killedbyasmile

Tegomass - TM no Mahou_Shop Photos_edited

2011-12-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

*Please credit if taking..^^

**Just because I really love their TM no mahou shop photos, this makes me want to to watch their concert this month >,<... anyways, hope you like this edited photos. ^^

Shop Photos: MF
PW (please highlight): killedbyasmile

TEGOMASU - HANABI TAIKAI 2010_papa pics

2011-08-25T08:48:00.001-07:00

PREVIEW:

(c)owner

LINK: MF
PW (please highlight): killedbyasmile

Massu in various magazines March 2011

2011-03-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

Massu in NEWS Calendar 2011-2012 [HQ]

2011-03-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

Massu in Saturday Johnnys 1 May 2010 [Translation]

2011-03-15T23:49:00.000-07:00

Winning by singing - Masuda Takahisa

The nationwide tour starts today
This week we feature NEWS's Masuda Takahisa (23). Today 1 May, the nationwide tour "Spring Tour 2010 Tegomasu no Ai" of Tegomasu, the vocal unit formed by Masuda and fellow NEWS member Tegoshi Yuya (22), starts. Their first tour went to 6 cities and had 20 shows, but this tour will have 35 performances in 14 cities over 2 months.
NEWS is about all-round entertainment, but Tegomasu charms people with their singing. We can fully enjoy another aspect of Masuda.

Refrain from dancing
I felt some pressure during the first tour last year. I believed the fans coming to see us would have seen NEWS before. NEWS is entertainment. We use fireworks, the setup and production is grand, and the songs are mainly songs of encouragement and fun songs.

Tegomasu refrains from dancing, the songs are warm and fluffy, and I want to convey that feeling of Tegomasu. The lighting etc and the all-round atmosphere are different from NEWS. In a good way, I want to defy the audience's expectations, and present something different to them. This time too, we will not dance too much and we will try to win over the audience through our singing.

Tegoshi is like "Te Go Shi!" written in katakana (laugh). He expresses his views frankly, is competitive, and is easy to read. He's really straightforward.

(T/N: Japanese often use katakana if they need to emphasise something)

Two hearts
There are six hearts in NEWS, and two in Tegomasu. Of course being just two creates difficulties of its own, but perhaps it's easier to convey what we mean with there just being two of us. We want to do a concert where we are in the world of songs, and the concert inducts the audience into our world. And my physical condition is perfect.

Masuda's Private Photos
(left, top to bottom)

Work - Revving the crowd up with wooden horses
Wooden horses that were used at the first tour. I spoke passionately about wanting to go into the audience while singing Boku no Cinderella, like princes riding on a merry-go-round. Tegoshi resisted the idea, saying "I don't understand the meaning of this", but the horses made the crowd very happy, and so he came to me and apologised frankly saying, "I was wrong." (laugh)

Interest - Hooked on darts
I was once hooked on darts, and I still play it occasionally. For darts, sometimes beginners can do better than the experienced players, don't they? So the more I played, the less I hit the bullseye. The situation in this photo is fake. The last dart didn't hit a good spot, so I got irritated and stuck all the other darts into the bullseye. Of course, it's just for fun.

Food? - I couldn't help but take a photo
This is grilled corn that I ordered at a eatery that cooks delicious vegetables. I was so impressed that I couldn't help but take a photo. It's like there are "4 people" lined up on the platform, it looks cool. In addition, there're no containers or chopsticks there, and my imagination started to wander as I looked at the space. Like it would be interesting if the platform turned into corn, for example.

(right, top to bottom)

When I was young - Family trip to Malaysia
Photo of me when I went to Cherating with my family when I was 3, 4 years old. I don't remember much of the trip. There was probably a pool, and it felt like the tropics. I don't know what's in that bag I was holding either (laugh). I started work when I was in my sixth year of elementary school, so that was the only overseas trip for that period of my life. But my family has always supported my work, so I don't feel regret over being unable to travel with them.

When I was in elementary school - I was a shining star in my sixth year
A happy pair shot at the school sports day in my sixth year of elementary school. Then, I was the relay anchor, head of the cheerleading squad and a key player in the mock cavalry battle. Wasn't that amazing? I wasn't part of the school committee, but I was probably the loudest and liveliest student. I love sports days, and would be so excited that I would be unable to sleep the night before. That could have been the brightest point in my life up till now (laugh).

Profile
Born on 4 July 1986 (Showa 61) in Tokyo. Entered Johnny's Jimusho in 1998. 171 cm. Blood type O.

Tegomasu
Unit formed by Masuda and Tegoshi, whose singing abilities have been recognised by Johnny's Jimusho's Johnny Kitagawa. Released their first single Miso Soup (English version) in Sweden in November 2006. The single was released in Japan in December that same year. While still working as part of NEWS, they held their first tour Tegomasu no Uta in July 2009 in 6 cities with 20 performances, with 100,000 attendees. Their Tegomasu no Ai mini-album was released on 21 April this year.

Massu in Oshare Hair 2010 Summer Catelogue

2011-03-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

my favorite scans of Massu so far.. =)

Massu to appear in the fourth episode of "Sotsu Uta" drama

2010-02-04T23:41:00.000-08:00

Fuji Television has announced a four episode drama special called "Sotsu Uta" which will air March 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. You can read about the content of the drama on Kawaii Joyuu.

Massu will appear as the old high school classmate of Nagasawa Masami's character "Hitomi" in the fourth episode (airing March 4th). Massu's character encourages Hitomi as she moves to Tokyo to work after graduating.

Info from The Television. The news was also on Mezamashi this morning :D

credit: daelite @LJ

MatsuJun unharmed in minor car accident

2010-02-04T23:32:00.000-08:00

Arashi member Jun Matsumoto (26) was involved in a minor car accident on Monday. Fortunately, neither he nor the driver of the other car was hurt.

At about 11:15pm on Monday, Matsumoto was driving in Tokyo's Meguro ward when he rear-ended the car of a female Tokyo resident. Police say that both drivers were trying to stop at a red light, but the street had a downward slope and the road was slippery due to snow.

Although neither party was injured, the front bumper of Matsumoto's car and the rear bumper of the woman's car were damaged.

MASUDA TAKAHISA - MASUPERMAN PV

2010-02-03T23:31:00.000-08:00

C.N BLUE - NOW OR NEVER

2010-02-03T23:25:00.000-08:00

ZE:A - LOVE COACH

2010-02-03T22:32:00.000-08:00

Nishikido goes from samurai to pastry chef in "Chonmage Purin"

2010-02-03T14:20:00.000-08:00

Director Yoshihiro Nakamura ("Golden Slumber," "Team Batista no Eikou") is working on his next film, based on a novel by newspaper reporter-turned-author Gen Araki. Titled "Chonmage Purin," the movie will star NEWS member Ryo Nishikido (25) in his first big screen role.

"Chonmage Purin" is a strange tale about a young samurai from the Edo period named Kijima Yasube (Nishikido) who slips through time, winding up in the present day. He meets a single mother (Rie Tomosaka) and her 6-year-old son, and through this encounter, he becomes a popular pastry chef.

For the pastry chef role, Nishikido has been undergoing special training at a well-known school since December. He is also practicing for the samurai scenes. He will appear with various hairstyles in the film, which will naturally including the chonmage (topknot).

Filming starts on February 6, and theatrical release is planned for early summer. The supporting cast includes comedian Hiroki Konno, Shiori Kutsuna, Hitomi Sato, Keisuke Horibe, Yuji Nakamura, and Jun Inoue.

[MV HD ENG SUB]C.N Blue - I'm a Loner [1st Mini Album "Bluetory"]

2010-02-03T01:36:00.000-08:00

Big Bang BSX CF

2010-02-03T01:27:00.001-08:00

[OFFICIAL MV] MBLAQ - G.O.O.D Luv MV

2010-02-03T01:21:00.000-08:00

100131 SHINee / F(x) - Where Is the Love? @KJE's Chocolate

2010-02-03T01:18:00.000-08:00

A message from BIGBANG

2010-02-03T01:12:00.000-08:00

Big Bang - Haru Haru (Acoustic Ver.) {122408 KJE Chocolate}

2010-02-03T01:07:00.000-08:00

G-Dragon - The Leaders MV [ENG SUB] feat. Teddy & CL

2010-02-03T00:23:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY my TAFFIE!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

2009-11-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYO~chan NISHI~killer!!! <3

2009-11-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

10Asia Features Kim Bum

2009-07-22T23:31:00.001-07:00

10Asia recently featured Boys Over Flower star Kim Bum with a pictorial on their website. He looks very boyish-innocent here, but he will shed this image for his role in the drama "Dream," where he will play a more masculine role. His character in "Dream" is supposed to be a tough kid who's street saavy and pickpockets for a living. He turns to kickboxing for an outlet, which is an extreme change in character / role for him. He hopes this new role won't deter fans of his boyish image away, for now those fans can enjoy the photos belows. Thanks to ms shan for the tip.

Credit: allkpop

Charts: more young Johnny's,

2009-07-22T23:26:00.000-07:00

As usual, Johnny's Jimusho dominated the sales charts this week. The big news was the #1 single "Akuma na Koi / NYC," which sold 176,000 copies while setting a new record.

The double A-side consists of "Akuma na Koi" by the new group Yuma Nakayama w/ B.I.Shadow, and "NYC" by NYC boys (which combines that group with Ryosuke Yamada and Yuri Chinen). Although the single technically involves two groups, the first song apparently qualifies for the record of "youngest group with a #1 debut single." The five members of Yuma Nakayama w/ B.I.Shadow have an average age of 14.6 years old. This barely beats out Mini Moni, who averaged 14.8 years old when they released their first single in January 2001.

Almost all of the top ten singles this week were new releases. A new Hexagon All Stars song took 2nd place, while Kobukuro, Remioromen, and Ikimono Gakari rounded out the top five. BREAKERZ, Suga Shikao, Shoko Nakagawa, and 10-FEET followed, in that order.

On the albums chart, the duo Tegomass managed to grab #1 with their first album "Tegomass no Uta," selling 80,000. The next closest new release was the GazettE at #5. Also in the top ten were lecca (#7), Tortoise Matsumoto (#9), and Yui Horie (#10).

tokyograph

Oricon Albums Weekly Ranking (7.27.2009)

2009-07-22T23:22:00.000-07:00

1. Tegomass - Tegomass no Uta = 80082

2. Michael Jackson - Michael Jackson King of Pop Japan Edition = 63273

3. Miliyah Kato - Ring = 54390

4. Perfume - Triangle = 40121

5. the Gazette - Dim = 37797

6. Masaharu Fukuyama - Zankyo = 27289

7. lecca - Big Popper = 25049

8. GReeeeN - Shio, Koshou = 24874

9. Tortoise Matsumoto - First = 17456

10. Yui Horie - Honey Jet!! = 15563

oricon

Oricon Singles Weekly Ranking (7.27.2009)

2009-07-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

1. Nakayama Yuma w/ B.I.Shadow / NYC Boys - Akuma na Koi/NYC = 175788

2. Friends & Hexagon All Stars – Naitemo Iidesuka = 66242

3. Kobukuro - Stay = 60484

4. Remioromen - Starting Over = 25672

5. Ikimonogakari - Hotaru no Hikari = 24533

6. BREAKERZ - Hikari = 19291

7. Shikao Suga - Party People = 14639

8. Shoko Nakagawa – Kokoro no Antenna = 13533

9. 10-Feet - Super Stomper = 12326

10. Koda Kumi - 3 SPLASH = 12138

oricon

Kim Beom, "Don't feel betrayed F4 fans!"

2009-07-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

F4 Kim Beom will be acting in a totally different character for his next piece. Kim Beom will be in a new SBS drama, "Dream - Drama" as the character Lee Jang-seok.Being an actor involves in changing images and transformations into a new person for every piece of work. So, this time Kim will be taking on a new role and hopes that the fans from "Boys over Flowers" will not feel betrayed or disappointed in a different image of Kim through this new drama.Kim will take a more masculine and tough character because his character is a skilled pickpocket as a teen and a kickboxing athelete as a young man.This Korean-Japanese drama shows the world of sports business through different characters' ambitions, despairs, love, and maturity.The drama will be aired this 27th.

Nate

Han Cinema

Arashi's Ninomiya kissing a guy

2009-07-22T22:55:00.000-07:00

'Strangers on a train', the butai starring Ninomiya Kazunari (26) from the popuar group Arashi, started its run on July 18th at the Globe Theater in Shinokubo in Tokyo. Ninomiya acts the part of Charles Bruno, who is in a love-relationship with his mother, Elsie (Akiyoshi Kumiko). He meets an architect named Guy Haines (Uchiwa Shigeru) by chance, and a plan is hatched where Charles would kill Guy's adulterous wife, and in return, Guy would kill Charles' dad. During the rehearsals, as part of preparing for the role, Ninomiya carried around Uchida Shigeru's picture. 'I would be drinking Scotch whilst looking at Shige-san's picture. He is always in my life.' says Ninomiya. Both of them seemed to be in sync, as whilst Uchida mentioned that 'During the rehearsals, we were kissing over 20 times in 5 minutes. ' , Ninomiya chipped in, 'We do it everyday.' Whilst watching the 2 banter on like good friends, Akiyoshi Kumiko says rather jealously, 'I also kissed Ninomiya but he seems to have forgotten all about that '.

The butai will run until Aug 11th.

