CHANGE - Takuya Kimura's Spring 2008 Dorama

Photos credits to: www.jazzholic.com

Are you ready for CHANGE? Hell yeah! Takuya Kimura rocks as the youngest PM of Japan. I'm currently at episode 5, and I'm itching for the next subbed episodes! I love how Takuya brings in the role as Asakura Keita :- a geeky elementary school teacher (with his broccoli hair *giggles*) turned Prime Minister!! He absolutely have no interest in the political arena, but due to certain circumstances, he ran for candidacy (after so much coaxing by Miyama Rika) and of course won (duh!) .

Photos credits to: www.jazzholic.com

Abe Hiroshi who is a terrific actor, plays as the laid back political strategist. He adds in more humor and fun in this dorama! Watching him and Takuya being paired up again in a team, I was transported back to Hero (2001) - another superfantastic dorama of Takuya and Abe. I even find that Takuya's character as Keita in Change is somewhat similar to his character in Hero. I guess that's what you get since it's the same screenwriter.

Each episodes will show us how Keita tackles and handles the conflicts and issues during his ruling period. You will have the (senior) bureaucrats trying to run the government without the involvement of Keita whom they see as a mere Puppet Prince. But of course Keita never fails to resolves things in his own special way. This leaves the rest of the bureaucrats baffled, agitated and more and more intimated by him. What makes this dorama interesting is also watching Keita winning the the beliefs of the people around him, who at first was sceptical of his ability to run as the Prime Minister.


So far, I have not been disappointed with this dorama. It's more light hearted compared to his previous dorama Karei naru Ichizoku. If that picture above is not enough to make you wanna watch this dorama, watch it for its wit, humor and interesting storyline (yeah!)

Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni by B'z

今夜　月の見える丘に

I'm sure anyone who watched Beautiful Life - a Japanese tv drama series starring Takuya Kimura and Takako Tokiwa, knows this song. This was the theme song for the dorama.

If you haven't watch this dorama yet, I highly recommend you to do so. A very heart warming dorama, which is at the same time inspiring. A tear-jerker towards the end.

B'z - Eien no Tsubasa

B'z - Eien no Tsubasa

I love the mv, i love the song, i totally dig Koshi's voice and, to put it simply, i love B'z!

A little bit about B'z:

B'z (ビーズ, Bīzu) is a Japanese hard rock duo comprised of Tak Matsumoto (松本 孝弘, Matsumoto Takahiro, composition, guitar) and Koshi Inaba (稲葉 浩志 Inaba Kōshi, lyrics, vocals).

B'z were the first artists from Asia to have their hand prints and signatures put up in the Hollywood's Rock Walk.

Here's the lyrics to Eien no Tsubasa:

(romaji)

Masshiroi kumo no tadayou hate nani ga aru no
Sakura no oka de nekoronde yume wo miteta

Itsuka modottekitai bashou wa kitto koko ni aru

Eien no tsubasa ga hoshii mata au toki no tame ni
Hakanai kono inochi wo asa hi no youni moyashi nagara
Habataite yukou

Akari no shita wo futari nori jitensha koide
Tsuyoku dakitsuku aa nukumori namida ga desou
Ushinatte wa ikenai mono wo shitte shimatta yo

Eien no tsubasa hiroge tada kimi no tame dake ni
Mabayui sono egao ga kienai youni negai nagara
Habataite yukou

Bokura ga itsumo mesasu no wa
Itoshii monotachi no shiawase
Setsubou no saki ni kanarazu aru
Hitosuji no kibou no hikari

Eien no tsubasa hiroge tada kimi no tame dake ni
Mabayui sono egao ga kienai youni negai nagara
Eien no tsubasa ga aru nara hiroraka na kaze ni notte
Itsuka kuru yasashii mirai wo mune ni egaki shinji nagara
Habataite yukou

Spread your wings and fly away

(translation)

What is there at the end of the floating pure-white clouds?
I was lying down on a hill of cherry blossoms, dreaming

Here is where I’ll want to return to someday

I want eternal wings for the next time we meet
Burning this ephemeral existence of mine like the morning sun
I’ll fly on

The two of us on a bicycle, pedaling beneath the streetlights
Ah, the warmth that holds on to me tightly, I feel like I might cry

I’ve just come to know what it is that I cannot allow myself to lose

Spreading my eternal wings - and it’s all for you -
Wishing that that blinding smile of yours should never fade
I’ll fly on

What we’re always striving for is the happiness of those dear to us
The single ray of hope that can always be found past despair

Spreading my eternal wings - and it’s all for you -
Wishing that that blinding smile of yours should never fade
If I have eternal wings I’ll ride this pure wind
Picturing a gentle future that’ll come one day in my heart, and believing in it
I’ll fly on

