One Chisato Concert To Rule Them All!

Moritaka Chisato Live Rock Alive!

Moritaka Chisato had a career spanning from 1987 until about 1998 when she left to get married and raise her children, but while she was active, she had one of the most impressive  portfolios of music out there! From her start as the “Pocari Sweat” girl to tokusatsu-ish looking super-heroine to bonafide rock ‘n’ roll queen to sophisticated adult contemporary artist, and my favorite of all these phases was that perfect middle where she was JUST starting to move away from Anime-Costume superhero to Rock and Roll Musician, which was about 1991-1993, where we saw the release of awesome albums KOKON TOZAI, ROCK ALIVE, PEPPERLAND and LUCKY SEVEN.

It was in this time that I feel Chisato bloomed from a simple idol into a full-fledged j-pop superstar, and besides the diversity we were hearing with each new release, we were also lucky enough to see this artistic growth captured live on stage in concert releases that were released like clockwork with each new tour!

And out of all of Chisato’s Live Concerts, the one that stands out for ME is the 1992 LIVE ROCK ALIVE concert, the laserdisc that for ME is the one that ALL OTHER Chisato concerts must be judged!

The greatness that we’d seen in her Hijitsuyokuha Sengen Concert performances of songs like “Funky Monkey Baby” and “Yoru No Entotsu” had been fleshed out into an all-out rock n roll show, and the Live Rock Alive experience had special emphasis on the ROCK aspect, with a kick-ass band, solid rocking songs and stellar singing (as well as frenetic dance moves), this was a FAR CRY from the shy girl who first performed on GET SMILE years ago!

Some Fave Performances:

"Fight"

When I was first getting totally into Chisato-mania, I made an effort to track down any live performances I could get my hands on, and one of the very first things I got was a cool live performance of Fight on an old SOUND ARENA video, so I’ve always had a soft spot for this song. Little did I know I would find an even BETTER version with this concert! Terrific, genki performance, and I love that middle when she gets the audience to cheer on- “Everyone on the Left…FIGHT!!! Everyone on the Right…FIGHT! Everyone in the Middle…FIGHT!! Now everybody ALL TOGETHER-FIGHTO!!!
"Watashi Ga Obasan Ni Nattemo"

As far as I'm Concerned, this is THE definitive performance of one of my very favorite Moritaka Chisato songs! I remember making a cassette transfer so I could listen to the Live Rock Alive concert on my Walkman, memorizing every little detail and flourish she put into each song. Subsequently, most of the Rock Alive songs performed here (as well as some older songs like "Get Smile" and "Junanasai") seem more like the "real" versions than their album counterparts, and to this day, whenever I hear the bridge where she sings the line “You won’t be so cool anymore…and you’ll have a pot-belly!”, I’m always waiting for the drum snap that Yoshihara lays down live!

Some really groovy dance moves with this one, you can’t help but “see” them in your mind whenever you hear the song! After each verse, Chisato’d turn and sassily parade across the stage, and I think it’s funny how even that simple act seemed like “dance moves” in the song!

After an interesting “Quick Change” interlude where Chisato’s staff worked furiously under strobe-light to change her outfit into a traditional kimono and hairstyle, the band kicks into “Yowaseteyo Konya-Dake, a performance that harkens back to those 1970’s Japanese music shows you’d see on KIKU (where I sometimes saw Finger 5!), the band’s rendition here is SIGNIFICANTLY different from the studio version. Where the CD track sounded programmed and plodding, this live perf lives and breathes, the percussion and bass just turning it into this dreamy, romantic tune...

"Yowasetteyo Konya Dake"

"Wakarimashita"

Chisato really lets her hair down for this one, both figuratively AND literally. Though she’s had it down since the opening song, it seemed to be hair-sprayed into behaving, but somehow putting it up in a ribbon for Yowasetteyo and then taking it down again has weakened the hairspray’s hold, giving her locks a chance to flow freely, and IT IS IMPRESSIVE!!

It’s worth noting that this was the longest and most buoyant Chisato’s hair ever got; by the time 1993’s Lucky Seven tour came around she’d sheared off most of it and had begun wearing it at a more controllable length (and cut it even further and shorter as each album progressed!)

Watching the Rock Alive Concert you can see why she eventually did away with it because during the entire show it’s constantly in her face and she its continually brushing it back and sweeping it aside…but MY GOD, does she look just BEAUTIFUL here… Doing her little Kung-Fu moves with that long luscious hair just cascading all around her features, I personally think she was just about the prettiest and most striking j-pop performer of ALL TIME!!!!

