日本-SukI

[EVENT ALERT] NYC - “Kawaii” presented by Blue Roses illustrators

2010-06-01T00:02:00.007-04:00

Get ready for some awesome "KAWAII" art as the Blue Roses, illustrators from Japan Present “Kawaii” Showing in New York City and Tokyo at the same time!

I idea of “kawaii” in Japan for me means all things cute or adorable.
The term and concept became big in Japan around the 70's and has since become
a staple of Japan's pop culture from entertainment clothing, and food, to toys, comic books, personal appearance, and behavior and mannerisms. You can't go to japan and not see something as "Kawaii"

So Recently kawaii-style illustrations featuring little girls and women have gained momentum, and established a new genre that’s commonly referred to as “Girls Illustration”. The name is deceiving, since the style is not simply “cute” and by no means childish. “Girls Illustration” can feature sophisticated themes and appeal to people of all ages.

18 illustrators and up-and-coming artists who have been creating “Girls Illustration” since 2009 make up Blue Roses They have taken the genre in unexpected directions introducing innovative elements and unique styles. The first Blue Roses group show in Tokyo, in December 2009, was a huge success, with more than 500 people attending. “Kawaii” will feature 15 members of the group and a special guest who will present their personal interpretations of this fascinating and beautiful concept.

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New York Show
June 4 – June 17, 2010
EXCY GALLERY
147 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
www.excygallery.com
Map

Opening Reception: Friday June 4, 6pm – 9pm

—–

Tokyo Show
May 31 – June 11, 2010
12G
3-1-25, 2nd FL. Nishi Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan 106-0031
No opening reception in this show.

For more information for the Blue Roses, please visit
http://www.blue-roses.info/

For more information for the NY exhibition, please contact EXCY GALLERY
info@excygallery.com or 212-695-1888

(Video Blog) Okonomiyaki ( お好み焼き) Night

2010-05-20T13:37:00.000-04:00

If you love Japan, chances are you are in LOVE with Japanese food...Well,
this isn't always the case. So if you love Japan, but can't stand Japanese food,
Well, first I must apologize for that unfortunate situation as your taste buds are surly missing out on some amazing flavors, and textures.

My love affair with Japanese food, has been going on for quite sometime, and I'm happy to say that the relationship is still going strong, maybe stronger now that I have had the opportunity to visit Japan twice. Living in NYC also helps as I've never.. NEVER had so much access to Japanese cuisine ..OUTSIDE of Japan. Anyway My friend Hiro had sent me a text about going over to his place for dinner. I was excited as the food for that night's menu was Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き).

For those that have no idea what I just typed, (take your time and sound it out.. it's not that hard) Okonomiyaki can be described as a kind of Japanese-style pancake or even pizza where you can add your favorite ingredients.(It is usually filled with octopus, shrimp, pork, yam or kimchi though). You can have it made for you as fast food, or, in some okonomiyaki restaurants, you can cook your own okonomiyaki on the iron table. I love being able to cook my own, but maybe I need more practice.

Osaka and Hiroshima are two areas where okonomiyaki is very popular, and don't be fooled, both areas make their okonomiyaki differently. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, has the ingredients layered rather than mixed together. Chopped cabbage is cooked on top of the batter and you can find yakisoba noodles are added in as well!! Osaka-style okonomiyaki, is a more common style that can be found throughout most of Japan. The ingredients are mixed rather than layered and fried on both sides!
When cooked you can top it with otafuku/okonomiyaki sauce, aonori (seaweed flakes), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), Japanese mayonnaise, and pickled ginger (beni shoga).

I recorded my friends making Okonomiyaki, so have a look. Can you tell which style they are making?

EVENT ALERT:[NYC EVENT] SAKURA MATSURI-MAY 1st-MAY 2nd 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

2010-04-26T04:27:00.009-04:00

2008 Cherry Blossom Time-lapse at Brooklyn Botanic Garden from Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Vimeo.

Although spring is almost over, and in Japan, most of the Cherry Blossom celebrations are over with, It's just getting started here in NYC! Yes, it's that time of year again for the annual SAKURA MATSURI 桜祭り held at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. For those that remember I attended this event last year and had a great time. You can read about last year's events by clicking the link HERE

SAKURA MATSURI 桜祭り at at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, will be held from MAY 1st through MAY 2nd, and will be celebrating Japanese culture with over 60 events and performances, as well as a viewing of the Botanical Garden's 220 cherry trees! Some event's You can be sure to find are: Anime Stand-up Comedy, Japanese Hot-Pot Cooking,Japanese music and dance, manga, mataro Ningyo Doll Making Demonstration, taiko drumming performances, ikebana flower arranging, Japanese DJs, tea ceremonies,and various workshops. A complete schedule of event can be found on the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens page.
Just like last year, I'm hoping to catch The Infinite Spirits: A Samurai Drama (Samurai Sword Soul) stage performance on Sat. May 1st. I arrived a bit late and was not able to get an up front view but what I did get to see was pretty amazing. I'll be sure to arrive extra early this year!

So if you are around the NYC area, this is an event you don't want to you. You have two days so there is no excuse for you not to attend ;-)

EVENT ALERT:[NYC EVENT] ANIME! at American Museum of Natural History, April 17-18

2010-04-07T16:17:00.002-04:00

I LOVE Japanese related events in NYC and this is one you DON'T want to miss if you are in the NYC area. The American Museum of Natural History, which is located at 79 Street And Central Park West, is having a Global Weekends program which will feature Bollywood and Anime on April 17 (Sat) and 18 (Sun). There is an entire guide to this event so I won't go into every detail but I will highlight a few key events that should get your attention!

FEATURED ANIME FILMS:
There will be an anime film PREMIEREon April 17 (Sat) at 3:45pm at the Kaufman Theater. It will be the U.S premier of director Rintaro's film titled Yona Yona Penquin
This fantasy adventure features Coco, an adventurous little girl who is obsessed with penguins. Her eyes are soon opened to world she has never seen before.

Another film to makes it's US debut is Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers, showing April 18 (Sun) at 12:00pm at Kaufman Theater. This film is based on the hit anime TV series Eureka Seven, and is a must see for any fan of the series.

