Where I’ll be this holiday? At home watching HBO’s Girls

As the serious world of enterprise slows down at year end, I’m delighted to discover HBO’s Girls, a downwardly mobile Sex and the City set in Brooklyn. Think much much more unsatisfying sex, more existential angst, and many more Jewish characters.

The author, lead actress, and director Lena Dunham creates an often unsympathetic main character, who somehow manages to befriend a conservative girl, a bohemian girl, and a super painful virgin. But my secret pleasure is how she gave herself a disgusting boyfriend who is hot in a large nose and geeky fashion.

To share my mother’s characterization of this amazing talent: “I don’t like Lena Dunham, think she is a slob, painful to look at what she does with herself and how she wants/allows herself to be photographed.” I guess I agree with everything, except that I would delete the second word! I love it!

Is this what my college-age NYC nieces are watching? What is their review? I hope their parents, and frankly any parents, are *not* watching! And of course my husband has no interest since, as he says, “there are no zombies or werewolves.”

NHK’s new cougar drama: Second Virgin

Yikes! I watched episode 2 of “Second Virgin,” one of the most atrociously named J-dramas ever. It’s on Tuesday evenings at 10 pm. Here’s the plot summary:

Suzuki plays a divorced producer in publishing who meets a man 17 years younger than her (Hasegawa) and begins having an affair with him. Fukada plays Hasegawa’s wife.

NHK has announced the broadcast of a drama series titled “Second Virgin,” starring  Suzuki Kyoka (42) and Fukada Kyoko (27). Actor Hasegawa Hiroki (33) will play the male lead.

The series will air on Tuesday nights at 10:00pm, beginning on October 12. It has also been announced that the theme song will be Kumi Koda’s

“Anata Dake ga,” which goes on sale as a double A-side single with “Suki de, Suki de, Suki de” on September 22.

I was hoping a new J-drama would be good Japanese practice, but this soap is really sad. Maybe I was disappointed that the “younger” man is not particularly attractive. Is that to make the female lead look foxier?

Has anyone else seen this drama? I also wonder, thinking ahead, what is the next generation of cougar, a GILF? Lastly, does anyone else agree with the hubb and I that singer Kudo Kumi looks like a tranny?!

2D-Lovers

“When I die, I want to be buried with her in my arms.” So says Nisan about his love Nemutan: a photo print of a X-rated video game character decorating a large pillow. They go on normal dates, including car-camping, karaoke, restaurant dinners, and photo booths.

It’s a little creepy that Nemutan is about 10 or 12, and that her otaku human lover is 37 and has adopted the name “nisan,” which Nemutan calls her older brother.

The New York Times Sunday Magazine author Lisa Katayama, blogger at Tokyo Mango, cites three potential explanations for this extreme  moe behavior: the high number of Japanese virgins (25% of men and women between the ages of 30 and 34; a movement led by Honda Toru against “romantic capitalism” whereby love is seen to have been commercialized that looks and money have replaced pure feeling; and one Japanese behavioral economist who compares 2D love to “becoming a Buddha.”

The article fails to explore what ladies who have given up on 3D love are doing for their fantasy and fulfillment. Maybe they are busy reading Boys Love, and fantasizing about female-created man-on-man love. Ahhh, Japan. Ever so frustrated, imaginative and perverse 😉

Mount Fuji on fire

Winter is giving us many more clear days and perfect views of Mount Fuji from our apartment. This sunset was particularly spectacular. You can almost hear the cries of the virgin sacrifices.