Street Fighter Perfect Collection

I got myself a copy of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection today. The disc contains two games- Hyper Streetfighter II and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. The former brings together the various versions of Streetfighter II and allows you to pit different versions of the classic World Warriors against each other (from SF Champion Edition to the New Challengers). 3rd Strike is a port of the final installment of the underrated Streetfighter 3 series, boasting a large selection of fighters, amazingly fluid animation and rock-solid Street Fighter gameplay.

It's a great start to the DELUGE of fighting games coming in the next few months- King of Fighters: Maximum Impact, Guilty Gear Isuka, Mortal Kombat Deception and of course, Dead or Alive Ultimate and Tekken 5. Till the next wave of beat 'em ups arrives, I'll be brawling with Ibuki and the gang.

Look ma, no wires!

After a couple of weeks of waiting, I finally got my laptop upgraded with an airport card. Now, I have access to wireless internet! WOOHOO! This means I can go around pretty much anywhere in our office and stay online. Also, I should be able to surf at various WiFi spots in malls like Greenbelt, Glorietta and elsewhere. Pretty cool.

Hard Choices

Over a Chicken ala Kiev dinner at Classic Roast in Megamall a couple of nights ago, Vin, Dean and Gig grilled me on some hard choices.

Streetfighter or Tekken? Streetfighter, I'd have to say. The classic Capcom brawler is still the best, pound for pound, blow per blow.

PS2 or Xbox? DAMN this was hard. The PS2 had the numbers- the greater number of games and franchises, variety and star power. But the Xbox had Dead or Alive, and the library was getting better and better. I went with the future.

Videogames or Anime? Anime. No question. More often than not, I'd rather watch than play. Hmm. That sounded a bit naughty...

And of course... the clincher...

Angel or Kai?

Actually, this wasn't as hard as the other questions.

She's my lead heroine, my first baby and my golden girl... and while Angel will always have a special place in my heart, if I had to make a choice between one and the other, I'd take the angrier, more angsty, more tempermental, more fickle ninja girl.
Kai's adventures are darker and sexier, and she can go where Angel shouldn't or wouldn't go, and always looks great at it. While Angel is a bright, fun and colorful book you can open up anytime for a great read, Kai is a guilty-pleasure mag that you enjoy best in your favorite corner all by your lonesome. Heh.

And of course, I can share those guilty-pleasure adventures with readers in a few months, when we bring out K.I.A.. The book just came one step closer to becoming a reality. In about a month, after I finish the remaining art chores and production preparations, we'll be heading to the printers. WOOHOO!!!

As for the choices, I'm of course glad that they're all just hypothetical and I don't really need to choose between any of them. In these cases, I can have my cake AND my pie, and eat them as much as I want. HOHO.

K.I.A. Update


A sample from the K.I.A. story "Zindernuef", with art by Taga-Ilog.

It's been a long time since the last K.I.A. update, but even with the delays the Angel Ace spinoff anthology is still on track for a late 2004 release. All the stories from contributors have been submitted, so we're now entering the production phase where we organize and edit the pages, prep them for printing and of course, bring together the moolah to pay for it. Hopefully we'll be seeing Kai's adventures in print in time for the next C3Con, if there is one, later this year.

Dubbing Duds

Last night, I was watching another english Getbackers episode on the now-english Animax and whomever operating the sound flubbed up so that the dialogue was delayed and off-cue by about 5 seconds.

Tonight, I watched an episode of the anime Stratos 4. And I have to say... this has one of the worst english dubs I've ever heard.

Out-of-place accents ALL OVER THE PLACE. Southern accents. Bwookwyn accents. Why does one character sound like a mobster?

The female heroines don't sound like cute teens... they just sound like munchkins. One sounded like Laverne on helium. At some times, they just sound plain stupid. I actually think at least two characters were voiced by one actress, hence some exaggerated characterizations.

During an action scene, you can just plainly see that the actors can't manage to do the required voicework- their unconvincing grunts actually sound bored and random.

My gosh... If you're gonna replace the top-quality voices and acting of the original shows, at least do it with COMPETENT performers.

FEH. English Animax... sucks...

Only in Japan


Attack of the 50-foot ANIME Woman.

Can you believe there's actually a Yoshinoya videogame? YEP! There is. Apparently, this popular Japanese beef bowl restaurant became the subject of a game where you take the role of a Yoshinoya branch manager. Dubbed a 'Food Service Action Sim', gameplay in the Yoshinoya game includes managing the proper mix of ingredients that go into every bowl, and your clientele includes various quirky customers like grouchy old Japanese men, lovely ladies and pesky young 'uns. Hmmm. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Another funny game that probably will never see light outside of Nippon is The Daibijin (or 'Giant Beautiful Woman'). Apparently the game is about how a 17-year old Japanese girl is zapped by an alien and starts growing to gigantic proportions. Now, the bikini-clad giantess is rampaging across Japan, and YOU have to stop her, using tanks, jets and other munitions. However, it certainly would not be proper to blast a cute young lady (no matter how gigantic) with bullets and bombs, so instead you'll use special weapons that generate rocking music, or materialize huge pieces of cake before her... I am not making this up... Soon however, you'll have to find a way to reverse the growth and defeat the evil alien responsible for this crisis.

Of course, this game is produced by publisher D3, which is famous for the infamous (but quite prolific) "Simple Series" of games, all of which star scantily-clad anime girls.
You can see a trailer (you know you want it) of this surreal game at the publisher's website here.

From Terminatrix to Vampiress

According to news, actress Kristanna Loken, who played the steel-cold T-X in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, will be donning the leather outfit and wrist-blades of Bloodrayne in the movie of the same name. Based on a recent hit videogame, Bloodrayne is a half-vampire assassin who battles Nazis and their supernatural experiments. In the movie version, Bloodrayne will be hunting down the Lord of the Vampires (who may or may not be Dracula). The film starts shooting this October, and should hit theaters more or less the same time the next Bloodrayne game hits consoles.

Clearing House, Part Deux

It's really fun to move things about in your own personal space. The end goal of course is to make things seem more ordered and neater than when you started, and when it's all over there's nothing nicer than to just lean back in a chair or on the bed and marvel at how order has triumphed over chaos.
In the aftermath of my TV acquisition, things were in turmoil. The 29-inch newcomer turned out to be thicker than the shelf space where it was supposed to go, so we couldn't just hoist it up and say 'Yay!' right away. Luckily, the TV came with a nice TV stand which was build specially for the set. After my brother assembled the stand, the TV fitted onto the top like a hand into a glove. Better yet, there was space beneath in the stand for both my Xbox and my PS2. The stand also had wheels so you could move it around easily- which was good since there were tons of connections I had to attach to the rear. It took some wire-traffic work, but finally I was able to organize stuff so I could easily switch between DVD, Gaming and VCD with little trouble.
The rest of the room had to be cleared, so I took out a few more things... like oh, stacks and stacks of old Diamond Previews which my mom eventually had given to the local municipal library- I think the kids will enjoy the art. The anime VHS and various VCDs went into boxes and are destined for garage sales. Various Playstation discs were given off for kids of my mom's friends, or sold to a gamebooth near my parent's workshop. With the sheer amount of stuff I was able to remove, The Sanctum now feels a little bit looser. I was able to shift stuff around and give stuff their own dedicated spots instead of just squeezing them all in little tight spaces.

Still, this is actually all temporary. We're actually planning on adding more shelves and cabinets, and giving the TV a more permanent space near the original spot. It will entail actual hammer-and-saw construction work, coats of paint and serious carpentry stuff I know nothing about, but in the end that should make The Sanctum look a lot better. Perhaps not as great as a place worked over by those gay guys from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but better nevertheless.

But that's a challenge for another day.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

Yesterday Animax started their english era of anime. This seems to go for all the primetime series, though some shows like Lamu the Invader Girl are still in Japanese. I was able to watch an episode of the english-dubbed Getbackers, and I have to say... it's not as bad as I thought.
Still, while Getbackers has a decent cast of voice actors who try their best, they don't quite get the personalities and quality of the emotions in the original Japanese dub. More often than not, the characters are a bit off- a Ginji's a bit too goofy, Ban's not macho enough, Kadzuki's too masculine, Shido's not hard enough, Jackal's not creepy enough... or worse, sound too muck alike. The female characters fare better on the most part. But at least the lines are decent.

I guess I can get used to it... of course, I still prefer the Japanese original dialogue. That's the purist otaku in me talking. On the other hand, I guess a lot more people can watch the show easier. There's always anime VCDs and DVDs for me to turn to when one can't stands no more.

The Big Picture

I just took impulse buying to a whole new level, I think.

I bought a new TV.

Well, really, it's not like I just saw a nice TV and thought out of the blue "I want a new TV!" and just bought it. No. Not really. In fact, I've actually been thinking of getting a new set for quite some time now. For the past few months I've been looking around at appliance and electronics stores. I've even asked about getting a big-ass, widescreen TV from The Docks down at Old Manila. I've heard you can, if you're lucky, get big-screen Japanese surplus TVs for a song. But then, I didn't know spit about anything in that quarter, and as my brother said, "You get what you pay for." So, it wasn't really a realistic option to take.
So, when I finally saw a nice, fairly big FLATSCREEN TV yesterday that I could actually afford, I was ready to go for it.

