Trese (Graphic Novel) Review

Trese is a graphic novel about a young woman who hunts monsters from Philippine folklore in Metro Manila. The story was written by Budjette Tan and the art was done by Kajo Baldisimo. The collector's edition I have, Book of Murders, compiles the first thirteen episodes of the award-winning franchise.

To be accurate, Trese, the titular character, does not actually "hunt" monsters for its own sake. She's more of a detective  who solves murders that involve supernatural elements that the regular police cannot handle. The comic reads more like a police/detective story with each episode being a separate case for Trese to solve. All episodes involve some kind of creature from Philippine myth.

Minor spoilers ahead!

The Trap of Philippine Folklore

If I may go a bit off tangent here; I'd like to talk about Philippine folklore and the problem of its overuse in Philippine stories and graphic novels. Now, I'm not bashing Trese just yet and this is only my opinion but if the reader will indulge me, I believe getting this out in the open will help get my point across better regarding how I feel about this book.

The point I'm trying to make is that Trese, as a concept, is not unique. I've read and observed many local works of the same nature and have concluded that most of them suffer from the overuse of the  usual mythical monsters like Aswang, Tikbalangs, Manananggals, Duwendes, Kapres and the like. Look, I get it. We're Filipinos and this is "our thing". Am I supposed to be tickled by the appearance of these creatures as some kind of cultural in-joke? Well, maybe the first time. But now that they're so common and dare I say, "commercialized", it's a little too easy and almost lazy to just jam them in there for the cool factor. It must be taken a step further. See, it's not the appearance of these monsters that's impressive but what you do with them and this is a point to Trese's favor.

What I liked about Trese the most was how it set out to "modernize" the old concept of the Philippine monsters. Let me cite an example: In the second story, "Rules of the Race" Trese has to catch this anonymous illegal street car racer whose racing people to their deaths. She challenges the mystery racer and with the aid of wind spirits, she beats him. He gets angry and reveals his true nature. Long story short, the racer was a Tikbalang who, being a young colt, was a speed demon who enjoyed running faster than even the fastest cars in the illegal circuit.

Oh, yeah!

This I like. It's a Tikbalang but one as I've never seen before. It's a Tikbalang who tried to sate his restless primal urges by becoming a fucking street car and racing people who also have a similar need for speed. It's clever, creative and modern. It's the spin the story puts that make it more interesting than showing a more traditional interpretation of a Tikbalang or worse, a Tikbalang contributing nothing at all to the story. This is one of the things I like about Trese. It has it's own take on the myths and doesn't make excuses. It turns into a car. Deal with it.

The Story

I've already given a bit of spoiler with the Tikbalang story and I don't want to reveal too much anymore. All I can say is that the stories on each episode add their own twists to the other common creatures of Philippine folklore. The stories themselves are well written. It helps that the setting is in the Metro Manila, the farthest you can get from the forest and mountain wilderness these creatures normally inhabit. It's amusing to see how the creatures adapt to the world of man. There's an opportunity for a bit of social commentary too which was played around with. There's a story about gated communities and abortion but it doesn't get too deep into it. I wish it did but it's probably for the best it didn't. It's more about Trese and the monsters and not politics.

Trese also isn't afraid to pull from the pool of the more modern myths so it expands on Philippine mythology in it's own way. There's  an episode inspired by Darna, the Philippine super-heroine, who was created in 1947. It's nice that it moves forward. It fits it's overall feel of modernity.

One thing I don't like about the story though, is how it sometimes seems a little too convenient for Trese. The nice thing about making up your own "new" world is that you can rewrite the rules. It's easy to make the mistake of just pulling a solution to a problem out of thin air. It seems, at times, that all Trese needs to do to solve a problem is to ask a favor from some entity. Now, I don't know if that's an intentional commentary on the Philippine's style of patronage politics (scratch my back, I yours) or what, but it just gives the impression that the solution comes from out of nowhere. She also uses methods that I'm not familiar with but have to accept anyway. If that's the case, then people who aren't very familiar with the folklore will have to blindly accept, which isn't necessarily a bad thing by the way. I doubt someone like an American will get this book but that doesn't necessarily mean he can't enjoy it. Frankly, I like it more when Trese uses more of her own wits to solve her problems or relies instead on the physicality of her two mysterious guardians.