ANIME GALLERIA:
Showing on April 17 (Sat) and 18 (Sun) 1:00pm – 5:00pm at Grand Gallery,there
will be a showing of a large collection of anime trailers from exciting 2009/2010 titles by various anime distributors including Aniplex and FUNimation. A big one that will be showing will be HALO LEGENDS This series was highly anticipated, and brought together the finest talent in Japanese animation to take on one of the largest game franchises for the XBox. HALO LEGENDS explore the mystery and action of the Halo universe in Eight episodes, shedding new light and epic perspective on Halo lore.

You can count on there being videogames, and manga, toys, and figures as well to feed your need. Even a CG Anime Production!

The main draw for me at least will be the LIVE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE of the entire two day event. On April 17 (Sat) and 18 (Sun) 3:30pm at the Grand Gallerynthere will be a performance by West Coast/Tokyo based Japanese Hip Hop artist, Shing02!
This is exacting because it will be a rare performance by the artist well known for lending his vocals on the opening track “Battlecry” of the hit anime series Samurai Champloo. “Battlecry” was produced by Nujabes, who recently passed. I am curious to see Shing02's performance and hear what he has to say in regards to the late Nujabes passing. It would have been great to see both live at this event!

The Global Weekends program is a free event and seating for Shing02 is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so of course you will need to get there early to ensure you have a good view! I'll be sure to bring my camera along and record as much as I can, so look forward to a follow up post in the days to come following this event!

For full information about the BOLLYWOOD ANIME Program, please visit
http://www.amnh.org/bollywoodanime

My CD of the Month

2010-03-15T04:01:00.008-04:00

Artist : capsule
Title (Album) : PLAYER
Release Date : March 03, 2010

Genre : Electronic

PLAYER is capsule's 13th ALBUM, and it's AMAZING!

I was seriously surprised when I first heard it, I didn't expect it to be this good. PLAYER turned out to be so different than capsule's usual stuff, while still keeping a few things here and there that still have Nakata's trademark.

Stay with You, is the Album's opener which was given a lift from the Japanese Drama, LIAR GAME version. I do prefer it than the LIAR GAME version although the song as a whole is just your usual Nakata stuff, nothing special. the intro which is probably what I love most about the song, is nice and it makes a good kick to the start of the album.

Player which is the second song on the album as well as the album title, is actually long and repetitive. I wouldn't say I hated this track, but I will say it wasn't my favorite.

I wish You is nice, and very chill track. I absolutely love Toshiko's vocals in this. She sounds so mature!

Hands down one the of best tracks on Capsule's PLAYER album has to be, The Music I absolutely love EVERYTHING about this song! It's perfect all around, the lyrics, the synths, the vocals it's the real deal!
You will not be able to NOT dance when you hear this song!

Factory reminds me a lot of Player, I absolutely love the production of this song, But what on earth were the vocals for.. they pretty much suck.. and really don't need to be included in this track, but again,, the actual beat/music is nice!

I was Wrong This is a SUPER SUPER low key ambient lounge song...Most will say they hate it, but me? I actually loved it. It's a nice little break in the album, and I love the vocals! Now I can say this really doesn't sound like the kind of songs capsule puts out, however it's not a bad thing. I don't care what you say,I was Wrong is pretty solid for me and def. another one of my favorites.

Can I Have A Word goes back to Nakata's usual material, but unlike Stay with You, this one stands out from the rest. The synths and beats are super addictive, and the song is very catchy.

What do you want to do is another The Music,. It's one of the heaviest tracks in the album, just like The Music. Like The Music this song has explosive beats and synths.

Hello is catchy and well, I thought it should have been at the beginning of the album.

When I first heard Love or Lies when it was released as a digital single in the LIAR GAME version. I absolutely adored it from the first listen and this last track is a nice closing to an awesome album.

Overall PLAYER turned out to be an excellent album! Nakata took his experimentation to a whole new level. Nakata really put on work into this album and the hard work shows. I'm impressed and have had this album playing on repeat on my itouch for awhile now!

Top 3 Favorite Songs
The Music
Love or Lies
I was Wrong

Looking for a good time? Check out NYC's very own LOVE HOTEL

2010-02-17T01:37:00.011-05:00

Met up with a fellow Japan nut the other day and we got to talking about our passions for Japan as well as how easy it is to find Japanese related events, and stores right here in the city. We then got to naming things that could ONLY be found in Japan no matter how cultural NYC may be. I named the infamous Love Hotels that can be found in various places in Japan, and to my surprise my friend proved me wrong and let me in on the location of a Love Hotel right here in NYC.

A Love Hotel can best be described, as a type of short-stay hotel found in Japan that is created and run for the purpose of allowing couples privacy to have sex.

I guess Japan's idea for a place for quick, or not so quick interludes, caught on and so if one was looking for a place to take that special,or random someone for some afternoon delight right here in New York City, they could head right on over to the LIBERTY INN. It's located all the way on the west side of the city right next to the Hudson on 10th Avenue,and markets itself as “your rendezvous for romance.”

This place has it all, A discreet yet convenient location, mirrored ceilings, padded headboards, and lobby vending machines that sells condoms for every size!

The normal rates for Liberty Inn are $180 before 11pm; $150 after 11pm; two hours, $60; three hours, $70. Hot tubs are yours for an additional $15. The website points out that all the rooms have six channels of free porn, and wide-screen TVs What more could you need!

Now I've never been to any love hotels while my two stays in Japan, so I'm not sure how one here would measure up to one found in Japan, but hey both serve their purpose of providing a place to have a "fun time"

I was shocked upon further research that there are quite a few places for a cheap ’n’ discreet time in the city as well as the other burros. You can read more on that in this TIME OUT NEW YORK article titled, The best no-tell motels in New York City

All in all I guess the idea of Love Hotels are all over the place nit just Japan. You won't know about them as well in some areas but where there is a need for them, they exist.

For the Love of Ramen(Ramen Setagaya)

2010-01-25T03:20:00.020-05:00

Anyone that knows me, KNOWS...KNOWS that I have a weakness and love for Ramen. Check out my first post on trying ramen out in NYC here..
One of the things I love most about New York is the diversity in food. I can find almost anything here in the city where it would be impossible back home in Akron Ohio. Knowing I can find ramen here has prompted me to try and taste as many different bowls of ramen from as many different places in NYC as I can. This leads me to this post where I'll be sharing my experience at a Ramen place in the East Village called, Ramen Setagaya

East Village/St. Marks place, is well known for their many Asian restaurants. When I first visited NYC back in 2006 this area was one of my first destinations for Japanese food, and I wasn't disappointed with the food I had there. I had often walked past Ramen Setagaya, stopped , and took a look at their menu, but never actually entered until this past week. I had already been to almost every other restaurant in the area and felt it was time for me to try the Ramen here. It was an overall good experience.

