Sugo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sugo | |
|---|---|
 GMA Network's Sugo |
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| Genre | Telefantasya: action, fantasy, romance, thriller |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Creator(s) | GMA Network |
| Starring | Richard Gutierrez, Isabel Oli and Gardo versoza |
| Country of origin | Philippines |
| Original channel | GMA Network |
| Original run | June 2005–February 10, 2006 |
| No. of episodes | ? |
| IMDb profile | |
- Sugo is also the name of a race circuit in Japan, see Sportsland SUGO.
Sugo (Filipino for "Chosen One" or "Messenger") is an action-adventure primetime television series produced by GMA Network. It premiered in the Philippines in June 2005.
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[edit] Overview
The series is created by GMA Network, which also produced other hit fantasy-themed series (telefantasya) such as Encantadia, Mulawin and Darna. Sugo combines fantasy, action, adventure, comedy and drama elements. GMA hired international action choreographer Wong Wai Fai and other Hong Kong martial arts experts to make the stunts more believable. Wong choreographed stunts in movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Kung Fu Hustle, Rush Hour 2 and Bulletproof Monk. The series aired in GMA's weeknight primetime block and was a top rater in its time slot according to AGB ratings.
Sugo stars heartthrob Richard Gutierrez playing the twins Miguel and Amante. Joe Chen, a Taiwanese actress plays a role in the series and is one of the leading ladies of Gutierrez. Chynna Ortaleza and newcomer Isabel Oli and are also Gutierrez's love interests.
[edit] Plot
Sugo’s story is anchored on the ancient belief that life’s existence lies on the battle between two tribes — the forces of Karag-ayan and the forces of the Binhi-lan — signifying Yin-Yang.
The story first takes place somewhere in the 16th century, when the Philippines is in its first years of Spanish rule and natives are slowly embracing the Christian faith. Though the Spaniards get many of the natives to convert with ease, some stubbornly stick to their original religion. One is Apo Abukay, a ruthless, ambitious and domineering chieftain of his own tribe. Because he believes that the God of Darkness he worships will grant him wealth and power, he sees the Spanish evangelists as a threat to his tribe's way of life. He then starts an attack on the Church, killing as many priests and lay people as he can get his hands on.
Eventually the fledgling Philippine Church gets worried, and they hold a meeting in which one of them brings in a rich yet blind Spaniard named Conde Vergonze. This clergyman promises everyone present that his companion will help get rid of Apo Abukay. The pair are met with laughs at first because they do not believe that someone blind can help them rout a murderous native. But these laughs are quelled when Vergonze demonstrates his skill.
Soon Vergonze goes on to destroy Apo Abukay's tribe and Apo Abukay himself. One of the last he kills are Apo Abukay's wife and their newborn daughter. Thinking that his work is done, he exits the tribe's hideout.
Unbeknownst to him, one of the tribe's elders survives the massacre. This particular elder realizes that the chieftain's dead wife still has another undelivered baby in her womb. He delivers the baby girl and thanks his god that they, at least, have survived.
His daughter is not the only thing that Apo Abukay leaves behind. He also leaves behind a prophecy: over the course of several generations, a blood ritual will be conducted by his descendants, now called the Binhi-lan, which involves the blood of the firstborn female in that generation. There are two ceremonies to be conducted over the course of the female's (the "alay", or "sacrifice") life: once right after birth, and once on her eighteenth birthday. In a particular generation, the cycle will end and Apo Abukay will finally be resurrected, allowing him to continue his grand design and spread darkness across the land.
But then there will be a "sugo" (literally, "he who is sent") that will be sent to kill the "alay" and stop Apo Abukay from ever resurrecting. The sugo will come from the line of Conde Vergonze, now called the Karag-Ayan, and he is the first-born male in that generation. For centuries, it seems, the two clans have been playing a game of cat-and-mouse: while the Karag-Ayan try to find the Alay, the Binhi-Lan try to hide in order to protect the Sacrifice and conduct their ritual in peace.
Amidst this century-long struggle blossoms an unparalleled love between Karag-ayan Amelia (Lorna Tolentino) and the Binhi-lan Rodolfo (Jestoni Alarcon). Though they know about each other's ancestry, they don't seem to care about the fact that their families are mortal enemies and fall in love with each other. However, Amelia's father, the Sugo for that generation, tries to break up their relationship. Having enough of the family feud, the two decide to elope.
In a hut in some undisclosed location, Rodolfo watches Amelia give birth and witnesses the birth of their first baby boy. The former, however, begins to grieve because he thinks his loved one has died in childbirth. Later, Rodolfo's brother catches up and a shootout occurs wherein Rodolfo is accidentally killed. He then takes the newborn boy and raises it as his own son, names him Amante and plans to make him the guardian for the Alay.
