”A unique story with an incredibly amazing technique?” Are you kidding me?

I've been a fan of Ranz Gonzales' series and especially of his cast since ”One Day Pag-Ibig”, although his series have the typical flaws of low budget productions like poor sound and cinematography, amateurish acting and a weak script. I hoped things would get better through ”learning by doing”, but they didn't.

”He's mine” is his third series, and it is really disppointing. When ODPI had at least an interesting basic idea and PKKT some kind of plot, ”He's mine” unfortunately is the worst Ranz Gonzales series so far, because old mistakes are being repeated, and new ones added.

I'm not talking about the terrible sound quality, the inconsistent editing and the poor directing – all this was already there in former series. What really annoys me is that there is no real plot. It starts like the good old rich vs poor story, and it goes on as the rich vs poor story for episode after episode without anything really happening. Whereas we learn about the poor guy's (Callix) background (evil mother, lazy elder brother, angel-like little sister), the reason for the rich guy's (Luke) sadness and bad mood remains in the dark until episode 9. The entire ”plot” consists of the two groups being mad at each other which gets boring soon, and the revelation of Callix and Luke's backstory in the final episode is completely implausible..

Another negative point is that the cast who showed at least some talent in former series are much worse in this one. The leads – Allen Caguioa as Luke and Clark Blancaflor as Callix – are in a bad mood for the first 8 episodes, yelling at each other – what they are doing can't be called acting at all – with the rare exception of Clark when he sets a highlight interacting with his family. It feels like the actors are embarrassed about the poor script and just don't want to be there.

We have to wait for the final episode until both Allen and Clark are allowed to show that they do have acting talent. Finally, Allen displays some different facettes than just being sad and mad. Actually, the only member of the cast who does not only have acting talent, but has proved in ”Stranger's Kiss” and ”My Chinito Prince” that he also has acting skills, is LJ Russell who unfortunately has only a minor support role. Like the lead actors, all the other (way too many) side characters speak in an unnatural way most of the time. It often sounds as if they have problems memorizing their lines, especially when they speak English.

I'm rating the acting an 8, but that's more for the cast, not exactly for their acting, because I love Allen, Clark, Robert, LJ, and Dave so much. Clark deserves an extra mentioning for the song he contributed to the OST again. I like his voice, and his compositions, so I'm a little sad we didn't get to hear more from him in this series.

The terrible writing peaks in the final episode, where Juanmig suddenly drops dead just for the sake of drama, and where the completely implausible backstory of Luke and Callix's ”relationship” is being revealed. Btw Luke's younger, nerdy self made me laugh out loud; congrats to the make-up designer for that.

When Global TV praise this series as a ”unique story with an incredibly amazing technique” that ”only Direk Ranz Gonzales can do” (source: youtube Global TV SMO Series community message), they must either be joking or blinded by the 7 million views their series have gained on youtube. These 7 million views prove that fans all over the world watch the series because they want to see Allen, Clark, Robert, Dave, LJ, and the rest of the lovely cast, but they watch it despite, not because of Ranz Gonzales' poor writing and directing.

When a small company like Global TV gathers so many views, they should be able to acquire sponsors or investors so that they can hire a competent writer, director and sound engineer to support Ranz Gonzales who could focus on what he's obviously good at: gathering an attractive cast. If nothing like that happens, I can only hope that the talented actors find a company that helps them improve their skills instead of simply exploiting their tiktok popularity. If they want to succeed in the entertainment industry, it's time for them to move on.

Let me finish with a hint for all those who like Allen Caguioa as much as I do: I recommend you to watch him baking cookies with his friend on his youtube channel which is a lot more entertaining than watching him grudgingly grumbling in ”He's mine”.

Read More

Despite minor flaws, one of the most beautiful BL series

In contrast to other reviewers here, I waited until the end of season 2 before I'm writing my review, and it is good I did, because the final three episodes revealed some unforeseen weaknesses of the script, which is one of the reasons why I can't give it full 10 points.

The story sets in where season 1 ended - both Angelo and Damon are angels now, and their obligation is to take care of their respective ex-lovers. So far, so good, so predictable. Unfortunately the explanation who harmed whom in their former lives contradicts season 1 in a major point: It was never mentioned that Damon was raped, and Angelo's guilt also contradicts the way he acted in season 1. Anyway - the message of the series remains the same: love is universal, and forgiveness is the key to happiness and a peaceful rest.

What makes this series so outstanding is the brilliant acting of the entire cast. Kaleb Ong once again deserves a prize for his performance, but all the others are really great, too. Miggy Campbell plays the drunk Anthony very convincingly, and if the Catholic church portrayed God as attractively as Peter Sotiangco, they wouldn't lose so many members.

The sound quality is a major flaw, especially in the most crucial and dramatic scenes when the yelling of the actors is so loud and distorted that it affects the atmosphere. The OST is very similar to season 1, with the return of Howie Day's "Collide".

There are rumours that actors were not paid in accordance with their contracts which were confirmed to me by one of the actors. This leaves an ugly stain on one of the most beautiful BL series of 2022.

Read More

One of the better pinoy low budget productions

The plot of this series is simple at a first glance: The neglected son of a rich landowner visits the manor house of his father's rural property and falls in love with the housekeeper's son who rescues him when he is attacked by the local gang of bullies. There are for a series as short as this (6 x 20 min) too many subplots to mention here, which is an advantage as it adds credibility to the story, but a disadvantage at the same time as it takes away space for the main couple.

The script though is much better than in many of the numerous low budget productions. The main characters' background is explained in a surprising depth, and their development is understandable. Also, the situation of the rural population (like dependency on landlords who live in the city, restricted access to education, poverty because of unfair market conditions, and the disgusting wave of government-induced killings in the Philippines) is described extensively. The director and writer, Tyrone Lim, says he wants to tell a true story and educate. Maybe it's a bit too much education sometimes.

Of course, it can't be denied this a low budget production, but it's not as bad as many others. They've made the best out of these conditions, some landscape shots being really beautiful, with the predominance of the color brown hinting at the poor living conditions in that village.

