New Manga Project!


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


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


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

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

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

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

Upcoming Flicks

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

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

Anime Pick: Louie the Rune Soldier


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

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

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

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

Status Quo

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

TV Food

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

Questor Mangamania #3

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

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

New Anime Pick: Scrapped Princess


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

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

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

Hai, salamat!


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

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

At a crossroads...

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

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

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

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

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

Sigh.

Final Fantasy's Angels


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

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

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

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

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

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

CG Choose Your Own Adventure

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

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

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

Hottah-Hottah!

HOT. Gosh-darned freakin' HOT.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tired.

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

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

Which Matrix character am I?

EH? The Hell..?!


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


What Matrix Persona Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Ninja Scroll TV series, Part Deux


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

If you want it hard enough, anything is possible.

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


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

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


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

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

Waiting for December...


Drool.

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

Ninja Scroll TV series

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

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

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

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

New King of Donuts Krowned

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

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

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

Bloodletting and a new Gonzo anime

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

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

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

Battle Royale 2: A Royale Disappointment?

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

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

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

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