Old Fart Who Loves Japanese Pop Culture 日本の大衆文化を愛する中年

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T20:32:00.001-05:00

To Everyone a very

Happy New Year

AKB48 - Making of Eguchi Aimi 江口愛実 HD

2011-06-25T16:10:00.001-04:00

Eguchi Aimi is a computer generated human with AKB48 members facial features.

At least when the robots take over, they'll be cute!

Command me Robot Overlords!

Check out more info here

Beach Boys

2011-05-03T18:45:00.004-04:00

Almost six years ago I posted about how much I love this drama. Today a DVD rip was uploaded to d-addicts with .srt subtiles for the 12 episode series. The quality is much improved. Check it out here.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Japanese Drama Beach Boys

My favorite Japanese drama series is Beach Boys. This show has every one of my favorite actors and actresses. The story is compelling, heartbreaking and uplifting. I laughed, cried, and was inspired.

Takenouchi Yutaka as Suzuki Kaito

I first saw him in Long Vacation and thought that he did a terrific job as the bad boy brother.

Sorimachi Takashi as Sakurai Hiromi

I first saw him in GTO, my second favorite series. I loved it as did almost everyone else, still #1 by a long shot.

Hirosue Ryoko as Izumi Makoto

What a great actress, I first saw her in Long Vacation, she must be either great or magical as she stars in the top 3 dramas I think she is at her best in this one.

Inamori Izumi as Maeda Haruko

My very reason for watching Japanese dramas, she starred in the first drama that I every watched I downloaded it from Usenet one episode a week Pretty Girls If she hadn't been so captivating I might never have checked out more dramas

My only complaint about Beach Boys is that I can't seem to find a decent copy of it. I would gladly buy an English subbed version if the company that owns it ever releases it. As for now I'll squint and watch my avi files a couple of times a year, its like a trip to the ocean for me.

GANTZ live-action World Premiere

2010-12-21T13:55:00.001-05:00

Here's an interesting email I got today, I'll be at my local showing.

Hi Kevin,

You’ve watched the series, you’ve read the manga and for one night on Thursday, January 20 you can see the GANTZ live-action World Premiere on the big screen.

NCM Fathom and NEW PEOPLE invite you to your local movie theatre for the GANTZ LIVE event. Follow characters Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato on their mysterious posthumous mission to eradicate an alien species bent on destroying Earth. On January 20, find out if the players of this ultimate survival game can save the world and revive themselves. What were originally stunning illustrations translate into explosive action delivered in 5.1 surround sound. GANTZ will be English over-dubbed exclusively for this one night event.

Kazunari Ninomiya and Kenichi Matsuyama, the popular Japanese actors who play Kurono and Kato, will participate in an exclusive live interview following the feature. This Q&A is exclusive to GANTZ theatre audiences nationwide.

Tickets are on sale now. Check out www.fathomevents.com to learn more about GANTZ, find a list of participating theatres near you and purchase tickets.

If you’re able, please share GANTZ with your blog audience. Let me know if you need any additional information, and we hope to see you in theatres on Thursday, January 20!

Ryan Arnold
Pure on behalf of NCM Fathom
2360 Lawrence St.
Denver, CO 80205
303.625.1066

The Ancient Dogoo Girl

2010-11-12T08:31:00.005-05:00

from Wikipedia

The Ancient Dogoo Girl (古代少女ドグちゃん, Kodai Shōjo Doguchan^?, "Ancient Girl Dogu-chan") is a Japanese comedy tokusatsu series directed by Noboru Iguchi, director of The Machine Girl and RoboGeisha. The show airs on MBS every Wednesday night at 25:25 JST. The ending theme is Denki Groove's "Dareda!" (誰だ!^?).

In October 2010, Dogoo Girl will premeire its sequel Ancient Girl Squad Dogoon 5 (古代少女隊ドグーンⅤ, Kodai Shōjotai Dogūn Faibu^?). The show will add five more Dogoo Girls portrayed by Misaki Momose, Rina Takeda, Minase Nomoto (of Idoling!!!), Maria Yoshikawa, and Haruka Dan.^[1]

The Plot

By chance, a hikikomori named Makoto Sugihara finds a strange breastplate buried in the woods. When he places his palm on the breast plate, its design gets burned into his palm while the action awakens a girl named Dogu-chan, a hyperactive yōkai hunter from the Jōmon period. Because he had touched her breastplate, Makoto is now bound to Dogu-chan as she adapts to modern day life, fighting yōkai in magic armor formed by her dogū assistant Dokigoro while slowly prying Makoto out of his shell as he is dragged into her misadventures, whether he likes it or not.

Download it here

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T13:29:00.002-05:00

To everyone but especially G2 who stopped by to comment New Years Greetings. Happy New Year Everone!

I haven't had much time to watch jdrama in 2009 but my favorites were:

1) Atashinchi no Danshi
2) Boss
3) Buzzer Beat
4) Jin

I also really enjoyed Bloody Monday which aired fall of 2008 but I didn't watch until 2009

Hope everyone out there has a great 2010

Mei-chan no Shitsuji

2009-04-06T17:10:00.005-04:00

Kamen Rider Kabuto and Kamen Rider Den-O co-star in this Japanese drama that TimelesSubs finished releasing their Hardsub for this drama just the other day. I just finished watching the first episode and liked it quite a bit. I just love jdramas based on manga's set in a school like Hana Yori Dango and Hana Kimi. Some of the guys from Hana Kimi, Nanba and Oscar to mention a few play butlers. It's a funny story of rich girls and the poor girl who get's dropped in their midst.

Download the complete series here.

Handsome Suit

2009-04-05T19:19:00.004-04:00

Christophe said...: Could you guys explain me who that guy is, in the sequence after the credits ? thanks :-P

That's Himura Yuuki he played Daruma in Akihabara@Deep one of the funniest otaku drama's I've ever seen, if you haven't watched it yet Christophe I highly recomend it!

Hana Yori Dango: Final Movie

2009-03-31T04:36:00.003-04:00

[Drama] hana_yori_dango_final_2008_movie_directors_cut_sd[sars].avi

via Tokyo Toshokan on 3/31/09

Torrent: http://www.nyaatorrents.org/?page=download&tid=48089
Size: 1.60GiB
Comment: director's cut wasn't here

I forgot to post, SARS released the HYD movie last week.

Michiko to Hatchin

2009-03-29T17:36:00.004-04:00

I just watched this anime this weekend, it was so good the best action anime I've seen since Black Lagoon. If you liked BL and haven't seen this yet yiu should give it a try. Ohgo Suzuka star of LA Sexy Voice and Robo does the voice of Hana and another jdrama actress Maki Yoko does the voice of Michiko.

You can download the entire series here.

Michiko to Hatchin (TV) - Anime News Network

via www.animenewsnetwork.com on 3/29/09

Michiko to Hatchin (TV)

Alternative title:

Hatchin ميتشيكو الى (Arabic)

Michiko and Hatchin

Michiko e Hatchin (Portuguese)

ミチコとハッチン (Japanese)

Plot Summary: Hatchin is a girl raised by strict foster parents who has long given up her dreams of freedom. Michiko is a sexy criminal who escapes from a supposedly inescapable prison. When she suddenly enters Hana's life, these two very different women set off on a journey across a lawless land in search of a missing man from both their pasts.

