Gimik

Premise

Gimik circles throughout the lives of 12 juveniles. It tackles the fun, experiences and the problems that the youth encounter. Pre-marital sex, unwanted pregnancy, insecurities of a middle child, sibling rivalry, broken families, parent-child conflict, jealousy, animosity, sexual preference, aids awareness, love relationships and student life.

Plot

Dianne (Judy Ann Santos), is an only child of a very modern couple, a young socialite. Ricky (Rico Yan), a son of rich doctors, the boy-next-door and is the object of Dianne's fancy. He was a medical student but changed his course to Business Administration afterwards. Gina (G. Toengi), is the older sister of Carlo (Patrick Garcia) the best friend of Toffee (Kristopher Peralta). Gina is a Textiling Major. Their parents are in the States and they live with their grandmother. Joey (Marvin Agustin), tactless and as such is suffering from the Middle Child Syndrome. He is a Computer Science Major. Jigs (Diego Castro), an asthmatic teenager with an over-protective mother. Gary (Diether Ocampo), dropped out from school because he enjoys working, he is a product of a broken family. Melanie (Mylene Dizon), a working student in a video shop. She moved from the province to study Nursing through a scholarship. She is a boarder in Kakai's (Kaye Abad) house. She and Andi (Andrea Blaesi) are inseparable and are in the age of experimenting. Ese (Jolina Magdangal), a fine arts student, bubbly and the colorful one and Brian (Bojo Molina), a medical student whose mother has animosity to Melanie as his girlfriend. Dianne and Gina are best friends as well as Ricky and Gary whose love stories are intertwined. Ese and Joey's love hate relationship, Melanie and Brian's thorny relationship add spices in the entire series.

Development

The teen-oriented show consisted mostly Talent Center artists (now ABS-CBN Corporation's Star Magic). It became the launching pad for the careers of the most successful young stars of their generation in the mid-1990s including Judy Ann Santos, Rico Yan, Jolina Magdangal, Diether Ocampo, Marvin Agustin, Patrick Garcia, Mylene Dizon, Kaye Abad, Diego Castro and G Toengi. The series was originally created as part of 50th anniversary of ABS-CBN as a media company.

Additional cast

Several Talent Center artists joined the show when the original cast members (Judy Ann Santos, Rico Yan, Diether Ocampo, Jolina Magdangal, Patrick Garcia, Diego Castro and Marvin Agustin) became successful in their separate careers, making it hard for them to appear regularly, nevertheless LJ Moreno, Kristine Hermosa and Dominic Ochoa were added. In 1997, Judy Ann Santos left the show to focus on Esperanza, Andrea Blaesi's character was written off after the show's first season and Diego Diego Castro later left the show and moved to rival show Growing Up, nonetheless Cheska Garcia, Carlos Agassi, Laura James, Rica Peralejo (from rival show T.G.I.S.), Baron Geisler, Paula Peralejo, John Lloyd Cruz and Desiree del Valle joined the show.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Judy Ann Santos as Dianne Villaruel (1996–1997)

Rico Yan as Ricardo "Ricky" Salveron (1996–1999)

Patrick Garcia as Carlo de Leon (1996–1998)

G. Toengi as Angelina "Gina" de Leon (1996–1999)

Diether Ocampo as Gary Leo "Gary" Ballesteros (1996–1999)

Jolina Magdangal as Socorro Corazon "Ese" Aragon (1996–1999)

Marvin Agustin as Joseph "Joey" Fajardo (1996–1999)

Mylene Dizon as Melanie Suntay (1996–1999)

Bojo Molina as Brian Lorenzo (1996–1999)

Diego Castro III as Jigs Mercado (1996–1997)

Kaye Abad as Cassandra "Kakai" Marquez (1996–1999)

Supporting cast

Kristopher Peralta as Teofilo "Toffee" Sanchez (1996–1999)

Andrea Blaesi as Andi Cuyugan (1996)

LJ Moreno as Cathy Dominguez (1996–1998)

Dominic Ochoa as Eric Abesamis / Dennis (1997–1999)

Kristine Hermosa as Tintin Fernandez (1997–1998)

Rica Peralejo as Jersey Salveron (1997–1998)

Paula Peralejo as Pauline Salveron (1998–1999)

John Lloyd Cruz as Junie de Dios (1997–1999)

Cheska Garcia as Corrine Apostol (1997–1998)

Baron Geisler as Choy Ledesma (1997–1998)

Carlos Agassi as Marco Trinidad (1997–1998)

Laura James as Cindy Trinidad (1997–1998)

Desiree del Valle as Dette Zubiri (1998–1999)

