Crush Of The Day: Watanabe Natsuna

Natsuna Watanabe in Kimi Ni Todoke

  My love for Aragaki Yui directed me towards the movie Hanamizuki, which in turn led to the love of Renbutsu Misako. The love of Renbutsu Misako directed me towards the movie Kimi ni Todoke, which led me to the love of the sexy and sultry Watanabe Natsuna!

as Ayane in Kimi Ni Todoke

Watching the movie, I instantly noticed how gorgeous she was, and as the “rumored-to-be-a-slut” character Ayane Yano, she was duked out in the expected kogal attire of dyed brown hair, deeply tanned skin and lush makeup, all of which added up to a particularly attractive figure, pun intended!

Natsuna with Tabe Mikako

As the show went on and I got to see her  Ayane Yano character out of the school uniform, my interest went even HIGHER seeing her wearing the prettiest, feminine, flowery and frilly outfits! I was like WHOA! What a GAL! I wanted to see more!

At the time, the only information I had of this gorgeous girl was what I read in the film’s credits, and that was a singular name: "Natsuna”, and I inwardly groaned, for you all know how hard it is to look up people online with only one name! I was thinking I might have a bit of work ahead! But I needn’t have worried… By simply typing in “Kimi Ni Todoke” along with “Natsuna’, I was soon inundated with TONS of hits, and I was THRILLED to find that MOST OF THEM were pages dedicated to pictorials of Natsuna in all her BIKINI-BUSTING Gravure Idol days! 

SUCCESS!!!!

Man, I was in heaven, and spent a good few hours exploring all her various magazine pictorials and Shashinshuu!! Pouty and Sassy, and MY GOSH does this chick know how to rock a bikini!

  Later, going on to the Dramawiki site, I saw that among Natsuna’s credits was a regular role in the Kitagawa Keiko drama MOP GIRL. EH? I sure didn’t remember any Fine-Ass curvy gravure idol type in the show, and just couldn’t FATHOM who she might have been. I popped in that beloved drama of mine and began scanning the scenes, waiting for Natsuna to turn up. When she finally DID and  I saw which character she was, well, you could have knocked me over with a feather! 

Natsuna as Tamaki in MOP GIRL

The character she played was this very conservative, shy and rather plain-jane type girl named Tamaki who mostly stayed behind in the background and worked at her desk while all the zany shenanigans were going on. That was amazing to think that that bookish looking girl in the above pic turned into this hot, smokin' goddess pictured below! Woot!

While online, I also saw a few pages that seemed to associate Natsuna with the movie GANTZ. Clicking on the link, I was to find that she had INDEED appeared in the Kazunari Nino/ Matsuyama Kenichi Sci-Fi Thriller! WOW! Looks like she was a LOT more famous and popular than I knew! How come I'd never heard of her before?

Then, It suddenly hit me- I remembered back when the movie had first come out, my friend Car was closely following the goings-on with GANTZ, and I was talking to her about the leading ladies in the show. She had mentioned that in addition to lovely Yoshitaka Yuriko, the other female actress was, “This Big-Boobed Gravure Idol chick” playing the role of Kei Kishimoto. AHAHAHA, that model of course was none other than Miss Watanabe herself!

And BOY did she look good!

Natsuna as Kei Kishimoto in GANTZ

Well! After all this time of Car trying to convince me to go see this movie, I finally have a REAL incentive to go check it out! Suddenly, It seems that I NEED to see this movie! AHAHAHAHA!

Crush Of The Day: Renbutsu Misako

Renbutsu Misako

So I’m watching this J-movie the other night called HANAMIZUKI (which I’d aquired for the sole reason of enjoying the screen antics of the lovely Aragaki Yui), and though it was probably a decent enough movie, sadly, I found it to be insufferably BORING! Your typical romantic feel-good movie, the story involved both Aragaki and her co-star Ikuta Toma running around confused about their love for each other, breaking up and then coming together, geez, I was wishing they’d make up their minds! Just about the only thing that piqued my interest was the appearance of an actress that I pegged to be Rika Adachi. When she came onscreen, I thought, “Hey! It’s the GeGeGe No Nyobo girl, and she’s all grown up and looking FINE here!”

