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AboitizPower to issue retail bonds

ABOITIZ POWER Corp. said its board of directors had approved the issuance of fixed-rate retail bonds amounting to P27 billion out of the P30-billion bonds it had registered in 2017 under the shelf registration program of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In a disclosure, AboitizPower said the bonds will be issued “in one or more tranches depending on market conditions and are expected to be offered to the general public in the third or fourth quarter of 2018.” It said the company intends to list the bonds with the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corporation as and when issued.
AboitizPower said the board of directors had delegated to the company management the final determination of the issue amount, interest rate, offer price, tenors, and other terms and conditions of the bonds including the parties that will manage or otherwise be involved in the offer.
The company said it will use the proceeds of the issuance to fund potential acquisitions, future investments and refinance existing debt, among others.
Separately yesterday, AboitizPower announced the “voluntary early cessation of extended tenure” of Antonio R. Moraza, its president and CEO, to take effect on Aug. 31. AboitizPower Director Erramon I. Aboitiz will take over Mr. Moraza’s position effective Sept. 1. — VVS

Manulife Asset Management and Trust launches Asia equity fund

THE ASSET MANAGEMENT and trust arm of Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (Manulife) launched an equity fund that seeks to invest in Asian companies.
In a statement sent on Thursday, Manulife Asset Management and Trust Corp. (MAMTC) said it launched the Manulife Asia Best Select Equity Fund, an instrument that will invest in a portfolio of companies across 13 markets in the region.
“We see a growing demand of investment solutions in the Philippines and the launch of the Manulife Asia Best Select Equity Fund underlines our commitment to offering investors with a wide range of solutions generating healthy returns,” Aira Gaspar, MAMTC president and CEO, said in the statement.
The markets include Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan.
“Companies selected consist of high-quality industry leaders and emerging companies who are capable of capturing opportunities arising from economic and demographic changes in the region,” MAMTC said.
MAMTC Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager for Equities Kenglin Tan said that now is an opportune time to invest in Asia as valuations remain “undemanding.”
“Asia equities remain an attractive asset class in 2018 as earnings growth is expected to sustain through the year thanks to a more broad-based recovery in the global economy,” Mr. Tan said, adding that Asian markets remain resilient amid tightening interest rate environment.
Manulife’s new equity fund adopts an in-depth, bottom up approach with a longer term investment focus which was built through “rigorous” process.
The equity fund is available for investment in US dollar share classes with minimum initial investment of $100.
It is also available in unhedged local currency share classes with minimum initial investment of P5,000. — KANV

