Stinking but Satisfied

Yesterday, my officemates and I went out for lunch. We were in the mood for exotica so we opted to go to a place called Bombay Canteen. We piled into our friend's SUV and zipped off towards the southern part of Makati, near Bangkal. We walked past a positively SCARY abandoned building which stank of crap. The seemingly abandoned stalls looked like mutant gangs were lurking in them, waiting to pounce on us. Well, before a The Hills Have Eyes scenario could occur, we finally made it back to daylight and the Bombay Canteen. Like my other haunt, Behrouz (Persian cuisine, at Wilson's Greenhills), Bombay Canteen was pretty sparse in terms of ambience, though Indian decor was readily visible. No music though. We were met by a pleasant and accomodating Indian lady, the manager. Despite our misgivings at the questionable environment outside, we were starving and were ready to order.
In contrast to Behrouz which had tons of beef and kebabs, Bombay Canteen had more of mutton, chicken and veggie choices. They were pleasantly different from the usual kebab, pita and rice stuff I usually saw. We ordered for everyone, taking two servings of the recommended Chicken Masala, which as a reddish-colored fried/grilled chicken, a shrimp curry dish, a rice-mutton dish called Mutton Biryani, fried rice and several servings of Nan bread. The others all had creamy Lassi drinks, though I opted for a Pepsi.
In a word? DELICIOUS. I was pretty much satisfied with bread slathered with the curry, but the chicken was savoury and meaty, and the Biryani was pleasantly spicy (we DID ask for medium spiciness). At the end we were all full and satisfied and smiling. On the down side, the hostess informed us that the Bombay Canteen was closing down; the building where it was located was being torn down. Not to worry though, you can experience the same yummy Indian food at their sister restaurant, Bombay Kitchen, located at H.V. Dela Costa Street in Salcedo Village, Makati. Really good stuff!
The only other downer is the fact that after eating, we totally smelled of the food. It stuck to our clothes and makes for a bit of an uneasy feeling. If you're planning on eating Indian, bring cologne or perfume. For everybody. Heh.

Batman: Dead End

THIS is how you make a Batman film!

I heard about this fan-made film from a friend recently, but I was only able to download and watch it today. I have to say, this is incredible! It's an 8-minute 'director demo' featuring the Dark Knight which shows off pretty impressive design, lighting, costumes and performances for a non-commercial indie film.
Basically, Batman: Dead End shows the DC superhero taking off one stormy night to find his arch-nemesis, The Joker, who has just escaped from Arkham Asylum. Once he catches up to him though, an unexpected turn soon develops...

I have to say, the Batman costume and actor are perfect (clearly taken from the Alex Ross designs), and the film's version of The Joker quite surprisingly effective. I am a bit iffy about the 'later elements', but overall the effect is cool. This film really wasn't supposed to be shown to the public, but I think it's a pretty impressive visualization of a gritty, live-action Batman. THIS is how you make a Batman movie; atmosphere, menace, images... sans NIPPLES and Overblown star casting.

Check it out!
Click here to download Batman: Dead End!

Backlogs...

Wasn't able to watch Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life during the weekend thanks to the... um... extraordinary event. Yep, I've read more than two reviews that belittled it as being slow, boring and even worse than the first film. I don't know about that, but well, it has Angelina Jolie, and that pretty much sells it to me. I'll try to get in a watch this week, and post my own review soon.
Not much gaming either, whether it be PC or console. Wanna put in more Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic playtime. Want to suddenly finish Suikoden 3 for the PS2. Want to get Outlaw Volleyball for my Xbox already. So many games, so little time. And money. Argh.
Oh well. The struggle continues...

Back to Barracks

Yep, I'm back at work despite the fact that yesterday, renegade soldiers were wiring up C-4 explosives a few blocks away. If you slept through the whole thing, you wouldn't notice anything had happened over the weekend other than the usual.
Thankfully, the revolt ended peacefully. One of the most affective moments of this incident for me was a video showing a meeting between several 'Magdalo' rogue soldiers and their pro-government counterparts. Apparently, two of the rebs spotted the government troops stationed at the perimeter of the Oakwood area. It turns out that they knew each other, perhaps from the Philippine Military Academy or from their respective camps/training schools. Without any trace of hostility whatsoever, the two rebels and the government soldiers met each other with brotherly embraces and greetings of 'Mistah' (a term soldiers use to denote 'comrade').
From the video we could hear them exchange words along the lines of 'Why are you doing this?' from the government troops, answered only with 'This is for all of us.' from the rebels. That's along with the usual male bonding and horseplay, of course.

It would have been horrible to see such brothers shed each others' blood so needlessly. I have so much sympathy for our armed forces, perhaps since I went through a lot of military crap in ROTC, CMT and such in school. Perhaps it's because these guys go through hell to defend the land from terrorists, communist rebels and insurgents. Perhaps it's because I feel that many of their grievances have validity, and they are commendable to have had the courage to go through with what they did to tell what they know.
I also had to commend and admire the government troops; the guys who stand by the constitution and the society no matter what. These soldiers are heroes, both sides. Well, at least for me.

Hopefully this incident should serve to do good in the long run, despite the strain it put on the local economy.

For better or worse, it's over. Life goes on.

The Two Towers: Extended DVD news

Okay, onto some lighter news. Fans waiting for the release of the extended dvd set of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (which is set for August) will be glad to find out the details of the additional material that will be included. I've read the article at Ain't It Cool news, and I have to say... I WANT IT! There are soooo many choice scenes that will enrich the movie even further, even more so than the Fellowship of the Ring's extended version did. Darn, can't wait for August.
You can read the SPOILER-filled article here.

From Reel to Real.

Military rebels, or separatists, using force and intimidation to get their demands. Despite the chaos and obvious economic helter-skelter this is going to result in, I can't help but feel a bit sympathetic towards some of the rebels' sentiments. Their goals are noble, but of course the means suck.
Reminds me of that Michael Bay/Jerry Bruckheimer movie with Nicholas Cage, Sean Connery and Ed Harris, entitled The Rock. In The Rock, Harris plays a decorated war hero and general in the US armed forces who takes over Alcatraz in order to try and coerce the government into giving reparations for marines slain in the Desert Storm conflict.
I really hope this ends without people getting killed. Less than two hours to the deadline, before the government troops charge in. Damn.

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A Load of crap's ready to hit the fan.

Okay, it isn't over.

I was about to go to bed when I flicked the TV to the local Channel GMA 7, and it appears that this 'coup' is nowhere near under control.

Apparently, the trouble isn't limited to the Ortigas area. An unknown number of soldiers, many of them described by media as 'young' and 'in their twenties', have set up positions in the business district of Makati. These soldiers are wearing red armbands with the insignia of a white sun and a red alibata 'I' in the center (this is apparently one of the old flags of the Philippine Katipunan). These young rebel soldiers have set up wires and apparently ringed their perimeter area with EXPLOSIVES.
However, one of the soldiers, apparently a captain, has announced to the media that they are NOT staging a coup. The exercise, they say, is intended to air their grievances and frustrations with the current government and the military chain of command. The soldiers are in full battle gear, with heavy weapons such as M-60 machine guns. According to a spokesman, the rebels supposedly number at least 2000 soldiers, junior officers and some seniors.

I watch the video and marvel at the bravery of the media (at the same time appalled at how unruly and foolhardy they are as well) covering the scene. The soldiers are plainly on edge, with tension quite palpable with every movement.

Luckily, no one has as yet been hurt so far and the soldiers don't seem to be trigger-happy; though an apparently over-zealous delivery van trying to break through the soldiers' barricades elicited a warning shot.

This looks bad. The rebels look serious, and given what they have done so far, it seems that they are planning to hole up for a LONG time there in Makati (as was done in the most serious coups during the Aquino administration). I really hope this doesn't degenerate into a siege. It WON'T mean just buildings getting shot up or blown up, or work being halted this week (which looks likely).

This thing will without a doubt cause HAVOC with the country's economy. We're talking national security and our peace and order situation being thrown out of the window and the WHOLE country getting another economic dump. Poor people will get poorer. The peso will fall. Businesses will crash. This is a whole pile of CRAP. DAMN IT, this sucks. These military people affect everyone when they go bonkers. DAMN GUNS. DAMN FRICKING GUNS. It's all about them guns.

End this fast. Please.

Coup! Coup! Coup!

Today started off as just another Saturday, though I felt really tired and my muscles hurt. I went to Greenhills for my usual goodie run, scoring a couple of anime DVDs of Full Metal Panic!. Later, I got my mom the live concert VCD set of Josh Groban. Met up with the gang at Comic Quest.
As we were waiting for Vinnie at his place, my mom texted me a somewhat alarming message.

Umuwi ka na. May masamang balita. (Translated: Go home now. Bad news.)

I was a bit taken by this, and I responded with a message saying that I was fine and with friends, and would be careful. I also asked what was going on. Well, other texts from other people began to come in. There was a coup d' etat. A COUP. We looked about. All seemed as it was in any other Saturday. There were people in the eateries, chatting and eating and having fun. There were no sounds of gunfire, explosions or anything. But thanks to the power of text, everyone knew. Not everyone seemed to care about the thing though.
Apparently, a group of young officers attempted a mutiny, precipitated by the recent unrest and dissatisfaction with current policies. This of course was responded to by the government. Heavily-armed troops and Armored Personnel Carriers apparently flooded the Camp Aguinaldo-Camp Crame area. Malacanang Palace was sealed. Police and checkpoints were on high alert. At the EDSA Shrine, some crowds have gathered to hold a prayer rally and vigil.

The situation is supposedly totally under control at the time of this writing. I don't know if anyone got killed or wounded, but it doesn't look like it... the only damage is probably where it will hurt ALL of us... in the foreign exchange rates. Damn it. Oh well.

Welcome to my turf.

