Real Life, Net Life... Aibon Life and Idol Life

Needed to have this written down, to compose my thoughts and as a reminder to myself.

Balance. Who can find the middle ground for it?
Real life has caught up to me and I find myself in constant struggle with it ever since my change of marital status last year. Everyone wants attention from me everytime, everyone want SOMETHING from me all the time. And it is getting more and more each day. Have I bitten off more than I can chew?

Sacrifice is needed under these circumstances, but I grew tired of it. For some reason, everyone demands it of me, unwilling to make some sacrifice of their own. What have I lost during the past one year?

It was around this time last year that I greatly slowed down my writing because of the changes that comes with my marriage. Obviously, my bachelor and otaku style of living needs to change somehow. I used to spend hours without sleep on the Net, as if the Net IS my life. And it was. Modding and roleplaying my Baldur's Gate games for the n-th time was my life. Writing songs and arranging music with my guitar and Fruity Loops was my life. Manga and Anime was my life. And especially HNPH, it was my life and my life's work.

I have since pushed away many, many, many requests for help in Japanese translations of even more projects in Anime, PV and lyrics. (For those of you reading this, I apologies again.) I have since stopped reading manga and purchasing/downloading anime. I have since stopped keeping up to date with the Jpop world. I have since put my writing and blogging literally to a stop. At times, I find that I have lost my passion in whatever I have done so far and have contemplated of getting away from it all. How has this happened?

Interests have diminished for the things that I have utmost passion for. Following the developments of the entertainment scene had always excite and inspire me. What do we have so far? Wedding bells for Ayaka, Goto Maki shifting label, new songs for C-ute, Gaki-san and Ai-chan in a dorama. Yet I find no joy in things like this anymore. Started to look at the idol scene in a different and twisted way. I recount another one of my most passionate interest, in the one Kago Ai - Aibon. My love for Aibon was HUGE a few years back, even when she got caught in her famous scandals I am supportive of her. But now... I am not afraid to admit that I have not read her blog entries even once. She is not Aibon anymore, she is just .... "Kago Ai". A struggling celebrity looking for a comeback in her career, trying to find a balance between her life's challenges and making it back to the mainstream of people's minds in the entertainment scene. In a way, I can relate to her and her suicidal attempts. I have scars of my own in my left forearm to show for that. Sometimes pressure and dissapointments in life can really bring you down. But it is not about always about the people around you, rather it is your own life that you have come to despise and you wish nothing else than to put at end to it. I sympathise with Kago. She had it rough, took it hard and made it hard for herself.

However, again it is in her that I find inspiration. Certainly, the things that she has gone through in her life - broken family, pressure from work, pressure from public, the media - it must have been even harder for her, considering that she faced all that before reaching her 20th birthday.

Therefore, I see no reason I cannot do the same. After looking at her blog for the first time yesterday, I thought to myself - I shall make MY own comeback. Things that I resolved to do last year, MUST be done in this year. Don't have time? Make the time. The Merovingian seems to think it is possible. Hopefully and with luck, I will not be defeated this time.

If possible I would humbly to ask the support from all reading this post as you have supported as always. Perhaps, you may even have a chance to embark on this quest with me. Will let you all know more in due time.


Best of Love and Peace ^_^

jin
>> Read the rest of this article

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend.... I've Come to Talk To You Again...

I guess this is what happens when life happens.

Due to things that are happening in real life, HNPH has been suspended and will have to come back to this blog for the time being. I guess life is getting back at me for neglecting it in the first place. However, I shall remain optimistic and hope things turn for the better.

Writing in the old Blogger software is giving me mixed reactions, as I have grown accustomed to the Wordpress software. Other than that, reading the old posts made me realize just how much passion I have lost on the Jpop scene when I returned to real life. Don't get me wrong, real life is REAL, and is a necessity. It is finding the balance that is difficult.

The only way to get me back on track, as with my style, is to go extreme. When HNPH is to be revived, it will be totally different and much better than ever. That is what I planned, hopefully God will agree.
>> Read the rest of this article

How come, how long... Drafts in the Queue

There have been some posts that I wished I have the time to write, but always I got distracted someway or another. Here are some:

- FNS and YTV charts; 30-11-2007 (No biggie, really)

- Of Leah Dizon, AKB48, Shokotan in Kouhaku 2008; 26-11-2007 (You all know this)

- Other variations of wotagei; 20-11-2007 (Yes there are others, darn cute too)

- Yaguchi Mari denying her alleged relationship; 12-11-2007 (For those who missed it, yeah she had one scoop but not big news either, since she is not in MM anymore)

- Hello Non Pro Hour Lost Months EP01-05; 31-11-2007 (Remember the time when I was missing for months, there were 5 episodes of blog contents that was in queue to catch up on old news while I was away. But time and wife got in the way.)

