Maria Clara at Ibarra

I haven't seen any "teledrama" made in the Philippines for a long time. I have always thought most series from the Philippines are unnecessarily long, repetitive and boring. I decided to give this title a shot after hearing about it on Social Media, and boy I'm glad I did!

The script is well-written, funny, witty, and relatable. The characters are mostly likable (except for the villains, of course). The costumes and settings look great (especially considering budgetary constraints of a show produced in a developing country). And most importantly, the story is engaging.

It's amazing how this book was written over 100 years ago (where this series is based on) and still reflects the modern struggles of the Filipino.

My only complaint is how the volume changes from loud to quiet in one episode, and how the music is jarringly cut off from one scene to the next (but that may very well be becasue I'm watching the series online, rather than on local TV).

A recommended watch!

MCIA is a fantastic show that mainstream Philippine television desperately needs and deserves! The story is based on José Rizal's novel 'Noli Me Tanghere,' a dark and disturbing book about the powerful Catholic church during the Spanish Colonial Era. The plot's execution is effective because of one character: Klay, a 2022 student who time-traveled to the 1880s-but not in reality-inside she's in a book.

They perfectly blended fantasy, drama, comedy, cliche, and new unconventional ideas, so the people who worked on this show deserve all of the credit! The cinematography is impressive, the production design is on point, the costumes are accurate, some VFX scenes could be improved, but they are still good, and the scriptwriters consulted historians.

Edit 10/29/2022: I noticed many people bombing this series with 1 stars which is completely unreasonable, as a kapamilya this series is a solid recreation of the book but with a twist; therefore I am updating my rating to 10, Shame on you, bots and people who voted one which is completely unreasonable unless you've slept through your filipino Noli Me Tangere class or couldn't care less about filipino Heritage, Go read the original book if you dont want the time travelling stuff, thank you.

Original Review: Honestly, I am surprised and thrilled about this series, It is a new and unique way of promoting the book. It offers a topic that haven't yet explored in Philippine teleserye history quite extensively, time travel. This show provides this in a quite humorous yet interesting way in which you might ask yourself what will you do or what would happen if you, yourself time travelled to the 1880's in this fictional world. As someone who love history so much, it is an interesting take on the traditional portrayal of Noli Me Tangere. I am highly invested on the story and I hope GMA wouldn't disappoint, with the coming episodes.

I even made an account just to post a review. This is the only series that made me want to learn and delve with the Filipino language. Definitely a must watch for those interested in the Filipino culture and history. Both entertaining and educational.

Just a little concerned with its visual effects and Background system. Especially its background music like when in some scenes it will just cut off midway when it jumps to a different scene. Then I became more conscious on it all throughout the series but it will grow on you as well.

Anyway, overall its a pretty interesting and entertaining watch for all audiences. 👍 Kudos to the researchers and production peeps on creating this unique historical drama series!

Maria Clara at Ibarra is a great work of art. Every Filipino must see this movie. It enlightens me on many things. I hope others too. As an educator, I should not waver in educating our youths. I should inspire them to learn and appreciate the bits and pieces of our history . We should be proud of our heritage, our culture, ,our history. Because if we will not, who are we as people? Laud GMA for creating such great project. All the characters are portrayed well by all actors and actresses. I love how the story unfolds from one episode to the next. There should be more creations like this . I am proud being a Filipino.