Why Love Why (2020)

Why Love Why (2020): A Satirical Pinoy BL Series

“Why Love Why” was a satirical Filipino (Pinoy) boys’ love (BL) series. There were lots of craziness as well as social criticisms on this series. “Why Love Why,” with its hit-or-miss exaggerations, was not without flaws but it clearly had something socially relevant to say.

“Why Love Why” had a good plot/storyline that tackled the interrelationships among historical, societal, and personal issues like the dictatorship of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, human rights violations, graft and corruption, poverty, COVID-19 pandemic, coming out, sex reassignment surgery, cheating, etc. Yes, the historical timelines were a bit confused at times, but they were still good backdrops for this series. While the rich and poor characters falling in love with each other trope is nothing new, I found this series’ efforts at satirizing both the elite and the masses interesting. Wena’s death was an apt reminder of the context, given the COVID-19 pandemic, that we are at right now. Character backgrounds and character developments for Benjo, Emil, and Kelly were generally satisfactory. Without a doubt, this series’ depiction of Kelly was one of the better portrayals of a Pinoy transgender woman in a Pinoy BL series. Benjo and Emil were both strong characters (with steamy kissing and making love scenes, lol). I understand why some people got offended with what appeared as queer misrepresentation and oversexualization of characters during the pilot episode (for the record, I didn’t get offended but for those who did, your feelings are valid) but I do believe that the succeeding episodes were able to rationalize and redeem such characterizations. But not all issues were resolved on this series. Sadly, while there’s a possibility in the future, Benjo and Emil didn’t end up together during the finale.

Screenplay was largely ok although there were some problematic lines that exemplified internalized homophobia and queerness denial, particularly when Benjo and Emil asserted that they’re not gay. Script was extra melodramatic at times. It wasn’t overly funny but it was humorous enough. Some jocular dialogues landed but others were off. There was a rape joke that wasn’t justified at all.

Theatrical acting was still evident on some scenes. Philstagers Films, the production company behind “Why Love Why," started off as a theater company and most of the actors are theater actors. Transitioning from stage acting to screen acting needed a bit of work but all in all, acting was mostly ok. Carl and Johnrey had solid performances. Even the silences between them didn’t diminish their performances, but instead, amplified their acting. Both are really sexy as well. Those shirtless scenes were nice, lol. Carl’s quite charming.

Production technicals for “Why Love Why” were mostly fine. The rich and poor settings were adequately presented. Camera work was technically good. Editing was decent. The soundtracks “Tama Ba Ito?” (Is It Right?) and “Gawin Mo Akong Boyfriend” (Make Me Your Boyfriend) by Vince Tañada and Pipo Cifra were alright.

Overall, I would only recommend rewatching “Why Love Why” to those who aren’t easily offended. It’s a satirical Pinoy BL series with exaggerations that may not be appreciated by everyone. Still, it’s a good Pinoy BL series with a second season to look forward to.

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Competent in parts, hard to pin down as a whole

As a BL, this Filipino production can be rather special. It doesn't overly beautify the main characters, and it isn't shy to portray the sexual aspects of their relationship. It may be attempting some depth in commenting on class relations and political tensions, but "attempting" may well be the key word here: either the messages are painstakingly obscured despite all the historical, political and class references or the series is simply hollow and pretentious in this regard.

There is an assortment of characters living in the same block (reminiscent of the chaotic delight that the Thai BL, YYY, was). But their stories don't really intertwine in meaningful ways except maybe for the story of Kelly. There is some commendable message about the difference between a gay person and a transgender person through the character of Kelly, but the message is not very subtly stated. Perhaps this is a deliberate attempt to ridicule those who can't get the simple distinction.

Perhaps there is some commentary of class difference, with the wealthy guy an indirect beneficiary of the corrupt Marcos regime and the poor guy an indirect victim. The message may well be pacifist, focusing on reconciliation rather than confrontation. However, one may find that those who have obtained their wealth through corruption seem a tad too benign.

The series does have its strengths. The parts focusing on the sexual attraction between the male leads is competently done. There are also rather funny moments in the series. I'm not averse to the historical and political references, but they ultimately seem somewhat pointless and don't gel well with the main narrative threads.