- Onna ni Sacchi Are translations; 02-07-2007 (Yes I am still doing translations, but now... now i am not so confident of squeezing the free time anymore)

- Bishoujo Club 31; 29-06-2007 (Found out about them while I was looking for info on Berryz Captain Saki-chan. A very interesting alternative to MM, NGP and AKB48)

- KiraPika; 11-06-2007 (Trying to detect a plagiarism act on LuckyStar manga ^_^)

- Relationship between Sky Corp and UFW; 25-05-2007 (The agencies from Sugiura's and Tsuji's agency. There is a connection....... i think. )

- Hello! Project Idol Life and Private Life Part 1 & 2; 09-05-2007, 10-05-2007 ( This series was actually 90% finished. But I forgot now why I did not publish it. Perhaps it was too spicy for anyone to read. This series talks about boyfriends of MM girls and discusses the meaning of Dekikon (shotgun marriage). Also included are my own conspiracy theory of what happened behind closed doors. Could potentially be a novelty piece. )

- Sukeban Curse; 30-04-2007 (I did not come up with this one. But this was too funny, XD)

- Morning Musume Alpha - Onyanko Club; 23-04-2007 (Yes, I did not lie... there is a follow-up piece to the Tokyo Performance Doll article. Yet this article went unfinished due to lack of research materials. )

- Sunday Girls; 07-04-2007 (Old Jpop lovers should know them. The fate of all Japanese act that invade Taiwan with little follow-up)

- Aibon - When did Fiction become fact 29-03-2007 (One of my many Aibon articles, which I am known for. This one talks about the many versions of eyewitnesses on what went behind the curtains of that "love onsen trip". The question is of course which one of them is true. Confession excerpts come from a Aibon fan-forum.)

- Morning Musume - Asahi Shinbun Interview 25-03-2007 (Translation from a newspaper interview)

- Psychology analysis on Morning Musume's body language; 22-03-2007 (Definitely pseudo-science. For fun only.)

- Another H!P curse - Newscasters curse 22-02-2007 (Ever noticed that one by one, every newscaster/reporter of H!P mock news segments like Hello Pro Wide and Hello Pro Channel are in some sort of trouble? ^_^)

- Are the girls in H!P happy? 21-02-2007 (Ever wonder if the girls in Hello! Project are happy what they turned out to be? Would they want to be an undying idol legend like Matsuda Seiko or a ero-kawaii and sexy Koda Kumi?)

- Michishige Sayumi - Unsung Talent 11-01-2007 (An entire article dedicated to Sayu, the true epitome and definition of a pure Japanese Aidoru/Idol)


- Berry Koubou - Healing Power 09-01-2007 (I was sick at that time, and listening to Berryz made me get well faster. I'm not kidding! Therefore i wanted to write a single by single review of all Berryz singles. But once again, no time.....)

There are more of these. Any of these of any interest to anyone?

I'm banging on the idea of plucking some of the old drafts to be published once and for all. But time... time is my biggest enemy. Real life catching on you is NOT something fun. I wish there are 36 hours in an Earth day. If not I'd settle for Earth to have the same length of day as Mars (24.7 hours), cos it sucks to have Venus' length of day (eq. 243 Earth days!).


(; -_-)b Voo!
>> Read the rest of this article

About That Myth-busting Feat...

Yesterday, I published a post about busting the myth of the end of Morning Musume. However there are flaws that come with it. And the comments that came after really shows it. It's my fault, really.

Eric Kamezou: "Apologies on behalf of Jin"

Firstly, after gathering the facts and figures provided by the resourceful Gaki, I neglected to send the finished post to Gaki to proof-read and check, because I was convinced that it was fine and ready to be published. While my primary intention when editing the post was to let everyone know the emergence of the digital-sales business and that Morning Musume's CD sales of their latest single "Mikan" of 28k units should not be the measuring tape of their success, I failed to check with Gaki about certain factual details of the write-up which has resulted in some people challenging the article in the comments section, and probably mislead some readers.

I'd like to blame my health condition (I was ill with fever for 3 days), but it all boils down to being more responsible and discussing things over with your comrades before making a final decision.

Apologies in advance for causing any misunderstanding. Please continue to support Gaki and his future articles. Currently we will re-assess the digital sales modifier, and update you guys if we have any progress/results.

For my penance, I will abstain from meat today and spend the weekend reflecting on this matter. And maybe work on the blog cosmetics, those banner up there is way out-dated........


Peace (^_^)v
jin
>> Read the rest of this article

Can Morning Musume's Mikan Take the Top Spot in Oricon?

The time draws near, and the result will be out soon - Will Morning Musume's latest single "Mikan" regain their number position at the Oricon charts once again?

...... funny, I have never anticipated the charting positions like this... maybe it's because earlier today, I was worried if Momusu can even make it pass the top 10, thankfully they eventually did....

