Nozomi Tsuji, photo from her husband's blog

Despite the fact that I'm still very disappointed in their actions (call me an old-fashioned prude, if you must) I just can't hate her. I still see her as the cute little weirdo in Morning Musume's early days, and when she was in Mini Moni. Somebody posted this over at the Jpopmusic forums.

Christmas greetings! They are such goofballs, I swear. What is with that pose, Tsuji? XD The food looks sorta good - makes me hungry.




ORIGINAL ENTRY - the picture has been cropped since last I checked. Legal reasons? Might be against UFA regulations for Tsuji to be in it, but I don't know.

Mamotte Lollipop, episode 2

(まもって！ ロリポップ) 2006

Nina has always dreamed of her ideal guy - strong, gentle, always willing to protect her. And by a completely odd twist of fate, she may've found two of them! After swallowing an object she thought was a complimentary sweet, two boys (and a flying car) drop out of the sky, asking her if she's seen an object known as the Crystal Pearl. The Crystal Pearl is a special, magical item needed by aspiring wizards in order to pass an exam. They must keep it and protect it for 6 months if they hope to do so, and because it's now inside Nina, Zero and Ichii (as they are known) decide to protect her for the duration.

Nina knows it probably won't be a good day when she awakens from a bad dream to see Zero sitting on her, in her bed. On the way to school (via the flying car) she is once again captured by San and Forte, only to crash to the ground from a rescue attempt on the behalf of Ichii. And just when she thinks she can breathe easy, because at least she's at peace at school, she comes to find that said protectors have transferred into her class! Ichii and Zero simply refuse to leave her side, going so far as to occupy any seating next to her, and carrying her by the arms from place to place. This causes quite a stir among her peers, especially the female ones. Rumors, such as engagement, shoot through the halls. Nina is quite miserable.



During all of this, San and Forte watch from a tree, and come up with the idea to disguise themselves as students (well, San does). They plan to confront Nina in the girls bathroom. Nina eventually ends up there in order to calm down - she almost fell down the stairs in a fit of frustration and anger, only to be saved by Ichii. She wonders if he is the shadow protecting her in the bad dream she'd had that morning. San and Forte enter, and Nina points out that Forte is a boy, leading to an angry mob chasing the magic examinees out.

But Nina isn't out of the clear. San takes the chaotic opportunity to chase her to the roof with her evil "Air Fish," however, Zero is soon there to save her. He injures himself in the process, declaring that he's decided to protect Nina. Ichii eventually shows up and their combined magic defeats the other magic team. All is well again, save for the property damage. At the end it is decided that Zero and Ichii will live in a conjured apartment, in her closet, in her room, to keep a watchful eye on things.



Urgh... so cheap, so cliche. Even the music has this kind of weird muffle to it. It could be the source that the fansubbers used, it could be how it is.

Mamotte Lollipop, episode 1

(まもって！ ロリポップ) 2006

Nina has always dreamed of her ideal guy - strong, gentle, always willing to protect her. And by a completely odd twist of fate, she may've found two of them! After swallowing an object she thought was a complimentary sweet, two boys (and a flying car) drop out of the sky, asking her if she's seen an object known as the Crystal Pearl. The Crystal Pearl is a special, magical item needed by aspiring wizards in order to pass an exam. They must keep it and protect it for 6 months if they hope to do so, and because it's now inside Nina, Zero and Ichii (as they are known) decide to protect her for the duration.

Because this episode is simply chaotic, I am not going to attempt to summarize everything. We'll just do something else. In episode one we are immediately introduced to the cocky, blue-haired Zero (who tries to STRANGLE Nina to get the pearl out!), and calm, brown-haired Ichii, along with a strange looking dragon mascot (I have not seen him in the manga, he probably shows up later). Zero is ticked about the whole situation, but Ichii says it can't be helped. Then we meet San and Forte (can you already see the play on numbers?) on a flying owl. Unlike our pretty boys, they don't think it's wrong to go so far as to MURDER someone to get the pearl. Nina is kidnapped by them (they keep her tied up with a really cheap looking CG snake), but this doesn't last. After a MALE version of a henshin sequence (I've only ever seen this ONCE, and that was Tuxedo Kamen in Sailor Moon), Zero and Ichii save the day and blast the second team away (literally). Nina thanks them, decides they are the princes from her dream, and gets into a "stretch my face" fight with Zero.



