Kumusta Bro (2020)

Kumusta Bro? (2020): An Experimental Interactive Pinoy BL Series

“Kumusta Bro?” was the first of its kind: an experimental live and interactive digital Filipino (Pinoy) boys’ love (BL) series. It’s different. But different doesn't always equate to good. Because of its experimental interactive format, this Pinoy BL series lacked cohesion and focus in both form and content. Interactions with the Kumu app commenters/subscribers were distracting which hindered the overall narrative of this series.

Earlier in the season, there were promises of something more with mentions of the effects of the pandemic, questions about gender identities and sexual orientations, and struggles with mental health, but later on, the plot/storyline of this series was reduced to a silly and thoughtless tangled web of love and relationship among the main characters with lots of live confessions. Without reference to any consent, these awkward live revelations really felt invasive.

The free-flowing screenplay was circuitous. Some lines were long and repetitive. And some dialogues were corny and cringy. Screenplay was also preachy at times.

Acting and chemistry fluctuated throughout the season. Sometimes the main cast members were fully engaged but other times they looked bored with very low energy. Acting was generally overdramatized. The experimental interactive format exposed the weaknesses of the main cast members. Kristof’s acting was bland and felt scripted while Sky’s acting was monotonous and lacked range. RJ and Allen were generally ok but were bogged down by the tedious script. Rapport among the main characters was inconsistent. Even with all the tiresome crying, none of the main characters commanded any empathy. They weren’t relatable enough. The series was such a waste of talent. The actors deserved better.

Audio-visuals were problematic. There were instances, including during the premiere and the finale, when internet feed was disconnected. These instances were to be expected given the poor internet connectivity in the Philippines which makes you question the appropriateness of producing an experimental interactive Pinoy BL series. Sound was sometimes choppy. The soundtrack “Takot Lang” (Only Fear) by Brian Aquino was at least catchy.

Given all these, I would only recommend “Kumusta Bro?” as a backgrounder for those who plan to watch its upcoming full narrative series (if the producer, Firestarters Studios, pushes through with it). But if the plot/storyline and performance are generally the same with this experimental interactive Pinoy BL series, even with improvements in production, I would advise against watching even the planned full narrative series. It wouldn’t be worth it.

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Nice Rapport Between Leads, But Interactive Component Hinders...

Another pinocy BL with virtual calls that is heavily inspired by GameBoys with its characters being quite similar. The bashful with the player. Kumusta Bro? literally began the same way with someone livestreaming and bringing on a guest to co-host or to challenge and the guest turns out to be a pretty blunt flirter. I do must sat that the two leads, Thirdy and Bench are both quite attractive though, especially Bench! However, the interactive component of the series does hinder the series as whenever Thirdy or Bench refer to the viewers, it interrupts the flow of the story and bloats the running time. All in all, the first episode was quite dull. Though there were some good moments in the middle where Thirdy and Bench were just talking to one another, joking around with one another and insulting one another. It is clear that they do have a nice rapport going on. I hope that the challenge will help to further their relationship as it seems like Bench will fall for Thirdy hard and hopefully, Thirdy will fall back...

I actually quite liked Episode 2, which was far better than the first episode. There were several moments of kilig and the interactive component felt more natural and less forced. I LOVE Thirdy and Bench together. Their chemistry is on point and they look great together. The game of Spit or Strip was highly entertaining (seeing Bench shirtless was :P lol) and propelled the story along, revealing a bit more about each of the ML's. I am intrigued about the cliffhanger which seemed to show the possibility of another former classmate who will try to pursue Thirdy, which will make Bench jealous and I am here for that!

I actually enjoyed the first two episodes, but Episode 3 was quite a bore. Even the introduction of a love triangle with the character of Dean didn't really interest me. I'll continue to watch though to see if (hopefully) the next episode will be better.

Episode 4 started off with a conversation between Thirdy and Dean, which although enlightening as we get to know more about Dean, was ultimately too overlong and a bit dull. However, when Bench came into the livestream, the pacing quickly picked up as there was immediate tension between Bench and Dean, both vying for the affections of Thirdy. Of course, I am Team Bench. I absolutely LOVE him! He was the first one and he's just so emotional with his heart on the line, not being afraid to show his feelings and love for Thirdy. I LOVE that! It's unfortunate for Dean because he is also a good guy who just wants a chance to fulfill his years-long dream of getting with Thirdy, but he did come later and his chemistry with Thirdy isn't as kilig. I'm excited for the next episode to see how Thirdy will respond to Bench's confession!

Episode 5 was a bit slow as Bench kinda disappeared though the conversation between Thirdy and Dean was nice. It seemed like Thirdy was really liking Dean. What Bench did, by inviting Dean's ex into the livestream was an *sshole move though. I didn't like that.

Episode 6 was quite dull and overlong to be honest. The conversation with Dean was unnecessary but at least Dean confessed that he's loved Thirdy since high school. Hopefully, the next episode is better.

Disappointed that Thirdy didn't end up choosing anyone to be with at the end. I was rooting for him to get together with Bench (even Dean would've been nice). What's the point of calling it a BL if there is no actual boys love? And what's up with Cerwin? Why is he so popular? He's so dull like watching paint dry. He can't even act and doesn't even try to act, unlike Thirdy, Dean and Bench who all give their best.

All in all, Kumusta Bro was a decent BL. It showed promise in the beginning but had too much filler in its episodes and the interactive component hindered the storyline. The actors who played Thirdy, Dean and Bench all did a good job though and I would love to see him in actual BL productions!

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