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Goodbye Miho-chan

March 12, 2016, 7:24 pm
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Yesterday was Miho-chan's last day at Hotaru. It was a sad day but at least I made it for the last two days.

Funny thing is, when I told her I was coming she said:
それがですね、12日土曜日でほたる最後なんです！


which basically says 12th of March is the last day. The thing about Japanese is that the object is omitted a lot and I read it as Hotaru's last day.

Her next line after my wtf response was about changing jobs but I attributed that to Hotaru closing. At least my stupidity made a good story. I saw Matsu Takako in a play last night but Miho takes precedence. Oh well, I'm going to have to drown my sorrows in yakiniku tonight.

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Gekirin at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater

March 14, 2016, 3:12 am
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The timing for my trip was made up when I saw the poster for Gekirin during my last one. The line up of Matsu Takako, Eita, Abe Sadao and Inoue Mao is to die for. I wanted to go for the Mano Erina concert in January but the tickets were double what I paid for this trip.

Unfortunately for me, Gekirin is one hell or a confusing play. Eita is a telegram messenger who becomes a diver after he meets Matsu Takako, who is a mermaid.

Inoue Mao is the daughter of this aquarium owner who believes in the existence of mermaids. Eita is able to see this big warship on the horizon that nobody an see and Inoue Mao says that's because he has good eyesight. I think he is able to see the past/future because he is involved in some scenes/hallucinations where I do not that when it is taking place.

Abe is the security guard who becomes a diver and finally the captain of a submarine in WW2.

There's a story about Matsu Takako failing the audition to be a fake mermaid for the meseum, the origins of mermaids and the meaning of gekirin which is how they get to live forever.

It ends with WW2, everyone joIning the the submarine crew and the submarine shooting torpedoes with humans in it and being pushed by mermaids.

After the final torpedo is fired with Eita and being pushed by Matsu Takako, the Emperor's surrender can be heard.

Its supposed to make some sense because the audience loved it and I heard some sniffing. The show is moving to Osaka next so I hope Yuka watches it so she can explain the story to me.

No more super artistic plays with super long sentences and people speaking at 100 words per minute. I just want modern comedies with regular Japanese like Better Half which I really regret not watching a second time. I think the Nodamap plays make their way to youtube. Gekirin is Nodamap's 20th production.

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Ryu ga Gotoku x Sweets Paradise at Okachimachi Pasta Paradiso

March 15, 2016, 1:40 am
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I was planning to go to Butayarou in Nakano but luckily checked tabalog and found out it was closed. Off I went to Okachimachi to eat some Ryu ga Gotoku food.

There was this girl next to me and before long we were talking Ryu ga Gotoku. That's a picture of us with our coaster and stickers.

Turns out she had come down from Aichi to visit the store.

And unfortunately is going back by bus tonight. I should have said I was going to Nagoya but that would entail cancelling on some people.

She doesn't have a PS4 and played the games on her oniichan's PS3. My heart skipped a beat when she used the word oniichan. Lucky bastard.

Unfortunately she had a previous engagement but at least we managed to exchange LINE accounts to talk more Ryu ga Gotoku.

Haruka-chan was very sweet.

Very happy the Sega gods allowed me to meet another Ryu ga Gotoku fan. :)
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Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu -Sotsugyou-

March 17, 2016, 2:32 pm
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I had absolutely no expectations for this Hashimoto Kanna vehicle. Can't even remember anything from the Nagasawa Masami series.

There are two good things about this new iteration of Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu; first is Kinpachi sensei as Kanna's no.1 underling and source of humour.

Second is Hasegawa Hiroshi as the badass guy from the rival yakuza group who Kanna has the hots for. I'm pretty sure he did the movie just so for the kissing scene. Still it was fun seeing him playing the strong quiet type after going through a wole gamut of emotions in Love & Peace.

One more interesting thing is there were a couple of long one shot scenes.

The biggest problem with the movie is Kanna's character, the sailor fuku girl. She's basically given the reins of a small time 3 man yakuza group who doesn't make any smart decisions or aim her machinegun at anybody. Everyone else fights, kills and dies for her.