Another song along the lines of Yowasetteyo Konya Dake, Mitsuketa Saifu (A Purse We Found) on CD sounds like a programmed rock number with beats and effects, but performed live, it just goes to another level completely! Coming in right after Wakarimashita, this number just ROCKS, the Drums pound HARD and the bass just saturates the place, loudly droning and creating a huge, powerhouse of sound, and CHISATO….MAN!
"Mitsuketa Saifu"

She’s totally letting loose by this point, that gorgeous hair of hers is just billowing around her face, and as she dances and sings, she’s swinging those locks about like a lioness on the prowl and SHE IS TOTALLY GETTING INTO IT! During the first bridge she’s doing this dance move that reminds me of a frenetic Chinese Lion Dance, and when the second break comes in, she ups it by adding this furious attack to it making it totally look like she’s cleaving her way through a crowd on a hot dance floor! And yes, when the song is nearing its conclusion and she turns to walk up the stairs, I must chauvinistically add that that ass is to DIE FOR!

Yacchimaina

That song signaled the end of the first half of the concert, and Chisato would retreat to the back for a well-deserved break and her second Costume change. She would open the second half with the titular song ROCK ALIVE, where Chisato wows the audience with he guitar playing abilities before launching into her popular hits “Ame” and “Junanasai” and finally arriving at one of the concert’s most blistering hot songs YACCHIMAINA!

Now, this is a good time to mention just how fricking awesome Chisato’s Live band THE LONDON was. This group consisted of:

Guitar: Hiroyoshi Matsuo

Bass: Masafumi Yokoyama

Drums: Makoto Yoshihara

Keyboards/Guitar: Shin Kohno

Keyboards: Yasuaki Maejima

These five (sometimes six) musicians played on all of Chisato’s concerts since at LEAST the HIJITSUYOKUHA SENGEN Tour, the ROCK ALIVE and LUCKY SEVEN tours down to the DO THE BEST tour, and It showed- Playing live as well as laying down track on her studio albums, these guys knew all of Chisato’s songs backwards and forwards and played with the tightness that can only come from a long working association! Heck, they accompanied Chisato on her Promotional Videos, so closely connected they were to her!

And though they fantastically performed on each and every one of the ROCK ALIVE songs here, it’s YACCHIMAINA that I think really showcases how tight these guys were as a unit…and MAN does that guitar wail!!!

From there she would bring out songs GUITAR and Chisato concert classic GET SMILE, perfectly closing the ROCK ALIVE concert with the awesome SEISHUN and making it live up to its ROCKING namesake!!!

Though she would continue to polish her performing and songwriting skills, and hit even bigger highs with the mighty LUCKY SEVEN, TAIYO and DO THE BEST albums and concerts, for me, the crowning jewel of my Chisato Collection will always be the ROCK ALIVE concert. Stellar songs, great backing band, and In My Humble Opinion, Chisato is as close to Girlish Perfection as you can get here...THIS ONE ROCKS THE HOUSE!!!

Comments From the original post:

Yametekudasai wrote: Jul 31, 2007

Props to "Wakarimashita"! I used to have this performance on one of my minidisc (!) mixes and I regard it as the "real" version over the ROCK ALIVE album.

I should rip some mp3s for my iPod...

zinkognito wrote: Jul 31, 2007

Considering how great these performances are, it's a shame they never released an accompanying CD for each Laserdisc Concert, like Nishida Hikaru did!

Morningberryz wrote: Jul 31, 2007

I'm happy that "Lucky Seven Live" gets mentioned too! "Live Rock Alive" is recorded soo well and it really can shake the walls and what puzzles me is that "Lucky Seven Live" isn't recorded anywhere near as well even though it was released afterwards. "Fight!!", "Wakarimashita", and "Watashiga obasan ni natte mo" are favorites of mine too as I have them in my top 10. The performances in "Live Rock Alive" are in a way her peak performances. And having a live band really adds something to her concerts too. I'm glad that these were released on DVD! Now how about some CoCo and Ribbon DVDs...Pony Canyon.

zinkognito wrote: Aug 1, 2007

I guess I'm sentimentally attached to LIVE ROCK ALIVE (being as it was the first laserdisc I bought of hers), especially with my materialistic obsession with Chisato's gorgeous hair in this one, but I agree that both LIVE ROCK ALIVE and LUCKY SEVEN LIVE are equally good concerts. I'd love to see you break down a review of the Lucky Seven DVD some time.

