Custodio: Another 3 Words

I SLEPT at 4 a.m. last Thursday. I was watching Jollibee’s Valentine Trilogy’s reaction videos on YouTube and got so engrossed that I totally lost track of time!

I must have watched close to a hundred videos of mostly foreign vloggers requested by their followers to react to the said Valentine ads which had gone viral on the internet since it released the first one last February 13.

I had a great time watching them!

I found it entertaining and amusing, observing their reactions and listening to their comments. Pretty much, based on what I saw and heard, love is indeed a universal thing that people react to quite automatically. But we already know that, right?

Let me be go out on a limb and throw out into the universe a couple of brave generalizations I deduced from watching these reaction videos for seven straight hours. Oh. I already said that love is universal. In addition to that, we as beings on this planet always cheer for the underdog.

We always want them to win (and in this case, win the girl) and react “violently” when they don’t. By “violently” I do not really mean kicking or screaming, but rather, to react with an outpouring of emotion (and yes, kicking, screaming and a lot of swearing may be included).

It is quite amazing watching the facial expressions of the video bloggers changed as they watch the ads. I realized that most of them share my sentiments and it is amusing how different cultures and ages can come together just by watching a commercial.

I watched the reaction videos of different nationalities, teens to middle aged, different sexual orientations, civil status, listening to their comments and really was amazed how each three-minute ad could affect them!

Some would laugh. Others would laugh and cry, finding it difficult to believe that an ad could actually stir such feelings in them. I must have heard “Why do you do this to me Jollibee?” more than a dozen times! Some of them literally stopped watching and said “What the f?”

Yup, that kind of reaction. There were those who were so distraught they could not talk and just sat there, mouth wide open, red-faced and crying. Pretty much the way I reacted.

It was quite consoling to know I was not alone in my weirdness.

Apparently, I am not alone!

If you have not watched it yet, you should.

Word #1: Friendzoned. Yes, the most common comment for the first ad titled Vow. Well, he was the best friend so I guess being the friend was his choice. I sat there watching each vlogger’s jaw drop because they did not expect the twist!

Sadness and heartbreak were written all over their faces, you would think that they knew the bestfriend personally! There was one particular who was so affected that she wanted to talk to the guy in person to tell him what she thought he should do! O di ba? Affected masyado!

I guess the story of unrequited love is such a powerful theme that most people have actually experienced in their lifetime. May hugot. And that tagline “for those who love unconditionally” at the end of the clip, just seals the deal!

Word #2: Yeyyy!! The first time I saw the list of the trilogy, it was written as Vow, Crush, Date. And I said to myself that they got the chronology wrong! Why weren’t they paying attention? Oh but they were!

Vow was so heartbreaking that even the vloggers were hesitant to watch the second installment for fear of becoming sadder! So I guess you could deduce why “Yeyyy” was the word for the second story.

We want happy endings and we feel joy when we witness love win! You could see their relief that the ad had a happy ending. You can see happiness in their faces! Yes, love comes to those who never gave up..well at least, in Crush.

Word #3: (speechless) I don’t remember words. Just tears and red faces. Of all the three clips, Date was the ad that really got to the vloggers. It got to me too, actually. Of the 30+ times that I have watched it, I cried EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Losing a loved one is never easy. Losing a parent (or a family member) is something one never really gets over. It just sets off so much emotion that even as I write this now, I am teary-eyed (lost my Pop a few years back). We do learn to live with the loss of a loved one but we miss them every day. Right? And they were right, love for family is the kind of love that never ends.

Geez, I have Valentine's hangover because of these three Valentine clips! I wonder what’s in store for next year’s! Happy Sunday folks!! :)