Oh Mando (2020)

Poised to be one of the greatest BLs of all time! Why? Keep reading.

No scene in Oh, Mando! episode one is boring or unnecessary. The entire first episode was entertaining and well-paced with every scene establishing the characters while moving the narrative forward! Some of the best supporting characters are Vince (one of Armando's two best friends) and the teachers (one in the dorm and one who is the leader of the drama club): spicy, sassy, funny, and confident! This is great because some teachers that I've seen in both Pinoy and Thai BL have been abysmal.

Oh, Mando! is funny, yet touching with real depth in the storytelling and powerful visual symbolism; one example would be the scenes when Mando is wearing a facial mask.

I LOVE the fact that we know Mando's feelings from the very first episode and that it seems that his feelings are requited, so no waiting over weeks for the main protagonists to finally get around to the ridiculous, yet common, "What is this feeling? Why is my heart beating so fast?" scene.

But, it is just as clear that there will be several believable and understandable (as opposed to melodramatic, artificial and unnecessary) obstacles they will have to overcome before they can find their way to each other. The fun will be in watching HOW they accomplish that.

I have watched SCENES and partial episodes from BLs several times, but to watch ENTIRE episodes from start to finish? Nope, not really.

Until Oh, Mando, that is. That is because EVERY scene is worth watching. There are no long, drawn out scenes to get through while you wait for the couple to realize their feelings for each other and then FINALLY get together. Yet, the story doesn't move too fast and the predicaments they face are real. There is credible tension and anticipation with a huge dose of humour! Honestly, some of those scenes made me laugh out loud! I don't think I will hear the word 'fishball' again without chuckling. (I don't speak Tagalog, but honestly, I keep hearing Kokoy de Santos saying "...fishball ko" in my head, and I just start laughing.)

The only criticism I have about this hopefully soon-to-be historic BL is the production company's decision to only make it available on iWantTFC. I think this could be one of the most popular BLs of all time if they used a platform like YouTube, or at the very least GagaOOLala, so that subscribers would have access to a lot more content for their money. Using these platforms (especially YouTube) would create more buzz on social media promoting the series, the director, and the actors far more widely, and can really act as a career boost and serious cost-free promotion for the drama, especially through reaction videos. I am hoping that they will change this in the near future so that Oh, Mando! can get the international fan support and recognition it truly deserves!

Looking forward with GREAT anticipation to episode 2!


Prediction and POSSIBLE SPOILER:

I noticed that Risha and Barry share the same surname: Cruz.
I know by watching the credits in lots of Pinoy BL's that 'Cruz' is a relatively common name, but I have to wonder if this means that they might be siblings or otherwise closely related (cousins?).

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