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Alodia’s Fantasy Live Online Show Event Recap in Photos

Fritz — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:58:32 +0000

Prepare for an Alodia’s Fantasy event photo avalanche! Hover on the pics for captions. I enjoyed the program immensely with friends Kring Elenzano, Winston Almendras, Faith Salazar, and Coy Caballes. The cosplay competition segment is the best that I have seen so far from among the cosplay competions I’ve attended through the years: schedule is tight but just right, sound accompanying the performances are all high quality BGMs, finalist line up are truly worthy to be called best in class, and the cosplayers gave it their all to justify their character portrayals. The event was held in the ICON at the Intercontinental Manila Hotel. Usually a bar and lounge for a CBD night out, it was for the night transformed to stage the live online show. I heard from Marcelle, the host for the evening alongside Alodia Gosiengfiao, that the number of online views for the program reached more than 10,000 and at one point, there were around 700+ simultaneous views. If broadband in the Philippines weren’t so darn slow, I bet there would be a lot more people staying in their homes to watch the show. Still, amazing!

Below are photos of the cosplay participants during the show’s competition. First up, the Male Cosplay Category.

Dennis Madarang playing Pyramid Head, a violent monster from the hit game Silent Hill 2, is the winner for the Male Cosplay Category. If you look at his skirt closely, you’ll observe that he brought along his arcane posse. Talk about detail!

For non-otakus, Sajin Komamura is the captain of the 7th Division of Gokai 13 in Soul Society in the anime series Bleach (if the robe does not give that away yet lol).

Eddieson goes onto the stage with a folder covering his face. Put down, he reveals a cylindrical-ish Red Angry Bird mask and starts throwing birds to the audience as the Angry Birds theme played in the background. Then suddenly, he yanks away the pants, throws down the mask, and pulls off the black shirt to reveal Red Hawk. OutSTANDING in creativity!

I apologize to Rubinstein Ebuenga who played Kamen Rider Dark Kiva with the song number because my shots of you are all dark. Failure from my end, sorry. Plus I’m quite peeved by the color of the lighting in the venue. Too magenta for my liking and white balance presets. Again, I’m sorry.

Up next are the ladies from the Female Cosplay Category.

I have been taking photos of Monique in various cosplay conventions but it is only during Alodia’s Fantasy that I have seen her do the geiko dance. It was nothing short of stunning: her facial expression show pride, control, and a calm vibe showing in her calculated and fluid movements that she must have perfected through years of cosplaying a geisha. Great job, Minique! Mighty proud of you, my friend! EDIT: So I found out that Monique was played the wrong background music for her number. Double the props to you, my friend for pulling that dance off like that with professional reserve. Shame shame on the audio people. Shame!

Myrtle Gail won in the female cosplay category by playing Grand Archer Rena from the MMORPG Elsword.

Apologies to Catrina Anne Lazaro who played Black Rock Shooter because my shots of your performance could not be salvaged owing to the erratic and magenta saturated lighting :( I’m so sorry!

Next up is the Mecha Cosplay Category.

From the rehearsals earlier Saturday, Don Robert came in a Stark jacket for the run through. Near the end, he did a back flip much to the surprise of everybody in the set. The question in my mind was will he do it during the actual competition with the Mark V on. He didn’t. I must say the online audience just missed a singularly awesome moment in Philippine cosplay history.

Bolen Lareza playing Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn’s MSN-06S Sinanju bagged the grand prize in the Mecha cosplay category. I suddenly remember something I heard from a friend during a con a loooooong time ago: “we are no match with chibis. They come out and they wow and make everyone swoon and gush with little or no effort.” Haha. Bolen, however, really worked the stage. Her moves are in sync with the background music and sound effects. The mecha is also exquisitely made. My favorite detail is the etched insignia on the MSN-06S’s left shoulder.

Richard Cheng’s Zoids mecha is probably the biggest mecha I have EVER seen around. It’s just HUGE! Just look at that photo where he’s fighting with a human who looks like a mouse. Not in this picture is the tail detail of the mecha. It’s LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG AND HUGE, TOO!

For the other things that happend that night, check out the following. click on the landscape oriented photos for the larger image.

Kel asked Gerard what his name is to which Gerard answered, “a friend.” His answer brought the house down. Well played.

