Docinho (2022)

I Love It, One of the best BL for me

At first, I was hesitant to watch the series because of the negative reviews here but I accidentally found the Ep 1 and decided to watch it and decide if it's in my taste.

I am really not fond of hardcore BL series especially those who have cheating story, rape arc, etc. So when I accidentally find Cutie pie, it's a fresh drama for me. The actors are great, especially I used to only watch GMM BL dramas so it's refreshing to see actors who can really act well especially the two main leads. The songs and OST are so great especially Nunew songs, gosh the boy can really sing and has heavenly voice, that it makes you want to watch the series more and more when you hear him sing.

The series addresses the importance of equal marriage and also addresses the prejudice and social judgment under two people with a large age difference in a relationship. Showing that society still does not know how to respect differences. Finally, for me it is a series with quality, full of love between the characters, and with very important messages for today's society.

Leia Mais

Cutie Pie? More like a sleep paralysis demon!

[I don't normally write reviews on MDL, since I'm easily influenced by my emotions and such reviews may not be helpful for most people. BUT!! Cutie Pie deserves one. If you're looking for a more impartial review, I recommend the one from @Purple Scenes]

TL; DR : Just don't. And if you do, know when to quit. I didn't.

STORY: 1/10

I will give it a symbolic one star for trying, since the premise sounds actually pretty interesting. Unfortunately, by the end of episode 2 it's all but buried. What comes after is inconsistent, boring, repetitive filler that's just vaguely separating all the fanservice and NC scenes. Progress comes and goes whenever director demands a skinship or dramatic tension. You can't consider any piece of information as established. Subplots are abandoned or explained insufficiently. If you're looking for an arranged marriage portrayal, it's not there. Neither is a dual personality of one of the main leads. There is no real push-and-pull dynamic between the MLs present, either.

There are 3 pairings in this drama - LianKuea, YiDiao and NuerSyn. The show focuses mostly on a relationship between Lian and Kuea, who portray a standard BL dynamic of seme and uke. Lian is a business man that's cold on the outside, but secretly cares deeply for his other half. Kuea, who is portrayed as a spoiled, bratty child with rebelious hidden side, is literally swept away by Lian. In fact, Lian cares for Kuea so deeply, he feels the need to know everything about Kuea! It's his sacred duty to decide what's best for Kuea at all times! Anything, just to give Kuea the perfect life his little doll deserves. I'm sure many of you can already see where they're going with it.

YiDiao is basically a slightly altered rehash of LianKuea. Yi is portrayed as more aggressive partner compared to Lian, while Diao is a more scared version of Kuea. At the start, we can see Diao shaking during all of his interactions with Hia Yi. For a reason that's poorly explained to audience later on, Diao lives mostly alone in Yi's house and needs to notify Yi by phone each time he steps out. Or hide from him. As their relationship progresses, Diao earns himself a curfew of 9 pm.

Neither of those relationships develop significantly in any capacity, other than their physical intimacy. Both major conflicts are "solved" in the last episode with less than 5 minute conversations that explain next to nothing. Those neverending cycles are all presented as simple miscommunication. And we still get a "happy" ending for both of them.

The last pairing, NuerSyn, is barely even worth mentioning. They have less than hour of overall screentime and no reason to be together at all. That said, they are the most healthy, unproblematic pairing in the show. Which can be partially explained by writers forgetting to do anything with them.



POTENTIAL TRIGGERS (with minor spoilers included) :

Age gap - both between actors and characters. Main two couples consist of older, successful men and their barely adult, (financially) dependent lovers.

Grooming - both couples knew each other since they were kids. The main couple was engaged to be married since their early teen years, while the situation for YiDiao is more unclear (they are meant to be engaged, but no real information was given in the series). Both Lian and Kuea talk about how they were preparing for the marriage.

Arranged marriage - this one doesn't bear much weight in the bigger picture and is mostly a cause of other triggers.

