Persona 3
December 2nd is the release date of Kingdom Hears Re:Chain Of Memories, the game that started it all for my Japanese love! The introduction to Utada Hikaru’s music for me, and that’s why it’s so dear for me! Besides, it takes me back because I loved playing Kingdom Hearts (1 and 2) when I was younger. I’m eager for the release date of this edition and I might be asking for it later on! It’s a remake of Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories, but for the PS2 platform (My favorite, along with the Wii). I’m sure it’ll contain the charisma, warmth and involving story line that the first and the second game contained (And hopefully, it’ll also contain the beautiful soundtrack [Involving Hikki]).
Another game I’m excited about is Persona 3. I’m not familiar at all with the previous games, but figuring it’s always a different cast, I think it’s a good place to start! It’s another game for the PS2, but it’s really different. You take the role of a normal student in Japan and you balance your high school life with your evil-fighting life. I love the liberty that the game offers and the graphics are really Japanese! The game, though, is quite dark overall, though, with a few disturbing parts mixed with everyday events. It seems quite fun, actually! I love the theme, it’s really original and it has great reviews!
I’ve been reading a book, Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami and I really like it! The characters have really distinct personalities that are really enjoyable to read. The main character, though, is kind of pessimistic, but the author narrates the novel through the eyes of Toru Watanabe in a way that impresses me! I’ve been having great experiences with Japanese books translated into English (Geisha, A Life), and I think I’ll keep having them! The story goes quickly and sometimes there are a few surprises distributed through the novel. I’m really liking it so far. The book is set in Japan during the 60’s, and it’s about a college student who falls in love with two completely different women, Naoko (Unhappy and confused) and Midori (Liberated and open). I like how you can sometimes hate, and sometimes sympathize for Watanabe (He is called by his last name), it’s quite a different feel for a book, not very common.
I’ve also been wanting to get into reading manga, but I guess I’m in the search to looking for one that fits me! I’m sure that most are awesome, I just need to come across one of those. Holiday season is coming and I think I’ll have some time to think about what I want for Christmas!
Also, a few days ago, I was hired by UtadaHikaru.com.br as the translator of her blog messages in Hikki Texts into Portuguese. I’m really excited! I already sent them a post and I’m waiting for their answer of approval or improvement.
Innocent Love is a new dorama (Japanese Drama) that has an Utada Hikaru song (From her 2002 album, Distance) as the theme song. The name of the song is Eternally, but this time it’s remixed with new vocals and new instruments, making it Eternally -Drama Mix-. I love the song, both versions actually (Especially the new version). My first impression of the dorama though, wasn’t positive because of its title and the romantic song that was picked for its theme. I’m not a big fan of romance, but a review that I read encouraged me to give Innocent Love a shot, and even though there are many similarities between Innocent Love and Last Friends and it can take away from the show’s uniqueness and originality, it’s still fun to watch. The similarities are as follows:
- On both promotional banners, the characters are tied by a chain of clothing.
- Both opening sequences contain words beside each character that describes each one.
- Both have homosexual characters.
- Both have a sweet, gentle character that faces many problems but aren’t strong enough (Yet) to face their problems.
The story is quite romantic, but it has a bit of drama and I felt really bad for the main character (Akiyama Kanon) for many parts of the episode, which is good… It means that the actors are good enough to pass on their emotions to the audience. The main characters are:
- Akiyama Kanon: She’s a sweet girl, she’s suffered a lot with the death of her parents when she was very young (13 or 14). She seems to keep positivity, though, and is optimistic about stuff… She really brightens up the mood of the coffee shop she worked in before she was fired.
- Nagasaki Junya: He’s Kanon’s crush and his smile is always really big and bright. He seems to carry the same optimistic vibe as Kanon, only a lot more. He’s a pianist at the church he works at and it quite mysterious… He knows a hospitalized girl (Probably in a coma) and tries to cheer her up every Christmas.
- Sakurai Mizuki: She’s the jealous girl who like Junya, but is often having to compete for his love between the kids of the church he works at. Everyone loves him and she has a hard time getting some alone time with him. It seems like some rivalry will sprout between her and Kanon. She acts one way with Junya and another way when he’s not around.
- Akiyama Yoji: He’s Kanon’s brother and is in juvenile hall. He doesn’t seem to be guilty of his crime, and is paying for it unfairly because he never did anything. He and Kanon seem to be really united, even though sometimes he can really look intimidating. After she told him she has a crush on someone, he gets really angry and unleashes it on his cellmate.
- Narimiya Hiroki: He’s a friend of Junya’s, and just like everyone who’s a friend of Junya’s, he really likes him… But he likes him in another way from what we observe on the first episode. He’s the “Ruka” of Innocent Love (Ruka was the homosexual character in Last Friends).