Since it would be pretty awkward, not to mention really morale-breaking, to plunk down almost 30K in cash right there and then, I planned on using a credit card. My mom's, actually, since she had more credit than I had. I'd just pay her the installments, she gets extra points or rebates for using her card, we (more I than anything else) get a big-ass new TV. Everyone's happy!
Better yet, we turned it into a family outing- My brother, his kids, my mom and me packed ourselves into my sister's utility vehicle (which was luckily available) and we were off to Megamall. While we were waiting for the whole transaction to be completed, we gaped slack-jawed at a HUGE Plasma Widescreen Monitor that showed a crystal-clear picture with FLAWLESS color... and it should, considering it cost a mere Php 372,000.00. OUCH.
After we were done, I treated my folks to dinner at President's, the excellent Chinese restaurant on the 4th Floor. After dinner, we loaded up the new acquisition and headed off home.

It took my Don Bosco-alumnus bro about a half hour to assemble the TV stand, and the TV fit on like a plug into a socket. Perfect! A few seconds later, we turned it on and VOILA... A new world of entertainment. Well, really, what difference could 4 inches make, you could ask (my old TV's a 25-incher). Well, a lot, really. And the TV's flat screen really does make for a clearer picture. Better yet, games on the Xbox and PS2 should look awesome (I've already tried DOA3... MY GOSH!)... especially when I get games like Dead or Alive Ultimate, King of Fighters Maximum Impact and Tekken 5 on it in the coming months. Gaming bliss.

All things said and done, it's just a little thing. But really, it's these little things that make the difference sometimes. Heh.

Clearing House

Sundays usually brings out the busybody in me. What often happens is that I try to reorganize The Sanctum into a more spacious, manageable formation.

Well, today I actually opened up the lower cabinets- an underworld abyss where I cast all my old VHS tapes, Playstation games, VCDs and PC CDs. My own mini-ubliette, I guess. It was a daunting and intimidating sight... PILES and piles of hard, solid masses that seemed immoveable from their stronghold. Many times I opened up the cabinet before and gave up after a long struggle, not knowing where to deposit the stuff. Packing it in plastics and just dumping it somewhere was awkward. Even just grouping the stuff was a feat in frustration. It was like corruption in government. A plastic skeleton in my closet.

But somehow I had the strength this day. I got three boxes and filled them up with all the stuff I wanted to liquidate- TONS and TONS of anime VHS tapes, piles of movie and game CDs, and HUGE masses of plastic bags.

Looking at it all, I was totally horrified at the amount of junk. But then, this was the result of years- years of buying VHS anime in Greenhills, years of getting bootleg movie VCDs from sidewalk vendors (this was the time before DVDs became in vogue) and years of accumulating and accumulating, stockpiling, amassing and collecting.

It felt good to finally organize it all and deposit them into boxes and get them out of my room. Sorta like an enema. A stomach pump. An exorcism. Painful but it does you good.

Cosplay


Gimli and the Witch King of Angmar at a recent cosplay event in Megamall.

Last night I hied over to Mega after a Greenhills foray to catch my college friend Alex compete in a cosplay event at the Megamall skating rink. It was cool seeing Lex as Gimli the dwarf from Lord of the Rings, along with a couple of Uruk Hai and the Witch King sliding along the ice alongside a crowd of anime characters. Otherwise though, the turnout of competitors was slim pickings... nothing really stood out- lots of Naruto characters (a popular ninja-themed anime) and Ragnarok. When the best-looking costume is from a crappy anime such as Cyber Team in Akihabara, you really can't say the show was too exciting. Oh well.
Alex got into cosplaying only recently, after he tasted the limelight and won eighth place in a Toy Con competition. Now he seems to be dead-set on making cosplay a serious hobby. Born for the stage, he is! Heh. Good luck, pal. Make me proud.

In the Service of the Filipino Comic Reader!

Woofy has set up a new blog called the Filipino Comics Portal that's dedicated to updates and news about local Filipino comics. Check it out for detailed news on local indie comics, zines and events. Nice idea, Woofy! You can also reach it via my Links at the side.

MORE Retro-fighting on the PS2

Aside from getting Streetfighter 3: Third Strike via the Streetfighter Anniversary Anthology disc, the Playstation 2 will also be getting Sega AM2's fighting classic, Virtua Fighter 2 as part of the Sega Ages series of games.
The last time VF2 was made into a home version (if you ignore a pretty horrid translation to the Sega Genesis) was for the Sega Saturn, which really wasn't up to the task of recreating the advanced Model 2 graphics of the time. While gameplay was intact, the look of the Saturn's graphics was just a fraction of the arcade version's visuals. The PS2 however should have more than enough muscle to produce an arcade-perfect port. The conversion will contain not only the original arcade game edition, but the upgrade VF 2.1 as well.
I remember the arcade version, and it was a handsome game for its time... it'll be great to see it in full glory and action again.

The PS2 port of Virtua Fighter 2 is scheduled for Japanese release in October.

Welcome to Hanuda


Japanese horror on your PS2 awaits in Forbidden: Siren.

With Asian horror and suspense films being all the rage these days, wouldn't you like to live through one?

Well, I sure as hell WOULDN'T, but in case YOU would, you could try to experience a visit to the mysterious village of Hanuda, a quaint little hamlet in rural Japan which just happens to have a history of sinister mysticism and bloody massacre. It's the setting of Siren, a survival-horror game for the Playstation 2. In it, you take the role of ten people caught in the middle of a cataclysmic event that has turned Hanuda into a place where shibito, or the walking dead, prowl to plague the living. All you have are your wits, the occasional weapon to fend away the shibito and the ability to sight-jack, a psychic ability that lets you see through the eyes of nearby undead.

Siren was released some time ago, and actually did not get very good reviews; an iffy dub with British accents for obviously Japanese characters diluted a bit of the suspense, along with frustrating trial-and-error gameplay. But I have to say that the premise of the game and some pretty excellent websites accompanying the game are worth seeing to feel the atmospheric suspense of an Asian horror film. The TV commerical for the game was actually pulled from the air in Japan after a lot of Japanese children were scared silly after seeing the chilling ad.

Luckily, you don't need to play the game (unless you want to) to dip your toes into the blood-red waters of Siren. You can sample the creepiness by visiting the game's excellent flash website at www.forbidden-siren.com and going through a creepy point-and-click meeting with a few of the souls trapped in Hanuda. The voiceovers are in Japanese, but there are subtitles, which give it all a Ringu-ish feel. Just have a fast computer, a good web connection (cable or DSL is preferred) and have a scary good time...

Nightlife



So here I am, sitting in the pantry of our office on the 20th floor, looking down at the brightly lit length of Ayala Avenue.

it's past midnight, but you'll find that at anytime there are quite a lot of people milling about nearby. Once, you'd think that the nightshift would be populated only by the odd old security guard or night watchman, or some 24 hour resto skeleton crew.

These days though, you'll find troops of young people hanging out at a random building or filling up a nearby MiniStop. Of course, it's not because there's a trendy nightspot in the area... they're probably just the employees of a call center, which seems to be the "in" starting profession for greenhorns these days. All you need I guess is a good speaking voice and the command of the english language, and a good sense for punctuality. The hours are horrid, the pay is probably basic, and the demands totally exacting (one case of tardiness and you're OUT, according to Charles), but it seems that everyone and their cousin is heading for a Call Center these days.
Me? I'd never make it into one of those things. I'd get fired the first day.

Fortunately, overnights are rare for me (relatively), so I can still get home at decent hours every now and then. Sometimes, I even get to see the SUN. Just one of the perks for working in a hotshot ad agency. Hehehehe... Sigh.

Okay. Back to thinking about promos...

Overtime

It's that time of the month again. Crunch time. Every now and then a pitch (where we lock horns with other agencies for a job or account) is thrown onto our laps and we scramble like headless chickens to do our darndest to bring home the bacon.

That's been pretty much my whole week. It's funny that since Saturday I haven't even been able to go to Megamall and deliver a load of Angel Ace Again #4 at the request of a reader. Haven't had time.

Still, I can't complain. The work gives me what I need to get on with my life, live the way I want and even indulge in my interests and passions with impunity.

And speaking of passions, I've got to get cracking on the Siglo pages once I get to breathe again... Yikes...

Doggone

We finally got rid of our dog, Taffy, today.

Since my brother and sister's families are migrating overseas in the near future, my Dad had commented that he wanted to get a dog so he could have a hobby. Well, my brother jumped the gun and got Taffy. He was a mongrel of a Pit Bull and a Labrador, and a pretty weird dog. When he was a little pup, the kids were all over him... I had lost most of my enthusiasm for animals a long time ago, so I basically just kept my distance. But then, Taffy wasn't your usual nice dog. For one thing, he was exceptionally stinky... you just couldn't get near him for too long without wanting to go wash up. It didn't help that none of the household help would give him a bath- apparently he would grow too skiddish and unmanageable. Also, the maids seemed to always have a hard time in finding him something to eat.

I think it just all boiled down to the fact that he wasn't a likeable dog. If you don't like him, you don't want to bother with him. So, Taffy just got stinkier and weirder.
A week ago, I actuallly tried to play with him... to my regret. He'd grow TOO enthusiastic and playful, almost dangerously so. He actually threw himself at me (kinda like a cross-body wrestling splash), and his leg brushed my groin. GAH! And of course, to add insult to injury, he still stank. Blech. After that, I didn't play with Taffy anymore. On a more serious note though, he also seems to try and bite you as you play, so that's pretty dangerous... especially for the kids. But then again I think even the kids didn't play with him anymore.

Well, today, my Dad carried him bodily into the car and went with me and my Mom. We brought him to the Guard Station at the front of our subdivision and gave Taffy to the guard. I asked my parents to make sure that they would at least take care of the odd dog. Maybe there, he'd find the dog's life we couldn't give him at home.

I'm not gonna miss Taffy. Not a bit. But I hope he's happy there.

Loss of Spirit

I'm depressed and pissed.