PLDT questions DoLE order on workers’ employment status

PLDT, Inc. (PLDT) questioned a recent order by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) regarding the employment status of its workers as “irregular” and “procedurally inappropriate,” because it considers previous orders issued by the department to have been final.
PLDT said in a statement Thursday that DoLE’s Clarificatory Order was also “based on selective and/or biased information, and vague.”
Earlier this year the government compiled a list of companies with employees who might be eligible for regular status, as part of a broader campaign to deter illegal employment practices.
Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III issued the Clarificatory Order on July 11, which PLDT acknowledged receipt on July 18.
PLDT said the Labor secretary’s previous orders issued on Jan. 10 and April 24 are “final, cannot be modified and subject to the proceedings before the Court of Appeals.”
“If the intent of the Clarificatory Order is to expand, modify or alter the regularization orders, then to that extent it contravenes jurisprudence and established procedure,” PLDT said in a manifestation.
The telco added that the July 11 order was issued “without giving PLDT a chance to be properly heard, as required by due process of law,” noting that the Labor secretary issued the order after meeting with representatives from the Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon sa Pilipinas (MKP).
“As it stated in an earlier Manifestation to the Office of the Labor Secretary on 16 July 2018, PLDT did not receive a notice calling it to such a meeting,” PLDT added.
“Regretfully, because the Clarificatory Order was issued immediately after this meeting with the MKP, it cannot escape the impression that the Order is based entirely on a factual position advocated by the MKP which is… inaccurate and misleading… these circumstances also increase PLDT’s concern that it will not receive a fair hearing on this matter before this Honorable Office,” the telephone company said.
Regarding reports and protests concerning workers being laid off by the company, PLDT said that “it did not terminate the contracts with its service providers and thus cause the displacement of the workers assigned to PLDT.”
“What happened was the DoLE issued a Cease and Desist Order directing 38 service contractors to stop providing various services to PLDT. That same order also directed the start of proceedings to cancel their registration as service contractors, thus placing at risk the jobs not only of the workers assigned to PLDT but also of those workers posted with other customers of these service contract firms,” PLDT said.
PLDT also said that Mr. Bello’s July 11 order was issued due to PLDT’s noncompliance with DoLE’s regularization orders.
Mr. Bello said in a news conference on July 11 “(DoLE’s) decision is that all the 7,000+” workers whose employment status was evaluated by the department “are already employees of PLDT.”
“If this is the conclusion of the Clarificatory Order or this Honorable Office, then with due respect it is wrong. PLDT has not taken any act to ‘frustrate or tend to frustrate’ this Honorable Office’s regularization orders,” PLDT said.
PLDT also clarified that its Intake Process is “the logical, reasonable and necessary step in response to those regularization orders.” This process is to ensure that contractual workers of PLDT are part of the DoLE’s enumerated list of workers to be regularized. The process also requires those in the regularization list to provide important employment information and take a medical exam.
“Allegations against the Intake Process come from parties who have not participated in it or have a vested interest adverse to PLDT and therefore cannot serve as a reliable basis to conclude that the Intake Process should be stopped by DoLE,” PLDT’s press release said, adding that even the members of MKP have told other PLDT workers to not go through the process.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Gillian M. Cortez

Warner Bros unveils $1-B indoor theme park in UAE

ABU DHABI — The fantasy worlds inhabited by Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman merged with glitzy reality in the UAE on Wednesday, as Warner Bros opened a sprawling indoor theme park in Abu Dhabi. The $1-billion facility boasts 29 rides and six themed areas — including a cartoon junction and the fictional Gotham City made famous by Batman. A golden Bugs Bunny statue, doffing his cap and holding a golden carrot, welcomes visitors to the complex, which took 11 years to take from the drawing board to reality. Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi is the entertainment giant’s first indoor theme park in the region and is located on Yas Island, on the outskirts of the capital. Yas is already home to several major attractions including Ferrari World, a Formula One Grand Prix circuit and Yas Water World. The Warner Bros. complex is built across 1.65 million square feet (153,000 square metres) and is pitched at UAE citizens and foreign tourists. Abu Dhabi’s sister city Dubai is a major tourist destination, attracting 15 million visitors last year. — AFP

