Ishikawa Hiroshi For The Unhappy

Miyazaki Aoi and Kutsuna Shiori in Petal Dance

  Boy, Japanese Director Hiroshi Ishikawa SURE likes making these grey, morose, meandering movies, doesn’t he? Those of you who have seen his 2002 Yuka Itaya flick “Tokyo Sora” or 2005 Aoi Miyazaki film “Su-Ki-Da” will know what I mean, and as soon as I began watching his 2013 movie Petal Dance and saw the film was shot through that familiar cold blue filter, I knew I was in for a movie that was more about people staring wistfully into space than any intriguing plot. “Oh No!” was my first reaction, “Please don’t let it be Su-Ki-Da all over again!"

Kutsuna Shiori as Haraki

Since the movie opened with star Aoi Miyazaki, I was already getting the Su-Ki-Da deja-vu, but fortunately, the movie was centered around upcoming actress Kutsuna Shiori, and though the movie WAS as slow-paced and meandering as I’d predicted, she gave the film just enough “umph” to keep me interested throughout, and in the end I have to say I rather enjoyed it!!

Miyazaki Aoi, Sakura Ando,Kutsuna Shiori, Fukiishi Kazue

“Petal Dance” concerns Shiori as a girl named Haraki who is worried that a friend has commited suicide. The last time she talked to her, she got the feeling that something dark was on her mind, and after saying a listless goodbye, she never saw her again.  This friend had once told her wishes come true when wished upon an object being carried by the breeze, and so lately Haraki has been praying to the wind that she’ll see her friend again, happy and smiling.

This theme of the Wind as an inspirational source as well as the theme of desperation and suicide are carried throughout the movie as Haraki meets up with Jinko (Aoi Miyazaki) and Motoko(Sakura Ando) who are taking a cross-country trip to visit a friend named Miki (Fukiishi Kazue) who may or may not have purposely jumped into the ocean and is now resting at a hospital.

So yeah, lots of soul-searching and winsome staring into the abyss, but all very beautifully captured on film, every scene is so pretty to look at, the slate greys and cobalt blues of the sleet, snow, sand and asphalt as the four girls drive the countryside really giving you a introspective feeling. So despite its hovering gloomy aura, in the end I came away from the film strangely satisfied…though now can't shake the feeling of loneliness, LOL!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

A K-Drama Lesson in Futility?

Kim Ji Won as Mean Girl Rachel

Argh, As I’ve mentioned before, the only real reason I’ve been watching the Park Shn Hye drama The Inheritors/The Heirs is for Kim Jiwon, but CRAP, I’m already up to episode 6 and so far her character of Rachel is still the same shallow and petty girl she was in the beginning. 
   Seriously, every time I think that there’s been a pivotal moment where I think Rachel has grown or at least changed motivations, in the very next scene she’s ALWAYS back pulling the same old clichéd one-dimensional rich-bitch “bullying” on poor Eun-Sang. This is getting SO OLD!

Park Shin Hye as Eun Sang

Really, it’s at the point where I’ve got to talk to someone who’s already seen the rest of the episodes so far, ‘cause if Rachel’s going to be like this throughout the entire series, I’d really rather bail than waste more time watching it. Sigh.

Eunsang Confronted at the Lockers....

by not only  a snippy Yoo Rachel...

But a snobby Lee Bo Na as Well!!! 

Aw, like I said earlier, I really thought Kim Jiwon’s character had a lot of promise at first, even though she played the clichéd bullying girl, I really thought they’d develop on that. But dammit, so far, nothing.
And while we’re at it, I might also add that Krystal’s character as equally snooty girl Lee Bo Na hasn’t developed any, either, LOL…
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your "Next Generation Global Stars": APink!!

ACube Cuties Apink were in attendance at this year's MAMA Awards and who should win the award for "Next Generation Global Stars" than the gals themselves!!! Hmmm, Good Choice!

Congrats, Girls!!! Looking Forward to watching you achieve the title in the coming year!!

Oh, and Lest I forget, a couple of OTHER Awards I happily noted were the
"Best Female Group" score by Girls' Generation (accepted by Seohyun and Hyoyeon)

and the "Style In Music" Award to the VERY Stylish SISTAR!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Until APinkNews4, There's APink Diary

Until that blessed day when the powers that be get around to ever making a fourth season to the awesome APINK NEWS, Apink fans can find solace in APINK DIARY, basically these short little clips of the girls touring around Asia, where we find that the girls are as sweet, funny and GOOFY as we remember them! 

