Reinvigorating Cultures

 

"To See You Again" sung by Ebe Dancel

            I come from the Philippines, we have the ancient tradition of the Harana or serenade, a dying artform in light of the great westernization and technological evolution that is griping the entire world. Despite all this, a part of me believes and knows that music can never be a dying art form in this world; it is merely an unused one. We listen to our favorite musicians and songs day in and day out. We hear them on the radio and expect to hear our favorite melodies. But where is the substance, the live expression in society that music is supposed to create?

            Who is the author of music, of sound, except the one who created the universe? If God created man to have ears and voices of which to sing, then God intended music to be alive, to be an expression of man’s soul. Have you ever asked yourself, why in stories, there is always singing in heaven? The highest seraphim themselves continually sing their praises to God. Once upon a time in many countries, song was used to court and yes, it didn’t always work for the one doing the courting, but it was a beautiful form of expression nonetheless. Now, the Harana itself in Philippine culture is almost completely dead. Long gone are the days when men would sing to try and win the hearts of their beloved and vice versa.

            It is almost completely dead except for the few Filipino masters of this lost art form who keep the tradition alive, masters such as Florate Aguilar and Celestino Aniel from the documentary, “Harana.” In a way, that effort to keep the “Harana” alive even as a musical artifact has re-ignited my own vision of music in the realm of the romantic. The night I envisioned this website, I realized that the “Harana” could live again, by injecting it into the mainstream culture, and into the land cyberspace and media. Besides, practiced art forms are merely reflections of the practices a culture possesses, or a part of its soul. To not see the beauty and utility of a God given gift is to be blind and apathetic to the ideal that God has asked each and every one of us to strive for.

            That brings me to the next point. “Thy Kingdom come, they Will be done, on earth as it is done in Heaven.” If there singing in heaven, then one day, there must be singing on earth, whether it is to God or to one’s beloved, music should never be seen as corny or out of date. We sing at Church do we not? Many of us sing like robots or have learned to sing like robots. And our children sing as robots as well because that is what the culture turns them into, turns us into, not saints, because the greatest utility of a saint is to live love, to show love, to sing love. To express love in suffering, or joy, in gladness, or hardship is the path of love if it performed as such for the love of God. To take a love ballad and offer it up to God, where has that gone? It has been relegated to rote and repetitive practice. And as long as things are that way, the Victory of God in the human soul will never be complete as long as we never learn how to sing.

             We must take the old tradition of the serenade and reinvigorate it and raise it to new life and a higher standard. Gone are the old lyrical styles and standards that those forms of music utilized. But life is such is it not. We have songs so beautiful and amazing that people in the past have never heard. We have technology and advancements today that those before us never were able to experience. God has revealed numerous secrets to his people that are yet to be revealed to many for the benefit of bringing his people even closer to him. If so many advancements are being made in all areas, then the art form of music must be advanced as well. It must be brought back. We must utilize this dying art into what God intended it to be used for, in order to create beauty in the human soul, an entire universe and kingdom unto itself. We do this now, by teaching. That is how I envision this, our future, so let us make it a good one. God bless.

To Follow Christ

            We have forgotten how to follow Christ, that is why many seem to be losing the battle against evil in the world. Christ said “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to the mountain, move and it would obey you.” One night, I was watching the last remaining scenes to “Ben Hur” and it made me remember. It made me remember exactly what I had forgotten. I had forgotten how to love Christ. What do I mean by this? When I was younger, I remember having so much more strength, and grace from God than I do today. It wasn’t until I saw the ending scenes to Ben-Hur that I realized, it was because I had forgotten how to follow Christ. I no longer really loved him, and instead; I had replaced him with myself.

            I had received so much over the years, answered prayers, a wonderful life, good friends, graces and knowledge beyond measure, and how was I living my life? I had forgotten to put Christ first, by slowly forgetting how to love him. To love someone means to follow that person in one’s heart, mind, and soul, and to assimilate them into yourself, and they become a part of you. By doing that, one acquires wisdom, grace, knowledge, the light of truth, and true strength of the beloved. I was starting to become merely a shadow of who I was, the child who loved God. The world had offered me idols and they slowly took the place of Christ.

            There was a time, when I had the courage to say no to those idols. But Satan plays a cruel war on souls, and slowly, the deceptions he places in front of our souls become idols of worship. The world itself is an idol. Friends, encounters, something as small as conversation, they all become idols without Christ. There was a time when I heard more clearly the voice of God, and it flowed more easily through me. And years later, more often than not, it seems I had but the mere memory of that voice. The life of grace in me had been replaced. It had been replaced by the world, a world that at one time, had obviously offered no sense of truth or life. It did not possess the water that would never make one go thirsty again. That water flows only from Christ. To drink of that water means to follow him.

            To follow Christ, we must love Christ more than anything else. We must love him enough to destroy every idol the world puts before us for love of him. We must follow in the manner that a true Christian follows their God, that is to Golgotha and to the cross, but not with sadness, but with joy because there is no greater strength, no greater wisdom, no greater purpose than to possess God in oneself. We do not follow others, we do not follow music, we do not follow our self, and we do not follow the world. We must stand where Christ stood, walk as Christ walked, looked as Christ looked, think as Christ thought, and give as Christ gave, that is to say, our whole heart. And we should deal with the world the way Christ did, that is with true wisdom and love.       

