Who would have thought this fantastic television show would grip the hearts of Filipinos? I never thought I'd be watching any local show again until this came along.
It's been more than a decade since I watched anything on TV. We don't have any television anymore and frankly our family mostly watch foreign shows anyway. Blame it on our nation's colonial mindset or the lack of quality local shows. Haha. Also I have work so who has time to watch TV when the internet is around during our free time? 😁
This is why I am very happy GMA Network is already livestreaming episodes! ♥ Finally I am able to watch such a spectacular local series! Wow this show was really well thought of. Looks like it was really given the care and value it deserves!
Title Card Screenshot from a YouTube episode of Maria Clara at Ibarra by GMA Network
I really am proud of it so much that I am writing this now instead of after the series ends. 😅 Without further ado, let's start my review!
Disclaimer: For those who have not read the novels this series is based on, SPOILERS ahead. Oh and also, this will be PART 1 only. I have so many things to say about this show so the rest of it will be in Part 2 and 3, hahaha.
🔸 Trailer 🔸
To get you excited, let's start with some videos!
As of this writing Maria Clara at (and) Ibarra (MCI) still doesn't have any English subtitles but here's two trailers for you. At least it should give you an idea of how it looks.
🔸 Main and Supporting Characters 🔸
◙ Barbie Forteza play María Clara "Klay" Infantes
The nursing student who was magically transported into Jose Rizal's novels.
◙ Julie Anne San Jose plays María Clara "Clarita" de los Santos y Alba
The lead female character of Rizal's two books.
◙ Dennis Trillo plays Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin / Simoun
The fiancé of Maria Clara. Also the male lead character from both of Rizal's fictional stories.
◙ David Licauco plays Fidel de los Reyes y Maglipol
Ibarra's businessman and lawyer friend. The love interest of Klay.
Clockwise from top left: Klay, Ibarra, Maria Clara and Fidel. © GMA Network/GMA-7
◙ Juancho Triviño plays Padre Bernardo Salvi
The evil parish priest of the town of San Diego. He has a forbidden desire towards Maria Clara.
◙ Rocco Nacino plays Elías
A man who eventually becomes Ibarra's ally. He became part of a rebel group against the Spanish colonizers.
◙ Tirso Cruz III plays Padre Dámaso Verdolagas
The godfather of Maria Clara, also not a good priest.
◙ Andrea Torres plays Narcisa "Sisa"
The mother of Basilio and Crispin, child sacristans of the church in San Diego.
◙ Chai Fonacier plays Lucía
A woman who becomes part of the rebellion and would eventually help Klay and friends.
◙ Khalil Ramos plays Basilio (adult)
The child sacristan also abused by Padre Salvi who eventually grows up and becomes a medical student.
🔸 Synopsis 🔸
The novels Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not or Noli for short) & El Filibusterismo (The Filibusterism / Subversion or El Fili for short) by our national hero Jose Rizal has finally become a popular television series. It has been given a modern twist by including a Generation Z (Gen Z) college girl in the story.
Klay is a modern day nursing student who doesn't give a f*** about history. As expected, she doesn't take the Rizal Studies subject seriously. Supposedly she reflects the negative sentiments of today's generation. To cut the long intro short, she receives a "punishment" for plagiarizing a Rizal book report assignment.
source
Klay was eventually and at first unwittingly brought inside the fictional world of Rizal through the magical books of her professor. Will she be able to change how the stories end? Will Klay finally learn what she should by becoming part of the stories?
🔸 
's Review 🔸
's Review 🔸◙ Characters and Story (Part 1 of 2)
If you are looking for something action packed and dripping with love and romance then this is not the show for you. Haha. It has some of both but it didn't go overboard at all.
In case you are a lover of historical shows and fantasy stories then you will definitely enjoy Maria Clara at Ibarra. Oh imagine if you are transported to the late 19th century, wearing such elaborate costumes of the times. Wow. Klay has really been living the dream of many people. 😂
The Gen Z perspective makes MCI fun to watch. This is why the story is charming and engaging to many Filipinos. It has some comedic moments, suspense and of course a love story to make our hearts aflutter. Haha.
But as much as we'd like it to be a light-hearted tale, Noli and El Fili are not like that. Both are tragic, reflecting the current situation of the Philippines at the time. This is where the comedic relief of Klay and other characters come in. They make the story easier to watch without taking anything out of context.
This doesn't mean Klay does not experience unfavorable things though. She can actually personally attest to how women are treated in that era, both good and bad.
A scene in an episode of MCI where Padre Salvi is being cruel to Klay. source
The books are full of the struggles of our fellowmen to become independent of Spain, the hardships the people experienced and the life story of a man - Crisostomo Ibarra. Ah, Rizal's novels were supposedly meant to awaken the suffering souls of our countrymen in his lifetime. And surely it did!
According to the show's director, Zig Dulay, they also have consultants, historians and even language coaches (more on this in my next/3rd post)! They did everything to make the show as historically accurate and credible as possible. No wonder then that MCI has become such a hit series!
Because it is also well researched, the characters of the show have finally brought the historical novels to life. For sure Rizal would be proud to see them acted out in the flesh! Each one are well developed and have made today's generation relate to people in Rizal's time.
Novels written in Spanish by Jose Rizal, source
Yes some parts of the novels were changed but everything still remains true to the spirit of the story. Jose Rizal won't even bother rolling in his grave for the changes done. Haha. For example, in the El Fili part, the writers even brought back Elias! His death was said to be one of Rizal's regrets so the showrunners did what he could not. Nice right? 😉
In terms of the story, we can see how the present still has similarities to our past. I again noticed how fortunate we are now that we live in such an easier time. We have electricity and advanced technology. Nobody else is oppressing us in the 21st century except our own fellowmen. 😂 We have become a country that is still quite divided by our many islands. Most are not that patriotic at all no thanks to our greedy government leaders and colonial and/or tribal mentality.
(Oh wait, I almost forgot the big bully China. 😂 Lol come on it's the modern era and yet some people still want to own another country's islands and waters? Such a shame to see that kind of thinking in this time and age. 🤮)
Anyway this is getting too long. Stay tuned for the second part of the character and story review. Haha. Can't write everything here so I have to divide it all into three. 😂
So far if you're also a fan of MCI, what can you say about it's story and characters? If you haven't watched any episodes yet, would you want to or would you read the books instead?
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