Summer Season Drama Preview

Back for another season of dramas Here’s my take, but the official synopsis are over at tokyograph. My top picks for the season would have to be Maou, Cat Street, and - is anyone surprised - Code Blue!

I’ve Got Some Code Blue Fever!

I’ve yet to get started on looking through the summer 2008 dramas, but this one’s really caught my eye. Maybe it’s because I love Yamapi to death, maybe because I adore Gakki, maybe because I really like Erika, or maybe because I just have some perverse fetish for scrubs and helicopters - I am so, so ready for Code Blue.

HAPPY! - episode 5 and 6

I am really behind on my HAPPY! episodes - oh, life - so I’ll be playing
catch-up for awhile. They’re going out of the studio for filming now, focusing not on celebrity blogs but on their own interests now. Screencaps from veoh again.

Save the Future with NHK

NHK is launching its Save the Future campaign to raise awareness for global warming. For three days, June 6 to 8, there will be different types of programming on the channel all relating to the issue.

HAPPY! - episode 3 and 4

Overview of episodes 3 and 4 of HAPPY! - animals and massages. This show really is really random and cute. Screencaps from veoh this time!

Making of Secret Secret

What’s Perfume’s secret? What’s the meaning behind PTV? What’s the actual reason for using the Electro World costumes with Computer City dance?

You’d know if you could understand Japanese; MTV Japan based a Making the Video episode on Perfume’s “Secret Secret” video.

HAPPY! - episode 1 and 2

HAPPY! is a new NTV show on Friday nights hosted by electropop trio Perfume, CanCam model Tokuzawa Naoko, and comedienne Nishioka Sumiko. On the show, they go over celebrity blogs and also have fun information for the girls to play around with. It’s something like a high-tension girl’s variety show - bringing an odd mix of female celebrities together for interesting show presence and talking about topics girls would enjoy.

I actually don’t understand much what the show is about but it’s a short lighthearted watch, even if I don’t understand much Japanese. It’s a five person show, but it’s obviously focused on Perfume, and has lots of cute moments with all the girls. …And, let’s be honest, it’s not like I’m genuinely that interested in celebrity blogs as much as in seeing Perfume. (Sorry for the bad quality screenshots, I youtubed these two episodes.)

Spring Season Drama Preview

Happy April! Happy Spring! (although not happy April Fools… it’s kind of a terrible excuse for a holiday.) This month, spring season dramas will be starting. Watching most of the dramas last season was kind of painful so I don’t think I’ll attempt it again Still, I thought it’d be nice to give an overview. Tokyograph always has a terrific synopsis of everything this season. I thought I’d look through everything and give my two cents.

My own personal recs? If there’s three I’m actually probably going to follow it’d be Last Friends, Hokaben, and Kimi Hannin Janai yo ne.

And onto the dramas:

The Secret in Arashi’s Pants

Remember hearing about Arashi’s new prime time variety show? The one that will focus on “social and cultural topics” that tokyograph made it sound all serious and stuff?

“Himitsu no Arashi chan” will start airing on TBS in April. They’ve held a press conference for the show. Now, I don’t know if they will be talking about social and cultural topics… but what I do know is, their promotional poster consisted of member’s secrets that you can get… by unzipping their pants.

NEWS - Taiyou no Namida (2)

Since “Taiyou no Namida” is going to be released on Wednesday, NEWS has started their blitz of media appearances. There’s many more to come, but their first TV performance was on Music Station… where they performed and had water pouring down on them. Their “sun” isn’t just shedding some tears, it’s bawling. By the end of the song, after only about a minute and half of the downpour, they can’t make direct eye contact at the cameras with all the water coming down and are all soaked through. But the performance went well, and they looked happy despite being dripping wet, so it’s all good.

Of course, what would the world be like without leaks. It’s not supposed to be out until Wednesday, but… hey, not like there weren’t decent radio rips already, right?

Follow the links for song previews & downloads.