The Soul Still Burns



... and this time, it's on the Nintendo Wii. Yep, according to Weekly Famitsu, Soul Calibur will be making an appearance on Mario's turf, though not in the usual way. Instead of a straight-up one-on-one fighter, Soul Calibur Legends, Nintendo's version of Namco's premiere weapons fighter, will be a third-person action adventure, putting players into the armored greaves and boots of Soul Calibur's various heroes, wandering the land presumably in search of the evil sword, Soul Edge. While it has been implied that the game will primarily focus the disgraced knight Siegfried, you will apparently be able to play with other fighters, as wel as several new faces.

It is assumed that Legends will make use of the Wii's unique control system, so players will be waving their Wii remotes and nunchucks around a lot as they hack their way past their opponents. So far there hasn't been much in the ways of screens or vids, but a couple of lovely artworks of Siegfried facing off with a dragon and Ivy battling a horde of mummified undead have been released. Intriguingly cool stuff.

Well, this is a pretty good reason for me to grab a Wii, though what I really want is Soul Calibur IV, whether it be on the PS3 or Xbox360. Hopefully, this little diversion on the Wii soon gives way to the real slashing sequel. More on this as it happens. Woowie!

Avatar Watch

Unfortunately there's still no news about the exact date of the Third Season's debut, but we do have a nice little tidbit. Apparently, a new Avatar game is in the works, this time based on the events of the second season, Book of Earth. In this second videogame, Aang the Avatar and his friends must team up to defend the Greatest City in the Earth Kingdom from a deadly Fire Nation threat. Entitled Avatar: The Burning Earth, this will hopefully improve upon the previous game. All I can say is... Toph had better be present and playable. Heheh.

Anyways, for some nice Avatar tidbits, I highly recommend heading on over to Avatarspirit.net to check out stuff like a three-part interview with Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino that reveals quite a bit of stuff about the series, characters and behind-the-scenes stuff (but of course, nothing about the Third Season's release date).

And so... back to waiting. Darn it.

Third Time's a Harm


Review time means SPOILERS AHEAD, so beware.

After the Ateneo Comics Workshop, Carl, El, Jonas and I headed off to Eastwood City to watch the third and supposedly last installment of Marvel Comics' most successful comic-to-film series. Spider-man 3 just may be the last time we'll see Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst as the leads, and certainly it'll be the last for at least one other cast member.

Spider-man 3 sees New York finally warming up to their friendly neighborhood wall-crawler; everyone in the Big Apple loves ol' Spidey now, which is about time after two movies of kicking villain butt. Peter Parker (Maguire) is soaking it up like a plant does sunshine, and it's probably a first for the loveable loser. There are now only two people who aren't too happy about Spidey taking the limelight- one, of course, is J. Jonah Jameson (played as always to perfection by J.K. Simmons). The other, oddly enough, is Mary Jane Watson (Dunst), Peter's girlfriend who is experiencing a rough road in her own showbiz career.

The third movie seems to be the endgame for stuff that has been brewing for the past couple of films. Here, Harry Osborn (James Franco) finally begins his campaign on the perceived murderer of his dad, taking on the Goblin's arsenal and super-strength treatments to turn into- The 'New' Goblin. Here, everyone FINALLY realizes that Mary Jane sucks on stage. Here, Peter finally decides he wants to live in sickness or in health with MJ. Here as well we have the climax of the Ben Parker arc, as a newly-escaped con named Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) is revealed to be the senior Parker's real killer. Complicating things of course is that Marko won't be easy to catch since he's become the all-powerful Imhotep-er, The Sandman- after getting exposed to some radioactive sandblasting.

As if all that wasn't overstuffed enough, we've got an alien symbiote crashing down to earth (and into Peter's life), bonding with him to create a new, power-enhancing black costume at the cost of making him an aggressive arse. Oh, and there's a sleazy sneak bastard named Eddy Brock (Topher Grace) out to snatch Peter's career at the Daily Bugle, and a lovely Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) around to make MJ all jealous and frumpy.

