Sunday, November 30, 2014
Thennary Speaks - Episode 32: My Thanks
A short video where I try my best at conveying the gratitude I feel for everyone who watches my videos.
Johnny's add to Kohaku's line-up
The line-up for this year's Kohaku Uta Gassen has been announced and while we see the return of the familiar faces for Johnny's there is a new addition from the agency as well. And it is probably not a group that many would have guessed, V6.
Arama! Japan link (English)
Looking at things and the solo activities of the members of V6 it actually does make sense for them to be selected to be on the program this year. I believe four of the six members of the group are doing something in connection to NHK, the station that hosts the event. So there is plenty of reasons for the group to have been on their radar this year.
Also with AKS adding another one of their related groups this year, HKT48, I find it hard to fault Johnny's for getting another one of their groups on the program. Like it or not there are not really any agencies with male idol groups that are popular enough to be selected for a Kohaku invite.
This of course begs the question about what is going on with the Johnny's Countdown concert this year. The only group to have a countdown concert venue booked is KAT-TUN over in Osaka, like they had last year. Kinki Kids have concerts at the Tokyo Dome around the New Year's date but not on it unlike usual. And it is getting rather late to announce a concert for December 31st. I cannot imagine there not being a JCD this year and hope there will be some news for it soon.
Arama! Japan link (English)
Looking at things and the solo activities of the members of V6 it actually does make sense for them to be selected to be on the program this year. I believe four of the six members of the group are doing something in connection to NHK, the station that hosts the event. So there is plenty of reasons for the group to have been on their radar this year.
Also with AKS adding another one of their related groups this year, HKT48, I find it hard to fault Johnny's for getting another one of their groups on the program. Like it or not there are not really any agencies with male idol groups that are popular enough to be selected for a Kohaku invite.
This of course begs the question about what is going on with the Johnny's Countdown concert this year. The only group to have a countdown concert venue booked is KAT-TUN over in Osaka, like they had last year. Kinki Kids have concerts at the Tokyo Dome around the New Year's date but not on it unlike usual. And it is getting rather late to announce a concert for December 31st. I cannot imagine there not being a JCD this year and hope there will be some news for it soon.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Country.Girls first group appearance
I swear the more I see of this group the more I like them, especially as there has finally been a chance to see the full group together. And now all I want is to see them together performing songs, wearing group outfits and everything else you get with a group. But I will settle with what we have for now.
Now that we are past the announcement phase we are seeing how the girls are shaping up their looks for the group. Well maybe not so much Tsugunaga Momoko so much as she is still with Berryz Kobo for a few months still, so she is probably sticking with her look for that group. But the new girls are making, or not making, changes that look like they are getting ready to be full fledged idols. Of course this means looks right now and for this hair style does play a part.
Of course the change that stands out the most is that Ozeki Mai cut her hair to a pixie cut and to me she looks pretty adorable with the shorter hair. Inaba Manaka seems to be the one selected to go without bangs and it looks like Yamaki Risa has lightened the color of her hair. Morito Chisaki and Shimamura Uta just seem to have to have their hair up in ponytails. Of course Uta came in with a rather distinct look with her straight bangs so no surprise they probably did not want to change that.
But over all the girls are starting to gel together as a group in my mind now. I really cannot wait to see them actually performing. 2015 cannot come quick enough!
 |
| From Satoyama & Satoumi with Yuuki no Tsubasa 2014 |
Now that we are past the announcement phase we are seeing how the girls are shaping up their looks for the group. Well maybe not so much Tsugunaga Momoko so much as she is still with Berryz Kobo for a few months still, so she is probably sticking with her look for that group. But the new girls are making, or not making, changes that look like they are getting ready to be full fledged idols. Of course this means looks right now and for this hair style does play a part.
Of course the change that stands out the most is that Ozeki Mai cut her hair to a pixie cut and to me she looks pretty adorable with the shorter hair. Inaba Manaka seems to be the one selected to go without bangs and it looks like Yamaki Risa has lightened the color of her hair. Morito Chisaki and Shimamura Uta just seem to have to have their hair up in ponytails. Of course Uta came in with a rather distinct look with her straight bangs so no surprise they probably did not want to change that.
