brutality on a stick
This review may contain spoilers
Sex with a side of emotional abuse, anyone???
LONG REVIEW AHEAD BC I'M A HATER!!! :)
Also, a lot of smiley faces bc I'm passive aggressive. :)
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Thailand is known for its large production of BL's. However, because of these yearly influxes, the quantity has risen while the quality has fallen into a large, steaming pile of dung. Cutie Pie is no exception. :)
I went into this drama expecting to witness forced proximity turning into mutual love. I enjoy that trope, as it allows characters to build on perceptions, release negative stereotypes, and form a mutual and consensual relationship that suits them. This was, after all, an arranged marriage, where one character hoped to win the other over in the end. But did I get what I was expecting? No. Not at all. Actually, I got everything I didn't want and more. :) Can you tell how happy I am about that???? :)
ANYWAY.
If you haven't seen it, let me lay out some details. Our main characters are as follows: Kuea Keerati (NuNew), Lian Kilen Wang (Zee), Khondiao (Nat), Yi (Max), Syn (Yim), and Nuea (Tutor). Kuea is engaged to Lian, and their relationship is quite rocky as they are both harboring secrets that could change the course of their engagement. Khondiao is NOT in a relationship with Yi, but Yi is very protective of Khondiao. Finally, Syn and Nuea are side characters who form a relationship of their own throughout the series. Unfortunately, that's as simple as it gets. The rest of this show is filled with a plethora of crying scenes, miscommunication out the wazoo, some bar/club action, college activities, and a whole lot of pain and suffering (partially from me).
SPOILERS FOR THE REST OF THIS REVIEW!!!
Now, if you have seen it, please sit back and enjoy my rant as I dive into my ratings.
Story? 4/10.
I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. :)
I am notorious for not watching trailers, as I enjoy blank slates when going into shows/movies. So you can imagine little old me going into Cutie Pie with my aforementioned expectations.. and being extremely disappointed. Now, imagine that disappointment with my other notorious action of always giving things second chances (and thirds and fourths). Como se dice 'more disappointed'?
Let's begin with Keau and Lian's storyline. We've got a kid full of life and adventure who is engaged to a pretentious man he pretends to be perfect for. This perfection means that everything Keau loves has to be kept secret. But wait! Lian already knows? Yes. Their entire storyline ebbs and flows off of the secrets Keau keeps that Lian is already aware of. So we have Keau, who is hiding his true self--which in his mind is keeping his engagement afloat--and on the other end, Lian is watching him suffer to keep these secrets, even though he's already accepted Keau and his lifestyle. Not only that, but Lian is in love with Kuea just as Kuea is in love with Lian. But does Lian share this information? No. He just lets Keau stay heartbroken at the thought that his fiancé will never feel the same way as him. And the only reason I can come up with as to why this information isn't shared sooner, is because Lian's a grown man who doesn't know how to use his words. :) Not until the 7th episode, anyway. But even after that, their relationship is even more rocky. Go figure, right?
Nonetheless, the production team makes up for this terrible plot with a bunch of sex scenes. Just kidding! There are sex scenes, but I didn't forget what Keau had to go through in order to get steamy in the sheets. Toxicity was all I could see, so I still can't believe their relationship ended the way it did. Which, by the way, super cheesy ending. I hated it. Like everything else about their relationship. :) 2/10
Now, let's drag Khondiao and Yi's storyline through the mud! I have never been more annoyed at a couple than I was while watching Khondiao and Yi interact. You're gonna sit here and tell me that I waited an entire season (what was it? eleven episodes?) to find out that Yi was so protective of Khondiao, because he hadn't been able to save Khondiao from an animal attack that somehow took away his memory? You're telling me that Yi put Khondiao through so much emotional abuse because he felt guilty about what had happened in the past? Make it make sense. Please. Because Khondiao went through so much turmoil to not only be treated like shit and given the ugliest dog as a present, but we find out that he remembers what happened and he's been fine with it this entire time?? 1/10
Let me move on before I get heated again. :)
Syn and Nuea. Their progression was actually somewhat of a surprise, but not in the way you might think. Yes, it was a breath of fresh air to see a somewhat healthy interaction between two college boys who obviously find each other attractive. I enjoyed the flirtation, the looks, the slow-burn... BUT... their intimacy towards the end felt so random and undeserved. Does that make sense? Like, it would have been perfectly fine had they never shared a kiss. Their storyline just didn't evolve enough for it. Plus, the kiss just didn't suit their characters. While Nuea was flirtatious, Syn was reserved. If I was the director, I would've had them share a kiss with no one watching. 7/10
Acting/Cast? 7/10
Eh.
Since this was NuNew's first drama, I'll give him a break. His acting wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. I hate being able to tell when actor's are doing their jobs, and there were several times where NuNew's acting did just that. Zee was great. Love ya, bud. Max was alright. Yim and Tutor were okay. Nat, however, I'm just not a fan of. No hate, but the kid needs some work. The only scene that I found he acted well, was when him and Max were at the skate park, and he's angry that Max won't tell him the secret he's been hiding.
I don't remember anyone else.
Music? 8/10
Not bad, if I'm being honest. The title track? Ass. Everything else? Good. I loved NuNew's voice, and I hope to hear him singing OST's for other shows!
Rewatch Value? 1/10
If I ever find myself perusing the internet for something to watch, I would only choose this series to replay Syn&Nuea's scenes (specific ones only).
