J.J. Abrams reveals that he wanted an AKB48 idol in the cast for Star Trek
Casey Baseel
The famed Hollywood director was ready to set his phaser to “ idol. ”
With his involvement as a director and producer for both the Star Wars and Star Trek movie franchises, J.J. Abrams already his fingers in some very big pies. But if he’d had his every wish, Abrams would have not only been the envy of sci-fi fanboys, but idol otaku as well.
To promote Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Abrams recently appeared on Japanese talk show Mezamashi TV. It’s sort of a media tradition in Japan to ask visiting foreign celebrities if they have any interest in Japanese traditional or pop culture, and the interviewer, perhaps armed with inside information, asked the Star Wars director if he liked Japanese idol singers.
While he may not be buying idol CDs in bulk and lining up for hand shake events, it turns out that Abrams has indeed been to an idol unit concert. As a matter of fact, he went to a performance by the biggest idol unit: AKB48.
Several years ago, while working on the Star Trek reboot that would be released in 2009, Abrams was taken by a Japanese acquaintance to see AKB48 perform live at the group’s theater in Akihabara, Tokyo’s otaku mecca. He said the performance was amazing, and that he was so impressed by the idols’ stage presence that he found himself wanting to add one of the energetic idols to Star Trek’s cast.
A Japanese Enterprise crew member wouldn’t have been unprecedented, as series regular Hikaru Sulu has a Japanese given name and was played for three decades by Japanese-American actor George Takei.
Alas, the collaboration never came to be, for reasons unspecified. Still, given the fact that Abrams now holds the reigns to two movie franchises set in racially diverse worlds, we can still hope for a J.J./AKB team-up in the future.
19 Member NMB48 Dapatkan Tawaran Bermain di Drama NHK, ‘Rekishi Hiwa Historia’
Penulis: Andika Setiawan - Apr 28, 2016
19 member NMB48 mendapatkan kehormatan untuk tampil dalam sebuah drama yang ditayangkan di stasiun TV nasional, NHK. Drama tersebut berjudul ‘Rekishi Hiwa Historia’, sebuah drama yang menceritakan skandal besar yang terjadi ketika periode Edo ‘Ejima Ikushima Jiken’ sedang berkuasa.
19 member NMB48 yang akan bermain dalam drama ini adalah Ijiri Anna, Ueda Mirei, Uemura Azusa, Ota Yuuri, Odan Mai, Kamieda Emika, Kishino Rika, Jo Eriko, Jonishi Kei, Shiroma Miru, Sutou Ririka, Naiki Kokoro, Nakano Reina, Matsumura Megumi, Murase Sae, Yagura Fuuko, Yamao Rina, Yamamoto Sayaka dan Yoshida Akari.
Jonishi Kei dipercaya untuk memerankan tokoh utama, Ejima. Yamamoto Sayaka akan berperan sebagai Tenei’in dan Shiroma Miru akan berperan sebagai selir, Gekoin.
Drama ini akan ditayangkan pada tanggal 6 Mei, pukul 8:00 JST. Latar untuk drama ini menggunakan latar yang pernah dipakai untuk drama ‘Atsuhime’ yang tayang tahun 2008 lalu.
Inoue Mao Umumkan Pengunduran Diri Dari Agensi ‘Seventh Avenue’
Penulis: Andika Setiawan - Apr 29, 2016
Aktris cantik yang populer, Inoue Mao akan mengundurkan diri dari agensi seventh avenue. Menurut beberapa laporan, pengunduran dirinya baru-baru ini dibahas, dan agensi seventh avenue akhirnya menerima keputusan pengunduran diri Inoue Mao. Tampaknya, Inoue Mao memutuskan untuk pergi dari agensinya sebelum berusia 30 tahun.
Namun, tanggal pengunduran diri Inoue Mao belum ditentukan. Iklan terbaru dari Inoue Mao bersama Tamaki Hiroshi untuk Takara Holdings ‘Shochikubai Shirakabegura Mio Sparkling Sake’ hanya tayang pada 22 April.
Inoue Mao telah berada di industri hiburan Jepang sejak kecil. Dia mendapatkan popularitasnya saat membintangi drama TBS ‘Kid’s War’. Namun, aktivitasnya di industri hiburan sempat tertahan pada 2004, dikarenakan fokus belajar untuk ujian masuk universitas.
Setelah itu, Inoue Mao dipindahkan ke agensi seventh avenue dan membuatnya kembali ke industri hiburan pada 2005. Di tahun yang sama, dia membuat terobosan yang besar dengan membintangi drama ‘Hanayori Dango’.
Pada 2011, ia membintangi drama pagi NHK yang bertemakan pahlawan yang berjudul ‘Ohisama’, dan menjadi pembawa acara ‘Kohaku Uta Gassen’. Tahun lalu, ia juga membintangi drama pagi NHK yang berjudul ‘Hana Moyu’.
Former Morning Musume member Ai Kago has announced that she is a married woman once again.
The 28-year-old idol announced her marriage on August 8. Her husband is 38-year-old man who owns a company in the beauty industry.
"The things that make me happiest of all is that he has a deep affection for my daughter, and loves me with all his heart," Kago stated.
This is the 2nd time Kago has gotten married, and reportedly her husband's first. Kago married Haruhiko Ando in December of 2011, and had a child together named Minami in June of 2012. The two later divorced in June of 2015 after years of controversy.
During their 25-year career, SMAP have acted as ambassadors for diplomatic relations
One of Asia's biggest pop groups, SMAP, is to break up at the end of the year after a 25-year career.
The Japanese boy band, which sold 35m records up to last year, will disband on 31 December, its management agency said on Sunday.
Rumours of a split had been rife since the turn of the year, but had all previously been denied.
Its five members, who are aged between 39 and 43, are now expected to pursue solo careers.
The band, formed in 1988, has built up a huge fanbase in Japan and throughout Asia with members appearing frequently in films, soap operas, and commercials.
