Pinoy BL Series

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Not sure yet if there's English subtitles. We'll see later.

Streamed live via a Filipino app (Kumu) every Mondays but you can watch the encore/replay every Tuesdays, 8PM (Manila Time) via Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/FIRESTARTERSstudios

The first of its kind in being live and interactive, Kumusta Bro? is indeed different from other Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series. Unfortunately, different doesn't always equate to good. Owing to its live and interactive format, the plot/storyline lacked focus. Yes, there were mentions of past and potential relationships, mental health, and the pandemic but none of these themes seemed to stick. Too much interaction with the Kumu app commenters was actually distracting. The free-flowing screenplay was generally ok with a few corny and cringy lines. Acting and chemistry needs improvement. Sky was occasionally over the top while Kristof seemed bored at times. Both needs to improve their relatability. Audio-visual technicals were problematic. There was an instance when the connection/feed was cut. Sound was sometimes choppy. OST was LSS-catchy though. Overall, I think I will really need to dig deep to find motivation to continue watching this series.

Just finished watching the season finale of Sakristan. What started really boldly in terms of plot/storyline ended very timidly. It was disappointing to be honest. Not much dialogue and acting in this episode. The finale did showcase where Sakristan has been consistently good at -- cinematography and music. Production design and editing were just ok. If it's any consolation, Sakristan will go down in history as one of the pioneers of Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series alongside Gameboys, Truly Very Yours, Hello Stranger, In Between, among others. But unfortunately for Sakristan, in terms of quality, it will be considered in the lower tier when compared to the likes of Gameboys and Hello Stranger.

What we got from the two-part Episode 2: Dati are glimpses into Otep's and Tau's secret relationship in the past. Just how do you deal with an ex with whom you share the same group of friends who doesn't know about your past relationship? While the plot/storyline gradually became clearer in this episode, the pace seemed a bit slow. There were some good lines here and there though. Slowly, ensemble acting appeared to have found its groove but still needs improvement. Production design was similar to the pilot episode. Audio and editing was better in this episode. Still no good OST for this series. All in all, the snippets from the past were good but the plot/storyline needs to develop the here and now in order for the series to move forward.

Even the actors and the creators of Gameboys are critical of the Philippine national government. And they're very vocal about it. If it isn't still obvious, everything's political. LGBTQ+ issues among others are political. And if it isn't still obvious, the Philippine national government is incompetent in addressing the pandemic. We now have the most number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia! I"m based in Thailand and it's difficult not to compare how poorly managed the situation is in the Philippines. Unlike others, I don't subscribe to the idea that art is just an escape from the realities of society. It's actually a reminder of both the best and worst in society. And I had hope Gameboys at least taught us that.

I hate what Episode 8: No Matter What did to me. It had me crying almost the entire time (all 27.12 minutes!) while watching it. But still, this is my favorite episode. I love this episode. I'm so confused. Lol. In a lot of ways, this episode resolved most of the issues tackled in this series. It showed the difficulties and heartaches brought about by the pandemic as well as the incompetence of the government, the resiliency of the people, and the brave heroes in these trying times. It also addressed the predicaments of being outed when obviously you're not ready to come out yet. The importance of having the support of one's family (and friends) was also highlighted in this episode. I love Cai's brother, mother, and father (and Gav and Pearl as well)! All these were made possible because of the compact narrative, amazing editing, and clear direction done in this episode. The OST "Hiling" sang by Joshua Ronett was a perfect fit for this episode. All the characters (including Terrence!) were also made multi-dimensional in this episode. Acting by all the actors was great. I actually ran out of superlatives to describe Elijah's and Sue's acting. They were simply outstanding in this episode. Their scene together would have been my favorite if not for the last scene when finally after 8 episodes, Cai is now Gav's Baby! That last scene alone made all the crying worth it!

Episode 4: Hello, Happiness! was a cute episode. As some of the commenters/viewers have guessed, last week's closing scene was only a dream sequence. I didn't like that part but luckily, there were plenty of things to like in this episode. I liked the references to the Stonewall riots (1969) as well as "The Last Dance" (2020). I also liked the sweet and sexy scenes in this episode. Screenplay, with its sweet lines, was better than the previous weeks. Having Xavier and Mico "sleep together" virtually was really nice. And it's always a wonderful time anytime Tony goes shirtless! Lol. Acting still lacks a certain umph (except maybe Migs' acting; he seemed natural and realistic). The chemistry of the lead actors seemed to be improving though. The quality of the production design, cinematography, musical score, and editing was generally maintained. And the face-to-face meeting was a nice way to end this episode -- I just hope it's not another dream sequence! Of course it's not! Lol.

