Just rewatched the ITSAYverse to remind myself of how great this series is and I remain beyond impressed.
This series is thoroughly great. Any and everything I can point to stands head and shoulders above other series.
The story is simple but effective. And there are brief deeply queer subplots about gender and homophobia which really bring extra depth to the characters and this story.
The acting is fantastic. Yes, the crying is melodramatic and for me it reminds me of being Xteen and melodramatic and ugly crying about whoever was causing me torment.
The music is beautiful and used and remixed and instrumentalized very well and effectively. And rewatching the series, you can pick up so many good background details or focus on the other protagonist.
All in all, this is a top tier series and I'm honestly glad that something like this exists and is such a great queer story.