Renbutsu Misako in Hanamizuki

No kidding, throughout the whole movie I kept marveling at how pretty and sassy Rika had gotten as she portrayed Ritsuko, the girlfriend of Ikuta- imagine my surprise when I finally took the time to read the movie credits! Turns out that it WASN’T Ms. Adachi playing Ritsuko, it was an actress named  RENBUTSU MISAKO, and as it turns out, I’d already seen before in the drama Q10 as the fiery-haired Tamiko! What a difference in roles! I never would have connected her to the sweet and earnest girl in Hanamizuki!

Hanamizuki

As Tamiko in Q10

I had to marvel at the timing of my “discovering” Renbutsu Misako, for it turns out I’d recently downloaded the Haruma Miura/ Tabe Mikako movie called Kimi Ni Todoke which ALSO featured Ren-chan in all her glory, and you can bet that once I realized SHE was in it, I popped that movie in right away! 

As Chizu in Kimi Ni Todoke

And lo and behold, far from being anything LIKE Hanamizuki, Kimi Ni Todoke was terrific and blew me away! Unlike the wacky story I thought it would be, here was a heartwarming story of friends and friendship that really made my day and solidified my love of Ren-chan once and for all! More on this wonderful movie in the post below.

 Chizu: Great in sports, lousy in Studying!

in Nanase Futatabi

After seeing her in these movies, I’m SO interested in seeing her other dramas, Glass No Kiba, and the TOTALLY OMOSHIROII sounding NANASE FUTATABI! Time to go on the hunt…

PS: Don't go away! My Kimi Ni Todoke gushing follows in the post below!

Kimi Ni Todoke

Miura Haruma, Tabe Mikako

Though  I’m a huge fan of adorable Tabe Mikako, I didn’t feel an immediate urge to watch  her latest movie Kimi Ni Todoke at the time I downloaded it, so I put it aside to save for when I had a free weekend or something. And as I mentioned in the above post, it wasn’t until I got interested in cutie Renbutsu Misako that I put it on the HIGH priority list and got down to watching it RIGHT AWAY!

Renbutsu Misako, Aoyama Haru with Natsuna slurping behind

MAN, this was SUCH an AWESOME movie!!! To think I would have just let this one sit on my desktop for weeks... At the time I guess I thought it would be nothing more than a wacky movie, (and with the premise of a girl who looks like SADAKO from RING scaring her fellow students, who could blame me? ) who would have thought that I would find such an UTTERLY SWEET and HEARTWARMING Show? Such an earnest and sincere film, this one really made you feel good!

And HEY!!! Tabe Mikako aside, no one told me this show was gonna be FILLED with SO MANY HOT, SMOKIN’ CHICKS! I mean, I DID. NOT. KNOW. that MIREI KIRITANI was in this show, and I mean to tell you, she was lookin’ fine. Renbutsu Misako plays one of her best characters yet with the tough but loveable Chizu, and I got my first introduction to the sultry Natsuna Watanabe, playing the sexy and cool-headed Ayane (And I’ve got more to talk about HER next time). There were these gorgeous gals all ove this film!

Renbutsu Misako, Watanabe Natsuna

Kiritani Mirei brings her pout

KIMI NI TODOKE is the tale of a girl named Sawako who, because of her scary looks, is feared by her students, till an outgoing and cheerful boy named Shota (played by Haruma Miura) takes a liking to the shy, insecure but good-hearted girl, and along with friends Chizu, Ayame and Ryu, coaxes her out of her shell.

This would be a fine story as is, but what I really, REALLY loved about it was the fact that the heart of this movie clearly centered around the importance of FRIENDSHIP. The way they showed Sawako’s bonding with Shota, Ayane and Chizu is so thoughtfully paced and actually quite believable. When it gets to the point when they think to ask her if they are friends, they realize that they’ve already passed the point where you even have to!

