Hello Sweeties!
I braved the rains and floods to attend what I consider a very important event in Philippine Television. This is the launching of Barangay 143 the first ever Filipino Produced Anime Series co-produced between Synergy88, TV Asahi (Japan) and August Media Holdings (Singapore).
Starting this October anime lovers like myself will see the Pinoy anime series go on air on GMA 7 before Sunday Pina-Saya.
The Story
Barangay 143 Street Ball Team Barangay 143 is a feel-good coming of age story of a young Korean boy whose search for his father brings him to the Philippines. Lost and desperate for answers, is here in this foreign land that he finds an unlikely family in a team of misfits whose only ambition is to bring glory to their hometown. It’s a story about love and family set against the action-packed world of street basketball, where the stakes are always high and life the biggest game you can win.
Jyotirmoy Saha, CEO, August Media Holdings said “Philippines has a vibrant TV and film industry with a rich culture of storytelling. Right from the onset we were determined develop the show right here so that it captures the essence of life in Manila. I am immensely proud of what we have finally created in Barangay 143”
Aside from the anime series itself, there is also the mobile game app Barangay 143 Street League which is already available on the Google Play Store for Android and the iOS App Store. The story in the mobile app is the prelude to the anime show, So if fan want to know how it all began they need to look into the game.
“Within the series, the comic strip and even the game we have tried to capture the real-life experiences of the Philippines through the art and the sounds.,” said Jackeline Chua, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Synergy88 Digital. “With Barangay 143 Street League we also created a unique experience that helps players compete with friends in cyberspace but get their wins rewarded in the real world.”
The Setting and Atmosphere
Set against the backdrop of gritty Tondo, the series also features original music from a whole host of celebrity Filipino singers and musicians. The series is painstakingly designed and produced here in Manila with the help crew from across Japan, South Korea, USA, Malaysia and Singapore. Another mark that this series will have the district Filipino flavor.
“When we first came across Barangay 143 during its development phase, it seemed like a natural choice for us to be a part of. We hope that Japanese creativity will bring light into the Filipino story and characters to life.”, said Takahiro Kishimoto, Head of Animation at International Business Department of TV Asahi.
the voice cast
An anime series will never be complete without the perfect voices for their characters. Personally aside from the storyline and art the voices that give life to the characters and shape the character itself making it more real and relatable to the viewers. After months of auditions, the creators of Barangay 143 found their perfect voice cast from veteran actors to young and up and coming talents. They have the likes of John Arcilla, Cherie Gil and Sylvia Sanchez lending their voices to this venture then it must be worth watching.
During the Q&A at the launch, the actors spoke of how the voice for an anime is so different from actual physical acting itself and how they grew as performers because of the experience.
Before the much awaited broadcast, fans will be treated to a series of Barangay 143 themed concerts featuring the music of artist Gloc-9, Shanti Dope, Julie Ann San Jose and more.
According to GMA 7 First Vice President of Program Management Joey Abacan “We expect to also treat our audiences with many other “GMA has always been known to support anything that champions Filipino talent and promotes our culture. We are immensely proud to be the network carrying the first Filipino anime drama series,”
Curious about the series? Here is a sneak peek of what to expect:
Being the first (hopefully not the last) Pinoy anime series produced with the everyday Pinoy life, loves and challenges I am certain it will create a lot of buzz among anime fans. Hoping that this will be successful and create more projects for the very creative Pinoy artist.
Until next time,
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