真野恵里菜 ”マノグアム”…..use only as directed. =)

真野恵里菜

Mano Erina "Manoguam" DVD

Feeling like the *cute* in your life has been difficult to find lately?…like there's just not enough idol adorableness on your laptop or television to get you through your days? Well you may be like the millions out there that suffer from "Adoralakadydus"...but help is available. =)

As with any other adorable idol regimen please speak to your doctor beforehand to see if Adoraoverlydus is right for you…if you suffer from lackasleepus or any other sleeping disorder due to too much idol t.v. then consult with your physician before considering taking Adoraoverlydus as too much *cuteness* may occur as a result~.

In clinical trials the most common known side effects were…sudden euphoria…drooling…an urge to say "kawaii!"…uncontrollable online cosplay purchases late at night…and a permanent smile which may need to be sugically removed~. If you experience a need to watch for more than five hours it may require immediate medical attention…..it's time to start feeling *happy* again. Use only as directed~. XD

Manoeri says…"Adoraoverlydus is good for you!" =D

Ingredients: ~♥Beautiful Guam scenery/ Extreme adorableness/ 61 minutes/ Extreme adorableness/ Cost-U-Less (which looks like a gigantic Costco or Sam's Club)/ Extreme adorableness/ Lots of shashinshuu making of footage/ Extreme adorableness/ Interview clips/ Extreme adorableness/ Bikinis & the beach/ Extreme adorableness/ Bikinis and a pool/ Overwhelming adorableness/ Manopiano clip & ending edited clip/ 1000% of your daily recommended value of adorableness/ Waterpark w/ tube ride & flumes/ Extreme cuteness/ The dreaded sling shot "ride!" 😮 / and a fan message/ ♥~

Mano Erina's "Manoguam" DVD can be ordered here at Cdjapan.

Mano Erina's "Manoguam" DVD can be ordered here at YesAsia.

For scans and more on Manoeri's debut solo shashinshuu click here. ＾　＾

Lucky Aura♪♪

"Lucky Aura" ending clip from "Manoguam" DVD.

Manoeri's 2nd indies single "Lucky Aura" from last October gets sort of a pv here….well until they began rolling the credits near the end but still it's very cute~. ＾　＾

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Never ever ever ever ever ever!! would I ever ride this!!!! 😮

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~♥~

 

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原田知世…sweet♥ J-Pop for your Sunday~

原田知世

原田知世

Harada Tomoyo, for much of the nineties balanced both a successful t.v. drama career along with a music career~. There’s a very soft and natural beauty about her which comes across in her acting…and the word that instantly comes to mind whenever I listen to her vocals♪♪~…elegant.

For much of her music releases Harada Tomoyo actively wrote her own lyrics which gives an endearing quality to them, and here on this *lazy* and oh so so warm & humid Sunday…(゜ロ゜ノ)ノ (I hope you’re enjoying yours! (￣▽￣) )…..here are just a couple of personal Harada Tomoyo ＊favorites＊~. =)

Harada Tomoyo “Tears of joy” single (cover scan)

Harada Tomoyo collection

“Tears of Joy” is one of those songs you just get so taken in with from the very first listen…….such a beautiful daydream like melody all set to a sweet ensemble of contemporary pop instrumentation~.

Released on October 24th, 2001……..this one is *pure* love for me (…makes me feel all warm & *fuzzy* inside..o(*´∀｀)o゛♥), I hope you enjoy it too! =)

~Harada Tomoyo “Tears of joy” mp3~

Harada Tomoyo “Sincere” CD single (cover scan)

~Harada Tomoyo “Sincere” mp3~

“Sincere” was released on July 24th, 1997 and was presented in Japan’s long standing 3″ CD single format which I always loved and felt that it really gave their single releases such a unique look with their long rectangular shape which looks really *pretty* when cased in those special jewel cases~. Sadly the last of this release format would be seen just two or so years later. It’s a very intimate composition with the beautiful sounds of an acoustic nylon string guitar~. Sincere” was the theme song for the drama “Dessan” which also starred Harada Tomoyo. =)

Utaban…television so ＊good＊, it’ll bring you to tears (´⌒｀。)

Perhaps no show has been more supportive…nurturing…and yet so…..um eager to torture Momusu on a week to week basis as ♥Utaban♥ has over the years~. XD And where timing can be so key to one's success both Momusu and Utaban were so new together, coinciding perfectly as they each grew on their own and of course *together*. (*´∀｀*)♥

Ichii Sayaka "kaasan" had just departed the group….the group lineup in the following clips are the "Happy Summer Wedding" group so Gen.4 was brand new with Tsuji/Kago (yet to be nicknamed Nono/Aibon) being sooooo *adorable* here and of course there's a very cute Yossi & Rikachan rounding out the rookies of the group~. =)

