Smile

We live in a world of the unexpected. The time when you think you finally understood how things work, something happens unexpected. We are caught unprepared; we have no idea on how to respond.

Seeing her in a JDrama was one of those unexpected moments.
The cutest smile will win my heart. So far, she had it.

Yui Aragaki is part of the cast of the JDrama Smile. The hero, Vito, a half-Filipino half-Japanese, was played by Matsumoto Jun, a member of the famous Arashi band, the band that Eula is highly addicted to.

The show intrigued me very much. How does a half-Filipino half-Japanese guy live in Japan? I was very eager to watch it because it will give me an idea of how Filipinos are viewed in Japan. Although I know that in most countries, my race is viewed negatively, I still want to know how Japanese treats Filipinos there.

It is an outstanding drama series. Why? It brought out so much of my emotions. It was the first time I overreacted in every scene of the show. It was strange. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it! As in HIGHLY!!

But I found out that the reason I was overreacting is because I fell for Hana-chan played by Yui. It was like I wanted to protect her from getting hurt. I wanted to beat up Vito for always hurting her feelings.

IT WAS THE STRANGEST FEELING EVER. I didn't know how to respond. Never saw myself like that before.

It was her smile that made me go crazy. Charmed for the nth time.

So I decided. Let my Julie have Hana’s very cute smile….because every time I see that smile, my heart jumps for joy. I don’t look at her picture in public, because I don’t want people to see me blushing.

Shining Inheritance

Once in a while, I look at some koreanovelas to watch.

Koreans are good at making story plots. Their actors and actresses are either handsome/beautiful or cute. You will really get hooked up when you watch their shows (provided that it's subtitled, of course).

The fact that koreanovelas suck when it comes to story conclusion didn't hinder me from continuously searching for quality shows.

When shining inheritance was announced in GMA, my mom suddenly had the urge to watch it. She asked me to buy a pirated cd of the show since I am the one who usually buys anime cd somewhere outside.

I bought her a copy and I was shocked seeing her awake until 3 or 4 am still watching Shining Inheritance. WTF!!! Has she lost her mind?

One time I was passing by and curiously watched with her. Then I realized I finished the hour-long episode. I was hooked.

The actress Han Hyo Joo and the actor Lee Seung Gi has captivated my sight. For an unknown reason, I just wanted to stare at them. So I watched it from the beginning. Then I understood why my mom gave up her sleeping time to finish each episode.

I also found out (after a long reflection) why I found eye candies.

Learned the "eye candy" term from Dale and Carmina. Thanks guys! =3

They were the ideal faces for my comic chracters Rey and Julie.

The Rey-Julie couple is supposed to be cute. Cute is the right-est term to define Seung-gi and hyo joo.

Shining Inheritance not only showed me an ideal couple that could play Rey and Julie but also helped me level up my story writing.

I studied the reason I was hooked up with the show. So many revelations flashed right in front of me. Each detail I studied carefully. How did this show made me bring out emotions? How did this show made me want to watch it until the end?

The answers helped me improve how to engineer a story and come up with a feasible way to manipulate the feelings of readers.

The person with the cutest face wheb they smile wins my heart. Everytime I see these two smile, I remember Rey and Julie; my heart will then jump for joy.

Matsuri Hino -- Vampire Knight

Manga styles nowadays are becoming nearly the same.

I mean they seemingly look the same because no art style is exactly alike.

But there are styles that stand out because of its shining uniqueness, just like Matsuri Hino's manga style in Vampire Knight.

It captivated my sight the moment I found the manga in Powerbooks. Why? The characters look gorgeous. Not only the guys, but also girls. I love how she drew Yuki, the main character of the story.

When I opened the comic book, the drawings just simply stood out. I was like watching an anime in a book.

Details made the difference!

Hair, dress, eyes, body features, the details made the art look so beautiful.

I salute Matsuri Hino for her skill in drawing hands. For me, hands are one of hardest body parts to draw. She drew it using her style that fit the built of the characters.

And guess what, welcome back the style copier.

After a while, since the Fushigi Yuugi era, I haven't copied another artist's artwork. But the moment I find a manga art style appealing, I just had to learn how to draw that way. I drew Zero, Kaname and definitely Yuki. I studied proper placements: where to place eyes, how far apart should it be. I also studied how she drew hands.

I may not be able to study her style fully, but the urge to copy once again really gave a big leap to my drawing skills.

Then I remembered that my drawing adventure started when I began copying another person's style in art. It will grow and continue by doing the same.

Jerry Lee, Prince-of-Powerpoint, a fellow artist, said my art improved so much. I was very happy. That time, I was back on track. Skills were updated. The desire to finish my focus comic Gift grew bigger and stronger.

I thank God for mangas like Vampire Knight. I thank God for mangakas like Hino. I needed to be inspired continuously. God never fails to give me inspirations, things that will stir up my heart.

