good at the beginning, annoying at the end
I will keep this short, because there's really not much to say about this. It's not an extraordinary story, rather boring , but it is interesting when almost everyone of us lived a very fimilliar livestyle not too long ago. Seeing people struggle and deal with the same problems as us is engaging. I actually higly respect the directors for filming it in the middle of pandemic, so I will not stick to it.I won't talk about the production quality, because it is indeed a series filmed in the times of covid and it's actually very impressive they managed to do this, so let's skip that part just as an excpetion.
Meanwhile it was nice for like 6-7 episodes, I got bored in the rest of the series. Mostly because of the contsant drama and really unstable relationship. It was kinda like a circle. They argue, they make up, then they argue, make up and so on and on. I was tired emotionally at the end.
The characters were well written and charming, but sometimes it was too much for me. The actors did a nice job, you can see that they are commited.
I probably won't watch it again, because it was simply too boring for me, but I think it is worth trying and creating your own opinion, since a lot of people liked it's simpliness :)
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Gameboys: A true trailblazer (and still the gold standard)
"You don't apologize for being who you are...there's nothing wrong with you...we're on your side...you're safe with us..."A few months ago, a small queer Pinoy web series premiered on YouTube with a 10-minute-long first episode that featured a gamer giving one cringey pick-up line after another to another gamer who he had just beaten and quickly proceeds to profess his attraction to.
Now that it has completed its first season, it has proven itself to be arguably one of the most essential viewings on any platform during this time of COVID-19, intolerance, and mental health concerns, particularly those stemming from issues of self-acceptance and fear of speaking one's truth.
Shot entirely from the actors' homes with phone cameras and virtually 100% of the sequences occurring as online conversations (Facebook, Instagram, Zoom, etc.), it's masterfully creative in exploiting a whole new way of telling a story. The actors are all magnificent, without exception, though leads Elijah Canlas and Kokoy de Santos deserve majority of the praise.
But most importantly, it tackles hard truths that a lot of other series are not comfortable even hinting at. It's so heart-achingly and beautifully human. Its loud and clear message: love for self and others trumps all. And Episode 13 is the culmination that we all wished for.
Gameboys is definitely a must-watch, especially for those who never thought a Pinoy series could be this good and for those who never thought about watching a show of this theme. Everyone involved deserves so much respect and appreciation for this labor of love.
All episodes are out on the YouTube channel of The IdeaFirst Company (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyAqWxV1z4QTC8n-wRQN_mQ).
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god tier series
best series regardless of the genre... acting is great.. Kokoy and Elijah were superb.. no doubt the latter won BEST ACTOR at 17th Asian Film Festival.... story is timely and relevant... soundtrack and music are lit, original... screenplay is excellent... direction is top-notch... waiting for gameboys season 2..........great series during pandemic....
best series regardless of the genre... acting is great.. Kokoy and Elijah were superb.. no doubt the latter won BEST ACTOR at 17th Asian Film Festival.... story is timely and relevant... soundtrack and music are lit, original... screenplay is excellent... direction is top-notch... waiting for gameboys season 2..........
great series during pandemic....
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This review may contain spoilers
A great production of a BL story
I sort of randomly found this drama on Netflix. I have seen many Thai BL series before, but not one from the Philippines (and later found out this was the first one?).This may be a story of contemporary young kids all over the worlds, who are often seen as being “addicted” to games and live in a virtual world. But it was done in beautiful way, without being judgemental about virtual interactions.. I may not be familiar with the gaming activities of the young, but this drama sure opened my eyes.
The first few episodes were just light entertainment to me. A young man, Gavriel, falls in love with his gaming rival, Cairo, who happens to be a popular guy, but also hard-to-get. Then there was the ex-girlfriend, Pearl, who is now just friends with Gavriel, who tried to do matchmaking between these two guys. The relationship slowly grew stronger with the usual ups and downs, and then we get to see more deeper matters emerging related to family relationships. Gavriel was orphaned as a kid and still could not get over his loss of his grandmother, while Cairo had a hospitalized father who later on died. Then we get to know about Cairo's guilt and sadness, not only because he lost his father but it all had to do with his sexuality being exposed to his family.