Finding and collecting t.v. show clips back then was absolutely nothing like it is today….with the internet not yet being the amazing file sharing land that it has grown into in time, if you lived outside of Japan then finding clips on your own was really a case of exploring the shelves of your local Japanese video store and hoping to find the most recent t.v. shows there amongst the rows and rows of VHS tapes~. And if you were lucky the quality would be sort of decent on some accounts but for the most part you'd end up with at least a bit of graininess to cope with when you returned home with your newly found *treasures* to watch~. After all we're weren't yet capable of home DVD transfers of video so being digital was out of the question as of yet. (Gomen ne~…the caps and video clips are on the *fuzzier* side due to the VHS source tape.) So I was watching some old tapes during this past week and I came across some priceless old Utaban clips which I haven't viewed in what seems like ages so it was time to make sure that the VCR was still alive and…..wallah~!………….

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…It all seems so innocent really, we have Nakaikun with his erm buzzer thingie~…………….

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…………..which when *buzzed* then alerts a calm and thoughtful Taka-san to turn on a member's air tank thus filling balloons up to dimensions they were never intended for….XD…….well………

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………….he's sort of innocent and calm looking……

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…….until "provoked!!" (゜Д゜;)!!…….and about those balloons..I almost forgot to mention…

………………….!!!!

……………!!!!!!!!!!!!!

…………."Priceless!" 😛

  …they're clipped on to each member of the group…(^q^) Here Rikachan after finding herself "speechless" in trying to remember the word order gets a bit of Taka-san's "air" love♥~. XD

Wait…I'm getting a bit ahead here as the "game" being played involves word memorization set to a specific theme which changes after a member is unable to come up with the right words in the correct order in which they are spoken……thus the over inflated balloon~. 😮 For example if the given theme were to be something like "things you find in a bento box…", the first member (from left to right the order then circles back to member on the left..on and on until a mistake is made or a member is unable to think of a word which fits the criteria) could say "salmon"..the next member would then have to say "salmon" and then add her item and on down the line as the chain of words keeps growing longer and longer making it more difficult to remember the correct order or come up with one's own new words to add!~. 😮

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From the very start though a few things seem to be amiss…..however as we know this is Utaban so they're rather definitely by design! 😛 Such as Yukosan's (*sigh* I miss Yukosan so much!…I think she was the best leader Momusu ever had…o(*´∀｀)o゛♥) having a slight issue with her positioning in the seat arrangement and the producers of Utaban….XD…..

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….and then there's the un-inflated balloons themselves which as noted by Kaorin and Gomaki ("Gocchin"…she always had the cutest nicknames! with the former one reminding me of a Gotou "sush roll" if such a thing exists =) ) have something in them?!! (*´艸`)!!

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And even after exploding once (here Yukosan's explodes all on its own mysteriously! 😮 ) these balloons which are "affectionately" called "doubles" by Nakaikun & Taka-san continue to be inflated with a second life all their own~. (・д・`*)!!!………

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…..with some reaching freakishly huge sizes!!! Note the usual suspects which Utaban routinely loves to "torture"!!….Kaorin, Yukosan, Keisan and well they tried Gocchin from the very beginning although that didn't seem to last very long as she would later have none of it!!! XD Hmmm..funny when some balloons are capable of reaching much greater heights of abomination~! than others…(^q^)

After transferring VHS to DVD I've uploaded this Utaban gem below ＾　＾…..I apologize again for the lesser quality and I needed to divide the original 30 minute clip into 3 parts here due to the giant size of the file which I don't think YouTube would accept as a single upload..gomen ne~)…………

So sit back…..relax……and enjoy all of the wild balloon madness which only a show like Utaban is truly capable of bringing into our living rooms on a regular basis week after week! ＼(^o^)／☆ Some fun things to take note of while watching these 3 clips are: When asked to present "good" adjectives about Taka-san ("良所") "iitokoro", Yuko lets out a gasp of "EHHH?!!" and hilarity ensues! / "Super Slow" mo footage is just hilarious and their voices sound low growls!…(^q^) / Yossi has the funniest expression when her balloon is heading towards inevitable explosion! / each member's air tank has their name written upon it…how ♥sweet♥! XD / Gocchin's, Kaorin's & Yuko's balloons become unspeakably large!!! / a great nostalgic performance of "Happy Summer Wedding"!!! / the "Johnson" nickname is already in regular use!!..to unlock the mysteries to Kaorin's *special* nickname visit here. =) / both Nakaikun and Takasan have a soft spot for Tsuji ('Nono") which rears itself to the dismay of her fellow members XD / Gocchin loses a sandal! / Kaorin names an entire continent when the theme was asking for "countries" instead! 😛 / Special balloons are known as "doubles" ♥♥♥~ / Taka-san remarks on there…."being more room" in those very *special* balloons* when they haven't yet reached their bursting point! / Tsuji ("Nono") does the sweetest thing when Gocchin's balloon is about to explode by trying her best to hold it away from Gocchin…awww this was really the sweetest!!~ (note: when asked by Nakaikun what she was doing afterwards she replies…"fuseideta" which means to "protect;defend" o(*´∀｀)o゛♥) / Yuko's chair gets further and further away whenever a fellow member is having a bit of difficulty in remembering the order of words or coming up with a new one XD / Gocchin is definitely the most terrified of oversized balloons….but really who wouldn't be! 😛 Still her reactions are the truest of them all alongside Johnson's & Yuko's of course!~

