Go Jerry Boy!

  Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

So I was talking one night to my friend Car and she mentioned to me that she saw RAINBOW performing on K-pop music show MCountdown (or one of those others, I forget), saying "Oh, I saw those Girls RAINBOW that you like, and I thought they were pretty good! They were wearing these cute Navy-Blue Sailor Outfits and were singing that song "Go Jerry Boy" and doing catchy dance moves, too!"
"What!" I exclaimed. "You mean their song Sunshine?"

 Now, Car is the kind of girl that really DOESN'T like cutesy stuff much, so this positive assessment of a song I consider to be one of Rainbow's more "Girly Girly" songs really took me by surprise! Car is, however, and fan of design and costuming, so I figured those Sailor Suit outfits must have had a lot to do with it!

 The next day I'm watching another Rainbow performing Sunshine, and it is even MORE cutesy than I remembered (what with all that adorable tummy-rubbing and all), so later that night I'm talking once again to Car, and say, "You know, I watched another performance of that Rainbow song Sunshine, and  the more I see it, the more amazed I am that you like it! I think it was probably more about their outfits!"
 "Yeah", she conceded, "I saw another performance of it last night, and they weren't wearing the Sailor Outfits, and I gotta say, it wasn't as interesting this time." LOLOLOLOL! 
So in the end, it WAS all about the costuming! Poor Rainbow, first they're up, next they're down!!! Thass All Right Girls, WE still Love You! Go Jerry Go Jerry Go Jerry Boy!

Have a look at that performance Car was talking about of Rainbow singing "Sunshine" in those "Cute Navy-Blue Sailor Outfits" and see for yourself!

Who's That Girl: Yamamoto Mizuki

Mizuki Yamamoto as Aoi in Summer Nude

Okay, who's this pretty young thang playing the bold and seductive Aoi Hirikiri in the Yamashita Tomohisa drama Summer Nude, anyway? In the story she's referred to as "that half-white girl" so I assume she's an Asian mix nationality, while that's kind of obvious with her striking features, I have to say that the first time I saw her sassily playing mindgames with Yamapi in Summer Nude's first episode, I thought she looked a lot like T-ara's Jiyeon, LOL!

Teasing Asahi (Yamapi)

    Dramawiki stats inform me that she's an actress/model named Mizuki Yamamoto, but her filmography (or, rather, lack thereof) tells me she's only entered the industry very recently. In fact, just about the only other thing I can read up about her is her upcoming appearance in the 2014 Gouriki Ayame/Mizushima Hiro movie BLACK BUTLER! Well, Gouriki Ayame's already a plus, MAN, looks like now I'll HAVE to check this one out!

As Lin in the upcoming  movie BLACK BUTLER

Ah well, for now, I'm quite satisfied seeing Mizuki flaunting her cute li'l self in each episode of Summer Nude, and in fact, despite her role seeming like one of a cameo type, they seem to be developing Aoi's character a bit, giving her more and more screentime as each episode progresses!
Can't wait to see where they take her next!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Favorite J-Pop Songs: Morning Musume / Dance Suru No Da

Decided on a whim to take along an old Morning Musume collection I’d made awhile ago with me on my errands today, and I have to say that after all these years I still can’t believe how much those songs still hold up-I love those old tunes! And going through all the hits and singles, one song that REALLY hit home and took me back was the Girls’ superb “Dance Surunoda”. MAN, how I love this song- in fact, the last time (way, way back in the day) that my friends and I had done out favorite Morning Musume “Song Rankings”, that song was listed at Number ONE. and I’ll be darned if it doesn’t STILL have the impact if had on me all those years ago!

Originally appearing on Morning Musume’s third album “Third Love Paradise” with the Generation Three Line-Up, it wasn’t until the group was already onto their Fourth Generation that they released this wonderful PV (originally for an interactive video game where the viewer could use the controls and scroll back and forth to view the girls who were singing in a formed circle), its circular dance stage and split-screen visual was such an interesting and dynamic way to watch a video!

Scrolling Version (with Subtitles!):

Never mind that for the most part, this wasn’t even the real “line-up” who originally did the song they were lipsynching to, the sheer energy and HAPPINESS exuding from the performance of this catchy Jackson Five-ish funky tune with the sweet message of making the most of your life while you’re alive makes it as “Definitive” a version if there ever was one! It was this video’s unique innovation as well as the girls looking so doggone ADORABLE, singing and having fun that made me totally and utterly fall in love with the song! 

