Happy Birthday Ohno!

Happy Birthday Ohno!! I wish I could say more but it's snowing REALLY hard outside and i need to shovel the driveway before my dad gets home so he can actually drive into the garage.

but - Ohno, Happy Birthday.
30? 30? Seriously?
*shock*
You still look like a baby.
Haha.
I hope you never change.
Eat cake, go fishing, do whatever you want.
:)

My favourite old man.

Again with the Freeter Flail

aggh.. Freeter. :( I swear i've made a post (or have wanted to) after every episode of Freeter that i watch. This drama just drives me crazy.

What really got to me this week?

When Seiji's dad was confessing to the girl (forgot her name) about Sumiko's depression and his kids and all that. Made me sad. I didn't get 100% of it but I got enough. But just the situation.

I really like how this episode seemed to show.. like.. how it's sometimes hard for people to say things to those closest to them and that sometimes this leads to miscommunication, and problems and what-not. It applies to my family too, but I don't think we've, as of yet, solved our problems yet.

Freeter Flail [MAJORLY LONG POST]

This is going to be a long, slightly emotional, and kind of random post that will go on very many different tangents but somehow all revolves around my love of Nino's drama, 「フリーター、家を買う」. So yeah. Honestly? This is mostly a personal post that only vaguely relates to Freeter to be honest. ^^;; But read away.

So, I just watched episode 4 of Freeter and... I cried. I don't cry for a lot of things. I rarely cry for anything. The last time I cried watching a drama was when I watched "One Litre of Tears" which was 2 years ago and I only cried one TISSUE. Not a box, not a package. One tissue, that's it. Nothing more. So i guess you can imagine how hard it is for me to cry and yet I cried watching Freeter. Episode 4. The minute Seiji said "Ore shika ha nai" and the tears just started flowing down my face and I couldn't stop them.

I really don't know what it was about this scene. Actually the entire episode I really felt like crying. Or I had the urge to. This entire drama is a roller coaster for me. My heart breaks in every episode as I watch Seiji struggle with his family's problems. This episode... watching Seiji break like that, I just couldn't help but start sobbing. I didn't even know WHY I was sobbing. I didn't feel sorry for him, I don't know, somehow.. I ... I empathsized with him even though I've never been in his situation before in my life. Maybe it's Nino's acting, I'm not sure but when I saw Seiji crying my entire heart just broke for him.

I love my mom. I really do. My mom is to me, like Seiji's mom was to him. She is my support. I'm not as FAIL as Seiji was, I mean I get straight A's and study hard and what not, but even then, I'm not the proud, confident, 'nerd' that most Straight A'ers are. And so I have my mom there to be my pole to lean on. She's there, every step of the way saying "you can do it, you're fine" she is the person that asks me "Are you okay? Can you handle it?". She is there to tell me when I can take a break, when it's okay for me to break down, when it's okay for me to take a step away and just... relax. And so seeing Seiji's mom like that, in such a depression. It breaks my heart. It really hurts me and as I watch Seiji struggle it hurts me more because i know, I KNOW, if that was me in that position, I would break. I would just crumble into pieces and fall apart. Especially if Seiji's dad was my dad.

Which brings me to another point. Seiji's dad. I hate him. I don't care what his excuse is, no matter what his problem is, or why he's being such a fucking ass hole, I don't CARE. I don't have a good relationship with my dad. Granted, my dad is actually a good dad, I just... don't get along with him. And my dad actually supports my mom. But seeing Seiji's dad makes my blood boil. Seeing him yell at Seiji, yell at Seiji's sister (who I can't remember the name off), seeing him yell at his WIFE who than has the KINDNESS TO PROTECT HIM just... OH MY GOD. That is half the reasno I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry from sheer ANGER at seeing this man on screen. I just wanted to reach in there and punch him, over and over, and over again until he realized what a RETARD and what a FAILURE of a HUMAN BEING he is. *rantsgrumbleswearkillssomeone*. Yeah. I don't have a good relationship with my dad, and my dad is nothing like this man but I just generally dont' like fathers and seeing a father like this just... ugh. I'm disugsted.

See? See how Freeter does this to me? How I can I NOT love a drama that envokes so much emotion in me? Normally I have as much emotion as a rock - ie - none. I have little empathy for anyone, and the emotional and understanding range of a teaspoon. You could say this is a mental problem but whatever. And yet, to have a drama like this drive me up the wall with anger, frustrating, annoyance, sadness, heartbreak, tears... T-T

and then to move on to just the whole theme the drama seems to be showing of SOCIAL PRESSURE IN JAPAN. Oh my god. I love this drama just for this reason. This is a brilliant theme to show because it's true. This is SO Japanese and Japanese people need to LEARN about how stiffling their social heirarchy is, not just on a business level but just on a regular "neighbourly" level. It's suffocating. It's terrible. You constantly have to be good to your neighbours, your relatives, the people around you, and if you're not your orstricized, rejected. This drama is no exaggeration and I honestly think that the fact that Japan has made a drama like this is just one LARGE step for the country and I'm so glad it's doing well and that people are SERIOUSLY watching this.

Freeter I think, is not only the best drama I've seen all year, but one of THE BEST dramas I've seen so far. And I know it's not done yet so I really shouldn't be saying this so fast (I mean, episode 4 - come on) but honestly... *wibbles*.

