#avria

Avisala Eshma

Credits to my bessies who gave me the idea to post this 😘

The many rant-worthy sh*ts of Encantadia 2016-2017:

These are my thoughts on Encantadia 2016-2017 so far and why I seem to be uninterested lately.

The Amihan-centric first season

-This is where all the shits began. Back in 2005, the story revolved around the four sisters who conquered their differences and saved Encantadia against Hagorn’s forces and became the most well-known and well-loved guardians of the four elemental gems. Now I’m not gonna be biased and say that the first season of the original trilogy didn’t have their own fair shares of Amihan-centricness, and it is unavoidable since Amihan was the queen during the first season so a huge chunk of the story revolves around her character. BUT the original book DID NOT FORGET that there are other main characters in the show and they had the chance to tell everyone their story, each of the sang’gres were given the spotlight, they had their own struggles, and showed how they overcame it and grew to become the pillars of Encantadia. That was the very reason why the original sang’gres were loved and recognized equally and became such effective quartet of heroines. The biggest mistake this new version has ever committed was making Amihan the center of the story, and while it’s not bad to give Amihan’s character a lot of scenes since like I said, she was the queen in book one so naturally her character will be involved in so many things that happened in the first book, but they focused on Amihan’s story way too much to the point that it downplayed the other main characters ESPECIALLY Alena who was almost always MIA. It got to a point when I almost forgot that she still exists in the story, and while I know that her character went missing for some time in the original story, gurl it didn't take too long for her to come back. Jusko! Antagal bumalik ni Alena sa version na 'to mga bes! Danaya was way too dependent on Amihan back then instead of Danaya being Amihan’s anchor and shoulder to lean on when she needed it the most, that role was given to Ybrahim when the YbraMihan love team rose to fame, and as much as I love YA, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Danaya’s character to be downplayed in such a way that she [almost] ended up becoming Amihan’s sidekick. The writers say that there are four main characters in the story, but for me, there was only one. I love Amihan, but Encantadia is not just about her story or the love story of Ybrahim and Amihan.

The inconsistent storyline, The Unforgivable Plot holes and Plot fillers

A. Lira, the so-called savior of Encantadia

-I remember before that Cassiopeia mentioned that Lira will become the savior of Encantadia and will become queen in 2005, Lira wasn’t the typical hero, but what made her “savior” is that she was the one who mended the broken relationship of the sang’gres, she was the one who made the sisters realize that family is more important than anything, she saved Encantadia by saving the sang’gres, she united all of them together (which also paved way for the gems to become one again) and faced their common enemy, Lira became queen but relinquished the throne in exchange for a peaceful life with Anthony in the mortal world. But it was crossed out in this new version, sure Lira became the sisters’ conscience at some point of the story, but her story especially in the first book told the viewers that she was a clumsy little sang’gre, the irony of her character was interesting, and while her lack of understanding in the world of Encantadia was understandable except for those times when she kept getting herself in trouble because of her...carelessness (the original Lira was mischievous, but way smarter). The story in the 2016 version never highlighted how she became Encantadia’s hero. Lira's presence in Pirena and Alena's character redemptions weren't as emphasized in comparison with the original storyline. Pirena redeemed herself after choosing to kill Hagorn and succumbed to Ether’s curse as a consequence in order to save Mira. Alena solely redeemed herself by choosing to let go to heal herself from pain, it was more on the sisters’ choices to redeem themselves and although at some point Lira became their guide, this little heroine focused more on shipping her parents way too much than reaching out to her Ashtis or coming up with “mischievous” ideas to bring the four of them together. There were a handful of scenes but it didn't say much. She seriously could have used her playful character to come up with something to make the sisters realize how much they still love each other despite their dispute. Lira was like, “Ashti, come on team up with your sisters to fight the baddies” instead of making them realize that hatred will give them nothing but pain and suffering, which would have eventually led to Pirena and Alena’s self-realizations, like hello? Alena was alone most of the time and found comfort in Awoo, Lira could have used her persistence to help Alena find her way back to her family. Lira is a very wise kid, she was the eye-opener to everyone, she think and act the way she did because of the many struggles she went through, but in this new version, she turned into a forever fan girl of her mom. She wasn’t even given the chance to step out of Amihan’s shadow. And in the end, it was Amihan and Kahlil who saved Encantadia and brought the evil Hathoria down, in contrast to the sisters fighting together with the Sapirians, mandirigmas, and other encantados who by the way would have joined the battle because of Lira’s efforts (remember in the original series? Lira was the one who convinced the other encantados like the barbaros and adjantaos to join them in the war against Hagorn), Lira’s weapon to save Encantadia was her heart, Lira was the symbol for unity, that was the very reason why I loved her character as much as Amihan’s. In this series, Lira was a hard-core shipper of her parents and DanQuil, she clinged on her mother way too much, and forgot that she had an entire realm to save.

