Girl of the year

After years on hiatus, 17-year-old Ylona Garciaa has found her way back to her first love: music

- Giselle S. Barrientos

On a warm Wednesday afternoon in Makati, I found myself talking to Ylona Garcia about the most peculiar topic: Naruto.

“This is my role model in life,” she gushes about the titular character of her childhood show. We were 40 minutes into our conversation, chatting in the dressing room of BJ Pascual’s studio as a whirlwind of preparations happened around us. Clothes were picked out and hung, cheek kisses were thrown around in greeting, and the space was charged with pre-shoot tension.

Seated in the makeup chair in sweats and a plain blue shirt tied into a crop top, Ylona grins at me with a bare face as she talks about the fictional character, unfazed by the maelstrom behind her. “When I was growing up, [I loved] his perseverance and belief in himself even when others thought he was just plain stoops,” she laughs.

The Japanese manga series was, and still is, a worldwide phenomenon. Naruto is the fourth best-selling manga of all time, and is an international success with its English volumes reaching USA Today and New York Times bestseller status multiple times.

The reason might be that at its core, Naruto is an inspirational coming-of-age story that transcends cultural borders. A boy staying true to himself on a journey that provided many opportunities to do the opposite. In the end, Naruto’s reward for his resilience is being able to claim his destiny. It’s a story that resonates with Ylona, considering her steadfast approach to her larger-than-life dreams.