Category: Japanese

  • Japanese Idols and their Yearbook Looks

    Well, this is priceless.

    japan-idols-yearbook-photos

    From Top row, L:R.-

    (1) Kou Shibasaki, Megumi Yasu, Hikaru Utada, Manami Konishi, Yuka, Yu Kashi

    (2) Ai Kato, Aya Hirayama, Kyoko Hasegawa, Masami Nagasawa, Juri Ueno, Yu Aoi

    (3) Yu Yamada, Nana Eikura, Kaori Manabe, Aya Ueto, Eriko Sato, Satoshi Tsumabuki

    (4) Akiko Yada, Erika Toda, Mayuko Iwasa, Kyoko Fukada, Yukie Nakama, Yui Aragaki

    (5) Ryoko Hirosue, Saki Aibu, Ayumi Hamasaki, Misaki Ito, Misako Yasuda, Karina

    (6) Kie Kitano, Mimula, Mao Inoue, Mika Nakashima, Minako Nakano, Saeko

    (7) Rosa Kato, Koyuki, Becky, Yoshio Kojima, Aya Matsuura, Hiroshi Tamaki

    (8) Maki Horikita, Takako Matsu, Miwa Asao, Rena Tanaka, Haruka Ayase, Aoi Miyazaki

    (9) Chinatsu Wakatsuki, Yuri Ebihara, Mikako Tabe, Kaela Kimura, Akihiro Miwa, Suzanne

    (10) Shoko Nakagawa, Erika Sawajiri, Waka Inoue, Yuko Ogura, Miho Shiraishi, Eiko Koike

    (11) Akina Minami, Otoha, Aki Hoshino, Marie, Rie Tomosaka, Mari Sekine

    (12) Masaharu Fukuyama, Maya Kobayashi, Ryoko Shinohara, Taichi Kokubun, Shun Oguri, Kaori Mochida

    (13) Mokomichi Hayami, Yumi Yoshimura, YUI, Nanako Matsushima, Ai Ohtsuka, Aya Takashima.

    via 2ch.

  • Yu Aoi 2014 Short Takes

    yu-aoi-2014-shortakes

    On Friday (May 16th), my Yu Aoi fandom turned six. Nobody congratulated me because I didn’t post anything special… but here’s a picture of Yu-chan with whiskers! If I’m not mistaken, it should be a shot featured on the Jul’2010 issue of H Magazine.

    Despite the slowdown, it looks like 2014 might be a bit more active than it has been :) at least, maybe since 2010. The biggest activities will, of course, be surrounding the release of Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno and Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends, which will open in August and September respectively.

    A film cut of Zipang Punk hit theaters in March [1], and Haru wo Seotte [1] will be opening next month.

    On the TV front, Yu will also be appearing in FujiTV’s remake of Wakamono-tachi (若者たち) that will begin airing in July with a really impressive cast that includes Satoshi Tsumabuki (back on TV since NHK’s Taiga), Eita, Hikari Mitsushima, and Ai Hashimoto.

    Plus, she’s an addition to the (second) season of Mozu — though it seems to be following the WOW/TBS formula done for Double Face — titled Mozu Season 2 – Maboroshi no Tsubasa (MOZU Season 2 ～幻の翼) that will last five episodes that follows three detectives (Hidetoshi Nishijima, Teruyuki Kagawa, and Yoko Maki) on their quest to get a contract killer known as Mozu. The show will begin airing on June 22nd.

    That’s all I got for you, people~

  • Shiina Ringo’s NIPPON for NHK’s FIFA

    If FIFA’s World Cup is making me choose between Pitbull and Ricky Martin. Okay, I’ll take this~

    NHK got Shiina Ringo to make a song for their coverage of the event, and that’s all we need to know. I’m not sure what’s the coverage is gonna be like down here (cable or networks), but I’m sure we’re stuck with Pitbull.

    I just knew songs were gonna suck when they started announcing the social media contests to “create the song” for the World Cup. Cheap music will always be cheap.

  • All My Biases in One List Ranked

    amys-favorite-actresses

    Too much awesomeness into one.

