Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon

• Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon)
• Episodes: 49
• Broadcast period: 2003-Oct-4 to 2004-Sep-25

Synopsis:
I think most of you already know what this is by look at the opening picture. In any case, this is the Live Action version of Sailor Moon, and it retells the first season of the original anime by adding more interesting subplots to the already-awesome show. Among the changes are that Luna is a talking stuffed animal, the girls actually have normal Japanese (i.e. black) hair when untransformed, and the series includes the presence of Sailor V. Oh, and Minako is a pop star among other crazy, unexpected things. Queen Beryl is still trying to steal Prince Endymion, the Ginzuishou and all that crazy stuff. It’s sparkly, it’s cheesy, and it’s ridiculously hilarious.

Notable Cast: Most of the cast are new to the drama scene.

• Sawai Miyuu as Tsukino Usagi (Sailor Moon)
• Hana Chisaki as Mizuno Ami (Sailor Mercury)
• Kitagawa Keiko (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) as Hino Rei (Sailor Mars)
• Azama Myu as Kino Makoto (Sailor Jupiter)
• Komatsu Ayaka (Bambino!) as Aino Minako (Sailor Venus)
• Shibue Joji as Chiba Mamoru (Tuxedo Mask)

Positive Points:

• Loved the story!
• The costumes are beautifully awesome! And the props.
• The monsters are so cheesy-looking
• The whole thing is cheesy
• LOL USAGI’S MOTHER. What did they do to her? XD
• The Shitennou have a greater role in this, which I love because I love them to death. Yes, their backstory is included. <3
• KAME. KAME. KAME. And Motoki. <3
• So overly ridiculous that it’s really funny.

Negative Points:

• Sailor Luna. KILL IT.
• The acting mostly stinks.
• Minako’s singing. Oh my god my ears.
• Low budget, much? XD You just have to laugh at the monsters of the day. They’re so bad. XD

Opening Song: Sae – Kirari Sailor Dream

By the way, this is one of the few songs on PGSM that isn’t sung terribly. XD It’s a cute bubbly, poppy song .

Insert Song: Komatsu Ayaka – C’est la vie

Haha the pun in the title. Yeah, what did I say about her singing? She has something worse than this, but I forget the exact song. I just remember listening to the OST for the series and laughing at the song (not this one. This one’s vaguely cute).

Drama Spotlight: Summer Snow

• Title: Summer Snow
• Episodes: 11
• Broadcast period: 2000-Jul-07 to 2000-Sep-15

Synopsis:
If one enjoys bittersweet, tear-jerking  dramas, Summer Snow would be one to watch. It features the main character, Shinoda Natsuo, who was “forced to grow up too quickly” because of the death of his parents. Him and his little brother and sister own and live in a bicycle shop. Katase Yuki is a woman who suffers from a sort of heart condition, but tries everyday to do her best. Boy meets girl, boy likes girl, both their lives start to change. Of course there’s always the empending threat that Yuki will collapse!

Notable Cast:

• Domoto Tsuyoshi (Part of KinKi Kids),  as Shinoda Natsuo
• Hirosue Ryoko as Katase Yuki
• Imai Tsubasa as Suetsugu Hiroto
• Ikewaki Chizuru as Shinoda Chika
• Oguri Shun (Hana Kimi, Hana Yori Dango, Gokusen, Stand Up!!) as Shinoda Jun

Positive Points:

• Despite being cliche, the story is still very beautifully told and rather bittersweet throughout
• A nice mix of a bit of comedy, romance and ~drama~
• All the characters are interestingly well developed in the story
• The soundtrack. Seriously, it’s one of my favourites.
• Oguri Shun. One wonders why I’m a fan of him. This is why. Unlike most people, I didn’t find him through HanaKimi or HYD. It was Summer Snow. Oguri Shun plays a deaf person particularly well.

