Manila February 10, 2021 / Jerome P. Villanueva, Voltes V The Documentary

Philippine broadcast giant GMA Network has finally revealed the Filipino actors who bagged the roles of Voltes V team members namely Mark Gordon, Big Bert Armstrong, Little Jon Armstrong, Steve Armstrong, and Jamie Robinson according to a report by the network’s flagship newscast 24 Oras.

The revealed cast of the “Voltes V: Legacy” live action series are: Radson Flores as Mark, Matt Lozano as Big Bert, Raphael Landicho as Little Jon, Miguel Tanfelix as Steve, and Ysabel Ortega as Jamie.

The TV giant acquired the rights to air a live action remake of the 1970s-hit mecha series “Super Electromagnetic Machine Voltes V,” a property of Japanese media conglomerate Toei Company, Ltd. The rights acquisition of GMA was facilitated through Toei’s Philippine licensing agent Telesuccess Productions, Inc.

In a 24 Oras report, Flores, who will play the Volt Bomber pilot, said he felt the pressure, nervousness and excitement.

“Nung nasa casting na po ako, pagkapasok na pagkapasok ko sa pintuan, sabi ni Direk Mark, ‘No, no, no si Mark ka,’ sabi ko, ‘Oh no iyong pinag-practice ko si Zardos,’ so nag-practice ulit ako ng bagong script at memorize ulit ako,” Flores said.

“Sobrang grateful ako na ako gaganap na Mark.”

He said he is preparing for the role through his physical routines and trainings namely power lifting, fight training and horse riding.

Flores is a 21-year-old product of GMA’s talent search Starstruck Season 7 and a Legal Management graduate of the University of Santo Tomas.

In the anime series, Volt Bomber pilot Mark Gordon (Ippei Mine [峰一平] in Japan) was drafted to become part of the Voltes team after he became the World Rodeo Champion for three years in a row. His popular weapon is whip and he has a horse named Alpha.

Meanwhile, Lozano, who will play the Volt panzer pilot, said he has similar traits with Big Bert.

“Si Big Bert sobrang masayahing tao pero at the back of his mind, nandoon ang lungkot dahil alam naman ng Voltes V fans na ang Armstrong brothers ay malungkot dahil sa pagkawala ng daddy nila,” Lozano said.

“Pareho kami na kahit na nalulungkot gumagawa ng way para mapasaya hindi lang ako kung ‘di nakapaligid sa akin.”

Lozano said he hired a grand master of arnis to teach him how to use the long stick, Big Bert’s favorite weapon.

Lozano acknowledges Big Bert as a martial artist and a military man.

Lozano is the grand winner of Philippine noontime show Eat Bulaga’s segment “Spogify ft. Singing Baes.” He was also seen in the Feb. 24, 2020 audition of Big Bert and he is now an actor under GMA Artist Center.

In the mecha series, Big Bert Armstrong (Daijiro Go [剛大次] in Japan) is the second son of Dr. Ned Armstrong and Dr. Mary Anne Collins-Armstrong, both part of the Earth International Defense Force.

According to the Toei-licensed “Voltes V: Declassified” book, “his mother sent him to the country to live with an old monk to help him cope with his problems. During his stay with the monk, Big Bert became his pupil and was trained in martial arts with the bo staff as his weapon of choice.”

Meanwhile, Landicho, who will play the robotics genius and Volt Frigate pilot, said until now he cannot believe he is part of the historic “Voltes V: Legacy” cast.

“Ngayon po hindi po ako makapaniwala nakuha po ako na isa po ako sa mga cast ng ‘Voltes V.’ Excited na po ako makita ‘yung Camp Big Falcon at ships na malalaki gustong gusto ko po makita,” Landicho said.

The youngest Voltes V cast said he is currently studying how he can show the geniusness of the Little Jon role.

Landicho also revealed he underwent martial arts training since last year before the pandemic.
Landicho is a 9-year-old child star of GMA. He was part of the following series: Bihag (2019), Tadhana (2017) and Love of My Life (2020).

Little Jon Armstrong (Hiyoshi Go [剛日吉] in Japan) is the youngest of the Armstrong brothers. He is technically proficient as inherited with his father’s genius.

According to the “Voltes V: Declassified” book, “During his free time, Little Jon enjoys building and racing model ships and scuba diving. He is also the creator of the Voltes Team’s honorary member, Octo-1.” Octo-1 is an octopus-like robot invention by Little Jon.

In a 24 Oras report, Tanfelix said he is ready to portray the biggest role in his entire 17-year career in the entertainment industry that dates back during his child actor years.

