Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Aang, Magnifico and so much more.

Last Sunday, i managed to catch the last few minutes of Magnifico, starring Jiro Maño. I was able to watch it from the time he died up to his funeral. to my disbelief, tears started to well up in my eyes. I was surprised of course, but somehow Magnifico managed to tug that little string in my heart which is connected to my perceptions of death. As the movie went on, i asked questions to my sisters about the preceding events, on why Jiro's character was beloved by so many, on what he did in the movie and all that jazz.

somehow looking into his bright, lively little eyes (which are not so little anymore. binatilyo na e.) made me realize how much pain such untimely demise may cause to his immediate family. and fair enough, everyone was crying and sobbing. Magnifico made me realize one thing, death definitely is something anyone should not take for granted.

death is like a thief in the night. sometimes you know someone's coming, other times you're just caught off-guard. the untimeliness of death, and the concept of finiteness in life that it embodies makes me think. how would i be when someone really close to me dies?

the closest person whose death affected me was that of a neighbor of ours who was also someone who i played basketball with. our whole place was in disarray that fateful day. some aura of sadness which gripped our place and left suddenly without a trace. a lot of us still remember him, but somehow our place has managed to move on. but i don't know if his fiance and his sons have accepted that fact or not.

personally, i think i'm still not able to handle this concept of death. i'm older now, which means the old people are older too, and the young people then are not so young anymore. the thrill and exuberance of youth slowly ebbs away, and in the end, we all return to where we came. on an emotional and psychological level, death really takes a toll. the human spirit wavers whenever a kin passes away. also, the timing of death is something which should be taken into account. untimely ones are definitely hard to swallow, though some are ready to face their maker.

i had a dream some time ago, which brought me to some pristine beach. and all of my relatives and family members were still young and full of life. from my vantage point, i see myself as a little 2-year old boy, and then i realized i was looking at a moving picture of my father's family and our little outing when i was a little kid. then a voice called out to me, telling me that i should make the most out of the time, because one day all of them will disappear. i really cried in that dream. a nightmare i think. but somehow it instilled into me something which other people take for granted. the gift of life.

people should be thankful of the presence of others in their lives. it is they who comprise who and what you are now. we should all feel blessed.

...

i just finished watching Avatar: The Last Airbender. Aang and Company have managed to keep me awake till 3am for the past two days, and i thoroughly enjoyed watching their adventures. At last an American cartoon worth of my time. Not since the days of X-Men, Spiderman and Iron Man was i able to enjoy US made toons. I've been tracking Avatar for like, two years and was really planning to watch it from beginning to end, but i don't have trust in dvds which have a tendency to skip. thank goodness for the people at watchavatartv.com which made the episodes from Book 1 to the latest in Book 3 available. Avatar is like Full Metal Alchemist on steroids: less seriousness, more fight. But that doesn't make it a boring show. the plot and the mythos included in the series is a vast one to behold. i can't wait to see it come full circle.

if there's one thing Aang taught me while watching him and his companions kick the crud out of the opposition is that, there are many ways to hurt a person, yet there are many more ways to protect that person. Avatar is full of little gems in life which put it into perspective especially to those people who are confused (take note of Zuko, the fire prince) and to those who want to appreciate life, liberty and love a little bit more.

then there's the part where Aang kicks serious butt through the Avatar state. and there's the bender battles. really good stuff. haven't had this much fun since watching Eureka Seven which FINALLY has a movie coming up. please don't screw this up BONES animation. we love you.

p.s.
NARUTO: SHIPPUDEN SUCKS.
they're making a complete cash cow of it. with a length rivaling that of dragonball z and maybe even doraemon! WTF. i don't make out the rationality of creating a filler season when there's so much manga to cover.

p.p.s.
well, it's back to Sgt. Keroro then! time to laugh once more. :)



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