B. Cassiopeia’s incompetence

-This is probably one of the biggest plot holes in the entire show. That episode made the viewers believe that it was an accident, unintentional, blah, blah, blah. No, it was just Cassy’s stupidity. She knows and she’s fully aware that the Etherians are evil, being able to live during their reign, she had her own doubts about Avria’s peace-making act, she knew that Ether has been keeping a close eye on her, and yet she failed to grant protection to the island to prevent intruders from finding them. But what really frustrated me is the fact that she failed to realize that she just spread information to a fake Danaya, the sang’gres have a chance to win against the Kubur, they even would have figured out that monster’s weakness even without her, the youngsters have very limited skill and power, and if she sees them as the next generation who would be the protectors of Encantadia, wouldn’t it be more appropriate for her to save them first?

C. The epic fail adventures of the seven guardians

-An interesting subplot that had so much potential, but was completely WASTED! It was supposed to be their time, their chance to share their journey, but their story was cut short and ended in the most disappointing, nonsensical way for WHAT? Finding a missing goddess and her missing weapon? I mean come on!

D. The promised “character developments” for Lira and Mira

-I hated the fact that they promised character developments for Lira and Mira, then crushed our hopes for these two by killing them off. If the writers and DMR were up to something, I don’t think killing them was necessary, it’s already bad enough that Amihan died in the show. I would have loved to see an angsty side of Lira, how much she changed since her mother's death and maybe Mira missing the best friend and soul sister she knew? I don't fucking know! Just make their story interesting.

Lira's character almost felt like...one-dimensional, I wish they explored [more] of her grieving/hurting side and then through the help of Arianna aka Amihan in another woman's body, she will find healing and become stronger, wiser and more mature sang'gre. Mira on the other hand was quite complex in the first half of the show, I feel sad that she didn't really have a huge role to play in the second half of the show. After Pirena's redemption, and the closure between her and Anthony, I feel like there was nothing left for Mira to tell. Honestly, she was more fit to be the crown princess of Lireo, and Lira is more suited to take over Sapiro.

Moreover, I did not see how Lira and Mira evolve from immature diwanis to being sang’gres, I wanted to see their transformation from being girls to women, I wanted their story to be just as great as the four sang’gres. I don’t know what the hell they're up to, but this season is more older sang’gre-centric than a balance between the stories of the current and future guardians. Major plot device they say? I’d say it’s their lame way of getting people’s attention because the sarkosi plot did not work.

D. The golden hourglass-whatever-the-fuck

-THIS WAS A FUCKING WRONG MOVE.

The concept of the existence of the golden hourglass in the 2016-2017 version didn't make any sense. If they were gonna bring back that thing and the Etherians, then why not bring back Etheria altogether? And I mean re-telling of Etheria 2006 with Mine-a, her sister Amihan, Cassiopeia, her twin and Adhara as the main characters. Not only will we get to know more of their characters, the golden hourglass will also have a more significant purpose, and it would have paved the way to a much better or even epic storytelling in what would have been the 2017 version of Pag-ibig Hanggang Wakas.

