Quaranthings (2020)

Quaranthings the series

Durante o período mais severo da pandemia de Covid-19, no mundo inteiro as produções artísticas foram afetadas. Com isso, as Filipinas trouxeram uma inovação, que foram as séries gravadas mostrando pessoas em confinamento, iniciando com a primeira temporada de Gameboys e seguindo com dezenas de outras produções, algumas de baixíssimo orçamento, com atores fracos ou medianos, e outras bem elaboradas,com bom roteiro e produção que fizeram bastante sucesso. Uma dessas últimas foi “Quaranthings the series”, que conta a história de como os mundos totalmente opostos de Rocky e Judah se encontram e se fundem.
Eu, enquanto expectadora, creio ser bem difícil conseguir um produto de qualidade diante das circunstâncias em que a série foi gravada, por isso eu não tenho críticas negativas a essa série. Apesar de não longa, a produção conseguiu fazer plausível a rapidez com que os dois rapazes se relacionaram, desde o primeiro dia, utilizando suas dores pessoais que já existiam antes do confinamento, que agora estavam agravadas pela solidão, pela saudade e carência, para fazer com que a aproximação fizesse sentido para os expectadores. Antes eles estavam imersos em seus problemas e sozinhos, agora podiam contar um com o outro e o resto (romance) foi consequência.
Recomendo a série, que além de tudo mostra a desconstrução do personagem Rocky, o famoso hétero top, que falava em ser gay como ser um alienígena, e aos poucos foi se permitindo, abandonando seus preconceitos até se entregar ao amor após seu árduo processo de auto-aceitação.

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Quaranthings: The Series (2020): An Underrated Top-Tier Pinoy BL Series

“Quaranthings: The Series” deserves a higher rating than its current My Drama List (MDL) rating. It’s definitely underrated. In eight episodes, it has consistently proven that it’s a top-tier Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series.

In terms of plot/storyline, “Quaranthings: The Series” never lost track of what it's all about throughout its entire run. It’s about two boys from different class, economic, and educational backgrounds who developed love for each other while on community quarantine because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Personal and social contexts were clear with real-life issues like gender identities and sexual orientations, family relationships, economic difficulties, and challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Class and gender, and to a certain extent, even religious consciousness were explicit on this series. Character background and character development for flawed characters Judah and Rocky were solid. Pace was terrific. Each episode contributed to the unfolding of the plot/storyline. And there weren’t any dull moments from this series. I did have some issues with some of the scenes (e.g. drunk sex scene) but all in all, I enjoyed most of the scenes. Most of the loose ends with regard to Judah's grandmother and mother, Rocky’s father and family, Kyo’s relationship with Glenn, and Kyo and Rocky’s relationship were resolved. Even with all the emotional rollercoasters throughout its season, in the end, we did get our happy ending!

Screenplay was relatable and well-balanced with enough cute, funny, and naughty lines and with sufficient dramatic and socially sensitive dialogues. There were relevant political commentaries as well. Highlighting its social consciousness, it had non-preachy socially sensible lines about being poor (“It's hard to be poor in this country;” “It’s easier to be true to yourself when you don’t have to worry about money;” “When you’re poor like us, there are so many limitations. There’s so much internal conflict”), homophobia (“Do you have some type of internalized homophobia?;” “Homophobia is so outdated”), sexual harassment (“I hate people who sexually harass others”), religious gay conversion therapy (“She was planning to send me to some Christian conversion retreat like I’m some sin that can be prayed away”), being gay (“Dad, remember when I said there’s someone very important to me? This is him, Dad. This is Judah. Dad, I’m gay”), etc.

Acting was generally natural especially the performance of Royce, who’s a magnificent specimen of a man -- really handsome and sexy! Royce never overacts. Everything’s just right with his acting. Kyo, a cute newbie, was alright especially in portraying an unapologetically queer character. He was on point in a lot of scenes but he was also flat in a few scenes. But he did improve a lot and towards the end of this series, he had very strong dramatic performances. Both Kyo and Royce made me shed lots of tears. They had good chemistry together. I relished the banter between them and I loved their intimate moments. The sex scene was tastefully done but I would have preferred less camera tricks on the kissing during that sex scene. The kiss during the finale was a bit tamed but it was sincere and heartwarming. The supporting cast members especially Karl and Jan were fine.

Production design, camera work, and editing were done using simple techniques but were executed cleanly. I love that there's an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez photo, Martin Luther King Jr. quote, and Thai BL series posters. I'm actually impressed with how they're able to make do with their limited budget. I’m still intrigued by the meanings of those phallus-depicting paintings in the living room though. Audio was uneven. I love Karl’s rendition of the soundtrack “Sansinukuban” (My Universe) and it was perfectly incorporated on the episodes throughout this season. The soundtrack “Ipu-Ipo” (Whirlwind) performed by Kyo also sounded good.