Just like the many Japanese restaurants around, it was small, cozy, and well-decorated on the inside. They even have a TV overhead with Japanese programing playing while you eat! When I went however, I sat in front of the huge window so I could people watch :-p Service was great as well! My server came to check on me quite a bit and they were fast about getting my meal out!

The menu though is pretty simple, consisting of only several types of ramen, gyoza, and some other appetizers. Humm about the ramen itself... well, Setagaya appears to specialize in salt ramen, one of my favorite types of ramen, although I ended up ordering the syo-yu ramen ($10 for just the soup but $14 for a set (aka combo) in which you can order curry rice, gyoza or some meat dish).

Setagaya's noodles are perfect in texture, thicker then what I've had in the past, and they give you good quantity for the price. The noodles had to have been my favorite part of the meal! The grilled pork slices were good and not overly fatty but they did give me fairly thin slices. My ramen also included boiled eggs, some bamboo shoots, and nori. The Soup, which to me seasons and texturizes everything else that's in the bowl, was just alright. I know I've had better soup as this one lacked richness and complexity. I will say the greasiness of the broth was turn off for me. I've only been here once, so I'm not sure if it's always so oily but this bowl had a ton!

Just to make sure that I had the full experience I ordered ordered the pan fried Gyoza which were nothing special just the run of the mill type filled with a mixture of chicken and pork.

OVERALL,It is pretty good, but not top-tier level. I will go back to try some of the other items on the menu! I think it's not at good as other places I've tried but it's great if you are in that area and are super hungry, or if you can't get into Ippudo because of the wait!

Here is the info for those in the NYC area looking to try out their ramen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ramen Setagaya

Neighborhood: East Village
34-A St Marks Place
New York, NY 10003
(212) 387-7959
www.setaga-ya.com

New Year, New Music

2010-01-22T13:20:00.004-05:00

Not a huge post for today. I actually have a few exciting posts in the works for 2010! I know I am due for some more postings since I have been M.I.A due to work and personal issues.

Well there has been a great deal of new music for 2010 in the Japanese Music scene. I'm loving what I'm hearing so far and today I'm sharing a new single from BoA featuring one of my favorites in JR&B, Miura Daichi [三浦大知]. The song is called, Possibility, and the beat is amazing! I think I enjoy BoA more when she tackles more smooth R&B tracks rather than her pop material. Have a listen and Enjoy!

Tis the season.. (Music Edition)

2009-12-13T00:05:00.010-05:00

So it's been some time since I've updated 日本ーSuki. Believe me, I have wanted to get back into the blogging groove, but the past few months have been nothing but work work and more work. Although now that we are in the holiday season, I promised myself that I would come back to the site and start posting. I have quite a bit, but why not start with the music. So I'll be bringing you posts on some great holiday music coming out of Japan. Therhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife are quite a few artists that are creating Winter, themed singles, and albums. I'll call it "Tis the season Music Edition!"

FIRST UP an interesting listen to our beloved Disney songs, taken and remixed giving them a new R&B flavor. The album is called Mellow Disney ～R&B Revisited～

Overall, Mellow Disney ～R&B Revisited～ takes your favorite Disney songs and give them an R&B makeover, all sung by your favorite Japanese R&B artists including May J. , MIHIRO , Hirai Ken, DAICHI MIURA, and others.

There are 12 tracks on the CD and out of the 12 my favorites were, (in no real order)

Part of Your World [The Little Mermaid] - May J.
Can You Feel the Love Tonight [The Lion King] -MIHIRO ～マイロ～
When You Wish Upon a Star [Pinocchio]- Hirai Ken
When She Loved Me [Toy Story 2] - 三浦大知
(this song is my favorite on the entire CD. Smooth music and vocals by DAICHI MIURA)

With Colors of the Wind [Pocahontas] - Sweep , I was waiting for T-pain to jump in and start singing with the Autotune going on.. anyway The beat is something that has been done before , but it was still enjoyable. Vocals by R&B crooner Sweep were pretty good.
I've always liked his voice, but sometimes his style doesn't work with the song created, However, he pulled this song off.

You can go ahead and skip Someday [The Bells of Notre Dame] sung by 有坂美香. The tune is great, and calm.. but it's a waste with the vocals, as they really are hurtful to the ears. She starts off alright, but in the middle of the song, it sounds as if the artist is dying.. It really makes the song painful, but hey I never said all the songs on the CD were winners....

Here are some sample track from the album :

If you are a Disney fan I would highly suggest buying this album. Most of the remixes, are nicely put together, and not so overdone that it looses it's magical Disney quality we know oh so well. I found myself remember the movie as the songs played through and found myself grooving in my seat.
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Artist: ディズニー

ALBUM: Mellow Disney ～R&B Revisited～

Genre: R&B

Date: 2009-12-9

Description
ディズニーカヴァーALBUMのヒットシリーズにR&Bカヴァーが登場!! R&Bの「歌唱力」、そして「聴かせる」という魅力とディズニーが誇る色褪せる事のない誰もが知るメロディーが融合したメロウALBUM!! JCBドリームプロジェクトCMにも使用された青山テルマ「いつか王子様が」、東方神起「ホール?ニュー?ワールド」の有名DJによるRemix、その他R&B シーンで活躍するアーティストが参加!! クリスマスも近いこの時期にピッタリ!!

Tracklist

1 A Whole New World (DJ KAORI REMIX) [Aladdin] 東方神起
2 Part of Your World [The Little Mermaid] May J.
3 When You Wish Upon a Star [Pinocchio] 平井堅
4 Reflection [Mulan] 古内東子
5 When She Loved Me [Toy Story 2] 三浦大知
6 Go the Distance [Hercules] YOUNGSHIM
7 A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes [Cinderella] CHIHIRO
8 Colors of the Wind [Pocahontas] Sweep
9 Beauty and the Beast [Beauty and the Beast] COMA-CHI
10 Can You Feel the Love Tonight [The Lion King] MIHIRO ～マイロ～
11 Someday [The Bells of Notre Dame] 有坂美香
12 Some Day My Prince Will Come [Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs] 青山テルマ

EVENT ALERT:[NYC EVENT] Vital Signals Japanese & American Video Art from the 1960s & ‘70s

2009-11-04T13:20:00.004-05:00

Picture form the Japan Society Website.

