Nostalgia Attack: Fantaghiro

Yes.. I remember watching this miniseries on TV2 years ago when I was in primary school. It was aired every Sunday night, and my parents would yell at me to go to bed early since I have school the next day, but I never listened. The story lines were always so interesting; set in medieval times with beautiful characters going on grand adventures and engaging in battles of epic proportions - the perfect ingredients for a fantasy story. 

Thank the good soul, whomever you may be, for downloading the series from TV9's website after it was aired and putting it up on YouTube. Now, everyone can watch it, and it is especially convenient for Malaysians as the subtitles are in Malay! I would have loved to watch it again on TV with my siblings who have never heard of this series before. Sadly, it was aired back in 2011 when I was still away at university.

Watching the series now after so many years, it is like watching the first season of Power Rangers all over again. The subplots are sometimes cheesy, dialogues are mostly over-the-top melodramatic, and don't even get me started on the primeval visual effects. However, the acting, costumes, main story line and above all, the background score, are simply amazing. 

Only now did I find out that the series is actually made in Italy. However, I can never figure out what language it was made in. Wikipedia states it was made in Italian but dubbed into various languages, including English. But then, the actors lip sync mostly match the audio, but sometimes they don't. A netizen speculated that it could be an Italian-made English-language series dubbed into Italian, and then dubbed again into English. That could be a possibility.  

Now that I'm watching the series as an adult, I can see the values behind the story. Princess Fantaghiro is not a conventional princess in the old school Disney kind of way. She is rebellious, but for a good course. Her two elder sisters are praised by their father, the King, for openly declaring their lowly status when compared to men. Fantaghiro refuses to be subjected to such mindset, and even goes as far as to pretend to be a boy in order to prevent a war between a her kingdom and a neighbouring one. This can really inspire female fans who can relate to the story. 

Time for a big budget Hollywood reboot.