#encantadia review

[avisalaencantadia]

If you’ve followed me from the very start, you guys would notice that I’ve never published my own reviews or opinions over the show (except for some asks). This is because I prefer giving my opinions when a show is over. This gives my review some sense of finality.

But yeah... Anyway, just in case you want to read my rambles and opinions, feel free to click the “Keep reading” link below :) and yes the comic sans is intended

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’ll be dividing my feedback on certain aspects and then I’ll say what the Enca team did good and bad there. Brace yourselves, this is a very long post :))

Story/Plot

The Good

Modernizing the existing Encantadia plot - If you’ve watched Encantadia since 2005, you would know most of the 2016′s version plot derives from the original. But what I really liked with Encantadia 2016′s plot is how it was adjusted to reflect current day sensibilities and moralities like with how Amihan still loved and treated Mira as her own daughter after learning the truth, not making Mila/Lira into an archetypal abused maid, Lira and Mira being best friends and literally #cousin goals instead of love rivals, Ybramihan with their realistic and slow burn romance, Alena breaking out of the “first love never dies” trope, and so much more.

Book 1 - Book 1 (Episode 1 - 148) is the best part of Encantadia 2016. To be very honest, I really wished that the requel just ended with Book 1. Book 1 is, for the most part, well written. I like how little backstories were added from the start, the story was pretty much cohesive, most of the plot deviations from the original were logical (the fall of Amihan and the banishment of Pirena were superb), and the mortal world was less shown than from the original. Speaking of the mortal world, please see below :)

Involvement of the mortal world - Perhaps one of the best things I really liked from the plot of the requel is how the setting of the mortal world was used more logically. What I really didn’t like about the original is how around 50% of the scenes (until Lira returns to Encantadia) was divided into Encantadia scenes and then mortal world scenes and I was like, “this is a show about Encantadia right??” In this version, Mila/Lira’s growth in the mortal realm was not extended (they really did great in doing away with the maid-and-master-romance plot for Lira), Danaya and Alena’s exiles to the human world are sensible, Encantados - like Enuo, Mira, Lilasari and Hitano - choosing to live in the mortal realm was interesting, and the concept of “taong ligaw” as well. Seriously, if you know your migration and trade theories well, it’s very very logical that some Encantados would choose to live away from their motherland because y’know, it ain’t exactly peaceful in Encantadia. Or like the Bandidos who choose to go to the mortal realm to dabble in some trade... although of course human slave trade is definitely not right.

The Bad

The plot being obviously dragged out - All popular Philippine dramas are victims of extension due to public demand and it isn’t a secret that Encantadia was extended until Mulawin vs Ravena was ready. While I totally understand that GMA wanted to capitalize on the ratings success of Encantadia, unfortunately, the plot really suffered and Book 2 (together with the “Finding Lira” arc) looked like it wasn’t thought of very well. 

Plot handling - *ehem* You mean Book 2? *ehem* Ok, on paper, the premise of Encantadia is great. The problem is, most of the plot devices they introduced became too big for them to handle and the prime example was how they handled Book 2. Actually, Book 2 started well in showing what happened after Amihan’s death: 3 kingdoms flourishing, the threat of Etheria, the introduction of the 6 guardians-in-training, etc. But unfortunately, it fell apart: Lireo is great but why did it look that Ybrahim and Pirena were spending more time meddling with Lirean affairs than with Sapiro and Hathoria respectively? We all know that Etheria was a great kingdom but why didn’t they explore its history well and why did they make it fall again just to give way to Hagorn’s return? Oh and the 6 guardians in training? You know what? I really really loved it at first because it showed that not only royalty can become guardians but also normal Encantados (or a mortal like Pao Pao) as well. But after the massacre at Cassiopea’s island, all the remaining guardians-in-training became useless character scene fillers. Marami silang sinayang tbh...

Amihan-centric plot - For a show that used to highlight the four sisters, Book 1 revolved and highlighted mainly Amihan. From episode 1 until her death, we were made aware of Amihan’s significance due to Cassiopea’s prophecy and Hagorn’s obsession to kill her. If you watched the original series, you will see each Sang’gre was given enough air time and importance in the story. But since Amihan was given so much importance in the requel, this led to major plot issues when Kylie left the show. This was partially fixed in Book 2 where we see the three remaining Sang’gres united against Avria, Hagorn and Ether. However, it makes me wish they had an opportunity to do this with Amihan still alive. Which leads to...

Plot handling for actors who leave the show - For the requel we saw 2 major plot changes due to actors leaving the show: Kylie’s and Sunshine’s. Naturally, Kylie’s departure left a bigger hole in the plot and in our hearts than Sunshine’s. Of course I understand that the actors’ departures come from valid reasons (Kylie’s pregnancy and Sunshine’s schedule due to Ika-Anim na Utos) but I wish their character’s deaths and aftermaths were handled better, especially for Adhara. I had huge hopes for Adhara’s character only for her to die a very meh second death. No huge build up whatsoever nor any major revelations about her character. I’d really love to know the story they originally intended for Adhara. Was it taken over by Lilasari’s character? As for Amihan’s death, yes, it was handled very beautifully and logically but it’s the aftermath I had huge issues with. You can obviously see it in Book 2 :)

Worldbuilding and Lore

The good

Expansion of the existing Encantadia world and lore - In this requel, we were given a more solid Encantadia in terms geography: there’s a nice map and cultural distinctions between the different kingdoms were more apparent (I love the sigils and the aesthetic differences between the kingdoms). What I really love as well was the Nchan and Hathorka writing developed and explained to us. It gave us an excuse to write our names and words using these wonderful fictional but working scripts.

Limitations of the Sang’gres’ powers - Ok, some fans had issues with this but I really liked it when it was shown that the four Sang’gres only obtained special elemental powers when they have the gems in their possession. It was also a nice touch when they showed the Sang’gres not wearing their trademark warrior gears when the gems are not in their possession. This shows the Sang’gres do have weaknesses unlike their previous counterparts who can still manipulate their elements (albeit weaker) even without the gems. Because of this, it further emphasizes the gems’ importance: whoever obtains can become extremely powerful.

The deities backstories - In this requel, we get to find out there are actually 5 deities (bathala/bathaluman) instead of 3. It also showed that these deities are not all powerful and have weaknesses almost just like an average encantado. Instead of acting all-omnipotent (except Emre during Book 1), these deities acted a lot like the fickle and full-of-human-emotions Greek/Roman gods.

The bad

The fifth gem - I know a lot of people were asking about adding a new element but I did not like how they handled it. I mean, seriously, how can Cassiopea not know about its existence until the fall of Amihan? Was it because the one who obtained it was not an encantado but a batang ligaw? Speaking of batang ligaw, I did find it cute that the one who will first wield this gem is not an encantado but a little human boy. Paopao’s innocence highlights the fifth gem’s power, quintessence. However, what I highly disliked about the fifth gem is how it just became an accessory after Hagorn forced Paopao to give it to him. An extra gem to grab with no major significance unlike the four elemental gems and an alternative to the Earth gem for healing, that’s what it became. If only they let the grownup Paopao wield it again, then perhaps this gem could’ve become as significant as the others.

The deity involvement - While I first raved about adding the expansion of the deities and their backstories, I will rant about their incessant meddling (or the lack of it). For the first parts of Book 1, I liked how they maintained Emre is the Christian God-like deity, Arde is the guardian of Balaak (or hell) and Ether is the all-around mischievous meddler. I also found it cool at first that Arde and Ether both chose their champions (Adhara and Hagorn respectively) in their bid to regain power over Encantadia. However, I found it really annoying when their meddling became too much or when the encantados (*ehem* Avria *cough* Hagorn and to some extent, Lira) cannot do anything anymore except rely on their godly powers. Deus ex machina much? On the other hand, I generally thought the addition of Keros and Haliya was ok. I liked how Keros’ treachery brought about Emre’s downfall. Too bad he was killed even before he could have a total change of heart. I think it could’ve been cool if he aided Emre and gained followers after that. While Haliya was pretty useless, at least she still had some involvement in Emre and Cassiopea’s sidequest and to explain the origin of the double moon and Lilasari’s curse. It would’ve been cool if she did more. Anyway, long story short: I wish the deities meddled less and just maintained a certain distance from the encantados. Let the encantados do the work with some very occasional sprinkling of their divine blessings.

Adamya - Ok, so why was Adamya demoted from a kingdom to a protectorate territory of Lireo in the requel? I don’t get it why they made Adamya weaker than it is. Adamya had more relevance in the original series where the Diwatas usually seek refuge and get really sound advice from Imaw and his staff. However, in the requel, Imaw and the humanoid Adamyans (except the Gunikars and Nymfas) just stay with the Diwatas all the time. Is there really no desire in Imaw to return to his own homeland, see it flourish on its own and without the Sang’gres’ (especially Alena’s) help? It seems not because this is the vision of Memfes, the leader of the Gunikar tribe. While I had huge problems with him pursuing Alena, I just wished that his vision of a strong Adamya was shared by Imaw and its traditional denizens. I also wished that it was made clearer that the Gunikars and the Nymfas are technically Adamyans.

Characters and Relationships

Since Encantadia had a lot of characters, I will not be commenting on them all.

The good

Lira and Mira - Without any doubt, the Lira-Mira tandem proved to be one of the best things that happened to this requel. Like I’ve mentioned, I’m so glad they did away the love rivalry between the two cousins from the original series. It was utterly refreshing to see these two being close and doing their own adventures and shenanigans. One minor critique though, I just wished they had more character growth especially in Book 2 where they were promoted to Sang’gres.

Ybramihan - Ah, the pairing that launched a thousand ships in the requel. While I wasn’t a huge shipper myself, I really appreciated the slow burn romance between Amihan and Ybrahim. These are two leaders who are dealing with their own political and emotional issues yet still found themselves falling for each other. This mature and bittersweet kind of romance is a breath of fresh air in the sea of “pabebe” romances. I wonder if the Ybramihan endgame would still push through if Kylie did not leave the show.

Alena - Alena’s character started out as being really problematic. Lovestruck, pabebe, immature, shallow, weak - these are words I read from frustrated viewers on how they described Alena. I will also admit that I was really frustrated with Alena’s character because they made her so much weaker than her counterpart from the original series. However, thank Emre, the Encantadia crew seemed to our heard our prayers and wrote a strong and beautiful Alena in Book 2. Alena shows that despite all the hardships she suffered and endured, she learned from them and emerged a woman with the voice of reason and wisdom. I also think it was awesome that she didn’t rekindle her relationship with Ybrahim despite still having feelings for him. We really need to show less of this “first love as true love” trope and more of this “never wanted the crown but ended up as a deserving and independent queen” narrative. Alena’s character growth was one of the few things right in Book 2.