Median rating: Very good
Arithmetic mean: 7.973 (Very good-.02), std. dev.: 1.8427, rank: #506
Weighted mean: 7.8119 (Very good-.18), rank: #492
Bayesian estimate: 7.78967 (Very good-.21), rank: #343

Running time: 23 minutes

Number of episodes: 22

Episode titles: We have 22

Vintage:

2008-10-15 to 2009-03-18

2009-01-30 (Ep. 1-3, Italy - Future Film Festival)

Opening Theme:

"Paraiso" by SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS

Ending Theme:

"Best Friend" by Karutetto

The Handsome Suit

2009-03-20T20:54:00.004-04:00

The Handsome Suit - movie

via our hour on 3/15/09

The Handsome Suit
Tanihara Shosuke, Tsukaji Muga, Kitagawa Keiko, Yamamoto Yusuke
2008 Movie. with English subtitles.

Trailer and Synopsis. Diner owner Takuro (Tsukaji Muga) is the star in the kitchen with his fabulous cooking skills, but his below-average appearances make him a dud with the ladies. While renting a tux for his friend's wedding, Takuro ends up with a "handsome suit" that magically transforms him into a tall and dashing hunk (Tanihara Shosuke)! Suddenly, the world's at Takuro's feet as he becomes the hottest male model on the scene and the apple of every woman's eyes. But it's not so easy juggling two lives, especially when his suit keeps threatening to malfunction and reveal his true face.

cast: Tsukaji Muga, Tanihara Shosuke, Kitagawa Keiko, Yamamoto Yusuke, Ikeuchi Hiroyuki, Sada Mayumi, Sasaki Nozomi, Oshima Miyuki, Nukumizu Yoichi, Ibu Masato

The Handsome Suit
Total size: 1.3GB

megaupload: CD1 . CD2
mediafire: folder (15 parts)

SUBS ( mirror )

They used "La La La Love Song". XDD Now I'm going to have it stuck in my head all day.

Comment if you're taking it.

Only in Japan could "Sailor Mars" fall in love with a middle aged, guy who looks like a pig, and picks his nose in public. You may have to register to download from the site but this movie is well with the price of a thank you comment! I was laughing from beginning to end. Along with the stars many of the co-stars will be very recognizable to jdrama fans. Highly recommend, download this now!!

Wikipedia

2008-12-29T16:21:00.002-05:00

Please Think about supporting Wikipedia during their fund drive. Thanks

Man 'wants to marry' cartoon character | Metro.co.uk

2008-11-04T12:09:00.002-05:00

Sent to you by kevn57 via Google Reader:

Man 'wants to marry' cartoon character | Metro.co.uk

via www.metro.co.uk on 11/4/08

Your views (8)

Man 'wants to marry' cartoon character

Thursday, October 30, 2008

A man has launched a campaign in Japan to legally allow comic book-loving humans to marry their favourite fictitious characters.

More than 1,000 people have signed Taichi Takashita's on-line petition to establish a law permitting marriage to comic characters, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Takashita says he feels more at ease in the "two-dimensional world."

He said: "I am no longer interested in three dimensions. I would even like to become a resident of the two-dimensional world.

"However, that seems impossible with present-day technology. Therefore, at the very least, would it be possible to legally authorise marriage with a two-dimensional character?"

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Ed-gar-all-an-poe

2008-10-22T11:10:00.002-04:00

Just in time for Halloween

Sent to you by kevn57 via Google Reader:

Ed-gar-all-an-poe

via Google Book Search Blog by Inside Google Book Search on 10/21/08

Posted by Ryan Sands, Book Search Online Team

Today marks the birthday of the influential author, Edogawa Rampo, who is well-known and beloved in Japan as the godfather of mystery and detective fiction.

114 years ago today, he was born Hirai Taro in Mie Prefecture. As a young author with a deep interest in Western authors like Arthur Conan Doyle, he turned his love of the great American writer (and sometimes madman) Edgar Allan Poe into his nom de plume, Edogawa Rampo. Hint: say it 5 times fast, let the syllables blur together and the verbal connection should become clear.

Rampo has long been one of my favorite authors, and with a few simple searches on Book Search, I can relive some of the chills and dark pleasures of reading his short stories. The best collection of his work in English, Japanese Tales of Mystery & Imagination, includes such shocking stories as The Human Chair (a story in the form of a letter from an obsessed craftsman to a rich aristocrat's wife, who encases himself in the chair you are sitting in as you read this, OMG!) and The Caterpillar (a Johnny Get Your Gun-morality tale of a horribly disfigured veteran and his tortuous, psychosexual relationship with his distraught wife upon his return from the battlefields). These and the seven other stories in this collection still give me goosebumps when I read them.

In recent years, there has been an exciting surge of female authors from Japan writing dark and modern suspense novels. Books by Miyuki Miyabe and Natsuo Kirino, for example, have recently enjoyed great success in English, and the seeds of these contemporary tales can be traced back to Rampo. As scholar Amanda Seaman notes:

Rampo is the defining figure of Japanese detective fiction because of his unique ability to combine the suspense story tradition of the Edo period with the scientific methods and logical devices of the Western detective story.

Rampo's works have also been adapted into a number of films and television programs, and a number of film studies titles on Google Book Search trace his influence on Japanese film. Queer Asian Cinema looks at Rampo's themes of decadence and Japanese subjectivity, while Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film includes an interview with Kinji Fukasaku (director of Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Tora! Tora! Tora! and Battle Royale) discussing his adaptation of Rampo's Black Lizard (which featured a cameo by another famous Japanese author, Yukio Mishima).

In his later years during the post-WWII period, Rampo focused on writing critical essays and advocating for the expansion of detective fiction in Japan via the Japan Association of Mystery Writers.

Rampo's grave; his given name is listed.

Rampo passed away on July 28, 1965, and to this day his works remain popular and relevant to Japanese audiences. For American audiences looking for further stories, two of his novellas were recently released in one collection, and a book of newly-translated mystery stories and essays is in the works for next year.

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Steal This Comic

2008-10-13T07:14:00.003-04:00

Steal This Comic

via xkcd.com on 10/12/08

The RIAA doesn't make any money off of you either!

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Naked man from Spain jumps into Japan's Imperial Palace moat

2008-10-07T16:16:00.002-04:00

Maybe he should have went to the Monkey Bar

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Naked man from Spain jumps into Japan's Imperial Palace moat

via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder on 10/7/08

Tokyo Times reports that a man took off his clothes and jumped into the Imperial Palace moat to retrieve a bag, and ended up getting into a tragicomic tussle with the police. More photos and videos at the link. Tokyo Imperial Palace pandemonium

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Monkey waiters at restaurant

2008-10-07T12:39:00.002-04:00

Man, I have to take a trip to Japan, Cat Cafes and Monkey Bars how cool is that.

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Monkey waiters at restaurant

via Boing Boing by David Pescovitz on 10/7/08

Yat-chan and Fuku-chan are waiters at the Kaoru Otsuka sake house north of Tokyo. The two are monkeys. They bring hot towels and also serve drinks. From Reuters, where you can also see video:

"Yat-chan first learned by just watching me working in the restaurant. It all started when one day I gave him a hot towel out of curiosity and he brought the towel to the customer," the 63-year-old owner of the tavern, Kaoru Otsuka, told Reuters...

