~Thank you maiZe (*´∀｀)♥！！！

This is so thoughtful~♥ and I’ll cherish these Kamei photos so much!! As maiZe was in Japan just as Tsunku announced the graduations of Kamei, Junjun and Linlin these will possibly be the very last new Kamei photos that I’ll collect while she’s still in Momusu/Hello! Project (´⌒｀。)。

I’m so touched~* and speechless with maiZe’s most heartfelt gesture….I can’t say thank you~♥ enough as my Kamei binder just got so much warmer and better o(*´∀｀)o゛♥。。。ｍａｉＺｅへ、本とにありがとうございます～♥。

~SPEED 「指環」

It’s a bit ironic how SPEED’s latest single “Yubiwa” so captures immediately even with the first few drop~s of notes ♪♪~♥ a most reminiscent sound of their past~. Instead of SPEED’s longtime producer Ijichi Hiromasa, here their sound production is credited to High speed boyz inc. featuring nishi-ken, Ohmura Shinji & JIN…..and for at least the title track it’s a 180 degree turnaround from what has been a sound dominated by r&b styling~s since the latest return of SPEED, now in their third reunion~♥.  If you were to link “Yubiwa” back to their heartfelt farewell song “April-theme of “Dear Friends” released back on March 29th, 2000…..it’s truly as if SPEED had never left us~. “Yubiwa”…beautiful, sweeping…..poignant, and it’s one of those melodies which can capture you in a single listen.

SPEED’s “Yubiwa” can be ordered here @ Cdjapan.

SPEED’s “Yubiwa” can be ordered here @ YesAsia.

SPEED’s “Yubiwa” can be ordered here @ HMV Japan.

SPEED “Tracks” mp3

The coupling with song “Tracks” is much more representative of how SPEED has evolved in their more recent years as it’s much more of a power r&b song, here with an electro~* touch. Still I really long for the SPEED of yesteryear and upon hearing “Yubiwa” much of my joy was rekindled♥.

Even with SPEED now having quite a few new releases since their most recent incarnation, now more than ever with this single I just felt a real sense of how grown up they are…..but not to worry (゜ロ゜ノ)ノ。。。as our beloved SPEED still has that most offbeat wackiness about them! And yes~! it’s still everyone trying to annoy Hiro in most funny and strange~♥ ways and even Hiro can only resist for so long…(^q^)! And what’s great is that this goes waaaaaaaay back as it’s sort of a running gag within the group and whom better to bother than the one deemed as the most “serious” in the group :P!! And while Eriko has long been my most favorite♥ member in the group, I can’t get over how model~licious Takako has become Σ(￣◇￣*)！！。。。。、I mean it’s nothing new as she’s always been the cute♥ one in the group but she’s really grown to look so model~esque! (lol I’m still making up my own words every day :P!)

The included DVD with Jacket A in addition to the music video♥ also includes an offshot “making of” but I’ve chosen the third clip just below because it just cracks me up so much!!!…..

「Featured Post」~Seifuku♥101~

This gallery contains 106 photos.

While I think most everyone has either seen or worn seifuku♥ wouldn’t it be cute and sexy* to be able to witness the variations in style and the dressing and undressing  of a most adorable idol~♥ as  if you were … Continue reading →

~Arashi 「Love Rainbow」

The song…..just beautiful!! If you’re in need of a smile “Love Rainbow” is most uplifting with such positive lyrics & a soaring melody♥!! The title track is also the theme song for the Matsujun drama “Natsu no koi wa niji iro ni kagayaku” and songs like these will always evoke emotions for the listener. Single sales? Just awesome with over 573,000 singles sold ＼(^o^)／☆！And both tracks here are gorgeous ballads with its coupling “Over” being just as sweet~♥. And now for Arashi’s new video~♥…….!!..

