Last Impressions of Mayonaka No Panya-San

I finally finished watching 8 episodes of Mayonaka no Panya-San! Yayyyyy! It took way to long. Well I kind got bored or rather got distracted by other dramas and things. :P Also, I had to watch this drama late at night...I tried to watch it during the day but it didn't give off the same feeling. Lol, I guess if the bakery only opens at night, I can only watch this drama at night as well.

It was a good drama, all in all. Towards the middle, I got tired of the storyline. :( But it picked up near the end! :) The ending was good but boy, there are a lot of unanswered questions. First of all, WHEN THE HECK DO THEY EVEN SLEEP?! They run the bakery from 11 to 5, and then they made breakfast around 8 or 9 (I'm assuming because Nozomi goes to school and eats breakfast with them). It takes them a couple of hours to clean up after and make the bread before hand and they always seem to be awake during the day.  >.>

japan-ent

Putting that aside, the interweaving of stories was interesting. I thought some were stronger in terms of plot than others. All the characters were related to each other whether it be a strong bond or a meeting in the past. Also, the food was sooo delicious looking. I really wanted to take a bite out of my computer screen, lol. XD I should try to make some fruit sandwiches or chocolate cornets!

The acting was top notch! Kodama was such a cute kid and his story arc really made me feel sad and lonely at times. I could relate to Nozomi the most. The losts ties between Suzuaka and her reminded me a lot of my past. When her mother appeared in the last episode, I was kind of unsatisfied with the conclusion of Nozomi and her mother. I think I just didn't understand it. Her mother was last shown going to the hospital; was it because she was ill and could not take care of Nozomi?  Maybe that's why she pushed her daughter away.Or was just because of the fact that her mother was dating the doctor? 

Edit: She didn't date the doctor and she didn't want Nozomi to know she was a patient at the hospital. Can you tell that I totally missed that part? >.> Sorry! (Flees away before anyone tries to hunt me down)

I recommend this drama to those who are looking for a slow paced, feel good, and family/ social problems/ slice of life-oriented show. :) Although I say it's slow paced, the story arcs that are quite serious. Mayonaka no Panya-San is a good reflection of reality and includes themes such as how one finds their place in the world and how one accepts their family who they are. It's a drama that will make you feel sad and happy and hungry! Be careful of being bored with the story arc near the middle.

Side Note: The picture is from the first episode. I really really like when the trio eats melon pan....It gave me all sorts of fuzzy feelings. XD

My Johnny's Story Part 4

 I started to question what I really wanted to do in life: if Kisumai had chosen the path of being idols, what was my path? Even though I say that I "studied", I didn't really put any effort. I just stressed out to get good grades for my parents (even my grades are average) and never felt motivated to go beyond what was needed. But this changed when I realized what I truly wanted to do.

I started to get back into Hey! Say! Jump (after my dive into the Kisumai fandom) mostly because I was curious on how they were doing. First, I checked up on Yamada Ryosuke because I wasn't really interested in the other members (yes there was such a period in my life). He did this drama Risou no Musuko, back in 2012 and it was the perfect timing for me. There was nothing on tv that interested me and I hadn't watched a Japanese drama in ages.

risou.no.musuko

All the feelings of middle school came flooding back. I remembered spending late nights watching episode after episode. Yamada was gorgeous as ever (even in a maid outfit) and it also introduced me to Nakajima Yuto. Even though Yuto and Yamachan were in Hey! Say! 7 together.....I don't really recall Yuto at all. Weird, since Yuto was usually in the center back then. It goes to show that it doesn't matter which position someone has, a fan will find them no matter what. 

myfconline

From Nakajima Yuto, I started to think "Hey! Maybe I should actually learn about the other members" and so, my journey with JUMP began again .I like to call the period of high school and the beginning of university my "apart time" from JUMP, it's weird how I lost touch with the fandom even though I love them so much now.

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This brings me now to Inoo. He really fascinates me because he's just so RANDOM! I'm always guessing at what he'll do next.  XD I'm at a point where I can say that I love him ( not in a romantic way but a I-will-forever-support-him kind of way). Meeting JUMP has seriously been one of the best things in my life. When I didn't want to study, I looked at Inoo and saw how hard he was working. When I didn't feel happy, I saw Jump's smiles and cheered up. When I was bored, I was entertained by JUMP's silly antics.

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Actually Johnny's Entertainment has changed my life. Arashi, Hey! Say! Jump, Kis-My-Ft2, Kat-tun....They all helped me realize the strength, motivation, and hope that I never knew I had. They gave me more than I could ask for: they gave me a dream. No that's wrong. I realized my own dream with their help. It was in front of me all along....all I just needed a good straightforward push from Johnny's!

