Gameboys (2020)

I was a bit hesitant to watch this since I am not a fan of the videocalling concept. But upon watching it, the series keeps getting better and better each episode.

The story is not perfect for me. The foundation was pretty simple. What made me score it higher is the fact that they could take/transform that simple concept/story into a very interesting and heart-fluttering scenes, as reflected through the dialogues.

Acting was superb but not perfect. I feel like they're doing a really great job, but I know they could still give more. But hey, acting while just staring into the camera is super hard so I commend them for giving us superb acting.

Musical scoring is PERFECT!! Their OSTs are catchy and easy to follow. Even the sound fx are very on point.

I gave a 10/10 rewatch value since I always watch all of the available episodes while waiting for the next ep, and I am not getting tired of it!!!

AS THIS IS THE FIRST FILIPINO SERIES TO RIDE THE BL WAVE, IT SETS THE STANDARDS SO HIGH THAT OTHER SERIES NEEDS SUPER CREATIVE JUICES TO BE ON PAR WITH GAMEBOYS.

You all should definitely watch this series :)))

Leia Mais

GODTIER FILIPINO BL SERIES

Recently, there's a bunch of BL series being release in the Philippines because of the BL craze. Out of all the Filipino BLs, this one is really the Godtier of them all. The content of the plot was beyong romance. It tackles socially relevant issues like Covid-19, Mental Health, Coming out issues, tourism and the likes. The chemistry and cheesiness of the leads were impecable. The acting was superb.

There are many quality BLs out there but this one is not just purely for romance and entertainment. This series empowers its audience. It validates theirs feelings. This series is not juat for BL lovers of the LGBT Community. This is for everyone, especially those who are stuggling with Mental health, covid-19 grief and identity crisis.

Leia Mais

I am what my mom calls a gay sympathizer, I love the LGBT community even though I'm straight. When i first started to watch this I thought this was gonna be a cliche romance series.

But as I really got into it I realized that it really taps into the reality of what life is like for the LGBT community and the hardships that they face for just being themselves or wanting to be themselves.

I haven't seen many series that shows the pain the LGBT community goes through before they become confident in themselves. I also look at the acting skills throughout a series.

I'm an emotional person, so if I watch or read something my emotions changes with the characters/actors. For example if a sad scene happens and the actor really portrays the sorrow like Elijah did in episodes 7&8 ill cry along.

Starting this I was only watching it because I saw a kind of "copy" version of this and I wanted to see if the original was good to and I love it. This is one of the best series in my book. I would definitely rewatch this again and recommend it to others.

I love the whole plot of this series and the acting skills of all the actors especially the little things that goes unnoticed if your not really paying attention to them. This series also shows how it's like for the LGBT community in a different but not in a cliche way it's unique and honestly it's pretty awesome in my opinion.

Leia Mais

Exquisitely Phenomenal

The interactions between the main leads, Cairo and Gavreel, are a marvelous interpretation and reflection of Filipinos/Filipinas. A modern-day courtship through the use of social media, highlighting the importance of connecting to others during this COVID-19 pandemic.

And it gets better every episode with additional characters, deeper and more heightened emotions shown through marvelous acting skills. The show also effectively handles sociopolitical issues with outstanding comebacks and quotes and dialogues.

It deeply resonates with all kinds of people. Definitely worth watching!

"Don't be sorry. You don't apologize for being who you are." -- and I hope that with these sentences, you'll decide to watch it.

Leia Mais

Must Watch

Language is very beautiful!

Great actors! Elijah Canlas deserves an award.

Their story is very timely and relevant.

Well written script - writer is genius!

I thought Episode 7 was the best episode, but when I watched Episode 8, I changed my mind. It keeps getting better and better. One of the reasons why I look forward to the next episode every Friday. They never cease to amaze me!

With limited resources due to the pandemic, I must say this series is brilliantly made and well executed.

Can be considered as one of the best BL series ever created.

Leia Mais

Real Life ... heartbreaking ... hits home

Okay first off I am probably real late in watching this drama... but OMG I am not sorry I started and ended this in the day.

Firstly this drama for me was real life with the pandemic still at large in many places. And I am sure that we have all lost someone dear and loved by us, and also witnessed the strength of many who have pulled through. So hats off to the writer/producer/ML/ and screen writers/ and all those who made this drama real and emotional and heartbreaking.

The backdrop of the drama is centered around the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect world wide, particularly in the Philippines. The main characters find themselves on mandatory lockdown by the government and must spent majority of their times indoors. Cairo, a self-proclaimed gamer and a nerd, spends his day doing live broadcast, amassing a following that include the cheeky and always smiling Gavreel —who we later learned has been following Cairo’s live streams after the death of his grandmother and went into depression-and develops a crush on the gamer.

This drama touched on a lot of things, but for me the most amazing part was the way that Mental health, guilt/blame, and forgiveness took center stage.

Pearl- Wow, Pearl was literally my favorite female character not just in this series, but possibly ever. She was the shipper female friend that was there for the couple, defended them, but also knew when not to interfere with their love lives. She had a strong sense of right and wrong and would even argue with her best friend on Cairo’s behalf if she thought he did something wrong. My favorite quote of hers is “if you did something stupid don’t use mental health as an excuse, own up to your mistakes make up for it and don’t do it again”. She literally made this drama and I loved her positive attitude throughout this drama, she had a sense of security but at the same time always made sure everyone was safe, she also knew when or sign off when the guys need there time, she truly was the star of the drama.

