MORE ANAN YAY.
This week's SQS feature is...
Is it just me, or do these butt-revealing pictures of him make him look extremely gay? Like "he7 look at my cute butt, you know you wanna stick your dic..."
I'm just saying.
My pick!: Top 20 Jpop Songs of 2009 (Rank 1st to 10th)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Hopefully you guys have been listening to the recommendations I've been making these few weeks, you won't believe the amount of time that go into these posts.
Continuing from last week, here's my pick for top 10 Jpop songs of 2009.
Number 10: Arashi - Ashita no Kioku
Arashi always did ballads well, and this one is no exception. With a strong melody and typical dramatic music, this one sounds surprisingly heartfelt and simple. It does not try to show off any of Arashi's vocals (not a good idea generally), so it's just easy on the ears. It may not be stellar singing, but hey, it's "real" enough to be good for me.
Number 9: Lead - Gira Gira Romantic
I loved this song from the first time I listened to it! Though I must say the PV was a tad creepy, what with all the young children involved. It's such a pity that Lead aren't more popular than they are, because they're so much more talented than most JE artists. Anyways, the song is mostly upbeat dance-bubblegum-pop with a tad of latin thrown in just for the sake of making it sound non-generic. Very very very infectious nonetheless.
Number 8: Shibutani Subaru, Nishikido Ryo, Ohkura Tadayoshi - Glorious
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought Kanjani 8 would attempt a ballad (ok well, they might have but I generally avoid them). Much less one that I would actually like.
You might need some time to get used to the Engrish in the song, but go read the lyrics, they're good (taking into account that it IS a Jpop song after all). Sentimental boyband stuff, with a good tune that ends off impressively. Might have ranked higher if other members of Kanjani 8 sang it, Subaru and Ryo do not possess the radio-friendliest of voices.
Number 7: Kobukuro - Niji
As much as you can depend on Arashi to give you a good pop song, you can depend on Kobukuro for the more acoustic-pop stuff. They may be old and not the best lookers, but they still have one of the best voices in the industry. You just can't go wrong with them. And the tons of strings involved should hint you to the grandeur of the song.
Number 6: Kato Shigeaki - Shalala Tambourine
I can imagine people singing this song in Karaokes and being drunk and just murdering the song in mad group yelling. Yes it's one of those kind. But you can be assured that it's fun, I mean, it involves a tambourine! We all know tambourines equals childish embarrassing-in-retrospect fun!
WOOOOOOAH LA LA LA LA! Ahem.
Number 5: Perfume - One Room Disco
When this song first came out early this year, I was insanely ANNOYED by how the intro of the song sounded like some mental experiment to cause you seizures or something. But Perfume, with their robotic goodness eventually delivers with this fun, electronic dance track. Upbeat and strange seems to be what Perfume does best, and this song is testament to that. This song if sang in a normal voice might have belonged to the 80s - cheesy!
Number 4: Monkey Majik - Open Happiness
Fresh and different from the rest of Jpop, Monkey Majik manages to strike a balance between Japanese and English pop. It results in them sounding more mature than the rest of Jpop without being downright depressing (don't you guys feel the more "mature" artists in Jpop love emo songs?). If you've liked any of Monkey Majik's previous stuff, this one is sure to please you as well.
Number 3: Yokoyama Yuu, Yasuda Shota - Kicyu I really don't know how to explain this song except that it is really really catchy. The chorus - such stuff should be labeled dangerous or something. A bit retro I guess, but wholly enjoyable in the way only Kanjani 8 can do.
Number 2: Ikimonogakari - YELL
Yet another group that never fails to impress me. Ikimonogakari are the professionals in tearjerkers and borderline emo music. I suppose this song was written for graduation or something, but regardless the beautiful tune with emotional singing combines to make for a sure cryfest. I get goosebumps listening to this all the time. You should too, otherwise you're really cold. And you boil puppies. *glares*
Number 1: AKB48 - Namida Surprise!