Whew! For the most part, it all comes together in one, big, entertaining... MESS. The movie, while moving along as fast as it can under all that weight, bogs down a lot due to the dragging Peter-MJ romance. I just found watching them to be irritating- MJ is irrationally jealous of Peter's new confidence, which speaks badly of her character- what a stuck up broad! Anyway, they don't talk in the same way MJ did in the 2nd movie, which could have fixed a lot of the trouble they go through here. And then there's that awful 'coercion' thing with Harry Osborn where MJ breaks up with Peter for fear of his life... What the-? Messy, messy, messy. Oh, and having a knockout Gwen Stacy around just made MJ all the more sucky. The love mechanic between the two leads just clamps down on everything, making it all slow down like this was some dramedy or soap. It's a superhero movie, darn it!

Still, all this pales in comparison to the "Butler Ex Machina" that pretty much had me throwing out my hands in exasperation. It takes some butler mouthing off some nonsense about stuff he couldn't possibly know to turn Harry Osborn back?

"Your father died from the blades of his own glider... I had no doubt they were self-inflicted..." (or something like that).

So what... the butler's a CSI or something? I didn't know the Green Goblin had an Alfred Pennyworth on the payroll. The whole plot hinges on this, and it just plain reeks.

Flaws like these (along with iffy stuff like Stan Lee's most obnoxious appearance yet) mar the rest of the movie, but at least there's lots of stuff to keep us entertained. The rest of the cast is in fine form, like the aforementioned JJJ, May Parker and even people like Peter's landlord and his winsome daughter. Then there's Church's Sandman, whose sheer strength of will and love for his daughter makes him a sympathetic anti-hero instead of a straight villain. The revelation at the end about the true circumstances of Ben Parker's death is a welcome end to that pivotal plotline and a nice tie-up to the movie's general theme of revenge and forgiveness. Oh, and there's Venom, whom comic fans have probably been dying for years to see- but will probably be disappointed at the results. He's neat and all, but comes far too late in the movie so he seems like an afterthought, and doesn't stay too long. Oh well.

One thing that the movie does well- in fact, amazingly well- is the action, and Spider-man 3 has far and away the best fight scenes in the series, and perhaps in any superhero movie so far. Great, dizzying stuff that had me at the edge of my seat. The Sandman CG effects are amazing to see- you'll never find another pile of sand that can bring a tear to your eye. It was just a pity all the bad stuff kept me falling off my seat just as often. The movie ends with a sunrise, however with a major character death and everyone onscreen crying... it felt like The Return of the King. A funeral, and a slowdance gave way to the credits, which is an odd, downbeat way of ending this franchise (or at least the trilogy). Once again, a flaw, since I would have liked Spidey to go off into the sunset swinging, rather than slow-dancing to a fadeout.

Once again, a mess with quite a lot of entertaining parts. I hope they make another Spidey. In fact, I'm sure they will, given how much money there is in this character and series. Bury Maguire and Dunst in cash. Just get it done. And learn from your mistakes, okay? No more butlers. That's Batman's schtick. Or something. Feh.

An Empowered Review



Empowered is your below-average, C-list heroine. Her powers stem from her shiny super-suit, a self-repairing tighter-than-skintight number that leaves NOTHING to the imagination. When she dons it, she can shoot 'zaps' from her hands and gains the strength of ten men (or fifteen wimpy men). Unfortunately, Emp's powers decrease drastically when the suit gets damaged. And that happens a lot. Scratch that- it happens pretty regularly. The thing seems to be as substantial as soap suds, so more often than not, any combat encounter Emp gets into almost always ends up with her getting captured and bound up like a victim in some hentai BDSM video. Her super-team, the Superhomeys, only marginally regard her as a member, and one 'comrade', Sistah Spooky, openly hates her guts for some reason. Shamed and humiliated almost every time, one would ask, why the heck does this girl keep trying?

It's simple. Because she's a hero. A C-list heroine, but darn, she's got A+ Spirit, and that's something that the most unlikely people see- namely the gun-toting hired thug named Thugboy (who is coincidentally an exceptionally smart, dashing, good-looking, honorable, insightful and sweet thug) and a deadly ninja assassin named Ninjette. Oh, and then there's a fiery world-ravaging demonlord that Emp manages to trap inside a hi-tech manacle who thereafter spends his time watching DVDs and Cable TV in Emp's living room, while dispensing advice and morale-boosting sayings as only a fearsome devourer of souls can. With enemies like these, who needs friends?