I liked the acting of the main couple, Ian Rosapapan as Kai and John Padilla as Andre, whose performance is natural and credible, but I liked Yoyen Bautista as Kai's longtime best friend Drixler even more. I could feel his character's disappointment, jealousy and despair. What I don't really understand is why again like in many other pinoy bl-series there are trans characters that do not help develop the plot but are rather displayed in a merely comic way which doesn't do justice to this part of the lgbt community.

There are some highlight scenes in this series, e.g. Kai's family commemorating the killed father and Kai and Andre's mutual account of their childhood. The scene I liked most, however, is the climax of the plot, the confrontation of Andre, his (you may guess:) evil (ex-) girlfriend Elaine and Kai, which is appropriately commented on by the noisy competition of some (you may guess again:) roosters. This scene, and Elaine's final text message to Andre's father obviously serve as a cliffhanger for a season 2.

Finally, I must mention the extraordinary soundtrack by musical director Lester V. Flores who contributes some beautiful songs, especially 'Himig Ng Elehiya', sung by John Padilla, which is a heartbreakingly sad song obviously referring to the murder of Kai's father.

All in all, like some other pinoy bl-series this is not pure entertainment, a bit too much education sometimes, but very worth watching if you don't expect cinematographic perfection à la '1000 stars'.

Read More

A mysterious, charming short film

This mysterious, charming Thai short film is another proof that Youtube's suggestions aren't completely useless sometimes. I had never heard of this movie when it popped up on my screen, and as it's quite short I thought that watching it wouldn't waste too much of my time, and alas, not only didn't I waste any time, but I really enjoyed watching the movie.

It tells the story of Than (Jittipat Suwannaluck) who can talk to ghosts, and Phop (Manutsawin Mokthong), a wandering spirit who is trying to find his ex-girlfriend Kongkwan to find his peace. Than is reluctant at first, but then helps Phop, and during the search the two boys get closer and at two different stages even confess their love to each other. Finally, Than finds out that Kongkwan died 40 years ago, obviously about at the same time as Phop died, and when Phop and Than find Kongkwan's grave, Phop finally disappears.

The abstract of the plot sounds quite sad, and the ending is not exactly a happy one, but the movie isn't all that sad because there are some comedic moments when Than has to explain what a mobile phone is, or when Phop is surprised that ”a TV can paint”.

Although the movie has a few minor technical flaws, e.g. a few sound issues and one or two editorial bumps, the overall quality is good, with a reasonable cinematography and a beautiful soundtrack that relies very much on classical music which creates a calm atmosphere.

What I liked in particular is the acting of the two leads. Although they are apparently rookies, and very young, their acting is really nice, and both guys are very handsome, too.

The movie is not promoted as a ”BL movie”, and if you define ”BL” as a series of typical tropes, then this is not BL. On the other hand, what can you call it when two handsome, young, male protagonists say ”I love you” to each other? They don't kiss, but is a kiss really necessary to prove that two boys love each other? I guess not, and that's why I would say that this is a BL movie indeed.

The Thai title is a pun which is not reflected by the English translation – depending on the spelling it can mean ”happiness” or ”rest in peace”. Like in many Thai productions, the English subtitles are not always correct, but at least they are there.

To sum up – if you have a quarter of an hour to spare and would like to watch a short film that's not all happiness, but charming and a little mysterious, this is one for you. I actually like it a lot.

Read More

When ”gross” and ”disgusting” mean ”I love you”

I was thrilled when season 2 of ”Utsukushii Kare” ("My Beautiful Man") was announced, because in my opinion season 1 was one of the best BL series of 2021. After the four short episodes of season 2 I can only say that this is probably going to be one of the best series of 2023.

On the surface, the relationship of Hira (Hagiwara Riku) and Kiyoi (Yagi Yusai) still looks like a typical unrequited love, with Hira worshipping his ”beautiful man” Kiyoi like a god, and Kiyoi ”insulting” Hira time and again by calling him ”gross” or ”disgusting” (which is his way of saying ”I love you”) although they have been living together for quite some time. Their relationship has been called toxic or asymmetric by some viewers, but it isn't. In fact, both characters are scared to be left behind by their lovers, and although Hira obviously has a mental problem, i.e. the complete lack of self-confidence, and thus seems to be the weaker of the two, Kiyoi is just as scared as Hira that their relationship won't last.

The seemingly asymmetric relationship is not only based on Hira's feeling of inferiority, but it is reinforced by the fact that Kiyoi is a talented, aspiring actor on his way to becoming a celebrity, whereas Hira, a talented photographer, doesn't find a job after graduation. So it makes perfect sense that their relationship becomes more equal when Hira finally gets a job as the assistant of a famous photographer, and Hira and Kiyoi's kiss in the final episode is a relief to everybody who wishes these two lovely characters well.

”Utsukushii Kare 2” underscores once again that often a short series with short episodes can be so much more satisfying than 14 episodes of 60 minutes that keep dragging on and on. If a series is written as well as this one, and if directing, editing, locations, and cinematography are so good, and if it focuses on the main protagonists and doesn't create artificial drama, it can succeed in displaying the main characters and their development in a depth that is often missed in long Thai series.

The cherry on top of this beautiful series is Hagiwara Riku and Yagi Yusai's acting. Hira's stuttering, a symbol of his lack of self confidence, and Kiyoi's arrogance and rudeness are just brilliant acting, and their shy and secret smiles indicate what's going on inside these two young men who depend on each other, and who are living evidence of the saying that opposites attract. Although the series focuses on Hira and Kiyoi's story, we meet some of the characters of season 1 again, among them lovely Koyama (Takano Akira), who – although his love of Hira was one-sided - still tries to encourage Hira as a photographer.

It has been a joy watching this series, and I'm thrilled again because we'll only have to wait for little more than a month to meet Hira and Kiyoi again when the movie ”My Beautiful Man: Eternal” will be released.

Read More

Great entertainment that may make you smile

Wayufilm have once again produced a true little gem, a short film that is as beautiful as almost all of their movies. It is a quiet, sensitive story of two young men who meet for the first time, which is what the title refers to, so don't be disappointed when you notice that it isn't the ”first time” that you may have expected.

