. But at some point I was really just wishing for something, ANYTHING other than the constant stream of fluff and kiss scenes.
In series like 'Ingredients', lengthy periods of just fluff didn't bother me but I was just expecting more conflict and the multiple episodes of not really anything happening threw me off. I feel like this show could've been shortened to like ten episodes. My sister felt the same, but it might just be our short attention span.
I didn't particularly like or dislike the main couple, even if it was a bit vague to me when exactly Lian fell for Kuea. One moment he's insulting him and saying he doesn't want to get married and the next he's suddenly in love with him.
I'm not going to say much about the second couple since I was pretty indifferent to their storyline and tuned out most of their scenes while watching. I'm not going to bash them since from the very beginning their storyline really didn't interest me. But the one thing I will say is that I HATE the way they were dressed in this. My sister pointed out that they literally look like father and son at some points in this and I just couldn't get the thought out of my head. Khondiao is dressed so colourfully and playfully, which isn't bad, but next to Yi who is always wearing a suit he looked like his son more than his boyfriend.
Long story short, if you go into it knowing there's minimal conflict once the show reaches the halfway mark you might enjoy this. It just wasn't for me.
(also, English isn't my first language so excuse the spelling and grammar mistakes)
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A simple concept concluded haphazardly
I had such high hopes with this series when I read the synopsis and saw the first few episodes. Alas! with every consecutive episodes the hopes died a slow death.The story is about Lian and Kuea bethroted to each other at a very young age. But when they grow up Lian has no love towards Kuea. Kuea, heart-broken decides to end the engagement only for Lian to realise that he has feelings for Kuea. The concept was new to me as I have not seen a series with arranged marriages before let alone between 2 men and this got me excited. The series starts promising where we get to see the contrast between the 2 characters. Lian being a strict businessman with only limited time for his fiance and Kuea being a singer and a lover of fast cars and bikes but hides his true self from Lian. They separate from each other due to Lian's indifference towards Kuea and so starts a journey of self-realization and getting to know your true feelings.
This is where the story starts to lose me. The story of the arranged marriage was not convincing as the families just wanted Lian to take care of a very young Kuea. The mention of marriage was said in jest. Not sure why these 2 pursued that idea till their adulthood?
The sudden change in Lian's feelings towards Kuea was confusing too as there was nothing that justified either his love or his initial indifference.
There is clearly an age difference between Lian and Kuea however Lian saying that he loved Kuea from the day he was born just gave me the creeps. Not sure who thought that it sounds romantic or endearing?
The parallel story of Khondiao and Yi needed more explaining. Khondiao has lost his memory but we dont see how that has affected him in any sense. Unless Yi says it we dont even realise that Khondiao is suffering from memory loss. In fact we dont even know which memory has he lost.
In conclusion a simple concept was made confusing by inconsistent characteristics of the 2 leads, moving from bizzare or unbeliveable. The actors however did a great job with their performances and the songs are worth listening to. Its not too bad to not give it a try. Watch it for the performances and the songs.
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Really over-hyped. Not worth your time if you want a good story
I'll start by saying -If you want a fluffy bl with a lot of cute scenes and annoying characters watch it.
It was not for me but I still gave it a 7 because I know that if you wanted to watch something like this you will like it..
That being said.
I put this series on hold. I got to ep 11 and could not watch . It took me 3 weeks to watch ep 11 and 12 till the end. The romance was... somewhere but I need to say the CHEMISTRY was almost perfect
Is the story okay ? Somewhat
Is the acting okay? Yes, it was actually good
Will I ever try to watch the 2nd season or re-watch this one? NO, absolutely no
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Cute indeed, but...
This series started great, made my hear flutter at every scene and grab my pillow with excitement every Friday while waiting eagerly to it's launching day. BUT, still, i felt that some of the secondary couples had such a fast development (be it romantically or problem solving). However, i don't blame the show, with 12 episodes they did everything so beautifully, be it cinematography wise or acting wise, everything was great. Maybe if they had one or two more episode, things would go more smoothly, i don't know. Still, i loved every second of it and i am going to miss it dearly.Was this review helpful to you?
Yes! Yes! Yes!
In short: I loved it. From the first minute. The series was like reading a manga. The actors are excellent, the chemistry is something amazing. I devoured the episodes because I couldn't stop. I think it is among my top 3 favorite BL series. I loved the story, the characters, the music, everything. I've read in some places that the series is overrated, well, it's not at all. I cried at the end because I was so excited and happy. I really like such cute, romantic, emotional series and this one is just like that. The love scenes, the kisses, phew, even I blushed while watching it. But I finally got to see real, proper kisses, so it gets an extra point. I also loved the behind-the-scenes part at the end. So I recommend everyone to watch it. 🤟Was this review helpful to you?
so cringey that it's fun
First of all, let me say i totally fell for the Hia's of this drama, who are both handsome and talented. I could watch the series just for them. I cannot say the same abt their partners, who act like some retarded kids, always afraid of their lovers and trying to please them. Their small frame also doesnt help to match their dominant Hia's! It's like both the rich and handsome CEO's got themselves a slave to toy with. It's so weird that its funny! Of course it shouldnt be in any way compared with real life!The earrings and the ballet socks men wear in BL dramas add to the cringey feeling. Is this a code or something?
