uhhh
Well, I'm sure there's a storyline up in here somewhere. If you can find it you could quite possibly enjoy it. I was so impressed with 2020's Filipino BL's I had to watch this and even though there were others just as short, this was definitely a flop. Everything was tossed around and not much of anything went with itself lol There didn't seem to much chemistry between the MC which usually has a negative impact on any series.Definitely don't recommend to BL newbies nor do I plan to recommend it to anyone. I'm so confused I'm not even sure if it even had potential. Obviously, the show being short doesn't help but....eh.
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Directionless Story
I honestly hate to review something people worked hard on unless I enthusiastically loved it. I wanted to love this and tried. The story meandered around like it was full of random 'hey what about this?' moments while it was being written or adapted for a series. There were elements that might have made a good story, but something went wrong. Not a spoiler but the ending flipped at the very last second... literally the last second... I can still feel the look of confusion on my face.The one especially good thing I think was Kurt Mendoza. I hope he does well and makes other things. I look forward to seeing him in something amazing.
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A Warm, Feel-Good Series about Home, Love, and Friendship
Two things that stuck out to me from the beginning of this show were the magnificent cinematography and the poetic dialogues/monologues. I think some of the commentators here simply do not know how read that deeply into the thoughts of characters and look into the philosophy of the screenwriting. This is not a series with smut and brainless humor; it has very delicate and precious messages about the concept of home and belonging. This, combined with the amazing camerawork made the show brilliant to watch. Not to mention the actors are all beautiful and whoever was in charge of costumes had a delightful taste. I also really liked the inclusion of a female supporting character that was neither villainized nor left out of the main story. She has her own character arc, her own story, and she isn’t there for comic relief or as a source of toxicity.I think some viewers may have become lost due to the deepish nature of the dialogue and the somewhat heavy topics that are covered in this show. This show is a piece of artwork and thus is not for everyone; this does not detract from its beauty; it simply is its own unique series. Another positive thing to say about this show is that it takes place in a warm (fictional) world where gay love is completely normalized, which is very refreshing and feel-good, especially for queer kids watching. I am not saying that other series that accurately portray the trauma of coming out or living in a heteronormative world are not important, but I think that both of these types of storylines are important for us to have in the world, not just for us but for the next generation of gay youth.
The only negative thing I will say about this series is that it is short, and due to that, there is not as much time to develop characters and it can feel rushed at times (and let’s be honest, we all get a little sad when we see an episode is shorter that we expected haha).
PS: The OST is also great and I loved the opening sequence when it plays.
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I wouldn’t bother
I mean it’s up to you, as it’s short you may find it worthwhile just to give it a go but I wouldn’t recommend it. The first two episodes were lack lustre but I convinced myself it would get better. I was wrong, it only went downhill from there. I’m not really sure what the storyline was, and I don’t even know if I would classify it as having any bl in it. The ending was boring and unnecessarily problematic. Watch at your own risk of dying of boredomThe music was basically just the same song over and over and over again, you’ll hear it so many times that you’ll hear it as the bgm in your dreams and wake up in cold sweats.
If there’s one redeeming quality (which there isn’t really but I don’t want this whole review to be me being rude) it’s little angel face Bryce. Watch it for the hot boys then leave it alone
Rewatch value is 0 because I wish I hadn’t even watched it the first time, let alone having to sit through it again
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Lost Potential
Had tons of potential to be an amazing series and while the first 6 episodes managed to have some high points. Many will agree that the last two episodes really soured the mood.The depiction of Bart in Manila wasn't nearly as detailed as it should have been. We should have seen him plant actual roots in the city other than just the career.
I loved the cast and the acting which is why I believe the potential was wasted. I'm truly hoping that a season 2 can save season 1 the same way Still 2gether tried to do with 2gether the series.
Music was amazing as well, added quite a few songs to my playlist.