Members of SMAP, which stands for "Sports Music Assemble People", have also appeared on cookery shows and Japanese coverage of the Rio Olympics.
Their popularity has even made them ambassadors for diplomatic relations between Japan, China and South Korea.
In 2011, they were the first Japanese pop group to visit China in a decade, amid a row between the countries over disputed territory. Their Beijing concert was attended by 40,000 people.
A statement by the group's managers Johnny and Associates said they were "truly and deeply pained and sorry" to not be able to take part in 25th anniversary celebrations.
SMAP's break-up made the front pages of Japanese newspapers on Sunday
Para anggota SMAP disebut akan mengejar karier solo masing-masing.
Salah satu kelompok musik terbesar di Asia, SMAP, mengumumkan akan bubar pada akhir tahun ini setelah berkarier selama 25 tahun.
Band laki-laki Jepang itu, yang sampai tahun lalu berhasil menjual 35 juta rekaman, bakal bubar pada 31 Desember, seperti disampaikan manajemennya, Minggu (15/08).
Desas-desus tentang pecahnya kelompok ini sudah menyebar pada awal tahun namun selalu dibantah.
Kabar burung SMAP akan bubar terdengar awal tahun ini namun sempat dibantah.
Kelima anggotanya, yang kini berusia antara 39 hingga 43 tahun, disebut akan mengejar karier solo masing-masing
Didirikan tahun 1988, SMAP mengembangkan kelompok penggemar yang meluas di Jepang dan juga beberapa negara Asia lainya. Mereka juga tampil di film, opera sabun, maupun iklan.
Para anggotanya sering tampil dalam berbagai acara memasak di TV Jepang dan liputan khusus Olimpiade Rio de Janeiro.
Popularitas SMAP -yang disingkat dari Sports Music Assemble People- demikian tingginya hingga membuat mereka menjadi duta hubungan diplomatik Jepang, Cina, dan Korea Selatan.
Tahun 2011 mereka menjadi kelompok musik pop Jepang pertama yang tampil di Cina dalam satu dekade belakangan, di tengah-tengah konflik kedua negara dalam klaim wilayah. Konser SMAP di Beijing itu disaksikan sekitar 40.000 orang.
J-pop group SMAP announce their split: 7 things to know about the pop sensation
15 Agustus 2016
J-pop group SMAP announce their split : 7 things to know about the pop sensation
After performing together for more than two decades, popular J-pop group SMAP announced on Sunday (Aug 14) that they will be going their separate ways at the end of this year.
The quintet, which consist of members Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Shingo Katori, plan to focus on their solo careers following the split.
The all-male pop group, who have continuously dominated the Japanese music scene, is one of the nation's most popular and successful J-pop groups.
As they prepare for their bow out, here are seven things to know about the pop group sensation.
1. The five started out as back-up dancers
J-pop group SMAP (clockwise from bottom right) Shingo Katori, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kasanagi and Nakai Masahiro.
SMAP, which stands for "Sports Music Assemble People", was formed in 1988 by Japanese talent leviathan Johnny & Associates.
The five members, who are now aged between 39 and 43, made their debuts on the Japanese entertainment scene when they were about 15 years old.
Before their rise to stardom, the members of the group were back-up dancers for the then popular Japanese pop group Hikaru Genji.
SMAP's members were known as "Skate Boys" as they performed in roller skates in order to stand out from other emerging male idol groups at the time.
SMAP released their debut album in 1991.
They went on to release another 20 albums over the span of their 25-year career, garnering more than 35 million in overall record sales.
2. They are the biggest success story of talent agency Johnny & Associates
The pop group's rise to stardom propelled Johnny Kitagawa's talent agency, Johnny & Associates, to the top of the Japanese entertainment industry.
Set up in 1962, the agency takes in young teenage hopefuls and grooms them under a rigorous dancing and singing training regime. The junior members then begin their careers by first performing as back-up dancers for senior members before the agency organises them into individual pop groups.
This assembly line style of grooming pop stars is the backbone of Johnny & Associates' business model, and has successfully churned out numerous singing and dancing boy groups, with SMAP being its greatest achievement.
Kitagawa was the first to conceptualise and perfect this highly systematic and structured training method, which has since been adopted by many K-pop talent agencies, such as SM Entertainment.
The success of SMAP and Johnny Entertainment has given Kitagawa great clout in the Japanese entertainment industry.
His achievements have also been recognised on the international platform, with the Guinness World Records awarding him three titles: the most No. 1 singles produced by an individual, the most concerts produced by an individual, and the most No. 1 acts produced by an individual.
3. Their music has a global reach
SMAP's fame extends beyond Japan into South Korea and China.
The regional popularity of the boyband allowed the group the opportunity to perform and meet prominent Chinese leaders, including then Premier Wen Jiabao.
At the performance, he remarked that SMAP could "bring seeds of China-Japan friendship that take deep root and blossom in China".
A few months after the showcase, the group held a concert in Beijing that was attended by 40,000 people.
Their concert marked the first time a Japanese pop group had visited China in a decade.
As band member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi can speak fluent Korean, he has acted in various South Korean movies and television shows, and has been credited with bringing Japan closer to the hearts of South Korean fans.
4. SMAP born on a variety show
The variety television programme, called SMAP X SMAP, first aired in 1996, and was conceived as a showcase for the group. It has succeeded beyond its creators' wildest dreams and, since its debut, has consistently garnered high ratings.
The show features the group members doing comedy skits, sharing cooking tips, chatting with special guests and putting up performances.
Many local and international celebrities have been guests on the programme, including Michael Jackson, David Beckham and Mariah Carey.
5. All five members are multi-talented
Given that Johnny & Associates expects its idols to do more than sing and dance, it is no surprise that SMAP members have racked up varied resumes. Each member has appeared in films, soap operas, dramas, commercials and movies.
