(warning::RANT) Different Cultures, Different Systems

It seems half the time I post here I just seem to be ranting about something vaguely related to Japanese entertainment. I try hard not to but sometimes I really just can't control the urge unless I was to start speaking out loud, in which case I would probably start to scare my parents (ranting to myself in my room probably makes it seem like I'm posessed). Anyway, I'll try to keep this short.

So. If anyone checks out arama maybe they saw the couple comments and then the eventual post these days about how the Japanese entertainment industry works. I know how the Japanese industry works, along Korea, Taiwan, and to an extent Hong Kong (the HK-ent industry is a joke so I don't even know I bother to mention it). Someone proceeded to go on and on about how it was a terrible system and made it seem like the Japanese entertainment industry was something of a crime. I read all her comments, her arguments and her justifications and I really don't see why she thinks that.

Japan is a different country. They do things differently. VERY differently..... what is the big deal? So J-Idols (and many "tarento") get paid on salary. But that's NORMAL to them AND - AND... for idols anyway, and especially Johnny's - they actually aren't THAT poor. Korean idols..... okay fine, that is a problem but that also probably has to do with the fact that their music industry.. kind of sucks? But to be honest, in Japan, the idols KNOW what they are doing. To them it's a job, they know they are being manufactured and faked and they know how much they're being paid and all that shit. They're not being tricked. They know that their company is hoarding a ton of money that is "rightfully theirs" (although in my opinon "rightfully theres in this case depends on someones perspective", and also - I'm specifically talking about idols). To the legit artists of Japan I do feel bad that their talent is being squished but this happens everywhere. Even in America. YES - EVEN IN AMERICA. *gasp* Could this be? uh. Yes.

Face it - all entertainment industries are flaws. America. Asia. You name it. I see no reason for the Japanese entertainment industry to be "boycotted" when essentially there is nothing WRONG with what they do. Not really. It's a business. The CEO's sit in their offices doing nothing and taking all the money while the workers work their assess off day and night and making (compartively) "nothing". We (as in westerners) only see it as wrong because it is different from what OUR SOCIETY teaches us is RIGHT. (for the entertainment industry anyway)

Now. If the talents are being kidnapped off the streets as 13 year olds against their will and threatened to sign slave contracts for 50 years while being paid 5-cents an hour for a 48hour work day, THEN you can go complain and boycott and blah. But for now - Japan is actually one of the BETTER countries in how they treat their "idols" - because unlike Korea and Hong Kong... guess what? They actually have an okay salary. True - they aren't MILLIONAIRES like hollywood actors, but who said they had to be? Better question yet - do all the celebrities in America deserve all the money they are getting? Uh. I highly doubt it to be honest.

and before anyone says "could you be a hollywood actor" or "I'd like to see you be an awesome singer" - No, I don't. But that doesn't mean I think they're worth that amount of money anyway.

/endrant

Jun - I need to see you shirtless now

Jun. I've never really thought about the guy in terms of looks because ... well I've never liked his hair (which is big factor in looks for me) and if we think about him in terms of body? His broad shoulders always made his waist look SO MUCH more effeminate than it really should (also due to how skinny he was to).

But lately he'd been beefing up (especially in the arms department). And then after he cut his hair he's just become amazingly hot to me (and I mean like amazingly hot). And now, with the news that he is going to be a boxer in a stageplay? Boxers need to have muscles. Lots of it. They need to have abs. And if there is ONE thing I LOVE about guys... it's that they must have abs. Really nice looking abs. To be honest i much preferred tone/leaned muscle (as in NOT Yamapi bulging muscles) but ... kind of what Jun has now? (As in you can see the muscle but it's not that defined). But yeah - one thing guys need are very, VERY, well defined abs. I love guys with abs. (probably cause I have a 4-pack myself and I used to have a 6-pack when I was even younger ^^;;).

So yeah. Pretty much. Jun looks freakin' hot with his short hair - I sincerely hope he KEEPS it this short for the remainder of the stageplay and the rest of his life (because seriously, short hair suits him so well), and if you add in ripped abs along with that? Like holy crap - I NEED to see this guy shirtless sometime soon just to confirm whether he will have abs or not (that's all I care about). You know, my mind is already going haywire just imagining. *_*... hopefully the promos will show him shirtless a lot? Heck even during the upcoming concert? He'll rip his shirt off? Please?

.... yeah - sorry... everyone can go back to whatever they were doing before and ignore the crazy fangirl in me right now rejoicing at how this is the BEST year for me as a JUN-fangirl.

Beautiful World Review

So this album was released... well technically it was only released on Wednesday (July 6, 2011) but somehow fangirls always manage to get the disk early (unless you happened to be a Canadian - stupid Canada post *shakes indignant fist*). Anyway. So. I didn't buy the album because my parents have some thing against ordering albums from halfway across the world but I downloaded it, been listening to it ... on repeat ... for about a week now (^^;;) and yeah. So here's my review.

First off - I barely listened to any radio rips (Negai, Morning light, a bit of Hung up on and Jyanakute... and I think that was it?) but I was looking forward to this album a lot. If you don't remember when 僕の見ている風景 came out my initial reaction was "did not like" and whaddayaknow - turned into my most favourite album of theirs to date. Beautiful World on the other hand I liked pretty much right of the bat - but first I'll do a song-by-song run down (excluding singles because.... well they were released already - and for another reason I'll talk about later).

1. Rock This: I had vaguely heard about this song and everyone said they loved it. When I heard the opening I did not understand how this song could be counted as "rock" at all and then the actual song started. It's okay. It reminds me of Cry For You from their TIME album. I like rock, admittingly it does sound kind of cool but I never like any boyband doing rock songs. I don't know why. Boybands and "rock" never really meshed well for me. As for performance? I imagien flames. Lots and lots of flames :) And I like fire.  So pretty much I don't "like" it but if I'm in the right mood I could find myself going out of my way to listen to this song.