But over all the girls are starting to gel together as a group in my mind now. I really cannot wait to see them actually performing. 2015 cannot come quick enough!
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Looking back at the looking back beauty
I know this is a bit of a delayed response to this event, but I did not think it would hit me like it did. Of course any Morning Musume fan knows I have to be talking about Michishige Sayumi's graduation on the 26th.
I cannot believe that about a month ago I felt unsure of how I viewed Sayumi. I just knew she was the leader of the current group, the only pre-9th generation member of the group, and really pretty (because face it, it doesn't matter what your sexual orientation is Sayumi is a beautiful young woman).
Now that I am watching the Platinum Era PVs I keep finding myself noticing Sayumi more and more. Sure for the most part she is stuck in the back in them, but for those moments here and there when she gets a chance to shine my attention easily falls on her. And I am glad to know there is still much more of her to come in the PVs as I continue my way through them.
But recently it really dawned on me on how dedicated to MM she had to be to have remained in the group as long as she did. And that was basically the tipping point for me. At first glance she probably does not seem to be the type of person you would think would be serious or a good leader and from what I have learned she was. That she crafted a persona to entertain all the while being someone who was dependable and hard working behind the scenes. Someone who helped let others shine alongside of her.
As sad as it is that she has left the group I cannot help but think she is not completely gone yet. The experiences shared with the other members surely will have a lasting impression. And it is through them that a part of her will continue on with the group as long as those members are there.
While she has not really decided on what to do next in her life I doubt we have seen the last of her. She definitely deserves to take a break and to figure out what her next dream will be, but I would be shocked if she did not start joining the other OG in performing on shows and concerts in the future.
Until then I am going to have to look forward to watching her graduation concert when the BD/DVD comes out. (Sadly because of work there was no way I could watch the streaming and I want to find a reason to prolong fully dealing that she has left the group.) Then I can bawl my eyes out with glorious HD of the event. I honestly had no plans of getting this and wanted to wait for the first Morning Musume '15 concert release for the first one to get as it came out. But right now I know there is no way I can pass on this graduation concert.
I am now so glad to have gotten that Sayumi poster with my Tiki Bun single purchase. (Though hate myself even more for accidentally tearing it.) And getting a frame for it is high on priority list. Perhaps fate knew I needed it, as that was my last chance to get something like it. I surely treasure it much more now than I did when I first got it.
How much in a month so much can change. And how much this graduation has come to mean for me.
This chapter of MM may have ended with Sayumi's graduation but it is all part of the larger story of Morning Musume. And because of the legacy Sayumi has left I look forward to what the next chapter brings.
I cannot believe that about a month ago I felt unsure of how I viewed Sayumi. I just knew she was the leader of the current group, the only pre-9th generation member of the group, and really pretty (because face it, it doesn't matter what your sexual orientation is Sayumi is a beautiful young woman).
Now that I am watching the Platinum Era PVs I keep finding myself noticing Sayumi more and more. Sure for the most part she is stuck in the back in them, but for those moments here and there when she gets a chance to shine my attention easily falls on her. And I am glad to know there is still much more of her to come in the PVs as I continue my way through them.
But recently it really dawned on me on how dedicated to MM she had to be to have remained in the group as long as she did. And that was basically the tipping point for me. At first glance she probably does not seem to be the type of person you would think would be serious or a good leader and from what I have learned she was. That she crafted a persona to entertain all the while being someone who was dependable and hard working behind the scenes. Someone who helped let others shine alongside of her.
As sad as it is that she has left the group I cannot help but think she is not completely gone yet. The experiences shared with the other members surely will have a lasting impression. And it is through them that a part of her will continue on with the group as long as those members are there.
While she has not really decided on what to do next in her life I doubt we have seen the last of her. She definitely deserves to take a break and to figure out what her next dream will be, but I would be shocked if she did not start joining the other OG in performing on shows and concerts in the future.
Until then I am going to have to look forward to watching her graduation concert when the BD/DVD comes out. (Sadly because of work there was no way I could watch the streaming and I want to find a reason to prolong fully dealing that she has left the group.) Then I can bawl my eyes out with glorious HD of the event. I honestly had no plans of getting this and wanted to wait for the first Morning Musume '15 concert release for the first one to get as it came out. But right now I know there is no way I can pass on this graduation concert.
