Cutie Pie

???

I'm really puzzled by the reviews of this series, because my experience was completely different. The script made me want to pull my hair out, and the characters were simply unbearable. What's more, communication between them was almost non-existent, even though they are young adults. The only bright spot in the series is really the characters of Syn and Nuer, but that's not enough to carry the whole thing. The premise of the series was promising, but the execution is disappointing. I sincerely hope that “Next Prince” will not be in the same vein, I still have hope.

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A weird sugar baby hostage situation turned romance with lots of rich people problems

Oof. This was a struggle for me to get through.

The plot is non existent. Basically if any of the characters would have just communicated like normal people, even a little bit, every issue could have been solved in a single episode, maybe two. But the "plot" relies on the characters to adamantly refuse to talk to each other, and instead to lie and dodge questions. Any other "problems" are literally just rich people problems which are hard to sympathize with. Oh no, I can't ride my Ducati bike because my arranged marriage partner (that won't even be legal? why did the elders even arrange this?) doesn't want me to.

The relationship dynamics here for two of the main CPs are...kind of gross. Both of the main couples (Kuea/Lian and Yi/Khondiao) have the same weird dynamic of two rich dudes pursuing two younger submissive men who are somewhat trapped (both reasons are stupid) into these relationships.

Kuea and Khondiao are comically naive at times, and other times seem to get out of their weirdly submissive Hia-pleasing but quickly go back. Both are constantly infantilized by their Hias by being called "naughty" copious times, being controlled and not trusted to do literally anything on their own. Even to chop up eggs?!

Somewhat of a saving grace is the chemistry, mainly between Zee and Nunew, but it wasn't enough for me. Kissing scenes are sometimes so gratuitously long that I got bored, which I didn't think I'd ever say with a BL. After the first 3-4 make out scenes, there was no range to them, it was the same scene over and over.

Consent was muddy sometimes - Kuea said no or stop to Lian multiple times and was ignored. Though it seemed playful it still gave me the ick. There were multiple scenes where Lian was pushing him to have sex and he did not seem willing at first. No thanks.

Syn and Nuer were the only relief from the toxic relationship drama - the soccer scene finally got a laugh out of me. This couple should have got infinitely more screen time to lighten things up. I got to the point in the last few eps where I was skipping by ten seconds because I was so bored of the characters lying or avoiding each other just to pad out the episodes.

I don't think it was any of the actor's fault that this show was such a disappointment, they did what they could with some extremely shallow and problematic characters.

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A fun and joyful series of childhood love

I really enjoyed the series a lot. Love the chemistry with all the cast and the two leading couples are the best. I am a big fan of the actors and they all have such great chemistry and time together. The storyline is fun and touching and takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions and shows you to be who you are. The end was the best with both of them trying to outdo the other with proposing lol. The cast did a great job of showing the turmoil of hiding one's true self in order to fit what society wants to see. I love that they touched on marriage and showed that it's past the time for all to have equity and freedom to marry each other. Both couples were able to shine, I do wish the second couple got more screen time Yi and Diao are so darn cute, but that's what we get "Naughty Babe" for ;-). This is a great series to enjoy and laugh at. the friends were a fun touch and the 3rd couple coming in to play was sweet. Love the guests at the end as well.

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LOVED IT!!

this was my first BL series i've ever watched, so i dont have much to go off of. im an enjoyer of cliche storylines like the childhood friends to lovers/ ceo & shy boyfriend trope etcs so this was right down my alley, which some people seemed to have not enjoyed. the fact that this was nunew's first acting project was so surprising to me given that his acting was amazing. zee also was able to convey so many emotions so naturally, their chemistry was insane. the soundtrack was also so enjoyable. sure this may not be some deep, dramatic series but i dont think it was necessarily meant to be 100% serious as there was a large humor aspect to it. overall 10/10 . rewatching as i'm typing this review!!

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Almost everything was great for me, problems mostly with the main premise. But fave

You’d enjoy watching if you don’t think too hard about the overarching plot.