Yesterday the creative department at my office went out of the salt mines to do our last workshop for the year. Every few weeks we do this to sharpen our creative thinking and get out some ads that may win us stuff in award shows. Well, for the final meet the department chose Marikina Riverbanks as the setting. You know the old saying, 'saving the best for last?' Well, that didn't apply here.
Our venue supposedly for the whole day was the Taverna Marquina, a restaurant/karaoke/bar. It is a very odd place; mixing various themes like gaudy western with the modern, utalitarian monobloc-chic. What should have tipped me off to how bad the place is was the fact that when I arrived at 9 AM, guys in tsinelas were still walking around as if they just woke up, and the waiter was dressed in casual attire. Stricly ONE-STAR, regardless of the great 'clean-up' effort our former mayor (and now MMDA chairman) Bayani Fernando was able to accomplish. World-Class this place ain't, and that goes for the WHOLE of Riverbanks. It's good for local folks, and anyone who isn't expecting anything more than a provincial-class venue. I described it as, Boracay without a beach. Or any cool restaurants. Or useful shops aside from countless cellphone accessory kiosks. Or souvenirs worth crap (unless you consider pirate DVDs, which I couldn't find anyway). That's why I don't hang out there.
Anyway, we ended the session some time after five. I went on home to rest after this weary week, too tired to go out and not wanting to take on the bumper to bumper traffic headed west. Hopefully I'll find some stuff at my good ol' Greenhills. Maybe a copy of Outlaw Volleyball. Or some other game. Or maybe some cool anime. We'll see, later today.

The Mariachi returns

Bet you didn't know that the Robert Rodriguez films El Mariachi and Desperado were part of a trilogy, eh? Well, I didn't either. Anyway, the third and perhaps final episode of the saga of the mythical, gun-toting Mexican vigilante is coming. It's entitled Once Upon a Time in Mexico and features returning cast members Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Cheech Marin (EH? Didn't he DIE in the second film?). Johnny Depp (fresh off the plank from Pirates of the Caribbean) plays a corrupt DEA agent who lures the Mariachi back into the line of fire as a plot to assassinate the president of Mexico is hatched by an evil drug lord (Willem Dafoe). From the trailer, there's going to be enough gunplay, blood, explosions and Salma Hayek hanging off ledges to make the first two films pale in comparison. Look for this in theaters in the months ahead.

Black Wizard

A Harry Potter message forum entitled Diagon Alley has posted the first photo to show a glimpse of Gary Oldman as the character Sirius Black on the set of the next Harry Potter movie, Prisoner of Azkaban. Click here to go to the thread with the pic.
Sirius Black is a new character introduced in the third Harry Potter book, a wizard who is supposedly Big Bad Voldemort's right hand. Escaping from the wizard's prison in Azkaban, Black makes a beeline for Hogwarts and Harry Potter...

Prisoner of Azkaban is shooting right now and is supposed to have a late 2003 or early 2004 release.

Star Wars: The Adventures of Par Schaaz

Haven’t heard of this chapter in the Star Wars saga? Well, there’s a good reason for that. One is because it is set about 4000 years before the time of the movies; the Galactic Empire didn’t even exist then, nobody knew the name Skywalker or Yoda or whatever. Second, it’s a story in the latest videogame in the Star Wars franchise; Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (or KOTOR for short). Third, because it hasn’t happened yet. That’s because Par Shaaz is the name I’m going to give my character, and I haven’t even gotten my copy of the game anywhere near my Xbox yet.
Yep, just got it hot off the shelf just after lunch. Actually, I was looking for Outlaw Volleyball, but according to the lady at Datablitz, some doctor beat me to their only copy. DAMN! Oh well, KOTOR is supposed to be the best thing to happen in Star Wars since lightsaber-sliced bread, according to all the rave reviews and utterly FLOODED message forums at GameFAQs. So I decided that it be worth a look-see. Anyway, it’s not just because of the reviews that I am so confident; KOTOR is also a product of Bioware, a game developer that’s synonymous with GREAT RPGs (Baldur’s Gate, anyone?). These guys have apparently fashioned a game and story that the IGN reviewer has placed ABOVE even the Star Wars films in terms of quality immersive entertainment in the SW mythos. That’s saying a lot. Well, we’ll see.

The story of KOTOR revolves around a dark time in the galaxy far, far away. This is a Star Wars not seen before in previous games or movies; At this time, the Jedi Order is HUGE, with Jedi Knights numbering in the hundreds, or even thousands. Balancing out the scheme of things is the Sith, the evil counterparts to the Jedi. Despite the death of the Sith’s last great master, a Sith Lord named Darth Malak has somehow mustered a massive and seemingly invincible armade which is pretty much tearing down the Republic star system by star system. The Jedi have been scattered, with innumerable Knights falling in battle or turning to serve the Sith.
In a last ditch effort to stem the advance of evil, a Jedi battle fleet has gathered under the command of a female Jedi named Bastila Shan...

You, the player, start off as a crew member aboard the Jedi flagship. You can either be male or female, and be one of three ‘classes’: Soldier (the Fighter), Scout (Ranger) or Rogue(Thief). As the flagship is boarded and invaded by platoons of Sith Troopers, you hasten to try and survive, your choices and performance deciding where the fate of your hero, and that of the galaxy, will fall. Whoa.
Anyway, the story isn’t totally open-ended, but like other Bioware RPGs, there are tons of places to visit, literally dozens or even hundreds of mini-quests, subquests and sideplots ot tackle. You can recruit up to nine other members in your rag-tag group of rebels (though only three of you at a time can disembark), explore various worlds in a Millennium Falcon-esque starship, learn of the ways of the Force, build your own lightsaber and ultimately, decide through your choices and actions whether you become a Jedi Knight or a Sith Lord. COOL. Heh.

I plan of tackling this game very soon. From what I’ve seen and heard, it’s going to be a ride. I just hope I keep my feet on the ground and my attention on other stuff even while I’m off travelling in some galaxy far, far away…

Metropolis

Recently, AXN's been advertising Osamu Tezuka's anime film Metropolis, which they will be showing in August as part of their anime lineup. It's story is... well... actually, it's pretty hard to say what the story is. It's about a girl android who's made to be the ultimate being by a powerful magnate, the magnate's evil adopted son who wants to kill the android (and every other robot in the city, if he could), a detective and his son who get involved, a renegade scientist and lots of robots (shades of Animatrix). Half the movie seems to be all chase scenes, while the other half is boring, but colorful cityscapes. And of course there's a cataclysmic ending where everything goes to hell... but this time, it's set to Blues music. EH?
Can't really say I like this flick. Pretty pointless, vague and just plain weird. Plus the cartoony Astro Boy characters just don't work with the overly-serious atmosphere and complicated plot. Nothing really comes together until everything falls apart. Sigh.

Watch it once if you haven't before, for the animation. Otherwise... feh.

Yet another raunchy volleyball game...


Players get it on in Outlaw Volleyball.

On the heels of Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball comes yet another videogame bursting with T&A, white-trash humor and super spiking action. Unlike Tecmo's offering though, this new game from Hypnotix offers far more straight-up gameplay than just eye candy. Choose from a colorful cast which includes white trash, wannabee rappers, Elvis impersonators, strippers, mafia matrons, biker dudes and dudettes, punkers and more lovely people. Play heated games of volleyball in courts located in scenic locales like a women's prison, a sewer, a graveyard and more. Getting beaten up on the sand? Incite a fight and beat your opponent's brains out! It's all part of the fun in Outlaw Volleyball, for the Xbox game console.

I'm looking out for this one. Yep, I'm all in it for the gameplay. Yessiree! Heh-heh.

Hey, I feel a rant coming.

I wish I could just curl up in bed all day. Don't want to go to work. Don't want to care about deadlines, things that you don't want to do but have to, worrying about where your next paycheck's coming from or having to bother about needing to pay bills.

I wish I had a ton of cash in the bank, enough to be able to live as much as I want on the monthly interest. Just want to draw what I want. To tell the stories in my head. To just go out and chat with company I enjoy, to surf as long as I want, to be able to play any game or read any book or comic to my heart's content. I wish I didn't have to worry about how the hell I am going to find the money to publish my next comic project. I wish I had more of that darn delicious BTS cake in the fridge right now.

I wish, I wish, I wish.

But of course, as the saying goes, wishes won't wash dishes or feed fishes (or something like that). Bah.

Better Than Sex

That's what this INCREDIBLY delicious and addictive cake I tasted recently is called. Better Than Sex looks like chocolate mousse, with a white cream topping that's just at the right sweetness, and a chocolatey interior layer which is chock full of AMAZINGLY delicious cake, chocolates and other heavenly stuff. I kid you NOT. I was going back again and again and again to get pieces of this wonderful dessert. Better than Sex? Damn, I can believe that.
Anyway, you can see for yourself by heading over to the quaint little restaurant named Gayuma, located at Xavierville near Katipunan Avenue and Miriam College. I want more. Gotta get more of that cake. YUM!!!