Masahiro Nakai, the group's front man, has been the main newscaster for the Olympic Games for the Tokyo Broadcasting System for the last five summer and winter games.
The group's youngest member, Shingo Katori, on the other hand, played a popular TV character named Shingo Mama on a weekly variety show called Sata Suma.
Because of Shingo Mama's popularity among children, Japan's Education Ministry invited Katori, in the guise of Shingo Mama to be the face of a nationwide campaign that promoted family communication from 2000 to 2001.
Arguably the most successful actor of the group is Takuya Kimura, who has starred in Japanese TV series which drew record-breaking ratings as well as international arthouse films such as Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's 2046 (2004) and Yoji Yamada's Love And Honour ((2006).
6. SMAP originally a sextet
When SMAP first debuted in 1988, they comprised six members: the existing five members as well as Katsuyuki Mori. The latter left the band in 1996 in order to pursue a career in motorcycle racing. Since then, the group has operated as a quintet.
J-pop group V6's Masayuki Sakamoto and Tokio's Taichi Kokubun were also members of SMAP before the group was officially launched by Johnny & Associates.
7. Break-up rumours have been circulating for some time
Rumours that the landmark pop group were facing an imminent split first surfaced in January.
Many tabloids and fan blogs reported that the band members were trying to leave Johnny & Associates, which would effectively disband them for good.
It was reported that, apart from Kimura, the other four had planned to leave and follow their long-time manager Michi Iijima, who resigned from the company in January.
Iijima was believed to have fallen out with the founder's sister and vice-president, Mary Kitagawa.
The furore over the rumours eventually prompted the members to make a public apology on their variety programme, SMAP X SMAP, to dispel the rumours and reassure fans that they were planning to stay together.
The Japanese public rejoiced at the news, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
He told a parliamentary committee: "It's good that the group responded to the wishes of many fans and decided to continue (as it is)."
Matsuno Rina Dari Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku Meninggal Dunia
Penulis : Kana - Feb 8, 2017
Salah satu member dari Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku atau yang biasa disingkat Ebichu, Matsuno Rina dikabarkan telah meninggal dunia. Hal ini sudah dikonfirmasi orang tuanya. Berita ini tersebar pertama kali melalui acara di Fuji TV bertajuk “FNN Speak”. Penyebab kematiannya sendiri sampai sekarang belum diketahui.
Matsuno Rina atau yang biasa dipanggil Rinanan dikabarkan tidak menghadiri konser pada tanggal 7 kemarin dikarenakan kesehatannya yang memburuk dan dia diistirahatkan di rumahnya di Tokyo, namun kondisi sakitnya semakin parah dan pada hari ini tanggal 8 orang tuanya telah memanggil 119 dan dibawa ke rumah sakit namun selaam perjalanan, Rinanan menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya pada jam 5 waktu setempat.
Dan acara KahoRiko malam ini dibatalkan untuk menghormati kepergian Rinanan.
Fumika Shimizu Announces Retirement from Entertainment Industry & Decides to be a Monk
2/12/2017
Fumika Shimizu who had played Yuki Jojima in Kamen Rider Fourze & appeared in Hentai Kamen as the Heroine had announced that she will leave the Entertainment Industry and serve God in the Religion Happy Science 幸福の科学.
Mass Media came to know about this when Fumika herself had tweeted on her Official Twitter by Lespros about creation of new Twitter Account on February 11.
Translation
​"Spread of Hope
I have created a New Account!
twitter.com/sengen777
I'll be updating from here (New Twitter Account). This tweet might be deleted soon so everyone please follow this account. I'll be declaring something next week. Everyone please...""
"I'll tell this in the beginning. There is no one who are speak my Truth. Atleast let me speak my truth."
Just my reading these tweets it had brought terror in the hearts of her fans.
Fumika Shimizu had retired from Entertainment Industry and decided to join the religion Happy Science to serve God. She had said that she is a true believer and even her parents. She has been believing God since childhood. Her Talent Agency Lespros Entertainment cancelled her appearance in Fuji TV Variety "Nijiiro Gene" for February 4 giving the reason of bad health. Agency weren't able to contact Fumika after this.
The reason to retire from entertainment industry takes place a month back when the CEO and Founder of Happy Science Ryuhou Okawa had a video https://happy-science.jp/info/lecture/2017/22719/ (Possibility of Actress Fumika Shimizu) & published a Interview Book) https://happy-science.jp/info/2017/23222/
(Possibility of Actress Fumika Shimizu - Guardian Interview).
Manager actually didn't know anything about this until now since the Debut in 2008. He came to know when Fumika Shimizu said that she is a monk when he asked about the Video & Interview Book of Happy Science about her. She was continuing to work in Entertainment Industry as if nothing had happened. But on February 4 they weren't able to contact her. Manager went to meet her but he was stopped by two Lawyers who told him that Fumika Shimizu wants to leave Entertainment Industry and Serve God. She can't do both. Even after this her contact wasn't cancelled so they had told the staff of Nijiiro Gene that she had caught Influenza so she can't appear. Finally yesterday when she had tweeted about her New Account, the truth was revealed. Her Profile http://www.lespros.co.jp/talent/artists/fumika_shimizu/ from Lespros Entertainment has been taken down.
Tokyo Ghoul starring Masataka Kubota & Fumika Shimizu Premieres in Summer
Ankoku Joshi starring Fumika Shimizu & Marie Iitoyo Premieres in Spring
Warau Manekineko starring Fumika Shimizu & Rena Matsui (ex-SKE48) Premieres on April 29
There are many movies which stars which were supposed to be Premiere this year. All these movies might be re-filmed with different actress. Nippon Anima(tor)'s Exhibition's The Dragon Dentist Anime in which she voices the main character might be rescheduled on aired with different Voice Actor.
Ankoku Joshi's Drama which connects to the movie will airing from March 19 but it seems like it will be rescheduled too and re-filmed with different actor. She will be no longer appearing NHK's Music Program "SHIBUYA NOTE" in which she serves as MC.