            I had forgotten that truth, and without it, God's Will would have found no purpose with me. If I was born as an only child, with no siblings, It was because my friends were siblings, and that this was, is, and has always my mission, to tell them to love Christ by reminding them how to love him, and by doing that, showing them the path to his Will. That by loving him, we become like him, and we are able to pick up our crosses and while kissing the wood, say to God, “Father, not my will, but thine be done.”

Internet dating, a world of possiblities and long distance relationships

            Ok, let’s talk about something I don’t usually indulge in, the world of internet dating. I recently decided to give internet dating a go and for the most part, it has been an exciting experience. As a Filipino living in the United States, it gives you such a large pool to choose from and you can essentially get rejected to your heart’s extent. In the real world, a rejection is a major setback because of the type of world we live.  It’s not that people aren’t as social, but everything is moved towards cyberspace and smart phones. We have choices and options that weren’t available back in the day. People like what’s convenient and so going online opens up a whole world of possibilities. Why settle when you can network and meet someone better or meet several people at once to find the right one?

          If you’re trying to find someone and haven’t had much luck in the physical world, then you’d be surprised how effective internet dating can be. For me, it used to carry a sour note in that it felt synonymous with the word “desperation”. So about three weeks ago, I decided to give internet dating a go. I went to Catholic match and made up an account and paid for a trial subscription. I still don’t know if I want to re-subscribe. Once I started using it, I realized, "this is tons of fun." You can message anything you want to anyone you want. And you can see who looks at your profile and they can see if you looked at theirs. It gives actual function to the term creeper, which we do in Facebook and other social networking sites.

            On the downside, you get no responses often, but sometimes you do and that’s when you get lucky. That rate differs from person to person, and the reason is obvious.  You also end up being immediately critical of how the person looks, which is a negative for me, even though that is the main criteria a lot of us look at, at least at first, then we check to see if they are a 7 out of 7 Catholic, and basically whether they agree with the teachings of the Church, etc. So a few weeks back, I was chatting with this one girl and she suddenly disappears, this is what is termed as the “lame exit”. They just disappear. Online dating does give you an ego boost though when you get a notification in your email that someone viewed you profile or sent you an emotigram or message.

           

            You can communicate two ways, emotigram with a very short message or a long message, at least on Catholic Match. That’s not a guarantee they will respond though. The other day, I received an emotigram from a mom with three kids, lol. To be nice, I responded with, "thank you for the emotigram." I think it’s good to respond, unless of course, you receive a hundred messages or emotigrams at a time. Then she replies with “how are you?” Unfortunately, I was currently chatting with someone from the Philippines. This was before meeting my current long distance girlfriend on another site, who we will just name as C.C.  So back to the point, I’m going to have to let that person know that I’m not trying to lead them on. But still, responding is still better than not when it comes to courtesy. It always good to make new friends. So on to the tricky part, long distance relationships.

 

          That being said, internet dating is not for everyone. You almost always need to be careful of what site you're using or who you're talking to. Safety is always a top priority so when you decide to meet that special someone. Pick a place that is in the area of the general public, and if needed, bring someone who can watch from afar if you really want to be safe. That being said, you can be anyone you want to be, although if you create a complete deception about yourself, you will be coined the title of "catfish" which is someone who uses social media or other internet services to create a false identity with the intention to deceive, often for romantic or cruel purposes.

            Aside from that, express yourself. Show who you are or who you would like to be. Thus the possibilities are limitless so long as you remember to create an authentic version of yourself. Have fun, be daring, but be good. Always remember, you're talking to a real person at the other end of the screen, people who have real feelings and emotions just like you. Internet dating can be just as heartbreaking and stressful as in real life. So leaving final suggestion, present yourself any way you like, but be most of all, be kind. Words are some of the most powerful gifts we possess, whether we use speech, or a keyboard we always have the capacity to touch someone's heart or destroy it. Good luck, happy hunting, and God speed. :) xoxo

 

           

        
   

Catholics and the Era of Peace

 Known to some Catholics of today, is the term, the “Era of Peace.” To get a vague understanding of this term, you would have to delve into Eschatology (study of the four last things), private revelations, and prophecy. Many Catholics who have delved into this subject, like to focus on the events leading to that time, such as the events stated in the book of revelations such as Armageddon, the Anti-Christ, end of the world events. Of course, people think this is the end of the world, but that is one aspect of this truth. It is the end of this world, one that belongs to the forces of darkness and of Satan.

We all have heard about these doomsday prophecies and events, but what most of us haven’t heard, is the world that God is establishing afterwards. No, it is not the end of time, but the end of an era. For centuries, men have waged war, hated each other, and have done horrible things. But that time is coming to a close, soon. In whatever way for it to be achieved, whether it is the Great Tribulation, the Warning, Miracle, regardless of the methods described in private revelations, this era will end eventually. The way things are done here in this world will end. And the world that will follow will be way better, as it was supposed to be. Of course you’re asking; “Why are we here in this situation anyway?” Well, this is a Catholic blog, so I will give you a simple Christian answer. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and were therefore exiled from paradise. We inherited their state because we sprang from them.