Empowered is the latest work from Adam Warren, formerly known from all those Dark Horse releases of Dirty Pair manga and cult-favorite specials and limited series of Gen 13. This hugely famous 'Ameri-manga' artist/writer is one of my favorite comics creators, and he is at his finest in this one. The book is a collection of short stories featuring the loveable Emp, her closest pals, her teammates and the rest of their new universe of superheroic comedy.

The stories range from really short quips, almost comic strip-short, to some tales that last for almost ten pages or so. On every page there are panels and panels of Warren's incredible uninked art to enjoy, as well as the manic dialogue that has become his trademark. You'd think that this master of black comedy is a sadist at parts, having his poor damsel Emp getting bound up pretty much in every story, crushing shame heaped on her head time after time. But then he turns around and gives her a thuggy Prince Charming and a ninja best friend, so things get balanced out nicely. Maybe. Kinda.
As funny as it is sad, as sexy as it it cute and heartwarming, Emp is a guilty pleasure to read...US-made manga-superhero ecchi with heart. Despite the outward wackiness, Empowered is played quite seriously; there are no fourth wall breakouts or tongue-in-cheek winks to the reader within the actual stories; this isn't parody- it IS a legitimate superhero tale and universe on offer here, just more intimate with a lot of sex (which pretty much keeps it a no-kids title). The characters are immediately likeable and it all just makes you want to see longer, more meaty stories to see more about them. I want to see more Ninjette. Now.

Warren has already mentioned that he's got a lot of Emp's stories in mind, and hopefully with the great response to this first volume, we'll be seeing more of this and soon. It's quality stuff here, so I enjoin all mature comic fans to grab Empowered on sight. This is mucho good stuff.

Do I have to say it twice? I will. Get Empowered. Now!

MINE

My copy of Adam Warren's Empowered arrived today! I had to order it from the other side of the world from Amazon, but it was worth it. Muhahahaha! So... what can I say about it? It's BIG. Not just in thickness (it's about 225 pages)- it's about a third wider/higher than your usual GN from TokyoPop or Viz. Not exactly a pocketbook or a li'l novel. Still, it's nice and thick and comfy. Oh, and still snug like a bug in a rug in it's plastic cover. No, I haven't opened it yet... I'll save the pleasure of reading it over the weekend or something, perhaps even bring it to the weekend's Comic Workshop to show off. Or maybe not. Muhahaha!

Empowered Corrupts. Muhahaha! Empowered Corrupts Empoweredly. MUHAHAHAHA!!!

Things I've noticed after starting to watch Heroes...

I love the comic book-style Chapter Titles.

Hey! It's the guy from Alias! And he's with the girl from Carnivale!

I've gotten the somewhat odd tendency to say out loud "Heroes. Created by Tim Kring." at the start of every episode.

Is it just me or is Claire's power really Healing or actually CHRONIC ACCIDENT PRONENESS?

"Purple Girl" looks just like Donna Cruz. While Nathan looks like a cartoony George Clooney. Mohinder reminds me of Sayid from Lost. Sylar reminds me of an evil Brandon Routh. Peter looks like Little Nicky.

The scene where Nathan really cuts loose made me laugh in amazement.

If I had to choose, I'd want Hiro's power.

Nikki is hot.

After 16 episodes straight, I'm still raring to watch on and on and on. I think I've found my live-action equivalent to Avatar.

Heroism



The pace of life these days is weird. I spend a lot of my time collecting and acquiring stuff, but afterwards have little time to actually enjoy these things immediately. I'm like a pack rat, grabbing stuff when I see it and lugging it off to The Sanctum to be digested later. A couple of years ago, it was VCDs and DVDs, anime, games and movies. Currently, it's still comics and videos downloaded online. However, while piles of stuff get stockpiled, I usually don't get to look at them until a fine layer of dust has already settled on top. It's strange- often I get more enjoyment from anticipating looking at stuff than actually looking at the stuff. An odd variation of the old saying, "it's not the destination but the journey".