Last Message by Fumika Shimizu
Translation :-
To fans, acquaintances, friends, Drink Friends, people who have spoken with me, people who know me. I am sorry to disappear from Entertainment Industry suddenly. To everyone on site, co-actors, staff and all involved I aware that I am causing problems to all of you.
I have been doing this work for 8 years in that there were things which my heart hasn't been able to reach. I wasn't able to live my life as planned. Everyday was difficult.
That's why I want to be a monk.
I, Fumika Shimizu have joined the Religion Happy Science.
Why does it require to be a monk? For everyone this might be meaningless. What is Happy Science? What is religion? What is to be a monk?. When I said "I will be a monk" to manager, he said "I don't understand what you mean. Don't do it". I know that it is a reaction which people do in the Modern World where no Religion is followed.
But still I believe in God, Buddha, things which can't be proved, things which can't be seen with these eyes. I want to live for god. Because I chose to become a monk, I can lead a stable life.
For you it this might seem a Brain wash or what I have felt in these 8 years. I want to reveal this to you from here. I would be happy if you look after me. Thank You for everything.
February 12 (Sunday), 2017
Fumika Shimizu
Something like this isn't the First Time which had took place. Back in 1990's X JAPAN's Toshi was Brainwashed by a Religion called Home of Heart. During 1990's (the period of brainwashed) he had refused to have been brainwashed but 2010 he admits that he was brainwashed.
Well if you look at Fumika Shimizu's New Twitter Account @sengen777 "sengen" means declaration referring to coming out about her being a Monk & "777" is related to Happy Science's Holy number which they have also used in the end of their other accounts.
Popular actress Maki Horikita has decided to retire from the entertainment industry effective immediately.
In a statement released by her agency on March 1, Horikita announced her sudden departure from the entertainment industry.
"I have decided to leave my career that I’ve had so far. As a mother, I am living a very blessed life with my beloved family. I would like to protect this irreplaceable happiness with all of my strength, Horikita wrote.
The actress thanked her fans for all of their support throughout her career.
"Thank you very much to all of my fans who have supported me and to everyone who has been involved in my life these past 14 years," Horikita said.
Horikita is best known for her roles in popular dramas such as "Nobuta wo Produce" and
"Hanazakari no Kimitachi e". She is married to actor Koji Yamamoto. The two have a child together who was born in December of 2015.
Inilah Idol-Idol Era 80-an yang Hingga Kini Tetap Eksis di Industri Hiburan
Penulis : Azil Mafari - Jul 19, 2017
Jauh sebelum AKB48, bahkan Morning Musume terbentuk, penyebutan istilah ‘Idol’ dalam dunia hiburan bukan lagi menjadi hal yang asing di Jepang. Khususnya era 80-an yang digadang-gadang sebagai ‘Era Keemasan Idol Jepang’ yang didominasi oleh penyanyi solo saat itu, salah satunya Seiko Matsuda.
Tahun demi tahun berlalu, satu per satu idol banyak yang memutuskan untuk pensiun dari dunia hiburan. Namun tidak untuk nama-nama di bawah ini yang eksistensinya tak pernah pudar dimakan zaman meski sudah puluhan tahun berkarier. Siapa saja mereka?
Data itu dibuat pada tahun 2016 dengan menyebarkan angket online, dan berhasil diisi 500 responden berumur 40-50 tahun. Inilah 3 (mantan) idol yang memuncaki peringkat tersebut :
SEIKO MATSUDA
Kiri : Single Pertamanya ‘Hadashi no Kisetsu’ (1980) – Kanan : Album Terbarunya ‘Daisy’ (2017)
Seiko Matsuda lahir di Fukuoka pada 10 Maret 1962 dengan nama asli Noriko Kamachi. Karirnya dimulai saat ia berusia 16 tahun yang saat itu memenangi salah satu kontes yang diselenggarakan CBS Sony kawasan Kyushu mengalahkan 4500 kontestan lainnya. Tahun 1979, dirinya sempat tampil di salah satu drama televisi untuk memerani peran bernama ‘Seiko Matsuda’, yang kemudian dipilih menjadi nama panggungnya.
Debutnya sebagai penyanyi dimulai pada tahun 1980 dengan merilis ‘Hadashi no Kisetsu’. Di tahun yang sama, ‘Kaze wa Aki Iro’ menjadi awal kesuksesan Seiko Matsuda dalam memuncaki tangga single Oricon selama 24 single berturut-turut. Kariernya yang selalu cemerlang membuatnya disebut sebagai ‘Idola Abadi’ oleh media di Jepang.
KYOKO KOIZUMI
Kiri : Single Pertamanya ‘ Watashi no 16-sai ’ (1982) – Kanan : Dirinya Bersama Shinichi Tsutsumi Dalam Drama ‘ Super Salaryman Saenai-shi ’ (2017)
Kyoko Koizumi lahir di Kanagawa pada 4 Februari 1966. Memulai peruntungannya lewat audisi di salah satu stasiun televisi berjudul ‘Star Tanjou!’ pada 1981. Mengawali karirnya sebagai penyanyi di tahun berikutnya dengan merilis single ‘Watashi no 16-sai’.
7 tahun lalu, ia pernah disebut sebagai idol terbaik dalam sejarah oleh Yasushi Akimoto, sang produser AKB48, yang juga pernah menuliskan lirik lagu untuk single ke-17 Kyoko Koizumi, ‘Nantettatte Idol’ pada 1985 silam.
Kini, Kyoko Koizumi tetap eksis di industri hiburan dengan membintangi sejumlah drama dan film. Salah satunya adalah drama ‘Super Salaryman Saenai-shi’, bersama dengan eks member AKB48, Haruka Shimazaki.
