Quinn7
on top of Old Smokey
Honestly surprised
Before watching it, "Sakristan" had a lot of promise. The other Filipino BL dramas I've seen have all been really good quality, so I was a little disappointed that "Sakristan" would have a half-written story, awkward actors, and moments that were unsuccessfully supposed to be "artistic". In the end, though, this became all part of its charm. Overall, it's a rather fun series, and even struck several emotional chords I wasn't expecting it to.Personally, it would have been nice to see more development of Christian and Zach's relationship before they started officially dating. Of course, the way their relationship played out after they started dating was beautifully portrayed! Of all the Asian BLs I've seen, none came this close to depicting character development and interpersonal drama in such a risky, nontraditional, realistic way. "Sakristan" actually manages to depict real human emotions and thoughts, which is both shocking and refreshing.
Another great thing about this drama was how it presented a nuanced view of faith and Christianity. The characters have varying opinions about religion and homosexuality, and even go through opinion shifts. Ultimately, they learn to work together and respect each other, even if there isn't complete mutual understanding.
One of the things that made me extremely uncomfortable with this drama, though, was how sexualized Zach was. The actor was only 15 or 16 when the filming was going on, so the torso-shots and similar scenes were disturbing. >:(
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The plot is very character-driven, and while it features quite a few bits of drama, it's actually quite calming, especially if you've been watching more intense dramas and need a break from that sort of thing. Each episode is only about twenty minutes, which is good for those who want to watch TV on the go. The side characters weren't given much development, but were still interesting and added to the setting.
The music is really fun. The opening and closing theme songs sound like old David et Jonathan songs from the '80s, and the "here's-a-sad-scene-where-there-should-be-a-sad-song" song is also really good. The opening theme song really gets you pumped up the watch the show, while the closing theme song is poignant in that it sings about the need for courage, something a lot of LGBTQIA+ people can identify with.
Now to the deeper stuff!
Liang Ze and Hang Hang, as characters, were very well balanced in their differences and similarities. Liang Ze is naive and often gets taken advantage of (in more ways than one), but is genuinely sweet and friendly. Hang Hang can come across as slightly cold and unable to express his feelings, though he quickly warms up to certain people and loves taking care of them. Honestly, the two main characters were both extremely precious, and it's good seeing a show where both male leads are in general gentle, kind, and respectful.
My main issue with the relationship between the two boys is their difference in maturity, especially concerning romance and sexuality. Hang Hang seems to have already matured and takes relationships seriously, but Liang Ze, despite being grown up, still has the mentality of a teenager (a catcalling, icky graphic T-wearing, heterosexual teenager, specifically). The arguments between the two boys can be so frustrating, because, while I want them to get together in the end, they both just want such different things from each other.
Who should watch this drama? People who want something fun, fluffy, and short to watch where the drama isn't too gripping but is still there.
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Kind of fizzled out...
This drama started off looking like it would be good, but the story just kind of fell flat. The characters had little to no development, the conflicts felt contrived, and the whole thing felt like it should have just been a cute movie rather than a drawn-out series. Christian and Bogs both had so much potential as characters, but ended up being rather boring, and Pepay and Benjo were just jerks. The only character who seemed okay was Kelly, probably because her actress had the most life and energy out of the entire cast. She seemed to really be enjoying her role.Now, this is no lie, "Twinkle Star" is an amazing song for the end credits! I've listened to that on repeat since the drama first aired.
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This review may contain spoilers
Bittersweetly surprised
For a show with lots of cussing, violence, and sex, it managed to be so wholesome and sweet! I have so many different opinions about "Love By Chance", though, in general, I liked it a lot.What I loved about it:
Pete and Ae have such a healthy, innocent relationship! Sometimes they have problems, sometimes jealousies get a little too intense, and sometimes insecurities get in the way of common sense, but they always talk things through. They respect each other, love each other, and effectively become each other's equal partners. I loved watching them go visit each other's families-- it was so adorable! I also loved how Pete learned to communicate directly, and eventually became a stronger, more independent person.
I also liked Can. He was so adorable, feisty, and energetic! He, his sister, and his mother were such hilarious spitfires! And his friend Good was the exact opposite, which only made things funnier!
Also, while many people hated how Can and Tin did not get together in the end, I liked it. Neither of them was emotionally mature enough for a relationship, and it's rare for dramas to depict that sort of reality.
Also, Pond and CheAim had such a healthy, endearing, funny relationship. I loved the scene where Pond told CheAim that she didn't need to feel insecure about being sexually reserved, because he liked her for her and not for being sexy.
What made me uncomfortable:
The actor playing Ae was only 16 during the drama's filming, which made a lot of the scenes where Pete and Ae got intimate a little squicky. There was no nudity, though, and it was easy to fast-forward through the very few sex scenes that were shown.
Tin was a little too pushy around Can, and went straight into creeper territory at times. I guess it's supposed to show how problematic he is as a person, but some of the ways he treated Can came across a little prostitute-y.
Also, when you first meet Pond, he's jerking off. He also is a porn addict. Like, what?
What I hated:
The finale. That whole crappy debacle.
First of all, that rape scene where a high schooler completely takes advantage of his friend's intoxicated older brother, then manipulates him into thinking it was the other was around! What the f*ck were the screenwriters thinking?!
I also hated the whole step-brothers' story line. It could have been done better, but was done so horribly.
In many ways, "Love By Chance" was very progressive and uplifting. At the same time, some problematic, and some downright horrible, things got slipped in. Watching it was a very bittersweet experience, and re-watching it will be better since I'll know which parts to skip.
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Just not interesting...
"Bad Buddy" really wasn't attention-grabbing. I watched the first episode, started the second episode, and decided to drop it. It's another "Romeo and Juliet" remake, with an enemies-to-lovers trope, I guess. It doesn't seem bad, but it doesn't seem original enough to really enjoy. The characters weren't really that interesting, though there did seem to be potential. The jokes weren't very funny. The brawls felt cliche. There's not much more to say. Maybe this would be good to watch if one is bored or is new to BL, but it really doesn't have much going for it. Maybe it was overhyped.Was this review helpful to you?