"We called out for more beer just then and it brought us some beer! It's amazing how it seems to understand human words," said 71-year-old retiree Miho Takikawa, who said she came to the tavern specifically to meet the monkeys.

Monkey waiters

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The Cat Cafe Boom in Akiba

2008-09-29T14:36:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Aaron at WARP for sharing this. BTW he's released a new episode this week

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The Cat Cafe Boom in Akiba

via Akibanana - by KｲKｲ on 9/29/08

Earlier in February this year, a cat cafe called Nekojalala opened in Akiba. We're not talking about Toranoana's Cafe With Cat where waitresses cosplay as cats, we do mean real cats!

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Japanese Girl Sensation: Virtual Boyfriends (Webkare)

2008-09-20T12:09:00.002-04:00

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Japanese Girl Sensation: Virtual Boyfriends (Webkare)

via www.techcrunch.com on 9/20/08

Japanese Girl Sensation: Virtual Boyfriends (Webkare)

9 Comments

by Serkan Toto on September 20, 2008

In Japan, girls are crazy over virtual boyfriends. Webkare (Web Boyfriend in Japanese), a mix between a social network and dating simulation site, is Nippon's newest web sensation. Geared exclusively towards girls, the site attracted over 10,000 members just 5 days after its release on September 10, racking up 3.5 million page views in the same time frame.

The site is a huge hit over here. Girls sign up and become members of a social network but also users of a dating simulation in cartoon style. They have to try to hook up with one of four male Anime characters (who are the "stars" of the site) through "conversations" and must collaborate with other Webkare members in order to move on in the game. Eventually they conquer the heart of the chosen cartoon boy.

It's pretty weird but clever. Dating simulations have been popular in Japan for quite a while now, but Webkare marks the first time the concept has been brought online and combined with social networking functionality.

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"Code Blue" to get New Year's special

2008-09-13T07:23:00.002-04:00

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"Code Blue" to get New Year's special

via Tokyograph on 9/12/08

Fuji TV's medical drama series "Code Blue" ended its run on Thursday, but the network has announced that a special two-hour episode will air during the New Year's period at the start of 2009.

According to Video Research Ltd.'s viewership data, the last episode had ratings of 19.5%, putting the entire series average at 15.9%. With the rest of this season's dramas almost over as well, it appears that "Code Blue" will have the highest ratings of the summer.

The special episode is set to take place after the events of the final episode. The main cast has been confirmed as returning, including Tomohisa Yamashita, Yui Aragaki, Erika Toda, Manami Higa, and Yosuke Asari.

Fuji TV has not yet scheduled an exact date for the special.

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Tommy heavenly6 returns with "Soul Eater" song

2008-09-10T11:58:00.002-04:00

I absolutely love Heavy Starry Heavenly what a great autumn PV.

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Tommy heavenly6 returns with "Soul Eater" song

via Tokyograph on 9/10/08

the brilliant green's Tomoko Kawase is back in action as her solo project Tommy heavenly6. The project has been inactive since her second album, "Heavy Starry Heavenly," was released in March 2007. Her new tune, whose name has not yet been revealed, will be the next opening theme of the "Soul Eater" anime series. The show currently airs on TV Tokyo.

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Polysics to tour Europe, North America

2008-09-07T09:15:00.003-04:00

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Polysics to tour Europe, North America

via Tokyograph on 9/6/08

POLYSICS recently announced a Europe tour that kicked off on Saturday in Portugal. They will play at least a dozen more shows in Europe throughout September.

The group will follow that up with a long U.S. tour in October and November, organized by the social networking site MySpace. That tour starts in Los Angeles on October 18 and returns to southern California for the final show in Pomona on November 14.

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Ayaka Hirahara to make acting debut in "Kaze no Garden"

2008-09-03T11:38:00.002-04:00

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Ayaka Hirahara to make acting debut in "Kaze no Garden"

via Tokyograph on 9/2/08

Singer Ayaka Hirahara is set to make her full-fledged acting debut with a role in the upcoming Fuji TV drama series "Kaze no Garden," penned by popular screenwriter Sou Kuramoto.

Announced back in April, the drama stars Kiichi Nakai as a doctor who lost his wife to suicide. After learning that he has terminal cancer, he returns home to Hokkaido to live with his aging father (Ken Ogata), bringing his two children with him (Meisa Kuroki, Ryunosuke Kamiki). Hirahara plays a young woman who meets the doctor through a medical examination, and the two become lovers.

In addition to appearing throughout the whole series, Hirahara has been given the task of providing the show's theme song and an insert song. In 2005, Hirahara sang the theme song for Sou Kuramoto's "Yasashii Jikan."

"Kaze no Garden" airs on Thursday nights at 10:00pm, starting on October 9.

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Hiro Mizushima, Anne Suzuki star in roommate comedy

2008-09-01T07:20:00.002-04:00

I've appreciated Anne Suzuki since I first saw in Aoi tori, a drama I didn't like but the 10 year old actress was great and only to get better in Hana to Alice and Stand Up!.

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Hiro Mizushima, Anne Suzuki star in roommate comedy

via Tokyograph on 8/31/08

Hiro Mizushima and Anne Suzuki will co-star in a Fuji TV drama series titled "ROOM OF KING," airing this fall. The show is an unusual comedy scripted by director/screenwriter Ellie Omiya.

The story revolves around a group of housemates sharing a high-class apartment in Tokyo's Aoyama district. Mizushima plays a part-timer while Suzuki plays an OL. They begin living with a venereologist (Haruka Igawa) and a popular stylist (Atsuro Watabe), but after a series of events, they find themselves all competing in a game to win ownership of the apartment.

Fuji TV will broadcast "ROOM OF KING" on Saturday nights at 11:10pm, starting on October 4.

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Do As Infinity reuniting

2008-08-30T15:43:00.003-04:00

This was the first jpop band I ever loved and still my favorite.

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Do As Infinity reuniting

via Tokyograph on 8/30/08

The popular band Do As Infinity is getting back together, it was announced on Saturday. The group made a surprise appearance at a-nation to break the news, though it was also revealed on their official website.

Led by vocalist Tomiko Van, the group was active between 1999 and 2005. This past spring, the group's members and staff met again, and they began discussing the possibility of a reunion. They have chosen September 29 as the date they officially resume activities, starting with a free show at Yoyogi Park on September 30.

The band plans to focus on live performances in the future, but they also aim to release new material next spring.

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Ponyo Could Be Biggest Film Ever in Japan

2008-08-29T09:48:00.002-04:00

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Ponyo Could Be Biggest Film Ever in Japan

via Slice of SciFi by Sam Sloan on 8/29/08

The animated movie, "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" from anime filmmakerHayao Miyazaki is well on its way to becoming the most successful box office film in the country of Japan.

Now passing over $109 million (12 billion yen), the film is on track to surpass current champ "Spirited Away," also from Miyazaki. First Ponyo must overcome the third and second place animated films "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Princess Mononoke," and that seems very likely to occur by as early as this upcoming weekend.

"Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" is very popular with entire families coming together to view the movie.