That’s it. The Alodia’s Fantasy program in photos. Great job flippish and everyone who made this event possible and the sponsors, of course. Thanks Kring and Chris Tan for the invite! Will there be an Alodia’s Fantasy Encore any time soon? :)

PS: I apologize to the Haga Twins Miwha and Michiko, too. Looking at my photos at home, it appears I did not have a great shot of them other than what I took during the rehearsals. Bawi ako next time, I promise >.<

Alodia’s Fantasy Sneak Peek Rehearsal Photos!

Fritz — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 10:19:01 +0000

[ EDIT: Click here for the actual event photo recap. Thanks! ]

Adding to Kring Elenzano’s post on what to expect from the Alodia’s Fantasy live online special which will air tonight, October 22, 2011 8pm-10pm GMT +8 flippish.com, below are a few preview photos from this afternoon’s rehearsals to get you all more excited to be at home and watch it get aired direct from the set.

(Click for the full-sized image)

Michiko and Miwha Haga in the house!

You probably won’t see Kring later but she’s there in the audience LOL

Yes, folks, Alodia will be dancing on set. Epic! Online viewers will also be treated to a live chat portion with Alodia. There will be so much more in store for viewers tonight so stay tuned!

From what I gathered, there will also be a cosplay contest that will be divided into three categories: Female, Male, and Mecha. The contest will be open for online votes so cast those “likes” for your favorite cosplayer. Links for voting are situated below the video stream at the flippish.com site. There will be live judges so I reckon the number of likes will form part of the final score tally as the winners for each category will also be announced tonight before the end of the program. For your reference, I got ahold of the names of all the contestants representing a huge chunk of the more popular and passionate cosplayers in the Philippines. They will be on set and will show off their glorious renditions of their favorite characters. They are:

Male Cosplayers:
Cykah Malagad (Ashtaroth)
Ryan Simbul (Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Blademaster with Dragon X Armor)
Mark Celtic Buenaventura (Warlord Predator)
Dennis Madarang
Rubinstein Ebuenga (Kamen Rider Dark Kiva)
John Ezekiel De Guzman
Eddieson Jaluag (Red Hawk)
Jo Marcel Navarro (Mamoru)

Female Cosplayers:
Chienna Filomeno
Monique Dimanlig (Geiko)
Hye marie Nim
Myrtle gail
Isabel Cortez (She-Predator)
Aikia Keary
Catrina Anne Lazaro
Czarina Bisda
Marienela Chanco (Suigintou or Rozen Maiden)
Shiela navarro (Yellow Ironman)

Mecha Cosplayers:
Jonam Baladad (Mobile Suit Girl Gundam Wing Zero)
Don Robert Torio (Iron Man Mark V)
Bolen Lareza (MG Sinanju)
Gibs Sagun (Kamen Rider Oz Latoratah Combo)
Miguel Panlilio
AbrahaM Cruz (Zodiac Twelve from Exteel)
Richard Cheng (EZ-021 Deathsaurer from Zoids)

To support your favorites, don’t forget to vote.

For latar tonight, there will also be an After Party from 10pm onwards. Gates of ICON Ultimate Club will be opened at 10pm for all the registered Flippish members who want to meet and mingle with Alodia and other cosplayers. Registered Flippish member will be given After Party Invites, so if you know someone who wants to join the After Party, all they have to do is register on Flippish to make it into the guest list and be given an After Party Invite.

If you missed the trailer, here it is. Note of the list of performers who will be gracing this event? Awesomeness! Don’t forget that Alodia’s Fantasy airs tonight, October 22 at 8:00 PM (Philippine Standard Time) live on flippish.

Watch out for my photos from during the event tomorrow!

Animax 7-Ghost Fever Week 3 Trivia Contest

Fritz — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:15:14 +0000

The winner for Week 2 of the Animax 7-Ghost Fever Trivia Contest is Dandy Cortez, you lucky bastard LOL I want that umbrella for myself given the inclement weather we’ve been having in the metro these past few days! Haha, congratulations!

I’m late in publishing this because the domain expired over the weekend LOL, sorry for the glitch there, folks, but hey, the site’s back after around four days, huzzah! For Week 3′s trivia question, and if you’ve seen last week’s episosed, the hero was tasked to do something in order to pass the Bishop’s Exam:

Teito is still keen on getting revenge for his best friend, Mikage’s death. Meanwhile, to hopefully make things better, the bishops encourage him to take the Bishops Exam where there he meets his supposed rival Hakuren.