Kokoy de Santos and Elijah Canlas really did a great job in this drama. I read that their appearance was just right in time after the Thai BL 2gether went booming around the world. I would love to see more of them in the future.
What I found really interesting was the way the drama was shown to us. You get to see the actors/actresses interact most of the time through video calls, chat rooms, email, facebook and instagram (although they were given different names). This was so much close to the way we now interact with each other. You see creative videos made, emoticons, smileys and texts throughout the drama, including how one invites another for a virtual party.
One important thing that we cannot ignore is that the whole story took place during the early months of the pandemic and lockdown in the Philippines. That was the underlying theme of this drama. Everyone had to maintain physical distancing and interact online. We can read messages and updates on Covid-19 in the Philippines, every time they open their social media platforms. There were only four scenes in the drama series which took place outdoors (I hope I did the right count).
I browsed through the internet and found out that the film shooting was actually all done online. Most scenes were shot through the actors/actresses’ smartphones and in their own respective homes. Cairo’s brother and father were in fact Elijah’s real brother and father. I could not have imagined before that one would produce a drama series in this manner.
I highly recommend people to watch this drama. A light refreshment, but definitely not superficial. Gameboys clearly illustrates how relationships are built in this era of the Internet, and how the pandemic also reinforces us to interact virtually, and yet by no means are these relationships shallow.
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Probably The Best PH BL of 2020
It's been months since the final episode aired followed by the special episode 13.5 Alt Gameboys yet the feels is still the same when rewatched. This series captures the heart of many since its first episode back in May 22, 2020 because of its refreshing format of storytelling of the creative minds from The IdeaFirst Company. The new format of storytelling is groundbreaking , the script and story is on point, the casts gave justice to their roles, the whole set of the series is superb and above all, the whole team delivered their very best! This series is recommended for those who are willing to experience new ways of storytelling as most of the part of this series was shot remotely from the cast's home. You might wonder how they did it or will it be an effective format storytelling? Well, watch it for FREE and LEGALLY on The IdeaFirst Company YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvOfPBV-W6A&list=PLEr9FH7oPOQ60QPmaIbofYnS6OKR3H5g-Was this review helpful to you?
Absolutely important. Very heartfelt
A genuine queer story that represents some of the real struggles real couples have. This was also a coming of age for Cai as he actualized himself with the help of Gav.The friendship between the three of them was so precious. It's so so heart warming to see a powerful bisexual woman play a supportive role and not a toxic girlfriend who slaps the main guy for being gay.
This series broke so many toxic tropes and proved that gay stories are just love stories similar to the straight ones. There's no need to fetishize their relationships, unlike what's being done in other BLs (A LOT OF BLs), where the story was clearly made to pander to straight women's fantasies of seeing straight men kiss each other.
Would have loved more skinship, but this was done at the height of a pandemic and they were treading uncharted waters. It paved the way for other PH BLs because now they know what to do and what precautions to take. The actors pride themselves for that because there's no manual on how to produce a series like they did i.e. just talk to cameras without feeding from the energy of your costar. They were pioneers, and we love that for them.
10/10 would recommend. This is my first review, and this series set the bar so high. I loved it so much
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A little slice of history and an underrated gem
Gameboys is one of those series where it really doesn’t sound all that great on paper but it ends up being a surprising diamond in the rough.I was not sold on the COVID-19 theme, and I didn’t think I would be interested in watching a drama that is mostly over web conferences. However, Gameboys is an extremely sugary sweet story that deserves more attention than it’s gotten.
I believe, in part, the reason why it isn’t getting as much attention as other BL dramas has much to do with the reasons I too was reluctant, as well as the fact that people aren’t familiar BL in the Philippines. Which is unfortunate, because it really is a great series.
While I still am not sure how I feel about the COVID-19 theme, this did wring some genuine tears from me.