The makings of a compelling dungeon crawler


By Alexander O. Cuaycong
and Anthony L. Cuaycong
THE LOST CHILD is the collaboration of Kadokawa Games and NIS America, and with an outstanding set of games under each company’s belt, it’s hard not to get hyped for it. When the developer of Lunar: Silver Star Story, Yume Nikki, and Kantai Collection teams up with the creative mind behind Disgaea, Phantom Brave, and The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, expectations cannot but be heightened. And, true enough, their brainchild results in a worthy addition to the Japanese role-playing library of the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch.
The Lost Child starts out quite strongly, with an atmospheric opening and an attention to detail and style that are nothing short of immersive. You take control of tabloid journalist Hayato Ibuki, tasked with investigating paranormal activities that happen throughout Japan. Soon, you find yourself embroiled in a war that threatens mankind’s existence. Appointed to roam the countryside and cleanse the Land of the Rising Sun of demons and fallen angels, God sends help by way of the angel Lua and arms you with the weapon/relic Gangour, with the ultimate objective of stopping the end of the world.
Following the grandiose introduction, The Lost Child has your appetite whetted for engrossing gameplay. As a dungeon crawler, it has you engaged in exploration from a first-person point of view, which is all well and good. Unfortunately, while these endeavors essentially serve as its meat, the locations you travel to tend to appear rather uninspired and generic. The environments simply don’t look too entertaining, and try as the game might to shake things up, they aren’t anything beyond sufficient at best. And, needless to say, the deficiencies are more pronounced on the higher-resolution PS4 than on the Switch.
Thankfully, the drawn assets more than make up for the seemingly rudimentary backgrounds. From Hayato to the angels and demons he fights with and against, the character art is collectively superb. Completed with painstaking care and colored beautifully, it stands out in terms of personality and design. The visual-novel segments and cut scenes tend to be as memorable, and more than make up for whatever graphical failings the game has. And when paired with the wonderful music, they lend the appropriate ambience with exquisite timing.
In The Lost Child, you move from area to area investigating the occult and uncovering a slew of legends, myths, and histories that have long been buried and gone unnoticed. Needless to say, the work keeps you occupied and guessing, and your interest is properly piqued. You can’t wait to see what happens next. Traversing “dungeons” in the form of dark alleys and houses and occasionally being attacked by the entities you investigate, you move to uncover the mystery behind each area, beating down foes or even capturing them as needed.
Indeed, The Lost Child has you rounding up Astrals, and through the power of the Gangour, you’re able to bring them over to your side. They have their own relative strengths and weaknesses, and while the game’s combat is fairly simplistic in rock-paper-scissors fashion, the ability to use captured enemies brings some entertainment value, especially when the character design can fluctuate from tame to wild and wacky at a moment’s notice. The gameplay winds up tapping your affinity for first-person dungeon-crawling releases.
That said, The Lost Child’s obvious homage to the best of the genre leaves it vulnerable to the lack of innovation. And because it harks back to previous releases, it becomes he subject of unfair comparisons. You remember such notables as Shin Megami Tensei, Etrian Odyssey, and even Kadokawa’s own Demon Gaze, and you can’t help but draw hasty conclusions. At points in the game, you may think that, when juxtaposed with the genre’s finest, it’s not as difficult, or not as deep, or not as entertaining.
It’s too bad, really, because absent the summary judgments, The Lost Child provides a great experience. While it’s not the best of its genre, and while its supernatural storyline will appeal only to a niche market to begin with, it’s certainly got the makings of a compelling dungeon crawler. It’s able to stand on its own, and while it doesn’t live up to admittedly unrealistic hype, it’s still a title that more than earns its $49.99 price tag. If you’re keen on playing it at home, go for the PS4 version. Otherwise, it’s most conveniently negotiated on the Switch, which allows you to pick it up on the go and make full use of the time you have between real-life pursuits. Either way, it’s highly recommended.

PXP Energy net loss widens to P32.8M

PXP ENERGY Corp. reported on Thursday a consolidated first-half net loss of P20.1 million attributable to equity holders of the parent firm, or bigger than the P11.3 million if incurred in the same period last year.
The company told the stock exchange its reported consolidated net loss hit P32.8 million during the period, an expansion from the P17.2 million in the same six-month period last year.
Consolidated petroleum revenues rose by 27% to reach P66.7 million from P52.6 million a year ago resulting from a 33% improvement in crude oil price offset by 2% lower crude production.
The company said consolidated cost and expenses increased by 42% to P110.5 million from P77.8 million a year ago “brought about by higher depletion cost in Galoc and the decommissioning of Tara and Libro wells in Service Contract 14, offset by continuous containment of group overhead.”
The company said the net loss of P32.8 million was due to higher depletion cost and decommissioning, other charge of P11.9 million, and a provision for income tax of P1.6 million. This was offset by a foreign exchange gain of P23.3 million.
PXP Energy also said that Forum Energy Ltd., a 78.98%-owned subsidiary, will take guidance from the Philippine government in respect of any future activity in Service Contract (SC) 72 and SC 75.
“The Company is mindful that the Malampaya gas resource, which supplies about 40% of Luzon’s power requirements, could be exhausted within the next decade; in that light, resumption of exploration in SC 72 is in the national interest. The Company remains hopeful that the force majeure imposed on SC 72 and SC 75 will be lifted by the Department of Energy soon for the Company to be able to resume exploration works in these SCs,” the company said.
On Thursday, shares in the company rose by 1.70% to close at P10.78 each. — Victor V. Saulon

