Sugoi Japanese TV

High School Debut/Koukou Debut Trailer

2011-03-13T21:00:00.000-04:00

This is the trailer for the High School Debut/Koukou Debut live action. It hits theaters in Japan on April 1, 2011. I don't know when it will be released on DVD/BluRay so that it can be fansubbed for our viewing pleasure. I will be sure to check and keep you posted when I find out that information though. In the meantime, watch this trailer and try to wait patiently.

Detroit Metal City

2010-12-23T20:30:00.002-05:00

Negishi Soichi (Matsuyama Ken'ichi, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac , Death Note) has been accepted to Tokyo University. Negishi leaves his small hometown to pursue Tokyo University and hopes to start a career as a pop musician.

However, after pursuing his dream throughout college, the band he ended up in wasn't a pop music band. Far from it, actually.

Negishi, along with Nishida Terumichi (Akiyama Ryuji, Tanaka Express 3), Wada Masayuki (Hosoda Yoshihiko, Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu) take on alter-egos and become the members of the death metal band, Detroit Metal City (DMC for short).

Negishi, who's alter-ego is Johannes Krauser II, is the leader of DMC. He is ashamed that his dream didn't turn out the way he wanted and keeps his secret of being the lead-singer for DMC. Even though Negishi hates his alter-ego, Krauser, he can't help invoking the "demonic" ego every time he comes in contact with something that is irritating to him.

Wada, who's alter-ego is Alexander Jagi, is the bassist and "ladies man" of DMC. He would like to leave DMC and perform in a visual kei/JRock band.

Nishida, who's alter-ego is Camus, is the drummer for DMC. He is an curry-loving, overweight otaku with a passion for the ecchi anime "Cameltoe Squadron Bloomer". He is, perhaps, the most dedicated in the band.

Nigishi's friend from college and love interest, Aikawa Yuri (Kato Rosa, Koishite Akuma), loves Nagishi's calm nature and catchy pop songs but hates DMC's music and it's vocalist Krauser. Aikawa has no idea that Nigishi and Karuser are the same person.

I enjoy watching Matsuyama Ken'ichi play the part of Nigishi. Seeing him all "otaku pop" is completely different then his roles as L in Death Note. I grew up mainly listening to heavy metal and death metal. I didn't get into pop music or pop-rock until later on in life. Seeing Nigishi perform both and having to sneak around so his wouldn't let his love ones know he's the demonic Krauser reminded me of how I would listen to pop music and not let me heavy metal friends know I was into that sort of thing.

Here's the trailer for Detroit Metal City. It has English Subs and I think gives a good idea what the story is about. Enjoy.

First Kiss

2010-12-15T20:08:00.001-05:00

Fukunaga Mio (Inoue Mao - Hana Yori Dango) has been in living in the United States for 10 years due to a heart condition that is constantly needing treatment. In those years, she has been living apart from her older brother Kano Kazuki (Ito Hideaki - Buzzer Beat).

Mio's doctors discuss with her about a possible solution to her heart condition. The survival percentage is only 50% and that is if things go fairly well. After a short consideration. she agrees to the surgery, deciding that if she is going to die at least she will die fighting. The only condition is she wants to be able to travel back to Japan and spend time with her brother during the upcoming summer. Unaware about the upcoming surgery and thinking that it will only be for a short time, Kazuki agrees to Mio's sudden visit.

Upon their reunion, Kazuki realizes that Mio isn't the same sweet and innocent child from his youth. Mio later explains that paitents with serious conditions, who are in and out of the hospital often, will either become angels or devils in their pesonalities. Mio has chosen to become a devil explaining that angelic people are often forgotten after they have passed away.

In order to melt the ice formed around Mio's heart, her brother Kazuki vows to show her the joys of being in love even if the love doesn't last forever.

I truly enjoyed this drama. Mio's snarky bad attitude towards everyone is like deep down she's scared about dying and has no other way of showing it other than being so mean. I wouldn't know what to do with myself in Mio's situation. I would probably be too afraid to put myself out in the world knowing that I could possibly die and hurt those that I would grow close to.

Here is a fanmade video for First Kiss. The song is Kanashimi Twilight by Morning Musume. It has a clips from Morning Musume's promo video mixed in with it. I hope you enjoy.

Halfway

2010-11-23T19:10:00.000-05:00

Halfway starring Kitano Kie, Okada Masaki, Mizobata Junpei, Narimiya Hiroki, Shiraishi Miho, Naka Riisa, Osawa Takao.

During a basketball game, Hiro suddenly feels faint after coming in contact with her crush, Shu. Hiro's friend, Meme, helps her to the infirmary to seek assistants from the school nurse. While recovering from her dizzy spell, Hiro confesses to her friend that she has feelings for Shu.

Hiro decides it's time she should confess to them so the two friends take turns practicing what would be said if the confession were to happen. After silly scenarios they've acted out, the two end up falling sleep.

Meanwhile, Shu gets injured during the game and makes his way to the infirmary. As he walks in looking for the nurse, her over hears Hiro talking about how she had a dream about confessing to Shu and that Shu expressed he has had the same feelings for Hiro for years. Due to a washcloth covering her face, Hiro is unaware that Shu is in the room. Before he is found out, Shu escapes with the help of Meme.

On the way home one day, Hiro finally gets the courage to confront Shu and make her confession. However, Shu beats her to it and asks he to be his girlfriend. Shocked, Hiro says she would have to think about it first but later changes her mind and asks to go ride their bikes home together.

