Good, but a missed opportunity.
I really want to give this a 10, but I can't. The acting in this is better than any BL I can think of. All three performers deliver powerful performances, with Kaleb Ong as a standout. Enzo Santiago is as good as ever, and you might be surprised by Gio Emprese, who usually plays pathetic "comic" relief sexual predators, but here is wonderful as a deeply spiritual man put in a painful situation that he has to weather with grace and love.The technical faults in this are inexcusable. The sound is terrible, the direction mediocre at best, tending towards melodrama in a story that that is already dramatic enough in content and in the strength of the acting.
The cinematography is also inexcusable. Half the shots feature people obscured by plants that are in the foreground, so it's not like the cinematographer could have missed them. If it was intentional, then I would ask, "Is this really what you want to do for a living?" There's a shot that occurs after Kaleb had been making me cry for 20 straight minutes that is so unintentionally funny that I burst out laughing. It involves a very critical moment in the series that represents a serious and spiritual moment, but it's a shot through Enzo's spread legs at a kneeling Kaleb - that's D/s sexual, which I suppose is appropriate for a gay boy and his gay angel. In gay angel porn.
The editing is also problemmatic, with scenes that would otherwise have been powerful dragged out so long that they're drained of energy and start to make you uncomfortable and feel sorry for Enzo, because they're almost all his. There's only one really long scene that had to be long, and it's doing a rosary, which the Catholics watching are already aware take forever, and the scene is really cute and funny.
If this had average BL acting, I wouldn't be writing this at all, because I would have dropped it half way through the first episode. But because the acting is a solid 10+, I feel comfortable recommending this, but just be prepared for a story that will make you cry, partly because you're moved by the story and the actors, and partly because your ears are bleeding due to the awful sound. It's worth it just for Kaleb - I'd watch anything he's in.
Warning: Do not watch the end credits scene, unless you want a beautiful story with a perfect ending reduced to a 1980s era sitcom. It's so bad and cringeworthy in every way (except how hot Enzo looked in it, but you can just google him) that I sat gaping at my screen and wondering if I really saw what I just saw. If you read the words "5 months after", you've gone too far, but there's still time to stop. It's up to you.
Outtakes begin at 32:40.
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Thinking about Life, and Love
I have really mixed emotions about this series. No one should watch it expecting to finding fluffy BL content. It is much more in the tradition of Pinoy LGBT cinema. Taking place on a sunlit farm, it is not literally dark, but the subject matter is dark indeed -- especially if, like me, you are not much of a believer.The Good Points:
-- The story makes you really think about life, and love and hope (or the absence of hope) and what it means to confront all of those challenges as a gay guy. Some seriously heavy stuff. On balance, I thought this was one of the strongest points in the series -- it doesn't paper over the issues, but makes you think about them and about what you really believe. It also frames these issues in a context of Christian/Catholic belief, which is obviously spot on for the Philippines, but maybe not for everyone.
-- All three of the actors were excellent. Kaleb Ong is clearly a very talented actor and I hope to see more of him in different kinds of roles in the future. His progression from hopeless depression to caring and loving, even while staring death in the face, is the major theme of the plot, and he pulls it off quite well. (The scene where he jumps out of bed, and up into Enzo's arms was so full of joy......what a contrast to the suicide scene.) I also really liked Gio Emprese, whose character Peter is a beautiful man -- so giving of himself to his hopeless nephew, and yet torn by so many doubts and fears. At first I kept asking myself what his motivation could be -- and then later in the series we discover it is purely religious/philosophical. Anyway, I thought Gio's performance was very convincing.
-- Those are the pros. There are unfortunately also many cons. Poor sound quality, which particularly grated during the loud scenes when the characters berated God and each other. Very slow pacing. I'm afraid many people will switch off before they get to the last few episodes where the whole point is discussed -- I thought the scene where Angelo and Damon are talking, in bed, about what it means to be gay, is the best scene of the series (and no one moves!!) and it is a shame that I think many viewers will never get there. The end tries to provide a bit of uplift, but I think it fails just because it turns a drama into a cartoon (figuratively). And it all happens against the background info that Damon has suffered through five more months of debilitating disease and weakness before finding rest. I did not find the cartoon ending at all reassuring.....
So my recommendation is to watch this one if you are in the mood to accept some serious contemplation. Even better if you have some level of belief yourself, because then the struggles of the actors will seem more relatable. But don't expect a polished, high-quality production.
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A mystical series nicely done in Filipino. Minimalistic, slow, tender and those who are not used to the majority Pinoy production with a gay theme will not like it. The opportunity was given to young actors - 19-year-old Damon and 20-year-old Angelo, and they grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, respectively. they tried to play everything the way the creators wanted. The third and last actor was Gio Emprese, who is better known for the characters of maids, twisted womanizers, here as Uncle Peter. The weakest part of the series this time seemed to me to be the sound.
SERIES 2:
Really solid acting, that's probably the biggest advantage of the second series (Damon, but I also liked Anthony). Love is universal ... As I usually rate the sound in projects quite high, here it was blown out for crucial scenes.
