Switch wo Osu Toki Starring Koide Keisuke and Mizusawa Erena

Mizusawa Erena has her first starring role in the upcoming movie, Switch wo Osu Toki. Does she sound unfamiliar? Well, some might know of her from TBS‘s drama adaption of the popular movie, Koizora. Koide Keisuke is also starring alongside Mizusawa. Let’s not forget who else is in it: Sano Kazuma, Atae Shinjiro from AAA, Taiga, Sakamoto Shogo, Kanno Rio, Fukushi Seiji, Suzuki Sawa, Ogura Hisahiro, Tanaka Tetsushi, and Nishimura Masahiko. Quite the list. The movie is to be released on September 17.

The story revolves around a government-sponsored project aimed at determining the causes of suicide. 10 young boys and girls are held in captivity and pushed to their limits, with the option of pressing a “switch” that would result in their own death. After 7 years, only 6 of them, including a girl named Masami (Mizusawa), have retained their will to live. However, a mysterious man named Minami (Koide) is newly assigned as one of the observers on the project, and he becomes another obstacle in their battle to survive.

Switch wo Osu Toki is based on the novel of the same title by Yamada Yusuke. The novel had an drama adaption starring Narumiya Hiroki. It also had astage play that starring Nagayama Takashi.

{Source: TokyoGraph}

Usagi Drop Expects Release in August

Well, Yumi Unita’s manga Usagi Drop has received the live-action treatment starring  Kenichi Matsuyama and Ashida Mana. Remember what I mention last summer? It is scheduled to be released in theaters August 20, 2011. To refresh your memories, the plot is that Daikichi (Kenichi) is a thirty year old who becomes the guardian of Rin (Mana), the illegitimate six year old daughter of his grandfather. Karina is also starring in Usagi Drop, I am assuming she is playing Daikichi’s love interest.

Aside from the live action movie, Production I.G has started running their anime adaption of the manga on Fuji TV which started July 8. So fans have both the anime and the movie to look forward to! For those interested in watching the anime, Cruchyroll has licensed the anime. Now I need to go read the manga and watch this anime!

Before I forget, here is the trailer for the movie, which is not subbed:

Shiawase ni Narou yo: Episode 1

Shiawase ni Narou yo premiered on April 18, 2011 and was able to grab 16.3%. I was actually debating if I should watch this one or not, but I gave it a go and… I really liked it! The show has a captivating cast and a delightful plot.  I’m crossing my fingers that the show doesn’t lose its flame as the story progresses! Now onto that recap:

Artist Discovery: Tomofumi Tanizawa

Today, I present the singer Tomofumi Tanizawa (タニザワトモフミ). He is best known for his song Kimi ni Todoke which was used as the opening theme for the anime by the same title. He was born in 1981 in Hida City, Japan located in the Gifu Prefecture.  When he was 15, he learned to play the guitar and started writing his own songs leading him to begin in band activity.

Tanizawa attended a university in Tokyo and decided on going solo in 2003. He released his first mini-album, Kagero, in March of 2004 under Universal Music. He released several other mini-albums: Nanairo (2005), Soraji (2006), and Autobai Shonen (2009). He finally released his first album in 2010 titled Maboroshi Dokei. He recently released his second album, Nihon ni Ochitekita Otoko, this year back in February.

Here is a the PV of Kimi ni Todoke:

The Short Reviews

This post focuses on ten short reviews of Japanese dramas that I have watched including the popular Hana Yori Dango and 1 Litre of Tears. I had put this particular piece on its own page, but I feel that it has been in the back burner. I mean, I’ve even forgotten about it until I happened to find it. So, here it is! These set of reviews are not as profound as my reviews of other dramas, however, I have rated them. 1 being the lowest score and 5 being the highest which means utterly awesomeness! Be aware that these were written when I first started my blog and I tried my best to remember the drama. I also did add a few more details to the ones that didn’t have so much detail! So… I guess you can say this is kind of my recycled one year gift for all my readers! Haha!