AKINA NAKAMORI
Kiri : Single Pertamanya ‘ Slow Motion ’ (1982) – Kanan : Foto Promosi Gala Dinner Pertama Dalam 7 Tahun Terakhir (2016)
Akina Nakamori lahir di Tokyo pada 13 Juli 1965 sebagai anak ke-5 dari 6 bersaudara. Memulai debut sebagai penyanyi solo dengan merilis single ‘Slow Motion’ pada 1985. Kemudian single kontroversialnya, ‘Shojo A’ yang berhasil terjual sebanyak 396.000 keping. Di era keemasannya, ia digadang-gadang sebagai rival dari Seiko Matsuda.
1989 adalah tahun yang paling kelam bagi dirinya meski saat itu karirnya sedang berada di puncak. Ia hampir melakukan bunuh diri usai hubungan dengan kekasihnya, Masahiko Kondo, kandas karena sang kekasih telah memiliki hubungan dengan wanita lain. Sejak saat itu ia sangat menderita sampai tubuhnya terlihat semakin kurus.
Meski acap kali menghilang dari industri hiburan, hingga kini ia tetap aktif menyanyi. Single terbarunya, ‘FIXER -WHILE THE WOMEN ARE SLEEPING-‘ dirilis pada 24 Februari 2016, dan album yang berisi lagu-lagu yang ia cover juga dirilis pada tahun yang sama dengan judul ‘Belie+VAMPIRE’. Bahkan, tiket untuk kedelapan rangkaian acara gala dinner yang digelar pada Desember 2016 lalu, berhasil terjual habis hanya dalam waktu 1 menit.
Selain ketiga nama diatas, tentunya masih ada idol era 80-an lainnya yang masih eksis di industri hiburan sampai sekarang, seperti Chisato Moritaka, Miho Nakayama, dan lain-lain.
FEMM go retro for “Samishii Nettaigyo”, a cover of the Wink hit from 1989
IATFB 10/17/2017 J-Entertainment
FEMM travel back to the 80s with the music video for “Samishii Nettaigyo” off their upcoming cover album that will tackle J-pop from the 80s and 90s. This effort is basically a recreation of Wink‘s hit from 1989 with FEMM flair.
It’s honestly kind of eerie how well FEMM’s concept matches with both the sound and the movements without the need for much tinkering.
FEMM go retro for “Samishii Nettaigyo”, a cover of the Wink hit from 1989
IATFB 11/07/2017 J-Entertainment
Amuro Namie is retiring next year, and the upcoming ‘Finally‘ album will be her final one. It’s going to be a best-of compilation album that will include 39 of her previous hits (some with new vocals and arrangements) and 13 new songs (including the singles released for this album), and one of the new tracks is “Showtime“.
“Showtime” is appropriately upbeat and fun, which is the only way Namie should be going out, really. There’s also something more authentic to have somebody like Namie play the rebel and rock a shirt telling you to ‘Do What You Love’. It’s cliche to hear that nowadays, especially in the West (and in K-pop, really), but Namie is one of the few that can say that with something behind it cause that’s been the story of her career.
Japanese pop star Tatsuya Yamaguchi QUITS band Tokio after admitting sexually harassing teenage girl
Today, Johnny & Associates group TOKIO held a press conference regarding the future of the group, and bass player Tatsuya Yamaguchi. This is all in response to his “forced indecency” with a 16-year-old girl. TOKIO’s leader Shigeru Joshima was the first to speak at the conference. As expected, he repeatedly apologized to the victims family and […]
Atsuko Maeda, 27, a pop cultural icon and original member of the all-girl group AKB48, has married actor Ryo Katsuji, 31, an official of his management company said on Tuesday.
“We will continue to support each other and sincerely engage in each and every project offered to us,” they wrote in a joint statement. The marriage was registered Monday.
Maeda, a native of Chiba Prefecture, was among several founding members of the group, named after Tokyo’s Akihabara district, in 2005.
She was elected as the group’s most popular member in an annual vote by fans in 2009 and 2011, but quit the group in 2012 to pursue a career as an actor.
Katsuji, a Tokyo native, has appeared in various TV dramas, movies and theater productions, including the hit series “Amachan,” which aired on public broadcaster NHK in 2013.
Singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi is genuinely interested in hearing about what fans think of her music.
| COURTESY OF WARNER MUSIC JAPAN
Even if Mariya Takeuchi wasn’t directly responsible for the biggest Japanese musical breakthrough in the West in 2018, she would still struggle to describe her year as anything other than eventful.
The singer-songwriter is celebrating 40 years in the music industry, and has commemorated the occasion with a barrage of new releases and events. Highlights included her first-ever face-to-face meetings with fans in Tokyo and Osaka, the appearance of a new double-sided single, whose songs featured in the movie “Aiai Gasa” and NHK drama “Nukemairu,” and the release of “Souvenir The Movie,” a feature-length film showcasing footage from concerts throughout her career and rare behind-the-scenes moments.
Pop revival: Mariya Takeuchi poses for a portrait at Warner Music Japan
“Because of all this promotion, I’ve been busy,” Takeuchi says, sitting in a spacious room decorated with vintage furnishings in Warner Music Japan’s Tokyo offices.
“It’s usually so ordinary,” she says with a laugh when asked to describe her day-to-day activities. “I go to the supermarket, I buy groceries, I cook, sometimes I clean or watch a movie. I read books, get dinner with friends. … I can’t think of anything special in my daily life.”
Takeuchi’s career has been anything but ordinary, however. Since debuting in the late ’70s, she has racked up sales of more than 16 million copies, with her best-of album, “Impressions,” accounting for around 3 million of that number alone. She has written and arranged songs for J-pop royalty — from Akina Nakamori to SMAP — and her “Sutekina Holiday” is an entrenched part of the country’s Christmas canon.
In 1982, she married fellow musician Tatsuro Yamashita, now 65, who has arranged and produced her creations from the start. The two of them are arguably the most famous couple in the domestic music industry today. Think the Beyonce and Jay-Z of J-pop.
