Pinoy BL Series

Just like what I've said, I just don't like the appearance or the images they sent. There are probably reasons behind them and they do happen in real life but I'm just bothered and I don't really relate to them. These and the "I don't like boys only Otep" make me really uncomfortable because they can be interpreted as internalized homophobia.

Yes, I really felt sad for Gav. Kokoy really shined in this episode.

Why?

Darwin and Enzo are both good actors. They are also charming and gorgeous!

What a triumphant return for Gameboys! Episode 11: Stay Strong Forever was a really strong episode. In just under 30 minutes, this episode was able to generate the familiar emotions Gameboys is known for. It made me excited and happy but at the same time it also made me lonely and sad. I've always been a sucker for series that make me feel something that's why I love Gameboys. Aside from making me reflect on and think about societal issues, Gameboys makes me feel with the characters. Cai and Gav's first face-to-face date highlighted in the first half of this episode was super romantic. Rave Park, Pasig City was the perfect setting for their date. The new OST "Ako at Ikaw" (Me and You) by Emerzon Texon (feat. Joshua Ronett) was the perfect background music. They were even able to seamlessly insert a product placement (Gameboys official merchandise with Silverworks: Cai and Gav Engravable Necklace) during their date. But the best part of the date was Cai and Gav playing at the children's park. The picturesque scenes showcased a certain innocence and sort of purity of happiness and love that's difficult to explain. It was somewhat a respite before they go back to face the challenges of the real world tackled in the second half of this episode. The difficulties brought about by the pandemic are far from over as shown in social media posts and the need to buy health and safety-related supplies. Product placements (TM Tambayan and Bench) were not too subtle but because SB19 was featured in the TM Tambayan advertisement, I really can't complain. In the second half of this episode, they also had to face the fact that Cai and his family would have to leave for Bukidnon. There, Cai will have a new life with new and even old friends like Wesley. Kokoy should be commended for his acting performance in this episode. He was really cute especially when he acted like a reactor while viewing Wesley's social media posts. While Kokoy was perfect in showing off the jolly and sexy Gav, he was also great in communicating jealousy, loneliness, and pain behind those happy eyes and smiles. It's just so heart-wrenching to think that Gav will be abandoned for the nth time. I'm really happy for Pearl, she seemed to be coping well as a famous vlogger with a possible flame. She deserves to be happy. She deserves to have her own story (Pearl Next Door!). I'm actually sad for Terrence because I can relate to his feeling of loneliness. Episode 12, I'm dreading you! I know something bad is gonna happen in next week's episode. But overall, I just love that Gameboys is back!

Gameboys Episode 11 tonight! I so missed this series! I'm glad it's back!

I don't think gender identity is a fad, it's been part of the discourse since the 1990s. People were reacting to Episode 1 when the problem of stereotyping was pointed out. We didn't have the luxury of having watched Episode 2 yet. I don't know when you started to watch this series but these comments were made right after Episode 1. The problem of stereotyping is not limited to homophobes. It's also a problem with well-meaning family and friends. Given that a lot of BL viewers are women, the realization of mistake and the apology in Episode 2 was important.

The point is she apologized because she realized she made a mistake. This was a review of Episode 1, she hasn't apologized yet in this episode. Realization and apology came in on Episode 2 which I highly appreciated. Again, maybe your experience is different but there are enough stories and literature about the problems with stereotypes (that lead to discrimination, abuse, etc.) that justifies why stereotyping should not be encouraged.

Heteronormativity is when one acts like the traditional husband while the other one acts like the traditional wife. Tau wanting Otep to move in with him, Otep taking care of and dressing Tau in the morning, Otep staying at home and cooking for Tau, etc. -- these images bothered me as too heteronormative. I know this does happen, but my experience and most of the gay couples I personally know, mostly my friends, are not like TauTep. We're mostly husband and husband. Maybe it's just me not relating to TauTep in these instances. With regards to who are sexier, to each his own I guess, lol.

