Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Posts: 3225 Location: Malaysia
Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 10:58 am Post subject:
It's not only SMAP or KAT-TUN. Every single star who grced the covers of The Televison has to pose with lemons. It's a The Television thing, not only SMAP/KT thing... _________________
Kanjani8's 18th single, "365 Nichi Kazoku" out June 8th, 2011!
Kusanagi�fs comeback – what was the big deal after all?
The 22 days since his arrest for public indecency must have felt like an eternity for SMAP singer Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, who will return to business beginning with the shooting of the program �gSMAP X SMAP�h on May 28.
The decision for his comeback was announced on May 14, explaining how Kusanagi had reflected upon his misconduct. Since his release from police custody, Kusanagi, known for his serious and contemplative personality, had kept a low profile, holed up in his Tokyo Midtown apartment near the park where he was arrested.
A source in the entertainment industry comments, �gKusanagi was forbidden from leaving his home during the detention. His meals were either deliveries or brought by staff of his agent. After 20 years of being a pop icon since his teens, this was, ironically, his first long vacation.�h
People close to Kusanagi, including fellow members of SMAP, have been expressing their support and encouragement through radio programs. The pop group�fs leader Masahiro Nakai spoke of trials and tribulations that can be overcome with love and compassion, while Takuya Kimura chose a SMAP song �gBest Friend�h to be played at the end of his program.
NHK had initially broadcast the incident as headline news, while Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kunio Hatoyama publicly denounced him as a �gscum�h and sponsors canceled advertisement contracts featuring Kusanagi. The pop star was practically made into a social deviant, but his fans and the public are now wondering what the big deal was after all.
Says columnist Masahiko Katsuya: �gIt�fs easy to call it a crime, but think about Ueno Park around the time of cherry blossom viewing – there are drunk men taking their clothes off everywhere. It�fs obvious that the police handled the investigation with the intention to punish Kusanagi, allowing the media to report his transfer. I suppose the police wanted to demonstrate that there would be no special treatment for those in show business, but I think they went too far. The police provided information which the media simply reported and people jumped on the bandwagon of the righteous to join the Kusanagi-bashing. It shows how immature Japanese society is.�h
Author Shimako Iwai comments, �gMany men that I know tend to take their clothes off when they get intoxicated. We�fre not talking about some guy in his 50s. Women will only be too happy to see a naked male pop star, which raises the question – has anyone been victimized in the first place? It was an overreaction on the part of the police.�h
Comedian and actor Rakkyo Ide, who has in the past written numerous letters of apology for his �gnude performances,�h is also supportive of Kusanagi. �gI�fve never been arrested, even though I go naked intentionally and completely sober, too. So I sympathize with him and also feel a sense of affinity. I do wish him the best.�h
The first live TV appearance for Kusanagi will be �gWaratte Iitomo�h on May 29. It remains to be seen how he is going to be able to perform.
now it's a tourist site....now all they need is to have vendors hawking t-shirts about the incident for sale!
Tokyo�fs new tour spot -- sightseers flock to site of Kusanagi�fs arrest
Charges have been dropped against pop group SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi for public indecency and his comeback has been announced for May 28. But the park where Kusanagi was arrested, located behind Tokyo Midtown where he resides, has become a new Tokyo tour spot for curious visitors.
A housewife in her 40s who lives in a condominium facing Hinokimachi Park commented she�fs never seen so many people there before. In the middle of the day, she�fs seen young people take their shirts off and shout, obviously mocking Kusanagi.
Groups of youngsters are also taking videos of their friends reenacting the incident, posing as Kusanagi or policemen in the manner reported earlier by the media.
Shukan Post interviewed one such park visitor who said, �gI just went to the izakaya (pub) where he was drinking that night and took some pictures. I�fm now on my way to the Akasaka police department [which arrested Kusanagi], then the Harajuku police department [where he was detained], and lastly I�fll take a picture in front of Johnny�fs Jimusho.�h
During Golden Week, there seemed to be plenty of people from Tokyo and elsewhere with enough time on their hands to �gtour�h the same sightseeing spots and vicariously experience the Kusanagi incident.
Minato Ward�fs Akasaka branch, which manages Hinokimachi Park, asked that tourists refrain from taking their shirts off out of courtesy to other users. On the other hand, entertainment reporter Masaru Nashimoto claims the strange phenomenon, in a way, attests to the singular popularity of the pop icon SMAP.