How managers can defend hated company policies

I’m a department manager at a medium-sized factory. I’m sure you have also encountered stupid, if not unpopular management policies that people managers are obligated to uphold and protect from employee criticism. But how would you do it without sounding disloyal or irresponsible to the organization? — Very Cautious.
A young boy was playing baseball alone in a big yard. He was heard to say: “I’m the greatest hitter in the world!” Then he tossed the ball into the air, swung and missed. “Strike one!” Undaunted, he picked up the ball, threw it into the air and said to himself: “I’m the greatest baseball hitter ever,” and he swung at the ball again. And again, he missed. “Strike two!”
He paused a moment to examine his bat and ball carefully. Then a third time, he threw the ball into the air. “I’m the greatest hitter who ever lived,” he said boldly to himself. He swung the bat hard again, and missed for the third time. He cried out loud:
“Wow! That’s strike three. What a pitcher. I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!”
Attitude matters more than anything. When you can’t do anything and your position is also on the line, discover a different approach to help achieve the best for management and their employees. Being part of management, your job is to help promote the interests of the organization, which include justifying company policies and practices that are unpopular with employees.
This is very difficult to do, when you yourself don’t agree with some systems that are the subject of employee complaints. It may be unfair to you. Just the same, it is incumbent upon you to work out a solution that is acceptable to all concerned. Now, here are some tips and techniques that you can explore:
One, appear neutral in situations where there are employee complaints. Don’t openly discuss your negative sentiments about a certain policy. As much as possible, hold on to your personal opinion against certain management policies, until you get advice or clearance from top management. You should not appear to be the first one encouraging employees to ignore company policies that you don’t like.
Two, examine those issues and validate why employees are against them. Be clear how and why the people are against them. If you can’t understand the issues, then how can you bring the matter to top management? Unless you fully understand the rationale for such unwanted company policies, it would be difficult for you to understanding everything. Therefore, the safe approach is to move slowly in accepting the complaints on its face value.
Three, discuss the issue with your boss and other managers. There could be compelling arguments for a certain policy. They could have been valid reasons at the time of their promulgation which you don’t know about. If the reasons or circumstances are no longer present, then maybe it’s time for you to convince management to issue another policy to supersede the old one or create another policy without highlighting management mistakes.
Four, weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a hated policy. Discover the pros and cons, even if some employees hate it. At times, the benefits of a policy to the organization far outweigh the problems. This is easy to understand as most employee complaints are self-serving and cater only to a minority of people, not the interests of the majority.
Five, be ready with objective fact and figures to counter employee complaints. This alone is more than enough to sustain “stupid” management policies. Publish them on a regular basis for the information and education of all concerned. Update old data and provide an intelligent analysis that is beneficial to the organization. Having updated information available should prevent rumor-mongers from blowing something out of proportion.
Six, ensure that all line managers support all company policies. Some line executives and other people managers are most likely to take exception to almost anything, for some reason. These are managers who have an ax to grind against the company, including those who were bypassed for promotion, and those whose requests may have been disapproved in the past. Take stock of these managers who could sabotage your work.
Last, go beyond all those employee and manager criticisms. If top management has decided to retain such “stupid” policies, don’t waste time arguing with people who don’t want to be converted. There are certain people out there who are likely to take any side of any argument, just for the sake of criticizing, even after you’ve have already justified management position. Keep in mind that most resistance will fade in due time.
Defending management policy goes with the job. As long as you have a can-do mentality, everything will be all right.
ELBONOMICS: The goal of fixing a bad policy is to prevent it from getting worse.
 
