By CARLO ANOLIN
Thirdy Ravena traveled to Japan last week in the hopes of helping the San-En NeoPhoenix rise from mediocrity in the B.League there.
The former Ateneo star has already missed the first six games of the Neophoenix and will continue to do so as the lackluster team remained winless without an import.
Ravena, who was supposed to join San-En in July, needs to complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine before the league and the team give him the go-signal for training.
So while he’s on a two-week hiatus, Ravena finds himself embracing the Japanese culture as part of his adjustments.
On a series of Instagram stories, the Gilas Pilipinas mainstay posted a photo of three pieces of spam musubi, a go-to snack similar to the Japanese onigiri.
Ravena was also ecstatic to watch newly-released episodes of the anime series Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academy). He even tagged Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood in one of his posts.
But in a comical clip he posted, the NeoPhoenix import found out that there were no English subtitles available in the Land of Rising Sun.
“So I just found out that all anime series on Netflix have no under subs which is understandable ‘cos I’m in Japan,” the 23-year-old Ravena said.
“But how the hell am I going to watch anime?” a poker-faced Ravena said in jest.
The NeoPhoenix hope to rely on the former three-time UAAP Finals MVP, who became the first player in B.League history under the Asian Player Quota program, to give them the much-needed lift in their next games.
After the season, maybe Ravena could also seek help in his teammates to teach him basic Japanese. When he comes home to the Philippines soon, Ravena can watch as much anime he wants without depending on subtitles.
But for now, Ravena remains locked in for his much-awaited debut in the Japan stint.
