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Rhona Medina, marketing manager for Urban Vision Entertainment, the distributor behind horror titles such as "Petshop of Horrors" and "Bio-Hunter," tells us what she would do with "Pokémon". If Popeye wasn't powered by spinach, what would be his meal of choice? RM: Popeye? Um, I would say pipe tobacco because he's always got that pipe.
What was your first exposure to anime? RM: Depends if you want to be technical. First movie would probably be something like "Vampire Hunter D," but if you go back, things like "Transformers," "Mazinger Z," I got a lot of that from my dad because in the Philippines it was much easier to get anime than here. So I think probably "Mazinger Z" and then it just sort of went on. A lot of people didn't know for the longest time that "Transformers" was Japanese, but come on, look how they stand.
"Pokémon". Catch them all, or kill them all? RM: Can I, like, just catch them all and stuff them? Well, 'cause they're really cute, so you don't want to kill them, but they are kind of annoying. And some of them are really strange looking. I just really like Pikachu because he's cute.
What do you feel is the strongest barrier to American anime appeal? RM: I think it's definitely cultural. People have a hard time accepting that Japan has a different sort of standard, that they have a different medium of storytelling. If you really think about it, anime is just like movies here, only it happens to be drawn. And Americans can't accept that. We've been taught if it's not live action, it's meant for kids.
Who is the smartest, most talented person living on the face of the planet? RM: I don't know. Stephen Hawking is pretty smart. Is he still alive? Let's just go with Stephen Hawking. I don't pay that much attention to people anymore.
If you could ask God a question, what would it be? RM: Why did you let us get out of hand? Look at the human race, we're crazy.
Are you a morning person or a night person? RM: I'm a night person. Once, long ago, I used to be morning, but not anymore.
What are some nicknames you've been called and what are some of the stories behind them? RM: Actually, it's really funny, I don't have very many. Occasionally I get "Nami" [from the manga and anime series "One Piece"] because I dressed up as Nami for Cosplay last year at Expo. And then, oh God, I don't have any names that I haven't initiated. My ICQ handle is "Obake-chan" because my favorite anime character was Tamahome. When he was little they called him Obake-chan.
How many hours a day do you spend on the telephone? RM: Anywhere between one to two hours. I try to keep it short. That's the fun of being in PR. You get to call people and talk to them.
What are three fundamental components to a romantic evening? RM: Okay, to make it really romantic candlelight is always a very good thing. Anything with sort of dark surroundings where you feel isolated, because that is very romantic.
Second element? RM: Some sort of mood music. Not corny. Something instrumental or sincere between the two of you in case you have listened to stuff together. Anything like that. It depends on the relationship. And this is really weird but I'm really big on sincerity, which can translate in any number of ways. But you've got to be sincere. No players in there.
So the three are candlelight, music and sincerity? RM: Yeah.
Urban Vision has recently released "Bio-Hunter" on DVD and is planning a theatrical release of the new "Vampire Hunter D" movie.
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