Joined: 11 May 2009 Posts: 479 Location: up hill and down dale Country:
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:41 am Post subject:
Disclaimer: I hope nobody in this thread takes offense at what I'm posting here--at least, don't take it personally. This is about my first SMAP experience EVER, and all views and opinions stated below are not meant to cast aspersions on the said boyband, individually or collectively. You don't have to share my persuasion; heck, you don't even have to READ my post if anything other than the sweetest praises for SMAP gets you riled up.
Last night, in my sincere efforts to slam on the brakes of the runaway train that is THIS Jdorama Newbie's Kimuradorama Festival 2009 (or at least, steer it in another direction), I decided to NOT watch a new drama of his, for once. So I went down into the belly of the beast, into the J-Pop Mother Ship itself, where the heart of all J-Pop beats untiringly, and the bonfires of Nihonjin fandom burn the brightest. So I went and tried out my newly acquired DVD of...
The SMAP 2008 Super Modern Artistic Performance Tour!!!! Hahahahahahaha
Man, I actually watched the whole thing from beginning to end. Ohgawdwhattanexperience.
Well, I should've known what I was getting into; what else would you expect from a group calling themselves "Sports Music Assemble People"? (I'll never forget the very second I learned from Wiki what the SMAP acronym stands for: t'was a singular moment of hilarity reaching cosmic proportions. I could. Not. Stop. Laughing. I laughed so hard I think that somewhere in a nearby galaxy, a star system exploded.) *wipes away tear*
I felt there was something inherently DISTURBING about watching five grown Japanese men (well into their 30s) prancing around the stage, performing songs like teeny-boppers but dressed like Martian hairdressers (well, most of the time), singing and dancing and working the audience when it was the year 2008, a day and age when boybands (and everything their genre represented) had long ceased to be extant, or relevant, or even remotely cool. I just couldn't believe my eyes, but I couldn't get my numbed fingers to press the stop/eject buttons, either. I couldn't even LAUGH properly, because my throat had closed in and my guts were in granny knots, and so I kept choking on my own chortles. (What's happening to the Japanese music industry? Whatever happened to the shamisen, the wa-daiko drums, the noh performers???) For the love of God, for the sake of everything decent and sane in this world, WHY do the SMAP dudes STILL DO what they DO, why do the home crowds love to revel in this horrifying spectacle of strobe lights and pyrotechnics, incredibly tacky costumes, flailing limbs and whirling bodies, and the relentless aural assault of the J-Pop Machine of Doom, why why WHY???
Then, somewhere between that "Plaid-Maroon-Tablecloth-Costumed Nightmare of an Opening Act" and the equally horrifying "Chintzy Satin Suits in Fuchsia, Tangerine and Orange (oh wow!) Song & Dance Sequence"... uh, well, I think I began to find the SMAP concert less and less... disagreeable. What the hey--entertainment is still entertainment, good or bad. *shrugs* If there's ONE thing SMAP does, it's that they GROW on you. I'm still nowhere near being a fan of them all, but I'm actually growing... quite fond of those dudes. Well, who knew, right?
Some lessons learned after my first SMAP gig:
1) NOBODY beats the Japanese when it comes to these two things: Technology... and Engrish! (Ooooohhhh, baby!!! at least the Engrish lyrics of their songs were amusing--when I could understand them, that is, haha.)
2) Kimu Taku CAN sing. Won't win him any Grammys, but he can carry a tune, and the timbre of his voice is nice, warm, and smexeh! He and that other dude (not the nekkid-in-the-parking-lot guy, nor the guy-with-the-hat, nor that Katori Shingo guy) are the best singers of the group.
3) Kimu Taku CAN dance. His whippet-like body is so... limber, LOL. He likes to shake his booty, too! When he did that solo act dressed as a b-boy (and looking ten years younger!), and he started popping and grooving to the hip-hop/funk sounds, I threw in the towel. I was a goner. You win, Kimura, you fly boy, you. You're still cool. And hot. Always will be.
4) Kimu Taku CAN play the guitar... and the drums (though not as proficiently). So... THAT'S what they study over at Johnny's Finishing School for J-Pop Idols-in-Training! Heh.
5) Those 5,423,098 megatons of Kimu Taku Awesomeness CAN indeed cut across whatever fundamental flaws a SMAP concert may have. All the corniness in choreography and the craptastic costumes are rendered immaterial when Kimu Taku shakes. that. booty.
6) Kimu Taku would make a GORGEOUS transsexual. Not kidding. (That "Sex in the City" sketch was freakin' hilarious, all five of them a riot to watch!)
