How do I even begin?  Let’s just say I’ve been sleeping later than usual, and that’s because I’ve found a new thing to stay up late for: oo na, #OTWOLista na ako!

Before this was shown, I found myself getting a bit too much into Pangako Sa ‘Yo (see my post on it), so much so that kating-kati akong makauwi everyday nang maaga para maabutan sina Amor at Eduardo, plus ang mga shenanigans ni Claudia.  But August came and the hype on OTWOL (yes, yan ang shortened version) made me curious enough to check out the pilot episode.  At ‘yun na.  ‘Yun na talaga.  I’ve been hooked ever since.

First of all, the fresh story angle.  Tama na ang OA plots at saka sexuality issues muna, nakakasawa din. OTWOL brought in the plight of Pinoy OFWs, done with a light tone pero you still won’t miss the serious undertone and homesickness.

Tapos magaling ang direction.  One of the directors is Tonet Jadaone of That Thing Called Tadhana fame.  Winner ang comic timing, at nailabas niya ang acting skills ng lead stars, 'it' loveteam James Reid and Nadine Lustre. Partida na ang fact na may added degree of difficulty ang production, since they shot much of it in San Francisco with no ABS-CBN-style crew.  Sila-sila lang.

Third, kilig factor.  My gosh, ibang klase!  Grabe magtinginan!  Plus yung mga lines nila, trademark kilig talaga.  Can’t blame JaDine (James and Nadine, yeah) fans from getting all worked up every episode.

Fourth, and probably the most surprising (for me, at least), marunong umarte ang mga bida!  To be honest, I didn’t expect much, but they sure proved me wrong.  Lalo na si Nadine, who appears to be on a higher acting level compared to her partner.  OK, OK, binawi naman ni James sa hotness factor.  Nadine has been able to keep up with the ever-changing tone of the show every episode:  from romance to drama to action back to romance, and sometimes even horror!  Kayang-kaya niya.

What else can I say?  Clearly I’m a fan! Like many viewers, I really hope this show keeps its standards and remains consistent—primetime definitely needs something like this to offset all the heavy drama, baby kidnapping, fraudulent identities, and everything else we’ve been used to.