Tag: fandom

  • Ten Steps…

    The upload of the day! xD Marit sure does know how to tease listeners…

    Just listened to it a minute ago… a bit later than I intended (it showed already 200 plays), but I was listening to the soundtrack of Kiraware Matsuko no Issho (Memories of Matsuko) – Man, that film gets me each time in the final “Okaeri”. Even the OST makes me mush inside…

    Anyway, back on Ten Steps… of the 4 tracks released already, this is by far the more country-ish that I’ve listened I think. At first, I thought I was hearing a Dixie Chicks intro xD – But Marit’s got a talent for sounding sweet about not so sweet things… ha! “I’m about to break your heart,” she says… but she’s so chirpy! It’s scary x’D


  • I’ve Heard your Love Songs,

    Marit… but I want more. xD

    Are you listening to Marit’s songs? She just released This is Me, This is You on her MySpace, and there’s a new video…  Marit Larsen!! Sin nya singel!! xD “I’ve Heard your Love Songs”

    Kawaii desuNE! xD


  • The Chase Preview Has Begun~

    Three posts back I blogged~ It’s not Oct. 3rd yet over here… but it sure is in Norway~ Because the first track has just been released. Of course it’s “The Chase” – no, not the album! The track… So if you’re interested, head over to Marit’s MySpace page…

    At the same time, Marit blogged saying this…

    To me, one of the biggest challenges and thrills of being a recording artist is not just writing songs, but making albums. A good album is to me one where you can listen from beginning to end, experience highs and lows – and at last feel equally satisfied and hungry for more. An album really should not resemble a random playlist or a “best of what I wrote the past couple of years”. My favorite albums of all time have these qualities (and they are something I will be trying to match for the rest of my life).

    For the rest, head over HERE.

    I loved she said that ^^ Because I love listening to her album, and I DO get that feeling of satisfied and hungry – so hungry that each time I play her album, I end up playing it 3 continuous times. xD

    JULYSSA! Oct. 13!! – The Chase comes out! Will you look for it for me? Wait, I haven’t check Amazon yet, *giggles* – LOL’ Nope, they don’t have it listed… so I’m guessing it might be an Scandinavian release ~ actually I dunno how big a release it is, haha. So maybe it’s an EMI Norway release only?

    Oct. 13 is a Monday… I’m not used to a Monday release~~ Are Mondays new DVD/BluRay/CD day in Scandinavia or Norway? Just like Tuesdays is new product day up north in America and Canada…

    Oh, did I mentioned I love “The Chase” even more than “If a Song Could Get me You”? And I got so giddy because I started playing the track and noticed the Play Count marked “0” – which means that I was the first one to play it, or that the counter works different to what I thought~~

    Marit Larsen - The Chase - First Play??


  • Time to Discuss!

    I am currently watching and reviewing the DVD for Yu Aoi’s Tekkonkinkreet (which you can still catch on Cinemax Latin America on the 30th), and it got me thinking… I am er… fairly bored with Yu Aoi’s fandom discussion. I have found little to no people to discuss Yu Aoi Films (and other projects) with, which certainly makes me sad~~ I KNOW, photos are nice… magazine scans are too, but I need a little “meat” – after all, I was sort of a ‘film school’ student, so I need to discuss projects. I don’t need the latest movie news reporting about films, but it would be nice to discuss other films… you know ‘be active’ – case and point, I heard Natalie Portman has a fairly active fandom… I’m a lurker, and I enjoy reading.

    Anyway, I was thinking… I think I’m going to be ‘reviewing’ her films… at least the ones I’ve seen, maybe that will get me to watch some of the others I haven’t. I was thinking I should review those films based from the following criteria:

    • Overall Film
    • Yu Aoi Participation
    • Yu Aoi Performance
    • and maybe… Yu Aoi fave scene or sequence?

    Thoughts on that in the comments, and I’m off coz I remember I’ve got something to do HAHAHA – and I’ll be watching my er…  5th round of Hana and Alice on Saturday. I’m getting everyone to watch it…. hahaha, Shunji Iwai + Yu Aoi = pretty genius, non?


  • Subtitles Vs. Fansubs

    The amount of films that are not in a language I can speak have increased at least 90% this year… thanks to the internet of course, otherwise I will be waiting for them to either arrive at the cinema, hit the small screen on satellite or cable, or just by finding some Region 1 distributor… but none of that!

    Anyway, because of this reason, I have been focusing a lot on subtitles, and I finally have 3 films that I saw with fansubs and now I watched with the subtitles on the dvd. And the results are in… 3-0 in favor of fansubbing.

    It’s not because the subtitles on the dvd are bad… they just lack on something. A little UMPH… a little personality… a little common sense?

    (more…)


  • Seo Taiji is Back!

