Fine Filipina Femme Fatales

It takes women with rich imaginations to credibly portray fantastic characters, and every single one of the Filipinas featured in this exhibit has imagination in spades.

Having courageously brought cosplay geekery from the fringe to the spotlight over the last seven years, even against the conservative cultural norms of Philippine society, Filipina-Chinese model Alodia Gosiengfiao has risen to become one of the world’s greatest cosplayers. Because of Alodia, Philippine cosplay has been elevated to the point that it’s now featured in this prestigious exhibit. “Of course, working with the one who made a name with cosplay was nothing short of a pleasure,” Tablante tells Spot.ph in an interview. “She cosplayed several characters for the exhibit.” Alodia is joined in this exhibit by her sister and fellow cosplayer Ashley Gosiengfiao.

Filipina actress Rhian Ramos played the female lead in the Philippine version of Zorro. She also played a sorceress in a fantasy TV series. Having portrayed two different characters in two different versions of a classic Philippine superhero tale, Rhian lends herself particularly well to the role of a high-flying superheroine in Tablante’s exhibit. “She has been my ‘muse’ for the past few years,” shares Tablante. “It was with the shoots we do for fun, that built that rapport. Having her cosplay as Rogue was just a natural for her.” Rhian is joined in this exhibit by her sister Nadine Howell.

Filipina-German actress Bianca King is best known for her portrayal of a winged warrior-woman in one of the Philippines’ biggest movie-TV fantasy franchises. In fact, her acting career features a whole slew of fantasy series involving everything from superheroes to mermaids to hawkmen. She’s got a lot of experience with fantastic characters.

Filipina-French actress Solenn Heussaff is a make-up artist and fashion designer who’s one of the leading ladies in a superhero TV series. Alodia once told me that cosplayers have to do everything themselves when they’re starting out. Apparently, Solenn has some of that plucky self-reliance. “She was complete professional, and does her homework,” says Tablante. “The leather pants we got to use were hers, and she did her own prosthetic make-up, which was super cool. We chose X-23 for her because she’s your deadly combination of a sporty bod and killer looks.”

Hailed as one of the Philippines’ best new actresses, Barbie Forteza lends her promising thespic talents to the cosplay scene with her dynamic posing and projection.

Unleash Your Inner Geek

As one of the Philippines’ top photographers, Tablante has worked with some of the country’s most beautiful Filipinas over the last eight years. He’s also a self-confessed comic book geek. “I’m a frustrated illustrator,” says the popular photographer in an interview with Marvel.com. “Ever since I was a kid when I started my little collection, I’ve always wanted to draw like the artists in comic books.”

“I got into cosplay photography as a means to merge photography with my childhood love and geekiness for comics, anime, and video games,” Tablante tells Alexandre.ph. “Also to solve my frustration at drawing – if I can’t draw my favorite game babes, I can still shoot them!”

With this cosplay photo exhibit, Tablante achieves his comic-book dreams by drawing with light instead of ink. With a certified geek behind the lens and imaginative Filipinas in front of the lens, these meticulously composed cosplay images are guaranteed to take viewers on visual flights of pop culture fantasy. Le Femme Fatales opens at The Crucible Gallery at 6:30pm Manila time (UTC+8) on February 22, 2011.

Filipina cosplay goddess Alodia Gosiengfiao endorses Alter Space, a Facebook game designed to promote environmental awareness. Alter Space is published by Aboitiz Power, a Philippine energy company.

Filipina cosplay goddess Alodia Gosiengfiao is a born video gamer. You can take that almost literally: Alodia’s mom was playing the Nintendo Family Computer classic Super Mario Bros. when she went into labor.

Because of her popularity as a gamer babe, Alodia’s been the Philippines’ most in-demand video game endorser since 2004. She’s endorsed all sorts of games: from massively multiplayer online role-playing games like ZXOnline, to casual browser-based games like TinierMe. Alodia’s even in talks to appear in the upcoming movie based on the hit Warcraft game franchise.

Social Gaming, Clean Energy, and Alodia Gosiengfiao

Now Facebook games are on the rise, and Alodia is endorsing one of those, too. Alter Space is a Facebook game designed to promote environmental awareness. The game puts players in charge of ensuring the ecological sustainability of a small virtual planet filled with animated characters.