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Oguri to pass torch to Mizukawa for TV drama

2008-08-28T04:51:00.002-04:00

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Oguri to pass torch to Mizukawa for TV drama

via Tokyograph on 8/27/08

NTV has announced an interesting experiment with one of its drama series for next season. "Yume wo Kanaeru Zou," which was previously announced as a one-shot drama, will also be getting a series, though with a different star. Instead of Shun Oguri, actress Asami Mizukawa will be taking the lead.

"Yume wo Kanaeru Zou" is based on a best-selling comedic novel by Keiya Mizuno. In the original story, Kouhei is an unsuccessful salaryman who encounters a Kansai-ben-speaking manifestation of the Hindu deity Ganesha, and eventually finds happiness in life under Ganesha's guidance.

NTV's 2-hour adaptation of the story stars Oguri as Kouhei and Arata Furuta as Ganesha. Broadcast has been scheduled for October 2 at 9:00pm. But just before midnight on the same day, the network will premiere the serialized version, which is partly a continuation of the tale.

Unlike the original story, the "Yume wo Kanaeru Zou" series will have a female lead. Mizukawa plays Asuka Hoshino, who gets dumped by her boyfriend on her 25th birthday and is forced to temporarily move into a small apartment due to a fire at her old place. While crying and wishing for happiness, she is suddenly confronted by Ganesha, who happened to live in that same apartment with Kouhei several years earlier. Arata Furuta will play Ganesha for the series as well.

The drama's official time slot is 11:58pm on Thursday nights, beginning on October 2.

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Mamoru Oshii directing live-action "Kill"

2008-08-24T07:46:00.002-04:00

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Mamoru Oshii directing live-action "Kill"

via Tokyograph on 8/23/08

Mamoru Oshii is overseeing a new live-action work titled "Kiru ~ KILL." He will be one of four directors participating in the omnibus film, which is said to themed around swordfight scenes set up as if they were the climax of longer dramas.

Oshii's segment, called "ASSAULT GIRL2," stars Rinko Kikuchi and Yoko Fujita as two women, dressed oppositely in black and white, silently battling on an open field. Oshii previously worked with Kikuchi when she provided a voice for his latest animated film, "The Sky Crawlers."

Kenta Fukasaku is one of the other directors. The film opens on December 6.

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VOTD: Japanese Harry Potter TV Show | /Film

2008-08-22T12:53:00.001-04:00

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VOTD: Japanese Harry Potter TV Show | /Film

via www.slashfilm.com on 8/22/08

VOTD: Japanese Harry Potter TV Show

Posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 am by: Peter Sciretta

Japanese Harry Potter TV Show

The Pitch: What would Harry Potter look like if it was a weekly Japanese television show? Check out the video above created by konoko3939. The music and style is from a famous Japanese TV show called "Magic Sentai Majiranger".

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"Galileo" gets SP on same day as film's release

2008-08-22T04:51:00.005-04:00

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"Galileo" gets SP on same day as film's release

via Tokyograph on 8/21/08

Fans of the drama series "Galileo" have one more thing to look forward to. Anticipation is already high for the "Yougisha x no Kenshin" movie, opening in theaters on October 4. Now, Fuji TV is turning it into a double dose: a one-shot special titled "Galileo: Episode Zero" will be aired on the same day as the film's release.

The special is set 3 years prior to the drama series, with the story being related to a murder case that was partly referenced in the original show. Detective Kusanagi (Kazuki Kitamura) is looking to solve a murder mystery, and he gets back in touch with his former badminton teammate, the brilliant professor Manabu Yukawa (Masaharu Fukuyama).

The special will also portray an incident from Yukawa's college days. Popular teen actor Haruma Miura plays the young Yukawa.

Other cast members include Masami Nagasawa as a student lab assistant and Karina as a mysterious woman tied to the murder case. Fuji TV will broadcast the drama at 9:00pm on October 4.

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Eguchi, Yoshioka, Ito team up for police drama

2008-08-22T04:51:00.004-04:00

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Eguchi, Yoshioka, Ito team up for police drama

via Tokyograph on 8/21/08

Yosuke Eguchi, Hidetaka Yoshioka, and Hideaki Ito are co-starring in a TV Asahi drama special. The show will be a big-budget production directed by Yasuo Tsuruhashi, who handled last year's television remake of Akira Kurosawa's "High and Low."

Titled "Keikan no Chi," the drama is adapted from a Jo Sasaki novel that placed 1st in this year's "Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!" rankings and was nominated for the Naoki Prize. The story spans three generations of policemen, starting with Seiji (Eguchi), a Pacific War veteran who becomes a cop but dies in a fire near his home. His son Tamio (Yoshioka) follows in his footsteps as a police officer, but he is killed in the line of duty by a drug addict. Ito plays the third generation, a cop assigned to a secret investigation that leads him to the mysteries behind his father's and grandfather's deaths.

Filming started in mid-August and is expected to run for 3 months, with locations ranging from Kyushu to Hokkaido. TV Asahi will broadcast the special in 2009.

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Maki Horikita's "Innocent Love"

2008-08-20T04:51:00.002-04:00

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Maki Horikita's "Innocent Love"

via Tokyograph on 8/19/08

Popular actress Maki Horikita has picked up her next lead drama role. She will star in the tentatively-titled "Innocent Love," scheduled to air in Fuji TV's flagship Monday night time slot this fall. As the title suggests, the show will be a romance story.

The script is an original work written by Taeko Asano, whose most recent hit was "Last Friends" this past spring. Like that show, "Innocent Love" will focus on the lives of modern youths. The shows also share a director (Yusuke Kato) and a producer (Toshiyuki Nakano).

The story centers around the tragic heroine Kanon Akiyama (Horikita). As a child, she lost both her parents to a murderer, and her older brother was arrested as the prime suspect. Shunned by her town as the sister of a killer, she heads to Tokyo and picks up a job as a housecleaner. There, she has a fateful encounter with a man, but the road to romance is fraught with difficulty.

This will be Horikita's first time starring in Fuji TV's key time slot. Last year, her popularity skyrocketed due to a starring role in "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e." Currently, she appears in the NHK taiga drama "Atsuhime." That series doesn't finish filming until the end of September, so she will briefly be shooting simultaneously for "Atsuhime" and "Innocent Love."

"Innocent Love" will premiere in October.

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"Den-O" concludes with third movie

2008-08-19T04:45:00.002-04:00

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"Den-O" concludes with third movie

via Tokyograph on 8/18/08

The popular "Kamen Rider Den-O" series, which ended in January of this year, is getting its third and final theatrical film in October. No other "Kamen Rider" series has had more than two movies released in theaters.

Most "Kamen Rider" incarnations in recent history have had only a single movie during the summer while the show was on the air, but "Den-O" broke that trend with a second film this past April. Now it will have a third, titled "Kamen Rider Den-O: Final Countdown." Osamu Kaneda is again directing.

Takeru Sato will of course reprise his lead role as Ryotaro Nogami. Dori Sakurada has been cast as a grandchild of Nogami who transforms into a different Kamen Rider. Other confirmed cast members include Sayaka Kanda and Yuki Matsumura. The film opens on October 4.