Just be sure to beware of Taka-san's……um actions after Gocchin's exploding balloon as I'm not entirely sure of what exactly he's doing here……..(・c_・;)？And something tells me that I so don't want to know!! (゜ロ゜ノ)ノ

So now here's "Fuusen wari kokon touzai game!!" on Utaban……………

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(;゜□゜)

(´⌒｀。)

…Utaban…television so ＊good＊, it'll bring you to tears~. (´⌒｀。)

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モーニング娘。”しょうがない 夢追い人”

モーニング娘。

Momusu "Shouganai yumeoibito" LE type A, B & RE CD singles

H!P producers have long been one the very best at utilizing larger group lineups and just released on May 13th…Momusu's latest single is a perfect example of the culmination of years of such development~. I have a hope that Tsunku intends to not tweak this lineup for a long while as with departures and especially with new entries into Momusu the building process of overall talent and chemistry starts anew once again…..and now with this lineup being together for some time now they've really grown into such a solid unit and with just one viewing of "Shouganai yumeoibito"'s dance shot version you're truly given a sense of what Momusu has accomplished as a whole in this mixing of generations~.

All three covers boast such *beautiful* photography and what makes each stunning in their own right is the unique approach taken…with a close up portrait (RE)..jumping shot (LE type B)..and the most picturesque being LE type A's golden jungle gym set~. Everyone!! just looks so gorgeous in this release!!! =) And on a very encouraging note as this hasn't been the case recently….but "Shouganai yumeoibito"'s LE type A is already sold out at Cdjapan…..which may be a great indication that their sales will be great perhaps and I really do *hope* so as this single would be so deserving to chart highly~! It was just released yesterday (Japan time) and is already out of print?!!….really really amazing I think!! ＼(^o^)／☆

Morning Musume's "Shouganai yumeoibito" LE type B can be ordered here at Cdjapan. (note: LE type A is out of print at Cdjapan.)

Morning Musume's "Shouganai yumeoibito" RE can be ordered here at Cdjapan. (note: first pressing is out of print)

Momusu "Shouganai yumeoibito" (liner notes cover scan)

Both LE's include an additional DVD with type A providing fans with a "Dance Shot Ver." while type B includes a "Close-up ver." of the title track's pv. And with no jacket shooting or behind the scenes footage expect lots to appear on their still to be released pv DVD single which is set for a May 20th release~.

Momusu "shouganai yumeoibito" LE type A (cover scan)

Morning Musume "Shouganai yumeoibito" (Dance Shot Ver.) pv

The soft and free flowing style of each member's wardrobe lends perfectly to the fluid choreography which punctuates "Shouganai yumeoibito"'s very elegance~……much of which features "classical" posturing with just a touch of *sensuality*~. While Tsunku has been recently leading Momusu with r&b/techno flavored single tracks it's nice to hear Momusu's two latest being more truly "J-Pop" oriented and while "Shouganai yumeoibito" is no doubt laced with whimsical musical interludes within and a sweet weeping violin♪♪…it's still filled with a strong dramatic conviction in tone, much of which is accented to perfection by its accompanying dance choreography~. From what has been a longstanding trademark of Momusu..the constant shuffling which brings various members to the forefront of attention throughout the dance is pretty well rounded here I felt, although with definite favorites out there surely there will always be more to be desired. And on a totally random note Mitsii looks so dazzling with those extensions on which she wears on all three CD cover editions as well as in the "Dance Shot ver." of their pv~!! For some reason she isn't wearing them in the "Close-up Ver." of the pv…….in any case Mitsii should surely grow her hair out again for sure!…as it really suits her facial features much better I think than a shorter hairstyle does. =) Just a little hair *rant* from me!…gomen~. XD

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Momusu "Shouganai yumeoibito" (LE type B cover scan)

Momusu "Shouganai yumeoibito" (Close-up Ver.) pv

"Shouganai yumeoibito"'s close-up version of its pv is a bit more interesting than some of its predecessors in that the distance and camera angles are varied throughout and even if slightly done so it gives its overall appeal more personality in a sense~. There's a definite melancoly captured here in both expression and shades….and appropriately so as to match the very essence of the song itself. Not your usual genki Musume~…but I really love how emotions of the lyrics are conveyed here utilizing just profiles and the overall moodyness of their appearance~.

