Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Turning Japanese: International pop wars
From Guardian UK
Turning Japanese: International pop wars
Thanks to the tension between the two countries, Japanese and Korean pop has developed in isolation. But all that is changing
J-poppers! Turning Japanese is sorry for having treated you for so long as little more than young, dumb starlets who squeal soppy, high-pitched sentiments over painfully crass Casio demo track ditties, designed solely to suck money from the pockets of teens too young to know any better. Little did we know that you pretty, pretty folks (and you really are all so very, very pretty) are at the frontline of a flourishing cultural exchange with your Korean K-pop counterparts.
Not that it's always been this way. Korean-Japanese relations have remained frayed since the second world war, as Japan has never officially apologised for its colonisation of the Korean peninsula between 1909 and 1945. As a form of cultural revitalisation after its liberation, Korea banned all cultural imports from Japan, and for decades the two countries' pop markets developed largely in isolation from one another, which created the roaring black market pop trade of illegal CD-Rs. (This is not, however, the only instance of people committing crimes for J-pop).
But in October 2004 the Korean government lifted the ban on Japanese cultural imports, and in the five years since, pop exchanges have flourished. When Japanese pop group Arashi turn up in Seoul for a press conference these days, 2,000 screaming fans are waiting for them at the airport. They can easily sell out week-long stints in arena-sized venues in Seoul, despite not speaking a word of Korean.
Even though Japanese labels don't tend to promote their bands as strongly in Korea, artists such as Gackt, Hyde, Namie Amuro, Hikaru Utada and Ayumi Hamasaki have developed considerable Korean followings simply from internet buzz. And the favour has been returned; Korean pop princess BoA took the Japanese pop charts by storm and is always popping up in Tokyo – her most recent appearance being at the MTV awards. The singer has enjoyed a success in Japan she failed to emulate when she had a pop at America. Meanwhile, Korean boyband shapeshifters TVXQ are effectively two bands … going by the moniker TVXQ in Korea and Tohoshinki in Japan, for whom they record special versions of their songs in Japanese.
Of course, back and forth through all of this, it's important to remember that by and large the music in question is absolutely dreadful. But if it's improving cultural relations and making the world a more peaceful, understanding place … who am I to begrudge that?
Source: Guardian UK
Well well! I won't comment on the dreadful music part - I think that Asian singers can compete with everyone else but noooo they don't speak English.-_-" [Then again, we are talking about DBSK... Hmm..xP] But anyway, Omg! The UK knows about Gackt! And Hyde! And Utada Hikaru! Their music scene will be saved. I am sure of it!
Then again, most english-singing bands I like are from the UK, like Oasis and Coldplay.
What does that say about everyone else in the world? [Their internet buzz obviously needs more work...]
Now for word about the rest of Asia.^_^ With Japan leading the pack of course.=P
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : CAN YOU CELEBRATE 安室奈美恵 + 真夏の果実 サザンオールスターズ]
[mood : it is cold.-_-"]
[food : bulgogi!]Labels: Coldplay, Gackt, Hyde, Japan, Oasis, Utada Hikaru
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Super Long Jrock Meme
Hi!I don't have much time to post anything so here is a post I prepared from before:A Super Long Jrock Meme from pixiezdust______General______001) How did you discover JRock? Introduced to it by my JC friends
002) When did you discover JRock? January 2006 or earlier when my brother played Gackt on his computer003) So how long have you been a fan then? From then, till now! ^_^004) Are you a fan of Visual Kei? Yes. I LOVE their costumes and everything!!! xD But I can’t say I like the heavy rock ones.
005) Are you a fan of JPop? Yes. It’s called POP for a reason.=)
006) Are you a fan of fanservice? Umm.. I’d rather listen to the music/watch the performance, but fanservice does make me squeal.=)______Firsts______007) First solo artist you heard? Gackt or Miyavi008) First band/group you heard? Dir en Grey I think. Or was it X Japan?
009) First JRock crush? Gackt!!!!! =D =D =D
010) First JRocker to scare you? Um. The guy from Nightmare [Naitomea] with tons of piercings and scary red eyes as well as Ruki from The GazettE with scary contact lenses. They’re both cool now though.011) First JRocker you mistook for a woman? I’ve never mistaken any of them for a woman.. so far.
