JASMINE's THOUGHTS on Trese Season 1

Genre:

Horror/Anime/Crime Procedural

Action/Adventure/Mystery/Supernatural

Series:

Trese

Season:

1

Rating:

TV-MA

Episodes:

6

Run Time:

25-33 minutes

Release Date:

June 11, 2021

Based on:

Trese by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo

Plot Summary:

When it comes to the supernatural, the cops have Alexanda Trese on speed dial. Set in Manila and based on the award-winning Filipino comic, Trese brings horror folklore like you've never heard before.

In Manila, where dark supernatural forces pervade the criminal underworld, it’s up to Alexandra Trese to keep the peace — but there’s a storm brewing.

source

Voice Cast:

Shay Mitchell, Liza Soberano, Jon Jon Briones, Darren Criss, Manny Jacinto, Dante Basco, Nicole Sherzinger, Lou Diamond Phillips, Steve Blum

See Full Cast & Crew on IMDB

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*My Thoughts*

So... I binge watched this first season of Trese, based on the Filipino horror comic of the same name, on Netflix. I enjoyed watching this supernatural/crime procedural series, especially when it is set in Manila. An entertaining introduction into the world of Alexandra Trese with more to tell. Trese has a lot of stories to tell, especially when working with a lot of Filipino superstitions and folklore.

Although I did not grow up in the Philippines, with the little I did learn while growing up in the few years of living there, Filipino culture is so rich with an incredible amount of history and beliefs. It was fun to see some of the Filipino superstitions made into a series. Just like in an episode of Grimm featuring the aswang. Loved that show! Trese has that same concept as those TV shows: Grimm, Constantine, and others in which someone is tasked with keeping the balance between the human and supernatural worlds.

Anyways, on the other hand, the characters needed more development. The characters seemed to fall flat, the interactions seemed stiff. As for voice casting for the English dub... Really?!?! Why not use actual Filipino actors, not Hollywood actors who are just "a little bit" Filipino, and yet, never grew up in the Philippines. That's probably why I wasn't too sold on the characters being Filipino. Hmmm... 🤔

Well, other than that, Trese Season 1 is a good start as an animated series with a strong foundation to build on: the rich history and folklore of the Philippines and its people. I think fans of these genres (horror,supernatural,mystery) would enjoy watching Trese.

My rating:

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Re:ZERO - "Starting Life in Another World" Anime Series

Genre:

Drama, Fantasy, Psychological, Thriller

Episodes:

25

Rating:

R - 17+

(violence & profanity)

Run Time:

25 min. per episode

Release Date:

Apr 4, 2016 to Sep 19, 2016

Based on the novel series written and illustrated by:

Tappei Nagatsuki and Shinichirou Otsuka

Directed by:

Masaharu Watanabe

Studio:

White Fox

Produced by:

TV Tokyo, Media Factory, Kadokawa Shoten

Plot Summary:

When Subaru Natsuki leaves the convenience store, the last thing he expects is to be wrenched from his everyday life and dropped into a fantasy world. Things aren't looking good for the bewildered teenager, however: not long after his arrival, he is attacked by some thugs; armed with only a bag of groceries and a now useless cell phone, he is quickly beaten to a pulp. Fortunately, a mysterious beauty named Satella, in hot pursuit after the one who stole her insignia, happens upon Subaru and saves him. In order to thank the honest and kindhearted girl, Subaru offers to help in her search, and later that night, he even finds the whereabouts of that which she seeks. But unbeknownst to them, a much darker force stalks the pair from the shadows, and just minutes after locating the insignia, Subaru and Satella are brutally murdered.

However, Subaru immediately reawakens to a familiar scene—confronted by the same group of thugs, meeting Satella all over again—the enigma deepens as history inexplicably repeats itself.

Source

Cast:

Yuusuke Kobayashi, Rie Takahashi, Yumi Uchiyama, Chinatsu Akasaki, Rie Murakawa, Inori Minase, Satomi Arai, Yuuichi Nakamura

Social Media:

  

In English:

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*My Thoughts*

Lovely color coordination, a satisfying ending, and different characters all around. The opening theme leaves much to be desired as it only displays characters as ornaments and gave away the main protagonist’s ability. I was skeptical about Re:ZERO for the first few episodes but continued watching it anyway. It is a story involving romance, knights, death, action, gore, moe, and Lolita characters.

