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.