Is it an Idol?

Feminism in idoldom, as inspired by Nishino Kana?

2011-06-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

Being immersed in the world of idols often makes you blinds you to how strictly the gender lines are drawn in the idol world-- specifically, the female side of the idol world. Idols under the Hello! Project and AKB48 umbrella typically depict a very limited set of professions. When was the last time you saw your favorite idol depicted as one of the following-- a nurse, a waitress, or a stewardess

[REVIEW] Morning Musume- Only You

2011-05-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

Fact 1: Hello Project is not known for spectacular PV quality. Fact 2: Morning Musume’s “Only You” is perhaps the “only” exception to the rule in recent memory. Okay. So fact 2 is arguable. But regardless, I have come to sing the praises of Morning Musume’s Only You. I was pleasantly surprised by Only You’s radio leaks from a few weeks back,

[Character Study] Drama is the best teacher- Taisetsu na Koto Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta

2011-05-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

“Who am I? I am…” she smirks. Takes off her glasses. Whips her hair around. Gives unruly high school delinquents the all-knowing death glare. “I’m their homeroom teacher.” Anyone who has been keeping up with the Japanese drama scene for the last decade will recognize this rather iconic, episodic revelation on the part of Yankumi, Yakuza family heir and high school teacher. The subgenre of high

[EVERGREEN IDOL?] What's in a name?

2011-05-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

Today's J-Pop industry is as fierce in competition as it always has been, with veterans vying for the title of J-Pop Queen while upstarts battle it out in a fierce battle of strategy and popularity for the public's attention. Even idols at the peak of their popularity have the specter of a fall from grace looming in the back of their minds, as the AKB48 member Sashihara Riho revealed this week,

... and to many TRIUMPHANT RETURNS!

2011-05-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

Just a quick placeholder post. To let y'all know that I have yet to perish in the massive backlog of shit-I-have-to-do before blogging. This year was my first year of college, and as that's slowly but surely winding down, I'll definitely have time to catch up with the J-Pop and K-Pop world over the next couple of months. There are a couple things that need to be done-- mainly link and layout

[Aidoru Kana?] Poll results, Extras and brief intro for n00bs =P

2010-07-31T21:12:00.000-07:00

You know, you'd think with all this time on my hands, I would be blogging more and procrastinating less, right? WRONG. That SnN review I promised has been started, but since I KNOW I won't be finishing into tonight, I decided to post something else instead~ no jumps this time, so just scroll to your heart's content! I feel like I've been neglecting the story side of this blog as of late, so I

[Aidoru Kana?] Chapter 8

2010-07-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

Read the previous chapter//start at the beginning The words blurred, swimming in front of my eyes as I wrestled with my fading focus. Squeezing my aching eyes shut for a moment, I did what I knew I couldn't- what I shouldn't- but I did anyway. I dropped the script book on the makeshift plastic desktop, slouching down in my seat and raking a hand through my hair, blowing my breath out softly.

[Review] Hey! Say! JUMP's Debut Album Lives up to its Name

2010-07-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Trust me, this was the better of two covers... 1. DREAMER 2. INFINITY 3. Hitomi no Screen (瞳のスクリーン) 4. Shinku (真紅) 5. Ganbaletsgo! (ガンバレッツゴー!) 6. Jounetsu JUMP (情熱 JUMP) 7. Smile Song (すまいるそんぐ) 8. Memories 9. Dreams come true 10. Time 11. Score 12. Your Seed 13. I☆Scream (アイ☆スクリーム) 14. Mayonaka no Shadow Boy (真夜中のシャドーボーイ) 15. Dash!! 16. Ultra Music Power 17. Thank You ~Bokutachi Kara Kimi e

The Sound of Music

2010-07-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I was listening to the latest episode of the J-Pop review podcast, Gaijin Kanpai. This particular episode featured a roundtable between the hosts about “What makes an Artist”. After debating the relative creative merits of many quasi-singers such as PERFUME and vocaloid super star Hatsune Miku as actual musicians, the conversation turned to one of the hosts’ biggest pet

[Aidoru Kana?] Chapter 7

2010-07-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

Read the previous chapter//start at the beginning I fixed my eyes on Fujimoto-san’s receding silhouette, willing the sunset not to swallow his figure as he headed across the parking lot towards his crookedly aligned Toyota. His final words rang in my head, an air of resignation weighing them down: “I’ve said all I can, and I’ll give you a chance to discuss this matter as

[Review] Sunao Ni Narenakute Part I- The Music

2010-07-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Quick, fellow drama addicts, listen to this songs, and what is the first thing that pops into your mind? If you shed a tear recalling Aya's courage and determination in 1 Litre of Tears and now feel a renewed sense of purpose in life, good for you! You have also passed the challenge. Alright, alright. I digress. I’ve watched a few “classic” J-drama in my day, and after the final scene is

[Aidoru Kana?] Chapter 6

2010-06-27T19:48:00.001-07:00

Start from the beginning//Read the previous chapter Hello everyone! ^^Today was sooooo much fun!I got to meet lots of famous actors and singers ^///^We had a great performance today!I can’t believe it’s only been a month since I started this blog! Thanks to everyone for their support <3! I sighed, letting the breath seep out of me like a deflating balloon.My head hurts

[Update] I'm... back.

