The Day I Loved You starts off exactly as advertised. And I do mean that in the best way. It is a cute, fluffy BL set in high school, with a love triangle, unrequited love, sparks flying at the first meeting, prom, the whole shebang. It has kept me hooked after barely thirty minutes of content so far.

The story revolves around the love triangle between Nikko (Tommy Alejandrino), Eli (Raynold Tan), and Justine (Rabin Josh). Justine is obvious in his crush on Nikko, who remains oblivious to it. Nikko and Eli start spending time together when Eli is forced to join Nikko’s dance troupe and prepare for their soiree after getting into trouble at school.

Eli is reluctant, snappy and sarcastic, but Nikko brushes it off and counters it with his shining optimism. Justine gets caught up in his feelings for Nikko and newfound jealousy at the increasing closeness between Eli and Nikko.

Sparks fly, quite literally. I loved the superimposition of animation in some of the scenes, they fit the light hearted vibe the show is going for. Whether it is the dramatic emphasis on the prom night sign, or the hearts popping up as Nikko begins to develop feelings for Eli, the graphics are a visual treat.

Beyond the romance itself, there are also mentions of queerphobia and passive racism, but at the same time, the show sees the characters take it in stride. Nikko, in particular, is a victim of bullying and derogatory name-calling on multiple occasions in the first two episodes, due to him being effeminate.

BL has seen its share of effeminate queer characters, but they are usually either there for comic relief at the expense of their persona, or to support the main leads with moral lessons on treating them well. Which is why Nikko’s character is pretty interesting to me, because it’s rare that we get an effeminate male lead, and even rarer that it is addressed so openly from the beginning. As Nikko and Eli talk about in the second episode, Nikko finds it hard to believe how people can judge others based on the facades they put up. It is not that Nikko is strong despite being effeminate, he is strong because of it.

It is inevitable that The Day I Loved You will be compared to some of the high school BL giants that released recently, such as My School President and Heartstopper. It is also true that it employs some very popular tropes. But stories don’t have to always be ground breaking in order to be worth a watch. And The Day I Loved You definitely is.

Rating- 4.5 out of 5

Streaming on- Regal Films YouTube Channel