The dissatisfaction of a fragment of the internet aside, people are taking on Trese, as originated by Liza Soberano, with uncanny and hilarious voice dubs of their own on TikTok.
The name on everyone’s lips right now remains to be: Trese. A week since the release of the first original Filipino anime on Netflix, the dialogue has taken a life of its own, covering everything from the faithfulness of the adaptation to the contrasted canon created by Budjette Tan and KaJO Baldisimo to the tepid treading of political territory of the narrative. Before you drive the Sinag of the mysterious detective and vigilante who liaisons the supernatural and human world deep into the chests of people making their thoughts known, let it be known that the response to the show has been great, with the neo-noir story gaining an appreciation from beyond the cultural confines of the Philippines in both the critical and commercial sense.
Courtesy of Netflix
However, emerging from the shadows of the cloaked in darkness adventures of Alexandra Trese is the criticism of voice acting and talent. A conversation that pockets itself into many things such as Liza Soberano not being right for the role to the lingering issue of favoring celebrities over voice actors in animation, it is of course, valid, if not exhausted over the course of the past few days. With many people chiming in such as the studio behind another Filipino-led Netflix animation, Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story, Inka Magnaye, and even Jay Oliva, the director of Trese.
It seems the internet is never satisfied, as it usually is, making monsters out of the myth of monotony that could have been tamed from the very beginning when reared in the proper context. Fair points are made, of course, with the concept of nuance coming up, as well as of the push for local talents to be recognized more. What gets muddled in the dialogue is the reduction of Liza Soberano as not worthy of Trese.
Now Listen
“When casting for the role of Alexandra, I spoke to creator @Budjette about how he envisioned the character. He basically said that she’s like Batman/Bruce Wayne. She’s cold and unemotional at times because of all the things she’s experienced in life,” he writes on Twitter. “So whether you like one more than the other or if you like them both, I think the thing to celebrate the most is that we have brought Filipino mythology and lore to the world is responding by how much they love it.”
I’ve cast A LOT of Batman/Bruce Wayne’s in my career so I know a thing or two about tortured souls who persevere to do right and defend those who cannot defend themselves. Both @shaymitch and @lizasoberano brought unique performances that was better than I could have imagined. ?
— Jay Oliva (@jayoliva1) June 15, 2021
A love letter written through the lens of folklore, the medium of modern-day comics, and the undying spirit of our people, Trese is more than just a romance of the intricacies and the imagination of the Filipino. With how it has been appreciated and celebrated from all over the internet, this milestone of an animation should be more than just an issue of tone and cadence, because as a whole, the Netflix original gives a voice to an entire universe of possibility, one that can take our stories from the underground to the world above. Besides, if authority is the argument, then it can be said that command comes in many forms, not just the most obvious.
In fact, the show has since spawned many forms online, from declarations of pride, memes, and most recently, voice dubs on TikTok. With a bad-ass heroine to look up to, one that takes no prisoners, the living or the otherwise, people have been breathing life to the words of Trese in their own unique way. This way, it becomes further proof that more than the grit of the grim portrayal of a fictional Manila, the story lives in each and every one of us in one way or another. Whether it be the sixth child of the sixth child taking on a research paper or speaking fluent gay lingo, there is a Trese in all of us.
From the calm, considered, and calculated portrayal of Liza Soberano to the fan-imagined Glaiza De Castro dub on Twitter and TikTok, see how the internet had fun with their own take on Trese with their voice dubs.
A Take On Trese’s Voice? The Fans Dub Glaiza De Castro
@msjhana28 GLAIZA DECASTRO as T.R.E.S.E!? #TRESE #nexflix#fyp #glaizadecastro
♬ original sound – Jhana Rich
Inka Magnaye, Of Course
@inkamagnaye #duet with @maronnecruz here’s my modest try at doing Trese! I feel like my voice sounds a little too “mature” for the role, but this was fun to do!
♬ original sound – Maronne Cruz
Bekimon, The OG
@bekimon23 Trese in Bekimon Gay Lingo #Trese #TreseGayLingo #bekimon #beki #TreseBekimon
♬ original sound – bekimon23
Bisdak Represent
@andreasavvy #duet with @maronnecruz KIM ARDA TRESE #fyp #trese #kimarda #tiktokph #bisaya
♬ original sound – Maronne Cruz
The Research Leader
@geraldchu #duet with @maronnecruz Alexandra Trese bilang Research Leader ?? #foryoupage #tiktokph #philippines #researchpaper #CHUtorial #researCHUrs
♬ original sound – Maronne Cruz
Krissy As Trese?
@redmalabunga #duet with @maronnecruz nabaliw na naman. Not sure if Krissy or Mayor Joy ?
♬ original sound – Maronne Cruz
Rufa Mae Quinto, Go, Go, Go
@thesalonikanm #duet with @maronnecruz Eto na po, Ruffa Mae as Trese pero ba’t parang nanuno talaga. HAHAHAHAHAHA Ang hirap habulin yarn guysssh? #fy #fyp
♬ original sound – Maronne Cruz
Trese is now streaming on Netflix.
