sKetch


When the muse hits, you answer.

Yesterday, during a bit of down time, I whipped up this sketch of Kai. It turned out pretty well, so I'll probably ink and color it and use it somewhere in the K.I.A. book. It's been a long time since I've really drawn and done comics for considerable lengths of time. The way I work, I do comics in sprints. If I'm really into a project I'll sit down and do it and that will probably be what consumes any personal time I have. As Vin and the gang will probably remember, I'd bring finished pencils and stuff almost everyday to show off.
These days however, I do most of the work at home, partly because I don't usually carry a bag anymore. Perhaps the current waiting time for K.I.A. has somewhat made me lazy, but I'm still pretty pumped to make comics, bring characters to life and see amazing things materialize on paper from my hands.

Yep, there's nothing quite like that. It's magic, in a way, and I'm happy that I have this skill or talent (though I would have wanted the ability to play the piano or mastery of martial arts in me somewhere as well).

Whether it's drawing Angel Ace or Kai or any other of the cast of heroes, villains and anti-heroes battling in my head, I'll be drawing and writing and spinning stories for years to come. Promise.

Bloodbath

I'm expecting TONS of comics today, which will leave me weak and bloodless by the end of the day. Well, that is, if they actually arrive tonight.
Anyway, my much-awaited premier issue of Shanna the She-Devil will be coming with all-Frank Cho meaty goodness. For manga and anime, there's the latest Animerica, Blade of the Immortal, Suikoden III and Battle Vixens. On the US comics side, there's Uncanny X-men, Superman/Batman and Justice League Elite. DAAAAAAMMMNNNN!!!!
Well, hopefully the new stocks will be on the dot tonight. So I'll be going home pale and feeble but happy.

Insert Blurb Here

Web and comic artist Jonas Diego has some funny stuff in his new webcomic, Graphic Detail. His debut strip even stars Gerry Alanguilan! Check out Jonas' blog, The Blurb, for the strip, which will be updated often. Support Filipino Comics, people! Heh.

Resisting Temptation

Yesterday I passed by Toy Kingdom at Megamall and I spied lovely Playstation Portables (PSPs) on display. From what I can gather, the barebones unit-only package costs Php 21,000+, while the Value Pack (which includes some accessories) goes for Php 24,000+.
Now, some time ago I would have jumped the gun and bought my own Sony portable right there and then, but DAMN, it's pretty pricey for a handheld. Yeah, the PSP is cool as hell (what a paradox), but you have to consider quite a few things.

First, the units right now are first-wave machines; there are bugs to be worked out, flaws in both the hardware and software that early adopters will surely get inflicted with. Things like dead pixels. UMD (the discs the PSP uses) lids popping open inadvertently, causing the ultra-delicate UMD to fall to the ground and be rendered useless. And of course, the fact that there just aren't any cool games yet. Sure, Ridge Racer is out but it's hardly something worth 20K to play, is it?

And of course, any and all games right now are in Japanese. Including the arguably pretty cool Metal Gear Acid. Unless you have mastery of Nippongo, it's pretty pointless to go further.

Nope, I'm going to wait a while. For the prices to go down. For the PSP's flaws to get worked out and remedied in future batches. For UMD movies or at least software to encode MP4 movies watchable on the thing to be introduced. For a PSP Streetfighter or Tekken or Dead or Alive.

And, at the very least, AFTER I release K.I.A.

With these thoughts adamant in my mind, I turned to leave. As I did, my eyes veered to the side where a rich kid was inspecting the shiny, brand-new PSP he was about to buy.

Poor fool.

Poor DAMN frickin' lucky bastard fool.

BAH.

Timeless Adventure

They’re showing Raiders of the Lost Ark on HBO. Even though I’m pretty tired, I just have to watch it. It’s still the best action adventure film of its kind (the tomb-raiding, treasure-hunting, quasi-historical kind), having the best hero, the best quests, the best villains and action, and the best direction, performances, tone, music and craft. And in the Indiana Jones Trilogy, Raiders is head-and-shoulders above its sequels.

Of course, it’s a bit of trivia that actor Alfred B. Molina AKA Doctor Octopus from Spiderman 2 appears in Raiders, as one of Dr. Jones’ guides at the beginning of the movie (He’s the one who grabs the idol and leaves Indy once the earth starts shaking). These days, marketing for Raiders hypes up Molina’s appearance in the movie, now that he’s a bigger name. Well, whatever works. It’s pretty funny to note that one of Molina’s scenes involves an encounter with some arachnids… perhaps an omen of the future? Heh.


Alfred B. Molina had problems with spiders even back then.

Animation Sunday


Sailor-adventurer-explorer and all-around nice guy Corto Maltese.

This night, I found myself watching a couple of very unusual animation fare on cable.

The first feature was Kaena: The Prophecy, a CG film about a dying, tree-like world where a small tribe of humans cling to life as mysterious 'gods' within the tree dominate their lives. The titular character, Kaena, is a spirited young woman whose love for exploration soon leads her to finding the secrets of their world, their so-called gods and the key to saving her people's future.
The CG was pretty good, though I have to say that the look made me think of that crappy Final Fantasy Spirits Within movie. The story was your usual 'girl saves the planet' sort of thing, but it was interesting to see the cool alien designs and the lovely animations.

The second and better film of the night was an animated movie entitled Corto Maltese, based on the character and comics of Italian cartoonist, Hugo Pratt. The main and titular character is a sailor-adventurer who coasts through various adventures during the early to mid-1900s, meeting historical figures and encountering danger, secret societies, intrigue and quite a bit of carnage and bloody violence.
This particular story apparently involves a hunt for gold, a rich prize coveted by various factions. Corto is accompanied by a bearded companion who looks suspiciously like the Russian madman Rasputin and occasionally aided by a feisty Chinese girl and Red Lantern assassin known as Shanghai Li.
Despite having no over-the-top villains or threats of world domination, the story had me hooked and the smooth, life-like and detailed animations were beautiful to behold, sustaining interest even through the many talky parts, and coming to fruition during the film's several intense action sequences. Overall, it looked and felt like an animated Heavy Metal comic, which is great. VERY different from the usual anime fare I am used to, but having a couple of sexy femme fatales in the story certainly didn't hurt.

The film's in French, but thankfully has english subtitles. I would actually not mind at all to have a copy of both movies on dvd, if they were available. I'm pretty sure Kaena can be found in the dvd bins, while I've yet to see Corto Maltese show up anywhere. I'll see about getting them into The Sanctum's library when I can.

Low Voltage

Today, I left the house at the uncharacteristically early time of 1:30 PM in order to go to the launch of Mango JAM, the all-girl mangazine release of Mango Comics. Editrix Extraordiaire Nikki was there, but I had missed Dean, who had gone off to watch a movie.
With screaming girls all around me, I decided to slip away immediately and use my time productively. And so, I watched Elektra the movie.

By some coincidence, I was wearing my new Elektra T-shirt, so whoop-de-do there I was looking all the world like an Elektra comic book geek off to see the already-doomed-to-never-please-me film translation.

To it's credit, the film isn't horrible. Well, I've seen (or will see) worse, such as Catwoman. But even with me totally in love with the gorgeous Jennifer Garner, I have to say that I was right in all my expectations. And these expectations were that I would be disappointed.

Yes, I wanted Elektra to have her red cloth bikini outfit with the red wraps and the bandanna. I knew going into the film that this just wasn't to be- Hollywood had once again limited and rationalized comic book fantasy into their conventions. I know quite a few writers out there are saying that the film 'finally got Elektra's costume right' but I disagree. Her costume's just a red version of her horrid outfit in Daredevil, complete with totally ridiculous high-heeled boots.
Elektra isn't about hi-tech weapons- this is the premier human warrior of the Marvel Universe; a martial artist of the highest caliber. All she needs is an antique katana or sai, and that's it. She eats special forces teams and ninja armies for breakfast. Her body is her main armament, and this just doesn't come through in the movie. Heck, they have to SPELL IT OUT to the audience that Elektra is one bad mother with the boring opening sequence (with a wasted Jason Isaacs as one of the assassin's targets).

Long story short- This really isn't Elektra. It's just a more angsty Sydney Bristow in Alias sans good writing and intriguing plots.

Anway, onto the film. Elektra picks up immediately after Elektra's death in Daredevil, though little to no reference to the Ben Affleck starrer is actually mentioned. The dead Elektra Natchios is found by Stick, a blind ninja master played by Terence Stamp (who actually is pretty good here, though he reminded me of his mentor character from Young Guns). Stick uses oriental mystical power to bring Elektra back from the dead, and then takes the girl under his wing to become a ninja warrior.
Shades of Jedi training, Elektra proves to be Stick's strongest warrior, but her inner rage and anger eventually drives her from her master's school. She eventually becomes a much-feared contract killer, receiving messages and orders from a dispatcher/agent named McCabe.
One day, Elektra is sent on a job to kill an unknown target. She stays for a while in a house on an island, and while waiting for her orders meets Abby (Kirsten Prout), a feisty 13-year old girl and her father, Mark Miller (Goran Visnjic). In short order, she warms up to the father and daughter, only to later find out that THEY are her targets. Despite being a supposedly cold, emotionless killer, Elektra can't bring herself to kill the two, and later, when assassins from the sinister Hand organization come to clean up her leftovers, she finds herself fighting to save the Millers lives.

The story is pretty much that simple. Elektra fighting to save her former targets, and in doing so redeems herself and settles the ghosts of her past. It's not a horrid story, but it also doesn't help matters any that the action scenes and execution of the movie is pretty lame.
You have The Hand, which in the comics are supposed to be THE deadliest and most fearsome ninja on the planet... but in the movie are pretty much the wussiest ninja on the planet. Sure, they have cool weapons and explode into green flame when they die, but they NEVER seem to be a viable threat. And there's a shortage of ninja in this ninja film. Elektra like, fights real ninja only once or twice, then later takes out an entire ninja squad by LEAVING THE GAS RUNNING. Lame. Why couldn't these ninja be at least as mean as John Lone's cohorts in the old Christopher Lambert ninja film, The Hunted? Why, even the enemies in Amerian Ninja were better! Instead of having Elektra fight really cool and deadly ninja, we are given a bunch of goth and rave rejects with CG enhanced effects to cover up a lack of any good fight choreography.

