Tag: japan

  • High School Teacher 2003 – Koukou Kyoushi

    As the name suggests, this 2003 drama is about a high school teacher who is dying of an inoperable brain tumor, then one night he meets Hina, a 16-year-old girl who is pretending to be a 20-year-old beautician. They end up in his apartment for the night, even though nothing happens. The next day, she discovers he is her new high school teacher.

    Of course, she keeps trying to get with him, and he tries to keep his distance… after all, he is dying. Then, with those crazy Japanese-language misunderstandings, Hina believes she’s about to die. Suddenly, the teacher finds solace in her… and that’s when it just gets creepy and frustrating.

    I understand hot-for-teacher.

    But I spent 98% of the time watching this [I just finished episode 8] saying how inappropriate.

    First, the male lead was just so… ugh, infuriating. I guess it’s not really him, it’s the character that annoys me. I could get it, the way he is for the first 2 episodes. He’s dying, he’s afraid of being forgotten, whatever. However, by episode 7, it just gets tiresome. Man up already! But instead of manning up, and telling Mina that she’s not dying, so she doesn’t need to find physical pleasure to feel alive… because, well… she’s got time.

    He goes and diddles the student.

    Is that supposed to be romantic?

    And then people go on and tell him he looks different, more relaxed. Of course! He’s diddling the student! whom he lied to by saying she’s got an inoperable brain tumor. And the doctor plays along? Lying to her?

    Mina should totally sue their asses.

    Gosh!

    Okay, having said that. Reason why I watched this? Of course, Yu Aoi. I wasn’t gonna watch it because the title is so bland, and I don’t normally do jdramas. However, while looking for the latest Anan photoshoot, I ran into a post that talked about a “rape scene” [on ep08] in the series, so I went all “OMG, I need to check this out.” So I did.

    Besides the dragging storyline of the dying teacher who diddles the student who thinks is dying, the series talks about suicide, depression, prostitution, and bullying. The big bad of the series is Yuki, played by Hiroki Narimiya — whom I had already eyed on Tiger & Dragon, and Nana LOL — but his crazy antics get tiring by episode 7 too. I mean, he’s just bad because he’s bad, unlike Koike on Love Exposure who is bad for being bad with a background.
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  • Hayaku by Brad Kremer

    I think it’s time for a “time-lapse” tag, don’t you?

    I think it’s amazing how some shots look like a scale model.

  • Yu Aoi for Anan

    Trivia bit?

    This issue came out on March 2010. Yu also appears on the Anan covers for March 2009 and March 2008. And she’s got at least 5 Anan covers in total, though I dunno their dates.

    How I noticed? I name my photoshoot files with name of magazine and date of publication, and if possible… photographer, though that usually happens with publications in English.

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  • Japanese and Chinese Readers/Translators for Chrome

    I have been using Rikaichan and Perapera-kun for about 2 years know, and it’s really improved my reading skills. Though, I am still lazy to remember how to actually read the kanji out-loud. LOL

    But now I have been using Google Chrome a bit more than when it first came out, because it’s faster and it’s just there. However, since I browse so many Japanese and Chinese sites, I always end up browsing through them with Firefox because of my add-ons. LUCKILY! Google Chrome has add-ons now!

    Rikaikun is like a lighter version of Rikaichan, works just like it.

    and Zhong Wen, which is pretty much a light version of Perapera.
    thank you, Chinese Hacks~

    All I’m missing is a Koren one, which Perapera said they were working on. I wonder what happened to that business… haven’t seen updates since then.

  • Remembering Jinseitte Uso Mitai – Life is like a Lie~

    From WOWOW’s experimental 2008 drama, Camouflage.

    Ryo Kase and Yu Aoi = LOVE.

    I think this one was the BEST chapter of the series. [here for the recap]

    have a good not-suffering end of the weekend, but an overall relaxing Sunday.
    or you know, have a good new week if you’re on the other side of the world~~~

  • New So-En Mag Issue with Yu Aoi

    The newest issue of So-En Magazine (yes, the famous one with Yu as a boy) has recently hit the stands with Yu on the cover once again. As you can see, the cover is sporting the look for Yu’s newest Photo Exhibit and upcoming Photobook Uso. (Lie.). So she’s pushing hard to promote this.

    Maybe it is because I didn’t know my sources well, but if I recall correctly when Portugirl came out, there wasn’t much promotion for it, at least not that I recall people blogging about it.

    Anyway, I found this info on Japanese Streets, where they guide on how to get issues of So-En magazine, which by the way is a renowned fashion magazine that started in 1936. 1936!!! Otherwise, you can get it on Amazon Japan, or somehow get it from Bunka Publishing ~~~ and… you can pre-order Uso. over at HMV Japan.

    by the way… anyone attend the event on the 29th? or anyone attending the exhibit?
    would love to hear from you.

  • Shanghai Trailer

    Not gonna tag this as trailer yet, because I need a graphic, and I’m gonna miss that photo of Yu-chan from Raiou… LOL but it seems like Shanghai doesn’t have a distributor in America? What? Is it because the only major American star there is Cusack and the rest are Asian? But it’s got Harvey!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEmU2VcJz24

    Gong Li is pure hotness here.