Send your workplace questions to elbonomics@gmail.com or via https://reyelbo.consulting

CBS announces series of short Star Trek episodes

LOS ANGELES — CBS Corp.’s next voyage into the Star Trek universe will come in the form of a four-part series of 10 to 15 minute episodes released starting this fall on the CBS All Access streaming service, the network said on Friday. Star Trek: Short Treks will be released monthly, and each episode will tell a separate, closed-ended story, CBS said in a statement. The network announced the series at San Diego Comic-Con, a convention for fans of science fiction and pop culture. CBS said The Office actor Rainn Wilson will play con artist Harry Mudd in one episode. Another installment will focus on a man who finds himself the only human on board a deserted ship. Each of the Short Treks episodes will reveal clues about the story unfolding on Star Trek: Discovery, a series that is heading into its second season, co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman said. The original Star Trek debuted in 1966 as a US TV series depicting the adventures of the Starship Enterprise. It was created by the late Gene Roddenberry and featured characters including Captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner, and Vulcan officer Mr. Spock, played by the late Leonard Nimoy. The franchise has persisted through several movies and TV shows. CBS announced in June that it would further expand the Star Trek franchise with new series, mini-series, and animation under a production deal with Kurtzman. — Reuters

Financial independence

THERE is an impassioned, mostly millennial community that I accidentally discovered online. This is the FIRE community, an acronym for “financial independence, retire early.” As the acronym suggests, the goal of this movement is to gain financial independence, and this means getting away from reliance on paid employment to keep going and retiring early from corporate bondage.
Financial independence is not about getting rich. It is about figuring out how much money is enough to sustain a particular lifestyle. It’s about having just the right amount set aside, investing it wisely and living off interests and passive income. It is being freed from capture by the corporate world and doing just enough to live a more satisfying life where you are your own boss. For some it means taking an occasional job to supplement their savings although the strict advocates are comfortable with their investment account.
One good model of this FIRE movement is Chris Reining. At age 37, Chris successfully retired as a millionaire. He did not win a lottery. Neither did he engage in a networking scheme or some complicated business. His financial secret was featured a New York Times article tagged as “There’s a difference between ‘living rich’ and ‘being rich.’”
What prompted Chris to retire at such a young age? He said he did not feel sorry for himself for doing so but saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for growth. “I wasn’t getting the things I wanted to get out of life and if you’re not getting the things you want to get out of life, then you need to change to become the person who can. If you stay the same you’re going to get what you’ve always gotten.” It was a risk he took for a change, a transformation to a better him and it included financial freedom.
What is his secret to financial security and independence per se? It’s a simple formula but difficult to execute. Spend less than what you earn and invest the difference. In layman’s terms, one must live within his means and learn the art of working on your numbers by investing. How will you be able to do that? One tweet of Chris Reining spilled the trick highlighting the difference between living rich and being rich. “Living rich: make $500k, spend $500k, don’t have two nickels to rub together. Being rich: make $100k, spend $40k, have $1 million in the bank.”
A lot of people want to be rich when they mean to say is they want to spend like a rich person. To be able to do that requires earning a bigger pay check and so the cycle goes on. More earnings, more wants (and most of these are on branded stuff and expensive items that depreciate their value over time) resulting to no savings at all. The reality of being rich is measured by assets generating income that exceed your standard of living.
Chris substantiated the “4% rule” to be able to be financially independent. This means that from your pay check, you must always separate a portion going to savings and this savings must be invested. Your savings will be sufficient when you have enough to allow you to withdraw 4% from your investment accounts yearly, adjust for inflation, and never run out of money. This theory was backed up by research papers of Bill Bengen and professors of Trinity University. Your amount of annual spending must be the basis of determining your savings goal or nest egg, enough to keep up with a decent lifestyle without working and just relying on what you have.
Chris added, “The funny thing about money is you always feel like you need more — even when you have enough, you never have enough.” Living an expensive lifestyle is fine but Chris realized that if he spends less he’ll have more to save and it will help him to achieve his investment goal faster. So, the game of being rich is not how much you earn but how much you spend for a living.
This reminded me of my previous article about contentment. Contentment begins with the eyes. Avoid envy for the possession of others, have a reasonable budget and simplify one’s lifestyle by focusing on the necessities. Avoid debt like the plague. Pay yourself first. If there is something you can’t resist buying, save up before purchasing rather than using credit.
Research and learn more about investment schemes that work best for you. It may be instruments offered by banks, government securities, pooled funds and other investment outlets. There are a lot of ways to grow your money without exposing yourself to high risk. Start changing your viewpoint about money and lifestyle now so you may retire early to your liking. Envision yourself using your time somewhere else doing the things you love to do.
You need not be a strict FIRE advocate, but its principles are rational, sensible and very practical. But to achieve its goals, one must have discipline and focus. It’s like going on a strict diet, in the finance area, and sticking to the regimen. And it all starts with making sure you live within your means and prioritize your needs to what is essential.
 
