Naniniwala Ka Ba Sa Forever? Understanding Why People Go Crazy Over #AlDub

Hello, my name is Ashley and I'm a fan of #AlDub.

Pabebe Wave! (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

Before anything else, I should explain myself. To be honest, I wasn't much of a Filipino love team fan. Yeah, I shipped Bobby-Angelu and Rico-Claudine during my younger days. But as I got older, I found Filipino love teams quite cheesy and too corny for my taste.

KathNiel? JaDine? DongYan? Ano yun?

While I want to support the Philippine media, I believed most Filipino stories fall for cliche story tropes. This made me believe that love teams were not worth my attention and therefore, I never found myself at the mercy of one.

Then, AlDub happened three weeks ago.

Aldub Them Very Much! (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

I found out about AlDub (a.k.a Alden/Yaya Dub) through one of my disciples during lunch. She was talking about the recent trends with today's noontime shows. While Showtime boosted ratings with a rock and roll joker, Eat Bulaga apparently was parading a new love team for their Juan for All, All for Juan segment.

I've been seeing the hashtag AlDub all over my Twitter and I've always wondered what it was. I was also sort of confused: how did Eat Bulaga managed to fit a kalyeserye segment for Juan For All, All for Juan?

So I decided to check it out.

And the rest is history.

Yaya's faceis priceless. (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

For the record, some people will not understand why most of us go crazy over Alden Richards and Yaya Dub (Maine Mendoza). They think it's shallow and corny-- "Ang baduy naman ng AlDub na yan! Ba't ka nababaliw diyan?" they ask.

Yes, it is corny and sometimes, it is baduy, as they say. So, why am I at the mercy of these two? Why do most of my friends (most of who I did not expect to like AlDub) always watch the replays every night?

I'll list down the reasons I can think of:

1) Not Your Typical Teleserye

Babala: Asawa ni Babalu (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

I think of it as a parody of all the Filipino romance stories. Kalyeserye takes a humurous approach at the typical Filipino teleserye plotlines. While it's sort of annoying, the humor injected by Yaya Dub's funny dubsmashes, Lola Nidora (Wally Bayola) and Frankie A. Arinoli's (Jose Manalo) portrayals and line exchange and Paolo Ballesteros' infectious laughter.

Let's not forget Tito, Vic, Joey and Allan K's commentaries, as well.

It's regular teleserye with an irregular approach. This makes the Kalyeserye an endearing must-watch for people who believe that forever exists.

2) Interactivity Works

'Naka 1 point ka na! Pati sa puso ko!" - Yaya Dub (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

In addition to not being your typical teleserye, Kalyeserye is very much interactive unlike other teleserye or noontime show segments. Because it's set on the streets, people can watch their performances live. 

While Yaya Dub and Alden can only see each other on split screens, the characters themselves manage to connect with potential audiences wherever and whenever. There's also something impressive with the capability of bringing the act closer to the people.

Take Alden arriving to stop the first YaKie wedding. Fans watched with anticipation as Alden raced from Broadway to where the wedding was. Another example was when Lola challenged him to run from Broadway again to Edsa within 20 minutes. This gives them more exposure to the general public, which raises awareness and therefore, more views.

3) An Interesting Mix of Characters

Kalyeserye's Selfie (Photo from the Philippipne Daily Inquirer)

KalyeSerye offers a wonderful combination of characters, each of them parodying typical characters we see in our teleseryes.

Yaya Dub reflects the typical Filipina heroine--your usual girl who started from the bottom who will somehow get over here. She's simple,sweet and can only communicate by dumbsmashing. Like any Filipina hero, she's oppressed but is loved by everyone. She serves Lola Nidora, who represents every kontrabida. 

Pabebe wave by Yaya Dub (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

While Lola cares for Yaya, she is very much against her and Alden--again, another cliche in Philippine love stories. Lola Nidora does everything she can to stop Yaya and Alden from meeting and ending up together. The reason behind this strong remains a mystery and viewers will only found out "...sa tamang panahon." 

Lola Nidora (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

Despite being the antagonist, Wally manages to portray Lola in such humor that we hate and love her at the same time. I crack up a lot whenever her bodyguards, the Rogelios, mess her plans and she criticizes them. Or whenever he does something out of the ordinary, like climbing out of a running car to escape the cops, or something like that.

Then there's Bae Alden, your knight in shinning armor and the love of Yaya Dub's life (kahit split screen lang). He's handsome and willing to overcome any task just so he can be with his Bae. Take away his girl and he will cry under the rain (I nearly died watching that scene).

YAYA DUB FOREVER (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

Alden represents the hero who shows kilig-worthy affections that would make any girl want to schedule a kwek-kwek date.

Of course, Kalyeserye offers third parties determined to break Yaya Dub and Alden's romance. There's Frankie A. Arinoli, the typical rich guy antagonist who loves modelling his branded clothing. He really loves Yaya Dub but unfortunately for him, Yaya loves only Alden and also has Trypophobia (a fear of holes), which makes him repulsive in her eyes.

