Director Mark Reyes is happy about the feedback he’s been getting from both local and foreign fans over GMA’s ambitious effort to produce Voltes V: Legacy, the live-action version of the Japanese anime classic Voltes V.
During a recent exclusive chat with The STAR, he also hinted that the Kapuso network is already working on how to market the show — now on its second week of airing — overseas.
Direk Mark further shared that he was surprised that “ang daming Japanese reviewers and vloggers (who) reacted,” starting from when they dropped the mega trailer early this year.
Prior to its pilot episode on May 8, Voltes V: Legacy also had a theatrical run, The Cinematic Experience, which compressed three weeks’ worth of scenes from the actual teleserye.
“Yun nga, it came to a point that they were saying that Japanese filmmakers should learn on how to do an adaptation. Ganung level! So, nakakataba talaga ng puso na umabot sa ganun.”
Audiences from outside of the country can have access to the series via GMA Pinoy TV, he said.
“And I know that they’re working now, between Telesuccess, Toei and GMA, because I guess they thought ito lang ay pang regional, for GMA lang ‘to initially,” he added, referring to Voltes V’s original creator Toei Company and Telesuccess Productions, Toei’s local licensing outfit, from which GMA acquired the adaptation rights.
Following foreign reactions and show of interest, “I think they’re in works now. They’re in talks now on how to do it in a broader term,” he said.
“When I got to talk briefly with Ms. Annette Gozon-Valdez (GMA senior vice president) during the premiere night, (she said) oh we’re working on the digital rights… I think what she meant was, it will be in a bigger scope to market this around the world.”
When asked about the extent of the foreign interest in the show, direk Mark said, “In Cuba, there is a big fan base, actually they’re a very rabid fan base. There’s petition already on Change.org, demanding a DVD or Blu-ray edition because they know they won’t get it in their territory for the episode. So, ganun ka ano na, may demand.
“And in Japan… I mean, in my Instagram account, it’s so funny, I’d post something about my shoe, and someone’s gonna comment, can we watch (Voltes V: Legacy) here in Canada? Can we see it here in Thailand? Ganon kaano yung mga fans, so trying to call my attention and then I said, it’s really up to the network.
“But yun na nga, the response, you know, if I can recall it right in the mega trailer, ang nag-respond were (fans from) Russia, Italy, well, Japan a lot, Canada, the US, several other territories. If you Google on YouTube, Voltes V: Legacy reaction videos, ang dami niya. I’m like, when I did that, I said whoa! I didn’t even know that ganun kadami yung reaction video.”
Voltes V: Legacy is off to a promising start going by the “high ratings” it recorded on its pilot week as based on Nielsen’s NUTAm Overnight People Ratings, a GMA report said. The premiere had a combined (GMA, GTV, I Heart Movies and Pinoy Hits) rating of 14.6 percent.
Interestingly, before they started rolling, direk Mark nearly gave up on this passion project.
“My friends would get the brunt of it, ayoko na, I don’t want to proceed anymore, I keep saying that. Because the approval of Toei took a long time. And it’s because of the legal intramurals. There were a lot of things that needed to be done with this kind of project, with a contract. So ang tagal. I didn’t hear anything about it, akala ko wala na.”
He then got word that it was pushing through. “So excited na kami, tuloy na, then it was stopped again. The stop-go, stop-go, that was the frustrating part but the minute we started rolling… it was a tunnel vision that we would see it through.” All in all, it was a 10-year-long journey that also survived filming protocols at the height of the pandemic.
Voltes V: Legacy follows three brothers — Steve (Miguel Tanfelix), Big Bert (Matt Lozano) and Little John Armstrong (Raphael Landicho) — who are joined by their friends Jamie Robinson (Ysabel Ortega) and Mark Gordon (Radson Flores) as they search for their missing father while fighting off Boazanians, a horned race of alien invaders. The pilots man five attack vehicles that transform into the giant super robot, Voltes V.
Viewers can expect the beginning of the “meat and heart” of the series this second week of airing. “Week 2, ang dami ng nangyayari diyan, interesting characters. Dini-develop namin yung characters,” direk Mark said.
He noted that the “controversial” love triangle of Mark, Steve and Jamie will also begin.
“I don’t know why people are so frightened? Pardon me ha, what’s wrong with love? You’re asking me how Pinoy is this, of course, there must be a love story there somewhere. Basically, we’re still looking at a young audience,” direk Mark defended the love story arc in the series.
“Yes, it wasn’t addressed in the anime, but we have the chance of giving a love triangle to Mark, Steve and Jamie. I think it was handled pretty cute, pretty nice and pretty exciting.”
“Bert also has his own love story. I mean, hey, these are kids growing up… If that element of love is not part of the equation, what is there to fight for? I think it’s either familial love, love for country, love for the world, or loving someone. What would these kids fight for if they’re not in love or they’re not loving anything?” he further explained.
“So, that’s the whole package. (Viewers) will see it in the series. They will have fun. It’s a fun series. It’s nothing too serious. They should really watch it to escape for half an hour or more than an hour and enjoy it, feel the nostalgia and react na, ‘Oh my God, that’s exactly the anime, scene by scene, frame by frame, ganyan yun.’ Or, ‘Bago ‘to ah.’ That’s the reaction that I’m hoping to get when they watch the series.”