(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.
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.
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.)
As to be expected, I receive tons of questions on JE. So this week and next week is all about JE!
Just so you guys know, the posts have been prepared already. If you decide to ask a JE question after reading this post, be prepared to wait VERY long for an answer. :D
Is it true that Johnny raped some people in JE? I know he got charged for it but was it ever proven?
Well, I've really went and researched on the thing, so here's the article. It was never really proven, but you can't have smoke unless there's a little bit of fire. If you know what I mean.
As far as Johnny's Entertainment goes, who do you think is the top 3 groups as far as TALENT.
There's not exactly a lot for me to choose from, so...
3rd: Kanjani 8
They're a bunch of drunk crazy people who should not be allowed in showbiz. But they are, so yay for me.
2nd: Tackey & Tsubasa
I like their songs, so they've already got an advantage to begin with. It also doesn't hurt that both of them are gayer than marshmallows and that both of them dance sort of well.
1st: Tegomasu
They're really the only decent singers in JE. And they are so obviously lusting for each other, so you know.
who is the designer of johnny's clothing? such as those kind of clothes that uses feathers they use in concerts
Colonel Sanders.
choose : JE or H!P
Depends on for what - day listening or night watching? If you know what I mean. :D
if you could meet Johnny of JE in person, what is the first thing in your mind that you want to tell him?
Actually, it would be a question. And the question would be... How does young illegal ass feel?
Yes, that's Johnny for those who've not seen before. Can you imagine him molesting young boys? *barfs*
What would happen if you lock Johnny and Tsunku in a room together?
They'd give birth to Mika Nakashima.
Hmm... what's the conspiracy behind keeping Ikuta Toma a JE Junior?
He refuses to suck.
Anyways, I've been really SUPER busy these few weeks because of work and all. I have NO time at all to go online and all (can you believe I've only JUST downloaded the latest Kenken album and I forgot all about it?) and so all these blogging is really hard to do. And it's not like I can just fuck work and give no regard to it since it concerns my grade and all.
So please please please be patient with me while I try to keep up with blogging, having a life and working at the same time. It's not the easiest thing to do, but I'm not about to give up any of the three now. D:
But yes, more questions to be answered next week! Hopefully on time.
Click on the nifty button to send me a question! :D
My Ten favorite J-media males and females for 2008 (Males)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
So as I was saying in the previous Arashi post, I was looking through old posts and I chanced upon a post where I ranked my 30 favorite people in J-media. It was kind of strange to see how much my likings have changed in just one year (the post was roughly a year old). So here's my post for 2008, so that I can check back next year to see how much I've (or will undoubtedly) changed in terms of my fandom.
So after a very scientific and secret process which was...
Pen and Paper. (Names have been blurred for suspense.) (Stop gawking at my horrible handwriting, I wasn't born perfect you know.) (Sigh, I love brackets, don't you?)
I have finally come up with my list for 2008! Doesn't time fly by just too quickly? D: Anyways, the list below might contain a few male GROUPS. That's simply because while I like them as a group, I don't necessarily like them individually.
10th Place
Shirota Yu (Was previously ranked 3rd)
I think the main reason why Shirota has dropped so many places this year is because of his inactivity (magazines and D-boys activities don't really count since I don't care) as of late. That and the fact that he turned his hair into a hideous broom looking thing. You can understand how someone who only likes Shirota Yu for his looks (and a wee part of his personality) might have a problem with that.
Nonetheless, he's still one of the better looking guys in Japanese media, so he's still in my top 10. I think he might drop out of my top 10 next year because of the whole "I am quitting but not quite quitting D-boys" thing he has going on. Might spell even lesser news from him.
Previous winner
Remioromen
9th Place
Yonekura Toshinori (Was previously ranked 3rd)
Have you heard this guy sing? He is AMAZING. His lives are always awesome, he dances and he's hot. Only downside is probably the fact that he's a little old.
And the fact that he doesn't appear on any show at all. Or magazines. He's worse than Utada Hikaru. D:
Name: Yonekura Toshinori (米倉利紀)
Birthday: October 21 1972
Debuted: 1992 April with "Mikan no Android"
Official Website:[CLICK]
Previous winner
Tackey & Tsubasa
8th Place
Ikuta Toma (Was previously ranked 6th)
I feel kind of bad using a picture of him where he has only half a face visible. But the picture was just too nice to pass up, so what the heck I guess.
Anyways, his role in both Maou and Honey & Clover won me over. His acting has improved tremendously and he's funny on the variety shows I've seen him in. I'm still waiting for him to "debut" under a group and get out of that silly "Johnny's Jr." title though. Twenty-something year-old, a junior? Hey! Say! JUMP fourteen year-old, NOT a junior? That makes no effing sense.
I believe he'll only get more popular next year. How could he not?
Previous winner
Monkey Majik
7th Place
NEWS (Was previously Unranked)
Notice I have (not-so-subtle-ly) cut out two members from this picture of NEWS? Well, it's because I don't really like Yamapi and Koyama (which you can obviously tell from my posts).
Initially I wanted to put "Tegomasu", "Nishikido Ryo" and "Kato Shigeaki" into three different spots, but it seemed kind of silly to split them all up when they make the majority of NEWS.
