You can’t go wrong with a revenge story. Watching a group of evildoers get their deserved comeuppance is always a good time. Mamoru Hosoda’s Scarlet promises such a tale worthy of the greats. However, Hosoda quickly sheds the veneer of revenge for a tale of self-discovery.

Scarlet, the film’s eponymous character, is a princess on a quest for revenge against her uncle, a usurper who ordered the death of her father. However, before she can deal the killing blow, her uncle outsmarts the attempt by poisoning her. She dies and is teleported into a purgatory called the Otherworld. There, she must fight against the other departed to exact revenge from the other side.

So much for revenge

A mix between Dante’s Inferno and Hamlet, Scarlet should have the makings of an excellent revenge story. However, though Scarlet keeps revenge as her main motivation throughout the entire film, she eventually finds a new quest in discovering what she wants to be after she gets her retribution.

She meets Hijiri, a pacifist paramedic from the modern era, who persistently asks her to reconsider seeking violent ends to her enemies. With Hijiri in tow, Scarlet discovers that there is more value in helping other people and giving her enemies a second chance.

Was it a shift well earned?

Most revenge stories today come with a similar twist where the main character reevaluates their murderous rampage to seek inner peace. This usually comes after the murderous rampage. After all, how do you redeem someone who hasn’t done anything wrong?

In stories like these, satisfaction comes when the main character kills minor villains. After getting their fun, a traumatic incident causes them to lose their drive to fall short of killing the main villain. In some situations, the character sacrifices themselves to save someone else. In others, they choose to forgive the villain.

Scarlet fast-forwards straight to the finish by choosing less violent measure right from the beginning. As hellbent as she is on killing her uncle, she fails at every step, usually because of stronger enemies. The only thing she becomes good at is sparing and forgiving her foes, often prodded by allies.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with writing a unique take on the revenge story. However, Scarlet wants audiences to learn its lesson without going through the grueling work that often comes with such a lesson.

Hosoda wants to play it off as the futility of vengeance, and he’s right in making that the moral of the story. However, this just doesn’t stick.

A beauty on the screen

Amid all the criticism, Mamoru Hosoda always manages to deliver visually appealing pieces for the big screen. Scarlet is no different. It features hand-drawn animation that looks three-dimensional and laid on top of realistic scenery.

For all its misgivings, Scarlet transports audiences to a picturesque purgatory with a clear target, the Infinite Lands. If you love fantasy world-building, the movie showcases a fantasy worthy of the name. Though I had problems with Scarlet’s character, I still looked forward to seeing what comes next over the horizon.

Fans are finally getting an official first look at live-action Toph as Netflix has unveiled the first teaser trailer for Season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

It’s been more than a year since the announcement of the live-action adaptation’s renewal for Seasons 2 and 3. The second season is slated in 2026.

Aside from a short trailer, Netflix also bared first look photos for the upcoming second installment. Season 2 features new cast member Miya Cech, who plays master Earthbender Toph in the series.

Returning cast members, meanwhile, include Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kawentiio as Katara, and Ian Ousley as Sokka, among others.

In Season 2, after a bittersweet victory saving the Northern Water Tribe from the Fire Nation, Avatar Aang, Katara, and Sokka regroup and set off on a mission to convince the elusive Earth King to aid their battle against the fearsome Fire Lord Ozai.

Book 2 of the renowned Nickelodeon animated series, of course, focuses on the Earth Kingdom, with Toph Beifong among the key characters throughout that season.

The narrative also becomes more complex, with Zuko’s character arc and as well as the role of Azula as one of the intriguing antagonist figures to set up Season 3.

The 78-second clip mostly previews Miya Cech as the live-action Toph, plus the visual effects fans can expect with her ability to manipulate rocks and see the world through seismic vibrations.

Attending the JBL Sound Fest 2025 felt like entering a tropical Coachella built on cold winds and adrenaline.

The air carried the pulse of a crowd that came to celebrate music and the people who keep its magic alive.

Lines curled around the Parklinks open grounds long before sunset. Fireworks lit the sky above when the show started.

People came dressed as if the night itself was an event worth courting. Sequins tried to outshine stage lights while denim jackets and jeans fought the cold.

I had missed the Sound Fest two years in a row because my life had revolved around training schedules and a calendar that refused to breathe.

