Pinoy BL Series

Episode 1: Pagkukumpara (Comparison) wasn't a good pilot episode but it was tolerable compared to most do-it-yourself (DIY) Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series. At least the plot/storyline wasn't that shallow given Kirk's sickness. But screenplay wasn't conversational enough. There were preachy lines uttered by the professors. And while I don't like commenting on the English grammar, there were just too many errors which I hope are avoided on the next episodes. Acting by Elijah and James were mostly ok though. But some of the supporting cast members overacted on this episode. Audio-visuals were generally poor. There were distracting background noises and poor camera shots. There were numerous blurred frames. Overall, this was a weak premiere episode.

I know I missed watching Jules act but other than that I don't know yet how I feel about this series. In the context of conservative Philippine society, it's obviously brave to tackle three-way relationships on Episode 1: For Him For Her. While not surprising because of the writer-director's theater background, the use of juxtaposed parallel narrative style in presenting the stories of the boys and girls side-by-side was quite interesting. I'm not yet sure if highlighting similarities among them is a good message to convey. I'll just have to see where the plot/storyline goes. For the most part, screenplay wasn't conversational. Acting was a hit-or-miss. The boys were better than the girls although Zoren had off moments too. The making love scenes were quite awkward. Audio-visuals were largely uneven. Editing needs work. The soundtrack "Kaleidoscope World," originally written and sang by the late great Francis Magalona/Francis M ("Father of Pinoy Hip Hop" and "King of Pinoy Rap") was unmistakably awesome but the cover by Jenzen Guino was just ok. Overall, I'm still on the fence on this one. Hopefully next episode is compelling enough.

Episode 5: Hallucination was a bit dragging. Actually, not a single scene from this episode resonated with me. Even Chito's shirtless scene felt forced. Aside from Rain freeing Niko (which wasn't really shown), nothing new was revealed on this episode. Screenplay wasn't interesting enough. Although the fight scene between Prince and Rain was alright because it seemed natural, acting in general was mostly off. Audio-visuals need to get better. On the whole, I hope succeeding episodes are more exciting than this episode.

This series' backslide continued on Episode 3. Alden found it difficult to accept Johnny's intersexuality. He also cheated on Johnny with Kim. The general message of this episode about bisexuals was highly problematic to say the least. Screenplay had numerous senseless lines. Acting was still very bad. Audio-visuals remained weak. Given the minimal dialogues, at times this episode felt like an extended music video of a not so good soundtrack. On the whole, this was another poor episode.

While there's movement in terms of plot/storyline because of the focus on Algiro and Monsour, Episode 6 was replete with substantive and technical issues. Algiro and Monsour's relationship development didn't feel natural. Support cast members were even more annoying on this episode. Screenplay had awkward lines and corny dialogues. Acting felt scripted. Chris John and Joshua lacked appeal and chemistry. I miss Aizen. Production technicals remained weak. This episode had noticeable issues with background noise and sound volume. Overall, this was a poor episode.

I think you’ll get an idea where the plot/storyline is going through the synopsis. It’s about characters overcoming whatever’s holding them back. It’s a matter of providing plausible paths to get their endpoint.

Despite the annoying fillers and secondary cast scenes, Episode 4 was far better than previous episodes. As the 14-day challenge ended, there was obvious character development and relationship development for Ethon and Martin. Sure there wasn't adequate set-up for the changes but at least there's clear progress. Ethon and Martin's lines were realistic enough. Acting was good. It's nice to see Aki not overacting with his dramatic scenes. Solo's acting seemed natural. Production technicals were mostly ok but I didn't like the echoes during the flashbacks. But all in all, this was a good episode.

I liked Episode 5, not only because it's another shirtless galore episode, lol, but more so because the scenes were purposive. The arrival of Derrick added a bit more complication to the plot/storyline. The incorporation of traditional Filipino (Pinoy) children's game patintero on this episode was a nice touch. Screenplay was ok for the most part. Acting was largely fine. Audio-visuals were generally alright. Overall, this was a good episode.

With JM and Reb starting to get to know each other, plot/storyline progressed on Episode 3: Lights Off. The simplicity of the conversation scenes was commendable primarily because it helped focus on the characters and their views about life and love. The two of them revealing their real names and shaking hands at the end was a nice touch. While on the surface JM and Reb are opposites, in some ways, they are the same -- both are relatable characters with their need for love. Screenplay had simple yet sensible lines ("...we all deserve love or at least a proper hug," "love comes with pain," "...but our brokenness doesn't mean it's the end; there's always room to rebuild and be whole again"). In terms of acting, Yves and especially Iyo, were consistently on point. Audio-visuals were mostly ok. New additions to the series' Spotify playlist like "Agwat" (Distance/Interval/Space) by Bryan Termulo and "Balang Araw" (Someday) by Silent Sanctuary were really good. With this generally subdued episode out of the way, I hope to get more drama and excitement on the next episodes.

