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Madonna sings theme song for Kimutaku drama
Sun, March 16, 2008 (7:44pm EDT)



Pop star Madonna is now connected to one of Japan's biggest celebrities. It was announced on Sunday that she is providing the theme song for the upcoming Takuya Kimura drama series that will air on Fuji TV. This is reportedly the first time one of her songs will be used as the theme for a television series.

Production staff for the drama, titled "CHANGE," wanted a major international artist to do the theme song. Thinking they had nothing to lose, they made an offer last December to Madonna, who happened to be working on her new album, "Hard Candy." After hearing about the drama's story and seeing the staff's enthusiasm, she accepted the offer and created the ballad "Miles Away."

"CHANGE" stars Kimura as an elementary school teacher who gets thrown into the political arena and winds up becoming the Prime Minister of Japan. Eri Fukatsu co-stars as his secretary. Other cast members include Hiroshi Abe as Kimura's election planner, Rosa Kato as a campaign assistant, and Akira Terao as the ruling party's general council chairman.

The drama will air on Mondays at 9:00pm, starting next month.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Yoshio Kojima's big screen debut
Mon, March 17, 2008 (3:16am EDT)



Comedian Yoshio Kojima will make his film debut with a small part in Takashi Miike's adaptation of the novel "Kamisama no Puzzle," originally written by Shinji Kimoto.



Hayato Ichihara and Mitsuki Tanimura are starring in the sci-fi romance/comedy about two students who attempt an experiment to unravel the origins of the universe. In one part of the story, a hidden camera video of Tanimura's character appears on the Internet, and Ichihara invades another college campus in search of the culprit. However, he gets stopped by the sports-minded Kojima, and a fight between them ensues.

Kojima, who was reportedly chosen for the role due to his physical build, will appear on screen wearing a white tank top, rather than his trademark bathing suit.

The film is set to open on June 7.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Utada ringtone downloaded 700,000 times in 4 days
Mon, March 17, 2008 (3:29am EDT)



Between March 10 and 13, Hikaru Utada made her hit 1999 single "First Love" available for free as a ringtone in Japan. In those four days, it was downloaded more than 700,000 times.

Utada ran a similar promotion in December with her debut single "Automatic," and that achieved 500,000 downloads in the same amount of time.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Yutaka Mizutani to record first album in 22 years
Mon, March 17, 2008 (4:16am EDT)



Actor Yutaka Mizutani is releasing his first studio album in 22 years, though it will include only self-covers of some of his greatest hits. "TIME CAPSULE" contains 13 tracks including "California Connection," the memorable theme song of the "Necchu Jidai" drama series that he starred in during the late 1970s. The single sold about 650,000 copies in its time.

The album is strategically scheduled to go on sale on May 14, about two weeks after the "Aibou" movie opens in theaters. The film is based on the long-running TV Asahi detective drama series that stars Mizutani and Yasufumi Terawaki. It is Mizutani's first lead film role since the 1983 "Nogare no Machi."

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Kenichi Takano song turns into comic
Mon, March 17, 2008 (4:48am EDT)



A new tune by singer-songwriter Kenichi Takano is being turned into a short manga. The song, titled "Button," is a B-side on Takano's new single, "Ippai Kimi wo Warawaseru," that goes on sale next week.

The text of the 8-page comic will be the exact same as the lyrics of the 6-minute song. The story depicts a girl who receives a boy's uniform button during their school graduation.

The manga is being illustrated by Ibuki Haneda, who also did the manga version of the mobile phone novel "Koizora." It will appear in the first issue of the female-oriented Marika magazine, due out on April 28.

Takano reportedly first came up with the idea for the project last summer.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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"Last Friends" theme sung by Utada
Mon, March 17, 2008 (4:30pm EDT)



Hikaru Utada is providing the theme for the Fuji TV drama "Last Friends." Last year, her "Flavor of Life" was used as an insert song in "Hana Yori Dango 2," but this will be her first actual theme song for a drama series since the 2002 release "Sakura Drops."

