Pinoy BL Series

Episode 2: Alternative Living was an adorable and sensible episode. Aside from highlighting the leads' character contrasts, this episode also delve into JM's past relationship with Aaliyah. JM and Reb's alternative living predicament was also effectively contextualized in Philippine social realities like poor internet connection and strict community quarantine policies. For those asking, yes, the Philippines has strict lockdown policies compared to other countries. There was a time when a quarantine pass was even required in order to move around outside the house within specific schedules. And only one person per household can use the pass. It's only recently that the vaccinated elderly are allowed to go out of the house. Stuck On You might exaggerate a bit here and there but for the most part, this series presented realistic situations. Related to this, script was realistic and relatable with cute, funny, and heartwarming lines. Acting was on point with impressive subtleties. Iyo, with or without shirt, lol, is charming while there's something mysterious and unfathomable about Yves. Production technicals were mostly fine although there were a couple of bad camera shots. Editing was alright. The Spotify playlist for this series' official soundtrack was recently updated. It's a really good playlist. For the next episode, I'm curious what happens to JM and Reb given the sudden electric power interruption (yes, sadly, sudden power outage is also part of Philippine social realities).

Based on the plot/storyline presented on Episode 1, this series seemed to improve on One Day Pag-ibig. While the enemies to lovers and rich and poor characters falling in love with each other tropes are nothing new, at least we get to see Allen and Ivo together again. They look cute together. Screenplay was conversational enough even though there were some awkward old Tagalog words used. Acting was largely passable. Audio-visuals were better than those of One Day Pag-ibig. The original soundtrack "Paano Kaya Kung Tayo" (What If It's Us), while ok, needs proper mixing and mastering. On the whole, I'm just glad Allen and Ivo are back with this new series.

After almost a month, Episode 2: Starry Night was finally released today. This episode started rather slow but picked up the pace towards the end, especially given the nicely done shower scene, lol. There were gaps in the script (e.g. about fixing the car; on providing the owner of the house with a more convincing explanation, etc.) but overall, this episode was fine. Acting was mostly on point. Production technicals were still uneven though. There were issues on sound volume and camera shots. All in all, this episode was still ok.

This series ended with a very short and silly Episode 6. It was revealed that Engkantito mistook Austin, the subject of the former's ire and vengeance, as Paolo. Unknown to Engkantito, Paolo's Austin's twin brother who failed to meet up with Engkantito because he met an accident and died. Seeing Austin, Engkantito thought Paolo betrayed her that's why she wanted to exact revenge on Austin. Everything's made known at the end with the ghostly appearance of Paolo. But not everything's resolved on this finale episode. What happened to Austin, John, and Rafael especially given all the cheating that transpired? Screenplay was mostly dull. Acting was generally uninspired. Audio-visuals were poor. Overall, this was a disappointing finale episode.

I agree. It's really a pity this series isn't talked about much. The actors are quite good too. Maybe one issue is the lack of regularity in the release of episodes and because of this, viewers lose track of this series. Heck, I don't even know when the finale will be.

Yes, but to avoid spoilers, I usually post my comments after the release of the open access Youtube-friendly version. I also try not to comment much on the R18+ version since I know only a few people watched that version. The R18+ version was way better (and mature, lol) but I can understand why they can't show those scenes on open access Youtube. My issue with the open access Youtube-friendly version, they could have done a better job of editing the steamy scene (shortening it, using camera tricks, etc.) instead of just showing a notice that they edited out parts of that scene.

Episode 3: Friendship Talks introduced Markie, Lucas' friend. Similar to the previous episode, this episode didn't excite or intrigue. Screenplay was at least conversational enough. Acting was a hit-or-miss though with some tentative performances. Audio-visuals were weak with sound volume fluctuations and dark camera shots. Overall, this episode regressed from the previous episode.

While Lucas struggles with his studies, it was also revealed on Episode 2: The Call that he had to let go of his love for Jonas because the latter got their friend Liezel pregnant. This episode also gave out some details about Lucas' family background. While the plot/storyline became clearer on this episode, with Lucas doing mostly monologues and with a distracting phone conversation between Lucas and Jonas, this episode got dull real quick. Script wasn't bad and Harold's acting was fine. But production technicals were mostly weak. Jonas' voice on the phone sounded terrible. I hope this series improves on the next episode.

