Trese (2021) User Reviews (88)

Intriguing yet filled of technical shortcomings

[snapbounceprint · 6/10 · 15 June 2021]

As other reviewers have said, the artsyle is highly reminiscent of DC animated projects. For a story that "Trese" has, the artsyle fits like a glove. Character designs are unique and captures the eeriness of the supernatural beings. Casting a female lead instead of the stereotypical male "bridge-between-two-worlds" lead was an excellent move.

Excellent vocal performance, including the Japanese dub. The Filipino dub however, particulary that of Alexandra's, leaves much to be desired.

"Trese" suffers greatly from flaws that bring the animation's quality down. To name a few, these are the abundant presence of plot holes, filler scenes, unexplained events and devices that the show expects the viewers would have prior knowledge about, unnecessary scenic shots, and "info-dumps"

A cookie-cutter style of storytelling with a rushed plot development hampers the potential "Trese" could have reached.

Comprehensively, "Trese" is a show that would keep you entertained throughout; provided that you would be viewing it at a superficial level to ignore its faults. It has a generic concept that was made interesting by its setting and characters. Nonetheless, I am optimistic that if a second season was to be made, it would fix its preceding deficiencies and deliver an excellent show than its predecessor.

Feels rushed.

[magnusdetmig · 6/10 · 11 June 2021]

A nice DC feel to it and a very good story. Just too bad it all gets super rushed. It feels like they jam everything into 6 episodes, even though there's story enough for 2x20 episodes. It's beginning to be a classic Netflix thing to do with animations.

Only gets 6, but could have been 9.

Amazing animation, spoiled by terrible dialogue

[wear_my_socks · 6/10 · 12 June 2021]

The writing and delivery of dialogue in this show is incredibly wooden. None of the characters feel realistic and I don't care about any of them. It's a shame because the animation is good and the stories are interesting.

Rising just to fall at the end

[hazard111 · 7/10 · 11 June 2021]

Art and animation: Similar feel to DC cartoons than Japanese anime so it's sharp, crisp but a little stiff on the side. I like some of the action scenes especially the shaky effect. Also love the background art, really good!

Dub: I watched it in Filipino and English. I actually prefer the English not because they were acted better, since I feel like both were done quite nicely but because when the Filipino chants come up it feels more special and magical and also the English dub did different variations of Filipino accents which I find fun.

Plot and delivery: I read the comics first so can't help but compare. I wasn't expecting like a 1-1 adaptation but anyway...I'm 50 50 on the changes. I like how the stories and characters are interconnected now compared to it being episodic in the comics but I kind of miss the emotional impact it left me, learning the different motivations of people, why they did what they did etc..so watching this just feels... a bit shallow and fast but the things they added do give it some good flavor so this or that, can't have both in this case.

I'm also really into "Show don't tell", there was a lot of showing in the very first episode which might be a bit too much backstory flash but I much prefer it to that cliche villain doing 15 minutes of monologue just to explain their motivations and background while the protag just listens obediently which this show is also guilty of. :(

Overall: Giving it a 7. Good start but the end episode... that I am not really into it went cliche as cliche, the comics was done way better. For me overall, it lost a bit of that soul since a lot of the scenes they cut to connect the stories also carried a lot of the emotion, badassery, and smarts so I was a bit disappointed with that. I'd still wait to watch season 2 if ever as the story they're going to cover there really made me feel the tension while I was reading it so a bit excited to see what they'll do with it if we ever get to season 2, lol. Anyway, it's just okay I'd still recommend it.

Filipino Folklore in Focus

[3xHCCH · 9/10 · 11 June 2021]

Alexandra Trese was a young woman who was called on to investigate crimes attributed to supernatural causes. Armed with her trusty kris dagger Sinag, she was called in by the police to track mysterious events which involved such creatures of Filipino mythology like man-eating aswangs, half-horse tikbalang, and baby-like tiyanak. Other beings also seen include the white lady of Balete Drive, the Nuno, the duwende, lightning beings, wind sprites, zombies, werewolves and the main antagonist Datu Talagbusao, the god of war.

Alexandra was the daughter of Anton Trese, the lakan who forged an alliance between the human and supernatural world, and his wife Miranda, a babaylan or folk shaman. Her current team include twin brothers named Crispin and Basilio (after Sisa's sons in Jose Rizal's "Noli Me Tangere"), her two dapper demigod sidekicks; and Hank (who looks exactly like Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao), bartender of the Trese family nightclub called the Diabolical. She also had a personal fire spirit Santelmo, who lived in her Nokia 3210 cellphone.

