Newly-Redubbed Voltes V to Air on GMA Astig Authority This Week As Part of 40th Anniversary

The legend returns: ‘Voltes V’ will air anew on GMA starting tomorrow, featuring a new Filipino dub. (Screenshot courtesy of Toei, Nippon Sunrise, Telesuccess Productions and GMA Network)

‘Voltes V’ is back.

As part of the anime’s 40th anniversary, GMA announced that a redubbed version of ‘Voltes V’ will be aired starting tomorrow morning on the network’s Astig Authority block. The fresh new Filipino dub of ‘Voltes V’ will feature the following Kapuso stars:

• Derrick Monasterio (as Steve Armstrong)
• Jak Roberto (as Mark Gordon)
• Hiro Peralta (as Big Bert Armstrong)
• Bea Binene  (as Jamie Robinson)
• Ken Chan (as Prince Zardos)

The voices of Little John Armstrong, Dr. Ned Armstrong, Mary Armstrong, Dr. Smith, Commander Robinson, Dr. Hook, Draco, Zandra, Zuhl and other characters will also be dubbed by various voice actors. However, it is unknown if GMA will give credit to these voice actors for their roles in the redubbed ‘Voltes V’.

‘Voltes V’, a brainchild of Tadao Nagahama (also the man behind ‘Daimos’), was first aired on GMA in 1978. However, it was soon banned by then-President Ferdinand Marcos (along with the aforementioned ‘Daimos’ and other robot anime) for being ‘too violent’.

It was only after the People Power Revolution that ‘Voltes V’ triumphantly returned on air through various TV channels (most notably ABS-CBN and IBC-13). In 1999, ‘Voltes V’ was brought back by GMA in both English and Filipino dubs (along with the four unaired episodes known as ‘Voltes V: The Liberation’), and instantly became popular with a new generation of viewers.

The renewed popularity of ‘Voltes V’ also inspired the ‘Bubble Gang’ segment ‘Ang Dating Doon’ (a parody of the religious program ‘Ang Dating Daan’) to adopt the anime’s opening song as its theme. The skit even brought a toy version of the robot on numerous occasions.

In 2005, ABS-CBN’s Hero channel aired a new Filipino dub of ‘Voltes V’ (known as ‘Voltes V Evolution’), starring the likes of Jett Pangan and Sandara Park. However, the new dub was poorly received.

The 2017 dub of ‘Voltes V’ may be a celebration for the anime’s 40th anniversary, but it remains to be seen if the redub will be worth watching. Considering that ‘Magandang Buhay’ has had some winning moments in recent episodes, this will be a tough task for the returning series to overcome.

Still, for those too young to remember the battle between the Boazanians and the Earth’s special forces, ‘Voltes V’ will be a new experience for all of them. Win or lose, this new dub should give them a fresh perspective on how good overcomes evil, and how bloodlines were revealed.

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Remembering Action Kids on ABS-CBN Sports+Action

 

ABS-CBN Sports+Action once aired animated programs under the ‘Action Kids’ block until late last year. (Logo courtesy of ABS-CBN)

There was a time when animated programs used to air on ABS-CBN Sports+Action.

Dubbed as ‘Action Kids’, the morning block featured animated programs, both from the United States and Japan. The block usually aired in the early mornings whenever there are no sporting events on tap.

Some of the most notable programs on the block include sports-themed animated series like ‘Supa Strikas’, Nickelodeon educational programs like ‘Dora the Explorer’, and animes such as ‘Metal Fight Beyblade’. Marvel animated series like ‘Avengers Assemble’ and ‘Spider-Man Unlimited’ were also aired during ABS-CBN’s contract deal with Marvel.

‘Action Kids’ was essentially carried over from the animated shows that aired on predecessor Studio 23.  However, in late 2014, the ‘Action Kids’ block was taken off the air for unknown reasons, and Sports+Action soon shifted its focus towards live-action programs, sporting highlights and general information shows, most notable of which were NBA replays.

Thing is, ABS-CBN Sports+Action was aimed at a predominantly male adult audience. ‘Action Kids’ didn’t conform to the channel’s tastes.

Some of the programs that aired on ‘Action Kids’ were moved to the newly-launched ‘Yey!’ channel, which is currently available on SkyCable and on the newly-launched ABS-CBN TVPlus digital TV box. Others were moved to the cable-only Hero TV.

For a station that prides itself in airing sporting events and action-packed programming, ABS-CBN Sports+Action’s brief spell into animated shows was something to forget. While it did provide a bit of action and adventure for younger audiences, it is not what they really have in mind.