2. まだ見ぬ世界へ: Oh. I forgot I already talked about this song when the PV came out. As I said, love the song - Sho's rap I've gotten used to but sometimes it still bugs me.

4. Always: I really like how they sing this song. As in - my reaction to this song is opposite to Rock you in where I liked the tune but didn't really like how they sang it. Here the tune is kind of... standard but I love how they sing the song. The chorus is also pretty catchy and cool, but my most favourite part is the opening of the song where they all have their solo lines. I imagine them singing one at a time, standing still and then when the chorus hits - *bam* they just start dancing (this is all on the moving stage). And then rinse and repeat as the song goes on. It wouldn't be a very dance heavy song but I can imagine a bit of dancing, especially during the slight interlude when it's just music and then maybe another blast as the chorus repeats one last time and they sing... (this seems to be coming more of a *imagine what the con perf will be like more than a review...)

5. Shake It (Jun's Solo): Take this however you will. The second I hear this song I start laughing. Hard. My next reaction is to just bop my head and kind of go crazy. xD I don't know why. This song just seems to make my brain and body go crazy. This might sound weird... (and maybe I'm biased?) but I feel like these types of songs (and Come Back to Me) really suit Jun. Be it singing and just... they allow him to get creative during concert performances and I am really waiting to see how Jun performes this during concert. I am really excited for this. Notice I'm not actually talking about the song? ^^;; Because to be honest - the logical part of my brain is like "ew you don't like this type of music" but the irrational part of my brain is like "OMFGILUVTHIS" (again - same thing with Come Back to Me). I don't really get why - this isn't bias because honestly, I don't like Yabaix3, Naked or any of Jun's solo that much but ... his last two solos have just... I dunno. There is something weird about them that makes me like them xD

⒍　虹のカケラ~No Rain, No Rainbow~: I will say this right away - the song I like the least in this whole album. It's boring. Boring, standard, does not stand out. That is not to say that I dislike this song. Again, I really like how this sing this song. As in, I really like their voices in this one. And Jun does a fricken falsetto and it's like bells to my ears. In fact their voices in this song just sound so nice. I really like hearing them go high (I don't know why - they're guys I should be expecting deep and manly... o_O) but I really like how their pitch is a lot higher in this song. It's nice. But yeah - other then that this song is pretty boring honestly. I guess it's a good calm down after Jun's solo

8. Hung Up On (Ohno Solo): I heard the 1min30sec preview of this song and became really excited. Not my most favourite solo of Ohno's and music wise not what I would listen to on a daily basis but just the idea that it could get Ohno dancing makes me so excited. The song itself... I like how there is a touch of Sho in there to make it sound deeper because I think without the Sho in the back the song would actually sound off. Ohno's soft is generally pretty soft and not really good at the "shouting" types of songs (which is also why it's not a favourite) but I think the added Sho gives it a good "manlier" touch if you will. Now - the reason I listen to this song on repeat? Because I can see Ohno dancing to this song when I listen to it. I can see it so clearly. I can see his face when he has to pull this long notes, and I can see him moving like he did in TOP SECRET with that sharpness and precision that is just amazing. I don't see hip rolls to be honest but I can see something very cool (I can't explain it) but I can see a perfect performance in my head and I love what I'm seeing in my head. (Final thought - cannot understand a word of Ohno's English though ^^;;)

9. Joy: This song is interesting because I realize that a lot of it is carried heavily by their voices. By that I mean the actual instrumental of the song.. is pretty repetitive. It's the same few chords repeated over and over (for the most part - except the chorus but even the chorus is kind of simple really) and what really brings this song the melody is their voices. Which I like. I heard it in the training camp video and I liked it. I like it now. It's cool to jam to and kind of bop your head to. ^^

10. どこにでもある唄 (Nino Solo): I think I will surprise a lot of people when I will say right away - this is my least favourite solo of the album. In fact I found myself skipping it a lot. A lot of people say they like it cause it's so 'sweet' and omg! Nino wrote and composed it himself! But forgetting about that... the song is just way to quiet and slow for my tastes. I know it's sweet, but this song puts me to sleep. It's just too soft. Not enough noise to keep my interested. I agree Nino's voice is amazing .... but yeah. Putting me to sleep. ^^;; I really have to be "in the mood" for this song. Although I am interested in how he will perform this. Will he play an instrument? Or will he just stand there and sing? Because this isn't a song that would match any sort of dancing or movement. Either way I can see myself enjoying this solo in a concert.

11. negai: and now we move from my least favourite solo to my most favourite song of this album. Negai. Ever since the radio rip of this song, it's been my favourite and even after hearing the whole album it is still my most favourite. I love this song. I love the tune, I love the lyrics, I love their voices. I love everything about this song. Ugh. I have no words to express just how awesome this song is for me. <3 Sounds so beautiful. And my most favourite part is actually not when they're singing (although the chorus is just so beautiful) but the part when it's just the violin (that is a violin right?) playing. Uggggh.. so beautiful. <3<3 Yeah, can you tell this is my most favourite song? I'm not being too obvious am I? =P

13.「じゃなくて」 (Aiba's Solo): I was surprised when I heard the radio rip of this song but somehow this song really suits Aiba. This kind of jazzy tune. I can imagine him doing what Jun did for Wish in the 5x10 concert. That kind of broadway style thing, except I picture Aiba wearing a top hat and less twirling and spinning and more standing in one place, jumping, hopping... Aiba motions. (I dunno how to explain...). The lyrics of this song are kind of cute and make me laugh in a way. It's sweet. Suits Aiba. ^^ (I don't really know what to say honestly... Aiba's solos are all cute to me but they never stand out too much and this one is no exception to be honest...)

