Similar to the previous episode, Episode 7: Simula (The Beginning) Part 1 had a lot of gaps and jumps that didn't allow build-ups, not only for character development, but also for relationship development. On this episode, Josh made a scene, got hurt, confessed, asked forgiveness, and moved on. To easily recover from feelings he's had for Bryce for a long time, that seemed too fast for me. Bart and Bryce on the other hand were acting as if they've been boyfriends for a while. Screenplay failed to showcase character development and relationship development as well. Acting was a bit underwhelming. Production technicals were similar to previous episodes. Part two of the finale up next!
Episode 2 still retained the same issues as the pilot episode. The plot/storyline, that used the enemies to lovers trope, progressed a bit on this episode. There were details provided about Roi. He and Kyle met in a not so nice circumstance on this episode. Script had cheesy lines. Acting was a bit cringy. Most of the actors overacted. Production technicals were still weak. There were sound fluctuations. Editing needs work. I hope this series improves on the next episodes.
Episode 5: Mamihlapinatapei was another solid episode. In 1974, Jose Manuel got rescued by his father who he hates even more because of what he represents. In 2020, Eric was back which complicates Wade's life. And Jose Manuel and Wade were reconnected through the mirrors. Plot/storyline progressed on this episode. Script was impeccable as always. There was sensible advice from Vivian for her son Wade: "Always remember and think that being in love means you're happy and not hurt. It shouldn't be stressful or toxic. Take care of your heart." Acting was on point. Audio-visuals were consistently good. Camera angles and shots were really good. For the next episodes, I'm also eager to know what Sepa knows.
Episode 6: Ang Pagharap sa Tinalikuran (Facing What You've Forsaken) was finally released three weeks after the previous episode. Both Bulan/Caloy and John were haunted by their past. John received a call from his fiancée Venice but instead of going to her, he followed Bulan/Caloy to the mountains. There he learned to live with Bulan/Caloy's ethnic group. This episode ended with the two of them going back to the lowlands. The plot/storyline progressed on this episode. I was expecting some sort of cultural clash or tension while John was staying with Bulan/Caloy's ethnic group but there were none of that. I feel that's not realistic. Screenplay still needs to be more natural. Acting was a bit robotic and scripted. Audio-visuals were uneven. There were some background noise. While optics were good for the most part, there were camera shots that were too dark. Last two episodes!
I honestly don't know why. I was just giving my opinion. I actually like this series and it's among my top 5 (#3 out of 13) ongoing Pinoy BL series that I recommended on Twitter. And even the original post to this thread, I even said I still liked the episode although I have some issues. This is a discussion site and people discuss issues here. If you don't like a comment, you can just ignore it. But I've been with MDL for a while, even before this @Pinoy BL Series account was created last year and I've only experienced toxicity about five times so it's still good. Good discussions far outweigh the not so good ones.
Julio was abusive and Achilles was obsessive. Between these two, I don't know which one I loathe more. Maybe Hendrick's worse? Episode 12: The Golden Rule continued to show character development for the likes of Aneszkha but this episode also introduced Julio who hampered the character growth of Jaclyn. Why would she accept an abuser back into her life? While Achilles did show some humanity when he cried after Gabriel rejected him, his characterization was still problematic because of the lack of proper character background. The reasons provided for his obsessiveness weren't sufficient. I was also conflicted on how this episode handled the issue of appearance-based discrimination or lookism. Granted, Jaclyn accepted Julio, which proved that when it comes to love, physical appearance doesn't matter. But Julio's also an abuser! Anyway, screenplay still had lines that were meant to be funny that weren't funny but overall, script was tolerable. Acting was mostly fine although I found Antonio's performance tentative at times. Seeing Gerome, Ely, and Benj in their underwear was a bit sexy at first but it got yucky when Achilles started taking advantage of Gabriel. Production technicals were similar to previous episodes. Will this series really end next week? How will they finish this series?
the only way Dong and Vee can end up together now is if it turns out that Dong is just as evil as his siblings…
Yes, I was thinking along the same lines. Either Vee pulls Dong to the dark side or because Dong is such a good person (I'm not yet sure though, lol), he pulls Vee into the light. While I don't condone the murder, I understand that Vee's also a victim, so they might go to that redemption route. In any case, I don't think Jennifer's dead. I also think Jay's still alive even if the actor tweeted "RIP Jay," lol!
Like you, I'm also bothered by that Vee suicide attempt that apparently didn't happen. They really need to explain that.
If you think of it, all their fate were quite ambigiously presented, so they still keep us off-balance. The visuals…
For the visuals, I prefer the tone of the previous episodes. They provided sufficient supernatural vibes. I just found this episode darker and grainier which distracted me a bit. I do get your point that they probably intended to be murkier than usual, after all, this is the finale, the darkest episode in terms of the message they want to send. All in all, I still liked it.
Poor beautiful Vee was actually a baddie, lol! Episode 6: Descent Into Madness was crazy but it was a lot of fun! Although Vee did agonize about his decisions on previous episodes, I would argue that his true nasty character wasn't totally surprising. He grew up with Sister as his guardian so it wasn't unexpected that he turned out the way he did. He's kinda evil like Jay and Jennifer, lol. It seemed that it might only be Dong who's less evil, lol. And maybe Allen, who didn't have but should have had screen time on this episode. I don't know who I want to end up together on the second season: Dong and Vee or Dong and Allen. After what happened on this finale, Dong and/or Vee are bound to have character change and/or development on the second season. Overall, some lingering issues were resolved but a lot more needs to be settled on the second season. Whatever happened to the Mistress? I hope Mother's still alive. And Sister should also be back on the second season! Screenplay was alright. Acting by the entire cast on this finale was good. But audio-visuals were a bit uneven. Volume wasn't consistent and optics were darker and grainier than usual. Visual effects of Jennifer falling was bad. There were cool camera shots though. And I liked the OST "Hindi Na" (Never) by RE Frain featuring Daryll. I'm excited for the second season this summer 2021 (please note that Philippine “summer” is between March to May, the hottest Philippine months)!
