Not Bad, But Good Either
Okay so this drama does have a lot of high reviews, which one of the reason I watched it, Honestly it was not a bad drama, but for me it was not wow factor or a holy smoke this was astounding.The story was interesting and touched on very good points and topics, I just feel that it could have been more explored, I did love the Sister gosh she was really funny and made show even more enjoyable, the two leads were an okay match, and they did suit each other.
I cant overall say that it was a great drama, but it was a nice watch and it was light and it did have some funny moments to it.
Overall: it was ok, would I rewatch it probably not.
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Perfection
If I could give this show higher than a 10 then I 100 percent would. This served as my first Phillipino Bl series, and it has blown all my expectations out of the water. I thought I had seen good series, but they are nothing compared to Like In The Movies. I was recommended to watch this series, and this was literally the best-recommended thing I have ever received. Such a real depiction of a gay romance, and I couldn't have asked for anything more. Where do we start?Let's Dive In.
I think Thai BLs can learn a thing or two from this series. It didn’t involve a 3rd person in the way, or some dumb trope about “I don’t like guys, I only like him” type shit. This shit was REAL and I mean Real as in Realistic. This show had me hooked from the start as soon as Karl saw Vlad dancing in his unit, I could tell that this series was about to be THAT bitch. I love the balance between the tough subjects and the humor. I mean, the humor was spot on. I laughed at pretty much everything. What I loved even more about this series is that Vlad was open about himself and the struggles that he goes through with his family. Us just watching the moments that Karl starts to fall in love with Vlad was so sentimental and so raw. These two actors have such amazing chemistry that it’s insane. Don’t get me started on when Karl gave Vlad his first slow dance. My heart couldn’t contain the emotions that I had. The vision of them dancing with the lights and all the other stuff, dude, I couldn’t take it. Another really raw moment was when Vlad and Karl got caught kissing, which wasn’t a very big deal, but in Karl's eyes, it changed everything. He was being real about his emotions, which was the best part about all of it. And then Vlad starts crying, so I start crying and it was so good.
Talking about that scene, let’s talk about the soundtrack. Good googly-moogly, I have never had so many emotions from just the song itself. Fools by Nathan and Mercury is such a FUCKING BOP. I have had that song on replay for two weeks straight after I had watched it. And I love who when moments were happening, we could see the lyrics of the song, and it just connected so well with whatever situation was going on.
The best part about this entire series, and I mean the best part, is between these two scenes: Karl having the heart-to-heart conversation with his Uncle, and Karl envisioning his alternate ending with Vlad. Both had me weeping like a fucking baby. Those were once again such raw and real emotions, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I loved the ending, it one of the best endings in BL by far. Karl is still figuring himself out, and even though he had come to terms with him being gay, there is still so much else he has to get through. Also, in the credits, Tay and New from DBK are mentioned as a thank you, which was really nice to see that others' series help to inspire others with their work.
This series rocked. We definitely deserve to see more of the realistic depictions that this series has shown. I’m very hopeful for a season 2, and I’m pretty sure we’re getting one. A definite recommend, and a definite favorite.
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Outstanding!
The story line is very interesting. It’s very simple yet tackles a lot of details about the LGBTQ community. The chemistry of the protagonists was well-established. The delivery of lines was not forced and feels real. Both of the guy leads were charming and handsome. The songs were very catchy as well and it compliment every scene that they were put. I was totally mesmerize by it’s plot, it was well and carefully executed. I am donne watching it twice and won’t hesitate to watch it again.Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Life Changing Story
Every episode is packed with learning. It is not just a series but a series with value and context. It will teach you to appreciate things, value and give importance to yourself.Musical arrangement is perfect. Storyline is flawless close to reality. Acting is fluid almost perfect.
Everytime you rewatch it you will discover something new. The representation of the characters is commendable. No boring moments.
Equal rights for Everyone.
We'll be waiting for you outside when you're ready!