14. Morning Light: Uh. Hello. 2nd favourite song for the album. Will not lie. When the radio rips of this song and negai came out all I did was listen to these two songs on repeat. AT FIRST - I wasn't impressed by this song but then I heard the chorus and I was pretty much hooked. I love the chorus for this song. It's so catchy. I don't flail about it as much as negai (because face it - negai is just an amazingly pretty song). But this song is awesome in it's own, really catchy way. It pretty much is my type of up-beat song. Fast, up-beat, catchy... I dunno - my ideal song to be honest. I could work out to this song.

15. このままもっと (Sho's Solo): And we've hit it. My most favourite solo of the album. This was actually a big surprise for me. Why? Because normally Sho's solos are my least favourite. I'm not to big of a fan of rap so it's no surprise for me but this song... is just.. omgosh. It's so cute and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and it makes me smile and I kind of just wanna hug something and go "d'awwwww". it's so adorable. Ugh. I could quote so many lines of this song to express how adorable this song is. SO CUTTTEEE.  SHO!! I LOVE YOU. Ugh. This song is so adorbs. And he still manages to incorporate some rap into it and it actually sounds good. Actually when the song transitions into the rap it reminds me of another Arashi song but I can't think of what song. ANYWAY - I can imagine the performance of this song to be so cute. Ugh. SO CUTE. (how many times have I written that so far?). Again - because I"m not too big on Sho's solos his performances never really catch my notice either (although I really liked his Can't Let You Go performance in the Time con..) But.. omg. I can imagine the performance of this being so cute and adorable and ... *sigh dreamily*... this song is just too cute. Ugh. I've repeated it so many god damn times it's ridiculous. ^^;;

18.　遠くまで: Heard a bit of this song watching the JAL CM's. I like the chorus of this song. But like Niji no Kakera this song is... kind of. It's not boring but it's very generic. I mean it's the typical "up-beat" Arashi song you know? Nothing really stands out about it... actually I think this song might be my least most favourite song of the album. At least Niji no Kakera has their really pretty voices as a plus point but in this song it's just kind of.. generic up-beat, happy happy Arashi. And yeah I like up-beat "Happiness" or "Kitto Daijoubu" type of happy but... eeeh. You know what - this song is like Summer Splash. I'll think it's boring the entire year until I see them sing it in concert and then suddenly I'll grow to love this song. =P Yeah. I can see that happening. It'd be a great encore song.

Final Conclusion:

Okay. So. I'm going to do a bit of comparing with BNMF. With BNMF  my initial reaction was "ew no" and I grew to love it. with that album... I don't like each individual song as much as I love the album as a package. A whole. All the songs really seem to fit well together and slide into one another really well and that's why I like BNMF more than this album. With this album, Beautiful World - I LOVE all the songs individually. All of them. (was not the case - and still is not hte case with BNMF - lol). The problem? I hate the singles that are in this album. Hatenai Sora, Dear Snow, To Be Free... Lotus is okay. But yeah. These songs just interrupt the flow of the single for me. Like whenever it hits one of those songs I find it jarring. I actually experimented and took these songs out and the album flowed so much better for me without the stupid singles. They're just so out of place. Maybe it's cause the songs of this album are so high quality but the singles.. were... .... not high quality. So yeah. My main gripe with this album is actually the singles that were inserted into the album - take these out and this album is amazing and I LOVE it. ugh. So good. <3

LOOKING FORWARD TO HOW THEY WILL PERFORM (hopefully) ALL THESE SONGS IN THEIR UPCOMING CONCERTS =D=D=D

(and yeah this was long - sorry >.<)

まだ見ぬ世界へ PV

I pretty much hyperventilated within the first 30 seconds of the PV. I think that says enough about how much I just absolutely LOVE this PV. Oh. My. God.

I didn't really listen to the song when the radio rip came out so this is my first real chance at listening to the song. And for the most part, it sounds great. I love it, this new "style" their trying sounds pretty awesome - one thing I didn't like was the fact that they messed around with Sho's voice. I actually really don't like that. I've always liked Sho's rap (in the older songs like Kitto Daijoubu, etc) because his rap has always been very soft. Lately I haven't been a fan because - well just in general I'm not actually a very big fan of rapping. But It's okay. But.... then they started auto-tuning it (or whatever it's called, I don't want to get into technical arguments okay? *cough*ppl@arama*cough*) and ... well I'm not liking it. I sincerely hope for the rest of the album they leave Sho's rap untouched because I believe it sounds best like that.

But anyway - onto this AWESOME PV. For the past two years, even since Troublemaker all their PV's have been pretty lack-luster and the same. One borrowing off another. Monster was like Truth, Lotus was like Believe, don't get started on Dear Snow, Hatenai Sora, etc. etc. But this PV - oh man - this PV is like gold. It's just...

The beginning kind of gives me a headache at first but the moment *boom* You can see Arashi and the music totally starts up with all the lights it's just like "whoa". I had to lower my laptop brightness to the lowest because this PV is bright. Like seizure-inducing bright but I love it. I love the colours. And the members. It's like I got transported back to 1999-2000, A.Ra.Shi, Sunrise Nippon era. Aiba and Sho and Nino seemed to revert back to their chibi-selves. like seriously. I was like "what is going on here, is this the right time?" but then....

then the PV shifts to that white room and I felt like I got transported to a K-Pop PV. I know, I've mentioned I don't like K-Pop and I did have a severe WTF moment but it's Arashi, I'm biased and I was like "oh damn they look so HOT" but yeah, they looked really Korean in the black, and with Aiba and Sho's hair all flat and normal. Although - I have to say Aiba has looked gorgous this entire PV. Like just... UMPH. That guy. Especially in the cube-room he was just so sexy. Like oh my gosh. Actually all of them were pretty sexy in the white room with the black... whatevers. Maybe I can finally see the appeal of K-Pop if it's Arashi doing it. Hahaha.

