Japan: Kingdom of Characters @ Metropolitan Museum

This is a late write up of Japan Foundation's exhibit JAPAN: KINGDOM OF CHARACTERS at the Metropolitan Museum in Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex. The exhibit was from July 7 to August 20. I went there last August 13 (Saturday) armed with just a piece of Choco Banana cupcake for lunch and water of course.

"In recent years, a subculture related to Japanese anime and manga has rapidly attracted worldwide attention. To make the most of this trend, the Japan Foundation has organized this traveling exhibition called "JAPAN: Kingdom of Characters" which examines characters as one radical aspect of subculture.

"Used unhesitatingly by both adults and children in private and public spaces, before we realize it, these characters have become a part of our daily landscape. One finds, for example, characters printed on bank passbooks and train commutation passes, and as indicated by the regular and seemingly natural presence of stuffed mascots at local police boxes, they have permeated everyday life in Japan to a degree that would be unthinkable in most other countries.

"What exactly is a character? Why are they so popular? What kind of society do these characters reflect and what kind of influence do they exert on that society? And finally, where is Japanese culture headed In this exhibition, as we introduce the intimate relationship between characters and Japanese people, we hope that the visitors will gain a better understanding of teh cultural and historical background behind the Japanese love of characters as well as the future of characters in contemporary Japan."

(cited from the flyer)

The P100 I paid for the entrance is so worth it. I was given a small pamphlet, a souvenir methinks of the exhibit. It contains pictures of the exhibit so I guess it's okay when the staff forbade visitors to take pictures inside the museum.

Some anime included are Pokemon, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Doraemon (my love), Gundam, Mazinger Z, Galaxy Express 999, Astroboy, Urusei Yatsura, Chibi Maruko Chan, Magical DoReMi, Haruhi Suzumiya no Yuutsu, Sergeant Keroro, and of course Hello Kitty.

Sentai series are also featured, with Masked Rider being the most prominent. Sexy female characters are literally put on glass cases on pedestals, which include characters from Dead or Alive, Positive Penguin Life, Bunny Girl, Heartful Memories~ Little Witch Parfait, Gunbuster, Tenjou Tenge, Otaku no Video, and Fate/Stay Knight.

Together with the on-going exhibit Manga Realities at Ayala Museum, this just proves that anime exerts a strong influence on the Filipinos. One cannot also dismiss the fact that every year, thousands flock to anime conventions which are held in different parts of the country in different times of the year. It is this phenomenon, usually termed as "anime explosion" that sparked my interest in studying anime as a media form that can influence and produce a new subculture.

Queridas ni Rizal: Love and Sex in Philippine History @Ayala Museum

One of the privileges of a volunteer is that one gets to attend an event for free, though one has to work for it. Still, there is a double advantage because not only do I get to improve my social skills, I also have a taste of what it's like to be part of a team that makes an event possible and successful.

I especially love it when Ambeth Ocampo gives lectures. It has always been a dream to see him in person, to know what he's like. And boy was I surprised o find him approachable, funny, witty, and very clever man indeed. Newspaper columnists usually strike me as cynical and self-righteous. But this is a man of good cheer, who gamely poses in front of the camera.

So anyway, in his second lecture at Ayala Museum (which I was able to attend), Ambeth Ocampo talked about how historians do away with anything that might tarnish the name of our heroes, rendering them saintly and divine, far from being human errors and passions. Sir Ambeth has always talked of this purging of history, which for him makes the heroes all the more unreachable.

 An example he gave was the case of Juan Luna, known for his fiery temper and for killing his wife and mother-in-law. Early historians would say that what happened was an accident, that Luna shoot the door and that the bullet passed through the door and killed the two women. For Sir Ambeth, the murder was not an accident but an intentional act.

He then moves on to Rizal, our National Hero. Historians used to portray him as saintly and without blemish, unlike his other friends who frequent the brothels in Europe. But his diaries and letters say otherwise. Rizal's advices that "it" may only be done once in a month, is for Sir Ambeth, the "it" refers not to a game of chess but to sex. (This of course drew laughter from the audience, with Sir Ambeth himself admitting that his is a green mind.)