It seems that Animax is going ahead and dubbing ALL of their shows in english ALL the time.

You know, there are reasons why anime enthusiasts like me prefer to watch anime in original Japanese. There are emotions, meanings and nuances that english just simply cannot translate properly. Second, Japanese voices just sound COOLER. Guys sound more intense. Girls are cuter or more sultry. Jokes are funnier even if you don't hear the words' meanings- you can feel it in their voices. And finally, a LOT of english dubs just SUCK. Remember those horrid AXN dubs for Ninku? The flat translations of Samurai X on Studio 23?

"I will beat your Amakakeru Ryu No Hirameki with MY Amakakeru Ryu No Hirameki!!!"

Guh...

Really, decent english dubs are rare, though they do exist. But for the most part, rushed dubs for these cable networks just don't cut it.

Well, I guess I can still just stick to my store-bought anime VCDs for my authentic Japanese-voiceovers, and the shows on Animax as of late are quite mediocre, so it's no big loss yet. I'm just cringing right now at the prospect of watching Getbackers all over again... in ENGLISH... Geh...

Return of the King Extended Edition Set

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Here's more info on the scenes that will be appearing in what may be the BEST of the BEST extended dvd sets ever. Some corrections to my earlier post... at LEAST 50 minutes of new footage is featured; it may or may not be 58 minutes. And there will be over 20 hours of extras and bonus features. DAAAAMN!!! You could watch this thing for a DAY and STILL not be finished!!! WOOOHHHHAAAAA!!!

Anyway, onto the scenes...

- Shots of Saruman on top of Orthanc, talking trash at the good guys and then throwing a FIREBALL at Gandald... Well, Vin will be happy now that finally a wizards gets to throw a BIG SFX spell. Supposedly it looks pretty good.

- Frodo/Sam/Gollum approaching the crossroads...

- Frodo and Sam in orc costumes marching with orcs, big orc yelling "move on!"

- Merry saying "I know there isn't much hope, I know I can't do much. I'm just a hobbit. But I want to help"

- Mouth of Sauron rides out, and he's an UGLY bastard. He says " I have a token I was bidden to show thee" and then he reveals Frodo's mithril vest and throws it down to the ground.

- Eowyn in bed at Edoras, Aragorn is walking away from her but before he can get too far she reaches out and takes his hand.

- Eomer grieving for Eowyn... this scene has been spotted in theatrical trailers but not shown in the actual theatrical cut. It was theorized before by some that the person Eomer is grieving for was not Eowyn, but a fellow Rohirrim.

- Sam in Mordor looking at the dark, red lit sky telling Frodo that he sees a light.

- Aragorn using the Palantir...

- Gandalf battling against the Witch King, who finally gets a chance to make good on his promise to "break him".

- Lots of new shots of the siege of Gondor, orcs using small battering ram, fell beast swooping in and picking up soldiers

- Eowyn fighting Gothmog... I was wondering what happened to him... So Eowyn offs BOTH of Sauron's heavies? What a woman!

-Faramir telling Pippin about the child who once owned the suit of Gondorian armor he is now wearing...

- Eowyn and Faramir in the Houses of Healing... a much-anticipated scene, I must say...

- Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli running away from an avalanche of skulls in the paths of the dead...

And one last thing... the release is supposed to be in December 2004. DAAAAMMNNN!!!! I WANT IT NOW!!!

My Preciousssss....

Talking about Bread


Not your everyday bakeshop: Bread Talk at the Glorietta.

First it was Gonuts Donuts. Now, it's all about Bread at the recently-opened specialty bakery/bakeshop known as Bread Talk. Hailing from Korea or Singapore (or some other Asian country), the place specializes in delicious, fancy breads, pastries and buns of various preparations. Like Gonuts, the crusty concoctions are baked and done right in front of the customers, behind glass. In the main area are various shelves with large baskets where the just-cooked buns are cooling and waiting to be picked up (with some handy nearby prongs).
The breads range from meat or tuna-filled buns to fanciful creations such as the rather large Crouching Tiger, Hidden Bacon, a large crusty and chewy breadloaf with strips of crispy meat inside. Then there's the savoury floss breads, soft buns topped with a light, fur-like layer of meat shavings. The spicy Fire Floss was really nice! Aside from savoury treats, there are also nice pastries to satisfy any sweet tooth.
The breads aren't cheap (they cost a lot of dough), but the taste and quality are hard to resist. I have to say I'm hooked... I'll probably be back soon to try some other stuff. And who knows... maybe someday I might even spring a couple of thousand bucks for their special GIANT-size special bread. heh.

Classic Cartoon

Just finished watching The Great Mouse Detective on the Disney Channel. I love this charming animated movie about Sherlock Holmes ala Mickey- Basil of Baker Street and how he first meets his trusted companion and assistant Dr. Dawson and tackles a case involving his nemesis, Dr. Ratigan (voiced by Vincent Price). The character of Basil is pretty cool and the film's funny and action-packed. It's too bad that it isn't one of the more popular Disney features... there never was any sequel or continuation of Basil's adventures. But who knows? Maybe someday Disney will open up the trunk and reopen more of the Mouse Detective's cases.

THE RETURN OF THE DVD

Unlike past years, the end of 2004 won't see a Lord of the Rings film... but we WILL be seeing the Extended Edition Set DVD of the Return of the King!

Like the previous two sets, the ROTK:EE set will include additional scenes, featurettes and other odds and ends enough to satisfy any movie fan. According to Ain't It Cool News, the extended version will have an additional 58 minutes of new, unseen footage! ALMOST AN HOUR MORE ROTK!!!

The extra scenes will include among others a wizard's duel between Gandalf and Saruman at Orthanc; the courtship of Eowyn by Faramir at the Houses of Healing, a nice scene between Pippin and Faramir involving Pippin's Gondorian armor; more Paths of the Dead, the Mouth of Sauron, Eowyin versus Gothmog (the orc general with the marshmallow head) and MORE.

It would have been great if the ROTK theatrical dvd had a preview of the EE... perhaps they'll release some sort of ad or preview online. Anyway, it sounds awesome... November can't come fast enough.

Sith Happens

It's been announced at a recent Comic Convention.

The third prequel film in the Star Wars series is called...

Revenge of the Sith

I recall that the third film in the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi, was also called Revenge of the Jedi before it was 'toned down'. Who knows... it may eventually become Return of the Sith as well. But then, the Sith have been around since Episode One...

The origin of Darth Vader is expected in theaters in 2005. Or something like that.

Searing Documentary

I remember back in my college days watching the Oliver Stone film JFK. All of my friends and I were appalled, amazed, horrified and affected by the events in it. It opened our eyes to conspiracy, to how even a president of the US, the most powerful man in the world, could be endangered by corruption and power plays.

Now, years and years later, after watching the documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 by filmmaker Michael Moore, I've gone through those old feelings again. Times TEN. JFK was nothing. NOTHING compared to what I felt at the end of watching Fahrenheit 9/11.

I'll never believe another U.S.-made propaganda ever again without taking it with a grain of salt and a ton of cynicism.

I'll never watch FOX News again. Even CNN is suspect. You can't trust them. Not ever again.

When I see the crowds of Americans chanting 'USA, USA' in a WWE show when booing stereotypical heel wrestlers like the French La Resistance, I can't help but feel for the so-called "bad guys".

I now find it hard to believe that Truth and Justice comprise the American Way.

I feel outraged that all this time we were fooled into believing all the lies about Iraq, Al Qaeda, Saddam Hussein and Wars on Terror.

GOD DAMN. They destroyed a nation for money. Not for lofty ideals, not for keeping the world safe, not even for keeping America safe. It was all for FRICKIN' money. They KILLED kids and women and innocents in the name of freedom, but it was all for FUCKING MONEY. GOD DAMN.

If this all seems gibberish, it's because my mind is reeling. It's all because of that film and what it revealed.

Grab a copy of Fahrenheit 9/11. Watch it with your parents, your friends, your co-workers. Watch it with your community if you can.

Powerful stuff. Watch and start seeing the news in a whole new light. I just hope enough Americans see this and come to their senses in time to change the order come the elections in November. RUN THE FRICKIN' BASTARDS FROM THE OFFICE.

DAMN.

When it rains...

... people multiply. It's true.

Here in the Philippines, it is especially true. When it rains, even a little bit, the streets are CLOGGED with people and cars. Filipinos are like mogwai, apparently. Drop a few gallons of liquid and there seems to be too many people all at once. They stuff the MRT, they choke the streets, they fill up the malls. It's true, it's true.

Tonight, after the gang's Friday Night Out, I took a cab from the usual drop-off point. We headed off to Katipunan where the expected snarl at the road construction sites could be seen. But even as my cabbie deftly maneuvered us past incompetent slowpokes, it soon became apparent that the usual bottleneck wasn't the only thing wrong. Soon we saw that Katipunan going the opposite direction was LOCKED in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Even in our side, the buildup was beginning. Luckily, I was able to reach a safe point where I could get off and walk home. As I looked about, ALL the roads- Marcos Hiway in both directions was heavy with traffic.
Apparently this was all caused by flooding, and the resulting traffic looks insurmountable. Hopefully it'll be gone by tomorrow. Gah. I'm lucky to have gotten home quick.

Looking at that nightmare, I'm so glad I don't have a car. Really.

Siglo International

Speaking of Siglo, the first book in the series, Siglo: Freedom, is now available internationally! YAY! According to Vin, the book has just appeared in the August issue of Previews, on page 315 with a full-color reproduction of the cover.

Got Previews last night... guess I missed it. I'll check it out again tonight.

