April 2009

  1. JDramas to watch out this season

    I have two Japanese Dramas that I am looking out for this season, SMILE and ATASHINCHI NO DANSHI.

    SMILE stars Matsumoto Jun, member of the Japanese boy group ARASHI and best known for his roles as Yamada Shin in Gokusen and as Domyouji Tsukasa in Hana Yori Dango.   I have been waiting for this series for a couple of months ago since I first heard about it on the net.  Matsumoto Jun is going to be playing the role of Hayakawa Vito, a Half-Japanese, Half-Filipino whose dream is to put up a restaurant with a multinational cuisine.  As part of his portrayal as a Filipino, Matsujun will have Tagalog dialogue and reports say he has worked on making his accent convincing.

    He stars opposite Aragaki Yui, better known for her roles in Galcir (aka Gal Circle), My Boss My Hero, and most recently Code Blue.  She plays a girl that lost her voice due to a traumatic incident in her life.   She is saved by Vito in a chance meeting.  Despite the problems and challenges both characters have faced they are always happy and enthusiastic have a smile on their faces.

    I have only seen the first episode but it looks promising.  I am personally looking forward to seeing Vito's Filipino dialogue.  Makes me even wonder if they shot the series here.  That would be awesome.

  2. Shizen Orchestra 2009 Event Report

    Shizen Orchestra is an anime and manga convention devoted to Japanese Pop and Rock Music.  The event was held last Saturday, April 25, 2009 at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia.  The convention was organized by the anime organization, Touhou no Yuujin, of Ateneo De Manila University.  Some of the highlights of the convention were the J-Pop and Rock bands, the Fashion Show and Design contests and the DokiDoki Kissaten maid and butler cafe.

    We arrived at around 11:30 PM.  Security at SMX Convention Center is strict and they don't allow prop weapons that contain metal parts, especially bladed type of weapons.  This information should have been cascaded before the event to prevent problems especially cosplayers whose costumes include weapons.  The convention itself was on the top floor in Function Room 4.  As expected there was already a line outside for the tickets.  Tickets were at PhP100.00 but those that reserved got it at PhP80.00.

  3. Ozine Fest 2009 Day 2 and 3 Report


    OZINE FEST '09 was held last April 3-5 at SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 2. I was fortunate enough to be there for the last 2 days. The event featured cosplay, toys and collectibles, game demos, art contests, a maid and host cafe and much more. This year Ozine also featured the National Cosplay Summit following the World Cosplay Summit standards.

    Entrance to the convention area was PhP100.00. We were there early enough and there was a huge crowd gathering already. I wasn't at the last Ozine so I really can't compare but from the way it looks they did make sure to try organizing this event properly. According to Magnetic-Rose, the event was a vast improvement from last year. Personally, I am just glad that they used a bigger event space than Megatrade Hall 3. A map of the convention space was available for viewing at the entrance which made it easier to navigate. I suggest they give out maps as well to all the participants.



    SESE MAXWELL


    Me and Sese Maxwell did some costripping on Day 2 at the convention as ninjas   (and if you are asking, no, not as Naruto). It was fun and we were able to go around and see the different booths and exhibitors. The floor plan of the event made also sure that they cleared an area in front of the stage area to make sure there was room for the audience. Unfortunately, it wasn't big enough.

  4. Bit THE HEAT! NET 25/Convergence


    Last April 2, Thursday, Net 25 and Convergence held a summer tech event in partnership with Convergence new show Homepage.  The event was held at SM City North Edsa food court.  The program featured some of the newest gadgets and technologies available in the market.  Cosplayers were also featured in the event from different animes and games like FINAL FANTASY, D. GRAY-MAN, KUROSHITSUJI and many more.  Perhaps the biggest and most awaited part was the performance of RIVERMAYA.

    A friend of mine invited me to come to the event for moral support so I decided to go despite it being on a weekday.  I did come late expecting the events to have already started but there were delays.  From what I understood, the delay was due to the fact that Rivermaya wasn't able to setup right away and their new vocalist took some time before he actually arrived.  This caused the program to start about half an hour late.  I just want to comment that for someone as new as this vocalist was in the band scene, you're not even a celebrity yet so don't act like a primadonna by being late.  Being late, regardless of who you are, is always frowned upon.