Years ago I picked up a couple of J-pop collections for
various Japanese commercials and TV Show Theme songs (called, curiously enough,
TV-CF Songbooks) primarily because it featured songs by Kome Kome Club, a
group that I was just getting into at the time, as well as a few others. As I’d mentioned in an earlier
post, this was the same collection that turned me onto artists like Ruriko
Kuboh and MISATO, with popular tunes that I hadn’t heard before.
But there was this one Country-Western-style song that I loved ‘cause it sounded just plain FUN! Fast-paced and sung in this oriental sing-song style, it was one of those that immediately brings a smile to your face! Though I couldn’t read the japanese kanji at the time, I was to later find out it was a song called “Akai Hana” performed by none other that the precious Miyazawa Rie herself!
My very first exposure to Ms. Miyazawa came from a strange place- Long, long ago when I was still working at a one-hour photolab, someone came in with what I thought was a curious subject: he’d taken photos of a photo book (this was before color copying was easily accessible, I guess), and these pictures were pages a very pretty girl in the nude, sitting in a field of flowers. “This guy must really like this girl to be taking pictures OF the book!” is all I thought at the time.
A few years later Saburo had told me about some shashinshuu he’d asked his parents to get him from Japan, and I was surprised to see that it was none other than that book the guy had copied! I found out her name was Miyazawa Rie, and her nude book SANTA FE (shot by master photographer Kishin Shinoyama) was a notorious hit in Japan because it came in the midst of her clean idol image!
Moving forward a few more years, and I’m now heavily into j-pop and all things Japanese, and it was around this time I picked up those two TV CM compilations. Funny, listening to the “Akai Hana” song, not once did it occur to me that this was the same girl in that photobook. In fact, because of the way the song was sung, my mental image of the singer was more like a seventies type of singer like Asada Miyoko or Agnes Chan!
I got my hands on a copy of the 1993 (or so) Kouhaku, and it was here that I saw Rie Miyazawa for the very first time performing, doing a David Bowie rip-off song called “Game” (based on the Bowie/Lennon/Alomar song “Fame”) sitting scrubbing her back in a tub of soapy suds(!). Though I associated this semi-nude girl singing with the girl in the aforementioned shashinshuu, I still didn’t make the connection to the Country song I’d loved on the CM Compilation.
It was only after one day when I had this nostalgic urge to dig out those old CM compilations did my Miyazawa discovery come to light!
So, I’m sitting there, listening to those tunes on the CD, and when Akai Hana came on, I thought, “Wow, I forgot about this song! This song is SO much FUN! Say, who sings this?” Looking through the booklet, I was properly astounded to find that the singer was none other than Rie Miyazawa herself!!!! WOW!
From then, she was firmly established in my mind, and after a heartwarming appearance on SMAPxSMAP, my love for her only grew! My friend Morningberryz got ahold of two classic albums of hers (Chepop and MU, the former featuring the aforementioned song GAME) and made me copies which I played over and over again that summer! While all the songs were catchy and fun (“I say Hi” is an exceptional fave!), there will never be a song of hers to equal “Akai Hana” for me. That song just gets better and better over the years!
PS: And YES, eventually, I got myself my OWN copy of that famous shashinshuu which was my very inkling of the majesty that IS Miyazawa Rie!!
When you think of Avex Trax artist HITOMI, the first thing that ALWAYS comes to MY mind is the cover for her album “LOVE LIFE”, and those of you who live in Hawaii and have visited Nippon Shoten even once know EXACTLY what I mean! They’ve had that promotional poster hanging on their wall since like forever, and one’s eyes just can’t HELP but gravitate towards it when entering the store, Hitomi is just so damn pretty and sexy here!
But that was a lot later, when she was a lot more well-known. Back in 1995, she wasn't a household name yet, and my first memories of Hitomi was seeing her debut album GO TO THE TOP featured on Tower
Records j-pop rack of new artists, and I have to say the generic looking cover
didn’t leave much of an impression on me at the time.