Arashi’s “Love Rainbow” can be ordered here @ Cdjapan. (please not that the LE first pressing is out of print)

Arashi’s “Love Rainbow” can be ordered here @ HMV Japan. (please note that the LE first pressing is out of print)

Arashi- Over (mp3)

While a pv~♥ like “Happiness” can really get your heart thumping どき～どきー(*≧∀≦)ノ♥！！。。the visuals for “Love Rainbow” even while on the much more poetic side with really soft artistic touches are just as effective and especially for this style of song. I love how the scenery appears in places as separate transparent “photographs” and Riida in the making of comments that this was the first time they shot completely with a “green~back” but then I was thinking about the pv for “One Love”….wasn’t that all “green~back” also? I”m so used to saying “blue~screen” and yet it certainly is green here XD! But in any case this video’s most dreamy~♥!

Aiba’s so funny as while filming his walking scene he gets so animated with his gestures that he accidentally walks right off of that green~back treadmill thingy…(^q^)!  The making of included with the LE’s DVD runs about 27 minutes or so and that’s just enough time for the inevitable moment(s)……..

….during any Arashi activity where someone is giving Riida the business (。ーωー。)笑。He’s somehow just so much a magnet for that and one of the few times that you’ll see Riida turn the tables, albeit on a t.v. show’s host is whenever Arashi appeared on Utaban where Nakai assumed the role of being most “Riida~like” with both Taka~san and Riida working together to drive Nakai~kun most crazy (￣▽￣)！！Some of the very best television you’ll ever see I think!

A~h Nino~♥ is always so much the pro whenever you see any behind the scenes with Arashi, I mean during any song recording or choreography he’s always right on cue and gets everything like in a single take…….just perfect~*!

~48 reasons♥ to own a psp! (my WordPress housewarming giveaway (*´∀｀)♥）

Hmm..admit it!….it’s something you may have dreamed~* about at one time or another? And really with idols♥ and just the term “dating” being a most taboo combination it’s truly a dreamlike cloud to lay upon one’s conscience~. If you’re a guy it’s probably a proposition that’ll make your mind explode~*! but even for girls I think and maybe I speak for myself only but without doubt my girl friends and I will check out* other girls albeit with very much different thoughts~♥ in mind from a guy’s (。ーωー。)笑 ！

I’ve never thought of owning a psp before…now loving my DSi, but now owning a psp is a definite must!!!!!!!!!!! And psp’s are region free?…I do hope so!

The “renai” gaming revolution has long been a fixture amongst otaku fans mostly as “dating” in an alternate video game world in itself may seem from outside cultures as perhaps an extreme or oddly unimaginable gaming pastime,….however I think it’s purely awesome in every way really ヽ(。´▽`。)ノ。。！！

So let’s set the table here……all 48 AKB♥ girls are wanting* “you” (the one who inserted the game cartridge into your psp console =) ) and you’ll spend I think many a dreamy~* hours trying to ward off their love advances~♥ upon you as there can only be one (*´∀｀)♥！。。yes one! It’s also something we girls also dream~* about…..a guy who can commit* to one~♥ as in we’re your one~and~only♥! I think I just frightened off about 89% of the male population everywhere…(^q^)! Hmm..but can you fathom 48 girls being after you all at once? :O!!!….or 48 guys for that matter?!!! =)!!! I wonder if Johnny’s will see this and release a Johnny’s renai~♥ game where Tackey, Kimutaku, Sho~kun, Matsujun, Yamappi, Tsubasa, Riida, Aiba, Nino~♥ and everyone else is after you? ♥♥♥♥!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait :P! But seriously the girls all had a fun time making this most original and unprecedented game!!!….and from reading their comments on their blogs the experienced ranged from embarrassing to some most enlightening moments~*….I mean they’re confessing their true~♥ love and unlike with acting many of the girls took it much more heartfelt~♥ and true~. Hmm…but back to commitment….lol…um….well..:P.

～♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥～

Okay~* and now for anyone who hasn’t yet fled (゜ロ゜ノ)ノ ！。。here are the edition details beginning with the first press♥ limited edition which for about $115 includes the AKB psp game, 10 photos (I’m thinking randomly inserted?), 2 making of DVDs totaling approximately 240 minutes, 48 life size kiss♥ marks, 24 alternate double sided jackets, “UMD” disc (not sure what a UMD disc is) with extra footage not used in the game and a special box packaging it all!!! There area also a LE  first pressing and regular edition available now for pre~order which feature lesser variations of the first press♥ edition~. I’m thinking though that one must go with the LE edition first pressing for a gaming experience as unprecedented as this!!! It will cost over $100 but I so think it’ll be so worth it!!!

As Japan has the very best in special~* packaging and releases there is of course the ultimate version of this AKB renai~♥ game which goes under the title of “premier pack”…..and for a yes~! a whopping 36,729 yen you’ll receive in addition to all of the extras found in the first press♥ limited edition a special AKB psp all in pink!!…and alternate battery covers with kiss marks for all 48 featured members!! It appears that this “premier” edition is only on sale for pre~order @ Amazon Japan and interestingly isn’t available for customers outside of Japan as it’s noted to only be available to ship within Japan :/. So what that means is that if you’re interested in the “premium” edition you’ll need to go through a proxy to purchase it. edit: just while typing this I realized that the “premium” edition is now possibly sold out as Amazon Japan isn’t taking any more pre~orders at this time but you can still add this item to your wish list~* in hopes that it becomes available again and in that event they will notify you =).

Well no matter which edition you choose to purchase, you can be assured that the flirtatious~♥ ways of 48 idols will be on full display…….unprecedented in idol♥ world? With a capital Y~E~S~! How will one ward off the comings♥ on of a doe eyed Miichan?…..the steady endearment♥ of Takamina?…..Acchan just being too cute to say no to~!…..the overpowering mayuge♥ of Aaamin??….Sasshi trying to drag you into a maid cafe and attempting to convert you into a wota? :O…..well um I could go on and on…..Mmm….however you may already know whom I’ll surely fall for or at least “try” to fall for unless Akicha has her way with me XD! The suspense (*≧▽≦)♪！！

Wanna win a copy~* of the psp game “AKB1/48 Idol to Koishitara…?”

The LE first press edition with all of the extras~*? The special box set (A $137+ value with shipping).

To enter please share~* the AKB48 member who’s love♥ you would vie for in this psp gaming experience out of the 48~ and why…and please don’t hesitate if you’re a fangirl~♥ as AKB has a large fangirl~!♥ base too I know!!, just ask me XD!….hmm so our approach would rather be which member we would most like to befriend o(*´∀｀)o゛♥。、。。。the deadline to enter is October 9th midnight (HST) and all eligible entries from then will compete~♥ to win AKB’s psp LE first press edition game in upcoming posts. This is my blog~warming giveaway here and a way to say thank you~* for visiting me here @ my new WordPress home♥ ＾　＾。Please note that a minimum of 10 entries are needed to make this giveaway work…yoroshiku ne~♥.

Not sure whom you’d choose to fall in love♥ with?

Here are the 48♥ ↓↓↓ vying for your affection (*´∀｀)。。。

~I now have direct video~♥ options here @ WordPress っo(*´∀｀)o。

I was wondering what formats do other WordPress users put into their sites? Well first before asking I was really not going to have the ability to upload video directly here to WordPress as the cost seemed too much for me and perhaps I would embed links from elsewhere to here.

But then there’s always the worry of clips being eaten by YouTube or the like in other streaming sites =(!

Maybe I whine too much but a friend~♥ here purchased for me additional memory as the initial import from Vox had occupied the first WP allotment and I needed much much more memory for all posts from Vox to be here okay~* and……today I now have the ability to upload video directly to WP as he’s calling it an early Christmas present for me (*´∀｀)。

It’s a one year subscription so I can upload as much video as I’d like as long as I have the available space to do so. Now with memory being a concern I was thinking that mp4 video would be best?…..I mean so that it’s quality wise watchable and yet it doesn’t take up too much memory? I noticed that avi was similar in size too and there are also options of windows video media and more here =)

So I guess what I’m wondering is how the video in the post below looks and plays for everyone? It didn’t take up too much memory and uploaded really quickly without any issues….thank you~* WP♥! I’m using a 640 X 480 setting with 30 frames per second and 1500kbps bit rate and audio at 128. I don’t know what any of that means but it’s what’s on my screen when I’m converting videos…..I can change the settings though but I think it plays okay this way? Mmm..please help with any video suggestions if you think the video below doesn’t look okay or if I’m wasting memory with these settings ＾　＾。

Also posts here will look rather clumsy I think for awhile as I continue to learn how to use WordPress….wish~* me luck =)!