KOKON TOZAI ONIGA DERUKA JAGA DERUKA (that performance of Yoru No Entotsu just goes through the roof!), LIVE ROCK ALIVE, LUCKY 7 LIVE and the KIBUNSOUKAI VIDEO CLIPS COLLECTION are absolute must haves on DVD, and I'm SO glad that Sony Music/Zetima blessed us with a re-release so we could purchase them, and in nice collectible slip covers, too!

And it's funny. While I was watching my DVD of Live Rock Alive last night, I DID think to myself, "MAN, when are Pony Canyon gonna release alla those CoCo and Ribbon concerts on DVD?!"

Morningberryz wrote: Aug 1, 2007

Heheh come on Pony Canyon!! Help us fans out! Yes the Moritaka Chisato DVD releases were a really nice surprise and treat. "Lucky Seven Live." It would be a great idea to post about this incredible concert. There's so much stuff to watch and not enough hours in a day!

Revisiting Ai No Senshi: Rainbow-Man

Was talking to Car the other day, and her excited anticipation of this week’s broadcast of ULTRAMAN TIGA (solely because of V6’s Hiroshi Nagano’s lead role in the show) led us to talking about those tokusatsu shows we grew up with as kids here in Hawaii. She related how, though the status quo seemed to love Kikaida and Kamen Rider V3, the show SHE liked as a kid was the Toho Superhero show RAINBOW MAN, though she admittedly could remember absolutely nothing about it as a grown up!


We went online to see if we could find video clips of the show that might jog her memory. Though we found several uploads which features the beginning and ending songs with slideshow-type videos, there didn’t seem to be anyone that had uploaded the actual opening and closing credits (or at least, none that have survived the dreaded REMOVED BY TERMS OF COPYRIGHT VIOLATION removal requests!


I thought I’d go ahead and rip my laserdisc opening and closing credits for her to see (as well as Takeshi henshining into Rainbow Man, which she also had forgotten), and then it crossed my mind that there might be some of you out there that wouldn’t mind checking these out either, so I went ahead and upped them for you to check out and reminisce as well!

Digging out that old Rainbow Man DVD Box Set brought back memories of not only the episodes of the show itself, but the drama of actually acquiring the set! Back in the mid-nineties era of the LASERDISC, Toho Productions released the first season of AI NO SENSHI RAINBOW MAN in a beautiful LD Box Set, a set that I tried in VAIN to get, but, (naturally) by the time I was aware of the Box set’s existence, it was (drumroll) OUT OF PRINT. SHIMATTA!

I was, however, informed that I could make a pre-order for the upcoming Season TWO Box Set, an offer I TOTALLY took up, and in the long run I have to say it satisfied me pretty well, for I was to discover that Season Two’s episodes were the ones that I actually remembered as a kid! This was when Rainbowman was shifting away from Yakuza and mobsters and moving more into the supernatural/science fiction phase of its run, and with witches, demons and skeletons filling the screen every week, it sure kept THIS kid creeped out!

Though I didn’t catch on at the time, re-watching the second season now, I am amazed at how “cool” the show was, with its’ James Bond style espionage baddies and that oh-so-mod outfits and music! And while we’re on the subject of Mod, NOTHING in Season Two embodied that swingin’ time more than Mister K’s four leading ladies DIANA, OLGA, KATHY and LOLITA. These chicks were the fiercest kick-ass evil agents ever, and in true “Faster Pussycat Kill Kill” fashion, spent their entire time making poor old Rainbow Man’s life a living hell!

With the implementation of new DAC Terrorist Attacks from Mister K and his minions as well as diversions from the dark side with God Iguana and her spooky spirit ghoulies, you would have thought the novelty of those agent girls had run its course and they could offer no more… but Evil Scientist named Dr. Borg came on the scene and bumped up the girls a notch by changing all of them (sans Olga, who developed a nasty turn with the procedure) into CYBORGS a la THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN!

We’re talking rocket boots, laser-beam eyes, bulletproof bodies and superhuman strength here, guys! Why, they even gave the girl all new futuristic silver space-age costumes to better complement their newfound powers!

And you wonder why Rainbow Man spent so much of the series groaning in pain!