At first, from the opening sequence, I didn’t get a view from what the drama would be about, it did seem awfully catholic though, with a church and a crucifix that Kanon was wearing, but it’s not as romantically religious as I though. The opening sequence truly was beautiful, only too beautiful, and it contributed to my image of an exaggeratedly romantic dorama. I was wrong!
[Spoilers] The episode already begins with a house catching on fire on Christmas Eve, 2001. Two kids come out of the house, one is 18 years old and the other 13/14. They are siblings, and the girl shouts out for her mother, trying to come back into the house, but the brother keeps her from going back inside. A fireman says the house will collapse and it does. The kids are now orphans and the bigger brother is charged for the murder of his parents. The kids are Kanon (The 13/14 year-old girl) and her brother, Yoji (The 18 year-old boy).
Now, Kanon has grown up (She’s 20/21 years old) and she is working at a coffee shop called Coffee Tea. She greets a customer after doing some cleaning and talking to her workmate, and after telling him her name and where she came from, he remembers the fire that went on and how she murdered her parents. The next day, he tells the lady in Coffee Tea (Her workmate) about the incident, and she goes to Kanon and fires her, with the excuse that her sister will be working here with her. Kanon continues to work, and overhears the conversation between her workmate and the man:
“He killed their parents, this girl’s brother. When I heard she is from Nagamori, I remember that incident. And then her name… You are better off not getting involved with her”
Kanon gets really sad, because she is always accused of parricide. She takes the bus to visit her brother at the local juvenile hall. She goes there to tell him she’s moving to the big city, but she didn’t, she discussed how she can take him from jail. Her brother, though, doesn’t seem very optimistic, so it’s unknown if he’s guilty or not, but either way, they’re really close.
The episode resumes with flashbacks of their teenage-hood with no parents and the things that Kanon goes through in the big city.
I recommend watching it if you’re curious because it’s a great dorama, and the first episode is filled with injustices that she goes through (Including getting fired from her other job [As a cleaning lady] because her workmate stole money and said it was kanon), and how she finds her crush. She is really hurt and scarred by her past, reflecting on her future and making her who she is… It’s a really sweet show, though. I’m not a fan of romance, but it has enough romance for it to be cute and sweet (Innocent, in this case), but not enough for it to be boring and sticky. I really recommend it!
Episode 1 (Torrent Download)
The opening sequence. Enjoy!
I have recently been introduced to a Korean singer called BoA. One of my best friends, Chris (Xy), has been a fan of hers for a long time and she had shown me a few songs, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I felt like really listening to her… It was really odd, like an urge, and I barely knew her. I spent my night downloading all her Japanese albums and today I listened to a few songs. I like her style and her voice! It’ll take some getting used to because she has a really distinct style, but I know that she’s talented! I really like Eat You Up (Her American single), The Light Of Seoul, Listen to my heart, and LA.LA.LA LOVE SONG. I really like BoA so far! It’s a great recommendation by Xy! (And I’m usually stubborn for recommendations)
Just like I had an urge for BoA yesterday, I have an urge for Hikki today! I have UH4 (Utada Hikaru: Single Clip Collection Vol. 4) in my computer right now and I’m lovingly looking and listening to Utada Hikaru and her wonderful and beautiful music videos for her 4th album ULTRA BLUE. I can’t pick a favorite because they’re all so beautiful and she sounds amazing in all of them. From the beautiful ballad that is Be My Last, to the cheerful and lovely Keep Tryin’. I know that I’m going to be watching lots of her DVDs this holiday! I miss her because it’s been a while that I’ve had Hikki time!
I remember when I received my birthday order from YesAsia and how excited I was! I had so many things to see! I loved everything about it, especially because I know and love all of Hikki’s songs, from 1999 to 2008! I received the order one day after the release of her fifth Japanese album, HEART STATION. There were albums, single clip collections, and concerts! It was all wrapped up so neatly that I had to take pictures and eternalize that day! (Especially after the huge delay! I was meant to receive the order in February)
I spent a few days watching all of the DVDs, and being amazed by every second of them! I then spent weeks watching them over and over again! Hikki truly is a flexible and talented artist that I couldn’t live without! I’ve just been listening to a music player with her songs (Popular and not so popular), and it really brought me back! The songs selected for HEARTSTATIONRADIO are really good, from her past and present and really nostalgic! A great listen for any new (Or potential) Hikki fan!
I miss the days when I listened to WINGS, Stay Gold (While I eagerly waited for my order to arrive), BLUE, and other favorites (More like all other songs by her) that really bring me back! I know I’ll want to watch her performances and music videos again!
