Disclaimer - I am a late comer. (Though I was into ‘Addicted’, the Chinese BL series years ago before it was called BL). Never got into Jap or Thai BL. But I have always been on the lookout for nice LGBT stories.
So this is just me expressing my views on the Pinoy BLs I have watched over the pandemya.
C3 had been hooked on to Gameboys early on. And it was only at Ep 4 when I started watching and catching up. Got interested because of Kokoy (and because I was able to watch that indie movie he made with Royce as lead).
Liked the way the story was progressing. Liked the writing and the acting. And it just got better and better all the way to the iconic plastic lang ang pagitan. I wondered how they could top that. But they managed to pick it up and even put in a serious conflict that was a major cliffhanger.
And the leads just got better and better, too. And Pearl was just perfect.
Then Hello Stranger started promoting big time. And the perfect tease that is Tony L was doing his part of making sure that his fans were in for a surprise. You could tell the impact of an ABS CBN backing made the production glossy.
But, I wasn’t that into it. I felt that the leads were not comfortable in their skin. The repartees lacked authenticity. The story itself, somehow, didn’t feel as credulous to me. Or maybe I was just put off by the contrived pa-charming ni Tony L. Then it ended with a hug. Ganern?
Youtube started recommending other series. I skipped Sacristan upon the recomm of c3. But Inbetween got me curious. Firstly, I like how the leads looked. And Ep 1 started with heavy drama. Break-up agad! Ouch. Then the party scene came. The actors didn’t feel relaxed with each other yet. Couldn’t convince me they were a barkada. But I gave it a shot.
So this one became different with its propensity for flashbacks. As the series progressed, I liked the big reveal behind the break-up. That picked some heartstrings. But after that gets resolved, it felt like it wanted to extend its life with new characters, new backstories. That made this quite convoluted.
Honestly, I was losing interest especially with the way the selos factor was played out for too long. But I have to admit that finale made me tear up a bit. Again, the flashbacks played a big part (maybe too big?) but when viewed in the context of that exchange of vows, the flashbacks worked. So I ended up loving it again till the end.
So on my playlist now - Gaya Sa Pelikula which has lots of promise but it aint perfect. And Quaranthings which has been excruciating to watch lately. I like how one lead is not typically gorgeous and straight-acting. But what is happening to that story? It feels like it is jumping all over the place. Royce’s hotness is the saving factor.
I dropped My Day midway Ep 2. It felt like one glossy afternoon telenovela that would resort to cheap laughs. I tuned out after that scene with the waiter AND the manager tinkering with the order. That is just gross.
I also tried to watch Amore but couldn’t sustain the interest.
On the horizon, Boys Lockdown. And I’m curious about the Boyband Lockdown. Talaga naman sakyan natin ang initials na‘B.L.’ To death. LOL.
But seriously, I consider all of these as LGBT stories. And the more of these that get produced, the better. Because we all have our stories to tell. Even me. Hehehe