Music journalist Toshikazu Kanazawa commends Takeuchi for striking a work-life balance. “Despite almost no live activity, she has done what many singers and songwriters haven’t been able to do and maintain her popularity,” Kanazawa says.
Takeuchi’s success, however, has long been limited to her home country (save for a few niche audiences devoted to vintage Japanese pop). That changed in 2017 when the internet discovered her 1984 track, “Plastic Love.”
The song — a galloping, funk-indebted piece of pop whose lyrics harbor a sense of melancholy — originally appeared on the album, “Variety.” In the summer of 2017, a YouTube channel called Plastic Lover shared the track — or, more accurately, a seven-minute remix of it. The post featured a photo of Takeuchi that had been taken in Hollywood in 1980, a shot used as the cover for a single titled “Sweetest Music” that was released later that year but cropped in on her smile.
Singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi is particularly fond of her 1984 album,
Since then, “Plastic Love” has become an online sensation. The Plastic Lover upload currently boasts more than 22 million views. Part of that success can be attributed to YouTube’s recommendation algorithm, which suggests videos for viewers based on what they think they might like. Many saw Takeuchi’s beaming face in the list of suggested videos on their right and clicked away. Vice Media’s Ryan Bassil wrote that it was his “favorite pop song in the world.” Fictional character Noodle of Gorillaz fame admitted to having a soft spot for the track, while The Black Madonna closed out a Resident Advisor November 2017 mix with a thumping rendition of the song. “Plastic Love” has inspired fan art, deep dive videos and theory breakdowns. Korean pop performer Yubin appeared to model a whole song after Takeuchi’s creation, only to cancel it after plagiarism accusations that were thought to be from a different artist who remixed the track.
“It never occurred to me to try to (release) work in the West,” Takeuchi says, thinking back to when “Plastic Love” was recorded. “Considering that it was mostly performed in Japanese, we figured it would be impossible to go abroad. However, looking at YouTube’s comments section for ‘Plastic Love’ now, many viewers don’t really seem to care what language it’s in.”
No song from Japan has grabbed more attention than “Plastic Love” abroad this year, despite it being released originally in the mid-’80s.
Takeuchi now finds herself juggling two musical realities. In Japan, she’s one of the most famous musicians around. Outside of the country, however, she’s the creator of an obscure J-pop song that has garnered attention thanks to computer programming and the creation of memes. That said, her story is far more interesting than just being the latest viral surprise.
Rural upbringing
In May, Takeuchi became the owner of a ryokan with the inheritance of Takenoya, a cozy Japanese-style inn in the city of Izumo, Shimane Prefecture. Shigezo Takeuchi opened it in 1877 for those visiting the nearby Izumo Grand Shrine. Takeuchi’s brother previously served as manager, but she says he’s getting older. So she’s in charge for the moment, overseeing a renovation project before handing it off to the next generation in her family.
“It’s not like if you go there, I’m going to be serving food or anything,” she says with a laugh, although numerous fans have been known to visit on the off chance of a sighting.
Born in 1955, Takeuchi grew up at the inn, the third daughter among six siblings.
“I was surrounded by the ocean,” she says of her childhood. “There were also lots of mountains in Shimane — truly just nature everywhere. Let’s just say it was a typical countryside life.”
Her family loved music, and she recalls listening to records from all over the world.
“I would listen to American pop, French songs, Italian music, tango, jazz … everything,” she says.
Singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi performs in 2000. | COURTESY OF WARNER MUSIC JAPAN
She paid homage to her early musical influences on 2003’s “Longtime Favorites,” a set of covers touching on the work of American singers such as Connie Francis and Paul Anka alongside tunes by Italy’s Mina Mazzini and France’s Marjorie Noel.
In the third grade, she was introduced to the Beatles.
“I experienced a musical shock,” Takeuchi says. “It was ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ and it was used in a TV commercial for chocolate. I just remember it coming on like … bam!”
The Fab Four introduced her to a whole new world of music that stood apart from the traditional standards she was used to. She had already learned to play the piano and guitar, but British rock inspired her to travel.
Rock Falls, a small city in Illinois, ended up being that first far-flung destination. Takeuchi spent a year of high school in the city as part of the American Field Service youth exchange program. She remembers how much more freedom teenagers in the United States had — teens wore no uniforms, boys grew their hair down to their shoulders and young people drove their cars everywhere.
“Life in that town was like being in the film ‘American Graffiti,'” Takeuchi recalls. “It was like living in a dream state.
“The biggest reason I think I ended up singing in front of large crowds was because the other students would ask me to perform Japanese entertainment for them. However, I couldn’t do any traditional dances, or play a shamisen or anything. But I could play the guitar and sing, so I would perform Japanese folk songs and Beatles’ numbers. It was almost out of necessity back then.”
She returned to Shimane and decided to study English literature at Tokyo’s Keio University. Before moving, Takeuchi says she entered and won a nationwide English recitation contest organized by The Japan Times in the spring of 1974. The grand prize? A trip to Hawaii that helped her expand her horizons even further.
Early albums
Tokyo’s music community in the 1970s was reasonably close-knit.
“When you’d hear someone doing something new, something I’d associate with what I was doing, you’d go out and gather together and play together,” singer-songwriter Taeko Onuki told the Red Bull Music Academy last year when asked to describe the decade. “Looking back at it, something must have been blooming, based on all the names that started playing.”
Takeuchi lived in this environment when she relocated to the capital. She joined a university music circle that helped her navigate the scene.
“I would meet professional musicians out and about,” Takeuchi says. “It was really fun. However, I always felt as if I’d need to have an honest occupation in order to make a living. I just wanted to do music as a hobby.”
One of her music circle mentors, Sugi Masamichi, became a major artist in his own right and Takeuchi was asked to sing on a chorus for one of his early songs. This lead to studio sessions surrounded by music industry folks, who encouraged her to make her debut.