WOOHOO!!! International exposure once again! COOLNESS! Now hopefully all those nationalistic OCWs and Filipinos overseas will fork over the cash for the book and make us all rich and famous. Heh.

"Dibidi! Dibidi!"

Recently I've been able to take some time to scamper off to the Black Market and get myself some new dvd flicks. The latest batch includes the first three seasons of Futurama, which I totally enjoy... Shrek 2, so I replay my favorite Puss-in-boots moments, Fahrenheit 9/11, which I got intrigued by thanks to Noel "Flim" Lim... and a VCD copy of Azumi, the samurai flick by Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus, Sky High). I'll try to check them out over the weekend.

Extra-extra! DOA Ultimate Extra!


"Hello! My name is Hitomi and I love cooking, cute animals and kicking people's butts! HAI-YAH!"

This came in from left field. The upcoming Xbox brawler Dead or Alive Ultimate, which features the Saturn version of the original Dead or Alive and a remastered, remade Dead or Alive 2 will feature an extra fighter in the DOA2 lineup. It's Hitomi, the half-German, half-Japanese karate student who made her debut in Dead or Alive 3. Apparently producer Tomonobu Itagaki of Tecmo's Team Ninja decided to include the DOA3 competitor because of the character's user-friendliness and popularity among fans.
Well, I'm pretty much jumping for joy inside; Hitomi's one of my fave fighters, and you never can have enough DOA babes. Having the karate princess in the earlier DOA2 is kinda weird, but I'm not complaining. Well, I'd complain that it's too bad that Christie and Brad aren't in along with Hitomi, but I'm too happy right now so I'll let it pass. For now. YIPEEE!!!

Tired

I just spent the whole day in a hotel room in Ortigas, working on an upcoming pitch. I'm tired from thinking, but mostly I'm tired from eating and snacking! Chips, chocolates and cheeze curls kept coming whenever the plates thinned out, and there was food and soda for the taking. Of course, it was all a job so it wasn't all play. Unfortunately, I had little sleep the night before (still readjusting my body clock from last week's vacation) so it was a struggle to keep upright the whole day. By the time we finished, it was late, so I just went on home. Tired. Just gotta finish blogging and get some shuteye. Eyes hurt...

Different Digs

Yesterday we went out of the office and had lunch at the condo of our officemate, Bennet. The potluck affair had an ecclectic mix, with Indian-flavored minced beef and pita bread, homemade hot and sour soup, KFC chicken and sodas. Dessert was even better, with chewy apple pie-bars and delectable leche flan.
The last time I saw Bennet's place, it was sparsely furnished, hot and smelt of dog poo (he lives with his pug dog, Jack). But this time, the place was fully furnished in a nice, classy, black and white style, with nice artworks about and creature comforts like a TV and dvd player ready for watching. With the climate control on, staying there was cool and comfortable. From his bedroom you had a lovely view of the nearby Makati Sports Club, and the surrounding park. At night, with the subdued lighting of the condo, seeing the lights of the surrounding cityscape must be really something.

I could probably live like that... if I could afford it. But then, I can't really ask for anything more than The Sanctum. Classy furnishings aside, I have pretty much everything else a single guy could want, and then some. TV and videos aplenty, gaming, reading, aircon, internet, cable... and I don't pay rent! That's the best part, I guess. Heh... Well, I don't have the view, but I think having a cool garden to walk through at night makes up for the lack of lights.

Perhaps in another life, I'd have a condo in Makati, to go along with a killer-debonair lifestyle. But then, it really isn't me. At least, not yet. Heh.

Say it ain't so...

Starting this August, Animax will be showing anime series IN ENGLISH??!

OHMYGAS!!!

Horrors!!! I only hope they don't mean for ALL their programs, ALL the time.

PLEASE no...

Nakakapanginiig!!!

During our nightout yesterday (A dinner at Steak Jack's and then coffee at UCC), one of the topics that surfaced was the "First Reality Horror Program", Nginiig!! The Hidden Files. Well, despite dealing with aswang and white ladies every episode, the scariest aspect of this show is its growing popularity. Despite the outright cheeziness that oozes in every episode, has not only proven entertaining to watch, it has been recently upped from thirty minutes to a full hour of scary stories and even scarier acting. Dean remarked, like an auto accident, you just can't-look-way. Well, it just goes to show how Filipinos LOVE being scared or spooked.
Heh. Well, no matter how cheezy it is, I have to admit that I enjoy it. Horror/suspense shows of this sort always interest me- from the 'ghost' episodes of the classic That's Incredible and Believe it or not! shows of the 80's, to the spooky In Search Of... program of Leonard Nimoy, to the annual Todos Los Santos special of Magandang Gabi, Bayan, I love mystery and frights. I even never fail to watch that hilarious Scariest Places on Earth thing, though I tune off whenever they have those STUPID American families stay overnight in those supposedly haunted castles. Yep, good shows of this sort... well, shows of this sort, period... are rare.

So I'll just watch Nginiig. At least it's funny. Not like another Studio 23 show, Wazzup, Wazzup... Heh...

The King is Back!

SNK's latest game in it's popular King of Fighters line looks to steal a bit of Tekken 5's thunder by giving PS2 gamers a taste of 3-D streetfighting sooner than Namco's flagship. King of Fighters: Maximum Impact is fully 3-D, with polygon graphics taking the place of 2-D sprites. The graphics and animation so far look good- attacks and movements are smooth and the action is fast and furious, apparently staying true to the 2-D games' mechanics despite adding elements of 3-D movement and evasion.


Maxima pays the ultimate price for mistaking Chae for a guy.

The game will feature a large roster of both old and new characters. Veteran pugilists include eternal rivals Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, members of the Sakazaki clan- Ryo and Yuri, the powerful Ikari Warriors, fighters from the more recent KOFs such as 'K' and Maxima, and of course Fatal Fury mainstays Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui.
The new competitors include such novelly-named characters such as Alba, Soiree and Mignon, the latter being a cutesy-girl fighter. Also making their debut are Lien, a busty blonde female assassin (How many blonde assassins AREN'T busty?) who's seen a lot in the cinematics, and Chae, a female taekwondo expert who takes over the space vacated by the now-absent Kim Kaphwan.


Ryo Sakazaki and Chae Lim re-enact a scene from the first Spiderman movie.

The PS2 game will feature two distinct costumes per character, and various modes of play including Story, VS, Team Battle and Mission modes.

While SNK's track record with 3D fighters have not been impressive (Wild Ambition, anyone?), KOF:MI looks impressive from the get-go, and the gameplay looks tight. This should satisfy fighting gamers who've been waiting for a good 3D fighter to come along for awhile now. With DOA Ultimate due in October (maybe) and Tekken 5 for later in the year, the 3D KOF may be just what the players ordered.

King of Fighters Maximum Impact hits Japan this August, and September in the US. We can't wait to get cracking.

On a Wing and a Prayer
 
I'm here at the Cyber Zone in Megamall, blogging and surfing in one of the pow-wow internet kiosks.  It's actually pretty cool here in the ol' CZ... the internet is fast, there are coffee, tea and snack places nearby, computer, gaming and telecom shops all around... the only thing missing is a comic shop or an actual arcade. Anyway, I'd rather much blog in the privacy of my workstation, or at The Sanctum... you can never tell if someone's eavesdropping or peeking at your stuff. Then again, who's to say I'm completely safe in The Sanctum..?
 
Anyway, we just came off the Siglo Comics Workshop, conducted by Dean, myself, Jamie Bautista and Wilson Tortosa. We started just after lunch. After a brief intro from Dean, Wilson took the fore and spoke about doing comics, with a smattering of tips on art techniques and experiences in his academic life. He brought a long a fair amount of cool art, including his college thesis, which was  a comic with fairy tale characters given a manga-action flair (Can you picture the seven dwarves as a Sentai superteam? Heh...). Afterwards, I jumped in and FINALLY got to use my lecture on 10 Tips to Creating Your Own Manga Story. Even two years after it should have been given, it was still nice so I'm glad it got told.
Dean took over after a while, talking about writing in general. It's pretty cool to see him have the audience laughing and in with him throughout his talk. You can really learn a lot from people's speaking techniques and how to captivate an audience.
 
All this and NONE of us came really prepared... basically we were all freakin' WINGING IT. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
 
Anyway, despite our group unpreparedness the large audience gathered around seemed to have fun. There were predominantly young people around, although there was that one odd old lady who was just totally out of place- did she even know what we were talking about? Well, she stuck out for the whole show and even asked for a copy of Angel Ace- I gave away about 20 copies free to the audience. Of course, anything free puts smiles on peoples' faces, but it felt good to have people get the comic and hopefully appreciate it.
 
The day is still young. We ended the session at about 4, and we have the evening before us. Wasn't able to go to Greenhills, of course, but I think I can save it for next week. Work's looming on Monday, but I am actually raring to start the grind again. I miss the taste of salt. Heheh.

Phone Whore Post AGAIN?!?


Techies start slavering... the upgrade to the P900 is coming.

Sony Ericsson recently revealed their long-awaited and much-anticipated follow-up to their P900 PDA phone. It's called the P910 and it mixes new stuff with old. Overall, the thing is a P900 more or less, but with several changes. For one, the screen will be a dazzlingly bright 262K color TFT screen. The internal memory will be bumped up to 64 MB, and a 32 MB memory stick will be thrown into the deal. The P910 will also reportedly support Sony's Memory Stick Duo format, allowing storage for up to 1 GB of data. DAAAMN! That's a LOT better than the P900's limit of 128 MB, I think. Aside from that, there will be some software and internal upgrades, and of course as you can see from the pic there will be an attached QWERTY thumb board on the flip-side of the removeable keyboard.