AKB48 is the new H!P, people should really start to just accept that. How is it that this group of girls churn out hit after hit after hit? A refreshing take on the traditional "Happy Birthday", this song is cute, sparkly and just so cheery that you can't help but be happy listening to this. THIS IS WHAT A YOUNG GIRL GROUP SHOULD SOUND LIKE H!P! Full of youth and fun and all the good stuff. I must admit that I sing this from time to time in a cutesy voice too, just because it is so addictive that way. But you didn't read that. Cough. (You might want to watch the PV for added effect. It's also features
Ito Hideaki, who we all know is HOT, so that's a plus. :D)
All songs in this post can be downloaded using the link below!
(Apparently someone found a need to hack into my private file before I made it public just to download it before this post was published. How impatient are you? LOL.)
Let me know what you think about the songs! I made reasonable effort to listen to a wide variety of songs to find what I really liked, so hopefully you'll like the list too!
(And next week, we start with the Kpop countdown! Excited yet? :D)
Labels: AKB48, Arashi, Ikimonogakari, Kanjani 8, Kobukuro, LEAD, Monkey Majik, NEWS, Perfume
My pick!: Top 20 Jpop Songs of 2009 (Rank 11th to 20th)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
In all honesty, I'm not completely pleased with this list. Firstly it's because I've not been paying as much attention as I'd like to Jpop as I did in previous years (which was really fanatic, in retrospect) and secondly it's because most of the stuff I DID hear ended up being really lame.
Hence I cut the list short, with only 20 songs this time around. But you already had
15 songs in the previous post to try out so that should more or less compensate for the lack of songs.
Number 20: Morning Musume - Nanchatte Renai
Sadly this is the only H!P song that made the list. Everything else this year was just plain boring to me. Probably best described as a power ballad, the vocals are decent and not sickeningly cutesy for once (with the exception of Koharu, epic nasal fail).
Number 19: NEWS - Koi no ABO
DISCO! What's not to love?
Number 18: Arashi - Tobira
How surprising, the main song of this single is not even in the top 20! The typical feel good Johnny's song where all the fans hold hands and wave while the Arashi boys go around the stadium on their silly floats. Good fun.
Number 17: NYC Boys - NYC
This one's for the pedophiles. But we all know we secretly want to bang them underaged boys. Slurp. Anyways, as with all the younger Johnny's groups' songs, it would be safe to assume full-on sugary pop. Steer clear, those who do not like the bubblegum.
Number 16: Hamasaki Ayumi - Rule
I think I've mentioned on my blog before (I can't seem to find the post) that if she had went on do full-on rock and not half-ass it like what she's doing now, I would still be liking her.
This song is a perfect example of how epic Ayumi can be when she wants to be. Full of power and drama and her queenliness, this song will get anyone's adrenaline running. So use this at the gym. Or when murdering someone, if that is your thing. In which case please do not read my blog anymore. I said please, don't kill me.
Number 15: Kanjani 8 - Kyu☆Jo☆Show!!
It's loud, sparkly and crazy. Add in big band and you get Kanjani 8 doing their best thing. THEY'RE CRAZY. Which is what makes this song so unbelievably fun. It's kind of like orchestrated chaos, so be prepared. Did I mention big band yet? Brass! Drums! Loud music!
Number 14: Tegomasu - Tanabata Matsuuri
You can always count on Tegomasu to sing well, and this single is sort of a good display of that. A more traditional tune ensures that this song stands out from the rest of Jpop this year. The brisk cheerful tune has a kind of childish innocent quality to it, and that makes me smile. You will smile too! If you have a bit of kiddy innocence left in you that is.
Number 13: Nakashima Mika - Game
Yes ignore the creepy cover. As much as I bash her and talk a lot of shit about her, this song is really really well done. Old school rock and roll (I'm just guessing genres here) with her eccentric voice combines for a really strange retro song. And we all know she has the weird attitude to carry it off too.
