It’s a bit late, since it was shown September last year, but I think too few people mention it and it should be known :). Last September 2007, the show Daitan Map aired a special about the top 50 most popular anime character voices from the very first anime to the recent. I think it is special in a way because it not only showcased the wonderful seiyuu who were behind the entertaining voices but it also gave previews of old anime that were forgotten and needed to be remembered by the present generation (Come on, don’t tell me you don’t remember any of those anime mentioned :P).
You can watch the clip (quite long) in Veoh or Crunchyroll (needs registration). Just search the terms in the title of this article and you should get there. In the meantime, here are the list mentioned in the clip (names romanized by me). The numbering is from 50 to 1 :). Please click the names if you want to know more about the seiyuu (e.g. other roles).
One of Yuu Watase’s (Fushigi Yuugi, Arashi no Ceres) works is now on the way to being adapted for a live action series. Zettai Kareshi, also known as Absolute Boyfriend, is a six volume manga series originally published in Shoujo Comic magazine. It is one of Watase-sensei’s more popular works, having sold more than a million copies in Japan alone.
The live action adaptation of the manga is planned to air in Fuji TV starting April 08, 2008. Playing the lead female, Izawa Riiko, is actress Aibu Saki (instead of a high school student, the character is adjusted to an office lady). Playing the love robot Tenjou Night is actor Mokomichi Hayami (Densha Otoko, Gokusen) while playing the third of the love triangle, Asamoto Soushi, is actor Mizushima Hiro (HanaKimi, Kamen Rider Kabuto).
Reference:
Koda Kumi, wearing black and looking haggard, appeared in front of Japanese TV audiences last Thursday in Fuji TV news program to apologize for something she said on air.”I think the way I spoke was really not good … I’m sorry,” Kuu reportedly says.
What exactly did she say, you ask? Well, the Japanese diva apparently commented on women’s amniotic fluid (the fluid which supports the development of the fetus inside the uterus), saying that it becomes “rotten” once a woman turns 35…uhu.
That’s so not hot, Kuu. In a few years’ time, you’ll be turning 35, and based on YOUR logic, YOUR amniotic fluid would rot. Just goes to show that someone needs to watch more of Discovery channel.
4 banners. 84 different poses. 14 meters in length. 2 meters in height. Namie Amuro is the new face of Vidal Sassoon in Japan and the subways are covered in her ginormous ad banners. Ch-ch-ch-check it out!
You may have heard the word “aidoru” or “idol” a few times when you watch Japanese dramas or variety shows. Normally, an idol would mean someone who ’sets an example to the public’ or someone who ‘is highly adored’. In the Japanese industry though, what is exactly an idol?
An idol is (mostly) a female personality who is in her teens or twenties. Some males,
especially those in Johnny’s Jimusho, are referred to as idols, too, but the term is more accurately referring to females. Anyway, it is said that anyone can be an idol as long as she has the cute and feminine look, a nice body, proper dancing skills (enough to sway in correct rhythm to the music) and proper singing voice (enough to carry a simple tune). As an idol, a girl can do a wide range of projects: CDs, idol DVDs, dramas, small parts in movies, advertisements and magazines, and photobooks. Their agency profiles usually contains their age, blood type, body measurements and hobbies.
Before, the term idol refers to just any cute female celebrity. However, as time goes by, the term just becomes associated with teenage girls and their list of projects becomes more specific to the group. Because of the number of things an idol can do, a lot of categories for idols are developed depending on these things. An idol can specifically do just one of those categories or she can be an all-around idol. Here are some idol categories. Some because I don’t think I can name them all.
The years 2006 and 2007 are the peaks of Boys Love or yaoi films and movies. About a dozen boys love- themed works have been released within the two year-span and more are on the way. In my opinion, this is the only time I have seen BL films to be released at such a fast rate, successful or not.
It might not be a coincidence that most of the BL dramas, if not all of them, released in the previous two years featured Tenimyu actors. After all, the stage adaptation of Prince of Tennis is a mine of ikemen, or gorgeous young men, and most of them are just starting their careers and waiting for a big break to the big screen or television. Aside from their looks, they are also talented in singing, dancing, and acting, making them versatile targets for the industry that had always been bent on keeping the female part of the fandom happy: Boys Love.
If casting Tenimyu actors in BL is a tradition or a coincidence, we may never know. But really, who wants to find out the answer when we’re all busy watching?
“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?
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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December 22, 2007 is the start of the roadshow of the Boys Love film Takumi-kun Series ~Soshite Harukaze ni Sasayaite~. The movie was adapted from the manga series Takumi-kun Series by Ooya Kazumi who is also known for her work Oasis Project. Takumi-kun Series is only one of the many boys love films released recently.
As with the other BL films (it’s starting to be a trend, believe me), the film stars actors who have performed or are connected to musicals, specifically The Musical Prince of Tennis. The cast list is as follows:
He reads The Prince of Tennis and buys the most recent Shounen Jump to be updated plus the tankoubons, too. He laments when a Seigaku (the main team) regular loses a match. He sulks when he is not able to buy that certain Seigaku racket case in a store. He re-reads the The Prince of Tennis manga when he could not sleep. He names his dog Fanta, to refer to the drink Ponta was based on.
When you read his blog, you would think that 16 year-old Sakurada Doori is merely a Prince of Tennis fanboy, especially when he starts rambling about Echizen Ryoma and his teammates. Well, he is a fanboy, but he is also Echizen Ryoma in the flesh — at least for a certain time.
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