That's not what our peer counselors taught us when we were working with LGBTQ+ kids. Friends are supposed to be there to listen and give support, not pressure or judge you about who you are. Maybe what Des did worked for you, but that doesn't mean it will work for most kids. And I think even Des realized that she made a mistake, hence the apology. In any case, I appreciate Des' character development in this series.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this series. I usually give a working rating after watching the first episode of a series and revise my rating as I watch the succeeding episodes then give a final rating by the end of the series. For this series, I kept increasing the rating per episode because it keeps getting better and better. After four episodes, it's now clear where Mark stands. Quoting from the funny, sexy, and witty screenplay of Episode 4: D.T.R. (Define The Relationship): "Let's get one thing straight..." "I'm not." "I think..." "I really think..." "I can consider myself as..." "Bisexual." No queerness denial, Mark self-identified as bisexual. Hooray for a bisexual character in a Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series! But that's not even the best part of this episode. And no, it's not the digs against the national government either (which were also very good). The best part was when the title of the series, Hook Up, was finally actualized. Mark and Henry finally hooked up! Their kissing and love/sex scenes were daring, sexy, and steamy yet tastefully done. Both Marky and JC were able to convey the emotions and physicality needed for those scenes. I didn't mind that the scenes were a bit darker and grainier than usual -- we wouldn't want Youtube to take out the video for violating community standards, lol! Coming as runner-up for the best part of this episode was the discarding of "Mami" in favor of the more gender-neutral "Love." I love the fact that this series seemed to really listen to constructive criticisms. Also an important part of this episode was the realistic confusion in defining their relationship after the hook up. Happily, they're now "We" "Officially." This episode also provided details on what really happened between Mark and David (from Truly Very Yours). The sad part, there might be no hope for my Mark and Kevin ship (from Truly Very Yours as well) since Mark sees Kevin only as a friend (or not, given the last scene of this episode?). Kevin's sleeping over (maybe in next week's episode?), so we'll see what happens by then. I'm excited for next week's episode! If Mark and Kevin don't end up together, I hope the producers at least pair Kevin with another cute guy in the upcoming series Where We Were!

Episode 7: Suyo was a sweet episode. This episode contrasted TauTep's relationship with that of Pangs' (Nin and Makisig's). TauTep were now living together while Pangs were still separated by distance. Yet, both pairs showed genuine love and affection. I'm still a bit uncomfortable with what appeared to be heteronormative roles in TauTep's relationship but at least the audience was treated to a lot of romantic moments in this episode. Nin's "puto" jokes were corny but still cute. The two love teams' chemistry were really solid. While TauTep's the sexy pair, Pangs' the cute pair. There were forewarnings of possible sad moments in the horizon but for now, everything's fine. This episode seemed like a breather before the arrival of new conflicts in succeeding episodes. Similar to last week, this series faced technical problems. The uploading of the second part of this episode was delayed and there were audio problems. I hope they fix these issues before they start becoming annoying. But all things considered, this was a good episode.

Sorry but I didn't like this episode. Things felt a bit rushed and the lingering issues I have with this series were highlighted in this episode. While I wanted character development for Ace, what we got from Episode 3 was not character development but abrupt character change. There should have been some sort of build-up. He can't be unpleasant for the longest time then all of a sudden, he's nice to everyone. There were also a lot of unnecessary scenes and disjointed illogical dialogues (no smooth transitions). In terms of acting, Miko (who had a very sexy shirtless scene) was alright but Aki was bad. He was just delivering lines without the necessary emotions. He was better last week. The chef's acting was so cringy! This episode highlighted again the stereotypical depiction of the bitchy girlfriend and the comic relief effeminate gays. At the very least, provide some character background for Moira to explain her obnoxious behavior. Yes, there are flamboyant gays, that's not the issue, the issue is when they're limited to being the comic relief in a series without the necessary storylines. What we're left with are gay characters lacking depth: one whose only purpose is to promote whitening products; another one who senselessly danced for an entire segment; and another one whose treatment of an intern borders on sexual harassment! People, effeminate gays deserve better than these portrayals! I was generally satisfied with the first two episodes but this episode didn't really work for me. I hope the series improves in its succeeding episodes.

Episode 5 was just ok. It wasn't as cute and funny as the previous episodes. But we did get to learn about Zag and Zirgo's back stories in this episode. And we also confirmed in this episode that Zig indeed has feelings for Zag. Moving forward, this series needs to develop its plot/storyline for its last 5 episodes. It can't just drag and stretch its simple plot/storyline. Acting performance of the cast was ok in this episode but hopefully it continuously improve in the next episodes. Production-wise, I don't see much change given the series' limited budget but at least tweak aspects of its production that can still be enhanced. In terms of quality, editing and music were still uneven in this episode. Overall, I expect this series to be better in its remaining 5 episodes.

Oh My Sexual Youtube Channel

Someone probably edited and one of the moderators mistakenly approved. It's good that it's back to "airing" now.

Usually you say "I like you... as a friend" if you don't mean to say you like that person in a romantic way. But it's true there can be misunderstandings if this is not clarified.

For Filipinos, we still differentiate "I like you" (gusto kita) from "I love you" (mahal kita) but the difference is not that big compared to the US because we also say "I like you" to our love interest although "I love you" is more affectionate and has differ meaning. Gameboys and In Between used the equivalent of "I love you" in Filipino Tagalog and Filipino Visayan languages.

From The IdeaFirst Company: "Due to a technical problem, we have to move our release date for #GameboysEp11 to 23 August SUNDAY 8pm MNL. We know it’s not our usual day, but we don’t want you to wait longer than necessary. See you all this Sunday!"

I don't think so but I accidentally saw some of Drei's interviews in their Youtube channel and he had no qualms in admitting that he's gay in real life so I was really happy about it. For the others, I think I'd have to go back to the interviews again (which I don't have time right now) to find out where they stand. And yes, this series is turning out to be good. I'm actually pleasantly surprised with this series!