Cutie Pie (2022)

Where do I start?

The casting was phenomenal; I think all the cast members did a fantastic job in terms of acting skills. What was a miss for me was the storyline. I believe the plot of this show was to highlight two aspects; 1 was always be yourself, and the right person will love you regardless, and the 2nd was highlighted more towards the end of the show, which was the ability to have same-sex marriage in Thailand. The concept was great but poorly executed. The 2nd goal of the show was only discussed towards the end and didn't have a built-up to it to understand the plot's purpose better. The 1st goal of being yourself didn't need 9+ episodes to get to; a simple open-ended conversation with the main lead could've tackled this hurdle.

With that being said, what was a definite miss for me was the fun factor. The show needed more funny moments to keep it lively and exciting. It was missing that punch of excitement that we all watch shows for and, at times, was very snoozy. However, would I say no one should ever watch this show? Of course, not! Give it a try, some individuals might love it, and some might relate more to my opinion. It's not that I didn't enjoy watching the show; I just thought the show could have better executed it.

The refreshing part of the show was to watch the actors not hold themselves back when it came to the romantic scenes. I was exhausted from seeing actors not making the kissing scenes as realistic and spicy as they should be in other shows, and this series definitely brought the spice factor. The kissing scenes were incredible and all the other *stuff*. They didn't make me wonder why one of them wasn't even opening their mouth for a kiss, which is a plus point. The chemistry seemed natural, and so did the love factor.

Overall, I would say A+ for effort and a C for execution.

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Honestly the story was pretty dragged out, and there was basically no change from episode 1 to episode 11 for ourain couple. They just lied and kept secrets from eachother for basically no reason, while having great sex. That's it, that's the plot.
The a ting was surprisingly decent, and I have a feeling the cast did what they could with a mediocre story. The two leads were a little stupid, and bad communicators in general, but it was believable I guess, and their chemistry was nice.
But one very notable plus for me is during the leads first real sex scene, they quickly confirm they are sober, making sober decisions, and consenting. Then in the next clip on the bed we again reaffirm that at any point our protagonist can withdraw consent if his fiance does something our lead doesn't want. Just consent, and respect for your partner when you are both quite vulnerable. The bare minimum but basically a unicorn in most BLs, so I appreciate that they added that in. Even if they didn't trust eachother and had some really shitty behavior, they at least respected boundaries.
The music was really quite good, and the musician plot really allowed some really lovely sounding music. Of course is it even a Thai BL if hald the cast aren't engineering students? I really didn't care about the second lead couple, but the third couple were kind of cute.

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Disappointing!

This bl gave nothing at all and I was very hyped for it. The bl series had a good start but after like 3/4 episodes everything was a mess most scenes were cringy the NC scenes felt very forced and out of touch like they were putting on a performance not like two people causally In love and making out, the 3rd couple was bearable but still not enough to save the bl, the 2nd couple was very forgettable. I expected better and was let down big time
I literally have nothing more to say here but this review needs to be 500 words so I guess I’ll go on, most domundi BLs have this problem, the story line has potential but is always killed with lazy writing out of place events and lack of characterization and room for each character to be fully explored… I feel they need to work on that or all their BLs will be known for is just abundance of nc scenes and nothing else.

I guess they maybe deserve praise… the quality of the bl when it comes to the camera work was good ngl I loved that about cutie pie so even if it was unbearable at least it’s very clear 😭

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Not as bad as some reviews make you believe...

After two years I watched the series again to review my initial rating and it's better than I had in my recollection.

First of all the master question: Are they all in a toxic relationship. The answer is no. It's not a toxic relationsship for both couples. In the beginning it's controlling and harsh but not toxic. You may feel that way, but they are not constantly fighting, there is no abuse besides some harsh words in the beginning. The big problem for them is communication and insecurity. All of them are insecure of themselves.

While they dragged the story out a bit and they resolve their issues close to the end, this story is better than most crap we get nowadays. The story has a logic to itself, it goes not out of bounds with silly things which would not fit, and even the ads are not that much in the face as nowadays. Yes they do a lot of fan-service but in a sensual way and not just for doing it, it fit's in the narrative. They also did not overdo the comedy bits, so the series has a good flow. I only feel sad, that the third couple did not get enough screen-time. Many say there was no character development, but I would disagree. The conclusion of the show is to be yourself, to not hide yourself from yourself or others and they just accomplished it. It's a very positive note for me.

