"Vince and Kath" is an online romantic series written by Filipino author Jenny Ruth Almocera. The story uses screenshots of text messages and chat conversations between characters, along with short narrative sections. Each album contains chapters of the story. It is similar to the style of Kikodora Social Serye, created by Kiko Laxa Ferrer. The series was first released on January 2, 2016, on the Life and Social Media fan page. It quickly became popular on social media. Because of its success, a book version was published by ABS-CBN Publishing Incorporated. The series ended on May 17, 2016, with a total of 24 chapters (37 parts).

The story was adapted into a movie titled "Vince and Kath and James," which was released on December 25, 2016, as part of the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival.

Background

The story began when Almocera read old text messages on her phone. She created it by pretending to have a conversation using the Yazzy app, which makes fake conversations. The story includes some details from her life, especially her time in college. The two main characters are inspired by real people, with Kath representing the author and Vince representing her husband.

Plot

The story follows a young man named Vince, who sends a text message to his crush, Kath. They become friends through texting and later become officially in a relationship. After graduating from college, Vince proposes to Kath. They face challenges when Vince is attacked by troublemakers and suffers a head injury that causes him to lose his memory. Kath works hard to help Vince remember his past. Later, Kath's aunt tells her that her father is very sick. At the same time, Kath discovers Vince has been unconscious at home and takes him to the hospital. She asks her friend Maxine to care for Vince while she travels to Dubai to visit her father. After several days, Vince unexpectedly regains his memory. He prepares a surprise for Kath. When Kath returns from Dubai, she is surprised by Vince's recovery and he proposes to her again. Vince promises to make up for his mistakes and thank her for her efforts.

Later, Vince learns that Jella's boyfriend, Nathan, attacked him out of jealousy. Vince confronts Nathan, and they fight. Jella stops the fight and tells Vince that she is pregnant with Nathan's child. This causes Kath to feel pain, but their disagreement is brief.

As they prepare for their wedding, Kath's former boyfriend and Vince's best friend, James, returns. James still has feelings for Kath. He was supposed to help with the wedding, but Vince becomes upset when he learns of James' feelings and fights him. Afterward, Vince and James agree to end their conflict for their friendship, and Vince disappears without explanation. Kath tries to find Vince but cannot locate him. She decides to search for him and eventually finds him in a chapel. Kath hugs Vince, and they talk. Vince waits for a sign and decides to marry Kath. After Vince and Kath become husband and wife, their text message conversations end.

Characters

• Vince – A middle-class man who developed feelings for Kath and later fell in love with her. He studied electrical engineering and played on the varsity team during college.
• Kath – Vince’s former crush and schoolmate. She studied mechanical engineering in college and enjoyed eating and attending campus events. She later became Vince’s girlfriend and fiancée.
• Jake – Kath’s best friend. He also had feelings for Kath but was turned down.
• Jella – A coworker of Vince. She is the cousin of one of Vince’s friends.
• Maxine – Kath’s best friend.
• Kath’s father – Works abroad in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He also owns a business in the Philippines.
• Tita Girly – Kath’s aunt who lives in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
• Weng – Kath’s cousin. He is the son of Tita Girly.
• Ayen, Marty, Bryan, Doms, Nana, and Joven – Friends of Vince and Kath.
• Rika – The person who organized Vince and Kath’s wedding.
• Vince’s mother – A parent who sets high standards for perfection.
• Nathan – Jella’s boyfriend. He is the person responsible for an incident involving Vince.
• Marco – Jella’s cousin.
• James – Vince’s best friend and Kath’s former romantic interest.
• Akira – A friend of Maxine.

Critical reception

The story of Vince and Kath became widely known through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Almocera was approached by independent filmmakers who wanted to make a movie based on the story. Some readers believed the story was real, but Almocera first said it was completely fictional. Later, she explained that the characters and parts of the plot were inspired by her own memories and experiences. Some people have compared the story to a modern version of Romeo and Juliet in the Philippines. The story is also included in I Juander, an investigative documentary made by GMA News TV, and in Rated K, a magazine show produced by ABS-CBN. Because of its popularity, many conversations from the story were shared as screenshots on social media, especially Facebook. These became a new style of storytelling in the Philippines called "Textserye" or "SocialSerye." Almocera also wrote other stories, such as The Wrong Message, which features Ronnie Alonte on the book cover (this was her first published work), and My Love for Dora, which is still available online.

Adaptations

The online series was turned into a book with the same name and was released on May 7, 2016, by ABS-CBN Publishing.

An Android game based on the series was created and released by Kalaro Games.

The series was also made into a film. Julia Barretto, Joshua Garcia, and Ronnie Alonte played the roles of Kath, Vince, and James, respectively, with the author appearing in a small role. Filming for the movie began in late July 2016. The film was an official entry in the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival and was directed by Theodore Boborol.