커피한잔 ☆ミ 주세요

maybe it's just the malibu talking, but...

2009-08-25T13:17:31Z

Personally, this whole celebrity drug crusade is making me nauseous.

I can see them going after Sakai Noriko and that other sketch dude. I mean, Nori-P has kids that have to deal with this whole "druggie parent" mess, and that other dude... well, there was a dead body in his apartment.

But this recent stuff about racking up as much information on all celebrities with possible drug ties? It scares me...

A friend of mine works as a receptionist for some place in Roppongi Hills, so she sees a lot of clients who are higher-ups at major companies. Major newspaper companies. And they keep talking about how the police are sniffing around Johnny's, which can only mean one thing- they're looking at Ohno again. And quite possibly Nino too.

I very honestly don't care if they did something. They were thrown into the entertainment business at a young age- you can't blame them if they make a few mistakes here and there. There's no way any of them would be crazy enough to do anything over the past couple of years- I mean, even if Leader can be a bit of a rebel sometimes, I feel like he wouldn't purposely jeopardize their climb to the top.

And I realize that "everyone looks up to celebrities" and "celebrities need to be role models for society" and "they shouldn't think they can get away with anything" and blah blah blah, but that doesn't keep them from being human. I don't think that means they should be held to a higher standard, especially if it means being punished for past acts. Especially if it's something so innocuous as smoking a joint every once in a while.

And I understand that it's difficult for the police to draw a line at who they go after and who they don't... but that shouldn't mean that they just go after everybody. That's just not logical. Or practical, for that matter. I mean, what good does it to do lock up an overly-tanned, wide-eyed 28-year-old idol who just wants to go fishing and may have smoked weed in the past when there are plenty of other people who have done (or are doing) much worse? Just because he's easy to catch?

Sorry if I come off as some ohmygodimustprotectmybelovedidoltheresnowayhecouldeverdoanythingwrong fangirl, but seriously... the thought of something happening to one of them... any of them... just wrenches at my heart. They've given me so much emotionally- I haven't encountered a better anti-depressant yet- that if they were to disappear, I don't know what I'd do.

Even if they've made a few mistakes here and there, that doesn't mean that they didn't work extremely hard to get where they are now. And just because some money-hungry people come out of the woodwork with alleged photographic evidence at oh-such-perfect-timing shouldn't mean the end of all of that. I feel like all of the wonderful things they've done for me- for someone they don't even know exists- greatly outweigh any private drugged-up escapades they might have had.

But I guess it's not my call, huh? And even if it was, I know that my logic (or whatever you want to call this... defense? argument? I don't even know) is completely flawed when looked at from an objective standpoint. But how can I possibly be objective about Arashi?

I know it's kind of selfish and a little much to ask, but I really really really hope that they get by unmarred. I'm far too much in love with this world of theirs. I've been brought in here hand-in-hand with all of the other fans, and I don't think any of us can go back. You know, I don't think we want to go back to a world without Arashi.

It's weird- I can't even fathom that anymore. A world without Arashi. I don't like how it rolls off my tongue, and I feel nauseous just thinking about it.

Call me obsessed, call me idol-sick, call me whatever. I still think that putting on a pair of headphones or turning on a TV is way better than popping pills or feeling miserable all the time.

Don't you?

楽園 (Paradise) - Part II

2009-08-09T13:29:05Z

Same deal, part II. Enjoy! (hopefully)

Title: 楽園 (Paradise) - Part II
Pairing: Ohmiya ♥
Rating: PG
Genre: AU, fluff
Disclaimer: If I owned them, Ohmiya would've been flown off to Massachusetts for a wedding already D:
Summary: One day when Ohno's waiting for the rain to stop, he encounters a boy he's never seen before in the music room...
Word count: 5,569
Notes: The title (and inspiration) is taken from the demo version of Arashi's Fight Song. It's actually a song that Nino wrote, composed, and recorded all on his own, and I must say that personally I find it to be much more powerful than Fight Song. It's called 楽園 Rakuen (Paradise), and I translated the lyrics myself at the end (I don't mind if you use them or whatever... as long as you don't claim them as your own) I also put the file up for download here, if you're interested (sorry, MU only) ALSO! Thank you so much floweranza for giving me suggestions! It helped so much!

(Part I)

They continued eating lunch together in the same spot every day, until the days became too cold to sit outside. On those days, or on rainy days, they moved into the music room, where sometimes Nino would pick up the guitar and strum thoughtfully. Ohno liked these days the best, and he started to hope for rainy days.

They often went to Ohno’s house after school, sometimes with Nino riding on the back of Ohno’s bicycle. Sure it was illegal, but they knew how to avoid the patrolmen well enough to get by without being spotted. Ohno wouldn’t tell anyone, but he secretly enjoyed the warmth of Nino’s hands around his waist when they rode the bicycle together. On the straight stretches of road he’d close his eyes and just take the moment in: the wind in his face, the sun on his shoulders, Nino’s warmth on his back.

-----------------

One day at lunch when they were leaning against the railing, looking out over the surrounding town, Nino leaned his weight on Ohno. “Hey.”

A little surprised, Ohno turned his head to look at his friend. “Yeah?”

A smile creeped across Nino’s face. “I have something to show you today after school.”

“Okay.” Ohno took another bite of his milk bun, wondering what it could possibly be. But then with Nino it could be anything.

That day they met by the bike rack as usual. Ohno stood there, looking at Nino expectantly. That familiar smirk flashed across Nino’s face as he took Ohno’s hand and placed a crumpled piece of paper in his palm. Ohno uncrumpled the paper excitedly, only to find something scribbled on it. He squinted and held it closer to his face, until he could read, “Stupid, did you think it’d be that easy? Get on the bike and I’ll tell you where to go.” As he read the last words, he could hear Nino’s laugh clearly over the chatter of their classmates.

“C’mon ossan. Let’s go.”

---------------

Ohno could never really tell what Nino was thinking, but that didn’t bother him too much. It was nice to have a bit of unpredictability in his life. As Nino directed where to go, Ohno began to wonder about the boy who was resting his hand on his shoulder. Usually he was pretty bright, if not a little impish, but sometimes Ohno noticed a dark flash behind the strands of black hair that fell over those caramel-colored eyes. At those times he was reminded of the lonely voice drifting through the hallway that day.

They rode for what felt like an hour, past small rivers, across railroad tracks, up large hills, down narrow alleyways. Ohno began to wonder if they’d gotten lost, when Nino suddenly tightened his grip on his shoulder. “Just a little further. We’re almost there.” Ohno nodded, chuckling quietly at the thought of Nino being able to read his mind.

The last bit was up a steep hill. Ohno started breathing heavily at the strain of pulling both himself and Nino. “It’s ok, Oh-chan. We can walk the rest of the way.” Ohno turned around in surprise at the considerate comment from his friend. “I mean, I can’t make an ossan overwork himself and throw his back, now can I?” The smirk was back.

“Oh, shut up.” Ohno had trouble hiding his smile.

At the top of the hill was a small patch of trees. Ohno looked at Nino inquisitively, but Nino just pushed through the brush, so he had no choice but to follow. After a minute or so of pushing a path through the small wood, they reached a small field overlooking the city. If one were to look from below, he’d never figure out how to get to the spot where they were now standing.

“What do you think?” Nino asked, watching Ohno’s eyes scan over the mid-day cityscape. “It’s much better at night, though.” He came to stand next to the older boy, arms crossed across his chest proudly.

“Wow…”

Nino smiled at the simple comment and took Ohno’s arm. “C’mon, let’s sit down and eat something. You must be starved.” They found a nice, wide tree to sit under and Nino pulled out a piece of melon bread and a bottle of water for them to share. Ohno closed his eyes and sighed happily after taking a bite of the bread, passing it to Nino. A warm breeze danced across the bridge of his nose, carrying with it the scent of grass and earth, a smell not often encountered in the city.

Nino smiled warmly at the sight of the relaxed older boy next to him, letting his head rest on his companion’s shoulder. Although Ohno was a little surprised, he didn’t want to move. He opened his eyes to look at the younger boy briefly, then closed them again, leaning back against him.

----------------

On nice days they made a habit out of visiting their secret place, usually sharing a snack and a drink. At one point Nino started bringing his guitar and Ohno his sketchpad; while Nino strummed softly, Ohno would sketch while humming to himself. After a while, Nino would scoot closer and rest his chin on Ohno’s shoulder to get a better look at the drawing, staying that way for a while as Ohno continued to sketch until the sun began to dip low in the sky.

------------------

Before they knew it, a year had passed and the muggy, rainy days had returned. Ohno couldn’t even remember what it felt like for Nino to not be there, and he didn’t particularly care to. By now he had learned how to read the younger boy’s moods and prided himself in it; although Nino always hid everything with a smirk, Ohno could always catch the occasional flickers of unease.

At those times he’d find himself pressing his arm softly against Nino’s or resting his hand on the small of his back, to which Nino would smile quietly to himself and lean back against the older boy. In these small exchanges Ohno could feel Nino thanking him.

--------------

On an unusually breezy day during lunch, Ohno was leaning on the railing and thinking about how lately Nino had become particularly physical. He wasn’t unhappy- quite the opposite, actually- just a bit contemplative. He wondered if Nino was lonlier than usual these days, or if he’d just come to rely on Ohno’s presence too much.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Nino come up next to him until he suddenly felt an arm wrap around his and a head on his shoulder. But he had grown used to this kind of thing happening, so he wasn’t all that surprised. He was more surprised by what Nino said.

“It’s your last high school summer, huh?”

Ohno’s eyes widened. He hadn’t really thought about his future, not being the ambitious type or anything. But he also hadn’t thought about not being in high school, not being with Nino, and that caught him off-guard much more so than any of those “hopes for the future” questionnaires passed around the third-year classes.

Nino sighed at the lack of an answer. “Do you know what you’ll do?”

Ohno shook his head. “I haven’t really thought about it.”

“What do you want to do?”

Ohno thought for a minute. Stay here… with you is what he thought, but he couldn’t bring the words to his lips. “I don’t really know.”

Nino sighed again, closing his eyes. “You could do anything, you know,” he said quietly. As long as you don’t go too far…

“Hmm.”

“Oh-chan?” Nino looked into the round, brown eyes next to him.

“Hm?”

“…Let’s go to that place today.”

“Mmm.”

“Let’s camp out there tonight.”

“E-eh?” Ohno was definitely caught off-guard by that one. “Camp out?”

“Yeah. The weather’s perfect- it’s not supposed to rain for a few days.”

“What do we do about our parents?”

“You just tell them you’re at my house, and I’ll tell mine that I’m at yours. They’ll never know.”

Ohno groaned. “But that never works in the movies!”

Nino laughed. “That’s only because the parents call each other. When do our parents ever call each other?”

Ohno thought for a minute. “I guess that’s a good point…”

Nino grinned mischeivously. “Ok, so after school go get some stuff from home and meet me at the bus stop across from Lawson. Don’t forget to bring your bike! And a sleeping bag.”

Ohno smiled at Nino’s enthusiasm. “Ok, as long as you don’t forget your guitar.”

------------------

Nino pulled out his bright yellow phone impatiently, the little clay beads on his phone strap clinking together as he did so. Seriously, how long does it take for him to get his stuff? he thought, fingering the little clay pieces shaped like smiling milk buns. Ohno had made it for him when he refused to stop comparing his face to a milk bun. Nino chuckled fondly to himself as he remembered that day; Ohno had held the little strap up to his face, saying “See? They don’t look anything like me!” while Nino fell over laughing at the resemblence.

Ah~ it’s impossible to stay mad at that guy… he thought, smiling quietly. Just then, his phone started to buzz in his hand. Since only one person ever called him, he snapped the phone open without looking at the caller ID. “Where are you?”

He was a little surprised to hear panting on the other end for a good few seconds, followed by a very out of breath Ohno’s voice. “Kazu… so sorry… almost there…”

“It’s ok, Oh-chan, just don’t kill yourself,” he laughed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

A few minutes later, Nino spotted the older boy pedaling furiously up the small hill towards him, a backpack and sleeping bag strapped to his back. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight- the small-framed Ohno hunched over his handlebars looked like his bags were eating him up. “You should rest for a minute,” Nino giggled, still unable to get past the hilarity of the image in front of him.

Ohno nodded, then after a minute of panting asked, “Can we… walk… to the… place?”

-----------------

The sun was already lower than it usually was when they arrived, but that didn’t really matter since they were planning on staying the night. They put their bags down for the time being and stood next to each other, looking over the haze resting over the city below them. After a minute or so, Ohno looked at the younger boy next to him. Without a word, he put his arm around the small shoulders and turned back to look at the cityscape as Nino moved in closer, enjoying the warmth eminating from the other’s body.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until the sound of Ohno’s stomach growling broke the silence. “Do you ever stop eating?” Nino smirked, his eyes twinkling with fondness.

“Shut up,” Ohno laughed, turning to get some food from his bag. “Do you want anything?”

Nino came over to peer over his shoulder. “Whatcha got?”

“Well I brought some cup ramen for both of us. Get the hot water out of that thermos over there.”

Three minutes later they were sitting against their tree, slurping noodles as if they were in synch with each other. When Ohno finished drinking the last of his broth, Nino snorted. Ohno looked around, confused. “What?”

“Look at that, there’s stuff all over your face,” Nino chided, wiping it away with his sleeve.

“Oops,” Ohno smiled.

Nino let his fingers rest on Ohno’s cheek for a lingering moment before pulling his hand back to himself. “Here, give me your trash.” He busied himself with tidying up the area for a few minutes, eventually grabbing his guitar and taking it to the middle of the field.

Ohno watched the thin figure bent over the guitar as the notes began to float around the small clearing. Then, struck with an idea, he pulled out his sketchbook.

He had never really tried drawing Nino before- as a subject he was extremely complex and difficult to capture on paper. But something about the taste of the air around him and the sound of Nino’s melody in his ears pushed him to try.

Before they knew it, the sun had started to sink low below the horizon in front of them, making it harder for Ohno to see. Nino turned around to look at his companion, furrowing his brow when he noticed him still hunched over the sketchbook intently.

Curious, he sat down next to Ohno and rested his chin on his shoulder as he always did. “Is that me?” he asked, glancing up for confirmation.

Ohno just nodded, still focused on the drawing. Nino looked back down at it and smiled, a touch of sadness flickering across his face. He didn’t really want to move just yet.

------------------

Once it became too dark for Ohno to continue drawing, they finally decided to lay out the sleeping bags. They unzipped Ohno’s and opened it up, laying it on the ground soft side up. Then they unzipped Nino’s and folded it to the side to be used as a blanket later.

Nino grabbed Ohno’s arm to keep his balance as he slipped his shoes off, keeping it there until the other had successfully taken off his own shoes. As they lay down next to each other, Nino slipped his fingers between Ohno’s. “We’re finally gonna see the stars up here, huh?”

Ohno squeezed Nino’s hand. “Yeah.”

They waited like that in silence until the first stars began to appear. “Look, there’s some!” Ohno said excitedly, using his free hand to point at a corner of the sky.

“Ah, you’re right.” They inched closer to each other. Ohno broke their clasped hands to put his arm around Nino’s shoulder, letting the younger boy rest his head on it. Nino smiled, letting his hand rest on Ohno’s stomach. “They’re really clear up here, just as I thought they’d be.”

“Mmm.”

They lay like that for a few hours, just appreciating each other’s presence and the clear, bright starlight. After a while, Nino began to shiver as the summer heat dissipated into a dewey coolness. With his free hand, Ohno grabbed the other sleeping bag and pulled it around them. Nino folded himself into Ohno, seeking more of his body heat; Ohno gladly obliged, wrapping his arms around Nino, who nudged his face into the crook of Ohno’s neck.

The smell of Nino’s shampoo, the sensation of his warm breath on his neck, the rhythmic rising and falling of his chest against his own… it was all so vivid to Ohno. He brought a hand up to the younger boy’s face, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes and cupping the smooth, pale cheek in his palm.

“You’re going to leave me behind, aren’t you?”

Ohno could feel Nino’s eyelashes brushing against his neck. “What do you mean?”

Nino sighed, his breath dancing over Ohno’s skin. “When you graduate… you’ll leave me behind for a new life, won’t you? It’s what everyone does…”

Ohno could detect the sting in Nino’s voice, but it didn’t deter him. He continued to stroke the boyish face cradled in his neck. “I dunno… I’ve never really been the type to do what everyone else does. I doubt I’ll go anywhere.”

“Even so… you’ll get busy with your new life.” Too busy for me…

“What are you talking about? There’ll always be time for Kazu.” He smiled warmly. “We always have this place, don’t we?” Nino remained silent. “Why don’t we promise to meet here every Sunday after I graduate? No excuses.”

Nino still didn’t say anything, but he softly placed his hand over Ohno’s, still rested on his cheek. “Promise?”

“Promise.” Ohno linked his pinky finger with Nino’s as a gesture of sincerity before lifting Nino’s chin; their eyes met and they entwined fingers again, engaging in a series of feather-light kisses.

---------------------

“Damnit, late again,” Nino muttered to himself, staring at his bright yellow phone. “Why can’t he ever be on time…”

“Kaaaazuuuu!” Nino turned to see the top of a familiar head making its way toward the top of the hill, where he stood.

“You’re late again!” Nino yelled, trying to hide his smile.

“I’m sorry, Kazu…” He finally stood in front of the boy, bent over and panting. “They asked me to work lunch today… and I couldn’t really say no… and-“

“Whatever, as long as you’re here.”

Ohno stood up straight and grinned. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Hearing this, Nino gave him a quick kiss, which Ohno gladly returned.

“Oh yeah, I really like the new song. I listen to it every morning on the train.”

Nino just looked at him for a second before kissing him again, this time wrapping his arms around Ohno’s neck. Ohno responded by curling his fingers in the boy’s hair and sliding his arm around the slender waist, pulling him closer.

楽園 (Paradise)

いつか見たあの場所へゆこう虹の橋渡り手つなごう

Let’s go to that place we saw once, let’s hold hands as we cross the rainbow bridge
ママに怒られていいなら太陽登る頃帰ろう

If you’re ok with making your mom mad, let’s go home when the sun rises
２人で歩く街の上足取り軽く笑い合う

Above the streets that the two of us walk laughing, our footsteps light
無敵になれる２人ならいいよどこまでも行こうよ

If it’s the 2 of us, who can become invincible, it’s ok Let’s go as far as we want

夜空に乗るにはチケットが必要な訳で

You need tickets to ride the night sky so
僕が今日おごるよほら早く駆け出す２人

I’ll pay for you today C’mon, hurry The two of us start running

君と見たこの街の景色は忘れられるハズないでしょう

There’s no way I could forget this cityscape that I looked at with you
これからずっといるんだからあなたと私の楽園だから

Because I’ll always be here. Because it’s our paradise.

右にあるのは星のシャワー左にあるのは月明かり

To our right, a star shower To our left, the moonlight
あなたと２人いい気持ちあなたと２人いい感じ

It feels good to be with you. The two of us have a good thing going.

君と見たこの街の景色は忘れられるハズないでしょう

There’s no way I could forget this cityscape that I looked at with you
これからずっといるんだからあなたと私の楽園だから

Because I’ll always be here. Because it’s our paradise.

君と見たこの街の景色は忘れられるハズないでしょう

There’s no way I could forget this cityscape that I looked at with you
これからずっといるんだからあなたと私の楽園だから

Because I’ll always be here. Because it’s our paradise.

AN: How was it? :D I hope you enjoyed it~

楽園 (Paradise) - Part I

2009-08-09T13:26:07Z

So... I actually wrote this a while ago after being super-inspired by heartfelt Nino solos... in fact, it had basically been finished before I came to Japan. I just never got around to posting it... floweranza was extremely kind to read it over and give me advice/suggestions, and I think all of her points really really helped (thanks~! :D )

I've definitely been stuck in an Ohmiya rut lately, although I admit that it's much more fun down here XD So... if you dare, take a trip into my oh-so-fluffy AU Ohmiya world. And don't be surprised if this becomes a more frequent occurrence- I absolutely love writing.

Ok, I've definitely spent too much time in Japan. No more beating around the bush! On to the story! D: (sorry if you see this x-posted places)

Title: 楽園 (Paradise) - Part I
Pairing: Ohmiya ♥
Rating: PG
Genre: AU, fluff
Disclaimer: If I owned them, Ohmiya would've been flown off to Massachusetts for a wedding already D:
Summary: One day when Ohno's waiting for the rain to stop, he encounters a boy he's never seen before in the music room...
Word count: 5,569
Notes: The title (and inspiration) is taken from the demo version of Arashi's Fight Song. It's actually a song that Nino wrote, composed, and recorded all on his own, and I must say that personally I find it to be much more powerful than Fight Song. It's called 楽園 Rakuen (Paradise), and I translated the lyrics myself at the end (I don't mind if you use them or whatever... as long as you don't claim them as your own) I also put the file up for download here, if you're interested (sorry, MU only) ALSO! Thank you so much floweranza for giving me suggestions! It helped so much!

It was raining the day they first met.

Ohno sighed at the streams of water blurring his line of vision out the dirtied classroom window. Having overslept that morning, he had run out the door, one shoe barely on his foot and the other in his hand, before his mother had the chance to call out, “Don’t forget your umbrella!”

He could wait it out. But then again, rainy season was so unpredictable. He could end up waiting for hours.

But he had nowhere he really needed to be, so he decided to wait for a little while anyway. Letting out another sigh, he pulled out an extra milk bun he’d swiped during lunchtime. At least for once he had some foresight, he thought to himself.

One by one the students of 2-B left until it was just Ohno by himself, still staring absent-mindedly out the window. He glanced at the clock. Still pretty early. How could he keep himself occupied for another few hours?

Quickly growing tired of the walls around him that he stared at every day, he decided to head upstairs and find somewhere to sit and wait out the rain. As he ascended the stairs, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The familiar earthy scent of clay filled his nostrils, causing a smile to spread across his face. Naturally, he headed for the art room on the 3^rd floor with no hesitation.

The old sliding door rattled noisily as he opened it, and he wondered if they’d ever replace it. As always, the air in the room was steamy and thick- the windows were kept shut and the AC off in order to keep the unused clay from cracking. Ohno let his fingers trail over the various pieces, lost in thought. The familiar texture sparked an urge to make something of his own.

Being the class prodigy (in art, anyway) he was sure the teacher wouldn’t mind if he grabbed a handful of clay off the top of the huge mound wrapped in plastic that was carefully hidden in the supply closet. He helped himself to a good-sized handful and plopped down in the chair closest to the window. He quickly became immersed in his little figurine, pinching and molding the clay with the expertise of a seasoned artist. The steady pattering of raindrops on the window continued, but Ohno didn’t really notice.

After an hour or so continuing like this, he realized that a new sound began to drift between the cracks in the walls. It was too faint to make out at first, but he soon recognized the sound of someone strumming a guitar down the hall. His hands froze for a moment, brow furrowed in concentration. It was a melody he’d never heard before. But then again, he wasn’t really the type to listen to the radio or keep up with the latest music, much to his classmates’ frustration.

Before he knew it, he was moving towards the classroom door. As his hands slid the rickety door open, the sound became much clearer. Now he could also hear a soft voice accompanying the floating melody. Ohno wasn’t really sure why, but a heavy feeling settled over his chest, pressing down on his lungs. All he could feel was a deep sense of lonliness enveloping his entire body, down to his fingertips.

His fingers began to twitch, as if on cue with this thought, and he blinked twice. And then his feet began to move forward again, entranced by the sounds of the rain mixed with this lonely melody.

Of course the sound was coming from the music room. Ohno walked steadily towards the door at the end of the hall, unfinished clay figurine still clutched in his right hand. It felt like an eternity before he reached the doorway, the voice ringing in his ears louder than ever. It sounded like a younger boy, only a little different. Like someone who’d been forced to grow up too fast.

Ohno’s heart began to pound uncontrollably as he reached for the door before him. He wondered at his trembling hands, clenching the door handle firmly to steady them. And with a decisive burst of courage, he slid the door open.

Well, he meant to slide the door open. Instead, he ended up slamming the door open so hard that its frame rattled precariously on the sliding tracks. The noise of the door slamming was quickly followed by a deep gasp from inside the room. Ohno looked up to see a very bewildered-looking young boy sitting in a chair by the window, acoustic guitar in hand. His dark hair just barely fell over his coffee-colored eyes, which were now widened in surprise. Ohno’s eyes began to roam down the boy’s slight frame and pale arms, resting on the smallish hands still placed carefully over the guitar strings.

They must’ve stayed frozen like that for a few minutes before the boy finally broke the silence.

“Um… can I… help you?”

Ohno blinked and looked around the room as if he’d been suddenly dropped there by some unseen force. The boy couldn’t help but chuckle a little to himself at this weird intruder. He took the opportunity to study Ohno’s rounded eyes and even rounder face, the tanned arms dirtied by what looked like mud, the small mound of clay squished between his fingers. Then his gaze flicked back up to meet the other’s.

“Hello? Are you ok there?”

Ohno blinked again. “Oh… uh, sorry.”

The boy smiled, amused. “What brings you to the music room?”

“Oh… I was just… I mean, I heard some music from down the hall and before I knew it, I was in here.”

The boy raised an eyebrow. “I see.” Then after a moment of thought. “Forgot your umbrella too?”

Ohno nodded, a small smile forming at the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, I thought I’d try to wait out the rain, so I came to the art room.” For the first time since he’d bursted into the room, he looked down at his right hand. “Ahhh! Oh man, I’ve squished it…”

The boy laughed at the heartbroken expression in front of him. “It can’t be that bad… let me see.” He held out his hand in front of himself and stared straight back at Ohno.

Ohno just blinked at him, not sure what the kid wanted him to do. The boy sighed and, placing his guitar down on the stand next to his chair, walked up to Ohno and grabbed his hand, extracting the small lump of clay from it.

Ohno watched curiously as the boy held it up close to his face, examining the small piece. He somehow found his attention being drawn to the straight line of the boy’s nose, the plush pout of his lips, the mole dotting his pale chin.

“This isn’t half bad. A little smooshed, but I guess that’s to be expected when you hold it in your fist like that.”

“Uh… thanks. Your song was good too.”

The boy smiled as he handed the piece back to Ohno. “Thanks. What’s your name?”

“Ohno. Ohno Satoshi. No one really uses my first name though.”

“I’m Ninomiya Kazunari. But everyone just calls me Nino.”

Ohno smiled. “Nino. What class are you in? I don’t think I’ve really seen you around much.”

“I’m in 1-A, so I’ve only been here a few months now.”

“Oh, you’re a first-year? That explains it…”

“What about you?”

“2-B.”

“Ah, I see. A senpai.”

“Oh, but I don’t care about all that senpai stuff. It makes me kinda uncomfortable, really. So don’t feel like you have to start using formalities or anything…” Ohno trailed off at Nino’s smirk.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning to.”

-------------------

Apparently this wasn’t just a new school for Nino, it was also a new neighborhood; he had recently moved into the area with his family. Upon hearing this, Ohno invited him over to meet his family. “Maybe if the rain lets up soon I can show you around a little more.”

Nino looked out the window, frowning a little. “It doesn’t look like it’s gonna stop anytime soon.” Then, turning to Ohno, “What should we do?”

Ohno looked at the clock. His mom would probably start making dinner soon. “Well, lemme call my mom first and let her know you’re coming over. I think we’re having croquettes tonight, so you really lucked out.”

Nino couldn’t help but smile as Ohno pulled out his blue cell phone that had what looked like a fishing lure dangling from the end. “What kinda strap is this supposed to be anyway?” he grinned, pointing to the lure.

“It’s a fishing lure.”

“...”

“…”

Nino let out an exasperated sigh. “Never mind. Just call your mom, ok?” A very confused Ohno nodded and began dialing.

------------------

Since the rain gave no sign of letting up, the two boys decided to just make a mad dash for the station, bags held over their heads. They laughed wildly at the sound of their footsteps splashing through puddles. Ohno quickly began to lose energy as they ran through the buckets of rain; when Nino noticed, he turned around to yell, “C’mon ossan, a few hundred meters too much for you? Should I call a nurse before you hurt yourself?”

Something about the smirk plastered across Nino’s face just made Ohno laugh. “Hey! That’s no way to talk to your senpai!”

By the time they pushed through the tiny station’s turnstile, they were completely soaked to the bone, the bottoms of their pants splattered with mud from the puddles. On the train platform, they stood looking at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing again.

-----------------

“Mom, I’m home!” Ohno called as a very thoroughly soaked he and Nino shuffled into the doorway.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Ninomiya Kazunari…”

“Oh my, Satoshi! Just look at you two! Where’s your umbrella?”

A sheepish Ohno pointed to the completely dry, completely unused umbrella sitting in the bin next to the front door. His mother sighed, as if this happened with every rainfall. “Just wait right there, I’ll bring some towels for you boys.” She turned to leave, then as if she had just remembered, she nodded to Nino. “It’s very nice to meet you, too, Ninomiya-kun.”

What a spacey family, Nino thought to himself, smiling sweetly back at her.

Dinner wouldn’t be ready for a while (it was still only about 4 o’clock) so after changing into some of Ohno’s clothes, they stayed in Ohno’s room. Nino sat on the bed, looking around at the various hand-drawn posters adorning the walls and random junk stuffed in all the corners of the room, while Ohno just sat in his desk chair, quietly watching Nino. Feeling the other’s eyes on him, Nino leveled his gaze with Ohno’s.

“So.”

Ohno blinked. “So…”

Nino sprawled himself across the bed on his stomach, rummaging through the stuff piled on the surrounding shelves. Picking up a small clay figurine of a stretching cat, Nino aksed, “Did you make this?”

Ohno nodded, but said no more. Nino raised an eyebrow and continued, “So… you make clay figures for fun?”

“Uh… well sometimes. Only when I feel like it.”

“So then what do you do?”

“Random stuff, I guess.” I’m starting to see a pattern here, Nino thought to himself, taking the opportunity to let his gaze sweep across the room again. The awkward silence was then broken by Ohno. “So… do you write your own music? I’d never heard that before, but I’m no expert, so…”

“Yeah. I’m not really any good, but it’s fun. I like it.”

“It was really good.”

A little caught off-guard by the compliment, Nino raised his eyes to meet Ohno’s, which were filled with sincerity. Instead of replying, though, he just gave a mysterious smirk, turning Ohno’s clay cat over and over in his hands. “Hey, do you have any video games?”

A few miserable losses and a huge headache later, Ohno heard his mom calling them down for dinner. This kid can do anything, can’t he? he thought as they descended the narrow staircase.

----------------

The next day at school, Ohno found himself face-to-face with a now-familiar smirk at lunch. “Mind if I join you?”

“Nino? How did you get in here?”

Nino rolled his eyes. “Through the door, duh. Let’s go eat on the roof.” Before Ohno could protest, Nino grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the classroom.

“But… don’t you have other friends to eat with?” Ohno whined. Nino’s feet moved too fast for him to keep up properly.

“Unfortunately for you, none of the other kids really took a shine to me. Can’t imagine why- I mean, who can say no to this charming smile?” He turned back to grin at Ohno. “So it looks like you’re stuck with me.” He finished with a shrug, pulling the poor guy up some more stairs.

They sat in the far corner overlooking the school grounds, away from the other kids. Ohno plopped down against the wall, and Nino soon joined him, letting his arm rest against Ohno’s.

AN: the only reason I split this into 2 is because LJ has stupid word limits on entries... not friendly for people who write too much like me D:

(On to Part II!)

Translation: Arashi articles in Potato July 2009

2009-06-28T21:43:48Z

I just downloaded these scans earlier today and decided to translate two of the fun articles included. I'm still waiting to hear about the scans, but I did get them from karamaru_kagi , who was kind enough to upload them to arashi_on this morning.

Anyway, I haven't gotten to the members' articles (don't know if I will, actually, seeing as I'm about to leave the country for a while) but I did Leader's extra page and the page with a breakdown of MatsuJun's body measurements (sorry, didn't translate that part... it kinda weirded me out, to be honest) Whenever you see a number in parentheses like this (1) that means there's a footnote at the bottom of the article.

Arashi Dictionary

[#2] Arashi’s SA ~ TO(1), as told by Ohno Satoshi

SA: sakuhinten (exhibiting my work)

I had always thought, “I want to show my work to the fans,” so I made [FREESTYLE](2) into a reality, and I had fun drawing a huge picture to hang in the hall (where it was held).

SHI:(3) Janiizu Jimusho (Johnny’s Agency)

I never thought that I would be able to join Johnny’s (laughs). A lot of kids junior to Arashi have also come, so it feels like time has flown by for us to already be at this stage!

SU: SMAP

Although I was allowed to participate in the [007] album’s tour as a back dancer, I have a bitter memory of when during the first MC session I fell asleep in the dressing room and never made it to the stage…

SE: Sen-kyuuhyaku-kyuujuu-kyuu-nen Juuichi-gatsu Mikka (Nov. 3, 1999)

Our debut anniversary. We’ve worked so hard to get here! November 3^rd is also Culture Day, so we actually have this day off pretty often (laughs).

SO: Solo kyoku (solo songs)

Our first solo songs were included in the album [One], but I also feel like it came a little late for us. I wanted to do one that I could dance to, so I ended up with [Rain].

TA: Taifuu Generation (Typhoon Generation)

Right before the filming of this music video, there was an accident with MatsuJun’s foot, so the filming was delayed about 3 hours. Then in the end, it took until the middle of the night to finish filming.

CHI: Chikubi T-shirts (Nipple T-shirts)

Recently we did it for the first time in a while, and all 5 of us took the elevator down to our dressing room still wearing the T-shirts with holes at the nipples (laughs). At the end of it all you lose all sense of embarrassment.

TSU: Tsuri (Fishing)

When I have free time, I always want to go fishing (laughs). I never get tired of fishing. I want to stay on my boat forever! I don’t care if I get tan! (laughs)

TE: D no Arashi (4)

We did lots of stuff, but the gyakukaiten [Backwards Filming] that I did with Nino was really fun. We did it like a cheesy joke, but you actually have to use your head for it too.

TO: Truth

For Arashi, this was a risky song. Even now I’m happy when the people around me tell me, “No matter how many times I listen to it, I never get tired of it!” It also means a lot to me because it’s [Maou]’s title song.

I’m really moved when I think about how all of the fans who have always cheered us on are also entering their 10^th year. When I look at a list of all the work we’ve done, I think that we’ve been allowed to experience all sorts of things that normal people haven’t. At the time I’d think that it was tough, but looking back at it now I’m glad we did all of the things we did! Although if I were told to go back 5 years I wouldn’t want to (laughs). I feel like all the things we’ve done over the past 10 years were great. After this? …Right now I’m the only one they’re letting take it easy, so I don’t have any complaints (laughs). From now on if there’s anything another member wants to do, I’ll just give it my best shot alongside him!

Translator's Notes:

(1) So the Japanese alphabet goes in A-I-U-E-O pattern, so this week they're covering SA-SHI-SU-SE-SO-TA-CHI-TSU-TE-TO in both this article and the following one

(2) In case you didn't guess... this is the name of Ohno's art exhibition that he did.

(3) Sometimes it doesn't look like the word and syllable match up with each other, but that's another complexity of the language. For sounds like "sha" "shu" and "sho" (likewise, "ja" "ju" and "jo") the letter is formed combining shi (or ji) with a small "ya" "yu" or "yo," but Japanese still consider these letters to fall underneath the larger parent letter. Does that make sense? ^^;;

(4) This (and the one following it) are both similar to (3). I guess all I can say is... just trust me, it falls under the right letter ^^;;

</fck:meta>

A word from Arashi

Q: What’s something cute that begins with the letter “sa?”

Aiba: Sakuranbo (cherries)

Ohno: Saru (monkeys)

Sakurai: Sakkaa booru (soccer ball)

Matsumoto: Sansaiji (3-year-old children)

Ninomiya: Sa.to.shi ♥

Q: What’s something that you’d be in trouble without and begins with “shi”?

Aiba: Shikoku (one of Japan’s 4 main islands)

Ohno: Shizen (nature)

Sakurai: Shoukyuukei (a short break)

Matsumoto: Shigoto (work)

Ninomiya: Sho & Jun

Q: What’s a quality of a popular girl that begins with “su”?

Aiba: Succhii (stewardess), maybe (laughs)

Ohno: Sunao (honesty)

Sakurai: Sumaato (smart)

Matsumoto: Sunao (honesty)

Ninomiya: Sugoi!! (wow!!)

Q: What’s a quality of a popular guy that begins with “to”?

Aiba: Tochiji (governor of Tokyo)

Ohno: Tokei-mochi (owns a watch)

Sakurai: Tongari guai (in good condition)

Matsumoto: Tongatteiru (is sharp)

Ninomiya: Toshiue (is older [than his partner])

TN: OHMIYA MOMENT! :DDD And is it just me, or does Aiba-chan not seem to understand the questions? lol I love him XD

Arashi’s Cell-phone SA-SHI-SU-SE-SO

(note: this was done looking at the first 3 auto-entries that come up when you type each letter in a text message on their cell phones)

Aiba

SA: Sakurai-kun, sandals, saikin (lately)

SHI: shimasu (will do), shigoto (work), shock

SU: sports, sugichatte (too much), suit

SE: senshu (athlete), seitai (chiropractic), senpatsu (starter [in athletic game])

SO: soudan (advice), soshitara (and then), soroechatta (have finished getting things ready)

The reason I have “sandals” in here is from a thank-you for a present. I always try to make my texts easy-to-read by double-spacing them, you know.

Matsumoto:

SA: Sahara, salad, saigo (last)

SHI: shachou (president [of the company]), shinjitsu (reality), shoumei (proof)

SU: sukuu (to save [someone/something from harm]), suru koto (the things I do), sutajio (studio)

SE: sekkaku (at great pains), sekai (the world), sensou (war)

SO: sou (that’s right), soba (buckwheat noodles), socchi (you/on your end of things)

Yesterday I was typing my drama lines. That’s why “Sahara” isn’t the Sahara Desert, it’s the name of someone who appears in my drama.

Ninomiya:

SA: saki ni (ahead), san (suffix for names, polite term), sakuhin no (the piece/work’s)

SHI: shikamo (on top of that), shite (does), shasen (forward slash: / )

SU: sumimasen (I’m sorry), supiikaa (speakers), susumu (to advance)

SE: VII (seven), Setagaya (a ward of Tokyo), sefuto (theft- a nickname for the game Grand Theft Auto)

SO: sonna (that kind of), sou da ne (I guess you’re right), soshiki (system)

Even I’m surprised at how many words are related to gaming (laughs). There aren’t many people who have cool letters like [VII] in their auto-spells!

Ohno:

SA: saikin (lately), sate (well, then), sara ni (on top of that)

SHI: shigoto (work), ja (well), jikan (time)

SU: sutaffu (staff), sukoshi (a little bit), sugu (right away)

SE: zettai (absolute), zehi (by all means), sekai (the world)

SO: sono ato (after that), sono ato meshi (after that, dinner), sou (that’s right)

Since I don’t text much and there are a lot of keys to use, I try to keep my texts down to 10~15 characters. I also look at pictures of my works sometimes, too.

Sakurai:

SA: Sakurai Sho, za (the), sate (now then,)

SHI: shitemasu (am doing), jibun (myself), shikashi (however)

SU: sumimasen (I’m sorry), sutaffu (staff), sushi

SE: seidai (magnificent), seikai-ritsu (percentage/probability of a correct answer), zehi (by all means)

SO: sou (that’s right), sono (that), sokushita (similarly)

The reason I have so many transitional expressions like “now then” and “similarly” is because I use them when updating my Johnny’s Web.

Translator's Notes:

I just want to make a note that it's much harder to convey the meaning of these words by themselves, so they're not going to be perfect. However, please feel free to ask me if you want me to clear something up for you, or let me know if you know a better way to phrase something. I know that a lot of these have multiple meanings, but I was trying to keep it concise so I stuck with the meaning that I imagined they'd be using it as. Words like "sokushita" weren't translated directly- since he talks about using it as a transitional word I tried to think of something similar, even if it wasn't exact. Sorry if you like exact translations...

So yeah, there you have it! I think it's hilarious that Aiba-chan seems to talk about sports a lot, Nino talks about games (obviously), Leader keeps his simple, and MatsuJun and Sho-kun have a higher/more serious vocabulary.

Again, I want to thank karamaru_kagi for the high-quality scans. I enjoyed taking on this little project ^^

</style>

AnS 06/01 & 06/08 GIFs

2009-06-11T17:15:08Z

I couldn't resist, as soon as I watched these 2 episodes of AnS I just HAD to make some gifs. Again, pretty shitty quality, but good enough to lol at, no? :D

AnS 06/01:

MJ double take: YOU'RE SO DARK! D:

Feeeeshing :D

I dunno, his facial expression just cracked me up in this one
"OMFG THE STRAWBERRIES ARE SO EFFING GOOD!!"

They were all making fun of him for this...
"Lemme see here..."
(why so many MJ gifs, you ask? I honestly don't know, I think he's slowly creeping into my brain these days D: )

OMG SHO, BEHIND YOU!!
*slowly turns around* o.o

*slowly turns around, followed by awkward smile*
Ohno: Is it yummy?
Sho: It's yummy ♥

MJ: BITCH, YOU EVER EATEN COFFEE BEANS BEFORE??
Aiba: Um.. well... that is... no... not really...

Oooh, Sho calls MJ out on his bitchiness D:
*in overexaggerated mocking tone, with arms crossed* Bitch, you ever eaten coffee beans before??

(I just wanna make something clear so as not to tarnish my translation reputation... MJ doesn't really say it like that... I just tweaked it for comedic effect...)

sadistic victory grin

I just LOVE how this looks like he's slapping himself over and over and over >:D

That's what you get for stuffing your face D:

I dunno why... just found this to be funny :D

Leader's best impression of everyone's favorite newscaster

Sho just keeps loling and loling and loling...

lol he added hand gestures XD

slap happy Sho

rock-a-bye Sho-kun on the treetop... oh look! he's asleep already! dawwww!

endless MJ wormage... it's so mesmerizing... @_@

ok... I'm just not gonna say what this looks like... but I know you're all thinking it XDDD

lol Hatori's moving backwards XD

tongue twister FAIL

AnS 06/08:

ok, this one's really hard to see, but... I was cracking up at this while watching it.
when misono starts talking about how she normally eats 5 meal sets (HOLY SHAT) at McDonalds, Nino gives her this look like "...fatass..."

Hey guys, who wants a burger? :D

HOMGZ BURGERZZ!!! 8D

Aiba: I DON'T WANT THIS ONE! I DON'T WAAAAANT IT! D:
Sho: Wanna trade? Wanna trade? Whatcha wanna do?
misono: *bouncebouncebounce*

BURGER CHEERS! :D

I assure you, he's trying to do an impression of a fisherman with a big catch... not something pervy D:

still, it's deliciously cracky, no? :DD

MJ, stuffing his face then peeing his pants... just the usual

...I still can't really figure out how to play janken with so many people... and so fast... @_@

WTF I'M NOT MARRIED!!! D8

Nonononono... I don't think I'm more awesome than everyone else... whatever gave you that idea?

fortune teller: You are a VERY cold person.
Nino: ahahahaaa... yeah, it's totally true, everyone knows I'm a bitch D:

Sho does not approve.

"Treat Sakurai-kun well... and then USE HIM."

lol Sho-kun... I love your face XD

Arashi: What about that guy over there?
Fortune teller:...he's not popular at all.
Ohno: ;___;

awww, mean lady make Ohno cry ;^;

Sho: And here we have a touching story of miraculous weight loss success. Let's look at the "before" shot, shall we?
misono: GIVE THAT BACK TO ME BITCH!!!! DDDDX

MJ at his finest: But I thought you were a "cold person."
Nino: ....*looks away*

"Ok, pass the tiaras down the line, make sure everyone has one!"
"Ha~i"

Awww, everyone looks so cuuuuute :D

I KEEL U, BITCH

lol well look at you, Mr. Twinkle-toes

Ohno: You're kinda cute!
MJ: ...wtf did you just say?

Ok... GO! ... wait... nvm. sigh.

...yeah.

omg Nino I love you so much, you're such a bitch XD

I dunno why, but this makes me laugh ^^

I love his "..." look while he watchess the AD clean up his mess XD

なんか南国のオカマカフェ。。。XDDDDD
Leader, you'll never escape the death grip of the okama. They love you way too much to ever let go D:

One of those "oooh Leader!" moments

I just noticed Sho in the background... lol what are you doing?

Aiba's test run goes horribly awry D:

MJ: STOP CRYING AND JUST WIN!! *shoves headband on*
Aiba: *sniff* o-okay... I'll try....
MJ: DON'T TRY, DO!

Of course only Aiba spills it all over himself... poor thing crashed right into the wall D:

haha Neen

Yay, that's it for today. Not as funny as the previous batch, but eh. It was fun making them :D Sorry they're so small...

More gifs??

2009-06-07T14:05:13Z

I couldn't resist gifing that recent Utaban appearance (5/31)... Aibatti was just too amazing to ignore. So here they are, 26 in all! XD

Utaban 090531

First Leader talks about a journey "to find himself" XD
(lol @ Ishibashi-san's "WHAT?" face)

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN OKINAWA??"
"SUNTANNING!!"

Haha Leader can't handle the Jack Bauer voice XD

Round and round MJ goes, when he'll stop, nobody knows!

FALL IN LOVE!

Yutti & Aibatti sez YAAAAAAY SPARKLEZ! :DDD

Pssst! Aibatti! Your "10" is backwards! D:

SQUEE! 8D

Modified chicken dance, lol

"ORE MECCHA MECCHA KANKEISHAAAA!" XDDD

"Chicchai koto wa ki ni shinai, sore wakachiko wakachikooooo! BYEBYE!" :DDD

DON'T TOUCH ME BITCH!!

LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKIN TO YOU!!

Invisible violin

WE ARE SO EFFING RIPPED!! LOOK AT IT!! D:

RAHHH!

homgz peed my pants! DDD:

SHUT UP!

AHHHHHHHH

Uh-oh, you know what this means...

"Must be hard for YOU Nakai" *DUUUUUUUNDUNDUNDUUUUN!*

Ohno must be protected!

WHUUUUUUT??

"YOU'RE SOOO RIPPED!"
"Taka-san stooooop!"

Nino reveals Ohno's other, less widely-known, dream of the past: HOST

"Wait... what am I clapping for again?" ((o_o))

Ok, that's all for now. Don't be surprised if I keep putting these up throughout the day... I'm just totally addicted XD

D:

2009-06-07T02:54:25Z

I dunno why... but today I started playing around learning how to make gifs (finally). I haven't looked into too much, but there was this free site that lets you upload short video clips and it turns them into little gifs, so I figured what the hell, I'll take a stab at this. Not the best quality, but SOOOOOO ADDICTING. Before I knew it I had gif'ed several random videos I had sitting around... and so, I'll share them with you guys! Because I don't think they're half bad, really. Feel free to disagree, though ^^

Right now I have gifs from Sho's solo performance of Anti-Anti from the Iza!Now tour, that infamous Ninocam video that's been floating around YT for quite a while now, and a backstage clip of the group in Sendai (I think from 2008- they were wearing 24hr TV shirts, if I'm not mistaken) They're not labeled properly on my computer, so sorry for the ambiguity. But I'm sure you'll recognize some of these clips.

Anti-Anti

I can't help but lol at Sho's angry phase. Why else would I have this video to begin with?

HOW MANY GIRLS DID YOU GET? D:

I... couldn't resist making this XD

Ninocam

Why hallo thar, Aiba! :D

World's most infectious laugh

I'm scared now D:

omg Nino, lay off the crack dude D:

"And now I shall begin... THE EXPERIMENT!" 8D

omg this is making me dizzy @_@

IT NEVER ENDS! D:

lol it looks like he's on a conveyor belt XD

Sendai

Sho walked into his room, only to find...

you guessed it, OHMIYA! and on Sho's bed too, lol

"YOU SAW NOTHING!"

...awkwaaaard...

Ohno says "BYEBYEEEE! :D"

That's all I have for today. Maybe I'll have more tomorrow, hehe ^^ Making gifs is fun, just like I thought it would be. Yaaaay! :DDDD

coffee_hanjan @ 2009-06-05T21:05:00

2009-06-06T01:12:44Z

Just wanted to say that my new favorite Utaban moment is this line:

オレめっちゃめっちゃ関係者ぁ〜〜〜！

Poor Aiba-chan's story of rejection by concert staff was able to be turned into a HILARIOUS moment of Arashi (and Utaban) history.

Oh Aiba-chan. I will love you and your silliness always and forever :D

I'm a machine!

2009-05-27T01:26:03Z

I can't stop... but at least I have something to show for it :D

Made some more FO Banners. Just cause I was changing my layout and made myself a new one. So yeah. Made a bunch of Ninoai + 2 Group ones :D Woohoo~!

(I think this is my favorite^)

(the one I'm currently using. run like the wind~!^)

(I like this one a lot too. nice and simple)

Hooray for Ninoai~! Although this post's icon is Shotoshi, lol. Oh well, it's all good :D

More graphics!

2009-05-25T00:35:06Z

I ended up making another wallpaper (2 versions) and some FO banners (the Sakuraibano [?] ones weren't that great, so I don't think I'll post them...) from that same photoshoot uploaded by crystalove . Same stuff applies to this post as the last one ^^

I really like this wallpaper, I'd use it for June if I didn't already have a great Nino one lined up. Enjoy!

FO Banner

Wallpapers

I couldn't decide whether or not to put that last picture in, but for the record I personally like the first one with the blank space. dunno why though...

The second version, with an added picture. Personally like the first one better, but what do you guys think? *shrug*

Ahhhhhhhhh SHO-KUN HAVE MY BABIES PLZ!! XDDD Sorry, that was just my overexcited ovaries talking. Time to calm down ^^

I actually made some graphics?? what happened?? D:

2009-05-24T15:32:18Z

So I saw these amazing WinkUp scans put up by crystalove this morning, and I felt inspired to make some graphics. Weirrrrd. I'll probably make some more later, but we're going shopping soon, so I don't have time right now. But for the time being, I'll put these up. The Sho scans are all credit to crystalove , but I'm sorry to say I don't remember where I got the Aiba scans. If you know who uploaded them (or are the uploader themselves!) please please please let me know, I'd hate to not give credit where credit is due.

For the wallpapers, I only have 1280x800 at the moment, because that's my own screen size, but if you really want another size just leave a comment and I'll see what I can do ^^

I'm not a huge stickler for credit, but I do ask that you don't take the credit yourself. But I don't think anyone would do that... right? ^^ I don't mind if you use the textless ones for bases, just try to give me a shoutout if you'd like. Just no hotlinking (it's not too hard to save it yourself and re-upload) and comments are appreciated, though not necessary.

I'll probably post these to some communities when I get more stuff up/more time. Until then, enjoy f-list + small group of other people who look at my journal! :D

FO Banners

Wallpapers

I hope you like them, I didn't do much with these because of lack of time, but maybe I'll try playing around with effects and stuff more later on. I just have a basic education for using photoshop, which I've been using trying to figure out gimp on my mac, so please bear with me if the quality isn't that great.

And if there are any problems/questions/requests of text changes please don't hesitate to ask. I don't bite ^^

One word:

2009-01-20T18:19:23Z

OBAMA!!!!!!!

DX

2009-01-06T14:20:43Z

I DON'T WANNA GO TO THE DENTIST!! DX

J-drama Memes

2009-01-06T02:16:17Z

I made 2 J-drama memes just now, trying not to think about having to go to the dentist TWICE tomorrow and cart my family around like a chauffeur (-_-;;)

Aaaaanyway, the first one is pretty self-explanatory (and made me realize that I haven't seen all that many dramas...) and the second one is just answering questions. Just a little bit of fun to end the day ^^;;

Ultimate J-Drama Meme

o = seen it
x = never seen it
# = still watching
! = wanna see

[x] 1 Litre of Tears
[x] 100 Scene no Koi
[x] 101st Marriage Proposal
[x] 14-sai no Haha
[x] 15-sai no Blues
[x] 3 Peace
[#] 33-pun Tantei
[x] 4 Shimai Tantei Dan
[x] A Million Stars Falling From the Sky
[x] A Sleeping Forest
[x] Abarenbo Mama
[o] Absolute Boyfriend (Zettai Kareshi)
[x] Ace wo Nerae!
[x] Ai no Uta
[x] Aijou Ippon
[x] Aishiteru to Itte Kure
[x] Akai Ito
[!] Akihabara@DEEP
[x] Ame to Yume no Ato ni
[o] Anego
[x] Anmitsu Hime
[x] Anna-san no Omame
[x] Arifureta Kiseki
[x] Around 40
[x] Asakusa Fukumaru Ryokan
[x] Ashita no Kita Yoshio
[x] Asunaro Hakusho
[!] At Home Dad
[x] Atsuhime
[x] Attack No. 1
[x] Attention Please
[x] Bambino!
[x] Bara no Nai Hanaya
[x] Battery
[x] Beautiful Life
[x] Beauty or Beast
[x] Big Money
[#] Binbo Danshi
[#] Bloody Monday
[x] Blue Bird
[x] Boku Dake no Madonna
[x] Boku to Kanojo no XXX
[x] Bokura no Yuuki
[!] Boys Este
[x] Brand
[x] Brother Beat
[x] Busu no Hitomi ni Koi Shiteru
[x] Cat Street
[#] Celeb to Binbo Taro
[x] CHANGE
[x] Code Blue
[x] Concerto
[x] Cupid no Itazura
[x] Dageki Tenshi Ruri
[x] Daisuki!
[o] Dance Drill
[x] Delicious Gakuin
[x] Denchi ga Kireru Made
[x] Densha Otoko
[o] Detective Conan
[x] Doremisora
[o] Dragon Zakura
[x] Dream Again
[x] Edison no Haha
[x] Engine
[x] Enka no Joou
[x] Fire Boys
[x] First Kiss
[x] First Love
[x] Fugoh Keiji
[x] Fugoh Keiji 2
[x] Fuma no Kojiro
[x] Furuhata Chuugakusei
[x] Fuurin Kazan
[o] Gachi Baka
[o] Gakkou ja Oshierarenai!
[x] Gal Circle
[x] Galileo
[o] Ganbatte Ikimasshoi
[x] Gift
[x] Giragira
[x] Glass Mask
[x] Glass Mask 2
[o] Gokusen
[o] Gokusen 2
[!] Gokusen 3
[x] Golden Bowl
[x] Gonzo – Densetsu no Keiji
[x] Good Luck
[!] Great Teacher Onizuka
[x] Guren Onna
[x] H2
[x] Hachi-One Diver
[x] Haikei, Chichiue-sama
[x] Haken no Hinkaku
[o] Hana-Kimi
[o] Hana Yori Dango
[o] Hana Yori Dango 2
[x] Hanayome to Papa
[o] Hanayome wa Yakudoshi
[x] Happy Boys
[x] Haruka 17
[x] Hatachi no Koibito
[x] Hataraki Man
[x] Heaven’s Coins
[x] Heaven’s Coins 2
[x] Here is Greenwood
[x] Hero
[x] Himitsu no Hanazono
[x] Hissatsu Shigotonin 2009
[x] Hokaben
[x] Home Drama
[o] Honey and Clover
[!] Hotaru no Hikari
[x] Hotelier
[x] Houkago
[x] I’ve Been Married to Hell
[x] Iguana no Musume
[x] Ii Hito
[x] Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu
[x] Innocent Love
[x] Iryu Team Medical Dragon
[x] Iryu Team Medical Dragon 2
[o] Isshun no Kaze ni Nare
[x] Itazura na Kiss
[x] Itoshi Kimi e
[x] Jigoku Shojo Live Action
[x] Jikou Keisatsu
[x] Joshi Deka
[x] Jotei
[x] Joudan Janai!
[x] Kaikyou wo Wataru Violin
[x] Kami no Shizuku
[x] Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake
[x] Karei Naru Ichizoku
[x] Kaze no Garden
[x] Kekkon Dekinai Otoko
[x] Kiken na Aneki
[o] Kimi wa Petto
[!] Kisarazu Cat’s Eye
[x] Koi no Chikara
[x] Koibito Yo
[x] Koizora
[x] Konna Koi no Hanashi
[x] Koori no Sekai
[x] Koshonin
[x] Kuitan
[x] Kuitan 2
[!] Kurisumasu Nante Daikirai
[o] Kurosagi
[x] Last Christmas
[o] Last Friends
[o] Liar Game
[x] LIFE
[x] Lion Maru G
[x] Long Love Letter
[x] Long Vacation
[x] Love and Fight
[x] Love Generation
[x] Love Revolution
[x] Love Shuffle
[o] Lovely Complex Live Action
[x] Lunch Queen
[x] Maid in Akihabara
[x] Majo no Jouken
[#] Maou
[x] Medaka
[!] Mei-chan no Shitsuji
[x] Mendol-Ikemen Idol
[x] Midnight Sun Journey
[x] Mou Hitotsu no Sugar & Spice
[x] Monster Parent
[x] Mop Girl
[x] Mukodono 2003
[!] My Boss My Hero
[x] My Little Chef
[x] Myu no Anyo Papa ni Ageru
[x] Nanase Futatabi
[x] Neverland
[o] Nobuta wo Produce
[!] Nodame Cantabile
[o] Nuse Aoi
[x] Odoru Daisousasen
[x] Oh Dad
[#] Oh! My Girl
[x] Oishii Kankei
[x] Oishii Proposal
[x] OL Nippon
[x] One Missed Call
[x] One Pound Gospel
[!] Orange Days
[x] Osen
[x] Over Time
[x] Papa to Musume no Nanokakan
[x] Pink no Idenshi
[x] Pretty Girls
[x] Pride
[x] Princess Princess D
[x] Prisoner
[o] Proposal Daisakusen
[x] Psychometrer Eiji
[x] Puzzle
[!] Q.E.D.
[!] Regatta
[x] Remote
[!] Rescue
[x] RH Plus
[x] Rondo
[!] Rookies
[#] Room of King
[x] Ruri no Shima
[x] Ryokiteki na Kanojo
[x] Ryusei no Kizuna
[!] Saito-san
[x] Sapuri
[x] Satomi Hekkenden
[x] SCANDAL
[x] Scrap Teacher
[x] Security Police
[x] Seigi no Mikata
[x] Seikei Bijin
[x] Seito Shokun!
[x] Sekai no Chuushin de Ai wo Sakebu
[x] Sensei wa Erai!
[x] Sexy Voice and Robo
[x] Sh15uya
[x] Shiawase ni Naritai
[x] Shibatora
[x] Shigeshoshi
[x] Shikatoko Aoniyoshi
[x] Shinigami no Ballad
[x] Shinsengumi
[x] Shomuni
[x] Shomuni 2
[x] Shomuni 3
[x] Shoni Kyumei
[x] Shopping Hero
[x] Shota no Sushi
[x] Slow Dance
[x] Sore wa, Totsuzen, Arashi no you ni
[x] Souri to Yobanaide
[x] Spring Story
[o] Stand Up!
[x] Star no Koi
[x] Strawberry on the Shortcake
[x] Style
[x] Suika
[!] Summer Snow
[x] Summer Time Machine Blues
[x] Sushi Ouji
[x] Tadashii Ouji no Tsukurikata
[x] Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu
[x] Taiyou no Uta
[x] Tantei Gakuen Q
[x] Tatta Hitotsu no Koi
[x] Team Batista no Eikou
[x] Tenchijin
[x] Teppan Shojo Akane
[x] Teru-teru Ashita
[x] The Man Who Won 320 Million Yen in Lotto 6
[x] The Queen’s Classroom
[x] Tiger & Dragon
[o] Tokyo Friends
[x] Tokyo Ghost Trip
[x] Tokyo Love Story
[x] Tokyo Tower
[x] Tokyo Wankei
[x] Tomorrow
[x] Tonsure
[x] Top Sales
[x] Triangle
[x] Trick
[x] Trick 2
[x] Trick 3
[x] Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi
[x] Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi 2
[x] Unfair
[x] Ushi ni Negai wo – Love & Farm
[!] Uta no Onii-san
[x] Utahime
[x] Virgin Road
[!] Voice
[x] Waraeru Koi wa Shitakunai
[x] Warui Yatsura
[x] Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari
[x] Watashitachi no Kyoukasho
[o] Waterboys
[x] With Love
[x] Yakusha Damashii
[x] Yama Onna Kabe Onna
[!] Yamada Taro Monogatari
[x] Yamato Nadeshiko
[x] Yasashii Jikan
[x] Yasha
[o] Yasuko to Kenji
[x] Yoiko no Mikata
[x] Yottsu no Uso
[o] Yukan Club
[x] Yume wo Kanaeruzo

J-drama meme #2:

Number of dramas watched:
About 30
Number of dramas currently watching:
About 6
Number of dramas dropped:
Probably about 5 or 6
Number of dramas you want to watch:
About 20
Shortest time it’s taken you to finish watching a drama:
3 days (Liar Game)
Longest time it’s taken you to finish watching a drama:
Oh I dunno, probably several months
Favorite genre:
Romantic comedy, "human drama"
Favorite drama:
Probably a tie between Stand Up! and Gakkou ja Oshierarenai!
Favorite actor:
Ahh a tough one... probably Oguri Shun, although I also really like Miura Haruma, Ninomiya Kazunari, and Narimiya Hiroki
Favorite actress:
Yamada Yuu
Favorite hero:
Kazu from Gakkou ja Oshierarenai, mostly because he was gay and everyone was cool with it :D
Favorite heroine:
If Lovely Complex counts as a mini-drama, then Risa
Favorite opening/ending song:
Kotoba Yori Taisetsu na Mono - Arashi (Stand Up!)
Favorite drama couple:
Rika and Night (Absolute Boyfriend)
Favorite scene/line/action from any drama:
When Nakatsu was dancing on a table with panties on his head singing, "Ore wa homo janai~ Homo janai~" in Hana-Kimi; it gets me every time XD
Biggest disappointment:
Scrap Teacher- even though I wanted to watch Kamiji I had to drop it halfway through the first episode because HSJ was just so terrible XP
Drama that made you cry the most:
Probably Proposal Daisakusen, just because of that miserable face YamaP kept making T^T
Drama that made you laugh the most:
A tie between Hana-Kimi (Nakatsu FTW!!) and Stand Up! (hooray for awkward humor!)
Drama that kept you on the edge of your seat:
Currently Bloody Monday; beforehand, Liar Game
Drama that made you feel fuzzy inside:
Dance Drill- Massu always makes me feel fuzzy inside
Drama that frustrated you the most:
Anego. JUST MARRY HIM ALREADY!! DX
Drama that made you want to read the manga (if there is one):
Liar Game
Drama you wanted to be a part of:
Stand Up!- I wanna be friends with those nerds XD
Character that swept you off your feet:
OMG HANAZAWA RUI!!
Character you wanted to strangle the most:
That girl in Kurosagi who almost got swindled by Koyama- you know Tsurara's friend. When she started passing out flyers with Kurosaki's face on it, I wanted to smack her so badly... and then she went out of her way to be a psycho-bitch stalker too (>~<) I hate that!
Character you’d want as a best friend:
NAKATSUUU! Every day would be HILARIOUS
Character you’d want as a brother/sister:
Probably... Kazu from Gakkou ja Oshierarenai. Seems like a nice kid
Character you'd want as a boyfriend/girlfriend:
If he weren't a robot, then Night. But actually, Nakatsu might be a good fit for me. I like funny boys XD

Kamiji's Farewell Entry to SCS [Translation]

2009-01-03T03:31:55Z

Here's Kamiji's last entry as a member of SCS. I felt the need to translate it, and I'm glad I did- it's extremely beautiful and reflective, and I like how he tells exactly what he's feeling about the whole situation. Let's keep supporting Tsuruno Takeshi, Nokubo Naoki, and Kamiji Yuusuke as individuals, even if they're no longer known as Shuuchishin.

To you. A letter.

Those of you who watched the Hexagon special.

Thank you very much.

And truly truly truly thank you very much for cheering on SCS as singers.

Thank you for both getting excited and getting us excited.

Even as the "shin" (TN: "heart") of Shuuchishin, I'm thankful to SCS.

And, although it may seem like none of my business, rrrreeeeaaaallly!

"It was fun ♪"

ヾ(^ー^)

I'm glad that I could spend time with all of you while being a part of SCS.

I also made a mad dash as Kamiji Yuusuke, but

I also made a madmadmadmad~~~~~ dash as a singer in SCS.

I was able to make a mad dash as Kamiji Yuusuke because of SCS.

As Kamiji Yuusuke I was called "yesterday's fad" (TN: literally "last year/the day before yesterday boom")

And while it had many different meanings during the time I debuted with SCS as a singer,

"If you wanna laugh, laugh" (TN: The first line of their debut song, Shuuchishin, which translates to "self-embarassment")

(Shuuchichin)

I was desperately positive.

While from way back I had lots of times where I cried and made others cry,

"Don't cry" (TN: The name of their second single, Nakanaide, which translates to "don't cry")

(Nakanaide)

I felt encouraged.

Whatever I'm told,

"Remember all the guys who told you that you can't. Someday you'll keep fighting 'till you fall to your knees." (TN: From their third single, Waga Teki wa Waga ni Ari, which translates to "my own worst enemy," or literally, "my enemy is within myself")

(Waga Teki wa Waga ni Ari)

I ground my teeth,

Now even if it's painful and even if I can't see what's ahead,

"I drink delicious sake with my friends tonight too" (TN: from their song Minami no Shima, which translates to "the island(s) of the south")

(Minami no Shima)

I dream about one day taking it easy drinking with everyone.

I've come along leaving all sorts of footprints behind.

It's not like I came along asking for all this, so I don't know if it's ok to leave it at this.

But, I continued fighting until I felt I couldn't any more than this.

That's why as a single fan of SCS [myself], from the bottom of my heart I feel extremely sad and lonely.

But this is also something I have to accept.

New Year's last live.

I decided to end it with a smile, but after seeing the tears that flowed on their own and the tears of those who came, at the very very end my heart felt kind of refreshed.

Both as Shuuchi[shin] (TN: "shin" = heart) and Kamiji Yuusuke.

Kinda like I finished something, like a sense of completion.

My whole body

is saying

"I'm soooooooo tired."

The bottom of my heart

is screaming

"I did iiiiiiiit!"

That's why after the live hidden trick broadcast finished, without caring about what was going on around me,

I screamed really freakin' loudly,

"WE'RE DOOOONNNNNEEE!"

(≧○≦)

As if I were riding past all the happiness and sadness.

'08.

It was a really long year.

It's probably not just because I didn't sleep much.

In any case, it was seriously long.

Honestly I felt like I was gonna break down again and again.

Both mentally and physically.

Time after time after time.

There were obviously lots of things that I had to face alone.

The freedom that I love disappeared, so there were also times where I felt like "woah!"

When the things I did and accomplished and said became huge on their own, and when I was able to talk about things I didn't know about in places I didn't know,

there were also times which even when looking at just one thing all sorts of images and voices came into my eyes and ears even if I didn't want them to.

During those times I was supported by my SCS big brother and little brother, that family, the staff and other related people, everyone from the agency and friends and family.

And I was also helped by you

so I'm typing this message right now.

It's true.

When I say "you," I mean those of you who are reading this right now.

That's right, you.

'08 has passed into '09.

Even while thinking "What should I do now?"

for some reason there are still tons of things that I wanna do and have to do.

That part of me is really annoying (laugh)

But the inside of my heart is empty.

My heart is wide open and empty, but it's warm.

That's because of the countless smiles that I've seen until now and the greatfulness I feel towards all of you.

That's probably it.

No, that's definitely it.

Right now that's the only thing inside Shuuchi[shin]'s heart.

Thank you so much. Really.

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou

Really.

Even though it's this kind of me, I was able to play this game of catch with thank-yous.

Thanks.

I'm gonna close all of the scenes Kamiji Yuusuke saw and the temperatures he felt in '08 in my heart

Use lots of the treasure I received from SCS

and in '09

get back in the game.

(^-^)v

Leisurely ♪

What's written on the back of my long yellow coat

is "shin" (TN: "heart")

This year too,

No matter how fun, how painful, how happy, how sad, whether you feel joy or laugh or confront or hurt or get hurt,

without forgetting the honest feelings that only the innermost part of you knows,

let's walk together ♪

Even if you're mistaken, it's important to react with an honest, energetic smile.

Straight ahead.

If you do that, it'll definitely remain.

"Thank you."

And with that, please start moving.

What every person has

The color and shape and size is different

The pure heart inside of yourself.

Believe in that inside of you, have confidence, and don't lose.

I'm gonna go ♪

In '09 too

I'mma do my best ♪(^-^)v

Trying to catch up on Yuu-chan's blog, at least a little bit (>~<)

2008-12-31T01:14:47Z

So I feel bad about neglecting Kamiji's blog for so long... to (kind of) make up for it, I decided to at least translate the past few days since the entries focus on the soon-to-disband SCS.

According to sources, SCS's upcoming schedule is as follows:

Dec. 31: Participate on the White Team with Pabo on Kohaku Uta Gassen
Jan. 2: On [Hexagon II New Year's Special] will officially resign as singers
Mar. 11: Kamiji Yusuke's solo single [Himawari] is scheduled to go on sale
Date undecided: Plan to put Tsuruno Takeshi's solo album on sale

Let's keep supporting these guys in solo activities! I'll try my best to update translations of Kamiji's blog, at least occasionally. The quality of the translations probably won't be that great, but I'll work hard on getting them right.

Dec. 27th:

If SCS Were a Company

This is the president (Today is recording for Hexagon)

It's a little bit blurry, but

He's the one who energizes the company

Who's constantly pulling us along cheerfully

The one who pulls us all together.

Representative board member.

Shu, in charge

[Tsuruno Takeshi]

Regards.

If SCS Were a Company

He's the accountant.

He may be a little clumsy, but he's also someone who can do things well that involve lots of detail.

If there were a company end-of-the-year party and the old dudes mess with him, saying, "So what do you think of my daughter?"

"Well～(^-^)"

is probably how he'd edge away from the subject smoothly (lol)

That kind of "Chi," in charge

[Nokubo Naoki]

Regards.

If SCS Were a Company

I'm the salesman.

Can't really use me.

Always causing trouble for the president and accountant, trudging trudging along freely wherever I feel like going.

I'm really indebted to them. (TN: Literally, "They're taking really good care of me")

m(_ _)m

But even while trudging along I take a look at lots of things and return to the company

"Let's just do it ♪(^-^)"

Even if I say such unbelievable things

The president will swirl around in his president chair

"Hm? Really? Alright!"

is how he'll answer me.

As for the accountant,

"Do it, do it σ(^_^；)"

And he rises from his seat.

The 3 of us will face something together.

If we were a company, it'd probably be like this (lol)

(^-^)v

Dec. 28:

SCS, Inc.

It's those 3 people.

[SCS as Singers]

Just a little bit longer left.

We debuted as singers this year, and there was also you, who cheered us on and kept us energized.

I pretty much understand how it's kind of sad and how it doesn't quite feel real.

I mean, really we're basically the same.

It's been a quick year and a half since I started my blog.

I've reported on lots of meetings and partings here too.

One of those partings, that of [SCS as Singers], has also come. Even if you can't believe it, it's a reality.

I heard somewhere that you're happy because there's an end...

That's why our company
(^-^)v

in '08, until the end of the end we're gonna give it all we've got, just like the company that we are!!

m(_ _)m

In front of the camera, Kamiji Yusuke has become the salesman [Shin] supported by everyone, and I'm gonna continue to comment however I feel like it, sing, dance, and make peace signs!

ヾ(^▽^)ノ

I'll do my best!

※Incidentally, lately behind the scenes I get tickled by Ponyo's Ohashi Nozomi-chan for some reason (lol)

But it's cuuuuuuute ♪♪♪
(T-T)

Dec. 29th:

Yesterday was an Assault

Totsugeki-Tsuruno's dinner (TN: Totsugeki means "assault")

ヾ(^▽^)

We called him out of the blue and got a good dose of the family atmosphere.

(^-^)v

It was soooo refreshing!

(≧∀≦)

We came by car, but we gulped down our drinks.

σ(^_^；)

Because Tsuru-ani (TN: -ani means "big brother") went out of his way to prepare for us (lol)

I went home and throughout the night I kept going to the bathroom.

I drank too much

(=_=;)

*hiccup*

of non-alcoholic beer (child beer cider)

Dec. 30th:

Kouhaku Rehearsal's Set Dinner of Nira-tama

The balance was off

(=_=;)

Rice, nira-tama, miso soup.

3 items. 4 if you include the water.

When I, who was unsure of what to do, tried to reach my chopsticks over to Nokku's side dishes, without our eyes even meeting:

"Yuu-chan"

(-。-")

"...Ok."

I gave up on Nokku, and when I reached towards Tsuru-ani's side dishes, which were next to me, he put down the rice bowl in his hand:

Pachin!

"...Ok."

(=_=;)

Isn't there anyone who has extra side dishes to spare?

ヾ(T-T)

Nontan♪

Ponyo ♪

Cheeky Ponyo ♪

It's Non-chan ♪

(^-^)v

Soooo~ cuuuuute~

(^~^)

Yesterday During Rehearsal

The 3 of us nodded off splendidly.

When we woke up our picture was taken.

(=_=;)(=_=;)(=_=;)

The Record First-Prize Kohaku Uta Gassen will finish, then sing again, then from New Year's Day 3 lives in Kobe and Tokyo.

Just like sing-

Ah, singers?

Wait, is that wrong?

Oh well, whatever

ヾ(^ー^)

I'mma do my best ヾ(^▽^)ノ

Today it's a Pineapple (TN: In case you didn't guess, he's referring to his hairstyle)

Ok!

ヾ(^ー^)

I'm gonna go now～♪

Ok Done ヾ(^ ▽^)

The Record First-Prize is done ♪

(^-^)v(^-^)v(^-^)v

How was it ♪?

During the interview, right beside us Alice (Ueto Aya) was making a serious face, so without thinking I turned towards the mic.

m(_ _)m

"You might not be able to continue li~ving we~ll ♪"

At that point I stopped, and our eyes definitely met.

σ(^_^；)

We'll leave early, but keep it up, Alice!

(^-^)v

We're about to enter

this year's last

preparations

as SCS Singers!

ヾ(≧ー≦)

Ah~ I'm gonna miss SCS ;___; I hope they all keep getting together and hang in there as individuals. Good luck guys!

More Arashi!

2008-12-28T20:43:46Z

In the first post, I was only able to cover Sakuraiba, Ohmiya SK, Yama pair, and Sakumoto. So I figured for this post I'll start off with the more minor pairs (with only a few pictures each) Then maybe I'll go into group pictures from there :D

I'll start with what I like to call the Bancho Pair (mostly for lack of anything better to call them). I chose "bancho" because it can mean "leader" (so that covers Ohno) and it's what they call MatsuJun during G no Arashi (well.. they call him either Do-S Bancho or Minor Sports Bancho- pretty self-explanatory, no?)

Pretending to be ballerinas

Do-S mode >:D

I love this picture! It's a rare moment of MatsuJun acting dorky, which he only seems to do around Leader lately

MatsuJun uses his height advantage to snatch Leader's newspaper hat!
Notice the "oh-no-you-didn't" face Ohno makes at the end XD

"MatsuJun, you look a little bit cute today"
*DEATH GLARE*

Notice the Do-S glint in MatsuJun's eyes
"I CONTROL YOUR FACE, LEADER!"

Speaking of Do-S, the next pair is what I call the Do-S pair. Can you guess who that is? XD I only have 2 pictures of them, but they were so cute I couldn't resist.

MatsuJun tries to suck out Nino's brains. Where's Leader when you need him??

What Nino's probably thinking right now:
"...fatty..."
XD

The next pair is also really cute, although I don't have many pictures. I present to you, Masatoshi!

Masatoshi has found their next makeover victim.
...Run!

"Daddy, I don like this. Gimme 'nother toy!"

These two I call the Nakimushi (crybaby) pair because that's what they were called when they were paired on D no Arashi (the name comes from the first time they were on 24hr TV and these two were the only ones in the group who cried. Awww~) :D

Aiba pumping up the cute factor, MatsuJun trying to show a softer side of himself by resisting the urge to wail on poor Aiba

"Teacher! Teacher! Aiba knows the answer!"
"...answer to what?"

And finally, one of my favorite straight-faced pairs: Sakumiya :D

"Say cheese, Nino"
(the hidden S in Sho finally surfaces)

Caption: "HOWEVER!"
Love the dramatic seriousness XD

"Behold my arms of steel!"
Nino hides his stick arms in shame XD

"We b crashin ur concertz, steelin ur fanz"
(From NEWS Pacific tour DVD)

And here, I'm going to show everyone what's so great about Arashi: member love. And a little bit of silliness doesn't hurt :D

I mostly like this picture for the crackified smile on MatsuJun's face XD

And for some reason, this one too.
I like how Sakuraiba are secretly giggling at him and Ohmiya are singing drunken anthems together in their own little world :D

Haha I love how Nino's attacking Aiba and no one else seems to care
Poor Aiba-chan~

Sho's revenge on Nino:
"This one's for Aibaaaaa!"
(Notice Leader just laughing in the background)

"Don't worry Sho, I'll get my own revenge. Nomnomnom~"

Arashi at a sleepover? ~~Count me in!~~

Aiba continues to take revenge on Nino, as Sho holds him down and the others laugh in the background

Looks like Nino's about to lay down some epic move in whatever game they're playing XD

Sho's taking some quiet time to reflect on himself
*sigh* "I'm awesome..." XD

Ohmiya sketching together
I love Leader's "WTF?" face- I've seen Nino draw and seriously, he's got no right to pick on Sho all the time (but he does anyway, just because he can) XD

"Hey Leader... whatcha thinkin' 'bout?"

The next morning, Aiba has no memory of what happened the night before.
Unfortunately for him, everyone else seems to. And it's making Leader uncomfortable.

Arashi partyyyy! "\(^o^)/"

Ugh... back to school with a hangover...
Let's just draw pictures, k?

Who here's ready to go home?

Sho, Nino, and Aiba froze in place as the Bancho pair discovered their secret stash had been broken into.
"Uh... hi guys... we were just... uh..."
"It's no use, Aiba. We're dead meat now."

Their punishment: stocking head. But something's not right with this picture...
"Wait a second... why am I wearing a stocking instead of Nino?"
"Hahaha, silly Leader. It's because you'll do anything for me >:D"
"...Oh yeah."

"We pose like monkeys!" XD
And the crowd goes wild...

And now for some Arashi crack...

4 out of 5 Arashi members agree, that dude was HUGE!

It's official, MatsuJun's on crack XD

Hyperactive monkeys, hahahaha~ XD

HIGH TEN!! (or, as the Japanese call it, HIGH TOUCH!!)

With Arashi, roller skate tug-of-war ends with a group hug :D

One of my favorite D no Arashi moments ever: Nino showing that gate who's boss.
"But... it seems to be closed..."
"Oh no no no, let me take care of it." *smash* XD

And Sho's official verdict is... LIMIT REACHED!
Haha love his movements XD

And what does Arashi just loooove to do? COSPLAY!

Schoolgirl Ohno & Elementary schooler Sho = WIN :D

But personally, I thought that the time when Sho dressed up as a maid was particularly hilarious:

He's a natural! XD

Arashi Rangers? And they claim to be embarassed by Eito?
Love how into this MatsuJun is, by the way :D
Leader's so serious too XD

Speaking of Leader... what would Arashi be without their fearless leader?

Can you guess where Leader is?

Leader = fail, haha

Leader will do anything for the members of Arashi, but he draws the line at eating really old... stuff... in a jar

10 folds! Leader's ~~froglike~~ victory pose is pretty cute :D

Flashing a peace sign, about to run on top of some goo Aiba made
NICE PEACE!

And this is my favorite! Just because of the caption:
"Which one of you is the least Arashi-like?"
*all point to Leader, who tries pointing to Nino*

Ah~ that's all for today. I still have some more pictures though, so maybe when the mood strikes me... :D
Thanks again to theproudpenguin for a lot of these pictures!

I feel the need... to make an Arashi picspam :o

2008-12-28T05:06:15Z

I have been seriously loving Arashi lately... what with D no Arashi, G no Arashi, Mago Mago Arashi, Arashi no Shukudai-kun, VS Arashi... and many many more :D

The best thing about Arashi is their obvious bond- I just love how every show, every picture, every PV is just overflowing with lots of member love. And so I just want to put a bunch of those moments together.

(To those with slow connections, sorry, this post is gonna be seriously picture-heavy)

I'm gonna start this off with my favorite pair in the group, Sakuraiba. There's just so much love, and so much silliness between those two :D

Look at these two, running like the wind... they remind me of two puppies in the park :D

Ai-ai Gasa~ XD

Holding hands like an awkward middle-school couple = win :D

So much silliness... I love their hats XD

...But I like these hats better :D

Or this one :D

Sakuraiba laughs are the best

"Sho-chan, look at me! I'm doing chin-ups!"

"Eat up, Sho-chan! You need your calcium!"
"Can't... breathe..."

Sakuraiba noms <3

More Sakuraiba nommage

"Yoshi, yoshi... just a minute"

Sho, offering Aiba some emotional support across the room

Nothing beats passing those unbearable summer days by playing The Game of Life with Sakuraiba <3

...or sharing a cold lemonade with them :D

Aiba's plan to distract Sho with his sexy belly gives Sho ideas...

...ideas to try it himself! Just look at that face, it screams "Hey there, check out my rock hard abs and sexy bellybutton piercing ;D"

Aww, now Aiba's all flustered ^^

"Haha, gotcha!"

"I'M BEING ATTACKED!!"

Sho's revenge: "...bother!..."

I love Sho's dork face and Aiba's "uhh... yeaaahhh..." face here XD

And Sho failing at enacting a death scene with Aiba

"Aiba... what are you eating?"
"...nothing..."
"Don't lie! Did you pick that up off the floor?"
"...maybe... I mean, no!"
"That's disgusting! SPIT IT OUT NOW!"
"But it's yummy..."
"Now!"

(Mamma Sho shows no mercy XD)

"What do you think of this hat?"
"..."

"Why don't you lose the hat and try these sunglasses instead?"

Sakuraiba mirror check
(I like to think this is how most Johnny's dressing rooms look before a show- lots of grown men primping themselves in front of the mirror) XD

Pimpin' Sakuraiba

Perfect "I-know-you-want-me" look there, Sho
Aiba... not so much XD

Sakuraiba smiles :D

"This is totally going on Facebook" :D

"SHO-CHAAANNN! I'M COMING!"

"SHO-CHAN! I was so scared!"
"AIBA-CHAN! I'm so glad you're not hurt!"
Oh the love <3

So rabu-rabu! Which can only mean...

YESPLEASEDO!!! XD
Sakuraiba marriage = world peace :D

I'll end this part of the post with sneaky Sakuraiba kissies <3

So naturally, I'll have to move on to the most popular and highly publicized pair, Ohmiya SK, otherwise known as hilarity waiting to happen:

Doing their thing XD

They're all business
...seriously XD

Whatever they're selling, I'm buying!

Coming soon to a vending machine near you!

Translation: "So about that..."
Love the Do-S grin on his face XD

After a particularly devious Ni no Arashi, Nino seeks protection from the wrath of MatsuJun behind Leader

"Noodles!!!"

Pre-show love on D no Arashi

Nino, aka Master of Smooth Moves, works his magic on Leader:

"I can't see very well... lemme just lean back a little..."

"Oh look, Leader, a shooting star! Make a wish!"
*slips arm around shoulder*

"You've got a little something on your face... here, let me get it for you"

"Is there anything on my butt?"

"Leader! Watch out! I'll protect you!"
":D"

"Oh man, my tummy's so full... I could fall asleep right here"

"Let me get that for you..."
":D"

"My feet huuuuurrrrrttttt"

But Ohno's got some moves of his own!

"So do you come here often?"

"Why yes, I'd love to arm wrestle"

"...Whatcha lookin' for?"
*inches closer*

"So tired... oh my, did I fall asleep on you?"

The development of the legendary Ohmiya relationship

First, Nino took Leader on a sketchy photo shoot:

"I said jump higher!"

Sketchy van? Check.

Zoom lens to get perfect shot of Leader's butt? Check.

Crazy poses? Check.

Letting your subject play with the camera a little bit? Check.

Silly drunken Facebook photos? Check.

Pledge of secrecy? Check. :D

Things were going well, so they decided to try going on a date

Date #2 and they're already half-naked?? :o

Now they hold hands regularly :D

...and show affection in public

Even kisses! :o

"Tsk! What would you do without me?"

"Leader, wouldn't this look great by the window in the living room?"
":D"

Going domestic
(This picture makes me giggle) XD

Grocery shopping with the kids XD

Now if that's not some serious member love, I don't know what is XD

Next up is the so-called ~~Ossan~~ Yama Pair. Ah~ so much silliness, I don't know where to begin...

And the best way to start off the Yama pair is with a monkey named Yamada XD

Proof of Child Minder Certification!

Desperate times call for desperate measures o.o

...well that didn't take long :o

The Child Minder seal of approval :D

Coming to a neighborhood near you

They're on their way now! XD

Oh noes!

Thinking back, they regretted pulling out the boxing gloves.
...Well, Sho did anyway. I'm pretty sure Leader's just thinking about what he'll eat for dinner tonight XD

I LOVE Sho's "EEEEEEEE!" face and Leader's "...wait, what?" face XD

*Touch*
(Note: this is during "slow-motion tag" and Ohno's "it") XD

Playing the backpack relay race XD
LOVE Sho's "Ah~ I wish I had friends to play with..." face and wifey Nino's "Just be nice and go play with him for 10 minutes!" nudge

And bam! They're instant bffs!

Translation: "It's love"
You betcha! <3

"Yo, chekkitoutcho!"

...The Yama pair would like to officially apologize for that unnecessary gangsta posing.
"...We're sowwy..."

To make up for it, here's a truly gangsta pose
Sho's such a pimp XD

Caption translation: "You know, I still wanna continue living with my family like this" -Ohno
(He's referring to how he still lives at home with his parents, even though he's a few years shy of 30)
What I love about this picture is Sho's "HAHA NERRRRD!" face XD

And now we bring you... Sakumoto~! Behold Do-S MatsuJun at his worst XD

Yamada-kun! Haha I watched this, he really liked Sho and Leader but was scared of MatsuJun

"These hands... are magical!"
"...Really?..."

O-hime-sama dakko! XD

Another not-as-cute o-hime-sama dakko o.o

Sho! Behind yooooouuuu!

And so, MatsuJun's true nature begins to appear... o.o

"You got a problem, shorty?"
"Uh... no... I was just... uh..."

"Wutcha lookin at?"
"I... I'm sorry... sir..."

And it escalated with time o.o

"Gimme your lunch money!"

Sho remembers those dark days...

But they're all happy now <3

See?
(I'm truly sorry, but daaaaa-yum Jun made one ugly schoolgirl. And what's with Sho's creepy flasher jacket and salaryman attire? Trying to portray some illegal relationship here?)

Ah~ it's late, so I'm gonna stop here for now. I'll try and finish it up tomorrow or something ^^;;
Thanks to theproudpenguin for a lot of these pictures (those picspams are waaaaaaay funnier and more lengthy than mine ^^;;)
Also thanks to himitsu for the OhmiyaSK pictures, what a great resource XD

Share the Arashi love~ <3

Thoughts of a Christmas Baby

2008-12-25T17:00:59Z

And so, I enter my 20s today.

Of course I feel no different from when I was 19 yesterday, but that was expected.

And for my 21st birthday, I'm most likely gonna be in Japan (where the drinking age is 20 and they don't care about your age anyway) (-_-;;)

Well, my mom gave me a Miura Haruma calendar and some lovely Steve Madden boots, so I'm pretty happy (^^)v

Can't wait to eat birthday cake Ｏｏ｡｡(￣￢￣*) Wish I had a strawberry bingsoo though, hehe

Usually I get depressed on my birthday, having to share it with everyone and all, but I feel a lot better this year. And I'm definitely in the mood to share some Christmas-y ikemen! :D

A self-proclaimed DAIGO-santa XD

My favorite baka-san trio, 羞恥心 (SCS!)
(Although in this picture it's SSC ^^;;)

Christmas SHINee!
(btw Key + mittens = WIN!)

Aiba-santa slurping up some cake XD

And what's Christmas without BREAKERZ's Winter Party? :D

Also reading Kamiji's usual December birthday entry was particularly uplifting for me. I'll translate it here:

This year's last birthday mail goes to you.

You sure were born on a cold day, huh ♪

(^-^)

To those of you who can't celebrate your birthday with classmates because of winter break (TN: THAT'S ME!!)

To those of you who had their birthdays combined with Christmas when they were little (TN: THANK YOU!!)

To those of you who had their birthdays combined with New Year's

To those kids in their mom's tummies trying to be born into this world while crying

In any case

Haaaaaapppppppyyyyyy Birrrrrrttttthhhhhdaaaaaayyyyy!

For living together with you

For being able to say "congratulations"

For being able to meet you

For this broadcast from inside the train being able to reach you

I really am happy ('-^*)

I'm praying that even if you become a "new you" with the new year, you'll have the best year in your very own spectacular way!

ヾ(^▽^)ノ

I'm sure that everyone else riding along in the car thinks so too

Because this year I've already told everyone else from all the other months.

So, now it's your turn ♪

Goal = start.

Ok, do your best ('-^*)

Happy New Year

From before,

♪Happy New YOU♪

So cute, right? :D I feel all happy inside when I read his blog, I should get caught up on it. I don't understand how you can dislike Kamiji Yuusuke, he's just such a sweetie even though he's not the brightest crayon in the enormous mega-value box. Thanks, Yuu-chan, I'll keep supporting you next year too!

Merry Christmas, everyone~! And happy holidays :D

メリクリ♪

Shinee Owns My Soul ♥

2008-12-22T04:20:30Z

So I wanted to make a post about my current obsession, those adorable ~~jailbait~~ boys that make up the group SHINee. I seriously can't get enough of these kids! I'm a little ashamed to admit that I fell into their marketing scheme (I actually qualify as a member of the "noona" market), but now that I'm here I'm loving it! They just make me so happy~!

With SHINee, ~~unlike Johnny's~~, I do get a lot of enjoyment watching them sing and dance live- they rarely, if at all, lip synch for performances and still sound amazing! I just feel a little weird when I remember how young they all are... T^T

So for those who are not so familiar with them, let me introduce you to the members of SHINee. ~~Thank you Wikipedia!~~

Onew (온유 or 温流)
Real Name: Lee Jin-ki (이진기)
Nicknames: Dubu (Tofu), Leader
Birthday: Dec. 14, 1989
Pre-debut pictures:

Ah, Leader. What a smile this kid has! Oddly enough it's reminiscent of Lee Jun-ki to me (so I was kinda freaked out when I heard his real name- so similar!) I love his hit-and-miss jokes (a byproduct of "Onew Syndrome"- the only "disease" with its own theme song!) and I love his earnest enthusiasm.

His voice is strong and clear, and he takes responsibility as the oldest member by asserting the leadership role when he needs to. He's good at speaking during press conferences and interviews ~~despite the alleged Onew Syndrome in his private time~~, and he seems to care for the other members very much.

Leader, fighting!

Jonghyun (종현 or 鐘鉉)
Real Name: Kim Jong-hyun (김종현)
Nickname: Bling-Bling
Birthday: April 8, 1990
Pre-debut pictures:

Ah~ here we go, no more '80s kids (-_-;;) Jonghyun probably has the strongest and most confident voice, and he loooooooves to show it. I don't think he's being arrogant by constantly singing, though, I get the impression that he genuinely loves to sing. And besides, there's that phrase "if you got it, flaunt it," right? ^^;;

Jonghyun has a kind of strong personality and loves to ham up to the camera, but he can be pretty funny and it's kind of cute when he does. Either way, that voice of his is nothing to shake a stick at, so he's got my respect.

Key (키)
Real Name: Kim Ki-bum (김기범)
Nickname: The Almighty Key, Mama Key
Birthday: Sept. 23, 1991
Pre-debut pictures:

I heard someone say once that Key's new nickname should be "Noona Killer." I totally agree- he's just so attractive! He's also known as Mama Key (with SHINee's papa figure as Onew, I guess? ^^;;) probably because he often takes care of and makes food for the other members (I just have to note here that, although it may have been distorted for TV, but I got the impression that SM Entertainment kind of threw these kids in an apartment to fend for themselves... although I'm sure they get food stipends and stuff. Anyway, it seemed like Key's their main source of food, that's all...)

I find Key extremely entertaining. He's really creative, quick-witted, and willing to make fun of himself. He has an interesting voice, making up one of the three main vocals along with Jonghyun and Onew. He has these huge, adorable eyes that make him look kind of innocent, even though he's usually wearing a pretty devilish smirk. I try not to pick favorites, but I have to admit, he's one of them.

Minho (민호 or 珉豪)
Real Name: Choi Min-ho (최민호)
Nickname: Flaming Charisma
Birthday: Dec. 9, 1991
Pre-debut picture:

Oh Minho! Minho, who's way too young to be acting so suave!

This kid didn't earn his nickname for nothing; he models on the runway, raps for the group, and puts on the most romantic and meaningful date setup out of all of them. He acts so quiet and reserved, but underneath that is a sweet, mature boy who'd rather get to know a noona in a more personal way than just bombard her with questions and appeal.

He's also an athlete who basically owns all other members in any sport, as well as in height (I think he's over 180cm- ridiculous for a 17-year-old!) I love to see pictures of them lined up, because the height difference is so obvious. I love his deep voice and huge eyes... One time another member said he looked like an alien, because he's soooo tall with a relatively small face and huge eyes XD But somehow it works for him.

I like his nickname, because he really is quite charismatic, even if he can come off as shy sometimes. But then again, I have a soft spot for shy ~~tall~~ guys, so if I were asked to honestly choose my favorite, I'd probably name Minho. If you don't agree, I challenge you to watch the Yunhanam episode where Minho's picked- you'll be blown away by a gentlemanly charm far beyond his years.

Taemin (태민 or 泰民)
Real Name: Lee Tae-min (이태민)
Nickname: the Youngest
Birthday: July 18, 1993
Pre-debut pictures:

Taemin, the baby of the group! Ah~ ~~he's younger than my sister~~...

Taemin is a cutie, no question about it. And probably the only one who can pull off the bowl-cut XD He's known as the group's best dancer, so he often does background vocals with Minho, but while the other guys get solo singing parts and Minho gets solo raps, Taemin gets solo dances. And he doesn't disappoint :D

I love how the other members (especially Mama Key) baby him, and I love his smile. You know someone's smile is magical when you want to pinch his cheeks through the screen ^^;; But one interesting thing about Taemin is his rapid transformation from the cute, innocent little baby to the edgy, sassy kind of sexy guy (all of this through a change in haircut? Actually I think they changed the hair when he started acting differently)

Before: crying from homesickness, poor baby! Plus check out the bowl cut

After: Look at him showing some skin on stage with that "Yeah, I know I'm hot" expression! And a more serious Taemin for a more serious haircut

And is it just me, or does he look a little like Se7en? Mostly with his newer haircut...

Anyway, these boys always keep me entertained, whether they be striking their group pose...

Dressing up as girls...

Talking on the radio...

Dancing...

Singing...

Hamming for the camera...

And especially when showing member love ♥

SHINee love!

Are you ready to listen to some SHINee now? :D Check them out on YouTube- I recommend:

누난 너무 예뻐 (Replay) ; (Dance Version)
산소 같은 너 (Love Like Oxygen) ; (Dance Version)
아.미.고. (Amigo) ; (Live)
사.계.한. (Love Should Go On)
Forever or Never

Also look out for their TV show, Yunhanam, and the behind-the-scenes. Totally worth it, it made me love them! You should be able to find them at ShineeSubs Forum or the ShineeSubs YouTube page.

PR for a Friend

2008-12-22T01:08:58Z

Hey, I just wanted to say that my friend icecapades is trying to get sponsorship to expand her journal, which consists of lots of hilarious, witty posts about Asian celebrities, dramas, music, and everything in-between. I've found her journal to be extremely entertaining- I read every entry and it leaves me with something to say every time. And when you leave her a comment she's so nice about returning the favor, so I just wanted to let you guys know about her LJ.

Be sure to drop by her page sometime, I really enjoy it and she deserves a lot of support :D

Fighting!

I need a distraction...

2008-12-16T17:36:42Z

I just finished my last exam (it only took me like 40 minutes... should I be worried? ^^;;) so now I'm stuck here until around 5 when my dad comes to get me. In the meantime, I thought I'd start my little mini-reviews that I talked about a few months ago. I'll just go down my list, providing a brief summary (mostly from dramawiki and other such sources) with my reviews under the cut. So, here we go!

English title: Absolute Boyfriend
Original title: 絶対彼氏 (Zettai Kareshi)
Type: J-drama (renzoku)
Genre: Romance, comedy
Episodes: 11
Main cast: Hayami Mocomichi, Mizushima Hiro, Aibu Saki

Synopsis: Robot maker Kronos Heaven finally develops "Night Tenjo", the perfect male humanoid programmed to be devoted and completely loyal to his lover. The company chooses temp worker Izawa Riko to take part in a 5-day free trial. At first, Riko only sees Night as a household appliance. But when she finds out how deep Night's devotion to herself is, Riko finds herself falling in love with him. Joining the love triangle is Asamoto Soshi, a distinguished young executive at her company who has feelings for her. --Fuji TV

My Rating: ★★★★✩

My Review: I actually enjoyed this drama quite a bit. It was fun, light-hearted, and pretty touching; it also makes you think about your own values and standards, as well as what it means to be human. I had never really thought much of Mocomichi, but his lovable portrayal of Night was hard to ignore: he got the whole ditzy robot thing down. Mizushiro Hiro also made a pretty commendable departure from comedy (oddly enough; but I've only really seen him in Hana-Kimi and Room of King, both comedies) I found him to be a lot more masculine and emotional in this drama than others I've seen him in. I also enjoyed Aibu Saki's performance; I had only seen her in Ganbatte! Ikimasshoi, which was okay, but she was downright cute as Rika here. I suppose my only problem with the drama is the frustration I felt with Rika. I don't know, maybe I just have a problem with indecisive characters (see: Makino Tsukushi from HYD), but I do understand that it creates tension in the plot. I just wish she would've treated both guys a lot better... I won't discuss the ending, for those who are thinking about watching it, but I liked it. I don't think it could've ended any other way. Overall, it's definitely worth your while. I say give it a try if you need a break from intense dramas like Bloody Monday and Last Friends, but are put off by over-the-top ridiculousness found in Hana-Kimi.

English title: Anego
Original title: アネゴ (Anego)
Type: J-drama
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 10 + SP
Main cast: Shinohara Ryoko, Akanishi Jin, Tomosaka Rie, Kato Masaya

Synopsis: Naoko Noda, who works in a trading company, is called “anego” by her younger co-workers. What is “anego”? It means “older sister,” but in this case it is given as a nickname to Naoko because she is like a big sister to her coworkers, who depend on her to give them advice about everything. This drama, depicts realistically how Naoko lives her everyday life, including her love life, the problems she faces, and her uneasiness about the future. --NTV

My Rating: ★★★★✩

My Review: I saw this series a while ago, before I was into Johnny's. Let me tell you, this is one of the reasons I'm into Johnny's. Jin as Kurosawa is so adorable and sweet your teeth will hurt; I loved the scenes when he'd gaze up at Anego over his computer screen with those beautiful eyes of his... but maybe that's just the fangirl in me. Putting those feelings aside, I found this to be pretty good. My only real beef is with the ending- I need to complain about the ending. SPOILER ALERT! I know that they were trying to show how a modern girl like Anego doesn't need to cling to something like marriage to validate her life, but there shouldn't be anything wrong with her getting married! Kurosawa looks her in the eyes and says "I will marry you. I want to marry you more than anything;" the words she had been waiting to hear! And her response? "Actually, let's not get married." Why not? She had been ready for it, she had been waiting for it. Instead she gives him reason to run off to the desert plains of Mongolia for a few years. In the special he even comes back and they still don't get married; it's kind of left up in the air. Maybe I'm just too American, wishing for a neatly tied-up happy ending. But isn't that okay every once in a while?

English title: A Prince's First Love
Original title: 황태자의 첫사랑 (Hwangtaeja eui Cheot-sarang)
Type: K-drama
Genre: Comedy, romance
Episodes:18
Main cast: Cha Tae-hyun, Sung Yu-ri, Kim Nam-jin, Lee Jennie

Synopsis: Gun-Hee (Cha Tae-Hyun), the "Prince" (heir) of a Hotel chain, lives an irresponsible jet-setting life. That's cut short when he meets Yu-Bin (Sung Yu-Ri). She ends up getting him in trouble with his family and he's forced to work in the hotel chain as a guide. Yu-Bin also gets a job at the same company and Gun-Hee proceeds to try to make her life miserable. Eventually revenge turns to love, but Yu-bin only has eyes for hard-working Sung-Hyun (Kim Nam-Jin), Gun-Hee's chief rival in the company as well as in love.

My Rating: ★★✩✩✩

My Review: I originally had this as one star, but now that I think about it, this is watchable. But only if you have nothing else to watch and don't want to subject yourself to a tearjerker. This is actually one of the first Korean dramas I'd ever seen, and perhaps that explains why I liked it at the time. It's a pretty typical story (and boy am I a fan of the hate-turned-love relationship) but it was simply too low-budget to be taken that seriously. I don't just mean the production quality, I'm also talking about the writing. There was just nothing all that special about it. I did find Choi Gun-hee to be pretty funny, though (leftover love from My Sassy Girl?); my mom and I used to watch this when it aired on AZN TV, and my dad would come home from work, bugging us to change the channel, but when it came down to it he'd sit through to the end of the episode. Mind you, he kept referring to Gun-hee as "Scooby Doo" (probably from that "huh?" face he makes so often), but I think he secretly liked it. However, I found Sung-hyun to be too robotic and cold, and I just couldn't stand the girl played by Lee Jennie at all- a typical possessive, bitchy rich girl. I mean, I guess it's not bad per se, it's just nothing new. If you're bored and desperate for something to watch, this might be ok to watch.

English title: Attic Cat / Rooftop Room Cat
Original title: 옥탑방 고양이 (Oktab-bang Koyang'i)
Type: K-drama
Genre: Comedy, romance
Episodes: 16
Main cast: Kim Rae-won, Jung Da-bin, Choi Jung-yoon, Lee Hyun-woo

Synopsis: Marriage is thought to be the final conclusion of love: the most precious value in this world. But in reality, marriage is not so sweet as recklessly imagined. Instead of being a sweet dream, marriage in reality is a commitment and a promise to live among many kinds of obligation and sacrifice. It is rather the end of love than a sweet beginning. This is not what lovers are aiming for; it's not marriage but living love they are shooting for. This is a drama of couple who has found a new way of living happily in Love. --MBC Global Media

My Rating: ★★★★★

My Review: I haven't seen this series in a long time, so forgive me if my rating is a little inflated. I just remember having extremely fond memories of this drama; partially as a devout Kim Rae-won fan, but also because of the hate-turned-love setup. I also love the forced co-habitation that usually accompanies this sort of scenario- you have to admit, it creates some great tension. Although Kim Rae-won's character was pretty childish, I found him quite endearing. It was frustrating that neither of them could communicate their feelings well to the other, but that makes for good drama, no? I also liked how the other guy (always have to have a love square, huh?) is pretty chill, especially when compared to other dramas (Phoenix, Goong, etc.). This is a really cute drama, and worth the watch to the very end (don't stop when the credits start to roll!) Highly recommended.

English title: The First Shop of Coffee Prince
Original title: 커피프린스 1호점 (Keopi Peurinseu Il-hojeom)
Type: K-drama
Genre: Romance, comedy
Episodes: 17
Main cast: Yoon Eun-hye, Gong Yoo, Lee Sun-gyun, Chae Jung-ahn, Kim Jae-wook, Kim Dong-wook, Lee Eon

Synopsis: The life of Go Eun Chan (Yoon Eun Hye) is not easy; she works many jobs to pay off debts and even gave up her feminine image. Choi Han Kyul (Gong Yoo) is the heir of a big food company, but his grandmother wants him to settle down, so she arranged many dates for him. After Eun Chan bumped into Han Kyul and was mistaken for a boy, Han Kyul decided to hire Eun Chan to be his gay lover in order to avoid the arranged dates. Desperately in need of money, Eun Chan had no choice but to accept. Han Kyul's grandmother also made Han Kyul in charge of a filthy coffee shop in danger of being bankrupt. Eun Chan begged to work at the coffee shop, and not long after, feelings start to spark, except, how would Han Kyul accept his "homosexuality"?

My Rating: ★★★★★

My Review: Is it too much to say that this is, hands-down, the best Korean drama ever? I enjoyed every character, every scene, every second of this drama. It was perfectly cast, perfectly paced, perfectly styled... everything. Plus the concept is fresh and new. Everyone I know who's seen this drama, girl or guy, Asian or not, has absolutely loved it. I wasn't sure of how I felt about Yoon Eun-hye in Goong, but this drama turned me into a complete fan. And Gong Yoo? What a diamond in the rough! I had no idea who this guy was, but now I absolutely adore him! And the Princes? Pure gold! Waffle Sun-ki, whose incredible Japanese lead me to research his true ethnicity (100% Korean, by the way); Cutie-pie Ha-rim, who's been popping up in several movies I've watched recently; and of course, that lovable lunkhead Min-yeop, who unfortunately passed away in a motorcycle accident this year. All of these characters really develop nicely throughout the series along with their friendship with Eun-chan. I know people want a continuation, but I think they made a good decision not to carry this too far- the timing for the ending was also perfect, in my opinion. In short, if you haven't watched this already, hurry up and watch it now! You're missing out on absolute genius!

English title: 200-Pound Beauty
Original title: 미녀는 괴로워 (Minyeo neun Koeroweo)
Type: K-movie
Genre: Romance
Main cast: Kim Ah-joong, Joo Jin-mo

Synopsis: Hanna is a lip sync vocalist for Ammy, the famous Korean pop singer. Even though she is always ignored because of her appearance, she has been a bright and lighthearted girl until Ammy humiliates her in front of Sang-jun, her secret love. At last she makes a decision of a lifetime to have plastic surgery all over her body. Will her unrequited love be returned?

My Rating: ★✩✩✩✩

My Review: Um... am I the only person who thinks this movie is terrible? My Korean teacher thinks it's hilarious, but I guess being raised in America makes you feel uncomfortable laughing at a string of fat jokes. I mean, seriously? Getting plastic surgery will solve all of your problems? I don't want this to turn into a rant about my views on plastic surgery, but she was falling apart during the movie (literally- she kept having to crack her nose or push her buttcheek back into place). We watched this movie last year in Korean class and had a discussion afterwards; one guy in my class pointed out that even after the surgery, she still hated herself. I mean, I could've been ok if it were about returning with a sexy body and showing that asshole guy up, like "look at me now!" but she still wanted to date him. And he only wanted to date her after she got the surgery. Superficial people abound. Lack of plot. A great message to all the girls out there who watch it (it's ok to get plastic surgery, as long as you look like a Barbie doll when you come out). Hm. I just felt like it was a waste of time, and I didn't really get it.

English title: 3-Iron
Original title: 빈집 (Bin-jib)
Type: K-movie
Genre: Romance, drama
Main cast: Jae Hee, Lee Seung-yeon

Synopsis: The plot revolves around the relationship between a young drifter and a battered housewife. The film is notable for the lack of dialogue between its two main characters.

My Rating: ★★★★★

My Review: This movie is absolutely beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that I've watched it more than once and still thought, "Wow, what an incredible movie." It's inventive, deep, touching- all with hardly any dialogue. I completely fell in love with the main guy, a sweet and considerate man just trying to be with the woman he loves. The ending is also beautiful, in a kind of twisted way, but I found it extremely fitting. I highly recommend this movie, especially if you want something toned-down and creative.

English title: Akihabara@DEEP
Original title: アキハバラ@DEEP (Akihabara@DEEP)
Type: J-movie
Genre: Drama
Main cast: Narimiya Hiroki, Oshinari Shugo, Arakawa Yoshiyoshi, Miura Haruma, Yamada Yuu

Synopsis: "Living is about seeking something."
Akihabara is a Tokyo mecca for otakus, geeks, nerds and wannabes who are devoted to manga, anime, electronics, video games, cult figurines, and all other things that suck their time, money and lives.
Page, Box, Akira, Taiko, Daruma, and Izumu are such otakus. They have problems, but at least they are experts in specific fields and very loyal to Akihabara.
They come together to form a troubleshooting group they name "Akihabara@DEEP" to protect Akihabara and solve any problems that might harm their beloved mecca.

My Rating: ★★★★✩

My Review: I've never seen the drama, but watching the movie has made me want to. Unfortunately, the only cast member from the drama I'd be excited about is Ikuta Toma; I honestly wish he had played Box in the movie because that would complete a cast of actors I can't get enough of. Narimiya Hiroki delivers a splendid portrayal of Page, as always, and Yamada Yuu kicks some serious ass as Akira. And to my delight, a nearly prepubescent Miura Haruma even appears in the movie! (he was about 16 at the time- his voice hadn't even changed yet!) I'm okay with Shugo, but I really find Toma a much more captivating actor (and not just because of his looks ^^;;) I really liked the pace, and the dark nature of the film was right up my alley. I guess some of the darker scenes were a little much for me, though, and that's the main reason I gave it four stars instead of five. It's actually a pretty interesting movie, even if you're not into the whole Akiba scene- it's more about underdogs standing up to "the man" than nerd power. I'd recommend this movie for older viewers (I guess I'd say 17+? Maybe 16. It all depends on your threshold for violent scenes)

English title: Attack on the Pin-up Boys
Original title: 꽃미남 연쇄 테러 사건 (Kkot-minam Yeonswae Tereo Sakeon)
Type: K-movie
Genre: Comedy
Main cast: Super Junior

Synopsis: After the unusual attack on a school flower boy (heartthrob / pretty boys) on February 14, the same attacks began to happen at different high schools on every month of the same day. Rumors say that the next victims will be at Neulparan High School. The studious student Kibum decides to investigate the matter, blogging all of the terror events on the 14th of each month, causing the event to become a hot topic within the student body. After several attacks, Kibum predicts that the next victims will be Siwon, president of the student body, Heechul, president of the dance club, or Kangin, the captain of the Judo Team.

My Rating: ★✩✩✩✩

My Review: This movie is made strictly for Super Junior fans. No question about it. Unfortunately, I am not a Super Junior fan. I don't really have anything against them, besides the fact that there are way too many of them, but even so I couldn't help but feel this movie was a waste of my time. It's really just an excuse to get all 13 of them into one movie. Of course, if you are a Super Junior fan, you'll probably like this movie. I won't lie, if SHINee ever makes a movie with all of them in it, I would watch that from opening to ending credits, no matter how bad. And I would love every second of it. But I'm just not into Super Junior, so this movie did nothing for me. Little plot, too much going on, didn't understand a great deal of it. But SJ fans? Go for it.

I guess that's enough for today... If I feel like doing more I will in a seperate entry. I still have like 5 hours until I can go home, so that's a pretty good possibility.

Drama/Movie reviews

2008-11-21T23:02:46Z

So as I said before, I've been watching a lot of movies lately, some good and some, well, not. And a lot of my school friends have been asking me for recommendations, so I started a little ratings notebook to keep track. I've been using a 3-star system ( ★=whole ✰=half ✩=empty ) to rate them (I've been writing it by hand, so it would be too tiring to draw 5 little stars for every title)

I guess I'll put a list of the titles I've rated, then go from there one or two at a time.

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend)
Anego
Dance Drill (Dandori)
Dragon Zakura
Gachibaka
Gakkou ja Oshierarenai
Ganbatte! Ikimasshoi!
Gokusen
Gokusen 2
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e
Hana Yori Dango
Hana Yori Dango Returns
Kimi wa Petto
Kurosagi
Liar Game
Nobuta wo Produce
Nurse Aoi
Propose Daisakusen
Stand Up!
Honey & Clover
Tokyo Friends
Yasuko to Kenji
Yukan Club
Attic Cat
Full House
Goong (Princess Hours)
Goong S (Prince Hours)
My Girl
Coffee Prince
Secret
A Prince's First Love
Ruler of your own World
My Name is Kim Sam-soon

200-Pound Beauty
Attack on the Pin-up Boys
Baby and Me
Doremifasolatido
Fly Daddy Fly
Hansel & Gretel
He Was Cool
Il Mare
3-Iron
My Boyfriend is Type B
My Little Bride
My Sassy Girl
My Tutor Friend
My Tutor Friend 2
No Regret
S Diary
She's on Duty
The King's Man / The King and the Clown
The Legend of Seven Cutter
Virgin Snow (Hatsuyuki no Koi / Chot Nun)
Boku wa Imouto ni Koi wo Suru (I'm in Love with my Little Sister)
Crows Zero
Death Note
Death Note 2
Death Note 3
Hana Yori Dango Final
Koizora
Kurosagi
Moon Child
Nana
Nana 2
Daremo Shiranai (Nobody Knows)
Waterboys
Please Teach me English
Lovely Complex
Shimotsuma Monogatari (Kamikaze Girls)
Densha Otoko
Otoshimono
Ballet Kyoseubso
Marriage is a Crazy Thing
Phone
Conduct Zero / No Manners
Sukitomo
Rinne (Reincarnation)
Tokyo Shonen (Tokyo Boy)
Oh Happy Day

I've actually watched a lot of the movies recently, so I've fallen behind on my dramas (In the middle of watching Oh! My Girl, Bloody Monday, Room of King, Celeb to Binbotaro, Maou, and Binbo Danshi) o.O

Ahhhh... I should focus on schoolwork instead of watch movies, haha~~

So what's up with this asshole?

2008-11-20T20:45:37Z

So I was skimming through my friends page like I do every morning (yeah, even though I never update I read everyone else's updates often) and I came across this in the DAIGO/BREAKERZ community.

That guy makes himself sound like a total douchebag with his condescending tone and obvious complex towards DAIGO, for whatever twisted personal reasons he has. I'm not one of those types of fans who will defend a star to the death, claiming everything he/she does is complete magic, but this was too much. DAIGO's a hard worker, and he's just doing what any other entertainer would. Besides, he's entertaining, like he should be (Don't think so? Have you ever watched him on Tensai! Shimura Dobutsuen?). Why pick on him when the title of your article mentions nothing about entertainers, only politicians?

Anyway, the "letters to the editor" link at the bottom of the page was too tempting. Although 300 words is a little confining, I gave it a shot.

"It is unclear to me as to why Brasor uses the greater portion of his article, supposedly about nepotism in Japanese politics, to attack at the credibility of entertainer DAIGO for doing what entertainers do- use connections. I completely understand his problem with "junior" politicians, but entertainers? DAIGO went through most of his career purposefully hiding his lineage so he could become famous on his own. According to DAIGO himself during an interview on the TV show Shin Domoto Kyodai, when he turned 30 he realized that if he really wanted to be successful he needed help from his grandfather's name to get his foot in the door. I don't understand how something that many entertainers all over the world do caused Brasor to foam at the mouth while writing his article, sacrificing any level of credibility he may have once had with his blatant biases and bitter criticisms. Obviously many Japanese people find DAIGO entertaining, so naturally he appears on TV frequently; Japanese tastes in humor, not a lack of intelligence or personality flaw of DAIGO himself, account for the dramatic nature of his appearances. Also, many Japanese musicians find that they need to use variety humor or outrageous TV personalities to get their names on the public radar; for example, there's the boy band SMAP. They are terrible singers. In fact, they were one of the least popular Johnny's groups when they debuted. However, once they started a variety show their popularity exploded and shot them to legendary fame, despite their lack of actual musical talent. That's just the way Japanese entertainment works, so I see no point in making a huge deal over one singer/songwriter who happens to be the grandson of a former prime minister, especially when claiming to write an article about Japanese politics specifically."

Mehhhh. Stupid people give me headaches.

Oh yeah, I've started a notebook to keep track of all the movies/dramas I've watched, so maybe if I have time these day's I'll start writing mini-reviews or something, especially since Javabeans doesn't cover Japanese dramas or movies.

Ahahahahahaha~!

2008-09-21T15:20:31Z

...I just wanna use my new userpic

:D