The dance choreo to this PV is just uggh.. so good. Seriously, who's their new choreographer because they need to be given severe hugs. And I love the speed they move at during the line where it's like "Every day, every night, every ~", I know they're just taking steps back but it's just so fast and so on that I'm just like "wow", but I love the choreography so much.

The hair. Well Jun's hair, do I need to comment? His hair has been on permanent "awesome" mode ever since he cut it. I will never have anything bad to say about his hair until the day he decides to grow it out again (*KNOCK ON WOOD*). Nino's hair is the same. Nice, safe, good-looking, I don't understand how he can look so adorable and yet so hot. Aiba's hair in the beginning - like I said - he went back to Chibi and then turned insanely hot after they flattened it. Same with Sho except Sho's hair was so ugly in the beginning. Such an ugly hairstyle. I feel bad but honestly, I've never disliked Sho's hair before (he always generally keeps a safe style) but uggggh... his hair lately, and in this PV (which was shot BEFORE).. not to my taste :( But in the white room he turns hot again, so it's all good. Ohno's hair seemed to go all over the place. In some angles (especially in the close-ups) I was like "GET A COMB" but from far away it actually looked okay.

So yeah. This PV kind of seemed to have a really strong "Korean" vibe to it. In the beginning, and it was so strong in the white cube room. Like, what they were wearing, the way it was shot, their overall appearances, if you blurred their faces, inserted in a Korean song and told me it was a K-boyband I would've believed it in a heartbeat. I still do kind of laugh when they transition to the cube room but then Aiba comes out and I"m just drooling at his utter sexy. *fans self* Haha.

The effects, I like them, I like the vibrance and the colours. Although I can see why it would give people seizures - the best thing though? They don't look cheap. It looks legitly done, like they put money into it. So I'm satisfied. And for the most part I like the shift in the PV. This might just be me (I haven't listened to the song enough to catch the lyrics) but if I just look at the PV - this is just my taking - but it seems like they're trying to show "past Arashi" and the "present Arashi".

I mean think about it. In the beginning, all the colour, vibrance, with everyone looking like they went back to 1999 and then BAM they suddenly just turn into these sexy, sexy men in a white room. Basically I'm trying to say it's like they're trying to show some sort of "maturity" growth? I guess? Like from chaotic, vibrant, little kids to a more organized, classy group of really, really, really hot guys? Or is it just me?

Anyway, I just passed the 1000 word mark on this "review", "flail" whatever this is but if you can't tell how much I love this PV from reading this I think you need to re-learn English because HOLY SHIT THIS PV IS AWESOME *crying tears of joy* (and I've re-watched it like.. hundreds of times already and I still can't stop hyperventilating over the sheer awesomeness of this uggggh. *fans self*). ARASHI I LOVE YOU GUYS!

June 15th COME NOW

OMG! Fukuoka concert DVD - Fukuoka - Fukuoka - FUKUOKA - the city I lived in. Out of all the places, not Tokyo, not Osaka, Nagoya, but Fukuoka. YES - GOD YES. You have no idea how hard I was praying that they would release a dvd for this concert. Not just because I wanted a dome DVD but because despite having lived in Fukuoka for an entire year I was never able to go to an Arashi concert.

in 2009 they had one the day before my birthday and I was THERE, outside the dome and I couldn't go. I wanted to cry so hard. And then in 2011 I wasn't even in Japan anymore. I LEFT. And then God shines his light on me and oh my gosh I could cry tears of joy. My school year is complete.

June 15th - previously? The last day of school. A very good day. NOW? June 15th? HAPPIEST DAY OF 2011! FUKUOKA. And there is a documentary and interviews and oh my god it's Fukuoka - it's the Yahoo! Dome, Hawks Town, I was in walking distance, asdg;ldkfhdsafjdjfjlf dsfafsd *speechless*.

 

and of course I can't forget about the album which is July 6th but seriously? Compared to this DVD? New album? Possiblity of concert tour? No - nothing adds up to my sheer happiness of seeing this DVD coming from Fukuoka.

 

*cough*

 

anyways... *clears away cobwebs*

It's been a while hasn't it? I'm sorry I've been kind of dead, inactive, gone, you name it. Not because I've been away from fandom (okay - I kind of have been) but life has been keeping me busy and updating this, my LJ, tumblr and multitude of other blogs is kind of hard when you have tests, and homework, projects, badminton etc. etc. etc. LIFE. But rest assured, on June 15th you will be garunteed a very large, flaily post of pure and utter flail - even more flaily than this one ;)

Quick Hello

I know, I haven't posted anything in a while. Not even after Arashi's awesome Himitsu no Arashi-chan special, nothing about the Earthquake, nothing about anything really. I've been busy... with life. And I just haven't had time to come up with posts. Any spare time I have goes to sleeping or doing homework. *sigh*

Just want to say that I finished watching the drama Mother and it was brilliant and oh-so heartbreaking but I loved every bit of it. I pretty much teared up and cried in every single episode. I don't know if this is a drama I would reccomend to "everyone" (it's like Yasashii Jikan in that sense) but it really is a brilliant drama. I really wish it had gotten more attention than it recieved.

I started SPEC as well but lately I've taken a hiatus from drama watching and have recently gone back into anime. So... I know people must be reading my posts (due to the fact that I have followers and an average of 10 page views a day - which I find so weird by the way) - anyone have good animes to reccomend?

203reallys!? - check this out :D

okay - last time. I've posted this on fb, twitter, lj and tumblr and now finally this.

