Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Holiday Recommendations!

It's that time of the year again and as we all know it's the gift giving time. So, I have taken it upon my glorious self to help you do your shopping, whether it be for yourself or for someone else. Here are some of my favorite manga, dramas, movies and CD's to help you please everyone on your list!

Okay, let's start with my favorite manga right now!

砂時計(すなどけい)/sunadokei by: 芦原妃名子 (あしはらひなこ)


Now, I usually don't like shojo manga, but I have to say, this is by far one of the best stories I have ever read. The manga is 10 volumes total and just recently finished. The story is about a girl named Uekusa Ann who moves with her mother from Tokyo to a rural town in the middle of nowhere after her parents divorce. She feels out of place until she meets a boy named Daigo and the two become best friends. However, a tragedy occurs that changes Ann's life forever...the manga is great...there's romance and friendship...real life hardships and situations. It's not the average shojo manga, which is why I'm so drawn to it. So check it out! You can get it at your local Kinokuniya or at Amazon Japan.

For those of you who cannot read the Japanese, never fear, the English translation will be available January 1st for your viewing pleasure! Check it out here!

Another great choice, shojo style is:
僕の初恋をキミに捧ぐ/boku no hatsukoi wo kimi ni sasagu by: 青木琴美(あおきことみ)



Okay, so another extremely popular manga. What is wrong with me? I know, I know. But check it out! The art might turn you off at first, but you can move past it quick, I swear...(they have really creepily big eyes...). So the story goes like this, two kids grow up together, one is really sick. They meet in the hospital and make a promise to each other - On their 20th birthday they will get married. The only problem is, will the sick boy make it to his 20th birthday?! OMG folks, it's so sad! The story chronicles their childhood and schooldays...narrated by them both, with flashbacks and sad little blurbs...its so wonderful! Oh so good! You think it would be predictable, but I find myself reading uncontrollably. It's still going and there are 9 volumes out as of right now. So go to either Kinokuniya or Amazon Japan to check it out.
*Unfortunately if you don't read Japanese you are out of luck on this one. It hasn't been translated as of yet. But keep your hopes up. One day. You could always practice your Japanese. Check it out anyway!

Not into the shojo? It'sk ! I got you covered-Let's try one of these!
*ピュ〜と吹く!ジャガー by: うすた 京介
Want one of the funniest comics ever! Ever wonder what a comic about a dude who plays the recorder would be about...check this out! The best gag comic ever...featured in Shonen Jump!

*銀魂 by: 空知英秋 GIN TAMA by: Sorachi Hideaki - A comic about...uh...what is it about? It's funny...check it out. I think it has aliens and giant dogs...samurai? It's also features in Shonen Jump and it was turned into an Anime. So it must be good...*cough*.
- This one is available in English ! Yay! So, go to your local fine book retailers and buy buy buy!

Finally a quick list of manga to check out! (Trust me..muahahah)
Reborn (English Available)
D.Gray Man (English Available)
ヴァンパイア騎士/Vampire Knight (English Available)
B.O.D.Y (English Available)
CROWS!!!! <--- I added the !!!!!! weee 絶対彼氏/Absolute Boyfriend (English Available) Ouran Host High School (English Available) 花とみつばち Flowers and Bees (English Available) Death Note (I guess it should go on the list...English Available of course)


CD of the season a must have!!!
L'arc ~en~ Ciel's KISS


It's beautiful...although the cover looks like an amateur rip of of AKFG's CD covers (which is sad since L'arc's CD covers are usually really pretty!) but hey...it's whats on the inside that counts...and dude...L'arc made it count. This has to be their best album since...ray! There isn't one song on here that I dislike. So go get it! It makes a great gift!