“It was my third year of university,” she says. “At that point, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my career and so I decided to give music a go.”
Mariya Takeuchi’s debut album, ‘Beginning’ (1978) | COURTESY OF WARNER MUSIC JAPAN
Her first full-length album, “Beginning” (1978), features an all-star cast in the credits. Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi of the soon-to-debut Yellow Magic Orchestra joined Onuki and Happy End’s Shigeru Suzuki, among others, to write, arrange and play on the LP. Takeuchi penned the lyrics for a couple of songs, along with the music for closer “Sutekina Hit Song,” a track that paid homage to the American pop she grew up with.
However, not everything turned out quite as she expected.
“When I got into the industry, I simply wanted to make music, as one would expect,” she says. “However, I was treated more like an entertainer or a celebrity. I wanted to make an album, I wanted to tour, I wanted to write songs. Instead, I was frequently asked to be on variety shows or host TV programs.”
Snippets of such appearances are rare — one clip on YouTube captures a few awkward shots of Takeuchi seemingly talking into a large green phone while hosting a show — but they do appear to be decade appropriate, as women in Japan were often considered to little more than attractive faces on TV at the time.
“It left me exhausted,” she says.
This isn’t to say the first part of her career lacked highlights. Takeuchi released five albums, with several of them recorded at least partially in Los Angeles with a cavalcade of players associated with the West Coast rock movement.
Mariya Takeuchi’s 1979 album, ‘University Street’ | COURTESY OF WARNER MUSIC JAPAN
“The rhythm section (for 1980s ‘Miss M’) is one of the best ever, featuring David Foster, Jeff Porcaro (of Toto), David Hungate (also from Toto), Steve Lukather (again, Toto) and myself,” says Jay Graydon, a prolific musician who worked with Takeuchi. “She was very easy to work with and very nice. And she was a great singer.”
“The rhythm section (for 1980s ‘Miss M’) is one of the best ever, featuring David Foster, Jeff Porcaro (of Toto), David Hungate (also from Toto), Steve Lukather (again, Toto) and myself,” says Jay Graydon, a prolific musician who worked with Takeuchi. “She was very easy to work with and very nice. And she was a great singer.”
The albums that were recorded during this era sound different to what would come later, leaning closer to fusion rock. While not commercial heavyweights, they did produce a handful of Takeuchi’s most memorable songs, including the loose-limbed funk pop of “September.”
A number of music writers in Japan are quick to highlight the releases that came out of this period.
“My favorite album is ‘Miss M,’” Kanazawa says. “The balance between Toto and Air Play’s contributions and the Japanese artists is great.”
Takeuchi met her future husband, Yamashita, in the mid-’70s. He was in a band called Sugar Babe, a music project celebrated today but one that wasn’t so well received back then.
She recalls first seeing him at a free gig at the Yamaha store in Shibuya as a student, but didn’t meet him properly until recording her debut album when she’d asked Sugar Babe to collaborate on a few songs.
“However, my first impression wasn’t that good,” Takeuchi recalls with a laugh. “Musically, I really liked him but his personality … how would you say it? … he wasn’t very amiable.”
The pair shared a label, RCA, and often found themselves working together. Whenever Takeuchi found herself questioning her TV responsibilities, she turned to Yamashita for advice.
“I started to rely on him and trust him more,” she says. “And our relationship got deeper and stronger.”
The pair married in 1982, and Takeuchi soon became pregnant. This, coupled with increasing requests to participate in nonmusical aspects of her career, prompted her to take a break.
Mariya Takeuchi’s 1987 album, ‘Request’ | COURTESY OF WARNER MUSIC JAPAN
Pop revival
Earlier this decade, a genre dubbed “city pop” made a surprising comeback thanks to the internet. A style of Japanese funk and disco from the 1980s, its aesthetic was just as important as its sound — imagine the type of music you’d hear coming from a convertible driving down the Shonan Coast in the midst of the bubble era. Or, if you’re a critic, the background music in a smoke-stained Shinjuku cafe.
The city pop revival preceded a surge in nostalgia for Heisei Era pop culture, but true fans never really abandoned it and the creation of sites like YouTube provided them a place to congregate online. This ecosystem provided the evolutionary conditions that brought Takeuchi her new fan base: a microgenre called vaporwave mutated into a sound called future funk that looked to Japanese pop for sample ideas. That led to covers of her tracks “Yume no Tsuzuki” and “Plastic Love,” and she popped up in the true language of the internet: memes.
“I’m really curious about the genesis of this movement,” Takeuchi says. “How did this happen?”
The singer is genuinely interested in hearing what new fans think of her music, which resulted in a long side discussion on memes, internet nostalgia and YouTube’s algorithms.
“YouTube’s recommendation systems try to match each viewer to the videos that they are most likely to watch and enjoy, providing a real-time feedback loop that caters to each viewer’s varying interests,” says Kevin Allocca, head of YouTube’s Culture and Trends division, explaining how the algorithm works. YouTube doesn’t comment on particular videos, but Allocca doesn’t believe the recent success of “Plastic Love” has been generated by the video-sharing website’s algorithm.
“In reality, music fans who are exposed to the song listen to it and ‘like’ it, and YouTube’s recommendation systems simply incorporate such positive signals,” he says.
The eight-minute version of “Plastic Love” that has attracted all those views didn’t actually exist in the 1980s. The album version of the track lasts just under five minutes, while a 1985 “extended club mix” hiccups toward double digits without ever quite making it. The Plastic Lover upload falls in between, with certain portions of the original looped.
From here, things start to get a little muddy and the source of Plastic Lover’s version isn’t clear. It first appeared on YouTube before re-emerging in October 2017 in a slightly different form as “Playing Games” by Miki J on a compilation titled “Japanese Boogie & Disco Reworks: Volume 2” that was released by British label Midnight Riot.
