Episode 1 was a really good episode. I enjoyed it immensely. The series and this episode paid homage not only to Filipino (Pinoy) romantic comedy (romcom) movies and our most popular love teams but also to Thai boys' love (BL) series with the overall Theory of Love movie poster feels, and of course, the series creator being a Polca, with the TayNew post-credit acknowledgement. Some may say that there were too much romcom clichés and BL tropes (like the fake/pretend relationship trope), but hey, who cares, it still worked! I may not like the fact that Vlad exploited Karl's financial predicament to get the fake/pretend relationship he needed, but Karl doesn't seem to be a pushover, so I'm pretty sure that aside from having Vlad pay his rent, he'll also get other benefits from their arrangement. Even with all the clichés and tropes, this series still managed to look fresh. The script, the acting, the production design, the cinematography, the music, the graphics, all felt new. There were a few corny lines here and there (especially during the monologues) but they were negligible given the mostly excellent writing. Dialogues were generally natural and relatable which aided the acting of the lead actors, Ian and Paolo (although they have the same surname, they aren't in any way related with each other!). While there's always room for improvement, for newbie actors, Ian and Paolo did pretty well. They were good-looking too! Adrienne Vergara (who played "Judit" without an "h," lol) was just fantastic. Audio-visuals were pretty neat with very clear intentions. Gaya Sa Pelikula reminded me a lot of Gameboys and Hello Stranger where every graphic, every item, every shot, etc. seemed to have purpose. The OSTs "Unti-unti" by UP Dharma Down and "tyl" by kakie, while not originally made for the series, were nevertheless perfect for the scenes. Overall, I'm really proud of Gaya Sa Pelikula and I'm excited to see more episodes!
I love Episode 12: Pagtanggap. The plot/storyline was clear. It's all about acceptance -- acceptance about himself on Nin's part and acceptance wholeheartedly given to him by his Boom Harot gang. This episode was definitely the #Pangs episode that will surely jumpstart their spinoff series. Screenplay was good. It wasn't overdramatic and preachy. If it were another series, there would have been a lot of unnecessary crying. This episode was handled beautifully. It had some magnificent lines. As expected, the shirtless pool scene with Tau, Otep, and Nin was nice but the dialogues were nicer. For example, Tau said "If they will judge us, then let them. What's important is we are not hurting anyone." During the big reveal scene that introduced Makisig to the Boom Harot gang, Nicole had this to say: "Remember, there is no problem in loving... What's wrong is people's dirty minds. We are very proud of you... We will support you all the way." Speaking of Nicole, she deserves a good storyline! Across the board, acting was good. I continue to like the audio-visuals of these last couple of episodes. Experiencing the effects of the pandemic, there's something about the beautiful outdoors that calms me. Somehow, it tells me that things will get better. Last two episodes people! I hope this series continues to get better as well!
[Apologies again that I'm posting this earlier than usual. Too many Pinoy BL series on Saturday, too much to watch, too much to write. Lol.]
Im confused. Who did Wil want Joey to meet? And why are they talking about Wil leaving? DId I miss the part of…
On Episode 5, Wil said he'll introduce someone to Joey. He said it's a surprise. Wil also talked to that person on the phone but it's not clear who that person was. I think that person's the one who's not coming. Yes, the news about Wil going to the US came from nowhere. Since this series has a lot of time jumps, I'm not surprised anymore with all the gaps in the storyline.
For Episode 3, referring to Nuan, I said "I just hope they don't do him bad on this series." Guess what? They really tried to make Nuan irritating with all his begging, crying, and whining on Episode 7: It Ends. Good thing, I still like what his character represents. Hopefully, the episode title pertained to his pursuit of Joey. Time to move on, Nuan. My wish is that in the end, Nuan finds happiness. As for the other main characters: Kenji showed remorse but as expected, received no punishment for sexually harassing Joey; Wil, like Joey, had tiresome scenes talking to the plant; while Jimmy had another endearing conversation with Joey. On this episode, I enjoyed JoJimmy's scenes the most. Their lines were the most purposive. With those two, you just know that their relationship's progressing. In terms of acting, Drei and Erwin were also the most solid among the five lead actors. French had the weakest performance. I'm happy with Gabo and Robic's improvements in acting. I wish they'll treat Brenda and Jelay not merely as appendages to the boys' storylines. They also deserve decent storylines. Not much improvements on the audio-visuals. Editing was particularly weak. The splicing of scenes wasn't smooth enough. Even with the increasing number of issues that I have with this series, Amore has become a habit, so I'll most probably stick around till March 2021.
I barely got through Episode 5: True Gamer. None of the Varsity Boys (Terrence, Panter Ali, and Liam) were endearing enough. Their machismo and sexism were really annoying. It didn't help that the Varsity Boys' dialogues were cringy and all three actors were in need of massive improvement on their acting. Dave had preachy lines as well. Not much change on the audio-visuals. Hoping against hope that this series can still improve.
Because of his good looks, toned body, and sexual appetite, Ken's probably the most sexual of all the characters. His characterization has also been the most shallow. In a way, Ken's the best representation of Oh My Sexual -- sexual and superficial. Episode 6: Oh My Ken! was mostly about form because there wasn't much to say about substance. Halfway through its season, still, Oh My Sexual hasn't really found its footing. Plot/storyline progressed rather slowly while screenplay had its ups and downs -- frankly, mostly downs as shown on this episode. While all the cast members can act, they were pulled down by all the exaggerations. Production technicals remained the same. With the downward trend in its number of viewers, I hope Oh My Sexual improves on its next episodes to ultimately arrest its downward spiral.
