Mannequin Five Babes: Kanbe Ranko

A series of Breathtaking Beauties who've appeared as guest judges on Arashi’s MANNEQUIN FIVE corner and have totally entranced me, tonight's M5 Guest Goddess is:

 Kanbe Ranko [神戸蘭子]

Airdates: 05.29.2009

and 11.19.09

Fashion Model

Part One:

Episode Screencaps:

(any incidental subs by the awesome Angeldevils team)

Happy personality Kanbe Ranko came by to guest judge the Mannequins,this time with the theme of "summer". She carefully scrutinizes each outfit, and by the way, It MUST be said what an ADORABLE voice Ranko has... So CUTE!

She seems interested in Matsujun's hat accessory...

...and has a bit of a problem with Sho's PINK t-shirt 

underneath,  the second time someone 's pointed it out!

Though she has some comments about Ohno's jacket,
She admits rather liking it...

But in the end, It's MatsuJun!
LOL, Sho can't hide his disappointment!

Then it's off to the victory table, where Ranko continued looking
 cute, having a few laughs with Matsujun and Aibachan!!

This was only the first of many appearances on the show, and the next time Ranko-chan came on, it was a HISTORICAL day in the life of MANNEQUIN FIVE, for it was the "Red Outfit" theme where Sho famously debuted his "Parka on top of another Parka", and it is RANKO HERSELF who dubs the ensemble the legendary DOUBLE PARKA!

Looking STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS, Ranko has returned!

Such a HAPPY disposition!!! KAWAII

The naming of a LEGEND!!! Ranko dubs Sho's outfit
the "Double Parka" LOL, look at Sho's face AHAHAHA

Hmmm....thinks Ranko...

Fun's fun, but now to get on with her purchase, and she chooses...

Fujimoto! Stunned to be picked before the ARASHI guys!

Arigato, Ranko-Chan, You are sugoi Kawaii, Hontoni!!!

Part Two:

The Tale Of The Tape i.e. Why We Love Her:

Various Kanbe Ranko Pics from around the Web

See also: Mannequin Five Babes Nishiyama Maki

Horikita Maki eating Gohan

Takanori Jinnai channels "Tigger" on Music Station

Long before he was pulling out befuddled "Mr. Bill" faces on the wacky drama Stalker Sasao-Onna, actor Takanori Jinnai was flipping his lid on Music Station, bouncing around like Tigger in the "Winnie The Pooh" cartoons. Bet if he did even a little bit of this performance on Akiko Hinagata, she would have immediately given up stalking him and stayed FAR AWAY from then on!

And Here's Tigger channeling Jinnai Takanori...

And to prove you shouldn't let me stay too long with the video-editor,

Takanori  Jinnai REALLY channeling Tigger...

LOL, OK, that was a bit much..Still not as silly as the last episode of Stalker, though. AHAHA

Favorite J-Pop Singles: MAX / Tora Tora Tora

Probably the first group I loved after the huge explosion of obsession I had with the discovery of CoCo was NAMIE AMURO with SUPER-MONKEYS, a group I'd seen pretty regularly on j-music shows like POP JAM and Hey Hey Hey. I’d picked up Namie’s DANCE TRACKS VOl.1 and her solo single CHASE THE CHANCE, then Tower Records brought in the Super Monkeys’ ENTIRE back catalog of singles, and it was there I became a HUGE fan!

One day, a co-worker noticed my new mania for Namie and the Super Monkeys, and offhandedly said to me, “You know that after Namie went solo, the other girls in Super Monkeys continued on as a new group, right?”

“WHAT!!!?!” I excitedly exclaimed, causing my co-worker to jump back with mock alarm. This was AWESOME NEWS! In fact, I had actually been WONDERING whatever had happened to the other girls after Super Monkeys demise!

Looking into it, I found out that my co-worker was absolutely RIGHT: Nana, Mina Reina and Rina had come together as a new AVEX TRAX dance group called MAX and their latest single was a song called TORA TORA TORA!

I immediately put in a special order for that single and figured I had a few weeks to go before I could get it and hear just what the girls sounded like, bur as fate would have it, MAX appeared on the latest MUSIC STATION type I’d rented that weekend!  And the song they were on the show to promote? You guessed it- TORA TORA TORA! YATTA!