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A Series that has Depth
This is a story where it talks about the issues in and beyond the LGBTQ community, discrimination and oppresion by the society, where even inside the community we still experience this at some point. The fear of being judged by the people who are supposed to be the one uplifting us, as well as family, and co-members of the community. We've strived hard to be recognised and now we're taking back our untold stories of true to life issues and problems that most of us encounter.This is not a typical series whose storytelling is as blunt as the oversexualised series I've seen, this story actually uses metaphors, symbolisms etc. to make us ponder with the truth of reality where we still hide in fear of what's out there.
This series is a whole lot meaningful because it is written by a proud member of the community itself.
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The best representation of the LGBTQIA+ community
I have watched a lot of BL for having some representation but all of them always had homophobic and mysoginistic storylines so i was gonna give up on BL util i saw this...This is one of the beeest series i've ever seen: the story and the characters were were realistic and natural; it treats controversial themes like internalized homophobia, capitalism, mysoginy...; the music and the actors are amazing; the developpement of the story is natural but intrigating, nor slow nor fast. This series explores the feelings of two gay boys, one in the closet and one out the closet; it talks abouts their traumas, their hardships, their aspirations... all in a very romantic and beautiful way. Besides, it's full of methafors and analogies, it's really a masterpiece. I really recommend this series, it's gonna make you smile and cry, it's gonna make you want a relationship at the sime time that's gonma make you hate society. I think everyone should watch this so everyone would understand better what living in this society as being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community really is.
PD: I recommend you to read the comments in every episode in YT because people notice many beautiful methafors and simboligism and this makes the series 100 times better :)
Thank you so much for this series :)
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SOLID GSP
(Just copied it here, credits to the owner)Alright, so now I can finally write my real review of Gaya Sa Pelikula, when I first saw the trailer of Gaya, I knew I had to watch this series cause the trailer had so much packed into it but I was skeptical because I have seen so many series with like great trailers and the series would turn out to be absolute trash but that’s not what Gaya Sa Pelikula was.
IF YOU ARE READING THIS, I WOULD LIKE TO START WITH THE ENDING QUOTE OF GAYA
‘LIBERATING LOVE AND EQUAL RIGHTS, TO EVERYONE OF US, THE REAL FIGHT IS ON THE OUTSIDE. WE WILL WELCOME YOU WHEN YOU ARE READY’. This is the most important message of the series and what I want you to carry away with you
GENERAL REVIEW
Gaya is what I consider a real-life series, where it reflects actual real-life series. I am so glad it didn’t have any of the tropes you see in a lot of Thai series [I pointed out Thai because I have seen Taiwan doesn’t do this as much even Pinoy series don’t], like the ‘I am straight bro, but I just love you because mystical forces in the galaxy fell in the right places’, no, they gave me real gay characters, they gave me some hard truths about the coming out process, how some people saying the word ‘GAY’ or treat it like a taboo sometimes, they showed most of the fear and emotions that accompany coming, they didn’t paint it like this rosy path and all love, the internal conflict so many people face to come out and be themselves. Gaya was not another annoying jealousy storyline [eyes tharntype 2], it was a series that actually kept its cast small and made sure that no character was left undeveloped and they actually had a story to tell, one which they executed perfectly.
Gaya Sa Pelikula is the life story of you or someone you know; it feels really right from the get-go and everything done in it has a purpose and is very relatable. The story, cast, soundtrack, and acting are a heavenly match and have easily stepped up to become my best BL of 2020, in fact, I stopped characterizing this as a BL but a story about two people meeting and falling in love with each other, it almost emphasizes the fact that their story can be yours too.
Don’t get me wrong when I say I classify the story as a normal story, that’s not to take away from it as bl because they did definitely handle the theme of discovering one’s sexuality and oneself but it felt real to me. I almost don’t know how to explain. The cast members each had a story to tell, a different struggle to tell, a different perspective and it explored different backgrounds meeting and interacting with each other. Like the person who struggles with an identity crisis and a feeling of inadequacy [sometimes linked to their sexuality], the protective family member who sometimes oversteps certain boundaries to protect the one they love, the person with the happy smile all the time but comes from pain and struggle and how that influences their action, they might make you mad, they might have made you tear up a little, they may have made you happy or disagree with their actions but there was no wasted character, each had a purpose and honestly watching this while my day the series was like a balance, I didn’t have to deal with illogical jealousy from stupid exes kidnapping dogs for no absolute reason or trying to murder someone and everyone hugs it out at the end, no each character had a purpose and I loved that about them, that they felt real, they felt like actual people not some weird fantasy of some random person of what a BL feels likes.