The opening scene of Episode 1 already showcased the spectacular artwork with a glittering nighttime scene of the city with its skyscrapers lit up by bright incandescent light bulbs and neon billboards. The next scene of an MRT train stalling on its tracks and the passengers alighting to walk to the nearest station was only the first of many places in Metro Manila that Filipinos will recognize and smile about through out the series, like Camp Crame, Quiapo, the New Bilibid Prison, the ABS-CBN building and the Meralco building.

There was also several scenes with social commentary. In Episode 1, there was a statement against corrupt megalomaniac politicians like Mayor Sancho Santamaria. In Episode 4, there was a statement against abusive policemen who use "fighting back" ("nanlaban" of EJK notoriety) as an excuse for their brutish behavior, like Officer Reyes. Other episodes highlight other activities going on around the city, like rich kids drag racing along Ortigas, fans fawning over movie stars or gamers grumbling slow internet speed.

Aside from effectively using Filipino folklore as the foundation of a solid story, "Trese" will surely delight Filipinos over its references to Choc-Nut or the Novanians. The Filipino dialogue was more authentic with the slang and profanity, but the English voice cast did try to give a Filipino flavor to their accents. At only six episodes and more or less 30 minutes per episode, this is a very quick and easy binge. Hopefully, international viewers will appreciate Filipino culture and talent more after this significant exposure on the Netflix platform. 9/10.

Decent binge worthy

[jamesorobber · 7/10 · 13 June 2021]

Overall the show would of benefitted with another 2 episodes that would of fleshed out the characters a bit more as it felt a little rushed and I wish they started off with the backstory of the characters instead of showing inconsistent flashbacks throughout the episodes but overall not a bad show reminded me of Castlevania with a mixture of supernatural 7.5 for me.

Best Filipino Anime So Far

[jameslouieg-36425 · 10/10 · 11 June 2021]

I am not familiar with the comics so my review is all about the anime series itself. So first, I'd like to commend the voice actors because they really did a great job on this. It's really astounding to hear how good they are, the coaching lessons behind the voice actress of Trese (Liza Soberano) have really paid off. Moreover, the animation. Dudee! I can't explain how proud I am to this show, the characters, the mythical creatures, and the visuals of the beautiful Manila. Everything is just perfect, and remember, IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING. Yes, you heard it, 'cause I know that many will follow to Trese, because it's successful. Kudos to Netflix for having an English, Spanish, and Japanese dub, 'cause it will surely reach anime lovers around the world. Although, they will not have the same experience as the original because most of the tagalog words don't have equivalent english translation. But yeah, I'm so happy and satisfied and if you're here checking the reviews about it. Just watch it Broooo, its dopeee and the best you could find if you want to try anime that is not from Japan.

Very Decent

[garycofield · 6/10 · 12 June 2021]

This is a really good anime. Everything about it, visually, reminds me of an animated DC project. There's even a great attention to filipino culture. Sadly, this anime wasn't able to hook me. I think the story builds up quicker than you're able to latch onto everything involved. There's little character development and even less explanation what everyone's role is. Perhaps more episodes would've allowed more time for explanations like those? I have to imagine 6 episodes restricted scene time in some storytelling scenarios.

The much anticipated Filipino dark fantasy animation is off to a good start and effectively sets the tone for any potential continuations in the future

[CasuallViewer · 8/10 · 17 June 2021]

Trese delivers a story of mythical creatures, spirits, and one Alexandra Trese, who serves as the human emissary to maintain balance between the worlds of humans and otherworldly creatures.

Starting off with what's good with the show, the direction the creators went with on the design was very suitable and appealing. Along with the animation, the characters fit their spots well and nothing is too out of place or exaggerated to sell anything. Soundtracks for the opening and ending are also a good contrast of starting off every episode with an "ancient" and seemingly ominous chant in "Balluha ad Bayauhen", and ending with a more mellow tone with UDD's "Paagi".

With the show's shortcomings, there have been viewers who have been critical of the casting for the voice actor for Alexandra Trese's Filipino dub, which was given to Liza Soberano, a Filipino-American actress. Some have pointed out how her lack of experience as a voice actor shows and takes away from giving Alexandra Trese a personality of her own (as Liza's mostly well known for being an actress in films and TV drama series). While I somewhat agree, I thought that her performance was decent, nothing that takes away too much from Trese, but could definitely have gone better if she was given more training or someone else more experienced was given the role.