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An Excellent Series with a Caveat
I had a love/hate reaction to this series. The acting is SUPERB, honestly. The screenplay is excellent. Some of the dialogue of what is God is spot-on. What brought this down was the production issues. Hard to hear. Unnecessarily long-lingering shots. Camera angles at times were hidden by trees, plants that were annoying. But what bothered me the most (remember, this is just me), is the fact that the two main characters are in LOVE with each other and they never kiss. Dear God, I am getting tired and weary of these BL series who won't show one genuine sincere iota of love because of simple prudishness. You are creating a story of love between two men and we can't even get a simple kiss?? Hugging is not enough. Holding hands is not enough. What creates a relationship is that kiss of intimacy which is unfortunately and sadly missing in a lot of these series.I am tortured because I really liked this story and the acting is so good and I want people to watch it. And, this is just me, I am disappointed because what I hold near and dear to my heart is the creation of love which starts with a simple kiss.
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Do Not Watch
You can read a full rant/review here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/iamdarthbader/691607108162043904?source=sharebut to sum it up for you: It's a terrible show with a terrible message and terrible production. The actors did well with what they got, but it is not worth watching for. Not only one of the worst BL's I've ever seen, but one of the worst pieces of media I've ever consumed.
The description given on this site is not an accurate description of what happens in this show. If those things actually happened, I would have enjoyed it. Nothing happens that makes or shows that the main character has grown, that he's come to enjoy the time he has left. And in the end, after repeatedly being told that god was there and listening, and being shown that god/the angels have the power to heal, he dies alone. It's truly a miserable experience.
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Kaleb is one of the brilliant actors of his generation.
The concept and the flow of the story is so relevant nowadays especially those in their early 20's suffering from STDs which HIV is an example. The actors are always giving their best shots. Lines are catchy. Superb acting skills of amazing cast ensemble of Kaleb Ong, Enzo Santiago and Gio Emprese. Complemented by its intelligent Writer and Director Jodi Garcia. This Philippines Boys Love Series is one of the Must-Watch Series this year. Rest assured, morale of the story will be retentive to all of us. Questions about God and our faith will be answered. You will certainly adore and appreciate this newbie BL Series King Kaleb Ong I must say. He is perfect for the character role as Damon. He is always giving justice to the persona of Damon perfectly with his skill/talent in acting and even with his simple gestures in all of his scenes in each and every episode. Enzo Santiago and Gio Emprese are expectedly getting better and better with their respective previous BL Series engagements/projects. SO KUDOS TO ALL #MeetMyAngel Family.Was this review helpful to you?
NEW AND FRESH CONCEPT FOR A BL SERIES
This series is one of a kind, its refreshing concept got my attention. while watching this I was like I want to be back with my 6 years old self and asking for my angel to guard me. This is a worth to watch series, their acting are on point, the music, are greatly chosen. the screenplay was amazing. I am hooked. looking forward for more fantasy and realism on this series.I wanna give a tight hug to Damon., and a sweet kiss to Angelo.
Kaleb(Damon) for a beginner he did a great job, his acting performance was on point, nice blending of sadness, and confusion. He is such a baby to take care of.. Angelo's portrayal in Episode 2 was light and not quaky, I am surprised with Gio's role in this series, he is diff from the series that he was part of. So this series is really something different it gives us light and hope to keep fighting and love ourselves.
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Sei lá... série controversa...
Sinceramente, não consigo fechar uma opinião sólida sobre essa série...Roteiro: A história é dramática, fala sobre pontos importantes que sempre levam a discussões relevantes: Damon culpa seu ex por ter lhe transmitido o vírus, mas com essa fala, automaticamente ele se isenta da culpa de não ter se prevenido em suas relações sexuais. O fato dele desistir da vida, não ter uma gota de esperança, em minha opinião está diretamente ligado à sua falta de fé. Não quero abrir um tópico sobre religião X ateísmo, mas vejo que essa é uma das mensagens da série. Isso talvez não seja positivo, pois estando ele com depressão e ideias suicidas, me parece que fortalece a ideia de que a depressão é falta de Deus, obviamente está coerente com o roteiro, mas não me parece bom esse lado da religião, milhares de pessoas depressivas sofrem com esse estigma, visto que depressão é doença tratável pela medicina.
Também percebi que ninguém mais, além de seu tio o visita, e penso se o motivo não é o preconceito, o estigma que a doença carrega e a falta de informações que deixa muita gente com medo de qualquer contato com quem tem HIV. Também fala de amor e perdão, eu não sou alguém que acredita que é possível perdoar tudo, mas enfim... qualquer caminho diferente desse, deixaria a série incoerente. Ainda falando sobre religião, achei bem corajoso criarem a ideia de um casal de anjos gay, tendo em vista que a religião oficial da Filipinas é o Cristianismo católico, a ideia central, ao fim de tudo, me parece ser que a fé e o perdão são o caminho para um pós-morte feliz.
Sobre a atuação, apesar dessa série ter um núcleo pequeno, eu realmente gostei dos atores. Já conhecia trabalhos anteriores dos 3 atores principais, e comparando com outros trabalhos já feitos por eles, acho que fizeram um bom trabalho aqui.
O ponto fraco dessa série com certeza são os aspectos técnicos. Péssimo som, imagem ruim em todos os sentidos, a ost se concentra em um instrumental triste, coerente com o enredo, mas só isso não salva o resto.
Enfim, não posso dizer que amei, não voltaria a assistir, porém não desencorajo quem deseja ver.
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