The Miracle of Teddy Bear

I have been addicted to Asian drama in general, and bl drama in specific, since Covid started. But this one is special. It brings together my very favorite genres: fantasy, romance and bl. It tells a different story really well, with great chemistry between the leads, and still teaches us a lesson or two between the lines. Highly emotional at times, e.g. The time where Nut sends Tohu away because he thinks he's lying, or Gen's remark about parents being tolerant towards other people's children..... we don't get a lot of bl series in the Netherlands, same sex marriage is legal here, so I guess there seems little left to fight for. But this way of fighting, explaining why loving another person is beautiful regardless of that other persons gender, and without making it too obvious that a fight is being fought.. extremely impressive. And much needed in the world.

I'd been trying to find a way to watch The Miracle of Teddy Bear for a while, but I could never find one with English subtitles, until recently! After months of searching, I finally found a streaming site with subs, and I binged the whole thing in just 2 and a half days (yep, that's 24 hours total). It honestly felt like it took forever, though, probably because it's the longest series I've ever watched.

At first, it seemed kind of childish, talking objects with faces and all that. It brought out this nostalgic, childlike side of me, reminding me of cartoons from my childhood. But right when I was about to brush it off as a light and fluffy show, it completely hooked me. I thought it'd just be a cute story... lol, I had no idea I was signing up for an emotional roller coaster.

Now, this isn't a straight-up BL. It's more of a drama with a BL thread woven into the story. The first few episodes actually focus a lot on Nut's mom, so if you're looking for a full-on romance from the start, this might not be your thing.

Nut's character is... tough to like at first. He's grumpy, clearly dealing with anger issues, and acts like he's carrying the weight of the world. While I get that flawed characters are part of good storytelling, him physically hurting Taohu was too much for me. On the flip side, Taohu, when he becomes human is exactly what you'd imagine a teddy bear to be: sweet, gentle, a little clumsy. But he's not just innocent; he's curious about human emotions and has a surprising depth and awareness that adds real heart to the story.

Nut's mom is another standout: warm, kind, and loving, but battling mental illness. Her storyline really adds to the emotional weight of the series.

Even though the series left me emotionally drained, I don't regret watching it. The pacing is solid, no pointless filler scenes, and the performances including Khuenchai the dog? Top-notch. The actor who played Nut got under my skin (in a good way, it means he really nailed the role), and Taohu's actor was just as impressive, playing the innocent charm perfectly. The actress who played Nut's mom is outstanding as usual. I've seen her from other series and her acting was always solid. The OST is chief kiss. I really like the rhythm.

The drama digs deep into family dynamics, LGBTQ+ themes, and identity. Some parts are a bit cliché, but the overall plot feels fresh and meaningful.

Nut's character development is slow, and even though he starts to open up to Taohu his anger still gets the best of him especially when he leaves Taohu alone on the street. That moment had me yelling at my screen. Honestly, Taohu ends up seeming more mature than Nut by the end. The show's long, and a lot happens, which made it exhausting at times but I stayed engaged the whole way through.

Some takeaways from the show that really stuck with me:

✅ Marriage isn't something you should rush into. It's not the ultimate goal in life. Being single doesn't mean you're incomplete.

✅ Don't force yourself into a relationship or marriage out of guilt or obligation.

✅ Love should be mutual. You don't marry someone just because they love you-you should love them too.

The Miracle of Teddy Bear might look cute on the surface, but it's actually a deep, emotional drama that explores love, trauma, family, and societal expectations. Watching this series was like I am climbing the highest mountain, exhausting but rewarding. Definitely not your typical fluffy series but one that's totally worth the emotional ride.

When I watched the first episode, I was hoping to see some lovey-dovey fantasy story. But instead, I was hit with a cold hard truth of our everyday lives. A broken dysfunctional family, an abused and traumatized son, a mentally ill mother, a painful reminder of how my society see the LGBTQ+ community. I was about to turn it off, cause I hate being reminded of how bitter and painful the reality is. I guess in a way, this series is an ironic one, the theme is fantasy, but it shows the hurtful reality of our daily lives. I guess that's what a lot of people who have watched it find it distasteful. But this story have taught me a lot of life lessons. That's why I kept on watching it till the end and that's also why I didn't give it low ratings. You'll get much wiser after watching this series to the end. I guarantee it.

Honestly, when the trailer came out, I didnt expect much or should I say, I wasn't quite looking forward to it. Even when it came out, I couldn't bring myself to watch it as there were so many choices out there. But, I must say, I was so wrong. This has been a wonderful and a memorable watch. The story itself is quite unique and they've put in an effort to keep it as real as possible even if the whole premise is pure fantasy. The leads and the supporting cast have all done so wonderfully to keep me glued with them. The Teddy Bear is as much an integral cast as the humans. Nut and Pa have portrayed their characters so wonderfully. The strained relationship of mother-son is so convincing. And we have Tofu (both the teddy and human), the human Tofu's dialogue delivery is just right given that he's actually a Teddy Bear. I was addicted to his 'haaa' after almost every sentence he speaks. Song and Gen were adorably addictive. Jan delivered her character very convincingly. And Saen and Sib (I don't know if they are twins IRL) both have done a great job. There are many things to learn from this series. How a family's response to a child's sexual identity impacts the child to the importance of communication in a family. I could go on and on. As much as I loved Bad Buddy (arguably the most popular BL series this year), personally, this series exceeded in terms of deliverance, especially in story department, for me. What worked for this series probably must be that people didn't have much expectation but it exceeded by leaps and bounds. I was apprehensive when I started given the probability of a happy ending, but, just like the series tells us, we have to be able to live happily without having to rely on miracles. Overall, I just loved loved loved it. To write this review itself is a testament on how much I loved it. Highly recommended!

I love watching all kinds of Bl because you never know if you might stumble across a good nut. But this 'Nut' was tiresome to crack. I gave up watching after 4 episodes but then returned to the last few just to know how the ends were knotted. Scriptwriter came up with a good story along the lines of a thriller but the teddy bear killed my mood. It could have been more captivating. The only appreciable part is the casting where all four look handsome, although their chemistry was mediocre. They seem four students from different departments of a college sharing a room being nice to each other. Vital part of any story is to connect with the audience however i clearly couldn't. 'Job' felt overly frustrated all the time and 'Neung' had no emotions being a stuffed toy. What purpose did the other two have? No idea. Typical lakorn playing in their parent's generation made the story even boring furthermore the culprit could be guessed. I couldn't care less for the other technicalities in the series since the sheer length of 16 hours felt taxing. Each episode has at least half an hour of dead time. Airing on Chann*l 3 it is available on N@tfl!x. Despite the caution, anyone can watch this. Children are bolder and smarter these days. A teddy bear so huge or a human baby doll are the creepiest things to have at home. Now imagine them talking to you or turning into a human, only children would find it amusing.