The Quiz Show 2 review (haphazard)

So, prior to this, I'd never heard of this drama "The Quiz Show 2" before. I found out that there is indeed a "The Quiz Show", but I don't really have much interest in watching it (no doubt because Sakurai and Yokoyama aren't inside).

The description of the show from DramaWiki:

 Sakurai plays the host of a live TV quiz program. On the show, contestants who achieve 7 correct answers win 10 million yen, and those who get 8 correct answers will have one of their wishes granted by the TV network. But while the questions start off innocently enough, as the game progresses, the questions gradually delve into the contestants' past crimes or indiscretions, presenting them with the dilemma of having to confess their guilt in order to win. Sakurai's character also has a mysterious past. Before becoming the show's host, an accident had left him in a vegetative state for six years, which also resulted in him losing most of his memories.

Though the format for the first few episodes are, without a doubt, ridiculously and annoyingly repitive, it still keeps you glued to your screen (at least for the first time you watch it, anyway) as more and more is revealed in each episode. The memories that Kamiyama gains from each episode also seem to change. It's easy to sense his confusion and anxiety. How is he related to Honma? Why did I stab that girl? Did I even stab her? Oh wait, I didn't stab her, I killed her later in the hospital... and so on. There are also entire scenes throughout the whole series that are repeated again and again, especially the whole introductory sequence. Yet, I have to admit that I was never tempted to fast forward at those parts (probably because it was too short anyway). And, I feel that I really ahve to mention Sakurai's dancing at the Dream Chance part.

The show only starts breaking out of this annoying mould from episode 7 onwards, by which the viewer will think that he/she has a pretty clear view of what happened. Things start to shake up, and more interesting truths are revealed, especially the relationships between the characters. I like how it's not just the relationships between the main characters that are revealed, but also that of the others. Also, the nature of the contestants on the gameshow start to take a *ahem* more interesting turn.

The great thing about this drama is that it is chock full of turns and suprises, and real ones, not those lame, half-assed sort that we frequently encounter in other dramas (Yay! It turns out that the poor boyfriend whom the parents diapprove of is the long-lost son of a billionaire!). The mistakes Satoru makes in recalling the past are entirely believable, and as a viewer, you actually get sucked into his train of thought and follow him as he tries to put the pieces together.

When the truth is finally revealed (and I have to mention that the ending was neither rushed nor anti-climatic), Honma and Kamiyama have a good cry. Oh goodness, the crying scene was really all out. You could even see Sakurai's mucus dripping!

However, I couldn't really see the "happiness" of the ending. There were little touches that made it sweet, like the poppy field scene and the reversal of Honma's watch, but it felt like the biggest thing was lacking. Kamiyama speech to Honma still didn't seem enough to give him new hope in life.

 And a few more minor things that bugged me during the drama:

• It's rather alarming how Kamiyama changes from a deranged soul in his cell to a charming MC on stage.
• If the other staff involoved in the production of the gameshow are curious about Kamiyama's origins, why don't they approach him directly?
• Really, why don't more of the contestants recognise Kamiyama? Surely, if you had been involved in the plane crash, wouldn't you at least care to read the news about your fellow passengers (and so few of them, too) to see how they fared?
• Lastly, why doesn't any contestant/audience member seem to care when Kamiyama gets into his headache-fits on stage?

So, should you watch this show?

If you are a Sakurai/Yokoyama fan, the answer is a definite yes. And if you're not, the answer is still a not-so-definite yes. Unless you're one of those who much, much, much prefer romance/comedy genres, I find it hard to believe that you can find this show boring.

Pictures from: http://www.ntv.co.jp/quizshow/guest/index.html, http://legally-cutie.livejournal.com/10369.html, http://dramacrazy.net/

Btw, I just realised that I've never had a tag for Yokoyama. And this is a really messy review but I! can't! do! anything! properly! until I get a personal laptop! Hopefully the "new" one which I've already transferred my dramas to...

Arashi, Arashi, as kids (I feel so lame)

Matsumoto Jun, who seems more interested in stuffing his face with cake than looking at the camera.

Ninomiya Kazunari.

Sakurai Sho. So cute!

Ohno Satoshi and his elder sister.

I came across Sho and Nino's photos and thought I'd do a complete set, but I couldn't find any of Aiba's kiddy photos. (they're probably somewhere in my flickr account though) So, to make up for the loss, more Nino!

Sakurai and Nino's childhood photos from here and Jun's from here. I "recycled" the other photos from last time so I lost the sources. And in case you're wondering why I'm doing this, it's because there's no news (as far as I know) and I don't want to lapse into another round of not updating. I've been reading books a lot lately. It's been so long since I've read book after book for hours and I realise how much I miss books and reading. I'm probably one of the few teens that could survive a world without internet... Or maybe not.

