TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
Minor spoilers. Also read my First Impression Review and Check-in Review

It’s a good thing I’m writing this Hindsight Review after watching the extended version of the Super Megaforce finale because it honestly left me with some positive feelings.

If I started writing this after Saturday’s airing of the original finale cut or last week in anticipation of the US premiere or even last month after the final episodes aired internationally, I might have been a lot more negative and pissy.

So hand it to some passable editing of Gokaiger footage and Melody Perkins as Karone saying she loves being a Power Ranger (complete with Astronema overlay) that I’ll actually be more less disappointed or upset.

At the end of Power Rangers (Super) Samurai, I expressed my disappointment in the two years that had gone by and a hope that the next two years would see some improvement. I otherwise had no expectations for Megaforce for fear that I would once again be disappointed with the result.

Not having any expectations pretty much tempered the disappointment I should be feeling with the season.

But Megaforce really did fail in several ways. First, it definitely failed as an anniversary season. With all the hype it got from Saban Brands themselves, it had to have been a HUGE letdown for many fans. For me, it went pretty much as I expected. But second, and maybe even worse, was that it failed basic storytelling. On its own, the season felt absolutely hollow.

And I think that is its worst offense.

A that is where Samurai, for all its flaws, is better than Megaforce. Samurai, with the benefit of directly translating Samurai Sentai Shinkenger‘s story, actually HAD a story. And it was a story that fully developed over 40 episodes.

Megaforce has almost zero story or plot which in turn rendered any pretty action scenes and the sincerely high stakes finale hollow and empty.

What does it say about the season (and like Samurai, I consider Megaforce and Super Megaforce one season) when its best and most enjoyable episodes were three “fillers” or episodes that were standalone and had provided no forward movement to the overall story (which barely existed to begin with).

Those episodes were Episode (10) 30 – “The Perfect Storm,” Episode (11) 31 – “Love Is in the Air,” and Episode (12) 32 – “United as One.”

These three episodes introduced no new zords or powers, yet they were the most enjoyable and fun episodes of the season. We saw great writing, great production and directing and the cast getting to loosen up with actually solid performances.

Even with the lack of story, the inconsistencies brought about by the lack of effort in adapting the Japanese scripts and footage as well as the poor dialogue given to what otherwise seems like a talented group of actors really makes Megaforce one of, if not the weakest Power Rangers season yet.

Megaforce may have been hindered by needing to adapt not one, but two Sentai seasons. Both Tensou Sentai Goseiger and the real anniversary season Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger couldn’t have been any more different from each other, yet Megaforce needed to combine footage from both seasons to create one cohesive story.

Unfortunately, while it could have been entirely possible, Megaforce instead decided to not even try. Bumbling the development of Vrak (who was a bright spot when used well) as the ultimate big bad of the non-Super half of the season and then completely downplaying the threat of the Armada by having the Rangers celebrating every minor SUPERMEGA win are not ways to build up to a big finale. And it was a finale that was supposed to have a “legendary battle.”

There are definitely a lot of “What ifs?” with Megaforce. What if Nickelodeon didn’t force the 20 episode-a-year format? What if Megaforce invited alums back for in-season tribute episodes like Gokaiger? What if Saban Brands allocated their budget better to have more in-season cameos? What if they didn’t try to turn the show into Mighty Morphin 2014? What if they actually had a fresh theme song? What if they actually gave lines to the veterans they invited back? What if Disney had handled the 20th Anniversary season? What if the Megaforce Rangers actually had character development? What if Megaforce actually had story development?

But looking at the product we did get, it just failed for longtime fans and it failed for the much-talked about target demo.

The extended cut of the finale definitely felt more like the traditional Power Rangers finale, with big zord battles and big fights with the main villain. And the few extra seconds we got of the vets felt much more fulfilling than the original cut did. Most especially Karone’s added line of “I love being a Power Rangers” and Astronema overlay which should have been the kind of tribute/shoutout/callback the season should have had more of.

The Legendary Battle was not much of a battle at all. Many a Power Rangers season have had much more exciting final battles than that. Even while the Armada invasion was presented well and in very exciting sequences, it just had no meaning. It’s hard to fully get lost in the moment when the supposed drama and excitement means nothing and is simply hollow.

And as an anniversary season, the lack of any anniversary celebration other than the existing Gokaiger footage really should leave a bad taste in many a fan’s mouth.

Should we even talk about the hilarious New Powers Rangers? Why bother? The show certainly didn’t bother to explain them or integrate them in a better way than they did.

Many fans celebrated Saban Brands resurrecting the franchise after Disney dropped it. And it’s done some good since acquiring Power Rangers. The show looks amazing in HD. And Nickelodeon really is the perfect, if not the only network to help the franchise reach as wide an audience as possible.

But there are still plenty of things that need fixing and should be fixed. Not only as a service to longtime fans. But more importantly, to help bring Power Ranges into the 21st century for 21st century children. Both Samurai and Megaforce were written in a style that just does not fly with today’s kids like it did when many of us were in the “target demo” in the early 90s. Kids have so many other and better options when it comes to good children’s programming. Especially in action-adventure-type shows.

There is no reason why Power Rangers should keep living like it is 1993. Dino Charge, the next season, looks promising, especially with the return of Judd Lynn. But again, I do not want to hype myself up and raise my expectations only to get screwed once again.

Do I hope Power Rangers improves from these last four years and returns to being great, fun television? Of course. Do I expect it to? Not necessarily.

But as Megaforce showed us, if you forget even the simplest rules of storytelling (the most important of which is Actually having a story to begin with), past Ranger cameos or tributes and action-packed season finales won’t make everything better or forgive any glaring mistakes.

Happy Anniversary indeed.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
No spoilers. Click here for my First Impression Review.

GMA’s Ilustrado was a stunning and breathtaking television experience. It was a production unlike anything ever seen on Philippine television.

The four week miniseries wasn’t 100% historical fact, but it was as educational as it was engaging. It was essential viewing for Filipinos who have a strange and maybe distorted view on heroism in this day and age and it was essential viewing for Filipinos who have too long been subjected to subpar, low effort and derivative television.

First of all, when a sad number of today’s Filipinos could care less or even worship celebrities more than they even acknowledge the true heroes who’ve brought the Philippines to where it is today, Ilustrado should have been a powerful reminder of what it means to be a hero. And a reminder that the Philippines would be very different today if it weren’t for the heroism of brave men and women, many of them depicted in this series.

One of the criticisms about the series was that Filipinos learn about Jose Rizal all throughout their educational life and they’ve seen plenty of movies and dramatizations of his life in the past. So why watch this? Yet those same people praise and go crazy over soap operas who recycle the very same, low brow stories over and over and over again.

Then there was criticism that the series was pretentious and highfalutin.

That Filipinos would think something is too high brow or even too smart for the greater audience is very sad. It’s especially sad when something that was actually very accessible and relatable is labeled as “too smart” for an audience. And this is certainly an audience that needs and deserves more intelligent offerings.

As expected, the show was definitely no ratings hit. But I certainly hope this does not discourage GMA and other networks from doing future projects like this. And I don’t mean historical dramas. I’m referring to big, out of the box and maybe high concept productions that take great care in both its visuals and story.

Ilustrado made a point to carefully craft the right mix of direction, cinematography, special effects, music, dialogue, performances and story into an unprecedented television experience.

The set design and use of special effects to recreate 19th century Manila or even Europe was especially mind-blowing. It’s not like this was a typical local fantasy series with rubber costumes or cheap effects. Ilustrado had a visual style and impact as strong as many American television dramas. And I think that is the show’s greatest accomplishment.

But the story itself was a fresh and more relatable take on Jose Rizal than any movie or textbook before. Choosing to follow Rizal from his childhood through his teen years falling in love helped frame who he would eventually become and what he would eventually accomplish.

Depicting those early years with great detail helped take this heroic figure who is honored with statues and holidays in his name, around the world even, and bring him down to Earth. That allowed us the viewer, who could only dream of having as profound an impact as him, relate and understand Jose Rizal more than ever before.

Ilustrado even worked as a simple teleserye. The quick-paced, yet deep story covered a lot of ground in four weeks. It definitely moved along faster than the normal Filipino soap opera and that would certainly be a very different and foreign experience for many in the audience.

The cast was also led by strong performances by Eula Valdez as Jose Rizal’s mother, Jhiz Deocareza as the young Pepe and Alden Richards with the tall order of bringing the Philippines’ national hero to life.

Both of their performances and the great work from the supporting cast helped round out the qualities and elements that made Ilustrado such a groundbreaking and exceptional production. They provided the heart to what was an emotionally affecting series.

The subject matter, coupled with the incredible production made for what should have been a television event that captivated a larger audience than it did.

But even so, Ilustrado was an accomplishment that will hopefully open the door for bigger, better and more intelligent television productions on Philippine television.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
Plenty of spoilers.

I’ve only seen five and a half seasons of Super Sentai, but I definitely think Ressha Sentai ToQger is now officially my absolute favorite. And maybe even favorite toku season when including Kamen Rider and even Power Rangers.

I’ve posted about how Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters had everything I look for in a Sentai/Power Rangers season. I’ve written about what the big deal is with Power Rangers RPM. But ToQger managed to take all the things I love about these spandexed superheroes and add something fresh and new.

That’s all thanks to the writing of Yasuko Kobayashi, I believe. And after ToQger, I must say that she is now officially my favorite tokusatsu writer (English or Japanese). It’s no wonder though since of the 10 and a half Sentai and Kamen Rider seasons I’ve ever seen, she’s written 4 of them. And those 4 (Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Kamen Rider OOO, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters and ToQger) are among my favorites. (And what a job she did adapting Attack on Titan!)

I’ve noticed in those Kobayashi seasons, she writes about relationships and bonds. The climax of her stories hinge on the idea that you have connected with and followed these characters and their relationships through the season. If you have, then the climaxes and ultimate conclusions should absolutely resonate with full effect.

That was the case with Eiji, Hina and Ankh in OOO. That was the case with Takeru and his retainers-turned-friends in Shinkenger. And that was definitely the case with the Go-Busters, the Buddyroids and the EMC crew.

They all go through very difficult times in the year we spend with them and that helps form a strong bond between the characters that will either help them overcome the ultimate evil in the final episodes and/or provide exceptional emotionally-charged character moments in the same final episodes.

ToQger was no different.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized an interesting comparison I actually really like. Ressha Sentai ToQger is like an onion.

ToQger, the Onion
At the start of the season, we got a nice, big fresh onion. And with every episode, we start peeling off each layer of the onion. With every layer peeled off, you start tearing up more and more.

With ToQger, as the weeks went by, we’d peel back more of the ToQgers’ past. It was the entire premise of the season. The ToQgers have lost all memories from before they arrived on the Rainbow Line. Conductor and Ticket tell them immediately that they are as good as dead and can’t go home. They don’t even remember where home is. And it isn’t until halfway through the season that they realize they’ve also forgotten their families even existed.

As we learned more about what their relationships were like in the “past” as kids (which of course turned out to be more recent than they and we originally thought) and as we met their families and learned about their hometown, things would get very emotional.

And even more so, very nostalgic. And that’s probably one of my most favorite aspects of this season.

A Sense of Nostalgia
Even before knowing the ToQgers were kids, their dilemma helped me connect with them faster than any group of Rangers I’ve ever watched. They just seemed so innocent. None of them were jerks or cocky. They were just a nice group of childhood friends who have just embarked on a journey to find their home. How can you possibly not root for them and wish for them to remember and eventually make it home?

That connection was supported by a great sense of nostalgia, by way of their slowly returning memories and their journey through different towns across the country. My favorite trips were them going to the countryside towns that looked nothing like the usual Tokyo Toei locations. (I only wish they had done more of those rural location shoots.)

All of the train scenes were amazing too. It’s an amazing feat to be able to make those train scenes of them arriving, linking up or departing from Hyper Ressha Terminal look so good. You almost forget it’s a just a mini model train set.

And the music used in the season was just spectacular. Such moving, stirring music all season long. And the theme song too. All evoking that sense of movement and riding on a train while being exciting, happy, hopeful and upbeat. The music is one of the most important aspects of this season. And it contributed a great deal.

I love nostalgia. (When used well and sincerely, not like the force fed nostalgia of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.) When done well, there is an inherent emotional connection to be made when using nostalgia and memories of the “good ol’ days” and the like.

And here on ToQger, I felt a great sincerity in the story. And that’s thanks in large part to the immediately likeable characters.

Adorable, Charming, Likeable
I was immediately drawn to them in the first promos. Didn’t they look adorable?

But ultimately, it was their strong friendship and bond that hit home. It was great to see a team that was already friends. They may have had some disagreements here and there, but there was none of that “I work alone” stuff or “We need to learn to work together” or “We need to get to know each other” episodes that most other seasons would have for teams that had people thrown together. Clashing was at a minimum. And that was because the five of them were already good friends.

Even when Akira first joined the team, after the initial hesitation, they did everything they could to welcome him like he was one of their classmates from back home. And the emotional payoff of that bond came in the finale when Akira finally wanted to live instead of wanting to die.

The ToQgers, again, were immediately charming and likeable. Many kudos to both the young and younger cast members who portrayed the ToQgers for being able to effectively convey that childlike innocence throughout the season.

Their performances and the characters written by Kobayashi helped make the eventual climax of the season that much more meaningful and effective.

Most effective may be the use of flashbacks as well as intertwining several scenes of both young and old ToQgers

Each of the ToQgers were distinct, but at the same time helped contribute to each other’s characters as well. And that includes Akira, Conductor, Ticket and Wagon. They would each bring something out of each other’s characters that would help in their development and the fleshing out of their characters as the season unfolded.

Their friendship and bond was as strong as that of a family. And by the end of the season, they truly became one.

The success also includes the Shadow Line which may be the best written villain group I’ve seen ever. Getting to see the dynamics of the Shadow Line every week was exciting. We met each one of the main villains and we saw each of them had their own motivations. We eventually saw each of them would be able to go their own ways as well. More directly, being able to choose whether to embrace the light or stay in the darkness.

I think of the villains, Gritta is my favorite. Her unexpected development and growth as the little girl fawning over the hunky General Schwarz to becoming maybe the most major player and catalyst, even more than Emperor Zett, was just amazing to watch. Her interactions with the ToQgers too was a refreshing twist.

Best Twist is No Twist
Speaking of twists, I absolutely love the fact that we didn’t get a big final twist in the end. That is, we didn’t suddenly learn Right was born a Shadow or Zett is his father or Zett and Right are the same person or Zett was a kid in their class they bullied or something contrived like that.

It was all quite simple in fact. Right was just infected with more darkness than everyone else. Done. That again played into the central theme and the heart and soul of the season; it was about their strong bond and Imagination.

Sometimes the best stories are the simplest ones. Stories that unfold naturally and fluidly. Slowburns require investment and patience. But when you do have the patience and put in the time, you have the chance to be rewarded. And that’s ToQger. At its simplest, it was a story about light vs. dark. But the series took that and used that premise to tell the stories of the characters themselves.

We still did get some twists earlier in the season, like Gritta literally gobbling up Zett. But maybe one of the most shocking and heartbreaking moments at the time had to be Zett exploding out of Gritta. OUT OF GRITTA.

That was one of the most shocking scenes I’ve ever seen on Sentai or Power Rangers.

But ToQger struck a good balance. They had legitimately heavy drama and action while still having plenty of lighthearted fun.

Childish?
A criticism of ToQger is that it was slow and had no story. (Those people must not have seen the most recent Power Rangers seasons.)

But you name me an episode and I will point out to you how it, even a filler, contributed something to the overall story and/or development of a character. Most often, the episodes would either fill in the blanks or reaffirm the ToQgers’ resolve to find home as well as reaffirm their deep bond and friendship.

That deep bond and friendship is what ultimately helped them reach the last stop and ultimately got them back home.

Other criticisms include ToQger being too goofy and its designs too simple and childish. (Apparently, according to Saban Brands or even Haim Saban himself. Who knows.)

Some Power Rangers fans are horrified at the idea of adapting such a wacky and childish ToQger and quickly agree with the assessment of whatever Saban Brands exec stating that opinion.

May I counter by saying I really don’t understand how ToQger is any more silly than any other previous Sentai or Power Rangers season? I mean, Kyoryuger had a farting zord and dancing morphing calls for goodness sakes. That’s not wacky enough for you? Every season has its crazy aspects. Even a season like Go-Busters where the core team watched their parents die, twice, had stuff like Hiromu freezing at the sight of chickens.

So I think the people saying any ToQger adaptation would have to be some wacky Akibaranger-type parody are just finding another way to put down the season they don’t particularly like or outright hate with a passion.

I mean, come on. This:

How is this goofy? This is totally badass.

The designs themselves, whether the suits or the trains, are perfectly fine as well. They may be simplistic, but they absolutely fit with the main train theme and work with the line changing gimmick that was definitely very fun. The trains, originally derided as boxy, proved everyone wrong by being mobile and very thrilling when in action.

They even poked fun at the idea in-show:

And the simplistic suits fit very well with them being kids.

Even then, what’s a simple suit when the action itself and all the toys are still fun and exciting?

Plus, how can you not love the steampunk designs of the Shadow Line?

ToQger isn’t any more childish than any other Sentai or Power Rangers. And in fact, ToQger may have been even more mature than many.

IMAGINAAATION!!!
The central, overarching narrative theme of the season was Imagination. And as President explained in the finale, Imagination includes everything from hopes, dreams, prayers and fantasies.

Anything is possible with Imagination. Even being able to fight the evil darkness of the Shadow Line is possible.

We all know these are still children’s shows even if they can appeal to grownups like you and me.

And ToQger taught many great values that anyone would love their children to learn about. Learning the power of Imagination as a way to dream big. Being able to have hope and seeing something in front of them and finding a way to reach it or make it happen.

There’s also a belief in family and friends and remembering your roots. Being able to look back where you’ve come from to enable you to move forward.

The ToQgers also showed humility and selflessness, wanting to protect each other and their families while also be willing to sacrifice something most dear to them just so those same important people would not be hurt.

Those are the kinds of values you want to see in a children’s program. And when that same children’s program is able to include a fine story, great writing, witty dialogue and great performances, then you’ve got a winner.

My Favorite
Go-Busters was my favorite Sentai season of the few I’ve seen. Emotional and powerful while still being fun and funny and have plenty of heart.

ToQger just about edges Go-Busters as my new favorite if only because I absolutely love the friendship and bond that was the heart and soul of the season.

I’ve never cried as much during a Sentai or Kamen Rider or Power Rangers season as I did during ToQger. MaGMCMs all over the place. And I definitely am not ashamed or afraid to admit it.

ToQger has that perfect mix of legit drama and happy fun. It is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still be bright and fun. It had awesome train scenes and probably the absolute best soundtrack I’ve heard yet. Like I said of Go-Busters, ToQger has an incredibly charming ensemble cast. The villains have some of the best story and character development I’ve ever seen. And the amount of heart that helps make those emotional climaxes effective really resonates with me.

“But maybe, most importantly, Ressha Sentai ToQger started a journey and satisfyingly concluded it. Both visually and emotionally, ToQger left a resonating mark for this Sentai and Power Rangers fan. And that’s all that’s important to me.”

Just like Ticket-kun said at the end of the episode, “Oretachi arigatou!!!”. Thank you everyone indeed. Thank you to Yasuko Kobayashi for an excellent story. Thank you to the entire cast and crew for bringing that story to life. An amazingly beautiful and exciting season.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
LOTS of finale spoilers! For my spoiler-free-ish First Impression Review, click here. For my Check-In Review with spoilers up to Week 6, click here.

There have been plenty of Filipino adaptations of foreign dramas over the last couple of years. And all to varying degrees of success, both commercially and creatively. From a blockbuster like the original Marimar to creative duds/insults like Maria La Del Barrio.

For Baker King, while being on TV5 may have kept it from being as big a ratings draw as the original was for GMA, it certainly was creatively successful. And maybe, TV5’s Baker King is the best local adaptation of a foreign drama series ever. Yes, ever.

I did a rundown of almost every local adaptation here, minus the few that premiered in 2014 and 2015 that I didn’t watch.

And I can confidently say that Baker King is the only one that found the perfect mix of great writing, great performances and faithfulness to the original.

It is very hard to judge the remake of a series you watched and loved without comparing the two. I feel like doing that though can shortchange the remake and disallow you from judging it on its own merits.

But I will try to do so first before going into comparisons.

On Its Own Merits

TV5’s Baker King featured a well-written, cohesive and tight story about love, family, friendships and revenge (plus the consequences of it). It never devolved into typical Filipino melodrama or over the top hysterics. And when they did come close, especially in its final week, they kept it at a minimum while allowing its effects to help bring the series to a satisfying conclusion.

The cast had wonderful performances, most especially by its young leads in Akihiro Blanco, Inah Estrada, Shaira Mae and Mark Neumann as the title character.

Any concerns over their inexperience or Mark Neumman’s Tagalog skills were easily put to rest once they finally appeared on the screen. The homegrown TV5 talents definitely showed their worth and proved they were more than capable of carrying a series as big as this.

And big it was. The success of the Korean original certainly set the bar very high for this Filipino adaptation. And as a fan of the original myself, I watched the series with excitement, but also a more critical eye.

Like I said earlier, I can confidently proclaim Baker King to be the best Filipino adaptation of a foreign drama yet. The biggest challenge for any adaptation or remake is to be faithful, but also allow for a fresh take while being respectful of the source material.

Baker King did that. They took the source material and made it their own. Half of the series was translated and adapted from the original script, almost word for word and scene for scene. And they did it well. There was really no reason for them to change much of anything in the first 6-8 weeks of the series other than the setting and accounting for the Korean cultural aspects of the characters which they maintained.

It was a little more than halfway through the series that Baker King began to get really creative. Placement of certain events were moved around. Certain details were tweaked to fit in a Filipino context.

They didn’t throw away the original story, they simply took it and made it their own. They made it fit in the context of its Philippine setting with Filipino sensibilities. And good Filipino sensibilities too. Not the screaming or overdramatic hysterics typical of local drama, but the strong sense of family and loyalty. Something that is also important in Korea, but maybe even more so in the Philippines.

There were even some pitch-perfect lighter scenes that played on the series’ Korean roots:

The original story on its own was already very relatable and easily accessible for a Filipino audience. But the various Filipino touches like its focus on pan de sal or the gossiping hired help, all brought the story even closer to home.

Unavoidable Comparisons

But now to the comparisons.

Again, it’s hard not to compare this to the original which is still one of my favorite Korean dramas of all time. But the comparisons that follow, good or bad, don’t really matter to an audience that may not have seen any of the original at all.

For a viewer going into the series with even a vague knowledge of the original, Baker King should still have been a much more engaging and tightly-written story, especially when compared to most other contemporary dramas on the other networks today. Its clear beginning, middle and end, a concept that is so basic to any story, is actually a rarity on Philippine TV.

TV5’s Baker King also did an excellent job recreating some of the most memorable and emotional scenes from the original.

In my Check-in Review, I provided two examples of scenes which Baker King was able to translate well.

In the 2nd half of the series, I think the series was most successful in translating and adapting Master Javier’s funeral.

I cried watching the original as they paid tribute to Master Pal Bong. And I cried just as much here. Most especially the moment when all the bakers came to pay their final respects and honor their mentor. It was a beautiful scene which Baker King was able to translate right. An amazing feat in and of itself.

But while they absolutely handled Master Javier’s death in a way that was as emotionally powerful as the original, I feel like Baker King underwhelmed with Takgu and Sonia’s reunion.

The original had Takgu’s mother Misun be taken by Manager Han’s goons. That resulted in Takgu chasing after them through dark forest. And finally, Takgu and his mother were reunited after he pleaded with the goons and appealed to their own hearts and their love for their own mothers. It was an intense and powerful scene.

Here, Takgu and Sonia were reunited in the hospital as Sonia regained her eyesight. Definitely much less subdued and not as action-packed. In turn, that made the reunion a little flat. I was most disappointed because the reunion would’ve been a great opportunity for Mark Neumann and Diana Zubiri to deliver knockout performances.

It was also supposed to be a huge climax considering Takgu has been searching for his mom for more than 10 years. The original’s take was one of the most iconic moments of the series.

But I can see why Baker King decided on changing that scene so as to transplant that kidnapping plot to the final week in which Henry kidnaps Sonia right before Takgu’s wedding. That’s also a modification of Takgu and Manager Han’s final confrontation on the rooftop of Geosung Foods.

I don’t know if budget played a part, but the final weeks of the series were greatly condensed from the original. And while those last few weeks flowed well enough, I feel like the show lost opportunities to really recreate or even create their own new powerful moments.

As someone who has watched the original at least three times (twice in Korean, once through GMA’s Tagalog dub), I could definitely feel certain things were missing. While the first half of Baker King left almost no detail out of the original script, the second half sped through a few of the story arcs.

The biggest one has to be Takgu getting a crash course in business when he is thrust into the President/OIC role at the company. The original was able to play up a lot of the fish out of water dynamic. A dynamic that Baker King did so well with young Takgu at the beginning of this Filipino version.

That dynamic with the adult Takgu was definitely missing here. Maybe the business aspects wouldn’t appeal to the Filipino audience, but Takgu’s determination and loyalty to his father would’ve been great things to focus through such a story.

Missed Potential

Another aspect of Baker King I have to criticize is the lessening of Irene and Henry’s impact on the overall story. This should have been an opportunity for Jackie Lou Blanco and Yul Servo to deliver strong performances with big, meaty scenes and story. But I feel like they were not given as much material as they should have.

Jeon In Hwa and Jung Sung Mo were absolutely powerhouses on the original. And I was looking forward to seeing Jackie Lou and Yul also get the same opportunity here. While the last week provided some of that opportunity, it would’ve been nice to see a little more. Maybe not so much more kidnapping scenes or barilan scenes, but more on the depiction of how low the two characters would go just to protect their interests. It’s possible that maybe the two were toned down for the Filipino audience. But I still feel like there was a lot of missed potential for them.

This also should’ve been a great opportunity for Diana Zubiri in what is her most substantial television role yet, if I’m not mistaken. A lot of the cat and mouse games Misun (played excellently by Jeon Mi Seon) played with Insuk in the original weren’t brought over. Jeon Mi Seon had much more intriguing and emotional material. We didn’t see Sonia as much as we should have as well.

I was also hoping Baker King would expand on the character of Celine (played by Malak So). Her being disregarded as a woman both in the family in the business world would’ve added a great depth too.

With regards to our main couples. I think the original did a better job in developing the relationship between Majun and Yookyung than Baker King did with Michael and Eunice. The same for the “bromance” or brotherly bond between Takgu and Michael. The pain and the forgiveness got a little more detail in the original.

On the flipside, I think Baker King did a better job developing Takgu and Sunshine than the original did with Takgu and Misun.

Wedding finales are Filipino staples and while I would’ve preferred Baker King not check that box off the list, they handled it well overall. Especially as a way to set up Henry and Irene’s last gasp.

In that sense, Baker King‘s finale was much more finite and direct. The original was pretty open-ended. It ended with Takgu returning to the bakery with only an assumption that he and Misun finally made their relationship official. It also put Insuk in a much more desperate and lonely position than Baker King did with Irene. Insuk vowed she wasn’t done yet while Irene appears to have been resigned to the fact that she’s got a way to go to redeem herself to her family.

Overall

It’s always a huge challenge for a remake or adaptation to match or top the original. While overall, the original easily tops this Filipino adaptation, that doesn’t take away the fact that Baker King was still successful.

Baker King is certainly a worthy adaptation that was able to stay faithful to the original while injecting plenty of Filipino flavor into an already almost-perfect recipe. It told the universal stories of love, family and friendships. And like the original, Filipino Takgu showed audiences that instead of putting a heavy and vengeful burden on one’s heart, you should never lose hope, remain determined and live life to the fullest.

Assembling a great, solid cast and pairing that with smart direction and tight writing, I believe Baker King is the strongest local Filipino adaptation of a foreign series yet.

With My Fair Lady taking over for the slot on TV5’s schedule, I certainly hope these won’t be the last adaptations or just simply, daily dramas from the Kapatid network. If they can take their creative success from Baker King and do the same in future series, then it’ll only be a good thing for Philippine TV.

“Editor’s” Note: This review would’ve had a lot more pretty screencaps had TV5 not suddenly geoblocked its on demand episodes, including those of Baker King, this week. In fact, Baker King’s final week is only just airing now (week of September 21) on Kapatid TV5 here in the United States. But I watched the final episodes on TV5’s website with the hope I could write a full wrap-up and Hindsight Review as close to the Philippine finale date as possible. It’s a shame that TV5 has again decided that the way to expand its viewership and reach is to block episodes from people around the world who actually want to watch their programs, but cannot. Many times because of TV5’s own fault. (See: The Amazing Race Philippines 2) 😡👎

Recap: Power Rangers Dino (Super) Charge, Episode (20) 40 – End of Extinction

The Rangers find the Dark Energem and hurry back to the command cave. As they fight off Vivix and Spikeballs outside the museum, Sledge explains to Wrench that the hatching eggs are actually Electronets which they will use to pull Earth out of its orbit and to its demise.

Fury attacks Keeper and tosses him around the command cave. The Rangers arrive and that forces Fury to poof away.

Keeper says they are no longer safe here and must leave. But Sledge contacts them and tells them his plan to drag Earth into deep space and into a deep freeze. The farther Earth is from the sun, the colder it will get and everyone will freeze to death.

Sledge connects the Electronet anchor points to his ship and begins to tow the Earth. Kendall says they have an hour left until they freeze to death.

Keeper says their only hope is to destroy the Dark Energem and to unlock the Ultimate Power of the Energems. Riley asks if pure light can destroy the pure darkness of the Dark Energem. (ToQger?) Chase has an idea, but it requires teamwork.

The Rangers speak to the people of Earth and ask for their help. Everyone, including Col. Truman, Kaylee, Riley’s brother, are handed mirrors. The Rangers + Heckyl head into space aboard the Ptera Zord and Plesio Zord.

They release the Dark Energem, attached to G-Ma Betty’s light reflector, into space. At just the right moment, the people of Earth point their mirrors into the sky. That shines light back into space at the Dark Energem which heats up before exploding in spectacular fashion.

BUT! The huge explosion has created a blackhole! It first pulls in Sledge’s ship and Earth is sucked in right after.

The Rangers can’t believe it. They killed everyone themselves. They feel guilty. Heckyl feels this is Sentai 6 all over again.

Keeper says it is time to use the Ultimate Power. He tells the Rangers to toss their Energems into space. Keeper leaves the cockpit and floats in space to explain that the ten Energems “break the chains that divide the past, present and future.” The Ultimate Power can transport them through time!

Keeper says he will send them back in time to stop Sledge forever. The time portal is ready and the Rangers fly through in their zords.

Shelby, Koda, Ivan, Riley and Chase land the Ptera Zord. They don’t know where the others are, but they walk around to find they are…

In prehistoric times! A time when dinosaurs were still alive! This is the day Keeper and Sledge crashed into Earth. Speaking of, they see Keeper’s crashing into Earth and they run over.

Keeper finds the Energems and is startled by these strange people.
“We are Power Rangers from the future.”

Keeper asks them to prove they have bonded with the Energems. They put their hands out and the Energems fly over to them. “Indeed! You are Power Rangers!”

Sledge’s ship crashes on Earth and he and Fury approach the Rangers. Koda leads the morph and the battle begins.

Fury gets the Energems box, but it’s empty. Tyler appears and has the other Energems, leaving with box only with a bomb. It explodes and absolutely incinerates Fury in mid-air.

Sledge shoots at the Rangers and they get knocked on their butts. Sledge calls for the Magnabeam and is surprised the Rangers know what it is.

Sledge is embiggened, but Kendall, Philip, Papa Navarro, Zenowing and Heckyl storm Sledge’s ship and take over. Heckyl works the controls and sends the Electronet to grab Sledge. He sets the ship on a collision course to the sun. The Rangers quickly hop back into the Plesio Zord and watch as Sledge’s ship melts in the sun.

Earth is saved. Everything’s fine now.

Keeper says Koda and Ivan can return to their own time if they like. They like.
“There’s no place like home.”

Keeper opens the time portal.

The Rangers say they will never forget each other. They share a group hug and say goodbye.

Koda and Ivan step into the portal.

The others turn to Keeper who also bids them farewell, “until we meet again, my friends.”

The Rangers step into the portal as well.

Keeper would like Heckyl to go back in time to stop the Dark Energem from being stolen. That way, Heckyl can also save Sentai 6 with Zenowing. Keeper says Heckyl will also become a Keeper, of the Dark Energem. Heckyl thanks Keeper for the opportunity. He and Zenowing go through the portal.

“Order is restored,” Keeper says, “a new chapter begins.”

The Rangers arrive back in the present day. They all make plans to return to their normal lives, but Kendall suddenly gets an emergency text from the museum.

They hurry back and are shocked.

The Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum is now… the Amber Beach Dinosaur ZOO!

The Rangers realize that since Sledge’s asteroids never hit Earth, the dinosaurs were never wiped out!

A caretaker runs out and tells them to hurry and help a triceratops with its indigestion.

“A new aventure begins now.”

Episode Thoughts

WOW! That has to be the biggest finale twist ever on Power Rangers! (At least, that I can remember. Venjix being alive is pretty big too.) But the dinosaurs are still alive?! What?! I didn’t follow international airing spoilers or any possible spoilers from final arc Kyroryuger footage, so I had no idea what to expect from the finale.

I’m not really obsessed with continuity in Power Rangers. Maybe I once was before. But after getting into Sentai and then this clusterfrak of a transition from Disney to Saban Brands, I don’t mind if things aren’t of the same continuity. As long as every season is acknowledged, even if you must suspend disbelief. Does that make sense? Like all those Sentai and Kamen Rider crossovers that absolutely don’t fit with each other. But they still happen and you accept them for the fanwanks that they are. So long as you don’t completely discredit and discount and throw away a whole group of seasons just because they weren’t produced by you (Johnathan Tzachor!), everything will be fine.

Anyway, back to this episode itself.

It was a fun and exciting episode. I have no idea if this story is lifted from Kyoryuger’s finale or not. But I enjoyed those (PR original?) scenes in space and all the blackhole sucking. Very dramatic.

The time traveling was kind of contrived. And the “Ultimate Power” thing with the Energems, I don’t think has ever been introduced before. Thanks a lot Keeper. lol It definitely reminded me of the Gokaigers trying to collect all the Keys for some Ultimate Power as well. But here on Dino Charge, it basically came out of nowhere in all its deus ex machina glory.

The Energems’ Ultimate Power is time travel?! Umm… okay.

But it did give us a truly emotional scene with Koda and Ivan going back to their own time. It was the first and only MaGMCM for me from this entire season. And it was very effective.

I actually forgot that Keeper caused the extinction of the dinosaurs until they started replaying the scene from the premiere. It reminded me of how amazing that moment was last year when the show presented us with the direct cause of the extinction of dinosaurs. Tying it into Power Rangers in such a clever and original way.

Anyway, ending with such a cute and clever twist was very interesting and fun. There’s a lot of questions that come up now though and no doubt Ranger fans will be debating the answers to those questions for years to come.

One question I have is: So is “Keeper” not his name? How is Heckyl a Keeper now too? That was probably the most odd thing for me this episode. lol

I enjoyed seeing everyone unmorphed in the cockpit. Loved seeing Keeper fighting again. And the drone shots! I just love drone shots.

For this episode overall, it was fun and enjoyable. But as a season finale, it was very underwhelming. Like I’ve mentioned many times in recent weeks, this final stretch of Dino Charge has been completely slow and without any sense of climax. And I guess I’ll discuss more of that below:

Season Hindsight Review

It says a lot about the Dino Charge that there is no need for an entirely separate, long and ranting Hindsight Review post.

Power Rangers Dino Charge is a huge accomplishment for Saban Brands and the franchise after four years of huge disappointments. So it certainly was not a difficult task for Dino Charge to improve on those two seasons (and FOUR years!). And the good news is Dino Charge did.

Samurai and Megaforce were just poor seasons in just about every aspect. Dino Charge was good in almost all aspects.

Basically, Power Rangers Dino Charge has been a good, enjoyable season. It wasn’t mind-blowing or out of this world amazing. It won’t crack my Top 5 Power Rangers seasons. But it didn’t need to be all that. The season overall was comparable to a regular Disney season, to be honest.

And that’s definitely a compliment. I’ve written about the positive things Disney did for the Power Rangers franchise. And I saw many of those positive qualities here in Dino Charge: great casting, smarter writing to keep up with today’s more sophisticated young target audience and actually adapting the Sentai footage to work for them instead of the other way around.

The season started off in epic fashion. Our season’s mentor caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Wow! It then introduced us to a likeable and charming team of Rangers. (Made possible in large part by a likeable and charming cast.) Keeper was awesome most of the time. The story was solid and the action exciting. Sledge and Co. were a fun, yet still dangerous group of villains.

Everything was going great for a while, especially relative to the four years before it. But when the show returned from its summer hiatus this year (in the middle of Dino Super Charge aka the second half of Dino Charge), something felt off.

The episodes were largely filler, but they weren’t all that fun or enjoyable. They just seemed to be there. One or two would fine. But the entire stretch of episodes were stunningly bland. And that bled into what was supposed to be the season’s finale arc. A finale, as I’ve mentioned above, was very underwhelming.

Nothing really came of Heckyl/Snide as villains. Lord Arcanon was a basic MOTW as well. So why the need to keep Sledge away for half the season? Lack of story for him? His “I’ve been planting eggs around the world” excuse felt very tacked on. And while the idea of towing Earth into deep space so it can freeze to death is a great evil plan, the execution was far from great.

I think a big problem is that there was no clear endgame for Sledge. Yes, he wanted the Energems. But what was he going to use them for? Was he going to sell them? He already had a great bounty hunter business going. And selling asteroids on the side as well.

The battle to protect the Energems kind of lost its significance and importance as time went on. And the post-hiatus episodes really exacerbated that. There wasn’t really a sense of gravitas to the world saving at the end here. Especially when the solution was easily pulled out of nowhere.

But as disappointing as these final 10 episodes have been, I still consider Dino Charge a successful season.

Overall, I echo my sentiments from my Check-In Review last year:
“Judd Chip Lynn has shown that he knows exactly where Power Rangers needs to be in 2015. Both Samurai and Megaforce were unfortunate messes stuck in 1993. The lack of effort was very clear in those two seasons while here on Dino Charge, the big amount of effort is clear. A cohesive and engaging story, well-written characters brought to life by actually talented actors. None of that was present on Power Rangers the five years previous. (That includes reversioned Mighty Morphin lol)”
…
“It’s certainly not perfect (no season is), but it’s doing most things right. And that results in a wholly enjoyable, entertaining and exciting series. That’s a very refreshing feeling to have after 5 years of nothingness.”

So thank you Dino Charge for restoring my faith in Power Rangers. And now on to Ninja Steel.

Celebrate Power Rangers‘ 20th Anniversary on DVD!
The first 18 seasons, from Mighty Morphin to RPM on four complete DVD sets!
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Also, check out the brand new Power Rangers Dino Super Charge store, also at Amazon!

Ginis is confident that he can defeat the Zyuohgers because he is able to use the Earth data he took from Cube Whale. The Zyuohgers will not allow that to happen. They attack Ginis, but even Yamato going Gorilla can’t do anything to him.

Ginis forces Yamato to downmorph and sends the Zyuohgers into an alternate dimension where he beats on them some more. Yamato then realizes that everything in this dimension is made of Moebas. Ginis shoots at them and sends them back to reality and demorphed.

A very alive Naria watches as Yamato announces that he has seen Ginis’ true form. Ginis admits that he is just a mass of Moebas, but refuses to accept that this ugly, disgusting, vulgar form is the real him. Instead, he is the most beautiful, the ultimate, greatest life form in all the universe!

Misao says he must have been chosen by Ginis because his self-hate and pain were the same as Ginis’ own. Yamato says Misao is nothing like Ginis. The others agree.

Yamato stands up and says Ginis has no right to play with other people’s lives. Naria flips in and shoots at the Zyuohgers to protect her Ginis-sama. She turns to her Owner, feeling sorry that he must have gone through such a hard time. But she adds that she does not care what his true form is. She will protect him nonetheless.

Naria turns her back to Ginis to face the Zyuohgers who are about to morph, but Ginis shoots right through her heart. But why, Naria asks. Ginis does not like to be pitied.

The King’s Marks are all destroyed. The Zyuohgers absorb more attacks from Ginis who hopes they can be reborn as stronger life forms after he kills them.

But the Zyuohgers won’t give up. They stand up to Ginis and say they will fight even with King’s Marks. Uncle Mario prays for them while Larry, Bado and Yamato’s father hope for the best.

The Zyuohgers charge at Ginis and while doing so, the Earth gives its power to them instead of Ginis. With Earth’s power, their King’s Marks are restored and the Zyuohgers are able to morph for the last time.

No one wants to be underestimated and the final battle begins.

The Zyuohgers unleash their beasts and give it their all against Ginis. The Earth again responds and allows Yamato to super unleash his beasts, combining Gorilla, Whale and Eagle powers together.

Yamato and Ginis take their fight into the air for a little bit before the Zyuohgers get back together, re-unleash their beasts and deliver a Zyuoh Final. That finally gets Ginis blown up.

But Ginis embiggens himself. The Zyuohgers hop into Wild Tousai Dodeka King.

And with a Zyuoh Dodeka Grand Final Finish, the Zyuohgers finally destroy Ginis for good. Yamato hugs Micchan and they all celebrate.

Next day, the Zyuohgers head to the Link Cube. It’s time for the Zyuman4 to return home. Yamato says he wants to go with them, but they say they must talk to the elders first. Misao starts crying, but Amu says they’ll visit often.

After a group hug, it really is time. Yamato inserts the Great King’s Mark while the others insert their regular King’s Marks into the Link Cube which awakens, completely repaired.

But before the Zyumans can hop into the Link Cube, it flies into the air and sends a strange wave across the world. Suddenly, Zyuland cube buildings being sprouting up all across Earth. And along with the cubed buildings, Zyumans!

Humans and Zyumans are all shocked to see each other. It’s utter chaos.

The Zyuohgers can’t believe it. Bado believes the human world has merged with Zyuland. The King’s Marks return to the Zyuohgers.

Larry thinks with all the King’s Marks awakened, the planet wanted the two worlds to become one again. The Zyuman4 say it shouldn’t be a problem. Tusk comments that even if people are racist, this is what they wanted; a connection between the worlds.

The Zyuman4 reunite with their families.

Larry and Misao give a seminar on the two worlds to both humans and Zyumans. Misao sees the three headZyumans waving to him and gains the confidence to proclaim that humans and Zyumans will be able to coexist on this one planet. Uncle Mario also makes some new friends.

Yamato sees a young pig Zyuman alone and crying. He bandages her up and invites her to their picnic.

Episode Thoughts

And that brings Zyuohger to the end. Honestly, I thought this finale was underwhelming, yet shocking at the same time.

First, there was a little Dino Charge in its ending here. And if you haven’t seen Dino Charge‘s finale (SPOILER ALERT)… our main heroes defeating the villain consequentially changed the world forever. So does this mean all future Sentai have Zyumans and cubed buildings? lol

But really, this last arc has been very bland. I’ve said how there has been lots of great potential but little foundation to support the climaxes over the last arc of the season.

Ginis’ infusing Earth with cells to destroy it felt out of nowhere last week, but then I remembered that his cells have been infused into everything all season long. No wonder Naria kept repeating that line over and over, every episode.
Still, him hating his ugly Moeba form and wanting to be some perfect being doesn’t really mesh with his simple bloodlust.

Like, I get that he likes forcing himself into other people and beings. (Ewe!) But what’s that got to do with his desire to be pretty? And what does committing genocide and wiping out entire planets do to help with his plastic surgery?

So I don’t really know what Ginis’ final battle with the Zyuohgers really meant other than it merely being a big fight sequence. It didn’t have much plot foundation to support it.

Elsewhere, the talk of walls (keeping Earth in its own bubble) and racists (humans toward Zyumans) is very timely, wouldn’t you agree? lol But again, the show only ever touched upon the discrimination between humans and Zyumans maybe every 12th episode. And we never got the Zyumans clashing with the human world.

It was great to finally have them update the opening credits to include Misao, even if very late. Ninninger changed its opening narration as soon as Kinji arrived.

But it was also nice to see that little moment with the others reassuring Misao that he is nothing like Ginis (it only took them the entire season) as well as the acknowledgement that he had gone through the trauma of having three Zyumans die because of him. I thought they had popped up alive at the end, but I guess I’m happy they weren’t because it helped show Misao wanting to move forward and not wanting to have those Zyumans die in vain.

Speaking of death, Naria death is what I hoped last week. This is exactly in line with her character, but the show probably shouldn’t have used the same thing as a cliffhanger with Cubaru in that earlier episode.

Sadly though, this final episode overall felt like any other regular episode from the season. There was no emotional climax. There were no climactic revelations or twists. Not even a big, huge action sequence. Yamato’s three animal power-up felt like such an afterthought. And throwing in one last mecha battle kind of shows the lack of legit action this episode.

So I was really underwhelmed this finale, but not as disappointed as I am in the season as a whole…

Season Hindsight Review

Zyuohger opened with great promise. The visuals looked completely wacky all over the place, but the story seemed very interesting. The promise of a “fish out of water” story with the Zyumans in the human world opened up lots of possibilities for things they could do during the season, similar to the Goseigers or Gokaigers, but this time with a human, Earthling on the team itself.

On the villain side, Ginis’ deadly Blood Game definitely reminded me very much of the classic English class short story The Most Dangerous Game. It sounded absolutely brutal and demented. Certainly qualities you wouldn’t mind seeing in a Big Bad who is destined to be defeated by our heroes.

But as the season went along, balls (cubes?) were being dropped left and right. Things that made the season actually charming and fun where tossed aside. And it was the introduction of Misao that really signaled that things were starting to go off the rails.

At a time when the season didn’t seem to be progressing its overall plot very much, Misao’s introduction at first helped to add something fresh and new. But his character’s story (loaded with potential) turned into something very regrettable. And it’s my biggest criticism of the season, no question.

Misao was introduced by showing us he was tortured by Ginis and had three Zyuman souls forced into his body. Basically raped, let’s be honest. And as we learn later on, Misao was already a very fragile person. He grew up not just lonely, but alone. He had no friends. And apparently no family either. He was bullied and mocked with zero support system for him. So if that wasn’t enough, he was put through this traumatic experience by a sadistic, bloodthirsty lunatic from outer space.

And so how do his new teammates and “friends” respond? By bullying him and mocking him and basically wanting to box (cube?) him out of their core five group. The Zyuman4 especially saw him as a nuisance, rather than a teammate. And even while they saw the guy struggling with inner problems and issues, they made ZERO effort to help him. This completely erased the fun, happy-go-lucky and Sentai-typical personalities they had before this.

Initially fans blamed it all on Misao, but I can’t imagine anyone today defending how Misao’s character was completely mishandled and so poorly written. It’s an absolute shame.

Misao could’ve had a very deep, meaningful story. A story that would be sorely needed on this season that ended up not having an engaging season-long plot. The show harped on connections and ended the season “connecting” two different worlds of two different species. Yet, the Zyuman4 didn’t even want a connection to Misao most of the season he was present. So much so that the feeling rubbed off onto Yamato for an episode or two.

Speaking of Yamato, I think he might be the most normal Red Ranger we’ve had in a while. He was caring, very nice, smart, charming. He wasn’t over the top or exaggerated one way or another. He was a real leader. The way he cared about his Micchan (minus an episode or two where he seemed to be possessed by bad Zyuman4 spirits) was a great example of how sincere he is. (Not to mention housing and feeding four stubborn strangers for a year.)

So Yamato overall and his scenes with Uncle Mario and Micchan and Ginis’ subtle depravity really were the only good parts of the season. Everything else either fell short or just completely missed the mark.

Yamato’s daddy issues, Cubaru’s revenge and Azarudo’s Earth past were all completely underdeveloped, if at all. Bangurei, probably the only one who could come close to Ginis’ pure evilness, was completely wasted. As was Naria who did nothing but place a coin into the meter every episode. Underdeveloped stories then make the supposed climaxes completely meaningless or without depth. And that was certainly the case here. Mostly unaffecting conclusions to the various threads. And the most underwhelming being Ginis’ last stand. The two worlds combining was just one finale add-on that didn’t have much to stand on, no matter how many cubes you place under it.

So overall, Zyuohger was a disappointment for me. I don’t hate it, but I feel like so much potential was left on the table. From possible stories to a solid cast, Zyuohger just completely missed the mark, dropped the ball and any other analogy you can think of.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
No spoilers. Click here for the First Impression Review.

To the relief of many, including maybe its stars, GMA Network’s Destined to be Yours is finally over. Once the most anticipated series in the Philippines, it has mercifully come to an end after a laborious 13 weeks.

There’s really no succinct way to explain exactly why Destined to be Yours ended up the way it did. It was a series so troublesome in its presentation that its lead stars actually had to apologize to fans for being the way it was.

Destined to be Yours was supposed to be the showcase for Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza as a loveteam. At the peak of the #AlDub fever, they were the two most famous people in the country and certainly the Twitter world. Their first daily teleserye was highly anticipated by both fans and critics alike, already heightening expectations. Not to mention the hype coming from GMA and Eat Bulaga parent company TAPE Inc.

But after the slow first week, Destined to be Yours never found its footing on solid ground. The main premise of the series was that its lead characters Benjie and Sinag were meant to be. (Wait, that’s a different show.) I mean, Benjie and Sinag were destined to be. No matter what happens, no matter what troubles or problems, no matter the unforgiveable actions taken by each other and people around them, they are destined for each other. Destiny is on their side.

And destiny was used to explain everything away. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen “destiny” used as a deus ex machina in a romantic drama before.

The first week had been simply old-fashioned. The rest of the series became overly cliché. There’s certainly nothing wrong with being old-fashioned or checking off the teleserye boxes. But you’ve got to have other things to support that such as good direction, stellar acting and fresh twists thrown in. Destined to be Yours, unfortunately, lacked most of that.

Somehow before the series premiered, it was reported Destined to be Yours would be the “first” GMA drama filmed and broadcast in HD. That’s a problematic statement first of all because dozens of GMA dramas have been filmed in HD for years. And second, GMA does not have an HD feed. The real expectation likely was that GMA would keep the 16:9 aspect ratio, allowing a *gasp* letterboxed series to air in its primetime for the first time ever.

Never happened. But the implication accompanying this hype was that the series would have some stunning cinematography and direction which would warrant the HD broadcast. Especially featuring what appeared to be a beautiful countryside setting in the fictional Pelangi. Stunning cinematography can help save any poor script. Just ask any ABS-CBN drama series or even AlDub’s own film Imagine You & Me. But Destined to be Yours looked and felt like it was filmed years ago.

Related to that, the editing and post-production work exacerbated the already subpar visual aspect of the series. It wasn’t slick or contemporary at all.

And it definitely needed some help with visuals since the writing just was not there. Aside from the destiny-heavy main plot, the series’ subplots were a mish-mash of hastily thrown together teleserye tropes. And when combined with poorly written and schizophrenic characters, the overall result can be nothing more than a certified mess.

The biggest example of that schizophrenia may be in the character of Alden Richards’ Benjie. He could be anything between a playboy who sleeps with a different girl every night to a devoted son to a hardworking young man to a nice boy next door to a caricature of the KalyeseryeAlden character. He was everything and nothing at the same time. And when he is supposed to be a lead character, that doesn’t bode well for the series’ prospects.

When it came to Maine Menodza’s Sinag, she too suffered from character whiplash. She was a strong, independent young woman or a hopeless romantic or a jilted lover who couldn’t live without a boyfriend or weak-hearted.

These aren’t multi-dimensional, deep characters. They were walls where different character traits and personalities were thrown at to see what stuck. And apparently, it all stuck to the wall.

But I already mentioned what seemed to be Destined to be Yours‘ biggest problem. It inexplicably was trying to be a primetime version of Eat Bulaga‘s Kalyeserye. Whether it was the writing that clearly recycled “plot” points from the soap opera spoof or the apparent strange need for Alden Richards to channel his Kalyeserye character to bring Benjie to life; Destined to be Yours relied too heavily on Kalyeserye and thought it would be the only way to attract viewers.

And judging from the ratings (regardless of your preferred ratings provider), the minds behind Destined to be Yours were mistaken. Not only were legitimate fans turned off to Kalyeserye Redux, potential new viewers were turned off as well. (And don’t listen to the “commercials-per-gap” spin which is merely used to excuse or cover for the series’ creative and ratings shortcomings.)

There wasn’t anything that would attract a wider audience to the series or to the AlDub loveteam. And that really was or at least should have been the main driving force for the series. In addition to being a gift wrapped present to the millions of fans who propelled them to stardom, this series should have been an opportunity to expand their reach, bring in new fans and draw in the casual viewer who may not be compelled to join in the Twitter parties, but will still watch a good show.

Destined to be Yours was none of that.

We could get into a whole bunch of external factors that contributed to the clusterfrak, not the least of which being TAPE Inc.’s apparent influence on the series as well as their efforts to undermine the series whether it’s the prolonged delay or nefarious toe-dipping into the pool for selfish reasons.

Instead, let’s get to maybe the one positive to come out of Destined to be Yours.

I’ve talked about how great of an actor Alden Richards was and of what he is capable of. He’d already proven himself many times before, not the least of which being his career performance as Jose Rizal in Ilustrado. But the year of Kalyeserye seems to have driven a regression in his acting. He had largely bypassed the typical “pa-tweetums” stage of every young actor, instead being given legitimate dramatic roles and doing very well in them from the start. But the silliness of the loose Kalyeserye has influenced his performances since, whether it be the film Imagine You & Me or here on Destined to be Yours. Is it to cater to the fans who brought him his biggest success? Is someone telling him to do that chicken pecking aka “tuka” act of trying to kiss his co-star all the time?

Whatever the reason, his acting here on Destined to be Yours left much to be desired. And that’s a shame considering, again, his previous work where he’s proven to be a more than capable, if not excellent dramatic young actor. The poor writing certainly did not do him any favors either. So it’s certainly not all his fault.

On the other hand, and one of the few if not only bright spots, Maine Mendoza was able to elevate the poor writing and miraculously grew as an actress over the course of the series. Granted, she hadn’t been the most experienced or polished actress at the start. Her popularity has largely been driven by her natural charm and likeability. A charm and energy that allows her the confidence to do crazy and wacky things.

Maine Mendoza is obviously more comfortable in those lighter moments, in those scenes where she’s either having fun or being witty.

But there were moments where she showed she’s greatly improved with dramatic material as well. Like this scene early on for example:

That early bright wasn’t really followed up on, unfortunately.

She certainly has room to grow in drama even after making great strides here. And she obviously has a lock on the lighter material already. But the fact that she was able to take the subpar material given to her and still showcase her charm and wit is a huge accomplishment.

Maine Mendoza may conveniently say a teleserye is not for her, but one wonders what a better, Kalyeserye-free series could look like for her and Alden Richards. And what that could do for the future of their tandem and careers.

