Thursday, July 22, 2010

Message

This is crazy. It has been quite a while since I last created a blog. In fact, the last entry wasn't even much of a blog. Sad! Anyway, I have been watching and preparing to write articles while staying on hiatus for over 2 months. Though most of what I have watched were old, there have been new ones as well. I am not quite certain if I will be able to write them, but here is a short lists of possible articles:

Seto Koji
Tumbling
Atashinchi no Danshi
Koizora
Kamen Rider Kiva
Kamen Rider Decade
Kamen Rider W
Naruto Shippuden 3 Movie
and many others.

Wish I will have more time to write these articles. I am really busy as I am preparing for my JLPT exams this December. Hopefully, I have enough Kanji to cover Level 3 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I will do my best on both this blog and that exam. Please continue to stay with me as I work things out.

The Writer.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger vs. Go-onger: GinmakuBang!!

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger vs. Go-onger: GinmakuBang!! (侍戦隊シンケンジャーVSゴーオンジャー 銀幕BANG!!, Samurai Sentai Shinkenjā tai Gōonjā Ginmakubang)


Takeru Shiba:(松坂 桃李, Matsuzaka Tōri)
Ryunosuke Ikenami: (相葉 弘樹, Aiba Hiroki)
Mako Shiraishi:(高梨 臨, Takanashi Rin)
Chiaki Tani:(鈴木 勝吾, Suzuki Shōgo)
Kotoha Hanaori: (森田 涼花, Morita Suzuka)
Genta Umemori:(相馬 圭祐, Sōma Keisuke)
Hikoma Kusakabe:  (伊吹 吾郎, Ibuki Gorō)
Juzo Fuwa:  (唐橋 充, Karahashi Mitsuru)
Sōsuke Esumi:(古原 靖久, Furuhara Yasuhisa)
Renn Kōsaka: (片岡 信和, Kataoka Shinwa)
Saki Rōyama: (逢沢 りな, Aizawa Rina)
Hant Jō: (碓井 将大, Usui Masahiro)
Gunpei Ishihara: (海老澤 健次, Ebisawa Kenji)
Hiroto Sutō:  (徳山 秀典, Tokuyama Hidenori)
Miu Sutō:  (杉本 有美, Sugimoto Yumi)

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Message

Greetings Minna-san,

Hisashiburi! It' been a while since I last wrote an article. Sadly, last March I only wrote two article and the other is still unfinished. I apologize and will try to write more articles this month. It was just that I was kind of busy last month. Anyway, as of the moment, I haven't got anything to write about but I will definitely write something. One of my articles this month is about the Shinkenger vs. Goseiger Movie. So, please look forward to it.

Again, gomennasai... and Gambattemasu!

the writer

Monday, March 15, 2010

Romeo and Juliet (ロミオとジュリエット )

Romeo and Juliet (ロミオとジュリエット ) is a Japanese Drama that aired in April 07, 2007 starring Takizawa Hideaki and Nagasawa Masami. The story is based on William Shakespeare's book bearing a similar title.

SYNOPSIS:
This is a story of lovers whose fates are intertwined by a series of events in their lives and their parents lives. What happened in the past seem to have played a role in their destinies.

Morita Hiromichi, played by Takizawa Hideaki, is the son of hospital owner and a doctor who became a scrap-collector and had to stop school because of an incident that happened in the hospital that led his father to hide from the authorities. Kihira Juri, played by Nagasawa Masami, is a college student and is the only daughter of a prosecutor who is in-charge of the capture of Hiromichi's father.

At first site, Hiromichi was oblivious of the girl's feelings towards him or he didn't care at all. She harshly brushes her off when she volunteered to help fix his wound. Disappointed, Juri left him alone and, accidentally, left her copy of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet".


CAST:
Takizawa Hideaki as Morita Hiromichi
Nagasawa Masami as Kihira Juri
Tanaka Misako as Morita Tokieda
Yamashita Shinji as Kihira Reizou
Miura Tomokazu as Morita Giichi
Takenaka Naoto as the professor

Writer's POV:

At first glance, I thought that this story will be like most Romeo and Juliet adaptations only to find that it doesn't follow the normal flow. That factor made this movie unique and interesting. Sad to say, I am a sucker for happy endings.