Family Day

After spending most of the early, early Sunday morning playing some odds and ends of games like PS2's Fighter Maker 2 and Tropico 2: Pirates' Cove for the PC, I was looking forward to resting for half of the day and then getting down to some drawing and comic stuff in the other half. Well, it was not to be. Later in the afternoon, my mom asked me to come along with her and my brother and sister to Megamall. Our agenda was to buy her a new DVD player and vacuum cleaner. Seeing that it was the first time in years (or at least many months) that we had been together on a trip, I agreed. Plus, we'd be eating out. Heh.
Anyway, one thing that I discovered later was that we were going with my sister's 9-year old daughter and my brother's two little girls (who are in their seven or eight years); this pretty much translated to lots of laughing, chirpy chatter in english twang gleaned from Cartoon Network watch time all the way to the mall and beyond.
We headed up into the Megatrade Hall where an appliance fair was in full swing. The 0% interest thing was pretty much what drew my mom to buy, along with the relative inexpensive price of DVD players these days. Well, the fair was pretty bland. Lots of large-screen TVs which we could not afford, lots of new players and models of washing machines, freezers and other home items.
I felt a bit sorry for the kids since they probably went along thinking they could go and get toys from Toy Kingdom. Well, they had to content themselves with watching the featured movies on the various TV demos. I stood there, one eye on them and one eye on Pearl Harbor which was playing on a particularly nice TV. My last eye (wait... hmm...) was pretty much absorbed in sneaking surreptitious glances at the long, fair legs of a lanky young Chinese woman (who was most probably a foreigner or tourist given her 'pambahay' attire). No, she wasn't an Aubrey Miles-caliber beauty (btw, there was a nice life-size standee of the woman in the area promoting her newest movie, Prosti); but she was attractively tall, had a slim figure, long legs and wore pretty hot shorts and peeky sandals. And I pretty much noticed every other red-blooded male also copping a glance with me. Heh. Moving on...

My mom got her vacuum cleaner, and in the meantime my sister almost got herself a mammoth impulse buy of a P70,000 Digicam. WHOA! Unfortunately (or fortunately) she couldn't get it since her credit card was maxxed out. We left after a while and went into a nearby video store to get the DVD player. We bought a Next Base player for below 4K, which is pretty good considering I got my player (with components) a couple of years ago for about 20K. Argh. With the new appliances in our hands we headed off to have a late dinner.
We eventually ended up in Don Henrico's Libis, and had a nice meal of mozzarella sticks, Buffalo Wings and Fisherman's Pizza. The pizza we barely finished half of since the kids got full after the chicken. But the meal was satisfying and we headed home content.

So I had a family day. Not productive in terms of comics or gaming (though I did manage to do a character design for Kunoichi Boy), but you just can't beat a day out with the family. Especially now when these things are getting rarer and rarer (and will probably become non-existent in the next couple of years). Sigh.

Weekend's over. Damn, time's going so fast.

Pooped

Last night I had dinner with my college friends to celebrate our friend Alex's birthday. We had a nice dinner at Superbowl at the Megastrip, enjoying a feast of braised beef with crispy noodles, beef with oyster sauce, stir-fried vegetables, sweet and sour pork (the Guailo fave!), yang chow fried rice, Superbowl special (which was fried rice with spices, peanuts and duck) and bottomless iced tea. The only dubious thing on the table were the Birthday Noodles, which was basically pancit canton with garnishings of quail eggs and veggies. Anyway, after the dinner the others went off to watch Charlie's Angels Full Throttle while I shuffled back to Comic Quest. Happy birthday, Alex!

Well, we met up and eventually converged in KSP near the Meralco Building. The place was nearly empty and playing old tunes, which made the fact that most of us were dead tired in our seats. Dean had a whole week of wheeling and dealing and going to the Department of Trade and Industry to register his promos. Carl was hard at work with work, pleasure and pleasure-work. I was tired from a long week of stress at the office and some wonderful and potentially spectacular developments that may pay off in the near future. Yep, we were pooped but this was an exceptionally eventful and interesting week.

Glad it's over. Heh-heh...

Dark Clouds

I watch too many sci-fi and fantasy films. I read too much comics. I spend too much time with Vinnie. Here's proof.
I had a dream this morning where Vin and I were in the van and driving along (don't know if it was to or from Mega or any other haunt. I remember we were talking about something when I looked up and saw the blue sky with some wonderfully fluffy white clouds. And there, of course, like a black sheep among aryan lambs, was a jet-black cloud. I remember commenting to Vin that I thought these weird black clouds were stealth aircraft developed by the military. As we watched, the black cloud slowly dematerialized or went to stealth mode, or activated a cloaking device. Heh.
The next thing I knew we were in a dark building, dressed in hospital togas and being told by military guys to report to something or someone. I remember an elevator, a hallway and a military sentry. Weird.

Anyway, whether we had discovered 'The Truth' or were just subjected to an anal probe, I never got to find out (Whew!) since a knock on my door in waking life got me out of there faster than you can say, "Operator, I need an Exit!"

Wonder what all that was about?

The Sounds of Nature

The day before yesterday, I was in Astrovision Glorietta, looking for a new game when I saw a rack of bargain CDs entitled The Echoes of Nature. I remembered that there are these CDs with recorded sounds of natural settings, like seashores, forests, mountains, etc. I know it seems pretty weird to play a CD where you hear nothing but water running down a river or birds chirping, but it's actually refreshing to hear it. Couple this with a great stereo system, a nice, cool room and a good book to read or relax with and it doesn't sound so weird at all. In fact... it sounds... natural.

Heh. I bought one CD for Ocean waves (which has about a half hour of waves sloshing against a pebble-rich beach) and one for Mountain Rivers (which has sounds of forest birds singing in the background of a rushing stream). I haven't tried playing it yet to go to sleep since I may NOT wake up the next day on time (I might get used to the noise and not get roused by my TV alarm) for work. But since it's a weekend tomorrow, I may try it tonight.

Ah. Relaxing thought... Heh...

Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah: The Motion Picture!

The megaspectacular local comic Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah by grafictionist Carl Vergara has been picked up by no less than Regal Films for a live-action cinematic release. Yep, Carl met with the legendary Mother Lily herself! Ho ho! It remains to be seen when Zsa Zsa will be sashaying into theaters. Perhaps next year? Let the casting rumours begin!

Congratulations Carl. You're the FIRST comic artist of our generation to have his comic reach the big screen. I think. WOOHOO!!! Let's eat!

The best darned Star Wars adventure yet...

... is NOT a movie. It's a game. And it's on the Xbox.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is making waves and getting rave reviews from gaming sites IGN and Gamespot. From the articles, the reviewers cite a compelling story with open-ended plots and branching dialogue options, the ability to play either as a good or evil character, the presence of classic Star Wars themes (the story though is set several thousand years before the movies), great graphics and compelling gameplay. This does not come as a surprise when you consider that Star Wars KOTOR was developed by Bioware, the same company responsible for the sublime Baldur's Gate PC RPGs.
I have to admit, the recent movies have made me jaded with Star Wars stuff, but this game interests me. We will see if The Force is strong with this one, when we get ourselves a copy.

Dehydrated.

I spent a good hour and a half on a regular-fare unairconditioned bus (Yes, they still exist) going northwards to Megamall from Makati. For some reason, the way was clogged and the bus moved at a snail's pace. It's been a long week, and I hovered between consciousness and light sleep all the way, losing salt and moisture with every moment. By the time I reached Mega, my throat was parched. Softdrink went down like liquid love down my rasping throat. I figure I'm still lacking water. Need to consume more into the night to replace what I lost.

Anyway, I arrived at Mega and found the new comic stocks lacking in interesting material for me. Nope. Nothing. Just the same I went home with copies of the Antarctic Press fantasy action manga comic, Dragon Arms, which attracted me with the solid art and action scenes. Heavy armor, BIG ASS swords, Mammoth power blasts and spells, scantily-clad super babes... this series has it and more. Too bad the storytelling's a bit off and many characters look alike. Still, the designs of the various fighters sold this to me if nothing more than reference material.
Also picked up the Domino mini-series, a spin-off title featuring the black and white female assassin/mercenary from the X-titles. Yet another comic that I got simply for the artwork. Really good anatomy, action and clean lines. The story's kinda interesting too... lots of stealth action and femme fatale acrobatics. I'm sold. Heh.

This week's dragging. Hot. Too hot. And humid.

Goblet of Paper

A couple of days ago I learned that the fourth Harry Potter book, Goblet of Fire, is now available at local bookstores in paperback form. I've recently read Prisoner of Azkaban and so I'm pretty ready to get into the next chapter. Or so I thought. The sucker's THICK! That's a sizeable chunk of my life that I am not ready to commit yet. Oh well. Maybe another time. I know a certain fanatical Potterhead hasn't even gotten to unloading his copy of Order of the Pheonix from his van... heh...

Living in Sim

Against all logic and judgement, I went into a computer shop yesterday and bought The Sims, that best-selling, mega-popular people simulator by game god Will Wright. If you’re not one of the millions already smitten by the little people, The Sims is a videogame (not only on PC anymore; console versions for PS2 and Xbox are already available) where you create electronic people and manipulate their daily lives either to ruin or success. The one thing which differentiates this game from any other RPG is that The Sims is all about the mundane, day-to-day grind of life. Yep. Waking up from bed, cooking your meals, taking a crap, finding work… it’s all here. Sound boring? Yep, I thought so too. But somehow, this game just gets under your skin… it’s so DAMN addicting. It’s maddeningly compelling to try and satisfy your little avatars’ every wishes… to get their blasted needs and moods as high as you can (impossible, I think) and as long as you can. Will a nicer bed make them happy? Or that big-screen TV. Or a new bathtub. Should I take that job as a mailroom clerk? Or be a political advisor? Or cat burglar? AAAAARRRGHHHH!!!

And it doesn’t end there. I also got most of the expansion sets: Livin’ Large, House Party, Hot Date and Vacation. All of them adding ever more items, jobs, quirks and more MADDENING elements into this obnoxiously fun game. DAAAAMMMMNNN!!!
Yes… YES! Who needs to save some stupid kingdom when I can get a job as a security guard? Who CARES about some frickin’ Holy Sword +5 when there are greater things to find… like that cool VR Goggle set that will make my Sim go mad with fun. Or that new food processor that will take care of all their kitchen needs, guaranteed! HOHO!!!

Feh…

Gotta control myself. Still have REAL work to do. A REAL life to live. Comics to write and draw. Places to go. Real food to eat… Haha… or do I?

MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Third time's the charm.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines review (Spoilers Ahead)

After staying at the office for a while longer than I intended, I decided to invest the night in the latest Terminator movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which pretty much finishes this man vs. machine epic in suitably heavy metal fashion.
T3 sees 'future hope of mankind' John Connor(Nick Stahl) in his twenties; a young adult living alone (Sarah passed on already) on the fringes of modern society. His experiences in the previous film have made him paranoid, forcing him to live without an address, e-mail, identification... anything that connects him with anyone. The deadline for 'Judgement Day' came and went, and the world still existed. Despite this, Connor still lives with a nagging fear that something is wrong.
Of course, as expected, the traditional time travel effects (spiffier this time) appear, disgorging the latest terminator. This time around, the latest model (heh) is a female (well, the default form is female) killing machine called the T-X (Kristanna Loken), or Terminatrix.
This new robot seems to be a hybrid between the first two terminator variants; it has a relatively destructible mechanical interior structure covered by a layer of liquid metal skin/armor. This is kinda odd since you'd think that a fully-metal terminator would be more preferrable... anyway, aside from the ability to ALWAYS look drop-dead gorgeous no matter what you throw at her, the T-X has a built-in superweapon in it's right arm (a handy plasma cannon/flamethrower). Finally, this minx has the ability to take control of other machines, including other terminators.
Some time after the T-X makes her nubile entrance, Ah-nuld the T-101 also arrives (literally, for the ladies!) to fulfill his countermission for humanity. Then, it's a running battle with the evil Terminatrix, with a LOOOOONNNNGGGG car chase which makes the freeway battle of Matrix Reloaded look like a Sunday drive, and a finale that ends the saga where it all began.

WHEW!

Anyway, I have to say that... I liked it. It's not totally awesome, to say the least... there are some slow spots, and the T-X's design is kinda underwhelming. Aside from that though, I have to say I enjoyed watching this one. I have to admit, Arnold looks incredible here; I've written before that I've thought he was getting too old for this role, but he looked just as formidable here as ever before (CG? Makeup? Wow!). This is a great 'return to form' for him, honestly. Aside from that, the Terminator has some funny moments which both poke fun and pay homage to the earlier films. This movie's Terminator isn't as cuddly as T-2's model ('I know now why you cry...') but he's a bit more likeable. Nick Stahl is a world away from Edward Furlong, but his character gets some nicely-written lines which links him well with the previous chapter. He kinda reminds me a little of the guy who played Paul Atreides from the Dune TV series. Eh. As for Clair Danes... well, she's just there. Kinda looks a bit old. Hmm. Oh well.
As for the T-X, I have to say Kristanna Loken is dynamite. DAMN she looks great. Yep, and she gets the blank, malevolent shark predator glare down pat. Too bad she didn't spend more time in her time-travelling suit. Sigh.

T3 revs up the action up a notch with more advanced SFX, lots of BIG explosions, crashes, glass breaking, walls crumbling and then some. The best stuff comes in the third act, though there are some good bits throughout the almost two-hour film.

The ending is open for another sequel, but I think it can pretty much just end here. Anything else would just be an extra, but given what this chapter has revealed, extras would be welcome. Action fans, watch this in theaters for the great surround sound. Or wait for it on a good dvd with a BIG TV. Arnold's BACK.

One funny thing though... Aside from Arnold, the ONLY other character to appear in all three Terminator films is a minor character (guess who) who ironically gets one over on Linda Hamilton. Oh well.

Final Fantasy

Last Saturday, over coffee at Country Waffles, the gang had a RARE talk about anime. Yep, even Dean who usually avoids anime and manga like the plague was in for the ride. I guess it was precipitated by his current reading fave, the Battle Royale manga, the printed comic version of the controversial Japanese film. From talking about high school kids fragging each other on an island we moved to the topic of 'What is the definitive fantasy anime?'

I have to admit I was kinda stumped. When you mean high fantasy you usually have thoughts of castles, dragons, knights, wizards, elves and epic quests. Was there something along the lines of LOTR in Japanese animation? An easy answer would be the old classic Record of Lodoss War, which was of course an actual RPG made into big-eyed anime form. However, I am loathe to make this mediocre series into the end-all, be-all of fantasy in anime. There are, of course other titles but of varying degrees of quality and with a multitude of assorted aspects added to the mix.

Along with Lodoss there are the more traditional D&D-themed series; Fire Emblem is a short-lived fantasy which was apparently culled from a videogame. There's The Heroic Legend of Arslan, which is an epic fantasy about a young prince and his followers battling evil and injustice; this series though is more of a war drama and concentrates more on politics and army battles rather than dragonslaying.

There are several Final Fantasy anime, based on the obscure chapters of the popular videogame RPG series. Legend of the Crystals was a short OAV, while Final Fantasy Unlimited is a longer TV series. Both have the quirkiness of the FF franchise, mixing technology and cute characters with a darker plot and evil to overcome.

There are loads of fantasy-comedies, such as my favorite long-running Slayers series, concentrating on the adventures of fireball-hurling Lina Inverse. Despite the wacky laughs, sight gags, absurd situations and over-the-top spells, Slayers usually has a serious plot in every season and ends with suitably dark and exciting endgames that will thrill action and fantasy fans. Recent additions to the comedy-fantasy genre include the recent Louie the Rune Soldier and Scrapped Princess (thought the latter is more drama).
Several fantasy anime have mecha elements, such as the popular Escaflowne series (and movie). El Hazard has tech and adds in the tried-and-tested 'schoolkids sent to another dimension' formula for good measure. The same goes with the very Japanese-flavored Inu Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale.
Ironically, D&D trappings are prevalent in many anime titles of the risque flavor, such as the ecchi all-female Megami Paradise and the fantasies of the hentai genre, which I won't talk about here. Heh.

I am sure I've missed a lot of worthy high fantasy anime series, and much more haven't yet seen the light of day outside of Japan. Maybe someday Gonzo or Studio Bones will come out with a new, updated and excellent D&D anime. Till then, I've got a ton of stuff (and other genres) to watch and take my time with anyway.

And if anyone knows where to get VCDs or DVDs of that old anime Paul in Fantasy Land, please let me know.

Zsa Zsa gets Knowledge Power!


Carl talked about what Zsa Zsa stands for.


The segment also featured some nice animated bits.

Yesterday, the afternoon 'science' magazine show Knowledge Power featured a 4-minute feature on Carl Vergara's comic book, Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah. The segment started off with background information on the original Darna komiks by Mars Ravelo and the classic Darna movies of the 70s and 80s. Carl talked about what inspired Zsa Zsa and what she represented; the Filipinos' uncanny ability to just laugh at our troubles despite how strange things can get sometimes. It also represents of course Carl's own contribution to keeping the comic art form alive in the country. Congratulations, Carl!

New Manga Project!


Bespectacled, mild-mannered Jin Dragu and Red-haired Mikoto are the leads of my new manga project, Kunoichi Shonen! (Kunoichi Boy!)


Opposites Attack! Mikoto is very physical in her appearance and personality. Jin is more unassuming, quiet and passive.


When Jin dons the Pink Ninja costume he almost becomes another person.

It sounded crazy when I first thought about it, but now after thinking through the story, drawing the characters and standing back a bit, it now seems to be the start of a really FUN action adventure ninja series with a twist. What I can probably describe as Ninja Scroll meets Ranma 1/2, my new title Kunoichi Shonen (or simply Kunoichi Boy) chronicles the saga of the world's first male kunoichi (ninja woman).

This is my first manga project since Angel Ace that actually stars a MALE lead (even though he'll be dressed as a girl half the time). It is also probably my most Japanese-themed title. I'm aiming more for a fun, fantasy world-type with various elements thrown in as opposed to going for authenticity. So that pretty much means you can expect everything from cyborgs to armored knights to dragons and whatever-comes-to-mind to show up in any of the pages. Combat and tactics, special techniques and quirky strategies will play a major part in the story.

I'm really excited about this project, and it's actually pretty much in the pipes. We'll see how far we can take it.

Upcoming Flicks

There are quite a few good action-adventure films here or coming up in the next few weeks prior to the 'biggies' like Return of the King or Matrix Revolutions. Hope to catch 'em all...
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is the latest installment of the OTHER man vs. machine franchise. It stars, once again, Arnold Schwarzenegger as an old model Terminator sent back in time to protect the human race from a similarly-transported EVIL terminator. Unfortunately, this time around the bad guy's a girl- a Terminatrix, or T-X to be exact. MAJOR action and carnage is expected all around. I've heard good things about this film from a couple of friends who've already seen it. Have to say I really wasn't interested in this flick some time ago. Now I want to see it. Bad.
Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl is a swashbuckling adventure starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush. It has cannon battles, swordfights, babes in corsets, undead pirates, pirate gold and everything a growing boy needs. Don't know yet when this flick hits theaters here in Manila, but I am a-waiting...
Tomb Raider 2: Cradle of Life has totally underwhelmed me with it's boring trailer. But this sequel DOES have Angelina Jolie, whom I'd pay to watch even if she's just having a pedicure... so... Oh well.

Will try to get to see T3 over the weekend, by hook or by crook. Maybe the DVD pirates have a couple of the other films in stock already... Heh...

Anime Pick: Louie the Rune Soldier


A humorous fantasy action adventure awaits with Louie and his babes!

Another cool anime I was able to acquire and watch recently is Louie the Rune Soldier. Seen the first two episodes, and I think this one's a winner like Scrapped Princess.
Set in a D&D type fantasy world, the adventure begins with a trio of female adventurers; Genie is the Kanna Kirishina lookalike who's the team's buffed-up swordswoman, Merill is the cute, underaged, knife-throwing thief and Melissa is a high-ranked priestess. Their party however is missing a mage, so when they meet a roadblock in the form of a magically-sealed door, they set out to find a female wizard to join their company. Unfortunately, all the women wizards in the area are little more than library-lurking dandies. In fact, the only mage willing to go with them is a MAN. His name is Louie, a musclebound goof who's prone to drinking, brawling, offending girls and getting into more trouble than his inadequate magic skills can handle. Yep, in terms of D&D stats, Louie is probably a magic-user with 12 or so INT, and 18(50) STR. Which pretty much means that he's more used to using his fists for punching and his wand for bashing instead of spellcasting. So it's quite understandable that the girls back away from Louie as fast as they can kick him.

