After All This Time, Narsha is Still My Brown Eyed Girls Bias

Defconn and Hyungdon welcome Brown Eyed Girls

Gain, Narsha, Jea, Miryo

Brown Eyed Girls stopped by Weekly Idol this past month promoting their latest single "Brave New World", and MAN they were so much fun, sassy and playful, and I was once again reminded of just WHY Narsha has been my BEG bias for so long (ever since first seeing her on Invincible Youth all those years ago) ... I've always thought she was so gorgeous, and that was back with her hair in a bob- Now with her hair all long and lustrous, her appeal has gone into overdrive...GODDAMN SHE IS SO FREAKING SEXY!!!

There was one funny scene where resident BEG rapper Miryo won a challenge and the onscreen captioners then posted the overall personalities of the remaining members and got it pretty much spot on: Narsha: "Bright", Jea: "Blank" (LOL) and Ga-in: "Gloomy" HAHAHA that describes them to a T!

Weekly Idol has a real talent for bringing out the best in their guests...Really sad that Hungdon is on hiatus from the show (anxiety ailment), him and Defconn made the greatest foils for the guys and gals who come onto the show, I hope they can continue the good stuff!

Check Out the episode here, all fully subbed!

EDIT: Hey, I just realized it's Narsha's Birthday Today!! Congratulations!!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Cool Rina Takeda CM!

Came across the most interesting CM featuring this adorably alluring young gal all done up for a night on the town, before casting her pearls away and getting down to business…

WHOA! Now, I was NOT expecting THAT!  “Use Your Head, Use The Card”…seems this riveting clip was shot for a Saison International Credit Card Commercial. But WHO WAS THIS GIRL? Well, to find out I was next lead to a very cool “Making Of” video- seems this gal was a Ms. RINA TAKEDA,  the Karate Expert/Japanese action movie Actress famous for High-Kick Schoolgirl as well as other action films!

Browsing around on the other youtube links about her, seems Rina's made all the usual Japan variety show circles, performing karate moves and her famous head-butting finish!
As I watched, her name kept sounding so familiar to me...and then I realized she was one of the gym girls in the Eriko Sato drama Koko Ga Uwasa No El Palacio!!! Well what do you know about that!!! I DID know her!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

FNS Kayosai 2015!

2015 FNS Kayosai

Haven’t caught the FNS Kayosai in a while but wanted to see what Chisato Moritaka was going to be offering us this year~ Since she was co-host I thought they’d showcase a few of her songs, and made a point to grab the special when it came up! Chisato's stage ended up being a tofubeats remix of her 1995 song “LaLa Sunshine” ...I was disappointed that she didn't do another medley like before, but still, she looked and sounded as terrific as she always did!

Chisato Moritaka: LaLa Sunshine with tofubeats

Woooot! Gal still GOT IT!

 The FNS Kayosai is pretty famous for bringing back old nostalgic guests, and they did it again this year, surprising me with the return of My Little Lover! Boy, I really liked this act back in the day and it was great seeing them again, performing their classic “Hello Again”! Mmm, Akko-chan has aged gracefully!

My Little Lover Akko

"Hello Again" My Little Lover

It was Johnny’s groupV6’s 20th Anniversary, so they opened the show with a medley of their past hits sung with other johnnys groups like NEWS, Sexy Zone, Tackey and Tusbasa and the like- When they got around to singing “Honey Beat”, it really took me back! Too bad they didn’t do “Over”, my all-time favorite song from them…

V6 20th Anniversary Medley!

And on the Johnny’s front, this is the first time I’ve seen KAT-TUN since they because a foursome (yes, their name should be a proper KTUN right now) and it looks and sounds like they’re doing just fine without Tanaka and Akanishi! And taking a look at NEWS, it looks like quite a FEW Johnnys groups are now down to 4 members, ne?

KAT-TUN

NEWS

Once again the Year End specials were a big GIRL GROUPS thing, with acts like the E-Girls Super Team, Momoiro Clover-Z and the AKB48 troupes out in full force! Morning Musume’15 did a rousing perf of “Love Machine”, making me realize just how long it has been since Momusu were the “new” gals on the block!

