Officially a FlipGeek: First Article on FlipGeeks about Tokusatsu

It's now official, yours truly is a FlipGeeks . I got in touch with them a couple of weeks back and was fortunate enough to become a part of their project.

www.flipgeeks.com/

FlipGeeks is the Filipino geek’s corner for toys, comics, video games and everything else! FlipGeeks or FG aims to be the number one online resource in the Philippines in providing news, updates on the geek genre (toys,movies,comics,etc) and pop culture.

It can really be a big challenge for me especially as I also author a few more blogs besides CMABLOGS mainly CMAQUEST, Retro Pilipinas, and Pinoy Movie Blogger, not to mention a new career. I am not complaining, I willed this! I like challenges, I like sharing stuff, and I as usual I plan to conquer the world!...

I have always wanted to be part of something big and something relevant (for me that is). I believe that the geek community is growing and has been taking over the internet like global warming to Earth... (DERP) that was not a good comparison, LOL. I believe FlipGeeks can reach that community starting here at our motherland, the Philippines. I will aid the group's objective to be the community that FlipGeeks aims to be and maybe more. This is enough motivation to keep me going like an Energizer bunny.

Besides the regular spots where you usually see me blogging,you can now regularly see me blogging at FlipGeeks as well usually about all my geekiness. For starters, I made my very first article about tokusatsu's influence to Filipino kids and the geek community at RETRO FLIP GEEK: A Look Back at Tokusatsu Shows and Its Influence to Filipino Kids.

If you guys can remember I made a similar post about tokusatsu here at CMABLOGS with For Philippine Television Networks Consideration: Create An All-Original Filipino Tokusatsu Series Seriously for the Younger Television Audience. This previous post and my first FlipGeeks article compliments each other rather than just being a mere copy-and-paste copy of each other. Hope you guys can check both of them out.

For Filipino Geeks out there, you can visit FlipGeeks for more Geek news, articles, reviews, and giveaways.

The Humor That is Not: Boy Pick-Up of Bubble Gang's Pick-Up Lines Battle Skit Brand of Anti-Humor

Pick-Up Lines Battle is one of the more popular and awaited segments (by fans) in the long running Friday nights Philippine gag show Bubble Gang. Besides the strange charm and stupendously cheesy delivery of similarly cheesy pick-up lines by the "pickapista" contenders to become the ultimate pick-up king, the Bubble Gag's skit greatest strength and punch line is the sport's undisputed and undefeated winner, Boy Pick Up. Let's take a look at how this Bubble Gang skit and character became the a phenomenal success.

Delivering pick-up lines has long been an optional part of the dating scene or the flirting game. By definition, pick-up lines are supposedly catchy lines used to catch ("pick-up") the attention of a stranger of interest. A pick-up line is a success once the girl took notice and starts engaging in this small talks. Not everyone can be good at it though. The success of a pick-up line depends on the person delivering it, person receiving it, how it is delivered, and what message it delivers. Failure of falling under all four factors will end up with an instant rejection. As times past by though, comedians have found humor on pick-up lines. From the absurd cheesy pick-up lines to even the most perverted ones, delivering it seems to be more effective if it was meant as a joke. There have been a few cases that various comedic shows used the pick-up lines method of delivering humor, but Bubble Gang is probably the first to make a complete segment entitled and dedicated to delivering cheesy pick-up lines.

Bubble Gang's Pick-up Line Battle was inspired by the underground Filipino rap battle which was also known as fliptop battle which became comemrcially popular back at 2010. As a fan of Bubble Gang, I saw how the Flptop Battle segment evolved into the Pick-Up Lines Battle. Bubble Gang first invited actual fliptop contenders in Bubble Gang's more television-friendly version of the fliptop battle. Fliptop battles are said to be the mix of new form balagtasan, poetry, rap and trash talking. If you watched original Fliptopb battles over at Youtube, you will definitely find out that Flip Battles is a battle of quick wits and derogatory remarks, a game for not the easily-pissed individuals. Check out Bubble Gang's Freestyle Rap Battle, the predecessor to Pick-Up Lines Battle:

Being too censored out and toned down, Bubble Gang's Freestyle Battle may have interest its viewers with the underground Pinoy rap culture, but was effective as a long running gag. This is why Bubble Gang invited actual Freetyle "Fliptop" rappers to pit them against the ridiculously absurd and stupid version of Bubble Gang's freestyle rap... which doesn't made much sense, but it eventually became "funny". This is probably enough cue for the creative writers of the GMA Network gag show to come up with something "new" and thus Pick Up Lines Battle was created.