In any case, we have heard from our own side of opinion about Momusu's latest single but what about the others? Here are Momusu's main competition:

KAT-TUN - Keep the Faith This one really ROCKS! Sorry to say, but they are truly rockin' it good, and I like the song... this will be damn tough to beat. (Actually, I don't think it can be beat. Please don't stone me... )

KOH+ - KISS shite J-Rock, it's OK, but not spectacular to me.

Keishimeshi - Seinaru yoru ni / Fuyu monogatari - A Hip Hop Christmas song. With X'mas drawing close, and the PV showing lots of lovey dovey stuff, they should get some attention.

EXILE - I Believe - Another Christmas themed winter song, a feels-good-to-be-in-love song, I like this one. Notably, the lyrics is written by new vocalist Takahiro.




Personally, I think the biggest threat is EXILE and KAT-TUN. Between Christmas and a Johnny's powergroup, I don't know.... it's tough. KOH+ and Keishimeshi cannot be overlooked either. Optimistically, I hope the debut will be #3, but on the pessimist side it may be at #5. But if Momusu can beat either EXILE or KAT-TUN, it will be a good sign of things to come. Because Momusu, if not H!P in general, really needed something to make everyone overlook their scandal-plagued year.


So what do you think?
>> Read the rest of this article

Thoughts on Morning Musume latest single "Mikan"

I'm glad I came back to blogging in a good time (other than my home PC dying on me), the new Morning Musume single "Mikan" was great and the PV was awesome. The reaction of fans were even better. I'm loving this PV because honestly speaking, the last few PVs are way under-budget. So this time, it was really impressive. So now we have another concert crowd-pleasing song for the wotas to go "Oy! Oy!" while thrusting their fists in the air. (^o^)/ Oy! Oy! Oy!....

Have rewatched the older variety shows featuring the girls recently (all the way back to 2001). It's a strange but great feeling - back then the 5th gen members Takahashi Ai and Niigaki Risa were so quiet and well behaved in their rookie year, right now they are fronting the group. Time flies... *sniff sniff* (;_;)

Still, the word "mikan" was not even mentioned in the lyrics. I wonder why? Just thought I'd mention the first few things that came into my mind when I hear the title "Mikan".

1) Mikan = It's not over yet!
Given the many past unfortunate incidents that seem to plague Morning Musume members, past and present, it is not surprising for some people to think that "Their time is over". I have read worrying discussions if MM is disbanding soon.
Now, the "Mikan" single CD cover shows a birthday party of sorts, the coupling single "Bon Kyu Bon Kyu Bomb Girl" seem to signify fireworks. So what could they be celebrating?
The songwriter (presumably Tsunku) must have a hidden message for everyone -> "It's not over yet!!"

If you are a manga lover like me, you may have read the sensational manga "Shaman King". Unfortunately, due to unfavorable reader poll and budget constraints, the manga serialization has been cancelled prematurely. Obviously the manga creator Takei Hiroyuki was saddened with this decision, and he is forced to end the storyline with a hanging plot. To express his regret, he drew an orange at the last page, next to the words "Owari" (meaning "The End"). In actuality, "mikan" has a double meaning of "Incomplete". I wonder if that is the meaning of this single used "Mikan" as a play on words to express just that - "It ain't over yet!".

2) Orange = Somebody's gonna end!!
On the other hand, if you're a movie buff and is totally into movie trivias, the fruit orange has got to scare you when I mention this movie name - "The Godfather". But what does the story of a mafia cartel has got to do with the title of this single? You see, whenever an orange appears in the film, a death scene comes afterwards. See this list if you're not convinced or have not watched the film. I hear that this is a Sicilian tradition, or it could be a deliberate plot devised by the filmmakers... but this is superstitiously scary to me. Is someone else gonna be in trouble?

3) Mandarin orange = just a Japanese tradition and export goods
There are a few impressions I have when I think about Japan. The tourist impression is more or less "Sushi, Tempura, Mount Fuji, Geisha". ^_^
For me it's Tokyo Tower, onsen, sushi (of course), businessman in suits on a train, katanas/shurikens..... and boxes of oranges. Yeah oranges... I mean, don't we see that often in Japanese Doramas? You know, when they use those same boxes to collect their belongings when they are fired from a company, utilised as a make-use coffee table for bachelors squatters, girls eating oranges around a kotatsu watching TV, using the boxes for storing stuff when moving to a new apartment... etc.




Of course, after listening to the song and watching the PV my thoughts have changed somewhat. I haven't gone to the forums to see the reactions of others, but I assume that it could be similar (minus the Godfather thing, maybe ^_^) What I don't understand is the childhood pictures shown in the PV.

So either the theme of this single is childhood, birthdays wishes, hope and dreams. Or a message that Morning Musume is not going down just yet, and they are celebrating a fresh start all over again.



Peace ^_^


>> Read the rest of this article

Scandals, scandals..... What the heck is going on in Hello! Project?!

Been SO busy with work and I didn't have the time to digest the news of Tsuji's marrying Sugiura. Please take this blog post as my personal way of ranting and collecting my thoughts. Apologies in advance for any offense caused.

So here we go...

There are so many scandals going on in Hello! Project. That I can't help but wonder - what has happened? Who or what started it? Here I recount some, and only some, of the many scandals that I can recall and blog about.


Yaguchi Mari
Any news press that talk about scandals within Hello! Project will surely mention Marippe on their articles. Now, she is not only remembered for her outgoing and outspoken personality, she has become the mother of all scandals in H!P. Sure, Nacchi and Kaorin had been rumoured to have boyfriends, it wasn't as shocking as Marippe's.
I've said this before and I'll say it again - I've always thought Yaguchi Mari's scandal with Oguri Shun wasn't a coincidence. At the back of my mind, I still think that it was damn well planned and orchestrated. Why? Because I've read news, rumours and other hear-says that Marippe was tired of being Morning Musume leader but nobody listens to her, or do not offer enough respect. When I watched the video of the jacket photoshoot for "Namida Tomaranai Hokago" single, I saw the other girls playfully teasing Marippe for her height. Sure they're friends and all, but come on... she's their senpai and leader. You don't see them do that to Kaorin, do you? (With the exception of Yossie, of course) Therefore, I suspected that she used this method to force her agency to remove her from Morning Musume.

Now, being a big fan of "The Gooch", I still reserve about 30% of doubt about her scandal. Maybe she did indeed found a happy relationship with Oguri. However, apparently due to work commitments, they broke up, but Oguri found another girlfriend soon after, in Tokuzawa Naoko . Marippe, on the other hand, doesn't seem too shaken by this, and found herself headlining the Friday tabloid with another relationship, this time with former Kansai Johnny's Jr. - Uotani Teruaki.

But, no matter what was the truth behind her private life and relationships, in my view, this has caused a chain reaction of scandals later on. Did the other girls used Marippe's case as an example? Did Marippe's daring actions and having the guts to make her own decisions about her own life affect others?


Kago Ai
Kago Ai was caught enjoying a puff on Virginia Slims at a restaurant, and as we all know, was suspended for underage smoking. Later on, she was reportedly feeling the regret, and worked as an intern en route to her come back. Then it happened again, and not only because that she was reported by Weekly Gendai that she was smoking again, she spent the night with Ishimoto of SOMA at an onsen.
However, I suspected that this incident may have happened much, much earlier. There were sightings of Kago going for onsen trips during the same year of her suspension, so maybe that news was recycled again due to her hot comeback news. Cos' I still cannot get over the fact that the current chief editor of Weekly Gendai was formerly working for Friday. Nevertheless, Kago had admitted to the relationship.



Matsuura Aya
Ayaya have long been associated with Keita Tachibana of Jpop super trio w-inds. Later on, good ol' Friday tabloid made it official when they spotted her loaded with bags groceries and stayed over night at his house that one night. This news didn't get too publicized, due to it being an "open secret". The storm slowly settled down and nobody got kicked out of either of their agencies. Which brings me to the next person who also didn't get kicked out.



Tsuji Nozomi
This by far is the least scandal-like. Mostly due to the positive feedback by UFA, and the much televised press conference announcing the marriage. Why, yesterday's Haromoni@ even featured the announcement in the final minutes of the show. Tsuji did the right thing of pre-informing the agency about her relationship, probably have lessen the severity of her "scandal". However, I still lament the timing of it. But who knows, maybe the agency have gotten used to these news already, OR maybe this is a start of how differently the management view their talents' personal life.


... and the most ironic of them all...

Tanaka Reina
Sorry I had to bring this up, CJ.
I dove into my picture archives and found this....

"Tanaka Reina in Love and Retires"

"And the plan is to get pregnant..."

Can't remember when and where I got this from, but most possibly it was back when Reina got Friday'd last year.
Reina was involved with a boy in high school, and eyewitnesses said that they saw the two have been going out together many times. The agency couldn't afford to lose her to a scandal at that point of time, where Morning Musume's popularity was already fading and was trying to promote her by making her center in the "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan" single.
So the agency summoned her to the meeting room and asked her "Either you break up with him, or you quit", in which Reina promptly replied "Okay, I'll quit", much to their surprise. We don't know what happened in the end or what UFA did, eventually Reina is still around and her boyfriend was never mentioned ever again. But as a result, Reina was never featured much ever since then and became the least active member in Morning Musume... compared to Sayu, Kame, Gaki-san, and even newcomer Mittsi, who have their own radio shows.

The ironic part of that news clip is that a personnel from another agency suggested a surefire method for her freedom from UFA - get pregnant. However, this method cannot be executed smoothly because her boyfriend was still in high school. Whether Tsuji picked up this idea from Reina or not, is up to us to guess.



These are only a few that made it to the headlines. I didn't even list down the other rumoured scandals yet and...... you know what, I think I might do that on my next post.

