Mahal kita (I love you)

This film is indeed a long time coming. Being born from the initial outbreak and lockdown in the Philippines, Gameboys is an inspiring piece of work that reminds us that even through great adversity, love and family are still the most powerful things we have.

The film is a fabulous mix of the camera style we got to love from the original series, while also expanding upon it with scenes where our beloved characters are seen actually together in person. The obvious juxtaposition of the movie from the original series is just amazing to see, while the cinematography and the obvious regard of color theory was just exquisite. Its production is the opposite of disingenuous to its fans, and we loved to see it.

The story is a direct sequel to the events of the original series. We see Cairo and Gavreel, along with Pearl and a few not so surprising characters, go through the brief time the main couple is allowed before Cairo leaves for Bukidnon. And of course, along the way, there has to be some drama. And drama it was. Makes-you-want-to-punch-someone-on-the-face level of drama, but best you check that out on your own. ;)

Highlights include the character developments of Terrence, Wesley, and Achilles. They had such great potential from the original series, and I loved that they were given a chance to elaborate on their somehow complicated relationship. That, among other parts, of course, was straight up proper queer representation. Heteronormative tropes say what? We don’t know her.

Another highlight is the tita Susan character which was so on the nose on the cliché über religious Boomer. I mean, she was clutching a Santo Niño at the start like it was a purse! She is the epitome of what we of the LGBTQIA+ abhor and fight against. Kudos to the actress. I genuinely wanted to throw her off a cliff, and that’s a complete complement in this regard. It’s quite a toxic character, and a reality a lot of people in the community from predominantly Roman Catholic countries like the Philippines have to face so often. My heart goes out to them.

The character is clearly a commentary on how Catholics seem so ready to involve themselves with the affairs of the LGBTQIA+. They seem so ready to give their unsolicited and baseless opinions as if the LGBTQIA+ are a commodity or an object they can just play with and never take seriously. It’s such a curious reality in our world. Like us being gay somehow is about them. Not us. THEM.

The character and her part in the story reminded me of a quote from Into the Woods: “Careful the things you say, children will listen. Careful the things you do, children will see and learn."

Fact of the matter is that children listen and remember the words that you may have thought wouldn’t leave a scar. Words or comments that seem to be so light to you can have a tremendous and lasting effect on others. Words can leave scars, and children do remember. I hope this message resonates with every person who sees the film. We have to be careful with what we say, even to children.

We as LGBTQIA+ stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. We have to fight for our rights. Grinning and bearing the lashing words of the ignorant can only get us so far; we don’t deserve to hide who we are and who we love. A message I hope that resonates with everyone who sees the film is that whether you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or otherwise, remember that we are all part of the fight. We have to do our part to battle for our rights. LOVE WINS ALWAYS.

Lastly, of course it won’t be surprising that So, Canlas, and de Santos gave fabulous performances reminding us why we loved Gameboys in the first place. Our boys have come so far from where they started. Cairo and Gavreel have gone through so much during this pandemic, and they do deserve the happiness they fought for. Canlas and de Santos really make us feel the hardships and emotions of being LGBTQIA+. It feels so real. It feels so right. Pearl, on the other hand, ever so charming, is a cherry on top of this Gameboys cake, she deserves all the love, too.

To end this, it was very humbling to be reminded subtly of the adversity COVID has wrought upon the Philippines and the world. Love and family can be the last things we hold after experiencing so much hardship and death. We fight on with those we love and care for with our heads high and continue the good fight. COVID may have ruined a lot of things for us, but it can’t ruin the human spirit.

Gameboys the movie is a solid 10/10 from this fan.
ALL THE KILIG IN THE WORLD!

P.S. if you’re a fan, you probably already know that Season 2 of Gameboys comes after this film, so keep excited! It’s far from over!

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Hanggang sa huli! (Until the end!)