The plot is rather simple. Sud Yod (Klong Chindanai), a successful online gamer with a huge number of followers, has a pain in his back, so he decides to go to a massage parlour that sponsors his channel to get a free oil massage. As all the regular masseurs are busy, the young receptionist Num Un (Night Yodsakon), who is one of Sud Yod's followers, gives him a massage for the first time. Num Un is shy and afraid that he may not be good enough a masseur, but Sud Yod feels very comfortable and praises the young man. When Sud Yod goes online again after the massage at the end of the movie, Num Un sends him a message, promising him to ”massage him for ever and ever”, so we can conclude that those two may become friends or even lovers, but this is left to the viewers' imagination (or a sequel?).

Like most Wayufilm movies, the story is being told slowly and sensitively. But it is the actors who make the viewer feel the story, because both of them play their parts very naturally. In his amazing performance in his first lead role as tha ”Male Entertainer”, Klong has already proven that he is a talented actor, and Night plays the shy, reluctant ”first timer” so convincingly that his acting appears completely realistic. And just as Klong is a very attractive, handsome young man, Night is an adorable, cute boy.

In some Thai movies, it is embarrassing that actors stare at each other without saying anything for ages. In this movie, however, staring at each other isn't embarrassing at all, because it just shows how insecure, and at the same time attracted to each other the two characters feel. When they are silently thinking about what to say next, one can guess what each of them are thinking by reading their facial expressions. The credits say that Mon Hatsawatchon was the acting coach, and sometimes one can notice that it was he who taught the two young men how to act.

Director Nicchi has helped some young talents like Oak, Mon, and Ryu to grow into good actors who have made their way into the viewers' hearts and I am sure Nicchi will do the same to Klong and Night if they follow his guidance.

When I was watching the movie, I did not fall asleep like Sud Yod did when he was given his relaxing massage, but I calmed down, found myself smiling from beginning to end, and forgot all the daily trouble for half an hour. So in my opinion, this is a piece of great entertainment that may make you smile, too.

You can find all my reviews of BL series and movies here:
https://www.wattpad.com/user/DominicKebre

Read More

How beautiful the moon is!

This is the second time that a BL series revolves around the reactions of people facing the end of the world. The first one, ”Love at the End of the World”, directed by the late Shandii Bacolod, was reviewed extremely controversially – some commentators called it a masterpiece while others criticised the non-linear storytelling and allegedly unnecessary NC-scenes, to name just a few complaints.

”Till The World Ends” has been discussed controversially, too, and this time the main point of criticism was the false scientific aspects. If the moon were approaching the Earth as closely as shown in the series, commentators claimed, there would be natural disasters, e.g. flooding Bangkok etc. This criticism doesn't take into account that this isn't a scientific documentary, but a work of fiction, and the threat of the moon crashing into Earth is a metaphor for people, or rather a complete civilisation, facing a life-threatening situation.

The series follows two groups of young people. Golf (Best Anavil), his brother Gus (Michael Kiettisak) and Art (Art Pakpoom) are the good guys (with some flaws, though), whereas a gang including Long (Knight Pichayut), Joke (Songklod Kunlachat) and a very evil girl, who resembles the young Britney Spears, aim at killing as many people as possible before the world ends.

Gus, who has been in jail as a leader of anti-government protests, joins Golf and Art at Golf's condo. Art and Golf have fallen in love, but their love is based on Golf's lie about how they met. He tells Art, who has lost his memory, that Art fell down the stairs, but it was actually Golf who hit him a guitar on the head, because he was jealous after Art had been talking to Golf's girlfriend.

The two groups meet several times, and Golf defends Art by killing one of the evil guys. Golf is injured in this fight, and Art stitches his wound which probably hurts the viewer more than the actor. Art, Golf, and Gus meet a lovely lady called Sis Mam (Pong Kusuma) who lives in the same building as Golf with her dog, but the bad guys use the dog, which had run away and been caught by them, to make Mam open the door for them. They kill lovely Mam, which again is a hurtful scene for the viewers, and in the ensuing fight, Golf kills the evil girl.

Golf, Gus, and Art decide to leave Bangkok and drive North, hoping to reach a bunker near the border to Laos. On their way they meet another lovely person, a sick, old man who tells them about a bunker, where he spent a short time, but only rich people have a pleasant life there, whereas poor people live in miserable conditions so that he decides to go back to his house to spend his last days there.

He gives the young men his car, and they drive to Art's house, where the bad guys are already waiting for them. Long and Joke overwhelm Golf, Gus and Art and tie them up, and when the bad guys have just decided to stop killing people, the good guys can free themselves, so there is another fierce fight.

The final episode is a rollercoaster like the series as a whole – the ugliest bloodbath is contrasted with the most beautiful, quiet and loving scenes. And when everybody has accepted that Golf and Art die together hugging as the moon crashes into the Earth, writer and director Aam gives us a glimpse of hope. So after the sad ending there is a very short moment of a happy one, what a relief.

Let me repeat that this is not a scientific documentary, so there is no use asking how realistic the plot is. The question is rather, how realistic the thoughts and actions of the characters are, given the life-threatening situation of the end of the world. Aam Anusorn succeeds in showing that people act radically in such a situation – bad people will act more evil than normal, whereas good people will show fear, love, but also the will to survive as long as possible. The latter may mean that they have to use violence to defend themselves.

Aam Anusorn also succeeds in criticising the current state of Thailand, where even murderers are allowed to find shelter in bunkers, but ”enemies of the state”, elderly people, and drug dealers aren't. The conditions in the bunkers mirrors the social conditions in Thailand where rich and well educated people live a pleasant life, while the poor and badly educated masses lead a miserable life.

The script has drama, comedy, tragedy, violence, deceit, jealousy, and love, so there is everything a good series should have. The cinematography is good – dark scenes are contrasted with beautiful shots of the Thai landscape and a huge moon, even with aurora borrealis.

Director Aam Anusorn has gathered experienced actors who are able to play their characters very much like real human beings, who aren't one-dimensional, but have their good as well as their bad sides. Best is able to display Golf's contradictory character traits convincingly, Art is not only extremely handsome, but also allows his character to be shy, fearful, but in some situation also courageous, and Michael Kiettisak, one of my favourite Thai actors, has one of the most heartbreaking scenes when he tells the story of his and Golf's childhood in front of a breathtaking vista. I've already mentioned Pong Kusuma, who makes everybody love her character, Sis Mam.