E. The sarkosi plot

-Like I said this is probably the reason why they had to come up with a major plot device, because this is the REAL EPIC FAIL in this story. Amihan was given the prize to create her own destiny which turned out to be a curse. Now here’s the thing, if Ether is able to resurrect a thousand-year-old Etherian using her power and the brilyante, then why can’t Emre do the same? I know this was necessary for Kylie to leave the show without Amihan’s story being left hanging, but still, seriously? If Emre is the god of life, shouldn’t he have granted Amihan another shot at life without her going through some shit and be a sarkosi or “create her own destiny?” And why did it take so long for that to happen? Then Arra would have had more time to improve, and if Amihan was given that extraordinary privilege, then why didn’t Emre allow her to go back when Amihan asked him? Pinahirapan pa siya jusmiyo. And in addition to that, I’m just not buying the Ybriana romance because it seems forced. There was no real relationship build up between Arianna and her (Amihan's) family because they had to rush the storyline because of the time lm Honestly, this would have been an interesting subplot if they:

1. Chose a much better and much deserving actress

2. Focused on Arianna/Amihan's journey rather than the plot fillers (Finding Haliyah and the Memfes side stories to name a few).

F. The lame and unconvincing love triangle

-I just feel so bad for Ru and Joross, these gentlemen are really working hard to cover up the lacking which Arra’s supposed to provide. I’m sorry but I consider this more of a plot filler than a subplot.

G. The poor characterization of the supposedly interesting characters

-Ariana: I wanted to kill her so badly when she let Lira die. Just when she needed to be Amihan-mode the most. Kapal pa ng fez para umaligid kay Rama ‘king ina, there was neither guilt nor trauma in her, she never thought of apologizing to Ybrahim and admit her short coming, in other words punyeta.

-Muyak: disappointed that she didn’t even felt that urge or desire to seek justice for her beloved Lira whom she looked after eversince she was a baby, I liked her when she was a lambana, but now—I’m not so sure.

-Pao Pao: what have they ever done to his character? He was such a joy when he was a little boy, so brave and the purest of heart. He was downplayed so badly that it seemed like he came back to the world of Encantadia just because. And btw, this may be an unpopular opinion but Pao being romantically linked to Lira is cringey af. Boy looked up to her as an "ate" or a big sister when he was a kid and I prefer that they stay in a sibling kind of relationship. He can crush on Luna/Deshna but Lira? No, just no.

-Avria: Ngl, I stan the Herans of Etheria and I really love how Etheria '06 told the backstory of our evil queen bitch, and I wish they did that in her 2017 counterpart. Eula Valdes was absolutely breathtaking, it's just that Avria's story wasn't giving.

-Alena in the earlier episodes: From Gabbi's pabebe acting to her being MIA in the first half of the show. But in all fairness, she was the only character who actually had the best character development in the show as a whole.

-Memfes: He's Ybrahim's counterfeit, that's it. No real purpose, and I actually find it ridiculous that the reason why he pursued Alena was because he wanted to make babies with her and like...bring a new and improved version of Adamyans into the Enca-world like wtf? Who thought of this?

Moreover, why did they had to make him the "Ybarro" that Alena would have married in a heartbeat? A Memfes and Alena love story would have been possible, if they wrote Memfes as his own character. Someone who doesn't remind Alena of her ex-lover in their younger years, someone who has a clear backstory, a clear purpose, and someone who can give Alena the love she rightfully deserves.

-Hagorn: they just turned him into an all out psycho, this would have been the perfect time to redeem his character and see his good side. But RaquiMin is returning so…

-Odessa, Juvila & Andorra: SAYAAAANG! For the record, Rochelle did well in playing Andorra but it was a wrong move since it gave out another plot hole in the sarkosi storyline, because if Andorra exists inside the body of Agane, why the hell was it difficult for Ybrahim to believe that Amihan is [probably] inside Arianna's body?

As for Odessa and Juvila, idk their presence were just meh. It's sad that they literally have no purpose in the show apart from being Avria's minions, well they are but sis...they're Herans...HERANS! I expected MORE. It's just sad that all throughout the show they just faded into the background, almost non-existent.

