Hidden gem. That is what this series is. While it is not perfect, it certainly is one of the more entertaining BLs of this year. To be sure, most Filipino BLs are a bit more adventuresome in their amorous scenes, which made this series surprisingly tame. Yet it does have a smorgasbord of everything in it. Horror, comedy, romance, pathos, redemption, and a heaping amount of love. And for me, it will be something I shall watch around Halloween every year. It is one of those series that makes you feel good about a holiday and in this case that is most definitely Halloween. It shall be my Halloween BL classic to watch every year!

Filipino BLs tend to lean heavily on the intensity of the romance of a story. This is no exception, but in a gentler tone. Jack (Larence Brenches) attends a Halloween party at a mansion. He is an astonishingly handsome young man with a past that he fully cannot remember because of a car accident. The details of which are fuzzy and hazy with only bits and pieces sporadically being able to be recalled and then only rarely. While at this party, he meets a rather dark, laconic, enigmatic person named Magic (Mac Alanzo), equally handsome but very mysterious. There is an instant connection between the two that is palpable. Some things about Magic in a sense seem familiar to Jack.

It turns out that Magic is a ghost that because of unfinished business is unable to ‘move on’ until he is able to fulfill that business. If he cannot, he will then simply be scattered into oblivion.

What begins is not just a journey only of self-discovery for each but of redemption as well. We find, as the story unfolds, that the two have had a past connection and the only way to finally resolve both their exigencies is to deal with them directly and openly. Both of their crossroads are linked to one another.

I shall certainly not spoil that journey for you. That indeed is where the fun lies in this series. Not only is it entertaining, but there are a number of moments that had me in tears with its poignancy because of the profundity of its underlying messages. They get quite heartfelt despite the brevity of the series.

There are not a lot of characters in this series and given the nature of this series, they could have been caricatures. But they were not. Even the other ‘ghosts’ had an astonishing sincerity to what they were trying to be and do. So, their presence was simply not just for comedic or shock value but for actually moving the story along and for providing a moral arc to its theme. That was quite refreshing. However, who really steals this series is Cartz Udal as Jack’s friend, Aning. Aning, for lack of a better term, is a quasi-spiritualist who comes in to help one of the ghosts move on. Creatively entertaining without being overly campy (well, maybe just a tiny bit), yet hysterically funny. There is one scene with her, Magic, and Jack that had me simply laughing out loud with tears streaming down my face, which I rarely do even in a comedic series. She is that good. Yet at the end, Aning gives something to Jack that will profoundly change the course of his life. While she senses and really does know what is happening, it is not her role to tell him. She realizes that it is Jack’s to find out on his own.

Honestly, this series is just so much fun to watch. It is surprisingly deep, however. And the message is that one has to learn to forgive oneself and also to simply learn to accept the realities of what this life has to offer. The story is beautifully told with an exceptionally good screen chemistry between the main leads. Hopefully, we can see more of these two together in future series but not necessarily like Jack or a version of Magic. Perhaps that ship has sailed.

Where this series faltered is that it did not take the romance a step further. While the connection between Magic and Jack was extensive, we only saw it blossom on a superficial level. This story, ironically, demanded a deeper affinity in their relationship. While it hinted and teased, it did not deliver. That was disappointing. When two people say they ‘love’ each other, there must be a stronger connection to one another than a simple brush again the lips. These are men in love; not boys. The expectations are different. That portion of the story slipped into banality for some reason. The story lacked the ‘oomph’ to make this series awesome. Too bad! Otherwise, this series was well on its way to becoming one of my top ten picks. It just missed the mark because it would not go where, ironically, the theme said it was going to go.

Nonetheless, this is still a very, very entertaining and fun series to watch. If for nothing else, then watch it for Aning. You will no doubt chuckle if not downright belly laugh at her performance. Sadly, you might shed a tear or two over its ending like I did. The epilogue is, well, perhaps a little too cliché for me, but maybe it is leading to a Season 2? I hope so; yet hope not. I am not sure, however, that would be prudent. Part of what gave this series its magic would be gone from it.

Rating- 4.5 out of 5

Streaming on- Regal Entertainment YouTube Channel