ichiboi

It's interesting, I'm just not feeling the "antagonist mom" trope right now. It's simultaneously too cliché and yet all too real. I guess I need to deep dive into the series to find sympathy for her.

Yeah, at least there's My Day Ep. 2? hehe

Episode 8 ends the story and isn't a behind-the-scenes episode.

"Most of the Filipino BL I've seen is pretty sad and depressing but [t]his one looks more like a happy Thai BL!"

Oh no, who's gonna tell him? hehe

Here is the link to #StrangersNoMore : The Making of Hello, Stranger. It has English subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vb9RwfkFfo

Who is Pangs?!~ I can't find the part where it was mentioned off-hand in connection with Ronin argghh

My point is, it would have been completely fine if we didn't have these more progressive shows that are its contemporaries. Hence, it felt like a step back in time.

I am giving this the three-episode rule. I might be surprised -- after all I nearly dropped In Between.

So, Episode 5 gives us the first legit skin-on-skin contact kiss between biological males in a Filipino series in 2020, and I'm surprised conservatives and holier-than-thous aren't crawling out of the woodwork to denounce the show. Is it because they have bigger problems to worry about for now (such as not dying of COVID), or because this show isn't as popular as its contemporaries?

Cairo can only be tsundere for so long without being annoying. Mico needs some tender loving EQ too while we're at it. haha

That's 852 km/529 miles by plane, and longer by ship. Impossible by land (the Philippines is an archipelago, and Cai's mom wants them to move to the other end of the country).

I suppose that's the best term to call their kiss.

But I wonder if it feels like kissing your own textbook (wrapped in clear plastic wrapper) haha

Ah yes, welcome to the Great MDL Debate of 2020: Are Filipinos making BLs or Gay Dramas?

I was actually perturbed that a distinction had to be made.

All the interviews and behind-the-scenes bring up that these Filipino shows were heavily influenced by the runaway success of 2gether. So the germinating seeds of these shows are BLs, definitely. However, while some of the shows adhere closely to the Thai BL formula (ex. My Day's pilot episode), all of these shows have introduced into the BL mix what are Filipino sensibilities to drama.

Clearly, the result is a wholly different creature, and it's caught people who have been used to Thai BLs by surprise.

My Day feels like a step back in time -- to a time when stereotypes were still funny, and one-dimensional characters were effective. Watch any show from the 80s or the 90s and count the number of times you cringe.

Unfortunately, this show did arrive after Gameboys and Hello, Stranger, so it inevitably will be measured against the achievements of those shows. It will be compared to the progressiveness of Gameboys, and it will be compared to how Hello, Stranger told so much without relying, and in fact at times by subverting stereotypes.

Is my comment premature, or prescient? I guess we'll find out in 3 months :)

Presently, I hold GB and HS both in high esteem, and I do not feel any desire to decide who's the "winner" and who's the "runner up", so to speak. Personally, I think these two shows complement each other because while they are both love stories set during the COVID-19 pandemic, they each took a different fork in the road in how they told their stories.

In GB, the conflict is largely external. I'm not diminishing Cairo's internal struggle and eventual triumph in realizing who he really is, but the narrative is propelled by outside antagonists: Pearl (fake antagonist haha), Terrence, Risa, Cairo's mom (inadvertently).

In HS, the lack of persistent outside antagonists highlights their internal conflicts; that is, both boys are simultaneously falling in love while coming to terms with their sexual orientation. Yes, Crystal was an antagonist to their relationship, but she wasn't a persistent threat, enabling us to focus on Xavier's awakening and Mico's disbelief.

As such, in GB, you sympathize with CaiReel's trials and tribulations, and like Pearl, we want them to succeed. On the other hand, in HS, you empathize with XavMi, because we've all been there during our adolescence, and we remember our own uncertainty and confusion. And both shows have done an admirable job.

We've been watching international productions for so long, and now it's "our turn" so we have to make everyone feel welcome :)

They've delayed the last episode by a week and posted an advanced screening + fan con behind a $2 paywall. We'll see if the hype translates to bling.

I actually watch Filipino BLs WITH English subtitles because I want to see if the subtitles most accurately reflect the situation presented, or if much was lost in translation. So far, I am happy to report that the gist is translated well, but of course a lot of nuance is still lost. For example, in "Hello, Stranger" there's a running gag with the teacher's name, Ms. Tina Moran. It's a sexually explicit pun for "to be ejaculated upon" and of course I can't imagine how that could be translated in English [Ms. Faye Shell (facial)]? lol.

To answer your question, I am of course filled with pride that our own flavor of experience is finally represented on-screen, and I actually find it refreshing that I don't need to create my own headcanon of what just happened. Hence, for me, there's room for all of it, local and international BLs, since they offer different experiences.

Regarding your last point, you've hit the nail on the head of a possible storm brewing in the Filipino BL horizon. As you know, the Philippines is a majority-Catholic country (approx. 80%), and we profess to be sexually conservative on paper. There's a double standard going on, however -- if you see out-and-about LGBT on the streets, most people don't give a rat's ass, but if you start portraying them in a positive and progressive way in mass media, you'll surely get conservative backlash.

I think these Pinoy BL's launched under a conveniently protective shield of "it's COVID, people are quarantined, so let's make stories where the boys don't need to end up actually kissing, making out and/or having sex".

Is the lack of depicted physical intimacy merely being internally consistent with the narratives of happening during the COVID pandemic? Or is it an attempt to dodge conservative censure and censorship to protect a nascent genre? Or is it both? Time will tell. In a sense, Gameboy's Episode 10 is a test case, because technically, they didn't kiss, but they did kiss in all the other ways that it matters.

As a continuation of our earlier conversation about this topic, you may have to brace yourself before watching any Filipino-made "BL" series. Aside from the fact that it's a new and developing genre in the Philippines, culturally, Filipinos are fond of melodrama -- in fact, we traditionally judge actors/actresses by how well they cry on screen.

It also helps to understand the ethos of the studio. The makers of "Hello, Stranger" are Black Sheep studios, an outfit under the country's largest media franchise. They are known for their so-called 'maindie' (mainstream + indie) films. As such, while you can expect their stories to deviate from traditional formulas, they'll avoid alienating the mass market by casting big-name stars from their roster and avoiding more risqué treatments. Tony and JC aren't new to the industry by any measurement; both have several films/TV shows/commercials under their belt already.

In contrast, the makers of "Gameboys" are IdeaFirst Company, a more indie outfit. While they also make maindie films, you'll typically see their films competing in various international film festivals. An apt example is "Kalel, 15", which is Elijah Canlas' breakout role, that participated in PÖFF 2019. On the other hand, Kokoy de Santos is currently a hot-ticket name because of his sexually explicit role in "Fuccbois" (Cinemalaya 2019).

All of this explains why I'm confident that "Hello Strangers" will make me sappy-happy in the end, but I have severe trust issues when it comes to watching "Gameboys" like, oh god who are they gonna kill off next hahahuhu.

Ugh, now I can't greet my baby with "Hi, baby!" without it being a Gavreel reference. #humblebrag :p

I think if we try to "graph" the emotional highs and lows of Gameboys, they tend to go towards extreme happiness and extreme sadness which is what OP is trying to avoid at the moment. On the other hand, Hello, Stranger's graph is definitely more towards the happy area, hence my recommendation. :)