Translations: sumoboy

Tackey to Play Mysterious Antihero

2009-07-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

For today’s edition of ‘musicJAPANplus 2009 Guys who Thrive in the Summer’ series, we chose Tackey! He just completed a series of concerts titled ‘滝沢秀明ソロ・コンサート 09 夏 / Takizawa Hideaki Solo･Concert 09 Natsu’. Tackey also attended the press conference of the upcoming drama series ‘オルトロスの犬 / Orthrus no Inu’. Here’s his message!“Hello, this is Takizawa. It was raining till a while ago but now the clouds have cleared. I think it bodes well for the drama. This is my first role as an antihero. He is a mysterious character, and that makes him all the more enjoyable to play. The drama itself keeps a lot of things hidden, so there should be lots of surprises in each episode. It’s like an intricate labyrinth…and I am sure that that will keep the viewers hooked. We are all going to work together to make this a great drama.”

source: music japan plus

Tohoshinki, Big Bang, Ranking In Japan's Oricon Weekly Together

2009-07-22T22:13:00.000-07:00

Tohoshinki and Big Bang, who are currently active in Japan, have drawn notice as they ranked, together, in the Top 10 of the Oricon Weekly Charts.On the 20th, Oricon released it's weekly charts, with Big Bang ranking at #5 with their 2nd Japanese single "Gara Gara Go!" which was released on the 8th of July. At the same time, Tohoshinki also made the charts, ranking at #7 with their single "Stand by U", which was released on 1st of July, and rising 2 positions compared to the previous week's charts, making the Top 10 of the Oricon Weekly for 2 consecutive weeks.After Tohoshinki successfully held the last 2 performances of their Japanese national tour at the Tokyo Dome on the 4th and 5th of this month, they are scheduled to participate in the Japanese summer music fest, A-nation, which will be held in August.

Source: [铭记昌珉]

Translation credits: mandasoh@iscreamshinki.net

Shared by: iscreamshinki.net

Junno to Show ‘SAMURAI LOVE ATTACK’ in Drama!?

2009-07-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

Although most of you probably already know, ‘こちら葛飾区亀有公園前派出所 / Kochira Katsushika-Ku Kameari Koen mae Hashutsujo (lit. This is the police station in front of Kameari Park in Katsushika Ward)’ better known as ‘こち亀 / Kochi-Kame’, the long-running hit manga series featured in the popular manga magazine Shonen Jump, will be adapted into a drama starting from August 1st featuring SMAP member Katori Shingo as the lead actor.KAT-TUN member Taguchi Junnosuke will make a guest appearance in the third episode!The episode starring Taguchi will be broadcast on August 15th (Sat) from 19:56!His character’s name is Araki Kakunoshin, and he is a ghost samurai ‘living’ in a haunted mansion!

Speaking of samurai, some diehard fans of Taguchi might remember his solo song ‘SAMURAI LOVE ATTACK’! Taguchi has always looked good in kimono! Fans must be wondering and looking forward to seeing what sort of costume he would wear, and what sort of character he would be!

music japan

Who Would Nishikido Save from Drowning?

2009-07-19T22:32:00.000-07:00

Before the start of the　new drama series ‘オルトロスの犬 / Orthrus no Inu’, currently in Japan reruns of the critically acclaimed ‘流星の絆 / Ryusei no Kizuna’ is being broadcast! ‘流星の絆 / Ryusei no Kizuna’ takes place in the summer, so most of the characters are wearing clothes with short sleeves. Nishikido in particular looks great in T-shirts! So for this round of our ‘musicJAPANplus 2009 Guys that Thrive in the Sun’ series we will feature Nishikido! Nishikido recently appeared at a press conference for the upcoming drama and made the following comments!

“Hi. This is Nishikido Ryo. For this drama I will play the role of ‘an angel with devil’s hands’. With the hand my character can instantly kill someone just by touching him/her. In life I think there are times when people have to make difficult choices. Like choosing between their true feelings and the feelings they are required to express in public. Or like in situations where one must choose between saving one’s wife or one’s child from drowning. For this drama in almost all of the episodes my character has to make those sorts of difficult decisions. He is constantly asked ‘Who (which) are you going to choose?’ I think this will be a very fast-paced, interesting drama. Please watch! Bye!”

source: japan music plus

Massu Tells Troubles He Overcame to Release Song Abroad

2009-07-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tegomass just released their 1st album! The song ‘Miso Soup’ which is included in the new album ‘テゴマスのうた♪ / Tegomass no Uta♪’ is written in English! That admittedly even amazed the multilingual staff here at musicJAPANplus! The two members talked about what had been difficult when singing an all-English song for its release in Sweden!The following is Massu’s (Masuda’s) comment!

“I was surprised at first, but since we recorded the English version before the Japanese one, I actually memorized the English lyrics first. I used all my spare time to listen to the English version…early on it was tough and I couldn’t remember a singe line! But that just made me work even harder (laugh). It all paid off when we were filming close-ups. The English lyrics came out more naturally compared to the Japanese ones. Singing two different versions of the same song felt a bit awkward but I had a lot of fun!”

source: japanmusicplus

Tegoshi Talks about Difficulties with Releasing Songs Abroad!

2009-07-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

Tegomass has recently released its 1st album! One of the tracks included in the album ‘テゴマスのうた♪ / Tegomass no Uta♪’ is called ‘Miso Soup’ and is an all-English song! That was enough to surprise the multilingual website musicJAPANplus! The duo talked about the things they had to overcome when singing an all-English song for their debut in Sweden!

“I had sung songs by foreign artists when I had gone to karaoke, so I didn’t think there would be any problems. I actually thought that English lyrics would be cool. But when a linguist checked our pronunciations I found it was difficult to get used to properly pronouncing the ‘L’ and ‘R’s, and also the ‘th’ and ‘ed’ at the end of words. But I thought it would be a shame if people who listened to the song misunderstood the meaning of it just because of our bad pronunciation. The recording was very hard, but once finished I felt a great sense of accomplishment!”

music japan

Yokoyama You’s ‘Friendship in the Nude’!?

2009-07-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been to a sauna? In Japan hot springs and saunas remain popular even during the hot summer. In a recent message Yokoyama talked about a typically Japanese incident he had while spending quality time with his friends from Osaka!

“Hi, it’s Yokoyama You. I hope I’m not intruding. Right now I’m going to a sauna with a friend from my hometown who is visiting Tokyo. We’ve been friends for 20 years☆ I’m going to enjoy talking about old times!Real friendships only develop when you’re both naked☆”

What sort of things did Yokoyama-kun talk with his best friend in the sauna?In Japan there is a time-honored phrase used to describe close friends whom you are close enough to share a bath with. It is ‘hadaka no tsukiai (裸の付き合い; friendship in the nude)’.It is meant to express that good friends can bare it all without hiding anything, including one’s inner feelings.Do you have a friend you can ‘bare it all’?

music japan

Oricon: best in swimwear

2009-07-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

Oricon recently ran a small summer survey, asking 800 men and women in their teens and twenties to name celebrities who look good in swimwear. Gravure idol Aki Hoshino (32) topped the rankings, along with actor Mocomichi Hayami (24).

Men voted for Hoshino mainly for her nice body, while some women commented on Hoshino having a very youthful cuteness and style even at her age. Idol Akina Minami (20) was ranked #2 on the women's list, followed by model Yuri Ebihara (29).

On the men's list, the top-ranked Hayami received many comments about his athletic body and his stylish appearance in swimwear. Actor Kenji Sakaguchi (33) ranked second, and comedian Yoshio Kojima (28) ended up in third.

Men:

1. Mocomichi Hayami

2. Kenji Sakaguchi

3. Yoshio Kojima

4. Hayato Ichihara

5. Hiro Mizushima

6. Takuya Kimura

7. Teppei Koike (WaT)

8. Hiroshi Tamaki

9. Hiroki Narimiya

10. Tomohisa Yamashita (NEWS)

tokyograph

Junno Swims with Clothes On Again?

2009-07-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

In Japan it has officially been announced that the rainy season has ended, and that signals the arrival of summer! For our first edition of ‘musicJAPANplus Guys who Thrive and Look Great Under the Sun’ series we will feature KAT-TUN member Taguchi Junnosuke a.k.a. Junno! Let’s have a look at his latest message!

“It’s beginning to get hotter everyday, and although the summer has just started I already feel a little tired out. Hi, this is Taguchi Junnosuke! It’s so hot it’s a chore just to run around.But I’ve no time to complain! From next week on the 22nd and 23rd we are performing live in Okinawa! Our first concerts in Okinawa! Let it all out and enjoy! I’ve been to Okinawa only about 3 or 4 times (on school trips and photo shoots), but I love the place☆Summer is my favorite season! Those of you who can come to the concerts, let’s all sweat like crazy and then afterwards head straight into the sea!…or something like that, and have a good time♪ I’m looking forward to it too!”

While hosting the TV program ‘cartoon KAT-TUN’ Taguchi went on a trip to Okinawa with his fellow members. On that occasion a raging typhoon made it all but impossible to recognize whether the location they were filming was actually Okinawa or not. The members all had fun getting soaked in the rain. Taguchi, being such a nice guy, even obliged with a not-so-reasonable request from Kamenashi and went into the sea with his clothes on.

source: music Japan+

Charts: Two in a row for Perfume, Tegomass

2009-07-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

Electro group Perfume has found another hit with their third album, "Triangle." The album sold nearly 211,000 copies to take #1 on the weekly charts, giving them their second consecutive chart-topper after last year's "GAME." This also gives them the current 2009 record for first-week sales by a female group.

Miliyah Kato's "Ring" achieved #2 with a strong showing of its own, at 151,000 copies sold. Also in the top ten were a "Mobile Suit Gundam 00" soundtrack (#5), TUBE (#7), the soundtrack to the latest "Evangelion" movie (#8), and MONGOL800 (#9).

On the singles chart, Tegomass claimed the top spot with their 4th single, "Tanabata Matsuri," at 80,000 in sales. This was enough to earn them their second consecutive (third overall) number-one song. They outperformed even Kumi Koda, who settled for second place with her "3 SPLASH."

Most of the other top ten singles were new releases: Ayaka (#4), Big Bang (#5), ORANGE RANGE (#6), Junko Akimoto (#8), Yajima Biyoshitsu (#9), and KREVA (#10).

tokyograph

FINALLY JUNNO'S TURN!!

2009-07-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

- Junno (finally!! XD) will make a guest appearance in the second (or third according to other sources)episode of SMAP's Shingo new drama "Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikoen-mae Hashutsujo" known as Kochikame and based upon the manga (and anime) of the same name. Episode 2 will air on August 8, Saturday.

Credit: tsuyaka

pics: dontueverstop

Yamashita Tomohisa's New Drama Receives High Ratings

2009-07-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

Kusanagi Tsuyoshi's 'Ninkyo Helper' received the best ratings last week with 17.5% for its first episode. Hailing from the same agency, NEWS member Yamashita Tomohisa's new drama, 'Buzzer Beat', airing on the same network (Fuji TV) achieved 15.5% for its first episode which aired yesterday. The ratings for this drama are quite good and will hopefully beat the dismal ratings from last season's Getsu9 drama, 'Konkatsu!', starring Nakai Masahiro, which had an average of 10%.

This basketball-centered love drama features a strong cast of young idols in the lead roles, namely Yamashita, Kitagawa Keiko and Aibu Saki. Airing during the summertime, the ratings are expected to be high.

Source: Mingpao

"Gokusen" movie earns half a billion in opening weekend

2009-07-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

The highly anticipated "Gokusen: The Movie" opened on 409 screens in Japan this past weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, more than 402,000 fans saw the film in theaters, earning "Gokusen" close to 490 million yen.

According to a statement by distributor Toho on Monday, the movie is projected to gross more than 4 billion yen by the end of its run.

In comparison, the "ROOKIES" movie opened several weeks ago on 428 screens, and it earned over 1.2 billion yen in its first two days.

Tokyograph

KAT-TUN to Release Jam-packed 200-page Photo Book

2009-07-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

After getting together to rehearse for their concert tour, the KAT-TUN members had a look at their photo book which will go on sale in August!

The photo book will include not only footage of the members on stage but also photos of the members backstage, in the dressing room, and during rehearsals. The sheer amount of content is more than enough to get people excited!

Those of you who can’t possibly wait, head for the archives below and do some research beforehand by checking up on recent topics related to KAT-TUN!

source: musicjapanplus

Yamapi Also Wishes Upon a Star

2009-07-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

What did Yama-P (Yamashita Tomohisa) wish for? Let’s see what he wrote in his diary.

“Well, I think I would wish for the people close to me to stay healthy!”

Also, there is a popular custom in Tanabata where people write down their wishes on small oblong-shaped pieces of paper called ‘tanzaku (短冊)’ and hang them from bamboo. Yama-P’s friend found a ‘tanzaku’ written “I wish that the wish of the person next to me will come true.” Yama-P was very impressed with this, and wrote

“Wow! I really admire those kinds of people! He must be a [in English] ‘nice guy’!”

Most people will be impressed not only by the person who wrote the tanzaku, but also Yama-P who wished for the well-being of the people around him.

source: musicjapanplus

Yamada Head over Heels for Tamaki

2009-07-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

Yamada Takayuki and Tamaki Hiroshi costarred in the new movie ‘MW’ that premiered on July 4th.

The ‘picaresque’ film is about two young men who are the only survivors of a freak accident that kills every resident on an obscure island. Although sharing such a haunting memory the two eventually become the focal point of a battle of good versus evil over the mysterious substance called ‘MW’.

Asked about his experience working with Tamaki, Yamada looking slightly embarrassed said “I got myself all worked up about how cool Tamaki-san was. He’s good-looking, tall, and I like his voice too. He has a mischievous side that is so cute. He’s terrific.” He repeatedly talked about Tamaki being ‘cool’ and ‘terrific’, and showed that he was quite taken with Tamaki even now after the filming had ended.