Still, I DO get to pause every now and then and look at the acquisitions. And the good thing is, at least with comics, anime and TV series, when I finally do get around to looking at them, I usually have the WHOLE thing to enjoy without having to wait too long for the next chapter or installment. It did well for me with DC's 52, the Bleach anime and Naruto Shippuuden.

And now, Heroes. While this sensational series has been capturing the hearts and minds of both comic book fans and non-believers alike for months already, I've been elsewhere. And now, when I've finally gotten around to watching it- I've got NINETEEN fricking' episodes at my fingers. WOOHOO!

Anyway, I've gotten past the first two episodes and the prognosis is good. The characters are cool, the pacing quick and tight and the plot so far has me hooked. Oh, and Nikki the Schizo-killer Single Mom is DAMN HOT. Heh. Anyways, it's a toss-up whether to draw KAI pages while I'm watching episodes, but both might suffer, so I'll have to alternate. I've got a day and a half of pause for now, so I'll do my best to use every second. Or just play a shitload of Virtua Fighter. Oh well.

The Soap Opera Continues...

Information about the story of Tekken 6 just popped up online, care of SD Tekken.
Apparently Jin Kazama won the last tournament, and thereafter takes over the powerful Mishima Zaibatsu. It seems that the dark side has taken control of the young anti-hero, and he starts using manipulative tactics to grab power all over the world with the Zaibatsu's forces. A world war begins, which saps the strength of the many nations... the Zaibatsu emerges victorious and announces its independence as a superpower. The only one that can stand up against Jin now is G-Corp, the mysterious conglomerate from Tekken 5. A huge bounty is laid on the head of Jin Kazama as the 6th King of Iron Fist Tournament is announced...

On the sub-stories, it seems that Kazuya Mishima is head of G-Corps (at least, from the shadows), and is behind the bounty on his son's head. He's no hero, of course... he's just pissed that someone else is taking over the world. Meanwhile, old man Heihachi, who got booted off the CEO seat, is spoiling for revenge.

Leo, the new fighter who may or may not be a cross-dressing girl, is the child of a famous investigator (father) and a G-Corp Executive (mother). The father went missing, and now mom got murdered. Some sleuthing into the incidents reveals the name Kazuya Mishima. And so Rock Howard- er, Leo, joins the Tekken tournament for some answers...

Zafina, the limber new hottie, is apparently some kind of holy guardian, whose duty has been to protect an ancient royal tomb. The recent carnage all over the world points to a prophecy that the world may end soon, and so Zafina leaves her post to see if Armageddon is indeed just around the corner...

Finally, Yoshimitsu finds out that his sword, which gains power from defeating villains, has a dark side- it may turn him insane. And so, he switches to a new sword which is meant to seal the dark powers of his former weapon.

Whew! Weird stuff... but that's all in line with Tekken. There are tons of other characters yet to be revealed, but all will surely have love, revenge, greed, curiosity and what have you to satisfy in this latest tournament. Can't wait to see this. Arcades will probably see it before 2007 ends... here's to the PS3 game coming in soon afterwards.

The Next Generation

Last Saturday, I hied off to World Chicken along Katipunan to meet up with fellow grafictionists Elbert Or and Carl Vergara for a little Comics Workshop. The participants/organizers of the somewhat impromptu course in comic-making are all freshmen from Ateneo, about seven or so would-be komikeros and manga-kas maybe. I started off the workshop with some talk about the History of Local Comics- you know, from the debut of the first issue of Flashpoint to the time when comics legend Whilce Portacio came and saw the wellspring of talent brimming in Manila in the mid-90s, asking the many disparate comic crews and gangs to lay down their respective individual banners and go under the single name of Alamat Comics.

Funny thing was, all that history just flew over the young 'uns heads- judging from the Scooby Stares I got in return when asking them if they knew who Whilce Portacio was. It was only when I mentioned that he created Bishop and worked on the X-men that they suddenly went 'Aaaaah!'