Hearing the song for the first time blew me away- catchy changes mixed with sassy dance moves, a perfect example if the AVEX TRAX sound, but what really knocked me out was how fricking CUTE the girls were!! Dressed in these adorable checkered outfits & white go-go boots, these girls totally took me in with their beaming smiles, and I fell in love BIG TIME!

At the time, the girl that really caught my fancy was the luxuriously long-haired NANA, but MAX became the one group where EVERY member became was my favorite at one point or another, I just LOVED them ALL!

I must have played and PLAYED that Music Station performance OVER AND OVER like 10 times, it was sooo good! I played that clip so much that my brother started wondering WHAT THE HECK was going on!!

A few weeks my single came in, and I even found out that they’d released two lesser-known singles BEFORE Tore Tora Tora, and I made sure I got THOSE singles, too! From there came a long lasting love of the group that introduced me to SO many other things!

More Kitagawa Keiko Goodness

Here it is, the miraculous clip that can heal sickness, stop wars, and possibly even raise the dead, the legendary video of Keiko Kitagawa as violinist Shirakawa Riko sassily strutting her sweet lil' booty in for a job interview in the drama BUZZER BEAT. She's about to meet with a violinist she idolizes, so her hips have a bit more a swing in them!

At the time I discovered this heavenly scene, I didn’t have any means of sharing it with y’all except in screencaps, which, although still nice, just doesn’t capture that sashaying magic of actually seeing Kei-tan's backside in motion!

So Anyway, I am a Keiko Lover, and I love to Run…

I’m sorry- I’m thinking about Keiko Again…I really Love Keiko!

Kiritani Mirei in Jotei Kaoruko

When the Producers of JOTEI KAORUKO cast pretty Mirei Kiritani as the lead character Nishimura Saya in their drama, they knew best how to utilize the adorable actress to her fullest potential as a small-town girl turned Ginza Hostess, and that was to simply get that girl onscreen, drape her in the most stunning outfits they could find, and let her SHINE! 

To that end, they've made sure that she has a different look and change of clothes for every scene she’s in! From waking up, communting to work, having lunch and of course hostessing, Mirei’s Saya character has an impeccable wardrobe for each occasion to draw from, turning each scene into a drama-sized fashion show!

From Casual Cute stylings  

Soon graduating to more professional outfits

…As well as the “Sexy n Savvy” look.

The obligatory Schoolgirl “seifuku” outfit…

Somber Mouring Outfits…

Silky Negligees...

 the traditional Kimono...

And of COURSE, absolutely STUNNING evening gowns as befitting the sultry style of a Ginza Empress!

Yes, each and every episode is just crammed full of these beautiful dresses, but nothing can top my personal favorite Mirei Kiritani outfit of the entire series-
(drumroll, please)…

...NOTHING AT ALL!

YES! The Outfit everyone can agree on!  I keed, I keed...!

In between these stunning sets we see cute and adorable Mirei Kiritani we're known and loved shining through, particularly when she's in doubt or is being "girly (like talking to her beau on the phone...)

Ah, Mirei-chan, you’re SUCH a SWEETIE, is it any WONDER that men just want to drool and slobber all OVER  YOU? LOL

Ewwww! Squeaks Mirei!

Kuroki Meisa Aboard Space Battleship Yamato

Yes, I know that SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO has a long and cherished place in the classic Sci-Fi Anime Canon, but for me, there was ever only ONE reason to check out the 2010 Live-Action movie starring Kimura Takuya, and that was to feast upon the luscious visuals of gorgeous Kuroki Meisa, and in THAT regard, I was ENTIRELY SATISFIED! WOOT!

As the Tuff Rebellious Yuki Mori, Meisa's the original Riot Grrl of the ship, easily decking anyone who gets in her face, knocking them out cold without as much as a look-back! But MAN does she look great in those leather pants...!

Aw, but soon enough we get to see the tender side of her (such as it is) and once she's aired her grievances with Kimura Takuya's Kodai, she amiably joins forces with the boys, and they're off to go "Where no man has gone before"...or words to that effect, anyway.

Probably the moment that hit highest on the Kuroki-Meter for me was when Mori becomes an oracle for the explorers,  has all of her armour magically blown off and we get to see her give a trance-like delivery in a sexy little purple tank top. Too bad she looks so spookily ALIEN!

