Blog News:

Sorry for the inactiveness. I was extremely busy with certain art projects and deadlines, I was overwhelmed. I hope to return to constant blogging, which I hope remains an impetus for your constant reading. :>

Article of Interest:
Heavy Starry Chain - Tommy heavenly6 (music post)

I’m totally pulling an Akira. Or dheu. Or some other huge music fan.

The amazing Tomoko Kawase. How would you describe her? Whether she’s leading brilliant green, or going solo as either Tommy february6 or Tommy heavenly6, she’s got just as much talent as any other J-Pop act out there.

Recently remaining under her rock persona of Tommy heavenly6, Kawase is releasing her fourth solo album (and second under heavenly6) titled as “Heavy Starry Heavenly“. The album, to be released March 7th, is currently promoting a new single. The single, “Heavy Starry Chain“, is a rock-anthem that brings my liking of her new music to higher hights, and gives me hope for the future of heavenly6’s music (I’m such a hardcore february6 fan).

The video introduces a new look, one I quite flatter:
Watch the video.

Download the song here. I will delete this link in 5 days.

Blog news:

No article of interest today. I just got back from a trip to the mountains, which was lovely, thank you. Hopefully by Friday I’ll have an article up. I have a few ideas, but we’ll see what happens.

-P

Blog News:

In order to keep my blog nice and organized, I’ve decided to seperate each article into sections (sorry Kurie! Didn’t mean to rip-off your idea, but with my colons, I’m maintaining a bit of my integrity). The “Blog News” will, obviously, be about this blog and its happenings and changes. The first order of business will be announcing my blog scheduling. JDIB (heh) will be updated each Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. I will attempt to update it each of the mentioned days, which might be a bit tough for moi, seeing as I occasionally have nothing - gasp - to say.

Main Article of Interest
Growing of Popularity for J-Horror (as well as K-Horror/C-Horror/etc.)

Driving down the usual route from dance practice has resulted in my constant passing of the Video Warehouse. Just today, I had my delight of seeing “The Grudge 2 - Rent Now!!!” in the window. Naturally, I had the urge to see if the uncut was any better than the PG-13 theatre-friendly version. I must take time to say it wasn’t an atrocious film, but much rather a let-down. The director and genius behind the popular & original Japanese series Ju-On (as well as the American remakes “The Grudge” and “The Grudge 2“), Takashi Shimizu, could’ve done so much more with what he already had to work with. Hopefully the final part of the American trilogy, supposedly to be out in 2008, will scare my ass off enough to please me.

The bottom-line is that America has been eating out of the hands of east Asia’s (primarily Japan, China, and South Korea) creatively creepy hands. This “new brand” of scary is tapping into far more emotions than the generic Western slasher film. It really all started with “The Ring“, remake of the enourmously popular “Ringu“. Films like “The Grudge” and “Dark Water” have also recieved some attention, and we in the USA can expect remakes of other popular Asian films including “The Eye” (2007/starring Jessica Alba), “Premonition” (2007/starring Sandra Bullock), and “Tale of Two Sisters” (production for a remake began in 2004, but has been delayed).

Is this a good or bad thing? That variable will remain in the hands of the remakes’ directors. How will they translate the genre of Asian horror into something marketable and attractive? We shall see in the coming years.

Pachi’s take?
Being a seasoned fan of horror in all of its various forms, there’s something that constantly attracts me to view more and more J-Horror. I’ve seen the bad of the bad, as well as the good (Marebiro, anyone?). Honestly, I’ve never seen a J-Horror film and thought it was wretched (at least, not yet. Any recommendations?). Something intriguing can always be found beneath the layers of darkness and Dollar Store make-up.

I wish I could say the same for the remakes. The Ring, although well-made, paled in comparison to Ringu. Avoid the Ring 2. The Grudge series can be fairly better. Honestly, the best remake thus far would have to be Dark Water; Jennifer Connelly portrayed a mother facing trauma perfectly.