Anyways, after my florid speech about challenging them to be creative, different and innovative, I gave over the floor to Carl, who immediately launched into a more sobering series of subjects which included publishing your comic, the prospects of self publishing and how to do comics professionally or semi-professionally even if you have no budget (which is usually likely). Afterwards, we had some questions and answers, and wrapped up the session with some rah-rah talk.

One or two kept notes, all were very attentive and interested, and it was fun to see such energetic youths wanting to tackle graphic storytelling even though they weren't Fine Arts students (I think they were in Business Management courses, for the most part). Certainly, El, Carl and I were one in wanting to impress our own enthusiasm and passion for doing comics to the next generation. While I still think I have quite a few more years of still doing comics, we need to plant the seeds whenever we can.

The sessions will most probably continue for the next several Saturdays, and I will most probably keep contributing as long as I am able. It will certainly help my own need to motivate myself, as I embark on my own comics projects after a long period of inactivity. Thankfully, it seems that I'll be quite busy in comics for the near future. Perhaps the youth and energy of the students is rubbing off on me. Heh.

Anyways, the quest to tell stories goes on. Back to the gutters then, peeps. Back into the gutters.

Boy in the Hood



This is a pic of an Executioner, another one of the opposition in Kai: Unkillable. The Executioner itself is an amorphous, black oily mass- somewhat like an octopus- which attaches itself to humans, covering their heads and in effect suffocating them to death. Thereafter, the black hood animates the body via electrical impulses sent through the corpse's brain and nerve endings. The Executioner's possessed body typically gets extreme strength and resistance to damage and injury... the only way to stop it is total destruction of the body or striking the creature off via decapitation. This gruesome being is typically sent in as an infiltrator or assassin, since it is highly intelligent and cunning.

I've more or less mapped out The Enemy in the upcoming Kai book, and what can I say... I like them. The Resident Evil-ish group that's churning out these monstrosities and undead horrors is calling itself Dark Avalon, and I'll be threshing them out further in the near future. I'll also be working on new personalities in the KALI side, so Kai won't be entirely alone in this bloody conflict. Later then...

I am Legion



Here's a first draft design of a Knight of the Rose, one of the enemies that Agent K will be facing off with in Kai: Unkillable. Part Tyrant from Resident Evil, part Witch King of Angmar, part Minaton from Sinbad and The Eye of the Tiger... and a bit of H.R. Giger's Alien. Those are four of the scariest baddies I've ever seen in movies or games- so I think the pedigree is good. As imposing as he might look though, this sweetie is actually little more than a footsoldier, albeit more independently-minded than the more feral cannon fodder to be encountered in the War against Undead Terrorism. The really powerful and scary baddies Kai and KALI will cross swords with will be more human-like, at least on the outside.

More to come soon as it happens. Heh.

Toothsome Treat



A couple of days ago, I passed by Megamall and bought myself a caramel apple from a little stall called Sofan Treats. I've long seen these gooey sweets on TV and elsewhere, and so when I got an opportunity to try one out, I went for it. Basically, it is what it is... a fresh apple dipped in caramel and then rolled in various sweets like candy sprinkles, marshmallows, Gummi shapes and whatever else there is on offer. It looks quite intimidating, and to be sure, it presents quite a bit of challenge to eat.
First of all, it's an apple, stuck on a stick, weighed down by the added sweets. Biting on it is difficult if you insist on holding it like a lollipop- you may either crack the stick or push the apple off it, sending your ball o' sweets tumbling to the ground. The best way to go is to support the apple from another side while you bite, preferably with a napkin to keep from soiling your hand on wet candy. I'd imagine kids' teeth would love the challenge.
Anyway, how does it taste? Well, it's an apple with caramel and candy. That's it. Yeah, it tastes kinda good, but you get tired of it fast, and I'd probably just eat the apple up to where there's caramel, and then discard the sweet-less core. Afterward eating the apple, I had a really big urge to run to the bathroom and brush my teeth.

It's an experience, I guess. I'm not craving another caramel apple, and I doubt I'll ever purchase one ever again, at least, not for myself. It's something to taste, at least, but not a good thing to make a part of my routine. Not like Krispy Kreme donuts. Nosiree. Heh.

Collection of Carnage


Terry Bogard and the gang's all back for more action.

