GMA Network’s Voltes V: Legacy may be the live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime classic Voltes V, but it’s a showcase of Filipino ingenuity and talent, including what the country is now capable of as to visual storytelling.
Audiences had a preview of this during the Voltes V Legacy: The Cinematic Experience, the twice-extended theatrical run that compressed three weeks’ worth of scenes from the series, which finally premieres tonight at 8 after 10 years in the making.
The story 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 operate five attack vehicles that transform into the giant super robot, Voltes V, once they say, “Let’s volt in!”
“The moment people started reacting to it, when they first saw the (Boazanian) skull ship entering the frame, and lumabas na yung familiar (strains) of the theme, then lumabas na si Steve, Bert, Jaime… yun na, I was getting choked up already. All the more with the ‘volt in’ sequence. People were screaming in the audience. I wasn’t tearing up, I was giggling like a child, na parang I guess it really works and we’re pulling it off,” director Mark Reyes said of the movie version’s April 18 premiere in an exclusive chat with The Philippine STAR.
Reyes is no stranger to helming GMA’s mega-seryes such as Encantadia. But Voltes V Legacy perhaps has a more special meaning because “I am a fanboy first and foremost of Voltes V. That’s why I found myself in this crazy, beautiful mess.”
To state that the project underwent a lot is an understatement. Firstly, it took years to secure the blessing of Toei Company, Voltes V’s original creator. GMA acquired the adaptation rights via Telesuccess Productions, Toei’s local licensing outfit. Then they had to film at the height of pandemic restrictions with limited manpower — some utility and lighting staff on set had to double as crowd at the Voltes V base, Camp Big Falcon.
Production initially considered casting a Japanese actor for the character of Dr. Richard Smith, father figure to the Voltes V, because they were prohibited from hiring a senior citizen. Luckily, Albert Martinez’s schedule freed up. Incidentally, the veteran actor grew his hair and beard so he could pass for the role.
They couldn’t also have Little John on set until an Alert Level 1 status was declared. They had to edit the child actor into scenes later on. He also grew up so fast during the three-year shoot they had to change his costumes twice.
“In hindsight, we can just laugh about it now but there were times talagang umiiyak na, nag-aaway na kami, stuff like that, ang hirap talaga,” the director said.
Now, having received generally positive reactions from local and overseas fans, especially after the mega trailer and theatrical release — a gratifying precursor to the series — Reyes said, “Parang, I can breathe a sigh of relief now. That 10-year journey is worth it.”
Reyes isn’t just proud as a director and fanboy, but also as a Filipino creative because “from actors to everything,” Voltes V Legacy is “all-Filipino 100 percent.”
“First, the makers of computer-generated imagery (CGI), which is the bulk of the work — both Riot, Inc. and GMA Videographics are all-Filipino,” he said. “You’re dealing with around 600 people just for the videographics team alone. They’re all-Filipino 100 percent.”
Except for the robot, the landscape to the fighter planes, it was all GMA. “Ganun na level natin and I don’t think people expected that.” As for Riot, he said they were ready for this because it had been their passion project since 2014. “You can see how intricate the engineering that went into the ‘volt in’ sequence. That’s why we wanted people to see it on the big screen.”
When it came to the costumes, Reyes said, “Historically, like in Captain Barbell, we had someone from Hollywood do the costumes... But after doing Encantadia, Mulawin, Atlantika, I felt that the level of people making our suits here could rival the ones in Hollywood or other nations,” he said.
“We brought in a couple of vendors (companies) to do it and Mersinaryo is the key vendor that produced the controversial P350,000 flight suit of the Voltes team. So, again, all-Filipino.”
“And then, you’re dealing with cast, cinematographers and what have you, the writing, the writers, of course, that’s all-Filipino,” he added.
The only Japanese thing about this project is that it needed to be approved by Toei, according to Reyes.
“I think our foot in the door was the pitch tape that I did in 2014. When they saw the level of CGI back then, they were very impressed. Well, the proof is in the pudding. I think it was in the contract that unless they approved the pilot, unless they approved of the designs and the CGI, we cannot push through with the project,” he said.
“But off the bat, when they saw the teaser trailers, they were already on board. They sent this congratulatory memo of support.”
And not just the CGI, the music also required Toei and Telesuccess’ consent. Reyes said they had a Hollywood-like setup wherein GMA had a whole audio post-department handling the music. “It’s orchestral. You could see it, you could feel it,” he added.
They also had to update the theme songs that sounded like ‘70s acid rock. From the onset, Reyes wanted Julie Anne San Jose to perform the opening song Voltes V No Uta. “On the night of the premiere, the Toei representative, I asked him, so what did you think of the theme song? Was her Japanese good enough? And he goes, ‘Oh, that was a Filipino singer, I thought she was Japanese.’”
Reyes explained why they stuck to the Japanese lyrics. “We thought of doing it in Tagalog and English, but I really felt that if we do this, it’s going to look awkward and risky. Pasulat pa natin yan sa No. 1 lyricist in the Philippines, I don’t think it’s gonna work well.
“There was a Japanese newspaper that asked me, ‘Why did you keep it Japanese? A lot of people will not understand it.’ I said, you know what, Sir, from 1978 all the way down to now, in the karaoke bars of the Philippines, people sing that. They may not know the lyrics, but they know the sentiment. They love that music. It’s been used for political jingles, for commercials.
“I think they would rather have that than another version in Tagalog. So, we’re proven right. That nostalgia is (there) once you see the ‘volt in’ sequence and you hear that theme song come in. I think we did right for that.”
Meanwhile, viewers can expect Voltes V Legacy to explore the background of Baron Hrothgar/Ned Armstrong (played by Dennis Trillo) in the pilot week. “We had a chance to expand and expound on the anime. That’s where the brilliance of Suzette Doctolero, Aloy Adlawan and the rest of the creative writing team comes in. That’s Suzette’s forte, creating this fantasy world. We developed this culture for Boazan, lavish sets, courtyard scenes, very epic. You’ll see in the pilot.”
It also dives straight into action with a space battle. “Pardon me for using it, it’s not that level, but I call it my Star Wars moment. There’s this gun battle, space battle before we actually go to the heart of the actual anime.”
As the series takes flight, Reyes believes viewers can learn about fighting for country, planet and family. “But at the end of the day, it’s yours. It’s a self-journey of defeating the enemy, whatever your enemy is in life. You come together as a community, as a family, then you volt in, then you’ll win.”
A lot of things also came together for Voltes V Legacy to “volt in” to our screens. Reyes only hopes it makes viewers proud and say, “Wow, nagawa ‘to ng Pinoy.”
“That’s the best takeaway — that we should not pigeonhole the Filipino na hanggang dito lang, hanggang dito lang ginagawa natin, ganito lang mga soap opera natin, ito lang mga pelikula natin,” he said.
“I mean, we started with Maria Clara (at Ibarra) and even way back, GMA has been doing cutting-edge projects already. Legal Wives, Encantadia, Mulawin, so many others, and you have Rizal the movies.
“Not because it’s my project, but any project like this, they should support because kaya naman ng Filipino. The one that’s stopping Filipinos from being great is the Filipinos themselves. That’s why (I’ve said) if not us, who? If not now, when?
“People say ‘di niyo dapat ginawa yan. No, we should. Someone should step up and do this. I’m so thankful that GMA Network actually said, ‘Sige, gastusan natin ‘yan.’ That’s the takeaway, for me, that you should be proud that this is Filipino-made.”