The biggest downer for me though is that the camera will still be VGA quality- no megapixel muscle for this PDA combo. Still, the prospect of having a Gigabyte of videos (it will of course be Symbian so Smartmovie will be supported most probably) in your phone is uber-cool. We'll see though... I've never been a fan of the P9 series, but you never know. Heh. Let's all just wait for it when the P910 comes later this year.

Wrong Signal

Yesterday, I ventured out of The Sanctum. I just needed to get out, and I was struck by a craving. It's a pretty funny story, actually.

I was at home, just lolling around the ol' sack when I turned the TV on to a news program named InSight. They were playing a report on obesity and health, featuring clips from the controversial documentary Super Size Me. FYI, SSM is about a guy who starts eating all his meals from McDonald's for 1 month. The result of his McDiet was his ballooning up with about 95 pounds, his cholesterol level shooting up, his life getting all crappy and all his doctors screaming TIME OUT!!!

Anyway, I was watching the footage and then the various shots of people eating burgers and fast food and instead of getting all guilty and scared...

I got hungry.

So, after having an obligatory couple of minutes peddling away on the exercise bike, I dressed up and went off into the outside world. I went to Greenhills and got the 4 latest episodes of Inu Yasha (which is STILL my favorite anime and only keeps getting better and better), and after which I made a beeline for Brothers Burger.
Now, on the way I took a cab and the traffic made me supremely hungry... so without really thinking I ordered something called "The Brothers Pounder" with bacon. It was only after I sat down and twiddled my phone for a few minutes that I saw what the actual Pounder looked like. It was a MONSTER- a two-pattie burger that would make the Big Mac look like a Burger McDo. Oh-oh... I made a booboo...
When the thing finally arrived, it was so huge I could barely contain it in my hands (and I have big hands, mind you). The thing was literally sweating oil and grease from the wrappings, and I was SCARED. Anyway, it was too late so I started eating, all the while the facts and stuff I heard from the InSight report were whispering in my ear. Sigh. Anyway, after a few wide-open mouth bites, I felt filled up. I left about a quarter of the thing unfinished and a lot of onion rings left, but I couldn't touch it anymore. As I left the resto, I had the inner urge to jog to Megamall. Oh well.

Of course, this is really not all fun and light; I know I'm putting on a lot of weight, so I should try to trim down my fat eventually. Someday. I will. Really. Postitively.

Sigh.

Mysterious Ways

I'm really not one for hyping up or blogging about the latest news item, but the recent hostage incident in Iraq with Filipino Angelo de la Cruz is really something you can't not notice. I just find it kinda amusing to think though that when he hopefully, finally gets home, at the very least Mr. de la Cruz will be coming out of this crisis with something other than emotional trauma. He's already a hero to his people, particularly in his hometown (where he will be greeted with a full-blown fiesta, according to news). He and his family will be receiving a house and lot from a subdivision, and it's pretty much sure that he'll be raking in the dough from movie companies seeking to make a movie out of his harrowing experience.

Sometimes, even the most terrible circumstances can hold rewards... not often, but sometimes.

Samurai

For the entirety of my professional life, I've always been an employee, working with a contract, doing a job nine-to-five, five days a week (then again, there was that one job that pretty much had me doing 7 days a week). So I've never really been able to think of even getting into freelancing. I can't even begin to think of the prospect of not having that paycheck come in at the end of a couple of weeks... indefinitely. I enjoy the security and the regularity of regular employment. Perhaps when I am a lot older, a lot more famous and secure with a lot tucked away... maybe I can try it. For now though, I will remain a denizen of the Salt Mines.

So it's pretty cool, in a weird way, to have a friend who has been doing freelance for a long time, return to the world of regular employment. I just wanna wish her luck, but then she really doesn't need that much since she's damn good.

Ah. Talking and blogging about work during my break? What am I thinking... back to rest.

You can't keep a good ninja down!

Kunoichi Boy may be down, but not out!

The adventures of the first male kunoichi may still see the light of day! Apparently, there have been some restructuring and changes at the mag where KB is supposed to come out in. These changes have caused the mags to be delayed, but things should be back on track when the mags are re-released in the last quarter of this year. Despite the changes, I've been assured that Kunoichi Boy is still part of the lineup, so... YAY! I'll work on pages for the adventures of Jin Dragu after I finish Siglo and K.I.A. Still a lot of stuff to do! Damn! WOOHOO!!!

Remastering Remakes


Buffy's no match for ghosts in The Grudge.

I'm watching the US version of The Ring on HBO. I actually like it a lot, and yes, even more so than the original Ringu. It's creepier and the added Hollywood production values, slicker special effects and sounds make it altogether scarier film. There are big differences between the two films that make each version a unique watch- the Japanese film is more spiritual and... well, Japanese, with issues of the supernatural tying in with the secret of the cursed videotape. In the US version, it's a bit more clean cut when it comes to the nature of the curse. Plus, there's a decidedly more occidental bent to how the characters respond and act towards the curse- a need to rationalize things and chuck in scenes in the requisite psycho wards and hospitals. Just goes to show the difference in cultures.

Moviegoers will be seeing another Japanese-to-US horror remake with The Grudge, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. The movie is about a haunted house, filled with vengeful spirits, and how these spirits reach out to swallow up those unfortunate enough to cross paths with them. I am curious though on how they will be able to pull this one off- the original Grudge vid was a series of little vignettes, instead of one single story. Will they follow the original film or just have one big integrated story? It'll be interesting to see.
You can catch the trailer of The Grudge and see more into at the official site.

And the Cupboard was bare...

All I have in The Sanctum are a couple of cans of Coke. No chips, no snacks or tsitsirya. But that should be easily remedied by a trip to the nearest MiniStop. We'll see if I can muster the will to make it out. I have few illusions that I'll make it though- the seductive pull of the bed and the TV, or the chair and the laptop is as strong as iron.
Of course, I am not intending to let my whole break pass by so unproductively. I've started working on Siglo Passion, and hopefully it shouldn't take my whole vacation to finish it. I want to enjoy as much as produce though, so I am planning to take the time and opportunity to catch up on anime and DVD viewing as well. We'll see how much I can squeeze in. Last Exile, Full Metal Alchemist and Scrapped Princess are demanding to be seen... and I think I should give them priority over any Animax re-run.

Getting into the break in earnest now. Nice...

Text Generation

According to a local news program, the Pinoy youth of today, particularly high school students, are becoming dangerously addicted to texting and the use of cellphones. With mobile phones being as inexpensive as they are today, and with cellphone credit and load available in cheap portions, even students can get into texting. This reliance on mobiles, and the compulsion to text and textback, is having some radical effects on youth behavior. A couple of students being interviewed said that they actually scrimped on buying rice so they can allocate the lunch money to text money. They use the credit to keep in touch with friends and relatives. Taken to an extreme though, what other lengths would kids go just for text credit?
The news program goes on to recommend that parents train their kids properly on the use of cellphones.

Pretty wild. In my opinion, more often than not though, it's the kids who teach their parents about phones... heheh...

Abdication

It was fun being emperor and leading my own nation in Nation States. I had kept the state alive as a 'Father Knows Best' state, and later as a 'Corrupt Dictatorship'. Interestingly enough though, I poured billions into education and law enforcement, and eventually crime ceased to exist and my subjects were learned and content. Sure, problems like overpopulation of our national animal, the Madrapoor Viper, happened on occasion, but overall life was good.
Well, life was good and ultimately pointless and monotonous, as we had exhausted all the issues available. And any new ones were just too inane to take seriously.

So, Madrapoor was left to vanish into the mists of oblivion. I'd like to think that the 500+ million population of Madrapoorians will continue to live on in some way, somewhere.

Father has seen you grow and mature. Now, you can live your own lives and make your own decisions. To whatever end you find yourself, I will always be proud of you. Farewell.

Darn. I really, really wish Nationstates had a war or invasion option... oh well.

Final Fantasized

Got this from Evil Dex's Blog. Turns out I'm a pretty cool Final Fantasy character, heheh...

What kind of Final Fantasy Character would I be? by TheBlueParadox
Your Name/Handle
Your Hair Style	Gravity Defying Spikey Grey
Your Clothing Style	Loose Fitting Red Robe
Your Weapon of Choice	Kitana
Your Mission	To Save the Love of my Life!
Your Role in the Fantasy	Villian Turned Hero.
Created with the ORIGINAL MemeGen!

Two-fisted Gameshow



I stayed home today, feeling a bit under the weather... Okay, I got a bit lazy. I stayed in instead of going out to forage in Greenhills or go out with the gang for the Saturday nightout. I almost never see Saturday TV, and this opportunity got me to glimpse the British reality-TV show, Fight School.
Sorta like a cross between Fear Factor and Mortal Kombat, Fight School brings together a group of physically fit competitors to see who's the strongest fighter. Most of the show chronicles the competitors' trials while living in the show's oriental-type dojo, all of which seem straight out of some kung-fu film. They eat noodles, balance bowls and cups, climb poles and more. The climax of the show are actual fights, where the competitors pair off and start tussling with fists and feet flying.
Part of the show's pretty campy with the Grandmaster uttering lines like "I will make a decision with my wisdom..." and coming in with two female attendants/bodyguards. But the competitors' trials are pretty interesting to watch- similar to the WWE show Tough Enough. The actual fights aren't as flashy as any Mortal Kombat or Streetfighter duel, of course- it's all about technique, not force. The fights are mainly for points and seeing who has the will to get on top. So I'm kinda disappointed no one gets knocked out or has their spine pulled out, but it's not half-bad.