The song is a medium-tempo ballad titled "Prisoner of Love." It is one of the tracks on her new album "HEART STATION" that goes on sale this week.

"Last Friends" stars Masami Nagasawa, Juri Ueno, Eita, Ryo Nishikido, and Asami Mizukawa. The first episode airs on April 10.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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TOKIO's Matsuoka living with girlfriend of 5 years
Mon, March 17, 2008 (4:52pm EDT)



TOKIO drummer Masahiro Matsuoka is the latest Johnny's Jimusho member to publicly reveal a romantic relationship. According to the new issue of FLASH, Matsuoka is currently living together with a woman that he has been seeing for about 5 years.

FLASH described the woman as short and resembling idol Shoko Nakagawa (Nakagawa herself is 155 cm tall). The magazine published photos taken last month of Matsuoka and the girl at their apartment. Last week, a reporter directly asked Matsuoka about the relationship, and he openly acknowledged it.

Johnny's Jimusho said they had no comment in particular, but also mentioned that they have not heard anything about a possible marriage.

A little over a week ago, bandmate Tatsuya Yamaguchi announced that he got married and is now expecting his first child.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Sei Ashina appointed as Parco swimsuit model
Tue, March 18, 2008 (5:10am EDT)



Actress Sei Ashina has been chosen as the new poster model for Parco's swimsuit campaign. The posters will be unveiled in Parco stores nationwide on the 21st. That same day marks the opening of her first stage play, "Amatsukaze," which stars Arashi's Satoshi Ohno.



Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Oricon: adventure with a celebrity
Tue, March 18, 2008 (5:12am EDT)



Oricon surveyed 900 people, asking them which female celebrity they would want to go on an adventure with. Idol Shoko Nakagawa was the most popular choice by both men and women, as well as by those in their teens and 20s.

#2 was talento Becky, followed by a tie at #3 between Chinatsu Wakatsuki and Kumi Koda. Yui Aragaki ranked 5th.

While the women's top 5 list was almost exactly the same as the overall rankings, the men's list included Aki Hoshino, Ai Otsuka, and Masami Nagasawa.

Which female celebrity they would want to go on an adventure with?

1) Shoko Nakagawa
2) Becky
3) Chinatsu Wakatsuki
3) Kumi Koda
5) Yui Aragaki

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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S. Korea awash with Japanese pop culture
Akihito Teramura / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

SEOUL--South Korea is being swept up by a wave of Japanese pop culture--manga, novels, films and even "cosplay" cafes. Young people, in particular, seem to love entertaining works dealing with light themes.

On the other hand, the number of South Korean films exported to Japan has drastically declined, prompting the South Korean government to take steps to reinvigorate the industry.

Packed with small theaters, Seoul's Daehakno district, which is known as the center of South Korea's youth culture, has an atmosphere quite similar to that of Shimokitazawa, Tokyo.

"I started cosplay as a sixth-grade primary school student, wearing Sailor Moon costumes," said Chong Tae Jong, an 18-year-old waitress at a cosplay cafe called Flying Needle. Cosplay is short for "costume play," in which people dress up as their favorite anime characters.

The cafe provides its customers with costumes to dress up as characters from anime, manga and video games.

Opened six years ago, the cosplay cafe has been quite successful, attracting about 8,000 customers every month.

"Cosplay was born in Japan and developed into a global culture," said Chong, clad in a maid's costume.

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Youth love Japanese culture

In 1998, the South Korean government lifted a ban on the sale of Japanese videos and publications as part of a gradual opening of the domestic market to Japanese cultural products.

Chong, who was 8 years old when the ban was lifted, grew up with Japanese manga and anime. Many of her generation are now keen consumers of Japanese cultural products.

Of 4,095 manga published in South Korea in 2006, about 70 percent were translations of Japanese manga. "Kami no Shizuku" (A Drop of the Gods), a Japanese manga about wine, was translated into Korean and published at the end of 2005. It sold more than 1 million copies and ignited a wine boom in the country.

Yang Chae Chol, who operates a liquor shop in central Seoul, is surprised by the work's impact on wine sales.

