“Grease” Musical Stars Mikitty and Toma Ikuta

The hit Broadway musical “Grease” is being performed in Tokyo later this year, and it was announced on Friday that rising actor Toma Ikuta is playing the lead part of Danny Zuko. His supporting cast includes Sayaka Kanda as his girlfriend Sandy, former Morning Musume member Miki Fujimoto as the Pink Ladies leader Rizzo, and Musical Academy member Tomoyuki Yara as Kenickie.

The production opens at the Aoyama Theatre on October 20 and will finish up in Osaka during November.

From tokyograph.

Mmmm, Toma Ikuta. Toma seems to pretty have his hands full this year with Maou, Hana Kimi SP, and now this musical. I’m actually not surprised he got the role. But hrmm, Toma as Danny. I’ll just have to wait and see. I hope he dyes his hair black.

So the Mikitty is starring in a new musical…too bad it’s not Yossie. Think Yossie in leather. Oh wow. Not to mention, I would love to see Toma and Yossie in some kind of soccer/futsal duel with Mikitty as the goalkeeper.

Cut— two minutes in the game, Toma inches towards the ball but is cut off by Yossie’s fucking awesome futsal skills. She dribbles the ball towards the other end, with 5 minutes down, suddenly picking up more speed. Toma lags behind, takes out his water bottle and concentrates on Yossie’s mighty fine ass dribbling skillz and suddenly feels reassured he is not a homo.

Mmm, right this entry is about the upcoming Grease musical…

I dunno, I don’t really like this duo. Mikitty with Toma definitely seems like an awkward choice. She’s a bit overpowering, I just think Yossie would somehow fit into Toma’s arms. I dunno.

Toma Ikuta to Star Alongside Satoshi Ohno In A New Drama

Arashi leader Satoshi Ohno has finally been given a regular role in a drama series. He will co-star with rising actor Toma Ikuta in the TBS series “Maou,” premiering this July.

“Maou” is a remake of the 2007 Korean suspense drama “The Devil” (“Mawang”). In this version, Ohno plays a lawyer seeking revenge against the killer of his relatives. For the role, he has cut his hair and dyed it black. Meanwhile, Ikuta has been cast as a detective investigating a mysterious series of murders.

Filming is scheduled to start at the end of this month. The show will air on Fridays at 10:00pm.

My Thoughts

I checked tokyograph today and this is what I get. Satoshi Ohno, I don’t really care much about Ohno other than his gay affairs with Nino and that he’s in Arashi…

Toma Ikuta! Toma was such a sweetie “homo janai” in Hana Kimi and I instantly few in love with him. However, when I realized he was never going to debut, or be a regular JE boy coupled for fangirls, I was really disappointed…I was convinced he would disappear from the entertainment industry altogether, well gradually, of course.

But, wow. Toma. Despite the fact he may probably never debut and never gets what deserves as JE junior, he’s making a splash in dramas. This is indeed good news.

Last Friends Ep 1-3

I’ve noticed how inconsistent it is to just post an overall review of dramas and films, so therefore I’m just going to review it through smaller posts.=P

My first impression of this drama was “Oh god, not another Masami cheery dopey-eyed sore of a production.” This is was in fact one of the reasons why I avoided watching Proposal Daisukasen and seeing Yamapi sudden engrish outbursts of “Chance Hallelujah.” Yamapi is an adorable fella, though lately he looks he could break any minute.
What kind of feelings would you have if Ryo waited outside your home everyday?

Last friends starts off with Masami talking about things I don’t recall and then my mind starts to wander. I liked her in “Crying Out In The Centre of the World”, I really don’t understand why I’m so against her in dramas. Probably, due to the very reason that she plays redundant ‘cute girl’ characters which bores me to no ends. I get enough of that from H!P.

Seeing Ueno Juri is a refreshing change. She’s able to play the role of ‘half-hearted airhead’ in Nodame Cantabile and yet Juri-chan could overtake the screen in her brilliant performance as the dirtbike racer-tomboy-esque. Two starks contrasts which only commends what a wonderful actress she has become. I’m really looking forward to seeing her in dramas.
I love your shirt Juri-Chan.=P
What confused me in about episode 2 was how Eita would leave the room after viewing Heath Ledger making out with a random blond. It is really intriguing, but perhaps, is he really gay? Not that I mind, because this would only fuel my strange imagination. But in about episode 3, the phone call with the housewife really confused me. So okay, he’s not gay…so what was the nature of the relationship with the housewife? Wiki tells me it’s about sex. But if I’m still very confused, I hope episode 4 would clear any confusion that I have.
Eita walks on on the Heath Ledger Movie. Nice hair Eita!