Sakurai Sho and Horikita Maki dating?

This January, Sakurai Sho and Horikita Maki played rivals in the TBS drama 'Tokujo Kabachi!!'. It seems that their relationship has gone beyond than just being co-stars in a drama.

According to a restaurant manager in Shinjuku, "I don't have the slightest idea why, but somehow Sakurai-kun and Maki-chan have been appearing frequently at a gay bar, and it's also curious that Endo Kenichi is also with them. It's just a combination that's unheard of. With bodies touching, Sakurai-kun and Maki-chan seemed like a pair of lovers. Looking over them from a distant was Kenichi-san, it's like he was their guardian."

Sakurai and Horikita are around the same age, enthusiastic about their jobs and also serious, perhaps these factors make them understand each other well. While filming for Tokujo Kabachi!!, Horikita said "Keeping in mind that we're rivals at loggerheads, I always try to hate him even when there's no filming." Sakurai countered this, replying, "That doesn't happen at all, the smiles actually never stop!"

Of course, Johnny's are fussy about relationships. Sakurai might be using a third person to avoid media scrutiny. Up till now, he hasn't been involved in any big scandals with the ladies. He must be really good at being discreet.

With Arashi's popularity now going beyond SMAP's, it's natural that Sakurai would be careful regarding his relations with women. Being with both an intimate friend and a drinking mate at the same time seems like a sensible method for crisis management. If this relationship turns into love, perhaps Endo will be known as the Cupid with a gentle heart. (unleashthegeek; Japanese source - Cyzowoman)

Highlight of this picture post: Mizushima Hiro in his student days!

KAT-TUN arriving in Taiwan. Highlights of this video: 1. A fan holding a Tamamori Yuta uchiwa?!, 2. Kame picking up a uchiwa that a fan dropped and throwing it back to her (0:43), and 3. A fan waving a turtle toy around! This video makes me feel like screaming along with the other fans so so much. And Maru looks like a teenage boy who just happened to follow KAT-TUN off the plane~ How adorkable!

Akanishi Jin with his younger brother, Akanishi Fuuta. The younger bro's name used to be Akanishi Reio, but he changed it Akanishi Fuuta.

Jin with Kusano Hironori (some ex-member of NEWS who is no longer with JE)

Sakurai Sho's sister, Sakurai Mai.

Mizushima Hiro from his school days! His real name is Saito Tomohiro, hence the different kanji. Like the site which I got it from said, finding leaked photos of Hiro is a treasure. I'm glad about that, though!

Kitagawa Keiko as a student.

She seems to have gotten a tattoo, though.

Aiba Masaki as a kiddy.

The Akanishi brothers - choko44; Jin w Akira Hironori - choko44; Sakurai Mai - Auragazou; Mizushima Hiro student - Auragazou; Kitagawa Keiko student - Auragazou; Kitagawa Keiko tattoo - Auragzou; Aiba Masaki child - choko44

Surprise birthday celebration for Matsujun, held by none other than Arashi

Tokyo Sports reported that Arashi members held a surprise birthday party for Matsumoto Jun last weekend. Since the other members wanted to surprise him, they lied and told him that the location they were headed to was a shoot for “Himitsu no Arashi-chan”. As it turns out, not only were the other members in on Jun’s surprise, but so were all the staff from “Himitsu no Arashi-chan” and “Arashi ni Shiyagare“.
Since Jun is into hot springs and yakiniku (Japanese barbecue), Ohno Satoshi and Ninomiya Kazunari gave Jun a ticket to lodge at the hot springs, and Aiba Masaki and Sakurai Sho gave him yakiniku invitation tickets.
At the end of the party, Jun was shown a short movie that the other members made for him, and it consisted of pictures, group narrations, and music. As soon as Jun watched the movie, he started crying, and he said, “I’m glad to be in Arashi."
One of the biggest reasons that Arashi is so popular is that members love each other, isn’t it? (Tokyograph)

This is just so sweet~ *I'm at a loss to find suitable words to describe my feelings*

Aragaki Yui gives her impression of Arashi

Aragaki Yui made an appearance on the “VIP ROOM” segment of Arashi’s variety show, “Himitsu no Arashi-chan“, on the 19th of August. On that particular segment of the show, the guests always gives their impression of the Arashi members at the start of the corner.
Yui’s impression of the members was:
Sakurai Sho is terrified of heights.
Aiba Masaki takes the brunt of the teasing from other members.
Matsumoto Jun was called tsundere (describes a person who is initially cold, and even hostile, towards another person before gradually showing their warm side).
Ninomiya Kazunari thinks he’s cool.
Ohno Satoshi appears to be easy to forget, but he’s not.
Next, Yui had to pick her “favorite Arashi”, and she choose Ohno Satoshi, who seems to be the popular man of the group with all the female celebrities. (tokyohive)