But by a quirk of destiny and a seemingly mistaken command from Melissa's god, Louie suddenly becomes the priestess' champion, whom she must serve without fail from now on. Thus Louie eventually does get to adventure with the girls. And incredibly enough, despite his incompetence and horrible magic skills, he just MAY turn out to be a hero after all... or not.

This is a fun, hilarious series that can boast of pretty and colorful visuals, some slick animations and an interesting premise. It's great to see the characters bicker and bash, and Louie's a likeable oaf. Character designs are slightly derivative, but that's to be expected since this series is from Ryo Mizuno, the same creator as the ultra-serious Record of Lodoss War. It's a refreshing change though. Not as wacky as Slayers, but laugh-out-loud funny at times. For lots of beautiful anime babes, two-fisted action and lots of cool D&D-themed adventuring, go on a journey with Louie the Rune Soldier.

Status Quo

A couple of days ago, I felt pretty depressed at my current state. Not that it was miserable; just that it may be wrong or slightly misplaced. However, it seems that I'm either unwilling or unprepared (or both) to make huge changes in how I am living right now. I'll just have to settle with improving what we have right at present. So I've got to keep taking my vitamins, wake up on time and get to work at a reasonable hour, give what's due at the proper time and manner and keep fresh by thinking clearly and being the good ol' normal 'me' for the next couple of months.
Then, if things don't change... maybe something has to be forced to change.

TV Food

Just saw an episode of Survivor: Africa on AXN. A reward challenge was held with a full lunch at stake. The food consisted of scrumptious-looking sandwiches, chips, cookies and cans of ice-cold Mountain Dew. It's made all the more appetizing by the starved stares of desire the contestants are giving the chow, the groans of hunger they make as host Jeff Probst describes the various victuals. Darn. If I didn't just have an upset stomach a little while ago, I'd be hankering for some eats right now... Mmm....

Questor Mangamania #3

I went out to look for a copy of Hainaku! #3, and came back to the office with the third issue of Questor Extreme Mangamania instead. The sister-magazine and manga anthology of the best-selling local manga and anime mag Questor, QEMM comes with four stories of varying genres; the bishoujo-type (girls' comics) romance-comedy-drama Free Spirits by Benedict Bartolome(story) and Vincent John Bernales(art); the comedy-action romp Sidesweepers by Bebert Lacuna, Igor Cabbab(story) and Roland Amago(art) which follows the adventures of futuristic sanitation police force; the supernaturally-themed Cante Ista, with story by David Hontiveros and art by Franklin Quano and Peter Go; and last but not least, the sequel to the well-known Voltez V, the mecha action title Camp Big V by Benedict Bartolome(story) and Kriss Sison(art).
As before, my comments are that it's often hard to distinguish where a story ends and begins, thanks to the light grey tones of the pages. Other than that, the stories appeal to me depending on my interest- Free Spirits, despite being light on action and fan service, is interesting once I get to read it. Cante Ista has great art, but the arcane text and terms lose me... it's vague, but may be rewarding eventually. Right now, it's just too mental. I have to say that I was never a big fan of Voltez V (HERETIC!) but I am interested in seeing how Questor handles this 'sequel' (IS it really a licensed story? No one seems to know yet...). I find the shift from a dramatic action series to a light, humor-filled show ala Gatekeepers is pretty jarring. Anyway, the art is good, with cute faces and well-done mecha designs. Finally, Sidesweepers strikes me as the messiest (which is ironic given that it's about sanitation experts) in terms of art, panelling, dialogue and story. Oh well.

Can't wait for Hainaku to hit the shelves. Want to do more manga. Draw more art. Write more stories. More. MORE. MOOOOOREE!!!! Sigh. Gotta get back to Angel soon...

New Anime Pick: Scrapped Princess


Scrapped Princess is a nice, new quality anime series worth checking out.

I picked up a load of anime yesterday. I've had the chance to watch the first couple of episodes of Scrapped Princess, a new series from Studio Bones(Rahxephon, Wolf's Rain). The story centers on 15-year old Pacifica Casull, a pretty blonde and blue-eyed teen who seems pretty normal. She's a bit spoiled but shy, well-mannered but mischievous, and still learning of love, crushes and life in general. While she would rather want a normal (and at least comfortable) life than anything else, this seems far from reality since she is the one known as the "Scrapped Princess" (or abandoned princess). As dictated by the absolute god Mauser, the SP will, when she turns 16, cause disaster for the world.
To this end, Pacifica was supposedly slain when she was but a baby. Somehow though, she fell into the care of the Casull family, and raised to her present age of 15. Now, she's on the run for her life with her loving stepsiblings. Stepbrother Shannon is a highly-skilled swordsman, while his twin sister Raquel is a magic-user of incredible power. Together, the older Casull siblings watch over and protect Pacifica from hunters and assassins sent by the royal family; notably the members of The Obstinate Arrow, a special military unit. Is Pacifica really destined to cause ruin to the world? Can Shannon and Raquel protect her from the hateful forces that wish her dead? But with Pacifica's ominous destiny hovering over their heads, are they doing the right thing, or endangering the world with their love?
Scrapped Princess has an intriguing premise, and the series is executed with a light but often melancholy mood, interspersing sadness with kindness, hope and determination. Pacifica herself wonders if it would be better if she just died, yet she continues to live thanks to her siblings' utmost faith in her and in the belief that she could never truly hold evil within herself.

The animation is fairly good, with clean, simple but likeable character designs that are more realistic and natural than your average anime (Pacifica actually has small breasts!). Combat and action doesn't seem to be the main point, but when action happens it's cool to see Shannon and Raquel kick butt. As for fan service, there seems to be an abundant amount of scenes with Pacifica bathing, or the girls taking a swim (Yep, this fantasy world has swimsuits and bikinis). Nothing too raunchy or ecchi though.
This series is story and character-driven, with a slow, deliberate pace that seems to revel in revealing the vague plot little by little. There are light moments but the comedy doesn't seem to be wacky or too physical or reliant on SD expressions. For a somewhat unusual and fresh fantasy-drama series that's not all dragonslaying or fireballs, Scrapped Princess may be a nice gem to check out if you can. Find this in better-stocked anime stores in the Metro.

Hai, salamat!


The 3rd issue of PSICOM's mangazine HAINAKU is set for release this month.

Among the new books slated for release on PSICOM's website is the third issue of Hainaku!, their mangazine. Previously featuring reprinted pages from Antarctic Press' earlier comics, this issue features a roster almost entirely (or entirely) of local talent. The issue will feature my new character Game Girl, with art by Honoel Ibardolaza, Nikki Alfar's KC Strange which I did art for, a 5-page article on Manga Creation by yours truly, and several other manga stories care of PSICOM's recent manga contest. The July issue also features Textmen by Nikki, Jason Banico and Armand Canlas.
Hainaku! #3 should be out on magazine stands, comic shops and bookstores soon. Stay tuned!

At a crossroads...

I've reached yet another point in my life where a decision, and a change, is forthcoming. Am I content to stay on the path I am walking at present? Is it what I see myself doing still in the next several years? Is it what I should do? A change may be in order. But this time though, it may not be as simple as finding a new ad agency. Nope. It may very well be a change of occupation and direction entirely.
I've always operated for the past several years in a half mode; writing professionally, yet leaving my artistic talents of drawing and writing stories to the area of hobbie and recreation. This has served me well... until now. Now, I've been posed with a pressing question; where do my true loyalties lie?
It's not an easy decision, and on one hand there's the need for security and a lifestyle to maintain. On the other is uncertainty, but a road that may, with hard work, become rewarding to a limit far greater than what I seem to have reached in my advertising career. I don't think I will ever be a great, consistent CLEO Award-winning copywriter. I don't think I have it in me to become a Creative Director or an Agency bigwig. I may very well never be anything more than an adequate to fairly exceptional copywriter.

But I know I can be a great comic book artist. A writer of fun and enjoyable stories, characters who will captivate and enamor countless readers. It's not too late to keep growing there. The limit is set only by my own courage or fear. And my readiness to invest the effort in it and find the opportunites I can. Perhaps it's time I went into art and comics seriously. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe this is all just BS.

What's sure is that there WILL be changes in my life in the next few months. Whether they are indeed big or small, world-changing or cosmetic... it's yet to be decided.

If I was a smoker, I'd be spewing CLOUDS right now.

But I'm not. I'm guzzling Coke instead. Damn. No sleep again tonight.

Sigh.

Final Fantasy's Angels


Final Fantasy X2 brings together an all-girl trio of adventurers for another romp in the world of Spira.

Three butt-kicking babes. Lots of fighting, leaping, running and even dancing. Globe-hopping adventure. Nope, I'm not talking about a recently-released movie sequel. This time it's a videogame sequel- the first ever sequel to a Final Fantasy title (Producer Square of Japan has been notoriously adamant about never 'digging' into a game once it's finished). It's Final Fantasy X2, a revisiting of the watery world of Spira and the continuing adventures of former Summoner and savior of the world, Yuna.
Spoiler Warning!
When we left the crew of Final Fantasy X, the heroes had just saved the world from Sin. In doing so, however, they paid a huge price... most of all the main heroine, Yuna. Despite saving the planet, an emptiness resided in her heart and her life did not end happily at that point. In the Japanese-only Final Fantasy X International, we learn that Yuna is still pining for the love she lost, even years after the end of the battle against Sin. One day, a mysterious holosphere (something like a videotape) gives her a glimmer of hope. But can it be? Can Tidus, her lost love, be alive somehow?
Since then, Yuna has shed her conservative Summoner robes and donned the less cumbersome and far hotter outfit of a Sphere Hunter (that's the hot pants costume that's been seeing a lot of exposure recently, and getting fans all a-gaga). She's joined with her cousin and comrade Rikku, their Al Bhed clansmen and a new girl named Paine to become an up-and-coming Sphere Hunter team, scouring the world for artifacts of the past in their cool Celsius airship.
I got my hands on a Japanese version of the game to check out the gameplay. It's similar to previous FF games, but instead of a single, long term adventure, it seems that gameplay is broken up into 'missions' which you may apparently take or set aside at your own pace. Basically though, missions have you entering an area and then exploring it, fighting monsters and gaining experience. And while you do meet several party members from the first game, you will only have the team of YuRiPa (Yuna, Rikku, Paine) to control the whole game.