Mamotte Lollipop is, at best, average. It's pretty generic. The creator must've grabbed all the cliches she could find out of a bag, and ran with it. Even the character designs are nothing special and don't show much creativity. The animation is really cheap looking in some parts (they used a few sequences several times). It kinda reminds me of The Wallflower (poor Wallflower), or even Kirarin Revolution (although this show makes Kirarin look like Vision of Escaflowne).

Maybe it'll get better, but right now I don't have anything to go on. I don't like to give up on an anime one episode in, so I'll plug on for awhile.

Nintendo DS - Super Princess Peach

For Christmas I received a Nintendo DS, along with the game Super Princess Peach. I would've bought the system myself, just to be able to play this game. I was THAT curious. The tables have been turned? The Princess is doing the rescuing? Sign me up! Now that I've gotten a feel for how things are done in it, I'm writing my thoughts.

This is not as "easy" as some players make it out to be (or maybe I'm just slow and dumb). Though the places I've explored so far are rather simple in design, you still have to solve problems and know what "emotion" to use in order to say, get under a bridge or make a flower grow to climb up on. It's no easier than Yoshi's Island or Super Mario Bros.

It's also incredibly cute. Peach uses an umbrella (named Perry) to whack enemies, or absorb them to fuel her emotions for later use. You use the touch screen in order to channel one of these emotions - joy, rage, gloom, and calm. Before I had this, I assumed the "vibes" came from how she was doing. If, for example, she had been hit by one too many enemies, she would get angry or cry. This is not the case, as you are in control of how she is feeling at the moment.

If nothing else, it's a nice little change from the usual damsel-in-distress scenario that plagues so many of the Mario games - now it's the Princess' turn! I am a little annoyed by the "women are so emotional/girly" stereotype, but if you channel that away, it's still pretty fun. Guys should not be scared by the pinkness and the word "Princess" in the title. I think they could enjoy this, too.

Official English site: http://www.superprincesspeach.com/
Youtube search: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=super+princess+peach

Kirarin Revolution, episode 10

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).

It's becoming increasingly difficult to avoid media and fans. So difficult she can't even walk to the entrance of her school without being swarmed with people. When she talks to the chairman about it, he suggests transferring to a school for idols. Because things will only get busier, this will work better with her schedule. And Seiji will be there, too! The sad part is breaking the news to her two close friends - however, they accept it and say it can't be helped.



She is lively and excited on her first day, running into SHIPS pretty much immediately on getting there. Hiroto says he'll help when there's a problem (awww... Hiroto, I don't care what you say, you're a softie), Seiji is calm and polite like always, and Naa-san offers to help with studying, so Kirari believes everything will be fine. But she didn't count on being in the same class as Erina, who appears soft and innocent to classmates.

Furious that Kirari is stealing her thunder, she manipulates two female students into thinking that Kirari is a bad person who picks on her - Kirari, sadly, is under the impression that they are good friends. They offer to help mess things up for the new girl, much to Erina's glee. Later in the day, one of the girls volunteers Kirari to write on the board in English class, claiming she once said in an interview that she was fluent. This is completely untrue, and it's only through the help of smart Naa-san that she is saved. Then in fitness class, Eiko and Meiko (as they are known) try to utterly defeat her in volleyball, using their "X Revolution" technique. But Kirari's serves and hits are so slow that the other team passes out, or moves too fast, to get to the ball by the time it gets to their side. As a last resort, Erina pretends to cry, saying that before Kirari came, everybody was happier. The other students agree.



Kirari is naturally hurt, but then, across the gym, she hears a SHIPS song, and the boys are having a dancing lesson. Dancing makes people happy! So she asks them to do her a favor, and through the joy of the song, the girls see that Kirari isn't so bad afterall.

I don't really know what to say about this episode, except that I love Hiroto's voice. When Kirari jumps down from the wall next to the school, landing on Seiji, the sounds he makes actually caused me to laugh out loud. Though, the idol school scenario had me confused - I thought it was occupied just by idols (when they say "school for idols," what else can I assume?), but other students seem to be regular people? Although I do understand that you can't exactly fill a whole building with them.

Kirarin Revolution, episode 9

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).

