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).
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.
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?
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.
Note: The featured article will be stickied to the top of the web page for two weeks at a time. To read the latest, proceed to the second post of the blog.
Have you ever watched an idol DVD? An idol DVD is usually an hour to an hour and a half long documentary-like film featuring a certain idol doing different things or tasks. Originally meant for the male audience, an idol DVD features the female idol (ranging from 10 to 20+ year-olds) doing various sports, posing in different swimsuits, cosplaying and basically posing around.
A few years back Marvelous Entertainment, the one behind the successful stage production The Musical Prince of Tennis, started a trend in producing idol DVDs starring male actors, specifically actors who had starred in Tenimyu at one point. The DVDs were widely accepted by Tenimyu fans everywhere and had now become a trend. DVDs starring male actors were started to be fondly called Men’s DVD. Some actors like Katou Keisuke were also starred in such DVDs even though they have not starred in Tenimyu or any stage productions. (left: Katou Keisuke’s Pieces of Dream DVD)
Exactly what can one expect when watching a man’s DVD anyway? What eyecandy are stored in such a fangirl’s treasure?
(To ensure understanding of the text with the pictures, I have incuded the actor and the title of the DVD in the pictures.)
The first time they were released, men’s DVD were sold as is: containing the main documentary clip, a short making-of video, and a digital photo gallery. The recent ones though, now come with photobooks with shots from the DVD. They are sold separately so you can enjoy both the printed and digital versions of shots from the video.
A male idol DVD contains slightly different parts from a female idol DVD. Usually, the movie is shot in a place outside Japan, commonly in other Asian countries like Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. The actor is usually depicted as someone who is exploring the place he ended up in. All throughout the film, a voice-over done by the actor himself would be narrating, telling his thoughts of his adventures and on certain things. The movie is usually divided into categories, all of which are, more often than not, common in all men’s DVD.
Read the rest of this entry »
When the photos of Ogurin (one of Oguri Shun’s nickname) for Caligula came out, I remember someone asking if he was playing “Jesus Christ.” Well people, not exactly. Caligula is actually a nickname for the Roman emperor, Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus. An archetypal tyrannical emperor, Caligula was known for his cruelty, insanity and yes, sexual perversion. Due to Caligula’s supposedly colorful life, many plays and musicals were derived from his story.
Any real otaku is aware that Prince of Tennis has a stage adaptation. Anyone who is a die-hard fan of Oguri Shun knows that a few of his successful projects are on the stage (Caligula, As You Like It). Any one who knows JE (Johnny’s Entertainment), D-BOYS and PureBOYS remembers that almost all members of these group has had experience in performing on stage be it a play, a mini-musical or a theater live.
The Japanese stage has seen so much diversity in the years of its existence. The usual kabuki, the adaptations of Western plays and the act-out of Mishima Yukio’s books are companioned with the rise of animyu and contemporary stage productions and lives.
Designed By :
