Northern California's KTSF web site

[Doramafan113]

niko2x wrote:

that's nothing. there was a guy who used to come here (forgot the name) but he was so head over heel for nanako, that when he found out she just got married (at the time) he stopped coming here. he used to say that he was seriously depressed...

That's funny in a creepy stalker sort of way. I just dig her acting and she is pleasing to the eyes too
_________________

From the Simpsons
Mr. Burns: I could crush him like an ant. But it would be too easy. No, revenge is a dish best served cold. I'll bide my time until ... Oh, what the hell. I'll just crush him like an ant.

[Geezer]

"Back By Popular Demand..."

Matsu Takako in "Pulling an Oar" Kai (sp?)

Yup, the same, tired, 4 or 6 part special that was on just before My Little Chef.

Starting Saturday, Oct. 16th. At 8pm.

[eltinator]

Geezer wrote:

"Back By Popular Demand..." Matsu Takako in "Pulling an Oar" Kai (sp?) Yup, the same, tired, 4 or 6 part special that was on just before My Little Chef. Starting Saturday, Oct. 16th. At 8pm.

is this one in the drama database?

[Doramafan113]

Pulling an Oar? Kai - Back by popular demand...

I missed this show before. Did anyone watch it? Was it good?
_________________

From the Simpsons
Mr. Burns: I could crush him like an ant. But it would be too easy. No, revenge is a dish best served cold. I'll bide my time until ... Oh, what the hell. I'll just crush him like an ant.

[Geezer]

Elton

Nope, it's not in the data base. It was a shorty. Either 4 or 6 episodes (can't remember which).

Doramafan113

I watched most of it. I'm a big Matsu fan. But this one bored the heck out of me.

I think the main reason so many people missed it was that they kept putting it on at wierd times.

They started it, calling it a special, ran it for two weeks... then they put on other stuff for like a month, and then came back and ran the third episode. Then there was another 2 week gap, and they ran the ending.

It's a historical drama set in the 1930's. The sweet story about a sweet, good girl (Matsu) who falls in love with... and marries a street thug, gambler, pimp, who rises in society to be an important brothel owner.

And boy is life hard for poor Matsu who has to live in and help run the whore house... while remaining good and innocent. And it gets even rougher when she has to start raising her husband's bastard children.

Then he leaves, her, she almost starves to feed his kids... then he smacks her around a bit...

I didn't make it to the end. In fact, when I stumbled across the final episode I was amazed it was still going on. I didn't even bother watching the tape.

I put the "Back by Popular Demand" line in there because that's how KTSF is billing it.

Myself... I have the feeling that the folk in Japan didn't send them anything to run after "Welcome to the High Plains" so they filled in with a bad movie for two weeks (Wild Crysanthimums...") and now they're just rerunning "Kai" because they still have it on hand.

Like I said. I love Matsu. I've bought like 5 or 6 of her series, and I've enjoyed every one. But I thought this thing was a stinker.

[Doramafan113]

Geezer wrote:

Elton Nope, it's not in the data base. It was a shorty. Either 4 or 6 episodes (can't remember which). Doramafan113 I watched most of it. I'm a big Matsu fan. But this one bored the heck out of me. I think the main reason so many people missed it was that they kept putting it on at wierd times. They started it, calling it a special, ran it for two weeks... then they put on other stuff for like a month, and then came back and ran the third episode. Then there was another 2 week gap, and they ran the ending. It's a historical drama set in the 1930's. The sweet story about a sweet, good girl (Matsu) who falls in love with... and marries a street thug, gambler, pimp, who rises in society to be an important brothel owner. And boy is life hard for poor Matsu who has to live in and help run the whore house... while remaining good and innocent. And it gets even rougher when she has to start raising her husband's bastard children. Then he leaves, her, she almost starves to feed his kids... then he smacks her around a bit... I didn't make it to the end. In fact, when I stumbled across the final episode I was amazed it was still going on. I didn't even bother watching the tape. I put the "Back by Popular Demand" line in there because that's how KTSF is billing it. Myself... I have the feeling that the folk in Japan didn't send them anything to run after "Welcome to the High Plains" so they filled in with a bad movie for two weeks (Wild Crysanthimums...") and now they're just rerunning "Kai" because they still have it on hand. Like I said. I love Matsu. I've bought like 5 or 6 of her series, and I've enjoyed every one. But I thought this thing was a stinker.