When Pick Up Lines Battle first made its appearance in Bubble Gang, it featured the same freestyle battle but with pick up lines battle which was always entertaining especially when the ones delivering it were actually good. The winner of the two rounds will face off with the undefeated king of pick-up lines which is played by Ogie Alcasid. The punchline here is his actual existence. The winners and the earlier competitors mostly have good pick-up lines and usually superb delivery of which, but here is this Boy Pick-Up who doesn't have a sense to any of his Tagalog pick-up lines. That fact itself and when you here his pick-up lines will make you scratch your head but later cracks you up when the audience exalt his pure brilliance with his pick-up lines. Boy pick-up's pick-up lines are not meant to be funny but they eventually become one. With this, Boy pick-up's brand of humor falls under the anti-humor category.

A little info about anti-humor:

Anti-humor is a type of indirect humor that involves the joke-teller delivering something which is deliberately not funny, or lacking in intrinsic meaning. The audience is expecting something humorous, and when this does not happen, the irony itself is of comedic value. Anti-humor is also the basis of various types of pranks and hoaxes. It is considered to be very postmodern. The humor of such jokes based on the surprise factor of absence of an expected joke or of a punch line in a narration which is set up as a joke.

Source: Wikipedia

But there is a limit to the anti-humor charm just like any other kind of joke. This is what I've been recently noticing with Bubble Gang's Pick Up Lines Battle. I think that some of us started to expect or wanted more sense in Boy Pick-Up's non-nonsensical pick-up lines, if that made any sense to you? Hahahaha. There is a limit to how many times we can tolerate "Kasi ang kuwan ni kuwan ay ganito". I prefer it when his nonsensical pickup lines has some pop culture reference or relevance, like a one particular episode when Boy Pick-Up answered Neneng B. with "Eh, kasi bata.", with "Weh?!", or with immediately following Neneng B.'s "Bakit" response with "..ngayun ka lang?" ("Bakit Nagyon Ka Lang" by Ogie Alcasid).

Hopefully, the creative team of writers of Bubble Gang can come up with more sensible nonsensicals for Boy Pick-Up. Something that isn't connected but still would be funny. I even saw some comments on various social networks claiming that ever since Boy Pick-Up became popular, he slowly became cornier and cornier. You know what, in some extent, I agree. Bubble Gang's Boy Pick-Up has become so popular that the character is used outside its regular zone in Bubble Gang, thus people being exposed to anti-humor making them more resilient to the effects of the comedic genre. Pick Up Lines Battle along with Boy Pick Up will eventually be phased out just like any other comedy skits, but hopefully it goes out with a bang. The big question is, will it successfully conclude with a film starring Boy Pick-Up like Yaya and Angelina? Guess, we'll have to find out about that soon enough.

For Philippine Television Networks Consideration: Create An All-Original Filipino Tokusatsu Series Seriously for the Younger Television Audience

An All-Original Filipino-Made and Produced Tokusatsu Series Taken Seriously for Younger Philippine Television Audience
By Christopher Aquino, January 17, 2012.