As for the much-hyped Hand Elite, they are- Kirigi (Will Yun Lee), the heir-apparent to the Hand Council and a matchless swordsman with magical speed; Tattoo, who can create deadly animals from, well, his tattoos; Stone, a big black dude who is hard as stone but weak against WOOD; Typhoid, a woman who spreads diseases with her breath (eew), and last, there's one other guy who appears in the poster but whom I just can't remember.

Kirigi is the coolest-looking, with his katakana-marked robes and swords; the others just look like his groupies. Heh.

Anyway, for all their colorful appearances, without exception ALL the fights and resolutions with Kirigi's group are disappointingly abrupt and unsatisfyingly weak. For a movie that should be all about action and cool-as-hell martial arts/ninja fighting, I found myself gaping at the fights, saying 'WHAT?! That was IT???' The fight choreography, the direction of the action, it's all just lacking. MORTAL KOMBAT (the movie) had better action than this. Elektra herself doesn't impress me at all, though Miss Garner does do a good job of twirling a mean sai- it's just that the fights themselves aren't exciting or exceptional.

As a whole though, Elektra is inconsistent- it's slow for the most part, with sporadic attempts to gain a pulse, but dying everytime with every attempt. There are just so many ways, so many details that this could have been so much better, so much cooler, so much sexier and so much more... ELEKTRA.

There could have been more acrobatics. More of Elektra actually kicking butt. More fights with ninja to show off her real skill and believability that this woman is damn good. More establishment of The Hand being a mystical and terrifyingly powerful force of evil. More depth and thinking into the details of characters such as McCabe the dispatcher, or the members of Kirigi's squad. Or even just more into making the script and the plot more believable and the action truer to it's roots as a kick-ass comic. So much was just not done well enough to make a difference, and elevate Elektra from being just a run of the mill comic translation along the lines of The Phantom or Barbwire. Too bad.

If you go into this without knowing the character of Elektra, maybe you can pass it off as a slightly watchable Jennifer Garner/Alias movie with a ninja spin. But then, it's still pretty boring at parts, with not enough spice to make it special. Though she smiles a bit too widely and really doesn't convince me of her being Elektra, Miss Garner IS the best thing in this film. Which is really not a good thing to say about a movie.

Want to watch cool martial arts adventure? Watch Kung Fu Hustle instead. Or again.

Married with Kills


Killer combination: Alpha male Pitt vs Uber Babe Jolie.

What would happen if Achilles took on Lara Croft?

Well, we may actually find out when the double-billed actioner Mr. and Mrs. Smith arrives in theaters. Starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, this flick from the director of the Bourne movies casts the two premier Hollywood sex symbols as man and wife- and also as the world's two deadliest professional assassins. The schtick is, they don't know that their spouse is a world-class contract killer... at least, not until they're ordered to eliminate each other.
Okay, this is probably my first guilty-pleasure film of the year. DAMN gorgeous Angelina Jolie playing a slinky femme fatale? I'm sold. This role looks to be a lot hotter than she ever was as videogame vixen Lara Croft, and she's a lot hotter here and showing a lot more skin (and both eyes) than in the Tomb Raider films or her outing in the flight of fancy flop, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

The action seems on the fantastic side of James Bond, with heavy firepower, hi-tech tricks and some down-and-dirty martial arts figuring into the couple's battle of the sexes. I'm not sure if the film's going to be played dead straight, tongue-in-cheek or if it's going to go with a generally humorous tone. The level of comedy and action of True Lies would be just right for this movie- anyway, it DOES also have a Tango sequence like the old Schwarzenegger spy flick.

I'm actually hoping they play it straight, almost a black comedy ala War of the Roses. It'll be interesting to see if either or both Pitt or Jolie actually bite the dust, but most probably we'll have a safe happy ending. We'll just have to wait till mid-year when Mr. and Mrs. Smith start their little spat. The movie arrives in US theaters in June 2005.

A Minute Meal

A day or two ago, I found myself at the drop-off point without having dinner yet. Not wanting to get any microwaved fare from the nearby 7-11, I instead decided to have my meal at the nearby Minute Burger. Now, in the restaurant sub-group of burgers that is the street-level burger (chief of which is the ubiquitous Burger Machine), Minute Burger is firmly in the middle. It's been there for years and years- I actually remember going to Minute Burger when I was a kid throughout late elementary to high school. A few years ago they actually advertised on TV, but these days they just are there. I'm not privy to the actual financial viability of Minute Burger, but they're still around so whatever.
Anyway, the last time I ate at Minute Burger was years ago, probably. I remember that Minute Burger is the only burger place that actually has their people go into buses along EDSA, bringing burgers along to sell to the passengers. Of course, I never bought a burger this way... I want my streetburger hot and off the pan.

Well then, I found myself on the Minute Burger stool and looking up at the menu. I ordered a combo which consisted of a cheeseburger and a small drink. Knowing how relatively light these burgers are compared to regular fare in your local Jollibee, I ordered an additional bacon cheeseburger.
In a couple of minutes, I had my sandwiches. They tasted just as they had before, years ago, which is not bad at all. The bacon burger was pleasantly filling, and the fried bacon on top was good, solid meat, not fatty or soft at all. All of this for under a hundred pesos! Yummy!

Okay, it was not at all a fancy repast, and the fact that I was pretty hungry at the time helped. But I can honestly say it was a nice change of pace and a nice flashback of my younger days as a burger eater. Maybe I should skip meals at Megamall more often. Heh.

Questorants

I guess the news about Questor's closing down got people in the local comic mailing lists talking. With such a major player being wiped off the board, there have been comments- some say that there surely will be something to replace the title, citing a potentially great opportunity. Some say that perhaps this is a sign that the local publishing market really is weak.

I am inclined to believe that a local comic or zine, done right, will sell and do well. Granted, Questor had decent production values- they were printed on good paper, had colored covers and interiors, and had a staff of decent artists. However, being someone who's been buying the mag for years, I can say that in my own opinion, the mag wasn't great.

For an anime and manga zine, Questor was sorely lacking in style and substance. It didn't have a great look to the pages- no dynamic layouts, no slick art direction, no cool exclusive content. All of it was done pretty much run of the mill. The articles and features were nothing you could not find anywhere on the web, or in any of the better anime magazines. The writing was bland and there were few if any things an otaku would go out of their way to get. In general, the thin Questor mag doesn't at all scream 'worth your manga bucks'.
Take Newtype- ungodly expensive, but DAMN, there is no better mag for anime out there. The features are up to date to the latest anime, the artworks and images are gorgeous and great to see, and there are insightful columns and articles that play to an otaku's heart. The pinups of sexy anime babes don't hurt either. Yes, Questor had pinups- but they were crap in comparison.

And then, there was Nopperabo, the Questor zine's resident comic/manga section. Let me say that I TOTALLY cannot comprehend WHY they kept with it. WHY the HELL would you have a bleak, depressing, often boring anthology of Japanese Occupation-era horror or drama tales as your main manga feature? It BOGGLES the mind that this dismal stuff awaits manga readers everytime they would buy a Questor issue instead of the wealthy vein of high fantasy, sci-fi, action or comedy that manga is known for. Boggles the mind.
Additional Note: I've been told that most of the staff of Questor themselves cannot fathom WHY they kept using Nopperaboo as opposed to any other manga story/series/anthology. Go figure.

Long story short- Questor wasn't a good mag- it had too much baggage from old-school old foagies who did not want to push the envelope and was limited in content by the biases of the owner (who featured only the anime titles he owned or was promoting, no matter how outdated).

So, really, I'm not surprised that it failed. The point is, it's failure shouldn't necessarily mean that local publishing cannot succeed. If you have great product, you will sell. That's what happened with Culture Crash, and what will continue to happen as long as they keep their standards high and their stories improving. I do not think that was a fluke. The CCCom guys did it right, and not it's up to anyone else who wants to follow their footsteps to bring the goods to the table, so to speak.

Don't show up with a knife in a gunfight. Do your homework, make sure your stuff measures up, and get it out there to the people who will want it. THEN we'll see what sells or not, what's great or not.

Now that I thought about it, perhaps the Death of Questor may actually be a blessing in disguise. Now that it's out of the picture, perhaps something a LOT better can FINALLY take it's place. The only question is, when, how and by who. We'll see.

Family Gaming


Here's a game you cannot refuse.

The classic Godfather films by Francis Ford Coppola and based on the novels by Mario Puzo are coming to the PS2. The game looks to put players in control of members of the infamous Corleone family, as they battle rival mafia dons and families in the shadowy world of organized crime. It's still not known if you can actually play as Sonny or Michael Corleone, or as Don Vito himself (in his younger, De Niro incarnation). Maybe you can even play as Luca Brazi ("I hope your son is a masculine son...") and go play a 'swim with the fishes' minigame.
It's actually kinda intriguing. Perhaps you can actually re-enact the ultraviolent Toll Booth Assassination and see if you can actually get Sonny to survive. Cool, eh?

So far, screens revealed seem to point to a third-person action shooter, similar to the earlier-released PC and console game, Mafia. Still, this game should be cool if only for the possibility of carrying out multiple, brutal assassinations set to the trademark Godfather theme.

No date's set yet for the release, though the game looks to see play in Japan and the US. I wonder how Marlon Brando's Vito sounds talking in Japanese? Should be something to see. Heh.

The Quest(or) has Ended

Last night, I learned from a pretty reliable source that the local manga/anime magazine Questor is dead.

Apparently, the staff has already been laid off, and the current issue on shelves is the last one. This pretty much puts paid to the possibility of Questor Extreme Mangamania coming out, and which explains why the editor NEVER got back to me.

Yet again, Kunoichi Boy has been banished to the shadows, to wait in secret to fight another day. Oh well.

