Naughty Babe – Series Review & Ending Explained

Yi comes from the wealthy Chen family, which owns multiple businesses. He helps his father run a race car circuit and a luxury auto dealership. A child of divorce, Yi's mother left her son while he was young. She has since remarried into another family. Yi grew up with his strict dad, who raised his child with tough love. Makorn placed high expectations on his son and rarely expressed his appreciation. Yi learned to bottle up his vulnerability.

Yi is engaged to Kon Diao. They have known each other since childhood. Both were involved in a devastating tragedy many years ago. Yi's father used to own a tiger, Lele, and raised the animal in his house. Young Yi sneaked into the cages to play with the tiger. However, he accidentally let the animal escape. The tiger leaped at Young Diao, who was playing nearby. Yi saved him just in time. The tiger shifted targets and mauled the caretaker instead. Both children witnessed the violent attack. Subsequently, the caretaker lost his vision.

The horrifying trauma made Diao forget his memories. He became a shell of his former self. Yi's father offered to compensate for his living expenses, including the tuition for his overseas education. Diao studied in the UK and met his best friend, Kuea. After graduation, Diao returned to Thailand and became a martial arts instructor for kids. Although many years have passed, Diao's father and wicked stepmother still demand regular payments from Yi's family. They continue using Diao's childhood trauma to extort money.

Yi also feels guilty about the attack. He vows to look after Diao for the rest of his life. Over the years, the two became romantically involved. Although Diao doesn't remember the tragedy, he fears Yi is only with him out of a moral obligation. Three years ago, the couple had gotten engaged with blessings from their families. However, Yi hesitates to schedule a wedding. Yi's procrastination causes doubts in Diao, who wonders if his fiancé loves him. Diao's fears worsen after he suspects Yi of cheating on him with other women.

As Diao's fears spiral out of control, he creates an elaborate plan to leave his fiance. With Kuea's help, Diao arranges a secret flight to Switzerland. Yi is frantic after discovering his lover's departure. He drives to the airport in the middle of the rainy night. However, he gets into an accident. Diao cancels his plans to leave after hearing about what happened. Yi survives the car collision with bodily injuries. Yet, he loses his memories and can't remember Diao. During Yi's recovery, Diao stays by his side to look after him. They rekindle their lost sparks while healing from past trauma.

Naughty Babe has too much outlandish drama. Its convoluted plots include memory loss, car crashes, attempted murder, family extortion, and tigers attacking children. The series begins ridiculously and becomes even more absurd as it progresses. The later episodes decline on a downward spiral of over-the-top nonsense. Not only are the storylines unrealistic, but Naughty Babe also lacks intelligence. All the illogical events and idiotic character motivations boggle my mind.

Beyond the outrageous melodrama, Naughty Babe fails to tell a coherent story. The choppy narrative gives vague and confusing explanations. I don't understand why the characters tell pointless lies, keep unnecessary secrets, or behave sketchily. The series also juggles too many different ideas. On the one hand, it wants to explore angsty childhood trauma and gritty family conflicts. On the other hand, it tries to include goofy humour and cheeky rom-com scenes. Instead of focusing on one topic comprehensively, Naughty Babe switches erratically between underdeveloped plots.

The most poignant scenes in Naughty Babe relate to Yi opening up emotionally. He overcomes his reserved nature and learns to communicate with his fiancé. Sadly, the nuances of his character development are lost amid the nonsensical plots. You won't pay attention to Yi's growth due to the annoyingly dumb drama surrounding him. The series also misses an opportunity to expand on the family dynamics. Yi and Diao have intriguing relationships with their fathers that deserve attention. Yet, Naughty Babe hardly spends time on meaningful storylines.

BL fans will respond favourably to the high volume of physical affection during the series. The leads have lengthy makeout sessions with deep smooches and lots of intimate body contact. Their encounter in Episode 3 occurs under dubious circumstances. The couple's verbal threats, physical aggression, and emotional manipulation seem problematic. Fortunately, the other exchanges are more romantic, including the exhilarating display of passion in the finale. The polished production values add elegance to these steamy scenes, making everything look stylish.

Diao's actor (Nat) has an angelic expression that pops on screen. However, he can't emote convincingly in dramatic scenes. I snickered when he collapsed theatrically in Episode 1, the opposite of what my response should be. Likewise, his costar (Max) struggles with his sincerity. He appears hammy, especially during the sex scenes. You can tell he's trying too hard to force his expressions instead of letting the reactions come naturally to him. The only decent cast members are Yi and Diao's fathers. They bring maturity and experience to their assured performances.

I stopped taking Naughty Babe seriously after the first few episodes. Instead of scrutinizing everything, I go along with the foolish antics and laugh at the preposterous twists. The series has some silly jokes, sentimental moments, and spicy encounters. I also like the last couple of scenes in the finale, wrapping up the love story nicely. While these bits and pieces don't make a great drama, I gain a tiny guilty pleasure from the amusing experience. Overall, I see Naughty Babe as trashy and mindless fun. It's best enjoyed when treated as campy entertainment.