Musashi 2003 Taiga Drama

Left: the classic cover of Yoshikawa Eiji's "Musashi"
Right: Ichikawa Shinnosuke's NHK Musashi

Happy New Year! May 2019 be kind, healthy and beautiful for us all…

When I was a teenager, I happened upon “Musashi”, a novel by Yoshikawa Eiji about a well-known Japanese historical figure called Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵). I read the seven volumes of the novel and I liked it. I do think it was a bit difficult for me to understand; not language-wise (it was in Indonesian), but because it spoke of Zen, something I didn’t get as a teenager.

Yet the story cling to my mind, such that in 2004, just before I had a surgery, I searched for the books again (I had misplaced my first copies).  Gramedia said the book was out of print, such that I eventually bought the copies (all the seven volumes) from my local book rental. The copies were dirty, but I treasured them so much. I read them again as I recuperated from my surgery. This time, the values in the novel was easier to understand. And this time, I appreciate the main characters more.

Lee Jong-hyun! (and the GongLee couple)

In which I lament my ambivalence towards My Only Love Song and celebrate my newfound love to Lee Jong-hyun and GongLee…

Song su-jeong/Nan-nyeon (Gong Seung-yeon) and On Dal (Lee Jong-hyun) in MOLS

So apparently I’m in love with Lee Jong-hyun now… and also with the GongLee couple. It started about two weeks ago when I watched ‘My Only Love Song’ (MOLS) at Netflix.

It wasn’t love at first sight, though. I stopped several times when watching MOLS because… Korean dramas aren’t my usual cup of tea. Of course being a normal girl, I love a good love story. However, being the first time watching a Korean drama (except for a movie about the Queen’s white hanbok dress – whatever the title is), I find myself baffled with the number of sweet saccharine lovey-dovey love scenes in MOLS. I’m also baffled with the amount of make up the male characters wore, which in many scenes were more prominent than that of the female characters. Only the dandiest of wuxia characters of recent years that I’ve watched (though admittedly I didn’t watch many Mainland wuxia dramas these days) wore half the amount of lipstick these male characters wore in MOLS.  I mean, of course the actors need to also wear a degree of make up for lighting etc., but – most likely because I’ve never watched a Korean drama before – I’ve never seen oriental male characters wore such thick foundation (and primer or BB etc.), lipstick and powder the way the characters in MOLS were.

It’s crazy that “Crazy Rich Asians” receives good reviews

“Crazy Rich Asians” (CRA) does not deserve the good reviews. Heck, it's not worth the 90%++ Rotten Tomatoes score, cos it would put it in the same level with Wonder Woman and Black Panther for God sake! But this is a system that also puts down Batman vs Superman and Justice League, so I suppose objectivity in not in RT’s dictionary.

But CRA is also well-praised by other reviewers, which gives me a headache. HOW COME those reviewers not see how mis-representing this movie is?? How come, echoing the Guardian, they cannot see how only Chinese Asians are represented as rich Asians in the movie, and that the only “prominent” dark-skinned Asians were security guards at the Young’s place? And how come they are okay with such a display of wealth in the movie that makes me sick in my stomach? The money thrown away for a pair of earrings, bachelor and bachelorette parties etc.?



It’s sickening.
It’s not balanced at all.
It paints a skewed picture of Asians.
And yet this movie receives high review scores.
The world has really turned topsy.

"Fragments of the Future" (Mirai no Hahen) Epilogue

While in Osaka, thanks to fellow Twitter Seorri and Joker, I bought Okada Masaki's photo book published in 2016. Titled "Fragments of the Future" (Mirai no Hahen), the AUD 45 photo book was rather dear, but definitely worths every penny. It's filled with so many photos of Masaki from 2010 to 2016, as well as interviews he did during those photo shoots.

With my limited Japanese, it will take me a long time to read the book. However, what I've read so far is very interesting. I was immediately taken by the Epilogue because it was short enough to read on its own, and because I want to see what Masaki wrote at the end of the book.

It was a very lovely Epilogue, hence I decided to translate it and post it here. It took me a few days to decipher the Kanji, but I'm getting better at that compared to about 12 months ago, hence I'm happy with my progress.

I hope you enjoy reading it as I do. I put the Kanji-kana, English and Romaji in this order below.

Ningen Gowasan 2018 live

Okada Masaki's Haiji in the Ningen Gowasan ads in Morinomiya Osaka

Update 15 July 2018: Since Ningen Gowasan has ended the show in Osaka this afternoon, I have now uploaded the plot at the end of this post. Enjoy!


I’m still tokidoki after watching Ningen Gowasan 「ニンゲン御破算」2018 live. I do believe I’m so blessed that I’m allowed to squeeze some money and time to fly to Osaka to watch Okada Masaki live (three times, no less!)... and I still feel that tingling sensation when I saw him for the first time in my life, 10 m ish from me, emerging with his gorgeous white hapi, the white overcoat his character Haiji worn.

