Love at First Spike

wrong on so many levels

Honestly, "Love at First Spike" is such a Dissapointment!
At first, it seemed promising—a fun premise that could have celebrated diverse stories. But as the episodes rolled on, I was seriously let down. It feels like a throwback to those 90s sitcoms where gay characters were just the quirky sidekicks, and that's exactly what happens here. Sure, there’s some humor and drama from the queer characters, but they’re relegated to the background while Uno, the most heterosexual dude ever, takes center stage with his predictable romance with Farrah.

To make matters worse, the climax hinges on Uno winning the volleyball game, with the implication that the gay characters are incapable of doing it without his “heroic” help! Like, really? It’s frustrating and feels downright dismissive of queer representation. I found myself shaking my head, feeling kind of attacked by the narrative choices.

Don't get me wrong—the production quality is good, and the acting is solid. The early episodes have some charm, but overall, I can’t shake off how disappointed I am. It’s like I wasted my time on something that had so much potential. Stick with this series at your own risk!

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Good story, good acting, but no conclusion and not a BL!

That is not a BL, it was just a queer story, with bullying and hardships for many youngsters. The focus of the story is not the love (interests), it's just to form a volleyball team. And that's why there is an open end and no conclusion. We don't know who ended up with whom or even if the friendship between J and Uno got where it once was. This is the bitter taste after you watch this show.

The story was good, the acting was good, the production was good, so this is really worth a watch. But any fangirls will be disappointed because there is only a semi happy end. And it's not a happy end in a romantic sense. So I hope, you can enjoy also a queer story which is in contrast to almost all BLs out there.

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some good, some not so good

Overall: I'm pretty torn on this series. I really like how we had several queer characters and Diamond was awesome but then they had too many characters to fully develop and things were unresolved for several of them. 8 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on iWantTFC. The director/writer Ivan Andrew Payawal also directed Gameboys.

Content Warnings: fight, transphobia, homophobia, discrimination, past memory with blood

What I Liked
- Uno's mom
- they called out being disrespectful and the hypersexual stereotype
- Diamond was my favorite character, the situations she faced were realistic, rarely portrayed in media, heartbreaking and well done, wish we had more with this characters

Room For Improvement
- multiple lead characters had too much jerk behavior, I was so annoyed with Jared in particular
- the het romance was at the center which whatever but then there was no resolution with queer characters

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A very satisfying tearjerker...has strong queer characters, but not really a BL

This is not a BL, but so damn good...the story is more about self-love, saying no to your bullies, and finding a home and safe space that you belong to, rather than a romance in the strictest sense.....the direction, acting, music, and production values are all top notch, even though the script does get a tad overtly dramatic and preachy at times.Even though I rarely watch anything other than BLs, I continued to watch this and don't regret it at all. Should you watch it? Yes

BL-needle score: 7. Moderate BL-ness

NGL, I do borderline resent that the girl gets the guy, and it has more of a cis-het romance that becomes the sort of the mainstay than a queer romance....but the story is frankly more about self-discovery, friendships, and bonds rather than romance....As opposed to a lot of people who said this was queerbaiting , I would disagree...I agree that it did raise expectations for it to be a BL, and I also started watching it with the hopes that we will get an Uno-Jared endgame which did not happen. Nevertheless, I loved how the storytelling progressed and ended on a very satisfactory note.

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Low ratings? This was AMAZING!

I'm glad I watched this series. Every episode was entertaining and I pretty much love everyone besides the bullies. There were times when I hated the characters but they evolved or make up for it. Everyone had a valid reason to feel how they feel. Definitely a roller coaster ride with feeling lovey dovey, laughing, and crying. Everything just made sense and it was relatable.

The characters were the greatest of the story. Uno was always reasonable even if you may not agree with what he did. Farrah was a supportive person. Everyone in the volleyball team had a personality even if they were all gay. Even the stereotypical gay character had a personality. Everyone was likable. Although, I would say Jared was the least likeable in the volleyball team. At first, I felt for him, but then he became a drama queen, yet whatever he said or did was still valid because I would've probably felt that way too in the heat of the moment. Again, everything just makes sense! They're just high schoolers learning and becoming better people.