Note: these images are those that I have gathered online. These aren't used for profit but for entertainment purposes only. Thank you to those who posted these photos.... I don't own any of these photos.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Majo no Jouken (魔女の条件 )


Majo no Jouken (魔女の条件 , Witch Requirement ) is Japanese Drama aired in 1999. The movie is starred by Matsushima Nanako and Takizawa Hideaki.

The story is about...

Hirose Michi, a 26 year old math teacher, who is viewed as somebody who is too young to become a homeroom teacher. Due to pressures from the society and his father, she accepted her boyfriend's wedding proposal despite her uncertainties of her feelings towards her boyfriend.

Kurosawa Hikaru is a 17 year old high school student who has transferred from one school to another due to constant skipping of classes. He is the only son of the owner and director of a well-known hospital.  After transferring from one school to the other, he ended inside Hirose Michi's class. At his previous school, it seemed that he was bullied. He had no desire or will for anything until he met Michi.

Both experienced different kinds of pressures and both are seeking for freedom. As they search for the World of Freedom, they find themselves drawn to each other and develop strong feelings for each other. These feelings is, then, looked down by society. Michi became the target of criticism for falling for and corrupting a minor. As their relationship grow, they will struggle for acceptance and learn more about life and about the World of Freedom that they so desired.

Also known as: Witch's requirement / Forbidden love

Matsushima Nanako as Hirose Michi
Takizawa Hideaki as Kurosawa Hikaru
Bessho Tetsuya as Kitai Masaru (Michi's fiancee)
Kuroki Hitomi as Kurosawa Kyoko (Hikaru's mother)
Tsuji Kazunaga as Hirose Kenichi (Michi's father)
Shirakawa Yumi as Hirose Motoko (Michi's mother)
Nishida Naomi as Uda Kiriko (Masaru's colleague & Michi's friend)
Yamada Maiko as Kinoshita Jun (Hikaru's classmate)
Yamaguchi Yuichiro Godai Yu (Doctor at Kurosawa Hospital)
Ozawa Rin as Sugai Miharu (Hikaru's home tutor)
Tayama Ryosei as Okajima Sensei (Ryousei High School Director)
Nukumizu Youichi as Matsuoka Sensei (History teacher)
Yajima Kenichi

POV:

The story is, indeed, heart-wrenching and will keep you at the end of your seat. I really loved how they struggled to fight for their love. The story also shows how different the two characters think in respect to their age. This is something worth watching, but, of course, if you are a person who is kind of legalistic and is unable to accept those that have deviated from the norm, then I suggest that you do not watch this.

This was indeed one of Takizawa Hideaki's best performances. The main characters were outstanding.

Links:
MySoju (watch online) click here
Official Site click here
JDorama page click here
DramaWiki page click here
Wikipedia page click here


IMAGES:

 

Note: these images are those that I have gathered online. These aren't used for profit but for entertainment purposes only. Thank you to those who posted these photos.... I don't own any of these photos.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Message from the Writer

Greetings Mina-san!

So far, I haven't posted an article for March. Gomen Nasai. I just got back from my trip abroad. It was very nice and I have learned a lot. I plan to go to Japan next so hopefully that will happen soon. I'll be posting articles soon. Gambattemasu!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

BOKU DAKE NO MADONNA (僕だけのマドンナ)


Boku Dake no Madonna (僕だけのマドンナ) is a Japanese series that aired in Japan in 2003 through Fuji TV. The series was starred by Takizawa Hideaki as Suzuki Kyouichi and Hasegawa Kyoko as Kataoka Surumi.

Suzuki Kyouichi is an average architecture student in his college. He always wanted to have privacy since this is one thing that he couldn't get at home. One day, he moved out of the house and rented an apartment. He was very happy that he finally got his own place, small as it may be. Unfortunately, the privacy he longed for was far from granted because his neighbors doesn't seem to know this word.

One day, after he got off from his part time job, he went straight home only to find a lady is lying in his bed. Surprised and not believing what he just saw, he went out of the building to check if he was in the right place. After confirming that he was in his apartment, he went back to the room now empty. The lady has disappeared.