Hello Project and AKB48 "Love Machine"

Hello Project and AKB48

E-Girls

Dream

Flower

Happiness

 Whoa, and check out HAPPINESS! Seems like only yesterday they were a cute little group singing catchy little tunes (I just loved their single Happy Talk), now they've all grown up into these cool and sultry groovin'  ladies!

Happiness

AKB48 and Momoiro Clover Z

The Cute, The Zany: Momoiro Clover Z

And speaking of Girl groups, on the SKE48 front,  just before their stage singing “Okey-Dokey”, Team Leader Miyazawa Sae announced her graduation! An emotional performance for the girls!

SKE48

Pretty Sae Miyazawa Announces Graduation

  One complaint I had about this year’s broadcast was the AWFUL sound! Oh, the VOCAL track was fine, but all the other music:  Guitars, Bass, Drums, Keyboards, etc, were mixed down SO low that you just couldn’t really get into the songs… this is the FNS, folks, Get yo STUFF TOGETHER!!!
   Not that any mixed-down backing music stopped Kiyoe Yoshioka from making the most of HER peformance- She and Ikimonogakari were, in my opinion, one of the best performances this year, so cute, so fun, and she was so over-the-top GENKI! Oh, if ONLY the music was a bit LOUDER!

Ikimonogakari

Kiyoe Launches into the Stratosphere!

Well, that's the report for THIS year's offering! See Ya All NEXT year!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Yumi Matsutoya Songs Special

The Legendary Yumi Matsutoya

I was in a bit of a Yuming Mood this weekend and had been listening to some of my favorite albums from her, when in a happy coincidence I discovered one of NHK's Year-End specials featured Yuming herself!!! The Special was called YUMI MATSUTOYA SONGS SPECIAL  and this was a “Documentary and Live “ Special following Yumi as she travels to visit various memorable locations.

Yuming In France

Homeland of the Little Prince

   Yuming was asked to record a song for the Japanese release of “The Little Prince”, and they followed Yumi as she visited the France homeland of Little Prince author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. 

The Little Prince film

I have to say, watching the magical animated images of planes swooping and gliding around made me think of the Studio Ghibli Movie Kiki’s Delivery Service, where they used Yumi’s “Yasashisa Ni Tsutsumareta Nara” as the ending credits  song against the backdrop of flying planes… and then Yuming came onstage with a orchestra…and began singing that VERY song!
The original 1976 version was a poppy, guitar-strumming toe tapper, here we have the older and wiser Yuming singing a very elegant version, with just her vocals accompanied by lush strings. Man, what an entrancing performance!

"Yasashisa Ni Tsutsumareta Nara”

  The second half of the special featured Yumi visiting Nagasaki Prefectural High School. Way back in 1974, she had been asked by a young girl student there if she could write a song for their School. The song she wrote ended up being the wonderful “Hitomi O Tojite”, which would of course go on to become one of her most popular and enduring songs.
  They showed this wonderful footage of Yuming visiting the school back in the 70’s where they dedicated a plaque and sculpture in her honor, and now in 2015, in celebration of the school’s 50th Anniversary,  she has gone back to visit, talk to the teachers and students, reminisce about the past and encourage the youths and their future. 

Yuming in the 70's

Nagasaki School Dedication

A Touched Yuming!

Visiting again in 2015

Arigato Matsutoya San!

The segments concludes with Yumi playing the piano and singing Hitomi o Tojite with the students, a VERY sweet and emotional performance,  and yep I got weepy eyed, that’s for sure…what a song, what an ARTIST!

"Hitomi O Tojite"

  The Special concluded with Yuming returning home to pen “Kizukazusugita Hatsukoi”, the beautiful song for the Little Prince Movie and then performing it with her band for the show’s closure. With its gentle tones and sleigh-bell background, this song not only captured the magic of the movie, but served as a perfect Christmas tune, as well! Yuming, still as amazing as she ever was!