USPHTV Youtube Channel :)

Agree!

They're my favorite series of 2020. 2gether (which inspired a lot of Pinoy BL Series) is the most popular and the most impactful but in terms of quality, Gameboys is the best this year.

Episode 7: The Wall is not really a good episode. It's a bit preachy and I got bored with the long dialogues. I've given up on the screenplay and acting in this series. While definitely there's improvement when compared to the first episodes, overall, they're still underwhelming. Like in the previous episodes, the best parts of this episode were those without dialogues and with only the OSTs. Cinematography was fine while editing was a bit off in this episode. Credits wasn't even provided in this episode. Next week is Sakristan's finale. I hope Sakristan is able to at least resolve all the issues it brought up throughout the series.

This is not the first Filipino BL series. Gameboys is the first Filipino BL series. Gameboys is definitely way, way better than this and even better than Thailand's Quarantine Stories. There are other Filipino BL series like Hello Stranger and In Between worth watching.

I just finished watching the two-part Episode 1: Muli. The plot/storyline seemed promising. It opened dramatically with Tau breaking up with Otep. While it's obvious Migs is more experienced in acting, Genesis did held his own in the opening scene. I felt that Genesis needed to dial down a bit but his acting overall was fine. Migs may not be an Elijah or a Kokoy but he did have different layers in his acting. Both Migs and Genesis looked sexy in their own way so that's a plus. I love their look. They seemed perfect for their roles. Most of the support cast have acting experience. I remember Renshi, Lara, and Shiara from the movie "Class of 2018" (2018). They were ok but I felt that like Genesis, Lara needed to tone down a bit to avoid overacting. The screenplay was realistic enough. Production design was alright. The use of Baybayin was really nice. Editing was generally satisfactory although there where scenes in the first part wherein the audio was not perfectly in sync with the video. Music was also up to par but the series needs a good OST. Overall, it's a good pilot episode and I'll definitely watch the next episode!

Done!

10+ out of 10. I'm not mad that we didn't get Cairo's "Yes" in this episode. The elephant in the room was not really his answer to Terrence's question. The elephant in the room has always been about Cairo's father and his relationship with his family. Episode 7: The Elephant in the Room reminded me of the centrality of family for a lot of Filipinos and the difficulty of navigating within this unit especially if you belong to the LGBTQ+ community. It also reminded me that the pandemic is real and that people are dying. I've watched a lot of boys' love (BL) series, and when I say a lot, I mean a lot, but the last scene from this episode is one of the most, if not the most heartbreaking scene I've ever seen. Acting was at its best in this episode. Adrianna's Pearl was an effective happy relief from the overall despair in this episode. Sue Prado, who portrayed Cairo's mother proved that you don't need to be hysterical to show great sorrow. The way she showed quiet grief was simply amazing. Kokoy's Gav showed a lot of character development in this episode. The facade of confidence was broken down in this episode that gave way to a sensitive Gav with doubts and insecurities. The last scene where Gav cried with Cairo was very powerful, overshadowed only by the greatness of Elijah. Man, I've watched this episode three times already and in all three times, Elijah made me cry with him. I love Elijah. But so as not to end this comment in gloom, I would like to point out that we did get some romantic and sexy scenes from this episode. The scene where Cairo and Gav paused for a few seconds while dancing just to look into each other's eyes was a very intimate moment. For the sexy scene... Gav taking a shower... need I say more? Lol. Three episodes left! I hope we get a happy ending on Episode 10. I don't want to wait for the movie or Season 2 to get a happy ending! Direk Ivan, please give us our happy ending!

Best acting performance by a mile! Elijah was soooo good! Longer comment later after the post-show interview with Revil in the One BL Pilipinas Facebook page :)

This one is a Filipino gay series, not really a BL series.

Everything improved in Episode 3: Hello, Heartbeat! More information about the background of the lead characters was revealed in this episode. Particularly, we got to know more about Mico. I love the "Dear Basketball" (2017) and "One More Chance" (2007) moments. While the pace is still a bit slow for my liking (dialogues went too long), the screenplay was generally refined in this episode. Acting and the chemistry between the lead actors were also better. JC deserves special mention for his improvement. Production design, camera work, musical score, and editing were as good as in the previous episodes. The last scene, with its dialogue and hand gestures, was really corny but it can be forgiven because the last line from Xavier was absolutely romantic.