Negative Points:

• Cliche story and ending
• Average to poor acting from some of the cast

Theme/Ending Song: KinKi Kids – Natsu no Osama

How are we not surprised? It’s a KinKi Kids song. While the track is a nice summery-type of song, I can’t help being a bit annoyed at the “Oh Eh! Oh Eh!” parts, especially when they pop up at the end of the drama. Talk about slightly awkward. Oh, and the PV still doesn’t make sense. The rest of the song is okay, but I don’t particularly care for the boys. It’s the accompaniment that I find rather cute.

Opening Song: Sissel – Summer Snow

Sissel isn’t Japanese by any means (she’s Norwegian), but this is probably one of my favourite opening tracks from all of the dramas I’ve seen (which is about only 10-ish XD). It’s a beautiful, calming acoustic song with an excellent vocalist that I should definitely listen to sometime. She has a beautiful, clear soprano voice <3.

Insert Song: Sissel – Seven Angels

I actually might like this track a bit more than “Summer Snow”. Like the previous track, it’s a calming, soft track with beautiful vocals.

Two Most improved vocalists in Jpop

Hehe. Just a short post of something that I’ve been thinking of: the most improved vocalists in Jpop (that I’ve heard). You guys are free to add more that I may have forgotten/haven’t heard. =D

BENI (Arashiro Beni):

Then:

This isn’t her debut single (it was “Harmony”), and most of the videos are hard to find because Avex is well, Avex.
a) no tone
b) no emotion
c) out of tune

Now:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8ppyk_beni-kiss-kiss-kiss-pv_music
a) beautiful tone
b) lots of emotion
c) in tune

melody.
Then:

Debut single. This is actually one of the better songs off her debut album. Still: toneless, no support.

Now (as in whenever she released this XD):

Hear the massive improvement in tone and musicality and support for her higher notes? I still think she delivers “Love Story” better though, so you can check that out if you want, too.

XD I mostly made this post for BENI, since I think her progress is phenomenal, but melody.’s improvement over the years came to me while I was writing this. =P Two other people I can think of are Hamasaki Ayumi (I’m not fond of her music, but her singing has gotten a lot better despite being half-deaf, but she still has trouble), and Namie Amuro (still not a great singer, but an immense improvement over her debut days).

Who else can you think of?

Jpop Survey

For the lulz.

What was the first Japanese song that you ever listened to?

Behold! (Ignore the first 20 seconds or so XD)

Did it inspire you to like that group/singer, or did it turn you away?

I never knew Dali had any other songs. I don’t think she did o.o;.

What is the one song that you have been listening to for the longest time?

“Addicted to You” by Utada Hikaru

What group/singer have you liked the longest?

Utada Hikaru. For the same reason as the song above, obviously. XD

What is the song with the most plays on your iTunes player?

Vienna Teng – Eric’s Song

Is that song your favorite?

One of my favourites from Vienna Teng, yes.

If not, what is?

–

Is there any one group that you can listen to all/most of the songs by? If so, who?

Groups? Kalafina and FictionJunction comes to mind. XD

What is your favorite agency?

Don’t have one XD

What is your favorite group/singer?

Vienna Teng wins hands-down. For everything.
Other singers/groups (Japanese): almost anything by Yuki Kajiura (her early See-Saw stuff is kind of blah), Rie fu, Angela Aki, Utada Hikaru, Chihiro Onitsuka, Mika Nakashima, ayaka, KOKIA, Kanon, Lyrico, JYONGRI etc. Uhh english ones: Fiona Apple, Rachael Yamagata, Mandy Moore (not her first album or half of her second album though. Yuck.), etc. B

B-day Stash

X-posted on my LJ~

Not included in picture:

• Build-a-bear gift card
• CDJapan gift “card”

DISNEY HIT’s Koda Kumi

This is a post I wrote for Fated Light, and I’m just x-posting to here so I keep my articles together XD. No, this release is not real, and if you don’t understand that, please look up the word “satire”.<3

Inspired by her intense love for Disney movies, Koda Kumi has announced that she will be releasing a Disney covers album sometime within the next 10 years. Rumours say that two overzealous fans locked her in a room next to angry 30+ aged women in order to force her to sing in a pink dress and a tiara and with a pumpkin carriage pulled by mice transformed into horses. It worked.

