Panties? Punches? Power90X? That’s right, my Tantalized Toyboxers! For our latest mega-broadcast, we plummet into a splashing plethora of poorly-protected panties, penetratingly-precise punches, and perfectly power-packed repetitions, ranging across scantily-clad “Agent Aika” original anime and live-action shows, to humor-sprinkled “Gokusen” and blood-stained “Crows Zero II” high-school films, to unbelievable Jackie Chan and Jet Li martial-arts classics, to the heart-pumping and body-building “P90X” exercise program. So what are we waiting for? Let’s go! Let’s start the mega-cast…

Part 1 of 3 > From Stockings to Panties

Guess what? I’m going to talk about anime. Yup, I know. Despite my unexpected and inexplicable sensation earlier this year, that “Anime [is] starting to feel fake“, I still enjoy it. Even if I’m sustaining only 60% of my watching pace compared to previously-obsessed years, I still enjoy it. In other words, at around this time, at the halfway point in the year, I’d previously reach 25 anime titles. But this year, I’ve only completed 15 titles. Not too bad. But not shocking either.

Agent Aika (OVA 1-4, 1997) [11]. Having said that, which anime am I going to discuss? Well, the classic “Agent Aika”, of course! Yup, on 01 April, I completed my 11th anime title of the year. The first four OVA episodes. In a nutshell, a very amusing “Charlie’s Angels”-style spy-transforming roller-coaster ride with lots and lots of upskirt panty flashes to satisfy your eye-candy appetite, hehe. In a smaller nutshell, a thrilling and panty-flashing 3 of 5 stars! So where are my first 10 titles? Ahh, I guess I’ve been too caught up in live-action, Asians, and Aki Hoshino to remember. But I also guess that’s why I’m mentioning “Agent Aika”. This anime has a live-action version too. Stay tuned below!

To celebrate your satisfied appetite, here are 18 delicious images ranging from 1000px-to-3600px from the “Agent Aika” anime. Enjoy!

What do you think? Not bad, eh? Next, we switch gears to the “Agent Aika – Live Action” (2007) extra from the “Agent Aika – Complete Collection” (1997-2008) DVD. Yup, on 01 April, I completed my 7th Asian live-action title of the year. Only three episodes lasting several minutes each. But still a rather amusing ten-minute ride through panty-flashing Japanese entertainment. Well, amusing enough for 3 of 5 stars, haha.

Ahh, so here’s what you’ve been waiting for. Starting with the DVD menu, here are over 50 panty-thrilling shots of the first episode “TRIAL 1″. Beware of the fake porn-laced subtitles!

Welcome! Here’s the “Agent Aika – Live Action” menu.

Ah, the stereotypical corporate conglomerate headquarters!

Hmm, pink undergarments…

The women’s locker room?

A woman changing?

Ahh, of course, a woman changing into the typical “Agent Aika” enemy uniform!

But who is this mysterious woman?

Let’s take another peek to find the answer.

A very revealing peek at her stockings…

Could she be Agent Aika herself?

Or perhaps a corporate spy? From a rival porn corporation?

Let’s find out. Shall we?

Ah, yes, the typical enemy uniform’s white stockings and panties. Feel free to enlarge, haha.

Nice view? Let’s follow her… and her thoughts.

Spy: “Ouch, these panties are itchy. But gotta smile, gotta smile through it…”

Spy: “Is that it? Is the data room for their latest porn release?”

Spy: “Quietly. Quietly. Smile through the itch…”

Spy: “Yosh! The data room!”

Spy: “Quietly. Quietly. Smile through the itch…”

Spy: “What a boring porn data room…”

Spy: “Quietly. Punch her in the head. Quietly. Punch her in the…”

Spy: “Yosh! You never saw that coming, dork, did you?”

Spy: “Hmm, let’s see what you have beneath your panties…”

Spy: “Hehe, a stun gun? Nice!”

Spy: “Okay, now. Where’s their latest porn release?”

Spy: “Think. Think. Smile through the itch…”

Spy: “A-ha! Their entire porn production library!”

Spy: “Hehe, let’s take a little peek at you…”

Spy: “Hehehe, kinky!”

Spy: “Huh? Is that dork waking up?”

Spy: “Stun! Nightly night, dorky!”

Spy: “Yosh! Their entire porn production library!”

Spy: “I’ll be rich!”

Spy: “Ahh, better keep it in a safe place…”

Spy: “Crap! More dorks! Stun!”

Spy: “Oh crap! The security alert!”

Spy: “Where? Which way to go?”

Spy: “Wait! Need more ammo. Need more ammo…”

Spy: “Crap! Let’s go left…”

Spy: “Oh crap! Let’s go right!”

Spy: “Let’s take the stairs!”

Enemy: “She went up the stairs! Ignore the itch!”

Spy: “Need more ammo. Need more ammo…”

Spy: “Ahh, found some…”

Spy: “Found some more…”

Spy: “Umm…”

Spy: “Umm, where…”

Spy: “Oh crap…”

Spy: “Where the crap am I?”

Haha, to be continued…

Stay tuned for “TRIAL 2″, folks!

Haha, enjoyable? Mindlessly amusing, huh? Did anyone get the panty-shot count? Twelve? Thirteen?

Part 2 of 3 > From Kicks to Punches

Ready? Let’s say “goodbye” to the wonderful world of stockings and panties, and let’s say “hello” to the ultra-physical world of kicks, punches, bruises and blood. While I’ve completed 15 anime titles, I’ve also completed 17 Asian live-action titles so far. Actually, while my watching pace for all live-action titles (including science fiction) is identical to last year, my pace for Asian-oriented live-action titles has shot up to 140% (from 12 to 17 titles) compared to last year! Not shabby at all. So, without further ado, here’s my Asian live-action list… so far.

My 17 Asian Live-Action Titles-Seasons in 2010… So Far

June 2010

• [17] +++++ Once Upon a Time in China II (Wong Fei Hung II: Nam yi dong ji keung; 1992) – Finished 29 Jun. Double wow! Jet Li and Donnie Yen are spectacular, 5 of 5 stars!
• [16] +++++ Once Upon a Time in China (Wong Fei Hung; 1991) – Finished 19 Jun. Double wow! Jet Li’s classic is amazing! Such an international epic during the Westernization of China. Despite 2 1/2 hours, punches 5 of 5 stars!
• [15] +++ Rush Hour 3 (2007) – Finished 13 Jun. Yup, Jackie Chan, entertaining 3 of 5 stars!
• [14] +++ High-Kick Girl! (Hai kikku gâru!; 2009) – Finished 05 Jun. Not too bad, but too much slow-motion nonsense, 3 of 5 stars!
• [13] +++ Crows Zero II (Kurôzu zero II; 2009) – Finished 01 Jun. Beware of Shun Oguri, entertaining 3 of 5 stars!

May 2010

• [12] ++++ Tai Chi Master (Tai ji: Zhang San Feng; 1993) – Finished 28 May. Jet Li’s mesmerizing 4 of 5 stars!
• [11] +++++ Gokusen – The Movie (2009) – Finished 17 May. Aww, Yukie Nakama is back for a nostalgic 5 of 5 stars! Check out the official movie website!
• [10] +++++ Dae Jang Geum (K-drama, 2003) – Finished 13 May. All 70/70 episodes (including my self-defined Season 3 with 20/20 episodes). Aww, such a joyful conclusion to an incredibly and emotionally epic 5 of 5 stars!
• [09] ++++ The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk (1993) – Finished 08 May. Jet Li’s mesmerizing 4 of 5 stars!

April 2010

• [08] +++ Twin Dragons (Shuang long hui; 1992) – Finished 25 Apr. Not bad, a wild roller-coaster ride with two Jackie Chans, 3 of 5 stars!
• [07] +++ Agent Aika – Live Action (2007) – Finished 01 Apr. All 3/3 episodes, several minutes each. Mindlessly amusing and panty-flashing 3 of 5 stars!

March 2010

• [06] +++ The Princess Blade (Shura Yukihime; 2001) – Finished 27 Mar. Ehh, didn’t go anywhere, but entertaining 3 of 5 stars.

January 2010

• [05] ++++ Iron Monkey (Siu nin Wong Fei Hung ji: Tit Ma Lau; 1993) – Finished 31 Jan. Donnie Yen’s fun 4 of 5 stars!
• [04] +++ The Warrior (Musa; 2001) – Finished 17 Jan. Ehh, despite Ziyi Zhang’s beauty, still only 3 of 5 stars.
• [03] ++++ Jumong – Special (2007) – Finished 11 Jan. Aww, reliving the series with the actors, saddest clips, bloopers, and random behind-the-scenes laughs. Awesome 4 of 5 stars!
• [02] +++++ Jumong (K-drama, 2006) – Started 20 Sep 2009. Finished 10 Jan. All 81/81 episodes, including the 80-min finale! Such a spectacular and spellbinding journey through ancient wartime Korea, 5 of 5 stars! Check out the wallpapers on my previous Blog 218 > Endless Jumong!
• [01] ++++ Ran (1985) – Finished 09 Jan. Akira Kurosawa’s classic blood-stained re-interpretation of Shakespeare’s “King Lear”, 4 of 5 stars!

