Title: "Crush" (Valentine's Series 2017)
Date Published: February 9, 2017
We’re really disappointed with this one since it was actually really shot well. The leaving random yum burgers part was tipping toward the scales of creepy stalker side of things versus the cute high school crush.
"Homecoming" (Valentine's Series 2018)
Date published: February 1, 2018
If you couldn’t tell, we’re NOT fans of this storyline. We’re not sure why JBee made this one a two-parter when there are so many other great shorts out there. Wasted potential in our honest opinion.
"Helen" (Mother’s Day Trilogy)
Date published: May 10, 2018
This one had a really slow build-up for such a lackluster conclusion. Compared with the climaxes of the other shorts, this one isn’t really noteworthy. We want real drama in our Jollibee shorts.
"Mama’s Girl" (Mother’s Day Special)
Date published: May 6, 2016
We don’t know if it’s just us but this kind of feels like something was cut when they were doing the final editing because we never really got to know why the mom suddenly went away. It felt like they were forcing us to feel something, but didn’t give us enough to do so. We deserve so much more than this, Jolly fam’s.
"Best Friend" (Christmas Special)
Date published: December 8, 2018
We honestly didn’t want to overthink while watching these shorts, but this really tempted us. Don’t get us wrong! It was touching that the friend kept the Jollibee doll with her as she grew older, but we just watched that scene where she lets the young sickly boy hold the decades old doll without feeling a bit disgusted and concerned for the health hazards that it could have carried along with it. Honestly, even if she does wash it regularly, it doesn’t seem sanitary at all.
"Signs" (Valentine's Series 2018)
Date published: February 1, 2018
Views: 4,876,188
We get that all of these are ads but putting in a line like, “Pag pupunta rin siya ng Jollibee, then he’s the one for me,” is pretty hard-sell don’t you think? If you think it isn’t, it’s still a pretty weird outlook on life, but at least she isn’t relying on mystical signs to handpick her destiny anymore.
"Entrance Exam" (Father’s Day Special)
Date published: June 17, 2016
We feel kind of cheated after watching this one. The plot twist of the dad actually being very supportive even during his failures in life was really abruptly brought in to justify the kindness he showed to his kid in the end. The great thing about good Jollibee shorts are the subtle hints they leave us so we won’t be too jarred once we reach the plot twist at the end. Unfortunately, this one just came out of nowhere.
"Apart" Valentine Series 2020
Date published: February 7, 2020
One of the things the JCU really has trouble doing is earning endings. We're not sure if it's due to budget constraints or lack of time, but adding a bit of story to SHOW us how the woman has changed rather than having her relay that information to us and just have us believe it would've made this short ten times better. Call us jaded but we can't just go trusting her word just like that, masyadong maraming beses na kaming nasaktan.
"Status" (Valentine's Series 2018)
Date published: February 1, 2020
While #CoupleGoals is very relatable, it doesn't really make it good when it comes to proper storytelling. It's essentially just a collage of relatable moments in a LDR relationship with an ending that's not only predictable, but also pretty forced. It just felt pretty rushed.
"Status" (Valentine's Series 2018)
Date Published: February 2, 2018
Views: 4,561,688
Jollibee shorts usually have moral lessons and this one had a pretty solid yet somewhat predictable one. Woke Twitter and Pinoy Families approve. “I now know the love I truly deserve.”
Mother's Day 2019: Schoolboy
Date Published: May 3, 2019
This story actually got a bit more real than we expected. Most of us know the feeling of being bullied enough to the point of not wanting to go to school. We commend this short for not going the easy route of resolving the conflict through easier means, which would have cheapen the moral of the story. Imagine if the other kids stopped bullying the son with the birthmark after they were bribed with friend chicken. LOL. But with that said, the story also didn't give us much of a solution except to just wait it out until the other kids mature enough to realize that bullying is bad.
Grandparents day: Garapan
Date Published: September 3, 2019
While we do love being thrifty. there's just something that bothers us about the video like the lola screwing over the innocent jeepney driver because of a technicality. Sometimes Kwentong Jollibee forgets that the setup for the emotional moments they want have logical consequences.
One True Pair: "Cam the Chameleon"
Date Published: September 3, 2019
We would have honestly put this in our top ten but that weird ass extra clip at the end just ruined it for us. There were so many good attempts at comedy and storytelling, but the added narrative at the end just confused the overall message of
"Pamasko" (Christmas Special)
December 15, 2017
Another very relatable plot for a lot of Filipinos that centers around the life of an OFW and the struggles of being away from your love ones. Sadly, it doesn’t really offer anything new to the already over saturated media with the same concept as this one. It’s not bad, but we’ve seen this bit before.
"Regalo" (Christmas Special)
Date published: December 8, 2016
Slightly better than "Pamasko" (the acting by the kid could be better, though). "Regalo" actually gave a more unique angle to the OFW story with the juxtapositions of the kid going through the emotional roller coaster that is watching your OFW parent come back home only to leave again.
"Parangal" (Mother’s Day Special)
Date published: May 9, 2017
There were two scenes that touched us the most. First, the scene where the graduating son said he was prouder of his mom than himself. The real kicker of the story though was the scene where the mom gave up the crispylicious chicken skin to her son—now that’s a tearjerker.
"Tess" (Mother’s Day Trilogy)
Date published: May 5, 2018
The yaya plot twist hurt us in more ways than one: First, it makes the love the two had all the more meaningful. Second, it actually makes us look at our culture of raising children. It’s these kinds of shorts that makes us think about real issues that makes us glad the JCU exists.