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Yusuke Kamiji cast in "Scrap Teacher"

2008-08-14T04:44:00.002-04:00

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Yusuke Kamiji cast in "Scrap Teacher"

via Tokyograph on 8/13/08

Popular talento Yusuke Kamiji will be joining the Hey! Say! JUMP boys on NTV's upcoming drama series "Scrap Teacher." He will play the role of a teacher for the first time.

The series was first announced earlier this month. The show stars Yuto Nakajima, Ryosuke Yamada, Yuri Chinen, and Daiki Arioka as four junior high students who take on the task of reforming their unreliable teachers.

"Scrap Teacher" premieres in October.

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US Broadband Won't Catch Up With Japan's For 101 Years

2008-08-13T17:35:00.002-04:00

Come on Time Warner, work a little harder!

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US Broadband Won't Catch Up With Japan's For 101 Years

via Slashdot by timothy on 8/13/08

An anonymous reader writes "Internet speeds of users nationwide shows that the United States has not made significant improvements in deploying high-speed broadband networks in the past year, and if the average US Internet speed continues to improve only at the same rate it did from 2007 to 2008, the country won't catch up with Japan's current download speed for another 100 years, according to findings released by the Communications Workers of America's (CWA's) Speed Matters campaign." With enough statistical mangling, nearly anything can be presented as plausible, but that's not enough to cover up my envy of Asian broadband speeds.

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Canon Rock on YouTube

2008-08-11T12:04:00.002-04:00

I love this piece of music and this is just so cool

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Canon Rock on YouTube

via Google Blogoscoped by Philipp Lenssen on 8/11/08

In the Baroque years of around 1680, Johann Pachelbel from Germany composed his Canon D in Major. Centuries later, that particular meme has spread to YouTube as well in the form of Canon Rock, a search for which yields 19,000 results right now. Below is an example by Japanese user Khaluah20, but at currently 187,000+ views it's not the most popular example... with over 47 million views, Guitar90's version ("Practice, Practice, Practice and get a copy of Guitar Master Pro, that's how I did it!") ranks higher, creating the 86th most watched YouTube channel.

[Via Spiegel, which currently asks if the internet is making us dumb – the latter word in Google-colored letters.]

[By Philipp Lenssen | Origin: Canon Rock on YouTube | Comments]

[Advertisement] PingPongPie - the art of linkbaiting and social media marketing

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Aya Ueto to play "Japanese Paris Hilton"

2008-08-10T18:37:00.002-04:00

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Aya Ueto to play "Japanese Paris Hilton"

via Tokyograph on 8/10/08

This fall, Fuji TV is producing a drama series called "Celeb to Daihinmin," a romantic comedy starring Aya Ueto and Yusuke Kamiji. Ueto's role is said to be inspired by American celebrity Paris Hilton.

The story revolves around Alice Hirata (Ueto), the spoiled and naive daughter of a wealthy hotel magnate. On the other hand, Kamiji plays an impoverished widower raising three children. Between the two contrasting characters, romance is born.

In charge of the drama are producer Hiroyuki Goto and director Hidetomo Matsuda, who both worked on the popular "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e" television series. Fuji TV will broadcast "Celeb to Daihinmin" at 9:00pm on Tuesdays, starting in October.

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New live-action "Salaryman Kintaro" announced

2008-08-10T07:38:00.002-04:00

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New live-action "Salaryman Kintaro" announced

via Tokyograph on 8/6/08

Hiroshi Motomiya popular manga series "Salaryman Kintaro" is once again being adapted as a television drama. It previously ran for four seasons on TBS between 1999 and 2004 with Katsunori Takahashi as the star, and it even had a movie directed by Takashi Miike after the first season. The new version, however, is jumping to TV Asahi and has a brand new actor, Masaru Nagai.

It is uncommon for a television network to produce a drama series based on the same source as another drama from a different network. One of the few examples is Fuji TV's 2006 series "Saiyuki," which was originally dramatized by NTV from 1978 to 1980.

As for the role of Kintaro, Takahashi offered his encouragement to the younger Nagai. The two have plenty of experience working together, as they both appeared in the "Tokumei Kakarichou Tadano Hitoshi" drama series, which has had three seasons and is having a movie version released in December.

The new "Salaryman Kintaro" will air in TV Asahi's Friday 11:15pm time slot, starting in October.

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"Code Blue" flies in at over 20%

2008-07-06T07:32:00.002-04:00

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"Code Blue" flies in at over 20%

via Tokyograph on 7/5/08

The first episode of the Fuji TV drama series "Code Blue" aired on Thursday, getting 21.2% ratings. This is the 7th-highest opener in the history of that particular time slot (Thursday 10:00pm), ever since it was turned into a drama slot in 1984. Counting only summer dramas in that slot, it ranks #1.

"Code Blue" stars Tomohisa Yamashita, Yui Aragaki, and Erika Toda.

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Japan Imposes 'Fine On Fat'

2008-06-24T11:38:00.001-04:00

Looks like all those food shows are catching up with them.

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Japan Imposes 'Fine On Fat'

via Slashdot by timothy on 6/24/08

An anonymous reader writes "A recently-introduced law in Japan requires all businesses to have mandatory obesity checks (video link) for all their employees and employees' family members over the age of 40, CNN reports. If the employee or family member is deemed obese, and does not lose the extra fat soon, their employer faces large fines. The legislated upper limit for the waistline is 33.5" for men, and 35.5" for women. Should America adopt universal health insurance, could we live to see the same kind of individual health regulations imposed on us by the government? By comparison, the average waistline in America in 2005 was 39 inches for men, 37 inches for women."

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"Hana Yori Dango" special to air night before movie opens

2008-06-24T04:44:00.001-04:00

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"Hana Yori Dango" special to air night before movie opens

via Tokyograph on 6/23/08

A special press conference for the "Hana Yori Dango Final" movie was held at the Nippon Budokan on Monday. With anticipation running high for the film's opening this coming Saturday, it was announced that TBS is going to air a one-hour special on Friday night at 10:00pm.

The special will include a mini-episode that takes place just before the storyline of the movie. It was quickly filmed on Monday morning before the press conference. The show will also be partly broadcast live, with Arashi performing a theme song medley. Members of the group will even make an appearance as themselves in the mini-drama.

"Hana Yori Dango" has had two successful seasons as a drama series, and this movie will finally bring the story to a close.

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"Last Friends" Special

2008-06-22T14:34:00.005-04:00

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"Last Friends" ends at 22.8%, gets special episode

via Tokyograph on 6/22/08

Fuji TV's drama series "Last Friends" aired its final episode on Thursday night. The show had been gaining in popularity throughout its run, and the ratings for the finale rose to 22.8%, its best for the season. The peak came in the final scene, with ratings reaching as high as 25.9%.

The show outperformed the week's episodes of "Gokusen 3" and "CHANGE," which had been the highest-rated dramas of the season. Both have been falling in the ratings in recent weeks.

Because of the show's success, it was also announced that a special episode will air this coming Thursday (June 26), titled "Mou Hitotsu no Last Friends."

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Last Friends - 11

2008-06-19T18:53:00.001-04:00

The end of episode 10 was everything I could have wished for and more, sorry if that's mean spirited but that was one character I really hated.