It was a slow lingering death for the mag, which sadly was on decline ever since their 'relaunch' after being acquired by ABS-CBN Publishing.
With Questor's death, there may be a vacuum of local manga and anime publications- the popular Culture Crash seems to be on an indefinite hiatus as well, with no word on future issues. Will Questor be replaced by another title? Will another publisher take this opportunity to make a mark in the local comic field?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Prose and Cons

I may have to don my prose writer's hat soon, with a little project that I've been invited to. I guess I gotta start sifting through the attic to see if there are any seeds of good fantasy or fiction stories I can water, nurture and grow within the next several weeks. I'm actually quite intrigued and excited... it should be a great diversion from the grafictional stuff I've been so far doing. The last time I really wrote a long prose story was years ago... the start of an as yet unfinished fantasy saga. Since then, the longest materials that I have written are advertorial copy for work and the stuff for the gang's internal writing workshop last year. Let's see what I can whip up. Should be fun. Heh.

Mannish

Last night, I was channel surfing and I stopped on ETC where it was showing singer K.D. Lang performing on one of the shows (not sure if it was Conan or The Tonight Show). I know she really seems to make it a point to not look pretty or even feminine, but darn... she looked several pounds heavier, quite a bit older, and was wearing an oversized man's suit and pants, and she was barefoot on the set. She looked... well... um... ah...

Hmmm.

Anyway, I really like her singing. Moving on.

Lots of Eck

Last night they showed Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever on HBO. When I first saw this movie a year or so ago, I thought it’d be some cool action flick with high-octane thrills and over-the-top stunts. I mean, it had a super assassin babe in it! How could it go wrong? I though that this would be a remake of that old Assassin flick (with Banderas and Sly Stallone), except with a war of the sexes touch, punctuated with tons of firepower and martial arts.
Well, it’s good that I never really got to seeing this flick in the theater, since it turned out to be NOTHING at all like what I thought.

Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever is a deception. The titular characters never really get into serious fighting- they only spar for one time, and afterwards you just know they’re going to hook up. It’s all by the numbers with a plot that has more bulletholes in it than all the slick action and timed explosions can cover up.
The movie starts with renegade agent Sever (Lucy Liu) kidnapping a little boy, who turns out to be the son of a powerful intelligence agency bigwig named Gant (Gregg Henry). The FBI more or less blackmails a retired manhunter named Jeremiah Ecks (Antonio Banderas) to take Sever down, with the promise that they will reveal to Ecks the wheareabout of his wife, whom he was told WAS DEAD FOR ALL THIS TIME. Wild, eh? Well, I guess Ecks’ wife has to be damn hot to still have his attention after ten years, but then again, it’s Talisa Sotto so why not.

Anyway, despite looking scruffy and unshaven and half-drunk, Ecks is supposedly the only one who can take on the leather-clad, unstoppable martial arts Terminatrix Sever, so off he goes after the customary initial griping.
Complicating matters is the fact that Gant has sent his own forces- an army of balaclava-wearing, fatigue-clad commandos led by Agent Ross (Ray “Darth Maul” Park)- to hunt Sever down.
Of course, all is not as it seems, and it turns out that Gant is the real baddie in this film (well, actually it’s shown early on so it’s no surprise), wanting to get his son back not so much because he loves the kid as he is looking for his nanotechnological superweapon hidden IN the kid. So when Ecks and Sever finally hook up (rather too easily), they put paid to Gant and his Time Crisis commandos in a hail of explosions and bullets.

This mess just has tons of gaping holes; like how either Ecks and Sever can just tear up the city battling Gant’s goons, and leaving body counts in the dozens without the real military and police EVER appearing? Or how heavily-armed commandos just blindly run after our heroes just to get routinely mowed down or blown up without so much as a protest or even a half-hearted attempt to graze the heroes at all throughout the movie. Or how boring and tension-less the action is, or how wooden the acting is all around. GAH.

The only good part here is watching Lucy Liu do her bad girl thing- more style over substance, but it’s really neat to see leather-clad super bitches kick ass. Too bad it all too brief, and all done so by-the-numbers, without much pulse or tension.

Good thing that the Battle of the Sexes espionage-action flick may be seeing light soon, in the form of the upcoming Mr. and Mrs., starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as two top assassins/agents unknowingly being sent to target each other. And Ray Park will be doing more and decidedly better martial arts moves in his upcoming Iron Fist (due in 2006).

It’s an even better thing that I didn’t waste money on this crapper at the moviehouse, or even on a dvd. THEN we would have really seen someone go ballistic. Heh.

RPG Nostalgia

The fourth installment of one of my favorite RPGs for the PS2 has hit stores. Reviews have been less than stellar though for this latest game in the Suikoden series, citing a story that lacks any real punch or pulse, a large (108 characters, no less) cast that mostly does nothing, and a tendency for aimless wandering on the high seas.

Honestly, I miss the good ol' days of Suikoden. The first game was one of the grade-A titles for the original PS, putting you in the shoes of the son of a famous general who must ultimately fight against the unjust empire you serve at the beginning. The first game had a cool story and memorable characters whom you genuinely care about once you get into the game (GREMIO!!!!)

However, my personal favorite has to be Suikoden II, which upped the ante with gorgeous art, a convoluted story full of conspiracy and backstabbing, large-scale campaigns and battles which you really felt you were a part of, and simply the best minigame in the franchise (cooking ala Iron Chef). From being a wet-behind-the-ears grunt who fights razorbunnies to becoming the commander of one of the armies vying for control of the empire, your saga was epic. And the supporting cast was so alive- when you feel a twinge of guilt after killing enemy lieutenants, you know this game's characters are written excellently. It was with pleasure that I ended the game, leaving behind the cares of politics and hitting the road with redeemed childhood friend Jowy and adoptive sister Nanami in tow, off to parts and adventures unknown. Yeah, Suikoden II for me was the pinnacle for the series.

Suikoden III was nice. Nice, but not stellar. I liked the three linking storylines, the cutesy graphics and the quick combat. However, for all it's neatness, it's the one Suikoden I haven't finished. Oh well- maybe I'll find out what happens in the end with the manga adaptation (which sadly seems to be tapering off in quality as it goes along).

And now, Suikoden IV. It has no Viktor, no Flick, no Toran Republic or even the Grasslands in sight. What we have here is a whole new world (though some old faces like Vicki are appearing, more as utilities than anything else). Yeah, it's still got tons of minigames and will probably be lots better than most no-name franchises out there... but really, I'm not too excited. Well, I'll probably play it eventually, but I don't see myself investing too much time into it. Perhaps it would be better for me to dig up the ol' Suikoden II copy for good, solid Suikoden fun. Yeah, that's the ticket. Heh.

Questionable E-mail

I've just received a flurry of e-mails from Paypal, supposedly, asking for me to verify my information and shit. Well, for one thing, I'm not a Paypal member (since I live in the Philippiines that is a blacklisted country to the high-and-mighty credit landlords), so why the Hell did they send me a message? That, plus a link that you're supposed to click to 'verify' my info leads me to suspect this is a virus or some Trojan thing to hack my system or security. As always, if it's questionable, just DELETE these things. Banks, credit companies and other business-related stuff should not be done via e-mail or simply by clicking a link. If you get these Paypal mails, beware. A delete button a day keeps hackers and viruses away.

Incredible Bore

They're showing The Hulk on HBO.

This has simply got to be THE most boring superhero movie ever. Director Ang Lee really did something wrong with this one. You'd think that the original source material was a psychological novel or some scientific textbook instead of a comic book. It's so slow and ponderous, with TONS of extra baggage piled onto the story that just bogs everything down to a crawl. Well, I never did care about the comic either so it's no skin off my teeth. Yawn.

Mini-Stop Menagerie

The Mini-Stop is a peculiar place. There's something about the clean, brightly-lit interiors that just make you want to BUY something to munch on whenever you see that familiar orange, white and blue coloration of the sign. You really should make it a point to NOT be in the vicinity of a MS if you're hungry and you're intending to eat somewhere else, since you probably will find yourself spending on tsitsirya and groceries uncontrollably. At least, that's what ALWAYS happens to me. Sheesh.
Anyway, last night, after the night's coffee with birthday celebrant Vin, me and Cams dropped by a Mini-Stop to stock our respective larders with fast chow. I picked up a the latest in microwaveable eats- a spaghetti bun sandwich and the pizza pandesal (bacon cheeseburger flavor).

The spaghetti bun is what it sounds like- a hotdog bun stuffed with party spaghetti- the kind with the soft noodles and sweet sauce. The only meat in it are four (count 'em) smalll slices of hotdog on top of the thing. Heated up, it makes for an unusual but oddly cool snack. It's actually not so odd- we usually eat spaghetti with bread anyway, so here we're just pretty much cutting out the plate and substituting it with a bread container. Not bad, really.

The pizza pandesal bun isn't really something I found liking... the flavor's good, but the heated-up snack feels soft and flaccid (hmm), and just not right. I like my pizza crispy. Still, it was an experience.

I wonder what new fast snack the ol' Mini Stop will cough up soon? Just another thing to not necessarily look forward to but just deal with as we go deeper into 2005.

Celebration

Keeper of the Bloodbank, Manipulator of Time, Benevolent Shopkeep, the Sun around which the Gang Revolves... Vin turns one year older today!

It's been a swell several years hanging out at Comic Quest, talking comics, anime, movies, toys, a thousand and one uses for the Vanishing Ray and more with you, Mr. Big Little Boy. And I'm looking to see a lot more years to come.

Happy Birthday!

Tekken 5

Got the latest PSM magazine, and it came with a DVD that had, amongst the many vids and trailers, several fights from the upcoming Tekken 5. I am not too sure if the graphics are from the PS2 or arcade version, but all I can say is that Tekken just can't compare graphically to Dead or Alive Ultimate. That said, Tekken 5 will offset this slight deficiency with lots of extras when it comes to the PS2- tons of CG cinematics, customization options, a mini-action/adventure game and extra characters supposedly not found in the arcade game. Barring any delays, we should all be Tekken it to the next level this February or March.

