BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” – Willian Shakespeare (Julius Caesar)
Romantic, beautiful, and modest. I really liked this series, although every fiber in my being at the beginning said that I should not. The first episode is simply awful, if not terrible. The acting was bad, and the production value was amateurish, at best. You must get through the first episode and some of the second before this story will grab you and it surely did me.
What made it interesting is it centered around a boy band’s difficulties in interacting with each other with an odd over the top band manager to guide them. It is so obvious from the beginning that these guys are new and very much inexperienced in acting but yet the story intrigued me, and the dialogue hooked me to watch more. I am so glad I did. The performances, the story, the characterizations got much better as they became more comfortable in their roles. They let loose and it became a surprisingly interesting and entertaining series. More importantly, I cared for them. There were some unusual twists and turns that I did not expect.
There are four members of the band. Aiden (Rodolfo del Rosario), is a singer who is a bit of an arrogant prima donna at first. Danny (Gus Faras Villa) is not particularly a happy individual and questions who gets top billing, who is the leader, and who is most talented. He has a very interesting family dynamics as he was raised by a lesbian couple. One of whom is his mother and the other he calls affectionately dad. There are some very tender moments between all of them and very poignant conversations as well. Rico is the third member (Louis Gabarada) who has a significant female following. And finally, Jamie (Job Piamonte Abogaso). So, let’s break these characters down. What makes this story so good is that each of them is so uniquely different and their stories are distinctive.
Jamie has the least amount of exposure but, in a real sense, he is so interesting. He knows that he is not the strongest member of the group and is the least memorable in terms of followers and exposure. He is a playboy but takes an unusual interest in the band manager assistant named Josh (Nino Luise Gragera). These two develop an interesting relationship that seems intense but not sexual. It seems like a bromance, but I was never sure if they actually felt anything for each other. It never went beyond platonic but yet if felt so intense. Josh had to leave his duties suddenly and he messages Jamie that he will miss him and enjoyed their time together and will always be his number one fan. There seems to be a sense of loss on Jamie’s face as he reads this message. I found that to be quite moving and left me wondering if there was more to this story. I am hoping that if there are further seasons that this relationship is explored more.
I did find these characters incredibly interesting as I could not tell if they actually had some ‘feelings’ for each other but simply developed one of those intense friendships that come along on rare occasions in one’s life. But I must admit that the character of Rico is the most entertaining. He comes across as this sex symbol but in reality, he is a closeted gay who is quite effeminate in private. Since he has a large following of female admirers, one in particular takes an interest in him and actively pursues him. She finally befriends him and there is such an interesting story that develops between these two. It is a beautiful story that ends up being romantic. Generally, I detest when a story goes from someone being gay to straight, but I realized as I watched this that it is unfair (after all, how many ‘straight’ guys go gay in these series) thinking that sex goes only one way. In this case, I think it really works and I liked that story. He does not have a lot of internal development in this series, and what realizations he comes to are more comedic than reflective. That is a bit unfair. The others in the band do not really get to know him (or Jamie) for that matter.
The focus of this series is between Aiden and Danny. There is a genuine dislike for each other in the beginning but through a series of bonding measures and exercises, these two begin to see each other in a different light. Danny is gay and is not trying to hide that. Aiden stumbles into feeling for Danny and is conflicted since he has a girlfriend. As they develop a friendship, you can see the sparks begin between the two which are charming, funny, and cute. There is an incredibly cute moment after a day together when they both go back to their rooms. As they say good night to each other, they both say no you go in first, no you go, and then on 1, 2,3 they will close their doors. Aiden with a smile says to himself, “That was weird”. But so telling and fun to watch.
There are some funny moments that happen between Danny and Aiden’s girlfriend as they both try and vie for Aiden’s attention. They are charming and humorous and rather witty. But in the end as she sees them both kissing underwater (which I found to be quite sensual), she realized that it is a lost cause. They do solidify their relationship with some very intense and passionate kissing which is beautiful. These two, I must admit, have a very intense relationship and chemistry together. I believed them and when they looked into each other’s eyes, I felt the connection that they had. There is a certain playfulness and sensuousness between them. The gentle touches between them. The caressing and affection that is obviously displayed as a couple. (By the way, both guys look VERY good in speedos).
There is a band manager who is hard to describe but is quite the character. Her name is Madame Curacha (Bryan Roy Tagarao) [Brenda Mage]. Here again, I usually find these characters distractions and sometime offensive. But in this case, it works! She is a taskmaster, is caring for her individual members, and knows what they need. I found her to be quite refreshing and offered comic relief just at the right time without going overboard. There is no doubt that she is the glue that keeps this group together. There is nothing phony about her.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series? In some sense, I found this ensemble of characters interesting, dynamic, and honestly one of the best in a BL series. They worked very well together, and I do hope there are more of these series of them together. It is a simple story really with each doing what needed to be done to move this story along beautifully. They are all very handsome and do have great chemistry together. Therefore, this ensemble warrants this distinction. Kudos to them all.
There is a montage of songs sung by the group and individual members at the end that are quite good and entertaining. Yes, it has production issues that did seem to get better as the series went along. They really need to do something about recording voices better. The screenplay for the most part is very good (after the first two episodes). There are some touching scenes of them together that are quite beautiful. As they try and bond, they meet outside under the stars. Quite honestly, this is one of the best scenes in a BL series I have seen. Gentle, honest, real, and full of individual reflection and bonding. Aiden says to them as they lay there looking up, “Even though we have different personalities and characteristics, we are still under the same set of stars. We are stars in different forms”. He then asks, “Star are good for …? What do they do?” They all in unison point up and say, “Shine!’
Do not let the first episode deter you from watching this series. It really is good!
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