Probably the second worst thing is the movie is 20 minutes way too long. If you're movie is going to be crap, it should be as painless as possible. Most importantly, can Hashimoto Kanna act? Meh.
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Good luck Yuka-chan!

March 19, 2016, 11:12 am
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Yuka-chan is quitting Air's Clover and moving to Tokyo next month to pursue her acting dream. There were problems with her agent in Osaka and she's giving herself one year in Tokyo. Hopefully I'll see her in a play in Shimokita one day. We promised to meet up in Tokyo next time I'm there.

Air's Clover just isn't the same without Megumi and Yukimi and now Yuka is going to be gone. :( The new girls are ok and Kaori now runs the place but there's nothing like catching up with people who have known you for at least 5 years.

I like Megumi's bar Hakushe but it doesn't have karaoke. Big day tomorrow with Nipponbashi Street Festa and dinner with Yukimi.
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Legend of Galactic Heroes Yang WenLi Jacket

March 19, 2016, 11:18 pm
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Finally after releasing stars and patches, Cospa has finally released Admiral Yang's jacket!

Costing a huge 32000 yen, this thing burnt a whole in my wallet. I was worried to take my time because LoGH is not famous and the XL jackets might run out quick.

I already spent this huge amount of money and Cospa couldn't even include a freaking patch. Wtf. I've got to buy it separately? I feel so ripped off.
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Nipponbashi Street Festa 2016 Part 1

March 20, 2016, 1:23 am
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Maybe favourite picture.





















The girl in blue is S class kawaii.



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Nipponbashi Street Festival 2016 Part 2

March 20, 2016, 5:53 pm
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Boku dake ga inai machi movie review

March 21, 2016, 8:33 am
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Fujiwara Tatsuya and current it girl Arimura Kasumi in a movie about going back in time to solve a string of murders. I am going to get sick of Arimura Kasumi soon unless she starts playing different characters.

The first half is very exciting. I like that Fujiwara Tatsuya can't control his powers and things will keep rewinding until he solves the danger. The time travel to his childhood is fun because its about an adult in a child's body trying to stop a crime.

Then the second half happened and the overuse of time travel made me start to wonder how to explain certain things like the bridge scene.

The obvious villain turned out to be obvious and the ending had me thinking why the main character was so stupid instead of being moved.

I really hope the original manga is a lot better. Started out nice and turned out meh.
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Haretsu Eps 1-3

January 26, 2016, 6:53 am
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Haretsu is a very interesting jdorama. I thought it would be just another Pandora clone; doctor opens pandora's box by finding a way to make failing hearts younger or work again and we have a moral ending. 


Our main character is a lot more complicated character than your usual Pandora characters. He is an ambitious and perfectionist researcher whose motto is 'you become a true doctor after killing 3 patients'. He is also being sued for medical negligence which makes me worried about a karmic ending. His first human test subject ends up being his father who he hates and he finds out that the treatment might have a side effect.


On the other side, we have the Machiavelli of the National Lifestyle Ministry(?). Now this guy has interesting ideas on how to deal with Japan's aging population. He's the bad guy but there is truth in what he believes in. As someone says in episode 3, medical technology has advanced to the stage where we just keep non-functioning people alive and it is a burden on the country.


Haretsu could possibly be a non WOWOW must watch show or it could go the Pandora route and just be safe and boring. Why I haven't gone though all 7 episodes in one shot is that Haretsu's Japanese is very difficult. I bloody hate all the super long medical terms that actors say really fast. Shout out to Magboro for retiming the Japanese subs. I would not be able to watch Haretsu without them. So far so good and its nice to see a show where the main character is not really a nice person.
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A Boy and his Beast / Bakemono no Ko review

March 7, 2016, 5:02 am
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Studio Ghibli may be gone but good thing Japan still has Hosoda Mamoru, the director or The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars. I still haven't watched Wolf Children yet. A Boy and his Beast is a very familiar tale and we've seen parts of it in so many movies.