Ooh, pretty art...

I've just seen the preview of Frank Cho's Shanna the She-Devil #1 over at Mile High Comics.

DAMN that Monkeyboy's art is frickin' gorgeous.

Even though I've seen the pages, read the story... I gotta have the comic. Shanna is going to sell through the roof. At least, that's what I think. Half-naked kick-ass babe, dinosaurs, Nazis, lions, tigers... bears... Oh, my.

It's out early February. Get your copy, but not before me. Heh.

Acronymity

I've more or less decided that the first release of K.I.A. will have the subtitle Kai: Infinite Assassin. Previous copy possibilities included stuff like "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and "Daughter of K.A.L.I", but a suggestion was given to have a definition of the K.I.A. title. From what I have read and heard, the acronym K.I.A. is military jargon for "Killed In Action", and so this is perfect for reflecting the somewhat darker tone of the Kai anthology. It also helped that K.I.A. is a play on Kai's mixed-up identity these days. Still, all of this is probably clear just to me, so all right, I'll help things along and make things clearer.

On the subject of K.I.A., it's still chugging along. I'm still working on some pages, but it's really just a matter of time before we pull this off. Like Agent K herself, we won't give up until we finish this mission. More as it happens.

Running Time

Whew. The week's finally over. It's been pretty tiring since I've started going a lot earlier to work. I should actually go home earlier since I come to work earlier, but that really doesn't happen since I usually pass by the Blood Bank to unwind. Maybe I should make it a point to go home right away on at least a couple of weekdays, and have dinner at home both to get rest and save a little cash.
It will probably help to get myself a new alarm clock- the one in The Sanctum is still that old Culture Crash giveaway (Pasig artwork) which works but is hard to set since you can't see any numbers aside from the four cardinal points... which makes setting the alarm a bit of guesstimation. But then, it's important to have the alarm since I have apparently the tendency to sleep through the TV Alarm system which I thought once pretty reliable.

Anyway, I think I'm getting the hang of getting up at 7:30 everyday and taking ice-cold showers to wake up... just give me a couple of weeks to get the biological clock into step.

Foursome

Five people go to space.

One will become BAD.

Four will become... FANTASTIC.

This God-awful bit of copy is what heralds the trailer of Fantastic Four, the latest comic-to-movie translation from Marvel Comics. It's VERY early to really say anything about it, but it's not a very nice trailer. Hate the music, the CG effects are iffy, the Thing looks wrong, Dr. Doom (weird that they put his origin along with the rest of the FF) looks wrong and so forth. Even slick editing won't fix a lame movie, but what the hey- the Fantastic Four are such a, well, fantastic, bunch of heroes so for all we know, at the very least this should be an action-packed outing. Jessica Alba provides eye candy, though Sue Richards AKA Invisible Girl seems a bit old a role for her. I'm not that much into the title, but just the same I'll chuck this into the list of anticipated films later this year.

Sequester

Spent the whole day in a hotel function room, where we helped clients thresh out their stuff for the year.

Well, the hardest thing for me to do the whole time was to keep anyone from noticing me nodding off or having my eyes glass out. The good thing was there was plenty of food, and we had a great buffet lunch and some really cute desserts. In the end it was a job well done and everyone left more or less happy. Real work begins next time. Yay.

Man of Action (Figures)

Over the weekend I got myself three figures from SOTA Toys' Streetfighter series. These include of course, the two classic SF ladies, THE original kung fu lady cop Chun Li and British commando Cammy. The third is Dragon Punch-crazy Ken (actually I wanted Ryu but I couldn't find one at the price I wanted). The figures feature tons of articulation which should make for tons of great poses... if and when I actually open the packs. I might try to get a Ryu figure at Comic Quest, if they are selling singles.
The voting for the Series Four wave of SF SOTA figures is over- don't know yet if my favorite ninja girl, Ibuki, won or not, but I'm crossing my fingers. If she did, I'll be one happy camper at the prospect of having all the best SF ladies in an action figure set (schoolgirl Sakura is in Series 3). We'll see. Hope, hope...

Game Bytes


Powerful, honorable Rau and lithe, lethal Tati team up in Rise of the Kasai.

Rise of the Kasai was one of my most anticipated games last year. Both prequel and sequel to the critically-acclaimed fantasy-strategic action title Mark of Kri, ROTK once again takes us into the saga of Rau, powerful warrior of a tribe protecting the secrets of powerful magic. This time around, you not only get to use Rau but his hot, thong-wearing sister Tati as well (she was a 10-year old kid in the first game) and a couple of other veteran warriors. The plot is still pretty hazy, but happens both before and after the events in Mark of Kri. It certainly concerns events that lead to Rau's apparent death, and follows the fate of Tati, who has been cursed with powerful tattoos on her body that both give her great power and may lead her to a path of evil.

Mark of Kri made me sit up and take notice primarily due to the odd blend of high quality, Disney-esque character designs AND brutally realistic action and animation (think a Disney-made Conan the Barbarian animated movie). Rise of the Kasai looks to continue this mature streak. Originally intended to have an online gameplay component, ROTK is now a totally offline, one-player game, which is no problem to me. According to the official ROTK webpage, the game is set for a March 15, 2005 release. One more game to look forward to.

Death by Degrees: Nina Williams is shaping up well. The concerns from before, involving the somewhat stiff gameplay and controls, have reportedly been addressed. Aside from battling the various goons of the secret Kometa organization she's up against, the Irish-born assassin has to contend with several tough bosses. This includes Nina's 'beloved' sister Anna, which will most probably lead to the Mother of all Catfights between the two siblings. DBD will reportedly reveal many things about Nina and Anna's past, the biggest of which being the event that led to their separation from their father, and their subsequent rivalry.
Awesome CG cinematics and Tekken-sidestory drama aside, Death by Degrees will also feature- get this- costume damage. Yep... Nina's duds will get ripped and torn off as she gets beat up, which will undoubtably please fans. That the game is set on a ship makes DBD that much more similar to the old Sega Dreamcast beat 'em up, Dynamite Deka. Last but not least, gamers will want to check out Death by Degrees simply for the fact that it will come with a demo of Tekken 5. YOWZA! Wait for it, guys and gals, this February.

A new Inu Yasha fighting game is coming later this year from Bandai. Unlike the previous IY fighter, Sengoku Otogi Gassen, the new anime beat 'em up will be in 3-D. The game will also feature tag team action and of course a lineup that includes all the cool characters from the popular Takahashi fantasy drama series.

Team Ninja is hard at work on Dead or Alive 4. The sequel to the best fighting game on Xbox and the sexiest brawler ever still hasn't pinned down the actual platform it will appear on, whether that be XBox or XBox Next. According to the fickle Tomonobu Itagaki's interviews with some online magazines, we know the following:

DOA4 will have an online element, improved over DOA Ultimate

Lisa, who originally appeared in DOAX, will be joining the roster, and she will be fighting with a 'mysterious skill';

The main storyline will involve Helena's taking over of the DOATEC megacorporation as its second chairman.

There will be CG endings- Itagaki describes filming footage at the Great Wall for Lei Fang's ending.

Bah. Nothing really... expect DOA4 to hit perhaps next year. Oh well, at least we have DOA Ultimate...

Games on my Playing List Right Now: Champions of Norrath (PS2), Dead or Alive Ultimate (XBox), Inu Yasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask (PS2), Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 (XBox), Street Fighter 3: Third Strike (PS2), Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

MMORPG Newbie


Now this is my kind of party...

In the late, late hours of Friday (or the early, early hours of Saturday), I was getting my feet wet in the MMORPG genre, through the new 3-D online RPG Tantra. I got the game cd of the Tantra beta version free with a magazine, and since there aren't any fees (yet), I decided to try. The game looks pretty gorgeous, with really nice character models and backgrounds, though with my dial-up connection the animation was at best extremely choppy. I spent about an hour walking bout, trying to kill some basic monsters (and getting subsequently killed every time) and just trying to make heads or tails of the control scheme.
I'm not really an online RPG kind of gamer, but Tantras' world and designs interested me so I gave it a try. But unless I get a broadband connection to smoothen out the experience, I don't think I'll be making regular trips back to the Hindu-themed fantasy world, or any other online game for that matter. Most probably I'll be playing Champions of Norrath offline on the PS2 in preparation for Return to Arms this February.

Out of Touch

Wasn't able to update over the weekend since phone lines at the subdivision went dead and stayed dead since Friday or so. Don't know why... maybe some bastard stole the copper wires in the telephone wires AGAIN. BAH. Anyway, hope the phone company fixes the thing so I can surf from The Sanctum again sometime in this lifetime.

Sucky Movie

Last night, me and the ol' college buddies hunkered down in The Sanctum to chill, have our monthly dose of unhealthy pizza, soda and dessert, rummage through my stuff, and to talk about current events and old times. Somehow, even after all that, we still managed to watch the latest (and perhaps last) movie in the Blade series of films with Wesley Snipes. We watched the flick from a decently clear dvd, though the sound seemed oddly and slightly out of sync, making it kinda like an old kung fu movie. The third film, entitled Blade Trinity, has the 'Daywalker' Blade (half-vampire, half-human hybrid Snipes) returning with scraggly sidekick/weapons developer/mentor Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), still out regularly hunting vampires who prey on the human population.
The film begins though with a team of the bloodsuckers, led by evil hottie Danica Talos (Parker Posey), entering an ancient tomb in Iraq and finding something- scary. The CG monstrocity (which looks like a cross between Giger's Alien, Sauron from LOTR and the monster from Species) is actually THE vampire- the first of his kind, known to the world as... DRACULA.
Well, these days though, he's known simply as Drake (John Doe's Dominic Purcell), and for most of the film he appears as a foppy Euro-hunk. Not exactly the picture of Dracula you'd expect at all. Anyway, Drake 'allows' Danica and her crew to take him back to urban USA, where they concoct a scheme to take out their greatest enemy- Blade- and rule the world. In pretty short order, Blade is exposed to the public at large, hunted down by the authorities and left hanging in the wind alone.
But not for long. Blade Trinity marks the debut of The Nightstalkers, a network of vampire-hunters working in secret to aid Blade in fighting the bloodsucker threat. Chief among them are Abigail Whistler (a HOT Jessica Biel), ol' Abe's kick-ass daughter who loves killing vamps while listening to MP3s, and Hannibal King (Van Wilder's Ryan Reynolds), a former vampire who's equally at home shooting snappy funnies as he is shooting UV bullets. Despite some initial friction, Blade and the 'rookies' soon prove to be a potent team as they work to use the appearance of Drake as the way to defeat the vampire threat once and for all.