CHARACTERS AND DIALOGUES
I feel the dialogues amongst the characters gave a lot of background to the characters and made them somewhat ‘real’ to me. So I would review the characters because of the dialogue they had, especially keywords or parts they said that had a lot of impact on me.
The lead characters, Karl and Vlad have such insane and beautiful chemistry, its mind-blowing, their flow is just so natural, they did not feel forced, which brought a lot to the story. To talk about the characters I would intertwine it with some key sentences and I would actually refer to this person on YouTube that made the best reviews after each episode [ if you check the comment section you would get what I mean]
Vlad is gay and open about it, he is outgoing, quite stubborn sometimes, and gives you this first impression of a rebel, but we come to see that he is this soft, cute loving guy, who is quite vulnerable and has been hurt before. Karl is someone who grew up with expectations and dreams of another placed on him, so he has never gotten the chance to be a person of his own and he is very reluctant to shake the status quo but, shortly after meeting Vlad, he becomes more courageous about his own person.
Here are some lines that I found remarkably interesting and telling of the series
1. ‘I will not be the plot device to trigger someone else’s identity crisis’
This line could honestly easily one of the most powerful lines in the series and one of the scenes that Gaya started to pull away from other series which give us this usual trope of, ‘YOU ARE DIFFERENT’ ‘YOU MAKE ME FEEL THINGS I CAN’T EXPLAIN’ ‘It is JUST YOU AND NO ONE ELSE EVER’, now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying there aren’t people that have only been with one person of the same gender, I mean my friend is an example but the fact that we have been overfed this trope in almost every series makes it tiring and annoying, SOTUS, Dark Blue Kiss, Water boy, Theory of Love, name the series, it is just like a back to back-feeding of being gay is not normal, a once in a living thing. I first loved the fact that Vlad was openly gay and proud of it. This line just held a lot of meaning to me. This line also showed me a little bit of Vlad’s history with the infamous ex that starts all his pain in the first place.
2. Do not be scared of the word, you can say it, it is not an insult, I do not mind
This line could easily be my most memorable line of the series, like if I could forget every single part of this series, I do not think I could forget those words ever in my life. This is basically I think what the LGBT community does not do on our own part sometimes, we do not educate and communicate and that was what Vlad did for Karl [I would focus more on this role in my review of my last few dialogues]. Communication and trust are the most key things in every relationship, and I appreciated how calm a reasonable Vlad was with Karl especially allowing/guiding him to come to terms ‘on his own terms’. This line kind of debunks how homophobia has changed the view of the word ‘gay’ or anything associated with it, as almost taboo, but this line presents Vlad has someone who has gone through it all and has arrived at a position that he loves, a representation that I loved.
3. I never said I was a perfect ally. I am still learning through this [I am actually not sure if this was the perfect quote but it was something along this line]
I know a lot of people were not fans of Judith, but I think she represented two important things, family as well as being an ally. Let me start with the ally part, I actually argued with someone about Judith’s role during the dinner and being an ally, but I linked it back to her statement in the past, now I am not excusing Judith for putting Karl on the spot, she crossed the line but at that moment, she was not being an ally but a sister rather, a sister who for the love of her brother wanted to protect him from heartbreak. What she right, we can debate that, but the truth is that is what a lot of family members would do, not just for their gay family member but for any family member. At the ending of everything she was a sibling first before an ally and the truth is that sometimes we are too quick to ‘cancel’ people for not being the perfect ally but honestly, I do not think we have a single perfect ally in the world, every ally is just learning at their own pace and the conditions that surround a particular ally of the community definitely impacts their behavior both past and present, Judith represents that, her change from someone that bullied Vlad with her words when she was younger and naïve to someone ready to protect him shows how a lot of families really process in real life. I feel she was a very necessary character to tie this together. Because Judith shows the potential of people to grow and for their mindsets to change, as well as what a single conversation can change
4. “I don’t know if I’m like you. I don’t even know who I am”
This statement perfectly represents Karl and so many people in the world, when we first meet Karl we understand that his image in the eyes of his parents is very important and we come to learn along the line, his parents stopped differentiating between him and his dead brother. He grew up carrying the burdens of living his brother’s life to make his parents, from a young age he never got to know who KARL FEDRICK ALMASEN was and this is representative of so many people, basically empty shells working around. I mean I am a law student, I have had the pleasure of having parents that have supported me through and through everything but I know so many friends in law school who were just there because their parents were judges or owned powerful law firms and the mere thought of disappointing their parents seemed like an impossible scenario. Many people in life don’t actually know who they really which made Karl’s struggle more real, cause he represented so many people who never got to know themselves, discover what they actually wanted, but the truth is that we need to all face those scary truths, at our own time but eventually we do and if we are forced to face them before it’s the right time, a lot of people will shut off to the world.