But exile was not meant to last forever. And God will return to man what he lost in the beginning, sanctity. For a Catholic, one must only look at Catholic mystic and victim soul, Luisa Piccarretta. Jesus tells her that God has decreed this himself and that the saints of that era will be greater than any of the saints of previous times, including this one, because their knowledge will be greater, and they will possess what Adam was given in the beginning.

Therefore, their capacity will be greater, infinitely greater, as much as they are capable of. Jesus tells Luisa that he already has seen them, since during his Passion, all generations were made present before him, including the generation of that era, and Era of True Peace and love for God and our neighbor, possessing the Divine Will. Everything is present before the Divinity. Luisa’s mission is the Divine Will. What is the Divine Will? It is the gift that Adam and Eve possessed before they fell. They possessed two wills and so since they possessed the Will of their Creator, they contained a divine strength within themselves. They were capable of dominating themselves and their passions had no life. When they sinned, if they had preserved that one gift, their passions would still have no life kept under the weight of the divine gift. They were given lordship over all of creation, power, beauty, wisdom, inherent Divine knowledge.

 But they abandoned it and their, and also our exile is so that we realize what it means to do without God’s will. The saints in heaven possess the Divine Will. For humanity to possess it on earth would be to have heaven on earth. That is the future of humanity, not this world that we live in. The great saint Padre Pio gave the prophecy that one day, the whole world would know Luisa. So let me get off topic here for a moment.   

Why are we as Catholics, who do know about prophecy and private revelations, so concerned about topics such as the Great Tribulation, or the Anti-Christ, or even the major catastrophes that God might have to allow or send to the world? Let me give you something else to hope for, something worth fighting for, which is that world, a world where God’s Will is not only done, but possessed as sons and daughters of God. For you atheists that might be reading this, you can’t accuse me of being a conformist, since to be a religious conformist in these days is fatal for all religious and souls to varying degrees, but fatal spiritually none the less. No, one cannot be a conformist.

 One must be a non-conformist, a dreamer, a warrior, a musician, a soul that sings. When I was younger, my dream was to change the world for the better, like the anime I used to watch, and remember. That was our dream, mine and my group of friends. So we wanted to build giant robots and put all world military control under our power to achieve that, but to us, it would have solved a lot of the violence in the world. At least then, we called ourselves “Gundam fighters.” Maybe hearing that now, an adult might take that as fantasy, but we were serious about our dream. We planned on entering the military and science establishments and seeing what technology was available. And I remember praying to God to help me achieve that dream.

I realized a few days ago, I’m still a Gundam warrior. Today, more than ever, and maybe even to my last breath. I have the hope of fighting for that better world, because God also wants to change the world. Maybe because it’s time, maybe the prayers are enough, maybe we’ve learned what it means to be subject to ourselves and to our human wills, or maybe it wouldn’t be so much of problem of teaching us how to say “I love you” the right way for once. To say “I love you” in the Divine Will would mean to say it in eternity. It would exist everywhere, as God exists everywhere, past, present, and future, and in every part of nature and existence, and it would echo in Heaven as well as everywhere that a divine act would reach, infinity.

So let me ask you again, “Isn’t that the greatest thing worth fighting for?” “Isn’t it the greatest thing worth giving every last one of your breaths on this earth for?” And how many Catholics know about it, the truth is, not enough. So why live in fear? Why live in anticipation of a crumbling world. No. Live as a soul that sings, with a hope for a better tomorrow.

 Live knowing that hope exists and that we are children of that world, and I’m not talking about heaven. We are children of the Era of Peace, of the Divine Will as possessed by our brothers and sisters in heaven. We are sons and daughters of that Era, and that is what we are fighting for every single day. A Gundam fighter was one who did everything in his capacity to fulfill his mission, even if it cost him his life. It didn’t matter what got in his way, he wouldn’t let anything or anyone stop him. Since then, I’ve added a plethora of other heroes to my inspirations, but they all have their principles, and reasons for fighting. Maybe mine is a combination of all of theirs, but with more reason, because I’m fighting for a better world as well, this one.

I don’t want to fight for just myself, as I don’t want to suffer for myself. I want to fight for my friends, my family, and those who will come after me; and even my children if God so wills it. I want to give them all something better, something to hope for, live for, and protect, to love, and die for. That world is for them. And it is as much for us of today who know about it as it is for that later generation. So let it be according to God’s Will. Never be afraid, never back down, and never stop singing. Fiat. God bless.   

 

   

Canned Food

             If I ask any of my friends here what they think of a delicious can of Spam or corned beef, they would just be abhorred by the idea. In U.S. culture, canned food is usually thought of as gross or disgusting. I beg to differ. In some places of the world, a nice can of sardines, corned beef, or spam and its other Asian regional name, “luncheon meat”, is a delicious meal if served with rice and prepared right. First of all, if you grew up in a culture used to eating canned goods, your whole perception of its consumption is quite different. In gradeschool, parents usually pack their children's lunches with spam and rice or canned corned beef. That's why we like it.