Hagorn -  Hagorn is proof you can write multi-dimensional villains. Coupled with John Arcilla’s excellent acting, I think Hagorn was beautifully portrayed. Here, we saw a king who became consumed by his rage over the injustices he experienced: Mine-a breaking his heart, his father whom he idolized being killed and falsely believing Raquim (a friend turned enemy) to have done the deed, the once mighty Hathoria being cursed, Lilasari breaking his heart and Deshna hidden from him. While yes, all of his actions can be called evil but in its essence is Hagorn’s desire to be respected and loved. Pirena is indeed very similar to her father but the difference is Hagorn let anger harden his heart completely. Although one major critique I can give of him is... why must he be so damn overpowered?? I get it that antagonists need to be more powerful than the protagonists at first but as the series progress, why must Hagorn be always gaining powers all the time??

The bad

The Etherians - I was first excited about the news they were going to bring back the Etherians in the requel since I loved the Etheria arc from the original series. However, this excitement turned into frustration when we saw flat villains on our screen again. So we know Avria and the gang are power-thirsty encantados whom Ether revived because Hagorn was presumed to be dead. However, what was their story? What really happened in the Great Etherian War? Unlike in the original series’ Etheria, we find out the reason they antagonized the Diwatas was because of a prophecy that predicts their downfall. However, for the requel, nothing was explained except their desire for vengeance against the races that brought their first downfall. And that’s it. Added to the fact our beloved Sang’gres know nothing about their history which added to my eye-rolling moments.

Aquil - You may know me as an avid Danquil shipper but I highly disliked how they handled Aquil’s character for the requel. Gone was the Lirean mashna whose loyalty and dedication was at par with Danaya’s but was replaced by a lovestruck man whose character was mainly hinged on the stubborn Sang’gre. While we did see glimpses of Aquil’s loyalty to the Lirean crown but it was really lacking compared to the original. If Muros and the soldiers did not call Aquil “mashna”, I would think of him as a normal soldier who happens to be in love with Danaya. While yes, as a Danquil shipper I am satisfied with their scenes, but as a character he fell flat. And sorry Aquil, Muros made a better mashna. PS: I have no issues with Rocco’s acting. He did well. It’s the characterization I have issues with.

Ariana - Oh Ariana... So much has been said about Ariana but I’ll say this. On paper, the sarkosi/reincarnation concept was nice but it was the execution that fell flat. I will not touch upon Arra’s acting but there were so many plot holes that came along with Amihan’s reincarnation as Ariana. So when Ariana died and Amihan’s ivtre came in, why were Ariana’s memories retained? Where did Ariana’s ivtre go? It was answered in the finale since Ariana’s ivtre came along in the Devas bunch. But I thought the memories and consciousness of an encantado lie in their ivtre/spirit? I guess not. Also, the Ariana we saw is already the Sarkosi!Amihan version. Who is the real Ariana? Would the real Ariana still be chosen by the Air Gem as its next guardian? Will she still have feelings for Ybrahim without Amihan’s ivtre in her? So many questions about this tbh. I would’ve really preferred if they went with the typical reincarnation route where a newborn encantada will grow up discovering she was Amihan in her past life.

Production

The good

Special effects - While it still has room for improvement, I must say it has HUGELY improved since the original series! The transformation sequence, ivictus scenes and even the gem wielding scenes were very smooth. Just a bit more refinement especially in the rendering of creatures (ex. Arde’s dragon form, Ether’s snake form, etc.) and I truly believe we can be at par with other fantasy series. 

Fight scenes - This is what I really loved in this requel. The fight scenes are quicker and smoother compared to the original. Kylie’s martial arts skills were in full display and were duly appreciated by the fans in return. Even Sanya’s arnis skills did not go unnoticed. I also appreciated the fact that even the actors who didn’t necessarily have martial arts skills refrained from using stunt doubles (for most part I guess). At least you can see their dedication in really embodying their characters.

Costumes for Book 1 - I may be one of the few people who’ll say this but I loved the warrior gear for this version. Yes, it may looked less detailed or bongga than the original but I think it suited this requel’s modern fantasy feel. It also enabled the actors to move more freely (thus better fight scenes). I also appreciated the fact the Sang’gres were not shown in highly sexualized scenes despite their costumes being revealing (thank you Direk Mark for not doing what male Western fantasy directors usually do). As for the gowns, I was in love with the Francis Libiran gowns. I just wish that kind of costume aesthetic was maintained throughout the whole series... (more on that later). 

Kingdom throne room set design - I liked how unique each kingdom’s throne rooms looked like. From the airy Lirean throne room to the dark and ominous Hathorian throne room, it added to the emphasis of culture differences between each kingdoms. 

Soundtrack - Who here is getting goosebumps when you hear the remixed Tadhana at the start of each episode? Or the ethnic chanting during burial scenes? I think the Encantadia crew did a good job in composing unique music to use for the requel. I’m also glad they didn’t seem to reuse music from existing teleseryes. 

The bad

Too much studio filming - While I understand logistical constraints in shooting outside the studio but it contributed to the “fake” feel of the scenes. There were many scenes that could’ve been better if they were shot outdoors. There are times when the studio sets looked obviously fake. 

Costumes for Book 2 - In Book 2, we saw a time skip and naturally, we saw costume changes. However, a lot of them looked awkwardly stitched or ill-fitting to the actors. The general aesthetic also changed and sometimes out of place. I understand not all costumes can be “Francis Libiran level” but I wish the costume aesthetic was given more attention by the production crew. We also saw costume recycling within the actors especially with Sanya wearing Marian’s Mine-a gown (not a new occurrence though since Diana also wore Dawn’s Mine-a gown).

Overall

While there are many things to left to be said, overall, the Encantadia requel still proved to be a general success. Not only did it manage to rekindle childhood fantasy emotions from the fans of the original series but had also brought in a new generation of fans. 

Encantadia reinforced the notion of girl power and has once again showed us kickass and multi-dimensional women on TV. Encantadia also proved we can produce a successful fantasy series of our own aside from the ones Americans, Europeans or Koreans produce.

Do I want a Season 2? Of course but only if it can be better than the previous season with better commitment to the plot, character and actor handling :)

Avisala eshma to the whole Encantadia crew and to fellow fans who made the watching experience more colorful. If you managed to read the whole review, thank you as well. Feel free to leave comments or messages if you wish. I’ll be open to discussion :)

[iris-sistibly]

Check out my stuff here:

Filipino shows

Encantadia

Fanfictions

Beloved - Encantadia Revisited: Amihan's POV - Ikaw, Ako at ang ating Paraiso - Twilight

Misc

4Rs episode reviews: iris-sistibly.tumblr.com/tagged/encantadia/chrono - Discussions

Poems/Character Tributes

Invidia - Gemini - Honor thy Love - Letter to Mira - Nemesis - Panaghoy ni Cassiopeia - Vivid

Snippets

Athena - Aphrodite - Discordia - Gaia - The King and the broken string - The queen, the prince, and their red ribbon of fate - Ybramihan/KyRu/Adix

Maria Clara at Ibarra

Fanfiction

Ang Hinagpis ni Maria Clara

Kdramas

Fanfictions

Epilogue (Mr. Queen) - Seo Dan's Wish (Crash Landing on You) - The Devil in me (Strangers from hell/Hell is other people)- Revised version -The Bamboo Forest (Mr. Queen)- Unbreakable Love (The King: Eternal Monarch) - Until Forever (Queen of Tears)

HBO Series

Review series

The Targ Talk (House of the Dragon): iris-sistibly.tumblr.com/tagged/3Ts

Fanfictions

Aftermath of an Almost Sinful Night (House of the Dragon) - An ode to ice and fire (Game of Thrones) - Visenya (House of the Dragon)

Netflix Series/Movies

Fanfictions

The Witcher

Broken Pieces - Ciri's lullaby - First Period - Geraskefer fic (AU)- Geraskefer AU (2) - Mine - The baby, the idiots, and one angry papa

Drama commentaries

Queen of Tears - The Impossible Heir

Random shits (misc)

[daef-is-dis-ish]

[Project Star: Makeover Story] Dating Show Guide

★・・・・・★・・・・・★・・・・・★★★★★★・・・・・★★・・・・・★・・・・・★

Henlo everyone! Aberline here from Server 13!ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ I tried making a guide based on my answers and this is my first time so please bear with me. Also, excuse my English it’s not my first language (*_ _)人 I hope that this guide will be of help to you, even a little bit hehe. There is a link down below if you want to view the guide in PDF. Thank you and enjoy your date with Cari!  (≧◡≦) ♡

Notes: Some of the choices will have the options to unlock other choices. There are a total of 8 endings you can get. After every ending you can get a reward item and a Time Watch where you can rewind time and go back to a specific chapter and episodes to review/change your answers.

If there is no (+10) or anything it means that you either get nothing or it doesn’t matter what choice you pick.

The number of (+) the Love Rate gives also depends on your choices and the ending you’re aiming for. You will see that some choices will appear to have no (+) or has a higher number but in a different ending you’ll see that there is one or none at all. Example: In Single Queen Ending, during 2-1 the choice ‘Sounds like a plan’ does not give Love Rate at all whiles in most endings there is a (+20).

Still don’t know if the Love Rate impacts the story overall but you can get different amounts of Love Rate depending on how you choose whether you explicitly follow the guide or not.

Those with the “★” means I haven’t explored all the options and will soon update for more information.

 If you want to see the simplified version of each ending with their corresponding answers, scroll to the very bottom. Thanksu!

