Encantadia (2016 TV series)

Encantadia is a Philippine television drama fantasy series broadcast by GMA Network. The series is based on a 2005 Philippine television series of the same title. It served as a reboot and the fourth television series in the Encantadia franchise. Directed by Mark A. Reyes, it stars Glaiza de Castro, Kylie Padilla, Gabbi Garcia, and Sanya Lopez. It premiered on July 18, 2016, on the network's Telebabad line up replacing Poor Señorita. The series concluded on May 19, 2017, with a total of 218 episodes. It was replaced by Mulawin vs. Ravena in its timeslot.

The series including a director's cut of the finale is streaming online on YouTube. The continuation of the series, Encantadia Chronicles: Sang'gre is slated to air in 2024.

Premise
Four sisters – Pirena, Amihan, Alena and Danaya — guard the gems that hold the power to maintain peace and harmony in the world of Encantadia. Their bond is broken when Pirena discovers that their mother, is afraid of her desire to become the queen of Encantadia.

Cast and characters

 * Lead cast
 * Glaiza de Castro as Pirena
 * Kylie Padilla as Amihan
 * Gabbi Garcia as Alena
 * Sanya Lopez as Danaya


 * Supporting cast
 * Mikee Quintos as Lira / Milagros "Mila" Quizon
 * Kate Valdez as Mira
 * Rocco Nacino as Aquil
 * Ruru Madrid as Ybrahim / Ybarro
 * Janice Hung as Ether
 * Solenn Heussaff as Cassiopeia / Avria
 * Diana Zubiri as Lilasari
 * Alfred Vargas as Amarro
 * John Arcilla as Hagorn
 * Rochelle Pangilinan as Agane / Andora
 * Neil Ryan Sese as Asval
 * Carlo Gonzales as Muros
 * Pancho Magno as Hitano / Berdano
 * Klea Pineda as Muyak
 * Buboy Villar as Wantuk
 * Noel Urbano as Imaw's voice
 * Daniel Dasalla Bato as Abog


 * Recurring cast
 * Inah de Belen as Deshna / Luna
 * Phytos Ramirez as Paolo Carlos "Paopao" Aguirre
 * Arra San Agustin as Ariana / Amihan
 * Marx Topacio as Azulan
 * Rey Talosig Jr. as Emre's voice
 * Zoren Legaspi as Emre
 * Karl Avalon as Pirena's mashna


 * Guest cast
 * Marian Rivera as Minea
 * Dingdong Dantes as Raquim
 * Max Collins as Amihan I
 * Dayara Shane as younger Amihan / Cassandra
 * Barbara Miguel as younger Pirena
 * JC Movido as younger Danaya
 * Althea Ablan as younger Alena
 * Chlaui Malayao as younger Lira / Milagros
 * Kariz Espiñosa as younger Mira
 * Jestoni Alarcon as Armeo
 * Roi Vinzon as Arvak
 * Angelu de Leon as Amanda Reyes-Quizon
 * Ryan Eigenmann as Berto Reyes
 * Sunshine Dizon as Adhara
 * Miguel Tanfelix as Pagaspas
 * Alden Richards as Lakan
 * Janine Gutierrez as Agua
 * Julianne Lee as Alira Naswen
 * Ken Alfonso as Gamil
 * Ana Feleo as Ades
 * Christian Bautista as Apitong
 * Jaycee Parker as Asnara
 * John Feir as Jigs
 * Joanna Marie Katanyag as Choleng
 * Rafa Siguion-Reyna as Enuo
 * Betong Sumaya as Rael
 * Leandro Baldemor as Dado Quizon
 * Lindsay de Vera as Dina
 * Carmen del Rosario as Rosing
 * Kyle Manalo as Louie
 * Arny Ross as Silvia Montecarlo
 * Nar Cabico as Banjo
 * Avery Paraiso as Kahlil
 * Maureen Larrazabal as Lanzu
 * Ge Villamil as Orthana
 * Ermie Concepcion as Vita
 * Ervic Vijandre as Icarus
 * James Teng as Pakô
 * Conan Stevens as Vish'ka
 * Yuan Francisco as younger Paopao / Paolo
 * Vaness del Moral as Gurna
 * Wynwyn Marquez as Helgad
 * Edwin Reyes as Dagtum
 * Rodjun Cruz as soul gem's spirit twin
 * Migo Adecer as Anthony Montecarlo
 * Eula Valdez as Avria
 * Andy Smith as older Anthony
 * Tanya Gomez as Salome Aguirre
 * Jake Vargas as Gilas
 * Andre Paras as Wahid
 * Joross Gamboa as Manik
 * Ces Aldaba as Evades
 * Mara Alberto as Kaizan
 * Sheree Bautista as Odessa
 * Jinri Park as Juvila
 * Paolo Gumabao as Jamir
 * Valeen Montenegro as Haliya
 * Ian de Leon as Keros
 * Lance Serrano as Memfes

Development
On November 5, 2015, Felipe Gozon, the chairman and CEO of GMA Network announced that the remake of the 2005 Philippine television series Encantadia is part of the network's program line-up for 2016. On January 6, 2016, director Mark A. Reyes said that he would return as the director of the series. Suzette Doctolero, who created Encantadia remained as concept creator and head writer for the series. It was Doctolero's first head writing project with the network in 2005, and also served as her training for writing a fantasy story.

