Endearing silly little show

Is this a masterpiece? Certainly not, and I don't think it set out to be either. It's just a silly little romcom that doesn't take itself too seriously. The characters are all lovely and bright. It's a sweet little thing that I have a special place in my heart for.

This is objectively a mid show that did admittedly falter/worsen as the series progressed BUT lemme promote it to you. If you want something you can laugh at out of sheer ridiculousness, this is for you. It's so dumb it's actually a treasure. Example:
- It's literally about a vampire and an alien obsessed human running a pork blood soup cart + the two workers they roped in (and one of them is equally as weird).
- Yoh's cute little bead charms and accessories. That give "queer art student" vibes
- Yoh being and absolute clueless dork
- Pun and his giant collection of differently colored umbrellas
- Pun being head over heels for Yoh and willingly doing embarrassing things just to appease the cute small human
- Pun sleeping in a very comfy looking coffin in his room

It's just so silly and you can just watch and enjoy. The romance is slow burn and like... ok you're just waiting for Yoh to realize shit or for Pun to DO something. But please just watch it. Go in with no expectations. Have a fun. Sometimes you don't need a masterpiece. Sometimes you just need four weirdos running a pork blood soup cart and making songs about it to promote.

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Would not recommend, but it has its moments

First of all, great casting. At least they did well there. The plot overall is not complex. Basic university bl, what can you expect.
I'm not gonna lie, I watched the main couple on 2x speed. Actors did a great job bc I could not stand Toh. I understand the character as a concept. Extremely insecure and believes that he is not deserving to even be close to Nuea, much less date him. So he happily settles for being a fan from afar. Great, I get it. The stalking was wayyy too much. I've watched a few shows with these kinds of characters and I usually dislike them. Toh is the worst of them all.

Now where the show shines is the side couples. Kaojao and Sky are precious. Sky for the most part is a total green flag and adores Kaojao with all his being. Kaojao is bullied for being fat/ugly and probably developed body dysmorphia from that. The actor himself is honestly average weight, though not a stick or muscular. I think he lost weight from HS, so I work with it. Not like average weight people can't have body weight issues too. I relate a lot to Kaojao (who is a sweetie). I really liked watching him with Sky (even if they can be all cute cliche bl).

This show is also the ONLY bl to feature a character in a side couple that is canonically not a cis man. Not a clue how one could describe Daisy's gender. I can only tell you they are not male and not masc. Let me tell you, it's a breath of fresh air to see a genuine fem character in a couple that isn't being laughed at. Touch is a huge green flag. A whole forest. My god I wish someone would look at me like Touch looks at Daisy. The way he's so respectful about their identity too. I love it.

Basically, watch at your own risk. It's cringey and not really a good show, but I can't bring myself to hate it.

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Not for everyone, but a masterpiece if it's your style

Very slight spoilers if any...

This is a show that requires patience, an open mind, and readiness to analyze what you're given.
The director's main field is in theater, which shows in how the story is told and how it's filmed. It could easily be adapted into a stage play. Thus this is very different than a typical bl and going into it thinking that it is similar would be a mistake. Tbh, it'd be a mistake to think of this as a romance at all. This is neither a romance nor a plot driven show. Rather it's an emotional psychological show that stars a simple 3 member cast.

This is a show with an incredible amount of details in the dialogue, and in lines (as in structural lines in the building, it makes sense once you watch). There are no flashbacks (think of this as a play), so everything is told purely through dialogue. This may be a turn off to some cause it can be more difficult to follow than a typical flashback. However I actually really like it because I can use my imagination to see what happened all while being able to watch the actor's emotions as they tell it. I'm able to see their real present emotions.
I'm writing this after my second watch. I previously watched this months ago, but decided to rewatch so I can absorb all the information and hidden meanings properly and I'm glad I did. Now that I know everything, every line as a hidden meaning. Every line has power. Despite this being a slow show there is not one moment in this show that is not important. Repetitive? I guess maybe, but that's really a stylistic thing. I'm on the side of it working to hammer in the points while also adding new info. It's also a show that works on the past and present having a significant amount of parallels. So if you're like me and like shows where you can analyze the scenes and dig deep into whats happening, this here is a gold mine.

Plot wise it's about the divide between people who live different kinds of lives, those who live trapped by the past, and those who fight to create a present they are proud of. In is a man who hides in fear from the world hoping nobody finds him, but it secretly lonely. Mol, a woman who ignores truth by living in a fantasy and rejecting anything that doesn't fit her ideal. And Wang, a young man who fights to find his truth and be free. The story revolves around these three and the emotional conflicts between them.

The acting is phenomenal. Brilliant casting choices. The acting is on the theatrical side, but because the show it written like a stage play, I say it fits. It might not work in some other shows, but here it's totally fine and I loved all the actors. Some of the best acting you'll see in a bl (if we're calling this that). It is my biased opinion that this is also one of the hardest bls to act in. I watched an interview with the actors and they said that since the show is extremely dialogue heavy it was difficult. On top of that, because every line, every word was written with a specific intention, they can't improvise or deviate at all from the script. Pond also talked about how he basically has to represent an entire generation. Compress their worldview and goals down into really complex lines.

