Cutie Pie (2022)

Not Bad, But Not Great.

Plot: Kuea is part of a rich family who has close ties to Lian's family. Since the boys were young, Lian and Kuea were set up to be in an arranged marriage by Kuea's grandfather. In the beginning of the drama, we learn that Kuea has a second life that he keeps hidden from Lian because he's afraid that Lian will disapprove of his interests. He's created a different version of himself that he presents to Lian, but that is not the real him. Unbeknownst to him, Lian already knows all of his secrets but is waiting for Kuea to finally be brave and tell him the truth. So throughout the whole series we see Lian put Kuea in situations where he has to finally tell the truth about himself, only to learn that Lian loves him for who he is.

I usually have more to say about a drama and I usually dive into the pros and cons of each drama. I think that there weren't really pros or cons. It was just a blah drama. I liked Kuea's acting because he was quite expressive. But there were some troubling plot themes. Like Lian practically stalking Kuea at all times. Kuea doesn't know, but Lian basically knows every move he's made. And he doesn't tell Kuea at all.

It's as if the drama almost wants us to believe that the theme is that couples should have open communication with one another to avoid having problems. Lian loves Kuea, but by never expressing it, Kuea starts to doubt his every move. Kuea lies to Lian about his interests and never tells him how he's truly feeling. This theme may have worked if Lian didn't already know everything that Kuea was doing. Kuea has a secret house that he sneaks off to, to hang out with his best friend; Lian knows. Kuea is a famous bar singer named Kirin; Lian already knows. Kuea has changed his major; Lian knows. Kuea rides a motorcyle and fast cars on a track; Lian knows (this one was the most puzzling since he was going to Lian's best friend's racing track). What this does is it makes Lian's secrets come off badly. Yes Kuea kept secrets about his true interests, but Lian kept secrets about the house deed. He misled him when he told Kuea he didn't love him "as he was (which was the fake Kuea)." And the fact that he kept tabs on Kuea, in everything he did, was very weird. It was almost stalker-ish. It felt very unequal. I would have loved to see both of them discover things about each other. I think it would've made the drama make more sense. Both men were put in this arranged marriage, and they spent time away from each other. It would've been much more convincing to see both of them have these expectations of each other, and slowly find out that they were wrong. That, as they learn these truths that were opposite of what they expected, they actually loved their real selves much more.

Finally, the actual actors put a lot of time acting like they are in love with each other, but is seems that New is quite uncomfortable with the skinship. It's like Zee forces himself onto New and because there's a camera on, New tries his best to laugh it off even though he clearly looks uncomfortable. I don't like that at all.

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What a mess this is

I was intrigued by the synopsis of the series and was waiting to watch it. And then recently binged it and felt an immeasurable need to write a review nonetheless.
It was a MESS. The main subject of the series was kuea and lian getting in an arranged marriage, where kuea, a university student was eagerly waiting for this wedding as he was madly in love with his future partner and the latter, a ceo who never showed much interest in his fiance. Due to this lack of interest and love from lian's side caused kuea to call of the wedding. This could have been a great relationship development story from here but it took every turn that was all wrong.

-Lian was cold towards his fiance, which i never understood why. He did seemed to care about kuea but later on this care totally started looking like over possessiveness and controlling. I don't know why when kuea asked him if he loves him or not he says no. Whereas, just after calling off the wedding by kuea he goes around his show in the bar, picks him up and kiss him while he was drunk. Like whyyyyy?????!!! You don't kiss someone if you don't love them and they love you when they are drunk and probably don't even know whom they are kissing. Even though kuea kissed him back i think that was not consentual if he doesn't even remember it in the morning due to alcohol. Moreover I don't know why he wanted to keep kuea with him so bad, i understood the marriage set up by elders, and the so called responsibility but saying he doesn't love kuea then controlling his every action and situation so that he doesn't have any chance but to remain close to lian was so messed up. Like even after there first sex i was still like does he love him for real or the responsibility has pushed him to do anything to keep kuea with him. Like lian is not an ideal lover what so ever. He was possessive, controlling, mean, selfish and other 20 bad words. I don't really think kuea ever felt like he can be himself in front of him.
On the other hand kuea was just as confusing. Why he needed to hide his true self from lian. They knew each other since they were kids, how both of them never sensed that they have changed or was hiding there true self. Kuea didn't go back to US to study to spend time WITH lian but never ever discussed his liking with him??? I mean how? They did go on dates from the movement of kuea's dicision to stay in Thailand. How they never talked about their likings to each other. Why he started hiding it and what impression did lian gave him after his homecoming that made kuea to hide such things. God it was so complicated and TOXIC.