Japanese films. Yup, I’m sure you’ve noticed quite a few Japanese, Korean and Hong Kong titles, haven’t you? First, let’s start off with the Japanese posters and wallpapers. Here’s the mediocre film, “The Princess Blade” (Shura Yukihime; 2001). Yumiko-chan is pretty cute with a blade, but that’s about it.

Next, the three-season high-school J-drama finally gets its film finale, Gokusen – The Movie (2009). Yukie-chan captivates the stage once more as the indomitable “Yankumi”-sensei, haha. If you enjoyed the first three seasons, as well as the anime version, then don’t miss this! To celebrate, here are a few posters and wallpapers ranging from 1000px-to-3300px. Fight-ohh!

In fact, here are a few spoiler shots of Yukie-chan with a cameo appearance by Shun Oguri (from “Crows Zero II” below). Pretty cool, eh? Nope, no blood this time, hehe. But feel free to enlarge.

Speaking of Shun Oguri, here’s the blood-soaked star of the fist-flying gut-bashing sequel, Crows Zero II (Kurôzu zero II; 2009). While I gave the sequel only 3 of 5 stars, the gang-battle scenes are stylishly intense! For some “crows” background, here’s my brief review of the original “Crows Zero” two years ago: Blog 168. Meanwhile, here are 12 intense posters and wallpapers ranging from 1000px-to-1500px. In a word, intense.

Next, from fist-flying punches, we come to high-flying kicks! Here’s the third 2009-released Japanese film I’ve seen this year, High-Kick Girl! (Hai kikku gâru!; 2009). Rina-chan is definitely intense! Sadly, with the over-extended slow-motion emphasis on the martial art of karate, the repeated scenes felt like a stuttering burden or distraction from the overall flow of the story, which seemed to lack depth or substance too. Strip out the slow-motion, and it could’ve been a briefer but more-dynamic experience. Oh well. At least, we have some colorful posters and wallpapers! I especially “get a kick” outta the Spanish title “La Luchadora” (I believe that translates to “The Fighter”), haha.

Hong Kong films. Ahh, Japanese films from the irritating to the intense! What’s next? Hehe, Hong Kong martial-arts films, of course! Let’s begin with Jackie Chan’s Twin Dragons (Shuang long hui; 1992). Not bad, but not particularly spectacular either. Although the idea of seamlessly featuring two Jackies might just be intriguing enough to try out! Why not?

Okay, you caught me. I admit it. While it isn’t a Hong Kong film, Rush Hour 3 (2007) features Jackie Chan’s martial arts, doesn’t it? Sadly, despite the entertaining romp from Los Angeles to Paris, the sequel had the slight taste of stale bread. But at least, it was stale French bread, haha. Alas, here are several posters ranging from 1500px-to-3000px to soothe whatever needs soothing.

A-ha! Now let’s talk about a genuine Hong Kong masterpiece, Once Upon a Time in China (Wong Fei Hung; 1991) featuring the legendary Jet Li. I definitely loved the dramatic 19th-century cultural juxtaposition of Chinese traditions struggling against intruding Western ideologies and technologies. Not unlike Jackie Chan’s comedy film “Shanghai Noon” (2000) where a Chinese Imperial guard must struggle with “Wild West” Western laws and outlaws. But Jet Li’s classic film wields a more serious, searing and spectacular perspective, also wielded by its just-as-spectacular sequel, Once Upon a Time in China II (Wong Fei Hung II: Nam yi dong ji keung; 1992). Wow, can’t wait to see “China III”, yeah.

Finally, since I couldn’t find any decent large-scaled posters or wallpapers featuring the other Jet Li films I’ve seen this year, like Tai Chi Master (Tai ji: Zhang San Feng; 1993) or The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk (1993), here are a couple of web-popular Jet Li photos. I think Kris-chan will get a kick outta these. If she hasn’t already, haha. Feel free to enlarge.

Sorry, no panty shots this time. Itchy or otherwise.

Part 3 of 3 > From Zero to P90X

Are we there yet? Last but not least, let’s leap from the cinematic world of kicks, punches, bruises and blood, to my personal odyssey from obesity to agility, from pudgy to power. Consequently, here’s the article I posted elsewhere on 11 June 2010, republished below. Enjoy!

From Zero to P90X

By xJAYMANx

Hi, You may not believe this, but 11 years ago, I weighed 150% of my present weight. In other words, I’ve lost 33% (70 pounds) of my total body weight (210 pounds) since then. How was that possible? Well, my transformation hasn’t been a “walk in the park” by any means. I stumbled along the way. I fumbled to find a routine that worked. But finally, something stuck. To help guide the way, I’ve attached my recorded daily weight over the last 11 years.

Disgust & Decision in 1999-2001.

• Let’s rewind back to May 1999. Back then, at 210 pounds, my weight category not only exceeded “overweight” (Body Mass Index of 25-29.9), but reached “obese” with a staggering BMI of 30.1. To get a better idea, try to visualize a 38- or 40-inch waist on a 5′ 10″ frame.
• Suddenly, that month, reality smacked me in the face. Whether or not a family event or comment triggered it, I don’t entirely remember. But just as suddenly, I cut back on the multiple servings of junk food and sweet drinks per meal. From that alone, I slashed 20 pounds over the latter half of 1999.
• At the start of the following year, January 2000, I finally invested in a top-notch heavy-duty treadmill. Yup, I started walking. Together with my smaller meals, walking on the treadmill (while watching DVDs) trimmed away another 20 pounds over the next two years.

Fear & Focus in 2001.

• Without warning, in Oct 2001, an in-law’s heart attack and recovery shocked me into getting a physical checkup for the first time in probably ten years. Guess what? Despite dropping 40 pounds from my maximum, the results of my blood test were horrible — hemoglobin A1c, triglycerides, cholesterol and so on. Terrible. If I didn’t do something, I’d live a diabetic life. If you don’t know your numbers, I suggest you find out too.
• Consequently, by refocusing on my eating and walking habits (as well as recording my weight every morning), I shed another 10 pounds, down to 160, by the end of 2001.

Anxiety & Apathy in 2002-2007.

• Unfortunately, from January 2002 through July 2007, a series of traumatic job transitions and family issues caused my health routines to waver and falter.
• Across these five years, my weight swung down and up three times, as low as the 150s, and as high as the 170s, like a tedious roller-coasting ride.

Confidence & Compliments in 2007-2010.

• Finally, once these external issues resolved themselves and faded away in March-April 2007, I concentrated on my physical health and image again. Without tracking them before, I planned my breakfasts, lunches and dinners to hold no more than 1000 calories each. Not only that, I dusted off the treadmill, found some good DVDs, and started walking on a near-nightly basis once more.
• Out of nowhere, in July 2007, a flattering compliment from a female friend encouraged me, inspired me, and ignited the brilliant idea to walk even faster. For example, in August 2007, my average walking speed maintained a decent 3.5 mph (3 miles in 51 minutes). Over the next five months, I sprinkled in more and more 5-7 mph bursts until I elevated my treading average to 4.5 mph (3 miles in 40 minutes). By the end of December, my weight dropped down to 150, my lowest ever since college.
• With even more compliments over the next two years, from January 2008 through March 2010, I accelerated my running average to the same 5-7 mph as my original bursts, taking non-tread breaks on the stationary bike, depending on how I felt. Yup, I’d burn a typical 600-800 calories in about an hour. For two years, this nightly routine stabilized my weight between the low-140s and high-140s. That is, until it dropped even more in May 2010.

Pride & Power in 2010.

• In May 2010, I finally attained my personal goal of 140 pounds (BMI of 20.1), a 33% loss of my total body weight. By comparison, my high-school-senior weight was a toneless 135 pounds. Wow.
• How did I reach my goal? Well, I’ll tell you: P90X. Or Power 90 Extreme. No joke. I think I first heard of the “P90X: Extreme Home Fitness” 90-day program back in 2007 or 2008. Back then, still in my running phase, I’d laugh and say, “Who wants to see a bunch of sweaty guys working out?” But somehow in 2010, I outgrew that excuse and dove into the program. I mean, if ordinary folks can do it, why not me? So I dusted off my P90X discs, and started “Day 1″ (Chest, Back, Abs) in January.
• Despite my weight loss, I discovered the hard way that my body retained very little muscle tone. Yup, I needed to recover. In fact, I actually avoided “Day 2″ throughout all of February. But I wouldn’t let any more lazy excuses distract me. So in March, despite my nightly run, I returned to P90X every few days or weeks, to endure “Day 2″ (Plyometrics), “Day 3″ (Arms, Shoulders, Abs) and “Day 4″ (Yoga). By mid-April, I carved out a daily 5am routine, and stuck with it. Daily. As I write this article in June, I’ve started “Phase 3 of 3″, completed “Day 65 of 90″, and sculpted myself into the best shape of my life. With 25 days to go. Unreal.

Fitness Beyond 2010.

• Nowadays, I sidestep fast food in favor of my own home-cooked rice-based dishes. With one or two fruits between main meals, my breakfasts, lunches and dinners hold no more than 700 calories each. My closet of snug 38- and 40-inch-waist pants has shrunk to a wardrobe of loose 30-inch-waist slacks.
• Not only that, my body enjoys improved muscle tone, enhanced flexibility, and higher endurance. While playing racquetball several weeks ago, I defeated an unbeatable 6-foot-tall college-aged friend for the first time. Even though he was out of breath after an hour, I stood ready for another hour. Like I said: Unreal.
• My next goal? To conquer this 90-day round of P90X in 25 more days. After that? Well, since fitness shouldn’t stop after 90 days, probably another round of P90X. Or maybe the “Insanity: Total Body Conditioning” 60-day program. Yeah, you heard me: Insanity.

