Quick background: The Philippines was colonized by Spain for more than 300 years. Jose Rizal, a National Hero of the Philippines, was an instrument for revolution when he wrote Noli Me Tangere (lit. Touch Me Not) - an 1887 novel that explores brutality, religious hypocrisy, and corruption by the ruling government and the Spanish friars. Juan Crisostomo Ibarra, the main protagonist of the novel, is a well-off and educated mestizo who eventually falls victim into the schemings of the Spaniards, while Maria Clara is his childhood sweetheart who embodies the innocence, purity, and naivety of a sheltered woman during the Spanish colonial period. Rizal’s two novels, Noli Me Tangere and its sequel, El Filibusterismo (lit. The Filibuster) are required readings in high school and the Life and Works of Rizal is a mandated course in all higher education institutions in the Philippines.
While the drama is set in a dark and difficult story, Maria Clara and Ibarra puts its own fun spin that caters to the current generation—this is an isekai wherein the main character is suddenly transported into the world of the novel she is reading; in this case, Noli Me Tangere.
What makes this an effective story is that the female lead, named after Maria Clara but is commonly called “Klay”, is a nursing student who is also a breadwinner for her family. At the beginning of the drama, she complains about the need to study the Rizal course (e.g. deeming history, humanities, and social science subjects as irrelevant) and explains why the current generation is ignorant towards the country’s history. The working Filipino class, which makes up more than half of the total population, is simply busy trying to survive the day and night. Spending their time on others and caring about it is a privilege they cannot afford. Her everyday struggles as a working student, as a child of a broken family, and as a citizen of a developing country is timely and relatable. Her situation and her character are great representations in a drama that clearly knows what message it wants to convey and to whom the reminder is for.
Klay’s progressiveness (and contrast to Maria Clara) in such a conservative time sticks out like a sore thumb and it is fun to watch. She is chaotically, annoyingly, and charmingly Gen Z. Not to mention, the discourse with her professor and the men in the novel are actually engaging and eye-opening. But it is her realizations, her awakened patriotism, that strikes the heart.
True to the novel’s satirical nature, the drama discusses domestic violence, education, labor, misogyny, and ethnocentrism while closely following the events of Noli Me Tangere - and eventually, El Filibusterismo. The thing about an isekai is how the main character will attempt to change the course of the story. And while Klay did make changes, the drama serves as a reminder that history cannot be rewritten. What is bound to happen will happen. Historical revisionism has been rampant in the country and knowing how this drama aired during this time makes this so much more relevant and brilliant than what it already is.
As work partners, they acknowledge each other’s strengths and use them to complement each other. Best part is how the main leads always had a sense of maturity and calmness in their conversations - as expected from a couple whose love language is hugs.
Overall, the romance is corny, sweet, and chill at the same, and the episodic cases/investigation is such a fun addition to the story. I’m not mad.
PLEASE THE WAY I WAS JUST SQUEALING AND SMILING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FIRST EPISODE!!!!
The comfort (and discomfort) these two... unconventional... pair brings me... I don’t know how they make it work (one comment said “two negatives make a positive i guess” lmfao) but they truly are making it work. One worships the other while the other fears abandonment - and both does not know how to communicate well. Still extremely flawed, but oh so perfectly complementing each other. They are my babies and I love them for trying their hardest.
Main couple aside, challenges are expected so I loved every direction the story took in regards to the second male lead, as well as the second couple.
Healing may take weeks, months, or even years, so I appreciated how the drama utilized time to let everything fall into place. It had perfect pacing; the story might have spanned for about ten years, yet it did not feel slow or rushed at all. True to its title, time was indeed just right.
I don’t know what to feel. The focus on romance, friendship, and e-sports was balanced. The main romance was healthy and mature. The characters were likeable. And yet, the overall drama was neither bad nor great.
No toxicity, no love triangles, and no family, school, nor economic problems. This is a story purely about the main leads. Both male and female leads are smart (rank 1 and 2, respectively), lovely people with actual personalities. Not even an ounce of shyness and awkwardness between them. There are second leads but their budding feelings are cut off by the main leads themselves early on. Best part - the second leads actually listened and remained good friends with them. Misunderstandings are rare and even if they have one, it is never prolonged; they are easily solved within that episode.
The thing about this is even if there is no drama between the main leads, it is not boring. They do not need any big romantic gesture to elicit emotions from the viewers. Watching them interact is like watching two best of friends interact in daily life. Not necessarily cavity-inducing, sugary sweet, but rather calming. Like a therapy.