Momusu "Shouganai yumeoibito" (RE cover scan)

02 ３、２、１　ＢＲＥＡＫＩＮ’　ＯＵＴ！

Morning Musume

The coupling with track "3, 2, 1 BREAKIN' OUT!" has sort of a fun 80's flair to it and is noted to be the upcoming Anime Expo's theme song to be held in L.A. later this year~. It's rather a total opposite to the title track's deep moodyness and surely will suit such a gathering perfectly~. Cool harmonies♪♪~ and very danceable…perfect for audience participation in a live event~. ＾　＾

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Junjun cap & C-ute pv DVD single giveaway~. =)

(Hmmm…my 3 favorite drivers are in this photo!)

Giveaway merchandise… =)

Hello~ Minnasan!…okay I've pushed up the Junjun cap/ C-ute pv DVD single giveaway up a bit~. I may have something else for the upcoming "Chase" later this year but if you'd like to win either an official Junjun cap…so *adorable*!! (*´∀｀*)♪♪ or C-ute's "Bye Bye Bye!" pv DVD single then entering is both easy and fun!! =)

While random drawings can be fun I think that utilizing the race format in which I previously used for the Daytona 500 here earlier this year for a BK single giveaway, adds a bit more intrigue and hopefully excitement too in that each entry is fully in control of their own destiny in that you get to pick your own drivers and that the results are purely based upon those choices and their subsequent results~. ＾　＾

…outcomes & misfortunes can be changed in a split second in racing…

If you'd like to win either of these *cute* items (I'll also cover all shipping charges =) ) then all you need to do is pick three drivers (one driver's name sent in confidence to me in a separate PM….explained in better detail at the bottom of this post =) ) in which you think/hope will have the best results in the next 3 upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup points events before qualifying (you'll get to pick any three drivers of your choice for each of the three race events separately and they not need be the same for each race giving you flexibility for each different race track.)

A cumulitive average will be tallied from each entries' three chosen drivers from race to race beginning with the "Coca Cola 600" (May 24th) at Lowe's Motor Speedway and the standings will be posted after each race event in the same fashion as was done here earlier this year only then it was just two drivers being chosen by each entry.

Entrants will then do the same with the following race events at Dover International Speedway (May 31st) and Pocono Raceway (June 7th) which will follow the next two Sundays.

After each of these three race events…your chosen driver's finishing spots will then be combined together to determine an overall average finishing number for each entry………..and the winner with the best (lowest) overall average finish after the three races as Lowe's Motor Speeday, Dover International Speedway and Pocono Raceway will win Junjun's cap~! =) All other entries who participated in each of the three race events will then be given a chance to win C-ute's "Bye Bye Bye!" pv DVD single regardless of their final finishing spots through a random drawing~.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So to enter it's simple ＾　＾…

1) Before qualifying (before May 22nd) at Lowe's Motor Speedway choose 3 Sprint Cup series drivers for the "Coca Cola 600" whom you think will have the best finishes in the race. Important: post only two of your driver's names here in this post and send your third driver's name as a PM (private message) to me through this VOX blog. This third "hidden" choice I think will add a bit more intrigue to each week's results~. =)

2) Results will then be posted after the Coca Cola 600 race in a latter post showing where everyone has placed so far.

3) Before qualifying (before May 29th) at Dover International Speedway choose 3 Cup series drivers for the "Dover 400" whom you think will have the best finishes in the race. Important: post only two of your driver's names in that upcoming post to be posted here later and send your third driver's name as a PM (private message) to me through this VOX blog.

4) Results will then be posted after the Dover race in a latter post showing where everyone has placed after two of the three races.

5.) Before qualifying (before June 5th) at Pocono Raceway choose 3 Cup series drivers for the "Pocono 500" whom you think will have the best finishes in the race. Important: post only two of your driver's names in that upcoming post to be posted here later and send your third driver's name as a PM (private message) to me through this VOX blog.

6) Final results of each entries' overall average finish for all three races combined will be posted and the winners will be announced~! =)

NASCAR.COM provides valuable insight into each upcoming race and which drivers will participate in those events so visiting their site may be helpful as well~. ＾　＾

~Happy racing~o(*´∀｀)o゛

I've added the current points standings for the drivers in the Sprint Cup Series below……keep in mind though that it's not indicative in any way of how a driver may fair at a particular track as I'm rather listing this here just to help with giving entrants to the giveaway some drivers's names to consider. Also it's important to note that only the top 35 drivers in the points rankings below are guaranteed a starting spot in the upcoming race events…therefore choosing a driver outside of the top 35 could run you the risk of having that driver not even qualify for the event as they'll need to qualify on time.