Not bad for a guy who used to swallow two quarter-pound burgers, 20 chicken nuggets and a large soft drink, all in one sitting. Yeah, if I can overcome my fears and excuses, you can too. How far can you go?

Yup, that’s the article. And like I said: No joke. Unfortunately, due to a minor injury recently, I’ve had to pause my progress at Day 80 of 90. So close! But rest assured, in a week or two, I’ll be up and running again. But whatever happens, whether I choose the “P90X” path or “Insanity” route, it still feels unreal. To celebrate, here’s an edited screen-cap of the P90X website, plus 11 high-res 1900px wallpapers. Got it? Like “P90X” developer and trainer Tony Horton says, “Bring it!”

Heyyy, for more “P90X” content, here are a handful of links to check out!

• P90X Wallpapers and Banners
• P90X Girl
• P90X T-shirts
• P90X Torrent
• Insanity Torrent

How far can you go?

Well-well, there you have it, my Tireless Toyboxers! Did you survive the mayhem? Thanks for splashing through my mega-cast of poorly-protected panties, penetratingly-precise punches, and perfectly power-packed repetitions! Plus special thanx to Aika-chan, Spy-chan, Yumiko-chan, Yukie-chan, Rina-chan, Shun Oguri, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Tony Horton!

Did anyone get the panty-shot count? Twelve? Thirteen?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Agent Aika-chan: “Quietly. Quietly. Smile through the itch…”

Aww, thanks, Aki-chan! Happy Belated Birthday to you too! Sadly, Aki-chan’s message is genuinely fake, hehe. But yup, 5 days after Aki-chan’s March 14th birthday, on March 19th, I climbed another year higher, wiser and more tuned to the ways of live-action J-drama, K-drama, Asian gravure idols, and Japanese onigiri. Not bad, huh? On that note, my Tender Toyboxers, let’s step away from “fake” 2D anime and animation this week, and instead, sit back, relax with a bowl of sticky rice, and enjoy a refreshing bottle of “real” 3D entertainment. Ready? Then let’s do it. Let’s start the show…

Part 1 of 5 > My 44 Live-Action in 2009

During my last mega-cast, you might remember what I said about “fake” anime.

Fake? Has anime started to feel fake yet? Yup, you heard me, hehe. The reason I ask this is that… the unexpected and inexplicable sensation swept over me that: “Anime [is] starting to feel fake”. It lasted for only a few moments. But this was the first time I felt anything like this before, after 4-or-5 years of unwavering anime loyalty. Even during real-life disruptions… But perhaps, over the recent months, my rising consumption of 3D live-action J-drama and K-drama, as well as the growing influence of Asian friends, co-workers, culture and cuisine have collectively caused a greater impact than I realized. An impact both visual and emotional. Perhaps. Thus, for those few moments, 2D anime felt “fake”. It no longer felt “real” to me.

Oddly, despite finishing several more anime titles over the last couple months, I haven’t experienced another “inexplicable sensation” since then. Nevertheless, to highlight my “rising consumption of 3D live-action”, in the tradition of my “annual anime lists”, I now present for the first time ever, my “annual live-action lists”. Yup, to complement My 41 Anime in 2009, here is My 44 Live-Action in 2009. Hey, did you catch that? I wrote “44″ live-action, 3 more than my “41″ anime. Fascinating, huh? From ancient warriors to eccentric pianists to moody lovers to galactic trekkers to insatiable pirates to high-school delinquents to super-rich schoolboys, it’s been a lively live-action year! To be specific, here are my live-action faves of 2009!

Next, here are my complete lists of live-action faves and 44 live-action titles-seasons of 2009. Hmm, while my anime titles witnessed a striking monthly drop after September 2009 through December 2009, my live-action titles witnessed a strong presence during those same months. Whether or not there’s a genuine personal “fall of anime”, it’s tough to ignore a personal “rise of live-action”. And tougher to ignore just by the very existence of this list!

My Live-Action Rating

• +++++ DOUBLE WOW! 5 of 5 stars! Maximum for full seasons or films!
• ++++ WOW! 4 of 5 stars! Maximum for half seasons!

My Top-10 Full Seasons > 5 of 5 stars!

• [41] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 2 (1-11) > Honorable Mention!
• [39] +++++ Jumong – Season 3 (41-60) > Fave K-Drama!
• [36] +++++ Jumong – Season 2 (21-40)
• [35] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 1 (1-9)
• [33] +++++ Jumong – Season 1 (1-20)
• [29] +++++ Torchwood – Season 3 – Children of Earth (2009, 1-5) > Fave UK-Drama!
• [27] +++++ Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008, 1-12)
• [20] +++++ Terminator – Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season 2 (1-22)
• [16] +++++ Nodame Cantabile – Live-Action (2006, 1-11) > Fave J-Drama!
• [09] +++++ Battlestar Galactica – Season 4 (1-20) > Fave US-Drama!

My Top-5 Films or Specials > 5 of 5 stars!

• [31] +++++ In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa, 2000) > Fave Romance Film!
• [26] +++++ Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005)
• [25] +++++ Star Trek (2009) > Fave Sci-Fi Film!
• [21] +++++ Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special (2009) > Fave Comedy Special!
• [14] +++++ Red Cliff – Part II (Chi bi xia: Jue zhan tian xia, 2009) > Fave Action Film!

My Top-2 Adult Films > 5 of 5 stars!

• [06] +++++ Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge (2008) > Fave Adult Film!
• [05] +++++ Pirates XXX (2005)

My 44 Live-Action Titles-Seasons in 2009

December 2009

• [--] Tomb Raider 2 – The Cradle of Life (2003) – Finished (again) 29 Dec.
• [--] Tomb Raider (2001) – Finished (again) 27 Dec. Yup, finally finished “Tomb Raider” again.
• [44] ++++ Sherlock Holmes (2009) – Finished 26 Dec. Heyyy, not bad, not bad! Maybe 4 of 5 stars?
• [43] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final – Director’s Cut (2008) – Finished 25 Dec. Aww, added or extended scenes, 4-5 of 5 stars!
• [42] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final (2008) – Finished 24 Dec. Ahh, the film finale to the TV series. Should I give 4 of 5 stars? Or 5 stars?
• [41] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 2 (1-11) – Finished 22 Dec. Wow, another dramatic 5 of 5 stars!
• [40] ++++ Evanescence: Anywhere but Home (2004) – Finished 17 Dec. Wow, not bad, I’d say 4 of 5 stars!
• [39] +++++ Jumong – Season 3 (41-60) – Finished 14 Dec. Wow, finished my self-defined “Season 3″, episodes 41-60. Epic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [--] Star Trek (2009) – Finished (again) 13 Dec. Yup, watched the film again, a better version of the downloaded movie file! Yup, 5 of 5 stars again! Wallpapers and review at Blog 214.
• [38] ++++ Equilibrium (2002) – Finished 05 Dec. Hey, finally watched this “Matrix” clone. Not bad, I’d give 4 of 5 stars!

November 2009

• [37] ++++ Doctor Who – Planet of the Dead (2009) – Finished 22 Nov. Hey, 4 of 5 stars!
• [36] +++++ Jumong – Season 2 (21-40) – Finished 17 Nov. Wow, finished my self-defined “Season 2″, episodes 21-40. Epic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [35] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 1 (1-9) – Finished 15 Nov. Wow, dramatic, amusing and emotional 5 of 5 stars!

October 2009

• [34] ++++ Battlestar Galactica – The Plan (2009) – Finished 24 Oct. Not perfect but not bad at all, 4 of 5 stars! Images and review at Blog 218.
• [33] +++++ Jumong – Season 1 (1-20) – Finished 19 Oct. Wow, finished my self-defined “Season 1″, episodes 1-20. Epic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [32] +++ Densha Otoko (2005) – Finished 17 Oct. Didn’t quite pay attention to it, due to some physical distractions, hehe. Poster and review at Blog 218.
• [--] Forbidden Kingdom (2008) – Finished (again) 04 Oct. Not bad for a second viewing! Poster and review at Blog 218.

September 2009

• [--] Jumong – Started 20 Sep. Epic! Even though this was only the first episode, I felt I had to mention when I started such an epic series! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [31] +++++ In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa, 2000) – Finished 20 Sep. Yup, watched the film plus the DVD extras. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! Maggie and Tony remind me sooo much of us! Uncanny! I mean, how did I avoid watching this? Since I already watched “2046″ before, how? After meeting her, must be fate? Poster and review at Blog 218.
• [--] So Close (Chik yeung tin si, 2002) – Finished (again) 11 Sep. Yup, finally finished the film plus the DVD extras again. I don’t remember what rating I gave when I first saw it, but I’d give it 4 of 5 stars today, hehe. Images at Blog 217.