Number 12: Arashi - Everything
Another typical feel-good Arashi pop tune that's not spectacular, but does the trick. The bridge between Ohno and someone I can't remember (Matsujun?) added a nice bit of variety to an otherwise very very generic song. The bridge was my favorite part of the song to be honest, but well, the other parts of the song are pretty decent too.
Number 11: Koda Kumi - ECSTASY
And what would Jpop be without Kuu's sluttiness. This is not one of her best slutty songs, but it does well enough to reign over many many other Jpop songs this year (a sad indication of how weak Jpop is in 2009). Typical sexy dance tune that's just downright dirty and suggestive and is pheromones in aural form. Go listen and touch yourself inappropriately!
As per last week, I've uploaded all the songs on this list to Mediafire for you guys, let me know what you think in the comments!
Just in case you can't get enough, here are some songs (according to rank) that NEARLY made the list but got cut in the last selection. These are songs that I think are acceptable upon listening to it, but couldn't really get into it in the end:
- 31. mihimaru GT - Switch
- 30. V6 - Spirit
- 29. Koda Kumi - Joyful
- 28. Tohoshinki - Survivor
- 27. Koda Kumi - Driving
- 26. ikimonogakari - Hotaru no Hikari
- 25. Koda Kumi - Lick Me
- 24. Do as Infinity - Umareyuku Monotachi e
- 23. Yano Kenta starring Satoshi Ohno - Kumori Nochi Kaisei
- 22. Arashi - Believe
- 21. BoA feat. VERBAL (m-flo) - Bump Bump
Labels: Arashi, Hamasaki Ayumi, Kanjani 8, Koda Kumi, Morning Musume, Nakashima Mika, NEWS, NYC, Tegomasu
SQS #067
Sunday, November 29, 2009
This week's SQS is a little game!
Who do you think is hotter coming out of the bathroom? :D
Is it...
SAKURAI SHO!
or!
YAMAMOTO YUSUKE!
I'll let you guys know what
III think in the next SQS. xD
[Off topic rant]
To be completely honest, Twilight might not have been so bad if the cast were switched up a little.
I'm not entirely invested with most of the characters, so I'm generally fine with the choices. But Robert Pattinson as Edward is just.... D:
And then they had to cast Kristen Stewart as Bella. God, just kill me.
You can probably tell that I've been holding this mini-rant for a year now.
Back to the ranting. It's probably okay if they casted one of them but not the other, but to cast them both is just enormously stupid. Both of them have this sulky mopey mumbly thing going, which makes them both look like emo goth freaks in awkward love all the time. I personally thought Edward was more bright and jovial, more English gentlemanly in a way. Certainly not the slurring drunken mess that Robert Pattinson seems to think is so sexy.
And Bella just sounds like a petulant bitch I want to smack so hard. ARGH.
Now I'll be first to admit that Edward is possibly the hardest role to cast, and till now I can picture no one doing the role, but KRISTEN STEWART FOR BELLA?!
I mean, I would have totally been a fanboy for the Twilight movies if they'd casted Alexis Bledel. She is PERFECT for the role. Bella sounds like a more subdued Rory Gilmore.
And also, CARLISLE. I am so tired of looking at Carlisle! He looks like someone poured wax on him. I mean, Peter Facinelli looks fine normally, but in the movie he looks like plastic surgery gone very wrong. NOT THE FATHER FIGURE I EXPECTED.
Ok rant over. Back to reading Twilight.
Labels: Arashi, SQS, Yamamoto Yusuke
Q4R #020: I closed my eyes and approved a few questions and out came this post.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
This week's Q4R is a little random, because I really don't know what theme to choose this week. D:
So here we go!
- Dear Raid
Why is your blog so sexy?
Sending the man-love from London,
Ciaran.
Ooh London. Please send me a clip of yourself saying "Raid, I'd love to fuck you" in your (hopefully) British accent!
A naked photo would be nice too. Kthxbai. :D
- you're smexy and also what jpop star do you think has the worst teeth ?