012) First yaoi pairing you saw? Gackt and Hyde013) First yaoi pairing you became a fan of? I’m not a fan of yaoi.014) First Asian Kung-Fu Generation song? Re-write015) First B'z song? Negai016) First baroque song? Caramel Drops017) First BLOOD song? --018) First Buck-Tick song? --019) First Deadman song? --020) First D'espairsRay song? --021) First Dir en grey song? The Final or Cage or Akuro no Oka022) First Due'le Quartz song? Merry023) First Duel Jewel song? --024) First Gackt song? Secret Garden or Kimi no tameni dekiru koto025) First Gazette song? Maggots. And I HATED it.026) First GLAY song? Tracks from the One Love album.027) First hide song? --028) First Hyde song? Evergreen and Shallow Sleep029) First Iceman song? --030) First J song? --031) First Janne da Arc song? Labyrinth032) First Kagerou song? Tonarimachi no kanojyo033) First Kagrra song? Chikai no Tsuki or omou~san remix~034) First L'Arc~en~Ciel song? Spirit Dreams Inside or Fourth Avenue Cafe
035) First La'Cryma Christi song? They scare me..036) First Lareine song? --037) First Luna Sea song? Gravity or I For You038) First Malice Mizer song? Illuminati *thanks Wendy*039) First Merry song? --040) First Miyavi song? Ashita tenki ni naare or Dear from xxx or something noisy. I can’t remember!041) First Moi dix Mois song? Shadows Temple-X042) First MUCC song? Chain Ring [Zombie Loan!!!]043) First Nightmare song? The World or Alumina [Thanks to Deathnote.=D]044) First PENICILLIN song? --045) First Pierrot song? Cocoon046) First Plastic Tree song? --047) First Psycho le Cemu song? --048) First Raphael song? --049) First SADS song? --050) First Schwarz Stein song? Perfect Garden
051) First SHAZNA song? --052) First Shiina Ringo song? --053) First Siam Shade song? 1/3 Junjou no kanjou [Rurouni Kenshin!!!]054) First Sugizo song? --055) First Tetsu69 song? The PV that Wendy gave me but I can’t remember what it’s called056) First TRANSTIC NERVE song? --057) First X Japan song? Crucify my Love or Art of Life______Favorites______058) Favorite band? alice nine.!!!059) Favorite band musically? alice nine.060) Favorite band physically (eye-candy)? alice nine.061) Favorite Indies band? Rentrer en Soi062) Favorite JRocker? Gackt063) Favorite vocalist? Gackt.064) Favorite guitarist? Sugizo is really good in Luna Sea but I don’t have a favourite.=P Uruha from The GazettE is goodlooking?065) Favorite bassist? SAGA!!!! From alice nine.Where's Qn66??067) Favorite pianist/keyboardist? Gackt! And YOSHIKI. Definitely.068) Favorite song? Emu~for my dear~ by Gackt069) Favorite PV? Seki-ray~sekirei~ by Gackt070) Favorite Live? Gackt and alice nine. Lives!071) Favorite clip (behind the scenes, candid, etc)? Gackt acting retarded and alice nine. acting as themselves.072) Favorite Gackt commercial? Takano Yuri wedding one and his e-ma candy ones!073) Favorite couple? --______This Or That?______ 074) Skirt or pants? Eh? I don’t understand the question. But I think guys generally all look good in pants.075) Mana or Izam? Mana! I don’t know who Izam is.076) Kyo or Tatsurou? --077) Gackt or Miyavi? Gackt.078) Taiji or Heath? --079) J or Sugizo? --080) Yoshiki: Long hair or short? Short. And properly styled.081) Ken: Facial hair or none? --082) Aya: Boy or girl? Boy. Right?083) Kirito: Gay or straight? --084) Daisuke: Make-up or none? --085) hide: Dead or alive? Urh. He’s currently not alive but he was a good guitarist when he was alive.086) Gackt x Hyde or Hyde x Gackt? I don’t like pairings!!! But I’d like to see them perform Orenji no Taiyou together live… *_*!______Which JRocker Is Most...______087) Adorable? Nao from alice nine.!088) Annoying? Miyavi for acting childish too much of the time.089) Attractive? Gackt!090) Bishi? Saga from alice nine.!091) Childish? Miyavi092) Cute? Nao! [Isn’t adorable cute?]093) Disturbing? Um. None really. =S094) Dorky? Gackt! And Shou from alice nine.!095) Edible? --096) Feminine? Um. Asagi from D is a good bet, and so is Mana from Moi dix Mois!097) Frightening? Um um. The scary pierced Nightmare guy. He has cool eye makeup though! =D098) Gay? – No idea!099) Masculine? Gackt. And Shou.100) Otaku? All the alice nine. boys101) Reserved? Mana. He doesn’t even talk.102) Sex-able? I will refrain from answering this question.103) Talented? Gackt. And Yoshiki!104) Zealous? Gackt. Have you seen him studying?! O___o He puts us all to shame!______First JRocker That Comes To Mind______105) Abs: Gackt has a nice body.xD106) Alcohol: Gackt and Hyde!107) Alien: -- What?!108) Ass: O__o Um. I guess I’d go with Gackt. Because I’m a fan. COUGHS.109) Bondage: Mana! And Miyavi! xD110) Chicken: Miyavi. Isn’t it his favourite food or something?111) Dictator: MANA. And Yoshiki.112) Engrish: Shou! *dies* And Gackt’s Vanilla!113) Food: Gackt and Yoshiki thanks to the Hey! Hey! Hey! show114) Goth: Mana! And like, D.115) Hentai: -___-116) Hump: O___o117) Kimono: Gackt in his Arena 37C photoshoot and Asagi from D in the sakura video [I can’t remember the actual name]!118) Kinky: COUGHS.119) Leather: Malice Mizer and D120) Moon: I assume you mean the planetary object? Gackt and Hyde! [Moonchild!]121) Piercing: Miyavi and that guy from Nightmare122) Platforms: Malice Mizer. Old school Visual Kei!123) Sex: Um.124) Smoking: Gackt. *hangs head in shame* But he’s already quit! *brightens up*125) Vanilla: Gackt! Obviously.126) Visual: Visual Kei! =D Malice Mizer.. X Japan.. D.. Rentrer en Soi?______Place A JRocker______127) America: Yoshiki128) China: Gackt129) France: Gackt and Mana130) Hawaii: Urhhh Ito Yuna came to mind. But she’s not a Jrocker! So… alice nine.!131) Hospital: =S132) Japan: Gackt! And alice nine.! And Rentrer en Soi! And Kagrra,! And .. *carries on squealing*!~133) Los Angeles: Yoshiki [doesn’t he live there?!]134) Mars: Gackt!135) McDonald's: Miyavi. For some inexplicable reason.136) Merry-go-Round: Nao and Saga from alice nine.!137) Movie Theater: Shou. Haha. No particular reason again.138) Okinawa: Gackt’s hometown!!! =D139) Pet Store: Miyavi!140) Pharmacy: -- No idea141) Supermarket: Gackt, thanks to his uber cute supermarket photoshoot.=)142) Sushi Bar: Gackt again! And Nao from alice nine.!143) The North Pole: I want to go there…*_*______Who's Most Likely...______144) To get the stuffing beat out of them? Hiroto from alice nine.145) To get kidnapped? Saga from alice nine.!