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Last Friends - 11

via Our Hour by bittersweet_bun on 6/19/08

Last Friends
Episode 11, with no subs yet.
11th week's rating: ??

Last Friends, Episode Eleven
use hjsplit to join them together.
total size: 951 MB

filebam: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10
mediafire:
megaupload:

- They said there would be 12 episodes, but apparently next week's will just be a special..

Comment if you're taking it. :D

click for caps - will start them soon

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Monkey Majik does music for "Ando Natsu"

2008-06-19T18:22:00.003-04:00

Kimi Hannin Janai yo ne? star in another drama for the summer season, this was the first time I'd seen her and was really impressed look forward to her next drama, and a pastry chef maybe another Antique Bakery in the making?

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Monkey Majik does music for "Ando Natsu"

via Tokyograph on 6/18/08

The TBS drama series "Ando Natsu" is having its theme song done by Monkey Majik. The tune is called "Tada, Arigatou" and is scheduled for release on August 27. This is the band's second drama theme song, with the first being the hit "Around the World" that was used in Fuji TV's "Saiyuki."

"Ando Natsu" stars Shihori Kanjiya as a young woman aiming to be a pastry chef. The show premieres on July 7.

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Meisa Kuroki debuts as singer

2008-06-19T18:16:00.002-04:00

Star of 1 Pound no Fukuin debuts

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Meisa Kuroki debuts as singer

via Tokyograph on 6/19/08

Rising young actress Meisa Kuroki has just made her singing debut in connection with the au Sportio/W62T mobile phones. Her first song is an R&B/dance number called "Like This." Kuroki will appear in commercials for both phones, and different arrangements of the song will be used for each.

"Like This" will see only limited distribution. It became available as a chaku-uta on the 18th, while the full version, the chaku-movie, and the video clip will start selling on the 21st.

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Summer Time

2008-06-17T21:36:00.003-04:00

The blog is going to be on summer hiatus for the next month and a half, both my jobs get very busy this time of the year and trying to blog on top of that makes it seem more like a job then a fun hobby. I'll still do the occasional post especially if I see something that I really like, and I'll do a few posts with just screen caps that I've already captured. I hope everybody has a great summer.

Change Ep.5 Screen Shots

2008-06-16T12:38:00.000-04:00

Keita played by Kimura Takuya (Pride, Long Vacation) is introducing Nirasawa played by Abe Hiroshi (Antique, Hero) as his new aide to the four presidential aides. He’ll be taking care of public relations and communications, Hikari played by Kato Rosa (Tokkyu Tanaka San Go, Tsubasa No Oreta Tenshitachi 2) adds that he’ll be helping to serve tea also. After exiting the four aides start making comments about Nirasawa in front of Rika played by Fukatsu Eri (Space Travellers, Saiyuuki) saying that his inexperience in government matches that of the Prime Minster. Then on the TV screen there’s a shot of the American trade representative Harry Bingham, who in Japan to force the Japanese to increase food imports from the United States. Then the scene shifts to the conference where Bingham is pounding on the table making his demands. Kanbayashi Masaichi played by Terao Akira (Yasashii Jikan, Casshern) tells his aide that Keita doesn’t even know that Bingham came to Japan. Rika tells Keita that because a meeting has been cancelled for the following day, he’ll have a rare day off. Keita wants to go on a tour of Tokyo, and visit Beverly Hills Donuts, where the donuts are so good you have to stand in line for them. But Rika informs him that it’ll be too much trouble for security that has to follow him everywhere.

Keita gets better as the Prime Minister each week and it’s really getting to Kanbayashi who is showing his true colors more then ever in this episode, and looks even worse in the previews for next weeks episode. This was an excellent episode funny and smart. I love the scenes later in the episode between Keita and Bingham and I was laughing so hard when Hikari was serving Bingham tea.

Download the English hardsub bit torrent file from the tracker here. Screen caps of the first episode are here.

Zettai Kareshi絶対彼氏 Ep.8 Screen Caps

2008-06-15T11:14:00.000-04:00

Namikiri played by Sasaki Kuranosuke (Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi, Bambino!) is surprised when his boss shows him the new 02 model which was designed by another team. The new model features quicker recharging, internal emotional data collecting and no kiss reboot feature. Namikiri’s boss feels that the 02 will be more flexible then the 01, therefore it’s superior. Riko played by Aibu Saki (Utahime, Attention Please) finds Night played by Hayami Mokomichi (Hataraki Man, Rondo) trying out new hairstyles as they prepare for work. When Riko restores his former style for him she discovers the barcode behind his ear. The scene shifts back to the lab, Namikiri’s boss informs him that the plans to mass produce the 01 have been put on hold and 02 will be sent to Riko so that the two models can be compared. The model which satisfies Riko the most will be mass produced, the other will be considered useless and junked. 02’s designer has calculated the probability that 02 will defeat 01 in the trial at 98.2%.

The love triangle becomes a love quadrangle as the show approaches reverse harem territory. I really enjoyed this episode, I love robot stories ever since I first read I Robot when I was a kid, and this episode shows a little glimpse of the three laws as proposed by Asimov, but it occurs much later in the episode and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone so I won’t say anything else about it but if you’re an Asimov fan I’m sure you’ll see what I mean.

Download the English hardsub bit torrent releases from SARS fansubs here. Screen shots of the previous episodes are here.

Ryokiteki na Kanojo猟奇的な彼女Ep.7 Screen Caps

2008-06-14T11:07:00.000-04:00

Saburo played by Kusanagi Tsuyoshi (Sasaki Fusai no Jingi Naki Tatakai, SMAP) confesses to Riko played by Tanaka Rena (Drug Store Girl, Gegege no Kitaro) on the beach and as she runs towards him he opens his arms to embrace her. But she drop kicks him knocking him onto the sand, leaps on top of him and delivers her signature line “You want to die”. She tells him it’s way too early to confess and he protests that it wasn’t like he wanted to start liking her. Then she changes tack and agrees to let him replace Nonomura and demands that he do anything for her. A passing fisherman gives her a box of smelly fish which she gives to Saburo and telling him to take it and go back to Tokyo and wait for her. He makes a welcome home Riko sign and when he hears her return he runs to the hallway but is pushed aside by the landlady and her daughter who along with Riko shoo him aside for their reunion, his welcome sign trampled as they go into her apartment. He drags Riko into his apartment to find out what’s going on, but the apartment stinks because of the fish she forced him to bring back. Kensaku played by Tanihara Shosuke (Deru Toko Demasho!, Mop Girl) arrives and wants to have the welcome party in Riko’s apartment because Saburo’s smells of fish.

Another terrific episode in the best romantic comedy I’ve seen since Hana Kimi, I was surprised that Riko agreed to let Saburo replace Nonomura so quickly in the beginning of the episode but that just drove the laughs as she forces him to do one thing after another for him.

Download the RAW video bit torrent files here, the soft subs by BadAsSubMissions are here. Screen shots of the previous episodes are here.

