Sashes and Hearts

way too many characters and uninteresting plot points

Overall: on brand with nice music, innuendos and way too many characters/plot that I cared nothing about and intended comedy that didn't work. 13 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcQaxIPsTWdN8c6czpNNhuciPMIkpAIH6&si=m9MlfDD-TDMRK8aN Oxin also produced: My Day, Rainbow Prince, My Story, Our Story, Tie the Not, Sky Valley

Content Warnings: sex trafficking/coercion, manipulation, dub con kiss, non con recording, mention of past abuse, hit

What I Liked
- visuals
- easy to understand premise
- chuckled a few times with the innuendo
- supportive sister/sibling relationship
- flirty moments, good being interested in more intimacy
- music
- the line "your lips got tired and laid on her lips?!"
- Xion Lim's cameos and not wearing shirts under his suit jackets

Room For Improvement
- flash forward with voice over start
- too many characters, cared nothing for the creepy manager/plot
- did not find most jokes funny
- 5/3 did not need to see a conversation while one guy was sitting on the toilet (and more toilet humor in the finale)
- camera blocked kissing in 6/4
- liked one pair but then a guy was a jerk in the second part of ep 7/1
- liked the makeup artist but then he tried to guilt his friend into a romantic relationship
- the finale had zero kisses!!!, we got a near kiss and a hug, meh

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Sashes and Hearts: Unique Concept, Mixed Execution

Sashes and Hearts' concept is honestly unique. A BL series centered around male pageantry? That’s super fresh. I haven’t seen anything quite like it, especially from Thailand, where pageantry in BL isn’t really explored. Props to the creators for trying something different!

That said, one thing that threw me off a bit is the huge cast. There are just so many characters, it gets a little overwhelming trying to keep up with everyone’s story. It makes the show feel a bit crowded and chaotic at times.

In addition, it has so many uninteresting plots, like they just threw in to fill a space and make the series lengthy. And also too many nonsensical dialogues.

Now let’s talk couples… The main leads, Mac and Larence have a good chemistry. Mac Alonzo's acting is good, it feels natural, while Larence Brenches little needs improvement. The second couple doesn’t really click for me. The chemistry just isn’t there. Oddly enough, I found more spark between Jack and his best friend, Tony. I was honestly hoping they’d end up together instead!

Most of the actors here haven’t starred in major movies or TV series, and I hadn’t even heard of them before watching this. But I have to give special props to Gian Carl, who plays Tony—his performance felt incredibly natural, with zero awkwardness.

Also, major kudos to Oxin Films. I’ve always noticed that a lot of Filipino BLs tend to struggle with budget limitations, but this one feels like they really put in the effort. You can tell they invested in the visuals, production, and overall quality.

Sashes and Hearts is a fresh take with potential, even if it’s not perfect.

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Refreshing Plot and Great Leads Undercut by Weak Writing

I’ve watched a few of Oxin’s BLs and noticed they tend to rely heavily on double entendres and innuendos. This approach often cheapens the overall tone of their productions. It feels like they’re trying too hard to add humor or spice, but it ends up distracting from the story instead. I think they should tone that down and focus more on solid storytelling.

That said, there were still some things I liked about this series. The plot feels refreshing and different from what we usually see in BL dramas. It centers on contestants in a male pageant. Although there were too many characters, the narrative ended up focusing more on Gin and Jarret rather than Jack and Tomas, contrary to the plot description. Jarret, one of the contestants, was hired by Gin’s mother to look after Gin and help him navigate the competition. Over the course of their time together, what began as an arrangement gradually deepened into a genuine connection.

The chemistry between the leads was definitely the highlight of this series. Gin and Jarret shared a natural connection, every time they shared a scene, the energy between them felt effortless and real, it’s the kind of chemistry that can carry an entire series. I especially loved their dance performance in episode 10 and the kiss that followed.

I wasn’t particularly interested in the other couple or trio, the side characters, or the frequent near-naked scenes scattered throughout -- ended up skipping them. Most of the time, I just found myself waiting for Gin and Jarret to appear on screen again.

The OST is great and enhances the mood of certain scenes. The acting wasn’t terrible, there were moments where the cast showed potential, though performances could be more refined. Unfortunately, the script was quite bad. Some lines felt random or out of place, and there were parts of the dialogue that just didn’t make much sense at all.

This had a lot of potential, but the weak writing and execution held it back. As a whole, I’d rate the series a 5.5, but Gin and Jarret themselves deserve a solid 7 out of 10.