The story itself is not stellar, but again compared what we get in 2024 especially from Thailand, the production quality is stellar, the music is great, Nunew's singing is exceptional. All in all an entertaining show, which does not try to give you only good vibes. I was surprised, that I find this show now much better compared when it released, but that's ok for me :)

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Cutie pie: A groomers wet dream

I saw other reviews and thought maybe I should still give it a shot because I was intrigued by ZeeNuNew and I instantly regretted my decision. From the first episode I knew I would struggle to make it to the end because how disjointed and stupid the story was. If you like toxic age gap relationships bordering on creepy ( or just outright creepy) then series might be for you. The power dynamics are downright unfair in the first two relationships: two super rich CEOs dating younger men who are genuinely afraid of them so they live secret lives which their CEO boyfriends know about and use to manipulate them.

The first relationship (Hia Lian and Kuea) even goes as far as having the couple be engaged from childhood (they met when Kuea was born and they got engaged at ages 13 and 5)which they keep reminding us of up until the end and led to one of the cringiest lines in the series “I’ve loved you since you were born”. The second relationship (Hia Yi and Khon Diao) was particularly disturbing to me because the actor who plays Khon Diao looked like and behaved like a prepubescent teenager in the show IMO (he was 19 when they filmed the show) and it was cringey watching him interact sexually with his scene partner who is 10 years older than him in real life. The premise of their entire relationship makes zero sense and just felt like an excuse to keep and groom a child. The last and best relationship (Nuer and Syn) was the only bright spot for me, they were age mates, enemies to lovers in the least toxic way possible and they had the most realistic relationship dynamic.

The assistants especially Foei did the job of providing comic relief well and I laughed whenever they were on screen. The chihuahua didn’t want to be there and it was so obvious, she kept running away but they wouldn’t let her go.

There was absolutely no character development instead we watched the character decline. One could argue that Hia Lian and Hia Yi had changed by the end but they didn’t, they just confessed their “love” and did the things they already knew their boyfriends wanted to manipulate them to staying in the relationship after treating them like dog shit for years. Kuea started off the series sassy, cute and talented but then he devolved into this weepy spineless caricature of a person. Khon Diao kinda stood up for himself a little but never followed through on his threats to leave. All it took was a dog, a salty dinner and a weak ass confession to bring him back to obedient puppy mode.

Overall, the series felt like an ad for groomers that was overly preachy about same-sex rights in Thailand. We literally could not go an episode without being reminded about how backwards their society is in that regard. I felt like they could have been more subtle and still make the message clear, instead they just kept pushing the agenda by showing us some of the most toxic relationships I’ve ever seen on screen.

In conclusion: Watch at your own risk.

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Great in the beginning but gets boring

It was personally one of the bl that I looked forward to and it started out great but it became boring after a few episodes. There was nothing special about the storyline and there was no excitement in watching the series. It felt like I was watching back-to-back filler episodes. Good casting and amazing budget but sadly, it didn't deliver as I hoped it would due to the poor plot. It was a disappointment and I feel sad for the amazing actors. I'm only finishing it because I'm already at the end but sadly, I won't be rewatching it.

(EDITED) I ended up dropping the series. I basically only see spoilers on Twitter and I’m good to go. Predictable ending and I don’t see why I need to watch the last 2 episodes.

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Even Love Scenes Couldn’t Save It

About the only good thing about this drama was the love scenes. It was nice that they showed real passion interaction and not anything that had overtones of rape, which you usually get an a BL. However the story was very bland and quite trope-ish. It’s basically like a heterosexual romance story you would have read in the 80s, with the whole arranged marriage and misunderstanding and stoic leading male. The acting wasn’t bad, but I have seen better and it may have helped the story if they’re acting had been a little bit better or more convincing. I would’ve given this a six if not for the production value and the love scenes. That was about the only real passion I saw in this drama. But it’s nothing that I will remember or want to watch again

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Still good but a HUGE LET DOWN!!!!!!!