If you are in the NYC area, and enjoy Japan related programs and events,then I suggest you check out the Japan Society. They always have interesting, and entertaining events several times a month, and on Saturday, November 14 there will be a media event held called Vital Signals Japanese & American Video Art from the 1960s & ‘70s

Vital Signals, a program of early video art from America and Japan.
It will highlight the significant parallel developments in these countries during the 1960s and ‘70s. The three-part screening program brings together rarely screened and seminal video art works, and includes a special discussion with artist Takahiko Iimura and American video artist Mary Lucier.

More information and ticket info, can be found on the Japan Society website. Please take a look if you have an interest, and have the time to attend!

[EVENT ALERT] The New York Botanical Garden Presents: Kiku in the Japanese Autumn Garden

2009-10-21T21:50:00.007-04:00

picture from the The New York Botanical Garden

Now, I've never actually been to the The New York Botanical Garden, but now is the perfect time seeing how the nice weather has resurfaced for awhile. The Botanical Garden is also holding a wonderful fall treat...Kiku in the Japanese Autumn Garden

Another huge reason to go and see this Japanese Garden while the weather is nice, is that this will be the third and final year of the Botanical Garden’s presentation of kiku which is Japanese for chrysanthemum! Kiku in the Japanese Autum Garden will run from October 17th through November 15th.

To give you an idea of what this event is all about, PLEASE take a look at the following video that takes you through Kiku in the Japanese Autum Garden

So not only is there the gardens to tour, but you also can attend various classes about gardening as well as the tradition of Japanese Garden plants. There will also be entertainment performances to watch as well. I'm not going to miss this event and well, if you are in the NY area you should make a plan to attend yourself!

For a more in depth look at the garden and ticket information, PLEASE visit the The New York Botanical Garden website found HERE

See you at the gardens!

My Oricon Charts pick of the week!

2009-10-17T00:29:00.010-04:00

For those of you out there that haven't a clue as to what Oricon is...
The Oricon Charts can be described as the Japanese version of the American Billboard Charts. Oricon represents the official statistics of the singles sold in Japan. Here are my pics on this weeks charts!

So I had quite a few favorites this week,
My first pic is by YUI. She actually topped the charts at #1 with her song
It's All Too Much Here have a look,

She sings, plays the acoustic guitar, and writes her own songs. Two of her songs, "LIFE" and "Rolling Star," are featured in Bleach, a Japanese anime series, which has brought her some international attention. She released another song called "Again" and is currently used as an opening theme to the new series of Fullmetal Alchemist.

The Next song is by a group called UNICORN　（ユニコーン). They are a Japanese rock band formed in 1986. The band split up in 1992 but returned in 2009 with their hit single "Wao!" The song is called 半世紀少年 Hanseiki Shonen On the Oricon Charts they ranked #3

Next song is called Shunkashuto by HILCRHYME,
ranking number 6 on the charts! This is my first time listening to this artist. I had no idea who HILCRHYME was, but after hearing this song, I'm going to find more music! Ahh making rap sound more relaxing! ^^

One of my all time favorite groups dropped to # 8 on the charts, but I'm still loving this song!! Yell by Ikimonogakari !!! I love her voice and well.. just listen for yourself.

ikimono-gakari (いきものがかり) is a Japanese rock band.The band was formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in February 1999 by Hotaka Yamashita and Yoshiki Mizuno, and was later joined by lead vocalist Kiyoe Yoshioka in December the same year.

Number 11 on the charts goes to the song Endless Road by DEEP....although wait.. aren't they the same guys from the group COLORS? Turns out they changed their name to DEEP,maybe a new direction but this songs sounds like their previous stuff.. anyway I liked it so here you are!

Fuyu Love by Juliet made it to # 13 on the charts. I'm not thrilled with this one, but I found myself humming it later after listening. That has to mean something right? ^^
Well personally, I find this song much better than their first single called Natsu Love

[PV]Juliet - フユラブ
by vivace520

Another favorite artist of mine is Jun Shibata. Her new song is called Love Letter, and this week it was at #14. I couldn't find a full video of her song but here is just a clip. I'll post a better one once I either post one myself or find another!

For those that are into Visual Kei bands. (I will admit I have a few songs on my ipod that I jam to ^^) My next song is called Chimes by the group Megamasso. This song is #16 on the charts.

Megamasso (メガマソ) is an indies Visual-Kei band, started by Ryouhei the former leader and guitarist of Ayabie. They have a fun filled experimental sound that mixes a lot of punk and upbeat poprock songs.

Ok my las vid is one that was on the charts for a bit, but this week it's at #24
Candy Girl by Mika Nakashima. I think I like it because it doesn't sound like her type of songs, in my opinion. Anyway when I first picked up her single, I was instantly drawn to this song. I really like this style. Keep surprising me Mika!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Actually I lied.. I have another vid that I really liked.
Kimi No Shiranai Monogatari by Supercell. This song is the ending to the anime
Bakemonogatari I haven't seen it but maybe I'll check it out. Plus, I think both the song and PV are very sweet!

Supercell consists of ryo (composer/arranger) and nagi (vocalist).

ALRIGHT! I'm finished with my pics for this week. Hope you enjoy the selection
and if you want anymore information about any of the artists in this post, please feel free to leave me a comment! ^^

Prepare to be moved, while watching Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

2009-10-03T16:13:00.002-04:00

I have been off my anime high for quite some time now, and those of you who do read my blog from time to time, may remember a post I made of an anime titled Pandora Hearts a few months ago. If you don't remember this one then by all means have a look at this post here, as I do think it's an anime worth watching.

I've recently started watching anime again and I have to say the show I picked up on has been one of the best anime choices since me watching Cowboy Bebop!
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

STORY:
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 gives us the story involving the possibility of an earthquake of magnitude 7 or greater striking the Tokyo area. The story revolves around Mirai, a middle school freshman girl who goes to Tokyo's artificial Odaiba Island for a robot exhibition with her brother Yutaka at the start of summer vacation. As they are enjoying themselves,a sudden and powerful tremor emanates from an ocean trench, causing everything around them to crumble and the landscape of Tokyo changes in an instant. With the help of a motorcycle delivery woman named Mari who they meet on Odaiba, Mirai and Yutaka embark on a joruney to head home to their loved ones in western Tokyo, while trying to survive on the way.