Hiro and Shu's relationship is almost childlike. Lots of innocent affection and goofing off. But their happy times are suddenly interrupted when the topic of University comes up. Shu plans to go away to Tokyo but Hiro will attend a local school. Out of desperation, Hiro pleads with Shu to not go. Shu now has to sort out his priorities and decide which is more important, Hiro or the University he's had his heart set on.

It started out quite silly. Very cute and silly to be exact. There was a lot of comedic parts that had me giggling. As the movie progressed, however, it felt like they were skipping a lot of parts. I felt there should have been more. In one scene, you see Hiro with her mom making a bento I can only assume to be for Shu but you never see her give it to him. I kinda felt like they were just tossing things in just to make it long enough to be a movie instead of just one episode from a drama. If they would've made this into a drama and explained things a bit more it would've been amazing. With that said, although it was a cute story, I found it lacking in depth. If they would've given it another 10-20 minutes they could've had a fuller story going.

Here's a short trailer for Halfway.

Yellow Gold Tour - Akanashi Jin

2010-11-15T20:16:00.002-05:00

Akanashi Jin, member of JPop group KAT-TUN, set out as a solo artist this year, leaving his KAT-TUN members to carry on without him. This does not in anyway mean that Akanashi will permanently quit KAT-TUN. He just wishes to fulfill his dream of becoming a solo artist.

Akanashi's tour kicked off earlier this month at the Rosemont Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Several dates are scheduled for major cities in the United States. If you will be in the following cities (or in the area) and you're a fan, you should go check it out. Tour Dates and Ticketmaster

As some of you KAT-TUN fans may remember, before Cartoon KAT-TUN premiered, Akanashi took off for half a year to study English in LA, California. His solo career will be him singing English. Now as to if his entire solo career will be English base, I couldn't honestly tell you.

I would say that Akanashi's style is a mix of different genres. A little hip-hop and dance with a bit of techno beat thrown it. It's a bit different then the hip-hop/poppy sounds of KAT-TUN but it's easy to get into. From the songs I've heard, they are very catchy and had me wanting to get up and shake it on the dance floor, if with me being a terrible dancer.

If any lucky fans gets a chance to watch him perform, in English, let me know how it goes.

Koukou Debut Live-action Update

2010-11-13T15:12:00.000-05:00

I discussed Koukou Debut being made into a live-action in a post here.

I have recently found out that as of October 2010 they have started filming the movie based on the popular manga. It will be released Spring of 2011, which means those of us who are waiting for it to be released on DVD/Blu-ray so we can have subs will have a longer wait.

Playing the lead male role of Komiyama Yo/Yoh will be played by Mizobata Junpei. You may remember him from the drama/movie Akai Ito and Buzzer Beat. The lead female role of Nagashima Haruna will be played by Seventeen Magazine model, Ohno Ito. This will be Ohno Ito's debut as a actress.

Yoh's friend Fumiya is being played by Suda Masaki from "Kamen Rider Double," and Yoh's sister is being played by Aizawa Rina. AKB48's Miyazama Sae from Majisuka Gokuen plays Haruna's friend Mami, while fellow AKB48 member Masuda Yuka takes on the role of Haruna's softball rival Leona. Okamoto Rei has been cast as Yoh's ex-girlfriend Makoto.

Last but not least, Yoh's friend Yui is being played by Furukawa Yuki, who launched his show business career this year when he won the judges' prize in Horipro's special 50th anniversary actor audition. This will be his first appearance in a movie.

I like Junpei as an actor. He usually has the awkward supporting actor role (except in Akai Ito where he was a main character... though still slightly awkward) and it'll be nice to see him in a less awkward role for once. I also enjoyed Sae's role in Majisuka Gokuen as the masculine Gakuran, in which she cross-dressed as a boy.

The only downside to this would be that it will be made into a movie and not a drama so they will have to compact a lot of storyline into a short amount of time. I hope they will eventually come out with a drama. In the mean time, I will look forward to the day that I am able to see the movie.

Buzzer Beat

2010-11-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

Buzzer Beat starring Yamashita Tomohisa, Mizobata Junpei, Kitagawa Keiko, Kanjiya Shihori, Ito Hideaki, Aibu Saki, Kaneko Nobuaki, Nagai Masaru, Aoki Munetaka.

Buzzer Beat is a term in basketball when there are seconds left on the clock in the game or during a quarter and a player shoots the ball and it makes it into the hoop before the buzzer sounds to end the game or quarter.

Riko and Mai find a lost cell phone on the bus and thought it was fate that they would meet up with Kawasaki-san, the head coach of a professional basketball team, to return it to him so he can pass it back to one of the members of his team. When Kawasaki-san shows interest in Riko, she isn't sure if she should be happy or worried that he will hurt her like the last man she had feelings for did.

Things in Riko's life start to get jumbled up and confused when she meets Kamiya Naoki one day while he is practicing in the park near her apartment. They are so at ease with each other and can talk about anything, it's like they've known each other for years when in fact they've only met a few times and haven't even learned each other's names yet. They end up becoming fast friends and spend time together in the park. Riko and Naoki make a promise to each other to work hard and reach their dreams, Riko's dream of being a violinist and Naoki's dream of being a star basketball player, never giving up until the very end.

Slowly, Riko starts to fall for Naoki. Her heart is broken when she learns that he has a girlfriend. Riko then decides to try harder to seriously develop feelings for Kawaskai-san, who adores her, and just be friends with Naoki.

This isn't just another typical sports drama. Sure you have your main sport, in this case it's basketball, but they've also thrown in a mix of classical music. There are also more love triangles then I've every seen in one single drama. A touch of unrequited and this is quite the busy drama. It has a little bit of everything to keep everyone satisfied or to keep one person from getting bored with the same old story. Thrown in a few attractive Japanese men with no shirts on and you have yourself a happy time. Of course, there are also cheerleaders for the guys out there.