To sum up, the plot and the characters of ”Till The World Ends” are very different from your usual high school or college BL series, which often ends with the main couple's shy kiss. Here, the guys who like guys have gay sex, and there are some good reasons why some of the episodes are age-restricted. I already said before that this series has been reviewed quite controversially. I am one of the many viewers who like it, because it brings some fresh air to a genre that is all too often stuck in the same old tropes, none of which will bore you in this series. So I would like to thank Aam Anusorn and his cast and crew for putting their energy, hearts, minds and skills into this project. Among many other things, some of the most beautiful pictures in this series have reminded me of how beautiful the moon is.

Read More

A worthy sequel

Second seasons of popular series sometimes disappoint because high expectations aren't fulfilled, but ”Papa, What is Love Season 2” is a worthy sequel of a series that earned international recognition when it premiered.

Like season 1, this isn't a BL, but a gay series, so it comes without all the annoying tropes of the BL genre. Season 2 tells the story of the young couple Tupe (Rex Lantano) and Greg (Anthony Flores) and of Greg's father Rich's (Arnold Reyes) efforts to find a same sex partner.

In season 1, Tupe worked as a helper in Rich's house, became his lover, but ended up as the boyfriend of Rich's son Greg. Now Tupe and Greg have been living together for some time in Greg's house, and the everyday problems of any relationship begin. Greg is a successful businessman who spends a lot of time and energy on his job, so that Tupe, who stays at home all day, feels neglected. Tupe wants to start a business of his own, selling food online, but he doesn't find an opportunity to discuss his plan with Greg.

Another problem is that Greg feels guilty towards his ex-fiancée Alex (Karina Bautista), whom he left for Tupe shortly before their wedding. He meets her to reconcile, which Tupe finds out, who becomes jealous, while Greg feels hurt because Tupe doesn't trust him. This situation would be a drama in a BL series, because the ex-girlfriend would be evil, and misunderstandings among the main couple would take a lot of time to be resolved, but in this series, the ex isn't evil at all, and Tupe and Greg find a way to discuss things, leading to a happy ending with Greg proposing to Tupe.

Rich, who is visiting his son's house, helps the young men with more or less helpful advice. He is still in moarning for his late wife's death, and at the same time trying desperately to find a new – male – partner. After a hookup with a sexy young man (Nick John Tuppil) he decides to rather look for someone older for a long-term relationship. He finds the restaurant owner Dominic (ZK Nakaoka), and the two men fall head over heels in love, travel to Japan together and get married in Taiwan. So we witness happy endings for everyone – even Alex lives her dream of attending an arts school in the USA.

The series is worth watching because it displays typical everyday problems of young gay couples as well as older gay men, but also shows how to solve them. It has dramatic moments, e.g. when Greg finds Tupe allegedly lifeless in the pool, it has elements of comedy, e.g. when Rich elaborates in Tupe's presence on Greg's happy life with his fiancée, and it shows something that BL series often do not show, but which is definitely part of a young gay couple's life – sex.

Unfortunately, the censored Youtube version has some brutal cuts where the original, uncut series (to be watched on Gagaoolala.com and Ticket2me.net) gets steamy, but all in all the technical quality of this series is good.

I was sceptical that the brilliant director of the first season, the late Shandii Bacolod, who tragically died when season was airing, would be appropriately replaced, but Aika Rapay, who was the assistant director in season 1, does as great job as the director of season 2.

Again, Rex Lantano displays all the facets of his huge acting talent, and again Anthony Flores proves that he isn't just extremely handsome, but a good actor, too. It's hard to understand why he isn't casted as an actor more often. Arnold Reyes is good in scenes when Rich bemoans his late wife, or when he is insecure before his meeting with Dominic, but sometimes he is overacting a little. The support actors, ZK Nakaoka, Karina Bautista, and Nick John Tuppil are all good in their respective roles.

All in all, I'm glad that Rex Lantano has been able to produce the sequel of ”Papa, What is Love”, after Youtube had terminated his channel because of alleged nudity in season 1, the censored version of which is still available on BL Pictures' Youtube channel, while the uncut series can be watched on Gagaoolala.com. Season 2, like its prequel, is a gay series which is definitely worth watching.

You find all my reviews, including those on productions from countries not covered by MDL, like Vietnam, Myanmar, or Singapore, plus a book with BL related lists and a few BL stories here:
https://www.wattpad.com/user/DominicKebre

Read More

A tribute to people with special needs

”Osmosis” isn't meant to be an ordinary BL series - Zeed Digital Production, the company that produced it, says it is meant to explore the life of persons with disabilities, which is quite a unique approach for a BL series, and I appreciate the good intention of the project very much.

The plot revolves around the siblings Jessica (Gezzle Marter) and James (James Ramada), whose mother died after their father, Papa Mario (Mar Soriano) left the family. When James was a little boy, he was abused by his father's friend Berto, who was killed shortly after, and Papa Mario left, because he was falsely accused of having murdered Berto (the murder was obviously drug-related). The childhood trauma makes James become mute, and he was only able to speak with his sister for a long time. When he gets older, he – secretly at first, but more and more open later - stalks his childhood friend Nic (Nic Galvez), who doesn't recognise him after their long separation. Nic even insults James for following him all the time.

One night, Nic is attacked and beaten up in front of James' house, and James and Jessica help him. After this, Nic and James get closer, and James starts talking to Nic, after they confess their love to each other. Then, however, James misinterprets an encounter of Nic and his ex-girlfriend Yasmin, and tries to commit suicide (although the reason for his seemingly unrelated suicide will only be revealed later).

One day, Papa Mario returns and meets Paolo (JC Santiago), a stutterer, who invites him to his home and later escorts him to a reunion with his son and daughter. Paolo's close friend Dave (Kiel Aguilar) later confesses to Paolo, and they become a couple, too. There is some jealousy when Dave thinks that Paolo looks too much at James, and Nic also gets jealous, but fortunately these misunderstandings are resolved soon.