Here's the track list:

1. SEVENTH HEAVEN (5:01) <日本テレビ系「スポーツうるぐす」テーマソング>
2. Pretty girl (3:17)
3. MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM (4:16) <スバル New レガシィ CMソング>
4. 砂時計 (4:35)
5. spiral (4:01)
6. ALONE EN LA VIDA (5:12)
7. DAYBREAK’S BELL (4:11)
8. 海辺 (4:33)
9. THE BLACK ROSE (3:38)
10. Link -KISS Mix- (4:46) <「劇場版 鋼の錬金術師 シャンバラを征く者」オープニングテーマ>
11. 雪の足跡 (4:46)
12. Hurry Xmas (4:49)


The best dramas for gifts:

Long Vacation - a classic...always makes a great gift

Nodame Cantabile


花より男子/hana yori dango

*For the best prices try eBay...or otherwise go to yesasia or Cdjapan for the best deals!

And finally, you want the best movie to get your special someone...try these:

大停電のよるに - Daiteiten no yoru ni

"Daiteiden no Yoru ni" is the latest film from director Takashi Minamoto. Inspired by the August 13, 2003 blackout across New York City, Minamoto presents an original tale about the Christmas that neon-tinted Tokyo went dark! Amidst this backdrop characters struggle to find their own place, help each other, and fall in love. It is a really great movie. English SUBS!

ゲゲゲの鬼太郎/Gegege no Kitaro

Japanese DVD release of the film adaptation of legendary manga and anime series "Gegege no Kitaro" starring Eiji Wentz, Mao Inoue, Reina Tanaka, Yo Oizumi, Kanpei Hazama, Koyuki, and more! Kitaro lives his life in Gegege Forest with his father the eyeball and his ghoulish friends! One day he receives a letter with news that threatens to shake both the spirit world and the world of the humans. When a human boy ends up with tremendous power and evil spirits attack, Kitaro manages to save him. Now the real trouble begins! YAY! Fun for any fan! English Subs!!

Some more movies:
Nana (Eng. Subs)
Sakuran (English Subs)
Maiko Haaaan!!! (English subs)

Once again go to yesasia.com or Cdjapan.co.jp for more info!

So, check all these wondrous wonders out! And have yourself a merry little X'mas! Or whatever it is your celebrate!







懐かしいよね!...Merry X'SMAP! メリクリみんな!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Just some news...

Abe Hiroshi is getting married!


Omg! What news! Abe Hiroshi (43) is engaged to a woman 15 years his junior. Congratulations. But for some reason it makes me kind of sad he's taken...not that I ever really wanted him for myself...but all the same...

Tetsu is geting married!


Tetsu (38) from L'arc en Ciel is also getting married to Sakai Ayana (22), a talent/model. Also, makes me a little sad...think I had a crush on him at one point...not marriage/stalker crush...but still. Oh, and he beat Abe, his chick is 16 years younger than him! Go Tetsu! おめでとう!Dude, that's younger than me, yo! Not by much...but still! I'm old...I'm going to go curl up in the corner, rock back and forth and die a little inside.

So much marriage.




And finally, they are making a ヤッターマン or "Yatterman" ( will someone tell me how they got yattERman out of yattAman?) movie...a live action movie...starring 櫻井翔 (Sakurai Sho) from 嵐 (Arashi)! For all of you who don't know what a Yatterman is, it is okay...it's about a hero who fights crime with a ball in a cup...that's right folks, a ball in a cup...You just toss the ball, catch it in the cup, dump it out of the cup, toss it, and catch it in the cup again. The ball is on a string and attached to the cup, so there's no worry if you don't catch the ball in the cup. And clean up is as easy as catching a ball, in a cup. So, why spend another day not catching a ball in a cup when you can be catching a ball-in-a-cup?...But, "Oh, no!" you say. "Aw, I missed the cup." Hey, but its okay...because there's a string attached to the cup!...Yeah...seriously...a hero who fights crime with a ball...in a cup...hot.
Here's Yatterman!




(^o^)/

Oh boy!

Yattaman sounds better....hmmph.

More! More, Winter Dramas!

The schedule is filling up fast, so here are a few more winter dramas!