I think it was great that Karl was actually given the time to face what he needed to face at his own time [like I said I would treat their contrasts in the review of the last episode dialogues]. The truth is that it is scary to face the truth and we got showed that so many times in Gaya, but what is most important is that we move our own pace, we shouldn’t be forced to rush.
5. I don’t know if I can point to a specific quote to Anna and her child but I felt the need to mention, I think I would probably discuss it with Santi [contrasting Santi with Karl and Vlad]
Anna represents when a change comes into your life, how to accommodate that new change but at the same time not lose yourself, trying to balance out the new change to your entire life while maintaining you, cause sometimes, when you lose yourself, you start to hate that thing or person who changed you. Anna wasn’t abandoning her child with her getaway but making sure she was intact herself, that she was complete as a human, because how do you raise a child if there are parts of you that are fundamentally missing a part, you cannot give what you do not have, hence her actions would impact her child more than mere words [as we see is the pattern with so many families, kids tend to pick up the traits of their parents whether intentionally] and honestly I think every human deserves that tiny bit of greediness and self-love.
For Santi, he mentioned something about not growing up with love in the finale and it reminds me of the privilege that LGBT youth like myself that is in their 20s or younger enjoy. Things were not always like this, we genuinely need to appreciate that people fought to get to where we are and that’s why it bothers me a lot when my generation wants to throw away the work the older generation has done to get to where we are, I know they aren’t perfect, they have messed up majorly but we must also respect and recognize that people before us got us what we have not. I think that’s the problem we face majorly.
I genuinely loved that they didn’t waste any character, each character portrayed a lesson to me.
6. I am going to merge a bunch of statements from the finale
a. I know I am not doing anything wrong but why am I still afraid – Karl
b. I’m gay but I still can’t tell papa, I love Vlad but I am not as brave as him – Karl and Santi replied – Soon
c. I don’t want to be silent about my love, I want to be out there, I deserve it just like you deserve to take your time inside – Vlad.
d. Can we just stay here forever – Karl, I want to take you everywhere – Vlad
I think these statements basically carry the most basic story of the entire series and maybe the most important, everyone deserves to move on their own time and I think that is what made me love Vlad in the end realizing that Karl deserves to move at his pace while he himself didn’t have to give up what he deserved to fit someone else. I know a lot of people were a little disappointed by that ending but I think it was a beautiful ending because it appeared to me that both parties actually loved the other person but they truly were not on the same wavelength in terms of growth, the both realized they both had to make a compromise, not necessarily to the other person but to themselves. Karl listened to Anna to be out there, not ‘OUT’ but we get to appreciate that he is making an effort on his own term to be out there. This symbolizes he is taking baby steps until he’s ready to be out there.
Vlad on the other end also understood her deserved not to be someone’s secret [that is genuinely damaging sometimes, speaking from experience] but the most important thing was that he did not force Karl either, he chose to look out for him and be with him, not necessarily in a relationship but being there gave Karl the right support and strength to push forward and for me, that is what love actually is.