Top 10 influential people in Japan (and the Johnny's boys)

Around mid-June, eight prominent Japanese sites (Ameba, Infoseek Rakuten, getnews.jp, Niconico Douga, Hatena, @peps! Chips, Mobage Town, MSN Sankei news) conducted the same online poll and gathered all the votes received together - a total of around 265,000 votes - into one comprehensive ranking. The question asked was which Japanese person they considered most influential, and here are the top ten along with Arashi's rankings:

01. Kitano Takeshi (filmmaker)

02. Ichiro (baseball player)
02. Naoto Kan (Prime Minister)
04. Ozawa Ichiro (House of Representatives member)
05. Koizumi Junichiro (former Prime Minister)
06. Shimada Shinsuke (Talent)
07. Hatoyama Yukio (former Prime Minister)
08. Renho (Minister for Administrative Reforms)
09. Higashikokubaru Hideo (governor of Miyazaki)
10. Honda Keisuke (soccer player)
17. Kimura Takuya (talent)
24. Arashi (idol group)
38. Sakurai Sho (talent)
42. Matsumoto Jun (talent)
48. Ohno Satoshi (talent)
49. Ninomiya Kazunari (talent)
51. Aiba Masaki (talent)
89. SMAP (idol group)
No other JE groups or artists made it to the top 100. (arashi_on)

Matsumoto Jun explains his inability to do a somersault

Matsumoto Jun (26) revealed on TV this week that he and Sho Sakurai (28) are the only members of Arashi who cannot somersault, reports Techinsight.
On July 19, Matsumoto and drama co-star Yuko Takeuchi had appeared on a special of “ネプリ－グ (Nepurigu)”, during which Matsumoto was asked whether he could do a somersault – a characteristic dance move Johnny’s is famous for.
The singer surprised people saying he and Sakurai couldn’t, and continued to explain why. “When we were in Johnny’s Jr., we did the background dancing for groups like KinKi Kids and V6. If you could do a somersault, you were told to do somersaults during every song while you danced in the background of our (Johnny’s) seniors. I thought my body wouldn’t be able to take it if I continuously did somersaults. So from the beginning I told them (instructors) I couldn’t, and that helped me to focus on dancing,” he said.
While it had been known for a while that Sakurai could not somersault, his explanation was slightly different.
It had been reported that on a different show, Sakurai said that he had been practising somersaults during his Johnny’s Jr. years, but one day got it wrong and ended up looking “like a frog who had landed on its back”. It was this incident that had made him give up on the move all together. (MomoEdgewood's Mediawatch)

Lol, Jun is smart enough to avoid the hard work! XD

Arashi and Oguri Shun's fetishes...

Oguri Shun was a guest on Arashi’s variety show “Arashi ni shiyagare”, which was broadcasted on the 24th. Shun has co-stared with some of the members and is also good friends with Matsumoto Jun, his co-star from HYD and Gokusen.
Since both Arashi members and Shun are almost the same age, they enjoyed a fun boys talk. Especially about their fetishes with girls body parts.
Oguri Shun – butt (round)
Matsumoto Jun – butt (perky/high up)
Ohno Satoshi – the upper arm (skinny)
Sakurai Sho – the upper arm (little bit of fat)
Ninomiya Kazunari – did not say, but could be breast, because he said that the softness of the upper arm is the same as the softness of the breast.
Aiba Masaki – pelvis (when girls wear low-rise jeans)
(tokyohive)

Good friends Shun and Jun like butts? HAHA.

My dream team: Arashi, KAT-TUN, and the two gorgeous co-stars of Tokyo DOGs, Oguri and Mizushima Hiro~ Though I don't like Hiro's beard in that show, haha!

Who is the ideal father?

1. Tsuruno Takeshi

2. Tachi Hiroshi

3. Ohno Satoshi

4. Sakurai Sho

5. EXILE

6. Fukuyama Masaharu

7. Sorimachi Takashi

8. Sugiura Taiyo

9. Aiba Masaki

10. Aikawa Sho

11. Tokoro Jouji (George)

12. Kimura Takuya

13. Akanishi Jin

14. Sato Ryuta

15. Ichihara Hayato

(aramatheydidnt)

Sakurai Sho to act with Miyazaki Aoi in movie "Kamisama no Karute"

Arashi's Sakurai Sho (28) is set to star in a new movie by director Yoshihiro Fukagawa, titled "Kamisama no Karute." He will for the first time be joined by actress Miyazaki Aoi (24), who plays the heroine of the story.
Sakurai has been cast as a doctor for the film, which is based on a bestselling novel published last year by an actual doctor named Sosuke Natsukawa. Ichito Kurihara (played by Sakurai) is a local physician in Nagano who meets an elderly woman with terminal cancer. His interaction with her leads to his own growth as a doctor and as a person. Miyazaki plays Sakurai's beloved wife Haruna, who works as a photographer.
The staff for the film includes the production team from the movie "Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu" and screenwriter Noriko Goto, whose credits include the dramas "Blackjack ni Yoroshiku" and "Team Batista no Eikou."
"Kamisama no Karute" will be released during the second half of 2011.

