JPTV Spring 2009 Season

It’s already that time of year again, when you all whip out your wallets and donate $5 to the cause of Kimi’s Early Christmas.

Okay, okay, I kid. But with April around the corner, it’s already time for a new season of Japanese TV, which also means it’s time for me to name-drop like Armageddon’s here. As always, all summaries from DramaWiki, because I’m a lazy, lazy blogger who can’t be bothered to translate unless absolutely necessary.

Who needs to be saved?

I honestly didn’t think I’d be covering, much less fully reviewing, another KAT-TUN single in this blog so soon. After all, that last post was a long overdue one on a release from 10 months ago, and while I predicted two KAT-TUN dramas coming down through downloaded data streams into the household computers, I have not fully watched either. (I’m only halfway through the first episode of Kami no Shizuku, and RESCUE was primarily for my sister the Massu fanatic.) Despite not watching the drama though, I’ve got to admit – I fell in love with the eponymous theme song the instant the opening notes were wailed at the end of that excessively large and long first episode. (Am I the only one who thinks Nakamaru and/or his backers are trying to hint at something?)

RESCUE was released on March 11th, hot on the tails of KAT-TUN’s first single of the year (and the tie-in to Kami no Shizuku) ONE DROP. I normally don’t mention release dates, but this seems to be a case of “saving the best for last,” since I have had this song on repeat as much as possible, despite my major Johnny’s fandoms not having a whit of the K, A, T(x2), U, or N in them.

Not a trace of doubt in the skies!

For the sake of making bad puns, I was once a non-Believer. When the first previews of this song came out as early as late December, I think, I wouldn’t touch it. Starting from January previews of the PV started flooding the Arashi communities – and I stubbornly scolled past it all.

So now I can only hope that the church of Arashi will let me back into its fold.

いざっ, Now is not the time for excuses

In addition to being a bad AAA fan, I am also apparently a bad Arashi fan.

Because I know I will eventually have to review them for this blog, I have put off listening to the albums I have yet to review, both past and recent. Even though I do listen to the new singles as they come out, I don’t pay nearly as much attention as I should – after I have learned the melody for the A-sides so I can sing them at karaoke when necessary, I am easily satisfied. I have also put off listening to Believe and Kumori nochi, Kaisei – but that’s less of a “bad Arashi fan” and more of a “Kimi hates previews with a passion” thing, even though the full single will have already been leaked by the time this posts. (Hurray for scheduled posting!)

Because I was once ambitious enough to start writing fairly in-depth Episode Guides for Himitsu no Arashi-chan!, G no Arashi, and Arashi no Shukudai-kun, I have put off watching the variety shows until I can translate the related blurb on the official site (or in Himitsu-chan’s case, gather the mental capacity required to translate many spoken informative lines at the same time). Unfortunately, as a side effect, VS Arashi has also been thrown to the wayside, though the translation effort required isn’t nearly as great. Playing catchup on their older shows (such as Mago Mago Arashi) has also temporarily been abandoned.

Because I am afraid of wanting to make another photoshoot post, and because I am afraid of losing yet more money to magazines that I can’t exactly afford at the moment (well, perhaps I could, but I honestly find my snack and gaming budgets more important), I have avoided checking out most of their new magazine appearances since Nino in Cut around the beginning of Ryusei no Kizuna. To be honest, though, I think it might take me another two months to get over that photoshoot.

Because there’s just so many other shows and activities (read: games) taking up my time, I have barely begun the first episode of Ohno’s drama this season, Uta no Onii-san. (Oh, but everything else has been given more than a cursory glance. Curse your addictiveness, TRIANGLE and Mei-chan no Shitsuji!) I shudder to think of how long it will take for me to get around to watching Nino’s tanpatsu, DOOR TO DOOR.

Ruri, who I accidentally (okay, perhaps not) converted to the Arashi fandom and now spends at least 2 hours a week messing with Arashi-related things instead of getting sleep or doing homework, tells me that I am a bad Arashi fan. Ruri is also the one who insists I get around to learning the new Arashi songs, too. And Ruri is now the one who spazzes over Arashi shows to me whereas previously I would insist on her watching various things.

By the way, Ruri also has some very painful ideas of stimuli to get other people to get work done.

So somehow I’ve managed to overcome all of the above and finally bust out a review for いざっ, Now. Okay, I lie, I haven’t really overcome any of it yet – and definitely not the Ruri part, since she could care less about this. But here is an Arashi review for you anyways. The 7 of you who came here only for my Arashi posts can come back now – I like having my readership levels above the “10″ mark.

Tell me something I don’t know

I’ve listened to Japanese music for probably 9/10 years now. They didn’t get the brainwashing in too early, but it’s there all the same.

I’ve actively considered myself a fan of various artists for 6/7 years. It’s a bit of a scary thought.

But there are still some things I can’t wrap my head around.

The Pretty, the Ugly, and the all so Shiny in 5…

It’s a new year already! Oh, wow, it’s a new year already.

2008 was filled with lots and lots of Johnny’s loving (even the half of the year I disappeared for), so what better way to kick off 2009? Oh, and Arashi was hosting this year’s Countdown too. I know you probably aren’t here to read this opening blurb (if the comments from my post on last year’s Countdown are any indication), so let’s get straight to it.

The Promotional Parade [July 2008]

Well, it’s been over a full year since I last did one of these. And why yes, this is oooooooooold. Half a year old. But I started this before my school term started again, before my Internet crashed, and before I lost my faithful laptop of 6-7 years. I have it, I poured hours into it, and so this is getting stuck up here anyways. Give it a look through anyways – if you have my taste in music you may find something new. Or you may just have fun when I poke fun too.

Because we know at some point it had to stop.

Raid wanted a mention on this blog, more than just being a participant in an IM conversation, so we’ll give it to him. (He also wanted something he could bounce off for his own posts, but you can’t have your cake and eat too.) Here’s a glass to your “SHOCK GASP HORROR” or perhaps just a “WTF” reaction whenever you see this post. (Hurray for finally being 21 and being able to make alcoholic references!) It’s no secret that he’s none too fond of KAT-TUN, and other than a certain fondness for a currently unfortunately-goatee’d man, that’s one of the few tastes in Japanese Pop we’ve constantly shared. Even now, despite being won over by pretty much every other current Johnny’s, KAT-TUN and I have plenty of kinks to work out.

But I figured I’d steal three pretty boys with one van (kill three birds with one stone, snare three fishes with one net, attack three subjects in one post… whatever floats your boat) What are these topics? A ramble on my odd preferences in releases from artist groups, why I dislike them, and to tie it all in… a review of KAT-TUN’s single DON’T U EVER STOP. Yes, I know it’s been months since the release of this single and their third album has long been released already. Don’t get me started on the name of that one.

JPTV Winter 2009 Season

Amazingly, it has been a year since I last posted one of these. And of course, once again, it comes after the start of the season. That’s not to say I haven’t been keeping up with dramas from the rest of 2008, just that for one reason or another I didn’t post anything about it here. Of course, I’m certain you haven’t missed these either, since unlike most other posts on the subject, this only covers about-to-air dramas that personally interest me.

You may notice that only dramas are mentioned this time around – that’s because I haven’t seen a single anime series that interests me this season. Historical Fantasy, Sports, Harem, the requisite action that doesn’t have enough of a kick to appeal, and bringing back the yuri. Okay, I lie, there is one – Maria†Holic – but that has the enormous potential to go wrong, since I didn’t read the manga it was based on and as a medium, anime likes slapstick far more than drama, and slapstick is beginning to get worn out on me.

Either way, long blurb of text, coming your way! As always, all summaries from DramaWiki.

“愛するより飛ぶ”? Not here, at least.

I want to say that I am still, 100%, an Arashi fan.

I think, in all likelihood, I probably am.

It still doesn’t mean One Love is going to get it easy from me.