Bed Friend (2023)

I liked them a lot as a couple. But that's it.

I liked these two. I really did. But the story was a little too hard to watch. The thing I hated the most was that they made us watch Uea being harressed and sexually abused too many times. They would repeat those scenes to "remember" us what happened, but it was just unconfortable and sad. The writers could've left Uea alone for a second. He had too many traumas and 3 guys abused him in the show. I don't like watching this stuff repeatedly and with detail like that, it's triggering. King and Uea were great together, they had great chemistry and King was very supportive (there was this one time where he wasn't very nice with Uea insinuating he was actually hitting on their boss, but after that I would say he compensated a lot by getting him fired and putting Uea's stepfather in jail.) I loved Uea and Jade's friendship, Jade was so sweet all the time and I can't wait to watch his spinoff.

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Decent story mediocre writing and production

The main plot/arc is interesting enough. Friends with benefits struggle with the usual problems plus the effects of sexual abuse and harassment to eventually become partners. What works best is the sympathy that is built for Uea, who has to endure a breakup, an evil mother, sexual harassment, and the lingering effects of sexual abuse as a child. You want the relationship to work out for him because he really seems to need it.
What doesn't work so well are many of the distractions thrown in here and there to bolster some pretty thin writing in the main story. Also the acting tends to be stiff and manneristic even in dramatic scenes that need a more realistic performance. So even though I'm inclined to be sympathetic with Uea, I often have a hard time believing him as a character, and what would otherwise be fairly effective drama falls flat.
The music is un-memorable. The production values are pretty low (continuity errors, confusing cuts, sound glitches, etc.). At one point the product placements come so frequently and aggressively that I felt like I was being waterboarded with bottled drinks.

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Honestly not that great but I still finished it

Bed Friend felt over the top and frankly, unnecessarily so at times. While there was an abundance of spicy love scenes, some intimate sequences felt out of place and had awkward transitions. All this made the show slightly cringey and hard to fully appreciate as a realistic romance. 

Uea's character was disappointing. It sometimes seemed like he was constantly trying to prove how cold he is. I appreciate his backstory, but I think the writing/Uea's character was poorly executed.

But did I finish it? Yes, I did. Now, I even have a huge crush on Net’s smouldering gaze. No idea how he does it but am I living for it? Also yes.

All in all, if you’re coming here for superb writing and storytelling - don’t. If you’re here for the steamy sex scenes and lots of toe-curling flirting, yes, this might just be what you need.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/05/02/bed-friend-2023-bl-review/

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Trauma Friend

I'm honestly surprised that I finished this series so quickly because I've tried watching shorter series with more interesting plots and put them on-hold indefinitely. But don't let this fool you into thinking this a gem or anything because it is undoubtedly something I wish I could get my time back from watching. I just don't understand how there are such high reviews on the uncut version on MDL because the story itself is so boring yet questionable at times. I'd also like to point out that I watched it on Youtube, so I'm assuming that was the cut version so I'm not 100% sure of what the uncut version contributes to the story, but I do know that I'd probably (dis)like it the same amount as I do with the cut version.

So I generally start these with a Likes and Dislikes list but I'll definitely tear into in the Dislikes section

Likes:
- Uea is confirmed gay
- Demonizing homophobia
- James and Net are scarily attractive
- Uea's sass was at times charming
- King looks good with his buttons down on his shirt
- Gunn was cute
- The big boss actually caring about his employees
- Talking about safe sex and get tested for STDs
- Setting rules for the friends with benefits relationship
- King's parents actually considering their son's happiness above and prejudices they may have
- That scene where Uea started unbuttoning his shirt to get King to close his was pretty fun
- Uea's aunt was sweet; nice to see a least one positive aspect in Uea's life beyond just King.
- The antagonists' actors played their scummy characters well. I believed every second of the scum quartet (pedo step-dad, bitch mom, psycho ex, and boss mc-grabby)

