Quality Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Holidays, everyone. Now kicking back.

Ghost Hunt


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Power Hungry

Ever since I posted about Adam Warren's Empowered, I've been looking around for it, and so have some other people. Well, so far it's not yet available at any comic shop like Comic Quest. It has been ordered by Fully Booked, but there's no exact date when they'll have it in stock. I even went as far as looking at Amazon, but they have it ordered and not in stock. Then there's eBay, but I'm not that desperate yet.

Anyway, I hope this means that the book is popular- my cousing Jeremy chimed in that it sold out in three big comic stores in New York. This may bode well for the continuation of the series, and more trials and travails for poor, popular Emp. In any case, I should have the book eventually. Everything comes to he who waits. Heh.

Mad Love

Making headlines right now is the news about a man named Yang Quinji, who recently committed suicide in order to persuade Hong Kong star Andy Lau to spend quality time with his daughter, Yang Lijuan. Prior to this final gesture of fatherly love, the man also sold their family's house as well as ONE OF HIS KIDNEYS to support his daughter's new lifestyle as a fan and follower of the HK superstar.
Though his daughter was able to actually meet Lau, the man was unsatisfied with the shortness of the encounter, and afterwards jumped off a bridge to his death after leaving a long letter asking for Lau to meet with his daughter again.

On one hand, I have to say that the old man's fanatical devotion to his daughter's happiness is utterly incredible and supremely touching. On the other hand, this is perhaps one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Like, is that the worth of your father's frickin' life? A frickin' MEETING?

I hope the daughter's happy.

Moving on.

Guilty Pleasure


The latest from Adam Warren.

I'm a longtime fan of writer/artist Adam Warren, and so when I heard that he's coming out with a new original trade paperback graphic novel, I was pretty intrigued. Instead of another chapter of his more established Dirty Pair series, this latest opus is a totally new creation- Empowered.

Labelled as a 'sexy superhero comedy', Empowered is all about the trials and travails of a beautiful but seemingly perennially-on-the-losing-end C-list superheroine named, well, Empowered (or Emp for short). She's got the unlucky combination of having low self-esteem and a rather scandalously skin-tight supersuit which leaves NOTHING to the imagination. And while her suit does give her quite a few super powers like limited invulnerability and the ability 'to zap things', it more often than not malfunctions, leaving poor Emp in sticky and often embarrassing situations. Oh, and the suit also has a tendency to get ripped and torn off, leaving the girl all nubile, helpless and exposed. Ooh.

Thankfully, Emp has a few true friends to look out for her- Thugboy is her new boyfriend who ironically started off as one of her enemies 'on the job'. Then there's Ninjette, a hard-drinking videogame-addicted kunoichi. Ironically, Emp's friends are usually 'villains' (or at least, former minions), while the ones who cause her the most distress are usually the members of Emp's own superhero team, the Superhomeys (particularly her spellcasting 'comrade', Sista Spooky).



Instead of one big story, Empowered is apparently divided into a large number of smaller vignettes, anecdotes and tales, almost like strip cartoons. The art, while still at Warren's ridiculous level of detail, is scanned from Warren's original pencils so has a kind of sketchy look that still looks incredible and expressive thanks to the detail and texture of the lines. The sheer volume of pages- about 248 or so- promises a lot of fun reading.
Along with Warren's trademark art is his sharp dialogue and writing, which is brimming with satire, offbeat ideas and innuendo. Needless to say, with some raunchy situations and almost-nudity all about, this isn't a kiddie book by any measure.


There's a ninja girl in the comic? Well, I'm sold.

This apparently got released recently under Dark Horse, so hopefully it'll be available soon. I'll be sure to pick this one up when it arrives at Comic Quest or wherever and whenever I find it. Expect a review or something once I get my grubby paws on this one.

High Stakes Gamble


Daniel Craig steps into 007's well-worn shoes.

I finally got to watch Casino Royale a couple of nights ago at home, on luscious widescreen. I've had harsh words before for this new Bond, but I also mentioned that I would keep my mind open on this latest 007. So, did the studio's gamble pay off in spades, or did we get a Joker?

Set as a sort of 'restart' of the James Bond saga (instead of following the established mythos of the previous films), Casino Royale sees a brash James Bond (Daniel Craig) in action, just recently promoted to the elite Double-O status of 007. This Bond is a stone-faced, ice-cold killer, relentless and physical... in fact, he spends a great deal of the film just running. At least as much time running as he does driving. The start of the film sees a quite remarkable bit of parkour (the amazing 'free-running' sport where athletes do incredible leaps, shimmies and steps to get over ANY obstacle in their way) displayed by one of 007's targets. The long chase is thrilling and cool, though for the most part Casino Royale is more of a quiet Bond film, the majority of the 'action' taking place in a, well, Casino. Hence the title.

