Pinoy BL Series
Thailand
For some reasons, Episode 3: World War 3 was delayed for a week. Dave's socio-economic status was even more contrasted with that of Terrence in this episode. They continued with their online banter. And three new characters belonging to the group "Varsity Boys" were introduced in this episode. But even with these developments, the plot was still not compelling enough. There was an unnecessary scene (Gigi asking Dave for sugar). Screenplay was a bit more natural but was still dull. Acting performance of the new cast members needs improvement. Production technicals were better than previous episodes but there were still some issues (like loud background noises). For the next episodes, I'm just hoping for continuous improvements with respect to plot, performance, and production.
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Kumusta Bro? Episode 8
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Episode 8: End to Begin at least tried to resolve Thirdy's issues with Cerwin, Dean, and Bench. Thirdy's sister even made an appearance. But all these failed to solve the shallowness of the plot/storyline of this series. The script was extra preachy in this episode. Acting was generally uninspired. Production technicals had some problems. Connection and feed hanged several times. Audio was choppy. And for the most part, the finale was underwhelming. The grand reveal was quite blasé. At one point during the grand reveal, even Thirdy asked: "is this it?" (ito na yun? ). While I understood why Thirdy chose loving himself over Bench, I hated the idea of asking Kumu app subscribers to vote only to render their votes useless in the end. The title of this episode was open-ended -- maybe hinting on a full narrative series. But if planned full narrative series doesn't depart substantially from this experimental interactive series in terms of plot/storyline and performance, I don't really see the point of producing a full narrative series.
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Hmmm... Episode 6: Bangkok Can't Wait wasn't a good episode. From being officially together just last week to breaking up this week to hooking up with someone else next week? Somehow, Hook Up's plot/storyline had gone off the rails. Yes, the need for good communication and management of egos in a relationship was highlighted in this episode but aside from that, nothing much helped in advancing a satisfactory narrative. Dialogues were unnecessarily circuitous and long. While Niko played his role well, his character was annoying. Audio was uneven for this episode. Editing wasn't good. There were some dead air and gaps during split screens and post-credits appeared twice with Niko's name not fully integrated -- which is actually an improvement from last week when Wex's name wasn't even fully credited. With two episodes left, I hope the cast and crew can still salvage this series so as to end on a high note.
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While the plot/storyline progressed on Episode 5, everything else didn't. Screenplay was cringy, irritatingly long, and repetitive (cases in point, scene where Moira confronted Sky in his room, bar drinking scene with Sky's friends, etc.). Because of his near death experience, Ace's character development and redemption arc should have started in this episode (not on Episode 3) which would have made the overall narrative more believable. There's still no explanation why Moira's the way she is other than the sexist explanation that she's a bitch. Gay representations were still bad. In terms of acting, Aki and Shanice were equally poor while Miko was just ok. Similar to previous episodes, what went well for this episode were the production technicals. Production design was good [some may even say, comparable with some of the top-notch Thai boys' love (BL) series]. Although simple techniques were employed, cinematography was generally decent. Taking all of these together, this episode still didn't impress me. I hope next week's episode is better.
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I enjoyed Episode 9: Hinala. The plot/storyline developed in this episode. There were character developments and relationship complications revolving around suspicions. Brianx was suspicious of her boyfriend Jet, the gang was suspicious of Nin after he called someone Pangs online, and I think Otep was suspicious of Tau and Orion. I'm fine with Tau referring to Otep as his best friend instead of boyfriend. Maybe Tau's not yet ready to come out to his family and co-workers. But Tau should have discussed this with Otep prior so as not to catch Otep off guard. Screenplay was generally ok. Pangs had some cheesy but sweet lines. Makisig's singing was cute. Acting was fine. I also love the vacation vibes of this episode. They were eating again! This is probably the Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series wherein the characters eat the most, lol. The resort scenic view was amazing. With all these, I think we can at least expect more complexities in the five remaining episodes.
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There were obvious improvements on Episode 3. While still simplistic, the plot/storyline was at least contextualized to highlight how teens manage home and school life amidst the pandemic. Screenplay was still cheesy but a bit less cringy. There were still pointless hand gestures but it was evident that acting was toned down. But the biggest improvements were on production design, cinematography, and editing. They were nevertheless below average but tolerable at the minimum. On the next episodes, I hope Unexpected continuously improve.
