AKAshon
This review may contain spoilers
Story Taking a Hit as Series Keeps Getting Extended...
First heard about this series on Reddit and was excited to watch a Filipino BL! I really love how innovative the story is depicted, especially in this social distancing times. It reminded me of the film Searching that was set entirely on computer screens and smartphones. Such a great idea that is also topical! I do feel like the story is way too rushed though, especially since it’s only been one episode and the characters are already full on flirting and setting up a second ‘date.’ And it didn’t seem realistic how quickly Cairo accepted a video call from Gavreel, a literal stranger, but I cannot really say much since I am not a gamer and don’t know anything about the social etiquette of gaming.
In terms of acting, Kokoy’s acting as a flirty playboy was great! He’s got charm and charisma. Newcomer Elijah’s acting pales in comparison as all he did was just stare wide-eyed. Hopefully, we’ll see more range from him in the upcoming episodes.
Upon watching the second episode, I really enjoyed how the story progressed and expanded as the budding love between Cairo and Gavreel grows, a storyline about a family member dealing with COVID 19 is introduced and Gavreel’s girlfriend is introduced to spark some future conflict! The production and editing continues to be top-notch with excellent usage of social media. The scene where Gavreel places his phone under him when doing the pushups was comedic gold! It was great seeing Cairo getting flustered. However, it feels like their relationship is bit too fast in my opinion. I expected Gavreel to initiate the calls more and Cairo to not initiate any calls based on his reluctant feelings in the first episode. Still though, I was completely engaged with the story! This series is getting better with each episode! I’m hyped for the next one!
Episode 3 was a bit much in my opinion. It felt too forced. Like the story was too rushed and that Kai's jealousy was a bit too much and Gav's gestures to win Kai back a bit too grand for their current relationship. It felt like he was trying to win back a boyfriend, rather than a friend/crush. And the communication could have been better. And why did Gav's friend post that Facebook post, pretending that Gav was her boyfriend? It didn't make sense. And Kokoy's acting, although good. I felt like he was over acting in this episode with his teary eyes when talking to Kai and when professing his love for Kai on his IG stories. Or it was the script or director asking him to be teary-eyed, which was a bit much. And Gav singing an original song that he wrote for Kai was cringey. Kai accepting a call from Pearl and they acting as if they've talked before was random. Kai video-calling Pearl when he was in the bathroom getting ready (as if they are best friends) made no sense. I found Episode 3 to be a step back in terms of storytelling and quality. I was actually a bit bored watching it unfortunately. Hopefully, Episode 4 will be better...
Upon watching Episode 4 , I felt that the series was losing steam. There wasn't any progression in the story. Just fluff. Just Gav constantly making Cai flustered, just with Pearl this time. I do have to admit though that the split-screen kiss was very cute and adorable. And the ending, with the introduction of an ex brought a much needed dose of suspense into the show. It is interesting how this series always ends episodes with a cliffhangers: the introduction of Peal, the car outside Cai's place and now, Gav's ex. On a side note, I feel like GameBoys is the most popular BL currently airing at the moment (Where Your Eyes Linger was more popular but it finished airing). Although I find it good, I prefer Tien Bromance and Stage of Love (though I may be biased as I am Viet lol). Anyways, I wonder how the introduction of Terence wil play out.
Episode 5 with the introduction of an ex was barely interesting for me either. I was actually quite bored with all the video calling between the characters. Cai is still being evasive. Gav still hitting on Cai hard. Terrence was hardly an interesting character, just a bitter ex trying to ruin Gav's future relationship. Cai should have known better or at least, communicated better to Gav. I must commend GameBoys for being the most popular BL that is currently-airing at the moment. Good for them!
Episode 6 was quite dull as the story dragged when Cai tries to apologize to Gav by making him go on an online scavenger hunt where Cai makes a cringey puppet apology video. There's only so much you can do with this virtual format and it's showing with this series. And not sure why Terrence invited Cai to his video call with Gav. I doubt any person would want to beg for their ex back in front of another love interest. To be honest, I'm liking Hello Stranger better than GameBoys at the moment as I find it to be more natural and engaging. Hopefully, GameBoys will become good again.
Episode 7 was also a disappointment. They are dragging this series out way too much. I was so completely bored watching this episode. The online dance party was awkward. The brother blaming Cairo for their father's illness because the father chose to find Cairo after he ran away doesn't make sense. Covid has a 2 week incubation period. How did they know that it was due to that incident? And even if it was, the father chose to try to find Cairo. He didn't have to. No one asked him to. Maybe I'm being a bit mean and harsh, but being manipulative by having a lead's parent die is also a bit cheap. Elijah's acting though was impressive in this episodes. His crying was quite realistic.