What I have and will be wriiten here are those that came from Him, just like this one. Everytime I see Hino's art, my heart jumps for joy.

Versus 13 - The 3D Artist Inside of Me

It was abrupt. A quick fire suddenly started burning strong.

The moment I saw the HD game trailer of versus 13, the 3D artist inside of me was awaken.

How can I forget that memorable Saturday morning...

I was invited for a free 2D seminar at first academy of computer arts. Our professor was sir Paolo Enriquez who taught us the basics in flash animation.

After the 2 and a half hour discussion, he showed me the HD game trailer of Final Fantasy Versus 13...and Boom! A desire to make something just like that started to engulf the whole of me.

This was the start of my 3D adventure. Very unforgettable.

The trailer was almost perfect. With the bg music reverberating in my head (even until now), I feel so excited to create such masterpiece.

It was joy. This is the industry where I belong. It is my calling.

Now, I'm on my way to making one. It is hard, but the strong desire keeps me going and going. Versus 13 will always be the number one FF game trailer for me. And even though the prof does not remember me any longer, he became an agent of this desire.

My brother asked me why I never stop watching the trailer. I told him that it has become a part of me.

My heart jumps in excitement everytime the trailer is played.

Myself

“Do-shi-te, Doo-shi-te”

This is the start of a Jap song that captivated my heart even though I had no idea what it was about.

From the OST of the anime Full Moon wo Sagashite, this dramatic song entitled “Myself” started another mind movie inside my head.

As far as I can remember, this anime is the first anime that made me really cry. Whenever a movie or an animation brings out strong emotions out of me, I never forget the title. I get very inspired.

It has a good plot, a very good combination of sequences and background music. You’ll get attached to characters easily.

There’s this part when the characters sang “Myself. ” The moment I heard it, a mental scene unfolded.

Imagine an almost empty school corridor. It was raining hard outside. Most of the students have gone home. Those who remained were stranded. A group of guys were having a chat inside their classroom.

One of their girl classmates went back to their room to get her umbrella. She accidentally heard their conversation without them knowing.

The boys arrived to a conversation about girlfriends. A guy asked the leader of the pack about his girl. He answered them without really saying who the girl was. Unaware that the girl was hiding behind the classroom door, he talked about how he met her.

He gave her a valentine’s gift that was supposed to be for another girl. Unfortunately, the girl he really likes has the same name with her. When he asked someone else to deliver the gift, it was given to her instead, the “wrong” girl.

But before he could say that he had already fallen in love with the “wrong” girl, they heard a noise. He looked back and saw her with teary eyes. The guys were surprised. She quickly grabbed her umbrella and ran as fast as she can. The cool guy tried to go after her, but she hid somewhere.

It was a sad scene created by the dramatic melody of Myself.

Thus my second webcomic was born – Gift.

My heart jumps every time I hear the song knowing one day, I’ll see that mind movie in a comic book, anime and a movie.

Sadame

"My magical epic fantasy side"

My first ever webcomic (unfinished) is entitled Apocalypse.

Unfinished because I had to do many revisions in character design and plot. Plus, I became quite busy that time and until now. -_-

Anyway, I would like to share how I come up with stories to write and mangas to draw.

I usually get it from music. Very good music.

X TV is one of the best fantasy animes I ever watched. From character design, plot, action sequence and background music, everything was well engineered.

One of its OST music is entitled Sadame (destiny). This one made a very huge impact in my head.

The soundtrack was so epic and dramatic that there was this scene that started playing in my head which until now, I cannot forget.

Okay, here's the point where you have to start tuning up your imagination engines.

Under a flaring bloody sky, the whole city was in chaos. Bolts of fire were thrown down from heaven. Buildings were falling down. The people were panicking.

Amidst the celestial war, I saw the Tokyo Tower firmly standing from afar. A teenage girl was held captive by two demons.

One angel came, whose hair was in shining yellow. He was wearing a golden armor. His wings were wide spread, displaying a glow of pure white. He carried with him a magnificent sword made of refined silver ore. On the blade, angelic alphabets were encrypted.

Black wings started appearing from the demons. With rage and fury, they flew towards the angel. The celestial battle began.

Without the demons knowing, a girl with long black hair sneaked inside the tower. She went up until she reached the captivated girl. She released her from her bondage. By the time they were about to go down, one demon spotted them. The demon flew towards them quickly. The angel tried to go after the devil but the other one was holding him down.

The girls went down as quickly as they could. But the captivated girl was pushed by the rushing demon. The poor girl being pulled down by gravity accepted her fate and closed her eyes. The angel, after beating down the other demon, rushed to save her. But he was too late. Her body broke the moment she hit the ground.

In his anger, the angel held his sword high and stabbed the demon that pushed her down. The demon's body exploded the moment the he pulled out his sword. He shouted loudly until the heavens opened up. A ray of light descended from the heavens. The loud noise created by the chaos piped down.