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A Warm, Feel-Good Series about Home, Love, and Friendship
Two things that stuck out to me from the beginning of this show were the magnificent cinematography and the poetic dialogues/monologues. I think some of the commentators here simply do not know how read that deeply into the thoughts of characters and look into the philosophy of the screenwriting. This is not a series with smut and brainless humor; it has very delicate and precious messages about the concept of home and belonging. This, combined with the amazing camerawork made the show brilliant to watch. Not to mention the actors are all beautiful and whoever was in charge of costumes had a delightful taste. I also really liked the inclusion of a female supporting character that was neither villainized nor left out of the main story. She has her own character arc, her own story, and she isn’t there for comic relief or as a source of toxicity.I think some viewers may have become lost due to the deepish nature of the dialogue and the somewhat heavy topics that are covered in this show. This show is a piece of artwork and thus is not for everyone; this does not detract from its beauty; it simply is its own unique series. Another positive thing to say about this show is that it takes place in a warm (fictional) world where gay love is completely normalized, which is very refreshing and feel-good, especially for queer kids watching. I am not saying that other series that accurately portray the trauma of coming out or living in a heteronormative world are not important, but I think that both of these types of storylines are important for us to have in the world, not just for us but for the next generation of gay youth.
The only negative thing I will say about this series is that it is short, and due to that, there is not as much time to develop characters and it can feel rushed at times (and let’s be honest, we all get a little sad when we see an episode is shorter that we expected haha).
PS: The OST is also great and I loved the opening sequence when it plays.
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Great representation
I liked how there were no tropes. It felt like a real story. It was very accepting of queer identities, they talked about queer identities instead of brushing them behind a bush like some other BL dramas coughKoreacough. I especially liked what the dad had to say at the end and how there was a bit at the end for SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics) by the PHILIPPINE ANTI-DESCRIMINATION ALLIANCE OF YOUTH LEADERS.I LOVED IT. It was maybe my favorite part. Imagine if a Koran BL with two members of a kpop boy group had a section on the definition of bisexuality put on by a LGBTQIA group?! In other words, let's support all the Filippino dramas! They're far ahead of other countries and their media. OMG, imagine if the US tried to make BL. I think hollywood would get razed to the ground by angry fujoshi (me included. It'd just be a capitalist move/gimmick anyways).
Good story, some plot gaps, odd scene placement, fantastically diverse characters, some very beautiful characters. Thanks producers! I got pleasure out of this show and from some of the most unexpected places.
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This review may contain spoilers
Give it a chance!
I'm not sure why the reviews and comments section for this are so harsh tbh as I actually thought there was a lot to like about this series and I quite enjoyed it.Pros:
-The Story starts out strong (see cons for where it goes awry lol): I'm not sure why so many people are saying there's no story. Imo there's more story than a LOT of the more generic BLs. Basic plot summary is the classic tale of two leads from different backgrounds, one poor one rich. Both have a common connection of feeling alone and yearning for somewhere to belong. They come from different perspectives on life but come to understand and appreciate each other.
I was worried that when Bryce invited Bart to Manila, that Bart was going to live with him and create an unequal power dynamic where Bart was dependent on him. But to my delight that didn't happen at all, Bart gets his own place and works hard to become a successful model. They get to know each other as friends first of all and slowly grow their feelings for each other. Their relationship wasn't built on lust but genuine connection (IE they don't just bump into each other and fall in love instantly).
-The OST is great. I loved it. So many good songs are used that really match the tone of each scene. There are none of the stock standard, often cringey comical sound effects that are found in so many BLs.
-Production quality and cinematography is great. The shots of the scenery in Bart's province are beautiful.
-All the main four cast of guys are reallllly attractive. They're all models irl so I'm not surprised but dayummm. They're styled well and aren't bad actors at all imo, especially given this seems to be all of their first acting roles. Kurt Mendoza is especially adorable- and I love how idealistic and genuinely kind his character is despite his harsh upbringing. I wish there was more of more scenes of Edward (Eurwin Canzana) though as he was also adorable! (Here's hoping for season 2).