Kimi Hannin Janai yo ne? キミ犯人じゃないよね? Ep5 Screen Shots

2008-06-13T11:07:00.000-04:00

The episode opens with a man chanting looking up into the night sky, a bright light appears in the sky and then spotlights the man. A pair of creatures are backlit as they approach the man. The scene shift, Sakura played by Kanjiya Shihori (Hana Yori Dango 2, H2) asks her editor if she believes in aliens. Then explains that a man approached her asking that question at the train station, when she agreed he grabbed her and started chanting, what the man at the opening scene was chanting “Bentora, Bentora, Space People”, saying that it’s a chant to summons UFOs. The two of them swing around and chant but are interrupted by the return of the editor’s coworkers. Then the editor throws her current manuscript in the trash advising her to draw some attention to the manuscript next time. The scene shift to an amusement park where a monument to Alien Friendship is to be dedicated, Udagawa played by Kaname Jun (Himitsu no Hanazono, Tantei Gakuen Q) stands and watches a TV explaining the purpose of the park. Sakura dressed as an alien approaches and takes one of his lollipops. She’s selling space dolls that grant wishes.

I love this goofy comedy mystery show and this one takes a few turns from the regular formula, but the mystery isn’t focus of the show it’s always more about the laughs this episode is no exception. The scene with the editor is usually good but I loved it as the co-workers caught the pair swinging around and chanting.

Download the bit torrent file for this episode here and the soft subs here, screen shots of the previous episode here.

Last Friends ラスト・フレンズ Ep9 Screen Shots

2008-06-12T11:15:00.000-04:00

The episode begins with Ogurin, Eri played by Mizukawa Asami (Iryu, Pride) , Takeru played by Eita (Atsu-hime, Orange Days) and Michiru played by Nagasawa Masami (Proposal Daisakusen, Sailor Fuku to Kikanju) sitting in the living room, Eri is channel surfing looking for Ruka’s played by Ueno Juri (Nodame Cantabile, Jodan ja nai!) race broadcast but it’s not on. Ogurin asks if it’s the TV owner’s fault and Takeru says they sound like an old married couple. Then Ruka calls Michiru with the news that she’s just won the race and also that she’ll come by the share house the next day to celebrate. They open a bottle of champagne to celebrate then Takeru goes into Ruka’s vacant room and sits having a flashback to his last time in the park with Ruka where he told her he didn’t want to lose her and wanted to support her. Michiru comes in and she asks Takeru what there is between himself and Ruka and he tells her that they are just friends.

Lot’s of stuff goes on later in the episode that really drives the story forward, and the cliff hanger ending has me waiting to see the next episode. Sosuke has become one of my most hated characters; the guy needs some serious counselling, anger management and a long jail term.

Download the Raw video from the bit torrent tracker here; English soft subs can be downloaded here. Screen Shots of the previous episodes are here.

Change Ep.4 Screen Shots

2008-06-11T11:14:00.000-04:00

Keita played by Kimura Takuya (Pride, Long Vacation) made a connection with the people during his campaign for prime minster in the last episode, and has won the election. The president of the US calls Kanbayashi Masaichi played by Terao Akira (Yasashii Jikan, Casshern) and congratulates him on being the virtual PM. But the press is out interviewing the citizens and office ladies are delighted that Keita won, even a salary man who admits that Keita has little experience gives him high points for charisma that’s been lacking in the previous prime minsters. When he arrives at his office Rika played by Fukatsu Eri (Space Travellers, Saiyuuki) informs him that she’ll be acting as his senior aide, and introduces him to the senior aides that will be working under her direction for him. After the four aides leave Keita asks Rika if they are the bureaucrats. One of the aides used to be her boss when she worked at the Ministry of Finance and that to bureaucrats’ seniority is the most important thing. Keita observes that here she is the superior and when she shows disapproval, he adds that it must be hard. Kanbayashi enters to discuss the appointment of cabinet ministers, for which he’s drawn up list. Keita notes that Kanbayashi will be the Chief Cabinet secretary.

I love this show it’s funny, interesting and even the politics are compelling when Keita works to solve a problem, like in and earlier episode about the man with too many cats. This episode I loved the scene in the washroom when Keita’s washing his hands and security is calling ahead saying he’d done in the washroom. Then Kimura mimes the guard and talks into his watch.

Download the English hardsub bit torrent file from the tracker here. Screen caps of the first episode are here.

Ryokiteki na Kanojo猟奇的な彼女Ep.6 Screen Caps

2008-06-10T11:17:00.000-04:00

The episode opens with Riko played by Tanaka Rena (Drug Store Girl, Gegege no Kitaro) and Saburo played by Kusanagi Tsuyoshi (Sasaki Fusai no Jingi Naki Tatakai, SMAP) being married, Kensaku played by Tanihara Shosuke (Deru Toko Demasho!, Mop Girl) is the minister and there is a problem fitting Saburo’s ring onto his finger but Riko forces it on. Saburo has forgotten Riko’s ring and she delivers her signature line “You want to die” then it’s time for the kiss. But instead of the kiss Riko asks Saburo why he told her about Nonomura, why couldn’t you keep it from me she says. Saburo turns to find a once full church empty, and he finally wakes from his dream. The landlady and her daughter are knocking on Riko’s door, the daughter tells Saburo he shouldn’t have told Riko about Nonomura, but the landlady sympathies with him saying you told her for her sake but asks if he regrets telling her. But when he goes out onto his balcony he finds Riko standing on hers.

Loved this episode, the story following the basic plot of the movie when the pair are separated. Many thanks to EFS who’s been providing the soft subs with the first six episodes, he retired from subbing and another group has picked up the series and will be releasing soft and hardsubs. I’ll continue to post screen shots of the soft sub and I’ll link to the subs as they’re released.

Download the RAW video bit torrent files here, the soft subs by BadAsSubMissions are here. Screen shots of the previous episodes are here.

Kamen Rider Den-O 仮面ライダー電王 Spin Off Announced

2008-06-09T13:38:00.004-04:00

Great news for Kamen Rider Den-O fans from Tokyograph

"Kamen Rider Den-O" fans are getting a little more out of the franchise this summer, through a series of short clips being labeled as a "spinoff" project. Titled "Momotaros no Makkakkajo no Ou," the comedic series consists of 3 one-minute episodes and 1 two-minute episode, all revolving around the character Momotaros.

The first three episodes will air at the end of the "Kamen Rider Kiva" broadcasts on July 20, July 27, and August 3. The two-minute conclusion can be seen as a bonus at the end of the movie "Kamen Rider Kiva: Makaijo no Ou," which opens in Japan on August 9.

"Den-O" has had exceptional popularity, being the first "Kamen Rider" series since 1988 to be made into two movies.

Puzzleパズル (2007) Screen Caps

2008-06-08T12:17:00.003-04:00

The A group students at an exclusive high school are taken hostage along with their homeroom teacher by a group of gunmen. The students are forced to find 2000 pieces of a puzzle and put it together within 24 hours or the teacher and a former classmate will be executed. The story is told through an interview process with an unknown interrogator and through flashbacks. Dramatically I don’t know if this is a good way to tell a story, it sometimes feels too dry and it reveals through it’s very nature that these characters at least have survived, which takes away some of the suspense. However in such a short series, four half hour episodes, it’s an effective way to get a large number of viewpoints across to the audience. Yanagi Kotaro (Tadashii Oji no Tsukurikata) plays the main character and does a pretty good job with it, he a little more lively then the character he plays in Tadashii Oji no Tsukurikata but not much. Along with Yanagi two other classmates I recognise are Nakamura Yuichi (Kamen Rider Den-O as Sakurai Yuuto/Kamen Rider Zeronos, Gokusen 2) and Yamamoto Yusuke (Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Kamen Rider Kabuto) who is also starring in this years Puzzle with Ishihara Satomi but the two dramas aren’t connected at all except by sharing a similar name. This drama wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped it’d be and the overall puzzle is pretty easy to figure out but if you love mysteries you might find this entertaining. But I’d much rather watch the 2008 Puzzle, its has better mysteries and overall is a lot more fun.