All this time, Berto's son Diego/Dante, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, vows in an obscure ceremony on his father's grave to take revenge and kill Papa Mario. When Papa Mario has reunited with his children and goes to a market with Paolo, Dave, Nic, James, and Jessica, Diego shoots at him but hits Dave's arm. Nic knocks Diego down and is furious, but Papa Mario stops him and succeeds in calming Diego down (which is not really very credible, tbh).

After Papa Mario takes Diego/Dante to a prison to meet Berto's real murderer, Diego/Dante realises that Papa Mario isn't the murderer he thought he was (which also feels unrealistic), and reconciles with him. Finally, all the protagonists gather in James and Jessica's home, and James, who has gotten rid of his selective mutism, tearfully forgives Diego/Dante, which may be okay, and his father Berto, which comes too soon, and in real life may not happen at all, and thus isn't credible.

All this may sound a little confusing, and I must admit that it is confusing sometimes, especially as there are some more subplots that I won't mention here. But then we all know that life itself is confusing, and this series is very realistic and partly feels like a docudrama similar to Filipino BL series like ”Padayon” or ”Stranger's Kiss”. On the other hand, I wonder if there isn't an overload of a) characters and b) disabilities, which makes some episodes a little hard to swallow.

On the technical side, the series suffers from the same flaws as many other Filipino low budget productions. Let's not forget that Richard Tolentino did not only write the script, but also casted the actors and actresses and directed the series, and as this is his first longer work, some of the flaws can be excused. The sound isn't always very good, and the editing is a little bumpy sometimes. I also don't like that some scenes, like the attack on Nic, are literally left in the dark. A continuity sloppiness that could have been avoided is that James has a bandage on his left arm in one scene in episode 6 instead of his right arm. I am confident that Tolentino's future work will improve through ”learning by doing”, and these flaws will be avoided.

What is much better than in many low budget series, though, is the acting. Richard Tolentino has managed to gather a bunch of talented and handsome actors and actresses. Without disrespecting the others, let me mention six of them. James Ramada has been one of my favourite Pinoy actors for some time, and he again proves that he knows what acting is. Some of his scenes were really heartbreaking.

His partner in this show, Nic Galvez, was as good as James, which was a surprise to me as I guess that he isn't as experienced as James. JC Santiago and Mar Soriano also have some very strong scenes. Harwin Medez plays Diego/Dante so convincingly that I really wouldn't like to meet him alone in a dark alley, and if I were asked who I thought was the most handsome of all these handsome young men, I must confess that for me it was Kiel Aguilar.

As I already mentioned before, I do appreciate the good intention of integrating persons with disabilities in a BL series, and this series is worth watching despite its minor technical flaws. It may have been better to restrict the number of characters as well as the number of disabilities addressed here, e.g. mentioning that Paolo's brother Ron was also mute was just too much.

If you want to watch a fluffy feelgood show, this isn't a series for you. But if you want to watch a BL series that also displays the real problems of people with disabilities, and a show with talented, handsome actors, and talented, pretty actresses, this is one for you.

Read More

Interesting basic idea, but a lot of space for improvement

It took me a while until I decided to write a review, because I usually don't write one if I don't like a series, and I didn't like it at all at first. However, I had the beautiful ost song 'Kund pwede lang' by Clark Blancaflor in one of my playlists. That song made me rewatch the series some days ago, and now I do like it.

The basic idea is the 'guardian angel' topic: A desperate boy is about to commit suicide, calls a number he finds on the railing of a bridge he's going to jump down from, and the boy who answers persuades him to stay alive. Without knowing each other, the two boys meet by coincidence, are enemies at first, but become friends/boyfriends within a day (hence the title 'One day love').

This idea would have provided a good story, but the script has some issues that are, to put it mildly, confusing. Loads of side characters, some of them mere caricatures, divert attention from the main couple too often. Whereas the background of the 'desperate boy', Roi, is being told step by step, so his actions and character become understandable, the story of his 'saviour', Kyle, remains superficial.

Some scenes are barely credible, like ex-lovers appearing out of nowhere, Kyle falling into a pool twice, almost drowning although the water isn't deep enough for that, his friends standing around yelling at each other instead of 'rescuing' him,etc etc. In short, the script lacks quality. Sound and 'cinematography' have a lot of space for improvement, too.

There are a few things, however, that make this series watchable. Although the acting is poor (you can't actually call most of the crew actors), the main couple, Ivo Rosimo as Kyle and Allen Caguioa as Roi, show glimpses of talent, especially Allen is lovely in some scenes. Same can be said about Clark Blancaflor and Dane-Dane Hernandez who would have deserved a little more screentime (which one could have achieved by leaving out some unnecessary side characters). The story, although clumsily told, is basically interesting. The best thing is the ost which mainly consists of the 'Kung pwede lang' song.

It seems there is going to be a season two, and if so, I only hope that the script will be more consistent, actors better trained, technical issues resolved, and screenwriter/director Ranz Gonzales (whose 'review' you can read below ;-) gains more experience. As I am an unshakeable optimist, I'm looking forward to it.

Read More

The beautiful pains of unrequited love

This is the fourth short film that the Thai production company MindTrio have released under the series title ”Once in Memory”, and all these short films deal with the coming of age and coming out of young men. Apart from the topic, there are some other characteristics these films have in common, such as the sensitive way of displaying the young men's state of mind, the careful selection of the cast, good writing, directing, and editing. ”Let me be yours” is no exception.

The short film deals with a love triangle and heaps of unrequited love. X (Pun Napatt) loves Max (Phum Phathai), and he shows him his love by following him, teasing him, and even bullying him. Max, however, loves TK (Bom Thunpisit), but when he confesses to him, TK makes it clear to him that he can't be anything but his friend or older brother. Adding to this mess of a love triangle, TK loves X, and when he gathers all his courage to tell X about his feelings, he is gently, but firmly rejected, with X offering him to remain friends.

The climax of this tricky constellation is reached when Max spends a nice day with X, giving him false hope. At the end of the day, after X has said good bye to Max, Max confesses to TK, and starts crying when he is rejected. Just as TK hugs Max to comfort him, X returns and misunderstands what he sees.

