Boyband Love (2020)

Boyband Love (2020): Different But Lacks Harmony

Not everything was in harmony on “Boyband Love.” Don’t get me wrong, there were things to like about this Filipino (Pinoy) boys’ love (BL) series but they didn’t always fit well together. While featuring the Philippine music industry was different, the various artistic aspects of “Boyband Love” were not always in sync.

“Boyband Love” had a compelling plot/storyline. While the series employed the overused enemies to lovers trope, it at least had the Philippine music industry as backdrop which made it uncommon. Unfortunately, not all the characters were fully developed. In terms of character background, character development, and relationship development, Arkin and Gus were alright. I would have wanted more for Charm but at the minimum, she wasn’t made into a bad person so I’m fine with her characterization. I did find Rico and Mika’s arrangement ridiculous at first but they grew on me. Some may take issue with Rico ending up with Mika but I know real-life couples like them so it’s not as if their set-up doesn’t exist. It does so I’m good with it. One issue I had with this series was how Jaime and Josh were treated. Other than being a gamer and womanizer, not much was revealed about Jaime. And after all the tease, nothing happened to the Jaime and Josh ship. Another issue I had with this series was the lack of depth for Madam Curacha’s characterization. Also, it wasn’t really shown how each main character related with other main characters aside from their designated partner in this series. For example, it would have been interesting if Danny and Rico, the characters portrayed by real-life partners Gus and Louie, had some friendly conversations about being true to oneself.

A couple of times, script was cringy. But there were some good dramatic lines from Aiden and Danny and from Danny’s parents and unconventional family. The good comedic dialogues were mostly from Rico and Mika. But overall, screenplay wasn’t consistent.

Acting by Arkin, Gus, Louie, Regine, Rose, and Brenda was mostly ok. With regard to chemistry, the Arkin and Gus and Louie and Regine ships were acceptable enough. Job and Luise had awkward moments but they were largely watchable. The performance of those who portrayed as the parents of Aiden and Rico were poor.

My major issue with “Boyband Love” was its production value. The set designs looked cheap and substandard. I can understand the limitation in finances and resources but the production company should have been more creative with their set designs. There were some nice songs like “Ikaw Na Nga Talaga” (It’s Really You) by 1:43 and “Nagkulang Ba” (Not Enough) by Gus and Arkin but the main soundtrack “Same Love” by the fictional Pinoy boyband group LMTLSS was overplayed.

All in all, I would only recommend “Boyband Love” for those who are interested in watching a Pinoy BL series with the Philippine music industry as backdrop, but with a friendly note that not everything was in harmony on this series.

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