Trivia Question: “How many volumes of the Barsburg Bible did Teito have to memorize for the Bishops Exam?”

Animax will raffle out all entries and will pick the lucky person who will win an awesome Animax goody bag! Winners will be announced to this blog next week!

Send in your answers to animaxph.promo@gmail.com with subject “Animax 07-Ghost Fever 3″

Include in the body your name, mobile number and the url of this blog. Deadline for this entry is Friday, August 5 at 5:00pm.

Tune in next week to find out the reason behind Frau’s arrest and the two boys, Teito and Hakuren’s attempt to rescue him. Look forward to more trivia questions on this blog next week and watch 07-Ghost Mondays to Fridays at 7:30pm only on Animax.

Don’t forget also to visit the Animax Philippines Facebook page to know more about upcoming shows and happenings, https://www.facebook.com/PhilippinesAnimax.

*Contest is only valid for participants residing in the Philippines.

I know you’d like a clue again, yes? Teito was asked to do the near-impossible feat of memorizing 7700 Chapters from ___ Volumes of this so-called Barsburg Bible within half a month. Note that this is something some priests have claimed to accomplish only after three years! Note the title of the anime series and the number of chapters there are inside the volumes? You can tell that they’re very fond of using this particular number as reference. Conjure up your math skills and multiply the lone number by 11. It can’t get any more easier than that so good luck!

Stey tuned for next week’s leg of the contest as we also announce the winner for Week 3 of the Animax 7-Ghost Fever Trivia challenge.

Animax 7-Ghost Fever Week 2 Trivia Contest

Fritz — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 16:51:49 +0000

Lucky contestant Marijoy Satana who emailed her entry to Animax won in last week’s Animax 7-Ghost Fever trivia contest by giving the correct answers: Frau, Castor, and Labrador. I told you the answers are right in the blog post and if you looked at the tags on there, then jackpot! Yay? Somebody from Animax will email Marijoy for details on how she may claim her Animax Limited Edition premium items.

Even if you have watched the 7-Ghost episodes from last week, you’ll have a hard time answering the next trivia question but have no fear! Since I have seen this particular episode, I’ll try and give you guys clues:

Were you able to witness the thrilling battle between Teito and Ayanami last week? The reveal of the Eye of the Mikhail and the Kor’s defeat against Frau’s powerful strengths were also as exhilarating. Plus, the festivities in the Church’s bazaar were such a delight.

Trivia Question: In the Church’s annual bazaar, what were the products sold on the three bishops’ booths (Frau, Castor and Labrador)?

Send in your answers to animaxph.promo@gmail.com with subject “Animax O7-Ghost Fever 2″

Include in the body your name, mobile number and the url of this blog. Deadline for this entry is Friday, July 29 at 5:00pm.

Animax will raffle out all entries and will pick the lucky person to win an awesome Animax goody bag!

Tune in next week as we witness how Teito decides to take the Bishops exam and reveal an arising rivalry between him and one of the students, Hakuren. Look forward to another trivia question on this blog next week and watch 07-Ghost Mondays to Fridays at 7:30pm only on Animax.

Don’t forget also to visit the Animax Philippines Facebook page to know more about upcoming shows and happenings, https://www.facebook.com/PhilippinesAnimax.

Join only if you have seen the episode because as I’ve mentioned, the answer to the trivia question is rather vague. Limit to a word (or two for Labrador’s case) what kind of shop Frau, Castor, and Labrador had during the fair. During the episode, they showed Labrador’s first where he gave Teito and Ayanami a taste of something pink that they ate from tooth picks but the delicacies were first served floating from a bowl of water. Castor beckoned next and showed the boys his shop full of items on his “doll collection.” Lastly, Frau, not to be out shined, also served the two something exotic yet edible. On skewers.

For your answers, say Labrador has a C□□□□ F□□□□□ Shop, Castor has a C□□□□□□ Shop, while Frau has a M□□□ Shop.

Take some time to send those answers because here are the Animax Goodies that’s guaranteed to make you shout WANT!!! An Animax Happy Andrada Bag, an iPhone Case, an Animax Notebook, and Umbrella. Even I want them all LOL

Good luck and watch out for next week’s trivia contest.

