Perfect Renders
The January 2012 issue of Jump Square magazine is publishing an image of actor Takeru Satoh as the title character in the live-action Rurouni Kenshin / Samurai X film last Saturday. The film will open throughout Japan on August 25, 2012. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
November 30th, 2011
Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Poster Released!
November 29th, 2011
New Rurouni Kenshin Film Trailer
OMFG! Just checked up on our Facebook Nerd Herd PH Group, and the first thing to greet me in the morning was this one minute trailer for the upcoming Rurouni Kenshin anime film: Shin-Kyoto Hen! For those who don’t know yet, it’s a remake of the anime series’ Kyoto arc or more widely known as Shishio’s arc. But this time, it’s gonna be in Misao Makimachi’s perspective.
First part will be released on December 17. Advanced merry Christmas! d^_^b
Anyway, just watch!
Damn, I got goosebumps!
November 16th, 2011
Futakoi Alternative Review
Gah, I’ve done it again! Up to now, I was only able to make 2 of the 20 reviews I promised long ago in my Upcoming Anime Reviews entry, and it’s been 6 months! I just get too busy sometimes and I lose the hype I currently feel about the show and just lay it off for awhile. Then come new interesting shows so I just end up doing reviews about them instead >.
Futakoi Alternative (Twin Love: Alternative), not to be mistaken from Futakoi, is actually a spin-off of the latter in which it loosely followed the concept of the original, be it with completely different characters, plot setting, central theme, etc. as practically everything else is changed. I was able to come across this anime via looking up the past works of my uber-favorite production house Ufotable (Kara No Kyoukai: Garden of Sinners, Fate/Zero), and I’m glad I did.
Plot: In a little town where the residents are mostly twins, possibly due to the people’s belief over the town’s Futagotamagawa (Twin Soul) River, works a 21-year old private detective that goes by the name of Rentarou Futaba. He is more known by the townspeople as Nidaime (2nd generation) because of his late father’s reputation of being helpful and friendly to everyone, and he is now living up to that expectation.
He has two assistants: the twins Sara and Souju Shiragane – similar in appearance, but complete opposites in personality. With the three of them comprising the detective agency, they help the people with their common everyday problems, handled in quite the most unique and comic ways possible. As the story progresses, you’d feel to be part of the town more since most scenes would indirectly focus on the bonds between the characters, and how they go about life together in that crazy little town of theirs.
The first part of the pilot episode wasn’t what I expected after reading a few synopses (two heavily armed twin lolis fighting a big-ass squid-like jelly inside an airplane in mid-flight) but I got hooked to the show by the scenes that followed. It seems that Rentarou has gotten himself wanted dead by the town’s Yakuza. His friend, the Yakuza’s 2nd top man, gave him their master’s parrot in order to escape the responsibility of taking care of it but they soon found out that Rentarou’s cat devoured the poor thing.
read more »
November 9th, 2011
C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control Review
Here’s to another show that caught my fancy whilst browsing the random spaces of the internet ^_^ Its official title is C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control, or [C] for short. Aired in Japan between April and June 2011, it really is an interesting piece since it’s the first of its kind I’ve encountered. The central theme revolves around the differing perspectives of economists, financial analysts and businessmen alike, where money is power and the economy’s condition is everything. People have also been calling this one as ‘Economics The Anime’ Lol.
Plot: 19-year old Kimimaro Yoga is a scholarship student at Heisei University of Economics. His goal in life is simple – to have an ordinary job as a public servant earning just enough money to sustain a home, wife and children. This is probably because he was orphaned at a very young age, and has lived by himself ever since. He currently works two job shifts at the same time earning just enough for his basic needs. You can say he’s a total half glass empty guy.
He couldn’t even go out with his friends to drink even if he wanted to, and always just orders the cheapest food in the school’s cafeteria. One day, whilst studying all night for an upcoming exam, he gets visited by a strange Chesire Cat-like person named Masakaki, claiming that he works at Midas Bank and that Kimimaro has been randomly selected for an entrepreneurial position that was just vacated.
Masakaki explaining to a dumbfounded Yoga: “To put it in words you can understand – you tender us your future and with that as collateral, we lend you money. And we would like you to use that in the Financial District. We ask for nothing more. Also, by future, we mean your future – your possibilities.”
Earning money with the risk of having your life shortened? Any person in their right mind would never accept such an offer. And of course Kimimaro declined. That night though, he checked his bank account and discovered a deposit of 500,000 yen from an unknown source.
read more »
November 3rd, 2011
Final Fantasy 8 Unused Content
Thanks to YouTube and the generous people who took the effort in sharing such fun yet intriguing Easter eggs, we’re able to realize that despite being hardcore fans, most of us aren’t all-knowing yet when it comes to one of the most awesome FF games ever, Final Fantasy VIII. Below are unused stuff that never made it to the final cut!
The first video below is widely known as the “unused intro“. It’s pretty much similar to the final version, though various clips from the game have been added, making it more chaotic and confusing. Not to mention it containing spoilers. It’s a good thing they saw ahead what’s wrong in this one and went on to make a better one.
Notable points:
+ ‘Square Presents’ and ‘Final Fantasy VIII’ chargen
- Rinoa’s “If you come here…You’ll find me” chargen
+ Helicopter sound at landscape shot
+ Train to Deling City cutscenes
+ Galbadia Garden’s missile attack to Balamb
+ Awkward music stop as gunblade falls from the sky
+ Bell rings and clock ticks after
+ Cutscenes from Siege of Dollet and Edea’s Parade
+ Balamb Garden explodes? Lol
+ Crappy gunblade clash sound
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=njw8z5EI_S8]
Next up, is a video from the “Final Fantasy VIII Preview Disc” that came with FF7. Lot’s of unused stuff here. But the most prominent ones are at 1:00 where Quistis should be the one firing the boat’s machine gun at X-ATM092. After that you’ll also see Leviathan and Rinoa in battle. They shouldn’t be there yet until later on in the game. Cheat code, perhaps? Check out the FMV at 1:55, where Rinoa is running towards the boat and gave Squall a worried look. If everyone remembers it right, it should be Selphie in her position. Hmm, interesting. Rinoa was ‘originally’ supposed to join SeeD in their siege at Dollet. I wonder how the script would have turned out with our love triangle struggling in a war zone. XD
Miss FF8? Fear not! You can play it in your PC using the PSX emulator ePSXe!
Click here for a tutorial on how to install and play it!
November 2nd, 2011
Hawkers St – “Awesome Asian Streetfood in Cainta!”
Deep within the depths of the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall food court, lies a one of a kind food stall called Hawkers St. Asian Streetfood that offers almost-authentic Malaysian / Singapore-inspired street cuisines. Whenever I’m in the area, this establishment is one of the places I consider to go to first if I want affordable yet belly-filling and delicious snacks.
Their only branch is positioned at the farthest corner of the mall’s food court, located at the basement of Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, Cainta, Rizal. You won’t miss it! They’re the only stall where customers can actually see their food being prepared and cooked just like the picture below. It’s quite a show.
Other than that, they don’t serve their meals in your usual fast food plastic plates, but in aluminum mini-frying pans! Upon entering the food court, you’ll easily see the patrons of the establishment just by looking at those custom plates.
read more »