うれしい~☆

Nee-chan and I have been planning our Japan trip for the longest time. But it was only after we got our visas (multi yay!) last February 17th that we started finalizing all the details of our trip. As usual, Nee-chan's in charge of the itinerary (sights to see, things to do, how to get where, etc.) while I'm in charge of reserving everything that can be done online - accommodation (5 different hotels in 5 different cities!), bus tickets, attraction tickets, etc. Of course, I'm also responsible for anything that has to do with food (what/where to eat, what omiyage to buy, etc). And Karly? He's responsible for taking pictures, reading maps, and carrying our daily supplies in a backpack. Haha Team work at its finest, eh?

I don't think I've ever seen an Olympic gold medalist as happy as him!

Coincidentally, February 17th also marks the day I started researching Yuzuru Hanyu ((羽生 結弦), the Japanese Olympic gold medalist for Men's Singles Figure Skating event. After watching his performances and learning he's from Sendai, I just had to google him. His back story touched me and I admired the kid even more. But! That's for another post. Hahahaha So basically my week turned into a Yuzu week (okay, it has now turned into a Yuzu month lol) and I ended up watching some more of his performances including ice shows he participated in such as The Ice and Stars on Ice. I could only wish to see these shows someday. And because I was on a Yuzu high, I managed to accomplish all the online reservations come Februray 24th so we're basically all set for our Japan trip.

Lucky~!

However, the universe begs to differ! Because the very next day, I found out that Stars on Ice Japan 2014 will be held in April instead of the usual summer dates. WHAT!!!! Not to mention, the Tokyo dates also happen to fall on the same dates we're traveling to/arriving in Tokyo! MEANT. TO. BE. *cries happy tears* Now the only problem is how to convince Daddy and Karly to watch the show with us as tickets don't come cheap. Nee-chan is practically a sure deal since she supports all my crazies like a true sister would. Hihi But yeah, our itinerary would have to be adjusted to make way for Stars on Ice which means more work for Nee-chan. Oopsies.

Even though I was ecstatic as hell, I didn't rush to buy tickets because the line up of skaters is yet to be announced and it will depend on the skaters' availability. Something tells me though that Yuzu's gonna be there. And my ever supportive friend, Erin, suggested I check out ISU's event schedule. If there's no major competition in April, then Yuzu will most probably be there. Still, I decided to wait it out but I was already thinking of purchasing either the ¥7,000 or ¥9,000 tickets. *ouch*

Feeling Stars on Ice!

Coincidentally, February 25th also happens to be the day us converted FS fans went to SM Megamall's newly renovated Ice Skating Rink to catch Michael Christian Martinez (MCM) in action. Funny how we've been planning to try out the rink way before the Winter Olympics started but it only took MCM for our skating sesh to finally happen. It's been years (almost a decade?) since I've last skated and ahh it feels so good to be back on the ice! Indeed, there are skills you never forget - like biking and skating.

Clockwise from top left: Mao Asada, Akiko Suzuki, Kanako Murakami, Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir.

February 27th. The first batch of skaters was announced which included Sochi olympians Mao Asada, Akiko Suzuki, Kanako Murakami, and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. The feeling that Yuzu will soon be part of the line up only became stronger so I read up on how to purchase tickets. Problem #1: I need to sign up for the ticketing site (I chose Rakuten) and it's in Japanese. Thank God for Google Translate but there's also Problem #2: The site requires that I type in my name in kana (Japanese writing system - either Hiragana or Katakana). Again, the internet helped me out on this as I signed up as モピア サラ using an online Japanese keyboard. Finally, Problem #3: Sure, tickets can be bought online through credit card but there are only two options for claiming tickets - through 7-11's ticketing machine or home delivery. Patay. I immediately thought of asking a favor from our friends in Japan but unfortunately, they will all be home for summer. I even asked Szet who will be in Japan in March (she comes back this week actually) if she could buy tickets for me but that might be too late. So I did the most obvious, touristy and kapal thing to do - I emailed our Shinjuku hotel and asked them if I could use their address for ticket delivery. Thankfully, the kind City Hotel Lonestar staff were accommodating enough to grant my request. Huhuhu I'll make sure to bring them dried mangoes as a token of gratitude!

