The long awaited return of FMA started with a never before seen chapter nor episode of the original manga and anime. It introduced the characters minimally, that first-time viewers would get themselves lost at first.

However, for people who had already gotten acquainted with Full Metal Alchemist, their appearances gave us the joy and excitement for being to see them again in action.

With bigger budget, FMA 2 Episode 1 surely gave me the awe for the animation. The action scenes were given emphasis as they were striking, and the effects were so great that I'm pretty sure, this anime will surpass my reverence with Soul Eater.

FMA and SE are parallel in ways that the moods shift from seriousness to hilarity and the dynamic action scenese. However, FMA is darker and with its comeback, FMA 2 would surely top on the mainstream animes just like it did before.

With Episode 1, it introduced the anime astoundingly, filled with action and comedy. The "shorty" pun was still there and the occassional mistaken identity of Al as the Full Metal Alchemist was still there. The statement which caught me the most was when Isaac said that the brothers don't know what their Country is trying to do. Knowing what he meant, I could not help but notice how Edward was so clueless about it, saying he doesn't know and still continues to fight.

There were short and quick scenes that disclosed the conspiracy and intrigue that would wrap the whole plot around. But nevertheless, Episode 1 did start off anew, with little fandom-ness but depth on the upcoming story that should unfold. And yes, it gave me so much laugh the way the sharp and shrewd Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang got drenched with the Ice Alchemist's alchemy.

The greatest dark anime is back. Full Metal Alchemist now a has a Second Season, known as Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. The long awaited remake just premiered in Japan yesterday and today, fansubbed animes are already available online for the anticipating world to watch.


The first season of the anime had deviated midway from the original manga by Hiromu Arakawa. This remake, although not confirmed yet, is rumored to stick closely with the original storyline of the ongoing manga.

Full Metal Alchemist is produced by Bones Anime Studio, the same producers from the anime Soul Eater. And with my confidence in Bones, I couldn't expect anything less but another great anime that'll surely be on my top list.

FMA was the best anime for 2006, and with its comeback, I'm very much confident it'll top the charts once again.

Fullmetal Alchemist – Brotherhood is set in a fictional world where alchemy – the transmutation of raw materials into objects – is science and the way of life. The brand new anime series is based on Hiromu Arakawa hit manga series which follows the well-loved Elric brothers Edward and Alphonse on their perilous journey in search of the legendary Philosopher’s Stone. They set forth in the hope that the magical artefact can restore their bodies after a failed alchemy experiment to revive their dead mother cost Edward’s left leg and right arm; as well as Alphonse’s entire body, leaving his soul affixed to a suit of armour.

Production for Fullmetal Alchemist – Brotherhood was undertaken by anime studio BONES which made the original Fullmetal Alchemist series, and is directed by Yasuhiro Irie who also helmed Kurau: Phantom Memory, Soul Eater, episodes of Alien Nine and RahXephon, as well as animation sequences in the first Fullmetal Alchemist series.

Hiroshi Ohnogi (Macross Zero) leads script development while Hiroki Kanno (Yu Yu Hakusho The Movie: Poltergeist Report) takes on character design, with music by Akira Senju (Mobile Suit Victory Gundam). Producers include Ryo Oyama from production and distribution firm Aniplex; broadcaster MBS’ Hiro Maruyama; Nobuyuki Kurashige from video games and publishing firm Square Enix; and BONES’ Noritomo Yonai. Well-loved voice talents Paku Romi and Rie Kugimiya, winner of the ‘Best Lead Actress’ at the Third Annual Seiy? Awards for her part in Shakugan no Shana, are reprising their roles as protagonists Edward and Alphonse Elric respectively.

With a story spun off from the manga series, the previous Fullmetal Alchemist anime series was broadcast in 2003 and was voted the most popular anime of all time in Japan in two online polls by Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi. Its theatrical sequel Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa debuted 2005 to great critical acclaim including ‘Animation Of The Year’, ‘Best original story’ and ‘Best music’ awards at the 2005 Tokyo Anime Fair; the ‘2005 Animation Grand Award’ prize from the Mainichi Film Awards; as well as the ‘Best Animated Film’ honour at Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival.

~PhilAnimeDotCom

Mangafox has about thousands of shoujo manga titles available for online reading. Among this large selection, only 20% had their plot synopsis given a chance to be read by me. And finally, only a trifling 13% of 20% are read-worthy. The rest -- are trash.

Ouran High School Host Club,Skip Beat, The One,and Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Hengeare the mainstream shoujo mangas that kept my eyes glued indefinitely. The plot may seem random, the character development might be long-winded, and the development of their consciousness in the "love" relationship could be very slow -- but all these are the ingredients that cook up one delicious love story that never seem to give a bitter after-taste. They've rightfully gained their popularity because of the unconventional love story interwoven on every chapter of the series.

That set aside, for a person who does not live under a rock, it is rather difficult to pick a noble shoujo manga that'll keep me craving for some more.

A love story could be written a million ways and delivered in countless styles. In my fervor quests for love stories in films, books, anime and mangas, I've never read anything so pure and innocent like Hana to Akuma.


