木村 拓哉の良いドラマがもっとありますか

華麗なる一族をもう見終わりました。このドラマは予想のつけやすい、下手な演技、けれど木村 拓哉と北大路欣也のドラマがたのしかったんです。衣装や国家主義の表現が面白かった。たぶん、きたおうじきんやの顔の手術が彼の顔を動かなくしたみたいです。

Changeのファンサブを待ています。きむたくの最新ドラマです。 だれか、きむたくや北大路欣也やの面白いドラマを知ってますか？

More Kimutaku recommendations?

Too fast I finished watching Karei naru Ichizoko. The show was predictable, the acting poor, but I enjoyed watching the drama between Kimutaku & Kitaoji Kinya. Costumes and nationalist expression were also interesting. Probably Kitaoji’s surgery is limiting his facial expressions.

I am waiting for the fansubbing of Change, Kimutaka’s latest tv drama. Can anyone suggest other good Kimutaku or Kitauji Kinya dramas?

Adieu, Paul

This morning I took a seven minute JR train trip and carefully located the “JR West Exit” (not “Central West”, “Keio South West” or any other) to pick up four sandwiches for the long car trip to Narita. The in-laws graciously offered to drop us off at the airport. 2 “ancien” with ham and cheese and 2 pastrami. お父さん joked that the bread was too hard.

Flying east across the Pacific means arriving in the morning the same day after leaving in the afternoon. It was a sad good-bye to the family that has embraced the 外人　lacking traditional 品格, the food, fashion and ultra-conveniences of Tokyo. We’ll be back soon.

Hideki, まだたべています。おいしい。ありがとうございます。

Monkey shower, 100 yen for 10 minutes

What is more unsettling, the sign for the rent-a-shower at the un-staffed laundromat, or the 24 hour rent-a-showers themsleves?

Types of tops (攻め), bottoms (受け), and Boys Love anime

My favorite blogger on otaku and manga language, Bangin, has recently released a second typology for seme (攻め) and uke (受け). Apparently new types of Boys Love roles are constantly being created and new words emerging.

The beauty of these top/bottom terms are their endless variety, unexpected reversals and melodrama. Here are two of my favorites. Follow the links to read both posts with over a dozen types:

ワンコ攻め[wanko-zeme]; Sounds cute, doesn’t it? Well, ワンコ[wanko] means a dog here(but it’s not correct) It derives from the fact that they howl ワンワン[wan wan “bow wow”]. At any rate, dogs are so obedient to their masters but they also fawn upon. Yes, no matter how cold 受け is, how many times 受け refuses to accept him, he never gives up, and eventually it comes to pass. It sounds like a relationship between 先輩受け[sempai-uke] and 後輩攻め[kouhai-zeme]. 先輩 means a senior at a company or school, and 後輩 means a junior as well. 先輩 is more superior to 後輩. In such a relationship, 後輩 becomes 攻め…the position is switched, isn’t it?

姫受け[hime-uke]: 姫[hime] means a princess. This type of uke is surrounded by several semes(more than two tops). I can’t think of a better example. Maybe Shibuya Yuuri? He can be paired up with Gunter or Conlad…but he ends up being uke.

These two posts also provide an evolving typology of BL (Boys Love) literature:

• リーマンもの[riiman-mono] or office settings;
• 学園もの[gakuen-mono] or schools;
• ナマモノ[namamono] or slash fiction about movie stars, singers, sports stars and “vocal actors”;
• イロモノ[iromono] or minor characters;
• 兄弟もの[kyoudai-mono] or brothers, often step-brothers;
• ML or men’s love, versus boys or minors;
• ロボやおい[robo yaoi] or robot love;
• 匂い系[nioi-kei] or “smells” type, meaning no sex but plenty of homo-erotic scent (like Water Boys, Ouran High-School Host Club, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Prince of Tennis);
• 健全[kenzen] or sound, meaning Normal Love (NL);
• 微裏[biura], an abbreviation of bimyou ni ura, which means “slightly porno” and should be no more than kissing

Wow. Thank you, Bangin sensei!

Writing as someone almost entirely untouched by anime and manga, I am certainly inspired to start reading. What about you?

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I’ve got a crush on Cindy McCain

Beer heiress, king-maker and glammour puss.

Update: Looking riche, stiff and svelte in Vogue:

Related links:

Washington Post article about Cindy’s prescription drug abuse

Ultimate Cougar

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More Hayami Mokomichi

Thanks to the netizens, I’ve learned some more important background on Hayami Mokomichi. Last year he appeared in Episode 8 of the tv soap Jotei (“Empress”) as the “Number One” host of Gorgeous, a male host club in Kabukicho. His hair is huge, he wears white suits, and plays some critical part in the female-female drama (which I had trouble following).

Other fun Mokomichi facts:

• his nickname is Mocomoco
• he’s 24
• he’s half Filipino
• he appeared in an ad for Edwin Jeans (check Youtube)

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類は類をよぶ

類は類をよぶ, or rui wa rui o yobu, means “like attracts like.” The husband recently taught me this expression.

It’s been two months since I started this blog, my first, and I’d like to thank the readers and other bloggers for sharing my interests and teaching me about j-pop, otaku culture, men’s hair and other topics near and dear to me.

Shimoda trip: U.S.-Japanese friendship

Yoko, Shu and I went on an overnight trip to Shimoda in the Izu peninsula about 2.5 hours south of Tokyo. After passing Yokohama, it’s amazing how semi-tropical and rural it becomes. We stayed at an onsen hotel with single-sex bathing, a view of a secluded beach with サーファー　(saafaa, or surfers), ate too much food in our room, and explored historic Shimoda.

Shimoda has some interesting historic buildings, and many tributes to U.S.-Japanese “friendship.” It’s an odd tale of friendship involving forced trade, military ships and a discarded concubine who becomes an alcoholic and suicide in “sacrifice for her nation.” We celebrated in our own ways.

And we hiked up one of the hills:

Super happy birthday

Last week was my birthday, an event I usually try to ignore. This year, the husband and in-laws totally spoiled me. During the afternoon, Shu and I went for a walk at an amazing pond in Nishiogi. It was overcast, full of ducks and geese, and very magical.

In the evening, Yoko and Hideki treated us to a wonderful tasting-course dinner in Ginza. It was a combination birthday and mother’s day celebration. Courses included grilled vegetables, spinach soup, sashimi, roasted vegetables, mini steak, sushi, and this incredible fruit plate.

Hideki also gave me delicious chocolates- 54 individual origin and specialty squares, plus this incredible “we love Jared, omedetoo” chocolate box.

I felt very spoiled and ready to move to Tokyo!

“It smells fishy”

Shu reminded me this week that Japanese has no equivalent expression to “it smells fishy.” From actual fish to metaphorical shadyness, smelling fishy is always bad in English. In Japan, it means breakfast, lunch or dinner is ready!

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