Fighting is still turn-based (what a friend of mine calls a 'slap match') but this time is given a realtime element; each combatant has an ATB or active time gauge which dictates when that character can move. Monsters and enemies will have gauges as well, and they will NOT wait for you before attacking. This gives combat a bit more of an interactive feel... not much, but it's there.
Another addition is a run-and-jump element. Yuna (your onscreen avatar) must now jump or climb across various obstacles to reach certain places. Thankfully this seems more of a novelty and has really no consequence aside from showing Yuna do some stunts ala Tomb Raider.

A far more important aspect added to gameplay is the Dress Up Spheres, which seem to replace the lost Guardian Forces and Aeons from the past games. All three of your characters can switch into various roles/occupations which have their own powers. There are gunners, who use pistols for ranged attacks, swordwielding warriors, agile thieves and even, get this, a teen idol singer (FFX2's answer to a bard) who literally dances her enemies to death. Heh.
Changing dresses in combat shows off a suitably flashy transformation sequence, which is cool only for the first few times you see it (thankfully you can turn off the animations in the option menu).

This is really just a light-hearted side-story and epilogue to the first FFX game, tying up the loose ends, showing off some nice graphics and quite a bit of fan service. The action is fast and exciting, and like the main characters it's all very pretty to look at... I have to say though that Rikku's ultra-chirpy voice is just too much... Ugh...

Fans of FF, and particularly FFX will definitely want to see this one. It's a bit girly and a bit too Japanese-y but who cares? It's fun. The US version is slated for a November release, which is still a ways off. From what I have seen so far, it should be worth the wait.

CG Choose Your Own Adventure

Remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books? These things were all the rage when I was in high school. FYI, they were books you read according to choices presented to you at various points. Each choice led to a corresponding page and various consequences. CYOA was the main brand; soon after, copycats and variants emerged, such as the somewhat more noir-ish and dark Which Way books, the dice-required Fighting Fantasy books (my favorites were Deathtrap Dungeon, Warlock of Firetop Mountain and Forest of Doom) and the educational Time Machine books. And of course, who can forget the fully-illustrated Be An Interplanetary Spy! books (which came with 'over a hundred videogames'- really just puzzles using pixellated graphics)? Well, times have changed and now the interactive story has moved into the realm of video.

Last weekend me, Vin, Dean and Gig got to sample (via a sampler DVD included in a gaming mag) the upcoming Interactive DVD entitled Dungeons and Dragons: The Scourge of Worlds. Basically it's a CG movie based in the fantasy RPG setting of Greyhawk. You take the 'roles' of a party of adventurers who meet up with a powerful cleric friend. After you help him battle the summoned creatures of an evil mage, your story branches out to various paths. Will you take your friend back to the temple that paid you to find him? Or will you accompany him on a dangerous mission?
Featuring some nice CG animation (It's no Animatrix though), the story was fun and had all of us laughing or gasping and voting on what choice we should take. We all decided it would make a GREAT party game or DVD, and we made Vinnie promise to order the full DVD when it comes out later.

Heh. There's still a bit of RPG gamer in me yet...

Hottah-Hottah!

HOT. Gosh-darned freakin' HOT.

I went out of the climate-controlled confines of the office to get lunch. Inevitably my Cubao-bought rubber shoes took me on a round trip of Makati. I went over to the demilitarized zone (AKA Makati Cinema Square) and ate lunch at KFC. It was crowded and HOT and I ordered spaghetti with HOTshots and a chicken burger. The ice-cold Pepsi was like nectar from Olympus as it went down my throat. Too bad it went like fuel for SUVs; By the time I finished my food I only had a gulp and a half left in the tumbler. For some reason I didn't get another shot when my throat was still begging for MORE cold stuff.
Went down to the place where the bootlegs were sold and found it mostly deserted. Probably there were recent raids. Still, I found several sellers and one guy was even setting up the DVDs when I was about to leave. Alas, while there were newly-burned copies of Charlie's Angels Full Throttle, I ignored them. I was looking for The Real Cancun. Oh well.

HOT. DAMN HOT. I was sweating like an ice cold softdrink bottle but without the ice or the cold. When I exited the Square I found out it had rained, and everything was wet.

A while ago it was Dry and HOT. Now it was Wet and HOT. The loosed steam from the baked asphalt, now hit with rainwater, radiated heat in waves.
I hopped onto a jeep BACK across the world to Glorietta. Looked around at Park Square and honestly got tempted into getting a copy of Sex Drive with Maui Taylor and Katya Santos. Hey, the story seemed interesting. Heh.
Passed by Datablitz and saw that two anticipated expansion sets for two popular PC games were available; Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Unrelentide and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

Walked back into Glorietta and bought a copy of the latest Electronic Gaming Monthly. Sure, I get all my videogaming information from the net, but as I always say, you can't bring the PC into the loo. Mags have their uses.
For my last stop I went by 2Rats anime and checked for new stuff. Interestingly enough they have VCDs of the first and second seasons of Alias, episodes of Smallville and other odds and ends. With Oh! My Goddess the Movie playing I looked at their lists and saw... nothing of interest. Oh well. Back to base then.

Finally got back to the cool interior of the office, the comfort of my workstation and the comfiness of the chair. Just have to spend a couple more hours here and then it's off to the comic shop for the weekly bloodletting. Unless the stocks are delayed, that is. Whatever.

Whew. Need a drink. I really need a drink.

Tired.

And it's only the beginning of the week. Not a good sign.
Didn't go to work on Monday because of a bad back. Today, I shuffled to the office, did some chores and then had dinner at Sushi Mart in Megamall with Vin, and then later Carl and Cams. Vin and I finally met Charles of Shadows of a Stalker in person. Took home a box of my new favorite donuts. Mmmm.

Tomorrow will hopefully be more cheery, with new comics and stocks coming in. Expecting the latest Official Xbox Magazine and some other odds and ends.

Which Matrix character am I?

EH? The Hell..?!


You are Trinity, from "The Matrix."
Strong, beautiful- you epitomize the ultimate
heroine.


What Matrix Persona Are You?
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Ninja Scroll TV series, Part Deux


A new adventure for invincible Kibagami Jubei, and more super ninjas to kill.

If you want it hard enough, anything is possible.

Without knowing if I was searching in vain or not, I went to Greenhills today looking particularly for VCDs or DVDs of the much-awaited Ninja Scroll TV Series, or Jubei Ninpucho: Chapter of the Dragon Treasure Ball. It was only when I searched for and found the last anime shop on my list did my effort bear fruit. I came away with VCDs of episode 1-2 and 5-6 (If all goes well, I will get episodes 3-4 and 7-8 tomorrow). I also brought home a large number of episodes of the pretty boy action series, Getbackers.
Anyway, I have watched the first two NS episodes, and I have to say that I am satisfied. Predictably, the TV series does not reach the lofty heights of the original film, given that it's a TV series which cuts down any violence, sex and high-quality animation. As it was though, the NS TV series is quite exceptionally well-animated, with nice colors and a somewhat unusual and interesting visual style. Animations of the fight scenes are fluid and nicely-done, if short since the fights between Jubei and the various mutant ninja he encounters are pretty short. The series also features a totally original voice cast, who do their roles predictably well (Japanese voices are always very expressive and expertly performed).


Fans of the original Ninja Scroll film should recognize the return of the 'view of a fight from behind a window grill' shot.

The series takes place after the film, apparently, and sees our man Jubei Kibagami- rogue mercenary swordsman and ninja extraordinaire- getting involved again in the battles between two factions of super-powered ninja weirdos. Now, when I say weirdos, I mean WEIRDOS. In the first episode we see a masked beastman ninja, an old ninja with a spider stuck to his face who can shoot out webbing, a laughing (Ki-ki-ki...) freak who rides around on a giant parasol (pretty cool, actually), a naked woman who can unleash hordes of lamprey-like creatures from her body and a GIANT TRANSFORMING CAR ninja. In episode two we are introduced to a sexy cat-girl ninja, a slow and ponderous tower of skulls-headed ninja and a burrowing beast ninja. I'm having the time of my life! Heh.
Unfortunately, despite the cool and whacked-out designs, the enemies are quite mortal and easily dispatched- perhaps too easily. Jubei has gained a new skill since the original movie, the power to slash at enemies from afar by drawing his sword from his scabbard at high speed, causing the very wind to cut at his targets. This makes fights pretty short but bloody sweet. I just wished the cat girl lasted a bit longer though...


From L-R: Cat girl ninja Nekome is fast and furious. The Skull Tower ninja is cross between a mummy and a Russian doll, while the girl with the exotic hair has powers over plants.