There are lots of good stuff in this movie. The action is still something to watch, though the quality of the fights is still markedly the least in the Blade series. Abby Whistler and Hannibal King are pretty cool characters, with King providing the movie with some pretty funny lines in between the action. However, we had our bones to pick.
For the most part, the fault lies in the baddies- Parker Posey's Danica Talos and her gang (including WWE superstar Triple H AKA Paul Michael Levesque as main henchman Jarko Grimwood) seem to drift around without really much of a plan, save to serve as straight men to Ryan Reynold's jokes. No one really stands out as too formidable (Triple H DOES get to do some wrestling moves, but is woefully underused- he's a LOT more menacing as his WWE heel persona). But the cake is taken by Drake AKA Dracula, who is simply the most unimpressive, not-scary, not formidable Dracula/Blade main villain in the trilogy. Stephen Dorff'sDeacon Frost in the first movie or Luke Goss' Nomak in Blade II, or even Ron Perlman's Reinhart were cooler, more dangerous and infinitely more fun than the Euro-trash man-whore main villain of Blade Trinity. Yawn.

In the end, we had a few laughs from Hannibal King, gaped at the hotness of Jessica Biel, watched the strangely by-the-numbers fights. Watching Trinity just made me glad that I decided to watch Kung Fu Hustle instead of this run-of-the-mill timesucker in the cinemas. Oh well.

Elektra

GORGEOUS. Simply breathtaking.

I saw it last night, and I was totally blown away. I totally recommend it to everyone.

Easily, THE best T-shirt I've bought at Comic Quest yet. The art, by Bill Sienkewicz (Damn is that spelling correct?), even surpasses the first Elektra shirt I got. My black comic book T-shirt collection is growing well. DAMN great T-shirt.

Unfortuntately, I can't really say the same thing for the Elektra movie, starring Jennifer Garner. I'm already pretty biased against the film for not capturing the visuals from the comic- yeah, Garner's in red this time, but it's still basically the same costume as in Daredevil, just lacey and red. Yes, a red body swimsuit and cloth wraps may not be the most practical in terms of covering up someone, but then again, how practical are HIGH HEELS for a matial arts fighter? Eh? Where the hell is the bandanna? Elektra has NEVER been seen without the bandanna. All we get is Jennifer Garner's brown hair flowing about like in some shampoo commercial.
Anyway, yesterday I saw the first 5 minutes of the movie downloaded online, showing Elektra's assassination of some guy played by Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter). There is comic book babble about how good Elektra is, like how she fought a group of The Hand's finest... and how she "cut them down like wheat". Though he also says, it took "ten to fifteen minutes, max" as well... that must have been pretty tough wheat.

If the first five minutes are to reflect the rest of the film, it doesn't look good. The mediocre fight scenes and action look just as unimpressive as in Daredevil- shot too close and uninspiringly done. How she takes out Isaacs' character isn't anything special as well. Me and my officemates watched it and afterwards we all went, 'That was it?' Not good.

I could tell months ago that the Elektra movie would pass like a ship in the night. At best, it will be at least as good as Daredevil (which was, as a friend described, was a 'slick piece of dogshit'. At worst, it is yet another example of how Hollywood can take a great license and character and force-fit it into mundane, TV movie-grade crapola.

Damn, Elektra would have made a great movie. If it had a decent budget, someone who actually read the comic, and a director and designers who have vision. But noooo... Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap. Yet another lovely femme fatale given a disservice, joining the likes of Barbwire and other B-movie queens. Sigh.

Streetfighter Bible


No true-blue SF fanatic should be without this.

Last night, I made my first really satisfying blood donation of the year at Comic Quest. I only purchased one thing, but it was a doozy. It was Street Fighter: Eternal Challenge, a thick, softcover volume and the first english translation of the uber-cool Capcom Streetfighter art and material collection straight from Japan. The book is mostly in color and printed on high-quality paper, and contains pretty much EVERYTHING there is on Capcom's flagship fighting game. From the classic Streetfighter II to the latest game, Streetfighter 3: Third Strike, it's all here.

Inside are a treasure trove of some of the best videogame art and character designs EVER, with all the SF art from artists such as Bengus, Akiman, Shoei, Edayan and my favorite, Kinu Nishimura (who did my favorite artworks from SF3) and more. But this isn't just an art book- it's a historical archive of possibly the most important title in the fighting game genre. There's info and material on all the games, characters and even exclusive interviews with the artists, producers and designers of the games. Of course, the best stuff for me is the art- I've been searching in vain for a way to import these Capcom SF design and art books for years, and now I have the best of them, in one excellent translated volume. WONDERFUL!

If you're a Street Fighter completist or real fan, hie on to Comic Quest for your copy (and get 'em fast since I've been told the demand is high), or at least order if they run out. It's pricey, but darn worth every centavo. This is the only Street Fighter book you'll ever need.

Suikoden IV

The latest installment of Konami's Suikoden RPGs has been released in the US. Suikoden 4 for the PS2 once again puts players in the boots of a young hero who must gather together the 108 Stars of Destiny and battle a great evil. The latest Suikoden is set many years before the events in previous games, and will not be supporting any game saves from previous chapters. Set primarily on the high seas, Suikoden IV is about the adventures of a youth cursed with the mysterious Rune of Punishment. Players will have to gather allies, set up a stronghold, battle conspiracies and evil enemies while enjoying fun minigames like fishing, dice and other non-killing activities. Hmm.

I'll probably pick this up when I see it, though I have to admit I didn't finish Suikoden III, and this holds even less interest for me. No Viktor or Flick, most probably. Bah.

Heihachi's Demise

Famitsu of Japan has just posted part of the cool CG intro movie to the PS2 version of Tekken 5. The movie picks up seconds after Jin Kazama takes off at the end of Tekken 4, leaving his father, Kazuya, and grandfather, Heihachi, lying out cold. As the two older Mishimas awaken, a fleet of helicopters arrives over the temple compound, ejecting a small army of Jack robots to attack the leaders of the Mishima Zaibatsu. At first, father and son fight together, making mincemeat of the first wave of mechanical attackers. However, as more Jacks pour in, Kazuya betrays Heihachi at the last moment, hurling him into the throng of Jacks as he himself makes his escape. Heihachi curses as he is held down by sheer weight of numbers, as one of the robots' faces suddenly pops open, revealing an ominous timer counting down to zero...

The resulting explosion takes out the entire temple in a blaze of fire. Some distance away, the mysterious, Blade-lookalike Raven watches the events unfold. He whispers into a communicator the words "Heihachi Mishima... is dead." At which point, he turns and slices an approaching Jack robot into pieces the way only a ninja can.

Wanna see all this action yourself? Download the movie from here.

This is apparently only the first part of the PS2 version's intro movie, and just the first movie of a whole bunch of CG eye candy to be featured in the home release of Tekken 5. Each of the more than 20 available fighters will have a CG intro and ending to their Story Mode game. Something to watch for, when the game hits shelves in the next month or so. WOOHOO!!!

Commuter Constipation

One of the biggest things which makes riding the MRT irritating are the fucking bastards, assholes, bitches and sons of bitches who root themselves near the doorways, thus preventing people from getting into the usually spacious and roomy interiors of the cars. These good-for-nothings just stay there as if their worthless frickin' lives depend on being near the door, perhaps fearing that the MRT will derail so they'll be the first ones to escape. Blasted idiots.

If I had my way, I'd have guards with CATTLE PRODS to force these shambling mounds of crapola to make way for civilized passengers. Or maybe just plain and simple bamboo spears. The ones that the zombies used on Vilma Santos in her old Darna movies. The ones that make those neat 'Chk' sounds when they sink into some victim's back. Yes.

Obviously, I had just encountered these monsters on the way to work just now. Bah. VANISHING RAAAAYYY!!!!!!!

Ultimate Evil

It seems that Resident Evil 4 is THE survival-horror game to get. Major gaming sites such as Gamespot, IGN and more have given the latest chapter of the RE series high marks, with comments such as 'the best survival horror game ever' being heaped on the game. The reviews cite RE4's realistic graphics, memorable enemies, gripping moments of non-stop, white-knuckle suspense and incredible gameplay. Resident Evil 4 has players controlling RE hero Leon Kennedy as he enters a bizarre world of murderous, enraged villagers and inhuman beasts in order to rescue the President's daughter. Sounds like lots of bloody great fun.

Too bad the game's on Gamecube, or else I'd probably be rushing to get a copy. Anyway, the good news is that a PS2 version is in the works, so maybe I'll be gunning down crazed villagers and hooded cultists gleefully by mid to late 2005. Yay!

Burger Commercial Movie

Last night I watched the buddy comedy Harold and Kumar go to Whitecastle. The movie stars John Cho (American Pie) and Kal Penn (Malibu's Most Wanted) as the titular characters. Harold is a young Korean-American who is working as a junior analyst/investment banker, while Kumar is an Indian (from India) med student. Unlike most buddy team movies, neither of the pair is brain dead or comically inept. They're actually pretty normal guys, not deficient or repulsive in any spectacular way, other than perhaps being ethnic. Of course, this being a comedy they do have their share of stunts and wild moments, mostly having to do with smoking pot and getting laid. They also have their personal issues- Harold being that he lets himself be manipulated by his white officemates and can't seem to open up to the gorgeous girl next door; meanwhile, Kumar is rejecting his future as a doctor despite having natural medical talents.

