Reaction Paper: Operation Balik Tao

Operation Balik Tao is a cool play. I thought it would just be about robot invasion
and how the humans will again recapture earth and bring back the lost civilization of
human kind but I was wrong. It was much more. I realized from the play that love is a
means wherein change can be experienced.

The play was really cool — the lights, the sounds, the set, and the actors. I love
how the costumes were made. It was so creative and futuristic and dramatic and
exciting; as well as the set. It was really impressive how the costume lighted up when the
scene on escaping of the two lover robots started. The light effects on the costume added
to the audience a thrill and excitement. It emphasized the gravity and suspense of the
scene. The sound also increased the tension and the drama. The lighting and the sound
perfectly matched each other. The live band also is amazing. It added a different feel.
However, there are instances where the lights did not fire up as expected and the sounds
(both the sound effects and the singing) did not match the expected scene. For instance,
in the part where the human girl is singing there is also another voice singing that do not
blend with the character’s singing voice. The set, on the other hand, is good. It gives the
idea of technological advancement of the robots.

Going back to my first reaction about the story, the plot is well-thought of. I like
the concept that love goes even beyond death. Also, that love knows no boundaries. This
was shown when the two robots fell in love with each other. This transcends the humans
definition of love that love can only be felt by people with hearts. This sort of reminded
of the movie Wall-E where the main character fell in love with another robot. I’ve also
realized something about the title Operation Balik-tao. I think the Balik-tao part not just
suggests the coming back of the real human beings to earth but also the coming back of
the human feelings such as love and grief to those who are thought to have never
experienced it at all.

All in all the play was great it’s just that I don’t like open endings.