A boy is raised by a rough and tumble beast, Kumatetsu and they both find that they have things to teach each other such as finding your own path in life, what it means to be a parent, it takes a village to raise a kid and all those warm and fuzzy things. Boy meets girl and is torn between the real world and the Beast Kingdom and has to deal with the darkness in his heart.

The thing that makes A Boy and his Beast special is that it has heart. The stuff that makes Ghibli movies special and being a family movie, its an allegory for growing up.

Even when characters explain their emotions a bit too obviously, I'm ok with it because its a kids film and there are no long drawn out teen angst dialogues. The animation is exquisite and I love how detailed the fighting scenes are.

The best compliment I can give A Boy and his Beast is that I have the same reaction to it as Ghibli classics like Kiki's Delivery Service: I wish I had watched it as a kid. The magic of anime is still alive and well. Must watch.
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Kateinai Soushitsu at Honda Gekijou

March 23, 2016, 12:19 am
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From watching Matso Takako to Koizumi Kyoko, Kateinai Soushitsu is my second play for thia trip. Koizumi Kyoko is as gorgeous as ever though the people at Hatora said that Kyonkyon recently had her plastic surgery redone.

Kyonkyon plays the stepmother in this play and the daughter has returned home after having troubles with her significant other. The father assigns his juniour to gather intel on his daughter and the soushitsu part refers to the father's best friend who pretends to disappear so he can see how his wife reacts without him.

I was this close to Kyonkyon.

I'm sure there's some thematic link but I didn't care cause the pacing was slow and took too freaking long to establish the characters. Plus me knee was hurting from taking low angle pics during Nipponbashi Festa.

Not all plays should be two hours if the pacing can keep out. It was fun to see Kyonkyon in person and some familiar faces but the pacing spoiled it for me. Meh.

There's a play with Fukatsu Eri and Ito Ayumi going on right now but bout it lookslike its going to be hard to understand.

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Actor Takuji Kameoka review

March 23, 2016, 4:11 pm
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When I first saw the trailer during my last trip, I knew I had to watch this. A movie featuring two usually supporting actors about an actor who plays bit parts? Sounds about right for me. I tought I had missed my chance but Theater Shinjuku is doing a limited rerelease along with 100 yen no Koi.

The movie starts with a bang. An ikemen actor is shooting a death scene and Kameoka is just a background actor in said acene. Ikemen actor trashes a lot before dying and director has Kameoka show him how to die quickly.

Another funny scene has Kameoka acting in a hostess club scene with a pure amature and the decided to change the fake alcohol into real alcohol to cope with the situation.

Boxing glove from Ando Sakura's
100 yen love.

I'm loving Kameoka until halfway, eager to call this a must watch and then the story starts getting more 'artistic' or abstract especially with the stage story before finally getting back on track at the end where he is asked what is the secret of acting.

The writer should have kept the broad comedy going instead of going a bit artsy. Its still a watchable dark comedy but I wished the story had more momentum in the middle. Watchable.
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Hatsune Miku Daiba de Diva X

March 24, 2016, 9:42 am
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March 24 is a big day. Not only is Project Diva X out, its also the release day of Dark Souls 3 and Dead or Alive Extreme 3.

Starting on the 24 March at Sega Joypolis in Odaiba.

I wish I had time to take the rides.


Igiari! Objection! I need to replay the first game in Japanese.


Mikudayo!!!!!!



Some fans brought stuff for Mikudayo to take pictures with.

The one sucky thing was that the live concert was just Project Diva PVs instead of live Hatsune Miku concerts. Made me regret not going for the concert in Fukuoka.




That is not me.



Hotaru's mama treated me to sushi. Bloody expensive when its not kaiten sushi.

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Nippombashi Street Festa 2016 Part 3

March 25, 2016, 6:53 pm
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Japan loot 2016

March 27, 2016, 5:56 pm
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Just the regular versions. I did drink a lot of Hakushu 12 and Yamazaki 12 in Osaka but I don't think I'll be able to tell the difference.

Dak Souls 3 with map and soundtrack.

Might double dip and get the PS4 version as well.

