Happy Halloween!!

Here's a movie to scare you ____less!

http://www.divxstage.net/video/KjfOhVXaWrF0U3kEjuOi
NOT FOR LITTLE KIDS!

The story centers on a haunted convenience store, the disturbing effect it has on the owners and other local residents, and the grisly deaths of the customers who shop there. Read More......

Gantz movie!

Hiroya Oku's sci-fi action manga "GANTZ" is being adapted into two live-action films planned to be released in 2011. The movies will star Arashi's Kazunari Ninomiya (26) and actor Kenichi Matsuyama (24).

Shinsuke Sato is directing the films, which have reportedly been given a budget of 4 billion yen, with lots of CG involved. It is said that producers are aiming to make the film suitable for general audiences, which means that it may likely lack the violence of the original manga I don't know how they're gonna do that.

Although Kei and Masaru are high school students in the manga, their characters will be older in the movie. Kei has been turned into a college student looking for work, while Masaru is already working and taking care of his younger brother. The two childhood friends happen to meet again on a subway platform.

Oku's manga is still being serialized, but the two movies will tell a complete story with an original ending.

Filming is scheduled to start next month. The first movie is expected to hit theaters in winter 2011, while the second is slated for spring 2011. I haven't read any of the manga but I did watch the anime and from that I'm not really a big fan of Gantz. Maybe the manga is better but the anime did not impress me. I will watch the movie but that will be to watch Kazunari act. Even though I don't want him to be Kei simply because I hate kei he annoys me.

Check out the first part of the anime


I'm not a fan of the show but I like the opening. You an watch the rest of the episode on youtube if your interested. Simply double click the player.

source:tokyograph

Read More......

Asaka Seto, Yoshihiko Inohara having a baby!

Actress Asaka Seto (32),and her husband V6 member Yoshihiko Inohara (33) are expecting their first child. Seto is said to be four and a half months pregnant, with an expected delivery date in March 2010.

Seto finished filming for her drama "Tonari no Shibafu" at the end of last month. She still has some light work scheduled, including a commercial appearance, but after that she will be on maternity leave. You probably remember Asaka Seto as Naomi Misora the ex-FBI agent who tries to avenge the death of her fiance by bringing Kira to justice (Death Note the movie).

Inohara and Seto have been married since September 2007. They first met in 1995 when they worked together on the drama series "Owaranai Natsu." They dated for a while but broke up, then met again five years later in 2004 and got back together.

The pictures are of Seto's Character from Death note.

source:tokyograph

Read More......

Norika Fujiwara's a "Cabaret" girl

Actress Norika Fujiwara (38), gave the media a peek at the saucy number she will be wearing on stage for upcoming musical "Cabaret." In the musical, set in 1930's Berlin, with the rise of Nazi Germany, Fujiwara will play Sally Bowles, a cabaret girl at the shabby Kit Kat club.

Fujuwara played a showgirl in "Drowsy Chaperone" last January, and looks in good shape for "Cabaret." She shows off her 88-60-89 figure in an eye-catching black-lace piece, which I believe is a very nice figure.

"Cabaret" became a Broadway show in 1966 and was made into a movie in 1972, starring Liza Minelli. The upcoming version directed by Shuichiro Koike will be staged at the Nissay Theater in Tokyo from Jan 7 - Jan 29 and at the Umeda Arts Theater in Osaka from Feb 5 - Feb 7. dates for the shows in Nagoya and KitaKyushu have not yet been confirmed.
Read More......

My Darling is a foreigner

Actress Mao Inoue, 22, famous as Makino Tsukushi in “Hana yori dango,” and actor Jonathan Sherr, 35, will play husband and wife in the upcoming movie version of the popular comic book series “My Darling is a Foreigner.”

Written and illustrated by Saori Oguri, the comic books tell the tales of her life with Danish-American husband Tony Laszlo, as they encounter and overcome cultural differences and barriers. The series has sold over 2 million copies and snippets have been shown inside JR trains in Tokyo since 2007, providing comic relief for the crowds traveling to work and school and so forth.

Gomenasai I would translate but some of the text is to blurry, but doesn't it seem funny!

Filming has already begun and Inoue commented on the warm atmosphere, saying she wants it to continue right the way through. “I’ve never had a foreign boyfriend, but quite a few of my friends and relatives have,” Inoue said. “So they tell me it’s likely I will have one too! I imagine it would be fun being in an international relationship, and the small things of everyday life would be interesting.”

