Top 5 Iconic Anime Shows: Philippine Edition

Currently popular mainstream, but will this show became an icon in the near future?

Anime has been around here in the Philippines since the 70’s and since then, we have seen numerous titles from giant robots until love stories. From the over 100 titles that was aired on terrestrial TV, some of them were iconic and remains as one of the most recognizable anime titles that ever stepped in the Philippines.

My criteria in choosing these top 5 shows is via the age group that was born during or before the 90’s, which is considered by most as the Golden Age of Anime here in the Philippines. Other criteria include the recall factor of the show and its impact on pop culture or otaku culture here in the Philippines. If you have reactions, kindly post your comments. :D

5. Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X

This show made a huge wave in the anime scene here in the Philippines. Aside from the fact that this show aired here in its English Sony dub in which Kenshin sounds like a certain Cloud Strife, it’s the only English dubbed anime aside from Pokemon that is unforgettable to the public.

Sidenote: This show was dubbed in ABS-CBN back then but the dub is not as popular as the English dub.

4. DragonBall Z

What made this show iconic is aside from the battles, is Jefferson Utanes’ voice acting as Son Goku with his trademark, “Kamehame Wave” scream echoing on your TV. Aside from that, we have this, Mr. Satan best known here as Master Pogi and Majin Buu.

Master Pogi because he is one of the most recognizable voices in the DBZ dub, I mean, you will smile once you heard his voice along with that is Majin Buu, the fat one. Put them together, these two became one of the most iconic duos we have ever scene in TV.

3. Slam Dunk

When it first aired back in ABC (now known as TV5), it was not well received by the audience. Fast forward sometime between 2003-2005, this time dubbed, this show in my opinion, became the standard on comedy anime dubbing. Aside from the good translation of the script and making the show closer to the masses, the mass appeal of Basketball to us Filipinos made this show memorable.

2. Yu Yu Hakusho/Ghost Fighter and Flame of Recca

I had a haaard time thinking which of the two is more iconic, Eugene or Recca. Both headlined GMA’s anime block, both shows are constantly being re-aired on the said station. Both have epic fights, both shows had a memorable dubbing crew; kids were imitating both shows. Gaah! It is hard to decide which is more iconic than the two!

1. Voltes V

This is the obvious choice. Its one of the shows back in the 70’s that is still haunting Filipinos everywhere. It is the only anime that has the most station jumps. Its one of the shows back in the Martial Law era that was banned because it is too violent and it affects the studying of children.

It is part of Pinoy pop culture this show’s theme song and its phrase before combining all the mecha. You can see this song on karaoke machines along with Ghost Fighter’s Opening theme.

Special Mention:

+ Pokemon

One word, Jejemon. LOL.

Ukiya Was Bored: Random Anime Stuff... Pinoy Style!

Due to my boredom, I decided to recollect lines, scenes and anything random that are too memorable in anime that aired here in the Philippines, let’s start this show with a bang with this opening… you can sing along if you want to, I know you will.

That theme song coming from Voltes V is one of the most memorable things coming from the show, and here are more:

+ Lines:
VOLLLTESSS FIVEEEEE-VUH!
ULTRAELCTROMAGNETIC TOP/WHIP!
LAAAASEEER SWOOORD!
+ The ending theme. Nuff. Said.

+ The sorta “Danger Theme”. I think this is familiar. "Teterenten.. tetetenten! Te! Te te te te te te!" Sorry, I can't find the music.

+ In Flame of Recca, I think the name Lorkan is familiar. If you don’t know him, you best remember him as the kid who owns a weapon in which can be transformed into a giant scissor, a knife thing and he scared the face of the guy who is too handsome to be scared. I mean seriously, who would name his son Lorkan?! And, and were did the guys behind the dubbing team of Flame of Recca get the name?!

+ Jeremiah of Ghost Fighter and his IBC and Sensui Arc voice. I mean, he I mean, she sounds like a dunk Chinese man!

+ Another one from Ghost Fighter, “Tapusin! Tapusin! Tapusin! (Lit. Trans. As Finish It! Finish It! Finish It!)” line from the crowd anyone?

That's all I can remember right now. XD

Nostalgia Trilogy 3 of 3: Anime Resurrection

RAYGUN!