But soon  enough, she's back to her cute lil' self and back into Kodai's arms, a moment that even Kimutaku himself probably enjoyed!

Overall, I have to say that this was a pretty rockin' movie, with great special effects and sound, plus a stellar cast of all-stars playing interesting characters. We're even treated to the view of pretty Meisa back on Home Turf and back into those dresses I love so much!

A New Life Awaits you in the Off-World Colonies! Um, oops, wrong movie..

Harada Natsuki eating Ramen

This Is Not A Final Fantasy Post.

I used to spend quite a bit of my spare time at work sculpting these Barbie-type girls out of foam, even going as far as making outfits for them afterwards!  To sculpt them in their various poses, I used to have to picture the finished figure in my head before beginning carving. You would have thought I’d have picked up one of those wooden jointed figures to help with the poses, but what I REALLY wanted was something to help me configure the structure in the girls’ faces!

One day my friend and I were browsing through a hobby shop in town, and I came upon this most BEAUTIFUL Figure of a Japanese Girl.  The detail in it was just incredible, and I remember holding it and peering through the plastic window of the box and exclaiming, Oh My GOD, the detail  on this Girl’s FACE is just AMAZING!!!

Now, THIS was the kind of reference Doll I needed to help with my sculptures! But then I saw the price and was taken aback by its price tag of $49.95. Whoa- That was like, FIFTY BUCKS! Though I thought the craftsmanship of the figure was excellent, I didn’t have that kind of money, so back on the shelf it went!

Fast forward to a few months later, and I’m at another Comic/Hobby store and I see that identical Figure of that Japanese Character, only this time it’s been red-tagged at an amazing $19.99! Well, you just COULDN’T beat THAT! So I purchased that girl RIGHT AWAY!!!

After using the doll as reference a few times, it went back in the box and instead  of helping me in my artroom, went onto my mantle above my Album and DVD Collection with some of my other collectibles. She sure looked beautiful there!

Years Later, I’d invited a few of my fellow J-pop fanatics over to watch Princess Princess Concerts on laserdiscs, when one of them glanced over at the display shelf, and excitedly yelled, “HEY, YOU’VE GOT YUNA! I GOT THAT SAME FIGURE! WOWWW….I DIDN’T KNOW YOU LIKED FINAL FANTASY! I’VE GOT YUNA, LULU, ETC…”

“Dude”, I interjected, “Sorry, but I totally bought this figure ONLY because I thought the chick was hot and well-made. I don’t know the FIRST THING about Final Fantasy, and I have to tell you that until you said it, I’m not even sure I knew her name was Yuna!”

He gave me a disgusted look and I could tell that to him, this “Yuna” was a precious character that meant a lot to him. He dropped the subject but gave me the feeling he was thinking that someone who didn’t know/appreciate Final Fantasy had NO BUSINESS owning a nice collectible like that! FF Collectibles were meant to be collected by fans of FF!

I can sympathize to a degree. I had a friend whose parents bought him all kinds of toys growing up, and as an adult, I was in his room  and saw that among the many toys he’d saved was one of those 24” SHOGUN WARRIORS dolls, the one of DRAGUN. 

“WOW!” I said, “I didn’t know you liked GETTA ROBO–G! I have the GREAT MAZINGER one and the YUSHA RAIDEEN one, but I’ve NEVER seen DRAGUN til now!” to which he glanced over at the doll and said, “Oh, is THAT who that is? I dunno, my Parents bought that for me at a Swap Meet when I was a Kid.” I went “D’OHHHH”! LOL!

An Ayaka Komatsu Query

You know, though I love actress Karina to death, I'm really not a fan of those "teacher + troubled students" type of dramas, so when I found out that her latest show MISAKI NUMBER ONE involved her being a hostess who's also a teacher, I made sure I stayed away!

 Recently, however, I've been getting a LOT of visitors who're coming to this site primarily for this old Ayaka Komatsu pictorial I posted, and the only thing I can think of to explain this sudden surge of interest  is that Ayaka (who's a fellow hostess) must be either super-cute and/or sexy as hell in the show. 

Or Both. Hmmm.

Downloading Episode One Now, I HAVE to see for myself! LOL


In the meantime, enjoy this sizzling pictorial of Ayaka rocking a fur stole and not much else...