Overall? 4/10
Filled to the brim with problematic themes, characters, and scenarios, Cutie Pie the Series was a dumpster fire of toxic relationships acknowledging no such toxicity. Watch at your own risk. :)
Also, a lot of smiley faces bc I'm passive aggressive. :)
----------
Thailand is known for its large production of BL's. However, because of these yearly influxes, the quantity has risen while the quality has fallen into a large, steaming pile of dung. Cutie Pie is no exception. :)
I went into this drama expecting to witness forced proximity turning into mutual love. I enjoy that trope, as it allows characters to build on perceptions, release negative stereotypes, and form a mutual and consensual relationship that suits them. This was, after all, an arranged marriage, where one character hoped to win the other over in the end. But did I get what I was expecting? No. Not at all. Actually, I got everything I didn't want and more. :) Can you tell how happy I am about that???? :)
ANYWAY.
If you haven't seen it, let me lay out some details. Our main characters are as follows: Kuea Keerati (NuNew), Lian Kilen Wang (Zee), Khondiao (Nat), Yi (Max), Syn (Yim), and Nuea (Tutor). Kuea is engaged to Lian, and their relationship is quite rocky as they are both harboring secrets that could change the course of their engagement. Khondiao is NOT in a relationship with Yi, but Yi is very protective of Khondiao. Finally, Syn and Nuea are side characters who form a relationship of their own throughout the series. Unfortunately, that's as simple as it gets. The rest of this show is filled with a plethora of crying scenes, miscommunication out the wazoo, some bar/club action, college activities, and a whole lot of pain and suffering (partially from me).
SPOILERS FOR THE REST OF THIS REVIEW!!!
Now, if you have seen it, please sit back and enjoy my rant as I dive into my ratings.
Story? 4/10.
I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. :)
I am notorious for not watching trailers, as I enjoy blank slates when going into shows/movies. So you can imagine little old me going into Cutie Pie with my aforementioned expectations.. and being extremely disappointed. Now, imagine that disappointment with my other notorious action of always giving things second chances (and thirds and fourths). Como se dice 'more disappointed'?
Let's begin with Keau and Lian's storyline. We've got a kid full of life and adventure who is engaged to a pretentious man he pretends to be perfect for. This perfection means that everything Keau loves has to be kept secret. But wait! Lian already knows? Yes. Their entire storyline ebbs and flows off of the secrets Keau keeps that Lian is already aware of. So we have Keau, who is hiding his true self--which in his mind is keeping his engagement afloat--and on the other end, Lian is watching him suffer to keep these secrets, even though he's already accepted Keau and his lifestyle. Not only that, but Lian is in love with Kuea just as Kuea is in love with Lian. But does Lian share this information? No. He just lets Keau stay heartbroken at the thought that his fiancé will never feel the same way as him. And the only reason I can come up with as to why this information isn't shared sooner, is because Lian's a grown man who doesn't know how to use his words. :) Not until the 7th episode, anyway. But even after that, their relationship is even more rocky. Go figure, right?
Nonetheless, the production team makes up for this terrible plot with a bunch of sex scenes. Just kidding! There are sex scenes, but I didn't forget what Keau had to go through in order to get steamy in the sheets. Toxicity was all I could see, so I still can't believe their relationship ended the way it did. Which, by the way, super cheesy ending. I hated it. Like everything else about their relationship. :) 2/10
Now, let's drag Khondiao and Yi's storyline through the mud! I have never been more annoyed at a couple than I was while watching Khondiao and Yi interact. You're gonna sit here and tell me that I waited an entire season (what was it? eleven episodes?) to find out that Yi was so protective of Khondiao, because he hadn't been able to save Khondiao from an animal attack that somehow took away his memory? You're telling me that Yi put Khondiao through so much emotional abuse because he felt guilty about what had happened in the past? Make it make sense. Please. Because Khondiao went through so much turmoil to not only be treated like shit and given the ugliest dog as a present, but we find out that he remembers what happened and he's been fine with it this entire time?? 1/10
Let me move on before I get heated again. :)
Syn and Nuea. Their progression was actually somewhat of a surprise, but not in the way you might think. Yes, it was a breath of fresh air to see a somewhat healthy interaction between two college boys who obviously find each other attractive. I enjoyed the flirtation, the looks, the slow-burn... BUT... their intimacy towards the end felt so random and undeserved. Does that make sense? Like, it would have been perfectly fine had they never shared a kiss. Their storyline just didn't evolve enough for it. Plus, the kiss just didn't suit their characters. While Nuea was flirtatious, Syn was reserved. If I was the director, I would've had them share a kiss with no one watching. 7/10
Acting/Cast? 7/10
Eh.
Since this was NuNew's first drama, I'll give him a break. His acting wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. I hate being able to tell when actor's are doing their jobs, and there were several times where NuNew's acting did just that. Zee was great. Love ya, bud. Max was alright. Yim and Tutor were okay. Nat, however, I'm just not a fan of. No hate, but the kid needs some work. The only scene that I found he acted well, was when him and Max were at the skate park, and he's angry that Max won't tell him the secret he's been hiding.
I don't remember anyone else.
Music? 8/10
Not bad, if I'm being honest. The title track? Ass. Everything else? Good. I loved NuNew's voice, and I hope to hear him singing OST's for other shows!
Rewatch Value? 1/10
If I ever find myself perusing the internet for something to watch, I would only choose this series to replay Syn&Nuea's scenes (specific ones only).
Overall? 4/10
Filled to the brim with problematic themes, characters, and scenarios, Cutie Pie the Series was a dumpster fire of toxic relationships acknowledging no such toxicity. Watch at your own risk. :)
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