I adore Mizukawa Asami in this dorama, aside from superkakkoi Yossie Juri-Chan, she really stands out to me. I love how graceful, sophisticated she seems to look. Yet at the same time, she’s rowdy, loud and coarse.

For some reason, I’m not entirely fazed by Ryo here. Maybe it’s just due to sole reason I’m fangirling over him recently, so I can’t hate him. Sure, I despise his goddamn ugly character but Ryo still stands to me as the half-brother of Takeshi Kaneshiro. Except, he’s not half Taiwanese, which is find with me because I could care less. Ryo really is good at his job. Tall, lanky, dark and handsome, he typifies the “Byronic Hero” (oops literature reference) most girls love to gush over. And semified is no exception. However, I’m reviewing Last Friends, so I shall not get off-topic.

One of the things that stood out to me was how the writers wanted to portray DV (domestic violence). I’ve seen this happen to a few people I know and yet I still cannot understand why the victims cannot get out of the relationship beforehand. If there’s no kid, its okay to leave, isn’t it?

That’s what I had in mind, but in turn relationships are complicated and I’ve always been one to avoid it. However, no matter how complicated a relationship seems to be, in no way possible should one party dominate the relationship by making the other party feel neither lost nor forced to sacrifice both things and people close to them. And when I mean this, I specifically refer to the male. Yes, I’m a sexist, but that’s just how I work. Females should be cherished and in no way should they be forced to sacrifice things they don’t want to or to be beaten up when a single asshole of a man was having a bad day at the ol’ office.

It’s revolting how sexist males are, specifically Asian males and this pretty much describes the nature of the relationship between Masami and Ryo in this drama. In fact, I actually garnered some pity for her character, but at the same time I was annoyed at how weak-spirited she was. If she’s not having a swell time in the relationship, why can’t she just tell him “game over?” Too bad Masami wasn’t a bit as she was in “Dragon Zakura” in that I could have liked her more. But I suppose she’s trying to portray how some females are in that type of DV relationship.

Hana Yori Dango Movie

The Hana Yori Dango movie will become the end finale to the hugely popularized drama adaptation of the actual manga itself. I’m pretty excited to see this seeing how Season 1 completely blew me away. Ultimately, Hana Yori Dango is one of my favourite JDramas of all-time.

The only thing that irks me was how everyone seemed to hype about Season 2 and I was just caught up in the hype, I didn’t realize how draggy of a series it was. Frankly, Season 2 was just a pain to view. I basically skimmed through the episodes, hoping to see something that was entirely appealing to me.

I’m thankful that they’re planning to make this movie. However, I’m quite worried that my expectations for the movie will not hinder my viewing of this movie.

One thing that intrigued me was how they filmed this movie in Hong Kong. Just by chance, I was thinking of travelling to Hong Kong. Perhaps, I would have been able to see them filming? Lol

Hana Yori Dango will premiere in the summer of 2008, which is coming up pretty soon. So for those who have not watched the commercial clip, here you go. See here

Just How Popular Will Hello Project Be With Today’s Kids?

With the bulk of intlwota.com concerned whether Tsunku would ever bring Hello! Project, I decided to take conduct my little own experiment. Thankfully, with very little resistance, two of my youngest sisters, aged 8 and 12 agreed to participate.

Like Morning Kuri’s sister, both of my siblings sole source of entertainment lies in the weekly Disney segments which to them is pure joy. However, you might find the results are very interesting as they are contrary to what Morning Kuri discovered.

Love’s Spell and Special Generation by Berryz Koubou
There wasn’t alot said about Berryz Koubou. Both of my sisters were neutral when I showed them them PVs. With split opinions, they argued over who was more attractive, Miyabi and Risako. Momoko was then described as somewhat unattractive.

In they end, they commented both PVs were ok, but they enjoyed C-ute much more. Even though I told them Berryz Koubou were the more visually appealing groups. They described to me how blah the group was.