This is an amazing BL series , maybe one of the best BL series not just from the Philippines but from all over. Thank you so much for this, and the fact it centered around what is currently happening, makes this drama even more real and realistic.
Love can be found anywhere

#staysafe

Leia Mais

baby, baby, baby (times infinity)

Overall: this series was filmed and released during the covid19 pandemic, it also has a main plot point that directly ties into covid19. I enjoyed the series when it was released though season 1 is on Netflix in some countries and on YouTube without all of the many language subtitles that it had when it first aired. 13 episodes that vary quite a bit in length, average is around 20 minutes. There is also a season 2 and a movie (the movie is a shortened season 2)

Content Warnings: there is a major one, I'll put all of them in a comment with a spoiler

What I Liked
- sweet moments
- funny moments
- Gav was flirty/forthright*
- Pearl as a supportive friend
- music
- production value considering it was an indie production during covid19

Room For Improvement
- *Gave was too aggressive/ignored boundaries
- Cairo was too reluctant for too much of the runtime
- cliche plot points with the friend/ex and poor communication although it felt more realistic than most

Leia Mais

A DIFFERENT SIDE OF A FILIPINO BL!

This Filipino BL is a breath of fresh air as it stays away from the low-quality borderline porn Filipino M2M. Given with the very low expectations from a Filipino BL, the story is excellent and beautiful. I’m very much willing to re-watch it because they did an amazing job!

Perfect cast for a show that is a work of art. I can’t say anything bad about the acting. There were several scenes that I felt the character’s pain, and there are also scenes that I find both leads cute and funny. What’s amazing is that, they deliver all of these and established a strong connection and attachment to the viewers even though the setting of the series is a video call due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Music is good and fits the mood of the show.

It might've been just me, but I wish to see the show where they produced it without any restrictions due to pandemic. I'm sure it will be 100x better.

Hope to see more quality BL from a Filipino cast and production.

Leia Mais

"THIS IS THE BAG!!!!!!!!!" "BELLISIMO PER-PER-PERFECT!!!!!!"

The story is well-defined and the cast really did that! For such an amazing series being done during lockdown, this is gorgeous. I was really eager to watch this when I saw this on YouTube. This series is one of the best out there. Being an amazing god-tier Filipino series, it really ties closely with Gaya Sa Pelikula. It really takes no steamy scenes just to get your viewers to love a series, it's just the story, the cast and the feelings you want to invest to your viewers. What can I say to this exceptional series? While being constricted by this lockdown set-up with just a screen they could keep each other in touch, they really elaborate certain issues that each of us are really dealing with. They showcased issues regarding LDR, "fear of coming out" thing, relationship struggles, third wheels and everything in between. They really paved the way to appreciate the people around you and the ones who care the most. The way the story flows is beautiful and the cast is not problematic but adds a lot to the series more. They really carried the series the way most of us love. The first outdoor scene of the main leads together in the series is far iconic and remarkable and Pearl being a supporting character really gives much comic relief and a really "good time" that's why she really deserves praise from us. Overall, this series, together with Gaya Sa Pelikula really stood out to me among other Filipino BL out there.

Leia Mais

This was really fun. As expected with a series called Gameboys.

Story: This was able to convey multiple plot elements, the struggles of pandemic life, family, friendship, moving on, and relationships (both platonic and romantic) without making it feel rushed or unfocused. This feels like a love story that I'd see from a "normal" hetero romance film, which is nice. The plot isn't treating Cairo and Gavreel different and fetishizing them just because they are two men. They're allowed to just flirt and fall in love.

Acting: Kokoy De Santos feels so genuine even in moments where he's portraying a more flirty character. He feels more like a person, rather than just a playboy, Elijah Canlas really pulled of Cairo's subtleties. Both of their body language was really strong. This is going without even mentioning everyone in the supporting cast, (Adrianna So, Kyle Velino, Sue Prado) Everyone left a distinct impression even if I saw them for only an episode (Achilles).

I've noticed that after a while, their was a point where it stopped feeling like I was watching a produced web series and it just felt like I was watching people. It was really sincere, the drama, romance, even the fan service felt like it was something these characters would react like in these situations.

Music: I feel that the music, both background and actual songs with vocals were very good. This has a very memorable soundscape. On a more personal note, the music reminds me of the cheesy Filipino romance films I grew up watching. That really added to the concept of "Hey these are two people, it doesn't matter if they're two men, two women, or hetero, they'd still be stupidly smitten for each other!"

Rewatch Value: I'm not sure what this fully entails, so I'll just point out what it means to me. If you rewatch the series it will be just as fun as the first time. There's a lot of stuff you can find in a rewatch that will add to the characters and their personalities. Some examples are the record player Cairo has, Gavreel's big photos of himself in the background, Pearls tapestries, the stuff written out in their Facebook (sorry, Screentime) and Vidgram feeds. There's a lot of little details in their that really bring out stuff about them.

Overall, well done, I'm absolutely ready for more.

Leia Mais