Of course, I won't be able to watch it again with any certainty, seeing as I'll most probably be out with the gang next week. Oh well. I'll just play a round or two of DOA to make up for it. Heh.

Extra Cheese

I just watched U.S. Seals 2: The Ultimate Force on AXN.

WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!

This probably is one of the most hilarious turns for a title, considering what kind of film the first US Seals movie was. Whereas the first movie (starring Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn) was based more or less on real-world Sea-Air-Land commandos, this cartoony sequel brings together elements of The Dirty Dozen with The Magnificent Seven, adds in a load of camp and produces one cheezy laugh-fest of a movie.
Basically the drama is about an ex-SEAL guy who is tapped by an army major to bring back a kidnapped nuclear scientist. Of course, ex-SEAL doesn't care... at least until he learns that the kidnapper is his old army buddy-turned to the dark side, played by Damian Chapa, who smirks his way through the movie. Chapa, who played Ken in the live-action Streetfighter movie, is a clear hint that this is really a B-movie fest at best. Anyway, despite being about US SEALS, the movie actually has no real SEALS in the team... the good guys consist of an ex-SEAL and a rag-tag band of martial artists... who in true Magnificent Seven action die off one by one as the film chugs along.
It would have been a serious, heroic-violence flick, but US SEALS 2 takes out any sense of seriousness by adding super-exaggerated 'Whoop' sound effects with every characters' movements- be it a glance to the side or a quick hand gesture. Then there are the funny HK-style fights with dozens of token baddies, weird martial arts weapons like chains, metal sticks, Japanese katana, fencing rapiers and an acid-firing paintball gun being brought into play. There's even a red-haired oriental bad guy with a killer scarf who never says a thing but looks pretty badass. That's pretty cool. Oh wait- awkward love-story thrown in... uncool. Oh well.

If you see this on reruns on AXN, give it a shot. It's a hilarious turn-off-your-brain martial arts riotfest. Now I wonder if they will ever show Mortal Kombat Annihalation again sometime...

Break

MY GOSH! Is this true??!

I'm taking a vacation?!?!

Yep. I'll be off from the grind not just this weekend but the whole of next week (crossing fingers that nothing from work comes back to haunt me during then). Considering that I've been here in my present job for about 10 months straight without any real break, I think I deserve (and definitely need) it.

But of course, I'm really not the vacationing type. My idea of RnR isn't packing my bags and going off to some secluded wilderness, like some people. No, I'm a homebody and just having time off, private time where I am most comfortable, being able to do stuff I want to do and being able to relax, chill and vegetate is enough for me.

So I'm gonna be chilling like an ice cube in the Sanctum unless I need something that can't be delivered.

But of course, I will be working on my comics- that's fully half the reason why I even applied for the leave. Siglo: Passion in particular, needs to be FINISHED at the end of my break. I'll also try to take out the remaining K.I.A. pages within this time frame.

Well, I got my time off. Let's see me use that time to the fullest.

Spy Fiction

PS2 gamers out there who are also anime enthusiasts may want to check out the new espionage action title Spy Fiction, which features the art and character designs of Range Murata. Murata is well known for designs of character from the OAV Blue Submarine No. 6 and most recently, the popular GONZO anime series Last Exile.

Total Apocalypse


Jill Valentine is ready to splatter some zombies in Resident Evil: Apocalypse!

A new trailer for Resident Evil: Apocalypse is now available online!

The sequel to the first RE movie sees the return of Alice (Milla Jovovich), former amnesiac and special forces operative for the Umbrella Corporation, and one of the only two survivors from the first film's undead and mutant hordes. At the end of the first movie, Alice finds out that the T-Virus plague has escaped from the confines of the secret lab and into the wide world. The Umbrella corporation, the creators of the virus, are meanwhile working to take advantage of the virus and to protect their secrets instead of working to stop the plague. I guess they're not a very civic-minded company.

Anyway, finally arriving into the RE film scene are characters from the actual game that spawned the franchise.

Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) is a sexy, take-no-crap officer of the elite S.T.A.R.S. unit, which is quickly thrust into a mutant and zombie-filled cityscape. Lucky for Jill and her buds, Alice soon arrives and joins up with them, bringing with her some new superhuman abilities, courtesy of Umbrella's experimentation. Apparently, Alice can now fight and do stunts like she stepped out from The Matrix or got taught by Kill Bill's Pai Mei. Jill herself is no slouch when it comes to butt-kicking. Bringing up the rear to our two heroines is STARS member Carlos Olivera, another character from the game, played by Oded Fehr from the Mummy movies
The good guys will need all the firepower they can get since Umbrella has taken the other survivor from the first film and turned him into the pulp-faced, trenchcoat-wearing, rocket launcher-bearing Nemesis, a killer mutant that's out to make sure no one escapes to tell on Umbrella. So now it seems that it's a race for survival as humans, superhuman, mutants and undead battle to see who comes out in one piece at the end.

As with the actual games, the emphasis on the Resident Evil movies really isn't on horror, but more on action-oriented sci-fi/monster-fighting suspense. While that was a bit short in the first movie, the sequel looks to have amped up the pulse tenfold. Plus, having two femme fatales taking names in miniskirts and fishnet shirts doesn't hurt either.
Aside from the Nemesis, the whip-tongued Lickers are back, as well as hordes of bloody extras- er, zombies. With more bang for the buck and a lot bigger scale, I'm actually pretty excited and looking forward to RE: Apocalypse, which should be hitting theaters by September.

Future Obsession

Okay, I know quite a few of my friends will not believe this, but I believe that I have gotten past my Phone Whore fever. Really. I mean, I have the best phone that I could ever want, so there really isn't anywhere to go from here. Heheh.

Anyway... I am saying this because by next year I may be entering a new era of gadget lust. The gadget is the Playstation Portable or PSP. It's Sony's first handheld gaming console and it has just surfaced to the world in the recently-concluded Entertainment Expo (E3) 2004. It's not yet on sale, of course- but at least the real thing has finally been seen and there are a lot more details revealed.

The PSP itself is flat and roughly the size of a man's outstretched hand- which makes it light and handy enough to carry on neckstraps or to fit in large pockets or small pouchbags. There's a gamepad on the left and buttons on the right and shoulder buttons on the front corners- making the whole thing look like a large funky controller. But then, no controller has a lovely, lovely screen in the middle of the thing.
The screen is huge at 4.3 inches, with image quality good enough for crystal clear games and movies. Yes, movies- aside from playing specially-made PSP games, the console can play dvd-quality movies recorded on the proprietary UMDs- Universal Media Discs- produced by Sony. The discs are small and hold about 1.8 Gigabytes of data, and go in at the back of the PSP.
In terms of games, the PSP has the usual Sony lineup of ports, sequels and spinoffs- nothing that particularly jerks my chain, but a PSP Tekken or maybe even a Dead or Alive title may not be far off. Final Fantasy on the go? Bet on it. Wow, just thinking of playing an RPG or fighting game I love wherever, whenever is just soooo cool.
The PSP supports Sony's Memory Card Duo, and will probably have onboard memory as well. The thing will also have WiFi capability, and you'll be able to use the PSP with accessories like special PSP cameras, USB ports, keyboards and other peripherals. This pretty much makes the PSP not just a gaming console, but an-all around media device. The only thing missing is... well, telephony.

How much for this wondrous device? Some say as low as $150. Some say as high as $300. Which means it will probably be as expensive as a full-sized PS2 or Xbox when it comes out here eventually in, oh, mid-2005. That's a lot of time to save up the moolah. And on lustful thoughts. Hoho...

Bagman

When I got my Apple Powerbook several months ago, I had to purchase a bag to go along with it. Then I bought a nice black shoulder bag which fit the laptop nicely along with a bunch of other stuff. It was snug at my side, and I liked it.
Well, months later my right shoulder hurts like hell. I favor it since I just feel off-balanced when I hang the bag from my left. I guess it really just isn't good for me so I started thinking of getting a new bag. The option of course was a backpack, and I was actually eyeing the hardshell-backpacks used by hikers. Two of my friends at the office had them, and when I tried them on it felt quite light and easy to move with it... the opposite of what I thought it would be. My only problem was that the shell backpacks are pretty bulky, and it takes a darn too long a time to open up the thing... which will be a pain when passing by checkpoints in malls and buildings.

Tonight at the Cyber Zone in Megamall I passed by the Apple Center and looked over proper backpacks. The first bag I saw was big and had a good price... but then I saw a smaller and more compact bag which captured my desire. The price wasn't as small as the bag, but I got it anyway. Now my laptop fits in snug as a bug in a rug, and it hugs my bod like a monkey in heat. Vin says I look sporty now. Gah.

Anyway, now I've got bag-euphoria. I feel like I can take up my new backpack and walk ANYWHERE! Do ANYTHING! I can accomplish ALL that I set out to do!!! It's amazing what something new and fresh can do to your outlook.

I wonder if I'll feel like this in a few months of lugging the bag around? Oh well. Live in the moment, I always say. Heh.

Online

I'm doing what I can't do in the office... Blogging without a shirt on.

MWWAAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAA!!!

No doubt you are scarred forever by that image. Anyway, the phonelines are back here at The Sanctum and now we can blog and surf again from the comfort and privacy of my abode. This time I hope that the subdivision enacts some sort of special security to make sure the phone cable theft NEVER happens again. Ah. Life is good.