Matsumoto Jun tops Oricon's "Beautiful Lips" rankings~

Males:
1. Matsumoto Jun
2. Fukuyama Masaharu
3. Sakurai Sho  Arashi owns!
4. Tamaki Hiroshi
5. Kimura Takuya
Females:
1. Ueto Aya
2. Kitagawa Keiko
3. Inoue Waka
4. Ayase Haruka
5. Ishihara Satomi
(Oricon, credits to aramatheydidnt for picture)

Side note: YES! My Tokyo DOGS ep7 torrents have finished downloading, my life is now complete! Till I have to wait for episode8, that is.

Sho acts as a pasty chef in new CM

Sakurai Sho, member of Arashi, will play the role of a pastry chef in the CM of ice-cream brand "Pino".

Though it was his first time to wearing a pastry chef's uniform, he chose the chef's hat very carefully. In order to show the image of "an orthodox school", he selected a tall one among others. In the CM, when Sakurai is eating "Pino" he thinks, "What? Pino has been changed!" And all of a sudden, he transforms into a pastry chef and starts to mix chocolate, dip ice-cream into the chocolate to make a piece of "Pino". He then proclaims, "Oh that's it. Chocolate has become more delicious!".
To learn how to pour the chocolate, Sakurai was instructed by a professional pastry chef. And it was said that he learned very fast, and handled the job professionally. He was very happy that the clothes "look good on him". The new CM will be aired from May 21st. (Music Japan+)

Believe it or not, I can't wait to watch this! HAHA.

Japanese Lady Gaga Fans Dress to Impress!

A while back on Saturday April 17th 2010, Lady Gaga played the first of two sold-out shows at Tokyo’s Yokohama Arena. These were the only two Tokyo-area stops on her sold-out-all-over-the-world “Monster Ball” tour. Lady Gaga is popular everywhere on the planet, but her Japanese fans really love her and go all out whenever she comes to visit them. Her fans were also were out in force last July at Summer Sonic 2009, staying past last train to see Gaga live. Since then, her Japanese fan base has grown exponentially, thanks to word of mouth from her “Little Monsters” as well as heavy radio and video play of her hits. Her latest single/video “Telephone” featuring Beyonce (who is also uber-popular among young Japanese women) can be seen and heard all over Tokyo at any time of the day or night – from clubs to shops to parties. (Tokyo Fashion)

Check out some of my favourites:

Being young helps.

I like the traditional touch shown by these two ladies. : D

Japanese are at least light years in front of Singaporeans when it comes to dressing up, and not just for concerts.

Incidentally, this was the concert that Matsumoto Jun and Sakurai Sho went to see together! Apaarently they arrived for the concert, met up, and then left separately again. Jun said it was an amazing concert!

pictures~

There's nothing interesting going on now, so here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Saigo no Yakusoku - Watch it here!

Remember the drama Saigo no Yakusoku that I posted about here? Well, you can now watch it here on MySoju! The videos are on videohosting site DailyMotion, and the quality is quite good. :) I haven't watched the entire thing yet, shall do so soon and give a review on it! The main actors in the drama are ALL 5members of Arashi, as well as Kuroki Meisa. The video was actually posted on 23January, seems like I'm rather slow! "=.=

Arashi in Saigo no Yakusoku - Poster madness

Watch this:



When I first saw this video here on YouTube, I thought the boys were doing some autograph session or meet the fans appearance, but it turned out that all the women in this video were taking photos of posters of Arashi! HAHA. Turns out though, that this is a limited edition advertisment campaign for an upcoming drama called Saigo no Yakusoku, or The Last Promise. This drama series feature all five members of Arashi, which is a popular Japanese boyband (if you didn't know that already you ought to be shot). This it the first time in a decade that the 5boys are appearing together, so be sure to catch it! Actually it started airing in Japan on 9th January, I'm not sure when we'll be able to watch it (soon, hopefully!). Anyway, from the video above, we can all be assured of Arashi's popularity in Japan! Haha, just look at the way they are all jostling to take a good photo. Wouldn't it be better (and easier) to just print out a photo of them from the internet? I'll try to keep tabs on the news about this drama! :))