WISH - OLIVIA inspi' REIRA (TRAPNEST) PV

The OP of NANA has been changed to WISH by OLIVIA inspi' REIRA (TRAPNEST) which is a rock number just like the previous theme. In addition, the difference in style between this song and the ED also sung by OLIVIA seems to be meant to draw a line between the styles of Nana and Reira to a certain extent. I just can't help but wonder what happened to Tsuchiya Anna because it seemed strange for her to be dropped and OLIVIA is doing both songs. Anyway, this song sounds rather fine to me after a few times so I guess I will get accustomed to it soon. Here's the screenshots from the PV of this song:

Death Note Anime Kouryaku Manual

At the end of each episode's Death Note anime, there will be a short segment titled "Death Note Kouryaku Manual" featuring Hirano Aya and Kudou Haruka who play Amane Misa and Yagami Sayuu respectively. They will be bringing us the latest information about the anime, be it the DVD releases as well as the manga and movie. Here's some screenshots from the segment after the first episode:

Animes to watch in Autumn 2006

As usual, here's the list of animes I will watch for the upcoming autumn 2006 season. I know I've not been posting my reviews as often as I would have liked, primarily due to my personal commitments but I'll try to catch up as much as possible.

1) Death Note
NTV, Tuesdays, 24:56, Starting from 3 Oct
This is the No.1 most anticipated anime for me this season. Without doubt. Being a fan of the manga, I've been looking forward to watching the real-life movies and the anime. I can hardly wait to watch the anime which starts today! Frankly speaking, I'm more of a fan of L rather than Light because I didn't like how Light had changed towards the later stage of the story. Initially, I did agree with some of his views and applauded him for his intelligence and wits but I guess L won me over at the end of the day. Nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to their battle of wits played out on TV even though I know the developments quite well. The thing is, this anime has only 37 episodes so this means that Melo and Near may not get to appear in the anime. And this just goes to show that the anime will not show the entire storyline of the manga?

2) D Gray-man
TV Tokyo, Tuesdays, 1800, Starting from 3 Oct
I've heard a lot about this manga but was never interested in it at all. Then a colleague strongly suggested this to me again. After watching the trailer, I decided that it's time to give this a shot and see if it matches the accolades I've heard about this. I'm usually not too receptive to stories which have a strong sci-fi feel but seeing Okiayu Ryoutarou, Sakurai Takahiro and Konishi Katsuyuki's names in the cast list gives me added motivation to try it out, at least for a couple of episodes.

3) Ghost Hunt
TV Tokyo, Tuesdays, 0100, Starting from 3 Oct
Although I'm usually not too interested in ghost films, the trailer seems quite interesting. Hopefully, it's not a episodic type of story where there's minimal focus on the main characters, their relationships and reasons for forming this organisation to resolve supernatural happenings. Character-design looks quite good too. There are only 2 familiar names in the cast to me i.e. Hamada Kenji and Kugimiya Rie who played George in Paradise Kiss and Al in Fullmetal Alchemist.

4) Shounen Onmyoji
Kansai TV, Tuesdays, 26:15, Starting from 3 Oct
I have a deep interest in Abe Seimei ever since watching Otogizoushi and this has also led to a fascination with the Heian period. This anime happens to satisfy my interest in both areas although the focus is on a 13-year-old kid who is still a half-baked onmyouji under the tutelage of Abe Seimei. The interesting thing here is that Seimei will change from an old man image to a young man at times as and when he likes so I'm looking forward to seeing that. Besides that, I see many familiar seiyuus names here including Kaida Yuki who plays the lead character Abe Masahiro, Konishi Katsuyuki, Ishida Akira, Takahashi Hiroki, Suzumura Kenichi, Minagawa Junko and Seki Toshihiko which increases the level of anticipation I have towards this anime.

5) Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Iroha ni Hoheto
GyaO, Fridays, 12 noon, Starting from 6 Oct
It's kind of similar to the anime below in the sense that this is set in the olden days and there's fighting involved. However, this anime is set at the Bakumatsu era marked by chaos and the characters involved have an ultimate aim of sealing the "Dagger of the Tyrant" instead of fighting monsters. Character-design looks quite refined and appealing too. Last but not least, seeing the names of Suwabe Junichi and Namikawa Daisuke is also enough temptation to get me interested in this title. I just hope that the story will be good enough to sustain my interest and the fighting scenes done properly which I believe will make a siginificant portion of the plot.

