Night King (Yaoh 夜王)

    Just finished watching Episode #2 of “Night King” (Yaoh 夜王) starring Masahiro Matsuoka of TOKIO fame, and I have to say that it seems to be shaping up into a pretty interesting show. Probably the perfect balance of gorgeous gals (especially those of the MILF category, which I am a huge fan of) and guys (which keeps my girlfriend Car entertained, of course.)
  We’ve been big fans of Matsuoka since the days of dramas like “Love and Peace”, and were HUGE fans of the wacky “Heaven Cannot Wait” series with Masahiro and Jinnai Takanori, and were excited to catch his new show.
 Matsuoka stars as Ryosuke, a young man who has been working for about half a year at a host club called Romeo. Ryosuke has been introduced to the world of hosting through his benefactor, played by beautiful actress Rino Katase, and each episode deals with the many obstacles he must deal with on a regular basis, whether they be client problems (like pretty Mari Hoshino)  or dealing with rivals (such a Seiga, played by actor Kitamura Kazuki), everything counts as he works his way up the chain.

  His boss (played by Naito Takeshi) gives Ryosuke an ultimatum- he must become top host in three months or leave the club. What Ryo doesn’t know is that his boss has manufactured this timeframe as a favor for Miss Remi- It seems she is dying of cancer, and wishes to see her young protégé reach the top before she leaves. It’s this underlying story that strikes me the most, each episode seems really bittersweet, and I’m really looking forward to see how Ryo is going to accomplish his goals!


 When KIKU announced the show, I hadn’t heard of it before, and assumed it must be a new show , but when the credits rolled at the end, the theme song was “Mr. Traveling Man” by TOKIO, a single that places the drama at 2006, at least a year or so back!

A Song To Brighten Your Day: AAA / Music!!!

         I have to admit I wasn’t familiar with AAA the first time I saw them on 2005’s Japan Record Awards, but I’d certainly know them afterwards! They performed a rousing song called BLOOD ON FIRE that night which really impressed us- so full of excitement, and accompanied by energetic dance moves! Well, AAA (Triple A) won Best New Artist that night, and I knew we’d be hearing a lot more from them!


Comprised of 8 members including five guys and three gals, AAA (generally known to stand for ATTACK ALL AROUND) was the brainchild of AVEX TRAX guru Max Matsuura, when he handpicked various artists from his label to complete the powerful “Super” group idea of his. Featuring Naoya Urata, Takahiro Nishijima, Mitsuhiro Hidaka, Shinjiro Atae, Shuta Sueyoshi Misako Uno, Yukari Goto and Chiaki Ito , the band fused girl pop with hip hop and even a bit of Johnny’s thrown in for good measure! The band first came to prominence when they did the theme song BLOOD ON FIRE for the live action INITIAL D movie, and of course, the single went on to win the Taisho! We were hooked!


 A few months later we were in the car listening to AAA’s latest single when our kid (who was probably about 8 years old at the time) perked up and said, “This song sounds like it would be in High School Musical.” We sat back and listened again, and sure enough, it DID sound like it would fit right into the Disney Channel’s current playlist, at that!

In fact, it should be mentioned that AAA was marketed just like those New Mickey Mouse Club alumni, very easily accessible for all age markets. And did I mention how genki they were?
 Fast forward to 2008, and I’m browsing by one of my j-pop sites that feature new PVs of the latest singles, and I see they’ve got the new AAA song “Music!!!” posted up (along with the flip side / double A song “Zero”), and I quickly downloaded the Vid right away!


When I finally sat down to watch / listen to the new single, I was overwhelmed at how “happy” the song was! All bubbly and optimistic, with the chorus of  “clap your hands!” It really sounded like they were celebrating the joy of Music!



          And MAN, if I thought they sounded like J-pop versions of “High School Musical” THEN, was I surprised at how much they’d RETAINED that sound… they sounded even more like j-pop equivalents of S Club 7, complete with signature cheery refrains and dance moves! Take a listen to the tune- you’ll be glad you did!


PS: Watching the video, I noticed that they seemed to be shy a girl, and sure enough, when I checked up on it, I found that member Goto Yukari had left, apparently due to health reasons. Ganbatte, Yukari-chan, hope you make it back!

Favorite J-Pop Singles: Da Pump / Rhapsody In Blue

    Among the singles I purchased in 1999 was  a song featuring a great beat called “Rhapsody in Blue” by the vocal/dance outfit called Da Pump.