Fashion, settings, hot moments are enjoyable.
Put your mind at rest and watch it.
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A medley of no communication, stupid choices and kisses that’ll make you weak in the knees
Now, the arranged marriage trope is a personal favourite when done right, and although this show has some redeeming qualities, there’s no way to excuse this….The writers did not understand the assignment!
Arranged marriage has no actual relevance to the plot, it simply acts as a way to force the main couple together at the start without the initial build up of getting to know each other and developing feelings.
Now into the actual review lol.
The story and character set up of all three couples was lacking in some aspects.
Starting with Lian/Kuea:
what was the main message behind their story? In the first 5 episodes we can deduce that it is “he should love your real personality not your fake persona”, however this message gets completely lost in the middle of the drama, with the focus being on the actual romance entirely eluding a healthy relationship, however the original message suddenly returns in the later episodes and showcases this couples shocking lack of communication. (I mean really….they do not talk to each other at all!!!!).
In addition the logic behind they’re choices and actions wasn’t tight, the script kind of just made them behave in a way that allowed the next scene to happen without paying attention to the actual character and what he’d do, then working around that.
(+)This couple had the best chemistry
Second is yi/diao:
This couple’s story turns out to be kind of….unique (not to spoil things), by the end you get the gist but since they’re not the main couple there’s no detailed explanation.
This relationship in particular functioned weirdly. Sometimes we get Yi scolding or being protective over Diao like he’s a child but then the sexual tension is off the charts….is that weird? It is most jarring in the first half of the series and luckily dies down quite significantly as a relationship is established.
Lastly Syn/Nuer:
Although I don’t find their chemistry to be as strong, this couple grew to be my favourite. Unfortunately, they had the weakest set up, due to being on screen for like 30 minutes combined but whatever….I’m not bitter…much.
How Nuer even developed feelings for Syn isn’t clear, in fact I’m still not exactly sure when it happened but it did and I’m greatful for that lol.
Onto the cast:
The chosen actors for this show were perfect. Each actor made their presence as these characters believable. The acting however is a different story.
Kilen Wang (Zee) - This actor I would say was the best and most skilled actor by far. His micro expressions how he conveys sadness, the seggual dancing (*wink*) and those damn tears are all of high quality.
Kuea (Nunew) and Diao (Nat) - these two where quite clearly the weaker actors. Their line delivery was subpar and the facial expressions were lacking, but it was bearable.
Although they each have good chemistry with their partners you could still see a bit of the awkwardness I assume is due to inexperience in their interactions.
They are clearly inexperienced and need practice but they did a decentish job.
NOW! Onto the best thing about this entire show!!!
The music. If this show was anything it was promotion for the angelic vocals that are Nunew. In fact he should just sing OST for series. Every single song that leaves his mouth in this show is amazing, my favourite as of now being ‘will you still love me’ (bloody perfection this one).
Not just this song but the whole damn soundtrack. In fact even if you hate the plot I’d say deal with it simply for the music, because listening to the lyrics with the context of the moment just adds that extra something. (Sometimes you wanna dance and sometimes you wanna cry for Kuea, I’m telling you!!)
The songs are placed in the perfect place all throughout the drama, with the lyrics perfectly describing how he’s feeling at that moment.
This is the type of drama that you keep coming back to for that specific scene (whatever that may be).m, and with that……
A list of summarised positive points of this series to persuade/dissuade:
- amazing chemistry (all 3 couples and the main have the strongest)
- With amazing chemistry comes amazing kisses and more (*wink*) when I say kissing I mean it. The main couple where basically devouring each other. Damn!! - it bordered on me thinking; should this be age restricted?
- Zee in a suit (nuff said)
- Although quite simplistic there where important conversations about multiple socially sensitive such as; marriage inequality in Thailand, how trans people are used by the media, sexist jokes (like are you on your period?), respecting boundaries(not ss but you get it) etc.
- The main conflict was dragged out in my opinion and should either have been solved around episode 10-11 or the story as a whole should have just been around 10 episodes
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A bit draggy
Honestly, the cast members did a great job but the storyline is a bit too draggy. Can be better but the cast member is really perfect for the role. My personal favorite, Diao and Hia Yi! Damn cute.The side cast member also did made the show better in the sense that the storyline wouldn't get too boring as like the couple, Syn and Nuer, is really interesting to see how well their chemistry is.
