Ben X Jim (2020) Episode 1: Love Returns

Those who have had a crush on their childhood friend but weren't able to confess their feelings will find this series relatable. Obviously, I can relate, lol! It's refreshing to watch a Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series whose lead characters have history. I know the "childhood friend to possible lover" trope has been done before (e.g. Kumusta Bro?, at least to a certain extent) but oftentimes on Pinoy BL series, lead characters have just met and the series basically explore how their relationship develops. At least, Ben X Jim's different from most Pinoy BL series with its promising plot/storyline. Ben and Jim have history and this series is about confronting their past in order to navigate through their present and their future. Now, for the sake of realism, do I want them to end up together? I'm not sure yet. Ben and Olan might look better together but this series is called Ben X Jim so maybe that's not feasible at all, lol! Screenplay of Episode 1: Love Returns was natural and realistic. I was pleasantly surprised with Teejay's acting. Honestly, I haven't seen any of Teejay's past works so I was really impressed with his performance. He's also gorgeous. He's like a Ken doll, lol! I've watched Jerome and Ron before so I know they can act, especially Jerome. With Ron, this might be his most substantive role yet. Production design, cinematography, musical scoring, and editing were all good. The OST "Stars Align" performed by Swavesound was quite cool but maybe it's better not to overplay it too much. Based on the preview, next week's episode looks very interesting. I'm excited!

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