The first Filipino BL series 'Gameboys' attracts more than 1.5M views on YouTube

The first Filipino BL series, "Gameboys," has been a big hit on YouTube, attracting more than 1.5M views after just two episodes on the video sharing site.

In a press statement released by its production house The IdeaFirst Company, Executive Producer Jun Robles Lana said it is "ultimately about love overcoming all boundaries – even physical ones set by our new reality."

"Gameboys'' is the first Filipino series to ride the trending BL genre, aka Boys Love series, which have been the talk of Twitter town the past few months.

Aside from its genre, Robles said people have also turned into watching the "Gameboys" because it shows the realistic side of building connection amid the pandemic.

"It is about two people who find each other at a time when they can only connect with one another virtually.  I think that is what makes it so resonant with audiences around the world.  We want to believe that you can still find love and companionship even in the middle of a pandemic.”

The series stars Kokoy de Santos (Gavreel) and Elijah Canlas (Cairo), who meet in an online game and they end up closer together off-game. The whole series was shot during the pandemic.

Other Asians countries have been at the front of the BL genre, with Thailand's "2Gether The Series" and Korea's "Where Your Eyes Linger."

According to "Gameboys" director Ivan Payawal, the show is also getting recognized outside the Philippines with viewers from USA, Europe and Latin America.

“I knew we had a show we can all be proud of, but it’s just overwhelming to see fans from around the world commenting and posting about it – a lot of them even creating reaction videos to chronicle how much they loved our episodes!” 

The characters' dialogue is in Filipino but The IdeaFirst Company uploads it with English subtitles.

The statement said within hours of posting the video, its fans contributed subtitles in several languages including French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Ukranian, Czech, Turkish, Korean, Thai, Indonesian and Arabic  

The IdeaFirst Company has produced award-winning films such as "Die Beautiful" and "The Panti Sisters."

As of this writing, "Gameboys" has three episodes uploaded on YouTube.

— Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/LA, GMA News