"Even though Nut doesn't know I'm back, I'm glad a teddy bear like me can make him feel a little less sad. This is love. I can love him and I can see him." - Tofu.
"The Miracle of Teddy Bear" is an adaptation of the novel "Teddy Bear Miracle" written by Prap (# ปราปต์) and recently aired on Channel 3 and Netflix (Asia). There have been divergent opinions on the broadcast of this drama, this is because it is the first BL product to have been broadcast on free-to-air Thai TV. The drama has a duration of 16 episodes, although it was originally supposed to be 18, so the production company has already planned to show the cut scenes at the fan meeting of the series.
But what is 'The Miracle or Teddy Bear' about?
Tofu is a giant white teddy bear and has been Nut's object of comfort for ten years. However, he is not an ordinary teddy bear, he has the ability to communicate with other objects in the house. One day, unbeknownst to Nut, the teddy bear is miraculously transformed into a young boy, however, that young man cannot remember anything about himself. Tofu tries to recover his memory, but it all gets complicated when he discovers that his past is connected to the dark secrets of his owner's family. He has to hurry to remember everything because his time as a human is running out and he wants to help the person he loves most, Nut, to find happiness. Will Tofu be able to find the answers to his questions and reveal all the secrets he wishes to know?
Will he be able to bring happiness to the person who has cared for him for ten years?
Leading Actors:
In Sarin Ronnakiat is Tofu, Job Thuchapon Koowongbundit is “Nut” Pheeranat, Tee Thanapon Jarujitranon is Song and First Parada Chutchavalchotikul is Kensit.
When the plot of 'The Miracle of Teddy Bear' came out, almost everyone imagined a light plot, perhaps a little dreamy and bordering on the unlikely. But no, on the contrary we found ourselves in an adult and well-developed plot. This drama gets under your skin because the power of the messages it deals with is current, it is profound, and it is real. We are used to seeing Bl drama almost deviated from reality, to the point of representing a life that does not exist, something totally idealized.
The Miracle of Teddy Bear, from the trailer, from the title and from the first episode, seemed to be going in that direction, just in time to make us understand that what the script had in store for us was very different.
The drama brings to light three major problems not only of Thai society but of all of us in general: the lack of attention to mental health, the discomfort experienced by homosexuals and the deep homophobia rooted in military circles.
If Tofu is a simple character, with the emotional maturity of a child who faces the world for the first time, on the contrary Nut is at the mercy of a difficult past and precarious mental health. This can be easily seen in the first episodes of the drama, as Nut is stained several times with violent acts and abuses against the poor Tofu. It is as if he unloads his anger on the only person (or teddy bear) who has always been close to him. Nut is a complex, profound and indisputably broken character. The abuses suffered by his father when he was little, just because he played with his mother's clothes, deeply marked him throughout his growth. Even his first love for a straight boy and his mother's reluctance to accept his nature played a lot on his psychophysical health. Tofu therefore seems to be that miracle that Nut needed to find and accept himself. It is his cure for him, the medicine he has been waiting for for years.
Their relationship is difficult at first, full of dark moments, tears and sadness. It seems almost impossible to be able to heal that broken heart of Nut, but nothing seems to be impossible for Tofu who, even without memory, enters his heart and brings it back to life.
Kensit and Song are the secondary couple.
If the former was lucky enough to have two parents who have always supported him in his choices and in his being openly gay, on the contrary Song grew up with a military father with whom he barely speaks. This relationship generated in him a series of insecurities, doubts and fears as he grew up. This is a very important issue in Thailand where a military dictatorship has been in force since 2014, which in recent years has seen a succession of demonstrations and protests. The use of the theme, however, was well calibrated, a kind story but with an extremely powerful message. The final photo with Song and Kensit looking at each other with love, with Song's father next to his son and in military uniform, is proof that there is always room for improvement and that even the most bigoted thoughts can be eradicated. Because love for a child should always come before love for a uniform.
The finale, which aired on Sunday 2 May, left some of the spectators dumbfounded. A different and perhaps unattainable miracle was expected, or perhaps simply not suitable for getting the real message of the drama across.
The end is certainly sad because Tofu is once again what he was meant to be: Nut's teddy bear.
However, this does not mean that the tears shed for the end of his time as a human must necessarily be tears of absolute sadness. Tofu was meant to be Nut's miracle and not life's companion. He had to help him love himself again and then open up to the world and live. Tofu had to help him live again. And he did, he literally sacrificed all of himself for his ultimate mission, the one for which he became human.
Nut will put into practice everything he has discovered with Tofu and when Tarn, the first love in a coma for some time, wakes up from his sleep, Nut will be able to accept himself for who he is serious and have a future with him, a happy future.
"Tarn showed me the reality of this world while you showed me the beauty of him." - Nut to Tofu.
We can only thank @YokeeApirak, the cast and crew of this fantastic project. In the vale of tears of the final episodes, you still left us a rare gem.
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