I sit here trying to personify what has to be the BL that achieves almost perfect perfection.

Firstly we have well-rounded characters in a very relatable setting. No wishy-washy half-baked personas were thrown in for drama's sake. Even the minor characters, as Cai's first GF, have a depth to them. Their motivations, feelings, and personas are well written and in keeping with the experiences of the pandemic. Gav had so many layers! Confidence giving way to jealousy, insecurity, pining for what was lost, and hope not to lose again. Cai is evolving with each episode with an interesting and real background story that becomes fully realised in the Pandemic context. You get the feeling these people actually exist in your world, and not just some fancy dramadom setting!

Secondly the directing. Wow. Ginoo Payawal, Ibinibigay ko sa iyo ang aking sumbrero: I tip my hat to you! You and your editing team were amazing and always on point! Not a single wasted scene, moment nor transition! Everything flowed so perfectly to fill the short episodes! There never was a laxed moment! The episodes felt packed, but not overwhelmingly so, and quite satisfying in the content. Those cliffhangers! Some of the best ever! Left the viewer longing for the next episode!

Thirdly, and not least important, the acting. Again, wow, wow, wow. Kokoy, Elijah, Adrianna, and the cast were amazing! The chemistry among them all! Gav and Cai had so much palpable chemistry through the screen! The development of the relationship was so organic! It did not feel forced, fake nor contrived in any way! having half of your face covered can't be good for any actor. Both, again, handled it with such grace! Their expressions on the meeting added so much tot he emotion of that scene! Again, pure perfection! Adrianna as Pearl brought so much energy to every scene she was in! Her role as enabler and supporter cannot be underscored enough! Sidenote: can't wait for Peral Next door!
While Kokoy and Elijah were the show-stealers the others were all showstoppers in their own rights. Jerom and Sue were pure perfections. Brother and mom becoming Cai's support and forgiving him for what he thought was his fault were epic and strong character building events for Cai. This could never be accomplished full-heartedly without the supporting actors!

Why I say this approaches a perfect perfection has so many dimensions. Primarily the story. We don't get the stereotypical, thropy I like you for you but I'm not attracted to guys. Here we get one character that is struggling with identity, who was outed by someone he trusted with his secret. We also see that being in a relationship is new territory for him and get to experiences the pitfalls and heartache of, not only a new relationship but the entire situation of the new normal playing making it an LDR one.
We get a protagonist who may or may not be a playboy, may or may not be sincere. The audience will have to figure that one out!
We also get an inside look at Philipino culture. I always love it when a drama takes us on these personalised journeys. We see the family bonds, culture, and the effect of these bonds on the individual and relationships. We also see the gaming culture that so many of us are part of.

All through the series, each character remained just that: each. Gav and Cai have very distinct personalities and we saw each as an individual. This is epic writing. In so many series and even books, we see a de-evolving of characters until their dialogue and personalities become almost meshed. Up to the end, Cai remained Cai, and Gav was Gav.

All in all, Gameboys is the ultimately bestest best series to air! Not only keeping with the context of the global pandemic but for a perfectly crafted story and relatable, real characters! Thank you, Ideafirst, for this piece of inspirational positivism in these trying times!