Tamaki seemed proud of having reached new heights as an actor through this film. “I took on the role of a villain because I wanted to try something that was radically different from my previous roles. I think people will be able to see me in a different light.”

music japan

because of akai ito... <3

2009-07-12T22:20:00.001-07:00

i got into Pocky again this past few days...

hahaha!! XD yummy yum yum!!!

KANJANI∞ to Appear in Special TV Program about Ecology!

2009-07-12T22:05:00.001-07:00

KANJANI∞ members Murakami Shingo (27), Maruyama Ryuhei (25), and Yasuda Shota (24) attended the press conference of an upcoming special TV program called ‘地球不思議大紀行生命の海の謎を追え！(Lit. Great Journey among the World’s Mysteries: Find the Secrets of the Sea of Life!)’ which will be broadcast on July 20th from 14:55.

The special program discusses environmental problems and is shown annually on ‘Marine Day (海の日: Japanese national holiday)’. The 3 members will become ‘investigators’ and each head out on a ‘mission’ to various oceans and seas around the world to find out whether or not Planet Earth has a bright future.

Murakami examined the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and seemed to have been shocked by the grim situation. But on a positive note he mentioned “If we all start from the little things we can do, I think our planet still has hope.” “When we eat lunch backstage we’ve started to drink from one big plastic bottle by using paper cups.”

He told reporters that they had used to each drink from their own plastic bottles. KANJANI∞ has straightaway started caring for the environment from the ground-up.

music japan

Gokusen to make 5 billion yen

2009-07-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

Nobody doubts that "Gokusen: The Movie" is going to be a huge success and with an estimated box-office revenue of over 5 billion yen it’s probably going to be a nice end to the series that lasted for 7 years. Nakama Yukie once again put on the trademark jersey of the tough teacher with a big heart for the stage greeting on its opening day. "I’m full of gratitude to everyone."

About 700 tried to find a seat at 7:20am in the morning to be one of the first to see the grand final of the Gokusen series. Toho expected a big congestion for the tickets and decided to give them away via a lottery for both, last week’s preview screening and Saturday’s first official screening (incl. stage greeting) – more than 40,000 applied for the tickets. The movie then opened in 409 theaters nation-wide and according to Toho it’s already running more successful than "ALWAYS – Zoku 3chome no Yuhi" in 2007. ALWAYS made 4.56 billion yen, but Gokusen is even expected to cross the 5 billion yen in total box-office revenues.

The theater got filled with shouts of joy when Yankumi (Nakama) led the cast on stage. It’s probably going to be one of the last times we are going to see her wearind that red jersey. When finishing the movie, even the usual calm and cool Nakama had teary eyes, but at the stage greeting she was all bright again.

"I think it’s incredible that she always red the book all night long, never had or at least never showed any injuries or illness during the filming, she also never complained about a single thing or bad-mouthed other people. I’m sad that it’s coming to an end, but Yankumi is going to live forever." Director Sato Toya thanked Nakama for how seriously she worked on the project. Nakama herself stayed into her role as the strong Yankumi until the end and commented, "When you laugh, cry and enjoy yourself; when you go back home afterwards and feel refreshed, then I’m happy!"

source: Kawaii

Most anticipated summer doramas

2009-07-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

Yet another survey done by Oricon, but this time it’s not about celebs themselves, it’s about what they do – their doramas this summer, to be more specific. Many of the doramas listed below have some good (& young) actresses in the cast.

Top 10 – Most Anticipated Summer Doramas

01 – "Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji Season 4" (starring Eguchi Yousuke & Matsushima Nanako …+ Kitano Kie as regular cast..)

02 – "Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae Hashutsujo" (starring Katori Shingo & Karina)

03 – "Buzzer Beat ~Gakeppuchi no Hero~" (starring Yamashita Tomohisa & Kitagawa Keiko)

04 – "Otomen" (starring Okada Masaki & Kaho)

05 – "Karei naru Spy" (starring Nagase Tomoya & Fukada Kyoko)

06 – "Akahana no Sensei" (starring Oizumi Yo & Kashii Yuu)

07 – "Orthros no Inu" (starring Takizawa Hideaki, Nishikido Ryo & Mizukawa Asami)

08 – "Ninkyo Helper" (starring Kusanagai Tsuyoshi & Kuroki Meisa)

09 – "Saru Lock" (starring Ichihara Hayato, Ashina Sei, Watabe Gota & Takaoka Sosuke)

10 – "Kanryotachi no Natsu" (starring Sato Koichi)

source: oricon

translations: Kawai

Big Bang to Perform on Music Station July 17th

2009-07-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

Big Bang is scheduled to appear on July 17th's Music Station program on TV Asahi.

The TV Asahi website for Music Station states that Big Bang will be performing their new single "Gara Gara Go!" Congratulations to Big Bang for being invited to Music Station.

credits: allkpop

Johnny's talent Toma Ikuta gets big chance with 'No Longer Human'

2009-07-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

There is already a lot of buzz being generated over the much-anticipated movie version of the classic novel by Osamu Dazai, “Ningen Shikkaku” (No Longer Human). To mark the start of filming, actors Toma Ikuta, Yusuke Iseya, Eiko Koike, Shigeru Muroi, Go Morita, Shinobu Terashima, Michiyo Okusu, Yoshiko Mita, director Genjiro Arato, and Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, chairman and CEO of the film company Kadokawa Pictures Inc, attended a big media event.

The novel is regarded by many as reflective of the thoughts and emotions of Dazai himself during his final years (he committed suicide shortly after the book was released in 1948). The story follows the life of Yozo Oba, a boy born into a wealthy household who grapples with the meaning of life and an excessive self-consciousness as he spirals downward into self-destruction.

Portraying the complex protagonist is Ikuta, 24, a Johnny’s Jimusho talent, who is kicking off his career as a movie actor with this leading role. He acknowledged his lack of experience and said he hopes to learn from his fellow thespians and go with the flow of the story to approach his character’s insanity as naturally as possible. “I’ve only read the book twice even though I was ready to read it about a hundred times, because the director stopped me,” Ikuta said. “He wanted me to come to the set with a fresh outlook [on the story].”

The movie is set for release in the early spring of 2010.

source: japantoday

Kamenashi Whispers and Mesmerizes Audience

2009-07-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

Recently KAT-TUN member Kamenashi Kazuya appeared at the ‘Premium’ preview event of the movie ‘ごくせん THE MOVIE / Gokusen THE MOVIE’.

The star-studded cast, including fellow Johnny’s members of Kamenashi, all lined up on stage and each introduced themselves.

Kamenashi was decked out in a grey suit, and the moment he held the microphone many adoring fans started to scream with excitement.

Kamenashi quickly took control of the situation by first placing his index finger to his lips and saying “Shhh…”

He then continued by whispering in a sexy voice “Look, I’m talking right now…” The hypnotized crowd soon quieted down. Asked about once again playing ‘Odagiri Ryu’ after a four year break, Kamenashi commented “I hope I acted like the ‘same’ Odagri.”

source: musicjapanplus

happy birthday SHIGEAKI KATO!!!

2009-07-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

MW: Controversial Gay Image Revealed!

2009-07-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

Tezuka Osamu is considered the Godfather of manga, but ‘MW (pronounced ‘moo’)’ had long been considered one of the more provocative works of Tezuka for its controversial themes and had thus far never been adapted into other media (film, anime, etc.). Now ‘MW’ has become a movie, with Tamaki Hiroshi starring as Yuki Michio and Yamada Takayuki as Father Garai Yutaro. A press image was released alluding to the two characters’ ‘forbidden relationship’.

The image shows Father Garai (Yamada) lying on his back with Yuki (Tamaki) positioned right on top of him. Both of them have glazed eyes, and their lips have a hint of pink, which makes the image all the more intensely vivid.

The image will be on display from July 3rd (Fri) to July 31st (Fri) on a signboard placed beside the entrance of a movie theater in Shibuya where the movie will be shown. The signboard is bound to become a showstopper for people passing by.

music japan

Comments about New Single from Tegoshi and Masuda

2009-07-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

This week Tegomass released their long awaited new single ‘七夕祭り / Tanabata Matsuri’. The duo sent the following messages to their fans! (The comments were made the day before the release of their new single!)

Tegoshi

“How’s everybody doing? Tegoshi Yuya here. Finally we’re going to release a new single called ‘七夕祭り / Tanabata Matsuri’ after about a one year break!This song is quite different from our previous singles, and it’s perfect to just sit back, relax, and enjoy. So everybody listen to this and unwind a bit☆ I love the b-side track ‘はなむけ / Hanamuke’ too!”

Masuda

“Good evening! It’s me, Takahisa☆ The Tegomass new single ‘七夕祭り / Tanabata Matsuri’!! This is a really, really great song! When I first heard it I was very excited and thought “Wow, Tegomass gets to sing these kinds of songs too!”I think we broke new ground with this single! Please make sure to check it out!That’s all from Masuda Takahisa.”

source: japanplus

More than 8000 attend Big Bang’s Yoyogi Park Event

2009-07-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

On June 25th, more than 2000 people tried to fit inside a 400 person venue for Big Bang's "My Heaven Event." This time around they got smart and held it outside at Yoyogi Park, and the turnout was even bigger this time around. More than 8000 fans attended Big Bang's Live Event at Yoyogi Park in Japan. Anyone who displayed their Japanese singles of either "My Heaven" or "Gara Gara Go" were allowed free entrance to the event.

Even though the weather wasn't cooperating with a lot of rain, fans still stood by patiently waiting to see Big Bang perform. Big Bang performed a total of 4 songs including both "My Heaven" and "Gara Gara Go." They also announced they will be releasing a new Japanese full album on August 19th titled "BIG BANG", which shares the same date as their official debut at the YG Family concert, held on August 19, 2006 at the Gymnastics Arena in Seoul Olympic Park. Big Bang also stated that they will be releasing a "Best of 2006-2009" compilation album which will include all their past hits.

Looks like Big Bang is starting to do Big Things in Japan, they're slowly getting more popular in Japan.

video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAHT-y7XJU0&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fasianfanatics%2Enet%2Fforum%2FMore%2Dthan%2D8000%2Dattend%2DBig%2DBangs%2DYoyogi%2DPark%2DEvent%2Dtalk668235%2Ehtml&feature=player_embedded

credits: allkpop

Oricon Top 10 Charts

2009-07-08T22:20:00.000-07:00

SINGLES

1) 38,004 - Tanabata matsuri Tegomass

2) 25,478 - ３　ＳＰＬＡＳＨ（Ｌｉｃｋ　ｍｅ♥／ＥＣＳＴＡＣＹ／Hashire！） koda kumi

3) 10,889 - GARA GARA　ＧＯ！！ＢＩＧＢＡＮＧ

ALBUMS

1) 90,153 - ⊿ Ｐｅｒｆｕｍｅ

2) 36,474 - Ｒｉｎｇ Miliyah Kato

3) 16,063 - ＧＵＮＤＡＭ００　ＣＯＭＰＬＥＴＥ　ＢＥＳＴＴＶサントラ

source: oricon

Tegomass Holds Event Celebrating Release of New Single

2009-07-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

NEWS members Tegoshi Yuya (21) and Masuda Takahisa (23) also perform as the vocal duo Tegomass. Recently in Tokyo Tegomass held an event called ‘Tegomass Tanabata Festival’ to celebrate the release of their new single. The new song is titled ‘七夕祭り / Tanabata Matsuri (lit. Tanabata Festival)’, and in association with the popular summer festival Tegomass wore yukata (summer kimono) and performed 4 songs. Tegoshi gazed at the fans who were also decked out in charming yukata, and said “Thanks. It’s a feast for the eyes☆” The 200 fans who attended the event also congratulated Masuda’s birthday, which had been on July 4th. Masuda seemed delighted and said “I’m off to a good start this year.” Tegoshi also applauded his partner’s birthday with a smile, but the smile quickly became strained when he was asked about their first concert tour which will start on July 22nd. He replied “I am SO not ready for the MCing.” Masuda seemed equally nervous about the MCing, and ‘reassured’ Tegoshi by saying “Don’t worry. I don’t think the fans will expect us to be good at talking. Let’s both just concentrate on reaching out to our fans through our songs.”

The pair wore matching yukatas with ☆(star) patterns, and Tegoshi wore one in red while Masuda wore a dark blue and white version. From shoulder to chest the yukatas were embroidered with lamed star patterns. They both looked perfect!

source: Japanplus

After 8 months, Big Bang is back with Korean version of ‘Gara Gara GO’

2009-07-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

The Korean version of Big Bang’s 2nd Japanese single ‘Gara Gara GO’ has been released today, 8 months after their last released songs.

All these while, they have been releasing various CM songs like ‘Stylish’, ‘Lollipop’ and ‘So Fresh So Cool’.

Although the song is said to be the Korean version, there are also English and Japanese language lyrics included in the song. A MV for the Korean version of the song is also released today. Watch and listen under the cut.

source: kbites

Charts: Arashi

2009-07-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Arashi's 27th single, "Everything," took #1 on the charts this week with over 342,000 copies sold. With this, Arashi has the three best first-week single sales of 2009: "Ashita no Kioku / Crazy Moon" (502,487), "Believe / Kumori Nochi, Kaisei" (501,988), and "Everything" (342,070).

TVXQ's new single also did well at 182,000 in sales, taking the #2 spot. flumpool, C-ute, Gackt, and John-Hoon also made the top ten with new songs.

In the album charts, Masaharu Fukuyama easily captured #1 with "Zankyo," his first original album in close to three years. "Zankyo" sold 261,000 copies, far more than the latest from the band SID, who landed at #2 with 71,000 in sales. The rest of the top ten was fairly quiet, with only Toshihide Baba breaking in at #10 with a new album. Unsurprisingly, Michael Jackson's "King of Pop" compilation surged up to #4.