Besides the fact that this was basically an extended version of the movie, we have to consider that it’s quite the opposite of what some other series tried to do in relation to the OG series and its movie. (Looking at you, 2gether: The Movie)

Some people will sure argue that it’s a lazy ploy for the production company, but I’d beg to differ. This series really added more depth to the story. As a fan, I really enjoyed that extended cut of the movie; it still had all the highs and lows from the film, and then some. All of the scenes are somewhat made more intense, in addition to the new scenes that weren't in the movie; it was just a treat to get more depth from their story.

All the feels! Hanggang sa huli! (Until the end)

I’ll attach my original review for the movie since, again, it’s practically Gameboys the Move ++.

~~~~ORIGINAL FILM REVIEW~~~~

This film is indeed a long time coming. Being born from the initial outbreak and lockdown in the Philippines, Gameboys is an inspiring piece of work that reminds us that even through great adversity, love and family are still the most powerful things we have.

The film is a fabulous mix of the camera style we got to love from the original series, while also expanding upon it with scenes where our beloved characters are seen actually together in person. The obvious juxtaposition of the movie from the original series is just amazing to see, while the cinematography and the obvious regard of color theory was just exquisite. Its production is the opposite of disingenuous to its fans, and we loved to see it.

The story is a direct sequel to the events of the original series. We see Cairo and Gavreel, along with Pearl and a few not so surprising characters, go through the brief time the main couple is allowed before Cairo leaves for Bukidnon. And of course, along the way, there has to be some drama. And drama it was. Makes-you-want-to-punch-someone-on-the-face level of drama, but best you check that out on your own. ;)

Highlights include the character developments of Terrence, Wesley, and Achilles. They had such great potential from the original series, and I loved that they were given a chance to elaborate on their somehow complicated relationship. That, among other parts, of course, was straight up proper queer representation. Heteronormative tropes say what? We don’t know her.

Another highlight is the tita Susan character which was so on the nose on the cliché über religious Boomer. I mean, she was clutching a Santo Niño at the start like it was a purse! She is the epitome of what we of the LGBTQIA+ abhor and fight against. Kudos to the actress. I genuinely wanted to throw her off a cliff, and that’s a complete complement in this regard. It’s quite a toxic character, and a reality a lot of people in the community from predominantly Roman Catholic countries like the Philippines have to face so often. My heart goes out to them.

The character is clearly a commentary on how Catholics seem so ready to involve themselves with the affairs of the LGBTQIA+. They seem so ready to give their unsolicited and baseless opinions as if the LGBTQIA+ are a commodity or an object they can just play with and never take seriously. It’s such a curious reality in our world. Like us being gay somehow is about them. Not us. THEM.

The character and her part in the story reminded me of a quote from Into the Woods: “Careful the things you say, children will listen. Careful the things you do, children will see and learn."

Fact of the matter is that children listen and remember the words that you may have thought wouldn’t leave a scar. Words or comments that seem to be so light to you can have a tremendous and lasting effect on others. Words can leave scars, and children do remember. I hope this message resonates with every person who sees the film. We have to be careful with what we say, even to children.

We as LGBTQIA+ stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. We have to fight for our rights. Grinning and bearing the lashing words of the ignorant can only get us so far; we don’t deserve to hide who we are and who we love. A message I hope that resonates with everyone who sees the film is that whether you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or otherwise, remember that we are all part of the fight. We have to do our part to battle for our rights. LOVE WINS ALWAYS.

Lastly, of course it won’t be surprising that So, Canlas, and de Santos gave fabulous performances reminding us why we loved Gameboys in the first place. Our boys have come so far from where they started. Cairo and Gavreel have gone through so much during this pandemic, and they do deserve the happiness they fought for. Canlas and de Santos really make us feel the hardships and emotions of being LGBTQIA+. It feels so real. It feels so right. Pearl, on the other hand, ever so charming, is a cherry on top of this Gameboys cake, she deserves all the love, too.

