Posts

I had a brief conversation at the sidelines of TOYCON’s Summer Prelude at Okada Sunday, April 12. I wasn’t supposed to go because of that one theft incident involving a guest Japanese ensemble Super Macaroni Salad, but I’m glad I did nonetheless. (Photos on Facebook) Some of you know I staff for TOYCON most of the time, including the one insider I spoke to who told me what the event did after SMS member Tenten’s iPhone was stolen during their performance (It was not clear to me how exactly it got stolen, and I didn’t ask further). ...

It’s been a long time since I listened to some good anime music. No, I’m not talking about the opening and ending themes of any anime, I’m talking about the original soundtracks in it. I miss the times when I still get my dose of anime soundtracks from not-so-legal sources, only to end up listening to it on streaming services like YouTube Music or Spotify. For example, this track from the Clockwork Planet OST called chronograph, or a track from SONIANI called Sunnyday Working, or the 1st volume of the Vividred Operation Soundtrack in general. ...

I’ve had fun watching KING OF PERFORMAI the 7th tournament, especially with maimai DX and CHUNITHM. Yours truly hosted the MAXBEAT Philippines Watch Party at MX Gaming Grounds at the heart of Manila’s University Belt Sunday, March 1. I was joined by fellow rhythm game players and Team MX colleagues Kurohime and Tenshi, and I had fun asking them about their experiences playing maimai and CHUNITHM respectively, their reactions to songs the players will compete against, and the new song charts that they will sightread. ...

I drafted this piece this after I played maimai DX PRISM+ for the last time… only to finish this after CiRCLE hits our arcades. Anything marked 🆕 is an addition to this piece written after February 1. I’ve already seen fellow players complain to Quantum about the price increase for a single game credit. Here’s what I was thinking as I try my best to understand and sympathize with the rest of the player base: ...

X/Twitter gave a present to everyone this holiday season: The ability to edit (read: manipulate) photos in many ways without your consent. Its ‘Imagine’ function lets you edit any image posted on the site — whether if it’s your IRL photo, your artwork, et cetera. Generative AI is becoming more and more inevitable at this point. It’s not just people who are affected by this — brands, companies, newsrooms will also be dragged into this whether they like it or not. For example, The New York Times posts photos on the platform similar to how they do it on Instagram (minus the ’link in bio’ note). I’ve taken one sample from their media tab and used a prompt to make the text different. ...

I’ve been enjoying playing in the arcade nowadays that I eventually gained a circle of friends who are also just enjoying maimai. I’m thankful I discovered maimai, and at the same time I wish I could have discovered it before the pandemic so I can have a way to de-stress. There are other rhythm games to explore in the arcade, and with the release of the NIJISANJI Dance Club collaboration on Dance Dance Revolution WORLD, I decided it’s time to use my Aime card to play BEMANI games. That’s where I dabbled on DDR, GITADORA and Sound Voltex (SDVX). So far, I’m able to get over both DDR and Sound Voltex, but not GITADORA. ...

My first introduction to VOCALOID was a long time ago — I can’t remember exactly when, but I remember listening to Yellow. That kz(livetune) song s a core memory for me, so much that I joined a Pikarmy song cover to bade Pikamee Amano farewell (thanks Rentikoy)). I also recall reading commentary on the first Miku Expo in Indonesia through Ahotaku (who, through his posts, introduced me to J-pop culture in Indonesia). ...

I am about to return to my usual business after spending 4 days outside: First was the three-day Philippine Game Show in Taguig, second was the long-awaited Miku Expo Manila 2025, and lastly the three two-day rally at Luneta. We talk about the PGS’ debut first. I’ve yet to gather all the stuff that have happened during the three-day smorgasbord of games, cosplay, and J-pop, but there’s an elephant in the room which needs to be addressed: There was a gambling brand facing the stage area. I do not know why they’ve been placed there, I don’t know why it’s there, but I am made aware of who put them there. ...

I did my best documenting my journey into this washing machine-looking arcade game. Ever since Madekuji-san taught me how to play maimai DX in Cebu (of all places!) last February, it has become my go-to hobby. Maybe it’s because of the top-load washing machine jokes. Maybe it was because of the memes posted on Music Game Hell. ...

Long time no see, I guess? I was so focused with VTuber NewsDrop that I only blog here sparsely. Now that you’re here, allow me to welcome you to my new website. I lost track of what version is this on, but I’ll put this on v6. This time, we’re on a different platform – Hugo. My friends use it, VTubers use it, and now I’m using it. It’s been a journey learning how to deploy v6 online, and I’m thankful for every small wins I earned throughout. ...