ICYMI: Encantadia (2005)

In case you missed it, the telefantasya (fantasy tv series) Encantadia, said to be the grandest and most ambitious production in Philippine television during its time, is now streaming in YouTube! Urihi ko dlang dya gani nasalapu-an...salamat sa quarantine time. Makahiridlaw dya nga paragwaon especially kun nostalgic ikaw sa mga ralantawon ka una kag gusto mo man papahuwayon ang imo mata ka basa ka subtitles...

Sang'gres of Encantadia (2005)

Ang encantadia nga term naghalin sa "enkanto", "enkanta", "enkantada", or "enkantado" (which was in turn derived from the Spanish term encantado/a) which means enchanted beings endowed with supernatural powers. According to writer-creator Suzette Doctolero, it was inspired by the story of Maria Makiling, a diwata (fairy) in Philippine folklore, in four different personas. It was also inspired by different stories around the world combined into one. Amo ra nga indi kaw run matingala insa familiar ang plot kag characters. It's like Lord of the Rings meets the Avatar: The Last Airbender, only with more powerful women. The first three installment (Encantadia, Etheria & Encantadia: Pag-ibig Hanggang Wakas) were consecutively shown from 2005 to 2006 and a reboot was made in 2016 with a new cast.

Ynang Reyna (Hera Mine-a)

Raku sa mga nabasahan ko nga comments, sa nakalantaw sa YouTube, nga teleserye dya kuno kang anda childhood... hmn...cosplaying as a professional teacher dun ako ka mga tuig nga dya. Dumduman ko nga ginapangitaan gid namon ka co-teacher ko (nga adik man), tyempo para lang makahadak on whatever episode nga nalantawan namon the previous night. Ginakalipay gid namon nga may Encantadia kauna nga pwede mapahuwayan ka amon kapoy nga mga lawas kag kalag. Ugaring Book 1 lang ka Encantadia ang natutukan ko lantaw, nagsaku dun ako guro kang pag airing ka Etheria kag Book 3... kag waay dun ako nagalantaw ka tv kang 2016.

Para ka nakon nga super fan ka folklore, fantasy and all things supernatural, waay ko gid dya napalampas kang pag broadcast sa GMA 7. Bisan bahul man ang CGI/special effects nanda kag hilaw-hilaw pa ang choreography sa fight scenes, hanggud katama ang contribution na ka dya para sa pop culture ka Pilipinas. Amo dya pag uso ka mga words & phrases such as:

Avisala!(greetings); Pashnea (hayop, also used as an expletive); Ashti (aunt/tita); Aznamon voyanazar (used in portal travel)

Aside from the folk lit references, ang nauyunan ko gid sa dya nga telefantasya or fantaserye (depende sa TV station nga ginalantawan mo) amo ang costumes and the worldbuilding. Mapatihan ang Encantadia hay ginpaminsaran ang details of its geography, history, language, lore, characters, social customs, politics, religion… Encantadia is a vast and enchanted realm, comprises of four major kingdoms: Lireo, Sapiro, Hathoria, and Adamya.

"Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony... then everything changed when the fire nation attacked..."

• Lireo, in the east, is the matriarchal queendom of diwatas and lambanas (fairies and pixies). They cared for Brilyante ng Hangin (Gemstone of Air). It is the home of the temple of their supreme deity, Emre.

• Sapiro, in the north, is the kingdom of healers and valiant warriors. They kept the Brilyante ng Lupa (Gemstone of Earth). Their land is blessed with fertile soil and minerals like no other kingdom in their world.

• Hathoria, in the west, is the kingdom of militaristic miners and blacksmiths that develop weapons and war machinery. They held the Brilyante ng Apoy (Gemstone of Fire).

• Adamya, in the south, is the territory of wise pacifist lamang-lupas (dwarves and kama-kama). They kept the Brilyante ng Tubig (Gemstone of Water). This territory surrounded by the Adamyan Ocean, thrives in fishing and farming. It is also the only unfortified territory in Encantadia.

Ang estorya ka Encantadia (Book 1) naglibot sa queendom of Lireo, the realm of the diwata, nga ginapamunu-an ni Ynang Reyna (Dawn Zulueta) kag kang ana apat ka bata: Pirena (Sunshine Dizon), Amihan (Yza Calzado), Alena (Karylle) kag Danaya (Diana Zubiri). Ang apat ka sanggre (royal blood) are tasked to be the new keepers of the brilliantes. As long as the gemstones are kept properly, the balance of nature in Encantadia remains.

Fifteen years after its showing, nalingaw angud ako maglantaw. Bukon man it pareho kauna ang reaction ko sa mga scenes, characters kag story development (daw mas raku ako ginkadlawan tulad sangsa kato anay) pay makahambal gid ko nga walang kupas ang acting. I think one of the strengths of this series is the cast. Iconic ang mga sanggres, especially Pirena, and I also like Cassiopea (Cindy Kurleto) with her pointy ears, shady character & accented Filipino. Nagbalik ang kilig ko sa tandem ni Aquil (Alfred Vargas) & Danaya. Sa mga Encantadia ships, sanda ka dya ang nauyunan ko, garing doomed romance tanda sa Book 1...

Aquil & Danaya (Episode 76)

If you want to re-live the fantasy that is Encantadia, you can watch it again sa YouTube. Book 1 of the series has 160 episodes (less than 30 mins per episode); Etheria (50 ep) and Book 3: Pag-ibig Hanggang Wakas (48 ep). Ukon basi mas nauyunan mo ang 2016 version hay much improved ang CGI kag fight scenes, available dya sanda tanan YouTube... tyempo mo lang ang kulang.

references:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encantadia; https://encantadia.fandom.com/wiki/Encantadia_Wiki