The Decline of ABS-CBN’s Team Animazing

Animes on ABS-CBN are suddenly out of commission with the re-airing of classic adapted Japanese cartoons such as ‘Princess Sarah’ and ‘Cedie’. (Photo credit: ABS-CBN)

Hard-hitting animes on ABS-CBN are now a thing of the past.

With new seasons of ‘Naruto Shippuden’ and ‘Kuroko’s Basketball’ still months away from their premiere, ABS-CBN decided to re-air their popular 1990s Japanese adaptations of classic novels on the said block. This despite the fact that they have the backing of sister channel Hero to bring in new animes.

It is clear that Team Animazing, once a formidable rival to GMA’s Astig Authority block, is on the decline. And here are some reasons why.

It all started when ABS-CBN took advantage of ‘Princess Sarah”s renewed popularity on social media by re-airing the series in October. Then in a more desperate move, the Kapamilya network re-aired ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’, ‘Cedie: Ang Munting Prinsipe’ and ‘Dog of Flanders’, much to the dismay of their anime fans.

Worse, ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ continued to air on the said block, even though it is clear no one is in the mood to watch the Nickelodeon icon in Tagalized and heavily edited form.

As a result, Astig Authority overwhelmed Team Animazing in the ratings, even though they were frequently criticized for re-airing old animes regularly. But Team Animazing’s problems go beyond low ratings.

Unlike Astig Authority, which runs for over three hours, Team Animazing is only given half of what the former is allotted. This leads to fewer programs, and worse, heavily edited episodes, which does not bode well with viewers and the anime community in general.

And if there’s anything the Kapamilya anime fans want to blame, it is the presence of Kris Aquino in the mornings. ‘Kris TV’, which is now airing for four years but is struggling for ratings, continue to be honored by the network thanks to Kris’ ‘ironclad’ contract demands.

Team Animazing’s recent slump is only one of several problems that concern ABS-CBN today. That said, for the Kapamilya anime community, it is unfair for ABS-CBN to not commit towards new animes.

What’s the use of Hero if ABS-CBN won’t do favors to their anime fans? This definitely makes no sense.

Uncertain Mornings on ABS-CBN

With ‘Be Careful with My Heart’ ending this November, ABS-CBN now has an unenviable task of filling the show’s shoes, along with rebuilding the rest of its morning lineup. (Photo credit: ABS-CBN)

A state of uncertainty has finally reached ABS-CBN as far as their weekday morning shows are concerned.

A change in programming took place earlier this morning. Popular classic animes ‘Princess Sarah’ and ‘Marcelino Pan Y Vino’ began to re-air in place of ‘Kuroko’s Basketball’ and ‘Naruto Shippuden’, both of which took a brief season hiatus.

In addition, a re-run of ‘Da Adventures of Pedro Penduko’ replaced the recently re-aired ‘Precious Hearts Romances: Midnight Phantom’. As a result, three of ABS-CBN’s old programs now occupy the network’s mid-morning slot.

Coupled with the announcement that the final episode of ‘Be Careful with My Heart’ will be on November 28, ABS-CBN will now have the daunting task of rebuilding its programming schedule on weekday mornings. Easier said than done.

While ‘Be Careful with My Heart’ remained a popular show, at least according to Kantar’s totals, it is clear that the viewers’ patience are beginning to run thin. As a result, some have begun to tune out in favor of ‘The Ryzza Mae Show’, who suddenly proved to be more formidable than GMA’s previous efforts.

It would have made sense if ABS-CBN ended ‘Be Careful with My Heart’ at its peak. Instead, the show is expected to end with a whimper, unless a memorable and well-written ending is made to finish the show the same way they started: as a big hit with viewers.

Filling the shoes of ‘Be Careful with My Heart’ will be very complicated, so good luck to the Kapamilya network in trying to sort this out.

Going through the rest of ABS-CBN’s weekday morning lineup post-‘Umagang Kay Ganda’, there are more problems to consider. With the exception of ‘The Singing Bee’, all other programs seem not up to par with the standard of excellence that ABS-CBN is trying to create.

‘Kris TV’, for example, has not been a success ratings-wise. While it is obvious that Kris Aquino does not want the show’s schedule to move considering her endless amount of demands in her contract, it would be of the best interest for ABS-CBN and herself to change ‘Kris TV”s timeslot to something more viewer-friendly, that is, if Kris finally loosens the grip.

As for the re-runs, it is still puzzling to see why ABS-CBN decided to re-air them, despite the presence of Jeepney TV and Hero on SkyCable. They could have used this time period to air a new Koreanovela or some new anime, but instead they meekly go throwback mode in the same manner as GMA’s overt dependence on classic animes.

That said, the time to rebuild weekday mornings is now for ABS-CBN. It may be very difficult considering the circumstances, but it’s the best that they can do in hopes of earning some respect in this timeslot.

So good luck to them in making this work.