Benel D. Lagua is Executive Vice President at the Development Bank of the Philippines. He is an active FINEX member and a long time advocate of risk-based lending for SMEs.

Your Weekend Guide (July 27, 2018)

Ang Huling El Bimbo

FULL HOUSE Theater Company presents Ang Huling El Bimbo, a musical featuring the songs of the Eraserheads, from July 20 to Aug. 26 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila, Pasay City. The musical tells a story of friends who reunite after 20 years and look back on the things that brought them together and kept them apart. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Music & Laughter

MASTER impersonator Willie Nepomuceno joins forces with singer Nonoy Zuñiga in Music and Laughter, tonight, 8 p.m., at The Theatre at Solaire. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Rak of Aegis

PETA BRINGS Rak of Aegis back for a 6th run until Sept. 2. The musical, featuring the music of the jukebox band Aegis, tells the tale of a perpetually flooded barangay and how its inhabitants adapt. The PETA Theater Center is at No. 5 Eymard Dr., New Manila, Quezon City. For tickets and schedules, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Rockestra

MANILA SYMPHONY Orchestra (MSO) traverses genres in a symphony concert featuring rock and OPM music in Rockestra on July 29, 6 p.m., at The Theatre at Solaire. Conducted by Arturo Molina, the show includes as guests guitarist Noli Aurillo and the band Silent Sanctuary. For tickets, visit TicketWorld (www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999).

Robinsons Tuguegarao

ROBINSONS Land Corp. (RLC) will throw a grand celebration on July 26 to mark the opening of Robinsons Place Tuguegarao, the 50th Robinsons Mall. To celebrate the occasion, RLC’s Brand Ambassador, Maja Salvador, will perform at the opening, along with Kapamilya star Xian Lim. On July 27, Kapamilya star Joseph Marco will visit Robinsons Place Tuguegarao for a special mall show, while on July 28, actor Vin Abrenica will serenade his fans at the mall, while kids can enjoy the company of PORORO at the mall’s Character Fest.

#TheArtofGuess

GUESS USA celebrates its heritage and contribution to street style in a three-day exhibit, #TheArtofGuess, which opens on July 27 at Whitespace Manila. It features works by local artists Anna Bautista, Anina Rubio, Alessandra Lanot, Jessica Yang, Monica Magsanoc, Steph Alvarez, Kara Pangilinan, Lee Caces, Soleil Ignacio, Raxenne Maniquiz, Archie Oclos, Dee Jae Paeste, and Anjo Bolarda. Opening night will feature performances from Aw, Curstismith, Over October, and Rammy Bitong.