Project Diva X with special cover from Softmap.
and banner.

Couldn't decide between the PS4 or Vita version.

Playing Setsuna made me long to revisit this classic.

Got the Vita verson to support Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna.

Ryu ga Gotoku 10 years anniversary book.
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Ittou's charshiu kyoku noukou niboshi tsukemen in Shin Koiwa

March 29, 2016, 8:41 am
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To me, Fuunji in Shinjuku was like the top 9f the tsukemen food chain. I could not imagine a better tasting tsukemen, until I went to the new Ittou branch in Shin Koiwa.

Ittou is famous for its fish based tsukemen which is good but not worth the one hour wait. With the new shop, I haven't really encountered any queues the 4 times I went there during this trip.

I noticed something different in the menu. チャッシュ極濃厚煮干しつけ麺。The name translates to charsiu extremely thick, dried sardine tsukemen.

And it tastes as good as it looks. Super creamy soup and three layer pork that is do die for.

The standard protion is a bit too little but the larger portion chuu 中 is a just right. You need to get an extra ticket to upsize. I do not recommend the largest portion 大盛り unless you want to feel super bloated. I recommend getting the normal portion with karaage or gyoza as a side dish the soup got cold towards the end of eating the middle portion.

You can find the map here. There are two Ittous in Shin Koiwa so you want to go to the one south of the station. Its only a few minutes walk and my favourite drinking estalishment Hotaru is nearby.
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Otousan to yobasete kudasai

April 1, 2016, 5:40 am
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I need to take a break from posting Japan pictures because it just makes my depression even worse. Anyway, the best thing that Otousan to yobasete kudasai was going for it is the cast. Endo Kenichi and Watabe Atsuro could have easily swapped roles (I would have loved to see a body swap episode. Imagine Watabe Atsuro in Endo Kenichi's body trying to be an asshole to his daughter to make them break up) and I would always give anything that Renbutsu Misako did a try.

However the writing is very, very pedestrian. There are some very funny moments but having watched so many family problem jdoramas, Otousan to yobasete kudasai just feels so derivative. There were a lot of times I kept thinking how much better Tamura Masakazu's Oyaji is.

I watched until the end for the talent but the writing just makes it forgettable. If you like the talent involved like I do, no harm watching but don't expect anything special. Meh.
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Naomi to Kanako Eps 7-10

April 3, 2016, 12:31 pm
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I rather enjoyed the first half of this matricide jdorama, the second half where the cover up starts unravelling, not so much. The tension isn't there, and the director tries way too hard to manufacture it. For example, the scene with the old lady togather Hirosue Ryoko and the investigators. Anyone with a brain knew it was way to early for things to go wrong yet the show keeps doing long dramatic pauses everytime the old lady is asked to remember something.

I really lost patience with the body double coming back to Japan story. I hate really stupid characters doing things just for plot purposes. I was hoping it would lead to some interesting storyline development but the second half its pretty much straightforward and boring. Another meh show. Now I need to figure out what to watch next and I need something that's really, really good.
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Futabasou no Yujin

April 5, 2016, 7:06 am
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Winner of the 8th WOWOW screenplay grand prix 2016 according to jadefrost, Futabasou no Yujin is about a couple played by Ichihara Hayato and Usuda Asami who move into a semi detached house.

They becomes friends with their neighbour who lives next door by herself while her husband is away and Hayato starts seeing a ghost in the house.

Hayato and the ghost are unable to speak with each other but can communicate by signing and writing so Japanese reading is required to watch this but not necessarily.

Hayato quits his job and Asami is promoted and given a lot of work thus putting pressure on their relationship.

Whoever Usuda Asami's agent is, he/she does a good job of getting her good roles.

I won't spoil the story but its kind of a typical ghost story but I like the execution, especially with the acting and the ghost bits are fun to watch and the 2 hours flew by very fast.

Futabasou no Yujin straddles the line between very watchable and must watch and I do not hesitate to recommend it. You can easily find it by googling Futabasou no Yujin SP2016 720p HDTV x265-ER. Very watchable and deserves to be subbed.
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