2015 Kohaku Uta Gassen Highlights

Ayase Haruka, Kuroyanagi Tetsuko (!) and Inohara Yoshihiko

It was another year of Nostalgia for me with this year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen as many of the guests appearing were from when I FIRST got into J-pop, not only was seeing their faces again a throwback, but they even performed the songs from way back when that I loved!
Masaharu Fukuyama doing "Hello", V6 doing "Music for The People, I had to check to make sure I hadn't timeslipped abckk to 1995!

V6

TOKIO

TOKIO rocked out with their great “Ambitious Japan”, a song that has in a lot of ways become their signature song! Is it just me or is Nagase getting scuzzier and scuzzier with each Kohaku, LOL

AAA

AAA were back and I'm always happy to see them appear…just wish they’d sing some of the more FUN type of songs they used to sing back in the day! Mmm, the girls Chiaki and Misako are looking as fine as ever!

Takashi Hosokawa

Ayako Fuji

On the enka side my two fave perfs were Hosokawa Takashi doing a fun song called “Kokoro No Kori” and on the Red Team’s side I was THRILLED to hear Ayako Fuji doing a smooth version of Eternal Idol Momoe Yamaguchi’s rocking “Manjushaka”, WOW!!!

Akiko Wada

The first time I ever saw 1970’s Akiko Wada performing, it was doing her cool song “Waratte Yurushite’ and so it was a real gas seeing her performing it here in all her masculine glory, LOL! Gotta say, this woman really gets the crowd up and at ‘em!

E-Girls

Though this night was all about the acts of the past, a few newer acts I loved were E-Girls’ performance of “Dance Dance Dance”, a VERY catchy song, and AKB48 doing their  (now classic) “Flying GET”. One interesting thing about AKB is now that I’ve gotten to know Anna Iriyama from the drama SIREN, I can’t help but see her adorable face smiling out from wherever she happens to be standing! So Cute! 

AKB49 with Anna Iriyama, center behind

(BTW, Anna Iriyama as Sailor Mars? Hell YES!)

Yumiko Udo and Nao Matsushita

Ikimonogakari performed their song “Arigato”, the theme song from the NHK Asadora GeGeGe No Nyobo froma few years back, and while it was a very good perf, what really made it for me was having cutie pie Nao Matsushita on hand to introduce the song!

X JAPAN

One of the first acts I ever saw on the Kohaku back in 1995 was X Japan (doing their incredible “Rusty Nail”) and it was great seeing them reunited once again  20 years later! 

Miki Imai

The absolute highlight of this years Kohaku for me HAS to be the Miki Imai performance, where she sang  “Piece Of My Wish”, one of my all-time favorite J-pop songs and one that I’ve always wanted to see her do on the Red and White! Finally got my wish, and she was as awesome as I’d hoped!

SMAP

SMAP were back again and besides doing their latest single, they performed “Triangle” one of their later songs that I really like, one that they’ve actually done a few times on past re dand Whites…

Seiko Matsuda

After getting over the shock of not seeing Saburo Kitajima on the show, I was pleasantly surprised to see fave Seiko Matsuda as the closer of this year’s Kohaku, and more pleased to see that she wasn't doing her Red and White staple “Anata Ni Aitakute”, but the awesome, awesome  “Akai Sweet Pea” instead!
Aw yeah, It was another blast from the past for me this year!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

A Double Trouble Update!

Hinako Sano and Anna Iriyama are Back!

YATTA! Just watched the latest episode of the Fumino Kimura/Tori Matsuzaka mystery drama “Siren”, and I was thrilled to find that my earlier wish that those adorable Call Girls played by Hinako Sano and Anna Iriyama become recurring characters came true! Yes, seems both Ai and Rena have become relevant secondary characters on the show, characters that actually do things,and they are as cute as ever!

Aww, they are so much fun in every scene they're in...I'm just praying that they don't end up like so many of the OTHER call girls on this show...Not so cute when you are sleeping with the fishes!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Double Trouble with Hinako Sano and Anna Iriyama in "Siren"

Hinako Sano and Iriyama Anna

Was watching the latest episode of the wildly captivating mystery drama SIREN, when who should appear onscreen but pretty Hinako Sano, that cute little thang I discovered and liked so much in Jigoku Sensei Nube! 

As "Double" Call Girls Ai and Rena!

Detective Satomi (Tori Matsuzaka) has been investigating a Host Club undercover as a client to see how they operate. Under the guise of a Rich potential client, he plays along when they set him up in a room and ask for his order. The naïve Satomi gamely tries to order like he knows what he’s doing, but doesn’t know what he’s in for when he inadvertently orders a “Double” special from the club. His heart just about leaps out of his chest when he realizes he has ordered himself not one, but TWO flirty and giggly young callgirls to his room!

Hinako as Ai and Anna as Rena

Such sweetly Inoocent faces...

As soon as I saw the character “Ai” I laughed out loud going, “It’s Sano Hinako!” At the time I didn’t know who the other equally adorable actress playing “Rena” was, but I was to later find out it was Iriyama Anna, she of AKB48 fame!

...that quickly turn catty!

Aw, these two girls were so much FUN! Taking his reluctance to engage in sex as shyness, they are all over him, teasing  him and smothering him as he tries to get information about the club!

Satomi trying to keep his Composure...

But can he win against the cuteness of Ai...

...or the sultriness of Rena?

He can't! Satomi makes a break for the Bathroom!

You had to laugh because those two dizzy girls really stole the scene, and it was even funnier when Satomi goes to investigate the Host Girls dorm, and encounters the two girls AGAIN! When they answer the door, he’s like all “Ooooohhh Noooo Not THESE girls again!!!!” But they have good hearts and spacey as they are, try to remember any details about the club that can help Satomi!

Interviewing the girls again!

Trying to remember what they can.

And ultimately resulting in Perfect Pouts!

So freaking adorable, I’m hoping that these two become a recurring character for the show!!