A love story that is both timely and timeless

This show kept on appearing on my YouTube homepage when the first episode came out, but I ignored it because I had seen some Filipino dramas in the past, and I was never really impressed with them. But I was also looking for something new to watch, and I happened to read a comment that mentioned this show. As the first ep was only 10 minutes long, I decided to give it a go. And now, after over 3 months and 13 episodes, I can honestly say that this just might be the best decision I have made this year.

Although I found Gavreel's character to be a little too cringey in the first episode, the last 2 lines of said ep piqued my interest. The storytelling format they had chosen to use was also something I liked, as I had watched 'Searching' a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. What impressed me the most, however, was how clean the editing was. It was so well done, I found myself wanting to see more.

When Pearl's character was introduced in episodes 2 and 3, I was so very pleased to see a female character that was not made to be toxic or one dimensional. I started to think that this show was going to be very different from your everyday, average BL story - it wanted to steer clear of all the harmful tropes usually found in BLs. This thought was further solidified with Gavreel's consent line in episode 4, (As an aside, I was already thoroughly invested in Caireel by episode 3 - Pearl's enthusiasm was contagious y'all!), and then consistently proven in the following ones.

Gameboys proved to be a show that is both timely and timeless once it hit episode 7. Timely because all communication thus far was only done virtually and through social media. Topics like the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were not shied away from, and homage was paid to our frontliners. Timeless because the show touched upon themes of acceptance, forgiveness, love, found family, and deep friendships.

Although Gameboys is a whole lot more than just a show about two boys falling in love, the show did not lack in this aspect either. Because the characters of Cairo and Gav were so well-developed and fully fleshed out, I couldn’t help but be taken with them. And their relationship was so beautifully developed - nothing ever felt contrived or done just for drama's sake. Everything they went through felt so very real, I felt (or at the very least, could understand) their emotions with them. I really don’t think that I have ever been as invested in the happiness of two fictional characters as I have than with Cai and Gav.

I already said this in a comment, but let me reiterate it again here: I’m beyond happy and grateful that a show like this exists. All my love and respect go to the cast and crew of The IdeaFirst Company for creating something that, I believe, will resonate with a lot of viewers for a very long time. I know it will with me.

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