solipsism5

Watching this Bl, I’ve been thinking about the tragic social inequality in Thailand. It’s apparent that there are many people making over $100 million a year and those that are making only about $10 million. I feel after looking at Thanu’s mansion we can safely assume that we are safe from having to watch one of the lower-class BL’s where people don’t need a car to get from one side of their mansion to the other (ugh!). What’s also good about this show is that Wayu has to pick one super-handsome millionaire over another, rather than having to pick some poor waif. It’s a great study in the effects of affluenza and Wayu has it pretty bad – it might be one of the worst cases I’ve ever seen. Having caviar and champagne on your own private jet might not seem like a hardship but hardly anyone can understand the spiritual damage that this kind of lifestyle causes. Looking at poor Wayu’s face you see the deep sadness of the princess who couldn’t sleep for weeks because of a pea that was under 20 mattresses, and you think his pain if far greater than mine, because I’m used to the hard world having only $200 in my savings account.

This show is almost ranked at 8.9. I'm just guessing this because it is in the top tier of shows with an 8.8 rating [only two shows above it and 30 below]. It's only taken a few hundred votes to get this show from ranking 66 to 51 [about from 3950 to 4650], and it seems certain they must be mostly positive votes. Other series have thousands more ratings so hopefully that means Bad Buddy will keep going up. As an example ITSAY has over 13,000 ratings vs. 4600 here. I think the show is finishing strong and a lot of the earlier lower votes are being displaced. It would be really awesome to see a 9.0 by the end of this series.

I don't know how they tally "watchers" which affects the popularity rating. Is it from people who come on to this page? And I still have no idea what the difference between top show is vs. top ranked. Anyone who knows about these things, please let me know.

Reading some posts below, I just want to say that I don't condone vigilantism but I'm not sure how effective or not it might be. Peaceful protests work in pretty civilized societies but try some of those things in a brutal dictatorships and you might not like the results. I don't think this series ennobles or dignifies violence nor does it disparage it, but uses it as a plot device. White will probably have a journey in this series where he agrees with Black's friends to some degree but will probably revert to his more temperate stance on violence when it comes to achieving social justice. This is just my prediction, but that would be the logical progression for his character - he'll agree with some of what his brother did far more than he was prepared to acknowledge, but will later see that these measures go too far (again just a guess). The others characters are motivated by a strong sense of justice and will perhaps learn other means of gaining their ends without risking their lives and destroying the property of wealthy oligarchs [some of them, after all, are law students].

I think this drama is exploring this complex mix of personal expressions of the need for justice and these ideas can take a wide variety of forms - even the justice that each seeks is highly personal. Yok is motivated by the injustice against the disabled, Sean seems to be motivated by a personal grudge against a single individual, Gram seems to be influenced by a need to reform the law system, and who knows what Black was motivated by. The graffiti, and the performance art that rail against the wealthy are not inclusive of everything this drama is trying to express, and serve more as a kind of impressionism, or backdrop rather than things that are emblematic of the complete philosophical theses of the series.

This is a very serious drama that goes beyond BL, and is very interesting in its questioning of the Thai legal system. My theory is that this show isn't being shut down because it isn't specific enough, nor does it name the monarchy or the current junta as being complicit in the current state of corruption. I believe that the current Thai government has several oligarchs that control things, so you can get away with blaming one nameless oligarch, or just blaming the blind beast called the legal system. This protest in this drama is nebulous enough, and everyone can feel good for the call to social justice while no one is actually blamed for causing this injustice. Nonetheless, Not Me is still doing a lot better than hardly any other drama to bring the idea of social justice into the limelight and should be commended for doing so.