貧乏男子
(Binbo Danshi/ボンビーメン Bonbimen)



Starring: 小栗旬 (Oguri Shun) from クローズ Zero! Yay! And of course, probably most popular for his role in 花より男子(hana yori dango) & 花より男子2.
What's it about?: Oguri plays a poor but optimistic college student in this comical story. Because of his overly nice personality, he ends up taking on other people's debts and faces various challenges to pay off those debts.
Rating: Sounds generic and predictable...but, I'm going to totally watch it. But I dunno...I don't find him hot like everyone else...maybe this drama will change my mind...

あしたの喜多善男
(ashita no kita yoshio)

Starring: 小日向文世 (Kohinata Fumiyo) who's been in such things as: Hero, Orange Days, and 風林火山 (seriously, folks...watch it!). And 松田龍平 (Matsuda Ryuhei). He's so creepy, yet so intriguing. He's been in stuff...like, Cutie Honey, NANA...his brother is Matsuda Shota...yeah...now you know him. Okay....
What's it about?: Yoshio Kita is a debt-laden man whose wife (Manami Konishi) has left him. With his close friend's death anniversary only 11 days away, Yoshio chooses that date for his own death.
Rating: How sad is that! OMG. It sounds like it will be a crying drama...what drama isn't a crying drama?! I don't know that I have the patience, stamina...or attention span for this drama...but I'll give it a go. And that 龍平 is just so creepy I need to watch it I mean look at this picture...he stares into your soul! Eerie.


Anyway, you can read more about あしたの喜多善男 here. Apparently, it was based on a novel. Interesting...I assume.

For no reason whatsoever...and because I can...here is DJ Ozma with lie-lie-lie.



You know I love you. ポッ(*゚.゚)(゚.゚*)ポッ

Thursday, November 15, 2007

More Winter Dramas...of Looove

Here are a few more fun dramas coming out this winter! I'm looking forward to them! Yay! This season won't totally suck like the last one!

未来講師めぐる
(mirai koshi meguru)

Who: 深田恭子(Fukada Kyoko) - Singer/Actress, she's been in some stuff (下妻物語、リング2) and sang some stuff...lol I'm more or less impartial to her...I used to listen to her music when I was young and impressionable...and it also stars 勝地涼(Katsuji Ryo).
What: It's about an English teacher who can see 20 years into the future of everyone around her!
Rate: Wow! How useful! I'd know what people will look like 20 years from now! Where they'd end up! I so want that! And I so want to watch this show! Yay!

薔薇のない花屋
(bara no nai hanaya)
Who: 香取慎吾 (Katori Shingo!!) YAY! Who!?! If you have to ask...shame on you! Only a member of SMAP I had a crush on nearly the entire time I lived in Japan! I was going to marry him...*sigh*...I moved on...I did...and some chick...and some other people...that don't matter...and more 慎吾!! Yay!
What: Does it matter
慎吾's in it! Alright! He owns a flower shop...his wife dies...(so sad...*cough*) He has to raise his daughter by himself, and he falls in love again I can only assume...since it's catagorized as a drama/romance...
Rate: Predictable? Yes. But Shingo! The headline in the Sanso news for the announcement of the drama read.."From Shingo Mama to Papa!" Haha, so cleaver. You can check it out here.
If you don't know what a Shingo Mama is:



That clip is really old, but everytime I see it...omg...sooooo funny! aaah!

Love me! Contribute to my blog - help start my webring - spread the world about Japanese dramas/gossip/pop culture and anything else you find interesting! You like my blog? Let me know! You hate it? Let me know! Tell me anything! Thanks!

m(._.)mアリガト

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

あ〜〜あ おかしい!

