[Movie] Ooku

2010

If gender roles were reversed and women ruled the world, what would become of the concubines?

While this movie focuses on more than the 'manly' squabbles of the shogunate concubines, I would very much rather focus on the small picture. It is rather intriguing. We will slowly back out to focus on the big picture, but right now, just right now, we will talk about pretty boy squabbles for position and power.

Many times have we watched a movie, a drama serial about the concubines of Imperial China. The Emperor would be the cock in charge (forgive the uncouth language, for the lack of a better word...) and the women will fight each other in an endless (and often deadly) competition for the man's attention. 

Women, their nature is conniving and possessive. It is only natural that they would fight each other for a man's attention. As reality dictates, a woman would fight another woman for a lesser man, much more can be said if it were the Emperor of China. 

Now, imagine if the concubine grew penises. Imagine the concubines' places taken up by a bunch of pretty boys. There you go. What a wonderful idea, no?

Say, an epidemic stormed the land, infecting the men - and only the men. What is left is a surplus of women and suddenly, the roles reversed. The shogun is a woman and hundreds of men are lining up, pining to be in the good graces of the shogun. 

Such is the world in which our central character, Mizuno lives. Forced to abandon his first name when he entered the inner chambers a.k.a. Ooku when prospects were growing thin for a descendent of a samurai, Mizuno found himself in a bizarre world. Male servants of the shogun were ranked by hierarchy of those who were the favourites of the shogun slowly down to the ones whom are not worthy to be seen by her. 

The good thing about a reverse harem of pretty boys is that they can bed a higher ranking pretty boy to leap up. Handy, no? Not necessarily more peaceful than a harem of psychotic women, this offers a different look into an alternate world where for once, women had to pay for sex and they had to do the chasing. Interesting, no?

A wonderfully entertaining watch! Makes me want to get my hands on the manga.

[Talk] Aoi Benchi

Fuck Tegomass.

If this single of theirs outsells Sasuke's version released 7 years ago, I will fuckin' flip.

Not that it is any of my business, but still, it pisses me off to no end.

Do you know how long I had to search to find the song? Not to mention the CD, not in a foreign country.

I had to search high and low because all that appears if you Google "Sasuke" would be that idiot from Naruto.

Sure, they did appear on Kouhaku, but they were such a one-hit-wonder that I have no idea what they are doing right now.

And these two fucking douchebags come along, decided that they'd cover it, add a bit of a "YEAAHHH" and then release it as their own.

This is injustice.

This is the Tegomass' half-assed, lazy cover.

This is the Sasuke version.

I remember when I first heard it. It was on NHK's Kouhaku Utagassen. Was it 2004? No, 2005? I don't quite remember the year. But there I was, stationed in front of the television, waiting for the New Year countdown. NHK was newly available, Kouhaku was on, I was ecstatic, my brother and I were just sitting there, watching, ignoring all the fireworks. J-Pop was all that mattered. 

Then this song came up.

What a good song. I have been listening to it frequently since.

Such a great song.

Wait, was that when I first heard Yuzu's "Eikou no Kakehashi"?

I am confused.

Maybe I watched Sasuke on Music Station Super Live?

Anyways, I was watching something and they came up. LOL.

And these fuckers Tegomass had to come and butcher it.

BOO!

[PV] Arashi - Monster

I am not sure if I remember how to do this.

Let me just get warmed up a bit.

I know, I know, the absence has been... seemingly perpetual. It is, I am just taking a stroll down memory lane, catching up on the news and everything.

Reminiscing my younger, more carefree years. After all, this blog started a long, long time ago, when Arashi was not... what it is today and I was more exciting about the underrated. Now that they are like... I dunno, big? Now that I am older... (that's 23...) All these took a backseat to real life.

This was the second single released in 2010. 4 more were coming. Main theme to Ohno's "Kaibutsu-kun" drama. I watched, like, 3 episodes and then I had to quit all things Japan. Long story about moving to another city (my country's equivalent of Jou-Kyou?) and find a job, living on your own...

So sad stuff, let us not go into that. Arashi, Arashi, how have you grown since I left you behind? Going about setting all kinds of records, each member becoming leading men of their own rights. Things have truly changed since 2007. This song, upon first hearing it, was horrible. The verses were subpar and the chorus was mildly catchy. The video reminds me of a cheap version of "truth".

But I guess it is okay. Like any other Arashi songs, after a few more plays, it became bearable, then... it become.. okay. Not something that I would rave over.

The video became okay after a while too. I know they are trying to project the sort of gothic aura and be all vampir-y and cool. Well, after all the shyt they did in their weekly shows, do they really think they'll be taken seriously?

I think MatsuJun, Sho and Nino could look better. I never liked the hairstyles that look like there's a dead octopus attached to your skull. It just looks nasty. Ohno looked overworked and dried up, like a dried octopus.

The only pretty one in here is Aiba. This hair works, that is why he looks good here. The color on the clothes worked on him too. His features aren't deep and strong, thus, the hair and the color affects greatly. 

The snapping was hard because the video was made grainy, probably intentionally to project the sort of dark goth Ed Wood sorta feel. Gawd that movie creeped me out, btw. 

I like the video though. I mean, though the Arashi being all dark and twisty did not work for me (they are the epitome of wholesomeness) but it is a good effort to depart from their usual posing around in a pastel color background singing the ballad that encourages people to look forward to the bright future ahead.

Sounds familiar, well, trying looking at videos for their subsequent singles, four of them. "To Be Free", "Love Rainbow", "Dear Snow" and "Hatenai Sora". Upon first hearing the four of them, you would have thought they were the same song.

Somewhere up there is a snapshot of Sho doing his signature hand movements. Very lame. Is it me or is this getting old?

Maybe it is just me. I am neither fun nor fanatical anymore of this. But god I still love their variety shows. I amassed a large amount of Himitsu no Arashi-chan and am currently doing the same for VS Arashi, next will be Arashi no Shiyagare. I am trying so hard to find all the performances since I last bothered.

It is just like opening a time capsule, really.

I never bothered to revisit something I liked at such an epic proportion though.

This fandom defined my youth. Lol.