While substantively passable, Episode 2 suffered from technical weaknesses. On this episode, Sef continued to picked on Andrei. Their banters and shenanigans were mostly cute. Minus the stereotypical line that men shouldn't cry, script was largely fine. In terms of acting, Allen, Ivo, and even Clark were watchable enough but the supporting cast members were kinda off. For the most part, they telegraphed their acting. They lacked flow with their delivery of lines. Production technicals, particularly cinematography and editing, were substandard. Scene flow and scene transitions need to get better. All in all, I hope this series improves in succeeding episodes.

Episode 3: Pursuit of Happiness continued with the pace and tone of previous episodes. In terms of plot/storyline, not much happened on this episode. I get why some commenters find this series boring. It's a dialogue-heavy series and the lines, while mostly conversational, weren't always relatable given the lack of strong character backgrounds. It's difficult to empathize and sympathize with the characters and their dramatics when you can't relate to them. It's a pity especially since Drei and Gus were quite good on this episode. This series also regressed in terms of audio-visuals. Sound volume remained an issue. While there were nice camera shots, a cameraman who was filming using a phone camera was caught in one of the frames! Overall, this was a backslide when compared to previous episodes.

Episode 4: Venomous Love was a terrible finale. Plot/storyline was rushed. This series lacked character depth and character development. I don't even know what happened to some of the characters. Relationship development wasn't established. Script was lazy. Because build-up was missing, acting was quite off. This series was a disservice to the actors. Production technicals especially with regards to scene flow and scene transitions were very poor. Overall, this series was a waste of talents.

I actually have issues with the plot/storyline, screenplay, and production technicals of this series as you can read from my two comments. But it's only Episode 2 so I usually give these series some leeway with hopes for some improvements. Most of the time, I also try to be positive unless it's really, really bad, which this series is not.

I think they will post on YT one week after posting Episode 1.

Episode 4: Abduction was an eventful episode which started with Niko and Prince making love and ended with Xian taking a shower after engaging in sex for pay. Both scenes had awkwardness but on the whole, they were still tastefully done. In between these scenes, Miray had a cheesy yet touching moment with her father (apt for Fathers' Day!) while Rain got physically sick and then showed he's also mentally sick when he hired guys to abduct Niko. Obsessed Rain abused Niko. At least this episode had no qualms taking on big social issues like poverty, sex work, sexual abuse, etc. I just hope this series eventually resolve these all these issues in a realistic way. Even with some corny lines, script was mostly fine. Acting was a bit overdramatic at times but was still alright. Production technicals were remained challenged. Overall, because of this episode's unpredictability, I continue to be engaged with this series.

Episode 2 was just plain awful. The handling of sensitive and serious topics like bisexuality and intersexuality was dreadful. The creators of this series should educate themselves about these topics to avoid propagating problematic stereotypes. Script had so many misinformed lines. Acting was terrible. The actors need to undergo acting workshops! Production technicals were very poor. If this series doesn't improve, I pray that this madness ends very soon.

Official trailer was released today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqnx2paGeSY

The scenes with Ethon and Martin on Episode 3 were actually cute and funny in parts. But the fillers and secondary cast scenes, including the girls' love (GL) subplot/secondary storyline were wearisome. Screenplay continued to do a disservice to the actors with repetitive and whiny lines. Aki and Solo needed a little polishing with their acting but they were mostly ok. Audio-visuals were uneven. Overall, it was a passable episode.

Episode 4 revealed more details about Alex and Gino's backgrounds. I'm just not sure if a mini-forum for sharing one's thoughts and feelings was the best way to do it. It felt awkward. Anyway, to start this episode, Alex went shirtless again, lol. Script was mostly alright. Acting by the leads was fine but some of the supporting cast members were a bit tentative with their portrayals. Audio-visuals were uneven with some background noises and poor lighting. For next week's episode, I'm curious to know more about Derrick.

It's called "What If It's Us" in English. If it's going to be like "One Day Pag-ibig," they'll have separate video uploads with English and Spanish subtitles which will come a few days after original release.