Anime: Kampfer

Background:
Kampfer are girls with special abilities respective of their weapons (gun, blade, chained weapon or elemental summoning ability) who are chosen by a race of aliens called "Moderators" to fight to the death.

Twist:
Natsuru Senou is an ordinary highschool guy who one day woke up as a girl as he was chosen to be a Kampfer (although he is a guy). When another Kampfer is present, or he needs to use his ability, he transforms into a girl.

In a Nutshell:
A sexy-cute yuri fan service if I ever seen one. There's a lot of girl-on-girl turn ons and harem ploy (but in this case, all of them are girls, with the main "girl" Natsuru as the harem master). A confusing, gender-bending love story for the un-initiated...but a light hearted treat for yuri fans.

Afterthought:
Very nice character design and animation. A lot of inside jokes about "seiyuu" actors in the beginning of the series that might tend to alienate those not closely following seiyuu actors.

A lot of exagerrated circumstances that, thinking about getting into the same in the real world, would seem too much.

Only the main character's backstory are developed, leaving you to wonder what happened to the other supporting characters.

Story is crammed into the 12-episode series. I wish they developed that characters more, and their relationships with each other.

Weird dance moves by the main characters on the ending theme.

"Naname Aya's Japan Surplus" at Shaw Blvd.

I have a habit of going to Japanese surplus goods store because even though they sell second hand goods, they are still in good quality...or some of them.

Situated beside the Honda center near the main gate of Brgy. San Antonio, is a small shop in #10 Shaw Blvd, called Naname Aya Trading Japan Surplus.

Aside the normal face of porcelain, clothes, bags and electronics, there are some hard to find items available.

Want your own video arcade? they got machines...working ones. small 12V LCD TV...some with dvd players. Camera lens (mostly Minolta and others... no such luck for Nikon or Canon) and toys.

They also got a huge selection of vintage audio players, recording devices, mixing boards (for sound engineering) guitars and the such.

I got myself a pair of leather boots for 400 pesos.

Album Review: "Stalemate Guards for Defiant Hearts" by Masha

"Stalemate Guards for Defiant Hearts" is the first album by local alternative rock band "Masha", set to be launched on Nov.7, 2014 at the B-Side Collective, Makati City.

The 10-track album presents songs, each with their own character...with words, sounds and grooves imbued with energy, intense emotion, paced like a story being told by a close friend sharing their closest secrets and thoughts.

It also helps that scattered within the songs are various hooks that makes you want to listen to it again and again. I know I did.

Aside from their previously released singles "Satellites" (my all time fave track) and "Cyanide", the band displays their musical and lyrical prowess through experimentation and playful arrangements, word play, and the like...never a dull moment.

Songs like "Ang Naghihintay sa Akin" and "Sa Paglalayag" are powerful rock-ballad inspired pieces that dabble into the heavier, melancholic spectrum of emotions. But hold on to your bleeding hearts, because there is the more heavier, more emotional "Kundiman", which I foresee to be the next anthem for the broken-hearted souls. And a seemingly 'western drama'-ish inspired "Stalemate Guards For Defiant Hearts", their title track, which seems to act like a prelude to the story of the whole album which is about to unfold to the listener.

These are balanced with some catchy, a-bit-lightly arranged songs like "Dirty Bones", "Alas Singko", reminiscent of the good old 90's pinoy rock with a more modern outlook.

Then there's the reggae-rock groove of "Keep an Open Eye", which they claim to be of a more happier tone, but still keeps that serious storey-telling tone.

And the more dynamic "Your Shame", whose arrangements and climaxes reminds me of the works by the Japanese band L'Arc n Ciel.

This is a definite "must not miss" for all you music lovers out there, and don't forget to come and join the fun at their album launch.