I'm not quite sure what this series was trying to convey about bisexuals but based on Episode 1, it seems that this series promotes the problematic stereotypical depiction of bisexuals as lustful and sexually promiscuous. In general, the scenes lacked flow especially given the rough scene transitions. The blowjob scene was poorly executed. Screenplay wasn't conversational enough. It felt unnatural. Acting was horrendous. Needless to say, the actors need massive improvements with their performances. Audio-visuals were substandard. The original soundtrack "Ang Yakap Mo" (Your Hug) by JM Nazareth featuring Jhay Santos was amateurish. All in all, this was a weak pilot episode. I hope this series improves in succeeding episodes.

It was released today.

While there were still numerous unnecessary scenes, the plot/storyline nevertheless became clearer on Episode 5. There's a possible love triangle among Algiro, Monsour, and Tina/Dzrey. Script lacked flow with patchy lines. Acting was tentative at times. And audio-visuals were weak. Editing was especially bad on this episode. All in all, technically, this wasn't a good episode but at least the plot/storyline went somewhere.

Episode 7: Captive*Tender was an intriguing episode. Being the penultimate episode, this was a good set up for the finale. The steamy scene was nicely done. But who's the poser pretending to be Pre? My bet's on Seph, lol. Script was mostly ok with lines delivered naturally. Acting was largely fine. And production technicals were solid. I'm looking forward to the finale!

They used the same English words. In a funny way, they were trying to show that the girl wasn't that good in English. Pinoys usually make fun of how we speak English.

"Akin ka" (you are mine) is different from "pag-aari kita" (I own you). Sadly, they used "pag-aari" (ownership) which is discursively problematic. Because you're not Filipino and you don't know Filipino I can understand why you don't find it objectionable. But there's an entire Filipino psychological discourse on "pag-aari" in relationships that looks at the power play problematique in relationships.

I think they were only referring to this year. They have a number of projects (non-BL) lined up this year plus their channel partnerships (BL) so they can't produce any more this year. But they'll have some of the previously announced BL series released early next year. They'll start shooting them last quarter of this year.

Promoted as "not a typical BL series," I can't help but ask, is this even a boys' love (BL) series? Will there be some kind of romance at least? A plot/storyline about a boy lamenting about letting go of his love for another boy (who weren't even shown on Episode 1: Online Class), can hardly qualify as a BL series. But I'll suspend my judgment until the finale. Anyway, given the seemingly unrelated scenes, this episode felt a bit disjointed. Screenplay didn't really excite. Fortunately, Harold's acting was decent. Audio-visuals need massive improvements. While not originally composed for this series, I liked the soundtrack "Siguro" (Maybe) by Chierald Tan. All in all, I hope this series gets better in succeeding episodes.

As implied by the title of Episode 3: You are Mine, this episode was about possessiveness, as it pertained to Prince and Rain's attitude toward Niko. Jealousy was in the air. Aside from the corny dialogues, screenplay had lines that made me uncomfortable. The use of the concept of "pag-aari" (ownership) with regards to relationships didn't sit well with me. But if it's any consolation, by the end of this episode, at least Niko and Prince's relationship has a label now. They're now boyfriends, yey! Lj and Xerxes looked fine together. Acting-wise, Lj, Xerxes, Axl, and Edz were all good on this episode. Audio-visuals still need improvement but they were better than the previous episodes. I'm really looking forward to next week's episode.

No worries, the different series (Meet Me in Bangkok, Memories of Bali, and Wheel of Love 2) previously announced by AsterisK will still push through according to its CEO. But they are most likely to be released next year. A Kiss to Remember is still in place, probably also for next year, but with a different concept while there are no plans yet for Boys Next Door. For this year, we can at least expect the release of various series that they're not producing but have channel partnership with (Meet My Angel 2, Furry Love, Genie in the City, and Tale of Tail). Plenty to look forward to!

Unfortunately, AsterisK and its CEO posted on Twitter that Diving Into Love & Weekend to Remember are their last BL series. Sorry I don't know what will happen to the upcoming series they previously announced. I'll try to ask their CEO and get back to you soon.

Episode 8: Happy Birthday, Martina! was a solid finale episode. Most of the issues were resolved on this episode. Sure I would wanted more of Markie and Daniel together but at least Romeo and Jenevie had a happy ending. As for Miguel, he's forgiven, lol. While there were lines similar to Gameboys and My Extraordinary that made them feel unoriginal, the screenplay, for the most part, was quite good. It was conversational and relatable enough with some fine dialogues. Acting was largely on point. The actors, especially Enzo, delivered. Production design, cinematography, musical scoring, sound engineering, and editing were alright. By the way, thanks to this series for always acknowledging this account, Pinoy BL Series, on their post-credits. Overall, I liked how this series concluded.