Inoue also commented on Sherr’s good looks, saying: “When I first met him, I thought ‘Wow! He’s cool!’”

Sherr said he couldn’t believe he was chosen for the part. “I wondered if it was OK for me to star beside such a beautiful woman.”

“My Darling is a Foreigner” will open in cinemas next spring. I can't wait to see it, I think I might purchase the comics first though.
source:cinematoday, japantoday
Read More......

Mao Inoue's "Darling is a Foreigner"

Actress Mao Inoue (22), famous for her role as Makino Tsukushi in "Hana Yori Dango," and actor Jonathan Sherr (35), will play husband and wife in the upcoming movie version of the popular comic book series "My Darling is a Foreigner."

The comic book series was written by Saori Oguri. It tells the tales of her life with American husband Tony Laszlo, as they encounter and overcome cultural differences and barriers. The series was very popular, selling over 2 million copies and snippets have been shown inside JR trains in Tokyo since 2007, entertaining many passengers.














Filming for the movie has already begun and Inoue commented on the nice atmostphere of the set and wanted it to continue that way. "Ive never has a foreign boyfriend, but quite a few of my friends and relatives have, so they tell me it's likely I will have one too! I imagine it would be fun being in an international relationship, and the small things of everyday life would be interesting."

Inoue also commented on Sheer's good looks, saying "When I first met him, I thought 'Wow! He's cool!'"

Sherr said he couldn't believe he was chosen for the part. "I wondered if it was OK for me to star beside such a beautiful woman." "My Darling is a Foreigner" will open in cinemas next spring.

I really love Inoue as an actress! No clue who Jonathan Sherr is but he's definitely a good looking guy. I can't wait to see this movie..sounds interesting.
Read More......

Fure Fure Shojo - Cheer Cheer Cheer!

Fure Fure Shojo was directed by Kensaku Watanabe. It debuted in theaters in Japan last year, October 11, 2008.



Aragaki Yui stars in this movie as Momoko: a shy, lonely girl who spends her spare time reading fantasy stories. Then she develops a crush on her high school's star baseball player and makes up an excuse to watch him play everyday. She decides to revive the school's nearly extinct traditional cheer squad to cheer him on. However the only people she can get to join are a bunch of misfits and losers.

Although Momoko never lacks spirit, their cheering begins in disaster and her crush changes school and decides to play for the opposing team. Momoko and other cheer team members then loses spirit, for many reasons, and decides to quit many times. It isn't until they discover the true meaning of "cheering" and develop a new-found passion for it that they begin to truly inspire the people around them.




I really enjoyed this movie. It is a very simple, but heart-warming and inspirational film that shows how much hard work, teamwork and cheering others on can be rewarding in its' own way. I could really feel what the actors were trying to show me. Their spirit while cheering on the team almost made me cry in the end. I would recommend anyone to watch. Also, Aragaki Yui does really well as Momoko; she's definitely an example to follow. I love her! Fure Fure Sa-ku-ra-gi!

Here is the Fure Fure Shojo! Trailer:


Read More......

How much do you like Aragaki Yui?

Aragaki, a native Okinawan, is a Japanese model, actress, singer, and occasional radio show host of Ryukyuan ancestry. Her beauty, smile, personality and fashion sense has gained her a lot of popularity. She is also considered a natural beauty.

She made her debut in 2001 as a model for the junior fashion magazine "nicola", then she was featured on variety shows and comercials such as Glico's Pocky. She has also been in many dramas and movies. My favorites were movie - "Koizora" (Sky of Love)and drama - "Papa to Musume no Nanokakan" (Seven Days of a Daddy and Daughter).

Here's one of Yui's Pocky CM. So Cute!~



She has also won multiple awards, such as five newcomer awards and others for her role in three movies - Waruboro, Tokyo Serendipity, and Koizora (starring Haruma Muira!). Her greatest win yet was the prestigious Golden Arrow Awards in March '08. She won the film prize for acting in three different roles in a year.

She also made a singing debut in 2007, singing the theme song for Tokyo Serendipity, which was included in her 1st album, Sora. Then in 2008, she released 2 singles, 'Make My Day" and "Akai Ito."

Now, she is doing a period movie called "Ballad" with SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi where she plays a feudal princess. She also hosts "GIRLS' ROCKS!" segment of the radio show "SCHOOL OF ROCKS!" with U-20 idols Horikita Maki, Chiaki Kuriyama, Nana Eikura, Erika Toda, and Riko Narumi.

