I fall in love with songs

There are songs that make me melt inside. (Yep, mushy. lol.). So far here are those that made me stop whatever I'm doing just to listen and make me smile all of a sudden. These are my ear candies:

Someday for Somebody by Kamenashi Kazuya (KAT-TUN)
(Lyrics | Listen@imeem | Watch@Youtube | Download)
Niji by Ninomiya Kazunari (Arashi)
(Lyrics | Listen@imeem | Watch@Youtube | Download)

This list is going to be a little short since there are only a few songs that have the said effect on me.

Arashi Otakara Photofile

I've been waiting for some good souls to upload these stuff so thanks to [info]aibaninosuki who scanned and upped them at her LJ. Titles linked to her entries.

Note: Already locked by user. ^^, Just click on the user link above to ask. ^^,

Ohno's Otakara Photofile



MatsuJun's Otakara Photofile


Nino's Otakara Photofile.



http://community.livejournal.com/arashi_anoms/
join the community to gain access to the files. ^^,



I just compiled the links here. I didn't upload the pictures.

Sidetracked

I don't know how it happened but I just found myself liking another new band. My gosh. Johnny's really a genius.

What I've feared might have happened already...

KAT-TUN!! Why o why!! Kamenashi Kazuya's really so cute when he's laughing. Koki Tanaka's so so so so (mecha kawaii) cute when he's smiling. Taguchi is so hilarious!! Jin's awkwardness, shyness towards girls, his attitude of frequently cutting Maru and Taguchi off, his Do-S nature is so funny! And Ueda's meek and timid attitude is adorable. I adore them right now.

But of course, Arashi's still special. With KAT-TUN, there's no sense of ownership... I don't feel like owning them. With Arashi, every chance I get to own them, I'll definitely grab it. lol.

Kudos to all fansubbers

I'm very very very thankful to all fansubbers out there for doing the bloody job of putting words that I totally understand to shows that are not in English or in my native language.

I wish you guys don't get tired of doing this. Coz I'm depending so much on you 。lol.

Yes, non-Arashi post, but it's a bit related to them since it's their shows that I want to be subbed.

So to all fansubbers, みなさん、がんばて!!
ほんと に ありがと ございます!!

Happy 9th!!

I'm so so so late with this greeting but I still want to do it anyway. lol

おめでと ございます 嵐ーちゃん!!!

Go for an explosive tenth!! ^_^ Anyways, I'll be tugging along til Arashi's gonna reach that mark... or even farther than that...

Haiz... I never thought fangirling would be so fun...

Maybe as much as Arashi's thankful to their fans, I can't stress this enough... I'm doubly... no... I'm a million times more thankful to them for making themselves known to me. lols. They haven't just been a source of inspiration but they've also been bridges to some of (what I consider) as my treasured relationships with people whom I've met because of them.

I'm truly happy doing stuff for Arashi with the people who share the same interest. I love the fandom as much as I love Arashi.

Minasan, ganbate!!
みなさん、がんばて!!!

Honey and Clover The Movie

Downloads over at Arashianfiles

I can't not write about this.

From the beginning to the end, the movie gave me the feeling of inner peace. I don't know why but I had this good feeling while watching. Everything was so easy on the eyes. It started off with Sho looking at the sakura tree in bloom.

(Might contain some bias, but I'll try to keep it down to a low level.)

I have watched "Honey and Clover" series. And I must say that the movie was a more subdued version of the story.

Sho vs. Toma
Who was a better Takemoto? I can't really compare the two. They both gave different interpretations of the character. Toma was an angsty Takamoto while Sho was more mellow. I think Toma made his character stand out, he made himself known as the lead star while Sho could have easily melted in the background -- a support. However, imo, Sho's interpretation of the character was closer to what I'd imagine Takemoto to be. His acting was (and is always) more realistic, more natural.

Aoi Yu vs Narumi Riko
I've always been a fan of Aoi's angelic face and I never did like Narumi Riko's acting. (So some bias expected ahead). Appearance wise, I think Hagu was best represented by Aoi. Riko also looked good as Hagu. But the timidness and the weakness of Hagu was something that suited Aoi pretty well. Another difference is that Riko's face is a bit strong while Aoi's is soft, more feminine, more angelic. I think their appearance had a lot to do with who fits the role better. Acting wise, I think Aoi was still better. But Riko didn't suck either. They're both good. It's just that I liked Aoi's interpretation of the role more.