A BL based on family, romance and friendship, though it may seem like any other BL that you have watched, this series may be slightly different due to the actors' acting skill and like for Nunew, I am really impressed by his acting. His friendship with Diao, very cute and you will wish for a friendship like this.
That is mainly what I can say. I do recommend that y'all watch this series in your free time. Is really a cute and interesting series.
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Cutie Pie as a whole
First of all, I think we need to talk about the actors. Zee and Nunew did an amazing job at portraying their characters. Even though there were some moments that felt a bit stiff, for a first time actor, i think Nunew deserves praise. Zee's acting was good too. Some might say otherwise but the way his eyes always spoke what his mouth couldn't was enough proof that he was the perfect casting for Hia Lian.chemistry wise, I don't even need to comment because ZeeNunew's chemistry is unmatched. From the NC scenes to the sweet smiles exchanged, the tension was evident.
To sum up the characters, Kuea was afraid of disappointing Lian while Lian wanted Kuea to be himself. This alone acted as the root to almost half of their conflicts. I personally understand Kuea's point of view. Coming from a prestigious family, he's met with high expectations his entire life and that itself made him insecure about himself. Though lying and pretending to be someone you're not is never the answer, we cannot overlook the fact that Kuea is still young. And on top of that, he was kept inside his little bubble his entire life and was never exposed to real life problems. He did anything he could to make Lian love him.
Lian, on the other hand, kept things from Kuea and that itself would later act as another root cause for the downfall of their relationship. Looking at it from Lian's perspective, we can see that he wanted to protect Kuea and that is totally understandable considering the fact that from such a young age he was introduced to Kuea and was expected to protect him. Even though they grew apart as they grew up, Lian always kept an eye on Kuea. For some this might come as possessive or a red flag but I think, he was still stuck with the mentality that Kuea was young and that he needs protection.
If we talk about the message given, the marriage equality and gay rights was an appropriate topic to tackle. I think this drama acted as an eye opener to some considering the fact that Cutie Pie blew up when it was first released.
OST wise, Nunew and Zee did an amazing job. especially Nunew. His voice is smooth and well controlled and that itself gave this drama more value.
Overall i think Cutie Pie was a very good drama. Of Couse, there was room for improvement, but I think it is still worth the watch. Also its rare to find a couple that makes falling in love so beautiful. Personally speaking, I never found any interest in love but after seeing Lian and Kuea or even Zee and Nunew in real life, it just makes me want something like that too. I think Cutie Pie has great rewatch value and ZeeNunew have great potential. Lets support the next prince!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Okay so I am a big fan of DMD so I'm gonna be as unbiased as possible with this. I'm rating this based on my enjoyment of the series not necessarily the quality of it. I really enjoyed watching this series. It was cute and fluffy at times and I adored the majority of the characters.
Now was there a need for 3 couples? No, not in my opinion. I loved each couple to a certain extent but I feel as though the 2nd and 3rd couple could have been done differently. I personally loved NuerSyn....BUT....I do feel as though their story was really unnecessary. A lot of it didn't make sense and due to them being a 3rd couple they started developing really slowly and then it just rushed them within the last 2 eps which I think they could have been given more depth. Granted I'm glad we did get them because TutorYim are adorable <3
The 2nd couple being YiDiao....yeah there isn't too much to say on them. Their story isn't really complete. Though I do think they should have had their own series (which is still a possibility) instead of being within CutiePie....purely because there is so much more to it and its a lot more complex than shown in this series. They are very toxic and I just felt myself wanting to protect Diao the whole time (esp in the earlier eps). The acting from MaxNat did sometimes feel robotic but overall they did a good job.
Onto the main couple LianKuea. I have to start by saying this is NuNew's first ever series and he did so well with what he was given. Zee has never dissapointed me before with his acting and he didn't dissapoint this time either. It's no secret ZeeNuNew have insane chemistry, you only have to look at them to know that and this series really did show that. I'll never fully understand their story though to be honest. Lian flat out said in the beginning he doesn't love Kuea but then knowing full well Kuea loved him, continue to pursue him into an engagement Kuea had decided he didn't want. Now I know he did that because he did really love him but sometimes there were parallels that contradicted that. I have to admit it was toxic at times, there was no trust from either side and they both kept secrets where they didn't need to be kept. Every episode had me screaming at one of them to tell the truth to the other but everything was kept secret till the very last episode....or was it? No it wasnt.....to add on to them not telling each other things, Lian knew all along about Kuea and his other life. Putting all that aside, the love they had for each other was more than genuine and that much we could see through their actions.
I have to emphasize the LGBTQ+ representation in this was incredible. The importance of consent was also such a major thing in this. I'm glad they focused on those points aswell as the story. There are alot of series that don't.
Last but not least the OST's. I can't say enough about NuNew's voice. INSANE. All of the OST's were beautiful and I'm really glad they chose to get the cast involved in them including the MV's.
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