7) Some SMAP songs are actually... singable. (Never really liked POP music as a whole; was always more of a Trip-Hop/Nineties Alternative kind of listener.) When the SMAP-5 weren't screaming their tracheas out and tearing up the stage, their slower ditties and love ballads had some really lovely melodies, I think I'll go look them up someday (though I don't know the titles).
And so, a quadruple-encore and a million bye-byes later, the Fab Five finally exit the stage in their descending steel platforms, leaving behind the frenzied squeeing and neon-light-stick-waving of the entire Nihonjin Nation. You wonder, as you turn off your own lights and dive under the covers at 4 in the morning, how much longer these guys can still manage to pull it off... Will they ever stop when they hit the mean age of 40? 50? 60??? Or will they wait until Senility, Macular degeneration, Arthritis, and Prostate enlargement force them into retirement? Then you realize that Japan has the highest life expectancy rate in the world. Which means that the indefatigable SMAP Five might JUST be around to celebrate their Super Modern Artistic Performance Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2066, after all.
Hello, i'm new here. Last week i was watching Good Luck!!, i noticed that lead actor, which is Kimura Takuya, is a very talented guy and had a super performance all through the series (I was watching that show for Kou Shibasaki, but she sucked unfortunately). So i looked him on internet because i was like "who is this guy", i was remembering him from "Bushi no ichibun" but not much. I was very suprised, i had no idea that he was a superstar in Japan, like SMAP thing and etc. I'm not into that idol thing, but i admire his acting skills, he is very good actor i belive. As an non-japanese person i find amazing that a popstar/boyband singer like him became an good actor like this.
So you guys know his career better than me, which series are his best works? I'm not into sad/melodrama type doramas, does he have other series like Good Luck? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
Ender's Girl, I've read your comment on the concert, it hurts to read such comments but you have your own opinion on SMAP. I'm a SMAP fan and I'm proud of it, we know the there are many flows on their group Nakai can't sing (He is the guy with a hat), Tsuyoshi just recently involve in a scandal (I think you describe him the parking lot guy) Shingo is weird and Goro can't dance ( I think this is you other guy who can sing) Takuya is a person you cannot ignore. BUT still we love them I'm not asking you to know them better, but if you know them more all your trauma in your 1st SMAP concert will be lessen, focus on the 5 member their harmony, their friendship, their personality as a group. Well Anyway Thank you
Sambalici, try watching PRIDE,CHANGE, ENGINE AND THE NEW DRAMA MR. BRAIN
Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Posts: 3225 Location: Malaysia
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:58 am Post subject:
Well, most romantics would probably like Pride (heroin was Takeuchi Yuko), but my personal favourite is the drama from 1996, Long Vacation. HERO was really really good too, and I think you would probably enjoy the very recently concluded MR. BRAIN. _________________
Kanjani8's 18th single, "365 Nichi Kazoku" out June 8th, 2011!
Joined: 11 May 2009 Posts: 479 Location: up hill and down dale Country:
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:46 am Post subject:
@ Sambalici: Hi, I just PM'd you my suggestions. It's a pretty lengthy discourse so I didn't post it here. Just check your inbox, ayt?
To rundown my top 5 personal faves (in the order that I viewed them): PRIDE, HERO, LONG VACATION, LOVE GENERATION, BEAUTIFUL LIFE.
@ simone: Haha, the funny thing is that in the month or so since I last posted here, I've grown fond of those SMAP dudes, and actually know them all by name. Who knew, right? For about a week, their 2008 concert was ALL I'd watch every night, lol. Masahiro still can't sing, Shingo is still funny-weird as ever, Goro still can't dance for sh*t, and Tsuyoshi is still... Tsuyoshi (lol), but, well... I'm rather fond of them all now. I guess I just wasn't prepared for the gay cheesefest of happiness that the Wonderful World of J-Pop apparently is, lol. So after seeing what the *other* J-Pop groups are capable of doing, I guess SMAP ain't so bad after all.
@ WD: Haha, I haven't touched MR. BRAIN yet (beyond the first 20 minutes of Episode 1) because I haven't completely come to terms with how much Kimura's AGED in the last half-decade. And I'm not sure I want to see him in a role that's essentially a retread of his template idiosyncratic nonconformist character (whom his colleagues easily write off and underestimate, but who ends up saving the day... and who ultimately earns everyone's grudging respect and admiration, yada yada), which worked so well in HERO but not so much in CHANGE.
Come to think of it, Kimura has NOT done a romantic drama since PRIDE, waaay back in 2004. I say it's about time he went back to his romantic drama roots, because it's what he does BEST. I know he wants to test the limits of being a serious actor and all that stuff, but the best Kimura is still romantic-lead Kimura, IMO.