Well, I'm not one to judge when it comes to how straight people's teeth are, and in all honesty, some people do look kind of cute with crooked teeth.
So I'm just going to name this person whom I'm quite surprised smiles so widely when she has teeth like that. It's just really un-J-media-like.
She's Mi-mi from BRIGHT, a girl group under avex, and she has probably the messiest teeth I've seen in Jmedia.
A close second would probably be...
Murakami Shingo of Kanjani 8. But I still love him, so you can see that I don't really care about how nice people's teeth are.
- I dont fully understand the system of H!P, care to explain? =]
Tsunku (to himself): When they have boobs and get too hard to keep your hands off of, GRADUATE THEM.
- YOU ARE MY SOUL SOUL ITSUMO SUGU SOBA NI ARU~
Your gheyness does not scare me Ninomiya Kazunari! Stop leaving creepy comments on my blog and go back to fucking some other Arashi member ok? (Preferably Ohno, he's just so desperate for you.)
(And how sad is it that I know the next line of the song?)
(And I just realized that Nino, being born 3 days after my birthday, is such a big bitch too. So if you don't want your kid to be bitchy, you'd probably want to avoid the month of June altogether...)
Refer to above question.
- life is too hard. why is it so hard? why cant we just all eat popcorn until we explode? huh? why are finals such a pain in the ass? why are teachers always fat, and the hot ones are gay. I CANT DO THIS NEMORE!
Personally, the idea of eating popcorn till I explode is not really a very pleasant one, so go ahead without me if you're intending to do that.
Finals are a pain in the ass at first, but once it's over, the feeling is so so amazing. Very much like some other activity many people love.
(Look what school is teaching us on a subliminal level!)
Teachers are always fat or gay so you'd actually study, instead of ogling them. It's an effective system I'd think. Unless you like fat people, or are gay yourself. *shrugs*
- What do you think about Alan?
She has a nice name? My uncle's name is Alan too. He's kind of cool I guess, in the squint-your-eyes-really-hard kind of way.
Other than that, don't really care. Is she from China? I heard she was. And she had some wind-earth-fire singles nonsense. Still don't care.
Ok that's enough randomness for one week. Next week's post will be more... proper I guess. 8D
If you have a really interesting question, or just a really random one, do drop me a comment using the button below!
Labels: Alan, Arashi, BRIGHT, Kanjani 8, Morning Musume, Q4R
Q4R #019: Oh, the drama!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
This week's Q4R is all about dramas!
(Beware of long post. Or rather, ENJOY THIS LONG POST!)
- What do you think about JDramas, you have any favorites?
- Do you watch any doramas? Which one is your favourite?
- What are your favorite Japanese and Korean dramas?
Well to be honest, I've not watched a lot of Japanese dramas recently, so off the top of my head, here are some of my favorites over the years.
[Pride]Starring: Kimura Takuya, Takeuchi Yuko
I watched this when I was 15? I don't really remember that well, but it was one of the most romantic dramas I have ever watched. It is heart-wrenching, brings you all over the place emotionally (just when you think they are happily together, DUN DUN DUNNNNN SOMETHING HAPPENS!), and the two of them look so so good together.
Everything about this drama can be summarized in one word: pretty. Even the sex is pretty. Watch it and you'll know what I mean.
There's a bit of humor here and there in the drama too, so it's not an entirely depressing affair.
If you're the kind looking for something impossibly romantic and sad and yet happy at the same time, then this is for you.
I realize I should include some sort of synopsis so here's my version of the drama (go google it for a more correct version). A guy called Haru meets this girl called Aki. Aki has some boyfriend who is overseas (or something) and she is waiting for him to come back (without having any other boyfriend during the wait). Haru has this "game" of sorts with her where they agree to date and immediately break up when (and if) Aki's boyfriend comes back.
Yeah that's really all you need to know. Everything else I can say will be spoilertastic.