"Tagpuan"
Date published: February 19, 2016
We actually thought this was really clever and well-thought out until we saw the top comment of the video saying, “bakit ako nung bata yumakap kay Jollibee, pinalayas ako ng security guard?!” That kind of ruined it for us (in a good way).
"Anniversary" (Valentine's Series 2019)
Date published: February 7, 2019
We make fun of the overwhelming amount of plot twists Jollibee shorts make use of but when one of them doesn’t have it you actually feel a bit disappointed. The thing that saved this particular short was the writing. “I'm here pero bakit feeling ko matagal mo na akong iniwan?” is a quotable quote worth putting on a poster or Tumblr account.
"Jabee"
Date published: February 19, 2016
This was short, sweet, and honestly pretty cute like all shorts should be.
"Regalo ni Lolo"
Date published: December 10, 2016
Views:10,234,783
We honestly don’t know how this has SO many views. We mean, it’s not bad and the lolo was really cute, but we’re not getting the X-factor here. Well, who are we to talk, right? Do we have a YouTube video with over 10 million views? No… at least not yet.
"Proposal" (Valentine's Series 2019)
Date published: February 4, 2019
Even if there were pretty kilig moments throughout the short, it didn’t go beyond what anyone could have expected story-wise. We didn’t even get a definite answer to why they broke up and how the girl from before really was. We kind of felt sorry for her since people antagonize her without even knowing the entire story.
Father’s Day Special: First Love
Date published: June 8, 2019
We're honestly really happy that the JCU is trying to intertwine its story narratives, but if they really had to pick a story narrative, they could have picked so many better ones than this.
"One true pairing: Fight or Flight"
Date published: December 2, 2018
We commend the use of different forms of media like video calls and animation using text chats. You can really feel the production value these recent shorts have. The only thing bringing this down in the ranking is the characters’ development that seemed too abrupt to feel natural.
"Apo" (Grandparents’ Day Special)
Date published: September 2, 2017
After watching so many heart-wrenching episodes we expected the worse right off the bat. We’re not gonna lie about how that mini-plot twist almost got us, but it’s nice to see a happy ending once in a while.
"Space" Valentine Series 2020
Date published: February 3
This was probably one of the more amusing shorts of the JCU. The great acting really helped with making the transitions between the emotional beats feel seamless. It never felt too corny or too cheesy. If not for some unresolved issues like never getting how Mitch got over seeing Dan and Mae holding hands in Jollibee we would have definitely rates this higher.
"Biyahe" (Grandparents’ Day Special)
Date published: September 4, 2018
It was a really nice touch to actually include actual grandparents who were breadwinners of their own families. It made the story feel more real and the problems faced by these people, universal.
"Kahera"
Date published: September 6, 2016
This is how "Entrance Exam" should have been. The really smooth transition from build-up to reveal made us enjoy the emotional payoff so mucb more. We’d also like to commend the pretty cool concept we don't get to see pretty much of.
"Powers" (Father’s Day Special)
Date published: June 10, 2017
The acting from both the father and son was really spot-on here. The cinematography and scene direction also helped tell the story accurately as it showed the father as a person to be admired and emulated. Not only does it show how our actions mold the next generation, it also reminds us that seeing the world through children’s eyes allows us to find greatness in seemingly ordinary moments in our lives.
"High Five" (Father’s Day Special)
Date published: June 13, 2018
”Ilagay mo kid” is honestly one of the most LSS-worthy songs Jollibee has used. What made the plot twist so unpredictable was not only the narration at the start but also the fact that the young son looked so much like the guy who made the free throw. This one is definitely a PAK PAK in our book.
"Almusal"
Date published: February 19, 2016
What makes this one really tear into your heart is the backstory behind everything that’s happening. Just imagine, 27 years of doing the same damn thing and the grandpa still loves it and wishes that he could keep on doing the same routine with his wife. Damn, and that ending with the daughter eating with the dad, that’s a definite oof in our book.
"One true pairing: Checklist"
Date published: November 22, 2018
Ana and Gio are probably the only characters we actually remember the names of after watching everything. They were very distinct and super cute together (we need that sequel JB). Character development really does wonders for storytelling.
"Choice" (Valentine's Series 2019)
Date published: February 1, 2019
The pacing of this film was nothing short of impressive. The plot twist was very well executed. And kudos to the guy doing the very subtle yet effective color-grading that gave minor hints that made us accept the ending even more. Magnifique!
"Vow" (Valentine’s Series 2017)
Date published: February 9, 2017
THIS IS THE BIG ONE. The iconic short that brought the JCU to another level in terms of popularity and production value. It had all the elements to make it viral: hugot, friendzone, good-looking actors, great cinematography, and damn that soundtrack (though we still think it would’ve been better with “Molly” by Lil Dicky).
"Amor" (Mother’s Day Trilogy)
Date published: May 1, 2018
Probably one of the most underrated shorts the JCU has to offer. The way every scene was shot perfectly built up the tension without it being too much. After watching so many plot twists happen, we couldn’t guess where this one was going. Is the mom’s possessed? Is she crazy or just a bit eccentric? This was a perfect balance of humor and sincerity that showed the best part of the JCU.
"Date" (Valentine's Series 2017)
Date published: February 10, 2017
We had to compose ourselves after watching this one. The way the dad said his goodbyes to his wife. Seriously, we never thought we would ever be hurt this much by a freaking commercial. Thank you, Jollibee.