Cutie Pie (2022)

arranged marriage, age gap, secret identity, cohabitation, rich kid problems, he’s in engineering

It was a real pleasure to see Zee again (Why R U?) and his new love interest is very well cast. MaxNat turned in their usual consummate side dish action, (origin Why R U? also Y-Destiny & Close Friend) and it’s always fun to see Perth (My Engineer) and the other guest cameos.

With very high production values at at first I thought they were gunning for Korea, but I’m got a real Japanese feel from this one, Thai style of course but there is definitely a lot of visual referencing live action yaoi. Also the music and sound were pretty darn good.

It took me a few episodes to accept the absurd conceit of this show and its quirky characters and motivation as ALSO EXTREMELY traditionally yaoi and very lifestyle D/s. After that I just rolled with it. I realized that if this had come from Japan I would have given it a pass immediately. Why be tough on it just because it comes from Thailand? So, about half way through I liked it A LOT more.

The chronic miscommunication really tested my patience at the end tho.

A Mini Essay on My Love of LianKuea in Cutie Pie (and ZeeNunew's performances)

Honestly I just love LianKuea's dynamic, it's so D/s but also so classic yaoi seme/uke. The way Lian smiles when his Nu does something cute is so damn sweet. He’s practically the definition of a caring Dom. Killing Kuea (and us) with stern softness. Zee did a fantastic job with this character. That said NuNew also managed to give us an appealing uke with gumption and a crush and a failure to understand self actualization who we liked.

But let's be honest here, the actors' chemistry is REALLY good.

Look, there is something about the way Zee looks as his acting partners. His eyes are very doting, no mater the line delivery or any other aspects of the scene. He's been given these fierce stern roles to play in Fighter and Lian but he always seems to manage to temper his characters with fondness.

I like doting affection on screen.

I also like to see a seme actually sexually intersted in his uke, otherwise the archetype comes off as more inclined to ownership and less about desire. To be frank, Zee is also good at transmitting the "I want to bone" thing.

Since a seme character is aggressive and obsessive and intrusive he has to be tempered by some sort of softness to appeal to a modern audience. Add in authentic feeling sexual interest and the seme character MUST be gentled by the actor's performance, or we end up with a H4 situation. And Zee manages to transmit all that with just eye work. It's great to watch.

But NuNew did a wonderful job too. Kuea was clearly interested and willing and game. There’s no sign of the Blushing Maiden with this uke. Thank fuck, could we PLEASE kill that archetype?

As much as I love a Daddy who wants his boy, a boy who needs his Daddy is about a billion times better. And genuine sexual interest from the uke character is still far too rare in BL.

In this regard, Cutie Pie was a breath of fresh air.

What can I say?

They love each other, they just idiots
is a favorite of mine.

But...

They WANT each other, they just idiots?
Yeah. That one is gonna get me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

The other pairs were good too!

MaxNat serve us high heat while smiling the whole time. Which was kinda charming and basically their signature. These two just seem to have fun together. It’s nice.

Language note on Yi’s confession: Diao’s nickname khondiao means “only” or a”lone” in Thai? So when Yi confesses, he’s using world play when he says “I love you only”. More here.

However, I gotta say my favorite kiss of this show (and it was VERY kissy), was actually Syn and Nuea. Adorable. I wish we had gotten more of these two.

Cutie Pie ended very navel gaze maudlin and sappy for my taste. The absurd proposal back-and-forth thing was kinda par for the course with Lian and Kuea and their miscommunication antics, but I was bored by it.

This show went from absurd to appealing to annoying and then back to absurd again - but always sappy and nicely high heat for what ultimate seemed to be an equal marriage propaganda piece. Which I’m fine with, but Taiwan’s Faded did it better in 20 minutes back in 2017.

Nevertheless, on the strength of the chemistry of all three couples, the odd but very old fashioned romance tropes, and clear high rewatchability this one is getting a 8/10. Watch this one for the pretty, give it a pass on depth.

Lire davantage

A Cute and Fluffy Series

This story hits me in my soft spots. I love romantic fluff, when a cold character learns to open up to the person they love. Both leads had to learn that they need to be honest with their partner and that they are a source of strength to get through rough times, not to be protected from all things bad.

There were many unanswered questions in the end. Will Kuea continue singing? Will the Keerati mansion be turned into a show room? Maybe we will never know the answers.

The acting was spot on. Zee was able to show vulnerability in his gestures and glances, as well as the dialogue. I grew to appreciate him as an actor, having only seen him in Why RU. NuNew is a wonderful singer an actor. His singing skills are amazing and the role of Kuea had different characteristics, depending on who he was with. I'm looking forward to seeing what else NuNew can do.

