Hello Stranger (2020)

Hello Stranger (2020): A Top-Tier Pinoy BL Series

At least 35 Filipino (Pinoy) boys’ love (BL) series have been announced for 2020. Three Pinoy BL series are “completed” (“Sakristan,” “Truly Very Your,” and “Hello Stranger”) while ten other series are currently “airing” (“Gameboys,” “In Between,” “Kumusta Bro?,” “Even After,” “Hook Up,” “Amore,” “My Day,” "Unexpected," “Safe Haven,” and “Oh My Sexual”). I watch and review all these series. Not all of these series are good but fortunately we have the likes of “Hello Stranger” which can be considered a top-tier Pinoy BL series. It’s not the best (“Gameboys” is still better) and it’s not perfect but it’s an excellent Pinoy BL series especially if you want to be entertained and feel romantic excitement.

“Hello Stranger” had a simple plot/storyline about self-discovery, friendship, and finding love in a time of quarantine and lockdown. Friendship among the Young Padawans was highlighted which is probably what I liked most about this series. Interestingly, this series didn’t delve deeper into the characters’ relationship with their families which is usually a staple for a Pinoy series. While the overused enemies to lovers trope was employed, the context of the new normal brought something new to this series. But don't expect this series to confront larger societal issues related to identity politics and the pandemic though because this isn’t that type of Pinoy BL series (you can watch “Gameboys” instead for that). Even then, reference to the Stonewall riots (1969) is highly appreciated.

While there were a few corny and long lines here and there, the screenplay for the entire series was generally relatable. Featuring, interpreting, and dramatizing Benilda S. Santos' poem "Sa Kasintahang Nilimot Na" (For the Already Forgotten Lover) was also a nice touch.

Everyone in the cast, from the lead to the support cast can act, not particularly outstanding, but they're all good actors. Some of them, most noticeably Tony (undoubtedly the most popular Filipino actor to venture into Pinoy BL series), were underwhelming at times but Tony did have moments to shine especially in the finale. JC had the most improvement in acting throughout this series owing to the fact that Mico had the best character development. XavMi chemistry was ok in the end. All the male actors -- Tony, JC, Patrick, and Migs, are distractingly handsome and sexy. I super love Junjun! I would have wanted more for the female characters on this series especially Crystal but we take what we can get. At least their characterizations weren’t toxic. And Miss Tina Moran was definitely the mood!

Compared with other Pinoy BL series, “Hello Stranger” had the biggest budget and this showed in terms of the quality of production. Production design and camera work were generally very good. I had some issues with the pace and editing of the first few episodes but they eventually improved. The soundtrack "Kahit na Anong Sabihin ng Iba" (Regardless What Other People Say) performed by Seth Fedelin was also good. I also liked all the scenes wherein Tony sang. XavMi confessing each other's feelings by finishing each other's lines in a song and singing together during the finale was cheesy but was really romantic and sweet.

In summary, I would definitely recommend rewatching “Hello Stranger.” If you’re looking for a Pinoy BL series with a simple plot/storyline executed very well with good performance and production, “Hello Stranger” is the perfect series for you. And watch out for “Hello Stranger The Movie”! Maybe in the movie, we’ll get more than the very tamed pinky swear and hugs we got from the finale -- fingers crossed!

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Hello Stranger is what you imagine a quarantine love story to be like and it delivers. Most hate to love relationships are filled with toxicity, but this relationship is filled with mutual respect and genuine care and concern. The second of its kind, Hello Stranger is a sweet story about first love and new experiences. The pacing is consistent and the storyline, though predictable, is realistic and refreshing.

THE STORY:
The story is one that’s we are all familiar with. Boy meets boy, they seem to dislike each other. They are then forced to work on something together. Then they fall in love. What is unexpected is how realistic it feels. That akwardness of working with someone you just met and who you also slightly dislike is evident in the first episode, but that disappears by the second episode, indicating that they’ve spent time together and are now more comfortable. Mico seems to learn what it is like to step outside his comfort zone and his four point life plan. Xavier seems to learn what it’s like to be Mico and that not everyone is who you make them out to be. The emotions are raw and real and you feel as though you are living their story because it is just so relatable. Through each other, they’re learning about a whole new world, full of love and laughter.