(Spoilers thru ep3) I'm confused. She says she can't O, he blames her (clearly he's an ass). But did she need…
I think the drama had been clear about about their breakup (both reason and message), though. The lack of orgasm might be one thing, but she already had problems with him prior to that - specifically, catering to his likes (food, sex, etc.), making herself think that maybe she IS the problem, and overall, slowly losing her own identity. She even had the talk with the bar owner about the emotional gap in a relationship (episode 1). That’s when she realized there isn’t any spark or room for growth left. Relationships don't just dissolve in a single moment; it takes at least a little time for things to fall apart and in this case, her dissatisfaction with their sex life is the tipping point.
Also, I don’t think she rushed into sex toys. Her friend has been clearly urging her to use them before. She then entertained that idea after their very first podcast which talked about faking the big O. She also didn’t exactly blamed her period for the breakup, but rather used her raging hormones as an encouragement to finally break things off. Like an excuse or a confidence booster to leave a five year relationship that took up her 20’s behind.
As for the messages of the show, the final conflict brings her back to finding her own identity so I guess that’s one. Just like what the female leads said, the listeners of their podcast do not want solutions to their problems but rather encouragement for their choices (episode 8). Sexual liberation is self-love and self-acceptance after all.
Honestly, a fanservice SP. Not even gonna talk about the story because that one plot device is plain stupid. But I am not mad because I am a fan and this fanservice is for me, a fan. Thank you.
Japan does a lot of last minute happy endings, so the fact that the SP takes place after the series is such a gift. Seeing Umi and Kazao as a couple is simply wonderful. Nothing much has changed—they are still the cutest when they are together, they very much joke around each other and bicker like before—but they are obviously in a romantic relationship. Not overly sweet, but does not shy away from physical touch and words of affirmation. Now, THAT is a proper friends-to-lovers. They are on equal footing; no one has to worry about one person loving more than the other and vice versa.
I don’t know, maybe I am biased and I’ve waited three damn years for this, but I enjoyed Kingdom 2 as much as its predecessor - although I understand why some people did not.
From the very beginning, the main goal of Shin has always been to be the greatest general under the Heavens - and to achieve that dream, he has to join the war and rise from the ranks. In short, Kingdom 2 focuses on Shin and the war between Qin and Wei. The two other main leads, Eisei and Karyouten, barely appeared on screen and the story of the trio’s (budding) friendship took a step back. This sequel was basically more about warfare - after all, Eisei’s dream of unifying China has already kickstarted. It is time for Shin to learn what it truly takes to be a great warrior.
Speechless. The last two episodes did that. The duality is that one scene had the most intense, jaw dropping fight in all two seasons and then the longest, sappiest, and preachiest speech in the next. Still, the mind-fuckery outweighs the preachiness.
This season is not solely about the games anymore. It delves into the characters and their backstories, ideals, and motivation—a perfect build up for the conclusion. Because for such a crazy and out of this world premise, the ending made the most absolute sense.
I felt the same way, like when they became a couple???? And when exactly did she tell him about her brother? I…
Right?! I can’t believe they chose to edit out the things everyone was waiting for.
Editing out the brother reveal took away the fun because I just know I would have busted out laughing with all brother/sister confusion hijinks. Not to mention, editing the confession scene - one of the most important parts of a romance drama - out made everything anticlimactic. It had no emotional payoff for what was supposedly a sweet, lovely romance drama.
6 
11 
1 
While the drama is set in a dark and difficult story, Maria Clara and Ibarra puts its own fun spin that caters to the current generation—this is an isekai wherein the main character is suddenly transported into the world of the novel she is reading; in this case, Noli Me Tangere.
What makes this an effective story is that the female lead, named after Maria Clara but is commonly called “Klay”, is a nursing student who is also a breadwinner for her family. At the beginning of the drama, she complains about the need to study the Rizal course (e.g. deeming history, humanities, and social science subjects as irrelevant) and explains why the current generation is ignorant towards the country’s history. The working Filipino class, which makes up more than half of the total population, is simply busy trying to survive the day and night. Spending their time on others and caring about it is a privilege they cannot afford. Her everyday struggles as a working student, as a child of a broken family, and as a citizen of a developing country is timely and relatable. Her situation and her character are great representations in a drama that clearly knows what message it wants to convey and to whom the reminder is for.
Klay’s progressiveness (and contrast to Maria Clara) in such a conservative time sticks out like a sore thumb and it is fun to watch. She is chaotically, annoyingly, and charmingly Gen Z. Not to mention, the discourse with her professor and the men in the novel are actually engaging and eye-opening. But it is her realizations, her awakened patriotism, that strikes the heart.