RANK	+/-	DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND	STARTS	POLES	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	WINNINGS
1	—	Jeff Gordon	1601	Leader	11	0	1	6	8	2,339,370
2	+1	Tony Stewart	1572	-29	11	0	0	5	8	1,836,300
3	-1	Kurt Busch	1546	-55	11	0	1	3	6	1,591,310
4	+2	Jimmie Johnson	1465	-136	11	0	1	5	7	2,226,440
5	-1	Denny Hamlin	1445	-156	11	0	0	2	4	1,511,410
6	+1	Jeff Burton	1384	-217	11	0	0	2	5	1,848,580
7	-2	Kyle Busch	1380	-221	11	1	3	4	4	2,331,880
8	+2	Ryan Newman	1363	-238	11	0	0	3	5	1,658,310
9	+2	Greg Biffle	1345	-256	11	0	0	3	6	1,639,190
10	+2	Matt Kenseth	1326	-275	11	1	2	3	4	3,159,260
11	+4	Mark Martin	1316	-285	11	3	2	3	6	1,677,830
12	-3	Carl Edwards	1271	-330	11	0	0	1	4	1,776,060
13	-5	Clint Bowyer	1264	-337	11	0	0	3	4	1,694,240
14	—	Juan Montoya	1255	-346	11	1	0	0	3	1,610,600
15	-2	David Reutimann	1232	-369	11	1	0	1	2	1,564,000
16	+1	Kasey Kahne	1205	-396	11	0	0	1	2	1,654,370
17	-1	Brian Vickers	1188	-413	11	2	0	1	4	1,565,220
18	—	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	1182	-419	11	0	0	1	3	1,462,450
19	+2	Martin Truex Jr.	1144	-457	11	1	0	0	3	1,610,180
20	-1	Marcos Ambrose	1131	-470	11	0	0	1	2	1,348,370
21	+2	Kevin Harvick	1109	-492	11	0	0	2	2	2,562,810
22	-2	Casey Mears	1104	-497	11	0	0	0	1	1,345,440
23	-1	Reed Sorenson	1090	-511	11	0	0	0	1	1,603,900
24	+1	Jamie McMurray	1068	-533	11	0	0	0	3	1,334,740
25	+3	A.J. Allmendinger	1059	-542	11	0	0	1	2	1,662,960
26	+3	Elliott Sadler	1059	-542	11	0	0	1	1	1,461,610
27	—	David Stremme	1039	-562	11	0	0	0	0	1,535,510
28	-4	Michael Waltrip	1017	-584	11	0	0	0	1	1,311,590
29	+2	Bobby Labonte	1007	-594	11	0	0	1	1	1,493,770
30	+2	Joey Logano*	1002	-599	11	0	0	0	2	1,666,500
31	-1	Sam Hornish Jr.	998	-603	11	0	0	0	2	1,368,770
32	-6	David Ragan	998	-603	11	0	0	0	1	1,333,540
33	—	Paul Menard	957	-644	11	0	0	0	0	1,505,160
34	—	Robby Gordon	847	-754	11	0	0	0	0	1,308,930
35	+1	Scott Speed*	756	-845	10	0	0	1	1	1,144,890
36	-1	John Andretti	743	-858	10	0	0	0	0	1,087,540
37	—	David Gilliland	649	-952	10	0	0	0	0	795,140
38	—	Regan Smith	573	-1028	6	0	0	0	0	712,946
39	+3	Brad Keselowski	479	-1122	4	0	1	1	2	625,363
40	-1	Aric Almirola	451	-1150	7	0	0	0	0	826,313
41	-1	Joe Nemechek	414	-1187	8	0	0	0	0	637,078
42	-1	Scott Riggs	394	-1207	7	0	0	0	0	715,463
43	+2	Dave Blaney	298	-1303	8	0	0	0	0	594,574
44	-1	Travis Kvapil	292	-1309	4	0	0	0	0	520,708
45	-1	Jeremy Mayfield	288	-1313	5	0	0	0	0	568,888
46	+1	Max Papis*	280	-1321	4	0	0	0	0	335,375
47	-1	Bill Elliott	228	-1373	3	0	0	0	0	459,040
48	—	Todd Bodine	123	-1478	3	0	0	0	0	236,779
49	—	Mike Bliss	123	-1478	3	0	0	0	0	222,231
50	+1	Sterling Marlin	123	-1478	3	0	0	0	0	220,580
51	+1	Tony Raines	122	-1479	3	0	0	0	0	241,884
52	-2	Terry Labonte	91	-1510	1	0	0	0	0	273,963
53	—	Michael McDowell	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	0
54	—	Trevor Boys	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	0
55	—	Eric McClure	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	0
56	—	Mike Garvey	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	21,163
57	—	Dexter Bean*	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	0
58	—	Mike Wallace	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	21,563
59	—	David Starr	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	0
60	—	Dennis Setzer	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	0
61	—	Derrike Cope	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	21,288
62	—	Geoffrey Bodine	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	21,138
63	—	Carl Long	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	21,463
64	—	Brandon Ash	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	0
65	—	Kirk Shelmerdine	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	21,363
66	—	Kelly Bires	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	21,363
67	—	Norm Benning	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	21,238
68	—	Boris Said	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	21,113
69	—	Mike Skinner	0	-1601	0	0	0	0	0	21,113

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Faster, stronger and more flexible than your average “17″~!..Yajima Maimi in “17′s” DVD.