I'm starting to change into the person I want to be. I'm starting to reach out to people more and even went to my doctor about my depression (Btw I totally cried my eyeballs out as I told her all my problems. She said I did not have depression but told me to see a therapist. This is why you don't diagnose yourself on the internet people). I learned that relationships take work and in order to make friends, I need to put myself out there. I'm learning to like myself more because I'm actually working hard towards something I want. Not what others want of me. Of course, there's still a long way to go before I can achieve this dream but one step at a time. Kismai took a very long time to debut and I don't mind spending that amount of time pursuing my dreams! 

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My Johnny's Story isn't over, it won't be until the day I leave the fandom. But even then, the happiness and strength they've given me will remain for eternity. I'm grateful to have met such wonderful people. I hope I will be able to say "Thank You" to them one day. But all my joy and gratefulness and love can't be expressed in a single "Thank You". Well, it doesn't matter if my feelings don't reach them. As long as they are happy, I will try to be too. They'll keep carrying on with their lives and I will with mine. 

This brings me to one last question: What's your Johnny's Story?

Jin's Hey! What's Up?! CM + Kisumai's KtK Short PV + My Boss My Hero + NEWS album

Oh. My. Goodness. I'm really looking forward to Jin's new single now. Hey! What's Up?! is really light, catchy electronic pop song and the pv looks really fun, too. I didn't realize how much I missed his voice. I admit that it's a generic pop tune but it's a good song for summertime. :)

You can check the videos out in Arama. Le-B looks the coolest to me. Not a fan of the hat stacking thing  except when Mitsu did that, he looked cool. :P

JinAkanishiFanClub

Next....Kisumai's Kimi tono Kiseki's short pv is OUT~! I actually really like this pv, the scenery of the night lit city is really beautiful. Lots of juniors appeared too!! They celebrated Taipi's birthday too. His cake was pretty awesome. This song is getting stuck in my head. *You're my shining star* Still don't like 3/4.


きみとのきせき by ichigocherry

Currently....I'm rewatching My Boss My Hero. XD The first time I watched it was in middle school, I think. I didn't even know that Nagase Makio was from Tokio or Tegoshi from News. =_=;; But I do now lol don't judge me. This drama is soooo funny, although it's childish and silly...it's so light hearted, and just eases your mind off things. I still enjoy the humour even after all these years. WATERRRRRR!

Yes I'm still watching Mayonaka no Panya-san....

joelpa000

It's been 2 days since the release of NEWS, News' new album, (Isn't that a mouthful?) and I've heard a couple of songs and liked them. It's weird that most Johnny's songs are of the pop/rock genre but each group has their own distinct style. News' songs just pump me up and their voices (especially Massu's) are great. But I guess I'll wait for the HK verison (my wallet is thin) and some editions are already out of print!! Congrats, News!!!

It's Time for a ... Shokura Review! (July 10, 2013)

Hello! I couldn't find the time to watch the first shokura ep for July. T^T But! I'm doing a review on the second episode~ Haha, if this continues....it seems like I'm only doing reviews for the one episode of shokura per month. Anyways, let's get on to it!

First of all, let me say that Shori is growing up so fast. He's made this cool puppy face...How is that even possible? But only 3 of SZ performed Game. :(

After, there were some cute Jrs from Twenty Twenty. They were all pretty young and one of them did a backflip! (He's in the first year of middle school, I think) It was amazing though I didn't take any screencaps. Also, there was a different kid in Twenty Twenty who sang really well. It reminded me of Matsumoto Kouhei. I really should learn their names.

And then... this happened. Junta was talking in Taiwanese and they were supposed to act how they would respond ( I think?).  Things escalated quickly. XD

I don't really listen to older Johnny's songs (or older groups in general) but this cover was really good! I want to hear more now~ Uchi + various Jrs sang pretty well together. And the stage was pretty. The audience and their penlights were also really pretty!!

Then, there was Hashimoto Ryo showed up in Jr ni Q. (Thank goodness they showed his name in English!) He's the same age as Marius. I kind of felt a "Inoo" vibe from him....lol He seems like the easy going type. 

yukirepipi

And hohoho, Fuma performed a really good solo! The video above only has the audio....Be sure to watch him dancing as well! ^^ I can't tell you how much I love that synthesizer! It's a really nice beat. 

A.B.C.z were pretty good hosts but oh my goodness, Fumito's laugh just killed me. XD Seriously!! I kind of miss seeing my fav group but Shokura is supposed to be about the juniors!! I'm glad there were lots of interesting performances. I'm really enjoying the short Shori corner at the end of each episode. Shori, give me one of your uchiwas too! 

Yuto's Drama + Kazama's Marriage

Hello! :) It's been a couple of days since my last post. This is going to be a short news update~

YUTOOOOOOOO! I'm so proud of you! I finally got to skim watch the first episode of Hanzawa Naoki and you were so cute. I think your cute personality definitely shown through your acting. Your adorable pout, your smile... Wow, I'm just so hyper right now.