~Your Sunday gravure, Yuichan♥ on top (*´∀｀)！

…and now that we’ve caught up with Yuichan~♥ first there’s the thought of gravure and really idols have different facets to their approach and appeal across this large genre in Japan where anything from “U” to pure to gravure can separate their fan~bases in obvious ways. There’s definitely a controversy to speak of with the “U” idols but when you step back a bit and think about it what it comes down to is really a variance in cultures and how even going back to one’s upbringing and how society and media are projected where you live can dictate and really just present aspects to which where to one it may seem so completely normal, while when viewed elsewhere questions may be abound. Gravure is seeing an idol in a light where they push the sexy* envelop a bit more or sometimes a lot more than their fellow idol counterparts as gravure is rather more of an approach than a definable line in the sand. To say one is gravure can simply mean that an idol tends to be marketed towards a sexier* aura so even with something as innocent as a mizugi* shoot, it @ times will also be quoted as “gravure” so this term is quite broad to say the least~.

There’s such an adorable~* innocence in Yuichan’s audition as she vied for the prestigious idol title of “Miss Magazine”…….lol I mean check out her audition/introduction sign (人∀`*)。。。！、where instead of maybe re~writing or maybe using the other side of her sign Yuichan opted to um….scratch out her hip measurement as her waist measurement was meant to be first :P! But then again I’ve witnessed oh~so~many “batsu” like reactions by staff where you just know that your favorite idols will inevitably fall at some point to the well, sometimes funnily timed and even a bit mean @ times plotting of the powers that be :P! So….um maybe the staff didn’t “have available” another sheet of paper (Yui’s sign material XD) so that she could correct it…..me thinks differently (。ーωー。)笑。

But (sigh*)…..the life of a gravure idol, I mean who wouldn’t love it! Aside from the batsu torturing and untimely unavailability of paper you do! get to wear the sexiest* and cutest of clothes….bikinis….sometimes much less clothes (・д・`*)！。。but I have a feeling~* no one’s complaining….fans and the idol♥ alike =).

Okay~* in order to back this up, here’s a “day in the life” of Yuichan♥…..and yes~! in case you’re wondering she does eventually get on top* (*´艸`)。。。:P!

…and as promised, here’s Mmm…..Yuichan♥ on top ↓↓↓。。(^q^)!

Being new to it all Yuichan♥ does fall victim to the dreaded NG and you gotta love that where Western television tends to separate their “NG’s” into special features and the like, here it’s just part of the original program (￣▽￣)♪♪～！

This post was brought to you by our sponsors ↑↑↑ @ ABSOLUT VODKA.

Just kidding!! but isn’t it funny that well……

..wait a minute! it does look like ABSOLUT VODKA sponsored Yuichan♥…(^q^)!

Mmm….I tried vodka once and didn’t like it at all (ノロ≦。)！！！but then again it was “disguised” in oj so when I think about getting screwed*..I mean by screwdrivers it’s absolutely off limits to me!!!!

Was it okay~* to say that….sorry vodka (・c_・;)？

~Young Jump features senbatsu girl Yukorin♥ and lots and lots of AKB っo(*´∀｀)o！～

First though is this awesome~↑↑↑ * alternate single jacket that Young Jump has included with their 9.2.2010 issue for “Heavy Rotation” and like the original single jackets, it’s also printed on thick and glossy paper~. Acchan and Tomochin surely have the sultry* look down!!…while Kojiharu and Mayuyu  bring the adorable~♥!……heart~pops?, you can never go wrong with those (*´∀｀)♥！！The third section of the extra jacket is just below….

