Win Jamie’s Heart
Sanny Istudyo TV
Actors: Allison Asistio, Matthew Francisco,
Format/Genre: Web Series/Boys’ love
Premise: Budding vlogger and podcaster Winston offers to help one of his female friends find love—only to find himself caught up in a confusing web of romance (Sanny Istudyo TV)
Where to Watch: Sanny Istudyo TV YouTube Channel
Why You Should See It:
The endearing allure of Win Jaime’s Heart comes chiefly from its satisfying mix of sensuality and humor, and the confident performances of its actors, who find no struggle in luring faithful followers of the boys’ love genre.
At first glance, ‘Win Jaime’s Heart’, a new web series that is now on its fifth breezy episode, brims with incredible charm. There’s this unexpected couple—Winston (Matthew Francisco) and Jaime (Allison Asistio)—whose cute story abounds in both advances and resistance. Winston, who is just trying to help his female best friend cope with her broken heart by looking her a date, finds himself in the middle of two people he intends to end up as a pair.
Jaime—an avid fan who has been following Win on social media—wins his contest, whose prize includes going out of town with him, and his best friend, Heart. Unknown to Win, winning the contest actually becomes a convenient opportunity for Jaime to make his ‘move’ towards Jaime. What will happen next is only poised to bring the two closer, but Heart remains an inevitable complication.
Like most of its contemporaries, ‘Win Jaime’s Heart’ has a tendency to overuse narration, with lead characters often complementing scenes with mellow voice overs—a classic tool for small-time producers to expand an episode without utilizing too many resources, and for them to defeat budgetary constraints.
The lines rarely mean anything, but in this case, Jaime’s opening narration sounds genuine and necessary, as if that sets the tone for the series’ entire narrative, albeit the inevitable possibility that it might change. And it will. At least, that’s how most boys’ love series, or other similar romcoms, for that matter, taught us how it’s going to be. We know that complications will drive a light and breezy story into making a detour, to introduce eventual heartaches and sometimes, even disappointments.
We know that Jaime’s indecisiveness about the real object of his romantic pursuit will bring chaos to the friendship he found in both Heart and Win and that whatever decision he makes, will cause him pain, no matter what.
It is tough not to like ‘Win Jaime’s Heart’, and this isn’t only because of the titillating steamy scenes it intentionally uses to lure the audience into sticking with Win and Jaime. There is a great deal of warmth and soulfulness in this series, even amidst its mostly unnecessary sensuality and intimacy, which is even amplified by Asistio’s and Francisco’s confident performances, and the equally strong presence of their supporting characters. Win Jaime’s Heart turns on enough appeal to cruise you through its cute, lovely, sensual, inspiring—all rolled into one—story.
Win Jaime’s Heart releases fresh episodes every Monday on Sanny Istudyo’s Youtube Channel. Watch the full trailer below:
