TRESE: MORE, PLEASE!
Trese’s world is a rich milieu of a beautifully chaotic Manila -- stunning sunsets, highrises juxtaposed with seedy slums, problematic public transportation and morally corrupt figures of authority
Have you watched the most talked about show right now? Netflix’s adaptation of the award-winning graphic novel Trese premiered on Friday to much hype, praise and trending hashtags on Twitter.
It’s a six-episode anime series with an average 25-minute run time. It comes with three dub versions — English, Filipino and Japanese — so both casual and hardcore anime viewers will get to choose which version they would want to watch.
Budjette Tan and KaJO Baldisimo wrote it in 2005 as a side hustle when they were both working in ad agencies. Almost two decades after with several volumes, their baby is now finally streaming to a global audience.
I’ve been wanting to watch Trese on the screen as a live adaptation since I first bought copies of several volumes years ago. As a fan of mythologies, folklore and badass female characters, I relished reading Trese. And so, while I waited for a possible adaptation on screen, I dreamed of what it could look like alive on TV.
Trese’s world is a rich milieu of a beautifully chaotic Manila — stunning sunsets, highrises juxtaposed with seedy slums, problematic public transportation and morally corrupt figures of authority. Manila makes the perfect setting for a crime noir, and it becomes more exciting when elements of the supernatural are added.
The sheer number of Philippine gods and goddesses from the north to the south, as well as the elementals and supernaturals including the more popular ones like the aswang, tikbalang, kapre, manananggal, nuno, duwende and engkanto, are just waiting to serve as inspiration for a fantastical world-building. The lead character, Alexandra Trese, is admittedly the ultimate draw for me since she is someone relatable — fiercely independent with a no-nonsense attitude, and very much a flawed human. She fights off creatures twice her size with a magical weapon, a kris she calls Sinag.
Plus, she has two hot supernatural bodyguards, Crispin and Basilio, who can conjure badass weaponry.
All these elements combined, Trese is an addicting read that any show producer would want to get their hands on for a possible adaptation.
I had even written about it several times in this column with suggestions on who could play her in the live adaptation. It’s Glaiza de Castro and, to be honest, if I had the power to choose the voice actor for Netflix’s anime adaptation, it would still be her. Her past works, notably Encantadia 2016, would be a good reference. If I remember correctly, she expressed interest in playing the live version of Alexandra Trese.
Netflix will also be adapting the cult favorite Neil Gaiman graphic novel, Sandman.
Its rich and complex world-building may have been the reason Trese did not see a local TV adaptation. It requires time, effort and budget to set up this imagined world including its daunting underworld.
Still, it’s a delight to watch Trese as an anime. In this world, anything is possible with the right animators, storytellers, producers, showrunners and budget.
The Netflix adaptation got it almost all right with Jay Oliva as showrunner. The man’s past works speak for himself. There’s too many to mention. He’s pretty easy to look up. Tanya Yuson, Mihk Vergara and Zig Marasigan did their best to explain the world of Alexandra in six episodes. Admittedly, some felt rushed with other interesting characters needing more fleshed-out stories. I agree with most who have seen all six episodes that it was short and should have had more so that Trese doesn’t feel rushed. The Council members composed of leaders of the different supernatural tribes are not only pretty and intimidating to look at, their stories also need to be told.
The post-credit clip also leads viewers to believe that it is on to something bigger and more menacing than the conflict within tribes in the first season. The consensus is that Trese should have a second season. Given the conversation it is generating, maybe even without the heavy marketing ploy, Trese deserves another season to continue its story.
Sandman is another story I am keeping tabs on. Netflix will also be adapting the cult favorite Neil Gaiman graphic novel.
Disclaimer: I have not read any of the volumes. Still, the plot intrigues me.
It’s about Dream who is captured by an occult ritual and imprisoned for years. He escapes and sets about rebuilding his kingdom that has fallen into chaos.
He is described in the DC Comics encyclopedia as “one of the seven Endless, inconceivably powerful beings older and greater than gods. He is both lord and personification of all dreams and stories, all that is not in reality.” He is part of a dysfunctional family of seven siblings who are Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair and Delirium.
It’s another Gaiman creation added to my list of other TV adaptations of his works, like Starz’ American Gods. I honestly do not know if I’ll be able to watch this show though I have a copy of the book.
Going back to Sandman, it has yet to air but some hardcore fans expressed dismay at the casting for some of the major roles in the series. It’s interesting to note that they still have a lot to say even though the man himself, Gaiman, had a hand in its casting.
Like any other fans, they’re possessive and tend to be by-the-book, in this case, the attributes of the characters as described by Gaiman.
Amid all the uproar, Gaiman tweeted, “I give zero f—s about people who don’t understand/haven’t read Sandman whining about a non-binary Desire or that Death isn’t white enough. Watch the show, make up your minds.”
Well, I guess, as Gaiman implied, just trust his process.
There’s no definite date of the series’ premiere but it is going to be out this year.
All I know is, June is going to be a very busy month of binge-watching.