The first part of the film basically establishes the new Bond- a newly anointed killer in the service of MI-6. This early he's already gotten the attention of M (Dame Judie Dench, reprising her role from the later films), and not always in a good way. Bond is not above hacking into his own boss' security access to get the info he needs. However, he's a relentless son of a gun, as unyielding as a bloodhound when he's onto his prey. Eventually, he's formally assigned to take on Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a self-styled 'banker' to the world's terrorists. But this isn't a simple assassination... Bond has to engage the scarred Le Chiffre in a high-stakes game of poker, staking millions of the crown's money to clean out the house and force Le Chiffre to turn state witness against his terrorist clientele. Joining Bond on the mission is the ravishing Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a smart and sassy Treasury Agent who just may be the one woman to melt the ice-cold OO7's heart.

This is a very unusual Bond film- it has some intense action, but for the most part is leisurely-paced. The villain and plot aren't world-beating, but it's fitting for a first-romp for the new 007, and I didn't find myself bored at any point in the film. Daniel Craig acquits himself very well as 007- as I have always said, he looks more like a villain than a Bond, but I accepted him in the role midway into the movie. He's intense and has perhaps the steeliest eyes of any Bond, and he looks quite imposing. Easily, I like him better than Timothy Dalton, who perhaps shares the same 'grumpy' Bond flavor, at first glance. In the end, I look forward to seeing him again in action.
As for the rest, what can be said? M is M, Judi Dench is as motherly and bossy as always; Eva Green is hypnotically beautiful and quite a character (though her final resolution seems a bit abrupt), while Le Chiffre is menacing for the time that he is onscreen.

There are quite a few standout qualities to this latest Bond- utterly beautiful settings (this is certainly one of the more glamorously-shot Bond films) in almost every frame, pretty intense and well-done action sequences, and a surprisingly effective new Bond. An intriguing new take on the classic spy/action title, and that's all a Bond fan can ask for right now- well, aside from having SPECTER back. But I'll take it and I'll like it. Heh.

Bon Voyage

Today was the day that my sister and her family flew off to find their new life and future abroad in Canada. A few years ago, I thought we'd have the good fortune of growing up near each other, with their house being built right next to the main family's house on the same lot. But thanks to the uneasy economic and political climate of the country, they eventually decided that, for the sake of their children, they needed to leave the Motherland.
Months passed before their papers were finally ready and we counted the days to their departure. As I posted earlier, last weekend was the last time we'd actually see them in person. Last night, the kids called their grandparents and had a short chat. My Dad and Mom were of course giving them advice as grandparents would- To be good in school, to never forget to speak Filipino, to always remember that their Lolo and Lola love them.

We're not a particularly sweet family- we just don't express it that much in words or even actions- but inside, our bond as a family has never been lacking. This was the last trial. My brother and his daughters left last year, and this year it's my sister's turn. Now it's just me and my parents left in the nest.

I'll miss the Saturdays when Lea and the kids come over, to just hang around. I'll miss the kids, incredibly enough- the two energetic boys, David and Michael, and my sister's princess Catherine, who will surely bloom into a heartbreaker soon. I never really had time to do anything more than set up the PS2 or show them new anime every so often. Still, it was fun while it lasted.

The next time I see them, probably it will be us visiting them in Canada, hopefully in the near future. I hope the kids won't be too old when I do, and I hope they still remember their weird uncle who loves videogames and anime.

Wherever you and your family goes, Lea, take care and I hope you find the success and good fortune you deserve. I'll see you again someday. God bless.

Working Weekend

This weekend was a blur of work as shooting went ahead for a new TV commercial. Our new spot required that we shoot in a mall, so we were only able to do so after mall hours... thus Friday found us setting up and rolling into the morning hours of the weekend. Only a few hours break found me having to get ready for the second day of the shoot, late Saturday into the wee hours of Sunday morning.

It was unfortunate though, that this weekend was also the last time we'd be seeing my sister Lea and her family in the near future. They're all migrating to Canada within the week, so that is a big downer. Having the pamangkins around the house on weekends was something everyone looked forward to, even though the kids would usually spend the hours playing PS2 or watching TV. On the good side, I was able to spend lunch with them and, when the service came to whisk me away to the shoot, I was able to give my sis, her hubbie and their kids a quick but heartfelt goodbye.

I would have liked to stay longer, but work called. Perhaps I should have stayed, in hindsight. I should have stayed and spent the last few hours with them, perhaps ate dinner with them and said farewell together with my parents. But what's done is done.