On a side note, semi-unrelated to this blog...an extremely funny, and wonderful thing has happened. Let me start from the beginning.
My roommates and I keep our internet connection open, I have several computers and my roommates have computers and so-forth. It is too hard for me to connect my computers with our network locked. We tried it and it just doesn't work well. My computers do not cooperate; so we found it easier to just keep our connection open. It's never been a problem and anyone who wants to leech off our internet can. We can see who is on our network and do have the power to kick them off if we so choose...which we never do.
One day while I'm on my iTunes some dude's playlist pop's up...so I'm like, "What the hell is that?" I click on it and "Zack L's" (yes, his name is really Zack and yes, his last name really starts with an L...and yes, he actually listed his full name but, I, being the kind wonderful citizen I am...persevered his identity...his full identity anyway...I'm sure there are lots of Zack L's that live in my building probably on my floor that can get our signal...*grin*)...so I am perusing his playlist and as I notice his poor taste in music I notice he has some videos, "Interesting," I say to myself, so I click one...then I expand the name field and notice that "Oh, no..." who is this Amy Reid and why does she want to "Share My C--k"? As it turns out Zack L was a huge fan of the Amy Reid, but not just Amy Reid other fun titles too...he had quite the collection. So, I went in to share the funny with my roommate...I decided it was our job to make a "public service announcement", as I almost found myself watching something featuring Amy Reid. You know I'm glad Zack enjoys the porn...and enjoys the Amy Reid. I don't want to enjoy his porn with him...I don't want to be minding my own business and WHAM! Amy Reid! Feel free to use our internet...that's what it's there for. But you know you can secure your porn! 'Cause for all you know I could be some 8 year old just browsing their iTunes, all unsuspecting like and "Oh! Look videos! Let's Watch!" and you scarred kids for life yo! For life! Years of therapy can't cure "Weapons of Ass Destruction 5".
ANYWAY! We made this!


Yay! For my fingers...and NO! That is not a mattress! It is in an elevator! Okay.
Less than a few hours later it was ripped down and Zack L and the infamous Amy Reid has never again appeared on our network...muhahaha.
Okay...so...my roommate took a picture...(see above)....and she apparently put it on her blog...well someone found it and put it on their blog...and someone found that and put it on digg.com where it was #2 on the offbeat news and in the top ten of the whole day or something...and it got a bunch of diggs! So, we were an internet phenom for like a day! It was awesome! A friend told my roommate about it...and she told me! And we were both like WHAAA!?! HOW! Amazing right....poor Zack L!
But, it was amazing to see what people wrote in the comments...some people think we are bitches...haha true...some people think we are stupid for not closing our connection (either they think we don't know how or god know what else...I forget...they make me angry...and they make me laugh)...someone wants to send us flowers...some people think we are cool...some defend us...so forth. It's all really funny...and weird, since we aren't quite sure how it got out in the first place...lol.

Let the awesomeness continue!

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Upcoming Winter Dramas...of Love!

So, it looks like there will actually be some decent, or at least promising, dramas this winter season!


It was just announced that 亀梨和也 (Kamenashi Kazuya) will be starring in 1ポンドの福音 (1 pound no fukuin), 1 Pound Gospel, based on Takahashi Rumiko's manga series of the same name. The story is about a boxer who turns pro at the age of 19. Unfortunately, due to his gluttonous ways, he finds himself facing loss after loss because he cannot stay within his weight limit. One day after losing a match, he wanders into a church where he meets a naive, fledgling nun, and he immediately finds himself interested in her. The series is set to air in January on NTV.
*Here's the release "trailer" for the drama.




「ハチミツとクローバー」
Another drama that I'm sure many people will be excited about is ハチミツとクローバー (Hachimitsu to kuroba), Honey and Clover, based on Umino Chika's hit manga series of the same name. It will star 成海璃子 (Narumi Riko) who's been in some stuff that I don't know...well apparently she was in Trick, Trick2...for like an episode each and Trick: The Movie (2002)...for some part...I don't remember her...but she was there...I guess...I dunno...don't remember her. Plus she was born in like 1992...holy crap she's young! So, she was like 10 when she was in the movie! OMG! I am so old! Okay (sigh)...not important...moving on...It ALSO stars 生田斗真 (Ikuta Toma), who's been in some stuff I don't know...he was in 花より男子 (hana yori dango) for an episode and 人にやさしく (hito ni yasashiku) for an episode (great drama). So lucky him. Oh, and he's with Johnny's...SURPRISE! ハチミツとクローバー is about 5 college kids and their lives/love lives. This drama is set to air Tuesday's on Fuji TV.