August 2009

• [--] Death Note 2 – The Last Name (2006) – Finished (again) 29 Aug. Yup, watched it with her, hehe. Wallpapers and review at Blog 210.
• [--] Death Note (2006) – Finished (again) 29 Aug. Yup, watched it with her, hehe. Wallpapers and review at Blog 210.
• [30] ++++ The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) – Finished 22 Aug. Yup, watched it with her at Sunset Station Casino. Hey, not bad, 4 of 5 stars! Several moments of near tears. Wallpapers and review at Blog 216.

July 2009

• [29] +++++ Torchwood – Season 3 – Children of Earth (2009, 1-5) – Finished 31 Jul. Whoa, didn’t tear up, but still emotional 5 of 5 stars!
• [28] +++ Lord of War (2005) – Finished 29 Jul. Just okay, 3 of 5 stars.
• [27] +++++ Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008, 1-12) – Finished 24 Jul. Watched the 2008 TV series, followed by the 2009 extra episode. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! With the first ending, so many tears streaming down both my cheeks. Screencaps and review at Blog 213.
• [26] +++++ Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) – Finished 24 Jul. Wow, two-hour reunion! Teared up too, 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 213.
• [25] +++++ Star Trek (2009) – Finished 21 Jul. Yup, finally watched the downloaded movie file. And I’m glad I did, 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 214.
• [24] ++++ Watchmen (2009) – Finished 12 Jul. Wow, finally watched the film-version of the break-through comic, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 211.
• [23] ++ L – Change the World (2008) – Finished 11 Jul. Ehh, nice to see “L” again, but such a poor plot, 2 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 210.
• [22] ++++ Smallville – Season 8 (1-22) – Finished 03 Jul. Haha, a six-episode marathon till the 22nd-episode finale! Whoa, intense 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 209.

June 2009

• [21] +++++ Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special (2009) – Finished 27 Jun. Awww, wild, wacky yet warm. Yup, no doubt, another 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 208.
• [20] +++++ Terminator – Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season 2 (1-22) – Finished 19 Jun. Wow, the stylistic reverence and cinematic adherence to the original film trilogy is uncanny! An impressive 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 207.
• [19] ++++ Blade Runner – Director’s Cut (1982, 1992) – Finished 14 Jun. Hehe, after “Hard Boiled”, I was then inspired to watch “Blade Runner” again, starring Harrison Ford and Edward James Olmos. Still a cyborg-gunning 4 of 5 stars! Posters and review at Blog 207.
• [18] ++++ Hard Boiled (Lat sau san taam, 1992) – Finished 14 Jun. Hey, finally watched this film! Directed by John Woo, starring Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. A bullet-flying 4 of 5 stars! Wallpaper and review at Blog 207.
• [17] ++++ Nodame Cantabile – Special in Europe (2008, 1-2) – Finished 13 Jun. After the live-action series, watched the two-episode “Special in Europe”. Awww, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 207.
• [16] +++++ Nodame Cantabile – Live-Action (2006, 1-11) – Finished 12 Jun. Haha, the live-action version of the extraordinary anime! Wow, sublime 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 207.
• [15] ++++ In July (Im Juli, 2000) – Finished 06 Jun. Ahh, a random non-Asian change via Netflix, finally watched this German romantic comedy. Aww, hard not to fall in love with Christiane Paul. A colorful 4 of 5 stars! Images and review at Blog 205.

May 2009

• [14] +++++ Red Cliff – Part II (Chi bi xia: Jue zhan tian xia, 2009) – Finished 04 May. Double-wow! Spectacular 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 201.

April 2009

• [13] ++++ Shinobi – Heart Under Blade (2005) – Finished 25 Apr. Ahh, the live-action film alternative to the novel or anime. Too few ninjas, but not bad, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 199.
• [12] ++++ Police Story 3 – Supercop (Ging chat goo si 3: Chiu kup ging chat, 1992) – Finished 19 Apr. Wow, Jackie Chan’s third police-punching action-packed roller-coaster ride, featuring the dazzling Michelle Yeoh, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 198.
• [11] ++++ Battlestar Galactica – Caprica – Pilot (2009) – Finished 18 Apr. Heyyy, the pilot for the 2010 series! Wow, wickedly impressive 4 of 5 stars!
• [10] +++ Seven Swords (Chat gim, 2005) – Finished 10 Apr. Stunning imagery, but ehh, not bad, 3 of 5 stars.

March 2009

• [09] +++++ Battlestar Galactica – Season 4 (1-20) – Finished 21 Mar. Wow, glorious final episode of the final chapter! Wickedly breathtaking, heart-stoppingly mind-blowing, with twists, turns and surprises till the end, haha. For a full 90 minutes too. A galactic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpaper and review at Blog 194.
• [08] +++ Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni piasu, 2008) – Finished 21 Mar. Hmm, a revealing yet startling window into soul-searching underground characters. The plot wasn’t too bad, 3 of 5 stars. Screencaps and review at Blog 194.

February 2009

• [07] ++++ Police Story 2 (Ging chat goo si juk jaap, 1988) – Finished 21 Feb. Wow, Jackie Chan’s police-punching sequel, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 190.
• [06] +++++ Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge (2008) – Finished 20 Feb. Wow, spectacular big-budget adult film, 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 190.
• [05] +++++ Pirates XXX (2005) – Finished 10 Feb. Wow, impressive big-budget adult production! Haha, except for the explicit sex, almost like a “real” movie, 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 188.
• [04] ++++ Battle Royale (2000) – Finished 06 Feb. Whoa, with all the bloody violence, unexpectedly complex and layered, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 188.

January 2009

• [03] ++++ Police Story (Ging chat goo si, 1985) – Finished 28 Jan. Wow, Jackie Chan’s police-punching classic! Even after 24 years, the stunts are still insane, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 187.
• [02] ++++ Doctor Who at the Proms (Special, 2009) – Finished 11 Jan. Heyyy, not bad, pretty entertaining! Such moving and memorable musical pieces for the reimagined sci-fi series, 4 of 5 stars!
• [01] ++++ Sarah Jane Adventures – Season 2 (1-12) – Finished 04 Jan. Ahh, a more child-oriented version of the reimagined “Doctor Who”, but still quite an entertaining 4 of 5 stars!

Part 2 of 5 > Hana Yori Dango to Dae Jang Geum

Congratulations to “Hana Yori Dango”! Although “Nodame Cantabile” stole the prize of “Fave J-Drama”, I couldn’t overlook “Hana Yori Dango” either. So I gave this J-drama an “Honorable Mention”! Let’s take another look why.

• [43] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final – Director’s Cut (2008) – Aww, 4-5 of 5 stars!
• [42] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final (2008) – Ahh, 4 of 5 stars? Or 5 stars?
• [41] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 2 (1-11) – Wow, 5 of 5 stars!
• [35] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 1 (1-9) – Wow, 5 of 5 stars!

Yup, not just two seasons, but also a film finale. In the same effective “dramedy” style seen in “Gokusen” (Blog 208 and Blog 213) and “Nodame Cantabile” (Blog 207), “Hana Yori Dango” likewise dances playfully between exaggerated over-the-top comic-violence and heart-breaking-heart-warming tears. Especially captivating are Mao Inoue (as Makino Tsukushi, 牧野 つくし) and Jun Matsumoto (as Domyouji Tsukasa, 道明寺 司), also a graduate of “Gokusen”. And oftentimes, successfully frustrating too, hehe. But yeah, an undeniable 5 of 5 stars overall, across both seasons and both film versions.

To celebrate, ranging dramatically from 1024px-to-3000px resolution, here are 13 wallpapers, scans and other images. Feel free to enlarge!

Inevitably, following the success of the “Hana Yori Dango” (2005, 2007) J-drama series, the K-drama version “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) was born. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy its slower pace. Especially on the treadmill. So after willfully enduring 7 of 25 episodes from January 13th to January 20th, I finally gave up. Ugh, the 7th was the slowest episode thus far. That’s when I switched back to another K-drama, the classic “Dae Jang Geum” (2003) series, hehe. Nevertheless, here are a couple of images for your idle and idol enjoyment!

Coincidentally, on March 2nd, while Autumn-chan was strolling through the library, she managed to pass by an aisle of manga, thought of me, and snapped some shots on her iPhone, haha. Not just “Hana Yori Dango” (Boys Over Flowers), but “Kare Kano” (His & Her Circumstances) too! Wow, it’s been ages since I blogged about “Kare Kano”. Let’s see, Blog 184? Yup, I think that was the last time!

Speaking of the classic “Dae Jang Geum” (2003) K-drama, I also started it on January 13th. But unlike the “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) K-drama, I’ve stuck with it for over 2 months, enjoying over 40 of 54 episodes thus far! Especially on the treadmill, haha. I can definitely see the interrelated influences with other Ancient Korean K-drama favorites like “Damo” (2003) and “Jumong” (2006). I’ll probably discuss it in more detail next time, but for now, here are several wallpapers for your wondering and wandering eyes.

Haha, got enough live-action J-drama and K-drama to fill your bowl?

Part 3 of 5 > Miss Actress to Aki Hoshino

Once again, Happy Birthday to you, Aki-chan! I didn’t forget your photoshoot, hehe. Ahh, my Tantalized Toyboxers, if you’ve peeked at the Toybox often enough, you’ve already seen a few of my posts featuring Japanese gravure-idol photoshoots. Haven’t you?