1 Litre of Tears / １リットルの涙: This is definitely a heartbreaking drama. Once I finished watching this I started seeing life in a whole different perspective. I loved the cast and the soundtrack. Just about everything was spot on for me, though I wish Aya’s romantic interest was a bit more focused on.  I highly recommend this drama, this is a tearjerker so bring out the tissues! 4.5/5

I’M BACK!

­THANK GOODNESS IT’S SUMMER! I’ve been waiting to lounge around my house every spring break. No more due dates, projects, reading novels, math homework, and trying to grasp French! Yes! I can now start on my Korean now… Once I stop being lazy. I am also sorry about the rather long, almost two months, hiatus. School was just asking for so much out of me.

Well, the game plan is I wish to watch JIN 2 and possible post a shorter version of recaps. I hope that I will be able to just do major highlights for my recaps, because whenever I do write a recap I tend to write it in full detail like I am writing a novel. I tried doing a recap for Tumbling, that went terrible. I’m also contemplating if I should watch Lie To Me with my favorite Kang Ji Hwan and Yoon Eun Hye. City Hunter has also caught my interest, but I am a bit hesitant on watching it because I don’t want to end up losing my interest! Korean dramas just make it too easy for themselves since they take a couple of episodes (2 – 4) to actually start the plot. I cannot wait that long, I am impatient and I want the plot to start moving NOW! Yes, I know, I am too demanding and impatient, but that’s how I tend to stray away from watching Korean dramas because of that single element.

I am very glad to be back, however I have shied away from my love for dramas due to school and because I am focused on other things such as the hilarious Psych and amazing Avatar: The Last Airbender. A girl gets bored when she has no work to do and doesn’t feel like watching her Asian dramas. I know, for a fact, I will be getting into JIN 2 because of season one’s disappointing ending. I’ve also been reading a lot of good reviews for this season so that always makes me happy! I also did a review for the show, so if you’re curious: Violà! I will try getting in a Artist Discovery as well, Rie Fu has been in the spotlight  since I left… I love her, but I just need to have the spotlight on another artist. I will probably throw in a music review if I get bored this week. I’ll try having a post up by this Thursday or Friday, maybe even sooner! We’ll see, until then, see yaaa!~

 

There she is!!

I am excited that I came across this lovely flash animation called There she is!!, or its Korean title, 떳다 그녀!!, by SamBakZa, a Korean artist trio. There she is!! tells a story about romance between a cat and rabbit. This amazingly cute and fun series was able to (and still does) capture the hearts of many American and European audiences in 2004 which boosted its popularity. The series has five episode, or steps, which last between 3 – 6 minutes. I adore the series astounding soundtrack! Each episode features a different indie band’s song. Here is There she is!! Step 1:

[ Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Final Step]

New In Town: Brave Girls

Brave Brothers is a former composer and producer for YG Entertainment and has worked with many artists including Big Bang, U-KISS, Sistar, After School, and Som Dam Bi. After leaving YG Entertainment, he created his own label, BRAVE SOUND ENTERTAINMENT. Brave Brothers has been working on his girl group, Brave Girls, since last year. This month, Brave Girls debuted. The group consists of 5 members: Seo Ah, Yoo Jin, Eun Jung, Yeh Jin and Hye Ran.

Fly with Standing Egg

Korean indie band, Standing Egg, released their latest single, “Fly”. They are a band that I stumbled upon in February with their release of “Have You Ever Fallen In Love with Ra.D” (사랑에 빠져본 적 있나요). I’ve been hooked since, so if you’re looking for indie music with a soft and acoustic sound definitely check them out!

JIN: Drama Review

Description: The story follows a brain surgeon named, Minakata Jin (Osawa Takao), who has spent the last two years in anguish, as his fiancee lies in a vegetative state after an operation he performed. One day, he faints at the hospital and awakens to find himself transported back in time to the Edo period. He is soon attacked by a samurai, but he escapes with the help of a man named Kyotaro (Koide Keisuke). Kyotaro suffers a serious injury to the head while trying to protect him, but Jin manages to save his life despite a lack of proper medical equipment. Because of that, Kyotaro’s sister, Saki (Haruka Ayase), begins taking an interest in Jin and becomes his assistant. Meanwhile, Jin is determined to find a way back to the present. (Source: TokyoGraph)