Doh! I hope they can come up with something soon. I will even celebrate Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho part 3. Sounds like we have 0% chance of getting Orange Days, or Bewitched in Tokyo. sigh.
_________________

From the Simpsons
Mr. Burns: I could crush him like an ant. But it would be too easy. No, revenge is a dish best served cold. I'll bide my time until ... Oh, what the hell. I'll just crush him like an ant.

[eltinator]

Doramafan113 wrote:

Doh! I hope they can come up with something soon. I will even celebrate Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho part 3. Sounds like we have 0% chance of getting Orange Days, or Bewitched in Tokyo. sigh.

Yea, I often wonder who and how they pick these

Oh well, I'll capture it for kicks anyways. Same time slot right, Saturday's 8-9pm?

[Doramafan113]

eltinator wrote:

Yea, I often wonder who and how they pick these Oh well, I'll capture it for kicks anyways. Same time slot right, Saturday's 8-9pm?

Yes, it will be the same time slot. I heard there is another drama on Sunday with English subs starting this weekend at 8:30. I did not catch the name of it though.
_________________

From the Simpsons
Mr. Burns: I could crush him like an ant. But it would be too easy. No, revenge is a dish best served cold. I'll bide my time until ... Oh, what the hell. I'll just crush him like an ant.

[eltinator]

Doramafan113 wrote:

Yes, it will be the same time slot. I heard there is another drama on Sunday with English subs starting this weekend at 8:30. I did not catch the name of it though.

Really? Hmm maybe Kevin has more info on this. I hope it's a good one though

[Geezer]

Doramafan113

Nope. As far as I know, there's no new Dorama starting this Sunday.

The add you saw was for a Movie "Night Train to the Stars" that KTSF will be running (with subs) starting at 8:30 this Sunday (the 17th) and ending the Sunday after. The movie features Kippei Shiina... but like last week's, this is not a very new movie.

"Proof of the Man" episode 8 will run on Sunday night, but it is being pushed back, because of the movie, and will air at 11:00 rather than 10:00.

And for those who haven't been watching... it's getting sort of interesting because right now in the story line, half of the cast is in America, doing their scenes in English with American actors. Takeouchi is holding his own with the language.

[Doramafan113]

Geezer wrote:

Doramafan113 The add you saw was for a Movie "Night Train to the Stars" that KTSF will be running (with subs) starting at 8:30 this Sunday (the 17th) and ending the Sunday after. The movie features Kippei Shiina... but like last week's, this is not a very new movie.

That must be it. I only caught the end of it and say 8:30 English Subs 10/17 and that was it. So yet another older movie. At least it's not Project X. ha ha ha.
_________________

From the Simpsons
Mr. Burns: I could crush him like an ant. But it would be too easy. No, revenge is a dish best served cold. I'll bide my time until ... Oh, what the hell. I'll just crush him like an ant.

[Geezer]

eltinator wrote:

Yea, I often wonder who and how they pick these

The K Denshi Group is behind the English Subtitled Japanese programming on KTSF on Saturday nights.

They represent a group of business in Northern California, and they are the middle men in terms of arranging sponsors for the shows... and getting the shows from Japan.

The guy at K Denshi who has been most helpful, and most responsive to my questions is Katz Matsui of the K Denshi Group. His email address is:

[email protected]

His usual response to my questions is to tell me to email the guys in Japan at:

[email protected]

because those are the guys he deals with, and he thinks that the more viewers pound out emails to them, the more seriously they'll take his requests for updates, and info. (He would like to have more influence over what shows they are given, and how often the guys in Japan update their website. And he'll get that influence if the guys in Japan realize that he has a pretty big audience over here.)

A totally different group runs the Sunday night, non subtitled programs. They are TTV.

Rumiko Koyama, of TTV, has been very helpful when I email her, trying to figure out what's going on on Sunday nights. (Since they put up schedule changes for Sunday nights in Japanese I never know what's going on. )

She's not in charge of the programming, but she tells me that she's willing to pass on requests, and suggestions to the programming department.

She can be reached at:

[email protected]

Requests to these three email addresses won't get you what you want immediately. But as I've said before; They won't know you're out here, and won't know what you want... unless you tell them.

Be nice. Send them an email or two. Tell them how appreciative you are of the service they provide, and the work that they do... and then tell them what you'd like to see.

[Geezer]

This is slightly off the KTSF topic, and I already mentioned this once over on the "Future of J drama in the U.S." thread but:

The major American Studios have discovered that there's a profit in putting out DVD copies of TV shows for the home market.