Original drama's are rare it seems. Lately a lot of manga have made it to live action like, のだめカンタービレ,めぞん一刻, ライフ, 働きマン, LIAR GAME, 花より男子...I could go on for days...not necessarily a bad thing, but originality would be nice.

Some exciting news! クローズ ZERO rocked it in the box office yo!

And here's a little som'n som'n for you all. It's win a date with DJ Ozma...and friends...hahah...it's about 3/4 of the way over 'cause I can't fit the whole thing in here...you can check it out on YouTube...but here is a fun part. He even performs "Spiderman"...spiders super glued on crotches...heavy thrusting...and dirty lyrics...what could be better? Plus, I think one of the "chicks" they are on a "date" with is a dude...can you guess which one? The clip is kinda long, but worth it.


I'd so go on a date with DJ Ozma! (^_-)☆wink

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

久しぶり!

お久しぶりですね,皆さん!
I finally finished 女帝 (jotei) yesterday...after much neglect of the studies. It has become my new favorite drama, 10/10. Fabulous. If you haven't taken my advice and watched it yet...watch it. It has a great cast, intense drama and it made me cry. So, go check it out.
Moving along. The new fall dramas are well underway and since I don't approve of any of them and they put me to sleep during the pilots, I'm not going to bother talking about them any longer.
So, here's another drama I think is worth watching -

華麗なる一族 - The Grand Family.




This drama (karei naru ichizoku) aired back in January and won a few awards.

Starring:
木村拓哉/キムタク(Kimura Takuya) one of my all time favorites. He's in SMAP, was in the first drama I ever watched, Long Vacation (my all time favorite) and is so sexy. It also stars some other people, apparently...no, I'm kidding...鈴木京香 , 長谷川京子, 山本耕史, 北大路欣也, among many many others and a whole plethora of famous guest stars.

What it's about:
It's actually based on a novel by 山崎豊子 Yamazaki Toyoko. The drama, set in the late 1960's, depicts the Manpyo family, famous in Kansai financial circles, and their struggle amidst the tumultuous reorganization of the financial industry of that time. The main rivalry depicted in the story is between Manpyo Daisuke (北大路欣也), a powerful banker, and his eldest son, Manpyo Teppei (キムタク), the executive managing director of a steel firm. For some reason, Daisuke seems to dislike his own son and as Teppei begins to uncover the reason for Daisuke's hatred, his whole life is turned upside down with fatal consequences.

Rating: This drama is outstanding. I was really surprised, since キムタク's more recent dramas have been, how should I say...crap *cough* "Engine" *cough*...but, I think he made up for it with this, it's not his normal genre. キムタク won best actor at the 52nd Television Drama Academy Awards and best actor at the 2nd Seoul Drama Awards for his role in this. So, he did a good job, of course he won for HERO (so overrated) in 2001, but...I won't get into that. He also won (deservingly) for 空から降る一億の星(One Million Stars Falling from the Sky), ビューティフルライフ (Beautiful Life), ロングバケーション (Long Vacation), among many others...these three just happen to be the best dramas EVER...you wanna cry...watch these, you want UNEXPECTED? Watch One million Stars Falling from the Sky, I watched that drama in 1 sleepless night. Three amazing dramas, my three favorite of all time (four if you add 女帝). Anyway, that constitutes a dedicated blog entry...back to 華麗なる一族. Apparently it was categorized as a "romance"...random...but I'd say it was more of a mystery/human drama, the end was amazing and if the rest of the 9 episodes don't do it for you, the 10th and final episode will. Trust me...I wouldn't steer you wrong.
You can watch them on crunchyroll, torrent dl, actually purchase it, or by magic.

