Fantaserye or telefantasya is a genre of
Philippine
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...
ming which mixes
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
,
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
, fantasy,
myth
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...
,
magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
and enchantment. The episodes are usually 30 minutes long and have a daily slot in the evening primetime row.
Usage
The term fantaserye is often used to refer to
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
's fantasy series. The first official fantaserye was ''
Marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
,'' a series about a girl cursed to become a mermaid. Telefantasya often refers to the creations of
GMA Network
GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...
; their first telefantasya was ''
Mulawin
''Mulawin'' is a Philippine television drama fantasy series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Don Michael Perez and Dode Cruz, it stars Richard Gutierrez, Angel Locsin and Dennis Trillo. It premiered on August 2, 2004 on the network's Teleb ...
,'' a series about a humanoid bird who fell in love with a girl who was later revealed to be part-bird. But even before, GMA has its first fantasy-based soap via ''
Ikaw Na Sana
''Ikaw na Sana'' (International title: ''Destiny'' / ) is a Philippine television drama romance series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Mac Alejandre, it stars Angelu de Leon and Bobby Andrews. It premiered on March 17, 1997. The series c ...
'' in 1997 and ''
Pintados
Visayans (Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group, ...
'' in 1999. ABS-CBN also reinvented the name of their fantasy TV series depending on its origin, like ''
Krystala
''Krystala'' is a Philippine fantasy/sci-fi/adventure/soap opera serial (superserye/fantaserye) from the Philippines, where it was produced by and aired on ABS-CBN from October 11, 2004 to April 22, 2005. The show also aired simultaneously on The ...
,'' named superserye (pertaining to
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
) and ''
Ang Panday'' as
sineserye
Philippine television drama, also known as ''teleserye'', Filipino telenovelas or P-drama, is a form of melodramatic, serialized, televised fiction in the Philippines. ''Teleserye'' is derived from two Filipino words: "tele", short for "''telebis ...
(cinematic origin). However, both are still regarded by many as fantaseryes.
History
The Fantasy genre of television has been around even before the word was conceived. Probably the first Filipino fantasy series could be regarded as ''Okey Ka Fairy Ko!
1' produced by TAPE, Inc. in 1987 and broadcast originally on IBC Channel 13, moved to ABS-CBN until TAPE Inc. transferred its programs to GMA after its contract expired with ABS-CBN.
''Okey ka, Fairy Ko!'' is a story about Taga-Lupa ("Earthling" in English) Vic Sotto who married Engkantada (a fairy) Alice Dixson. They had children who were half-earthlings and half-fairies. The fairy, a princess in her world, had a stern mother, Ina Magenta (Charito Solis) who visited the neighborhood everyday, criticizing their lifestyle on earth (sometimes battling with evil from the dark world).
Fantaserye's origins were more rooted towards situational comedy than soap opera (today's fantaseryes and telefantsayas are lined up in evening prime time along with other soap operas), and ''Okey ka, Fairy Ko!'' is proof of that. The series had a run of about seven years and was aired on one day of the week for about 60 minutes per episode. Other notable series with similar nature are ''Wansapanataym'' of ABS CBN and ''Beh Bote Nga'' of GMA Network on Pinoy Teleserye.
Pinoy Teleserye
/ref>
Telefantasyas or Fantaseryes need not only depict magical worlds in space or underwater. They may also depict future settings. ''Pintados
Visayans (Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group, ...
,'' launched by GMA, could also fall under the same genre. ''Pintados'' was about a band of painted warriors (Pintados) with the power to control the elements on a mission to save the world. Nowadays, several titles fall under this genre. However, the most popular fantaseryes or telefantasyas are the ones shown weeknights during primetime television. Once-a-week fantaseryes are also included under the same genre but do not receive as much viewership as the ones shown every weeknight.
Fantaseryes weren't given as much as attention earlier and thus were usually shown on a once-a-week basis with each episode running for one to one hour and a half. In 2003, ABS-CBN introduced a new genre of teleserye which mixes soap opera, fantasy, myth, magic and enchantment on a nightly basis. This genre was called fantaserye
Fantaserye or telefantasya is a genre of Philippine television programming which mixes soap opera, telenovela, fantasy, myth, magic and enchantment. The episodes are usually 30 minutes long and have a daily slot in the evening primetime row.
Us ...
, with such shows falling under this genre broadcast on a nightly basis during primetime. The first fantaserye that was shown on primetime TV was officially ''Darating ang Umaga
''Darating ang Umaga'' (International title: ''Till Morning Comes'' / ) is a Philippine drama made by ABS-CBN aired from March 3 to November 14, 2003 replacing '' Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan''. Starring Vina Morales and Eula Valdez. It also starred ...
.'' However, it was commercially a failure. Fantasy themed TV series have been around for while already in the Philippines prior to the launch of the series ''Darating ang Umaga
''Darating ang Umaga'' (International title: ''Till Morning Comes'' / ) is a Philippine drama made by ABS-CBN aired from March 3 to November 14, 2003 replacing '' Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan''. Starring Vina Morales and Eula Valdez. It also starred ...