Comments From the Original Post:

• Yametekudasai wrote:
  Kudos on another fantastic appreciation of our not-so-recent past. I distinctly remember the family pains that Yamato had with his single mother and disabled sister (which of course would be highlighted if we had access to closing credits with "Yamato Takeshi no Uta").
  How about those opening titles?!! Got me all geared up to watch!
  Watari Goro wrote:
  Natsukashii, na! Awesome entry! Thanks for bringing back the memories!
  zdorama replied to Yametekudasai’s comment:
  Ahhhh~ I would have LOVED to rip the Yamato Takeshi "I piggyback my sister" song, but alas, it was the ending song from season ONE, the Box Set I wasn't able to get!
  Yametekudasai wrote:
  I remembered the applause but NOT the piggyback ride. Dang...
  zdorama replied to Watari Goro’s comment:
  Thanks for coming along on this trip down memory lane! Always fun to reminisce and share memories with others who were there at the time!
  zdorama replied to Yametekudasai’s comment:
  Hahahaha, OK, got the Season One ending file you sent- THANKS! I'll have to get this one up! Hmmmm...didn't remember it starting in the middle of the next weeks episode teaser. Love how that punch that yakuza guy threw missed by a mile!!!! AHAHAHHA!!
  Yametekudasai wrote:
  Hope the evil corporate dogsniffers leave this ALONE!
  Yametekudasai wrote:
  p.p.s. Just came across some ANIME on YouTube titled "Rainbow Man" with the same opening theme (remade) but with robotic-looking "Dashes" that resemble Kikaida 01, culminating with the image of a giant robot, ala Raideen or something. Wiieeerrrd!
  zdorama replied to Yametekudasai’s comment:
  Ah yeah, I remember coming across those years ago when I was looking for clips of the TV series!
  These songs were so darn great, and I especially loved the "Aitsu No Namae wa Rainbow Man" song, the lyrics are so SHOKKA-ishly evil!!!
  Yametekudasai replied
  I also noticed that the preview had only images of Yamato Takeshi and some thugs. No Dashes, no monsters, no Mister K -- just the masked wrestling villain. Huh?!! No wonder KIKAIDA zoomed to the top.
  tsuyoboogie wrote:
  Aawwww...that was so wonderful. And Yamato Takeshi was seriously CUTE! Although I vaguely remembered that I thought he was handsome, I really couldn't remember what he looked like. Also, I'm thinking that more than me being "contrary" from an early age, favoring this show might be an example of my seemingly innate affinity with "rainbow" men. (smiles) Anyway, thanks for all your time & effort! Gonna go enjoy the opening yet again!
  zdorama replied to tsuyoboogie’s comment:
  Ah Yes, what you wouldn't give to see David Hyde Pierce Playing Rainbow Man!
• 
  

Crush Of The Day: Sato Eriko

Just got through watching the incredible j-movie Funuke Domo, Kanashiki No Ai wo Misero, i.e. “SHOW SOME LOVE, YOU LOSERS!” for the second, third, and now FOURTH time, and I just HAVE to say how much I just love, love , LOVE IT!! This movie is an EFFIN' MASTERPIECE!
I’d been interested in seeing this movie ever since fave reviewer Mark Schilling mentioned it in his write-up for 2007 film HITONO SEX WO WARAUNA. I’ve been a huge fan of Nagasaku Hiromi ever since her RIBBON days, and while praising her work in HITONO SEX, Schilling mentioned how she stole the show in her previous role in Funuke Domo. What WAS this movie? I had to see it!

Now, regular readers know of my infinite love of actress Eriko Sato whom I’ve loved ever since her mouth-watering portrayal of Go Nagai’s salacious super-heroine CUTIE HONEY, and since then, (as you all may have noticed) I’ve found myself relating her cherubic apple-cheeked features to various personalities, whether they be singers like Nana Tanimura or announcers like Yoshie Takeuchi!
After Cutie Honey I didn’t see a whole lot of her besides a great appearance in the Matsuoka Masahiro drama YASUKO TO KENJI (where she played the Martha-Stewart-ish perfect girlfriend Ai against the harried Ryoko Hirosue in a battle to win Kenji’s heart) but thanks to the internet, was able to occupy myself with the multitude of gorgeous shashinshuu and sexy gravure DVDS that were floating all around online in the meantime…
When I was finally able to acquire a copy of Funuke Domo, Kanashiki ai wo Misero I was PLEASANTLY surprised to not only see Hiromi Nagasaku in it- but ERIKO SATO as the HEADLINING actress as well!!!! Rounded out by actors Masatoshi Nagase and Aimi Satsukawa in an eclectic ensemble cast, I KNEW I was in for a GREAT SHOW!
A story concerning the death of an elderly couple which forces their bickering children back to living under the same roof again after years apart. The tale begins at the family wake, where the couple’s two daughters, Sumika and Kiyomi, and their eldest son Shinji and his wife Machiko (the Nagasaku role, and YES, brilliantly played!!!), have all reunited after being apart for four years. The only problem is that rather than a heartfelt family reunion, THIS family is dysfunctional as HELL and almost at once are at each other’s throats!
Eriko plays Sumika, a struggling actress who has only incidentally shown up at the parents’ funeral to show her respect, and has in fact come home mostly to ask for money! As the spoiled, mean-spirited and slightly clueless bombshell, she is LOUD, PUSHY and entirely CALCULATING, and I have to say, Eriko gives it her all here, making the Sumika character both loathsome and sympathetic at the same time! (Not to mention sexy to boot!)