The series was announced during Marian Rivera's renewal of contract with GMA Network on February 16, 2016, in which she was announced for the role of Mine-a. The following day, it was announced by director Mark Reyes in that the series was on pre-production. The first teaser of Encantadia premiered on February 14, 2016, featuring a snippet of the gems and the theme song. The first trailer was released June 11, 2016.

On September 15, 2016, the director stated that the retelling concluded after 43 episodes, and the 45th will be the start of the 2005's sequel. He further added that it was not about 2005 version anymore, and new storyline will emerge on the series.

Casting
Marian Rivera plays the role of Mine-a. While Dingdong Dantes, who played Ybarro in the original series plays the role of Raquim. Klea Pineda and Migo Adecer also joined the cast as part of their prize after winning StarStruck.

On April 4, 2016, it was announced Kylie Padilla, Gabbi Garcia, Sanya Lopez and Glaiza de Castro were hired for the lead roles. According to Doctolero, de Castro is the only choice for the role she auditioned for. According to her, she watched and studied trainings from famous martial arts artists to get ready for the role. Other cast members including their roles also appeared after the announcement.

Sunshine Dizon, who played Pirena in the original series, revealed on May 6, 2016, that she takes part on the retelling-sequel of the 2016 series with a big but different character role, as Adhara. Meanwhile, Diana Zubiri who previously played Danaya is also cast as LilaSari.

A week before the show, Australian actor Conan Stevens, best known for his role on the American fantasy television series Game of Thrones, confirmed that he would join the cast in an unspecified role, which later on revealed as Vish'ka.

As the series progress, few "special" roles emerged; the first was Miguel Tanfelix who plays Pagaspas, a Mulawin with a mission to help the diwatas of Lireo. He played the same role 12 years ago on the series of the same name. The next would be Alden Richards, who will also play a Mulawin whose appearance has not yet been televised. In an interview with The Manila Times, Richards said, "...11 years ago. I remember I watched the show with my family and I was so mesmerized with all the special effects. [...]When I learned that GMA was doing a ‘requel’ of Encantadia, I was really wishing to be a part of the show. That's why when they told me that I have a role in the series, I was so happy...".

Production
Principal photography commenced on April 20, 2016.

Costumes
The series' costume designer is Francis Libiran, a world-renowned and critically acclaimed designer in the Philippines who did an extensive research to come up with the designs. According to Libiran, his team brainstormed together with Encantadia's production team and watched old clips of Encantadia in YouTube to conceptualized the character's fashion sense. The gowns of the sang'gres and Ynang Reyna is more edgy and fashionable compared to the ruggedness/cocky-themed costumes in 2005. Each gown depicts the powers and personalities of each sang'gre while showing one thing that they have in common- Royal. The colors of their gowns match the colors of the gems that the Sang’gres are guarding. Just like in the original series, they wore elegant gowns when they were not in a battle. He further stated, "A normal gown usually takes us two months to create but since we had to consider the time, we assigned a dedicated team of craftsmen to produce the outfits in just 15 days." According to the cast, they went on a strict diet and fitness trainings to secure their shape suited for their exquisite gowns. The cast first appeared in costumes during "ToyCon 2016 Poplife Fan Xperience" at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay on June 10, 2016.

Critical response
According to a review by CNN Philippines, Encantadia lived up to its long-gestating hype. The introduction and the narration was a big step-up for the show compared to the first one. It further stated that the new iteration looks better than the original and paces itself well in terms of narrative and plot. CNN was also impressed with the fight scenes giving impressions that are being done on a grander scale. They also stated that the scenes have depth and CG backgrounds are rendered beautifully and looks a lot slicker and a whole lot darker, looking like something from the PC version of Skyrim which they expressed as a huge improvement after over a decade. Anthea Reyes of WheninManila.com was also impressed of the series stating: "...all of our childish fantasies have returned to primetime television and it’s come back bigger, better, and infinitely more awesome..." She also stated that "the writing team is using this opportunity to the fullest to solidify the myth, the plot holes, and the motivations of everything. The writers of the show were able to place meaning in an aesthetic choice made from way before and further enrich the story." She also noted that the details of characters costume, to the clarified presence of the nomadic soldiers post Sappiro-Hathoria war, up until the background music used per every shot were all world class. FHM Philippines made a review of the series and stated that the creators of the show made an effort to make a living and breathing world and they succeeded. They also imposed that even though it was heavily inspired by Hollywood fantasy movies, it has the Filipino flavor adding its own twist. They also pointed out that one of the shows strengths is that it has its own unique story. FHM further stated that: "...Like the original that came 11 years before it, Encantadia gives audiences something new to watch when it comes to primetime programming. Finally, something to cleanse our palate from all the drama and romantic programs that we've grown accustomed to."

A review by Philippine Entertainment Portal stated that the show's director of photography and cameramen were impressive for utilizing different creative camera angles and techniques as it contributed to the intensity and excitement in the scene. They also gave positive feedback to its musical scoring stating that "...One of the factors that contributed to Encantadia 2005’s success is its musical scoring, in fact, it was even commended in the Asian Television Awards for Best Original Music Score. This requel did not disappoint when it comes to this aspect. The musical scorer seemed to compose different pieces suited to each kingdom since each had its own theme[...]the modernized, upbeat version of "Tadhana" also intensified the fight scenes."

Ratings
According to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Mega Manila household television ratings, the pilot episode of Encantadia earned a 26.1% rating. While the final episode scored a 13.8% rating in Nationwide Urban Television Audience Measurement people in television homes.