2010-06-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

So, I'm here to announce my triumphant!return! after unceremoniously dropping off the face of the earth two months ago. What happened, you ask? Well, let's see. I had a slew of AP exams to slog through- something I'd rather put behind me right now. Then it was college orientation time, which ate a good chunk of my (well, my parents', actually) wallet. And finally it was graduation practice,

[Song] Would you like to give Jae a voice?

2010-04-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry, no Azami chapter this week. I'm already spending way too much time online (and not enough time revising for APs) as it is. But I do have an exciting announcement to share! I've been working on English lyrics to the song that Jae was singing for a while now, and I've finally finished penning the lyrics to it. It's based on Go Younha's song, "Audition-Time2Rock", which, if

Aniblogger-love blossoms in Spring

2010-04-18T23:26:00.000-07:00

(original wallpaper by burgundyeyes@fanpop) Some of us love our Morning Musume. Some of us can't get enough of AKB48. Or maybe we like to drool over those sexy Johnny's boys. Perhaps we're part of the group that is still weeping over TVXQ's "suspension of activities" (I know I am.). Or maybe, we want to follow the "real" artists of the J-Pop scene and like to spend our time appreciating YUI's

[Aidoru Kana?] Chapter 5

2010-04-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

Read the previous chapter//Start at the beginning My fingers closed on empty air, too late to grasp her delicate wrist as she fled from me. As her silhouette shrunk steadily in the distance, I willed my frozen feet to bring me to her. My out-stretched hand fell, slumped limply at my side as an agonizing drape of despair veiled my world. I sank to my knees. “But… Sakura. I loved-“ was

[Aidoru Kana?] Chapter 4

2010-04-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

Read the previous chapter//Start at the beginning My clammy fingers wringed the fringe of my shirt, searching for something to hold on to. Whenever I dreamed (or had nightmares about) of this moment, I had always imagined myself with a microphone in hand. Then again, I had also thought I would be meeting the judges’ gaze with confidence and poise, and that wasn’t happening either.

[News] Kimi no Todoke to hit the Big Screen

2010-04-04T21:59:00.000-07:00

Miura Haruma and Miyako Tabe, two rising stars of the J-drama scene, are set to star in the live action adaptation of popular manga and anime series "Kimi ni Todoke". Will it be enough to rocket them to super stardom? According to Tokyograph: The "Kimi ni Todoke" live-action film now has a cast: actress Mikako Tabe (21) and actor Haruma Miura (19) will take on the starring roles. The movie

[Aidoru Kana?] Chapter 3

2010-03-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Read the previous chapter//Start at the beginning “Remember: be idols. Be happy.” were Maya-san’s parting words. As I staring into the flare of the spotlight as tingling energy surges through my body, I wonder. Is this happiness? Even if it isn’t, it will have to do. “Hey, hey, hey! Let’s make lots of happy memories together at this last concert!” I waved wildly at the sea of

Gaijin Debut = False Hope?

2010-03-28T00:31:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of J-Pop fans on the other side of the ocean that dream big- so big, they hope not only to become successful singers, but to become successful singers in Japan. Unfortunately, the chances of realizing such dreams are one in a million… or are they?Japan has long been labeled as a highly homogenous, almost exclusive society. In pop culture, Americans are often stereotypically

[Aidoru Kana?] Chapter 2

2010-03-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

Read the 1st Chapter I could feel the hot breath of an old hag rolling down the back of my neck. It wasn’t exactly the most pleasant sensation, but I gritted my teeth and kept staring at the ground- or at least, what I could see of the ground between the patches of feet that covered it. I hadn’t donned sunglasses, a baseball cap, or some loose hoodie, but no one gives me a second

[Aidoru Kana?] New trailer and poll!

2010-03-20T18:16:00.001-07:00

So in my shameless attempts of self-promotion, I've created a snazzy trailer for Aidoru Kana? between school, computer spazzes, and grouchy parents, this almost-a-minute-long trailer took me four days to make! Phew!Love it? Hate it? Let me hear it in the new poll in the sidebar!it will be open from today until the end of April :)the trailer has also been added to the AK? Masterlist page for your

[ARTICLE] SweetS Reincarnate: Tokyo Girls' Style- doomed to fail?

2010-03-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

The disbanded girl group SweetS of Avex is remembered as a dream deferred. How will Avex's new flagship fare in these tough times? Remember the good ol’ days, guys? You know, in the early 2000’s, what this generation likes to call the “Golden Age” of Hello! Project and its ilk. Yeah, in ancient times, arguably the peak of Morning Musume success, one of Japan’s most prominent music labels,

[Aidoru Kana?] Chapter 1

2010-03-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

There’s a fine line between taking a leap of faith and taking a leap to your death. Wow. Is the ground really that far away? My heart skips a beat as I anchor myself against the window sill, carefully swinging one foot over the railing and then the other. I allow my head a measured poke out the window- the sound of cicadas invades my ears, chasing away the gloomy silence of my

Ohayou Gozaimasu!

2010-03-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not going to adjust that if you're reading this in the afternoon, evening, or at night. Sorry. In Japanese show biz, "Ohayou gozaimasu" is the standard greeting no matter what time of day it is.On a less jerkface note however, welcome to "Aidoru Kana?"! This blog will be somewhat experimental. I'll probably be posting a narrative VERY loosely based on the lives (or what we know) of real