Mars Ravelo’s Darna, the Filipino superhero series, premiered on Indonesian television on January 10.
ABS-CBN’s TV adaptation of Mars Ravelo’s beloved superheroine, Darna, is now being aired in Indonesia. While most reactions are generated from Filipino audiences due to the show’s poor visual effects, Indonesians are far more frustrated and concerned about the superheroine’s costume getting blurred on national TV.
As Indonesia is a Muslim country with strong adherence to conservatism, the move by the Indonesian broadcaster, ANTV, is actually sensible and expected. Otherwise, they may have to face potential charges for violating government laws. Many Indonesian fans apparently got frustrated and disappointed about not seeing De Leon in an uncensored form as the superheroine, Darna.
In its pilot, Iza Calzado’s body parts got blurred, which unsurprisingly confused viewers.
“…just wear a kebaya tomorrow, the kids who watched it will also know what was censored. They will actually be curious and find out more on the internet,” commented @blueyeshill in Bahasa Indonesia.
Daripada ujung2nya disensor, besok2 pake kebaya aja, bocil yg nonton juga pada tau kali apa yg disensor, mereka justru bakal penasaran dan nyari tahu lagi di internet
— dee (@xavezya) January 10, 2023
“I swear that if it’s censored it makes you think weirdly,” said @killstrachlyda.
It's so disturbing to see female superheroes tend to be sexualised while the male ones are not.
— Prof. Anonimus Cemenus (@spanduksponsor) January 11, 2023
Sabun batangan, meanwhile, wondered why female superheroes are getting censored while male superheroes are not.
daripada di sensor mending gak usah ditayangin aja gak sih cari yang lain sepanjang episode kesensor begitu jadi gimana ya 😂🤣
— Anuy (@Anuy34709617) January 10, 2023
Anuy suggested something most disappointed Indonesian fans might agree on: “Instead of being censored, it’s better if you don’t broadcast it at all. Don’t look for something else, as long as the episode is censored, so what do you do?” he noted in Bahasa.
Similar reactions were generated by a poster where parts of Jane de Leon’s Darna costume were pixelated.
Gw nontonnya pusing… efeknya berasa liat tokusatsu jaman baheula https://t.co/eG4Zd0datt
— gan | gira fans kwangya (@suamifujing) January 11, 2023
initially i thought it was a porn parody or sumn,,,… https://t.co/pLhVvxfbex
— wei (@ichinisanvier) January 10, 2023
“I got dizzy watching it…the effect feels like I’m looking at old tokusatsu,” tweeted @suamifujing.
Cuma muka yg gak di blur😆 kirain ini film indo makanya sempat kaget ternyata film luar https://t.co/6nwlIkms8F
— Diana (@roseofdiana) January 11, 2023
“Only the face wasn’t blurred. I thought this was an Indo film, so I was surprised it turned out to be a foreign film, “ said Diana.
Darna airs on the free TV channel, ANTV, from Monday to Sunday, at 6:15 PM (Jakarta time). In the Philippines, the series is slated to end its run sometime in the first quarter of the year.