Dislikes: (oh boy here we go!)
- Uea's actor cannot play the emotional scenes at all. This is awful because this character is CONSTANTLY suffering and I swear I just felt awkward watching him try to portray a traumatized young man. They seriously needed someone that could shoulder the weight of playing a character going through endless suffering and James was just not it. They needed War Wanarat here to play such a distraught character.
- Why TF is Uea constantly suffering throughout the story? This man got molested by his gross ass step-dad throughout his childhood, got beaten and shamed by his whore mother, got cheated on and nearly raped by his psycho ex, got dubconned by King in like episode 1, and then of course he nearly got raped by his scummy boss. What. The. FUCK. I'm not even saying that I'm adverse to him going through multiple trials and tribulations in this story but dear god why is his suffering somehow worse than that lame ass main character from that Jinx manhwa????? You can make a main character be sympathetic and portray how trauma impacts a relationship without throwing every possible unfortunate thing at them and then call it "character building." They quite literally checked the noncon trauma box to every aspect of Uea's life: molester step-dad in his family life, rapey ex in his personal life, and pervy boss in his work life. Seriously makes me wonder how many yaoi manhwa the original writer referenced when trying to make the saddest main character known to man.
- This series (and the positive reviews) boast of how consensual the main relationship is, yet gloss over the fact that Uea and King's first night together was dubcon at best, and noncon at worst. Say it with me kids: someone. being. drunk. is. not. able. to. consent. Uea was heavily intoxicated to the point that King had to take him home and King was most definitely sober in comparison to him given how lucid he was and could think the situation through. He's even aware that Uea being drunk can't equal clear consent yet does him anyway! Why was this necessary? They could've tried to find the loophole of them both being equally drunk like most other shows do, yet they decided that making it a clear case of taking advantage of a drunk person was the best choice writing-wise. Great relationship-building guys! (I'd also like to point out that adding themes of lack of consent in a story doesn't automatically make it bad or disqualify a relationship between two characters from the jump, yet what bothers me the most here is how the story completely glosses over it and then acts like they are the most consensual couple ever.)
- Jade was annoying as fuck. So was the middle-aged lady and the trans(?) woman. Tired of the constant portrayals of transwomen and femboys in BL being these over-the-top, ultra girliepop people that can't seem to speak at a normal vocal level.
- Dear fuck this is the part that pissed me off the most. So in episode 4, Uea was just nearly raped by his psycho ex in his own car and narrowly escaped because of King's aid in scaring him off (instead of, oh I don't know, CALLING THE COPS OR SECURITY?????). Uea is (justifiably) shaken up and having flashbacks to his childhood trauma, and then it cuts to them chilling near some railing or something and King remarks how if he weren't there in time, Uea's psycho ex would have definitely raped him then and there. He then says something along the lines of "what will I get as a reward? (indicating sex)" and to this I have a question to pose as well, except to the writers: What the fuck is wrong with you?????? Who in their right mind thinks "Oh you know what a character with childhood molestation trauma that nearly just got raped by their psycho ex wants right after? To get fucked." WHAT?! They unintentionally made King seem like the scummiest character on planet Earth with this one line alone because why would he assume that a guy that was bawling his eyes out after nearly getting raped by his ex would want to reward him with sex that same day. This irked me so bad man. I nearly wanted to drop the score even lower just for this scene alone.
- The mother never really suffered the consequences of her actions. Was her crying over her diddy husband supposed to be her comeuppance? Well it certainly didn't satisfy my rage. This woman deserves to suffer for eternity for the awful shit she put her own son through. She was the ultimate villain, yet barely suffered at all. Honestly, Uea abandoning her only really works in her favor considering how much she stated she hated him and would've lived a far happier life without him around to pollute it.
- Psycho-ex is quite literally a sex offender yet doesn't suffer ANY CONSEQUENCES. Other than a punch. Wooooooow such a grave repercussion. He even still has a boyfriend from what is shown. What the hell?
- The step-dad is arrested but let's be honest, will he really suffer much in the long-term? There is barely any evidence and how much of a serious offense is sexual harassment (not even molestation and attempted rape as the charges) in the Thai justice system anyway? Would've been nice if they could've confirmed what his status in passing or something. But nope. We are completely left in the dark as to whether he even got convicted or not.
- The sexual-harasser boss didn't even get charged for what he did even though it was caught in 4K Ultra Definition. He just gets a slap on the wrist and probably moved to another department and still invited to the big boss' Thanksgiving dinners.
- Uea hating King so much at the beginning didn't even make sense because King didn't even get to ask him out at that bar and just because that twink boy called him over doesn't mean they're exclusive. Hell, he could've just met that guy that night. What was Uea so pressed with him for?
- King liked Uea so much but I never understood why. He wholeheartedly wanted his attention and affection yet Uea made it abundantly clear he didn't even like to be in the same office space as him. Take a hint buddy or else you'll be added to the ongoing list of Uea's harassers that seems to grow with just about every episode.
- The sex scenes were cringe affffff. I felt uncomfortable watching them. Opposite of what you want to feel when watching consensual sex scenes between two objectively attractive people of genders you are attracted to.
- Was Uea's trauma healed by King's dick game or something? It kind of felt like that. But at least they mentioned him seeing a psychiatrist by the end. That's something I guess.
- Time skip galore in the last two eps.
- King apparently has a hot older brother, yet we only see him once. I was so shell-shocked when he appeared because I was kept wondering that entire scene "who the fuck is this guy?"
- It made zero sense that Uea would agree to be friends with benefits with King out of nowhere especially because he seemed to dislike that fact that they had a one night stand at all. Was it really just because King gave pocket money to Uea's mom? Because if he agreed to it out of gratitude then that doesn't sit right with me at all. He should do it if he reeeeally wants to; not because he feels like he owes him (throwback to ep 4 when King asks for sex after saving Uea from a literal rapist).
- Opening pissed me off the more it played and would sometimes interrupt the flow of the scene before it to the point that I would get whiplash.
- King really felt like his only true personality trait was "I want Uea to give me attention." Felt really juxtaposed when next to Uea's "I have trauma. Like, literally every single episode. Brace yourself audience. It's going to get emotional. Though, you probably won't feel it because my actor can't mimic a crying person to save his life."