Power imbalance - Both Lian and Yi basically control the lives of Kuea and Diao. Starting with where they live, where they go and when they return, to spying on them, following them around and being able to influence their financial situations. Both Lian and Yi are trying to solve their relationship problems by giving Kuea and Diao gifts.

Gaslighting / Lying / Hiding information - Both Yi and Lian have a major secret that has the power to impact life of their partner. Kuea and Diao hide their interests from Lian and Yi in fear of being punished or rejected. Kuea questions how much Lian actually knows about his "hidden" side. Lian's trying to force Kuea into confessing his hobbies, while pretending to know nothing. And much more, but that could count as spoilers for the show.

Unclear (try non-existent) consent in romantic interactions between Lian and Kuea.

Basically, if you get triggered by any abusive behaviour or manipulation tactics, tread carefully. To make it even more disturbing, the show never addresses it: It's all presented as normal, romantic, or even hot! Major issues between the leads are waved away by a simple "miscommunication" excuse.



ACTING/CAST : 5/10

The roles didn't seem miscast to me. Actors are attractive and their skills are mostly good enough, so I barely notice any issues. Characters aren't really multilayered, though, no matter how much they try to convince you otherwise.

Zee alternates between blank face, evil smirk and puppy eyes.

Max is either aggressively angry or looks as if he's being eaten alive from inside. He also smiles, once or twice.

Taking into consideration it's NuNew's first role, he does fine (except from when he has to cry, which is often). Also, he does the most grating fake voice I've ever heard. Iconic!

Nat is overdramatic, but it kinda fits his role. I personally found it funny, but it might annoy you.



PRODUCTION VALUE / CINEMATOGRAPHY : 8/10

A lot of money was spent on this drama. Such a shame it was in all the wrong places. It looks really good and it sounds decent, if you are able to ignore everything that's happening .



MUSIC: 5/10 -> 6/10 post edit

Some of the songs are pretty good, especially "Change" (NuNew's original song I think) and "Just Being Friendly" (NuNew's cover of song by Tilly Birds Ft. MILLI ). The main OST is fine (around the same as other BLs). The rest of songs were boring to me, but not insultingly so.

Edit: The music got to me more, because youtube just won't stop pushing NuNew into BL OST playlists. Especially the ending song (Love) is now bearable. So I came here to up my "music" score in order for it to more reflect my new situation. That said, I like to waste time on stupid stuff, so I decided to rank all of the ost songs I found and decide. Here are the results:

My Cutie Pie (main OST - 7.5), Change (9), How you feel (5.5), Be Yours (5), Always You (3), Alone (3), Suddenly (3), I Feel Your Love (Dead 0. This song makes me icky, sorry. I would have liked it more if it wasn't used at all), First Date (3), Just Being Friendly (9), Love (7.5 - the major ending event song ). The mean score comes to 5.045454545. I'm not petty enough to raise the score by 0.045454545 points, especially after all that time I spent looking for the songs. So, let's give it a 6. Out of 11 songs, I only really love 2, and one of those is a cover. I kinda like another 2, one of them cover. I could bear 2 more, but they are sort of a nothing burger. The rest is just boring and generic sap.


REWATCH VALUE : 1/10

I don't recommend you to watch it even once, let alone a second time. There are plenty of shows that look good. Plenty of songs that sound good. If you want to watch the NC scenes, there are bound to be plenty of edits being made. It might be worth it to wait for fan compilation of the third pairing, though, if there is one.



OVERALL : 1/10

If I could have given it a lower score, I would. In my personal opinion, this show should have never been made. It's unhealthy in a way that's dangerous to the whole BL community. There is no climax, no point, no meaning. Nothing. I'm not even sure they had a script to begin with. It feeds entirely off fanservice (which only got WAY WAY worse after the drama ended), cute visuals, and above average soundtrack. It's boring. It's tiring. It's uncomfortable. It's trying to take a high moral ground by promoting equality for all of 15 minutes, which is just plain pathetic, considering how the show itself handles the relationships. Even hate-watching it gets old very quickly. In short, I consider Cutie Pie a failure in every way that counts for a viewer.

