Kids

Voltes V: Legacy is About Family

Director Mark Reyes shares why the iconic Japanese anime resonates in Philippine culture.

Since the announcement that GMA will do a live adaptation of Voltes V a few years back, so much has been said about the project. After three years of waiting, the show dubbed Voltes V: Legacy is finally airing on television. And prior to the TV debut, selected media and the cast got to see a film version on Monday, April 18. It showcased the first three weeks of the storyline.

Bringing an old anime to life on television

At the press conference before the movie showing, director Mark Reyes was asked what fans can expect from the live adaptation and the challenges they went through to put it all together.

“The challenge was it was an old anime. Pero ever since 1978 here in the Philippines all the way down to 2023, Voltes V has always been in the hearts of the Filipinos,” Mark shared.

Noting that the show’s impact has been ingrained in Philippine culture—from singing the theme song to quoting some of the show’s famous lines—the man behind shows such as Encantadia and TGIS pointed out that Voltes V is definitely part of the Filipino’s lives.

“I don’t know but perhaps it’s a certain magic that Voltes V has that endured all these years, all these decades,” he said. “But inherently, Voltes V is a story of [the] family on so many levels. Kaya siguro it was easy for GMA to approve the project. It was one of the first soap operas I saw as a child because when you know the whole story—the betrayal of the brothers, the loss of the mother, the loss of the father, it was all soap opera [that came] from Japan. But it endured to the Filipinos kasi iyan ang gusto natin.”

Although the show has the ingredients Filipinos want, what worried them was if they could pull it off—especially for today’s generation of viewers. “For kids these days, the level is Marvel, Star Wars, Pacific Rim. Could we pull it off?”

Thanks to help from Riot, one of the companies he has worked with, Mark put together a pitch about Voltes V back in 2014. And the rest followed. After nine years of waiting including the challenges of the pandemic, the show is finally airing.

Voltes V legacy
Source: voltesvlegacy

A storyline with a twist

While viewers will get to see a familiar storyline, head writer Suzette Doctolero mentioned that there will be additions to the story with the blessing of TOEI.

“Yung dinagdag natin para ma-highlight yung meron at maganda sa Voltes V,” she explained. “Example, sa anime, ang dali-dali para kay Mary Ann Armstrong na payagan makipaglaban ang mga anak niya sa mga dangerous areas. Pero pag inadapt sa realistic approach, gaano kadali para sa isang ina yung anak mo na bunso di bale na yung dalawang eldest lumaban.”

“Pinapangako namin sa creative teams namin at head writers namin na kung ano man ang dinagdag namin, at hini-light dito sa show, ay para magbigay ng kinang doon sa show para lalong maging maganda.”

Voltes V lefacy
Source: voltesvlegacy

In Voltes V, five young people, with brothers leading the charge, defend the earth from the Boazanian empire that Zardoz leads. The brothers and Zardoz discover their connection, which will change the relationship between them.

Voltes V: Legacy stars Ysabel Ortega, Miguel Tanfelix, Radson Flores, Matt Lorenzo, and Rafael Landicho. Dennis Trillo, Albert Martinez, Martin del Rosario, and Carla Abellana are also part of the cast.

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