DryedMangoez First Impression Reviews written after a premiere episode or premiere week of a television series.
I didn’t expect to get emotional. But as the end (opening?) credits rolled on the first episode of Voltes V: Legacy, I did. And this is me not having watched a single episode of the original series. If I felt this excited and hyped for the series, I can’t even imagine how it must feel for fans who grew up with the original series. Especially for Filipino fans who are seeing their childhood now in a live-action, locally produced series.
So this Face 2 Face reboot as a television program is a welcome sight. It definitely has some kinks to work out if it hopes to enjoy as successful a run as the original series. Those kinks are definitely as resolvable as the complaints the people bring to the show. But in spite of any of these early bumps, Face 2 Face remains a fascinatingly simple, yet engaging hour of television to have every day.
I’ve finally gotten the chance to check out GMA Network’s Hearts on Ice and I’m glad I did. Ashley Ortega gets a well-deserved lead role in this family sports drama that ticks all the right boxes. Though it definitely adheres to familiar teleserye formula, it also provides refreshingly welcome twists from the norm. And that makes it well worth the daily watch (or weekly binge!).
GMA Network has long been regarded as the leader in local fantasy series. Even the network’s detractors who deride its drama programs concede that they do much better fantasy productions than their rival networks. So it is no surprise their latest presentation, Mga Lihim ni Urduja, follows in the footsteps of its predecessors. And also moves to elevate the local genre even more.
Disney+’s Big Bet (카지노/Casino) is a fun and intriguing ride. Split into two eight-episode seasons, this first group of episodes introduces us to its anti-hero protagonist Cha Mu Sik played masterfully by the legend Choi Min Sik. The series is a fascinating character study of a man who from humble beginnings in rural Korea becomes an influential kingpin in the Philippine casino world.
Netflix looks to have its next big Korean hit with reality-competition series Physical: 100 (피지컬: 100). One hundred contestants from various fields in top physical shape compete in a series of grueling challenges to be the last one standing. And to claim the honor and 300 million won cash prize.
Netflix’s The Glory (더 글로리) wastes no time in setting the stage for what has to be one of the most refreshingly unflinching revenge dramas in a long time. Through these first eight episodes, Song Hye Kyo leads an excellent cast as the series chronicles one woman’s painful journey from being a victim of high school violence to now having a chance to exact revenge on the perpetrators.
Netflix’s very own Korean dating show returned last month and I was finally able to catch up on the first six episodes. Season 2 of last year’s surprise hit Single’s Inferno (솔로지옥) introduced the new group of sexy singles. And it’s been another fun, juicy ride so far. But at the same time, there’s been some interesting cracks in the glossy façade of the series.
If Fish Upon the Sky was as fluffy as fluff can get, Never Let Me Go (เพื่อนายแค่หนึ่งเดียว) is much more dramatic with hints of some darker turns possibly later on.