Minor issues aside, Trese's plot impressively executes an interesting story, juggling character history, world building, and events that unfold, in an amount of time shorter than what it usually takes to build and develop a convincing story that leaves little to no questions unanswered and loose ends. Trese has a good amount of momentum to carry with it should it be given another season.

Good characters, flat dialogs and mediocre animation

[petter_danielsen · 6/10 · 16 June 2021]

I enjoyed, Trese, but it felt way too rushed. Both the story and the animations sadly fell victim this. Dialogues were somewhat flat and the animations should have been way more fluid. When you look at series like Castlevania, Trese just pales in comparison. Interesting lore pushes it up to a 6 for me, but thats about it.

fast paced, action packed but lost the detective side side

[trexmalabanan · 9/10 · 12 June 2021]

I'm a big fan of animation be it japanese or western. I can tell that trese's visual presentation, sound and voice acting were at par with western animation. What's bothered me was that the series were focus more on action than mystery that it lost the detective side of Alexandra. Wish that they elaborate more on character development and back stories of different character to attract non-comic reader. Season two please netflix.

An unconventional plot with a weird but vague scope. But is it worth watching?

[malcori · 7/10 · 12 June 2021]

It is indeed like no other film I've watched before. A bridge between the mystical and the humans, huh? I expected more, to be frank. It is one of a kind, but when it comes to logic, it lacks a lot. When a film is supposed to be of a fantasy genre, it needs its scripts and guidelines. Spells which are a bit difficult, not something short like 'sic itur ad astra'. You call that dark magic? The fantasy genre comes with a lot of hardship, and Trese, unfortunately, hasn't caught up.

Though the investigations could hardly be called tough, I liked the dynamic between the species and how the story as a whole was unfolding from the start. The fighting scenes were nice. The plot, quite intriguing. For an unorthodox film, it was pretty fascinating and enjoyable at the least.

As a Filipino, I was rooting for this, but...

[ghastlyvermin · 5/10 · 11 June 2021]

This felt like an overlong exposition for a better season, but even then it still left me with a lot of questions about the lore and the "magic system", if I can call it that: why is the Santelmo coming out of her phone? What are the limitations of the twins' powers? What exactly are the powers and abilities of Trese, and are there limitations to them? Why do you need dragon blood to open the portal? Why do you need ground mermaid bones to trap ghosts? I have many other questions as well.

The tone was also confusing because the show almost never gave a glimpse of how the people are reacting to everything that was happening around them. An "apocalypse" was literally about to happen but you never get a sense of paranoia from the population. There was no sense of populated space (except for the jailbirds and the military that we never got to see again) during the boss fight, and this really undermined just how much was supposed to be at stake.

I think the storytelling was my main issue here. There were so many unnecessary subplots, and I get that this was to consolidate the lore but again, I still have a lot of questions so I guess the world-building was off. The last episode was a huge let-down because it was literally just the main antagonist explaining everything. There was also no chemistry between the characters, and I didn't feel any connection with them. In the end I was like, "am I supposed to feel sorry even if the twins betrayed Trese?" because I never had the impression that they were supposed to be like "family".

The voice acting for the Filipino version was just okay. Soberano's acting was wooden for the most part. I know that Trese was supposed to be this jaded, impassive character, but she could've added more personality into her.

I believe that this show is a huge step forward for Philippine entertainment, but I don't think this would make a lot of sense to foreign viewers because the folklore was taken out of context. I am a Filipino, but even I was confused as to why a tikbalang would be in a city. Our folklore and superstitions are rooted in Nature, and so I feel like the story would make a lot more sense if a generous amount of it took place in a province or if there are characters from the province to explain why these supernatural beings have migrated to the city.

Korra season 2 reboot

[VinnyLSH · 7/10 · 11 June 2021]

First thing first, I am an International viewer, I am Asian but not familiar with Filipino culture and mythology. Still, I find this show easy to watch and fairly enjoyable. However, 6 episodes are way too short, the show can't balance between good character or narrative developments and inevitably fail in both of them.

The legend of Korra season 2 despite its failures, can convincingly showcase the discourse of balancing the 2 contrasting worlds, how humans and the supernatural beings could coexist, and how the main character could serve as the bridge between the 2 realms. Trese tries to follow in Korra's footsteps but inevitably fails due to the show's insufficient world-building and lackluster characters. The Filipino culture inspired elements are certainly interesting to watch, but when it comes to deeper thematic ideas like balance/conflict/police brutality, the historical and social contexts were largely ignored or hastily brushed over. And let's not forget the overused zombies/chaotic evil god tropes. The show has also failed to make me feel invested in the characters. Hank is by far my favorite. The captain is probably my second. These 2 are properly humanized through the "show don't tell" principle. Other than that, the rest of the characters are pretty undeveloped. As for Trese, she has the badass but not the personality of Korra nor the charm of the good old detectives like Sherlock.

