Pinoy BL Series
Thailand
Episode 7: Captive*Tender was an intriguing episode. Being the penultimate episode, this was a good set up for the finale. The steamy scene was nicely done. But who's the poser pretending to be Pre? My bet's on Seph, lol. Script was mostly ok with lines delivered naturally. Acting was largely fine. And production technicals were solid. I'm looking forward to the finale!
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How I Let You Go Episode 1
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Promoted as "not a typical BL series," I can't help but ask, is this even a boys' love (BL) series? Will there be some kind of romance at least? A plot/storyline about a boy lamenting about letting go of his love for another boy (who weren't even shown on Episode 1: Online Class), can hardly qualify as a BL series. But I'll suspend my judgment until the finale. Anyway, given the seemingly unrelated scenes, this episode felt a bit disjointed. Screenplay didn't really excite. Fortunately, Harold's acting was decent. Audio-visuals need massive improvements. While not originally composed for this series, I liked the soundtrack "Siguro" (Maybe) by Chierald Tan. All in all, I hope this series gets better in succeeding episodes.
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My Chinito Prince Episode 3
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As implied by the title of Episode 3: You are Mine, this episode was about possessiveness, as it pertained to Prince and Rain's attitude toward Niko. Jealousy was in the air. Aside from the corny dialogues, screenplay had lines that made me uncomfortable. The use of the concept of "pag-aari" (ownership) with regards to relationships didn't sit well with me. But if it's any consolation, by the end of this episode, at least Niko and Prince's relationship has a label now. They're now boyfriends, yey! Lj and Xerxes looked fine together. Acting-wise, Lj, Xerxes, Axl, and Edz were all good on this episode. Audio-visuals still need improvement but they were better than the previous episodes. I'm really looking forward to next week's episode.
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Wheel of Love: Weekend to Remember Episode 8
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Episode 8: Happy Birthday, Martina! was a solid finale episode. Most of the issues were resolved on this episode. Sure I would wanted more of Markie and Daniel together but at least Romeo and Jenevie had a happy ending. As for Miguel, he's forgiven, lol. While there were lines similar to Gameboys and My Extraordinary that made them feel unoriginal, the screenplay, for the most part, was quite good. It was conversational and relatable enough with some fine dialogues. Acting was largely on point. The actors, especially Enzo, delivered. Production design, cinematography, musical scoring, sound engineering, and editing were alright. By the way, thanks to this series for always acknowledging this account, Pinoy BL Series, on their post-credits. Overall, I liked how this series concluded.
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Diving Into Love Episode 8
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Episode 8: Unspoken Words was a terrible ending for this series. The plot/storyline didn't really go anywhere. Everything felt rushed. Screenplay had cringy lines. Acting was passable though. And production technicals were mostly alright. Overall, this was a disappointing finale episode.
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Substantive and technical issues remained but Episode 13 was at least tolerable. Art and Mack's relationship progressed on this episode. Their shirtless kissing scene was steamy, lol. There were also nice Win and Spencer moments. Screenplay was mostly dull. Excluding the shirtless kissing scene, acting for most scenes was dry. Audio-visuals were still weak. Last two episodes!
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Worth the Wait Episode 2
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Even with the repetitive scenes, Episode 2 was still better than the pilot episode in terms of plot/storyline. At least Ethon and Martin's relationship seemed to be going somewhere on this episode. I actually liked their dynamics on this episode. Their power play was amusing and they looked cute together. But this episode wasn't all good. There were dialogues that suggested sexual harassment (delivered by Asia) and sexual grooming (uttered by Direk T) that made me uncomfortable. Also, screenplay had too many unvarying lines. Acting was mostly ok though. Production technicals were better than the premiere episode. All in all, this was an improvement from the previous episode.