It's a very minor gripe and only involves a few of the stories. But then again, if it is to insist on it's own interpretation of things then so be it.

The Art

Well, what can I say? I'm not an artist so most of this is just how I see it. The art serves its purpose in telling the story. I never paid much attention to it so I wonder if what I'm about to say is necessarily bad or good.

I'm not really a big fan of this kind of "style" of drawing. For lack of better words, it looks "smudgy" to me. The whites, grays and blacks look bland at times. If there's on really negative thing I can say about it is that some parts of the book lack detail and I don't know if I should blame the artist or the lack of colors. Take this page for example:

It looks bland to me. It get's the job done but it isn't particularly pretty to look at. The bookcase just disappears into nothing and they hug in nowhere. Again, I'm no expert and I'm willing to blame this more on tight schedules or the lack of color preventing details from being put in. What I'm trying to say is that a lot more could have been done to make it eye-catching.

Shades of Grey

Obviously, you can't say this for every page. Some pages are better than others. It is what it is. It's not distracting at least and I understand going full color may have been cost-prohibitive or something. "It get's the job done." That's all.

Conclusion

Trese is a good read and I found it pretty entertaining. It's clever though sometimes a bit too clever for it's own good. The twists in the stories are well done though any disagreements with the folklore and fantastical elements will just have to be accepted. The additional notes in the collector's edition, Book of Murders, fills some of the gaps readers may not be familiar with.

The art swings between bland and good. It's OK but sadly, that's about it.

Overall, I recommend this book to any interested reader, Filipino or otherwise. The modern twists, better written stories and risk-taking makes this work a cut above the rest of its competition.

Godzilla (2014) Review

It's hard to write about this movie without giving out major spoilers. I liked this movie so I don't want to spoil it for people. 

Let's get something straight first: Why do people want to watch Godzilla? They want to see the giant monster of course! However, modern movie audiences are so much different from the old audiences of the old Godzilla movies. You show a kid an old Godzilla movie and I doubt he can appreciate the special effects in their context or the work put in to make it look good. Special effects have advanced considerably and the possibilities of computer-generated imagery are limitless. That's a problem. 

Modern movies are already so saturated with CGI effects that it can get old real fast. The amount of destruction we see in a typical Transformers movie is already a lot if you think about it. The average person has probably seen so much simulated destruction of cities already that it isn't impressive. It doesn't make as go, "Woah..." OK, maybe the first few minutes are amazing but if you get fed the same slop for an extended period of time, you get sick of it.

So the problem then, for this Godzilla movie, is that people want to see the monster but if you overexpose the monster, it won't be as awesome anymore. I sincerely doubt movie audiences can really stomach an "old school" Godzilla movie where choppers just follow Godzilla around for two whole hours non-stop while scientists and poorly dubbed Japanese people talk about how important everything is.

So the problem then is to prevent overexposure of the monster. The solution is to slowly build up the monster (to make us want to see it even more) while adding a human drama element to keep the audience attached in the meantime and place themselves into the movie. If you'll notice, the trailers themselves don't even reveal much of the plot or the monster. So everything has to be rationed and doled out efficiently and effectively. The movie succeeds in this in my opinion.

The Human Drama Element

First of all, it wasn't stupid or insulting to the intelligence so that's a major plus. Bryan Cranston does an incredible job acting and pretty much carries the movie all by himself for the crucial first part of the show. The lead, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is alright enough. I didn't mind him. I like Ken Watanabe because he's Ken Watanabe. Let me just sum it up by saying that there were no major problems as far as the acting talent is concerned. Nothing was stupid or made you roll your eyes. There was nobody named, "Niko Tatopolous" or shit like that. There is no lameness or attempts to be tongue-in-cheek here.