THE ACTING:
So people are saying that the acting in the first episode was a bit akward, I think that may be due to the situation. Imagine working with someone you dislike. I would think that’s the reason for the akwardness. The acting really took a turn for the best in episode 2 though. This is one of the first Pinoy series I’ve watched and this is on par with any and all other series’. The chemistry though! Xav and Mico’s chemistry is through the roof. Overall the acting is very consistent.

THE PRODUCTION:
This is the second series after Gameboys to follow the internet and quarantine love theme, and the production has been handled extremely well. Phillipines has recently started to create more BL content and I believe that this series is definitely the benchmark for future Pinoy series’.

THE OST:
So if you read the translation for the OST’s lyrics, you would know how well it goes with the series. One line of lyrics literally translated to English mean
“ No matter what anyone says, I know our love is true.”
That, according to me genuinely encapsulates what this series is about.

THE NEGATIVE:
None.

THE ENDING:
I can’t believe Xavier asked for Mico to be his partner! That just made this series more perfect :). God, that ending was everything I could have possibly asked for. I’m going to keep this short: You won’t be disappointed by this ending.

This honestly is one of those series’ that is unabashedly life’s greatest pleasures and a genuine joy to experience. Whether you like sweet, sickly romance or aching hearts, this series has something for you. Hope everyone gives this a try because it is so worth it. Thank You!

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Typical ABSCBN

Its obvious that this is ABSCBN's attempt to ride the BL craze. A cross between Gameboys and Thailand's 2gether but falls flat with its thin story line.

While i am thankful that the producers decided to show it in Youtube, i cant help but feel that the series was haphazardly put together just to be able to be one of the first to put out a real BL series in the Philippines. It just feels shallow with very little (to no) character development and it felt like nothing's really happening after every epispde. I can only imagine good things if they waited a little bit and did this post-COVID.

The 2 main cast are A+, this is where the series shined. JC is a revelation- this guy deserves better projects while Tony has perfected his GGSS acting style.

However, even with the good acting, the series still lacks depth. HS is a big BL CLICKBAIT series- stuck between wanting to make BL fans happy and at the same time not wanting to offend the generally christian conservative (and hypocrite) public.

What i hate even more is after showing 7 episodes regularly, they just decided to hold back the last episode for a few weeks. I dont know if they were hoping to generate excitement or for what other reason, but to.me.it just didnt work, especially since the finale just lacks the punch.

Overall, im giving the series a 6.5 (mostly because of JC). I wouldnt actually reccommend it, only when you are stucked and has nothing to do.

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For a Boys Love Series, this came as a Heterosexual Romace Series

(Story)
Okay, let's start with this one. The trope about enemy to lovers thing could have been cute if it had been executed properly. Remember from the finale's "plot twist", wherein it was revealed Xavier all along knew Mico was. To me that "plot twist" was more of a "plot hole". It's unnecesary and highly contradicts with episodes 1 or 2 wherein Xavier doesnt have any idea how he got into the Padawan's Quiz Night and their Professor setting them up together.

The series although it only has 8 episodes felt so dragging and slow. Tons of dialogues and monologues HOGS up the whole 20 minute of an episode wherein maybe they could've spent it all on building up the two male protagonists' character as the two of them felt so shallow.

I see Xavier and Mico as 2D characters, Xavier being the jocky type and the latter the shy and conservative one AND NOTHING ELSE. Which I think is a letdown because most of the series' screentime are the both of them yet there's no depth to their character.

The whole Kookai and Seph thing is COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. Instead of putting up with another couple, which again was totally underdeveloped, they could've used that time building up Xavier and Mico's character.