Hi Ender's Girl, maybe you weren't used to those kind of clothings and dance steps, I grew up watching HK pop artists and I'm no stranger to colorful, flashy, tablecloth outfits. Over the years I observe their clothings during concerts, they needed those to appear 'visible' to the audience afar from the stage. Because when you see them in their shows, they don't dress that way, don't they?
But anyway it's good that you're starting to like them. They're really funny and very professional entertainers, even though they're already that famous, they still cross-dress and do anything in their variety show SMAPxSMAP. It's just so entertaining. =) That's why from liking only Kimura-san, I grew to like the rest of the members as well.
Sambalici: hallo... why not start with Long Vacation? That's where I started. The chemistry between Yamaguchi and Kimurakun is so good that I'm still intrigued until now what really happened between them. *lol* I was able to watch a guesting of yamaguchi during 2004 at Bistro SMAP and luckily it's still subbed, Nakai was looking forward to Kimurakun winning the thing 'coz he wanted to see Yamaguchi kiss Kimurakun... *giggles*
Oops... talked too much haha... I also suggest HERO, Beautiful Life, Engine, Pride and Love Generation. _________________
Joined: 11 May 2009 Posts: 479 Location: up hill and down dale Country:
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:48 am Post subject:
@ Sambalici: Oh, the pleasure's all mine. I just hope you get to pay it forward should the need later arise. You never know when you'll bump into another wide-eyed Kimuradorama newbie desperately seeking advice, hehe. Keep on spreading the Kimura Kontagion, my friend!
PRIDE and HERO - Fantastic first choices, I'll say!
@ yanaliao: I haven't gotten as far as downloading the SMAP shows, but I've seen a couple of SmaSma episodes and found them rather amusing. Those dudes sure love to poke fun at their own selves... I like it! So it looks like I might be going down that rabbit hole very, very soon. Besides, I've all but exhausted my Kimuradorama storehouse, so that leaves me with little choice but to go the whole (SMAP) banana, doesn't it? Might as well.
Joined: 05 Jul 2006 Posts: 119 Location: United States Country:
Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 12:02 pm Post subject:
Tadaima minna san! It's been forever hasn't it. Gomen ne!
How's this side of the SMAPPIE world? I see there is an anti-SMAP person among you....That's too bad. I could never understand why someone would take so much time to write such a long post in a place where the people they are slamming are so love..... I don't get it.
Demo, anyone here going to NY to see Shingo in November? You all know I'm going If you are going, please send me a PM so we can meet up with all the other SMAPPIEs going. So far I know of about 15 of us who have confirmed.
Well I just wanted to stop in and ask about Shingo. Ja mata!
Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Posts: 3225 Location: Malaysia
Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:52 pm Post subject:
Megumi_san wrote:
Tadaima minna san! It's been forever hasn't it. Gomen ne!
How's this side of the SMAPPIE world? I see there is an anti-SMAP person among you....That's too bad. I could never understand why someone would take so much time to write such a long post in a place where the people they are slamming are so love..... I don't get it.
Are you referring to Ender's Girl, Megumi-san? You HAVE to read the rest of her posts after that, she wrote that when she was not into SMAP at that time and now she is! _________________
Kanjani8's 18th single, "365 Nichi Kazoku" out June 8th, 2011!
Joined: 05 Jul 2006 Posts: 119 Location: United States Country:
Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:05 pm Post subject:
Well.....Wakarinai yo! Demo ii desu It only took one month for her to get into SMAP. I'm happy BTW, I'll only read a bit of SMAP bashing then I move on so didn't read all her post. MY BAD
Joined: 10 Jan 2006 Posts: 6904 Location: SMAP no Sekai Country:
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 9:47 pm Post subject:
HI, its been a long time that i dint login here, too^^
Glad to know that there is a new smappy who din get to love them at first.. Yeah,, its kinda hurt reading the first part of the post,, but its ok coz everyone can have their own comments..
Just wanna say,, I love the new song Superstar!!~ _________________
The one aNd only SMAP
sUppOrT SMAP, bUy oRigInaL
nAkAi mAsAhIrO aI sHitEru yo~~~
Joined: 27 Jul 2009 Posts: 4 Location: United States Country:
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:23 am Post subject:
Hi Ender's Girl, I totally enjoyed reading your S.M.A.P.T reviews. ...
I was wondering may I use your reviews in my site? (take a look at my signature, a Takuya fansite ) _________________
Joined: 11 May 2009 Posts: 479 Location: up hill and down dale Country:
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 12:52 pm Post subject:
^ Hey washie, what's up (SMAP)? Thanks for the encouragement! It seems I have finally found my own purpose under the sun...