My import copy of Garou-Densetsu Battle Archives 2 arrived today, to my pleasure. The PS2 disc collects the entire Real Bout series, which includes Real Bout Fatal Fury, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special and Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers. These games, IMO, were the pinnacle of fighting action, art and animation for SNK at one time... the one series I held in as high regard as much as the Street Fighter III games from Capcom.

SNK took their old Fatal Fury games and injected a whole lot of visual flair and personality. It's a great re-telling of the Saga of the Hungry Wolves- street fighter Terry Bogard, his ninja-trained brother Andy Bogard and their best friend, Muay Thai champion Joe Higashi- as they battle up the ladder to reach evil crime boss Geese Howard. Oh, and of course tagging along for the ride is SNK's sex symbol, the bouncy ninja Mai Shiranui and the rest of the colorful Real Bout crew.

The characters and designs are awesome, the gameplay addictive, fast and furious and the overall package just excellent for both action satisfaction and retro-gaming reminiscence. Along with my disc of Streetfighter III Third Strike, this game pretty much completes my Retro-Fighting Library, now all playable on the PS3. The past is now safe in the present and future of gaming. It's just so fun to be a gamer these days. Heh.

Comics Workshop

I've been invited by some students from Ateneo University to conduct a series of Comic Book Creation Seminars/Workshops through the summer. It's been a while since I spoke before people to share my comic experiences, so I readily agreed with the understanding that I could only give time during weekends given that I have a day job. Well, apparently the workshops will be pushing through on Saturdays, and will likely include myself, Elbert Or and Carl Vergara as speakers to hopefully help give prospective comic book creators and manga-kas in Ateneo a start in the fickle world of local comics and publishing.

Exact details are still a bit murky, as well as what exactly we have to work with- like, how many students will be coming, what they already know and what they expect to get out of this thing... all I know is that the venue will probably be at the Katipunan area, which is fine since it's just a stone's throw away from The Sanctum. I'll most probably stay up late cramming to do some visual aids and slides before the week is over.

This should be fun. Heh.

Separated at Birth?


Bloody familiar...

It hasn't escaped my attention that Saya, the jailbait teen vampire heroine of the Blood+ TV series bears a striking resemblance to my own Kai. Both are hot Asian babes, both have black hair cut boyishly short and both have awesome killing skillz. On the other hand, Saya looks a lot younger than Kai, though is actually a lot older. Saya is most often seen in a Japanese schoolgirl outfit and exclusively uses a katana soaked in her blood to kill evil Chiropteran beasts, while Kai has a thing for skimpy battle-bikinis and deals death to enemy agents and rival mercs with just her killer bod (most of the time). Saya is normally a bubbly, pleasant and normal teen, while Kai is more taciturn, mysterious and a loner. Still, the resemblance is quite striking and I found watching Saya in action to be very close to how I'd see Kai animated, if ever that happens someday. Pretty cool. I've already started downloading episodes for my own collection.

Oh, and it's only a coincidence that suddenly Kai is all blood-soaked and gore-covered, just like Saya tends to be after a fight. Really. Honest. Seriously. Heh. Moving on...

Tekken 6 Tidbits


Finally, the secret's out...

An interview with Namco producer Katsuhiro Harada has revealed some juicy facts about Tekken 6.

First off, the controversy about new character Leo's gender is now apparently over- Harada has officially stated that he's a SHE. Now, why Leo (or is it Leona?) would cross-dress or pretend to be a guy remains to be seen.

Next up, is usable customization items... It's already been seen in the trailer where Bryan Fury draws his shotgun and juggles an opponent. Well, all characters will have an 'item move', though not all will be as effective- for example, Anna's item move will be throwing her high heeled shoes at her opponent. Wild!

All characters will have new animations. In terms of gameplay, many will have gameplay tweaks and changes- Lei Wulong's laying-down stances will now play differently, and will play more similarly to characters like Lei Fei and Shun Di from VF5. Marshall Law will move more authentically as a Jeet Kun Do fighter.

The most drastic change will be to Yoshimitsu, whose storyline will involve his sword losing power- he'll have to master a couple of totally new fighting styles, including a Manji-style 'Kenjutsu' style. This will make him even more challenging to use, thus branding him an 'expert' character.