Basically, I like Tegomasu because they sing well. And they're too gay. I like Ryo because he's sick and twisted and can act that way in a drama really well. I like Shige because... well, he's funny. xD I think it was some Shounen Club Premium episode that gave me this impression. He was so anal about Tegoshi calling him "Shige" plainly without "-kun" or "-san" or anything. And yet he was trying to insinuate that he didn't mind at all. xD
Previous winner
Oguri Shun
6th Place
Tackey & Tsubasa (Was previously ranked 9th)
I swear these two are NOT in the same idol group. They're really becoming like "Shuji to Akira" - two soloists coming together every now and then to release a song or two. HOW IS IT THAT AN IDOL GROUP CAN APPEAR IN MAGAZINES SEPARATELY FOR SUCH A LONG TIME?! D:
Anyways, the only single they've released this year - Koiuta - was decent, and I seem to like all their songs. Also, the two of them when together (those rare occasions) are hilarious and loads of fun, so that's nice too. They should really be together more though. Tsk.
Previous winner
Ikuta Toma
5th Place
Murakami Shingo (Was previously Unranked)
He is SO loud and so full of life on all the shows they go on! He's incredibly funny, and his crazy teeth drives me nuts. That and the fact that he's like an old man all the time in Kanjani 8. xD
Oh, and he looks good too of course.
I think I realized this only after he cut his hair, which was early this year before they released their single "Wahaha". I guess I am superficial after all.
I doubt he'll go into acting, but I really hope someone could upload to Jpopsuki or something the shows that he hosts. That would be nice. Sigh, I need more Shingo in my life.
Previous winner
Tamaki Hiroshi
4th Place
Hirai Ken (Was previously ranked 2nd)
GASP! HOW COULD HIRAI KEN BE FOURTH!
Well, I think my top four are interchangeable for now, so at this current moment, he "feels" like a fourth in my list.
After releasing "FAKIN' POP" in March (and that re-cut single a few weeks after?), there has been practically NO NEWS from him! He's taking his Ken's bar anniversary tour, but couldn't he at least APPEAR ON MAGAZINES once in a while?
Even his official website is dusty with old news of him appearing in J-WAVE LIVE 2008, which has not aired yet (or has not been uploaded yet, I don't know).
From past record, it seems he takes a break of around six months after he releases an album, so let's hope he does something. Soon. It's nearing seven months already! D:
Previous winner
Sueyoshi Shuta
3rd Place
Mukai Osamu (Was previously ranked 15th)
The good guy! He has a really sweet personality and is really funny. Also, he can act as a totally over-macho dude (Osen, Bambino), a overly nice guy (Seigi no Mikata) or just a somewhere-in-between guy who likes older women (Honey & Clover).
Plus, he's tall. And really good looking. And he's kind too! (Or so it seems from the Nakai Bowling special.) And he's sort of silly, because he says things like "I have a cat, but I want to turn it into a dog." xD What's not to love?
And he loves pasta! (Totally irrelevant, but I just had to add that. There is a crazy amount of photos on his blog of many many many different kinds of pasta dishes. He has a weird fetish.)
Previous winner
Shirota Yuu
2nd Place
Sueyoshi Shuta (Was previously ranked 4th)
Shuta is always really great to watch in concerts and all. His dancing is superb, he takes great pictures and he has an awesome smile. He's one of the more serious ones in AAA, but he still has fun from time to time, like acting totally effeminate in the Delicious Gakuin Musical (a must watch for any AAA fan I tell you, it's so full of win).
Oh, and his solo in "Chewing Gum" during the AAA Tour 2008 blew me away. His voice is way too awesome for him to just be a back-up dancer.
He's also the first one to thank fans all the time during concerts (he really does it a lot) so his appreciation for his fans is kind of heartwarming.
I'm hoping he gets way more opportunities to sing in the future with AAA. He sings well, dances well and is sincere too!
Previous winner
Hirai Ken
1st Place
Urata Naoya (Was previously ranked 1st)
I think I have a "first love complex". D: Even my female ranking's first remained the same. This is odd.
Anyways, Urata sings well, as always, and he is also really funny. HIs old man antics and his trying to be cute is utterly hilarious to watch! He does things like hugging and proclaiming his love to himself (in Delicious Gakuin musical), claiming his sweaty back is cute (in AAA Tour 2008) and basically acting like a little kid on many other occasions (*cough* OFFICIAL WEBSITE VIDEO *cough*).
And well... he's tall. I like taller people. xD
I also like the fact that he seems so nervous on all the variety shows they've been on. He smiles a lot and talks in a real polite cheerful manner, which is a weird juxtaposition to his looks and all.
Or maybe it's just because I like them old. D:
Previous winner
Urata Naoya
Other male stars that nearly made the list were Miyake Ken (from V6), Tamaki Hiroshi and EXILE.
(On a random side note, this post has given me an UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF GRIEF. The HTML screws up way too easily and the pictures are a pain to find. BAH, I need a new way to blog in tables. D: I started this post at 8 PM and now it's already 1 AM! 5 hours on a post that will take people about 2 minutes to read. How wonderful.)
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