Asia Extreme
If you’d like to jump on the wagon of popularized Asian horror, then I highly recommend a weekly program to you. The Sundance Channel, every Sunday at midnight, features an Asian horror film. This program, Asia Extreme, is highly entertaining, and I guarentee you’ll begin staying up late just for it. A new movie every week; this sunday, you can expect Marebito, an amazing film directed by our very own Takashi Shimizu! Enjoy, and let me know your opinions.

As the reign of the “supermodel era” comes to a screeching end at the hands of big-headed actresses and pop musicians, we are honestly wondering what new idols will fill the gaps that the icons of old left. When you think of Australia, you think of Gemma Ward (as well as her many clones) and Miranda Kerr. Germany has Julia Stegner, and Russia has Vlada Roslyakova. Brazil has sported many bombshells, including the current highest paid supermodel in the world, Miss Gisele Bündchen.

So what does this have to do with Japan?  

Japan has had its tiny share of exotic beauties who’ve graced the covers of the worlds’ biggest fashion magazines, such as Vogue and ELLE. Though a great deal of Japanese “models” are either AV actresses or women known for abnormally large breasts, the Land of the Rising Sun has an exclusive breed of unique, individualistic beauties. Today, I bring your attention to two of these women.

Ai Tominaga

Ai Tominaga is one of the most prominent models coming from Japan. With her statuesque presence and delicate complexion, Tominaga has appeared on the covers of Vogue in six different countries. She’s walked in shows for designers including Gucci, Michael Kors, Alexander McQueen, Valentino, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Tominaga has also attempted acting, playing the role of Silene in Hiroyuki Nasu’s Debiruman (2004). She remains one of Japan’s biggest models, and has even produced her own brand (known as “DSE” - ‘deep sweet easy’).

Jenny Shimizu

Model and actress Jenny Shimizu gained fame after she was discovered by Calvin Klein while she was reportedly riding her motorcycle. She became a star when she posed for Klein’s “CK One” ads, and immediately became a sensation. Her edgy and androgynous looks inspired the fashion geniuses, and she dominated runways around the globe.

Shimizu is also known for being openly lesbian. She’s allegedly had lengthy sexual affairs with Angelina Jolie and Madonna. Jolie has admitted to the affairs, and once commented in an interview with Barbara Walters that she ”fell in love with her the first time I saw her”. In a poll for The Pink Paper, a gay UK magazine, Shimizu was voted the sexiest woman alive.

So seriously, you can probably tell. My first two articles were basically for fun, just something I wanted to get out. I just so happen to be a obsessed dedicated No Doubt/Gwen Stefani fan, and I find the Harajuku Girls anything but racist. Instead, they bring another reason to love contemporary Japanese culture into the spotlight. But, let’s carry on (I may possibly do something on the actual girls later - they are all pretty interesting).

I’m terribly bored. My life has taken a slight halt. But I can tell it’s possibly going to pick up real fast. I’m anticipating the Gwen tickets for her show, which will be totally exciting. I’m trying to get front-row tickets. Also, I’ll get to see Lady Sovereign (whaaaat!) and Akon, which is a treat. I may also go see Wicked. Yes, I’m the #1 biggest Wicked fangirl you will ever meet. I have henna mehndi tattoo paste cooling right now, so I plan to dazzle myself later.

Alright, enough with my personal life. I just feel like I have plenty of time to watch some ANIME. Hooray.

Speaking of anime, my favourite is Nana. If you haven’t checked it out, then do. I’ve got so many episodes left to watch, but I’ve read plenty of the manga; they run almost exactly at the same speed! What a delight!

Listening to Imogen Heap right now. Sorry, that seemed important enough to type. >.>

Just in case you didn’t know, I’m the unofficial official Nihon Review recruiter! I’m looking for new sites and members to join, so if you’d like to reach a hand into a nice direction, please do so. Getting the Nihon Review forums active is my life’s mission now. =]

Alright then, I’m really tired. Blogging sure takes a ton of energy… I plan to catch up on some Nana, so that I can blog on each episode (which sounds like loads of fun). Maybe next time I’ll chat a bit on J-horror, a true passion of mine (or Asian horror in general; it’s all so damn good). Until then, peace muthaz.