    And though Kikuchi is not credited on this Chinese trailer, I’m pretty sure she’s in it. As well as Franka Potente. Both will probably show up in the Japanese trailer, and the International trailer.

  • Presenting the Yoshida Brothers

    You know I’m a sucker for traditional music fused with modern music, so it wasn’t a surprise that I’ve gone pretty nuts about the Yoshida Brothers thanks to this post.

    Though I am unsure on how their discography works (Japanese releases and International releases), since I don’t know if all of the albums contain different songs, or if some of the releases are just compilation of others.

    Anyway, Rising blew me away.

    as did KODO (literally meaning palpitation)

    https://youtu.be/Ron17xFNBf0

    but not only do they do this, they also do fusion with blues, latin music, and even celtic!

  • Joe Odagiri and Chiaki Kuriyama for New Satoshi Miki Drama

    Two of my favorite people are teaming up with one of my fave Japanese directors for a new drama for Asahi TV. Joe Odagiri was set to star on Atami no Sousakan (熱海の捜査官, Atami Investigators?), a series directed by Satoshi Miki (Turtles Swim Faster than Expected, Instant Swamp) that will start airing on Asahi TV on July 2nd (Friday) at 11.15pm. And now, Chiaki Kuriyama (Kill Bill) has joined the cast.

    Now… wonder, is anyone subbing this, or am I watching this and figuring out the plot as I go. LOL

    via Tokyograph.

    —

    *EDIT*

    I dunno why I posted July 2nd
    it starts July 30th

  • To Watch Until They’re 35 – Rinko Kikuchi

    Forgive the lack of 20 to Watch posts, in case you were expecting them sooner. Continuing with the list of the 20 to Watch Until They’re 35 is none other than Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi.

    Born in Hanado, Japan, on January 6th 1981, this now-29-year-old actress burst into the worldwide film scene when she played deaf-mute Chieko Wataya on Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Babel, for which she earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscar., among other nominations like a Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role at the Golden Globes, a Best Supporting Actress and a Breakthrough Performance at the Online Critics Awards, another one at the Satellite Awards, as well as a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Female Actor in a Supporting Role, and several other wins and nominations in critic choices.

    Kikuchi began her career by appearing on Ikitai (Will to Live) directed by renowned Kaneto Shindo (Onibaba, Hachiko Monogatari which he has remade recently as Hachiko: A Dog’s Story) in 1999, and followed that up with By Player (Sanmon Yakusha), another one of Shindo’s films.

    She continued her collaborations in her native Japan with Hole in the Sky (Sora no Ana) directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, and on the short film Tori by Tadanobu Asano, who co-star next to her on screen. During 2004, she participated in films that were generally received positively by critics, with roles in Cha no Aji (The Taste of Tea) directed by Katsuhito Ishii — a possible favorite among many festival movie goers — , 69 sixty nine by Sang-il Lee (Scrap Heaven, Hula Girls) about a bunch of pseudo-counter-culture revolutionaries from high school in an obscure city in Japan in 1969, based on the novel by RYu Murakami. And finalizing with Survive Style 5+, a wacky intertwine storyline following a whole bunch of people, directed by Gen Sekiguchi. The film starred big names from Japan, including Tadanobu Asano (who is in the same Agency as Kikuchi), Kyoko Koizumi, Hiroshi Abe, and even martial artist Sonny Chiba (who was last seen on worldwide screens in Tarantino’s Kill Bill).

    After slowing down for a while, and continuing her work in 2006 with Inarritu’s Babel and earning worldwide attention, in 2007 she collaborated in The Insects Unlisted in the Encyclopedia (Zukan ni Nottenai Mushi) written and directed by Satoshi Miki (Turtles Swim Faster Than Expected, Instant Swamp) alongside Yusuke Iseya (Blindness). In 2008, she returned to international screens with The Brothers Bloom written and directed by Rian Johnson (Brick), alongside big names like Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, and Mark Ruffalo. Moreover, she voiced Suito Kusanagi on Mamoru Oshii’s animated film Sky Crawlers with Chiaki Kuriyama (Kill Bill) and Ryo Kase (Letters from Iwo Jima).

    Last year, Kikuchi starred as Ryo on Map of the Sounds of Tokyo written and directed by Isabel Coixet (My Life Without Me, Elegy) with Spanish actor Sergi Lopez (Pan’s Labyrinth). In Japan, she made the film Assault Girls by written and directed by Mamoru Oshii, a sci-fi/fantasy live action film mix with CG about a group of people (including 3 women and a man) that war against mutants in a digital world to achieve points. Moreover, she also participated on the Japanese remake of the critically acclaimed American film Sideways. You can’t really say she doesn’t have variety in her CV.

    What’s more exciting for this 2010? Let’s start with Shanghai directed by Mikael Håfström, which will probably open in several cities around the world, as it stars John Cusack, Ken Watanabe, Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li, and Franka Potente. Followed that up in December with the film adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s novel Norwegian Wood by Vietnamese director Anh Hung Tran (The Scent of Green Papaya) alongside the 20 to Watch fellow Kenichi Matsuyama.

    Yes, we CAN’T WAIT for that one.