It is the typical mess young people experience when they fall in love with someone who loves someone else, and I am glad that I am old enough to have grown out of this kind of shenanigans. Unrequited love hurts so badly, and being hugged by a good friend can ease the pain, but not conquer it completely.

As I said before, this short film is again written and directed in a very sensitive way, so that the viewer can relate to the characters, their hopes, fears, and problems. There were moments when I wanted to hug each of them, because they were all suffering from the same kind of pain.

Another reason why I liked this short film is the actors. Although I think that they are all rookies (at least I haven't seen them before), they proved very talented, and this wouldn't be the first time that a MindTrio short film was the starting point of a promising acting career. I wouldn't think it fair to praise one of them more than the others, but I must admit that Phum Phathai had a smirk in a few scenes that was just too lovely.

The cinematography underscores the sensitive way this story is being told, as does the background music. Technically the movie is good – nothing to complain about really, so all in all I can only say that I liked this short film a lot. It is good entertainment, to say the least, and it is another proof that if MindTrio is printed on something, you can be sure that the contents will be good.

You can find all my reviews, including those on series and movies from countries not covered by mydramalist, like Myanmar, Singapore, and Vietnam, a book with lists of my favourite BL series, movies, and actors, and some BL storiesf here: https://www.wattpad.com/user/DominicKebre

Read More

I have no words

I'm afraid I have no words to say how much I love this series, but I'll try my best. Saying that this is the most beautiful BL series I've ever watched is true, but still sounds like it isn't enough. So in this review I won't even try to be objective, because you can't be objective about someone or something you're head over heels with.

I wonder if the series can be categorized as ”BL” at all, as the main characters are 23 years old, so not really ”boys”, and in this series you won't find even a single of the numerous ”BL-tropes”. What does make it ”BL” is the fact that the main characters experience – as far as we learn in the series - their first love, and especially their first gay love.

I won't elaborate on the plot here – just so much: ”Our Dining Table” tells the story of two 23-year-old men who are utterly unhappy. Yutaka (Inukai Atsuhiro) is an outsider and isn't able to enjoy a meal with other persons as he suffers from a childhood trauma which was caused by his misconception that he wasn't welcomed in the family who adopted him after his parents' death. Minoru (Iijima Hiroki) stopped attending college after his mother's death and took up a part time job at a ramen restaurant to be there for his little brother Tane (Maeyama Kuuga) as their father doesn't have enough time for the little boy.

The series displays the way how Yutaka and Minoru help each other overcome their loneliness and sadness. The script must have been written by authors who experienced similar situations, because it is so sensitive and at the same time so true-to-life that the actions of the main characters are completely understandable, however awkward and clumsy they may appear.

Little Tane is the katalyst of Yutaka and Minoru's relationship. He's the one who asks Yutaka for his riceball, thus initiating Yutaka and Minoru's alleged first contact (although they had met before, but Yutaka forgot about it), and later it is again Tane who encourages Yutaka and Minoru to get closer.

There is a scene that made me cry like a baby, because it is so heartwarming: Tane notices that Yutaka has been crying, and he pats Yutaka's hair to console him. In another beautiful scene, Tane notices that Minoru is very sad. He asks him whether he had a fight with Yutaka, and again he made me cry when he hugs Minoru and says: ”I will go with you to apologize to him.”

The authors have found many subtle ways of making the viewer notice how Yutaka and Minoru cautiously, in tiny steps, get closer to each other, opening up to each other very slowly as not to destroy the little progress they have achieved. When Yutaka tells Minoru the sad story of his childhood, he hides his face behind a drawing of himself that Tane has made. In another scene, Yutaka instinctively pats Minoru's head which shocks both of them because the gesture reveals Yutaka's feelings for Minoru way too frankly and early.

The finale is another emotional highlight of the series. When Yutaka realizes how much he loves Minoru he is scared that they may separate one day. It is Minoru's father who reassures him, and it is no surprise, but a most beautiful moment, when Tane – asked by his classmate who Yutaka is – declares ”He is my family”. Yutaka finally overcomes his fear and asks Minoru to stay together forever. In every BL series, there should be a kiss in the final scene, but here the final minutes are so full of emotions and love that a kiss isn't needed.

The unique and beautiful script requires first class actors, and they all deliver perfectly. Inukai has proven that he is a great actor as he has been able to shine in many different roles, e.g. in the gorgeous comedy ”The Man Who Defies the World of BL” or as a Yakuza boss in ”Kei x Yaku”, so it's no surprise that he is able to show Yutaka's pain and panic, but also his cautious – and, given his trauma, brave - way of opening up to Minoru and to his own family.

I hadn't seen Iijima before ”Our Dining Table”, but he is a very experienced actor, too. It is amazing how he is able to express Minoru's inhibitions, fears, and the love of his little brother. Iijima is easily one of the best actors I've ever seen in a BL series. The supporting actors are on the same level, especially Harada Riuji, who plays Minoru and Tane's father, and Ichikawa Tomohiro (Yutaka's stepbrother).

But the actor who stole everybody's heart is Maeyama Kuuga. I am sure that one or all of the directors must have spent all their skills, patience, and love to make the little boy act the way he does, but he must also be a huge talent. The same can be said about the child actors who play young Minoru (Arata Hinata), Yutaka (Kobayashi Ikuma), and Hozumi (Nagano Sora).

The cinematography matches the beauty of the script and the brilliance of the acting, and the soundtrack is as sensitive as the series as a whole – it never intrudes the characters' intimacy.

This series is so well written, brilliantly acted, and heartwarming that I can only recommend you to watch it in case you haven't already done that. ”Our Dining Table” reminded me a little of the Taiwanese series ”Papa and Daddy” which had a season 2, and I'd love to see Yutaka, Minoru, and Tane in a season 2 as well.

Read More

An entertaining series with an extraordinary bunch of talented actors

Before I start nagging about this and that, let me say that I liked this series. The basic idea of the story is quite unique in the world of BL, the series is entertaining, well produced and directed, and the cast feels like a huge gathering of talent.

Okay, let's get into detail.

