Category: Japanese

  • Oscar Winners and Moments

    Oh, Hugh… what happened to thee~~

    But that’s another subject~~ It’s not like I despised Beyonce, and the Disney people on ‘my’ stage. I didn’t like them, that’s all. LOL’

    It’s not like their Moulin Rouge number was totally unnecesary, instead they should have performed the Original Songs separately… and NOT have John Legend trying to butt in Jai Ho. On that subject, the drums… VERY COOL.

    Natalie Portman… hot. + Ben Stiller doing Joaquin Phoenix??? Just OH!-Some~~~

    Natalie Portman and Ben Stiller - Oscar 2009

    What else is cool (though mildly surprising…) – JAPAN WINNING, not ONE BUT TWO!!! For Best Short Film Animated – which was great – but also getting FOREIGN FILM, when I so totally thought Waltz with Bashir would win. Okuribito (Departures) took back home Foreign Film~~ I totally FLIPPED.

    Other cool moments… Best Actress. GOSH! Sophia Loren… Shirley MacLaine… Marion Cotillard (My Marion, OUR Marion), Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman. AND! Kate Winslet winning! Introduced by Marion! And Sophia Loren with her accent… introducing the fab+++ Meryl! I’d die for an intro of any of those two.

    Actually, that was my favorite category of the night, haha. I’m glad for Best Actor… and Supporting Actress~~~ Penelope!! I have to update an old post on Oscar Studded Films~~~

    And Tina Fey!! She was funny~~ as James Franco was.

    I think I did pretty good on predictions (20/24) … I hope no one did better than me in the contest I entered hahaha.

    Slumdog took 8, while Button took 3, Milk 2, Dark Knight 2 – the rest, if not mistaken took 1. xD

    Winners and more photos below the break~~

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  • Me @ J-MELO Site

    xD – Just found me, while looking for times at the NHK Premium website – yes, ‘coz I still haven’t figured out if I will be able to see Yu talk about that book I mentioned posts behind… – not sure it will air in NHK Premium. What I did find, however, the times that Top Runner airs~~~

    Wednesdays 6am GMT-5 – if you recall… Top Runner had Yu a while back. Check back on it here.

    But yeah, on the J-MELO business… I emailed them once to thank them for the Miyavi introduction, as well as the Kobukuro one~~ And being the geek that I am, I sent a picture coz there was a field~ xD – I wonder if they ever read my email on the air… hahaha.

    Me at the J-MELO website gallery~

  • NHK’s Japan’s 100 Favorite Books

    Woah… my Japanese reading is most improved hahaha. I still suck at it, but not as badly. At least I sort of ‘get it’. Still can’t get the times though… is it 24hr time instead of PM, AM?

    Yu Aoi will be in the show/segment… whatever it is talking about her favorite book. 10min!! 8am – 13hr = 6pm?

    BS2　2月23日（月）8：00～8：10
    BSハイビジョン　2月23日　8：45～8：55／2月28日（土）7：45～8：35

    ?

    So, to catch those 10min you will have to tune in NHK on Sunday at 6pm GMT-5 – Then what’s BS HighVision? Another channel? Confused. haha.

    My Favorite Book, Japan’s 100 Favorite Books is listing a 100 people (including Yu’s)’s favorite books. Yu’s choice of book is Michio Hoshino’s essay 旅をする木 – if you can write Japanese (dunno if non-Japanese entries will be accepted), you can send them your favorite book!

    I dunno if I will be able to catch this… conflicts with my Oscar watch!

  • Rest of January, Half February Films~

    Last viewed films list before the Indie Spirit, and Oscar this weekend! I think I did pretty okay for a bit more than a month… you think?

    How’s YOUR movie watching?

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  • Yu Aoi Film Discussion – Guuzen nimo Saiaku na Shounen – Worst by Chance

    Decided to do this one already! Just to get going… this goes all the way back to… Before Hana & Alice? 2003! A lot of faces on this one… you might recognize many~

    About the film:
    A 2003 film directed by Su-yeon Gu about a high school student named Hidenori Kaneshiro (Hayato Ichihara) who lives in Tokyo as a Korean-Japanese, who gets bullied for being half-Korean despite being raised Japanese. Because of this, he’s developed a reckless answer to life’s problems by not caring about anything in the real world… except maybe his sister.

