Apaixonados Outra Vez

I have just got through this Netflix series over the space of two days and I have to say I enjoyed it despite the fact that a lot of it didn't make a whole lot of sense but it is apparently 'based on a true story' so who am I to doubt the veracity of this tale?

It is about the on-off relationship of Julio and Irene over the course of twenty years, it starts off in 2004 with Irene who is new to Madrid as she leaves small town Castellon and her first love behind to get stuck into her film studies degree at university.

Fate takes a hand as she meets Argentinian Julio - as short as he is and a mix of a young Jeremy Kyle and a third rate boyband member - he seems to have a unique power of people wanting to have sex with him and all he has to do is take an item of clothing off and he is having sex with someone or someone wanting to have sex with him. Irene falls under the spell alongside everyone else who crosses his path and as they go home on the train about to have their first kiss, they get caught up in the 2004 Madrid Train Bombing - which they both survive but Irene loses sight in one eye.

The show then is about their complicated relationship, Julio's angst as an actor and as an irresistible heartthrob of a man which seems to about to upend his life as he begins his road to stardom, Irene who is dumped and ignored at will, she shares the story with the annoying gay friend and the fat best friend who seems to be the glue that holds the gang together.

The show goes to and forth between 2004 and 2022. Like I said, it doesn't make that much sense and that Julio can just turn up in a bar, take his shirt off and has sex with strangers ten minutes later starts becoming hard to believe after an episode or two. The co-protoganist - Irene is cute and bright but as daft and as selfish as Julio as she spends her time getting her heart broken, breaking hearts in return and getting messed about.

It's well acted and like I said, kept me watching until the end so I think 7/10 is a fair score but as long as you can put aside some of the unrealistic scenes then you will be able to enjoy it for what it is.

(Rating. 5.5/10) This series has some great ideas, I especially liked how they jumped between the past and the present. I also liked how they told the story through different memories and jumps in time. But I was missing rawness, authenticity and boldness. The storytelling felt superficial and almost mechanical. I was left wanting to see more vulnerability and raw emotions from the characters.

This is also one of those series that would work excellently with a clear beginning and an end. Like a diary of someone's life for someone else to read. But it felt like the series ended halfway through the diary. I'm guessing this is Netflix's way of leaving the possibility of a second season open. Unfortunately, that doesn't do this series justice.

... when this production works at all it's because of the actors... they're an odd-lot but combine to make an interesting 1st series... of course the two leads do most of all the heavy lifting, and for the most part they both do commendable work... it's not 'Normal-People' quality, yet an overall IMDb reviewer rating of six-something is about right

... the on-off-relationship comparison is an obvious one... it is in the writing where the main differences lay... Normal People is a much quieter-more-subtle work... here there's a lot more flash, but less substance... it's enjoyable viewing for a time, but can get tiresome as reviewers have pointed out... does there have to be a season two.. not as many would be rooting for one as if were NP.

I watched all 8 episodes and it just spiraled downhill with each progressive show. While the actors are solid, the script and direction are amateurish, repetitive, and boring. Over the span of 20 years, the lead characters never grow, learn, or develop. We are suppose to relate to two people that are hopelessly self-destructive and toxic to one another through their own selfishness.

Their are two serious failures: Time Jumps - The series randomly flashes between 2004 and 2022, going from 20 year old college students to 40 year olds who lives have stagnated. This problem is there was no effort to make the actors look older. The 20 something actors look exactly that. The fact that, at 40, they are still in the same place in their lives is too much a stretch.

Mental Illness - The series never addresses it but it's clear the female lead suffers from several disorders. The male lead identifies with anxiety and depression. Making a show about their conditions while trying to form relationships would have been more interesting. It would have also solved several gaps and plot points that that exists thought out the series.

Finaly something real and not pathetic. This is exactly how we lived at the end of 20th and first decade of 21st century. Even those of us who studed engineering, low or business, were into movies, hanging out with our friends, going out to small bars, big parties and mayor openings. Hooking up as much as possible. And always being into someone, hurting over someone and still going out and having fun.. having friends that were in absolute center of our life and shared with them everything. Living both small and big life in the same time. It's a bit nostalgic, specially when I heard "Me Cago En El Amor".. But mostly, I like it because its true. The characters didn't feel liked edited to fit into a box or "message". Acting and directing is very good and natural and made me feel I was there with them.