Best Jdorama - Drama Category

I've watched quite a few Japanese television shows over the years and I thought it would be helpful for those just starting to get into it, or for those who are looking for something new, if I gave some recommendations.  I am going to divide these into two categories: Drama & Comedy.  I'll mention if there is any romance included, which there usually is.  I'll go in order greatness.

LIFE- This is by far the best high school drama I've ever seen.  The main focus is on teenage bullying but it also covers a wide range of issues.  There is some positive things about this series, but they do go through quite a lot.  There is a small romance factor, but it is actually pretty minor.

1 Litre of Tears- This is also spectacular.  I even ranked it lower because of how much of a tear jerker it is.  I cried at least once every episode.  It is worse because this is based on a true story.  It is about a teenage girl who has an incurable illness that develops quickly.  There is some romantic drama, but it takes a back seat to her illness.

Jotei-  This is about a young women who seeks revenge on the rich and powerful who treat others like trash.  She seeks to become a number one hostess called an empress in order to have power over those men.  This includes women being catty, political drama, and more.  It took ages for it to become re-available on direct download sites.  There is a strong romantic element.

Majisuka Gakuen- Now don't jump to conclusions here.  I would not have added this if it wasn't good enough.  It is an added bonus if you like the members, but you'll enjoy it even if you don't.  This show is about a delinquent, all-girls, high school who get two transfers, one with a dark past.  What is interesting about this show is the humor that is worked in is more Western-style than Japanese.  Their humor is not over the top unless it is a part of the character, so the humor is very muted in comparison with most Japanese dramas.  If you are confused, lets just say their reactions are more realistic than over the top.  There are some pairings, but nothing too strong in the relationship department.

Liar Game- This drama is about a girl who is very honest, so she is easily duped.  She is sucked into this competition called the Liar Game which ruins her life.  I ranked this so low because after a while it got on my nerves how little she developed.  She is constantly the victim, so I didn't watch the second season.

What? AKB 1ji 59fun The Missing Link!

Well more like missing segment.  The episode: AKB 1ji 59fun #02 (080131).  I downloaded all of this season from Hello!Online's Tracker.  I got to episode two.  I've seen most of it already, but then a part I've never seen before!  It is Sae's turn, oh goody!  Wait!  What the HELL!  Let me set the stage for you:

It is the slider challenge.  Sae messes up and Sayaka has to go through her punishment.  After that it is Sae's turn.

Uh oh... let's see what happened the first time they put up the shiny, blue fabric...

We know this is going to be fun.  Sae+Something behing the Curtain= Spastic Epic Win.  BUT before she even slides it is cut to the performance... nothing.  Does anyone know the explanation?

Momoiro Clover is THE SHIT!

Live on MJ

I thought they were just another high-pitched, cute, fun idol group. I had no idea that they were that powerful. I was taken aback by how much I loved their performance. Their single has been growing on me. I pretty much listened to that song during the whole AP Exam weeks. I already have a favorite...

Momoka Ariyasu

• Name: Ariyasu Momoka (有安杏果)
• Nickname: Momoka, Ariyasu
• Birthday: March 15, 1995
• Birthplace: Saitama, Japan
• Blood Type: A
• Height:147cm
• Weight:32.2kg
• Hobby: Singing in the bathtub
• Special Skill: Dance 

Even though she is born in Saitama prefecture, she can speak the Kansai Dialect due to her parents being a Kansai native. Was a member of the Idol group POWER AGE until their break-up in 2009. Former member of EXILE's Kids Dancers.

AKB48 & Morning Musume on MJ

AKB48

Holy monkeys!  Either their wota dominated the audience or their fan base has expanded!  It is probably both.  I am talking about the fact that the audience is doing the chants you usually only hear at concerts!  I can't even recall a time this happened in all of Morning Musume's history.  Moeno fans should hate Jurina because it looks like she is the sub for Matsui Jurina.  This might mean if Jurina wasn't in this single Moeno would have.

Morning Musume

Guess what? I don't care anymore. I was not going to post this until I found AKB's appearance.

New Morning Musume PV

Morning Musume。- Seishun Collection PV

The single is nice and so is the PV, but that is expected. However it is still not good enough to be a hit. C-ute is getting a bigger production budget than Morning Musume. They wear those horrid outfits for the entire single! C-ute's attire for their latest single was at least cute for both the costumes and the causal.  If they wanted to go simple they should of done something similar to C-ute's Shigatsu Sengen PV.  They only wore one outfit but they also used just one style of background.  I wouldn't mind the green and blue costumes if it was during a concert, but this is a single!  Have some pride!  (Plus JunJun's brown hair makes her less striking, and her costume makes her look fat.)  Why not some sports wear like show them playing soccer or in the stands?  The girls going out and having fun in some regular clothes... it is just so bland.  The song is pretty, but it reminds me of some of their songs on their last album, and those weren't singles.  It is like they are not trying anymore.  I'm just disappointed and I'm starting not to care because I know not to get my hopes up.  I also don't see a new member coming in anytime soon.  There is just no spark.

Another suggestion is the song feels generic. I've heard it already. I shouldn't expect song writers and producers to be able to pull a hit every single time, but that is part of their job. I think mixing up the singers would be nice. It is the same leads and the same back up. Different voices may produce a different sound. Let each girl lead a different song or single. I just want to be surprised once and a while.

AKB48 REPs for Anime Expo 2010

The lovely ladies are: Kuramochi Asuka, Kojima Haruna, Takajo Aki, Takahashi Minami, Maeda Atsuko, Maeda Ami, Miyazawa Sae, Itano Tomomi, Oshima Yuko, Ono Erena, Nito Moeno, Fujie Reina, Minegishi Minami, Kitahara Rie,and Akimoto Sayaka.  I'm very excited, but also disappointed.  I like every single member, and my oshimen is also attending however I CANT!  I am surprised that it has a mix of front and undergirls.  I guess someone has to be in the back.  It looks like it is mostly Team A and Team K again.  Why is it always Team B that has to hold down the fort?  Sucks for any Yukirin and Mayuyu wota.  I wonder if they are going to release another photobook.  I'm not sure because last time there was a grand total of THREE different locations, which is pretty impressive.  I would expect that traveling may become more common considering how freakn' popular they are.  Maybe they'll open their own online store for the states, or importing some singles to American music stores.  I don't think they'll touch iTunes, but the extras are nice so I don't care.  I can only hope that they will send them to either Chicago or Mall of America.  If they came that close I would be there in a heartbeat.  It is horrible living in the middle of the country because no one comes here!  It is either east coast, west coast, or Europe.

I thought it would be cool if they started sending whole teams over.  They could perform their stage mixed with fan favorites and singles.  I personally would love to see Team B's stage live.  I might have to rewatch Team K's because a fellow blogger said it has been growing on them.  I've watched it a couple times already and I still feel lukewarm about it.

Yes the pic seems out of place, BUT it says summer and Acchan is going.  If anyone is going what is the chance you'll get something signed for me?  Pretty please with a cherry on top... I'll just sell my soul for AKB48 to go to Anime Central.

Puzzle 「パズル」 - Hatsune Miku

Itsuka ra ka bokura te o toi te
Shaberu kotoba mo nakushitanda
Tonari o aruku kimi no yokogao o mitsumete
Tada kizuka nai furi o shitanda

Sono hoo ni nagareru namida no imi ga
Mada wakaranai manuke na boku wa
Satte iku kimi no senaka ni
Gomen to dake tsubuyaita

PAZURU no youni tsunagi awase ta mirai
Boku ga nakushi ta no wa doko no PIISU darou

Sabishi sa de yogoshita kokoro
Masshiro na kuuhaku ni ukabete
Munashi sa dake ga nokoru kono heya de
Sotto meguru yo kimi no kioku o

GOMU no youni hikinobasu mainichi
Togire sou na koe de bokura wa waratteita

Kawatte shimatta kokoro no katachi o
Muriyari atehame te miru kedo
Itainda kurushii yo kimi o kizutsukete

Sabishi sa de yogoshi ta kokoro
Masshiro na kuuhaku ni ukabete
Munashi sa dake ga nokoru kono heya de
Sotto meguru yo

Sagasou boku to kimi no katachi o
Tatoe onaji fuukei ni inakutemo
Warai atte yorisotta hibi no
Kakera daite nemuru yo



Singer : Hatsune Miku
Type : Vocaloid
Composer : KuwagataP
Lyric Source : @wiki

Senbatsu First Round Review

01 Maeda Atsuko 6846
02 Oshima Yuko 6317
03 Watanabe Mayu 4072
04 Itano Tomomi 3807
05 Shinoda Mariko 3765
06 Takahashi Minami 3319
07 Kashiwagi Yuki 2985
08 Matsui Rena 2673
09 Miyazawa Sae 2616
10 Kojima Haruna 2506
11 Takajo Aki 2252
12 Ono Erena 1558
-------------------------------------
13 Kasai Tomomi 1422
14 Kitahara Rie 1379
15 Minegeshi Minami 1345
16 Sato Amina 1275
17 Sashihara Rino 1224
18 Matsui Jurina 1199
19 Nakagawa Haruka 977
20 Miyazaka Miho 961
21 Akimoto Sayaka 718
21 Oota Aika 718

Not bad, not bad at all.  The first round reveals that some wota are desperate to keep their favorite on top.  Undergirls Matsui Rena, Sato Amina, Sashihara Rino, Akimoto Sayaka, and Ota Aika are holding up.  However, Lovetan and Sayaka are tied for 21st, so someone is got to give.  The big surprise is the lead for the theater girls, Nakagawa Haruka, made it.  I don't know why the producers put her so low, she has been pretty busy with her sub-group.  I am happy as a clam that Matsui Jurina is ranking so low.

 Highs and Lows of the Top Ten:
- Mariko (03->05)
+ Mayuyu (04->03)
- Takamina (05->06)
- Haruna (06->10)
+ Tomochin (07->04)
- Amina (08->16)
+ Yukirin (09->07)
- Chiyu (10->13)

GETS! The Old & New

Well, a while back I bought Infinity, AKB48's first musical.  It cost quite a bit because I had to pay for not only the DVD, but shipping and the shopping service.  My camera is finally working so I'll post a picture.


I ordered A version of Ponytail no Shushu. I got the email yesterday that they shipped it. Now it states that Air mail will take at least four days to ship, so I calculated that at the soonest it would be here Saturday. Guess what I found when I picked up my mail? The day the single came out it was in my mailbox!


It is just my luck that the picture I got includes Jurina.  The other idol is Aki Takajo.  I guess I'm never too lucky in that department.  Anyway, I got the ballot (not pictured).  I'm going to first announce who won the poll.

Sae Miyazawa: 11 votes
Sayaka Akimoto: 6 votes
Amina Sato and Rena Matsui: 5 votes
Aika Ota: 4 votes

Who shall I vote for...
My lovely Sae. I'm going to help her get what she wants, a higher ranking. Sorry Sayaka fans, she a little too dramatic for my taste anyway. I have not voted yet, so the results that are out do not include my vote.

Team B 5th Stage Review

This is going to be short and sweet, not a song by song, review.  I think I can do just as good of a review by giving my overall opinion.  I was really excited when I first saw this stage on YouTube.  It was taken down not too long after I found it, so I downloaded the stage.  My first thought, after the stage was over, was 'that was so much better than Team K's stage!'  This was the best stage I've seen.  However, the only full stages I've seen are Reset, Team KII's first, and Team S second.  I've seen parts of others, but it is hard to find a full stage to download that has all the members and is not a birthday stage.  There wasn't a song that I hated.  In fact, I was shocked at how good all of it was.  I either really liked or loved all the units including Yuki's ballad.  Just think if I understood what they were singing!  This is definitely worth your time.  Note to the H!P fans who are curious:  The stage is small and the whole set will feel lesser to Hello Project concerts, but it is very good.  For me it is like watching all the Morning Musume songs, that are not singles, that I like at one of their concerts.  Give it a try!

After the jump I'll post some pictures.


And Lastly, while watching this stage for about the third time I had to pause it to answer the telephone. Well, when I glanced back at the computer screen I found a very interesting (fan service) shot. Enjoy you pervs.

New Blog

If you actually follow me you would of heard me talk about translating an idol's blog.  Well I made it.  I'm not out of school yet, but I might do my first translation on senior skip day.  Here it is: Non Piece ~ A Project

Team Shuffle Review

When I first heard about the shuffle I wasn't too familiar with AKB48, which provided me with no perspective.  After watching the latest stage from Team B I thought of why the shuffle was important.  Fans have the knee-jerk reaction to hate any change too dramatic, especially if it means graduations.

The teams were mostly formed by auditions, so each team (generally) had less and less experience, as well as front girls.

Based on the latest single...

Team A
# of front girls before the shuffle: 9
# after: 5

Team K
# before: 4
# after: 6

Team B
before: 2
after: 5

The management had a golden opportunity to finally form the teams however they liked.  One of the changes was rearranging the front, under, and theater girls.  The number of front girls is almost even!  I want to wait to see all the new stages before I share my final verdict, member wise.  I just thought it was an interesting thought.

A Summer Project

I have a couple, unrelated ones, on my list.  I'll spend most of my summer working and getting ready for my freshmen year of college.  One thing I want to do is to improve my Japanese.  I already have bought the textbook and workbook for Japanese I, but I don't know how well I'll do on my own.  Then I thought of something.  Spoken Japanese would be way too hard, so subbing is out.  However, there are so many idols who have blogs and some are just small/ short blurbs.  There is no way I could keep up, like some of the other translators who have better skills, but good project no?

There are three candidates.  I don't want to do anyone that I know is already being translated, which is posted for everyone.  I also want to do someone that I like for encouragement and incentive.  Here they are:

Miyu Yagyu: She is an actress and I am pretty confident that no one else is translating.  I don't hear any news from her so this would be nice.

Nozomi Tsuji: She used to be translated, but they gave up.  I wouldn't be able to keep up with her though.

Amina Sato: She is being translated on Stage48, but I'm not sure if you can read it outside the forum.

Cosmetic Surgery & Idols

They talk about it on forums, there are videos on YouTube, and I've yet to see actual evidence.  The most popular evidence is the 'before and after picture.'  However these rarely are worthwhile proof.  The first is a bad picture combo.  Out of all the celebrities I think Ayu is the most likely to have gotten actual surgery.  The before pictures tend to be from when they are quite young.  The after picture is clearly PHOTOSHOPPED.  How is a teen without make up going to go up against the complete superstar make over.  Professional make up on its own will do wonders.  The next example I found in a forum will piss plenty of you off.

Are these people stupid, or just desperate for examples?  Do any of you actual now believe they got surgery in their early teens, before they are done growing?  Their hair is different, they have better make up, they are older, and they've lost weight.  Just don't believe everything you read.

K-pop Ranking (girls)

Just because I did a rant on how different K-pop and J-pop are does not mean I totally hate them.  My obsession can never be at the same level though (because I don't love the sound of spoken Korean, singing is fine).  The spoken makes it so I can only enjoy their music, no talking segments, dramas, &ct.  This is only girl groups, but I do need to give a shout out to BoA because she is the first Korean artist I liked.

#1- Brown Eyed Girls (BEG): I only have two of their singles on my iPod, less than SNSD, but I love their music the most.  Their performances are great and I love their music videos.

#2- SNSD: There are nine members, so I kind of see them as the Korean interpretation of Morning Musume.  It is only my gut reaction, they are not that similar.  They have the most singles that I like, but I don't know anyone's names.  Although, I already have picked out my favorites.

#3- Kara: The basis that I rank these are based on who released my favorite singles.  I only like their Mr. so far.  I am not very knowledgeable about this genre.

#4- Wonder Girls:  Here is the surprise.  I like their English version of Nobody over their original.  I have yet to hear a Korean song from them that I like.

#5- 4Minute:  I like one segment of one of their singles (Muzik).  It was worse in Japanese.  I told you I'm not that familiar.