There are potentials in this show, I hope season 2 would properly flush out the characters and delivery a truly satisfying arc for Trese.

Hey Netflix, more of this please!

[tonymars-63087 · 10/10 · 20 July 2021]

Excellent story, creative, innovative, original, beautiful art style. Keep this coming!!

Great anime!

[dharmashantilove · 7/10 · 13 June 2021]

The quality of anime was great!!! Great backgrounds and art. The voice actors were top notch.

The dialogue felt a bit rushed at times, although a great story overall. Still many unanswered questions which could prompt another season or concluding film.

Enjoyable anime

[thejassivakumar · 8/10 · 14 June 2021]

Set in the Filipinos this anime captures the Filipine dialects. It was a new experience with the supernatural beings residing with human beings and Trese struggling to keep balance between them. The Filipine dialect was also a good catch, something new for me. Overall, it is a nice anime which gives the audience a new experience.

Good enough as a stepping stone for greater things to come

[richarddillomes · 7/10 · 21 June 2021]

Trese by all means is an achievement for Filipino talent. What started out as a passion project eventually turned into an award-winning comics and now it's the first anime in Southeast Asia streaming on a global platform. With six episodes and a running time of 25 to 33 minutes, even a person with a short attention span (me!) will be able to finish everything in one sitting mainly because of this fascinating world created by writer Budjette Tan and illustrator Kajo Baldisimo where we follow Alexandra Trese, a detective who deals in the supernatural. As mentioned by Tan in the Netflix special Trese After Dark, he cites Batman and John Constantine as influence and at the last minute flipped the character due to the lack of strong female leads at that time. Points for progressive thinking as early as 2005.

As Atom Araullo also mentioned in Trese After Dark, it's really something to finally see the setting and situations of an anime in places you may have found yourself in: MRT breaking down in Guadalupe, the dimly lit eskinitas, a police officer playing solitaire during working hours, etc. When you merge that with the different folklore and mythologies we've heard of in different permutations, it gives the show that extra hold on you to keep watching in anticipation of what else is next to come.

If there are a couple of things one can be hypercritical about, and emphasis on hyper because these are small details that does not in any way make the show any less spectacular, is that the animation is a little clunky but I'm not a hardcore anime consumer so this might be nothing at all, or maybe they wanted to keep the feel of reading a comic, or it could be due to a limited budget, etc. The other is while Liza Soberano did okay, one does wonder if it made a difference if it was say Glaiza De Castro was cast instead. I won't go as far as gatekeeping because we must understand the need to use as much clout as they possibly can if it means guaranteed success for an independent material that has been on the sidelines for many years. This does not only ensure possible additional seasons but as well as influence to look at other unknown local creators to share their art to the world. But for now, enjoy Trese on Netflix and maybe check out a local bookstore for the comic book after.

Treseverse is vast. We need more than six.

[ClariSays · 8/10 · 14 June 2021]

The Trese animated series season one is composed of six episodes. As a reader, this was not enough for me. It would have been nice to have 13, but then, the number six does have quite a significance in the Treseverse. Now, as a viewer, six episodes is a safe number.

A little side notes: The moment I read the news that the animated series will release in 2021, I did not read or watch any Trese series-related material. But I share these online.

So when I hit play on Netflix, I was caught off guard. I was surprised by how detailed and accurate the MRT scene was in this episode. But that was just the intro. At mark 1:28, the tense theme music (as per the subtitle) that played along with the title sequence gave me goosebumps.

The series of art presented in every shot slowly welcomes us to THE WORLD OF TRESE. It was dark, bloody and shrouded in mystery which radiated through season one. Yes, like the graphic novel, the animated series did not fall short on those elements. So expect a non-stop mystery and action as different supernatural crime and iconic Philippine mythical creatures are in every episode.

Moreover, the series did not sugarcoat the pain and suffering of the characters, especially Alexandra and the Kambal (Crispin & Basilio). Which reminds me, I appreciate the flashbacks.