Alter Space is published by Aboitiz Power, a Philippine energy company that operates several Earth-friendly hydroelectric power plants. Being targeted to a Philippine audience, Alter Space features numerous references to Filipino culture.

Does all this sound like a cute and cheery premise for a game? That’s good, because Alodia is a cute and cheery Filipina gamer. Watch Alodia’s delightfully bubbly video introducing Alter Space.

Filipina model Jahziel Manabat is one of the most popular girls in the Philippine car show circuit. She’s also one of the Premiere Vixens, six of the hottest models in the country. Anyone who knows anything about the fine Filipina scene knows that Jahz has the face, figure, smile, and spunk to spice up any event or photoshoot.

What most people don’t know about Jahziel, however, is that she sings. Check out these two webcam videos of her singing Torn by Natalie Imbruglia and Sway by Bic Runga.

These videos reveal a whole other side of Jahziel. She usually comes across as a voluptuous bombshell in her photos and shows. In these YouTube clips, however, Jahz looks like an adorably goofy webcam cutie.

The Premiere Vixens. From left to right, in the background: Christine Marquez, Abby Poblador, Paulene So, and Jahziel Manabat. From left to right, in the foreground: Sofie Garrucho and Karen Bordador.

Always count on fine Filipinas to push the boundaries of media. The Premiere Vixens are a group of six incredibly beautiful Filipina models: Christine Marquez, Abby Poblador, Paulene So, Jahziel Manabat, Sofie Garrucho, and Karen Bordador. All six of these gorgeous ladies headline something that’s never been done before in the Philippines: a wild party streamed live over the Internet.

If you want to join them at the party, keep reading.

Vixens Gone Wild

The Premiere Vixens really do live up to their name, as each and every one of them is quite a fine Filipina. Christine is a former cheerleader and an amateur DJ. Abby and Jahziel are two of the Philippines’ top car show models. Paulene is one of the Philippines’ hottest Internet models. Sofie is one of the Philippines’ hottest gamer babes. Karen was part of an all-girl group called The Playgirls.

If you want to see all six of these fine Filipinas party like they’ve never partied before, mark your calendar on Saturday, January 29, 2011. That’s when the party will be streamed live on Flippish.com, from 9:00pm to 10:30pm Manila time (UTC+8). Streaming slots are limited, so make sure you log in early.

Fortunately, some of you will get to see more than just the live stream.

Win Tickets to the Party!

If you want to party with these girls in person, then you’re in luck. We’re giving away ten tickets to the party itself. Just log in with your Facebook account and post a comment telling us which one of the Premiere Vixens is your favorite. Ten lucky commenters will enjoy an exclusive once-in-a-lifetime experience with all six of these lovely ladies.

Remember: you need to log in with your Facebook account by cliking on the big blue “Connect with Facebook” button above the comment box. That way, your comment will count towards the giveaway. Deadline for entries is Thursday, January 27, 2011, 11:59pm Manila time.

Choose Your Vixen

If you can’t decide on your favorite Vixen, then maybe this will help. Check out this playlist of videos featuring all six of the Vixens.

Show your favorite Vixen some love in the comments, and you might get to show her some love in person.

Geeks love tech. Geeks also love cosplay. That’s why SM Cyberzone, the technology and gadgets section of SM Supermalls in the Philippines, holds an annual nationwide cosplay competition.

Dancer and Judge

The finals for the 2010 Cyberzone cosplay competition featured a special treat: a dance performance from Filipina cosplay queen Alodia Gosiengfiao. Cosplaying the futuristic soldier Amanda Werner from the sci-fi anime series Blassreiter, Alodia danced for an enthusiastic crowd filling multiple floors of the SM Megamall event center.

Despite the very real risk of taking a tumble on a slippery floor while wearing spandex-covered heels, Alodia managed to look every bit the anime-costumed superstar while dancing. After her performance, Alodia served as a judge for the cosplay competition.

Culmination of a Chain

Alodia’s performance at the Cyberzone cosplay competition finals culminated a chain of convergent events. Weeks before the finals, Alodia collaborated with Filipina director Kring Elenzano on an ad for Axe deodorant body spray. Kring herself happens to be the star performer for online video production studio Flippish.

