Filipino Artist Living Abroad Illustrates ‘100 Views of Manila’ In Anime Style As A Tribute To Home

Filipino artist illustrates Metro Manila anime-style

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Metro Manila is widely known for its traffic congestion and chaotic crowd of establishments. But through Saigon-based Filipino artist Daniel Tingcungco’s illustration series 100 Views of Manila, we can actually see the quiet charms of Metro Manila as he depicts it in anime style.

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Tingcungco featured Metro Manila landmarks in bright colors

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Tingcungco’s illustration of an aerial view of Metro Manila Skyway
Image credit: @cafedandy  

Daniel Tingcungco is a Filipino illustrator living abroad in Saigon, and who has also traveled widely in Japan, Russia, and more countries. 

As a tribute to his hometown, in 100 illustrations, Tingcungco featured landmarks in Metro Manila such as the famous spots we’re all familiar with in Escolta, Makati, and Quezon City.  “I was greatly inspired by Hiroshige’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo and wanted to create a version that features Manila,” Tingcungco told The Smart Local Philippines. 

Tingcungco’s illustration of the Regina Building (left) and a portion of First United Building (right) in Escolta
Image credit: @cafedandy 

His images are closely based on what the actual landmarks look like, but simply in a dreamy color palette reminiscent of a Studio Ghibli film.

A photo of the same intersection in Escolta
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Aside from famous buildings and roads, he also illustrated a metro station complete with commuters.

Tingcungco’s illustration of LRT Recto Station
Image credit: @cafedandy 

This personal project did not just take him a few months to complete. It is the result of over two and a half years of everyday dedication, starting in January 2018 and completed in July 2020.

Tingcungco’s illustration of Uniqlo Glorietta 5, Makati
Image credit: @cafedandy

A photo of the actual Uniqlo storefront
Image credit: Watsamon Tri-yasakda

Using an iPad Pro and Adobe software, Tingcungco captured the jovial spirit of Metro Manila in bright colors and soft strokes, as opposed to the stressful experience we often associate with these places.  “I wanted to show scenes around Metro Manila and provide people with a fresh lens to see the city, especially for those who go through the daily grind of traffic and stress. We tend to neglect the beauty the city has even if it’s not ‘perfect’,” he added. 

Tingcungco’s illustration of the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Image credit: @cafedandy

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Illustrations help us look at our cities differently

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Tingcungco’s illustration of Kartilya ng Katipunan Park (front) and Manila City Hall (back)
Image credit:@cafedandy

According to Tingcungco, the project stemmed from how he has always felt when coming home from his travels abroad. 

The actual Kartilya ng Katipunan Park (front) and Manila City Hall (back)
Image credit: Marilyn Paradina

“There was always this frustration of what a certain country has, that Manila doesn’t, especially in terms of [the] aesthetics of a city. But through fresh eyes and looking at Manila as I would marvel other countries, I was able to change those feelings by looking at Manila differently – accepting it for what it is now, but also hopeful of what it can be,” Tingcungco said on his website. 

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Seeing Metro Manila through a hopeful lens

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We often associate Metro Manila with all the hustle and bustle of an urban jungle, but if we view our cities with a hopeful, renewed perspective, we can begin to see all the little details we can be proud of in these places we call home. 

Browse the rest of Tingcungco’s illustrations on his Instagram feed – he’ll have more illustration projects lined up in the future. 

Also check out:

• Intramuros Minecraft & video tours now available
• Filipino gamer creates national landmarks in Minecraft
• 8 extremely old buildings in the Philippines

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Cover image adapted from: @cafedandy