[Nodame Cantabile]Starring: Tamaki Hiroshi, Ueno Juri
This drama is as you can see, all about orchestras and stuff. Nodame is a girl who has amazing talent in playing the piano, yet is rather careless with the way she plays it. Chiaki finds out about her talent and wants to nurture her or something. I forgot. But Chiaki wants to be a conductor. And Chiaki is a guy, yes.
Nodame Cantabile is a really funny and wacky show that gets all serious suddenly and then totally crazy again the next moment. It's really one of the most interesting Jdramas you can watch - there's never really a dull moment. Not necessarily the most romantic, but the lovey dovey parts are kind of cute too. Perfect if you want some romance, but not the serious life-or-death kind, and if you want to laugh a whole bunch.
[Boku dake no Madonna]Starring: Takizawa Hideaki, Hasegawa Kyoko
Kyon (I think) is an architecture student living alone in Tokyo (I think). One night, he comes back to his rented apartment to find a mysterious and pretty woman sleeping on his bed. He darts into his bathroom (I think) and wonders whether she's a ghost. He comes back out and she's gone.
And yes, she does come back eventually and she's spying on her ex who is living directly opposite Kyon's apartment and then Kyon falls in love with her bla bla bla.
I think the main charm of this drama is how adorable Takki is and how strange Kyoko is. It's like a really mismatched pair that you're not sure should go together, and you just have to keep watching just to know what happens in the end.
Pretty funny, though nowhere close to Nodame Cantabile. Pretty romantic, though nowhere close to Pride. It's sort of like a... safe show?
Worth watching because you're bound to feel good after watching this. But it's not life-changing for sure.
[Hachimitsu to Clover aka Honey and Clover]Starring: Narumi Riko, Ikuta Toma, Mukai Osamu, Narimiya Hiroki, Harada Natsuki
Basically about a bunch of art students chasing their dreams and falling in love with each other.
I know a lot of people would probably call this drama boring, but it's really quite a strong storyline with a pretty stellar cast. There's also enough humor scattered throughout the drama so it's really not all that bad.
It's admittedly not one of the fastest moving dramas around, nor is it one of the most romantic or funny, but it definitely ranks really high in the "looks" department. The cast is good looking, the setting is really gorgeous, and there's always a sort of nostalgic feel about the whole show. It's sort of like a modern day artsy short story, where everything just feels too perfect to be true.
You'd walk away from this drama feeling like you've lived out a really elaborate dream, but as time passes, the dream slips away and you really don't remember quite a lot of it. It's still very very beautiful and worth the time to watch and enjoy.
[Maou]Starring: Ohno Satoshi, Ikuta Toma
A lawyer tries to kill an investigator's (is that what Ikuta is?) family and friends, making sure the investigators feels the full extent of loss and suffering before the investigator himself gets killed. Yet the lawyer is never found out.
The lawyer is doing this because the investigator accidentally killed the lawyer's brother years ago, yet got away with it because his father paid someone off.
Well honestly, the story is much better than what I just wrote. It's far too complex and clever to summarize correctly. If you're looking for suspense, mystery and drama, this is the perfect show for you. You'd be blown away by the amazing storyline,
very strong acting and how darned intelligent it is.
Well except for the Tarot card gasping girl, which is just lame but if you can ignore that then it's a really great show.
[Seigi no Mikata (2008)]Starring: Yamada Yuu, Shida Mirai, Mukai Osamu
A perfect older sister who is really an evil woman deep inside tortures her younger sister. However, no one notices anything abnormal about the older sister because all the evil she does (to others) end up benefiting those people, which causes people to call her "Seigi no Mikata", meaning ally of justice.
This drama is seriously all for the laughs. You'll laugh at how the younger sister Yoko is so pitiful and all the pain she has to go through. You'll laugh at how ridiculous bitchy and unreasonable the older sister Makiko is. And you'll swoon at how handsome Mukai Osamu is.
What else does one need?
---
I've watched way less Kdramas than Jdramas so I'm not really who you should about the matter. But off the top of my head, a few good ones I remember are
Full House,
My Lovely Sam Soon,
Which star did you come from?,
Coffee Prince and
Goong.