In this season, the audience met Alexandra, the Kambal, Hank, Alexandra's parents and a few supernatural creatures. Those interjected scenes gave the audience an idea of how the Team Trese, at present, intertwined with creatures of Philippine folklore they encounter in every investigation.

And just like Trese's job to keep the balance between the two worlds, the series also had some light moments in the form of the Kambal (Crispin & Basilio) and, of course, the trusted bartender of The Diabolical, Hank.

Now let's move to the story. Is there a difference between the graphic novel and the animated series? A big YES, BUT Netflix's Trese stayed true to the graphic novel.

The animated series writers Zig Marasigan and Mihk Vergara mentioned in the Netflix special, Trese After Dark that they kept the spirit of what the creators originally set as they translate it to a different medium. They took all the clues from the book and moulded it suitable for the animated series.

Fans of works adapted into films or series know that there will always be a difference. Some may agree with the changes, but there will always be people who will be protective.

As a fan, I do not mind the slight changes. I understand the animated series writers decision to fill the gaps based on the clues in the books. They did a great job in shaping the characters as they deem fit.

Trese is, after all, a Filipino graphic novel that started publication in 2005 and adapted into an animated series that is now streaming on Netflix, a large streaming platform. A little tweaking is needed to appeal more to the audience of today.

At the time of writing, there is no news of a second season yet. But I hope that Netflix officially gives the green light soon with more episodes as the Treseverse is vast. I assure you, the characters you met in season one are not the only ones you want to meet. The stories you've seen aren't the only ones you want to know. We need more than six.

Refreshing

[robertnichols-33510 · 6/10 · 1 August 2021]

Definitely not perfect and could use work but it's still really good reminds me of a dark version of batman with the animation style. Definitely would like to see another season.

Top-tier show, needs more episodes

[BoxwoodExpress · 10/10 · 15 June 2021]

Too bad it was only six episodes, but I hope Netflix orders more eventually. Anyways, Trese is based on a komik of the same name from the Philippines (for crying out loud stop calling it anime, it's not from Japan) and focuses heavily on Filipino culture and mythology. Our hero, Alexandra Trese, is an unflappable, unstoppable butt-kicking woman who deals with supernatural crimes in Manila.

The animation is gorgeous. The animators worked really hard and you can tell that the budget was enormous. It's one of the most beautiful-looking adult cartoons I've seen in a while, and gives me reason to say that we need more shows like Trese.

It also deals with heavy topics like pregnancy outside of marriage, child abuse, and police brutality, and features heavy gore, body horror, and violence. If you're squeamish to any of these things, don't watch the show. I can handle body horror as long as its animated, which is why I was able to watch it.

As I have not read the komik, I have no clue how the animated show compares to it. I am not Filipino so I don't speak or understand Tagalog, naturally I watched the English dub. It was fine for what it was and I liked how they casted Filo actors - not just Shay Mitchell, but also prominent cartoon VAs of Filo descent like Eric Bauza (the current voice of Bugs Bunny) and Deedee Magno-Hall (Pearl from Steven Universe).

With the warnings I provided, I recommend the show. It's a quick binge to watch and will have you wanting more every time.

memories of early Marvel

[A_Different_Drummer · 7/10 · 24 June 2021]

Before every character was a franchise and every story had to fit in their comic universe. Fun.

lazy and mediocre

[salyangozz · 5/10 · 15 June 2021]

So I want to start by saying that I don't know anything about Filipino culture. I also don't think you have to know about a culture to understand if a story is told well. This story wasn't told well.

The dialogue is mediocre. The characters have no depth and nobody actually grows. Everyone explains how they feel without showing it, which is a big problem with most shows tbh. Explaining what had happened just to fill in the blank spots so that the viewer understands characters' motives is lazy writing. We're watching a show Brenda, not listening to an audiobook.

Except for a couple of characters, the designs are not memorable at all. You don't really know who is who and why are they doing the things they do is so poorly explained. The alliances make no sense. Trying to fit in all that info and characters and events in 6 episodes was obviously a bad idea.

I like gore, but strangely even the gore felt out of place sometimes.

It's not the worst show I've seen, but I'm not gonna remember this. Watch it if you have nothing else to watch.

Good Asian Folk

[juandogs · 15 June 2021]

Asian supernatural folk with modern weapon. Good animation and good story. I'll wait for season 2.

cool anime set in Manila

[kaefab · 6/10 · 12 July 2021]

Its pretty cool they chose the location Manila and not the popular locations like the US.

I really love the super natural element from this anime but sadly it falls short at some point.

The animation and voice acting are pretty good.