Yajima Maimi in "17’s" DVD

Yajima Maimi "17’s" DVD

If you've watched Maimichan previously in H!P's "Sportsfest" releases from a few years ago then surely you know just what a great athlete she is~! Visions of her trying to keep pace with one super speedy Konkon~!! came to mind instantly as I watched this DVD earlier this morning and from what initially seemed to be a typical idol DVD release…."17's" is anything but typical for sure!

With a running time of just over 55 minutes, Maimichan's DVD (shot in Guam!) is first and foremost a pure fitness check and some of the early tests include a few that we've watched before in Gen. 6's "Koukai! Tairyoku Sokutei" DVD….gomen for the primitive itty bitty images in that post as I….um..didn't know what a proper screen cap was back then. 😛 Besides the strength tests, flexibility tests and speed coordination tests which are common between Gen. 6's and Maimi's here…..Maimichan takes her sports fitness further points of agility as she races a Guamanian sprinter in a 50m dash to a photo finish~!…takes up batting pracice where first they're tossed but later pitched to her with….um…….strikeout results!…XD (I'd so be afraid of a ball being pitched to me also with any kind of velocity on it!! (゜Д゜;)!! )….then heads to the pitcher's mound with *nice* form~ =)……challenges Momo's time (from her "Momo Only" DVD) in a pool medley..(and it's really *cute* how Maimichan completely stops and pauses at times between switching stroke styles)…sees how far she can throw a soccer ball………and along the way you'll also discover if Maimichan and coconuts get along very well or not~. XD

Maimichan takes on Momo’s medley time~

For me what I found most entertaining about all of the sports fitness results were the direct comparisons made between Maimichan's results and those showing the average of a seventeen year old~. The reading of the characters "平均" is "heikin" which indicates an "average" and it appears next to those taken of other 17 year olds in the results screens which appear throughout the sports fitness tests next to the accompanying event in which they're matched with. And through these tests…Maimichan repeatedly displays why she's faster, stronger and more agile than your average 17 year old~! ＼(^o^)／☆………………..

…………..so get ready by..

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………….stretching!……..

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………always remember to keep hydrated!…as you'll *sweat* profusely…well um maybe not so much as that would really  depend on what exactly you're doing while watching this DVD….(looks at Shirow…(^q^)!!)…………(・_・)?

Oh and before I forget…(u_u*)……each of Maimichan's physical tests are intermingled with brief little interview clips which cover a wide range of interesting topics and they all lead up to the final 16 or so minutes which end the DVD…interestingly following the credits, with lots of shashinshuu making of footage from her latest photo book "17."

Yajima Maimi's "17's" DVD can be ordered here at Cdjapan.

Yajima Maimi's "17's" DVD can be ordered here at YesAsia.

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~♥♥♥~!!

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~bye bye~

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Hello! Project in UTB Vol. 191 June 2009 & two upcoming shashinshuu releases~

Yajima Maimi in UTB June 2009…

UTB Vol. 191 June 2009

Although it's about twice the cost of an issue of Kindai, UTB really proves its worth not only in its beautiful photography…but also in the magazine's aesthetics as well which is printed on thicker stock glossy pages (note: a small portion of news and some features are in black & white in each issue), features a flat spine design and UTB has also long offered special extras with each issue. =)

The current extra being the inclusion and return of the photo trading cards~! UTB & Bomb! magazine really revolutionized the idol trading card/ magazine relationship back in the mid to late nineties and along the way UTB through it's numerous restructurings has offered extras such as clear files, posters and one of their most ingenious to date still remains their special DVDs which really brought to *life* each issue through "up♥dates", gravure photo shoots, idol games, etc…which featured the idols included in each issue~. Also notable are how extended each of the main photo features have become as they're now 8-10 pages in length!

And for any AKB48 fans…they've now appeared regularly for the past few issues….and in this issue alone AKB48 have five features including four of them being solo~.  ＾　＾

Subscriptions to UTB which is published bi-monthly can be purchased here at Cdjapan.

UTB photo card sets for June 2009

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UTB's trading cards are randomly included between 3 possible sets of five cards per issue…….one great thing for all H!P fans is that the trend so far has been separating H!P member cards between the three sets….so matter which set your issue includes you can rest assured to receive at least one of them! =) My issue included "set C" or the "Airiin" set~.