If there are any corrections or inquiries, please message me at Discord: Aberline #7441

Special thanks to: The ates of Encantadia Guild (ﾉ∀`♥)

ENDINGS

No End Made Ending (+1 Time Watch, Ivy)

Coming Meteor Ending (+1 Time Watch, Spring View)

Illusion Ending (+1 Time Watch, Sakura Chain)

Distant Tears Ending (+1 Time Watch, Sakura Season)

Memory Ending (+1 Time Watch, Perfect Gift)

Parallel Ending (+1 Time Watch, Spring Dream)

Single Queen Ending (+1 Time Watch, Paper Plane)

Past, Present, Future Ending (+1 Warm Breeze, Spring Tour)

I. STAGE 1

♥ Prologue – Invitation ♥

Hesitated

Accept

Refuse (You get ‘No End Made’ Ending Total Love Rate: 0)

Sounds good

 ♥ 1-1 Sakura ♥

Surprised (+20 You can only get this if you selected “Accept” in the Prologue)

Hesitated

Thank him

 Handheld Game Console

Sunscreen and Insect Repellent (+20)

Picnic Food ★

 ♥ 1-2 Nodding Acquaintance ♥

Roses are good (+10)

What do you like?? (+30)

 Leave it be (Unlock ‘1-3c Exchange Gifts’ stage)

Look around (+20 You can only get this if you selected “Sunscreen and Insect Repellent” in Stage 1-1; Unlock ‘1-3b Blessings of Rose‘ stage)

Take down the kite (Unlock ‘1-3 Kite in the Field’ stage)

 ♥ 1-3 Kite in the Field ♥

No choices available

♥ 1-3b Blessings of Rose ♥

No choices available

♥ 1-3c Exchange Gifts ♥

No choices available

 ♥ Interlude – Next-Day Plan ♥

Don’t mix them up (+30 Note: You must trigger the ‘Interlude – Futile Affection (Secret)’ that is necessary for the Past, Present, Future Ending here)

That’s amazing (+10)

 ♥ Interlude – Futile Affection (Secret) ♥

Unlock after completing 1-3b with 90 Love Rate

Note: Start reading this first before proceeding to Chapter II to get the Past, Present, Future Ending. DON’T SKIP! Also, it’s better if you follow the guide for the Past, Present, Future exactly as it is for 100% chance.

 II. STAGE 2

♥ 2-1 Greenfield Trip ♥

Sounds like a plan (+20)

Let’s do this (+20, +30)

Nevermind

I don’t know how to ride a bike

Keep chit-chatting ★

Enjoy the view (+10)

 ♥ 2-2 Fruitless Chase ♥

It’s very hard to tell (+20, +30)

He is pathetic (You get ‘Illusion’ Ending Total Love Rate: 50)

He is happy (+50)

 ♥ 2-3a Trump Card ♥

No choices available

♥ 2-3b Trump Card ♥

No choices available

 ♥ Interlude – Secret Talk ♥

Absolutely not

Not there yet (+20)

 Visiting the night market (+20 Unlock ‘3-1b Frost on Snow’)

A boat tour (Unlock ‘3-1a Magical Paradise’)

Playing video games (You get ‘Distant Tears’ Ending Total Love Rate: 110)

 ♥ Interlude – Late Night Worries (Hidden) ♥

Unlock after completing 1-3b with 190 Love Rate

Note: Start reading this first before proceeding to Chapter III to get the Past, Present, Future Ending. DON’T SKIP! Also, it’s better if you follow the guide for the Past, Present, Future exactly as it is for 100% chance.

 ♥ 3-1a Magical Paradise ♥

Slimes don’t exist

I’m ready for it (+10)

 ♥ 3-1b Frost on Snow ♥

Distract him (+20)

Tell him the truth (+20)

 ♥ 3-2a Haunted House ♥

Stay that way (+10)

Hold his hand (+30)

 ♥ 3-2b Rabbit and Fox ♥

See how it goes (+20)

Leave this place (+10, +30)

 ♥ 3-3a Boat Ride ♥

There are no better options (+20 You get ‘Parallel’ Ending Total Love Rate: 150) This place sounds fun (+30 You get ‘Memory’ Ending Total Love Rate: 150)

Note: You both get to unlock Interlude - Warm Sunshine here.

 ♥ 3-3b Firework Show ♥

There are memories of the past (+50 Unlock ‘Interlude – Love You’)

There are lots of delicious food (You get ‘Single Queen’ Ending Total Love Rate: 90)

Note: You both get to unlock Interlude – Love You here. You can either get Coming Meteor and/or Past, Present, Future Ending here as well

 ♥ Interlude – Warm Sunshine ♥

No choices available

 ♥ Interlude – Love You ♥

No choices available

You get ‘Coming Meteor’ Ending Total Love Rate: 270

 ♥ Interlude – Past, Present, Future ♥

No choices available

You get ‘Past, Present, Future’ Ending Total Love Rate: 300

★・・・・・★・・・・・★・・・・・★★★★★★・・・・・★★・・・・・★・・・・・★

No End Made Ending

Coming Meteor Ending

Illusion Ending

Distant Tears Ending

Parallel Ending

Memory Ending

Single Queen Ending

Past, Present, Future Ending

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v8SHlMET-t-wXJiBpnvOl1rKlAYfShnu/view?usp=sharing

[chinoygeek]

7 BINGE-TUNED TV SHOWS (JUNE-JULY 2020)

1) Tharntype- provocative & romantic. A story with a heartfelt twist. Love scenes aren’t porno like but was sensual. Just an adorable couple “MewGulf” off & onscreen Season 2 premieres 4th quarter this year so i’m really ecstatic what’s happening next.

Ratings & Review: 8/10 (Positive)

2) Love, Victor- breaking stereotype heterosexual mainstream rom-coms. It’s the golden age of mainstream BL tv series genre. Unexpected crossovers from a few casts of Love, Simon. It’s relatable, realistic, & lovable show. Season 2 is rolling hopefully next year.

Ratings & Review: 9/10 (Positive)

3) Mulawin vs Ravena- binge watched 85 episodes for 2 months on GMA Official Youtube account. This Filipino original fantasy drama series is phenomenal just like Encantadia. Great visual effects, location & costume design. Although the conclusion was a bit off, overall was pretty good. Season 3 is a wishlist.

Ratings & Review: 7/10 (Average)

4) Control Z- “Think before you click” is really important to secure social media & privacy to safety. Generation Z/ millenial culture is pragmatic on this show. It’s tone is baffling, gloomy yet entertaining. Season 2 announced for next year’s release.

Ratings & Review: 8/10, (Positive)

5) The Politician- unique, ambitious & joyful to view. Tackles the “dirty” politics. Moral stories & sensitive topics are foretold throughout the show which is uplifting & educational. Season 3 is a potential next year.

Ratings & Review: 7/10 (Average)

6) Money Heist- phenomenal, intelligent & an unpredictable crime heist drama series. The plot & characters are astounding. Season 5 is in the works bound to premiere this 2021.

Ratings & Review: 8/10 (Positive)

7) Warrior Nun- women empowered, action packed & a“badass” fantasy series. The concept has resemblance to films of Priest & Legion. Liking how fiction can make biblical & scientific elements be appealing of this show. Season 2 is definitely a renewal next year.

Ratings & Review: 7/10 (Average)

[justrhenz]

It is a very heartbreaking episode. Then I noticed that Amihan's character somehow resembles a savior that most of us know. 

 Mentioned on a prophecy as a savior to a promised land and will end the rule of the sinner. 

As a child, her life was in danger that her loved ones fled her into safety. 

Raised with guidance from her Father and grace with love and kindness from her Mother. 

Lived almost as an ordinary being, realms away from her kingdom. 

Suffered so much pain and struggles to balance peace in her land. 

Betrayed by someone from her own kin whom she trusted. 

But in return, she kept to rule with love, compassion and believes in the right justice, mercy, and forgiveness. 

Sacrificed herself to save her people. 

Tragic death from the hands of her enemies. Will ascend to the heavens and reunite with her Mother and Father and the Holy God. 

Surely, she will rise again either in flesh or in spirit. 

Will bring salvation to the living whose hands are in the mercy of terror and evil. Avisala Meiste Hara Amihan. E corre diu - Rhenz

[professor-abeloved]

RULES: FINISH THESE 92 STATEMENTS AND TAG 20 PEOPLE.

Got meme’d on tagged by my homie @principal-mc !! thanks bud i love youuuu <3

THE LAST:

1. Drink: c2 lemon 2. Phone call: my mom 3. Text message: my best friend @rpgskill <3 4. Song you listened to:  Mahiwagang Puso from the Encantadia 2005 OST 5. Time you cried: uh, yesterday

HAVE YOU:

6. Dated someone twice: nah  7. Kissed someone and regretted it: nope 8. Been cheated on: hindi 9. Lost someone special: er no 10. Been depressed:  always yeah 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: drunk yes, thrown up no

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS:

12. purple!! it’s always been my favorite hehe 13. mint green 14. blue

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

15. Made new friends: yup both on here and irl! i love you guys!! 16. Fallen out of love: no... i’ve fallen out of my qp feelings tho if that counts? 17. Laughed until you cried: yES oh my god i always tear up if i laugh too hard 18. Found out someone was talking about you: yeah. 19. Met someone who changed you: “everyone you meet changes you for better or for worse… change is continuous and inevitable so this is a given” <- couldn’t have said it better myself @principal-mc 20. Found out who your friends are: yup, i did when they were there for me/tried to be there for me.  21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: dein

GENERAL:

22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: about 90%? my account is personal kasi. although i do have some friends that i added for ~fb games~ when i was 10... and some people that added me because we have 100+ mutual friends. okay actually, sometimes i randomly add cute people that fb suggests for me to see if they’ll respond and they do!! i find it funny HAHA and then months later i find out they go to a different university or even a different country... 23. Do you have any pets: ish? my family has pet dogs in the province, though we used to have a lot of fish and rabbbits 24. Do you want to change your name: yep! someday i’ll find a way to make the name-changing process easier in the Philippines, I promise. 25. What did you do for your last Birthday: uh had an anxiety attack because there was block drama and i didn’t know what to do when inviting my blockmates out lol 26. What time did you wake up: 12:13 PM 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: posting the amazing art i had commissioned from Millerizo aka Mod Ton from Buhay Kolehiyo!! i’m in love with her art, i swear. 28. Name something you can’t wait for: to fix my damn bank account lol 29. When was the last time you saw your mom: an hour ago? 30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: me HAHAHA uh fuck, my hang-ups and flaws i guess 31. What are you listening right now: the television 32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: 707′s neighbor Tom? actually wait i think I have a niehgbor named Tom omg 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: “Pixelberry’s writing team” ...actually same, Zee. honestly i’m so disappointed. 34. Most visited Website: Tumblr 35. Mole/s: On my right thigh and left shoulder lmao 36. Mark/s: uh i got a lot of stretchmarks on my thighs and stomach 37. Childhood dream: becoming a superhero. tbh it’s a work in progress, there’s gotta be a radioactive spider here somewhere... 38. Hair color: brown with blond hightlights 39. Long or short hair: short!! 40. Do you have a crush on someone: sighs yes and he doesn’t go to my uni anymore :^( 41. What do you like about yourself: my writing!! 42. Piercings: my ears are pierced 43. Blood type: A positive walang aayaw 44. Nickname: El/L/Elle  you spell it however you want haha 45. Relationship status: single but married to about a billion fictional characters 46. Zodiac: Virgo~ 47. Pronouns: they/them, he/him, she/her it i’m cool with them all since i’m bigender lol 48. Favorite TV Show/s: Steven Universe, Brookline 99, HIMYM, Encantadia (2005 and 2016 huhu i miss it so much) 49. Tattoos: waley 50. Right or left hand: right 51. Surgery: i’m actually gonna have an operation for my wisdom teeth on Thursday haha pls pray for me 52. Hair dyed in different color: er highlights count right? though i do plan to dye it purple 53. Sport: i don’t... do sports though i hope to do arnis or something with swords in the future! 55. Vacation: YES PLEASE. technically im having it right now though we have a project to submit tomorrow 56. Pair of trainers: oh they’re like rubber shoes? i think well yeah i have like 3 pairs