The writers of Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 really put a lot of thought,and conducted a great deal of research to make this anime seem as REAL as one could be. I think this is also a factor as to why I continued to watch this series. At first I thought to myself at how yet another story is set in a "post-apocalyptic Japan" The idea of a disaster based series just wasn’t winning me over, but I stuck with it and found that Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 has nothing fantasy about it. No giant Mecha trying to save and or destroy the world. It's just a raw natural earthquake that rocks Japan The emotions are as real as they could be and I actually find myself sitting here and thinking "what the hell would I do if this actually happened to me" I don't do that with most anime as most are fantasy based and I can't relate to anything on a real life level. Actually the earthquake seems quite secondary to everything else going on and the actual characters, story and development.

The familial relationships, innocence, and resentment all struck pretty deep and I’m more attached to both characters after watching the first three episodes. I think though that anyone watching could and will relate to these children, Why? because we all were like them once in our lives, and watching their journey, feeling their emotions, they all bring us back to when we were their ages. I quickly found myself relating to Mirai and her irritations towards herself, her ordinary circumstances and of course her family! I don't want to give too much away to those that haven't had the chance to watch this anime but I haven't been this emotionally into an anime in awhile and I love those moments! This is a MUST WATCH!

OVERALL CLOSING THOUGHTS:

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is an anime that was beautifully researched, exquisitely written, and contained fine dramatic technique and splendid artwork! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you to give this show a try and stick with it through all 11 episodes! Not for the weak-hearted though as this show really bares Japan's soul, and confronts the fear of what could happen in a disastrous situation. If you want a show that will have you thinking even after it's finished, where you have a hard time letting go of the characters and emotions, this anime is for you! I hope everyone enjoys and is moved by Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

[CONTEST ALERT] EDUFIRE WINER !!!!!

2009-09-26T17:32:00.033-04:00

ALL RIGHT EVERYONE!
If you remember just a few weeks ago there was a large multi-blog contest going on withing the Japan Blogging community where several bloggers were giving away one superpass monthly membership! Well I am here to announce that my own contest is over and I would like to announce the winner...

Just as a reminder, Edufire is a website where users from all over the world can log on and take part in live learning of any subject they so desire! For this contest, the idea was to post your favorite Japanese word and then use it in a sentence. I would then look over all entries and pick the winner. The winner would then receive a 1 month subscription to SuperPass on eduFire

I'll keep this short but overall there were 6 entries to the site. (Not bad for my first contest though :-p ) The one I liked the most was from .....

SARAH!!!
and her favorite word was あたたかい which means warm. Her sentence was, :

「暖かい冬がほしいです…」

I like this word as well, I remembered a time when a friend of mine and I were trying to do some tongue twisters with this word. But more importantly, I like this word because I too want a somewhat warm winter.. nothing HOT. I totally understand you Sarah. I'm from Ohio and winters there are HORRID!!

Well congrats to you Sarah, and for those that did not win. FEAR NOT, head on over to edufire and sort through some of the classes. They do have some beginner Japanese classes that are free and if you like them by all means enjoy and maybe check out some of the other classes that aren't free!

Also I'm thinking of doing another contest to give away some Japanese music, so stay tuned to hear more on that! :-)

Date an Asian Man

2009-09-17T00:08:00.002-04:00

I love finding random things that make me laugh but this one I had to share as I do have a thing for Asian men :-p

Go ahead girls,Date an Asian Man...LOL Watch this video and see what I'm talking about

The Frog Princess Release date in Japan

2009-09-11T16:41:00.005-04:00

At the end of this year, Walt Disney Animation Studios will be releasing the 49th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics. The Princess and the Frog,is also the first 2D-animated film by Disney since 2004's Home on the Range. Here is the preview

At first I wasn't to thrilled about this story because new Orleans doesn't have a princess, and if they were trying to connect with the African American community why not do a story from Africa? After thinking about it though I guess it's fine as they are connecting with the culture and life of New Orleans. Still I'm not sure how well Disney's first black princess will do come opening day.

SPEAKING OF opening day I was checking out the official website found HERE and it says that there will be a limited release in NY & LA on November 25, and then Worldwide release on December 11th. So worldwide means well, worldwide right? well WRONG! turns out this movie will not be hitting Japanese theaters!! My current favorite youtube blogger, Alafia (intro2the1) made a video about the Japan release date for The Princess and the Frog. Take a look.

She makes a great point about the reason WHY there wouldn't be a showing, and that maybe the African American culture and ideas, may not come across too well for the Japanese. Although I have seen that Japanese do like the hip-hop culture which carries an essence of African American culture. (That, though is an entirely different discussion that I would love to get into in another post)

UPDATE: Turns out though there may yet be a date for Japan set for the frog princess. Alafia says that the release date is in the process of being decided. SO well we just have to wait and see!

[EVENT ALERT] post theater heavenly BENTO

2009-09-10T02:37:00.006-04:00

From the Berlin-based international artist collective post theater, founded by the inventive team of Japanese media artist Hiroko Tanahashi and director Max Schumacher, comes an interactive performance that melds live generated projections, dance, text and real food, captivating all five senses...Titled, heavenly BENTO

*As seen on the Japan Society Website*

From the look of it,heavenly BENTO looks to be one of the most interesting and innovtive preformaces that one could see. It is an interactive performance that is based on the epic journey of the founders of Sony Corporation, Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka, and their dream of forming an internationally successful consumer electronics company! The performance takes place on a raised stage that also functions as a projection surface. Please take a look at a few scenes from the heavenly BENTO preformance.

If you are in NYC hen I highly suggest taking time to see this unique and innovative performance. I'll be sure to attend one of the dates as well! This is just one of MANYfall events the Japan Society are puttingon so get ready for more!

You can Buy Tickets Online or call the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 715-1258.

U.S. Premiere:
Thursday, September 17, 7:30 PM
Friday, September 18, 7:30 PM
Saturday, September 19, 7:30 PM

[CONTEST ALERT] NOW IS THE TIME to start using Edufire for your Japanese Learning!

2009-09-08T16:55:00.009-04:00

Are you tired of the self study gig? Is it just not working for you, or is it just a bit frustrating? I know sometimes I miss my classroom setting but hate being stuck in a single room for an hour. Well If you like learning Japanese with other people and with an awesome teacher, but don't want to be stuck in a crampy classroom or you just don't want to leave home, then I have the PERFECT solution. It's called Edufire, and NOW IS THE TIME, to take advantage of the super awesome learning resource/website as I am giving away one superpass monthly membership

BUT WAIT,WHAT IS EDUFIRE?

