On the Verge of Lunacy

When Callum Lynch saw his mother die at the hands of his father, his life was never the same again. Years later, Lynch is in death row and scheduled to be executed, but he woke up a facility in Madrid, Spain where a woman who introduced herself as Sophia Rikkin told him they needed his past to find an end to violence. Lynch does not know anything about the conflict of the Assassins and the Templars. Aguilar de Nerha was an ancestor of Lynch believed to have been the last person to possess an Apple of Eden. He and other assassins were supposed to protect the Prince Ahmed of Granada from becoming a pawn by Tomas de Torquemada to force Sultan Muhammad XII to surrender the Apple. Callum Lynch wakes up at Abstergo after he was executed Lynch at the Abstergo facility in Spain Lynch's ancestor Aguilar de Nerha Aguilar trapped by Templars The movie is a great addition to the Assassin’s Creed lore. I think it was a good idea that they created a n...

Miyamizu Mitsuha from Itomori is bored with her life. When she wakes up one day, everyone around her was weird, claiming she was acting silly the previous day. Clueless as to what they meant, Mistuha didn’t think there was anything wrong with her.  Tachibana Taki from Tokyo woke up feeling strange. He was quite sure he was a girl. His suspicion was confirmed when everything that he did that day seemed unusual. He realizes that he must be another person placed in the wrong body. This suspicion was confirmed when they both realized their spirits were switched. Mitsuha’s classmates tell her she sometimes doesn’t seem to be herself. Now that she knows about the body swap, it all made sense. Meanwhile, Taki found  entries in his journal that he certainly didn’t write. Add to that their hazy memories of the events from yesterday. They don’t seem to remember the body switch. The only evidence are the notes. They left these messages on paper, their cell phones and by writing ...

Note: This is my extended review of the Heneral Luna film. This was originally part of my essay for an MA in Literature class which I also posted in this blog. I could not cover everything I needed to say about the film because the essay had a limit. Photos are screenshots from the film taken from various sources. Heneral Luna is a 2015 historical biopic film which covers the beginning of the second phase of the Philippine Revolution until Luna's assassination on June 5, 1899. Antonio Luna at this period in history was the Supreme Chief of the Army under the First Philippine Republic. The story is told from the point of view of the fictional character, the young journalist Joven Hernando, who is shown interviewing Luna at the start of the film. At the outset, Luna's position in the dirty politics of Emilio Aguinaldo's cabinet is clear. He proposed to attack the American forces while they are still weak. He opposed the idea of Felipe Buencamino and Pedro Patern...

Note: This is my final paper for Adv. Literary Theory and Criticism, one of my classes in MA in Literature.  October 2015. I'm posting this here as a backup in case I lose my copy and I need a guide in the future. Literature is the soul of a civilization. It is the collection of dreams, ideas and experiences of a people. It is what separates us from animals. It is an examination of our aspirations, happiness, fears and sadness, ideas and opinions. As a student of literature, I have learned that to get the most out of a poem, short story, novel, play or film, I must go beyond simple reading and observation. To do this however, I have to answer first the question "how do we fully appreciate a literary piece?" This essay is divided into four sections, namely; what is literature for me; the literary theories and criticism; Heneral Luna: a film review using the poststructuralist approach; and what makes a good literature? In the first part, I will recall my experiences a...

Set years after Assassin's Creed Revelations, Ezio Auditore lives in a countryside with Sofia Sartor and their children Flavia and Marcello. A retired assassin, he was alarmed to find a hooded figure talking to Flavia one day. It turns out the stranger, who introduced herself as Shao Jun, was looking for Ezio to ask him how to rebuild the assassin order in her country and how to help her people. Ezio at first refused but Sofia convinced Ezio to let her stay. Shao Jun (left) and Ezio Auditore Ezio and Sofia "... love of people, cultures, and the world... fight to preserve that which inspires hope and you will win back your people." This sad and beautiful 21 minutes and 22 seconds short animation film shows Ezio at the twilight of his life. Though dissatisfied and full of regrets, he is still a formidable fighter in the film even if he's slower than the hero in the three games. Ezio's fans will love this peek at Ezio's last moments (and...

Assassin's Creed Ascendance is a short animated film set after Assassin's Creed II and before Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. Ezio Auditore was informed that a new threat is growing in Roma. Pope Rodrigo Borgia's son, Cesare, is brewing up trouble to take control of all of Roma. In the next 13 minutes and 32 seconds, Ezio learns how his would-be nemesis rose to power. Ezio Auditore Cesare Borgia (middle) The picture story animation is reminiscent of the artistic style of the Renaissance. The music, voice acting, and scenery will all be familiar to the gamers. There are fewer action scenes than in Assassin's Creed Lineage and mostly just recollection of Cesare's deeds to get to where he is at the start of AC Brotherhood. The picture story might be new to the viewers but it's just as beautiful as the animation in the games. Voice Actors: Roger Craig Smith - Ezio Auditore Andreas Apergis - Cesare Borgia Carlos Ferro - Leonardo da V...

Set before events in Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed Lineage is narrated from Giovanni Auditore's point of view. Working as an assassin for Lorenzo de' Medici, Giovanni, stumbled onto some conspiracy to bring the Medicis down after the assassination of the Duke of Milano. The loss of the duke meant also a thinning of Lorenzo's allies and a threat to Florence's power. Giovanni has to discover who is behind the conspiracy. Giovanni Auditore From left: Giovanni, Uberto Alberti, and Lorenzo de' Medici Rodrigo Borgia AC Lineage shows the familiar wall climbs and roof runs that fans of the franchise enjoy. It also features characters who will be important in AC II. The fight scenes are awesome and the scenery beautiful. The three-episode short film shows the places Ezio Auditore will later explore in AC II and the possible reason why Giovanni and two of his sons were executed in game. Cast: Romano Orzari - Giovanni Auditore Ma...