I can only console myself with the thought that e-mail and webcams can at least keep us communicating, but it won't be the same without them here.

But it's all for the best, of course. That's what counts.

Moving on.

Avatar News

Still no word on exactly when the third season of Avatar: The Last Airbender will begin, though a recent interview with the Avatar creators on Scifi.com revealed that Book of Fire is pretty much mapped out to the season's climactic finale, where Aang engages his fated nemesis Fire Lord Ozai in an exciting, fan-pleasing final confrontation. Judging from how Avatar has so far excelled in awesome fight and battle sequences, I just can't wait.

Local Nickelodeon has fortunately begun airing Second Season episodes of Avatar, so hopefully this is another sign that the next leg in the Avatar saga is coming very soon.

Sink or Swim


Revy and Rock from Black Lagoon.

I finally got to watch Black Lagoon in its entirety over the past couple of days that I've been stuck at home sick. Watching this gritty action anime has ups and downs, one 'up' being that I finally get to write another anime review!

Black Lagoon has so far seen 2 seasons, at 12 episodes each. It's basically about the exploits of the Lagoon Company- a small but exceptional band of delivery experts plying the dangerous mercenary trade in the waters and lands of Southeast Asia. Yep, OUR neck of the woods. While BL is supposedly set centrally in a fictional island within Thailand, places in the Philippines are regularly mentioned, and one episode even happens mostly in the war-torn island of Basilan.

Lagoon consists of Dutch, the big black brother never seen without his shades and fatigues who serves as the group leader and proprietor; computer whiz and Jewish-American Benny provides the occasional tech skill and hacker know-how; super semi-psycho gun-wielding Chinese American hottie Revy is the main muscle. Bringing up the rear is the ultimate fish-out-of-water, former Japanese salaryman Rokuro Oyajima AKA Rock. To make a long story short, Rock was a former hostage of the Lagoon crew, but ends up joining his captors after his former employers labelled him expendable in order to safeguard their unsavoury secrets. From there on, Rock abandons his corporate life of kissing up to higher ups and pen-pushing and casts his lot with the fickle but generally merry Lagoon gang in the sleazy city of Roanapur.
He never really becomes a pirate himself (insisting fervently to keep wearing his short-sleeved white shirt and tie) but works alongside them as an account manager, translator, occasional errand guy and negotiator. In a way, he acts as the human heart and often unwelcome conscience of the mercenary outfit, the only truly sane mind in a place where money, power and the gun hold sway over everyone and everything. For us, the viewers, he is the anchor to reality and morality. His earnest and principled character allows him to slowly change his dubious pals- including the volatile Revy- to the slightly better. It even allows him to gain a bit of a toehold with the more dangerous players in Roanapur, including the leader of the seemingly invincible Russian Mafia- scar-faced superbitch Balalaika.

The anime has a lot of action- pretty much happening when the Lagoon crew go up against rival pirates and gangs. While pretty few in number, the Lagoon gets by thanks mainly to the deadly talents of Revy, who wades into combat with her two Berettas blazing, somewhat resembling Lara Croft with her double-handed, somersaulting, run-and-gunning fighting style. On the other hand, Lara Croft probably doesn't fight with an insane grin and dilated pupils, but what the heck. Revi is literally a one-woman army, and seeing her walk into storms of bullets without a scratch on her flawless skin thankfully never really gets old thanks to the animators taking the effort to make every fight scene new.

One thing that you'll notice early on is that everyone in the series, from the main protagonists to recurring characters to one-time antagonists and cannon fodder- are criminals to some degree, from dubious hoods to truly black-hearted souls that would not be out of place in Goodfellas or The Godfather movies. Sure, the Lagoon crew themselves are sympathetic bastards- Benny really isn't too bad, and Dutch is a nice guy for the most part... but Revy, cute and attractive as she can be, is remorseless, cold and downright scary when she's in her killing moods- at least she seems to mellow out as the series runs. On the other front, while Balalaika and her army of former Soviet troops-turned-gangsters may be allies and sympathetic comrades one moment, they can also be chillingly brutal and bloodthirsty murderers the next. The occasional flashback and revelation may make these bad-asses slightly more human and interesting, but make no mistake- they'll be at your throat in an instant if you get mushy on them.