Final Fantasy the Musical

Okay, no, you won't be seeing Cloud Strife or Squall Leonhart on Broadway anytime soon. I just read an article on IGN about the recently-held concert featuring music from the best-selling Final Fantasy games. Entitled Dear Friends: Music From Final Fantasy, the concert features the classic tunes from the many FF games performed by a full-piece orchestra and choir. As an added treat, FF composer Nobuo Uematsu himself graced the occasion.
A huge part of the emotion and the effect that Final Fantasy has on it's fans and players are due to the wonderful music that accompanies every moment in every game. As a fan of the games and music, I wish I could have been there. Well, reading the article almost gave me a bit of the experience, and maybe it will for other FF otaku out there too. Maybe it will make you break out those soundtrack CDs after you read it. Heh.

Anyway, for IGN's report on the Final Fantasy Musical Concert, click here.

Stark Raving Review



This review should have been up a lot sooner, but the darn phone lines went dead and stayed dead at my place. Anyway, last Friday me and the guys caught Spiderman at The Podium. Again, I have to reiterate that I am hardly a Spiderman fan. I know the general storyline and the rogues’ gallery, I watched Spiderman and his Amazing Friends, but I have never really been an enthusiast in the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler.

That said, I have to say that after watching the second film in the franchise, I have to say that Spiderman 2 is so far without a doubt,the BEST superhero movie I’ve ever seen. And a damn great movie, period.

There are tons of stuff to rave about in this superior sequel; the performances of the now-familiar cast, with kudos to Tobey Maguire for playing hero Peter Parker note-perfect with the right amount of sensitivity, restraint and comedic timing. I also have to note the wonderful performance of Rosemary Harris, the actress who plays Aunt May Parker- if you don’t want to give this pure-hearted lady a brand-new toaster after seeing the whole bank scene, you have a heart of stone.
The rest of the cast is still in fine form- J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) is still as obnoxiously hilarious as ever. Harry Osborn (James Franco) looks like an Anakin Skywalker in the making, while Kirsten Dunst fills out her ‘damsel in distress’ Mary Jane Watson role with a nice bit of spunk.
In fact, I think the whole cast from the first movie (including a couple of guys who DIED in the preceding film) come back for repeat performances.
But of course, I have to say that the clincher performance belongs to the brilliantly-realized Doctor Octopus, played by character actor Alfred Molina. He invests the character with humanity and intensity, making the comic book villain more real than he’s ever been… and the awesome special effects that bring to life his fearsome, A.I. empowered tentacles don’t hurt either.

Speaking of special effects, the literally breathtaking action sequences and thrilling fight scenes in Spiderman 2 definitely surpass everything else I’ve yet seen for a film of this type. On one level, they truly capture the kinetic energy, ferocity and violence of the comic book battles… one another though, they TOTALLY blow the comic medium away. Damn magnificent.

I have to commend Director Sam Raimi for doing almost everything right this time around; from the relentless ordeals of Peter Parker to the dramatic scenes between him and the people he loves the most, to the way Spiderman is treated by the people he protects. Even a pivotal subway scene which could have been played with patriotic overacting (as in a parallel scene in the first film) was executed perfectly. So I think it’s great that Raimi gets to throw in a groovy homage to his Evil Dead films, complete with ‘Evil Cam’ and chainsaws. Hail to the King. Heh.

But I have to say that the best thing about Spiderman 2 is that, like another recent favorite film of mine, the action never takes over the movie. There’s a great story with a lot of heart moving behind it all. A story about an underdog (that’s sure to click with Pinoy audiences) who sacrifices everything for the good of his often uncaring world. It’s heartbreaking at times to see loveable loser Peter Parker get hammered AGAIN and AGAIN, but you’ll surely feel uplifted and satisfied when the film reaches its many pay-offs at the end.

Simply AMAZING.

Catch Spiderman 2 in theaters NOW. NOW NOW NOW!!!!

Booty



Over the weekend the gang got treated to each bringing home a PILE of free comics from comic-monger Vin as part of Free Comic Book Day. The cool indie comics included in the giveaways mirror our own local releases, which is great to see. There are also a lot of little gems, and in particular Tokyopop wowed all of us with a mini-graphic novel sized-free sampler of their upcoming releases.
So much stuff to read and peruse and appreciate. And I'll need them since I've started finally on my Siglo Passion story and I need the inspirations.

Thanks, Vin!

WTF?!!?

Over the weekend I was pretty much up the creek without a paddle... or to be more exact, stuck in the house without internet. For some reason, the phone lines at my subdivision went DEAD and have stayed dead. No phone lines, no connection, no web, no surfing, no blogging, no LIFE! Well, I found out today that apparently someone STOLE the darn PLDT phone cables. SOMEONE STOLE THE FRICKIN' PHONE CABLES!!! My gosh. I've heard of stealing cable, but this is ridiculous.

So now, I guess it's all a matter of waiting for the darn phone company to replace the stuff. But who's to say this won't happen again? GAH!!!

Retro Fantasy


Take up your sword, lead armies and save the world in Dragon Force. Oh yeah.

While I was cooped up at home yesterday, I dug out my old Sega Saturn and started playing one of my all-time favorite fantasy RPG videogames. It's called Dragon Force and it's a fantasy strategy war sim/anime RPG epic starring none other than yours truly.
The game is set in the beautiful land of Legendra, your garden variety fantasy continent created by the goddesses of good for the many races of human and human-like blood. Of course, there has to be a force of evil there somewhere, and here it's a dark god called Madruk. Thousands of years ago, Madruk invaded Legendra and it was only with the help of a holy dragon sent by the goddesses that he was sealed away. Now, in present day Legendra, minions of the evil one are attempting to awaken him and throw the land into chaos once again.

Dragon Force puts you in the regal boots of one of the rulers of this realm- seven powerful overlords, each with his or her own kingdom, vassals, strengths and weaknesses. Those who want the more conventional route of the goody-twoshoes will shine to either valiant Prince Charming Wein or elf princess Teiris. A decidedly more darker path to follow is that of the masked and mysterious Junon, or the exotic swordsmaster Mikhal. Then there's the more comedic road of the beastlord Gongos, whose feral people are looked down upon by the other races. Beat the game with these first five overlords and you'll unlock two more rulers whose thrones you can try on for size- Reinhart, a young but incredibly powerful wizard king, and Goldark, the fearsome warlord who starts out as the 'bad guy' in the game.

At the heart of Dragon Force is combat between small to large numbers of various troops. Military units can number up to a hundred members, so you may see up to two hundred cartoony SD knights, monks, warriors, dragons and more clashing onscreen. You control troop movements and formation, and just watch your warriors go. While the kind of troops facing another is a big factor in deciding victory, the tide of battle can turn with a well-done maneuver or a pivotal magical spell/attack cast by your general. Worse comes to worse, battles will be decided by a one-on-one duel between the commanders, so choose your leaders well.
Despite the battles being fought by cartoony SD sprites and repetitive animation, the satisfaction of victory never seems to get old with this game. And fortunately so because you'll spend half of your time in Dragon Force fighting battles.

The other half of the game is played from a map screen of the continent, with armies and troop movements shown by cute little warriors walking about the map, going to castle to castle, invading, retreating or getting killed (and turning into cute SD angels). There are lots of short but well-written quips of dialogue as various generals talk trash or interact during battles, or in the periodic Domestic Affairs sections where you, as overlord, promote your vassals, manage your armies and push forward the plot (with well-done anime artwork).
And speaking of plot, while the story is your run-of-the-mill quest to find-the-prophesized-heroes-in-time-to-stop-an-awakening-evil" kind of thing, the execution of the short but sweet story segments, the cool replayability of playing through the game with different nations and different storylines keeps it all fresh and playable and incredibly addicting.

Cool anime artwork, addictive gameplay with strong strategy/rpg elements and easy resource management, a nice story, great music and TONS of replayability make this a classic and one of my all-time favorite games.

Which is incredible since the game first came out in, oh, 1996? Which makes it eight years old. Not bad for an old Saturn game. So if you just happen to have a Saturn and happen upon a copy of Dragon Force, try it out for some old-school anime RPG epic madness.

MAD Weekend

As the work week draws to a close (with not one but TWO TV commercials presented and approved! YAY!), there's no rest for this MADman.
I've got pages of Siglo: Passion to crank the elbow grease and grey matter on, but then again I'm supposed to work best under pressure so I'll be giving this the good 'ol college try and who knows- maybe it'll look great. Heh.

Gonna watch Spiderman 2 soon... as in, 'in a few hours' soon or 'tomorrow' soon. The sequel's been getting RAVE reviews from a couple of my blogmates, and I'm building up excitement for the movie. I expect to have a review up by... tomorrow? We'll see.

Finally (and not least), I may be part of the Siglo Comics Workshop being held at Powerbooks at Glorietta 4, in the afternoon. I say 'may' because I may just bail out and use the time for actually drawing comics rather than talking about them if there are more than enough Siglo creators to go around. Again, another wait and see.

Lots of stuff to do and not a hell of a lot of time to do it. Story of my life. HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHHHHHAAAAA!!!!

Dress-up Tekken


Asuka Kazama and her alter-ego, Mirtle.

A cool new feature in the upcoming Tekken 5 will be a Customization Feature. You can unlock various items, accessories and articles of clothing to dress up your favorite Tekken fighters through gameplay. So now, if you ever wondered what Kazuya would look like as an Elvis impersonator, you can indulge. It's still not known how many options will eventually be available, but you should be able to change character costume colors, hairstyles, add headgear or add props like weapons for wacky combinations. This still isn't the same as having bikinis for the females, but it should be darn fun to see.
Tekken 5 is set for a late 2004 or early 2005 arcade release, with home versions expected soon after.



King looks a lot more kingly with a mane, don't you think?

Advent Rising


The original butt-kicking babe in Final Fantasy, Tifa Lockhart, returns. And she's put on quite a few polygons.