Episode 8 was also quite dull though there were some touching moments like when Cairo's mother told him that it wasn't his fault and when Cairo read his father's email. It is clear that they are dragging the series out way too much in my opinion. Supposedly, this series was supposed to only be 8 episodes, but due to its huge popularity, the producers decided to extend it to 10. They should've kept it at 8 episodes to be honest...
Another disappointing, dull episode where there's nothing of any significance until the end where we are once again left on a cliffhanger. I also just learned that the production company extended the series to now have 13 episodes. It began with 6 episodes, then got extended to 8, then 10 and now, 13. Not surprising as the series has been doing quite well around the world, but the story is really taking a big hit. Do we really need to watch Cai, Pearl and Gav have more random, unnecessary exercise/meditation Zoom sessions or Gav hitting on Cai who rebukes him while blushing? The story is already so thin as it is. They should really stop...
Episode 10 was decent as there was actually some progression in the story as Cai and Gav finally met one another. The social distanced kiss and hug were hilarious though also quite charming and cute. I'm interested in seeing how the last three episodes will play out now that they have met...
Episode 11 was boring as another love interest is introduced. It's like the writers don't have anything important to say so they just bring in another love interest to amp up the stakes. And why is Gav being so b*tchy all of a sudden? He was never this mean when Terrence was actively pursing Cai. Wesley was just a childhood friend. Not even actively pursuing Cai and yet Gav mocked his appearance and his social media videos. Like Gav post the same kind of content. What a hypocrite. I'm so done with this overrated series. Hello Stranger is leagues better.
Episode 12 was another boring slog where literally nothing happens. And Cai and Gav fighting over literally nothing. What they are fighting over does not make any sense logically and they were both acting out of their characters, making decisions and saying things that they wouldn't normally say just for the sake of undeserved drama. I'm so happy that this series is ending next week. I'm over it...
Overall, the series started off strong. It was compelling and exciting. However, it quickly took a dip in quality as the series kept on getting extended, making there be a lot of filler, unnecessary scenes. Both Gav and Cairo quickly gets annoying with their antics and the story drags. It is full of fanservice and lacks any real substance. I must admit that their kiss in the finale was quite nice though. All in all, this series is completely over-rated. Hello Stranger is a much better pinoy BL that also uses video-calling as its main format.
In terms of acting, Kokoy’s acting as a flirty playboy was great! He’s got charm and charisma. Newcomer Elijah’s acting pales in comparison as all he did was just stare wide-eyed. Hopefully, we’ll see more range from him in the upcoming episodes.
Upon watching the second episode, I really enjoyed how the story progressed and expanded as the budding love between Cairo and Gavreel grows, a storyline about a family member dealing with COVID 19 is introduced and Gavreel’s girlfriend is introduced to spark some future conflict! The production and editing continues to be top-notch with excellent usage of social media. The scene where Gavreel places his phone under him when doing the pushups was comedic gold! It was great seeing Cairo getting flustered. However, it feels like their relationship is bit too fast in my opinion. I expected Gavreel to initiate the calls more and Cairo to not initiate any calls based on his reluctant feelings in the first episode. Still though, I was completely engaged with the story! This series is getting better with each episode! I’m hyped for the next one!
Episode 3 was a bit much in my opinion. It felt too forced. Like the story was too rushed and that Kai's jealousy was a bit too much and Gav's gestures to win Kai back a bit too grand for their current relationship. It felt like he was trying to win back a boyfriend, rather than a friend/crush. And the communication could have been better. And why did Gav's friend post that Facebook post, pretending that Gav was her boyfriend? It didn't make sense. And Kokoy's acting, although good. I felt like he was over acting in this episode with his teary eyes when talking to Kai and when professing his love for Kai on his IG stories. Or it was the script or director asking him to be teary-eyed, which was a bit much. And Gav singing an original song that he wrote for Kai was cringey. Kai accepting a call from Pearl and they acting as if they've talked before was random. Kai video-calling Pearl when he was in the bathroom getting ready (as if they are best friends) made no sense. I found Episode 3 to be a step back in terms of storytelling and quality. I was actually a bit bored watching it unfortunately. Hopefully, Episode 4 will be better...