For now though, Destined to be Yours ends with regret and panghihinayang. Instead of destiny, the series ends with the question of “What could have been?” Other than Maine Mendoza’s valiant effort, Destined to be Yours was a creative and commercial disappointment.

Recap: Kamen Rider Zero-One, Episode 45 (Finale) – Each One’s Future

Aruto and Horobi begin their decisive battle as Azu gleefully watches what she believes is Ark’s prediction coming true.

Across the country, Humagears are rising up in protest to demand fair treatment and equal rights from humans. Humans, however, continue discriminating Humagears which only continues to breed malice and hatred in them.

Azu says all this will help revive Ark and bring about the end of the world.

Horobi reminds Aruto that he said he was to protect Humagears, yet he ended up killing Jin. Aruto is a prime example of humanity’s true hateful nature. Aruto says maybe Horobi is right about that.

Back at his office, Gai says if they can’t revive Izu to stop Aruto, they can at least try to restore Jin to stop Horobi. Yua says she may be able to restore his intelligence, but not his body. Gai tells her that should be enough.

Over at Hiden HQ, VP Jun stands his ground while angry Humagears continue trying to push their way in. VP Jun says he will continue to believe in Aruto and in Hiden’s employees.

Aruto suddenly tosses his sword aside. Horobi seizes on the opening to lay a beatdown on Aruto.

Azu giggles that this may finally be the end. But inside Ark, Jin appears and says Azu couldn’t possibly predict the future without a heart of her own. Jin says this isn’t the Ark’s conclusion, but Aruto’s.

Jin says Aruto is resigned to the fact that he can’t do anything about his malicious heart. Which is why he believes Horobi is the only who can and must stop him.

Horobi delivers a Hatred Impact finisher at Aruto’s ArkDriver, forcing him to dehenshin.

Azu’s “embrace” disappears and Aruto’s heart is now in a less desolate place.

As they watch on the livestream, Yua tells Isamu and Gai that perhaps Aruto is putting his life on the line to teach Horobi what it means to have a heart. Isamu says Aruto is the one who believes in Humagears the most, especially Horobi.

Horobi dehenshins and demands to know why Aruto stopped fighting.

Aruto flashes back to the night before when his father appears to him inside ZEA. Aruto’s father recalls how Aruto would always cry as a child. But now his heart is full of rage because he became stronger when he obtained the power of a Kamen Rider.

Aruto’s father would like to remind Aruto that true strength isn’t about how much power you have, but about what’s in your heart.

Aruto’s father hands him a brand new Zero-One Driver.

Back in the present, Aruto straps the Driver on and says there isn’t a person in the world that wouldn’t be sad by the loss of a family member.

Horobi screams, agreeing with Aruto. He punches Aruto then grabs him by the collar reminding him that Jin was his son and he killed him. So yes, anyone would be angry by a family member being killed.

Horobi knocks Aruto to the ground. Izu’s ribbon flies out of Aruto’s coat. He reaches for it.

Indeed, Aruto says. The rage and sorrow that Horobi feels right now is because he has a heart.

Horobi realizes that Aruto also lost family. He thinks about Aruto’s father and Izu both dying because of him. On the verge of tears, Horobi acknowledges that it is his fault that Jin sacrificed himself.

Horobi falls to his knees saying he was afraid of these heartfelt feelings welling up inside him.

Aruto reaches out for Horobi’s shoulder and says that feeling is perfectly fine.

Horobi replies that’s why he felt hatred toward the humans who taught him those feelings. He punches Aruto once more. But Aruto says he is sure Horobi can overcome this understanding that he does have a heart.

“We are Kamen Riders, after all?”

Aruto’s Key becomes shinier. He activates and locks it in.

Horobi henshins and charges toward Aruto. He swings at Aruto who catches his hand as he completes his henshin to Realizing Hopper.

The two battle once more. Horobi says he hates Aruto with all his heart. But neither he nor humanity deserves to be destroyed.

A happy Jin believes both Aruto and Horobi will be able to overcome their malice. He disappears, leaving Azu completely flabbergasted.

Just then, a vision of Izu appears to Aruto.

Aruto doesn’t want to look at first. But when he does, he sees Izu smile and he smiles right back at her. He knows what he has to do now.

Aruto flies through Horobi’s tentacles. They deliver Impact finishers at each other. That gives Aruto the upper hand as he proceeds to knock Horobi around before unleashing a Rider Kick.

Horobi is ready to accept his death. But Aruto delivers his Realizing Impact not at Horobi, but the ArkDriver, destroying it and forcing Horobi to dehenshin.

A badly injured Horobi asks Aruto why he spared his life. Aruto replies that there is no need for death any longer.

Aruto clutches Izu’s ribbon. It’s all over.

After a period of time, Aruto returns to Hiden and announces a project to launch a brand-new satellite to replace ZEA. Watching the news, Ikazuchi tells his brother that they’re going to have a lot of work to do.

In his office, Aruto tries activating Izu’s Secretary Key. But it does not work.

Aruto looks out his office window and says “Just for you, I’ll take off toward our dream.”

Also in his office, Gai addresses his new Thouser employees as they are all excited to get to work.

Elsewhere, Commander Yua introduces the A.I.M.S. team to Naki who will join them as a technical advisor. The officers are surprised they are a Humagear. Yua says they must respect the freedom of one’s heart, no matter if they are human or Humagear. As long as you overcome your limits and stand and fight for freedom, you too can be a Kamen Rider.

In another part of the city, Isamu randomly saves a woman who has just crashed into a pole. He introduces himself as Vulcan, a Kamen Rider who protects the city.

Jin finds Horobi on a rooftop and compliments him on his new outfit.

Horobi says MetsubouJinrai.net has been reborn. This time they will monitor the world’s malice to prevent the rebirth of Ark.

A very happy Jin says he will help as well… “おとうさん!”

Horobi tells Jin to do whatever he likes. But he lets out a smile as well.

That night, Azu approaches a mysterious man that’s only appearing in these final moments and hands him a Driver and Key. The man declares that he will destroy the world and create a new paradise.

Izu changes into a dark veiled outfit as the man henshins to Kamen Rider Eden.

Anyway, VP Jun, SVP Sanzo and Shesta are in the lab with Aruto who unveils a newly built secretary Humagear.

Aruto activates the new Humagear who comes online. She greets them and asks for a name.

Remembering all the wonderful memories, Aruto names her Izu.

VP Jun and SVP Sanzo say it’s sad that even though this looks and sounds like Izu, she does not have any of her memories and learnings.

Aruto says that’s alright. He’ll just have to teach her their memories, dreams and hearts all over again, no matter how long it takes. And that includes all his jokes as well.

Aruto and nuIzu head into the satellite where he teaches her his catchphrase.

Episode Thoughts and Season Wrap-Up

So I’ll get it out of the way first. I was underwhelmed by the finale. As much as I hate to say it. It might be evident from the last couple of weeks and in this final wrap-up of the season, but I have grown to really love Zero-One. So it pains me to say anything bad about it.

But it’s such an interesting situation.

First off, I wanted to cry. But I didn’t. And that makes me sad. I’m sad that I didn’t cry.

I think the last couple of episodes each delivered such excellent emotional climaxes that this finale ended up being a sort of deep breath. Like, a big sigh of relief after all the pain and drama and hardships.

The episode was all about both Aruto and Horobi accepting that they can’t let hatred and malice take over their heart. While it’s okay to feel pain and anger, they can’t let it consume their whole being. Instead of using their differences as human and Humagear to feed that hatred in their hearts, they accepted those differences. By doing so, they hold up those differences as their strengths. And together, in their own ways, can help make the world a better and safer place.

I mentioned last week how it seemed like they were starting to set-up everyone’s conclusion so as to free up precious time in this final. But little did I know last week was everyone’s conclusion!

I feel like it was a little bit of a cop out with Jin just popping up in the end when his death was supposed to be the catalyst for this final climactic showdown. Yua rushing to restore his intelligence didn’t even have anything to do with what Horobi and Aruto were doing. So his color commentary with Azu didn’t really contribute anything to the finale other than take away what should’ve been a fun “Hey, I’m here” scene with Papa Horobi in the end.

It was a little abrupt. Between Yua’s mini-speech to Isamu’s apparently roaming the city looking for car accidents, I think the entire epilogue was awkwardly put together.

A recurring theme through the season and especially in this final arc was the idea of loss and how one is able to deal with a loss.

But the biggest loss is definitely the five or even six episodes we lost due to COVID-19.

Again, it’s hard to avoid thinking about how the coronavirus affected the season’s final arc. Though there were a lot of amazing moments and great story in the post-quarantine episodes, you still can’t help but think about what changes had to be made.

Obviously, I don’t want to come across as using the coronavirus to excuse whatever missteps the series had in the end. But it definitely seems like there was much more planned that had to be edited down or just completely removed.

I’m sure Mr. Williamson originally had a bigger role in this final arc than just popping up to conveniently pick up Jin’s earpiece. Or Naki and Ikazuchi never getting their focus episodes that may or may not have been expected. Though they certainly deserved such focus.

As great as these last couple of episodes have been, you can’t help but think and wonder what might have been.

Like I’ve mentioned already in previous weeks, these last episodes also didn’t get much time to breathe. Interestingly enough, I feel like this final episode had too much time to breathe and could’ve used a little more of a frenetic pace. It would’ve been perfect to have last week’s chaos lead into what was an otherwise quiet, yet impactful moment between Horobi and Aruto.

Horobi and Aruto’s battle lasted half this episode. But as fun as the action extravaganza was, I would’ve gone with just a few truly explosive exchanges to allow for a couple of minutes at the beginning of the episode more directly depicting the chaotic and dire situation of the simmering human-Humagear war.

I will say if you watch Episode 44 and 45 as one, hour-long episode instead of two separate ones, I think it would have a much bigger and more seamless impact.

The events of this Episode 45 didn’t really warrant a cliffhanger after Episode 44. Instead, Episode 44 and 45 could essentially be one, long extended finale. It would work better like that instead of having to wait a week for emotional and plot conclusions that, truthfully, came up short compared to the last couple of episodes.

The way that these last couple of episodes were so well-done and so emotionally resonant, I feel like that kind of lessened the impact for this finale.

It’s also quite possible I had unfairly high expectations that were unlikely to be met. =( But nah, I doubt that. (lol)

But you throw in the upcoming movie which was supposed to be released last month and would’ve aired around the original early 40s episodes. Now it will serve as a sort of epilogue and possibly even having been reworked as either a Decade-style finale or an Ex-Aid-style “True Ending.”

In the original “timeline,” Kamen Rider Eden wouldn’t have been introduced like that in the finale. So it felt out of place here. And though there was no Saber cameo, Kamen Rider Eden and shroudedIzu ended up filling in for the random, unnecessary new Rider appearance.

Needless to say, COVD-19 definitely tried its best to stifle the excellent momentum Zero-One had. But it didn’t fully succeed though as we still got a wonderful series.

Timely

Zero-One‘s plot has such a timely aspect to it. It looked at how technology has become so engrained in our daily lives and the positive and negative effects of that.

Through that technology, the season discussed the idea of what makes someone “human”, the feelings, emotions and freedom that come with it and accepting and understanding the differences that may arise from that. And maybe most important, whether or not you are born with hatred and malice or if it is something that is learned.

Those are definitely relevant discussions to be had in today’s world. And Zero-One was able to tackle such discussions in interesting and refreshing ways.

To allow for those discussions to be had in an effective way, Zero-One was a very character-driven story. And that is actually atypical for a Kamen Rider series. There have been many times in the past when characters bend to the will of the plot (good or bad).

But not here.

Zero-One‘s endgame wasn’t trying to stop one person or one Final Boss. It wasn’t to collect all the eyeballs or Keys. Hatred and malice was the true villain of the series. And the idea of a community of people coming together for a common good.

But Zero-One was as much about each character’s growth and development. A lot of it is the relationships they formed with each other.

Character-driven

More so than in recent seasons, each of the characters actually had many meaningful relationships in the story. Each of those relationships and friendships were interesting gateways to explore the central themes and discussions mentioned above.

The actions of each character would affect other characters in unique ways that revealed more about each character while also furthering the overall plot of the season.

If you asked me earlier in the season, I would’ve said Isamu was my favorite character. His story was the best developed almost to the point that he felt more like the title character than Aruto.

If I had one major criticism of the season, it would be the way they completely erased Isamu’s excellent character development for an unnecessary plot twist. That move would be something typical of another season. But on Zero-One, it stands out even more.

From the best developed character, Isamu Fuwa inexplicably turned into a comic relief character for a while before a too little, too late attempt at recovering what was so good about him in the first place. Regardless, Ryutaro Okada did an amazing job bringing Isamu to life. And having to balance both the serious, dramatic moments with the plenty of lighter moments (including stifling his laugh to Aruto’s jokes) showed his great versatility.

Meanwhile, the “villains” Horobi and Jin were really positioned as traditional Secondary Riders. Since the season really didn’t have a physical “villain” per se, Horobi and Jin were the closest things. (Aside from Gai of course.) But from the very beginning, both Horobi and Jin got the same development and spotlight as the traditional protagonists. All Riders got the same level of growth and focus.

If you need the most memorable scenes of Shuya Sunagawa as Horobi, just check out these final few episodes. The emotions he sets free are so affecting. Even though I still question how a Humagear is able to cry real tears, I don’t really care because Shuya Sunagawa was just excellent in those scenes. No need to worry about the details when the message comes across loud and clear through his performance.

While Isamu was my original favorite character, my ultimate favorite character from Zero-One and maybe one of my all-time favorite characters is Jin. Aside from Isamu, Jin had the best character development of anyone. Seeing his growth from the childlike maniac shooting fellow Humagears in the head to sacrificing himself for a father, a friend and the world. That’s some epic stuff!

And Daisuke Nakagawa was just amazing. Early on, the episode where he is seemingly about to reach Singularity and gets thwarted by Horobi slapping a Driver on him was the first episode where Daisuke got to show off his talent. He’d get many more opportunities later on with great material, especially in these final episodes. He’s such a natural and is definitely one of my all-time favorite actors from toku.

If we’re to talk about COVID-affected characters, I feel like both Yua and Gai had much more impactful climaxes planned for their stories than what we got. Though both were fine as they were, I think we should’ve seen more of Yua struggling with her sense of free will and a deeper “redemption” arc for Gai.

For Gai, I know many people just flat out hated him. Of course, Gai was a despicable and evil man. Remember, he is essentially the reason Ark exists as a malevolent force in the first place. Which is why I think an extra episode or two fleshing out his backstory and giving more depth to his downfall and enlightenment would’ve been great.

As evil as he was, I enjoyed his character. He was definitely a “love to hate” kind of character. And Nachi Sakuragi was so good just relishing in the role. Redeeming Gai with a pair of cute AIBOs certainly was an interesting, though strangely effective way. But there was definitely potential for more.

For Yua, I think Hiroe Igeta deserved a chance to shine in possible scenes where she comes to fully realize and acknowledge her mistakes. The scenes we got with Isamu and Ai-chan were well-done. But certainly, did not maximize the potential for both the character and Hiroe.

Of course, the center, or “heart” if you will, of the season was definitely Aruto and Izu. If Izu wasn’t a Humagear, she and Aruto would be the best ship around. Their relationship was that well-developed and had that much depth.

Noa Tsurushima was great as the relatively robotic Izu. The best way to describe her most of the time was “robot with a heart,” really. You never forget that she is essentially a robot. But that’s what makes her performance even better. The moments where Izu learns human emotions first hand, piece by piece require a great nuance from Noa that she absolutely delivers. Again, in this final arc, she gets her best opportunities to shine. Especially in the episodes where she sees Aruto’s “death.” Then she gets an opportunity to play it up as Azu and it’s quite clear that Noa is a great, versatile actress.

Aruto is a quintessential title hero. And in the best ways possible. A noble, upstanding guy next door. He was positive and hopeful without being preachy or pretentious. He was sincere in his dreams. And that’s what made his descent into Arkdom all the more shocking and affecting. It all worked. As a character, Aruto was the emotional and moral center of the story.

And playing the star of the show and our title character, Fumiya Takahashi was perfect in the role. I mentioned many times throughout the season how I preferred seeing seriousAruto more than slapstickAruto. But Fumiya handled both sides of Aruto, no problem. It takes quite a bit of skill to handle the physical comedy required of him many times throughout the season. But even more to be able to transition from that to more serious and dramatic material at the drop of a hat. These last few episodes again provided him the opportunity to deliver knockout performances. And he absolutely hit the mark.

Favorite?

The lingering feelings from the several times I cried the last couple of weeks probably cloud my judgment right now. But I could easily see Zero-One being my favorite Rider season yet. At the very least, a top tier season for me.

With Kamen Rider, it’s hard for me to choose favorites. Unlike Super Sentai and Power Rangers, I don’t have runaway favorites (like ToQger, Go-Busters or RPM, DinoThunder, Operation Overdive (!)) or seasons that I am completely annoyed with (Zyuohger, LuPat, Mighty Morphin(!)) and seasons that I absolutely hate (All Saban Brands Era and Hasbro (!) Era seasons).

Build had been my favorite Rider season and for many of the same reasons as Zero-One. It was the complete package. But I can’t deny the epic Urobuchi masterpiece of Gaim or my sentimental favorites OOO and Fourze. Then there’s my nostalgic love for Wizard and fun “Just go with it” memories of Decade and Zi-O. Even the string of disappointing Drive, Ex-Aid and Ghost weren’t offensively bad as some Sentai and Power Rangers seasons can be. And yes, I said Ghost, which had completely annoyed and even angered me (after the Specter movie) yet looked a little better after the Ghost arc ended up being one of the best tributes during Zi-O.

Aside from Build, Zero-One also had many of the same elements that make ToQger or Go-Busters my Sentai favorites. I certainly cried a lot thanks to the abundant MaGMCMs, especially during this final arc.

But Zero-One ticks all the boxes for me. It has great, well-developed characters. It has an excellent cast. Maybe one of the best ensembles. It has dynamic and exciting action. And it has timely, well-developed stories.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this season very much. It’s a shame we didn’t get more. But for the episodes we did get, it made this last year a fun, emotional and exciting time watching Kamen Rider.

The post Recap: Kamen Rider Zero-One, Episode 45 – “A Rider Kick to the sky turns to take off toward a dream.” + Season Thoughts appeared first on dryedmangoez.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
SPOILERS AHEAD! For the non-spoilery First Impression Review, click here.

