The anime world had, as always, been busy with lots of releases for 2007. Some of them sold well, some of them flopped, but no one can really be the judge of that. After all, everything depends on each person’s taste, right? Here is my list of the memorable anime that debuted in 2007. These are series that I have watched and left me lingering thoughts about them. The series are arranged by show date in Japan. Click the titles to go to the each anime’s official site.
New releases for this week were almost non-existant, and with the new year coming up, things are really slow. So I thought I’d do a sort of “year in review” for reference.
Bands/Artists that Debuted this year:
Acid Black Cherry - Janne da Arc’s taking a break, but we get Yasu’s awesome solo project. He has a new single and an album planned, and let me tell you, that album will be mine as soon as I can pre-order it!
alan - Chinese Opera singler extraordinaire! Her debut single was awesome, and her collab with Rin’ was too. Can’t wait for the next release!
ERIKA - Sawajiri Erika had a release for the drama Taiyou no Uta under the name Amane Kaoru in 2006, but officially debuted in 2007. Or something like that.
Ikegami Kei - Still hard to get her stuff, but she has a nice voice.
ONE OK ROCK - Had their major debut, though they’ve been indies since 2006.
Soulja - His awesome duet entitled “Koko ni Iru yo” with Aoiyama Thelma was really good, and his album did pretty well if I recall correctly.
Bands/Artists that Disbanded this year:
BeForU - I never really listened to them, so I can’t really comment on this.
bis - I can comment on this, though… bis is disbanding in Jan 2008 (can I even include them in this list?) and I’m really surprised about it. I felt like their latest releases have been pretty strong; but then I only started listening to them recently, so I guess I can’t really make that distinction well.
Def Tech - Micro now does seperate collabs, but always seems to still be introduced/credited as “Micro of Def Tech”. Hmm…
LOVE - Otsuka Ai’s sugary sweet bunny-thing. Grows on you.
Mi - Cute girl group that I actually sorta liked. They weren’t really bubblegum which was nice.
W - Hello!Pro group that was on hiatus due to Kago Ai’s smoking scandal. Then she was caught “socializing” with older men. This being an especially sore point for H!P fans, I think I’ll stop with the comments here. They wouldn’t have been very nice anyway. *grin*
Other odd happenings in that respect
AAA - the loss of one of the girls hasn’t changed the singing of AAA much. I wonder how it feels to be 2 girls surrounded with 5 guys all the time? *grin*
Antique Cafe - lost their bassist Bou, but gained 2 new members and came out with strong singles in my opinion. I really liked Ryuusei Rocket, and though I’ve always liked Bou, I also like the changes in An Cafe that came about this year as well.
the brilliant green - Came back! YES! 2 new singles this year, and a single collection planned for early next year.
speena - They left avex and had a name change to something I can’t quite remember and don’t feel like looking up.
ZARD - Izumi Sakai, the single and face of ZARD, died in the hospital this year. I really liked her, and I was sad at this news… but really. Do we really need 6 tribute/best of/rememberence/whatever albums? Seems wrong to use her death to sell stuff.
…and both mai and Van Tomoko seem to have dropped off the face of the earth, music wise.
Interesting collabs:
ayaka and KOBUKURO - WOW. The sheer awesomeness of voices for this single still never fails to blow me away.
Ito Yuna and Celine Dion - including this because even though the single isn’t out till January, the PV is out. What an interesting duo… I’d have thought Yuna’d be outclassed by Celine, but she really proved she deserves “diva” status. She held her own, and then some!
The Gospellers and Howie D - Definitely Backstreet Boys-esqe, but I’m really enjoying this theme of Asian + Western artists. I think it is awesome that Western artists are at least attempting to sing in Japanese! XD
Koda Kumi and Tohoshinki (DBSK) - reaffirmed I really don’t like Tohoshinki, but that Koda can make anyone look good. Did those guys sound goofy in the talking part, or what! *dodges rotten fruit thrown by fangirls*
KOH+ (Shibasaki Kou and Fukuyama Masaharu) - Liiiiiked it!
MONKEY MAJIK - did a lot of collabs this year, everyone of them good. Except maybe that last with CHEMISTRY… I honestly couldn’t tell it was a collab.
I’m sure I’ve missed some, but those were the main things for me. Feel free to add on in comments, and any other news you remember being big from the year!
