The 2020 Pinoy BL series “My Day” burst on the scene with diverse takes from fans and reviews on whether the series was worth watching. The show was funny with a touch of charm, as the blue collar Sky (Miko Gallardo) fell in love with Ace (Aki Torres) who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. 3 years later have the sequel “My Story” which gives us a glimpse into Sky’s life. Miss Becky, Kim, Jelai, and Jam bid a send off to most of the events that happened before in the prequel.

Oxin Films makes sure the viewer is aware this is a new experience. Spending the first 5 minutes of episode one with ads for unrelated content before the hashtag for the series appears. Personally, I found this extremely tacky, but in all fairness, with the amount of piracy going on, it’s a good way to get that marketing in. Anyone who wants the episode can either sit through the ads or fast forward. And no, the episode isn’t longer to compensate for this. Though being fair, this series has a much higher production value and larger cast.

As a fan of the original series, seeing where my favorites are in their lives was a special treat. I personally shipped Jam (Jamil Bonifacio) and Jelai (Gio Emprese), so it was lovely seeing the pair as lovers on the odds. Keeping up with the silliness of the original series, Miss Becky (Aimer Sanchez) is now an online influencer selling products online. Kim (Leilani Yalung) is now a fashion designer, two characters who were the support system for the now absent Ace who broke up with Sky off screen. New characters Zeke (Jericho Del Rosario) and Fifth (Hiro Shimoji) as well as Win (Teejay Marquez) round out the cast.

The series so far feels like a grab bag as there are many characters that are shoved together in random moments. Miss Becky and Kim’s scenes felt honestly superfluous in episode one as they had little to do with the rest of the cast (which reminded me how much these two relied on Ace for being a part of the actual plot)- Kim being the girl Ace dumped for Sky, and Miss Becky who was his personal maid. It would have been nice if either had more to do in the first episode besides making raunchy jokes, but it seemed like that’s what they were there for.

Sky is not having a good life as I had hoped. Apart from being his ex-boyfriend, Ace was also Sky’s employer and without him, Sky is jobless. Continuing the family plot, his father is still in bad health and the medical bills are piling up. So his mother has turned his room into a hostel where school students who occasionally work as their delivery boys live and pay a portion of the bills. Does it make sense (not really, what happened to his younger brother?). Fifth is one of the boys, who attends the high school, where Jelai is now the dean and Jam is the gym teacher. Their sudden switch in careers is also never fully explained as they were both chefs in “My Day”.

The first episode does establish characters in their new roles without stating how they came to be there. My assumption is because they are trying to compensate for the Ace size plot hole; which could have been better represented than the few minutes explained by Kim, Sky, and Becky. Instead, the series throws a lot of characters at you with fast-paced introductions. It felt more like a collage as we see four boys arriving at school to be hassled by other boys, Sky searching for work and Kim flirting with her model.

In keeping with the “My Day” spirit, there is a bunch of flavorful jokes and innuendo from most of the cast, keeping the first two portions light and fun while again making little sense. Jelai deals with trouble making students and, of course, there is the little problem of achieving “closure” for him and Jam. The show honestly is worth watching if you pick a set of characters and focus on them.

Sky visits Becky and Kim before seeing Jelai about a job opportunity, which turns out to be the first step in an interview process. He meets up with Jam before he leaves. It gives the viewer a chance to see the two aren’t as close as they were years ago. This scene left a bitter taste in my mouth as the two discuss nothing of personal value, and are terrible at basketball, which they played while talking. They played against each other for like 2 minutes before Jam had to leave. Between the Becky/Kim scene and the Jelai/Jam scenes, I couldn’t see a point in either interaction save to include them for screen time.

It’s interesting to me how little Sky is in the episode, but when we do see him it’s generally with other characters. He acts as the bridge to which all our old favorites are connected, even if nothing of value is said or done in any of the time he has with them. It did make me wonder what the point was in having these scenes as opposed to the moments when Sky wasn’t around. The characters on their own felt didn’t feel wholesome to me.

Meanwhile, Fifth through a random series of events ends up being the roommate of the new character, Zeke. Zeke is conned by the person who offers his car service upon arriving in the city, only to have his luggage stolen. The scene was really well done as it focused on close shots, and the driver was pretty convincing as he tried to con Zeke. Zeke afterwards almost gets hit by Fifth, who was doing a delivery drive and Zeke was walking in the street.