I've read some comparisons between the movie and the live series. And there were a lot of people favoring the drama series.

But for me, I liked the movie better. Not just because Sho was in it or Aoi was in it. I liked everything about the movie: the sense of peace it gave me, the way the actors interpreted the roles in a more subdued manner which suited the theme very well, the soundtrack was great (love James Wendt and Spitz), and everything fit into a great 2-hour film.

Is it watchable/re-watchable? Definitely. If I get the chance, I'm gonna watch it again.

Hey Hey Hey 18.08.08

Over here by [info]palmandgo
('Thank you' goes a long way ^_^)

The episode was amazing. It featured two people who Arashi thought were awesome. (I thought so too.)

First person they introduced was the guy who could play songs and jingles without any musical scores. He just has to listen to the song to be able to play it. That's what I call talent... Coz playing the piano can be learned.. I liked Super Mario and Windows XP...

The second one was a person who made a flute out of fish. (It sure did catch Ohno's attention. Anything "fishy" catches Ohno's attention ne)

They were amazing.

SPOILER
Favorite part:
When they talked about Ohno's dream.
Story goes like this. He received a call from Johnny. When he went to Johnny's office, he saw that the other 4 were there. So he was like "are?!" and then they all were encouraging him to go to college. (okashii na)...
Turns out that Riida lacked confidence in himself...

Hmmmm... I was thinking... Yeah... maybe going to college is something that's been going on in his mind. Yes, he's talented in a lot of things. But could it be that college is that one thing that's missing? So he can sing, draw, dance, act... But is it enough for him? Will finishing college be able to give him that confidence that he doesn't have? And doing Naruse Ryou might have affected him... He just played a lawyer... Maybe, a part of him wanted to be just like his character in Maou...

Maou Finale -- Rant

Dl's over at LJ...

It's quite sad to see Ohno's drama end... I'm still stuck at episode 5.
Whew.
Seeing Ryoko's arms around Ohno's waist made me turn green. Hurmmmm... Next Ohno drama should be a little light.. Like Nino's YamaTaro... No love teams please... Unless it's Nino...

This just popped in my mind... I remembered that scene where Ohno was handing flyers (yamataro) and that scene where Nino pinned Ohno on the wall (maou)... They're like Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider. lol.

Well... I wasn't able to dl a copy of episode 5 that I can play on my dvd player.. but I have the subbed ep 6-8 fermenting in my pc... I don't want to watch them without watching ep 5... and since I'm that late... as in sooooo late that I could just dl the rest so that I could rewatch ep 1-4 and finish it in one sitting...

Planning to watch the Korean version of this... Just so I can compare the two...

Arashi turns 9 and still tops the charts

O man... I don't know how it is in Japan... I don't have any idea actually... But staying 9 years in the business is quite a difficult feat, let alone top the charts on their 9th year. That's truly amazing ne.

I don't know what Johnny does but he sure is a genius. Making us girls shell out cash (well, I haven't yet...) and die of poverty (but I think it'd be a happy death) for his guys. That guy's really smart eh. He definitely knows the trade. Okay, enough of Johhny.

On to my favorite bunch... So I've been a little sidetracked, gazing on a few kame, kawai fumito, uchi (i don't know his complete name), chinen yuuri stuff... Laughed at a cartoon Kat-tun episode because of Kame (who I think is also cute despite of my not liking him before due to his.. errr.. rather feminine attributes -- which I now find attractive)

TO MY FAVE BUNCH
I'm really amazed at how they kept their status (despite of a few bumps and nasties).
Here's a link to Oricon - http://www.oricon.co.jp/ (i think the chart is done daily so here' their current status)
Right now, Arashi's Truth/風 の 向こうへ is at number three, not bad but dropped from number one since last September 1.
Their other single "One Love" has also made its way to the top 20.
Outranked by Mr. Children, but I don't mind because I like the band as well.

It's just really amazing ne... That even though I was so late into the fandom, they're still hot and so up there.

I wish nothing else but more success and health for these guys. I hope that they'll continue infecting us with their happiness for a good 10 years more? lol... Err... maybe...

Nino's Upcoming Dorama

Yes, it was like yesterday when we flailed for Ohno's drama. Now it's Nino's turn.

Title: 流星 の 絆 (Ryuusei no Kizuna)
English Title: Meteor Ties

Another drama worth watching. If it's a Kazunari drama, no doubt... It's gonna be good.

