Producing period drama series is GMA-7’s undeniable strength and the TV network once again proved its might in this field with the upcoming and groundbreaking war drama series Pulang Araw.
With its list of fine actors, on-point period costumes, set locations, computer-generated imagery of pre-war Manila, excellent cinematography, and compelling story, the series is expected to deliver top-grade entertainment and viewing experience for Filipinos.
Good News Pilipinas came up with ten reasons why every Filipino should watch the Pulang Araw, dubbed “The Most Important Philippine Drama of 2024.”
1. INSPIRATION FROM THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY
Translated as “Red Sun” (from the flag of Japan), the story of Pulang Araw unfolds in the final years of American colonization to the Japanese occupation of the country between 1942 and 1945.
Pulang Araw’s story, characters, lines, and plot may be fictional but they are inspired by real people and events that happened from that particular chapter in history, that are not commonly discussed or used as a backdrop or setting for movies or TV series.
Based on its trailer, which instantly garnered 5.4 million views on all platforms in less than 24 hours after its release, the highly anticipated primetime series aims to tell the viewers about the struggles, sacrifices, survival, and triumphs of Filipinos for liberation and nationhood 79 years ago.
2. A MASTERPIECE BY SUZETTE DOCTOLERO
Seasoned TV writer and creative consultant Suzette Doctolero is the creator of Pulang Araw. In one media interview, she shared that she conceptualized the story back in 2012 after the airing of her top-rated pre-colonial-themed series, Amaya.
“Right after Amaya, ginawa ko na ang konsepto nito. Pina-approve ko sa GMA at in-approve nila. So around 12 years na (Right after Amaya, I conceptualized this series. I submitted it to GMA for approval and they approved it. So that was 12 years ago),” she said.
“Ang tagal kong naghintay…2011, 2012. Finally, ipapalabas na s’ya. [I’m] so happy na binigyan uli ako ng chance na magkuwento ng history natin, ng kasaysayan ng Pilipino (I have waited for so long… since 2011, 2012. Finally, it is set to air. [I’m] happy to be given a chance once again to tell a story based on our history, the history of the Filipinos),” she continued.
Aside from Amaya and the upcoming Pulang Araw, Doctolero is also the screenwriter of top-rated local primetime dramas such as Encantadia (2005-2006, 2016-2017), My Husband’s Lover (2013), Sahaya (2019), Legal Wives (2021), and the historical portal fantasy series Maria Clara at Ibarra (2022).
The award-winning TV writer also stressed that creating history-based series such as Maria Clara at Ibarra and Pulang Araw is an enormous responsibility she fully embraced.
“Bihira s’yang chance, e, ‘no? Niyayakap ko s’ya at tinatanggap ko s’ya, ‘yong responsibilidad na ‘yon hoping na katulad ng ating mga ginawang historical fiction [series] ay may matutunan ‘yong mga nanonood, lalo na ‘yong kabataan (It’s a rare chance, right? I am embracing and accepting the entailed responsibility, hoping that the audience will learn something from the series, especially the younger generations),” she said.
3. GMA NETWORK’S BIGGEST STARS
Four of GMA Network’s biggest talents top bill its upcoming groundbreaking series Pulang Araw.
Asia’s Multimedia Star, Alden Richards, plays the role of Filipino-American Eduardo dela Cruz, who will be forced to join the guerilla army to fight the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.
His love interest, Teresita Borromeo, played by the “First Lady of the Primetime” Sanya Lopez, is a bodabil star wannabe but will eventually become a comfort woman at the height of the war.
Teresita’s younger half-sister is Adelina dela Cruz, the character of multi-awarded actress and Kapuso Primetime Princess Barbie Forteza, a bubbly lass who will also strive to become a bodabil star to earn money and to protect her family.
Pambansang Ginoo David Licauo plays Hiroshi Tanaka, a Japanese immigrant torn between his love for his Filipino childhood friends and his duty to his country as a Japanese Imperial Army soldier.
Joining the lead cast is GMA Drama King Dennis Trillo who plays the villain character of a Japanese Imperial Army officer, Col. Yuta Saito.
4. STELLAR SUPPORTING CAST
The Pulang Araw series will not be complete without the constellations of Kapuso actors and actresses who will add color, depth, complications, emotions, and spice to the story.
Here is the list of the show’s supporting cast members:
- Angelu de leon as Carmela Borromeo, Julio’s wife and Teresita’s mother
- Epy Quizon as Julio Borromeo, bodabil star and father of Adelina and Teresita
- Rhian Ramos as Fina dela Cruz, Eduardo and Adelina’s mother
- Jacky Woo as Hiroshi’s Japanese father
- Maria Ozawa as Hiroshi’s Japanese mother
- Rochelle Pangilinan as Amalia Dimalante-Torres, Eduardo’s aunt who will become a comfort woman
- Ashley Ortega as Manuela Apolonio, a nun and victim of sexual slavery
- Mikoy Morales as Tasyo, Eduardo’s best friend and member of the Filipino guerilla army
- Jay Arcilla as Dado, a police officer in Manila
- Robert Sena as Johnny, the bodabil producer
- Neil Ryan Sese as Lauro Torres, a man who despises Japanese people
- Sef Cadayona as Luis, a theater worker
- Aidan Veneracion as Mario, a Filipino guerilla soldier
- Tyro Dylusan as Juan, a young guerilla who wants to avenge the death of his parents
5. DIRECTION BY DOMINIC ZAPATA
TV and film director Dominic Zapata helms the grand production of Pulang Araw.
