I knew from the get go that I was going to really enjoy Trese. Being a fan of Supernatural (ex fan to be exact. It’s a long story), the trailer immediately grabbed my attention. From ghosts to vampires and werewolves, this series has everything that I grew up with and loved. Mild spoilers ahead but nothing major.
Trese is based on a Filipino comic series written by Budjette Tan and illustrated by Kajo Baldisimo. The series focuses on Alexandra Trese, a detective who solves crimes committed by supernatural entities. I know absolutely nothing about the comics so if the animated series is close to the source material, I have no idea. Truth be told, if no one had said it was based on a comic then I would’ve had no idea and just went with the thought that it was an original series. Though there are similar concepts to Supernatural (the whole saving people, hunting things ordeal), the show feels very fresh and new. It’s extremely dark and gory at times so this isn’t something to sit down with your kids and watch as a family. But once the kids are gone to bed, go for it. It’s even better if you watch it in the dark.
What I really enjoyed about this series is that we have a strong female protagonist. She’s been through a lot, and you’ll see that if you check out the show, and all her experiences shaped her into the woman she is today. Smart, strong, goal oriented. Even after losing her mother as a young child and her father as she got older, it didn’t destroy her. If anything, it made her stronger. She knew what she had to do and she set out to do it. What helped even more is that she had a strong support system behind her as well. The twins Crispin and Basilio, who are basically her brothers. Hank, who knew her since she was a child and was close friends with her father. What’s even better is that she doesn’t have a love interest to distract her or make her appear stronger. She’s powerful on her own and doesn’t need an interest to prove that she’s a natural born leader. I just love that she’s independent and doesn’t rely on anyone to build her up in order to see her worth. There’s not a lot of that in today’s media and there should be more of it. A woman doesn’t need a lover to know her value.
The highlight of the entirety of the 6 episodes were the twins. Crispin and Basilio are so funny and chaotic that they made this even more worth watching. It’s always nice to have comedic relief during a dark show and I’m glad it was the boys. Considering they had a really rough childhood and wasn’t being set on the right path, it was Alexandra and her father that helped get their lives together for the better. Things could’ve been much different for them if it hadn’t been for Alex and her dad. Now they’re jokesters, love the ladies and they’d rather die first than have something happen to their older sister. Their development was probably the best on the show, even if it was only bits and pieces of their childhood that we saw. Hands down my favorite characters that I may or may not simp for. I’ll never catch me admitting it.
I will briefly say that the animation style reminds me of a Batman show or movie that I used to watch. I can’t quite put my finger on it but the style feels and looks very familiar to me. It’s a little jerky at times, like when a character is walking it just seems a bit clunky, but aside from that the animation is beautiful especially the city at night. I’ve always been a sucker for animated night life and the animators do a fantastic job making Manila aesthetically pleasing to look at.
Overall? Fantastic series. It’s dark, gory and filled with aspects that both horror and supernatural genre fans will definitely enjoy. If you do happen to check out the series, stick around for the after credits scene in the final episode. I didn’t know there was one until I heard about it on twitter. This one is definitely a show to check out. TEAM TRESE!
Fandom Lair 