Kirari is at a beach-style photoshoot when the beachball she's holding turns into an octopus. As if that's not strange enough, more fall out the sky like slimy rain! Just moments before this, a strange, shadowed figure appeared and threw a playing card at her prop, but nobody noticed.



Later, Kirari is discussing the situation with the chairman and her manager - despite the setback, the photoshoot worked out. However, the manager is a little concerned about a possible prankster, and they hope that the Rainbow Make-Up Fashion Show, to be held later that night, will not be a repeat. But it's not over! The pencil Kirari is holding turns into an eel, she sits on some sea urchin, her bows turn into seaweed, and Naa-san's tail is knotted to a table leg. When she approaches SHIPS about spotting any mysterious figures, Kame-san (Seiji's pet) magically transforms into a larger turtle, and Hiroto's pants fall down. In these scenarios, a playing card is left at the scene, and the shadowy figure is revealed little by little, without showing the face.

Fed up, Naa-san gives chase, and instead of finding a human, finds a fellow cat. But not just any cat - his brother, Nayan! And the owner happens to be a childhood friend named Arashi, an "impressive illusionist." No doubt, he was behind all the trouble. The reason? He wants Kirari to quit the entertainment business. He claims they promised to marry each other, but Kirari doesn't recall anything of the sort. A flashback reveals the day Kirari presented him with two kittens, fresh from a neighbor's house. She takes one, and Arashi takes the other. Since Arashi was moving to Osaka the next week, this, in a way, would be a connection. He promises to become a successful magician, then return to Kirari one day. In his own mind, this equals a confirmed engagement.



SHIPS tries to reason with him - he's still a kid, after all - but he will not budge. Kirari tells him she has no plans to quit, she likes her job. Even after Hiroto argues with him furthur (via hitting him with the fake Kame-san), the trouble doesn't stop. At the fashion show, playing cards hit Kirari on stage, and she's so scared she doesn't know what to do. Naa-san turns off the lights and distracts everyone until she can pull herself together. She then comes back on stage in a flowing white gown. Once again, everything is OK, and she gains more support from the audience. Afterwards, a delivery boy gives her flowers, who turns out to be Arashi. He tells her he thought she wasn't serious at first, and finally understands, but still wants her to quit. They haven't seen the last of him!

Here comes shoujo standard #7-J, the childhood friend who comes back for some kind of promise, or engagement. I'm not going to like him much, I can tell.

Kirarin Revolution, episode 8

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).

Kirari is to appear on Music Studio, following the so-far success of her new single. The pressure is on to do a good job, as getting on this show is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Kirari is so nervous the night before that she has trouble getting to sleep. Had she known that Erina had found out about her CD debut and was now determined to ruin her performance, she probably would've been more nervous.



When Kirari leaves the makeup room at the studio, a giant treat walks by the open door, luring Naa-san away. It's a trap, courtesy of Erina. Naa-san is kidnapped! When Kirari returns she finds a ransom note (if she wants her pet back, she can't go on the show), and doesn't know what to do. After a hasty "sorry" to SHIPS and a crew member, she runs off in a panic to find him. Meanwhile, Naa-san breaks out of the box he was packed in, and tries to find his way back. Hiroto is angry with Kirari for being cowardly about her responsiblity, but once they find out the situation, SHIPS offers to help.

Moments before the show starts, they are finally reunited. But because Music Studio thought Kirari was a no-show, Erina was opted as a replacement. However, Kirari manages to make a rather dramatic entrance, and sings her new song while SHIPS watches on. Success!



I think this is the first idol-shoujo anime I've seen that actually shows you all of the things an idol does day to day - maybe not terribly realistically, but you know what I mean. It's not about transforming into a "mature" version of themself with a magical item (and thus gaining almost-instant fame), or simply singing on stage in a puffy dress. It's saying, "if you became an idol, this might be what you have to do" (only with the quirky anime twists). In that, at least, it's a fresh idea.

Kirarin Revolution, episode 7

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).

Kirari's father is completely thrilled by his daughter's new makeup brand, and can't stop watching the commercial. At work, news of Kirari captivating several companies is actively discussed. Because of her great success, Kabata-san, a famous music producer, is brought in to compose something for her. Just one problem - Kirari can't sing! And she's not just bad - she's terrible! Kabata wants to drop the deal, but Kirari promises and insists that she will become a better singer in two weeks. If she can do it, Kabata will compose a hit CD.



