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From Hello! Online:It was revealed today that Iida Kaori's 6-month-old child (whose name is not publicly known) died on July 27, 2008 due to chronic renal failure. ---Iida Kaori Comment---This is a personal matter, but I have some news I would like to share.On July 27, my son passed away from chronic renal failure.I loved him more than anyone, and he meant so much to me that all I could do was cry.At first, I couldn't even think about what lay ahead, but after laying him to rest, I've been slowly able to go out, and had a chance to talk with the staff. I think that what I do from now will be for my son's memory. So I decided that moving forward and staying positive is the best memorial I can give to my son.Moving forward and staying positive, what does that mean... When I thought about that, I decided that returning to work after my time off, and being in front of my fans for the first time. So I discussed it with the staff.To help me deal with this, it hasn't just been my family, but my friends and all the staff supporting me. I won't forget my gratitude as I do my best in my own way and work hard for the sake of my son.I'm sure this has caused trouble and concern for everybody, but please continue to support me.2008-11-28Iida KaoriA statement from UFA, Tsunku, along with comments/reactions from former Morning Musume members/friends such as Mari Yaguchi and Yuko Nakazawa can be found in the above link. Poor Kaori :( :(
Since this was published in the 1980s and is long out of print, I don't think it will do any harm to include spoilers. If you don't want spoilers (on the off-chance that you'd like to locate scanlations or an actual copy somewhere), don't read the second paragraph on. To note, I own an actual copy ;)
A young woman named Ellen has just moved into her great grandpa's countryside home with her mom and dad, Rasty (a well-known writer) and Ferrisa Ferguson. During her first night, she goes into the kitchen for a snack and a weird creature with green hair appears in front of her! The creature introduces herself as Faau, a spirit of the oak tree in the backyard, and tells Ellen that they are "of the same kind." Basically, Ellen is supposed to believe that she is half-fairy.
It turns out that her mom is a dunna fairy, and met her father on Halloween many years ago. Fairies can only enter the human realm on Halloween or mid-summer eve, but she got lost and couldn't find her way home - so she ended up settling down with Rasty and Ellen was born. That former home is referred to as "The Hill," and, coincidentally, is located where they have just moved! But if Faau's hunch is right, great trouble is headed for the family. Mr. Bayley, a young businessman, is frequently visiting and trying to talk Mr. Ferguson into selling, the reason being the government wants to use the house as part of a community project. But that spells trouble not just for Ellen and her parents, but all the fairies as well. Her fluttering heart when the older man comes near is also enough to make her feel even more confused and upset about the whole situation.
Also included in the manga are two extra stories. The first focuses on one of Ellen's next door neighbors, a pair of twins named Tim and Charlotte. They believe they've seen a fairy in her backyard and are determined to come into contact. Fred, their older brother (who is in love with Ellen), tells them it's a bunch of nonsense, but maybe some magic will make him see what he's always denied. In the second story, a poem entitled "The Children of Planet A" touches the lives of three individuals - the French daughter of the man who wrote it, a high school student emotionally weary from what Japanese society expects of her, and a farmer boy in Iowa who dreams of flying beyond the corn fields. If you can get your hands on it, this is a very cute read. Sadly, North American companies appear allergic to series from this era, so I very much doubt we'll ever see it in English. OKANO Fumika (last name first) is the author.
Track list:
1. 渚のシンドバッド (Nagisa no Sinbad)
2. どうにもとまらない (Dou ni mo Tomaranai)
3. 居酒屋 (Izakaya)
4. ペッパー警部 (Album ver.) (Pepper Keibu)
5. 白い蝶のサンバ (Shiroi Chou no Samba)
6. 青春時代 (Seishun Jidai)
7. 林檎殺人事件 (Ringo Satsujin Jiken)
8. ロマンス (Album ver.) (Romance)
9. 街の灯り (Machi no Akari)
10. 恋のダイヤル6700 (Koi no Dial 6700)
11. ピンポンパン体操 (Pinpon Pan Taisou)
12. わたしの青い鳥 (Watashi no Aoi Tori)
13. ジョニイへの伝言 (Jonii e no Dengon)
14. UFO
I found this album to be quite enjoyable, and each song grows on you the more you listen to it (save for one, maybe two). If you're a fan of retro Japanese pop music, this is something you should at least sample. Morning Musume fans will definitely find a few things to love. My favorite track is probably Koi no Dial 6700, it's very bouncy and the girls are in top singing form.
I posted this originally at MyAnimeList, but thought I'd stick it here as well:Allow me to admit outright that the only reason I started watching this show was because the main character, Kirari, is voiced by a member of one of my favorite music groups, Morning Musume. Because I'm a huge fan of shoujo, this was just chocolate frosting on the cake.