The main protagonist Subaru Natsuki, a former Hikikomori or “shut in,” is brave, ridiculous, and thoughtful. He’s a well-rounded hero with ups and downs that will leave the watcher moved, angry, laughing, or anxious. It’s a steady series that forces him to grow up repeatedly. The silver-haired heroine and half-elf, Satella, is kind and selfless without much development other than finding out her real name. So much that I think her maid, Rem, has a bigger fan base. Aside from these two, there are a variety of characters from a snobby princess, a mafia leader, an eccentric count, pretentious knights, and a scrappy street kid; some of these characters only seem available when they are convenient.

A fan favorite seems to be Rem, Emilia’s blue haired maid. She’s sweet, strong, and she too is selfless, A battle maid of sorts, Rem might as well take Emilia’s place as the main heroine but I guess she’s just not important enough. Emilia is beautiful but didn’t seem to try hard enough to understand Subaru.

With mysteries and questions still left unanswered, Re:ZERO has nothing but potential to expand into a second season. Avid fans may take interest in the light novels or manga adaptations that are probably ahead and the story is certainly something to look into. With more character development to come, the Re:ZERO series is one to follow.

My rating:

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Shiki Anime Series

Genre:

Mystery

Supernatural

Thriller

Vampire

Episodes:

22

Rating:

R - 17+

(violence & profanity)

Run Time:

22 min. per episode

Release Date:

Jul 9, 2010 to Dec 31, 2010

Based on the Novel by:

Fuyumi Ono

Directed by:

Tetsuro Amino

Studio:

Daume Studio

Produced by:

Aniplex

 Dentsu

Fuji TV

Plot Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Megumi Shimizu dreamed of a glamorous life in the big city; however, her unexpected death in the quiet village of Sotoba marks the beginning of what appears to be a ferocious epidemic that turns the hot summer into a season of blood and terror. A young doctor named Toshio Ozaki begins to doubt the nature of the disease and comes to understand that to discover the truth, he must abandon his humanity. Meanwhile, Natsuno Yuuki, an antisocial youth from the city, is haunted by the sudden death of Megumi and must realize the pain of friendship in the face of his own tragedy. Toshio and Natsuno form an unlikely pair as they work together to save Sotoba before it transforms into a ghost town of vampires.

Shiki, adapted from the horror novel written by Fuyumi Ono, goes beyond the average vampire story. It tells the tragic tale of survival in a world where one cannot easily distinguish between good and evil. Abandoned by God, the Shiki, as the vampires call themselves, have only their will to live as they clash with the fear of the paranoid/unbelieving villagers. Shiki explores the boundary that separates man from monster.

Cast:

Tōru Ookawa, Kouki Uchiyama, Aoi Yuuki, Kazuyuki Okitsu

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*My Thoughts*

In short, it was "a'ight" but I regret suggesting this anime to my school’s Anime Club and I'll tell you why. With a painfully slow sense of suspense, Shiki leaves much to be desired for me as an anime. I respect the deeper meaning it portrayed but the only thing I felt overall was annoyance for the villagers. That’s mostly because of my lack of empathy for their ignorance. In appearances, the animation is lovely, sharp, and clear but then again when isn’t it when a well-funded studio stands behind it. For example, the details of a tractor could be seen from “afar” and everything else was so well done that I felt sorry for the person who had to deal with Sunako’s gravity defying hair. Ironically, almost all of the characters had freaky hairstyles, which made them counter intuitive for conservative and rural village people that gossip and mocked anything “strange.” But enough of that. The plot itself, like stated before, was painfully slow because the villagers were so doubtful in the existence of the shiki despite deaths continuing and vaguely excused activity of the village escalated at night.

The pacing hardly helped to introduce the character’s backgrounds because Shiki  more or less asks you to “pick a side.” On that note, this isn’t an anime for the atheist and the agnostic because we wouldn’t pick a side. We’d weave our way through the series to pick and choose what characters are worthy of praise. Character development was lacking and there were few characters worth remembering. By episode three, we already know who’s killing off villagers. The only person with the most thoughtful background was probably Sunako but that’s because she’s the oldest character in age. The deeper meaning to Shiki isn’t blatantly stated until the climax, where “Shiki explores the boundary that separates man from monster.” But there didn’t seem to be any men in Shiki, rather they were all homicidal idiots or hedonistic zombies adhering to their instincts. The only real heroes to me seemed to be Natsuno Koide and Ritsuko Kunihiro; the boy who wanted to save lives and the nurse who stuck true to her ideals even if it meant starving to death. They kept their heads on tight, whether dead or alive, and stayed true to themselves. All in all, it doesn’t “get good” until two thirds through.

My Rating: