水曜日, 5月 31, 2006

Manga Vol 33 - Tezuka Kunimitsu Kyuushuu Hen

As seen from the title, this volume focuses primarily on what happened to Tezuka when he was in Kyuushuu for his treatment. Thus, there are 4 chapters dedicated to that section alone.

When Tezuka was in Kyuushuu, the treatment itself did not take a long time but the real issue was coping with the emotional trauma of injuring himself again which would rule out the possibility of joining his teammates for the Nationals. Due to this, he was apprehensive about raising his left arm despite the doctor's assurance that he shouldn't have any problems. It was then when he met a little girl, Miyuki there who had a similar problem like him where she would freeze with nervousness whenever she took part in official matches even though she was really good at the game. Some Shishiraku guys came along and challenged Tezuka to a match but for fear of aggravating his injury, Tezuka didn't even dare to do a proper serve. Of course, it wasn't surprising that he had lost by 6-0. Miyuki knew that Tezuka shouldn't be playing like this and took on those Shishiraku guys alone. This made Tezuka overcome his fear syndrome as he derived courage from Miyuki's refusal to give up and trounced those arrogant guys. A few days later, when Miyuki won her first match, she went back to the hospital to look for Tezuka but he had already returned to Tokyo.

By the way, Chitose who was previously from Shishiraku with Tachibana also appeared at the end to watch what was going on and Miyuki called him Onichan. Are they siblings in the first place? Since there's an unexplored link between them, I suppose Miyuki might appear again when Chitose's team Shitenbouji takes on Seigaku in the semi-finals since Fudoumine looks set to lose to Shitenbouji even if Tachibana does beat Chitose in the match which has barely begun in Jump.

Coming back to Tezuka's match with Kabaji, the going gets tough for Tezuka due to the fact that Kabaji copies his every move and with increased strength since he has a larger build as compared to Tezuka. However, experience and adaptability in the form of Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami (loosely translated as The Self-Attained Essence of Endless Practices) gives Tezuka the upperhand as a sudden downpour causes Kabaji to be unable to copy Tezuka to a T in such conditions. Atobe had expected Kabaji to give Tezuka a hard time because it is hard to fight against yourself but the downpour thwarted his plans.

Due to the rain, the quarterfinals match has to be postponed. As such, the Doubles 1 match between the Golden Pair of Seigaku (Ooishi & Kikumaru) and Hyotei's version of the Golden Pair (Shishido & Ootori) takes place at 9am on the next day. This is a very close match since both pairs boast of a strong partnership and are in sync with their partners. However, the postponing of the match proves to be a big test to the stamina of these guys since the high temperature and humidity make it feel as if they are in a furnace when they stand on the court. Coupled with the fact that Ootori has managed to "upgrade" his Scud Serve to the new version "Neo Scud Serve" which is even faster than Inui's "Waterfall", this makes it difficult for the Seigaku duo to do anything about the service aces which go to Hyotei as a result. The match goes into a tie-break and by the end of this volume, we see the score at 6-3 with Hyotei needing a single point to win this match.

Well, from what I remember, this tie-break is going to take quite some time. As such, I'm not sure whether we will be done with the Singles 1 match between Atobe and Echizen in Vol 34 because that was also a lengthy match right till the end. And that bozu challenge...oh my god! I think those who have read my past entries would have known the outcome of this match so I won't go into details in case people do not want to read spoilers.

Before I forget, Vol 34 will be published on 4 July as announced on Shueisha's website. Till then!

火曜日, 5月 30, 2006

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Hoshi Souichirou!

Today's the birthday of Hoshi Souichirou who plays Mukahi Gakuto in Tenipuri! He was born on 30 May 1972 and today marks his 34th birthday. His hometown is Fukushima Prefecture's Kaitsu Wakamatsu City and his blood group is B. He graduted from the Nippon Narration Engikenkyuujou and is now under the management of Arts Vision. Due to his surname, he's sometimes called Hoshi which means star or by his nickname Hosshi. After watching the anime "Majou no Takukyuubin", Hoshi made up his mind to be a seiyuu. Under the name of Mukahi, he has released a solo single, "DA.DA.DA." and made guest appearances in the solo albums of Oshitari Yuushi (Kiuchi Hidenobu) and Kikumaru Eiji (Takahashi Hiroki). Besides Tenipuri, Hoshi-san's voice can also be heard in other animes like Ao yori Aoshi, Ueki no Housoku, H2, Onegai Teacher, Onegai Twins, Kido Senshi Gundam SEED, Meine Liebe, Meine Liebe Wieder, Crayon Shin-chan, Saiyuuki RELOAD, Xenosaga THE ANIMATION, Tenjou Tenge, To Heart, NARUTO, Haruka naru toki no naka ni and Meitantei Conan.

月曜日, 5月 29, 2006

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Takahashi Mikako!

Today's the birthday of Takahashi Mikako, the seiyuu who plays Ryuuzaki Sakuno! She was born on 29 May 1980 and comes from Chiba Prefecture. Takahashi-san graduated from Teikyo Heisei Tanki Daigaku (Teikyo Heisei Short-Term University) and belongs to I'm Enterprise. Actually, Takahashi-san took part in the idol nurturing programme, Ebitai before making her debut under the agency Murals. She formed a duo named Excel Girls with Kobayashi Yumiko but when the company was dissolved, this also marked an end to the partnership since Kobayashi joined a different agency i.e. Arts Vision. Besides Tenipuri, Takahashi's voice can also be heard in animes like Hachimitsu to Clover (Yamada Ayumi), Karin, Ichigo 100%, Gindama, Joushikousei GIRLS' HIGH, Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora (Akiba Rika), Mai Oto-HIME and Maria-sama ga Miteru.

Well, I must admit that I didn't like Takahashi-san's voice when I first heard her in Tenipuri. I guess it has much to do with the fact that I dislike female characters who seem so weak, shy and without a character of their own. It irked me to hear her saying "Ryoma-kun" all the time. I am also the type who has some issues with high pitched and saccharine-sweet voices so you can guess how receptive I was towards this seiyuu.

However, everything changed when I watched Hachikuro. I must say that it is partly related to the fact that Takahashi-san played Yamada so well that the sweet voice didn't get on my nerves as compared to Sakuno and there was more depth in this character too. That's why I grew to like her more as time went by. As for the rest of her works, I've only watched Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora but I didn't like her character Rika though. Maybe the characters she plays has a strong influence as to whether I like her performance so the moment I see a cutesy-type of girl plus Takahashi-san's voice, my reaction tends to be rather adverse. Could this be an allergy to the "kawaii-girl" in animes?

With the on-going OVA series, one would have expected that Takahashi would get to appear in this but so far, I've not heard her voice in the 2 volumes of DVDs. She may appear in any of the remaining 5 volumes though although chances may be low. I guess there is too much content to cover so that leaves very little room for Sakuno and her noisy buddy, Tomoka to speak a single line. As such, fans of Takahashi may be disappointed to find her conspicuously missing from the seiyuu list and her pet phrase, "Ryoma-kun" feeling like a thing of the past.

日曜日, 5月 28, 2006

New Tenipuri Musical CD releases

As announced on Interchannel's website, here is the info on 3 upcoming Tenipuri Musical CD releases:

1) Title: Musical Tennis no Oujisama Complete CD-BOX
Release Date: 26 July 2006
Price: 14,000 yen
Catalog Number: NECA-70023
7-CD complete set excluding the Dream Live series for the musical performed from 2003 to 2006. Also includes special disc with the 2005-2006 Hyotei Gakuen Winter performance and unreleased bonus tracks. Premiums in this set are the deluxe lyrics card, TenniMyu data booklet, memorial pass, original sticker and special illustrated box.

2) Title: Musical Tennis no Oujisama Best Actors' Series 003 ~ Aiba Hiroki as Fuji Shuusuke
First press premium: Photocard 003 Aiba Hiroki
Catalog Number: NECA-23003
Release Date: 26 July 06
Price: 2300 yen

3) Title: Musical Tennis no Oujisama Best Actors' Series 004 ~ Saito Takumi as Oshitari Yuushi & Aoyanagi Ruito as Mukahi Gakuto
First press premium: Photocard 004 Saito Takumi & Aoyanagi Ruito
Catalog Number: NECA-23004
Release Date: 26 July 06
Price: 2300 yen

土曜日, 5月 27, 2006

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Mizuki Hajime!

Today's the birthday of Mizuki Hajime, the data-man in St. Rudolph! Whenever Mizuki appears, especially if Fuji is around, you can be sure of comical relief as the latter would always ignore Mizuki as if he is like the air even though Mizuki keeps calling himself the biggest rival of Fuji. No matter how many times he gets slighted, Mizuki simply refuses to give up and keeps making a fool of himself. And when that happens, it's usually Yuuta taking the brunt of Mizuki's frustration and the poor guy can't do anything about it. ^__^

The only time when Mizuki got the most attention from Fuji would be their match during the Tokyo semi-finals and he had assumed that Fuji would be a walkover opponent. Never did he expect that his treatment of Yuuta brought out the "vengeful" streak in Fuji and he has the dubious honour of being one of the few "enemies" of this Mr. Nice Guy. At least Fuji didn't treat Kirihara like an eyesore after their match but he completely ignored Mizuki as if he's a complete stranger. To someone who's proud of his existence, that can be said to be the biggest insult.

To be frank, my first impression of Mizuki wasn't good at all. I thought he was some scheming freak who kept talking about data and everything going according to his scenario. In one word, I would use "irritating" to describe him. He failed to realise that data will only be of use if you know how to utilize it to your advantage. As demonstrated by Inui, having the knowledge amounts to nothing when you don't have the techniques to turn the tide of the match. Well, the humbling experience he had with Fuji should have made him realise the problem with his approach towards tennis so in a way, it had beneficial effects on him. At least, I don't feel put off when he appears. However, Mizuki still has a long way to go before I can use the word "humble" to describe him though.

Name: Mizuki Hajime
School: St. Ruldoph Gakuin Chuu Year 3
Date of Birth: 27 May
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Height: 166cm
Weight: 52kg
Blood Type: B
Play style: All-rounder, right-handed
Favourite shoes: PRINCE Quik Trak Ti (Navy)
Favourite racket: YONEX Muscle Power 7
Special technique: Data tennis
Favourite Food: Cream soup and Ice sherry caviar
Hobby: Choosing the tea leaves for his red tea
Family: Grandparents, parents and 2 elder sisters
Father's occupation: Agriculture and enka singer
Subjects good at: Japanese, English, French and Spanish
Favourite colour: white
Favourite trait in a girl: No particular trait (Why are you asking this anyway?)

金曜日, 5月 26, 2006

Sanada's album received on Wed

Actually, I received Sanada's album on Wed but only after a lot of problems with the post office. They claimed the postman came and found no one at home but I didn't go out at that time. Even if the delivery was unsuccessful, they should have left an advice to inform accordingly as per past experience. And I found none lying at my doorstep. After a lot of distress suffered due to the perpetually busy hotline which never gets through (I have to hold on for more than 10 minutes no matter when I call), I finally got what I wanted. To date, my complaint has not been addressed even though they said that they will "look into the matter". No decency at all to inform me of what exactly is going on! I would have thought that HMV Japan's switch to using EMS would spare me from all the problems I went through with the last courier company and now history is repeating itself. The issue is not with HMV Japan or Japan Post but rather our local postal authority. I get a headache whenever I deal with them.

Anyway, back to the album itself, I've not had time to listen to the 2 CDs yet since I'm only done with 4 tracks at the moment. As such, I will post a full review of the album as well as the content in the bonus CD at a later date.

And now, it's back to yet another tussle with the post office over where my OVA DVD is. It's already reflected as processed on their website so why didn't they deliver it this afternoon? I simply dread calling the hotline which keeps telling you to wait and play that irritating song. No amount of soothing music will help unless your staff picks up the phone. Why don't they ever understand this?

月曜日, 5月 22, 2006

Higa Rival Player CD Series

NEC Interchannel will release a new rival player series featuring 5 of the Higa players on 19 Aug at the price of 1190 yen each. Details as follows:

Title: THE BEST OF RIVAL PLAYERS XXVI
Artist: Kite Eishiro (the captain)
Catalog number: NECM-11036

Title: THE BEST OF RIVAL PLAYERS XXVII
Artist: Tanishi Kei (the guy who played against Echizen in Singles 3)
Catalog Number: NECM-11037

Title: THE BEST OF RIVAL PLAYERS XXVIII
Artist: Chinen Hiroshi
Catalog Number: NECM-11038

Title: THE BEST OF RIVAL PLAYERS XXIX
Artist: Hiragoba Rin
Catalog Number: NECM-11039

Title: THE BEST OF RIVAL PLAYERS XXX
Artist: Kai Yuujirou
Catalog Number: NECM-11040

The first press of these CDs will include a postcard to take part in a lucky draw where 500 fans will be picked to receive original coloured papers. I suppose the amount will be equally divided among the 5 groups of applicants. Apparently, there are different colours in the range thus the postcard you get in the CD will mean what type of coloured paper you will receive. However, there are no details as to how many versions there will be and what designs or content these coloured papers will contain.

日曜日, 5月 21, 2006

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Sanada Genichirou!

Finally, at long last! Today is the birthday of Sanada Genichirou, who is one of my Top 3 characters along with Tezuka Kunimitsu and Atobe Keigo. My love affair with Sanada began at a much later date as compared to Tezuka and Atobe since he didn't appear right at the start of the series. In fact, the first time when I saw him, I didn't have a strong impression at all. That was when he was watching the Tezuka and Atobe match during the Kantou Tournament's 1st round with Kirihara Akaya and Yanagi Renji. If I have to say what made me take notice of the trio, that would be their red jerseys which never made a comeback even though I thought that looked very cool. Besides, my attention was completely taken up by the two captains so I wouldn't have time to look at what was happening outside the court.

It was only when Sanada appeared during the Kantou semi-finals against Fudoumine which made me sit up and take notice. At that time, he paired up with Renji and beat the daylights out of the Fudoumine pair. That was the first time I thought this guy looked so cool but it took a while before I actually felt a stronger liking for him. When the final was postponed due to the rain and Sanada beat Echizen during the informal match, I was already bowled over. Finally, after reading the manga itself, I found myself completely obsessed with Sanada to the extent that he now shares top spot with Tezuka and Atobe. It's hard to choose between the three of them so I classify them as my Top 3 favourites instead of forcing myself to kill a lot of brain cells by trying to rank them.

As for why I like him, I guess it has a lot to do with the fact that I have a soft spot for guys who appear tough on the surface and have a gentler side unknown to others. Sanada appears tough, strict, unfeeling and cool but he cares for the people around him although he doesn't show it. For example, he was very worried about Yukimura's condition and from the way he behaved towards the latter, it's evident that he's not as unfeeling as he seems. Another example would be his concern for Kirihara who was facing some doubts over whether to change his violent play style after being beaten by Fuji during the Kantou finals and he was smiling when he saw how Kirihara overcame his problems. As for looks, I must say that he may not be the type whom girls will like at first glance but the more I see him, the more I like him. Maybe that's reflective of the saying, "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder". ^__^

To mark his birthday this year, NEC Interchannel will be releasing Sanada's first solo album. Too bad I can't get it before Sunday since it's in the shipping process and will be delayed due to the weekend. I can't wait for the item to be delivered to me which I suppose will be from Tuesday onwards.

Name: Sanada Genichirou
School: Rikkaidai Fuuzoku Chuugakkou Year 3
Date of birth: 21 May
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Height: 180cm
Weight: 68kg
Blood Group: A
Play Style: All-rounder, right-handed
Favourite shoes: YONEX Power Cushion 21 (SHT-21)
Favourite racket: BABOLAT VS Drive
Special technique: Fuurin Kaazan, Mienai Serve, Mienai Swing
Favourite food: Nameko Miso soup and meat
Hobbies: Muscle-building, shogi and calligraphy
Family members: Parents and elder brother
Father's occupation: Civil servant (Grandfather is a kendo coach in the police force. By the way, Tezuka's grandfather is a judo coach in the police force. What a coincidence!)
Subjects good at: History and physical education (there's nothing he's bad at)
Favourite colours: Black and grey

金曜日, 5月 19, 2006

Konami trading cards 17th booster series - Hyotei wa Nemuranai

The Tenipuri trading cards manufactured by Konami has a new booster series titled "Hyotei wa Nemuranai" (Hyotei doesn't sleep) which is the 17th version to date. Its release date was on 18 May and this marks the end of the 3-part series from Hyotei who was the rival Seigaku had to face in the quarterfinals. Of course, for those who follow Jump! faithfully, the outcome is already known and I had mentioned it before on this blog. Coming back to this booster series, there are 94 different cards available for collection. Each pack of 7 costs 200 yen but there is no guarantee that you will get distinct cards from multiple packs though. That's the reason why I don't have the intention to collect the trading cards because it's quite irritating to get duplicate designs. I don't mind buying the whole set at one go if there are no identical cards but of course, this doesn't make business sense to the company which would want fans to keep buying so that they can collect the full set. And it's rather difficult to find ways to buy the trading cards since they are usually not shipped overseas. For sites which do, the shipping charges can amount to such a large sum that it doesn't make sense to purchase the cards in the first place.

木曜日, 5月 18, 2006

OVA Vol 3 Cover

This is the cover of OVA Vol 3 which includes 2 episodes. The two matches featured in this volume are the Singles 2 match where Kikumaru makes his debut in a singles match and the Doubles 1 match involving Inui and Kaidou. I guess the selling point of this volume would be Kikumaru's first attempt at standing alone on the court without Ooishi's assistance so he gets to enjoy the spotlight on the cover.

The things which catch my attention would be his pose as well as the fact that he is shown wearing black tights under his shorts. I don't remember any of the characters wearing this before, neither in the anime or manga (maybe there was but I didn't notice though) so was this deliberate or a mistake in the visual? As for the pose, I don't think there's a need to show Kikumaru leaping up just to stress the point that his star technique is acrobatic play so I would have preferred him with the usual megawatt smile and wink instead.

Although Inui and Kaidou's match wasn't featured prominently in the manga, I thought they deserved a little spot on the cover though. I would have preferred them rather than those Higa guys who get on my nerves every time I see them. Of course, this does not apply to Hiragoba Rin though. ^__^

水曜日, 5月 17, 2006

OVA Vol 2 Covers

Here are the two covers for the rental and sale version of OVA Vol 2. As compared to the sale version's cover which puts Taka-san and Fuji in the centre, the rental version puts more emphasis on Fuji. I guess this is understandable given that Fuji reveals his 4th counter in this match against Higa so that's why he deserves more attention than the others. Another difference between both versions would be the omission of the audio commentary by Sanada and Yanagi in the rental version as well as the free photos given in the first press of the sale version. I am eagerly waiting for 26th May when the DVD goes on sale and hopefully, I can receive it before the weekend.

The reason why I'm so excited is not because of the two episodes within this volume but rather the audio commentary featuring Sanada and Yanagi. Although I won't get to see Sanada visually, hearing his voice or rather Taiten-san's voice offers some consolation. Assuming that this 7-volume OVA series finish with the Hyotei arc, this will probably mean that either we have a second OVA series featuring Shitenbouji and Rikkai whom Seigaku will most likely meet in the semi-finals and finals respectively OR there won't be any sequel OVA after all. If the second possibility comes true, that will be really bad.

火曜日, 5月 16, 2006

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Toriumi Kousuke-san!

Today's the 33rd birthday of Toriumi Kousuke-san who plays Sengoku Kiyosumi from Yamabuki! His hometown is in Chikasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture and his blood type is O. Currently, he's under the management of Arts Vision and had graduated from Nippon Narration Engi Kenkyuujou. According to his official website, his hobbies are singing, cooking and fashion. Toriumi-san is part of two different groups i.e. STA*MEN helmed by Suwabe Junichi as well as P.K.O with Suzuki Chihiro and Saeki Tomo. For P.K.O, Toriumi-san is the leader. Due to the fact that Saeki is taking a rest from work due to health reasons, P.K.O is now reduced to a duo.

Besides Tenipuri, Toriumi-san's voice can also be heard in animes like Captain Tsubasa, Shin Shirahime Densetsu, Spiral, tactics, To Heart 2, NARUTO, PAPUWA, PEACEMAKER, Princess Princess, ONE PIECE, Boku wa Imouto ni Koi wo Suru and Yakitate Japan.

Under the name of Sengoku Kiyosumi, he has released 2 solo singles and 2 group singles in the units Ao to Bin to Kan (Gather) and Pull Tab to Kan (Wonderful Days).

月曜日, 5月 15, 2006

Release Date of Manga Vol 34

According to the Shueisha website, the release date of the manga's Vol 34 will be tentatively fixed on 4 July 06. Barring any unforseen circumstances, the release date will remain unchanged.

As for Vol 33 released on the 2nd of this month, I have finished reading it and will post the review within the next few days.

日曜日, 5月 14, 2006

Cover of Sanada's album, "Sho"

Here's the cover of Sanada's first album, Sho due to be released on 21 May. Well...I feel that it would be better for him to put on a cool pose rather than what is shown here. This doesn't feel like the Sanada I know but that doesn't mean that I dislike this picture. It's just so different from the usual Sanada style that I've gotten used to so I will probably need some time to adjust to this new image. The problem simply lies in where his left hand should be and the angle he is tilting his head which feels rather awkward to me. Other than that, I'm OK with his clothes, the colour scheme of the cover as well as the layout and design of the wording. Anyway, I'm not getting the album based on how the cover looks like. What matters most is still the content so that will be the deciding factor as to whether I like this album at the end of the day. I'm eagerly counting down to next Sunday and hope that HMV Japan can get the pre-sale versions. That will increase the possibility of receiving the item before Sanada's birthday on the 21st.

This month is packed with lots of Tenipuri-goodness with Sanada's album on the 21st, the OVA Vol 2 on the 26th and the GIGS single (Echizen, Tezuka, Atobe and Sanada) on the 31st. Plus the fact that Yanagi will be releasing his second single on his birthday i.e. 4 June, that's a lot of money to spend on these goodies. I haven't decided whether I want to get Yanagi's single though but I've already ordered the three items to be released this month.