Here is a fan made video for Buzzer Beat. It focuses a lot on Riko and Naoki. I tried to find a video that showed a little bit of everything to give a better idea of the story, hopefully this will give some idea. Enjoy.

BANDAGE

2010-11-09T06:15:00.001-05:00

BANDAGE starring Akanishi Jin, Kitano Kii, Kora Kengo, Shibamoto Yuki, Kasahara Hideyuki, Kaneko Nobuaki, Watanabe Anne, Ito Ayumi.

Indie rock bands were a rising thing in Japan during the 1990s. This is the story of such a band. Their ups, downs and in-betweens.

Asako is invited to watch a live concert of her favorite band Lands by her friend Miharu. At the end of the concert, Miharu and Asako managed to get their hands on backstage passes. They sneak backstage and run into the lead singer of Lands, Natsu and another band member. Asako loses her contact lenses and Natsu finds one of them for her. He even goes as far as to putting it in his mouth and cleans it that way for her. Unfortunately the other contact ends up getting broken so Asako can only see out of one eye. Natsu wraps what appears to be a neck tie (though I'm sure that's not what it was) around her head to cover up her bad eye. He later invites the two girls out for drinks with the rest of the band-mates.

Asako and Natsu end up hitting it off even after Natsu mistakes her for a cheap girl and tries to bring her back to his place and have sex with her. They become very close and Asako even becomes a co-manager to the band, helping out as much as she can. With Asako and Natsu becoming close, it puts a rift between the band-mates and problems are caused.

This movie turned out completely different from what I was expecting. But I'm happier for it. I think since it didn't turn out like I thought it made it that much better. I wasn't expecting it and that grabbed my attention and kept it from turning away from the story. I actually wanted to sit and watch to see what happened. It was wonderful entertainment and the soundtrack was easy to get into. It helped tell the story of what each character was feeling. Some times the same song would tell a different story for two different characters and I enjoyed all the emotions that you could feel pouring out of the lyrics. Even if you don't read the translation of what the lyrics meant you can still feel what it means.

Here's a music video for BANDAGE. The song is Yuuki by Lands. Some clips are actual movie clips and a some are behind the scenes clips. Enjoy.

D no Arashi

2010-11-06T04:35:00.000-04:00

D no Arashi. The D stands for document. Arashi are a JPop group consisting of 5 members.

The members are:

Ohno Satoshi

Sakurai Sho

Ninomiya Kazunari

Aiba Masaki

Matsumoto Jun

D no Arashi is a variety show that presents to the public a selection of things people don't normally get a chance to see. They list a number of topics on their homepage and viewers vote on the topic that interestes them most. The members of Arashi will then take the topic with the highest votes and conduct full reports on those topics. The people who assist and allow the members to do a report on their story will recieve a "prize" of up to 2 million yen (which is roughly 22,087.10 in USD according to Chacha.com).

Topics will range anywhere from where hijiki (a type of seaweed) is grown to the largest man in Japan (weighing in at 300kg which is roughly 661lbs). Things that you didn't even realize you would want to know about until they are brought up like the first moment when bandages are removed after cosmetic surgery and what goes on in that person's mind during pre-surgery and post-surgery.

D no Arashi is entertaining with a side of education. If you're interested in learning different things (even off the wall type things) this would be a good show to watch. There are 116 episodes and 1 special.

Here is a video of Ninomiya and Ohno doing a "backwards skit" in which they reverse the recording and then play it backwards (where it makes everything the right way). That probably didn't make much sense so I hope the video explains it better then I did.

Watch D no Arashi - Backwards Taping (Subbed) in Entertainment | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu

2010-11-02T21:27:00.001-04:00

Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu starring Inoue Mao, Okada Masaki, Sugimoto Tetta, Moriguchi Yoko, Harada Natsuki, Nakamura Toru, Hosoda Yoshihiko.

Most people don't meet their first loves until they are much older. Then again, most people don't find out they are dying and how much longer they have left to live at such a young age.

Takuma is only 8 years old and has just find out he has a heart condition and will most like die before he's 20 years old unless he finds a heart donor and the transplant is a success. While at the doctors for his heart condition, Takuma meets Mayu, his doctors daughter who is the same age. They become fast friends and make a promise to get married when they are old enough.

Years later, they are in their final year of junior high school. Mayu continues to support and love Takuma while Takuma tries to distance himself from Mayu to protect her from getting hurt if her were to die before a donor is found. Their love has a time limit and with every passing day there is no donor for a heart, their time together gets shorter.

This is one of those movies where you need to have a box of tissues within reach or else you'll have loads of tears running down your cheeks and a nose dripping with snot. It'll be ten times worse if you're an easy crier like I am. I'm probably a huge sucker for the sad movies. Movies where there is a illness involved, possibly life threatening, but two people find each other and fall in love. Those two people would do anything in their power for the one they love. I never get tired of seeing a love like that. A lot of people will go their whole lives without finding a love like that and it's just wonderful to see people in love even if it doesn't last because one of them is doomed to die. I would rather have a love so powerful for a short time then no love in my entire life and not have to deal with the pain of losing that love.

Here's a short fan made video for Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu. Get a box of tissues and have a good cry. Enjoy.

Tumbling

2010-10-30T00:43:00.001-04:00

Tumbling starring Yamamoto Yusuke, Seto Koji, Miura Shohei, Daito Shunsuke, Nishijima Takahiro, Tomiura Satoshi, Yanagishita Tomo, Kaku Kento, Tamoto Soran, AKIRA, Kuninaka Ryoko, Otsuka Nene.

