uhhh
Well, I'm sure there's a storyline up in here somewhere. If you can find it you could quite possibly enjoy it. I was so impressed with 2020's Filipino BL's I had to watch this and even though there were others just as short, this was definitely a flop. Everything was tossed around and not much of anything went with itself lol There didn't seem to much chemistry between the MC which usually has a negative impact on any series.Definitely don't recommend to BL newbies nor do I plan to recommend it to anyone. I'm so confused I'm not even sure if it even had potential. Obviously, the show being short doesn't help but....eh.
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Directionless Story
I honestly hate to review something people worked hard on unless I enthusiastically loved it. I wanted to love this and tried. The story meandered around like it was full of random 'hey what about this?' moments while it was being written or adapted for a series. There were elements that might have made a good story, but something went wrong. Not a spoiler but the ending flipped at the very last second... literally the last second... I can still feel the look of confusion on my face.The one especially good thing I think was Kurt Mendoza. I hope he does well and makes other things. I look forward to seeing him in something amazing.
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A Warm, Feel-Good Series about Home, Love, and Friendship
Two things that stuck out to me from the beginning of this show were the magnificent cinematography and the poetic dialogues/monologues. I think some of the commentators here simply do not know how read that deeply into the thoughts of characters and look into the philosophy of the screenwriting. This is not a series with smut and brainless humor; it has very delicate and precious messages about the concept of home and belonging. This, combined with the amazing camerawork made the show brilliant to watch. Not to mention the actors are all beautiful and whoever was in charge of costumes had a delightful taste. I also really liked the inclusion of a female supporting character that was neither villainized nor left out of the main story. She has her own character arc, her own story, and she isn’t there for comic relief or as a source of toxicity.I think some viewers may have become lost due to the deepish nature of the dialogue and the somewhat heavy topics that are covered in this show. This show is a piece of artwork and thus is not for everyone; this does not detract from its beauty; it simply is its own unique series. Another positive thing to say about this show is that it takes place in a warm (fictional) world where gay love is completely normalized, which is very refreshing and feel-good, especially for queer kids watching. I am not saying that other series that accurately portray the trauma of coming out or living in a heteronormative world are not important, but I think that both of these types of storylines are important for us to have in the world, not just for us but for the next generation of gay youth.
The only negative thing I will say about this series is that it is short, and due to that, there is not as much time to develop characters and it can feel rushed at times (and let’s be honest, we all get a little sad when we see an episode is shorter that we expected haha).
PS: The OST is also great and I loved the opening sequence when it plays.
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I wouldn’t bother
I mean it’s up to you, as it’s short you may find it worthwhile just to give it a go but I wouldn’t recommend it. The first two episodes were lack lustre but I convinced myself it would get better. I was wrong, it only went downhill from there. I’m not really sure what the storyline was, and I don’t even know if I would classify it as having any bl in it. The ending was boring and unnecessarily problematic. Watch at your own risk of dying of boredomThe music was basically just the same song over and over and over again, you’ll hear it so many times that you’ll hear it as the bgm in your dreams and wake up in cold sweats.
If there’s one redeeming quality (which there isn’t really but I don’t want this whole review to be me being rude) it’s little angel face Bryce. Watch it for the hot boys then leave it alone
Rewatch value is 0 because I wish I hadn’t even watched it the first time, let alone having to sit through it again
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Lost Potential
Had tons of potential to be an amazing series and while the first 6 episodes managed to have some high points. Many will agree that the last two episodes really soured the mood.The depiction of Bart in Manila wasn't nearly as detailed as it should have been. We should have seen him plant actual roots in the city other than just the career.
I loved the cast and the acting which is why I believe the potential was wasted. I'm truly hoping that a season 2 can save season 1 the same way Still 2gether tried to do with 2gether the series.
Music was amazing as well, added quite a few songs to my playlist.
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A Warm, Feel-Good Series about Home, Love, and Friendship
Two things that stuck out to me from the beginning of this show were the magnificent cinematography and the poetic dialogues/monologues. I think some of the commentators here simply do not know how read that deeply into the thoughts of characters and look into the philosophy of the screenwriting. This is not a series with smut and brainless humor; it has very delicate and precious messages about the concept of home and belonging. This, combined with the amazing camerawork made the show brilliant to watch. Not to mention the actors are all beautiful and whoever was in charge of costumes had a delightful taste. I also really liked the inclusion of a female supporting character that was neither villainized nor left out of the main story. She has her own character arc, her own story, and she isn’t there for comic relief or as a source of toxicity.I think some viewers may have become lost due to the deepish nature of the dialogue and the somewhat heavy topics that are covered in this show. This show is a piece of artwork and thus is not for everyone; this does not detract from its beauty; it simply is its own unique series. Another positive thing to say about this show is that it takes place in a warm (fictional) world where gay love is completely normalized, which is very refreshing and feel-good, especially for queer kids watching. I am not saying that other series that accurately portray the trauma of coming out or living in a heteronormative world are not important, but I think that both of these types of storylines are important for us to have in the world, not just for us but for the next generation of gay youth.