土曜日, 5月 13, 2006

Tenipuri Bookmarks on Mekke!

Mekke! has a new Tenipuri item for sale now. This is actually not considered new in the sense that it comes from the Jump Festa 2005 range but still a new addition because it has never been sold via this channel. The 6 bookmarks come at the price of 600 yen per set and features the following characters: Echizen, Tezuka, Ooishi, Fuji, Kikumaru, Inui, Kawamura, Momoshiro, Kaidou, Atobe, Oshitari, Mukahi, Shishido, Akutagawa, Kabaji, Ootori and Sakaki. From the description, it seems that there will be famous lines from some of the characters written on the reverse of the bookmark e.g. Tezuka's "Yuudan Sezu ni Ikou". As for the dimensions, it will be 120mm by 35mm. Frankly speaking, I'm quite tempted to get this because the Tezuka, Fuji and Hyotei patterns look so appealing. However, even if I buy this set of bookmarks, I don't think I will bear to use them so it will most likely be kept for viewing pleasure.

金曜日, 5月 12, 2006

Track List & Guest Lineup for "Sho" ~ Sanada Genichirou

The full track list and guest lineup as follows:

Title: Sho
Artist: Sanada Genichirou
Release Date: 21 May 2006
Catalog Number: NECA-30167
Price: 3000 yen

Track List

1) Fuurin Kaazan - Instrumental -
2) Fly to Tomorrow
3) Ginmaku no Bogii (The Screen Bogey)
4) Kirisame (Misty Rain)
5) No Surrender
6) ROLLING STARS *
7) Totsugeki! Gekkan Pro Tennis [Sanada Genichirou Hen] - Guest: Inoue Mamoru, Shiba Saori
8) Seishun no Kagetachi - Guest: Hanamura Aoi
9) OneWay Dream
10) SQUALL
11) Miraizu~Way to go~ (Map of the Future) - Guest: Yukimura Seiichi
12) Shinkirou (Mirage)
13) Pride

Bonus disc title: Sanada Genichirou to iu na no On The Radio
Guest: Okiayu Ryoutarou (Tezuka Kunimitsu)

I'm quite bewildered by the guest lineup for the album because Sanada doesn't seem to have any strong links with Inoue, Shiba or Hanamura. I would have thought that Atobe, Tezuka, Yanagi should be included. If they had even left out Yukimura, that would be so ridiculous!

Nevertheless, I'm happy to see Okiayu Ryoutarou as the guest for the bonus disc since that will mean a reunion of Tezuka and Sanada. Wonderful! ^__^

木曜日, 5月 11, 2006

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Kaidou Kaoru!

Today's the birthday of Mr Mamushi, Kaidou Kaoru from Seigaku! Besides his trademark habit of making the "fushuu" sound which is similar to a snake hissing, I guess his eyes which look fierce contribute to why he is being named Mr Snake. In addition, his special techniques i.e. the Snake and the subsequent upgraded version Boomerang Snake are all related to his nickname so that's why he can't run away from being called Mamushi. Come to think of it, only his "biggest rival" Momo calls him Mamushi on a frequent basis and of course, Kaidou isn't happy to hear this. Although he may seem like someone who's hard to get along with, Kaidou is actually a very kind guy who loves animals especially evident from how he interacts with Echizen's pet, Karupin. And he's someone who places a lot of emphasis on respect for the elderly and those older than him so he tends to get angry at people who don't do the same. Last but not least, Kaidou is someone who refuses to give up and has a lot of perserverance thus everyone respects him for his never-say-die spirit.

Name: Kaidou Kaoru
School: Seishun Gakuen Chuutobu Year 2 Class 7
Date of birth: 11 May
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Height: 173cm
Weight: 57kg
Blood Type: B
Play Style: Counter Puncher (Right-handed)
Favourite Shoes: Puma
Favourite Racket: HEAD Ti.S7
Special Techniques: Snake, Boomerang Snake
Favourite Food: Tororo Soba, Yoghurt and 100% Fruit Juice
Hobbies: Marathon and collection of bandanas
Family: Parents and younger brother
Father's occupation: Bank Employee
Favourite Subject: English
Favourite Colour: Green
Traits he likes in a girl: One who enjoys eating

水曜日, 5月 10, 2006

Updates on upcoming events for Sanada's album launch

According to NEC Interchannel, the remaining three events will be held in Osaka and Hiroshima. The difference is that these three sessions are held in conjunction with Animate instead of Gamers which is organising the Tokyo events.