This year, Cup of Joe appeared on the lineup like a sign I could not ignore. Then, the roster looked like a music scene ready to let you sing your heart out.

There was Kat DJ, Sean Archer, December Avenue, Flow G, Ashtine Olviga, HORI7ON, and Rico Blanco.

A car-mageddon worthy of a pre-show

The festival took over the Parklinks Open Grounds on December 6.

I stayed at EDSA Shangri-La and believed it would take twenty minutes to get there. Metro Manila’s traffic jam had other plans, though.

My plus one arrived to pick me up at 6:30 p.m., exactly when the show started. I knew the gates opened at four and I could have avoided the rush, though I underestimated the gridlock that wrapped itself around the city that afternoon.

Friends I gave VIP passes to texted me before cellular reception collapsed. They said the grounds looked like a festival pulled from a fever dream; like a mini Coachella filled with sequins and crop tops.

I wanted to be there early enough to take it all in, but I was in a car on EDSA holding a Shake Shack sandwich like a pre-battle ration.

We reached Parklinks at 8:30 p.m. December Avenue had just stepped on stage. Missing half the festival never felt so worth it. I was squealing while running towards the gates.

When old songs return without breaking you

December Avenue and Cup of Joe revived my faith in OPM in 2023.

Their songs felt like chapters from a life I lived too loudly. They reminded me why music can hit like a diary written by someone who never met me but somehow knew exactly what I felt.

Their songs scored the rise and ruin of a relationship that made my heart misbehave. “Huling Sandali” was my heartbreak anthem, when I would sit with the ache of loving someone who could not name what we were.

Hearing it live did not break me the way it used to. It felt like meeting an old version of myself and recognizing that I survived him.

My voice remembered the lyrics even when my heart no longer carried their weight. For the first time, hearing “Bulong”, “Eroplanong Papel”, “Saksi ang Langit” live felt like hearing stories rather than seeing them as scars.

Tastes like gin, stage lights, and people you love

Flow G’s set shook the earth. I followed the vibrations to the concessionaire area to find my cousin, who was battling a water line that stretched across the field. We spent the wait taking photos and laughing at the crowd energy that kept rising.

When Ashtine Olviga sang, I returned to SVIP and surrendered to Rose Quartz Gin & Tonic. Friends drifted in and out of the circle like constellations forming and dissolving.

There were conversations shouted over bass drops, and moments caught in the glow of the crowd’s light sticks.

Then HORI7ON arrived. The crowd ignited and people surged forward. When they performed “Like JENNIE”, the energy shot through the audience as if someone plugged the entire field into a power source.

I might have screamed a little too loud and danced more than I planned.

The headliner of my heart

Cup of Joe entered the stage while I was in a portalet, which is the most on-brand plot twist my life could deliver.

I sprinted like an athlete in the last five hundred meters of a race. My plus one and I made it back to the walkway near the stage just in time for their visuals to unfold like a cinematic opening.

Their production felt massive. It reminded me of my early years dreaming of building audio-visual experiences that could move people, when I used to work in live events. I watched the lights bloom in time with the music and realized I no longer needed that life to love it.

My OPPO Find X9 captured every moment unfolded. The clarity was unshakeable, even at night, and the color accuracy stunned me. Every frame felt like it acknowledged the way I experienced the night.

Cup of Joe sang “Patutunguhan”, “Silakbo”, “Misteryoso”, “Estranghero”, “Pahinga”, “Tingin”, “Sandali”, and “Multo”, which recently won Song of the Year at the 2025 Filipino Music Awards.

The crowd sang louder with every track, showing how music can pull strangers together in one heartbeat.

A night that ends softly

Fireworks lit the sky at midnight as their set ended. I slipped out of the grounds before Rico Blanco performed since my body started asking for rest.

There were rumors about scheduling delays because he wanted to perform last, although it no longer mattered. The night had already offered everything I needed.

Cup of Joe was JBL’s newest ambassadors and the show’s headliner, and they gave me what I came for. Hearing them live was a dream I postponed for years.

I once imagined hearing them with someone I loved deeply. Instead, I heard them with friends who feel like home, and with a heart that no longer trembles at old memories.

Walking out of Parklinks, I realized something unexpectedly. I can sing the songs without bleeding. I can dance, scream, laugh, and live through the music without thinking of who I lost.

For the first time in a long time, I can enjoy the night for what it was.