The only negative thing I will say about this series is that it is short, and due to that, there is not as much time to develop characters and it can feel rushed at times (and let’s be honest, we all get a little sad when we see an episode is shorter that we expected haha).
PS: The OST is also great and I loved the opening sequence when it plays.
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Great representation
I liked how there were no tropes. It felt like a real story. It was very accepting of queer identities, they talked about queer identities instead of brushing them behind a bush like some other BL dramas coughKoreacough. I especially liked what the dad had to say at the end and how there was a bit at the end for SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics) by the PHILIPPINE ANTI-DESCRIMINATION ALLIANCE OF YOUTH LEADERS.I LOVED IT. It was maybe my favorite part. Imagine if a Koran BL with two members of a kpop boy group had a section on the definition of bisexuality put on by a LGBTQIA group?! In other words, let's support all the Filippino dramas! They're far ahead of other countries and their media. OMG, imagine if the US tried to make BL. I think hollywood would get razed to the ground by angry fujoshi (me included. It'd just be a capitalist move/gimmick anyways).
Good story, some plot gaps, odd scene placement, fantastically diverse characters, some very beautiful characters. Thanks producers! I got pleasure out of this show and from some of the most unexpected places.
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This review may contain spoilers
Give it a chance!
I'm not sure why the reviews and comments section for this are so harsh tbh as I actually thought there was a lot to like about this series and I quite enjoyed it.Pros:
-The Story starts out strong (see cons for where it goes awry lol): I'm not sure why so many people are saying there's no story. Imo there's more story than a LOT of the more generic BLs. Basic plot summary is the classic tale of two leads from different backgrounds, one poor one rich. Both have a common connection of feeling alone and yearning for somewhere to belong. They come from different perspectives on life but come to understand and appreciate each other.
I was worried that when Bryce invited Bart to Manila, that Bart was going to live with him and create an unequal power dynamic where Bart was dependent on him. But to my delight that didn't happen at all, Bart gets his own place and works hard to become a successful model. They get to know each other as friends first of all and slowly grow their feelings for each other. Their relationship wasn't built on lust but genuine connection (IE they don't just bump into each other and fall in love instantly).
-The OST is great. I loved it. So many good songs are used that really match the tone of each scene. There are none of the stock standard, often cringey comical sound effects that are found in so many BLs.
-Production quality and cinematography is great. The shots of the scenery in Bart's province are beautiful.
-All the main four cast of guys are reallllly attractive. They're all models irl so I'm not surprised but dayummm. They're styled well and aren't bad actors at all imo, especially given this seems to be all of their first acting roles. Kurt Mendoza is especially adorable- and I love how idealistic and genuinely kind his character is despite his harsh upbringing. I wish there was more of more scenes of Edward (Eurwin Canzana) though as he was also adorable! (Here's hoping for season 2).
-Minimal wasted screentime. If you've watched a lot of BLs, you know how common it is for there to be so many wasted fillers scenes on the MLs friend's pointless crap, jealous GFs/Ex GFs, moping alone scenes staring into space endlessly etc. But there was a distinct lack of this crap in this series, which I really appreciated especially given there's only 8 eps. Bestie is the obligatory female friend of the male lead, but I didn't find most of her scenes too long or egregious for example. She even had some good lines and some depth to her character. I also loved her friendship with Bart so much.
-There are some nice quotes in there at the end of eps, my fave being "There are things not meant for you but it doesn't mean that you're not worthy".
Cons:
-The first ep is a little boring as it's mostly voiceover exposition telling a bit of backstory for the main three male leads and what point of view they're coming from. I always prefer to be shown rather than told things in series/movies (IE not a big fan of character inner monologues in series in general)- but once you get past this first ep it's not so bad.
-There's not as much "connective tissue" as I'd prefer- IE those scenes where you get to know the characters more or see their development/relationship building over time. But I don't consider this as big of an issue considering the short number of episodes and the fact I've seen so many other BLs do sooo much less than this with double if not triple the runtime.
-The story ends weakly. The last two eps are disappointing and feel pretty rushed, especially ep.7 randomly dropping down to 14 mins total including the intro and previous ep segment. I hated how Bryce randomly decides to leave all of a sudden with no real explanation (he always missed his parents so why did he have to leave "right now"?). I get that the end was purposely ambiguous to tease for a 2nd season- but I wasn't a fan of it at all.
-Barely any skinship and no kissing. The most you get is a few cute hair touching moments.
Overall I enjoyed this and don't see why people have been so harsh on it. I'll be coming back eagerly for a season 2 if they make one!