The way it ended was fine. I'd prefer it that way. The LGBTQ was involved, but don't expect this to be total BL. I don't think there was queerbaiting because Uno had chemistry with Farrah in the beginning of the first episode and he clearly stated that he was not gay. While the gay romance wasn't as expected, the things they talk about with LGBTQ was great. Totally recommend this show if you enjoy great friendships and volleyball. (The volleyball matches was pretty intense)

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This is my first time ever writing a review. So, correct me if I’m wrong. And help me along the way to make my writing better. Here we go. After watching the (3) three episodes of the drama series. I would like to share my insights and reviews.

First, I give flat 5 stars on both Story & Rewatch value. Kase hindi pa naman tapos. Hindi pa fully aired lahat ng episodes. So, magbabago pa ang ratings ko. I give 6 stars to Acting/Cast & Overall kase I know there’s so much more on the story pa. Marami pang pasabog si Direk. Kase nga gaya ng sabi ko hindi pa tapos mga tagasubaybay nasa Episode 3 pa lang tayo. And lastly, to Music. I give a 4 stars because alam kong marami pang nakahandang playlists si Direk maliban sa palaging piniplay on the whole 3 episodes.

To Jarred. His character started strong & sweet. But the development from EP 1-3 is very gradual. Feeling ko nasa “slowly but surely” mode pa. Unahin ko ‘yung sweet part. Sweet in a way because his soft sides are evident. And the buildup is kinda giving me a cute effect. Lastly strong because of his character along the way the episodes are more on personal na atake. Close-minded pa. And he only focused on his side of the story when it came to his issues with Uno.

To Uno. Throughout the three episodes, I liked his character. I feel like he researched and studied his role properly. He knows what his doing. The emotion and projections for me are there and it's giving. But I wanted to hear more clearly how he delivers his dialogues with proper tones. ‘Yung power of determination ng character niya as Uno - feeling ko story rin siya ng buhay ko. Kung may opportunity sana before sa school namin kagaya ng meron sa Brixton like may patryout din ng other sports like volleyball which is my dream sport. Sana na experience ko rin magtryout at maging player. Pero balik tayo kay Uno haha. Ayon na nga, Uno’s development is very promising. I’m excited and looking forward pa kung ano pang ibibigay ng character niya sa story.

To Farrah. Farrah’s character is good also. After hearing Jarred side of the story I feel like may nagbago sa mode ng character ni Farrah. While on the other side, she still likes the fact na may nararamdaman siya for Uno. Just that, unclear pa even her ay hindi niya pa matukoy. But going back to her as Farrah in the drama. After the accident with Jarred and the passing of her mother. ‘Yung character niya is giving the vibes of a Filipino family story. Iyong issues within the family. I know alam niyo yung ibig kong sabihin dito hehe.

For Kidlat, Diamond, Oliver and Sinag. I love there characters. They are the light & joy of the story. Sila ‘yung ray of sunshine kung baga. Inaabangan ko rin kung ano pa ‘yung maibibigay nila on the succeeding episodes.

To Parker & Ethan. Parker is the usual antagonist in every kind of story. I also like to see the other side of River Joseph. It’s nice to watch him in different dimension of character. While Ethan, siya naman medyo boxed & controlled pa. Hindi pa gaanong nakakapagloosen up ‘yung character niya. Parang need pa ng extra push. I like to see what’s going to happen next to him.

And lastly to the Story. The whole drama is very promising. More so, an eye-opening. It focuses more on the love that you can give to your self. And the acceptance of LGBTQIA+ community in the field of drama, in school setting, in the family and in the eye of the viewers. This story gave us the spike of the reality. Of what is really happening in the real world. In the community or even inside the house. Kudos to the writer, director, staffs, to the team, and to the artists who give life to the story of those people who are still in box and to those who are struggling to voice out what they feeling and who they really are. Thank you to all part of “Love at First Spike” for making this story possible.