Extended and guest cast

Trisha Salvador as Kara

Claudine Barretto as Danielle

Wowie de Guzman as Warren

Mark Vernal as Banjo Mejia

Jodi Santamaria as Gretchen

Vanessa del Bianco as Daphne Ortiz

Katrina de Leon as Matet

John Arcilla as Cesar Rivera

Patrick Fiori as Miguel Montejo

William Thio as Dave Apostol

Donnie Fernandez as Chad Fernando

Anna Larrucea as Yanna Cortez

Tanya Garcia as Angela

Bernard Palanca as Skud Torres

Miguel dela Rosa as Migs

Don Laurel as Dondi Arenas

Nikki Valdez as Jek-Jek

Monica Verallo as Caroline

Miggy Tanchanco as Mikoy Cervantes

Andrea del Rosario as Samantha Banzon

Justin Cuyugan as James

Lui Villaruz as Dexter Agcaoili

Julia Clarete as Jules

Film adaptation

Motion picture release Gimik: The Reunion was later made and was released on April 28, 1999, after the series ended in February 2 months later retaining all the main characters. Ricky, Ese, Joey, Gina, Gary, Melanie and Bryan look forward to love, marriage and career. Judy Ann Santos made a special appearance as her character Dianne in the latter part of the film. Kristine Hermosa and Dominic Ochoa, a regular cast since 1997, made cameo appearances in the movie with different roles.

Plot

A year after college, the barkada reunites with a lot of changes happening.

Ricky now owns a bar and restaurant with his older partner Brenda, Gina and Gary are engaged to be married but Gina hides a medical condition that may affect her to conceive a child with Gary. Ese and Joey are still together but their relationship shows cracks due to Joey's unfaithfulness. While Melanie and Brian are weathering career choices that compromised their relationship.

During the grand opening of Ricky's bar, more revelations unveiled starting with Gary hiding an animosity towards Ricky over an undisclosed issue between them. The party was ruined after Andy, one of Ricky's partners in the business, made a pass on Gina that made Gary start a fight. The incident causes Ricky to gradually lose his business after he refuses Brenda's demands to stay away from his group of friends. Gary then breaks off his engagement to Gina after he discovers her medical condition. Ese breaks up with Joey and destroys his car after seeing him with another girl. Melanie quits her profession as a nurse after a patient dies under her watch while Brian figures in a car accident after his mother finds out his grades were failing due to his true passion- photography.

After Brenda pulls her investments out on Ricky's bar to start another one right across the street with Andy, Ricky attempts to run the bar on his own, employing his friends who were compounded with their own problems. But an explosion at the bar's kitchen ultimately ends his business. It took him to swallow his pride and asks forgiveness from everyone, including Gary with whom he had an unresolved conflict. As the barkada forgives one another, Dianne surprisingly arrives and gives everyone a reason to be happy and hopeful. One by one, every character in the story gets their problems resolved. The story ends with Gary and Gina getting married and start a family, Ese and Joey mended their relationship and started a business, Brian and Melanie rightfully chose their careers while still in a relationship and Ricky and Dianne got married.

Cast

Main cast

G. Toengi as Gina de Leon

Rico Yan as Ricky Salveron

Diether Ocampo as Gary Ballesteros

Jolina Magdangal as Ese Aragon

Marvin Agustin as Joey Fajardo

Mylene Dizon as Melanie Suntay

Bojo Molina as Brian Lorenzo

Judy Ann Santos as Diane Villaruel

Supporting

Eula Valdez as Brenda

Kristine Hermosa as Suzette Pia

Michael Verano as Andy

Susan Africa as Mrs. Lorenzo

Bodjie Pascua as Mr. Aragon

Gigette Reyes as Mrs. de Leon

Patricia Ann Roque as Emily

Dominic Ochoa as the Taxi Driver

Nica Peralejo as the little girl patient

Tess Dumpit as Mrs. Aragon

Chris Michaela as Mr. de Leon

Raquel Villavicencio as Mrs. Ballesteros

Ray Ventura† as Mr. Suntay

Kathleen Hermosa as Melanie's sister

Soundtrack

The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the film was released on March 30, 1999, two months before the release of the film. With its carrier single "Mahal Mo Ba Ako" by Jolina Magdangal, the soundtrack earned a Gold Record Certification from the Philippine Association of the Record Industry on May 7, 1999.

Adapted from the GIMIK: The Reunion Original Motion Picture Soundtrack liner notes.

Gimik 2010

In the same network's 2010 Trade Launch, the station announced that the show will return on television as part of Your Song with the title of Gimik 2010.