Azuma Wataru is a 3rd year high schooler. A delinquent, who is undefeated and is considered to be the leader of the school. He'll take on any fight with his gang, even if they're out numbered, and come out victorious. The other delinquents in his school praise him for being so powerful but deep down Wataru feels like something is missing.

Wataru is approached by his homeroom teacher Kashiwagi-sensei. Wataru is lacking credits from his 2nd year and needs to either participant in club activities or take extra lessons for a month. If he refuses to do either, the school will have to contact his mom. In order to not have Wataru's mom contacted by the school, Wataru chooses to try club activities.

Wataru tries out several sports teams but they end in disaster when his temper gets the better of him. Kashiwagi-sensei takes Wataru into the gym to check out the gymnastics clubs. Wataru sees that his crush, Mari-chan, is joining the girls rhythmic gymnastics and decides that in order to win her attention he'll join the boys rhythmic gymnastics club.

You can just guess what happens when a delinquent ends up joining a boys rhythmic gymnastics club. First all Wataru does is just trash talks the club and his two delinquent best friends also hang around (but aren't part of the club) and mess up what little practice time the club actually gets.

Tumbling wasn't anything like I thought it would be. It surprised me... in a good way. Though the drama is primarily about tumbling and gymnastics, it didn't let that subject be the only thing the drama is about. The club members had to deal with other major life issues on top of having to make their club work with such a small amount of members. No one took them seriously and in the beginning I don't think they really took themselves seriously. As the story progresses, you see how each person grows as an individual and how the club members grow as a group. How old friendships become stronger and new friendships form and become a lifetime friendship.

This was truly a beautiful drama and I'm not just referring to the amount of adorable Japaneses boys involved, though that is a bonus. I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how they would work through their issues and become stronger separately and together. The theme song is amazing and fits with the drama. I was not disappointed with the flow of the story, how it progressed and the outcome of everything. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Here's a short trailer for Tumbling.

Tokyo Boy

2010-10-27T08:03:00.002-04:00

Tokyo Boy starring Horikita Maki, Ishida Takuya, Kusamura Reiko, Hirata Mitsuru.

Minato's parents died when she was young leaving her to be raised by her grandmother. To fight the loneliness, Minato used to send letters to her parents attached to a balloon. One day a boy named Night replied to her letter with encouraging words.

For 10 years she's be corresponding with Night. Minato writing about her every day life. Night giving encouraging words when needed. But when Minato writes to Night telling him of a guy that has confessed his feelings to her, Night gets jealous. Finding ways to cause trouble between Minato and her boyfriend, Shu. Even with his jealousy, Night still refuses to meet up with Minato and causes more problems between Minato and Shu. Problems that Minato and Shu may not be able to surpass.

Will Night's jealous tear Minato and his friendship apart? Will Minato and Shu's love survive? Will Night finally allow Minato to meet up with him?

It started off a bit confusing. You could kind of feel where the story was heading but it still didn't take away from the suspense of how they would lead up to everything. I enjoyed it. You don't usually see movies with this type of plot often. And it seems like it would be hard to surprise the viewer when it comes to this type of story. I wasn't disappointed at all though. I hope you enjoy as well.

Here's the trailer for Tokyo Boy. Sorry it's not subbed but I hope you get a general idea what the story is about.

Ghost Friends

2010-10-25T22:26:00.001-04:00

Ghost Friends starring Fukuda Saki, Nishijima Takahiro, Okada Yoshinori, Iriyama Noriko, Misaki Ayame, Kawakubo Takuji, Shibuya Asuka, Irie Jingi.

It's been six months since that accident. Six months since Kamiya Asuka lived and her two best friends died. Ever since the day of the bus wrecked, Asuka has been able to see ghosts.

The type of personality that Asuka has prevents her from refusing requests from those that need her help. Everytime she comes across ghost who is in need of her help, she can't help but to agree to do whatever is needed. Even if that means being late to class.

One day, Asuka meets mysterious Hayami Kaito, who can also see ghosts. Kaito's outlook is different from Asuka's though. He doesn't think she should be helping the ghosts with their "unfinished business". But Asuka thinks differently and is happy that she can see the ghosts and be able to help them. After all, "humans and ghosts are the same".

Will Asuka learn the truth about Kaito? Can she help him have a change of heart towards ghosts?

I absolutely, 100% loved this drama. It surpassed my expectations of it. This one is definetly getting filed under my favorites. I enjoyed the store, the twists and turns. The way everything played out. The only small disappointment would be the very end but even then I'm not majorly upset about it. I laughed. I cried. I fell in love with the characters of Asuka and Kaito. A great tie in to this drama is the theme song by Yuzu. It brings everything together and just has me tearing up everytime I hear it. I really hope you give Ghost Friends a watch and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Here is a fanmade video for Ghost Friends. The song is Aitai by Yuzu. It is the dramas theme song.

Linda Linda Linda - Movie

2010-10-24T17:13:00.000-04:00

Linda Linda Linda starring Kashii Yu, Maeda Aki, Sekine Shiori, Bae Doona, Kobayashi Katsuya, Takayo Mimura, Matsuyama Kenichi.

The school festivial as fastly approaching but with their bandmembers bickering over an incident and another member with a hand injury, will their band be able to go on?

