How Manila became the third character in 'Trese'

One of the most exciting things about watching "Trese," especially amid the coronavirus pandemic, is seeing the streets of Manila come to life.

In an episode of "The Howie Severino Podcast," "Trese" creator Budjette Tan said it was great to see Manila sort of become the "third character" of the series.

He said it was like watching anime, many of which use actual Japanese streets and scenery as their setting.

"We've been seeing all of these Japanese characters in the background so parang, 'Ah, ganu'n pala 'yung feeling na 'yun' [it's like, 'Ah, this is how it feels]," he said.

Tan said growing up in Manila is one of his main inspirations for "Trese," so he loved how the series producers "made it so magical, mysterious and look scary."

When the trailer dropped, some fans were quick to comment that the very first scene is highly relatable to most Filipinos living in Metro Manila—the MRT breaking down.

Tan also said he saw others sharing screenshots of the scene where Alexandra Trese sat on monobloc chair in a karinderya, complete with a television mounted up the wall.

"It's little things like in the background; people just found so much joy to see 'Bawal Umihi Dito' nakasulat du'n sa likod ng wall [written on the wall]," he said.

"Trese" is the first Philippine anime series on Netflix. Based on a comic of the same name by Tan and artist Kajo Baldisimo, the story follows the adventures of supernatural detective Alexandra Trese.

The series premiered on June 11. It has six episodes dubbed in several languages, including English, Filipino, and Japanese.

—MGP, GMA News