To be honest the music (other than the annoying intro) was alright but not noteworthy. Same with the production. They looked good on the boat though I'll say that. And that like one scene when there were at Uea's hometown and on the mountain and inn. I really hate when there is a filter or extreme makeup to powder on the actors' faces because it just takes away from their natural beauty in my opinion and makes them look like porcelain dolls.

Rewatch value? I would give this a 0 if I could but this site only goes as low as 1 so I'll stick with that (though in spirit it is a 0). I wouldn't even rewatch this for drunken fun or to make fun of it because it is frankly too boring to do that. At least nonsense like Love Syndrome III and The Heart Killers are rewatchable because of how entertainingly awful they are, but Trauma Friend is just plain stale. I'd also avoid putting myself through Uea's never ending suffering and James' inability to create a genuine look of suffering on his face. I can't enjoy a traumatized character if they don't even look traumatized (directed at whoever had reign over the casting choices).

To conclude, I really want my time back from watching this. I feel so burnout from watching a 10 episode series and I find that astounding because it somehow almost makes me feel as dead inside as The Legend of Zhen Huan did. And that show was 76 episodes.

Would I recommend this? Fuck no. The acting isn't worth it, the music isn't worth it, the set design isn't worth it, the plot most definitely isn't worth it, the characters aren't worth it, and the smut (which face it, that is what drew majority of people in) is cringe and soooooo not worth it.

Goodbye to Trauma Friend and hope I never see you again ~

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Uea did really meet a good person in King

I have been so looking forward to this series! I do admit that I expected a bit more from the NC scenes as they have been really hyped up and as the series is produced by the same company as Cutie Pie. I am not saying that NC scenes are the only thing I want from such series (most of my favorite ones have no real NC scenes), but when half of the trailer is the two main characters “enjoying” each other, you do end up expecting more from it. The chemistry between the actors is amazing though, you can feel the sparks fly as the two look at each other. And there were a lot of looks passed between the two.

King & Uea: With every new episode, my heart breaks more and more for Uea. He really went through a lot of pain and heartbreak in his past (and even now). Uea is very clearly not used to others caring about him and his emotions, be it his family or his ex-boyfriend. I noticed he finds it hard to say what he wants, especially in terms of non-sexual aspects, from his relationship with King. It’s like he doesn’t want to burden him. I really hope that King can be that good thing in his life going forward. It shows very early on that King can be very caring and maybe a bit too possessive for the stage of their relationship. But I do think that having someone so protective and attentive is what Uea needs to heal. I do really appreciate that the two have an honest conversation about what they expect from their bed friends agreement, especially the part about the consent that can be revoked at any time. I do like the sassy side of Uea, it really makes me think he is comfortable enough around King (even before they get together) to tease him. And with his past, him being this comfortable around someone means that the person must have done something right. We could see that he was much more guarded around others.

Their first time is not really what I hoped for. I don’t mind a one-night stand storyline, but I do mind it when one of the participants was barely able to stand a few minutes before while the other one seems to be fairly sober – he drove them to the apartment, so unless they are promoting drunk driving, he was sober enough to know and to do better. Uea was not really okay with what happened, his actions show that. King does get some minus points in my books for that. But at least he learned his lesson out of it and did better the next time Uea was drunk.