Here are two tracks from the highly acclaimed soundtrack to 華麗なる一族 by Takayuki Hattori.







ありがと〜♪~♪ d(⌒o⌒)b♪~♪やった〜!



Thursday, October 4, 2007

After much ado...たいへん!たいへん!

Well...I have had major problems uploading this, so, I had to find an alternative route...good ol' youtube...I've never edited before and I had a hard time coming up with clips that were relevant...so this is the result. でも仕方がないよね。Oh dear. Oh dear.

I do believe you will be speechless (笑). Enjoy the greatest treasure I may ever give to you.




Words cannot even express...☆⌒(>。≪)イタイ

But, proud I completed it on my own? Yes, yes I am.

d(-_^)good!!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Upcoming Dramas...of Disappointment

Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn't I?

Now that the Summer season of dramas has ended, it is time to look forward to Fall's upcoming dramas...or so I thought. It looks like it's going to be a very disappointing Fall. So, let's take a look at some of the dramas lined up for us, shall we? It looks like everyone and their mammas are solving mysteries this season...so watch out, Kindaichi (松潤バージョン) .

Galileo -ガリレオ
Starring: 福山雅治 - Fukuyama Masaharu & 柴咲コウ Shibasaki Kou
Who? Some dude I've never heard of, in some dramas I've never watched. And Shibasaki Kou, a singer/actress, I enjoy some of her music and have seen some of her dramas and movies - Orange Days, Good Luck!, 世界の中心で愛をさけぶ and Battle Royale.
What's it about: An extremely smart man (Masaharu), who is nicknamed Galileo (clever), who solves mysteries no one else can with the help of his hotheaded rookie cop (Kou).
Rating - Blah.

Joshi Deka! - ジョシデカ!
Starring: 仲間由紀惠 - Nakama Yukie (Yay! Claps!)
Who? Nakama Yukie has been in a bunch of things and I love her! She's hillarious! But also a really talented actress. She's probably most notable for her role in the Trick series. She was also in Shinobi...which was popular.
What's it about: SUPRISE! Solving crime. Nakama plays a rookie cop, whose only talent is being an excellent shot, paired with a veteran cop with a #1 arrest record, the two must work together to fight crime.
Rating - I like Nakama. So, I'd watch it. Despite it being a cop drama.
What I really mean - I'll probably get half way through, find something shiny on my floor and get distracted.

Hataraki Man - 働きマン
Starring: Kanno Miho 菅野美穂 & Hayami Mokomichi 速水もこみち
Who? Kanno, some chick I don't know, who's been in some stuff I don't know. And Hayami who's been in 女帝(jotei)! Which hopefully you all have checked out...hint hint...nudge nudge...wink...and other good dramas like Tokyo Tower, Densha Otoko, Gokusen 2, Tokyo Wankei...
What it's about: It's based off the manga by Anno Moyoko, about Kanno who is an editor of a weekly magazine and is so focused on her career she has no time for her personal life, let alone romance. Her co-workers call her "hataraki-man" (working man).
Rating - Hmmm. Eh. I used to read the manga and got bored and feel the drama would do the same. If they want to make an Anno Moyoko manga based drama, make 花とみつばち. Good stuff. Read it!

Mop Girl - モップガール
Starring: 北川景子 Kitagawa Reiko & 谷原章介 Tanihara Shosuke
Who? Kitagawa was Sailor Mars in the Sailor Moon live action series. Tanihara is in Fuurin Kazan 風林火山, which hopefully everyone checked that out as well.
What's it about: Reminds me of Pushing Daisies Super Happy Japanese REMIX 2. I dunno. Kitagawa works for a funeral services company. Oh, she also carries around a mop and mops up around dead people. Whenever she comes across a corpse of someone who leaves strong feelings after their death she travels back in time to try to save them.
Rating: Crazy. I'd watch it. Better than some of the other ones. Actually, it looked like it was the best on the line up, which is sad.
What I want to know - Does her mop have special powers? 'Cause if it does. That's awesome. Also, I think it should talk. A talking magical mop. Cool.