When Sumika arrives, she comes with her baggage in tow, and I mean that literally AND figuratively, as she’s brought her mounting money problems and Yakuza-type debt collectors trailing along after her, causing great stress for all involved.
Because of the recent passing of their parents, Shinji informs Sumika that he can’t support her any more and until he can come up with a way to send her a regular stipend, suggests she stay with them at the house for the time being.

Well, Sumika isn’t happy at ALL with this news, and this pressure combined with her struggling acting career is driving her mad. She wants to lash out, and Kiyomi is immediately the designated target for her wrath- indeed, from the moment the two have reunited it is obvious that there is something already going on between the two sisters: it is clear that the two have been enemies for quite some time now!
What is the cause of this sibling rivalry? Well, we find the answers soon enough in a series of staged flashbacks…
Sumika’s lifelong dream has always been to become an actress at all costs, whether it be by double-talking trickery, promiscuous deeds, or even bloody violence against her family, and by pouting, screaming and threatening her way through her adolescent life has slowly but surely managed rise out of their small hick town and into the Big City. But stardom isn’t as easy as she’d like, and between small roles and failed auditions, is getting deeper and deeper into debt.
Kiyomi on the other hand has no such ambitions. In an almost exact polar opposite of big sister Sumika, Kiyomi is introverted, shy, bookish and responsible. She is happy to go to school and get a respectable job in their town as well as help on the farm, but her one fault is that whenever she is confronted with something horrific in her life, she just HAS to get it down on paper, feverishly scribbling her problems into manga style drawings, and her number one obsession is none other than documenting the sordid details of her dominating big sister’s life!
One Day, Kiyomi sees that the Horror Manga she reads is running a contest for new talent, and in a moment of inspiration, digs up the masterpiece she’s written about Sumika’s evil tactics proclaiming, “I Will Do Whatever it Takes to Become an Actress!!” and sends it off for consideration! Unfortunately for all concerned, Kiyomi WINS the Best Newcomer Award, and suddenly her entire family is in shame as Sumika’s true sadistic nature is revealed!
Though Kiyomi has since regretted it and has repeatedly begged for forgiveness, Sumika is NOT one to let bygones be bygones, and makes every effort to demonize her little sister, whom she blames for every bad thing that’s happened to her in the 4 years she’s been struggling in Tokyo! But little sister Kiyomi has grown up, too, and soon the movie takes a turn for the AWESOME as the house turns into an epic mental battleground between the sisters!!!

Think SEIGI NO MIKATA with a decidedly violent and sadistic slant with more sexual innuendoes and you’ve got FUNUKU DOMO- Along with Aimi Satsukawa, Eriko gives one of the most electrifying performances of her career, and by the film’s end I was just WALLOWING in satisfaction-This ROCKING movie is DARK, DARK comedy at its absolute crackling BEST!

Favorite J-Pop Singles: Nakajima Michiyo / Hatsukoi Dori

Michiyo Nakajima [中嶋美智代] was one of the handful of Pony Canyon artists that appeared in the OTOMEJUKU MATSURI Concert Festival that I’d bought solely for CoCo’s appearance, but like ribbon and Qlair, it was this exposure that opened my eyes to how great some of CoCo’s sister acts really were!

I’ve spoken a bit already about how this Matsuri concert made me a diehard and lifelong fan of power-trio RIBBON, but watching the whole concert was such a gas that I eventually started liking all the other groups on the disc as well, among them a shy and petite sweet little thing all duked out in a VERY Rieko Miura-ish party dress coming out to sing her new song, a blueprint j-pop laden song called “Hatsukoi Dori”

The girl was Michiyo Nakajima and she had the honor of being the first artist onto the stage (after the big opening production, of course), and it is SO CUTE to see how shy and unsure of herself she seems at this stage in her career. Hatsukoi Dori was her third single proper, but you wouldn’t think so by how subdued she is on stage, seeming more like a kid reciting a Christmas poem than a full-fledged Paradise Gogo Idol!

