I love the part where they said that while the Philippines have quite a fair share of LGBT stories, it's almost…
I agree, I think the international indie / film festival circuit has this affectation, this bias for poverty porn, "bury your gays" tropes, and coded schadenfreude, that it already feels artificial.
I am not dismissing these experiences, but at the same time we weren't put here on earth just to become object lessons -- we also have the agency to tell affirmative, positive stories.
The pilot was okay. I still have issues about the writer, juan severo, shading gameboys and ideafirst on twitter.
They can shade each other all they want -- at the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding, and real quality shows like Gameboys rise to the top, while the bad representations get drowned out and sink to the bottom like detritus. Here's to hoping GSP rises to the top too.
Okay, after a couple of re-watches (and watching reactors), I am deducing a few small things. Since I haven't read the wattpad, I may be totally wrong:
1. Ate Judit (without an "H" lol) rented out Vlad's unit to the girl she was talking to, because she was planning to take Vlad home for the semestral break/holidays. That's why Judit was saying it was okay to party there and that the neighborhood was safe, to reassure the new tenant.
2. Karl and Vlad have no choice but to live together --Karl because Vlad's paying his rent, and Vlad because he doesn't have a place anymore. I think this explains the end credits sequence where Karl's sitting on the couch watching something, and Vlad's standing in the kitchen area in the back while drinking from a mug, watching too. They're still not comfortable enough to share the couch at this point in the series. I suspect this end credits sequence will evolve as the episodes pass by.
3. Regarding Karl's rent: I think that a fully-furnished loft apartment would in no way cost just $100 to rent (look at the size of that TV!) so here's what I think is going on. Karl's uncle Sandy owns the apartment, and Karl staying there for the sem break is a rite of passage for his family. So, Karl's "rent" is just him paying his uncle Sandy the cost of utilities plus something extra, just to prove that he can be independent.
Okay, so this particular show aimed to have a full LGBTQ+ cast and crew, and Juan Miguel Severo spoke up (article link below) regarding the inherent difficulties of and systematic barriers against trying to stay true to that.
So I hope the fans respect the actor's private lives and not stalk them like this was some gay safari.
"If someone we find is best for a part isn’t out yet, let’s not force him, okay? We know that’s not cool.” - JMS
Sometimes it's the little things. Real humans have zits, and Rocky and Judah are made all the more real exactly because they don't have that ten-step moist Korean skin care routine look. They look like how any of us would look* when at home -- unguarded, vulnerable slobs we really are.
(* - okay that was a bit of artistic license, just roll with it okay? ;p)
Based on Juju's mom's offhand statement, I have a feeling this show will tackle the intersection of LGBT, coming out, depression and suicide. There seems to be an undercurrent of anxiety among Judah's family that he not be left alone to his own devices.
Do y'all realize that in 13 short episodes running from 24 to 40 minutes long, this drama dealt with?:Coming out…
Oh get outta here, no show could do *ALL* of that!? If anything, this show has serious flaws!
Specifically, they didn't completely explore big brother London's t h i c c legs and how his addiction to pizza contributed to their considerable girth. Such a serious oversight, completely unwatchable.
(Just kidding, this is sarcasm, to those who can't code for it. :D)
After reading my Gameboys series review, my Marxist friend told me he likes Gameboys but his one issue with the…
Oh, I knew someone would go there, and I appreciate it being explicitly pointed out about Quaranthings. And as I said over there, I like that Quaranthings makes sure you know that Judah and Rocky are of different socioeconomic statuses, and therefore see the world and their problems through different lenses, but the show doesn't fetishize it/make it a poverty porn eleganza extravaganza.
I agree with ijm05 that the middle class' problems are equally valid and deserve depiction. They're simultaneously "not poor enough" to receive government aid yet "not rich enough" to have any long-term or durable security; people who are one crisis away from financial catastrophe.
And so I also agree with Pinoy BL Series that that's what Cairo's family is: while Cairo's mom phrased it as "uniting the family", it's implied that his dad's hospitalization and death forced them to sell their property in Manila and return to the province where the cost of living is much lower.
If anything, your Marxist friend might take opposition to Gavreel's status as a landlord :)
P.S. Aren't you guys proud of Fuccboi's "alumni" going on to act in shows like Gameboys and Quaranthings? :)
Gameboys has changed my expectations for a BL series. It's changed the way the "game is played" for me. Much like what Technicolor did to Hollywood, I can't be content with one-dimensional characters and monochromatic themes anymore.