Let’s talk about Jade for a moment. I love Yim in his clueless and adorable roles. But saying that Jade is only that would be criminal. He might appear quite clueless at times, or maybe he just doesn’t stick his nose into things that don’t concern him, but he is the type of friend everyone wants. He is extremely supportive of all his friends and wishes the best for them. And he is nowhere near clueless enough to not see when the ones he cares for are uncomfortable. I think him being soft spoken makes it easy for him to react without others taking it as something negative, as something aggressive. He knows how to stand up for people, in either a very assertive way or in a more hidden manner, depending on what the situation calls for.

I do have one major complaint. The series seems extremely choppy at times, there seems to be a lot of time skips that sometimes make it a bit hard to follow the story. There seems to be a lot of development in a very short time or not enough development in longer time periods. I did find that a bit confusing at times.

The OST is amazing too! I always have the theme song stuck in my head after the episode ends. It’s very catchy.

Also, can we please show some appreciation to both Uea’s aunt and later King’s mom? After everything Uea has been through with his mom, the interactions between him and the two women had me in tears. They were happy tears, but there were tears.

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Deeper than the title suggests

The title would make you think that this is all about 2 characters and them exploring a relationship as 'friends with benefits' and you wouldn't be wrong Uea (James) and King (Net) certainly give you a lot of that, and their chemistry is no joke on screen........however there is a lot, lot, more to the story that this simple idea.

First of all we have the mother from hell! However the actress was extremely good. Uea's mother doesn't like the fact he is gay and basically treats him as a human ATM with no feelings whatsoever.........worse than that we find as the series goes on that Uea has been physically and sexually assaulted from a young age and now has such a low opinion of him himself that he feels he isn't good enough for love.......simply sex.........enter his relationship with King. King on the other hand knows nothing of this, but his actions around Uea seem to make things alternately better and worse, depending on what's happening.

Apart from dysfunctional families, abusive parents, sexual abuse and even workplace abuse.........this show also covers abuse of power, loss of confidence, attempted rape.......and even towards the end therapy as well as the long term effects of abuse on the individual but any relationship they might attempt.

For a show with a name like 'Bed friends' it is actually a very deep and touching story........Net and James, as always, are fabulous on screen together and leave you wanting more of their interactions, but the supporting cast does not disappoint either. Despite the heavy contents, the show still manages to give you a nice blend of comedy and stupidity, which balances it nicely and the music is ok.

If you want a Thai BL that is more mature than most and with great casting, this is definitely one to try.

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not the best, but #1 in my heart

This is my first (and probably only) review on MDL and it’s going to be very very subjective, but I wanted to contribute. You’re probably looking at my ratings and going wow this person is nuts. Well, you’re not wrong. Anyways, I’m not the best at words, but I still want to give my honest opinion of this drama as I think it has too many negative reviews in and outside of this website.

Aside from the terrible and rushed production, questionable editing that is all over the place, way too many shots of the city & buildings as a lame excuse for a transition, and the background music that cuts off weirdly, I still really enjoyed the show.

I haven’t read the novel, but from the many reviews I’ve seen of people that have read it, they all mentioned that it is one of the best written Thai BL novels. And even though the directing of this drama falls behind and feels as if a high schooler directed it, I think they managed to get the essence of the story.

Before starting this drama, I was already interested in it because of the plot and had it instantly added to my watch list. I’m a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers (light on ‘enemies’) trope turned into FWB and then there is the PINING. So much pining! To be honest, if anything, this drama’s plot feels a lot like a fanfic come to life and that’s one of the appealing factors for me. I saw some negative views that said this show “doesn’t have a plot.” But the plot /is/ Uea’s daily life, his love-related struggles, and him working to overcome his trauma. And even if it’s not an overly fancy plot like other dramas have, it doesn’t mean it’s bad. Sometimes the life and struggles of a character are engaging enough to just have that as the story.

Before I started watching the drama, I wasn’t yet a fan of NetJames, but watching some clips from the first couple episodes, I knew they’d instantly become a favorite. And NetJames are definitely the reason this drama has a hold on me like no other. Their chemistry is some of the best I’ve ever seen, and they truly bring King & Uea to life. King is hands down one of the greenest of flags in a BL and for that alone, I would recommend this drama to anyone and everyone. And Uea? Uea is such a strong and wonderful MC, we as an audience really feel for him and his never-ending trauma and horrible luck. Overall, King & Uea’s relationship, although it started out as FWB and could have gone a lot of (wrong)ways, they turned out to be one of the most wholesome, healthy, and sweet couples.