Tekken 6 looks like it's going to be loads of fun. I can't wait to see more of this game when it comes out later this year in arcades and in early 2008 on the PS3.

A Taste of India

It's FRIDAY the 13th, but so far it's been a pretty swell day. The Salt Miners all got together and went out to have lunch at a newly opened restaurant across the street, New Bombay. As you'd expect, it was all hot and spicy Indian food like Chicken Tandoori, Chicken Masala, Naan breads and other exotic dishes heavy with spices and tongue-searing tastes. My own order was Chicken Keema, which was diced boneless chicken in a spicy gracy. I ate it spread-like on hot and chewy-crispy pieces of buttered Naan bread, which was lovely. Afterwards, we all had a taste of Indian ice cream, which came spiced with stuff like saffron- I described it as tasting like an ice cream Lush would come out with. Part dessert, part perfume, but pleasant and odd in a nice way.

Given that we're always looking for good places to have a nice meal, we'll surely be back soon in New Bombay. Once can't live on Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Mexican and Convenience store cuisine all the time. Heh.

Bloodthirsty


Taking out Zombie Terrorists is a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it.

Kai, a.k.a. Agent K, is coming back for more. Kinda-sorta-probably inspired by recent bloody-good, desensitizing fare like 300 and the upcoming Grindhouse is this new story with the sexy high-kicking femme fatale. A lethal cult of crazed killers is terrorizing the world- bloodthirsty murderers who wade through gunfire like it was spring rain, leaving only the grisly remains of their victims in their wake. There's room for only one death-proof assassin in the deadly game of international espionage, which brings Kai and the Amazon Assassins of KALI in direct confrontation with hordes of undead fanatics and their mysterious master. Who'll be left standing? We'll just have to see in Kai: Unkillable later this year.

Hopefully I'll get this book ready by the next Komikon (if there is one). For the most part I've hit the ground running with this one, so it looks and feels good. FINALLY... the MADman is back to comics. And boy, does it feel good. Heh.

Quality Time

I've been waiting for this. It's Holy Week, the second longest holiday break for us workers in the Philippines. This year, it's five days of sweet bliss and restful lolling around. I'll be of course using the time to catch up on sleep and play Virtua Fighter 5 on the PS3, but I hope to get some more substantial things done during the vacation.

Getting to work on KAI Issue One. Yep, you read that right. KAI, not K.I.A. Since Agent K got her name back at the end of the Anthology, a slight change in the title seemed fitting. As before though, Kai is still in the employ of the KALI mercenary organization, acting as their Prime Assassin and taking on various deadly missions. The new comic will be another anthology, looks like, with short and long stories, but I think I'll be doing most of the work this time around (save maybe for guest art pinups).

Trimming the Unread Comics Pile. Yeah, ever since I started collecting DC Comics' 52, I haven't read a SINGLE ISSUE. I can't stop collecting it, since I've already bought too many issues, so I will try to finally find out what this post-Infinite Crisis title is all about. Heheh...

Getting down with DIVX. I've been having a ball lately, downloading stuff with Bittorrent, but I haven't really watched that much. Ghost Hunt and Black Lagoon were only the first- I should get to watching the other anime titles I've acquired, like the fighting game-esque History's Strongest Disciple: Kenichi, Feudal Era-action Bakumatsu Kikanetsu Irohanihoheto (try saying that three times as fast as you can), sci-fi action title Coyote Ragtime Show and more. Then there are movies I've long wanted to see but haven't, like Monster House, Eragon and Nacho Libre.

And of course, I just need the time to just kick back. It's been a particularly stressful and hectic past month, what with TV shoots, the relatives migrating away and other stuff. This outlet to get all that baggage away is long overdue.

Who needs a frickin' beach? I just need The Sanctum. And some snacks. And some pens and paper. And my desk, DSL connection, my gaming consoles, comic books, PDA-Phone, DVD library and I'm all set.

Happy Holidays, everyone. Now kicking back.

Ghost Hunt


There's creepy fun to be had in Ghost Hunt.