The story isn’t what makes Gameboys great, it’s the cast. Acting was honestly some of the best I’ve seen in BL. The cast had enough talent to really evoke their character’s emotions, which ultimately made Gameboys feel really immersive.
OST was okay but there are some singing/rapping bits in the series that made me physically want to crawl into myself. Not my cup of tea but others would likely find it cute.
I’m giving this a highly recommend. It was a quick, fun watch, I devoured it within a day. If you have any reservations about watching, don’t, because you’re missing out on one of the best BLs of the year.
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Second best after GSP to date for Pinoy BL
It's a cute plot about gamers. Actors were well portrayed. I just didn't like that the focus early on was the typical 3rd-party trope. Still, a very entertaining one! Go enjoy the series!I'd recommend it for gamers, younger ones. For Adults who seek depth, I'd probably not advise you to watch it. Still, if you just want to get entertained, it's cute.
Actors are really nice and cute, also love Pearl's character.
It was also well directed given that it was shot during pandemic with a lot of restrictions and limitations. Again, the story was cute, and the chemistry of the lead characters was a 10!
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The story is not perfect for me. The foundation was pretty simple. What made me score it higher is the fact that they could take/transform that simple concept/story into a very interesting and heart-fluttering scenes, as reflected through the dialogues.
Acting was superb but not perfect. I feel like they're doing a really great job, but I know they could still give more. But hey, acting while just staring into the camera is super hard so I commend them for giving us superb acting.
Musical scoring is PERFECT!! Their OSTs are catchy and easy to follow. Even the sound fx are very on point.
I gave a 10/10 rewatch value since I always watch all of the available episodes while waiting for the next ep, and I am not getting tired of it!!!
AS THIS IS THE FIRST FILIPINO SERIES TO RIDE THE BL WAVE, IT SETS THE STANDARDS SO HIGH THAT OTHER SERIES NEEDS SUPER CREATIVE JUICES TO BE ON PAR WITH GAMEBOYS.
You all should definitely watch this series :)))
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It's good but...
Very unique storyline to start with. The punching of lessons within the characters presented very commendable!I cried in episodes 6-7 though. That mother of Cai is superb.But the acting!!!
As i said... It's a good BL but that cringey forced lines thrown by Cai and Gav. Esp the 1-5 and even in some parts of the episodes moving forward!
Such a mood to introduce this kind of plot though with a good storyline. But they should tone down abit to Cai and Gav's aggressiveness in taking the characters. But over all good BL.
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GODTIER FILIPINO BL SERIES
Recently, there's a bunch of BL series being release in the Philippines because of the BL craze. Out of all the Filipino BLs, this one is really the Godtier of them all. The content of the plot was beyong romance. It tackles socially relevant issues like Covid-19, Mental Health, Coming out issues, tourism and the likes. The chemistry and cheesiness of the leads were impecable. The acting was superb.There are many quality BLs out there but this one is not just purely for romance and entertainment. This series empowers its audience. It validates theirs feelings. This series is not juat for BL lovers of the LGBT Community. This is for everyone, especially those who are stuggling with Mental health, covid-19 grief and identity crisis.
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But as I really got into it I realized that it really taps into the reality of what life is like for the LGBT community and the hardships that they face for just being themselves or wanting to be themselves.
I haven't seen many series that shows the pain the LGBT community goes through before they become confident in themselves. I also look at the acting skills throughout a series.
I'm an emotional person, so if I watch or read something my emotions changes with the characters/actors. For example if a sad scene happens and the actor really portrays the sorrow like Elijah did in episodes 7&8 ill cry along.
Starting this I was only watching it because I saw a kind of "copy" version of this and I wanted to see if the original was good to and I love it. This is one of the best series in my book. I would definitely rewatch this again and recommend it to others.
I love the whole plot of this series and the acting skills of all the actors especially the little things that goes unnoticed if your not really paying attention to them. This series also shows how it's like for the LGBT community in a different but not in a cliche way it's unique and honestly it's pretty awesome in my opinion.
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