Thanks for reading.
Peace ^_^
>> Read the rest of this article

And Yossie Graduates Today

Yoshizawa Hitomi, currently leader of Morning Musume, graduates today at Super Saitama Arena. Two shows today, one on 2:30 P.M. and another on 6:00 P.M.. The current time in Japan at time of post is 12:00 noon. Only a few hours more.......

Honestly, I don't feel like blogging today. Feeling a bit... down, I guess. I did find some interview stuff 'bout Yossie though. So maybe tonight, I'll post something up. I'll let this afternoon have its moment of silence/rest...... kinda like a funeral, ya know? ^_^

But that's exactly how I am feeling, ever since Yossie announced her graduation on January. Four long months counting down till today, is tiring. Not like she'll be gone forever, I mean, she still got solo work. But, how much attention is she going to get compared to graduated "aces"(namely Abe Natsumi and Goto Maki)? I will be collecting me thoughts and talk about Yossie tonight.


Right now I'm dead tired, and in need of rest. Drove back to hometown on Friday night, for my wedding photoshoot. Spent a whole day doing just that - changing costumes and smiling for the camera. Damn tired.
The weirdest thing - I was thinking of another girl half the time. (Shh~~~ don't tell my wife. ^_^) But in commemoration of that girl, I went through the wardrobe and found the closest match I can. My wife got something that fits the theme....... And so, here's the result =>

Mr Moonlight - Wedding Couple Version.
There's no orange blazer in the wardrobe, so I settled for the white coat. (And no bigger picture, sorry. Don't wanna give you nightmares. ^_^)


This is for you, Yossie. Happy Graduation~~~ (T^T)b
>> Read the rest of this article

Niigaki Risa Internet Meme - "Gaki-san says..."

There is a popular internet meme within the Japanese web community going on, and is used to either make a statement or for a short humorous comment in forums or BBS. I call it the "Gaki-san says..."

Here are a few examples.
Gaki-san says...

Give me boobs!	Aibon: Reflect on your mistakes. Gaki: Speak for yourself!
My number is 072-4737	(Random pics)
Nakanunara, watashi ga nakou, hototo kizu (Fans of "Curious Nono" would be familiar with this.)	Am I cute?
No dirty jokes!	Reina

I find it amusing and decided to see if we could adopt it ourselves. Just use the template here and with your favourite image editor, enter whatever caption you like, maybe something in your heart and you wanted to say out loud. Resize it if you have to.



I'll start: Gaki-san says...




I'm sure we can popularize this meme even further. I tag everyone (especially all Gaki-san lovers) out there to join me on this game!

Let me know if you've created one yourself. You can mention it in the comments section, and I'll add the image link or page link to this post. Good luck!

But before I go...........

(^o^)/
>> Read the rest of this article

The Wrath of Mo-Wotas - Visit to SOMA

Just when you think my previous post about Mo-Wotas (Morning Musume Otaku) paying SOMA a visit is purely fiction... they DID pay a visit there for real!


I've been wondering now that Aibon case is closed, would the fans go to the SOMA restaurant out of curiosity, and... err... "talk" to that man Ishimoto (who needs no introduction by now). And what would they do once they get there. I would suggest "Where's the owner?" to start things off.


First, the location of SOMA. Go here. Can't locate it? Have no fear, Google Map is here.


Well... Looks the same as what we saw from the website. Seems like a nice, quiet place. Only that the dude who took the picture probably didn't realise his reflection can be seen from the glass. ^_^


Eating time. Left some notes on a sketchbook.

"We came from the Ookami" and "SOMA Off" ....... Sort of like "John was here" kind of message?

NOTE: Actually, I wonder if it was deliberate, and that he actually meant "Musume".
狼 [Ookami] means wolf
娘 [Musume] means daughter
Unless of course, that visitor means that he came from Ookami2ch - 狼ニュース＠2ｃｈ, a Mo-Wota BBS.


Then comes the bill, signed "Ookami". LOL :D



And these are the business cards found on the cash register.

Yup, they also have a massage services.
Check out the slogan - "Sublime meets ridiculous" - What creativity. Their use of "Engrish" did not fail to impress me. That picture of a trio smoking their lives away is also very educational indeed.


You know what's even freakier about this? Some good fellow left a message on their lanterns at night - A piece of card with "Kago Ai" written on it.


Vandalism with a purpose...... I suppose. (^o^)/

SoOOOooo... SOMA got a national exposure out of scandal. Not sure if it's fair though. I don't know if those fellas did anything more than that. But if they do, it probably won't be published in the BBS only..... it would be on the national news again.

My thoughts... I hope nobody's hurt. The wotas, I mean.


Source from WHG here and here.
>> Read the rest of this article

The Wrath of Mo-Wotas

Hehe~~! I'm having a double posting carnival here. ^_^
But this is one is just too funny.... or scary... whichever you prefer.

Wrath of the Mo-Wotas (Morning Musume Otaku).
Image source here.

