Gameboys: Level-up Edition: This is a re-shooting and adding to of the original web Series 1
Web series 1 trailer: https://youtu.be/842LyKe2ntw
Well, contrary to my initial expectations, this was really good and engaging. I had an awareness of the mini-genre into which I thought this would predictably fit – the Asian boy-love dramas (a slightly uncomfortable name, I always felt) with the sentimental telling of a burgeoning love between two teens, with some obstacles along the way but a comfortable happy ending. There would be many facial close ups with damp eyes and quivering lips and probably saccharine pop music. Now there were certainly elements of all of these in this series, but it was very much more than that.
Its biggest strength was the use of the pandemic setting, at a time during a strict lockdown where many were, certainly in Manila, were confined to their homes and the romance was very well interwoven with the lockdown and its effects. This gave richer depth to the story and, towards the end, allowed for us to see a more sympathetic view of some characters who were being very markedly affected by the lockdown with the devastating impact of the lack of people to socialize with or have any face to face, let alone physical contact. This was particularly true with the character of Terrence who, in the last few episodes, became a far deeper and more sympathetic character than he had initially been portrayed as. It brought home well, sometimes painfully, what it was like for many at that time with the impact of personal and family dynamics.
The stylistic tropes mentioned above were certainly in evidence in the earlier part of the story (and the sensible length of each episode of 20-35 minutes only, made engagement easier) with glycerin tears falling but it (just) managed to avoid moments of cheap sentimentality.
As the entire story was necessarily conducted through social media (I am now getting better at absorbing the vast amounts of information shown when stories are being told in this way) I particularly liked the way that whenever characters Facebook pages were shown, there was very often an announcement about the progress of the disease, the rise or fall in the number of cases. This was not simplistically emphasized but just very effectively there as a constant reminder, as it was in everyone’s lives.
The first physical encounter could/did not happen until Episode 10 (of 13) and then of course was done very carefully with social distancing (initially, until it turned out that both were negative which allowed some slightly greater freedom – even though they continued often to wear gloves. And in the early stages of this first encounter I loved the use of pastel-coloured shapes/butterflies etc. that were placed on the screen a la Heartstopper. Is this device one that is characteristic of this genre, I wonder? And credit to the makers to only using it very sparingly, on this first encounter.
The series did not why away from the truly dark aspects of the pandemic – a death and a complete familial disruption.
I do not know if they are planning to do a re-edited version of the second web series (this film was of only the first series) but the final episode moved the story in a very different direction and I would love to see how it will transpire.