You Are Ma Boy (Vietnamese Series)

A low budget quick web series of just 6 episodes, this is a small addition to Vietnam trying to come up with their set of BL shows for viewers like us. The show was bring promoted as love between two straight boys, but I think that sort of promotional material is misleading. Why do the makers think that they will get more viewers just by bringing in the 'straight' angle. That way I do appreciate Thai shows where most folks are shown to be sexually fluid and fall in love with a. Person and not the gender.

Duong is your regular boy next door who works in a cafe. He goes with his best friend, a girl co-worker to take signature of a famous singer Nhat Nam and make his acquaintance. Next day when Nhat Nam comes to the cafe, he is followed by his fans and Dung helps him get out. They exchange numbers. Somehow Nhat Nam takes a liking for Duong but Duong is very dismissive of the whole thing. Eventually they start becoming friends. Clearly Nhat Nam has feelings for him, but Duong is unsure. Enter the singer's parents, and we learn the story when Nhat Nam's father kicked him out of home just because he wanted to become singer and not follow his parents business of bakery. They haven't talked for four years but on Duong's persistence, he is eventually able to bury the hatchet. But when Duong realizes that people are mistaking the duo as a couple, he starts keeping a distance from Nhat Nam because he thinks how can two boys be together. (Meanwhile Duong's boss, who has a huge crush on him,  on two different occasions just declares Duong is his boyfriend just to throw people off). So this excuse was a bit lame. Eventually he comes to sense and the two become a couple and share a kiss. But their pictures are leaked and Nhat Nam's management company decides to make. BL story with these two characters to salvage their reputation. It turns out that Nhat Nam's jealous manager is the one responsible for all this. Luckily the series becomes a hit and the the couple moves in together. 

The first thing you notice about the show is that actually the two leads are pretty decent looking and actually share a good chemistry with each other. They have this sense of ease and comfort with one another that just works. Guy playing Duong has been innocence yet goofiness about him that really works in his favor. In comparison, Nhat Nam's character feels like could have used more substance, even though we do see a lot of his back story but somehow it does not string your heart. Duong's crazy co-worker was a laugh riot, but actually I personally do take offense of people like her who invade other people's privacy to gain followers on social media. She had no business in making videos about the couple's love. And she does does that multiple times. It's just wrong. But other than that she does get some good lines and I loved it when she comes and slaps the singer's manager in the last episode. The show tries to cover a lot in it short 20 minute episodes but it all comes together. Yes, the romance building between the couple could have been better, but its all good. I was initially upset about how the two kisses shown were more just lip touching but thanked for that last finale one minute where they actually get physical and we do get to see full on kissing. Give this a watch. It’s short enough so you won’t feel cheated and it’s cute enough to make you smile. At least better than those Thai shows which go on for 12/14 episodes with very little movement. (6/10)