Unfortunately, Kirarin Revolution is full of cliches and predictablity. The only things "unique" about it that I can tell is that you basically watch an idol's day-to-day workload, with a tiny smidge of reality cushioned by the usual anime antics. Kirari does not become an idol because of a magical interference (think shows like Fancy La La or the manga Cyber Idol Mink), and she is not simply tossed into the world of celebrity with little or no problems. She actually has to work at it and overcome obstacles on pretty much a daily basis.There is very little development in this story, and for every "useful" episode you will find several fillers. Every now and then you'll also get a "conflict" that takes 2 or 3 episodes to resolve. I know you should expect it to be that way for a series that's over 100 episodes and climbing (with no signs of stopping at that!), but this makes it very slow going. For instance, I have never seen a romance stretched out for this long before. It's enough to make even the most patient hopeless romantic scream "Just get together already!" (for the sake of spoilers, I won't tell you anything else).The music in the show is catchy, but Kirari is indeed a very bad singer, and has a habit of putting emphasis on every syllable in every word. Prepare yourself.
As far as the animation, the quality might have you shaking your head at times because of how OFF the characters can look. I've also heard that later episodes adopt a computerized 3D look - however, I haven't gotten that far and thus can't comment on it yet.It's definitely a cute and fun show, and I do get enjoyment out of it (I am a firm believer in Hiroto's powers of awesome), but it's mostly a light, fluffy romp with not much else to it. I'm sure the young girls it's aimed at adore it (how else would it still be in production?), but if you're looking for something with more substance (and half the length), look elsewhere. If you love to give all shoujo a chance, need something to kill time, and/or you just want to find a harmless guilty pleasure, however, jump right in.
Kiri isn't your average shoujo female. She doesn't dress in the hottest, trendiest, and brightest clothes - instead, she chooses to don jeans and a jacket, complete with baseball cap. She isn't perky and popular - she's lazy, can sleep anywhere at any time, and pretty much keeps to herself, save her two close friends. She doesn't blush at the smile or touch of a cute classmate - in fact, she's not impressed. You'll never see her shopping for hair clips, or scarfing down crepes after school. She's just about as atypical as you can get.And that's part of Beauty Pop's [ビューティーポップ] charm. This series chooses to challenge the stereotype, and address the pressure girls are under to look beautiful (especially if they want to have any chance of getting a boyfriend). It's Kiri's opinion that anyone, no matter their looks and build, can be pretty and confident with a new hairstyle, working her "magic" on poor, unfortunate souls she comes across (like a little girl being harrassed in the first volume). However, she does this anonymously. On the the other hand, The Scissors Project is a whole new matter. "The S.P.," as they are called, run by three popular boys at school (Narumi, Kei, Ochiai), select already good looking girls and give them grand makeovers - basically they'll only work with people who didn't really need the change. This is always done in a very public, bragging fashion. Eventually, Kiri and the club butt heads (or just Narumi, who is dead-set and determined to become the best beautician in Japan. The award winning "genius" displays great annoyance and frustration with Kiri's attitude, "mussy" hairdo and severe lack of feminine behavior).Despite Kiri's incredible talent (and heritage), she doesn't want to make a career out of it, for reasons she won't share with anyone (and only her parents could guess). This adds another level of drama to the series, as pressure builds for her to get more use out of her wasted skills. Basically, if you're looking for something that isn't starring a 12-year-old pig-tailed ball of fluff who saves the world on the weekends, this is it. If you're looking for a love story where looks aren't the deciding factor, this is for you. And if you or anyone you know has ever suffered from low self esteem or rejection because it seemed you just weren't cute enough, this is definitely for you. Beauty Pop is currently under the release of VIZ for the US.
(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).
Episode 89:
Over in America, Hiroto can't stop thinking about Kirari's life changing decision, while at the same time being pressured by his dance teacher to enter a contest for professionals. And Kirari herself doesn't know how to cope with her demotion, so she decides to crown herself Black Wood's assistant. It seems her method is to kill him with kindness, but the man with a "black" heart doesn't appear moved. In fact, it makes him angry, especially when the talents he signed on express unhappiness with the changes to their careers.
Episode 90:
The heads of Muranishi, along with Seiji call an emergency meeting for their idols and competitors, and tell the story of just why Kirari left for Black Wood. They decide to band together in order to survive and keep Black Wood from totally dominating the entertainment industry. In the meantime, our hard-hearted businessman is determined to get 100% viewer ratings for his upcoming televised "Black Festival." If he's able to get that, the revolution will truly have come.
A terrible tragedy forces Emma to leave the home she's known for so many years, and move away from London. Meanwhile, William tries desperately to get his father's approval for a possible relationship with Emma - and gets the should've expected response. With things so much more difficult (both in home and distance), and his father pushing a young heiress named Eleanor to be William's wife, it looks like they just weren't meant to be. Especially when William learns about Emma's dark past, something she'd managed to bury into deep secrecy, except from those who knew her best.