He is known to be the director of GMA-7 primetime shows such as the sports-drama series Bolera (2022) and Hearts on Ice (2023), the award-winning crime mystery drama series Royal Blood (2023), and the Philippine adaptation of the Korean hit series Descendants of the Sun (2020) which won the Most Popular Foreign Drama of the Year at the 15th Seoul International Drama Awards.
6. OLD MANILA CHARM
Since Pulang Araw is a period drama series set in the 1940s, the show will take the audience back to the Commonwealth era and lead to the Japanese occupation and the Liberation period.
The production and post-production teams recreated the Old Manila in its former grandeur before the city’s destruction during World War II.
Expect to see Bahay na Bato standing side-by-side with neoclassical, art nouveau, and art déco architecture, the Jones Bridge in its original structure, horse carriages, vintage cars, tranvia, old trains, fighter jets, and characters dressed in their 1940s fashion.
7. VAUDEVILLE/BODABIL
Pulang Araw will reintroduce the vaudeville to Filipino viewers. The vaudeville is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment that originated in France at the end of the 19th century.
This type of theatrical show reached the Philippines during the American colonial period at the turn of the 20th century. Locally referred to as bodabil, it became a popular form of entertainment for Filipinos until the 1960s.
Bodabil featured various forms of stage presentations such as localized musicals, dance numbers, drama and comedy skits, monologues, acrobatics, and magic tricks, among others. It eventually produced famous Filipino stage performers such as Togo and Pugo, Bayani Casimiro, Dely Atay-Atayan, Chichay, Dolphy, Rogelio de la Rosa, Leopoldo Salcedo, Atang de la Rama, and “The Queen of Bodabil” Katy de la Cruz.
“Ipinasok natin ‘yong kuwento ng bodabil… At the same time, it’s our way of honoring that art form na nawala na, na hindi alam ng mga Pilipino (We included the story of bodabil… At the same time, it’s our way of honoring that art form that is no longer being presented in our time, and many Filipinos are no longer familiar with it),” headwriter Doctolero explained in an interview.
In the Pulang Araw series, the characters Adelina (Barbie Forteza) and Teresita (Sanya Lopez) will pursue their dreams of becoming bodabil stars. Epy Quizon’s portrayal of Julio, a bodabil performer, is a tribute to his late father and bodabil actor Dolphy.
The late Katy de la Cruz, played by Julie Anne San Jose, will also be reintroduced to contemporary Filipino TV and online viewers.
8. HONORING COMFORT WOMEN
The Pulang Araw series will shed light on the stories of Filipino comfort women during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
To prepare and fully understand the sensitivity of their roles as comfort women, Kapuso actresses Sanya Lopez and Ashley Ortega had to get in touch with Lila Pilipina, an organization of comfort women and victims of the Japanese Imperial Army.
They also had conversations with war survivors, Lola Narcisa Claveria and Lola Estelita Dy, who experienced sexual slavery firsthand in a time considered to be one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history.
“Natutunan ko ’yong tapang, lakas ng loob, ’yong faith nila na makakalagpas sila du’n sa buhay na meron sila. Sorry naiiyak ako kasi… Bumilib talaga ako sa kanila na… Grabe ’yon. Grabe ’yong naranasan nila (I learned from their bravery, from their courage, and from their faith to endure everything to survive. Sorry, I can’t stop myself from crying… I admire their resilience. What they experienced then was unimaginable),” Lopez stated in an interview.
“Na-realize ko na napaka-suwerte po talaga ng generation namin ngayon. Isa sa greatest lessons is dapat sa mga kabataan ngayon maging grateful kayo dahil napaka-suwerte natin ngayon (I realized that we are so lucky to be in this generation. One of the greatest lessons I learned is that the youth should be grateful. We are so blessed because we don’t have to experience those atrocities in our time),” Ortega shared.
The two actresses promised to deliver their best and dedicated their acting jobs to all the comfort women.
9. POWERFUL OST BY BEN&BEN FEATURING SB19
Kapangyarihan (Power) has been chosen as the official theme song of the Pulang Araw TV series. It is a powerful anthem by Filipino folk-pop band Ben&Ben in collaboration with the country’s P-pop Kings, SB19.
Paolo Benjamin, Miguel Benjamin, and John Paulo Nase (Pablo of SB19) wrote the lyrics in 2020 and released the song in 2021 under Sony Music Philippines. The track is part of Ben&Ben’s album Pebble House, Vol. 1: Kuwaderno.
Based on its lyrics, the song serves as the common people’s response to social injustices, corruption, brutality, and the abuse of power.
10. NETFLIX PREMIERE
Before its television debut on July 29 via GMA Prime, the Pulang Araw series will first have its online premiere on Netflix on July 26.
The popular online streaming platform announced the good news on its social media last month and it has been promoting the show since then.
“Sa manlulupig, di ka pasisiil [Philippine flag emoji] Barbie Forteza, Sanya Lopez, David Licauco, and Alden Richards with Dennis Trillo make history in action-drama Pulang Araw, streaming first on Netflix. July 26,” Netflix shared in its Facebook post on June 10.
Don’t miss out on Pulang Araw! Share this article and tune in to watch this historical action-drama series that promises to captivate and inspire.
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