[March 14, 2011] Johnny’s International Mail

In line with the recent twin disasters in Japan, JE has forwarded this message to it’s subscribers.

NOTE: This is only part of the mail. The other one was concerning the ticket application for Tackey’s Kabuki being postponed.

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1. Announcement
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On Friday March 11, after The 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami
(Tohoku Chiho Taiheiyo-oki Jishin) has happened,
Johnny’s fans all over the world has been worried about the safety of Johnny’s talents.
The Johnny’s Family Club has already confirmed the safety of everyone.
Thank you for worrying about our artists even in an urgent
situation. We sincerely hope that people who have been affected by this disaster
will be able to return back to their normal lives.

Johnny’s Family Club
From all the artists

 

Remember, Johnny’s is not the only people in Japan. Let us continue praying for the well-being and safety of the living;  the missing found; and the dead may their souls rest in peace.

[Review] Gou: Himetachi no Sengoku ep 1-2

It’s my first Taiga drama to watch, so I’m not really very familiar with how NHK’s Taiga dramas work. Anyway, here’s my two-cents’ worth of comment.

The 50th NHK Taiga drama is Gou. The story focuses on the life of Gou, a wife of the second Tokugawa shogun Hidetada. Gou was the third daughter of the daimyo Azai Nagamasa, who was married to the sister of Oda Nobunaga. One of Gou’s older sisters was the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, while the other married the daimyo Kyogoku Takatsugu. –Tokyograph

I thought that the flashback was rather speedy. Well, it’s a good thing because everything was presented in the first episode, and an impatient person like me is offered the backbone of the story in the first give.  I don’t really know much about Japanese history, so I’m depending on what th script is saying (I later found out that the details were more or less fictional).

photo credit: Gou official website

What I loved about the first episode was, of course, the young Chaha – played by the genius young actress Ashida Mana. I’ve liked her since Mother so when she brought out the sword in threat to kill herself and her sister, I knew I liked her even more.  What I hated about it probably would be the first few scenes where the sisters were introduced.

I like Ueno Juri as an actress, mostly because of her portrayal of Nodame, but I guess that came to her disadvantage. I’ve read a few criticisms about her performance as nothing but a mirror of Nodame, and doing that in a Taiga is similar to a mortal sin. I also like Mizukawa Asami a lot, but I think in the first two episodes, she’s a bit behind of what an established actress should be.

Moving on, I like majority of the cast, if not all. I’ve seen about 10 of the main cast in different dramas, and they are all very veterans in terms of acting. As expected of a Taiga.

My main concern will probably be the fact that the drama will run for a whole year, and with a star-studded cast, it’s expected to be the number one drama of 2011. But with criticisms as early as it’s third month in running, I’m kind of not sure how well it will fare along the way. But then again, it’s my first Taiga, first among which I also tried to keep up with in the news. I am not exactly sure if the same thing happened to Ryomaden, but I’m definitely looking forward to a rewarding finish.

THIS IS AN ARASHI POST! okay, it’s about the new single, Lotus

I was in the mood to write, and there was time in my hands (while listening to a recording of BayStorm) so I decided to write about Arashi’s new release, LOTUS – in which the cover song is used in Aiba-chan’s drama, Bartender (airing every Friday, 11.15pm JST). Here’s the tracklist:

1. Lotus
2. ever
3. Boom Boom
4. Lotus (Original Karaoke)
5. ever (Original Karaoke)
6. Boom Boom (Original Karaoke)

credits: zomboid@LJ

 

In all honesty I’ve listened to this only only once, and I liked Lotus. Well, partly because it’s a fast track, and I sort of missed them having upbeat songs. ever was slow, sort of creating a balance in  the single, because Boom Boom was also upbeat. I have no other thing to say about the B-sides but Lotus is a bit similar to Monster, dark and upbeat. I sort of wanted a happy upbeat song!

Anyway, I’m not really in the place to say my expectations because I’m a new fan. But — yeah. The cover was cute!!! Dark, but it’s cute. See!

Well this one is cute, there’s another cover that doesn’t have them smiling. I’m just too lazy to search for it again. Maa~ I think I like Hatenai Sora’s single more, but it’s nice to see them dancing again.

Now I need to get back to writing my movie reviews. I have Confessions still hanging! But I adore that movie so I’ll write it soon!

