Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno/The Legend Ends is coming to the Philippines!!

The much anticipated sequel to the surprise local blockbuster hit; Rurouni Kenshin, is now confirmed to be coming to the Philippines!! As announced on Warner Bros Philippines' Facebook fanpage, the 2 feature film sequels will be coming to the Philippines this year:

The first of the sequels; Rurouni Kenshin - Kyoto Inferno, arrives on local theaters on August 20th. While its follow-up; Rurouni Kenshin - The Legend Ends, arrives almost a month later on September 24th.

To check out their awesomely fan-enticing latest trailer, click here.

To check out their insanely spot-on cast, click here.

Personally, I find the announcement quite surprising to say the least. As a few years ago, the first Rurouni Kenshin film was NOT brought to the Philippines by Warner Bros (who we all expected to do so considering they were the ones who produced the film in the first place), but by Movie Punch (aka Pioneer Films) and by SM Cinemas. I suppose the backlash of their action, seeing how the first Rurouni Kenshin film practically sold out in every SM Cinemas on the day of its release, and the local fan reception of the film, stung them and thus they probably didn't want to make the same mistake with the sequel.

Quite frankly, I'm happy to know that the sequel will find its way to our shores and I cannot wait to watch it on the big screen with friends! :D

Gundam Unicorn Episode 7 Philippine Screening + GMKC 2014 = My Epic Gundam Birthday!!

May 18th, 2014 marked the day I finally become 31. I don't really FEEL any different, only that I bear some life lessons that shaped my life for the better. :D This comic more or less captures what I feel "getting older"

My feelings about "adulthood"

However, little did I know, that this day would shape up to be THE best birthday celebration I've ever had in my life. :D

As you guys can imagine (if you managed to see most of my blogposts) I'm a HUGE fan of Gundams. As my significant other mentioned, I'm in a "Gundam High" this year. So imagine my delight and excitement, upon Gundam Philippines' announcement that the seventh and final episode of Gundam Unicorn will be shown here on SM North Cinema 10... on MY BIRTHDAY. :D

My face lit up like this upon learning of the awesome news

And thanks to my Gundam Model Kit Competition entry, I got to score 2 tickets for the screening of Gundam Unicorn for me and my significant other. You can read more about it via this blogpost. 

Having the screening of Gundam Unicorn's final episode set on my birthday was pretty much awesome already, however, the awesomeness of my birthday didn't just stop there. One of my good friends; Mr. Kenneth Guevarra of SenZaru Multimedia, gave me an early birthday present...

Thank you so much Kenet!! :D 

He drew a chibi-fied version of me (and my cat Tigger) with a Gundam head (which happens to be the Build Strike Gundam of Gundam Build Fighters) and it looked AMAZING!! :D I was lovin all the little details (like the Sub-Zero shirt), and my love for videogames (3DS in hand). I was more than surprised and thankful upon receiving such an amazing artwork from my friend, and added more to the awesomeness of what will become a Gundam-themed birthday celebration. :D

So on May 18th, me and my date went to SM North early, to avoid the long line (and hopefully score some nice seats). However, as soon as the mall opened, to our surprise, the line for Gundam Unicorn's movie screening was already INSANELY LONG. Alot of fans were really excited to watch the film, like us, and so we had to wait out abit before we were let in.

Thankfully, we weren't too far off the line, hence we immediately went in and luckily we got to score some really great lazy-boy seats in front, and I LOVED IT!! :D

As soon as the movie started, the room erupted in applause and happy cheers from the crowd. The entire place was filled with so much gundam love, that it made watching the final episode on the big screen more worth it. :D The feeling reminded me of the first time I watched Rurouni Kenshin being screened here in the Philippines, where tons of fans are having such a great time, it was AMAZING! :D It was definitely an experience.

I can almost imagine everyone in the cinema
reacting this way, after watching epic moments in the film.

Without spoiling too much, I can say that the film was a completely satisfying conclusion to the Gundam Unicorn saga. It had alot of highs and some lows, with lots of emotional moments that made many fans weep (including me and my date) inside the theater.

To my surprise, my date had a blast watching the film, despite the fact she wasn't able to finish the first 6 episodes of the series (she only got to episode 3). And after watching episode 7, she was definitely a fan of the series that she wished she could've had money to buy herself an HG Gundam Unicorn or Banshee kit. :D To view more of her take of the event, you can visit her blogpost.

After the event, me and my date went straight to the Gundam Model Kit Competition (GMKC 2014 for short), and IT WAS SIMPLY GUNDAM HEAVEN.

And as seen on my previous blogpost, I showed my date the towering Gundam Banshee statue that was on display that day.

Obviously, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to have herself taken a picture with the statue. Infact, she wants to freakin hug the thing if not of the sign that tells her otherwise. XD

There were alot of people; both new and old fans alike, crowing the event. Because aside from the awesome gundam model kits that are on display, they also had a HUGE SALE on gundam model kits!!

Parents, kids, and kids-at-heart, all enjoying the awesome sale.

Number of people in the event area is insane!!