6) Tenpo Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi
MBS / TBS, Saturdays, 1800, Starting from 7 Oct
The story is set during Tenpo 14th year when the streets of Edo are infested by monsters from the other world. A group of warriors gather to fight these supernatural creatures and are conferred the title of Ayashi. Besides the story which seems quite interesting, I see a number of my favourite seiyuus in the cast list i.e. Fujiwara Keiji and Ueda Yuji which increases the level of interest I have in this anime. The characters also have distinct traits e.g. a man who has only one arm and some special powers to fight the creatures after wandering into the other world by mistake so I think the development of each individual character is also something worth checking out which should prevent the story from being something solely based on fighting monsters.

7) Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori
MBS / Animax, Saturdays, 26:55, Starting from 7 Oct
This is the sequel of the Jigoku Shoujo series whereby we have Enma Ai and her associates dishing out punishment to the people whose names are entered into the Jigoku Shoujo website by those who nurse a grudge against them. Although I'm quite bored with the same format over time, I think further development and exploration into the main characters like Ai, Shibata Hajime and Tsugumi would be essential in determining whether I will finish watching this anime.

8) Hataraki-man
FujiTV, Thursdays, 24:45, Starting from 12 Oct
Apparently, this is a very popular manga by Anno Moyoko which I believe should have heard about. The main character is Matsukata Hiroko who loves to work and is so passionate about her career that she's nicknamed Hataraki-man (Working Man) by her colleagues at Shuukan Jidai. Besides having to cope with gender discrimination, Hiroko also has to deal with people who do not see her rationale for working so hard and manage her relationship with her boyfriend, Yamashiro Shinji whom she can easily forget about when work is concerned. This looks like a very realistic type of anime which shows society trends to a certain extent and distinguishes it from many of the fictional or far-fetched fantasy stories we've been seeing a lot of these days. By the way, this is the anime which takes over from Hachimitsu to Clover in the Noitamina slot and it will only run for 11 episodes before Nodame Cantabile comes on next Jan.

9) Bartender
FujiTV, Saturdays, 26:25, Starting from 14 Oct
In a bar named Eden Hall located in Ginza, genius bartender Sasakura Ryuu who has the nickname of "Kami no Gurasu" (The glass of God) attracts many customers with his unique cocktails which seems to have the unexplainable power of helping them solve their problems. Sasakura is a bartender who has won awards overseas but little is known about his background or his private life. Joining him as the regular cast for this anime is Kurushima Miwa, the granddaughter of Kurushima Taizo who owns Hotel Cardinal. Miwa manages the bar department of the hotel and becomes a close friend of Sasakura as a result of her constant visits to Eden Hall.

10) Kekkaishi
NTV, Mondays, 1900, Starting from 16 Oct
The trailer on the official site was what got me interested in this anime. I remember hearing about the manga before but didn't know much about the storyline. To summarise, there are two families i.e. the Sumimura and Yukimura clans which are entrusted with the task of protecting the land of Torimori. However, due to the dispute over who is the real successor to continue with this task, both families have been at loggerheads for the past 400 years. As such, the young successors-to-be i.e. Sumimura Yoshimori and Yukimura Tokine are also not spared from this feud. However, things change when Tokine saves Yoshimori from harm and suffers serious injuries as a result. This makes Yoshimori vow to protect Tokine and marks the beginning of his journey to get better and win the heart of Tokine who's 2 years older than him.

11) Mahou Shokudou Chara Pontan
WOWOW, Tuesdays to Thursdays, 8.08am, Starting from 1 Nov
This is an original animation produced by WOWOW with food as the theme. The cuisine featured in the anime is meant to be simple enough for everyone to reproduce in their home kitchens so the recipes will also published in the lifestyle information magazine, "Orange Page" for viewers' reference. In short, this anime is set in a world where monsters and magicians co-exist and there's a restaurant by the name of "Chara Pontan". Here, customers with all sorts of problems seem to have a strange affinity with Chara Pontan managed by a young girl and a cuisine magician of few words and come here for special dishes which inevitably helps them solve the issues bugging them. As such, there will be different guests for every episode.

What interests me is the fact that they have food which is capable of being reproduced in reality so this lends a realistic touch to the anime whereby the setting seems a bit far-fetched. Although the design of the characters leave much to be desired, I'm hoping that the storyline and recipes will make up for that. The only issue is whether I can get hold of this anime though.