I am now so glad to have gotten that Sayumi poster with my Tiki Bun single purchase. (Though hate myself even more for accidentally tearing it.) And getting a frame for it is high on priority list. Perhaps fate knew I needed it, as that was my last chance to get something like it. I surely treasure it much more now than I did when I first got it.
How much in a month so much can change. And how much this graduation has come to mean for me.
This chapter of MM may have ended with Sayumi's graduation but it is all part of the larger story of Morning Musume. And because of the legacy Sayumi has left I look forward to what the next chapter brings.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Thennary Speaks - Episode 31: Why I Vlog
I go over the main reasons I decided to start up making videos on Youtube in the first place.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
J-drama needs
Recently international fans have been dealt a blow when it comes to watching J-dramas with D-Addicts closing their torrents page. This was one of the main places to go for getting videos of J-dramas for many years and like many I am at a loss to where to go to find the dramas I want to watch.
One small light in the darkness is the fact that Fuji TV has a deal with Crunchyroll for its dramas. The selection so far is small but it is growing and it is an actual legal way to watch J-dramas for those who live outside of Japan. (Though for those in Asian countries there seems to be about a 6 month wait added to the dramas it is streaming.) But I hope that this will do well that we keep getting more dramas added from Fuji TV's backlog and perhaps have other Japanese TV stations start having their dramas streamed on the site. And since they have J-dramas up there that have Johnny's in it, including the latest season of HERO starring Kimura Takuya, I believe it should be no problem to get those added.
I do wish they would separate their dramas by country of origin though. It would make it much easier to find what J-dramas they have. But for anyone interested in checking out what they have here is a link: http://www.crunchyroll.com/videos/drama
But until then all the other J-dramas I am stuck with only the hope of being able to eventually find a source for them. It is frustrating because if there was a legal way to watch them I would. In fact for the ones I am interested in that are on CR I am doing just that. So I hope eventually Japanese companies realize that there are plenty of viewers beyond there shores that want to watch their programs and give us ways to do so to make us all happy.
One small light in the darkness is the fact that Fuji TV has a deal with Crunchyroll for its dramas. The selection so far is small but it is growing and it is an actual legal way to watch J-dramas for those who live outside of Japan. (Though for those in Asian countries there seems to be about a 6 month wait added to the dramas it is streaming.) But I hope that this will do well that we keep getting more dramas added from Fuji TV's backlog and perhaps have other Japanese TV stations start having their dramas streamed on the site. And since they have J-dramas up there that have Johnny's in it, including the latest season of HERO starring Kimura Takuya, I believe it should be no problem to get those added.
I do wish they would separate their dramas by country of origin though. It would make it much easier to find what J-dramas they have. But for anyone interested in checking out what they have here is a link: http://www.crunchyroll.com/videos/drama
But until then all the other J-dramas I am stuck with only the hope of being able to eventually find a source for them. It is frustrating because if there was a legal way to watch them I would. In fact for the ones I am interested in that are on CR I am doing just that. So I hope eventually Japanese companies realize that there are plenty of viewers beyond there shores that want to watch their programs and give us ways to do so to make us all happy.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Kis-My-High-Definition
Kis-My-Ft2 will have all their previous concert DVDs re-released on Blu Ray on January 7th. From the product listings these are basically the regular editions of those, as each will only have one version. But there will be extra footage on all of them not included in the DVD releases, which will be the MC segments from these concerts. So for a die-hard Kisumai fan these are going to be a must buy.
Personally I am just happy to see Blu Ray releases of the concerts in general. But that is personal preference for the format. And it is nice to see them including the MC segments, as those are usually a strong point for Johnny's concerts so it is always disappointing to see them excluded in a release. Though I have no doubt they are being included in this release just to give fans a reason to buy these.
And since I do not have a lot of money right now only having the one version for these re-releases is not so disappointing as I can hopefully be able to get them all eventually. I skip the Kis-My-Mint tour though as I did get the DVD version of that. The rest are going on my ever growing list of CD/DVD/BD J-pop releases I have going.
