Pinoy BL Series

I super love this series! This is definitely among my all time favorite series! Episode 1 was great!

Hmmm... Episode 6: Bangkok Can't Wait wasn't a good episode. From being officially together just last week to breaking up this week to hooking up with someone else next week? Somehow, Hook Up's plot/storyline had gone off the rails. Yes, the need for good communication and management of egos in a relationship was highlighted in this episode but aside from that, nothing much helped in advancing a satisfactory narrative. Dialogues were unnecessarily circuitous and long. While Niko played his role well, his character was annoying. Audio was uneven for this episode. Editing wasn't good. There were some dead air and gaps during split screens and post-credits appeared twice with Niko's name not fully integrated -- which is actually an improvement from last week when Wex's name wasn't even fully credited. With two episodes left, I hope the cast and crew can still salvage this series so as to end on a high note.

While the plot/storyline progressed on Episode 5, everything else didn't. Screenplay was cringy, irritatingly long, and repetitive (cases in point, scene where Moira confronted Sky in his room, bar drinking scene with Sky's friends, etc.). Because of his near death experience, Ace's character development and redemption arc should have started in this episode (not on Episode 3) which would have made the overall narrative more believable. There's still no explanation why Moira's the way she is other than the sexist explanation that she's a bitch. Gay representations were still bad. In terms of acting, Aki and Shanice were equally poor while Miko was just ok. Similar to previous episodes, what went well for this episode were the production technicals. Production design was good [some may even say, comparable with some of the top-notch Thai boys' love (BL) series]. Although simple techniques were employed, cinematography was generally decent. Taking all of these together, this episode still didn't impress me. I hope next week's episode is better.

I enjoyed Episode 9: Hinala. The plot/storyline developed in this episode. There were character developments and relationship complications revolving around suspicions. Brianx was suspicious of her boyfriend Jet, the gang was suspicious of Nin after he called someone Pangs online, and I think Otep was suspicious of Tau and Orion. I'm fine with Tau referring to Otep as his best friend instead of boyfriend. Maybe Tau's not yet ready to come out to his family and co-workers. But Tau should have discussed this with Otep prior so as not to catch Otep off guard. Screenplay was generally ok. Pangs had some cheesy but sweet lines. Makisig's singing was cute. Acting was fine. I also love the vacation vibes of this episode. They were eating again! This is probably the Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series wherein the characters eat the most, lol. The resort scenic view was amazing. With all these, I think we can at least expect more complexities in the five remaining episodes.

There were obvious improvements on Episode 3. While still simplistic, the plot/storyline was at least contextualized to highlight how teens manage home and school life amidst the pandemic. Screenplay was still cheesy but a bit less cringy. There were still pointless hand gestures but it was evident that acting was toned down. But the biggest improvements were on production design, cinematography, and editing. They were nevertheless below average but tolerable at the minimum. On the next episodes, I hope Unexpected continuously improve.

It's good that on Episode 7, ZigZag finally decided to put a label on their relationship. They're now boyfriends! Yey! A lot of boys' love (BL) series would drag the labelling part till the finale as if ending up as boyfriends is the be all and end all of relationships. In fact, in most cases, the things that happen after you become boyfriends are even more challenging. I'm glad that Even After will explore some of these issues in the remaining episodes starting with the challenge posted by Zig's mother wanting to talk to Zag. I'm actually scared of what she'll say to Zag. Again, it's just too familiar for me. Here's hoping for a not so heart-breaking Episode 8!

Unfortunately no. Only the one whose name appears in the pass can go out. That means you'll have to ask the one with the pass to buy things for you. But this quarantine pass regulation is not for the entire Philippines. It's only being implemented in places where there's a high number of Covid-19 cases. They are set in Quezon City, part of Metro Manila, Philippines where there's a high number of Covid-19 incidents.

By the way, since the Philippines is still on lockdown, you need a quarantine pass to move around. You can be arrested by the police if you're outside your house without the pass. But only one pass is given to each household so each household needs to decide who gets the pass.

Things Judah found in Rocky's bag: Judah found Rocky's CV. He finished high school and he's not in college since he always seems to be looking for work (contrast that with Judah who's studying in the top Philippine university -- the state university, University of the Philippines). Rocky has worked as waiter, barista, dining crew. It also seems that he's been sending money, maybe to his family. The yellow papers are actually copies of forms he filled out to remit/send money [Palawan Express Pera Padala (Send Money)]. I think this is the reason why Judah decided to give Rocky the quarantine pass. He realized that Rocky needs it more than him. Rocky needs to find work so that he can send money, probably to his family.

I think compared to Gameboys, Sakristan, Hello Stranger, In Between, Amore, and My Day, Quaranthings has a much lower budget. And yes, as long as they make do with what they have and still provide good plot/storyline and performance, I'm ok with average production.