MORE GENERAL:

57. Eating: siomai and cheese sticks! 58. Drinking: c2 pa rin mga ulol 59. I’m about to: start on that letter to pb bc really wtf. 61. Waiting for: him lol charot. actually i am waiting for maxwell to be an LI so?? 62. Want: peace and happiness for the world 63. Get married: um it’s not in my plan but if a future partner wants to and/or if there are tax benefits then sure? 64. Career: student po 65. Hugs or kisses: hugs!! 66. Lips or eyes: eyes eyes baby 67. Shorter or taller: can they be the same height? i’m 5 feet tall so most people are taller than me anyway 68. Older or younger: er older? 70. Nice arms or nice stomach: i only have one weakness, the kryptonite to my superman, the one thing that turns me into a puddle on the floor... biceps 71. Sensitive or loud: tbh both. like i’d say loud but i also need someone sensitive because i’m shit at expressing myself 72. Hook up or relationship: i’m grayro ace buddy so neither. 73. Troublemaker or hesitant: troublemaker lmao. pranksters are cute (as long as the prank doesn’t harm anymore/make them uncomfortable) and yes troublemakers for the oppressive system make my heart go boom <3

HAVE YOU EVER:

74. Kissed a stranger: ew 75. Drank hard liquor: not yet 76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: dude i lost my right contact lens during a math review and i kind of stopped wearing them 77. Turned someone down: ...yes. more times than i’d like. 78. Sex in the first date: L O L 79. Broken someone’s heart: i hope to god not 80. Had your heart broken: i wouldn’t know, i don’t have one 81. Been arrested: nah 82. Cried when someone died: yes. 83. Fallen for a friend: uh do QP feelings count as falling? because if so yes.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

84. Yourself: someday, i hope to 85. Miracles: yup! 86. Love at first sight: no. i believe in attraction at first sight, but not love 87. Santa Claus: yeah, it killed me when i found out my mom was writing those letters to santa. it was funny though because one time i asked who santa was, and they gave me a 9 page research of the origin of santa HAHAHAH 88. Kiss on the first date: uh if i like them enough and if they initiate, maybe 89. Angels: yes zee is an angel <3 all of you reading this are angels too <3

OTHER:

90. Current best friend’s name: kristi 91. Eyecolor: hazel brown/light brown with dark flecks 92. Favorite movie: Ghostbusters 2016!! watched it thrice hehe. oh and i recently watched kubo and the two strings and fell in love <3

Tagging: @quinnskelly @mirasols @mewly/@molliartsie @lanapowellblog @ladyashtonofcordonia @grimdarkpixels @keephollywoodweird/@gunfawkes @hollyashton @jebsplayshss/@spacetravels @sarcasticchoices @andythenerdyfriend @ohmymaxwell​ @kittenmusicals​ @rr-roe-es​ @maxwellbeauxmont​ @mermadeheart​/@pixelberry-pippa​ @danielnelsen @evapaw-of-thunderclan @lifeof314universe @craighsiao and anyone else who wants to do this!!

[avisalaencantadia]

Things About the Mulawin vs Ravena Crossover

ICYMI, Pirena and Lira are currently “guesting” in Mulawin vs Ravena, fulfilling the ongoing the tradition of crossing over characters from the two fantaseryes. 

While everyone (including me of course) is rejoicing over the return to television of two our beloved Encantadia characters, their presence in Mulawin vs Ravena leads us (or me at least) to one big question: How come Glaiza and Mikee are portraying the 2016 versions of the Sang’gres and not the 2005 versions?

As mentioned in a post, the creators of the two shows reiterated that the two Encantadias are alternate universes of each other. This makes the Pirena of Sunshine Dizon different from the Pirena of Glaiza de Castro and the same goes for all characters from each version. 

For Mulawin vs Ravena’s case, since it’s a direct sequel, they said that they are following the timeline of the original Mulawin series. This makes Angel Locsin’s Alwina the same one that Heart Evangelista portrayed and so on. To show the chronological progression of the Mulawin’s story: Mulawin (2004) - Mulawin The Movie (2005) - Mulawin vs Ravena (2017). 

While the first instance of a “crossover” happened in Mulawin when Alwina was brought Encantadia, the first “official” crossover with the Encantadia that we are familiar with happened in Mulawin The Movie where the four Sang’gres and Ybrahim were present. Obviously, the versions of the Sang’gres in the movie were from 2005 because they were the only versions of them at that time.

When the news broke out that Pirena and Lira will appear in Mulawin vs Ravena, some were asking which versions are they going to portray? Logically, they should’ve portrayed the 2005 versions because MvR is following the original timeline. However, to my not-so-surprise, the Pirena and Lira that appeared are from the 2016 versions. I thought they were different? 

On the other hand, much to my real surprise, last night’s episode showed that Glaiza’s Pirena seems to have done the same thing that Sunshine’s Pirena did from the movie while still maintaining to be the 2016 version: Glaiza’s Pirena knows the Ravenas, claims to have done something wrong towards the Mulawins (I thought it’s because the Mulawins in Encantadia were murdered during her reign in Lireo but Pirena in the movie revived Ravenum remember?) and knows the Tres Aves (they only appeared in the movie).

Not only did last night’s episode show Pirena knowing things she should not have if it was the 2016 version but it also addressed the existence of the other Pagaspas from Encantadia (2016). It was revealed that there are two Pagaspas: one who’s a full-blooded Mulawin and one who’s a Tabon (or a half-blood). The one who helped Mikee’s Lira is the Tabon Pagaspas. On the other hand, the show maintains that MvR’s Pagaspas had only visited Encantadia when he was a kid and has even met Amihan (as shown in the movie).

With these details, it’s as if MvR’s writers merged the two Encantadias. However, is it really tale of two merging universes or major retconning?

While Encantadia (2005) and Mulawin the Movie retconned the Encantadia shown in Mulawin big time, I’d like to think that MvR’s writers did not merge the two versions but have still maintained them separate. How? By implying that events that happened in Mulawin and in the movie also happened in Encantadia’s (2016) timeline. 

Because seriously, how else will Glaiza’s Pirena know about these things if she didn’t do it too? How else can they maintain that there are two separate Pagaspas if the events from the movie did not exist as well in the timeline of the requel? 

While there are only two episodes that has Pirena and Lira so far, there are still many opportunities to officially explain why their 2016 versions are brought in. If this is the reason that MvR’s writers have, to patch up that gaping plot hole, then they have my applause. I think it’s brilliant :)

And if you read the whole thing and survived, I congratulate you haha. Although, what do you guys think? I’d love to hear your theories as well :)

[iris-sistibly]

Was about to post this last week pero tinamad ako 😂😂😂 (sarreh!)

It isn’t a surprise that some diwatas will pay a visit to their Mulawin friends and vice versa and it seems to be like a tradition between two shows which is pretty cool. Now if you have been following me for quite some time you already know that Encantadia is the only Filipino fantasy series that I faithfully followed and have been loving since 2005, and I wasn’t really planning to watch MVR since I never watched the prequel, but someone asked me to write a review about the MVR-Encantadia cross-over so…uh…

I do apologize if I couldn’t really say much about the story since I’m not a Mulawin fanatic and I literally only watched two episodes (and it’s from the sequel mind you) and it was last week’s for the sake of this so-called review…I wouldn’t even call this a review, soooooo…I can only say something based on those two episodes that I watched.

Raves:

❤ Glaiza and Mikee in their sang'gre costumes again (duh) ❤ Pirena and Lira’s characters despite having very different personalities blend perfectly. Ashti-hadiya goals indeed! ❤For my part, it’s refreshing to see Lira and Pirena in a different realm. ❤Lira’s cellphone is EVERYTHING! ❤Mulawin’s cast ensemble is actually great, I’m glad they did not repeat Encantadia’s mistake (yes, I’m still shady and bitter af).

Not-so-rant Rant: 🤔 I thought they are following the universe of the original Encantadia so I was expecting that Glaiza and Mikee would be portraying the 2005 versions of Pirena and Lira. But I think they chose to bring back the 2016 versions of those two characters so more fans could relate, or maybe like what @avisalaencantadia said, they merged both Encantadia 2005 and 2016–that idea is pretty interesting but I’m not gonna lie I am worried, it will be challenging, they have to pay attention to the details of both Enca versions and MVRs as well to avoid or at least minimize the plot holes and to NOT confuse the viewers especially fanatics of the Mulawin prequel and Encantadia, they have to come up with something and not just “something-for-the-sake-of-it something,” more like a logical explanation kind of something to “merge” the universe of Enca ‘05 and ‘16 and connect it to the story of MVR, otherwise, it will really, really suck.

Anyhoo, I believe MVR still has a long way to go and has LOTS of stories to tell so we shall see.

[chinoygeek]

Top 10 TV Series I Loved this 2018

I know it’s not yet 2019, but i had to make an early year-ender special as for the next 4 months I’ll be in the state of social media hiatus due to attending reviews of my upcoming licensure exam this Feb.

1. A Poem A Day- Rom-com K-drama that tackles about Physical Therapy (PT) which is my future profession. Relatable, kilig feels, hilarious and affectionate. We need a Season 2 for this Koreanovela! *fingers crossed*

Ratings & Review: 5/5; Positive Reviews

2. Princess Hours Thailand- a remake from the original Korean version which I didn’t watch the latter. Funny & kiligable though it was in Thai language, I’m thankful for Tagalog dubs in GMA & English subs in the Internet. So bitin that it was aired for only 20 episodes as it’s a tradition for K-dramas remake agreement. Looking forward to watch more Lakorn Thai especially original content (counterpart to Filipino teleserye). “Khob kun kaa!”

