Encantadia (2016 TV series)

Episodes

As of February 11, 2017, the series has 150 episodes. The 45th episode marked the end of the retelling of the original story in 2005 wherein Queen Amihan was dethroned by Pirena who headed a coup de etat against the Lireo Kingdom. The 46th episode embarked the beginning of the sequel in which new story line debut. The 149th episode marked the beginning of the second season of the series.

Premise

Encantadia is a vast and magical continent in an "unnamed", enchanted realm. It comprises three kingdoms: Lireo, Sapiro, and Hathoria, and an autonomous territory, Adamya. The three kingdoms and Adamya bear the four elemental gems that hold the continent in balance. Lireo, in the east, is the kingdom that cared for Brilyante ng Hangin (Gemstone of Air). Adamya, is the keeper of Brilyante ng Tubig (Gemstone of Water). Sapiro, the northern kingdom, kept the Brilyante ng Lupa (Gemstone of Earth) and had its lands blessed with precious metals and stones, and its soil fertile unlike any other land. Hathoria, the kingdom of the west, held the Brilyante ng Apoy (Gemstone of Fire) and utilized it for the development of weapons and war machinery.

After the Great Encantadian War the three kingdoms were able to live in peace for a thousand years, but the day came when the Hathors (inhabitants of Hathoria), led by King Arvak, gave in to their greed and started the Lirean war to claim the other gems, that they may gain power and rule over the whole continent. After seizing the Gemstone of Water from Adamya, the Hathors waged war with the Sapiro, in pursuit of the gemstone of earth. King Arvak seized the Gemstone of Earth from King Armeo of Sapiro, then killed King Armeo. Later, King Arvak was killed by a Sapirian warrior named Asval. Before he died, prince Raquim of Sapiro claimed the Gemstones of Water, Earth and Fire from King Arvak. The death of King Arvak weakened the Hathor force and made them retreat. After the war, the kingdom of Sapiro fell and was left in ruins.

Prince Raquim immediately brought the three gemstones to Queen Mine-a of Lireo and the keeper of Gemstone of Air, for safekeeping. The four gems have not been separated since.

Two thousand years have passed and the story unfolds in Lireo, where Queen Mine-a will choose her successor from her daughters Pirena, Amihan, Alena and Danaya. She and Imaw, an elder from Adamya, can feel imminent danger lurking, and as the gods called her to Devas (the world of the dead), she has to leave the kingdom of Lireo in good and capable hands. She put her daughters to the test to see their capabilities and know who is best fit to be the next queen. Mine-a chooses and crowns Amihan, which to Pirena's dismay, led to her rebellion and the onset of the so-called War of the four Gems. The chain of events that transpired made way for the separation of the gemstones. Pirena, after having stolen the gemstone of fire, sided with the Hathors and gave them back the power they've lost. Hathor now plans to rise up from hiding and bring Lireo to its demise, with the end in view of ruling over the whole of Encantadia.

Main Cast

Supporting Cast

Special participation

Production

On November 5, 2015, Atty. Felipe Gozon, the chairman and CEO of GMA Network Inc. finally announced during a GMA Network press conference, the remake of the successful 2005 fantasy series as part of the network's program line-up for 2016. On January 6, 2016, director Mark A. Reyes posted on his Instagram account that he will return as the director of the series.Suzette Doctolero, who created the first Encantadia remains as concept creator and head writer for this series. Encantadia was Doctolero's first head writing project with the network in 2005, and also served as her training for writing a fantasy story for the first time. She emphasized that the Encantadia requel focuses on correcting the mistakes of the original series.

This requel was first publicized during Marian Rivera's renewal of contract at GMA Network on February 16, 2016 wherein she was introduced by Lilybeth Rasonable, SVP of Entertainment for GMA Network to covet the role of Inang Reyna Mine-a. The following day, it was announced by director Mark Reyes in 24 Oras that the series is already on its pre-production stage and conceptualization. The first teaser of Encantadia premiered during Eat Bulaga on February 14, 2016 featuring a snippet of the power gems and the iconic "Tadhana" theme song. The first trailer of Encantadia was released June 11, 2016 and generally garnered positive reviews. The trailer featured the four Sang'gres' brandishing their powers. It also showed a glimpse of the re-imagined realm of Encantadia.

GMA Network Inc. released the full trailer of Encantadia (2016) on July 6, 2016 and announced that its television premiere is earlier than expected. The show started on July 18, 2016 on GMA Telebabad block. On September 15, 2016, the director posted on his Instagram account that the retelling concluded after 43 episodes, and the 45th will be the start of the 2005's sequel, stating that "The retelling ends. And the sequel begins,". He further added that it's not about 2005 version anymore, and new storyline will emerge on the series.

Casting

Filipina actress Marian Rivera plays the role of (Inang Reyna) Mine-a, the Queen of Lireo, (originally played by Dawn Zulueta). Rivera's husband, Dingdong Dantes, who played Ybarro in the original series plays the role of Raquim, prince of Sapiro (originally played by Richard Gomez). It serves as the comeback series of the couple after welcoming their first daughter and their last show together was My Beloved in 2012. Klea Pineda and Migo Adecer also join the cast as part of their prize after winning StarStruck VI.

