Action Anime


Martial arts, sexy babes and romance abound in Tenjou Tenge.

In the wake of Ikki Tousen comes another sexy martial arts anime. Tenjou Tenge is adapted from the long-running manga of the same name. The story revolves around Todou High School, a place that specializes in martial arts. Enter Nagi Souchirou and Bob Makuhara, two transferees and veteran fighters who live to fight stronger and stronger opponents. Upon entering though, they soon discover that Todou's reputation for having the strongest and most powerful fighters is very, very true. Soon after arriving, Nagi finds himself getting a fiancee' in the sexy and somewhat air-headed Aya Natsumi, a kendo warrior and heir to a centuries-old fighting family, meeting Aya's older sister Maya, who normally appears as a grade-school kid but can transform into a voluptious babe for battle, and getting beat up by Mitsuomi Takayanagi, Maya's student and also an awesome fighter. Soon, Nagi and Bob's antics attract the attention of other forces in Todou...
The manga version of Tenjou Tenge had tons of raunchy sex, and this seems to be toned down a lot in the animated series. However, the fighting action seems intact, with hard-hitting action that is far superior to Ikki Tousen and other similar anime. The series has martial arts in spades, fan service and humor that should appeal to fans of these kinds of shows. I'm hooked from the first two episodes. Now, if only I was sure how to correctly pronounce the title...

Close Call

Last night, after getting dropped off at my usual bound-for-home point, I may have had a brush with the dark side of men. Maybe.
It was a little before 2 AM, and there I was, waiting for a cab. At that late/early hour, there was almost no one about... except for several men walking my way from down the road.

They were dressed as the usual layabouts on the street, and looked either they had a bit too much to drink, or sniff. Aside from their raggedy appearance, there were some telltale signs that made me wince. As they approached, a dog started barking. Animals are usually good detectors of danger, and I think at this point it was dead on.
One of the men seemed to move a bit faster than the others, while the rest hung back. I watched from the side of my eyes as the first ruffian slowly moved past me, without a doubt casing me as well. The others were fast approaching. I was, in effect, being surrounded.

Now the last thing I wanted was to be in the midst of unsavoury, dark and silent strangers who looked like they were either drunk or high. Even less, these guys were too quiet. You could feel their malevolence in their approach. So, without another second to lose, I walked across the street to a nearby 24-hour convenience store. I walked in, made a half-hearted pass through the aisles and then looked to the door. I think one of the men- the one who passed me- followed me into the store. A seedy-looking guy entered the store, and immediately you could see that the convenience store people were on alert, watching him. I left the store and crossed the street. The other men where standing nearby, but seemed to be out of range. Finally, an empty taxi came and I flagged it down.

The cab was one of those CB-networked cabs- it made me feel safe enough to talk to the driver about the men, and my almost-maybe-mugging encounter. He agreed that I had done the right thing- in any case times were dangerous and no one can be too careful. I got home and paid the man extra for taking part in getting me out of peril's way, went into the Sanctum and contemplated the evil that men do.

And then I watched Animax.

Hellboy


Ron Perlman stars as the devilish hero with the Hand of Doom.

I needed a break. After feeling a headache and feeling dizzy at the office the whole day, I went out at quitting time and found myself making a beeline for Glorietta 4's cinemas. I had dinner at World Chicken and had myself the delicious grilled chicken with tuna pasta, mashed potatoes and garlic rice- an old favorite several years ago when I was in another agency. Sated and refreshed, I entered the theater for my first movie in many, many weeks.

Spoiler Warning!

Hellboy is based on the comic by Mike Mignola, a comic that I have known about for years but have never really read. The movie stars Ron Perlman (Vincent in the Beauty and the Beast TV series) as Hellboy, a young demon adopted by the brilliant and kind Professor Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm (John Hurt) during World War II and now serving as a protector of mankind against supernatural dangers.
The movie shows (in a somewhat overlong sequence) Hellboy's origin and the beginning of the main threat- the plot of mystic Grigori Rasputin (Karel Roden) to free some tentacled, Lovecraftian demon gods from another dimension.

Fast forward to present day; Rasputin returns thanks to the efforts of his cronies: cold, immortal Aryan beauty Ilsa (Bridget Hodson) and the deadly clockwork blade-swinging zombie assassin Kroenen (Ladislav Beran). Naturally, they start setting their delayed plan into motion once again.

Meanwhile, Hellboy's a bit older now- 60 years older in human years but only a teenager in demon time. He's the primary agent of the B.P.R.D., the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, an MIB-like agency that battles things that "go bump in the night." Along with H.B. are Abe Sapien(voiced by David Hyde-Pierce), a telepathic amphibian creature, and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a young woman with pyrokinetic abilities. Joined by John Myers (Rupert Evans), a recently-transferred FBI agent, the freaks for freedom battle tentacled monsters from destroying the world.

Hellboy has a lot of good things going for it; perfect casting for the titular character (Ron Perlman IS Hellboy!), cool SFX and CG all around, lots of opportunities for body-slamming, wall-smashing action, creepy monsters and dastardly villains, and in the middle of it all, a hero with filed-off horns, a big stone hand and the heart and angst of a teenager.

However, the film lets down a bit with a somewhat dragging pace that had me just wishing that the movie would just hurry to the good parts I knew were there even though it was my first time to see it. Most of the action and fight scenes, while showing off cool effects, don't have the oomph I was expecting- this was especially apparent in scenes showing off the ultra-cool Kroenen. Hellboy's answer to Darth Maul dazzles with the expected martial-artsy swordplay, but the climactic fight with H.B. just seemed to lack impact. In fact, the whole endgame was kinda... blah. Not boring. Hell, no. Just... not as great as I thought it would be.

This is pretty much how it is with the whole movie; the support characters are interesting but don't register as much as Hellboy himself- support characters like Abe and Liz don't see too much action, and neither do lead villains Grigori or Ilsa- they just seem to drift in and out with little depth and purpose. The BPRD isn't too formidable as an agency- all the agents seem to be as perishable as your garden variety Star Trek 'red shirts'. So the movie seems to be really heavy with Hellboy versus tentacled demon action, and little else of much consequence. H.B. may have a Big Frickin' Gun and the Hand of Doom, but a better-paced script would have caused more impact.

In the end, I liked Hellboy, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would- perhaps I should have lowered my expectations. There's certainly a lot of room for improvement in a sequel, which is almost certain given the film's success at the box office. Anyway, maybe this latest comics-to-movie will grow on me; I'll most probably catch it again with the gang this weekend.

New Art

The variety of art styles used in the upcoming K.I.A special is truly a sight to see. The latest submissions show off this range excellently

Karen 'Katch' Cheung hasn't had as much exposure as others in the lineup, but her potential and talent are obvious to see with her unique, distinct style and strong lines. I wrote 'Freedom' to be a pivotal story in the anthology, and I think it's done great justice with the finished pages. I can't wait to see this in the final book.


'Freedom', written by yours truly, art by Karen 'Katch' Cheung.


'Under the Influence', written by Nikki Alfar, art by Andrew Drilon.

Andrew Drilon is one of the most promising young writers and artists in the gang today, showing off his depth and talent in indie publications and the recently-released Siglo: Freedom. Now, we get to see him do sexy action! Nikki Alfar wanted her story to have a unique look this time around and that's exactly what she's getting. I'm pretty happy with the first batch of pages Andrew's given, and can't wait for the rest.

More as this develops. This is fun. Heh.

Ghosts Revisited

This morning, I came to the seminar early in anticipation of the day's work. I met up with my office's administrator and chatted with her about the supernatural occurences at our present digs. As I've posted before, there have been some eerie stuff going on at our office. There have been some rumors of sightings of spirits, something not unexpected since the building is the site of several terrible fatal accidents.
Our administrator lady told me the first eerie encounter with the scariest apparition; The Bloody Man. It happened some months ago, when she was doing an ocular inspection of the floor. As she was standing near the hallway leading to an empty office space opposite our own area, she saw a man dressed in the customary garb of carpenters/laborers. She then sensed something unnatural, and (as would always happen, as she says) she couldn't look away. She described that the man was turning around in place, though his legs and feet weren't visibly moving- it was as if he was sliding around in an eerie, sliding motion.

EEEK...

Anyway, she described the man as being bloodied, with torn skin and a gory appearance. After seeing this terrifying sight, she immediately left the area.

Now, weeks and weeks later, we're occupying half of the floor. The area where the Bloody Man was sighted is a stone's throw away from our area, and along the way to the Comfort Rooms. During late night overtime sessions, my officemates have often taken to going in groups or pairs to the CRs. The Men's Room is continually breaking down, with leaking pipes that constantly flood the floors with urine and worse, stinky shit. Faulty plumbing, low-quality materials or a curse from beyond, asking to be seen and heard?

These days, a new office is being built into one of the areas opposite our office, though the place nearest to the Men's CR, the haunt of the Bloody Man and other spirits, is still unoccupied.

The saga continues...

Workshop

I've spent the last couple of days in a hotel boardroom, learning how to do a better presentation and improve my speaking skills from international lecturer Wayne Lotherington, whom I dubbed 'Lord of the Ringtones'. Heh. He was a pretty cool speaker with lots of great insights, a killer memory and an eye for detail and an eerie resemblance to Hollywood actor Leland Orser (a guy who usually plays deranged or unbalanced characters). Despite my reservations initially, it actually turned out to be fun and I even got into making our final presentation as best as I could, and I was able to use my trusty 6600 and laptop combo to great effect. Bluetooth and Mac CD burners RULE! Heh.
Anyway, I wish these sort of things don't come too often- I love the scrumptious buffet lunches, but having to do these special projects and exerting extra effort on top of regular work can just wear a guy out so fast.