Blood flows in this series, and a lot of it- though usually it's despicable arseholes who get fragged- from backstabbing pirates to Neo-Nazis to slimy Mafiosi and Cartel soldiers.
The most 'fun' arc in Black Lagoon is definitely the 'Mad Dog Meido' storyline late into Season One, where the Lagoon crew are tasked by the Colombian Cartel to watch over a kidnapped young boy- the only son of a down-on-their-luck noble family in South America. It turns out that the boy's father can only afford one servant- a maid named Roberta who soon is revealed to be a cross between a French maid and The Terminator. When the seemingly unstoppable, glasses-wearing Roberta clashes with Revy... you do the math. In the end though, there's a tearful reunion and pretty much everyone goes home happy- something rare in this gritty series. The anime is careful to keep the action grounded, never really straying too far into frivolity or caricature. Violence is a way of life for these characters, and they thrive in it since they have accepted what they are- killers and soldiers in underworld wars. It's not pretty, but it's fascinating at least.

Pushing the series' color to it's darkest though is the series' most memorable story arc, the Second Season's Hansel and Gretel Arc, where Roanapur is terrorized by a pair of gothic, vampire-like child assassins. A brother and sister team of interchangeable identical twins with indeterminate gender (though for the most part we do consider Hansel male and Gretel female), these two young villains don't just kill, they butcher, and do so with ghastly brutality. Eventually, they meet their own bloody ends with the same level of violence at the hands of Balalaika's Russian mob, and even though they're presented plainly as horrific, irredeemably twisted killing machines, they're still kids- and kids getting shot and slaughtered is never something you enjoy seeing (unless you're a sicko).

In retrospect, while the idea of Goth-Loli munchkins running around slaughtering people may be something only an anime would cook up, the stark truth that child-soldiers is a reality is pointed out in the show, by Balalaika herself to her subordinates as they grimly hunt down the young murderers of their comrades.

Despite the obvious unsavoury aspect of the arc, it's easily one of the best in the series, and ends with a fittingly dramatic finale. I liked the emotion Rock showed when faced with the twisted life view and bleakness of the child-assassin he finds before him, and how he breaks down and hugs the demonic child in a valiant attempt to exorcise her evil away and somehow save her from her self-inflicted doom. There's horror shown here in Black Lagoon, but somehow they manage to inject, through a 'normal', humane character like Rock, a warmth that keeps the series from going totally off the deep end.

Unfortunately, more often than not, characters are set in their ways, unable to alter their path often to their own destruction. As was the case with the Twins, this is also the case with the tragic Yakuza princess Yukio, whom Rock encounters during the final major arc in the Second Season.

All said and done, I would recommend Black Lagoon to fans of serious action-drama with liberal fan service and quite a bit of blood and violence- something like an anime version of Bad Boys, save with no cops and all criminals. It's a very mature title with all greys- interesting characters you'd love to watch and see in action, but wouldn't want anywhere near your home. Not a frivolous title, and while there is humor, it's all grounded and gritty like few other shows. Definitely an action anime that's a cut above the usual, and a rewarding watch.

Like Rock, watching this anime is like a walk on the wildside, but we're glad that while we dabble with the shadows and shades of grey in the bullet-riddled world of Roanapur, we can always pull back and enjoy the sunlight afterwards. Check out Black Lagoon for yourself at your favorite anime dealers in the Metro.

The New Face of MADness

You may be wondering what was going on for the past day or so, as the blog seemed to have a bit of an identity crisis. Well, it turns out that my old page's layout wasn't compatible with the new Blogger, which basically restricted access to my archives. So, rather than lose classic posts like The Ants in the Scanner and 10 Ways to Creating Your Own Manga, I screamed for help from Webmistress Cyn to get things working properly. Hence, the new look.

Now, looking back at more than five years of entries, I got to thinking of how to get back the old MADness that has in one way or another got kinda watered down. Starting now, I'll be trying my darndnest to get back the old MAD blogging flave. Stay tuned till then. For now though, thanks Cyn! I missed that burning sensation in my eyes when reading my blog. Heh.

The Sounds of Gaming


8-Bit Tunes in Orchestral Sound.

How much have videogames grown from their humble beginnings? These days, the videogame industry makes more money than Hollywood, and the origins of the gaming world are currently the topic of Discovery Channel's I, Videogame series. Here's another way of showing how the kids of yesterday are now today's adults and videogames are part and parcel of their being. Here's a nice video of the Videogames Live Orchestra, which plays classic videogame music as part of their repertoire. Nice stuff!


Marvelous pianist Martin Leung performs a beautiful medley of the music from Final Fantasy.


Metal Gear Solid's epic score gets the Orchestral treatment.


Super Mario Brothers!!!