Shota walks Sawako Home

When things like backhanded lying, gossiping rumours, and aggressive attitudes develop in front of them and threaten to tear their friendship apart, it’s that very friendship that they draw their strength from, and you watch this movie truly feeling like, Hey, these kids really love each other!

This movie came as a bright, clear breath of fresh air after the somewhat disappointing HANAMIZUKI which seemed (to me) to be mired in melodrama. While I’m sure (positive, actually) that there are people out there who disagree with me, Kimi Ni Todoke is the way to go- This one is a winner!

Yoshiko Tanaka’s “daughters” say farewell to their TV Mother

Tanaka Yoshiko with Kuninaka Ryoko in Churasan

Tanaka Yoshiko with Kitagawa Keiko in Hitsudan Hostess

With her Seigi No Mikata Family: Shida Mirai, Sano Shiro, Yamada Yu

Was so sweet and touching to see so many of the actresses who played Yoshiko Tanaka’s daughters onscreen come to pay their respects at the recent wake. Yu Yamada and Shida Mirai (and TV Husband Sano Shiro) from Seigi No Mikata, as well as Kitagawa Keiko  (who played Tanaka’s daughter in Hitsudan Hostess) and Kuninaka Ryoko (who played Eri, Tanaka’s daughter in Churasan) were among the many guests gathered to say farewell to the late actress. Listening to their heartfelt memories of Yoshiko Tanaka, you can really tell that she was a caring person that really seemed like friend to them:

Kuninaka,  Kitagawa 

Yamada Yu, Sano Shiro, Shida Mirai

Yamada Yu (26, daughter in the 2008 drama “Seigi no Mikata“) spoke with tears at Tanaka’s wake, “We went out to eat together and talk, and if I was worried or in trouble, she would hold my hand and say ‘It’ll be okay’. I learned of her passing through the news. (I thought) why does it have to be ‘mama’… She always had a smile as bright as the sun, and I still can’t believe it.”

Kitagawa Keiko (24, daughter in the 2000 drama “Hitsudan Hostess“) commented, “(During filming) I never saw her with a dark expression. I wasn’t able to notice (her illness). I remember very vividly when she said ‘I’m happy that I get more children in the entertainment industry like this. It’s very lively.’ I wish I could have spent more time with her.”

Kuninaka Ryoko (31, daughter in the “Churasan” TV series) was called “Eri” by Tanaka, the name of her character in the “Churasan” series. The last time she saw Tanaka was when she visited the hospital on April 16th. With tears in her eyes, Kuninaka commented, “She always took care of me and I wasn’t able to do anything. (On April 16th) it was hard to maintain a conversation, but she knew I had visited and smiled. I remember her calling me ‘Eri’ all the time with a cute voice.”

(from Tokyohive)

Thought it was so sweet that Tanaka continued to think of Ryoko Kuninaka as her daughter "Eri" for the rest of her life. Working together for so long (an entire asadora and three specials), they must have been extremely close.

Also loved the fact that throughout "Seigi No Mikata", whenever Tanaka's mother character would do something cool, Yamada Yu's daughter character would proudly say (with a pumped fist), "Mama, NICE!", and here Yamada still referred to her as her "Mama".
Was nice to see her entire "Seigi No Mikata" family at the service, so touching.

The BOSS is Back

Yuki Amami. Yutaka Takenouchi and Cast

Though I was excited by the news that the crime drama BOSS was going to have a sequel coming out, I was understandably disheartened when I saw that both Erika Toda and Michiko Kichise weren’t going to be part of the regular cast this time around. Watching the first few chapters, it was killing me to see  both of them written out of the show before my very eyes!

Facing Future: Erika Toda in BOSS2

Girls Get Catty! Yuki Amami and Michiko Kichise in BOSS2

But as Maria Von Trapp once said, “When God closes a Door, somewhere he opens a Window”, and though it would be a bit rough watching the show with the absence of Erika and Michiko, several new actresses were introduced to fill in the spots, including Yumiko Shaku as the new forensics agent Numata and Hasegawa Kyoko as quirky bookish type Tadokoro.