So far, the Diaries have covered the girls touring through Japan, Taipei and Singapore and we're right along with the girls as they go about their daily Idolish Duties, from Airport to Car to Hotel and to a Concert, Fashion Show or Fanmeet...

...and they even have time to go exploring the sights, try out the local cuisine and run about the nightlife!

Th girls are looking great as usual, and in fact, is it my imagination or is Bomi getting prettier and prettier? One member I know for SURE is getting lovelier is our dear Ms Park Chorong, WOW, this new hairstyle of hers really suits her well- she's looking so much more like a pretty young lady!!!

Of course, the REAL draw of the show is the girls' own personalities, even when they're simply riding in the touring van or snuggling into their hotel beds for a good night's sleep, their charms shine brighter than ever! 

As usual, the girls are in top comedic mode backstage, even when just killing time playing videogames against each other:

And ya just GOTTA laugh when Bomi is backstage trying desperately to be funny, and is only met with cool silence (and Eunji's disparaging comments, LOL)

... or (in one of my ALL TIME fave scenes from Apink Diary) Hayoung and Bomi up in their room lipsynching to "The Gloomy Song" in their adorable APINK style! Anianianianiania

Awwww, Watching these clips makes me love Apink ALL OVER again, and I hope that even more are coming! And HEY, pretty soon we'll have a comeback and this whole thing will start up anew!!! O Happy Day!

PS: Special Thanks MUST go to the awesome BBOMI SUBS translators and subbers who've made watching all of these episodes such a JOY!!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Nine Muses' Lusciously Sexy Sera

Nine Muses' Luscious Sera Hits The Stage!

  So I was on a blogsite the other night where they’d uploaded a performance of Kpop Idol Group Nine Muses doing their new song “Gun”. I like Nine Muses well enough, and thought Gun as a pretty cool song when I'd heard it, but nothing made me want to investigate further than listening to the tune on my ipod…but they were quite enthusiastic about  the song and clip, so I decided to check it out.
  So I watched the live videoclip, and I gotta say I was blown away by the performance’s sheer energy from the get go- the girls’ have a HUGELY enthusiastic fan-cheering section, and that will ALWAYS bring the pulse-rates up, Then- WHOA… I spotted this LUSCIOUS thang sassily purring out her lines:

  HOLY TOLEDO, who WAS this lithe little VIXEN?!!! I HAD to find out!!! After a little sleuthing, I found out this babe’s name was Sera, and that live clip was no mistake- this chick was DAMN FINE!! More investigating was in order, so back onto the internet I went in search of even MORE live performances of this song…adn with each new viewing, my lust love became stronger and stronger- til I just HAD to report on my current obsession! I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

I’ll tell you one thing, though- Sera looks SOOO damn fine in their recent promotion that I’ve been downloading each and EVERY performance of “Gun” that I can find because I’m just DYING to see what she’ll be dressed up in in each individual stage- so far I’ve got her in shorts, skirts, leggings and jeans, and far as the BLOUSES go, we’ve got the whole gamut- from sensible checks and stripes, sexy sheer see-through, playful plaids, plastic purples, blacks, greens, grays, pinks and reds, she looks luscious in ALL OF THEM!

And ONE OTHER THING- besides the HUGE spectrum of fetching outfits and hairstyles (from straight, shag, ponytailed and otherwise), another thing I love about Sera is her accessories- she’s always adorned in these silver and gold necklaces and bracelets or ribbons and jeweled trinkets that really bring out her beauty even MORE- Little Queen of Sheba packed in a sexy Lil’ K-pop Idol!

Exploring more about the mysterious Sera, I came upon more thrilling news- she’s fluent in English! Saw her chatting away at a concert and was just AMAZED at how perfect her speech was- come to find out she went to school in Toronto Canada! She is REALLY turning into ONE HECKUVA interesting young gal!!!

Okay, now I’ve got to go back and re-watch some of Nine Muses older live performances of songs like “Ticket”, "Figaro" and “News”… MAN, was Sera ALWAYS this HOT and I just never noticed? LOL

PS: Just found out that even SERA has been on the cover of that tantalizing magazine MAXIM KOREA- MAN, is this ANOTHER issue I'm just going to HAVE to get???? 

Well...I think you already know the answer to THAT!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com