Welcome to my Saturday blog post where I give thoughts on dramas I’m watching, whether at the beginning, middle, or end. Whatever I want, because I’m petty that way.
Only one show got recapped this week, episode 5-6 of Kidnap, wherein Min and Q grow closer while being zombie extras. If this is your trope, you’re having a good year.
What did I watch this week? Something from a new country for me as far as dramas:
Marahuyo Project – 2024
Recently aired Filipino LGBTQIA+ coming of age/romance with 8 episodes.
A stranger comes to town in the form of a sassy young gay man, horrified by the local’s conservative politics, he sets out to make an LGBTQIA+ club at his high school.
I thought this show was great, tackling various issues and ideas with a charismatic lead and interesting secondary characters.
Let’s start with the characters and plot
King is already in trouble in Manila for his outspoken refusal to accept homophobic behavior from anyone, including authority figures. He’s sent to live with his Mom in Marahuyo, an island whose name means “a state of enchantment and attraction” in Tagalog.
King is not enchanted or attracted, and neither are the locals. His bright clothing and femme qualities set him apart from everyone as he bumps heads with the local father and dean of the school. The place loves its conservative history and legends and wants to stick firmly in its outdated past, but King is unimpressed.
The place needs an LGBTQIA+ club, but creating one involves getting it approved by the school council and school board. Before that, King needs to find some members. But in this kind of repressive society, people don’t want to stand out and admit to being different in any way.
Still, King gradually gets members as people are pulled in by his bravery and determination. There’s Ino, the important son in a long and important lineage, whose meet-cute with King involves fish. There’s Venice, a trans-woman who has put up with being misgendered and called names. Later there’s Lorie, another important child with important expectations, who is questioning her sexuality. She has a friend named Lili who has secrets. Then there’s Archie, an unhappy-looking young man who sticks close to the local father.
I would call this LGBTQIA +, not BL
For some this is a distinction that doesn’t matter, you can skip this section!
But this show focuses on characters who fit more than one letter of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. The show focuses on their struggles with “fitting in” (or not) and their growth and choices.
I love that the show tackles not just sexuality but gender. I love that King has femme qualities. It’s something I wish BL had more of (no, I don’t think every BL should do this, but very few do).
It’s also worth noting that while the actors are all attractive, they are attractive high-school-shaped people. Unlike most school BLs, I felt like I was watching real students and not idols.
And there is a sweet, moving romance that is the most important story thread after the main plot. However, no food is wiped off faces and eaten lovingly, no hair is blow-dried, and no couple grows closer while being zombie extras.
There’s a lot here, maybe a little too much
I love that this relatively short show attempts to tackle many different topics sensitively and thoughtfully. While I was watching it I thought about everything from how colonialism erases anything that doesn’t fit the oppressor’s conservative narrative, to the way families lie to the younger generation to make themselves fit into societal expectations better.
But by the end, I felt the show had tackled a few things too many.
In some ways, this had the positive effect of keeping the show light. These are big, complicated topics that can’t be “solved” in a day. By touching them briefly and shallowly, the show kept a good pace and didn’t feel heavy.
In the last 2-3 episodes though, they overwhelmed the plot and it felt like the main point got muddy. I’m still happy with the ending and appreciate what they were trying to do, but if they’d either cut one or two subplots or added 1-2 episodes, it would have been stronger.
But I still highly recommend this show
Because it’s not a BL, with its more niche audience, I can and will recommend this to a broader audience.
If you want to experience the beauty of the Philippines—its language, culture, and beaches, if you want a sweet high school love story with a memorable confession, if you want an updated LGBTQIA + version of Footloose, or to see the resilience of people standing up against oppression, this show could be what you’re looking for.
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