• Juri Ueno from the hit J-drama “Nodame Cantabile” (Blog 207)
• Yukie Nakama from another hit J-drama “Gokusen” (Blog 208 and Blog 213)

So finally, in the tradition of my previous photoshoots, I present Aki Hoshino (ほしのあき / 호시노 아키 / 星野亞紀) from the Miss Actress Photo Book #070 (2005). Enjoy!

Oh, before I forget, here’s an interesting side note. When I first stumbled upon Aki-chan’s photoshoot months ago, perhaps half a year ago along with Juri-chan’s or Yukie-chan’s photoshoots, I noticed how artsy-and-dark this shoot was compared to other standard bright-and-sunny idol shoots. Very cool. But when I began composing this mega-cast, I somehow lost the link! Fortunately, on February 28th, I found it again! Along with an intriguing interview I hadn’t seen before. Thus, I requested the assistance of Autumn-chan to translate and summarize the text. Thanks Autumn-chan!

Autumn-chan: finally made sense

xJAYMANx: awesome

Autumn-chan: sorry it took so long

xJAYMANx: ohh, no time at all, want to add any comments for those 6 pages?
(for blog)

Autumn-chan: i don’t have anything to add…

xJAYMANx: np, then would it be okay to ask for a brief summary?
or does the english parts sum it up

Autumn-chan: she talks about when she was in middle school and high school, how she didn’t like studying but liked to go to school because her friends were there
she didn’t know how to be friends with boys or go on dates because she didn’t know how to have a relationship with a guy (she didn’t have a father)

xJAYMANx: interesting

Autumn-chan: and then when she was 18 she had a crush on a guy that was 23
she thought he was his boyfriend until she found out that she was only one of his several girlfriends

xJAYMANx: ahh
(sent a final question) [Via email: Here are 2 more without much text. Would they fit better at the start, end or somewhere in between (about being an "all-boys girl").]

Autumn-chan: so he broke her heart and she lost a lot of weight

xJAYMANx: aww

Autumn-chan: then she went to his home to pick up her stuff and when he saw how thin she was, he was kind to her, so she thought if she looked sick he’d like her
she was 35kg which is less than 80 pounds

xJAYMANx: wow

Autumn-chan: but she got over that and started modeling

xJAYMANx: thats super skinny isn’t it?

Autumn-chan: (yes) and she started when she was 24 and no magazine wanted her, but she somehow made it

xJAYMANx: really
that’s late to start modelling

Autumn-chan: yes
very late, she says that’s when girls stop doing bikinis

xJAYMANx: yeah
(anywhere in between, so not start or end)

Autumn-chan: i think it should start with 107

xJAYMANx: i agree
which text page talks about “all boys girl”

Autumn-chan: 107

xJAYMANx: ahh, so you’re right, anywhere in between

Autumn-chan: the second picture is probably in high school which is on 105

xJAYMANx: you mean 102 goes w 105?

Autumn-chan: yes

Without further ado, here’s Aki-chan’s photoshoot! As always, feel free to enlarge the images. You’ll notice the original interview soon enough, hehe.

Hehe, got enough lively bikini idols to fill your cup? But here’s a more intriguing side note. It occurred to my cross-circuited brain: Doesn’t Aki Hoshino remind you of a modern-day Japanese version of the innocent-yet-curvy Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe?

Part 4 of 5 > Japanese Souvenirs to Birthday Dishes

Okay, my Toasty Toyboxers, enough about live-action dramas and lively bikini idols. Let’s talk about food! During my last mega-cast, you might remember how I acquired my rice cooker.

On Saturday, 09 January 2010, based on Autumn-chan’s advice, I finally ordered my $122 Zojirushi rice cooker for just $9, hehe… Then less than a week later, on Thursday, 14 January 2010, I picked up my new Zojirushi from the office front desk. I opened up the box in the office kitchen and checked it out. Nice. The next night, on Friday, 15 January 2010, I cooked some Calrose white rice, mixed some ume-shiso seasoning into it, and ate half with my leftover sardines, mmm. Then made the other half into two onigiri, hehe.

Well, over the rest of January through February and March, I’ve experimented with quite a few variations of onigiri, ranging from plain Calrose white rice, to Calrose white rice with shiso seasoning, to Calrose white rice slightly browned with soy sauce plus shiso seasoning, to Calrose brown rice with wakame (seaweed) mix. Thanks Autumn-chan for the shiso and wakame! In fact, here’s a two-month-old snapshot of my Zojirushi. At near-daily use, it’s still going strong!

Back in mid-January, here were my early attempts at oddly-shaped “cubic” onigiri, haha. Calrose white with shiso.

One month later, mid-February, here were my more traditionally shaped “triangular” onigiri. Plain Calrose white.

Ah yes, souvenirs from the “Tokyo Loot Fairies”! After Autumn-chan came back from Japan, she brought back quite a few intriguing trinkets. A stack of tourist brochures, curry and shiso mixes, a shopping guide and other boxes. Unrelatedly yet relatedly, my close co-worker friend Allie-chan also happened to bring back a little gift. Can you guess which one it is?

Haha, first, let’s talk about the orange box with feet on it! This was Autumn-chan’s primary present for the winter season. Any educated guess what it is? Yup, a type of gel-pack bed warmer! Just take the gel-pack, heat it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, throw it under the bed covers, and you’re good to go for the night. You have the option to stick it in the orange sack to protect your skin from any prolonged contact. But since I wore sweatpants and socks anyway, the toasty heat didn’t bother me. I must admit, it was a nice companion to my portable heaters. But it doesn’t quite exist in the States, does it? At least not on Amazon.

Ah, second, the curry mix! But not just the sauce, the mix also includes the meat, potatoes and veggies. Very convenient! Unfortunately, only enough for one plate. One, maybe two servings. Definitely not something I can find at the local grocery store, even in the “international” or “ethnic” aisle, hehe. Oh yeah, if you look closely, or enlarge the image, you can see the “3″ in the bottom-right corner. That’s a mild or medium “3 out of 5″ in the spiciness range.

Third, the shiso mix! Made from the shiso plant, this seasoning adds a very consistent saltiness to your onigiri. Actually, let me correct that, you can control the density and consistency of the saltiness depending on how you mix up, or don’t mix up, your cooked rice. In any case, mmm, tasty.

Fourth, the “Dessert Pocky”! Why is it called “Dessert”? Who knows? I guess it must be the cheesecake flavoring? Or the very un-dense packing? Haha, I mean, come on, even though they show 12 sticks on the box cover, any reasonable consumer might expect more than that, right? Well, nope. It’s exactly 12 sticks, or 3 sticks in each of the 4 packs. That’s all. Just 12 sticks!

Fifth, the “Super Skinny Pocky”! I forgot what the translation on the big red arrow was, but I think it was something like “Super Skinny”. Is it really “Super Skinny” compared to the traditional standard “Pocky”? Hmm, maybe slightly. But then again, I don’t eat it often enough to immediately notice the difference, unless you told me.

Ahh, here’s another curious side note. I forget who told me, either Autumn-chan or Allie-chan, but “Pocky” treats are normally considered “very girlie” in Japan. I never knew this until last year! How girlie? Well, probably as “girlie” as buying and putting on make-up. Yup, no joke. Which explains why you see only girls enjoying “Pocky” in anime and drama. Which also explains why they came out with a specific “Men’s Pocky” to target male consumers. Like I said, no joke. If I were strolling though Tokyo, I’d probably not want to be seen eating “Pocky”. For example, take a peek at the back of the box. Where Mizuki Kuroda is showing you how to add tiny hearts to your “Strawberry Pocky”. Awww, how cute and sweet. So the next time you have a craving for these chocolate sticks, don’t forget to put on your lipstick and nail polish too, haha.

Sixth, even more onigiri “accessories”, hehe. In the pink packet, sake (salmon) seasoning for mixing into the rice. In the first green packet, wakame (one type of seaweed) seasoning for also mixing into the rice. And in the second green packet, nori (another type of seaweed) for covering an exterior section of the onigiri.

Seventh, the “Japan Shopping Guide”! Covering English, Korean, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. Hardly any Japanese at all! Including train lines, bus lines, maps and product information for all your favorite shopping sites! Featuring Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Ikebukuro, Akihabara, Makuhari, Funabashi, Yokohama, even Narito Airport, and bits of Osaka too, hehe.

Ahh, so do any of these Zojirushi rice cookers look familiar? Hmmm?

Well, that’s all of the “Tokyo Loot” souvenirs, folks! Can you guess which gift Autumn-chan didn’t bring me? The gift that Allie-chan brought back? Haha, like a needle in a haystack! Or, hint-hint, like a stick in a pile of chocolate? Meanwhile, speaking of impossibly random finds, one day, while I was flipping through the April 2010 issue of “Reader’s Digest” (yeah, a gift subscription from Dad), guess what I found on page 123? A life-sized android Miku-chan! Imagine that! If you have no idea who or what Miku-chan is, check out Otaku Dan’s post “Miku Hatsune Wallpaper Dump” (24 March 2010). Of course, “Reader’s Digest” doesn’t have any idea either.

Another month later, mid-March, here was another tasty onigiri experiment. Calrose white slightly browned with soy sauce plus shiso.