Browsing~♥ auctions can be a most adventurous experience~* where you can find yourself going from link~* to link~* in endless succession….well unless you’re able to control yourself XD but the wonderful part is that you can sometimes and more times than not find an item which you’ve been wanting whether for a long while or not on auctions and yay~* I was able to bid successfully on a yet sealed copy of Weekly Playboy with that oh~so~adorable♥ AKB meets nyan~nyan thingy going on o(*´∀｀)o゛♥。 Something about these issues of Young Jump though is just how um…..thick they are!!! I mean with an average of 450 pages which measures a towering 3/4th’s of an inch+!! in thickness I can’t help but be reminded of “Kiiroi Namida” where omg! Nino~♥ is overworked with his manga aspirations~* (゜ロ゜ノ)ノ！！！。。

…..and what I mean by that is just how much manga is in each and every issue of Young Jump and alike publications all over Japan!! It’s mind boggling that this amount of manga is written, drawn and edited with even weekly publications in this amazing~* volume (・д・`*)！！！Me thinks that I would need an ice~pack very much too with such demands :P.

And if this issue of Young Jump isn’t already awesome~* enough?….they also have a cute~♥ pull out poster featuring Yukirin, Mayuyu and Kitarie ↑↑↑ ＾　＾。

U~n and now for the article scans~♥ with Kasai pretty in pink, Yukorin being Yukorin~♥ in murasaki (that means perfection~*!), Acchan scorching in red!, Miichan…cream~si~cle heart~melting in orange (you know it’s the best flavor (*´∀｀)♥!）、Sae sexy* in blue, Tomochin tantalizing~* in…..well Tomochin’s~♥ always tantalizing~ ne~*…! and last but definitely not least is Kojiharu bringing the sexy* in what I think may be the cutest♥ bikini …..adore the ruffles (*´∀｀)♥。

~an an 8.25.2010 features covergirls AKB48 & their definition of “beauty” in a person~

A fashion magazine of choice for many, “an an” quite often features male celebrities on their covers with extensive articles and photography inside so while admittedly it’s a magazine in which I more often will just browse….well mostly just their covers as these issues tend to be sealed on magazine shelves as we have at least a couple of locations here in Hawaii to find them regularly, this issue caught my attention immediately seeing that AKB48 was gracing~* their cover and I immediately went to purchase it!  an an also publishes really thick catalogues and for anything from fashion to make~up to accessories to trending you can find it here~!

A cute~♥ little feature in AKB48’s article is how each girl was asked to define what “beauty” means to them in a person and I really loved how Yuko answered with: “Yoyuu wo matteiru hito” saying that it would be a person of patience who can make the time and leave room for things and “Shippai kara chanto manaberu hito” saying it would be a person who can learn from failure in a proper way.  Both wonderful qualities in a person ne~. And there’s a wonderful insight in their answers which gives you a little bit more of a hint~* into the personalities of Tomochin, Kojiharu, Acchan and Yuko~ (*´∀｀)。

~Battle of the Idol Dream♥Teams ( `_)乂(_’ ) winner is….

…congratulations~* to Team Ada Xd on winning the Idol♥Dream Team giveaway ＼(^o^)／☆！！！

You captured~* 36.5% of the votes with the following idols♥ as your personal dream collaboration…

Thank you~* to everyone who participated and I really enjoyed the creativity and imagination put into everyone’s dream♥team entries! Now if only one day a fan could play producer for real and assemble such a cute~* and diverse group of idols for a one shot single~*…dreaming I know but still I think it’s good for the soul~♥ to dream every once in awhile no matter how big those aspirations are =)!

Ada xD I’m sure you’ll make a wonderful home for Yukorin’s♥ photo book!! Congratulations~*~~* again on winning and please contact me so that we can arrange delivery of your prize~* ＾　＾。

Final vote standings may be viewed in this link.