146) To have kids? Hyde. Doesn’t he already have kids?147) To eat kids? Urh.148) An actual woman? Mana is a good guess. Mwahaha. He has gorgeous legs.149) An evil spy? Urh.150) A government agent? --151) An alien? -----152) American? Ito Yuna came to mind again. WHY?!153) To rule Japan? Yoshiki. He’s such a dominating character.154) To rule the world? Yoshiki again!155) To go bald? --156) To get braces? --157) To go into retirement first? --______What Would You Do If...______158) Gackt quit writing music? That isn’t possible. *nods confidently*159) Toshiya got braces? --160) Yoshiki went bald? O___o Tell Jiamin immediately.161) Klaha bleached his hair? Die laughing at him.162) Mana became Japan's next Prime Minister? Watch to see how he communicates with people. Flashcards or sign language?163) hide appeared in your room? Squeak and run away.164) Koshi stopped singing? --165) Jiro sat on you? --166) Miyavi bit you? Whack him.167) Yasu spanked you? --168) Hyde glomped you? Squeal! And take a photo.169) Sugizo mooned you? Ew.170) Yukke poked you? Who?171) Sakura offered you a joint? – I don’t smoke.172) Izumi could kick Jet Li's ass? Kagrra, guy?173) They made a Psycho le Cemu anime? Too ridiculous to contemplate174) Akira [baroque] became your new classmate/co-worker? Get an autograph175) Kozi poked you in the eye? Poke him back. Twice.176) Hakuei gave you a lapdance? Ew.177) Kirito was your roommate? Who?178) seek wanted to take a stroll through your neighborhood? --179) Levin started speaking Spanish? --180) Hisashi decided to wear a mohawk? --181) Kyo did parapara? --182) Chachamaru cut his hair? Stare in horror.183) Toshi left his cult? --184) Sakito assassinated the Emperor of Japan? Watch with interest185) Ryou popped out of your closet? --186) Takuro picked his nose during an interview? --______Songs______ 187) First JRock song you ever heard? Secret Garden or Kimi no tameni dekiru koto by Gackt if he’s considered Jrock. If not, Crucify my Love by X Japan.188) Song that best captures JRock? The Final by Dir en Grey is a possibility. But I’m not too sure.189) Song best performed live? Gackt songs, Tears by X Japan, Endless Rain by X Japan [!!!], alice nine. songs190) Song that turns you on? None.191) Sappiest? saikai~story~ by Gackt which is a LOVELY song I might add192) Happiest? U+K by Gackt [ngyah!] and Shunkashuutou by alice nine.193) Saddest? Endless Rain by X Japan, Le Ciel by Malice Mizer, emu~for my dear~ by Gackt, mugen no hana by alice nine.194) Best for head-banging? Filth in the beauty by The GazettE195) Best for dancing? Papa lapped a pap lopped by Gackt196) Best for driving? Gackt’s Crescent album and HYDE's ROENTGEN album.197) Best for summer? Natsu Oto by GLAY and Missing by Gackt198) Best for winter? Binetsu shita de shajitsu shita shinsou ha atesaki fumei no tegami to naru and Anima Mundi by Rentrer en Soi and seki-ray~sekirei~ by Gackt199) Best for Halloween? – No idea.200) Best for Christmas? 12gatsu no Love Song by Gackt201) Best party song? White Prayer by alice nine. and Mizerable by Gackt202) Makes you hungry? None203) Makes you sleepy? Le Ciel by Malice Mizer is a sure relaxer and Shallow Sleep by HYDE204) Makes you angry? None205) Makes you hyper? JEWELS by alice nine. and ANOTHER WORLD by Gackt206) Makes you think of snow? Binetsu shita de shajitsu shita shinsou ha atesaki fumei no tegami to naru by Rentrer en Soi207) Makes you think of flowers? JEWELS by alice nine.208) Makes you think of vampires? Shadows Temple-X by Moi dix Mois209) Makes you think of the moon? Birdcage by Gackt210) Makes you think of water? Rain by Gackt211) Makes you think of rain? Rain by Gackt again!Another one: Makes you think of love? Love Letter by Gackt212) Song you'd like played at your wedding? No idea at the moment.213) Song you'd like played at your funeral? No idea too.214) Song that would go best in a movie? Um um. Secret Letter by HYDE, Last Song (Piano version) by Gackt215) Song that would go best in an anime? WHITE PRAYER by alice nine.