This continued until one day, he got to face the mysterious girl in person. Apparently, the reason why the girl keeps coming to his apartment was to check out the guy living across the street whom she says was supposed to be his fiance. Despite the weird set-up and not knowing anything about this lady, Kyouichi, nicked by the mysterious lady as Kyon, was quite happy but bewildered.

Surumi, the mysterious lady, is a very carefree woman. She is very secretive but she has learned to like Kyon. Whenever she has a plan or wants to have fun due to boredom, she would rush to Kyon so he would accompany him. One day, she disappeared without a trace leaving Kyon with many questions unanswered.

Kyon felt the difference of her absence and was hoping that she would return, but days have passed and Surumi still hasn't returned. Kyon decided that when he gets the chance to see this mysterious girl he fell in ove with again, he would try to know her better.


CAST:

Takizawa Hideaki as Suzuki Kyouichi
Hasegawa Kyoko as Kataoka Surumi
Koizumi Koutaro as Nakano Takashi
Shimatani Hitomi as Imamura Keiko
Konishi Manami as Shimada Rie
Ogata Naoto as Honda Yoshitaka
Shiga Kotaro as Prof. Tatebayashi Shingo
Morimoto Leo as Kuramoto Shoutaro
Maya Miki as Matsuno Shizue
Matsuo Reiko as Shimizu Moeko
Kosakai Kazuki as Ichigaya Sho
Shimada Kyusaku as Oosugi Kazuma

LINKS:

Official Website click here
Jdorama click here
Dorama Info click here
Dramawiki page click here
MySoju (Watch Online) click here

Note: these images are those that I have gathered online. These aren't used for profit but for entertainment purposes only. Thank you to those who posted these photos.... I don't own any of these photos...

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

STRAWBERRY ON THE SHORTCAKE


Strawberry on the Shortcake is a fillm starred by Takizawa Hideaki and Fukuda Kyoko aired in 2001. It is the story of teen perspective and challenges.


SYNOPSIS:


The story is about a Junior High School student named Irie Manato and his unrequited love. There was a point in his life where he has separated himself from the world by playing a character (known as his fake self). According to him, it is a result of losing reason or purpose. One day, he meets a girl named Misami Yui who seem to be very cheerful and odd in some ways. Like him, she feels that everyday life seems boring and is looking for something interesting and entertaining to make life exciting. After meeting this girl several times, he learns that she will be his step-sister.  He also realized that he has fallen for her,even before knowing their relationship. Sadly, Misami Yui has her eyes set on Saeki Tetsuya, a senior who was held back for two years and is having an affair with one of the instructors. While Manato deals with his feelings for Yui, he starts receiving blue letters in his shoe box from his next-door neighbor and classmate Sawamura Haruka. It is interesting to see how Irie Manato's unrequited love will turn out as he and Yui  spend everyday living under the same roof.

Characters:

Irie Manato, played by Takizawa Hideaki, is a Junior High student who is unpopular and being bullied and faces it by playing an act. Due to acting, he lost his true self over his fake self.  When his parents separated, he lived with his father. His father then remarries and was married to Misami Yui's mother. With the help from Yui, his love and step-sister, he was able to regain his true self.

He is very gentle and caring for the person he loves. He is willing to sacrifice his feelings just to make his love one happy. He willingly grants his love one's whims and requests to the expense of his feelings.

Misami Yui, played by Fukuda Kyoko, is the object of Irie Manato's love and his step-sister. She is very weird and seems to be bored with life's tedium. She is very straightforward and honest. She thinks of something, she does it. She is very persistent when it comes to going after what she wants and when she asks something form Manato.

Sawamura Haruka, played by Uchiyama Rina, is Manato's childhood friend, next-door neighbor, and classmate. She is athletic and harbors feelings for Manato for a long time. She is, as the series says, very old fashioned and has a very strong character. She was the first to discover the relationship of Tetsuya and the English teacher Asami Mariko.