Wow, that was incredible. This series has never disappointed me [except maybe some of Wai's behavior which was mostly made up for]. This episode is just sterling, and if anyone had any qualms about the last episode this should make up for almost all of it. Wai is now clearly not the villain and the real tragedy of the story of the father relegates Wai to the minor position [as antagonist] that he always held. Both parents should be rightfully accused of virtual child abuse for having passed on their personal vendetta to their children even if Pran's mom is less culpable than Pat's father. There is never any excuse for warping a child's mind by filling it with hatred, and if Pat and Pran hadn't become friends it could have messed up their minds for their entire lives - as it is, you can see how much trauma it has caused the both of them. I just want to emphasize the awesome acting job of both parents here, that completely captured the malevolence and angst of this tortured relationship [god knows why they live so close to each other]. I thought the build up to the confrontation was done so well this episode. Initially the father is forgiving and accepting of Pran since he helped his son. Later on, there was the small fake-out as they were horsing around when Pran pretends to see the father which is symbolic of their carefree lifestyle in hiding, but then the real confrontation with the father occurs right afterwards. It was such a quick and effective transition from silliness to pathos that helped create an even more effective level of drama. When Pat's father throws Pran to the floor, that was just the most intense moment of the whole series. The tension in this episode was just incredible. A little afterwards the scene with Pran crying while confronting his mother occurs. The emotionally heart-rending conversation there is followed by the slap which is as dramatic and painful as when the father throws Pran on the ground. Right after that, Pran's mom confronts Pat's dad in the most dramatic scene of the series, baring out all her anger, and self-pity in a tour-de-force of acting while the father looks at her with smoldering rage and a certain stoicism. Pran's mom does this as a gesture of how when she slapped Pran, that Pat's father is really to blame taking none of the culpability for her actions, herself. I think that is symbolic of how she has been hurting Pran the whole time via her hatred for Pat's father. You can see by the end of the episode how all these confrontations have emotionally destroyed Pran, and that he feels forced to finally escape from his mom. Nanon's acting on the rooftop just captured so vividly and effectively someone that has been incredibly traumatized, and Ohm's acting really perfectly captured his personal sadness mixed with the need to provide comfort to his lover who is in serious pain. This was just an incredible series of great scenes that just left me breathless, and was some of the best I've ever seen in any BL, or any other kind of drama for that matter. There are a lot of other mainstream BL's out there that are entertaining, but there are none that will move you like this. This was a combination of great screen-writing and brilliant acting that is at the pinnacle of what you could expect, and this BL will certainly finish as being one of the most iconic, and ground-breaking dramas ever.

I really like the hat the prince was wearing [called a gat]. In the Joseon dynasty it was made of fabric or horsehair - it's just so iconic of Korean fashion. It was really difficult to make. Here's the process:The procedure of crafting a gat is called gannil. Gannil takes much time and skills of three separate masters. The methodology is composed of three major steps: chongmojail, making of the cup-shaped upper part of the hat with fine bamboo strings or horsetail, yangtaeil, making of the brim with the same ingredients, and ipjail, the combining of the chongmoja and yangtae and lacquering of the hat. Each step is performed by a different jang, or master. I noticed this hat while watching the Korean drama Kingdom, and it's a nice touch to see it here to help bring a veneer of authenticity to this drama. This hat symbolizes status and was only worn by noblemen.
The clothes you see are called Hanbok similar to the Chinese Hanfu, the main difference being the distinctive shortened upper outer garment. Men and women wore the same clothes, though men also wore traditional Korean pants. The fabrics used were emblematic of rank, with noblemen using satin and silk [as seen in this drama], versus hemp and cotton used by the middle and lower classes.

This is the Joseon dynasty. This could be anywhere from 1392-1897 [not likely to be in the 19th century given the lack of technology]. The hat the prince is wearing is similar to those worn in the 1500's.

I love this period drama. The Joseon style clothing and architecture are really beautiful and so different from anything Chinese or Japanese. The scenery in this series is just some of the best I've ever seen in any BL - just look at that wonderful pathway they are walking through in episode 5. The plot is very jarring though- not the time travel thing - just the context of the situation of the prince. Who is supplying food to these guys? They can't just get all these things in this little outpost by themselves. Those clothes would be really hard to clean and maintain, as well. The prince would really be so busy getting food, taking care of his clothes, and maintaining this place that he wouldn't have any time to just lounge around all day like he does. The people that were sent to kill the prince should have been found to be missing, and someone would have gone to check on what happened to them. Forgetting about all these plot distractions, I really am enjoying this drama. The prince, the guard, and the time-traveling artist are all very handsome and they play their roles pretty believably. There is a lot going on with this plot - the eminent threat from the king, the riddle of the picture, and two different love stories. It's really very exciting and dramatic, even if it's all chopped up into bite size morsels. Someone has to explain to me why it's so difficult to produce BL's in Korea that are longer than 10 min. an episode. I know, I know, homophobia in S. Korea, production costs in a first world country, bla bla bla, but it still doesn't add up to me.

I loved Thanu in his new arrowing get-up. I think it was good how Wayu is at least addressing his jealousy this episode, and how everyone is actually on to Sandee. This plot is actually not that bad.