216) Song that would go best in a video game? Lust for blood by Gackt
217) Best intro? JEWELS by alice nine.,Mizerable by Gackt, SEASON’S CALL by HYDE218) Best ending? FANTASY by alice nine., saikai~story~ by Gackt, Crucify my Love by X Japan219) Best guitar solo? Merry by Due le Quartz and Cage or The Final by Dir en Grey [unless that’s a bass solo. In which case I apologise for my ignorance.X__x]220) Best bass line? Cage or The Final by Dir en Grey [is it the bass? Or guitar? O__o]221) Best acoustic guitar work? Miyavi!!! Dear from xxx222) Best piano work? Hoshi no suna by Gackt, Without you (classical version) by YOSHIKI223) Best drum work? X Japan songs!!! =D224) Best vocals? Gackt songs, HYDE songs225) Best written? Squeaks. I dare not judge!Gosh. That was long.X____x Alright.. Time to study!cheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : 1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou SIAM SHADE][mood : --][food : CHESSMEN!]fel: Or maybe you should come visit! ^_^ It's the end of apple season though. Very sad.(T_T)Jiamin: I am GROWING OUT MY HAIR. Or maybe that has escaped your attention?kee: Yes! The air is really clean.=D Must be all those farms doing the hard work! Haha.Labels: alice nine, D band, Gackt, Hyde, jrock, Kagrra, misc, miyavi, Rentrer en Soi, X Japan, Yoshiki
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Midweek Men: Week 3
Hello!
Time for another edition of Midweek Men. Shall we review our past guys?
Week 1: Hyun Bin (Snow Queen), Daniel Henney (My Name is Kim Sam Soon), Miyavi and Mr Rabbit
Week 2: Lelouch (Code Geass), Tom Schilling (NAPOLA), Saga (alice nine.) and Mr Rabbit
Who will we have this week?
First up..
Tachibana Keita! =D Gosh I love this image of him.^_^ [And no. I will NOT feature his new shaggy dog-like hair.-_-"]
Keita is the lead singer in the boy-band, w-inds., and his fellow members are Ryuichi and Ryohei. They have 7 albums under their belt and countless singles like most J-pop groups. w-inds. has also had 5 tours to date and Keita is now concurrently pursuing a solo career. He has already released a solo album entitled "声" (Koe, or voice in Japanese) and has 2 singles.
And...
Nobu! xD Terashima Nobuo. =D Oh Nobu. You're such a nice guy.^_^
Nobu is a character in the manga/anime/live action movie NANA, created by Yazawa Ai. He is a member of BLACK STONES, fronted by Oosaki Nana, and he plays the guitar while Shin plays the bass and Yasu the drums. He's also Nana's best friend, always there for her and (up to episode 39 of the anime at least) is in love with Hachi (otherwise known as Komatsu Nana). He's the son of a rich ryokan-owning family but has defected and gone to Tokyo with his band to pursue their dream of going major.^_^
Of course, we cannot forget..
Mr Bunny! =D Oh how adorable you are in all your variations!
And finally. ^_^
hyde!!! xD OH HYDE YOU ARE TOO GOODLOOKING. I absolutely adore this picture of him during his FAITH tour.=D =D =D
hyde is the lead singer of L'Arc~en~Ciel and also has a successful solo career as HYDE. He's married [I think] and has a kid but keeps all that private stuff under wraps of course. He has released 6 albums in total though some are overseas editions as a solo artist, starting off with roentgen and his latest offering, FAITH. He completed his solo US Tour last year and has just released a new single with Laruku called "SEVENTH HEAVEN" [PV only, the single releases 30 May] and will soon release their 31st single, "MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM".
^_^ And thus! Another Midweek Men episode is born.=) I hope to keep updating it and hope I won't forget about it.=P
In other news!
Gackt's new single cover is amazing!!! =D Above is the regular edition cover for his new single, RETURNER～闇の終焉～. ^_^ I am looking forward to it!!! =D It'll be released 20 June.=D
And coupled with alice nine.'s new single release for WHITE PRAYER...
*squee!* 6 June!!! =D =D =D They aren't major so I don't know whether alice nine. will be everywhere but... one can hope! Beams.
I've been reviewing anime episodes and such. I want to watch these:
- Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu or The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
- Rozen Maiden [ancient but looks good]
- Sumomo mo Momo mo
They are all ancient... and probably licensed. Doesn't that mean I have to wait for the VCD to come out here?! Something which will probably never happen. HMM.
Okay. My nose has been dripping ALL DAY. -_-" And I cannot stop sniffling. Something that annoys me and probably everyone around me but they are too polite to say anything. Oh kind souls! I must recover by this weekend!!! [Before I kill all the trees on this planet, and contribute to global warming even more.] -_____-"
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : FANTASY alice nine.]
