Friday, May 14

Join the Brotherhood!


ALL TOGETHER NOW!

I just read the penultimate chapter of the Full Metal Alchemist manga, and what can I say? This freakin' title rocks. Let blasted Bleach give you 18 measly pages per dole-out... Hirasawa-san is clocking in at 60+ pages per issue in these last few installments. It is sad to note that FMA will most surely be ending with next month's supposedly mammoth last chapter, with what will probably be mostly epilogue to the long and colorful saga of the Elric Brothers, their friends, allies, associates and enemies, and the lands of Amestris and Xing. That's a lot of people and plots to join up, but it's been awesome. I don't know how it's going to end- it could go for the stereotypical Japanese melancholy ending- there will be a victory, but with a price. I'm not so much worried for Ed as I am for Al... but knowing Edward Elric, he's not going to stand by without his brother, whole and alive, standing with him at the end. But we'll just have to see, won't we?

It's amazing to note that as the manga ends next month, the anime- Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, which has been doing an awesome job of adapting the pages to animated life, will also be wrapping up. Supposedly the anime will end at episode 63, which leaves only 7 more to go. With tons of stuff happening in these final manga pages to be squeezed into these last few episodes, I am thinking maybe the final ep or so will be an hour long or so. I hope they manage to get everything and everyone in. Once it's all said and done, this series has surely made it's mark. I'm gonna enjoy this title till the sky falls down. Awesome stuff.

Tuesday, May 11

The People Have Spoken

Yesterday, despite the sweltering El Nino heat and long queues that tested patience and resolve, Pinoys headed off to polling precincts to participate in the National Elections. Me? I waited two hours before I was able to cast my vote- once I was there it took several minutes for me to finish as I painstakingly tried to keep my markings within the egg-shaped selections. Not easy, considering that the spaces for your selections are tiny, and you're provided with a felt-tip marker that can easily blot out and potentially invalidate your vote. Thankfully though my ballot was accepted no problem, so I headed home with satisfaction.

Today it seems that Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has won by a large margin, with him being the only one in the way of 'Erap' Estrada from reclaiming the presidency. Yes, I voted for Senator (and soon President) Aquino, in the same hope that everyone else who voted for him- the hope for change, the hope for a new government that should combat corruption and graft, what many of us feel are the main shackles keeping our country the poor, sick man of Asia. So far, so good. But even when the proclamation is done and the new regime takes over, it's still not over. We've got a long way to go before the taint that the current government has left on our society can be erased, if ever.

But at least we've taken the first step.