True to the novel’s satirical nature, the drama discusses domestic violence, education, labor, misogyny, and ethnocentrism while closely following the events of Noli Me Tangere - and eventually, El Filibusterismo. The thing about an isekai is how the main character will attempt to change the course of the story. And while Klay did make changes, the drama serves as a reminder that history cannot be rewritten. What is bound to happen will happen. Historical revisionism has been rampant in the country and knowing how this drama aired during this time makes this so much more relevant and brilliant than what it already is.
Maraming salamat, Maria Clara at Ibarra!
As work partners, they acknowledge each other’s strengths and use them to complement each other. Best part is how the main leads always had a sense of maturity and calmness in their conversations - as expected from a couple whose love language is hugs.
Overall, the romance is corny, sweet, and chill at the same, and the episodic cases/investigation is such a fun addition to the story. I’m not mad.
The comfort (and discomfort) these two... unconventional... pair brings me... I don’t know how they make it work (one comment said “two negatives make a positive i guess” lmfao) but they truly are making it work. One worships the other while the other fears abandonment - and both does not know how to communicate well. Still extremely flawed, but oh so perfectly complementing each other. They are my babies and I love them for trying their hardest.
Healing may take weeks, months, or even years, so I appreciated how the drama utilized time to let everything fall into place. It had perfect pacing; the story might have spanned for about ten years, yet it did not feel slow or rushed at all. True to its title, time was indeed just right.
No toxicity, no love triangles, and no family, school, nor economic problems. This is a story purely about the main leads. Both male and female leads are smart (rank 1 and 2, respectively), lovely people with actual personalities. Not even an ounce of shyness and awkwardness between them. There are second leads but their budding feelings are cut off by the main leads themselves early on. Best part - the second leads actually listened and remained good friends with them. Misunderstandings are rare and even if they have one, it is never prolonged; they are easily solved within that episode.
The thing about this is even if there is no drama between the main leads, it is not boring. They do not need any big romantic gesture to elicit emotions from the viewers. Watching them interact is like watching two best of friends interact in daily life. Not necessarily cavity-inducing, sugary sweet, but rather calming. Like a therapy.
Also, I don’t think she rushed into sex toys. Her friend has been clearly urging her to use them before. She then entertained that idea after their very first podcast which talked about faking the big O. She also didn’t exactly blamed her period for the breakup, but rather used her raging hormones as an encouragement to finally break things off. Like an excuse or a confidence booster to leave a five year relationship that took up her 20’s behind.
As for the messages of the show, the final conflict brings her back to finding her own identity so I guess that’s one. Just like what the female leads said, the listeners of their podcast do not want solutions to their problems but rather encouragement for their choices (episode 8). Sexual liberation is self-love and self-acceptance after all.
Links for the whole drama + 2 episodes of the SP are posted there! All links are working as well.
Japan does a lot of last minute happy endings, so the fact that the SP takes place after the series is such a gift. Seeing Umi and Kazao as a couple is simply wonderful. Nothing much has changed—they are still the cutest when they are together, they very much joke around each other and bicker like before—but they are obviously in a romantic relationship. Not overly sweet, but does not shy away from physical touch and words of affirmation. Now, THAT is a proper friends-to-lovers. They are on equal footing; no one has to worry about one person loving more than the other and vice versa.
From the very beginning, the main goal of Shin has always been to be the greatest general under the Heavens - and to achieve that dream, he has to join the war and rise from the ranks. In short, Kingdom 2 focuses on Shin and the war between Qin and Wei. The two other main leads, Eisei and Karyouten, barely appeared on screen and the story of the trio’s (budding) friendship took a step back. This sequel was basically more about warfare - after all, Eisei’s dream of unifying China has already kickstarted. It is time for Shin to learn what it truly takes to be a great warrior.
8/10
This season is not solely about the games anymore. It delves into the characters and their backstories, ideals, and motivation—a perfect build up for the conclusion. Because for such a crazy and out of this world premise, the ending made the most absolute sense.
Link on the comment section.
Editing out the brother reveal took away the fun because I just know I would have busted out laughing with all brother/sister confusion hijinks. Not to mention, editing the confession scene - one of the most important parts of a romance drama - out made everything anticlimactic. It had no emotional payoff for what was supposedly a sweet, lovely romance drama.
The plot also reminds me of Ghost (1990) so definitely targeted towards the drama aunties like me lmao