Yaoi is the name given to “Boy on Boy” romances with raunchy and comedy scenes that are too much for dramatic novels or manga to have without a censor. Recently, creators of Boys’ Love series all over the world have seen the importance of including Yaoi factors in their series. The reasons are to reach a larger audience through the new options these aspects create in their works. Taking facets of the genre and adding them to the BL has become the standard. Attractive fathers, zany and beautiful friends and their large, serious boyfriends (seme) are a few of these details you can find in “Naughty Babe”. Evil and equally attractive villains are there to keep the drama never too far from the viewer’s minds. All these ingredients together make “Naughty Babe” work as it includes every feature of the Yaoi genre’s most popular characteristic.

That being said, the story doesn’t hold the narrative very well across the eight episodes. Yi (Max Kornthas) continues to play amnesiac for a large part of this series, after his car wreck. The reason that he gives his best friend is an attempt on his runaway fiance Kon Diao (Nat Natasitt). I had to suspend my disbelief as he spent five episodes not even trying to find the culprit. It’s not his fault in full, as the script doesn’t really focus on the dramatic bombshell that could have been the storyline till much closer to the end.

Instead, the show works hard to play upon the fan favorite pairings, MaxNat and ZeeNuNew by writing the script like a comedic Yaoi. Zee Pruk and Max’s characters Lian and Yi wear suits and designer pajamas for the majority of the show. Both exude a quiet dominance over their men. The characters exist in the fabulous world of the Thai upper-class is the mood and setting of the series. Nothing wrong with that, as this is Yaoi using the moniker BL, primarily to capitalize on both genres (I have never seen the word Yaoi used with the promotion of this series, its purely my opinion) It’s fantasy and at times that works. As long as Lian or Kuea (NuNew Chawarin) are on the screen with Yi or Kon Diao, it’s entertaining.

But when Kon Diao is alone and has to carry portions of the show; the elaborate soundtrack can’t save the hollow portrayal of an heir to a disgraced family that he depicts. Nat as Kon Diao was the worst acting of the series to me. He seems to only come alive in the presence of other actors and seems incapable of drawing emotion or painting himself as the true amnesiac person. Instead, he acts like a submissive doll with lackluster facial expressions when left to his own devices. Now when Nat is around anyone else, his acting shines, especially with his on-screen best friend, Kuea. The two literally play “Naughty Babes” effortlessly when together. Complete with the cheek pinching, giggling and rosy cheeks, which makes me wonder if the script had been more focused on this aspect and their relationships with the surrounding actors, it could have been more.

This is why I didn’t enjoy the script all that much. Most of the characters’ moods and actions are presented in information dumps by side characters or their inner monologs; which was very boring for me and made me wish that the show found a better way to present this background for characters. The script picks and chooses when to be cohesive; the way it details, the acting on the two male lead’s parts does create the moods for the different subgroups that populate the main characters. Makorn, Yi’s father, who has an over affectionate fatherly relationship with Kon Diao gets more screen time in the later episodes draws the attention to himself (instead of all the missed storylines) beside Aon (Est Supha). Makorn has been blackmailed for years by Kon Diao’s father over the tiger attack that led to Diao’s amnesia. I get it Le Le was his tiger and Kon Diao would have been dead if Aon’s father hadn’t intervened (which led to his disfigurement). But this particular aspect didn’t have much on screen presence and so it felt like the screen time wasted. As it was mostly relegated to those final episodes.

The pretty boy fashion show with comedic value seemed to derail everything, anytime Makorn or Satha (Kon Diao’s father) took the focus. Since the family secrets weren’t parts of the beginning episode besides the rushed family breakdown in the second episode, the names being dropped throughout the series (besides the two info drops near the end) didn’t resonate with me. Instead, Lian and Yi’s friendship and keeping Yi’s pretend amnesiac act from Kon Diao was the focus; which would have been fine if the script had allowed Max to truly personify that role. But by the time he and Kon Diao were back home, Yi forget he had amnesia and was trying to stop Kon Diao from going to Switzerland and dumping him. The two have many minor disagreements ending in kissing despite Kon Diao trying to keep his walls up. The script makes Kon Diao oblivious to the fact that Yi remembers everything. Instead, Yi emotionally manipulates Kon Diao constantly.

Another aspect that confused me was the character of Chen (Bosszo Thawatchanin) and his son. The way the show presents Chen implies he has a history of flirting with Kon Diao but the script doesn’t give much back story to him. Seeing Chen reference Kon Diao’s almost Switzerland trip and setting him up in his apartment as an alternative to living with Yi was more surprising because it was so random. He does appear now and then throughout the series as if offering Kon Diao a better alternative to Yi. But Kon Diao doesn’t see anyone else other than Yi, which frustrated me as Chen seemed like a better choice.

“Naughty Babe” unfortunately spends more than half the series creating storylines that go nowhere. The way Kon Diao’s family tries to get things out of Yi because of his amnesia would have mattered more if Yi reacted to it in a way that provided any form of emotion. But he just sat there nodding along. The script does make a point to once again forget that he is supposed to have amnesia as he pinpoints the fallacy of their efforts, help the business in the roles he assigned. Only to never come back to this plot. One point that really confused me is Diao’s uncle working with Tem to kill or not kill him (it’s not clear what their goal was). The storyline is put in a deep freeze as Aon is in. Montage corners all the bad family members over the tampered brakes and nothing comes of it.

So much of the storyline involves plot points that are resolved off screen leading upto the final episodes; which includes the side characters creating an elaborate and pointless escape plan from the wedding Kon Diao wants to go to but doesn’t because his father’s plan would work. But as the ending occurs, Kon Diao’s father becomes indifferent to his wife and children’s actions. The wedding happens and their life three years later are showcased just to cinch that storyline (I guess) so we can witness Yi and Kon Diao’s cute domestic life.

Rating- 2 of 5 stars (for visually stunning sets and acting from half the cast. While the others seemed like useless fodder)

Streaming on- IQIYI/ Mandee YouTube Channel