Favorite J-Pop Songs: Miho Nakayama: "Title", Revisited!!

 Awhile ago I had gushed about the Miho Nakayama song ”Title”, an album-only track off her excellent 1994  release “Pure White” and, upon seeing the songwriting credited to “To Be Continued”, wondered if they were the same group featuring Kohki Okada/Taka Sato/Tomosuke Goto. WELL, perusing the awesome GENERASIA page recently, I found a footnote to that Miho Nakayama song which noted that not only was it INDEED that selfsame To Be Continued that wrote it, they had actually covered it themselves, on their 1994 album “Beyond The Light”!!!

For some reason, their version was called “Ashita E No ACCENT”, a fitting name since that was the recurring chorus line in both versions, wonder why Miho’s one was called “Title”. In any case, I HAD to hear it, and I have to say that BOTH versions are pretty darn GREAT!!

As some of you know, “Title” was the very first song I knew from Miho Nakayama, heck, one of the very first J-Pop songs I ever knew PERIOD, and I am HUGELY sentimentally attached to it. Even today the strains of the chorus take me back to those golden days of early J-Pop discovery!!

MAN, I still can't believe this wasn't a SINGLE for Miho, I think it woulda rocked the charts at least as much as the album's actual single release "Sea Paradise  OL no Hanran"!

PS: Ironically enough, the first song I ever knew from To Be Continued, (given to me on a mix tape by the same guy who gave me the Miho one), was ALSO a non-single, album-only track, the awesome HOLIDAY (from their album Music-a-Holic), another favorite J-Pop single I've got to write about someday as well!!

Nakayama Miho 1970-2024

 Very saddened to hear of the passing of Miho Nakayama…As some of you know, Miho was not only of the very FIRST J-pop artists I fell in love with, but one of the first J-actresses I loved too, in both dramas and movies.
I had just been talking on facebook about how I had JUST been getting back into Miho’s extensive back catalog of music, and in particular her album “Exotique’ which has been on constant rotation on my walks! Some of her singles are among my ALL-TIME favorites, including “Shiawase ni Naru Tame ni”, “Thinking Of You”, “Aishiterutte Iwanai!”, “Hurt To Heart”, “Mirai E No Present”, and what may be one of the most achingly beautiful songs of hers, the sombre “Tada Nakitaku Naru no” which always slays me from its opening strings to its grand ending...all these songs filled with wonderful memories.

And then there were her dramas which were always intriguing, from “For You” and “Nemureru Mori”, fun and mischievous shows like "Kizoku Tantei" and dark and disturbing shows like “Kenja no Ai”,  to the awesome, awesome “Oishii Kankei” with Karasawa Toshiaki (which remains one of my all time favorites), she captivated in them all…

Very heartbreaking to read this morning  of such sad news- at only 54 years old, Miho was still so young with much to do…She will be sorely missed.

Haru and Shotaro Mamiya in "Mahou No Rinobe~Renovation is Magic!"

More FUN Home-Related Shenanigans, this time into the wide world of Home Renovation with "Mahou No Rinobe"- Renovation is MAGIC! Our Story:

 Gen Fukuyama(Shotaro Mamiya)  is the eldest son working for a family Home renovation company named Marufuku Komuten. He hasn’t had a lot of luck getting any of his proposals accepted, and this time is completely trounced by a rival company’s ace, the sharp-eyed and considerate Koume Shinyoji (Haru).

With her attention to details regarding the house, the goals of the home owners and being able to get a read on their feelings, she has a gift for finding exactly what the client truly wants, a talent Gen is sorely lacking!

"Wow, she totally stole that sale from me."

One day, the president of Marufuku Komuten Kuranosuke (Kenichi Endo) announces to his staff and sons that they are bringing new life into the sagging business, and Gennosuke is stunned to find that the new hire is none other than Shinyoji herself!!!!

Seems Koume went through a bit of a scandal at her last company, and after being blamed for an error, was sent on her way. Thankfully for all, she knew Kuranosuke through a mountain hiking club, and once he found the maverick agent free, instantly scooped her up!

Koume is paired up with Gen for their most recent clients, where he is schooled over and over again by the savvy Shinyoji over perception, of being able to read a room and “not step on any landmines”! 

However, step on them he does, and it’s all Kome can do to clean the messes up!

Somehow Gen just doesn't have the tact (or luck) to make a good impression, leaving Koume wincing and waiting to give it to him later....

Unloading on Gen and pointing out all the ways he totally screwed up the presentation!!!

But if there’s one thing Gennosuke has, it’s passion, and what he lacks in shrewdness he makes up for with heart! And Koume will find that with his help, the two can become an unbeatable team and ultimately nail down that sale!!

WOWOW, gotta say, I love, love LOVE this drama already!!! You all know how I have a soft spot for these avante garde real estate agent type show, and with vibes both parts “Ie Uru Onna” and “Shojiki Fudousan”, it’s an EASY win for my fave drama of the season!!

After a hard day of work, time to suck down some cold ones with okazu!

Cheers!

Always love Haru, and I don’t know, maybe it’s her hair and eye make-up or what she’s wearing in this one, but her role of Koume is one of her PRETTIEST yet!!! Such a catch!

And it’s also worth noting that this is Shotaro Mamiya’s third drama in a row that ranked in my top 5 for each season! And PS, as I recall, he held an unrequited love for Haru back in the  2020 drama “Remolove”, hopefully he gets another chance to woo her here!

I'll be checking in every week to see how they do!!!

Karera wo Mireba Wakaru Koto

 

Also started watching the 2020 drama “Karera wo Mireba Wakaru Koto”, following two couples living in an apartment complex; Kaito and Momoko Uchida (Namase Katsuhisa and Miho Nakayama) and Kazuta and Mizuki Tomizawa (Yusuke Kamjiji and Tae Kimura) and the entanglements that occur once a new young couple Yosuke and Rumi Kamoi (Hiroshi Nagano and Yuko Oshima) move in and they discover that husband Yosuke is Momoko’s ex-husband!

Things are further complicated when it is revealed that the Uchida’s college son Shuji (Yuto Takahashi) is in fact YOSUKE’S child, though , since they divorced before she knew she was pregnant, Momoko has never told him.

While all this is going on, there is more trouble brewing with the Tomizawa’s. Though once a spirited boxe=r, nowadays husband Kazuta is content with being a mere househusband, leading wife Mizuki to become tempted with the young man under her care at her job named Morimura (Kou Nanase)...

A fine cast which also includes Nana Katase as Kaito Uchida’s savvy assistant Yamanaka, Yui Sakuma as Tomizawa daughter Mayu, and a commanding role from actress Keiko Takahashi as the Tomizawa’s Mother-in-law. this drama is filled with great acting and nice pacing!

Truthfully I expected this to be a bit of a dragging show, but I blew through three episodes like nothing! Only stopped to work up this post and will be heading right  back to see where this is all going next! 

PS: Always nice to see Miho Nakayama again! One of the original golden age stars who still captivates my heart!