To end this, it was very humbling to be reminded subtly of the adversity COVID has wrought upon the Philippines and the world. Love and family can be the last things we hold after experiencing so much hardship and death. We fight on with those we love and care for with our heads high and continue the good fight. COVID may have ruined a lot of things for us, but it can’t ruin the human spirit.

Gameboys the movie is a solid 10/10 from this fan.
ALL THE KILIG IN THE WORLD!

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Talk about melodrama prince.

If you love awkward acting, fairytale like drama, and GAY, then this one’s perfect for you!

When it was initially announced that Oxin Films’ next production was a musical drama entitled “Rainbow Prince,” it sort of left a lot expecting something particularly gay, specially after My Day the series which was particularly extravagant in its own right and was pretty gay.

Most of the cast unfortunately suffers from awkward acting, though some may argue that this can be brought upon by bad direction. Well, if My Day was any indication, we really shouldn’t expect top notch acting from Oxin Films productions. It’s fun at best, cringe at worst.

The story was fairly predictable; Oxin Films loves melodrama. Prince runs away from evil uncle trying to steal the throne and finds himself in a foreign country and falls in love with a local. Great. But a lot of times, the littlest of things are made so awkward, specially with the awkward acting or strange storylines. LIKE the part where Mikey is enraged at Prince Zeyn for lying to him, not like he’s a royal prince trying to hide his identity to save his own life. Talk about good god, get a grip, BOY! And that climax? So underwhelming, it should be illegal. BUT the fact that everything is just so gay makes it worth while. I guess. Happily ever after, anyone?

The music was alright. Nothing groundbreaking, but it sure added the magical element to the story. Sometimes the second hand embarrassment of them just bursting into song is just unbearable, and I’m a big musical theater fan. But most of the songs were pretty meh which really reflects my gripe with Oxin Films.

Oxin Films seems to aim high by smothering a project with an arguably bigger budget than its contemporaries, but always falls short. Like it’s trying so hard to compensate for something with “bigger is better,” but the choices and execution always end up far from perfect in the process. Though, excessive is a word I’d describe Oxin Films productions, and I do hope that in their future projects, they’d do better from directing and acting to better production, Oxin Films, in my opinion, has such potential, and I can’t wait to see it.

P.S. I get that they come from a country names Zurbania, but what’s with the addiction to the letter Z? I get creative freedom, but can you get any tackier. The production and acting already left so much to be desired, but come on. I mean: Prince Zeyn? Prince Zafar? King Zahir? Queen Zara? DON’T get me started on the prince and his cousin ZEYN and MALIK?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! But I do love that the cousins are both GAY! YAY! Woo!

P.P.S. the actor for Prince Malik, Yani de Dios, is the kuya (older brother) of SB19’s Justin de Dios. So if you’re a PPop fan, maybe you’ll love that fact. :)

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Sara-WHAT A Waste of My TINE!

Unfortunately, that genuinely felt like a waste of my money and time. It was basically a review class on the original series with a few clips from Still 2gether and an added graduation scene. Quite underwhelming and so disappointing, but really thinking about it, I’m ultimately not really surprised. This is from the company that gave us trauma over a high five. Still no real kiss, and of course, always a tease. So I guess true to form?

Really not much else to say. We’re really not working with much. If they only went the extra mile and actually made it more realistic, it really would have been a fantastic ending. But as expected, they’re still obviously straight actors intimidated with acting “real” gay. So sad.

P.S. if you want a BL movie experience that’s not disingenuous to its original series/fans, please, please check out Gameboys: The Movie (and Gameboys the series as well). That’s a BL movie done right. :))

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It's not really fair to call this an affair.

This film is special, and special in a way not many non-Filipinos will really grasp, and that’s okay. The film brings us along a journey of love, hiding, and communism, if you would believe, that spans decades. Through these decades, we are given an insight on the politics and events that shape the Philippines from the late 60s to the dawn of the new millennia.