Leia Mais

How to do a Romantic Comedy

This show at the core is a romantic comedy. That’s just how I see it before seeing it as a BL, and that’s because there aren’t overplayed scenes or tropes like forced kisses or any tropes. I’ve seen plenty of BL to understand the tropes that are usually sprinkled in. Cutie Pie has all the good ones and acknowledges the bad ones. I really like how they brought up how gay characters (in the context of a commercial) are satirized and usually comical. Hia criticizes the idea and throughout what I’ve seen he’s a pretty solid person overall.

The main couple has amazing chemistry and I’ve been looking forward to Zee being in a new drama. His chemistry never fails, he’s such a talented actor and this project is another example for that. I’m wishing to have more self reflection from his character so he can showcase his full acting potential. The relationship isn’t toxic at all although there are flaws, and Hia has a front to hold up for his image, this show has a lot of potential and I’m guessing it will continue to be a fun watch and not agrivate me.

Kiren’s character is also complex and his alter ego makes the plot all the more interesting. He’s conflicted with his feelings but in a way feels obligated the same way Hia does. Kiren also holds a front but in a different way, he isn’t ready to be himself around Hia because of the business relationship. Kiren is generous and honestly the cutest ‘bottom’ in any BL I’ve seen.

I really like how gender isn’t a big deal in this drama and how the fact that they are engaged isn’t surprising or disgusting as in some BL’s I know they could’ve went that way. So far the complaints have come for the lack of chemistry between Zee and New, which stem from the age difference. I don't see it and either way how you see the chemistry is all opinion and personal preference. One way of the other if you're not into it then you aren't. I see the effort the actors put in and to me there's that spark.

So far I recommend for anyone wanting an easy watch that’s not too melodramatic. Cutie Pie made me laugh out loud many times and has witty and charismatic characters (specifically Kiren and the maid). This drama is super cute, and Kiren is also super cute. I had to pause a few times to take in how cute Kiren is. while Hia is super hot. I can’t stress enough how good Zee looks like in a suit, if you won’t watch it for anything else, watch it because Zee is hot in a suit. Skip through the side couple if you get bored, Zee X New is the breadwinner here.

UPDATE: Chemistry did not disappoint.. as of episode six I remember why I like Zee so much. The acting he is able to do with zero to no dialogue is all up to the capability of the actor and the direction. Zee is so good at giving off loving and concerned looks, he is so talented and with the kissing that talent shows. I'm not just a pervert everyone, he acts through it all and you can tell (just watch episode 6 to get what I mean).. and again by episode 8.. this show really does know what it's doing. The whole relationship is developing so well, and considering Zee felt comfortable enough to try new things for it.. watch to see what I mean but this show really is showing how BL is evolving. Consent wise, dynamics between two people, acceptance, etc.

Leia Mais

“You will fall in love [with Cutie Pie] just the way I do” [Maybe]

“Don´t be like everyone else, just be yourself. I love you just the way you are,
my Cutie Pie!” -

In terms of cinematography, Cutie Pie is a hazardous new standard for all the upcoming series. They made my heart burst with excitement and "second-hand blushing":

This has been the best introduction to a story that had many risks to portray the wrong message. I am so overly satisfied with how they wrote the entire show to be this non-toxic, or at least they tried their best to make it the least toxic. I remember a few scenes that are misleading f.e. when Nuea asked for help in the club. However, these types of stories tend to be even more toxic so I think they have done a good job of minimizing the triggers. Think about it, Lian, a rich guy and his compliant lover, Kuea, who tried everything to not offend "his Hia/ Lian" and even denied his own wishes and identity for Mr Wang/ Lian? That screams to have a high risk of selling another nonsense toxic relationship to the fandom, but it did not. On the contrary, I think they deliver a heartfelt message to the audience. Hear me out. <3


Production / Music // 9.5
Aoftion Kittipat Jampa, one of the creators of DoMundiTV, made another LGBTQI+ series glow up. He is best known for his screenwriting of WHY R U and with “Cutie Pie” he exceeded all my expectations! This man is such a blessing to the film/ entertainment industry and an idol of mine.