Ratings & Review: 4/5; Positive Reviews

3. Young Sheldon- I admire the older Sheldon in TBBT but i truly adore the kiddie version on this prequel series. Refreshing, nostalgic and amusing. So excited to what’s in store for Season 2 later this month!

Ratings & Review: 4/5; Positive Reviews

4. Riverdale- I was supposed to watch this last year but due to busy internship sched it didn’t push through. So i watched the 2 seasons after grad and I didn’t get a hard time knowing the characters because I love Archie Comics. Though the theme is kinda dark, I  really like the Thriller vibe. Eager to watch Season 3 this October!

Ratings & Review: 3/5; Mixed Reviews

5. The Big Bang Theory- I was sad that the upcoming season 12 is the last for this show but i admit the humor is disappearing. But still an avid viewer to this series i marathon watched for the past 3 years, and always good vibes whenever i tune every episode on this.

Ratings & Review: 3/5; Mixed Reviews

6. HTGAWM- Season 4 wasn’t my favorite cause it has some bland and dull moments, i still prefer the past seasons especially if Wes was still alive. The crime thriller is now in Season 5 later this month and still binge watch this series and hope it will get better as new characters were added.

Ratings & Review: 3/5; Mixed Reviews

7. 13 Reasons Why- Season 2 was fine, dealing to fight Hannah Baker’s justice.  Still to take notice on Season 3 next year on the flow of the story.

Ratings & Review: 3/5; Mixed Reviews

8. Ancient Aliens- Season 13 was dope, Replaying from the past seasons awakened my interest to aliens. And this show proves to be convincingly believable and there is no way they talk about pseudoscience. Happy that their extended by History Channel!

Ratings & Review: 4/5; Positive Reviews

9. Bagani- Was interested to get hooked on this show cause it was similar to Encantadia. I like the plot, costume, setting, special effects,etc. but i was disappointed on the finale because it was tasteless. Therefore I conclude, GMA is still undisputed making legit Fantaseryes than ABS-CBN. Still Half Kapamilya/Kapuso.

Ratings & Review: 2/5; Negative Reviews

10. Insatiable- I watched the pilot episode and it was satisfactory but as I finished the 1st season it was getting awful. The bad reviews truly were accurate, not suitable for young audiences and really a FLOP. Season 2 is in the works, I still give it a try on what’s next for this show but if it’s bad then should have stop watching it.

Ratings & Review: 2/5; Negative Reviews

[avisalaencantadia]

Thank you GMA and the whole Encantadia crew for uploading the Director's cut of the finale. While the support has never waned, watching this made all the intense feelings over this show come back. It's a very nice closure.

With this, I think I'm ready to share my long overdue series review ;)

[iris-sistibly]

4R’s: Encantadia Season 2 (May 8, 2017 episode review)

Episode 209

Recap:

Keros’ true colors

Kahlil was captured and was brought to Keros who has been keeping track of Emre and Cassiopeia’s progress. Kahlil reminded Keros of his friendship with Emre and if he can really let someone who treated him fairly down which hit Keros’ conscience. Being unable to withstand Emre’s struggles anymore, he appeared before the two with Galatea. The latter holding a platter of fruits from the tree of life—the antidote to Ether’s poison, Keros is not a really a bad god and only wanted to break free from his curse of being the god of destruction, Ether and Arde promised to help him which prompted him to join their side. Emre tried to make Keros see the good in his powers but the latter refused to listen, he couldn’t break his allegiance with Arde and Ether anymore, he urged the two to eat the fruits and leave Devas. Emre and Cassiopeia were finally cured, Emre initially wanted Cassiopeia to go back to Encantadia but the latter refused and stood firm on her decision to stay by his side until he wins Devas back. Emre admired Cassiopeia, truly she deserves to be a goddess.

Ether and Arde returned to Devas and noticed that a part of the tree of life is burned and some of the fruits were missing. Ether began suspecting but Keros quickly bluffed and walked away. The goddess knew he was lying but for now, they have to eliminate Emre and Cassiopeia first who has finally broke free from her curse.

How to get the diwanis back

The sang’gres were relieved that Deshna has returned to Lireo especially her older sister Pirena, Deshna realized how bad their father was and apologized for being angry at the diwatas, but she wasn’t planning to stay for long because she was planning to look for Lila Sari, Alena assured that they will help her but asked Deshna to stay in the palace for it was still dangerous outside.

Pirena who was initially warned by her sisters not to do anything impulsive sneaked in Hagorn’s camp to save her daughter and niece. Hagorn sensed her presence after noticing that his guards were missing (they were all killed by Pirena), Pirena showed up and demanded for Mira and Lira, Hagorn refused to hand over the two without Pirena and sisters surrendering their gems, Andora and Deshna. Pirena refused to do that and attempted to rescue Mira and Lira, she found them, but failed to take them away for Hagorn casted a barrier to prevent Pirena from getting them. Pirena threatened to kill Hagorn’s Mashnas but he was willing to sacrifice the lives of Asval and Andora for power and went ivictus, Alena, Danaya and Ybrahim came and aided Pirena after finding out what she did, they succeeded in battle but failed to rescue the princesses. Lira and Mira were taken to Old Etheria where Hagorn was planning to lock them up and make sure that the sang’gres will never find them. The sang’gres were placed in a predicament on how are they going to save the diwanis without the sisters surrendering their gems, Alena came up with a plan, a risky one but worth the try, Pirena thanked her and volunteered to carry it out. Ybrahim praised her for changing to much over the years, she’s no longer the weak and fragile sang’gre but a strong and smart one, truly, Alena also deserves to be a leader.

Rave/s:

💚Yay Alena has once again proven that she can be a leader, is this a sign that she’s going to take over Adamya and become it’s queen? I would love to see that. Also, cheers to AzPiren for making me kilig tonight, what will this show do without love teams? (Insert sarcasm). The only thing I am wishing right now is for Mira and Lira to at least prove themselves worthy for their titles as sang’gres and destined keeper of the water and earth gems.

Rant/s:

😪Last two weeks, still no character build up for the new guardians and other characters. I don’t know why the hell are they doing this but only Alena has the most development in this season, I’m still doubting whether they are going to give this show a satisfying ending, based on tonight’s episode, I don’t think so. The thing that I am most annoyed about is that they seem to be making some dead old characters come back to life to become scene fillers, and although I am really happy that Mira and Lira has finally returned, I am still bummed with the fact that they brought them back just to make sure that the show’s ratings won’t flop until the finale, and as much as I hate to admit this, the people behind making the show trend are the shippers who are rooting for their ships to become end game, only a handful are rooting for the story itself which is sad because Encantadia is not just about romance. Another factor that made this show a fail is that they depended on the love teams, I’m not buying the entire plot of this season because clearly it sucks, I’m not even that convinced with the story of the so-called love teams because well, they suck too. It’s irritating af that they did not give Kahlil a chance to become hero even in the afterlife, and was only turned into everyone’s side kick. I am angry at how they’ve written Ariana’s narrative so badly that they have scrapped and murdered every bit of Amihan’s character in Ariana’s existence! The fuck Amihan is smart, courageous, always willing to step up, a true hero of Encantadia! Have you guys noticed how Alena and Amihan switched roles? Alena is being the leader here which I am truly proud of but Ariana just turned into Alena version 1.0 and what’s masaklap is that she has very little to no progress in terms of characterization and performance-wise Arra SUCKS and will always SUCK. I’ve seen the clip of their show with the cast of MVR in EK and although she sings pretty well, her facial expression is suppressed, like she’s not feeling the song at all, idk and I’m not interested at watching her so I didn’t see the whole performance but based on what I saw on that clip, I’m like girl pati ba naman sa pagkanta stiff ka? I don’t know why the hell she made it to Star Struck, I guess the Philippine entertainment hasn’t gotten off the “pretty face” syndrome which is why some people would appreciate a handsome or a pretty girl with absolutely no talent than someone who is clearly outstanding. Pao Pao, Muyak and Deshna? Please, like joining the war would make their characters stand-out, know what? They shouldn’t have introduced some interesting subplots if they are not going to tell the entire story anyway, they should have just focused on the character developments of the sang’gres because there is no doubt that this season is sang’gre-centric and Lira and Mira are no longer part of it. They have taken away Emre’s powers and so is his intelligence which led to many epic-fail adventures, Haliyah remains to be the most useless goddess ever, the story of Asval and Andora were never narrated as opposed to what they have promised to tell the story behind the baddies which is why I will tag this show as TYPICAL. Again, this show is yet to prove that this is better than the original, based on the episode tonight, I can conclude that DMR and the prod failed to keep their promise to make this story a hundred times better than the original.

Best performer/s for this episode: Gabbi Garcia 🌊

Rating: 5 out of 10💎s  

Credits to: GMA network via YouTube and Dailymotion @GMAEncantadia (Encantadia’s Official Twitter account) @GMANetwork (GMA’s Official Twitter account) @GMADrama (GMA Primetime series’ Official Twitter account) Encantadia 2016 (Official Facebook page) www.encantadia.com.ph (Encantadia’s Official Website)

[iris-sistibly]

4R’s: Encantadia (The Finale Week)

May 15-19, 2017 episode reviews part 2 of 2

Avisala! I hope you don’t mind if I review the finale week as one Hahahaha! The final verdict is going to be really lengthy and I wanna finish this review tonight.

Raves:

💎This entire week has truly been exciting all in all, John Arcilla’s Hagorn proved that he is the most cunning, smartass baddie in the entire Encantadia. I was actually surprised that Ybrahim betrayed the diwatas—something that his original counterpart never did, but it was refreshing and interesting to see a more desperate side of Ybrahim, it’s actually no surprise that Ybrahim and Pirena would do such thing I mean—hey, they’re parents they’ll do anything for their babies. Duh.

💎Another thing to rave about is how Asval and Andora died. Ruru and Neil nailed that fight scene  and when Asval was finally killed, I was like “YAAAAS BITCH GO BACK TO HELL—I MEAN BALAAK!” and Andora’s death was so freakin’ funny, who would have thought her cause of death will be choking? 😂 also, that fusion between the three sisters? Dayum that was sooooo freakin’ LIT! I love everything about that scene, I love how Glai, Gabbi and Sanya’s characters shifted in order to counter Ether’s attacks. And Emre finally turned her into a fuckin’ snake like she has always been.