Days pass. Kirari goes through all of the available voice instructors in the city, and still she is no better. Time is almost up, but she still won't quit! Admiring her persistance, Naa-san (her pet cat) offers to be her coach. It seems he was once a famous singer in the world of cats (um... OK). Even through his difficult training and special diet, there is still no noticable change in her glass shattering voice.

She runs into Seiji, sadly confessing that there hasn't been any improvement. He tells her that as long as she's trying for the people who support her, that is good enough. He takes her to a mysterious building, hands her a mic, and sticks her on a balcony, her face being broadcast on a large screen above. People see her and recognize her as the girl from the commercial. Seeing their excited faces, Kirari decides to try one more time. Success! Though she is no professional, she does decently enough. Everybody cheers! In the end, Kabata-san says he will indeed bring her to musical stardom. Another hurtle gone!



I can't help but think that Kirari's problems parallel with Koharu, her voice actor. Koharu has the kind of singing voice that HAS to grow on you - her tendency to go off-key is really hard on the ears. So, it either grows on you, or you'll continue to hate it.

Ranma 1/2, volume 19

Ranma is back for his 19th collection of adventures!

In this book:

-Genma Saotome realizes that all of his recent food binging and overall laziness is costing him on the battle floor. It's so bad he can't even defeat his own son! Angry with this huge bruise to his ego, Mr. Saotome decides to "cut family ties" (making Ranma a stranger) and train away from home. To Akane, his methods are odd, as all he does is hug a tire in his panda form. But it turns out that Genma has been perfecting a technique called "cradle from hell," meant to squeeze the victim into defeat.
-Akane is given "cherry blossom mochi" by a wandering fortune teller. The old man claims that this special food will reveal one's destined love, when eaten, with cherry blossom marks on their face. Akane doesn't really believe him until Happosai gets ahold of one, and a large X appears on his face. Once she sees this, she knows what she has to do - go to Ranma and find out if the jerk she is bethrothed to is really who she's supposed to marry.
-A cheerleader from another school falls in love with Kuno. Mariko Konjo, as she is called, has never cheered for a losing team yet (no doubt a bit of her own trickery helps), and when she thinks female Ranma is out to steal Kuno's heart, she provokes him/her into a martial arts cheerleading match.

I honestly had NO IDEA that cheerleading even existed in Japan. Even if it doesn't (if not very uncommon), it's interesting to see how Takahashi turned it into a fighting sport in itself. Also, the cherry blossom story is very cute, even though you KNOW that some kind of stupid twist will come at the end.

Kirarin Revolution, episode 6

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).

In this episode, Kirari is determined to discover the "secrets" behind successful idols. She keeps a notebook and watches as much TV as she can. The chairman phones Kirari and tells her he wants to start up a makeup brand, here called Kirari Brand, as it's a big thing for idols to do at the moment.



For this to be accomplished, they go to Rainbow Brand Productions, but the director there is very strict and is put off by Kirari's answer to a question. "What kind of idol do you want to be?" - Kirari replies that she wants to be an idol that everyone watches. The director then tells Kirari she doesn't understand her dream, and they can't work with this kind of person.

To try to help the poor girl, and to submerge her into the land of pop stardom without full committment, she becomes a staff member for SHIPS. For one day she runs around doing errands, from cleaning to getting them drinks. Through all her blundering she learns it's not all about sparkle and shine, but working really hard for your fans. She even helps organize and keep safe a large gathering of fans who came to a performance unannounced. The director of Rainbow Productions sees this, and introduces the logo for Kirari Productions.



A cute show - but the iffy animation is really off-putting at times. Despite the fact that Kirari's voice still gets on my nerves, I will continue to watch.

Kirarin Revolution, episode 5

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).

Kirari has been given a handful of CM shoot offers to get started. But it's not up to her to choose. The chairman says that their director, a small mouse(?!), must do so - he has always picked the right one, and even gave SHIPS a good start. So, the mouse does a dance on the table the offer envelopes are on, sending the "bad" ones flying, and leaving the good one. Erina, who has overheard all this, declares that she won't let Kirari have it so easy, and when nobody is looking, she sneaks it away and replaces it with something else. SHIPS comes in a little too late to catch her and wish Kirari good luck.