The main point of the story seems to be centered on a young girl named Shigure and a mysterious little bauble that Jubei gets a hold of early on. The ninja clans clashing include a sect called the Hirukoshu and the Kimonshu (the latter apparently being the same sect to which the Eight Devils from the movie belonged to). Jubei takes on the quest to see that the bauble gets reunited with the girl, and so the fight goes on. More bloody fights and strange ninja are expected aplenty before this 13-episode series ends.
For a TV series, Ninja Scroll TV has quite a high body count and a lot of blood flowing. The story is completely new (though there are references to the original and a recurring character in Dakuan the monk) which may disappoint some, but any fan of the movie will surely enjoy seeing the unusual villain designs and the sight of Jubei kicking butt again. With just the first two episodes, I am bloody satisfied. Heh.

Waiting for December...


Drool.

At about three hours or so, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is supposedly the best of the epic trilogy, and probably the last BIG movie to arrive this year, or the first in 2004. I expect HUGE battle scenes, and of course changes to the original books and the early animated versions with a probably manifestation of Sauron, a different fate for Saruman the White from the books, and more. This is going to be AWESOME.

Ninja Scroll TV series

When you think of ninja in history, you think of Japanese guys dressed all in black pajamas, those funny toed-socks (tabi) and masks. They bounce around and throw flash and smoke bombs and do crazy flips. In the Capcom Streetfighter games, ninja are deadly kunai (dagger) and shuriken (throwing star) throwing fighters who wear baggy pants, cloth wraps and compete in world fighting competitions. In my Angel Ace manga, ninja are sexy killer babes who wear skimpy bikinis. Well, we were all wrong. Dead wrong. Well, at least according to Ninja Scroll.

In the world of Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Ninja Scroll, ninja means weirdo. Or mutant. Or monster. In the classic 1993 anime movie, we saw the Eight Devils of Kimon, eight ninja who ranged from a giant who can transform into a rock-skinned behemoth to an effeminate assassin who uses silken cords to strangle and electrocute people. Or there was that weirdo who looked like Quasimodo with a beehive in place of a hump on his back. Weird stuff. Well, the new Ninja Scroll TV series (Jubei Ninpucho: Chapter of the Dragon Treasure Ball) has even freakier villains to throw at you.
Yep, in Ninja Scroll, ninjas are alien-like beings who often take on beastly or animalistic aspects. Or have inexplicably cybernetic implants and prosthesis. Or have powers of magic or over nature. And they wear everything from armor to robes to skimpy thongs and even less (for the ladies). Now THESE are ninja. Heh.

The Ninja Scroll TV series started airing in Japan's WOWOW channel some time ago, and will run for 13 episodes. The story is set after the original movie, and will feature the same hero, Jubei Kibagami the wandering invincible masterless ninja warrior. Aside from Jubei the sly, shriveled monk/government spy Dakuan will also appear, but sadly (but not surprisingly) the departed Kagero will not be making an appearance.
The story concerns a powerful icon known as the Dragon Orb, and how two powerful and deadly ninja clans are vying for possession of it. One of these clans is supposedly the Kimon Clan, whose scions were Jubei's opponents in the movie.
So far I haven't yet gotten my grubby paws on the episodes, but I have seen the official Japanese website and the various designs for the characters. Let me say right now that the various monster ninja that will appear in many of the episodes (many of the episodes feature at least one to three ninja weirdos introduced) are wild and stay quite close to the over-the-top baddies from the movie. We're talking things like a GIANT TRANSFORMING CAR ninja, a WILD CAT GIRL ninja, a ONE-EYED CYBORG ninja, a SPIDER MUMMY ninja and MORE. Whew.

As for the sex and violence, we probably can't expect the same magnitude as the movie, but suffice to say that the blood will flow when Jubei meets his victims- er, enemies, in battle. Ninja Scroll TV series should appeal greatly to fans of samurai/ninja films, action anime and of course, fans of the movie. I'll be giving this a proper review when I get hold of DVDs or VCDs. Soon, soon...

New King of Donuts Krowned

I love donuts. Donuts rock. There's a popular story here in my ad agency where an award-winning creative agency suddenly got mediocre after their favorite donut shop closed down. So, donuts are creative inspirations too.

Anyway, there are two major donut shops in the Metro; Dunkin Donuts and Mister Donut. Dunkin Donuts will always have my good favor thanks to their yummy donuts (which are never too sweet but taste just right) and savoury fare which include delicious bunwiches and croissant sandwiches. These make great merienda or breakfast fare.
Mister Donut has always been around (Remember that ditty, 'Hey Mister that's a donut...') but many of their do's are pale imitations of DD's versions, especially their gaudy cake donuts.
Well, that's all turned around with the recent introduction of their Kreamy Krowns line. These donuts are cake-quality delicious pastries, topped with icing and having just the right amount of sweetness, crusty dough, and chewy goodness. Donuts par excellence! Variants include karamel krown, bavarian, chocolate, candy sprinkled and more.
As far as I know, Mister Donut has enjoyed brisk sales since they released the new line, spruced up their outlets and released a TV commerical. Hope the Kreamy Krowns stay for a while. My sweet tooth's aching for more. Heh.

Got to remember to take home another box in case the one I got yesterday's been devoured by the folks. They're that damn good.

Bloodletting and a new Gonzo anime

After a night of eating siopao and curry pork, I queued up for the weekly ritual of bloodletting at Comic Quest. I went away with only two items… though they were pretty heavy items (both literally and for price): the latest issues of Newtype USA and Previews. The Newtype issue as ever comes with a free DVD with some anime previews, and tons of features and goodies like an X poster and a Full Metal Panic Chidori Kanami pull-out and postcards of SCRYed.

The articles inside include an in-depth look at Gainax (makers of Evangelion) and a first peek at images from the live-action Evangelion film being worked on by WETA Workshop (the special FX house of Peter Jackson for the Lord of the Rings films). All the images were illustrations by WETA’s talented artists, notably a look at Sohryu Asuka Langley's red plug suit design, a view of submerged cityscapes, the Eva docking bays and the insides of NERV headquarters. Cool and very close to the anime’s imagery. I am actually thinking that this live-action Eva movie might not be such a bad thing after all. We’ll see…

Tonight I am looking forward to getting my hands on VCDs of Last Exile, the latest anime series from Gonzo (Blue Submarine No. 6, Gatekeepers, Vandread) that Vin was able to find a source for. The story is still unclear, but LE is set in a world currently being wracked by a war between two great fleets and armies. In the midst of these mammoth conflicts, a young pilot named Lavi and her co-pilot ply the unfriendly skies as couriers. What lies in their future and the future of their world? The animation of LE is impressive, with truly majestic air fleets and imagery that is reminiscent of Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind, World War I naval, army and air battles, and the distinct quality of Gonzo for mixing traditional with CG animation. This looks special. Truly special indeed. Want those VCDs. Gotta get them all!

Battle Royale 2: A Royale Disappointment?

I have to say that I am a total fan of the late Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale. It was a glorious heroic sacrifice/ black humor / action film, mixing an absurd but compelling premise with superb direction, writing and imagery. FYI, BR was all about a nightmarish future Japan where the generation-gap conflict has reached a terrible level. Every year, high school students are sent off to an island where each one is strapped on with an explosive necklace. In three days, the students must kill each other until only one remains, or ALL of them die.
What made the original BR so great was the character interactions of the young students; cliques and seemingly in-control gangs of friends became free-for-all gunfights, lone geeks became cold killers, crushes killed crushes, evil bitches became evil killer bitches and more. Wonderful! It was also a kick figuring out who would survive to the end. The premise and the seemingly hopeless scenario pointed to a bleak end which was part of the movie's gripping pace.
And so, when I heard that BR was going to have a sequel, I was ecstatic. However, the second film seems to have had a jinx on it, primarily from the death of the original director. Mr. Fukasaku's son, Kenta, took over the chair, and the sequel, Battle Royale 2: Requiem, will be hitting Japanese theaters soon.

Unfortunately, I have read a report from Ain't It Cool News that a reliable source who has watched a sneak preview has given a pretty negative review. Given the lofty quality of the first film, I am not totally surprised, but I am disappointed. I still want to see the film for myself.
Anyway, Battle Royale 2 supposedly continues the story from the original. Shuya Nanahara, the survivor from the first movie, has become the leader of a terrorist group known as Wild Seven. After a particularly terrible act of destruction, Shuya's band gets targetted for liquidation. The government sends in a class of armed high school students from the BR Program to take Wild Seven out. Then, the government sends in the real army to finish anyone left standing. Will there be any survivors this time? Will the movie itself survive?

According to the reviewer, the film's use of drama and whimpering, crying kids is now tiresome, and characters are no longer as interesting as in the first film; everyone is a victim and the action and bloodshed comes out as cheezy, with a big scene seeming to be a rip-off of from Saving Private Ryan. There also seems to be an unhealthy amount of political agenda and philosophical gobbledy-goo. Yipe.

Whatever. Still need to see it for myself anyway... You can check out the BR2 article here.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle


The angels are back in a rock 'em, sock 'em sequel!