(Acting)
Again with the 2 Dimensional characters, it also doesn't help Xavier and Mico characters to have depth if they keep portraying the same emotions all over again. I get Xavier is a jock and is a confident gay, but is that all he is?

Overall
I had high expectations coming into this series. It's just the way how the story and the dialogues were written that it came as draggy, boring and sluggish. There's little to none character development and the characters were 2 Dimensional which I think should have been a key factor when it comes to producing BLs. It's a shame how it was a BL series yet overall it just fell flat and gave off hetero vibes. They keep throwing off poetic lines/dialogues but it ended up being cringey.

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Spot On

I don't know what it is with me and these over-the-screen romances, but I am LIVING for them. I once again cannot explain how much I loved this series. It's the second one I saw with the Zoom-type concept, and I loved it. Everything about this series was just perfect, and I didn't expect to love Xavier as much as I do.

Let's Dive In,

Me just remembering this series is getting me emotional. I guess I didn't really take into account how much I loved it, At first, I wasn't a fan of Tony's (Xavier) acting. It felt pretty mediocre, but it got better by the end. Actually, he became my favorite character after his and Mico's little project that they presented to the teacher. A phenomenal job. I couldn't understand why I'm loving this COVID concept of these Phillpino shows, but then these small moments when you can see the character falling in love is beautiful. Mico having Xavier turn around as he said he didn't want to see him anymore was so heartbreaking, but a beautiful job was done. Them meeting had to be the best part. I'm very excited to see them in the movie (once I get around to watching it).

I was actually so invested in Kookai and Seph's love story, Normally I don't care much for hetero ships, but they absolutely took my breath away. When they came up on the screen, I couldn't contain my excitement for them to get together. I wish we could've seen more Junjun just because I believe that actor did a great job at being charismatic and humorous, and I wanted to see so much more of him. I feel like we didn't see Crystal too much either, but when she was there, I didn't mind it too much. She was a little rude at the beginning, but by the end, I could care less about where her story was headed.

Overall, this series was perfect, and I loved all the characters. I would highly recommend this show to anyone wanting a cute romance during COVID.

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Come Thru Philippines!

When HELLO STRANGER came up in my feed, I rolled my eyes. I legit rolled my eyes. I was thinking, here we go again, another unsatisfying 2gether garbage. I was just done with BL and was digging for other dramas. But I was bored one day and clicked on episode one.

Best decision I've made. This little drama is so good. The acting was incredible for a drama that was filmed in the middle of a pandemic where people had to be socially isolated.

Even though there was no skinship, I believe HELLO STRANGER is one of the most intimate dramas I've seen in a while.

Let me explain.

Everything was portrayed by the way Xavier looks at Mico and the other way around. It's the simple movements of their heads, the tone of their voices. Even in the pauses, when neither of them says nothing at all, when they're staring at each other through those cameras and you can see the helplessness in both their eyes. It was beautiful.

There was one little bit at the end that had me scratching my head and the bit about Xavier's girlfriend that has me feeling like there's a story line that's a little unfinished.

The friendship in this story was amazing. We all need a friend like Jun. Kookai and Seph got my on last nerves toward the end there--more so Kookai. I mean, if you can't say, "You're my boyfriend" to the guy you supposedly have a thing for then maybe you're not mature enough to be in a relationship.

The ending gave me a very happy feeling even though I was sitting over here sobbing like a fool. But all in all it was a wonderful little story. I truly wish it was longer but sometimes, longer is not necessarily better.

Highly recommended.

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While there is no shortage of rom-coms out there, Hello Stranger brings something fresh to the cliche "jock falls for the nerd" plot.

With the COVID-19 pandemic as the backdrop of this drama, we get two opposites who are forced by their teacher to work on a project through remote learning. The classic enemies to lovers-though overplayed in both Het and Gay dramas-still feels nuanced in this drama. None of the characters are unlikable. The chemistry is really palpable and the friendships of the main cast is so rewarding to watch. Most people watching BLs tend to do so because they want to escape from the depressive gay dramas out there, with equally depressing/sad endings. However, that is not to say that these BL dramas are only rainbows and unicorns. They have their fair share of angts/drama/melancholy, but where some Gay films/dramas tend to end in tragedy, majority of BLs end in happy endings. Sometimes, the script ends up suffering because a lot of BLs tend to pander to their base, which is okay, but it may leave some of us who are looking for a good plot feeling decieved.

