This review may contain spoilers
One of the best BL dramas out there - I'm in love, will always be..Untill the End
To say that I loved this will be an understatement. Blissful fluff, adorable and yet realistic jealousy, coming of age, friendship, slice of real life homophobia, queer-positivity, it has it all....delivered in a neat package of fantastic acting, great production values, and a script that almost never feels awkward. It is one of the best boy love stories that I have watched so far, and trust me, I have watched a lot.
BL-needle Score: 10. Extremely High BL-ness
The season 2 takes off right from where season 1 ended and we get to see the lovey-dovey two-some time between Gav and Cai when Cai's mother (the kind of mother most queer person would like to have) tells him that he can stay back some more time with Gav given the situation in Bukidnon, where their family has shifted after his father's death. So they realise with almost-euphoria that they get to spend almost a month's time together. Their blissful times however are cut short with the arrival of Gav's ext Terrence who was driven out of his home by his father once he came out and came drunk-knocking at Gav's for a safe space, as a last, desperate way. Starting from that, the story does a wonderful job in portraying how Cai and Gav worked around the sensitive issue of hosting an ex who is in need, the jealousy, then the double jeopardy o f Wes, Cai's childhood friend also arriving to pursue Terrence (we get the backstory in the last extended episode of season 1 and some of it later in season 2), also Terrence's less-than-authentic and gratuitous entanglement with Achilles and its expected fallouts, Peral's never-wavering mothering and support to all of them, and finally breaking through the childhood trauma of being outed and hated as a queer person aunt Susan who arrives and spews a lot of very realistic homophobia.
I think a lot of us queer people can identify with each of these characters, their stories and traumas. The struggle with one's self to accept our own queerness, the refusal to acknowledge, constant emotional blackmail and even abandonment, from our natal families, the self-loathing it results in, finding a safe space with our chosen family, the phobia and othering even within the LGBTQ+ community, the all-season female friend who is almost always the best refuge, the insecurities of losing the loved one to anything and everything, the suffocation if being unable to stand up for yourself in the face of hatred and phobia from elders and the society in general, the toll it takes on our mental health, all of that....it has captured so many nuances and aspects of a queer life so well. A lot of these portrayals follow stereotypes, yes, but they are true nonetheless.
In short, the show has tried its best to include layers and layers of queer experiences in this show while still managing to keep it fluffy, overall happy, and adorably cute, which is no mean feat. I'm so surprised that this has only 14 reviews as compared to the original Gameboys which has 135...and also has a lower rating overall...while I absolutely loved season 1, I would definitely say season 2 was an improvement on that, in all sense.
Kokoy (Gav), and Elijah (Cai) are fantastic with their portrayals, the struggles, vulnerability, self-doubts, jealousy, first-love awkwardness, all-consuming teenage love...all of it is almost perfect. Also, Adrianna as Pearl, is very convincing. The other actors who play Achilles, Terrence and Wes are also quite good. Even with a slightly overdoes of fluff and OTT emotions, it is their portrayals and the script that makes it very believable and enjoyable.
I am so looking forward to the next season which is expected to be in NYC, where Gav has moved to take care on aunt Myra.
I'm in love...and will always be....Until the End. Strongly Recommended.
BL-needle Score: 10. Extremely High BL-ness
The season 2 takes off right from where season 1 ended and we get to see the lovey-dovey two-some time between Gav and Cai when Cai's mother (the kind of mother most queer person would like to have) tells him that he can stay back some more time with Gav given the situation in Bukidnon, where their family has shifted after his father's death. So they realise with almost-euphoria that they get to spend almost a month's time together. Their blissful times however are cut short with the arrival of Gav's ext Terrence who was driven out of his home by his father once he came out and came drunk-knocking at Gav's for a safe space, as a last, desperate way. Starting from that, the story does a wonderful job in portraying how Cai and Gav worked around the sensitive issue of hosting an ex who is in need, the jealousy, then the double jeopardy o f Wes, Cai's childhood friend also arriving to pursue Terrence (we get the backstory in the last extended episode of season 1 and some of it later in season 2), also Terrence's less-than-authentic and gratuitous entanglement with Achilles and its expected fallouts, Peral's never-wavering mothering and support to all of them, and finally breaking through the childhood trauma of being outed and hated as a queer person aunt Susan who arrives and spews a lot of very realistic homophobia.
I think a lot of us queer people can identify with each of these characters, their stories and traumas. The struggle with one's self to accept our own queerness, the refusal to acknowledge, constant emotional blackmail and even abandonment, from our natal families, the self-loathing it results in, finding a safe space with our chosen family, the phobia and othering even within the LGBTQ+ community, the all-season female friend who is almost always the best refuge, the insecurities of losing the loved one to anything and everything, the suffocation if being unable to stand up for yourself in the face of hatred and phobia from elders and the society in general, the toll it takes on our mental health, all of that....it has captured so many nuances and aspects of a queer life so well. A lot of these portrayals follow stereotypes, yes, but they are true nonetheless.
In short, the show has tried its best to include layers and layers of queer experiences in this show while still managing to keep it fluffy, overall happy, and adorably cute, which is no mean feat. I'm so surprised that this has only 14 reviews as compared to the original Gameboys which has 135...and also has a lower rating overall...while I absolutely loved season 1, I would definitely say season 2 was an improvement on that, in all sense.
Kokoy (Gav), and Elijah (Cai) are fantastic with their portrayals, the struggles, vulnerability, self-doubts, jealousy, first-love awkwardness, all-consuming teenage love...all of it is almost perfect. Also, Adrianna as Pearl, is very convincing. The other actors who play Achilles, Terrence and Wes are also quite good. Even with a slightly overdoes of fluff and OTT emotions, it is their portrayals and the script that makes it very believable and enjoyable.
I am so looking forward to the next season which is expected to be in NYC, where Gav has moved to take care on aunt Myra.
I'm in love...and will always be....Until the End. Strongly Recommended.
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