*Starts playing Standing At Edge of The Earth* Back then, this song is used for a promo on GMA’s Anime Resurrection block… and back then, they are THE Anime Authority here in the Philippines. To be exact, this is the first AMV most young Pinoys back then watched. To those whom did not have the chance to see it, it is best describe as all the best bits of every anime in GMA combined into a 1-minute plug. The shows, scene in the commercial, if my memory serves me correctly are Ghost Fighter (Yu Yu Hakusho), DragonBall Z and Flame of Recca. The best part is, it is on the primetime lineup! Sweet.

Those where the days, but since my parents are watching the news in the opposite channel, I did not have the chance to watch these shows… on primetime! Except if my parents are not looking and doing something or the other station’s reception became fuzzy, that is the only time I watched those shows. I almost forgot, back then, GMA had a back-to-back Red Hero lineup before it evolved into Anime Resurrection, namely, after Lupin the 3^rd (In which Lupin, as usual, wears his red coat) is DragonBall Z (in which Goku wears a darker toned orange gi).

The only time I got the chance to watched anime on primetime is during Fridays, the titles aired during Fridays, on GMA are Pokemon followed by Fushigi Yuugi and on ABS-CBN, Digimon Adventure later on replaced by Digimon 02. Since I have the remote on Fridays, I watched both shows, namely, Pokemon and Digimon simultaneously. After I discovered about the seizure event that happened in Japan just because they watched Pokemon, I got scared and just watched Digimon.

In case you are wondering if back then there anime programs are aired in the afternoons, yes, there are programs aired during the afternoons! In GMA, they aired Gundam Franchise (To be exact, Wing, G and X) while in ABS-CBN, Evangelion and B’T X, that is why it created a certain mark back then that GMA has the right to air Gundam… till SEED and SEED Destiny aired on ABS-CBN years ago! Aside from that, I really love watching Mojako back then on GMA. That orange fur ball is entertaining! More than that, I loved watching the earlier episodes of Doraemon. Doraemon’s voice back then sounded like a reliable cat… not Son Goku of DragonBall stuck in a robot cat’s body.

As the years past by, the primetime anime lineup has been dissolved and moved in the afternoons. That is why, I had the chance to watch those programs aired in the afternoons. That is when I knew their stories and got hooked with them. The only show in the old primetime lineup that never aired in the afternoon slot was Trigun. The only episode I watched is when Vash and that guy in blue shoot themselves together and the blood that spurted out from their bodies was ketchup!

Back then, I was addicted to Voltes V (Voltes FIVVVE! VUH!), Daimos (ERRIKA!), DragonBall Z (KA… ME… HA… ME… WAVEEEEE! VUH!), Hunter X Hunter, Doraemon (Ang Mahiwagang, *Insert Name of Gadget Here*), Ghost Fighter (RAY GUN!), Flame of Recca (FLAME POWER!!!), and more titles. Back then, I memorized all Recca’s flame dragons (and still memorized them! Proof? Saiha, Nadare, Homura, Setsuna, Madoka, Rui, Kokou, and Obeshi) and tried doing the kanji on the air. In addition, Ohayou was my LSS back then (and still now!). Those shows mentioned above are the popular shows back then.

Since back then GMA is the Anime Authority, they aired many unknown titles like Flint (I am not sure if this is the official title), Gadget Boy Kanipan, Ah! My Goddess!, Witch Hunter Robin and even Hunter X Hunter OVA Greed Island, just to name a few. On the other stations, to be exact, IBC, they aired Crayon Shin-chan and Cyborg Kuro-chan in which celebrities dub the lead characters, namely Shin-chan and Kuro-chan and their theme songs are song by a rap group named Salbakuta! From the two, my favorite was Crayon Shin-chan. Elepante Boy, FTW! *Does his dance*

Since I am too focused on GMA (GMA hogged most of the known titles Filipinos know by the way), I will now tell you the other shows aired on ABC, the future Anime Authority better known as TV5.

ABC aired one of the most popular Magical Girl genre anime, the Sailor Moon franchise. I still remember Usagi, transforming as Sailor Moon and that little girl as Sailor Chibi Moon. Mamoru Chiba always acting like the dashing masked knight who will stole the scene at the end of some episodes which caused Usagi to blush. Those where the classics. Most of the shows aired on ABC back then are targeted for girls, to be exact, the other well know anime aired on ABC was Fancy Lala. The only shows that targeted back then for young boys that aired on ABC were Slam Dunk, dubbed in English and Yaiba.