The guitarist's hand is injuried and the keyboardist and the vocalist are bickering. What will happen to the band? The only thing that can happen. The keyboardist, Kei, steps up to play guitar. The vocalist, Rinko, however, still wants to play the same songs they were planning on playing before the original guitarist, Moe, got her injury. Kei disagrees. She believes that they must play cover songs or nothing because it wouldn't be fair to the injured Moe to play songs they all composed together. On a whim, Kei decides to ask the Korean exchange student, Son (who has very understanding of Japanese), to be their vocalists. Not understanding fully what the band was asking of her, she agrees.

It's a race against time to prepare Son for the festivial and teach her the song lyrics in Japanese.

The movies starts off pretty slowly. A few times, I didn't think I would be able to sit through the whole movie but then the music came. The music alone was enough to grab my attention and keep me watching 'til the end. Also, I'll admit that I'm a fan of Matsuyama Kenichi so that was another reason I stayed to watch.

Here's a trailer for Linda Linda Linda.

Horikita Maki - Actress Profile

2010-10-22T08:41:00.003-04:00

Horikita Maki

* Name: 堀北真希 (ほりきたまき)
* Name (romaji): Horikita Maki
* Nicknames: Maki-maki, Homaki, Makinpo, Horikitty, Pori chan
* Profession: Actress
* Birthdate: 1988-Oct-06
* Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
* Height: 160cm
* Star sign: Libra
* Blood type: B
* Talent agency: Sweet Power
TV Shows

* Wagaya no Rekishi as Yame Namiko (Fuji TV, 2010)
* Tokujo Kabachi!! (TBS, 2010)
* Atashinchi no Danshi as Mineta Chisato (Fuji TV, 2009)
* Chance! as Kawamura Tamaki (Fuji TV, 2009)
* Danso no Reijin as Yamaguchi Yoshiko / Ri Kouran (TV Asahi, 2008)
* Innocent Love as Akiyama Kanon (Fuji TV, 2008)
* Hanazakari no Kimitachi e SP as Ashiya Mizuki (Fuji TV, 2008)
* Tokyo Daikushu as Sakuragi Haruko (NTV, 2008)
* Atsu-hime as Kazunomiya Chikako (NHK, 2008)
* Koi no Kara Sawagi Drama Special Love Stories IV (NTV, 2007)
* Galileo as Morisaki Remi (Fuji TV, 2007, ep6)
* Deru Toko Demasho! as Shizuka Kamei (Fuji TV, 2007)
* Hanazakari no Kimitachi e as Ashiya Mizuki (Fuji TV, 2007)
* Seito Shokun! as Kimura Juria (TV Asahi, 2007)
* Teppan Shoujo Akane!! as Kagura Akane (TBS, 2006)
* Densha Otoko Deluxe as Yamada Aoi (Fuji TV, 2006)
* Kurosagi as Yoshikawa Tsurara (TBS, 2006)
* Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi Live Chat as Yuna (Fuji TV, 2006)
* Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi 6-ban no Heya (Fuji TV, 2006)
* Nobuta wo Produce as Kotani Nobuko (NTV, 2005)
* Densha Otoko as Yamada Aoi (Fuji TV, 2005)
* Akechi Kogoro VS Kindaichi Kosuke (2005)
* Ningen no Shomei as Koori Sayaka (Fuji TV, 2004)
* Kaidan Shin Mimibukuro (怪談新耳袋) 幽霊屋敷と呼ばれる家 (TBS, 2004)
* Division 1 Houkago as Michida Mayuko (Fuji TV, 2004)
* Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi Hon ga Maneku Yurei (Fuji TV, 2004, ep3)
* Dobutsu no Oisha-san (TV Asahi, 2003)
* Keitai Deka Zenigata Mai as Zenigata Mai (TBS, 2003)
* Densha (2003)

Movies

* Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac(2009)
* ARCANA (2008)
* Tokyo Shonen (2008)
* Kurosagi (2008)
* Always - Zoku 3chome no Yuhi (2007)
* Koisuru Nichiyoubi Watashi Koishita (2007)
* Argentine Baba (2007)
* Chakusin Ari FINAL / One Missed Call FINAL(2006)
* Keitai Deka THE MOVIE (2006)
* TRICK Movie 2 (2006)
* Haru no Ibasho (2006)
* Always - 3chome no Yuhi / Always - Sunset on Third Street (2005)
* Shinku (2005)
* HINOKIO (2005)
* Gyakkyou Nine (2005)
* Yogen (2005)
* HIRAKATA (2004)
* Sekai no Chuushin de Ai o Sakebu (2004)
* Shibuya Kaidan 2 (2004)
* Shibuya Kaidan (2004)
* Seventh Anniversary (2003)
* Cosmic Rescue (2003)

Clips of Horikita Maki.

MM! - Anime

2010-10-09T18:07:00.000-04:00

MM! starring the voice talents of Taketatsu Ayana, Fukuyama Jun, Asumi Kana, Tanaka Rie, Satou Rina, Hayami Saori, Ohara Sayaka, Yahagi Sayuri. Directed by Nagasawa Tsuyoshi.

Sado Taro is a first year high school student with a problem. He's a major masochist. He likes it when girls are abusive towards him, both physically and verbally. Taro wants to keep his masochist nature a secret from his crush, in hopes of being able to find a way to cure himself of this personality and be able to properly confess to her. Taro is encouraged by his classmate to seek help from the school's "Second Volunteer Club".

I usually try to watch a few episodes before I'm so judgmental on something. The first episode is usually the "setting up" episode. It's the episode that gets the pieces of the story in motion so that all the other episodes will fall into place. I couldn't even sit through the full first episode. I tried, I honestly did, but it was annoying. So very annoying. I've never been so annoyed with a anime so badly in my life and I've seen some rough animes. Usually I can sit through at least the first episode and maybe even the second episode. I, however, would rather burn flesh from my arms with a magnifying glass then to sit though anymore of that garbage.

