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PROBABLY THE FIRST WELL-MADE FILIPINO BL WEB SERIES

reefpicker

So the numbers don't lie. I was looking at the MDL database and the ranking (by user rating) of all the BLs series in the database (excludes movies).

Gameboys is the #1 Filipino drama (BL or straight). In other words, it has the highest rating among all dramas from the Philippines.

Gameboys is also #2 or #3 BL SERIES from ANY COUNTRY across the entire MDL database. This depends on your definition of BL. If you include bromance, then #1 is The Untamed, #2 is Trapped and #3 is Gameboys. If we only include true BL, then Gameboys is the second highest rated BL in the entire MDL database. Now, that is quite a feat for a show from a country that just started making BLs.

So yeah, let that sink in. This show has higher ratings at the moment than UWMA, Love sick, Love by Chance, TharnType, etc.

I am blown away by this.... And I think the ratings will only get higher. This will probably become (by the end of this year) the highest rated BL if it can beat Trapped (Can it? :) ).

Now it could go down in ratings too as happened I think with Love by Chance and TharnType but knowing how many people haven't finished it or haven't seen it who I am sure will rate it high, makes me think it will get higher and not lower.

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ben25

This is the only and the first Filipino BL that won an international award. In the recent Indie Short Awards in Seoul, Gameboys received the Best Web Series awards. That says a lot.

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Silver_Sylphy

Not only the story, but the directing sets this apart from any other short series. It's an experimental type that worked well in the time of ECQ. 

There wasn't a wasted second. Everything had its place. Colours, backgrounds, even movements of characters as mood changed were all perfect. 

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juicymangoo

I guess im pretty late here but omg I am sooo glad I found this series!  When I finished this series I had to watch it again because it was so goood. I was totally blown away! Even if the story might be simple but super relatable, fits the whole 2020 situation so well and it was so well made. The production was so good and the fact that the actors actually filmed most of the scenes by themselves really surprised me. And of course the acting! Their chemistry is on point, they truly look like a couple. And the fight in ep 12? I was stunned while watching that scene , it even made me feel uncomfortable like I was witnessing an actual fight. And their crying scenes...... Like damn Elijah has been ruining my life since then.

2gether compared to this series I must say was kinda overated, dont get me wrong i love Bright and Win (I did enjoy the series) and Im not trying to put shade or shame on 2gether, but come on... I just honestly think that Gameboys deserve the same hype as 2gether. 

I watched a few other filipino bls as well and they are pretty decent too (Gaya sa Pelikula, Oh, Mando!,  Hello Stranger), which surprised me because I aways find filipino movies and tv show too cringey for my taste (even some thai bls were too cringey for me that i couldnt even finish), but suprisingly they all had this heathly amount of cringe that makes you go uwu instead of ughh XD

I dont think that I have seen thaaat many bl series, I but Im sure that I have seen enough to judge the quality of this series and say that Gameboys is the best bl series I have ever seen (in my opinion ofc). It was so relatable that i think that even non bl fans would enjoy the series.

SO to finish this off, I am really glad I watched this, I found this series purely by chance and I think that was the best thing I have done so far starting this year lmao.

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reefpicker

Interesting... You are the first person I know who has watched Gaya and says Gameboys is the better of the two. I haven't watched Gaya yet but I keep hearing people say Gaya and/or ITSAY are the best BLs of 2020, yet for me it is so hard to imagine anything that can top Gameboys. I like how simple the plot is, I love how there is so many genuine moments, I enjoyed the acting, the directing and I liked the attention to detail from both director and actors. The scene where we learn that Cairos dad has passed away was so touching, not just because of the heaviness of the news and Cairo's reaction but because you can see in Gavreel's face that he feels impotent. He knows how it is to be alone when you get those kinds of news: remember that his grandma passed away recently. He cries in empathy but also in frustration as he can't be there for the person he loves. To me that scene is so brilliantly written and directed, and acted, I can't think of anything on that level of quality. There is a lot to unpack: Cairo's guilt, the mother's emotional distance, Gavreel's and Cairo's first fight being precisely about Cairo making light of Gavreel's feelings about his own grandma passing, the isolation due to the pandemic, etc. I could go on and on.