Upon watching Episode 4 , I felt that the series was losing steam. There wasn't any progression in the story. Just fluff. Just Gav constantly making Cai flustered, just with Pearl this time. I do have to admit though that the split-screen kiss was very cute and adorable. And the ending, with the introduction of an ex brought a much needed dose of suspense into the show. It is interesting how this series always ends episodes with a cliffhangers: the introduction of Peal, the car outside Cai's place and now, Gav's ex. On a side note, I feel like GameBoys is the most popular BL currently airing at the moment (Where Your Eyes Linger was more popular but it finished airing). Although I find it good, I prefer Tien Bromance and Stage of Love (though I may be biased as I am Viet lol). Anyways, I wonder how the introduction of Terence wil play out.
Episode 5 with the introduction of an ex was barely interesting for me either. I was actually quite bored with all the video calling between the characters. Cai is still being evasive. Gav still hitting on Cai hard. Terrence was hardly an interesting character, just a bitter ex trying to ruin Gav's future relationship. Cai should have known better or at least, communicated better to Gav. I must commend GameBoys for being the most popular BL that is currently-airing at the moment. Good for them!
Episode 6 was quite dull as the story dragged when Cai tries to apologize to Gav by making him go on an online scavenger hunt where Cai makes a cringey puppet apology video. There's only so much you can do with this virtual format and it's showing with this series. And not sure why Terrence invited Cai to his video call with Gav. I doubt any person would want to beg for their ex back in front of another love interest. To be honest, I'm liking Hello Stranger better than GameBoys at the moment as I find it to be more natural and engaging. Hopefully, GameBoys will become good again.
Episode 7 was also a disappointment. They are dragging this series out way too much. I was so completely bored watching this episode. The online dance party was awkward. The brother blaming Cairo for their father's illness because the father chose to find Cairo after he ran away doesn't make sense. Covid has a 2 week incubation period. How did they know that it was due to that incident? And even if it was, the father chose to try to find Cairo. He didn't have to. No one asked him to. Maybe I'm being a bit mean and harsh, but being manipulative by having a lead's parent die is also a bit cheap. Elijah's acting though was impressive in this episodes. His crying was quite realistic.
Episode 8 was also quite dull though there were some touching moments like when Cairo's mother told him that it wasn't his fault and when Cairo read his father's email. It is clear that they are dragging the series out way too much in my opinion. Supposedly, this series was supposed to only be 8 episodes, but due to its huge popularity, the producers decided to extend it to 10. They should've kept it at 8 episodes to be honest...
Another disappointing, dull episode where there's nothing of any significance until the end where we are once again left on a cliffhanger. I also just learned that the production company extended the series to now have 13 episodes. It began with 6 episodes, then got extended to 8, then 10 and now, 13. Not surprising as the series has been doing quite well around the world, but the story is really taking a big hit. Do we really need to watch Cai, Pearl and Gav have more random, unnecessary exercise/meditation Zoom sessions or Gav hitting on Cai who rebukes him while blushing? The story is already so thin as it is. They should really stop...
Episode 10 was decent as there was actually some progression in the story as Cai and Gav finally met one another. The social distanced kiss and hug were hilarious though also quite charming and cute. I'm interested in seeing how the last three episodes will play out now that they have met...
Episode 11 was boring as another love interest is introduced. It's like the writers don't have anything important to say so they just bring in another love interest to amp up the stakes. And why is Gav being so b*tchy all of a sudden? He was never this mean when Terrence was actively pursing Cai. Wesley was just a childhood friend. Not even actively pursuing Cai and yet Gav mocked his appearance and his social media videos. Like Gav post the same kind of content. What a hypocrite. I'm so done with this overrated series. Hello Stranger is leagues better.
Episode 12 was another boring slog where literally nothing happens. And Cai and Gav fighting over literally nothing. What they are fighting over does not make any sense logically and they were both acting out of their characters, making decisions and saying things that they wouldn't normally say just for the sake of undeserved drama. I'm so happy that this series is ending next week. I'm over it...
Overall, the series started off strong. It was compelling and exciting. However, it quickly took a dip in quality as the series kept on getting extended, making there be a lot of filler, unnecessary scenes. Both Gav and Cairo quickly gets annoying with their antics and the story drags. It is full of fanservice and lacks any real substance. I must admit that their kiss in the finale was quite nice though. All in all, this series is completely over-rated. Hello Stranger is a much better pinoy BL that also uses video-calling as its main format.
Was this review helpful to you?
