Pinoy BL Series

Episode 4: Check the Label focused on Miguel and Mateo and their love interests. While it was a solid episode, I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous episodes. Script was alright. Acting wasn't always on point but was generally fine. Production technicals were mostly ok. All in all, this was still a good episode.

Episode 1: Road Trip was generally ok. Employing the best friends to lovers trope, this pilot episode presented character and relationship backgrounds for Gerald and Joshua. While conversational, screenplay was a bit dragging. Acting was good though. Both Drei and Gus can act and sing. But they still need to work on their chemistry. Audio-visuals were uneven. There were scenes that require better sound volume. Cinematography was largely satisfactory. There were nice camera shots. And the soundtracks "Saan Tayo" by Drei and Gus and "Jeepney" by Jonas Icaro were fine. Overall, this was a good premiere episode.

After a long break, Episode 3: False-Hearted was finally released. Betrayals all around! Although the plot/storyline progressed, this episode was too short. Screenplay was conversational. Acting was mostly good. But audio-visuals need work. I'm hoping for a new episode this coming week.

With the arrival of Pre, the plot/storyline of this series progressed on Episode 5: Captive 2gether. Pre's still a mystery to me. I'm not sure if So can really trust him. And Seph seemed to be hiding something. Anyway, this was a good episode. Script was alright. Acting was fine. I really like Vincent. He's a natural. Audio-visuals were solid. It's refreshing to watch outdoor scenes! Given the preview, I'm excited to watch the next episode!

While I appreciate the incorporation of a song on Episode 11: Libra, it could have been done more creatively. But at least this episode had a happy ending. Screenplay was mostly ok. Acting by Kelly, Joharri, and Lennox had issues, but was passable. Production technicals were similar to previous episodes. Was this the finale episode? If this was, I was expecting a little more oomph.

Albeit sad, at least Episode 10: Cancer had some twists at the end. Cancer had cancer and he died! Script started dull but ended ok. In terms of acting, Bryan's delivery of lines wasn't always on point. Audio-visual issues persisted. But all in all, this episode was still better than the previous episode.

This series got worse on Episode 4: It's Hard to Say Goodbye. After all the hardships experienced by Arthur and Boyet just to get to the faith healer, Arthur ended up dead. Script had cringy lines. The actors overacted a lot. Audio-visuals were the same as previous episodes. Is there still hope for this series?

Episode 3: Love is Sacrifice was dragging with little progress in terms of plot/storyline. There were prolonged scenes on this episode. The scenes depicting Arthur and Boyet's difficult journey together was irritatingly long. Screenplay was very limited. Acting was poor. Production technicals were weak. For the next episode, I hope there's at least some progress in plot/storyline.

On Episode 4: Captive Lover, Pre helped So to move on with his break-up with Pablo. They had phone sex! All in all, this was a good episode. Plot/storyline progressed on this episode. Yes, there were some cheesy lines but the screenplay was mostly alright. Acting wasn't always spot on but it was largely ok. Production technicals were generally fine. For the next episode, I hope to find out more about Pre, and even Seph. Can we expect some sort of twist on this series?

After disclosing what they really feel for each other, Kiko and Roy got intimate on Episode 5, which was disrupted by their discussion about safe sex. They decided to get tested and Kiko received the sad news that he's human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive. Kiko's situation seemed to drive a wedge between them. Script was generally alright on this episode. Acting was largely on point. And audio-visuals were mostly ok. All in all, this was a good episode.

While still amateurish, Episode 2, was nevertheless better than the previous episode. At least on this episode, plot/storyline somehow progressed. The connection between Algiro's story with that of Tina/Dzrey wasn't clear yet though. Script still needs to be more conversational. Acting also requires refinement to be more natural. Production technical issues remained. All in all, I see good intention behind this series. But execution at all fronts demands improvement.

Given that the main topic discussed on "Herma" has already been tackled on "Metamorphosis," a well-made movie about the struggles of an intersex, it's difficult to fully appreciate this series. While this series can be lauded for its efforts at highlighting a sensitive and serious topic like intersexuality, it should also be noted that everything about this series screams school project. The scenes on Episode 1 were disjointed and hard to follow. Intersexuality wasn't explained properly. Screenplay had cheesy lines. Dialogues weren't conversational enough. Acting for the most part, felt scripted. Some of the actors didn't fit their roles well. The actress who played Algiro's Mamay (mother) was too young for her role. Audio-visuals were weak. There were distracting background noises and sound volume fluctuations. There were also dark camera shots. Editing, especially scene transitions, had issues. Overall, this was a weak start for this series but I'm hopeful this series improves on succeeding episodes.