Gibberish



There are two kinds of local comics for me. One is the exceptionally good kind- those that are well-written, have great art and stories which push the envelope. Thankfully there are a lot of these- Elmer by Gerry Alanguilan is thoroughly unusual and refreshing. The recent issues of Cast impress with the gorgeous art of Arnold Arre greatly helping the long-running series along. However, for every well-written, well-illustrated and exciting piece of local grafiction, there always seems to be a counterflow- an antithesis. Comics that make your eyes pop and have you laughing for all the wrong reasons.

That's where Necomics Fables and Neocomics Epics fall under. I've posted about these titles before- and I wasn't very encouraging about them, since I found their art amateurish and inconsistent, the stories and titles of both anthology books as derivative of other anime and videogames as they come and the writing plagued by bad grammar and panelling. Well, I picked up the latest issues (Issue 3 of both titles) recently, and I have to say- THEY HAVE GOTTEN WORSE.

The art is still inconsistent and has the quality of fan art; which may be good for appearing in fan art pages but NOT for the whole comic. Production value is bumped up by full color pages, but the art is so bad, it just doesn't matter. But never mind that again, every character is derived from pretty much every manga/anime/videogame stereotype and cliche out there (androgynous bishonens with fur-lined jackets and girls (or cross-dressers!) in skimpy Japanese sailor outfits is the norm), the panelling and structure of every page is such that often you CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON. Honestly, even reading slowly we just could not comprehend what the heck the stories were all about. Usually nothing is happening in any page of consequence- just seemingly random duels of both verbal and physical nature were blowing out for some reason, and characters were greeting and meeting here and there, spouting dialogue that tries to sound anime or manga-ish (lots of '...' ) but fails every time.

And the writing... My GOSH. A lot of pages are freaky displays of horrible grammar. It's so funny, it's fricking sad. You can't figure out what's going on, you can't identify or distinguish characters, you can't tell what they're trying to say or what's happening from one page to the next.

Okay, so they're bad. What can they do to improve?

First, never mind getting artists who can draw well- just get artists who can tell a visual story, since the current artists can't draw two panels which communicate coherent thought.

Second, get writers with good, or at least comprehensible stories because so far ALL the stories are cliched carbon copies of existing stuff. Worse, they're cliched copies that makes no sense, or waste tons of pages and panels without really saying anything.

Third, get an Editor because the sad excuse of one that they are using CAN'T DO HIS JOB FOR SHIT. This incompetence is leading to the proliferation of bad grammar in our youth. SERIOUSLY. Too many kids and young people can't speak or write straight english already. Let's not be part of the problem.

It's stuff like this that really gets my grain. BUT, on the bright side, as bad as they are, there is a positive in all this for me- nothing inspires me to make comics again more than badly-done comics. So if I produce a new issue sooner rather than later, I can thank the Neo Crew for that, at least.

Moving on... Moving on...

True Asian Horror

Last night, I watched the second episode of the True Asian Horror specials on Discovery Channel. I think it's an offshoot of the series True Horror hosted by Anthony Stewart Head since Giles is also narrating this show. TAS focuses mainly on the recent wave of Asian horror films that are taking cinemas all over the world by storm. The first episode took up mainly Japanese films like Ringu, Ju On and Audition, with a smatter of Korean films like Phone and Tale of Two Sisters.
This week's episode took up the films from Southeast Asia, namely the creepy The Eye, Shutter and this Indonesian film about a cursed/possessed doll (forgot the name).

Lots of creepy footage and scary shit, but the most chilling thing that I took away from the show was the realization that while we, the Philippines, have a great wealth of scary myths, legends, beliefs and other creepy old wives' tales, we still haven't been able to produce a world-class creepy horror film like our nearby neighbors in Hong Kong, Bangkok or Indonesia. Perhaps the problem is with the current crop of directors and writers (and to an extent, actors)- apparently none of them have that vision or idea or concept of scaring people aside from piling on prosthetics, cheap CG and tired shock tactics.

A really creepy and scary horror film need not slather on the gore, nor does it require a big budget or anything we don't already have, as seen by how other Asian directors have gone about stuff. I won't venture to say that I know what needs to be done to make a good horror film- it's about the farthest thing from my stuff- but I do enjoy good horror flicks every now and then, and it just frustrates me that we don't have our own Ringu or Eye or Shutter. Just too bad. Let's see some good scares, people. Do we have what it takes or don't we?