                                    candied-drummer

Congratulations on your hard work! The drama ratings were really high and it was a TWO HOUR premiere. That's really amazing. You're already a fantastic model for fineboys and now you're on your way to becoming a distinguished actor. You're going to take over the world not to mention you've taken over my heart.  Please keep on making Jump more well known~

                             orewahomojanai.forumfree.it

Secondly, Kazama Shunsuke got married to a non-celebrity! YAY! Actually I don't really know him but I'm really happy when Johnny's get married because there are so few of them! They stuck together for 10 years. That's admirable!! I wish both of them good luck, health, and happiness. :)

Lol, I was reading some comments on forums and they were saying that Kazama went the Toma route...Maybe Johnny's should have an acting sector. Because technically, the two have not debuted and they are still popular and able to survive in the industry. I should talk about that in a whole post.

Takaki Yuya the Beach Bum

Ah, Takaki. The first impression I got was that he was a badass. XD A really long time ago...I remember seeing his gokusen photoshoot and thinking that. He looked so cool and wild! I never paid too much attention to him because my eyes were on Ryosuke at that time...haha.

krooxy

He may be targeted as the sexy type but honestly, he's so pure and childish. I love that gap. It's so refreshing to see his innocent and straight-forward mentality. For example, he gets really serious when playing games (on his cellphone) and it seems like he usually plays against Hika and Arioka. Or during the trip in France, Yuya was whining about not eating and Chinen scolded him lol. Yamada often talks about the childish side of Takaki...Keep flattering him, Yamachan! It's wonderful how many people are drawn in by his charm.

Takaki.is.my.ichiban

He's also really family-oriented, something I've always admired. There aren't many people who will admit that he calls his mother "Mama" or boast that his Mama made him homemade onigiri. And he's a very kind person. Daiki talked about how well Takaki treated him when he slept over. He even shared his food with Chinen!

Takaki.is.my.ichiban

And gave Chinen a sweet kiss~

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Takaki's voice is lovely. He's definitely one of the best singers in Jump. Not to mention, he's got his solo song  and he totally rocks it! Though I feel like he's been neglected lately. Management, give him more love please... That boy can sing and his acting is really good! He really shined in Bakaleya!



Takaki used to be or still is insecure about his weight.  He's got enough things to worry about. He's fine the way he is. I'm glad Inoo told him that. Takaki is frickin' awesome no matter how he looks!

jmania

Actually, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Takaki Yuya is....the BEACH! That boy loves the ocean: swimming, diving, or staring at the beautiful sunset....I'm just in awe at how much he loves the water. He keeps on talking about it in magazines. (Maybe he's secretly a merman).

crooz

It's nice to be reminded that you can be whoever you want to be. Don't let your age define your identity. Just keep being your silly self, Takaki! :D Your smile and childishness brightens people's lives.

Replying to Comments....

Two posts in ONE day?! Actually this is just an update/rant post because I cannot reply to comments on my own blog. =_=;; I literally spent many hours searching on how to fix this problem and in the end, I couldn't find a solution. *face palm* So instead, I'll reply here.

Anonymous3 July 2013 23:01

Aaaaww!! That was so nice!! I love him more than myself, more than anyone and I don't care if I haven't meet him, he's already really special for me :') I just love his eyebrows so much! They were basically the ones that get me attracted to him xD

My Reply or what should have been on that page

Thank you for your comment! I'm glad to meet a fellow Inoo fan! ^^ Yup, Inoo's just so lovable! Hopefully one day, we'll be able to meet him. The power of his eyebrows is amazing.  

I was so happy when I read this super sweet comment. Btw you are the first person to comment here. Yay! Hopefully I'll be able to install a chat system or fix the comment problem soon. 

Beginner's Guide to the Johnny's Fandom

Hello, I am back and I AM SO SORRY for not completing the COAMH week. It was only 2 days to go and I FAILED. m(___)m Just so you know, university sucks the life out of you.

Let me say this first: I am by no means an "expert" fan of JE. There are so many things I don't know but I think it would have made things a lot easier if there was a guide on where to get materials and where to read translations and what livejournal groups to join etc.