In short,Edufire is a website where users from all over the world can log on and take part in live learning of any subject they so desire! You have full control of what you want to learn, at what times, and which teacher you would like to teach you. Best part is that you don't even have to worry about leaving home, as all you need to do is log in and find your class! It's absolutely free to sign up so go on and visit the site and see what classes they have to offer!

COOL BUT WHAT IS THIS SUPERPASS THING ABOUT?

A SuperPass subscription will allow you to gain access to unlimited live online teachers, at anytime you feel is convenient for you!

* SuperPass is $29 a month (or less than $1 a day)

* $1 one week trial

* With a membership, you get access to unlimited live online teachers.

* In class, you can interact with your teachers / classmates. There are PowerPoint
presentations, whiteboarding, note-sharing, polling, and more.

* Hundreds of SuperPass classes, thousands of teachers, tens of thousands of
students / peers.

* SuperPass is like an "all you can eat buffet for your brain"

* SuperPass is convenient, higher quality (because students rate and review all
the teachers, so you can choose the best teachers available in the world), and
live.

* For the shy folk: You don't necessarily need to have a webcam / microphone, a
lot of people just join classes to watch.

You don't even have to use this for learning Japanese! If you have a passion in any subject or field, NOW is the chance for you to win a months superpass and begin your learning journey in an amazing community with all the help you could ever want! RIGHT NOW there is a great promotion to promote it’s superpass monthly membership and as reported before, I was given the chance to give 1 and only 1 superpass monthly membership!

To win a month subscription to SuperPass on eduFire all you have to do is....

#1. Comment back on THIS POST
With your FAVORITE JAPANESE WORD and then use it in a creative and funny sentence

*now this sentence does not have to be in japanese and you can write it in either English or Japanese (kanji or no kanji, and even in romanji is fine!)*

* If you do write it in Japanese please also include the translation!*

#2.For a greater chance to win Please feel free to tweet out to your followers with a tweet that includes, a Link back to THIS POST, and your favorite Japanese word
You don't have to twitter as I will pick the most creative sentence out of all entries and then post the winner here on my site, but it does help with your chances if you tweet as well ;-)

****************All entries will close at midnight Wednesday September 23, 2009. (Eastern Standard Time)*********************

I hope you all have fun with this and hope to make may first contest a success!
じゃまたね〜

Pictures from Japan...well Second Life Japan

2009-09-01T00:26:00.000-04:00

So once again I ask the question some may not want to hear.... "Who out there uses Second Life?" I won't go into what second life is as I have already discussed that in my previous SL post found HERE

Second Life is an online 3D interactive virtual reality program in which everything you see is almost entirely built and influenced by the people who use it. 'In world', you use a highly-customizable avatar to explore the thousands of places to visit, build and interact with the world and other users.

I have recently gotten back into using it and they have made some serious graphics updates. So here are a few pictures of Japan influenced places you can find using second life.

If you are interested in Second Life, please feel free to visit the official website HERE It's free to join! :-D

じゃまたね〜

More Resources for the Japanese Student (Listening Links)

2009-08-28T15:55:00.000-04:00

In my first post on Japanese Resources, I listed various links by category for beginners and then moving to the more advanced. If you missed all the study links then PLEASE by all means have a look at the post HEREI'm sure there is something there that would help you out! In this post I will continue but THIS TIME my focus is only on the Japanese listener and link to useful listing tools.

I had a list of links for listening. Most of them were actually podcasts. They were also, mostly lessons for speaking Japanese. This time I have found other podcasts, but they don't focus on teaching. These are more audio books than actual guides to lean Japanese. I find that listening to audio books and children stories is a great help with my listening skills. Yes I may not know what they are talking about but that's the joy in ti. I love listening to them over and over and picking up new vocab and grammer. Lately Ive been listening to children's stories over and over. Most of the stories are ones I know such as, Little Red Riding Hood, and Beauty and the Beast, but it's one thing to listen to them in English and then in Japanese. Ok enough of the heavy text, I'll just get to the links for you guys... These are the links to the websites but they are all found on youtube as well for podasts.

Japanese Classical Literature at Bedtime-
This was the first collection of stories I found. They range from children stories to Adult literature. Unlike the reg. children stories were the speaker changes their voice, the speaker for this site doesn't but she is very nice and clam when reading each story. Also a feature is that you can find e-texts or transcripts of each reading on the site if you just click the ‘Continue reading’ link below mp3 files. use the site of again find her on itunes for podcasts! OH OH OH and this site does have audio for the great novle The Tale of Genji You can find them here if you are so inclined to listen to them. The Tale of Genji audiobooks

ふぁんた時間ポッドキャスト-
If you are not ready for Classical Literature or reg. books in Japanese, then why not try listening to some good ol children stories! ふぁんた時間 has both website and podcast on itunes and contains a TON of stories targeted at children. The site is in Japanese and does contain the transcripts of each reading as well. If you can't download the stories from the site then I highly recommend going to itunes and getting them that way (oh and IT'S FREE)

雷鳥社オーディオ文庫-
This is another all japanese story site I found while searching itunes. I would highle suggest using this only on itunes as some of the links on the homepage only work for windows( so rry mac people) I like this one because it has RADIO DRAMAS! One I'm listening to now can be seen in the screen shot called, DECORDERS. Again head on over to itunes and check it out!

This list is FAR FROM OVER, but this is just a few to start you out on. I will make more lists as Igo :-) I hope this has helped some of you with listening! Try to listen to them at bedtime ir even leave them on while you sleep. That's what I do ;-)
That’s all for now .. back to work for me! じゃまた！＾＾

[EVENT ALERT] BAMcinématek features The Films of Hirokazu Kore-eda

2009-08-17T22:33:00.000-04:00

Hirokazu Kore-eda has built an astounding body of fictional work by meshing the sensitive approach of his early documentaries to his narratives, imbuing them with a humanism unsurpassed in modern cinema. His lyrical films offer profound explorations of memory and loss with an observational style devoid of sentimentality. BAMcinématek is proud to present the director’s first New York retrospective, including rare television work. All films in Japanese with English subtitles.

*Found on the BAMcinématek website*

When I first read the name Hirokazu Kore-eda I had to do a search on google. I knew I had seen/heard the name before but it wasn't until I saw the titles of some of his movies that I realized who he was.