The chemistry among the cast (both romantic and non-romantic pairings/groupings) and the OST are some of my favorite aspects of the series. Not only does Nunew have such a great singing voice, the songs used in the series were all really good, and that was important for me, given its role in Kirin’s character. I usually skip the performance scenes in BL’s because I find them quite awkward sometimes, but for this series, I loved all the performances. My favorite part of the series though is the cinematography, the blocking and the direction. I could really see the amount of care behind each scene, especially the emotional ones (both NC and non-NC but the NC scenes are really really well-directed too and a standout). I feel like most of the scenes included have a purpose too, which I can’t say the same for some other BL’s. Special shoutout to Zee’s performance too, there’s just something about the way his eyes express emotions that really sold it for me.

Admittedly, the overall premise and longstanding miscommunication between the main couple was frustrating and the weakest aspect of the series, i found it quite a waste because I just think everything else is close to perfect. I find that Cutie pie has sort of the opposite problem with some other BL’s i like. Other BL’s have great initial premises and overarching storylines but the attention to detail, the blocking, cinematography and chemistry of the cast is just
lacking and detracts from the greatness of the premise. Cutie pie, meanwhile, does great with the other aspects but the storyline and overarching plot is just a bit confusing or could do some tweaking. I understand part of the reasoning is to continue on with the hide and seek fun between the characters. There’s also the struggle between Lian wanting Kuea to explore a world without him or the arranged marriage and Lian wanting to pay back Kuea’s family. Like it’s all interesting but just needed a bit of tweaking to not make their actions so contradicting or unnecessarily convoluted..

With all that being said haha I still loved the series and could overlook the weakness of the overarching plot because of the care placed within the details behind each scene. I still love rewatching the series from time to time.

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Storyline and main leads chemistry is top notch

This is the series which dragged me to BL world! Right from the start, I got totally sucked into the story – it just grabbed me and didn't let go. But honestly, the best part was the two main actors. The chemistry between them was insane! Like, you could feel it. And they can act act, you know? Really brought their characters to life. Oh, and the music during all the important bits? Perfect! It just made those moments even more powerful. There were, like, one or two little things in the story that I wish they'd explained a bit better, but it didn't even matter that much because the leads were so good and the music was spot on. Seriously, if you're contemplating to watch BL and not sure on which series to watch, you gotta check this out!!

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An Absolute Joy from Beginning to End

I'm new to Thai Y dramas, Cutie Pie being only my second, and it decided for me that I'm not going anywhere any time soon.

Yes, okay, the central relationship is problematic. While I was first watching it, I kept pausing and muttering to myself, "Crap, westerners not very familiar with BLs are going to be horrified by this." Yes, Hia Lian is so pushy that you could call some of his actions abusive, and I don't think I could argue. And I don't know if the happy ending justifies the means.

What I do know, though, is this story, the spectacular cast, how beautiful it is to look at, and most of all, the CHEMISTRY between Zee and Nunew (who recently confirmed they are a real couple) made any slight discomfort I felt more than worth it. Yeah, there are aspects of every character you could complain about. Same for EVERY person I know in real life. And even though there being only 12 episodes (for now!) did make the plot feel a bit rushed, I never felt confused or dissatisfied. I was too busy being in awe of Nunew, who stars in the main role for his first ever acting job, playing a complicated character, singing half the soundtrack, learning to play drums because his character can, and not only getting through some intense NC scenes, but doing them really well.

I highly recommend Cutie Pie, and would to anyone, even if doing so risks an angry call like, "This is sexual harassment! How old is that kid?! We need to report this or something!" If you enjoy it, check out Behind Cutie Pie, a six-part look at the making-of, if you can handle a very-obviously-lovesick Nunew, Zee being rather suggestive, and an I-shouldn't-be-here feeling when Nunew is getting pep-talked/reassured about the most extreme NC scene. If you fall for ZeeNunew as hard as I did, the ZonZons will welcome you.

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Amazing!

This series is amazing, I have completely fallen in love with it. It's sugar sweet, romantic, funny and the music is very very good. Nunew is an amazing singer.
As the episodes unfold, the characters get more depth and you understand them better. Really well done.
The kissing and make out scenes are among the best in BL shows, the lead characters have great chemistry, which makes this show one of my favorites.
Besides that, the friendships portrayed are just lovely and honest. No back-stabbing but genuine care for one another.
And have I mentioned the singing done by character Kuea?! It's so good. I wish I could have been at one of the concerts in the show :)

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