Tokaikko Junjou by C-ute
Both of my sisters agreed that Maimi was the most beautous looking one. They thought she was given the nicest clothes and she really was the star of the PV. Maimai was commented how cute her voice was and Umeda was give props for how gorgeous she looked. Nonetheless, they exclaimed at how weird-looking Airi was and Saki was slightly annoying throughout the PV. Although criticised, Saki to their beliefs, had really pleasing garments.

Finally, they thought the Dance Shot version of this PV was really fab/cool and they really acknowledged how they wouldn’t mind dancing it out at school. However, what slightly bothered them was how the girls “kept popping their boobies” O_O

Generally speaking, they really enjoyed C-ute and commented how much they enjoyed watching them over Berryz Koubou. I asked for the reasoning, and they basically told me Tokaikko Junjou won them over with their catchy DDR-ness. As a result, they have been listening to it ever since I gave them a burned CD. <_<

Kanashimi Twilight by Morning Musume
Kanashimi was one of favourite PVs with Yossie, so I decided to see their response to it. They felt Yossie had the coolest outfit, rocking it out in her gorgeous tie. Sayumi’s pink schoolgirl outfit came in a close second. Niigaki was mentioned once. When the PV paused for Takahashi, both girls commented on her deep and lovely her voice was. They especially noted on how they adored how her hair was styled.

However, when they say Tanaka, they instantly shouted “I hate her.” I questioned them, and both girls angrily noted how malicious and a bully Tanaka seemed to be. As a result, they concluded how if Tanaka would ever to attend their school, she would really be the “most bitchiest bully on the playground”. BWAHAHA, Reina scares the shit out of little kids. I don’t think most kids would idolize her. Like Avril Lavigne, I’m still creeped by her.

Stangely enough, when Fujimoto was shown, they noted how gorgeous she looked with her curls. To them, they felt Fujimoto was the one ” who looked like she wants to stand out the most.” I would have thought they would comment on how Fujimoto intimidiating was, but they didn’t.

In general, they felt the PV was pretty cool, but it was bit too much touchy/feely.

Sakura Mankai by Morning Musume
Strangely enough, in this PV, they inherently told me how they disliked Takashashi. A notable difference to Kanashimi. I can’t remember clearly, but it probably has to do with her face shown at all most every second.

Yossie, once again, was give the best outfit award, for dressing in her oh-so-sweet kimono design. Kamei was give props for her lovely sweet singing voice. And once again Niigaki was mentioned. One my sisters exclaimed how sweet looking her eyes were and how she would like to be like her.

I believe Konno was also mentioned for how attractive she looked. Aibon, in their opinion, looked like someone sweet and funny, a thrill to be around with. They told me, they wouldn’t mind having her as a friend.

However, both my sisters wholeheartedly agreed on how Marippe was the one they adored the most. She just seem so gorgeous, fun and an overall sweet person. They decided they wouldn’t mind getting to know her as a buddy/mentor.

When my mother walked in my sister’s viewing of the PVs, I asked her who stood out to her the most. She replied, “Probably, the girl with the most sweet singing voice and the biggest eyes”. Marippe.

They also delighted in the scenes where the girls are asked to bite their hair/cloth/twig, my sister acknowledged at how cute it was. =D All in all, they enjoyed this PV out of all the PVs I showed them and really enjoyed their fans and group dance. To them, it was one of the most stunning PVs they had ever set eyes.

My sister is strange. Here’s one example. “When they sing, they stop blinking. When they do sing, they start blinking again.” The closeups?

Verdict
Hello! Project seems to be going the right road with C-ute considering how much my sisters adored their single. However, when I tried to show them previous C-ute pvs, they didn’t care much for them.

I don’t even know what to say about Berryz Koubou, but I like them. I really do. Although, some of their personalities kind of bore me.

Marippe. OH FRIGGING GOD. Tsunku, don’t you see what you have done? Marippe, not only appeal to kids, she’s overall parents-friendly. When I mean the parents, I refer directly to the mothers. The Kirari Revolution trading cards and the bond article intlwota.com posted long ago honestly startled me. Why can’t H!P market to the kids and their mothers as well? It would be a worthwhile investment, if you ask me.