While sharing a joint in their pad, the two find themselves getting the munchies. An incredibly coincidental commercial for Whitecastle hamburgers implants an undeniable craving in the two, and they set off on an epic quest to satisfy their rumbling bellies with a pile of the tasty burgers. On the way, they encounter a variety of characters and situations, and learn about life, love and overcoming white trash put-downers. Will they ever get to eat at Whitecastle? Can they exorcise their personal demons? Would you care?
Well, actually, the movie was an pretty funny watch, and I did find myself watching it through without touching the Fast-Forward button. It's my first time to see an ethnically-angled buddy comedy. The movie really piles on the terrors of discrimination along with the laughs, so it was pretty interesting to see and cool to have the Asians and Indians get back at the evil White Trash at the end. Oh, and there's also a liberal amount of flesh onscreen, the occasional gross bodily-function gag and a pretty out-there appearance by Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D.) as himself. Right...

All in all it was a funny little diversion, though the best that I can say is that I really wanted a burger or two at the end of it. Good thing that I heard from someone that Whitecastle burgers taste just like Jollibee regular Yums, so I don't have to go through my own MADman goes to Whitecastle experience to satisfy my craving. Mmmm...

Finish Her!



Work on K.I.A. is still progressing, little by little. First of all, I've pegged down the final page count at 160, if all things work out (read: If I can afford it). I've finished the inking for a story written by Dean, and now I'm moving on to something I've always known I've had to do but delayed... the book's prologue and epilogue. Basically, the prologue will tie the special in with Angel Ace Next, while the epilogue will give readers a cause to look forward to in future K.I.A releases. But really, it's just my way of giving myself a bit more presence in this book, since pretty much 75 percent of the art featured is from contributors and guest artists. All things considered, I am still hopeful for a February production date, so we're still shooting for release by March. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
K.I.A. is an anthology starring Kai Mishima, the lovely femme fatale from Angel Ace. After being apparently liquidated while protecting her best friend Angel's secret, Kai is reborn as Agent K, a seemingly unstoppable super assassin. With no memory of her past and a ruthless new commander sending her on mission after deadly mission, can Kai survive long enough to regain what she has lost?

The first K.I.A. release, with the subtitle Daughter of K.A.L.I., will feature a list of contributors that include Taga-Ilog, Gerry Alanguilan, Arnold Arre, Wilson Tortosa, Jennyson Rosero, Dean Alfar, Nikki Alfar, Jeremy Arambulo, Elbert Or, Jon Mallari, Karen 'Katch' Cheung, Michael Seludo, Joel Chua, Honoel Ibardolaza, Chad Cabrera, Michael Banting, Carlo Vergara, Anthony Yap, Marvin del Mundo and Edgar Tadeo.

It still boggles my mind when I think of the numbers, but if I somehow pull it out, K.I.A. should be something to see when it's finally finished. Wait for it.

Valentine Treats

The home version of Tekken 5 will be hitting shelves in the US on February 22 (A Japanese release has been slated for March 31). Wow! This really is exceptional, for the home version to come home so quickly after the release of the arcade game. Just goes to show how important the home console market has become.
The home release of Tekken 5 coincides with the series' 10th Anniversary, and a bonus remake of the original Tekken will supposedly be included on the disc (YAY!). The game will include unlockable characters, the ability to customize the look of your fighter, a mini-game featuring hero Jin Kazama and more CG movies than ever before in a Tekken game. Coolness.

With Tekken 5, Champions: Return to Arms and Frank Cho's Shanna the She-Devil coming in the month of hearts, I should be well occupied enough to totally ignore the February dating crowds. Heh.

Weekend Warriors

The gang (well, mostly just me and the Alfars, with Vin bringing up the rear halfway into the movie) watched Kung Fu Hustle at The Podium on Saturday. This was the second time I saw it, though the first time I watched it from beginning to end (I missed the Axe Gang's dance number the first time around). The movie just rocks.

Love the story, simple as it was. I love the concept of the kung fu masters in hiding. I love the casting of the various characters, from the "Warriors Three" - Coolie (Xing Yu), Tailor (Chiu Chi Ling) and Donut (Dong Zhi Hua) to the damn cool strumming assassins (Jia Kang Xi and Fung Hark On), The Landlord and Landlady, Ice cream lady Fong (newcomer Huang Shengyi), the venomous Axe Leader, Brother Sum (Chan Kwok Kwan) and the disturbingly powerful Beast (Leung Siu Lung).
The fight scenes and action in KFH kick arse, both parodying and surpassing the masturbartive fights in the Matrix sequels and even the Showdown in the House of Blue Leaves in Kill Bill Volume 1. The CG works great, in all its overblown craziness. And of course, the laughs come fast; not as fast as in some of Stephen Chow's earlier films, but when they come they come great.

I'm getting a DVD of this classic as soon as I can. But I actually still wanna see this baby in theaters again, one more time. And anyone who hasn't seen it yet should make it a point to see it in a theater, and not on the small screen. This is meant to be enjoyed big time. Do the hustle, people! Heh.

Doing the Hustle


Stephen Chow brings us the first cool movie of the year.

Fans of Hong Kong director-actor Stephen Chow have been waiting for the follow-up to his mega-popular Shaolin Soccer for a while, and now it's here. Kung Fu Hustle revs up the laughs and the thrills with more fantastic CG-enhanced martial arts, slapstick, sight gags and a nice story to boot.

Set in 1940s China, Kung Fu Hustle tells the story of Sing (Chow), an inept wannabee gangster who wants to be a member of the dreaded Axe Gang (a syndicate of top hat and suit-wearing, hatchet-toting, mobsters). To prove himself, Sing and his chubby sidekick (Nino Muhlach-lookalike, Lam Chi Chung, one of Chow's chums from Shaolin Soccer) try to extort some money from the residents of a run-down apartment complex known as Pig Sty Alley. Needless to say, their efforts fail miserably. However, they DO cause the real Axe Gang to crack down on the place, causing some of the resident martial artists to reveal themselves in a flurry of fists and kicks. From there on it's an escalating battle of killer kung fu as the residents of Pig Sty try to fight off the criminals and their hired assassins.

I won't go any more into detail, suffice to say that Kung Fu Hustle throws combos of laughs, chills and thrills at you pretty much from beginning to end. KFH isn't rocket science; there are slapsticky bits which work best when watched in a theater, with a whole audience laughing to get you in the fun. There's lots of kung fu with overblown CG work that looks quite awesome, and tons of playful nods to various movies from Spiderman to The Matrix and even The Shining. In the midst of all this, there's a sweet romance story so guys can bring along their dates to watch as well. Parents should take note though- there are a couple of bits which might be a bit too scary for really young kids.

KFH is currently doing the rounds in theaters around the world, to rave reviews. The icing on the cake for me is that KFH is such an Asian-flavored movie through and through, yet a big change of look and feel from the recently serious batch of martial arts features like House of Flying Daggers and Hero. Chow and crew gives us a classic, simple story that's imaginatively and refreshingly told, with a likeable cast that gives great performances (even the non-actors have funny little touches) throughout. Big props to Wah Yuen, one of Hong Kong's most famous comedy actors, and Yuen Qiu, a former Bond Girl, who play the Landlord and Landlady of Pig Sty, and Leung Siu Lung who plays 'The Beast'. Chow himself is in hilarious form as always.

If you love Stephen Chow's past works, you'll be in stitches with this one. Bring your friends, your workmates and see it in a good theater. If you haven't seen Shaolin Soccer or God of Cookery, just have an open mind, think 'anything goes' and just enjoy the show.

Kung Fu Hustle is now showing in theaters in the Metro. Don't wait for the Axe Gang to break down your door- Rustle up your friends and catch it over the weekend.

Addendum: The fight scenes in Kung Fu Hustle were choreographed by Yuen Wo-Ping and Sammo Hung. Well, that explains the Matrix similarities. The Chinese titles for 'Kung Fu Hustle' are 'Gong Fu'/'Kung Fu'.

MIA

Tekken 5's been out in arcades overseas for some time now, but I still haven't found squat in any of the local places. I guess the local Rino's or Time Zones don't really find it profitable to invest in new games anymore. So gamers here will probably have to wait for the PS2 version of the latest Tekken to play it. Which shouldn't be a bad thing, given that the game may be coming in the next couple of months or so, along with almost arcade-perfect graphics and gameplay, more CG movies than any Tekken before and lots of customization options to dress up your fighter. Till then, all we can do is hie onto sites like Tekken Zaibatsu to watch videos. Sigh...

Vendetta


Comic turned Film coming in late 2005.

I remember reading some bits of V for Vendetta years ago, as it was part of a European comics magazine anthology, which included Marvelman and Laser Eraser and Pressbutton. While it wasn't my favorite in the mag, I really liked the art and the moody atmosphere. The image above is the teaser poster of the movie, slated apparently to come out in late 2005.
V for Vendetta is set in a future, totalitarian England, with a mysterious masked vigilante dodging the authorities as he cuts a deadly swath of revenge throughout Fortress London. So far, the only star to be confirmed in the cast is Natalie Portman. Yet another comic-to-movie translation to watch out for this year.

Return to Arms


Good and Evil clash once more in the lands of Norrath.

Last year's Champions of Norrath for the PS2 was a surprise hit, giving even us nonline players a taste of the addictive MMORPG world of Everquest. In CON, you played a hero called forth to battle the increasing threat of evil growing in the realms of Norrath. Victory however only resulted in a fallout that continues to fester in the realm in the sequel game, Champions: Return to Arms.

This time, you answer the call of Firiona Vie (the infamous blonde elf sorceress and Everquest's poster girl) to put a stop to the threat of evil once and for all. The schtick this time in CRTA is that you don't actually have to follow the path of good and play white knight. Like in the recently-released Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, you can actually opt to don an evil hat and serve the cause to resurrect Innorruuk and bring him back to power. Your decision will bring about distinctly different quests, enemies and goals through the game. This pretty much doubles the already mammoth amount of replayability in this game, and that's always great.
Aside from the dual-path of storyline, CRTA also ups the ante with improved graphics, new mini-games and two new races of characters to play as; the Van Shir are a race of humanoid cats, specializing in berserk warriors. On the other hand, the reptilian Iksar specialize in magic-using shaman. Players who built up characters from CON will be glad to hear that RTA will allow for you to transfer your heroes to the new game- the experience cap has now been raised to a whopping Level 80, so even characters you've maxed up from CON will have lots of room to improve further.