Personally I am just happy to see Blu Ray releases of the concerts in general. But that is personal preference for the format. And it is nice to see them including the MC segments, as those are usually a strong point for Johnny's concerts so it is always disappointing to see them excluded in a release. Though I have no doubt they are being included in this release just to give fans a reason to buy these.
And since I do not have a lot of money right now only having the one version for these re-releases is not so disappointing as I can hopefully be able to get them all eventually. I skip the Kis-My-Mint tour though as I did get the DVD version of that. The rest are going on my ever growing list of CD/DVD/BD J-pop releases I have going.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
NEWS and Princess Kaguya
It has been announced that NEWS will be releasing a new single on January 7th of 2015. It is titled KAGUYA after the character Princess Kaguya from Japanese folklore. It will come in three different editions with a clear file being the first press bonus for each version.
The first limited edition is the standard CD with DVD. It will have the title track and a still untitled B-side on the CD and the DVD will have the music video for the title track as well as making of footage.
The second limited edition is just a CD that has the same two tracks as the first LE but also an exclusive B-side not on the other versions. It will also have a set of four cards.
The regular edition is the usual CD with the same two tracks on the other versions but will have two other B-sides that will not be included in the other versions. It will also have a karaoke track for the title song.
And of course there is a bundle version that you can get from CDJapan if you want to get all three versions and it will include everything the individual CDs have.
I am so happy that NEWS will be releasing something in the near future. It is near impossible to figure out when the group will release something next, except that they will at least have a new song for soccer season. But I do hope this means we will be getting a new album from the group sometime in 2015.
In any case I am glad I have held off making my next CDJapan order as I can add this to it when I get paid this week and get a good lump of Johnny's goodness all at once to start the 2015 right.
The first limited edition is the standard CD with DVD. It will have the title track and a still untitled B-side on the CD and the DVD will have the music video for the title track as well as making of footage.
The second limited edition is just a CD that has the same two tracks as the first LE but also an exclusive B-side not on the other versions. It will also have a set of four cards.
The regular edition is the usual CD with the same two tracks on the other versions but will have two other B-sides that will not be included in the other versions. It will also have a karaoke track for the title song.
And of course there is a bundle version that you can get from CDJapan if you want to get all three versions and it will include everything the individual CDs have.
I am so happy that NEWS will be releasing something in the near future. It is near impossible to figure out when the group will release something next, except that they will at least have a new song for soccer season. But I do hope this means we will be getting a new album from the group sometime in 2015.
In any case I am glad I have held off making my next CDJapan order as I can add this to it when I get paid this week and get a good lump of Johnny's goodness all at once to start the 2015 right.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
10NOV2014 CDJapan order
I keep forgetting to upload this but this is my latest order from CDJapan, and it should be a while before my next order comes in now.
In this order:
Morning Musume - Live Hatsu no Budokan -Dancing Love Site 2000 Haru- Blu-ray
Kanjani8 - Kanjanizm album RE
In this order:
Morning Musume - Live Hatsu no Budokan -Dancing Love Site 2000 Haru- Blu-ray
Kanjani8 - Kanjanizm album RE
Sailor Moon Crystal - Episode Thoughts 10
We get the back story of the Moon Kingdom and the Four Kings in this episode. As well as some shows of power from the Sailor Guardians.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Thennary Speaks - Episode 30: Sailor Moon Crystal thoughts, Part 1
Mostly going over the latest news for the series but also some reflecting on SMC so far and my hopes for the series.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Meeting the Country Girls
Being new to Morning Musume and Hello!Pro I really know very little about Country Musume other than the fact that it was a group that existed. So with the announcement for Country Girls I have learned much more about the group and honestly I am a bit excited for this group.
Going over the announcement though a new H!P unit has been formed named Country.Girls. They will be managed by Satoda Mai, who was a member of Country Musume. The group currently consists of five girls, two being Kenshusei with H!P and the other three were from the audition for the 12th generation of MM. Tsugunaga Momoko from Berryz Kobo will also be joining the group once her activities with Berryz come to an end next year. She will have the position of a Playing Manager, which seems to mean that she will participate in group activities but also have a management position.
The current full roster of the group is; Inaba Manaka (16), Morito Chisaki (14), Shimamura Uta (14), Ozeki Mai (12), and Yamaki Risa (17).
