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A review by ozinskaya
Trese Vol. 1: Murder on Balete Drive by Kajo Baldisimo, Budjette Tan
4.0
In general: The plots are interesting, a bit formulaic. The dialogue can improve to be more realistic. The art is well-suited to the mood of the book.
Case 1: At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street - Right off the bat the idea of the underworld as a force that restores balance is intriguing. I'm expecting this to be a recurring theme throughout the series. Also, you can get? Love that. Just thought the perpetrator's motive seemed a bit flimsy for the gravity of what she sacrificed and the futility of it all, but well, I guess you never really know with people.
Case 2: Rules of the Race - I really like this one. The interpretation of the myth in question for the modern setting is so unique and I'm such a fan of how it was presented here. Who else would have thought of a like what? Ugh, Budjette Tan's mind. I love the art especially in the scenes with the .
Case 3: The Tragic Case of Dr. Burgos - First thing I notice is the art. Really stands out in this case in particular. Nothing much to say about the storyline. It was fine, I feel like I'm just not a fan in general of plots driven by that type of motivation like,!
Case 4: Our Constellation - What a twist about a certain character's identity! Just how wide is the scope of Trese's universe? Anyway, this one made me kind of sad. And the worst thing is the plot revolves around something that isn't at all confined in the pages of this book; these things happen in reality, and more often than not justice is left wanting. Some people just deserve to rot, and.
Just a thought: as someone who just got into Philippine contemporary fiction, it's so cool to read stories, especially of this fascinating genre and caliber, set in places I know or I've been to. Like it's very cool to visualize and to think, whoa, that's not so far away from where I am right now. I also thought of this partly because I've lived my entire life in the province until now, and not a lot of contemporary and easy-to-find published fiction is set where I'm from (something that will hopefully change in the future). I'm so excited to explore the rest of this universe with Alexandra Trese and her motley crew.
Case 1: At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street - Right off the bat the idea of the underworld as a force that restores balance is intriguing. I'm expecting this to be a recurring theme throughout the series. Also, you can get
Spoiler
mermaid bones from aswangs running an underground crime ringCase 2: Rules of the Race - I really like this one. The interpretation of the myth in question for the modern setting is so unique and I'm such a fan of how it was presented here. Who else would have thought of a
Spoiler
tikbalang who wants to prove himself, so he disguises himself to participate in drag racingSpoiler
tikbalang chief and the race between Trese and the young tikbalang where his glamour was unveiledCase 3: The Tragic Case of Dr. Burgos - First thing I notice is the art. Really stands out in this case in particular. Nothing much to say about the storyline. It was fine, I feel like I'm just not a fan in general of plots driven by that type of motivation like,
Spoiler
dude you deserve better, just move on. Also stop killing random innocent people for that, the fuck. Then again, there's a reason why this type of thing (the cheating, not the killing) is so recurrent in plots and who am I to judge others, really. But also, if a person cheats how much does s/he really love the other person? I know it's not black-and-white but it's time we stop normalizing cheating and start normalizing communication if there are problems in the relationship or if you feel the urge to act on your attraction to other people, hello? Once again, don't cheatCase 4: Our Constellation - What a twist about a certain character's identity! Just how wide is the scope of Trese's universe? Anyway, this one made me kind of sad. And the worst thing is the plot revolves around something that isn't at all confined in the pages of this book; these things happen in reality, and more often than not justice is left wanting. Some people just deserve to rot, and
Spoiler
I'm glad the rapists got what they deserved in this one, but saddened at the cost. They got what they deserved not because of the (broken) justice system that favors the rich and powerful but because of a young boy's love and sacrifice for his sister and that's so fucked upJust a thought: as someone who just got into Philippine contemporary fiction, it's so cool to read stories, especially of this fascinating genre and caliber, set in places I know or I've been to. Like it's very cool to visualize and to think, whoa, that's not so far away from where I am right now. I also thought of this partly because I've lived my entire life in the province until now, and not a lot of contemporary and easy-to-find published fiction is set where I'm from (something that will hopefully change in the future). I'm so excited to explore the rest of this universe with Alexandra Trese and her motley crew.