Anyone remember seeing a movie titled, Nobody Knows (Dare Mo Shiranai)? Please have a look at the trailer below,

I first saw this movie while in College when the film department was showing a series of Japanese films. I recall that although this was based on a true story, my first reaction was that it was a bit too long.. I recently saw this again a little bit aog and felt that it tells a touching story (still too long) and was a bit sad but still enjoyable.

I was very surprised to hear that NYC would have all of Hirokazu Kore-eda's movies, and be showing them at their BAM Rose Cinemas. Below are the list of movies with the dates. If you would like further info on each title, please click the movie title to go to it's page for more info.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Repertory, Cinema Q&As
Still Walking (Aruitemo Aruitemo)
Q&A with Hirokazu Kore-eda
Fri, Aug 21 at 7pm

Repertory, Cinema Q&As
Nobody Knows (Dare Mo Shiranai)
Q&A with Hirokazu Kore-eda following 6pm screening
Sat, Aug 22 at 3, 6, 9:30pm

Repertory
Distance
Sun, Aug 23 at 3, 6, 9pm

Repertory
Hana (Hana Yori Mo Naho)
Mon, Aug 24 at 6:50, 9:30pm

Repertory
Maborosi (Maboroshi No Hikari)
Tue, Aug 25 at 4:30, 6:50, 9:15pm

Repertory
After Life (Wandäfuru Raifu)
Fri, Aug 28 at 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30pm

Repertory
Without Memory(FREE MOVIE!!!)
Mon, Aug 31 at 9:15pm

Repertory
August Without Him (Kare No Ina Hachigatsu Ga)
Mon, Aug 31 at 7pm

Repertory
Two Documentaries by Kore-eda
Tue, Sept 1 at 7pm

I hope those of you in the NYC area are able to attend. If you are let me know which movie you went to see or which is your favorite. Comment or feel free to e-mail me @ maryagb@gmail.com ;-)

じゃまたな〜

[EVENT ALERT] Student Anime Film Screening & Discussion with Anime Scriptwriter Dai Sato

2009-08-17T16:09:00.000-04:00

If you are an anime fan, please keep Saturday, August 22, 2 PM open as the Japan Society is sponsering an anime event.

View short animation films created by 25 high school students participating in A*NI*ME: Japanese Animation Production; A summer Immersion Workshop for High School Students which started Monday, August 10 and runs through Saturday, August 22. The workshop was taught by Dai Sato, Japan’s leading anime scriptwriter and co-instructors Aaron Hughes and Ru Kuwahata, both professional animators.

Along with the screenings there will also be an interactive discussion between the students and Dai Sato both parts of this event are open to the public, so if you are curious head on over!

Doors open at 1:30 pm, space is limited and admission is first-come first-served as long as seats are available.

For more information, please call (212) 715-1203.

My favorite Resources for Learning Japanese

2009-08-06T15:03:00.000-04:00

For every Japan enthusiast blogger, there comes a time when one must write up an entry about learning Japanese. Well I have written one already but I don't think I had one totally devoted to resources I use when studying. For awhile I've had friends e-mail, facebook me about what I use to study and what would be good for starting out. I thought about it and I actually have quite a collection of resources! Some I've found on my own, and others I've found through my fellow Japanese students on Twitter and even some through the Japan blogging community. Here I will attempt to categorize them and list some of the sources I use from time to time. I hope these help some of you out there wishing to take the first steps into Japanese, and for those of you that are already learning, I hope these links come in handy for you as well!

Let me start by saying that I started studying Japanese by watching Dramas and Anime. It was a great first step as it got my ears acquainted to the sound of the language. I then got to college and formally took classes for two years. After, I took a summer and went to Japan to study in Nagoya. (I have to say going to the country and being forced to speak in Japanese really helped me learn new words and understandings for the language.) I then came back and took one more year of Japanese in college before giving it up to graduate and start working. I am on on a self-study Journey as I have forgotten a lot of what I learned in the past.

STARTING OUT

If you seriously want to being your own Self-Study journey into Japanese, I would suggest going to the All JAPANESE ALL THE TIME website. It's a good starting point with an outline of study and various tools and tips.

For beginners starting out, I highly suggest going to:

http://smart.fm/ (This site is what I use now for vocab and kanji.. I think though it's better for vocab, and even gives you sentences)
and
http://nihongoup.com/

I would also suggest getting yourself an SRS (“spaced repetition system”)in order to learn (or at least help you learn) kanji.

My favorite is ANKIIt's like virtual flashcards and really does help with retaining the Kanji. Use this in conjunction with the Remember the Kanji method and site.

Learn Useful Japanese on your iPhone / iTouch

One podcast that I found to be very useful for beginners is HUMAN JAPANESEIt gives you a nice background into the language, then starts off with easy lessons with quizes at the end of each. This app reads like an ordinary text, but I found it enjoyable and helpful when reviewing.

Here are pictures from another good Iphone Itouch app.

I use this all the time when I need to look up a phrase real quick, but I guess one could use this for sentences to put in anki(although maybe not since translation is already there) in any case, I like using this app and
You can get it at this page :thejapanesepage.com

If you like other apps such as these My friend over at JapanNewbie has a page dedicated to some pretty useful Japanese centered apps. Please visit here: http://www.japannewbie.com/iphone-apps/

PODCASTS

I'm a HUGE fan of learning through listening, and GOD BLESS THE IPOD.. and the various podcasts that exist. I have searched and found SO MANY different ones centered on teaching Japanese. Here are some of the ones I use.

(You will have to go to the app store and place the names in the search )

Japanesepod101- Most people should know this famous podcast! It's not only a pdcast though but also a great site full of transcripts from every podcast as well as tools to help you understand and remember what you are learning. (there is a fee to become a full member, BUT the podcasts are free to download!)

(JAPANCAST.NET)Japanese with Paul and Hitomi Griswold-I found this through itunes, but they also have a webpage that works alongside their podcasts. This married couple teaches you Japanese with the use of anime and movies. I think this is another good podcast for beginners, but if you are not into the otaku thing and anime feel of learning then Japanesepod101 might be for you instead.

Learn Japanese with Beb and Alex- This one is in english mostly ( bleh) and is your typicle japanese podcast where they teach you the words and then go through them in Japanese with english explination. Give it a try.

naruhodojapan-The woman who does this podcast is def. reading from something but it's not a bad podcast. She does go into commentary that explains each word along with giving the cultural aspect of the words (when to use such n such and all that jazz) It's something to give a listen.

jedutainment- This is a very unique way to gain new vocab and listen to music at the same time. It can also make drilling vocab enjoyable. The speaker goes at a slow but steady pace that works well with the beats.