Bleach Blanched Part One

My current favorite anime, Bleach, has it all. This ongoing series about supernaturally-gifted humans caught up in a war between powerful forces in the spirit world has cool and likeable characters, exciting fight scenes, humor, drama, a bit of horror, a bit of romance, dashes of intrigue. What it doesn't have, however, is a clear reason WHY THE HECK IT'S CALLED 'BLEACH'. Well, there have been many speculations. One is that 'bleach' refers to the bright orange-colored hair of lead hero Ichigo Kurosaki. One of my favorite notions that the title actually means 'Breach' (Japanese don't have L's), which makes sense since this series is all about travelling through dimensions. But, in the end, the reason behind the title seems to be a pretty silly one. Apparently, manga-ka Tite Kubo noted in one interview that he is a big fan of the band Nirvana, and thus named the series after his idols' first album (and then later made up the thing about it all being about Ichigo's hair). So there. GYAH!

Anyway, moving on. One of the most important factors for me liking anime is, of course, characters. Bleach, to put it lightly, has plenty. There are, of course, the main heroes- Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki.



Ichigo Kurosaki is the bad-ass, tough-talking, brawling hero. He's got a couple of standout features- one, his orange hair (which is natural, and which gets him often into fights with arseholes), and another, his ability to see ghosts (think, the Sixth Sense). There's a third feature- which isn't a standout- and that's his selfless kindness- something not everyone sees past Ichigo's often scowling face. But nope, Ichigo isn't just a warfreak- he's a warfreak with a heart of gold, always ready to go out of his way to defend anyone getting bullied, or to give a lonely ghost an offering of flowers. That coupled with a will that can break swords makes him the perfect warrior.
Scratch that- he's not at all perfect with his bonafide stubborn streak, but then who is? The fact is, Ichigo's a cool bad-ass and a great hero to follow through this series. Whatever doesn't kill Ichigo only makes him stronger- frighteningly stronger. And it doesn't look like he'll be kicking the bucket anytime soon.



Rukia Kuchiki is the lead heroine, and Ichigo's partner. A slim, petite girl with dark, moody eyes and trademark bangs running across her face, Rukia has a 'Goth' girl attitude which is a refreshing break from the usual genki anime heroine. She's most often serious and bossy, which is a natural fit to reign in the stubborn Ichigo. But aside from the wise and experienced shinigami (death god) warrior, there are goofy sides to Rukia- such as her affinity for cute things, and her insistence on explaining the workings of the spirit world using (badly-drawn) sketches of bunnies and teddy bears (Ichigo's reactions to Rukia's 'art' is a running gag in the series).

Contrary to most anime pair-ups, Rukia and Ichigo aren't romantically connected... at least, not yet. From the very beginning, it wasn't love at first sight (Ichigo's first act toward Rukia is kicking her in the butt). But as they become linked by fate and forced to fight together against the evil spirits of the afterlife, respect and a deep understanding of the other develops; and both are willing to die for the other because of that bond. Whenever one or the other is in a funk or a deep pit of despair, they can always rely on the other to headbutt, kick and slap them back to their senses. Now if that isn't a great partnership, I don't know what is.



Sado Yasutora or 'Chad' is a gentle giant from Mexico. Chad is physically impressive (able to walk away from being hit by a falling STEEL GIRDER), but is inversely as kind as a saint. Chad was taught by his beloved, late grandfather to use his strength to protect others, and he does so- even if it means getting hurt himself. Ichigo and Chad promised to watch each others' backs, and have been best friends ever since. Like Ichigo, he has supernatural powers which manifest themselves early in the series thanks to his continual contact with Ichigo and the growing number of evil spirits in the area. These powers take the form of a cool armored arm which can shoot energy blasts- a nifty power to have when battling evil Hollows.



Orihime Inoue fills in the slot for the upbeat, beautiful but ditzy heroine. Her odd imagination and taste in food are running gags in the show, but this lovely, kind girl is tempered by tragedy in her past. While initialy repelled by Ichigo's tough looks, something deeper evolves as her encounters with him and Rukia continue. Eventually, she gains her own powers- making her a bit of a magical heroine herself. While more of a healer and protector than a fighter thanks to her gentle demeanor, her will and inner strength would do any warrior proud. And damn, does she have a great rack. Heh.



Finally, there's Uryu Ishida, a snobbish intellectual who quickly reveals himself to be a Quincy, a race of humans who battle evil spirits and a rival to the shinigami. While at first at odds with Ichigo, he soon becomes a firm ally even if he is probably unwilling to admit it. Like everyone else, he has his serious side, that of a calm, calculating spirit-archer, and his goofy side- being the odd guy in the craft club who wields a damn fine needle and thread.