I'm pretty sure somebody edited the dialogs to parody his/her message. I think you can guess what this is all about, and who that restaurant owner was supposed to be.


"Where's the owner?"




"Boss~~~! Big trouble! There's some weird bunch of people here!"
"Huh?"



Ishi 0 --> "Who are you people?"







"We are the Mo-Wotas"











"So what are you Mo-Wota people doing here?"




"Um....."




"Well....."




"Hey! Are you even listening?"






"Naww~~ We was just wondering where you guys are hiding her... "

"... Aibon"




(Note the SOMA logo)
"Huh?"
"What are you saying? There's no way she can be here."



"We were thinking about that. So we thought that we'd come in and search around"


"What?! So you just come in here to pick a fight? You gotta be kidding me!"



"No, we're not kidding"




"Pick a fight?"

"I think you have misundertood"








"We're just here to wreck this joint up!"






To be continued....
>> Read the rest of this article

Niigaki Risa is in Love!

WHG had an entry which caught my attention: About where Niigaki Risa thinks that the dude underneath the Usagi (of the famed Zekkyu Commercial) is an "Ikemen", meaning "handsome guy". Yes, another scandal is on the way. And this time it involves Gaki-san!



Here are the past memories of the two lovebirds:


Pretty clingy, don't you think? They don't act like strangers at all.

So who's behind the mask of the cuddly Usagi? Though it has been hinted many times in the show that the Usagi character is a female (hence being PINK), we have glimpses of the dude behind the mask showing up here and there

The last episode of Zekkyu Commercial provided us a glimpse of him.


Last week's World Pucchi Game.


Later I found THIS on the uploaders:

Quite a good lookin' guy there, innit?


Hoho~~! Gaki-san is in love? Another scandal? Perhaps trying to break the Sakura Gumi Curse?



Note:
Sorry... Please do not take the last two post too seriously. I'm sure that thread in WHG was meant to be a joke. Plus, I'm definitely blogging under the influence of alcohol here...... It's the only way I can get a grip of myself before I move on, after the saddening news about Aibon.

Cheers! Blogging as usual after this~~~!
Peace ^_^
>> Read the rest of this article

Sakura Gumi Curse is Taking Effect

Kago Ai is tops. Cos' it takes TWO scandals to remove her from Hello! Project. But before we all sink to the sick idea that has been circling around the net that Aibon will advance to the AV world, allow me to draw your attention to this - Hello! Project curses.

We've heard of the famous Love Machine curse and Ray followed up with Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookiizo!~ Curse, and I tried to draw a Rainbow 7 Curse and the Duo Curse myself.

Now, the Sakura Gumi Curse is finally taking effect. Observe:



Talks about this curse surfaced sometime last year after the suspension of Aibon. For those who have never heard of it, here's what it means:
Note that the girls in the top row are the good girls. Clean records. Nothing serious there. While at the bottom row, 3 of them are involved in some controversial situation somehow.

Abe Natsumi --> Plagiarism for her book; The case of the endangered turtle.
Kago Ai --> Smoking scandal; smoking scandal + relationship scandal.
Yaguchi Mari --> Secret relationship with actor Oguri Shun; Relationship rumour with Okamura Takashi.

Who's next on the list? Why it's the girl Aibon is playfully pointing at, as if to say "You're next!" --> Takahashi Ai!

Good lordy~~! What could it be? What will become of our unassuming beloved backup-ace with a Fukui accent?
>> Read the rest of this article

It's over.... Kago Ai contract terminated...

This just in.




Title text: News Flash "Kago-chan contract terminated."

And it's all over.


Official announcement from Hello! Project.

EDIT 8:10 P.M. : Scroll down or click here for translation.

加護亜依　一部報道記事について
関係各位　殿

　弊社所属　加護亜依について報じた３月２６日（月）発売週刊誌の記事について、加護本人から報告を受け、残念ながら事実であることを確認しました。

　１年前の喫煙問題の時は、まだ将来のある17歳という年齢も考慮し、実家での謹慎という処分を課しました。１年間の反省過程をみて話し合いの場を設け、再起に向けて一から準備を始めるため、今年の１月２３日に上京してから、東京の事務所で社会勉強と事務の手伝いをさせていました。約二ヶ月間きちんとした勤務ぶりでしたが、今回に関しては二度目ということもあり、復帰については断念することにしました。また、未成年であるため御家族と相談の上了承を頂き、契約についても解除することとなりました。

　このような事態になってしまった事については深く反省し、管理責任を痛感しています。

　今後、尚一層の責任感を持ち、特に未成年のタレントに対しては指導の再徹底を行っていきます。

平成１９年３月２６日
株式会社アップフロントエージェンシー
代表取締役　川口勇吉

Other news sites:
Yahoo! News, sourced from Sport Hochi.
Nikkan Sports
Sanspo

Excuse me for a sec.... I ... err... gotta go take a breather. Will be back to translate... If I can...

