Water Boys 2005 Natsu (WATER BOYS 2005夏)

Starring:
Eita as Tanaka Masatoshi
Koide Keisuke as Uehara Kensaku
Hiraoka Yuta as 名嘉尾悟
Emoto Tasuku as Koma Shunichiro
Konishi Manami as Uehara Kyoko
Sakai Ayana as Kakihara Rena
Takizawa Nonami as Buritani Michiru
Ukaji Takashi as Koma Toshimichi
Matsushige Yutaka as 名嘉尾大悟
Masuoka Toru as Uehara Kosaku
Watanabe Misako as Kakihara Haru
Kubo Akira as the head teacher
Mori Yoshiyuki as the principal
Nagumo Yusuke (南雲勇助) as Hotta Zenjiro
Tonesaku Toshihide as Hatori Manabu
Kashii Yu as Hanamura Kyoko
Ishii Tomoya as Ishizuka Futoshi
Tanaka Kei as Yasuda Takashi
Manabe Kaori as Sakuma Megumi
Nakayama Katsumi
Sekiguchi Kimiko
Nakajima Ben
Kanbe Hiroshi
Kumabe Youhei (隈部洋平)
Fuwa Hisashi (不破央)
Hiraizumi Sei
Ishihara Yoshizumi
Yajima Kenichi

Synchro Participants
Pe Jyonmyon (ペ・ジョンミョン)
Sano Yasuomi
Fujii Atsunori (藤井貴規)
Kawagishi Ginji (川岸銀次)
Sugiura Yugo (杉浦由悟)
Tashiro Koji
Tomikawa Kazuhito
Nakano Shintaro (中野真太郎)
Takahashi Mitsuomi
Taketani Atsushi (竹谷敦史)
Yanagibashi Tomonori (柳橋朋典)
Ueda Shinsuke (植田真介)
Kawasaki Ryuichi (川崎龍一)
Tamaari Yoichiro (玉有洋一郎)
Iwato Hidetoshi (岩戸秀年)
Sato Yuki
Kora Kengo
Kan Yuta (菅雄太)
Okada Yuki (岡田雄樹)
Takeuchi Tomoya
Nokubo Naoki (野久保直樹)


Tanaka Masatoshi is having troubles getting into medical school, something he blames on all the time he spent on synchro two years earlier. While on a research trip to a remote southern island of Japan, he is forced into coaching a newly formed three member boys synchro team. Tanaka has to come to terms with his past and begins questioning his future, while the three boy synchro team dream of life off of the island.



Can I be any more in love with Hiraoka Yuta? I'm not joking here. He is soooooo cute. OMG! I was in heaven watching this film. Yuta-kun in really, really, really skimpy speedos. I can't keep my tongue in my mouth. Let's just say the pause button was used tremendously just so I could get really good visuals of him. OMG! Yeah, Yuta-kun is now in my top 5 "I gotta have" list. Why does he have to be so young? I wonder if he likes older women....LOL! Okay, okay, okay....I'll stop dreamin'.



This film, other than eye-poppin'-candy galore, was just another Water Boys film. Same story, different time, with different guys other than Eita. The only difference in this movie was that not only did they have to save the festival but the town as well from land grubbers. Of course, there was a little bit of romance.....poor Yuta-kun didn't have a girl....and great choreography in the water. The ending sequence, to me, was just a little bit more risque than the last few series and movie. But nothing rated "R" about it.



Just a fun movie but nothing to get overly excited about (well, other than Yuta-kun in an overly skimpy outfit).



If I lived in Japan, I would be his #1 stalker fan. LOL! YUTA-KUN!!!!!!!!!!!

Lemon no Koro (檸檬のころ-2007)

AKA: The Graduates

Starring:
Nana Eikura - Kayoko Akimoto
Mitsuki Tanimura - Megumi Shirata
Naojiro Hayashi - Kazuya Tsujimoto
Tasuku Emoto - Tomizo Sasaki
Hoshi Ishida - Takumi Nishi
Yasuo Daichi - Megumi's father
Takashi Hamazaki - Mr. Tanba
Masanori Ishii - Shinpei Kaneko
Mami Nakamura - Sakiko
Junkichi Orimoto - Kaneko

Kayoko Akimoto, a senior student in high school, adept at practically anything she does and makes good grades. She has her mind set on entering a university in Tokyo. Takumi Nishi, who is a member of the baseball team, can’t keep his eyes off her. He is unable to get over his feelings for her that he has harbored since junior high school. One day after school, the ace pitcher of the baseball team, Tomizo Sasaki, says to Takumi in a joking way, “I like Kayoko.” Takumi’s feelings for Kayoko are unrequited, and the distance between her and Tomizo becomes closer.