Asterisk Digital Entertainment’s My Extraordinary is both groundbreaking and heartbreaking, as well as maybe a missed opportunity. For being the first BL series on Philippine broadcast television, it is a big step forward for more to come in the future. As a series, it is a heartbreaking, painful, but hopeful story that can be relatable to a Filipino audience. But it also falls short in some ways.

I was first intrigued by My Extraordinary when it was announced that it would air on TV5. Starting to follow the production, I was even more intrigued when it was said that the series would be inspired by the Thai series He’s Coming to Me. Being one of the few Thai series I’ve watched, I was excited to see what a possible Filipino version of the story would look like.

Funny enough, I forgot about that He’s Coming to Me-connection when I started watching My Extraordinary until the end of Episode 5. That’s when I realized one or both of our heroes was probably going to die and I was equally shocked and sad.

One of my criticisms of the show though would probably be its pacing. It felt like the series was rushed and dragged along at the same time. It felt more like an extended movie rather than a television series. And coupled with the short episode runtimes, it certainly leaves you wanting a lot more.

It was almost like they stretched out a movie plot too thin or didn’t pack in enough material for a full series. But there was certainly lots of potential for a fuller story. (Which I assume will be the focus of the spin-off/sequel series A Kiss to Remember.)

Though the series hit many of its emotional marks, it would’ve been nicer to have a little more time to get to know the characters. Maybe seeing different character dynamics more and developing a stronger foundation. Not to mention maybe enjoying even just a few more moments of our heroes Ken and Shake enjoying their time together. Their relationship definitely moved at a lightning fast pace and perhaps could have used a little bit more nuance and time to breathe.

Especially as both Enzo Santiago and Darwin Yu proved they had the talent and the chemistry to pull off any material. They are a fun and engaging pair that definitely drew you into their world and eventually their relationship very quickly.

And again, it comes from going into My Extraordinary as series. If it was a, let’s say, two-hour film, a tighter presentation could have resulted in an excellent production. But I don’t think My Extraordinary really maximized the great potential they fundamentally had.

One thing I can’t criticize is the casting. My Extraordinary had a great cast. Experienced vets Yayo Aguila and Jojit Lorenzo were accompanied by a cast of talented newcomers. Karissa Toliongco gave a standout performance as Sandee. And regardless of how you may feel about the character and her regrettable actions, Toliongco delivered the complex emotions very well.

There is a level of great sincerity in the performances of the cast. And that helps in the story being relatable to a Filipino audience that may not be regularly exposed to these themes and topics.

It was also different in that unlike many of the other BL series, My Extraordinary‘s plot wasn’t necessarily “Boys Love in the time of COVID.” The cast and crew were able to film the series as if it was in normal times and that helped make the series a nice escape.

So I might have mentioned previously that I first watched BL dramas when I stumbled upon GMMTV compilations of BL stories from Kiss Me Again and My Dear Loser after watching the seminal film Love of Siam. (Though not a BL series, I certainly remember watching random episodes of Hormones as well.) From there, He’s Coming to Me became my first full series, watching it as it aired. And about a year ago today, I excitedly began watching Dark Blue Kiss as it aired as well.

What I’ve noticed since then and as the popularity of BL dramas has exploded, especially in the Philippines, the series that become the most popular are those that are lighter in nature. Fluffy, if you must. Admittedly, those shows may be high on the kilig (and perhaps, sexier?) moments. Which is absolutely fine.

But that’s not necessarily the first or second thing I’m looking for when deciding on shows to watch. And the aforementioned Thai BL dramas that I’ve watched were heavier on the plot and character development rather than maybe the viral-ready clips that one may come across on social media.

This is obviously my own preference though. Which is why I appreciated My Extraordinary being my first Filipino BL drama. There have been a plethora of local Filipino BL series (albeit online and streaming only), but I haven’t necessarily been eager to check them out.

What My Extraordinary does well, especially having aired on broadcast television (we’ll get to that in a bit), is being accessible to a Filipino audience. It’s very much a Filipino series, albeit with an uncommon theme. But the way the story is presented makes it a series you could easily see on Philippine primetime TV.

Perusing some comments elsewhere, there are people who take issue with its tragic ending. And though I can understand where they’re coming from, perhaps I can’t relate to their frustration (and more) with the series’ ending.

I can understand the need and want for affirmation in mainstream media. Especially after years and decades of being treated so poorly. For me, a relatable comparison I can point to is my happiness and excitement with seeing Filipino actors or characters in mainstream American programs. The first was back when I was a 7-year-old boy in the early 90s and seeing Filipino-American Min teaching Barney the dinosaur how to sing “Happy Birthday” in Tagalog. Over the years, that excitement would be repeated on shows as varied as Power Rangers, ER and Grimm. Mainstream American shows with Filipino actors and characters.

Seeing someone like yourself, someone that shares your culture can be a profound experience especially for a young person.

Which is why shows like My Extraordinary airing on Philippine broadcast television is a big deal. Instead of young Filipinos having to search the internet (and in a country with very poor internet, that’s a major hurdle), them being able to turn on the TV and see characters like them and having experiences like them can be immensely meaningful.

In that sense, it is very understandable to want happier and fluffier stories. Positive stories. Especially when real life may be difficult and full of negativity from others regarding their identity and who they are.

My Extraordinary is relatable and sincere in its approach to a story and theme that is rarely seen on television in any meaningful way. As prevalent as the internet is in the Philippines, no matter how slow it actually is, television is still the most accessible medium for the majority of Filipinos. So a show like this being seen on free TV would be a major step forward.

That said, it’s definitely sad that something happened that ended up with TV5 not airing the series after the first episode. It was said that TV5 was going to be looking for a better, earlier timeslot than the 11pm Sunday slot it was originally scheduled in. But the series has already completed its run online and absolutely zero word from TV5 or Asterisk about the series returning to free TV. And it looks unlikely that it will.

Certainly a sad development. But I hope Asterisk Digital Entertainment and TV5’s relationship continues and that the future shows in the pipeline can have a slot on the network’s primetime line-up. Especially the very intriguing Meet Me in Bangkok that will apparently feature Thai actors as well.

Overall, it really was a groundbreaking moment for the series to have aired even just one episode on broadcast television. That itself is a major accomplishment. My Extraordinary may not have landed all its punches, but a sincere story and a strong cast resulted in a solid series. And it certainly opens the door to many more shows like it in the future.

The post Hindsight Review: Groundbreaking and Heartbreaking “My Extraordinary” a Noble Effort appeared first on dryedmangoez.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD!

The first season of Love Alarm (좋아하면 울리는) was one of the very first Korean dramas I watched last year at the start of stay at home/lockdown orders. I thought those first eight episodes were wonderful. And I pointed to charming, likeable characters, an engaging plot with potential for deep discussion, a love triangle you are invested in and relationships you care about.

I thought that first season laid a strong foundation for “an even more engaging season 2.” And was looking forward to jumping right back in after the premiere date was finally announced.

So color me surprised that these six season 2 episodes had almost none of the things I enjoyed and liked from the first season. Even worse, this 2nd season pretty much did away with almost all of the positives of that 1st season in exchange for some strange, half-baked attempt at romantic melodrama. But really failing in the process in ways I never would have expected.

Rough Road to a Good Destination?

It’s hard to say such negative things about a series that had been cute, charming fun. But it is really hard to understand how the series could be so different between the two seasons.

Now, full disclosure, I was Team Hye Young from the start. I just preferred him to Sun Oh even though I acknowledged that he was very much a viable option for our main heroine Kim Jojo. In fact, having both Hye Young and Sun Oh be viable options for Jojo is a good thing. You want both to be deserving of Jojo’s heart. That’s what gets you invested in the story and engaged with every emotional twist and turn.

So while I was definitely happy to see Hye Young get the nod in the end, I can still believe the show did Sun Oh dirty. And pretty inexplicably as well. How and why would they take a well-developed character in season 1 and reduce him to being a miserable, hollow shell in season 2? There was really no reason for him to have become this way. At least, based on what we saw and were told in-series.

I should’ve expected something was off when the first couple of minutes of this 2nd season didn’t pick up from the season 1 cliffhanger. They instead plopped us in some random time after the events of the season finale.

Season 1’s cliffhanger had Jojo standing in the middle of Hye Young and Sun Oh’s love circles. The question being “Who is Jojo going to choose?” It came after an episode that had all three characters reflecting on their time together, laying the groundwork for whatever decision would be made.

But at the start of season 2, it would appear she has already chosen Hye Young. One of the very first scenes this season is them taking sweet photos together with a film camera. But also of Jojo quite dramatically backing away from Hye Young’s kiss.

The first we see of Sun Oh is him seemingly miserable and sullen while being attached to public girlfriend Yuk Jo who he obviously has zero feelings for.

There’s no problem with a time jump between seasons. But it’s almost like we missed a huge chuck of the story which we end up never getting to actually see.

When it comes to Jojo’s love life, there really didn’t seem to be any doubt that she would choose Hye Young in the end. That or she would choose neither and instead choose to be alone. (Which, judging from the way Jojo carried herself, would have been a viable option.)

Hye Young seemed to be “the one” right from the start. Yet Jojo, for some reason, couldn’t fully accept her feelings for him. And at some points, almost seemed like she was leading him on just because he’s such a nice guy and she didn’t want to hurt him. All because she was still harboring feelings for the guy she kissed in the very first episode of the series. Awkward!

Character Driven It Is Not

The majority of these six episodes consisted of three things:
1. Hye Young patiently waiting for Jojo to ring his Love Alarm/love him fully while doing everything a boyfriend would do for a girlfriend.
2. Sun Ho sulking about why Jojo didn’t choose him and lashing out at her for not admitting she actually likes him and not Hye Young.
3. Jojo being inexplicably wishy-washy and gloomy. (My parents, who were watching with me, literally said “I haven’t seen her smile once yet.”)

We learn in the middle of the final episode (though not the final or even penultimate acts of the finale) that Jojo’s reluctance to fall in love with her whole heart is because of the trauma and guilt she still holds from what happened with her parents as a child. (A plot point that was completely ignored for five hours before getting pulled out of nowhere in the finale.)

Jojo, somehow, comes to terms with her past while running in a scenic Jeju Island marathon and as soon as she sees Hye Young at the finish line, she’s ready to fully embrace him as “the one.”

Um… okay. With a conclusion like that, you’d think this was essentially a six-hour therapy session for Jojo. But when they only bring up her tragic past in the middle of the final episode, you can’t really say that.

The season started with a premise that Jojo has essentially decided to give Hye Young a shot. She might love him, she might not. But she’ll find out along the way. And Hye Young is more than content to give her the time to figure her feelings out. He says late in the season that whatever her decision may be, he’ll accept it because it will have been her choice. Until then, he’ll be there for her.

We never really see why Jojo is moping about. One of the subplots is her trying to find Love Alarm developer Duk Gu (who we last saw jump out of a freaking window in the first season) so he can have him remove the shield from her app. We have to assume it’s so she can ring someone’s alarm.

But this is part of the big narrative problem. One of the series’ main themes is looking at how relationships would be different without Love Alarm or really most of today’s technology. Did people like Jojo depend solely on what an algorithm told them?

Instead of Jojo continuing to rely on the app, why not have her figuring things out on her own? Why is she so eager to have an app validate her feelings for her?

There’s a throwaway conversation in the final episode that I think aimed to explain that while Jojo was in love with Sun Ho back in high school, the one in her heart today is Hye Young. A separate conversation then pointed out that if it wasn’t for Love Alarm, it would’ve been Hye Young all along.

Okay. But it would’ve been nice to have seen those things actually play out instead of being told those things in the waning moments of the series.

Again, a Team Hye Young member like myself can still feel Sun Oh was treated horribly. We have no idea why he held on to his feelings for Jojo all these years to the point that he essentially berates her for not admitting he is who she wants. He comes across as sad and pathetic. And that’s absolutely a shame considering how well his character developed and grew during the first season.

It would have helped to have seen just how Jojo decided to give Hye Young a chance and perhaps let Sun Oh down. It didn’t have to be at the beginning of the series. But ultimately, we never got anything. Based on what we did get, Sun Oh’s behavior could be justified by assuming Jojo just upped and left him. Ignored him all this time. I doubt that’s what happened. But that’s how it came across. And it certainly doesn’t paint Jojo is a good light at all if that were the case.

Add that to how Hye Young patiently waits for Jojo, even when she isn’t all that receptive of his feelings or even when she might do something that others would take as hurtful. All this reflects very poorly on her.

And to pour salt in the wound, they end up having Sun Oh “settle” for his fake girlfriend Yuk Jo. And yes, it’s absolutely fake since not a single moment did he ever think of her more than someone to try and distract him from Jojo. (In addition to her being a completely flat, shallow character as well.) That he had to go back to her and settle for her after the finality he got with Jojo really just was the final stake in his character’s assassination.

As much as the love triangle in season 1 was refreshing and engaging, it is shallow and sort of confusing this season. Season 2 came across as a poor attempt at romantic melodrama rather than the sort of ethereal, dreamlike first season.

This or That

The most egregious misstep this season though has to be the way they completely dismantled Hye Young and Sun Oh’s relationship. Arguably one of the best stories of the first season was the “bromance” between the childhood friends. They really were like brothers. We saw and we felt that bond they had with each other. It was just as well-developed, if not more so, as either of their relationships with Jojo.

Obviously, fighting over the same girl will put a strain on that relationship. But we get absolutely zero closure for them. One fist fight and one short conversation late in the series. And ending on the fact that Sun Oh will forever feel hurt by Hye Young? I have no problem with bittersweet endings. But when everything else feels so off, it’s disappointing to see one of the best stories from the first season get “resolved” in this way. It was a throwaway line in the final moments of the series. And their story deserved much more than that.

Which is why it is so inexplicable how these six episodes devoted so much screentime to Jojo’s selfish, egotistic cousin Gul Mi, who surprisingly experienced zero character development or growth at all. She actually ends up being rewarded for her poor behavior in the end by the guy who jumped out a window partly because of her treatment of him.

It’s unbelievable. For all that time devoted to her, she should at least get punished for being a jerk. If not, redeem her in some way. Her yelling at cops wanting to question Jojo is not character redemption.

Gul Mi and Yuk Jo’s screentime was absolutely not warranted this season. Especially when people who actually relate to the main story of the series (such as Duk Gu and Brian Chon, who presents himself as the developer of Love Alarm) are merely given throwaway lines instead of substantive material that could have carried the series much more.

(Those throwaway lines include Duk Gu revealing he and Brian Chon are brothers in the final moments of the series. Oh boy.)

The odd choice of focus for much of these six episodes lend to the idea of how sloppy this season really was. The misguided narrative decisions affected both the main characters and the overall story. And it’s hard to understand how or why those decisions were made.

Shallow End of the Pool

Another disappointment is the series never actually staying in the deep end. That is, abandoning some of season 1’s emotional depth that actually helped set it apart from other series and provided a foundation for deeper discussion in season 2.

Most of the heavier themes introduced in season 1 were never tackled in any significant way here. Particularly mental health and the effect of technology on our lives.

One of the first season finale’s biggest moments involved people protesting the app at the launch of the 2.0 version. Especially after the horrific mass suicide of people hurt by the emotional and mental effects of the app.

One of the random subplots this season is that one of the survivors of that mass suicide becomes obsessed with Jojo’s anonymous Instagram drawings that have been seen as prophecies or worse, orders to her followers to carry out criminal acts.

Wait, what?

The way the first season had led up to the final episode, the “lesson” to be had was really to follow the heart beating in your chest and not the heart that pulsates on your phone’s screen.

Season 2 would have been the perfect opportunity to have Jojo, Hye Young and Sun Oh prove that they don’t need any kind of app to determine their true feelings.

For Hye Young, the app might not have been that much of a factor for his patience. Even though Jojo finally ringing his alarm (via the spear) was a big moment for him, it wasn’t the driver of his feelings for her.

For Jojo and Sun Oh, the app remained everything. Especially for Jojo and her quest to remove her app’s shield. She couldn’t fully love unless she got affirmation from the algorithm. And Sun Oh couldn’t believe she loves someone else because the app told them otherwise.

Again, that really diminishes their characters in a way I don’t think the show really intended.

And also again, the very real negatives of Love Alarm are never addressed until the final episode. And only in passing and never in any significant, meaningful way.

Two Different Shows

I want to make very clear that I am happy Hye Young “won” in the end. If I were Jojo, I’d choose him too. But my issue with this 2nd season is everything else. And everything else this season might have even pushed me to root for an ending where Jojo chooses neither Hye Young or Sun Oh and everyone just ends up alone and miserable. Thanks Love Alarm!

But there is such a disconnect between the two seasons in both style and substance.

Narratively, there was a lack of resolution. None of the series’ biggest mysteries and conflicts were even addressed until the last episode. And not even in any meaningful way. The endless loop of Hye Young’s noble patience, Jojo’s baseless inner-conflict and Sun Oh’s denial aren’t really the most engaging use of five hours of television.

The potential was there for Love Alarm 2 to go even deeper than season 1. The idea of technology’s effects on our lives and how people have really lost even the most basic of human interaction; all of that as there for the series to run with here after the first season. And they just dropped the ball. All while dismantling the characters that had been so well-written and well-developed in season 1.

In the end, the two season split wasn’t warranted. The entire story could’ve been told in one 12 or 16 episode season. And in a much better and more succinct narrative.

Visually, the second season also felt lesser than compared to the first season where it was one of the series’ best aspects.

It’s been easy to perhaps blame COVID for any kind of shortcomings productions have had in 2020. And perhaps it did have an effect on Love Alarm 2. But it’s hard to excuse the fact that so much positive potential was abandoned for, well, whatever this 2nd season was.

The post Hindsight Review: How Season 2 of “Love Alarm” Spectacularly Dropped the Ball appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
No spoilers.

I loved Netflix’s Single’s Inferno (솔로지옥). I felt like I was one of the singles on the island being enamored by someone I just met a couple of minutes ago. Even though I don’t normally watch reality dating shows, I decided to check the series out on a lazy New Year’s Day as buzz for the series has only kept growing exponentially the last couple of weeks.

And after during episode one, I was immediately hooked. I wasn’t sure at first. But the biggest thing that appealed to me was the overwhelming sense of watching what is essentially a Korean drama.

Indeed, the beautiful visuals (and that’s referring to both the island and the singles themselves) seemed to elevate the series to being something more than just some simple reality show.

Like I mentioned in my First Impression Review, Single’s Inferno had the perfect mix of reality dating show and Korean drama. Taking the best of both worlds and actually blending them together resulted in a thoroughly engaging and captivating viewing experience.