Tickets are selling like taiyaki**!

But my sorrows just seem to never end. Problem #4: As I checked the available seats, 4 sections were already sold out - the 3 cheapest sections and the most expensive one! WHAT. Japanese fans sure are dedicated. :(( So now the cheapest available seats were priced at ¥13,000 (roughly P6,000). I thought about it hard. I do want to see Yuzu but the ticket is almost the same price as the Section A ticket I plan to buy if ever I watch Wicked for the second time. In the end, I chose Stars on Ice over Wicked. Yes, I want it that much! And because tickets were expensive, I had a feeling Karly wouldn't want to splurge on them so I convinced him to just skip the show with Dad (whom I know might just fall asleep during the show :p) and roam the streets of Harajuku/Shibuya while Nee-chan and I watch the show. When he agreed, I went ahead and bought our tickets. There's no going back now. All that's left to do is pray to God that Yuzu will soon be part of the line up and that our tickets get delivered to the hotel. Yup, I'm relying both on God's and man's goodness to make my dreams of seeing Yuzu come true. :)

Last Wednesday (March 5th), the second batch of skaters was posted and I was shaking (and praying!) as I waited for the site to load. Like an answered prayer, this was the first thing that greeted me:

Hanyu-senshu!!!

AAAHH YUZURUUUU~!!! I wanted to cry right then and there but I still checked the Tokyo page just to be sure. And there it was! *cue happy tears* I was only wishing and praying for a chance to see Yuzu - kahit si Yuzu lang. But OMG there's Javi and PChan too! AAAAAHHH うれしい~!!! GOD IS SO GOOD! I couldn't help but cry tears of joy and relief as it wasn't easy for non-Japanese to get tickets to SOI. But as you can see, it's not impossible. If you want it bad enough, you'll find ways to get it. Still, print-at-home tickets would've been nice. Haha

Complete Stars on Ice Japan 2014 cast.

Good thing, I went with my intuition and bought tickets right after the first batch was announced because when I tried checking the ticketing sites, all of them went down with the announcement of the second batch. :O As expected, the demand increased because of the newly added skaters - they even added another date to the Tokyo show. Now my excitement for our Japan trip just doubled - tripled even. And I can't believe I'll be seeing Yuzu in a couple of weeks! Huhu Thank you po, Lord!!! *cries even more happy tears*


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* うれしい (ureshii) - means 'happy' in Japanese; used as an expression for happiness (i.e. "I'm so happy!").
** Taiyaki - Japanese fish-shaped pastry filled with red bean paste, custard, etc.

Rurouni Kenshin Movie (Live-Action)

Before my obsession with bands, there was anime. Rurouni Kenshin (RK) is definitely one of my all-time favorites. It's probably one of the longest running anime shows back then but I still watched the English version on Studio 23 and the Japanese version on AXN. I didn't bother watching the Tagalized version on ABS-CBN though because I found it corny as a child. Yup, my kaartehan goes way back. :))

Believe it or not, I used to register my name as Sera Himura in all my online accounts and used a Samurai X-themed password back when I didn't care about internet security at all. I even have copies of the OVAs (Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal and Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection) and the movie in VCD format. Fangirl much? Wait til you see my collectibles. HAHAHA /facepalm

As expected, I was ecstatic when I heard the news that RK was going to have a live-action movie adaptation so imagine my excitement when I found out that it's going to be shown in Philippine cinemas. Oh my anime fangirl heart~! ♥ We immediately purchased tickets for the first screening schedule on the first day when we found out (accidentally) that SM Cinemas were selling tickets in advance. It only made sense to see it as soon as it hits the cinemas.