That was some heavy kissing towards the end of Episode 5: Dare to Love! While the plot/screenplay's quite thin, there were some character backgrounds (even for Jordan, thank heavens!) provided on this episode. Interestingly, not much additional information about Jaime, the main character with the least depth. He just shared for whom he dedicates his song. Given the unread messages sent by his father and his budding romance with Jaime, Win will probably have the most growth on next week's episode. But hopefully enough time are also given to explore the characterizations of Jaime and Heart. Script was realistic and relatable enough. Since there were no difficult or heavy scenes, acting was largely alright. The toilet kissing scene was steamy, lol! Audio-visuals were mostly fine. I appreciated that the crew tried different camera shots and lighting for some of the scenes. Finale next week! I hope this series finish strong!
For the most part, the 56+ minute Episode 9: Wonderful Gift resolved the important conflicts on this series. Sean admitted to himself, Olivia, Noah, and his father that he's gay. Eventually, Olivia forgave him and they're friends now. Sean's father accepted him. Noah also professed his love for Sean. Sean forgave Peachy for accidentally posting online his fictional story. And Peachy and Nate are a thing now, and so are Leo and Lexie. Everybody happy, lol! While realistically some of these would have taken a little bit more time, I'm generally fine with how all these were settled. Screenplay was largely alright but the weakness was with the delivery of lines. Some of the dialogues appeared dry. Acting was still mostly underwhelming. Noah and Sean's chemistry, beyond bromance, was never fully developed. While slightly better than previous episodes, audio-visuals were still uneven. There were volume fluctuations and poor camera shots. But for a do-it-yourself (DIY) series, Art of Love, overall, was ok.
Episode 8: Fiesta (Feast/Party) was all about accepting one's self and self-improvement. While King and Spencer were preparing for a singing contest, Kylie was preparing for a pageant. Much time was also spent promoting a skin care clinic. Script was good. Carlo and Paul's conversation was nice. Acting was mostly alright. Audio-visuals were generally fine. All in all, this episode was ok.
Similar to Amore's most recent episodes, Episode 25: Inception was also dragging. This episode had around 3.5 minutes of baby Butch flashbacks and a number of tedious conversations. But at least after a long, long time, Jimmy and Joey are finally boyfriends. And Jimmy will no longer call Joey wife. Instead, they'll call each other amore. Acting was mostly fine. Production technicals were the same. Last night, the Director of this series posted on Facebook, "last two weeks of Amore BL Series."
On Episode 8: Fiction or Nonfiction, Peachy accidentally posted online Sean's fictional story and Noah and Olivia were able to read it. Sean's still struggling with his gender identity and sexual orientation and this is affecting how he deals with his family, friends, and girlfriend. This episode was a good set-up for tonight's finale. There were some issues though that I hope will be addressed on tonight's episode. Screenplay had repetitive lines. Acting, especially during the dramatic scenes, were underwhelming. Production technicals, including graphics and editing, also had issues. Overall, I hope these substantive and technical concerns are addressed so that this series will end strong.
Because this is my original post that you commented on. So stop commenting on my posts if you don't like them. I will not comment on your posts as well.
Sean didn't confess his feelings to Noah on Episode 7: I'm Confused. Instead, Sean had a good conversation with Peachy. Sean shared his secret to Peachy who, because they're close friends, already knew all along. Peachy was supportive and gave sound advice. The delivery of lines still needs work but I'm glad the basic art lessons returned. While the acting was amateurish, I did find the Leo and Lexie exchanges cute. Similar to the actor who played Art's dad, the actress who portrayed Leo's mother seemed too young to play a teenager's parent. In terms of audio-visuals, not much difference when compared with previous episodes. What's in store for next episode?
I expected the plot/storyline twist on Episode 6: Art is Not Art mainly because the production company messaged me about it last December 8. They asked me to update their MDL profile's cover photo and synopsis (which I did). The primary reason for the changes was because for some reason, Reynan will not be playing his role anymore. Although it felt like a lot of the scenes from the previous episodes were wasted because of the plot/storyline twist, overall, I prefer this new direction wherein fictional Art's actually Sean. At least Carlos Joaquin and Gody have bromance chemistry between them. Hopefully their chemistry develops to something more on the next episodes. While I feel bad for Olivia, Sean's monologue ("I don't think I can do this anymore... should I tell Noah how I feel about him? I don't want to pretend anymore... I want to be myself.") was realistic. Acting was mostly alright. Production technicals were better than the previous episode. By the way, I noticed the female undergarments hanging on Sean's room. Are those his? Confession/revelation time next episode!
Episode 5: Dream to Find U introduced a few more characters: Leo and Lexie. Although Leo appeared on previous episodes, he was given more screen time on this episode. Art posted the portrait of the man in his dreams. Sean saw the portrait and told Noah who then contacted Art. Script was still generally ok. Acting was a bit cringy though. Audio-visuals were all over the place. At one point, Professor Katakutan didn't have audio. There were even rooster crowing sounds out of nowhere. I also prefer the previous phone call graphics. The twist to this series is up next.
Like you, I'm also bothered by that Vee suicide attempt that apparently didn't happen. They really need to explain that.