And let’s be clear, they didn’t haphazardly mash the two things together. They took all the appealing qualities of the best romantic dramas or comedies from Korean television and gave it a reality show spin.

It doesn’t even matter if the series is actually scripted or not. But the production and presentation itself at the very least gives the impression that we’re simply watching good looking, successful young people merely trying to find a romantic connection on this beautiful island known as Inferno.

There’s an added bit of charm in the simplicity of the minimal format. Beautiful, sexy singles hoping to find love. No money involved. No public voting. No cutthroat competition. (The guys mud wrestling in Episode 6 would be as intense as it got and even then, they simply brushed it off afterwards.)

Just a group of people in a simple, though beautiful island bubble.

It is less a competition and more the type of social experiment comparable to something like the original, early format of Big Brother. Almost like a voyeuristic and observational reality show rather than a competition. There’s no talk of prize money or jackpot at the end of the show. It’s all about the triumph and the heartbreaks in trying to foster relationships and connections with each other.

The series featured a diverse cast of characters. All with different personalities. All with confidence first arriving on the island, not knowing they’d have many opportunities for that confidence to get shattered. And of course, their hearts broken or torn.

For any reality show (or even any show in general), its cast of characters are vital to its success. And Single’s Inferno certainly came away a winner with that aspect. Each one of the singles could easily fit a familiar reality show archetype. Whether it is for the show’s overall narrative or when it comes to who the audience can root for (and against).

Because of that, it’s easy for a viewer to connect with someone and be invested in their journey on the island. We’re not rooting for someone to win a million won. We’re actually rooting for someone’s happiness.

We’re not looking for women to get into catfights or bros getting into fistfights. For me, I’m actually happy we didn’t get any of that. And yet, I still found myself on the edge of my seat for much of the series. Hanging on every word or every move the singles would say or make.

Calling them out for making decisions you disagree with. Or feeling as heartbroken as them for whatever predicament or situation they find themselves in. Squirming in the awkwardness right alongside them. Or feeling kilig and the same heart-fluttering butterflies as they feel.

It’s almost inexplicable how this show has made any of this possible in such a short amount of time and with such a simple, straightforward premise. Yet they did.

Add in the perfect choice of play-by-play commentators and instant analysis from hosts Lee Da Hee, Super Junior’s Kyuhun, Hong Jin Kyung and Hanhae and you’ve got the winning set of personalities to steer the ship in the right direction.

Single’s Inferno used this specific element of Korean variety programming in the best way possible. Having the four hosts almost like the voice of the people watching at home and offering actual interesting comments about what we were all watching on screen. Usually, Korean variety shows will pair these in-studio commentators with loud (many times annoying) and goofy editing. But not here.

And that brings us to the (non-singles) visuals. Single’s Inferno featured a fully cinematic treatment. You were watching a reality show, yet it gave off the aura of something like a feature film. Or at the very least, a Korean drama series.

There was even a bit of an ethereal aura which helped play up this sort of romantic, fairy tale nature. Not to mention, highlight the stunning scenery of this deserted island with its lush greenery and white sand beaches.

I haven’t watched many reality dating shows. Yet somehow, I was immediately enamored by Single’s Inferno. Some who have enjoyed the show call it a guilty pleasure for them. But for me, there’s nothing guilty about it. I’ve sincerely enjoyed and had so much fun watching this eight episode series. Fun, exciting, romantic, heartbreaking; all of the above and then some. Being able to blend together everything one loves about Korean dramas with everything that one might love about reality dating shows and wrapping it up in a package palatable to a Korean (and really, an Asian) audience; Single’s Inferno is a pleasantly unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable surprise.

The post Hindsight Review: Netflix’s “Single’s Inferno” Finds Perfect Blend of Korean Drama and Reality Dating Show for an Unexpectedly Compelling and Enjoyable Time appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
Moderate spoilers. Click here for First Impression Review.

Was it perfect? No. Was it everything I hoped it would be? Definitely not. Was it a refreshing change of pace from the typical Filipino teleserye? Absolutely. GMA Network and Regal Entertainment’s first full series collaboration Mano Po Legacy – The Family Fortune was a breath of fresh air.

Now, I haven’t watched a full Filipino series since the start of COVID. So I’m not necessarily up to date with the state of Filipino soap operas in the COVID Era. That is, series (at least on GMA Network) are strictly held to a specific number of episodes/weeks on the air. No extensions. No cuts. That’s a huge deal in the world of Filipino teleseryes because more often than not, extensions are usually what sinks even the most well-meaning series. The decision to milk a relatively successful series of every drop, even if it comes at the expense of quality, has been a major problem for both GMA Network and ABS-CBN for as long as the modern teleserye format began in the early 2000s.

But a silver lining for Filipino television that has emerged in the COVID Era has been the strict adherence to episode orders. That in turn allows for a story to be laid out completely even before the series begins production. Less chance for things to go off the rails when you know where you’re going.

And perhaps that’s one of the reasons Mano Po Legacy – The Family Fortune ended up being so creatively successful. At the heart of the story is the soapy inner workings of a rich Chinese-Filipino family. Drama in the bedroom and the boardroom and everywhere in between. That’s certainly ripe for story.

Initially, I was most interested in checking the series out as it was the first co-production between GMA and Regal. GMA, which had always relied on in-house productions, working with an outside producer was very intriguing. It’s no secret, even amongst the most loyal Kapuso fans, that GMA’s dramas have trended more toward rinse and repeat the last couple of years. With only a few exceptions.

And it’s hard not to blame the network since usually it’s the rehashed and recycled plots that garner big ratings.

But anyway, in watching the clips during The Family Fortune‘s premiere week (our family cancelled our GMA Pinoy TV subscription at the start of COVID), I was pleasantly surprised. This definitely wasn’t your typical teleserye.

Its understated, cinematic treatment set it apart from most of the local soap operas I was used to watching. (And most of those soap operas, I usually dropped halfway through.)

Mano Po Legacy – The Family Fortune felt like the typical slowburn Korean drama that I’d gotten to be very familiar with during my COVID lockdown-induced K-drama binge watching. The series had a very appealing balance of typical, over the top teleserye antics with more reserved, serious and mature drama.

Many of the familiar themes were there such as extramarital affairs, love triangles, rich vs. poor, corporate maneuvering. But it was all presented in a way that felt different and refreshing. Just the right amount of seriousness without taking itself too seriously.

Many times, a Filipino teleserye might be too pretentious for its own good. Feeling a sort of elevated superiority over its timeslot neighbors and competitors merely because it might include a unique or uncommon idea. But that alone does not make a series worthy of accolades or praise.

Neither does a teleserye that recycles the same plots with different character names and different actors. (Sometimes even the same actors.) Series revolving around overly familiar plots don’t automatically mean they are bad either. But when many of these series often shift into lazy cruise control, it’s easy to feel bored or even exhausted by the rehash.

For Mano Po Legacy – The Family Fortune, it took those familiar themes, wrapped them up in a different, cinematic-like package and surrounded them with a diverse and interesting cast of characters. It was very much an ensemble with no one person or character taking center stage. Often, the series would even shift the spotlight from one character to another. Sometimes even in unexpected directions.

That’s another thing that made the series feel so refreshingly different. The familiar situations and familiar twists were given a reinvigorating energy via a fresh-faced cast and a fresh mix of actors. Those actors took their characters and did their part to make each stand out and leave their mark. You’d be hard pressed to find a character who didn’t play an integral role into the grander narrative of the series.

That definitely does not happen often on Philippine television. The paint-by-the-numbers structure of typical Filipino teleseryes can be a major hindrance. Things like the goofy sidekick to the romantic lead or shoehorned teen couple to attract the younger audiences; tired tropes in a tired genre.

Mano Po Legacy – The Family Fortune subverted those pitfalls by crafting a story that was as character-driven as it was plot-driven. Again, that balance that isn’t normally found on Philippine television. And this eight week, 40-episode run probably had a lot to do with ensuring the well-paced story.

That’s not to say that everything was perfect. Far from it. I feel like the series could’ve done a lot more with certain characters and probably do less with others. There was some potential left on the table for something even more profound and perhaps groundbreaking for Philippine TV.

Nevertheless, the series was able to come to a satisfying, if not slightly predictable conclusion. And for a series like this, that can be forgiven when the road to get there was far from predictable.

Circling back to the cast, Mano Po Legacy – The Family Fortune enjoyed a wealth of talent that more than did their part to give the series a refreshing and dynamic energy.

Barbie Forteza was finally able to break free perhaps of the typecasting she’d been kept to the last few years. When she had been relegated to more lighthearted, comedic characters (even in supposedly dramatic series), her role here as Steffy Dy was a step in the right direction toward more mature material. And also a reminder that she is as good a dramatic actress as she is with comedy.

The series also featured great performances from both familiar and new faces. David Licauco probably got his strongest material yet with a character that played to his strengths as an actor while allowing for a chance to grow as well. Newcomers Rob Gomez, Dustin Yu, Casie Banks, Darwin Yu and Kate Yalung also left excellent first impressions to the GMA audience. All while Victor Basa and a scene-stealing David Chua’s experience was on full display as well.

But I definitely have to shine the spotlight on a couple of performances. All of whom made their presence known early on. But by the end, definitely solidified their near-perfect performances.

Sunshine Cruz is no stranger to roles like that of Cristine Chan. But it is the way that the character wasn’t just some romantic lead or damsel in distress that really paved the way for what would be the catalyst to much of the series. It’s the way she was able to bring to life a strong, yet vulnerable character that allowed for Cristine (and thus Sunshine Cruz) to be the heart of the story.

Now not one character on this series is a saint. And in many ways, that makes it all the more interesting and engaging. All of these people are corrupted and broken and have their own demons inside of them. But when you’re looking for the lesser of the evils, that’s most certainly Cristine Chan. And Sunshine Cruz needed to deliver a perfectly nuanced performance to give Cristine both a tall, confident stature while still leaving the door open for vulnerability. She isn’t
bulletproof, yet she isn’t an emotionless robot.

I think one of her strongest scenes and one that encapsulates this is this one from Episode 32:

Meanwhile, perhaps the two most dynamic and provocative performances came from Maricel Laxa and Nikki Co. The amazing chemistry they had as mother and son was undeniable. Many times, especially in Korean drama, it’s the villains or the kontrabida who get the meatiest roles and most interesting material. It’s the villains who get the best opportunities to shine and even steal the spotlight from the heroes and heroines.

I very much think that was the case here. And that’s even when the series left a lot of potential on the table for both mother and son, Valerie and Jameson. There was a lot of potential for a deep dive into their backstories in order to perhaps explain a bit why they are the way they are. I think that could’ve even been the most exciting and engaging story had the series done more with it.

And from what we saw from both Maricel Laxa and Nikki Co, they certainly could’ve handled that kind of material. Still, they more than delivered with the material they got.

This scene from Episode 38 is a great example of that chemistry where they can go back and forth so effortlessly:

But both were also able to shine on their own as well.

Nikki Co has been an absolute revelation here. Relegated to small, sidekick roles since first competing on GMA’s Starstruck, his role as Jameson Chan is his biggest yet. And while he didn’t get as much screentime as the other Chan brothers, he made the most of the opportunities he got.

As the arrogant, violent and mentally unstable Jameson, Nikki Co needed to deliver a natural and nuanced performance in order to make the character believable, yet relatable. And he was able to do that. There were many scenes in which he had to go from scared, small puppy to cocky asshole with anger issues within minutes. And him being able to do that at the drop of a hat was a big, but welcome surprise.

There are a few highlights for him, but perhaps the best is this one from Episode 35:

The aforementioned nuance is on full display here. The best and most engaging villains are ones you love to hate, yet still have an ounce of empathy for them. The way Nikki Co was able to take Jameson’s complicated character and provide that opportunity for those small windows of empathy, while still delivering with the full-on kontrabida vibes should warrant bigger and better roles for him in the future.

The same can be said for Maricel Laxa. She had just recently wrapped up a run on TV5’s Paano Ang Pasko/Paano Ang Pangako which, from what I’ve seen, was a bit more on the traditional side. But here as Valerie Lim, she just absolutely hit it out of the park. Taking the very best and most fun aspects of the Filipino soap opera villainess while being excellent with the more down to earth, emotional drama is an absolute win for her.

Being able to balance the almost outrageous, over-the-top moments with the very real and sincerely emotional moments is quite a feat. But she effortlessly accomplished that here.

One of the most memorable moments from her has to be this scene from Episode 5:

It was this scene in which we learn a huge revelation about her character. One of the most haunting scenes of the series as well and presented in a way not typical of Filipino soap operas. It certainly helped that she was paired with an equally great actress in Jay Glorioso as her mother. But in this scene, you too can see the nuance that she brings to the character.

Being able to bridge the love-to-hate and the outright-hate and the actually-love feelings the audience might have for the character, that’s all thanks to Maricel Laxa being able to take the material and deliver that to the screen. Again, that ability to draw empathy from the viewer while still being that deliciously evil villain is a feat not many actors can accomplish. But she did that and then some.

And finally, the gravitas that Ms. Boots Anson-Roa brought to the series is unmatched. I go back again to this incredible sequence from Episode 15:

One of the best of the entire series, but definitely a highlight for her.

Consuelo Chan is not your typical teleserye matriarch. She isn’t without fault. And she isn’t without blame in why this family is as messed up as it is. It takes all 40 episodes to understand where Consuelo Chan is coming from. As a mother, a wife, a grandmother, the head of the family and as a woman; that quiet, yet powerful figure is very much a central part of the series.

Boots Anson-Roa effortlessly delivers that commanding performance throughout the series. And when I say commanding, it is in both the quiet scenes and in the most dramatic moments. Being able to be so commanding in such varied emotional moments is another feat not easily accomplished. But Boots Anson-Roa? No problem. And even when she wasn’t always at the forefront, she was always a presence. Almost like the glue that holds everything and everyone together.

And that’s ultimately the story for Mano Po Legacy – The Family Fortune. Everything came together in what is ultimately a satisfying and well-produced package. Some wonderful performances, solid writing and a refreshing approach to the typical and familiar; Mano Po Legacy – The Family Fortune will certainly leave a long-lasting legacy. And hopefully, this isn’t the last of its kind on Philippine TV either.

The post Hindsight Review: GMA/Regal’s “Mano Po Legacy – The Family Fortune” a Satisfying Breath of Fresh Air appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

TYPE OF REVIEW : GOOD OL’ REVIEW
No spoilers.

Though it takes a short while to get back into the swing of things, the second half of Netflix’s Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area (종이의 집: 공동경제구역) is an even more thrilling set of episodes than the first. And it ultimately delivers a satisfying and very climactic finale.

After watching those initial six episodes earlier this year, I concluded that “Money Heist: Korea delivers a fun and exciting thrill ride that is supported and elevated by an exceptional ensemble cast bringing to life full and deep characters.”

And that was very much still the case, if not more so, this time around. As exciting and thrilling as the action involved in a heist caper can be, Money Heist: Korea is first and foremost a character piece. The diverse group of characters who come together in a unique, but still familiar found family scenario are what elevate what might otherwise simply be all flash and no bang.

(Though there are certainly plenty of literal flashes and bangs in the action-filled episodes.)

This second set of six episodes picks up right where the first half of the series (no word yet on whether or not there will be future seasons) left off. The clock is ticking as our ragtag group must stay the course while unexpected variables begin to chip away at their perfect plan.

The stakes are raised considerably as major revelations about the state of the country inform a lot of what happens in these six episodes as well as possibly the initial motivation of Professor (Yoo Ji Tae) to embark on this possibly deadly mission.

While the team does what they can to make sure they make it out of the Mint alive, relationships are put to the test while other relationships continue to develop. Well-deserved focus is given to the supporting members of the team to help add depth to their characters and their motivations for pushing forward against what seem to be increasingly insurmountable odds.

There is a risk in Korean dramas breaking up their series into different parts. And there have been some in recent memory that might have been hurt by doing so. Korean dramas are inherently closed-ended. Once you’ve reached the end of the 12, 16 or 20 episodes, you’ve got a complete story. And if ever there are other seasons to follow, each season is still perfectly encapsulated on its own.

Money Heist: Korea‘s 12 total episodes actually don’t seem to warrant the break in the middle. But thanks to its strong characters, any pitfalls in splitting the series up are erased.

Like I mentioned earlier, jumping back into the series after a couple of months feels awkward. At least initially. But after a bit of an adjustment period, you’ll be pulled right back into the middle of the action, no problem. It will be as if there was no time between these two halves. (Even better if you end up watching all 12 episodes in one chunk.)

As a whole, Money Heist: Korea is able to weave together many familiar themes. Including those that might be more common in foreign series, including the Spanish original from which this series is adapted from. But what this series does so well, and to its advantage, is maintain its story as being very Korean. That is, making sure to craft a story that is inherently Korean in concepts and themes while still being accessible to a wide audience; that is one of the series’ major successes.

It isn’t just Korean characters being transplanted into a foreign concept. This is a Korean story. And that goes beyond just the backdrop of a reunified Korea.

Whether it is through the relationships of the characters or their backgrounds, where they have come from and what their hopes are for the future; it is all very Korean. And that is something that other internationally-produced Korean dramas unfortunately don’t do well with.

But again, it goes all back to the characters. Such strong and well-written characters that are each so distinct from one another. It allows for so many different dynamics. Especially as the situation becomes more volatile for them (for those inside and outside the Mint), being able to see how they respond and react to every twist and turn is absolutely engrossing.

And the excellent ensemble cast bringing these characters to life more than do their part to ensure the series is a success. Both creatively and in execution.

There is very much a sense of satisfaction by the end of the 12th episode. Though getting to the end is definitely an emotional roller coaster that is made possible by the aforementioned well-written characters. The climactic conclusion to the series wouldn’t be as impactful if the characters weren’t ones you have come to connect with. And the series very much accomplishes that, and then some.

If you take it as a wild crime/heist adventure, you’ll be treated to some explosive action. If you want some good character moments, the series is filled with some excellent material. If you are looking for some deeper discussions, you will get a taste of that too. Ultimately, Money Heist: Korea is a fun, thrilling ride. One that you will not regret holding on to for 12 episodes.

The post Hindsight Review: You Won’t Regret Hopping Along for the Ride on “Money Heist: Korea” appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
No spoilers. For First Impression Review of this season, click here.

The second season of Netflix’s Single’s Inferno (솔로지옥 시즌2) might have redeemed itself a bit at the end. But if there’s more to come on the island of Inferno, there’s no doubt the show will need some tweaking to keep the format as engaging as it can be.