Now, this is not a romance and they don't end up together, so I deal with it. I also think that this emotional rollercoaster of an age gap family conflict show wouldn't work as well had Wang not been Mol's son. The show heavily relies on the parallels between the past of Mol/In/Siam, and the present of Mol/In/Wang. It also heavily relies on Wang being the young rebellious kind who grew up in a slightly more accepting society. This show would not work the say it did had this age gap not existed.
I absolutely don't blame people who don't watch the show due to the age gap, but I still think that even with it, 180 degree is an incredibly well made show that, if you have the patience for it, will take your heart, swing it around and crush it for 8 episodes, and then hand it back to you as you stare off in disbelief at what you just watched. It's quite good at repeatedly throwing emotional scenes at you when you're not ready for them. Just when you think the emotional stuff is over, it hits you harder in a different way.

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A work of art in acting and script, but exhausting and not for everyone

Writing this cause I'm tired of people misunderstanding this show. People are allowed to dislike things, and I absolutely would not recommend this to everyone, but to say this has a 'bad ending' feels weird.

To start off, THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL BL. The purpose of this show is not romance. If you want to watch a show just to ship the cp and have your cute gay boys kissing (nothing wrong with that!!), this is not the show for you. This show at it's core is a giant loud and angry message about intergenerational trauma and how not respecting your kids will lead to years of pain and suffering for everyone. It's about painful character growth. It's about a pure being (Tofu) that was born out of unconditional love, discovers how awful, but complex humans are. He slowly takes away the covers and unveils the truth of Nut's life and history.

This was the first bl ever to be aired on mainstream TV. It did not hold back in its gayness. The main character is a complicated gay man who will and has yelled that he is gay. He's a bl scriptwriter who unsurprisingly wants to write a script that doesn't want to be a simple cute school love story. He wants it to be real cause gay people are more complex than what is often shown in bls. Now I'm not one to believe in the whole bl =/= lgbt media. I think that's silly. However I do think that Miracle of Teddy Bear is one of the best when it comes to displaying queer anger and pain, as well as queer joy. Not that other shows don't, but this one does it in a way where it's very clear that the writers had an agenda and a message.

The acting is phenomenal. Job is just... everything. First of all, he's pretty and his smile is an absolute treasure. He does an incredible job in portraying all of Nut's complexities. Nut is a character of extremes. He is volatile and is always one small trigger away from going off and taking out his anger at the nearest person. But he's in so much pain. He's suffered so much for so long and is so tired. However when he's happy and in love it's the purest and simplest love. And Job just GETS it. That's also why I said his smile is a treasure. Nut is angry or depressed through most of the show. When he smiles it's like "what do you mean such a character has such a cute smile?"

Inn is really good at playing a bear. Tofu is silly and awkward and way too innocent and clueless about everything. That's how he's supposed to be! He's a blank slate. Just a little bear thrown into a cruel world to show how absolutely bonkers it is for things to be the way they are. Inn was perfect.

The rest of the actors were great as well.

As for the script, it was really well written. This show has some of the best written/complex characters I've ever seen in a bl (and show in general). Everyone has a reason for being the way they are. Nobody is perfect. They feel so tangible. The way the backstory and reveals were laid out was well done. You're given bits and pieces and are left to analyze each creating your own theories, but are often ultimately wrong. You're given just enough information to get some idea, but still in search of more. It's really well thought out.

The only low score I can give this show is its rewatchability. It's not very rewatchable. Once you know everything the reveals don't give you *as much* of a thrill and surprise. Also... it's long and exhausting. It feels like a marathon. Every episode is filled to the max with information and emotion. It really is an emotionally draining show. It keeps hitting you and hitting you with painful moments with very little time to recuperate. It's a show I hesitate to rewatch as much as I love. I probably will some day though.

About that ending!! (spoilers...)
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Personally, Tofu is just a symbol. I'm so sorry Tofu, but that's really all he is. Tofu comes to life through the love Tarn has for Nut. Tofu is basically a catalyst for Nut's character growth (as well as bringing Nut's family together). Nut needed someone to give him a push and support him at his side. Tofu personally just wants to be by Nut's side, ideally as a teddy bear (which remember is a very important gift, so teddy bear ver tofu is very special too!). However, Tofu being human also means Tarn (Nut's original bf he could never date openly!) is stuck in a coma. If Tofu is human. Tarn is either stuck in a coma or will die. That is not a happy ending. Tofu 'dying' and turning back into a teddy bear means that Tarn can live. It also means that Nut and Tarn can finally have the life they deserve and weren't able to have due to homophobia.

So basically, it is a happy ending for Nut. Cause remember he never really stopped loving Tarn. That's still one of the most influential and beloved people in his life). Tofu was never meant to stay, but his presence allowed for Nut to move on from the past and find his happiness.

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