As I said, I love Gaya because it didn’t just give me two handsome guys and a lot of skinship, but everything was so well planned, I don’t know if there was a second of the series that was ‘irrelevant’ to the overall story and experience, everything came full circle [or is it cycle] at its own time, no story was rushed, no action was left unexplained, no scene was accidental or without purpose, which I think goes to show great writing on the side of the script. To be able to masterfully explore your script to its full extent and make sure, every single part was explained, the audience wasn’t left hanging on why a specific character acted a specific way, like Judith trying so hard to be there for Vlad because she was lowkey terrible to him as a child, the fact Vlad hated his hair being touched, honestly, I was just as surprised when they explained that it was because it was the last thing his dad did to him before she permanently left which made him feel like he had failed his purpose of saving a marriage, I WAS KUDOS TO THE WRITER, THIS MIGHT BE THE BEST WRITING POSSIBLE. As I said, no character, scene, or moment was wasted
They perfectly complement each other in the cast and characters, they somehow all just felt like the perfect balance, and the fact they never really left that single Unit/building is another mind-blowing thing, like, minus the car scene with Judith, I don’t think they left the building.
OST
I have never been someone that really cares about OST, I am rarely big on OSTs, they don’t really move me, but Gaya’s OST is the first series asides UMWA, history 3, where your eyes linger and the effect, where the OST perfectly fits every part of the series, it makes you feel their joy, pain, and every emotion... Like even if the series was utter trash, which it isn’t, the OST would carry it for me, like 5 songs from the OST made my top 200 songs of 2020, that’s how good it is. Several times I found myself just sobbing or in tears listening to the OST.
The people in charge of the music department were as brilliant as the actors, directors, producers
This was a series that was made with a purpose and they executed perfectly I am so grateful to everyone who was a part of this movement because you truly took us on a beautiful journey, one I would never forget, you made me care for people, made me happy, made me laugh, cry with someone in their pain if that is not arts at its best I don’t know what is. Thank you for bringing this to the world in a year as dark as 2020
IF YOU ARE READ THIS FAR, I WOULD LIKE TO END WITH THE ENDING QUOTE OF GAYA AGAIN
‘LIBERATING LOVE AND EQUAL RIGHTS, TO EVERYONE OF US, THE REAL FIGHT IS ON THE OUTSIDE. WE WILL WELCOME YOU WHEN YOU ARE READY’.
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE REVIEW AS MUCH AS I LOVED WRITING IT
BYE FOR NOW
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A Different Perspective
It’s interesting and cute but I have seen a lot of BLs and this is nowhere near as good as I read. First are we supposed to believe that they only have female friends. The females are really annoying. It’s so stereotypical. I like the two main characters and I understand they have issues to resolve but I find the female characters to be intrusive. What female just walks into a persons apartment, sees one in just a towel and acts as if it’s nothing. my five and six year old grandchildren know that’s not acceptable. And the older sister seems to go crazy thinking about the two guys. Telling the guys to kiss. She’s a grown woman. Too neurotic for me. As I said it’s a nice story but not as entertaining as so many others. There is a message there but it’s not really dealt with until the last two episodes. I did like the ending and the scenes with the two main leads were terrific. Some of the narratives sounded like speeches. I have a brain . I can figure out the obstacles without you telling me...and that’s what actors convey in their gestures and interaction. The music is okay. There is no tune that actually stands out. It’s just ordinary background music. Again this bl presented a different perspective which is relevant. But I don’t get the intrusive sister role. Maybe it’s acultural thing . I was allowed to make my own decisions as were my siblings and cousins. Our parents were open with their opinions and offered advice but in the end we were allowed
to make our own choices. But we were also taught never to judge. The sister was just a turn
off for me. Her phony accent was so irritating. I
would have preferred she spoke in her native tongue. Overall I see the good intentions which
is why I didn’t give a higher score.
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The best pinoy BL series that I have ever watched!