The good thing here is that Filipino BLs have actually be venturing into terrains previously unexplored by BLs coming from countries like Thailand. They attempts do not always yield ideal results but are nonetheless laudable.

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Worth Watching

I have three basic criteria for a good bl. 1. No silly, vindictive, immature girlfriends/ex-girlfriends. 2. Chemistry between the male leads. Focusing on their relationship and sticking to the central theme. 3. Side characters/stories that are also related to the central theme and not detracting from the narrative. Oh yes, a 4th criteria is no generic accident/ death at the end as a means of refusing to take a stand on the issue of sexuality.
For the most part all of my criteria was met. I enjoyed Season 1. The problem with the ending was resolved with the added segment. The highlights for Season 2 look promising. Using the pandemic as a backdrop was a risk but I think they did a decent job. And adding the transgender side story was a good step in the right direction. The music was okay and the acting of the main characters impressed me. Overall I enjoyed it.

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This is really good and badly underrated

Let me start by saying I enjoy series with underlying meaning, which I find more rewarding to watch and more memorable. This is one of those, so maybe it appeals to me more than it does to most other people. If you're looking for fluff and cuteness, this is not the place - although if you want to see some of the best-acted love between two people you can find in BL, you'll get it here, and a lot of it. I don't mean sex, although Jesus Christ, I thought my monitor would burn out.

When I first started this, I thought it was going to be soft-core porn, which I was totally down for because the main pair are both smoking hot, and even hotter together. It's refreshing every once an a while to see an ML (Man Love!) instead of a BL - BLs don't usually display any raw male sexuality - it's usually the chaste fairy-tale kind of love, which there's nothing wrong with - but variety is a good thing.

So I was suprised not far in when all the layers starting slowly peeling back. It would be boring if I cover all of it, but one of the most common criticisms I've seen is that the stories of the inhabitants of the building don't intertwine, so I'll focus on that, but one point about the political undertones, which I've seen a lot of people describe as obscure: remember that this is for a Filipino audience, and for them, the Marcos era is not at all obscure - they are still living in the shadow of those times.

Regarding the residents: The purpose of the COVID couple is to underscore the transience of life - one moment a man has a beautiful and happy family, and the next they're gone. We have no time to waste - we shoud embrace love wherever we find it and don't let it go.

The purpose of the trans character is show us a person that has had a far more difficult and brutal life than the main pair, and whose self-actualization is much more difficult than theirs (because she has to transition to achieve hers), and yet she accomplishes this, putting aside what everyone else and society says while embracing and integrating her faith, and by drawing strength from her self-love and not depending on anyone else to become who she is.

These are lessons that Emil and Benjo fail to learn, and that's why they can't be together. They let external forces guide their decisions - is it wrong in the eyes of God? Society? Are they gay? Do they want to be gay? At one point they even receive the tacit blessing of Emil's mother and they still don't absorb the right lessons. They are not bad or stupid people, far from it - but they are not ready to be together at this point in their story.

The cinematography was excellent, the acting first-rate. There are long scenes with no dialog, where everything is expressed with just the way they're looking at each other - it's a breathtaking exercise in the power of subtlety, and it brought me to tears. They even got the legendary Beverly Salviejo to play Emil's mother to give the message extra power. She is wonderful, both moving and funny. The overall production quality is very good considering the budget.

The style is theatrical - it feels like a play. This is intentional, and it worked well for me, but some people found it distancing. This is a COVID story, but the pandemic is cleverly used to explore the themes of the series (mortality, the prisons we build for ourselves, et. al. Note that the quarantine is no barrier for Emil's mother and what that means) rather than being an end in itself (or worse, an excuse not to have to have any gay action) like in so many other BLs.

Give this a shot - if you aren't into it by the end of Ep 3, it probably isn't your thing.

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Essa história já me cativou pela sinopse. O enredo foi perfeito. A música e a abertura para mim é perfeito.

Os atores alem de ser lindos são ótimos profissionais na sua atuação!

Os personagens principais entregou tudo...