Kirari is excited for her first job, but this is flattened when they reach their destination. A run-down, moldy old hotel, with only has-beens or never-beens as the entertainment in a practically unused (by the guests) room. One of them is a big-lipped man named "Tomy Bakusho," who is angry and bitter that he isn't on TV anymore. Despite these circumstances, Kirari decides to go through with it. However, Erina is also there, and she manipulates Bakusho into attempting to ruin Kirari's act. He even tells Kirari that she would never work in the industry, and that she's only here because of SHIPS. Kirari gets upset, but she remembers SHIPS words of encouragement, and basically seizes her situation. The fun and laughter she creates by getting the other performers to try harder causes more guests to come in. After Kirari talks to Bakusho about how much she enjoyed seeing him on TV, he joins in. SHIPS shows up and says that this was all a mistake, and Hiroto tells her to go back and make everything look good.

At the end, everyone is in the car. Hiroto and Seiji both compliment her in their own ways. Kirari thinks to herself that although idol work is hard, it feels really good to make people smile.



Erina is just too over-the-top for me. Where did she get that stretcher thing to steal the envelope in the first place? Is she THAT insecure with her career that she has to sabotage others?

Pokemon Christmas Bash

1. Pokemon Christmas Bash - Festive opening song, and features little Christmas wishes and messages from the cast. Pokeshippers will delight at Misty's wish to dance with Ash. Just a tad corny, though

2. I'm Giving Santa A Pikachu This Christmas

3. Winter Is The Coolest Time Of Year - Misty sings about winter, with some cute dialog between her, Ash, and Brock

4. Nobody Don't Like Christmas

5. I Keep My Home In My Heart

6. The Christmas Song - It's odd for Team Rocket to do this song, considering they simply speak their lines, and don't sing them. Meowth isn't half bad, and if you like Team Rocket this is a must-hear, regardless

7. Under The Mistletoe - Pokeshippers will probably either like or hate this song. Misty tries to catch Ash under the mistletoe, but he keeps getting away! If nothing else, it's catchy and tends to get stuck in my head

8. Must Be Santa

9. The Night Before Christmas

10. Christmas Medley - Features the wit and clever lines you expect from the dub. Pretty fun!

11. I'm giving Santa A Pikachu This Christmas (karaoke)

12. Christmas Medley (karaoke)

The very last English release of Pokemon in the states, and features all of the original cast. If you consider yourself a Pokemon fan, you should find at least one track on this CD to enjoy. Granted, while it tends to err on the side of corny, it doesn't make you want to throw your headphones away in pain. It's the first time I've seen remakes of remakes (meaning, they don't stick to a formula - they mix and change whatever they like) of often-sung Christmas songs.

Kirarin Revolution, episode 4

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).

It starts off like any other day. Kirari comes to the kitchen and eats a hearty breakfast for 6, all with a superhuman sized mouth. When she asks her father if he's eating, he says he's full from seeing Kirari's happy smile (aww...). They leave together to see him off for work, and spot one of Kirari's posters (see previous episode). Kirari asks if he is surprised - and he says yes - the resemblence is uncanny! Obviously, he doesn't get that it IS his daughter!



Kirari meets up with the chairman, who says he has gotten a manager for her, a woman named Kasumi, serious and humorless in nature. Before there can be any advancement in the young girl's career, they must go to Kirari's home in order to get her father's approval. He misunderstands when they show up, thinking they are her friends, and when serving them dinner (curry for 10?!), asks about Kirari's age gap preference. That's when they hand him their business card, and Kirari tells her father that it WAS her on the poster. He gets angry and tells them to leave. Kirari is upset and confused, but tells Chairman Muranishi and Kasumi that she won't give up. Her father MUST have his reasons!

Well, that night, she tries a few stupid things to win him over. First, she spreads books all over the stairs, hoping he'll find them and somehow be impressed by the pictures of the idol life. No go. Then she gives him a massage to loosen him up, but he falls asleep. That morning she asks him directly why he won't let her. He says it's because he wants her to be a normal girl, and he doesn't want their relationship to suffer. She understands, but still doesn't want to throw away her dreams! She speaks to her grandmother about it, who says she shouldn't let her father stop her, and that even he doesn't have the power of a fanbase.