So I haven't watched ITSAY or Gaya but I somehow doubt they will top that scene. I also thought the final kissing scene was amazing but I can see how others could top that off. However, the way the director sets up the scene was brilliant: the music tempo, having Pearl cheer on the background, and then the "crossing the line".  I had never cried in a "final kiss scene" until this one... I mean, the emotions ! I was happy to see Cairo turn around, yes but the whole setup of Gav "unveiling" Cai, kissing him slowly.... Knowing what those two had to wait to get to that point... God, I even get emotional now! hahaha

Gameboys is truly an experience..... I wish other people watched. I have been trying to convince my non-BL friends but I think most ppl are put off by the genre's name "BL". Doesn't sound "mature" or mainstream I guess....

Anyway, glad you enjoyed it!

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juicymangoo

Uhm yeah I was actually surprised, I didn’t know that I would enjoy this series that much. I think it depends on each person’s taste, well in my case it fit my situation so well that I guess I ended up loving it and because I hardly relate to any shows or series so I just loved how relatable it was.

And yeaaaahhh the last scene in ep 7 with Cairo crying omg... I hardly cry while watching anything and I think I dropped a tear at that scene :’(.  Also a scene I think it was in ep 12, where Gavreel suddently started crying because he didn’t want his Baby to move away and when he went to wash his face, Cairo started crying as well? Damn that hit hard.

The Kiss... I agree, I totally loved it. I think they did a pretty decent job with that kiss I was actually scared that there might not be any because of how cute the whole series was, so I was satisfied. They didn’t overdo it, it was just perfect<3!

Like I mentioned before I saw Gaya and I saw ITSAY as well. Gaya was very good so I totally recommend watching it. It also has this lighthearted simple plot. I actually watched Gaya first (my first filipino BL) and I planned to watch Gameboys right after so my expectations for Gameboys were kinda high because Gaya was very decent. I don’t want to compare these two because they are equally good, but Gameboys had won me over lol.

As for ITSAY I totally forgot about this one when I wrote the previous comment and I agree it was very good. I liked the vibe of it, the acting, the production, the set and scenery, everything was on point. The plot is unlike Gaya and Gameboys, it wasn’t as simple as their’s, but that’s not a bad thing. I watched it when it came out so it’s been a while but I remember praising it a lot with my cousin. So if u are craving something more complicated but decent, I totally recommend.

At the very end, I agree, both Gaya, ITSAY and Gameboys are good, if one of these series got rated as The Best BL Series of 2020 I wouldn’t be mad. It’s just that in my heart Gameboys is The Best BL Series so far that deserves bigger international recognition.

And yeah I agree, for the non BL fans, not that many ppl are used to the BL genre so it’s hard to convince them to watch, or it’s not hard to convince them, but we’re not 100% sure if they would like it unless they are openminded towards anything. And because I live in Europe not that many friends of mine are used to asian shows which kinda makes me sad. Some of them are ok with asian shows but not used to BL genre or some of them are used to LGBT content but not asian culture.

Anywayyys, I’m glad u enjoyed it as well, and that we share the same opinion. Give ITSAY and Gaya a watch sometime ;)

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Ianto
 reefpicker:
Interesting... You are the first person I know who has watched Gaya and says Gameboys is the better of the two. I haven't watched Gaya yet but I keep hearing people say Gaya and/or ITSAY are the best BLs of 2020, yet for me it is so hard to imagine anything that can top Gameboys.

Well, I saw Gameboys, have seen GSP and ITSAY, and much as I think they were certainly the top BL series of the last year, you can count me as the second person to state that, in my view, Gameboys just pips the other two to the winning line!! The acting and the emotions in the other two series are all top-knotch and deeply heart-rending at times, but the sheer innovation and intensity of the Gameboys production and the framework of the pandemic, the sincerity and emotion of the two main actors, the incredible chemistry between them (can you believe they were only acting being in love ???) and the forcefulness of the main dramatic events were simply to die for.

