Boyband Love (2020)

Ok first of all I would say reading the title boyfriend love you would think this drama would be amazing like full of power just like the typical the headline or the name of the movie.

unfortunately what I saw was disappointing very very I repeat again very disappointing I'm really disappointed on the directors at the budget of the movie especially the actors they didn't have energy I swear you would think this is rehearsal not the actual finish production.

everything about it is just stupid like that as you already know what they're going to do the next minute like I would do it a hundred times better if I would say.

but really this the drama is a mess the actors didn't have energy they don't have that much experience everything is everywhere but the story itself I a bad maybe if it was given to other actors that story was going to be amazing but unfortunately they gave it to beginners or just people who didn't rehearse for this movie and they just completed it and showed it to us without thinking how we going to react to the movie the only thing I like about this drama is the song love love love it that's the only thing I don't recommend people who love dramas with strong actors to watch this because you will be frustrated.

for me at first half when I was watching it I was like oh maybe it's going to get better because some dramas started like with no energy but maybe episode 2 or the first half of the first episode they started to regain energy but this one from the first to the last episode it was just a mess I just watched for the sake of it thinking or I was just trying to find out like why is the production so poor

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Boyband Love (2020): Different But Lacks Harmony

Not everything was in harmony on “Boyband Love.” Don’t get me wrong, there were things to like about this Filipino (Pinoy) boys’ love (BL) series but they didn’t always fit well together. While featuring the Philippine music industry was different, the various artistic aspects of “Boyband Love” were not always in sync.

“Boyband Love” had a compelling plot/storyline. While the series employed the overused enemies to lovers trope, it at least had the Philippine music industry as backdrop which made it uncommon. Unfortunately, not all the characters were fully developed. In terms of character background, character development, and relationship development, Arkin and Gus were alright. I would have wanted more for Charm but at the minimum, she wasn’t made into a bad person so I’m fine with her characterization. I did find Rico and Mika’s arrangement ridiculous at first but they grew on me. Some may take issue with Rico ending up with Mika but I know real-life couples like them so it’s not as if their set-up doesn’t exist. It does so I’m good with it. One issue I had with this series was how Jaime and Josh were treated. Other than being a gamer and womanizer, not much was revealed about Jaime. And after all the tease, nothing happened to the Jaime and Josh ship. Another issue I had with this series was the lack of depth for Madam Curacha’s characterization. Also, it wasn’t really shown how each main character related with other main characters aside from their designated partner in this series. For example, it would have been interesting if Danny and Rico, the characters portrayed by real-life partners Gus and Louie, had some friendly conversations about being true to oneself.

A couple of times, script was cringy. But there were some good dramatic lines from Aiden and Danny and from Danny’s parents and unconventional family. The good comedic dialogues were mostly from Rico and Mika. But overall, screenplay wasn’t consistent.

Acting by Arkin, Gus, Louie, Regine, Rose, and Brenda was mostly ok. With regard to chemistry, the Arkin and Gus and Louie and Regine ships were acceptable enough. Job and Luise had awkward moments but they were largely watchable. The performance of those who portrayed as the parents of Aiden and Rico were poor.

My major issue with “Boyband Love” was its production value. The set designs looked cheap and substandard. I can understand the limitation in finances and resources but the production company should have been more creative with their set designs. There were some nice songs like “Ikaw Na Nga Talaga” (It’s Really You) by 1:43 and “Nagkulang Ba” (Not Enough) by Gus and Arkin but the main soundtrack “Same Love” by the fictional Pinoy boyband group LMTLSS was overplayed.

All in all, I would only recommend “Boyband Love” for those who are interested in watching a Pinoy BL series with the Philippine music industry as backdrop, but with a friendly note that not everything was in harmony on this series.

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1st BL series about boyband

Boybands are very intriguing, there have been many artists who came out from boy groups and it is only now that BL series has a story about them. The attempt is brave since it's done during pandemic, they ccame up with the a cast of new actors and gathered a production to shoot 9 episodes. The mere fact that it is now supported by apps like Filmcity and Gagaoolala, it gives us more reasons to anticipate and perhaps let it evolve.

We love music, and if OPM is given a spotlight, then it's cool. I wanted to see raw and genuine actors that eventually could grow in entertainment industry and this is why I'm giving it a perfect score so that it could pave the way for more efforts that encourages discussions in SOGIE and inclusivity.

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Entertaining BL: in the Entertainment Industry

One of the best parts of this Pinoy BL series is its siting in the music industry. You get a feel for the pressures that the characters feel (in addition to their romantic pressures) and the music tracks are quite good! (I came away from every episode humming...... Love, Love Love.) So kudos for originality.

The story line was not quite so original......handsome lead is sexually confused. Gay colleague falls in love with him, and suffers heartache as a result. Etc etc.