(Spread your wings and fly away)

Kimi ga Suki by Mr. Children

君が好き Mr. Children

(romaji)

Moshimo mada negai ga hitotsu kanau toshitara
Sonna kusou wo hiroge
Ichinichijuu bonyari sugoseba
Tsuki mo nigoru Tokyo no yoru da
Soshite hineri dashita kotae wa

Kimi ga suki
Boku ga ikiru ue de
Kore ijou no imiwa nakutatte ii
Yoru no fuchi APAATO no waki
Kutabireta jihanki ga futatsu
Kan COFFEE wo katta

Bokuno te ga kimi no namida nugueru toshitara
Sorewa suteki dakedo
Kimimo mata boku ni nitayouna
Darenimo fumi komaretakunai ryouiki wo motterundarou

Kimi ga suki
Kono hibiki ni hisonderu nurui dasei no nioi ga shitemo
Kurikaeshi kurikaeshi
Niekirenai MELODY ni sotte
Omoi wo kogashite

Hodoukyou no ue ni minareteshimatta
Nigotta tsuki ga ukandeite
Yogorete itte shimau bokurani sotto
Aa munashiku nanika wo uttaeteru

Kimi ga suki
Boku ga ikiru ue de
Kore ijou no imiwa nakutatte ii
Yoru no fuchi kimi wo machi
Yukiba no nai omoi ga
Mata yozorani ukande

Kimi ga suki kimi ga suki
Niekirenai MELODY ni sotte
Omoi wo kogashite

Kimi ga Suki Mr. Children

(translation)

What if I could still have one wish come true…
I let my imagination run wild at the thought
And after spending all day absent-mindedly
Even the cloud is muddy in the Tokyo night
And the answer I’ve finally come to is…

I love you
As long as I’m alive I don’t need any other meaning in my life
In the depths of night, near your apartment
I buy two canned coffees from a worn down vending machine

If my hand could wipe away your tears
That would be wonderful
But I’m sure you’re like me
And don’t want anyone coming too close
You have hidden boundaries, don’t you?

I love you
Even if it smells like a lukewarm habit’s hiding in the sound of these words
I’ll sing it again and again
I’ll stick with this indistinct melody and let my thoughts burn within

I’m used to looking up on the walkway bridge
At the muddy moon that rises in the night
As we quietly become more and more dirty
Ah, it vainly tries to appeal to us somehow

I love you
As long as I’m alive I don’t need any other meaning in my life
In the depths of night, I wait for you
Without any place to go, my emotions fly up into the night sky again
I love you, I love you
I’ll stick with this indistinct melody and let my thoughts burn within

しるし by Mr.Children

しるし Mr.Children

(Romaji)

saisho kara kounaru koto ga kimatteita mitai ni
chigau tenpo de kizamu kodou wo tagai ga kiiteru

donna kotoba wo erande mo dokoka ga uso ppoin da
sanou ni kaita tegami guchagucha ni marumete suteru

kokoro no koe ha kimi ni todoku no ka na?
shinmoku no uta ni notte...

da-rin da-rin ironna kakudo kara kimi wo mitekita
sono dore mo ga subarashikute boku ha ai wo omoishirun da
'hanshinhangi = kizutsukanai tame no yobousen' wo
ima, bimyou na nyuansu de kimi ha shimesou to shiteiru

'onnaji kao wo shiteru to' dareka ga hiyakashita shashin
bokura ha niteiru no ka naa? sore to mo nitekita no ka naa?

mendoukusai tte omoukurai ni majime ni mukiatteita
karuhazumi datta jibun wo urayamashiku naru hodo ni

kokoro no koe ha dare ga kiku koto mo nai
sore mo ii, sono hou ga ii

da-rin da-rin ironna kkao wo motsy kimi wo kimi wo shitteiru yo
nani wo shite sugoshiteita tte omoidashite kurushiku narun da
karenda- ni kinyuu shita ikutsumono kinenbi yori
kokizami ni senmei ni boku no kioku wo umetsukusu

naitari warattari fuantei na omoi dakedo
sore ga kimi to boku no shirushi

da-lin da-lin ironna kakudo kara kimi wo mitekita
tomo ni ikirenai hi ga kita tte douse aishiteshimau to omoun da
da-lin da-lin oh my darling
kuruoshiku senmei ni boku no kioku wo umetsukusu
da-rin da-rin

Shirushi by Mr. Children

(translation)

we each listened to our hearts beating to different tempos
as if things were meant to be this way from the start

no matter what words I choose, it sounds insincere
I crumple up the letter I wrote with the left side of my brain
and throw it away

do you hear the voice of my heart?
It's in this silent song...

darling, darling, I've seen you from many different angles
all of them exquisite, you've shown me what love is
now you're trying to show me by way of subtle techniques *1
that your uncertainty is a precautionary border
to keep you from getting hurt.

someone makes fun of our picture, "you two make such a pair"
Do we look alike? Or is it that we've started to?

we faced one another with such seriousness
that it was almost a burden to get on with it
so much so that it makes me jealous of the thoughtless guy I used to be. * 2

no one will hear the voice of my heart
I'm ok with that, it's better that way.