          

             Secondly, I'm not trying to argue whether it's healthy or not, because more than likely, it does have quite a lot of preservatives and sodium. But, if you know how to prepare it right, it's still good eats. First of all, name brand is important. There are many different types of canned goods depending on the company that produces them. Therefore, there are also different brands and tastes for different types of canned goods. For example, my favorite brand of canned corned beef is Palm, made and imported from Australia. It’s not that easy to find in most groceries here in the U.S. but stores that sell imported good usually has it and it come in many different flavors such as barbeque or garlic.  

            If you buy other brands such as Hereford or a South American brand, the texture and taste of the product is quite similar. You can eat it right out of the can and that’s enjoyable. Just cut up some raw onions and lay them on top and serve with hot white rice and vinegar on the side. But of course, there are many ways of preparing canned corned beef. If you prepare it in a skillet, then fry a couple of cloves of garlic and throw that canned goodness in there for a few minutes. It’s best served with garlic fried rice.  While canned corned beef can be eaten straight out of the can or fried, Spam or luncheon meat is always usually served fried.

            Actually, if you cut up Spam thinly and fry it until it gets dark, brown, and crispy, it tastes almost like bacon. It’s commonly served as a breakfast menu item in many restaurants in Asia and probably a lot more in Hawaii. Filipinos aren’t picky eaters, and that’s how you learn become creative over the years. And yes, I have eaten and enjoyed fresh hot corned beef which you can buy per pound at the local deli. By the way, you need saltpeter to cook a fresh corned beef boil. So yes, that one ingredient in gunpowder is what gives corned beef, fresh or canned, its’ nice pink color, or else it would look like regular beef. But the canned variety is still enjoyable and while many people think of the ideas as gross and disgusting in some places, it is a feast in other locales. So my suggesting is, try it out for yourself.

Food Culture Heaven

Food Culture Heaven

So much has changed since I was in the Philippines, but one thing that I cannot avoid to mention is the food. The one thing you see all around you here is food and an indescribable amount of food choices. It floods your senses and leaves you unable to escape in the wake of the sights of choices they have to offer. First of all, almost everything is served with rice, and there are all styles, from traditional Filipino, to authentic Chinese, to Japanese, to Korean, and every possible nationality of food you can think of. And yes, there is American fast food as well that is able to compete with all of them. Two nights ago, I tasted this amazing shrimp dish that was cooked in chilies and butter. Yesterday, I ate some delicious spring chicken fried to delicious goodness which I ate with a sizzling tofu plate and Shang-Hai fried rice. There is an abundance of tropical fruits and the numerous shake and smoothie stalls compliment the hot weather.

I think that food is an important part of Asian culture for some reason. And yes, the Philippines is an “Asian” country, as a lot of people like to contest that fact in the U.S. I know because I grew up and studied there and that is what we all consider ourselves. No, we usually never call and do not think of ourselves as “pacific-islanders” as some Americans like to label us, and to presume otherwise is in a way, racial, as I raised the topic with some of my old friends. Ok, besides that; today, I tried this one new Japanese fast food restaurant called “Pepper Lunch” It was A-mazing!!! Just so you know, there are dozens of Japanese fast food restaurants so me and my cousin decided to eat here because he said lots of people eat there a lot. So they have like a few dozen choices of meals and you pick the number or item that you want and they serve it on a sizzling plate. So I picked the teriyaki beef with fried egg served with rice topped with corn. I know what some of you are thinking, “Um, I dunno, it sounds weird”, which is a normal American reaction since their taste buds aren’t used to a lot of foods.

But it was amazing. So let me describe it. They serve it to you on a circular sizzling plate and the meat and egg is raw so it is just beginning to cook when they serve it to you. You have to cook the meat yourself, but that’s why the plate is like really hot. There are two Japanese liquid sauces for flavoring when you cook the meat and they are on dispensers on the table along with salt and pepper. Along with that, my item came with a thick teriyaki sesame sauce in the side. So you can either cook the meat first by turning it around on the plate or just let it cook eventually after mixing it all up. And boy, it was good. I finished the whole thing. My cousin had the sizzling salmon with rice plate and it looked good as well. My meal alone was about 245 pesos which is about 4.50 U.S. dollars which is not bad at all for pricing and the quality of food.

The thing you have to understand about dining is that if people know of a better way to make money at cheaper prices in Asia, they will. For example, there is a good restaurant that has amazing ambiance and service and the food is spectacular, what they’ll do is create another food chain or spin-off, maybe fast food with the same recipes but with lower if no ambiance so it’s cheaper. Of course, the higher paying customers can still go to the restaurants with the great ambiance if they still want to. And that’s how you get amazing food at extremely lower prices at many places here in the Philippines. They turn high quality dishes into “fast food”. Of course, people still get a craving for regular fast food like hamburgers and Filipino hot dogs so you have Wendy’s and McDonlads to choose from as well. But in order to really experience Filipino culture, you have to eat at the local Filipino “turo-turo” or “carinderia” or eatery. You usually point to the food that you want which is usually something local and inexpensive which may be newly cooked, or they heat it up and serve it to you with rice. You eat in a small open space that is provided and you can also order bottled soft drinks to wash the food down. If I had to call the most authentic food experience of Filipino culture, it would be the “Turo-turo”.