Kubozuka Rina, played by Saeki Tetsuya, is Manato's classmate and newly found best friend. He was held back for two years because he lacks the number of days for his attendance. He posted as someone who had a serious illness just so he can stay in Junior High. He wanted to stay in Junior High because of his long-time relationship with Asami-sensei. Apparently, he is very talented and very intuitive. He is the object of Yui's affection. Though he seem to be happy-go-lucky but deep inside he seems mature. He dislikes being disliked and shoves problems with a smile.

Cast:

Takizawa Hideaki as Irie Manato
Fukada Kyoko as Misawa Yui
Uchiyama Rina as Sawamura Haruka
Kubozuka Yosuke as Saeki Tetsuya
Ishida Yuriko as Asami Mariko
Okada Nana as Mizawa Yurie (Yui's mother)
Nagashima Toshiyuki (永島敏行) as Irie Kengo (Manato's father)

LINKS:
Official Site click here  
Jdorama page click here
AsianMediaWiki page click here
Wikipedia page click here
MySoju ( watch Online) click here
DramaCrazy (watch Online) click here
D-Addicts (download series) click here

Writer's POV:


At first, I wasn't really a fan of the series because it felt like watching a series about a third wheel, but as the story progressed I learned to like the series because of the many issues they have addressed such as teen love, virginity, pre-marital sex, and identity crisis. These issues are rampant even today. I also wanted to see how a martyr and self-sacrificing love will turn out in the end.

I love how Takizawa Hideaki played his role here. He also looked a lot like Harry Potter. LOL! His character was very self-sacrificing and a martyr, and I really liked it.

Fukuda Kyoko's role was also interesting in that she is very unpredictable. Even in the end, I never guessed her true feelings and emotions. I was also surprised how her character could just throw herself to the person she likes. The character was well played.

I also liked their use of the differences in eating a strawberry in a shortcake to show difference in perspective.

Overall, the series was very good and the ending was great. The time spent watching it wasn't a waste.

Images:
 

Note: these images are those that I have gathered online. These aren't used for profit but for entertainment purposes only. Thank you to those who posted these photos.... I don't own any of these photos...

    Saturday, February 20, 2010

    Ryuusei No Kizuna (流星の絆 )

    Ryuusei no Kizuna (流星の絆 a.k.a. Ties of Shooting Stars) is a story of three siblings whose parents were murdered and promised that they would capture the culprit and kill the person when they grow up. As they try to solve the puzzle about their parents, they became con artists. As con artists, they discover things that some are unknown to them and gets to meet the culprit face to face. The story is adapted from a novel written by a famous mystery writer named Higashino Keigo. The story is very entertaining because of the comic part, but it is addicting because of the mystery that keeps one at the edge of one's seat and the drama involved.


    Main Characters:

    Ariake Kouichi is the eldest of the three Ariake siblings. He works for a restaurant and went to a culinary school but he then quit school because he found it a waste of time. Among the three, he is the brain and the creator of scenarios for their targets. He also seem to be the most serious one. He is ridiculed by his  younger brother for not having a girl in his life. He, like his younger brother, is very protective of their sister. When something bad happens to any of his siblings, especially to Shii, he would seem to be the most affected as if the issue's recipient is him. He is also very diligent in achieving the set goals, and would go to any length to achieve it such as purchasing study materials for siblings' roles, car theft, and others. He also has a ridiculous or childish-side, this is revealed when he had "Ariake 3" T-shirts and stickers made. It is also seen that a girl named Sagi likes him even though he is often called "Party-pooper" by her. Ariake Kouichi is played by Ninomiya Kazunari while Saito Ryusei plays the young Kouichi.


    Ariake Taisuke is a video shop attendant (but I am not quite certain if the shop only sells adult DVDs or not). He is very playful and mischievous. He often addresses himself as stupid but, on the contrary, whenever he plays a role in Kouichi's scenario, he plays it very convincingly. An example is when he played Kasuragi, a jeweler. His brother brought him to the pier to test his abilities after given the study materials and impressively passed. At leisure, he would go to a cabaret to spend his money over women. In the story, he is the sole witness of the culprit's face when this person ran out of the house through the back door. Like his older brother, he is very protective of Shizuna. Ariake Taisuke is played by Nishikido Ryo and Kakazu Issei plays the young Taisuke.



