Madfabulous retells the real story of Henry Cyril Paget, the fifth Marquess of Anglesey out in Wales, a guy who came back at the tail end of the 1800s to claim his aristocratic title, only for his over the top lifestyle to put him at odds with practically everyone around him. It's a genuinely gorgeous film to watch, worth checking out honestly just for the incredible outfits alone on its iconic queer lead. This version does stray from what actually happened growing up in his real life, but it still pulls in all the major chapters of his story and turns them into something visually rich and beautifully done. Nothing about his sexuality gets stated outright anywhere in the film, but it's pretty clear he's meant to read as queer, which should make this an easy watch for queer film fans. Back in the 1890s, Paget, the black sheep of his family, shows up in North Wales to take on his title as the fifth Marquess of Anglesey, and immediately shocks his uptight relatives with how mu...
Zen and Ryo are our two leads, and they work at the same company together. These two have been trying to one up each other since their high school days, and that competitive streak has just carried right into their adult jobs. Like you'd expect, neither of them ever actually comes out on top for good. Outside of work though, the two of them actually spend a lot of time together, meeting up regularly at Ryo's place to drink and catch up. They've even got their own rule set up, whoever loses a bet has to do whatever the winner tells them to. One night, a conversation about relationships turns into this weird bet where they each decide to try and make the other one fall for them first. Ryo doesn't waste any time and goes full force trying to win Zen over, and slowly, through flashbacks, we find out Ryo's actually been carrying feelings for Zen all the way back since high school. Sure, they drifted apart during college, but that doesn't mean things can't shift now. From that point on the show basically just rides on the chemistry between these two, watching their little competition slowly morph into real feelings, leading up to them finally admitting how they feel about each other. There's a bit of a predictable jealous rival subplot tossed in too, but thankfully it doesn't stick around long and fades out almost as quickly as it shows up.
Like I said, what really carries this show is just how goofy the leads are together and the chemistry they've got going. Underneath every single argument there's clearly an attraction neither of them can shake, even though Zen spends most of his time acting like it isn't there. Their back and forth rivalry is where most of the comedy comes from, but it's actually the quieter, softer moments, the ones where neither of them is trying to win, that show you why this relationship actually works. Those little cracks of vulnerability end up being the real emotional core of the whole thing. The show does a great job bouncing between comedy and romance, one second they're acting like petty teenagers instead of grown men with actual sales jobs, and the next they're having these genuinely tender moments together. The actor playing Ryo nails that mischievous, competitive energy perfectly. And the guy playing Zen is just as good, capturing that nerdy, overly serious, earnest vibe really well. Both characters clearly understand what it feels like to always be fighting for recognition, and both actors bring real heart to portraying that. What I also really liked is watching how solid these two become as a couple once they're actually together. Even with the jealousy and misunderstandings that come with figuring out how to be in a relationship, what keeps them steady is how hard they work to understand each other's differences. IT also helps that the show has enough steamy kissing scenes. Even with such a simple plot on paper, the show absolutely delivers in execution. I had a great time with all the flirting, jealousy, love, affection, and making up that came with it. (7.5/10)
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