Much like the previous episodes, Episode 7 wasn't really interesting. Yes, the couples (Art/Mack and Khel/Sai) got closer on this episode but their scenes lacked excitement. Not even Art and Mack's near kiss and Khel's shirtless scene provoked enthusiasm for this episode. There were unnecessary fillers with the comic relief effeminate queers. The school pageant proper, with its awkward dancing, was rushed. Everything about it screamed cheap. Screenplay was dull. Actors haven't improved. And audio-visual issues remained. At least this series is almost halfway through its season.

Out of the 18 ongoing Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series, this series and Daddy Love, are among the better ones. Episode 3: It's a Pie was a good episode. After three episodes, at last, there's relationship development between Jenevie and Rome. I'm still hoping for some character depth for Jenevie though. While I enjoyed this episode, I'm also looking forward to the other sub-plots/secondary storylines. Why is Miguel so homophobic? When can we see the pairing of Daniel and Markie? What's Mateo's story? Anyway, screenplay was generally ok. Acting was largely fine. You'll know if an actor's good when he's given a short scene and he made the most out of it. Enzo's that type of actor. Audio-visuals were still ok. All in all, this was a solid episode.

While there was some progress in terms of plot/storyline (Bryce ended up working for Ethon) on Episode 4, there were still a lot of unnecessary fillers whose only purpose was product placement. Yes, Bryce's shower scene was ok even if it was obviously prolonged but the scenes at the office, dinner table, and spa were just tiresome. The characters were generally not endearing enough. Script had corny lines and repetitive dialogues. Acting by the lead cast members Aki, Kevin, and even Solo need work! There was a lot of staring at nothingness. I really feel they need to undergo acting workshops handled by professional and veteran actors (e.g. Angeli Bayani) to improve their craft. While production design and cinematography were mostly fine, editing issues persisted. There were dead air and dispensable scene inserts (e.g. the shower scene should have been one continuous scene). All in all, this was another weak episode.

Episode 6: Closure came out of nowhere. At least this episode made this series a bit more interesting. This series has been quite monotonous as of late. Kian finally got the spotlight and new characters were introduced on this episode. Screenplay, especially for the monologues, had cringy lines. Personally, I don't like monologues. They're not creative and they're not realistic. Acting was off on some of the dramatic scenes. Production technicals were generally ok though. Overall, this episode was fine. At least this episode was a bit more engaging.

Recent episodes of this series, including Episode 9: Sagittarius, haven't been compelling enough. The plot/storyline of this episode was too simple and typical. Screenplay was dull. Acting was also a bit uninspired. Technically, this episode had a lot of distractions. There were bothersome background noises. Asymmetric split-screens remained. There were also off-putting jumps and skips. There are two episodes left. I hope this series finish strong.

Episode 2: Trahedya (Tragedy) revealed what's all the fuzz about. Arthur got his girlfriend pregnant and he's dying. In the end, Boyet met an accident. Script, especially for the inner monologues, had cringy lines. Acting needs massive refinements. The lead actors were overdramatic at times while the supporting actors lacked conviction. There were also unnatural hand movements. While better than the previous episode, audio-visuals were still weak. Overall, this series needs to improve in succeeding episodes.

While there's some progress with respect to Sai and Khel's relationship and Win's feelings toward Sai, Episode 6 was still a dull episode replete with problematic portrayals of comic relief effeminate queers and toxic and vain women. The inclusion of traditional Filipino (Pinoy) games on this episode was also witless. Script was still dry. Acting remained underwhelming. And I continue to have issues with the dubbing. All in all, I hope succeeding episodes are better.

Episode 4 didn't quite move the plot/storyline forward. Other than Rafael confronting Austin about the latter's relationship with John, nothing really happened on this episode. While the script was natural enough, it was also dull. Acting still needs improvements. Production technicals were still substandard. All in all, this series needs some excitement.