The introduction of New to the DoMundi / Mandee family has been such a blessing to everyone. Let´s also agree on the fact that all the DoMundi guys are extremely appealing to the eyes and were well cast for each role, delivering all the vibes and aspects demanded. The entire aesthetic fits the vibes of this story and undermines the characters and the inner colours of each and every one of them. It´s breathtakingly beautiful. The production team and the cast gave their best and put a lot of noticeably effort and affection into this series and it paid off. I especially highlight the arrangement and screenwriting of each scene! Nothing seems unfitting or out of context.

The music is as captivating as the series and the use of each piece fits the overall mood of “Cutie Pie”. I even saved some of the songs to my playlist, which I rarely do with OSTs from romance series. Some of you guys know I am a sucker for thriller/ horror OSTs, so as you can see, even though the soundtracks are the opposite of what I normally prefer, they still caught my attention, nonetheless.


Plot / Story // 8.0
When DoMundi and Mandee channel were releasing information’s about the plot a few months ago, I got worried. The risks this sort of story carries is still quite bothersome, and it can totally shoot in the wrong direction. Nobody needs/ wants another BL that is indirectly glorifying a toxic relationship. Nonetheless, they deliver this story with perfection and casually introduce a beautiful message to the audience:

“Be Yourself” “Don´t sacrifice yourself/ change your identity to be liked by someone” & “Don´t be someone you´re not just to satisfy others” - similar to the lyrics of NuNews OST of Cutie Pie.

Those messages may seem to be an obvious criterium for any show or even any life, but unfortunately, their importance is often not highlighted enough. “Cutie Pie” takes the portrayal of those problems/ issues to another level and even shows the development of a relationship if you start to be more honest and aware of yourself. With what you truly want. Nonetheless, it also shows the obstacles and issues that go hand in hand with being too full of oneself/ arrogant.

I personally just have my issues with the high society aspect, because that´s where those kinds of stories often fail to be realistic. In reality, the person you fake your identity for isn´t necessarily rich or someone with who you´ve been in love your entire life. It is not criticism towards the show, rather just a reason for me, why I don´t give the story aspect a 10/10, despite its very exciting and creative parts.

However, the portrayal of Hia´s observing character and him actually caring secretly without being toxic, rather just playful and ready to have a new start of their relationship and he´s ready to dive in deep with Kuea. Every detail they added, e.g. with the dismantling of the CCTV or that Kuea directly confronts Hia when he´s too full of himself, is beneficial for the overall message of this series and the pureness of their relationship BUT also beneficial if they want to leave a sustained impression on the audience - Admirable work!


Cast // 8.5
As I said before, New joining DoMundi has been such a blessing for everyone. He can act, sing, dance and on top of that, with everything I have seen so far, he seems to be such an incredible and angelic human being. Still, there is some room for improvement in his acting. Maybe it´s just the effect of being compared to Zee all the time, who has more experience.

And his partner in this series, be prepared, Pruk Panich the rising star of the MDL Leaderboards, a talented gift to the filming industry and a blessing to the eyes. HE DELIVERED AGAIN. How does he do it? I don’t know. He can “naturally/ realistically” adapt to all the various types of characters. How can I not be obsessed with his performances? The overall appearance of Lian matches the series in every aspect and I am blushing whenever he appears on the screen. It´s just hard to say if Zee and NuNew were matching because sometimes they did and in some scenes, they did not.

