Sent to you by kevn57 via Google Reader: "Hana Yori Dango" special to air night before movie opens via Tokyograph on 6/23/08 A special press conference for the "Hana Yori Dango Final" movie was held at the Nippon Budokan on Monday. With anticipation running high for the film's opening this coming Saturday, it was announced that TBS is going to air a one-hour special on Friday night at 10:00pm.The special will include a mini-episode that takes place just before the storyline of the movie. It was quickly filmed on Monday morning before the press conference. The show will also be partly broadcast live, with Arashi performing a theme song medley. Members of the group will even make an appearance as themselves in the mini-drama."Hana Yori Dango" has had two successful seasons as a drama series, and this movie will finally bring the story to a close. Things you can do from here: Subscribe to Tokyograph using Google Reader Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
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Looks like all those food shows are catching up with them. Sent to you by kevn57 via Google Reader: Japan Imposes 'Fine On Fat' via Slashdot by timothy on 6/24/08 An anonymous reader writes "A recently-introduced law in Japan requires all businesses to have mandatory obesity checks (video link) for all their employees and employees' family members over the age of 40, CNN reports. If the employee or family member is deemed obese, and does not lose the extra fat soon, their employer faces large fines. The legislated upper limit for the waistline is 33.5" for men, and 35.5" for women. Should America adopt universal health insurance, could we live to see the same kind of individual health regulations imposed on us by the government? By comparison, the average waistline in America in 2005 was 39 inches for men, 37 inches for women."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Things you can do from here: Subscribe to Slashdot using Google Reader Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
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Sent to you by kevn57 via Google Reader: "Last Friends" ends at 22.8%, gets special episode via Tokyograph on 6/22/08 Fuji TV's drama series "Last Friends" aired its final episode on Thursday night. The show had been gaining in popularity throughout its run, and the ratings for the finale rose to 22.8%, its best for the season. The peak came in the final scene, with ratings reaching as high as 25.9%.The show outperformed the week's episodes of "Gokusen 3" and "CHANGE," which had been the highest-rated dramas of the season. Both have been falling in the ratings in recent weeks.Because of the show's success, it was also announced that a special episode will air this coming Thursday (June 26), titled "Mou Hitotsu no Last Friends." Things you can do from here: Subscribe to Tokyograph using Google Reader Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
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The end of episode 10 was everything I could have wished for and more, sorry if that's mean spirited but that was one character I really hated.     Sent to you by kevn57 via Google Reader:     Last Friends - 11 via Our Hour by bittersweet_bun on 6/19/08 Last FriendsEpisode 11, with no subs yet.11th week's rating: ??Last Friends, Episode Elevenuse hjsplit to join them together.total size: 951 MBfilebam: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 mediafire:megaupload:- They said there would be 12 episodes, but apparently next week's will just be a special.. Comment if you're taking it. :Dclick for caps - will start them soon     Things you can do from here: Subscribe to Our Hour using Google Reader Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites    
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Kimi Hannin Janai yo ne? star in another drama for the summer season, this was the first time I'd seen her and was really impressed look forward to her next drama, and a pastry chef maybe another Antique Bakery in the making? Sent to you by kevn57 via Google Reader: Monkey Majik does music for "Ando Natsu" via Tokyograph on 6/18/08 The TBS drama series "Ando Natsu" is having its theme song done by Monkey Majik. The tune is called "Tada, Arigatou" and is scheduled for release on August 27. This is the band's second drama theme song, with the first being the hit "Around the World" that was used in Fuji TV's "Saiyuki.""Ando Natsu" stars Shihori Kanjiya as a young woman aiming to be a pastry chef. The show premieres on July 7. Things you can do from here: Subscribe to Tokyograph using Google Reader Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
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Star of 1 Pound no Fukuin debuts     Sent to you by kevn57 via Google Reader:     Meisa Kuroki debuts as singer via Tokyograph on 6/19/08 Rising young actress Meisa Kuroki has just made her singing debut in connection with the au Sportio/W62T mobile phones. Her first song is an R&B/dance number called "Like This." Kuroki will appear in commercials for both phones, and different arrangements of the song will be used for each. "Like This" will see only limited distribution. It became available as a chaku-uta on the 18th, while the full version, the chaku-movie, and the video clip will start selling on the 21st.     Things you can do from here: Subscribe to Tokyograph using Google Reader Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites    
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The blog is going to be on summer hiatus for the next month and a half, both my jobs get very busy this time of the year and trying to blog on top of that makes it seem more like a job then a fun hobby. I'll still do the occasional post especially if I see something that I really like, and I'll do a few posts with just screen caps that I've already captured. I hope everybody has a great summer.