Stratos 4

Just saw a couple of episodes of Stratos 4 on Animax. This 13-episode anime is about a quartet of girls who are training to become Comet Blasters, an elite squadron of space pilots whose duty it is to defend the earth from the threat of asteroids and other dangers from space. Along the way they bond together as anime girls do- with some girl-on-girl risque moments and the predictable hot springs scene- and eventually reach the enviable position to save the earth from impending cosmic doom.
I pretty much ignored this series every time it was shown on Animax; it's just too clean and generic and didn't seem to appeal to me. However, it DOES have quite a lot of fan service, so that's a plus. It's still just your run of the mill, standard anime though- really clean and decent animation, but little uniqueness in character or personality to make it anything more than a passing diversion.
Well, at the very least Vandread fans can have fun in seeing Meia Gisborn and Dita Liebely in a cameo. Heh.


Hey, I've seen these two somewhere else before...

Before Anime was King: Masters of the Universe

The 80s were a GREAT time to be a kid. Back then, there wasn't any Animax channel giving you 24 hours of anime. Heck, Anime itself was almost unknown except for Japanimation enthusiasts. But despite the lack of big-eyed cartoons, kids could look forward to the TONS and TONS of American cartoons that came out on TV. A fair number of the several hundred animated shows from the US made it to Philippine TV screens, giving kids reasons to hurry on home in the late afternoons, or wake up early on weekends. The best time was that glorious era known as the Saturday Fun Machine slot on Channel 9- great cartoons from 7:30 AM all the way to noon. Yep, there were crappy cartoons like Schmoo and Turbo Teen, but there was great stuff on offer as well. Too bad McDonald's eventually watered down the cartoons to nothing eventuallly.
Anyway, last night's dinner at Chili's with Vin, Jason and Ralph got us talking about those great 80s cartoons, and I thought it would be great to blog about them for a change...



"By the Power of Grayskull" was one of the most recognized lines of dialogue ever in a cartoon back then. Almost every kid knew it. It was all due to the original He-Man cartoon series by Filmation (which gave rise to a LOT of the best and worst cartoons then).

This fantasy-action series of course centered on the battles between archetype strongman-hero He-Man, who incredibly enough keeps a secret identity (Prince Adam) who looks EXACTLY like him, except for a tan, change of wardrobe and perhaps a bit of buffness. Unlike the recently-released revival, Masters of the Universe then was pretty tame; In true A-Team fashion, battles ended with no one ever dying or even getting injured. The rotoscoped animation gave rise to repetitive actions for everyone- they were realistic, yeah, but REPETITIVE. He-man walked the same way, entered the screen the same way, laughed the same way. It was also funny how Skeletor would always charge at He-man, get countered with a TEXTBOOK judo throw, and then land with the textbook safe roll... very cultured, these fierce warriors.
Episodes were, as was the fashion then, usually self-contained. The villains of Snake Mountain (Skeletor et al) would come up with an evil scheme, accompanied by the main baddie doing his familiar rotoscoped evil laugh with fists in the air. Of course, evil scheme would be eventually countered by He Man and his amazing friends (which ranged from the veteran Man-at-Arms to the really lame Mekanek and the moronic Ram Man). Battles would consist of a spell thown here, a judo throw and roll there. Everyone goes home and Orko the mascot magician gives us the lesson for the day.
Anyway, despite this, MOTU was pretty fun; plus the girls were sexy. DAMN, the Sorceresss was hot. Hoho...

These days, Masters of the Universe has been recharged and revitalized for today's kids. The animation is no longer rotoscoped Filmation, and the action is more akin to the hard-hitting Batman Adventures and anime. Battles are battles, spells blow things up and things can get nasty. Which is great, but where's the judo rolls? Ah, those were the days.

K.I.A.: Dreamkiller


Agent K takes on an empire in HAI's K.I.A. story.

Honoel Ibardolaza is one of the best local artists and comic creators I've had the pleasure to know and work with, and he doesn't disappoint with his latest pages. Dreamkiller is the title of HAI's contribution to K.I.A., a story he both drew and wrote. I actually don't know too much about it except that Kai is sent in to infiltrate a hostile country to kill a king. Sounds like something epic. Anyway, he's sent us the first page, and by the looks of it, Dreamkiller's gonna be... well, KILLER! Heh.
I say it again... K.I.A. is gonna ROCK! WOOHOO!!!

Hitched

Yesterday I and my old college crew The BLT attended the wedding of one of our batchmates. The ceremony was held in a lovely place known as Fernwood, which is a sort of special venue/mini-zoo/park. Since it was the middle of the week, me and my friend/fellow ad person Butch had to come from work in Makati. We took a cab ride through heavy traffic, the long trip allayed fortunately by fun conversations about the advertising biz, coming films and, most significantly, wrestling. Both of us were fans of professional sports entertainment even from our years in high school, remembering stuff like Hulk Hogan's lame finishing moves, how the Ultimate Warrior looked horrible without his trademark makeup, how cool the silent Japanese tattooed wrestler Hakushi was, and which of the popular wrestlers we knew then are dead now (such as Owen Hart, Mr. Perfect, Andre the Giant and Ravishing Rick Rude). Even the cabbie (who was apparently a wrestling enthusiast himself) was able to contribute to the conversation.

We got to Fernwood at about 7 PM, which was well after the wedding ceremony and into the photography sessions. Luckily, we arrived in time to wear our barongs, spruce up, meet the rest of the BLT gang and get our photos taken. After that, the reception gave us dinner, a performance by the singer Kaila, more food, and a hilarious garter and bouquet portion. We also marvelled at the various exotic fauna- swans, tons of carp in the pond, parrots and peacocks and brown-feathered ducks (their exact breed eludes me now). I would have taken tons of pics with my phone, but unfortunately I had forgotten to recharge it and the battery died soon after I took a few shots. Oh well.
Since there was still work the next day, after the final events on the itinerary, we had to say goodbye to the newlyweds. We capped the night with frappucinos at Starbuck's and that was that.

That leaves four of us in the BLT group left unhitched, with one seemingly on the brink. I can safely say I won't be tying the knot anytime soon, but who knows? We'll see. Hoho!

Yay!

Stuff we worked on at the office got approved! It's a funny campaign that should be something to see when it happens soon. Knowing that the clients not only liked the work but were actually laughing their heads off seeing our scripts and ideas makes all that hard work worth it. Kind of.
Of course it would be great if it just meant more billings and profit for the company, more fame and quality into our portfolios and more feathers into our caps, but it of course also means more work, more work and more work.

Yay.

The Saga Continues...

I've just finished writing the script for Kunoichi Boy part three. It's a fun one-shot story that has quite a bit of everything- a battle between swords and muskets reminiscent of The Last Samurai, a handsome young nobleman, an opportunity to show off the opposite characters of series leads Jin Dragu and Mikoto, a night attack on a castle, a harem scene, a look at one of the series' main villains, more action and a nice comedic twist to the ending that should pay off nicely. I'll start work on it as soon as I finish the inks and renders of both the preceding chapter and my K.I.A. stories.
Anyway, it seems that Questor Extreme and it's parent/sister mag Questor are currently on hold, but it shouldn't be long before we see new issues on shelves. We'll keep you posted as we go along.

Local Comic News

The mega-popular Culture Crash comics magazine is now online! Well, it has been for some time but now finally the official site is up with story synopsis, galleries and even submission instructions for aspiring komikeros. Visit the site at Culture Crash.com.

There's a new comic headed into stores very soon. It's called Ignition Comix and it's being produced by GMA 7 and The Daily Inquirer. The talent behind the book includes the guys of Atomic Underground, now renamed Atomic Monkey. This group includes Marvin del Mundo and Michael Seludo, who have also conbtributed art for our upcoming K.I.A.
I was able to see an advance issue thanks to Vin. I haven't read through the whole thing, but there are 4 stories, one each for sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary and folkloric themes. The art and feel is decidedly more alternative rather than straight manga, so it should be something fresh to see. Congrats, guys! Can't wait to see your stuff!

Tikbalang Nation is the latest comic project from Baylans' Jason Banico and artist Ner Pedrina. According to Jayce, TN is a political satire hidden beneath a fantasy story starring a maned, horse-headed cast of heroes and villains. Check it out! Copies are available at Comic Quest.

Support Local Comics! YAY!

A brief pause.

Me looking around at the carnage-filled battleground which is my work week so far.

Me feeling myself for any fatal bulletholes or stab wounds.

Me finding none.

Me laughing maniacally, head thrown back, face reared to the heavens.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! ALIVE!!! I AM ALIVE!!!! MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!! ALLLLIIIIIIVEEE!!!"

Ah. End of Pause.

Trailing the Bride

The full trailer to Kill Bill 2 is now up at apple.com's movie page, so check it out. This second half of the 4th film by Quentin Tarantino looks to be quite different from it's predecessor. The Bride is still packing her god-cutting Hanzo Hattori sword, but it looks like she's going to be in far more danger than she ever was in the first one as she takes on the remaining members of the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad, Budd and Elle Driver (played by Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah respectively). Of interest will be a flashback to The Bride's training in kung fu, complete with a haughty, white-haired 'Old Master' kung fu teacher (played by Gordon Liu, who played Crazy 88 General Johnny Moe in Part One).
Early reviews of KB2 have remarked generally that the second chapter makes up for the trademark Tarantino dialogue that was missed in KB1. There will be a lot less kills, but count on the violence and action being a lot deeper and more visceral as The Bride meets The Man, Bill (David Carradine).
Kill Bill Volume 2 is slated for showing in the US on April 16. Here in Manila? Hopefully, soon.

Kunoichi Boy 2

The Holy Week vacation's over, and so is the pencilling stage for the second installment of Kunoichi Boy! Quite a lot of things happened to me over the course of the holiday (the Internet is such a great thing), and some of it bore fruit at least almost overnight. At the very least now it's onto inking and rendering for Jin Dragu's adventures.

The funny thing is, the pages have deviated a bit from the script- Yikes- but I think the overall pace and flow of the story is better and keeps the mystery of the character intact for a while longer. I hope it all turns out well when I submit the pages in.
As far as I know, the latest issue of Questor Extreme should be out by next week or so, and as I reported earlier it should have a preview of KB inside. I'll let you all know once I grab a copy myself.