For a moment there, I thought I wasn't going to make it. There was a bit of a wrinkle at work which had me on my toes for a while. Thankfully though, just past 6:30 PM I was on a bus, and then the MRT, to Megamall for the premiere showing of Full Throttle. Having learned our lesson from the Hulk premiere, we trooped up to the cinema floor right after seven for the 7:30 show. Unfortunately we had to wait quite a bit in line and then at our seats... but at least this time we were together and we HAD seats. Too bad Carl wasn't able to come, and Vin missed part of the show. Well, we spent at least a half hour listening to commercials (including one for a contact lens brand that had wrong grammar), eating salty popcorn and guzzling down root beer from my Full Throttle tumbler.
Thankfully, there was no program, no giving away of crappy prizes, or inane deejays with fake English accents. The national anthem rolled, and we were into the trailers, and into the movie.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a sequel to the original Charlie's Angels movie starring Drew Barrymore as spunky bad girl Dylan (who is also the movie's producer), Cameron Diaz as the ditzy genius Natalie and Lucy Liu as the brainy ultracompetent Alex. The three of them are the present Charlie's Angels, a team of superhumanly-strong, agile and talented female investigators/martial artists/secret agents working for a mysterious, never-seen billionaire.
This time around, the Angels are on a mission involving the theft of two titanium rings which contain encrypted data of a very sensitive nature. Aided by a new Bosley (a liaison officer between them and Charlie) played by comedian Bernie Mac, the Angels go on a whirlwind of infiltration, recovery, surveillance and protection missions which involve a murderous Irish mobster named Seamus, (who has ties to Dylan's past), crooked law enforcers, various criminal families and a former Angel named Madison Lee (played to the steamy hilt by the bikini-clad goddess herself, Miss Demi Moore).
The first Charlie's Angels movie was an over-the-top action movie that really didn't take itself too seriously. The martial arts action was cartoony but unabashedly fun, and the girls' skills and talents (you could almost call them POWERS) were so ultracompetent it was almost silly. In Full Throttle however, everything gets REVVED up to eleven.
That pretty much means that the movie walks (no, cartwheels is a better word) a fine line between total madcap humor and a thinly-veiled self-parody. There are lots of homages, notably a hilarious bow to the hit TV series CSI, Flashdance, Terminator 2, Michael Bay films and tons more. The girls' dialogue (which is quite silly but inexplicably enjoyable) is now more overtly comedic, fast and furious, and the action is even more over the top. Aside from your usual martial arts battles with brutish thugs there are motorcycle assassinations, sexy surfboarding, steamy dance numbers, classic tunes, countless fetish outfits, totally unexpected cameos and some quite vicious babefights.

What makes it all work is the fever-pitch pace that the action and setpieces roar on, with few but well-placed pauses and breathers (which I used to effect since I unwisely had two full tumblers of soda). While the first movie kinda slowed in between the pivotal fight and action scenes, Full Throttle throws action, snappy dialogue, lots of hit-and-miss jokes, sexual innuendo, fan service and more action at you so fast you just have to gasp, hang on and enjoy the ride. Of course, Oscar performances aren't really being looked for in this film, but I have to say the frenetic energy of the cast is pretty infectious and they do seem to be having fun. Have to give special mention to Justin Theroux's Seamus (he looks like a bad-ass, pumped-up Jim Carrey!) as Dylan's seemingly unkillable and evil former flame, Crispin Glover's recurring Thin Man assassin (one of the favorites from the first film) and Demi Moore's bad-ass Fallen Angel End Boss character.

Any flaws? Well, one thing I have to say is that the print of the film shown seemed kinda off and blurry (not really THAT bad, but noticeable). Another thing is that the Angels often have not-too-telegenic angles; despite this, you just have to love how the three leads just give their performances their all. The only other iffy thing is how steamy some of the sequences are, which kinda make me squirm in the same vein as some racy anime do when I watch them WITH other people...

But in effect, that IS what Full Throttle is; a live-action anime movie and a sign that the Charlie's Angels crew has gotten a lot more comfortable in the Hong Kong cheezy kung-fu genre that they are tapping into. Which pretty much results in a loud, crass, funny, silly and thoroughly enjoyable laugh and kick a minute movie.

Watch it! And bring your friends!

Want this on DVD. And hope there are deleted scenes with Demi Moore in that bikini... Heh...

Some Extras:

This just in... Look for cameos by Carrie Fisher and an original Angel.

Useless Trivia: One of Demi Moore's goons is played by a guy named Charles Townsend. (Heh) Extreme sports stars Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, Carey Hart and real-life OIympic gymnastic coach Bela Karolyl appear as themselves in the movie.

Rage of Angels

Tonight, if all goes well, the gang will be watching the premiere of the new Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. This sequel reunites the three female leads from the first babefest; Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz. Bill Murray has ditched the production, so the role of Bosley has been filled up by comedian Bernie Mac. Also returning are Matt LeBlanc as Lucy Liu's love interest and Crispin Glover, who will apparently reprise his role as 'The Thin Man', the seemingly mute and deadly hitman/enforcer from the first film. Oh, and of course, last but not least is the exceedingly gorgeous Demi Moore, who takes the lead baddie role of Madison, a Fallen Angel.
With luck, tonight will be a night of extreme stunts, martial arts wirework and CG magic, lots of explosions and a bikini-clad Ms. Moore. Yummy. Heh-heh.

Damn Good Eggs

I had to come in early today because I needed to have some concepts approved by my boss, who's leaving for a whole day meeting. Had to wake up early and hitch with my sister to work. Yawn. Anyway, one of the pleasures of going to work early is breakfast at McDonald's. Yep, the hamburgers may taste bland compared to other local burger chains, but McDo's breakfast chow is TOPS. My total favorite is their Big Breakfast meal, which consists of course of a savoury sausage patty, a couple of soft muffins and fluffy, soft, mild-flavored scrambled eggs... which are bar none the best scrambled eggs I know. Mmmmm. Heh.

Another Grudge

The first Juon (Translated as "The Grudge") was a VERY creepy Japanese horror film in the vein of Ringu that we posted about months ago. Juon was about a haunted house with several really spine-chilling and freaky sights, and watching the first movie's trailer made my office reverberate with screams from the women who saw it. Heh.
Anyway, Juon is destined for a Hollywood remake like Ringu. But while that's still in the making, the sequel, Juon 2, is set to hit Japan this August. It looks like the spirits are back... Click here to see the new creepy trailer...

The Future of Harry Potter (Possible Spoiler)

After the seven or so years at Hogwarts, will the saga of The Boy Who Lived end? Not so, it seems. There will be a series of books chronicling Harry's years after he graduates as a full-fledged wizard and faces his lifelong-nemesis, Voldemort.

Spoiler!

The books will focus on an older Harry returning to Hogwarts as a teacher for the Defense Against Dark Arts, and on the various lives and interactions of his class, which consists of various interesting personalities and characters. The tone of this sequel series will be lighter and more comedic than the original books. According to sources, the series will be entitled, Welcome Back, Potter.

End of Spoiler.
...

Moving on... Moving on...

International Heroes


"Mahbuhay! My name is Angel Ace and I'm from the Fiesta Islands known as THE PHILIPPINES!"

A webpage called International Heroes was brought to my attention by Carl over the weekend. It's a database-style webpage which is putting together comic book characters and titles from all over the world. Aside from the US and Canada, the countries featured include India, China, Australia, Japan, Italy, France, The UK and more. It looks pretty new and recent, but since it includes my very own Angel Ace, I can't complain. Heh. Anyway, if you wanna see what kind of superheroes the Aussies or the Indians have, go and visit the site here.

Imprisoned



Instead of continuing my paladin's adventures in Baldur's Gate II, inking comic book pages or ogling bikini-clad babes lolling around at a poolside, I spent the day locked up in the cold silence of the Sanctum, reading Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban. I have to say, this third book in the series is so far the best; I've read the first book and watched the second movie (which is pretty close to the second book, I've heard).
I literally could not put it down as I read the gripping storyline chronicling Mr. Potter's third year of adventures at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. New characters like the sinisterly-named Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, an intense, well-paced storyline mixing suspense, revelations about Harry's past and a great ending made this a thoroughly enjoyable read. Gasp... does this make me a Potterhead? Well, I won't be replacing my manga projects with Harry Potter fanfics anytime soon, at least. Heh. Anyway, I will probably be lurking around bookstores within the week for a copy of the next book, Goblet of Fire. Which means I will be probably getting myself a copy of Order of the Pheonix very soon...

Expecto Patronum!

Potty Training

I don't consider myself a Harry Potter fan, though I did attempt to get the books a year or two ago. I bought and read the first one, then bought the second one, which was promptly borrowed by a friend but never returned. I have seen the movies though (Not horrible, not incredible but good) and the general consensus is that the second volume of the Potter series isn't too hot. Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire are supposed to be a lot better, and with the excitement over the release of the latest book, Order of the Pheonix, I am intrigued. I am actually considering getting myself the Potter library en masse, so I don't feel out of the loop when the Potties (Vin and Gig, I think) start talking about the latest Hogwarts Hullaballoo.

If I have cash left over after my Greenhills forays, we'll see...

Weekend Odds and Ends and an Odd Ending...

Watched the last two episodes of the Charlie's Angels animated shorts online. The whole series is really pretty comical and ridiculously over the top and Saturday cartoon-simple... imagine my surprise to realize that instead of being just based on the movies, the cartoons are an actual, literal prequel to the movie. Yep, the last episode of the Animated Angels ends hanging with a 'To Be Continued in Theaters Everywhere' message. Those crappy cartoons are actually directly linked to the Full Throttle movie! This does not bode well... is the movie as cartoony as the prequel?! AAGH!

Anyway, I was also able to finish the requirement for our group's little writing workshop. I can enter the weekend with the prospect of inking pages for Angel Ace, starting the "Buffy" project, getting some much-needed oversleeping and a trip to Greenhills. Still intend to keep spending down though. I've actually collected a huge pile of comics that have as yet gone unread: Marvel's The Ultimate Avengers 1st TPB and all the 2nd story arc issues, about ten or so issues of Elektra, the latest Blade of the Immortal, the 3-issue New X-Men 'Murder at the Mansion' story, The Thundercats Return limited series, Powers: Supergroup TPB, the first two issues of Demonslayer: An Eye for an Eye and the first Chobits Graphic Novel. Whew! Gotta start reading these goodies soon... If I can tear myself away from Baldur's Gate II, that is...

At long last, a Food Post

Had a late lunch at The Green Tomato, the resident pasta place here at the office. They ran out of my favorite Sausage Special (you get a pasta dish of your choice with a BIG German sausage on the side), so I opted for the Pizza combo. I ordered my usual Bolognese, and was pleased to get it with Heaps of meat sauce. YUM. It was so savoury and filling that I just had to stroll over to the nearby Favorito ice cream stand and get some dessert. Strawberry. Mmmm.