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It's good that on Episode 7, ZigZag finally decided to put a label on their relationship. They're now boyfriends! Yey! A lot of boys' love (BL) series would drag the labelling part till the finale as if ending up as boyfriends is the be all and end all of relationships. In fact, in most cases, the things that happen after you become boyfriends are even more challenging. I'm glad that Even After will explore some of these issues in the remaining episodes starting with the challenge posted by Zig's mother wanting to talk to Zag. I'm actually scared of what she'll say to Zag. Again, it's just too familiar for me. Here's hoping for a not so heart-breaking Episode 8!
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Quaranthings Episode 1
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I was pleasantly surprised with the pilot episode of Quaranthings: The Series! Although clearly set during the pandemic like other Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series, the plot/storyline wasn't straightforward at all which made it quite interesting. After watching Episode 1: Quarantine Pass, you'd certainly want to stick around to understand Judah's issues, uncover Rocky's secrets, and find out how their relationship develops during the quarantine. Screenplay was cute with a lot of funny lines. Acting was generally natural especially the performance of Royce, who's a magnificent specimen of a man, lol. He's so sexy! Kyo, a newbie, was alright. He was on point in a lot of scenes but there were also scenes wherein he was flat. He needs improvement but he was ok. I like that Judah's unapologetically queer. Karl was also a natural in his role as Beshie and I love his rendition of the OST "Sansinukuban" (My Universe). Production design and cinematography were just average. But I love that there's an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez photo, Martin Luther King Jr. quote, and Thai BL series posters. Cutting of scenes and transitions from one scene to another need refinement. All and all, Quaranthings: The Series is a very promising Pinoy BL series. I'm undoubtedly looking forward to next week's episode!
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Kumusta Bro? Episode 7
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With a shallow plot/storyline, Episode 7: Chances & Choices tried to compensate with a corny screenplay and over dramatized acting. Sky's acting would have been ok if it wasn't dragged too much which didn't do him any favors since it exposed his lack of range. RJ and Allen were generally ok while Kristof still felt scripted. Production technicals were the same as previous weeks. Next week, this series ends with an online fan meeting.
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Since we're already on Episode 4: Hide & Seek, it's probably pointless to keep mentioning Amore's technical weaknesses but with 26 episodes left, maybe they'll still try to improve in the succeeding episodes? Audio and editing were still poor in this episode. The "Previously" segment of Part 2 of 3 didn't even have audio! Other than having Buknoy and Xander Ford (both very poor actors) in the cast, there weren't a lot of substantial weaknesses in this episode. I appreciated that scenes were allotted to the different ships, JoWil, JoJimmy, JoKenji, and JoNuan, to illustrate Joey's different relationships with Wil, Jimmy, Kenji, and Nuan. Sure, screen time tilted more to Joey and the manipulative and scheming Wil, but hopefully this will not always be the case. JoWil had obvious chemistry but the problem with their poetry reading scene was that it was long and dragging. Contrast their scene with the bedroom conversation scene of JoJimmy. While shorter in screen time, JoJimmy's scene was more meaningful in terms of character development (Jimmy's redemption arc) and relationship development (from enemies to friends to lovers?). Nothing much happened with JoKenji other than Kenji being creepy asking Joey about his love life. Of course, the most heartbreaking was the confession (not really a) prank scene of Nuan. By now, it seemed futile to push for JoNuan. The break in Nuan's voice, his sorrowful and close to crying eyes, and him being left alone in his lonesome in the end of that scene were just too heart-wrenching. I want a happy ending for Nuan, if not with Joey, then maybe with someone else. Overall, this episode was ok.