Then another two weeks later, on March 29th, I finally opened the green packet of wakame (seaweed) seasoning above. Calrose brown rice with wakame. Mmm, brown rice definitely makes a difference. Seems to add another layer or texture to the flavor. My favorite onigiri so far!

Mmm, doesn’t all of this onigiri make you hungry? But now, let’s rewind back over the past week to my other delicious birthday dishes! Remember the green box of medium curry mix above? Not just the sauce, but the meat, potatoes and veggies included too? Well, here’s the mix when cooked in the microwave for a minute, and poured over nice and sticky Calrose brown rice, mmm. Doubly delicious when shared with Autumn-chan. Awww.

Afterwards, dessert! Chocolate bread pudding and yummy apple pie! Need I say more?

Mmm, if all of the onigiri didn’t budge you, then the pudding and pie must have! So that was Saturday, March 20th. A few days later, on Tuesday, March 23rd, a couple of my coworkers Melanie (in brown) and Michelle (in black) decided to treat me to a belated birthday lunch. Awww. My choice: T.G.I.F. With some strawberry lemonade, fried green beans, a Jack Daniel’s Sampler platter (packed with chicken, shrimp and ribs), and of course, the final ice-cream dessert accompanied with the universally embarrassing T.G.I.F. staff singing. Bahhh.

Happy Birthday, dude! By the way, my Tempted Toyboxers, if you’re curious about last year’s birthday antics, appetizers and assassins, feel free to take a peek at Blog 194.

Part 5 of 5 > Firefox Personas to Google iGoogles

Are we there yet? Last but not least, here are a few random technical updates on the web browsers and websites I’ve been using. Back on February 18th, I finally installed the new Firefox 3.6, played with its cool Persona skins, and ultimately settled on the “Black Catgirl” browser skin. Nice! Next, on February 22nd, I finally explored iGoogle, configured my iGoogle home page, and ultimately settled with a 3-column “Black UI” theme. Double nice! So on February 28th, with everything pretty stable and set in place, I decided to take some screencaps (Photoshop-edited for content). Yup, very black, very cool.

Yup, my “Black Toybox 2007″ blog design is still running pretty well. Three years sticking with the same design, same theme, same look-and-feel. Not too shabby. Not at all.

Heyyy, thank you, my Trusty Toyboxers, for making it this far! I hope you enjoyed my stumble and climb through live-action drama titles, lively bikini idols, and tasty onigiri. Once again, Happy Birthday, Aki-chan! And thanks to the other gracious gals who glided through this mega-cast. Yukie-chan, Juri-chan, Mao-chan, Autumn-chan, Allie-chan, Miku-chan, Maria-chan, Melanie and Michelle. So did you guess which gift Autumn-chan didn’t bring me? The gift that Allie-chan brought back? Yup, the blue-boxed loosely-packed cheesecake-flavored “Dessert Pocky”, haha.

• Doesn’t Aki Hoshino remind you of a modern-day Japanese version of Marilyn Monroe?
• “Pocky” treats are normally considered “very girlie” in Japan. How girlie?
• Of course, “Reader’s Digest” doesn’t have any idea either. Miku who?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Aki-chan: “Happy Birthday, Jay… Got onigiri?”

Fake Message, LOL | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 750px

Greetings, my Titillating Toyboxers! Welcome to the blaze-and-glory of yet another weekly mega-cast attack upon your immortal soul! Assuming your fragile fingers can survive the infinite click-and-scroll. Hey, that rhymed, lol. Imagine that! Nevertheless, there’s no more room for imagination when you must witness the cybernetic grasp of mechanical lovers, the heartfelt tug of high-school reunions, the soothing smile of bikini-clad idols, the seductive glance of adult-video starlets, and the infectious laughter of cute acquaintances. Like I said, no more room for imagination! But tons of space-and-time for entertainment, right? So lock yourself inside, peel away your pride, and enjoy the ride. Let’s go!

Part 1 of 5 > Zettai Kareshi – Absolute Boyfriend

Heyyy, let’s start our glorious ride with some Japanese live-action! Do you remember my Blog 208 > Gangsters, Grads & Gravure (29 June 2009) just over a month ago? If not, let me refresh your memory cells, lol. On that mega-cast, Toyboxer Kris-chan commented how a few of the “Gokusen” actors reminded her of “Absolute Boyfriend (Live Action)”. That’s because two of the actors are on both shows!

Consequently, because of my adoration of “Gokusen” (Live Action, 2002, 2005, 2008), I downloaded “Zettai Kareshi” (Live Action, 2008) plus its extra “Special Ending” (2009). And the rest is history! I enjoyed the first episode, finished the series and the special on 24 July 2009, and finally added the title to this week’s mega-cast! And I gotta tell you, while the pace seemed more relaxed than other J-drama or K-drama series, when I reached the final episode, the tears were literally blurring my eyes and streaming down my cheeks, both cheeks, more tears with this episode than with any single episode of live-action “Gokusen” or any other Japanese or Korean drama. Yup, it was that intense! Yup, no doubt, 5 of 5 stars! Afterwards, the “Special Ending” was a nice bit of closure to tie up the loose strings. But satisfying as well. Amazing. To celebrate, here are 40+ “Zettai Kareshi” screencaps from Design Chronicle to offer a tangy taste of the title. Even more fake captions anyone?

But before the fake captions, here’s the title sequence.

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Yup, both lead guys are from “Gokusen 2″! Okay, next, the fake captions…

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “We’ve done it. We’ve turned the Terminator into the Lovinator!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Yes, the Lovinator!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan {in thought}: “Hmm, I need some lovin’.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Did you say ‘Lovin” as in Lovinator?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Soshi: “Hmm, I think I need some lovin’ too.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh? What’s a Lovinator?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Behold! This is my Nightly Lovinator!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Nice, huh? I tested his Nightly Lovinating myself!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “In fact, I tested his Nightly Lovinating all day and all night!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Ah yes, Riiko-chan, don’t forget to read the instructions.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh? My own Nightly Lovinator?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Hmm, this’ll never work.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {activating}: “Armpits… 1… 2… 3…”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {still activating}: “Hmm, something smells like armpits.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Who are you? Are you a Terminator?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Terminator? I’m not a Terminator.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Help me! A Terminator is gonna kill me!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “I’m not a Terminator. I’m a Lovinator. Wanna smell my armpits?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Help me! I don’t wanna smell your armpits!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Don’t wanna smell my armpits? Wanna have sex?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Sorry about that. I forgot to use deodorant.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Hey Riiko-chan, wanna buy some deodorant?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “No, it’s okay. It doesn’t smell too bad.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “But what am I gonna do with a Nightly Lovinator?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “I’m a Nightly Lovinator. Can I buy some deodorant?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {deactivating}: “I think my armpits still smell bad.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “I’m so sorry, Night. Your armpits smelled bad after all.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {deactivating}: “Armpits… 3… 2… 1…”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {testing}: “Armpits… Smell… Deodorant…”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “I’m sorry. I couldn’t get the new deodorant in time.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “I can smell Riiko-chan. I can smell the new deodorant. Where?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Ahhh, the deodorant. There it is.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Hmmm, this deodorant is heavier than I thought.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Must repair. Must deliver deodorant to Riiko-chan.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Here, Riiko-chan. The new deodorant you wanted.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko: “Why? Why did you deliver the deodorant?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko: “Wow, I can’t believe they loved the new deodorant fragrance!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko’s friend: “Oh no, I gotta tell Riiko-chan, they didn’t like the deodorant fragrance after all!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “I’m sorry, Night. The new deodorant didn’t work out.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {reacting}: “Deodorant… Smell… Bad…”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko {waking up}: “What? Who’s there?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Good morning, Riiko-chan. Wanna smell my armpits?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko: “Nooooo!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Hahaha! But I wonder: Would *Nightly* Lovinator armpits smell better or worse than *Daily* Lovinator armpits? Would *female* Lovinator armpits smell better or worse than *male* ones? Okay-okay, forget I asked. Because now, it’s time to hike from one Japanese live-action drama to another!

Part 2 of 5 > Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special

Yup, my Telltale Toyboxers, more “Gokusen”! Why? Well, why not? I mean, I already mentioned my adoration of “Gokusen” (Live Action, 2002, 2005, 2008) above, and I recently speed-reviewed the “Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special” (2009) in my Blog 208 > Gangsters, Grads & Gravure (29 June 2009) just over a month ago. So why not?

In fact, after finishing “Zettai Kareshi” plus its extra “Special Ending”, I decided to watch the two-hour “Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special” (Sept 2005) that same night, on 24 July 2009. And once again, all of the memorable emotions bubbled up to the surface. Like I’ve said before: “It’s simply incredible how after its 3 seasons and 7 years, the series can still take me from out-loud laughter to sniffling eye-blurring tears.” Just like the “Gokusen 3″ special, this “Gokusen 2″ special took me to the edge of tears too. Hehe, another 5 of 5 stars! Was there any doubt? To celebrate, here are 40+ screencaps from the “Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special”. From only the first 5 minutes!

Since the screencaps already include subtitles, I won’t bother with fake ones, lol.

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Isn’t Yukie-chan mesmerizing?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Tonight, “Gokusen 2″ (2005) returns!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Hehe, scenes from the dramatic comedy.

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Which aired from January through March 2005.