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Keita played by Kimura Takuya (Pride, Long Vacation) is introducing Nirasawa played by Abe Hiroshi (Antique, Hero) as his new aide to the four presidential aides. He’ll be taking care of public relations and communications, Hikari played by Kato Rosa (Tokkyu Tanaka San Go, Tsubasa No Oreta Tenshitachi 2) adds that he’ll be helping to serve tea also. After exiting the four aides start making comments about Nirasawa in front of Rika played by Fukatsu Eri (Space Travellers, Saiyuuki) saying that his inexperience in government matches that of the Prime Minster. Then on the TV screen there’s a shot of the American trade representative Harry Bingham, who in Japan to force the Japanese to increase food imports from the United States. Then the scene shifts to the conference where Bingham is pounding on the table making his demands. Kanbayashi Masaichi played by Terao Akira (Yasashii Jikan, Casshern) tells his aide that Keita doesn’t even know that Bingham came to Japan. Rika tells Keita that because a meeting has been cancelled for the following day, he’ll have a rare day off. Keita wants to go on a tour of Tokyo, and visit Beverly Hills Donuts, where the donuts are so good you have to stand in line for them. But Rika informs him that it’ll be too much trouble for security that has to follow him everywhere.Keita gets better as the Prime Minister each week and it’s really getting to Kanbayashi who is showing his true colors more then ever in this episode, and looks even worse in the previews for next weeks episode. This was an excellent episode funny and smart. I love the scenes later in the episode between Keita and Bingham and I was laughing so hard when Hikari was serving Bingham tea.Download the English hardsub bit torrent file from the tracker here. Screen caps of the first episode are here.
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Namikiri played by Sasaki Kuranosuke (Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi, Bambino!) is surprised when his boss shows him the new 02 model which was designed by another team. The new model features quicker recharging, internal emotional data collecting and no kiss reboot feature. Namikiri’s boss feels that the 02 will be more flexible then the 01, therefore it’s superior. Riko played by Aibu Saki (Utahime, Attention Please) finds Night played by Hayami Mokomichi (Hataraki Man, Rondo) trying out new hairstyles as they prepare for work. When Riko restores his former style for him she discovers the barcode behind his ear. The scene shifts back to the lab, Namikiri’s boss informs him that the plans to mass produce the 01 have been put on hold and 02 will be sent to Riko so that the two models can be compared. The model which satisfies Riko the most will be mass produced, the other will be considered useless and junked. 02’s designer has calculated the probability that 02 will defeat 01 in the trial at 98.2%.The love triangle becomes a love quadrangle as the show approaches reverse harem territory. I really enjoyed this episode, I love robot stories ever since I first read I Robot when I was a kid, and this episode shows a little glimpse of the three laws as proposed by Asimov, but it occurs much later in the episode and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone so I won’t say anything else about it but if you’re an Asimov fan I’m sure you’ll see what I mean.Download the English hardsub bit torrent releases from SARS fansubs here. Screen shots of the previous episodes are here.
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Saburo played by Kusanagi Tsuyoshi (Sasaki Fusai no Jingi Naki Tatakai, SMAP) confesses to Riko played by Tanaka Rena (Drug Store Girl, Gegege no Kitaro) on the beach and as she runs towards him he opens his arms to embrace her. But she drop kicks him knocking him onto the sand, leaps on top of him and delivers her signature line “You want to die”. She tells him it’s way too early to confess and he protests that it wasn’t like he wanted to start liking her. Then she changes tack and agrees to let him replace Nonomura and demands that he do anything for her. A passing fisherman gives her a box of smelly fish which she gives to Saburo and telling him to take it and go back to Tokyo and wait for her. He makes a welcome home Riko sign and when he hears her return he runs to the hallway but is pushed aside by the landlady and her daughter who along with Riko shoo him aside for their reunion, his welcome sign trampled as they go into her apartment. He drags Riko into his apartment to find out what’s going on, but the apartment stinks because of the fish she forced him to bring back. Kensaku played by Tanihara Shosuke (Deru Toko Demasho!, Mop Girl) arrives and wants to have the welcome party in Riko’s apartment because Saburo’s smells of fish.Another terrific episode in the best romantic comedy I’ve seen since Hana Kimi, I was surprised that Riko agreed to let Saburo replace Nonomura so quickly in the beginning of the episode but that just drove the laughs as she forces him to do one thing after another for him.Download the RAW video bit torrent files here, the soft subs by BadAsSubMissions are here. Screen shots of the previous episodes are here.
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The episode opens with a man chanting looking up into the night sky, a bright light appears in the sky and then spotlights the man. A pair of creatures are backlit as they approach the man. The scene shift, Sakura played by Kanjiya Shihori (Hana Yori Dango 2, H2) asks her editor if she believes in aliens. Then explains that a man approached her asking that question at the train station, when she agreed he grabbed her and started chanting, what the man at the opening scene was chanting “Bentora, Bentora, Space People”, saying that it’s a chant to summons UFOs. The two of them swing around and chant but are interrupted by the return of the editor’s coworkers. Then the editor throws her current manuscript in the trash advising her to draw some attention to the manuscript next time. The scene shift to an amusement park where a monument to Alien Friendship is to be dedicated, Udagawa played by Kaname Jun (Himitsu no Hanazono, Tantei Gakuen Q) stands and watches a TV explaining the purpose of the park. Sakura dressed as an alien approaches and takes one of his lollipops. She’s selling space dolls that grant wishes.I love this goofy comedy mystery show and this one takes a few turns from the regular formula, but the mystery isn’t focus of the show it’s always more about the laughs this episode is no exception. The scene with the editor is usually good but I loved it as the co-workers caught the pair swinging around and chanting.Download the bit torrent file for this episode here and the soft subs here, screen shots of the previous episode here.
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