But she seems to REALLY appreciate the attention, and the applause gives her the power to give her all- Sure, maybe she’s a bit shaky at times, but she gives SUCH a SINCERE performance!!! With catchy dance moves during the choruses and a happy smile throughout, it’s this kind of sweet-and-slightly-off-kilter anime sounding voice sung with real determination that made me just fall in love with the song (The same could probably be said about why I love Ishikawa Rika’s Onnanoko Rikaishite so much as well!) and made me want to know more about the singer as well!

So one day I’m walking through the Shirokiya BOOK OFF section, and what do you know- they had a first pressing Michiyo Nakajima CD there! Gee, I wonder what the chances are that it would have that song on it? Entitled simply “Nakajima”, I went ahead and just purchased the CD blind, not knowing, but hoping it would have that song on it. I suppose it really woulda helped to know the song title beforehand, because sad to say, in the end, the song just wasn’t on it.

That following weekend I related my failed gamble to a friend about my attempt to secure that enchanting opening tune. “Yeah, I was hoping it would have that cute song she did at the Otomejuku Matsuri concert” I explained. He nodded and, in a hilarious sing-song voice, sang, “hatsukoi do-o-ri?” to which we both fell on the ground laughing! You just can’t hear that line in your head without picturing her adorable performance, really!

You know, one really, really great thing about those Pony Canyon concerts is that (for the most part) they always employed a live band to accompany the girls onstage and so what you got to hear were fresh, vibrant and rocking performances of your favorite songs, songs that you’d learned and loved from the albums were bumped up a notch and given a little extra zing!

That’s one thing that was REALLY evident the first time I got a chance to listen to the CD single’s studio version of Hatsukoi Doori, because the FIRST thing I thought upon hearing the track is, “HEY! This sounds really…PRODUCED! The guitars very exact, the drums as sure as a click track, all backing up some very polished singing from Michiyo –Chan… I never realized how “organic” the Otomejuku Concert version was! All along I’d just assumed that the studio version would sound just like it!

There are, of course, reasons to love the studio version, not least of which is the great George Harrison twinged guitars and the lush dreamy keyboards, and though it’s a pop perfect tune, somehow the ending refrain when the guitar kicks back in to deliver us to the end is REALLY missing something without Michiyo’s grateful and heartfelt “Doomo Arigatoo!” to wrap the song up all sweet and nice.

For me, the Live Version is the one I fell in love with and the one that really will remain the “true” version. This is one performance that will definitely put a smile on your face!

That Darn (Silver) Cat!

The other night Me and Yametekudasai were online discussing the merits of the ultimate babe-ness of our favorite Kikaida villainesses, of which there were, at least in “human” capacity, three: Violet Top Shell, Pink Armadillo and Silver Cat.

Now I’ll admit that I had a hankering for the woman who morphed into Violet Top Shell, and the Lady who became Pink Armadillo gave me my introduction to “chi-chi’s” as a kid, but for me, there was never any doubt that my favorite Dark Demolition Corp female baddie was the girl who turned into SILVER CAT, all the way back in episode 12.

In my childhood, there were but two big tokusatsu crushes I had that dominated my every waking thoughts: Risa Komaki as Pink Ranger and Kazuyo Sumida as Rieko in Kikaida 0-1, but way before all of them was the sultry maiden in distress that took Hattori Hanpei for a ride of unrequited lust, and even as a 1^st grader I knew this chick was HOT!

Played by saucy Takiko Mizukami, I was to find she had quite a history involved with tokusatsu heroes, appearing in both ULTRA SEVEN and KAMEN RIDER!

Too bad when she changed, not only did she change into a mechanical beast, but her voice changed to a DUDE! This happened in both the Kikaida episode AND the Ultra Seven one! How much can someone henshin! Not that it would have been that much better, but it would have made more sense for her to turn into AT LEAST someone like Lady Darnia from Akumaizer 3!

Anyway, Here’s a bit of the dialog that went on during our original SILVER CAT tweets:

Yametekudasai:

Interesting data on the Japanese Kikaida wiki page: voice talent credits for the Dark androids!

Yametekudasai:

That wiki page totally distracted me into looking for pics of Violet Top Shell's human form. Yup...

zdorama:

@Yametekudasai Ah yeah, Violet Top Shell was fine, but for my money it's gotta be Silver Cat. YEAHHHHHHHHH! Crank it, Baby!!!

zdorama:

@Yametekudasai It crosses my mind how Otaku that "Crank It" line is.

Yametekudasai:

Austin Powers accent?

Yametekudasai:

@zdorama I think your enthusiasm trumped any otaku factor! I rate Silver Cat 2nd but I can't blame Hanpei for peeking...