Seeda has been a busy guy. Not only has he kept up his Concrete Green projects with DJ Isso, but he’s been releasing albums like crazy. Just one year ago he released the highly acclaimed “Hana to Ame,” then he followed up with his first major debut album, “Machikaze,” and now he’s got another album coming out in late January, entitled “Heaven.” Perhaps Seeda is capitalizing on one of Koda Kumi’s methods for gaining fans — release as much as possible in a short amount of time.
Seeda is hardly new to the rap game. He’s been releasing albums since 1999, then under the moniker “Shida da Shadi,” and joined the group SCARS, after an impressive showing at 2000’s B-Boy Park MC Battle. His bilingual rhyme style has gained him many fans, both Japanese and foreign alike. After his release of “Hana to Ame,” he started popping up as a featured artist on many different albums, including Dabo’s “Baby Mario World.” Now, with his own official website and major debut album out, Seeda’s popularity is higher than ever. It’s no surprise that he wants to capitalize on it.
If you count next month’s release, Seeda will have six album releases in just 13 months; three Concrete Green albums and three solo albums. That’s not counting the three albums he’s been featured on this year: Dabo’s “Baby Mario World,” Sac’s “Feel or Beef,” and Aria’s “The Jukebox.” It’s a wonder the guy hasn’t ran out of material.
Seeda’s “Machikaze” was well received by Japanese Hip-Hop fans and currently has an
average costumer rating of 88 on HMV’s site. However, the album didn’t have the emotion that filled many of the tracks in “Hana to Ame”, something that Seeda excels at incorporating in his rhymes. Perhaps “Heaven” will show off the softer side of Seeda. Instead of working with a plethora of different producers, like on Machikaze, he’s sticking to the two producers that have done him so well through his rap career — Bach Logic and I-Dea.
Seeda has burst out from the underground scene to challenge the best of mainstream Hip-Hop. Do you think he’s got the skills to take it on? What do you think of Machikaze, and how hyped are you for Heaven? Tell me what you think!
Sources:
www.hmv.co.jp
www.yesasia.com
www.wikipedia.org
seeda.tv
In my country, the Philippines, we celebrate Christmas by going to midnight Mass, eating a huge feast afterwards and then exchanging gifts. We also adopted some western traditions like hanging stockings (even if we don’t have chimneys), candy canes, and Santa Claus. Every country in my opinion has a unique way of celebrating Christmas.
Have you ever wondered what the Japanese people do during Christmas eve and Christmas day? Only about 1.5% of Japanese are Christians. However, their present lifestyles have enabled them to adopt the common customs of celebrating Christmas.
December 24 and 25 are not considered holidays in Japan. December 23, though, is a holiday (Emperor’s birthday). Still, the Japanese are still fond of the celebration. They decorate their homes and shops with Christmas trees, mistletoe and fairy lights. Santa Clauses, beautiful illuminations and other Christmas decorations are all over public places, adding cheer and excitement.
“I wonder why people lie?”
Ashita no watashi no tsukurikatta
November 2007
Directed by Ichikawa Jun
97 minutes
Narumi Riko, Maeda Atsuko
Sumitani Juri (Riko Narumi) is a normal girl. She is neither popular nor bullied in class. She idolizes the most popular girl in her elementary class, Hanada Kanako (Maeda Atsuko). She pities the bullied girl in her class, Kubota Manami. However, she does nothing to change the norms and just goes with the flow of society. Outside, she might seem like a carefree, fun-loving girl but she is mainly a girl who is struggling to keep her family together and feels pain whenever her parents go into arguments.
During her elementary graduation, she talks with Kanako. Kanako has previously gotten into an argument with the class and was demoted from being the class representative to being the bullied one in class. As they talk, they both unload their burdens of keeping up a false front to people in order to fit in: with Kanako trying her best to be the well-liked girl in class and Juri trying her best to meet her parents’ expectations and keep them together.
Juri and Kanako drift away from each other until Juri finds out that Kanako is moving away to a new high school. Concerned that her old friend will still be troubled at her new school, Juri sends her an e-mail. When Kanako does not recognize her, Juri decides not to reveal herself. Instead, she undertakes a false identity, Kotori, who tells Kanako the story of a very popular girl named Hina.
Kotori tells Kanako of Hina’s ways to fit in and have lots of friends. Kanako becomes a shadow of Hina and follows everything Kotori tells her about. She easily fits in and
becomes popular and even gets herself a boyfriend (Kanei). All throughout those times, Kanako depended on Kotori and her stories of Hina to keep herself together.
When the e-mails stops, however, Kanako finds herself thinking if it is right to keep pretending. Juri also starts to think about the real reason behind her e-mails. Is she just keeping it up to make the story of Kotori and Hina happy? Who are their real selves? Will they be able to fit in if they are their real selves?