Maybe it really is a great anime. Maybe the manga was fantastic and I'm being overly judgmental. I'll never know because I can't even sit through the first episode. I don't have anything against "ecchi" animes. Everyone is a bit perverted in some way or another. My opinion of this anime has nothing do do with the perverseness of the first episode. It has everything to do with being able to capture my attention.

Kudos to those of you who have managed, whether you liked it or not, you get major kudos. Maybe one day if the far off future I might be able to look back and try to watch MM! again and successfully make it through the first episode and on to the second episode. But until that day comes, I'll still with it being annoyingly bland.

If you're curious as to why I even attempted to watch the anime. I watched the preview and figured it was worth a shot. I'm willing to give anything a chance even if it's not to my taste in shows. The art style is nice and neat. Very colorful and vibrant. But the story just isn't attention grabbing enough to keep me interested.

For those wanting to give it a shot. Here's the promotional video for MM!. If you have a difference of opinion please feel free to comment and state it. Thank you.

Seito Shokun!

2010-10-04T19:17:00.001-04:00

Seito Shokun! starring Uchiyama Rina, Shiina Kippei, Horikita Maki, Hongo Kanata, Okada Masaki, Shirota Yu.

Kitashiro Naoko is a newly graduate who becomes a teacher. Her first teacher assignment is to be the homeroom teacher for a class of students that would give Gokusen's 3-D a run for their money.

The students don't trust the teachers. The teachers don't have faith in the education system. Parents who blaim the school for their childrens' behavioral problems.

Naoko doesn't understand how things could possible change that much since she attended high school. Why are her students so against teachers? Why can't she get them to open up to her? What can she do to win back the trust of all her students?

These are the questions that plague Naoko. She needs to be able to help her students trust again but how can she do that if they are so unwilling to open up to her. Naoko does her best to win back the faith and trust of her students by being the type of teacher she has always relied on while she was a student. Being kind and paitent. Believing in them when all others turn their backs on them. It doesn't seem like much but Naoko believes that just having faith in her students will bring out the faith in them.

Seito Shokun! is kind of the same storyline as Gokusen except where Gokusen has a class full of delinquents everyone has given up on, Seito Shokun! has a class full of students that has given up on everything else except themselves. But the idea is pretty much the same. You have a caring teacher come in to help out students that have had a rough time in some way, shape or form. This teacher is trying to open them up and find out what's hidden away in their past that makes them not trust people they should be able to rely on.

Even though the story has been done several times before (and really, what storyline hasn't been remade several times?), I enjoyed it. I probably would've enjoyed it more if it didn't remind me of Gokusen (which is a high standard that is tough to compete with in my opinion). But I am a big believer in giving everything a chance. Even if you end up hating it, everything should given a chance to either fly or just crash and burn. Seito Shokun floated gracefully, in my opinion.

Here is a fan made video for Seito Shokun. I hope you enjoy.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

2010-09-30T22:12:00.000-04:00

Based on the novel by Gabrielle Zevin.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac starring Horikita Maki, Matsuyama Kenichi, Tegoshi Yuya, Anton Yelchin, Emma Roberts, Kylee.

Sukuse Naomi decided to pick heads in a coin toss which caused her to lose. It was her job to go back to the classroom to get the camera from the yearbook club. On her way back, Naomi slips and loses her grip on the camera. Instead of letting it fall she dives to try to save it causing her to hit her head at the bottom of the steps and suddenly waking up in an ambulance with no memory of the accident. She doesn't remember the boy who is holding her hand in the ambulance or the boy that comes to visit her while she's in the hospital. What other parts of her life has she forgotten?
Will she be able to get her memories back? Does she even want to remember the things that she has forgotten?

This is a different type of movie from most of the other Japanese movies I've seen. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is directed by American director Hans Canosa and has a lot of American flare to it. There is a lot of spoken English by all the cast members, including the Japanese actors and actresses. And the American actors and actresses even speak a bit of Japanese but not nearly as much as the Japanese actors/actresses speak English. Maki's english is clear and perfect with just a hint of her Japanese accent. Anton's Japanese isn't stumbled over and flows with his english as if he does this sort of thing on a daily basis. I'm very impressed with the dialog.

The story seemed to be a bit all over the place. Too many things and stories being told at the same time and quite a few of the inner plots have holes in the story. Some tales are started but none are actually finished.

I wouldn't rule this movie out though. I enjoyed it even with the plot holes popping up in mid-story. I would definietly watch Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac again. The soundtrack alone will bring me back. Having a few of my favorite actors/actresses helps to.

Here's a short trailer for Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac. Enjoy.

*** A little favor *** If anyone comes across the soundtrack or even just a list of the songs on the soundtrack, I would really apprieciate if you could let me know what they are. I've been trying to find them since I watched the movie and I can't find a list anywhere. Thank you in advance. ^_^

Japanese Variety Shows

2010-09-28T15:31:00.000-04:00

The Japanese sure do know how to entertain you in random ways.

This is a clip from a game show or variety show. The host is dressed up as Yankumi from Gokusen. The idea is for the "class" to not laugh at the videos they are being shown on the television. If they laugh, they are punished. Their punishment is a kendo stick swat to the behind.

It doesn't look like the kendo stick wielders are being gentle or holding back at all. I would imagine that wouldn't feel too good but sometimes you just can't help but laugh regardless of what punishment happens.

