Miki Honoka Brings Back The Cute!

 Though I don't think anyone can replace the sweetness of Aiko Sato in the original drama, I HAD to tune into the newest adaptation of Tada Kaoru's infamous Manga ITAZURA NA KISS when I found out the lead girl playing Aihara Kotoko was none other than uber adorable Miki Honoka, last seen (by me, at least) as the meddling little sister in  CLONE BABY!

Just got through watching the first episode, and though it's naturally QUITE different from the Aiko Sato Drama I watched all those years ago, I'm really getting into it, the reason of course being that the show's just FILLED with Miki's spastic cuteness, her nervous tics, stunned reactions and sputtering dialog making for the MOST delightful of dramas! Really, just about every scene has at least ONE zany situation for Miki to show off her comedic talents!

And ANOTHER BIG added bonus for this show is the fact that Kotoko always seems to be EATING in every scene (and quite messily, truth be told), making for some awesome screen shots for my huge album of "Cute Girls In Japanese Dramas Eating"collection, LOLOL

Now, I'm NOT a big fan of these "High School" dramas, and I am SOLELY watching this show for Miki and her adorable reactions, so we'll see how long I'll stick around for this one. So far, though, it seems SO GOOD and I'm looking forward to the next episode!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Fukuyama Masaharu Teams Up with Hara of KARA!!!

Wow, this is totally a meeting of two worlds for me as news has just been released that Fukuyama Masaharu will be producing a Korean version of the new Galileo theme song LOVE SPELL with Hara of KARA!!! Not sure how Shibasaki Kou's gonna feel about THAT one, since he's even calling the project HARA+, much like he called Shibasaki Kou's project KOH+...EDIT: Okay, just found out Shibasaki Kou's going to still be singing the original Japanese Version,though Yoshitaka Yuriko's gonna be Fukuyama's new partner for this one. Can You Say AWWW YEAHHH! Wonder who the guest-celebrity villain's gonna be for THIS one!!!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Favorite J-Pop Songs: Senou Azusa / Kimi To Aruiteku

When My friend Dano introduced me to the music of J-pop idols CoCo waaaaay back in the day,  the group he introduced me to was a four-piece unit. He had Two Laserdisc Concerts with the four girls, but of the two CDs he owned of them, one was their latest album featuring four members called "Sweet and Bitter, but the OTHER CD was an older Greatest Hits package that featured not four but FIVE girls. When I inquired about the extra member, Dano flatly stated,“That extra girl left to try a solo career, but didn’t do too well”, and that was where the mysterious “Azusa Senou” stood for me.

As we got more and more into the group however, I became more and more curious about CoCo's earlier work, and I was ready to explore the releases with Azusa in the group. I even mused how funny it would be, if after we’d gotten a chance to hear the earlier stuff with her, we ended up really liking her! And when I finally DID get around to seeing the Five-Member Coco in action (during their classic Budokan Concert, no less), that’s EXACTLY what happened! I was so blown away by Azusa’s awesome singing ability and pretty looks, that soon enough I was trying to get all of her CDs, Singles and Concert Laserdiscs!

Though I’ve already blogged about some of my favorite singles from Azusa, one of my very, very VERY favorite tunes from her wasn’t a single at all, rather a track off of her (very good) album CRYSTAL EYES, a J-pop-perfect crafted masterpiece called Kimi to Aruiteku. This was one helluva catchy song, and you could tell by watching her sing the song in concert that this was a tune very dear to her. By the time I saw her singing the song on her last Concert disc, her heart swelling with emotion as tears trickled down her face, I knew that this was quite possibly my favorite song of all time from her!

  For years I’ve resisted posting about this song because it was never a “Single” proper and there are so many other singles I still have to talk about, but just the other night I had busted out Crystal Eyes and was blown away ALL OVER again of how goddamn good this song is, and just HAVE to share!

Though her “After I Miss You” Concert Performance is probably the more emotional one, I’ve decided to share the performance from her First Concert tour, where Azusa had just started her solo career and was really in her “prime"! The Live Band is groovin' and Azusa is just rockin' along! Check It Out!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

A Visit With Ishihara Satomi

Well, just finished watching the "Rich Man, Poor Woman" Sequel Special...Meh, can't say that it brought anything more to the conclusion of the original series, but at least it gave me another opportunity to watch insanely adorable Satomi Ishihara work her magic as the wide-eyed, innocent and eternally optomistic "Poor Woman" Makoto Natsui. 

 So Cuddly Cute, I could watch her no matter how boring the show, and that's a good thing since there could quite possibly be another movie attached to this series, LOL!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

The Dechronization of Abe Hiroshi

Abe Hiroshi and Ueto Aya in Thermae Romae

Remember in the Naka Risa movie “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”, where she slips back to the past and meets Akiyoshi Nakao, and even though he’s a freakin’ amateur DIRECTOR, once he gets past the basic “Wow, so you’re from the future”, bypasses any insight a FREAKING GIRL FROM THE FUTURE might be able to tell him, and goes straight to the boring “How can I tell her how much I care for her” cliché crap? Well, as readers of this blog may recall, I sure had an issue with that movie, so it was with great trepidation that I approached the Time-Jumping movie THERMA ROMAE…would this movie follow suit or rejuvenate my interest in the time traveling genre?