Hackfest


The MMORPG-based saga .Hack has it all- amnesiac heroes, pure-hearted heroines, weird monsters, mystery, intrigue and Player Killing.

I've just seen 28 episodes of the anime .Hack//Sign. I've known about this series for quite some time, though I've never had the chance beforehand to watch the whole thing.
.Hack is a series of anime TV series and OAVs set in The World, a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer RPG) where a mysterious phenomenom is causing players to be affected by the game even in the real world. In the 26-episode .Hack//Sign series (the first TV series), the focus is on Tsukasa, an amnesiac wavemaster (mage) who is apparently able to teleport from server to server and do things that he normally shouldn't be able to do. This marks him as a 'cheat' character and gains him the ire of the resident 'law enforcers', the Crimson Knights (also players). But soon, greater mysteries come to the surface, including the appearance of unkillable monsters, unexplained comas among players and the fact that Tsukasa can't log out of the game, and seems to be trapped within The World.
In the course of the series, the normally anti-social Tsukasa eventually makes friends like the energetic swordswoman Mimiru, the wise barbarian Bear, the crafty mage BT and the pure-hearted Subaru, the leader of the Crimson Knights.


The character designs for .Hack//Sign are by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto of Evangelion, so you can tell there's a bit of Shinji Ikari in main hero Tsukasa.


If Tsukasa is the series' hero, Subaru is the heroine. The leader of the Crimson Knights, Subaru stands for law and order in the virtual playing field of 'The World'.

I have to note that Animax messed up a bit, showing episode 26 before episode 25. Also shown were episodes 27 anbd 28- two filler episodes that happen after the events in the actual 26-episode series. Episode 27, entitled Intermezzo, is a flashback showing Mimiru's mentor from her earlier days in The World. Episode 28, entitled Unison, is the epilogue to both .Hack//Sign and the .Hack RPG games released on PS2, and shows the heroes from both the anime and the games finally meeting after the crisis and giving the whole .Hack series an upbeat ending, complete with warm reunions and even dancing in the streets!


Swordswoman Mimiru can't seem to keep away from Tsukasa even though they never get along until the end of the series...


The fatherly Bear is the wisest of the heroes of .Hack//Sign, despite his barbaric appearance.

.Hack//Sign is a very complex series, the story spread out between two TV series, several OAVs, and a series of PS2 games. And, as I've heard, it's more concerned with character relationship and plot rather than action or fantasy elements. The characters spend a LOT of time just conversing and talking, which may turn off anyone expecting to see a slash-or-spellfest. But even so, the series pulls you in with and pays off as the characters grow and mysteries are little by little solved (or not solved). For those with patience and an adequate attention span, .Hack//Sign is an excellent series that is rewarding in the long term. Highly recommended!


Battle scenes like this are rare in the whole .Hack//Sign series.

The next .Hack series on Animax, .Hack//Legend of Twilight, occurs several years after the end of the .Hack//Sign series and games, and is a lot more humorous and cute as opposed to the darker, more serious predecessors. If you missed the .Hack marathon today, get yourself the DVDs or VCDs and enjoy this series for some good, deep anime fun.

New Anime: Mezzo


Mikura's back with more action but less sex.

Anime enthusiasts will probably think of deadly schoolgirl assassins, pastel-colored handguns and kinky sex when they hear the title Mezzo Forte. Which is pretty fair since that was indeed what the anime OAV was all about. Starring a pretty, petite killing machine named Mikura, the original 2-part OAV by Yasuomi Uematsu was a sex-and-violence filled pseudo-sequel/successor to the more popular and darker Kite.
Basically, it was about gun-for-hire Mikura and her pals shooting it out with baddies in gunfights and martial arts fights and having schoolgirl sex in between- pretty nasty stuff. Anyway, the TV version, simply named Mezzo, is now out.
The series is about the colorful adventures of the D.S.A., or Danger Service Agency. The Agency's members are deadly sprite Mikura, tech guy Harada and senior dude Kurokowa. As in the OAVs, the trio live in a makeshift headquarters on top of a building and get jobs which often involve them taking on thugs and other baddies in blood-spurting, wall-smashing battles.

While Mezzo predictably has no kinky sex, the series revs it up with explosive action. The fight scenes are excellently animated and choreographed, with exaggerated effects like fighters being smashed through brick walls or thrown great distances by solid blows. It's also routine for high explosives and gravity-defying stunts every now and then. In short, it's a BLAST. Never mind that its never explained why a schoolgirl-type like Mikura has kung fu powers that would put Neo to shame- it's damn fun.
Stories are also pretty wild, and not always on the side of reason- in the first two episodes the DSA are hired by a ghost and have to fight an ALIEN. EH? Wild. Anyway, the action is fun, the animation is pretty slick and cool, and the bright colors are an eye-catcher. Mikura's a bit young for my tastes, but she's a hottie and the series looks promising. Check it out if you get the chance.

Halfway Point

The Holy Week holiday is more than halfway gone, so what have I accomplished? Well, I've pencilled quite a lot of Kunoichi Boy pages, as well as doing work on a surprise project that I received within the week. I'll be staying at home for the duration of the remaining weekend, so I think I'll be able to do a few more pages before work commences again. Not bad.

Aquatic Anime


A watery world, sexy girls in skimpy outfits and lots of explosions. Sounds great!

I must admit that when I first saw the character designs for the new anime Daphne in the Brilliant Blue, I was intrigued by the unique storyline... Okay, that's a lie. I was intrigued by the skimpy outfits. Anyway... So when the title finally began appearing in local anime shops, I grabbed it. So, what's this oddly-titled series all about?
Set in a world half-submerged in water (which brings to mind another fanservice-laden series, Agent Aika), DITBB focuses on the hard life of Mizuki Maia, a pretty 15-year old living in the city all by herself. Apparently, Maia's family members are all deceased (her parents died a year or two ago), and all she has is the hope of being employed by the government, along with her best friend, Tsukasa. Unfortunately, despite her being a brilliant student... she fails. In rapid succession, Maia loses her prospects for employment, her house and all her money (DAAMN she's having a bad day), and soon finds herself getting SHOT during a hostage situation!
Fortunately (or unfortunately), Maia finds herself alive and more or less forcibly employed in the Nereis agency, a company composed of sexy women who do all sorts of odd jobs for any price; think of it like the Getbackers, but with women instead of guys, and at least having their own office. The company is composed of red-headed Rena (the penny-pinching boss), purple-haired and bespectacled Shizuka (streetsmart and sympathetic) and the lone male branch mananger. With jobs ranging from collecting rent to catching deadly criminals, perhaps Maia would have been better off (and safer) taking her chances on the street...


The token brainy-looking girl, Shizuka is also the most sympathetic and friendly in the Nereis crew to newcomer Maia. She's also a lousy shot.

I am still a bit at a loss with this anime. The art style has an odd way of giving the girls HUGE heads at times, and their features have that angular, sharp look that reminds me a bit of Akira Toriyama's Dragonball Z art. For the most part, the copious amounts of skin the girls show off makes up most of the show's fanservice appeal. I mean, just LOOK at those dental-floss swimsuits the girls are sporting... it's never really explained WHY they have to wear them (then again, is it ever explained why in any anime..?); there's not even a vague reference ('They're special diver suits...'). Oh well, whatever works...
The animation is choppy and not the best you'd expect, even in a TV- the budget doesn't seem that big. However, it's adequate. As for the story, it's interesting, though you have to wonder where it will be going. There are hints of a long-term plot building, but it's alll just odd jobs for the first several episodes.
Daphne in the Brilliant Blue isn't a full on ecchi anime; aside from very slight sexual innuendo and the skimpy outfits, it isn't as sexy or as competent as titles such as Aika or Najica- viewers looking for that may be a bit disappointed. Still, for all the negatives, I find myself still looking forward to seeing the next few episodes of this new anime. We'll see as it goes along.


Tough girl Paku Yuu is the group's hand-to-hand combat specialist. The taciturn but loyal ex-con has a lot in common with a certain assassin babe I know...

Tagging from the Cabin

Here I am, blogging from my secluded log cabin in the woods...

Of course, I'm really bloggin from the Sanctum, which is no big since I'm a total homebody and I've got my time all to myself. Aaaaaahhhh.
Yesterday, I went out to buy supplies for the holiday; junk food like chocolate chip cookies, chips and dip, lots of juice and cheez duds. Mmm. I've been pretty flagrant with eating meat for the past several weeks of Lent, but for this actual Holy Week I am making do with just tuna and whatever my family lays out on the table. I helped Vin do groceries for their trip to Tagaytay; they're probably out there by now (unless someone majorly fucked up), doing... whatever it is they're supposed to be doing. Heh.

Anyway, as promised, I'll be doing pages for my comics in a while. I've had a sluggish start in the day, admittedly, thanks to a bit of a sore throat and runny nose getting me down. I took a couple of pills and am feeling much better. I'll concentrate on Kunoichi Boy tonight; pencils for the 2nd 16-page installment should be finished by late tonight or early morning tomorrow.

Ah. I wish we had Holy Month instead of just Holy Week though. Hoho...

Guilty Pleasures


The girls of Guilty Gear dress down for the beach.

I passed by Comic Alley and got myself this cool set of 6 gashapon mini-figures based on the Guilty Gear X fighting game. It's the 'beach collection' set, so the girls are all dressed-down to their summer wear. My favorite is sexy hair-using assassin Millia Rage, dressed in a white bikini and a 'hair skirt' (which is removeable), followed closely by the immortal Sharon and the lovely angel-demon hybrid girl, Dizzy. These figures are going to look great atop my desk in the sanctum, along with the DOAX girls. I just hope they all get along...