As to the plot of the human drama, it's not that strong. It's standard stuff; military has a plan, they don't listen to the scientist, the hero is separated from his wife, raised stakes, etc. Not that there's anything wrong with that. You can't have the human story get too convoluted lest we forget about the three hundred fifty foot monster, you know?

The Monster

Oh man. OK, let me just say this: People complain about not seeing enough of the monster. Again, I doubt the audiences today can stomach two hours of watching Godzilla walk to some place to do some thing. You build it up, it appears, it does its thing and then it leaves. The film cuts back to the humans a lot and that's supposed to tease you. I totally understand if people have no patience for these games but personally, I can appreciate why they did it. You gotta have them begging on their knees for more. You gotta work em' good for that big payoff.

Do we get it though? Yeah, don't worry. The end is satisfying. You see just enough. You don't see too much where it gets too over the top ridiculous and clashes with the straight and serious tone of the movie.  It's not too little either where you feel you were outright cheated out of your money.

That's pretty much all I can say about this movie. It's enough. Not too much, not too little. It hits it just right. I thought it was good and I recommend it.

So thumbs up, eh?

Squarepusher - Beep Street

The The List

Panfilo Lacson came out... er, I mean, produced a list containing the names of individuals allegedly involved in the Pork Barrel Scam. If this is some sort of bombshell, I'm not impressed. 

What is the point of all this, do we still remember? Oh yeah, justice. Now, if any red-blooded Filipino is reading this, I want you to ask yourself this question and try to answer it truthfully as best as you can: "Who do you trust?" Who among the talking heads on the TV screen can you truly say has the interest of justice at heart and not looking to protect his own ass or advance his own interests?

If you answered, "Pnoy", then I truly envy your blissful state of mind. You'd make a fine contestant on any stupid noontime show.

I'm asking for a person who is serving justice, not himself. Can't think of any? I don't blame you. It is no longer surprising when a man in power chooses to serve himself  rather than a cause so noble. In fact, we've come to expect no better. The truth of the matter is that there is nobody left to trust. They say testimony is the weakest form of evidence but it is not so only because people lie but also because people distort the truth and twist it to suit their own ends.

How do we know this list is the absolute truth? How do we know it wasn't altered to protect the few and damn the many? How does this list compare with De Lima's list? How about Sandra Cam's list? How do we know those lists are the correct ones? Where's the truth in all of this?

That would depend if you trust the list makers and that's even harder to do. There is nobody left to trust because we know everyone is out to serve themselves or their sugar daddies. Nobody cares about the truth or about justice. Isn't it telling that the list was sent to the Blue Ribbon Committee, the most inconsequential investigative body in this whole charade, and then to the vultures in the media? It tells me they're not serious. None of this is serious. They want to keep this political because in the world of politics, truth dies. It's all about image and manipulation, illusions and storytelling. There are no consequences or final judgements.

You know what, I think for the first time, I feel genuinely hurt. I'm no longer trying to be funny but I'm being honest. I play the cynic and pretend all of this is beneath me but for some reason, not this time. They are all liars and I see no good end to any of this. A country "run like hell" alright.

From the outside, I look from pig to man and from man to pig but cannot say which is which.

The List

There's a lot of noise from the usual "activists" and the social media twitterati calling for the disclosure of a list containing the names of people who have dealt with Janet Lim Napoles in the Pork Barrel Scam.

I don't really care much anymore. I'm not sure if it is even proper to demand the list. It's not a public document or an official record of sorts. If it's a piece of evidence for a courtroom then there's going to be a long wait but oops, I forgot; actual courts of Law are too boring compared to the court of public opinion.

You ever notice that people exhibit a deep distrust of government and yet, at the same time, give that same government more power to "fix" their problems? In a sane world, we would leave the Pork Barrel Scam to the justice system. But oh my God! How slow and cumbersome our legal system is right? How corrupt and incompetent our officials are right? Why, we can't trust it! We gotta have our own Blue Ribbon Committee in the Senate to do something about it! Oh, wait! That kinda sucks too and won't actually accomplish anything... Let's just rally in the streets and post selfies about it on Facebook, that will work for sure!

