Mon, August 11, 2008 (2:28am EDT)
Director Masatoshi Akihara is doing another film based on a Kyusaku Yumeno novel. Last year, he adapted Yumeno's "Shirotsubaki" with Hiroko Hatano as the star. Now, he has chosen Hatano once again for his version of the bizarre murder mystery "Nijushinzo."
The supporting cast includes Yoichi Nukumizu, Yosuke Saito, Yoji Matsuda, and Shiro Maggy. The completed film is already set to make its premiere on September 20, though it won't be screened in Tokyo until October 4.
The supporting cast includes Yoichi Nukumizu, Yosuke Saito, Yoji Matsuda, and Shiro Maggy. The completed film is already set to make its premiere on September 20, though it won't be screened in Tokyo until October 4.
Mon, August 11, 2008 (1:53am EDT)
Oricon took a look at video game characters in a survey conducted last month. The company asked a thousand men and women to name their favorite character, and it was no surprise that Nintendo's iconic plumber Mario ranked #1.
Cloud, the protagonist of popular RPG Final Fantasy VII, was voted #2, finding popularity among both men and women. Mario's dinosaur friend Yoshi was #3.
Three characters tied at #4: Pikachu, Solid Snake, and the "cute" Slime from the Dragon Quest series. The Chocobo from the Final Fantasy series was right behind them at #7.
Doraemon tied for 8th with the Mario Kart version of Toad. At #10 was another three-way tie, with Professor Layton (of the Professor Layton puzzle series) matching the popularity of Yuna (Final Fantasy X) and Squall (Final Fantasy VIII).
Cloud, the protagonist of popular RPG Final Fantasy VII, was voted #2, finding popularity among both men and women. Mario's dinosaur friend Yoshi was #3.
Three characters tied at #4: Pikachu, Solid Snake, and the "cute" Slime from the Dragon Quest series. The Chocobo from the Final Fantasy series was right behind them at #7.
Doraemon tied for 8th with the Mario Kart version of Toad. At #10 was another three-way tie, with Professor Layton (of the Professor Layton puzzle series) matching the popularity of Yuna (Final Fantasy X) and Squall (Final Fantasy VIII).
Mon, August 11, 2008 (1:18am EDT)
Actress Manami Konishi has been chosen as the star of Akira Ogata's new film "Nonchan Noriben." The film marks her first time playing the role of a mother.
The movie is based on the manga of the same name by Kiwa Irie, which was published in the latter half of the 1990s and became the basis of a TBS afternoon drama that ran for two seasons.
In the film, Konishi plays the heroine Komaki Nagai, a woman in her early thirties who finally gets fed up with her husband, who has no job because of his desire to become a writer. She divorces him and moves to the Kyojima area of Tokyo, taking their young daughter Non-chan with her. Unsuccessfully struggling to make ends meet, she suddenly decides to try opening her own bento shop.
Filming is already under way. Theatrical release is scheduled for 2009.
The movie is based on the manga of the same name by Kiwa Irie, which was published in the latter half of the 1990s and became the basis of a TBS afternoon drama that ran for two seasons.
In the film, Konishi plays the heroine Komaki Nagai, a woman in her early thirties who finally gets fed up with her husband, who has no job because of his desire to become a writer. She divorces him and moves to the Kyojima area of Tokyo, taking their young daughter Non-chan with her. Unsuccessfully struggling to make ends meet, she suddenly decides to try opening her own bento shop.
Filming is already under way. Theatrical release is scheduled for 2009.
Mon, August 11, 2008 (12:55am EDT)
It was announced last week that the daughter of rock legend Eikichi Yazawa is officially debuting as a singer with major label Avex. The 22-year-old Yoko will be serving as the vocalist of a new rock group called The Generous.
While Yoko was a teenager, she was living in Los Angeles with her father while he was working on his career there. During that time, she did voice training with the famous Seth Riggs, who has coached stars like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Ray Charles.
Four years ago, Yoko returned to Japan to study at Sophia University. She also started recording demo tapes and performing live shows with the goal of making her debut. She finally got her chance last fall when her music caught the ears of an Avex scout.
On Wednesday, The Generous posted a demo version of their song "Himitsu no Basho" on their official website. The song is also being made available as a ringtone on sites like Recochoku. They will release their first mini-album on October 29, and they plan to kick off a live tour as well.
While Yoko was a teenager, she was living in Los Angeles with her father while he was working on his career there. During that time, she did voice training with the famous Seth Riggs, who has coached stars like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Ray Charles.
Four years ago, Yoko returned to Japan to study at Sophia University. She also started recording demo tapes and performing live shows with the goal of making her debut. She finally got her chance last fall when her music caught the ears of an Avex scout.
On Wednesday, The Generous posted a demo version of their song "Himitsu no Basho" on their official website. The song is also being made available as a ringtone on sites like Recochoku. They will release their first mini-album on October 29, and they plan to kick off a live tour as well.
