At the stroke of midnight on June 11, the anime adaptation of Trese dropped. Since then it skyrocketed up in Netflix's charts across 19 countries (including the Philippines, of course), comfortably taking the number one spot. It is no surprise that Filipinos wanted to binge the series immediately because it is the first of its kind by the streaming giant. Although it garnered immense attention online, not all reviews are positive.
Understandably, the execution is a little rough on the edges as none like it has hit the mainstream before, but one striking awkward element stood out that bothered Filipino viewers—Liza Soberano’s Batman-inspired voice acting. Since the series is viewable in multiple countries, it was dubbed in different languages. Shay Mitchell lent her voice as Alexandra Trese for the English dub while Liza was cast for the Filipino dub. There’s even a Japanese dub that Filipino netizens are raving about! Because of that, there is a lot of comparison between each dubbed version.
Of course, netizens aired out their woes sparking debate on whether or not casting Liza Soberano was the best choice to introduce this Filipino story globally. Safe to say, not everyone was happy.
Since the English, Filipino, and Japanese dubs are available to watch in the Philippines, this netizen browsed through them all and preferred the Japanese version!
These people liked everything about the series BUT Liza’s Trese.
Through a thread, this netizen explained that the flaw may be in the script more than Liza’s “deadpan” voice acting.
An online rant pointed out that there was a huge pool of more appropriate people to pick from to voice Alexandra.
According to these netizens, Liza’s tone lacked variety.
A Trese fan created a video edit with Glaiza de Castro as Alexandra Trese.
Despite all the backlash, some netizens believe that Liza can still improve.
Negative comments also came flooding in on Instagram via Preview’s post about Liza’s inspiration for Alexandra Trese.
On the other side of the fence, Liza’s performance was received well with fans and some netizens defending the California-born Filipina.
Inspired by Liza’s interview in the Netflix special Trese After Dark, this tweet accused haters of being shallow.
Another suggested watching the Filipino dub first to appreciate the work of the other voice actors!
According to this opinion, Liza was what the production team was looking for.
This netizen read the original comics and loved Liza’s portrayal of Trese!
This tweet expressed that this is the first time Trese was adapted to the screen, how can you know what she should sound like?
While there were those who were simply impressed!
In our same Instagram post, her fans and other netizens pointed out that for a first time voice actor, Liza nailed it—which is why they think the series ranked number one the streaming platform!
But in the midst of all the opinions online, thankfully, voice acting queen Inka Magnaye weighed in!
In a series of tweets, Inka, a professional voice actor, mentioned that Liza’s voice was a perfect fit for Alexandra Trese but it could have been enhanced if the direction allowed varied delivery. Being a voice actor is incredibly challenging because it takes away the visual expression of emotions and funnels the performance into how a person sounds. Inka mentioned that although not easy to do, it can definitely be learned. She also favored Shay’s version stating that she nailed the snarky character.
We reviewed the groundbreaking Filipino anime ahead of its release, and there’s a lot more to weigh in after audiences have seen the series. But despite the polarizing opinions, what do you think of Liza’s voice acting? Sound off in the comments below! But be sure to watch the series first before being a keyboard warrior!
Trese is currently streaming on Netflix.
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