     Ariake Shizuna is the youngest sibling. Initially, she worked for a well-known firm but left because of her boss who is bullying her. Then later, she became a victim of a scam that robbed her ¥300,000. To get her money back, the Ariake siblings started to become con-artists and the first target was the host that the lady, who stole Shii's money, visits. In the story, Shizuna is not really related to Taisuke and Kouichi because she is her mother's daughter from an old relationship; however, they still treat her as their true sister because Shizuna was far too young to remember it. She loves to play with her siblings and sticks with them at times. Shizuna was also the reason why her brothers were able to continue living. Her brothers wanted to protect her so much that they were forced to mature for her. And this love was reciprocated by her, as well. In the story, she falls for one of their targets and, coincidentally, this person is the son of their enemy. She tried her best to muster all the energy she has to do her mission even if it will hurt the person she loves for the sake of getting the justice they have wanted for 14 years. Ariake Shizuna is played by Toda Erika while Kumada Sea plays the young Shizuna.

    SYNOPSIS:

    The story begins when the siblings sneak out of the house to watch the Leonid Meteor Shower. Their parents forbade them because it was raining but because they didn't want to regret not seeing the meteor shower, they sneaked out. After they watched the meteor shower, they went home only to find that their parents have been murdered. When the police came to investigate, it seemed that nothing was missing but the culprit left something. It was a vinyl umbrella. Unfortunately, the fingerprints have been wiped. Without clues and only a drawn image of the culprit, they were left with nothing but each other. Before they were taken to the facility, they vowed saying, "When we grow up… We’ll kill him together". Fourteen years later, they are still searching for the culprit. After one incident, they turned into con-artists that led to them to meet the culprit face to face and unravel various truths along the way. With many new facts discovered, a shocking realization and revelation surfaced. Now, the decision on what to do and how to face this facts will be up to them. A surprising ending and an unpredictable story due to the many twists and turns, this series is, indeed, entertaining and worth watching.

    CAST:

    Ninomiya Kazunari as Ariake Kouichi
    Nishikido Ryo as Ariake Taisuke
    Toda Erika as Ariake Shizuna

    Saito Ryusei as young Koichi 
    Kakazu Issei as young Taisuke
    Kumada Sea (熊田聖亜) as young Shizuna

    Jun Kaname as Togami Yukinari
    Toshinori Oumi as Hayashi George
    Osamu Shitara (設楽統) as Hagimura Shinji
    Akira Emoto as Togami Masayuki
    Ryo as Ariake Toko
    Susumu Terajima as Ariake Yukihiro
    Tomokazu Miura as Kashiwabara Yasutaka
    Kenta Kiritani as Takayama Hisanobu
    Mika Nakashima as A Sagi

    Links:

    Official Website click here
    Wikipedia page click here
    DramaWiki page click here
    Mysoju (Watch Ryuusei no Kizuna online) click here 
    Drama Crazy (Watch Ryuusei no Kizuna online) click here
    Download Ryuusei no Kizuna click here

    Images:

     

    Note: these images are those that I have gathered online. These aren't used for profit but for entertainment purposes only. Thank you to those who posted these photos.... I don't own any of these photos...

    Thursday, February 18, 2010

    LAST FRIENDS

    Last Friends is a story about issues experienced today such as domestic violence and gender identity disorder. The story revolves around 5 people each having a specific problem. It is a story of friendship, self-sacrifice and love. The red thread in the picture shows how binding these issues are but like everything else, there is a way to overcome it, we just have to find it.


    Aida Michiru, played by Nagasawa Masami, is an assistant in a salon.At work, she is being bullied by a "sempai",but despite this kind of treatment, she decided to stay because this is the job she really wants. She seems very sweet but indecisive. She is Ruka's bestfriend and Sousuke's girlfriend. She is her mom's only child and lives with her in a small apartment.

    She faces the problem of LOVE. This is not only about love in partnership but also about love among friends, family, and colleagues. Even as a child, she seems to feel that she isn't loved by her mother as if she is a burden. So she verntures to find love that she couldn't get from her mother and found it in the person of Sousuke. At first, Sousuke showed great "amor" for her; waiting for her to get out of work, buying identical cups, and offering to live together. Thinking she found what she was looking for, she happily considered it because she still has to get permission. Eventually, she got the permission and moved to Sousuke's place only to find out that she would be a victim of domestic violence. No matter how many times she left Sousuke, she would go back to him because she is drawn to what she think is love that she didn't get with her family.