Everyone, please check this site 203Reallys!? out!

It's a really cool idea/campaign that my sister started where basically she's trying to collect small tidbits of interesting and relatively unknown info from every country in the world to share to other people. You can look through the site now and learn some really cool/random facts that you may not have known before

and (the most important part)

please help contribute.

Obviously my sister isn't a genius and there are some facts that you can't just look up on the internet so if YOU have any interesting facts about your country, your culture, or any country you've been to/visited feel free to share it at the facebook page (or just search 203reallys!? on facebook). You can post as a guest.

and of course (if you find it interesting) - please do share it with your friends and family.

of course if you're not interested or whatever it's fine but I really think this is a cool idea and worth sharing to as many people around the world as possible. People are becoming more and more connected with technology but there are still lots of things that people don't know about other countries and cultures and I think through this campaign/site it will allow people to learn some really great things and become more multi-cultural.

Lotus PV/Song Review

Edit - I also happened to translate the song here at my tumblr

here were my thoughts as I was watching which pretty much will sum up my review and then a short bit about what I actually think of the song (not the single - just the song).

- Set reminds me of Believe

- Dance is kind of weird... dunno what to think just yet.

- oooh, but white suits make them look hot. *drools*

- ooh, dance is looking slightly better. Especially at the "Glass no You ni" part

- WTF NINO OMG HIS VOIC, I thought it was a girl o_o daaaaammnn...

- ah... still reminds me of Believe. Did they just take the set of Believe and recycle it cause that's really what I feel...

- omg.. what is with this annoying video overlaying part? It's done so terribly wtf... can't watch. Would it could to add a bit of a "fade effect" rather than just choppy over-lay and then quick switches? >.< Looks so sloppy...

- again, they look so nice though (not in white suits, in their other costumes) - soooo nice...

- OHNO!OHNO!OHNO!OHNO!

-...okay all this flowers and standing inside a white room with faded colours and all this is now making me think of Ashita no Kioku...

- and back to Believe.... and then Ashita... and then Believe....

-okay, so is this PV just a mix of Believe and Ashita no Kioku then?

- Dance is looking weird again... >.<

- okay more switching of Ashita no Kioku and Believe parts... *cough*

- and of course, you can't forget the classic "stand and sing moments", they really followed the formula perfectly.

- and OMG OHNO!VOICE!OHNO!VOICE... I really want to hear him to that live with just as much emotion as he put into this PV >_>

- okay.. dance looks even more awkward now that they are showing full body.. orz

- .....and I think the part I like least is the ending cause that just... huh. no comment. crazy wrist moments, must admit.. but uh.. okay.

Okay so overall... not my most favourite PV ever. It's better than their Dear Snow, Love Rainbow, CGI'd non-moving PV's so I guess I'll be happy with it for now. ^^ You can interpret my thoughts anyway you want, good or bad *shrug*.

And as for the song...

...it's pretty much like the PV for me. It just feels like a mix of two different things. In this case it's not a mix of Believe and Ashita no Kioku, but it sounds like a mix between Truth and Monster and doesn't stand out very much. *shrug* To be fair I wasn't looking very forward to this single in the first place (i'm sorry for bringing the rain down in the midst of the sunshine/sparkles/hot-white-suits) BUT - I am very eager to see this being performed on Music Station next Friday. ^^

and the other songs I ... yeah. no comment.

 

Shiyagare?

Is it just me or are their guests just getting better and better?

that monomane guy last week, Hatori-san this week and Yuzu next week? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Ogura-san to pop up any day now, or maybe Kinki Kids o_o

 

*KEEPING FINGERS CROSS SO TIGHTLY IT HURTS!!*

Hallyu Wave

I really wonder what it is about Korean Entertainment that is making (apparently) the Western world so caught up in it. And I specifically mention Korean because really, Japanese Entertainment, outside of anime/manga, has never gotten this much attention.

I'm curious. Why? Because.. well.. too put it bluntly? I don't like Korean entertainment. Not as in "OMG I HATE KPOP IT"S STUPID", that is not true - I have nothing against it, it's just not my taste. (and hey, if Big Bang was paired with Arash i'd be so excited :D:D)

Maybe it's cause Koreans are actively reaching out? But... somehow I feel like even if Johnny's tried the same thing, I honestly feel they wouldn't get as much attention.... or maybe it's just me? I'm just curious. What is it that Westerners see in Korean entertainment. Is it the music, the looks, the dramas, just... what that separates them and makes them shine so much.

Bleach Rock Musical: Generation 1

My Ode to the Burimyu Cast. You will be sorely missed. I can't imagine a Bleach Rock Musical without all of you guys. You really made Bleach come to life for me, you all played the characters brilliant. You were a bunch of dorks, but so good at what you did be it singing, dancing and just out-right acting. You were the best cast any Bleach fan could ask for. I wish you guys would come back but every actor needs to move on right? T-T

Isaka Tatsuya - Kurosaki Ichigo: He grew up with this show. He was probably the biggest Burimyu fan out there, more than us sobbing fangirls. When he started this he was... 18 I believe? And it was amazing watching him grow. His singing (which was terrible in the beginning) grew better and better and I will miss him and his passion. Tat-chan :(

Satou Miki - Kuchiki Rukia: Her singing was amazing. She is reprising her role in the summer, the only one, but I find this more sad than happy as she will be alone without the rest of her supporting cast. It'll be awkard. But on the other hand. I can't imagine another Rukia. She was really brilliant. i can imagine another Ichigo, another Renji, another Aizen but Rukia... Rukia I really can't see anyone doing her justice. I hope she leads the new cast well.