Death Note - the Last Name -

The concluding part of the Death Note real-life adaptation movie titled "Death Note - the Last Name -" will be screened in Japan from 3 Nov which is earlier than the initially announced timeslot of Dec. Considering the fact that the first part will be shown in Singapore next month from 19 Oct after its release in Japan during June this year, I assume we will be able to see the concluding instalment by the Chinese New Year period next Feb. I can't wait to catch the movie in the cinema even though I have plans to buy the DVD when it is released but the date is still undecided. Besides, it is still not known whether both parts will be released at one go or separately.

In conjunction with the upcoming launch of the movie, NTV will be showing the first instalment for the first time on TV on 27 Oct (Friday) at 9pm. What makes this broadcast more special is the fact that this will be a director's cut version which should mean that it has more footage than what was shown in the theatre version.

In addition, there is also the making-of DVD titled "DEATH NOTE the Last Name Profile Report From L" where Matsuyama Kenichi who plays L will take on the role of the narrator. This DVD is only available for rental from 27 Sep just like the first making of DVD, "Shougen" where the narrator was Toda Erika who plays Amane Misa. According to the movie's official website, this DVD comes with the multi-angle feature which allows for 3 different sets of profiles to be viewed. Besides serving as a revision material for what has happened in the first part, the DVD also contains backstage footage for the second part, interviews of the cast as well as hidden images which are to be discovered by the viewer. This DVD lasts for 15 minutes and its catalog number is VPBF-16072.

Last but not least, for those who are interested in seeing the full-length trailer, you may visit the following link to view it in Windows Media Player format.

Death Note anime trailer

For those who are interested to watch a 15-sec trailer of the upcoming Death Note anime, you may download it from Anime-Source where there's a torrent posted today. You can hear the voices of Light and Ryuk in the clip while a brief introduction of the Death Note is playing in the background. Although I'm quite disappointed not to hear L's voice in this trailer and he will only appear after a while in the story, seeing his image is a little consolation to all L fans.

Personally, the first impression I have of Miyano Mamoru's voice for Light doesn't have a tinge of evilness at all. Maybe it's due to the fact that I've been having this impression from reading the manga that Light is a deep guy who has lots of clever ideas within without showing them on the surface but I can understand the rationale for making Light sound like an ordinary teenager right from the start so as to show the development of his character from one who believes in justice to someone who becomes too entrenched in his beliefs and goes wayward.

As for Nakamura Shido's potrayal of Ryuk, he sounds quite close to the impression I have of the character which probably suggests why he wasn't dropped from the movie or anime despite his recent scandal of drink-driving. If he wasn't that good, I think he would have been replaced under normal circumstances since that's what usually happens to celebrities who get into trouble with the law.

Nodame Cantabile-related clips

Here are some links to clips on YouTube where you may find out more information on the upcoming Nodame Cantabile drama and anime which are showing in Oct 06 and Jan 07 respectively. Apparently, the anime is supposed to continue from where the drama ends so I believe it is a strategy by FujiTV to ensure that viewers tune in to both adaptations.

The first clip has a brief introduction on the storyline, the two leads i.e. Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi as well as a short interview with Ueno.

Next up is a news clip of the Nodame Cantabile ending theme recording session which Ueno and Tamaki appeared at. I had posted the news article of this earlier so you may refer to my earlier post for more details.

Last but not least, here's a 30-sec trailer of the drama. Basically, what transpired between Nodame (Ueno) and Chiaki (Tamaki) was that she tried to confess her love to him and he told her to stay away because she didn't have a shower for days. In the manga, Nodame has a habit of bathing only once a day and washing her hair every 3 days so Chiaki had to be the shampoo guy for a number of times as he couldn't stand the stench from Nodame.

Nodame Cantabile drama's ending theme

Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi appeared on 19 Sep at the live recording of the ending theme, "Rhapsody in Blue" for the drama version of "Nodame Cantabile" which will be showing via FujiTV from 16 Oct. The piece was performed by a 130-strong orchestra formed specially for the filming of this drama and there are plans for the orchestra to release its album. Ueno plays Noda Megumi while Tamaki plays Chiaki Shinichi. As part of the preparation for her role as a student majoring in piano, Ueno bought an electronic keyboard to practise at home.