When SM Cyberzone tapped Flippish to organize their cosplay competition, Kring became the stage director for the finals. Once again, Kring teamed up with Alodia to put on another great show. Filipina VJ Andi Manzano joined in as host, while Alodia’s sister Ashley joined in to present the prizes.

Nexus of Convergence

Alodia’s performance itself was a nexus of media convergence. Flippish streamed it live over the Internet, while Southeast Asian anime cable channel Animax sent a camera crew. The latter isn’t surprising, since Alodia serves a brand ambassador for Animax.

The competition itself was held across two different SM branches at opposite ends of the Philippines. Thanks to live video streaming by Flippish, the finalists in each branch were able to compete with each other on stage, in real time.

Darling of the Crowd

Alodia’s public appearances have attracted mobs of fans since 2008. We’re not talking about small groups of hardcore cosplay geeks — we’re talking about huge mobs traditionally reserved for mainstream movie stars. The mobs just keep getting bigger and bigger each year, and the Cyberzone cosplay event is no exception. Even before the start of the show, the Megamall event center was already filled to the brim. Long after the show ended, camera-toting crowds still surrounded the cosplay queen.

It was quite a sight to behold. It takes a fine Filipina like Alodia to give a geeky hobby like cosplay such widespread appeal. Congratulations to Alodia, Flippish, SM Cyberzone, and all the cosplayers on successfully evangelizing geek culture to the masses. Cosplay Photographers Guild founder Richie dela Merced captured all the cosplay action.

Popular Demand and Extended Editions

Top Japanese pop culture blogger Danny Choo, who serves as director and presenter of Culture:Japan, saw a surge of Web traffic to his site on the night of the broadcast. Clearly, the show was a hit, and viewers were going online for more.

Based on behind-the-scenes photos taken during her shoot for Culture:Japan, Alodia seems to have worn two outfits for the show: one inspired by anime culture, and one inspired by gamer culture. Based on these screenshots from the show itself, the anime-inspired costume got most of the screen time. The Culture:Japan episode shown by Tokyo MX TV in Japan ran for thirty minutes; an hour-long version will be aired in Southeast Asia via Animax. We should see more of Alodia then.

Alodia also happens to be an anime VJ for Animax. Animax has been expanding its online initiatives recently; if Danny’s Web traffic surge is any indication, Animax’s Web efforts are about to get a pleasant boost.

Filipina Geek Representation

In case you’re wondering about the piano in the first screenshot, Alodia uses it to play music from the Final Fantasy series of Japanese role-playing games. If you look closely at the lower left portion of the third screenshot, you can see a framed photo of her in black tights. That’s Alodia cosplaying the villainous Baroness from the original G.I. Joe animated series. This girl lives and breathes geekiness.

The premiere episode of Culture:Japan marks Alodia’s Japanese television debut. Note the prominence of the Philippine flag in the lower right corner of the first screenshot. The episode’s original Japanese broadcast date, June 12, was Philippine Independence Day. How fitting that a fine Filipina should showcase Filipina creativity internationally on that day.

(Screenshots by Shun Emilio Kuroki.)

UPDATE: Here’s the hour-long version of Culture:Japan’s premiere episode, as aired on Animax. Enjoy Alodia’s adorably bubbly brand of geekiness.

Alodia’s fame as a Japanese pop culture maven stretches all across Southeast Asia, where she’s a VJ for the region’s leading anime cable network, Animax Asia. Now her influence is about to reach the very source of all Japanese pop culture: Japan itself. Alodia is set to appear on Tokyo Metropolitan Television (Tokyo MX TV).

Geeky Passions

Alodia’s room in the Philippines is a showcase of her geeky passions, filled with all sorts of crazy toys and shiny gadgets. That’s why Alodia and her room will be featured on the premiere episode of Culture:Japan, the new TV show directed by top Japanese pop culture blogger Danny Choo. Danny discovered Alodia through a picture of her at ToyCon 2008 in the Philippines; Alodia has since appeared in two of Danny’s photobooks.

Alodia’s younger sister Ashley, herself a popular cosplayer, took photos behind the scenes of the Culture:Japan shoot. The pictures seem to show Alodia wearing at least two different outfits during the show: an elegant ensemble inspired by anime culture, and a casual look inspired by gamer culture.