We are who we are thanks to the things we experienced in our lives. There are also some factors that influence and shapes us, one of which is the mass media. Mass media plays a very critical and important role in shaping the minds of the youth, the world's future leader. So as much as possible we need to protect them as our future may very well depend on them right? But what does the mass media, mainly he television provide our children? A regular weeknight primetime soap operas which regularly tackles convoluted plots with adult themes like infidelity, LGBT (Lesbian, Gays, Bisexual, and Transgender) suggestions and innuendos, betrayal, revenge, sex, and murder, which all are unsuited for the young minds of the children. In a way parents are also to blame for not adhering to the television show warnings and guidelines (Parental Guidance) provided by the MTRCB "effectively" placed before each show. I am no moralist or anyone so fixated with such extreme ideals that I actually suggest taking the fun out of the usual simple things. I am not against the removal of such shows for it is a source of entertainment for adults, but they have to also give something for the children to chew on. While to adults, adult themes are just part of the norm, to children they are a bizarre and sometimes very overwhelming matter. How many young niece, nephews, cousins, brothers, and sisters have asked while watching a show "Totoo ba yan?" or "Patay na ba talaga sya?"; how about you justifying a show "Wag kang maniniwala dyan, hindi yan totoo". Thus, the curiosity comes in, and when you have issues like betrayal, sex, revenge, and sexual innuendos then that is a deadly mix with a child's natural curiosity. As a matter of fact I liked my politically incorrect violent kids television shows (cartoons) back in the days, and that is probably one factor that made me who I am today, a geek, which is the new "cool" and "sexy" of the 21st century.

What's with a Tokusatsu series? Kids are different today, they now knew when someone is preaching on them, sometimes they become resilient of such cases. So when they are entertained by let's say a particular kid's show like a tokusatsu series their usual defenses against adults directly preaching them with good morals and right conduct will be down. Tokusatsu shows can subliminally educate children about various values and good morals like love for parents, respect, friendship, loyalty, optimism, hardwork, perseverance, and many more. So besides the rating, and potential merchandising empire created by a tokusatsu series, there is also a good cause to it.

I still can remember the times that I come home from school to watch my favorite cartoon shows in the afternoon, wake up early to catch that early morning kid's show, or impatiently wait until it's 5 o'clock in the afternoon to watch my favorite tokusatsu series every weekends. Speaking of tokusatsus, let's focus more on that, shall we? According to Wikipedia "Tokusatsu" is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects. Tokusatsu literally translates as "special filming" in Japanese. Back in the days, the three or four television companies IBC (Ch13), ABS CBN (Ch2), RPN (Ch9), and GMA (Ch7) features such forms of "kid-friendly" entertainment. Yup, it was a different era (the roaring 90's) that time, tv networks actually listens to the pulse of the mass by importing foreign shows abroad which go way back from the 80's. From American series to Japanese tokusatsus and animes, everyone had the option to what channel to go to to get their specific fix. I remember waiting for Ultraman and MagmaMan in ABS CBN (I wish my memory served me right), waiting for Maskman, MachineMan, Shaider, and Masked Rider Black on IBC 13, and Dragon Balls on RPN 9. They were every parents dream programming, to turn to one station which both entertain them and their children alike. I can remember father, taking the initiative to actually tune in to an episode of Masked Rider Black back in those days. It was a hot topic amongst boys when in school. "Did you see Robert Akizuki beat the crap out of that monster?!" is one of the sample lines one can hear from a group of classmates in our elementary school back then. But now, what?

Kamen Rider Black a testimony that Tokusatsu has a place in Philippine television scene

Although I had to give acknowledgement to the two major Philippine television network for coming out with television adaptation of some of Philippine comics most reverred superheroes, and creating the fantaserye (fantasy television series) Philippine programming category, they are not enough to entertain every generations of audiences. Let's say one generation had the opportunity to enjoy a super hero series like Pandakekoks, Kristala, Pintados, or Captain Barbel, but what about the generations that comes after that? Although I can also suggest for television networks to make all their classic super hero shoes available in home video format, but nothing beats the live primetime television version right? This is where Japan excels in providing entertainment for every generation of child audiences. They have the tokusatsu television tradition. This is where I am hoping the Philippine television networks could consider... to create an on-going all-original Filipino-made tokusatsu or super hero series.

