According to the movie review blog ‘Maganda Ba Movie,’ “May magaling na cinematography yung serye na ito. With Maria Clara At Ibarra, buhay na buhay ang camera work and movements kaya hindi boring panoorin ang bawat eksena. Kapanapanabik na subaybayan ang mga pagbabago na maaaring mangyari (kung meron man) sa istorya ng aklat ni Dr. Jose Rizal.”
“Not K-Drama related, but this Philippine historical drama titled Maria Clara at Ibarra caught my attention! These emotions that can be rarely seen in Philippine drama make me want to know more about Noli Me Tangere. GMA should provide more historical dramas that are as excellent as this,” a K-Drama enthusiast group posted on Facebook.
One netizen also praised how the production team paid attention to the smallest details of Dr. Jose Rizal’s novels, “Fonda Francesca de Lala Ary is a famous hotel during the Spanish period in the Philippines. Dr. Jose Rizal may have stayed in this hotel during his stay in Manila as a student and he mentioned this place in Noli Me Tangere.” The said hotel can be seen in the show where Ibarra stayed after his sojourn in Europe.
Meanwhile, a video of Grade 3 students watching Maria Clara at Ibarra during recess went viral. Teacher Charlaine Alyssa Sese shared this wonderful moment, “Pinagbigyan ko po silang manood kasi may mga batang walang TV sa bahay. Although wala pa silang Noli Me Tangere, kahit papano nagkaka-idea na sila sa Noli. Ang dami nila tanong about sa past. Nakakatuwa lang po kasi seryoso silang nanonood talagang interested sila kaya vinideo ko po.”
Fans are also shipping not just the pairing of Maria Clara and Ibarra, but also the chemistry between Klay and Fidel (David Licauco), “Dennis Trillo and Julie Anne San Jose are super effective as Ibarra and Maria Clara that I forgot they have this huge age gap in real life. Fidel as Klay’s future nobyo. They just don’t know it yet pero dadasalan namin ‘to.”
Moreover, Juancho Triviño is definitely effective in his role, making the viewers furious over Padre Salvi. Those who have read the novel already know that he is one of the antagonists. “Ang creepy ni Padre Salvi! The main villain of Noli Me Tangere who caused the chaos! Everyone wants to protect Maria Clara from Padre Salvi at all costs. But just like the ones who knew the future, could we ever stop it?”
Playing equally important roles in the series are Mr. Tirso Cruz III as Padre Damaso; Ms. Manilyn Reynesas Narsing; Rocco Nacino as Elias; Mr. Juan Rodrigo as Kapitan Tiago; Ms. Ces Quesada as Tiya Isabel; Mr. Dennis Padilla as Mang Adong; Mr. Lou Veloso as Mr. Jose Torres; Ms. Gilleth Sandico as Donya Victorina; Karenina Haniel as Victoria. Completing the powerhouse cast is the special participation of Andrea Torres as Sisa.
Get ready for more plot twists and milestones as the series takes viewers to the world of Noli Me Tangere. Catch Maria Clara at Ibarra at 8:00 PM weeknights on GMA, and at 9:40 PM, Mondays to Fridays on GTV.
Viewers abroad can also catch the program via GMA Pinoy TV. For more stories about the Kapuso Network, visit www.GMANetwork.com.
