TV Review: Trese S1E1: “Episode 1”

I’ll be absolutely honest on this one—Trese is an animated series that I had slept on until I stumbled onto it on Netflix. However, once I saw it in my Netflix queue, it caught my eye for several reasons. Primarily, the concept of a show focusing on a Filipina occult investigator sounded fascinating to me, and there is significant potential there. Filipino mythology is distinctive and fascinating, and it can lend itself to good storytelling; The Witcher did something similar for Polish mythology and it turned out well for them. Beyond that, the visual style and adapting a Filipino graphic novel series into an anime is an inspired idea, and it could bring an audience into the series if done right. Trese is an idea with some real potential, and I was curious to see how well the show executed it.

While the overall result is generally positive, Trese in practice is somewhat of a mixed bag. In fairness, the worldbuilding and background detail on this setting is the most fascinating thing about it. The various creatures, gods, and mystical beings of this world are different then what you might find in a Western fantasy series, and that gives Trese its strength. The idea of the lakan, which is both a mystical guardian and an occult investigator, is a compelling one as well. Alexandra Trese is both the inheritor of a magical legacy and a detective, giving her a unique story role. She enforces earthly laws as well as the mystical accords that keep the peace among the magical beings, and because of this, she stands between the magical and the mundane. The show also takes advantage of the setting of Manila, taking a real-world place that’s not often used in fiction and building a realistic society around it. There’s so much I find fascinating about this world, and the episode left me wanting to learn more about it.

Where the writing stumbles is more in the execution of those ideas. There’s a long opening sequence that unfortunately falls into the habit of “tell, don’t show”, instead of the other way around. While the setting does need some setup for Western audiences, the story goes a bit too far with it at times, hitting the viewer with more infodump than is actually needed. Because of this, it takes too long for the story to get to the point, something that may alienate less patient viewers. The show does eventually get to the point and to Alexandra as a character, but the exposition is often clunkier than it should be.

The other angle is that I don’t walk away from this episode feeling like I know Alexandra Trese as a character beyond a very surface level. I honestly want to like her, because I think the idea of her is quite compelling. To be fair to the script, we do get a very good sense of her personal history, including an inciting tragedy in her past that makes her sympathetic. She also comes across as a strong character who holds her own quite well as the lead. However, I don’t get a deep sense of who Alexandra is as a character beyond that, what her motivations for being a lakan truly are, or much of her personality beneath her role as a lakan. It is possible that later episodes address this, but a first episode ideally should be able to make us care about the main character. The writing doesn’t quite satisfy in that respect, though it comes close, and that’s a shame, because I really do see potential in this character.

Everything else really does work, though, especially the visual style of the animation. The world of Trese is visually designed quite well, and the animation is visually sharp in every frame. The monsters are well designed, evoking the creepiness and the horror factor quite well. The aswang look horrific, evoking vampires while also having a distinctive look in the series. The emissary of the death goddess has a wonderful design, evoking traditional Filipino dress while looking pale and creepy. I also quite like the look for Alexandra on this show as well—she is a strong visual presence while also being an accessible and relatable character. The show’s creators made a good decision in going the anime route in adapting this series, as it’s a visual style that fits a series like this well.

The voice acting is generally solid, telling the story without being too obvious or over-the-top in the performances. I appreciate that the creators cast several voice actors with Filipino backgrounds for this series, because it helps create a sense of authenticity for Trese’s version of Manila. Shay Mitchell, the voice of Alexandra, convincingly sounds like a Filipina detective, capturing the strength and the vulnerability of the character at the right moments. She very much is the anchor of the show, as both the title character and a viewer-identification character, and Mitchell’s performance works on both levels. In addition, veteran actors like Manny Jacinto, Dante Basco, Eric Bauza, and Lou Diamond Phillips help to round out the cast for the episode. While most of the supporting roles are minor, these actors are convincing in their roles and make this version of Manila sound convincing. It’s clear that the casting directors made their choices to create a sense of authenticity, to create a Manila filled with people that know and understand the culture. In this respect, the show succeeds very well, and that comes across effectively in all the performances here.

Although the episode is by no means perfect, the first episode of Trese offers enough that I’m willing to continue with it. It’s a show that works best in the streaming format, where you can try it for yourself with no penalty beyond a basic Netflix subscription. As it stands, Trese is a show that offers real potential despite its blemishes. While I love the concept and the worldbuilding, my hope is that the writing improves in the subsequent episodes. This show shines a light on a part of the world that we don’t see often enough in Western media, with its own deep mythology and rich culture, and one that I’d like to see explored more often. I hope Trese can eventually be that kind of show, provided that the rough edges receive just a little more polish. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing what this show can become, as there’s a great deal here to like so far.

Score: 3.5/5

Network: Netflix

Cast: Shay Mitchell, Griffin Puatu, Matt Yang King, Jon Jon Briones, Carlos Alazraqui, Steve Blum, Darren Criss, Lou Diamond Phillips, Nicole Scherzinger, Manny Jacinto, Dante Basco

Writer: Tanya Yusun

Director: Jay Oliva

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Steve Sellers

Steve Sellers had been a fan of superheroes ever since Superman: The Movie. But it took the JSA, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Dragonlance, Lord of the Rings, Twilight Zone, and Chris Claremont's legendary run on the X-Men to make him a writer and a longtime fan of comics, fantasy, and science fiction. Steve is the co-creator of WHITE DRUID & MICHAEL NERO and GUARDIANS OF ELAYIM for Omen Comics, and he is also the creator of BLITZ and SHOCKWAVE for Revelation Comics (an imprint of Omen Comics).