TV Networks can pull this off. They already did create such special effect filled super hero television series like Panday, Captain Barbell, Darna, LastikMan, Flash Bomba, and Super Inggo to name a few. One of the most notable but negatively received series that a TV Network has ever come closed to making a Filipino tokusatsu is GMA Network's Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan, the Philippine TV Network's version or rather a loosely based sequel of the popular 1984-1985 classic Japanese Metal Hero "Space Sheriff Shaider". Shaider was a beloved classic to those who grew up watching the popular metal hero series, so when Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan, a 2007 series looks way inferior than the 1984 predecessor Space Sheriff Shaider that it draws inspiration from, it was only natural for the majority of the Shaider and generally tokusatsu fans spoiled with the top notched quality Japan has brought them to hate and complain about the unofficial Filipino sequel, Zaido. On the other hand, the newer generation of Filipino kids (Philippine televiewing mass) didn't mind it which is an obvious clear sign of the potential of a possible successful tokusatsu series. If only the TV Network listened to that community.

The problem with Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan is that it followed the traditional time slot of every Filipino soap opera. The Philippine television viewing public was presented with a 20-minutes-a-day primetime series every weeknights rather than following the trusted Japanese timeslot formula of one 30-40 minute episode a week format. Being only once a week could give more time for the production team to polish the visual and special effects used in every major monster fights, but since Zaido is a weeknights series then it is expected for the show to have a poorly applied special effects that even a nine twelve year old would notice as a fake. If only the TV Network has taken the tokusatsu tv series more seriously, and focused more on a niche market the kids. If they only dropped all the unnecessary soap opera-ish drama cliches uncalled for a superhero series, focusing more on convincing special effects, engaging plot, awesome fight sequences and creative monster and superhero designs, then the network might had something special in their hands back then. Unfortunately, Zaido just miserably fail.

Learning from the failure that is Zaido, I believe that there is money (for tV Networks) and entertainment (for the Philippine TV audience) to have in the super hero or tokusatsu genre that is taken seriously. It is time for the (now three) leading Philippine television networks (ABS CBN, GMA, and TV5) to invest and engage on a much more younger television audience by not only importing foreign shows, but by making an all-Filipino tokusatsu or super hero series in a one-hour time format presented on a once a week basis (preferably weekends). If the TV Networks followed the Japanese kind of tokusatsu TV Series formula, then they can create a new niche, a loyal following, and amoney making merchandise. Appealing to kids, Japanese tokusastu series like the Kamen Rider and the Super Sentai created this unique audience where they can successfully market the various merchandise like plush toys, collectible cards, action figures, and video games related to the series that kids loved to watch. So imagine, if a Philippine TV Network does create something as popular and phenomenal like an annual series similar to what a Kamen Rider or Super Sentai series is like, then they don't only have a competitive show with good ratings which brings moe advertising for them, but it can also bring them new money making machinery. Tokusatsu shows are presented on a once a week showing basis for it gives the series more lifespan which is good for any of its merchandise. Just imagine how many toy merchandise can a company make under such titles, and repeat that same success year after year if they established this unique market. As long as the TV Network takes the genre seriously, then their audience will take them seriously. In a way, they are also training these young audience to become loyal followers which will itself sustain the new TV genre for as long as the company can keep doing it.

Hopefully the Philippine TV Networks can consider making an all-Filipino tokusatsu series seriously even if it is aimed at a younger audience.

Patawad, Papatawarin, Wala, Sa Pasko Na: A Filipino's Guide to Turning Down Christmas Caroling

Ah! It is that merry month again once a year where you hear the innocent and jolly voices of children and adults singing songs of praises, letting you know that it is Christmas, and naturally you just want to shout "PATATAWARIN!", "PATAWAD!", "WALA!", "SA PASKO NA!", or if you are a lot more sinister let them exhaust themselves singing without giving any attention to them... DEADMA lang ba? Hahaha. It is a funny thought right, but what is funnier is when you apply it every Christmas season.



A decent example of what this post is all about. A photo from "My Silent Sanctuary's Blog" post on PATAWAD.