The second couple yi and diao was terrible as well with a little better development from diao's side. Yi is so controlling over diao's outing from the beginning to the point to set curfews for him. And it was clear diao was very very scared of yi. But the question is WHY???
The relationship and cohabitation and diao living in yi's house was vague at the beginning and remained like that to the end. Something happened to diao because of yi which was also vaguely explained. Everything was too vague between them. They looked cute but this relationship was nothing more than toxic from yi's side.


Both the relationships was nothing sort of ideal, it doesn't have to be. What it have to be was full of growth and development which lacked heavily. Both hias wanted to keep there partners with them no matter what, irrespective of the fact that kuea and diao was in love with them totally. They didn't wanted them because they love them but because it was a responsibility which was so unfair for kuea and diao's side who loved them unconditionally even after there controlling behaviour.
Lian knew that kuea will never reject him if he shows little interest in him and that was what was happening from 2-5 eps. Lian came close to kuea so many times to have his way which kuea obliged and was forced to accept his condition because ofcourse he loved him and was threatened in the name of his mother. Like SO TOXIC. Why would you do that to someone who loves you so much.
Yi gave diao his house to live and in exchange took his freedom as rent. He WANTS to know where diao is everytime and is not very supportive even when he is with kuea after his curfew. Diao was visibly scared of yi and sometimes i felt like he liked it. He loved having someone so much in his control.
I loved that diao stood up for himself and was very clear about his feelings unlike kuea who when was close to lian acted like he loves him and then when alone made plans to "uncover lian's truth"( i don't know why he was thinking the way he was").

Overall the only cute thing in this series was foie or poppy.
The relationships was bad and toxic
Character development was like my grades, decreasing and constantly bad.
Acting was okay.

Will never suggest anyone to watch it.

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Advanced BL-creation!

This is advanced BL-creation!
Not only is there top-notch acting across the board, the cinematography and production quality are amazing and don't get me started on the OST!! The songs are beautiful and actual part of the story, adding layers to the whole.
Butterfly level was through the roof, with sizzling chemistry with all 3 cp, which is, as you may know, extremely rare. The love and fluff scenes are beautifully filmed, with exactly the right musical score, all to achieve the highest level of romance. And the kisses... oh.. the kisses.... And it all works! It made me feel all the feels, I LOL-ed a lot, I teared up when I should tear up, I -awwwww-ed when I should awwww. The fact that there was also a clear message of equality, anti-misogyny and pro-lgbtq+ rights in it that did not in any way take anything away from the story is prize-worthy. Very smooth, very well done. The reason it does not get a 10/10 is that there remains some inequality in the relationships. There is a boss and a subordinate. This to me gets old quite fast, even if so well executed as was done here.

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Cliche but with its own charms

I don't usually write series reviews but I feel like I need to write one for this. After watching all 12 episodes, I think this series was very well made from the cinematography, the plot, the character development and even the ost.

Cinematography: The whole series was very well made. The camera angles and color scaling are very top tier. Watching the NC scenes, the angles and emotions conveyed were very good. It was very well thought of. I would call the NC scenes love scenes, not sex scenes based on how everything was shown. It just felt sincere and was not lust induced.