Angela Aki is half Japanese and half Italian-American from Hawaii (though she was born in Japan), hence her awesome English skillz. She originally debuted in America, but soon switched to Japan and was able to catch the attention of Uematsu Nobuo after the release of her ONE minialbum. She landed the theme to Final Fantasy XII, and the rest is history!
Angela’s signature style is as a singer-songwriter who mostly features her piano. If you don’t like the piano, then you probably wont like her no matter how good her voice is. If you’re like me, though, and love the piano, this is definitely an artist you don’t want to miss!
Anyway, the usual sampleness! Her music doesn’t really have much of a range. I hesitate to say it is limited, since that is normally a negative trait, but in terms of instruments used and typical style, hers is always identifiable. She also likes to remake songs and feature them on several releases. Still, she has some amazing songs, so give her a try if you haven’t before!
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POWER of MUSIC: SD’s Angela BEST! 01. Kiss Me Good-Bye 02. MUSIC 03. This Love 04. Rain (Re-Arrangement) 05. サクラ色 (Sakurairo) 06. TODAY 07. たしかに (Tashika ni) 08. 孤独のカケラ (Kodoku no KAKERA) 09. On & On 10. Kiss From a Rose (Seal Cover) 11. Again 12. Louisiana 1927 (LIVE Randy Newman Cover) |
Song reviews, youtube links, etc. under the cut! Read the rest of this entry »
Bach Logic. If you’re a die-hard fan of Japanese Hip-Hop, or Hip-Hop in general, then you’ll probably recognize the name, however casual fans may not know of this mega producer. He has produced, mixed, and remixed for the best, and now he’s working with R&B superstars Exile. The combination can only lead to great things.
Bach Logic is sort of a Hip-Hop renaissance man. He is responsible for the creation of Doberman Inc and arguably the recent highly anticipated major debut of Seeda, who’s previous album was produced entirely by BL. He has produced tracks for everybody from Anarchy to Zeebra, and is one of the single most influential individuals in the Osaka Hip-Hop industry. He has even done remixes of some of America’s Hip-Hop and R&B greats, including Jay-Z and Akon. He not only produces, he has recently started to spit his own rhymes on tracks side by side with high caliber emcees, including Seeda, Bay4K, and Doberman Inc. Yet, producers remain the unsung heroes of the music industry; their songs are forever immortalized on albums without others even knowing it is their personal work of art.
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Title : D. Gray-man
Genre : drama, comedy, horror, shounen, supernatural
Production : TMS Entertainment
Episodes : 65+
Vintage : 2006 - ongoing
I first came across this series when I was in Japan last November. I saw only the sixth episode on TV Tokyo because I was visiting for a short time. I loved the series from that one episode, so when I returned home I looked for the whole series. I must say that it ranks as No. 2 on my favourite anime list. It’s a great series with a very profound story and unique characters. Throughout the whole series you experience different emotions; the storyline is serious and deep but there are some comical scenes that break the drama overload that makes most anime of this genre unbearable.
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I said last week I’d stop putting this off, so even if it isn’t quite the end of the year yet, I’d like to go ahead and do a big Yearly Recommendation Post! I left a lot of stuff out, so these were just the top releases for me. I had a lot more favorites overall, but I couldn’t stick everything on here! It is also a bit heavy on the JPop as that is what I normally listen to, but a few JRock releases are thrown in there as well.
Cooking doramas has become a fad in Japanese television this year. All of them both tell stories about a certain person’s journey to reach mastery of his or her craft. Delicious Gakuin (Delicious Academy) or DeliGaku for short, shown in early June 2007, is one of these doramas. The only difference? It’s not really ‘drama’. If you want to have a slice of the cracky side of cooking, this is probably your thing.
AAA members Nishijima Takahiro and Atae Shinjirou star in this drama as 2 of the main characters, Kitasaka Rouma and Katsuragi Shugo respectively. With them as the main characters are stage and drama actor Miura Ryousuke as Matthew Perrier, stage actor and dancer Aiba Hiroki as Takasugi Rin, and D-BOYS member/sentai actor Nakamura Yuichi as Nangou Ryouji. Other actors worth mentioning are drama actor Shirosaki Jin as Tokudaira , singer/actor Hironari Amano, stage actor/singer Nagayama Takashi and actor Kawai Ryunosuke, all of whom acted as teachers in the so called “Delicious Gakuin”.
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