I grew up with a song by Vico C called Me Acuerdo, which was on constant rotation those days when we still listened to the radio. I listen to that song, and I immediately think of those days.
So when clicking on the video for Ken the 390 titled 壊れやすいもの (Koware Yasui Mono) – Breakable, it brought me back to that song. Must be the male vocal, the slow hip hop thing, and the female backing vocals.
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There’s been a recent item talking about Gou’s lowering ratings, and mostly pointing out Juri Ueno’s miscasting or her lacking experience in period dramas.
Of course, I cannot form an opinion on whether Juri’s use of Japanese is appropriate for the era or not, and neither are most of us. However, I do understand why it would turn people off.
I cannot for the life of me, however, understand why would people say they don’t understand Juri Ueno playing a 10-year-old version of Gou, when for the past few Taiga dramas it’s been used. I just began watching Taiga dramas just a few years ago, and I do understand why it would throw people off. It’s weird to you, I get it.
You cannot say Ueno is miscast as a 10-year old when Masaharu Fukuyama played a much MUCH younger version of Ryomaden at the beginning of the show, Satoshi Tsumabuki played a much younger version of his character in Tenchijin, Hideaki Takizawa (Tackey from Tackey & Tsubasa) played pre-teen Yoshitsune when he was 20-something…
and obviously, Aoi Miyazaki (and Eita) played little kids early on Atsuhime, as well as playing them as 40 or 50-ish year-old people.
Also, I want to admit it. I don’t feel passionate enough about Gou. I love Juri, Asami Mizukawa and Rie Miyazawa, I do. But I’m not feeling the story. The three sisters, though they married very important people, feel like simple pawns in the story instead of being the players.
It felt different in Atsuhime.
They made Atsuhime interested in history, learning, and go strategics. She was constantly sent to places, and did things on her own to change her purpose in there. In the show, she was sent to be able to control the Shogun, to disintegrate the Ooku… yet, when she marries into the family, she sets to protect her new family. It’s conflictive.
It was engaging. It was good.
And this is me telling you I like Juri Ueno more than Aoi Miyazaki.
Plus, you don’t need to be a kid to play a kid convincingly.
Most fans outside Japan haven’t even been able to watch Raiou… let alone Yogashiten Coin de Rue, yet here comes the news that Hollywood might be preparing their version already?
via Tokyohive
I’m trying not to have a biased, but remake news are getting ridiculous. At least wait a year before a remake, Hollywood. Coin de Rue hasn’e even been out for more than a month, and you do this. WHY?! xD You know allllllll those talks about how Hollywood is not original anymore? Well, this type of news ain’t making it any better.
Has any of you seen Coin de Rue?
What do you think of this?
Who would Yu Aoi fans cast in her role… since, you know, she doesn’t speak English. xD
Yay! And I can re-use the photo too~ LOL
Yoji Yamada was working on a new project based on the re-telling of beloved film Tokyo Story, which will be called Tokyo Kazoku (Tokyo Family). The cast has been announced as Bunta Sugawara, Etsuko Ichihara, Masashiko Nishimura, Yui Natsukawa, Shigeru Muroi, Shozo Hayashiya, Satoshi Tsumabuki and Yu Aoi.
Satoshi Tsumabuki (30) will play the younger son, with Yu Aoi (25) playing his girlfriend.
via Nippon Cinema
I know the reviews for About Her Brother, aka. Otouto, weren’t glowing, but I’m still giddy over the fact that Yoji Yamada decided to call Yu-chan once again. That must mean she’s a professional, and that people want to work with her more than once, right?
Shooting of Tokyo Kazoku starts on April 1st until late June, with a possible release (in Japan) by the end of the year… most likely early next year.
I love this one, despite not having watched many of these films… I still love Kill Bill – Vol.1 more than Vol. 2 though xD. Good stuff… but you know what’s with buying things that come in different parts? They always release a better product… one with additional scenes… or better conversion, there’s always something extra.
[iframe src=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/19469447?portrait=0&color=ffffff” width=”560″ height=”315″]
Since I waste a lot of time on Twitter now, one of my searches is spying on what people say about Yu Aoi… though I should really look for her kanji name instead, no? But that’s me filtering the info.