Johnny's and Kouhaku

So I just read this article on Asianfanatics.net and... first, I hope it's not true, next if it is, I'm kind of disappointed.

Kouhaku is a really important show in Japan. I know, the ratings are slipping which obviously means it is "losing it's importance" but I don't think that is a reason to just throw it away, nor is it s areason to just abandon tradition and what this concert was first made for. Johnny's trying to force groups into Kouhaku is a big "NO" in my book and a very bad decision. Groups like SMAP and even TOKIO, and recently Arashi (due to their popularity) I can understand. They've been on Kouhaku before. But using Arashi as a MEANS to force OTHER groups in? Not only do I think that is insulting to the show, Kouhaku, but to other artists who DESERVE and WORKED HARD to actually be INVITED. Also I think it's not good for Arashi. I know they don't play a part it in, after all it's the company doing it but somehow ... I just feel if this really happens Arashi might be blamed slightly too. >.<

I know that by default Johnny's idols are pretty damn 'popular' already but there are honestly, so many other artists in Japan that some people tend to forget that it's not ALL about Johnny's Entertainment. There are a lot of really good artists who work hard to get their popularity and their sales and it's because they are actually GOOD artists. (No offense but I wouldn't say that all Johnny's are excellent singers nor dancers). I love JE but I've seen Kouhaku and I feel that if Johnny's does this he is ruining something really traditional and special that should be left untainted.

I also feel bad for NHK because they are so pressured for ratings yet it seems at the same time they don't want to throw away the tradition of Kouhaku either. It's like a catch 22. Bow down to Johnny's and get the ratings, or keep up a long-standing tradition special to Japan and watch the ratings fall?

果てない空 Review

THIS IS IT PEOPLE. THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. OMG. O.M.G.

They did it. Quality. I love this single. I don't care what anyone says. I love this. Every. Single. Song. Absolute love. Maybe it's cause they actually have more than 2 songs. Maybe it's cause they have a making of. Maybe it's cause they have a fricken Christmas song. I DON'T KNOW BUT I LOVE THIS.

果てない空：
It's a theme song. I like it. It's not AWESOME but I like it. It's got more speed than Dear Snow so I don't find it boring and it's not too crazy like Troublemaker (which I sadly have a love-hate relationship with). I haven't seen the PV yet and I don't plan too because I don't want to ruin the image of this song in my mind. It's really calming and reminds of Freeter, which I love. <3

STORY:
Eeeks! I love this song. Hands down best song on the single. I wouldn't expect it from the title, but it is. It's so catchy and .. .I don't know, it reminds me of something but I can't remember what. But it's speedy, and smooth. Slick. I kind of want them to perform this because I can imagine the craziest dance being accompanied with this song. And I mean like... fast, hard, dancing. Like even crazier than Believe or Crazy Moon it would be the most awesome dance ever. Ah. This song. Absolute love. This totally beats out Hatenai Sora and the Christmas song. 

Maboroshi:
Ah. The ballad. It's alright. Not one of their best ballads. Although I like it better than Dear Snow, so I guess that says something right? (I'm sorry, I"m sorry but.. I just.. didn't get along with that single very well). It's sweet. It sounds sweet, the music in the background is really subtle but it sounds very nice. Again, like Hatenai Sora it's really calming. And kind of... heart-wrenching in a way for some reason. I'm not really listening to the lyrics so I don't know what they're actually singing about. ^^;;  Truthfully it's not a bad song, and far above "mediocre" but it's over-shadowed by three other GREAT songs that this one kind of looks bland, caught in the middle. But I am sure I will grow to love it as I listen to the single more. (and I'm currently repeating it now and falling more in love with it. LOL). 

あの日のメリークリスマス:
OMG A CHRISTMAS SONG KYAA~~~ I LOVE CHRISTMAS. And it sounds so fricken jazzy and it sounds like a fricken rip off from Wish which I don't know if I like or not. xD OMG. The chorus. Oh the chorus. <3 Is it bad that when I hear this song I imagine Arashi dressed up as elves prancing up and down and singing this in the snow with Christmas lights and gigantic presents in the snow. Um.. PV NOW PLEASE? CHRISTMAS. But I dunno, for some reason it's not as loud as I thought it would be, but it totally fits the Christmas mood. Oh my god. <3<3. Aggh.. I can tell this is another song I'm gonna have a love-hate relationship with. I mean honestly there are so many better x-mas songs but come on.... it's like full-blown Christmas, how can I not love it? 

Overall: (4/5)

It's a great single. I think overall, as an ENTIRE single (and not just the main song) this is the best single they've released all year. Sure, I liked Troublemaker, Monster, Love Rainbow - but that's it. I didn't like any other song in any of those singles, all I liked were the title tracks. (and don't even bring up Dear Snow - sorry). But this is the one single where I actually like ALL the songs on it. And I mean ALL the songs. Maboroshi is a bit iffy but it has two other songs, STORY and the Christmas song (too lazy to type the title ^^;;) that are just so GREAT that one "okay" song really doesn't matter. Yes Arashi. The end of the year, I knew you guys could do it, and you guys did. I am so happy right now *sobs*

It's not joke, I really did tear up when I heard STORY because it's been so long since I've heard such a great song from them in a single I just felt like I had to cry.. :( (god I'm such a sad fangirl -_-;;)

Closing note: ALL THE SONGS ON THIS SINGLE NEED A PV FOR ITSELF