Hana to Akuma is an ongoing manga series that never failed to captivate my heart in every chapter. Hana, the main character is very lovable and her unadulterated affection for Bibi just makes my heart flutter. Bibi's paternal, naive, resisting and over-protectiveness also make things complicated between the two.

The story is about a devil who leaves Hell and come to live on Earth. There, Bibi found an abandoned baby and on a whim, decided to take her in as his ward or maybe his pet. Ever since then, he has lived with Hana, come to cherish her a lot and yet, he kept his distance from her -- physically. Bibi is a devil, and everytime Hana gives him flowers, they wilt in his hands. Bibi fears of touching the 14-year old girl, for she might wilt too -- painfully, in his arms. I tell you, this is no incest nor lolicon. Just pure love and adoration.

Hana to Akuma revolves around the life of Bibi, Hana, humans and devils; a light romance manga that is sweet in the most naive ways. Give Hana to Akuma a chance to be read and become a spectator of their unsullied affection, in the eyes of a pure-hearted child, and a protective devil. Hana to Akuma will surely make your heart flutter, and make you see a different kind of love that you'd also love to love.

Hana to Akuma is also known as Blossom and Devil, Devil with Flower, Flower and Devil, Flower and Devil, and The Flower and the Demon; by Oto Hisamu.

Dreamworks never fail to amaze and give me the best series of laughs I would have for any given hilarious movies. Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda were two of my favorite animated films. Monsters Vs. Aliens is another addition on my top list.

This animated film is one movie that every member of the family should never miss. Packed with original comedy, this sure will make even the most scornful soul to laugh.

Personally, I recommend this film for those people who need to take a break from everyday strain and join the pursuits of Ginormica, B.O.B, Dr. Cockroach, The Missing Link and Insectosaurus in saving the world from alien invasion.

So, don't forget your popcorns and soda to bring in theatres, just be careful in drinking, you might spill them to the person in front of you. Or worse, get yourself choked with fatal hilarity.

Could you imagine yourself feeling like you're playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero -- with just your keyboard? Well, Jam Legend lets you do that. Jam Legend has revolutionized a new and refreshing way to use your computer keyboard which used to lie flat on the desktop, and now can be held like it was your own virtual guitar simulator, without the need for any expensive game consoles.

Jam Legend is a dumbed down version of a flash music simulation game available online and free for all to play. It offers a wide selection of songs and multiplayer game showdowns in real-time. Among the songs are the infamous Canon Rock and from Naruto OST, The Rising Fighting Spirit.

Although the said game cannot be superior over RB and GH, it is a good alternative for people who are under the withdrawal syndrome from not being able to play RB or GH for a long period, just because they couldn't get their hands on it. (As with my case who could only play RB for P150 an hour fee).



I also recommend this game for those people who are bored and do not seem to know what to do for the rest of the day. Chill or jam; Have fun or just waste your time. Who knows, Jam Legend would make you want to "play" music, and not just listen to it. Or maybe, encourage you to move on a higher level and purchase your own Guitar Hero or Rock Band set. (And don't forget to let me know if you do. So I might invite myself and crash in your house to play for free. Haha.

And so I say... It's time to Rock on your KeyTAR!!!

Three Plurk Fiestas in a row, I would then say it has become a habit. I've never been comfortable with new acquaintances as i had with my plurk friends, now I call as my Plurkadas. A new face every meeting never seemed to be too aloof but instead, I just find myself being able to blend in with the crowd.

We were indeed people brought together by the same interests and views, no matter the age differences. Last March 16th, the beautiful Miss Donna Mae Congson, has welcomed us plurkers to her bouyant salon at Pioneer Avenue, the Envy Me Salon. Bloggers and Plurkers alike were given 50% discount on any services. Miss Dawn (as I now call here) is too vibrant as she is generous too.

Her salon was the perfect spot for our plurk fiestas too because it's a wi-fi hotspot. And so, those plurk addicts just had fun plurking about our gathering and making their other plurkmates who weren't able to come, green with envy. And of course, those who were present also replied to the plurks of others even when they were meters away. Ahhh, the glory of plurk, it's even more fun than texting.

It was also best that on that day, Sir Gilbert made me adopt Hamiya, his female hamster. She was so cute and energetic even with her closed eyes! Also, on the same day, Mommy Chiq has lent me her Shoppaholic pocketbook. I just so love them.

Sir Avel had availed the salon's facial treatment, and if I remember correctly, Sir Gilbert, Sir Lito, and Sir Ayel had their feet treatment too. Tammy and Chiq had their hair treatment. Oh, they were so lucky to only pay half of their bill!


The rest of us kept ourselves busy with chatting. Tanchi was busy on the laptop, with Rami-sensei and Donna talking about their tutorials about applications or something. Donna has served us Doritos and I and Leonard were feasting on it. The others had their share too, but we took dominance over the plate. They were just too busy on their feat while the two of us were just enjoying on our Doritos and joining the random conversations.

Like every Plurk Fiestas, we were all dynamic. We were like bees moving from flower to flower, we were joining every conversation that we were able to relate to.