On April 4, 2016, the four new Sang'gres of Encantadia were revealed live on 24 Oras. Amihan, the keeper of the wind gem, originally played by Iza Calzado, is now portrayed by Kylie Padilla. In the show's press conference, Padilla stated that being cast in Encantadia puts you as an "A-lister" in show business. Gabbi Garcia takes on the role of Alena, the keeper of the water gem, who was originally played by Karylle. Garcia stated that the series is her biggest break in the industry. She further stated, "...i’m not really gonna try to outdo but then, we’re not replacing them[...] just making a new, fresh version for the young audiences, for the generation now". Newcomer Sanya Lopez is Danaya, the youngest of the sisters and the keeper of the earth gem, played by Diana Zubiri in the original series. Lopez stated that having been compared to the original series was a big challenge for her, but in a positive way. Glaiza de Castro is the keeper of the gem of fire, Pirena, originally played by Sunshine Dizon. According to Doctolero, de Castro is the one and only choice for the role but she also auditioned for it. According to her, she watched and studied trainings from famous martial arts artists to get ready for the role. Other cast members including their roles also appeared after the announcement .

Sunshine Dizon, who played Pirena in the original series, revealed on May 6, 2016 that she takes part on the retelling-sequel of the 2016 series with a big but different character role, as Adhara. Meanwhile, Diana Zubiri who previously played Danaya is also cast as LilaSari.

A week before the show, Australian actor Conan Stevens, best known for his role on the American fantasy television series Game of Thrones, confirmed that he would join the cast in an unspecified role, which later on revealed as Vish'ka.

As the series progress, few special roles emerged; the first is Miguel Tanfelix who plays Pagaspas, a Mulawin with a mission to help the diwatas of Lireo. He played the same role 12 years ago on the series of the same name. The next would be Alden Richards, who will also play a Mulawin whose appearance has not yet been televised. In an interview with Manila Times, Richards said, "...11 years ago. I remember I watched the show with my family and I was so mesmerized with all the special effects. [...]When I learned that GMA was doing a ‘requel’ of Encantadia, I was really wishing to be a part of the show. That’s why when they told me that I have a role in the series, I was so happy...".

Costume design

Encantadia's costume designer is Francis Libiran, a world-renowned and critically acclaimed designer in the Philippines who did an extensive research to come up with the designs. According to Libiran, his team brainstormed together with Encantadia's production team and watched old clips of Encantadia in YouTube to conceptualized the character's fashion sense. The gowns of the sang'gres and Ynang Reyna is more edgy and fashionable compared to the ruggedness/cocky-themed costumes in 2005. Each gown depicts the powers and personalities of each sang'gre while showing one thing that they have in common- Royal. The colors of their gowns match the colors of the gems that the Sang’gres are guarding. Just like in the original series, they wore elegant gowns when they were not in a battle. He further stated, "A normal gown usually takes us two months to create but since we had to consider the time, we assigned a dedicated team of craftsmen to produce the outfits in just 15 days." According to the cast, they went on a strict diet and fitness trainings to secure their shape suited for their exquisite gowns. The cast first appeared in costumes during "ToyCon 2016 Poplife Fan Xperience" at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City on June 10, 2016.

Critical Reception

According to a review by CNN Philippines, Encantadia lived up to its long-gestating hype. The introduction and the narration was a big step-up for the show compared to the first one. It further stated that the new iteration looks better than the original and paces itself well in terms of narrative and plot. CNN was also impressed with the fight scenes giving impressions that are being done on a grander scale. They also stated that the scenes have depth and CG backgrounds are rendered beautifully and looks a lot slicker and a whole lot darker, looking like something from the PC version of Skyrim which they expressed as a huge improvement after over a decade. Anthea Reyes of WheninManila.com was also impressed of the series stating: "...all of our childish fantasies have returned to primetime television and it’s come back bigger, better, and infinitely more awesome..." She also stated that "the writing team is using this opportunity to the fullest to solidify the myth, the plot holes, and the motivations of everything. The writers of the show were able to place meaning in an aesthetic choice made from way before and further enrich the story." She also noted that the details of characters costume, to the clarified presence of the nomadic soldiers post Sappiro-Hathoria war, up until the background music used per every shot were all world class. FHM Philippines also made a review of the show and states that the creators of the show made an effort to make a living and breathing world and they succeeded. They also imposed that even though it was heavily inspired by Hollywood fantasy movies, it has the FIlipino flavor adding its own twist. They also pointed out that one of the shows strengths is that it has its own unique story. FHM further stated that: "...Like the original that came 11 years before it, Encantadia gives audiences something new to watch when it comes to primetime programming. Finally, something to cleanse our palate from all the drama and romantic programs that we've grown accustomed to."

A review by Philippine Entertainment Portal stated that the show’s director of photography and cameramen were impressive for utilizing different creative camera angles and techniques as it contributed to the intensity and excitement in the scene. They also gave positive feedback to its musical scoring stating that "...One of the factors that contributed to Encantadia 2005’s success is its musical scoring, in fact, it was even commended in the Asian Television Awards for Best Original Music Score. This requel did not disappoint when it comes to this aspect. The musical scorer seemed to compose different pieces suited to each kingdom since each had its own theme[...]the modernized, upbeat version of "Tadhana" also inensified the fight scenes."

Ratings

Encantadia premiered on July 18, 2016 on GMA Telebabad block. According to AGB Nielsen the highly-anticipated pilot episode of GMA's epic telefantasya drew a 26.1% rating in Urban Luzon beating ABS-CBN's FPJ's Ang Probinsyano which received a 24.2% rating. Kantar Media survey, however, says otherwise when the Coco Martin-starrer prevailed over Encantadia after garnering a 42.4% rating nationwide with Encantadia trailing behind with a national rating of 21%.