At its core, it’s the simple food of the masses that reflects the true Filipino culture and experience. From adobo to pusit (squid), and from sinigang (tamarind stew) to laing (a spicy vegetable dish), and kare-kare (peanut stew) to inihaw (charcoal roasted) na liempo (pork belly) or isda (fish); the essence of the Filipino culture is imbued into these traditional dishes from Spanish-colonial times. There is nothing like eating in a small open spaced eatery in hot and humid weather with a friend, on a meal that you know defines where you come from, the history, the people, family, friends, and the ups and downs of life. Because despite all the extravagant malls that the country has to offer and amazing places to visit, and the food; what defines the culture is what isn’t always seen on the outside. It’s the little things that sometimes define the true nature of the experience. There are also the struggles and hardships of a people, the masses who strive to work out a living to support their families and put their children through school and college. And then the immense poverty that is still rampant leaves children sleeping on the streets.

I’m not asking the foreigner to go to this country made up of more than a thousand islands just to sympathize with the people or take a breathtaking vacation that leaves most people breathless in the heat of the tropical sun. What I suggest is that in order to make the most out of the experience, one should leave the biased tongue and taste buds behind and inculturate oneself into the lives of the people, the history, their experiences, and the food. This is no realm for the picky or the judgmental. What better way to truly experience a culture than through the various food palates? The modern Filipino man or woman of today possesses almost all of them, is used to every type of food. It is a reflection of the experience and history of a people, and it is in our most traditional recipes that help define who we are. But it is also how and who we experience the food with, such as the people we care for that defines the value that we give to every meal.

Anime, a list of memorable stories

I decided to make a list of all the animes/ shows I enjoyed watching and some that I'm still watching. Many of these television series first came out as manga. For many of us, we enjoyed watching them on the television. And weirdly, the names we know the characters of these stories to have are sometimes different than their original depending on how the people in the country your from decided to change the names for televised viewing. This does not include all the anime's or cartoon series that I have seen growing up, or those I continue to watch even today, because...i've seen and continue to see lots which aren't included in this list. These are just my personal favorites that I grew up on. And yes, I haven't seen Naruto Shippuden even though people have told me how awesome it is, but I lack what all humans don't usually have enough of,... time.

1. Dragon ball Z: When did the obsession start? grade two. Dragon ball, is the story of a good young boy with a monkey's tail who goes off in search of seven magical balls that can grant 3 wishes. Goku, (the young boy with the monkey's tail and the hero of the story), heads off in search of these magical balls after his grandfather Gohan passes away leaving him all alone with the four star dragon ball. Luckily for him, he's super strong for some reason and was taught martial arts by his grandfather. He carries a magical stick that can extend to far reaches and meets lots of new friends along the way including characters that will remain with the story such as the naive and headstrong Bulma and the old horny master Roshi. The story continues with Dragon ball Z where Goku has grown up and has a son. The back story of his life unfolds when it is revealed that he is actually an alien who was sent to destroy earth and therefore the cause of his superhuman strength. But instead of destroying the planet, he hit his head as a baby so he becomes "good". The story then move on to where Goku and his friends must help defend the earth against various enemies who possess strength and powers beyond their own. Thus, the heroes of the story continually train to become stronger and surpass impossible odds to defend the earth and the universe time and time again. The story even continues with Dragon ball GT which was much less popular than it's predecessors although the ending may still leave many teary eyed for long time fans of the series.

2. Yu Yu Hakusho (Ghost fighter): "This series was popular when I was growing up. YuYu Hakusho follows Yusuke Urameshi, (who in the Philippines was named Eugene) a street-brawling delinquent who, in an uncharacteristic act of altruism, is hit by a car and killed in an attempt to save a young boy by pushing him out of the way. His ghost is greeted by Botan, a woman who introduces herself as the pilot of the River Styx, who ferries souls to the Underworld where they may be judged for the afterlife. Botan informs Yusuke that his act had caught even the Underworld by surprise and that there was not yet a place made for him in either heaven or hell. Thus Koenma, son of the Underworld's ruler King Enma, offers Yusuke a chance to return to his body through a series of tests. Yusuke succeeds with the help of his friend Keiko. After returning to life, Koenma grants Yusuke the title of Underworld Detective, charging him with investigating supernatural activity within the human world." Like dragon ball z, the series involves several characters, martial arts. The story also became popular in the Philippines for the love story (although in a more subtle way) between the main character and his friend (a girl but not technically his girlfriend), who we all knew as "Jenny".

3. Voltes V :(Super Electromagnetic Machine Voltes Five") is a Japanese anime television series that was first aired on TV Asahi starting June 4, 1977. It was created by Saburo Yatsude and directed by Tadao Nagahama. Voltes V is the second part of the Robot Romance Trilogy of the Super Robot genre which includes Combattler V and Daimos. Voltes V story narrates the heroic exploits of the young robot pilots known as The Voltes Team and their trials against alien invaders from the planet Boazan. Armed with the Super Electromagnetic Machine Voltes V, the five pilots drive back the invaders one Beast Fighter at a time. The series is different from typical super robot anime of the time in that it illustrates human sentimentality and common values, with underlying themes such as the love of family, equality, selfless sacrifice, team work, and patriotism. Voltes V also revolutionized anime by introducing enemy characters with considerable depth. Voltes V's Prince Heinel (Prince Zardos in the English dub, Sirius in the Italian one) for example, sets a standard for anime villains with a back story and personality in an era when most anime villains were thoughtless formulaic characters with little beyond their menacing appearance and sinister laughter (Though Heinel bears a striking resemblance to Garuda in Combattler V, as do the rest of the main characters).