Another issue is Josephine Bracken's miscarriage, to which historians attribute almost incredible cause. One is that Josephine fell when Rizal's nephew sat on her lap. Another is that Rizal and Josephine had a fight and the first beat up the latter. The third, from Zaide, tells of Rizal playing a prank on the woman at night thus causing the accident.

Sir Ambeth also answered the question why Rizal remained single. According to him, Rizal loved only one woman--- his mother Teodora Alonso. He also cites Rizal when the latter wrote "... in the critical moments of my life, I have always acted against my own will, obeying different purposes and mighty doubts"

After the lecture, a portrait of Sir Ambeth's beautiful grandmother was presented to him.

Crazily Sleepless Week

These past few days have been quite stressful with many events coming into being almost at the same time. For one, I was a volunteer at the 4^th .MOV Fest and I signed up for duty for four days. Then, there’s UP-ASP Fieldschool 2011 Exhibit where I have to make a diorama with a classmate, aside from helping my other classmates set up the exhibit. There’s also the Binalot Talk on September 7 where I will have to present my analysis of the glass shard artifacts recovered during our fieldschool. I dreaded September because of these, most especially the Binalot Talk, since I am not inclined to speaking in front of the public.

But anyway, a girl’s got to do what a girl’s gotta do. I was still lucky to have found the time to attend the launching of the book “Under the Storm” which was part of the 4^th .MOV Fest. It was held in Ayala Museum. It was nice to be back there and to be having a taste of what it’s like to be part of a team that organized the event. Quite stressful, yes, but it was fun talking to celebrities. Where else can I get the chance to talk to Mercedec Cabral, Glaiza de Castro, Becky Mon, Rox puno, etc? Despite the fact that I arrived home super late (which made my parents a bit mad at me), I was still happy for having such an experience. It was part of my “throwing myself to the wind” plan this year. (Though I regret not being able to join the other events because I had other events to attend to. Hopefully next year I'll be able to really be a full-time volunteer.)

September 3 and 4 found me making the diorama together with a classmate, trying to beat the deadline which was Sept. 5 (Monday). Working nonstop and with just 4 hours of sleep and having nothing but Cheez It chips, instant noodles, cookies, and Milo chocolate drink almost drove me to the point of insanity. I thoroughly missed having real food--- at that time, my mind was filled of images of beef kaldereta on top of steamy rice, chicken tinola, mapo tofu, fish fillet... Still, we were able to finish the bahay na bato diorama. What is surprising is that both my co-worker and I didn't enter into serious arguments. On the contrary, we took everything in stride, treating it as a bonding moment, talking about crushes, dreams, aspirations, worldviews, music, even joking and laughing out loud. It was a great bonding experience.

Because of lots of preoccupations, I got home at around 1am for days, much to the ire of my parents who thought I had been off to some bar or something. Sorry to say this, but bars and discotheques and the like are not my cup of tea. Besides I'm too busy with my academic load to even think of dallying.

When the exhibit was nicely put up, I still was not entitled to get my at least 10 hours of cutie sleep. No, I had to prepare for my Binalot Talk, race against time to go to Quiapo to check out the Bote't Dyaryo Museum at Escolta (which turned out to be in vain super thanks to the heavy traffic flow which hindered me from getting to Escolta early). I was so sure I would explode anytime soon but fortunately, I didn't have the energy nor the time to self-explode.

So when the Binalot was over, I was able to heave a BIG SIGH OF RELIEF. Oh Sleep, my muse, my sweet beloved, I am back into your arms!

UNDER THE STORM Book Launch at Ayala Museum

The second day of the 4th .MOV Fest this year took place at Ayala Museum last night, Sept. 2, with the book launch of the poetry collection "Under the Storm". A series of poetry readings by poets and celebrities alike and live band performances livened up the event which started at 8pm and ended at 11pm.

Celebrity readers included Mercedec Cabral, Becky Mon, Glaiza de Castro,Gio Respall, and Ketchup Eusebio, among others.

Performances by Axel Pinpin & The Propaganda Machine, Corporate Lo-fi, Vigo, and Anthony Piggott rocked the night big time.