Hello Stranger feels a lot like "normal life" and by that I mean that the charactes are relatable as is the story; as we (the audience watching this) are also experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic along with the cast. IT feels like "oh that could totally be me right now" It makes the story interesting. It has no frills or real big drama. The "villain" who is the girlfriend ends up being one of the most healthy ex-girfriends in any BL out there. We know how a lot of the time women are used as plot devices to create drama between the gay couple, but her character was handled with such care. I applaud the director and script writer for giving us such a healthy represenation of this type of woman.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend watching it.

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Wholesome BL series

I was surprised as i had no expectations when i started this show.. but let me tell u how joyful it was of an experience!

the story /plot is not smth new but the way it was interpreted and the roles played by all of the actors is what made this amazing..

tbh i could feel all the actors' emotions without having to try, their happiness, sadness, heartbreak, etc. all those raw emotions i just could feel them

at times, i felt like i am watching a reality show and invading their privacy, thats how much chemistry the two MLs have which makes me also extremely jealous ahah , seriously if u're looking for a wholesome BL show, this is it.

i salute the director and all the crew for their job, beautifully shot in such a clever way!

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Sooooooooo cute!

This has got to be the cutest, most wholesome drama I've seen in a while! "Hello, Stranger" is definitely not anything I thought I wanted, (let's be honest, often I watch dramas because the coronavirus and lockdown typically don't exist in those fictional universes), and it was definitely filmed in an experimental Skype/Facetime/video chat style, but it was just as effective as any other well-done drama.

To be honest, what first got my attention was that this drama was co-starring Tony Labrusca. He did not disappoint. Neither did JC Alcantara. While a lot of the acting was sort of stilted and strange in the first episode, Alcantara and Labrusca soon proved to be very good at carrying the story. Also, they were able to cry realistically.

"Hello, Stranger" has themes of being mindful of both one's own feelings and other people's feelings. It also has themes of being flexible and open to new possibilities. The drama is simple and short, but could be comforting for any audience members struggling to accept their sexual and/or romantic orientations.

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BEST PINOY BL (FOR ME)

I have watched a lot BL series not only in the Philippines but also from different countries and Hello Stranger got me addicted into it. Hell yeah, mostly Thailand BL series got me watch over and over again eg: 2moons Season 1 and Sotus and Sotus S the series this made me add to the list. This series made me feel in love again, main casts even the supportive one are all great when it comes to acting. Script was well written even the inch of scenes there was a story (you just have to be very attentive for you to get it haha). Musical scoring was perfect even the ost. The cinematography was on fire, man it was directed perfectly and of course the editing. I have a lot to say but don’t want it to very long comment however I wanted to add how casts being so generous to appear on those BL reactors, they made them feel they appreciated every reaction videos and actually watched every one of it.

This is a perfect series not only in a BL genre but in a whole.

Edit: I have read a lot of nasty comments about the series, although I respect your opinion but damn– I think you guys are just being biased with other series you’ve watched. Anw I know we can’t please everyone so I get. But I wanted to tell that this is a gem!!!

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It's the BL to watch for!

I don't know for some they kinda hate Hello stranger not because it's bad but perhaps because it recieves more recognitions and viewerships vis a vis the BLs that first launched in the Philippines. I don't think it's just because of the promotions since everyone has an access to youtube. Everyone could just watch! I did watched some of PH BLs but the rewatch values for them? Uh-uh! Hello Stranger is such a standard for me. The storyline is not that original yes I agree. But the unpredictable flavors you get as the characters are interacting playing their roles are commendable. JC is to be hailed the Actor of BL series. Very emotive and relatable. Love how light it is with the whisk of just the right amount of sadness and pain. I swear to God I can't stop smiling everytime Mico and Xavier are displaying affections with each other subtly. I think this is one thing that stands out with this series the way they do it! It's not forced (except for the first 2 episode with the cringey laugh of Xavier) it is so natural. The way you can just see yourself with them, beyond words! I feel inlove and pain at the same time! The firs time I was hooked over a Pinoy made BL! Mico is mahh boy!