The Seigaku tennis club regulars visit England to represent Japan in a tournament. Everything was going well until a series of attacks on other players force them and the other Japanese representatives to confront the perpetrators. Rumor has it that the attacks were orchestrated by a group of banned players. Ling Xiu, a former member, warns the other players to stay away from Keith and his gang.  Ryoma decides he needs to test this Keith in a tennis court. He is joined by Tezuka, Fuji, Atobe, Shiraishi, Kite, Sanada, and Kirihara. This 10th anniversary movie of Prince of Tennis is full of humor and action. With strong opponents as challengers, you'd expect nothing less than explosive tennis matches. Some might not like the lineup of Ryoma's supporting cast but keep in mind that this is a movie made for fans. I don't recommend this to viewers who haven't watched the series. The characters, humor, and exaggerated plays would not make sense at all. As for the ...

Chihiro and her parents were on their way to their new home. Reluctant to leave old friends behind, Chihiro wasn't as excited as her parents and was indifferent to the new sights. When her father took a wrong turn and ended up near a tunnel entrance, he urged the family to explore further probably both out of curiosity and to cheer up Chihiro. At the end of the tunnel was a theme park. Chihiro finds herself all alone when her parents were turned into pigs after they ate food from an enchanted stall. It turns out that the theme park was used by spirits for amusement at night. Luckily, she finds help in a boy named Haku who told her she has to work in a bathhouse and seek the witch Yubaba. Chihiro's misfortune became an adventure where she met new friends and some difficulties along the way as well. Some things came into mind while watching Spirited Away. Chihiro's blossoming into a confident and brave girl, qualities she already possessed at the outset, reminded me o...

  Beat Mizorogi, a jolly high school student with an infectious smile, inspires his new classmates by organizing a fashion show in what would be the school's last festival. Besides helping his new friends Mei, Wanda, Miki, and Anna he was able to inspire his father and rekindle the love for fashion designing. Not everything about Beat's life however was all glam and smiles. His determination to complete the fashion show and to pursue his dreams of becoming a designer are tested when he learns of his girlfriend's condition and when his designs are copied by a clothing company.      RunWay Beat is a story of courage, friendship, and determination to pursue whatever it is that makes one happy. There is a bit of romance but it is not explored in the movie. The main characters are typical high school students but Beat's positive nature makes their friendship interesting. Beat is friendly, optimistic, and positive about everything yet he is tempered by experienc...

A former member of the assassin group Dark Stone finds her peaceful married life in danger of being taken away from her when the group finally discovers her whereabouts. Drizzle, whose new name is Zeng Jing, not only has to fight for her husband's, Jiang Ah-sheng, safety but has to take up the sword one last time to confront her past and sever her connections with the group. Dark Stone is looking for the remains of a Buddhist monk believed to make its possessor the most skillful in martial arts. At the beginning of the movie, Dark Stone members managed to get hold of one half of the remains by slaying Minister Zhang and his family. However Drizzle ran away with the remains and was pursued since then by the other members. When she is finally located by Dark Stone, Drizzle agrees to help Cao Feng, the gang's leader, to get the other half of the remains from another group and to restore the other in her possession in exchange for her freedom and her husband's safety....

Thirteen warriors risk their lives and honor in an attempt to assassinate Matsudaira Naritsugu and his men on their way home. Naritsugu is a brother of the current Shogun and is unpunished for his crimes. He is notorious for killing and raping several people. No one can touch him however and he is surrounded by skilled bodyguards who are loyal to him despite his eccentric and sadistic way of doing things. Doi Toshitsura, a government official, has to act before Naritsugu gains more political power and bring chaos to the land. He hires Shinzaemon to do the task for him. The first half of the movie focused on the preparations made and the acquisition of skilled samurai who would join their group. They decided to barricade a town because it was the only way to block the progress of Naritsugu's entourage. The group seemed confident that they had an advantage but they learned that instead of seventy, 200 men now escort Naritsugu. This movie is not for the faint-hearted. T...

This beautiful tale of loyalty and friendship will surely make dog lovers cry. It is a remake of the Japanese film Hachiko Monogatari about an Akita named Hachiko who found love and friendship with a music professor named Parker Wilson. Parker tried to find the owners of the puppy who he found wandering in the train station and he even offered it to other people. But no one claimed Hachi. Even then he was becoming more attached to the dog. His wife was reluctant at first but she soon accepted the loving Hachi into the family as well. For the next two years, Hachi grew more attached to Parker. He would often accompany the professor to the train station every morning and then wait for him to come home. It became their habit to meet outside the station. Hachi would wait for his master on the same spot. Some people near the train station noticed this too. Then one day, his master never came back. Hachi did not know that Parker has passed away. Parker's daughter decided to take...

The Prince of Tennis live-action film is a shorter version of the anime, which combines some of Ryoma Echizen's rivals into one character, Egate Mcleod Higaki. He also replaced a member of Hyotei, Hiyoshi Wakashi. The first part of the film shows his introduction to the Seigaku tennis club regulars. Ryoma here is undecisive and he doesn't seem happy to be playing tennis with his seniors. If there was a hint of this in the anime, it's more obvious here. He seems to have little motivation in playing against other schools. His match with Tezuka Kunimitsu however somewhat changed his perception of the junior high school players. But that alone wasn't enough to convince him to stay and help Seigaku get to the Nationals. From left: Kaidoh, Momo, Eiji, Tezuka, Ryoma, Oishi, Fuji, Taka-san and Inui But when Higaki visited the tennis club to taunt Tezuka and the other members, Ryoma changed his mind. The match against Hyotei followed the same events in the ser...