Voltes V is a work that has a heavy revolutionary undertone. The series ends with Voltes V's spectacular counterattack on planet Boazan to liberate the slaves from the oppression of tyrannical ruler, Emperor Zu Zambojil. After Voltes V, Tadao Nagahama directed the TV anime version of Rose of Versailles, which leaves speculation that perhaps Voltes V was influenced by Nagahama's research on the French Revolution for his future project. The theme of enslaved population rising up to overthrow an aristocracy lend support to theory.

4. Tosho Daimos (闘将ダイモス, Brave Leader (or Fighting King) Daimos) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Nihon Sunrise. Daimos is the third installment of the "Romantic Trilogy", following Chōdenji Robo Combattler V and Chōdenji Machine Voltes V. It ran from 1 April 1978 to 27 January 1979 and consisted of 44 episodes.

After the destruction of their home world, the survivors of the planet Baam (Brahmin in the Philippine dub) head towards Earth with the goal of negotiating the purchase of land for emigration. Unfortunately, during the negotiations, the Baam-seijin (literally, 'Baam Star People'; called Brahmin in the Philippine dub) leader, Leon, is assassinated by his second in command, Georiya, and the delegation from Earth is framed for the murder. In the ensuing chaos, Doctor Isamu Ryūzaki of the Earth delegation is shot and killed. Shortly after the disastrous end of the talks, the Baam-seijin (called “Valerians” in Starbirds) begin a campaign of terror against Earth, lead by Leon’s son, Admiral Richter, who deploys a variety of “Mecha Soldiers” against the planet’s defenses. The only thing standing between the Earthlings and annihilation is the transforming, karate-using super robot, Daimos and its pilot, Kazuya Ryūzaki (Richard Hartford in the Filipino English dubbed version). But that changes when he meets and falls in love with a mysterious girl named Erika, who turns out to be Richter’s sister. Over the course of their struggles to reunite, Kazuya and Erika each learn that the other’s people are not all evil... and that their own people are not all good.

5. Yaiba the master swordsman:

The light-hearted manga is about an adventuring samurai named Yaiba Kurogane (鉄 刃, Kurogane Yaiba) who knows how to be a samurai, and little else. Yaiba lives with his father, Kenjurou, in the forest. One day, while Yaiba was eating, a troop of gorillas came to attack. Yaiba and his father escaped and hid inside a box, but they didn't know that the box was full of pineapples and was going to be transported into the city. In the city, Yaiba finds out that he is a legendary warrior and has to fight the evil of a demonic looking high-school student named Takeshi Onimaru.

Yaiba adapted as an anime series that ran over 50 episodes, and encompassed the adventures Yaiba had in the first few runs of the manga. The show begins with Yaiba training to become a samurai in the jungle with his father and his two animal friends, Kagetora and Shonosuke. At a pivotal point, Yaiba's father announces that he is ready to return to Japan, and instructs him to find his old friend and rival, who just happens to be Sayaka's father.

The people that Yaiba meets along his journey to become a true samurai encourage him, train him, or inspire him to greatness, though at heart he is still a child, and his incredible skill with a sword is matched only by his kindness towards his friends. Though, he tends to leap before he looks, and his thick-headedness tends to turn potential allies into enemies, though his friends soon clobber him, and salvage the situation. This unlikely group embarks on a host of incredible adventures where they meet legendary figures from Japanese history, and finally overcome impossible odds, and put everything on the line, to save the entire planet from a threat not of this world. It's a story of love, friendship, hard work, and never giving up.

6. Roruni Kenshin (Samurai X): Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story (るろうに剣心 明治剣客浪漫譚, Rurō ni Kenshin Meiji Kenkaku Rōmantan), also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X. The story of Rurouni Kenshin takes place during the early Meiji era in Japan. It tells the story of a peaceful wanderer named Himura Kenshin, formerly known as the assassin "Hitokiri Battōsai". After participating during the Bakumatsu war, Kenshin wanders the countryside of Japan offering protection and aid to those in need as atonement for the murders he once committed as an assassin. When arriving in Tokyo in the 11th year of Meiji (1878), he meets a young woman named Kamiya Kaoru, who was in the middle of a fight with a murderer who claims to be the Hitokiri Battōsai from her swordmanship school. Kenshin decides to help her and defeats the fake Battōsai. After discovering that Kenshin is the real Battōsai, she offers him a place to stay at her dojo as she notes Kenshin is a gentle person instead. Kenshin accepts and begins to establish lifelong relationships with many people such as Sagara Sanosuke, a former Sekihō Army member; Myōjin Yahiko, an orphan from a samurai family; and a doctor named Takani Megumi. However, he also deals with his fair share of enemies, new and old, including the former leader from the Oniwabanshū, Shinomori Aoshi and his rival from the Bakumatsu Saitō Hajime.