Saito Kumiko - Shihouin Yoruichi: My god she did Yoruichi so well, just like Rangiku. She just had the exact punch for the character. The flirting with Ichigo and then the absolute seriousness. Heck she even sounded like the character. And to boot? The fact that her acrobatics was great.

Sekine Asuka - Soifon: She came pretty late on during the musical but she really did Soifon great. I also found Soifon quite annoying but somehow she managed to turn what I originally thought to be annoying into something hilarious. Again, acrobatic skills were like "whoa". Will miss her :(

Moriyama Eiji - Abarai Renji: He's a hilarious guy. Backstage, onstage, whatever, he pulled comedy, seriousness, and passion. Singing was great as well.

Hayashi Shuji - Kuchiki Byakuya: Osamu-chan, what can I say? This guy is one big DORK. He's hilarious and he plays... Byakuya? But you know what? He does this role so well, it's amazing. Even when he's being a dork ON STAGE (Kuchiki Byakuya does not dance) he somehow manages to say in-character. And also? One of the best singers of the show. Sasuga Kuchiki-ka ne.

Yuuichi Tsuchiya - Ichimaru Gin: HI! TUTI-DESU! There will never be an Ichimaru Gin like you. Ever. You played Gin so well. You got the creepy down, the way he spoke, his mannerisms. Tuti. You are brilliant. and partnered with Nagayan? Even better. Not in the whole Yaoi "you two are so gay sense" but in the "omg dorks!" sense. And holy crap can you move your body. xD

Kitamura Eiji - Kira Izuru: Eiji did Kira so well. he did the seriousness and the absolute fail of Kira to the T. Backstage he was funny, not dorky persay but funny, entertaining and really brought a smile to my face. His singing wasn't bad, not totally awesome but it was constant and therefore a plus. Kira, the character is replaceable but as an actor I like Eiji and I hope to see him in more dramas/TV things.

Kasahara Hiroko - Unohana Retsu: Funnily enough, I think she was the shortest cast member? She came at the same time as Soifon but damn did she play Unohana. She was soft-spoken, kind, gentle but she also managed to convey Unohana's dark side with what looked like minimal effort except for a change of voice. Her singing was great. I will miss her.

Murakami Kohei - Yamada Hanatarou: This guy was adorable as Hanatorou. My god he played Hanatarou so well, another member who in my mind, can never, ever be replaced. No one can play Hanatarou as well as this man did. He even had the whiny weakling voice going on. He was also very funny, and totally cute. I wanted to huge him when he started crying after his first show. Adorable guy, probably a lot older than I think he is but you were Hanatarou to the soul.

Ohkuchi Kengo - Aizen Sosuke: I hate Aizen in the manga/anime whatever but in the musical Aizen is one of my favourites. You rarely see the guy cause Aizen is dead half the time but when he does get face time he places the role so well, and his singing was also one of the best. Behind the stage you rarely saw him but when you did, man this guy laughs and smiles a lot despite looking like a total thug half the time. Sorely missed in Bankai Code 003 - it wasn't the same without you. >.<

Saito Kumiko - Hinamori Momo: KUMIKO! She is adorable. This girl. and her singing is amazing. Along with Tatsuya, she grew up with this musical and she grew up amazingly well. She is cute, great at acting, and her can I say this again - her singing is brilliant. A girl who is packed with talent. I hate Momo in the manga/anime but I love Kumiko as Momo in this musical. Momo itself is an easy replacable character but I will miss how god-damn adorable this girl was. She was totally the little sister/baby of the group while Tat-chan was the little baby brother.

Kuranuki Masahiro - Kaname Tousen: This is a man with a gap, in both personality and in voice. In fact backstage I found it almost impossible to recognize this guy because his voice was so different. In actuality he had a pretty high voice but while playing Tousen his voice was crazy deep and he sang that way too. He was also a total dork too, hilarious guy really. But again, he played Tousen brilliantly. His gap was huge. Love this guy.

Gomoto Naoya - Hisagi Shuuhei: I don't really care about Shuuhei in the manga/anime but I really like this version of Shuuhei. The right amount of seriousness and dorkiness. Backstage he's pretty laid back, not a crazy dork like some cast members but interesting enough. I like his segments in the musical cause he's generaly being made fun of, and this supposedly "cool/hot Hisagi Shuuhei". I really like the actor/character and... actually I think it'll be hard to replace him too. He really did Shuuhei well, I'm sad to see him go.

Nagayama Takashi - Hitsugaya Toushiro: Nagayan! You were too tall but it didn't matter because you played Hitsugaya to the life and soul. You got all his quirks, his personality, everything down perfect and pat and above al? You were also a complete dork behind stage to. Your singing itself is not bad but harmony wise you had a few issues but my god man. I can't imagine another Toushiro who isn't you.

Harumi Inoue - Matsumoto Rangiku: She didn't have the balloon sized breasts that Rangiku had but who cares? My god she did Rangiku so well, and her interactions with Gin and Toushiro were brilliant. Her singing was also top-notch. Truthfully i can't imagine another Rangiku aside from Harumi. You think Rangiku would be an easily replaceable character but Harumi had the bubble, the life, the zest that really made up the character and it will sorely be missed. Too bad she was away due to her babies a lot but when she was around it was the best.

Suzuki Shogo - Zaraki Kenpachi: I honestly thought, when I first saw this man as Zaraki, that Zaraki had stepped out of the actual manga and had just come to life right in front of my eyes. He's obviously the oldest member and his voice is quite rough (but that is Zaraki's voice so no complaints there). Honestly he managed to do insanity well but somehow, like Byakuya, he managed to do awkward/embarassing situations without seeming OOC. leave it to the veteran actors. Can't imagine another Zaraki because appearance and personality wise, you really hit the spot.

