Marahuyo Project is not your typical BL or queer series. it presents itself as a queer "barkada" (friend group) series which explores the lives of each of the people in this "barkada." As queer person who grew up with different barkada series like TGIS, GIMIK, Tabing Ilog (Filipino shows) or Saved By The Bell, Sweet Valley High. Dawson's Creek, I have always wanted a series involving a queer young adults going through their trials and tribulations. The only criticism that I would have with this concept is that, I wish it gave use more time to explore more of the lives of each character. Since the series only has 8 episodes, even though we get an (ongoing) resolution to their main plot, I believe that I would enjoy it even more if we had more time to see what other stories are within the lives of each character we well.

Story:
The story of homophobia and general hate towards the LGBTQIA+ community and the fight to be heard is not new. What the Marahuyo Project did was to weave a story that involves a lore on why there is such hate towards what they called "sirenas" (mermaids). Much to the point that they do not even utter the name, just like Voldermort. It added more to the story and gave a bit of mystery to the plot. I also like the idea that instead of using the word "bakla" (gay), they focused on the term "sirena". Sirena/Mermaids, like terms for bakla/gays in the Philippines, would have a different meaning, depending on who you are speaking to. Typically mermaids are beautiful and magical creatures, but in olden times, they are considered as monsters and give bad luck or curses. It's not any different to the word "bakla" (gay in Filipino), where it's usually used as a derogatory term, and only now being in a way celebrated. As I expected, they would not be able to fully resolve everything in 8 episodes, because just like in real life, homophobia and hate is not easily defeated. They did leave the viewers on a positive note, where they emphasized on being seen and letting people know that we as queers do not mean any harm, we just wan to live.

Acting: (I will only focus on the main group, but the other actors were superb as well)
Adrian Lindayag as King - King's character came as such an enigma, not just to the people in the series, but also to the viewers. I love how he played the role very naturally and added a bit of light, to the somewhat heavy story. The confidence and overzealousness that he had did start as being annoying, but the more we got to know him, he showed that it was a product of him finding himself and reacting to how the world is around him. Adrian's expressions really made this character dynamic and made us want to root for him, because this character can easily be very exhausting. My favorite parts are when he breaks the 4th wall, when he becomes even more like himself because he was speaking with us.
Neo France Garcia as Ino - At first, I was worried that he did not look like the typical leading man, but as I watched through the episodes, he exuded this amazing charm that really pulled me in. He initially was the typical "tsundere" type, although he initially did not seem too confident about it. It does make you realize that, it was just a facade that he had, to hide the fear and curiosity that he had. Neo's boyish expressions makes you endeared to him, especially how he pouts like a little boy, but speaks with conviction.
Nour Hooshmand as Lorie - Lorie is your cool popular pretty girl at school. She always shows confidence and you can see a bit of mischievousness in her eyes. Nour was able to show her strength and vulnerable side, especially with her moments with Lili. That moment after Lili kissed her was the first time you would see confusion from her.
Yani Villarosa as Lili - I've been following Yani for quite a while through her "Basic Bitch Review" videos. I've always found her as the funny cool girl, so seeing how she played Lili really impressed me. She gave justice to the emotional turmoil that Lili was going through, and was able to give an amazing performance given the weight of her role.
AJ Sison as Archie - Archie's character clung to religion due to his fear which in the end also became his prison. It's easy to hate a character like Archie, but AJ as able to show the pain in the eyes of his character. His relationship with Venice was so special, and I lived for their moments together. I do wish they added a bit of acknowledgement on why he was always scratching his neck that it already turned red. I guess they wanted us to think that it was due to his stress/anxiety, but one of my friends already thought he was sick, hehehe.
Ian Villa as Venice/Bienvenido - Venice initially presents herself as the comic relief character, and for the most part she is. Where Ian shines as Venice are with the moments with Archie, where Venice serves as the more mature and caring friend. Ian was able to bring light and brightness to the role, but also serves as the heart of the series for me.

I would say that it was not the most revolutionary series out there, but it was able to showcase a moment in the lives of queer youth, that was not to heavy handedly done, and gives hope for the future of the queer community of the Philippines.

I would have given it a perfect 10, only if there was a promise of a second season. Fingers crossed.