Plot: Yes the plot was very cliche but I think they were able to connect it perfectly with the main message of the series which is marriage equality. Because of this premise, they were able to openly and greatly talk about marriage equality, gender equality and all the concerns the society has with it (i.e. same sex marriage not being legal so how do same sex couples share their assets and properties?) throughout the series. I also like how they just don't mindlessly put it in just so they can say it's there. It was really well thought of and didn't seem awkward. Also, aside from marriage equality, I really like how they also put in little pockets of social issues in there. They talked about age gap relationships, inappropriate sexual jokes, loving and accepting yourself etc. Like the same sex marriage message, they were able to flawlessly blend it within the plot and story flow. Compared to other romantic comedy series I have watched, I think the story flow and plot for this series was quite smooth and didn't seem so rushed. Plot holes are significantly lesser vs other series.

Character Development: The main problem of the series imo is the communication problem between the characters. Yes, it's very cliche but I think it's very common in real life too. I think this main problem showed character development not only between the two main leads but also with the supporting leads. You will see the development of each character from the start of the series to the very end. I admit it was difficult to watch since as a viewer, you will know exactly what is happening and know what the character is thinking but keep in mind that the characters themselves do not know what you know as a viewer just like how we struggle with ourselves and others in real life.

I also really like how most if not all of the conflicts in this series are internal conflicts. (the character's struggle with themselves). There wasn't a hard third party conflict or family vs the two lovers cliche. It was mostly about the characters dealing with their own internal problems which I think is relatable in real life.

Actors:
The actors, especially Zee was great as usual. I think this guy can act just by using his eyes tbh. He was able to deliver the right emotions to the viewers very well which is hard bc his character is very serious and doesn't seem to show emotion much.

NuNew who is a rookie actor did exceptionally well in my opinion. As a rookie, he had so much crying and emotional scenes which I think would be very hard for a newbie to handle. He delivered very well. It didn't seem so awkward and the tears looked very natural. He also sang in the series. His voice is really nice. This guy has a very bright future ahead because he is very talented.

For Max and Nat, as supporting actors I think they were able to do well, although of course there is always room for improvement. I think they supported the main characters well. Max (Hia Yi) with Zee (Hia Lian) and Nat (Diao) with NuNew (Kuea). I personally liked Kuea and Diao's friendship. Their scenes were always so adorable!

As for Tutor and Yim, I heard that their characters weren't originally in the novel so I get it that they seem a bit out of place and had quite a few scenes. I think they were included in this series as a way to introduce them to the audience. They had good chemistry and I'm excited to see more of them, hopefully in bigger roles.

Also, just to add, this series has a very top tier OST. The songs are just so goooood! Literally my favorite ost for this year tbh.

Overall, I think it was very well made. Of course no series is perfect and there will always be negatives. Personally, I felt like the secrets between the characters were waaaayyy too much. Like Kuea had a whole other persona he was hiding from Lian. Although I understand it has something to do with Kuea being able to accept himself first, it just gets so drawn out for me as a viewer. Aside from some few small things like that, I think Cutie Pie was able to deliver more positive points vs negative points for me. I would suggest people to watch it first before judging because of the "cliche" premise.

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❤️❤️

One of the best bl of 2022 with the best ost and the best cast. I actually started watching this drama for zee and nunew but now am falling for max and nat. Acting skills of max and nat is improving year by year giving us the perfect version of themselves. They are so cute. Some people find this series boring i dont know why. But for me it was refreshing and something new, not like any other bl series with high school love story or where one is homophobic but later falls in love with a guy (it does not makes any sense) but this series has something new to offer. Yeah the hiding thing was a bit too much but thats okay, i love this series and the actors ❤️❤️

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“How you feel?” I feel let down!

This is the first time I’ve watched a BL with the tag ‘Arranged Marriage’ and yes, I was a bit disappointed.