[mood : annoyed at sniffly nose]
[food : --]
zeelei: Darling! Yoshiki's myspace has been there forever! And yes. I read his angsty blog entries too.=X Most of the artists who are moving into America [like Dir en grey for example] have myspace! So mainstream but nevermind. *is accepting*Labels: alice nine, anime, Gackt, Hyde, midweek men, NANA, Tachibana Keita, w-inds
Friday, May 18, 2007
Red Garden
Hello
I just finished the whole series of Red Garden, the anime that finished airing in March on TV Asahi. It was created by GONZO studios and featured songs by Jill-Decoy Association [Jolly Jolly, the opening song] and LM. C [Rock The LM. C and OH MY JULIET., the 2 ending songs].
The only pretty thing about this series is the beautiful starting sequence and the "middle pause" section [where they are supposed to insert a commercial break]. In fact, that, and the storyline, were what attracted me to the series in the first place. Other than that, I'm really not a fan of the drawings. My friend described it as "very old school/80s" and well. Let's just say it's not the prettiest anime around.
I'm also puzzled as to whether I liked it or not.
Overall, there was certainly a gripping storyline that was marred a little by too much angst. But then again, one when is dealing with 4 teenage girls, one DOES expect angst right?
Allow me to quote Wikipedia on the plot:
Kate, Rachel, Rose, and Claire are all students at a private institution set on Roosevelt Island, New York City. Waking up one morning, all feel uneasy and restless as they deem strange that none of them can recall anything about the previous night. Their anxiety escalates when the school announces that Lise, another classmate of theirs, was found dead.
They are then embroiled in a deep dark secret that will change their futures and affect their lives [hence the angst].
Plot was gripping at first but because they also focused a lot on how their experiences affected the girls in normal life, I got a little bored. There are only so many ways to show them angsting around and sobbing their hearts out. The writers also inserted subplots about the girls' backgrounds which proved interesting in some cases and utterly sleep-inducing in others. [One of the girls has absolutely ZERO plot value. Seriously.-_-"]
At first, they had a lot of shocking moments and alluring cliffhangers that just made you want to watch on and on [even though I really was appalled by the drawings. O.o I think I am a strictly CLAMP and shoujo girl. Haha.], they later focused more on the plot development as well as long and drawn-out character development bits.
Interestingly, they had musical-ish sequences during the first half of the series where the girls suddenly broke out into song [and luckily not dance]. O.o It wasn't unpleasant I guess but it was certainly weird. They later abandoned this completely so I'm not sure what exactly it was for. Filling up time perhaps?
This series has apparently broken new ground in the anime world by the use of various techniques that have never been utilised in anime before. For example, the voices/sounds were recorded BEFORE the animation and the characters' speech was then synced with the soundtrack. This made the sync-ing much smoother actually.=) They had a lot of US TV-ish filming techniques as well. I'm pretty sure the breaking-out-into-song bit was inspired by the US also.
Character development wise... The lead characters were well-developed. Seriously. They spent 3/4 of the time on it.-_-" This made me a little grouchy because I'm not THAT interested in the angsty lives of rich teenagers. However, it was quite dramatic at times which was rather interesting.
They had great action sequences though, considering that sometimes the animation was quite stilted [funny walking movements for example]. Mostly though, the animation was pretty realistic.=) Yay! Anime is getting better animation wise on the whole thanks to new technology.^_^
Overall, I still say that the plot was interesting though whether I'd rewatch this is doubtful. They only tie-in the title right at the end of the series so watch out for that.=) There are a few unresolved issues if I'm not wrong such as how the girls got together in the first place. But they did develop the rest of the little details so it wasn't altogether terrible.
Still. I'm puzzled as to whether I liked it. Let's see.
The Good
1) Gripping storyline
2) Nice action sequences [the girls get to fight!]
3) The occasional surprise
4) Development of angsty characters was well-done
5) I liked the opening song and the 2nd ending song
The Not-So-Good
1) I really do not like the drawings
2) Unresolved/unexplained issues
3) Occasional slow bits
4) ANGST
5) Too much crying
While this series is complete, there will be an OVA in August called "Dead Girls". Sounds... intriguing?
On a side note, I DESPERATELY NEED A WAY TO SCREENCAP. Windows Media Player doesn't let one screencap DARN THING.-_-" I couldn't get the shot I LOVED! So I've had to find all sorts of ways to get images.-____-" *is annoyed*
And I also finally got down to watching the new L'Arc~En~Ciel PV "Seventh Heaven". Ahh. Hyde. *gestures above* You look great! *beams* The song is almost pop-sy though. What is up with that? And the psychedelic colours in the video.O.o Still, it's not horrendously bad and I like how all the members go for a matching colour scheme! ^_^ And Hyde looks good.=) Yay.
But Hyde really shouldn't attempt to dance.^_^"
Ahh. I cannot wait for more Darker Than Black as well as Kekkaishi to come out! Oh. And NANA. Which is ending soon! *sobs* [I mean, yes, it has technically ended its run in Japan but hello fan-subbers. Hurry!!!] Speaking of which, I will also be starting on Dennou Coil, a new anime series that is supposed to be very good.^_^
Randomly, it's been a busy week. Now I see how my friends at work find watching TV a relaxingly mindless activity.^_^ I'm kind of sad that this will end in less than 2 weeks though.
Hooray for anime! Now to find a screen-capping device.-_-"
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : Jolly Jolly Jill-Decoy Association (Red Garden OST)]
[mood : tired]
[food : Beard Papa cream puffs + Pineapple Tarts!]
Joyce: You've also got Snow Queen by the way. *raises eyebrows* Which we need to finish soon. *pointed look* And Darker Than Black is really interesting so far! =D
Wendaye: Ahaha. You keep volunteering to be my guinea pig. But do we ever see you? HMM. *ponders* Squee! I think Roy Mustang is a hilarious character. Ahaha.=D And I haven't watched Animax in a REALLY long time. But I really doubt that they are showing Darker Than Black because it would first have to be subbed in Chinese and dubbed in English and it is still showing in Japan I think.=S And squee again! =D I love those bunnies. Beams. I have nyunyu already thankyou.=D SO ADORABLE OMG. Haha.
Jiamin: I don't like Kim Jeong/John Hoon! -_-" I really don't see how he's better than Hyun Bin or all those other Korean actors. And no Darker Than Black isn't eerie. Just VERY VERY VERY addictive. The eerie one is *points above* Red Garden. Trust me. I didn't think he was cute at first either but he grows on you! =D Then again, our tastes are quite different. For example, I don't like any of your favourite guys from all those shoujo manga with funny names. I don't know if I should waste anymore time/money on Canele.-_-" I still swear by their Le Royale though. Haha. Beams.
pixiezdust: Yar! I was wondering if they aired it in Singapore. Apparently not. O.oLabels: anime, Darker than Black, Dennou Coil, Hyde, Kekkaishi, L'Arc~En~Ciel, misc, NANA, Red Garden
Saturday, February 24, 2007
HELLO,DEAR NUMBERS + 下弦の月 + Wacha
Hello
So today Jiamin and I had a watching TV spree! ^_^ Hooray!
First we watched the 2006 alice nine. tour: HELLO,DEAR NUMBERS. GOSH it's good.=D I was quite surprised that such a young indies band could come up with such an enjoyable performance but deliver they did! =D They had great energy throughout the entire concert and delivered pretty solid performances [except for the occasional mishap].
アリス九號. / HELLO, DEAR NUMBERS
1. ヴェルヴェット (Velvet)
2. Q.（クエスチョン） (Question)
3. RED CARPET GOING ON
4. H.A.N.A.B.I.
5. 檸檬 (Lemon)
6. 無限の花 (Mugen no Hana)
7. FANTASY
Drum Solo
8. ハイカラなる輪舞曲 (High Collar Naru Rondo)
9. DEAD SCHOOL SCREAMING
10. NUMBER SIX.
11. 平成十七年七月七日 (Heisei Juunananen Shichigatsu Nanoka)
ENCORE
12. 九龍-NINE HEADS RODEO SHOW- (Kowloon-NINE HEADS RODEO SHOW-)
13. ブループラネット (Blue Planet)
14. 春夏秋冬 (Shunkashuutou)
Particular favourites are italicized.
They had a great setlist where songs blended well into the next.^_^ The energetic and almost boppy songs were most enjoyable altogether and the beaming band members gave life to the concert too. The audience participation was wonderful with Shou [the lead vocalist] leading the audience along happily.
There wasn't much fanservice but instead quite strongly playing/mastery of the instruments. While they did the young-energetic-people thing by running around stage madly, I felt that their performances were impressive.=) Nao and Saga were SO CUTE and looked fantastic performing! It always helps when there is eye candy! =D
Looks like alice nine. is turning into quite a good band to follow.=D It's also 1 band that Jiamin and I both agree is good! I'm looking forward to the release of their next concert: "WHITE PERIOD -The colors becomes to be white-". [Ignore the terrible phrasing.*roll eyes*]
After that, we went for lunch at Greenwood Fish Market! =D Their fish & chips are really quite good.=D I've told my mom that we should try the lobster next!
Once we returned from lunch, we settled in to watch 下弦の月 - Last Quarter. [Kagen no Tsuki] It stars HYDE [as Adam, the random guitar playing dude], Chiaki Kuriyama [as Mizuki/Sayaka/Eve, the creepy lead female character] and Hiroki Narimiya [as Tomoki, the wail-ful boyfriend of creepy lead female character].
The story is a little complicated and has little focus on HYDE who is the random in the movie. [He actually has a rather pivotal role is kickstarting the whole chain of events but then disappears from the film altogether so Jiamin and I suspect that he's too expensive to hire.=P] It connects 2 individuals, Sayaka and Mizuki, and links them to Adam. It's very difficult to tell you the story without revealing the entire plot so let's just say that it's a complicated relationship.O.o
There were INCREDIBLY cheesy lines and some pretty bad acting here and there. There was also not enough HYDE. Now THAT was incredibly upsetting.-_-" Other than that though, I felt the story was OK on the whole though I have a feeling they cut out bits from the manga that would be relevant to the story to make it smoother. Some inexplicable bits like the necklace and ring worn by Mizuki and Tomoki were left hanging while random bits like Mizuki being all creepy were left in it.