At about that time, we see Seiji and Hiroto sitting and hanging out. Seiji wonders if there's something they can do to help. Hiroto, being who he is, says Kirari is determined and will do just fine. After Kirari's father comes back from work, he sees her standing under the very poster they saw together, talking to people, asking them to support her career. She says she plans to work very hard, and will definitely become an idol! He is moved, and so finally approves, telling her he will be her biggest fan.

Cute little episode. Weird, but cute. I hope the theme of "You should give up! It's impossible!" doesn't get overused.

Kirarin Revolution, episode 3

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).

Kirari will be debuting! Well, hopefully. After meeting up at the agency's building, the chairman says he wants her to audition for a cake mix commercial (Nice-Seika Homemade Cake Set, to be exact). Her only obstacle will be a young idol name Erina, a cute but snobbish girl who recognizes Kirari as the one who (unknowingly) got crepe all over her designer purse earlier that day! At the audition Kirari will be expected to both bake a cake and taste it, so she wants to get it right, and asks Seiji to taste her first try. To be kind, he agrees, but the cake comes out looking burnt, and has mushrooms sticking out of the top (mushrooms?! Is it supposed to have mushrooms?).

After everyone is gone and it's dark out, Hiroto comes back to get a script, and finds that the kitchen light is still on. It's Kirari, and she's been there for hours, trying again and again. He calls her stupid, but still puts on an apron and shows her how it's done. They're laughing and smiling when Erina shows up and sees them together, causing her to seeth with jealousy. Unfortunately, Erina finds out the where, when, and how to dress of the audition first and offers to relay to Kirari. When she does, she gives her ALL the wrong information, causing Kirari to turn up at the wrong place (a SHIPS photoshoot), dressed way too casual to impress anyone. Hiroto asks if she's going to give up, she says no. With the help of the SHIPS staff, Kirari is ready to go and makes it, if a little late.

But Erina isn't done. While baking their cakes, Erina shoves Kirari and the poor girl's batter goes flying. Thankfully not all of it is lost, and she's able to finish (Hiroto actually lept in and shielded her from getting any on her). Then Erina tricks Kirari into looking away, and has her dog, Tantan, sit on the cake. When Kirari gets upset, Erina "graciously" allows her to use a spare cake (packed with 100 red peppers), and Kirari finds she can't swallow after taking a bite! Thinking fast, she turns to show everyone the tears that are falling from eating the terrible cake. She says "It was so tasty, I started crying!"

Well, Kirari gets the job, and at the end we see Seiji, Hiroto, Kirari and the chairman looking at a billboard with her face on it.

And here comes shoujo standard #13-C - the jealous rival. We can expect many tricks and annoyances from her in the future, I'm sure.

I thought it was adorable (and amusing) when Hiroto "saves" Kirari from the "evil" cake batter - my only guess is because he didn't want her outfit and hair to be ruined. They have an interesting relationship. One minute Hiroto is all "OMG Lozer, go away!!1" and the next he's Mr. Protection.

Koharu Kusumi on Oha Star 12.3.07

Koharu, in character as Kirari, appears on Oha Star to plug merchandise for Kirarin Revolution. Everybody is dressed in Santa gear, save for the model, and Kōichi Yamadera, who is a Christmas tree.



Among the items are a new Kirarin Revolution Nintendo DS game, plushies, stickers, and the "Kirarin Land" CD. I wonder if she gets commission or something?

Kirari/Koharu also sings 3 Christmas songs at the end - "Jingle Bells," "Rudolph," and "Good Morning, Santa Claus" (which I've never heard of).



I love cute, and so I always enjoy Oha Star, multiplied this time because of the Christmas theme. Is it sad that I wanted, like, half the toys they were showing? Especially the DS game!

WATCH IT HERE

Kirarin Revolution, episode 2

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).

In this episode, Kirari has not forgotten her dream, and is now brainstorming on what she can do. Her friends at school are horrified at her idea of what could work (A: Pose as a pizza delivery girl B: Hypnotize the higher-ups C: Seduce the producer) and instead give her a magazine (which I'm assuming specializes in audition ads). It just so happens that SHIPS is recruiting a new member! Kirari can be near Seiji all the time! She HAS to win!