"The percentage of wine sales compared to total sales went up from about 30 percent to 70 percent [after the work went on sale in South Korea]," said Yang, 53.

Cosplay, manga and anime are not the only cultural exports that have proved popular in South Korea. Many Japanese novels are loved by South Korean readers.

Of the 100 best-selling books at Kyobo Book Center, the largest bookstore in Seoul, the number of Japanese novels rose from 15 in 2003 to 42 last year, exceeding the number of South Korean novels on the list. In the whole publishing market, publications translated from Japanese accounted for 8.6 percent of 53,225 items published in South Korea in 2007.

"South Korean novels tend to deal with serious themes, such as state and politics, and lack in entertainment," said Paek Won Kun, a researcher studying publications in South Korea at the Korean Publishing Research Institute. "On the other hand, Japanese works deal with lighter themes and can be read more easily."

Films featuring Takuya Kimura and other popular Japanese actors are adored by many young South Koreans.

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Govt to prop up film industry

While Japanese cultural products are thriving in South Korea, what is known as hanryu, or the wave of South Korean pop culture that swept Japan following the 2003 airing of the popular soap opera "Winter Sonata," has lost momentum in Japan.

According to the South Korean Film Commission, revenues from South Korean films exported to overseas markets are sluggish after peaking at about 75 million dollars in 2005. In 2006, exports of South Korean films to the Japanese market, which account for about 70 percent of total sales, declined to less than 20 percent of the previous year.

Lee Hae Ton, an official of the film industry team in South Korea's Culture and Tourism Ministry, pointed out that the hanryu boom owed a lot to the popularity of a handful of actors. Lee also said the quality of South Korean films deteriorated as a result of the industry depending too much on actors' popularity to attract moviegoers.

Nevertheless, the film industry is an important export industry for South Korea, where natural resources are scarce, Lee said.

In 2006, the ministry and other institutions concerned established a 300 billion won (about 28.4 billion yen) fund to help South Korean films get onto screens overseas and defray the cost of subtitling the films. The fund plans to invest in film productions.

The number of South Korean films based on Japanese novels and anime is also surging.

According to the Korean Film Commission, the number of South Korean films based on Japanese works increased from a total of three between 2001 and 2005, to three in 2006 and seven in 2007. Ten such films are currently being planned or are in production, the commission said.

"It should be easy to export such films to Japan because they're based on Japanese works," said Pak Chong Won, manager of the commission's overseas promotion department.

(Mar. 19, 2008)

Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/20080319TDY04302.htm

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Tortoise Matsumoto to release first original solo song
Tue, March 18, 2008 (5:23am EDT)



Ulfuls vocalist Tortoise Matsumoto will release a single titled "Namida wo Todokete" this June. Though he has previously released a solo cover album, this is his first original song as a solo artist.

"Namida wo Todokete" has also been chosen as the theme song for the upcoming drama series "Hokaben," which stars Aya Ueto. The drama premieres on April 16.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Ishii, Takasugi collaborate with Disney
Tue, March 18, 2008 (1:56pm EDT)



On April 15, the Tokyo Disney Resort will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Tatsuya Ishii and Satomi Takasugi have been tapped to provide the theme song for the occasion, titled "Mahou no Kagi ~ The Dream Goes On." It will be released as a single the following day.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Amuro Ray seiyu releasing first album
Tue, March 18, 2008 (2:41pm EDT)



Veteran voice actor Toru Furuya, who is best known for the role of Amuro Ray in "Mobile Suit Gundam," is releasing his first mini-album next week. The album is called "HEROES ~to my treasure~" and is meant as a tribute to the classic characters he has played. Aside from Amuro Ray, Furuya's work includes Pegasus Seiya ("Saint Seiya") and Yamcha ("Dragonball").

One of the 7 songs on the album is titled "Lala no Yasokyoku: Nocturne," with lyrics written by "Gundam" director Yoshiyuki Tomino and composition by "Gundam" fan Gackt.