**************************

UPDATE 8:10 P.M.:
I have translated the announcement as best I can. Don't mind the grammar, I can't think at the mo. Let me know if you spot any mistakes.

Kago Ai - Concerning a report
To whom it may concern,

Concerning an article that our company have received about Kago Ai on 26th March from a weekly magazine, we have received report from Kago herself, and regretably have verified it to be fact.

One year ago during the smoking issue, taking into account that there is still a future being at 17 years old, we have imposed a house arrest at home.

In observation of the one year contemplation process, providing a space for discussion, we had (Kago) to come to the city for internship and helping with office work in the Tokyo office, towards beginning a preparation for comeback.

Although after approximately 2 months of properly fulfilling her duties, with regards to a second occurrence at this time, we have decided to abort the reinstatement.

Additionally, because it is a case of a minor, receiving acknowledgement after discussing with her family, her contract has been terminated/canceled.

Concerning the becoming of this situation, the custodians has come to full realization with regret. *

From now onwards, we will hold a higher level of responsibility, to provide a thorough supervision especially to the minor talents.

26th March Heisei Year 19
Representative for publicity company Up Front Agency
Kawaguchi Yuukichi

* Not so sure about this phrase. Any takers?

**************************

Well... the wait is over... It's FINALLY over. Yeah, I know there's a chance that Aibon can still approach other agencies for work, and we can still see her.... but for now, Aibon says:

"Sayounara..."

I guess it's expected already. I'm a gonna get some beer tonight...
>> Read the rest of this article

Kago Ai Blues

An Aibon fanvid found on Youtube. Sing along if you like. LOL ^_^



"Kago-chan....... Dai suki~~~!"

........ I don't think John Lee Hooker sang that though. \(^o^)/
>> Read the rest of this article

Kago Ai on Friday 3 ... Translation Summary

I don't have the time to translate the ENTIRE article, but I thought I'd post a summary of it.

I want to provide a translated summary of the article, but Hello!Online have it posted already.
Those guys there are uber-effective!

EDIT:
Okay, I have problem accessing Hello!Online just now. But I want this good news to spread. So here it is:

Source from Hello!Online

Full Article summary:

- Kago's been working in the UFA offices since January 23rd.
- The photos of her on the street were taken while she was on her way to the office.
- She's working in the office because UFA wants her to get back some self-confidence, and to help her to start from scratch by learning about how the company works.
- The reporter was surprised that UFA let him meet Kago without any prior arrangement. Kago was quite nervous hearing that he comes from Friday (as they broke the news about her smoking incident in the first place. Interestingly enough, smoking, tobacco, etc., isn't mentioned in the interview part).

Interview tidbits:
"For that entire year, I haven't met my friends at all. I was scared to leave the house."
"At the beginning, I also had problems eating anything, and before I knew it, I had gone down from 47kg to 39kg"
"I didn't watch TV much. I saw Musume a few times, thinking "Ah, MoMusu. This is a new song"
"I didn't know much about household chores before, but being at home, I learned some cooking, cleaning and laundry. I started to like doing these."
"I'm cooking myself a lunchbox every day. When I come to the office, first I start with cleaning. My job is to serve tea to customers, and pick up the calls. I still have problems saying "Wait a minute, please" properly. (:D) Also, I'm studying kanji, reading newspapers and helping with searching information on the PC".
"When I was helping out backstage during the Yokohama Arena concert, I met with the members again. But as I lost weight, they had problems recognizing me. Even Nono passed by me without noticing. But everyone said, "Welcome back!" to me, so I was happy."
"Nono brought me a birthday cake, and we did the "Double U desu!" pose again after more than one year"
"I feel bad about how I betrayed the fans, especially the youngest ones. It still feels rough, even after one year. I lived by the motto, "Let things flow" until now, but I realized that doesn't work in the real world. My aim is to be positive and work hard from now on. I don't know when it will be possible, but I really want to sing again."

UFA's stand

"The last year's incident was very serious, so we had Kago stay in 'house arrest' in Nara for almost one year. We checked up on her to see if she had learned from it, and talked to her parents, and now we've allowed her to return to Tokyo. Fans and ordinary people might think we are underestimating this, but by observing her behavior and taking into account that she's already 19 years old, we decided to start preparing for her comeback. But as for exact dates or details, these are unsettled yet."

Mine is a bit longer, but H!O gave us the most juiciest part of the article. Indeed, the first page is all boring stuff on the scandal history, how they discovered Aibon in Tokyo.... blablabla. It's like they are trying to protect their journalistic integrity there. The remaining pages is where the important points are. So click and go there to have a look!

I'm smiling away as I publish this post from my workstation. I need to get back to work now, before they start to think I've gone crazy.... because I've been acting weird since 1:51 P.M. yesterday!

But before I go..... *ahem* (clears throat)

\(^o^)/ WHOOOHOOOOOO~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!!!!
>> Read the rest of this article

Aibon Fans Too Desperate For News...