Death Note anime website

The Death Note anime website produced by NTV has been launched but it is not entirely functional yet. Details including the OA date i.e. 3 Oct and the main seiyuus are announced. Other than Hirano Aya (Amane Misa) and Kudo Haruka (Yagami Sayu) whom I'm aware of (the girls play Reira in NANA and Hagu in Hachimitsu to Clover), I'm not too familiar with the two male seiyuus Miyano Mamoru and Yamaguchi Kappei who are going to play Yagami Light and L respectively. Given that Misa's role will only carry much weight towards a later stage of the story and that Sayu isn't a big role after all, I guess they would have limited airtime. I just hope that Miyano and Yamaguchi will perform up to expectations since Death Note is a very popular manga which boasts of a strong following and none of the fans would want to see the anime being a botched attempt at riding on the wave of popularity created by the manga.

Another surprise was seeing Nakamura Shido's name in the lineup and he will reprise his role as Ryuk just like what he did for the movie. Considering the fact that he was recently involved in a traffic offence scandal, it's rather amazing that he has been allowed to come back to work in such a short time. I guess that has a lot to do with the fact that he's been regarded as the best man to play Ryuk and that he's very sought-after in showbiz. If he wasn't popular, I think NTV could have easily got another guy to play Ryuk so that the OA date of the anime would not be affected and to reduce any possibility of negative publicity.

Nodame Cantabile new merchandise info

The Nodame Cantabile 2007 calendar produced by Kodansha will be released on 20 Nov and the selling price is 1260 yen (inclusive of tax). The catalog number of this item is NEOKC-3579689.

In conjunction with the upcoming launch of the drama, there will be an original soundtrack (OST) to be released on 15 Nov 2006. The item costs 3059 yen and the catalog number is ESCL-2884. Looks like this CD produced by Epic Sony will also contain pieces from the S-orchestra formed specially for the filming of this drama which will be shown via FujiTV next month. The anime which begins in Jan next year will also be shown on the same TV station in the Noitamina slot which previously featured hits like Hachimitsu to Clover, Paradise Kiss, Ayakashi and Juousei.

Last but not least, the release date of the manga's volume 16 will be set as 13 Oct 2006.

Hachimitsu to Clover Official Postcard Set

Mekke! is selling the Hachimitsu to Clover official postcards in a set of 10 at 1000 yen each which features the 5 main characters i.e. Takemoto, Hagu, Morita, Yamada and Mayama. Each postcard measures 15cm by 10cm. The catalog number of this item is 4530430121113.

Among the selection, my favourites would be that of the night as a background with the three guys which should be the scene where they return from the public path as well as the solo picture of Morita doing his enka thing. Whenever I see him in this manner, it never fails to remind me of the prince of enka i.e. Hikawa Kiyoshi especially the parts where the crowd chants Morita's name "Shinobu" which has three syllables just like "Kiyoshi".

Now that the manga and anime are coming to an end, I can't help but feel sad about this but I'm hopeful that the story will be wrapped up in a nice way so as to make it memorable for fans. Although the last volume was released on last Friday, the local Kinokuniya will most likely bring it in before the end of this week. I can't wait to get a copy of Vol 10 soon! ^__^

Nodame Cantabile drama adaptation in autumn '06

Although I'm a fan of Nodame Cantabile, I wasn't particularly thrilled to hear news about the drama adaptation. The most worrying thing is the selection of Tamaki Hiroshi to play Chiaki Shinichi which I object to vehemently. Of course, my views mean nothing and the decision has been made. I have never been convinced that Tamaki can act well as he usually plays roles which seem so silly and never fail to make an impression on me. I am not confident of him playing Chiaki-sama at all.

On the other hand, we have Ueno Juri playing Nodame. Well, Ueno has been billed as one of the uprising young actresses these days but I've never really felt that she acts very well. As compared to Tamaki, I have slightly more faith in her that she can make Nodame a success but it's easy to go overboard and make a nuisance of herself.

If the rumours are true, Okada Junichi was the initial choice to play Chiaki-sama and the drama was supposed to be produced by TBS. However, due to some problems between Okada's agency i.e. Johnny's Jimusho and TBS, the plans were shelved and Hana Yori Dango was made at the last minute during autumn 2005.