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Scénář byl průhledný od prvního záběru, zpracování jen průměr (jednou měla kráska Brendalynne kabelku na břichu, z jiného úhlu záběru na boku, pak zase na břichu atd.). Nemusím mít fyzično mezi dvěma mladíky za každou cenu, ale k někdy "divně" proudícímu příběhu by zde byla bonusem. Teď co seriál u mého hodnocení zachránilo: to "něco" (samota, touha, milovat jinou bytost) tam v pozdějších dílech bylo cítit, samotní mladí herci, jejich snaha, největší pozitivní postavou byl Edward a nejvíce si cením hudební stránky tohoto malého a skromného pinoy dílka.
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Mixed feelings
The story line was OK...Acting was actually much terrific but I feel like the story could have been explored much more than what is currently happened.
I hope there'd be a season 2 with better storylines and please, let there be more than one plot twist. There's been too much same plot line twists in many of the BL series.
Many times, it's either about a series secret ex or cheating.
I wish this story could explore other options where BLs could have more meaning to love than just two guys or girls starting a relationship.
The title is just great and it goes literally according to the lines but I feel like much effort wasn't put into making the series stronger.
Can I see some changes??
Thank you.
Congratulations
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Great visuals but unsure of it self
In the early episodes, the series seems to be unsure of what it wants to tell, so it compensated with visuals. However, visuals can only go so far and it will not make up for compelling story.The cast have acting skills, not on par with the mainstream BL, but skills were there. And there are moments that it really shine. BUT as I've said, no compelling story to tell can pull hinder characterization and the entire series it self. Take for example CHEAT, there are cringe worthy scenes and acting there, but the series is sure in what it wants to tell and it did not veer off from it, resulting in one good series.
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Amazing Cinematography and Good Characterization
This might be a little bit long but if you're unsure because of the review if you want to watch this, you can read this :)tl;dr (if this ends up being too long for some people to read):
it's a 'relief break' show with an unrealistic storyline but realistic characterization. The cinematography is beautiful as well as the cast. No plot trigger characters :)
I think the reason why I'm writing this is because of how low some of the reviews are and I actually found the drama pretty good.
I understand why people rated this show pretty low as there wasn't any plot to see and it seemed to be 'directionless' but I enjoyed this drama. It's short and gives you a lot of the feels.
I would recommend this for people who needed, 'relief breaks' because I know a lot of the drama could be well, overfilled with drama. It can be exhausting when there's too much drama happening but this one is chill and I guess nothing big really happens until the very end of the season which indicates the confirmation of a second season.
This is also a very unrealistic (but in some ways realistic) and cliche drama as we are seen with characters whose parents are absent and no prejudice could be seen (which is sadly not the case in real life). There is also Bart's fast-paced model progression which we know in real would not be the case as it is hard to find a job and progress in Manila especially if you're new.
Now what I really want to say is how beautifully they captured the Philippines. The cinematography they show in the province is beautiful and realistically portrayed the locals as they only take what is enough for them (of course not everyone is like that) but Manila is also beautifully shot and it gave me a new perspective on Manila (I've been to Manila and have not had the best experiences).
Okay, now the cast is no doubt attractive and could act (though their beauty was one of the main things that carried the show). I think they really focused on Renz when it came to aesthetics as most of his scenes is very, 'you'll fall in love with me', (it's very true. i've fallen for him haha). His drunk scene on the first few episodes was well shot and even where he taught Kurt's character, Bart how to use a chopstick. Brendalynne was my favourite character, she could be irritating for some people since her personality is so big but she was lovable to me. She was always there for Bart and comforted him plus he made him laugh when he was sad!!
The characterization for the most part could be argued as the only realistic thing in this drama. I think it's true especially because this drama is centred around self-discovery and self-growth. I'm not sure if anyone noticed but there was no third party to ruin the two's developing love for each other (I guess Josh could be one but not really). Josh's character development where he comes into acceptance of Bart and Bryce's relationship is worth watching for.
Now if you're wondering what I meant by, 'plot-trigger characters' are characters who are only there to trigger another character's feelings.
I love how they didn't use Edward or Josh as a triggering plot character to make Bart or Bryce realize their feelings for each other and it was one of the things that developed over time (cause realistically, we don't have someone whose main purpose in our life is to make us realize we love someone. We somehow just realize it). As much as some people wanted Edward to go on a date with Bart and 'coincidentally' Bryce comes in and gets all jealous and that's when he realized he was in love with Bart or vice versa with Bryce and Josh, it didn't happen. I was actually somewhat relieved as I always see it in other dramas so it was just another one of those, 'wow, that's different. I'm going to keep watching.'
Anyways, this is a pretty good drama for those who needed a break but at the same time wanting to keep watching dramas. It's short and could be finished in one sitting.
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