Roman Bathhouse Architect Lucius Modestus

Struggling Manga Artist Yamakoshi Mami

Hiroshi Abe plays a down-on-his-luck Roman Bath Architect named Lucius Modestus in 128AD in need of new ideas who time slips to present-day Japan where he is starstruck by the amazing structures of the modern-day bathhouses. He takes back with him the ideas and inventions that eventually make him famous in ancient Rome. Every time he slips to the present, he crosses paths with a struggling would-be manga artist named Mami (played adorably by Aya Ueto) work whose fate seems intertwined with him.

A Manga Artist's Inspiration

A BathHouse Architect's Inspiration

 Though things are pretty mundane in Mami’s life, she gets inspiration whenever this strange, dark, muscular Roman He-Man keeps appearing half-naked before her, and through clues and sleuthing, she deduces that this geletleman is somehow from Ancient Rome and thus she begins studying Rome History as well as learning Latin to communicate with him better. As the only constant in his travels, he bonds with her, and she finds herself attracted as well…

Dodging an Omiai

Meeting Up with her Dream Man

Then on one of Lucius’ trips to modern day Japan, an unexpected twist happens, where he and Mami are (accidentally) embracing and they fall into the Hot Springs, sending them BOTH back to Rome! “Ah!”, I thought- “Now we’ll see her experiencing Rome from the OTHER side of time! And as a MANGA artist in need of inspiration, this is probably as close to Heaven as she can get!

This...Is...ROME!

But, no. She finds that Lucius has refused  to build a Bathhouse on principles, and will be sent to the Battlefield. Having read her History, she knows that if Lucius goes into battle, he will die, and soon we find her running through the city looking for Lucius, not giving two hoots that she HAS GONE BACK IN TIME and is RUNNING THROUGH THE STREETS OF ANCIENT ROME, and only “I must find Lucius and stop him before he goes to War, why won’t he listen to me?!”

"To Hell With Rome, I must find my Love...!"

Send In The Clowns: Geezers Go Timejumping

 It was here that I feared the movie was starting to veer towards that Risa Naka movie, and then when the old geezers (comedy relief characters) who bathed at the Japanese Bathhouse ALSO fell into the time-warp and transported back to Ancient Rome, I held up my hands going OH NOES! Thankfully, my fears were unfounded…once there, far from being wacky comedy relief, the old geezers used their bathhouse knowledge to help Mami and Lucius find a solution that keeps Lucius out of Battle and ends up redeeming him in the eyes of the Senate. At this point I breathed a sigh of Relief, thinking, “Whew, OK, the movie’s back on track…” LOL. 

Ueto Aya as Roman Beauty...

...and as a Modern-Day Dork! LOLOL

I'll tell you one thing- they really did a good casting job in Thermae Romae, specifically, if you’re going to have Japanese Man playing a Roman, Hiroshi Abe, with his strong features, makes an excellent choice! His calling the Japanese People he meets members of a strange “Flat-Faced” race had me howling with laughter! And of course, if you’re going to have a girl playing both a Roman beauty AND a modern-age dork, there’s no better choice than Aya Ueto! Ah, in the end, I have to say it was a most satisfying Flick!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

A Sweet Deal On “Ice Cream”!

HyunA "Melting", Taiwan Edition

  About a month ago I was all set to purchase the latest single from 4Minute’s more outspoken member HyunA, a cool little mini-album called “Melting” which included not only the title track but some pretty catchy other tunes as well (especially the cute “Green Apple”), but just before I was set to order it, my friend told me he’d just gotten the TAIWAN version of Melting which not only had all the songs off the regular Korean version of Melting, but a bunch of bonus songs, too!

 I figured the bonus songs would be remixes of the tracks, but I was floored to realize that not only were they “real” songs, they were in fact the entire BUBBLE POP mini-album (minus “Attention”) and the kick-butt (and very 4Minute flavoured) digital download song “Change” !! Can you say WHOA!!! Looking at this tracklisting of this Taiwan import, it almost reads like a Greatest Hits package of sorts, and in fact, if they had included “Troublemaker” on this CD, that’s EXACTLY what it would have become!!