💎I knew Raquim was going to return in the finale, but I am glad that team Devas made an appearance although it wasn’t as grand as the scene from it’s original counterpart, still glad that he has returned. Dong looked more like a former king than a Rehav though. As for Arra, she did pretty well at portraying Amihan, although it’s not Kylie level, I must say this is an improvement compared to her past performances. If she has done really well I would have rooted for Ybriana but oh well.

💎The DanQuil and AzPiren wedding though ❤💛

💎HARA ALENA!!! She deserves it and I am so proud of her!

💎The new babies of Encantadia

💎KYLIE!!! 😭😭😭😭

💎BATHALUMANG CASSIOPEIA (finally!)

💎And a cliffhanger, I really hope there will be a new season. After all SD promised that there will be a fourth installment of the show so let’s all root for that. It’s interesting to know that there is an ice queen (like Elsa) living somewhere in Encantadia who happens to be Cassiopeia’s sister. Please make it happen! With Kylie in the show this time. I think this is just a season break and the show will resume after Kylie gives birth and is ready to work again.

Rants:

🤔I actually do not understand why the hell Ybrahim found it so hard to believe that Ariana is Amihan (set aside Arra’s bad acting okay? We’re talking about character here) when there is Agane as an example who is the sarkosi of Andora?

😪No character redemption for Hagorn damn it! There was no closure between Hagorn and Pirena and what’s worse was that he never regretted it like, seriously? John is such a great actor, his character deserves redemption.

🤔Cassandra’s identity is quite confusing—so basically she is the daughter of Cassiopeia, Amihan and Lira then? And she could also be considered as Lira’s little sister as well?

😪I am actually happy with the ending but I am not satisfied with it, I think Amihan’s brief return was edited (you know, just for the sake of the YA community). I think the ending is way too rushed, this entire arc actually which made me sad because it seemed not well thought of and although I do commend the cast for doing a great job, I don’t think this story is worth praising considering that there are so many arc fillers and unnecessary character deaths in this season which will be elaborated in the final verdict. Also what the hell was Manik doing in that prison when his ivtre cannot enter Devas? That’s a plot hole dude come on!

Overall best performer for this week: Glaiza de Castro 🔥 Ruru Madrid 🗡 John Arcilla ☠️

Overall rating (this week): 8 out of 10💎s

-Stay tuned for the final verdict-

[iris-sistibly]

4R’s: Encantadia Season 2 (May 9, 2017 episode review)

Episode 210

Recap:

Getting the heiresses back

Pirena went back to Hagorn’s camp, the latter has been expecting her. Pirena “made up her mind” and has finally decided to surrender the fire gem to Hagorn, and even though she “failed” to convince her sisters to do the same, Hagorn already has three gems in his possession, two gems are better than three. Hagorn was suspicious at first, careful not to fall for the same trick Danaya once pulled on Avria. Pirena proved him wrong by showing off the gem’s wonders, Hagorn was finally convinced, but Pirena demanded for her beloved sang’gres in exchange. Hagorn took her to Old Etheria where they tied up the princesses. Ybrahim and Alena who apparently has been keeping an eye on Pirena from afar followed Hagorn and Pirena all the way to Old Etheria. Pirena was ecstatic to finally see her daughter and niece alive and well. Just as agreed, Pirena surrendered her fire gem. Hagorn thought he gained the upper hand, he was wrong, for the fire gem will never follow his command if it is not whole. Apparently, the sisters used Lira’s sword, through the sang’gres’ blessing, Lira’s weapon gained enough power to cut a portion of Pirena’s fire gem and this portion was used to deceive Hagorn in order to win back Lira and Mira without sacrificing the powerful brilyantes. They casted a protective spell using Mine-a’s scepter to prevent Hagorn (or perhaps Ether) to find out about their plans. Hagorn was enraged, a battle ensued, Alena and Ybrahim aided Pirena and successfully rescued the diwanis. It was a huge slap to Hagorn’s face that he was outsmarted by his own daughter.

Meanwhile, Manik who found himself guilty for betraying the diwatas which led to the deaths of many decided to make it up by avenging those who have perished, he encountered a group of vidaljes where he single-handedly fought them. In the end Manik perished, his dying wish was for Emre to forgive him for everything he has done. Muyak and Azulan found his corpse later on, they knew Manik chose the good side in the end and sacrificed himself to serve justice to those who suffered because of his treachery. Azulan paid respect to him, Manik will now be remembered as a hero. Azulan and Muyak immediately ordered to prepare a proper burial for Rehav Manik.

The destruction of Destruction

Emre has been training himself at handling Haliyah’s weapon, one of it’s many wonders is that it is able to sense of an enemy is nearby. Ether and Arde appeared, Emre and Cassiopeia challenged the two in battle, Ether and Arde “merged” and became a two headed beast. Emre and Cassiopeia would have been defeated if two ivtres didn’t come and rescue them, the ivtres brought Emre and Cassiopeia to safety. Turned out, it was Alira Naswen, the former Mashna of Sapiro and Gamiel [?] (me: I didn't get his name but sounds like it, sarreh!), a former Lirean soldier and father of Mira. The two narrated how they were able to escape: when the evil gods took over Emre, Ades became worried for Kahlil was nowhere to be found, turned out he was able to escape, and through the help of Ades who bravely sacrificed herself, Alira Naswen and Gamiel (?) were able to escape. The trio’s plan was to free the ivtres who hailed from the royal clans since they are much stronger and more powerful, wise decision as it seemed, but Kahlil was captured once again, Alira and Gamiel (?) was on the verge of giving up but was relieved that they have found Cassiopeia and Emre. Through the de-jar, Emre was able to cast a protective barrier to prevent Ether and Arde from finding them, Emre had high hopes that Keros will finally change his mind and take their side. Unfortunately, something happened, Cassiopeia saw the corpse of Keros in her vision, he was killed by Arde because of his treachery, Kahlil who saw his lifeless body in the flesh lost all hope for Devas’ future.

Rave/s:

💎Finally! An episode worth the rave! So glad Alena’s plan worked, but I guess happiness will be short-lived, I am kinda predicting that if Arde dies Lira and Mira will definitely back to being corpses once again thus they have to make the most difficult decision ever, I think Lira and Mira will really die for real in the end and Cassiopeia will become goddess and this will pave way for Cassandra’s creation and then cliff-hanger in the end. The possibility of an AleBarro come back is still there because like what you bessies said, even if the relationship Ybrahim and Alena has is platonic, maybe it’s the writer’s way of developing AleBarro, honestly I don’t like this idea because it really seems like Ybrahim is no good without an other half, and that he wasn’t being truthful when he claimed that he will always wait for his reunion with Amihan. And I would really like to see Ybrahim develop as a sole character, but oh well, like I mentioned before, Encantadia 2016 to 2017 is dependent on love teams no one can deny that fact. I won’t be surprised if they pushed through an AleBarro end game since Ariana’s character didn’t have that much development and Ybriana is an epic fail as well. So sad that Joross’ Manik had to die before the grand finale but I enjoyed every bit of his good guy-baddie role, truly an actor worth raving.

Rant/s:

🤔The conceptualization of the gods was far from what I have been thinking, after watching the episode tonight, I concluded that Emre is nowhere near the god I was expecting him to be. He is no different from his creations which is why his characterization is such an epic fail. The problem I see in this narrative is the way the writers incorporated the concept of gods in paganism and Christianity. It is said that the five gods of Encantadia came from heaven, the home of God (the real God) and they were banished for being neutral in the war against the “dark forces,” therefore, since heaven only has God and Jesus as well…Gods, Emre and co can also be considered as “fallen angels” except that they didn’t got stuck in hell or something like that. Which explains why the gods of Encantadia aren’t as powerful as what I was expecting them to be, if that’s what they have been trying to convey then they shouldn’t have addressed Emre as the “most powerful god,” he is powerful but he can be defeated just like Ether and Arde, they should have tagged him as king of the gods instead, because if he is oh so powerful and if he does see everything he should have known about Arde and Ether’s plans in the first place, may live streaming sa Devas diba? Also I don’t think it was a good idea to think that the existence of gods came from a Supreme God, the existence of gods in reality is based on someone’s belief. Encantadia believes in Emre but not God, the therefore he doesn't exist in the Encantadia universe. There should be a separation between two realities, they should have made Emre and God co-exist in two different realms instead of “coming” from the same God because this is what basically is the story of the gods is all about. And since Encantadia tackles more about Filipino myths, then the story of how the Encantadia universe was created should have been more…mythical, like the existence of Ma’at (Order) and Isfet (Chaos) and how it brought fourth the other gods and how these gods created the earth and blah, blah, blah (Egyptian mythology). I don’t know if I am making myself clear but it’s just that I have very different views when it comes to the concept of gods being incorporated in a story. I don’t know if you guys get my point but if you happen to be a fanatic of the Percy Jackson series and the Kane Chronicles Trilogy, you’ll know what I mean.

Best performer/s for this episode: Everyone nailed it 💎

Rating: 9 out of 10💎s  

Credits to: GMA network via YouTube and Dailymotion @GMAEncantadia (Encantadia’s Official Twitter account) @GMANetwork (GMA’s Official Twitter account) @GMADrama (GMA Primetime series’ Official Twitter account) Encantadia 2016 (Official Facebook page) www.encantadia.com.ph (Encantadia’s Official Website)

[iris-sistibly]

4R’s: Encantadia Season 2 (May 10, 2017 episode review)

Episode 211

Recap:

Of children and sisters

Now that Keros has died and Kahlil being held captive, the team could only rely on themselves now. Devas is well-guarded by Arde and Ether, so Alira Naswen and Gamiel (me: still don’t know what the hell his name is) must let themselves be caught once again to be able to make it inside Devas, but not without Cassiopeia and her powers. Emre removed the protective spell on the camp and proceeded with their plans.