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

A record-breaking 28% average rating!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Six months after its last airing…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

The passion has never ceased!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

We want to see it again!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

The requests are unimaginable!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Heyyy, the tall guy raising his arms. Hayami Mokomichi! The future “Zettai Kareshi” Lovinator!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Aww, Yukie-chan will always be our “Yankumi”.

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Yup, Yankumi-sensei of delinquent Class 3D!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Emotional! Exciting!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Haha, never-before-seen scenes?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

What? Actors-turned-singers too?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

The “Gokusen 2″ theme sung live?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Heyyy, the same tall guy in the back. Hayami Mokomichi! The future “Zettai Kareshi” Lovinator!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

You shall understand the entire story!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

And now, the “Gokusen Reunion Special”…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Ready? Set? Gokusen!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

The “Gokusen Reunion Special” is finally here!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Welcome back, Kurogin High School!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

A reunion like this is almost never done, right?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Eh? Were you talking to me?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

But something is missing…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Then let us call her…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Let’s call in Yankumi-sensei. Is everyone ready?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Yankumi!!!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Awww, Yukie-chan returns!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Closer…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Even closer…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Her hair twirls in captivating grace…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Yukie-chan, it’s been half a year!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Yup, half a year!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Already?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Because “Gokusen” has so many viewers…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Hence this “Reunion” program…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Awww…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Now, it’s time to recap the first episode!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

The first episode of “Gokusen 2″!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Let’s begin the show!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Awww, and that was just the first 5 minutes of the two-hour special! But I think it’s safe to say that Yukie-chan is the undeniable reason why “Gokusen” is the fan-favorite phenomenon it was back then, and still is today. To further our celebration of Yukie-chan, let’s rewind even further back in time, back 6 years, from 2005 to 1999. To her 20th birthday!

Part 3 of 5 > Nakama Yukie-chan – Revisiting Idol

Ahh, ready for more Yukie-chan? Of course you are! According to Wikipedia, she was born in October 1979. And according to Channel Gravure, the following “gravure” photo sets come from (I’m guessing from the Korean text) her “20th Birthday Photo Book”. Which should be 1999, a full 6 years before her “Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special” (2005) appearance. Remarkably, like many Asian women, she has hardly changed at all!

Having said that, enjoy these 14 stylish photos of Yukie-chan! Feel free to enlarge them!

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 1200px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 1200px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 1200px

Well? Did you enlarge them? Haha, or maybe you’ve enlarged something else? Still, can you tell the difference between Yukie-chan in 1999 and Yukie-chan in 2005? Because it’s pretty tough, even for me, lol. But now, it’s time to ride the waves from Japanese gravure idols to Asian porn starlets!

Part 4 of 5 > Question of the Week – What Type of Asian Porn Girl?

Wow, it’s been ages since my last “Question of the Week”. When was the last one? Maybe in my Blog 188 > Kanons, Pirates & Bloodbaths (08 Feb 2009)? Six months ago? If any Toyboxer can verify this, please do so, lol. But why do I bring this up? Well, it’s time for my latest “Question of the Week”!

The question: What type of Asian porn girl do you like?

Of the 3 choices demonstrated below, do you like: “Starlet A”, the quiet-yet-sharp sophisticated type? “Starlet B”, the wilder-and-crazier ganguro-bleached type? Or “Starlet C”, the cute-and-bubbly girl-next-door type?

Here’s an example of the “Starlet A” type.

Starlet A | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1100px

Starlet A | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1100px

Starlet A | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1100px

Starlet A | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1100px

Next, here’s an example of the “Starlet B” type.

Starlet B | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 900px

Starlet B | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1100px

Starlet B | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 900px

Starlet B | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 900px

Finally, here’s an example of the “Starlet C” type.

Starlet C | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1200px

Starlet C | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1200px

Starlet C | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1200px

Starlet C | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1200px

To repeat, of the 3 choices demonstrated below, do you like: “Starlet A”, the quiet-yet-sharp sophisticated type? “Starlet B”, the wilder-and-crazier ganguro-bleached type? Or “Starlet C”, the cute-and-bubbly girl-next-door type?

Haha, I look forward to your answers! Can you guess mine? By the way, depending on your preferences, there’s also a hidden test within the test. So if you know what it is, don’t reveal it. Or you shall be banned! Okay, maybe not banned, but we’ll see. Ahh, I just realized this! Funny how all 3 types have bleached their hair in one form or another, lol. Finally, it’s time to ride the rippling waves from the international shores of Asian entertainment to the local shores of the xJAYMANx stage, lol.

Part 5 of 5 > Angry Mimi-chan, Allie-chan & xJAYMANx

Huh, the xJAYMANx stage? What the frak is that? LOL, ahh, be quiet. But a couple of weeks ago, on Tuesday, 21 July 2009, I met a few of the seven new employees fresh out of college. And guess what? One of them was a cute Japanese girl named Allie. Well, over the course of that week, and since their cubicles were in the same area as mine, I managed to organize a Friday lunch at “Chipotle” (24 July 2009) with her and Martin, another employee-in-training who happens to be half-Korean. Both are awesome! Not just funny and intelligent, but both are quirky enough to match my comedic wavelengths, lol.

Oddly, on the following Wednesday (29 July 2009), one of the trainers was sick. So while I was waiting outside the training room for Allie and Martin to join me for lunch at “T.G.I. Friday’s”, I decided to take a few pics of Allie “leading” the training class, hahaha.

29 July | Allie-chan in Training Class | Enlarge 750px

This was only their second week learning the software, so the scene is quite amusing!

29 July | Allie-chan in Training Class | Enlarge 750px

I think she’s wrapping up the video session…

29 July | Allie-chan in Training Class | Enlarge 750px

But I think that chair is set a bit too high, lol.

29 July | Allie-chan in Training Class | Enlarge 750px

Then a couple of days later, on Friday (31 July 2009), I was asked to proctor the training class during their exam, lol. Yup, since I’m part of the Training Department, I managed to monitor the trainees from 7am to 10am. Allie arrived first at 7:30am. The others followed till 8am. Next, the 8am study session. Then the 9am exam. Pretty painless.

Haha, Allie tries to avoid my digicam around 9am!

31 July | Allie-chan in Training Class | Enlarge 750px

Here’s the empty training room around 7am.

31 July | xJAYMANx Proctoring Training Class | Enlarge 750px

And here’s a fake but amusing composite with Angry Mimi-chan, hahaha.

14+31 July | Angry Mimi-chan & xJAYMANx Saying Hello | Enlarge 750px

Here’s the original photo of Angry Mimi-chan from her post “80% Akiyama Mio Cosplay Goodness” (14 July 2009) as well as my “Blog 211 > Moe, Watchmen & You People” (21 July 2009). Rather stunning, huh?

14 July | Angry Mimi-chan Saying Hello | Enlarge 640px

Finally, here’s an original “sign” prize by Angry Mimi-chan to myself from her post “A Small Liszt of Thank-You’s” (27 July 2009), after I correctly guessed the composer of her piano recording. Awww, thanx again, Mimi-chan!

27 July | Angry Mimi-chan Sign to xJAYMANx | Enlarge 640px

Well, I guess that’s the xJAYMANx stage, huh? From Allie-chan to Angry Mimi-chan. Not too bad. Not bad at all, lol.

Guys! Gals! Gravure! Ganguro! Well-well, my Tentacled Toyboxers, how was the blaze-and-glory of yet another weekly mega-cast attack upon your immortal soul? Did your fragile fingers survive the infinite click-and-scroll? Did you escape the cybernetic grasp of mechanical lovers? The heartfelt tug of high-school reunions? The soothing smile of bikini-clad idols? The seductive glance of adult-video starlets? Or the infectious laughter of cute acquaintances? Like I said at the top of the mega-cast, no more room for imagination! But tons of space-and-time for our thanx, lol. Thank you. Once again, let’s not forget to thank the gushing guest-starring gals who graced our mega-cast! Thank you, Kris-chan, Riiko-chan, Yankumi-chan, Yukie-chan, Starlet A, Starlet B, Starlet C, Allie-chan, and Angry Mimi-chan!

What type of Asian porn girl do you like?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Help me! I don’t wanna smell your armpits!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

What’s up, my Tangy Toyboxers? Ready for another weekly mega-cast of Japanese live-action comedies, pretty lead actresses, and former gravure idols? Ready for another massive 100-plus photo onslaught? If not, better get back to sleep. But if you are, then lean back, turn on the frequency, pump up the volume, and plug in your otaku-lobes, haha. Okay, let the mega-cast attack begin…

Part 1 of 3 > Gokusen, Gangsters & Graduates

Haha, oh wow. If you thought I raved about “Nodame Cantabile” and Juri Ueno last week (Blog 207), think again. Even more than “Nodame”, I truly love the “Gokusen” live-action drama starring the captivating Yukie Nakama! All three seasons! Plus their specials! Wow, it all began in November 2006, when I first watched the anime version. Here’s my anime speed-review back then.

Gokusen (1-13) [50]. Finished 25 November 2006. WHOA! Hilarious high-school-meets-yakuza hijinks! Maximum 4 of 5 stars for a half-season!

Here are a couple of large wallpapers to give you a tiny taste of the anime style.