Alt Gameboys (Episode 13.5) directed by Perci Intalan was an excellent special episode. I loved the dark treatment for the most part of this episode with sparkling lights in the end. Somehow it represented the ordeal that a lot of people are going through right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's gloomy yet there's always hope. Terrence was really relatable. Those who said that Kyle's the weak link on Gameboys in terms of acting should eat their words! All three actors -- Kyle, Miggy, and Kych -- were awesome. Kych shined as Achilles! I love Achilles as a character. I'm looking forward to getting to know him on season two. This special episode proved once again that Gameboys characters are multi-dimensional and well-developed. Each one has their own story that a lot of people can empathize. I'm excited to find out on season two the outcome of what seemed to be a Terrence love triangle with Wesley and Achilles. By the way, kudos to Gameboys for recognizing the Alter World! On top of all these nice observations about Alt Gameboys, fears that it will ruin the finale were proven unfounded. CaiReel's happy season one ending remained intact. We can all sleep soundly knowing CaiReel are happy, making the most of their time together... probably doing something till morning, lol. After all, Cai is moving to Bukidnon anytime now. See you all on the Gameboys 2 MDL profile page!
While Episode 8: What Now? ended in a hopeful tone, the scenes leading to the ending were messed up. I felt that the characters didn't really understand each other. They were talking to each other but they weren't listening to each other. It was frustrating knowing issues could have been resolved but they weren't because of miscommunications and misunderstandings. Dialogues were generally difficult to follow and some lines were so long they didn't really aid in delivering the message of this series. I did appreciate that this episode continued to touch on prostitution. Acting was largely uneven on this episode. Production technicals regressed on this episode. Editing of scenes was particularly problematic. Overall, this episode didn't feel like a finale episode. It was more like a preview to J.ACE's next series: O.N.S. Bangkok (One Night Stand in Bangkok?).
What happened!?! Episode 7 was such a disappointing episode! Yes, the plot/storyline progressed on this episode. The international cake competition finally came into fruition, and they lost, which in turn allowed the return of the daddy issue/Freudian excuse trope. But because this episode was filled with gaps, not to mention, packed with rushed and unrealistic scenes, it was so frustrating to watch. Case in point, the affection between Sky and Ace was so contrived and fast tracked, it needed proper build-up. Also, the change of heart of Sky's bully classmates (because of a dream, seriously?!?) was so sudden and unbelievable, it didn't make much sense. In terms of screenplay, it was extra cringy on this episode. Acting was also bad on this episode. Miko and especially Aki were very weak in their delivery of lines and their timing was generally off. Yul Servo was horrendous! Even the production design and computer graphics couldn't save this episode. For a supposedly prestigious international cake competition, everything about it appeared cheap. The inclusion of actual reactors who portrayed the competitors from different countries was a nice touch though. Overall, My Day needs to improve on a lot of areas for next week's episode.
Episode 9 neatly set-up the ZigZag meet up for next week's finale. Before this, friends reiterated their support for Zag and Zag already clarified things with Zirgo. At least the Zirgo issue was resolved. The ZigZag meet up next week will hopefully resolve if the ZigZag relationship is going somewhere or nowhere. Aside from some minor improvements in computer graphics, not much else improved in terms of plot/storyline, performance, and production. Given the face-to-face nature of next week's meet up, I expect a much better episode on all the artistic aspects.
Episode 3: Instant Noodles was sexy, sweet, and sensitive. I'm just amazed how a small production company like Ride or Die can create a very good episode like this. The plot/storyline moved along pretty well on this episode. If the previous episode was more about Judah, this episode was more about Rocky -- his family background and his continuing search for work amidst the pandemic. The latter one is important for me because I always want my series to have clear contextualizations. But more significantly, the contrast between the character backgrounds of Judah (has a mother, studying in a university) and Rocky (mother died, stopped studying to work in order to support his family) was perfect. Also, with Rocky getting a hardon in one of the scenes, we're sure that we won't have a problematic character who suddenly woke up liking a man. There's appropriate build-up. Screenplay was well-balanced with enough cute, funny, and naughty lines and dramatic and sensitive dialogues. There were timely political lines here and there as well. And man, Royce is such a very good actor! No wonder he was nominated for Best Actor for the film Fuccbois at the URIAN Awards. And Judah was right, Rocky is gwapo (handsome)! Kyo was endearing on this episode. I'm really warming up to his portrayal of Judah. Thank God, there's no drunk kiss! Judah and Rocky's heartwarming scenes were enough. They had good chemistry together. And the last scene, with Judah telling Rocky he'll pursue him was awesome. Production design, camera work, and editing were done using simple techniques but were done cleanly. And I love how the OST was perfectly incorporated all throughout the episode. I can't wait for Episode 4!
#ALTGameboys (Chapter 13.5) -- I swear, if it's an alternative ending, darker ending, break-up which will ruin the already perfect ending of Gameboys Season 1, I'm gonna throw the longest tantrum since I was a kid, lol! I hope it's just BTS or easter eggs for Pearl Next Door!
[Apologies again that I'm posting this earlier than usual. Too many Pinoy BL series on Saturday, too much to watch, too much to write. Lol.]
The production team would like to advise our audience that the premier episode will be scheduled to a later date as we address some technical matters:
September 26 - FilmCity and Gagaoolala - Find YourStory
October 3 - YouTube
Rest assured that the show will be more exciting due to these developments.
Thank you!
#BoybandLoveTheSeries
#Blseries