That's the new Kimura fansite also being promoted over at D-Addicts, right? Looks smashing! Can't wait for it to be fully up and running! *rubs hands expectantly*
Re the SMAP reviews, you mean the stuff I wrote about the 2008 tour posted above? You're more than welcome to post them anywhere (spread the luuuurve, baby! )--but it ain't exactly all hosannas and rose petals raining down on the group, as you very well know. You sure you want to risk the ire of all those SMAP diehards and future devotees of your site? Your call!
Another thing is, that post, that little baby up there, is really just a capsule version of the SMAP '08 concert review I wrote 2 months ago (but have not unleashed anywhere... yet ). Yesss... I actually reviewed the whole bloody thing, song-&-dance number by excruciating number, while in this fevered haze spanning four consecutive nights of watching the concert over and over again. (And somewhere in between, I think that's when I became a--a--fan... YOU WIN, YOU SMAP DUDES, YOU CHEESY LITTLE BUGGERS YOU!!!!! AAARGHGHGH) So, you want to take a look at that review first? You can PM me an email address where I can send it.
See you around. Ciao!
E. G.
Addendum: Er... if you're looking for Kimura drama (and movie) reviews as well... I may have a few up my sleeve, as well...
Joined: 27 Jul 2009 Posts: 4 Location: United States Country:
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:58 pm Post subject:
Hey Ender�fs Girl, thanks very much for the reply. Yep, I meant the 2008 tour article you posted above. I wanna say thank you again and will post the review in the site soon, probably tomorrow.(of course, you will be fully credited. )
I pmed you already. Just shoot me an email any time when you�fre free. It will be fantabulous if you can provide the FULL version of the concert reviews and any other articles about Takuya! You know how amazing writer you are! I totally loved your articles, even just a simple reply, which gives a fresh-breath-of-air feeling. Geeze, you�fve got such a brilliant sense of humor!
Yep, that�fs the fansite also being promoted over at D-Addicts. I�fm not really good at such site promoting stuff. Jdorama and D-Addicts are the only two places I could think about. Also, thanks very much for the encouragement. The real thing is that I�fm only a very new Takuya fan. (stay calm, baby, I know I�fm risking taking some mission impossible. ) No one could tell me anywhere on earth net I would be able to find an English fansite dedicated to Takuya! You know, there should be tons of news/info flowing out there. Then I just made one on my own. (Actually it�fs not some random thought, right?) I hope it can become some casual lounge people just drop by and then read something well organized and worthwhile. (Does this sound a little bit less impossible now? )
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(I'll never forget the very second I learned from Wiki what the SMAP acronym stands for: t'was a singular moment of hilarity reaching cosmic proportions. I could. Not. Stop. Laughing. I laughed so hard I think that somewhere in a nearby galaxy, a star system exploded.) *wipes away tear*
(well, 
He and that other dude (not the nekkid-in-the-parking-lot guy, nor the guy-with-the-hat, nor that Katori Shingo guy) are the best singers of the group.
When he did that solo act dressed as a b-boy (and looking ten years younger!), and he started popping and grooving to the hip-hop/funk sounds, I threw in the towel. I was a goner. You win, Kimura, you fly boy, you. You're still cool. And hot. Always will be. 
I guess I just wasn't prepared for the gay cheesefest of happiness that the Wonderful World of J-Pop apparently is, lol. So after seeing what the *other* J-Pop groups are capable of doing, I guess SMAP ain't so bad after all. 
I say it's about time he went back to his romantic drama roots, because it's what he does BEST. I know he wants to test the limits of being a serious actor and all that stuff, but the 
Besides, I've all but exhausted my Kimuradorama storehouse, so that leaves me with little choice but to go the whole (SMAP) banana, doesn't it? Might as well. 
Demo ii desu 
(And somewhere in between, I think that's when I became a--a--
Yep, I meant the 2008 tour article you posted above. I wanna say thank you again and will post the review in the site soon, probably tomorrow.(of course, you will be fully credited. 
)
You know how amazing writer you are! I totally loved your articles, even just a simple reply, which gives a fresh-breath-of-air feeling. Geeze, you�fve got such a brilliant sense of humor! 
(stay calm, baby, I know I�fm risking taking some mission impossible. 
) No one could tell me anywhere on earth net I would be able to find an English fansite dedicated to Takuya!
You know, there should be tons of news/info flowing out there. Then I just made one on my own. 