Overall, I would certainly recommend rewatching “Quaranthings: The Series.” With its solid plot/storyline, largely natural acting performance, and mostly clean production, it’s quite underrated. It’s a top-tier Pinoy BL series and I hope it gets appreciated for how excellent it really is.

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Quaranthings of feelings

This review is intended to share a subjective opinion. In no way is this meant to sway anyone from watching it.

This drama from the Philippines follows the story of two boys "quarantined" in their shared apartment becasue of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While we have been sort of saturated with multiple BL/GL stories from the Phillipines with the COVID-19 backdrop as a main story point, I am grateful that every single one I've watched has exceeded my expectations.

Quaranthings may be the one that seems to have the lowest "production budget" amongst all of the BLs that have come out recently, but that doesn't mean they suffer from bad script or story.

I personally love the complexity of Judah's character and the nuance that the actor brought to him. Many viewers may dislike Judah and dimiss him as a brat, but his range in emotions and his development throughout the story is quite refreshing and relatable.

Rocky's struggles with his sexuality is palpable through some of the scenes.

Honestly, there were some things that could have been left out (like Glenn's scene at Judah's place) to give more time to develop Rocky's story IMO.

Overall, this is a good drama to watch.

The title is aptly named Quaranthings, because these boys Quarantine more than just their bodies from the pandemic,they also Quarantine their feelings.

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IF YOU’RE A HARDCORE BL FAN, YOU MIGHT NOT ENJOY THIS SHOW.

Now I know there are those types of people who’s hard to get, yeah? But then there’s Judah! OMG the audacity of that guy!! Hahaha Rocky, you poor thang!! You’ll get what I mean when you watch the last 3 episodes.

I won’t say much like I usually do in reviews because I wasn’t so invested in my reactions towards this series. The leads didn’t really have the chemistry. There were some great lines on the script but it was jeopardized by how it was said. It just didn’t feel real to me. I felt like watching a project of some 4th year students who is desperate to graduate so they just had to make do with what they had to get this show over with.

Anyway, I’m glad there were just 8 episodes and not a minute more. If this show was the first bl show I’ve ever watched and had nothing to compare it to, I would’ve rated this higher.

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A Nice Watch

Another COVID Philippines show. By now, I thought I wouldn't get over this plot being used, but nope, I still love it. A plot where there's danger outside so you have to stay inside with the person you like? Yes, please. I had fun watching this series, it did have its bad moments, but for the most part, I liked it.

Let's Dive In.

My favorite character would have to be Judah. I loved his little sassy attitude that he had, and his character was just really funny without trying to be. The only part that I didn't appreciate is the way he was so calm and cute with Rocky, and then the next day he becomes obsessed with Rocky and starts to court him. It felt like a completely different person. There was no need for him to become a weird creepy person, could if I was Rocky, I would be freaked out too. But, it did get better by the end. Judah had said this quote that I loved (but, sadly cannot remember) and it was about why people started liking him when it was too late. It was a beautiful moment, and it is literally sewn into my brain.

Overall, this was a decent series, and I do recommend a watch.

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Sneaky good

Not the greatest production value, in depth main characters, cute as Fuq, and a fairly realistic plot that didn't suffer from the "ok we get it their opposites " being dragged out which was nice

+ well developed emotions + no uneeded plot points + natural flowing
- Audio issues - character background - annoying secondary characters

Kyo (Judah) and Royce (Rocky) paired so well. Their together scenes felt natural and truly caring and cute. They delivered 10/10 emotions and made me really care for them. Royce continues to deliver in other rolls he's since played.

You genuinely felt them really developing and really delivering on truly positive and real world LGBTQ+ Issues that felt authentic.

I wouldn't hate a sequel to this at all and it was very non toxic tropes which is why it's so rewatchable. Really delivered as a BL and contributed to pinoy BL's understanding you don't need massive budgets to deliver fantastic results.

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Really Well Done BL

The BL genre has exploded and there have been a bunch of low budget series that are thrown together but this is not one of them. What I liked is that it tackled some really tough issues really well. It was short and sweet but not full of a lot of fluff. The productions quality was decent for a simple series. The chemistry was okay but good enough to be an enjoyable watch. The secondary characters are not really developed but developed enough. Not sure if they will do a season 2 but I would watch it if they did. I really enjoyed this series. I thought the title was tacky and initially passed up this series but was glad I circled back around. It's a recommended watch for me.

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Subtly complex, subtly dark, subtly wise

"Quaranthings" was unexpectedly fantastic! The cast wasn't too large, and the sets were minimalist (mostly all set in the same apartment). The soundtrack wasn't particularly groundbreaking, but it did its job.