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My Chinito Prince Episode 2
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Episode 2: Love Hurts concentrated on several new characters. There are just too many of them! My fear is that this series will lose focus because of its preoccupation with these new characters. This season was supposed to be about Prince and yet, nothing interesting happened to him on this episode. Script had repetitive lines and corny dialogues. Acting was still a hit-or-miss. Some of the actors like Lj, Edz, and Vergel were natural enough with their performances while others like Xerxes, Arjay, and Axl were a bit tentative with some of their scenes. Production technicals need improvement. Overall, this wasn't a solid episode. I hope the next episode is better.
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With all the boys' love (BL) clichés and tropes on this series, it's obvious it's derivative. But the problem with this series is the execution. A lot of things are just poorly executed on this series. Episode 12 moved forward with respect to Art and Mack's relationship. At least they're now officially together even with Aileen trying to mess things up. On the other hand, there's a new female character out to ruin Khel and Sai's relationship. Screenplay had preachy lines and corny dialogues. Acting wasn't on point at times. Production technicals were the same as previous episodes. Three episodes left!
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Destined/Fated Episode 5
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The reason why Lawrence helps Nico was revealed on Episode 5: Shadows of the Past. Sadly, there's deception involved. Also on this episode, Chubby experienced abuse from Charles yet again. Overall, it's good that the plot/storyline progressed on this episode. Screenplay was mostly ok. But the delivery of lines wasn't always on point. Some of the actors were a bit tentative with their performances. Audio-visuals were still weak. For next episode, I'm looking forward to Chubby finding out about Charles and Stacy's affair.
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This isn't a super spectacular series but it's a good enough series that I feel will keep me interested. Episode 2 introduced the some of the supporting cast members while giving the two lead cast members, Gino and (the always shirtless, lol) Alex, adequate focus. Yes, Alex and Gino weren't endearing yet but I'm hopeful that with appropriate character development and relationship development, they'll grow on me. Script was conversational with a few funny lines. Acting was alright. Production technicals were fine. Overall, this was a solid episode.
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Destined/Fated Episode 4
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The pace of Episode 4: Unwind X Scandal was still too slow for my liking. Lawrence and Nico's relationship development was still hard to come by. But at least there's a change of scenery. Script was alright. Acting, especially by the supporting cast members, was mostly fine. Issues with production technicals remained. Given the preview, for the next episode, I'm curious what happens to Chubby.
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Destined/Fated Episode 3
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Episode 3: Lies & Deceit was more about Chubby than Lawrence and Nico. While I'm intrigued where Chubby's subplot/secondary storyline will go especially given Stacy's betrayal, I'm growing impatient with the main plot/storyline. Lawrence and Nico's relationship should have some progress at least. Screenplay for this episode was alright. Acting was tolerable. But audio-visuals were still weak. Hopefully the next episode will focus on Lawrence and Nico.
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Destined/Fated Episode 2
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Does Lawrence have a messianic complex? I still can't believe he welcomed Nico to his home just like that. Anyway, Episode 2: Hope & Heart Breaks still suffered from the weaknesses of the pilot episode although there were some improvements. Plot/storyline progressed with some character backgrounds for Lawrence and Nico. I also liked that there's a subplot/secondary storyline for Chubby. Script was mostly ok. Acting was passable. Production technicals especially editing, including scene transitions, need to be cleaner. Overall, I hope this series continues to improve on succeeding episodes.
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Destined/Fated Episode 1
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While I appreciate that most low budget Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series at least try to represent characters from the low income class of Philippine society, most of them actually fail to provide just representations. Some of them even contribute to furthering stereotypes about poor people. It remains to be seen if this series will be another one of those failures. Episode 1: Piece of Paper introduced the two lead characters, Nico and Lawrence. It was weird for Lawrence to just offer his residence to Nico, a snatcher, whom he just met. Related to this, screenplay had lines that defied common sense. But it was conversational enough for the most part with some sensible dialogues. Obviously newbies, JC and Lawrence need improvement on their acting. Audio-visuals were mostly amateurish. All in all, I hope this series gets better on the next episodes.
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