    Kishimoto Ruka, played by Ueno Juri, is a motorcross driver. She is Michiru's childhood bestfriend and loves her (secretly) more than just a friend. When she thinks that Michiru needs her help, she goes out of her way to lend a hand. She is very protective of Michiru and her friends. According to her, she is very close to her father.

    The opening shows the word LIBERATION with her shouting as if in agony. Apparently, she is suffering from gender identity crisis, where she does not feel comfortable being a woman and wishes that she become a man. She has yet to tell anyone about this except for Takeru. Like most people experiencing the same issue, she is anxious about telling her true self because the society and her family may not welcome the idea. This is seen when a letter was sent to his family and the post was displayed in the tract stating that she is a homo; the initial reaction was concern and disturbance. Though she does feel like she is a woman, she still display woman characteristics such as crying when she feels helpless or powerless. She finds her condition constricting because she doesn't get the respect she wants from her colleagues in the track. In fact, her coach tapped her buttocks and then kissed her when they were alone in the alley. She feels that she is taken seriously because of her gender.


    Mizushima Takeru, played by Eita, is a professional hairstylist and make-up artist by day and a part-time bartender at night. Often times, people think of him as a gay person because of the absence of a girlfriend in his life despite his good looks. His aloofness towards the opposite sex is quite evident in the story. The only girl he is comfortable touching is Ruka, whom he is in love with; but because Ruka cannot respond to his feelings, he is willing to become just friends so long as he can be by Ruka's side to support her. His character is very sweet, thoughtful and intuitive. He is Ruka's best confidante even before he confessed his love. In fact, he was the first to know about Ruka's plan to change sexes.

    Takeru's issue is AGONY, but it is not only agony but trauma. Everything has to do with his past; however, even at the end of the story, whatever happened with his past is not cleared. It is still unknown what his sister did to him and why her sister's presence is something disturbing for him. But whatever it is, it resulted to his awkwardness towards the touch a the opposite sex. Something that has yet to be explained is the significance of the banana cake in his life. It may be his favorite back then or what.

    At the end of the story, he stated that he will be Michiru's babies' father but it does not imply that he harbors feelings for Michiru. I believe what he meant was that he will be the father figure because as we all know his self-sacrificing heart beats for Ruka.



    Takigawa Eri, played by Mizukawa Asami, is a flight attendant. Among all five character, she is the most carefree. It is as if nothing can disturb her. Her character is very strong and sweet. She became the life of the house with her many costumes and various greetings. She tends to be the first to initiate a celebration whatever the reason may be.

    She is always seen smiling; however, behind her smile is the concern of being alone (SOLITUDE). Whether she accepts it or not, it is evident that she is looking for a companion to spend her life with. This is further evidenced by her act of hitting on Takeru. The series also implied that she has various relationships and is unconsciously searching for a partner.

    In the middle of the story, she stated that she did not believe in a lasting love.  Towards the end, during her wedding day, she said that as long as they have each other (her partner), their love will sustain them. 



    Oikawa Sousuke, played is Nishikido Ryo, is an employee for the Children's Welfare Department. At the young age of ten, his mother ran away with one of her customer leaving Sousuke to be raised by various relatives. This led to his desire to get married and have a family of his own. This almost came true when his girlfriend Michiru started to live with him.

    As the opening showed, he is suffering from CONTRADICTION (of character). One point he is kind and loving but violent at another.  A victim of multiple personality. This maybe is a result of his childhood. It is also evident that he doesn't like broken promises and isn't very considerate of whatever the reason. He is a very possessive and jealous person. One good point about Sousuke is the authenticity of his love though this good point is overshadowed by unjustifiable acts of violence.

    Aside from Michiru, he is very close to a small boy who, like him, is abandoned by his mother for a certain period. The boy is also a victim of violence. One will notice how Sousuke's character contradicts itself. He shows compassion to a kid to a point where he would throw his life so he could save the boy, but on the other hand, he is also capable of hurting other people like Takeru (for thinking that Takeru is Michiru's new love) and Ruka (almost raping her). In the end of the story, he takes his life because he realized that while he is alive, Michiru will never be free saying that he didn't know how to love her right.