'' although they weren't popular on television. in 2004, ABS-CBN took another risk by showing yet another fantaserye called ''Marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
.'' Unlike its predecessor, ''Marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
'' set a benchmark for fantaseryes on television when it garnered consistent high ratings during its entire run. The ratings and audience share of the said fantaserye were even higher than the usual more established primetime teleserye
Philippine television drama, also known as ''teleserye'', Filipino telenovelas or P-drama, is a form of melodramatic, serialized, televised fiction in the Philippines. ''Teleserye'' is derived from two Filipino words: "tele", short for "''telebis ...
s. Because of this, the television series ''Marina'' was officially the one that popularized the genre. Today, fantaseryes are the most viewed TV program in the Philippines. Recent surveys by media research firms AC Nielsen and AGB state that fantaseryes have the highest ratings in the evening primetime block.
Although ABS-CBN started the fantaserye fad, its rival GMA network introduced its own fantasy-based series which they called telefantasya which has a similar meaning and nature as a fantaserye. After ''Marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
'', ABS-CBN produced fantasy-based series under a different name but with a similar nature in the hope of saturating the ratings game such as superserye ''Krystala
''Krystala'' is a Philippine fantasy/sci-fi/adventure/soap opera serial (superserye/fantaserye) from the Philippines, where it was produced by and aired on ABS-CBN from October 11, 2004 to April 22, 2005. The show also aired simultaneously on The ...
,'' sineserye '' Ang Panday'' and ''Super Inggo
''Super Inggo'' is a Philippine fantaserye aired on ABS-CBN. Its main character is Budong (Makisig Morales), a 10-year-old kid who dreams of becoming a real-life and full-fledged superhero. Unbeknownst to him, he possesses superhuman strength and ...
''. On the other hand, rival GMA network started their telefantasya run during primetime with '' Marinara'' and ''Mulawin
''Mulawin'' is a Philippine television drama fantasy series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Don Michael Perez and Dode Cruz, it stars Richard Gutierrez, Angel Locsin and Dennis Trillo. It premiered on August 2, 2004 on the network's Teleb ...
. ''(But Marinara is more so called as kwela-novela).'' ''Although in 1997, GMA officially have their first soap with fantasy genre entitled ''Ikaw Na Sana.'' Because of this, GMA network has decided to focus on producing telefantasya shows while ABS-CBN's productions are a mix of at least one fantaserye and several other soap operas (drama).
Criticisms
Values formation
A TV-magazine show's episode on November 5, 2005, pointed out that fantaseryes have a negative effect on the young children because they cannot clearly mark the borderline between reality and fantasy.
Also in this line, the themes of the telefantasyas often feature battles between two factions: good and evil. Although the good and evil parts of the battle are clearly marked, people, especially the children emphasize more on the fights rather than the victory of good over evil. The children imitate the fights scenes and thus inculcate them in their lives. Conservatives have always critiqued the showing of violence on television as detrimental to the children's values.
Social constructionism
The theory of Social constructionism
Social constructionism is a theory in sociology, social ontology, and communication theory which proposes that certain ideas about physical reality arise from collaborative consensus, instead of pure observation of said reality. The theory ...
is often used as defense by the critics not just of Fantaseryes, but of the television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
as a postmodern
Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...
invention. This theory, by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann
Thomas Luckmann (; October 14, 1927 – May 10, 2016) was an American-Austrian sociologist of German and Slovene origin who taught mainly in Germany. Born in Jesenice, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Luckmann studied philosophy and linguistics at the Uni ...
in the 1960s suggests that reality is constructed by the society in general, and individually, by the people who interpret and perceive reality.
In this case, television forms a reality in the minds of the people, specifically, as an "ideal" world on where to live in. The people perceive it and then in turn form the notion that "this is how life should be." This happens, when, in fact, it should not be, because the television is not the reality but life is the ultimate reality.
See also
*Fantasy television
Fantasy television is a genre of television programming featuring elements of the fantastic, often including magic, supernatural forces, or exotic fantasy worlds. Fantasy television programs are often based on tales from mythology and folklore, ...
*List of fantasy television programs
This is a list of fantasy television programs. It includes original television movies, miniseries and television serials in the fantasy genre and its various subgenres. This list excludes fantasy films originally made for the cinema, which are li ...
*Philippine drama
Philippine television drama, also known as ''teleserye'', Filipino telenovelas or P-drama, is a form of melodramatic, serialized, televised fiction in the Philippines. ''Teleserye'' is derived from two Filipino words: "tele", short for "''telebis ...
ABS-CBN Fantasy Series
Fantasy TV series
animixplay TV series
References
{{Reflist
*
Philippine television series
Fantaserye
Fantaserye or telefantasya is a genre of Philippine television programming which mixes soap opera, telenovela, fantasy, myth, magic and enchantment. The episodes are usually 30 minutes long and have a daily slot in the evening primetime row.
Us ...
Television genres