I greatly appreciated the representation of LGBT elders with the two Grandpas. Most LGBT films and series (not only BL) do not give homage to LGBT elders, who bore much of the hatred and discrimination, while still fighting for their rights. It was great that the younger generation respected the Grandpas and the patriarchs of the family, and this show did not portray the children and grandchildren whispering and bemoaning their sexuality. The photo at the end was for the people would couldn't figure it out.

I will definitely rewatch this series, and am looking forward to other Domundi productions.

Lire davantage

Best BL

I have seen so many BLs as you can tell by my list. This is the best BL, the one everyone has been waiting for. The chemistry between the actors is phenomenal, the colors, the music, it is everything and more.

It has an interesting storyline of two males who have been arranged to marry from very young. I believe this is the first BL story that involves an arranged marriage between males, which is why they touch on the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community in Thailand. The characters are obviously in love from the start, but the need to find a way to be honest with each other so that love can really blossom, showing us that love is not always the only thing needed to make a relationship work.

It really is a great series meant to give you a dopamine drip and a gay flair in this dark and cruel world!

Lire davantage

I don't care what other review talking about but for me it's good story

As a person who read the Novel and casually watch BL/Y series and tbh this one is the one that make my heart happy.

Not only they talk about gender equality but also minor issues in our social environment that are rarely discussed because they are considered normal. That's good point here.

All actors are amazing especially Nunew. If I don't see a post that talk about how he is marely a rookie artist, I will never know coz he is absolutly amazing in this series. About Zee, no doubt. he is able to convey the character's emotions well according to the novel

The OST tho, really2 good. All of OSTs.

Nb: It's so funny to read all bad reviews here that talking about the story without read the actual Novel 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Read first before you talking BS review. That's my suggest for y'll ^^ have a nice day.

Very recommend

Lire davantage

The best BL on the planet.

As someone who identifies as LGBTQ+ this BL touches on so many important topics and I absolutely love it. Not only do they speak about marriage equality within Thailand and abroad, but they also touch on consent, which even straight dramas hardly ever do and I have watched many of those. They also touch on boundaries and how even close friends don't need to know everything that is going on in another's relationship and how teasing in public can be crossing a line which I found so important. Another thing that they touch on is how important clear communication in a relationship is and how if someone truly loves someone else, they will love all of them no matter their interests.

Also....it's called Cutie Pie for a reason. There are a lot of cute scenes and Nu-Kuea pretending to be someone he's not while with Hia Lian but it's so funny, especially when he ropes in his friends to help sell his acting...that scene will forever be the funniest scene in BL drama history.

AND THE CHEMISTRY! The chemistry between every single couple on this show is so good, but especially between Zee and NuNew who play the main couple Lian and Kuea. When I say off the charts I mean that those two obliterated the thing. I also need a full drama with Max and Nat as the main couple. Their chemistry also is off the charts (and as they have been working together for the passed 3 years I am not surprised).

Anyway, I'll leave it off here. All I'm gonna say is to not pay attention to the haters. I have done that before and almost didn't watch some of my favourite dramas, Thai and Korean, BL and straight.

Lire davantage

Beautiful show

I’m not a professional in the field of BL neither do I work in an entrainment industry but I am so disappointed in the reviews of immature people on here. I see a lot of whining and complaining about how their favorite couples not getting screen time. Cutie pie story was about Lian and Kuea just like in bad buddy it’s focus is on the main couple. Instead of crying about a side couple that knew it was only a side couple let’s focus on the hard work of a first time actor who really worked his butt off for this drama. This was his very first role for Nunew and he did his absolute best not only in his role but with music and he he treats his fans and fellow actors so well. Keep in mind the Dumondi boys love and care about each other so much and they loved this project not once did they feel upset. It’s obvious that no one reviewing has actually spent time with them watching their lives, Instagram, other programs, YouTube channels and Twitter. I followed them for over a year and just their genuine kindness and effort alone warrants a high rating, though this drama is not perfect it definitely doesn’t deserve the kind of childish criticism you are giving it. I guess you feel empowered to write anonymously online so you can just let trash out of your mouths. What a shame.

Lire davantage

That's hot!!! And adorable

I have to say that the story is a bit strange at the beginning just for the arranged marriage.. But everything falls in the right path with the development of the story, it doesn't even matter in between, is just one of the point that can create instability between the couple, but the ups and and of the plot are beautifully written. The scenes are on point, nothing to say until the last part of ep 9 when the thing start getting out of hand because of misunderstanding due to miscommunication.. The curse of 11th ep was around the corner and it really hits hard thanks to the beautiful acting of the leads.. I mean, they are always Amazing but the sadness here is truly well conveyed. Every song is outstanding and has a deep meaning in the plot of the ep., it's like the real thoughts of the characters express with music! I'm in love with everyone of them.
The leads are adorable and Yi and Diao couple is a little underrated but lovely on the screen. I hope for a parallel story about them (maybe "naughty boy" can become real)
Rewatch for sure!