Back to Marippe. I believe the actual reason why Marippe was given such response is because she’s just an overall role model. Even when she marketed as one the spitfires of the group, the emotional girl-circa, Marippe still retained her air of maturity. She was shoved in between the overly hyperactive twins of Mini Moni, but nothing changed her. Marippe was still Marippe. And I love that about her. Perhaps, that is the reason why both kids and parents like her. She just seems nice. Like an adventurous camp leader who can easily relate with the campers. She’s sweet with those big doleful eyes and she’s just plain awesome.

Marippe needs to join Ongaku Gatas. I would love her to shake things up a bit with Yossie and Fujimoto, if say they both joined the group. Heh, in my dreams. =o

Absolute Boyfriend Live Action

Fuji TV is adapting Yuu Watase’s shojo manga “Zettai Kareshi” (also known as “Absolute Boyfriend”) as a live-action drama series, starring Mocomichi Hayami and Saki Aibu. The six-volume manga was originally serialized in Shojo Comic and has sold more than 1.6 million books.

Aibu plays a temp worker in search of a boyfriend, and she ends up in possession of a “robot” known as Night Tenjo (Hayami), who is programmed to be the perfect boyfriend. However, this creates a love triangle with a distinguished young man at Aibu’s company (played by Hiro Mizushima) who has feelings for her.

The series will air on Tuesdays at 9:00pm, starting on April 8.

KYAHHHH. Hayami Mokomichi! Hearing his name already gives me a fangirl nosebleed. Although I hate the fact they kind of changed the character of the female lead from a regular teenage girl to OL. I’m just glad I’ll be able to see more of Hayami.

Just to show you how gorgeous Hayami is, take a lot at these pictures.

Hana Kimi SP

Last summer’s “Hanazakari no Kimitachi e” drama series is returning for a one-episode special. Starring Maki Horikita, Shun Oguri, and Toma Ikuta, the show was very popular, especially among female viewers. It averaged 17.3% ratings, with the final episode reaching 21.0%.

According to Fuji TV, the special will take place half a year after the series’ end. With Osaka Gakuen getting ready for an upcoming Valentine’s Day event, Sano (Oguri) and Nakatsu (Ikuta) reflect on the final week of their last summer vacation, which falls into the timeline of the original series between episodes 7 and 8. The special also includes a graduation scene and addresses the relationship between Mizuki (Horikita) and Sano.

Filming begins on Wednesday, but no broadcast date has been specified yet.

Cast:

• Horikita Maki as Ashiya Mizuki
• Oguri Shun as Sano Izumi
• Ikuta Toma as Nakatsu Shuichi

OOHHHH MY GOD. I don’t believe this. I will once again see the oh-so- lovable Toma Ikuta! Toma has been shafted in JE ever since Yamapi debuted. A shame, really. I was luckily able to see what a one of kind idol he was after viewing Hana Kimi last summer.

Ah, this is such good news and I definitely look forward to this Hana Kimi special. Although it’s probably just an episode, at least there’s Toma…XD I don’t bother watching his plays, considering I never understand it anyways(no subs, normally). Actually, I haven’t been supporting Toma this year at all. His Honey and Clover performance, although adorable, it just didn’t grab my attention as much as Hana Kimi did. So you can imagine how elated I am~~

Don’t frown, Toma~your debut is just around the corner. Who says you can’t ever debut at 24?

Koizora

“Koizora” is a love story that was originally published on the popular cell phone site Mahou no iRando. It was authored by new writer Mika, and is based on her own experiences. The story was released in book form last October, selling more than a million copies in its first month.

The story revolves around Mika (named after the author), who falls in love with her classmate, Hiroki, upon entering high school. But over the course of the novel, she ends up suffering through many trials, such as rape, abortion, and betrayal.

Cast:

• Aragaki Yui
• Miura Haruma

My thoughts:

Ever since I watched 14 sai no haha right after Koizora, I could always draw connections between the two widely popularized productions. And somehow, I was right. Miura starred in 14 sai no haha back in 2006, using his dark, tamed hair to compliment his studious nature.

However in Koizora, Miura prances on the silverscreen, in a dirty bleached blond colour that seems to resembles like frozen snow under the lighting. It is not as recognizable to viewers like myself who viewed Koizora RIGHT before 14 sai no haha that the two male leads are actually one person. I was flabbergasted when I realized it awhile ago.

I’m going to base my opinion on what tudou.com has showed me without subtitles. So, I’ll be honest. Koizora is kind of…shall I say, slow-paced?

