I’m about to finish watching Stories By Rabindranath Tagore, which has some episodes directed by Anurag Basu— an anthology of some of Tagore’s short stories. One of my favorite episodes has been Mrinal ki Chitthi (ep19), which stars Amrita Bagchi. I’m usually really good with faces that I see in other movies, but I honestly just vaguely remember her face in Phobia and Meri Pyaari Bindu. I must be getting old.
There’s a series of photos by Shivaji Storm Sen. This is my favorite, tho~
GINZA has just published a piece titled REDI no Shozo (レディの肖像, Portrait of a Lady) by Tomoko Kurose; and two black & white shots by Yasuhide Kuge. It’s a rare interview because it’s actually readable in Google Translate, lol. She talks about taking photos (she’s bad at it), what feelings she gets shooting movies and working on stage, how she perceives herself, a bit on her childhood, her work on voice-acting for animation… some talk on Penguin Highway and her speech for the Japanese Academy Award win where she talked about movies and being bullied.
Amy the celebrity-endorsements-don’t-work-on-me is back XD and must reveal that now I drink much more caffeine than before (I blame Turkish coffee) and I’ve been drinking Soju. Damn it, Korea. And I begin talking about drinks because Yu-chan has a brand new sponsor in Asahi for their Asahi Mogitate (アサヒもぎたて) campaign. “Mogitate” means “fresh-picked,” and it’s the name of their new ‘ready-to-drink’ (RTD) product— Chuuhai aimed at women. The err… Drinks Association in Australia (?) has a really explanatory post on Asahi’s road to design the perfect RTD that women (and men) want to buy.
I didn’t know the beer market in Japan had been shrinking. This is first news to me. Recommended watch: The Birth of Sake. Also, you gotta read about the Japanese whisky market and prices. Japan and their collectors’ stuff.
Chuuhai, on the other hand~~~
I do wonder if Yu-chan still sponsors Kirin xD
Here’s the most recent one titled Mogitate and Summer Veggies Curry (もぎたてと夏野菜カレー)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QME4RowP8AU
There’s also a Making Of xD
The first one out back in early May is called Mogitate and Young Bamboo Shoots (もぎたてと白子たけのこ) after the break~
I’ve been watching NHK’s asadora, Hanbun Aoi (半分、青い。), intermittently like I always tend to do. At first, Mei Nagano made me think of a grown-up Ashida Mana which made no sense… even though Mana-chan is enormous and the last time I saw her it made me feel like those parents who watch their children turn into teenagers in horror. lol
But now I was watching the most recent episode of Tsurube no Kazoku ni Kanpai (鶴瓶の家族に乾杯) on NHK Premium, and she was featured wearing an up-do samurai bun, white baggy clothes; so relaxed, enjoying her snacks, a dip of her feet in onsen water, greeting fans and playing other young girls. Dorky charisma, yo~ It takes a special ability to have people younger than you to “kawaiiiiiiiiii” you so sincerely. LOL
I was looking for a decent quality image of Alexander Walker’s Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Star book cover, but I couldn’t find any :/ so I decided to scan my own. Take it as a service to the online community. I was going to watermark it, but decided not to. A link back or a shout out would be nice, tho :)
I like mentioned back in April [1], Yu-chan is featured on Hoshikuzu Scat’s (星屑スキャット) most recent music video directed by Birds Without Names director Shiraishi Kazuya~ The song, titled Shinjuku Chanson (新宿シャンソン), is featured on Kesho-shitsu (化粧室), the first album of the drag queen group, and was written by multi-talented illustrator-actor-writer Lily Franky.
‘Tis a thing of beauty~
I was just staring into space in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, and it hit me that it’s been ten years— It’s my 10th anniversary for a lot of things: it’s my tenth anniversary of Juri Ueno~~~ and Last Friends turned 10 this year! It’s also ten years since the Beijing Olympics, ten years since Beijing, Beijing! Wo Ai Beijing; it’s been ten years since BiBi, ten years of YAM Magazine, and ten-mother-freaking-years since I became a fan of Yu Aoi [1][2][3][4][5]. It didn’t come in this order, but you get the idea.
May 16th is the date. Remember that. This should’ve been posted that day, but I’m way to giddy to wait. It’s taken me a long time to sit down and look back at years of archives to update this entry, but I suppose it still beats trying to figure out how to write a comprehensive Wikipedia entry.
Yu-chan and I, we’ve had our ups and downs, but I’ve always tried to stay as loyal as possible. LOL I may not stalk her tags online 24/7 (all my Japanese sources in English are rubbish now) and my Japanese skills are in the gutter, but I’ve managed to remain the biggest English/Spanish-speaking Yu Aoi fan in this side of the hemisphere (if not the world, xD). It’s been a good ride, Yu-chan. I’m looking forward to all the catching-up of all your latest movies. Here’s to another decade with Yu!
Cheap Yu-puns intended~
I was gushing about it over the weekend, but I thought I should also post about it here.
I think it’s oddly befitting that Yu-chan wins her first ever (unbelievable, right?) Japanese Academy Best Actress trophy the year that I’m celebrating my 10th year as her fan. It’s so moving. I’ve had a moving couple of days [low-ley Mamamoo insert, lol]. It was so satisfying seeing Yu-chan being so overwhelmed and so overcome with emotion that it just made me happy for her.
I haven’t seen KanoTori yet, ‘coz duh~ Japan obviousness xDDDDDDDDD but I’ve heard great things about it and, frankly, Yu-chan rarely disappoints me (I’m looking at you Henshin xDDDDDD). I had totally forgotten that Hula Girls was a supporting role for Yu, and that One Million Yen Girl was her last lead for a very long time… until Azumi Haruko and KanoTori.
Please, Yu-chan, don’t make us wait another 8 years or near-decade for your leading roles. You know it’s been ten years since Osen and since Camouflage?
Here’s to many many many more years of successes, Yu!
Your one and only Spanish-speaking Non-Japanese-speaking fan. xD
I just finished watching Wukong, and was dazzled by Ni Ni and had many feels. You know I’m a sucker for these supernatural doomed romances. So I was catching up on news and stumbled upon the fact that Ni Ni and Chen Kun are gonna be on a historical drama together. Seems like there’s tons of Chinese actors heading back to TV for dramas, but have you seen the gorgeous – and I mean GORGEOUS – stills for The Rise of Phoenixes (凰权·弈天下)?
It’s so f*cking good-looking, yo! I may have tears in my eyes.
All the info on the show, plus more stills, available on CFensi. A short explanation is available on Aiya xD