Lireo rejoiced at the return of their mischievous yet well loved princesses. Ybrahim and Pirena were the happiest, Lira and Mira were finally reunited with parents, ashtis and friends in Lireo. Everyone was ecstatic and so were the diwanis, and although Wahid and Gilas weren’t as lucky as Lira and Mira, it was still a huge thing for Lireo to have their heiresses back. Ybrahim proposed for a celebration, everyone agreed, Lira and Mira were beyond excited but all the excitement vanished in an instant when the two suddenly fainted, thankfully they were still breathing, but Danaya’s earth gem cannot help her nieces regain strength. The earth gem is said to have the ability to cure any wound or disease except if it is inflicted by a god, Pirena suspected that Hagorn is behind this since Arde is his ally and the latter was the one who brought the diwanis back to life, and if it wasn’t enough Lira and Mira contacted a mysterious disease that will bring them so much pain despite of being asleep—a curse bestowed by Hagorn. Ybrahim and Pirena found themselves helpless as they watched their daughters suffer, being unable to withstand Lira and Mira’s pain, Pirena finally decided to confront Hagorn once again, this time, she was willing to surrender the fire gem for real in exchange for the lives of her daughter and niece. Hagorn wanted to make sure Pirena wasn’t deceiving him and demanded for the fire gem, Hathoria, and the lives of her sisters. Pirena did not want to hurt her sisters but also wanted her daughter and niece to be safe. Pirena was torn between sacrificing her sisters’ lives and saving her beloved diwanis.

Rave/s:

💎So far so good, cast performance except for Arra is splendid, but above all, shout out to Glaiza for nailing the episode tonight. Kind of relieved that they did not kill Lira and Mira for now, but I’m still guessing they’re gonna die in the end. But there’s a bit spark of hope that they will not since I am rooting for an YbraLiraMihan reunion even though the possibility is teeny tiny bit. Glad that Alena continues to be everyone’s anchor, she was the first to experience the pain of losing a kid so she knows exactly what it feels like, I just hope she finds a way to stop whatever Pirena was planning to do before she regrets it in the end.

Rant/s:

🤔Ay buhay pa pala ‘yung tuod mga bes! Hahahahahaha! So ngayon may pakialam na siya ganern? Seriously Ariana has the slowest character development that I just want her to die! Plus I’m sick and tired of seeing Arra’s lame acting on television that I want to take off my glasses that I recently got just to blur my vision of her (175/150 ba naman ang grado eh? But seriously these glasses are uncomfortable), I just don’t want to see her in the finale period.

Best performer/s for this episode: Glaiza de Castro 🔥

Rating: 9 out of 10💎s  

Credits to: GMA network via YouTube and Dailymotion @GMAEncantadia (Encantadia’s Official Twitter account) @GMANetwork (GMA’s Official Twitter account) @GMADrama (GMA Primetime series’ Official Twitter account) Encantadia 2016 (Official Facebook page) www.encantadia.com.ph (Encantadia’s Official Website)

[iris-sistibly]

4R’s: Encantadia Season 2 (April 10, 2017 episode review)

Iris-message: As announced by GMA Encantadia on Twitter, we’re only going to have three episodes this week, so the week-ender episode will definitely be on Wednesday, as you all know it’s lenten, and Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday will be our time to reflect and re-connect with our own Emre, our beloved God. Fam bam and I are prolly gonna do the usual stuff, Visita Iglesia, Station of the cross, the usual stuff, and I would most probably re-watch the Ten Commandments because I love that movie so much or the Prince of Egypt maybe. So in advance, may our long weekend be a meaningful one!

Episode 191

Recap:

How to fake it

Ybrahim started to throw a shade at Avria, Hagorn and Asval, but before this turns into a nasty, deadly match, Alena “humbled” herself and apologized on Ybrahim’s behalf. The peace talk continued, with Danaya trying to convince Avria that they have really come for peace. To be able to do that, Avria demanded to surrender all of the gems in their possession to her. Danaya assured that they aren’t going to use the gems against them, but Avria did not believe, she is fully aware that the diwatas do not trust her and vice versa. Avria ended the talk and told them to meet her in the battle field but Danaya stopped her and finally gave her what she wanted—the brilyante ng lupa. Ybrahim strongly opposed but Danaya stood firm on her decision and handed the gem over to Avria, but the latter also demanded for the remaining gems, Alena was ready to surrender hers if Avria vows not to hurt any encantado, and stop their evil schemes against Lireo in general, Avria told her she will think it over and did not get the water gem, at this point, Avria was convinced that Danaya was “sincere” of her desire for peace, the talk ended successfully.

Hearing the news about Alena, Danaya and Ybrahim going to Etheria to bargain made Pao Pao, Muyak and Ariana worried. Pao Pao knew Avria won’t settle for peace unless the sang’gres hand over the gems to her. The monarchs returned to Lireo, everyone was waiting for Danaya to spread the news. Rehav Manik assured that the Punjabwes are going to fight on their side, but Danaya told everyone that no war is going to take place, for she has surrendered the earth gem to Avria and this made the Etherian queen agree for a ceasefire. Though the talk was a success, Ybrahim was still worried, everyone knows that Etherians will never keep their promise and feared for that day when they will all be mercilessly killed. This had everyone worried as well, Alena shut Ybrahim and everyone up and asked the rest except the monarchs to leave them for awhile. Now that only Danaya, Alena, Imaw and Ybrahim were left, it was now time to tell the truth, Alena made a shield out of her water gem to make sure no one else will hear, Danaya revealed that she created an exact replica of her earth gem and the fake one was handed over to Avria, she also made sure that the replica works just like the real earth gem to make Avria believe that it is really Danaya’s brilyante. Ybrahim apologized and commended Danaya for coming up with that scheme, but he knew Avria is going to discover the truth eventually, Danaya could only hope by the time it happens, Emre and Cassiopeia has already succeeded with their mission.

To make him smile again

Ybrahim was studying the map of Encantadia, apparently he still wanted to seek revenge on Etheria, Ariana found him and told him how relieved she was that he made it back safely, Ybrahim asked her why, Ariana bluffed and told him that she doesn’t want him to get hurt but it only made Ybrahim ask more questions, Ariana and Ybrahim would have been placed in another awkward moment if Alena didn’t come, Ybrahim excused himself and told Ariana to call it a night. Alena had the chance to talk to Ariana, she had been listening to her conversation with Ybrahim and decided to confront the Punjabwe-a, Alena asked Ariana if she was in-love with Ybrahim, and although Ariana gave her an indirect answer, Alena knew she harbors feelings for the king. Alena is the most sensitive and observant among the sisters thus she knew that Ariana feels something for Ybrahim from the way she looks at him, to the way she acts towards him. Ariana apologized and made it clear that she doesn’t have any plans on stealing him from Alena, but Alena told her that everything between her and Ybrahim has long been ended, and all she ever wants is for him to be happy, thus Alena asked Ariana to make him fall in-love with her, Ybrahim has been through so much pain and Alena wants to see the man she once loved smile again, and the key she believes is Ariana.

The golden hourglass

Amarro and Lila Sari did not hesitate to reveal where Avria got her powers from, but Pirena already knew that and wanted to know where her army came from instead. Amarro and Lila Sari told her about the golden hourglass that Avria used along with the gems to help Etherians travel to the present time. The hourglass is a powerful tool that makes anyone travel from one timeline to another (or turn back time), Pirena became interested at this in hopes to turn back to the time when Mira needed her help the most, unfortunately, only Avria knows where it is. Pirena immediately came up with a plan but before leaving, she told Lila Sari and Amarro that Deshna is in Adjantao, a place Hagorn chose to hide the child. It was a lie, and Pirena had to do it because she’s still going to use her sister against Hagorn.

Meanwhile in Etheria, Hagorn suspected something about Danaya surrendering the earth gem wasn’t right, Asval set those thoughts aside but Hagorn has a point, the sang’gres aren’t stupid to hand over the gems without coming up with a plan. Asval’s suspicions rose, a Hathor came and whispered something to Hagorn, he left Asval who was still pondering over Hagorn’s words. Asval went to Avria and told her his doubts, to be able to confirm, Avria tested the gem out, it unleashed power, something that fake ones can’t. Avria was very certain she has the real earth gem.

The former king of Hathoria found out that Pirena was outside the Etherian palace, Pirena immediately asked Hagorn a favor to help her, Pirena wanted to enter the palace without anyone noticing. At first, Hagorn did not want to but Pirena threatened to tell Lila Sari where Deshna is which forced Hagorn to grant her request. Pirena made it inside, Hagorn warned her that he will be the one to punish her in case she gets caught. Pirena thanked her father and proceeded with her plan.

Rave/s:

💚 YES ALENA! Out of everything she has done, I think that one thing that makes me really proud of her character is that she has finally moved on (take note of the word, “MINSAN”) she has been through a lot of pain, she made mistakes in the past but in the end, she did not let her anger take control of her, she has grown so much from being a pabebe sang’gre, to a vengeful mother, to a confidently beautiful woman with a heart, and I couldn’t be more proud as an encantadik, I think she has the most beautiful character transition out of all other characters, her heart was once her Achilles’ heel, but look at her now! And I love how Gabbi is portraying the character these past few weeks, although it took a really long time, but I really have to say that she succeeded on merging her own personality with Alena’s. She has finally connected with her character, she herself witnessed everything Alena went through and this led her to finally understand and dig deeper into the character, and for that I am truly, genuinely proud of Gabbi. If I could hug Alena right now I swear I will do it and I’ll tell her how she makes me proud every single day, I hope everyone feels the same, every Alena fan, every AleBarro/YbraLena fan, every GabRu fan, let Alena be, because nothing is more satisfying than knowing your self-worth. Nothing is more awesome than to finally tell yourself that, “Finally, it’s over.” She chose to be free and she got it, now all I want is for her to find that true happiness and get that one precious thing she always wanted, someone who can give her the love she has been searching. Kebs na kung beauty and the Beast ang peg, let’s give AleMemfes a chance. Let’s give Gabbi a chance to prove that she is the next ultimate leading lady! Wish you luck Gab and Lance!

💛 DAYUM DANAYA YOU DA QUEEN! I love how this show redeemed itself from their “unacceptable” episodes for the past two weeks, the battle of who’s smarter, who’s better is definitely on! Love you queen, this show is finally telling everyone that it is not only Pirena who knows how to think.

