What makes ‘Quaranthings’ different from other Pinoy ‘Boys’ Love’ series

Kyo Quijano (left) and Royce Cabrera in “Quaranthings”

“Twenty-twenty na! Gender is fluid!”

More than plain “kilig,” the new “boys’ love” or BL web series “Quaranthings” aims to shed light on some of the issues young queer people face, and raise awareness about other types of sexual orientations.

Popular online content creator Kyo Quijano, who plays Judah—the openly gay lead character who uttered the aforementioned line—is part of the LGBTQ+ community himself. He identifies as pansexual, which means that his attraction to people isn’t bound by gender identity or sex.

“Actually, I made this public only recently. My initial point of view was that I didn’t need to explain anything to anyone. But as a social media personality, I thought that, perhaps, it’s my responsibility to tell people that we exist—that preferences like ours exist,” he told the Inquirer in a recent virtual conference.

Kyo admitted that there are still people who continue to question “who” or “what” he is. But he tries not to let such comments get to him.

“I can say that I now know myself very well. And I’m so grateful for this project because I believe it can help spread awareness,” said Kyo, who creates skits, parodies and vlogs for his 1.88 million subscribers on YouTube.

His screen partner, actor Royce Cabrera—who’s straight—admitted that his knowledge about LGBTQ+ people was lacking prior to filming the show. The experience proved to be educational.

“What I knew was limited to gay and lesbian. And I thought that was it. I have learned that there are also bisexuality, queer, etc. I didn’t have enough awareness. But by doing projects like this, I got to know better the people who comprise the community,” he said.

Royce plays Rocky, a man with a “tough exterior” who finds himself unexpectedly developing feelings for Judah. “My character, for instance, is very rugged. But deep inside, he’s confused; he’s thinking of coming out, but couldn’t do it due to many factors,” he said. “There are people like that.”

“I had to research and seek advice from LGBTQ+ people, so I don’t make mistakes in approaching the role. I don’t want to say or do something wrong,” added Royce, whose performance in acclaimed suspense-drama film “Fuccbois” earned him an acting nomination in this year’s Urian Awards.

While the two actors had yet to work with each other, it didn’t take long for them to be comfortable with each other. “He told me that he’s pansexual. It’s good to know a little bit of your coworker’s background, so there’s no awkwardness,” related Royce.

“Quaranthings,” produced by the short film studio Ride or Die Initiative, revolves around Judah and Rocky, whose friendship blossoms into romance amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They end up getting stuck with each other during the quarantine, after the four other people they share an apartment with decide to return home.

“It’s a coming-of-age story, about self-discovery. But it’s more on the angst and pain brought about by the confusion regarding sexuality. It feels real because it tackles Filipino issues, like how our society and family become a factor,” said director Pancho Maniquis, who wrote the story with “Cuddle Weather” writer and director Rod Marmol.

The surge in popularity of BL in the Philippines in recent months has prompted a mushrooming of locally made series. But one thing that makes “Quarantings” different, director Pancho said, is that one of its characters is openly gay.

Originating in Japan, BL traditionally presents straight male characters in homoerotic relationships and originally marketed toward the female audience. “This is one of our differences from other BLs. Some hardcore fans were actually against our idea when they first heard about it; they insisted that the genre should be about two men falling in love and giving kilig,” Pancho said.

But genres are a social construct, he pointed out—they’re meant to “continuously evolve.” “The audience is expanding, so the stories also need to expand… The show is still essentially about two men in love. It just so happens that we’re acknowledging the fact that one of the characters is openly gay,” he said.

“Quaranthings,” which gets new episodes every Friday night on Ride or Die’s YouTube, is a dream come true for Kyo, who has always wanted to become a “legitimate actor.”

“Somewhere along the way I gave up on that dream. I didn’t know that vlogging would end up opening that door for me. It’s as if my dream was reignited,” he said.

And how did his mother react to the news? “She’s proud. Before this, she was wishing that I get partnered with another male actor if an acting opportunity comes—just a random thought of hers. And then it happened. She’s happy,” Kyo said.