It wasn’t until a year or so later that I rented a music special that featured the popular videos of the previous year, and I saw a clip of Hitomi running around what looked to be the Australian Outback and singing just the CATCHIEST of songs! Then I heard the totally genki girl sing the lines, “Let’s Go To The Top!”, and I immediately realized, HEY! This song is the title track from that album we used to have at Tower!! MAN, what a catchy song!!! But by then the CD was long gone, and I kicked myself for not picking it up!
A year or so later, I was over at a friend’s house recording various B-sides of ZARD singles, and while perusing his extensive collection, happened to notice that he had a promotional copy of that Hitomi album on his shelf!!
“DUDE!” I excitedly yelled, “You have GOT to make me a copy of that song “Go To The Top! I’ve been curious about it ever since I saw a clip of it on a Music Show, and I’ve never even heard the whole song yet!”
Well, after finishing up that ZARD collection, he threw the Hitomi song onto a new compilation along with other acts like Sakurakko Club and V6, and I couldn’t WAIT to get home and listen to my new stash!
First impressions of the song once I got a chance to sit down and really listen to it was the shock of how much it sounded like a Tetsuya Komuro production. I mean, it WAS a Tetsuya Komuro production, but really, Hitomi sounded like a DEAD RINGER for TRF singer YUKI in this song! Not that that’s a BAD thing- In fact, I really liked trf, but it’s funny how listening in retrospect to Komuro’s songs from trf, globe, Misato and Amuro Namie all have that similar sound!
Tonikaku, the song was as cool as I remembered, with awesome beats and terrific hooks, and the thing that really made the song for me was the way the song ended. Each chorus ened with a repeating line of Mayowazuni…Let’s go to the Top.”, but when it came to that last powerful refrain, Hitomi ended it withan upbeat and drawn out, "Mayowazuni-Let’s go to the TOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPP!!"! So CUTE!!! Aw, MAN this song kicked butt!
Now, CD burners back then were not like the stuff of today. Funny how each computer seems to come with a drive built right in, but back then, my friend had to drop more than seven hundred dollars for an external burner, and these things were really hit and miss, resulting in many “dud” discs and misfires. As computers got more and more savvy, those CDs we burned got more and more out of date, and eventually my computers just stopped playing them. GASP! So after all these years, I had to make a concentrated effort to find my beloved Hitomi song, and I found a copy of the original 3 inch single from the strangest of places- CD JAPAN!!!
Addendum: Funny thing about that LOVELIFE poster that affected me so much- just a few months ago, hitomi released a sequel CD of sorts with LOVE LIFE 2, featuring the artist once again posing nude for its cover- this time fully pregnant with child! And in celebration of her coming child , she additionally released an accompanying shashinshuu- capturing her soon-to-be motherhood in the buff! (And YES, I ordered that one, in fact, it came in the same shipment as my CoCo DVD Box Set!) Let's Go To The Toooooooooop!
Yes, you read right, the CoCo DVD Box Set is finally here- AND IT IS
BEAUTIFUL! I cannot express how EXCITING it is to hold actual DVD cases
of each of these concerts...after years of temptation to purchase Hong
Kong Bootlegs JUST to have the CoCo concerts on disc, it REALLY is like
a DREAM COME TRUE to have the REAL thing in my possession!
In celebration of this incredible (for us) event, we present to you: (drumroll)
First, the Basics
Top Five Concert Sets:
Budokan: (Haru Milkyway-Hanbun Fushigi)
Budokan : (Shiawase Kamone~Kimi No Uta, Boku No Uta)
Nakano Sunplaza: (News Na Mirai~Kimi No Uta, Boku No Uta)
Forever: Super Medley
Forever : (Hanbun Fushigi~Koisuru Niwatori)
Five Favorite Individual Song Performances:
Deluxe Edition / Equal Romance
Budokan / Yume Dake Miteru
Nakano Sunplaza / News Na Mirai
Natsu ’92 / Naze?
Forever / Koi No Junction
1.The CoCo Concert which I thought Azusa Looked Best in:
Budokan Yellow "Candy Candy" Dress
2. The CoCo Concert which I thought Erika Looked Best in:
Deluxe Edition Cheerleader Outfits
3. The CoCo Concert which I thought Maki Looked Best in:
Natsu ’92 Pink “Champagne” Dresses (During Naze?)
4. The CoCo Concert which I thought Mikiyo Looked Best in:
Forever: "Ikanaide Natsuyasumi”
2. The CoCo Concert which I thought Rieko Looked Best in:
Pick ’em
Top Five Favorite Concert Outfits:
1. Deluxe Edition Cheerleader outfits (During “Equal Romance)
2. Budokan Pink “Stewardess” outfits (During “Otome No Rehearsal”)
3. Metallic Green Dresses (During “Yume Dake Miteru”)
4. Budokan Yellow “Candy Candy” dresses ( Shiawase Kamone)
5. Natsu ’92 Pink “Champagne” Dresses (During Naze?)
6.Those Color-Coded Forever "Vogue" Dresses
Bottom Five Least Favorite Concert Outfits:
1. Deluxe Edition Unicycle Ridin’ Tutus!!! (Yasashisano Hoosoku)
2. Budokan god-awful flower-curtain pajamas (during “Dakara Namida To Yobanaide)
3. Nakano Sunplaza “Cosby Kids” outfits (during Sasayaka Na Yuuwaku)
4. Deluxe Edition Leather Jackets ‘n’ Leather Shorts (Minna Daijyobu)
5. Did I mention the Unicycles?
Concert with the best sound:
Natsu ‘92
Concert with biggest Cicada attendance:
Forever
Most obvious evidence of CoCo’s growth as profession idols:
“Koisuru Niwatori” in Heart to Heart and then five years later in Forever.
Original "Best Friends Forever" Award
Rieko and Azusa, the original BFFS
“Not Looking Where You’re Going” award:
Maki walking into Rieko during “Minna Daijyobu” in Deluxe Edition
“Who’s Zooming Who” Award:
Erika and Maki singing different lines (and realizing it) during Heart To Heart’s “Yume Wa Neumuranai”
Best “Save” Award:
Erika at the end of ‘Shippo No Kimichi” where she realizes she’s about a foot away from where she’s supposed to be, then hopping over to reach Mikiyo’s hand.
Most Irritatingly Intrusive Audience Chanting Award:
During Erika’s Deluxe Edition performance of “Yuki No Nichi wa Dareka No Kotowo”
Dumbass Overzealous Keyboard Playing Award:
That Keyboardist in the back during “Equal Romance” on Deluxe Edition
"Rock Rock Til You Drop" Award:
Rieko after performing Suiheisen De Tsukamaiete/Joke Nimo Naranai Koi in Budokan:
Idiot Fan Award:
That dingaling who threw the that streamer(?) to the stage and hit Rieko on the head during Heart To Heart's MC!
Greatest "Fan Service" Award
Rousing Perf of "Equal Romance" in Deluxe Edition that has never been rivaled!
Probably more to come as I sit down and watch all the DVDs.
These Lists and Awards are my own opinion, your own mileage may vary.
Currently Watching:
Yasashi Jikan
Triangle
Seikei Bijin
Boku to Kanojyo to Kanojyo Ikiru Michi
Joou No Kyokushitsu
Enka No Joou
Love Shuffle
Now here’s an ususual one for me in regards to japanese dramas. You know how I always rave about certain dramas having killer songs that simply made the shows better? And how there were even dramas that I loved BECAUSE the theme song was so good?
Well here’s one for the books- there was a drama where I LOVED the ending song-but didn’t like the drama at all!! So I would tune in at the end of each episode to see the credits roll because it was so good, even though I’d given up on the show itself after around episode 4! Oh, I continued to watch it in that sort of “It’s-on-but-I’m-doing-other-things-at-the-same-time” kind of way, just in case it got better, but I’m sad to say that (for me, anyway,) it never did.
The show was a drama called Konna Watashi ni Dare ga Shita (Who Made Me This Way?) starring Shinji Takeda and Tsutsumi Michitaka as a struggling comedic duo who can’t seem to get any breaks. They frequent a Club that sports a giant framed bulletin board that’s covered with photots of all the great comedic stars that have “Made It” from the club. “Someday, We’ll have OUR photo in that case”, they firmly believe, if they can enlist the aid of the legendary manager who nurtured these great stars. Unfortunately for them, they find the talent agent (played by Esumi Makiko) has become bitter and jaded and refuses to help them. They have to prove to her that they can make it!
So that’s the general premise of the show, the trials and tribulations of the duo as they overcome obstacles within the business and within themselves to try and reach for the brass ring. Throw in Takako Matsu and Ryoko Hirosue and you had a pretty visual show, but really, nothing that could keep me entertained, that is, until the ENDING SONG STARTED.
The ending credits begin with the sound of a steel door slamming as the title of the Show: “Konna Watashi ni Dare ga Shita?” appears. Instantly, Hiroko Sohma’s voice begins singing its earnest song, then…
As chimes break in with the drums, the (all-star) cast headshots flicker by: Shinji Takeda, Tsutsumi Michitakai, Hirosue Ryoko, Matsu Takako, etc, then as the credits starts scrolling up as they begin showing recaps of the episode…
Then, as Hiroko works her way to singing the chorus, in black and white, the scenes are intercut with this dreamy future of Shinji and Tsutsumi nervously climbing the stairs up to a stage…
The symbolism isn’t lost on me, the climbing of the stairs
is supposed to stand for their struggles, and as each clip goes back to them
climbing, you really get the sense of them working their way to the top…
…then finally, they get to the stage…
…look at each other as if to acknowledge: “We’ve Made It!”…
...and as they walk out, the crowd erupts into applause!!!
Then as the song comes to an end, the shot of them turns into a photo and pulls back to show it’s hanging in the famed bulletin board in the Club! They’ve MADE IT! Kakkoi!
Like I said, after a few episodes, my interest in the drama itself waned, but I still tuned in just so I could watch that incredible ending. I ended up videotaping those credits, and watched it like it was the actual PV for the song! HAHAHA! (BTW, If I can find a way, I would LOVE to upload that here!!)...In an interesting side-line, years later I knew this guy who loved Takako Matsu and wanted to know if I taped Konna Watashi Dare Ga Shita. I told him I only taped the ending song. I showed it to him, and he excitedly said, Can you make me a copy of this ending?! I said,"But it's only the ending credits", to which he replied, "Yeah, but Takako Matsu is in it for a few seconds!" WHOA! Now THAT'S dedication! And here I thought he wanted it for the song!
PS: Funny Thing about vocalist Hiroko Soma… I’ve always suspected that Hiroko might actually be awesome singer/composer Kohmi Hirose, because the singing AND writing seem SO similar to her style! In fact, it almost looks like the name “Hiroko Soma” is an anagram for “Kohmi Hirose”, dessho? But of course, I may be reading JUST a bit into it!!! AHAHAHAA!
A while back, (more precisely, February of 2008) ARASHI appeared on popular music show UTABAN to promote their latest single STEP AND GO, and while all of their appearances are always entertaining as heck, this one spot was particularly interesting because in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, they had invited a handful of child actresses to chat and quiz Arashi on various love-related themes!
There were six of these girls, with ages running from 6 to 11, and while I myself didn’t know any of them, Car had seen about half of them in shows like HOTMAN and the like. All of them were cute and precocious, asking Arashi questions like “How should I confess my love to someone I like” and such, but there was one girl that I thought seemed to stand out from the rest of them.
“Wow”, I told Car, “That girl’s gonna be a heartbreaker when she gets a little older!” And I probably wasn't the only one to think so- In fact, even Nakai and the guys in Arashi were commenting on how grown-up she’d become since they last saw her, so I suppose she was already on her way!
I don’t know what it really was about her that struck me,
perhaps her demeanor and composed state (and the fact that her favorite member of Arashi was an
unexpected AIBA-kun!), but I really thought this girl had it
together!
The girls performed little skits with various members of Arashi, and even here (in a wacky scene with Jun as a mean boyfriend and Nakai as a rock!) she impressed me with her professional acting and sense of humor.
That episode ended with the girls giving chocolates
to their favorite member of Arashi, and in a MOST unprecedented scene, EVERY
member got chocolate EXCEPT Matsujun!!! Ohno got one. Aiba got one. Sho got one. Jun got none. And Nino got...TWO! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!
After that I told myself I'd look out for that girl, and when I began watching “Byakuyakou” a few months ago and saw young actress Mayuko Fukuda, I thought to myself, “HEY! There she is! It's that girl that was in UTABAN!” When I relayed this to Car, however, she said “Hmmm…I don’t think so. I think it was some other girl”, but she couldn’t be sure.
Then when I began watching ENKA NO JOOU and JOOU NO KYOUKUSHI and saw Mayuko AGAIN, I was convinced that she WAS the girl in the Valentine’s Day special, but when I mentioned it to Car, she said that she’d gone back and re-watched the UTABAN episode, and it was NOT Mayuko Fukuda, though they DID look quite similar. Oops. MAN, I thought it was the girl!
ANYWAY…
SO just last week I began watching the highly regarded Kusanagi Tsuyoshi Drama BOKU TO KANOJYO TO KANOJYO NO IKIRU MICHI. The Dramawiki synopsis gave me the impression the show was going to be about a man and his mid-life crisis, focusing on married couples and their relationships with each other. And though there IS a little of that, the heart of the show is about a man suddenly separated from his wife, and in true “Kramer VS Kramer” style, ending up having to take care of their child alone.
I wouldn’t say that I’m a HUGE fan of children-based dramas, ESPECIALLY when they’re of the “bratty because misunderstood” variety which irritates me to no end, but this (thankfully) wasn't one of those, and the little girl they got to play Tsuyoshi’s six year old daughter Rin was so INSANELY adorable and loveable she just melted my heart and won me over and I knew instantly that this drama would become my top viewing priority!
Every scene this girl was in killed me, just watching this cute waifish little thing following grouchy old Tsuyoshi across town practically brought tears to my eyes! What really pierces me is how sweet and innocent she is amidst the wreckage of her parents’ marriage. Tsuyoshi is a businessman and doesn’t want her, so he goes to talk to his wife who, after arguing, says she doesn’t want the girl either. “I don’t love her,” she flatly states. Tsuyoshi goes home, and there’s this TOTALLY heartbreaking scene when he goes into Rin’s room, and silently watches her sleeping. Just seeing this tiny, fragile unloved child sleeping in the bed JUST KILLS ME. Fortunately, it is this revelation that motivates Tsuyoshi to try and make an effort to care for Rin.
So after watching about 5 episodes of the Boku to Kanojo to Kanojo no Ikiru Michi, I’m talking to Car, gushing about the show, and in particular, this adorable child actress that she just has to see. “This little girl they got, she plays Tsuyoshi’s kid, and-
“THAT”S HER!!!!” Car abruptly realized, completely startling me!
EH? That’s WHO?
“That little girl is the girl in UTABAN that you keep thinking is Mayuko Fukuda!!!!"
"Remember, in Utaban, Nakai mentioned that she played Tsuyoshi’s daughter in that show!”
WHAAAATTT! This LITTLE, LITTLE girl was that UTABAN girl?
“Remember, they all were surprised how much she’d grown since that drama?” Car added. “Nakai had said she’d grown into a young lady!”
HUH! Could It BE?? I had to make sure! So I dug out my own
copy of that Utaban episode, and watching it, for a while, I still couldn’t
believe this 11-year-old girl was that 6 year old in BOKU KANOJYO. She’d
changed so much in those 4 or 5 years that just about the only thing that
looked like the little girl was her smile! But it WAS her, after all! WOW! SO I FINALLY got to know who this girl was!
I found out her name was Karen Miyama, and going online to
research more about her, I was surprised to find that she’d actually been
making quite a bit of headway into the idol arena, with multiple photobooks and
video DVDs already on the market! But it’s funny that it seems like she hasn’t
done too many dramas lately aside from playing “younger versions” of the lead actresses in flashback scenes
like Keiko Kitagawa’s character in
MOP GIRL and Tanimura Mitsuki’s in CAT STREET.
Perhaps when she gets a little bit older she’ll make the transition to teen actress and start getting bigger roles…I for one will be waiting to see her…and Mayuko Fukuda, too, for that matter! Them's two talented young actresses, they are!
I consider most Japanese dramas to fit into one of two very generalized categories which I’ve dubbed Episodic and Linear. Episodic dramas are the ones like Shomuni, Kinpachi Sensei and all the detective dramas like Galileo and Investigator Mariko, where they feature a set cast and have them solve a different problem/case each week.
Linear storylines are the ones that are a single story told in 11 (or so) chapters, dramas like Aishiteiru To Ittekure, Ryusei No Kizuna, Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake and Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi, all spent the entire drama telling one tale.
Now, even linear dramas tend to be episodic in nature, since a lot of time is spent on other storylines rather than the actual plot, but every once in a while, you’ll come across a drama that is so tight that it actually feels like a movie that has been divided up into 11 parts, and I’ve just finished watching a great one with the drama Ashita No Kita Yoshio!
Ashita No Kita Yoshio is an intriguing, emotional and heartwarming drama about an unlucky man who’s decided to kill himself after 11 days, and the roller-coaster ride life decides to take him on once he makes this choice! Starring Kohinata Fumiyo as title character Kita Yoshio, this was a drama just filled with great actors and great scenes!
Ashita was first suggested to me by Sadacori, because of our mutual admiration of Kohinata, but when I clicked on the Dramawiki site and saw the banner for it, my first thought was, “Huh! It looks like a detective show trying to copy BOSS”! But I couldn't have been more off, and once I read the synopsis that accompanied the banner, I was intrigued!
Kita-san has come up with a “bucket List” of sorts, that is, things he wants to do before He dies, and one involves coming to town to have some curry, (his very favorite dish!) but gets involved with a mob-like huckster named Heita, (played by Ryuhei Matsuda, a totally cool character) who, although first irritated with Yoshio, upon hearing his suicide proclamation, decides to take him under his wing and help him fulfill his last wishes.
Part of the reason Heita’s being nice to Kita-san is because his girlfriend Rika has incurred a huge debt, and they hope to take an insurance claim out on the soon-to-be-deceased Yoshio, but his goodness slowly but surely starts working on Heita, til he sees him as a true friend.
One of the things on Kita-san’s list is to meet up with his ex-wife Mizuho who left him 11 years ago under unusual circumstances, and when we meet up with her, she already is involved in another sinister situation, as her second husband has just been killed and they have yet to determine if his death was an accident or murder! The character of Washizu Mizuho was played by actress Konishi Manami, and I’ll speak more on her later.
Another wish on his list is to meet up with Yoimachi Shinobu, a pretty idol girl he’d briefly met once years ago, her friendly demeanor she showed him at that time has stuck with him, and through Heita’s underground connections, is able to make plans to have dinner with her...But Kita-san is is for a shock as the sweet young idol he adored so many years ago is far from the pure idol he remembered! But once again, Yoshio’s sincerity comes through, and Shinobu realizes she can be herself around him. Shinobu was played by actrerss Yuriko Yoshitaka, and I’ll speak more on HER later, too!
Yep, the show’s filled with interesting and compelling characters, and a kick ass stable of actors to portray them! Even the second tier characters are solid- Chiaki Kuriyama as Heita’s girlfriend Rika, Jun Kaname as Mizuho’s able assisitant, I even got to see an appearance of Muroi Shigeru, an actress I hadn’t seen since her awesome perf on Africa No Yoru!
And as far as kakkoi characters in this drama, (Ryuhei Matsuda notwithstanding) the one character that surprised me most was Katsuhisa Namase! As the clear-headed straight arrow Insurance Investigator Sugimoto, he played the one level headed person in the entire drama, using his moxie and intellect to wade through all the lies and deceptions to get to the true story! Absolutely the coolest character ever played by the guy me and Car dubbed “The Japanese Jeff Goldblum”! AHAHAHAHA!
Or: A New Fave: Ashita No Kita Yoshio part II
A while ago my friend Car offhandedly mentioned to me that my current fave actress at the time, Ayase Haruka, had just been bumped out of the number one spot of beloved actresses in the popularity polls.
The “new Number One” as it were seemed to be a new actress I hadn’t heard of before. Her name was Yuriko Yoshitaka, and though she appeared in “Atsuhime” (a drama I’d watched and loved), It wasn’t until the drama “Love Shuffle” started that I really registered a face with the name!
Well…my impressions of Yuriko at this point were cool, at best. I mean, she seemed pretty enough, but I found it hard to believe this was the girl who had dethroned my beloved Ayase Haruka out of the top slot! She seemed like just any other up and coming actress.
To be fair, the girl Yuriko was playing didn’t give her too much of an opportunity to shine, as her character Hayakawa was manic depressive and spent most of the show looking morose, being bored, and remaining utterly silent! “Well”, I said to myself, “She looks like a bit like Kanno Miho did back in the day, and that’s a plus, so I’ll continue watching, and hopefully I’ll see just what everyone is talking about!”
But it wasn’t until I started watching Ashita No Kita Yoshio that I finally came around!
As Kita Yoshio makes his journey through his last days, he mentions that one of the things he wanted to do was see Yoimachi Shinobu, a j-pop idol/singer whom he’d met years ago and had been taken in by how sweet she was...
When he finally DOES meet up with her again, he is shocked by her change- she isn’t ANYTHING like the sweet innocent idol he’d met before, but rather, a high-maintenance, spoiled, and surly girl with a HUGE chip on her shoulder. It is only after she senses how good-natured and naïve he is that she opens up to him. And it is HERE that she fully lets loose on the CUTE-o-meter!
Ditsy and energetic, she proceeds to turn Yoshio’s life upside down by teasing him, lying to him, stealing his things, getting him into trouble, and then making it all better with a cuddle and a smile! She pretends to be in trouble to make him rush to her side, runs away from him if he even HINTS that she’s not important, and in one of the more exciting turns, calls up her manager and tells her she’s been KIDNAPPED when she’s on a trip with Yoshio! Then when Yoshio gets a call, before he can explain the situation, Shinobu steals the phone out of his hands, and with peals of giggles, runs away! This chick is just the sassiest and naughtiest troublemaker ever!
I’m watching all of this unfold, and I’m completely won over by Yoshitaka! It’s like, Oh My God, I get it, I get it, Oh My God, this girl is so damn fricking adorable holy crap this girl is just oozing sexual energy, I get it now, holy CRAP! Etcetera, Etcetera…
Every night that Shinobu visits the befuddled Yoshio, she lets him give her a foot massage, coyly saying, “I’ll give you a treat, and let you do this for me”, in reality, though, It’s completely narcissistic. Deep inside, she is insecure and desperate to be loved, when she offers her feet for Yoshio to massage, on the surface she is doing him a favor, but during the massage, she constantly asks, “Are you happy that I let you do this?” showing how important it is for her to be appreciated by someone.
When she first proposes the foot massage, she sprawls out on the bed and brings out a tube of lipstick. She proceeds to draw lines across her calves- she tells him, “this is the line you can’t go above”, very saucy! Though he should be thrilled, he has other things on his mind, and doesn’t get into it. The massages become a ritual for them, however, and after a long, crazy trip together, she goes “all the way”, or at least metaphorically speaking, when she tells him he can mark the lines on her legs anywhere he wants, offering to mark it high, higher, highest…! DAMN!
Folks, I was completely unprepared for this onslaught of
cute and sexy…Yuriko isn’t even pictured in the promotional pics for the show
and I thought she’d be a minor character at best, little did I know she’d just
about STEAL THE SHOW for me! Whenever she’s onscreen, she is so cute, I can
barely stand it!
Up next for me on my Yuriko-watching schedule is the VERY interesting-looking Hiroshi Abe drama SHIROI HARU, and I can’t wait to see just what kind of character Yuriko comes up with next!
Or: A New Fave: Ashita No Kita Yoshio Part III
I remember talking to my friend Car after watching Episode 8 of the Yuki Amami detective drama BOSS, about that night’s villain, a vengeful sharpshooter girl played by actress Konishi Manami. Car said she remembered that I liked Konishi in some earlier drama, but couldn’t remember which one it was...
Eh? As far as I knew, this BOSS episode was the first thing I’d seen this actress in. “Are you sure I said I liked her?” I asked, and Car replied, “Yeah, you said she was really pretty!” This totally threw me for a loop, because although she certainly was attractive, Manami Konishi reminded me more of one of those yellow marshmallow peeps bunnies, albeit an angry, murderous one!
Then Car remembered: “Ah, she was in Orange Days! Remember, she was Tsumabuki’s girlfriend or something?” Then it hit me, and I DID remember him totally shafting this pretty teacher-type girl to obsess over Shibasaki Kou. Though the face eluded me, I DID remember noting how beautiful she was. So this was this same girl? Hm, I didn’t seem to have that same reaction in her BOSS appearance!
Then I started watching the awesome Riko Narumi drama Ruri No Shima, and what do you know, here was Manami again, once again playing a bitchy teacher! Though I loved the show and ended up loving her character as well, I still didn’t feel that spark I supposedly had back watching Orange Days…was it a fluke?
Now we’re up to present day, and I’m watching the Kohinata Fumiyo drama Ashita No Kita Yoshio, and once again, here was Manami playing a cold, bitter woman, but this time, her character was supposed to be a beautiful, classy and pure woman, and in every scene she was shown in classy outfits, sleek cars and sparkling jewelry, and it was THIS character that FINALLY opened my eyes!
On the outside she was depicted as a cool, calculating career woman, strutting the halls in her long, high heels and delivering her dialog in hard cold monotone along with an icy glare, but in private (or with her psychiatrist) she broke down into this meek, innocent waif who’d been lonely all her life and manipulated by those she loved. In short, the most fully developed character I’d seen her in, and I simply loved her in it!
You want to see Manami playing a complex character? well, that's definitely what you got with Washizu Mizuho. Intrigue and mystery surrounds this girl: Why would this gorgeous girl marry a nobody like Yoshio? Why did she mysteriously disappear from his life 11 years ago? And why is she being investigated for the murder of her second husband? So much secrets can be hidden behind a pretty nurse's outfit and a sweet smile!
Little by little, the clues come creeping out of the woodwork, all leading up to an explosive final episode where all the lies and deceptions come to a head! WOW! What an actress! This was no lightweight girl here- this was someone who could really deliver!
Funny, when I went back to those old episodes of BOSS and Ruri No Shima to get those screencaps, Manami seemed SO pretty and charismatic now that I’ve re-discovered my love for her! It's hard to believe I forgot how much I liked her! AHAHAHA!
What I’m trying to get next for my Manami Konishi-watching pleasure is the cute comedy drama KIRAKIRA KENSHUI, where Manami plays a good-natured nurse who always seems to be getting in trouble because she is spending too much time helping people out! Looks to be a FUN show!
Ah Manami-chan, will you ever forgive me for forgetting you?
Currently Watching:
Bengoshi No Kuzu
Joou No Kyoushitsu
Ashita No Kita Yoshio
Kisarazu Cat’s Eye
Enka No Joou
Arifureta Kiseki
Love Shuffle
Yukan Club
Kiina
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Saburo said:
I guess I'll have to make that homemade "CoCo Collection" DVD until Pony Canyon releases "The Otomejuku Solo DVD Box."... read more
on The CoCo DVD Box Set is Here!!!! -
zdorama said:
Quote: "Yeah the packaging is EXACTLY like the laserdiscs!"Yeah, I noticed that on Deluxe Edition, it still lists the tracks... read more
on The CoCo DVD Box Set is Here!!!! -
Saburo said:
OK finally ripped open the cellophane... Yeah the packaging is EXACTLY like the laserdiscs! Sheesh, inserts only shrunk down to... read more
on The CoCo DVD Box Set is Here!!!! -
zdorama said:
ribbon in 2010?!!That would be nice.BTW, watching "Nakano Sunplaza", Crossed my mind that It's been a while since I saw... read more
on The CoCo DVD Box Set is Here!!!!
Ahh we'll always have 1991... read more
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