Two Modern Takes on Zorro

(There are certain bus lines in Metro Manila that have TVs and, often, DVD players installed so that passengers and driving crew alike could have some distraction from traffic or the grind of the road. If the bus isn't playing a DVD movie, chances are, it's tuned to a local television channel.)

My, my, there seems to be a bit of Zorro revival going on this year....

While commuting to work this morning, I heard on the TV that local network GMA's licensed drama series version of Zorro - the one with Richard Gutierrez is now in its final two weeks of airing.

In this local production, Zorro's civilian identity is Antonio de la Cruz Pelaez, and he's supposed to be some kind of distant relation or descendant of the real Zorro, a/k/a Don Diego de la Vega. However, Antonio's love interest is named Lolita Pulido - the same name as Don Diego's own love interest! Confused yet?

Whenever the commercials for this soap-opera/adventure story series show up I am instead reminded of the recent musical version staged by the Takarazuka Kagekidan, Zorro - The Masked Messiah. This was paired with a revue showcase of traditional Japanese dance and theater or Nihonmono, titled Kaze no Nishiki-e ["Nishiki-e of the Wind"]

A Snow Troupe (Yukigumi) production, the Zuka Zorro show had THREE Zorros! Top Star Mizu Natsuki plays both Don Diego and Zorro, while her partner Shirahane Yuri plays the dual roles of Lolita Pulido and Lady Zorro. The third Zorro is actually Otozuki Kei as Bernardo, Diego's Indian friend, who dresses up in the black togs as part of Zorro's diversionary tactics.


On the left, an official publicity flyer for the Takarazuka Kagekidan production of Zorro - The Masked Messiah, showing both Mizu Natsuki and Shirahane Yuri in their swashbuckling gear. On the right, a publicity shot of Richard Gutierrez as Zorro.

Having seen brief video clips of both shows, I prefer the Zuka production - and one of the major reasons is because Lolita actually takes up a sword and beats up on bad guys. Yes, at some point she gets foiled, necessitating the return of the real Zorro, but still - Lolita as an action girl, awesome! Problem with the TV series is that their Lolita tends to be just a typical damsel in distress....

And for a Zorro-vs.-Zorro comparison - Mizu Natsuki puts on a more effective performance for me as compared to Richard Gutierrez, whom I can never seem to take seriously no matter what role he is in. Sure, he has the bone structure and he's had some fight training - but Mizu is a professional when it comes to swords and other weapons, having done action and warrior roles throughout her long sojourn with the Revue.

Hmm, next question - how would Mizu and Richard stack up against, say, Antonio Banderas, as well as the original portrayer of Zorro, the great Douglas Fairbanks?

Fandom Notebook - my first moleskine-type

[After learning from a quick browse at the relevant Wikipedia entry that Moleskine is actually an Italian-now-French brand/trademark, I have duly come to the conclusion to refer to the item as a moleskine-type.]

Yesterday, out and about with the boyfriend and huddling for shelter under an umbrella because of a most furious rainstorm (that is starting up again RIGHT NOW outside my window), I ducked into a really neat store at a new-ish mall.

I had to go in because one of the window displays was an old-fashioned-type of writing desk with a blotter, wax and seals, bottled ink, and quill pens. And more than that: the place sold everything on that desk and more, such as various types of notebooks and pens (ballpoints and probably a fountain pen or two), book-reading lights (the type that clamp on to whatever you're reading and give just enough light for you to read even in a darkened bedroom), and gift-giving paraphernalia (bags, boxes, small pouches, cards, etc.).

One of the other displays caught my eye as I circled their wares: a display of moleskine-type notebooks. Some were bound in leather instead, and there were quite a few that were covered in colors and patterns instead of the usual black.

But the real find was a PLAIN, pocket-sized moleskine-type notebook that was retailing for only 199 PHP (about 4 USD and change). I had to have it. And the boyfriend bought it for me. ♥

I have now chosen to make my very first moleskine-type notebook into a Fandom Notebook. At present, I keep a few Takarazuka Kagekidan fanfiction ideas in it. I will take it to cons and keep notes in it; I'll make lists of topics to blog about in it; I'll continue taking story and fanfiction notes in it.