Lire davantage

was good

i thought this was good but i was wishing that this person would stop doubting his other half so much. it was a up and down roller coaster of emotion. it was bit too much. the second people cleared theirs up nicely after a nice talk. if they all had just communicated in the first place, it could have been just 8 episodes. i wanted to see a wedding after all that. but maybe some one will make a quick movie for that showing both or at least the main couple. i kinda think they ran out of money at the end and all though it was a sweet ending seemed a bit abrupt. and they only touched on the in school couple briefly. would have loved to see more of that one. the keeping secrets an then saying the other person didnt love them was getting on my nerves, when they had a full hand of secrets in their pocket. i still enjoyed the ride. just glad this part is over.

Lire davantage

The Pilot Episode brought me here...

I don't have issue with casts. Zee is a perfect choice..., the acting skills of the Actors were good, it was a well budgeted series, you can see for your self, my issue was the story itself... For a beginners, this is better than 2gether of Brightwin, but for those who already watched a lot, it was a disappointment, but the Pilot Episode brought me here. They started this series very promising.

I just need consistency for the Characters specially the Leads , I felt that the way they treat their partners were too cringy like a Baby, I mean they are college students already hello, but the NC scenes were too much dont you think? Well, I can let go of this issue, but Ep11 was a bit too off. The secrets that Kuea has been hiding all his life, with Lian's capabilities and resources, does he never think that one day he will find it??? I mean for someone you Dream all your life, how come you never think of confessing your secrets..Ep11 is the best timing for that if Im the Writer, the part where they decided to tell everything to Kuea, its about time Kuea should confess everything before going to Lian's family gathering.. The confession of Kuea's secret should be the highlight of Ep11 and not the unnecessary rejection of marriage proposal.

Let's see how the remaining episodes will pull off to make this series better....

Lire davantage

Best BL for me

This is the best BL 2022 for me! Production and visual are on point, they really put everything in these. Acting and chemistry are beyond words esp Zee and NuNew, other supporting actors also did great job. Ost? I love every single of them, fyi I never listen on repeat or even put in my playlist any thai songs before, but CutiePie is surely different. Story or plot is very simple but executed well, at least for me not every story has to be a complicated one. Last, no one's gonna stop me from rewatching this, drag this series all you want but many also know that CutiePie deserve the good review!

Lire davantage

so so so cute

I absolutely adored this!! It was very entertaining and all the actors had insane chemistry!

The storyline itself had ups and downs but I found throughout the whole thing I stayed interested and entertained. There was never a moment where I was bored with how it was going and I was always eager to see where it would go next.

The actors chemistry, both in the main couple and the two side couples, was incredible! You could tell they all really loved working together and fit really well. Even from watching interviews and behind the scenes, off screen their chemistry is just as good as on screen! I wish we got more of the side couples but that's okay.

Also, the songs really added to the story. I loved all of them!

Lire davantage

The BL by the book which is entertaining

Have you ever watched a drama, series, or movie and just fallen so hard for it?

Cutie Pie the Series is THAT series for me.
It might be another Thai BL adapted from a famous BL novel for some people.
It might be a cliche and mundane plot which from the trailer you will say is another series that only sell NC and looks.
It might be a series that is problematic as some of the actors had disturbing pasts that gained them enough haters which later affect their partners as well as the series itself.
It might be a series produced by the company that is again deemed notorious for various reasons.

However, let me tell you. There is really nothing wrong with Cutie Pie the Series.
Its initial story is about two males whose marriage has been arranged since they are young. If you don't find that interesting, take a look at that statement again.
An arranged marriage between two males is not something you find in many BL adaptations. I have watched a lot, since Takumi-kun series movie, real-time, so trust me.

Both leads have known one another and have established their relationship so what's the issue?
COMMUNICATION!
And some of you will say "Oh, come on, why don't you just talk?"
I'll give it back to you by saying that both main characters have different ages, backgrounds, statuses, hobbies, interests, and histories. Yeah, they might like one another but like will not solve things. Insecurity exists. Kuea cannot tell the truth about himself makes sense. Lian cannot open himself makes sense too. The series tells you why the main characters' feeling is valid. But if you do have a problem with communication issues as the main drama plot, you can skip this one, and it's okay.

Now, we go to the good things.
The visuals: Extraordinary
The chemistry: Out of this world
The costumes: Very supportive
The OSTs: Confirm eargasm
The side couples: Fun stuffs

But for sure, this series will make you smile, angry, curse, melt, and LMAOing nonstop. And those are what make this series a nice one to entertain your days. Mandee Channel just wants to make you happy when watching it. It's okay if you don't find the joy but please don't take it away from those having it.

Lire davantage