 So Mathematically, It breaks down like this:

  

Along with those awesome tracks came a beautiful 24 page photobooklet (I presume this was part of the original Melting release?) just chock FULL of sexy HyunA goodness (see pics)… And HOLY CRAP, if THAT wasn’t enough, this set ALSO came with a BONUS DVD with the videos for Ice Cream, Bubble Pop AND Change!!! And all region-free, to boot! Man, when they say that K-pop gives you the most for your money, they were TOTALLY talking about releases like this! I am just AMAZED!!!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

The Perks of Being a CD Japan Customer

  When it comes to purchasing my J-Pop and K-Pop CDS and DVDs online, there are basically three ways I go about doing it- either through a few reliable “Online Store” Vendors that I frequent on ebay, or, if they are new releases, through CD Japan or YesAsia. YesAsia has the perk of offering free shipping if you buy over a certain amount ( I think about $40USD, and hitting that mark is never a problem for me!), but CD Japan has the bonus of awarding you “shopping points” for every purchase you make, and I have to tell you, with all the Bluray and DVD Concerts I’ve been getting lately, those points have been adding up!

YesAsia: Free Shipping Over $40

CD Japan: Shopping Points To Be Applied for Discount

 The way CD Japan does it is this: every 100 points adds up to a dollar, points that can be applied to your order during checkout, and occasionally I’ll have so much points saved that the actual amount I pay goes mostly to shipping! This happened before when I bought Mirei Kirtitani’s new Album/Shashinshuu, and though it doesn’t happen quite as often as I’d like, it happened the other night when I went online to pre-order the new Girls Generation Japanese Single “Love and Girls”:

The cost of the new SNSD CD was 1800 yen, and the amount of Shopper Points I had was…1800!! Applied to my order, the cost of the CD itself was NOTHING! I only paid for shipping! Fortunately for them, I will be adding more stuff onto this order long before the May Shipping date, so they WILL get my money one way or another!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

AfterSchool, Collected

So my copy of AFTERSCHOOL's Japan-Released Greatest Hits package came today, and like the previous Japan-Based Greatest Hits releases from T-ARA, 4MINUTE and KARA, is pretty standard fare:  A Simple Jewel Case with two-sided holder featuring one CD of their  Singles and a DVD of their Videos. Not that I'm complaining, as Japan seems to be the only ones even interested in making collections of singles for K-pop artists, something that Korea never seems to do!

  One big motivator for me getting this CD collection besides the awesome DVD Videos, is the fact that they've included AfterSchool's "Happy Pledis" songs which I'd never gotten around to purchasing, including "Love Love Love", Someone Is You" and their duet with sexy unni Son Dambi "Love Letter". Though this will be the first time I'm owning the actual CDs of these songs, I've had the various VIDEOS downloaded and have liked them for a long time, especially "Love3x!" If only they'd also included "Snowy Town" on the collection, that would have taken care of ALL my Afterschool "loose ends", LOL

Tracklisting:

CD:

1.Play Girlz

2.Ah!

3.Diva

4.Because of you

5.When I fall

6.Bang!

7.Shampoo

8.Into The Night Sky

9.Wonder Boy

10.LOVE LOVE LOVE

11.Someone is you

12.Love Letter

13.FLASHBACK

DVD:

14.Ah!

15.Diva

16.Because of you

17.Let’s Do It!

18.Bang!

19.Shampoo

20.Let’s Step Up

21.Into The Night Sky  

22.Wonder Boy

23.LOVE LOVE LOVE

24.Love Letter

25.FLASHBACK

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

The Angelic Side Of 4Minute

 The Buzz has been going around that 4Minute will be among the many K-pop artists making their comebacks in April (or thereabouts), and the first evidence that the wheels are actually in motion is the Cube Entertainment Girls  appearing in a new campaign endorsing Talent Cosmetics.

 Though I’ve been seeing Gayoon and Jiyoon on the scene a lot, and Hyuna’s always appearing in some promotion somewhere, it’s been quite awhile since I’ve seen the other girls Jihyun and Sohyun, and even longer since I’ve seen all five of them together, so I was really excited to see the footage of the new CMs and see what the girls have been up to-and lemme tell ya- THEY ARE LOOKING FINE!!!

The “Look” for this promotion is an “angelic” feel, and the girls are here looking their most innocent and sweet (well, Hyuna always looks naughty no matter what) but the thing that blew me away most was how much prettier Sohyun has gotten since I last saw her! She’s always been the one with the most drastic hairstyle changes during each promotion, (especially during “Mirror Mirror” where her hair was sheared to such short lengths as to resemble the Bob’s Big Boy) and this time they really compliment her well- long, pretty locks draping either side of her face- at first, I was all like, “Wow, Who’s the babe at the end?” then did a double take when I realized it was our dear “Kwonssi” rocking her beautiful new hairstyle!

Of course, she became instantly identifiable to me once they showed her talking story with the girls with her her pulled up and I saw those famous Sohyun ears (those must be the most one-of-a kind ears ever!) peeking out, and went “Yep, That’s Sohyun, alright!”

 Playing this video again and again while I looked for suitable screencaps to accompany this entry, my excitement and anticipation for their comeback is really ratcheting up, and now it’s to the point where I can’t wait!!! These next few months are gonna be a BANNER FREAKIN’ TIME!!!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com