...and the wonderful Split-Screen Version:

Sure, there’ve been other singles that were stronger songs and there are older tunes from them that I’m more sentimentally attached to, but to me, “Dance Surunoda” captures everything that made Morning Musume special to me, the catchy melodies, the pretty outfits, the playful demeanor and of course the charisma of those Morning Musume Girls are just a few of the reasons why I loved them sooo, soooo much back then!
Ahhhn~, watching this video now and seeing all the familiar faces, it occurs to me that this was really my favorite line-up of MM, where we had the best of all worlds, faves from Gen1 like Yuko and Nattchi, Marippe from Gen2 and Gocchin of Gen3 mixed in with the innocence of Rika, Yossie, Aibon and Nonochan creating the perfect balance of youth and experience, cuteness and confidence! Maybe I’m waxing too philosophically, but I always get into this kind of mood when I listen to the classics, really!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

The Sexy As Hell Dan Mitsu

Oooh man, I KNOW that the point of the thrilling drama “Hanzawa Naoki” is for said Bank Operative Hanzawa to catch Loan-jumping Con Man Higashida and recover the millions swindled out of them, but DAMN, as long as that criminal is on the run, we’ll continue seeing his seductively slutty girlfriend Miki, and as lusciously played by super-babe Dan Mitsu, I’m praying for her to continue escaping the arm of the law!!

Man, when I first took a fancy to the cute but demure actress in Otenki Oneesan as the sweetly purring Mitsuya (nudge nudge wink wink on THAT name), I thought she was a pretty lady and that was that! Gads, who KNEW she had such a torrid back-catalogue of depravity in her filmography? Not me, but you can bet that once I found out, I wasted NO TIME getting to know them better!

In the hot movie “”(Be My Slave) you get to see Dan Mitsu (and I do mean ALL of Dan Mitsu) cavorting around in stuff from bondage, S&M and the Holy Grail of Nothing At All, but for me she was at her fetching best when duked out in her smart n sexy clothes or scintillating lingerie- readers of this blog know how very much I love a pretty gal in pretty outfits, and MAN does this movie deliver!

And THEN of course, I HAD to check out some of Dan Mitsu's extensive Gravure collections all of which were as knock-out gorgeous and picturesque (and naughty) as her dramas and movies! 

 Ah yes, this girl has really found her niche and is running with it!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Brilliant K-Pop Colors

 Yatta! Today my K-pop shipment containing the latest f(x) release “Pink Tape”, the New Brown-Eyed Girls Album Black Box and the first physical (at least that I could commercially buy) release from those zany Crayon Pop girls with their single “Bar Bar Bar”!!!

I'd already downloaded Crayon pop's Bar Bar Bar single when it first came out, but as this was the first physical album I ever saw for sale on the K-POP sites, I just HAD to purchase it ,if only to let the folks at Chrome Entertainment know WE WANT MORE! Even though the single only came with that one song and an instrumental version, it was still beautifully packaged with a hard case cover and a glossy photobook inside, well worth the $10!

Brown Eyed Girls, the Mighty BEG are back! Though I've got and totally LOVE the girls prior two albums SOUNDG and SIXTH SENSE, this is the first album the girls have released since I've been into K-pop, so this purchase is pretty special to me, and  this album is as swinging with tuff-girl bravado as the other albums, heavy on the grooves and percussion, and perfect for shaking thy booty!

Both the Crayon Pop single and the Brown Eyed Girls album are great, but the one I was most excited for was the new album from the cutting edge electro pop goddesses f(x), and holy CRAP, I wasn’t disappointed! Where so many other k-pop acts are releasing what sounds like very typical fare, f(x) continue to astound with new sounds and styles, and it’s like every track here is a new experiment with moving the band musically forward!

 And the packaging….if you take a look, they’ took the album’s name “Pink Tape”, and made a CD album box that looks JUST like an old VHS tape, complete with labels and slipcase! So cool! And for an added bonus, the random trading card I got was of Victoria, the  senior member who’s been turning me on like HELL this promotion!!!!
 Man, Gots me some listenin' to do!!!!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Unrequited Love, Unrequited Love Everywhere: Summer Romance on "Summer Nude"

Yamashita Tomohisa in Summer Nude

Finally got around to checking out the Tomohisa Yamashita/Karina drama Summer Nude. Though it's chock-full of actors and actresses I really like, I'm just not a big fan of these "ensemble cast" romantic dramas, and ever since having to sit through the painful "Sunao Ni Narittakute" years back, I've made it a point to stay as far away from these kinds of stories as I can!

