A Different Take...

My Extraordinary is the first Filipino BL series to air on free national television in the Philippines, which is a massive achievement in itself. All the other pinoy BL series have aired on YouTube or subscription channels. Rightfully so, there was a lot of buzz for this landmark series. And so far, the story isn't bad. I do appreciate the series tackling homophobia, which many BL's don't do as they are set in a world where homosexuality is already accepted, sometimes even celebrated. As such, My Extraordinary is already more realistic than other BL's in that regard. It's important to show homophobia so that homophobic viewers are able to see their bias and why their hateful views are wrong. Anyhow, the cinematography is nice and soft. The story is set up well though the 24 minute running time is a bit short, especially when the episode is cut into 4 parts (for views no doubt). Either way, I'm excited to see where this story will go. On a side note, it's not Shake's fault at all. Mike was being completely unreasonable especially since he encouraged Shake to join, knowing that Shake didn't know how to play basketball. And shouldn't they have told Shake about the court change?

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My Extraordinary (2020) Episode 1: Keeper of Peace

My Extraordinary is the first Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series on Philippine free television (TV5). Most of our Pinoy BL series are on streaming platforms (Youtube, GagaOOlala, etc.), with at least one series (Hello Stranger), also on a cable television channel (Cinema One) and a social media platform (Facebook). Given the conservative nature of mainstream Philippine television, getting My Extraordinary on TV5 was huge. Supporters and promoters of Pinoy BL series wanted very much for My Extraordinary to succeed, not so much in terms of views, but more so on producing a quality series that will do away with those stereotypical depictions of members of the LGBTQ+ community. With the release of Episode 1: Keeper of Peace, we can breathe easily now. It was a solid pilot episode. The plot/storyline was intriguing given that the lead characters, Shake and Ken (ShaKen) seemed worlds apart in terms of family background, school status, and economic situation. I felt a certain unease seeing Shake's situation. It's just too familiar for a lot of struggling Filipinos. The pace was a bit fast for me. A lot of things happened on this episode. Maybe they're trying to squeeze so much on the 8 episodes (30 minute television time slot per episode) that were given to them? But since editing was done well, it was still ok. Screenplay was realistic and relatable. From the lead cast members, Enzo and Darwin, to the veteran cast members, Yayo and Jojit, to the supporting cast members, acting was quite good. I'm especially impressed with Enzo and Darwin's performance. And I don't care what others think, for me, Enzo and Darwin are both good-looking! Production design and cinematography were also good. And I love the OST "Hindi Ko 'To Binalak" (I Didn't Plan This, but was English subbed as Out of Nowhere/I Didn't Wish for This) featuring Kenji Exaltacion. On the whole, solid start! I'm excited for the next episodes!

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