Champions: Return to Arms is slated for release this February. I'll be sure to keep the peepers peeled for a copy asap.

A Taste of Prosperity

Yesterday I had dinner with Vin and Andrew at McDo, and we tried their new Beef Prosperity sandwich. The prosperity consists of saucy, peppery beef with onions in a slightly longer bun than usual. I found it quite delicious (even buying one to take home), as good as Jollibee's Peppercorn burger but more on the beefy side, with a nice tangy taste of onions with later bites. Really nice, though it comes with a price; at P88 by itself (P108 with Orange Fizz and 98 with softdrink), the Beef Prosperity is on the expensive side as McDonald's sandwiches go, and it's a bit on the light side too (I can easily finish two in one sitting). I'd place the satisfaction factor at about slightly over KFC's Chicken Fillet sandwich (the one that inspires greed). Still, quite delish and something to try if you pass by McDo anytime soon.

Tomorrow Angel

Ate dinner last night with Vin at Wendy's for his favorite spicy burger, the Big Mexican Melt which I really can't finish without taking out some of the tongue-searing jalapenos. We talked about stuff, including the future of Angel Ace. While I am busy right now with the Kai anthology, I have not forgotten my first lady of flight. The storyline for the next issue will move the whole plot forward, at the same time revealing stuff that should have been out long ago- particularly the relationship between Angel and the series main villain, Mondebaine Gallowglass of Gallowglass Mass Industries, Inc.

Aside from the usual pinups and perhaps a short back-up story from contributors, I'm fully intending to do this book myself. It's been a long time since I've put pencil to page seriously for a while... gotta get my drawing chops back into gear or I'll get really rusty.

Lola

My Lola, or grandmother (on my Mom's side), was the only grandparent I knew growing up. I remember her fondly, sometimes sadly, as she would occasionally come to the house to live with us for a while. I remember the aged, wrinkled face (she was ALWAYS old to me), the smell of pulbos (baby powder) and the way she would hug me.

I say that I remember her with a bit of sadness because I was told that Lola, in her old age, gambled away her fortune. Back then, Lola owned houses and property aplenty. In another world, she would be the Lola of anybody's dreams, having great wealth that would be passed down to her heirs when she passed away. However, the gambling bug hit her hard in her later years, and as a result she sold house after house, property after property, to use in the casinos.

Lola ended up having to go from house to house among her sons and daughters, to live in until her strong character would clash with the in-law or spouse, and off she'd go to the next place to stay. I remember feeling sorry for her, thinking that she should have saved at least one house for herself so she could live comfortably and without worry for her retirement.

Eventually, she more or less settled in the province, where she passed away peacefully several years ago at over eighty years of age. And so, she was buried there, far away, and not in my family's personal grounds at Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina. My Mom decided to go alone to the burial- we weren't able to see my Lola laid to her rest.
And so, I remember Lola as the last time I saw her.

Last night, I had a dream, and Lola was there.

I wasn't scared at all, despite the fact that I thought she was a ghost. In fact, I even brought out my cameraphone to snap some pictures. Since I never see ghosts in real life, I seem to see them all in dreamtime. Weird, eh?

Thankfully, my dream did not have the somewhat disturbing overtones of a dream her old driver had a few months ago- the old man, sick in bed, dreamt that my Lola appeared, beckoning for him to 'go with her'. Don't worry- He's still alive. He came out of the dream quite scared though, saying to his former boss that he didn't want to go just yet.

I saw Lola as she was the last time I saw her, shuffling about, looking over the house. It was our old house in Pasig, not our present residence, which eventuallly clued me in that it was all a dream. I remember looking at Lola for a while more, and then eventually the dream faded and I woke up. Was there meaning in the dream?

Just recently, I remember talking about my Lola to some friends, and saying how I felt sorry for her. Perhaps Lola is telling me that all is well now. She lived life the way she wanted, no matter what. Now, she's at peace, and I should just remember her with love.

With the warmth of the scent of baby powder, and tight hugs.

Thanks for the visit, Lola.

Film Fatale


Charlize Theron dons black for the role of Aeon Flux.

MTV Liquid Television's risque futuristic action-espionage series, Aeon Flux (by Peter Cheung) is in the process of being turned into a live-action movie for 2005. The role of the titular mercenary assassin is being filled in by the gorgeous Charlize Theron, recently awarded best actress by the Oscar Awards for her performance in the film Monster (where she played a disfigured female serial killer). As per the TV series, the movie is set in the future, where mankind has almost been wiped out to extinction. The last remnants of humanity live in a bubble-domed city known as Bregna, which is ruled by a council of scientists. Aeon Flux is a slinky, acrobatic assassin hired by the group known as the Monican Underground to assassinate the city's leader, Trevor Goodchild.

Aeon Flux the animation was known for many things- for episodes filled with psychobabble, risque animations, lanky Peter Cheung character designs and often fatal endings for the titular heroine. I loved it, for what it was; it was kinda but not anime- brainy and gritty and sexy. I'm a fan and I was hyped when I heard that a movie was being made.

But honestly, seeing the pics of Miss Theron in costume, I have to say that I am disappointed. As with Elektra, the costume defines the character a lot, and here once again, we have cutbacks. The costume just SUCKS like HELL. It's not like the original costume was impossible to do; it showed off skin, but not impossibly so. The costume on Miss Theron is like a full black body stocking, and it looks totally frumpy, un-sexy and crappy. CRAPCRAPCRAP!!! From that costume alone, I can predict that this is going to bomb, and bomb bad. I hope I'm wrong, 'cause I really like the Aeon Flux character. Right now though, it does not look good. Not good at all. BAH. We'll see.

New Suit

Last night, I got off Cam's car after Dean's birthday bash and I heard something clatter on the asphalt. I looked with horror to see my O2 XDA II Pocket PC Phone lying on the ground! It apparently had fallen from the clip on my belt. Slightly panicked, I got it and looked it over. Fortunately, the metal jacket was good as gold... or as steel, as the case may be. My smartphone was unscathed. Unfortunately, it seems that my beltclip for the metal case was now useless. The plastic nib, which keeps the phone held securely to my belt, had apparently been worn down and was now unable to 'bite'. In effect, it takes little effort for my phone to slip out of the clip's catch and fall from my belt.
I had spend about 1,500 pesos on the thing just this past December, and it was now pretty much useless, unless I get a replacement belt clip. And that, I guess, is something I probably will not do.

So when we went out for lunch today at Wok Inn, it was to my good fortune that we passed a new PDA shop in Park Square. I looked through the various PDA cases and accessories, and eventually settled on a cheap (P290) PDA case with a belt loop (unremoveable except by taking off your belt) that I like. The XDA2 fits snugly into the padded case, and there's even a nice elastic band catch which secures the device when you're on the go. And it hugs my side well, reducing the bulge it makes at my side. Perfect! So now, while I have downgraded from plate mail back to leather/cloth armor, I feel safer. At least, for now. Of course, only the eternally vigilant can be truly far from harm. Heh.

Back to the Salt Mines

It's the first day of work in 2005! WOOHOO!!!

Bah.

Anyway, the day didn't start off too bad. The commute was actually pretty easy, with the MRT crowd being pretty light- I was actually able to sit down from the get-go. Don't really expect too much for today... work will probably pile up as the week goes along, though, and I might actually have to work into the weekend on something. Oh well. At least I can expect some new stuff at the ol' Blood Bank tonight. Stuff like Batman/Danger Girl, the latest Street Fighter comic and some more odds and ends. Yay!

PSP

I found a PSP at Theater Mall in Greenhills the other day. It was the value pack, which includes the unit itself with several accessories (no games). At 30K, it's pretty pricey, and I easily found myself turning away from it. No matter how spiffy and cool the Playstation Portable is, I'm really not an on-the-go gamer, and it will take a bunch of incredibly great games to get me to fork over the moolah for it.

By the way, Virra Mall, the center of dibidi and gaming goodness in the Greenhills area, is now closed for renovation. Heartbreaking, but then again I guess it's been a long time coming. Certainly, whatever will replace the former VM will be brighter, fancier and cleaner- but then, the black market charm of the old Virra will be something I'll miss. I hope the old shops and stuff that made the place cool will still be there when it reopens... whenever.

Appleseed


Deunan and Briareous return in CG form.

Here's a good way to start the year in anime.

Appleseed (2004) is an update based on the original manga and anime by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell). The movie is set in a future where a world war almost sent man into extinction. Years after, mankind now lives alongside Bioroids- artificial humans who many see as a superior race. The world is now governed from Olympus, with Bioroids serving to protect and lead man to a brighter future.

Human female soldier Deunan Knute is saved/captured from a battle-ravaged wasteland by Olympus' ESWAT squad and recruited to become part of the new world government's special forces. She is assisted and protected by her former partner Briareous, who has now become a cyborg working for Olympus. Unknown to Deunan, she is about to become a tool to carry out the secret agendas of various groups seeking to eradicate either Bioroids or normal humans from the face of the earth. Which future life takes lies in Deunan's hands... and that of a mysterious object known as Appleseed.

Instead of regular cel animation, the new Appleseed movie is done completely in cel-shaded CG animation (which has been seen before in videogames such as XIII). This gives the feature a pretty slick and impressive visual style, and the motion-captured animations allow for some pretty cool action scenes, from the starting battle between Deunan and some enemy mecha troops, to the final battle against some mammoth walking war machines. Along with the action, the characters also convey emotions well, so this seems to be a pretty cool direction for anime to take.