There's no point in repeating all you already wrote, Reefpicker, but the announcement of the death of Cairo's dad, the big on-line argument, the final real sensuous kiss, Cairo's baleful eyes and Gavreel's intensely searching looks...... these are scenes and images that will remain in my mind for a very long time. 

GSP and ITSAY were both absolutely excellent, one for confirming the emerging miracle of Filipino BL series, and the other for reassuring me that at least some Thai companies were capable of putting out something really worthwhile. Sorry to be disparaging, but after the total let-down of 2gether (the actors need to watch Elijah and Kokoy to learn about passion....), something needed to convince me not to give up on Thai BL. 

All three get my nomination (and I have just finished Color Rush, which I also found incredibly fascinating....), but Gameboys just had that extra undefinable something special.

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juicymangoo

Just the fact that they had to look at the camera instead of their partners face while portraying all kinds of emotions... I am pretty sure second season is going to be epic and a full rollercoaster ride of emotions.

So after discovering Gameboys, it really opened my eyes and set the bar high, I am extremely picky now, I am trying my best to give other BLs a chance, but I think that nothing is gonna top Gameboys for now. I sometimes even think that Gameboys can be compared to other non BL rom com series.

I remember watching Kokoy’s and Elijah’s interviews where they said that they watched some episodes of 2gether for reference (not only Gameboys cast but also Gaya cast said so) when clearly it should be the opposite lmao.

Tbh it’s been exactly 2 weeks when I finished watching Gameboys the first time and I still have a hard time getting over them lol, I even watched their other works even if their roles were minor, because I just wanted to see them act. And if u haven’t seen Elijah’s movie Kalel, 15 definitely give it a watch.

I have seen Color Rush as well, but it was maybe too fluffy for my taste idk and so far my favorite korean BL must be Where Your Eyes Linger.

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reefpicker

Try to watch Oh Mando if you want to see Kokoy in a very different role. It really shows that he is a top notch actor.  I only watched ep 1 but I was blown away.... (I am waiting for it to be released on youtube)

Also search for Elijah Canlas sex ed video. I gained a lot of respect for him as a professional actor after watching it. You just don't do that kind of stuff for the sake of doing it unless you believe in a cause. He is 100% committed to the cause of the Kalel 15 movie. That man is at another level. You will never see a Thai BL actor do that.

You can also check out Pearl Next Door, also from the IdeaFirst Company.

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juicymangoo
 reefpicker:

Try to watch Oh Mando if you want to see Kokoy in a very different role. It really shows that he is a top notch actor.  I only watched ep 1 but I was blown away.... (I am waiting for it to be released on youtube)

Also search for Elijah Canlas sex ed video. I gained a lot of respect for him as a professional actor after watching it. You just don't do that kind of stuff for the sake of doing it unless you believe in a cause. He is 100% committed to the cause of the Kalel 15 movie. That man is at another level. You will never see a Thai BL actor do that.

You can also check out Pearl Next Door, also from the IdeaFirst Company.

I heard that iWantTFC releases only the first episodes of their shows, so u have to watch the rest on their official site or app. U can sign up for free, but to watch Oh Mando u have to get the premium. They currently have 1 month of subscription for free so what I did was that I joined the free premium, finished Oh Mando and while I was at it I watched other shows where Kokoy (I Am U) and Elijah (Past Present Perfect) appeared in. U can always cancel the plan before the new trial begins so yeah, u can try doing that.

I love Pearl Next Door! It’s totally different from Gameboys but that was expected. It’s sad how some people would hate the show just because it’s not as fluffy as Gameboys. Pearl’s character is obviously more mature with different background and past so it was totally normal for her to have a different storyline and her point of view for her love life. We can all see it when she does her vlogs and openly talks about orgasm and sex and then the choices she makes later on, I think it’s interesting. I mean, she can‘t always be the sunshine in the room right.

Have u seen Fuccbois and He Who Is Without Sin though? I heard that it’s their most daring roles so far and damn yeah how I agree. I got goosebumps watching them (in a good way obviously). They are truly amazing actors and I will continue to support them.

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