@zdorama Now hunting for Silver Cat pics. Found screencaps of a guest appearance on "Ultra Seven" Hmm, looks familiar. Some screencaps:

zdorama:

@Yametekudasai (after checking out website) Ooh, that's not nice to have such luscious pics and make them unclickable! Damn, that woman rocks!

zdorama:

@Yametekudasai As far as Silver Cat pics, there's always the Kikaida Book one, I suppose:

Yametekudasai:

Heyyy, what book had Violet Top Shell AND Pink Armadillo?! Seems like everything we had stopped at Carmine Spider...

zdorama:

Hahahaha, Well, the only one actually from the book was the Silver Cat one. The rest were from (I Believe) the Henshin Hall Of Fame site.

Yametekudasai:

Ahh, Stuart's (Kewalaka) site? Wonder if that guy is still into the henshin heroes...

Purely rhetorical question: if Red Jellyfish had a human form, who would she look like? I'm afraid to guess...

Yametekudasai:

@zdorama The "car broke down at the side of the road" trick resulting the mod chick stealing the Ultra Eye... Dang I gotta find that ep!

zdorama:

@Yametekudasai Oh Man, If you find that Episode, I'm gonna NEED a copy of that! SEVEN! SEVEN! SEVEN!

Yametekudasai:

@zdorama Was "only" able to find an AVI file with Spanish hardsubs (umm, thank you Google). Will upload later...

Yametekudasai:

This file took literally seconds to upload but shows up as a "real" file. Lemme know if you download something tangible. Funny sequence with Silver Cat chick...

zdorama:

Thanks for the link, downloading now! So...what's her name, the only name I see is …Tatsuko Mizue?

Yametekudasai:

Mizukami Takiko. Several 1960s movie credits, judging from the few Google pic links available.

…And the rest, as they say, is history!

ZOO: Hidamari no Shi

While high on my “Ryoko Kobayashi” fan mode after her terrific performance in the supernatural revenge thriller MAOU, I found she’d starred in a similarly spooky Twilight-Zone styled movie called ZOO in one of its five stories. That sounded interesting, and, happily enough, I was able to acquire a nice subtitled version over at DLAzn’s generous Asian Drama and Movie site.

Well, in the end, Ryoko’s story (a tale about a set of twins, both played by her) ended up being so-so, and I’m sad to say that statement rang true for most of the other segments, too. In fact out of the five, I only really liked a couple of them- the story SEVEN ROOMS starring Yui ichikawa as an abducted girl in a mysterious holding cell, and segment Four which, in direct contrast to the other tales, was a short clip that was completely animated.

It was this story that TOTALLY MADE THE MOVIE FOR ME!

This chapter was called HIDAMARI NO SHI, a story written and animated by Mizusaki Junpei and featuring perfect voice acting by Suzuki Kasumi and Suwaru Ryu. Hidamari No Shi tells a tale of a Scientist and his Robot Girl creation in a futuristic world not so different from our own...

The story opens with the girl robot awakening for the first time as she is introduced to her creator. The man has created this girl to cook, clean, and tend to the multitude of household chores, as well as other tasks that become clearer as time moves on. The girl accepts this readily and is ready to begin her new life.

She is told “Happy Birthday” as she is led to the house that will become her new home, and right off the bat she is learning how to prepare coffee, eager to learn all there is to do. Though she possesses an intelligent mind (as befitting any young girl), her naivety and clinical observations make her instantly likeable, and we can’t wait to join her on her learning expedition. In one scene, she is given coffee to drink and after one sip, states, “I dislike this taste.” After dropping in a cube of sugar, she happily says, “The increased sweetness makes it easier for my body to absorb it naturally” which of course is her own way of saying it’s yummy!

The girl is wide-eyed and curious about situations and the things around her, and the conversation between the two as the man explains each new discovery with her is both bittersweet and poignant as they cover various things like life and death…as well as the fate of humankind in the years gone by.

The great charm of this clip is the pacing. As the girl goes about her daily life, the viewer is allowed to look about and take in the scenery along with her, examining what she is examining, reacting as she reacts. Every action is deliberate and precise, every sentence of dialog meaningful and heartfelt, and as I’ve stated before, the voice talent is just awesome, fully fleshing out the animated characters onscreen and making the girl seem real and believable.

The story of HIDAMARI NO SHI is ultimately a philosophical one, for though the girl’s days are spent doing chores like laundry, tending the garden and fetching the water, there are also rabbits and butterflies in her life to observe and chase, sunrises and sunsets to experience, and the quiet, beautiful sound of wind-chimes as they tinkle in the breeze. Yes, he’s created her to cook and to clean, but beneath it all is the lesson he wants her to learn most, and that is the joy and gratitude of simply being alive.