Meanwhile, Hayao Miyazaki made some news on the DVD charts, as "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" moved a little more than half a million copies in its first week. This is not unusual for Miyazaki, whose movies have now topped the DVD charts seven times. "Ponyo" also happened to be the top grossing film of 2008, taking in roughly 15.4 billion yen at the box office.

tokyograph

New details about Nodame movie

2009-07-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

The "Nodame Cantabile" movie is going to come out in December this year and now there has been a flood of new details concerning the locations, cast and other stuff.

One of the biggest new locations in the movie is going to be the "capital of music", Vienna. Actor Tamaki Hiroshi (29) about the location, "I can feel the weight of all the history this city holds and I’m becomming really tense." Actress Ueno Juri (23) too, "There’s no better place to concentrate than here." Celebrated musicians like Mozart, Beethoven or Brahms have been active in Vienna and you can find statues of them in the local park.

It’s the first time ever that a Japanese movie is going to be filmed in the historic "Wiener Musikverein" and its golden hall, the same hall where even famous Japanese conductor Ozawa Seiji (73) once made an amazing performance. Now it’s Tamaki who gets the honor to conduct "Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony" for the filming of Nodame. Ueno admired his performance, "He looked so cool. You can feel the power of Chiaki’s (Tamaki) personal growth up he went through up until now."

Last month on the 16th, they already started filming in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. They continued in Brno, the Czech Republic and after that they arrived in Vienna, Austria. After Vienna, they went back to Brno also filmed a few scenes Prague. Right now they are in France and about to start filming in Paris. In September they are going to start filming the 2nd part (movie comes in 2 parts). In Vienna they had a team consisting of 60 Japanese, plus a mix of 64 Austrians and Czechs working on the movie. A total of 110 extras came from Japan to appear in several (big) scenes like in the hall.

New cast members are going to be actor Tanihara Shosuke (36), comedian and actor Nadagi Takeshi (38) and comedian Chad Mullane (29).

some coverage on the news

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiUha3DSeWo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fasianfanatics%2Enet%2Fforum%2FNew%2Ddetails%2Dabout%2DNodame%2Dmovie%2Dtalk667852%2Ehtml&feature=player_embedded

Nishikido Undergoing Secret Training!?

2009-07-08T21:37:00.000-07:00

The 6 NEWS members are the hosts for the special TV program ‘24時間テレビ32 愛は地球を救う / 24HOUR TELEVISION / LOVE SAVES THE EARTH’ (August 29th, 30th), and recently appeared at a press conference! For this year the main slogan of the program will be ‘START! ～Ippo o Fumidaso～ (lit. Let’s take a step forward)’. When asked by reporters if there were any things he would like to take a first step towards, Nishikido Ryo (24) replied “I grow thin easily so I want to gain weight. Also, since my feet have no arches I want to develop some.” A body that loses weight naturally…some people might envy him for that! During the 24 hour program look for arches on his feet!!

Nishikido has also been cast in a difficult role for the special drama that will be broadcast in the program!

music japan

Oguri Looking Good with Shaved Head!

2009-07-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

Oguri Shun appeared at a press conference held after the preview event of the new movie ‘TAJOMARU’, in which Oguri plays the leading role!

People were surprised to see Oguri’s head cleanly shaved!!

Asked about his ‘hairstyle’ Oguri replied “I was told that I should say that this was meant to show my enthusiasm for ‘TAJOMARU,’ but actually that isn’t the case.”

Apparently he had to shave for his role in a TV drama currently being filmed. Even without his hair, the handsome Oguri still remained handsome.

Since it was near Tanabata, he also showed his ‘wish’! [Tanabata（七夕）: Based on Japanese folklore, on July 7th people write down wishes on pieces of paper and hang them from bamboo branches (and hope the wishes come true)]

Oguri said “I wrote ‘I wish that I could become freer.’ I feel that the ‘freedom’ I have right now is not true freedom. I want to become ‘spiritually’ free.”Let’s hope a ‘freer’ Oguri will become an even greater actor.

music japan

Shun Oguri's Tajomaru Film to Spawn Anime, Manga

2009-07-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Illustrator Ippei Gyoubu is developing the groundwork for anime and manga spinoffs based on Tajomaru, the newest live-action film adaptation of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's "In a Grove" samurai short story with actor Shun Oguri (Gokusen, Hana Yori Dango [2005], Densha Otoko, Crows Zero, Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie). The announcement of the proposed anime and manga was made at the July 5 press conference which marked the completion of the live-action film in Tokyo. Oguri, Yuki Shibamoto, Kei Tanaka, Kyosuke Yabe, Hiroki Matsukata, director Hiroyuki Nakano, and producer Mataichiro Yamamoto appeared at the event.

"In a Grove" inspired several Japanese and American films, including Akira Kurosawa's Rashōmon film which received an Honorary Oscar. The "Tajomaru" of the new film's title is the same Tajomaru bandit character that Rashōmon's acclaimed actor Toshirō Mifune made famous, but Oguri's role will add a twist to the identity of the Tajomaru character.

Gyoubu is adapting the cast of the Tajomaru film into characters for anime and manga. Yabe, who plays the bandit leader Michikane, remarked on how Gyoubu's drawings made his character look stylish and tall, so Oguri immediately replied with a laugh that the drawings were a little too good-looking for Yabe. The rock duo B'z are performing the film's theme song "Pray."

The film will get advance screenings in Japan on September 12 and 13. The official website began streaming a trailer along with an earlier teaser trailer.

Anime News Network

2NE1 will continue with ‘1 week 1 performance’ with new minialbum release

2009-07-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

Releasing their 1st minialbum on the 8th, group 2NE1 will continue with their special practice of performing on music programmes once a week.

With the release of their first digital single ‘Fire’ in May, the group has went on 8 times on music shows in the 2 months of their promotion. Their debut stage was on 17th May on SBS Inkigayo and they only went on music shows on 8 times for the next 7 weeks.

YG has explained, “As compare to the popularity they will gain by going to perform on music show, the capabilities they show on stage is more important. You can’t give everyone a good impression with different costumes but the same choreography everytime. Because of that, the girls will practise their new choreography every week for their performance.”

Meanwhile, the girls will have their comeback stage with ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘Pretty Boy’ on KBS Music Bank on 10th July after their 1st minialbum on the 8th.

source: kbites

happy birthday KIM BUM!!! <3

2009-07-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

Arashi monopolizes top three spots in first week sales for singles in 2009

2009-07-06T23:03:00.001-07:00

Arashi's 27th single, "Everything", makes its debut at #1 on the weekly singles ranking. Released in May, "Ashita no Kioku/Crazy Moon ~kimi wa muteki~" had an initial sales of 502,487 copies, and released in March, "Believe/Kumorinochi, Kaisei" had an initial sales of 501,988 copies; the Arashi who has marked both first and second places in the singles initial sales for the year of 2009 so far has also ranked in at third place with another work which sold 342,000 copies in its first week. Arashi has now monopolized the top three spots in this year's first week sales for singles.

oricon

Tackey and Ryo-chan Make Comments about New Drama!

2009-07-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

Tackey:
“’Ryuzaki Shinji’ is my first ever evil role. I will like the character to portray a never-before-seen side of myself; a ‘Dark Takizawa.’ Ryuzaki is a ‘Devil with “God’s Hand”’ but I don’t think of him as a real devil. He is someone who is acting like a devil for a certain reason. I’m looking forward to further developing the character through discussions with the producer and director. If I really had ‘God’s Hand’ I’ll like to use it for world peace. But if I had the ‘Devil’s Hand’ I’ll try to seal it off so nobody can use it, because I think that it’s an unnecessary power for mankind.

It’s been a while since I last participated in a TV drama series, and I hope I can learn many new things that will further improve myself during the filming. Also, since I don’t get many opportunities to costar with other Johnny’s members I’m looking forward to working with Nishikido-kun.”

Ryo:
Aoi Ryosuke is a character that I think is continuously troubled and tormented by owning the ‘Devil’s Hand’ because it is so alien to his gentle personality. If I were to own the ‘Devil’s Hand’ like Aoi I probably won’t be able to use it. If instead I had ‘God’s Hand’ I’ll try to help as many people as possible. But I’m afraid of getting carried away and losing focus, so I’ll use it moderately.

It’s my first time to appear in a drama with Takizawa-kun. He’s a senior Johnny’s member and also a very passionate person, and I’ll be following him around during the whole shooting (I haven’t told him yet). But I’m going to do my best and try not to become a burden for Takizawa-kun. I think viewers will enjoy this fast-paced drama with surprises around every corner.

Both actors belong to Johnny’s with Takizawa being a few years senior. How well will they bond by working together?

music japan

Trailer - Shun Oguri's Tajomaru

2009-07-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

Here’s the full trailer for Hiroyuki Nakano’s “Tajomaru”, a new film based on the 1922 short story “In a Grove” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, which recounted a single event from 7 different perspectives after the fact. Akira Kurosawa‘s award-winning 1950 film Rashomon was also based on In a Grove, but this version changes things up by focusing on the bandit character Tajomaru and giving him a whole new back-story. Yeah, it’s a pretty bizarre idea, but at the risk of being forced to turn in my Japanese cinema fan card, I don’t really get what the big deal is with Rashomon anyway.

Plot: Naomitsu (Shun Oguri) is the second son of the Hatakeyama family and fiance of Princess Ako (Yuki Shibamoto). When he gets chased away from his home as the result of a conspiracy against him, Naomitsu flees into the mountains with Ako in tow, but they’re soon attacked by a bandit named Tajomaru (Hiroki Matsukata). After managing to kill Tajomaru, Naomitsu takes the bandit’s identity as his own.

Tajomaru will be released in Japan this September.

official website.

NikkanSports : Most Popular Films (1st half of 2009)

2009-07-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

1. Yatterman (Takashi Miike/Sakurai Sho) - 933 votes

2. ROOKIES -Sotsugyo- (Sato Ryuta/Ichihara Hayato) - 338 votes

3. Crows Zero 2 (Takashi Miike/Oguri Shun) - 311 votes

4. K-20 : Legend of the Mask (Takeshi Kaneshiro) - 252 votes

5. Yomei Ikkagetsu no Hanayome (Eikura Nana/Eita) - 163 votes

6. Heaven's Door (Nagase Tomoya/Fukuda Mayuko) - 162 votes

7. The Triumphant General Rouge (Abe Hiroshi/Takeuchi Yuko) - 143 votes

8. Oppai Valley (Ayase Haruka) - 90 votes

9. Gravity Clown (Okada Masaki) - 77 votes

10. Drop (Mizushima Hiro/Narimiya Hiroki) - 70 votes

nikkansports

happy birthday Jin Akanishi...

2009-07-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

happy birthday Masuda Takahisa!!! <3

2009-07-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

here's a liitle picspam of my 'MASUperman'..

hai douzo...

enjoi...

(A_A)v

Orthros no Inu [CM]

2009-06-29T22:48:00.000-07:00

credit: jukibs

tanabata matsuri - tegomass {short PV}

2009-06-29T22:44:00.000-07:00

credit: wPOKEMONAw

Yamapi's Buzzer Beat CM...

2009-06-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

credit: indahu11

Arashi articles in Potato July 2009

2009-06-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

source: Potato Magazin
Scans credits
Translations: coffee hanjan

Arashi Dictionary

[#2] Arashi’s SA ~ TO(1), as told by Ohno Satoshi

SA: sakuhinten (exhibiting my work)

I had always thought, “I want to show my work to the fans,” so I made [FREESTYLE](2) into a reality, and I had fun drawing a huge picture to hang in the hall (where it was held).

SHI:(3) Janiizu Jimusho (Johnny’s Agency)

I never thought that I would be able to join Johnny’s (laughs). A lot of kids junior to Arashi have also come, so it feels like time has flown by for us to already be at this stage!

SU: SMAP

Although I was allowed to participate in the [007] album’s tour as a back dancer, I have a bitter memory of when during the first MC session I fell asleep in the dressing room and never made it to the stage…

SE: Sen-kyuuhyaku-kyuujuu-kyuu-nen Juuichi-gatsu Mikka (Nov. 3, 1999)

Our debut anniversary. We’ve worked so hard to get here! November 3rd is also Culture Day, so we actually have this day off pretty often (laughs).

SO: Solo kyoku (solo songs)

Our first solo songs were included in the album [One], but I also feel like it came a little late for us. I wanted to do one that I could dance to, so I ended up with [Rain].

TA: Taifuu Generation (Typhoon Generation)

Right before the filming of this music video, there was an accident with MatsuJun’s foot, so the filming was delayed about 3 hours. Then in the end, it took until the middle of the night to finish filming.

CHI: Chikubi T-shirts (Nipple T-shirts)

Recently we did it for the first time in a while, and all 5 of us took the elevator down to our dressing room still wearing the T-shirts with holes at the nipples (laughs). At the end of it all you lose all sense of embarrassment.

TSU: Tsuri (Fishing)

When I have free time, I always want to go fishing (laughs). I never get tired of fishing. I want to stay on my boat forever! I don’t care if I get tan! (laughs)

TE: D no Arashi (4)

We did lots of stuff, but the gyakukaiten [Backwards Filming] that I did with Nino was really fun. We did it like a cheesy joke, but you actually have to use your head for it too.

TO: Truth

For Arashi, this was a risky song. Even now I’m happy when the people around me tell me, “No matter how many times I listen to it, I never get tired of it!” It also means a lot to me because it’s [Maou]’s title song.

I’m really moved when I think about how all of the fans who have always cheered us on are also entering their 10th year. When I look at a list of all the work we’ve done, I think that we’ve been allowed to experience all sorts of things that normal people haven’t. At the time I’d think that it was tough, but looking back at it now I’m glad we did all of the things we did! Although if I were told to go back 5 years I wouldn’t want to (laughs). I feel like all the things we’ve done over the past 10 years were great. After this? …Right now I’m the only one they’re letting take it easy, so I don’t have any complaints (laughs). From now on if there’s anything another member wants to do, I’ll just give it my best shot alongside him!