Darling, Darling,
I know you have many faces.
no matter what I do,
when I remember you, it pains me so.
more than all those memorable days on my calendar
my memory is filled completely by vivid memories
of every second of every day with you. *3
we cry, we laugh
it's a precarious sort of feeling but
it is proof of you and me.

Darling, darling
I've seen you from so many different angles
even if the day we can no longer be together comes our way
I don't think it matters because I can't help loving you.

Darling, Darling
Oh my darling
Maddeningly, and vividly
you fill in my memories completely
Darling, Darling.

The Many Faces of Ikuta Toma

Didn't think I would be posting this as soon ;-)

This is Toma in his many characters!

Akihabara Deep (Summer of 2006) . Toma as Box


Hana Yori Dango 2 - Episode 1 (January 2007). Toma as Oribe Junpei

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (Summer of 2007). Toma as Nakatsu Shuichi

Hachimitsu to Clover @ Honey & Clover (January 2008). Toma as Takemoto Yuta

To see Toma in his latest dorama Maou (July 2008), go HERE

P/S: Click on the photos to get a clearer view of Toma-kun. Enjoy!


Photos are no credits of mine, taken from a little bit of there and a little bit of here ;-P

Maou

MAOU: A sneak preview

Compared to Code Blue, I am REALLY REALLY looking forward for this! Mainly because of Ikuta Toma!

Maou is a remake of a Korean drama The Devil. Two main cast in this drama includes Ohno Satoshi as Naruse Ryo and Ikuta Toma as Serizawa Naoto. Ohno-kun will be playing the role of a two-faced lawyer, one of which is a kind hearted soul and the other who is plotting revenge, using his brilliant mind, on the person who killed his relative. On the other hand, Ikuta Toma will play the double lead role of the man, who has become a detective due to his dark past, who is pursuing the mysterious series of murders and fighting against the devil (Maou). (credits to wiki.d-addicts)

This is in fact Ohno Satoshi's first ever drama. A leader of the famous five member group Arashi, Ohno-kun have always preferred doing stage plays compared to tv drama series. He did make a guest appearance though in the tv drama Yamada Taro (final episode), that featured two other members of Arashi - Ninomiya Kazunari and Sakurai Sho, as the lead roles.

For the first episode of Maou, Ninomiya will be the one making the guest appearance instead, as shown on the above preview (00:20) :-). Makes me wonder whether Jun, Aiba and Sho will be making any appearances as well in the future episodes? Wouldn't the fans just love that?

As for Ikuta Toma, I'm loving his looks here *giggles*. Happy to see him bringing different roles every time. His previous drama just before this was Honey & Clover (early 2008), bringing the role as Takemoto Yuta. Prior to that, he was playing the role of Nakatsu Shuichi in Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (2007). He also appeared as guest star in Hanadan 2 as Oribe Junpei (episode 1). Of course there are other tv drama series of his, but it will be too many for me to list it down here.

Thought of posting some photos of the different characters that Toma have manage to bring unfailingly good, but i guess I'll save that for another post!

CODE BLUE - Yamapi's Summer 2008 Drama Series

[CM] 20080613 CODE BLUE (15s)

"Code Blue is the latest Tomohisa Yamashita (Yamapi) drama series, and will be broadcast in Fuji TV. The drama’s full title is “Code Blue: Doctor Heli Kinkyu Kyumei.”

Yamapi stars as a young doctor-in-training, working under the guidance of an experienced “flight doctor” (Toshiro Yanagiba). Some scenes will be filmed with a real helicopter, adding to the show’s tension.

The supporting cast includes Yui Aragaki, Erika Toda, Manami Higa, Yosuke Asari, Kiyoshi Kodama, Ryo, Tetta Sugimoto, Susumu Terajima, and Masanobu Katsumura" credits to tokyograph.com

And I wonder how long before I'm able to watch this myself. It will be interesting to see if Yamapi would be able to bring the character as a doctor-in-training convincingly.




credit: news_jpop/LJ for photos

Looking forward for this one!

i'm feeling dry and i wish i had more money to buy....?

that caption above, was Brandon's suggestion. It rhymed, so I thought “why not?”

