Trese review: Netflix’s komik adaptation puts a new spin on Filipino folklore

Netflix’s animated present Trese hits the bottom working with its portrayal of a Tikbalang, a Filipino folklore determine with each horse and human bodily options. The present’s trendy tackle a drag race, which roars via the streets of Manila, seems like a scene out of a Quick and Livid film. Nevertheless it additionally encapsulates the mischievous, wild character of the Tikbalang with out compromising its authentic myths, which is shocking, contemplating the sequence’ modern lens. The Tikbalang, like the opposite legendary beings in Trese, are handled with the utmost respect. Their tales are framed to be accessible to audiences around the globe. Portrayals of folklore and mythological figures from Roman, Greek, and Egyptian pantheons within the West have been popularized by the visible and print media for years, however Filipino folklore has by no means hit the USA in a type like Trese.

The six-episode horror-thriller sequence follows Alexandra Trese, Manila’s lakan babaylan, or guardian and healer. She acts because the bridge between the worlds of humanity and the supernatural, imposing the accords that had been set to maintain steadiness between the 2 worlds. She additionally investigates crimes of the supernatural world, particularly when the previous begins to bleed into the pure world. The present finds her in medias res, as malevolent beings threaten to tip the steadiness between the 2 worlds sideways. It’s a violent and gritty present that modernizes Filipino bedtime tales, and places a fantasy gloss over the socioeconomic, political, and finally ethical complexities of Manila, and the Philippines as an entire.

Picture: Netflix

The sequence adapts the award-winning komiks of the identical title by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo. When the sequence began off in 2005 as a self-published, black-and-white summary month-to-month sequence, it was populated by Tan’s real-life expertise with a ghost in his home, bedtime tales of the aswang, and American pop-culture influences from comedian books comparable to Batman, Hellboy, and Sandman, sci-fi reveals Karl Kolchak: The Nightstalker, The X-Recordsdata, and CSI, and anime like Ghost within the Shell. The komik took a magical-realist take a look at Manila, crammed with superstitions that had been engulfing the creators every day. In 2018, Netflix formally greenlit an animated model of the sequence.

The present is closely backed by Filipino creators, with Tan and Baldisimo as showrunners, and Filipino-American Jay Oliva of Justice League Darkish as government producer and director. The complete English-language and Tagalog language solid can also be of Filipino descent. The solid consists of Shay Mitchell of Fairly Little Liars and Filipino celeb Liza Soberano, as the 2 variations of Alexandra Trese. Darren Criss of Glee, Dante Basco of Avatar: The Final Airbender, and Manny Jacinto of The Good Place take roles as properly. The Filipino expertise working via each side of the sequence reveals via, from Trese’s coat being impressed by nationwide hero José Rizal to the accents, in style slang, tribal music, and visible aesthetics of the town. Even the road meals and model names are genuine.

The sequence is charming, with compelling Filipino folklore storytelling framed by supernatural prison investigations. Every investigation works in tandem with a central throughline that blends into the shadows of every episode, till it’s lastly introduced into full daylight. Character improvement for Trese and others creeps in because the stakes run apocalyptically excessive. Trese is a robust chief, a feminine protagonist whose depth and command of her function between and in each worlds brings an uncommon sense of seriousness and resolve.

Picture: Netflix

Although the present revolves round horror and crime, there are lighter moments to steadiness the heavier, visually darker ones. Battle scenes carry consideration to every character’s strengths and weaknesses successfully, however the present additionally emphasizes that not each drawback requires a violent decision. Visually, Manila is hauntingly lovely and chaotic. The compelling thriller behind the origin of Alexandra’s bodyguards, and her intriguing, multifaceted allies makes it tough to choose a favourite character out of the lengthy listing of legendary creatures and people.

These legendary creatures can be acquainted to a Filipino viewers: They seem in bedtime tales Filipino households inform to spook their youngsters, and in class classes, as methods to intrigue and inform youngsters about completely different cultural facets all through the Philippines. Superstition and concern of the supernatural run excessive to this present day within the Philippines, the place it’s widespread for individuals to report real-life supernatural incidents, or search religious diagnoses. Creatures just like the aswang beings predate colonization within the Philippines, and had been as soon as attributes of pre-colonial religions.

Trese makes use of myths just like the White Woman of Balete Drive to set the tone for the sequence, driving house the distinctive take the komiks started. Creatures just like the Tikbalang or the dwarf-like nuno sa punso carry to life a commonality between humanity and nature that’s been sometimes used to advertise respect and take care of the atmosphere. Seeing nuno sa punso’s character as a helpful information-providing useful resource offers it a refreshing new complexity, and attracts a compelling analogy about what humanity can be taught from nature. The aswang’s prison exercise and political involvement equally provides a humanizing aspect to a traditionally terrifying creature of the night time.

The character Talagbusao is a regionally particular determine within the Philippines. Not like the flesh-eating aswang or nuno sa punso, it isn’t popularly recognized all through the nation — it’s hidden within the folklore of the Mindanao area. Equally, Santelmo isn’t recognized countrywide, however its recognition is slowly rising as curiosity in Filipino folklore grows. A few of these characters take their distinct appears instantly from folklore, whereas others have been up to date and tailored, by way of their enterprise decisions and unlawful actions, together with black-market organ-selling and that opening drag race. The Tikbalang’s chief units the tone for this mixture of outdated and new, as he works from the highest flooring of a excessive rise — with a forest inside it.

Picture: Netflix

Like a lot new animation, Trese is styled after Japanese anime, nevertheless it’s the primary animated sequence from BASE Leisure, a Jakarta/Singapore-based leisure studio. It’s additionally the primary Filipino-focused animated sequence made for a world viewers. And it’s uncompromising in its cultural specificity. The West typically associates the Philippines with pictures of tropical paradise, however Trese presents it as a fancy world crammed with police brutality, corruption, and financial disparity. Whereas the present can’t provide blanket options for these points, they’re as culturally correct because the present’s different particulars. And so they tackle current Filipino politics sadly, however with small glimmers of hope, emphasizing that good individuals will proceed to struggle each night time for individuals who can’t.

Utilizing facets of Filipino tradition with various levels of subtlety, Trese balances moments of pleasure with mandatory violence, with out defaulting to stereotypes. The narrative appears deep into Filipino folklore with integrity, and supplies Filipino viewers an opportunity to look past the evils they had been raised to concern, whereas educating different viewers about supernatural traditions from around the globe. On the similar time, the present emphasizes that not each evil is supernatural. This can be a present made by Filipinos for Filipinos, however its creators are greater than prepared to share their tradition with the world — if it dares to stroll into the darkness.

The six-episode first season of Trese is now streaming on Netflix.

[Ed. note: The author of this article is distantly related to Trese voice actor Liza Soberano, but has never interacted with her, and that connection was not a factor in this review.]