Now, she has officially announced Disney HIT’S, a cover album full of beautiful, exciting Disney covers from old classics to recent hit’s, all of them equal in quality to her previous two Disney covers of “A Whole New World” and “It’s a Small World”. Fan rejoice as the two tracks have also been added to the album’s line-up!

For those not familiar with the two cover songs, “A Whole New World” features Peabo Bryson, the original singer for the pop version found on Aladdin’s ending credits. The song features soulful, emotional vocals from both singers, highlighting their superior ballad-singing skills, and their perfect pitch. “It’s a Small World”, on the other hand, features the rapping duo Heartsdales and takes the original song to a new, edgy, tropical sound that will never fail to make you dance! Heartsdales assures us that “It’s a small world after all, no matter if you’re big or small”. Deep stuff.

Included in the rumoured list of songs covered by Ms. Koda:

• Enchanted’s “True Love’s Kiss” (a duet with Fergie as Prince Edward)
• High School Musical’s “We’re All In This Together” (featuring AAA)
• Mulan’s “I’ll make a man out of you” (with Koda Kumi as all voices)
• Snow White’s “Whistle While You Work” (on helium)
• Sleeping Beauty’s “Once Upon a Dream”
• Mary Poppins’ “A Spoonful of Sugar”
• Winnie the Pooh’s “Rumbly in my Tumbly”
• The Little Mermaid’s “Kiss the Girl” (with a French accent)
• Beauty & The Beast’s Beauty & The Beast”
• Lion King’s “Hakuna Matata” (misono as Timon, Koda Kumi as Pumba, VERBAL as Simba)
• Jungle Book’s “Bare Necessities” (KM-MARKIT as Mowgli, Koda Kumi as Baloo)

Samples:

• A Whole New World feat. Peabo Bryson
• It’s a Small World feat. Heartsdales

So, what Disney hit’s would YOU like Koda Kumi to cover? The Silly Song? Happy Working Song? The Work Song?

Mini Lesson (actually a rant) on Voice Parts

x-posted again! (sorry for clogging your feeds!)

As with any incredibly talented group, there is always going to be a debate as to who is the “better” or the “best” one. While we’re all entitled to our own opinions, if you’re going to go out of your way to insult to prove your point, sit down and shut up. Nobody really cares. For the “Fated Light” post of my 3-way feature of FictionJunction and Kalafina, I’m going to rant about all you haters who basically have no valid point (inspired by random comments floating the net about the topic). If you’re going to defend a point, don’t do it like an idiotic fan with no basis for their arguments. There is no need to full out insult anybody to make your point. Simply state it. It’s art. It’s subject to opinion always.

Back to the FJ/Kalafina topic, it will focus on Wakana for the most part. Being part of both acts, along with her ability to sing well, she often gets noted as the one that “always” sings the melody. First of all, it’s not her fault that her voice happens to be the strongest in the mid-soprano range, which most of the melodies that Kajiura puts out centres around. Meaning, her voice part coincidentally fits the role, so why not give it to her? It’s called four part HARMONY people. Just because the other vocalists get stuck with the harmonies more often, it doesn’t make them less of a vocalist, the same way it doesn’t count to say that Wakana is overrated because she gets the melody. Keiko happens to take majority of the low alto voice parts because she’s just about the only one of the pack that CAN sing that low, especially with that much power. People like Hikaru and Yuriko end up with the higher soprano harmonies because like Keiko, they have that voice type.

This does NOT make any of them less of a singer. Why would it? We don’t all have the same strengths, and neither do they. Therefore no, it doesn’t mean one is more talented than the other just because of the voice part they sing in.

To clarify one more point, Keiko has more of a chance to showcase her full range because she does get the melody at times. It makes it obvious for us to hear her fantastic low to mid-range. As for Wakana, just because she sits at the second soprano range most of the time, doesn’t mean she does not have a range. Quite the opposite actually. She has a range about equivalent to Keiko’s but on the other end of the spectrum. She can enter the high soprano voice part rather beautifully and well-supported. Behold:

Yes, that IS Wakana you’re hearing.

Clearly, these girls are all capable. Some people ought to learn a bit more respect.

- Tsuki

FictionJunction Vocalists Poll

Okay, not all of these singers were featured in FictionJunction projects, but It’s more of a poll which includes all the vocalists that Kajiura Yuki have worked wit h in the past. This is sort of in response to Megu’s earlier post of the H!P Poll. XD

The Top “Single Digits” (because I couldn’t decide on the 10th one)

1. Kubota Keiko
Keiko is right now, my favourite alto. I adore her performance style. She has fantastic stage presence and is a very engaging vocalist to watch. The first solo FictionJunction work I heard from her, “Kaze no machi e”, was what made me fall in love with her voice to begin with. I later found out she had a very strong alto voice from her Kalafina works, and is the one that takes on majority of the lower background vocals for any of Kajiura’s works.

2. Ootaki Wakana
I don’t suppose it is a surprise that two Kalafina girls round off my top two. I adore Wakana almost as much as I adore Keiko. I agree with Megumi when she says that Wakana has the best control of all of Kajiura’s vocalists. Both she and Keiko have incredibly powerful voices, and I just adore how Wakana carries herself. She often gets the melody, but has a gorgeous high soprano voice as well.

3. Oda Kaori
Kaori only recently moved up on my list. She doesn’t have as much control as the more experienced vocalists, but she is still very good considering her age. She also is quite versatile, often switching between a lower vocal part or supporting the higher vocal part. She might get drowned out slightly due to her lighter voice type, but don’t underestimate her. She can carry quite a tune.

4. Nanri Yuuka
At one time, Yuuka dominated the scene with her own solo collaboration with Yuki. I love the timbre of Yuuka`s voice as it is quite unique. She has very folk type of sound to her, and she can sing very well. The only reason why she is not higher on my list is that she unfortunately gets a bad case of nerves when performing.

5. Hikaru
Hikaru really surprised me with how well she sang. Most of Kalafina’s works heavily feature my NO. 1 & 2. Hikaru is no pushover though. She’s has a very strong stage presence as well. She conveys a lot solely from her singing, and like Wakana, she’s a wonderful soprano.

6. Arai Akino
One of the people that worked with Yuki early on, and produced many stunning tunes. Akino has a gentler voice, so she doesn’t get the more dramatic material like we hear with the modern day Kajiura vocalists, but nobody does beautiful and dreamlike the way she does.

7. Ishikawa Chiaki
Before the big FictionJunction boom, we had See-Saw and Chiaki. She’s one of the weaker vocalists on this list, but what I liked the most about See-Saw was the good relationship Chiaki had with Yuki. If you watch them together, they have a more true collaborative feel between the two of them, making “See-Saw” more of a true duo.

8. Kaida Yuriko
Yuriko doesn’t get as much attention as the other FictionJunction girls, but I like her too. She doesn’t necessarily get featured a lot in the group songs, especially because she doesn’t have that big powerful voice like the others, however, she is the strongest first soprano of the bunch, providing the upper harmonies that the rest don’t do as well as she does.

9. Itou Eri
I love Eri’s haunting voice. She again is very strong soprano and you can find her featured in many of the Tsubasa soundtracks. Like Yuuka though, she often has a bad case of nerves as well which hampers her overall performance a bit. When she’s on though, she has a breathtaking voice.

That’s it for now. Check out either Fated Light or Lost Wing for more Yuki Kajiura (and related projects) features.

- Tsuki

Drama Spotlight: Orange Days

• Title: オレンジデイズ (Orange Days)
• Episodes: 11
• Broadcast period: 2004-Apr-11 to 2004-Jun-20

Synopsis:
Set in college, Orange Days is an examination of five particular characters in their final year. Yuuki Kai, the main character, is a student studying social welfare psychology, and meets Hagio Sae, a violinist who had recently lost her hearing. The drama focuses on the group’s (named the “Orange Society”) struggles through life and love during college, and their difficulties of transitioning into the work phrase of their lives.

Notable Cast:

• Tsumabuki Satoshi as Yuuki Kai
• Shibasaki Kou (Battle Royale, Good Luck!!) as Hagio Sae
• Narimiya Hiroki (Gokusen, Stand Up!!, Innocent Love) as Aida Shohei
• Shiraishi Miho (Nodame Cantabile) as Ozawa Akane
• Eita (Last Friends, Nodame Cantabile) as Yashima Keita
• Konishi Manami as Takagi Maho

Positive Points:

• A beautiful, bittersweet story
• The character development and creation — all of the characters have their own individual obstacles in life to go through, and their own well-fleshed out personality
• Shibasaki Kou is fantastic as the never-speaking, very unhappy violinst
• One of the few media to focus on Japanese Sign Language
• Beautiful music to complement the story

Negative Points:

• Cliche ending

Ending Song: Mr. Children – Sign

As much as the lead singer’s voice bothers me, the song is absolutely gorgeous. It’s such a perfect song for this drama with its bittersweet sound, and beautiful piano accompaniment. The song is very soothing, and almost made me check out Mr.Children’s discography (Almost. The size of it scared me away XD).

Insert Song: Orange Range – Shanghai Honey

This song is so irritating, but so catchy. Seriously WTF.

Drama Spotlight: Gokusen — Fight.. OH!

This is a more serious version of whatever I wrote at Fated Light. As serious as this drama can let me be, really… which isn’t really that serious, honestly.

Title: Gokusen (abbreviation of “Gokudo no Sensei”, meaning Gangster Teacher)
Episodes: 12 + Special (Graduation)
Broadcast period: 2002-Apr-01 to 2002-Jul-03

Synopsis:
Yamaguchi Kumiko, or Yankumi (her nickname from her students), and idealistic, passionate teacher takes on her first job as a teacher at Shiroken Gakuen, and becomes the homeroom teacher for the worst class in the school, 3-D. The class is full of rebelious students who do not trust adults, and in turn, try to bully Yankumi to quit her job within the week. Unbeknowst to them, Yankumi is actually the 4th generation heir to a yakuza group, and she must keep this a secret to make sure she does not get fired from school.

Notable Cast:

• Nakama Yukie (TRICK) as Yamaguchi Kumiko:
• Namase Katsuhisa (TRICK) as Sawatari Goro (School Vice Principal)
• Matsumoto Jun (Hana Yori Dango, Kimi wa Petto) as Sawada Shin
• Oguri Shun (Summer Snow, Hana Yori Dango, Hana Kimi) as “Uchi” / Uchiyama Haruhiko
• Waki Tomohiro as “Kuma” / Kumai Teruo
• Narimiya Hiroki (Orange Days, Stand Up!!, Innocent Love) as Noda Takeshi
• Ishigaki Yuma (Hana Kimi) as Minami Yoichi

Positive Points:

• A thoughtful drama with a strong emphasis on comedic elements
• The randomness of this drama. AND THE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS. Namase is a fantastic comedic actor!
• The over-exaggerated scenarios!
• The mobs!
• Focus on living life to the fullest, regardless of one’s academic position in life
• Viewing those who seem to be “poorly raised” not as trash of society, but as thoughtful, good people
• The craziest teacher I’ve ever seen

Negative Points:

• The formulaic structure of the episodes, including a few episodes that do very little in character development
• Yankumi’s extremely long speeches
• The ending song.

Ending Song: V6 – Feel your Breeze

This is possibly one of the most annoying ending songs I’ve ever come across in the few Jdramas that I’ve seen. Engrish is the first thing that you head in the snippet for the episodes, and it’s just really painful. The rest of the song isn’t so bad, but can you really get past the Engrish opening lines? I know I can’t. I try to stop the song one the dialogue in the show stops. The song itself is just RIDICULOUSLY cheesy beyond words. Do not want.