Jun (Lucero) is a budding idealist who strives for change in the time the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines was about to really go South. We see him struggle to fight for his political beliefs while going through the struggles of being gay in late 60s Philippines. We see him start an affair, though I’d prefer to call it a relationship, that lasts decades. In a way, Errol (Domingo) is his soulmate, and because of society being the way it was back then, the two go down a spiraling path that is wrought with a lot of pain and hiding; them hiding their love for each other. Errol gets himself married with kids to a girl who actually loves him more than he ever does her. Jun, on the other hand, goes through a plethora of relationships that don’t really ever go well, because deep down he knows that his heart only ever really belonged to Errol.

The main take, for me, is this. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us; those who had to hide or get persecuted for just loving. No words can really describe how lucky we are, the younger generation, that we live in such a different era of acceptance compared to then. Though the fight for our rights are still going on in different levels around the world, we can never deny the difference a few decades has brought; what the hardships of generations past has brought for us.

In the end of everything, through that spiraling path they went through, life found them a way. In the end, love still won. Though time has robbed them of many years together, Jun and Errol are allowed to be together for the rest of their days.

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The most problematic HIStory, and I LOVED IT!

I have to be honest. This is the only BL by far FOR ME that is so bad it's good. This HIStory is the messiest one of all the HIStorys by far, and I JUST LOVED IT! It was just ridiculous from the get go, but so, so entertaining in its problematic story.

I have to mention, are people really into the step-siblings getting together trope? I mean, cool, I guess. But if you actually know the law on the matter, it’s pretty black and white. Step-siblings can legally get married. End of story. I just find how they use this trope and sensationalize it out of proportions so funny. It’s so entertaining. Like. It’s legal. Get over yourselves. LOL

The highlight for me, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this one, is the lovely cameo we get around the end from a certain couple from HIStory3. It was just a lovely cherry on top, and I loved that they sort of gave us more closure from the ending of that HIStory3. If you know, you know.

Last thing i have to note is that i find it most ironic that arguably the most romantic lines of all of HIStory by far came from the not so arguably creepiest character ever. But i have to reiterate. I JUST LOVED IT! Even the little creep!

Over all it was a mess. But it was such a mess that I ultimately really, really enjoyed it.

LOVE WINS, GUYS! WOOOOO!
HIStory still for the win!

P.S. I legit feel like they really played hard on the cliché yaoi tropes; why we got this lovely/messy lump of a mess. I see it, and I loved it.
9 COMPLETELY PROBLEMATIC STARS! (In the best way possible)

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Heartbreak feels good in a series like this.

The Miracle of Teddy Bear is a bit intense for a Thai BL drama. For instance, an hour and a half per episode? Are you kidding me! But. BUT! It did perfectly fine with such a long run time per episode. It didn’t have a lot of nonsense void fillers that would have been riddled with ads (Looking at you, Love Sick 2).

So the series, being an hour and a half per episode, really had me in a choke hold. I was so invested per episode probably because of the long run time, and the fact that it didn’t really use any of its run time with unnecessary scenes. As a result, I really got to feel the emotional gravity of each character, from Nut’s mom’s mental illness, to that annoying girl Phrippri who for some reason after pining over boys who happen to be gay ends up, or is heavily implied, with a girl! So, going back to my point, the long run time of each episode and the mix of a sort of complicated story was just an amazing experience. Again, I have to reiterate, such a unique experience coming from a Thai BL.

The story was quite… special? Out Tofu is a beloved teddy bear of our dear Nut that somehow turns into a human. Just like magic, I know! But that random and loose end of that meteor passing by in episode 1 was such a strange and wasted storyline. They could have literally just removed it, because it had no relation to the whole story. But I’ll digress. The story had a lot of facets to it. From abusive parents, mental illness, Thai politics all the way to a woman fetishizing gay men, it was such a rollercoaster of a story.

The ending, even if it was still an hour and a half, a bit of a mess? Right off the bat, hot pink for a poisoned drink? I LOVED IT! AND! Can you frame a last goodbye any better? At that point, we all knew our bb Tofu was going to die! Though, I find it a bit curious that Tofu says that the miracle is actually his impending death. So sad!