She REALLY wanted to get this kit. :D

Would love to add this to my collection one day. :D

Speaking of sales... remember on my previous blogpost where there was this one gundam model kit I was praying for, that it would still be available and on sale when I get back on May 18th? Well on my birthday, my prayers were answered!! :D

I was super worried I would never be able to buy this kit, due to the sale. Considering this was priced at Php7,000 and then they lowered the price down to Php3,500 (more cheaper than the ones sold on Greenhills), it was a pretty sweet deal IMHO. And yes, I'm very giddy and happy as a kid as soon as I bought the kit. BEST. BIRTHDAY GIFT. EVAR!! :D

However, that's not all. Upon purchasing the mega size model kit, I was given a free special edition Hobby Japan magazine. I didn't think about the magazine too much at first, however, as soon as I got home and opened the magazine I was surprised to see it in FULL ENGLISH!! :D

Kudos to Bandai, Toy Kingdom and Bankee trading for this wonderful freebie!! :D I hope this is a start of Bandai's improvement in terms of making an impact globally, as I would LOVE to see the day where Gundam model kits being distributed here in the Philippines are in full english, from the box to the manuals!! I highly encourage Bandai to do so. :D

As for the GMKC 2014 event itself, where I actually joined as a New Challenger in the Open Category, unfortunately I didn't win (there were simply alot of tough competitors). It was all good though as we got to meet after the event the head of Bankee Trading, Mr. Rodel (the official distributors of Gundam model kits in the Philippines) and the representative of Bandai from Japan, Mr. Oyama.

Thank you so much guys for having such an awesome event here in the Philippines!! We hope this is a start of more great things for local gundam fans. :D Overall, my birthday ended on a very epic note, as the next day, I got my cake... or make that CAKES.

THREE FREAKIN CAKES!! :D What an epic way to cap off my 31st birthday!! :D It's been an amazing experience for me, and I'm very thankful of how my birthday turned out this year. :D Looking forward to next year!! :D

I just joined the Gundam Model Kit Competition 2014!!

Remember the RG Destiny Gundam that I was working on previously? Well as I mentioned in a previous post, I bought the RG kit to join a Gundam Model Kit Competition here in the Philippines.

Considering it was my first time, I'm both excited and abit nervous at the same time. It's definitely an experience for me. :D So here's the completed build of my RG Destiny Gundam (now complete with decals and top coating). Kindly forgive the quality as I was using my celfone's camera to get the pics.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how the decal turned out, however what I'm NOT happy about is how my topcoat turned out. In the pictures it looks okay, but when I touch the kit, it feels... rough and abit flaky. And upon further research, I realized I should've used an ACRYLIC based topcoat instead of a LACQUER based topcoat. Apparently, lacquer based topcoat isn't good to spray on unpainted kits (like mine) as it leaves a rough flaky surface. Big mistake on my part. That and I should've gone with Bosny to which tons of local gunpla fans swear by. Next time I'm getting a Bosny Acrylic based topcoat. Hopefully there's a clear variant that's gloss or semi gloss as I'm not fond of flat coats.

So I went ahead to SM North where the competition is being held, and man... that place was like Gundam heaven!!

They had tons of gunpla on display even, made by alot of professional gunpla builders in the country. And quite frankly I'm amazed with the stuff they put out!!

Not only that, but the event also featured a Gundam Caravan, where old and new gunpla builders get a free Gundam kit (this time is the awesome Gundam AGE-1 Normal, unlike the Genoace), and it looked like alot of people joined in, both young and old.

And damn, they even went all out with some notable gundam model kits on sale!! Some even getting as high as a 50% price cut!! :D

If I had the budget for it, I would've purchased that sweet Gundam AGE-1 Normal Mega-Size gunpla. At Php3,500, its a very sweet price for such a ridiculously huge gunpla. I'm prayin and crossing my fingers that it is still available when I get back on May 18th. :P

That aside, SM Toy Kingdom and Bandai, also used the event to heavily promote the upcoming Philippine screening of Gundam Unicorn's final episode on the big screen. On the event are some wonderfully looking model kits, limited edition gunpla releases for Gundam Unicorn, trailers, and more.

That aside, another wonderful surprise I got that day was I got me 2 free tickets for the screening of the last episode of Gundam Unicorn, because I was a contestant for the Gundam Model Kit Competition! :D I thought I had to purchase a gunpla kit worth Php400 or more for me to be entitled to get a movie ticket (as it states on the rules and flyers for this promo), but I guess I got really lucky!

Thank you Bandai and SM Toy Kingdom!! Can't wait to watch this on the 18th!! :D Anyway, without further ado, here's my RG Destiny Gundam entry on the Gundam Model Kit Competition!! :D

Had a hard time finding a nice pose, but I settled with something that's more stable so to speak. However, after going back to the event after an hour having dinner, the arms holding the rifle was already dropping, that I had to change his pose.

I had to settle with that pose, just to keep the pose in. Oh well, I hope its good enough. :P Anyway, to cap the day off, I took pictures of the 2 huge gunplas on display at the event. Theya re roughly 5-6 feet tall, and is a marvel to behold:

Overall, I had such an amazing time that day, and I can't wait to go back. Thanks SM and Bandai for bringing much love to gundam fans here in the Philippines!! Here's to more events like this in the future!! :D