I will admit my main interest in the group is the fact that Momoko is going to play a part in it. I loved Buono! and from that I like all the girls from that unit. That and Momoko impresses me. She seems to have a real savviness when it comes to the entertainment industry and her creation of the Momochi personality is a part of that. And I had the feeling that of all the members of Berryz she would be the one to easily continue on in the entertainment industry because of this. Also because she will be the oldest member of the group I am certain we will see more of Momoko than Momochi.
Outside of that I do feel happy for the two KSS getting the chance to debut in this group. From what I have picked up the two of them were pretty much near the end of their time as KSS so this was basically their last shot at debut. So I cannot help but feel happy for the two.
Watching the video of them all learning that they were selected for the group I do have some early favorites, Uta and Risa, and I look forward to seeing more of them. I guess with this I may have found another H!P group to follow. It will now just come down to whether I like the music or not.
Going over the announcement though a new H!P unit has been formed named Country.Girls. They will be managed by Satoda Mai, who was a member of Country Musume. The group currently consists of five girls, two being Kenshusei with H!P and the other three were from the audition for the 12th generation of MM. Tsugunaga Momoko from Berryz Kobo will also be joining the group once her activities with Berryz come to an end next year. She will have the position of a Playing Manager, which seems to mean that she will participate in group activities but also have a management position.
I will admit my main interest in the group is the fact that Momoko is going to play a part in it. I loved Buono! and from that I like all the girls from that unit. That and Momoko impresses me. She seems to have a real savviness when it comes to the entertainment industry and her creation of the Momochi personality is a part of that. And I had the feeling that of all the members of Berryz she would be the one to easily continue on in the entertainment industry because of this. Also because she will be the oldest member of the group I am certain we will see more of Momoko than Momochi.
Outside of that I do feel happy for the two KSS getting the chance to debut in this group. From what I have picked up the two of them were pretty much near the end of their time as KSS so this was basically their last shot at debut. So I cannot help but feel happy for the two.
Watching the video of them all learning that they were selected for the group I do have some early favorites, Uta and Risa, and I look forward to seeing more of them. I guess with this I may have found another H!P group to follow. It will now just come down to whether I like the music or not.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Kis-My-Thank You!
As I had assumed we are indeed getting a new Kis-My-Ft2 single before the end of the year. On December 24th Kisumai will release their single Thank you Jan! and it will come in three versions.
The limited version type A will come with a CD and a DVD. The CD will have two tracks, the title track and a coupling song titled Kimi ni Aeru kara. The DVD will have the PV for the title track then something called a member instruction video (I assume this is probably to learn the dance or the movements for the song for a concert) and other bonus footage.
The limited version type B will also come with a CD and a DVD. The CD contents are the same. The DVD will have another version of the title track PV, this one with a multi-angle feature. It will also have footage from the jacket shooting and the making of.
The regular edition will simply be a CD. The CD will have the two tracks on the LE versions as well as two bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are still untitled at the moment. If you get the first press version of the single then there will also be a photo booklet and a sleeve for the CD.
CDJapan like usual has a bundle option for those who want to pick up all three versions of the single.
I am so glad to finally have this announcement. I had been waiting for it as I want to get this single with Nakayama Yuma's upcoming album. Of course with that release date it is going to be quite some wait for that album but I have the feeling that it will be worth it. That and I really cannot afford to do otherwise.
Also it will be nice to see Kisumai performing something new on all the end of year programs. And the multi-angle PV sounds like it could be interesting. If I had the money I would definitely be picking that edition up as well.
The limited version type A will come with a CD and a DVD. The CD will have two tracks, the title track and a coupling song titled Kimi ni Aeru kara. The DVD will have the PV for the title track then something called a member instruction video (I assume this is probably to learn the dance or the movements for the song for a concert) and other bonus footage.
The limited version type B will also come with a CD and a DVD. The CD contents are the same. The DVD will have another version of the title track PV, this one with a multi-angle feature. It will also have footage from the jacket shooting and the making of.
The regular edition will simply be a CD. The CD will have the two tracks on the LE versions as well as two bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are still untitled at the moment. If you get the first press version of the single then there will also be a photo booklet and a sleeve for the CD.
CDJapan like usual has a bundle option for those who want to pick up all three versions of the single.
