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RUROUNI KENSHIN CAST VISITS MANILA
Saturday, November 08, 2014
I only see Takeru Sato, Emi Takei and Aoki Munetaka on television and on magazine. So seeing them in the flesh is a dream come true for a Japanese pop culture enthusiast like me. It was surreal. Dreamlike. I could not even explain how I felt on that moment.
I’ll be honest. I’m not so much of a fan of the manga Samurai X. However, when it was announced that Amuse actor Takeru Sato will play Kenshin Himura, my heart fluttered like a butterfly and were so excited to see it on screen. Well, that’s if it will be shown here in the Philippines. So online petitions were conducted to get the rights in showing the first sequel of the movie in the country. And with the help of the fanclubs and Warner Brothers Philippines, the movie was shown in theaters last December 2012. I got my tickets for the first day screening two months before the event just to make sure that I’ll be able to watch it. The movie was a box-office hit in the country and even the Japanese community were surprised that a small country like the Philippines, have a huge fanbase of the manga/film. And so the works to bring the stars here in country commenced.
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source: http://asianwiki.com/images/1/1f/Rurouni_Kenshin-_Kyoto_Inferno-tp3.jpg
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Finally, last July, it was confirmed that Director Keishi Otomo together with the lead stars Takeru Sato, Emi Takei and Aoki Munetaka will visit the country to grace the red carpet premiere of the movie and will conduct a public press conference because of the huge success of the film. everyone was so excited. I myself could not even sleep properly just by thinking that I have a chance to see them in person. *cries
Days before the event, different institutions announce contests that will allow you to have a chance to win passes for the event. Unfortunately, I did not won a single pass. Hahaha!!! How unlucky! My last resort then was to beg for tickets on Warner Brothers office (which is on the same building where I work). But I got too shy and moved back. My only chance was to see them on the public press conference on the 7th.
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Fans starting to fill the event center.
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August 6 came. I was expecting that the venue will be already filled with fans hours before the event. But when I saw it, there are still spots where I can see them better,. Hehehe. So I hurried at the office and finished my tasks first then went to the mall again. I wanted to see them closer but I hesitated that I might end up being crushed if I tried to squeeze in myself on first floor. I still have a trauma during the CNBlue public press conference so I stayed on the second floor.
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Before the even starts.
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I was already on overbreak and the event is still not starting. So I decided not to attend the press conference the next day and just stayed at the mall. Good thing my boss (although I know she’s quite pissed) allowed me to modify my VL.
Hours have passed and finally the event started. It took hours before the red carpet started because the Japanese staffs were too strict with plan. By the way, Japanese reporters were also at the venue to cover the event.
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A Japanese reporter interviewing random fans before the red carpet.
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Kireii na ♥♥♥
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PJ Lanot hosted the event. And before the cast arrived, there was a mini-cosplay show led my famous cosplayer Jin who was wearing her Kenshin Himura costume. They also gave away tickets to the lucky fans who were able to answer the questions correctly.
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Rurouni Kenshin cosplayers on stage. Can you name all these characters?
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Finally, they arrived. Director Keishi Otomo was the first one to get off from the van and the crowd went wild. He was in awe after seeing the crowd and even took a photo of the screaming audiences. Emi Takei and were Aoki Muetaka were the next ones to walk in the red carpet. Emi looking so cute in here dainty dress while the hyper Aoki was wearing a formal suit in slippers / flip flops. Hahaha talikng about Japanese fashion huh! Then Takeru Sato was flashed on the big screen. I was like ‘OH MY GAWD!’ The deafening screams of the fans were hear throughout the mall. I thought I was dreaming. He’s so gorgeous in his black suit. I could not even …. *dies
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The cast mingling with the crowd.
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The red carpet walk consumed 30 minutes before they were able to step on stage. Why? Because these celebrities were too nice to sign all the merchandise the fans brought, took photo with them and even gave the fans to shake their hands. That was pure awesomeness!!! You can see on their faces that they were having a good time seeing the 5,000 or more crowd (as reported in a Japanese newspaper) cheering on them. There’s also that instance that Aoki was so energetic that the crowd was cheering for him like he was entering into a wild fight scene. He’s really like Sanosuke. And when he saw his cosplayer, he was so elated. Epic! Can we just take home Aoki?! I also spotted Emi, running to a fan just to give her autograph. How sweet of you Emi-chan. Take-hime is as pretty as ever. HE is so kakkoi! Everyone squealed every time he was shown on the screen or whenever he speaks. His smile is to infectious. Omo! Am I dreaming? Kamen Rider and Kenshin Himura in the flesh?! I can’t breathe! He was so accomodating with the fans and so ready to be photographed anytime. The crowd also cheered on him and you can see the genuine smile of his face.
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Favorite shots from the event.
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I love how the four spoke in Filipino to connect with the crowd. Here’s how Take-chan introduced himself:
Takeru: Kamusta?!(crowd roared). Ako po si Takeru Sato (the audience roared again but he stopped the crowd).
Masaya ako na makita kayo.
Masaya ako na makita kayo.
And everyone died.
You may also check this video to see a short interview.
What an awesome day! I still cannot believe that I finally saw them in the flesh! One word - SURREAL. These celebrities are really down to earth and too nice with the fans. I guess they were just surprised and overwhelmed with the Pinoy crowd. And for that, we’re hoping to see them again this September.
Thank you very much Amuse Philippines, Sato Takeru Philippines and Warner Brothers Philippines for granting our wish. We are so grateful that we had a chance to take a glimpse of these famous stars.
I guess this is the start of something big. Philippines has already marked it’s name on the entertainment map of Japan. And we do hope that we can see more Japanese films here and celebrities as well.
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