Which reminds me... Maybe I oughtta brace myself (I hope Nino and the rest of Arashi too...) for yet another hard blow from their detractors (and those who'd just want to join in on the popularity). I don't know how things would turn out... It's a NEWS and Arashi combi right now. And I must say that both Ryo and Nino have quite a large fanbase.

Nino's one of the greatest actors I've seen (that's without bias...). Even before I got into Arashi, I already had that opinion. And watching more of his dramas and movies just proved that I'm right.

Ryo is also a good actor. I've seen his drama "1 Liter of Tears"...

And they are both members of prominent Japanese boybands, both drool worthy, both loved by crazy fangirls.

I don't know. I would want to bet my life for a good rating on this drama but it would depend on who they're going against.

But it won't matter ne? I would definitely watch this...

Myu no Anyo, Papa ni Ageru

"Myu will give papa her legs"

Downloads: Here

This is yet another role well played and yet another hair raising performance from Arashi's Matsumoto Jun.

To be completely honest, I had a hard time imagining Jun as a father. It's like a very remote possibility for the guy right now. But when I watched the drama, Jun as a father might actually work. lol. I mean he looked good with those long-sleeved shirts and balck pants -- very fatherly. In contrast to his daily styish clothes.

There's really nothing this guy can't play.

Hands down to his acting. He's really really good.

On to the story.
I think since the drama was aimed to have this effect, I'd share some of the things I learned.
The story was heartbreaking at first but inspiring towards the end. It was saying "Nothing is impossible especially if you put your heart into it." and "If there's a will, there's a way."
I also realized that we keep on complaining about life, about the tivial things that piss us off. But things could be a lot worse. So instead of complaining, we should just be grateful and count our blessings and work on the things that aren't readily provided for us.


Oh and before I even forget, this song was the one Karina sang in the karaoke, one of my favorite songs performed by Onitsuka Chihiro. どうぞ!!!

月光Gekkou - 鬼束ちひろOnitsuka Chihiro

24 Hour TV - What is it?

I don't actually have an idea about this, whatever it is. All I know is that Arashi's going to host this year's 24 Hour TV, which they also hosted 4 years ago.


24-Hour TV is an annual charity based program held first in 1978 by Nippon TV to commemorate their 25th year in the business. The aim of the charity program is to show the rest of Japan, if not the world, about the present condition and challenges faced by many regarding social welfare, the environment, and natural disasters. -- Here for the full article.


Me:
I have read that it is a day-long telethon where the featured artists are to stay awake for the whole 24 hours of the show and gather as much pledges as they can, where the funds will come from aside from the items that are up for sale like t-shirts, pens, et cetera.

There are also heart-warming segments about each host's task, usually featuring some of those who aren't as opportunate as us.

The show also includes a real life drama, like MatsuJun's "Myu no Anyo, Papa ni Ageru" for this year, which is about a father having a disease that took his ability to walk.

Then the one which made Aiba dearer to my heart, the letter-writing segment where one of the hosts writes a letter addressed to his groupmate/s (or at least that's what I know)
Four years ago, Aiba made this letter for the rest of Arashi about how much he appreciates everything that they've done for him and that despite of being sickly he'll try to do his best because he sees that everyone is giving it their all.

That's about it. That's everything I know about the program.

Nino's 24-hour letter translation

Click me

My take:
This letter made me wanna cry... Actually I was already in tears while reading it.

To note, the letter was so simple. Very different from Aiba's letter from 4 years ago. True, could be a sign of growth. But it could also be that Nino really has some difficulties laying down all his emotions. Even though it sounded like that, even though Nino put it out like that, I still felt the truth in every word he said.

I guess the best thing about Arashi is that throughout their 9 years, there's just so much love that it's overflowing and affecting us, fangirls. Maybe that's their charm.

This is also the first time I heard and read about staff and fangirls regarded as the 6th member of the group. Hey, those are feel good words for us, but I'm gonna take it to heart. Yeah!! I'm the 6th member of Arashi ne?!!

Being in this fandom isn't a piece of cake too. It's just like any other form of addiction. Coz we really don't have more than 24 hours to spend right? And with the 24 hours we have, it's almost not enough for us, to work, sleep, eat, go out and parteeh!!... Despite of that, we find time to support them in every way we can think of. I've seen several ways of how we do that, and man, it amazes me... Of course, fangirling isn't also easy on the pocket...

So it's kudos to both Arashi and their 6th member, the STAFF and FANS!!! がんばて ね!!!