Usui Takuya - Madarame Ikkaku: This guy was hilarious as Ikkaku. Didn't do much backstage but on stage he was just great. Played the quirks of Ikkaku brilliantly, and played the lap-dog of Zaraki down to pat. Will never forget his "lucky dance". Actor-wise I may not be interested but as Ikkaku you will sorely be missed. Again, irreplaceable.

I didn't include the cast from Saien because... well obvious reasons. I will really miss these guys. They made up a large chunk of my life before Arashi, and currently are also making a large part of my life. They were my doorway into real life Japanese actors, away from 2D animation. I love these guys with all my heart, all the girls, all the guys. They will be irreplacable for me. I can't imagine how the next Burimyu in the summer will be and I hope that even just for a bit, just as a greeting... they'll say "Hi". Their finale wasn't complete with Kengo after all :(

Jun and Sho

I was planning to post this long, long thing about how I feel like fandom misunderstands, or... at least has to move away from the labels they put on Jun, and how Sho is way too over-exposed and fandom needs to stop worshipping the perfect, fail, ground he walks on. Instead i'm just going to summarize the whopping 1500 word essay I wrote. 

For Jun. All this "princess", "diva", "kakkoii-ikemen", and to that certain Lj community "lesbian" stuff is really getting to me. I don't know if it's cause Jun is my favourite or what but he seems to be the member that has the most negative stuff said about him. He can't sing, can't dance, can't act like Nino can, he's not dorky, or fail, or funny, or cute. All he is is a "pretty face". It frustrates me, the amount of times I've seen "Jun used to be my favourite cause of HanaDan but then I then I realized Member-x was more funny/talented/good-looking/etc than him". Or how many times I've seen people say they think he's arrogant, or a drama-queen, or.. just... all that. I know some of these are said as endearments, like how Aiba is stupid, but they seem to be used just as much as negatives. A lot of people are saying "omgosh Jun is changing"... but I don't think Jun is changing. I think Jun is just being himself but no one ever took the time to notice anything past his Do-S persona. You really wanna say Jun wasn't dorky in the past? Remember that DnA where he shoved a clock down his pants?

Actually I used to be really nervous when admitting Jun was my favourite (yes Nino is also, it's complicated) because ... well... no one ever agreed with me.  I would go on about how "nice" he is and his work-ethic and how I admire Jun because he tries so hard, really, really tries even if he's not that great and it's a trait that should be respected. And I feel like a lot of fandom doesn't see this part of Jun, or they don't acknowledge it enough. I don't mean that Jun should be everyones ichiban (because all the other members have equally admirable traits) but I wish people would just realize, more, that despite Jun not having any spotlight skills, behind the stage he deserves a lot of recognition that he doesn't seem to recieve.

and as for Sho. I hope I don't offend anyone but for the past year or so... how much I like Sho is rapidly falling. It's not like I don't like him. It's impossible for me to dislike a member of Arashi. But he is definitely lagging behind all the other members. Why? Two words. Sho Fail. You're probably confused. How can I dislike the one thing that everyone in fandom is absolutely crazy for? ... easy. Because it's so over-exposed it's ridiculous. I'll laugh at a joke once, twice, three times.. but when I see at least one Sho!Fail reference every other day - be it from fans, or through TV, or what.. to be honest? I'm getting sick and tired of it.

I don't want to blame Sho, it's not his fault, it's probably the directors telling him to do it but you know what? Could he stop being so obvious with his fail? Like if you're going to fail, do it the Aiba-way and be 'Tennen" about it. Don't do it so obviously with that face that is pretty much like "I know I'm failing, aren't I so funny?". Maybe it's just me who thinks it but when I watch Sho fail these days, there are the moments I laugh. Then there are the moments I kind of just want to be like "......no". I don't want to admit it but.. lately there have been fans complaining that Sho is looking arrogant and snobby these days........... I can see where they are coming from. I can, I really can. -_-;; I'm sorry. Sho!Fail - in Shukudai-kun it was funny because it was actually quite rare. Now? ...yeaaaah.. no. It's not cutting it for me anymore. For the rest of fandom, sure, obviously fans are still loving watching Sho fail, to me? It's just painful.

So yeah. there you have it. The summarized version of my rant. I hope I didn't offend anyone (especially with the whole Sho thing). If people wanna come running at me with pitch-forks or if you just wanna plain disagree go ahead, please don't try to change my mind though. I've had these thoughts for a while. I actually just didn't say them because.. to be honest... Arashi fandom kind of scares me. Sometime it feels like if I say anything remotely negative people will rip my head off. *shudders*

Actually lately it feels like I never have anything to say about fandom except for complaints and it makes me feel terrible, but then I realize that complaining about fandom is different than complaining about Arashi. I still love the boys, but somehow I feel like I can't fit in with the rest of the fangirls who seem to treat them like Gods who can do no wrong.

Himitsu no Arashi [2011.01.20]

I'm crying. I have tears coming out of my eyes. I haven't laughed so hard in so long. Oh. My. God.

A quick rundown of today's Himitsu no Arashi-chan. The guest was Nakama Yukie, the teacher in Gokusen. The members spent their time "presenting" to her something that she would... eh.. become interested in. Because as she says, she never feels like she's really "interested" in anything because there are probably others who are more obsessed than she is. :P

so yeah. It was pretty interesting actually. Points to look our for
- Nino magic (and it's a pretty easy trick to figure out ;D)
- Ohno fishing xD
- Nakama Yukie changing a girls 10,000yen (roughly $100+ CAD) to a 1,000yen bill (roughly $10+ CAD). :P And then Jun promises to pay the girl 9000yen.
- Jun threatening the camera person? (if you're Jun biased like me).

and then the 2nd section is a special segment where they try to teach Sho some fashion sense... but really it's more just a crack segement to further embarass Sho more. It's kind of painful to watch because omgod some of the things they made Sho wear.. *shudders* - BUT - BUT.. highlights?