Translator's Notes:

(1) So the Japanese alphabet goes in A-I-U-E-O pattern, so this week they're covering SA-SHI-SU-SE-SO-TA-CHI-TSU-TE-TO in both this article and the following one

(2) In case you didn't guess... this is the name of Ohno's art exhibition that he did.

(3) Sometimes it doesn't look like the word and syllable match up with each other, but that's another complexity of the language. For sounds like "sha" "shu" and "sho" (likewise, "ja" "ju" and "jo") the letter is formed combining shi (or ji) with a small "ya" "yu" or "yo," but Japanese still consider these letters to fall underneath the larger parent letter. Does that make sense? ^^;;

(4) This (and the one following it) are both similar to (3). I guess all I can say is... just trust me, it falls under the right letter ^^;;

A word from Arashi

Q: What’s something cute that begins with the letter “sa?”

Aiba: Sakuranbo (cherries)

Ohno: Saru (monkeys)

Sakurai: Sakkaa booru (soccer ball)

Matsumoto: Sansaiji (3-year-old children)

Ninomiya: Sa.to.shi ♥

Q: What’s something that you’d be in trouble without and begins with “shi”?

Aiba: Shikoku (one of Japan’s 4 main islands)

Ohno: Shizen (nature)

Sakurai: Shoukyuukei (a short break)

Matsumoto: Shigoto (work)

Ninomiya: Sho & Jun

Q: What’s a quality of a popular girl that begins with “su”?

Aiba: Succhii (stewardess), maybe (laughs)

Ohno: Sunao (honesty)

Sakurai: Sumaato (smart)

Matsumoto: Sunao (honesty)

Ninomiya: Sugoi!! (wow!!)

Q: What’s a quality of a popular guy that begins with “to”?

Aiba: Tochiji (governor of Tokyo)

Ohno: Tokei-mochi (owns a watch)

Sakurai: Tongari guai (in good condition)

Matsumoto: Tongatteiru (is sharp)
Ninomiya: Toshiue (is older [than his partner])

TN: OHMIYA MOMENT! :DDD And is it just me, or does Aiba-chan not seem to understand the questions? lol I love him XD

Arashi’s Cell-phone SA-SHI-SU-SE-SO

(note: this was done looking at the first 3 auto-entries that come up when you type each letter in a text message on their cell phones)

Aiba

SA: Sakurai-kun, sandals, saikin (lately)

SHI: shimasu (will do), shigoto (work), shock

SU: sports, sugichatte (too much), suit

SE: senshu (athlete), seitai (chiropractic), senpatsu (starter [in athletic game])

SO: soudan (advice), soshitara (and then), soroechatta (have finished getting things ready)

The reason I have “sandals” in here is from a thank-you for a present. I always try to make my texts easy-to-read by double-spacing them, you know.

Matsumoto:

SA: Sahara, salad, saigo (last)

SHI: shachou (president [of the company]), shinjitsu (reality), shoumei (proof)

SU: sukuu (to save [someone/something from harm]), suru koto (the things I do), sutajio (studio)

SE: sekkaku (at great pains), sekai (the world), sensou (war)

SO: sou (that’s right), soba (buckwheat noodles), socchi (you/on your end of things)

Yesterday I was typing my drama lines. That’s why “Sahara” isn’t the Sahara Desert, it’s the name of someone who appears in my drama.

Ninomiya:

SA: saki ni (ahead), san (suffix for names, polite term), sakuhin no (the piece/work’s)

SHI: shikamo (on top of that), shite (does), shasen (forward slash: / )

SU: sumimasen (I’m sorry), supiikaa (speakers), susumu (to advance)

SE: VII (seven), Setagaya (a ward of Tokyo), sefuto (theft- a nickname for the game Grand Theft Auto)

SO: sonna (that kind of), sou da ne (I guess you’re right), soshiki (system)

Even I’m surprised at how many words are related to gaming (laughs). There aren’t many people who have cool letters like [VII] in their auto-spells!

Ohno:

SA: saikin (lately), sate (well, then), sara ni (on top of that)

SHI: shigoto (work), ja (well), jikan (time)

SU: sutaffu (staff), sukoshi (a little bit), sugu (right away)

SE: zettai (absolute), zehi (by all means), sekai (the world)

SO: sono ato (after that), sono ato meshi (after that, dinner), sou (that’s right)

Since I don’t text much and there are a lot of keys to use, I try to keep my texts down to 10~15 characters. I also look at pictures of my works sometimes, too.

Sakurai:

SA: Sakurai Sho, za (the), sate (now then,)

SHI: shitemasu (am doing), jibun (myself), shikashi (however)

SU: sumimasen (I’m sorry), sutaffu (staff), sushi

SE: seidai (magnificent), seikai-ritsu (percentage/probability of a correct answer), zehi (by all means)

SO: sou (that’s right), sono (that), sokushita (similarly)

Advancing into the Japanese market, Big Bang “GDragon is the father, TaeYang is the mother”

2009-06-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

Currently into their Japanese advance, Big Bang was on Tokyo FM Shibuya studio on 27th June for ‘DHC Countdown Japan’ show when they revealed, “GDragon plays the role of father and TaeYang plays the role of the mother. And the member who receive the most attention is SeungRi.”

And then SeungRi said, “I’ll listen well from now on.” And the other members went, “He always say this.” causing laughter in the studio.

Big Bang said, “We are all very exicted to be able to meet our fans so near in Japan. We will remember all the faces and meet them again.”

Big Bang has signed with Universal Japan the beginning of this year and had recently released their Japanese debut single ‘My Heaven’ which took them up t o #4 on the Oricon chart on the day of the single release which then went up 1 position to #3 the next day.

Meanwhile Big Bang will release their 2nd minialbum on 8th July called ‘Gara Gara Go’.

source: kbites

Yama-P Can’t Eat Dinner With Toma!?

2009-06-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

In a recent entry in ‘Yamashita Tomohisa’s Diary’ Yama-P wrote:

“Today I worked with the group [NEWS]!
After that, I was interviewed with [Ikuta] Toma!
I wanted to go eat dinner with him since we haven’t done that for quite some time, but he says he has to appear on a radio program!
Man, he’s busy.
But being busy is good!
Let’s both keep up the good work!
I have so many things I want to do!”

Yama-P and Toma have been best friends ever since they were members of Johnny’s Jr.
Both have busy careers, so it might be difficult for them to share time together. Let’s hope they can have dinner together some time in the near future!

music japan

Narimiya Tackles Love Scenes

2009-06-28T22:07:00.001-07:00

It has been decided that the drama ‘SweetRoom’ starring the actor Narimiya Hiroki (26) will begin streaming on August 1st from ‘BeeTV’ (part of major mobile phone operator NTT docomo’s ‘ichannel’). ‘SweetRoom’ is a series of love stories that take place in a hotel suite, with each story featuring a different main character. Narimiya will appear in the first episode ‘ラスト･ラブ / Last Love’ and tackled several love scenes including sex scenes. Looking back at the filming Narimiya commented “I worked with the actress to make the sexual depictions in the kiss and love scenes less graphic and more exquisite. I also tried to constantly imagine what my character would be thinking in each and every scene to balance out my facial expressions with the monologues.” The actors Mukai Osamu (27) and Toyohara Kosuke (43) also make appearances.

music japan

SMAP to Promote Softbank Mobile

2009-06-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

The fathers of the Johnny's revolution are going to be advertising for telephone service company Softbank come August. Commercials that will begin running then will feature all 5 members of the smash boyband, including renaissance man Kimura Takuya, whose beautiful smile can be hard to miss here in Japan.

The group will be advertising some new part of Softbank's service, the details of which have not yet been announced.

music japan

2ne1 to conclude 'Fire' promotions - performance on SBS Inkigayo.

2009-06-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

It seems that the new rookie girl group (2ne1) is about to leave us, as they will be concluding their 'Fire' promotional activities today.

CL, Bom, Dara and Minzi performed their last stage for their hit 'Fire' on SBS Inkigayo on 28th June 2009 during today's stage. The girl group is said to release their new mini-album next week (July 8th 2009) and start doing promotional activities for that album. The group has been giving us a brighter and a new sense of maturity of the members whenever they perform. From every and each performance, 'Fire' becomes more intenser until today, where the activities ended.

The group will be releasing their new song titled 'I Don't Care?' on July 1st 2009. Having much success with 'Fire' the girl group must succeed on to progress. Having big hits such as 'Lollypop' and 'Fire', 2ne1 hopes their new single will become a triple big-hit.

2ne1's 'I Don't Care, Lollipop, and Fire' main producers include YG's main producer Teddy and a Skony Skunk member who helped co-wrote and composed songs in their 1st mini-album. Their mini-album will be released on July 8th.

Though, 'Fire' is having much success on offline and online various charts, the group decided they want to show a new side to the group.

According to the agency 'I Don't Care' is a song with a soft melody, medium tempo RnB Pop which are quite different to their previous hits.

Source: [MTV Korea]

Translated by: I♥소녀시대

Super Junior at 20th Golden Melody Awards

2009-06-28T21:50:00.001-07:00

The thirteen member Korean boyband Super Junior performed at the 20th Golden Melody Awards at Taipei Arena, Taiwan last night. The awards ceremony was broadcast live on television. Did you catch them performing?

Fans in Taiwan were ecstatic and cheered loudly as Super Junior walked down the Red Carpet. On the Red Carpet they sang "Sorry Sorry" for a bit when the Red Carpet host and hostess asked them to do so. This is SuJu's second visit to Taipei. Their first visit was when they attended the 18th Golden Melody awards in 2007.

SuJu performed It's You and Sorry Sorry at the awards. They were dressed in spiffy white suits and black shirts and fans cheered loudly as they danced to the awesome choreography of Sorry Sorry.

Credit: Kpopped!

SHINee Onew comes back looking healthy for performance on Music Core

2009-06-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

SHINee member Onew is back on MBC Music Core looking healthy on 27th June performing the song ‘Juliette’ with the rest of the group members, with fans having to heave a sigh of relief.

Onew was on KBS Music Bank on 26th June when he had fell down and injured his leg while performing the song ‘Juliette’. And after the tabulated K Chart was revealed, he was around with other artistes congratulating So Nyeo Shi Dae for their win when one of the light fixtures gave out sparks and came down.

Super Junior ShiWon and KyuHyun together with 2PM WooYoung together with others had held on to in time. But Onew who was onlooking had received a shock and had fainted on the spot. He was hospitalised immediately.

Onew did not suffer from any major injuries and he was discharged not long after.

A representative said, “He was trying to avoid from being hit with the light fixture dropping and he had a shock. He did not suffer from major injuries, but was just in shock.”

SM Entertainment also revealed that they have decided to send him for close body examination taking in consideration that he lost conscious from shock even though he did not get injured from the accident.

source: kbites

Nana's Ai Yazawa Puts Manga on Hold Due to Illness

2009-06-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

The August issue of Shueisha's Cookie magazine has announced on Friday that manga creator Ai Yazawa is putting her NANA series on hold due to a sudden illness. As a result, this issue did not run its scheduled installment of NANA. Since Yazawa will need several months of treatment and rest, NANA will also not appear in the September issue (which will ship on July 25) or later issues until further notice.

Cookie's editorial department offered its apologies to NANA's readers, and added that NANA's return has not been scheduled yet. Once the editors can confirm Yazawa's recovery, they will notify their readers of the manga's return through the magazine itself, the magazine's homepage, the official NANA website, and other means.

Viz Media will publish the 17th of NANA's 21 current volumes in North America next month, and it is also releasing both the television anime adaptation and the two live-action film adaptations. Yazawa was scheduled to appear at the Japan Expo convention in France next week, but Japan Expo announced on June 12 that she had to cancel due to health problems. NANA was on hiatus from June to November of 2007 while Yazawa recuperated from another illness and the resulting operation.

Anime News Network

KBS Music Bank Accident Much More Severe Than First Reported

2009-06-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Initial news reports over the collapse of KBS Music Bank's lighting structure and SHINee leader Onew's subsequent fainting understated the chaos and severity of the whole debacle. Netizens are suspecting that KBS is trying to keep their endangerment of our favorite pop stars on the down low, but in the Internet era, constricting information on a public event is a near-impossibility. Fancams which show the extent of the accident are starting to pop up, with fans of all groups appalled at the music show's lack of care for their dangerously large equipment.

The video depicts that the equipment did in fact fall all the way to ground level, possibly endangering both staff and our favorite stars. We can see that the performers were directly involved in the incident by the photo above (one can spot Super Junior's Yesung and Sungmin, amongst others), and in the fancams above.

Notes from the videos:
[0:30 bottom video] We can see Onew limping around in the encore due to his injured ankle from the "Juliette" performance.
[1:00 top] [1:08 bottom] Though we cannot see the light falling directly, we can infer that the light fixture began to fall somewhere around here, from the fans' screams and the flurry of pop stars running from the light.
[1:31 top] [1:28 bottom] We catch a glimpse of staff holding up the perilously unstable light fixture.
[1:31 bottom] Onew is clearly woozy, leaning lifelessly on his manager. Netizens are suspecting that his injured ankle, the screaming fans, the chaos of the falling structure, and the overall overworked schedule of a K-pop star all contributed to his fainting.
[2:20 bottom] SHINee's manager carries the fainted Onew off the stage.

Fortunately, other than Onew (who is stable and resting), nobody was hospitalized. But the potential danger from a falling light structure, coupled with KBS's immediate attempt to cover up the entire incident, is very disconcerting for all K-pop fans.

credits: allkpop

Shinee's Onew rushed to the hospital after performing on KBS Music Bank!