The drama started off wonderfully! And I loved the dynamic between Kuea & Lian. I loved how Kuea acted in front of Lian, very different from how he actually was. Those parts were pretty funny when he tried to hide his real image from Hia. Plus, I also adored Kuea & Diao’s friendship! Not to mention, the couple’s chemistry was really good. I didn’t even realize this was New’s 1st drama. The comedy was pretty good too, it made me laugh a lot.

What disappointed me?
Everything was going well. But, idk wth happened after they became a couple because the story got cheesy,cringe & very boring after that.On top of that, they introduced the property deal & stuff to twist the story. I guess I’ll never understand why the writers need to include a silly conflict in a BL all the time! Apart from that, the second couple’s story was very uninteresting and boring. I just never understood if Yi’s love for Diao was actually love or just sympathy? (though I started liking them in the very end). Also, there were so many kisses between the MC. So many that it got pretty repetitive & soon…boring (yet again). It felt like they were trying to fill in the time by unnecessarily including them.

The only thing that kept me watching it was the third couple which wasn’t expected. Their story was really good & engaging. But, it didn’t take long for them to ruin this, my only hope, too. In ep6-8 we see the 3rd couple gaining some momentum but again in ep9 Nuer is looking at Kuea. Plus, they had so little screentime!

The last few episodes were even boring especially, the main couple. Their story bored me a lot. The marriage proposal and rejections. Plus I don’t how Kuea easily forgave Lian and he was seriously acting like a kid in the 11th ep. I just didn’t understand his character at all.

Lastly, if you just want to refresh your mind from all the worries, you can watch this drama since the romance is good & fluffy! Just that some bits had me disappointed. :)

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Equality of Marriage

What i love the most about Cutie Pie is they really support LGBTQ+ community and equality of marriage. the story may not have heavy plot but they show us that small thing like communication is really important to any relationship. not only about lovers but communication with family, with friends, and with everyone. they also show us that to accept our real self is really difficult, and it takes time. i love the way they deliver the story.

acting of cast, kudos for zee pruk and nunew chawarin. as for zee pruk we all know that he is great actor. he can deliver all the emotion, especially with eyes. his eyes can speak it self you know? he is born to be an actor. as for nunew he is really did great as for new comer. sometimes i feel like he's not a rookie at all. it must be difficult for him to act as someone with 2 personality like kuea. but at the end he ate everything. as for other character i'm happy that most of them can deliver well, i don't feel any awkwardness from them at all. but there is one character that i think need to improve a lot, diao's actor.

music, i don't think i need to say a lot about this because everyone knows that cutie pie has the best OSTs for BL series. i mean not only one song but all of their OSTs, including the cover, are really good.

i definitely recommend everyone to watch this show. worth to rewatch too ❤
kudos to all the cutie pie team. they deserve their success.

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What in the actual stupidity

Phew boyyyy where to even start.
I'll just start with the casting part, considering Zee having really good acting roles previously, this series was degrading for him. Nunew is a rookie actor and c'mon what would be there to expect, his whiny, obedient and full of unpredictable mood changes was really hard to watch:// It would be so much cooler if the personality behind Kirin was true and Kuea appeared stronger. I also didn't get his obedience to Lian and playing a sweet kid just for Lian to marry him???:// I mean how disappointing it could get.

But wait.. One night Lian assaulting him and calling him names and letting him go crying really gaved a feeling that Lian really hated him and never even wanted to marry him, it was just out of promise and responsibility. But after couple of days later he started to care, being so lovey dovey and kissing him??!! what was that hateful action about??? Why did they have to make it as a rollercoaster and couldn't they just stick to one story and didn't constantly change it, it would be so much fun to not hear Kuea whining all the time it still hurts my ears and he got a rookie of the YEAR award(I mean not rightfully, thw voting was literally bought from NuNews company obviously, I mean he was competing against Bible..) But even if the voting was manipulated, didn't they watch him act????

Overall I dropped this series and never going back to never ever again, I don't need to actually, story is so dull and silly it's obvious how will it end.

Only thing I like about this series is jist one song that I still listen.

Bye, peace

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