See my point? There's a deep dysfunction in our whole system. That's obvious to anyone paying attention. No wonder people become apathetic and cynical. Can't say I blame them. Nothing is working right. Even a revolution doesn't work it seems.

Nothing. Is. Working.

Sextortion

This was inevitable. The societal cancer that are cybersex rackets have metastasized into so-called "sextortion" rackets. Foreigners getting off on Filipinas and children now find themselves victims of blackmail as syndicates threaten to reveal their sex acts if they don't pay a bribe. Philippine society is a predatory society with the strong exploiting the weak but now it seems the predators have become the prey. It's a jungle out there.

While not exclusively a Philippine problem given the reach of the Internet transcends borders, it is troubling that this dirty business is growing. This is what happens when law enforcement is either too ill-equipped or incompetent to deal with cyber crimes. While laws are in place, it is difficult to implement. Even a small house in the outskirts of Cebu City with enough Internet connection can become a haven for the wholesale exploitation of humanity without anyone noticing. Security versus privacy... the fight that never ends.

So what can be done? Not much. You can be an optimist and believe it's a fight we can win with the help of Interpol picking up the slack of the local police. You can be a pessimist and believe exploitation is always going to get worse until it outruns our police capabilities. It's a societal problem to be sure. Why, if people were angels, none of this would exist. 

Dog eat dog.

Your Prize? Cheesecake!

Triss And Her Pussycat

I've been on an RPG game binge lately and I just completed The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. What you see above you is a "romance card". In The Witcher, whenever you have sex with a female NPC, you get one. Each card depicts the NPC in a naughty pose; most of which are in the nude (the one above is one of the tamer ones). They're pretty much souvenirs of your character's sexual conquests.

Why mention this? Well, if one is to discuss The Witcher video game, the subject of the "romance cards" will inevitably come up. Some people find it crass and childish while while others enjoy it for its unapologetic fanservice. 

I can see why many find it misogynistic. You know, the whole "reducing women to sex objects" thing. Well, thank God then that I'm able to remember that The Witcher is just a video game. You know, feminists whining about misogyny in video games annoy me. If a game is misogynistic, so what? It's a work of fiction. Have a little faith that people have enough intelligence to determine that the 3D characters on their monitor aren't real people much less things to actually emulate. It's a bit of a stretch to think people who play a game like The Witcher will then suddenly want to kill monsters and have sex with elves. Save the feminism for matters of public policy and out of my games. I finished the game and I didn't turn into a chauvinist pig overnight. 

I'm still just a regular pig.

Dare To Be Different

One thing I'll never understand about Americans is their obsession over the issue of race. Of course, I have my own opinions but I'm just curious as to why the Americans cannot seem to get over it or look past it.

Granted, racism still exists. But people being racist is one thing, racism as a national institution is quite another. As far as I can tell, institutionalized racism against classes of people is nonexistent. Yet, when it comes to American civil society, it seems to be a cycle of never ending outrage. I'm sure you already heard about that NBA team owner because of course you have.

I'm no American. I don't even live there and all this is coming from the stuff I read which is secondhand so take my words with a grain of salt... or disregard them entirely; that's fine too.

Ever heard of the Social Identity theory? It's a theory suggesting that people identify themselves according to the groups they belong to. A Japanese person identifies himself as Japanese because he's from Japan. Simple, yeah? But Japan is a very homogeneous country. What about countries that are diverse?

Indeed, countries with mixed ethnic groups tend to have a lot of problems. In the Philippines, Muslim separatist groups fight because they do not identify themselves as "Filipinos" as strongly as they do the "Bangsamoro" idea or identity. It's often divisions on cultural, religios and racial lines. The theory of the "American Melting Pot" is that people of different races, creeds or backgrounds can come together and make America great. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts as it were. The American experiment is intriguing. Can common ideals unite everyone or will American society continue to experience friction until it breaks down? Again, grain of salt. I don't know everything but its fun to watch.

I have my own theory; America has finally morphed into a big reality show.