2009-06-28T21:13:00.001-07:00

Well not rushed to the hospital, but during performing, Shinee's group leader Onew collapsed down during broadcasting and was evacuated to the hospital.

The broadcast was set on 26th June 2009 on KBS2 Music Bank. The group was performing their current single 'Juliette', a special stage to tribute a former SM Town group 'H.O.T', and an appearance at the end of the show smoothly and then suddenly something went wrong. To prevent from the paparazzi and the big incident, the staff was able to bring Onew to the closest hospital as quicky as possible.

The staff revealed that there was nothing wrong, Onew was just traumatized? and stress about too much activites. Onew revealed that the gentleness of his teeth kind off hurt again as he injured his teeth before the group's debut.

Source: [MTV Korea]

Big Bang TaeYang and TOP new song ‘Friend’ to be OST to drama ‘Friend’

2009-06-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

Big Bang members TOP and TaeYang’s new song ‘Friend’ will be the OST song to upcoming MBC drama ‘Friend’.

On the 26th, YG Entertainment revealed that Big Bang TOP and TaeYang’s new song ‘Friend’ will be revealed through the 1st episode of MBC drama ‘Friend, our legend’ to be aired on 27th June.

The song ‘Friend’ is composed by TOP and Teddy, and TOP has also written the lyrics to the song personally.

The drama ‘Friend’ is the drama version to famous movie ‘Friend’.

source: kbites

FT Island to model for female cosmetic brand Baviphat

2009-06-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

5-member band idol group FT Island will be the new skin-pretty models to cosmetic brand Baviphat.

Baviphat’s skin care men’s body, hair and nail products aimed at costumes ranging from their teens till their early twenties and FT Island’s healthy image has been the plus point for them as models to the product.

There has been a trend recently for male stars to model for female cosmetic products – we see Bae Yong Joon, Kwon Sang Woo and Lee MinHo modeling for female cosmetic products. FT Island members will also be present for the opening of the first shop of Baviphat in MyungDong on 28th June.

Meanwhile, FT Island will be in Singapore for their performance showcase from 25th till 27th June. They will also move on to Japan, Thailand, China and Taiwan for their showcases after that.

The group will also be releasing their 3rd full-length album end-July.

Meanwhile Lee Hong Ki has been casted in his musical, "A Mid Summer Dream". The musical opens n August.

source: kbites

2PM + 2AM + Super Junior + SHINee to join forces on Music Bank? And More!

2009-06-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Girls' Generation / SNSD's highly anticipated return isn't the only thing stirring up interest on the upcoming mid-year June 26th Music Bank extravaganza. Members from the boy groups 2PM, 2AM, Super Junior, and SHINee will come together as Boys Generation and perform "Gee."

So far, the rumored boys will be, From Super Junior: Yesung, Shindong, and Sungmin. From 2PM: Jaebum, Nickhun, and Taecyeon. From 2AM: Jo Kwon. No word on which SHINee boys will be included to finish the 9 member lineup.

That's not the only big news for this Music Bank extravaganza, SHINee and Girls' Generation will pay homage to former SM Entertainment groups H.O.T. and S.E.S. by performing one of their old songs, while 2PM will do the same performing a song by former JYP Entertainment group G.o.d. Popular rookie group 2NE1 will also do a cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella."

credits: allkpop

VAMPS to appear at Otakon

2009-06-17T02:59:00.000-07:00

Otakon 2009 (taking place July 17-19 in Baltimore) has officially announced that rock band VAMPS will be making a special appearance at the convention.

Consisting of vocalist HYDE and guitarist KAZ, VAMPS announced previously that they would be touring the U.S. from July 11 to August 1. They were already scheduled to play in Baltimore on July 16, but had planned to leave right away for their following show in Seattle. However, in response to fan support, they decided to extend their stay in Baltimore to appear at Otakon on Friday, July 17, where they will hold a Q&A panel and autograph session.

More information will be made available at the Otakon website.

tokyograph

Teen arrested for stealing cell phone from HSJ's Morimoto

2009-06-17T02:54:00.000-07:00

Ryutaro Morimoto, currently the youngest member of Hey! Say! JUMP at 14 years old, recently had his mobile phone stolen. The suspect, a 17-year-old boy, was arrested on Wednesday by Kanagawa police. The boy has reportedly denied the charges.

The phone was stolen at around 11:45pm on Tuesday night. The boy, a fan of Morimoto, had followed him around on multiple occasions in the past. Last December, Morimoto's family consulted police about the problem.

On Tuesday at about 10:00pm, Morimoto went to a restaurant near his house, meeting the boy in person to ask him to stop his behavior. The boy then apparently threatened Morimoto by saying that he had a knife. When Morimoto attempted to call his family from outside the restaurant, the boy grabbed the phone and ran away. He was later found after police traced a call to another cell phone owned by Morimoto.

Morimoto's management has not yet issued an official statement on the matter.

tokyograph

GReeeeN's new album breaks Oricon records

2009-06-17T02:51:00.000-07:00

4-member Hip hop unit GReeeeN's new album has sold more than 452,000 copies in its first week, which is the highest record for 2009. The album, Shio Kosho (Salt and Pepper) was released on June 10, 2009. The album includes the theme song from the movie ROOKIES, called Haruka.

This is the first time that GReeeeN has topped Oricon's rankings since its debut.

mainichi

New idol star drama in the works‎

2009-06-17T02:46:00.000-07:00

source: hankook IIbo
Translations: dramabeans

With the idol-group trend on the rise lately, and a new idol group popping up seemingly every month, SBS is planning a television series all about them.

n contrast to all those variety shows featuring pre-existing idol stars (which are more like reality shows), this one is a drama about a fictional group — and it’s written by the scriptwriting duo the Hong sisters (Hong Mi-ran, Hong Jung-eun), who brought us Delightful Girl Chun-hyang, My Girl, Fantasy Couple, and Hong Gil Dong. (As far as drama scriptwriters go, they’re among the more famous.)

The drama will be called You’re Beautiful [미남이시네요] and will look at the birth of and behind-the-scenes life of an idol group as the members encounter various developments, setbacks, and loves. In that sense, it’s sorta like what the 2006 MBC series Over the Rainbow did,

The drama has not yet begun casting and is being planned to broadcast sometime this fall on SBS.

Gokusen Manga to Return in 2 Installments Next Month

2009-06-17T02:33:00.000-07:00

Kozueko Morimoto revisits manga to mark July movie finale of high school comedy

This year's 13th issue of Shueisha's You magazine has announced on Monday that Kozueko Morimoto's Gokusen high school comedy manga will return in the next two issues, which will ship on July 1 and 15. Morimoto had ended the manga in 2007 after seven years, but she is revisiting the story to mark the July 11 opening of Gokusen the Movie. The movie will serve as the theatrical finale to the three live-action television drama series based on the manga. The upcoming two-part manga side story will center on Kumiko "Yankumi" Yamaguchi — the high school teacher with yakuza ties — and her student Shin Sawada.

Media Blasters released the television animated version of the Gokusen manga in North America from 2004 to 2005. Morimoto has been serializing a new detective manga called Deka Wanko in You magazine since last year.

ANN

If you were lovers with a SHINee member…

2009-06-17T02:26:00.000-07:00

5 member idol group, SHINee were on KBS CoolFM ‘Maybee’s Volume Up’ Radio where they honestly spoke out their opinions when asked questions of different scenarios of ‘If you had a girlfriend…?’

First off, DJ Maybee questioned leader Onew, “When your girlfriend is upset, how would you cheer her up?” He answered saying “I will play/sing her a song and make her feel better.” Aw, how sweet. I wish my ex-boyfriends did that for me. And Onew even sang “Tears are Dropping” by K.Will on the radio.

Next up, Jonghyun was asked, “How do you feel about girlfriends older than you?” Then my lovely Jonghyun answered, “I don’t’ think age should be a variable in love” and even added, “Same zodiac signs are okay, too.” *Jaw drops* Jonghyun, did ‘Nuna Is So Pretty’ get to your head or something? You would go out with someone 12 years older than you? Well, what about someone three years younger than you *wink*? With his answer, the nuna staff members at the radio station went all giddy.

Now Key was asked, “What would you do if your girlfriend came out to meet you and dressed in an outfit a fashion terrorist would wear?” And to the question, Key answered, “I’ll go shopping with her and buy everything for her.” Hm, don’t spoil your girlfriend Key; she’s probably already spoiled at the fact she’s going out with an idol.

Then Minho gave off a manly aura with his answer to the question, “What would you do if your found out your girlfriend and friend were contacting each other?” Minho answered, “I’ll tell her to stop because she has me.”

Then youngest Taemin was questioned, “What would you do if your parents were against your girlfriend?” Well, Taemin is the baby so he replied; “I would persuade them by acting cute and nagging.”

credits allkpop

Atashinchi No Danshi Interview: Chisato & Ookura Brothers

2009-06-17T02:23:00.000-07:00

Translations: atadan@Livejournal

Chisato: Horikita Maki
Fuu: Kaname Jun
Takeru: Okada Yoshinori (Mukai calls him "Yosshi")
Sho: Mukai Osamu
Masaru: Yamamoto Yusuke
Satoru: Seto Koji
Akira: Okayama Tomoki

Q1. Tell us if there's any happening or behind the scenes stories on the set!

MAKI: During the titleback's filming, we did batting on the living room(dining room) set. That time, I thought it definitely won't hit the ball but when I swing the bat, it actually hit the ball precisely, and it hit a staff, I was shocked. (laughs)

KANAME: I filmed scenes alone most of the time in the first half, and then I joined them starting in the middle of the story, so I feel like a transfer student. (laughs) But the filming set and everyone are great and I'd like to treasure this atmosphere.

YOSSHI: Sometimes I eat 2 lunchbox sets (provided by the staff) at a time on the set, then Mukai-kun would say, "You better pay for that!" (laughs) The other day, Seto-kun gave me his lunchbox set, then Mukai-kun said, "What are you doing?!" (laughs) During the filming, Mukai-kun also always responded to all the stupid things I did spontaneously.

MUKAI: Interesting things always happened everyday, so we always laugh. Just as how the brothers gets closer, we ourselves also gets along better, it's a really fun filming set.

YUSUKE: When the filming was just starting, I was going to call Mukai-kun, but then I hesitated on what to call him, and I ended up calling him, "Osa, Muka... Musai-kun!". Then Okada-san totally "picked" that up and mock his name, "Musai Okamu-kun" (laugh) Mukai-kun must have bear a grudge on me. (laughs)

SETO: During the titleback, the baseball scene's filming, Okada-san swing the bat and it hit and broke the chandelier. (laughs) Then we had to clean up the mess. Okada-san became a bit sad, but the filming continued and his sad face was filmed, too. (laughs)

TOMOKI: On the set, oniichan-tachi (the older brothers) always talk to me about many things, so everyday is fun. I like games, and they asked me the most popular game at school currently. Also, everyone likes to do impersonations, and they're funny, so I always laugh. During lunch break, most of the time, I eat together with Okada-san and Seto-san. I have a big sister and a little sister, but now I feel like I have so many kind older brothers, I feel very happy.

Q2. Tell us your co-stars' unexpected true nature!

MAKI: Since Seto-kun's face is like a girl's face, I thought he has a cute attitude too, but apparently he's very manly. Seto-kun's Donald Duck impersonation is perfect. (laughs) Mukai-kun is like a walking dictionary. On the outdoor filming set, he talked to me about ultra-violet rays and other scientific topics. (laughs)

KANAME: I don't think I've found any of their unexpected side. (laughs) On the set, Okada-kun is the moodmaker and he neutralizes the atmosphere.

YOSSHI: Seto-kun usually use formal language, but sometimes he suddenly goes, "Maji kayo(seriously)??!"[-> not formal] (laughs) He's very cute. Kaname-kun looks smart, but his actually very funny. I think he can be a comedian. (laughs)

MUKAI: Maki-chan is smart and she has a good sense of balance. The one who always make the atmosphere lively the most is Yosshi (Okada). And maybe I'm the one who always respond him.(laughs) One time, I was reading a book on the sofa and he suddenly got on top of me and said, "You feel scared, right?!". He's annoying like that. (laughs) But he's really a good older brother.

YUSUKE: Seto-kun and Tomoki are quite anime otaku-s, sometimes they would do ONE PIECE's make-believe(pretend they're the characters). (laughs) Tomoki is the quiet type, but he'll always laughs during those times.

SETO: Everyone is as I thought before, but I'm surprised that Yamamoto Koji-san is so skillful in art! He can do magic tricks and he's even good in impersonations. We did "Fukuyama Masaharu" impersonations together, and everyone said we did it good.

TOMOKI: Seto-kun is really good in impersonations. His impersonation of Dragon Ball's character, Cell, is interesting.

Q3. Tell us which characters you'd like to be your real family or those who you don't like.

MAKI: It might be interesting to have an older brother like Masaru who's scared of women. We might get to do some girls talk together. (laughs) On the contrary, it might be troublesome to have an elementary student younger brother who does stock. (laughs)

KANAME: Chisato is not like a mother, but she's more of like a mature little sister. Masaru is also interesting. If there's the unisex type like him, he'll comfort everyone. I don't think I can live together with someone smart like Akira.

YOSSHI: All of the brothers' characters are nice. I only have sisters, so to have just brothers is a fresh feeling.

MUKAI: I think Takeru is interesting. He doesn't show much emotion, a very interesting guy. Fuu is too much of a mystery, I think it'll be difficult to live together with him.