Also, I’ll never get over the amount of emotional trauma Nut has gone through all his life culminating in Tofu’s death! He deserves that happily ever after. Lastly! Tarn’s art studio is the place for Tofu got poisoned? No one’s gonna talk about that? He literally was dying on the floor of the scene in the studio. Amazing.

At the end of it all, the highlight for me was the not so subtle commentary on Thai politics. Also, as a gay person, I just really want to say, straight people are the worst. Oh, my God, it all stemmed from them. But at least it ended all gay. GAY RIGHTS!

Some humans can be the worst of us, but somehow a teddy bear was more human than most of us.

Heartbreak feels good in a series like this.

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Talk about a peach on the butt.

What we have here is an interesting project where actors (people) from 2 different countries work on a project. It was really an interesting concept, I will not lie. Reminds me when actors from my country and Thailand also worked on a movie together. It’s called Suddenly It's Magic. It stars Mario Maurer from Thailand and Erich Gonzales from the Philippines. I’d suggest you guys check that one out.

So… regarding Peach of Time…

Lack of chemistry, oh, my god! I’m going to word vomit this! If the mother new that Yoon Oh’s spirit was just there the whole time, why didn’t she take advantage of that fact? All the drama could’ve really been resolved if they made the plot more congruent. Unfortunately it was so messy. Can’t anyone notice that Peach keeps on looking at empty spaces? And I’m sorry, but Yoon Oh was a little whiney bítch. Talk about good god get a grip, boy! I got more feels from Tommy’s character, and his was a hetero couple which I’m dead tired of. So that tells you it’s really bad. I liked the effort of the production, but it had so many problems. And what was that ending! Did Tommy’s character just disappear? He didn’t really have a proper ending! Major eye roll.

P.S. Tommy is still my cute little boy from Why R U! Love him always!

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I’d rather be dry, but at least I’m alive. LIGHT. ON. ME.

Am very impressed with this Korean drama. I’d go to the extent of even saying that this is the best Korean BL I’ve seen so far. It shows genuinely the struggle of the LGBT youth and those who were labeled as losers in high school, while giving us all the KILIG (google it) at the same time. Specifically the characters of Lee (Tae Kyung), Kang (Shin Woo), and Choe (Da On) fabulously show us the different sides of the experience of the LGBT youth.

The obvious highlights include our 4 main boys!

Go (Nam Goong) was such a bright and shining light in the series. It was just a wonderful performance that gave the viewers so much joy, while taking the story forward in a smart way, even with all the humor he brought with him. “Potato Pizza” says WHAT?!? Ahahaha

Choe (Da On) was such a sweetie. A boy clearly caught between a rock and a hard place. My heart really went out to his plight; being a child of absent parents while clearly compensating with grades for the approval the parents never really gave (heavily implied). It’s hard when you are suddenly hit by the discovery of being LGBT while being in such a crucial phase in your teen life. I am genuinely my happy that at the end of his story, he realized that he is living his life for yourself, and that the opinions of strangers on your life is never as important as your opinion of yourself (if you can’t love yourself, how can you love somebody else). I loved how his character really grew and give time to discover himself in the end.

Kang (Shin Woo), the precious little pancake! I just want to protect with my whole life! He was so adorable, and he is just our strong boy! His character has experienced so much with losing his friends from just being himself. Him being just love struck with Tae Kyung was just so KILIG to watch! I squealed so many times during his scenes with Lee (Tae Kyung). It was embarrassing. We love a gay boy who knows what he wants and does what he can to fight for it. “Fighting!”
Side note, did you notice his LIPS! They were so dry (not in a bad way). I just wanted to lick them every time there was a closeup on them! So kissable!

There is an obvious juxtaposition between the characters of Kang (Shin Woo) and Choe (Da On), where the former has been stung at a young age by prejudice and now hides his real feelings, while the latter is still just discovering himself, but in being such a public figure, is stifled by how the world perceives him.