The actors were fresh. Not all very polished, but good to watch. (I learn from a Youtube interview that Danny and Rico are actually a committed gay couple in real life.....and in that interview they talked about the difficulties of Danny having passionate kissing scenes with Aiden while Rico (Louie Gabarda) is on set. Interesting angle.) Danny's character was by far the most conflicted and the one with whom I had the most empathy. Aiden's challenges never seemed realistic to me. (It was pretty obvious that he didn't love his girlfriend anyway.)

Like another reviewer here, I really regretted that the Josh and Jamie relationship didn't go anywhere......Josh sparked my interest early on and I was sorry that story line wasn't more developed. (Maybe in Season Two?)

The production values were only so-so. Money was clearly an issue. Thankfully they did not skimp on developing the music.

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Romantic, Beautiful, and Quirky

I really liked this series, although everything in my being at the beginning said that I should not. The first episode is simply awful if not terrible. The acting was bad, and the production value was amateurish at best. You must get through the first episode and some of the second before this story will grab you and it surely did me. What made it interesting is it centered around a boy band’s difficulties in interacting with each other with an odd over the top band manager to guide them. It is so obvious from the beginning that they guys are new and very much inexperienced in acting but yet the story intrigued me, and the dialogue hooked me to watch more and I am so glad I did. The acting, the story, the characters got much better as they became more comfortable in their roles. They let loose and it became a surprisingly interesting and entertaining series. One final word about these actors. In some sense, I found this ensemble of characters interesting, dynamic, and honestly one of the best in a BL series. If you want to review my full review of this quirky series, see it at ppbongi.medium.com. Enjoy!

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Love confusion

Oiii. This series has me like oiii. I don't know if I should be passed or happy, the third persons though are quite good though. The interruptions of, it had me screaming my lungs out but definitely would watch it again if I want to. Cause to be honest next to Thailand, Philippines make the best bl. Ahhh this is so ahhh but definitely makes you happy watching this series. The love,oh the love and the music in it alone makes me sad and want to find myself a guy immediately oh, did I mention the music if I did already then you must know how amazing they are. Oh my goodness, it is really good.

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Different

I appreciate everything about this series. I say it every chance I get that it's nice to see some new faces. Acting was actually pretty decent and music was cute. As much BL as I've watched, I gotta say this is definitely a story/plot I've never seen before. As a K-Pop fan I, like most fan girls, scream at the thought of ships sailing. lol If you enjoy Boy Bands of any genre and nationality you'll appreciate this series. It's not just the typical telling the stories of different relationships in the series it also tackles real issues in the music industry. I'm only sad my main ship didn't sail but luckily there's room for a S2
We'll see...

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Que vozes lindas

Eu particularmente gostei dessa série, com ressalvas, pois as série pinoy ainda precisam evoluir bastante em vários aspectos.
Primeiro ponto: O roteiro. O plot trazido era algo que até então não havia sido explorado, e posteriormente foi copiado pela Tailândia na série "Boyband" (2023). Como a série não tinha um orçamento grandioso, muita coisa ficou a desejar, mas eles ainda fizeram muito com o pouco que tinham. A série fala de uma banda em formação, que para alavancar o sucesso em seu debut, contrata um astro já conhecido, Aiden, causando um certo desconforto no resto do grupo, que o achavam metido. Posteriormente, Danny, o membro que fica mais chateado, acaba se aproximando de Aiden e ambos se apaixonam. Como não poderia faltar o clichê da ex que surge do além, a de Danny aparece num momento em que ambos estão descobrindo seus sentimentos, e aqui temos dois furos no roteiro: primeiro, o relacionamento entre eles dois acontece de forma muito rápida, não teve desenvolvimento. Numa cena se odiavam ao ponto de se baterem, na cena seguinte já eram amigos íntimos. outro furo foi o aparecimento da ex de Aiden, pois em alguns momentos eles dão a entender que não estão mais juntos, e em outros se dizem namorados, achei isso bem sem noção. Por causa desse impasse, não posso fazer um juízo de valor sobre o comportamento de Danny, pois não sei se era realmente uma traição, mas gostei de ver a atitude dela no fim de tudo.
Algo que me chateou, foi o membro que foi embora. Ele gostava do colega de banda, seria bom que ele ao menos tivesse a chance de expressar seus sentimentos.
Sobre o membro que era gay e acaba se apaixonando por uma fã que se torna sua amiga, achei muito boa essa abordagem, é preciso que as pessoas entendam que a bissexualidade e a pansexualidade são normais, e muitas vezes nos surpreendemos ao perceber nossa sexualidade, principalmente num caso como o dele, que tinha certeza que era gay.
Gostei deles não terem citado contratos tóxicos, principalmente envolvendo namoro e sexualidade, tanto que os membros namoram livremente.
Algo que me encantou além da química do casal principal, foi a ost. OMG que ost linda! E foi super coerente, já que a série contava a história de uma banda, que toda a ost fosse cantada por eles, os clipes eram lindos.
Nem todas as atuações foram excelentes, os aspectos técnicos precisam melhorar, mas eu amo essa série e continuarei a vê-la e indicando a todos.

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