What if it's us

Why the heck did I love this series?

I finished my review of 'One Day Pag-Ibig', the first series by director/screenwriter Ranz Gonzales, saying 'It seems there is going to be a season two, and if so, I only hope that the script will be more consistent, actors better trained, technical issues resolved, and screenwriter/director Ranz Gonzales gains more experience. As I am an unshakeable optimist, I'm looking forward to it.'

'Paano Kaya Kung Tayo' isn't the season 2, but the writer/director and main cast are the same. Unfortunately, my hopes have been disappointed, because this series suffers from similar flaws as the former.

But why the heck did I love it then? And why does it attract the same or even larger numbers of viewers, an estimated third of them international, than series like 'Worth the Wait' or 'Why Love Why 2' that have bigger budgets and more promotion? I guess there are two reasons: the cuteness factor of the lead actors, and the passion and dedication that the director, cast, and crew have invested in making this series happen.

The plot is not very original: A boy from a rich family (Sef, played by Allen Caguioa) falls for a poor boy (Andrei, Ivo Rosimo). First he teases him, then he tries to get closer to him, he is desperate when Andrei doesn't seem to feel the same way, but doesn't give up. His methods of getting close to Andrei are more than questionable, though, as is Andrei's response.

Andrei is a loving son, an ambitious and successful student, and a friendly guy all the time (except towards Sef). On the other hand, he accepts all kinds of expensive presents from Sef, instead of rejecting them and telling Sef frankly he does not want to be his boyfriend. This makes him appear greedy and selfish. It isn't even clear if he isn't lying to Sef when he claims he has broken up with his long distance girlfriend Trisha, because when Sef and Andrei meet again after Sef has been abroad for two years, he is obviously in a relationship with Trisha.

Sef's character shows some facettes and disruptions, too. He's a bully in the first episodes, then starts awkwardly hitting on Andrei, moves into his apartment, sleeps in the same bed, and gives him presents, although Andrei rejects him. This may come across quite infringing, and it is, especially when he even kidnaps Andrei. It is his somewhat helpless way of crying out for the attention of the boy he loves. Sef doesn't feel at home in his own family, his relation to his stepbrother Ivan (Bert Calara) is bad, and he feels misunderstood by his parents. It looks like he chooses Andrei and his father (John Rudolf) as a substitute for his own family.

There is another boy who has a secret crush on Andrei: Kian (Clark Blancaflor), who sits around with his guitar and a sad face throughout the series. He is a much nicer person than Sef, and Andrei likes him, but Kian is always too shy. When he overcomes his shyness for once, he's just a minute too late. Unrequited love is the most bitter form of love, and there are heartbreaking scenes when I wanted to hug poor Kian (especially in the ”rain scene” in ep. 8). On the other hand, he compensates his sadness by writing a beautiful song, so there's something good about it, at least for the viewers, because for him it doesn't pay out.

There are loads of side characters, who are necessary as the story is set in a school. Some of them side with Sef, others with Andrei, but they do not contribute anything essential to the story. Only the love story of Ivan and Gelay (Alexa France) is a nice little subplot, although its outcome isn't clear in the end. Like in many Pinoy BLs, there are some trans characters, and I'm glad that Ranz Gonzales, unlike other writers, doesn't make them mere caricatures or even ridicules them. I also appreciate that Sef's ex-girldfriend is not simply presented as the evil ex as in other series.

The setting isn't very unique for a BL-series: it's a school. What is unique, though, is the school uniform these poor lads have to wear! The waistcoats are just as terrible as Kian's makeup in the first episodes. The teacher and his methods ('Now hug your partner for five minutes' – Gosh, I would have loved being in that school) are also very unique.

The script has many empty spaces, repetitions, disruptions, and flaws. Just a few examples: Why does Andrei leave his father and rent an apartment? He just says 'We talked about it'. Okay, good you did, but why don't you tell the interested audience? How does Andrei pay his rent? He says once that he gets money for papers he writes for other students. Why not show him getting money and handing over papers now and then? Why does Sef hate Ivan? What is their background story? How sick is Andrei, what exactly is his illness, and how does he recover so fast? The ending, however, is the worst and least plausible ending of any BL-series that I have watched.

I guess one major problem of this series is that Ranz Gonzales has to do too many jobs at the same time: writing, casting, directing, and while shooting this series, already drafting the next one which is probably coming soon ('He's mine').

Acting is another issue. I love Allen, Ivo, Clark, Bert, and some of the rest, which is the main reason why I enjoyed this series. When I gave 7 stars for acting/cast, it is 10 for cast, but only 4 for acting. All the actors - except maybe Mark Allen Caguioa, who appears to have a lot of acting talent - need to take acting lessons if they want to become real actors, or Direk Ranz should at least hire a proper acting coach. They all have a large fan base, due to their tiktok activities, and this may tempt them to think they don't need to invest their time in learning how to act. If they don't work hard to improve their skills, the early success could put an end to their careers sooner than they want, which would be a pity, because I would like to see much more from them.

Unfortunately, directing and filming in general are not good throughout the series. There is only little progress in all these things, compared with 'One Day Pag-Ibig'. Editing and sound quality are still poor. The low budget may serve as an excuse for some time, but it won't do so forever.

Finally, I must talk about the soundtrack. It was Clark Blancaflor's 'Kung Pwede lang' that kept hanging in my ear for a long time after 'One Day Pag-Ibig' had been aired, and it even made me rewatch the series. The same is happening with Clark's title song 'Paano Kaya Kung Tayo'. So when I said at the beginning that I, like many thousands of viewers, like this series because of the main actors, and because of the passion and dedication of everyone involved in the production, I should have added that Clark's composition is the third point that has made me a fan of this series.

Because that's what I am: a fan of the series, especially of the main actors and Direk Ranz, although the final episode was a big disappointment. I must admit that my optimism with regard to improvement in the aspects mentioned above is limited, but I am still looking forward to the next series by Ranz Gonzales and his bunch of cuties.

Country: Philippines

Episodes: 9 (à 15 mins.)

Director: Ranz Gonzales

Cast: Allen Caguioa, Ivo Rosimo, Clark Blancaflor, Robert Calara