While the directing and editing team could use an upgrade (or change altogether), they certainly brought up a lot of good topics to address in the show. From the episode with KingUea going to get tested after their one night stand, to the positive portrayal of seeking a therapist and taking medication for Uea’s trauma, it’s nice to see all these things normalized on the big screen.

And lastly, for some negatives, the most disappointing thing for me (aside the aforementioned second paragraph), were of course the many scenes cut out from the show. Whatever their reasoning may have been, it’s a pity that so many of their more intimate scenes were cut even in the “uncut” version of the episodes. The fans can only hope they would make it right by adding them into a future DVD set version. And maybe redo some(all) of the editing overall.


Production: 2/10
Visual fx: ??/10 (Though I do want to say, the whole budget went into the graphic design projects Uea & Jade were working on. At least it wasn’t a blank screen.)
Background music: 4/10 (sometimes too much, sometimes stops weirdly, what is going on no one knows)
OST: 10/10 I have to say Feel Fan is one of my most favorite theme songs out of all dramas.
Acting: 9/10 for NetJames, questionable for some of the others.
Rewatch value: for me personally? 1000/10 I honestly could watch King & Uea’s story for a million more episodes.

An objective overall rating? Around 6/10 or 7/10 if we’re being sincere. But my subjective overall rating will stay at 10/10 because despite the many shortcomings, I haven’t felt this way about a drama in more than 10 years. And that in itself is enough for me to give it the highest rating.

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Don’t miss!

Such a good story with excellent acting. The story so much more than the title suggests. The actors all work well together and 2 leads have incredible chemistry. Scenes that may seem somewhat “cheesy” are acted out so well that they are just super cute! I would even like a season 2 of this. There were very serious topics that were addressed in a serious, but relatable manner. Take the time to watch this. You will not regret it!

Hopefully we will see these actors in many more dramas!

Also, it was nice that this was picked up by IQIYI. Sometimes it’s hard to watch on YouTube

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Almost perfect

I really loved this series. I appreciate it that the intimate scenes weren't too graphic like KP and LITA. You have to have those sometimes. The last two episodes were my favorite. They were cute, funny, and romantic. Also, the acting was A+, mostly on the antagonists' parts. The actress that played Uea's mom did a fantastic job at just awful and someone you would hate irl. The little sister actress did a really good job too.

The only thing I really have to complain about is all the hell Uea went through. He dealt with it in a healthy way toward the end, but I feel like it was too much. It seemed like constant "mmm watch ya say" moments over and over (if you get the reference, we're best friends now).

I'm really glad we get a season 2/spinoff (Middleman's Love) because seeing Tutor in the very last scene of the last episode was entirely not enough for me. Ok that's it bye.

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1st BL, but people needs to understand....

that there is more to mature themes than just the steamy scenes. For those of you who thought it focused too much on the trauma aspect, I think it shows how well, and very realistic families like that can be. There are women in this world who are mothers that rely on their husbands so much that no matter what they're child says they'd always think they're lying. Mothers who only care about the paychecks more so than loving their child. And sadly, in life I've seen it that way where a person was in the LGBTQIA+ community and they want their parents love so badly they fork over the cash despite the endless abuse. Uea's story is very real. I'll admit, King was the player, but I don't they were ever fully enemies like they suggest, they just misunderstood each other. He kept flirting with Uea because he knew that he was the one. He just had a wall and he put it up. It was Uea that was the only one that could tear it down. For my first BL that was beyond a 10/10 it deserved more.

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One of my Top 5 favorites

So first off ... Net and James are inexplicably gorgeous! I would pretty much watch any show with the two of them!
I know at the beginning I was expecting more of a friends with benefits storyline and not a lot of romance and more of the frenemies type moments. The fact that there is a bunch of romantic moments makes this series a bit more lovable.
There are some instances where people might feel uncomfortable watching certain scenarios, but in all reality, it happens in real life and could be portrayed as 100xs worse. We may not want to see or think about it, but that's what a FF button is for. Uea's backstory is hard to watch, but it helps to better understand where he's coming from when it comes to his relationship and reluctance with King. Net and James did an excellent job so far with their roles and even their characters' supportive friends have nailed it!
With every new episode, I start back at the beginning and watch all the episodes including the new one! That's how much of a rewatch factor I think this show has! There always seems to be a few more nuances or new details that I catch every time I watch it.
And I don't think a negative review after 1 or 2 episodes is really fair to the cast and production team.

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