Paramount recently released a DVD set featuring Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas specials by Alvin and the Chipmunks. I shall review each disc as their respective holiday arrives. Disc Two: Alvin's Thanksgiving CelebrationAlvin and his brothers have signed up for a community Thanksgiving pagent, set to be broadcast all over the city. They think it's their ticket to stardom (they aren't stars already?) and make sure Dave gets out all the invites for Thanksgiving dinner, so they can brag to family. But when the roles they're used to are scrambled, the chipmunks start to freak out. Also included are episodes from the 80s TV series: Food For Thought: Theodore may not graduate from their grade unless he passes a test, so Alvin and Theodore try to help him remember important events in American history using food.Cookie Chomper III: The chipmunks adopt a stray kitten, whom soon after meets with an accident when he gets loose from the house. Dave's Getting Married: Dave is getting rather serious with a pretty woman named Marsha, and though his sons like her well enough, it's her own kids (near mirror images of their animal counterparts) that are the problem.As I said in my review for the Halloween disc, check this out if you're a Chipmunks fan and/or simply want to see the 80s show finally on DVD. If you're rather casual about the whole thing, you might want to find something else to watch (like Charlie Brown or Garfield's specials). Although, I did like the episodes selection better in this one (even though some of them, like Dave's Getting Married, I simply couldn't see the Thanksgiving connection). And hey, the Chipettes show up! That's always a plus! I'm warning you, though, animal lovers - Cookie Chomper III might make you cry a little :(
Mari Yaguchi, former member of Morning Musume, has followed in the footsteps of a few fellow H!P members and created her own blog. She's my favorite, so I look forward to visiting (even if I can't read most of it). I just hope she doesn't spend most of her blogging time taking pictures of what she had for lunch. Those plague a lot of Japanese celebrity blogs I've looked at for some reason ;)http://ameblo.jp/mari-yaguchi/
This is Tutenstein's first made-for-TV movie, and aired in October.Tutenstein has been plagued with nightmares lately, and believes the Mirror of Isis is the cure. If he uses it to go back in time, he can stop himself from dying, thus ending the terrible dreams and ensuring him the long and happy reign he feels he so richly deserved. But before Cleo or himself can get their hands on it, it's stolen by a thief. When they confront the man, they are in fact able to go back in time, but they miss Tut's fatal demise by about 1,000 years! Not only that, the mirror is broken and royal guards are out for their heads - until somebody gets a good look at Cleo and mistakes her for Cleopatra, their current ruler. 
As far as these sorts of projects go, it's entertaining but not terribly special - take it or leave it, though fans will certainly get the most enjoyment. I think this is one of those shows that throws in something educational, but doesn't shove it down your throat or talk down to you. Tut was amusing in his anger - I mean, everybody is treating Cleo like a pharaoh, when he's supposed to be one! How dare they, right? Or so he thinks, with his inflated ego. We also learn just how Tut died, and why - the answer might surprise you!
Mabo has been found among the lost children, dirty and silent and covered in bruises. It's immediately discovered that someone has been abusing him, very likely his new adoptive parents, and Sei goes on the rampage. Yamanami's relationship has been steadily progressing with Akesato, but a new conflict within headquarters may stop it permanently before it can lead to anything very serious (like marriage). The poor man is shocked and torn on the dark discovery and doesn't know what to do with that he knows. The answer, or his messy solution, may be more deadly than anyone dreamed.
In this third installment of the new Futurama movie series, we find ourselves taking a glimpse into the nerdy culture of Dungeons and Dragons. Bender is shunned by Cubert and his friends for not having enough of an imagination (or any at all) to play the game with them. Meanwhile, there's a shortage of dark matter due to Mom's monopoly on the fuel market. WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW.........-The fantasy part of the movie they've been using to hype it doesn't happen until the last half hour! -Fry and Leela shippers, do not expect anything. The "shippiest" thing you could get out of it is Fry riding Leela when she's in her horse form.-This pretty much stands by itself with little reference to the last two. Nibbler is magically back with no explanation.-I wonder what Kif would think if he found out Amy was being a lot, uh... friendlier towards males than usual.-This time, and I'll give them this, it feels more like a movie and less like four episodes they'll later slice apart for TV.-A lot of good jokes that had me smiling.Overall, I'd say it's not as good as BBS, but not as bad as BWABB. Somewhere in between.
If you're looking for something that isn't your average, frantic, over-the-top, cutesy shoujo read, this is it. This is the story of a maid named Emma and a man from a wealthy family named William, set in Victorian England. Though they come from vastly different worlds, and according to the culture they could never be together properly, still they find themselves developing feelings for each other in the first volume (William definitely so). Right away you can tell it will be a slow and steady romance that will take many volumes to reach its conclusion. Emma is very shy and demure, definitely not the perky, food obsessed main character you'd expect from a modern shoujo story. William is very head-strong who has no desire to marry somebody his parents choose or go to boring social events "just because." But he'll have to get in line to win her over, seeing as she gets love letters daily (but all of which she turns down). Luckily, his former governess, whom Emma now works for, is rooting for them.It's a very good manga that portrays a quiet, sweet romance that I look forward to reading more of.