When everyone were finished with their beauty sessions, Miss Dawn then invited us to the rooftop to have our dinner. She had invited us there and shared to us that she might open the rooftop as a bar and we were also there to share what we could help about our plans. It was also lucky that Jes was able to catch up after us at the taaz bar. Also present in the gathering was Miss Dawn's bestfriend, Roxanne whom she's been trying to influence on blogging.


The food served was cooked by Miss Dawn's boyfriend, Eman and the tuna was courtesy of Chic. One of the dishes was also a baboy ramo meat, I didn't hear it first, so when I ate it, I never knew that it was what it was, it just tasted weird on my tongue. But then, one very important lesson I learned on that night was: to never lose appetite. It was such a pity that I only ate a few of the dishes since my stomach was full of doritos and other meal I ate earlier that day. The food was delicious and I really wanted to eat more, too bad, my stomach just won't cooperate.

We talked over the long table on random things, and too often, our conversations fall over what was happening around PlurkLand. The night was so long and enjoyable that I also don't wish for it to end. But all events do, so at the end of the day, before we said our goodnights and goodbyes, Miss Dawn had given us a small vessel of hair treatment as a complimentary gift.

It's my second Plurk Fiesta. March 6th, as a furtherance to my expanding horizon, I meet with my plurkadas again at the coffee shop that serves the world's most expensive coffe, Kape Alamid, from the droppings of the Philippine civet, a mammal found in the forests and coffee plantations of South Cotabato.

This time, the group has grown that my head has spun more rapidly than how it did previously at Blugre. Arnel, Millet, Myla, Rosilie, Tammy, and Donna were the new faces I had to try to remember in the future.

I arrived at the brew straight from school and on my uniform too. Hungry, I ordered my meal and I was surprised by their affordable menu that range from P60-90. While everyone were busy chitchatting, I also tried to enjoy my meal while Sir Hecky was sharing me his views about the city, politics, management and business. It seemed more like a lecture to me but I had so many new things learned with his widespread talk. Sir Gilbert and Ma'm Jinky also joined our conversation as well. But I was more the one listening and asking too, just like the classic student.

I then also took my time getting along with my seatmates, Jes and Tanchi. Rami-sensei was way at the middle enjoying a boisterous chat with Donna. The photographers Leonard, Kyawster, Arnel, Hecky, Avel and Donna herself were also kept busy taking photos around the cozy interiors of the coffee shop. The daring photographers also did not let off the GenBrew's exteriors.

Seemingly like a mocha lover, I ordered Mocha Mudslide together with Jes. And I was taken aback by the sweetness of the iced drink. I have little tolerance to extremely sweet things so I tried my best to drink up as much as I could to give justice to my order. Nevertheless, my sip was rewarding as it was delightful.

The whole coffee shop was beaming with life. It was more like the group of 12 bloggers and plurkers had dominated the General's Brew.

February 26th was the day where I first met face to face my new-found blogger friends from Plurk.

It was just like any normal day for school, the only thing was, after school, I won't be coming home straight afterwards, but would be having a detour instead. Well, as if I don't usually do that. But nevertheless, that time should be the first mark for me to have finally extended my horizons.

It was not my first time to meet my cyber friends. It was all too long ago already, the time when I first met-up with Manoy Avel and company during the MBS2 planning stages (where I even have eventually left off). Wearing my school uniform, I gathered my strength to walk towards entrance of Blugre which was also new to my sight. So much for firsts, I was expecting that a large group has already gathered but to my relief, there were only Sir Avel and Sir Gilbert comfortably sitting on the couches. I was so awed with the interior that I almost drooled as my head kept spinning. I thought to myself, thank goodness, I was not that late.

I tried to make myself comfortable with my new surroundings, I'm not an outgoing person so I had those extreme awkwardness which I also think that any normal person should feel when they are new to a place. Then next to join the company of three was Leonard. There comes Smigol whom I'm sure will always be engraved on my head as Leonard's alter-ego. He bites butts. Or as he used to do at plurk. But that had to happen few weeks later after this plurk fiesta.

I lost track of time as I was slowly adjusting to the climate when the company started to grow in numbers. There was Ate Sheng and Kyawster, Cidy, and Ate Jinky. Then my fellow Notre Dameans finally arrived. I don't know their faces personally, but I'm sure I have bumped into them in the hallways at school. I was pleased that I finally met Rami-sensei, Tanchi-kun, and Jes (I had first known her as Miss G at plurk).

I was literally, a pulubi that time. I thought I should at least order when I come to a coffee shop, so I managed to convince myself that my P100 should keep me alive for the whole night. I know Manoy Avel to be generous, but yeah, I do have money in hand so I didn't ask him to treat me. Well, I still ended up being treated by Rami-sensei to commemorate our meeting. How sweet. Okay, since he insisted, I let him treat me with the Mocha Larcepuccino. OMG. Did I get the name of my coffee right? My Bad. Haha. Rami-sensei, thanks for the treat. And whooo~ I experienced tasting iced coffee that's one more step closer to heaven. Just remembering the thought of it makes me want to come back to Blugre again. Well, I just hope I would be able to save up so I could also enjoy other meals the coffee shop offers.