    But with several of my favorite dramas coming to an end, I've been on the lookout for new shows to watch, and when Summer Nude came up again, the allure of Erika Toda and Masami Nagasawa finally pushed me over the line and I decided to watch one episode to see if anything grabbed me.

   First off, I have to say that though a LOT of it IS what I expected: lots of couples, broken up couples, newly getting together couples and so, so many cases of heartbreaking unrequited love one should set up a psychiatric booth on the beach there!

Karina as Chiyohara Natsuki

Toda Erika as Taniyama Hanae

Nagasawa Masami as Ichikura Kasumi

Yamashita Tomohisa as Mikuriya Asahi

  But between tall of this teen angst was a sense of good natured fun and a lot of heart, and I found myself really enjoying the show! I knew I'd like Erika Toda (she's just the Cutest Thang!) and true to form, she's adorably stealing every scene she's in, but I was surprised how much I liked the chemistry between Yamapi and Karina! Before I knew it I was rooting for both characters, and once you've invested care into your characters, you know you've got a winning show on your hands!

Yamashita Tomohisa and Toda Erika

Toda Erika and Karina

Katsunori Takahashi and Itaya Yuka

Yamashita Tomohisa and Nagasawa Masami

PS: One thing I've always loved is the way Tomohisa Yamashita and Masami Nagasawa ALWAYS seem to be coupled together! I first saw them acting together in "Dragon Zakura" and then fell in love with them as a couple in "Proposal Daisakusen", and even here, it's easy to believe that Yamapi's character Asahi really cares for her. But for the sake of Karina, I must insist that this relationship become null and void, LOL!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Treasures, Pearls and Qri with T-ara's New CD "Treasure Box"

   Got my new T-ara Japan-only CD release TREASURE BOX, and though Version A (Sapphire Edition) contained a bonus DVD with the PV for their new song “Target”, since it was all anime I didn’t really need that, so I opted for the Pearl Edition which had a  Calendar Bonus instead. Calendar Bonus? I wondered what kind of calendar it would be!  Then I got the calendar, and had to laugh!
   Until I saw it in my package, I’d almost completely forgot about these J-pop novelties- a CD Jewel Case propped up to feature inlay cards with the various months to switch out as the year progressed (I had one of some big-boobed gravure girl whose name COMPLETELY slips my mind now) and seeing it again brought back some memories!
   Now, here’s the rub- while I’ve always known that the trading cards that came with the CDS were usually one randomly-chosen member out of the group (in fact, the only K-pop promotion I ever remember where the album came with cards for every single member was KARA’s STEP album –five trading cards, one of each girl), I had no IDEA that even the CALENDAR was going to be a randomly chosen member!  
  Flipping through the beautiful pictures in the Calendar cards, I was like, “Hey, two months feature Qri.” Then looking closer, I realized, “Hey, ALL of the months are Qri!” Funny, with six cards (two months per card) and T-ara having recently gone back to six members, you would have thought it would have been easy to just have each member featured on her own card! I mean, I like Qri and all, but one whole year of her, geez! Ah well, at least the Trading Card bonus I got was of Soyeon, and the Photograph Bonus was of my bias, Hyomin!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Attention Boys! f(x) are Back!!

f(x) are known for their high and eccentric fashion style, and as you’d expect, each of their comeback performances for “Rum Pum Pum Pum” have had them duked out in a variety of striking and unusual outfits, but for SOME reason, the performance that I loved the most was this one from a few days ago on MUSIC BANK where they’re dressed not as avante-garde Pop icons but modest school students (albeit with a definite bad girl feel)- MAN, they look SO COOL and the dance moves really spoke to me like they’d never done before!

Somehow  I really got the "feel" of the song with this performance, everyone looking so damn confident and pulling their moves off so intensely! Oh, and though I really liked Krystal’s new look with her dark burgundy colored hair, it was SOOO nice to see her back to her “regular” brown hair which I think shows her at her very best!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com