"I'm just happy it's a BL, I don't care if the characters or the stories suck" just doesn't cut it anymore, now that Gameboys has shown that you can demand the same level of quality from a BL series as from any regular mainstream show.
In fact, Gameboys is problematic for the 'BL series' as a category. Eventually, love of all genders will be normalized on screen, and shows won't get special consideration anymore just because they're BLs. "This show blows. So what if there are boys kissing? Gameboys did that way back in 2020, and it was a great show."
I know that in Thai culture getting touched on your head is a pretty intimate gesture, but I'd like to point out to international fans that what Orion was doing to Tau's jawline and hair was rather intimate too for officemates in the Philippines!
If I saw my officemates do that in the pantry (regardless of gender pairing), my eyes would be the size of saucer plates.
I am not dismissing these experiences, but at the same time we weren't put here on earth just to become object lessons -- we also have the agency to tell affirmative, positive stories.
https://youtu.be/8fLnsu_uMZA
1. Ate Judit (without an "H" lol) rented out Vlad's unit to the girl she was talking to, because she was planning to take Vlad home for the semestral break/holidays. That's why Judit was saying it was okay to party there and that the neighborhood was safe, to reassure the new tenant.
2. Karl and Vlad have no choice but to live together --Karl because Vlad's paying his rent, and Vlad because he doesn't have a place anymore. I think this explains the end credits sequence where Karl's sitting on the couch watching something, and Vlad's standing in the kitchen area in the back while drinking from a mug, watching too. They're still not comfortable enough to share the couch at this point in the series. I suspect this end credits sequence will evolve as the episodes pass by.
3. Regarding Karl's rent: I think that a fully-furnished loft apartment would in no way cost just $100 to rent (look at the size of that TV!) so here's what I think is going on. Karl's uncle Sandy owns the apartment, and Karl staying there for the sem break is a rite of passage for his family. So, Karl's "rent" is just him paying his uncle Sandy the cost of utilities plus something extra, just to prove that he can be independent.
until now.
For this series specifically, TayNew are the "grandparents" because the writer is a massive Polca (check out the orca plushie in the trailer).
Edit: proof (https://twitter.com/TheRainBro/status/1306928901130608640?s=20)
So I hope the fans respect the actor's private lives and not stalk them like this was some gay safari.
"If someone we find is best for a part isn’t out yet, let’s not force him, okay? We know that’s not cool.” - JMS
(https://entertainment.inquirer.net/379389/juan-miguel-severo-reveals-why-some-lgbtq-actors-shy-away-from-gay-roles)
(* - okay that was a bit of artistic license, just roll with it okay? ;p)
https://youtu.be/LS_XQ4ldltE
Specifically, they didn't completely explore big brother London's t h i c c legs and how his addiction to pizza contributed to their considerable girth. Such a serious oversight, completely unwatchable.
(Just kidding, this is sarcasm, to those who can't code for it. :D)
I agree with ijm05 that the middle class' problems are equally valid and deserve depiction. They're simultaneously "not poor enough" to receive government aid yet "not rich enough" to have any long-term or durable security; people who are one crisis away from financial catastrophe.
And so I also agree with Pinoy BL Series that that's what Cairo's family is: while Cairo's mom phrased it as "uniting the family", it's implied that his dad's hospitalization and death forced them to sell their property in Manila and return to the province where the cost of living is much lower.
If anything, your Marxist friend might take opposition to Gavreel's status as a landlord :)
P.S. Aren't you guys proud of Fuccboi's "alumni" going on to act in shows like Gameboys and Quaranthings? :)
Gameboys has changed my expectations for a BL series. It's changed the way the "game is played" for me. Much like what Technicolor did to Hollywood, I can't be content with one-dimensional characters and monochromatic themes anymore.
"I'm just happy it's a BL, I don't care if the characters or the stories suck" just doesn't cut it anymore, now that Gameboys has shown that you can demand the same level of quality from a BL series as from any regular mainstream show.
In fact, Gameboys is problematic for the 'BL series' as a category. Eventually, love of all genders will be normalized on screen, and shows won't get special consideration anymore just because they're BLs. "This show blows. So what if there are boys kissing? Gameboys did that way back in 2020, and it was a great show."
If I saw my officemates do that in the pantry (regardless of gender pairing), my eyes would be the size of saucer plates.