Meanwhile, Kei Shirata is always listening to music in the corner of the classroom. Her dream is to someday become a writer specializing in music. One day, she becomes aware of Kazuya Tsujimoto’s presence, a boy in her class who plays in a rock band at school. She senses a similar vibe from him as herself, of someone who “feels” the music. By chance, they end up spending some time together, and have a great time chatting about their favorite music. “I’ve never hit it off so well with someone,” says Kazuya, and suddenly, the world looks like a much brighter and more vivid place for Kei. Their final school festival is coming up. Kazuya asks Kei to write the lyrics for a song that he has written for the first time, and this triggers various dramas in the seniors’ lives.

The seasons change as the feelings of these five seniors intersect each other. Their graduation day, the day they say good-bye, is drawing near.

MV by Hayashi Naojiro (Kazuya)~"Hikari"


Same song but sung during festival in movie (rock style)~

I fell in love with this show. Yeah, I'm easily pleased.

I wasn't expecting this to be as good as it was. And Kazuya, played by vocalist/guitarist of the duo Hirakawaxhi Iccho-me, gave a totally wonderful performance for his first acting gig.

I have to say it threw me back into the 1980's and had to recall my graduating experience. It's sad but true that we lose most of our friendships as we all part and go into our adult lives. We are lucky to keep at least one friend throughout that experience.

This was a totally commendable performance. Many reviewers claimed this was boring or too slow. I think most of them haven't experienced graduation yet and haven't connected yet to that sorrowful existence.

I have only one complaint with this movie. They didn't explain Kayoko and Nishi's relationship was before high school and why Kayoko blew him off during their high school years. That had me quite confused. But other than that....this movie gave a few tugs to my heart strings.

Night Time Picnic (Yoru no pikunikku, 夜のピクニック-2006)

Starring:
Tasuku Emoto ... Koichiro Takami
Sosuke Ikematsu ... Junya Sakaki
Takuya Ishida ... You Nishiwaki
Tomohiro Kaku ... Shinobu Toda
Shihori Kanjiya ... Rika Gotou
Rosa Kato ... Anna Sakaki
Madoka Matsuda ... Chiaki Kajiya
Aki Nishihara ... Miwako Yusa
Mikako Tabe ... Takako Koda
Ai Takabe ... Ryoko Uchihori
Narumi Konno

Following last year's sensitive Way of Blue Sky, director Nagasawa Masahiko continues to deal with coming-of-age tropes in Yoru no Picnic (a.k.a. Night Time Picnic). The film follows a group of high school students on a strenuous day-long hike during which they discover new sides of themselves. The story is adapted from author Onda Rika's popular same-titled novel, which earned Onda the Yoshikawa New Literary Writer's Award and the second Honya Award. Yoru no Picnic features a talented young cast including Tabe Mikako and Nishihara Aki who previously appeared in Way of Blue Sky, Ishida Takuya (Rough), Ikematsu Sosuke (Yamato), model Kato Rosa, and Kaku Tomohiro (Hana and Alice). Takako's (Tabe Mikako) high school has a unique tradition. Every year, the school's 1000 students walk 80 kilometers in 24 hours. As this is her final year of high school, Takako decides to work up the courage to talk to her stepbrother You (Ishida Takuya), whom she has never spoken to before. Classmates who are unaware of their relationship read something more into their awkward overtures.


This movie is a relatively slow moving, timid piece of work. I don't recommend it if you were looking for that "something, something". To some this would be considered boring. I'll admit that I was "this close" to just turning it off but I held on. This about friendships, relationships, trust, and betrayal.

It's a moving piece. Very thought provoking. I can't say much without giving away the plot and then the whole thing wouldn't be worth watching.

What if there was someone who was always there but you thought hated you but was more afraid of you? Would if this person was closer to you than you ever knew but didn't know how to be with that someone? Confusing? Trust me it's hard writing this without giving away the ending.

In the end, don't give up hope. Watch it till the end. It's very sentimental. I teared up at the end. It's a happy ending..that's all that I'll say.

Check It Out, Yo!

It's a movie. It's Japanese. And I was pleasantly surprised that it was totally better than what I thought it was. LOL! The movie poster had me thinking this would be a totally stupid movie but gave it a shot. And yet again....NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER!



Starring:
Ichihara Hayato ... Toru Isaka
Emoto Tasuku ... Akira Motobe
Hiraoka Yûta ... Tetsuo Tamashiro
Inoue Mao ... Yui Haebaru

This is a story about four high school kids who want to make a hip-hop band. Along the way, they go through a lot misery, self-doubt, self-awareness, and eventually happiness.

Toru has a crush on Nagisa, who is the girlfriend of a rival band. Akira and Tetsuo are Toru's friends who make up their band, 098. Yui is friends with all the boys but is in love with Toru and Akira loves Yui. (There really isn't a love traingle, per se. You'll see.)

Both visually and aurally satisfying, Check It Out, Yo! is a light, "feel-good" sort of movie. It's colorful, inventive, and energizing, and while it may not change your life, it certainly delivers plenty of belly laughs and a slew of intensely likeable performances.

So Check It Out, Yo!

Ichihara Hayato


Hiraoka Yûta