    Genre: Drama, Comedy
    Starring: Hayato Ichihara, Mika Nakashima, Shin Yazawa, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
    Special appearances by: Akira Emoto, Rie Tomosaka, Yu Aoi, Kimiko Yo, Yoshinori Okada
    Duration: +1:50hr

    Below, the spoilers~

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  • My Life as a Soundtrack~

    I’ve got another list of songs for you~

    care to do yours too?? It’s the same business~

    1. grab your music player of choice (iPod, iTunes, Windows Media, etc)
    2. activate shuffle
    3. the song that plays for each category~~
    • Opening Credits
      East Village Opera Company – O Mio Babbino Caro Redux
      this actually has a nice intro for an opening sequence. I accept. ^^
    • Waking Up
      Matchbox Twenty – If You’re Gone
      kind of a downer song for waking up, no?
    • First Day At School
      Tegan and Sara – Back in Your Head
      this soundtrack has all the flare of a RomCom, no? Back in Your Head on the First Day at School
    • Falling In Love
      Gianmarco – Te Mentiria
      Again… I’m sure I’ve got something against love.
    • Fight Song
      The Futureheads – First Day
      this one has a nice energy for a fight sequence. trouble-maker amy!! Fights on the First Day.
    • Breaking Up
      Greenday – Homecoming / The Death Of St. Jimmy / East 12th St. / Nobody Likes You / Rock And Roll Girlfriend / We’re Coming Home Again
      hahaha, such an epic breaking up song~
    • Prom
      The Sunwater Diaries – Age Old Question
      Prom’s the Age Old Question? LOL – xD
    • Life’s OK
      Faith Hill – Dearly Beloved
      sounds like either a wedding, or a funeral… something church-y going on here.
    • Secret Love
      St. Vincent – Marry Me
      uh-oh. is that a request?
    • Mental Breakdown
      Greenday – Extraordinary Girl
      great… must have a mental breakdown to be an ‘extraordinary  girl’
    • Driving
      Melanie C – Protected
      … ‘coz me’s dangerous at the wheel? xD
    • Flashback
      Bjork – Innocence
      oh… falshback to my innocence? does that mean I’m not no more?
    • Getting Back Together
      Lauryn Hill – Can’t Take my Eyes Off of You
      *i love you baby!* xD
    • Wedding
      Anika Paris – It’s About
      what the…
    • Birth of Child
      Aqua – Barbie Girl
      oh, geez~~
    • Final Battle
      The Ark – Hey Modern Days
      final battle for modern days? xD
    • Death Scene
      Yugo Kanno – 暖簾を守る (Noren wo Mamoru) – Protect Reputation (Osen OST)
      Actually… kind of a nice song. LOL
    • Funeral Song
      Dixie Chicks – Baby Hold On
      ugh, break my heart already~~
    • End Credits
      Pink – Who Knew
      the end! who knew!! xD

  • Alfie

    So… 2260 songs, and this is what shuffle could do? LOL’ Let’s see how you like it…

    In response to Julili~~~

    INSTRUCTIONS:
    1. Put your iPod or other music player on shuffle.
    2. For each question, press the NEXT button to get your answer.
    3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds.
    4. Tag friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got this from.

    IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
    Yael Naim – Yashanti – apparently it means ‘I slept’ ‘LOL

    WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
    Feist – Mushaboom… maybe I feel a little bit like a Lacoste commercial. xD

    WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
    Marit Larsen – Is It Love

    WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
    Yael Naim – Lachlom – means ‘to dream‘? – aww~~ I’m meant to dream? xD

    WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
    Lang Lang – Ode to the Yellow River… don’t get it either, since it’s an instrumental. My motto is to be Chinese?

    WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
    The Beatles – I Should Have Known Better ~~~ why? WHY?!

    WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN?
    Tegan and Sara – Freedom… hahaha

    WHAT IS 2+2?
    Marit Larsen – Only a Fool~~~ only a fool knows how to sum. xD

    WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS?
    Andrea Echeverri – Lactochampeta ~~ this has to be wrong in some level, right?

    WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
    Julieta Venegas – Andar Conmigo ~~~ my life story is hanging on my own?

    WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP??
    Justin Timberlake – Summer Love/Set the Mood Right ~~
    wanna have a summer L. O. V. E, ridin’ with the top down /// and I wanna set the mood right haha.

    WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE??
    Feist – Inside and Out ~~~ sounds like I puke. Though, that’d be my insides out, non?

    WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
    Tracy Chapman – Save Us All ~~ me the superhero!

    WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
    Alexandre Desplat (Benjamin Button OST) – Alone at Night
    see, another clue as to why I will not have a wedding

    WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
    5ive – Keep on Movin’
    Please, everyone… life goes on~~ xD I’d rather they’d play “When I Get Where I’m Going”
    by Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton

    WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
    Pink Martini – Bolero… eh, ok?

    WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
    Jay Chou – Yuan You Hui (Carnival)
    maybe that I like to party? Which is not~~

    WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
    Beethoven – Spring (Nodame Cantabile OST)
    awww, soothing as spring?

    WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
    Avril Lavigne – Nobody’s Home
    Yes… sorry, Avril, right? You’re shocked?

    HOW WILL YOU DIE?
    Kate Nash – Mouthwash
    hahaha, gotta stop brushing and flossing then

    WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET
    Andrea Echeverri – Que no Haria~~~ apparently, NOTHING.

    WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
    Utada Hikaru – Take 5 ?

    WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
    Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova – If You Want Me [listen to it]
    GAWD, that lyric kills me~~

    WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
    Jay Chou – Dong Fang Zhi Dian (Palace of the East)
    does that mean I’m getting married in China or something?

    WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
    Christina Aguilera – Understand~~~ ok…

    DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
    The Cranberries – Ode to my Family
    That’s sad~ my family only?

    IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
    John Mayer – Why Georgia
    Just to make it clear. I don’t know anyone named Georgia.

    WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
    Foo Fighters – Stacked Actors
    I don’t get it. Too many ‘faux-actors’ … faux-celebrities? Dead to all Reality TV Stars!

    WHAT WILL YOU TITLE THIS POST?
    Lily Allen – Alfie

  • Yu Aoi Film Discussion – Henshin

    You’re in luck! Well, that depends on perspective~~ I was lucky (or not) to watch Henshin and it turned out to be the film right after my previous review, so I killed two birds with one stone. So here we go…

    Something about the film:
    (by me, ‘coz everyone misguided me to this film)
    A 2005 film about Junichi (Hiroshi Tamaki), who has recently gone through a brain operation, and while his recovery seems to be going on the right direction, not all is well inside his head. Before the surgery, Junichi was a nice guy, hard working, a painter… and a loving boyfriend to Kei (Yu Aoi). Now, however, he has quit his job, has violent outbursts, has stopped painting, and is not longer interested in his girlfriend.

    Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller Drama with Romance
    Starring: Hiroshi Tamaki, Yu Aoi
    Duration: +1:30hr

    Below, the spoilers~

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  • GuGu the Cat!

    It arrived yesterday ^o^  !!!

    I actually celebrated my b-day last night with a proper meal, and apparently my last YesAsia order. Belated Happy Bday to me!!! And happy 5 year blogging~~~ xD

    My first EVER Japanese DVD – all because it listed ‘English subtitles’. I just couldn’t help myself.

    Gu~ Gu~ Datte Neko de Aru, which was translated to GuGu the Cat, was not the movie I was expecting – in a good way. I think I had only seen a short clip of the film, perhaps the 30 second tv spot, where they open the box, GuGu shows up and they all go “kawaiiiiiiiiiiii”. So I thought the film was a comedy, but just like some other WOWOW projects I’ve seen, they border on the dramedy field (like Camouflage, 1 Million Yen Girl, and Don’t Laugh at my Romance).

    – See, WOWOW people~~~ if you’d release those mentioned above with subs, I’d probably buy them. –

    In GuGu, Asako Kojima (Kyoko Koizumi) is a manga artist who hasn’t had much time for life, other than taking care of her pet cat Ça Va and seldomly writing and drawing for her manga series alongside her team of assistants, including Naomi (Juri Ueno), a fervent fan since her teen years.

    There’s a lot of fun moments… sometimes dealing with romantic relationships, and overall human relations… as well as some cat relationships xD – so if you like cats, you can probably enjoy this one.

    GuGu the Cat

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  • If they were to make a movie of my life…

    it would be a boring movie about watching movies and listening to music? That’s like… SO sad.

    Maybe I’d be a little experimental independent film… maybe just chronicling my life outside Peru. xD Although… that would include a lot of the above mentioned to tell you the truth. But a littlte more excitng.

    But if there were a movie about my life, who would I want to play me?

    Hmm… maybe Juri Ueno? x’D She’s like funny, dorky, kinda cute, but serious. She can rock the short hair too. But could she rock a Mohawk or a shaved head? Plus, she’s Asian… not Chinese, but Japanese… but close enough, non? xD

    Or… maybe~~~ Bibi Chow? She rocks the short hair too, but she’s got like Chinese hair, you know? Like really really straight like my cousins~~ could she rock the curly hair? How about a Mohawk and or a shaved head? She’s also Chinese, funny, dorky and kinda cute. Eh… she’s a singer, but she’s done a bit of acting I think~

    How about Yu Aoi? No, no~~ don’t laugh. LOL’ Well, she’s Asian… funny, dorky, kinda cute? I dunno if she can pull off the Mohawk though (even if she suggested getting a Mohawk on All About Lily Chou Chou), and would she pull off the shave head? But Yu Aoi’s kid photo reminded me of me… dunno, something about the quietness of the photo~~ looking to the front of the class, and being still.

    Hmm.. if there was a western version of me? Well, I think everyone wants Natalie Portman to play them. xD – She rocks the shaved head~~~ She’s tiny, almost Asian-like tiny… funny, dorky, kinda cute? xD Well, just saying~~~ Hmm… how about Jena Malone? She also rocked the Mohawk last time I saw her~~ But I think she’s taller than needed be. I dunno much about her, as I always kind of see her in roles that are a bit dark, and always like a love interest of someone. I can only remember Cheaters for a starring role, so that works for me. I still remember that quote “if I catch one of my students cheating, I’d turn the little bugger in not because I think it’s wrong to cheat, but he was stupid enough to get caught.” Paraphrasing~~

    So who would play you if they were to make a movie of your life?