Pinoy BL Series
Thailand
This review may contain spoilers
Hook Up (2020): A Daring Pinoy BL Series
In a lot of ways, “Hook Up” was an upgrade of its prequel “Truly Very Yours.” “Hook Up” had a more daring plot/storyline, improved acting performance, and better overall production value. But while there were improvements, “Hook Up” suffered from inconsistent quality all throughout its run.
“Hook Up” had a brave plot/storyline about finding romantic and sexual relationships through a fictional dating app called Findr. It covered bold topics such as gender identities and sexual orientations, one night stand, and even prostitution. It also discussed about relatable issues concerning family ties -- how we love them and how we also hate them at times. It also tackled how the youth especially students navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to these, “Hook Up” didn’t shy away from progressive themes. After the pardon of murderer Joseph Scott Pemberton, “Hook Up” even featured the message #TransLivesMatter #JusticeForJenniferLaude #NoToGenderRelatedViolence. Notwithstanding these commendable subject matters, the plot/storyline overall wasn’t fully developed. Maybe because there’s another related upcoming series from J.ACE (production company), some questions remained unanswered on “Hook Up.”
There were funny, sexy, and witty dialogues. I particularly liked when Mark self-identified as bisexual with no queerness denial and when Henry and Mark paid homage to the different Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series through title shout outs. But I didn’t like the screenplay whenever Mark and Henry argue. On such instances, script was long and preachy.
Acting was largely uneven but there was a marked improvement in Marky’s performance. He has gone a long way since his “Truly Very Yours” days. JC's acting needed improvement but for a newbie, he was alright. Niko was relatively good. Wex was ok but I was quite upset with how his character was treated on this series. The rest of the supporting cast members were either overacting or underwhelming (unfortunately, while I love Tita Cassie, Tita Baby belonged to this group).
Production design, camera work, and editing were up and down all throughout the series. But when these aspects were good, some of the better episodes were produced. A good example of this was the camera work on Henry and Mark’s shirtless scenes alluding to some sort of virtual sex. Another good example was the editing of scenes when the title of the series, “Hook Up,” was finally actualized. Mark and Henry’s kissing and love/sex scenes were sexy and steamy yet tastefully done. The song “I Think” by Jean Kent was better than his soundtrack “Summer Promises” for “Truly Very Yours.”
All in all, even with the inconsistencies in quality, I would still recommend rewatching “Hook Up.” If you’re looking for a daring Pinoy BL series with a fearless plot/storyline, “Hook Up” would be a nice series for you. You might also need to watch “Hook Up” and its prequel “Truly Very Yours” if you plan to watch J.ACE’s upcoming Pinoy BL series, “One Night Stand บางกอก (Bangkok).”
“Hook Up” had a brave plot/storyline about finding romantic and sexual relationships through a fictional dating app called Findr. It covered bold topics such as gender identities and sexual orientations, one night stand, and even prostitution. It also discussed about relatable issues concerning family ties -- how we love them and how we also hate them at times. It also tackled how the youth especially students navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to these, “Hook Up” didn’t shy away from progressive themes. After the pardon of murderer Joseph Scott Pemberton, “Hook Up” even featured the message #TransLivesMatter #JusticeForJenniferLaude #NoToGenderRelatedViolence. Notwithstanding these commendable subject matters, the plot/storyline overall wasn’t fully developed. Maybe because there’s another related upcoming series from J.ACE (production company), some questions remained unanswered on “Hook Up.”
There were funny, sexy, and witty dialogues. I particularly liked when Mark self-identified as bisexual with no queerness denial and when Henry and Mark paid homage to the different Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series through title shout outs. But I didn’t like the screenplay whenever Mark and Henry argue. On such instances, script was long and preachy.
Acting was largely uneven but there was a marked improvement in Marky’s performance. He has gone a long way since his “Truly Very Yours” days. JC's acting needed improvement but for a newbie, he was alright. Niko was relatively good. Wex was ok but I was quite upset with how his character was treated on this series. The rest of the supporting cast members were either overacting or underwhelming (unfortunately, while I love Tita Cassie, Tita Baby belonged to this group).
Production design, camera work, and editing were up and down all throughout the series. But when these aspects were good, some of the better episodes were produced. A good example of this was the camera work on Henry and Mark’s shirtless scenes alluding to some sort of virtual sex. Another good example was the editing of scenes when the title of the series, “Hook Up,” was finally actualized. Mark and Henry’s kissing and love/sex scenes were sexy and steamy yet tastefully done. The song “I Think” by Jean Kent was better than his soundtrack “Summer Promises” for “Truly Very Yours.”
All in all, even with the inconsistencies in quality, I would still recommend rewatching “Hook Up.” If you’re looking for a daring Pinoy BL series with a fearless plot/storyline, “Hook Up” would be a nice series for you. You might also need to watch “Hook Up” and its prequel “Truly Very Yours” if you plan to watch J.ACE’s upcoming Pinoy BL series, “One Night Stand บางกอก (Bangkok).”
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