Much-awaited Break

It's the start of the long Holy Week break here in the Philippines. Since last week, thousands, if not millions (AND MILLIONS!) of Filipinos are heading off to their provinces or to their favorite vacation spots. For me though, home is where I'll be. My proverbial cabin in the woods and my Sanctum are one and the same.
Tomorrow, if I can get myself to move out from the climate-controlled, pleasure device-filled stronghold, I'll have to stock up on supplies- namely junk food and perhaps a load of paper on which to draw. Then it'll be hour after hour of working with pen and page till I finish my K.I.A. and Kunoichi Boy chores, broken only by little naps, brainless gaming sessions and anime viewing.

Bliss.

Toothless PPV

Last night, I hurried home to watch Wrestlmania XX on cable. I actually have the show on VCD, but I wanted to see it on the TV. Well, if I was pleased by the relatively easy and quick commute (thanks to a ride on the MRT), I wasn't at all pleased by the show's screening. The more than 3-hour show was totally BUTCHERED by edits, including one HUGE cut- the entire Playboy Evening Gown Match between WWE Divas was cut from the showing. Now, in terms of a wrestling match it was pretty ridiculous, but it was a sexy and funny segment that no doubt would have been appreciated. Boy am I glad I have the whole show on VCD.
This was pretty disappointing, and if anyone here wants to watch the show as it should be, watch it without cuts on DVD or VCD yourself.

Reign of the Assassin


Kai fights her way to the FFFL championship in K.I.A.: Victors and Victims.

Here's a sample page from my cousin Jeremy. His indie style is really cool with firm, solid lines and bold blacks. I am loving it totally and can't wait to see the whole thing. I'm gonna use the sample page as an inspiration as I start my comic drawing penitentia tomorrow.

My past life as an Interplanetary Spy


Licensed to thrill... IN SPACE!

Back when I was in high school, we didn't have Playstation games or anime vcds lying around for the taking, like most of the young li'l whippersnappers today do. Heh. Nope- when I was younger all we had were books. BOOKS! Hell, even our videogames were books. The only systems around then were the Atari 2600, the Nintendo Famicon and later the Super NES. But those came later, and games came few and far between (Not to mention they were extremely expensive). If you wanted to experience gaming and loved reading, the nearest National Book Store was your place to go.
Choose Your Own Adventure books were all the rage then. These books put you as the hero, dropping you headfirst into an adventure which ranged from supernatural tales of fantasy or menace depending on your choices. Ah, I remember going off to sea on the good ship Allegro, accompanied by friends like the ubiquitous Doctor Vivaldi and company. One choice could lead me to uncovering a traitor and saving the day from conspiracy. Another could consign me to a deadly fate. Ouch!
While CYOA books were the most popular, I especially liked the harder-to-find Which Way books- with titles like Famous and Rick placing you in the shoes of a millionaire philanthropist/spy/actor; or the memorable Vampires, Spies and Alien Beings which pit you against... well, vampires, spies and alien beings. Darker and a bit more mature, I was only able to encounter WW books by borrowing them from friends.
But of course, the most interesting series of Reader Is Hero books for me is the Be An Interplanetary Spy! line from Bantam Books. I first learned of these space-fiction gamebooks from, what else, a videogame mag (yes, they existed even then). The article mentioned that the BAIS books would feature videogame-style graphics and storytelling, and unlimited adventure. So, when I saw the first BAIS book, Find the Kirillian! on a store shelf, I grabbed it.

Basically, the BAIS books put you in the airtight boots of an Interpanetary Spy; a nameless, faceless, sexless operative who tracks down galactic villains single-handedly. You are often given a secret weapon or special device to aid you in your mission, but for the most part your only defense is your ability to solve various visual riddles and puzzles that you will encounter on your way. And this is where the 'videogame' graphics come in; a lot of the art (the pages are usually art-filled, rather than the text-dominant CYIB books) is done in blocky, "electronic" style. The funny thing is, if you make one wrong move, you're DEAD. Blasted into atoms. Lost in a parallel dimension. Flattened by a Megasaur. You get the picture?
This meant that every BAIS adventure was pretty much a one-shot pony; once you solved it, that was that. Kinda like the book version of Final Fantasy games. Heh.

Still, I loved those books; I put away a lot of baddies... Marko Khen the Galactic Pirate, Phatax the giant Kirillian, the evil world-destroying Planet Hunters, the evil microscopic overlord Electron, Spymaster Gresh... all put away thanks to ME.

But of course, eventually I got too good. For my own safety, my mind was wiped clean, and I was sent to live out my life in peace as an ordinary human. Of course, sometimes I still reminisce about my glorious past... hence, this post. Heh.

I wonder if there will ever be a resurgence of those kind of books? Or better yet, how about a CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE or BE AN INTERPLANETARY SPY Manga? Hmmmm.... Interesting. Very interesting...

Dog Days

After years and years we've finally gotten dogs again at our house. Two, in fact; two little mongrel puppies that just seemed to suddenly appear from out of nowhere during the weekend. The kids of course love 'em to no end, but for me it's all just more noise (they bark and whine up a storm at night- good thing for airconditioning), doggy poo and doggy smells.

The last time we had a dog for a long time was our sweet little Japanese Spitz hybrid named Candy, who was with us even before we arrived at our present residence. She stayed for a year or so then apparently died quietly in her sleep. We buried her in the backyard, which is now covered in cement. Since then, we've never really had dogs for too long a time- most have the nasty tendency of digging up my mom's plants, ensuring their ejection from the house. These days however, there really aren't that many plants they can dig up, even if they were let loose in the yard.

Me, I pretty much ignore dogs these days. They're a dime a dozen for me... though there was that one night a week or two ago, when I was sure I saw a Whippet running around loose in the street. FYI, a Whippet is this foreign breed of dog that costs a bundle (apparently they put on antlers and pretend to be reindeer during Xmas celebrations). I would have grabbed the thin, funny-looking dog but it was too fast.

Oh well. Dog days are back. Let's see how long they last.

Battle Vixens



The latest offering from Tokyo Pop manga, Battle Vixens is the manga version of the ecchi anime series Ikki Tousen.
Basically, BV is all about the battles between the great warriors of the Three Kingdoms era of ancient China (which has been the topic of all those Romance of the Three Kingdom games). The twist here is, it's modern-day Japan and the warriors have now been transplanted into the bodies of Japanese teenagers who bear magatama, or soulstones that bear the spirits and destinies of corresponding warriors. Whew! Got all that?
The main character in Battle Vixens is one Hakufu Sonsaku, a busty and beautiful but somewhat air-headed girl who loves fighting. All her life she's been trained and driven by her mom to become a warrior, but it's only now that she can carry out her lust for combat as she enters high school and into the modern day war of the Toushin (warriors).
The anime version, Ikki Tousen, was pretty much characterized by tons of fan service- almost as many panty shots as Agent Aika and lots of skin (almost-nudity and some sex scenes). The manga looks to have just as much, if not more. It's just a hair's short of full-on hentai, and the language is also pretty mature. In short, not for kids.
Anyway, the art's really nice, with cool battle scenes and fighting sequences, and sexy girls aplenty. Compared to the manga, Hakufu's not as idiotic, and a lot more powerful; characters like the eyepatch-wearing, Frenchmaid-dressed Ryomou look as hot and formidable as ever.
Fans of the anime would probably want to pick this series up; fans of fanservice-laden martial arts-combat manga may want to check it out; just make sure you aren't bothered by lots of skin.

Sanctum

This Holy Week, instead of going off with most of the gang to Tagaytay for the holidays, I'll be staying home to do stuff that I normally wouldn't be able to do on account of work and my hectic day schedule.
First and foremost, I will be finishing my art for pages in K.I.A.; the introductory story and the yarn spun by Dean. Alongside them I will be rendering art for the upcoming Kunoichi Boy series that's coming out in the pages of Questor Extreme in the next couple of months. I've been putting off doing work on these pages because of my day job, and now I have to catch up and finish my end of the bargain and finalize the K.I.A. project for production by May.
I'll be making it a point to finally READ the comics that I have been stockpiling in the Sanctum- Superman and Batman, Ragnarok, Elektra, Blade of the Immortal, The Ultimates and Heaven knows what else I have piled up. I'll also be watching the tons of anime that I have been raving about but HAVE NOT WATCHED, like Scrapped Princess, Last Exile, Read or Die TV, Full Metal Alchemist and more. Also gotta watch Battle Royale 2 somehow.
Gotta bring my body clock back into whack as well... gotta catch some Zzz's and just chill out.

All of these things I gotta do, and not all of them fit in with each other. But somehow, someway... I'm gonna do them all.

Crossing fingers.

Reason

Tonight's discussion around the dinner/coffee table ranged around what our reasons for writing are, what we want to write and who we are writing it for.

I love telling stories. I may not be as serious a writer as some of the gang, nor am I as honed or knowledgeable in the field of prose considering that I haven't picked up or read a good book in ages, nor have I kept up in what's hot or not in professional writing.
I guess I am lucky that I still am able to stay in the company of a lot of great writers and not feel out of place or out of my class. We are all storytellers, with our own strengths, fields and standards of success, satisfaction and challenge.
For my part, I love manga, the Japanese style of comics, illustration and storytelling having impressed upon me greatly their merits and possibilities. Despite this, I believe that I have been able to keep my own identity and mind both as an individual and as a Filipino (nationalistic bent inserted here) to keep myself from becoming just a 'me too' manga/anime wannabee or clone.
I love the style of stories that I specialize in- mostly action-adventure oriented yarns. First and foremost, I go to satisfy myself first, placing in it things that please me; fighting, action, espionage and of course, scantily-clad women (heh). Have I locked myself in a closed, non-growing cell? I don't think so. I haven't done that many stories yet, and I don't think I will exhaust my vein soon.
So, I guess while I am able- meaning while I still can draw, think up stories and have people read and appreciate them- I will continue drawing and telling stories about Angel Ace, Kai, Kunoichi Boy and other heroes and villains that I love to read about. Adventures will be funny, some dark, most usually full of action and good 'ol fashioned good versus evil with shades thrown in between. That's the way it is with me, and as long as it works it will remain so.