I was able to watch several more episodes of the anime Ghost Hunt over the weekend. I've posted about this supernaturally-themed title before, but not yet in-depth. Based on a manga, Ghost Hunt is all about the investigations conducted by the
Shibuya Psychic Research Institute, a small but talented group of paranormal investigators/exorcists/troubleshooters who investigate creepy cases now abundant in modern-day Japan.
The core group is composted of Shibuya Kazuya, a somewhat aloof teenage genius who is both the Institute's boss and head investigator. Bringing up the rear is Mai Taniyama, a first-year high school student and ghost story-lover who is more or less forced to become a part-time worker for Shibuya to pay off for some equipment she damaged. Then there's Lin Koujo (or Rin), Shibuya's mysterious assistant who has his own set of talents and secrets.
While not really a part of the Institute, a group of psychically-talented individuals are regularly called in to help in investigations; Housho Takigawa is a laid-back, fun-loving monk who often acts as a protective big brother figure. Ayako Matsuzaki is a beautiful but often haughty self-proclaimed miko or priestess who has the tendency to blame each and every case on earth spirits. Masako Hara is a 16-year old spirit medium and celebrity, and finally there's 19-year old John Brown, a friendly Australian teenager who is also somehow a Catholic priest and exorcist.

Now, while Ghost Hunt seems to be an animated version of popular paranormal investigation shows, it IS still an anime so there's your touch of romantic tension between the earnest Mai and the distant Shibuya AKA 'Naru' (Mai's pet name for her boss is 'Naru', which is short for Narcissist). While Mai and Shibuya don't seem to get along that well, they clearly have a bond, particularly since Shibuya appears as a kind of guardian angel in Mai's precognitive dreams regularly during cases, and she's plainly attracted to the handsome but cold genius. Further complicating things is Masako, who also seems to be interested in Shibuya.
But for the most part, this is about ghosts and hauntings, and the anime does a good job of establishing a creepy atmosphere thanks to nicely haunting opening music, liberal use of chilly sound effects and multi-layered supernatural mysteries that start off small but escalate in seriousness and magnitude as the investigation stalks its toward the case's resolution.

Ghost Hunt is divided into story arcs, or 'Files' which go for about 3 to 4 episodes each in length- there's been only one single-shot story ('Ghost in the Park'), which is played more for humor and light for the most part. The majority of the series deals with cases that range from a couple of haunted houses to a high school crawling with curses to a secluded villa that bears a striking resemblance to the real-life Winchester Mansion.

This isn't Ghost Hunters, where the usual trace of the supernatural is few and far between- the anime takes license and there is pretty much no doubt that ghosts exist, along with stuff like telekinesis, psychic powers, spirit beings and even demonic beings. To combat any particularly dangerous attacks on the investigators, the exorcist members of the group, Housho, Ayako and John, are usually able to use their faith and skills to ward off spirits, giving Buddhism, Shinto and Christianity equal powers. Shibuya and Lin also seem to have their own talents, which are revealed as the series goes on.
The series is mostly seen from the eyes of Mai Taniyama herself, who starts off with apparently no powers but is eventually revealed to have some sort of exceptional sense for danger (found out when during a test she manages to get all 1000 attempts of an ESP test wrong). But even more than any latent psychic powers, Mai brings to the table her kindness, honesty and uncannily intuitive dreams... special gifts which even the cold Shibuya seems to appreciate every now and then.

Ghost Hunt is a title which enthusiasts of the supernatural should enjoy for the likeable characters, intriguing stories and well-directed, eerie atmosphere. It's not an action-packed title, and the story arcs have a very deliberate pace to them, but anyone liking this subject matter should like tagging along with the Shibuya Psychic Research team on their many cases, particularly the last couple of story arcs- The Blood-stained Labyrinth is so far my favorite and the creepiest so far.

The first and current season of Ghost Hunt ended at episode 25 this year, but the manga is still ongoing. Another season of ghosthunting with the SPR would be pretty cool, I'd say. There are tons of unanswered questions and issues still to be learned and revealed, and of course more mysteries and enigmas to be uncovered.

So for a dash of comedy, drama, mystery and a whole lot of spine-tingling chills, go out and hunt down this title at your favorite anime dealers in the Metro.