Lately, it appears she’s in New York (Her hometown), probably recording and working on her second English album! Kuma Chang appears to be reading The New York Times, and UTADA’s website in Island Def Jam is being changed, with the news column of the website blank now… It’s suspected that news will be posted soon! It’s really exciting! I’ve been looking forward to this since last year!
Today was a really social day for me. Today we had a special schedule in school (Basically cutting 15 minutes off our long blocks and a few from our shorter blocks) for a special meeting we’d be having with other kids of middle and high school in separate groups about shared values. The students were all mixed together… Like Oil and water… My group and I had nothing to do with each other, but I still kept a positive attitude, and figuring I was basically one of the most confident people in my group, I had nothing to worry about, and I truly didn’t.
Each student was assigned to a group, maybe of 10 students from both middle and high school, and were also assigned a room where they’d meet at the end of the day. I felt kind of sorry for the student in charge of the meeting, I’ve always seen her around, and she looks really fun! She was always trying to bring some humor, or maybe even anything to the conversation, but people were really closed, except for me and another boy. I think we’re the ones that spoke the most, and I didn’t feel intimidated at all! This is new for me, and seeing how other people were so shy, I felt like I had to speak so that these efforts to unify the school weren’t wasted. I felt like it was also a time to speak up and enhance my confidence a little, like a challenge for myself! I liked it!
The intro video to open the discussion was that of a girl that was different and wasn’t accepted in any of the “clicks” of her school. The song that played in the background was Beautiful, I guess the song that had most airplay in 2002, and one of the best by Christina Aguilera! I like it a lot!
I really respect difference, and I love it, it makes people original, what they are, and I feel like I took the lead in the meeting because not only did I know how it is to feel so different, but I respected others differences. I love being different and I know that I’m admired for never hiding who I am and that even though I am different from everyone else, I feel like people respect that! I’m happy for that, but I’m sad that other people aren’t respected for theirs, I see many examples of this at school, even.
School was over and I was brooding about what I would have to do next. I would be going to a boy’s house (A boy who I never talked to, that I’ve never seen in my life) because my piano teacher likes to schedule get-togethers with the students where we’d play piano for each other. I started this May to play the piano, so she let me play only next time, leaving me to watch them all.
I guess I tested the concept of inclusion discussed at the meeting, and I was welcomed really well in this boy’s house, he’s a few years older than me (Maybe 15 or 17), and he plays the piano for a long time, and really well. He was really friendly and I didn’t feel like another student I really felt like a student! My teacher complimented my skills to everyone and that even though I’m not playing today, I’m an excellent student, and that opened to many conversations between the parents and me, and I didn’t feel awkward at all! Not even intimidated. It was a fun experience, actually. At first, I didn’t really want to be there, but then people shared experiences and it became less of a burden and more of a new experience. There were many talented people there, and I’m glad that now I’m one of them!
I feel like the days now are going to be more positive! I hope and I want them to be! It was a good day today.
Filed under: About Me, Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, Pop Culture, Tila Tequila, Utada Hikaru
Hikki Promoting HEART STATION
Japanese Music
My favorite music genre is R&B, even when it comes to Japanese music! I love the versatility of Japanese artists, though. They’re not afraid to experiment with their voices and sing to different genres, but when an R&B-inspired song shows up, I melt. Of course, I love ballads, some rock, electronic music, and the distinct style that each of the Japanese artists adds to their work.
Of course I don’t stick to only one genre, the versatility of Japanese music always bring freshness, even when it’s not in my area of interest, and while I love songs like Fight The Blues, by Utada Hikaru, I also go crazy over 本能 (Honnou/Instinct) by Shiina Ringo. They’re really different artists, but each of them have their style.
Utada Hikaru: Hikki is my all-time favorite singer, Japanese and American. There isn’t one song by her that I don’t love and I’m sure I’ve listened to all of them enough times to memorize parts of the song, even though it’s in Japanese. Her voice is really strong and different, and so is her music. This is what made her one of the most accomplished artists not only in Japan, but also in the world. Her style ranges from electronic pop to ballads, from rock to R&B, and I love it, it’s always refreshing. Her latest album, HEART STATION, is incredible and, according to Rolling Stone magazine, her most heartwarming record. For being all that she is (Beyond words), she’s in my heart!
Koda Kumi: Kuu-chan is very different from other JPop singers. She is known for her really urban music, and her voice is also really distinct and amazing. She has always been quite controversial in Japan with her lyrics and performances, but she’s trying more styles now and has many ballads out along with her original style. She always has lots of upbeat songs and her dances are very elaborate and fun. I’d label her as the Japanese Britney Spears. Her songs are also really refreshing!