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Oh My Sexual Episode 3
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Oh My Sexual had obviously toned down in Episode 3: Oh My Thirdy! While the documentary-experimental vibes were still evident and the exaggerations were still there, they were noticeably lessened in this episode. This allowed the plot/storyline to take shape, the screenplay to appear more engaging, and the acting to be more relatable. Form should always be harmonized with substance. Too much focus on style as seen in the first two episodes takes away from the message of this series. How anxieties and distresses are magnified during a pandemic was featured in this episode. Zombies might actually be metaphors for the different types of people affected by the pandemic. Thirdy's story was interesting enough and his acting was the most tolerable so far. The changes from one scene to another and the editing were still a bit distracting but they were better than previous episodes. I hope succeeding episodes continue in this track so that by the end of its season, this series will be appreciated for bringing in something different (that's good) in the genre of Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series.
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For me, one of the main problems of this series is its inability to progress in terms of characterizations. The characters are just too simplistic and unrealistic. With four episodes released, there's still no character development and depth. Because of this, acting of the lead cast appeared bland most of the time. Miko's acting had become monotonous as of late while Aki's performance had become stiff. Not even the fun and sexy moments of Episode 4 could hide the weak acting direction given to the cast. It's a pity especially since this series started with a lot of promise given its good production value. But hope is not yet lost. With eight more episodes, this series has plenty of time to arrest its downward spiral.
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Yes, we did get some sexy moments from Tau and Otep and some cute moments from Nin and Makisig (plus some Nin and Makisig back story) but all in all, the plot/storyline didn't really move much on Episode 8: Unawa. This episode was slower than usual and seemed to be really setting up for the conflicts ahead. The screenplay wasn't as exciting as previous episodes but it was ok. The actors seemed to be more comfortable and relaxed with each other in this episode. Production design, cinematography, musical score, and editing were satisfactory. For next week's episode (most probably with Orion), I'm hoping for a more complex narrative.
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Episode 5: Happy Birthday, Micro-Cheater! was not as good as the last three episodes. It was still ok but it wasn't as strong as the previous episodes. While there's more clarity about Mark's inner feelings and his relationship with Henry, I found Kevin's exit disconcerting, even upsetting. I just thought he was treated unfairly. There were some good dialogues in this episode but there were also some cringy and preachy lines. Acting was generally uneven. There were good scenes but there were also bad scenes. Some scenes were dragging which could have used some good editing. Still, I like this series so I'll see this series through till its finale.
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I was surprised that Episode 11 (rated 8.7 as of this writing) was rated so low compared to Episodes 1-10. While I can agree that it was a notch lower than Episode 10 (rated 9.5), I don't think Episode 1 (rated 9.1) was better than Episode 11. The problem was that people were judging Episode 11 with Episode 10 as the standard which I think wasn't really fair. But now that Episode 12: Jealousy in the Air has been released, I think very few will disagree that this episode is among Gameboys' best episodes. It continued to have a clear grasp of its context. The effects of the pandemic on relationships are real. It also remained true to its ability to make its audience experience a roller coaster of emotions. I got excited, I laughed, I got annoyed, I cried. The cute and sweet moments between Cai and Gav were really nice. Wes and Gav taking off their shirts was funny (Gav's sexier!!!). Wes was really irritating! I've long forgiven Terrence so Wes now infuriates me more. And that virtual shower scene was sexy and tastefully done. But the best parts of this episode were its two most dramatic scenes. One was tender while the other one was tension-filled. Both were really realistic and relatable. Kokoy was really good when Gav cried while having dinner with Cai. I choked up watching Kokoy's eyes. And of course the back and forth between Gav and Cai during the last scene was outstanding. I cried because that scene really reminded me of fights I've had in the past that ended my previous relationships. By a mile, Elijah and Gav's performance is the best acting by a duo in a boys' love (BL) series! You don't really see such range in acting from both lead actors in a BL series. I've seen around 100 BL series (Thai, Taiwanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean). Oftentimes, one of the actors was really good but the other was just so-so. A lot of times, both actors were just easy on the eyes. But with Elijah as Cai and Kokoy as Gav, we got two high-caliber actors who are also easy on the eyes! By the way, congrats to Elijah for another Best Actor nomination (for the movie Kalel, 15) from the highly prestigious Gawad Urian (Urian Awards). The only thing I didn't like is the fact that there's only one episode left! I know there's a Gameboys The Movie but I'm really hoping for a happy ending next week. Cai and Gav deserves to be happy, and so do we.
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