    SUMMARY:

    The story begins showing a pregnant Michiru standing in the harbor viewing the horizon and deep in thought. When she arrives home, she sits to drink coffee(or tea) and looks at the pictures she has kept with her.Then it goes to a reminiscing scenario about the time she started living with his boyfriend, seeing her childhood bestfriend again, and meeting new people and friends in the share house. Each character's issues are then revealed and, little by little , the show reveals how they overcame their issues or how they were overwhelmed by the issue.

    Writer's POV:

    I like the series as a whole thought the end was kind of disappointing or I felt like something is missing; however, the story as a whole is very rich. I do not know if it is just me, but I find it exciting when Sousuke brings a threatening aura with him. This is because one is led to think of the possible outcome between Michiru and his interaction. It's quite scary but surprisingly entertaining. Michiru, on the other hand, is the typical heroine where she is undecisive, a crybaby, and dependent with someone else, but that is to be expected from someone who is seeking for love that she didn't receive from her parents. I loved how Juri played Ruka's character. It really showed how disturbing and stressful it is to hide the truth from your family. The concern of acceptance is something that is big of a deal especially to those whose family are not prepared to accept one's true color. I love Takeru's character because of his sweet character. Eri brings life in the circle because of her carefree character. I love how every person's character was developed and weaved in the story. It made the story very rich.

    What I dislike were:

    1. The death of Sousuke. I believe that man is capable of change, no matter how stubborn one is, one is capable of changing. I almost cried when I saw Sousuke died with the wedding gown he prepared for Michiru. I wish he could have changed for the better and not die.

    2. The babies name. I understand that she is grateful for her friends and what they did to save her from many circumstances but I found it inappropriate to name the child after the first syllables of Michiru and Ruka's name. For one, Michiru knew how Ruka felt for her. I have nothing against the third sex, but the child is the fruit of Sousuke and Michiru. Sousuke is totally against Ruka,and naming his child with his rival's syllable is like stepping on Sousuke.

     Note: these images are those that I have gathered online. These aren't used for profit but for entertainment purposes only. Thank you to those who posted these photos.... I don't own any of these photos...

    Sunday, February 14, 2010

    Nodame Cantabile

     Nodame Cantabile is a manga series involving music written by Tomoko Ninomiya. The story is about a very talented and weird girl.

    Noda Megumi (a.k.a NODAME) is a very talented yet very weird pianist studying in Momogaoka College of Music who aspires to be a pre-school teacher. She is very disorganized and untidy. She washes her head once every three or four days. She likes to play the piano for fun and not for a career.

    Chiaki Shinichi is a very handsome and talented student of Momogaoka. He aspires to become a conductor like his beloved Viera-sensei; but due to his phobia with airplanes(flying) and ships(ocean), he is not able to go abroad and study or perform.
    Unlike Nodame, he is a neat-freak and organized. He is able to play the piano and the violin very well.

    The story begins when Chiaki heard someone playing the piano. At first, he was taken aback because of the way the piano was played but as he listened carefully, he realized that despite the sloppy way of playing the piano, no mistakes or note was missed. He went to the location of the sound, and found a girl playing the piano. As he was about to approach the girl, he was taken away by his ex-girlfriend. Then, he got himself drunk and ended up sleeping in front of his apartment. When morning came, he woke up to the sound of a piano playing only to realize that he was sleeping around a pile of garbage. That was there first meeting and since then they were always seen together. Long after they met, Chiaki was finally able to do what he wanted to do, conduct an orchestra, while Nodame was slowly changing and slowly learning to reach a different goal aside from her first, without her realizing it. Chiaki also helps Nodame when she encounters challenges in her musical journey and, likewise, Nodame, in her own special way, helps and teaches Chiaki some of life and music's important lesson and aspects.