How do I express the tokidoki I feel? Upon listening to his voice reverberating in the Morinomiya Piloti Hall Osaka, and also in my heart?

Here’s a guy I fell in love with in 2012, and that was through an Edo-time movie (Raiō) he played in 2010. Then I backtracked watching his portfolio until 2007 and moving forward again, and I’m in love with that kakkoi and kind boy.

But now, he is not a boy anymore. He’s a man. A gentle man, whose gaits show the pure confidence that doesn’t even go near the line of arrogance. A young man whose career is displayed in front of him through his fine choices of work and excellent work ethics.

Okada Masaki voice for Abe Mao’s 2013 MV

I didn’t know that in 2013 Okada Masaki had a voice appearance in Abe Mao’s (阿部真央) “Boyfriend” MV. Now that I’ve found it, I cannot help being smitten by the MV, and also by Masaki’s voice at the end (from min. 1:45).  Mao’s MV is a collection of doodle of a girl who is in love with her childhood friend since they met when she was 3 years old. They always played together until puberty hits, when she (or also perhaps he) was 11 years old. When she was 15 years old, she discovered that her friend liked playing guitar, so she also learned to play guitar. But then when she was a 17 yo girl with braided hair, she realised she was not the only girl rooting for this cute boy. During a rainy day when she was going to offer the boy her umbrella, a gorgeous long-haired girl outraced her, offered her own umbrella, and walked off with the boy, leaving our little heroine lonely.

That boy is voiced by Okada Masaki ^_^

Then the song ended when our heroine was a bit older (already with longer hair that she let loose), playing a sad song on her guitar. That was when the boy realised she was playing the guitar. This is what the boy (Okada Masaki) said:

A tulle wedding dress: from shop to bustle to overseas packing

My wedding dress

So, I got married to my partner of seven years last April. It was a lovely small ceremony in Australia, followed by a larger reception in the southernmost corner of the Netherlands. There are many sweet memories, but the purpose of this post is to share my journey with one of the most important aspects of the wedding: The Dress.

Although my husband is of course the most important aspect of the wedding, admittedly, The Dress was very important as well. It set the entire mood of the wedding to a whimsical romantic atmosphere which I like. Thus, here I’d like to talk about the journey of my dress, from shop to bustle to packing for overseas trips.

Brides who choose tulle princess dresses might want to read the bustle part in particular, because I share with you one of the most important, yet often forgotten, aspects of a wedding dress: the Bustle. If your seamstress failed to make you satisfied with the bustle of your tulle wedding dress, read on. Because you CAN make a beautiful bustle out of a tulle dress.

'Rainbow-coloured Lights' - an Okada Masaki MV

After a few months of not making any MVs, I finally made time to make and finish this one! It contains a collage of Okada Masaki's latest photos (and some older ones). Music is 'Arabesque' by Rurutia. The lyrics were translated by Kiwi Musume; the Romaji and English are available after the break.

Enjoy!

Cinderella revisited!

I've been very busy organising my wedding (!!), hence no Okada Masaki (let alone Candy-candy or Michael Miu-Barbara Yung) for a while now... but I'd like to share this video about Cinderella. I love Cinderella, particularly after watching the 2015 film, and this YouTube video (and a Cinderella discussion forum) makes me realise that I was wrong to see the 1950 movie as a movie about a passive damsel in distress woman...



Hope you agree with me, and with the team who makes the video!

Feverish Love

Just a bit of New Year love for Yakusuke and Kyōko (Okitegami Kyōko no Biboroku)… Oh, and belated Happy New Year! May we blossom gently in 2018...

I want more of this kiss, hence this fan-fiction... (Ep 10)

Kakushidate Yakusuke stirred in his sleep before he opened his eyes, yet a very sharp headache pierced his senses that he immediately closed his eyes again. He gasped and automatically touched his own forehead. It was burning. His throat was aching and his gasp – now that he realised it – sounded so weird. Then he suddenly shivered despite the burning sensation on his skin.

Damn, he had a fever! Which means that he couldn’t go to his office… and worse, he couldn’t go to Sandglass to have breakfast with Kyōko-san.

Anyway, first thing first. He had to call his boss at the Hinoko Real Estate. He’d been working there for more than three months now and his kind boss was very happy with his performance. Although he had passed the probation time, he should never take his luck for granted. Yakusuke managed to ring his boss and, with a very croaky voice told his regret that he had to stay in bed today. After barely thanked his boss for the day-off, Yakusuke hung up and tried to get up. Then he fell off his bed. The piercing headache and the high fever made his balance way off and his strength almost non-existent; he couldn’t even pick himself up from the cold floor. With his last strength, he reached for his mobile phone that fell almost a meter away and rang Sandglass. He whispered his request to Hōrō-san who picked up the phone before collapsing, succumbing to his headache.