Thus the idea of Apocalypse was born. Until now, the elements of this vision are unclear. I am still working on how these characters would fit a good fantasy story. This vision is my ideal ending for the story.

Everytime I hear Sadame, it starts playing this "mind movie." The hairs from my body would stand. My heart jumps in excitement.

It might be long before I finish the comics. But I plan this scene to be my demo reel once I finish my 3D animation class. And I want the viewers to feel the same way I did when it was still just a concept.

Love Story Holic

It’s not a guy thing to be a fan of love stories. Although it’s true, I am proud to say that I like love stories very much.

Love stories can bring out almost all known human emotions. No wonder love stories never fade and never will. It may have different techniques of narration, but the meaning is always the same.

I desire to see people react to something I created. I consider it a victory if I see my audience overflowed with emotions. In my own terms, I call it feeling manipulation. Sounds evil. But it is how I want it to be named.

So I decided to write love stories of my own. Like my style, it started from an inspiring anime entitled Marmalade Boy.

The plot itself is revolutionary during its time. It's not the normal girl- falls-in-love-with-a-guy-she-doesn't-know kind of story. The author put sensible twists that made the story really interesting.

Kilig. Lungkot. Saya. Tawa. Alala. Gulat. Kaba. Galit. Inis. All of which came out from me when I watched it. Even when I read the manga version, it never failed to bring out such emotions.

From watching/reading Marmalade Boy, I continued with more love stories both in manga and anime. This drawing style I also adopted, specifically the hair and body built.

I realized that being a fan of love story is an everybody's thing. Why? We live because of love. Love is something every person alive can relate no matter what the circumstances are.

I have millions of ideas for a love story. I will do what it takes to make them materialize.

And my heart jumps for joy everytime I see the anime that made me lovestory-holic.

Manga Style Origin

Tracing back to where I first learned how to draw manga, I will always recall this anime that you see beside.

Fushigi Yuugi, fyi, is the origin of my manga style. Yes, I draw manga. And it all began by drawing them.

Eight years ago, I was still studying at St. Joseph's Academy where I first discovered my drawing skills.

There were key persons behind this wonderful discovery. First is Arvin Razon who started with his simple drawing of humans (specifically girls). Because of him, I tried drawing. I tried to draw the way he did. I was good at copying. I was able to copy his style.

Next is John Revo Occampo who became my friend when I was in Grade 3. Revo helped me improve my drawing. He's more like my critic. He taught me what he knew and my drawing did improve.

The hardcore fan of Fushigi Yuugi, Virnaliz Fajardo, became my first real guru in anime drawing. Ate V was very good at copying Fushigi Yuugi poses. I bet she can copy this picture here in a breeze. She was the best during our time.

Like with Arvin, I tried drawing Fushigi Yuugi. It wasn't as easy as I thought. But as expected, I was able to copy her style of copying. First the eyes, nose, then mouth. Complete the face then draw the neck. And it goes on. Believe it or not, this is the way I draw until now. But I wasn't able to beat her at all. She was an expert.

So I tried hard. I copied and copied and copied. And guess what...I became good at it. I became so good that the style of Fushigi Yuugi has become my foundational style in manga drawing.

In this anime I discovered how beautiful characters can be drawn. From guys to girls, all can be drawn elegantly and beautifully. I was attracted by their cuteness. I desired to make my own characters possessing such features.

Thus started the manga drawing that from a hobby became more like a breath every second.

And every time I see Fushigi Yuugi pics, my heart jumps looking at the root of my inner mangaka. =3

Where it will all begin

This kind of pictures never fails to make my heart jump.

Although this is not the ultimate dream, this is where it will all begin.

My land of dreams --- Japan.

A certified animeholic. Yup, that's me. Since childhood, anime has captivated my life. Ghost Fighter. Flame of Recca. Voltes Five. Daimos. Mojacko. Akazukin Chacha. Samurai-X. Fortune Quest. Jester, the adventurer. Lupin the third. Those are some of the few animes I have watched a long long time ago.

Without these animes, I am not who I am today.

My dream is to visit this country someday. This is probably the dream of most animeholics as well. But I'm not yet finished.

My dream is to visit Japan someday and study their animation craft. To the land of the famous anime! That's where I'm heading.

People often mistaken me for this seemingly impossible goal. I am pretty much aware that life is not an anime. Anime is mostly fantasy. I know my soon-to-be life in Japan won't be the same as the "life" I watch in animes. Just to be clear, I am not going there to feel that I'm in an anime!

I am not willing to spend for that low reason, for crying out loud! I wanna learn and produce an anime here in my home country. That's the ultimate dream.

Well-crafted animes bring out a lot of emotions to its viewers. I desire to see viewers' emotions because of MY anime. =3

That's why everytime I see a cherry blossom picture , it makes my heart rejoice because it reminds me of the place where it will all begin.

Now here's the thing. I am now fully convinced that I'm going there sooner not later. Verified by: The God of all Heavens.