For those that are more advanced or for those that like a different approach to learning here are some podcasts for you. Im also a fan of learning Japanese IN JAPANESE. As you would have it, there are quite a few podcasts out there that are completely in Japanese FOR those that want to learn Japanese.

EnglishPod101.com- Yes this is the same as Japanesepod101, but for those wanting to learn English. I'm not so fond of this one but I do listen to this from time to time, picking through the podcasts I like. Yes they do speak English but for the most part the chatter and lessons are in Japanese.

S-J-P Study Japanese Podcast- This is more of a conversation type learning. I like listening to this although for a girl I need to be mindful of the speech because it is conducted by two guys, Andy & Mars. They cover various topics starting with a self introduction. As I mentioned before EVERY podcast is in Japanese which is great for letting your mind pick up the intonations and setting to understand what they are talking about.

japaneselingq -Another one I like listening to every now and then. This podcast is in Japanese (except the intro) and is mostly in the form of real conversations or staged situations.

learnjapanese.cocolog-nifty.com-Another ALL JAPANESE podcast for this studying Japanese.Sharpen those listening skills and see if you can understand everything he is talking about (I think you should though.. he doesn't talk real fast which I like haha) Not much to say here since there aren't many podcasts so far, but give it a look see ;-)

Japanese Listening (Advanced)-Listen to real Japanese conversation at regular speed and see what you can pick up. You can also go to the website and read the translations!

NIHONGO-JUKU A resource for students of Japanese-This is audio for intermediate and advanced students of Japanese all in Japanese. Even better is their website which provides reading material and list of new vocab. I find this VERY USEFUL for reading and retaining what I'm hearing in the podcast. If you want to beef up your listening and reading, use this site. They also have a sister site/podcast dealing with kanji which can be found HERE (next one)

Speedanki.com- This is dedicated to The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)!!! (^_^) It's another flashcard system that covers each of the 4 tests! I'm sure this should help those aiming to pass these in the future!

Noshuku Kangen Japanese-The guy here also does his lessons in Japanese but I don't find this as extensive as others. Each lesson focuses on a certain word and he tried to go into what it means and how to use it in real situations. It's basic but good for listening none the less.

CHATTING WITH OTHER JAPANESE

You can study all you want but truth is, if you don't apply what you are learning, you will have a hard time communicating to other when you go to japan or have to speak it to someone. You MUST MUST MUST get a feel for the words by actually saying them yourself.

If you live in Japan then you should have NO PROBLEM WITH THIS!
You could be like me and have friends in the states from Japan to talk to.
I ade sure to know all the Japanese exchange students when I was in college.

If you don't have anyone Japanese close by though I can see how difficult communicating could be, but you know there is ALWAYS a way.

SKYPE- Great for calling to Japan to talk to friends (and you don't have to pay a dime)
stickam.jp-This is a webcam site where you can host your own chat and communicate with a number of different people at the same time. I use this site ALOT and have met many Japanese friends as well as other students trying to learn Japanese. you can make your own chat or join in anthers chat, both typing and voice! The American version of stickam is crap so I highly suggest signing up and start talking to some Japanese people :-p

You can also make use of Twitter as well as MIXI for making new Japanese friends!

If You are into Grammar

Really, the best place for grammar studies would be,
TAE KIM's Japanese guide to Japanese grammar
Also try,
Dirty Guide to Japanese

FOR THOSE INTO READING:

If you want to go through traditional Japanese books then visit this site,
http://www.ebooksx.com/search.php?key=+JAPANESE&type=title&Submit=Search You can find many Japanese study books there for free,

some of the titles I've found there are:
REMEMBER THE KANJI
Japanese in Mangaland
Pimsleur Japanese
Japanese for Busy People

*NOTE- THESE ARE THE ACTUAL BOOK JUST IN DOWNLOADABLE FORM*

I'll have to make a new post for the audio books as that could take me awhile to list.
I hope this helps some of those starting out. This is by no means a complete list of resources, as there are many other resources and ways to study out there. These are just some of the ones I've come across and use! Also I've made other posts with other tools to use in your studies. Please see my learning Japanese section on my main page ^_^

Drunken Tiger makes a COMEBACK! -welcome back Tiger JK!

2009-08-04T01:24:00.000-04:00

Getting stright to the point here, Korean show SBS Inkigayo aired a comeback by my favorite Korean Rapper and legend Tiger JK! Drunken Tiger made a comeback with guest rappers Bizzy and Paloaltoon the music contest show. Please continue reading to watch Drunken Tiger preform his new song "Monster"

Okay critique time...

On the first watch...Imma need for him to have a better intro THIS is sounding a little like DMX. where did he go? Jail? I think I need glasses,the camera isn't focusing right,.... DID THEY JUST CENSOR OUT A PART FROM 0:58 TO 1:00?!?! LOVE IT IF THEY DID!? All is good and well, but his backup hype boys are whack..what are they doing.. no really WHAT ARE THEY DOING?! It took me up ... to 2:31 to notice that he has aluminum bling around his neck.......*SIGHS* okay this song and video is whack. As I read over what I just wrote I'm pretty much hating all over the place, however Drunken Tiger is keeping his mysteriousness alive with him wearing that hat so low that I cant see his face. Therefore, the video, well, Tiger JK has received a B+ with a strong sarang heyo.

STILL,
nothing beats my all time favorite Drunken Tiger song "Convince Store" feat. Baby T/Tasha.. When I saw this video I was in LOVE WITH Tiger JK.. I mean there was something about him looking so rough and dirty in his unkempt shirt.. and crazy hair... yeah I will always love this song and him in it! ;-)

Crystal Kay - After Love -First Boyfriend- PV

2009-08-04T00:50:00.001-04:00

Not much to say here folks, Crystal Kay is my favorite artist in Japan, and she has just released her new PV for her new single titled, - After Love -First Boyfriend-. When first looking at this video I instantly thought of that Rhianna video she did with Ne-yo, where Rhi was in the bedroom getting all dressed and doing her thing while Ne-yo was making his way to the apartment. It had THAT type of feel to it I think. I feel CK has really grown as an artist over the years and she finally seems more of an adult now than she did before.

Anyway take a look and hope you enjoy!