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This is a beautiful story.

This is more LGBTQ+ focused than the majority of BLs, which have a focus on boys being cute together - and that's perfectly fine. I love those too. But this series may not resonate as much with audiences who are looking for that type of romance. There are many cute and heart-warming moments here, but this is a coming-of-age story, so the arc is about Mico being unable to attain love until he's able to attain self-acceptance.

Anyway, a lot of the criticism is over the lack of communication between the leads, which is odd, as most BLs heavily lean on implausible failures of communication to generate the final dramatic hump of the series. Here, I thought the communication problem was entirely authentic, and its resolution equally true to life, requiring outside help, whereas often in a story I'm thinking "you know, these two have mutual friends who know both sides of the story and can easily fix this..."

The acting is very good. JC is great, suffusing his character with confidence in his intellect, bold nerdiness, and insecurity about everything else. Tony is underrated - playing someone emotionally and verbally reserved, he has to pack a lot of emotion into subtle moments. His nervous giggling as he's gearing up to sing is masterful and authentic - and at the end of Ep 5, during a pause before an important moment, he worldessly radiates with an understated stare so much vulnerability and longing that I audibly gasped and started crying, and I'm tearing up just thinking about it now. And his desolation in Ep 7 may crush you. The support characters are all well-cast for their roles - I loved that everyone in the friend group (the Padawans) is clueless except Junjun, who sees everything. It was nice to see a minor character play a crucial role - that he was called was the best possible decision that could have been made and he was the only path to a happy ending.

The script is tightly written, with many layers of meaning, the central poem of their school project woven through the story, so that you can pick up new things with each viewing. (Note if you're watching with subtitles that lines that sound clunky are often from the poem.) Even the t-shirts reflect feelings and internal conflicts, and the heart on Mico's wall represents where he is, etc. The project performance in Ep 7 was a little too on-the-nose, but it was well-setup throughout the series so it worked. Or notice the color of Xavier's backwards baseball cap in Ep 6 and think about what that symbolizes. Both characters have an arc, and the resolution depends on a powerful statement of the importance of self-acceptance.

The cinematography and set design were artful, with delightful color coordination (e.g. Ep 8 with Mico's pink accessory in the closed tea shop), the music was beautifully integrated, e.g. he final music cue in Ep 5 was perfect to maximize the impact of the final line. The editing is stunning - there are scenes where you'll gasp at the way they managed to overcome safe distancing to give you real intimacy.

All of this was accomplished within the tight constraints of the COVID/social media setting - and I wonder if maybe that inspired a higher level of creativity.

There are a couple of issues. The side couple is adorable, but they didn't really serve much purpose in the story. Kookai's importance ended with her declaration towards the beginning, and Seph never had one - only Junjun was needed throughout, and the time would have been better spent developing Xavier's context, or more time establishing Mico's character at the beginning - or just making the series an episode shorter.

There are also a couple of important scenes that are non-linear but it's very unclear and confusing about where they fall in the story. I like that the production respects the intelligence of the audience, but we needed a "two weeks ago" or something in a couple of cases, or some other means of context. If you're reading this before watching, the most important is a conversation in Ep 8 involving the teacher, which occurs between Ep 1 & Ep 2.

The second one is a 1:1 conversation in Ep 8 with JunJun that occurs prior to a group chat the Padawans have at the end of Ep 7 and explains the strange things they say to Mico and advise him to do.

I've rewatched much of this several times, and this is is one of my favorite BLs of all time. I highly recommend it - just be forewarned it may take 1.5 episodes to get into it.

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