Even bad, failed TV shows, because for the home market, an audience that's too small to make a show a sucess on TV, can still be big enough to be profitable in the home market.

Heck, the DVD sales divisions have gotten so big that Sony Corp, which owns Columbia Pictures, is buying MGM, simply so that they can have access to MGM's film library for the DVD rights.

So if you're interested, you might just write to the sutdios and let them know that you'd like them to add J-Doramas to their library of DVDs for the home entertainment market.

Who is involved in licensing and marketing TV series on DVD for the home entertainment market? Glad you asked:

Thomas Lesinski
President of World Wide Home Entertainment
Paramount Studios
5555 Melrose Ave
Hollywood Ca 90038

Sony Corp of America
Home Entertainment Division
550 Madison Ave
New York n.y. 10022

Fox Home Entertainment
2121 Avenue of the Stars
Suite 2500
Los Angeles Ca., 90067

There are others, like Universal and CBS, who are involved with DVD sales for the home market, but those were the addresses I had on hand.

A note to tell them that we exist, and that we are already in the habit of buying Japanese Prime Time TV series on DVD could go a long way toward getting them to do a deal with the Japanese TV studios who own the shows.

[In the notes I sent ot them, I told them that I'd heard that they were trying to get the rights to the Doramas, and that I was writing because I wanted them to know that I wanted to see the shows in Japanese with subtitles, rather than having them dubbed into English. ]

[bmwracer]

Great idea, Geez.

I don't suppose you have their e-mail addresses as well...?

[Geezer]

BMW

Nope. No email.

Then again, I think a real world letter would carry a little more weight.

37 cents, a piece of paper, an envelope, a spec of ink, and however long it takes to write... I WANT MY Japanese TV!!!!

[bmwracer]

Geezer wrote:

Then again, I think a real world letter would carry a little more weight. 37 cents, a piece of paper, an envelope, a spec of ink, and however long it takes to write... I WANT MY Japanese TV!!!!

You're probably right. Nowadays, snail mail would have more weight and show more effort than e-mails...

[gregsan]

Geezer wrote:

Heck, the DVD sales divisions have gotten so big that Sony Corp, which owns Columbia Pictures, is buying MGM, simply so that they can have access to MGM's film library for the DVD rights.

Yes very true...but that's half of the story. The other MAJOR reason is that they are trying to get their Blu-Ray discs to become the High-Def standard over HD-DVD. As an owner of a large library of films...they're hoping to be able to exert their influence in the High Def DVD standard war which will net them HUGE profits through Blu-Ray licensing...

FYI...Warner Bros is also a BIG DVD distributor, especially with TV shows on DVD (sorry I don't have an address to add).

[pcmodem]

Geez'.
Do you know what old-school dorama (set in the feudal era) they used to show on Saturday nights on KTSF around 8 or 9 PM back in 2002 and 2003?

The obaasans used to tell my mom "hey, that's you son!" Apparently they all thought I bore a strong resemblence to one of the actors in that series.
-PCM

[Geezer]

PC

I'm not sure of the air dates on KTSF, but I first started following the Taiga Dramas on KTSF with:

"AOI Tokugawa" 49 part NHK Taiga Drama running about that time. (Broadcast in Japan in 2000) It was the story of the first three Tokugawa Shoguns. (crica 17th & 18th cen,) A Great Great series. You can find a rundown, and cast list on it over at the kiku site. (This is a series I really wish I'd taped and kept.)

That was followed by "Hojo Tokimune" NHK 49 parts. (Broadcast in Japan in 2001) The story of the 13th century Kamakura Shogunate and Tokimune's face down with the Mongol Invastions (the divine wind and all that). Supposedly staring Motoya Izumi, but really staring Ken Watanabe, Atsuro Watabe, and the lucious Yoshino Kimura.

There's one inbetween that just slips my mind. About a prince of Yamato in the first days of Japan as a nation seperate from Korea.

Then came "Toshie & Matsu". Nanako Matsushima, and what's his name, the guy who married Tomoko Yamaguchi. About a general whose life intersected the lives of all three of the great uniters, Nobunaga, Hideoshi, and Tokugawa.

Then, of course, BMW's fav, "Musashi".

Any help?

[bmwracer]

Geezer wrote:

Then, of course, BMW's fav, "Musashi".

You betcha.