ANIME: Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba

from the superb graphics, seat-gripping suspense, ever-present intrigue, brilliant story, up to the to-die-for characters, death note is truly one heck of a roller coaster ride of an anime. aside from getting a peek on how geniuses work (hot geniuses, actually), this anime would have you questioning your morals and beliefs on justice (unconsciously) as the story progresses. this is one anime you would never forget. now i'm wondering why it ended up only being number 2 in the top 10 anime of 2007. this definitely deserves to be a classic!


RATING: 6 out of 5.. yes, this is not a typo.

ANIME: Gravitation by Maki Murakami

characterized by good humor and present with beautiful music, this series tackled not only about boy love (yaoi, baby, you gotta love it!) but also overcoming slumps thrown in your way of reaching your dreams. this feel-good anime would leave you swooning in your couch not just for the good-'ol loving scenes between yuki and shuichi, but also for constantly wishing to have your own strikingly handsome, bad-ass writer in your home. this is a real treat to all yaoi fans out there!

RATING: 4 out of 5

ANIME: xxxHolic by Clamp

though i'm quite disappointed with the animator's apparent laziness in drawing and coloring insignificant characters, this anime series' interesting storyline certainly made up for it. xxxholic (pronounced holic, yes i admit i have no idea how to read this at first) boasts of the right combination of horror, humor, adventure, drama, inspiration, and psychological themes. while utterly enjoying the anime, i can't help jotting down yuko's words of wisdom which is ever present in this series. and fashionistas would never raise their eyebrows in distaste for yuko's infallible fashion sense.


RATING: 4 out of 5

MOVIE: Buog by Studio Indio

if you thought only the japanese and koreans can produce quality horror films that can leave you gripping your seatmate's arms and screaming in fright - then man, you thought wrong! set in an eerie lighthouse in lobo, batangas, coupled with superb original music, topped by an intriguing storyline, buog's a real treat. but not only did it caused our goosebumps to rise, and our throats sore from constant screaming, this digitally-shot indie film also addressed a very important, yet sensitive social issue that seems to be taken for granted nowadays.


RATING: 5 out of 5

BOOK: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

if not for our soc115 homework, then i don't think i would be able to read this one. this book really touched my heart and made me realize a lot of things. it reminded me to look beyond the superficial and dive into what's essential. since we belong in a very materialistic world, it's up to us if we would let ourselves be carried away by the tide of our culture or anchor ourselves and create little subcultures to protect our identity. once again, the value of family is stressed. aside from that, the book covers a lot of topics we have difficulty in dealing with like death, the meaning of life, regrets, and aging. towards the end of the book, i can't help but envy mitch for having a great teacher and friend like morrie. but it did inspire to pursue my dream of being a teacher. also, the fact that morrie is a sociologist piqued my interest, and it's amazing to read something wherein the concepts we've learned in our classes were incorporated in a story. the price i had to pay for reading this treasure is quite high: looking like a complete fool to my roommate because i was sniffing like there's no tomorrow. :)


RATING: 5 out of 5