Ice Monster

My new favorite snack place at Megamall is Ice Monster, which sells icy concoctions ranging from sweet taro ice to fudge brownie and vanilla ice cream ice to the esoteric black gulaman and almond ice. I'm planning on trying every single flavor in the weeks ahead. Heh. Prices range from P60 to P80, and the size of the cup is comparable to the nearby Dairy Queen. Mmm. Ice is nice.

Culture Crash 14


These beautiful Filipina cosplayers are world-class!

The latest issue of Culture Crash is now available. Aside from the usual mainstay stories (which are all revving up the action in this ish), the issue has an attached mini-mag on the recently-held C3Con Anime/Manga Convention. Of course, as you can see in the pic above, there's quite a bit of focus on the marvelous cosplay competition, particularly on the lovely pair of Rikku and Yuna in their FFX2 'Magic Gunner' costumes. Suffice to say, I have seen lots of cosplay both here and internationally, and I can say quite easily that these two are grade-A. Darn gorgeous... and the costumes are pretty hot too! Heh.
Anyway, aside from the the FFX2 babes, there are spreads for both the Matrix Revolutions APU and FFX's Shiva. Lots of great pics and info overall. Grab your own copy of Culture Crash now before the stocks run out.

Body Clock

I spent all of Wednesday working at the office into the early morning hours of Thursday. I went home at about seven, taking a cab and lolling around half-asleep all the way. I went to bed at about 8 AM.
I woke up at 5:30 PM, groggy and feeling like shit. I hate it when my body rhythm goes out of whack. Now it's 3 AM and I'm still awake when I should be in bed snoring away.

At least it's Friday. One day that should by all rights be light and easy. Been working off my butt this whole week, and I haven't been able to pass by Comic Quest for my regular bloodletting yet. Gotta get my comics, pages for K.I.A. from some contributors, and unwind for the weekend. Yep, that's gonna be how it will be. GAH.

K.I.A. Canned


The Nokia 7610. Damn cool phone.

K.I.A., the spinoff anthology starring Kai, the sexy femme fatale assassin/martial artist from the Angel Ace series, is not pushing through. My apologies to all who have been anticipating the release of the comic and to the many talented people who contributed artwork and stories for it.

The reason is purely financial. I have decided that instead of spending thousands for publishing the comic, I instead will use my hard-earned cash to buy the new cellphone that has caught my eye. It was either comic or cellphone, and the cellphone won.

It's the Nokia 7610, the next great release from the Finnish producers.
A 'next step' from the unorthodox 7600, the 7610 will feature first and foremost, a 1 Megapixel camera. Yep, the age of low quality camera pictures are starting to be a thing of the past. It's the start of the reign of megapixel cameraphones.
Aside from the camera, the 7610 will have the ability to take videoclips of up to 10 minutes, and give users the capability to edit these clips into their own mini-movies. And of course aside from the imaging options the phone will have all the requisite organizer/PDA/connectivity features expected of a state-of-the-art mobile.

Yes, I know, I'm a phone whore. And it seems I'm more phone whore than manga ka or comic creator. So, bye-bye K.I.A, hello 7610! WOOHOO!!!


Oh and by the way...

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS' DAY!!!
Which means, of course, that while I really am fascinated and looking forward to the 7610, there is no chance in Hell that I am giving up K.I.A., or any of my comics projects for that matter, for it or any other phone. End of disclaimer.

Animaxed Out

I have to say that Animax is one of the best things to happen to TV in a loooong time (the last two great things were AXN, also because of anime, and Solar USA for giving us back professional wrestling and the WWE).
Yes, the lineup of shows isn't perfect- there are a couple of somewhat dated shows, though Sabre Marionette J is still cool to watch after all these years. I get bored to tears by Ailes Grise and the girly-girl shows Princess Sara and Nobody's Girl. No matter how I try, I can't get into the weird Technolyze (though it seems cool). Getbackers, the pseudo Yaoi series about super-powered bishonen hiring themselves out as retrieval experts/fighters is funny and action-packed, with detailed battles and clashing of special skills ala Rurouni Kenshin. However, the series seems to loop endlessly after about half the series, which is annoying (will the Getbackers EVER get to that pesky Makubex???).
Wolf's Rain simply blows me away with the lovely character designs, quality animation and quite possibly some of the most beautiful female characters I've seen in an anime. However, the story is a bit on the dragging side despite the uber-cool eye candy. Still oozes quality though.
Astro Boy (the new series) is quite fun, and seeing ol' Astro/Atom updated with slicker animation and designs is a kick. Astro is as cool and cute and kick-butt as ever; Dr. Elephun/Ochonamizu is still the fatherly mentor/guardian, and little sister Uran looks twice as cute as before. There are new characters such as the lovely Photon-powered robot/nature lovel Epsilon, and the stubborn but skilled robot SWAT leader, Delta.
On the baddies' side, the crime boss Skunk looks a bit older but far more cunning, and a lot less BLUE (still sports the trademark smirk). The role of Bruton from the 'Strongest Robot in the World' story arc which capped the earlier Astroboy series has been replaced by a robot named Pluto- the story is a bit toned down (several of the robots Pluto defeats aren't completely destroyed) but it's still a cool plot. Purists though will be disappointed at the considerable weakening and reduction of the role of Atlas, Astro's 'brother'. Finally, Dr. Tenma, Astro's original creator, is ramped up from being a character who disappears from the series in the original to the new series' main villain/adversary.
Chobits was an instant hit with me, thanks to refreshing animation, heartwarming stories and easily the damn cutest anime robo-babe I've ever seen. Just hearing Chii say 'Chii' makes me go all wobbly (heh).

Overall, Animax's shows are entertaining, and usually make for great background viewing even when you've seen the same episode about, oh, ten times. That's pretty good for a beginning channel, I think.

For the next few months, I hope though that we begin seeing even more good stuff. I wanna see Inu Yasha (which may come true since I saw snippets of the series in an Animax commercial), Cowboy Bebop, Raxhephon, Last Exile, Scrapped Princess, Slayers and more. We can only hope though...

Finally, I may try to pass by and check out the Animax Carnival that's set for this weekend at the Glorietta. Cosplay, anime creators and good stuff all around's for the taking.

ANIMAAAAAAAXXXX!!!! WOOHOOO!!!!!

Overnight at the Salt Mines

I'm blogging from the office. We've got a big pitch in, oh, a few hours. Yikes! Well, our stuff is pretty unorthodox and wild, so we're hopeful that something comes out of it all.
Anyway, it seems that all the creepiness of ghosts and hauntings have vanished- we're all too tired and busy to worry about any restless spirits. Heh.

Cheers and Fears

Today was a pretty cool day.

I went off to client for the first pre-production meeting I've had since joining the company, and it felt great. FYI, a pre-prod is the big meet with clients before an ad is executed. In this case, the ad was a TV commercial, so it's a big thing. As always, we went off to client along with the production house people and the film director who would bring our concept to reality.
As expected, our client engaged the director with a bit of discussion on the TV commercial, and issues which ranged from the concept of the whole thing to itty-bitty nitpicks like music and talents. Fortunately though it was all more or less smooth, with us leaving with smiles on our faces, satisfied in the knowledge that our work for the past several months will finally bear fruit in the form of a nice series of TV ads.

When we got back to the office, we were pleasantly met by the news that our company just won a pitch for a new client. There was genuine joy and clapping and congratulations all around, something that I had not felt or seen in a long time. It was a great moment but of course after the euphoria it was back to work and onto the next pitch.

Then came the chills again.

Towards the end of the day, talk once again about the office hauntings slithered into our conversations. As we were all doing overtime, it was inevitable. My officemate told me about a bit of the history of our building- of how there were a lot of fatal accidents that struck the place during construction. So it was that the place would be a natural place for restless souls.
Now, the building really doesn't strike me as being a gloomy place, but then I've never really been a sensitive person. But of course, the stories chip away at your supposed disbelief and creeps soon begin to work their way down your spine.

As I said before, the women's CR is supposedly a heavy place for spiritual disturbances, according to my more sensitive officemates. As for the men's room, oddly enough while we haven't had any reports of ghost sightings, the place is continually plagued by out-of-commission urinals and overflowing toilet bowls (which results in literal crapfests) that I'm beginning to think it's CURSED. Or perhaps the ghosts are more into sabotage in that spot rather than outright haunting? Gah.
Anyway, this night had so many continual stories of ghosts that we were all ultimately spooked. We all resolved to call it a night at the same time, and a group of us- four grown men- went to accompany our lone girl to the CR.

The last incident though hit when we got down to the ground floor and out the elevator into the main lobby- the lights suddenly went out for a second. Temporary blackout, or the restless souls in the building giving us one final scare for the night? Oooooh.

Haunted Office


Will you dare walk down this hall?

Okay, some updates on the office ghosts...

Apparently one of my officemates is so unnerved by what he's seeing and feeling during late night sessions, he had to ask someone to go with him to the CR last weekend.
And this is a big, tough-looking Goth guy I'm talking about.

Apparently, he keeps meeting an apparition on the way to the CR (which is a dreadfully long hallway to walk into and meet a ghost). Plus, at the Creative Department (where coincidentally we have just taken down our barriers so we can see the whole room now), he's reported seeing shadowy shapes flitting about. There's even talk of sightings of the horrifying sight of a bloodied, battered man- supposedly the spirit of a worker who died in an accident. I don't fancy bumping into this revenant on my way to the Men's Room...

Ooooh...

MAD for Mami

Damn I'm hungry. Hungry for noodles, in particular.

Last night I saw Double Vision on AXN, and in spite of the many graphic scenes of murderous cultists, evil spirits and nightmares, what I most remember is a scene where the two leads, played by Tony Leung and David Morse are eating ramen together. There's a wonderful closeup of a bowl of noodles with spicy red peppers that just STUCK IN MY HEAD. Now I want to slurp down a big bowl of the stuff. Mmmmmm... Gah.