The plot. Partygirl Charlene (Angel Grace America) is bored of her life in Manila and returns to a seaside resort owned by her parents. After two nights of excessive drinking she is punished by the ”Fairy Godmother” who puts a spell on her which will only end when Charlene meets her true love. The next morning she wakes up in a male body (JC Lopez). Irritatingly, she/he is the only one who remembers that he used to be a girl.

I won't spoil here all the love interests and the frustrations, misunderstandings, cheats, and disasters of the young people's relationships, but I have to say that the series suffers from two failures: first of all, it is too long so that it becomes repetitive sometimes, especially in the middle episodes, where one unrequited love chases the next, and the plot doesn't move forward at all.

Second, there are too many characters with similar stories which eat up a lot of screentime that would have been better invested in giving the main characters more background. For example it is hard to say who is employed at the resort, and who's a guest, because all the young people seem to have a lot of time spreading drama or playing at the beach. It is a nice plot twist to have Charlie/Charlene's twin sister Dollie (Angel Grace America again) return from the US, but it takes countless episodes until the viewer gets a clue why Charlie hates her.

The series is a comedy, but there are some beautiful serious scenes, too – more about that in the acting section below. I won't spoil the details of the ending here – just so much: there are happy endings for almost all of the characters, and a little scene after the credits of the final episode leaves some space for speculation whether the story has not been told to the end, so a season 2 seems possible (and desirable, if you ask me).

Production, setting, and directing. For a low budget series, the production is quite good. Cinematography and sound are better than in many other Pinoy low budget series. The series is almost exclusively set in the seaside resort which in itself is beautiful, as are the drone flights across the neighborhood, but it wouldn't have been too expensive to shoot some scenes at a market in a nearby village or on a farm for a change.

Ambo Jacinto has already proven that he is a good director who has a talent of encouraging his actors to display the best of their skills. In his short film ”Lihim”, Kaleb Ong and David Revilla personify their characters so brilliantly that they made me cry, and the HIV drama ”Red Tag”, again starring Kaleb Ong, had me glued to the screen although it isn't subtitled. In MFLS he manages to make his actors display joy as well as sadness, superficiality as well as deepness – more about the acting in the next section.

Cast and acting. I don't know what to mention first – the incredible talent of all the cast, or their cuteness. It is impossible to mention the special talents and skills of all the actors involved, and at the same time it is unfair to praise only a few of them, so let me first say that the complete cast, from the lead actors to the smallest support roles, are really good. Although it is unfair, let me mention four of them in particular.

JC Lopez is incredible in playing a girl in a man's body. He is never OTT, but often conveys in little gestures and expressions that he feels weird and uneasy. The way he dances is one of the highlights of the show that made me laugh and at the same time admire him for the way he expresses that he feels being caught in the wrong body - although he learns to like being a man more and more.

I have praised Kaleb Ong in several of my reviews, and once again he sets some highlights in this show. Since his stunning performance in ”Meet my Angel 1 and 2”, he has played IMO in the Premier League of Pinoy BL actors, on one level with Elijah Canlas, Kokoy de Santos, and Rex Lantano. Although he ”only” plays a support role in this series, he is the boss as soon as he enters the stage.

I was also surprised by Orly Mejia. I thought he was casted for the show because of his good looks, but he is a good actor, too, which I hope he'll be able to show in a lead role in the upcoming series ”Tie the Not”.

The person who surprised me the most is Mar Soriano as Hershey. Whereas she acted totally OTT in other productions, here she is the wise love doctor, and the scenes where she advises the desperate young men are among the most moving of the show. They are very well written, brilliantly acted and spread serious messages to the characters as well as to the viewers.

I said before it would be unfair to mention only four of the actors here, so let me repeat that all of them did a great job. The problem of their large number is that a great actor like David Revilla only gets a handful of short scenes.

Vic Robinson deserves a special mention for his courage and skill to perform a live song, when in most other series actors only move their lips to pre-recorded music.

Management and promotion. This is a problem. Only very few episodes gained more than 30,000 views on youtube, and thus only about a tenth of other Pinoy low budget series whose directing, editing, and acting were far worse (I won't mention any particular names here, but if you take a look at my other reviews, you'll know what I mean). This must be very disappointing for the producers, and I don't know how the production can ever be profitable this way. One of the reasons is that the series came literally out of nowhere – even I only found it by mere coincidence. So the company should hire a promotion expert if they want to keep producing movies.

Another problem is that the episodes were split into two parts. This would have made sense if it had meant that there were commercials played twice, but usually no commercials were played at all. The net content of an average episode adds up to about 24 minutes, but intros and credits of the two parts expand it to unbelievable 34 minutes. On the other hand, the intro being played twice per episode meant that we got to see JC Lopez dancing twice a week, and that was almost worth it,

What was really good was the director and actors' interaction with viewers during the premieres. If they had promoted the series more actively on social media before it aired, I am sure it would have attracted many more viewers, which it would have deserved.

All in all I can say that MFLS is an entertaining series with an extraordinary bunch of talented actors, and despite minor flaws it is worth watching.

Read More

A beautifully sad tragedy

When we look at internationally acclaimed Filipino movies that have been released since 2019, we stumble across a bunch of young actors who I would call a ”golden generation”, because they all prove an outstanding talent as well as acting skills you simply wouldn't expect from actors below or in their early 20s. It all started in 2019 with ”Fuccbois” starring Kokoy de Santos, Royce Cabrera and Migs Villasis, ”Kalel,15” that was the foundation of Elijah Canlas' international career, and ”Metamorphosis” with a stunning performance by Gold Aceron.

Then think of some of the most beautiful BL series, like ”Gameboys”, where Elijah and Kokoy helped people around the world endure the pains of Covid lockdowns, ”Gaya sa Pelikula” which made Paolo and Ian Pangilinan international stars, ”Meet My Angel 1 and 2” with wonderful acting by Kaleb Ong and Enzo Santiago, gay series like ”Love at the End of the World”, ”Daddy Love” and ”Papa, What is Love?” starring Rex Lantano, plus lots of short films with the actors mentioned above, and you'll understand why I'm talking about a ”golden generation” of Filipino actors.

Today, I'm reviewing another example of a high quality movie, ”May December January”, which makes Kych Minemoto join this exclusive club of Filipino ”golden generation actors”, and I'm soon going to review the next highlight, ”About Us But Not About Us”, again with Elijah Canlas.