YUSUKE: Takeru is such a good guy, but I can't live together with him. Also, to think of it from Masaru's point of view, Satoru is quite violent and scary, so I don't want a brother like him. (laughs) With Akira, there's no obstacle, so maybe it'll be fine.

SETO: Takeru is nice. He's the most friendly one, I'd like to have this kind of older brother. I don't want a brother who wear make-up. (laughs) He might do some damage to me. (laughs)

TOMOKI: I like everyone. It would be great if all those 5 older brothers can be my real brothers. It might also be interesting to have a mother like Chisato-san. But Akira is too smart, a brother like him, might not get along with me that well. (laughs)

Q4. If you and your brother (for Maki: sister) likes the same person, what will you do?

MAKI: I'll support my little sister's romance. If it doesn't go well, then maybe I'll pursue the guy. (laughs)

KANAME: I'll retreat. Although I like the girl, I won't do anything provoking, and I won't confess my feelings.

YOSSHI: I won't back down. Long ago, I thought to retreat from that situation is a smart thing to do. But now, I will take the challenge.

MUKAI: I have an older brother myself. I definitely wouldn't like it if my older brother and me likes the same person. The moment I know that, our relationship might get cold. (laughs)

YUSUKE: I don't want to lose from my brothers. I'd probably in shock and won't recover, if that girl dates my older brother. If she dates my younger brother, I'll smack him down. (laughs)

SETO: I definitely won't back down. Even if the girl incline more to my younger brother, I'll make her like me more. I'm the type that will become "Giant"(of Doraemon) in romance. (laughs)

TOMOKI: No comment.

Q5. Please tell us about the significant point on the drama and your character.

(note: This interview was done during Ep4 or Ep5 broadcasts)

MAKI: How will Chisato and the brothers become family? Seem like things won't go smoothly, but please pay attention to how everyone's feelings' changes.

KANAME: Fuu is selfish and he doesn't do what he suppose to do, but he insists on something. Pretty much reflect the youngsters nowadays. But that is not good, and I want the audience to see that part. Me, myself, would like to see Fuu changes, pull himself together and become more like the "eldest son".

YOSSHI: Fuu messed up the family and how will they get back together might be the highlight of the story from now on. Takeru will wear the biker gang's long jacket 'till the end, y'know. (laughs) He will also wear a black underwear, please look forward to that bit of the change.

MUKAI: There will be an unexpected twist regarding the Ookura family's mystery. I'll be happy if you can enjoy it when the family tries to solve the mystery, while being able to feel the family love.

YUSUKE: The family will unite and they will face a big problem together. Please look forward to Masaru's feelings for Chisato and their weird relationship, too. When you feel like being kind, please watch it.

SETO: Since Satoru has started to be able to step outside, my outdoor filming increased too, I'm happy about that. (laughs) My prediction, Satoru's feelings (for Chisato) won't be able be realized. But as long as he can eat together with his family and get along with his family, it's all good.

TOMOKI: This drama is very interesting, so please continue to watch it. I'll do my best too. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Gackt becomes GACKT to celebrate 10th anniversary

2009-06-17T02:21:00.000-07:00

Chiba - Popular singer Gackt, who celebrated the 10th year of his solo career on June 4, kicked off his arena tour at Chiba’s Makuhari Messe this week. At the concert, he announced the “enlargement” of his name, from “Gackt” to an all-capital “GACKT,” explaining, “To commemorate 10 years as an artist, I’ve gone all big letters.”

The singer belted out a total of 19 tunes to over 5,000 fans, including his newest single, “Ko-akuma Heaven,” the attention-grabbing cover of which features the star decked out as an “Age-jo” (cabaret hostess). The tour will take Gackt to four cities and eight concerts, playing to a total of 100,000 fans.

Japan Today

Stereopony Girl Band's Members to Be Animated in Movie

2009-06-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

The three members of the all-girl band Stereopony will be animated to promote their fourth, as-yet-untitled single, which will ship at the end of August. The members have also announced on their official website on Monday that this new song will be the theme song of the new animatedYatterman science-fiction comedy film, which will open in Japan on August 22. The footage with Stereopony will feature the Yattermanteam as costars.

Stereopony had only just made its debut on a major label in November, and the band's first album, A hydrangea blooms (pictured at right), will ship on June 17. However, YTV content producer Tomoyuki Satō had been a big fan since before the band's debut. Stereopony had previously performed theme songs for Bleach and Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season.

The original Yatterman television series premiered in 1977, and it spawned the first Yattermananime film that same year. A new Yatterman televison series began running in Japan last year.Takashi Miike (Crows Zero, Ichi the Killer, MPD Psycho) cemented his newfound mainstream film success by directing a live-action Yatterman film with Arashi singer/actor Sho Sakurai (Honey and Clover).

Source: Sports Hochi

Popolo July 2009: Advice from Arashi

2009-06-17T01:54:00.000-07:00

source: Piccolo July 2009 Issue
Translations: change417@Livejournal
Scans by SNG

Which Arashi member would make the best couple with you?

Arashi recent happenings

Aiba
I charge my hand-held video game console for Riida everyday
Riida always play with my hand-held video game console. Whenever we arrive at the set, Riida will ask me “Did you bring it today?” I’ll say “Yeah, I did” & hand it over to him & he’ll play with it all day long [laughs]. So in order to see Riida’s happy face, I charge my hand-held video game console everyday [laughs].

Jun
I want to go cycling & feel the wind
Recently, I have not been getting enough exercise, so I have been having the urge to do some exercise. For the past few consecutive days, other than location shooting for the drama, I have been cooped up in the studio, so I really want to feel the wind outside. The awful pollen period is over too. So if possible, I want to go cycling, jogging or go for a walk.

Nino
Thank you Miyamoto Nobuko-san!
(During the time of the interview) I’m filming “Tengoku de kimi ni aetara” now. The atmosphere at the set is very good. During the filming, I was feeling unwell, and my co-actor Miyamoto Nobuko-san gave me some advice on how to treat it. I’m really grateful for that.

Ohno
I bought a belt & a barbecue set
Yesterday, I happened to be at the general store, so I bought a belt. Because till now, I only have 1 belt, so everytime I change my pants, I have to remove the belt & I find that rather troublesome [laughs]. And after that, I joined my family members & we bought a barbecue set. We plan to go for a barbecue together soon.

Sho
A good & thorough chat between 2 guys!
Recently, I had a meal with Kitajima Kosuke (Olympic swimmer). We went to the nabe (term referring to all varieties of Japanese steamboat dishes) restaurant that I frequent & we talked about Beijing Olympics, plans we have for the future & I also asked him trivial things like “Where do you usually buy your clothes from?” Just 2 guys & we chatted for like 5 hours. It was very enjoyable.

Which Arashi member would make the best couple with you?

1. Answer these questions. Indicate Yes [O] or No [X].

- You’re more sensitive to the heat rather than the cold [ ]
- You eat 3 square meals a day [ ]
- Rather than impromptu plans/idea, it is important to plan beforehand [ ]
- You prefer quiet places rather than noisy/crowded places [ ]
- You want to celebrate all the anniversaries
- You want to have 3 or more children [ ]

2. Then select the member of your choice.

3. Count how many of your answers matches with their answers.

4. Scroll down to the results section at the bottom.

Aiba Masaki

You’re more sensitive to the heat rather than the cold [O]
I really perspire a lot!
I’m very sensitive to heat & I perspire a lot. I think it’s because I have very rapid metabolism. But I don’t hate perspiring. In fact, I love sweating it out outside, it feels really good! So I’m the type that can take the heat, but is also very sensitive to heat [laughs].

You eat 3 square meals a day [O]
I want my 3 meals to consist of a good variety of food
If possible, I want to have 3 meals at fixed times everyday. It’s not that I place different importance on different meals, it’s because I want to eat my meals in a balanced way. Basically, I have very good appetite starting from early in the morning. So for breakfast, Japanese style or Western style, even Chinese style is okay [laughs]. But I get tired of take-outs easily, so the most ideal way would be to cook my own meals & eat a variety of food everyday.

Rather than impromptu plans/idea, it is important to plan beforehand [O]
I want my holidays to be planned to the minute!
Though I know that planning is important, but most of the time, I don’t make any plans [bitter laugh]. But I do plan my holidays properly. I’ll even plan it down to the minutes [laughs]. It is necessary for 100% enjoyment of the trip, so I will spare no effort on that.

You prefer quiet places rather than noisy/crowded places [O]
Though I like festivals & such, quiet places are nice too
This really depends on the time & place, but if you ask me which one I prefer, I think I prefer quiet places, so I answered [O]. If you live normally, won’t you be in quiet places most of the time? Of course I like festivals & there is a part of me that likes lively/crowded places. And when I eat, I like to eat out with a big group of friends.

You want to celebrate all the anniversaries properly [O]
I want to celebrate it together
For important days like wedding anniversaries & birthdays, I want to keep them in check & celebrate them properly. I don’t know if I’ll buy presents everytime, but I do have the feeling “Let’s celebrate it together”. But if there is some very small/trivial anniversaries, that may be tough [laughs].

You want to have 3 or more children [O]
Because I think if it’s 3 kids, even if they quarrel, it can be resolved quickly
Somehow, I think 3 kids would be good. I only have 1 younger brother, but I think having 3 kids seems fun. You see, like when 3 siblings quarrel, somehow it’ll work out right? When 2 of them quarrel, the remaining one will try to patch things up. When it 2 against 1, then majority wins & the one alone will give in & the problem will be solved.

Ohno Satoshi

You’re more sensitive to the heat rather than the cold [O]
I’m sensitive to heat but I can’t stand the cold
I often feel ‘Ah, it’s so hot!’ immediately, so basically I am sensitive to heat. But I do not mind sweating it out outside, so if you ask me which one I can tolerate better, it would be the heat. When it’s very cold, I can’t stand it no matter what I do. My body curls up immediately & I don’t feel like moving at all. The cold is probably my weakness [bitter laugh].

You eat 3 square meals a day [X]
I have a very convenient/flexible stomach
I’m not particular about my meals, so it’s [X]. If breakfast is served, I’ll eat it. There is nothing my stomach can’t take. I’m okay even if I don’t take 3 proper meals. On the other hand, even if I’ve already eaten & my friends ask out me for a meal, it’s perfectly fine too [laughs]. A very convenient stomach isn’t it!

Rather than impromptu plans/idea, it is important to plan beforehand [X]
Impromptu plans are more fun
I’m bad at planning. In the first place, I think life is more fun/interesting if you just take it as it comes [laughs]. Previously when I was making figures, I did decide that “I must make XX figures within XX days!” & I did succeed. However, to me, that wasn’t a plan, it was more like something impromptu. Doing things without thinking suits me better.

You prefer quiet places rather than noisy/crowded places [O]
Being in the midst of the majestic nature is the best!
I’m bad in dealing with the hustle & bustle of the cities. I prefer quiet places, places with lots of nature/greenery. Maybe because of fishing, I like the nature more & more now. If I can be in the midst of the majestic nature now, I don’t need anything else. And even the songs that I usually listen to, tends to be slow relaxing songs.

You want to celebrate all the anniversaries properly [X]
I won’t be too particular about it, it doesn’t have to be on the day itself
I understand that you want to treat anniversaries with importance, but there may times when it can’t go as planned depending on our schedules or other commitments, thus I chose [X]. It’s difficult to fit work with celebrations for anniversaries or other special occasions. So when we’re really busy, I think it’s okay if we don’t have to celebrate it on the day itself. For instance, if it’s the wedding anniversary, we could just have a meal together near the date.

You want to have 3 or more children [X]
Because mine is a family with 2 kids
I’m not sure about this, but I guess about 2 is fine. An only child is fine too, but I kinda feel sorry for him/her if there aren’t other siblings. Anything more than that (2 kids) seems tough [laughs]. In my family, it’s 2 children too, me & my sister. So maybe that’s why it’s easier for me to imagine it. If possible, I want to have one of each, a boy & a girl.

Matsumoto Jun

You’re more sensitive to the heat rather than the cold [X]
Even during summer, I always carry a long-sleeve top in case I go to air-conditioned places
I’m sensitive to cold. I can tolerate the heat but I can’t tolerate the cold. Not just winter, even during summer, I feel cold very often because I’m always in air-conditioned places. So all-year round, I’ll bring my long-sleeve coat with me. I use it when I’m travelling in the bullet train or plane.

You eat 3 square meals a day [O]
I want to have balanced meals
Because I usually keep irregular hours, I yearn for a life where I can have 3 proper meals a day. I’m not particularly picky about the menu. It’s not like I must have noodles for lunch or something. But, I can’t eat hamburgers everyday [bitter laugh]. I want to have balanced meals.

Rather than impromptu plans/idea, it is important to plan beforehand [X]
Things are unplanned most of the time
It depends on what I’m doing, but most of the time, I’m the impromptu type. Planning is almost equivalent to none. Even if I know I’ll have a day off one week in advance, most of the time, I won’t make any plans. Because even if you’ve made plans earlier, there are times when you don’t feel like carrying it out anymore when the actual day comes. So I think it’s better to be impromptu & do whatever you feel like doing.

You prefer quiet places rather than noisy/crowded places [X]
I like to gather my friends & have meals together
I don’t dislike noisy/crowded places, so it’s [X]. Come to think of it, there aren’t many days where I feel like I want to be alone or I don’t want to be in front of people. I like to have meals with my friends, attending other people’s birthday parties & etc.

You want to celebrate all the anniversaries properly [X]
I want to celebrate birthdays but……
I will contact my friends on their birthdays, but I’m not good at being enthusiastic about anniversaries. What other anniversaries/occasions are there anyway? Christmas, New Year & wedding anniversary? I’ll think about it if I feel like it [laughs]. But, I do want to celebrate my kid’s happy birthday properly.

