Filipina Cosplayer Jerry Polence as C.C. from Code Geass

The popular character C.C. from the hit anime Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is a beautiful immortal witch, an enigmatic figure shrouded in mystery and melancholy. Having experienced all sorts of horrific torture and execution over the span of at least seven centuries, she’s not exactly the most cheerful of girls. Having lived through countless fashion trends, she also happens to have a fondness for odd costumes.

Filipina cosplayer Jerry Polence captures that apparent contradiction in her portrayal of C.C. at the Sakura-Con 2010 anime convention.

I’ve always liked Jerry’s spot-on portrayals, ever since she won the award for best performance at the AnimeXplosion 2005 anime convention. Readers over at my other blog, Fine Filipinas, might remember her uncannily accurate poses and gestures as the swordswoman Jue from The Animatrix. One commenter on her Facebook page actually thought she was the basis for the CGI character.

Cosplay is a combination of two words: costume and play. Jerry clearly knows both sides of her art. Click here to continue reading “Filipina Cosplayer Jerry Polence as C.C. from Code Geass”…

Netopia Woos Gamers Anew with CyberLeague Gaming Tournament Relaunch

Netopia is now the biggest Internet cafe chain in the Philippines, catering mostly to mainstream Internet users in malls — but it wasn’t always so. Back in the bad old days of 56kbps dial-up Internet, most of Netopia’s business came from PC gamers.

As the Internet became more mainstream, and mallgoers started emailing and chatting and social networking, gaming at Netopia dwindled to the point that it made up only 25% of their business. Independent Internet cafes, with their low prices and cozy atmosphere and late-night operating hours, currently hold a huge chunk the Filipino gaming market.

Ambiance Versus Infrastructure

During the mid-2000s, Netopia experimented with a luxurious gaming lounge they called the “Extreme Gaming Grounds” or EGG. While I very much enjoyed playing in such a well-appointed gaming arena, EGG cost three times as much to build as a regular Netopia branch. The economics were unsustainable.

Clearly, Netopia couldn’t win back gamers with ambiance alone. Intrepid Filipino gamers can still find two smaller EGGs operating today, but the gaming lounges simply aren’t a huge part of Netopia’s business.

While a nationwide network of mall branches filled with mainstream Internet users doesn’t provide the coziness of a gaming lounge, it does provide the infrastructure for nationwide gaming tournaments. Netopia now hopes to leverage that infrastructure in a bid to win back gamers, by relaunching its annual gaming tournament. Dormant since 2005, Netopia’s CyberLeague tournament returns with a vengeance in 2010. Click here to continue reading “Netopia Woos Gamers Anew with CyberLeague Gaming Tournament Relaunch”…