Download the entire four episode drama bit torrent files here.

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From: Kevin <kevn57@gmail.com>
Date: 2008/6/8
Subject: Puzzleパズル (2007) Screen Caps
To: blog Japanese Pop <kevn57.1957@blogger.com>

Zettai Kareshi絶対彼氏 Ep.7 Screen Caps

2008-06-08T11:07:00.000-04:00

Soshi played Mizushima Hiro (Kamen Rider Kabuto, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e) decides he wants to make something with the carrots that Riko’s played by Aibu Saki (Utahime, Attention Please) father brought from his farm and he wants Riko to make it and enter it in a famous patissier’s competition. Night played by Hayami Mokomichi (Hataraki Man, Rondo) gets tough with Riko over the relationship she has with her father. Namikiri played by Sasaki Kuranosuke (Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi, Bambino!) is in trouble with his boss over hiding the fact that Night is starting to act of his own accord. He’s told to scrap Night immediately the boss is worried that Night is dangerous. While Soshi and Riko are baking, Riko nearly collapses and Soshi hugs her. Then embarrassed he tells her that her iron might be low and she needs to take better care of herself. Namikiri brought Night back to the lab and after some work on the computer tells his boss that Night has been fixed, his programming has been returned to normal. His boss isn’t sure that he can trust Namikiri, he will now monitor Night’s data on a daily basis, because he tells Namikiri that “a robot that develops feelings is like a dog that has lost his loyalty.” Namikiri assistant is amazed that Namikiri could fix Night, but Namikiri admits to him that Night is impossible to repair he just lied to the boss. Riko is confused with her feelings towards Soshi so she decides to call Mika for advice. When Namikiri asks Night how he feels and Night tells him that when he sees Riko simle he is happy.

Night’s evolution continues on his path to becoming human, and the love triangle turns more complicated as another character is introduced later in the episode. I disagree with Namikiri’s boss about a robot with emotions or AI for that matter, I think once a machine achieves that level it would be unethical to destroy or try to remove the emotions or intelligence.

Download the English hardsub bit torrent releases from SARS fansubs here. Screen shots of the previous episodes are here.

Hachi-One Diver ハチワンダイバー Ep 2 Screen Caps

2008-06-07T11:07:00.001-04:00

In the first episode we’re introduced to Sugata Kentaro played by Mizobata Junpei (Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Seito Shokun!) he’s done nothing with his life except play shogi first aiming to be a professional then gambling to make enough money to live. But he plays Nakashizu Soyo aka Miruku played by Naka Riisa (Jodan ja nai!, My Boss My Hero) and loses. He’s devastated by the loss winds up pawning his shogi pieces for a rematch which he also loses. He then winds up playing another strong player with financial backing from Soyo, where he discovers his signature move 81 diver. Where he dives into the board and sees the best strategy to be used in the game. The next day Miruku is back at his apartment to clean, but he’s distracted by the beautiful girl and what he really wants to do is play shogi with her again but he hasn’t any shogi pieces to play with.

I love this show, it’s funny and the shogi is really interesting, I wanted to find out more about the game and found that yahoo games has a shogi section but the few times I’ve been there no other players were online. But they do have a section with the rules and while you don’t need to know it to enjoy the show it just enhances the experience if you understand what’s going on. I just learned the rules to mahjong last week watching xxxHolic Kei, the yahoo rules to shogi are located here.

I haven’t been posting about the show because there were already a lot of shows that I’m posting about but I’ve been watching every new release as the subs are posted the first five episodes have been subtitled so far. Download the RAW video bit torrent file here, get soft subs released by burento5 here. Screen shots of the previous episodes are here.

Puzzle (2008) パズル Ep6 Screen Caps

2008-06-06T11:07:00.000-04:00

The episode starts off ten years in the past as the police and local volunteers chase a criminal to a deserted island. But after a through search the man is not to be found. The scene shifts to the classroom where Misako played by Ishihara Satomi (Hanayome to Papa, Ns' Aoi) is demonstrating her fractured teaching method to remember the English word knee with the Japanese number two, but she gets mad when a student points out that elbows also come in pairs. Later Shinichi played by Yamamoto Yusuke (Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Kamen Rider Kabuto), is in the café with the girl from Sakuraba who wants him to attend a grand opening party at a new resort this weekend. He protests that he should study but when she squeezes his hand he readily agrees to go, she wants the boys there because a quiz with a wonderful prize will be held on the final day. Misako pages the three boys during kendo practice and after assuring the coach that everything is ok, she asks them if they had plans to go off with the girls that weekend. When they deny it she tells them that they’ll be helping her this weekend with paperwork. Finally they tell her about the quiz, and then she’s happily smiling during the boat trip to the island.

The women in this show are wicked; the Sakuraba girls are like miniature Misakos, as they easily manipulate the boys into doing whatever they want them to do. That’s why I find the show so amusing, the brilliant boys while understanding they’re being used by Misako have no clue that the girls are doing the same thing to them that Misako does to the coach.

Download the RAW video bit torrent file here, soft subs can be download here. Screen shots of the previous episodes are here.

Last Friends ラスト・フレンズ Ep8 Screen Shots

2008-06-04T14:03:00.000-04:00

The episode starts with a recap, Takeru played by Eita (Atsu-hime, Orange Days) is at Ruka’s played by Ueno Juri(Nodame Cantabile, Jodan ja nai!) door telling her that she can tell him anything, after confessing to her in the park. But she’s upset and yells back that there are some things that people don’t want to talk about even when they are about to die. Later Michiru played by Nagasawa Masami (Proposal Daisakusen, Sailor Fuku to Kikanju) asks Takeru if it’s alright that she likes him. Eri played by Mizukawa Asami (Iryu, Pride) sees Ogurin with his wife in the airport terminal. Sosuke played by Nishikido Ryo (Attention Please, Ganbatte Ikimasshoi) saves the little boy who was abandoned by his mother from being run over by a train. Ruka is looking for an apartment where she can live on her own, and tells the realtor that she plans to move overseas in six months. Michiru is busy making a bento for herself and Takeru when Eri comes and asks what she’s doing. Eri’s confused because she’d assumed that Takeru was gay after the evening that she’d tried to kiss him. Michiru can tell that Takeru is uncomfortable around her at work and tells him not to worry about what she’d said.

Sosuke does a selfless act and winds up injured saving the little boy from the train, so he’s not completely evil. In fact we haven’t yet learned why he works for social welfare, did he just need a job or was it some deep urge to help troubled kids avoid his childhood problems. However it doesn’t mitigate what he’s put Michiru through.

Download the Raw video from the bit torrent tracker here; English soft subs can be downloaded here. Screen Shots of the previous episodes are here.