Dramas to BOYCOTT.
Yukan Club - 有閑倶楽部.
Why? 赤西仁 Akanishi Shin.<--(,,#゚Д゚):∴;'・,;`:ゴルァ!!
Trust me on this one, folks.

*These are just some of the dramas. There are plenty more, but none worth mentioning. You can find more here if you're so inclined.

What wonderful treasure do I have for you this week?



Love it. Watch it. Roadshow. 10/27!

(^ _ ^)/~~サヨナラ

Monday, September 17, 2007

女帝 Jotei



Bring the Osaka nightlife to you. With rivaling hostesses, dramatic nightlife, politicians, yakuza, the underworld, and a story that centers around a girl who is bent on revenge, no wonder I'm addicted to 女帝 Jotei. Ayaka, our hero, seeks revenge on those who wronged her and vows to become 女帝 "empress" of the Osaka night scene...and is willing do anything in order to succeed.
女帝 started in July and just ended last week. I, however, just started watching it because I am behind on my drama madness! School+internship = bum kicking. NO TIME! BUT NEVER FEAR! I will make TIME for 女帝, because I want to know what happens! I want to see the revenge in action! If you watch the first episode you will be as outraged as much as I was! And if you are like me...you speak (ahem) *yell* at the screen...in a plethora of emotions...and scare the roommates in the other room. How colorful I am.

Also ナナムジカ does the theme song 彼方. Which, because I love you, I have put here for your listening/viewing pleasure. I know. I'm awesome.



You can learn more about 女帝 by visiting TV Asahi's official site and download it either by torrent from d-addicts or visit crunchyroll to get your fix.

( ̄(エ) ̄)

Sunday, September 16, 2007

They let Gackt be in a drama?!

So, as I was perusing an article in some Japanese magazine, I came across something very peculiar...something very peculiar indeed! Apparently, Gackt is in a drama! Not just any drama, a period drama! 風林火山 Fuurin Kazan! For all of you out there who do not know what a Gackt is, let's consult my people for this one: one friend says "plastic, recyclable, harmful to the environment" - thank you シルちゃん, another says, " Botox-fueled androgynous man-thing" - thank you Laurien. My host sister who is obsessed with Gackt, says "beautiful and cool". I however, just find Gackt "creepy". Confused? You should be. Gackt is half man half robot and shamefully popular in Japan. He is a pop/rock singer/songwriter...oh, and "ACTOR". And the NHK (a TV network in Japan) have given him a part in a drama as 上杉謙信 Uesugi Kenshin. Now, if you look at the pictures of all the other cast members and then you look at
Gackt's picture...he looks so out of place! So let's play a game!
CAN YOU SPOT GACKT?!









答え!Alright you had 5 pictures to choose from. If you chose #1, you are wrong. That is the main character 大林勘助 Obayashi Kansuke...why is he wearing a cloth over one eye?! BECAUSE HE DOESN'T WANT TO SEE GACKT IN HIS PERIPHERAL! If you guessed #2, you are right! おめでとう...I guess. You win nothing! Yay! (claps vigorously). #3 is 上杉謙信 Gackt's same character from the TV Asashi version of Fuurin Kazan. Something seems...off. I mean really...what happened there?! They are supposed to be depicting the SAME guy! (sigh) If you picked #4 (sighs again) shame on you. And #5 is 今川義元 Imagawa Yoshimoto.

*You can navigate around the map and look at the other characters and story plot on 風林火山 NHK's official site.

Now if you still don't see why Gackt doesn't fit in...then...you have problems my friend. Plus he can't act. Here is a sample.


This then reminds me of the time he was in concert and fell off the stage.


I like to play it over and over. And over and over again. Ha.