Yarns in a Box

I finally got my yarn craving satisfied. I got my cousin to go with me to Rosario where the cheap yarn haven is. Living in Makati, I only know of Dreams in Glorietta 5 – a store that provides your crochet/knitting/cross stitch/ and threads/yarns needs. I got my hooks there. But the yarns, although of top quality, are really expensive and I can’t afford them every time. What with me being a current NEET. I’ve already spent about a little less than a thousand bucks just for around 500m of yarn. I know I’ll definitely return to Dreams, for gifts and other projects, but for now, I’m going to indulge myself in a variety of yarns I got from Rosario.

Yarns in a Box

How to get there: I only know of one way, which is the route from Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas. There are jeepneys at the side that goes to Rosario. The fare is at minimum, and travel time is about 5-10 minutes depending on traffic. Tell the driver to stop at the first footbridge after the big bridge. Cross the footbridge. Right at the foot of that walk way is already the yarn store. Don’t get your hopes too high because it definitely doesn’t look like your average mall yarn shop.

Bloggers often refer to it as bodega but I never got around to asking the shop owner the name of the store. The thing was, I was not even sure if the store still exists when I made the plans of going.

the yarns are generally of this size (in comparison to a normal watch)

There are huge plastic bags containing a variety of yarn, each costing P270/kg. You can buy less than that, but since I travelled a long way, I got my hands on a kilo.

I still don’t know what I’m going to use the other yarns for, but I already have a line of projects, each for practice/giveaways. I’m still a beginner at crocheting so having cheap yarns for practice is rather, I suppose, only practical.

 

[Review] PARADE (2010)

I have been looking for this film for ages, ever since I saw Karina promoting it in Himitsu no Arashi-chan. Despite the trailer, I didn’t expect the story to turn out like that. Anyway, to begin this review, let’s start it off with a synopsis.

“Parade” is the story of a strange living situation in a 2LDK apartment (having two bedrooms, a living-dining room, and a kitchen) in suburban Tokyo. There are five residents ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-eight: Ryosuke (Keisuke Koide) a male student with no evidence of any drive; Kotomi (Shihori Kanjiya), an out-of-work aspiring actress who longs for a celebrity boyfriend; Miki (Karina), a heavy-drinking female illustrator; Satoru (Kento Hayashi), a male prostitute with a spectator like attitude toward life; and Naoki (Tatsuya Fujiwara), a salaryman who works for a film distribution company and says strange things in his sleep. The roommates are not in any way romantically involved with one another, but one can see subtle hints of affection and friendship among them. In the end, however, none of them really know each other.

– AsianMediaWiki

The film progressed by narrating the story behind each character, at the same time telling something about the residents’ relationship with each other. The character build-up was amazing. Somehow, within the first five minutes, I already understood what each of their persona is. Maybe because it was a movie, and time is limited to a mere 120 minutes, everything was introduced quickly – something that I appreciated given that a movie’s first impression usually speaks out what the viewers should expect. You get to like each individually, and all through-out the film the lines thrown were “as expected” of the speaker. I didn’t see any line used out of character.

The plot in itself has to be proud. From the beginning, a sub-plot was already introduced, however, the way Director Isao Yukisada snaked it through the story was splendid. The significance of the criminal was all over the place, but the characters seem to disregard it – a worthy way to develop the plot more and convince the viewers to follow more on the characters’ lives rather than an unnamed crook. I also feel that the attack in the film was the best way to tell the story of the characters although it seemed less grabbing to me. My only concern here is that there were a couple of misplaced life snippets. I feel like there were some scenes that were cut-off to shorten the film, but they were forgettable so I guess it was understandable. I’ve only seen a few movies of Yukisada (Closed Note, Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World) but I liked this one way better than the previous two. I’ve noticed that he likes taking time when the characters are fewer, but with a five-main-cast movie, time was of apt importance.

From here, I’d like to digress from a technical critic to something on a more personal level. I’ve liked Fujiwara Tatsuya’s acting since Battle Royale, and adored him in Death Note. I must say that he hasn’t lost his finesse in acting, and he’s one of the few non-idols that I follow-up on, at least in the film and drama industry. Karina has long dropped her beautiful image for the sake of acting more varied roles, and although I can still see a raw sort of acting in this film, I would want to see her in darker roles. Kanjiya Shihori has a spark of her own; she carried herself well in the film, but it was only because there was a stark contrast between Kotomi and Mirai. She could do with a bit more of improvement, seeing that she has a flawless acting chemistry in scenes with Keisuke Koide, who I believe, was very much natural in portraying a dumb college student. It wasn’t my first time watching Kento Hayashi, but his acting didn’t leave much of a good impression on me in A Little Princess. He still has much to improve on since I didn’t find his role much too difficult to handle.