Yes, Kyo was generally engaging. I like Kyo. I think his Judah is a relatable character. Judah's unapologetically queer. With regards to the delivery of lines, it's probably partly writing, partly acting, but also partly editing. The scenes were not as smooth but they were tolerable. I hope they continue to improve in the next episodes.

I was pleasantly surprised with the pilot episode of Quaranthings: The Series! Although clearly set during the pandemic like other Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series, the plot/storyline wasn't straightforward at all which made it quite interesting. After watching Episode 1: Quarantine Pass, you'd certainly want to stick around to understand Judah's issues, uncover Rocky's secrets, and find out how their relationship develops during the quarantine. Screenplay was cute with a lot of funny lines. Acting was generally natural especially the performance of Royce, who's a magnificent specimen of a man, lol. He's so sexy! Kyo, a newbie, was alright. He was on point in a lot of scenes but there were also scenes wherein he was flat. He needs improvement but he was ok. I like that Judah's unapologetically queer. Karl was also a natural in his role as Beshie and I love his rendition of the OST "Sansinukuban" (My Universe). Production design and cinematography were just average. But I love that there's an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez photo, Martin Luther King Jr. quote, and Thai BL series posters. Cutting of scenes and transitions from one scene to another need refinement. All and all, Quaranthings: The Series is a very promising Pinoy BL series. I'm undoubtedly looking forward to next week's episode!

With a shallow plot/storyline, Episode 7: Chances & Choices tried to compensate with a corny screenplay and over dramatized acting. Sky's acting would have been ok if it wasn't dragged too much which didn't do him any favors since it exposed his lack of range. RJ and Allen were generally ok while Kristof still felt scripted. Production technicals were the same as previous weeks. Next week, this series ends with an online fan meeting.

Quaranthings The Series premieres tonight, 9PM (MNL), Friday, September 4!

Since we're already on Episode 4: Hide & Seek, it's probably pointless to keep mentioning Amore's technical weaknesses but with 26 episodes left, maybe they'll still try to improve in the succeeding episodes? Audio and editing were still poor in this episode. The "Previously" segment of Part 2 of 3 didn't even have audio! Other than having Buknoy and Xander Ford (both very poor actors) in the cast, there weren't a lot of substantial weaknesses in this episode. I appreciated that scenes were allotted to the different ships, JoWil, JoJimmy, JoKenji, and JoNuan, to illustrate Joey's different relationships with Wil, Jimmy, Kenji, and Nuan. Sure, screen time tilted more to Joey and the manipulative and scheming Wil, but hopefully this will not always be the case. JoWil had obvious chemistry but the problem with their poetry reading scene was that it was long and dragging. Contrast their scene with the bedroom conversation scene of JoJimmy. While shorter in screen time, JoJimmy's scene was more meaningful in terms of character development (Jimmy's redemption arc) and relationship development (from enemies to friends to lovers?). Nothing much happened with JoKenji other than Kenji being creepy asking Joey about his love life. Of course, the most heartbreaking was the confession (not really a) prank scene of Nuan. By now, it seemed futile to push for JoNuan. The break in Nuan's voice, his sorrowful and close to crying eyes, and him being left alone in his lonesome in the end of that scene were just too heart-wrenching. I want a happy ending for Nuan, if not with Joey, then maybe with someone else. Overall, this episode was ok.

The IdeaFirst Company Creative Consultant Elmer Gatchalian confirmed via Twitter the Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) article that announced that Gameboys Finale is on September 13 (not September 6). Thanks!

Oh My Sexual had obviously toned down in Episode 3: Oh My Thirdy! While the documentary-experimental vibes were still evident and the exaggerations were still there, they were noticeably lessened in this episode. This allowed the plot/storyline to take shape, the screenplay to appear more engaging, and the acting to be more relatable. Form should always be harmonized with substance. Too much focus on style as seen in the first two episodes takes away from the message of this series. How anxieties and distresses are magnified during a pandemic was featured in this episode. Zombies might actually be metaphors for the different types of people affected by the pandemic. Thirdy's story was interesting enough and his acting was the most tolerable so far. The changes from one scene to another and the editing were still a bit distracting but they were better than previous episodes. I hope succeeding episodes continue in this track so that by the end of its season, this series will be appreciated for bringing in something different (that's good) in the genre of Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series.

By the way, the upcoming Pinoy BL series this September are all promising: Quaranthings with Kyo Quijano & Royce Cabrera (Kokoy's partner in Fuccbois), Oh, Mando! with Kokoy & Alex Diaz, My Extraordinary with Darwin Yu & Enzo Santiago & BenXJim with Jerome Ponce & Teejay Marquez :) This think this is a good batch of series!

I did! Lol!

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