Square has released more tantalizing images of their impending DVD movie/sequel to the classic Playstation One RPG Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. The images include stills of heroine Tifa Lockhart, who's looking FINE, party members Red XIII and Cid and former enemies The Turks ("We are Turks!"). Lastly, there's a mysterious scene showing Cloud standing in a field of flowers with none other than Aeris herself. A dream? A flashback? Or a reunion?


Reno and Rude are back, but where's Elena? The Turks will apparently have a significant role in Advent Children. They are shown talking with Cloud, and later locked in combat with the new silver-haired enemies.


You can't keep a good flower girl down...

With pretty much all of the cast members from FFVII now accounted for, FFVII: Advent Children is a must for fans of the most acclaimed chapter of the Final Fantasy series. The movie is scheduled for release on DVD/Video and on the Playstation Portable later this year.

Blow wind, blow

Outside, the storm winds are howling non-stop. The sky is a grey curtain, and the intermittent volleys of rain pelt the windows like little thumbtacks.
I actually ventured outdoors for a while, braving the storm with nothing more than a jacket- an umbrella would be suicide in the strong winds. My steps eventually took me down the streets to Makati Cinema Square and the DVD kiosks (Heh). There I got the first two seasons of Futurama, Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, Battle Royale 2 and Zero Woman. The last disc is a live-action Japanese film about a female assassin, one of a series. That, and the Battle Royale 2 disc, are region 9 dvds from abroad... I hope they work on my player with no problem, and with suitable subtitles. I was tempted to get the Third Season of Alias, but I'll save that for when I am actually raring to watch the show.

I took a cab back to the office, which set me down on the curb near the entrance. Again, a wall of force blew against me as I made my way to the building's interiors, stronger this time than before. My jacket was almost blown off, threatening to escape into the wild grey yonder. With luck, I should finish up whatever work I have for the day shortly so I can make my way home early. Stormy, windy days aren't so bad, but stormy windy nights are best weathered through at home.

Wallcrawler

I'm actually looking forward to watching Spiderman 2, which starts showing today in local theaters. While I don't consider myself a fan of the character and I didn't like the first movie that much (Green Goblin sucked), seeing the trailers and rave reviews have me psyched. I am looking to be entertained when we inevitably watch the film later this week, or this weekend. We'll see.

Hurrah Redux



Today we presented our mostly-finished TV commercial to client (no less than the President of the company) and our job's pretty much done. We've been working on this particular job ever since I joined the agency, and it's been a long journey to say the least. But it's refreshing to finally see your work pay off in a TV spot that will hopefully be insightful and memorable over most other ads in the category. Of course, it helped that we had a top-notch team with the likes of director Raymond Red on board. Hurray! Here's to more nice TV ads to come in the near future.

Windy City

As I got off the cab and headed for the entrance to our office building, strong gusts of wind blew into me continuously, flapping and pressing my shirt and jeans to my body, buffeting even my heavy bag. I was almost walking with an effort against the cold, relentless force that howled all around me. Turns out there's another Super Typhoon headed our way. Lots of wind, a bit of rain and coldness throughout.

My kind of weather. Heh.

Angel Ace Next NEXT



Tonight I had dinner with Vin and Andrew at Classic Roast, in Megamall. There, as we chowed down on chicken ala kiev, chicken ala king and roast pork, we talked about comics.
It's been a long time since I've raised a pen to page... the past couple of months have been dominated by work, collapsing in fatigue and just vegetating on weekends and... blogging. Andrew asked me some pointers about doing a comic book series, since I'm the one in the group who's been doing one title continuously all this time.
I talked about what I thought I'd do... about having a goal in mind and mapping your characters' stories and progress towards it. Spacing out issues by events such as filler episodes meant to endear your cast to the reader and to reveal more about them, to significant story points such as a betrayal, a death of a character or a moment of truth. And then, you have to move into a sufficient climax which reveals your series' secrets and ends it all in a bang.

I just told it according to how I wanted my own Angel Ace to go. Things have been slow recently, but I am still committed to going through with the series. I ended Angel Ace Next as a good starting point for newer, fresher stories, conveniently giving Kai her own book and independence of a sort from Angel's adventures. I'm not totally committed to the exact storyline, but it will again be a stand-alone story, featuring Angel and her guys on an adventure that will be fun and action-packed and reveal more of their personalities and quirks... perhaps Angel Ace goes to Manila could be a possibility? We'll see.

Of course, all this will have to follow AFTER my other commitments- namely illustrating for Siglo: Passion and finishing up K.I.A.. In good time though, I promise... we'll see Angela Windsor Gale fly again.

War in the Pocket

I've just wasted quite a bit of time (and cellphone battery charge) playing a nice Java game called Ancient Empires on my phone. The game's a fantasy themed turn-based strategy war game, with you commanding knights, archers, mages and supernatural units against the armies of your evil arch-enemy and brother. The graphics and gameplay bring to mind gameboy titles like Advance Wars, with split screen animations showing the armies (well, groups of up to five units) attacking and/or getting eliminated. There's a nice amount of depth in the game, with various terrain having an effect on your units' movement and combat strength, and the ability to manufacture new units with gold you collect from occupied towns being a vital part of winning in prolonged campaigns.
Another fun little game I've downloaded and installed in my phone is DOAX. Yep, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball! Okay, it's the mini-pocket version, 2-D and with itsy-bitsy SD sprites instead of sexy 3-D DOA girls, but what can you expect? At least the volleyball gameplay's actually fun, and there are several DOAX artworks thrown in to give it all a nice mood. The game's supposedly by Tecmo, but that can't be... can it?

It's really amazing to see how far games in mobile phones has come from simple Snake and Alien Scum. Who knows what may be possible in a year or two? Mobile Tekken? Cellphone Final Fantasy? It's exciting to imagine what.

Had a lot of fun, but I'd better take care not to get too addicted... I might end up eating up all my battery power... and time... taking on the portable forces of evil.

Hip Hop Samurai


From the makers of Cowboy Bebop.

Cowboy Bebop, the funky series about bouny hunters in outer space, may not be my favorite anime, but I recognize the quality. Director Shinichiro Watanabe is known for many acclaimed series like Bebop, and his latest work, Samurai Champloo hits the right chords with me.
Samurai Champloo is an action anime set in ancient, feudal Japan, yet rendered and often set to modern sensibilities and hip-hop music. It's probably the closest I've seen yet to Blade of the Immortal in anime form.

Two exceptionally deadly ronin- Mugen and Jin clash swords after separate altercations with the corrupt town prefect, and end up being imprisoned and sentenced to die. They eventually escape in a storm of blades and blood with the help of Fuu, a young girl who enlists their aid to find 'a samurai who smells of sunflowers'. And so, the story begins...

Champloo boasts quite fluid and impressive animation during fight scenes, depicting Mugen's quick, fast-on-his-feet fighting style and Jin's more refined techniques. The character designs are also excellent and expressive, and the overall quality is very high. The series so far seems to be very close as well to other Watanabe series- there's an underlying sense of humor and lightness, though the show doesn't hold back when it comes to action and death-dealing. Baddies get cut down quick and hard here, like in real samurai cinema.
I've watched two episodes, and I can say that I am sold on this cool new series. Anyone looking for tough, action-packed, sexy and high quality anime may want to check this out.

Second Honeymoon


The Bride meets Bill FINALLY in Kill Bill Vol. 2.

It's been several months since the first volume and first half of director Quentin Tarantino's fourth film, Kill Bill. The first film was a bloody tableau of revenge, black humor, martial arts and swordplay, an homage to samurai and yakuza cinema, anime and exploitation flicks. The Bride (Uma Thurman) locked swords with two of the DIVAS, or Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad, literally cutting a path through dozens of yakuza swordsmen in the first film's gory finale. It was loud, it was ridiculous, it was incredible and we pretty much ate it up. But of course, it ended at a cliffhanger, with the promise of a final confrontation with the titular quarry still to come.

Kill Bill Volume 2 has come and gone from US theaters, yet it still has to come out locally. Well, I got a pretty clear copy of the film to watch so I took the plunge. I actually knew a lot of what was going to happen- I read the whole script of Kill BIll about a year or two ago, so I actually know the ending. But a script can change from paper to theater and so there was still a degree of mystique to this viewing. Well, I've seen it.

Be prepared for a totally different film with a totally different pulse.

That's all that I can say without spoiling too much. The second part of Kill Bill is almost devoid of big action scenes... in fact, I may venture to say that there aren't any big action scenes. The mega-body count and blood splatter of the first part has given way to a whole lot more dialogue, character moments, more dialogue, exposition and more dialogue- which may not be a minus for some people. But to action fans who loved the slashing action of the first and who are expecting even bigger, more flashy stuff in the climax, you WILL be disappointed. As for me, I wasn't bored watching the MANY long talky moments- there is interesting stuff to listen to- but I probably WILL be on any future viewings.

So, did I like it or not? I liked it for what it is... an ending to the movie, and for closure. I just wished they had added a bit more- more of Bill in particular. David Carradine is quite good in the screen time that he has. Bill is one mix of a character- angel/devil, good yet evil, charismatic but despicable... but always dangerous. I wanted to see more of him, to see him in action. The film would have also benefited from a deleted (and never filmed) scene involving character Go Go Yubari's sister, Yuki, from the original script. A bit more action, fun and another killer schoolgirl may have made me like Vol. 2 a bit more.

In the end though, I find Kill Bill Vol. 2 a forgettable end to a great start. Where the title started out with a bang and a scream, it ends with a whisper. I like it, but I like the first part a LOT better, and that's the Kill Bill I will remember. I guess in this case, it isn't sweeter the second time around.

Moving on, moving on...