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Not My Spike of Tea

Even though I’m Filipino, I haven’t really watched local series in a while, so Love at First Spike felt kinda off to me. I’ve gotten so used to the vibe and production quality of Thai drama that this one just hit differently. And just to be clear—this isn’t a BL, and the creators never said it was. It’s not even tagged as LGBTQIA+ on kisskh, so I honestly don’t get why people are calling it queerbaiting.

The story follows Uno, a varsity player who gets kicked off the basketball team after punching a teammate mid-game. He’s your typical broody guy—always frowning, quick-tempered, and clearly dealing with a lot emotionally. He’s an illegitimate kid who resents his dad, and that anger kinda spills into how he treats everyone. Normally, I accept flawed characters with open mind in a series/movies, but I just couldn’t connect with Uno. Maybe it’s because of how casually homophobic and transphobic he is, or maybe it’s just the fact that even his friends don’t seem to like him. He’s really hard to root for. That said, the actor who played Uno did a good job for his role.

For such a short series, there’s a lot of drama—family issues, emotional breakdowns, side plots here and there. Very Filipino teleserye vibes. I just wish local shows would explore something lighter for once. Thai series know how to give you that feel-good comfort, even with simple plots. This one felt emotionally heavy all the way through. The only character I actually liked was Lucien. The rest? Always ready to fight—so intense, lol. Romance isn’t really front and center, but there’s a love triangle somewhere in the background. And while it's supposed to be about sports (varsity) in a school setting, no one seemed to care about studying. 🤣

Some of the supporting cast looked way too old to be playing college students, which made it harder to believe the setting. And don’t even get me started on the school—it looked tiny and almost empty. For something under ABS-CBN, I expected way better production value. The campus scenes didn’t feel alive at all—it didn’t even look like a real university.

To be honest, I already had a feeling this wouldn’t be my thing. I just gave it a try because it’s Tagalog, and I needed something I could half-watch while working. I can’t do subtitles when I’m multitasking.

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Currently watching review

So let me start off by saying at this point I have watched 3 episodes and am about to start the 4th episode but felt it needed a review.

So far I am enjoying the story line of the show and the acting is good. However, there are things that i really like and some that really irritate me with the show.

Ep 1-3 What I like:
So I like that Jared and Farrah have a great family bond and they try to help each other out. I also like that Farrah's two friends seem like they are always willing to be there for her and help her out. I did like the friendship between Jared, Parker, Diamond, and Kidalt in the first 2 episodes. I also love how Uno's mom deals with things.

Ep 1-3 What I don't like:
So let's start with Uno's abhorrent behavior when it comes to sportsmanship and his inability to even recognize that he has a problem. This can be seen not just from the basketball game but also during volleyball tryouts. During tryouts he constantly knocks other people over and doesn't apologize or even help them up. Then when we have the scene with Farrah being mad at him she caves and helps him out, when he still doesn't even acknowledge that he did something wrong to Jared back when they were friends. Sure at this point we have only heard Jared's side of the story but do we need to hear Uno's side of the story? Based of the evidence it looks at though the basketball team told him to hit Jared with the basketball and cut ties with him to be able to play and be a starter in the basketball games. Sure it looks as though he felt bad, but he never apologized and even apparently forgot how he treated Jared. Next let's move on to the girls volleyball coach, he's a a**hole all around which is evident by him saying to stop helping the boys volleyball team and cut ties with them. School should promote unity and helping each other out what he is doing is trying to separate students from working together which isn't right. Next let's move onto the new coach of the boys volleyball team. He has an ego and needs to get over himself it doesn't matter if he's the coach or not the team captains input on new team mates is just as important if not more important. Yes, Jared is making his decision partly because of a personal reason, but also because he acknowledges Uno is selfish and doesn't know how to be a team player. While the coach is focusing on Uno's potential since he is a good spiker he overlooks the fact Uno isn't showing good sportsmanship throughout the tryouts as previously mentioned. As a coach he should have had a conversation with Jared separately about why he wanted Uno on the team instead of sidelining him in front of everyone. Even though Uno is a good spiker realistically no coach would have allowed him on a team after watching him knockdown other people during tryouts and not even apologize or help them up since volleyball is a team sport that requires a lot of trust. Lastly, Diamond and Kidlat's actions with the voting and all of that are a huge betrayal in their friendship with Jared. They say that they care about the team which is bs it feels more like they want to stare at Uno because they find him attractive.