Yes!The best Pinoy BL series that I have ever watched! Ang ganda, relevant and relatable ang mga issues na natackle ng series, may attake( alam nila kung ano ang gusto nilang ipahiwatig sa pamamagitan ng pag representa ng ibat ibang detalye ng buhay ng isang pround gay, closeted gay, ally, etc), may puso(ang series na ito nagpapahiwatig ng pagmamahal ng dalawang lalake na ang pagmamahalan nila ay kasing dalisay rin ng pagmamahalan ng babae at lalake), may lalim(ang gaya sa pelikula ay minumulat ang mga realidad at sitwasyon ng mga taong naghihirap mapa sa buhay ng kani-kanilang mga pamilya or "sexual orientation". Bawat episode ay may aral na nakakataba ng pagiisip at puso. Mahusay! 👏👏👏😍 kinikilig habang natututo❤Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Didactic and a dud - not good, and it's all the fault of the scriptwriter...
There are only two good things about this overhyped, overrated, over-preachy BL/series: (1) the good-looking lead actors (Paolo tried his best but still needs a lot of learning in so far as acting skills is concerned; Ian's theater background helped him, although it really showed that his brand of acting, lacking cinematic nuance, is better for theater), and (2) the effort to showcase various musicians in the Philippines (although it would have been better if they took the effort to find musicians who can compose original music for it)There, those are the only good things. Here are the awful, bad things:
1) The script by the supposed scriptwriter, Juan Severo, is absolutely lacking in cohesion and direction. He may have based it in an online story he developed earlier, and though fans praise that piece, it doesn't necessarily mean that the said piece would effectively translate as basis for a series/mini-series. God knows how I gave this series a chance due to the self-serving releases of the big studio that funds it, that company Globe Studios owned by the giant Philippine telecoms company. You would imagine the promise this series must have to warrant such an investment from a huge studio. In short, I had absolutely high expectations, especially since the writer is supposed to be this acclaimed poet with a huge clout, actually an influencer. I expected no less than at the very least something really entertaining and something well-crafted. But no. I sat though FIVE EPISODES WITH NOTHING HAPPENING, UNBELIEVABLE. I thought, how dare these people waste my time! Five episodes with nothing but this couple fighting over dishes? Are you guys serious? And yet the hype machine of this influencer-writer and the studio that backed this project is even more unbelievable. And how about the director? He agreed to direct a series with nothing happening in more than half of its duration? Am I watching a BL or an absurdist play? It's either of two things - the writer is too spoiled and he can't be called out to revise his script, or he is surrounded by fools who have no idea where they are throwing their money at. By the time I reached the 6th episode, thank god something finally happened, there was that good moment of release from both characters, which led me to think that perhaps this BL/series would have worked if it were a short film, just that one episode to stand for the whole thing, And then there came the 7th episode where there was a retreat to a usual BL trope, the identity crisis, which is ill timed, after the leap and the progress that the 6th episode finally achieved. We regressed, and i was wondering how this scriptwriter would bring it back forward again. Eventually, by the 8th episode, it's obvious they just really want it to end in the usual ways they have been ending every lacking episode: with a placard declaration. This writer is not a scriptwriter, he is a slogan writer. He is incapable of developing rich characters with depth, unable to construct scenes that are engaging and concrete, but worst of all, he had the audacity not to be corrected or ask for help, or not even identify the loopholes in his script. I think he absolutely believed all his fans, rather scary in their being rabid (I saw them campaign to have negative reviews taken down), when they delude him in declaring that he created a "masterpiece." Really? Wow. And this from a scriptwriter who dare find loopholes in Thai BLs and other BLs in his own country, and even Thai BL actors. But again, I'd give it to him, he writes ok slogans, and at least he is vocal about the abusive politicians in his own country. He shouldn't be writing BLs or any scirpts for that matter. Better enrol in scriptwriting basics first.