New Animax Series 7-Ghost Weekly Trivia Contest

Fritz — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 05:35:41 +0000

I’m stuck with my current cable TV provider because it seems, by default, they’re the only one in town who offer my favorite channel of all time: Animax. Otaku and proud, yo! As I get my daily fix from Animax’s new and staple anime line-up (to be totally honest, I of late somehow find the Tagalog dubbed KDrama series, uhm, amusin…. wait! Don’t unfriend/unfollow me please! LOL), sticking to my conviction continues to seem rather effortless.

Since I’m a sucker for stories with a liberal amount of character driven sub-plots more than the action sequences, Animax featured series the likes of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (more true to the manga this time around), Tears to Tiara (with that kick-ass end scene depicting the power of words), Fairy Tail (that last 5-minutes of the season ender with Laxus during the festival just made me lose all sense of manliness and self-restraint. I know you know the scene I’m talking about LOL), and Baccano! (rocking a beefed up and more kickass Cowboy Bebop vibe) make me look forward to even more of the similar intelligent telling that anime can’t seem to run out of.

Just this month, 7-Ghost joins that line-up. I’ll be honest that at this time, I’m still not over the characters here looking like those at Code Geass but the plot with priests, supernatural powers, betrayal, coming of age, and this hugeass floating space craft seems somewhat promising. 7-Ghost air Mondays through Fridays at 7:30PM on Animax.

Want a chance to win an Animax goody bag with Limited Edition Animax Mechandise? Just answer the weekly trivia question and AL IS VELL (sorry for the 3 Idiots reference LOL). Now, if you watched 7-Ghost from July 12-July 15 for Episodes 1-4, the answer will come to you naturally:

Last week on 07-Ghost, we saw how Teito and his best friend Mikage escaped from the Barsburg Military Academy and met up with the three bishops from the Church to discover more about their powers.

So we ask, “What are the names of the three bishops from the Church?”

Email your answers to animaxph.promo@gmail.com with the subject Animax 07-Ghost Fever. Don’t forget to include your name and contact details on the email. We raffle out all entries and the lucky person we pick out gets LIMITED ANIMAX MERCHANDISE to be announced by mid-August.

Look out for next week’s trivia question and stay tuned next week as we find out how Teito discovers more about his past and how Mikage deals with his decision to finally save Teito as Animax brings you more episodes of 07-Ghost, Mondays to Fridays at 7:30pm.

Don’t forget also to visit the Animax Philippines Facebook page to know more about upcoming shows and happenings, https://www.facebook.com/PhilippinesAnimax.

Need a clue? Exclusively from fritzified (haha), the names of the three bishops start with the following letters: F□□□, C□□□□□, and L□□□□□□□. Actually, I’ve already given the answer, albeit creatively. It’s on this very page! Go search for it! Just follow the instructions above and email your answers ASAP, OK? Deadline for this week’s contest is FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2011. I’ll watch the series regularly so I can help you guys with the answers for Round 2 (for seven weeks).

Stay tuned!

Francisco Baltazar’s “Orosman at Zafira” Musical (A Review)

Fritz — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 09:18:24 +0000

Orosman at Zafira, directed and choreographed by Dexter Santos originally for the Komedya Fiesta in 2008 of Dulaang UP, is still currently being staged at the SM Mall of Asia Centerstage Theater for a limited time until February 26. It was a little too late for me to plug the show in 2008 because I only got to watch it on its last day. Bummer. I was, still am, and will probably remain forever in total awe of the play’s production value and wonderfully orchestrated modern-sounding-yet-local-in-ethnic-feel music coupled with top notch contemporary movement, showcasing yet again the essence of true Filipino talent.

The play is classified as a “komedya” and written by the revolutionary Francisco Balagtas. Most, like me for example, who are not really in the know of the lesser popular works of even our esteemed playwrights, may not give this production a second look. As nothing can stop awesomeness from spreading by word of mouth or in blogs and status updates, much to the disappointment of the growing fan base who can’t stand seeing the cast perform just once, each and every air date and time of the play in 2008 got sold out. On August of 2010, for Dulaang UP’s 35th Season, being a truly magnificent play to showcase, Orosman at Zafira was hand picked as the first of five plays to be restaged in “Return Engagement: Plays Deserving a Second Look.” It enjoyed the same “box office hit” status prompting the producers to extend with one more staging on the show’s last day. Orosman at Zafira has since been hailed as “a breakthrough production of the Baltazar classic.” In some circles, even, the play has been dubbed as the “300″ of local theater, where well sculpted 6-pack abs could well be the top casting requirement for the male actors (in this year’s run, however, all the abs have perished save for Orosman’s LOL).