🌷 Because I love this week-starter in general, I’m not gonna rant about anything. Y’all probably know that I’m still gonna shoot fires at Arra’s performance, BUT, I decided not to do that because I don’t wanna break my own bubble and lash out at Arra [again], I felt like I’m already getting used to her shitty performance, or maybe I’m not in the mood? Whatever!  Acting-wise I am still uncertain and unconvinced that Arra deserves the role, but narrative-wise this is how it should be. Set aside all of your anger towards Ariana and focus on the story itself, remember Amihan’s sarkosi is inside Ariana’s body so technically Ariana is still Amihan, although her characterization is inconsistent as fuck, I would still go for this route but I do NOT agree with the making Ybrahim fall for Ariana part, I mean sure they feel some sort of connection with each other, but I would rather let them discover and realize their feelings for each other in a slow-burn kind of way than “forcing themselves to each other,” god! Amihan will never do such thing even if she loves her man so much. Duh. So you know, I’ve been really, really ranting about Arra and Ariana lately, and it’s no surprise to you guys, but you see, I’m already fed up at making the same old comments all over again, I feel like it’s pathetic how I’m stressing myself over an actress whom I’m not sure if she can really act. I had the chance to go over my previous reviews from last week and last, last week, and I just realized that rooting for Arra is just…pointless, and me ranting endlessly about her wouldn’t change the fact that they chose her to play the character, I mean they already chose her so they gotta stand up on their decision, panindigan nila ‘yan. Now before you react, let me just make myself clear, I’M TIRED AT HATING ON ARIANA, I’m sick at blabbing shits about Arra, and I’m so done at lambasting her story, telling everyone her story should be like this and that. I’VE HAD ENOUGH OKAY? I wanna stop because I have to, I hate being stressed, and Arra is my source of stress, so I have to get her out of my nerves dude, it’s bad for my health! I have come to this point where I am already starting to “accept” that Ruru’s going to do all the hard work for the rest of this whole Ybriana “romance”, and the only thing that’s gonna save Arra’s face in the show is the Amihan/Kylie flash backs, okay, noted. I’m just going to give all the hopeless chances on her, and take note, I repeat, those are “HOPELESS chances,” that means I no longer care, let her do her thing, I’m not expecting anything, period. If she does impress, good, I’ll rave about her, and if not, then I guess I’m just gonna sarcastically thank her forever for annihilating what would have been Amihan’s second shot at life, and until Arra proves me wrong, I am not going to see Ariana and Amihan as one character.

Rant/s:

No rants so far.

I’m really happy at Alena and Danaya’s progresses and I’m not gonna let a few minutes of crap ruin it! Nuh-uh.

Best performer/s for this episode: Gabbi Garcia 🌊

Rating: 9 out of 10💎s

Photo credits: From Twitter: @GMAEncantadia (Encantadia 2016-2017 official twitter acct) @gmanetwork (GMA Network); official website: gmanetwork.com @GMADrama (GMA Drama)

From Facebook: Encantadia 2016; official website: encantadia.com.ph

Video credits: GMA Network via YouTube & dailymotion

[iris-sistibly]

4R’s: Encantadia Season 2 (May 4, 2017 episode review)

Episode 207

Recap:

Haliyah’s Heartbreak

Emre and Cassiopeia went back to Haliyah’s lair and gave back the de-jar. Memories of the past came rushing back to Haliyah’s mind, and how the de-jar reminded her so much of her failed relationship. Haliyah fell in-love with an encantado, a fine Sapirian, she was very in-love with him that she let her weapon be placed under his care so that he’ll be able to go up in the moon to see her. Because Haliyah loved him too much, she gave him everything she has including her riches, one day, the man did not show up, puzzled and worried, Haliyah came down to Encantadia and saw a palace. A young couple with their infant daughter live in that palace, turned out, the husband was Haliyah’s lover (and the founder of Sapiro). The goddess was so heartbroken upon finding out that he was just using her all along and was infuriated that he chose the diwata over her, because of her anger, Haliyah cursed their daughter—that whoever stares at her beauty will turn into stone. Cassiopeia was surprised to hear this and knew that the child was Lila Sari, her adoptive daughter. Haliyah now realized what she did and regretted it. Nevertheless it was about time to return to Devas and find the cure to Ether’s poison. The evil goddess showed up and tried to stop them, through Haliyah’s help, Emre and Cassiopeia were able to get away which angered Ether, she vowed that in the end, she and Arde will succeed and will become the most powerful gods in Encantadia.

Sacrifice for love

The battle continued in Lireo, Mashna Muros, Aquil and Hitano teamed up and fought an Etherian army led by Juvila. The men were uncomfortable at fighting the female Mashna but Aquil reminded his comrades that she is an enemy and a strong and fierce warrior. The men joined forces and succeeded at taking down Juvila, the Mashna escaped, the battle continued but Aquil got hurt in the process. Despite of Aquil being demoted and downgraded, he earned Hitano’s respect and still sees him as Mashna which Aquil appreciated. However, he made Hitano promise that if anything happens to him, Hitano must relay his message for Danaya, that despite of everything, he still loves her very much.

The new guardians fought alongside Mashna Mayca and Rama Ybrahim, Pao Pao noticed that the two moons were turning red which is a bad omen in Encantadia. It sure was, for Asval showed up and was about to slash Ybrahim, but Ariana pushed him aside and ended up being wounded instead. Ybrahim fought Asval but the latter escaped, Ariana begged her friends not to tell Azulan about this for he will surely not allow her to fight anymore. Rama Ybrahim ordered to call for a babaylan. He asked her why Ariana did that, the latter knew Amihan wanted him safe, she confessed that eversince she was brought back from dead, she seems to be very different and has been seeing Amihan (and Ybrahim’s) past, Ariana strongly believes that she’s no longer herself, and that Amihan’s spirit is inside her body.

Hara Mine-a

The throne room was filled with vidaljes including Hagorn and Andora, the sang’gres showed up not long after, Andora was about to use her power but Danaya used her gem and literally shoved sand on her mouth, the battle was on. The sisters successfully took down Hagorn and Andora, a soldier approached Alena and told her where her mother was, Alena, Pirena and Danaya hurriedly went looking for Mine-a, the sisters found her at the armory with the wounded Imaw who apparently attempted to win Mine-a back to their side by telling her the truth, he ended up getting hurt in the hands of Mine-a herself. The sisters once again tried to persuade Mine-a, Hagorn came and tried to twist Mine-a’s mind and ordered her to kill them. Mine-a asked Hagorn why she must do the task when Hagorn has the gems and could easily eliminate the sang’gres, Hagorn did not give her an answer which opened Mine-a’s eyes and realized that she was indeed being used by Hagorn and the sang’gres were telling the truth—that she is their mother. Hagorn threatened to kill her but Mine-a chose to “kill” herself and at the same time cursed all of Lireo’s enemy.

Rave/s:

💛 Cheers to Danaya for making Andora eat some shit hahahahaha! Okay maybe not shit, but still, the way Andora choked that sand cracked me up. You da queen Dany! Also, shoutout to our Lireo hotties—Muros, Aquil and Hitano for that tag team against the queen of WWE Juvila, I thought that was hilarious but still worth the watch.

💎Aw…man! I wanted Marian to stay longer in the show, although I do believe it’s not the end of her story since she’s prolly gonna go back in Devas and gather back-ups and will return with team Devas by the the end of the show. There’s no questioning about Marian’s acting prowess, she commanded the entire show with such grace and powerful performance. Alsooo I’m still crossing my fingers that Aquil wouldn’t have the same fate as his original counterpart since it will suck big time. I think he has sacrificed so much and the dude deserves to be happy just like everybody else.

😭Have you guys seen the teaser for the next ep?! Oh my god the super twins are sooo going to be back, although I think it’s only going to be temporary since the baddies are definitely going to use them against the sang’gres. I have a theory that Lira and Mira will be used the way team Hagorn used Mine-a but will choose to be heroic in the end, and then they will return to Devas, Cassy will make Cassandra and then roll the credits. Whatever their mission is I still don’t think that it’s still necessary to kill their characters, it’s annoying how they kill one character and then bring her or him back to life again, like can’t they be on the verge of death and then their souls be like fight their destinies the way the original Amihan fought hers? That narrative is too repetitive and has been overused since book one. It seems like every major character is required to die first and then be brought back to life. Oh yes, it’s about time Mira meets her father. The cutie Lirean soldier and Alira Naswen are going to be back as well.

Rant/s: 🙄 I guess the biggest idiots for this week are Cassy and Emre, what the hell was the whole purpose of finding Haliyah’s weapon when they even failed to enter Devas and eliminate the baddies? Like they would have looked for the antidote first, then use Haliyah’s weapon and then return it to her, or Haliyah could at least accompany the two back in Devas so that there will be someone to defend them! God! Why are these gods so stupid?! It’s frustrating how everything seems too complicated when really the situation is not as complex as what they think. So the de-jar was retrieved and was returned to Haliyah, now what?! Wala nanamang silbi ganern? Haliyah ended up telling her failed relationship with a gold-digging bastard who turned out to be Lila Sari’s father (and the founder of Sapiro). I feel like two weeks is not enough to answer the many questions including the new ones that was brought up by this episode, it seems like monarchy in Sapiro has a long and complicated history. If Lila Sari’s parents died, then most probably a relative from Lila Sari’s father’s side prolly took over Sapiro who sired Meno, Armeo the first, and Asval (character reference: Etheria 2006) so most probably Lila Sari is like Ybrahim’s great, great grandma or something like that which makes Lira and Deshna some sort of distant relative, wow, this Lireo-Sapiro-Hathoria’s family tree is crazy.

🙄Pero hindi namatay ‘yung sarkosi punyeta! I really thought Ariana was going to die in this episode, ugh sayang! Sorry to say Ariana but you were never Amihan, she just made you take a glimpse of her past to tell Ybrahim that she has returned through you, but you are NEVER AND WILL NEVER BE AMIHAN! And Arra girl come on, ACT! Ruru is doing everything he can why can’t you do the same?! Kahit sa last two weeks man lang show us what you got, stop pulling off that bland, boring, pabebe face, I want to see an actress not a pretty face! Everyone’s bringing their A-games anyare sa’yo? Also I still don’t get what the hell are they trying to imply, Ariana was willing to sacrifice her own life for Ybrahim which is very Amihan-like (character-wise), but how come she didn’t feel the urge to save Lira given the fact that Amihan is willing to give up the entire Encantadia to save her daughter? Look, I don’t want to call Ariana this but I now do agree that she’s malandi (flirt)—“that’s what Amihan wants” my ass! Amihan also wants her daughter alive yet the bitch just watched her die, and I will forever be infuriated with that.

Best performer/s for this episode: Marian Rivera 👸🏻

Rating: 8 out of 10💎s  

Credits to: GMA network via YouTube and Dailymotion @GMAEncantadia (Encantadia’s Official Twitter account) @GMANetwork (GMA’s Official Twitter account) @GMADrama (GMA Primetime series’ Official Twitter account) Encantadia 2016 (Official Facebook page) www.encantadia.com.ph (Encantadia’s Official Website)