SO! Here is my (simple) guide to ze Johnny's Fandom:

1. Create a Livejournal Account
Before livejournal, I was feeding off of youtube videos and we all know how little (or what seems little) is available. Once you have a livejournal account, you can join a community, where you download subbed videos, read translation, watch raw videos, read gossip, read fanfictions, get magazine scans...the list is endless! Here are a few to get you going:

• Hey-Say : basically where you can find other communities which sub videos, translate magazine stuffs etc
• Crazy-Accel: Just for A.B.C.-z fans! 
• Sexy Zone: Just for SZ fans!
• Kis-My-Ft2: Just for Kisumai fans!
• A-RA-SHI and Arashi-On: Well, you're getting the picture here. 
• Kanjani8
• News-Jpop

Tip: If you check out moderators' user profiles, you can see what communities they are a part of. That's how I find new communities all the time! :D 

2. Find News Sites

If you thought livejournal would be enough, you are mistaken! There's no end to your quest for more material. Hahaha, at least that's how I felt. I want to update myself daily on how the groups are doing! ^^;; 

• Arama: News/gossip about japanese pop culture (not just Johnny's)...be wary, there are some crazy things happening there. XD
• Tokyohive: Once again, it's not just limited to Johnny's....
• JE Fandom: This site is dedicated to all JE groups! Yay! (On hiatus right now though)

And I did recommend some other good blogs to check out in my other post.

3. Join Tumblr and Twitter  

Most livejournals update on twitter and if you want to see wonderful gifs and random news about your favourite je group, I highly suggest making a tumblr account. First, you can meet people with the same interests as you and squeal/spazz about them. XD Second, there are a lot of translators on tumblr. Third, many Japanese fans use tumblr too...so you can see their experiences and such!

To find suitable blogs, just go through the tags. Ex) For inoo-related blogs, search #Inoo Kei.

There are also other interesting tags for ships too! Ships are people you like to see together. They can be a pair like #yabuhika or a tensome like #hey say jump. XD

I personally don't use twitter, but from what I heard, there's a heck of party going on there. 

4. Support the Idols!!!

Yes, even though we all know there are other ways, it is important to support the artists. Please don't upload anything before release dates, please don't break any of the lj communities' rules, please don't be mean to other fans because they don't like your ichiban...okay these are just unwritten and common rules.
You can support your favourite idols by buying their stuff:

• Yesasia: Free shipping for orders (conditions apply) and there's lots of Kpop and Cpop there too. You can buy magazines, calendars...you name it!
• CdJapan: Directly ships from Japan! XD

IF you can can afford it, you can attend their concerts, stageplays:

• Jticket International: (for people who don't reside in Japan) You can ballot for tickets here. It's the OFFICIAL site, so you know the prices won't be as jacked up as Yahoo Auctions or something.
• Johnnys-net: Schedule of your desired group/solo artist, so you can plan ahead! :D

5. Remember that JE IS A BUSINESS

At the end of the day, idols are a type of job. Every time someone from Johnny's mentions that "it's part of their job", it kind of bugs me because then I go thinking, are they just acting like this for the fans or they just doing this to gain money. They may be idols because they enjoy being one but the above is true to some extent. Johnny's is a business and they will do things so their business will survive. Johnny's will provide you entertainment, so please be respectful and enjoy it. :)

There aren't any solid rules on how to act as a johnny's fan. If you want to be one, you ARE one!The johnny's fandom may make you cry tears of joy when your ichiban finally gets a drama role or cry tears of sadness when a scandal strikes  and sometimes make you go buckwild when you see a sexy magazine pose. Just roll with it, as long as you're respectful to the company and not harming anyone, you can have lots of fun with the johnny's fandom. :D

New HSJ Vermont Beach CM + Jin's New Single + YYJ Talk + New Kisumai "Kimi to no Kiseki" Perf

Happy Canada Day, everybody! Sorry for the wordy title.

HURRAY! Jump's continuing their Vermont promotion with a brand new cm....featuring JUMP at the beach! :D

Tobikko Chan

This cm is sooooo refreshing. They look like they're having lots of fun especially Takaki. Their smiles just make you so happy! ^^ And not to mention there's pretty equal coverage of the members. Inoo looked cute when his forehead was exposed while running. Chinen and Takaki were adorable with the shaped carrots!

Yup, Jin's Back. I don't think the song title could fit the situation any better. "Hey, What's up?" Ah, I'm glad he's back. Didn't doubt his comeback since the jimusho invested too much in him. >.> I'm not the biggest fan but I'm happy he's able to have a nice family and still continue his job as an idol.  His return is kind of a slap in the face to Johnny, because BAM! He can still be married and still have a lot of success. The potential problem is the lyrics. Jin's written some horrible lyrics (we're talkin' about bad sex references and degradation of women). I'll have to listen to the song before I can say more.

T____T Yan Yan Jump is ending. Actually I'm happy....because there's a chance that Best or 7 or Jump might have their own show. I'm down for more lovely member interactions. Hopefully it's something like Cartoon Kat-tun...I don't know if I could enjoy Jump competing in a show like Kisumai Busaiku.

Speaking of Kisumai, I just saw their performance of their new song: "Kimi to no Kiseki".

wabisabixx
They were kind of out of tune but who cares?! We got to hear the song early. YAY! I like the sound of bells incorporated in the song and the cute v-sign they did. I thought the finger dance was kind of weird... lol. XD It's perfect for Tama's new drama!!


And to calm all of your worries, here's chibi hika saying something super cute....

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