Death Note Movie (2006)

2010-09-23T19:52:00.002-04:00

Death Note starring Fujiwara Tatsuya, Matsuyama Kenichi, Seto Asaka, Hosokawa Shigeki, Toda Erika, Fujimura Shunji, Kaga Takeshi, Kashii Yu, Nakamura Shido.

Kira is considered an Angel of Justice. Kira passes his own judgment on criminals of all kinds that the justice system has not done anything about. These criminals suddenly die from a heart attack and it is unknown how it happens.

Some think of Kira as a savior. Stepping in where the police fail at keeping the peace. Others consider Kira a criminal because he "murders" other criminals.

Who is the mastermind behind Kira? How is he able to kill off these serial criminals without being caught? Should he be praised as a savior or be condemned as a criminal. Does Kira really have the right to pass judgment on these criminals when he, himself, is murdering people.

Light and L are two of the brightest minds. One who is corrupted and one who is trying to capture the corrupted. Their battle of justice begins when Light finds a Death Note on his way home from a bar.

~How to Use the Death Note~

*The human whose name is written in the Death Note shall die.

*This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

*If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.

*If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

*After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

*The note shall become the property of the human world once it touches the ground of the human world.

*The owner of the note can recognize the image and voice of its original owner, i.e. the Shinigami that possessed it before.

*The human who uses this note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell.

*If the time of death is written within 40 seconds after writing the cause of death as a heart attack, the time of death can be manipulated and the time can go into effect within 40 seconds after writing the name.

*The human who touches the Death Note can recognize the image and voice of its original owner (the Shinigami) even if the human is not the owner of the note.

*The person in possession of the Death Note is possessed by the Shinigami who originally owned it until they die.

*If a human uses the note, a Shinigami usually appears in front of him/her within 39 days after he/she uses the note.

Light, who is skeptical at first, decides to test this theory. A man who has been to trial for the kidnapping and murder of a little girl is mentioned on the news. Light writes the man's name in the Death Note but nothing happens. Thinking that the Death Note wont actually kill whoever's name is written in it, Light closes the book and goes to study. The next morning while Light is sitting down for breakfast, he opens the newspaper and the murder who's name he wrote down in the Death Note has suddenly died in prison. Unsure if this is just coincidence or if the Death Note really did cause the death, Light decides to test it out on another criminal, who within 40 seconds of having his name written in the Death Note dies suddenly of a heart attack.

When one person posses the power to kill just by knowing your name and image, how will he control the urge to use it as he pleases? Will all this power eventually corrupt Light's path for justice?

I honestly didn't think I would get into Death Note as much as I did. I never watched the anime and I've never read the manga. It just didn't look like something that would interest me much. The reason why I even attempted to watch it was because I found a cute music video with clips of L eating all kinds of sweets and I thought that couldn't be all he does in the movie. But it turns out that even though L is a brilliant mind, he has one hell of a sweet tooth.

Here is the Japanese trailer for the first Death Note movie.

Razor Ramon Sumitani - Hard Gay

2010-09-13T19:44:00.006-04:00

Hard Gay is the alter-ego of Japanese comedian Sumitani Masaki. Sumitani Masaki is a retired professional wrestler, best known as Razor Ramon, Razor Ramon Hard Gay or Razor Ramon Sumitani. He named himself after the former WWE (formally known as the WWF) wrestler Razor Ramon.

Sumitani Masaki's Hard Gay persona became popular after being featured on the Bakusho Mondai no Bakuten! variety show.

Hard Gay does skits for the Bakusho Mondai variety show in which he ventures into public and puts his little twist on every day living, from how youths feel about their fathers on Father's Day to helping a Ramen shop bring in more customers.

Here's a short clip of the beginning skit for "Ramen Shop".

There are a total of 9 Hard Gay episodes. Watch them all, you wont be disappointed. I laugh every time. I can watch an episode several times in the same day, and still laugh at something wild he does.

This is a clip of Hard Gay's cameo in Atashinchi no Danshi which I've previously posted on.

***The term "Hādo Gei" is a Japanese reference to American gay subculture in similar fashion as "Punk". In Japan, gender subculture with distinct dress style are in fact trans-gender or drag, which in Japan is referred to as "Gei". In turn, the term "hard gay" became the reference to more masculine oriented "drag" seen to be prevalent in America. The comedy, which is no obvious to Westerners, is derived from the fact that Hard Gay is foreign and therefore, can get away with most outrageous behavior or comment. The fact that Hard Gay does not portray any Japanese gay subculture also explains why the sketch was allowed to be aired on Japanese TV, which has its own code of political correctness. - Information from English Wikipedia***

Sumitani Masaki, though he portrays his character of Hard Gay well, is in fact not "hard gay". He is married to model Suzuki Anna (not to be confused with Suzuki Anne) as of November 27th, 2006.

Japanese Commercials

2010-09-10T20:06:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I like to just browse through and look at foreign commercials on video sites like youtube. Some of them don't make much sense but still very entertaining. It also just shows the difference in culture when it comes to marketing products.

Here's a collection of Japanese commercials for a very famous fast food chain in the United States.

And this is a remix of those commercials. I find this very amusing and slightly disturbing at the same time. If that's even possible.

Kami no Shizuku

2010-09-08T16:01:00.002-04:00

Kami no Shizuku starring Kamenashi Kazuya, Tanabe Seiichi, Naka Riisa, Toda Naho, Masu Takeshi, Taguchi Hiromasa, Sasaki Nozomi.