I don't know if I can say this was a GOOD show but it wasn't too bad to watch.^_^"
For dinner, we went to Wacha, a tiny Japanese restaurant located at Ann Siang Hill. They sell Japanese lacquerware, sake, tea and a bit of food. They have a small selection of a la carte items for appetisers [they seem a little like bar snacks] and dessert. There're also 2 set dinners, one priced at $30, the other at $38.^_^
All images taken by my dad's K800i! [It's certainly useful when I forget to bring my camera! xD]
The restaurant has gorgeous displays of lacquerware from the brand that apparently supplies the Japanese Imperial Family. While some were really pretty and unique, others weren't too impressive.^_^"
They have very elegant settings that really remind me of what you'd expect from the expensive and delicate eateries in Japan.^_^
Kurenai ningyo [紅人魚], a sake cocktail of sake, cranberry and gingerale. This was yummy and sweet! My mother's Spring Snow [sake, gin, green tea liquer and lemon] was better though, more refreshing and interesting.=D
We also ordered sencha [or rather, this is what the proprietress gave us when my dad asked her to recommend the tea. Very honest! They gave us the cheapest one on the menu! =P] which were served in individual teapots, each with a different design.^_^ The tea was quite bitter but refreshing.=D
The appetiser basket with my dad's sake.^_^ There were 6 different appetisers.
The first layer! Clockwise from top left: Squid marinated in a wasabi sauce, potato salad, lotus root with carrots and other root vegetables. The wasabi sauce was pretty spicy but ohhh it was yummy! =D I actually liked the potato salad despite the use of mayonnaise but the winner here for me was the lotus root. It was crisp, refreshing and slightly savoury. Yum.
The second layer! Clockwise from top left: Slices of root vegetables, mushroom mix, tamagoyaki [sweet Japanese omelette]. The root vegetables were refreshing, the tamagoyaki wasn't too bad but the winner in this layer was the mushroom mix! =D It had loads of flavour and a nice variety of mushrooms in the mix.
Stewed tako [octopus], konnyaku and radish. The tako was okay.. I'm not such a fan of it. The konnyaku had a nice bouncy texture and absorbed the flavours of the stock well. But I adored the radish which had soaked in all the braising liquid and wasn't at all smelly. [Some radish have this horrible smell to it.xP]
Macaroni and Chicken gratin! This was yummy with the bechamel [the cream sauce] blending nicely with the macaroni in this dish. I usually dislike mac & cheese [a perennial favourite of everyone else] but this was quite delicious. And with such a petite portion, you don't get sick of the cheesiness of it.
My mother's fried burdock root, which you dip in this spicy salt. It was delicious! ^_^ And interesting as well since one doesn't usually eat burdock.
Green tea fried rice and clear soup [I can't remember what it's called but it's made from kelp and Japanese ikan bilis or anchovies] with seaweed and this tofu thing. The green tea fried rice was yummy with bits of yellow pickles, ikan bilis, green tea and garlic.^_^ The soup was wonderfully light yet full of flavour.
Just that was enough [I was quite full really.O.o] but we were greedy and decided to try the Chef's Pick: A sampler platter of 3 desserts.
There was homemade black sesame ice cream, green tea cheesecake and torayaki [Japanese pancakes]. The black sesame ice cream was very rich with the flavour of black sesame.=) Yum!
Matcha cheesecake with red beans. This was yummy and went very well with the sencha.=D I felt that the cheesecake would be even better if it were lighter though.
Torayaki! =D These are Japanese pancakes, soaked in honey and then red bean paste [anpan I think it's called?] and a strawberry slice are sandwiched in between. Yummy! This was my favourite dessert!!! =D It's so cute and happy looking too!
^_^ It was a great dinner [that wasn't very cheap] in a place with a great atmosphere. Except for this group of people drinking behind, the place has a quiet and relaxed atmosphere with everything served prettily and in dainty portions. Definitely not for those who need pots of food to be full. If, however, you like eating good food in tasting portions in a beautiful environment, this is the place for you.=)
I apologise for the less than perfect pictures. Not that my usual pictures are that brilliant anyway. But I must remember to bring my camera in future!
Time to count my hongbao.=P I know. I am so delayed. Haha. I wish I could finance my own trip to Japan with Jiamin and her sister. *sigh* Maybe I could finance expenditure there [you know. With MUCH saving now on my part.xP]. But definitely not the plane ticket. *DEEP sigh*
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : Velvet alice nine. + Starless Night OLIVIA inspi' REIRA (TRAPNEST) + Gackt Training Days 2006 Drug Party Set list]
[mood : =S ^_^]
[food : Japanese! I still want beef. O.o]
PS: The Business Times today has a write-up on Canele's chef Pang Kok Keong and an interview-cum-write-up on the Picasso of Pastry [as dubbed by Vogue]: Pierre Herme.^_^ It's interesting to note that Pierre Herme opened his first store in Japan in 1998 and his Paris store only in 2001. He doesn't plan on world domination so here's our excuse for a holiday to Tokyo or Paris! =PLabels: alice nine, edibles, Hyde, movie review, Wacha
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Clearing Up
Hello
Okay. It's not all THAT cleared up yet. Ahem. The room is still pretty messy. But..
Omygackt the Moonchild Photobook is SO PRETTY!!! xD xD xD *faints from happiness* It was so elusive and now that I have it.. *clutches it tightly* AHHH! xD xD xD Oh and on top of the Moonchild photobook which has EXCELLENT printing on EXCELLENT paper [and a photo which is SO brokeback mountain I might add!]...
I happily placed the Gackt desktop calendar on my desk! xD xD xD And the CD-ROM comes with wallpapers of the pictures in the calendar to fit any desktop size! xD Beams.