I enjoyed it A LOT...From ep 1 to ep 6 that is. Starting from ep 7 it just went downhill for me. From the moment Kuea realized it was Lian he kissed in the 1st ep it meant he didn't have to lie about anything anymore as he realizes Lian new about Kirin. But somehow that weirdly slipped Kuea's mind and the lying dragged on for some more till the freaking end. Also YiDiao story was a hot mess I couldn't understand from start to finish. Nevermind they didn't explain the whole memory loss thing it basically means Diao went to live with a "stranger" he couldn't remember?! And since when exactly?? That did it for me...That was cherry on top in terms of ruining something that could've been really great! So still good but a HUGE LET DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!

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Enjoyable

I have to admit that I was looking forward to this show. I did overall enjoyed it. I thought the whole premise of two boys at such a young age would be expected to get married in a society that does not have marriage equality.
The main couple was cute, and it was clear, even with all the weirdness, that they loved each other and were destined to be together. The secondary couple was cute, too, Lin and Kondao.
Kirin's crew was so good. I really enjoyed their interactions with each other and Hia Lian. Sin and Nuea were so cute, especially with their kiss! You go, Nuea!
I do have some issues with the show. I feel that the odd brainwashing of the two main characters was never addressed by anyone in the show. I did enjoy the push for marriage equality at the end, but I wish it had been a bigger issue through out the series, not just mentioned at the club and at the end.
It was never clear exactly what Lin did to Kondao. It was unclear as to why Lin felt the need to take care of him, even after Kondao came back to Thailand. I wish there had been a discussion with them about the past and perhaps looking forward to the future together.
I felt the acting overall was really good. I really appreciate Zee, Nu, Max and Nat. The overall chemistry between the characters was good too.
I do still have a few questions.

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La mejor serie adaptada de una novela

Cutie Pie no es para todos los públicos, y no por las escenas que todos podemos pensar, si no por la propia historia que como su título ya indica, es una historia dulce, sin mucho drama, y eso no es para todos los gustos.

Cutie Pie trata de una pareja que se conocen desde que eran niños y siempre han sabido que se iban a casar (aunque no les fuerzan, tienen opción de rechazar el matrimonio) pero que a medida que se hacen mayores esconden sus verdaderas personalidades para intentar encajar uno en la vida del otro.

Sin querer da muchos spoilers, Hia Lian trabaja duro desde que era un niño para poder encajar en la familia adinerada de su prometido y que no le juzguen, y Kuea intenta ocultar su verdadera identidad por la misma razón: encajar con lo impuesto por la sociedad y su propia familia (de forma indirecta) y ser el marido perfecto para el empresario en el que se ha convertido Lian. Sin embargo, ambos se dan cuenta de que eso no funcionará, y tendrán que descubrirse el uno al otro de nuevo si quieren que su matrimonio funcione.
Cierto es que ninguno de los dos hace las cosas demasiado bien y tienen muchos malentendidos pero, ¿ sería una buena serie sin esos malentendidos que enganchan a la audiencia? Ambos personajes cometen errores, pero también tienen una buena comunicación cuando realmente quieren sacar su relación adelante.

Sobre la pareja secundaria no hay mucho que decir, excepto que su historia avanza muy lentamente y está llena de secretos y remordimientos, y que ninguno sabe qué hacer con ello (sospecho que tendrán protagónico en una segunda temporada).

Yo que he leído la novela, solo puedo decir que es una adaptación extremadamente buena. Los actores parecen sacados de la propia novela y no sólo eso, si no que añade temas que en la novela no se tocan demasiado, o lo hacen sin profundizar.
En la serie se habla de los derechos de las personas LGTBIA+, no sólo una, sino varias veces, y sobre todo, sacando a relucir la falta de derechos que tienen las parejas homosexuales para poder casarse en Tailandia.

Se ha convertido en mi serie favorita sin duda alguna.

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Intolerable Absurdity

The very premise of this show, with an arranged marriage - something extremely backwards - but a homosexual one - something progressive - is quite weird. But that's OK, I was curious how they would handle this concept and started watching in good faith. However, the idea that the older man in the arranged couple becomes the owner of the younger man, who has to obey him and cannot even go out without his permission - that was too much. The main character becomes a slave to his arranged fiancé and even his mother checks if he wasn't "naughty". The fiancé feels that he has every right to control and adult person, tell him what to do, what not to do and how to behave. What a horrible, suffocating, toxic situation! With such power relations, building love chemistry is simply impossible. I admire the actors, who did their best to make it look realistic, but even though they are clearly talented, the level of absurdity was simply too high.

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