Favorite J-Pop Singles: Moritaka Chisato / Suteki Na Tanjoubi

Well, here it is, that magical performance that introduced me to the Eight Wonder of the World that is---CHISATO MORITAKA’S LEGS!!!!
Yes, after coming off of Chisato’s incredible 1995 Red and White Festival performance of “Futari wa Koibito”, I was riding high on Moritaka Adoration, and was hungry for more! Seeing me recently consumed by Chisato-luv, one of my co-workers at Tower let me borrow his copy of the PREVIOUS year’s Kohaku (that would be the 1994 festival, natch), and once again I was wowed and just about floored by Chisato’s happy and genki tribute to Birthday celebrating with the peppy song SUTEKI NA TANJOBI!

Chisato’s segment begins with a rousing guitar chorus of The Beatles’ “Birthday” as the curtains open and the audience is treated to a HUGE birthday cake the size of which could only befit Godzilla, but the REAL treat is yet to come, as curtains in the middle of the “cake” part and Ms. Moritaka steps out- wearing the Prettiest Christmas outfit and YES!!!! Her Lovely legs clad in black stockings and topped off with high-laced boots, this was truly the stuff Birthday wishes are made of!!!

Like many of her energetic performances on her concert laserdiscs, when the song is an upbeat or frenetically paced song, Chisato rarely stops moving for even a second, and this bubbly perf of Suteki Na Tanjobi is NO EXCEPTION!!! Swaying side to side and bouncing back and forth this is the dance that my friend Gold dubbed the “Jiggly Dance”, especially at the end during the guitar outro! Chisato herself is fun- happy and beaming like she always is, and one cute thing is how her styled bangs curled back into her eyes and she spent most of the time blinking them back…!

Later I was to get Chisato’s latest (at the time) PV Collection, and though I was excited to finally see the video made to accompany Suteki Na Tanjobi….I have to say, quite frankly, I was disappointed. Instead of a sexy’n’fun dress, stockings and boots, we got Chisato dressed as a…farm hand? Yes. And no backing band or anything…well, except for the dude dressed in a cowboy puppet costume. Gack! Though many people associate this video with the song, give me that Live Kohaku performance ANY DAY!!!

In an interesting side note, I later acquired another live performance of Chisato doing Suteki Na Tanjobi, and what made THIS one interesting is that in the background, you see on rhythm guitar none other than future MR. Moritaka himself, EGUCHI YOSUKE!!

Kitagawa Keiko Does It Again!

   Just finished watching the hilarious and sometimes touching comedy movie THE HANDSOME SUIT starring Tsukaji Muga as Takuro, a self professed “ugly” and overweight cook at a side street eatery who dons a magical suit that transforms him into a suave and devilishly good-looking gentleman (played by Tanihara Shosuke) so he can win the affection of a cute waitress named Hiroko, played (of course) by the incredible Kitagawa Keiko.

Keiko's character is a quiet and pure girl who shyly comes into Muga's restaurant looking for a job, and Takuro's so shocked that such a beautiful young thing would want to work in HIS shoppe, he's almost too dumbstruck to reply! But his customers  snap him out of it and Hiroko begins working there as the waitress. 

Soon enough, Takuro's confessed his love to her, and the surprised girl can only ask, "WHY do You Love Me?" and when he answers back "Because You're So Pretty", she suddenly gives him the brush off and quits. It's then that he seeks out the mysterious HANDSOME SUIT to change his appearance so he can sweep Hiroko off her feet! 

But problems arise when Takuro (in his suit) confronts Hiroko and finds she doesn't like the slick type at ALL! In fact, Takuro's too thick to realize that the one she loves is Takuro himself! Instead, he finds himself getting involved in the hectic world of modelling and getting farther and farther out of Hiroko's reach....

Hmmm. While I can understand why a sweet and naïve young girl like Hiroko might be turned off by a showboating egomaniac like Shosuke Tanihara, I have a harder time believing she’d fall instead madly in love with Muga’s character, at least so much that she would go to such drastic measures as she does…

Ah well, in a movie, like this, common sense and credibility are thrown out the window, and you’re there to simply sit back and enjoy the ride, a feat that this movie does effortlessly! SO much fun, and MY does Keiko-chan look absolutely adorable as the shy and innocent Hiroko…! Thumbs Up!

PS: Was GREAT seeing the two MOP GIRL co-stars together again!!!