-Haliyah: Again, another character who was added just because. Her story was there just to answer the question of Lila Sari's true identity which also answered the question about her connection with Amihan. But in all honesty, I feel like this character could have given more.

The Endless introduction of nuisance characters and their REALLY BAD choices of actors

(SERIOUSLY, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!)

Arra San Agustin (Ariana)- I know I've been trash-talking her acting performance but come on, I'm sick and tired of the excuse that she's new to the industry. A lot of the cast members are new as well, and they kept improving week by week. I didn't see any.

Well, it must have been overwhelming for her to fill-in such a huge role, but the casting department could have chosen a much more experienced actress who could nail the character. I care more about seeing Amihan through Arianna than Arianna subconsciously trying to be Amihan like what Arra has been doing.

Jinri Park (Juvila)- Probably the second most cringe-worthy cast member. Miss Ma'am is Korean so she's not fluent in Tagalog, she's no Conan Stevens (dude was awesome btw) but talking in En-chan would have made her less cringey but alas! That along with her cringe-worthy performance turned Juvila, a badass heran into a big joke.

Lance Serrano (Memfes)-I don't get why he's in the show.

Valeen Montenegro- a good actress with a flop character.

There are so many other things I can add but these are all I think that are necessary to point out, hopefully Mine-a’s return will redeem the show, because at this point of time, I’m so done with the usual “soap writing.” The twists are clearly shocking and unexpected, but what came after the twists were truly disappointing, introducing of new characters and re-introducing old characters especially pivotal ones should be given to actors who can give what the viewers want and not just a bunch of pretty faces. We are no longer in July 2016 when the show is just starting, we are on the near-end of the saga and this is Encantadia, I don’t settle for less when it comes to this show. I expected so much in this season but they took everything I have rooted for and gave me some really uncool storyline and torture me with some lame performances. Everything is just disappointing, where’s Kylie when the show needs her the most?

What made Season 1 so exciting and so amazing was because there was a real tension between the protagonists and antagonists -- it was a push and pull, and no side clearly overpower the other. It made good story because not only we see the protagonists struggle and triumph, but we also see the antagonists struggle and triumph as well. It was well-balanced, and every plotline added, every twist made sense. 

Avria’s whole narrative is hinged on “let’s make Etheria great again,” which is honestly such a weak narrative. Where is her build-up? Where did the tension come from? What is her point in the grand scheme of things? Why is she the way she is? Literally none of these questions are addressed adequately. Instead what we’re watching is an antagonist that does not really enhance the narrative of the protagonists.

Seriously, poisoning the tagapangalaga and the Encantadia monarch was a page taken out of Game of Thrones.

With her far sinister Machiavellian ways, Avria compels me put her on top of Hagorn on the Enca villain list. Unlike the queen of Etheria, Hagorn is a more understandable villan misguided by the deception of the people around him. But as a conqueror of Encantadia, Hagorn always struggled to maintain his power, and relied more on force and intimidation. Avria shares the same power lust. The difference is that Avria, as ruler of the first great Encantadian civilization, held power longer and better than Hagorn did. I can only imagine Avria dealing with power-hungry Etherians. We are reminded that this race consisted of psychics, empaths, time magicians, and sorcerers. And I can imagine Avria outsmarting her foes to keep her throne, proving herself to be the indomitable sovereign of the greatest empire in Encantadia up until the advent of the Inang Brilyante.

 As show on tonight’s episode, when her plan failed, she played her cards right and tried to use it against the diwatas. She immediately covered her tracks. Unlike Hagorn who decided to seclude Hathoria from the world, Avria knew the benefit of securing diplomatic channels with the diwatas. She’s a politician by heart and knows that such strenuous relations are nothing but political smokescreens. She’s deliberate, quick-witted, and calculative why is why I’d wager that she’ll last than Hagorn at playing this game.

If my theory stands that Enca villains are defeated by their own signature strategy (e.g. Hagorn trying to neutralize everyone, Asval’s duplicity), then Avria’s downfall would be the diwatas outsmarting her. But it’s a long way to that point and how the sangg’res get there is the more interesting part.