With a setting of an all boys school, not withstanding that it’s also set in Korea, an obvious norm of toxic machismo is present within the male student body; an environment where being different is treated as a disease. Children are made afraid of being who they are, that is shown in the series. When a child finds out that he is different, instead of embracing it and accepting it as a part of them, they are made to think that this new found part of them has to be kept a secret. My heart goes out to Shin Woo and Da An. The struggle is real, and we have to do our part to move society where kids like them don’t live in fear.

Lastly, of course, and not least, Lee (Tae Kyung) gave such a lovely performance. In another life, little gay high school me also had 2 boys fighting over my affection. He was such an innocent character that just wanted to be accepted by his peers. Cute as a button. Thank goodness he never got scars from all the facial injuries he seemed to receive. Ahahaha. I wish I was as confident as him when I was in high school.

To close, I am subtly reminded of the events of the recent Olympics in Tokyo, where a GOLD medalist Korean woman was accused of being a feminist based on her non female conforming haircut. And the Korean, mostly male, population was scandalized and would rather have her revoke her golds just because of their alarm of her potentially being a feminist based purely on the fact of her hat cut. It seems that through the gloss and veneer of KPop and KDrama, we tend to forget that Korea is still deeply intrench in its conservative traditions. (Surprisingly way more conservative than my über Catholic home country). I honestly lost a bit of respect for Korea then, but I do honestly hope that through time, with representation in media as seen in Light On Me, that Korea will soon become a more accepting country.

The Koreans are very conservative. And that’s not going to fly with our changing world.

We have to do our part to normalize equality in our society. We must teach children that love is love is love.

Proper LGBT representation? Best Korea has to offer so far!

P.S. Lee, Kang, Choe, and Go we’re born in ‘95, ‘94, ‘95, and ‘96 respectively. I was also born in ‘94. Can I also still pass for high school!? Ahahaha. The gift of hydrated youthful looking skin, I guess. SANA ALL!

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Why R U lacking!?

Honestly, it’s a very cute show, and I really want to rate it higher. But my gripe with it is the obvious production problems that affected it near the end; the lack of the story of Zon and Saifah compared to Tutor and Fighter. Also the amount of loose ends in the story.

It had so much potential with such a big cast. But it felt like it ultimately just let everyone but the lead couple to waste.

I really wanted to rate it high, but unfortunately with how the story was done, while of course I understand their production issues with COVID, I can only give it an 8.

It was a mess. The idea had so much potential with the whole trapped in a BL story with Zon, but ultimately exploded all over the place.

And this is already considering Tommy! I really loved him. He’s such a cutie. Zon (Tommy), for me, is the saving grace for this mess. But as much as I just want to squish this little potato and give him all the hugs and high ratings in the world, he can only carry such a mess so far.

On a final note. The music is exceptional. I haven’t had this much good music in a Thai BL since Until We Meet Again.

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What is in a name? Legit, I still don’t get the title.

The premise is really cute. I guess? But was it executed properly? That’s a no.

A highlight of the series is the fact that the main couple actually talks about their feelings. At least most of the time.

Don’t you just hate the mostly annoying BL trope where they drag out drama rooting from a minor issue which could have been easily resolved by just talking about it. This had it! Well, until the end that is. And I thought they’d go beyond unnecessary and illogical drama, but alas. They still went there.

As expected from this level of Thai BL, as much as I wish otherwise, it had a lot of plot holes and loose ends. My main disappointment was the failure to show the obvious relationship that was clearly brewing between Song and Jay, and the lack of kissing or skinship. Real couples touch and kiss. Ugh. Not to mention the character of Kong (Keam). What the heck was that mess? He has a girlfriend? But he’s pining over Jin? While also being head over heals for Ball? What a mess of a character with little to no development.

Thai BLs, please evolve faster. It’s getting quite monotonous. For real.

Highlight was the character of Kaownah (Song). Such a cutie, and such a 180 from his character from TharnType. He really shined in this one.

7 stars. Disappointing, but from an obvious Thai BL series factory, I’m really not that surprised.

Here’s to hoping Thai BLs evolve to be more… just MORE!

P.S. did they even explain why it’s entitled Nitiman? I never really understood it, and that in itself is already a sign. :((

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