Now, because of their appearances (they both look like teenagers) and the lack of back story between the pair, viewers have to draw their own conclusions about them. But from Zeke’s mannerisms, he appears older to me than Fifth. The two attend the same school as Zeke is in town to transfer there. In keeping with the loose plot, Jelai informs them that there isn’t a dorm set up for him (where was Zeke planning to live before this??). And because Fifth already let the boy sleep over for one night, Zeke should just stay there. Thus, he decides to live there after getting permission from Sky’s parents.

Personally, I felt that the characters of Fifth and Zeke got more substance to work with in these first two episodes, which was nice. I shipped them from the first episode as the chemistry was there. And in the second episode where Zeke tags along on Fifth’s delivery to Kim’s home, it grows. Kim offers Zeke a chance to photograph models in her clothes while Fifth watches and frowns at the situation.

Sky gets a job working for a fine dining restaurant in Thailand via a video interview set up by Jelai. The scene was a tad cringey as the subtitles didn’t match what was being said and the video of the interviewer was badly edited to make it look like a video call. Upon arriving in the beautiful hotel where the show is set for his storyline, he literally bumps into Win, a fellow chef at his new place of employment. Throughout the show up to this point there have been glimpses of the restaurant and the chef but it’s funny how defensive he is in Sky’s presence. The two realize they are both Filipino and instantly chemistry ignites.

The second episode feels a bit more concise as it goes back and forth between Sky and Fifth’s storylines. Sky can’t keep his mouth shut around Win to whom he feels comfortable saying things that are rude, but because it’s just the way he talks he doesn’t realize it. Executive Chef Prim takes it in stride, which to me felt a bit confusing as Win said she was very strict, but she doesn’t act that way.

It was nice seeing that the show displays the cooking and the actual work atmosphere of the restaurant Sky works at. The camera work throughout the first two episodes was a lot better than in the original series, as the show has better production value overall. Fifth and Zeke continue to get Zeke settled in his new life. Zeke saying things that are quite flirtatious every chance he gets in response to Fifth’s grumpy attitude. Zeke’s mother calls while Zeke is sleeping and speaks to Fifth, who thanks him for taking care of her son.

The scenes between Sky’s storyline and Fifth’s felt like watching two separate series, to be honest. Sky’s scenes at the restaurant had the over the top silliness of “My Day” while Fifth’s storyline felt more serious or more toned down in the brevity department. While Sky goes through rude customers who, in one instance, happen to be an ex of his boss, Fifth grows jealous of Zeke’s growing friendship with Kim. Sky also continues a flirty friendship with Win that, due to the kitchen they worked in, reminded me of Sky and Ace (nostalgia sigh).

Some moments felt like they were a bit much, in both storylines. Despite Sky’s innuendoes and haphazard way of talking, Win still goes along with him into whatever version of friendship he desires. Fifth starts feeling insecure about the way Kim is inserting herself into Zeke’s life. It’s skinship time for the boys when Zeke asks to be massaged and Fifth does so without any complaints. The scene is well shot and done in a very intimate way despite there being two other boys in the beds above. For the sake of plot, they were not shown in the way. The episode ends on a wistful note with Win and Sky drinking with another chef named Henny. Henny advises them to try new things and having the courage for the same while Sky looks lost.

A lot in this series exists purely if you like the characters- new and old with a large chunk going to Fifth-Zeke, who in my opinion, had a much more mature storyline than Sky-Win. Sky and Win’s entire interaction thus far has been heavy on the innuendo and has very little substance. I know next to nothing about Win before he started working at the hotel, and I’m curious to learn more. His instant crush on Sky is adorable and I love the way Sky just eats that up like a cake. After being broken up with Ace for so long, his character is a bit less lively than he was before and he’s a lot less bold. So maybe Win will give him back that oomph that made me enjoy him. Zeke is totally seducing Fifth, no question. The way he intentionally holds him from behind in his sleep, constantly taking his shirt off, touching the boy; it’s clear he wants his attention and I’m curious to see where they go.

Rating- 3 out of 5

Streaming on- Oxin Films YouTube Channel