Fans of the original will surely love seeing Deunan and Briareos in fine CG fighting form. The movie is a spectacular work and anyone who loves mecha and high octane sci-fi action adventure anime would do well to grab a dvd copy of this film from the better-stocked anime or movie sources.

Looking forward to...

Releasing K.I.A.

My very own PSP (Playstation Portable, for those not into gamingspeak)

Hot new games for PS2 and Xbox

More nights-out with the Usual Suspects

Seeing Siglo Passion released

Shanna the She-Devil by Frank Cho

Working on a new comic project

A DVD drive for The Sanctum's PC

New dibidis

New restos and food to discover

New anime and manga to tug at the heartstrings

Doing new ads and commercials

My next phone

More trips to the Blood Bank

Happy New Year

I didn't want to make any resolutions 'cause I'm sure I probably won't be able to carry them out. Just damn happy to be alive, healthy (more or less), hale and hearty, a family around me, a good roof over me and hopeful dreams inside me.

Let's all hope for a bigger, better, brighter and safer 2005, everyone.

Full Metal Marathon

Yersterday I spent almost the whole day watching episodes of Full Metal Alchemist. In fact, of the 51 episodes, I watched up to episode 49. By the stroke of worst luck, the dvd I had of the last several episodes was apparently defective, not allowing play of the last two eps, despite the availability of two different models of mutant dvd players.

With the New Year celebration tomorrow, perhaps the earliest I can get the finale is on Sunday. Well, I can always revisit the the couple of dozen episodes I watched before.

After watching, I can pretty much say that FMA did not disappoint; the series retained the flavor it had in the first season I watched, mixing in continued action, drama, conspiracy, mystery, guilt and a dash of tragedy every now and then for a pretty gripping watch. It was simply impossible to keep from watching the next episode. Unlike most series, FMA seems to have pretty much everything wrapped neatly, with plots and characters consistently having connections that eventually are revealed towards the end. Of course, I still have the actual last two parts to see how it all ends, but even up to this point I am pretty satisfied with how the series has come. Again, highly recommended for mature anime enthusiasts.

Addendum: Apparently, a FMA movie is coming, and it is supposedly set after the events in the series. This probably means that any loose ends will be answered in the theatrical feature. Now I really really really need to watch those last two episodes...

Stretch


Lastikman gets a bashing.

I just got a copy of Mars Ravelo's Lastikman, read through it, looked at the pages. As I've heard from early reviews and comments, the art, by Arnold Arre (Mythology Class, After Eden) is excellent, and as always has that 'Arre' look which I particularly like. The colors, on the other hand, while quite good, give me an impression of being muddy and subdued- I don't know if it's because of the palette used or the printing, but overall it seems a bit off-tuned to the supposedly comedic and lively tone of the title. Perhaps brighter colors would have been better? As it is, the book evokes to me that it is the comic adaptation of the Film Festival movie, which it is NOT, fortunately.
The story, by Gerry Alanguilan, does a good job of introducing the character of a stretchy alien coming to Earth and becoming a crime fighter, though perhaps the word of it being a wacky tale of comedy made me expect too much. In truth, the comic overall isn't laugh out loud funny, despite Arnold's portrayals of Lastikman's wilder contortions. Secondly, I found several scenes depending too much on narration, taking away from the character story. I also found the use of english and tagalog a bit jarring- it worked as a comedic vehicle in Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah, but seeing it used here just made the Filipino language look like inferior speech- something I am sure is not the intention, but in the end, whenever english is used it is spoken by a scientist or an alien. Maybe I am reading too much into it. Oh well.

Anyway, it really didn't help that I don't like the character at all. Never liked stretchy characters, don't like the shades for eyes (not even the art could make him likeable for me). No, Lastikman will always be that creepy character in the old tagalog movies that freaked me out when I was a kid- not scared, mind you- just freaked. He's just too weird. So I don't like the character. Don't like how he's an alien. Don't like his look. Don't like how he's such a WUSS in the comic and everyone else has to come to his aid- having the masa rise up towards the end and come to the aid of the hero is getting old. I hated that kind of scene in the first Spiderman movie, hate it here. Sigh.

The best thing in the comic for me is Atomika, an original character created for the comic by Gerry and Arnold. Unfortunately, she really shouldn't have had the clout she has in this book. That she has two pinups dedicated to her just shows where Gerry and Arnold's love in this work really went. Heh.

All things said and done, Lastikman is still a fine comic in terms of production. The art is great, the story good, the colors are nicely done and it's a one-shot and long enough to be worth 150 pesos. I just don't like it. Give me an Atomika comic and I'll take that over this anytime. So, Gerry and Arnold, hop to it!

Mars Ravelo's Lastikman from Mango Comics is available in bookstores and comic stores all over the Metro now. Go get it!

Sweet Jam


The I-Mate Jam, the smallest Pocket PC Phone around.

It's my new object of lust; it's the I-Mate Jam AKA the O2 XDA II Mini, the world's smallest Pocket PC Phone to date. It basically gives you the capabilities of a Personal Computer, PDA, Video and Music Player, Handicam, 1.3 Megapixel Digital Camera, gaming console AND mobile phone. DAAAAAAMMMNNN!!!! Of course, I have all that already with my O2 XDA II, but the schtick with the Jam is that it's so incredibly SMALL. Smaller than an I-Pod. It's positively tiny and oh, so cute. I want it!!!

Of course, it's also a bit of a paradox. The smaller size also means, inevitably, smaller real estate for the Jam's screen- it's far smaller compared to the bigger PPC devices, which is a negative in a way. Paradox, I tell you- what makes it so desirable is also it's weakness. Oh well, you can't have everything. Aside from the much better camera, the only thing it one-ups my PPC is the size. Darn, it felt so nice and light in my hand (I was able to check out a unit in Mega).

If I could trade in my XDA II for the Jam (or the O2 XDA II Mini), I would probably do so. But then again, I'd probably have to decide what's more important- screen size, or portability.

Let's see what happens as the new year comes in. Heh.

Overstuffed Taco

I went out yesterday to keep from going MAD from staying in The Sanctum. The traffic is still pretty horrid, despite the fact that it's supposed to be holiday season (or perhaps that's the reason why?). I took the MRT to Cubao and decided to have merienda at Taco Bell. Bad idea, turns out. The place was PACKED, and throngs of people kept flooding in. I thought I'd be able to sit down and have a quick meal easily since I was alone, but DAMN. It turned out that every single seat in the place was either occupied or reserved by stinkin' family groups. GAH!!! So la-de-dah, I ended up eating my taco and quesadillas standing near the door, on the service counter (which is also the trash deposit area).

As I ate, the guard (who probably was in as much frustration as me since he was consigned to wear a Santa's hat along with his serious security guard uniform) gave me some apologetic words. The symphathetic fellow took off a bit of my miffedness, and I commented that they should either extend their area or get more seats since the demand is so high. Darn! It's only TACOS, people! What's the reason for the crowds? The food really isn't that great, there aren't any cool mascots nor is the place cheap. Is it all because the place is just new? Or is it the name 'Taco Bell' that strikes a chord? Well, for some reason or other, the place is doing outrageously good business, which should make the Pizza Hut people (they own the franchise) happy... and should herald more Taco Bells to come eventually.

So I finished my so-so food and was off for the rest of my day.

Cabin Fever

I've spent three days in The Sanctum since Christmas. Gotta get out tomorrow and do something. Thinking of going on down to Greenhills to pick up new anime, particularly the rest of the episodes of Full Metal Alchemist and some other stuff. Should also check out the new comics at the ol' Blood Bank, in case they do arrive in time. New Year's coming up, and then back to work. Gotta make good use of the last half of the vacation.

Full Metal Alchemist


The Elric Brothers, Al and Ed.

It's been quite a while since I first watched the first several episodes of Full Metal Alchemist. I've put the series aside since then since I got put off a bit by the flashback episodes, but this holiday break has finally allowed me to revisit the series in earnest. It helps that the series is now a big hit in the US, where it has been recently released. Aside from the anime (and the manga, still a Japan-only release), there are a couple of PS2 games out, so it's testament to this title's appeal.

Full Metal Alchemist concerns the adventures of Edward and Alphonse Elric, the young sons of a famous alchemist. After their mother dies, the two exceptionally gifted children use their powers of alchemy to try and bring her back. The attempt, a forbidden act as dictated by the Law of Conservation ('In order to gain something, you must give something of equal value'), fails, costing Edward his arm and leg and Al his entire body. In order to save his brother's soul, Ed binds it to a suit of armor. Years later, the two- a diminuative cyborg alchemist and a walking, talking suit of armor, search the world for the legendary Philosopher's Stone, in the hope of gaining back what they had lost. Despite what may be first assumed, the title of 'Full Metal Alchemist' refers not to Alphonse (the suit of armor), but to little (and elder) Ed, an alchemist genius who can use his powers even without drawing an array, or special alchemist's circle.

This unusual, and somewhat dark premise forms the backbone of a complex saga that involves powerful magic, action adventure and themes of sacrifice, loss, guilt, brotherly and familial love and always going forward no matter what. For an anime that has an exceptionally clean and 'cute' look to it, FMA is a predominantly melancholy, even sad, series. There are points in the title that are heartbreaking and emotionally powerful, offset slightly by a few moments of comedy and the brothers' inherent cheerfulness (and Edward's exceptional sensitivity to any remarks about his height). However, the story proves to be quite engaging and gripping once you get into it.
Aside from the brothers' quest, there are subplots that involve the agenda of Roy Mustang and his cohorts, a group of military alchemists who may or may not be allies to Ed and Al. Then there are enemies, such as the mysterious Scar, a man with a magical arm who seems to have made it his crusade to kill every alchemist in the world. And then, there are the Homunculi, a group of inhuman, behind-the-scenes villains who are named after the Seven Deadly Sins.

Mixing a coming-of-age saga with complex conspiracy and pretty cool magical powers, Full Metal Alchemist is an exceptional series that mature fans of anime should definitely check out. I've already cleared 18 episodes and I'm ready for more. Find it on VCD or DVD at your favorite anime and toy shops in the Metro.