Twenty-two-year-old Alodia is, of course, a lifelong fan of Japanese anime and video games. Hardcore gamers might recognize the PlayStation 3 game in one of these photos: Final Fantasy XIII, a new role-playing game from Japan. “I’ve always dreamed of doing a shoot expressing how much I love video games,” says the Filipina gamer babe, who’s actually a sought-after video game endorser in her country. “My love for games started when I was in my mother’s womb. Back then, she was already playing Super Mario Brothers on the Family Computer… and I could already hear it. Just kidding!”

Back to the Source

If you’re in Tokyo this Saturday, June 12, catch Culture:Japan on Tokyo MX TV from 9:00pm to 9:30pm, GMT+9. If you’re anywhere in Southeast Asia, watch out for the show’s subsequent re-airing on Animax Asia.

Filipinas are often quite passionate about their fandoms, but it takes a truly fine Filipina to bring her passion all the way back to the very source of her fandom. That’s exactly what Alodia has accomplished with her first Japanese television appearance.

(Photos by Ashley Gosiengfiao via Danny Choo’s Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license.)

Combined with Jerry’s well-developed talent for spot-on character portrayals, those similarities make her perfect to cosplay the immortal witch C.C. From her frilly costume to her melancholic expression, Jerry shines in her portrayal of C.C. as the character appears in the fourteenth episode of Code Geass.

(Photos by Ashley Nelson.)

Ashley Gosiengfiao (left) and Alodia Gosiengfiao (right)

Having endorsed everything from anime DVDs to video games to Japanese skincare products, Filipina cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao has become an icon of Japanese pop culture in the Philippines. That’s why Alodia and her sister Ashley were the obvious choice to endorse Robot, a trendy new sushi bar in the Philippines’ central business district. Instead of putting the girls in traditional Japanese kimonos, however, Robot chose a more modern artistic direction for their new models’ outfits.

To understand why these young ladies are wearing flashy unitards for a sushi bar, you’d have to understand a recent cultural trend in the Philippines. Japanese pop culture fandom in the Philippines started flourishing when the country first went online in 1994, and completely exploded during the first decade of the new millennium. Now more and more Japanese pop culture fans are moving up in the corporate world.

As you might have guessed from the restaurant’s geeky name, Robot hopes to tap into that increasingly affluent market. That’s why they dressed Alodia and Ashley as staple characters from popular Japanese fiction: sentai, a class of high-kicking, robot-riding Japanese costumed superheroes. If you’re familiar with Power Rangers, those guys are sentai.

That Alodia and Ashley themselves are Japanese pop culture mavens certainly adds to the credibility of their endorsement. As you can see from these photos of the sisters in their superhero tights, these fine Filipina cosplayers can save the world with their looks alone.

Alodia Gosiengfiao (left) and Ashley Gosiengfiao (right)

(Photos by Nick Santiago.)

Filipina Net idol Alodia Gosiengfiao is the queen of cosplay in the Philippines. As a consequence of that distinction, Alodia’s become an icon for Japanese pop culture in the Philippines.

That’s why she’s in demand as an endorser for just about anything influenced by Japanese pop culture. Alodia and her sister Ashley recently did a photoshoot for a trendy new sushi bar in the Philippines’ central business district, wearing costumes inspired by Japanese superheroes. Now Alodia dons a stylized samurai outfit to endorse Kojie San, a Japanese line of skincare products.

Interestingly enough, Alodia beat mainstream Filipina actresses and Brazilian models for the Kojie San endorsement deal. She didn’t even bring a traditional model portfolio to the audition — just her cosplay pictures on her iPhone. Having endorsed all sorts of other niche products throughout her career, from anime DVDs to video games, this fine Filipina cosplayer is making quite a name for herself as an alternative model.

Video podcaster Gary Vaynerchuk espouses that the Internet enables people to cash in on their passions, no matter how niche. That’s exactly what Alodia is doing. “Being compensated for what you really love doing, in my case cosplay,” says the young Filipina Net idol, “is more than I could ever ask for.”

In case you’re wondering, that’s a real sharpened katana she’s wielding. Watch out for this geek girl — Alodia’s rapidly cutting a path to bigger and bigger things.