Eight years ago Japanese idol group released their first single, Guru Guru Curtain 「ぐるぐるカーテン」! It wasn’t a hit.
Fast forward to now. They are filling up big domes with 40,000 cheering fans. And of course, I am such a big fan, I’m telling you this. Don’t know how I fell in love with them, but I did.
Join me in wishing the members a Happy Birthday!
Nogizaka46 Saito Asuka, Umezawa Minami, and Yamashita Mizuki going to star in the live adaptation of the hit anime, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken. I think the anime nerds are against it as the anime is just showing now. Plus, when they find out it’s idols, they’ll be really up in arms.
Me. I love ’em, so I can’t wait.
Bad Boys for Life was missing the Micheal Bey. The swirling cameras. The spinning shots. The larger than life poses. I wanted Beyham to remind me, “Bad boys for life!”
This film is trying hard to become like the Fast and the Furious films. It’s trying to pivot to being a franchise. It introduced a back story which was ridiculous. It filled in the past 20 years with stories and characters that look interesting but. And it gave us one of the most outrageous twists I have seen in films since… Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. No not a child of Palpatine, but something equally dumb. It’s also set up for a sequel which I guess continues the franchise, but what a nutty premise to get to the end and to start again.
Hopefully, Beyham returns.
3 of 5 stars.
I’m trying to eat more vegetables. You should try eating more vegetables. We all need to eat more vegetables. Give Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons cookbook a read for some inspiring vege-tales.
I picked it up last week because I am looking to expand my horizons in vegetable eating. There were many cookbooks focusing on vegetables at my local book seller. This one though had the better pictures. Plus also his approach — dividing the year into six seasons to highlight the vegetables that ripen at that time — was inspiring. I doubt that I would follow his break down, but I’m sure to follow his recipes.
Weathering With You is Makoto Shinkai respectable followup to his fantastic, world-wide hit, Your Name. It also follows the template to much of his work: star-crossed lovers, separated by a distance, eager to realize the fate that was meant to be. Sometimes it adheres to it too much as this one really just reminded me of the previous film. His style could be a blessing or a curse. I found it rather pleasant and kind of wish for more.
Weathering With You is about a ‘weather girl,’ a girl that can control the weather. In this instance, rain. In the Japan of the film, it is a rainy season that lasts every season. The people wish for it to stop and only one person can make it pause for a few hours — the ‘weather girl.’
At first, she is a myth pursued by the main protagonist as a reporter for a shlock paper. He had run away from his home in the provinces. He was taken in by the paper’s owner/writer/editor, and he was tasked to debunk that myth. He founds out that it wasn’t. That it was real and he’s all for protecting (and profiting) the girl.
When the citizens take too much from her, the protagonist protests and wishes for her to stop using her powers. Let the rain fall so that he can continue to love her.
I did like the film. I wish it wasn’t too much like his previous. I’m hopeful that the next Makoto Shinkai anime is something different. I’m hopeful that it is also familiar.
3 of 5 stars.
The last issue Monocle focused on Japan because of the upcoming Olympics this summer. It had all tidbits and things about that country. Being a complete weeb, I went ahead and bought it. While reading I came across their music section hoping to see if my beloved Nogizaka46 was mentioned. Fat chance that a sophisticated magazine would focus on idols…
It did introduce me to Sakanaction. I believe they wrote that this band had a bit of City Pop influence. While I can’t say for a fact that they were, this single, Wasurerarenaino, definitely does. Check out that square aspect ratio — like the good old music videos of yore! And the band seems to be channeling big suit Talking Heads what with the big suit! Everyone is from an earlier era. I truly like.
Anyhow, please listen and enjoy.
This is one of my favorite YouTube videos. I like this guy’s channel as well. He produces a few solo hiking videos. They all make me want to go outside for a hike. They also make me want to buy some camera gear. Traveling must be fun.
Boy did I jinx it this morning. On my way into work listening to my usual Nogizaka playlist, I was thinking of Kazumin. How she’s often forgotten and yet she, Maiyan, and Ringo are the only members left to have appeared in all Nogi senbatsu. As I got out the car, I thought it was a beautiful day, and being such, I thought that this would be the type of day a graduation announcement would drop. I was thinking about Fukagawa’s announcement so long ago. I checked stage48 to see if there was any bad news — usually at this time it catches the night time announcements like Ikoma’s and Nanase’s. There was nothing and I thought we dodged a bullet…
Imagine my surprise to see the rumors then the truth of Maiyan’s graduation. Wow.
For as long as I was a fan, her speculation on her graduation was always rampant. Now that it is here. Nothing can be said. Wow.
It’s not like a punch in the gut like Nanase’s was, but it’s still a surprise. I have been ready for it, here it is, but still. Wow.
She’s gonna graduate at the end of March with the release of the 25th single. I wonder if she’ll be center?
Thank you, Maiyan.
Down to the last few days of 2019. Will I get to see a movie and add it to this list of best films I saw in the theatre? Maybe, there’s still a couple out there that I really want to watch, but I haven’t gotten around to. Also, maybe this list has a few films released the previous year, but once again, for those new to this blog, these are films I saw in the theatre in the year 2019.
Those are all 4 star films. Nothing really knocked me out this year, and there wasn’t really that many good ones I saw.
What’s your list?
Another year down the hole. Time sure does fly when you’re old. Hope you have a great year.
