Mei ManuelKonnichassu!!!
It’s been a while since I did a very special blog entry but alas, I am a person who likes surprises and to surprise people. That’s just my nature!
To the entry anyway!!
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For writers, seeing any written work they make in print is an achievement in itself. It’s even more amazing if you see it in a print from a known brand. While a book is the top goal, seeing your name in one of the hottest magazines in the country is extraordinary given the rare chances you can get such privilege. For me, that chance happened because of ONE OK ROCK.
Writing the ONE OK ROCK Live in Manila Post-Event series for me is pretty much one of the hardest things I have ever done so far. Its as hard as my thesis or even more than that. I promised myself somewhat prior to the concert and to the people who follow me since I started my media contributions for the concert that once I write the post-event, it would be a post event even those from Team Bahay and Team Abroad would be able to imagine just how January 19 came to be.
When I accepted the PULP Magazine feature for the official post-event report sometime before the concert, at first I was like “Ok, can I do this? I think I can do this” and didn’t really fidget that much except ask for the guidelines for the report since well, this is my first major appearance in a magazine. I did appear in a subscription magazine once in 2010 but that was a collaboration work. This one is in a totally different league of its own since its all me writing. I also had to ask guidelines and the whatnots because this is quite a big project.
If you guys read After 1/19, I posted there that I totally had found myself in a stump, but for more reasons which I indicated. I had to consider not just you guys, but also the people who haven’t heard about ONE OK ROCK. If we – me, the ONE OK ROCK fans in this country and all those who love Japanese music – want to make a mark in this country in pushing for Japanese music, the article has to make a huge impression. The very fact this is the first major concert of a Japanese act in the country is indeed a major influencer in this. Nonetheless, I was able to do it with some struggling (it had to sound less fangirly) and submitted it (alongside the longer brother), hoping that I could impress all the important people – especially Amuse Asia, ONE OK ROCK and people who haven’t heard them before. Of course, it was also my intention to return readers back to January 19, the day history is made and continuous to make waves today.
Days turned to weeks and I only received a few notices as to when the whole thing would appear. The month was a little hazy but the confirmation came on February 29th when I saw the new banner for PULP Magazine and the site update. To be honest, I wasn’t sure which version they went for and I did ask some followers of mine to send me photos as I wasn’t aware at all how it looked like or what was used.
Eventually I did see the teasers from the Philippines ONE OK ROCKers’ Facebook page and saw that the one in the blog matched the one in the magazine. Seeing the teaser photos that went with those words, WOW! If people said the words in the blog were just too much, the words with the shots by PULP’s master photographer Joel Garcia and Stephen Lavoie (same photographer who did photos for Rappler and I must say it is superb!) brought Post Concert Depression into a higher level.
Of course the teasers could only do so much so I waited for my copy to arrive and it did (Even though I almost didn’t get it since the delivery man got lost).
The Magazine and the Meet and Greet Photos!!!
Purchase a copy guys before it runs out from stores!!!
Toru welcomes you all!!!
Special Edition PULP-It!!!
The start of the 20 or so page special!
Collaboration to the extremeeee!!!
Start of the article!!!
Some photos of mine were also featured here… much to my surprise ^^v
End page!!!
ONE OK ROCK sends their love!!!
To see the full sneak peek to the magazine, check out this super cool video clip of one of my kouhais Faith Magbanua… who I find out later on is the niece of renowned wedding videographer Jason Magbanua, whom I met in 2012 since he did my sister’s wedding videos.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BC7ZC7AKpPM/
Seeing the magazine and seeing the photos in its entirety was a mindblowing experience. I have been writing since I was in high school and even today, writing is my profession and hobby at the same time. To see this magazine was just a testament that I wasn’t just a part of history as one of the crowd shouting for one of Japan’s greatest rock bands for this generation as they make history in Manila, I was also fortunate enough to be the one selected to put everything in writing, codifying the moment.
I thank PULP Magazine for giving me this epic opportunity and for trusting me to do this post-event for them. I definitely found this a learning experience and at the same time, a heartwarming one because from the comments of fans who have seen it already, they all said they found themselves back to January 19 as they read through the pages. I haven’t heard other readers yet, but I hope that it did its purpose and introduced ONE OK ROCK to them. Manila needs more of this Jrock love and once they come back? I hope I will be given the chance to do another brilliant collaboration with you guys! Definitely gunning the interview-post-event coverage again!
Of course, I thank all my family, my friends, and everyone who tweeted and posted they loved the article. I promise I shall do more of that in their next live! Thank you so much as well for purchasing a copy!!!
To purchase your copy of PULP Magazine’s spankin’ March issue, you can head on to PULP’s online shop or mail sales@pulpliveworld.com or call 722-9622. The Issue is also available in all major bookstores nationwide.
If you want a digital copy, it is also released in Buqo (IOS/Android).
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Told ya I’d post something special today XD Much love to one and all!!!! Pray tell where short version is? I’ll update that when i have it!