The viewers later learn that Amelia is in fact alive and delivers another baby boy, whom she names Miguel. She looks around and is shocked to find that her love is on the floor, dead. She flees the hut, taking her baby along with her.
Meanwhile, Guillermo, a Binhi-Lan, is upset because the woman of his dreams, Graciella, marries his brother instead of him, despite the fact that they [Graciella and Guillermo] were childhood friends. In spite of this he seems not to harbor any ill feelings toward his brother and maintains a friendly relationship with his love interest.
When Graciella gives birth to a baby girl, the would-be Alay, she refuses for her baby to participate in the blood ritual. Guillermo volunteers to help by disguising himself as medical personnel and getting a blood sample of the baby in the nursery, allowing Graciella to flee with her baby while he comes home with the blood sample and another baby. Later on as Graciella nurses her daughter, an elderly woman passes by and claims that the baby belongs to HER own daughter and tries to pry it off Graciella, to no avail. Still later on the same old woman accosts her as Graciella leaves the hospital in a wheelchair, claiming still that the baby Graciella cuddles in her arms is her daughter's.
When Guillermo arrives home, his brothers confront him and he invents a story that Graciella ran away, leaving him with the baby. The brothers decide to take the fake Alay in and name her Rebecca.
A boat accident separates Graciella from her baby, and the old woman who was badgering her earlier discovered the baby and brought it home with her, naming it Isabella. Graciella regains consciousness and performs a frantic search for her missing daughter. She ends up in a car accident wherein she loses her memory and is taken in by the man who ran her over.
Amelia, in the meantime, finds shelter with a kindly old woman named Merced. Her son Miguel grows into a lively young boy during their stay at Merced's, but mother and son are separated when Miguel finds his way to his grandmother's house. Like Graciella, Amelia performs a frantic and fruitless search for her young boy.
Miguel soon begins to lose eyesight. Soon he is completely blind and is the butt of jokes made by his arrogant cousin, Adan. Adan, along with his father, believes that he deserves the honor of being called the Sugo, especially because Miguel is blind and incapable of defending himself. When a family friend, a kindly old priest named Father Francis comes to call, Adan's father points out what he has been claiming all along. Father Francis agrees to take Miguel into his orphanage.
Life at the orphanage is a far cry from life at the mansion. Here Miguel is not teased for being blind or mocked for being weak; here he makes friends and is taught the art of self-defense by Father Francis. He learns to use his ears as his eyes, so to speak, and quickly identifies people and things just by using his heightened sense of hearing; he even learns how to play basketball exceptionally well using his hearing.
Over the years, Miguel sheds his innocent, shy defenseless image and becomes kind and generous and lighthearted and strong. He is fun-loving, loves to play with the younger kids at the orphanage, steal food from the pantry, and he loves to play basketball as well. Despite that easygoing nature, he is a skilled fighter and he is deemed dangerous by his many opponents, excluding, of course, Adan, who is still as cocky as ever after all these years and still looks down on his cousin despite the fact that Miguel is as good a fighter as he. Miguel falls in love with a childhood friend; Isabella, who, ironically is the same woman he is supposed to kill.
His adventure begins when he meets Mei Li (Joe Chen), a Taiwanese student who is staying in the Philippines from an important mission. She gives him a bracelet, a special one, something of Apo Abukay's, and the Karag-ayan thank her profusely for giving it to them, promising they will deal with it best as they can.
Meanwhile, Amante grows up conceited and arrogant. He is rich, powerful, and has access to high-tech gadgetry and powerful weapons. Unlike his twin, he is dark, moody and cold. Though Rebecca, who grows up spoiled and rebellious, always pleads for his attention, begs her to love him, he always tells her that he is tasked to guard her and nothing else. When he meets Isabella, though, he develops a romantic interest in her, which can only mean more trouble.
The twins will be tasked to fulfill separate but related missions. Amante’s mission is to protect the alay (offering) whose blood is the only key to awakening Apo Abukay (Gardo versoza), the Binhi-lan ancient tribal mummy buried in a hidden labyrinth deep in the mountains. Apo Abukay used to be a powerful chieftain who abused his powers, and his awakening would signal the reign of darkness on earth. On the other hand, Miguel must kill the alay, who comes from the bloodline of Apo Abukay, before the dreaded awakening occurs.
(This story is still running its course, but the article will be added to as it progresses.)
[edit] Setting
The first few episodes were set during the first years of the Spanish colonization in 16th century Philippines, and featured an ancient Filipino tribe writing Baybayin on bamboo. After Apo Abukay was killed, the story fast-forwarded to the 21st century Philippines and the adventures of Miguel and Amante begin.
[edit] Sugo Online Fighting Game
GMA New Media Inc. Gaming Group came up with a Sugo Online Fighting Game.