A wittle image of love (and because she just won’t leave):

(that’s what I’d be like right now if I weren’t sleepy… bummer)

-P

The seventh track on Love.Angel.Music.Baby was a song entitled “Harajuku Girls”. This poppy-dance piece was dedicated to the girls of the Harajuku area, as well as Stefani’s back-up dancers. The song was performed numero uno on the tour, serving as the opening track from the popular album. This video, provided by the Harajuku Lovers DVD, shows the Girls and Gwen in action.

The lyrics to the song are as follows:

Harajuku Girls - Love.Angel.Music.Baby

Wa mono - there’s me, there’s you (hoko-ten)
In a pedestrian paradise
Where the catwalk got its claws (meow)
A subculture in a kaleidoscope of fashion
Prowl the streets of Harajuku (irasshaimase)
Super lovers, tell me where you got yours
(at the super lovers store)
Yoji Yamamoto, I’m hanging with the locals
Where the catwalk got its claws, all you fashion know-it-alls
With your underground malls in the world of Harajuku
Putting on a show, when you dress up in your clothes
Wild hair color and cell phones
Your accessories are dead onHarajuku Girls you got the wicked style
I like the way that you are, I am your biggest fan
Harajuku Girls you got the wicked style
I like the way that you are, I am your biggest fan

[to be continued…]

(As a side note, the line “The language of your clothing is something to encounter” is spoken in Engrish. For more on the Engrish phenomenon, check out this thread over @ the Nihon Review)

Just what is a “Harajuku Girl”?

Not that, eh? Or is it?

There most likely isn’t any particular definition. Most likely just “a girl that takes excitement in cosplay and expressing herself through second-hand clothes and designer goods”. Yeah, that is most likely what a Harajuku Girl is. But with the exposure of this underground culture in the United States - yes, you know that I’m referring to American singer/songwriter Gwen Stefani and her debut solo album, Love.Angel.Music.Baby - many are beginning to question what the hell a “Harajuku Girl” is.

Stefani’s album (selling more than 7 million copies worldwide) was greeted with her entourage of four dancers, all Japanese. They were doned names (Love, Angel, Music, and Baby - a reference to the album’s significant title) and paraded around Stefani, dressed in unique fashions not familiar to most American fans. They were simply a part of Stefani’s “imagination”, her fantasies (these are most likely the statements leading to some enraged Asians, claiming Stefani was reinforcing stereotypes of Asian whom. Along the complainers were comedian Margaret Cho and journalist Mihi Ahn).

The obsession with this stylish culture that Tokyo harbours in its area around Harajuku Station possibly began when Stefani’s group, the Grammy Award-winning No Doubt, visited Japan sometime in the early 2003-2004. Stefani was totally inspired by the freedom and liberal dress code most of the pedestrians in Harajuku showcased; she most likely saw similarities with the freedom of the dance/pop/80’s sound that she was going for in her debut solo album. Soon, they were with her non-stop. Four talented, Asian dancers that would become the spotlight in Stefani’s glamourous music videos, onstage during her solo Harajuku Lovers tour, and during public appearences.

[to be continued…]

It is the infamous one. Pachinko the Fashion Whore.

I’m guessing it is about time you met the Anime Whore.

Just why am I blogging? And on what? The reason is simple; 1) blogging is naturally a fun way to communicate with others, & 2) The Nihon Review calls for it. And, I can’t exactly say I’m active on many anime sites. Is it because I’m not a fan. Noooo, that’s not it at all. Let’s just say it takes much more brainpower to discuss anime then it does, let’s say, Madonna.

My bad. That was perfect timing. :]

Except, this blog is not centered on her, so don’t fret (well, perhaps I’ll do a wittle mention of her in the J-Music section, her in Tokyo on the Confessions Tour. And just so you are aware, her infamous shirt worn during her Japanese shows this year reading “Japanese Do It Better” is infact an tie to my site’s title. Couldn’t resist).

 I will be blogging on the wonders of anime, and what I know best (J-Style). I am an avid music fan, so you’ll get my marvelous two-cents every now and then. <3 So, please, sit still and STFU. It’s going to be a bumby ride.

From your mistress with love,
-Pachinko xoxo