I'll keep the summary of ”May December January” short because I don't want to spoil all the wonderfully written and acted scenes of this tragedy – and a tragedy it is! It is the story of Pol (Gold Aceron), who is terminally ill with a heart disease, and who lives with his mother Claire (Andrea del Rosario) in a beautiful house in a remote part of the mountains. Pol's best friend Migoy (Kych Minemoto) spends a lot of time in this house, and he falls in love with Claire. Their affair turns into mutual affection and love, which they hide from Pol first. But Pol, who is gay and has a secret crush on Migoy, finds out about his mother's relationship with his best friend Migoy. His reaction reveals deep sadness and at the same time a deep love of his mother.

When Pol's health deteriorates, with the prospect of a sudden death, Claire asks Migoy to have sex with Pol so that Pol can experience this feeling before he dies. Pol and Migoy's sex scene is the climax of the movie, the more so as the viewer senses that Pol will die very soon after. It's heartbreaking when he actually does, and Migoy and Claire's wedding at the end of the movie may be the saddest wedding ever seen in a movie.

The story may sound like the plot of a cheap porn movie, and it could have been something like that if it hadn't been written so sensitively so that the backstories and motivations of all three characters become completely understandable. Even the sex scenes aren't voyeuristic, but they rather illustrate the steps of the evolution of the protagonists' relationships.

The fantastic acting adds to the impression that we aren't watching a movie targeting the viewers' inferior curiosity, but a beautiful character study that makes the obscure situation in the secluded house in the hills an interesting story of love, yearning, and fulfillment, albeit with the most tragic ending thinkable. We believe that Claire is overwhelmed by Migoy's love confession, and we understand that she struggles with herself before she accepts her own feelings towards the young man. We also believe that Migoy isn't aiming at a quick conquest, and we suffer with Pol when he accidentally discovers what's going on in his mother's bedroom.

After Kych's convincing acting as effeminate Achilles in ”Gameboys 2”, I was sceptical about him playing a seductive, obviously straight young man, but it is an indication of his acting skills that he masters both, somewhat opposing roles convincingly. Gold personifies Pol's character equally credibly – he has a talent of intruding viewers' minds so that they fall in love with the character he plays (sorry, Gold's amazing presence as an actor carries me away sometimes).

Kych and Gold have beautiful scenes together which prove that their respective characters really love and care of each other. There is a scene when Pol tries to steal a kiss from Migoy when they sleep in the same bed, and Migoy's reaction on Pol's confession of his secret crush is just beautiful acting from both Kych and Gold.

When it comes to the cinematography, I think it matches the sensitive approach of the script, as it is very cautious about disturbing the characters' privacy, which may sound contradictive since there are very intimate scenes indeed, but the camera always keeps a distance, or the scenery is a semi-dark room.

The setting is beautiful, although I must admit that this may be my personal prejudice. I simply love a rural setting, and in this movie not only the seclusion of Claire and Pol's house, but also scenes in the forest are very much my taste.

All in all, this movie approaches a sensitive subject very cautiously, and script, directing, and acting make it a piece of art. If you prefer light entertainment, I would advise you to avoid this movie, but if you can cope with a beautifully sad tragedy, this will be one for you.

Read More

A BL short film with a message

Filipino filmmakers have proven that they are able to tell a complex story or/and convey an important message in a low budget short film, and ”Hidden” is another example of this.

Let me summarize the plot first. Ivan, a kind hearted young man, by mere coincidence met Dante, who was drunk, a month ago and stayed with him for some hours because he was afraid something bad might happen to the drunk boy. Now Dante has invited Ivan to his place, and after some talking to get to know each other better and exchanging compliments, the two boys get closer. Although Ivan is reluctant at first, he then agrees to make out with Dante. When one of the boys is hurt and bleeding, Dante turns into his second personality, Diego. He yells at Ivan and attacks him because he doesn't remember why the two of them have been intimate and are half naked. Ivan is scared as he doesn't understand what is going on. Then Diego realises what Dante has done, and he explains to Ivan that Diego and Dante are one and the same person. When Ivan is about to leave, Dante takes over again, and Ivan kisses him good bye and promises to meet him again.

The actors, Jesler Bernard as Ivan and Jason Real as Diego/Dante (the credits of the movie don't say who plays whom, but I found it on facebook. Unfortunately, the credits don't reveal the director and producer's names either) are handsome and do a good job – they seem to be newbies, but they are talented, so I hope to see more of them in the future.

I appreciate the good intention of the movie which combines a BL love story with an explanation of the rare dissociative identity disorder. The message is obvious: this disease exists, and people who have it can be loving and caring like ”healthy” people, and they want and deserve to be loved like everybody else.

The execution has some weaknesses, technically as well as script-wise. For example, in some scenes the actors aren't perfectly lip sync, which can be explained by a low budget, but could be fixed with simple means. Another point is that I would have liked to see a little more of the condo – instead of Dante saying he didn't clean it, a short shot could have shown it.

Now to the script. Like in some other low budget productions, the backstory, i.e. the first meeting of the two boys, is being told instead of acted. I don't like actors speaking to the fourth wall unless necessary, and I don't like voiceovers of their thoughts either, and in this case it would have been easy (and not very expensive) to film Ivan and Dante's first encounter.
Another thing that I would consider as a missed opportunity is the fact that the point of the story is already being revealed in the title. If the title had only been ”Hidden”, the switch from Dante to Diego would have been a surprise to the viewer, and thus much more effective, as it was perfectly done in the Pinoy BL series ”The Shore”, which had a similar subject.

My nagging may sound like I didn't like the movie, and reading all my complaints, I must admit they sound too harsh even to myself, because all in all I liked the movie. The intention to make the viewer familiar with DID and using a BL story as a pretext is commendable, and the movie is worth watching. I am glad that it has already been watched by 75,000 viewers on youtube, which is quite a lot, bearing in mind that it wasn't promoted much.

All in all, this is another example of an innovative Pinoy BL short film, and if you can do without rich Thai boys driving around in expensive cars, I can only recommend you to watch ”Hidden”.

Read More