-Minimal wasted screentime. If you've watched a lot of BLs, you know how common it is for there to be so many wasted fillers scenes on the MLs friend's pointless crap, jealous GFs/Ex GFs, moping alone scenes staring into space endlessly etc. But there was a distinct lack of this crap in this series, which I really appreciated especially given there's only 8 eps. Bestie is the obligatory female friend of the male lead, but I didn't find most of her scenes too long or egregious for example. She even had some good lines and some depth to her character. I also loved her friendship with Bart so much.
-There are some nice quotes in there at the end of eps, my fave being "There are things not meant for you but it doesn't mean that you're not worthy".
Cons:
-The first ep is a little boring as it's mostly voiceover exposition telling a bit of backstory for the main three male leads and what point of view they're coming from. I always prefer to be shown rather than told things in series/movies (IE not a big fan of character inner monologues in series in general)- but once you get past this first ep it's not so bad.
-There's not as much "connective tissue" as I'd prefer- IE those scenes where you get to know the characters more or see their development/relationship building over time. But I don't consider this as big of an issue considering the short number of episodes and the fact I've seen so many other BLs do sooo much less than this with double if not triple the runtime.
-The story ends weakly. The last two eps are disappointing and feel pretty rushed, especially ep.7 randomly dropping down to 14 mins total including the intro and previous ep segment. I hated how Bryce randomly decides to leave all of a sudden with no real explanation (he always missed his parents so why did he have to leave "right now"?). I get that the end was purposely ambiguous to tease for a 2nd season- but I wasn't a fan of it at all.
-Barely any skinship and no kissing. The most you get is a few cute hair touching moments.
Overall I enjoyed this and don't see why people have been so harsh on it. I'll be coming back eagerly for a season 2 if they make one!
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Scénář byl průhledný od prvního záběru, zpracování jen průměr (jednou měla kráska Brendalynne kabelku na břichu, z jiného úhlu záběru na boku, pak zase na břichu atd.). Nemusím mít fyzično mezi dvěma mladíky za každou cenu, ale k někdy "divně" proudícímu příběhu by zde byla bonusem. Teď co seriál u mého hodnocení zachránilo: to "něco" (samota, touha, milovat jinou bytost) tam v pozdějších dílech bylo cítit, samotní mladí herci, jejich snaha, největší pozitivní postavou byl Edward a nejvíce si cením hudební stránky tohoto malého a skromného pinoy dílka.
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the cast ?
i’m just gonna keep this short because i’m seeing a lot of negative reviews but i genuinely enjoyed this. the story was okay but where the series really shined was the cast. not only are they all absolutely gorgeous, they’re also pretty talented, if the story had been better they probably would have had more to work with but what they gave us was still great. the soundtrack too man, all the songs were so good, i added all of them to my playlists. not sure if we’re getting a second season? it seems like that’s what they were planning on but i can’t find anything talking about it recently sooo we shall see. i hope we get it though, i would definitely support another season.Was this review helpful to you?
Mixed feelings
The story line was OK...Acting was actually much terrific but I feel like the story could have been explored much more than what is currently happened.
I hope there'd be a season 2 with better storylines and please, let there be more than one plot twist. There's been too much same plot line twists in many of the BL series.
Many times, it's either about a series secret ex or cheating.
I wish this story could explore other options where BLs could have more meaning to love than just two guys or girls starting a relationship.
The title is just great and it goes literally according to the lines but I feel like much effort wasn't put into making the series stronger.
Can I see some changes??
Thank you.
Congratulations
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Great visuals but unsure of it self
In the early episodes, the series seems to be unsure of what it wants to tell, so it compensated with visuals. However, visuals can only go so far and it will not make up for compelling story.The cast have acting skills, not on par with the mainstream BL, but skills were there. And there are moments that it really shine. BUT as I've said, no compelling story to tell can pull hinder characterization and the entire series it self. Take for example CHEAT, there are cringe worthy scenes and acting there, but the series is sure in what it wants to tell and it did not veer off from it, resulting in one good series.
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