Personally, I feel that Okada would fit Chiaki-sama's image closer in terms of his brooding looks and his strong acting skills. Coupled with the fact that Okada has some music background and knows how to play the piano (his mother is a piano teacher), I think he is more suitable to play Chiaki-sama. The only thing which he differs from Chiaki-sama would probably be his height. Okada is not short though but he has never been thought of as someone who's tall. And Ueno Juri looks quite tall on screen so I think by placing them together, it doesn't fit the impression we get from the manga since Chiaki-sama is 181cm tall while Nodame's height is 162cm.

Contrary to the lack of confidence in the leads, I think the selection of the supporting cast gives the impression that more thought has been put into this aspect. Takenaka Naoto is a good choice to play Stresseman a.k.a. Milch and I'm sure he would be a joy to watch.

Eita, Mizukawa Asami and Uehara Misa bear striking resemblances to their respective characters i.e. Mine, Kiyora and Saiko. However, Koike Keisuke to play Masumi was a surprise to me. It will be hard to imagine him with an afro and having the hots for Chiaki-sama but this could be a chance for Koike to seek a breakthrough in his career. Another issue which bugs me would be the change of setting for Kiyora who is one of the founders for Rising*Star Orchestra and wasn't in Momogaoka Music University nor the S-orchestra in the first place. I don't see the rationale for doing that but I guess they had to include her relationship with Mine so there was no way to delay her appearance if Rising*Star wasn't going to be mentioned in the drama.

FujiTV is putting a lot of effort in this production and even had an audition to find members to be part of the S-orchestra. That means the drama will probably cover up to the S-orchestra section although I was looking forward more to seeing Rising*Star Orchestra.

I will be watching this drama but I have a hunch that I might drop this well before the end of the season if the perfomances of the leads irk me to a major extent. Of course, I hope that there won't be any amendments to the storyline too. It's best to take the conservative approach of sticking to the manga instead of trying anything funny to incur the wrath of the manga lovers.

The good thing is that the anime version will begin in January 2007 via the Noitamina slot on FujiTV and I feel that this would probably turn out to be much better than the drama...We'll see when the time comes.

Death Note - the Last Name - Trailer

For those who are interested to watch a short trailer of the second part of Death Note - the Last Name -, please go to the following website.



It seems like the main focus of this concluding instalment of the movie would be the period when Light (Fujiwara Tatsuya) asks L (Matsuyama Kenichi) voluntarily to be kept under custody so as to prove his and Misa's innocence when L grabs hold of Misa (Toda Erika) to fish for information about Kira. The manner which Misa was tied up already seemed quite overboard in the manga but to see it replicated in the movie strengthens the impact. In addition, Misa was wearing a pantsuit in the manga while she was kept under supervision but in the trailer, Misa seems to be clad in a short dress or should I say, it looks more like lingerie. Eye-candy for the guys?



Besides that, the entry of Takada Kiyomi (Katase Nana) should be another point to take note of. I don't know how the movie will introduce her because the story doesn't really follow the manga. For a start, L and Takada do not appear in the same period since Takada only came back to the story in a big way towards the last 2 volumes of the manga. Besides, Takada was supposed to be Light's "official" girlfriend during university days so for the Light in the movie who's still an university student, I wonder how the scriptwriter will introduce her. Anyway, one thing is for sure, Takada is going to be a baddie after all.

Hachikuro seiyuu, Kamiya Hiroshi injured in traffic accident

According to the "Hachimitsu to Clover" official website, the seiyuu who plays Takemoto Yuuta i.e. Kamiya Hiroshi was involved in a traffic accident on 7 Aug and is now hospitalised. As the voice-recording of the series is only completed up to the 11th episode due to be shown on 7 Sep, there will be a replacement to do the voice-acting for Takemoto in the final episode on 14 Sep. There is also an official notice from his agency, Aoni at their website with regards to this matter.

Here's wishing Kamiya-san a speedy recovery! It's a pity that something like this has happened and I hope that he can return to work in the best condition soon.

Hachimitsu to Clover Merchandise on FujiTV Shop

FujiTV and Lohmeyer are working together for the 2nd time to launch a specially made Lohmeyer x Hachikuro ham which will be sold via FUJITV SHOP. The first 50 customers to buy the item will get a special premium.

Besides this product, FujiTV Shop has other Hachikuro offical merchandise on sale including mugs, postcards, Lohmeyer ham & sausage sets, can badges, cafe tumblers, posters, handkerchiefs and face towels. You can also find the manga, CDs and DVDs under the Hachikuro series via the online shopping portal which has a link to J-Book.