While some might find Jared's attitude childish with how he is handling the coach allowing Uno on the team. I personally don't think that he is. My reason is simple ask yourself the following question: if you have a friend that you grew up with one day throw things at you and start picking on you and then cut you out of their life completely to be able to join a sports team and be a starting player how would you feel? Would you want to ever be on the same sports team as them when they have never apologized to you or even admitted they were wrong to do that? I wouldn't want to be on a team with them, because I wouldn't trust them to try and screw me over again or worse screw my teammates over.

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Superb Storytelling

I definitely enjoyed watching this series—it was an emotional rollercoaster in the best possible way. From the very first episode, the storytelling pulled me in, and I have to commend the director for crafting such a compelling and well-paced narrative, special mention was episode 7. The way the plot unfolded was both entertaining and thought-provoking, striking a perfect balance between humor, drama, and heartfelt moments. Each character was given the space to grow and truly shine. This show delivered and I give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars—it was more than worth my time. I’m hoping to see more of Dylan and Sean in the future, perhaps in their own BL series.

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a fun watch showing the lived experience of queer teenagers and Volleyball

I usually don't write reviews, but after finishing the series and seeing the, in my opinion very undeserved low, ratings I wanted to give my opinion on the series. First and foremost, as someone who identifies as queer and loves sports, I thoroughly enjoyed this drama.

The series tells the story of a volleyball team. A group of teenagers who, because of their queerness, are bullied and ousted in school and are able to find a safe space in the sport. The series prioritizes the struggles of young people coming to terms with their queerness and trying to be themselves in a society that does not accept them. At the same time, they are also just immature teenagers who make mistakes and try not to hurt the people they care about in situations where being hurt is inevitable.

I am not going to speak a lot about the separate characters, but I personally really liked all of them, especially because, despite the fact that being queer is a big part of the story, they aren't reduced to just this. A lot of the topics are being discussed via Uno, the only straight guy, being confronted with his internalized homophobia and transphobia. I've seen people say that to them, he appears as somewhat of a straight savior, but to me that doesn't seem to be the intention of his character at all. His growth as a person and as an athlete isn't so that he can be the ace of the team or to show that they need him. More than anything, it's about him learning what true sportsmanship looks like. I also want to commend all the actors' and actresses' volleyball skills.

Now if you are expecting a BL, a story centered around a gay couple's love, then this show isn't right for you. Still, I would encourage you to continue watching as it still is a queer series and centers around the experiences of queer characters. Obviously, this is a very subjective opinion and I am aware that not everybody is going to enjoy the tone and the comedy, but to call it queerbait, as I have seen a lot of people do, is kind of disrespectful to all the queer characters and their very real struggles. In particular, the trans character. Now I am not trans and therefore can't talk about the accuracy of the struggles, but the actress herself is trans and the character's experience as a trans woman is often highlighted.

I really hope you can give this show a chance and enjoy the mix of sportsmanship, light-hearted comedy, queer experience and romance.



note: i apologize if my English isn' t always coherent as it's my second languange

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Can be improved!

It was the first series I finished in Iwant originals. I just got curious from clips I watched and find myself waiting for another episode. TBA - To be anest, Imit was not a perfect series. It has a lot of flaws - budget wise it affects but it delivers. If you get it you get it.

It has a lot of potentials specially the actors. Actors are great - most of - can really deliver their lines. Their facial expressions fits the lines and how they phrase the lines perfectly fits the emotion. Kudos to Sky and Lance (Lucien and Diamon), they really excelled in this drama in terms of acting. I can feel their pain on how they delivered the lines.

And also, there are some parts I believe can be improved on. I am not a pro in terms of acting but I just feel that Emilio can be a bad boy but a little bit cringey for cute and sweet moments. But then again, he did fair enough and can be improved as well.

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