For fans of anime and its
Japanese print source of manga, they might already be well-verse in a particular
genre of romantic stories involving boys (and just). In Japanese media it is
called Yaoi. As the genre spread in
the mainstream, especially in Asia, it took up a new label for familiarity:
Boys Love or BL. Even in the Philippines, Filipinos are aware of and have even
become fans of the BL genre with the introduction of such themed series from
abroad like Thailand’s “2gether: The Series.” But Pinoy creative minds are not
far behind especially looking at the hot new online series entitled “Gameboys.”
This is a production of The IdeaFirst
Company, from which came some gay-themed film festival contenders such as “Die
Beautiful” (2016) and “The Panti Sisters” (2019) which caught plenty of attention
with audiences. The “Gameboys” online series, first announced last May, premiered
on the 22nd of that month and, with six episodes already released of
a planned ten, has already captured the imagination and fandom of Philippine viewers
who are already enamored with BL as well as starved for entertainment in the midst
of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, the plot of “Gameboys” is remarkably
topical.
Why? Because the story takes
place in the middle of the COVID pandemic itself, and the circumstances of the young
male main characters that are affected by the ensuing community quarantine
lockdowns echo the challenges of making the series to begin with. Online gamer
and live-streamer Cairo “Caimazing” Lazaro whiles away his necessary home confinement
by playing online games, only to be shocked when he is beaten during a session
by an “Angel2000,” a noob whom he has never heard of anywhere before. He is
upset and calls Angel2000 out to compete, only to be floored further when the
unknown gamer reveals himself as Gavreel Alarcon, a big Caimazing fan who is also
interested in Cairo himself; very, very
interested.
It is amazing to learn that the “Gameboys”
series was conceptualized by The IdeaFirst Company as an exercise to keep the
production studio busy during quarantine, as well as lift their spirits in the
face of COVID-19. That dread pandemic was in the minds of the production team
as they shot the scenes entirely online for health safety. But even with the necessary
minimalism the end product looks well put-together. Two major reasons are the
stars themselves, the titular game-boys.
At first glance Elijah Canlas (Cairo)
and Kokoy De Santos (Gavreel) of 2015 indie film “Fuccbois” fame, are not quite
like the pretty boys of other BL fare like Thai heartthrobs Bright and Win from
“2gether: The Series” or even those of Japanese Yaoi. Still, they are easy on the eyes in that distinctive Pinoy
way that they have endeared themselves to those who have watched them from day
one. Furthermore, their splendid acting chops have sold their respective characters’
rivalry-turned-romantic overtones extremely well. Without a doubt, the high online
praise for “Gameboys” is well-deserved.
“Gameboys” streams on the official
YouTube channel of The IdeaFirst Company, with new episodes premiering every Friday.
The series has already garnered almost 150,000 subscribers and over 5 million views collectively for the IdeaFirst
channel.
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