Sound Fusion 2011

お久しぶり！That was a long blogging break, I have been busy for the past months but I got to squeeze in this event or concert put together by the Japan Foundation Manila. It was held last November 16, 2011 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium RCBC Plaza. The concert features the groups Trinity, Matsumoto Taiko and Bandang Malaya.

Trinity is composed of Chikudo Takahashi (shamisen), Kei Wada (percussion) and Miki Maruta (koto). Formed in 2006 they released their first album in 2009.

Matsumoto Taiko is a Japanese singer/songwriter over a broad genre ranging from traditional Japanese folk to western jazz.

Bandang Malaya is a local Filipino band whose sound is a mix of ethnic Filipino music with a modern twist. They provided live music for Akeyuku Sora in this year's Manila International Film Festival.

The name of the event or concert is Sound Fusion and it couldn't have been more apt. It was a mix of two cultures: Japanese and Filipino; Old - traditional music and Modern Music; Jazz and Pop... It was an amazing experience that blew my mind. As a musician myself I never expected the mix of traditional Japanese instruments used in western Jazz and Pop and as a Beatles fan the medley was just amazing.

Another big pat on the back to Japan Foundation Manila for organizing this amazing concert. Keep it up and more power to your endeavors.

2011's akb48 24th Single Janken Senbatsu Tournament

 

September 20, 2011 Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan the stage for the AKB48's 24th Single Rock Paper Scissors Tournament Selection ended in such high drama as the oldest member Shinoda Mariko won the Center position *finally* over 50 girls. 2nd runner up goes to Fujie Reina, 3rd Minegishi Minami 4th Kobayashi Marina, 5th Akimoto Sayaka, 6th Sato Sumire, 7th Oya Shizuka, 8th Maeda Ami as Media Senbatsu (Selection).

You might think what's the fuss about this? We'll it was probably the most watched Japanese Idol themed show in Japan that day, it was also shown simultaneously in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand. They sell over a million *though some fans buy in bulks*, thanks to tie in events and other "clever" marketing strategies. It just feels so weird living in the Philippines with one of the biggest pop acts in Japan and east Asia who has a half-Filipino member (Akimoto Sayaka's mother is Filipino) totally unknown here by the mainstream media. I guess that's for the better. Just shows how much this country is being left behind by its neighbors when it comes to class and trends.

One week

It has been a week already since my last post. There hasn't been much of stuff to talk about though I did go to Cine Europa, I only got to see three films: Little Greek Godfather, Mammoth and How about love. Little Greek Godfather is my personal favorite out of the three, it being funny and somewhat fresh. But compared to Eiga-Sai (Japanese Film Festival) and the Silent film fest, Cine Europa failed to excite me. But that's just me, I know some people who were totally anticipating this Film Fest.

Events to look forward to for the rest of the year: JLPT exams on December and Nihongo Fiesta next year February. There are some "Anime Cons" before the  year ends: U.P AME, Level-Up Games and Cosplay Mania, the problem with these type of cons is that they don't offer much, same old stuff: cosplay, pirated anime merchandise, bands and kpop invaders.

Speaking of JLPT, I really miss studying Nihongo, I already finished my Elementary course and passed JLPT level 4 back in 2008. I hope I will have the time and money to enroll for the Intermediate course soon and get my JLPT certifications asap.

Cine Europa 2011

Yet another Film Festival week ahead, this time European Films! Starting September 9-18 at ShanCineplex in Shangri-La Mall, Edsa cor. Shaw Blvd. from 12nn to 9pm. First come first served basis. For more information check out http://www.shangrila-plaza.com/