I liked the musical score. It sort of sucked the audience in the world of Parade.

There’s something though that I didn’t really understand. How come the title was PARADE? Was it because, similarly, in a parade, there are various stories behind the floats? Well, it certainly gave off that feeling. This film is a 4 out of 5, and I recommend this a watch on a casual Friday night with friends.

 

 

 

 

Crocheting! And the latest update in my life.

Only a few days left and I’ll be turning 20. Wait, scratch that. There are still two months left. And looking at my to-do list, there isn’t much improvement since the last time I updated. Apparently, I still have ‘crafts’ left to do. I don’t think i can still do the beads thing, but recently crocheting has been a constant companion. However, I still haven’t searched for decent yarns and hooks. I’m still stuck with the normal hooks and yarns you can buy in local markets. Next week, I’m going to try my luck on craft stores around Makati area. If I still can’t find any, then I’ll follow up on Filipina bloggers who also do crocheting. You can never know where else this hobby has in store for you.

 

So until next time! I’ve just finished a hat for the family dog, Toma. I’ll post pictures once I get the chance to put it on him.

[December 17, 2010] Johnny’s International Mail

cross-posted at  my livejournal

Early this morning, I received the mail from Johnny’s International. Nothing really special except they shove onto your face Tackey’s stuff. Read on if it interests you that much.

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1. Jticket International – “Shinshun Takizawa Kakumei” OPEN!
2. Vote for your “Favorite episode in Tackey CHANnel”
3. Who is your favorite Johnnys artist?
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1. Jticket International – “Shinshun Takizawa Kakumei” OPEN!
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Thank you for waiting. Jticket International OPEN New Year’s stage performance,
“Shinshun Takizawa Kakumei” for overseas fans to request ticket!

Event Title: Shinshun Takizawa Kakumei
Leading Actor: Takizawa Hideaki

Cast: Yuma Nakayama,
A.B.C-Z , Mis Snow Man, Johnny’s Jr.
Special Guest: Kazukiyo Nishikiori
Venue: Imperial Garden Theater (Teikoku Gekijo), Tokyo
Show Date & Time: visit Jticket International official HP

http://www.jticket.jp/p/international_index.html

*Notice*
>>This is a trial version that the next ticket request method will be considered depends
on the application and attendance situation. If someone who resale or transfer the ticket
to another party, or absent from the event, Jticket International will be stopped and closed.
Before request ticket, make sure you are ABSOLUTELY able to attend the event.
>>Jticket International is currently providing ticket for the above show ONLY. Tickets
for other Johnnys artists or Johnnys event are not yet determined.

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2. Vote for your “Favorite episode in Tackey CHANnel”
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Special campaign at Tackey CHANnel is started! Vote for your “Favorite episode in
Tackey CHANnel” ! Vote for your Best of the Best! Choose your favorite episode,
including your reason and a message to Tackey CHANnel! You could make your vote
by posting a postcard or sending an email to us. Postage must be postmarked by
(on or before) Dec 24, 2010.

Waiting for your response!

For details, view the latest updated “Tackey CHANnel” video: http://www.takichan-j.jp/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“Tackey CHANnel” is an official video site which is produced by Hideaki Takizawa.
Videos are mainly focus on Johnnys Jr and video is updating every Friday!
This week special guest is: Kansai Johnny’s Jr.

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3. Who is your favorite Johnnys artist?
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Do the re-registration yet? We updated our Johnnys International Information email
registration page. One additional item, “Your favorite Johnnys artist”, is added on the
page. If you want to tell us who is your favorite, follow the steps below to re-register
your account:

>>>Step 1
Cancel your currently registered Johnnys International account via:

https://g.ab0.jp/johnnys-international/3800_p.php/7Hvz8A

>>>Step 2
Re-register again via the updated Johnnys International registration page:

https://g.ab0.jp/johnnys-international/1100_p.php/7Hvz8A

We would like to know who your favorite is!

I’m actually wondering if they will also release a mail regarding who among the Johnny’s groups have the most number of favorites.

Source: Johnny’s International Mail