So on December 5th, Erin and I went to SM North Edsa Cinema 1 to finally see the film. We were greeted by a long line of people that goes all the way to the Fruitas stand. Or even past it. I'm not sure because I couldn't see the end of it. To put it, the line was so long, it felt like we're queuing for an Eiga Sai film. >.< Nee-chan, Bryle and Mabel were already inside the cinema while Erin and I were still contemplating if we should fall in line or just wait for the end of the line since we have reserved seats so there's nothing to worry about. Thanks to Mabel's literally glowing face (because of her Note II haha), we found our seats easily.

I was holding my breath as the film started. I haven't watched the anime in years so I was both excited and nervous at the same time. The film started with Kenshin killing off people as Hitokiri Battousai while Saito tries to catch him. And as the new age dawned, Kenshin left his dark past and became the sakabatou*-carrying, happy-go-lucky wanderer we all know and love. It was so good seeing his "oro" face again!

I don't want to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it yet so I won't go into details just that it covers the first few episodes of the anime and even a little bit of the prequel OVA (Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal). Seeing the characters show up on the screen one by one sent shivers down my spine. Props to the stylists and costume designers. You can easily tell who the characters are just by looking at them. I especially love how the audience reacted upon seeing Sano for the first time. Everyone cheered like they've seen a long lost friend or something. He's perfect as Sano. I only wished he was a little bit taller and more lanky. Also, when Kenshin finally puts on his signature maroon hakamashita paired with white hakama, everyone was filled with nostalgia. And when it got to the fight scenes, OHMYKAMI-SAMA! The choreography was flawless! Everything was perfectly executed without looking fake. And just like in the anime, they brought in hilarious moments during unexpected times to lighten up the mood. Yup, that's the RK I know alright.

For some reason, I expected the film to be around an hour and a half long but it lasted for more than two hours. I didn't know if I wanted it to end already or just go on forever. SM Cinemas are cramped so my legs get pretty uncomfortable when I'm seated for a long time. But it was sure worth it. It was so good, everyone clapped at the end. As we went out of the cinema, I was reminded how much love I have for RK. I still dislike Kaoru though. So it's not just the anime version that I find annoying. Haha Some things never change, I guess.

When we got home, the first thing I did was to search for my Rurouni Kenshin: Premium Collection CD. I remember trying to convince mom to buy it for me because I couldn't save up for it fast enough. I looked at the CD inlay and tried to recall all the ending themes but Karly beat me to it. Haha Giving up, I gave it a listen and surprisingly found myself singing along. I still know the lyrics by heart even though I can hardly understand most of it. Which reminded me of the lack of memorable OST the movie had which was quite disappointing. But aside from that, it was perfect.

*reverse-blade sword

Fangirl

“Never underestimate a girl’s love for her favorite band. Never think even for a minute, that she won’t defend them to her death. Because it’s not just the music that makes that band her favorite. It’s the guys, the gals. It’s the fans. People whom of which she has interacted with thanks to the band. That band might [have] saved her life, or just made her smile everyday. That band has never broke her heart and has yet to leave her. No wonder she finds such joy in her music.”

- Alex Gaskarth, All Time Low

Seeing This Century in this century

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FINALLY SEEING THIS CENTURY LIVE!!!!

I never thought this day would come.  At least not this soon.  I love these guys to death but I'd never thought they'd be this big in the country in such a short time!  I'm so proud of what they've achieved, I feel like crying.  And the fact that the Philippines is their first international show ever just makes me extremely happy and honored.  So yeah, I'm seeing This Century in this century.  See you later Joel, Sean, Alex and Ryan!

Catch This Century together with We Are The In Crowd and Set Your Goals tomorrow night (June 2) at Smart Araneta Coliseum.  The show starts at 8PM but gates open at 6PM.  Tickets still available at Ticketnet outlets.  Many thanks to Pulp Live World, Karpos Multimedia and Bazooka Rocks for making this possible.  Such a great start to my birth month!