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Silly, Sleazy, Sloppy

I had hoped to enjoy this series. I really did. It had so much going for it but it ended up being a semi-hot mess. It had its moments to be sure but there were not enough of them to save it from itself. Too bad because the subject matter was one that was unique and interesting. It was about the world of male pageantry. If it had only focused on that, this could have been a really great series. Instead, it went into the sensationalism and sleaziness of the industry. While I do not doubt that some of that does exist, the world of male pageantry would have been quite entertaining in and of itself to see. The world around the pageant became secondary to individual stories of some of the contestants, which for the most part was either dull and boring or titillating. The plots to these substories were insipid and vapid and/or the characters around them became caricatures rather than examples of real people.

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I'm just glad that I finished it

Disclaimer

What I am writing here are my views and thoughts about this series. Some of you may not like it. That does not give you the right to try to come at me with your opinions on why this series should get a higher or lower score and why it is better/worse than I think it is. You have your own opinions, and I have mine. Kindly respect that.

I decided to give this series a watch because it has been a while since I watched an Oxin production, and the last (mini) series that I watched from them was surprisingly okay. Also, one of the MCs from that series (Haunted Hearts) was appearing in this series as well. I have finished it, and I am just... disappointed. There was too much going on with so many characters that I just got lost in it. Also, the only good thing for me in this whole series was Jarret and Gin and, unfortunately, they could not save this series.

The OST's of course, was awesome, until it started to border on the line of annoying for me. I was so out of it that I still don't know if the bad guy got his just desserts because I was zoning in and out in the last episode. I'm just glad that I am done with this series, and I am once again taking a (much) needed break from any Oxin production series.

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I enjoyed it. Still...

So this series received a lot of hate in the MDL comments. And some of it was deserved. Still, I liked it. Here are my pros and cons:

PROS

MUSIC. Say what you will about Oxin Films, you can't deny that they always come up with good OSTs which, of course, is understandable, being that the Philippines have some of the best singers in the world.

STEAMY SCENES. The series had plenty of slutty and hot scenes. Well, I enjoy slutty and hot. Sue me.

LEMUEL. I've watched enough Oxin series to know that Gio Emprese is quite a fine actor. I prefer seeing him in dramatic roles, but he does play the creepy perv character very well, as shown here.

COMEDY. Some of it was over the top but, overall, I enjoyed the comedic moments.

EYE CANDY. Plenty of that to go around.

CONS

TOO MANY CHARACTERS. I find this to be a flaw in just about every Oxin series. Do they have an obligation to a large number of actors for each outing? There were so many characters I had a difficult time keeping track of everyone. Too many story lines.

GIN'S MOTHER. For me she was the most annoying character, I found her so shallow and fake. And what's with her acting like a teenage girl half the time? Not a good look, honey.

JENNIFER. Another annoying one, she was just unlikeable. Even with that, what happened to her? She was a credible villain, but then she was just... gone.

I could go on, but you get the picture. Despite many flaws, the series kept my interest and I looked forward to it each week.

It's a 7.5 from me.

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In Need of A Better Script and Directive!

I had hoped to enjoy this series. I really did. But the plain truth is, it is awful. It had so much going for it but it ended up being a semi-hot mess. It had its moments to be sure but there were not enough of them to save it from itself. Too bad because the subject matter was one that was unique and interesting. It was about the world of male pageantry. If it had only focused on that, this could have been a really great series. Instead, it went into the sensationalism and sleaziness of the industry. While I do not doubt that some of that does exist, the world of male pageantry would have been quite entertaining in and of itself to see. The world around the pageant became secondary to individual stories of some of the contestants, which for the most part was either dull and boring or titillating. The plots to these sub-stories were insipid and vapid and/or the surrounding characters became caricatures rather than examples of real people.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2025/06/11/sashes-hearts-series-review-ep-1-to-13/

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Um Desfile Onde o Salto Qubra Pela Passarela

Eu queria me sentir nos bastidores do Mister Universe Royale, torcendo pelos candidatos, mas acabei perdido em um roteiro que atirou para todos os lados — drama familiar, triângulo amoroso, pobreza, rivalidade — e acertou em poucos. A dinâmica entre Jack, Tomas e Tony testou minha paciência, mas a qualidade precária do áudio e da edição foi o verdadeiro vilão da obra. O tema até foi um diferencial, mas, surpreendentemente, não foi o casal principal que me prendeu, e sim a dinâmica paralela de Gin e Jarret. Achei a construção deles mais natural e menos sofrida do que o trisal fatídico.

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