7. Gundam Wing :

In the distant future, Mankind has colonized space (with clusters of space colonies at each of the five Earth-Moon Lagrange points), and, down on the Earth, the nations have united as the United Earth Sphere Alliance. However, the Alliance oppresses the colonies with its military power. The colonies desire a peaceful resolution to the situation, joining together in a movement headed by the pacifist Heero Yuy. In the year After Colony 175, Yuy is shot dead by an assassin (believed to be Odin Lowe), forcing the colonies to search for other paths to peace. The assassination also prompts five disaffected scientists from the Organization of the Zodiac, much more commonly referred to as OZ, to turn rogue after the completion of the mobile suit prototype Tallgeese.

The story of Gundam Wing begins in the year After Colony 195, with the start of "Operation: Meteor," the scientists' plan for revenge against the OZ military organization. The operation involves five teenaged boys who have each been chosen and trained by one of the five rogue scientists, then sent to Earth independently in extremely advanced mobile suits, one designed by each of the scientists, known as "Gundams." Their mobile suits are called Gundams because they are constructed from a rare and astonishingly durable material known as Gundanium alloy, which can only be created in outer space. Each Gundam is sent from a different colony and the pilots are initially unaware of the presence of the other pilots.

8. Masked Rider Black: Kamen Rider Black (仮面ライダーBLACK, Kamen Raidā Burakku), translated as Masked Rider Black, is a tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the eighth installment in the famous Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu shows. After being kidnapped by the cult Gorgom on the night of their 19th birthday, stepbrothers Kotaro Minami and Nobuhiko Akizuki were submitted to a cyborg surgery with the purpose of becoming the candidates for the next Gorgom Creation King. Both of them are called Century Kings and are destined to best each other in a final battle - whoever wins will become the next Creation King. Kotaro escaped before getting brainwashed (which is the final step in the surgery), with help from his foster father, and turned against Gorgom. He soon finds out the horrific truth from his stepfather: Gorgom originally killed his true parents and, since both Kotaro and Nobuhiko were born on the day of a solar eclipse, referred as "Black Sun" and "Shadow Moon". Kotaro, taking on the name of Kamen Rider Black, was determined to rescue his stepbrother from Gorgom while protecting Japan. However, later in the series, Nobuhiko emerged as Shadow Moon to fight Kotaro with the survivor becoming the next Creation King.

9. Flame of Recca:

Flame of Recca follows the story of a teenage boy named Recca Hanabishi, who is interested in the ninja arts and claims to be one himself. He often gets into fights because he made it publicly known that the person who manages to defeat him will earn his services as a loyal ninja. Despite this, he eventually pledges his loyalty and services as a ninja to Yanagi Sakoshita, a girl with the innate ability to heal any wound/injury, because of her kindness and compassion. Recca soon discovers that he possesses the innate ability to control/manipulate flames, and eventually learns that he is actually the son of the sixth generation leader of the Hokage, a ninja clan that was wiped out by Oda Nobunaga in 1576, roughly 400 years before the series' present day.

The Hokage ninjas wielded mystical objects called madōgu (魔導具), which are referred to as "psychic devices" or "elemental weapons" in the English versions of the series. Madōgu grant their users special abilities, such as allowing their users to manipulate certain elements (as in the case of the Fūjin, which allows its wielder to manipulate the element of wind) and enhancing their user's strength/skills (as in the case of the Dosei no Wa, which increases its user's physical strength and the Idaten, which increases its user's running speed). Oda Nobunaga had invaded the Hokage in 1576 for the purpose of acquiring these weapons, and the series' main antagonist, Kōran Mori, is searching for a madōgu that will grant him eternal life. Recca and his friends become entangled in Mori's quest for eternal life as he initially attempts to kidnap Yanagi, believing that her healing powers will help him achieve immortality. This leads them to join the Ura Butō Satsujin, a tournament wherein the warriors that wield madōgu gather to battle each other. After successfully winning the tournament, Recca and his teammates discover that Mori was on his way to acquire the Tendō Jigoku (天堂地獄, Heaven and Hell), a madōgu said to grant its user eternal life, and once again attempt to stop him.

10. Ninku :

The story in Ninku is about an odd-looking 12-year-old boy named Fuusuke (Fuusuke of the wind (風の風助, Kaze no Fūsuke)) who is a powerful warrior from the Ninku school of martial arts, a style that mixes ninjutsu and karate.

It is explained that before the present time in the story that those who could use Ninku were targeted by an evil empire and the Ninku corps were formed to combat the menace. The names of the corps were taken from the twelve Chinese zodiac animals (干支 Eto) and each captain of the corps was called the zodiac animal Ninku master (干支忍 Etonin). When the war was over, the Ninku were defeated and almost all of them were killed (except for a few corps' captains) since they were useless and were also dangerous for the rulers. At the beginning of the story, three years later, Fuusuke, the young former captain of the 1st Ninku corps and controller of the wind and Hiroyuki (ヒロユキ), his flatulent penguin, start searching for the other Ninku captains, each of whom can control various elements. However, a new group of Ninku users has arisen and are trying to take over the world. Fuusuke and his penguin must defeat the new Ninku empire with the help of his old comrades.

