The Wheel and Axle

* Not Spoiler-Free *

Last week, Netflix released its anime adaptation of the critically-acclaimed Filipino comics Trese (Budjette Tan / Kajo Baldisimo). It received much attention as the first Netflix adaptation of a Filipino property, and the road leading to the release was one of anticipation supported by a very creative, well-received PR campaign.

As a long-time Trese fan who has been following the comics for over a decade, I too was super stoked to finally see it come to the screen after 16 years since it was first published. Although a live action version would have been preferable, an anime version was also very much welcome. So upon release, I binged the 6-episode series – first with the Filipino dub, then with the English dub. It’s an easy binge, really – totaling about 3 hours (like I said, one LOTR Extended Edition film was longer).

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As is obvious from the last prior post I published, it’s been a long time since I’ve updated my blog. I’ve been busy at work, but the current quarantine situation has basically told me: no more excuses.

I’ve been meaning to post reviews about the massive number of Thai BL series I’ve been following as well as travel blogs about BL-related places I’ve been to from SOTUS, My Dear Loser: Edge of 17, TayNew Meal Date, and others in the last couple of years. Another overdue post would be about the Our Skyy: Fan Meeting in Taipei which I went to in July 2019. Watch out for those!

In the meantime, while I gear up to get into all of that, I wrote another article for Esquire PH, this time to talk about Thai BL: what its literary roots are, what its cultural context is, and how it has evolved.

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From mid-2016 to the end of 2017, I had one blog article – sometimes two – every single day. No missed day. Just to show that I can do it.

In 2018, I’ve taken a break – primarily because I’ve gotten busy, but also because Jessica advised me to try and space things out. She’s right, as always. So I’ve barely blogged this year. (That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.)

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So over lunch yesterday, Jessica made me, Evan, Roni, and Deo write down our projects for 2018 to motivate us towards actual completion.

#1 and #2 are both me, but #3 is her suggestion, and now I am honorbound as an Elven Prince to actually do it. Well, try anyway. Ha!

(Do or do not, there is no try.)

Meanwhile, over same said lunch, we:

Gorged ourselves on delicious Negrense fusion cuisine (Sarsa’s menu is chocful of amazingly delicious food, including fusion Beef Rendang, Sisig Inasal, and Sinigang Fried Chicken Wings – you need to try this place out) 

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Continued From:

When Children Revolt, Part 1

The cast of the Atlantis production of Matilda is superb. There are three alternates who play Matilda, and I watched Uma Naomi Martin (the other two are Esang De Torres and Felicity Kyle Napuli). Uma is a talented child who superbly portrays the strengths and vulnerabilities of the lead character so that the audience truly roots for her. The best compliment to her capability is when the audience – half of which are schoolkids who likely identify with Matilda – clapped and cheered loudlt during the climactic moment when she finally put Trunchbull in her place. The children approve.

Cris Villonco is Miss Honey, and she captures the sweetness and compassion of the character to the hilt. In the hands of a lesser actress, the character of Miss Honey could have been a one-note pollayana, but Cris imbues the role with sufficient three dimensionality to make her well-realized and truly human in a world of satiric caricatures.

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Children, especially in hordes, can be a rowdy bunch. This is just a reality of life. However, they can also be an amazing group of smart and endearing young people who can, on occasion, prove to be wiser and more mature than all the clueless and insensitive adults around them.

This is made quite apparent by Roald Dahl’s Matilda, a story about a precocious little girl – abused and unwanted by her own family – who finds empowerment (literally and figuratively) as she makes friends in a school run by a horrific headmistress.

The tale of Matilda Wormwood has been adapted for both screen and stage, and Atlantis Productions is currently doing the musical in Meralco Theater. And quite a production it is.

I came into Matilda with zero expectations. Though I’m superficially familiar with the basics, I’ve never read the book nor have I watched the critically-acclaimed film. I know almost nothing about the musical adaptation. However, one of my friends – even more of a theater enthusiast than me – watched it and said it was great. He was willing to see it with me again.

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Looks like this is an LGBT film worth seeing next year.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a light and feel good LGBT movie. It’s a coming-of-age tale based on the young adult novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.

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Finally, the wait is over! Tabi Po – The Series premieres tonight at 8PM on Sari Sari Channel via Cignal TV. The gut-wrenching, heart-pounding, and award-winning graphic novel of Mervin Malonzo now comes to the small screen, and it is set to raise the bar for Philippine TV.

Mi Amor, performed by Nicolle Omillo feat. Pio Balbuena

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Just as I was finishing my article on Tabi Po the other day (as I normally write my posts in advance), I saw the official Tabi Po Facebook Page announce a contest! Talk about serendipity. They were having a launch party for the TV show, and creator Mervin Malonzo was opening up slots for interested fans through a contest. As this year seems to be my lucky year for winning online contests, I jumped in and gave it a try.

And what do you know? I got in.

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I have been a fan of Mervin Malonzo’s Tabi Po graphic novels, a series about aswang (which, in his world, derives from asong buang, i.e. crazy dog) for some time now.

I only came upon this by chance, actually. I’d been looking for more local comics beyond Carlo Vergara’s Zaturnnah and Trese by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo. By fate, I saw the first Malonzo’s beautifully rendered book, I think either in a bookstore or in a comicon.

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