I wrote my First Impression Review of this season after catching up with the first six episodes. I noted how it was still a fun, juicy ride like the inaugural season last year. But that “some interesting cracks in the glossy façade of the series” started popping up.

I think my biggest criticism of this season is how the middle section was edited in a way that focused the show on only a select few and ignored everyone else. It was like a K-drama-gone-bad where you know who the main couple is and how everyone else on the cast is just fodder. And it wasn’t for lack of content. Netflix has been posting deleted scenes from the show on YouTube which have been infinitely more interesting than what made the episodes.

That dynamic, partly on casting and mostly on the show’s editing, made for some boring episodes in the middle of the season. The format felt tired and worn out somehow.

Also contributing to that was the show’s seemingly increased focus on Paradise. The first season feels so long ago, so I won’t remember too clearly. But it seemed as though this season was so overly focused on Paradise that it took away from the audience getting to know the singles. But more importantly, took away opportunities for the singles to get to know each other.

I think a lot can be said when many of the best moments in the final episodes were that of the singles in platonic friendships. Which is great. Not everything has to be related to romance. But the show didn’t give the audience a lot of those friendship moments. And because the romantic situations between certain singles came across as tiresome, the random small talk between simple friends felt more interesting and more authentic.

The final episode certainly delivered a welcome ending. But that doesn’t erase the fact that the format will need some sprucing up if the series were to return for another season.

The focus on Paradise is what I think hindered the season the most. One of the things I don’t understand is whether or not the singles even have opportunities to talk to each other on Inferno. At one point, it felt like they aren’t even allowed to interact unless the disembodied voice tells them to or when they have to cook dinner.

Of course, the show isn’t able to show everything. Or even capture everything to begin with. This isn’t Big Brother or Love Island with cameras set up everywhere. But the singles actually need time to meet and get to know each other. Paradise should not be the only place where they have the opportunity to do that.

One suggestion I have is to make trips to Paradise only every other night. This season’s editing made Paradise take over most of the episodes. And when the singles themselves are even exhausted of going to Paradise, then us the audience will feel tired as well.

Give the singles more opportunities to interact on Inferno. Encourage them to talk more with each other. Whether it’s singles sneaking off for private convos. Or having groups hanging out by the water or working out or playing games.

The few moments we got of teams doing things like that merely felt like filler or even buffers between more scenes from Paradise. In fact, a conspiracy theory popped up on TikTok that there was a secret man who got kicked off the show. But the scene being used to support that theory was just a scene used to fill time in an episode and required editing out one of the singles who had gone to Paradise in order to maintain continuity.

So make Paradise feel truly special by not having the singles going every night and spending more time at the resort rather than on the island. Truly turn Paradise into a reward rather than a mandatory field trip.

To help that, I’d suggest mixing up the challenges. Like season one, the challenges alternated between all-girls and all-boys for a chance at Paradise. How about instead, create more challenges for special treats on Inferno. In addition to the special café-style dates they’ve gotten, why not add more variety to the one-on-one Inferno dates. Add some special activities. Do double dates. Just anything beyond what could similarly be accomplished by a simple trip to the island cafeteria.

And to help twist things up, don’t separate the sexes for the challenges. Come up with gender-neutral challenges that allow all the singles to compete at the same time. Survivor can do it. Why not Single’s Inferno? Maybe have the men and women have to compete in random pairs too. That would throw in some potential drama as well as encourage the singles to interact with each other.

Who knows? Being forced to work together in competition could result in sparks flying between unexpected singles. And again, that could bring about more drama. And a show like Single’s Inferno exists partly to give us that juicy reality show drama.

Other rewards or even just random twists to their time on Inferno could include teasing the singles with information about each other’s identity. Vaguely reveal random ages and careers, but don’t necessarily match them with a single just yet. Keep the singles guessing. And with this info in mind, the singles might be more encouraged to pursue someone they might not have been interested in before. Now that they think someone is their same age or of a profession they think is attractive or appealing.

Things like that. There’s a lot of things to do to keep Single’s Inferno interesting, fun and refreshing.

With casting, the show will obviously not know who will be attracted to each other. But it really felt like this season, they followed a template of characters based on the cast of season one. Next time, the show needs to cast a better mix of people. Have a variety of personalities that could result in mixing and matching throughout the season instead of lopsided endings and a “I’ll settle for you” feeling in the end.

Overall, season two of Single’s Inferno was still fun and enjoyable. Many slow parts. And a lot of recycling from season one, both in cast and content. But it is definitely hard to look away from the series. Even with its obvious flaws.

As Korean television and streaming is filled with more interesting and creative reality dating shows, Single’s Inferno, arguably the series that launched this wave, must keep up. And if there will be future seasons, some simple tweaks and fixes will be able to keep the show being a fun and exciting not-so-guilty pleasure.

The post Hindsight Review: Despite Season 2’s Last-Minute Redemption, Here’s Some Suggestions on How to Keep “Single’s Inferno” Fresh and Exciting appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
No spoilers.

Netflix’s Physical: 100 wrapped up its inaugural season run and crowned its first peak body winner. Before getting to the finale itself, let me just say that the series as a whole was a refreshingly fun and exciting competition. Both compared to other Korean variety programs and especially compared to Western reality competition programs.

But when/if the series returns for a new season of 100 hot, hard, buff bodies, they will definitely have to tweak some things in order to produce a peak reality competition program.

Now to the finale, I’ll start with the biggest and maybe only criticism. And that is with the very Korean variety show quirk/element that is the audience reaction. I think the finale would’ve been able to shave off half an hour from its 80+ minute runtime if they did not include those reaction shots which were completely unnecessary and actually took a lot away from the final Quest.

First of all, those audience members aren’t even supposed to be here anymore. They smashed their busts, which means they’re done. Technically, they’re supposed to have left the arena. Obviously, they’re still around. Especially when it seems very likely they filmed everything in a day or two.

But the show has done so well in maintaining this tense atmosphere and the illusion of banishing the eliminated players. Utilizing the cavernous soundstages to their aesthetic advantage. So having the eliminated players doing color commentary and cutting to their random reactions during the final Quest really removed you from what is supposed to be the battle of goliaths. The exciting, no-holds-barred final face-offs.

Just focusing on the final five competing would’ve maintained that uber competitive atmosphere.

Instead, those unnecessary scenes just prolonged the episode longer than it needed to be. And worse, took away a lot from the tension and excitement of the final competition.

Part of that, though not as egregious, was the Last Supper scene. It was funny how they suddenly get all sentimental which is obviously a contrast to their cocky, brash attitudes at points during the competition. I wonder if it would’ve been better if they had inserted some of that into the first moments of the final Quest instead. Or weaved it into a better sequence of them entering the final arena.

The “dinner” was a calm before the storm sort of thing. And definitely reminiscent of western reality competition programs before their finales. But I think it was awkwardly placed here and maybe could’ve been used in a stronger way to support the actual challenges instead. Especially in place of the eliminated players acting like YouTube reactors.

Maybe also inserting some of those sincere feelings earlier in the series. Sprinkle them around more to help add depth to the characters instead of hyping up the stereotypical jock attitudes of some.

Anyway, on to the tasks themselves. On one hand, the Quest was a bit underwhelming because I was expecting a huge final challenge. Something that tops any of the previous Quests. It’s the finale, after all.

On the other hand, I get the idea of wanting to test the finalists in different areas. It makes sense, though the order of challenges can certainly influence the final outcome depending on what the finalists’ strengths are.

Having the five challenges in the final Quest served as sort of a Final Exam. Using all the skills they were supposed to have excelled at during the other Quests.

Which is why I did not think there should’ve been any kind of team/partner element in this Final Quest. It’s supposed to be one-on-one-on-one-on-one-on-one. One could argue that there’s a strategy involved in picking your partner. And strategy was definitely involved in the previous challenges. Strategy is a strength as well.

But I think it was another idea that could’ve been done better. Perhaps for that challenge, have four different colored tiles. Or have four colors and have an equal number of pairs for each player to flip over. It negates the need for partners. And makes it even more challenging. There is still strategy involved of course. But I don’t know.

Back to the first challenge, the five-way tug of war was good. Having them need to grab a key to unlock was a good way to make it more unpredictable.

The shuttle run definitely brought me back to elementary school and the Presidential Fitness Test lol It’s a good challenge of stamina and endurance. Though I actually think it would’ve been a good challenge to have with more players. Especially with players of different body types and with more women too. It’s the kind of challenge that doesn’t automatically favor one over another and could’ve made for some interesting outcomes.

Finally that crossfit final task was alright. To be the decisive challenge to find out who is the peak human body though? I’m not so sure. It’s another challenge that could’ve been done with more people. That would’ve required a lot of rope of course. But it’s also another task that could’ve yielded different results.

Honestly, they probably should’ve switched Quest 4 and this Final Quest. The challenges in Quest 4 were much more finale worthy. Plus the Greek god theme would’ve fit perfectly as the ultimate challenge for the finalists.

Back to the season as a whole, it really was a refreshing change of pace for Korean television. And highlighted how western reality competition programs have gotten far too soft or have focused on petty things rather than more exciting actual competition.

For a potential 2nd season of Physical: 100, the show will need to find ways to even out the competition more. That is, find a good balance of challenges to span the entire season. Maybe start out with team challenges first before moving on to one-on-ones. Have the challenges focus more on individual strengths and talents rather than pushing the team mentality so much, especially in the final Quests.

This is supposed to be a competition to find the best, most peak human specimen. Not to theorize how grouping together all the perceived alpha males will eliminate all the fodder.

With that kind of mentality, it discredits everyone else and assumes the alpha males will win regardless. But that’s definitely not the case. Obviously, no one is saying you have to lower the standards just so we get more women or smaller men into the finals. But be able to craft challenges that don’t obviously favor certain qualities over another.

And since this is a reality competition program, throw in unexpected twists to throw the contestants off a bit. Seeing how they respond to unexpected challenges is all part of what makes a peak human all the more perfect.

The show’s shtick was all about how the competition was a study on the human form. Whose body deserves to be immortalized in plaster. But while giving the atmosphere of that is part of what made the show fun and intriguing, let’s also remember that it’s really just a reality competition program akin to Survivor or The Challenge or Ninja Warrior or even Big Brother and The Amazing Race.

The show leaning into that reality competition mindset a bit more would go a long way to fixing some of its shortcomings.

All season I’ve said that Physical: 100 has been so great in how it is the anti-western reality show. Its Korean touches being what sets it apart from the rest. But by the end, and especially evident in this final episode, maybe it needed more of that western influence to just simply bring it all home and wrap up strongly.

Again, Physical: 100 has been an overall great series. A creative, well-produced and refreshing format with some legitimately big personalities (most of whom left too early) that resulted in an exciting time.

The post Mini-Recap: Netflix’s “Physical: 100” Finale + Season Wrap-up appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
No spoilers.

GMA Network’s Maria Clara at Ibarra has been a refreshing and engaging series. I’ve always dreamed of a big budget contemporary adaptation of Jose Rizal’s seminal novels. (Partly because I barely remember my speed reading of Noli Me Tangere in high school and I’ve never read El Filibusterismo at all.)

When GMA first announced Maria Clara at Ibarra, I thought it was such an interesting idea. I wasn’t sure exactly how it would turn out, but I’ve also been interested in seeing more historical or period dramas on Philippine TV. That is instead of the typical teleserye fodder the networks (ALL networks) trot out over and over.

But Maria Clara at Ibarra ended up being a wonderful blend of faithful adaptation and modern commentary.

The series surprisingly brought Jose Rizal’s words to vivid life. The introduction of Barbie Forteza’s Klay into the pages of the two novels served as the gateway to what was (as far as I can tell) a faithful adaptation of Noli Me Tangere. Some of the novel’s most iconic and memorable scenes produced some stunning and breathtaking television.

Barbie Forteza, Dennis Trillo and Julie Anne San Jose have really delivered career defining performances. But the biggest highlight of the entire series is most definitely Andrea Torres’ tour de force performance as Sisa. Especially in this awe inspiring scene:

For years, I’d always see the idea of “crazy Sisa” be the butt of jokes on Philippine TV. So-called comedians wailing “Crispin! Basilio!” as a way to imply someone is too far gone.

But Maria Clara at Ibarra was able to explore Sisa’s character in a way I don’t think would’ve been possible even in a feature film adaptation of the novel. Audiences of all ages were able to see the character of Sisa in a new and fuller light. First, as a mother desperately looking for her children who were essentially ripped from her arms. Second, as an example of the very real oppression and injustice inflicted on Filipinos in the Spanish colonial period. And finally, as simply an example of family’s role in Filipino culture and society.

The same can be said for the rest of the series as well. Maria Clara at Ibarra‘s biggest accomplishment may be finally getting Filipinos interested in not just Jose Rizal’s work, but in history in general. So much can be learned about our past, present and future in such works. Yet many, if not most of us rarely take the initiative to truly take a look.

When GMA Network produced Ilustrado, a biographical miniseries starring Alden Richards as Jose Rizal, audiences shrugged their shoulders. Despite the series being a lush, high-quality production, Filipino audiences just were not interested in something they had “learned in school.”

At the time, some of the more open minded people suggested that GMA or any other network embark on a full-fledged adaptation of Noli Me Tangere. But again, most of the reaction was along the lines of “I already know the story, why would I want to watch it on TV.” The assumption was that a live action Noli Me Tangere would be boring. At least, compared to the typical teleserye.

But Maria Clara at Ibarra seemed to prove that preconceived notion wrong. Not only did Noli Me Tangere feature many of the exact same themes and tropes Filipinos loves in their teleseryes, the story itself is still as resonant and affecting today in 2023 as it was back when it helped sparked a revolution.

The character of Klay allowed Maria Clara at Ibarra to be the modern audience’s gateway to both of Jose Rizal’s novels. And it wasn’t in a begrudging way. People were legitimately interested in the next chapters of the novel. Most of the time, Klay really was just an observer of the story in real time. The point of the series wasn’t to have an interloper come and change the story and fates of Jose Rizal’s characters. But instead, be our modern eye to the themes and ideas Jose Rizal presented in his influential work.

The series allowing Noli Me Tangere (and to a lesser extent El Filibusterismo) be accessible to a modern audience is something high school teachers must wish they could have done. It’s unfortunate that we need something like a primetime soap opera adaptation to get especially young Filipinos interested in such an important part of the country’s history and development. But at the very least, Maria Clara at Ibarra helped to spur interest and maybe moving forward (at least in the near future), kids will pay a bit more attention in history and literature class.

As wonderful as most of the series has been, it certainly isn’t perfect. Of course, no series is. But it’s important to note some missteps as well.

The series’ biggest misstep is perhaps another typical aspect of Filipino television. And that is the extension. Maria Clara at Ibarra was extended a few times and in these last couple of weeks, it has become very evident. The fast-paced excitement and engaging intrigue sort of faded away a little bit.

The Klay and Fidel romance helped to provide a lighthearted side of the story. And Barbie Forteza and David Licauco found a great chemistry that did not exist in their most recent project together (Mano Po Legacy). But the series leaned in a bit too heavily on it lately. Much to the delight of many fans. But maybe as a consequence of needing to pad these final weeks.

Of course, the series did not treat El Filibusterismo the same way as Noli Me Tangere. That is, Klay’s story was much different hopping into El Filibusterismo than her original book-hopping experience. But the twist definitely injected a different dynamic into the series. While it came across fine, the difference between the two “books” was only highlighted by episodes making the extensions more obvious. The feeling that you could see they were stretching the series past their original plans. Which is certainly not uncommon for Filipino series.

For the first 2/3 of the series, they were able to balance the faithful adaptation of the source material with the whimsical nature of Klay’s existence in the story (and everything that is affected, good or bad, by her presence). But in this final third, the downsides of typical Filipino television tried to seep its way into what is otherwise an excellent and refreshing series.

Ultimately, Maria Clara at Ibarra was a familiar Filipino story at heart. Family and friendship. Fighting for what’s right. Kilig romance. And maybe most important, a plethora of examples depicting more of Jose Rizal’s immortal words. Specifically:

“Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.”

Not only did it provide a welcome change of pace on Philippine television. Not only did it fuel a renewed interest in the Philippines’ history and Filipino roots. Not only was it a showcase for wonderful performances. Not only was it a visual treat. Not only was it a respectful and faithful adaptation of some of the most important words written by a Filipino. Maria Clara at Ibarra has been simply an entertaining, enjoyable and exciting viewing experience. That’s not something that can be said often for a Filipino television series. But it is much deserved here.

The post Hindsight Review: GMA Network’s Impactful “Maria Clara at Ibarra” a Refreshing Change of Pace for Philippine Television appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
No spoilers.

*Redemption of KibiMangoez points complete*

Avataro Sentai Donbrothers has been a great season. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. Did it come close to perfection like my favorite Sentai seasons Go-Busters and ToQger? No.

But did I enjoy the season and have fun this past year? Definitely!

Donbrothers is such an interesting season. It actually has a lot of missteps and shortcomings and flaws that would absolutely ruin any other season for me. Yet, Donbrothers is one of the rare instances where they fostered a lot of goodwill early on and built upon that throughout the season.

That’s why later in the season, I called that goodwill KibiMangoez points. The season earned so much goodwill with me that they could cash in some KibiMangoez points and I would forgive it for things that would absolutely annoy me on any other season. I would be much more lenient with missteps or story decisions I did not agree with.

A big part of the goodwill is the season’s overall lighthearted and loose nature. As slapstick and random as the season could get, I never got the feeling that it went too far or became too annoyingly extreme. Perhaps part of that is also accepting the season’s tone early on as well. So I didn’t continue on into the season with any kind of high expectations in that regard.

In turn, part of the season’s tone lies solely on the shoulders of the cast and the characters. And this cast has done a great job at bringing these sometimes wacky, always endearing characters to life.

Over the years in my watching of toku, the strength of the characters has often helped carry a season for me. Even if the overall story wasn’t delivering, the cast and characters could easily pick up the slack. For me, probably most important is the ability to actually care about what happens to the characters I’ve been watching for one year. If by the end of the year, I don’t care one bit what happens to the characters (especially title character), then it will likely not be a favorite season for me.

Then of course there’s seasons where I actually dislike the characters (see: the Zyuman4, the Sword of Logos crew) but that’s definitely different.

With the Donbrothers, the characters and its charming and charismatic cast helped to ease whatever shortcomings the season’s story and plot had. I always mention Episode 5. And I think that is really the episode that solidified it for me. As you can see, it was very early on in the season. But the first four episodes were so randomly odd. And all of a sudden, we got this quite emotional Episode 5 that actually brought together all the pieces they had quickly laid out so far in the episodes before it.