K.I.A. D.O.A?

It's the last week for the submission of story pages for K.I.A., and predictably people look to be submitting to the last second, or missing the deadline entirely. Fortunately, the 'D' in DOA only means 'Delayed'- I made it a point to start off the production for Kai's book extra-early, so any hiccups should not affect our projected June release date. At least, I hope not. Heh. It never fails...

Working Ghosts

Thanks to a spooky article by Carl at his blog, I thought of having my own ghost post.

Anyway, the company I'm working in right now just moved into our new building in Makati. It's a fairly new and spiffy building, and certainly not a place you'd expect ghost stories in. But then again, underneath every flashy coat of paint of course is a hidden history and memories of the past... some of which can come back to haunt the present.

We're the only office on our floor, occupying fully half of the ground area. The central part of the floor contains the elevators and comfort rooms, all joined by a sizeable roundabout walk. The other half of the floor is still under construction, and is spookily dark and hollow at night.
That alone would probably chill the spine of anyone with active imaginations- there are two dark doorways where someone heading for the CR could conceivably be grabbed and pulled into the darkness. But of course, that's not what is sending goosebumps up some of my female officemates.
It turns out that there have been some eerie encounters in the Ladies Comfort Room. Strange sounds like voices making hapless women think there's someone in the next cubicle, only to find out that it's empty... of anything warm-blooded, that is. My art director, going into the Ladies Room (he's a guy) on account of the Men's Room being under renovation, saw the infra-red sensor-powered faucets running on and off as if being prodded by unseen hands.
As I've always said before, I have an active imagination but no spirit sense or third eyes at all. I haven't heard or seen anything weird, which I am thankful for. Another officemate of mine insists that it's all just baloney (she can apparently feel spirits herself, and she doesn't feel anything from the CR).
I'm actually hoping that there is something weird there. Makes life- or the unlife- interesting.

Hahahahaa....

Here comes the Bride... again


More Uma, more bloodshed.

When last we left the mysterious 'Bride', she had left a housewife dead on the floor of her suburban home with a knife in her chest, and a Yakuza empress lying on the snow sans the top of her head. Of course, neither of those two targets was named Bill, so this story isn't over yet.
Kill Bill 2 will pick up where the first bloody installment left off, with The Bride (Uma Thurman) moving on to eliminate the rest of the names on her Hit List. With Vernita Green and O-Ren Ishii dead and gone, all that's standing between The Bride and Bill are Budd (Michael Madsen) and Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah). But suffice to say, if you thought the Bride went through hell in the first film, you haven't seen anything yet.
While Volume 1 was a tribute to Yakuza films, martial arts chopsocky and samurai cinema, Volume 2 is supposedly an homage to Italian spaghetti westerns- so don't expect any hordes of Crazy 88's or anything like the luscious Go-Go Yubari to make an appearace. Even the death toll will supposedly be a lot more toned down- the finale will be more personal, more serious and visceral. Or so I've heard.

Anyway, we all loved the first film; let's see what ol' Q has in store for us with the next. Kill Bill is set to slash into theaters this June.

Weird Dream

I have had my share of weird dreams. But this morning's experience is exceptionally strange. It was like an episode from a Land of the Lost episode, with me being apparently transplanted into a family being pursued by... something. Anyway, most of the dream is spent running from something running under the ground. Eventually, we are able to reach a structure which looked very familiar to me- now I remember it to be the large playground slide at my old high school.
Anyway, we climbed on top of the structure even as the thing that had been chasing us surfaced from the ground. Well, part of it surfaced; it was a giant's head (the giant's body from the mouth down remained under the ground). Then, apparently, the Sunken Giant grabbed hold of the structure and began pulling it away. We were caught.
The scene then shifted to a cramped, tiny little attic, cluttered with lots of toys and other stuff. Me, my 'parents' and siblings went up and confronted our pursuer's master- a clown puppet with googly, Ernie eyes (EH?).
I immediately felt a strong urge to strangle it, and I proceeded to do so...until I realized that this was no time for violence, but instead for making amends. Well, it seemed that the clown puppet was part of the family, so we welcomed him back into the clan... and then... the dream ended.

I woke up a bit groggy, as if tired from all that running from the Sunken Giant. What the heck was that all about?

Weird.

More Azkaban

Harry Potter fans rejoice! There's a new trailer to the latest Potter film, Prisoner of Azkaban, and to see it all you need do is head on over to The Leaky Cauldron!
I'm really excited at this third Potter movie- the trailers show off a more vibrant and lush treatment of the material, with energetic and dynamic uses of the camera and performers. Just goes to show what the new director, Alfonso Cuaron, is bringing to the table. Anyway, the trailer shows off even more scenes than the first spot, such as more Dementors, nasty Professor Snape, more Sirius Black, more magic and yes, the teen-age heroes.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is showing in the US on June 4.

Hmmm.

I'm blogging right now via Safari, the alternative browser program on my Powerbook. My Internet Explorer keeps quitting, and so might be corrupted (which is an amazing thing since it has been working perfectly for the past couple of weeks). Sigh. So much for the infallibility of Le Big Mac.

Anyway, I haven't been able to post much recently on account of work. K.I.A. pages are coming along sluggishly, mostly because I'm concentrating on doing art for Kunoichi Boy. I should get into the groove again soon though, because, well, I have to. Heh.
All things considered, things are going well. Just have to keep in mind my priorities and see what I have to do first and next. And then do it.

Project Nina


Tekken's original femme fatale gets her own gig.

Some time ago, I posted about a PS2 game called Project Nina which would star the blonde, Irish aikido-fighting assassin from the Tekken series. Well, the game has finally gotten its real title: Death By Degree: Nina Williams. As before, this one-player romp will have you guiding Nina during one of her (apparently) early missions- that of infiltrating a cruise ship teeming with bad guys to stop a plot of global domination.

Nina will have a lot of fighting moves to use in battle, including her Tekken attacks, firearms, acrobatics (ala Lara Croft), swordplay and more. She'll even be doing quite a bit of costume changes throughout the game, sporting several battle costumes, a cheongsam-like dress, lingerie and bodysuits. One special factor in the battle is an 'internal damage' system which lets Nina strike at an opponent's vital organs, effectively ending a battle abruptly or greatly damaging a tough boss charactger.

Death By Degree: Nina Williams is expected later this year for release in Japan; a US release hasn't been announced, but is anticipated. The game seems to have english voiceovers (ala Resident Evil), so the moment it appears on shelves here, we'll be all over it.

Trip to Little Tokyo


A scene from right out of Last Samurai! We were half expecting ninja to come slicing out at any second...

Yesterday, me and my friends went out to get some lunch. Our foraging eventually took us from the safety of our building all the way to Makati Cinema Square. At the suggestion of our Japanese-otaku, Joey, we went to have okonomiyaki at Little Tokyo.
Little Tokyo is a community of Japanese restaurants, most of which seem to be quite authentic and run by real Japanese people. I've actually seen in from the outside but it just seemed so seedy. Well, it was at noon so there weren't too many people, but I imagine that at night it's a lot more festive, and more Japanese nationals probably go there to dine or have a good sake.

The place we ate at, Kagura Okonomiyaki, was really Japanese in flavor. I was particularly pleased as it made me think of my favorite bitchy villainess from the Inu Yasha anime. It also made me think back to that scene in Kill Bill where Uma Thurman enters the shop of Hattori Hanzo.


The Kagura House.

The place was apparently owned and run by a Japanese man who was also the head chef. He whipped up four okonomiyaki for us. The dishes are basically pancakes, consisting of batter topped with luscious stuff. We watched as our orders took shape on the cooking plate. These guys were good, and as it is with real Japanese food, the okonomiyaki looked gorgeous. As for how they tasted, it's a mix of slightly sweet with savoury, with a really interesting texture. It's also very filling, but I managed to finish mine. Needless to say, I was quite thirsty after the meal. The last time I had an okonomiyaki was at least a year or so ago, at the fastfood-like Teriyaki Boy. That time, the experience wasn't as good... this time however, I was totally satisfied, and the dish was the meal itself, not just a novel side order.


The whole place just screamed Japanese, with a pile of Japanese magazines and manga on one side, a whole bunch of 'cute' stuff like Tamagotchi-like game keychains, baseball paraphernalia, bottles and signs labelled in kanji and more. They were even showing a channel with Japanese commercials on the TV.


Japanese pizza! The Okonomiya Special I ordered had pork, squid, shrimp, onions and more topped on a savoury-sweet cake. Delicious.

Anyway, that was my first time in Little Tokyo, and I am fully intending to return there someday. Really recommended!

Getting back on my feet again

For the past several weeks I've been laying on my arse. Yep, resting and lounging around like some slob, just vegetating in the Sanctum without accomplishing anything save a level or two at Ninja Gaiden for Xbox, or watching an episode of that EXCELLENT anime, Last Exile. That or appreciating my new bootleg dvds. Fun stuff, but it really isn't that productive.
Deadlines are approaching. Pages need to be drawn. Stories have to be made complete.

So here's my plate.

K.I.A.
I've actually got only three stories to do on the Kai anthology. One is more than halfway pencilled. The second major story has some pages but I want to restart from scratch. The final story only consists about two pages and so isn't really worrying. I'm actually giving myself a bit more time to finish these, but I will be doing work on them shortly.

Kunoichi Boy
This comic, due out in the pages of Questor Extreme is a GO. The ads have come out in the latest issues of Questor. I have to answer to editors and deadlines for this; so far though, it seems that the first issue (which is in the can) is at least a month or two away. Still, I have to get off my butt and crank out installments so I don't muck this up. Not particularly rewarding financially (not that any of my comics are... heh), but I can reach the most readers with Questor. Gotta give this due priority.

Siglo: Passion
I'm only drawing for this- the script has already been given, but the deadline's quite comfortable. I'll start on this after the 'K' projects are done.

Okay. That's that. Gotta start working. Really.