“Ang sarap sa pakiramdam parang ako nasa cloud 9 at tuwing gigising ako sa umaga, I’m so pumped eh,” the 22-year-old actor said. “Ang dami ko kailangang ma-achieve, kailangang ang daming matutunan about myself and about my character. Everyday feels like a new day for me, simula nu’ng nalaman ko ako si Steve ng Voltes V.”

Tanfelix said he was preparing for this role for about a year now, stating he was readying his mental, physical and emotional state by reading books and listening to podcasts about leadership.

“Babalik iyong pagkabata ninyo maaalala ninyo ‘yung moments ninyo habang pinapanuod ang Voltes V at ka-henerasyon ko ngayon ipaparanas namin kung ano nararamdaman ng nanay, tatay ninyo habang pinapanood ang Voltes V with a different flavor, paparamdam namin sa inyo iyong lungkot, saya, epicness at maraming iba,” Tanfelix said.

Tanfelix is the network’s home-grown talent under its talent arm GMA Artist Center. At the age of 5, he started his entertainment career as a finalist in GMA’s talent search “StarStruck Kids. “

He is known for the role as Pagaspas in the GMA hit fantasy series “Mulawin.” Tanfelix is also known for the following programs: Once Upon A Kiss” (2016), “Wish I May” (2016), “Niño” (2014), “Mulawin vs. Ravena” (2017), “Sahaya” (2019), and “Kambal, Karibal” (2019).

In the anime series, Steve Armstrong (Kenichi Go [剛健一] in Japan) is the leader of the Voltes team and the eldest of the three Armstrong brothers. Steve’s mastery is target pistol shooting and motorbiking.

According to the Toei-licensed “Voltes V: Declassified” book, “he has always been the serious one and is dedicated to the mission of defending the Earth from the Boazanian invaders. He keeps the rest of the team in check, acting like a big brother to everybody. He wants nothing else than to be reunited with this father.”

Meanwhile, Ortega, who will play the sole female member of the Voltes team, is one of the many Jamie aspirants who auditioned for the role.
Ortega’s audition videos were shown in the 24 Oras report.

She said she was preparing for the role even in the time of pandemic.

“Even before na mag-start pa ‘yung official training namin gusto ko na magkaroon man lang ng konting background sa martial arts sa kick boxing sa muay thai so I can say na now I’m more than ready,” Ortega said.

She noted that this is the biggest break in her entire career.

“Voltes V has a lot of meaning to its story. It’s not just about family. It’s not just about fighting for what you believe in its about serving your country. It’s about being a hero in your own way and I would like to be in that position to inspire a lot of people,” Ortega said.

Ortega is the daughter of Filipina actress Michelle Ortega and Filipino action star-turned-politician Lito Lapid. Ortega was known for playing the main antagonist and villain Charlotte Quiñones in Pusong Ligaw (2017) of TV network ABS-CBN. She also worked in the following programs: On the Wings of Love (2015), Born for You (2016) and The Gift (2019).

In the mecha series, Jamie Robinson (Megumi Oka [岡めぐみ] in Japan) is the 18th heir of the Koga ninja art and the daughter of Earth International Defense Commander Robinson. She is the pilot of Volt Lander, Voltes V’s feet.

According to the “Voltes V: Declassified” book, “Being taught at an early age about the art of Ninjitsu, Jamie is already an exceptional martial arts expert at a very young age. She was also exposed to the ways of west due to her father’s position as head of the defense forces. Growing up with the strict discipline that accompanied her training as a ninja, Jamie has learned to be strong in the face of tragedy often serving as an arbitrator between Steve and Mark.”

Voltes V: Legacy is the first live action remake based on the anime series created by Toei Company, Ltd. The project is handled by GMA Entertainment headed by GMA resident director Mark A. Reyes V and GMA senior program manager Helen Sese. The show is licensed and approved by Toei through Telesuccess.

GMA has assured that all scripts, additional characters, expanded universe and the creation of a Boazanian language has been reviewed and approved by Japan’s Toei prior to the project’s production proper.

GMA has yet to reveal its air date.

Written by Jerome P. Villanueva (@JmPVillanueva – Instagram and Twitter) for O’Taco Bites. For corrections, suggestions, and news tips, kindly email the author at jpbookworld@gmail.com or message our Facebook page facebook.com/VoltesVTheDocumentary. IF YOU WISH TO USE THE ARTICLE OR REPUBLISH THE ARTICLE, STRICTLY INFORM/CONTACT THE AUTHOR. Let’s practice responsible journalism and ethical reportage.