sweetmakopa

Because Pat still hasn't come to terms with his feelings for Pran. Pat knows he has very intense feelings for Pran but is yet to identify them as romantic feelings, unlike Pran who seems to be more self-aware about his own feelings.

The director had mentioned that this pace will stay this way till episode 3 before it changes tones. He is pretty much aware the start is shaky but it's already better than the novel where I really struggled to get through the first parts.

Someone's really just hate rating this show at this point. It may have flaws but it's definitely above an 8 by episode 2. Even douban which is much harsher than MDL rates it quite high. You are doing an immense disservice to people who are ratings-conscious in dramas they want to try.

Because a lot of their friends fighting was unnecessary. It was the same in the novel. It is overdrawn for a plot device that is just meant to establish they were born into rivalry. You didn't need 10 chapters for that lol.

But I liked the angst with the parents. I didn't think it was unnecessary and it really showed how stakes are high. Also seeing Pat and Pran trying to circle around to avoid being detected by their parents was fun to read.

I fully expect this to happen as the intro of the novel is certainly the weakest part of the story with all the faculty fighting.

Things do get so much better once they officially become together. People normally hate angst but I think the angst in the novel was what really elevated the story. It really ensured the odds against them were high and made you wanna root for Pat and Pran harder.

It is also interesting how it seems like they would have aired everything they have shown in the trailer by episode 4 or 5.

Unsurprised as it seems even the director seems to imply he also thinks the first 3 episodes of the drama will be the weakest but gives full assurance things will get really exciting from episode 4.

Which really shocks me. The weak episodes are already this good. I don't even want to think how good the stronger episodes are.

The show explains that Engineering and Architecture departments have been enemies in that university for generations. So it's a rivalry brought by tradition.

The first fistfight would've never happened if Wai didn't give the middle finger to the Engineering boys. You know how men can go wild over football matches.

Pat's sister Paa and Pran's female friend Ink are rumored to be the second couple

Most likely there would be as they become lovers early on in the story.

Pat is also bisexual in the novel, it is mentioned he had girlfriends in the past. It's just that unlike other BL characters, he never goes "I am only gay for you" with Pran. He was pretty clear he isn't straight even if he has slept with girls before.

Young fanbase? Of all stories... Bad Buddy lol? I think this story is wayyyy too angsty to fit that bill. It may be not your taste and has flaws but I feel juvenile is the last thing I would call it.

The intro parts do get juvenile with the faculty fights but once the romance officially begins for the leads, it immediately shifts to a more mature tone.

Your figures seem off, it's only 395k views where I am for episode 2 part1/4

I was typing from my phone browser and couldn't proofread my text until I clicked post 😂 so I only edited from thereon.

The contrast between Pat and Pran's friends... Pran's friends seemed even happy his love interest might be a dude.

While your opinion is definitely valid, I just need to clarify that the novel is character-driven and not plot-driven, which is why it is fully understandable that people who prefer well structured plots might not like this drama. The story is basically a BL retelling of Romeo and Juliet in Bangkok 2021. It's tropey, cliche, and not that original. But the story itself has a lot of heart as it unfolds.

So far the drama has been quite faithful to the novel in premise. If you expect a sudden change in plot direction, then maybe this isn't the drama for you as this will be a very character-driven story in how Pat and Pran consciously make difficult choices for themselves and how they feel in spite of their outside environment that is against their relationship.

And I do agree with you. The elements you talked about (friends fighting, parents toxicity) were also things that I disliked when I began reading the story. The friends issue does eventually get resolved and the parents arc eventually does become engaging only for the satisfaction of seeing Pat and Pran try to protect their relationship and each other, which were the most moving aspects of the novel for me so I felt it was angst I appreciated.

Bad Buddy is a university BL, though I think story-wise Bad Buddy is as heavy as ITSAY.

P'Boss has always been more artistic than P'Aof (you even see Wong Karwai influence in ITSAY), but the human condition has always been P'Aof's specialty.

That's how fans of the novel describe it too. Which is interesting because GMM marketed this as a college engineering BL catered to teens when the story's premise is anything but.

And this is where I think Bad Buddy lapsed. Even with inserting comedy, Bad Buddy as a story should be marketed to young adults (especially when it enters the second arc) instead of teenagers. The thing is, the fanbase of Ohm and Nanon are girls their age or younger (especially Nanon after The Gifted). So definitely lots of teens.

But Bad Buddy as a story is very Nicholas Sparks. So better for YA.

I think ITSAY and Bad Buddy are very different, even in genre. ITSAY is a coming of age human drama. Bad Buddy is an epic romance story of 2 people who will fight for their love. As a romance fan, Bad Buddy (Behind the Scenes) is one of my favorite BL novels romance-wise.