Looking back, it is perhaps the best example of the refreshing approach Donbrothers took to the Sentai format this year.

To sum up the season, I would say it was a character-driven slice of life story. The action, to be honest, took a backseat to these slice of life moments and character-focus episodes. Of course, with a tokusatsu show, you still want to have explosive and kickass action. And Donbrothers certainly still had those. But the season really seemed to put a lot more effort in the slice of life vignettes rather than crafting an overarching mission or plot.

There was nothing to collect. Not even a main antagonist to defeat. And yet, the season was still interesting and engaging and at times, very exciting.

Perhaps for others, that feeling might be what ultimately turns them off for the season. But for me, I guess I draw upon my K-drama watching and my love of quieter slice of life stories. The kind of slowburn series that take a while to get going, but in the end, you find yourself really connecting to the characters and wanting to root for their happiness and/or success.

That’s how I felt here with the Donbros. I even mentioned at points throughout the season how some episodes felt like they were a K-drama or, maybe more appropriately, an Asadora or NHK morning drama. A few story threads this season felt like your typical American soap opera or Filipino teleserye plot too. Others felt like some “us against the world” romance story. (*cough*Tarou/Sonoi*cough*)

So maybe that experience helped to draw me into Donbrothers more than I would have otherwise.

That’s not to say this season did not have any actual story progression or character development. Because it certainly did. Though again, the season could’ve easily done a lot more with these stories by going into more depth or adding a lot more to their foundation.

Still, each of the Donbros and later even the Noto3 each got unexpected, but welcome growth through the season. And it must have all worked considering these last couple of episodes have felt satisfying. Even if there are some “What if” or “What could’ve been” feelings that seep into that satisfaction as well.

As much as I might want it, Donbrothers isn’t going to have some grand or twisty climax. And that’s just fine. It became more obvious as the season progressed that it would not end in that way. Would I have wanted it to? Sure. But for what we got, it, again, still felt very satisfying.

At the beginning of the season, I was completely confused about the CGI members of the team. I didn’t know how they would work. I didn’t like what it might portend for the future. But I also knew I would get over it and get used to it after a couple of weeks. Which I did.

The CGI members of the team feels more like simply an aesthetic decision. Just to add something different to the visuals. The CGI Donbros didn’t necessarily add more exciting action sequences. Nor did they even add to the story actually. It just seemed like simply a visual twist to add something different to the show.

My only hope was that at some point in the season, the Donbros would find a way to temporarily make Inu Brother and Kiji Brother normal sized so we could see Tsubasa and Tsuyoshi helmetless in the suit. But oh well.

I do still have criticisms of the season. Like better developing the Donbro-Noto3 relationship. Going more in depth with the characters’ backstories. Things like that. Obviously, more episodes could solve that. And honestly, it feels like Donbrothers could continue for 10 or even 20 episodes and still have lots left to do.

But again, I just circle back to how the season really racked up a lot of KibiMangoez Points that any criticism I might have is negated by the simply fun time I had watching all year.

I’ll post my updated Sentai rankings tomorrow. But while Donbrothers might not displace my top favorites, it has more than earned its spot amongst my next tier of seasons I enjoyed. Recency bias might give the Donbros the edge. But I do sincerely love and enjoy the refreshing energy the Donbros were able to bring to toku this last year.

I will certainly miss the Donbros. It was truly enjoyable to just come in week after week for 30 minutes of wild, wacky shenanigans. The times when the show would do quieter and more emotional moments (which were surprisingly often) were big bonuses. And the cast and characters really helped to bring it all together.

Thank you to the entire Donbrothers team! It’s been a great year! And it is really exciting to be able to feel this way for a toku season!

The post Avataro Sentai Donbrothers Season Wrap-up appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
No spoilers.

It has been an interesting experience watching GMMTV’s Never Let Me Go. It is the first time I’ve watched an ongoing Thai drama as it aired. But it is also the first time I am watching the follow-up series of a Thai BL couple that features them as completely different characters from the ones that first introduced me to them.

In my First Impression Review of the series, I talked about looking forward to the different experience. The only other Thai BL couples that I have followed and watched so far have either only played the same characters (TayNew and PleumChimon) or did not have follow up series (Singto and Ohm).

Add to that how I’m following Pond and Phuwin from the fluffy Fish Upon the Sky to the considerably more dramatic Never Let Me Go, it really is an interesting and different experience. But one that, after 12 episodes, I am happy to have had.

I guess I am used to Filipino teleseryes and Filipino loveteam culture where the same pair of actors are stuck together for several series with different characters. Filipino networks like to milk popular stars and their pairings as much as they can.

But it was still different here because as similar as Filipino and Thai television can be, there are also unique qualities as well.

Never Let Me Go on its own was a solid series. It isn’t a series that broke any new ground. But it knew what it was and wanted to be. And they still executed that familiar plot well.

The big draw for the series, for me at least, was that novelty of seeing Pond and Phuwin playing different and more mature characters compared to the ones they played in Fish Upon the Sky. And I think they did a great job. Their chemistry was tested in a different way here and they rose to the challenge. One positive is that this series allowed them to be able to shine on their own in stories that did not necessarily hinge on their chemistry or in scenes together.

Of course, their star-crossed love story is the main event. But their respective characters also had their own stories separate from each other. And were also on the more dramatic side too. So it was a good opportunity for the actors to show their versatility and that they are capable of doing more than just delivering romantic vibes between them.

The series also gave a great preview of the pairing of Perth and Chimon. Though their focus was relatively limited since they are a secondary couple in the series of course, they nonetheless gave viewers a taste of the chemistry that will surely get much more opportunities in their upcoming series together. Like Pond and Phuwin, Perth and Chimon also got story on their own and away from each other. And together, the four lead stars actually fostered a great dynamic that ultimately helped to make the final episodes very satisfying.

I most enjoyed when the series shifted to the island setting and the sort of runaway vibe Neungdiao and Palm had as they hid from the threat against them. Those quieter moments were the highlights of their story and Phuwin and Pond’s performances rather than the more soapy and action-heavy scenes back in the big city or at school.

Again, the story isn’t the most groundbreaking. So more responsibility rests on the shoulders of the cast. And I think the cast delivered more than enough to really help keep the series engaging. The supporting cast including Organ Rasee Wacharapolmek, Nat Sakdatorn, Pitisak Yaowananon and especially Panadda Ruangwut, who played the “adults” in the series really did their part in building a fully realized world for our main characters, especially Phuwin and Pond’s Neungdiao and Palm, to tell their story.

I think the series was good enough. I looked forward to the new episode every week and thanks in large part to the cast, it was a story that left me satisfied after 12 episodes.

The post Hindsight Review: An Interesting and Ultimately Satisfying Experience with GMMTV’s “Never Let Me Go” appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
Minor spoilers. Click here for the First Impression Review.

The first eight episodes of Netflix’s The Glory (더 글로리) were familiar, yet refreshingly unflinching as it depicted the journey of Moon Dong Eun from victim of school violence to a woman carefully putting the pieces together for her ultimate revenge. Song Hye Kyo led an excellent ensemble cast in delivering captivating performances that drew such visceral reactions from the audience.

It was an impactful first half of the series and set the stage for this final group of eight episodes which deserves just as much praise and applause. Any maybe for a few different reasons.

One of the constants, however, is again the excellent cast. Song Hye Kyo especially delivered a quiet tour de force performance. That is, Moon Dong Eun may not have had the huge emotional moments or outbursts that one might come to expect in a story about revenge. But the character exuded a quiet resilience with a mix of both confidence and vulnerability. Song Hye Kyo skillfully navigated this challenging material with the necessary nuance that she has not had the opportunity for in years. It is not so much a revelation, considering she has had some excellent performances during her career already. But perhaps it is a reminder that Song Hye Kyo can definitely deliver. And she did that and then some.

This second half was much more of a character portrait, especially for Dong Eun, than a simple soapy revenge plot. The first half of the series focused more on the juicy psychological torture Dong Eun is able to exact on the perpetrators before actually starting the main event. That is of course in addition to horrific scenes of the actual abuse and assault Dong Eun experiences at their hands.

There might be a feeling that the actual “revenge” might feel tame compared to the pain and suffering imposed on the victims. (I certainly felt that way at times.) But Yeon Jin and her minions (more on them later) still got what was coming to them. Even if the first half of the series drove a hunger for much more extreme and maybe even outrageous fates for them.

But what this second half was much more focused on, however, was having Dong Eun at the center of a story about finding peace and healing. Yes, she was able to exact revenge on the vile perps. But even more than that, Dong Eun was able to feel fulfilled and satisfied by what she had accomplished.

Many times, revenge stories play up the idea of regret or doubt. They may focus on the downsides or negative aspects of holding on to such anger and pain. But The Glory was refreshing in that Dong Eun did not necessarily waver in her quest.

And more importantly, Dong Eun was able to find peace and healing through the people she was able to meet such as Joo Yeo Jeong (Lee Do Hyun) and Kang Hyeon Nam (Yeom Hye Ran). Both of them were basically her sidekicks throughout, but the two of them also had much pain and suffering to overcome as well. Both Lee Do Hyun and Yun Hye Ran, of course accomplished actors themselves, had several opportunities in the spotlight too and they had no problem stepping up to the plate to hit many balls out of the park.

The Glory allowed for these characters to be able to find each other and help them realize that there are people you can reach your hand to out there even when you think there are none. The bonds they were able to form, including the enlightening final episode twist involving Dong Eun’s landlady (Son Sook), really expressed how there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how dark it might be at the moment.

Of course, the darkness could not be possible without the absolutely vile pieces of work that were Park Yeon Jin (Lim Ji Yeon), Jeon Jae Jun (Park Sung Hoon), Lee Sara (Kim Hieora), Choi Hye Jeong (Cha Joo Young) and Son Myeong Oh (Kim Gun Woo). In this second half, The Glory did an amazing job in being able to flesh out each of their characters. And that is in a way to add depth to the characters without having to willingly or unwittingly open a path to redemption for them. It isn’t always necessary to redeem villains. Sometimes, they just have to suffer their deserved fates. And The Glory delivered those fates while the actors delivered chilling and engaging performances.

Jung Sung Il as Yeon Jin’s husband Ha Do Young slowly emerged in the first half of the series. And this second half, he was a fascinating character who more often than not, remained in the shadows as a sort of quiet observer of the shocking debauchery in front of him. There were moments where you might even question his character and morals. But that merely added to the steady tension that resonated through these eight final episodes.

And finally Park Ji Ah as Dong Eun’s mother deserves special mention as well. Her performance perfectly leads up to what might be two of the most emotionally charged moments in the entire series. The confrontations between Dong Eun and her mother were incredibly intense moments. And Park Ji Ah and Song Hye Kyo delivered what are perhaps two of the scenes of this second half, if not the entire series.

The Glory is a school violence and revenge plot on the surface. But its most affecting moments involved the simple connections and bonds one is able to make with another. Those relationships are what can help get them through difficult journeys. Those friendships can help guide them toward the light at the end of the tunnel. And those bonds provide the hope to keep one moving toward healing and peace.

An excellent cast and strong storytelling make The Glory a resonant series.

The post Hindsight Review: Strong Cast and Storytelling Makes Netflix’s “The Glory” a Resonant Experience appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

TYPE OF REVIEW : HINDSIGHT REVIEW
LOTS of spoilers.

Taxi Driver was my favorite drama series of 2021. It was such an exciting and fun television experience, mixing adrenaline-fueled action, lighthearted humor and vicarious satisfaction. Watching the Rainbow Taxi team’s unique brand of vigilante justice and their sincerity in helping the powerless was just amazing. So when a season two was confirmed, it was more than welcome news.

Now that season 2 of the blockbuster SBS series Taxi Driver has come and gone, I can still describe it in the same way. Even if I might have some regrets and disappointments from this season.

To start, let’s do a mini-recap of these final two episodes.

And first, let’s talk about our two guest stars. Kim So Yeon as the original Taxi Driver was deus ex machina in the best way possible. She was definitely badass in her short appearance. And moving forward, I would love to see a prequel of Taxi Driver with her in the driver’s seat. Basically, Rainbow Taxi’s origin story. I think that has amazing potential. And could help bridge the gap between seasons of the Taxi Driver we already know and love.

Meanwhile, Moon Chae Won’s appearance at the end hopefully means we will see her in a season 3. Other than of course having the Gang taking care of the military rape case, we get to learn more about Do Ki’s past in the military. What is their relationship? What might have happened between them to result in such a cold response from our hero?

Hopefully that will be a major part of season 3. And having her back and focusing on Do Ki’s past would definitely address some of the concerns I have after this season. (More on that later.)

But for this endgame. Honestly, it just felt like another case of the week. The endgame feeling was a bit light, even as they finally fleshed out On Ha Joon’s character.

Ha Joon, on the orders of the Bishop, finally set their ultimate plan against our Rainbow Taxi friends in motion. Attempting to catch them in their elaborate trap by framing an innocent man and taking advantage of the Rainbow Taxi’s virtuous mission, the perfect plan ended up being a little bit too perfect. And of course, the Gang was able to figure things out just in time to avoid getting into any serious trouble.

The critical piece in these final two episodes was Mr. Jang’s digging into Ha Joon’s past. Because without that piece of the puzzle, this “case” would have just fallen completely flat. Especially as a season endgame.

I guess, I can’t really talk about the finale without relating it to the rest of the season. So here goes.

Something just felt a bit off this season. It started out by picking up right where season one left off. But as the season progressed, things just felt a bit different.

With season one of Taxi Driver, everyone on the team had personal stakes in some of the cases they handled. With those raised stakes, there’s obviously much more emotion and even danger in the missions Do Ki and the team have to execute with precision. In turn, we also get to meet them for the first time. So there is a mystery in the getting to know you aspect of the story.

In this season, I kind of felt a bit of a disconnect with most of the cases they handled. I still think the closest the season came to its first season feels was with the case of the grandmother who was swindled out of her money. It was the kind of down-to-earth, humble story that the team did best. They always looked out of the little people. Those who may have lost all hope against seemingly invincible human evil.

Our Rainbow Taxi friends would help the nice grandmother and other clients through the season with their usual skill, talents and fun energy. But a few times this season, the series swerved a bit more toward a typical crime procedural. Rather than maintaining their unique and refreshing approach to the genre.

Of course, Taxi Driver is a procedural as well simply because they too have cases of the week. But with season one, the series took a more character-driven approach. And that applies to both our Rainbow Taxi friends and the people they were helping in each episode.

I guess some of the tepid feelings I have might be attributed to the kinda-sorta season-long arc. Now, there is no question Shin Jae Ha is an amazing actor. And he has definitely introduced himself to many new fans with his great performance here and in the recently concluded Crash Course in Romance. But his character of Ha Joon was sort of mishandled. The series actually laid out quite a steady foundation for him. Especially as it moved toward the revelation of his ulterior motives.

But after that revelation, the series didn’t maintain the good character pacing for him that they had done in the first couple of episodes. Instead of a wonderfully emotional climax for his character and his relationship with our Rainbow Taxi friends, it felt more like a rushed addendum to the underwhelming endgame. There is certainly a lot of untapped potential with what the series could (and should?) have done with Ha Joon and the Rainbow Taxi Gang.

Instead, the endgame felt more like a recycle of a story they had already done earlier in the season. And instead of it all tying in to some larger conspiracy, it just felt more like it was been there, done that.

I think one other perfect example is having Do Ki’s “death” cliffhanger two weeks in a row. We obviously know he isn’t going to die. Especially not in the middle of the season. But his two near-death experiences were merely waved away instead of serving as potential character or plot development.

Another thing that may have contributed to the season’s more procedural-feel is that because we are already friends with the Rainbow Taxi crew and they are already pretty much established, there wasn’t really much to add for them as characters. So the season was less about learning more about our friends and more toward the cases they took on every week.

Sure we still got plenty of fun shenanigans from them. Lots of cool new disguises and new toys and gadgets and taxi upgrades. But the focus away from the Gang themselves maybe added to the weaker connection.

I think one tweak that could’ve changed that would’ve been to build up Ha Joon’s relationship with them instead. Have him actually be integrated more into the team. Have him learn about each of them personally so there is still that essence of meeting the Gang, even if we, the audience already know them.

The show had Ha Joon mention his “feud” with Do Ki. Yet, the show didn’t really establish that “feud” until last week. It was a one-sided feud, I guess. And it wasn’t even a cat and mouse game-type of deal since the Gang had no idea Ha Joon was even a suspicious person.

By leaning into developing Ha Joon more as the main villain and having him more directly antagonizing the Gang, especially towards the end, would have gone a long way.

This would also help take care of giving Ha Joon a stronger story leading up to what we saw in this final week. Which really should’ve been much more of the season endgame than it was.

The season should have been all about Ha Joon (even if he’s just the Bishop’s underling) antagonizing the Gang while slowly peeling back the layers of his past. The short montage of Ha Joon regretting not embracing his potential new family felt far too hollow than it should’ve been. Shin Jae Ha and the rest of the cast made that couple of seconds still have some meaning. But otherwise, it really just felt like something added at the last minute.

Unlike season one, this season seemed to lack a cohesiveness that helped to tie everything together. Things weren’t as seamless as they could have been. Connections between the cases and the endgame were loose at best. And the character-focused narrative of season one gave way to more plot-driven and less personal stories this time around.

Like I’ve mentioned in my mini-recaps in recent weeks, I hesitate to say anything negative about Taxi Driver because I truly do love it so much.

But I think because I love it so much, I feel maybe more protective of it. That is, I want to see it at its best. I still enjoy and have fun with the show. It was definitely still a fun, wild ride this season. But I know that it is capable of so much more. And they’ve proven that in season one and at points in season two.

There is definitely a lot of potential for future seasons. And as of this posting, SBS has confirmed it has ordered season three. But I think the series definitely needs to add a bit more of the touches that made season one so special. Instead of becoming just “another one of those,” Taxi Driver‘s unique premise really should offer it more opportunity to be much more refreshing. And the biggest part of that is the connection we have to our Rainbow Taxi friends. And in turn, the personal connections they make and the hope they provide to the clients who give them a call. Which ultimately is what will keep anyone coming back for more Taxi Driver, even if it had its faults in this run.

So other than for Madame Lim’s sake, here’s hoping Taxi Driver can only get even better in the future. And that it is just as wonderfully fun and exciting as it has already proven itself to be.

The post <strong>Hindsight Review and Mini-Finale Recap: Even with Some Missed Opportunities, “Taxi Driver 2” Still a Must Watch</strong> appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.