    What made it to the list and where it placed? Some of my biggest biases placed lower than expected, and some that I don’t want to be my bias placed high on there~

    Head over there and do your thing~

  • These Japanese Child Actresses Are Killer~

    Let’s give a warm welcome to child actress Hamada Kokone (濱田ここね, with English transliteration of her name “Cocone”) — I wonder if I can call her Coco-chan xD~ ANYWAY, debuting in film Oshin, she just rode the film like a pro.

    cocone-hamada-kokone-oshin

    According to her profile, Coco likes sea grapes (haha, with Latin name “Coccoloba uvifera,” get it?), plums, dried herring roe, Chicken nanban and Thai food. She also likes 2NE1, Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper, Carly Rae Jepsen and Big Bang. Like a boss~

    She can also pull at your heart strings and make you cry when she’s trying to make it through her character’s life.

  • Movie Streams, VOD, and Worldwide Online Distribution

    I’m still not sold on Netflix- never to this date I’ve ran into a film that I wanted to watch on it. At least in terms of this region, which doesn’t count with as much content as the US or Canada one. Similar issues with iTunes… and Amazon is out of the question.

    I used to subscribe to MUBI for a long while (at least for a bit over a year), but eventually turned off my subscription because I wasn’t watching anything, while things I had added to my watchlist stopped being available, and the selection of their films eventually was reduced to their now curated content. I’m only subscribed to EROSNOW now, and have seen a few couple of films there, but had to turn to other mediums when found links that were region-restricted or surprisingly without subtitles.

    My experience with streaming has been decent- and for as cheap as $5-9 bucks you can watch a lot in a month, and it just makes your life quite easy. Similar flawless experience with my first Vimeo On Demand watch. Thanks Joss Whedon for the heads up, and actually putting the film up there right after its premiere. To top it all off, subtitles in Spanish, German, French, Portuguese and Japanese (plus English CC) were available making it the smoothest watch if you decided to watch it with any bunch of people.

    Paying $5 to stream a new movie can seem like the best way possible to make it look as if you’re going to the cinema. It takes me back to those days where I would watch 2 or 3 new movies a weekend. If studios ever decided to really go off their way to online distribute their new movies almost simultaneously, I’d be willing.

    Here’s In Your Eyes.

    Apparently Vimeo streaming is not as smooth (or at all) if you don’t have a Vimeo account, though. Take it as a good chance to get one, or don’t complain. I really don’t know any other streaming (paying) website that would let you use their content without an account. You need one in iTunes, in Amazon, in Netflix, HBO, et all. So please, people, stop complaining about THAT.

    Spanish (more serious) related note.

  • Casual 2014 Yu

    It’s been a long time, Yu-chan~

    Just ran into this new photo of Yu, still with her shorter hair and looking very relaxed. I wasn’t so into her shortest shorter hair style, but I think this length is perfect if she’s interested in keeping it shorter than what was her usual. I’ve always been jealous of her bare-face gift. She really does look her best with minimum makeup, familiar freckles on sight and all chillaxed.

    I’m not sure about the source of the image, but it could be a shot in the May issue of Soup Magazine. Ever since her website redesign, I’ve lost track of her magazine appearances.

    yu-aoi-2014-magazine

  • I See You There, Mitsuko!

    I might consider writing my thoughts on the movie, but hey! Look at Kou Shibasaki wanting to break through in those frames. For a moment there I thought she might actually kill someone.

    shibasaki-kou-ronin-47-001

    (more…)

  • Just like a puppy: Rena Nounen

    People were commenting that her eyes sparkle… and they kinda do! And she’s got the cutest dorkiest smile/laugh ever. I dunno if I’m ever going to be able to see her outside her Ama-chan role.

    But how can she be resisted?

    rena-nounen-amachan-towel-001

    Source

  • Yu is a Pirate for the Japanese Academy

    … and Machiko Ono is looking super fly!

    I ran into a set of photos on Weibo of Yu-chan with her eye-patch, and voila! According to Google Translate she had conjunctivitis, though I’ve never seen someone get it on one eye… so maybe it’s a stye.

    yu-aoi-machiko-ono-2013-2014-japanese-academy-awards

    On a Machiko Ono note… when I ‘met’ her via Mother and subsequently saw her on Carnation, I… just didn’t see the appeal. She got that “oh, must be a really good actress” comment from me (not a bad comment to get, I might add), but after seeing her on The Great Divorce, I’ve sorta started seeing her in another light. Like- she really does look extra good in this white dress.

    Also~ Is Yu wearing extensions? I doubt her hair grew this long in such short period of time.