I've tried serenading a few of our neighbors once with a Christmas carol, I think I was eight that time. It was a different era that time, the 90's. During those times public transportation fare, cost of living (utilities, rent, and daily expenses) weren't that high, and people were generally all loving and warm-hearted everyday Catholics. Fast forward that to today and turn all what I've said around, and now rejecting those neighborhood kids (and adults, LoL) who just want a buck from you is so much easier. To everyday hardworking Filipino middle-class families, every coin counts. Once the Christmas season hits in full throttle mainly starting from December 16 (Simbang-Gabi series) to the December 25 (Christmas Day), some home owners fear such innocent Christmas Carols.

But we here at the Aquino residence have already grown tired of it all, especially that we now own a Sari-sari store. We are literally a fire that attracts a moth of carolers. We are your modern day practical middle class Filipino family. We only earn a small amount of income from the sari-sari store and it is foolish to just give that away for a duration of 10 days. Instead of wasting hundreds of pesos for the everyday Filipino Christmas carolers (kids and adults alike). We just say those popular Christmas "Bah! Humbug!" lines like PAPATAWARIN, PATAWAD, WALA, o SA PASKO NA. We don't live in a high class subdivision or village, so while others find it adorable and entertaining to be serenaded a few times a week by children in the duration of that Christmas week, we here at the barangay level are irritated with the same "sa aming bahay ng aming bati" Christmas carol for every freaking day. What is also irritating is that these kids are devious in a way that they separate into one, two, three groups, and even as single one man caroler to just to get more buck from us. There also have been times when we have seen the same faces of kids for over four times just for that single night alone but for different groups. Others even hid themselves in the darkness of the night or the shrubs nearby while their "accomplice" do most of the singing to not get detected. This just spoils the whole Christmas caroling thing. So here is some of is my personal guide on how to reject and say those Christmas Carol Rejection lines without the guilt.

• Use hand gestures like waving, or showing them that you have nothing (turning or twisting an open hand back and forth), or shooing them if you want to remain anonymous, but who are you kidding? right?
• Try the direct approach which always works best. Say PATAWAD!, PAPATAWARIN!, WALA!
• Make a written placard and post it in your gate, door or window or somewhere where the Carolers would clearly see this. Just jhope that these kids learn how to read or you'll just doing the first two examples.
• Try turning off most of your house lights to give the illusion that nobody is home or is already sleeping. We have evaded both children and adult Christmas carolers using this method in the past. It usually works except for those carolers who care less if you are already sleeping just to get money from you.
• If you have a relative far away or a vacation house, it is the best time to get out of the neighborhood until Christmas just to evade such carolers. If you plan to travel it is also the best time to do it starting on the 16th of December onward.
• Place your aggressive dogs in front of the gate to scare of kids. Enraged dogs barking muffles the scared Filipino children caroling.
• You can also just ignore and deny that hey are there. You sure will be criticize for being a snob and an inconsiderate douche, but that would teach them that all their efforts are worthless. This one method we have tried only once or twice with kids especially those who don't listen to first rejection.
• This one we haven't tried yet and I don't think we'll ever will, but I want to do personally. That is to just talk to the carolers and say that I am not a Catholic or Christian, and I do not believe in Christmas. That would give the impression to the Carolers or remind them yearly that the person in the house doesn't care about a religious sect's tradition.

But being in a Catholic family, all of these seemingly Scrooge ways of evading and turning down Christmas carols are set aside for only one day. The 24th day of December "Christmas Eve", we finally allow Christmas carolers to do what they like. A time when we are finally act like normal grateful Filipino Catholics (even if I am no longer one). The three kings only gave their presents at the birth of Christ, and we are far from being luxurious kings. Even a fictitious jolly old man like Santa, but even Santa only gives presents on Christmas Day alone. We are a practical middle class Filipino family and patawad is a practical counter action to that very impractical tradition of Christmas Caroling.

Okay ng matawag na barat, kesa kami naman maghirap..