Ayumi Hamasaki: Basically, the Madonna of Japan. I think that these days, Ayu has been sticking a lot to rock songs, and that’s not quite my style, but songs like talkin’ 2 myself and Mirrorcle World are just amazing. I’m still adapting to her style, and while there are a few songs that I don’t enjoy that much, there are some that I can’t stop listening to! Lately, she lost her hearing for her left ear, but she says that she’s going to continue singing!
Shiina Ringo: She’s really incredible. Her voice is really high-pitched and her music ranges from jazz to rock. She also sings some enka (Enka is traditional Japanese music). Her 本能 single has to be one of the best I ever heard in my life. While 本能 itself is a great song, with rock and jazz mixed together, the other two songs in the single (あおぞら [Blue Sky] and 輪廻ハイライト [Rebirth Highlight]) are all about the jazz and have beautiful arrangements with the saxophone, piano, and are really relaxing and addicting. I love her style.
Ami Suzuki: Ami Suzuki is a singer that is really different from any other I’ve listened to. She has her own distinct style, and doesn’t sing much R&B, actually, she sticks to ballads and more electronic pop music. Normally, it’s not what I’d listen to, but her voice and everything about her is amazing. I love her albums CONNETTA and DOLCE, they’re the best for the distinct music they contain, with many different genres per track. I also love where she’s heading with the single can’t stop the DISCO.
American/European Music
Xtina Promoting Keeps Gettin' Better
R&B was brought in the United States, so I couldn’t not love the originators of this type of music. Yesterday I was listening to Wonderful by Aretha Franklin, and it’s so good, I love it. It’s a pretty recent song (From 2003), and I wish that this type of music would be created more often.
Christina Aguilera: I love versatility, and Christina Aguilera always brings it. She always seems to change her image for every album she has released, and along with this change, she brings a new genre, a new style. This is what happened to Stripped, Back To Basics, and it’s what’s happening to Keeps Gettin’ Better. She focuses mainly on R&B, but lately she’s been experimenting more with electro-pop, her music is similar to Ami Suzuki’s, even. It’s only natural when her inspiration this time is Tokyo. I’ve been loving Christina’s music ever since 1999, but have considered myself a fan since 2005.
Amy Winehouse: It’s impossible not to love Amy’s music. She brings a different kind of R&B, sometimes mixed up with reggae, others with a darker vibe, but always incredible. Her voice is never mistaken and now she’s one of the world’s most accomplished artists! She has only two albums out and they’re both super good. Songs like Valerie, You Sent Me Flying and others are the best ones in my opinion, but there are so many great songs that it’s hard to pick.
Tila Tequila: Tila Tequila isn’t the ordinary singer. She might be many things, but she does put her musical career in first place. I love her music. She might not be an Utada Hikaru, or a Christina Aguilera, but she has her style, her outspoken lyrics and her manner of being, and I love that. It’s always fun to listen to. Some people might not understand, but I still love it. I’m certainly buying her debut album that comes out this December. So far she has 3 singles out and they are really good!
Britney Spears: Anyone who can fall so low and get back to her old status in her career with only one single (Womanizer) deserves all the credit. Again, her voice isn’t like Christina’s or Hikki’s, but it’s really good for her type of music and she has the attitude. I admire her for all she’s gone through and how hard she’s trying to get back on track. Her older songs are the best and I’m going to continue being a huge fan (I have been one since her first single)!
Mary J. Blige: I haven’t been exposed to her music as long I have been to Christina’s or Britney’s, but I know that it’s really good. I still can’t stop listening to Just Fine, and she has many great fans (Including my idol, Hikki). She has a really original style and I love it. It’s very different, kind of urban but also kind of soulful… It’s really distinct and I like it a lot. I’ll be listening to more of her latest album, Growing Pains.
Of course, these are only some of the artists that I enjoy, but these are the ones I have mentioned here on HEART STATION before. If you have any thoughts, be sure to comment!
This is how I came to school today
I guess I woke up with the wrong foot… Or the wrong pair of shoes. I don’t know what happened, but I came to school wearing two different shoes! At least they’re both Nike, so it wasn’t all that off. I tried making a joke out of it the whole day and have a little bit of fun, even though I was disturbed by it… Jacksy (My English teacher) wisely put it all in one question: “Would you rather have mismatching shoes or no shoes at all?” My pick is a mismatching pair. It was pretty funny to watch people’s expressions when I told them to look at my shoes… A little humor to an embarrassing fact (At least both of them matched my outfit).
