On January 14, GMA dropped the second trailer out of the much-anticipated live action adaptation of anime classic, Voltes V. The series has been under production for over a year now, and the teaser is the first peep from the team after a long period of radio silence, and they did not disappoint.

The 1-minute clip successfully stirred the excitement of fans and non-fans, with a pretty impressive look into the graphics used for the series. Many people commended GMA for this, noting their surprise over what seems to be a pretty incredible display of Filipino talent in special effects, computer graphics, and the like. But although the general response from the audience was positive and very supportive, there was also an underlying skepticism concerning the show itself. Particularly, the graphics, acting, and overarching story to be featured in Voltes V: Legacy.

The distrust from the general public comes from GMA’s poor history in anything related to special effects and computer graphics. For years now, the network has been trying to incorporate magical and fantastical elements into their shows, namely for previous titles such as Enkantadya and Viktor Magtanggol, but with no such luck. In fact, many clips from the Kapuso network’s shows have been used as memes on social media. Which, ultimately, led the Internet to accept the notion that the network is just not to be trusted with such matters.

However, things may be changing with the Voltes V: Legacy trailer—hopefully.

Fans of the beloved anime are begging the network to not disappoint them again this time around, fearing that the trailer would be “too good to be true.” And with a franchise as iconic as this, Filipinos are noting how crucial it is for the network to get it right.

I hope GMA 7's Voltes V is a weekly show because honestly, the tech team needs time to render CGI (also I hope it's written and acted well none of that meme shows they often put out huhu).

— Yana C. #HealthIsARight (@affanatovivace) January 14, 2021

I'm not getting my hopes up with GMA's adaptation of Voltes V. Baka magaya na naman sa Snapchat filters ng Victor Magtanggol, which was marketed to be "state-of-the-art". But I would love to be wrong on this one.

— Francis Rubio (@teacherbuknoy) January 14, 2021

I grew up watching Voltes V. Hoping GMA can maintain the quality all throughout until its ending.

— ???? (@_cynicalrealist) January 14, 2021

Quality over Quantity! GMA Network should only broadcast one episode per week if they plan to maintain that quality of VFX/CGI that they have on the latest "VOLTES V" Trailer. I have high hopes for this! Let's not compromise the work of our VFX artist over unnecessary plot lines.

— Aj Sison (@_ajsison) January 14, 2021

 

It seems that the Kapuso network is aiming to erase their history of poor graphics with the amount of fantasy-themed content they’ve been producing, which are looking to be quite promising. On top of Voltes V: Legacy, a lot of people are also looking forward to The Lost Recipe, which is also marketed as a fantasy romance playing on time travel. And with recent local gems in the fantasy category like MMFF’s Magikland, the country seems to be looking up in terms of quality and sophistication in special effects and computer graphics.

For now, though, the only thing we can do is wait until the show officially premieres on the network, and keep our fingers crossed that it’ll be the adaptation the legendary anime deserves. And when that time comes, viewers from past generations to now would hopefully finally have the chance to proudly exclaim the line that made their childhoods: “Let’s Volt In!”