2) Bad cinematography, bad set design, and super bad lighting. I watched all 8 episodes squinting because of the damn lighting! Are the cameramen and lighting men of this series impaired with eye defects that they could not discern how dark their sets are? Again, uneffingbelievable! It's like the whole thing was shot in a cave, it's so annoying! To aggravate the lighting situation, the set is too strange-looking, it is so damn hard to suspend one's disbelief seeing how weird the setting is: a loft, with rooms the size of full apartments? Wow. How big are these rooms exactly coz they look like they are big enough to be occupied by families. But it doesn;t end there, coz adding to the strangeness of the setting's dimensions is that staircase that leads to the loft, which would make you wonder - how huge is this building if there are other loft units like this that have rooms as big as party places? See, we don't even deserve to be having these problems anymore and just watch and enjoy - but how, when you got no solid narrative to hold on to? When all that is such a big deal for at least the first five episodes is who should wash the dishes? And then there's the super bad cinematography. Example, I remember one episode where that Judith character was kissed on the cheek by her brother - when Ian rose to reach her, he totally blocked the camera! And you do not make mistakes like this in filmmaking, because these are too basic, too amateurish. Didn't the big studio bosses see this? And if they did, again, why didn't they intervene? And how about the director yet again whose command responsibility it is to fix anything and everything that are not working?
3) The overall pretense of the entire project. Self-conscious, self-praising and self-reflexive. What the script lacked in basic effectiveness in scene-building and characterizations, it overcompensated with tricks like referencing hit movies, Thai BL actors in the end credits, and other such gimmickry such as post-episode online discussions with cast and staff which they called "banlaw sessions"; and what for? For explaining each episode? For fanning unfounded, blind and rabid hype? Remember - the biggest sign that a work failed is when it needs to be explained. A good film , a good work of art, any good creation can stand on its own. But not this one, precisely because it is not even art. It's just 8 sets of 20-minute long drivels that refer to itself as important because it's supposed to be reclaiming the gay narrative? It seems that the powerful and clout-bearing scriptwriter also forgot that those things don't need to be brandished nor used as marketing tactics - you inject your message subtly into your work, not forcefeed it into people and yapping about it by getting characters to just mouth the declarations in unfounded scenes. I feel bad the most for its supposed market, its supposed audience, because they have been gravely tricked with this really lousy piece of script, so full of loopholes that just makes it easier for them to just fill in themselves. It's like a case of, as another viewer-friend pointed out, the audience just projecting what they want to see into it, because they've already been manipulated into liking it despite its mediocrity.
There, I got nothing more to say about this series which i am sure I will easily forget. If you have been lucky enough not to be tricked, don't worry, I swear you are not missing anything. Just read the wattpad version, or better yet just watch that one ok episode, episode 6. Believe me you don't need to waste your time on the before and afters. And as for its messianic self-important claims that it reclaims the gay narrative, that's a laugh. There are so many other gay narratives out there which do better in delivering their messages, seek those instead, there's so many of them, and definitely more worthy of your precious time.
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Best BL I have seen for the entire year.
GSP is one of those shows where that you can relate to as part of the LGBTQ+ community. It is not oversexualized and the couple is not hetero normalized that some BL's unfortunately portray. It reflects the reality of coming out, accepting ones self, and society.Actors and characters are loveable. side Characters are amazing! Music is the bom and made me fall inlove with OPM all over again! And it is easily one of the shows I would recommend to anyone.
The only thing that bothers me with this show is that it is short. And hoping for season 2 or a movie. Give this show a chance and you would not regret it.
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Tell Your Story To The World
This series has so much going for it. It is an important narrative about a man who is out and proud and another who is still figuring out what his truth is.I have to say, hype can be dangerous and I was nervous about this one, but from the moment it started to the finish line, it was beautiful. There is so much to love about this. LITM is not the classic "I'm not gay, I just like you" trope that is so often found in BL's these days. While the show mainly takes place in the apartment, every scene feels true and powerful. They confront real issues in the LGBTQ+ community while telling the gradual love story of these two boys. The side characters get their own brief stories that still carry an impact. The music is beautiful, and honestly one of my favorite soundtracks to date as each song was different and perfect for the coinciding scene.
The acting is so spot on. It might be because I have been both Vlad and Karl, but their roles and acting hit hard in the best way. I spent the whole time either grinning, crying, or both. Everyone in here plays such an important role and delivers a truly solid performance. This is going to make you feel something, and it is going to do it well.
All in all, I highly recommend if you're looking a BL (or anything really) that has something more beneath the surface. This is a simple yet beautiful watch.
And last, but not least. Be true to yourself. The real fight is on the outside. We welcome you when you're ready.
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