But probably the new character for whom I’m MOST excited about is the addition of Riko Narumi as Rika, a rebellious computer hacker. Not only am I a HUGE fan of Riko’s work (loved her in both One Litre of Tears, Hachimitsu No Clover and the terrific Ruri No Shima), but having Riko join the cast of BOSS reunites her with Yuki Amami, with whom she co-starred in the sensational ENKA NO JOOU drama, where they played Himawari and Sadako, two of the most unlucky women in Japan! Was such a  thrill seeing them together again!

Riko Narumi and Yuki Amami in Enka No Joou, 2007

Together again: Riko and Yuki  in BOSS2, 2011

Ah well, the drama’s still airing right now, so maybe there’s a chance that Erika and Michiko may still appear on the show in some capacity, but until then I guess I can say that with these new cast members, it’ll still be interesting enough for me!

Himitsu No Arashi-Chan Unaired VIP Room Clips!

Finally got a chance to see Himitsu No Arashi’s VIP Room Special Episode subtitled (thanks Saobang2211!) which was a compilation of various clips that were edited out of the aired show. I remember the last time they had this special; there were lots of cool things left out that we got to see (like Keiko Kitagawa telling them about a director hitting her on the head with a rolled-up magazine), so I was looking forward to this one!

Several of the clips they showed were stuff that you could see why it was cut- stuff like Aiba talking about running around naked and falling down in concert- funny, yes, but not really about the featured VIP Room guest. But there were a few things that were so FUNNY, it would have really been a shame to not SHARE them!

In particular was the one with Ayase Haruka and the one with Aragaki Yui. In the Ayase Haruka one, they showed a clip of Haruka-chan and the Arashi Boys attempting to jump rope 30 times together, and it is HILARIOUS to watch the zany hijinks going on as they struggle to get the feat done!

I'll win a Bicycle if we complete 30 times?

Ganbarou!

Look at that SMILE on Haruka-chan's face!

The other focused on Aragaki Yui’s strange turn-on of seeing muscular arms with veins popping out, and so they had the boys stand behind a board and flex! She then inspected each arm and then judged the best and WORST one! Interesting and al, but I admit that the thing that really made this clip for me was how FRICKING PRETTY Gakky is in this episode. Some guests dress up for the VIP Room and some don’t, and it was HEAVEN to see her dressed in such a classy, feminine and fashionable outfit!

A Gaggle of Arms

And an extremely entertained Gakky!

So much fun watching these, I could watch ‘em forever, and you just KNOW there’s probably tons of stuff they still HAVEN’T shown! That’s the great thing about this show- so much interesting stuff is going on all the time, it’s always edit, edit, edit!

Side Note: One episode in particular seemed primed for the unaired clips show, and that was when luscious Michiko Kichise came on. She had remembered something silly or embarrassing, and couldn’t stop laughing thinking about it. I was waiting for her to tell Arashi what the joke was, but she never said anything about it! Car figured, “Maybe they’re saving that for the unaired clips episode”. I hoped she was right, but sadly, they didn’t have anything from Michiko’s episode, so I guess we’ll never know what she thought was so funny!

Uncontrollable Laughter from Michiko-san!

Side-Side Note: Just glancing over at the collage of female guests they featured in this episode, it strikes me just how many of my favorite “Crush Of The Day” actresses have appeared on VIP Room In that collage alone were Aragaki Yui, Ayase Haruka, Yamada Yu, Koyuki, and Yoshitaka Yuriko! MAN, no WONDER I love this show so much!!!!

The Proposal Brothers

Anne and Sato Ryuta

After watching the first episode of “Propose Kyodai”,  I was a bit worried because at first, it seemed like a pretty fair rehash of Lunch No Joou, with a family running a Western Style Restaurant and the love interest seeking employment after dining there. But by the end I realized that it was only the Eldest Brother’s story set in a restaurant, and the following episode was set in a completely different surrounding!