 I didin’t really buy a lot of “guy group” songs back then, but I was REALLY impressed with their performance on the Kohaku Uta Gassen that New Year’s Day. Their singing and timed dance moves really got me “into” the song, and I promptly went down to the japanese record store Hakubundo on my lunch break and picked up the single later that same week!

 I remember one of my co-workers who also like J-pop [favorite band: Luna Sea] decided to accompany me on my trek to the record store, inquiring me as to just what single I was hoping to pick up, and I stuttered a bit before saying, "Er…Um..Well, that Da Pump song.” She then (to my relief) simply nodded, and said “Oh, Rhapsody in Blue? Yeah, that song is good, huh?” WHEW!

I was going to wait a while before posting this particular track, especially since I’d just recently run an entry on  SMAP a few entries ago, but when I was talking to a friend, he mentioned that he’d JUST downloaded Da Pump’s greatest Hits package “Da Best of a Pump” the night before! This to me was a great sign telling me the time was right for this post!

Favorite J-Pop Singles: Mi-Ke / Kanashiki Teddy Boy

Mi-Ke was an early 90’s idol group featuring Utoku Keiko, Murakami Haruka and Watanabe Mami. Onstage they presented a fun and wacky persona, as j-pop Idol fanpage Encyclopedia Idollica notes, “They had to be seen to be truly appreciated!”


Renting episodes of the old “Sound Arena” show for performances of Chisato Moritaka and Miho Nakayama, I came across this performance by Mi-Ke of their 5th single called “Kanashiki Teddy Boy”. Being a huge fan of groups like CoCo , Ribbon and Qlair, I was always ready to check out any new idol groups, and Mi-Ke was a group I’d always wanted to hear!

One of the first things that caught my eye ( besides Haruka and Mami’s wacky dancing) was the extemely pretty Keiko Utoku, functioning as more or less the “main” singer (at least for THIS song), and it was her terrific voice that overrode any qualms I had about enjoying this catchy 50’s style rock ‘n’ Roll number! I had to have this single!


Once Again, I had fallen in love with a single that was out of print! You have to understand that back in the days before the internet, If a single was unavailable for ordering, you were pretty much out of luck! Fortunately, there were several used j-pop CD stores I could visit, and it was at one of them that I found my beloved copy of Mi-Ke’s KANASHIKI TEDDY BOY!


After Mi-Ke, Keiko Utoku would go on to enjoy a successful solo career as well, and as you can see by this performance of “Good-By Morning”  below, she still has that great voice, and has managed to become even prettier!!

More Miyazaki: Tada, Kimi Wo Aishiteru

So I finally got around to watching the Aoi Miyazaki / Tamaki Hiroshi movie “Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru” (Heavenly Forest)”, and overall, I have to say that the movie was pretty darn great!

 The movie showcases Aoi Miyazaki portraying probably her dorkiest character to date in Shizuru, the runny-nosey nerd who follows Tamaki Hiroshi’s character Makoto around first as a curiosity, then gradually as an enduring friendship. The charisma between the two actors is terrific, and at once you know the two misfits are made for each other, and find yourself hoping they will realize it themselves!

  Despite having the perfect (albeit flawed) girl right in front of him, Makoto only has eyes for classmate Miyuki, and really, who can blame him? As played by gorgeous actress Kuroki Meisa, Miyuki is the total embodiment of unattainable pretty, that holy-grail-ish purity a la John Hughes movies, and when she actually gives Makoto the time of day, no one can fault him for developing tunnel vision for her!

  Of course, anyone with a heart knows that Makoto will only find true happiness with nerdy Shizuru, and I think that’s saying something for how lovable Miyazaki’s character is that I found myself yearning for her, and getting irritated whenever Miyuki entered the picture!

Only in a situation like this would I be more attracted to a gal like Shizuru:

over a delicious babe like Miyuki:

but that’s just how it happened! The movie is just crammed full of great characters, and the forest backdrops where Shizuru and Makoto go to take photographs and forget their troubles are almost surreal, like they’ve wandered into painted pictures! All these elements made for a very solid story, and I found that even weeks after I’d watched it, I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. I’d be walking about, right as rain, when I’d suddenly think about the show and become melancholy!

The story of the two nerdy students, the romantic triangle with the “pretty” student, and the “heavenly forest” they escape to, will leave a mark on you, no question about it! Like dramas like Summer Snow, you’ll find yourself thinking about it for years to come!

A story about friendship, love, and the impact we have on each others lives.