I am so glad to finally have this announcement. I had been waiting for it as I want to get this single with Nakayama Yuma's upcoming album. Of course with that release date it is going to be quite some wait for that album but I have the feeling that it will be worth it. That and I really cannot afford to do otherwise.
Also it will be nice to see Kisumai performing something new on all the end of year programs. And the multi-angle PV sounds like it could be interesting. If I had the money I would definitely be picking that edition up as well.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Johnny's WEST is the current debuted Johnny's group doing the 10000 word interview feature in Myojo magazine and Kiriyama Akito is the first one out. Thankfully someone has been kind enough to translate it into English for the English speaking fandom and I would recommend checking it out.
That said I found it rather interesting in not only getting to know Akito a bit better but also more of the story behind the group's debut. The narrative that was given for how the group went from four to seven was just that the four basically just asked that it be the seven of them instead. With the interview we get more to the story and Akito brings up that whether or not the group would be four or seven had been up for debate with management for awhile before the debut announcement. So when the four asked to have the other added it was something that had been considered before and if anything the request of the four just pushed things towards going with seven in the end.
I find this important as it can be assumed that despite what fans may think Johnny's just does not do something just for the hell of it. I doubt the request for a seven member JW would have worked out if management had not considered it before. Of course it still took the four having to make the request to make it happen so I do not think that takes away from the show of the strength of the bonds the seven had pre-debut.
The other thing that really stuck out to me was how serious Akito was about the opportunities he was given also being a chance for him to help raise the profile of the Kansai Juniors. I was always happy to see him and Nakama Junta as the Kanjuu leaders on Shounen Club bringing Kanjuu over to get some screen time in there segments, and now those make so much sense. I feel rather disappointed that we do not get those anymore as I am certain Akito would still love to support the Kanjuu in that way. I really do not think there could be a better host for Shounen Club now, though it would probably help if there were more Juniors he could help promote on the show.
My love for Akito has definitely gone up reading this and I really hope that the rest of this series will get translated so I can get to know all the members of JW better and see what their views on these things are.
That said I found it rather interesting in not only getting to know Akito a bit better but also more of the story behind the group's debut. The narrative that was given for how the group went from four to seven was just that the four basically just asked that it be the seven of them instead. With the interview we get more to the story and Akito brings up that whether or not the group would be four or seven had been up for debate with management for awhile before the debut announcement. So when the four asked to have the other added it was something that had been considered before and if anything the request of the four just pushed things towards going with seven in the end.
I find this important as it can be assumed that despite what fans may think Johnny's just does not do something just for the hell of it. I doubt the request for a seven member JW would have worked out if management had not considered it before. Of course it still took the four having to make the request to make it happen so I do not think that takes away from the show of the strength of the bonds the seven had pre-debut.
The other thing that really stuck out to me was how serious Akito was about the opportunities he was given also being a chance for him to help raise the profile of the Kansai Juniors. I was always happy to see him and Nakama Junta as the Kanjuu leaders on Shounen Club bringing Kanjuu over to get some screen time in there segments, and now those make so much sense. I feel rather disappointed that we do not get those anymore as I am certain Akito would still love to support the Kanjuu in that way. I really do not think there could be a better host for Shounen Club now, though it would probably help if there were more Juniors he could help promote on the show.
My love for Akito has definitely gone up reading this and I really hope that the rest of this series will get translated so I can get to know all the members of JW better and see what their views on these things are.
06NOV2014 CDJAPAN order
Like I explain in the video I was expecting to have this order in much sooner but one of the items ended up not being released until the very end of October. But I have it now and loving it all.
This order includes:
Johnny's WEST - Zipangu Ookini Daisakusen / Yume o Dakishimete RE/1st press editions
DiVA - Discovery Type A edition
Morning Musume '14 - Tiki Bun RE Type A
This order includes:
Johnny's WEST - Zipangu Ookini Daisakusen / Yume o Dakishimete RE/1st press editions
DiVA - Discovery Type A edition
Morning Musume '14 - Tiki Bun RE Type A
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Sailor Moon Crystal - Episode Thoughts 9
The Silver Crystal is finally found but heartache follows for Usagi. Luckily she has some great friends to support her as she has supported them.
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