Eu senti uma emoção enorme em ver essa história!!!

A mãe do menino pobre deu um show de interpretação ao perceber no ar o amor entre seu filho e o amigo.

A frase no momento da despedida, mexeu muito com os meus sentimentos, que pena que você não pode me dar um neto...

O final da despedida deles foi lindo...

Claro teve monentos que eu ficava com muita pena de ambas as namoradas dos meninos, mas é a vida e temos que viver ela constantemente...

E a descoberta da história de ambos os avós... Esse momento foi bem dramático...

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The story is a bit basic and with little plot, some strange characters. The teasing of the main couple Benjo and Emil was probably the biggest positive of the entire series. However, I agree that Filipinos are filming "ostopéro" even in the time of covid, and it is also necessary to consider that "those who do nothing, do not spoil anything".

Příběh trošku prvoplánový a s malým spádem, některé divné postavy. Škádlení hlavní dvojice Benjo a Emila bylo asi největším pozitivem celého seriálu. Kvituji ale, že Filipínci točí "ostopéro" i v době covidové a také je třeba zvážit, že "kdo nic nedělá, nic nepokazí".

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why love why?

Então... começando pelo roteiro. A história é mais uma das séries Filipinas feitas no auge da pandemia de COVID- 19. De início já podemos observar que a série faz uma crítica à desigualdade social no país, pois enquanto Benjo vive banhado em luxo, graças ao dinheiro de seus pais que tem origem criminosa, a família de Emil vive na miséria total, justamente por seus antepassados terem sido vítimas do roubo que enriqueceu a família de Benjo, inclusive, ambos precisaram se reunir pois Emil não tinha nem computador nem acesso à internet. Emil tem que dividir as poucas roupas com seus irmãos, enquanto Benjo tem closets inteiros de roupas que nem mesmo usa. Emil sofre provocações dos colegas por ser pobre, mas parece não se importar com isso, e apesar da miséria, sua mãe faz o possível para colocar comida na mesa, e seus irmãos se amam, Ao contrário da família de Benjo, pois ele vive sozinho já que seus pais estão foragidos, e por isso ele se sente só. Também mostra o contraste da realidade social durante as quarentenas, onde os ricos, mesmo sem poder sair de casa tem tudo do bom e do melhor, enquanto os pobres se desesperam por não saírem para ganhar a vida pois seus recursos são escassos, e até mesmo escassos de informação, por exemplo, no primeiro ep a mãe de Emil afirma que o vírus não sobrevive no calor, no segundo ep, a moça grávida faz rezas e remédios caseiros pois viu no facebook que aquilo traria a cura, etc. Inclusive a morte dela é uma cena muito emocionante.
Benjo claramente é bissexual, pois vemos que ele tem uma namorada, mas deseja Emil desde o primeiro contato. Emil vive num contexto social diferente, sem tanta informação, talvez por isso tenha mais dificuldade em aceitar sua atração pelo outro, e eu particularmente acho que foi muito rápida a forma como foram de colegas de sala para uma transa selvagem, e aqui tenho que dizer que essa série traz um apelo sexual gigante.
Existem alguns furos no roteiro. Por exemplo, os demais moradores do prédio onde Benjo mora não são ricos, o único apartamento luxuoso é o dele.
Um ponto positivo, sempre presente nas séries filipinas, é trazer atores trans em papéis de destaque. Kelly é uma personagem muito complexa, com uma história fantástica. É filha de um oficial das forças armadas e foi abandonada por sua família por ser trans, e vive lutando pela sobrevivência, apesar da solidão ela se ampara em sua fé em Deus. Percebe-se que ela é usada para mostrar a exploração, tanto sexual vivida por pessoas LGBTQIAP+, como a exploração de classe, pois cuida do prédio para a mãe de Benjo sem ganhar nada, apenas a moradia. Outra coisa boa nessa série é pautar o tema político (os Marcos), e o choque de realidade de quem é privilegiado e vê o quanto é difícil a vida para as minorias, que a meritocracia é apenas uma falácia (Quando Benjo manda kelly ir atrás de emprego).
A trilha sonora é boa e eu recomendo a série.

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