Just yesterday I posted about the many different flavors of my life and how I’m using music as a source of inspiration and happiness, and it seems like today served as a challenge to test my theories of embracing challenges that come my way.
Not only did I come to school with mismatching shoes that I didn’t notice until it was pointed out, but I also wasn’t all that happy. I felt like it was a continuation of the hard day I went through recently. I feel like I went badly on the math quiz I took today (And not so bad on the test I took on that same hard day!), but at least I can retake it… But still, it’s bad to have a weighted conscience for something like this.
Today was basically a soap opera. When I discovered that my pair of shoes weren’t really a pair of shoes, (During P.E.) Pamela got hurt with the softball and a boy in our class had no consideration for it, and continued the attempt to burn a player off the game. Everyone noticed and started going against him while Pam was on the floor, in a lot of pain. She needed to be brought up, and the boy who couldn’t even pretend to care was the strongest one. People called him and he ignored them, but when I said that he should bring her up he exploded and started to call me names, including the other people too. He has a really short temper and after his screaming and name-calling fit, he started to cry. It was really annoying, but it was worth it because he got to hear a piece of my mind and I’m sick of him dealing with problems in an aggressive and unnecessary way, and then crying.
I had a weighted conscience for many things, but I still couldn’t not stop to listen to some really great music!
Kimberly Wyatt: A dancer/singer for The Pussycat Dolls. She recorded a song for the deluxe edition of their latest album, Doll Domination, and so far, it’s my favorite song from the album. She covered the song Don’t Wanna Fall In Love, and it’s really good! Reminds me of Britney Spears, kind of, but it still has its own life and spirit. I like it a lot!
Mary J. Blige: Utada Hikaru’s favorite diva (Hikki even confessed that she couldn’t live without Mary J. Blige’s second album). I downloaded her latest album (Growing Pains) and I love Just Fine! It’s a great mood raiser and a fun upbeat song! I’ll be looking at a few more songs by her… She’s worth the listen!
The day doesn’t seem to have gone all that bad as it seemed before, I guess that just a little positivity will do what lots of effort can’t (And vice-versa, of course). Even though there are many tiny little negative things every now and then, I still love where I am!
Lately, like I am frequently expressing, the days haven’t been as exciting as I wished they’d be, or as fun, but I feel myself addicted to music and I love carrying my iPod everywhere to listen to it if I have the opportunity. I’ve been balancing the discovery of new Japanese music with music that I haven’t been listening to for a while and that I used to love, never missing a chance to bring back nostalgia… Something that 2008 has been all about for me. Some of the artists I’ve been listening to a lot:
Britney Spears: I miss the 90’s Britney Spears (But then again, what don’t I miss from the 90’s?), and it seems like whenever an artist leaves the music scene for a while, their style changes completely, and I have to admit that Blackout wasn’t a big hit for me… One song that I’ve been listening to a lot is I’ve Just Begun (Having My Fun) and also a few older songs like Showdown and Touch Of My Hand. In The Zone is a great album along with older hits of hers.
t.A.T.u.: t.A.T.u. is such a fun group. I like their controversial songs like Not Gonna Get Us, that was quite famous at the time of its release, but I also like songs that aren’t so famous like Sacrifice and I also love Loves Me Not. Their style hasn’t changed much, which is good because I like it a lot and they’re always good to listen to!
Utada Hikaru: The basic Japanese music. I’ve been listening a lot to upbeat songs like Keep Tryin’, but also to songs like 光 (Hikari). I also love Fight The Blues! It’s really good. Hikki’s voice is really good and she always brings me back! It’s always good to remember that I have her to listen to! Her upbeat songs bring up my mood a lot. I’ve also been listening to a lot of songs of her First Love era (Her debut album). Songs like Another Chance and Never Let Go.
Ami Suzuki: I like Ami Suzuki’s music, even though it’s not quite my style because it’s really techno and all, but there’s something about the flexibility of it that makes me listen to it every once in a while! Songs like Like A Love?, can’t stop the DISCO, Crystal and especially Bitter… always make me listen to her. She’s also really cute and I’ve been listening to her a lot! I think that if I listen to her music again after some time, I’ll be sure to remember how 9th grade was all about her!
Life has a different flavor these days and I find myself very much in touch with a more poetic, soulful side when I’m not busy being random and positive, or busy (When in school) about everything else. Urban, for example, the poem I’ve written lately is a written record of my newfound love for my surroundings and the city, the music, everything. I felt inspired by the city and the words flowed naturally. I’m experiencing a new phase of my life and I like it in a way… Even if I don’t like it so much in another, it’s still change, and like everything else (Or nothing else), I’ll try to embrace it, or I’ll have to embrace it.