This is the main cast of Bleach, and you'll quickly grow to love each and every one of these guys and girls. Aside from them, there's a literal army of supporting characters whom you'll get to know in this addicting series, like Ichigo's oddball family and friends in Karakura High School, the weird crew at the Uruhara Shop and of course, the many Captains, Lieutenants and Warriors of the shinigami Gotei 13- easily the most diverse collection of bad-ass samurai death gods around. So try to get yourselves episodes from your favorite anime shop and get ready for action-packed, humor-sprinkled sword-slashing, ghost-fighting action.

Mobile TV

Recently, local Telecom giant Smart Communications showed off what will probably be the Philippines' first Mobile TV service. According to Smart, Pinoy phoners will soon be able to watch streaming television on their mobile phones through DVB-H, or Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld. DVB-H is a radio-like signal which works a bit like actual TV signals, and can be received by several handsets- such as the Nokia N92. Supposedly, this mobile TV has better video quality than analog and can be controlled by the user. The N92 even apparently allows you to record mobile TV to your SD card, which is pretty slick.

According to Smart, channels available will include Cable channels like CNN, BBC, Jack TV, CNBC, MTV, Fashion TV, Basketball TV and others. I dare say that this is pretty much a no-brainer; I mean, who would pay for the local crap that passes for free TV? Give me Discovery Channel,

Am I interested? To tell you the truth, I am intrigued. It would be pretty cool to just bring out your mobile and immediately watch Discovery Channel or Animax. Real-time media is different from stored media content you load onto your mobile yourself, but both have their perks. If the service was very affordable, had great reception. ease of use and has the channels I want, I'd get this. However, I would need a mobile that can still have the features I have today (MPEG/MP4 video, large memory storage) along with the mobile TV. And there's also the fact that I'm a Globe subscriber, and switching to Smart just for this isn't practical. I'll probably have to wait for Globe's equivalent service.

It's intriguing, but not world-changing... yet. For now, I'm happy with my stored anime, movies, videos and music. Mobile TV may seem to be a novelty at best right now, but darn... being able to just bust out your phone to watch the news, a movie or a show that's playing right now on real TV is pretty neat. We'll just have to wait and see how this progresses, I guess.

300


Gerard Butler as Leonidas, the most Bad-Ass Warrior King in History.

The first time I saw the trailer for 300, I was at once hit by hungry anticipation and quiet dread. I mean, this movie looked like the most awesome thing since LOTR, but then again, how could it possibly live up to the magnificent taste this little morsel gave us? Could the final film truly deliver what the trailer promised? Few movies really did. Well, I've finally seen the film myself and I have to say... YES. It frickin' does deliver.

Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller based on the real-life Battle of Thermopylae, 300 isn't going to win points for realism or accuracy to ancient history, nor will it win any points with hardline Eastern/Asian/African/Ethnic groups- the 'bad guys' in the film after all are from Asia and 'everywhere else' aside from Greece. But then again, the Persian Empire in the film doesn't as much resemble real-life history as much as they do the Forces of Mordor. I mean, you've got masked Immortals standing in for Orcs and Uruk-hai, grotesque giant warriors substituting for Rock Trolls and even some War Elephants making for sawed-off Mumakils. Like the visual style of the graphic novel, 300 is told in solid, broad strokes telling of the classic theme of the few facing the many, men standing for their freedom and their loved ones even in the face of overwhelming odds. In that way, it's universal and less about nationalities or race and more about one's devotion to his or her country, loved ones and principles.


History and Fantasy mix to form one bloody good epic.

Now, after all that mushness aside, 300 just KICKS ARSE. And does it again and again. Gerard Butler rules the screen as Leonidas, the Spartan king who looks into the face of death with both eyes wide open. Behind him are 300 bad-asses; mostly nameless and faceless death-dealers save for a couple of recognizable faces- David Wenham once again dons armor (albeit a lot less than he wore before as Faramir in LOTR) as Dilios; Vincent Regan as the Spartan Captain, last seen with sandals and sword in the Brad Pitt-starrer Troy. There are a couple more notable Spartans- the guy who gives the classic "Then we'll fight in the shade" line, and the Captain's inexperienced son, Astinus.
While mostly about bad-ass men, the home front is the battlefield for one bad-ass woman; Queen Gorgo, played by Lena Heady. While she's no warrior, she does shed her share of blood in the movie, in perhaps one of the most satisfying scenes in the flick.


Lay off the drinks to keep from missing any striking moments.

Visually, this film is a unique visual experience. Filmed fully against green-screen backdrops and rendered in CG, the film evokes indeed a graphic novel, even more so than Sin City did a couple of years ago. Slow motion cuts to Fast Motion and back again is often used to punctuates scenes like a comic book, in widescreen (as the comic does), and the many battle scenes are both in seen in grand scale and in close, with long scenes of choreographed brutality that will have you holding your breath as you watch in thrilled silence. Yes, there is blood and plenty of it, quite a few decapitations and limbs flying... but thankfully it's more stylized than gory or excessive. These many scenes of violence along with sensuality and grotesque images are amazing for us adults and grownups, but young kids will probably have nightmares, so keep 'em away.