Nat and Max also hit it off, I admire their visual matching the most. They flourish in their roles as Yi and Kon Diao and the audience gets aware of their skills the more the story unfolds. Here I want to highlight Nat´s character as the most warm-hearted person I have come across in a long time and I can´t help but be taken aback by his overall performance. Amazing!

Perth, Poppy, Tutor and Yim don´t disappoint and they deliver them very well. Especially Poppy´s character, Lian´s secretary, was so hilariously relatable. Where do they always get such a talented cast? I hope they reward them well for their outrageous performance.


Overall // 8.5 !!
I feel like I can only loop around my praises for this masterpiece of a series. The storytelling, the screenwriting, EVERYTHING sums up and becomes this beautiful result of paid off effort. At this point, there is no border between the film industry and the LGBTQI+ film industry anymore, except for the fact that a lower budget was able to exceed most other series in visuals and delivery of emotions.

“If you were me, who gets to look at [Cutie Pie] all day, (…), you will fall in love just the way I [did]”

Leia Mais

Not flawless, but delightful!

Cutie Pie seems to be hated or loved, no middle ground, and before I start writing my review I wholeheartedly encourage anyone to give it a try and form your own opinion instead of going down the rabbit hole of threads/comments etc.
The thing is, this is a series that you might detest or watch giggling and smiling like an idiot.

Well, I was the idiot. And I will be the idiot, because I know I will rewatch it. This is to say that if you trust the negativity, you might miss something that can give you joy and fluff.

STORY:
The premise of the series is quite simple: there's an arraged marriage between two dudes. One older, a workaholic that seems quite cold, and a younger man, that tries to hide and present himself as the perfect heir, since he comes from old money. The main theme of the series is that miscommunication can (and will) ruin relationships and that being yourself sometimes requires a lot of courage. I won't spoil anything and I will keep this review vague, but let me say that both Lian and mostly Kuea end up lying because they think that this is the best course of action.
If you can't stand misunderstandings and you're one of the viewers that frequently says "just talk to each other and spill everything!" then this series is not for you. But if you can appreciate a plot that revolves around insecurities, being sweet and in love and sometimes imbeciles, then PLEASE go on.
Also --- I am a fan, but I have to admit it: there's quite a few plot holes. However, I never felt overwhelmed by them, just a bit miffed. I was also never bored.
The side couples are interesting too!

ACTING/CAST:
I loved everyone. Well, almost everyone, but there was nothing that made me think I shouldn't give a 10.
Zee is amazing, New surprised me so much.
This is a series where you won't find dead-fish kisses or awkward stares, or actors that seem bothered or downright disturbed by what they need to do to show that their characters love each other. When I was watching Cutie Pie, I was immersed and convinced that those characters loved each other. And I am talking about ALL the couples.
Love scenes, crying scenes, funny scenes, they were all so well portrayed!

MUSIC:
I enjoyed every song and it's quite obvious that the soundtrack was made with Cutie Pie and its plot in mind. New has a beautiful voice and I was pleasantly surprised by the other artists as well.

OVERALL:
I consider this a damn good series. A guilty pleasure, so to speak. Something that could've been done better (screenwriters, I'm looking at you!) but that is way better than many other series already aired or airing now. Cutie Pie was scrutinized a lot because it was highly anticipated and unfortunately, it received very harsh criticism where other series with worse plot/acting/production value got away in silence.
Again, I will repeat myself: give it a chance. Be aware that it's not perfect, start watching if you're looking for good acting, awesome fanservice and love scenes, a cute plot with silly drama.

Leia Mais

This is a Completely Incompetant Mess

I've been watching BL's since 2019. So not as long as a lot of people. But long enough to get a feel for the tropes, the good stuff and the bad stuff.

