2 years gone: so what happened?
There came a time back in 2006 wherein I realized that I was getting tired of watching the same old bull crap over and over from ABS CBN and GMA. It was always the same: lame-duck TV shows masquerading as blockbusters: the year's hottest teen sensation as everybody's idol superhero in this season's hottest stupid action soap opera ever. Here's a brief recap of some of the shows that I 'apparently' missed over the last 2 years:
Lupin: I just wanted to point out that this particular 'Lupin' is not the wacky 70's and 80's Japanese series 'Lupin III' that we all know and love. The 'Lupin license' that GMA obtained is for the 'Arsene Lupin' character created by French author Maurice Lamarche. The original Lupin was set in the early 20th century and even pitted the gentlemanly thief against Sherlock Holmes in some literature. The GMA version of 'Lupin' is well made enough, however, it still suffered the usual stock soap opera story arches. Richard Gutierrez who played Lupin is still the cardboard actor that he is, but the show is ultimately saved by Janno Gibbs comic portrayal of Lupin’s arch-enemy.
Zaido: This is GMA's attempt to remake the 80's tokusatsu classic 'Shaider'. This was a disaster from the get-go; since the original Japanese producers did not actually allow GMA to use the name 'Shaider' because I think they found out that GMA can never ever duplicate or replicate the legend and quality of the 80's classic. Well whaddaya know: the Japanese producers are so clever, they were right. Zaido is nothing but a very poor 'follow up' to the original. Some Shaider fans (including myself) do not consider Zaido to be canonical; it's nothing but a funny fan fiction to the far-superior original.
Super Twins: This show is GMA’s sinking to the lowest depths of TV remake-ness. Nobody knows where this came from: the costumes of heroine characters of Jennylyn Mercado and Nadine Samonte are clearly ripped-off from the Japanese Anime series Sailor Moon, but the story is clearly a formation from the imagination of some third grade pupil. My 10 year-old cousin could weave a more intricate and intelligent plotline than the whole legion of writers that GMA has. The only redeeming factor for this show is, yup, the wonderfully skimpy costumes that fed all hot-blooded males’ perversions right out of the pants.
Lobo: ABS CBN probably thought that once they have Angel Locsin in their possession, the tides of the network war might turn in their favor. Well, they were dead wrong. ‘Lobo’ was about characters that could turn into werewolves, and their soap opera journey of self-discovery. Angel Locsin thought that she can carry her luck over from GMA, but apparently, lady luck has loyalties as well. This just goes to prove that piracy, in all forms, does not pay.
So far I think that vacation was well worth taken. Apparently, I didn't miss a thing. It was as though I never left, because things remain the same; TV is still stupid.
There came a time back in 2006 wherein I realized that I was getting tired of watching the same old bull crap over and over from ABS CBN and GMA. It was always the same: lame-duck TV shows masquerading as blockbusters: the year's hottest teen sensation as everybody's idol superhero in this season's hottest stupid action soap opera ever. Here's a brief recap of some of the shows that I 'apparently' missed over the last 2 years:
Lupin: I just wanted to point out that this particular 'Lupin' is not the wacky 70's and 80's Japanese series 'Lupin III' that we all know and love. The 'Lupin license' that GMA obtained is for the 'Arsene Lupin' character created by French author Maurice Lamarche. The original Lupin was set in the early 20th century and even pitted the gentlemanly thief against Sherlock Holmes in some literature. The GMA version of 'Lupin' is well made enough, however, it still suffered the usual stock soap opera story arches. Richard Gutierrez who played Lupin is still the cardboard actor that he is, but the show is ultimately saved by Janno Gibbs comic portrayal of Lupin’s arch-enemy.
Zaido: This is GMA's attempt to remake the 80's tokusatsu classic 'Shaider'. This was a disaster from the get-go; since the original Japanese producers did not actually allow GMA to use the name 'Shaider' because I think they found out that GMA can never ever duplicate or replicate the legend and quality of the 80's classic. Well whaddaya know: the Japanese producers are so clever, they were right. Zaido is nothing but a very poor 'follow up' to the original. Some Shaider fans (including myself) do not consider Zaido to be canonical; it's nothing but a funny fan fiction to the far-superior original.
Super Twins: This show is GMA’s sinking to the lowest depths of TV remake-ness. Nobody knows where this came from: the costumes of heroine characters of Jennylyn Mercado and Nadine Samonte are clearly ripped-off from the Japanese Anime series Sailor Moon, but the story is clearly a formation from the imagination of some third grade pupil. My 10 year-old cousin could weave a more intricate and intelligent plotline than the whole legion of writers that GMA has. The only redeeming factor for this show is, yup, the wonderfully skimpy costumes that fed all hot-blooded males’ perversions right out of the pants.
Lobo: ABS CBN probably thought that once they have Angel Locsin in their possession, the tides of the network war might turn in their favor. Well, they were dead wrong. ‘Lobo’ was about characters that could turn into werewolves, and their soap opera journey of self-discovery. Angel Locsin thought that she can carry her luck over from GMA, but apparently, lady luck has loyalties as well. This just goes to prove that piracy, in all forms, does not pay.
So far I think that vacation was well worth taken. Apparently, I didn't miss a thing. It was as though I never left, because things remain the same; TV is still stupid.
