Maggi64

Thanks for this! But I am confused over the wording of one part. When Hiro leaves is it cuz he is responding to Kioyi yelling at him and saying let's break up (ie, is he merely doing what Kioyi tells him to do). Or is it cuz Hira is pissed off too and storms out? It seems out of character for Hira to get pissed off and run, so it's probably the first scenario where he's listening to Kioyi . Then later on (if I understand correctly), Kioyi tells Hira to not listen to everything that he says when he is angry, cuz it's just anger talking.

Lastly, when you say Hira almost feels like a different character, is that cuz he gets more assertive in forceful ways? I wonder how the author showed that happening. I wish I read Japanese! Or that the novel was in English.

I meant earning is power. In hetero marriages a lot of times the man is mortified if his wife makes more than him. The majority of divorces are about money, not infidelity. So while it's not romantic, money matters. And it matters more as we grow up. But I can see how Hira offers other things that compensate and make the relationship believable. I actually asked the question to truly get an answer to explain why the relationship works, and not just to criticize so thanks for your answer.

aww, that's so sweet that Kioyoi wants to take care of his shy, stay at home wife. In real life, though, a ton of men would be chasing Kioyi in the modelling world and that would be a challenge in the relationship. That's why it's so funny that so far it's been Hira who got the attention from more than one man! lol. Love it!

BTW, somebody on this thread said that Hira gets a job he likes. But they never said what it was. I cannot recall who said that, but they said it's in the novel. Maybe it's in Book 3 that you have not read yet.

OMG villains are always more compelling. They say in Hollywood that the villain always gets the best lines. lol

I try not to question an author's choices, but making Kiyoi a big earner and Hira a guy who can't even get a job makes the relationship less believable. There is already a power dynamic with Kioyi having all the power, so that bit with employment would just make it more pronounced. I was hoping he'd become an adult with a more equal footing to his partner, but it looks like the author did not make that choice. Well, maybe others feel differently about this.

To those who read the novel, what does Hira do for a living after college? Kioyi is a model/actor of course. But what does a guy like Hira who does not even love photography end up pursuing? I am a writer too and I can't think of any occupation I would give this character that would fit his personality.

The only thing that troubles me in the show is Kioyi's reasons for liking Hira. Yes, he loves how Hira looks at him like a god, but that is Hira's response to him. I'm talking about qualities that Hira has independent of Kioyi. I don't see any except that he's peculiar and some are drawn to peculiarity.

What country are you in that's giving bad comments? Because I thought it was mainly Americans calling it "toxic." That's such an American complaint.

I was seeing people on youtube for Bad Buddy going on and on about how happy they were that the relationship was not "toxic." I thought, well yea, and it's also getting pretty damn dull. It's a really cute show, but once those 2 boys had their kiss, it had nowhere to go. It's just 2 nice guys being nice to each other.

People who want to see that are really just looking for a warm blanket to comfort them. This show, however, will scratch and poke you! And while Bad Buddy has nowhere to go, this one has tons of things to still flesh out. In fact, it needs way more time than 6 episodes of 23 minutes. Its only flaw is that it's too short. Those Thai BL's are all too long, while this one is too short.

Actually, I think that this show does NOT cop out like a lot of the thai ones do. In this case, they are so young that they've never dated before and could plausibly not know. By time Hira and Kiyoi get to college, it's clear they want to date men and there's no more denial in the show. But a lot of the ones that cop out give the boys ex girlfriends. Addiction, for instance, copped out. No way could those 2 boys both be straight and only 'gay for you.' At least one had to be gay.

I had to search around for the Review prompt as well. MDL is not that user friendly. But keep looking and you'll find it. So you can leave a good review after episode 6 drops on Thursday afternoon!

Can someone post the link to the CD? I know it's only in Spanish, but I heard somewhere that there is an option for "auto translate" to see it in English. Auto translations are terrible, but it's better than nothing. Besides, the translations of other Asian novels on Watpad are so lousy that it barely makes a difference if it's auto translation or living being translating the story.

Totally agree. I waited until I had seen 5 full episodes before leaving a review. But I knew I loved it even before then. I also saw people leaving tons of reviews for Bad Buddy even though it was not yet completed. But those were all positive reviews. So far, 2 of the 3 reviews on MDL are positive ones, and if fans from this discussion thread all start leaving reviews there will be more, which shall impact viewing numbers. Let's hope so cuz I would like a 2nd season.

Yea, I hate that too. Also the term "toxic." But the people using those terms are, thank god, the minority on this discussion thread. People here don't merely like it, but love it. Also, all you fans need to leave reviews in the MDL's Review section. There are only 3 reviews currently, one of which is mine. It helps a show to have more reviews. I know that whenever I check a show over on MDL, I think better of it if I see that lots of people cared enough to leave reviews.

Wow, we have the same taste cuz I love all those ones too. Paint with Love is a bit dull but as you said, at least a character says he is gay. I don't need them to say they are gay, but I also don't want a show covering it up by giving them girlfriends. The reason Kieta Hatsukoi works is that they are so young and it's a first relationship, so there is a reason for them not knowing they are gay yet. A lot of the Thai shows meanwhile give them ex girlfriends. But yes, Bad Buddy is going in a good direction cuz at least Pran didn't have a girlfriend and had been staring at Pat since high school. We can see by his behaviour if not his words that he was always knowingly gay. Oh, and to be clear, I loved Addiction. I just did not buy that a character like Gu Ha could be straight. Then again, it probably would not have been such a big hit in China if he were not played as a straight.

It was obvious he was singling out Hira, but not so obvious that it was love. For a while there, I thought the show make be about unrequited love cuz every time we got signals of Kiyoi liking Hira, Kiyoi would just call him creepy again. But yes, to your point, he did give signs, some of which were obvious. Choosing his house to go to over the summer, then going to the room was obvious, going on the bike to get ice cream, asking if he liked photography, and later asking why he always carries a camera (and caring about Hira's answers), and even flat out kissing him!
Then, in episode 4 we get big hints, such Kiyoi inviting Hira to the play's after party, asking why he changed his number asking if he liked Koyama or him. Yea, all that was obvious. But less obvious was him defending Hira from the bullies cuz he used Hira too. And in episode 3 he also yells at him Hira when Hira declares his love, so it was ambiguous too. Moreover, the character of Hira was pretty damned unlikeable with his gawky staring and stalking. It was unusual for a golden boy to like a lonely guy who has a stutter. That's why it was so surprising. What episode 5 does is to make what was odd, suddenly believable.

Exactly uua, that's what I had meant when I said the dramatic tension hails from the negative behaviors, such as poor communication. It's really quite remarkable that it works so well. I think it's cuz both actors do such an extraordinary job.

That is unusual, most people like Kioyoi better after discovering he is vulnerable in episode 5. To be clear, I do not question your likes or dislikes, but I am curious as to the reason for it. Is it cuz they are both so bad at communicating to each other? Granted, that is frustrating for the audience to witness, but it's also the whole point. All the dramatic tension hails from this poor communication. But I can see if some viewers simply do not like that sort of thing. To each his own, right?

My fav Japanese BL is the pornographer which, like this one, starts off in ways that are not exactly healthy; I mean, the guy lies to keep his love interest coming to his house. But it was original, intense and you could feel the vibe. I also liked "His" where a 17 year old realizes he's gay, because unlike the Thai BL's he admits he is gay and there is none of that, "Oh, I am actually straight but gay just for you." I hate that trope.

It's total bullshit. Now, maybe one guy in the relationship had been straight before, but at least one of the 2 would have had to have been gay from the start. The Japanese, at least, are not afraid of this, and there are no copouts. I loved "Addiction" but thought, oh, come on, GuHai had to have been gay to begin with. I don't buy that a boy can chase another boy that intensely if it's only "I am just gay for you." Maybe one of the 2 boys can be straight, but he'd have to be responding to one who was gay to begin with. Two straight boys do not have sex. In the Japanese BL's even when the boys don't realize they are gay, there is a reason for it.

For instance, the Japanese one about the eraser presents it as a 1st relationship for both boys, so that's why they did not realize they were gay (in "Addiction," conversely, they represented the "I am only gay for you" trope by giving both guys girlfriends). I can't recall the name of the one about the eraser, but it's on Viki. As some others have said here, it started fresh and cute but then around episode 6 it stagnated and stayed right where it was. I grew a tad tired of the boy saying the same things over and over. But it was still better than a lot of the Thai BL's. I have never shut a Japanese BL midway, while I often shut the Thai shows cuz they are dull and go nowhere, or are packed with cliches. "Bad Buddy" is good, but even that one won't have a character flat out say he's gay, even though he's been eyeing his friend since high school. Ugh. The director wants to represent him as gay, but seems to know that the all women fan base prefers the "only gay for you" trope. The Japanese, meanwhile, don't pander to the fujoisis. In fact, the Japanese are the ones who pointed out that it's all girls and even gave them a name. I am definitely a fujoisi, though unlike most fujoisis, I hate the "only gay for you" trope.