... that they have to start digging the information graveyard.

Lately, I've been patrolling the Japanese domain for news on Kago Ai, and what did I found? Lots of people have been scavenging the old pics of Aibon, and after comparing her debut pictures and her recent ones, Aibon is suspected of undergoing plastic surgery.

Sure, we're all desperate for a teeny amount of update on Aibon's status, but no point coming up with stories like this to fill up the void. If we have compare any of our pictures back when you are 12 years old and ... say, 16 years old, OF COURSE you'll see a difference. People grow up. Girls for that matter, undergo a hundred transformation from puberty to late teens, in my opinion (And that's what make the girls so special ^_^ ). It's a time where you begin to show your facial similarities of your parents. Moreover, with that many weight changes in Aibon's lifetime, there's bound to be lots of differences. (And even if she did go under the surgeon's knife, so what? It's a common trend in the entertainment scene. No need to make a big fuss about it, correct?)
And I'm not posting any of those "comparison pictures", don't wanna ride the wrong wind.


Take myself for example. I'll be frank - that pic on my Blogger profile ain't recent. In fact it was taken about 4 years ago. Even though I am long past my teen years, I still look different now because of my rapid weight changes. See for yourself ->

Here's me 4 years ago:

Here's me today:

See the difference?






Okay..... I'm sorry. That's not me. But everyone is allowed to have fantasies, yes? ^_^
Besides, I think I've made my point already. \(^o^)/




NOTE: For those who don't know, that's Korean heartthrob and the star of "Winter Sonata" - Bae Yong Joon.
>> Read the rest of this article

It's time.... but Aibon's not back yet....

Countdown removed. Previous post removed. Kago Ai is not back yet.... (T_T)

Yup. No news. Zip. Zilch. Not a clue. I'm so disappointed.

Someone left a comment on my previous removed post.

Anonymous said...

Thay say she was seen near TBS on 24th January. That's all I know for now.

source: http://blog.livedoor.jp/kaho_milky/archives/51850667.html

3:25 PM

Thanks very much for the heads-up.


As for me, I went and searched the blogs in Japan domains(e.g. rakuten, fc2 etc.), and though I could not find anything informative, all the bloggers there seem to agree in one thing - that it was perfect timing that Aibon should be released from her suspension by tomorrow. Now, supposedly Aibon IS released tomorrow, and if any actions (press conference, announcements etc) is in queue, it will only start TOMORROW. Knowing UFA/Hello! Project usual practice, they will let us know in advance, and the actual day of release will come only weeks after. But if none of the mentioned ever take place, then I suppose we have no choice but to realise that the suspension is not over yet. Sad but true... :(

Now if you'll excuse me, I need go and drown my sorrows with a couple of beers...
>> Read the rest of this article

Koi No Vacance - W (DoubleU) on guitar

Happy 19th Birthday Kago Ai!

It's been 7 years that Aibon's been in the entertainment world, hasn't it? Well, 6 actually, minus 1 year from the suspension... Well, let's leave that one to the past, shall we?

As Nono mentioned before, being 19 years of age means that this will be the final year where you get to declare your age in teens.

It doesn't matter if Aibon is back with us..... err.... well, not true really. Cos at this moment, I'm clicking on the "refresh" button on Hello! Project official site, anticipating some sort of miracle news to appear............ ANYWAY, it's her birthday and I wish her best of health and luck. I pray that the wish she makes on this birthday will come true~~~ ^_^

I made this video to celebrate Aibon's birthday.


...... been a long time, gotten rusty.... AND I totally forgot to clean the lens before recording! ^_^
I had this one transposed ages ago, just no time to record it down. I guess now is a good time .... or I'll never get to do it.


Once again, Happy Birthday Aibon!
>> Read the rest of this article

Egao Yes Nude PV............. 8 second preview

Found this on Youtube.com - 8 second preview of Morning Musume's latest single "Egao Yes Nude". Apparently from CD-TV.



The dance routine is the same from what we saw on the Hello! Project 2007 winter concert..... which is too simple for my liking, honestly. For sure, it's not Natsu-sensei who choreographed it. (I heard that she moved on to another company already). But then again, if it was too complex, Micchi will not be able to handle it.



Overall, I think they're playing it safe. The PV is still all about the girls essentially. Much like "Ambitious". I like the costumes, but they really should take out that white thingie covering up the cleavage. ^_^ (I'm such a pervert...Heh!). Additionally, I noticed from the costume is that only Sayu, Eririn, Reina and Koharu-chan don't get the cleavage, and only get a side bellage. On the contrary, Gaki-san, Ai-chan, Mikitty and Micchi gets the high bellage.
(I hope I'm using the bikini codes here correctly ...)


I hate to admit it, but I don't think I will like the PV that much. But then again, it's only 8 seconds and too early to decide. I'm still loving that song though. ^_^
>> Read the rest of this article