Teppei Koike and Sasaki Nozomi

The drama is the story of how each of the four brothers meet and eventually propose to their future mates, and with fun guys like Ryuta Sato and Teppei Koike as brothers and girls like Anne and Nozomi Sasaki as future brides-to-be, how can you go wrong?The two episodes I’ve watched so far have been great, and I’ll definitely stick around to watch the rest of the series!(Well how hard can that be with only 4 episodes, ne!)

Yoshiko "Sue" Tanaka 1956-2011

Was extremely saddened to hear that Yoshiko Tanaka passed away from cancer the other day. Ever since discovering the magic of the Candies wonderful Seventies j-pop, she's been my favorite member of the group, and besides her singing, I'd been seeing her every week as Kuninaka Ryoko's mother in Churasan, so the news was quite a shock.  

Funny, out of the two great J-pop girl groups of the 70's, when it comes down to either Pink Lady or Candies, I've always sort of gravitated towards the latter, possibly because watching Ran, Sue and Miki always seemed like the inspiration for 80's trio ribbon! Investigating further, I was amazed by how much great songs they had! So many instantly catchy songs and sweet ballads, they were one of the first early j-pop groups I purchased on CD!

Below: In their Heyday, performing one of their many signature songs, 

Shochuu Omimai Moushiagemasu:

  In recent years as an actress, she's been pretty prolific playing the "loving mother of the young heroine" in many of my favorite dramas; it was such a thrill to see her in shows like Kamisama Sukoshi Dake (as Fukada Kyoko's Mother), Seigi No Mikata (as Yamada Yu and Shida Mirai's mother), Tatta Hitotsu no Koi (as Ayase Haruka's mother), and even Hitsudan Hostess as Kitagawa Keiko's Mom! And of course, I'm still currently watching her as Kuninaka Ryoko's mother in Churasan, and it will be nice to continue seeing her each day!

Above: Another fave song: Aishu No Symphony

A~ah, I'm watching some of my fave Candies video performances right now, and it's making me SO SAD! Such and awesome group, such a fine actress, Yoshiko Tanaka will surely be missed!

Fukakyon Moves On...

Shida Mirai with Yucali and Kyoko looking on...

Gee, it only seems like a few weeks ago I was talking about how reassuring it was to see lovely Fukada Kyoko every week on Shin Domoto Kyodai, and it’s now been announced that Kyonchan (along with Yucali and the hilarious Brother Tom, among others) will be moving along, to be replaced by singer Noriyuki Makihara, Takanori Nishiwaki and AKB48  member Takahashi Minami!

While I'm sure the show will still be as fun and interesting as ever, it will be a shame to have to go back to waiting to see Fukakyon only in Dramas and such. Though I've always been afriaid of her getting overexposed, it was nice to see her there every week, giving her curt and concise remarks to the Domoto Brothers!

Xiaxue so Chio, Lah!

Ever since that famous Peter Coffin fiasco, I've been quite a fan of the brash and candid Xiaxue's blog, especially her hilarious and spontaneous video series "Xiaxue's Guide To Life", where video-cameras follow the sassy Singaporean blogger as she goes about shopping, blinging her accessories or learning new skills. 

Always outspoken, she's made many waves in the online community and her feuds are well known and epic! But her habit of always speaking her mind is what makes her so interesting. Recognized (or targeted) by people for her (infamous) plastic surgery procedures, she's never one to hide the fact, and she even takes the cameras along to document the operations; nose job, eye and eyelid altering, even teeth straightening, they all get captured on video for her blog!


But it's the videos where she's just at home cooking, painting, reviewing her (disliked) iphone or taking Feng Shui lessons that are my faves. Ziaxue (Wendy Cheng) is a really unique and quite charming persona and it's just listening to her chatter on and on with her sharp and witty comments in that lilting singapore dialect that makes me crack up, she is SO fricking funny!