Month: August 2026

  • Help Identify this Yagami Eiko Song

    I was a little surprised that Meisa Kuroki’s lead comeback jdrama was only five episodes long, but I somewhat enjoyed it. I was immediately taken by the music? Especially this track from episode 5 (near the last 10 minutes of the episode), but I couldn’t identify it.

    AI song identifiers didn’t help either. ^^’

    The main theme of the show, played during the ending credits, is Breathe by NAQT VANE, but that was obviously not it. And the music on the show is credited to WILD LAW ORCHESTRA, a music project by Nobuaki Kaneko, Senri Tai/Chisao Tai and vocalist Emma (? as listed on the Yagami Eiko credits).

    This is a second (it was the first) capture of the song which was featured in the last three minutes of the first episode, right before the ending credits.

    Identifiable English lyrics:
    Pull me under, let me out of this tomb.

    I see myself, but I’m not there.

    something about divine despair

    And as a bonus song to identify-
    This one played in the first five minutes of the first episode.

  • Yu Aoi with Comme des Garçons for a Travel Sand Throwback

    Two Yu Aoi posts one after the other? We truly are living in the new Yu Aoi Era. xD

    On the 1000th (!!!!?) issue of Brutus, Yu talks about a skirt I only seem to recognized. MYSTERY SOLVED! Travel Sand is such a vibe, remains one of my favorite Yu Aoi’s photobooks because I loved Yoko Takahashi’s look for it.

    Now, if only someone would get her to talk about this beanie, which I’ve been looking for the last twenty years.

  • Yu Aoi Fans Being Generously Fed This Season

    Who ended up binge-watching Human Vapor (ガス人間)? Hai! Who’s watching Until the T-shirt Dries (Tシャツが乾くまで) weekly? HAI! Who’s currently obsessed with Southern All Stars’ version of Ellie My Love [1]? HAI.

    I still have a few Yu Aoi films to catch up with (I found a copy of 1980!?), but Yu Aoi fans have been fed generously this season with Yu-chan’s open broadcast TV lead since… Osen, perhaps. 2005-2008 seems to have been a Golden Era of Yu-chan workwise. And it feels like we might get a good lead in a slice of life movie soon.

    Open broadcast also usually means open promos, Japan is one or two episodes ahead of Netflix’s uploads, but Yu-chan and Kaho did a guest appearance on Bananaman no Sekkaku Gourmet!! (バナナマンのせっかくグルメ!!), where they visited Hokkaido to eat squid, sushi and shio ramen. I haven’t watched the episode yet, but I did find a way to watch it. I haven’t watched a Japanese variety episode, or Yu-chan appearance in one, in what feels like ages.

    As pop culture fans, Yu-chan fans and Kaho fans may know, Yu-chan and Kaho (alongside Yamada Yu) played sisters for Canon commercials back in the day. How time flies. Look at those baby faces.

    Yu-chan and Kenichi Matsuyama also played non-reciprocated love interests on Don’t Laugh at my Romance, around that same period. Now they get to play husband and wife, in a drama that is turning to be a mystery. Wholesome dorky 40-year-olds look like this. His children are probably in their teens now, but he looks like this. lol

    I hope I get to find some of the pictures featured during the credits of Until the T-shirt Dries.