I think this is the first time I’ve seen tweets that go beyond of “just saw ‘name of movie,’ and Aoi Yu is so cute!” So I thought that I could post from time to time about what people say about Yu-chan xD
ToruShoji is talking about the Yogashiten Daisuki Sweets Best 88 Magazine.
For those of you who don’t know who Hailee Steinfeld is, she’s the actress now nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the upcoming Academy Awards (this coming Sunday) for her work on the Coen brothers’ True Grit.
What do you think? Is thessuh right? Steinfeld is 14.
And finally… toshii9245 says Yu Aoi is a beautiful girl… alongside Megan Fox and Avril (Lavigne?). Now, I wouldn’t put Lavigne and/or Fox in the same league as Yu Aoi … would you?
Listening and watching… and trying to keep up with Asian entertainment means that I use Google Translate often. This is why I think these are new features. I knew Google Translate could read out loud English… and German, but this is the first time that I’m aware it can read Japanese, Mandarin and Korean too.
Of course I chose BiBi’s Just to Meet You song to test, because that’s one of the songs that I butcher whenever it plays on my iPod. And it not only “translates,” but now you can also read it phonetically…
and you can listen to it read it out loud. O_O
Three very important things about this:
1. This is amazing… if you’re starting out a language.
2. A lot of sites that dedicate themselves to pinyin, romaji and Korean romanization just got their work cut down… or have some serious competition. With this, anyone can post lyrics…
3. This just made a whole new generation of lazy.
So… you don’t live in Tokyo? Or you live in Tokyo but don’t have the time or money to spend a couple of hours in the theater? Well, tough luck!
Yu-chan’s at the theater in her brand new play with Satoshi Tsumabuki, as previously reported.
Tsumabuki portrays a seismologist named Minami who is station at the foot of the fictional Mt. Buji, a volcano that is getting ready to erupt. Aoi portrays Amane, a woman found wandering the slopes of Mt. Buji. The only thing is she may not be Amane at all. Aoi’s character keeps changing the story of who she is, where she comes from and even what her real name is.
via J-Film Pow-Wow (Chris MaGee’s awesome, non?)
Check J-Film Pow-Wow for more information and a photo where Yu’s on the side looking different. Then there’s a video of Yu-chan commenting on the play, and inviting all of us (who can’t go) to see the play.
But it’s not embeddable, so head over here for the video.
But really, even if I were in Tokyo… and I had the time and money to go watch Yu on stage, it’d be for nothing! Because I’m not fluent in Japanese. It’d be like a wasted seat on someone who would just stare O_O and that’d be creepy.
So… is anyone going? And does anyone want to share their thoughts on it?
I guess I could translate Daisuki Sweets to Sweets that I Love (the best).
There’s a new special issue by Magazine House that has just been released. My understanding is that it’s got write-ups on Yu’s favorite pastries, and stuff like that. I even read something about her grandma’s banana bread?
Obviously, this is to promote her upcoming film Yogashiten Coin de Rue, which opens on February 11th.
Please, I finally have found out about this photoshoot. I didn’t really recognized Ayumi Ito on this, since I wasn’t really THAT familiar with her work when I found the pictures, and I was probably too embarrassed to ask anyone about this shoot… because, the photos actually make me feel kind of uncomfortable LOL
And you know I wouldn’t post photos just for posting. I wanted to know, and I finally figured it out.
Whenever I see Yu-chan sharing a photoshoot with a co-star — usually male — it’s weird, like really awkward. I always thought it was a Japanese thing… have no chemistry, or barely touching your co-star. It’s something that worked with Ninomiya in that Tekkon photoshoot, because it’s him… and he’s pretty much sexless to me. LOL
I have no idea if it’s because Ayumi Ito is really REALLY awesome, and that Yu Aoi really gets along with her, but this photoshoot made me re-think my whole “it’s a Japanese thing” theory. Maybe it’s because Yu-chan feels more comfortable doing this stuff with girls — because there’s no sexual tension… or if she doesn’t get along with most her male co-stars. Or maybe it is a cultural thing, and it’s wrong in Japan to see her getting cozy with her male co-star for a shoot~~~
Anyone can explain? Enlighten us~~~