I'm in love.


Meet my writing arsenal: on the left are three pens. The first one is your garden-variety click-pen, which I normally use for taking phone messages at the office. The one in the middle is a cartridge-loading fountain pen (not exactly old-school, but it works for me). And the third is a handsome Parker-brand click-pen, which was a gift from a dear friend. On the right, my very first moleskine-type notebook - a/k/a my Fandom Notebook.

Review: Takarazuka Kagekidan vs Gyakuten Saiban

In a previous post I talked about the alliance between video gaming company Capcom and theater group Takarazuka Kagekidan that has resulted in a smash-hit new franchise of musicals. Namely, when Capcom tapped the Kagekidan to produce an authorized dramatization / musical version of its popular Gyakuten Saiban or Ace Attorney games, they got massive ticket sales and enough popularity to guarantee that there will be sequels to the first musical.

After finally obtaining my copy of the musical's DVD, I immediately went off to watch it - and I've already seen it at least twice, one of the repeat viewings being for the purpose of taking illustrative screenshots. So here's the review.

I realize that I'm a strange choice for reviewing this show because of the following factors:
- I have never played any of the original games. I don't even own a hand-held gaming console.
- I have been trying to learn what I can about Gyakuten Saiban from the Internet: Wikipedia, TVTropes, YouTube, etc.
- I am a massive fan of the styles of musical theater that the Takarazuka Kagekidan specializes in.
- I also happen to like the actress playing Phoenix Wright.

Anyway, on to the review. Links and other information about the musical play were taken from the Takarazuka Wikipedia's page on Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

逆転裁判 −蘇る真実− (Gyakuten Saiban −Yomigaeru Shinjitsu−)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ~Truth Resurrected~
A musical adaptation staged by Cosmos Troupe (Soragumi) of the Takarazuka Kagekidan
Based on the Capcom video games
Adapted for the stage by Suzuki Kei

Ranju Tomu as Phoenix Wright
Nanaho Hikaru as Miles Edgeworth
Miwa Asahi as Leona Clyde
Harukaze Misato as Dick Gumshoe
Houshou Dai as Larry Butz
Sumireno Rei as Maya Fey


The graphic is a composite of six screenshots taken from the DVD. First row: the "title screen"; a screenshot highlighting the appearance of Phoenix Wright figures in the title character's office. (The figures are, from left to right, Franziska von Karma, Miles Edgeworth, Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, Mia Fey, and Godot.) Second row: "introducing" Phoenix and Miles. Third row: "introducing" Leona (a play-only character); the climax of the play, when Phoenix pins the crime on its actual perpetrator, complete with "Objection!" pose.

The very first object or item of note starts when the play does: the game music is used extensively throughout the musical, to the point that it actually becomes the underpinnings of the score. This is highlighted in the main theme of the musical, the song "Yomigaeru Shinjitsu" (also the subtitle of the play).

As Phoenix Wright, otokoyaku Ranju Tomu delivers a fine performance - comedic, musical, full of verve. She has an amazing variety of facial expressions and gestures and deploys them to bring her character to life. Both her singing and dancing help to push the play along, but it is really her acting that leads off the performance, and she does a fine job.

Opposing Phoenix in the courtroom is Miles Edgeworth, played by otokoyaku Nanaho Hikaru with a cool, icy demeanor. I think her expressions were likewise nicely suited to the role: she looks down her nose at her opponent for the most part, and she looks wonderful when the "turnabouts" happen, as they inevitably do.

Takarazuka prefers to put on plays with love stories, so for this adaptation, the original character of Leona Clyde, played by musumeyaku Miwa Asahi, takes the part of Phoenix's love interest. She begins the play as a suspect accused of murder. Leona is actually a rather complex character and her actress understands that, making for a fine contrast between the accused in the present day and the girl in love in the flashbacks.

In order to keep the play feeling like the game, multimedia touches such as the pop-ups of items presented as evidence, the in-game sound effects that play in appropriate situations in the musical, and even the effective use of the sets are deployed. A special mention goes to the props, in particular the figures in the screenshot above and the use of a coffee mug depicting the character Godot.