In the end, I came away from the movie exhilirated and satisfied... not something you'd expect given that there is a fixed and inescapable ending to this battle- however, the final scene has that glorious Braveheart-ish tone to it, just nowhere near as sad and about a hundred times more bad-ass. I wanna see this flick again. My score for this flick? 300!!!

Grab your buds. Find the best theater you can get to and watch this on the big screen. And get ready for one hell of a ride.

Bleached


Ichigo and Rukia from Bleach.

The anime series Bleach isn't really new- it's been around for a while (the series is, at last count, on it's 116th episode). However, it's only this past weekend that I was actually able to hunker down and watch the episodes- and you know what? It's a pretty cool show. Took me long enough though to find that out.
Bleach is about the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki, a gruff and tough-talking but generally well-meaning orange-haired Japanese teenager who can, apparently, see ghosts. One day, his path crosses with that of Rukia Kuchiki, a shinigami, or 'Death God'- a being tasked with the responsibiliity of ferrying souls from the real world to the afterlife (a place called 'Soul Society') and defending humans from malevolent beings called 'Hollows'. While searching for a Hollow, Rukia enters Ichigo's room and gets injured when the Hollow attacks, attracted by Ichigo's great spiritual energy. To save his life, Rukia transfers her powers to Ichigo, turning him into a Shinigami and thus beginning their adventures together.

What first starts out as a 'ghostbusters'-type anime except with samurai swords soon turns into a more complex saga as more characters enter the fray- Ichigo's family and friends soon develop powers of their own (or reveal themselves to be more than they seem to be), and the world of Soul Society and the many Death Gods is explored. Ichigo steadily becomes more powerful as a Death God, growing in power as he and Rukia and their comrades both in the human and Soul Society worlds continue to battle various evil forces that threaten the balance between the worlds.

Bleach is my current anime fave, since Naruto Shippuuden is still beginning and the action/animation kinda disappointing. I'll be surely watching this whenever I have time at home (or if I can load episodes on my mobile). 36 down- 80 more to go. Heh.

Resurrected Game


Back from the grave to the PS3.

Last night, Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection became available for download on the US Playstation Network Store. The game comes with 1080p-scaled graphics, a playable boss (Jinpachi, whom I'll probably never touch) and... that's about it. The game has a few modes- Arcade, which is your usual ladder match to the final boss, Ghost Mode, which puts you in a never-ending string of fights against various CPU A.I.-controlled fighters (much like the Kumite/Quest mode in VF5 and the PSP version of Tekken 5), a VS Mode and a Gallery Mode for viewing CG movies (of which there are just three) and a bunch of Tekken art, all of which you have to unlock using game money you earn while playing.

Well, I downloaded the game and it's right now in my PS3's Hard Drive, and I'm quite happy with it. Yes, it's a pretty bare-bones affair, but hey- it's only a 20-dollar download (you'll need a credit card and an account in the PSN Network), and it looks quite nice on the HDTV. Not as good as Virtua Fighter 5, but hell- what is? It's a better-than-arcade-perfect translation for the home of a pretty excellent fighter (albeit one that has been out for several years), and that will satisfy fighting game fans like myself. At the very least, it's a nice game to chew when I need a break from VF5. And a nice little reminder that Namco-Bandai owes us PS3 gamers Tekken 6.

Spicy Hot


Something to look forward to: Satoshi Kon's Paprika.

Here's a trailer to the latest work of visionary anime director Satoshi Kon. It's all about attractive 29-year old Atsuko Chiba, a doctor in the cutting-edge field of psychotherapy. A new invention can now allow scientists to enter the actual dreams of patients, in order to discover what's behind their anxieties and neurosis... or to totally destroy that person's mind. When one of these devices is stolen and people start dreaming themselves into absolute madness, the task of saving mankind from falling prey to literal nightmares is Atsuko's stunning alter ego- a vibrant, 18-year old 'dream detective' named Paprika.

What can I say except, this looks totally AWESOME, which is exactly what I expect from Satoshi Kon. The animation looks off the wall and the premise of entering dreams should make for some creepy-fascinating-far out seemingly imagery. I can't wait to see this, as I have enjoyed Kon's past works like Perfect Blue and Paranoia Agent. Official trailers for the US release can be viewed at the official movie site. The movie is due out in US theaters in late May 2006.