But seriously folks, all laughter aside, besides Gackt and his "creepy", 風林火山 Fuurin Kazan is actually a very good drama. I'm usually not into period dramas, but 風林火山 is very addicting. You can watch it via torrent from d-addicts or it airs on KTSF 26 on Saturday nights.


*Oh and a side note to all the girls out there who think that they have a chance with Gackt-he's taken by his violinist...who is a boy.
( ̄ー ̄)ニヤリ

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

My dramatic blog about Japanese dramas.

Okay, so maybe my blog won't really be dramatic, but dramatically awesome...like me. Actually, Japanese dramas are some of the most interesting pieces of television I have ever watched in my life. Sometimes (rarely, and I'm sure people will debate this) they are well acted, other times the acting is so terrible it hurts. But one thing is true, Japanese dramas are ADDICTING. The story lines are awesome and cater to just about every taste. I, however, will be catering to my taste, the good taste, the fun taste. So I'll post a wide variety of Japanese dramas, plots, where to find them and so forth. Let the fun ensue. Here's a clip from My Boss My Hero
No subtitles needed folks, Universal Translation: Pudding.


Makes me smile a lot.(⌒▽⌒)ノ_彡☆バンバン!

Some rather lovely blogs I found.

After searching long and hard, high and low, I have found a few blogs that have piqued my interest (and captured my very, very short attention span). The first, Tokyo Graph, which seems to be mostly dedicated to Japanese pop culture and dramas with a great deal of information about a wide variety of Japanese dramas from several different seasons, as well as information about the idols that star in them. I also noticed as I was navigating around that, according to Oricon, Arashi's (嵐) (Japanese pop band) new single "Happiness" has topped the charts in Japan! Yay! Even though I'm kinda sad it beat out Utada Hikaru's "Beautiful World", as it's been on constant shuffle on my iPod...but I digress--TOKYO GRAPH--The site is easy to navigate and has a nice lay out as well as interesting information on recent Japanese popular culture, news, music and television dramas and a nice archive of other information as well, so I was very pleased to find it. (^o^)/

The next blog I came across, I guess I didn't really COME ACROSS it, I was looking for it, was Goddess Carlie [dot] com. Her site is really interesting. It has some information on her favorite Japanese dramas, including Hana Kimi (which I have yet to see, but is basically about a girl who moves from the U.S. to stalk this boy she idolizes and wants desperately to go to school with him, but OH NO! He goes to an ALL BOYS SCHOOL! So she becomes a cross-dresser and dresses up as a boy and infiltrates the school and pretends to be a boy! And no one no one is the wiser. Oh the hilarity and drama that ensue...or so I assume, like I said I haven't seen it yet...but I can assure you...."hilarity" "drama" "romance" "ensuing"...aren't Japanese dramas fun). ANYWAY once again - digression- Carlie's site is really fun, it not only has information on dramas, but has fun little snippets of random videos and some fun music videos. I recommend the Orange Range one, that's on the main page "Ikenai Taiyou" makes me laugh, I don't know why. Easy to navigate, fun information and all around fun site...I enjoy it and she too enjoys the Matsujun. What is the Matsujun you ask?
That is a Matsujun.

And finally the last one I picked because it was actually done on blogger and done exceptionally well. It is a Nodame Cantabile (an extremely popular Japanese drama and manga) blog. It was actually done in my site layout too! Except hers is really, really pretty and nice. She has posted all sorts of information about the drama and some about the manga and she even put up some music from the OST, which I am actually listening to while I am posting this, quite nice. She also has some really nice resources, playlists and helpful links. I really encourage everyone to take a look at it even if you aren't interested in Nodame, even though it's a great show, and I will probably talk about it on my blog later on, just to check out her layout and organization so you can get ideas and everything.

Okay, I think this is all for now. CHECK OUT THOSE BLOGS. jya ne- bye bye!
ばいばい(⌒ー⌒)ノ~~~