Kanzaki Shizuku, son of world-famous wine critic Kanzaki Yutaka, has been estrange from his father for quite some time. When his father suddenly passes away from a long term illness, Shizuku is thrown into matters of his father's last will and inheritance. Kanzaki Yutaka has left behind a wine collection worth about 2 million yen (over 18 million US Dollars).

In order for Shizuku to inherit his father's fortune, he must compete in a wine tasting contest with Tomine Issei, his father's recently adopted son, who is also a well-known wine critic. The competition for the inheritance? Shizuku and Issei must solve a series of puzzles to identify 6 wines correctly. The last being the most rare and sought after wine. For Issei this is not a big deal but for Shizuku, who has sworn to never drink wine, knows very little about wine tasting.

Can Shizuku solve each puzzle correctly or will Issei's knowledge of wine be the key to victory?

Wine is the only connection to his father that Shizuku has and through wine it's possible he can better to understand his father and maybe even surpass him.

I was never much of a drinker of anything alcoholic and wine is something I've tasted before and never understood what people find appealing about it. This drama gave me a little bit more of an understanding of the world of wine. I've even went out and tried a few different kinds after watching this drama. I still don't understand the appeal of the taste but I'm guessing it's one of those things that you either love or hate. I either don't have the taste for wine or I'm just not tasting the correct wines for the situation. In either case, I wouldn't mind doing a proper wine tasting at a venue or any other popular place that it could be done. I would really like to be able to say I did it properly and decide from there if I like it or not.

Here's a music video for Kami no Shizuku. I don't know what the song is called or who sings it. It's not in the video's description. If anyone finds out, could you please let me know? Thank you.

Skip Beat - Anime

2010-09-03T19:40:00.002-04:00

Skip Beat with the voice talents of Konishi Katsuyuki, Miyano Mamoru, Inoue Marina.

Mogami Kyoko follows her childhood friend and first love Fuwa Shou to Tokyo so he can become an idol. Instead of attending high school like most 16 year old girls do, Kyoko spends her days working to pay for an expensive apartment for her and Shou to live in.

One day, Shou's true feelings for Kyoko come out. He doesn't really care for her like she cares for him but is using her as a maid to take care of all this dirty work while he's stepping up the entertainment ladder.

Heartbroken, Kyoko's happy world is shattered and her inner Pandora's box is unleashed in a dark energy of hate and despise for the one that has used her and tossed her aside. Rather than crawling away like a defeated animal, Kyoko makes a promise that she will destroy Shou no matter what she has to do.

How far will Kyoko go to get her revenge on Shou for breaking her heart? What can she do to possibly beat the former love of her life?

I enjoyed this anime. It turned out to be a lot better than I expected. Kyoko is a hard working girl and always does her best at whatever task is set in front of her. When it comes to defeating Shou, she doesn't hold back any energy to take him down. A woman scorned is a dangerous woman indeed. This anime should teach the opposite sex that it's not nice to play with a person's feelings because karma will come back to you in the least likely way.

Here's the first opening for Skip Beat! I hope it gives you a little bit of an idea about this anime. It's not just a story about revenge... it's also a story about growing as a person.

The anime has only one season so far. A total of 25 episodes with each running about 30 minutes long each (give or take a few minutes). The manga is up to chapter 162 and still on-going. I haven't heard any news about a second season coming out soon but there is supposed to be one. They just want the manga to get further ahead so there are no fillers. I'll keep you updated as I find out any new information or if you have any new information please let me know. Thank you.

Koukou Debut - High School Debut

2010-08-19T17:45:00.001-04:00

Koukou Debut

I heard about Koukou Debut by chance. I don't remember which site I was on but I caught a glimpse about this manga being turned into a live-action. I was curious so I searched around to learn more.

I learned about the storyline and got excited. I was never really a big manga reader but for some reason this story just caught my attention. Koukou Debut is a shojo romantic comedy manga created by Kawahara Kazune. It's a 13 volume manga which was just recently published in English.

I was hoping it was already adapted into an anime so I tried searching for it but with no luck. So, I broke down and looked around for the manga and finally found it. I was instantly addicted.

It's a very cute story about a tomboy girl who finally decides to stop being a tomboy when she gets to high school in order to fall in love.

Nagashima Haruna was the ace pitcher on her junior high softball team. She worked very hard to get there, training her body day and night in order to become the best. All she worried about was working hard and doing her best at softball until it came to the end of her junior high school life. After doing her best at sports, Haruna finally decides that it's time for herself to move on to love and doing her best to achieve love when she gets to high school. With her being such a tomboy though acting girlie and dressing up in feminine clothing makes her look awkward.

One day, while trying to get hit on by guys, Haruna has an encounter with Komiyama Yoh, who is the picture perfect textbook definition of "cool". It comes as a shock to Haruna when she finds that he is a 2nd year high school student at the school she ends up attending.

When Haruna discovers that Yoh is good with fashion girls in outfits that brings out their best features she immediately begs him to coach her on how to be popular. He automatically declines stating that girls are crybabies and he doesn't want to have to deal with a girl crying if he says something that will end up hurting her feelings.

You already know what happens next. It's a given, of course, but that still doesn't keep you from wanting see the story on how they get to that point. All the troubles and obstacles they will have to go through before finally making it to that point we all already know will happen but get on pins and needles waiting for it to get there.

If it weren't for the fact that I had to sleep and work, I would've stayed up until I fell asleep reading this manga. I fell in love with the characters, their personalities, their individual styles and the way they handle each situation. I love the way the artist drew each character.

This manga was a key that opened the door to a whole new world for me. I'm excited for the live-action to be filmed and released. I hope I wont have to wait too long. I also hope that one day they will do a anime version as well.