She arrives at the appointed place, but gets lost quickly, only to walk into a room full of men changing clothes. Very flustered and therefore off-guard, a hand grabs her and pulls her away. Who else could it be but jerk boy? He scolds her, as expected. Seiji shows up, she apologizes for ruining his show, and they ask why she is there. When Kirari tells them, Hiroto laughs and says she did not read all the way through - this audition is for MEN only! After calling her a nuisance, he leaves, and Seiji apologizes, telling her he was glad she came.

What's a little gender problem to hold her back? All it takes is a wig (those clothes she was wearing don't really scream BOY to me, but oh well)! It doesn't take long for the SHIPS boys to catch on, but Seiji lets her through because he thinks she's just too cute, and the chairman finds her interesting (though he does not know she is a girl). The rest is a breeze (she even cleverly hides herself with a "taiyaki" suit for swimsuit inspection), but while walking through the hallway she runs into a fellow auditioner who confronts her with his strong feelings. Her cat, Naa-san, tries to protect her, but the angry and rejected teen throws the furball out the window into a tree, where it passes out.



Kirari climbs out the window and into the tree to try to save her beloved pet, which catches the attention of the others. Hiroto freaks out and climbs after her. She makes it to Naa-san safely, but after she sees how far up she is, she panics and the tree branch she was sitting on breaks. Luckily Hiroto is able to grab her hand and pull her back up, but as that's happening, Kirari's wig falls off! Well, the cat's out of the bag now! She apologizes to everyone, begging to be able to finish her audition. Amused (he has this twinkle in his glasses that make him seem almost... calculating, despite the fact that he always looks calm), the chairman tells her that he'd like her to debut with his company.

Well, I can already tell there will be a love triangle, although I've watched enough anime to know that it will probably be Hiroto - the rough, seemingly heartless guys usually get the advantage. Seiji isn't giving me anything to work with yet - he's too softspoken and not very exciting. I'm not expecting anything deep, this IS an anime for young girls (tweens, probably).

Also, even if she won, just how long did she think she'd go before they found out she was a girl?

Kirarin Revolution, episode 1

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking. She simply doesn't care about celebrities - all she wants is to have a gentle romance with someone, yet to happen because she scares boys off with her food gorging.

One day after school, Kirari bumps into a creepy looking man wearing glasses and a hat. She doesn't think much more of it until she rescues a turtle stuck in a tree (don't even ask, I sure as heck don't know how a TURTLE got up in a TREE!), and after falling off the railing she used to get to it, she is rescued by this same guy! Only this time, his disguise falls off, and he turns out to be quite handsome. Grateful to her for saving his pet, he gives her a concert ticket for the group SHIPS. Kirari decides then and there that "Seiji" (as he is called) will be the boy to share a romance with.

Come the big day, Kirari sneaks off into the STAFF section of the concert area, thinking Seiji must've been one to have gotten her the ticket. But instead of finding him, a boy lands on her from jumping out the window! When she asks him where Seiji is, he gets angry and tears up her ticket, telling her to forget about him. Not to be discouraged, though now without a way in, she tricks the people at the door and sneaks into a crawlspace. When Kirari finds a small opening in the floor, who should she see but Seiji, AND the jerk that landed on her, performing on stage! Shocked, she continues to watch until she falls through the hole and lands behind them, sending a flurry of feathers in the air. The boys save the day by calling her an angel and get her offstage as fast as possible. It turns out that Seiji is a member of SHIPS, and the jerk boy, Hiroto, is his partner. When Seiji leaves to talk to the crowd, Hiroto scolds her again and tells her that she is just another one of Seiji's fans, and should just give up. Kirari, provoked and angry, tells Hiroto she will just have to become part of his world, and runs onstage to announce that she is aiming to be a idol!

First thing's first: Kirari's voice actress needs a LOT of work. I honestly couldn't focus on what she was saying sometimes, it was so distracting. She sounds tone-deaf. Since this is Koharu's first acting job, hopefully she'll get better. So far I'm not seeing anything I haven't seen in shoujo before - it's very standard and soon enough I'm sure I'll be able to predict a few things. But I will continue with this show for as long as I can, if only because I'm a Morning Musume fan :)