Trese (2021) Review: Manila's Supernatural Noir

Is Trese worth watching?

Mostly yes. Trese is a visually striking, genuinely distinctive animated noir that brings Philippine folklore to a global audience, even if its storytelling never matches its world-building. The reason to watch is the setting: a rain-soaked Manila where aswang, tikbalang and duwende live alongside humans, and where the crimes are as supernatural as they are grim. The reservation is plotting, which is compressed and thin across only six episodes.

What is Trese about?

Alexandra Trese is Manila’s occult detective, the person the police call when a crime has an unnatural explanation. She acts as a mediator between humanity and the creatures of Philippine mythology who share the city, and when violence begins spilling out of that hidden world into Manila’s neon-lit streets, she investigates, backed by two masked bodyguards known as the Kambal. Each case draws her deeper into a larger threat that ties back to her own family history.

Trese is adapted from the cult komiks by Budjette Tan and KaJO Baldisimo, and it is an animated series from the Philippines for Netflix. Liza Soberano voices Alexandra in the Filipino version, while Shay Mitchell takes the role in the English version, with Darren Criss and Manny Jacinto in the English voice cast. This review covers the complete series: a single season of six episodes, and no further seasons have followed.

Filipino mythology in neon

The show’s greatest achievement is its world. Philippine folklore is rarely seen in international animation, and Trese treats it with obvious affection, populating Manila with creatures from oral tradition and giving them their own politics, grudges and rules. The city itself is beautifully rendered, with rain-slick streets, jeepney lights and crowded neighbourhoods that give the noir atmosphere a specific sense of place. For viewers unfamiliar with these myths, it is a vivid introduction.

The tone is closer to hard-boiled crime fiction than to fantasy adventure. Alexandra is cool, laconic and weary, and the early cases unfold like supernatural police procedurals, with grisly discoveries, interrogations of unlikely witnesses and a detective who knows more than she lets on. The violence is intense and the imagery often disturbing, which suits the source’s adult sensibility.

Two voice tracks, one strong heroine

Liza Soberano gives Alexandra a composed, low-key authority in the Filipino track, and many viewers find it the more natural way to watch, with the dialogue’s rhythms and folklore vocabulary sitting comfortably in the language. Shay Mitchell’s English performance is solid, and Darren Criss and Manny Jacinto add personality as the Kambal. Whichever track you choose, the heroine’s calm, unflappable presence anchors the show.

The animation itself is more uneven. Backgrounds and creature designs are impressive, but character movement can be stiff, and action scenes do not always have the fluidity the premise promises.

Too much story for six episodes

The biggest weakness is structural. The first episodes adapt self-contained cases from the comics, but the series then races to establish a season-long mythology arc, cramming revelations, new villains and family history into very little time. Characters who deserve more development are introduced and sidelined quickly, and the final episodes feel rushed. It leaves Trese feeling more like a promising proof of concept than a fully realised story.

Who should watch Trese?

It is best for fans of adult animation, supernatural detective stories and world mythology, and especially for viewers curious about Filipino folklore. Six episodes of roughly half an hour each make it a very short commitment. Expect graphic violence, gore and frightening creature imagery; it is aimed firmly at adults.

For more dark genre storytelling:

• Arcane, a more polished adult animated series that also builds a rich world around a tough heroine.
• Inside No. 9, for short, self-contained stories that blend crime, dark humour and the supernatural.

The verdict

Trese is a striking showcase for Philippine mythology and a welcome alternative to Western and Japanese animation traditions. Its plotting is rushed and its animation uneven, but its atmosphere, folklore and memorable heroine make it well worth a look, particularly in its Filipino-language version.

Rating: 3.5/5