Gods and monsters

By Noel Vera
DVD
Princess Mononoke
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Rerelease
(Warning: article does not summarize the film’s story — there are websites for that — and goes into detailed discussions of plot and narrative twists)
CALL Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime, 1997) Studio Ghibli’s biggest production to date; call it a serious attempt at a sequel to the 1984 classic Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, spun out of control and grown to monstrous proportions; call it Hayao Miyazaki’s attempt to directly take on Akira Kurosawa’s jidaigeki epics, in particular Seven Samurai. The animation outfit would go on to do bigger efforts monetarily speaking but in terms of sweep and complexity and ambition this may be the greatest feature they would ever accomplish.
An argument I think can be made that Princess Mononoke is, if anything, more complex than Kurosawa’s epic. Where Kurosawa was careful to sketch vivid portraits of samurai and farmers and their uneasy alliance, his bandits (basically rogue samurai fighting on the other side) are a faceless horde, the single most memorable character — the bandit chief — marked by his crescent moon helmet and the matchlock rifle in one hand. Miyazaki has humans versus animals in a pitched battle for control of vast woodlands (inspired by the Yakushima forest, one of the largest — and most mysterious — subtropical evergreen growths in Japan) but the animals are hardly united: the wolf clan stages guerilla strikes on the humans who venture out of their fortress village; the boar clan intends an all-out assault; the ape clan keep their distance pelting beast and biped alike with sticks and stones. On the human side is Lady Eboshi’s Tataraba community, a group of riflemen, prostitutes, and lepers who produce iron from their elaborately constructed forge; Lord Asano and his samurai army, who scheme to seize Tataraba; Jigo and his hunter-assassins, on a secret mission from the Emperor to take the head of the Shishigami — the forest’s presiding spirit.
Asano (who never makes a personal appearance) can be dismissed. He represents the outmoded mindset of the feudal lord (The male machismo?) still fighting with the swords and spears and arrows of the previous era; I suspect Miyazaki’s cursory attitude towards his faction says everything that needs to be said about him. Jigo is more intelligent, with a streetsmart sense of humor; the filmmaker reportedly couldn’t decide if the man was a secret agent, a ninja, or a priest, decided on a mix of the three — an unfortunate decision, as our feelings towards him remain equally unfocused. His intelligence is limited by his mercenary greed — his vision confined to what the Emperor’s gratitude can give him.
Lady Eboshi starts out villainous — first we see of her she’s wounded Moro the wolf god in the shoulder — and as the film progresses we uncover different facets of her ruthless and radical nature. She’s a noblewoman — possibly the only way in feudal Japan to be a freethinking female able to carry out her ambitions; she’s also unfailingly courteous, another sign of highborn status (well — it’s a trait that suggests more than any other her highborn status). She sells the iron produce of her mill — a stinking belching but nevertheless effective engine of industry — for food, weapons, influence, entering into lucrative trade deals and intricate agreements with neighboring shoguns and the Emperor (Jigo of course is somehow involved) She’s an enthusiastic proponent of technology — she uses what look like Chinese handgonnes and fire lances to fight the forest gods, constantly pushing her people to develop lighter more compact versions (eventually she wields a shoulder-mounted matchlock, a far deadlier weapon). But she also employs lepers and prostitutes — outcasts of society — giving them a safe place to live, winning their trust. She’s a cunning tactician, a capable strategist, her implied ultimate goal: to create an army of rifle-bearing women on equal if not superior footing with traditional samurai; and to become a significant military and economic force in the region. She’s also a courageous and caring leader who only seems to want the best for her people.
Eboshi is an evolutionary step beyond the character of Lady Kushana, particularly in the later issues of Miyazaki’s Nausicaa manga, a formidable military and political leader who inspires fanaticism in her followers; Nausicaa’s dark twin if you like. She is also answer to a question that must have weighed on Miyazaki’s mind: how do you create a truly interesting adversary? Why, instill in him — in her — all the good and admirable abilities a person might possibly have, make her charming and witty, make her compassionate, at least to her folk; make her in effect so noble she hardly seems villainous at all. If Eboshi has a flaw it’s (as with Jigo) in a smallness of vision: her concern stops with her own community, and woe to the outsider that stands in her way. Other communities — Lord Asano’s, the Emperor’s realm — are to be treated with suspicion. The forest clans? Not human, hence not to be recognized as anything other than enemy.
Of all the alliances — between Eboshi and the various human factions, between the forest clans — the one between Ashitaka and San (the eponymous Hime) is arguably the most intense, and most troubled. They meet in a state of mistrust and anger (San’s adopted mother Moro had just been wounded), they are drawn to each other across vistas of suffering and carnage, they end up as with all the other factions in an uneasy truce: recognizing they’re from two different worlds they part ways, but with a declaration of lasting affection, and a vague promise to visit each other regularly.
You wonder at this arrangement — does Ashitaka intent to someday take a wife in Tataraba, perhaps have his own family? Are they to stay friends, perhaps with benefits? Thinking in those terms feels vulgar — they are of different communities; different species, almost — yet love each other. Perhaps the analogous relationship might be between Plaxy and her dog in Olaf Stapledon’s tragic novel Sirius — a spiritual connection with physical aspects, a hopelessly incompatible pairing that despite everything insists on persisting.
Two incidents suggest the intensity of their connection: early in the film Ashitaka is wounded, and San brings him to the Shishigami to be healed. He wakes, alive but weakened; she feeds him a meat jerky, but he has difficulty chewing. She rips off a piece, chews on it, presses her lips to his, feeding him the well-ground mush. It’s a highly practical gesture, found throughout early human history (the first mention is in ancient Egypt, where mothers are advised to premasticate medicine before feeding it to their children — but the practice has probably been popular long before written history) and in various animal species (wolves, wild dogs, certain birds, apes). It’s also not a little repellent, and perversely erotic — a precursor to the French kiss if you like, with tongue pushing food (moistened by the giver’s saliva) into the receiver’s mouth.
San watches as Ashitaka recovers. At a certain point she falls asleep and San wakes; he in turn watches her. She wakes looks at him sleepily asks if he’s all right; he says “yes, thanks to you.” She blinks and falls back to sleep.
That blink I submit puts the lie to the accusation that Miyazaki’s characters lack the expressiveness of Hollywood animated characters. On a far smaller budget, using far cruder tools (pen and ink as opposed to a mouse or computer keyboard), he’s able to distill a thought, an emotion, a nuanced gesture that suggests pages upon pages. In this case: “I’m grateful and relieved and not a little delighted in my not-quite-awake state; now I’ll go back to sleep.” Trust is such a given, it’s not even mentioned; they act like lovers or a married couple having a brief exchange in the middle of one night in the rest of their lives.
Princess Mononoke will be remembered for its outsized battles, its monumental setpieces (Tataraba destroyed, the Daidarabotchi unleashed) but lives (for me at least) in throwaway little moments like these. One of Miyazaki’s best; arguably one of the finest animated features ever made.