Manoeri, Airiin and Maimichan are featured in photo shoots for this issue….here are the scans…

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Manoeri continues to be an UTB favorite~♥….her photogenic personality and natural *adorableness* surely great reasons!

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~Airiin~ ＾　＾

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And some exciting news as this article mentions that Airiin will be releasing a new shashinshuu on June 25th!! =)

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Manoeri's debut shashinshuu & major label music release is also covered…what's so awesome about these events is not only how close up fans get to their favorite idols but there are also usually signing opportunities as well~.

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Berryz Koubou's Riichan shares a timeline from her birth up to her recent 15th birthday and it's cutely presented in a board game like format~. =)

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~Nakki & Ume~

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…and I just thought that it was so *cute* that Momose Misaki has the kanji character for "peach" in her last name (*´∀｀*)~♥……

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~UTB also always features off shots from idol's recent shashinshuu…here are a few taken from Maimichan's "17" pb~

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＊美しい＊

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

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….and in just a little over two weeks, Aichan will be releasing what will be her 10th solo shashinshuu!..
..one of H!P's most beautiful~!..
..楽しみですね！～♥～

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「Featured post」“..a tale as old as time…..”

櫻井智

“Beauty and the Beast” & Sakurai Tomo “Can-D~Musical Selection~” CD

Last weekend I found myself re-watching one of my most *favorite* animated movies “Beauty and the Beast”…….one of the highlights being of course their dance in that elegant ballroom~….and the movie’s opening which is musical perfection!!

And with such amazing songwriting surely there’ll be recordings of cover versions by other artists…..Sakurai Tomo’s rendition being the ~♥sweetest♥~ I think and she being involved with anime voices you just know that she’s going to have the cuuutest voice and it’s in Japanese~!! o(*´∀｀)o゛ What’s so impressive though is her elegant touch and range in her vocals. She’s just very very sweet♪♪~! If you never imagined that “Beauty and the Beast” could sound so wonderful in Japanese please give Tomochan’s version a listen below…..

Sakurai Tomo is primarily known as a seiyuu or “voice actress” and she also has such an idol like following in the truest sense…I’ll keep this brief here though tonight, as I previously posted about her career and releases here on VOX~. For more on Sakurai Tomochan visit this ~link~ for cover artwork scans, mp3s and live performances~. =)

~Sakurai Tomo “Beauty and the Beast” mp3~

Sakurai Tomo “Can-D~Musical Selection~” (cover scan)

~Beauty and the Beast~

~Beauty and the Beast~

~Beauty and the Beast~

~♪♪~

滝沢秀明 “シャ ラ ラ” / ”無限の羽” double-A side release~!

滝沢秀明

Takizawa Hideaki "Sha la la"/ "Mugen no hane" Jackets A, B & RE CD singles

When the post office left a notice saying that a parcel was too large to fit into our lock boxes I was guessing it was due to the inclusion of a poster coming with Tackey's latest single release……but what I didn't anticipate was just how large those posters would turn out to be!! 😮 In the past CDjapan has sent along with first press editions other special posters but they've always fit into out lock boxes…….these two posters (photographed below) however measure approximately a whopping 40 1/2" X 28 1/2"!!…and yes there was absolutely no way that anything that long would fit!

Both are definitely suitable for framing…with a really large frame!~…and both prints of Tackey are completely mesmerizing!!!! ………(゜∀゜)………。

Order Takizawa Hideaki's "Sha la la"/ "Mugen no hane" LE type A CD single here at Cdjapan. (note: as of 8 pm May 6th…first press poster type A is still available)

Order Takizawa Hideaki's "Sha la la"/ "Mugen no hane" LE type B CD single here at Cdjapan. (note: as of 8 pm May 6th…first press poster type B is still available.)

Order Takizawa Hideaki's "Sha la la"/ "Mugen no hane" CD single RE here at Cdjapan.

Order Takizawa Hideaki's "Sha la la"/ "Mugen no hane" LE type A CD single here at YesAsia.

Order Takizawa Hideaki's "Sha la la"/ "Mugen no hane" LE type B CD single here at YesAsia.

Order Takizawa Hideaki's "Sha la la"/ "Mugen no hane" RE CD single here at YesAsia.