    Rejoice! After a few years absent from the music scene (at least mine…), Korean musician Seo Taiji (서태지) is back with a new single… and and new album, of course! Oh yeah, and a new video… ;)

    I remember that my friend Jenny, back in DD school… she sent me Seo Taiji mp3s (See! Thank Kamisama for mp3 transfers), and I was instantly hooked. I was surprised to know that my other Korean friend was also a fan, because these two friends couldn’t be more different xD Anyway, Just about a year ago, I ended up buying his 7th album Issues, which is now out-of-stock in YesAsia.

    I don’t know when the full new album will be out, but I’ll keep my ear open. xD Gosh, so many releases now~~ Luckily, Amy does not buy Singles~~~ I’ve only bought EPs, but not Singles, not yet. xD


  • Marit Larsen and The Chase~~

    This might be old news to some, but it’s news to me… and the more people blog about it, the better~ I just read over at Marit’s MySpace that her 2nd studio album as a solo is almost done and that it will be called “The Chase”. The first single is already up on her profile, and it’s called “If a Song Could Get Me You“.

    I love her music! So head over there and give it a listen if you haven’t heard her music~ Such a fusion of magical sounding pop with a folk countrish vibe. She’s got an innocent sweet soudning voice that mixes well~~ xD And you know, her last album (her solo debut, “Under the Surface”) was great… and even too short an album! Whenever I put it on my disc player, I have to repeat it at least 3 times. xD

    Anyway~~~ to top it all off, Marit has also posted 3 home-made video versions of the song… one on the train, the other on a green grocery store, and one last walking through escalators in a subway station.


  • Some Teasin’ from Hayato Ichihara

    hayato-ichihara-personal-photobook

    So… Hayato Ichihara also has a Photobook of his own. It came out in 2006 and it features photos by Yoshiaki Sugiyama of a 19-year-old Hayato… there’s even an image reminding us of his debut of All About Lily Chou Chou (in which he shared the screen with Yu Aoi)~~

    Well, you can get his Photobook in here:
    beNippon.com [minimum shipping $8 I think…]
    YesAsia.com [free shipping when reaching $90 for International orders, and cheaper for US, Canada, etc]

    The book features 90+ pages of Hayato being silly, included rabbit costume photos (like the one on the cover), making faces with an oba-chan, and even a naked butt…. LOL’

    But don’t worry, it’s not only fun and games~~ there’s also some artistic shots of Hayato wearing his traditional Japanese clothing, some with a tux, and some very cool black and white shots. And I will be posting a teasing image… no, it’s not the butt. It’s a really nice shot of Hayato in Japanese outfit running up a stony set of stairs~~~

    Hayato Ichihara - Personal Photo Book Scan

    As with Yu’s Travel Sand scan, I’ve added some photo and PB credits~~ It’s a wallpaper sized 1680x1050px, there’s also a more ‘squarer’ version of it (fullscreen one sized 1280×1024) if you are interested. Just leave a comment either here or Flickr.


  • We Love Juri Ueno, But Where’s the Yu Aoi Love??

    I had heard about the Nikkan awards of some sort, which are supposedly based on popularity… and well, I don’t feel up to typing the list of winners, so I’ll be linking to this lovely post that does and even lists the number of votes.

    Last Friends didn’t win for Best Drama… that’s sadness. And I was sorry that Eita didn’t win~~ I mean, no offense to Ryo and his Sousuke… but *sighs* Takeru~~

    I also understand Juri Ueno wining Best Supporting Actress, though she deserved a Best Actress. LOL’ xD I mean, did any of you watched LF for Michiru??? Really??? Cross your heart on that?? And poor Asami Mizukawa… she was supporting of the supporting~~ *sighs* this world is upside down, I tell you!!!!

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  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Shows You Should’ve Watched

    Buffy - Chose One CollectionI always thought Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a popular show, but apparently is not very cool to say you like Buffy. But I disagree. I respect people who have watched the show and don’t particularly like it, but the most uncool of the uncool people are the ones who think are TOO COOL to watch or like a show like Buffy.

    I’m one of those people who grew up watching Buffy… something that my writing teacher thought was nifty. The fact is that I was like 11 when I remember watching an episode of Buffy… and I have been a fan ever since. Am now 22, so have been a Buffy (and Whedon fan) for half my life. Le GASP!

    I’ve seen the episodes so many times, that even my mom (who despises Fantasy and Sci-Fi) has seen repeat episodes of Buffy. Once, while watching a re-run on Canal Fox, my mom told me “Haven’t you watched this episode before? I know I have seen it at least 3 times… so by now you must know all the lines.”

    The fact is that growing up watching Buffy shaped who I am today (I am most certainly sure about that). Being an impressionable 11-year-old with a knack for martial arts (am a fan of Bruce Lee), I thought Buffy kicked major ASS.

    So it was so easy for me to watch Buffy… with a combination of ass-kicking, supernatural, and teenager-ness that gave a great transition of viewing habits between my pre-teen and teen years. It does help a lot as a young adult to know that Buffy was metaphorical (but you don’t really know what a metaphor means when you’re 12… do you?). So for those of you who don’t know… What the EFF is Buffy about?

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