One grand exhibition of glossy scenes after another, Encantadia premiered the 5th of its growing TV saga, Sang’gre, satisfying its excited fans with a dazzling showcase of visuals.
It opened with an enormous combat scene involving the second generation of sang’gres, Glaiza de Castro as Pirena, Kylie Padilla as Amihan, Sanya Lopez as Danaya and Gabbi Garcia as Alena, fighting with a giant dragon. A well-choreographed and tight action sequence is a missed opportunity. But the flawless effects and the nostalgia of seeing the four main characters together for the first time after a long time compensated for it.
Eight years since we last saw the fantasy franchise on television, and after two years in production, Sang’gre did not hold back in unveiling a plot equipped with its visual elements all in perfect frames. It was hard to comment something negative.
Rhian Ramos, as the intriguing ice princess, Keira Mitena, an imposing presence of her own, occupied the second half of the premiere. She unleashed her character’s spot in the grand scheme of the Encantadia narrative with another dose of pomp.
To join Rhian in the upcoming episodes are the new main characters; Kelvin Miranda as Adamus, Faith da Silva as Flamarra, Angel Guardian as Deia and Bianca Umali as Terra. They are backgrounded with a long list of cast portraying their own colorful characters.
Admittedly, the opening episode felt too short. But what it did is to leave the audience, specifically its core of ‘Encantadics’, wanting for more.
The live stream peaked at 210,000 concurrent viewers on YouTube and 48,000 on Facebook on top of its free TV broadcast. These numbers are expected to rise in the next episodes.
We can only hope that the impressive visuals will remain consistent in the episodes to come. I’m excited for what’s next.