I know that while the games were targeted at a young male market (the usual consumers of video games), the Gyakuten Saiban games received such a surprising and welcome response from women in Japan and likewise around the world, turning THEM into avid gamers as well. It's no wonder that Capcom decided to capitalize on this unexpected windfall by putting together the games that became popular with women with the theater company in which all the performers are women and the audience is predominantly female.

I did want to wonder, though, how do the male gamers feel about Phoenix Wright: games, musical adaptation, and upcoming musical sequel alike. (The sequel is rumored to feature the antagonist Franziska von Karma.)

This show actually makes a great introduction to the Takarazuka Kagekidan: it's based on a very popular fandom, the actresses bring the characters to believable life, and the musical aspects are integrated very nicely into the plot as a whole. I rate it as highly recommended for people who've played the original games, fans of the Revue itself, and everyone else in between.

Meal in the City: "Diliman Duo" at ROC, UP-Diliman (First Post)

This is a blog where I talk about a lot of things that I find interesting; one of those topics that really get my motor running is food.

Introducing the Meal in the City posts, where I talk about some recent interesting things I've had to eat, with pictures. I'm no expert at taking food pictures so don't be disappointed if it's not food porn-y - but I hope to learn and get there some day. :)

I went to college at the University of the Philippines (Diliman campus) and was mighty pleased then that there were so many foodie adventures to be had there. (Ah, the joys of Rodic's and The Chocolate Kiss, and our favorite street-food stand near the ROTC building!) And glad am I indeed to report that the tradition of good food on campus continues as newer establishments rise up to join the favorites and long runners.

Some couple of weeks ago I went out with friends to do a photoshoot back on the old university stomping grounds. As is usual after such strenuous exercise, the day ended with us settling in at a long table for some grub.

Recently opened at the ground floor of UP-Diliman's Bahay ng Alumni (literally, "Home of the Alumni") is a place called ROC; I think it's supposed to stand for "Restaurant of Choice". Since I was starving after the day's exertions, I ordered a rather substantial plate: the "Diliman Duo", apparently an all-day breakfast meal.

(I LOVE breakfasts. Favorite meal of the day. I always enjoy eating substantial ones and then being virtuous for the rest of the day by consuming smaller portions.)



The Diliman Duo is composed of fried rice, eggs scrambled with onions and tomatoes, fat and juicy longganisa (sausages), and daing (small dried fish). The longganisa was SO GOOD - it was quite reminiscent of the variety that comes from Vigan in the northern province of Ilocos Sur, and even had substantial chunks of garlic skillfully blended in with the meat. The fish were dressed up for the occasion by being soaked in oil that was laced with tiny, VERY HOT siling labuyo (I think they're called bird's eye chili).

The rice and the eggs provided the counterpoint to the highly seasoned meat and fish by being agreeably bland without being tasteless. Juicy tomatoes, too - I was happy that the scrambled eggs were moist without being soupy.

Now this is a breakfast fit for a king. Sure, it was late for me to be eating breakfast, but this one was lovely and filling, and a great way to cap off a day of modeling for friends.

I must go back and try their other dishes. And, wonder of wonders, I missed out on their take on crème brûlée! I won't make that mistake again - I'll be sure to order it next time!

Takarazuka Kagekidan no Gyakuten Saiban GET.

So, yeah, Gyakuten Saiban a/k/a Ace Attorney. So popular it's become a cash cow franchise for Capcom - partly because for some reason it did appeal to a lot of Japanese women, who then became gamers going crazy over getting to shout "OBJECTION!" at their Nintendo handheld consoles.

In late 2008 Capcom made a startling announcement: they were commissioning the Soragumi, or Cosmos Troupe, of the Takarazuka Revue (previously mentioned on this blog) to put on an authorized theatrical adaptation of the games. As Takarazuka is known for musical performances - yes, the whole song-and-dance bit - that meant, of course, that Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth were going to get to strut their stuff, singing and dancing on stage.

And of course, there was the part where all the roles were going to be played by female actresses....