That was actually ok, mostly because of evil clusterfucker Sandee and his diabolical plans to destroy humanity. I really like this character and he is really menacing but his talents are being wasted. It's like sending Satan out to ruin a romance between kids on a playground. It seems like Sandee would be better suited to starting a nuclear war, instead of interfering with the intensely boring love-life of Wayu. I like that he's even getting into Pha's business. What's he doing there? It feels like he's trying to interfere with medical genius P'Kit's plan to resurrect Pha from certain death - he's going to make sure Pha stays dead, but how does this fit into the master plan? Now if anyone can get Pok and Tong to get back to their nasty, angry sex, it has to be Sandee - this is my main hope for the series and I know this evil genius can get us back to where we want to be.

I just wanted to emphasize what a super positive forum this is. I've seen so many boards just filled with a lot of negativity and I almost feel a sense of malaise going into them. This is just a healthy place for people to express their appreciation for a BL. The art of criticism is fine but it seems like, in many places, especially on twitter, or even other boards on MDL, there is just a constant stream of invectives against a particular show and then, subsequently, on those who like the show. I would, in general, like to see more comments praising the good qualities of shows than picking apart shows that have a few flaws in them. I think it's great when there's a show like Bad Buddy that has so few flaws where people can rally behind it rather easily, but I've still seen great shows being attacked endlessly and ferociously. I'm certainly glad it's not being done here, and it's probably because of the group of people who have commented rather vociferously on this board, and thank you for your good work here. It also takes as much intelligence and perception to see the merits of a show as it does to see its faults, and I always see such great insights on here that have enhanced my rather unperceptive view of Pat and Pran's relationship - I'm always surprised about how much I've missed. I also like the large flow of comments on here. There is absolutely nothing wrong with enthusiasm, especially when people are expressing their appreciation and love for something they feel is reflective of the best in art/drama/culture. This board also seems very warm and welcoming, very accepting of a wide diversity of thoughts and opinions. Great job to everyone who has been a part of this!

Jimmy looking dapper at 3:25

Fixed it. Lol, computer glitch

This is just the same reaction video of P'Aof and his gang with Ohm. I just thought this cut with the highlights was just so funny. The way P'Aof makes that face while Ohm rests on his shoulder is just hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BiY7ZC_JY0&ab_channel=dangoDango%F0%9F%8F%B3%EF%B8%8F%E2%80%8D%F0%9F%8C%88

This isn't an official trailer, but it's really long and has a lot of the preliminary material : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ChgdEmhcA&ab_channel=%E6%88%8F%E5%89%A7%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87

I know - it's weird. The Chinese market is definitely much bigger but there are many other Chinese dramas. This has got to be one of the best advertising campaigns ever to get that many comments without the show even starting. And it looks like it's a bromance which is really kind of amazing. Too bad there is so much censorship in China because its source material looks like BL material.

The rating here is going up really fast and that's very good news. I think it would be great to see this end in the top 50. Currently only one BL is in the top 100 which is Tale of a Thousand Stars at #94. It's a sign that BL's are becoming more mainstream and just a regular source of entertainment. I know only one thing that improves the ranking and that's people rating the show. Considering that this comment section is the biggest on all of MDL [except for Immortality], there are definitely enough people to bring the rating up. Don't forget to rate the show!!! If you're on here, or you have friends that are active on the board make sure you rate it and ask them to rate it as well.

Thanks for the validation. I saw Bas and Dun might have another series in the future- that promo poster with shirtless Dun was incredible! Looking at Dun’s profile he’s an engineering student that invests in cryptocurrencies. He’s smart and super-attractice…gaaahhh, I’m dead.

The Red Sleeve is almost done airing (at 16 of 17), clearing the way for Bad Buddy to be #1 soon. No one else is even close.

Just curious, what is the controversy exactly?

Ranking at #63 now! Bad Buddy is #2 of all current shows which is really remarkable. It really would be at #1 because no one understand why the top show Red Sleeves which is a lot less popular got ahead of Bad Buddy - someone at MDL please explain this!

Red Sleeve Popularity at #705 while Bad Buddy is at #495. I guess Red Sleeve could be at a higher rating since it might be at something like 8.85 compared to Bad Buddy's 8.82 [I'm just making up those numbers], or something like that, but who knows. Just guessing here. But, anyway, being #2 is still incredible.