11. Gensomaden Sayuyki :

Saiyuki is the story of four anti-heroes: the monk Genjyo Sanzo (or just "Sanzo"), the monkey king Son Goku, the half-demon Sha Gojo, and the man-turned-demon Cho Hakkai (formerly known as Cho Gonou). They have been dispatched by the Sanbutsushin (the Three Aspects of Buddha, who relay the orders of heaven) to travel to India to stop the possible resurrection of the Bull-Demon-King, Gyumaoh. Along the way they are beset by inept assassins, bad weather, and their own tragic personal pasts. Meanwhile, the villains, two unlikely confidants, Gyokumen Koushou (Gyumaoh's concubine, a demon) and a mad scientist, Dr. Ni Jianyi (a human), continue their attempts to restore the long-dead king. These experiments, a forbidden mixture of science and magic, spawn the "Minus Wave", infecting all of the demons in Shangri-La with madness, shattering the fragile peace that once existed between humans and demons.

More recent anime that I have seen:

12. Death Note :

Light Yagami is an intelligent young man who resents what appears to be a relentless increase of crime and corruption in the world around him. His life undergoes a drastic change when he discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the "Death Note", lying on the ground. The Death Note's instructions claim that if a human's name is written within it, that person shall die. Light is initially skeptical of the notebook's authenticity, but after experimenting with it, he realizes that the Death Note is real. After meeting with the previous owner of the Death Note, a shinigami named Ryuk, Light plans to become a god and establish a new world order by passing his keen judgment on those he deems evil and anyone who gets in his way.

Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of reported criminals catches the attention of International Police Organization and a mysterious detective known only as "L". L quickly learns that the serial killer, dubbed by the public as "Kira" (キラ, derived from the typical Japanese pronunciation of the English word "killer"), is located in Japan. He also concludes that Kira can kill people without laying a finger on them. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a nuanced game of psychological cat and mouse between the two begins.

12. Bleach :

The story opens with the sudden appearance of one of the Soul Reapers (Shinigami (死神, lit. "death god") in the Japanese version), a military order who escorts the souls of the dead, named Rukia Kuchiki in teenager Ichigo Kurosaki's bedroom. She is surprised at his ability to see her, but their conversation is interrupted by the appearance of a "hollow", an evil spirit who was originally a human soul. After Rukia is severely wounded while trying to protect Ichigo, she attempts to transfer half of her reiatsu (霊圧, lit. "spirit pressure") to Ichigo in order to let him face the hollow on equal footing. Ichigo unintentionally absorbs almost all her energy, allowing him to defeat the hollow with ease. The next day Rukia appears in Ichigo's classroom as a seemingly normal human, and informs Ichigo that his absorption of her powers has left her stranded in the human world until she recovers her strength. In the meantime Ichigo shelters Rukia in his home and takes over her job as a Soul Reaper, battling hollows and guiding lost souls to the afterlife realm known as Soul Society (尸魂界(ソウル·ソサエティ), Sōru Sosaeti).

In the sixth volume of the series, Rukia's Soul Reaper superiors find out about her giving her powers away (which is illegal in Soul Society) and send a detachment to arrest her, and sentence her to death. Ichigo is unable to stop Rukia's capture, but with the help of several of his classmates who also possess spiritual abilities and ex-Soul Reaper Captain Kisuke Urahara, he sets off for the Soul Reaper base, located in Soul Society. Once there, Ichigo and company battle against the elites of the Soul Reaper military.

13. Gundam 00 : Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is the first Gundam series to be animated in widescreen and in high-definition,^[8] as well as the first to be set in the non-fictional Anno Domini era. The series is set in a futuristic Earth and is centered around the exploits of the fictional paramilitary organization Celestial Being and its efforts to rid the world of war and conflict with a series of unique and extremely advanced mobile suits known as "Gundams".

First season The series is set in 2307 AD. As a result of the depletion of fossil fuels, humanity had to search for a new source of power. The power was found in the form of massive arrays of solar power collectors orbiting the Earth, and supported by three orbital elevators, each one serving one of the three "power blocs" on the planet, namely Union, controlling the region surrounding North America, Human Reform League (Japanese: 人類革新連盟; Romaji: jinrui kakushin renmei; Pinyin: rénlèi géxīn liánméng), consisting of China, Russia and India, and AEU, which controls mainland Europe. This causes various conflicts throughout the globe, and it is Celestial Being's task to eradicate these conflicts through "armed interventions."

Second season Four years have passed since the final battle between Celestial Being and the UN Forces. Humanity, having established the Earth Sphere Federation, forms an autonomous peace-keeping force, A-Laws, separate from and above the formal Federation army. Given unfettered discretion, A-Laws is charged with the duty to further unify nations, enforce the will of mankind, and dispose of terrorist cells. Unknown to the general public, however, is that the A-Laws misuse their power and employ inhumane tactics to oppress freedoms, doctrines, and ideologies, all in the name of 'unity'.