Gameboys is surprisingly enjoyable and entertaining for me. The plot is refreshing and unique, especially when all of us are currently going through the pandemic situation thanks to Covid. Hence, it leads to lockdowns around the world and not being able to see our loved ones. *sigh*. However, certain parts are simply not my cup of tea.

Before watching it, I was warned by a few of my friends saying that you are going to be bombarded with the number of cheesy and cringey dialogues and boy did they not lie. Gameboys is one of the cheesiest, if not the cheesiest BL I have ever seen so far. Not that I have a prejudice against it, but too much cheesiness makes me nauseous. Certain dialogues made me cringe that I almost choked on my water while watching it, I will never forget the dialogues they've used here, "Choke me daddy" (Episode 2). When I heard that, I was like okay boy, calm down. Not to mention the number of times I hear the word "baby", it annoys me a lot since I am not a fan of pet names and I am already traumatized from 365 days. Luckily, it doesn't bother me that much, and I think that's how Filipinos flirt so I am alright with that.

I am also not a fan of the jealousy plotline. I find it ridiculous and unnecessary for the storyline maybe because I hate seeing love triangles trope not just in BLs, but any romance shows basically. I don't mind if it's a small thing and it's for entertainment, but I hate it when it's exaggerated on purpose, and this is my problem here. I would rather them focus entirely on the argument of Cairo moving away due to family issues. It's more of an interesting conflict, and it's suitable here with the pandemic situation as I like to observe and people handling those conflicts differently and understand their character better alongside their reasons. Sadly, the jealousy thing ruined some parts of my enjoyment, which is why I cannot give it a 9.

Okay now to the positive parts of the show. I really want to applaud the show for not adding any stereotypes towards the characters. The two main leads are natural, and both of them are relatable in their own ways. Both have their flaws, but when they are together, both of them learn from each other from their mistakes and become stronger together. I really like how they introduced Gavreel's grandmother conflict, it adds a nice touch towards his character, giving him a more nuanced character than other BLs I've seen and where we can relate to. I also love that Gavreel is able to empathize with Cairo's situation after hearing his news about his dad's passing and witness Cairo at his worst moments. The strongest part of the show is the message they want to highlight us not just in the pandemic situation, but in any situation basically. While at times we are forced to not be physically there for each other, but if you and your loved ones commit to it, it can, and it WILL work out in the end.

Nevertheless, it is a good show and pretty entertaining. It's considered a light-hearted BL for me since I did not cry watching it and the angst level is very low. I don't have any regrets about seeing this. However, it is only a one time watch for me since it's too cheesy for my taste. If you guys can handle the cheesiness, go ahead and watch it. I can't wait to see more BLs from the Philippines. Salamat!