The first play, 逆転裁判 −蘇る真実− (Gyakuten Saiban −Yomigaeru Shinjitsu−, or Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ~Truth Resurrected~) did SO DAMN WELL that now a SECOND show has been commissioned, with an all-new story that follows on from the conclusion of the first show. The first play hit the stage in February and March of 2009; the second will be staged in August and September.


This graphic puts together the two flyers, or chirashi, promoting the first and the second Phoenix Wright musicals. Otokoyaku Ranju Tomu will reprise the role of Phoenix Wright. In both plays the female leads are stage-only characters; the first had Miwa Asahi as Leona Clyde, and the second will have Mikaze Maira reprising her role as Lotta Hart.

And I'm posting about this because I went thirds with a couple of other Takarazuka Revue fan friends in buying an official copy of the first Phoenix Wright musical - and I got my copy today! Woot~ Review with screenshots to come very soon!

I'm so excited~

A Brief History of PJ the MMO Player (mostly MMORPGs)

2003 until around 2005 - With the introduction of Ragnarok Online in the Philippines, my BF's group of friends becomes a fanatic online guild / playing group. Like many other Pinoy gamers, RO was my very first MMORPG experience. Taking note that 2003 was like the Stone Age of the Internet in this country, we soldiered on for a few years despite crap connections and the onerous burden of having to pay to play.

2005-2006 - After the group began to drift out of Rune Midgard, I began to try my hand at other online games. I still have fond memories of Gunbound and the shooting wars that reminded me so much of Scorched Earth. My major MMO title at this point changed to Silkroad Online. (Was rather into wuxia at the time and jumped at the chance to swing a glaive / guan dao around.) This was how I met some fellow online gamers and bloggers, including that rather memorable letter-to-the-writer that meant meeting the MMOtaku.

2006-ish - Brief flirtations with several MMO titles, including Pangya. Spent a rather long time trying to wrap my brain around my MMORPG of the time, Rappelz. Yes, I did the quests to get a pet; not much point in playing Rappelz if you're not going to be accompanied by a retinue.

2007-2008 - My LONGEST and most involved stay in an MMORPG title, as I became a dedicated player of Granado Espada. I achieved a small sort of online-games fame because of the blog Granado Espada: Dispatches from the New World. Writing as the NineMoons Family, I became very interested in blogging professionally, as well as in playing the hell out of the game.

Eventually, though, I drifted out of Granado Espada (local game management not up to scratch). The blog is still readable, but only as an archive; there is no more interaction (comments and chatbox all disabled).


This screenshot shows my current main character in Atlantica Online. She's on Macedon server. She's a level 7x axe user; I've just disabled the weapon display feature.

Late 2008-present - Crash course time: I'd never played any turn-based tactics-type games before. So I was totally unprepared to become a massive fan of my current MMORPG favorite, Atlantica Online. Where in Granado Espada a player could control up to three characters via the gameplay mechanics, the system in Atlantica Online will eventually *require* a player to control one main character PLUS his/her retinue of eight mercenary characters.

Having been forced on a temporary hiatus from the game because of work and a few sick days, I DESPERATELY miss playing. I must make some time to continue the quest line I'm on in the Hidden Machine Shrine - and I am VERY excited to see my character change to a new set of armor and weapons. (Although the in-game expenditure is going to HURT, knowing I've got to re-outfit the entire party of nine....)

What makes me love Atlantica Online so much? The storyline, the landscapes, the quests, and most importantly its grounding in the real world. Yes, it's a fantasy world, but you get to interact with people like William Tell, Stradivarius, Howard Carter, Joan of Arc, and many more. Almost every named NPC and mercenary has a Wikipedia entry, and that's not mentioning the fact that boss fights WILL include Dracula, Tiamat, Erzsébet Bathory, and even Al Capone!

I woke up and everyone was going "TVTropes"!

Aaahh, TVTropes. Site of many names: the great time-waster, productivity killer, fascinating archive of fascinating media, source of many a story to tell (original or not), something that causes the proliferation of browser tabs or windows.

I've been enjoying TVTropes for some time now; I think I was using it before its great crash, and then I got back some two or three months ago.