Unlike 14 sai no haha, with it’s rich, inter- winded music score in the background, it still holds my attention. Koizora, however, falls under the comparison of that the new latest Matsumoto Jun movie. A silent film. Aside from the lovely ending theme done by Mr.Children, I didn’t particularly enjoy it as much as 14 sai no haha.

The relationship between Aragaki and Miura seems a bit too stereotypical to me, and it lacks any real depth, other than he was her first love and she could never allow herself to forget him. Cliched, to be exact.

Many viewers have raved over the mere concept of teen pregnancy and first love. However, it failed to bring to tears. It even failed to force me on the edge of tears as 14 sai no haha had demonstrated.

Thus, the final verdict. Once again, this is a chick flick. I’ll definitely recommend this to those who enjoy a good ol’ high school drama. However, be forewarned, it may bore you to tears.=D

Overall Acting: 8/10

Overall Movie: 7/10

Music:

Mr.Children-Tabidachi no Uta

14 sai no haha

Synopsis:Shida Mirai, the young actress of Jyou no Kyoushitsu fame, plays an average junior high school student who becomes pregnant with her lover’s child. The drama will show her gradually maturing as the circumstances around her change.

Cast

• Shida Mirai as Ichinose Miki (14)
• Tanaka Misako as Ichinose Kanako (43)
• Namase Katsuhisa as Ichinose Tadahiko (45)
• Miura Haruma as Kirino Satoshi (15)
• Muroi Shigeru as Kirino Shizuka (48)
• Yamaguchi Sayaka as Endo Kyoko (Homeroom teacher, 25)

My thoughts:

Normally I would skip dramas focused desperately on gaining viewer’s tears. But somehow 14 sai no haha was different. The music score by Mr.Children is one of the highlights of this drama. In fact, Mr.Children howling ‘darling, darling…’ at the end is what makes the episode weld together so well. It gives you such a strong, heartfelt feeling that just pulls in a whirlwind. The music is divine, that’s I’m saying.

Shida, sharply improved from her performance from Jyou, and I felt it in her presence. Her role is Jyou was exaggerated, forced, and unpolished. Why she was awarded the 46th Television Drama Academy Award for Jyou was beyond me. Shida, in all due respects, should been awarded something for her role here. In fact, her role here is so fresh and flowy that sometimes it’s hard to believe she’s only fourteen. She played her character with such ease, so wonderful. Regarding her pregnancy scenes, I enjoyed how she naturally carried her baby and how cute she looked in her maternity clothing.

On the topic of teen pregnancy, the mere concept of teen pregnancy is indeed frowned upon. However, it’s so commonplace in our modern society that I cannot fathom why people are still so upset about it. 100 years ago, it was actually normal to be pregnant at age 14. 100 years later, it’s a sin to be married and have kids unless you reached 30. Statistically, women wed after 30. So what’s changed? More rules, that’s what.

So back to the perfomances, I thoroughly enjoyed the performances of Tanaka and Namase. They both starred together in Brother Beat so it was very nostalgic to see them together once again on screen. However, unlike their comedic roles of Brother Beat, Tanaka and Namase passes as the understanding and loving parents of Shida. The family’s dynamic is so warm and tightly connected that it compliments Shida’s performance. However, Tanaka overshadows Namase, in the motherly respect. You just can’t beat a mother’s love.

Miura. I don’t have much to say about it beside how cute/weird he looks at different angles.

The little brother is an excellent actor-in the making. In one of the scenes where Shida, the moment before she is wheeled away to the hospital, he expresses his concern for his older sister by crying woefully. That scene was so beautiful, I nearly cried. NEARLY. It takes a lot to make me cry.

For some reason, I really think Shida resembles Masaa from Berryz Koubou. Anybody agree with me?

Overall Acting: 9/10

Overall Drama Rating: 8/10

Props go to Shida for a stunning performance. The best supporting award goes to Tanaka. XD

Recommendation: Yes, it’s a great drama. However, I’m not the kind person whose able to sit through 11 hours of a cryfest, so I skimmed to the most dramatic parts and watched the whole drama in 2-3 hours. I’ll definitely recommend this closet-emos…Otherwise, this is kind of too heavy to digest for the casual viewer.

A chick flick, if I do say so myself. Some music, specifically from the drama.

Mr.Children-Shirushi

Shirushi-Piano