Some enhancements got incorporated with this run of Orosman at Zafira at the SM MOA’s Centerstage Theater since the seating capacity and the stage got ridiculously bigger. Though the grasses got taller, scafoldings were made to good use in the chorepography, dancers started doing acrobatics as they are lowered onto the main stage from above with carabiners, and almost every one of the cast getting lapel mics, the production still managed to deliver the same quality of entertainment both old fans and first time audiences will surely enjoy.

I can still remember fondly how tired I’d be as a spectator right after a show owing to the movements on stage (seeing the landscape change before your eyes as part of the choreography) and the overwhelming beauty of the sound of both modern and native musical instruments (heard of the “gangsa, sarunay, tungatong, balimbing, kubing/kullibaw, and kullitong?” Exactly!) : a perfect fusion of modern and native elements (original, read ORIGINAL, music composition by Carol Bello) accompanying the actors’ sincerest vocal renditions conveying the right emotions at the right moments. It still gave me chills to witness the burial scenes and the dance styles during the war scenes, meticulously directed and choreographed to distinguish one tribe’s innate culture from another.

Maita Ponce’s Zafira and Jay Gonzaga’s Orosman, from my perspective, gave the strongest portrayals of their respective characters compared to other actors who have done the roles in the past. Not only do they have great vocals, they also easily project feelings with a dimension so raw and thick, one would have no trouble believing and empathizing as the drama of their lives and tribes unfold. So believable, in fact, that they’ve raised Orosman and Zafira as the hands-down lead characters of the play, unlike in the past when both seemed rather weak. Santos’ direction of Orosman at Zafira gives any one of the major actors the ability to steal the show depending on how feirce they become on set. There this Zelim character, for example, leader of the tribe Duquela (portrayed in the past by both JC Santos and JM De Guzman who gave fight scenes during the second run a complete turn around with his epic choreography), who may easily overshadow everyone on the stage with his characteristic strong moves and badass overall vibe.

Of course, Judith Javier’s Gulnara and Tao Aves’ Zelima are classics. They’ve both been very bankable in their roles since the first run in 2008 to the point that I probably can’t picture nor accept anybody else being Gulnara (Zafira’s mother in law) and Zelima (the narrator-slash-daughter of the Tedenst “pacha’s” right hand). Fanboy much? LOL

Three years from the first time Orosman at Zafira first graced the stage, it still hasn’t lost its magic. I won’t be writing down a synopsis because letting the plot unfold before your eyes and letting the production assault your senses as the scenes progress is, again as I saw it, part of the delight that is your own personal Orosman at Zafira experience (if you fear becoming lost in traslation with the language used in the play, go buy the souvenir program from the gate. It’s got the Acts written down in sizable bites and in English for your enjoyment).

Show Details:
OROSMAN AT ZAFIRA’s Playdates are Feb 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25 and 26, 2011 at the SM Mall of Asia Centerstage Theater. OROSMAN AT ZAFIRA’s Friday and Saturday Gala Shows will be at 8:00 p.m. and the Saturday and Sunday Matinee Shows will be at 3:00 p.m. OROSMAN AT ZAFIRA tickets are now available at all SM Cinema Ticket Booths nationwide and all TicketWorld outlets in major National Bookstore branches, Robinsons Department Stores, and at Greenbelt 1, Glorietta 5 and Trinoma Cinema ticket booths. Call SM Tickets at (02) 470.2222 or TicketWorld at (02) 891.9999.

As a special treat to all students, here’s your chance to watch OROSMAN AT ZAFIRA for only P350.00 per ticket. This is applicable on all matinee performances on the following dates: February 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, and 26.

For more information, call or text (0949) 434.5239 / (0917) 842.7346 or (0922) 842.7346 or log on to orosmanatzafira.com or like the official OROSMAN AT ZAFIRA Fan Page on Facebook.