Neither Plastic Lover nor Midnight Riot responded to interview requests, and so the jury’s still out on its exact origins.
While “Plastic Love” has been embraced by people seeking a little bubble-era nostalgia, Takeuchi says she herself feels distance from those days.
“I was pregnant with a child at the time, so it wasn’t like I was really able to indulge in the bubble-era excess in the same way as others could,” she says. “I was writing songs at the time because it was fun for me.
“I wanted to write a rock song, a folk song, a country song,” she says. “I also wanted to write something danceable, something with a city pop sound. I wanted to write something that had 16 beats and lyrics capturing what life in a city was like.”
Mariya Takeuchi’s 2007 album, ‘Denim’ | COURTESY OF WARNER MUSIC JAPAN
Takeuchi typically composes the music first and subsequently adds lyrics that are appropriate to the melody.
“Plastic Love” features an opulent melody that conceals bittersweet lyrics.
“(The lyrics) tell the story of a woman who lost the man she truly loves,” Takeuchi says, “and that no matter how many other guys would pursue her, she couldn’t shake the feelings of loneliness that the loss created.”
The original recording found Takeuchi working with her band, with Onuki singing on the hook and Yamashita providing memorable guitar melodies.
“I feel the power of the arrangement (on the original) is a big part of the attention it has been getting recently,” she says.
“Plastic Love” was originally included in her 1984 comeback album, “Variety.” Whereas her previous five full-length releases found Takeuchi mostly performing songs written for her by other people, the music and lyrics on Variety were all her own. True to its name, Takeuchi covers a lot of ground, from bar-counter country on “One Night Stand” and lounge jazz on “Broken Heart” to bossa nova on “Mizu To Anata To Taiyo To” and even an ode to British pop titled “Mersey Beat De Utawasete.” The album also features some surprising guests.
“At the studio where we were recording ‘Variety,’ Ryuichi Sakamoto was working next door on Akiko Yano’s music at the time”, she says. “We asked him if he could play the synthesizer on ‘Let’s Get Married,’ which featured an organ. It was actually fairly easy to do things like this. It ultimately ended up working as an exchange, and Tatsuro (Yamashita) ended up doing the chorus for one of Akiko Yanno’s pieces.”
“Variety” was a hit, outselling her previous release and debuting at the top of the domestic charts. Her ability to pull it off confirmed her ability as a singer-songwriter.
Looking back on her career, Takeuchi says that “Variety” is still the album that means the most to her. “It was the album that made me independent in my career,” she says. “Of course, I had released five albums by that point and they were all important to me for some reason. … Without ‘Variety,’ however, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have today.”
Solid gold
Takeuchi’s career continued to grow in the decades following the release of “Variety.” Her albums and singles kept performing well, with ’90s tracks such as “Konya Wa Hearty Party” and “Camouflage” ultimately becoming cornerstones of her catalog. She wrote music for countless other acts, a process she says helped to improve her songwriting ability, as it made her consider other artists’ attributes.
In 1986, Takeuchi wrote “Eki,” a melancholic ballad about meeting an old lover, for pop singer Akina Nakamori. Takeuchi says she would never have composed a song on such a theme for herself.
That said, Takeuchi’s own version of “Eki” has since become instantly recognizable, encapsulating a more lively spirit that she credits in part to Yamashita’s “magic,” which transforms a very stoic Japanese song into pop gold.
“She had an immediately identifiable voice and was truly a super singer who did not rely on acrobatics to get her point across,” says Marty Friedman, former guitarist of Megadeth and J-pop superfan who has covered “Eki.” “Even in her earliest years, her voice had a unique maturity that was a joy to listen to. There is almost a healing quality to it.”
After 40 years of work in the music industry, Takeuchi continues to create.
“There’s more music I want to make, more recording I want to do,” she says. “I have a habit of finding an interesting word, and trying to see if I can use it in my lyrics.”
Mariya Takeuchi’s latest release, ‘Trad’ (2014) | COURTESY OF WARNER MUSIC JAPAN
Her last album, “Trad,” came out in 2014, topping the Oricon album chart in its first week.
These days, releases come out every few years, primarily because it takes time for Takeuchi and Yamashita to find time in their schedules.
“It’s great because I’m not forcing myself to release something all the time,” Takeuchi says. “At the same time, (Yamashita) has his own albums to work on and his own tours to work on. Sure, it was hard to find the time to work on ‘Trad’ but, on the other hand, the fact we can work at this pace and release something every five or six years might be one of the main reasons I’m able to keep going as an artist — I don’t feel like I’m burning out. Maybe I’d have to think about it if people stopped listening to my music but, for now, people are still waiting and listening. It’s something I really appreciate.”
Actress Yukari Taki announced ( https://twitter.com/TAKI_YUKARI/status/1125958508996808704 ) on her various social media accounts, namely Twitter and her Ameblo blog that she recently got married.
In her post dated May 8th, she revealed that she recently got married to an ordinary man the other day and they will continue to work hard in private. She also thanked everyone for their continued encouragement. Details if the couple will have a wedding ceremony are yet to be announced.
Taki is best known for her work in various tokusatsu shows and movies, most notably as Kamen Rider Build's Sawa Takigawa, Ultraman Ginga S' Arisa Sugita, and Space Sheriff Gavan the Movie's Itsuki Kawai. From all of us here, congratulations!
Kamen Rider Build’s Yukari Taki Announces Marriage
2019-05-08
Yukari Taki (滝裕可里) previously appeared in Kamen Rider Build as Sawa Takigawa and has had appearances in tokusatsu films such as Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie and Ultraman Ginga S The Movie.
Taki announced on Twitter and her Ameblo blog that she was married on May 8th.
“I would like to report that I registered (entered names in the family registry) with a general man the other day. We will continue to work hard in private. Thank you for your continued encouragement.”
Post time 21-12-2015 08:08 PM