Date: 24 June 06 (Saturday)
Time: 1300
Venue: Astal Brother Hall (Hiroshima)
Guest: Kusunoki Taiten

Date: 25 June 06 (Sunday)
1st session: 1130
2nd session: 1500
Venue: Yoyogi Animation Gakuin Osaka Campus (Osaka City, Kita-ku)
Guest: Kusunoki Taiten

Animate stores involved: Hiroshima, Okayama, Matsuyama, Takamatsu, Ogura, Tenouji, Nihonbashi

日曜日, 5月 07, 2006

Upcoming events for Sanada Genichirou's album launch

Information about the upcoming events held in conjunction with Sanada Genichirou's album launch from NEC Interchannel. Since this involves the Tokyo area only, there will be further announcements on events held at other places since the producer said that there will be 5 events in three cities:

Date of event: 18 June 2006 (Sunday)
Session 1: 12 noon
Session 2: 3.30pm
Assembly place: Gamers HQ store in Akibahara
Event venue: Yoyogi Animation Gakuin Akiba Campus (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Content: Talk session and handshaking event
Main cast: Kusunoki Taiten
Method to get tickets: Order the Sanada Genichirou album, "Sho" to be released on his birthday 21 May from Gamers HQ store and obtain the ticket from the counter at 11am onwards. Each customer is entitled to one ticket while stocks last. Seating arrangement will be decided on the day of the event according to first-come-first-served basis.

This finally solves the doubts I've been having about why the producer of NEC told fans not to pre-order the album first. Since they are having this event in conjunction with Gamers, it's no surprise that they want to direct the fans to this store. Come to think of it, I thought they've been working with Animate for some time so the switch may have to do with the changes within the company which has a new name. Anyway, this doesn't affect me since I'm not in Japan at the moment and won't be able to take part in this event although I would have loved to meet Taiten-san in person. ^__^

土曜日, 5月 06, 2006

OVA Vol 3 Information

The 3rd volume of the OVA series (catalog number BCBA-2463) will be released on 28 July and it consists of 2 episodes i.e. Ep 4 and 5. Ep 4 is about Kikumaru's debut in an official singles match against Kai from Higa while Ep 5 is about the Doubles 1 match featuring Inui and Kaidou.

Actually, this came as a surprise to me because the manga did not go into detail on the Doubles 1 match but the OVA series will devote 1 episode to it. From the synopsis, it seems like Ep 5 will incorporate parts from a side story before the Nationals involving Kaidou and Yagyuu from Rikkai. In that story, Kaidou and Yagyuu happened to meet each other while they were watching a tennis match. They overheard some guys from another school also taking part in the Nationals (I forgot the name of the school) mocking Rikkai and Seigaku who later challenged the two to a match. What happened was that Kaidou and Yagyuu did the identity-switching act which Yagyuu and Niou do frequently and they managed to defeat these guys easily even while imitating each other's specialty techniques. This was to prevent these guys from knowing their strengths ahead of the actual tournament. However, at the end of it, Yagyuu asked Kaidou what he would do if he could not use the Snake during a match. This led Kaidou to think of using other techniques so as not to be too reliant on the Snake and he raises this to Inui. As such, I think the bulk of Ep 5 will be on Yagyuu and Kaidou's interaction rather than the Doubles 1 match itself since there isn't much content to be explored from the manga.

If my initial guess was correct, the Higa arc would have been completed by Vol 3. Given that there's still the Tezuka vs Kite Singles 1 match, I can only hope for Vol 4 to get started with the Hyotei arc since there's too much content to be covered and 3 volumes won't be sufficient at all. Just the Atobe and Echizen Singles 1 match is enough to take up at least 2 episodes.

Last but not least, the audio commentary for Vol 3 will be done by Shishido and Ootori from Hyotei. Another famous combination which can be said to be the Hyotei version of the Golden Pair.

When the cover of Vol 3 is out, I will update it here accordingly.

金曜日, 5月 05, 2006

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Akutagawa Jirou!