Recently, Oricon conducted a small survey of 350 high school girls in Japan, asking them young actresses have most caught their attention. Now the results have been published, and the 20-year-old Aragaki Yui came 2nd after Yuriko Yoshitaka.

Here are the rest of the survey results:
1. Yuriko Yoshitaka
2. Aragaki Yui
3. Maki Horikita!
4. Erika Toda
5. Umika Kawashima
6. Haruka Ayase
7. Kie Kitano
8. Mikako Tabe
9. Nana Eikura
10. Kaho

Who is your favorite young actress?


Source - Aragako-yui@blogspot; Wikipedia
Read More......

Aya Ueto urges people to see Astro Boy

Actress Aya Ueto, 23, showed off her dubbing skills this week when the media were invited to a studio in Azabu-judan, where she is busy providing the voice for Astro Boy in the Japanese language version of the upcoming movie, titled "ATOM" in Japan.

Ueto said that she had a lot of fun being the voice of Astro Boy but that her throat would dry up after putting her all into the role, adding that it would her most challenging dubbing voice gig yet. I can imagine..just listen to the voice in the original video. She also said: "It's a bit of a tear-jerker this one. I hope people go see it and have a cry."

I generally don't like movies that make me sad or cry, but it's supposed to be good, so I think i'll see it.

"ATOM" open in cinemas on October 10th. I hope you all go see it!

Here is the US official trailer for Astro Boy: I really don't like the commentary in the beginning, but this will have to do for now.



Here is the original Japanese animation. It's a little weird. Maybe because I'm not used to classic cartoons like this, but still very interesting.

Astro Boy (1960) - Episode 1: The Birth of Astro Boy. Enjoy!^_^



AND the modern version of the same episode. I think it's the 1st Astro Boy series created in full color:


Read More......

Oguri Shun the director

Popular Japanese actor Oguri Shun (26) will be trying his hand at directing. Its going to be a big- budget movie project. Filming has already begun with expected release to be sometime next year.

Shun has but one problem he still needs to find a heroine for his movie.

Casting isn't as easy as he thought it would be. The executive of a major entertainment agency has said that “Frankly everyone wants to be in a movie directed by Shun, all of the big actresses are trying to get in contact with him one after another.” Two actresses that would be more then happy to be Shun's heroine are Nagasawa Masami and Ueto Aya.

“Selecting the starring actress turned out to be quite a difficult task to undertake and we already fell behind the schedule because of that. The reason behind it is easy, both Nagasawa and Ueto want to get that role no matter what. Shun is already frustrated and doesn’t know who would be the better choice for his movie.” says the executive.

What I want to know is how can you be filming without having a heroine yet? and what is this movie going to be about? Well Shun is a great actor so hopfully his directing is just as good. Who do you think he will chose? I'm thinking Ueto Aya because she's super popular right now.
Read More......

Miyazaki creates another classic

Hayao Miyazaki's movies have always been an amazing experience for me. Like Howl's Moving Castle, Totoro, Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service,he has never failed to make the most wonderful and heart-warming films. They are more than children's movies, but masterpieces that can be enjoyed by viewers of any age.

Ponyo tells the story of a 5-year old boy and his relationship with a goldfish princess who wishes to become human. Ponyo opened in Japan last July and was a big success. The trailer looks nothing less than what i'd expect="" from him. I love the animation and story. It seems exciting.

Disney will be bringing Miyazaki's latest films, Ponyo on the Cliff, in theaters on August 14th. Stars such as Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon and Frankie Jonas will be the voices of the dubbed version to be released this month.

Watch the official US trailer for Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo on the Cliff"

Read More......

Aya Kiguchi as "Robogeisha"

23 year old gravure idol, Aya Kiguchi, will star in Robogeisha, which was directed by Noboru Iguchi and will be released in October. Other stars include Naoto Takenaka, Matsuo Suzuki, Asami Kumakiri and Etsuko Ikuta.

Yoshie, played by Kiguchi, is the younger sister and attendant of a geisha. One day the sisters are invited to a dinner by the son of the president of an Iron corporation. They are "kidnapped" and trained to be assasins by the company president. Yoshie then begins to doubt the motives of the group who kidnapped her.

Here is the movie trailer: Ready for some action!?
Warning! The voice in the vid is a bit..creepy.

Read More......

Aya Ueto as Astro boy

Popular Japanese actress and singer Aya Ueto, will be the voice of Astro boy. In the japanese version of the upcoming movie based on the animation. Astro boy will open in japan on oct 10 and in the US on oct 23.
Read More......