Look Sharp

My hair grows fast. Really fast. So, a few weeks after my first 'semi-kal' haircut left me less than a centimeter of hair length, I was back to looking 'fuzzy' with a mini afro.
It's pretty hard to get in a haircut in my day, but thankfully there's a neat barber shop in our building. It's called Bruno's (Is it me or are there a LOT of barbers named Bruno?), and it looks slick. Once you enter there's a receptionist behind a wood-panelled desk, with matching wooden panelling throughout the large area. The barber chairs look hi-tech, and face large mirrors with sinks. There are old framed pics throughout of people who look like they're from the 40s. In short- the place looked expensive.
Thankfully though, it wasn't- not really. In fact, the 135-peso price for a haircut is pretty common. The service was good, and the place was really nice. I think I'll have a haircut back there again when my hair demands. Didn't go bald this time though- I just settled for a crew cut. Suits me better, I think.

Thanks, Bruno. Seeya next time.

Scary Show

During one of my rare moments that I was actually home to see primetime shows, I got to watch Nginiiig: The Hidden Files on local TV. The show has a format similar to the cheezy Scariest Places on Earth show, with a team of 'psychics' going around investigating sites of supposed supernatural occurences. Acting as a narrator/observer to the precedings are a trio of young male actors who watch the psychics' activities via a computer monitor (eh?). As you'd expect from a show of this sort, you never see anything scarier than a psychic acting like she's being 'possessed' or 'sensing' a troubled past. But easily what takes the cake is an actual re-enactment of a Spanish-era love triangle affair that ends in murder which serves as the cause behind a haunting.

Scary.

Early reviews

I'm a regular reader of Ain't It Cool News, and so far they've almost always been dead on with their stuff. So these tidbits may turn out eventually to be true. They're about two upcoming big-budget action films that should be hitting our theaters soon.

THUMBS UP- Hellboy. This film translation of the Mike Mignola comic stars Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and John Hurt. Hellboy (Perlman) is a demon-turned defender of mankind against the forces of darkness, which in this case includes tentacled Lovecraftian horrors, undead Nazis and vile mystics. Lots of action and characterization that's supposedly true to the comic, plus great direction from Guillermo del Toro. Sounds great!

THUMBS DOWN- Van Helsing. Uh-oh. This supernatural action film starring Hugh Jackman as the titular crusader has the usually aged Professor Van Helsing vampire hunter character turned into a rooftop-jumping, sword-swinging, tightrope-walking action man. There are good things to find, such as cool monster designs, sexy vampire brides and Kate Beckinsdale in leather yet again. But cheezy moments aplenty, including a pretty mawkish ending may necessitate that watchers tone down their expectations.

Well, both films are still a ways off and are probably still not 100% finished- hopefully both get a lot better and turn out to be cool summer flicks.

Rush

Nothing really... just had to hurry home for personal reasons. It still took me more than two hours. DAMN traffic... A long commute can really suck out the strength from a guy. Just wanna lie down and chill. Yawn.

I need a beer... NOT

Early Sunday morning (say, about 1 or 2 AM). I've just finished the pencils for another Kunoichi Boy cover. I take a break. I take a look at the Sanctum food supply. Dry as a bone.
I ride the golf cart to the west wing, to the fridge. Not a bottle of Coke in sight. But wait.

Hey. Cans of beer.

I've never really liked beer. I drink it on the rare occasions that I actually end up in a bar with friends. Drinking it is really just for socializing, totally for the sake of other people. In truth, to me, beer tastes like piss. Bitter, cold piss. Or at best, it tastes like that rice-pudding that my old housekeeper used to bring home from Church on Sundays... except it tasted like the baker/seller scrimped on the sugar and flavoring. BLLEEEECCHHH.

Anyway, it was night. I was thirsty. I needed something in my throat that wasn't water. I needed taste. The beer was cold. Maybe this night, perhaps this one night, I'd find my taste for beer. Maybe this was my beer commercial moment.

I took a can and it hissed open in my fingers. I took a swig.

Ahhhh.

Fresh like early morning piss.

I poured the rest down into the drain and made myself a glass of orange juice.

Back to work.

Yesss....

You're Catch-22!

by Joseph Heller

Incredibly witty and funny, you have a taste for irony in all that you
see. It seems that life has put you in perpetually untenable situations, and your sense
of humor is all that gets you through them. These experiences have also made you an
ardent pacifist, though you present your message with tongue sewn into cheek. You
could coin a phrase that replaces the word "paradox" for millions of
people.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Drench Toast

I read about The Elvis, a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich with honey and bananas favored by The King, Elvis Presley when he was alive (he ate 12-15 of those things at any one time!) from Cynthia's website, and it reminded me of an incident in my youth.
I was a little kid when I learned about French Toast. I had always heard about it, but never tasted it then. The closest I had gotten was a butter biscuit that was crispy and crunchy but was, of course, not the real thing. Then one day, I saw a recipe in a magazine showing how to make your own toast.
It was pretty easy- basically mix egg with milk and some sugar and dip pieces of bread in it, then grill till brown and ready. Simple!

Unfortunately, at the time I was too young to grill. I wasn't good with lighting the gas stove, which was scary for me (I had a fear of the gas exploding in my face), so I compromised. I dipped the pieces of bread in the watery egg and milk batter, and then, instead of grilling them, I placed them in the toaster oven.

I set the oven on high, and then waited. Suffice to say, I didn't wait too long since I was still a kid and kids have about as much patience as politicians have integrity. So, after a bit, I took out my still-mushy and damp pieces of egg and milk-dipped bread, put them on a plate and started eating.
BLECH.
Anyway, it was some time later that I actually got to taste real, cooked French Toast, and I found it nice. Something like pancakes and tikoy put together.

Perhaps someday I'll be adventurous and try to make The Elvis at home. This time, I'll be sure to grill.

Moving on...

Ninja Gaiden


Ryu Hayabusa's adventure is an instant classic, no butts about it. Heh.

In between pages of my ninja hero Kunoichi Boy, I've managed to log in some sessions of play with Tecmo of Japan's latest gaming opus- Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox. This action adventure puts players in the toed-boots of Ryu Hayabusa, young ninja warrior and scion of the legendary Dragon clan. Entrusted with a sacred weapon known as the Dragon Blade, Ryu is the only member of his village who survives after a deadly attack, and predictably has the responsibility of avenging his comrades and stopping an evil plot by the sinister Vigoor Empire.

NG is, as I said, an action adventure. Despite having a ninja at your command, there's really no stealth element in the gameplay, as in Tenchu or Metal Gear Solid. You have at your command an expandable arsenal of attacks, with a variety of weapons from a katana to a giant throwing star that would make Yuffie Kisaragi green with envy. The enemies range from commandos to samurai, to zombies and demons.
The game looks incredible, which is something you would expect given that this is a product of the same team that produced the gorgeous Dead or Alive series. Character models are detailed and animated wonderfully, with your onscreen hero himself being as insanely lethal-cool as any ninja in any movie, cartoon or past game could be and MORE.
As for gameplay, the controls are very responsive and after some play is quite fluid and natural. There are some hiccups, such as a slightly iffy camera and some crazily difficult puzzles to solve; but for the most part, playing NG is an addictive, fun and exciting experience.

Yep, it lives up the the hype, I think. No Xbox owner should be without this one.

Back to the Drawing Board

I've decided to stay home for the weekend to catch up on my pages. My priority is actually art for Kunoichi Boy, but I will try to get in more K.I.A. pages as they come to me. So far, one story for the Kai anthology is in the can with pages- Jon Mallari has submitted his 10-page quota this week, and I am pleased. There are about two weeks left before March ends, and hopefully we'll be seeing a deluge of story art within the next several days.

Sunday, comic fun day. More pages, I promise.

Random Bits

In gaming...
Ninja Gaiden is now in stores. This slashing, leaping, ninja-fighting action game is being hailed as one of the best action-adventure titles yet. Awesome graphics, animation and solid gameplay are cited, along with cool-as-heck CG animation that tells the story of ninja hero Ryu Hayabusa's battle against the evil Vigoor Empire. I'll try to secure a copy soon...

Capcom will be releasing a PS2 version of Street Fighter III: Third Strike later this year in Japan. This is cool, considering that 3S is my favorite SF game, though I hope there are extras since a Dreamcast version (which I have) is already readily available. Online capability is being studied, but for now is unsure.

In films...
Aeon Flux, the dark and sexy sci-fi toon from MTV's Liquid Television by animator Peter Cheung will be getting the live-action treatment. Slated to star as the slinky, sinewy femme fatale is recent Oscar Award winner, Charlize Theron...

Bad news for LOTR fans waiting for the extended version of the ROTK dvd; there won't be a preview of the xtended set in the May release of the 2-disc theatrical ROTK dvd. Too bad, but I hope the sheer pleasure of seeing the finale to Peter Jackson's triad of blockbuster fantasy movies is enough to sate us till November...

That's that for now...

Freedom For All

In addition to existing venues (ComicQuest, CCHQ, and the outlets supplied by Christian Commercial, Christian Ventures, CA Communication, plus Jade Bookstore and Popular Bookstore), Siglo: Freedom will be available at the following bookstores, by late next week:

NATIONAL BOOK STORE
Rizal Ave. Branch (701 Rizal Ave)
Superbranch (Gen. Roxas St., Cubao)
Glorietta Branch (Ayala Ctr., Makati)
Harrison Plaza Branch (Mabini St.)
QC Ave. Branch (Quezon Ave. cor. Sct. Borromeo)
Ali Mall Branch (Araneta Ctr., Cubao)
Greenhills Branch (Virra Mall)
Greenbelt 1 Branch (Ayala Ctr., Makati)
Robinson's Place Branch (Ermita Manila)
Festival Mall (Filinvest, Muntinlupa)
SM North Branch (North Ave., cor EDSA, QC)
SM City Southmall Branch (Las PiÒas)
Robinson's Galleria Branch (Ortigas Ave. cor EDSA)
SM Megamall Branch (Julia Vargas Ave., cor EDSA)
Shangri-la Plaza Branch (Shaw Blvd cor EDSA)
SM Manila Branch (San Marcelino St., Manila)
Katipunan Branch (Katipunan Ave, Loyola Heights)
Sta. Lucia East Branch (Marcos Hwy. cor. Felix Ave., Cainta)
Cyber One Branch (Eastwood Cyber Park, Bagumbayan QC)
Podium Branch (ADB Ave., Ortigas Ctr.)
POWERBOOKS
Greenbelt 4 (Level 2, Greenbelt 4, Ayala Ctr.)
Megamall ((Julia Vargas Ave., cor EDSA)
Alabang Town Ctr (Muntinlupa)
Glorietta 3 (Level 2, Glorietta 3, Ayala Ctr.)