Today's the birthday of the sleeping prince from Hyotei Gakuen, Akutagawa Jirou! Well, he deserves this title because he's usually asleep whenever he appears in the manga or anime with the exception when he's playing a match or watching one. My first impression of Jirou was formed when Atobe asked Sakaki to get Jirou to take part in the Tokyo 5th placing match against St.Rudolph. From the way Atobe spoke, it appeared as if Jirou was some menacing creature who could tear St.Rudolph apart. However, when Jirou was formally introduced during the Kantou Tournament 1st round against Seigaku, I'm sure many people are surprised just like me because he's too adorable to be scared of. He seems like a livewire to have on the team and it takes a bit of effort to keep him awake. Jirou relishes the excitement of playing tennis with a strong opponent thus it is not easy for him to get hyped up over most matches. So far, he's only behaved like this before Atobe, Fuji Shuusuke and Marui Bunta who is his idol. With someone like Jirou around, I don't think anyone would feel bored. One of his lines which got me quite amused was when he playfully chided Kaidou for being "disrespectful" since Jirou is one year older. At that time, Seigaku was having a training camp at Karuizawa and Tezuka asked Atobe to arrange a practice match. Kaidou didn't like Jirou's lack of seriousness since the latter was still feeling sleepy. I guess this made Kaidou flare up because he thought Jirou didn't put in effort and belittled him. The ending of that match was really funny as Kaidou accidentally knocked Jirou out with the tennis ball.

To date, Jirou has only released one character single and it's long overdue for him to do a second one. However, given that Jirou was a reserve for the Hyotei arc in the Nationals just like Fuji and Hyotei had already lost to Seigaku, this would probably mean that there is very little chance of seeing Jirou again in the manga. Hopefully, we can catch a glimpse of him in the OVA series although he's not playing. An album from Jirou may seem rather unlikely at the present stage but given that surprise characters like Kuki Kiichi can also release a single, anything may be possible. If there is a second single on the way, the only thing I ask for is a longer chat session since the first single's clip featured Jirou snoring most of the time.

Name: Akutagawa Jirou
School: Seishun Gakuen Chuutoubu Year 3
Date of birth: 5 May (Children's Day)
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Height: 160 cm
Weight: 49 kg
Blood Group: AB
Play Style: Serve & Volley (Right-handed)
Favourite Shoes: Wilson SURGE DST 02 Mid (S1234W)
Favourite Racket: Wilson Hyper Pro Staff 7.6 with ROLLERS
Special Technique: Magic Volley
Favourite Food: Mutton, Moose Pocky
Hobbies: sleeping and comic magazine
Family Members: Parents, elder brother and younger sister
Father's occupation: operating a laundry shop
Favourite subjects: technical studies and physical education
Favourite colour: orange
Favourite traits in a girl: Cheerfulness

木曜日, 5月 04, 2006

Tenipuri movie to be shown on TV Tokyo for first time

The Tenipuri movie shown in Jan and released on DVD in June last year will be aired on TV for the first time in Japan. However, viewers won't get to see the entire movie since they will only show the long feature i.e. Futari no Samurai The First Game. This is in conjunction with the Golden Week holidays and the O.A. date is 5 May which also happens to be Children's Day from 10am to 11.25am. Three TV stations including TV Tokyo, TV Aichi and TV Osaka will be showing it.

This means that the viewers won't get to see the short feature, "Atobe kara no Okuri mono" on TV but I guess given the long lapse between the movie screening and DVD release, most fans would have watched the movie so this probably won't cause much excitement. However, it's still good to be able to watch Tenipuri on TV since the OVAs are only released on DVD. In addition, to 'sweeten' the deal, the TV station has mentioned that they will include behind-the-scenes footage for the real-life movie plus some scenes from the upcoming OVA Vol 2 release. Spare me with regards to the real-life movie, the moment I see anything related to this, I run for my dear life. Don't remind me how horrid Tezuka and Atobe wannabes look in the real-life movie. *shivers*

Anyway, for those who are interested in the website for this, please go here for more information.

水曜日, 5月 03, 2006

Updates to Sanada Genichirou's album, "Sho"

More updates related to Sanada Genichirou's first solo album release, "Sho" on his birthday i.e. 21 May (Sun) as announced via the Interchannel website:

- To mark the launch of the album, there will be 5 events held at 3 cities and this marks the first time events are planned for CD releases from Rikkai characters. More details are expected to be available at a later date.

- I wonder why the producer is still asking people not to pre-order the Sanada album since there's only three and a half weeks to the release. Seems like the issue could lie with the pre-order process or they might want to do something special for this album. Everything seems rather hazy at the moment but since I've ordered my copy last month, I'm not too concerned UNLESS any problem crops up to delay the receipt of this album from HMV Japan.

- The main personalities for May's Rajipuri are Kaida Yuki (Fuji Shuusuke) and Hiyama Nobuyuki (Jackal Kuwahara) while the OP is Fly to Tomorrow and the ED is Shinkirou (Mirage). Both songs are included in the upcoming Sanada album and they are tracks no. 2 and 12 respectively.

- There are a total of 13 tracks in the Sanada album while the content for the bonus disc has not been announced.