    As the story progressed, Chiaki became the sole student of a well-known yet perverted conductor named Stressman. Nodame, on the other hand, found herself joining a competition despite her dislike about it in the beginning. Chiaki overcame his fears of flying and sailing with the help of Nodame's hypnotism. Not long thereafter, both was set to go abroad (Paris, France); Chiaki, to join competition and realize his dream, and Nodame, despite not winning the competition (which didn't have a first place by the way) receive a referral to study in France's conservatory of music as a piano student under a well-known instructor and developer of talent named Charles Auclair.

    In France, they did not only improve their skills but their relationship and their understanding about each other became deeper and deeper. Secrets that Chiaki normally wouldn't tell anyone was voiced to Nodame. Nodame frantically tries to learn fast so that one day she can have a concerto with her beloved. They also meet new characters who are in their own way weird and talented.

    Nodame Cantabile is one of the mangas that one will really enjoy. The most interesting part is the outcome of Nodame and Chiaki's relationship.

    more images:




    Note: these images are those that I have gathered online. These aren't used for profit but for entertainment purposes only. Thank you to those who posted these photos.... I don't own any of these photos...

    Friday, February 12, 2010

    Takizawa Hideaki (滝沢秀明)


    Takizawa Hideaki (滝沢秀明) is a Japanese actor, singer and composer born on March 29,1982. He is a member of the J-pop duo called Tackey and Tsubasa. 

    Nickname: タッキー (Tackey) 
    Profession: Actor and singer 
    Birthdate: 1982-Mar-29 
    Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan 
    Height: 169cm 
    Weight: 58kg 
    Star sign: Aries 
    Blood type: A 
    Family: Elder brother and elder sister 
    Talent agency: Johnny's Entertainment

    Takizawa Hideaki started in showbusiness at the age of 13 by joining Johnny's Junior. From then, he starred and many Japanese drama but it was not until he played Kurosawa Hikaru of the series Majo no Jouken(1999) that he really became very famous not only in Japan but also in other countries nationwide. Hideaki played the role of a high school student who fell in love with his homeroom teacher. Majo no Jouken became very controversial and aided Hideaki's rise to stardom. In fact, he is even called the new Kimura Takuya, a fellow Japanese actor who is very famous in Japan.

     At the age of 20, he signed a recording contract with Avextrax and joined the duo Tackey and Tsubasa.  They released their first album entitled Hatachi (20 years old) on September 11, 2002. As a unit, they have released a total of 2 albums, 3 singles and 3 concert tours. If my information serves me right, he now does solo concerts and solo albums.


    As his career progressed, he not only played other roles for other dramas but also he became one of the sought after endorsers for famous brands in Japan such as Shiseido, Lotte, DoCoMo and many others. In fact, when he endorsed Olympus, it became the number 1 camera brand of Japan.


    Writer's POV:


    I know very few Japanese actors and I didn't know anything about him. I started to become a fan when I watched his latest work called Orthros no Inu. The series was so inviting that I watched it. I wasn't disappointed. In this series, Hideaki Takizawa played the role of a cunning and manipulative escapee who bears the so called "God's Hand", the ability to heal any wound or illness. When I was watching the series, I was so impressed. Hideaki played his role very well. I couldn't read what his character is thinking, leaving me at the edge of my seat. Due to this, I became a fan. I looked him up with google and found that he is a very famous actor. Unfortunately, like Nishikido Ryo, Takizawa Hideaki doesn't have a personal blog so updates about him is really rare unless it is televised or cascaded on the web. I really wish he had one, or maybe he does I just didn't know about it. He is so cute though his 27. So far, I have only seen Orthros no Inu. I plan to watch the rest soon once I have he chance to purchase the DVD. Oh, before I forget, he loves to show his body... well, that was the impression that I got when I watch some of his concerts and the 24 hour special about him where a camera is following him the whole day. In his car, he had no top while in front of the camera. Such confidence. Anyway, it's alright, more drooling moment for me. Love you Tackey-chan

    Links:
    Tackey and Tsubasa Official Website click here
    Most Beautiful Man click here
    JDorama page click here
    Wikipedia page click here
    DramaWiki page click here



    Pictures:



    for More Hideaki TAkizawa images click here

    Note: these images are those that I have gathered online. These aren't used for profit but for entertainment purposes only. Thank you to those who posted these photos.... I don't own any of these photos...