THE VERY END.

If you do not have time to watch the full episode - watch the last 2-3 minutes. It's ALL worth it. That last 2-3 minutes made the ENTIRE show. Just remember...

Arashi loves Sho a lot. Arashi loves torturing Sho a lot more though apparently.
And Jun gives the best 'dude wtf" faces ever. (again, bias showing, haha).

anyway - WATCH THE LAST 2-3 MINUTES IS A MUST. This is honestly going down on my list of "EPIC ARASHI MOMENTS". And I can't wait for next weeks Himitsu. ;) You'll know why.

Mother episode 1

See. I heard about Mother before, and it seemed like an interesting storyline, but I didn't really think about watching it until the girl appeared in Himitsu no Arashi-chan, VIP ROOM. And then I decided to watch it.

If I were to sum up episode 1 in one word... I think all I can think is I'm absolutely horrified.

But horrified is not the impression that the drama gives me. This is a legit, sad drama. And I'm not talking One Litre of Tears medical drama sad, I mean sad. It's just utterly sad. I was tearing up at the part where... (omgosh I still don't remember any of their names, I apologize!!!) the women was like "I'll be your mom". The acting, the music, just everything in this drama is just brilliant. My god.

Things I'd like to address. Would you like to know why horrified is the word I chose to sum up episode 1? Because of what Rena's mother does to Rena after she catches her boyfriend about to (probably) sexually abuse her. SHE BEATS HER. SHE BEATS HER OWN FRICKEN DAUGHTER WHO WAS ABOUT TO BE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY HER BOYFRIEND. WHAT THE @#$!. Honestly I am utterly sickened, and horrified and sickened and I felt so bad for the girl. That entire montage of him calling her, telling her to dress up, with flashes to the women flipping through her book of "things she likes" was just utterly... horrifying to me. Not in the scary movie sense but in a moral sense. I could feel my heart cracking, yet speeding up and I was honestly terrified because I knew something would happen to her. And something did. And I was utterly, utterly disgusted.

with that being said. The two leads. The girl and the women, so great. So fantastic. I will reccomend this drama and I won't because it's not your typical type of drama. I don't know if it gets lighter (somehow I doubt it) but just judging from episode 1, seems like a sob story. I'm personally not a fan of medical sob stories, but I think I will continue with this one because it seems brilliant.

New Years etc.

Hello. It's been a while hasn't it? I'm still amazed that I actually get page views despite the fact that I never update, and when I do it's nothing really important either. But whoever does decide to come look at my blog, thank you? Or maybe I'm misunderstanding how the whole "page view" thing works? ^^;; Oh well. I'm just happy seeing such a large number.

ANYWAY - way off topic.

So. New Years was a while back yeah? Two weeks ago? Yes I did watch Kouhaku and it was entertaining but truthfully I didn't watch all of it. In short, considering it was the first time and Kouhaku is a MAJOR show and they must have been HELLA nervous, I think they did a marvelous job and I'm very proud of them. If there were any flaws, I felt that there should have been more Matsushita Nao x Arashi discussion because sometimes it felt like she was left out - but I understand why that happened. Writing a script and giving each person an equal number of lines would obviously mean that she would get less lines, but still. Sometimes it was just awkward. But of course this isn't Arashi's fault, so oh well.

In the end my most favourite year end music show was MSSL2010. I nearly cried watching that. Have I mentioned that already? Well anyway, it's the show that reminded me of my time in Japan the most. And I really love that, the nostalgic feeling, the fact that I recognize all the songs and what not. Makes me sad too, but I love it anyway.

Next - Arashi promoting the 3Ds is terrible for me because I want it so bad. I mean the actual commercials wih Arashi are kind of lame (if I didn't know Arashi and i saw that on TV in Canada I'd be like 'wtf?') but the actual DS is SO COOL. And seeing Arashi with one just makes me think "WANT". Such fail. I"m not gonna get it though, not until it a) comes out in Canada and b) has been out for long enough that there are more games and it's more reliable.

Onto Movies - excited for Nino going to Hollywood again. That's my boy ;) Too bad i don't live in America, why does Japan always forget Canada? Sigh. We're such a forgotten country. I'd kill to go see the movie, dubbed or not, but maybe it'll come out in DVD here instead? Or something? Come on... please...? And then of course the latest news about Kaibutsu-kun! That is seriously awesome. I don't really care about 3D movies but Ohno just being in a movie. Kaibutsu-kun or not is awesome. I'm happy for him, hope he doesn't tire himself to much.

Onto Dramas. I kind of admit.. I don't think I'm going to watch Bartender. It just doesn't look like my kind of drama to watch. Love Arashi and all but ^^;; I'm still picky about my dramas okay? So instead I will watch Mother (which a lot of people have been talking about) and Keizoku 2: SPEC. Both apparently very underrated dramas? They seem interesting though, so I'm looking forward to watching them. I just finished watching Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo which was interesting to watch while doing homework (cause I didn't really need to pay attention). It was amusing and I admittingly did learn some interesting facts, all in all it's just amusing. Brainless humor. Not the best drama, not the worst. *shrug* You know.

eh.. what else? I guess that is it?

oh... I may or may not start translating random Arashi songs. I'm not sure if I'm gonna post them here. I started posting them up at my tumblr. The thing is my tumblr has morphed into some random blog that I just throw all my.... random "garbage thoughts" in. I like putting my song translations there though, but... hmm.. I dunno. Should I move them here too *contemplating*

all I've done is Arashi's Futari no Kinenbi and V6's Only Dreaming and a snippet of Snowflake though. ^^;; Maybe when I've done more?