The story started off super cute and fluffy, but things quickly got real! Judah is a gay guy who recently came out, Rocky is a gay guy who is still closeted, which means they both deal with a ton of emotional and social baggage. Trouble ensues, and it's not pretty. Ultimately, the story is about how heteronormative society and the closet create young queer people without direction or interpersonal skills, and about how communication and honesty are important in any relationship. It's a story about emotional immaturity, and the path towards emotional and social health. "Quaranthings" is heart-touching, beautiful, enjoyable, and painful all at the same time!

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NICE, THOUGH PREDICTABLE

I enjoyed this series. I watched for Royce Cabrera who amazed me with his star turn in Fu*&Bois. He and the other hot Pinoy BL star Kokoy De Santos were great in that movie (especially the climactic scene... wow!) So I had to check this one out.

I like these Covid-based storylines. Sweet, simple with some real life drama thrown in. It's actually the perfect reason for 2 disparate characters to be thrown together. And it's perfect for short-form series. I'm a huge fan of HELLO STRANGER - and GAMEBOIS is also quite strong (thanks primarily to Kokoy). This pandemic may have a positive impact on storytelling.

This series is very predictable. Lots of familiar tropes. I'm getting a little tired of "Truth or Dare" episodes and this series uses it more than once. Many things don't make complete sense, especially "straight" Rocky's willingness to go along with his flamboyantly gay roommate on so many occasions. Massage me, let me court you, let's have sex (filmed beautifully). It was a bit convenient and contrived. - The big revelation that comes in Episode 8 was quite a surprise. I didn't see it coming at all. So on that front, I wasn't sure if it was properly set-up. But it did make those contrived moments feel more understandable. So why didn't they set them up better?

Royce was fantastic! This guy is such a strong actor, such incredible charisma. SO HOT. Kyo Aquino, unfortunately, is much MUCH weaker. It felt a bit more forced, deer-in-the-headlight moments. He gets better as the series progresses, but still wish for Royce's equal beside him. The grandmother was not good at all. Beshie was a fun character and the actor played it naturally. And Glenn, the ex, was only mediocre.

Since it's a quick, light piece of familiar fluff, I would watch this again. Check it out.

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Could have been so much better

The show isn't bad. The first episode holds soooo much promise. I understand it's a BL some hardcord fans may not like, which is the reason why the first few episodes are great. It seems to hint that the main love story is between a cis-straight man and an openly gay man, a relationship that's common in the Philippines. Had it ended up tackling that instead of what it tackles, the show could have been so much better. The actors are fine; Kyo and Royce are good actors (Royce is the better one between the two, though the script doesn't ask a lot from him), and there are points where you can feel the chemistry between the two of them. I'm surprised how much I liked the first five or so episodes given how we mostly just see the main characters and no one else., but it gets boring after a while. Still, good effort, still worthy of a watch.

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what a rocky (hA) road

what a seemingly interesting start brought about an underwhelming ending. this had sO much potential!!!

what went wrong?
-judah's character became infuriating to watch.... i understand he doesn't have any experience with love or relationships but it was painful to see a well written character (at the start) become so desperate and have no character development. invading the guy's privacy, taking pics of rocky without his consent and then when rocky is actually trying to figure things out (his sexuality; not knowing anything and wanting to understand), judah pushes rocky away. you do know that all of the things happening is hella new to rocky? instead of talking things out properly and explaining to him, it's all dragged out into this dramatic mess.

-the background music is sometimes annoying. this is an irrelevant point. please read the next one.

-the ending. oh the ending.
soooo.... are we supposed to believe that they fixed everything after playing truth and dare games? i honestly would've preferred to see them part ways for a bit, perhaps figure their own shit out first and when they're mentally ready, we see them meet up again. yes, it's cliche but that would've made sense lol.
they legit just threw a happy go lucky rainbow ending. it all moved so fast... rocky coming out to his dad with so much ease... rocky and judah meeting lolly... when the heck did judah and lolly make up??? also, why didn't we get to see what convo went down at lolly's house?

overall, i'm quite disappointed as it had a promising start. i guess nice things don't last long?

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A great series that I love to watch

This series is good when there's none to watch. I like the cast it's just plain and simple. This series showcases the usual fear of someone coming out as an LGBTQ+ especially another person demeaning LGBTQ+ as unlovable and they should better be straight. This series deserves attention because it's well-made and good without going through some extreme plot twists. It's just that they are in an apartment during lockdown having talk with each other to pass the time until they caught feelings with each other. The series is good behind the simplistic production it gives us. The OST is good and freely appreciated. I had a good time watching this series (I could admit that I have an urge of binge-watching it each time each episode ends). The end is satisfying because all of the problems were neatly fixed without leaving a scrap that viewers might see as a problem. This is hella good but still underrated.

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