Wondering what shows that aired on ABS-CBN every morning? Most of the shows they aired are anime shows that aired on Japan back in the 80’s or late 70’s like Cedie, anime adaptations of Secret Garden, A Little Princess and Daddy Long Legs. Cedie, is one of my favorites back then, I love how he plays his flute and the fact that he is the grandson of a duke. As for GMA, don’t ask the shows aired on GMA during the morning timeslot, they only aired Sesame Street, Batibot and Teletubbies.

Nerd Herd! My reading list for the past 3 weeks.

If you find the title weird, not my problem. Like what the title of this post suggest, this post is all about my reading list for the past 3 weeks. Withing those weeks, boredome consumed my spirit and I want to exorcise myself from it, thus reading is the answer. With no further adieu, here it is:

1. Going Solo

by Roald Dahl

Comment/s: First, this book is about Dahl's adventures as a World War II pilot. If you don't have a grandparent to ask about his/her expieriences during the war, or you live in Asia and you are interested in World War II events that happened in Europe, this book is for you. The problem is, if you are not in the mood for adventure, you might have chances in not finishing the book. I myself stopped at one chapter that is almost 4 chapters near the end of the book.

2. Otaku Zine Issues 37 &  38

Comment/s: Since I am an anime fan, I decided to try reading this mag, and boy, it pure anime goodness inside. Gah! Can't wait for issue 39!

3. K-Zone's Guide to Surviving A Bummer Summer

Comment/s: Ther only thing that I like in this book is the comics especially the Bakemono High Summer Special (Chuck's story is freaking funny!) and the Did You Know Trivia. All I can say is, I prefer the other special book issues of the mag.

4. Yu Yu Hakusho Vol. 1
by Yoshihiro Togashi

Comment/s: Arigatou gosaiiiimasu! Like the last lines of the opening theme of the anime, I feel thankful buying this volume half the price AND reading the chapters not included in the anime (In the anime adaptaion of the series, only Chapters 1-3 and 7 are part of the anime). Boy, I feel I am back in the 90's while reading it.

5. GateKeepers Vol. 1
by Hiroshi Yamaguchi (Writer) and Keiji Gotoh (Illustrator)

Comment/s: Asumo egaono tameni! The theme song of the show played in my head when I saw it half the price in Booksale. Being a fan of the show (My username in forums is the name of the lead character of the manga), I was excited reading it when I arrive home. After reading it, all I can say is... wah! Cliffhanger! I want more GK! Unlike the anime version, the manga version is shorter in terms of character introduction (In the manga, the entire AEGIS Far East staff is introduce after Shun beat the Invader), but the story, Reiji Kageyama's awesome evilness (insert evil laugh) and the chicks, give readers a great treat.

6. Matilda
by Roald Dahl

Comment/s: Another Dahl book in my reading list! The story is all about Matilda, a genius... yet her parents think she's a nitwitt and a troublemaker, which is the exact opposite of who she is. While reading the book, I was entertained with Matilda's wittyness and her powers... no wonder they made it into a film! Matilda is a story that will charm readers everywhere. To those parents who have read the book, probably this thought would pop-up in their minds, I wish I adopted Matilda.

7. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1: The Bad Beginning
by Lemony Snicket

Comment/s: After reading book 6 (The bookstore sold it half the price! And it's school edition papaerback!), I want more Baudelaire orphan action. To better understand the series, I decided to read the first book. After two days of absorbing all the mishaps, again, I. Want. More.

8. ABNKKBSNPLAko? (To those who don't understand it, here's the expanded title: Aba, Nakakabasa Na Pala Ako?)

by Bob Ong

Comment/s: The title literally means, "Wow, I know how to read". This book tells us about the author's expieriences in studying. From his years in Elementary till his arrival to vocational school and his teaching in high school. To sum it up, even the book is short (1oo+ pages), in every page, you'll learn life's biggest lessons... in a funny and entertaining way.

9. Doraemon Vols. 5 &  6

by Fujiko F. Fujio

Comment/s: (Plays Song of Doraemon in my head) being the fan of the show, I decided to buy to volumes of the manga in Booksale. Once I opened the book, I was surprised that the book is in Filipino. For the first time, I red a Filipino translated manga! The humor of the show is still there, and Nobita, as always is a klutz. He is useless without Doraemon. Sadly, in the last chapter of Volume 6, Doraemon left Nobita. Another cliffhanger.

10. K-Zone Philippines June 2009 Issue
Comment/s: Another mediocre issue. The Transformers feature is the only thing that interested me.