The funny thing is that over the weekend, two of the websites I regularly visit suddenly decided to mention it, like so:


Dark Roasted Blend, Link Latte for the week of 11 July 2009

Also see the current strip at xkcd, "Tab Explosion".

I particularly appreciate the joke that links TVTropes together with that bit of Internet prankstering, the rickroll.

I really do find it odd that this site that I like enough to put in my sidebar has been trucking along happily for quite some time and then this week it gets a lot more Internet publicity.

I wonder which tropes I and this blog would fit into.

I Dream of Eee

Okay, so I'm a little late in jumping onto the tech train; netbooks have been around for a few years now. Well, blame it on the fact that I was always waiting for something close to an ideal: a screen resolution at or near 1024x768, a LOT of battery life, RAM at or near a gig, etc. etc.

Previously, the above specs weren't exactly run-of-the-mill - but now they are. People EXPECT a netbook to approximate these features and actually are now clamoring for either the next stage to get here, Windows 7 for netbooks, the newly-released Google Chrome OS, or the CULV laptops.

So I've finally narrowed down my netbook wishlist to these two fine models from ASUS's Eee line. While the 1000HE is now widely available here in the Philippines (and I've been canvassing for it, so I know that its baseline price is just around PHP20,000), I wonder if I shouldn't be holding out for the 1005HA and its slightly longer battery life. (The 1000HE is supposed to have about nine hours; the 1005HA around ten.)

I've already gotten somewhat obsessive about the subject, and you better believe I've been making lists of the things that revolve around the netbook:

- peripherals to go with it (compact external HDD, netbook sleeve + secure backpack, ways of organizing the power and other cords, proper headphones, etc.)
- software (strip down the OS to all the essentials, then load on anti-virus/anti-malware, Firefox Portable, VLC Media Player, WinDjView, etc.)
- browser bookmarks (Gmail, Yahoo!Mail and Web Messenger, Facebook, LiveJournal, all the links in my sidebar)

Gosh, I'm really going to push myself to get one of these machines. I've been needing one for quite a long time now. Maybe I can time it for just before the holidays, when the prices start dropping like rocks in a lake....

Fandom Thoughts 101

Having just gotten out of a minor kerfuffle in one of my fandoms, I had a little time to think about how my own fannish behavior works. What kind of fan am I? Do I set any limits on my fandom behavior? Do I do strange things on behalf of fandom? Am I thinking about checks and balances on fandom vis-a-vis real life?



So bear with me while I perform a little self-analysis. Konata-sama has graciously agreed to cast her benevolent gaze (and pointing finger) upon me for this one.

What kind of fan am I?

- The sort that goes out and tries to find out everything about the source of the fandom. (Wikipedia and TVTropes are really just the tip of the iceberg.)

- The sort that can get motivated enough to participate in the derivative works scene: I write fanfiction, and sometimes I do feeble attempts at making Internet graphics (icons, banners, buttons).

- The sort that goes out to conventions. Sometimes even in costume.

- The sort that tends to be passionate about the fandom, sometimes to the point of being an idiot or a little too hot-headed about it. I'm glad someone called me out on this, though, so evidently it's behavior in need of modification.

- The sort that, evidently, blogs about the fandom/s in question XD

What kind of fan do I want to be?

- I don't want to be a Big Name Fan. I've seen what happens to folks like that online, and sometimes it really doesn't turn out well.

- On the other hand, no fan wants to be ignored in their own fandom.

- Which leads me to wonder, what really is the balance of being part of a given fandom? This is something I'd like to find out.

Balancing fandom life and real life

- I do try to buy fandom merchandise, but really reserve my income for the bills and real-life expenses. (This does not stop me from building a pages-long private wishlist, or fantasizing about fandom merch I'd buy if I ever won the lottery. That's okay, since I'm not obsessed, just happy to wish.)

- I used to let fandom feelings boil over into real life. Now I am working to break out of this cycle, because it's counter-productive for myself.

- I like making fandom friends and meeting them in real life wherever possible.

- Some people turn out to make a living and a great reputation out of their fandoms. I think that would make a great life goal.

Looks like I need a lot of improvement still. Or a better way of articulating my feelings on fandom.