Then I drooled over the tour postcard set but have yet to faint from happiness over the tour posters because I need to figure out how to display them to their full potential.xD BEAMS. The postcard set.. Oh how can I describe it! xD xD xD I think the clothes he is wearing is the tour costume because I read the report and the girl was talking about how he was wearing a mesh top that left little to the imagination.;) Well dahlin'.. Have you never seen him topless! Ahaha. *becomes severely incoherent*
Ahem.
Omygosh! My mom and I have been unpacking all the gifts my dad's been receiving over the holidays and we just unveiled..
This. A box of 100 handmade chocolates. I almost fainted from the extravagance of it all. And when one looks at a huge box of 100 truffles beaming at you.. One cannot help but think: It's time for sharing! xD
So anyone who is coming to my house on Tuesday.. PLEASE I beg you. Help me finish them chocolates!! xD It shouldn't be too hard. I've got Canele chocolates too. Oh, and a GIANT cheesecake. And ichigo no choco daifuku as well as maccha no choco daifuku.xD
Must.Diet.Soon.*coughs*
Oh! And I've posted most of the holiday photos to Flickr.=) It's very messy because I don't know how to arrange the photos so they aren't in order. Check out the link on the right column! =) [It's bolded for those bilnd ones out there..]
I finished the latest in the Artemis Fowl series and have started on American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Coupled with the books I've finished so far: False Impressions (Jeffrey Archer), Garlic and Sapphires (Ruth Reichl), Perfume, The Black Dahlia and the ton of movies.. This is not a bad start to the new year! =) I just might be able to get through the stack in my room within this month.xD Beams.
And despite 2 hours of sleep this morning, I'm surprisingly perky. It's disturbing.O.o
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*
[music : Kimi ni aitakute Gackt + Hitoiro NANA Starring Mika Nakashima]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : --]
*returns to beaming at Moonchild photobook*
Labels: edibles, Gackt, Hyde, tour 2006
Sunday, December 31, 2006
2nd Last Day in Washington
HelloHope everyone didn't like, die of alcohol poisoning or anything like that thanks to new year partying.^_^"I'll be flying home tomorrow and reaching Singapore on 4th January.. Stupid time difference [have I mentioned this? HMM.]..Today we went to Bethesda and Friendship Heights after a luxurious brunch at home [foie gras and expensive cheese at 11 in the morning?! -_-" Thank goodness I don't eat either.=P]. Bethesda is a neighbourhood with loads of office buildings, eateries and.. not much else.=X We went back just now for dinner. Then we went to Friendship Heights where my brother could indulge in his Cheesecake Factory.I did take photos but thanks to the laborious packing I had to do just now.. =X Ahem. I haven't been able to dump them in the computer. BUT! I have to say.. The cheesecakes were quite good although I definitely can't finish one slice by myself [too rich..too big..too scary]. We had the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake, Toblerone Swiss Almond Cheesecake and Chocolate Oreo Mudslide Cheesecake. If it sounds rich to you, it was. Really.Anyway, I came to blog because..I just read that Miyavi might join the Yoshiki [ex-X Japan] - Gackt [ex-Malice Mizer] - Sugizo [ex-LUNA SEA] band. Like. OMG SO EXCITING!!! xD So many people to drool over in the same band!!! xD Hahaha.=P But urh. That's if the rumors are true of course.=XAlso.. I CAN'T BELIEVE THE TOP 100 SINGLES OF 2006 ON THE ORICON CHARTS HAS SO MUCH JOHNNY'S BOYS. It is insulting!!! (T_T) Poor people who actually have talent left to rot in the cold. *pokes wall miserably* KAT-TUN has like.. the Number 1, 5 and 13 spots and I don't think that's all.. Sobs. Poor unappreciated artists..At least I like some songs there.. Like SMAP's Triangle! ^_^" *embarrassed* And GLAY's Natsu Oto.xD And loads of Yuna Ito. ORANGE RANGE's Sayonara has a very sweet video too.(T_T) Very sad. But OOH. What's this?YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least Gackt is there.xD xD xD At *coughs* a miserable 83rd place. Ahem. But nevertheless.xD xD xD And HYDE!!! xD xD xD YAY!!!!Ahem.When I get home I need to catch up on my favourite food blogs.xP I can't remember the urls so I haven't been reading. Eeks. It's quite a horrifying thought. So much food, so little time!!! (T_T) And then I have to clear my room and find a nice spot on my table [maybe on top of my printer! Hmm..] for my darling Gackt desktop calendar! xDBleargh. I have got to buy more mascara when I get to Narita.. xPAnyway.. A few final thoughts on this trip.. It's been really great although we're having an incredibly warm winter. I'm a bit sad at having to leave.. Washington DC is a nice place to live in plus I'm in this hopeful state [hah!] that snow will come eventually. O well. ^_^ And Tokyo was wonderful to go around although really.. It's very fast-paced. Still.. I love holidays. I'm always sad when they end. At least one can see one's friends soon enough.cheers*[-witchstone-]*[music : I can just imagine all the jrock I'm going to be listening to on the plane.xD Yay!][mood : a bit sad at leaving][food : --]Labels: Gackt, Hyde, Washington DC