- omg Raid do you watch Japanese dramas? What are some of your favourite actors and actresses? I like Hayami Mokomichi, Inoue Mao and Horikita Maki. :D
I personally think Kimura Takuya is deserving of his "King of Jdrama" title, and I think the one to replace him will be Ikuta Toma.
But my favorite is still Mukai Osamu.
HOW CAN ANYONE LOOK SO PERFECT? And he's a nice guy and he looks awesome in glasses and he has a deep voice and he's tall and GUH he's seriously my favorite male in Japan right now.
As for actresses, Horikita Maki has very strong acting, but in terms of acting my favorite has probably got to be Aoi Yuu.
But being the superficial whore I am, my favorite has got to be her...
Eikura Nana.
GUH. TOO. PRETTY.
I've not even watched a single show with her in it!
- Thoughts on Atashinchi no Danshi?
I have not watched it to be honest, and I don't really intend to. I went to read the synopsis of it though, here it is:
These days, the term "homeless" has taken on new meaning. There are youths referred to as "net cafe refugees," who have neither a job nor a place to live, but who find themselves hopping around internet cafes. One such refugee is a 20-year-old girl named Chisato, who lost her mother at a young age due to sickness. She spent her youth trying to escape from the huge debt her father left her, and her battle with the repossessors unfolded every night. However, her life changed after meeting one man named Shinzo, changing her views on the meaning of "family." Shinzo comes from a rich family tracing back to the Edo period, and he adopted six good-looking sons with the hope of one becoming his successor, but all of them have strange personalities. Shinzo promises to free Chisato from her debt if she marries him and becomes the mother of his sons. However, a life with these six guys under one roof will not go smoothly...
Wha? So random rich guy picks up homeless girl to be his wife and adopts handsome sons.
This sounds like a seriously ghey show to me. Like this dude has a serious daddy complex and marrying a woman whom he knows he has immense power over ("DO. NOT. FUCK. ME. WOMAN.") means he has a good cover yet doesn't have to do the nasty bits.
Come to think of it, I probably should be watching this show because it really does sounds right up my alley. Someone give me a screencap of Osamu being spanked by the father (preferably bottomless) and I'll be right on it.
- Did you like (or even watch) Boys Before Flowers?
If you're talking about Hana Yori Dango (with Matsujun and Inoue Mao) then yes, I did watch it. Both seasons in fact. The storyline was sort of expected, probably because I've watched the Taiwanese version before (back in 2001).
But if you're talking about the Korean one (with Lee Minwoo and all those other nonsense) then no, I've not watched it. Firstly because I've already watched 4 whole seasons of it (2 Japanese 2 Taiwanese) and the thought of watching the same storyline yet again makes me hurl.
That and the fact that I really don't have the time and energy to learn to accept that gross hairstyle that Domyouji (or Goo Junpyo) sports. Seriously, he'd look better bald.
- not asking to pressure, more for curiosity. But when will q4r's be stable again?
keep working hard at work though!
As you can see, I'm trying to get Q4Rs to be sort of stable again these past few weeks by preparing the posts in advance. My internship ends on 25th September (6 more weeks!), so it'll probably be back to normal by then. I'm really trying my best to keep up with the insane amounts of questions I receive (and I'm really glad and touched that you guys still care enough to give me questions!) so I will keep answering them till no one wants to ask me any more.
But guys, seriously, comment on my posts and let me know you guys are still here reading. I feel kind of schizo posting with no one telling me what they think about my posts!
That said, if you do have a question for me, do drop me a comment using the button below! :D
(And yes, you should know that drama-related questions won't be answered for a LOOOONG LOOONG time to come.)
Labels: Arashi, Eikura Nana, Horikita Maki, Ikuta Toma, Mukai Osamu, Narimiya Hiroki, Q4R, SMAP, Tackey and Tsubasa, Tamaki Hiroshi, Ueno Juri, Yamada Yu
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