Get your copy now, now, NOW!

Fallen Angel



Yesterday I went to CQ for the customary bloodletting, netting myself a copy of the latest Fallen Angel and the collected edition of Formerly Known as The Justice League. Incredibly enough, I was able to actually read some of the stuff I got last night.

Fallen Angel (written by Peter David, art by David Lopez and Fernando Blanco- I wonder if they're Pinoy?) is one of the few titles I actually collect these days, a dark and mature-themed story about a hooded, super-strong woman named Lee who lives in the crime-infested city of Bete Noir, serving as a vigilante, bounty hunter, enforcer and whatever it takes to deal out her brand of justice. The 'Fallen Angel' isn't squeaky clean- she sleeps and deals on both sides of the fence, and, in the latest couple of issues, isn't above using a bit of torture to get what she needs- in this case, a mysterious shard.
The latest issues also reveal some quite odd quirks about Lee; particularly how she the soles of her feet actually never touch the ground when she walks, and how there's a definite link between the Crucifixion and the events in present-day Bete Noir. Hmmm. I wonder if it's just a coincidence that The Passion of the Christ in the theaters? Intriguing. I can't wait for the next issue to see where this story goes.

As for Formerly Known as The Justice League TPB, I got this solely on the art- the art is gorgeous, and reminds me a lot of Carl's work on Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah. Hyper-detailed, with lots of sexy women and great action- plus the humorous story looks like it's worth a read. Heh.

Good stuff. Check it out if you can at your favorite comic shops.

Go Nuts Donuts


My officemate Allan and his box of GONUTS DONUTS!!!

I finally got to taste the near-legendary Gonuts Donuts today. I've been hearing about these goodies forever; how they're patterned after the popular Krispy Kreme donuts in the US, and how they're so incredibly delicious. Well, I was able to sample a small morsel and I have to say... they're good. Scratch that- they're really good. The closest thing I can compare the cake-like donut is to the sour-cream donut from Country-Style donuts. Perhaps someday, I can make the trek to The Fort and grab a box myself. Someday.


It doesn't look like much, but it tastes great.

K.I.A. in a Jar


Hmmmm....

Saw this at the window display of KinX Cakes at Megamall. Just had to snap a pic. Heh.

It runs in the Family


That's my sister, Lea, posing beside her masterpieces.

There's a definite artistic streak running through my family. My brother is an architect from the same university that brought up Gerry Alanguilan, and he's good at technical drawing. I do comics. My elder sister on the other hand, paints. I've seen her draw a lot years and years ago, when we were a lot younger. Recently though, she's been able to get deeper into her painting. Well, it was a pleasant surprise to see her open an art exhibit along with a gaggle of other painters. The exhibit, entitled Sikat, is open now at the 4th floor of SM Megamall. Lots of colorful art to see. Go and take a look if you're in the area.

The King Returns in May

Yep, if you wanna see the nailbiting Siege of Minas Tirith, the MAD, mad, mad charge of the Rohirrim versus the monstrous Haradrim Oliphaunts, the battle between hobbit and giant spider, the charge of the Dead Armies and Viggo Mortensen singing again (Yipe), the date to wait for is May 25. The initial release of ROTK dvd will be the 2-disc widescreen theatrical cut release, which will include of course special features, trailers and other good stuff. The much meatier and more anticipated EXTENDED version will most likely land on our shores by November. Well, that's the LOTR event to wait for this year...

Appealing to my Inner Tyrant

Several weeks ago, Carl introduced the gang to a site called Nationstates.net, a game site where you create and guide your own 'nation'. You make up the name, type of government, policies, flag and national animal, and you're off. It seemed like an interesting way to waste more time online, so I resolved to try it. But it was only after seeing Nikki do it that I finally got to making my own little private country online.
My state is called The Dictatorship of Madrapoor, and we're a benevolent but iron-fisted state that has one year of compulsary military service, a belief in strong spirituality and a national animal known as The Madripoor Viper. Yep, it's a nice place to visit, but live there only if you like snakes.

Heh. Okay, back to work...

Gaming Interlude

Over the weekend I was able to pick up a bunch of games. The first two are for the Xbox. One is Samurai Shodown Special, which is apparently a cracked version/port of the latest game in the SS series- which is COOL since normally you'd need to have a NEO GEO arcade unit to play that. Anyway, Samurai Shodown 5 brings together a lot of familiar fighters from the past SS games, such as Haohmaru, Genjuro, Charlotte Christine Colde, Nakoruru, Rimururu, Tam Tam, Kyoshiro, Hanzo Hattori, Galford, Gaira, Basara, Sogetsu, Kazuki and more. Joining the veterans are some new combatants, including a sexy, scantily-clad archer girl, a HUGE demon, a warrior with more swords than he has arms, an 'evil' version of Nakoruru and an old man who looks a bit like Han Myoung from the Soul Edge games. I can't really say that I find too many of the new guys interesting (the archer girl is quite fetching though), but this is the latest in a classic series, so I'll give it a play or two.
Everything or Nothing is the latest videogame in the James Bond franchise, and I have to say it looks great. The producers pulled out all the stops and got actor Pierce Brosnan to give his looks for your onscreen bond. Actors Judy Dench (M) and John Cleese (Q) reprise their roles from the films via voiceovers, taking you through the missions and giving the game quite a bit of authenticity. Along with the regular Bond cast, there are a bevy of Bond girls to encounter, played by actress Shannon Elizabeth, model Heidi Klum, singer Mya and Japanese model Misaki Ito. On the heavies side, Willem Dafoe plays the head bad guy. Yep, this game has all the trappings of a real Bond movie- Hell, they even got Richard Kiel to reprise his role as Jaws!

While I never got into past bonds because the gameplay was generally blah, EON has intuitive controls which are responsive and fast. Firefights are exciting and enemies are smart, and it takes no time at all to become an expert gunman. The first few levels are pretty cool and include a battle in a fortress and a train chase. I think I'm gonna see this Bond through.

Finally, Final Fantasy X2: International + Last Mission for the PS2 adds the english voiceovers of the US FFX2 with new modes, a couple of new dress spheres and more to freshen up this girlpower RPG. I doubt I'll be able to finish this one through, but I got it just to see Yuna in her kimono outfit. Heh.
Sigh. So many games, yet so little time to enjoy them. Gotta put these away and get back to churning out pages...

Hoodlums

Recently, I was walking home sometime after midnight, inside our subdivision. As I was passing the local basketball court/playground, I noticed some youths grouped at the side in the yard, smoking and hanging around. As I walked by, I heard some of them talking 'gangsta' speak (You know... words with mother and the 'F' word). Just then, several small pebbles clattered all around me. One even hit me on my back. It didn't hurt, but the blow wasn't physical.'

WHO THE HELL ARE THESE BASTARDS TO THROW FRICKING ROCKS AT ME?

I stopped and turned to look at the darkened playground where the youths were. One of them kept muttering (at me), still in the stupid gangsta speak- "What'cha looking at Motherf___er?"

Perhaps it was against better judgement, but for some reason, I walked TOWARD the pebble-throwers. I could tell they were teens, smoking and probably tipsy with drink, or worse maybe even drugs. It didn't matter. I was mad.
"Were you throwing stones at me?" I rasped.
They at first denied it, saying that it was maybe just some rocks falling from the sky or something. There were no more gangsta comments or quips. They were silent, obviously not prepared to get confronted for their posturing.

"Stop that." I said. I turned, but kept my eyes at them. As I walked away, the guy who spoke to me started apologizing, probably worried that I'd cause trouble. I didn't give any reply and just kept walking away. I was done. I had half a mind to report them, but if I did, whatever happened next I would be at a disadvantage. I'll let it pass, for now. But still, I'm not totally unscathed. Now I have to make it a point to avoid walking that way at that time, just for safety's sake. Gotta make it a point to ride a cab home that late.

This is my home, for God's sake. I've been living here for the past seventeen years. Those bastards were just frickin' sperms in their stupid parents' when I started living here. They have no right to terrorize people here.

PRIME Vanishing Ray targets. Bastards. What a waste of oxygen.

WOW

I once thought all SOLAR USA was just good for B-movies, bad cartoons and the odd tagalog action film. Well, ever since the channel got WWE wrestling into its program schedule, it's been a regular stop for me. Imagine my surprise when one night I turned to SOLAR and found myself watching WOW, or Women Of Wrestling. FYI, WOW is the recent (well, it was a few years ago) resurgence of the old GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) show in the 80s. Like its predecessor, WOW features an all-female roster of female wrestlers, most with their various themes, schticks and gimmicks. This includes of course 'faces' (Good Girls) like Terry Gold the Perfect Ten gymnast, and the Beach Patrol, who skip into the ring wearing the trademark red one-piece swimsuits from Baywatch. Then there are the 'heels' (Bad Girls) which include Jungle Grrl, a leopard skin-wearing wildcat who loves flattening her enemies with a splash from the top turnbuckle; and the Disciplinarian, a teacher from hell. As you'd expect, the cheese factor is pretty high, but so is the babe factor, so it's cool for anyone who loves seeing slinky femme fatales doing clotheslines and suplexes. Hey, that's me! Heh.