Heartstopper Review

 

 

This is a half-ass written essay imposed on me by one of my best friends. He is dying to talk with someone about the franchise named “heartstopper”. So, I decided to watch it and demanded me to provide a detailed review. Initially, he asked me to read the comics but he introduced me the show later on. I'll be tackling the season 1 of the show and up until the beach scene in the comics. I'd like to apologize beforehand if I will offend anyone due to my misuse of the English language, unfiltered speech, getting details wrong, and spoilers. This is all written under an hour.
Heartstopper is an LGBTQ+ show that follows the story of two highschoolers: Charlie Spring, a twink who deals with the consequences of being involuntarily outed, crushing on Nick Nelson, a softboy jock who deals with his awakening about his sexuality. Alice Oseman closely worked on the show which is a huge plus points for me. I don't see original creators get their hands in live action adaptation very often. The first season itself is a  good proof of how creators can provide a great adaption if given the control.
First off, I liked the show. I'm not obsessed about it as I'd have thought I would be, I figured it's because I'm not much of a fan of the romance genre. Though, one thing that stands out to me in this show is the wholesomeness of gay romance. I've only watched a few "gay" media so far in my life but it seemed to focus more on the sexual or physical aspect of it. I believe the "physique is the personality" is a common sickness in romance shows, which is really sucky. I like that the show portrays that the characters in the show looked average and mostly nerdy in their own ways. (Yes, Charlie and Nick looks average in my perspective lol).
Second, tackling the issues of being an LGBTQ+ member strikes me very well. I'm pan but there is a persisting personal conundrum when I happen to like someone. I find Charlie more relatable because I "kinda" always knew but sometimes, I do receive insults for being pan. Ben and Harry are an absolute triggers for me. Not only it reminds me of someone I had also been in a relationship with, they're the insecure and anti-gay demons that haunts people.
I also found out that there is a deviation from the comics. Where Isaac isn't originally in the comics and some portions of the show weren't in the comics either. Isaac being a "new character" in the show just gives me the same vibes like Aled. I find that every new scene in the show solidifies or strengthens the characters of the show. Comic Nick sounds a bit more softer compared to Show Nick. Show Nick seems to be more grand with more actions, as shown in his actions during the Sports Festival in Episode 8. Comic Nick is more discreet and a bit daintier in comparison. Since there is now two Nick's, I'd like to think that Nick just has these two sides of him in canon.
My best friend told me that Tao gets a lot of hate. I think Tao is an awkwardly nice friend. He is protective about Charlie and he gets hurt when he feels not included in his friend's life, I find it very human of him to feel hurt. The only thing I hate is his haircut, but other than that, he is fine as he is. I love his chemistry with Elle with their friendship and the potential "relationship" going on between them. I don't blame either of them if they mistake each other's feelings for being "platonic" despite lowkey acting like a couple.
Though, aside from Charlie, I also find Isaac relatable for carrying books everywhere and trying to support friends in highschool. There's not much I can say about Isaac, but he fixes problems in the group as if he's a cat.
Overall, it's a refreshing and feel-good LGBTQ+ show while it portrays LGBTQ+ issues. There's not much I can say about the technicalities of the show like the music and cinematography. (I guess the music slaps lol). I'm not too far into the comics, but I look forward to season 2 next year.