Frankie and his Trypophobia-inducing face (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

Despite being a third party, Frankie also portrays that Other Guy who loves the heroine endlessly even if she doesn't, which makes him loveable in his own way. Plus, his English is funny.You have to give him that. 

Just recently, Eat Bulaga added another character to the mix and she's after Alden. Wally brings life to Duhrizz Maine, Lola Nidora's great grandchild from New York. Like the typical kontrabida girl, she's rich, flirty and determined to win Alden. Her pabebe tongue aims to overthrow Yaya's pabebe wave. 

For Pete's sake, please stop the Pabebe Tongue. (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

Sad to say, it's sort of weird and is not winning anyone any time. I mean, for real, she should stop doing it some time soon. 

4) Alden and Yaya Dub's Undeniable Chemistry

MAINEniwala na maALDEN ka niya. (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

There's no going around it: Maine and Alden share bubbling chemistry. And the mere fact that they haven't met in person yet is driving us all crazy. 

First off, let's all admit that Alden Richards is a total BAE. His be-dimpled smile is enough to knock Yaya Dub (and the rest of us) off her feet. I was never a fan of his acting but there's something in the way he dubsmashes and silently flirts with her. Even his cry face is on point, especially whenever he asks Yaya (over their fansign) when he'd see her. 

And c'mon, his pabebe wave is a killer.

That's MY Bae! (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

Yaya Dub is adorable in her own way.What I like the most about her is her sincerity and the realness that surrounds her character and personality. Maine Mendoza started as an online sensation and was given the chance to flourish on Philippine TV. When you watch her, you'd understand why.

Her ability to be beautiful and silly at the same time is amazing. It makes you wonder how she can transform from this cute Yaya to this weird-looking dubsmasher. Maine knows how to work it in front of the camera and she does so in a way that endears her to the public. The news about her other talents also makes her more loveable in our eyes.

Why so cute, Yaya Dub? (Photo fromo Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

When you put them together, Yaya and Alden manage to tickle our kilig bones to the point of no return. 

It remains a mystery if both parties are really developing actual feelings for each other, despite having intearactions on split screens only. But whatever the real score is, their TV love story is enough to make viewers wish they can have someone to share isaw with and an occasional pabebe wave here and there.

5) Simple Yet Powerful Lessons About Love

Kalyeserye wins over other noontime segments with its capability to teach simple lessons about one of the most complicated aspects in life -- LOVE.

Yaya and Alden 4EVER (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

Almost everyone's got a hugot or walang forever sentiment nowadays. This is why social media and pop culture dwells on the joys and pains of being in and out of love. Eat Bulaga uses this popular concepts and infuses them with life lessons that strike people where it hurts the most. 

One way they successfuly did so was through this moving speech from Lola Nidora:

"Ang gusto ko lang naman ay pag-ibig sa TAMANG PANAHON. Lahat ng bagay pinagtiyatiyagaan, pinaghihirapan at pinagsisikapan. Walang kahahantungan ang mga bagay na minamadali. Fan sign lang, LOVE NA? Text, text lang, KAYO NA? Ano 'to? Mas maganda ang bagay na pinagtiyatyagaan at dumarating sa tamang panahon. Tandaan niyong lahat. Masarap umibig, masarap ang inspirasyon. Huwag lang minamadali. Lahat ng bagay nasa tamang panahon."

(Translation: All I want is a love that occurs in the right time. You must work hard for everything. Anything rushed is pointless. You exchanged simple fansigns and it's love already? You texted one another and that defines your relationship? What is this?

It's much better to enjoy something you worked hard for, something that arrived at the right time. Remember this: loving is sweet and so are inspirations. Don't rush it. Everything should happen at the right time)

Lola Nidora Knows Best (Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

Lola's point hits where it hurts. Indeed, most people think love can be achieved immediately. After all, what is the sense of waiting when almost everything happens instantly?

Lola Nidora reminds viewers about the importance of working hard for something you want. As she puts it, you can't just rush love--you must work for it and wait for it to come at the right time. She reiterates this idea when she reveals her true intentions during YaKie's 2nd wedding (turns out it was a hoax; pastor's an impostor and she only forced Yaya to get married so Frankie can---oh, just watch it on your own).

She tells Frankie that love cannot be bought by money; LOVE demands to be felt and should be displayed with sincerity.

You go, Lola!

"Ang pag-ibig nararamdaman, hindi binibili!"
- Lola Nidora
(Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

And of course, watching AlDub reminds viewers of the amazing feeling of falling in love.

There's nothing better than meeting someone who instantly sends a jolt to your spine. Yaya Dub and Alden's exchanges send us into fits of kilig, while reminding us that two people meant together are destined for forever. While there will always be ups and downs, true love never says never and keeps fighting.

Even if you have to run from Broadway to EDSA, you'd willingly do it for the sake of someone you love.

Maniwala tayo sa forever!
(Photo from Eat Bulaga's Facebook Page)

I never really thought I'd be a follower of AlDub. I thought it was shallow and another money-spinner that would waste my precious time. But after watching Alden and Yaya Dub exchange their pabebe waves and see how Lola Nidora teaches us about love, I changed my mind.

Naniniwala na rin ako sa forever. *insert pabebe wave here*