What to see this week

4 films to see on the week of July 27-August 3, 2018

Mission Impossible: Fallout


ETHAN HUNT, along with his Impossible Mission Force team, joins with CIA assassin August Walker to stop a nuclear attack. Arms dealer John Lark and a terrorist group plan a simultaneous attack on the Vatican, Jerusalem, and Mecca using three plutonium cores. Ethan and his team go on a mission in search for the missing weapons before they fall into the wrong hands. Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, it stars Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby. Empire’s Helen O’ Hara writes, “McQuarrie and Cruise push each scene a little further than you think they can, adding an unexpected flourish or upping the stakes in a way that feels fresh, so that you can never quite predict Hunt’s limits.”
MTRCB Rating: PG

Behind the Walls

A HAUNTED house waits for a newcomer to move in. When a broken family seeks shelter there, evil spirits begin to haunt them and force them to stay. Directed by James and Jon Kondelik, it stars Vanessa Angel, Hutch Dano, Lew Temple, and Reggie Lee.
MTRCB Rating: R-13

Our House


SCIENCE WIZ Ethan drops out of college and breaks up with his girlfriend to take care of his younger siblings after his parents die in a car accident. In the evenings, he busies himself with a machine that can generate wireless electricity to bring back the dead. Instead the device results in awakening unfriendly souls around their house. Directed by Anthony Scott Burns, it stars Thomas Mann, Nicola Peltz, Percy Hynes White, Carlyn Burchell, John Ralston, and Christine Horne.
MTRCB Rating: PG

Kusina Kings


TO SAVE their restaurant business, best friends Ronnie and Benjie join the Kusina King Challenge and work hard to win P3 million so as to not surrender their business to the cooking show host. Directed by Victor Villanueva, it stars Zanjoe Marudo and Empoy Marquez, Ryan Bang, Jun Sabayton, Maxine Medina, Hyubs Azarcon, and Nathalie Hart.
MTRCB Rating: PG

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