2
6
She's Barbie... He's Just Ken.
Cliched, Corny, Cringey, and somehow still Charming.
The plot is truly as old and as predictable as it can be. There’s nothing new to it, but it has been given a “Green Flag” twist. Going into it, knowing it was a wattpad adaptation, I of course had no high expecations of lifechanging cinema from it — I just wanted to add more Philippines titles to my MDL Watch Challenge.
Having said that, this drama does get some things very accurately and seamlessly that I didn’t expect it to. First, was the usage of social media. We all are living in a world where having an online profile and using it as means of communication with/information on each other is a second nature. And yet, watching this drama I was thinking, “hmm I dont see other contemporary stories integrate our socmed lives to their storytelling this much” we see texting and so, but how many dramas and movies show social media as part of our being without villianising it? I can barely think of any.
Second, I personally thought it got female friendships and girlhood somewhat correctly. The way even though this was Luna and Kalix’s story, the girl gang was just as important part of the story — peak girlhood. much appreciated.
Third, the Female Lead — this show truly is “she’s barbie and he’s just ken”. She embarasses you a LOT at first, but man she grows on you. and Heaven? oh she carried this entire show. a lot of her mannerisms in this reminded me of Rachael in FRIENDS. she's a TREAT to watch.
Fourth, the chemistry is definitely there. Philippines is definitely doing something right with their idea of “love teams” cuz a) these people have great chem, and b) audience love them together — SO WHY NOT KEEP CASTING THEM TOGETHER?! i wish other countries did that too. the only issue with the chemistry though, and this is purely my personal pet peeve, is sometimes they truly take it to the point where it feels like i’m watching an adult film. so yeah, if that makes you uncomfy, here’s your warning.
For me, where this drama disappoints is with the Male Lead and the Dialogue writing. The dialogue writing is especially jarring — it fully takes you out of the story, again and again. It feels like someone google searched “what would a Green Flag person say?” or looked up a WikiHow article on it, and added the results with zero tweaks into the script. It feels so robotic the way some conversations play out in this show - as if it’s an educational/tutorial video on how to validate feelings, or how to apologise to your significant other. This is NOT how people talk.
Also, now that we are on the subject of how people talk, the second disappointment. The Male Lead, for the most part of the series, delivers his dialogues as if he’s barely reading them off the script — like he is rehearsing pre-recording. I know they were trying to make his character mysterious, but it just comes off as a bad performance. I can’t tell whether it was the director’s call or the actor failed at it — as I have seen him in one more project before this, and in that at least, he didn’t feel like a bad actor.
All in all, I dont think I would rewatch (or remember most of it), I wouldnt recommend it to IRLs, but I did find it engaging enough to decide to carry on with the series (at least the Yanna and Sevi ones — i loved them as characters).
The plot is truly as old and as predictable as it can be. There’s nothing new to it, but it has been given a “Green Flag” twist. Going into it, knowing it was a wattpad adaptation, I of course had no high expecations of lifechanging cinema from it — I just wanted to add more Philippines titles to my MDL Watch Challenge.
Having said that, this drama does get some things very accurately and seamlessly that I didn’t expect it to. First, was the usage of social media. We all are living in a world where having an online profile and using it as means of communication with/information on each other is a second nature. And yet, watching this drama I was thinking, “hmm I dont see other contemporary stories integrate our socmed lives to their storytelling this much” we see texting and so, but how many dramas and movies show social media as part of our being without villianising it? I can barely think of any.
Second, I personally thought it got female friendships and girlhood somewhat correctly. The way even though this was Luna and Kalix’s story, the girl gang was just as important part of the story — peak girlhood. much appreciated.
Third, the Female Lead — this show truly is “she’s barbie and he’s just ken”. She embarasses you a LOT at first, but man she grows on you. and Heaven? oh she carried this entire show. a lot of her mannerisms in this reminded me of Rachael in FRIENDS. she's a TREAT to watch.
Fourth, the chemistry is definitely there. Philippines is definitely doing something right with their idea of “love teams” cuz a) these people have great chem, and b) audience love them together — SO WHY NOT KEEP CASTING THEM TOGETHER?! i wish other countries did that too. the only issue with the chemistry though, and this is purely my personal pet peeve, is sometimes they truly take it to the point where it feels like i’m watching an adult film. so yeah, if that makes you uncomfy, here’s your warning.
For me, where this drama disappoints is with the Male Lead and the Dialogue writing. The dialogue writing is especially jarring — it fully takes you out of the story, again and again. It feels like someone google searched “what would a Green Flag person say?” or looked up a WikiHow article on it, and added the results with zero tweaks into the script. It feels so robotic the way some conversations play out in this show - as if it’s an educational/tutorial video on how to validate feelings, or how to apologise to your significant other. This is NOT how people talk.
Also, now that we are on the subject of how people talk, the second disappointment. The Male Lead, for the most part of the series, delivers his dialogues as if he’s barely reading them off the script — like he is rehearsing pre-recording. I know they were trying to make his character mysterious, but it just comes off as a bad performance. I can’t tell whether it was the director’s call or the actor failed at it — as I have seen him in one more project before this, and in that at least, he didn’t feel like a bad actor.
All in all, I dont think I would rewatch (or remember most of it), I wouldnt recommend it to IRLs, but I did find it engaging enough to decide to carry on with the series (at least the Yanna and Sevi ones — i loved them as characters).
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