You want to have 3 or more children [X]
Have a daughter first, then a son
Maybe it’s because mine is a 2-children family, me & my sister, it may have had some influence on me. I think having 2 kids is the best. If it’s the only child, he/she will be pretty lonely. The ideal would be to have a daughter first, then a son. People always say it’s easier to raise kids in this order. Eh? So it means my family now is the ideal family [laughs].

Ninomiya Kazunari

You’re more sensitive to the heat rather than the cold [X]
Sensitive to neither
In any way, I’m not sensitive to heat, so my answer is [X]. But to be honest, I’m sensitive to neither. Because compared to the people around me, I’m not really sensitive to either the heat or the cold. I don’t like both the heat and the cold, but Japan has 4 seasons, so there is no other choice, you have to bear with it [laughs].

You eat 3 square meals a day [X]
There are times when I eat 8 meals a day for work!
The number of times I eat a day isn’t fixed. If food is served, I’ll eat it. If it isn’t, then I don’t. Like when we go for location shooting for variety shows, we go to many restaurants & there are times where I ended up eating 8 meals. If we are too concerned about things like that, then we are really not suitable for this job [laughs]

Rather than impromptu plans/idea, it is important to plan beforehand [X]
It depends on my mood
I’m definitely the impromptu/take things as it come type. Even if I have a day off, I can’t really make up my mind on what to do. If I feel like it or when I’m in the mood, I’ll go out somewhere. If not, I’ll just stay at home. It’s not that I don’t like planning, but I don’t see the importance of it. Even if you planned beforehand, but what if you don’t feel like doing it in the end, won’t it all go to waste?

You prefer quiet places rather than noisy/crowded places [O]
I spend long hours alone……
It’s not that I don’t like noisy/crowded places, but comparing between the two, I spend more time in quiet places. Of course, there are times when I want to meet somebody or I want to go out somewhere to have fun, but generally, I spend a lot of time alone. And when you’re alone, you usually spend the time quietly.

You want to celebrate all the anniversaries properly [X]
Maybe because I don’t feel that it’s anything special
I don’t really get it. irthdays are fine, but for me, being someone who hasn’t gotten married yet, I don’t understand the importance of wedding anniversaries. Because in the first place, even for New Year & Christmas, I don’t feel that it’s really special or anything. Well, if my partner wants to celebrate it, I don’t mind.

You want to have 3 or more children [O]
Having more family members makes things livelier so it’s [O]
Well, having more kids is better than fewer kids. If possible, I want my wife to give birth to as many kids as possible. Because having more kids will make the house livelier & it might lessen couple quarrellings. I want to at least have 3 kids & play a role in helping with Japan’s declining birth rates [laughs].

Sakurai Sho

You’re more sensitive to the heat rather than the cold [O]
I don’t really use the air-conditioner
I’m sensitive to both the heat & the cold, but between the two, I guess I’m more sensitive to the heat….. Though generally I don’t like the heat, but I don’t really use the air-conditioner. Even during summer, when it’s very hot, as long as I sleep with the windows open, it’s fine. During winter, I just need to warm up the room up a little, so I don’t really use the heater that much.

You eat 3 square meals a day [O]
Butter rolls for breakfast!
Unless I have work early in the morning, I can do without breakfast. If possible, I do want to have 3 proper meals a day, so that’s why I chose [O]. Now, I like having bread for breakfast. I put butter on my butter roll. Butter roll with butter, that’s very buttery [laughs].

Rather than impromptu plans/idea, it is important to plan beforehand [O]
I want to spend my days off in a fruitful way
I don’t want my holidays to go to waste. I’m the type that will plan everything out properly, so that I can spend the time in a fruitful way. Because I usually keep irregular hours, so to make up for that, on my days off, I want to have dinner at 7pm. I’m the type that plans a lot of things to do, but it’s okay if my marriage is not the same. Though I think coming up with schedules together is fun too.

You prefer quiet places rather than noisy/crowded places [X]
I like to have fun/make merry with my friends
I like to have fun/make merry with my friends. Very often, when you attend a gathering where you don’t know most of the people, there are people who look like they’re very out of place right? Like when you go karaoke, there are people who don’t sing at all. That won’t do. Well, hording the microphone is also another problem too [laughs].

You want to celebrate all the anniversaries properly [O]
I won’t miss wedding anniversaries
I want to treat occasions like birthdays & wedding anniversaries with importance. If you don’t remember your wedding anniversaries properly, you’ll go “What year is it again?” & it might ruin the celebration of the important turning point years in our marriage [laughs]. But I won’t be too concerned about presents. Just going for a meal together is good enough.

You want to have 3 or more children [X]
If I think about the age gap……
Mine is a family with 3 kids, I have 2 younger siblings, so 3 is fine. But after much consideration~ I think 2 might be better. My brother & I have a rather wide age gap, if possible, I want to have it that way. You won’t quarrel at all & the older child will look after the younger one. But if I marry late, I might be too old when it’s my 3rd kid’s turn. That may be tough [bitter laugh].

Results

NONE of you answers match with their answers!
You two are a nice couple because of your differences!!
People are, of course, different. So that difference is what makes it fun! Because you can accommodate each others’ values, you can make up for each others’ weaknesses. If you get to meet that member, try appealing to him with your originality.

1-3 of your answers match with their answers!
Average couple!!
If you two have the same feelings for each other, that’s enough. There should be a breakthrough if you two are in love with each other. Try to find some common topics to talk about, you could try starting from the members or his friends.

4-5 of your answers match with their answers!
Quite an ideal couple!!
Though there are some differences between the two of you, your values are generally very similar to each other. There is no doubt that you two are compatible. If you could let the slight differences in your opinions slide, then you two can become the ideal couple.

ALL of your answers match with their answers!
“Very Feeling” Couple!!

GDragon was present at SBS Inkigayo to congratulate 2NE1 on 1st Mutizen

2009-06-17T01:46:00.000-07:00

News have came late that Big Bang member GDragon had made a surprise appearance on SBS Inkigayo to congratulate 2NE1 on their 1st Mutizen.

2NE1 had won their 1st Mutizen with their debut song ‘Fire’ on SBS Inkigayo on 14th June. This is their 1st #1 after 6 years of training for the members.

On 15th, a staff from Inkigayo said, “GDragon had appeared for 2NE1’s encour performance after winning #1 on the show. He had enjoyed the moment of joy together as senior-junior singers from the same company.”

But the full encore performance was not shown hence viewers were not able to see his appearance.

source: kbites

Nana Eikura, Eita's new movie going to Puchon

2009-06-17T01:35:00.000-07:00

Director Ryuichi Hiroki's latest movie, "Yomei Ikkagetsu no Hanayome," is being screened at this year's Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in Korea, which runs from July 16 to July 26. It will be shown in the festival's "Off the Fantastic" program.

It has also been decided that the film will open in seven locales outside Japan, including Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The movie co-stars Nana Eikura and Eita in a story about a woman fighting breast cancer. Since its premiere on May 9, roughly 2.1 million people have watched it in theaters.

tokyograph

ORICON Singles Ranking: TOP 100 (2008/12/22 ~ 2009/06/15)

2009-06-17T01:29:00.000-07:00

1. Arashi - Believe / Kumorinochi, Kaisei - 646,000
2. Arashi - Ashita no Kioku / Crazy Moon ~kimi wa muteki~ - 556,000
3. Junko Akimoto - Ai no Mama de - 452,000
4. KAT-TUN - RESCUE - 377,000
5. Yuusuke - Himawari - 350,000
6. KAT-TUN - One Drop - 331,000
7. NEWS - Koi no ABO - 276,000
8. EXILE - The Monster~Someday~ - 253,000
9. Shuuchishin - Yowamushi Santa - 231,000
10. KinKi Kids - Yakusoku - 211,000
11. Ayumi Hamasaki - Days / GREEN - 191,000
12. Fukuyama Masaharu - Keshin - 178,000
13. Hikawa Kiyoshi - Rokyoku Ichidai - 160,000
14. Porno Graffitti - Koyoi, Tsuki ga Miezutomo - 148,000
15. Tohoshinki - Share the World / We Are - 139,000
16. TV Anime "K-On! (Keion!)" Outro Theme: Don't Say "Lazy" - 135,000
17. Ayumi Hamasaki - Rule / Sparkle - 131,000
18. GReeeeN - Ayumi - 124,000
19. TV Anime "K-On! (Keion!)" Intro Theme: Cagayake! Girls - 121,000
20. Namie Amuro - Wild / Dr. - 117,000
21. JUJU - Ashita ga Kurunara - 117,000
22. Tohoshinki - Bolero / Kiss the Baby Sky / Wasurenaide - 111,000
23. YUI - Again - 111,000
24. The Shigotonin - Kyoka Suigetsu - 107,000
25. AKB48 - 10 Nen Sakura - 103,000
26. aiko - Milk / Nageki no Kiss - 102,000
27. GLAY - Say Your Dream - 102,000
28. Perfume - One Room Disco - 101,000
29. Koda Kumi x misono - It's All Love! - 99,000
30. Kobukuro - Niji - 98,000
31. GReeeeN - Setsuna - 97,000
32. Sid - Uso - 96,000
33. Yuzu - Aitai - 95,000
34. GReeeeN - Haruka - 95,000
35. Tohoshinki - Survivor ~ 090325 4th Album "The Secret Code" Pre-Release Single ~ [Limited Edition] - 92,000
36. Gackt - Journey through the Decade - 88,000
37. GLAY - I am xxx - 84,000
38. Kaori Mizumori - Aki no Miyajima - 83,000
39. Angela Aki - Tegami - Haikei Jugo no Kimi e - 78,000
40. Ayaka Hirahara - Nocturne / Campanula no Koi - 77,000
41. Unicorn - WAO! - 75,000
42. Takizawa Hideaki - Ai Kakumei - 72,000
43. Miriya Kato x Shota Shimizu - Love Forever - 69,000
44. Flumpool - Hoshi ni Negai Wo - 66,000
45. Koda Kumi - Stay with Me - 66,000
46. VAMPS - I GOTTA KICK START NOW - 64,000
47. Tsuyoshi Domoto - Bigaku - My Beautiful Sky - 63,000
48. Nana Mizuki - Shin Ai - 61,000
49. Acid Black Cherry - Nemuri Hime - 60,000
50. Stereopony - Namida no Muko - 60,000
51. Keion! OST - 59,000
52. Ryoichi Higuchi - Tegami - Shinai Naru Kodomo Tachi e - 58,000
53. Aqua Timez - Veronica - 56,000
54. Morning Musume - Shogana Yumeioibito - 54,000
55. Takizawa Hideaki - Sha La La / Mugen no Hane - 53,000
56. w-inds. x G-dragon (Big Bang) - Rain is Fallin' / Hybrid Dream - 51,000
57. Shiina Ringo - Ariamaru Tomi - 51,000
58. Yajima Beauty Salon - Nihon no Mikata ~Nevada Kara Kimashita~ - 51,000
59. Morning Musume - Naichau Kamo - 50,000
60. abingdon boys school - JAP - 48,000
61. Yuzu Guren - Two You - 48,000
62. ROCK'A'TRENCH - My SunShine - 48,000
63. Sid - 2 Dome no Kanojo - 48,000
64. GReeeeN - Kiseki - 48,000
65. Kuraki Mai - Puzzle / Revive - 48,000
66. Arashi - Beautiful Days - 47,000
67. ayaka - Yume wo Mikata ni / Koi Kogarete Mita Yume - 47,000
68. Yuna Ito - Trust You - 46,000
69. the Gazette - Distress and Coma - 46,000
70. VAMPS - EVANESCENT - 45,000
71. Mai Satoda with Goda Kyodai - Bye Bye - 45,000
72. Psychic Lover / Hideaki Takatori - Samurai Sentai Shinkenger - 45,000
73. GReeeeN - Tobira - 45,000
74. Kazumasa Oda - Sayonara wa Iwanai - 44,000
75. Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi - Sotsugyo - 43,000
76. ZARD - Sunao ni Ienakute - 43,000
77. JUJU - Sunao ni Naretara JUJU feat. Spontania / I can be free - 42,000
78. KAT-TUN - White X'mas - 41,000
79. AKB IDOLING!!! - Chu Shiyoze! - 41,000
80. Kobukuro - Toki no Ashioto - 41,000
81. ManaKana - Songs of Life - 41,000
82. Ryuko Mizuta - Kaze no Yado - 40,000
83. Ikimonogakari - Futari - 40,000
84. Shoko Nakagawa - Namida no Tane, Egao no Hana - 38,000
85. Arashi - Truth / Kaze no Mukou e - 38,000
86. abingdon boys school - STRENGTH - 37,000
87. alan - Kuon no Kawa - 36,000
88. Arashi - One Love - 36,000
89. YUKI - Rendezvous - 36,000
90. Yajima Beauty Salon - Sakura - Haru wo otawa Nebada - 36,000
91. Nobuaki Kakuta - Newgin Sengoku Pachinko "CD Hana no Keiji - Zan" Main Theme: Yossha Otoko Uta - 35,000
92. Yaguchi Mari - Seshun Boku / Seshun Ore - 34,000
93. Yutaka Oe - king dunce - 34,000
94. GIRL NEXT DOOR - Seeds of Dream - 34,000
95. Megumi Hayashibara - Shuuketsu no Sono e - 33,000
96. Fujioka Fujimaki and Nozomi Ohashi - Ponyo on the Cliff - 33,000
97. Yoshii Kazuya - Bill mania - 32,000
98. Masato Sugimoto - Waremoko - 32,000
99. Sukima Switch - Niji no Recipe - 31,000
100. BREAKERZ - Everlasting Luv / Bambino - 31,000

credits to w_indsxryo @ LJ
translations done by me c/o google translate and cdjapan..