He just got back from Sg. Wang where he went shopping for a skate board for his brother Gavin, for his birthday I suppose. How sweet ne? Made me think when was the last time I ever bought something for my adik. Lemme think, i reckoned it was last Christmas? Didn't even got her anything for her birthday this year, just a simple birthday wish-via text message (!). Crappy sister I make huh? (Deme!! Brandon makes me look bad). Oh well, I suppose it's the thought that counts??

Anyway, was reading my kakak’s blog a while ago and I'm glad I did. If it wasn't for her ranting there, I wouldn't know what's going on with her life now. Again, I'm being the crappy (younger) sister here. I hardly keep-in-touch with her at all. The only time we ever get to speak is whenever she calls home and I happen to pick-up the phone before passing the line to either mama or papa.

As sisters, we were never that close while growing-up. I guess it's because the age difference were quite apparent (oh she's gonna kill me for this!). It's just 4 years difference in fact. Not that big a deal. I exaggerated. (Hehe).

She have always been the one with the big dream, the one with goals. I on the other hand was all about having fun. A day dreamer. Our characters were just worlds apart. She was the reliable daughter, I was the bikin sakit kepala one. She was the academic achiever, I was the one who always failed in exams. She being the one who is firm on doing things, and as of me, I falter every time I get bored, for I am fickle and the list goes on. I guess that's why we weren't close during our childhood. Birds with the same feathers fly together remember? She was an eagle, the sparrow was me *giggles*

But mind you, I have always looked up on her. And to see that she's doing very well now, makes me feel very happy and proud of my sister...and a tiny bit envious. Hey, I'm only human. Honestly speaking, reading her blog made me feel puny of myself...but only for a while *giggles* . Cause right now, I feel more driven to achieve my goals too.

So sis, if you are reading this, Thank You. And please do take care of your health and your baby. Stop eating too many junk foods lah! Send my hugs and kisses to Lana and your hubby. Err...on second thought, just send my regards to your hubby ya?

By the way, the thing 'bout the eagle-sparrow thingamajig I said up there, that doesn't beat the fact that both my sis and I are from the same pot (father and mother lah). Family sticks together, despite flying at different altitude and speed.

Proposal Daisakusen @ Operation Love

This is yet another Japanese dorama that i have already watched and is currently showing at 8TV every Sunday at 3pm (Started since 15th June 2008).

For any Yamapi fans out there, this is a must-see dorama of his.

A simple synopsis about this drama:

The story revolves around Ken (Yamapi) who never seemed to realize how much he is actually in love with his best friend Rei (Nagasawa Mayami) until the day that Rei is actually marrying another guy.

Feeling utterly remorse at heart for making the biggest mistake of his life for not confessing his love (for all the time that he had the chance to), a fairy takes pity on him and grant him the opportunity to go back to his past (through each picture showed on the slide). This gives Ken a second chance to relive the key moments of his life and make the most out of it (this time around).

At first, I thought the whole going back in time thing was monotonous, but I got addicted to it because Ken is so adorable and sweet in the way he cares about Rei. Good underlying message of living in the now without regrets too. The ending was so incredibly good, I actually cried when Ken finally got to confess whole heartedly to Rei and wished her congratulations on her wedding...with a twist ; ). Episode 11 would actually leave you hanging, but watching the SP is worth it!!

P/S: There's a green shirt that Yamapi wore in this dorama that says "I Have Good Character", it's the same shirt Ikuta Toma was wearing in his dorama in Hana Kimi (hehe). For any Yamapi and Toma fans out there, this wouldn't be surprising ne? Both Yamapi and Toma are real good best buddies since way back! Kawaii!!!

Proposal Daisakusen: Iwase Ken (Yamapi) & Yoshida Rei (Nagasawa Mayami)

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e: Nakatsu Shuichi (Ikuta Toma) & Ashiya Mizuki (Horikita Maki)

a new venture i must take

Haven't been posting for more than 6 months eh? I guess I've allowed myself to be bogged down with the routine of life that i forgot how to live...

...


I am so NOT!!!

*giggles* life have been a roller-coaster, but I'm happy to say I'm doing good. I shall not go into too much details, but this is as much as i can say though: one important part of my life have changed (a major one at that one too) and i guess I've always knew that the day will come someday and that it was inevitable, but somehow or rather, when it really did happen, it got me dazed and confused (with a mixture of anger and disappointment more towards myself).

I'm still here though:- still human enough to cry, laugh out loud, get rightfully angry and stupidly angry sometimes, get intoxicated once in awhile and still as naughty and as silly as before!!

One thing will always remain the same though, and that is my interest in Japanese dorama, anime and musics! BANZAI!!! *giggles*