Gokusen | Anime (2004) | Enlarge 1600px

Gokusen | Anime (2004) | Enlarge 1800px

Now, since the “Gokusen” anime download was already packaged together with Season 1 of the “Gokusen” live-action drama, I couldn’t help but watch the comedic drama immediately, lol. And with the first episode, I was hooked! Yup, Yukie Nakama‘s performance as the double-edged Yankumi is captivating and mesmerizing. But not only her, the rest of the cast of gangsters, teachers and delinquents are laughingly colorful and unforgettable as well, lol. So much so that I’ve followed their five-star antics from Season 1 (2002) to Season 2 (2005) to Season 3 (2008).

Here are a couple of Season-1 wallpapers.

Gokusen 1 | Live-Action Drama (2002) | Enlarge 1024px

Gokusen 1 | Live-Action Drama (2002) | Enlarge 1024px

And here are several Season-3 images of Yankumi’s family, colleagues and students.

Gokusen 3 | Live-Action Drama (2008) | Enlarge 800px

Gokusen 3 | Live-Action Drama (2008) | Enlarge 800px

Gokusen 3 | Live-Action Drama (2008) | Enlarge 2200px

So earlier this year, when I learned of the existence of a “Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special” (2009), I just had to look for the download! Although I found an unsubbed version a few months ago, I finally located an English-subbed version a couple weeks ago. And finally watched the 90-minute special yesterday on 27 June 2009! It’s simply incredible how after its 3 seasons and 7 years, the series can still take me from out-loud laughter to sniffling eye-blurring tears. Incredible. Yup, no doubt, another 5 of 5 stars!

To celebrate, here are 81 screencaps from the 90-minute special. How many times can you spot the infamous Aki Hoshino? Here’s the first screencap.

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

Here’s the second screencap. Let the fake captions begin!

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Mmmm, what hentai should I buy today?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Mmmm, what hentai store should I try first?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Hmmm, traditional hentai?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Let’s ask Aki Hoshino. Aki-chan, what’s your favorite hentai?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Ohhh, nice ecchi sketch!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“What!!! Ecchi sketch of Yukie-chan?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Hahaha, nice ecchi sketch of Aki-chan!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Umm, okay, we’re ecchi dorks.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Don’t give up hope! Think of hentai!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Umm, okay, we’re dead ecchi dorks.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Fear not! I am the Ecchi Rider!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Oops, wait, Ecchi Rider? No-no-no, I’m not the Ecchi Rider!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Ecchi! Ecchi! Ecchi!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Heyyy, stop crowding my hentai!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Awww, I look good in this hentai!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Fight-oh! Ohhh! More ecchi!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Yo, that’s my bread. Like my Pops used to say, ‘No bread, no hentai’.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“No bread, no hentai? Huh? What the frak is that?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Bad news. Someone found Aki-chan’s hentai.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Heyyy, let go! No food, no hentai!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Ahh, I miss the good old days of ecchi.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“More bad news. I admit it. I found Aki-chan’s hentai. But I enjoyed it.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“No, I don’t like gay hentai. Not anymore.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“But I spent my allowance to get the gay hentai for your birthday!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Dammit. Why didn’t we get any gay hentai too?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Hmmm, not sure. He might’ve spent his entire hentai allowance.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Sigh. Ecchi is so expensive nowadays.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Hey bastards! Give our gay hentai back!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Sorry. We couldn’t help it. They stole our gay hentai!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“I am so disappointed in you boys. I’m supposed to take the first peek!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Forget it! No hentai, no friendship!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“What am I supposed to do, Gramps? They took my ecchi sketch.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“The only thing you can do. Draw yourself a new ecchi sketch.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Yo bastard. If we return your bread, will you return our gay hentai?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Too late. The gay hentai is ours now.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Yours? Since when?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Since we’re the ones who actually created that gay hentai.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“If I spend less on food, I can spend more on ecchi.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Ah, boys, here you are. Why so serious?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Us? Oh, we don’t have any money to buy gay hentai.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Watch out. If you don’t watch out, the Ecchi Rider will beat you down.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Hey boys! What’s up? Why so satisfied?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“They bought what? Hetero ecchi?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“So they gave back Aki-chan’s hentai? Awww.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Impressive! The gay hentai they created is exquisite!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“I’ve finally decided. I want to become a gay-hentai artist!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Are you serious? A gay-hentai artist? What will your sister say?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Funny you should ask. She wants to become a lesbian-hentai artist!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“That’s right! We’re heading there now! We found the hentai thieves!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“No hentai, no friendship! No hentai, no friendship!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Boys! Boys! Where are you?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Whoa! Look at them go! Such ecchi friendship!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Huh? Want a piece of me? Want a piece of my hentai?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“No ecchi, no friendship! No ecchi, no friendship!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Aki-chan? You want to become a lesbian-hentai artist too?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Hmm, now that you put it that way, a gay-hentai artist doesn’t sound so bad!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Freeze! Don’t move! Where’s my ecchi sketch?!?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“I’ll ask one more time. Where’s my precious ecchi sketch?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Don’t you realize how precious ecchi is?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Please. We’re so sorry. We needed to take back our ecchi!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Please believe us. No ecchi, no friendship!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Very well. You may enter. After all, I used to be a lesbian-hentai artist myself.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Aki-chan, I never told anyone before. But your lesbian hentai is the best!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Like Ecchi Rider always says, ‘Ecchi is sooo precious’.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Ecchi is as precious as friendship. No ecchi, no friendship.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Yeah, I’ve finally decided. I want to become a gay-hentai artist!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Yeah! Let’s do it! Let’s all become gay-hentai artists!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Hooray! They did it! They’re gonna become gay-hentai artists!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Hey boys. What’s up?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Oh my god! You didn’t have to!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Awww! Thank you sooo much!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Your very first gay-hentai production!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Fight-oh! Ohhh! No ecchi, no friendship! No hentai, no friendship!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Ahhh, another class of ecchi haters.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Fight-oh! Ohhh! More ecchi!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Hey boys. Do any of you know just how precious ecchi is?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Huh? Precious?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“Like my Pops used to say, ‘No bread, no hentai’.”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

“No-no-no, I think he meant to say, ‘No ecchi, no friendship’. Right?”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge

Hahaha, so how’d you like my fake captions? Didn’t you learn something new about life, friendship, brotherhood, hentai and ecchi? No? Well, then, you didn’t let go of reality and sanity long enough, lol.

Part 2 of 3 > Yukie Nakama the Gravure Idol

Haha, speaking of ecchi, more gravure idols? Sure, why not? Repeating my search pattern with Juri Ueno last week (Blog 207), here’s Yukie Nakama from her “Pastel” (1997) photo book. And just like Juri-chan’s 18-year-old photo-book debut, this also appears to be Yukie-chan’s photo-book debut at the tender age of about 17-18-years-old. A full 5 years before her smashing success in “Gokusen”!

Here are 21 photos from the 70-80-page book. Feel free to enlarge the pics, lol.

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1500px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1500px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1500px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Yukie Nakama | Pastel Photo Book (1997) | Enlarge 1100px

Well, that’s all for now. Like I wondered last week, “maybe I’ll trickle a few more photoshoots in the near future”. Not only featuring Juri-chan, but Yukie-chan too, lol. Who knows? Maybe even Aki Hoshino? I mean, Aki-chan was in “Gokusen 3″ after all!

Part 3 of 3 > You People, ProWerks & Possibilities – Part 2

Heyyy, my Tangerine Toyboxers! Remember my previous “You People” post back in May? Back in my Blog 202, Part 5? Well, to those who’ve forgotten, here’s a friendly reminder. And to those who’ve never known, here’s a tiny taste from Friday, 08 May.

08 May – On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Well, more than a month later, on Wednesday, 17 June, when I thought I no longer had any more scenes to play, I returned to play the silent-and-stoic “Asian businessman” once more, hehe. It was a pain to throw the constricting tie-and-jacket back on. But it was a pleasure once more to see Kelly the bespectacled director, Charisma his production guru (and wife), Will the leading man, Jon the boom operator, and Denise the script writer. And once more, it was a blast! Funny how 5 takes to film 5 seconds can feel so draining! Like a compression chamber! Compressing 5 hours of energy and pressure into 0.5 hours of time and focus.

Here’s Charisma, Jon and Kelly. Photos taken by Will.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Here’s me, the goofy Charisma, Jon and the baffled Kelly. I hardly recognize myself!

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Awww, the goofy couple, lol.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

A-ha! Denise joins the scene as I fill out some paperwork.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

A closer view.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

That’s it! As far as I know that’s my final scene for “You People” (2010). Who knows? But one thing’s for sure. I can’t wait to see how the final cut turns out! Can you?

Well, that’s all, folks! Another weekly mega-cast of Japanese live-action comedies, pretty lead actresses, and former gravure idols has come and gone! As always, let’s thank the gracious guest-starring gravure girls who graced my broadcast! Thank you, Yukie-chan, Aki-chan, Juri-chan and Charisma! Okay, maybe Charisma wasn’t a gravure girl. At least, I don’t think so, lol. In any case, time to give my elbows, forearms, wrists, hands and fingers some time to rest.

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

“Oops, wait, Ecchi Rider? No-no-no, I’m not the Ecchi Rider!”

Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special | Live-Action Drama (2009) | Enlarge