"HEROES" officially goes on sale March 26.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Amuro Ray seiyu releasing first album
Tue, March 18, 2008 (2:41pm EDT)



Veteran voice actor Toru Furuya, who is best known for the role of Amuro Ray in "Mobile Suit Gundam," is releasing his first mini-album next week. The album is called "HEROES ~to my treasure~" and is meant as a tribute to the classic characters he has played. Aside from Amuro Ray, Furuya's work includes Pegasus Seiya ("Saint Seiya") and Yamcha ("Dragonball").

One of the 7 songs on the album is titled "Lala no Yasokyoku: Nocturne," with lyrics written by "Gundam" director Yoshiyuki Tomino and composition by "Gundam" fan Gackt.

"HEROES" officially goes on sale March 26.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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ORESKABAND to be first Japanese artists to play entire Warped Tour
Tue, March 18, 2008 (5:44pm EDT)



The six-girl ska group ORESKABAND is set to become the first Japanese artist to play the entire Warped Tour. The 2008 tour will visit 46 cities in North America from June 20 to August 17.

ORESKABAND participated in last year's Warped Tour, playing in 7 cities on the West Coast. Their most recent U.S. performance was this past Saturday at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

Presale tickets for Warped Tour 2008 went on sale last Friday.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Yon-sama to play lead voice in "Winter Sonata" anime
Tue, March 18, 2008 (6:13pm EDT)



Actor Bae Yong Joon is reportedly playing the lead voice in the anime version of the popular 2002 Korean drama "Winter Sonata," in which he co-starred with Choi Ji Woo.

The anime was recently confirmed, with a press event scheduled for March 28. The project is apparently a collaborative production between Japanese and Korean studios, and news reports suggest that it is a single work rather than a series. In addition to a television broadcast, there are plans for theater screenings.

More details will be revealed at the press conference on the 28th.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Teriyaki Boyz to perform in Hong Kong
Tue, March 18, 2008 (6:37pm EDT)



On Tuesday, hip-hop group TERIYAKI BOYZ announced during a radio show that they will be performing in Hong Kong next month. They will share the stage with N.E.R.D. and Kanye West at the HITEC Star Hall in Kowloon Bay on April 10.

TERIYAKI BOYZ, N.E.R.D., and Kanye West are also scheduled to appear together at an April 5 event at Makuhari Messe.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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"Hana Kimi" SP confirmed
Tue, March 18, 2008 (4:33pm EDT)



Last summer's "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e" drama series is returning for a one-episode special. Starring Maki Horikita, Shun Oguri, and Toma Ikuta, the show was very popular, especially among female viewers. It averaged 17.3% ratings, with the final episode reaching 21.0%.

According to Fuji TV, the special will take place half a year after the series' end. With Osaka Gakuen getting ready for an upcoming Valentine's Day event, Sano (Oguri) and Nakatsu (Ikuta) reflect on the final week of their last summer vacation, which falls into the timeline of the original series between episodes 7 and 8. The special also includes a graduation scene and addresses the relationship between Mizuki (Horikita) and Sano.

Filming begins on Wednesday, but no broadcast date has been specified yet.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Hiroki Uchi joins "Osen" cast
Tue, March 18, 2008 (6:04pm EDT)



The next step in the comeback of former NEWS member Hiroki Uchi is his first regular drama series role in almost three years. He will appear in NTV's "Osen," which stars actress Yu Aoi as the "okami" of a long-standing Tokyo restaurant. Uchi will play Yoshio Ezaki, a young and confident chef who comes to work at the restaurant.

In 2005, Uchi was suspended for underage drinking. He was subsequently removed from NEWS and demoted to trainee status within Johnny's Jimusho, but he finally returned to television work with the "Isshun no Kaze ni Nare" drama mini-series that aired in February.

"Osen" premieres on April 22.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Comedian Tamura Ryo (36) announced yesterday through the Yoshimoto agency that he became a father for the second time last week. One half of the popular duo London Boots, Tamura married in June 2003 and his wife Arisa (34) had a baby the following September.

Source: www.japan-zone.com