Takizawa Hideaki "Sha la la"/ "Mugen no hane" Type A LE first press poster

Takizawa Hideaki "Sha la la"/ "Mugen no hane" Type B LE first press poster

….I have really no wall space anywhere to hang these up so sadly they'll remain rolled up in storage for now. These are two of the most visually stunning posters that I have ever seen!!….and they're so gigantic!..it's amazing! =)

Takizawa Hideaki "Sha la la/ "Mugen no hane" Jacket Type A (liner notes cover scan)

Purchasing all three editions for a single release probably sounds a bit crazy……but in my um defense they were all must haves due to the included extras that each edition offered~. XD Jacket type A includes a bonus DVD with the pv for the title track and also an "Off Shot" extra clip for an approximate running time of 8 minutes…….jacket B includes the pv for the coupling with track "Mugen no hane" (Tackey Special Version)~……and yes! even the "Regular Edition" has extras to boast which includes a bonus song♪♪ not included on either jackets A or B and also karaoke versions of all three tracks just in case you decide to take your *show* on the road and need a bit of practice time or perhaps just a personal concert in the comforts of your *shower*~. =)

Takizawa Hideaki "Sha la la"/ "Mugen no hane" Jacket B (liner notes cover scan)

~♪♪~

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Takizawa Hideaki "Sha la la" music video

Following up after such an impressive debut single release which introduced fans to Tackey's musical writing talent is another perfect double A side with the title track "Sha la la" (pv clip is above) and "Mugen no hane" with the latter's lyrics & music being credited to Tackey solely~. Avex just seems to lend themselves to incredible budgets when it comes to any of their flagship productions and the sheer beauty of "Sha la la"'s pv is readily evident in slick and complex dance choreography complete with professional dancers…..an eye catching bar/club set..all in working harmony with the jazzy big band flavored track~. T&T has long favored dance choreography with showtune like distinctions which lends so seamlessly here…..throw in a flashback composition that's heavily Glenn Miller inspired..add all of the *trimmings*…and "Sha la la" is a big band *dream* come true~ both aesthetically and musically♪♪~.

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Takizawa Hideaki "Sha la la" (Off shot) video clip

Type A's DVD also provides a look behind the scenes with its "Off Shot" clip (above) which has a running time of the track's length itself….and although it's rather dialog light the focus on the dance choreography and filming production is an absolute *delight* to watch here!! =) Tackey's sense of humor long been one of the very best in Johnny's groups and I think you'll probably agree that he's so great to look at as well~.(*´∀｀*)

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Takizawa Hideaki "Mugen no hane" music video

….oh and did I mention that this is indeed a double A-side~! "Mugen no hane" was penned completely by Tackey himself and in no way does if fair to it's counterpart!! This song is so purely *sexy* with a lovely moodyness in its verses and chorus~….just ~♥~ the melody♪♪ so much as this one's a love at first listen. Its pv clip (above) is included with the type B release and the visuals switch between color and black & white giving the video a *sweet* warm appeal~ throughout. The video is presented as a kind of in studio recording/writing session showing Tackey both at the mic and the mixing boards with personal notes being jotted down….and a cute little touch added throughout is this cute little friend of Tackey's whose presence lingers in animation…well actually at first I had no idea what she was but it becomes evident near the end of the clip~. =)

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Takizawa Hideaki "Sha la la"/ Mugen no hane" RE (liner notes cover scan)

03 YOU yacchainayo!!

Takizawa Hideaki

As aforementioned the regular edition includes in addition to 3 karaoke tracks, a bonus track! Often times Johnny's releases just find the perfect balance of offering much varied genres in a single release…..and to go along with the big band *goodness* of "Sha la la" and the *sweet* moods of "Mugen no hane", "YOU yacchainayo!!" is written in that distinctly familiar Johnny's upbeat euphoria which fans are so accustomed to hearing which dates back to Smap and beyond~. I'll just call this one the *fun* track for now! ＾　＾

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Kindai June 2009 celebrates the season of the drama~.

Ume & Maimai in Kindai June 2009…

Kindai June 2009

So many dramas…..so little time~! Each issue of Kindai covers so many different aspects of Japan's entertainment culture as it's truly one of the most diverse male/female/idol/actor/group publications out there and monthly subscriptions can found at Cdjapan while Amazon Japan offers single issues for sale~. I've scanned just a few of the drama features including those on Sakurai Sho, Matsumoto Jun, Ueto Aya and Toda Erika…to Tackey's current stage performance…and finally a few Hello! Project photo features including Momusu on their upcoming new single release~….Buono! on their sadly cancelled Stockholm Japan Expo appearance.. :(….Kindai's monthly feature guests Ume & Maimai…..Airiin's 15th birthday thoughts & well *wishes* including C-ute's thoughts on Golden Week~ and how each would like to spend a picnic…and lastly Manoeri's 18th birthday event~. =)

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…….(*sigh*..)..Tackey's new single is currently at a nearby post office waiting for me as it didn't fit into our mail lock boxes so I'm thinking there's a poster maybe in there?….I forgot what the first press bonus was…:P…surely it must be a poster to not fit~. =)

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….Can't wait to hear Momusu's latest single too~!….this is such a *pretty* photo shoot here! 　＾　＾

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~♥~

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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