Admittedly, the storyline is formatted in a tropey rom-com pattern but then twists into a surprisingly gentle, honest tale of body dysmorphia. In this case, the issue is a real one, as the protagonist is obese. Has been his entire life and suffered through the torment of being teased, tortured, and bullied with the usual derogatory terms for fat people. Now in high school, he has begun to wall himself up emotionally and spends most of his time in his room, which provides him with the sanctuary and security he longs for. With few friends, Felipe (Miguel Lallo) is an obese gay teenager who isolates himself, except for seeing his therapist, and interacting with his nurturing and accepting mother, Rita (Debora Falabella). She is his rock.
All posts by PPBongi
“Love Destiny” Series Review (Ep.1 to 10)
This is another in a long line of time travel BLs that gets on a treadmill and simply does not know how to get off it. From the very beginning, one always wonders how the modern individual will return to his present time, and how his love will (which is inevitable) follow him. The unfolding must fill that all in and make logical sense, but unfortunately, this story does not. It does venture off into so many tangents that one wonders why there was not a ‘butterfly effect’, since the modern person does seem to know so much about the time and people he transported back to. And he definitely introduced change.
“Connecting to You” Series Review (Ep.1 to 13)
The concept behind this story is actually quite original and very cherubic. It begins in a very creative and smart fashion that becomes amusing and lighthearted. Easy to watch and simply fun. Unfortunately, it is not sustainable throughout, however. The story catches your attention in the beginning and then begins to bend and twist and finally, by the end, starts to become untenable. While it may have lost its creativity, the narrative certainly maintained its entertainment value.
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“4 Thirties Gossip” Series Review (Ep.1 to 8)
What pure joy this bitesize series is! Just about an hour and a half long in total, it is pure pleasure to watch. It is like being with old friends, especially if you are gay, young, and into a lifestyle where gayness is your number one priority. I remember the feelings and sensations as if it was just yesterday, although it has been literally decades ago.
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“Send Your Pain to the Wind” Series Review (Ep.1 to 5)
By far, this is one of the most profoundly moving and reflective stories I have ever watched. It is effulgent, but I may be the only one who thinks that. It is storytelling at its finest, with the Vietnamese being the only ones who could pull off such a masterful manipulative story in such a distinguished manner. You MUST pay close attention to its nuances as well as the characters, otherwise you will get lost. Literally. I had to watch this series twice before I fully understood it and fully appreciated its intricacies. And it is really one of the more creative, original, and pensive tales of love I have ever seen. It is certainly NOT a BL but a solid and breathtaking gay story of unrequited love lasting more than 30 years. It is a story also of deep sadness, loneliness, and staggering regret. Yet, at the same time, it is also a reflection of the acceptance of the fate en route towards forbearance. The story is very, very ambiguous. Frankly, my interpretation may not be how you see it, but after watching it twice, I think I understood its meaning en masse.
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“A Winter Sun Wakes the Wind in Spring Hills’ Dream” Series Review (Ep.1 to 16)
If you are expecting this review to be one of glowing expressions and falling in line with the vast majority of people who think this series is some masterpiece, then you had best move on. You will be disappointed. I separated the presentation of this series, which is phenomenal, from the story itself because, for me, the presentation overwhelms what is a very weak, confusing, and disjointed story. I could never put my finger on exactly what it was we were to be concentrating on. And therefore, I found my emotions being scattered and torn in all different directions.
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“Smile After Tears” Series Review (Ep.1 to 12)
Frankly, this series is inferior in every conceivable dimension imaginable. And we need to quit pretending that it is not. It is a confusing, disjointed story with undramatic if not dull acting, with a very poor script, followed by mediocre cinematography and frankly, even pedestrian musical numbers. Sure, I was intrigued by the theme’s concept and initial plot, but then after the first episode, it fell apart.
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“A Dog and A Plane” Series Review (Ep.1 to 10)
I am going to break my cardinal rule against comparing lead actors to their past performances, but there is just something so satisfying about watching New Thitpoom and Tay Tawan perform together again. In addition, there is a magnetism about seeing these two back on the screen again. They are indeed stalwarts in the BL industry. This series proved that they could bring back their old magic despite being saddled with a bad script. Everything seems so natural to them. However, as entertaining as these two are (and others), it was the silly plot and the lame screenplay that infantilized their attachment and made it embarrassing. They deserved better.
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“The Boyfriend Express” Series Review (Ep.1 to 10)
Shockingly, this series is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. And it frankly does not deserve the low ratings it is garnering on several other review sites. In essence, it is unexpectedly entertaining. And surprise! The story is a good one. I found the premise certainly different and piqued my interest. Why it fell from grace is that it kept repeating the same plot themes over-and-over again. It is the direction again that brought this series down. While not as salacious as some of the other Filipino BLs by this director, its story could have clearly been a more rewarding one, if more energy was spent on embellishing its theme. Too bad, honestly.
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“Love Punch!” Movie Review
If you are familiar with the classic movie, “WEST SIDE STORY”, or even its updated remake, then this, I like to describe, is the gay Japanese version of that classic without, of course, the musical/dancing score. I may be reading too much into this production, but the film appears to pay homage to that archetype through its many parallels in theme, setting, design, and overall atmosphere.