Writing for "The Little Prince"

Performing “Kizukazusugita Hatsukoi”

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Okitegami Kyoko No Biboroku 終わり

Just wrapped up watching the Yui Aragaki/Masaki Okada drama "Okitegami Kyoko No Biboroku" and OH MY GOSH was it AWESOME! I love, love love this drama SO MUCH! As you all know from my frequent postings, I've loved this drama from its very FIRST episode and as each episode progressed, I found I only loved it more and more!

 The thing about this drama is that it isn't just an episodic detective show with a new mystery every episode (though of course, there IS that), but the story Yakusuke (Okada), a hapless and unlucky guy, who is in love with Okitegami (Aragaki) the beautiful detective who's repeatedly hired to get him out of his messes. Only trouble is, Kyoko is a "Forgetful Detective" whose memory resets every day and every time he meets her, she has forgotten him! As each chapter went on, however, the bond between the two grew and deepened til you knew just SOMETHING was going to happen! It was THIS underlying tale that really makes the show for me.

 As with all J-dramas I've invested a lot of my heart into, I'm always wary with final episodes as they tend to ruin the story and characters for the sake of a "twist" ending, and I was praying that Okitegami Kyoko wouldn't fall into that trap. Thankfully, what I got was an entirely satisfying conclusion that, while it didn't have earth-shattering consequences, left me feeling giddy and happy! Even shed a tear or two, MAN was this a GREAT FREAKING SHOW!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Racing Towards The End With Okitegami Kyoko

  Just finished watching the penultimate episode of Okitegami Kyoko No Biboroku and it ended with SUCH a freaking COMPELLING cliffhanger...ARGH I am simply BESIDE MYSELF GAHHH Can't WAIT for the FINAL EPISODE to get translated and subbed!!!!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Next Up, My Ribbon Collection!

Back when my entire world was about CoCo, I couldn't help but also fall in love with CoCo's Pony Canyon sister group RIBBON as they were all part of the Paradise GoGo and Otomejuku Matsuri scene and would regularly appear alongside each other in concerts!
 A trio of powerful vocalists, girls Hiromi, Arimi and Aiko's music style was of a slightly harder rocking edge than Coco and though nowadays Ribbon are probably best known for being the act where actress Hiromi Nagasaku came from, back then they were the rocking "Rolling Stones" counterpart to CoCo's pure pop "Beatles" sound!

My Ribbon Collection:
Ribbon CDs

Lucky Point

Wonderful Deikou!

Jessica

Delicious

Knight

R753 

More Delicious

Hoshi No Ki No Shita De

Merry-Hurry

Rock N Roll Ribbon

Singles

Ribbon Singles

Little Date

Sobani Iru Ne

Ano koni Yoroshiku

Virgin Snow

Taiyo no Yukue

Silent Summer

Sore Wa Iwanai Yakusoku

Deep Breath

Taiyo ni Hi Wo Tsukete

"S"ENSATIONAL WIND

Do You Remember Me?

Be My Diamond!

Yoake Nande Iranai

Ribbon Laserdiscs

Parade Parade!! Ribbon First Concert

Harlem Night Joint

Harlem Night

Extra

Bootle Ribbon

Hiromi Nagasaku CDs and Singles

Hiromi Nagasaku CD

N

Here And Now

Hiromi Nagasaku Singles

My Home Town

Without You

Ai ni Kite

Ribbon Photobooks and Magazines

Ribbon Photobook

Heaven

Hiromi Nagasaku Photobook

UK Asagan

Hiromi Nagasaku Magazine

Weekly Playboy

Shukan Post

In Red

Way back when Pony canyon released CoCo's Laserdisc catalog onto DVD (well, most of 'em, anyway) It was announced that Ribbon's concerts were the next project to get the DVD treatment...Sadly, the feedback from fans over the CoCo DVDs quality were largely negative, and all future titles were withdrawn. To date no such DVD releases are expected, but nostalgia grows strong, and one can only hope they'll eventually do what's right!!!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com