I can handle a little bad if there is even one likable character for me to connect with. This drama didn't even have that. It made no sense. The characters were unlikable. Their behaviors were inconsistent. Half of them were complete assholes. No one learns anything until this one 5 minute period int he final episode that retcons all the crap that happened the previous 11 episodes. It's an arranged marriage drama with no actual marriage. The writing was so bad it wasn't even "funny" bad. It was painful bad. This was the first drama I've ever fast forwarded through parts of. Fanservice can save a show for me. If there's something to save. But the fanservice here was worthless because there was nothing for it to rescue. I really disliked this drama. It's the first time I've ever regretted giving a drama a chance.

I wanted to like the idea of the arranged marriage but it was written in a creepy way that made me need a shower.

The music is pretty good, but most of it is cover music. The acting is okay but not anything special. The production quality is high but who only watches a show that looks good but has nothing else?

Give this a skip and don't look back.

Leia Mais

Better than anticipated

Delivered more than expected. First of all, Great performance from the actors, especially new.. i didn't expected this much from him.
Coming to the plot, I don't think its a simple love- hate story between hia and kuea, but in addition, they addressed LGBT community problems from the 1st episode itself. so i think we can expect more from them.
Apart from the trailer, the 1st episode shows that Hia really cares about kuea, but he never admit his feelings towards him, but we don't know why he is acting like this or what is the exact reason behind all this. So i think we have to wait untill the next episode.
Another interesting fact is that, new is really good at english, he speaks really well and he is a good singer. And as we all know zee is handsome and he maintained his aura throughout the episode. This Series is fun to watch and kinda portrayed the one side love vibe(in the 1st ep). And I'm a die-hard fan of maxnat (secondary couples), after watching- y destiny and why are you. I think you'll also fall for them.
Go for it guyz.. its 100% worth watching

Leia Mais

Not a flavorful pie

Well, that was an experience. Yup.......I will always imagine what could have been. My expectations should have been really lowered, and ready to just enjoy the visuals, the fan service, the music, and having "The Tongue" as a guest star, in this incomplete plot, lack of characterization, ode to 1950's housewives, who need their husbands to control everything in their small little world. Especially making sure, that they're "cutie pies, who are never naughty"!

I never realized that folks really enjoy seeing two 20 year-old, college students, being chastised, manipulated, and gaslit by their older lovers.

Leia Mais

Tutoryim saved it for me imo

I mean everyone has their own opinion and if you loved this show good for you! However for me I just wasn’t feeling this show at all but I loved Tutor and Yim’s scenes. I wish to see more of Neur and Syn’s story or a whole show with Tutor and Yim as mains. Maybe it was the whole arrange marriage thing I didn’t like and that was like the whole plot. Also the lack of communication between the two leads and side couple infuriated me throughout the show. Some scenes felt very cringe to watch for me. There was like no substance and felt gimmicky at times. The locations look gorgeous though. Again you should just watch this yourself to figure out if you like it or not as I see zee and new like everywhere so just watch a little and decide for yourself weather you like it or not.

Leia Mais

WOULD IT KILL YOU BOTH TO COMMUNICATE JUST ONCE?

No.

This was not good. At all. How anyone can get behind this is unimaginable to me. Kuea and Lian had no chemistry and just lied to each other the whole time. Chuck a couple of NC scenes in there and you think I’ll forget about it? No.

The plot was even more of mess and the characters were unlikable. Never once did I feel like they “fell in love.” Literally just 12 episodes of pure lies and conflicts that weren’t resolved by the end. Communication does not exist in the Cutie Pie universe!

Yi and Diao were cute but they need to learn to communicate too. They at least showed some feelings for each other.

The only thing stopping this from being a total train wreck was the third couple: Syn and Nuer. I loved them so much! But even so, they hardly got any screen time and were not given the opportunity to shine like the healthy and cute couple that they were! The soundtrack also slapped, I’ll give it that.

But I literally lost my sanity watching this series. I don’t recommend it at all. Someone get BounPrem out of there, they don’t deserve this.

Leia Mais