TV review: Hannah Montana

Thanks to her friends at school, my daughter has recently started watching Hannah Montana. For those of you without kids, Hannah Montana is a Disney Channel show about a girl that lives a dual life as a pop star and a normal teenager. During the day, she is brown-haired Miley Stewart who goes to school and hangs out with her friends. Fabulous secret powers were revealed to her the day she held aloft her mighty....OK, she doesn't transform into She-Ra. However, with the quick donning of a blonde wig, she does transform into teen pop sensation Hannah Montana. The only people that know her secret are her father/manager, her brother, her bodyguard and her two best friends.

I think most parents have an automatic inclination to dislike any television show that their kid likes. Especially if said kid is in preschool and leftover visions of Teletubbies are dancing in your head. There are some terrible shows in the afternoon/evening blocks on The Disney Channel. (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody? I'm looking right at you.) Hannah Montana isn't so bad. The show's father/daughter pair are played by real life father and daughter Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus. This leaves the door wide open to poke fun of Billy Ray's Achy Breaky days and the show takes full advantage of it. I found myself chuckling when Lily, Miley's best friend on the show, made a joke about Billy Ray's old mullet. Sure, the songs on the show are a bit cheesy but they all have a decent message behind them. Besides, I have to give the show props for giving Miley a wig to use to become Hannah. How many times have we, as an audience, been asked to believe that a pair of glasses or a fake mustache have the ability to make everyone around the main character suddenly think they are a completely different person?

I attempted to figure out when new episodes of the series are aired but came up with nothing. Reruns are shown daily in a variety of time slots. We generally watch it at 7PM. I think new episodes come out on Saturdays, though they also seem to come out on Fridays and Sundays. If you check your local listings for The Disney Channel, you are bound to come up with at least a couple of episodes. Give it a try. I bet you'll be finding yourself humming along to some Hannah songs in no time.

Game review: Mystery P.I. - The Lottery Ticket

Mystery P.I. - The Lottery Ticket is a downloadable hidden object game from PopCap Games. The description from their website reads: Help Grandma Rose retrieve her winning $488 million lottery ticket in this richly entertaining mystery! Retrace Grandma's steps and uncover clues by finding hidden objects and solving tricky puzzles. Earn big points for accuracy and climb up the P.I. ranks. Do you have what it takes to solve the case? I found this to be a rather interesting hidden object game. You start out with a couple of areas on your map to search. Not all of them are buildings and some of them are rather unusual. Once you have gathered the alloted number of objects needed, you are taken to a memory game. With each level you have more areas on your map to search and you have a different memory game to play. You start off with a typical 'match the cards' game but then you evolve to 'match objects with the same color' and 'find objects that go together.' This is really an amazing way to make this game different from other hidden object games while engaging the player as well. Since each level is so different, you have to pay attention to the rules every time.

In my opinion, this would be a great game for an adult to play with a child. The hidden object sections are hard enough to keep the adult interested while the child will do better on the memory side of things. I know my daughter beats me every time we play Memory. Even if you don't have any children to play with, this is still a captivating game.

Nino is dating?

Rumor has it that Ninomiya Kazunari, also known as Nino, of the Johnny's Jimusho group Arashi has been dating actress Nagasawa Masami for the past two years. Nikkan Sports reports that the couple met on the set of Fuji TV's 2005 drama "Yasashii Jikan." Neither side has officially confirmed the relastionship.

Music review: L'arc~en~Ciel - Perfect Blue

Artist: L'arc~en~Ciel Members: Hyde (vocals, guitar), Tetsu (background vocals, bass), Ken (guitar), Yukihiro (drums) Album: Ark Release date: 7/1/99 Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lacjaWbhi-U

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Music review: Gackt - U+K

Artist: Gackt Song title: U+K Album: Mars Release date: 4/26/00 Video link:http://www.veoh.com/videos/e174563pQx9jj27

English translation by Mina-P: So... Don't say anything You're just a little bit frightened now so Don't say anything You're just a little bit in grief so

In the last act, offer your prayers

The magic of the moon is... shalle a le rilla Because we whisper in sugary voices If just one more wish comes true I want to join hands with you and laugh

Inside of the dream... Inside of the memory, we'll definitely meet again...

If you can regain your smile If your laughing self returns Sadness will turn into kindness

"As that far off memory was..." with all your desires

The magic of the moon is... shalle a le rilla If you can forget your tears If you can touch your kindness I want to sleep near you

If the magic of the moon vanishes Because good-byes are visited again If we can follow our feelings right now I want to join hands with you and dance

Inside of the light, the place we should return to, Because I'll meet you again somewhere

About the song: As you can see in the video, this is the "dancing cats" song. It is weird that this song is so upbeat and cheery. Rumor has it that this song is about the death of Kami, the drummer for Gackt's former band, Malice Mizer. While Gackt himself hasn't come out and said this song IS about Kami, he has expressed sadness and guilt over the sudden death of his friend. In his autobiography (translation: http://www.midnightrevolution.org/asrundream/trans/book/jihaku/), he talks about how he felt like he could have done more to 'save' Kami and how he knew something bad was going to happen but didn't do anything about it. (Kami died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage, I don't know that there was anything Gackt could have done to stop that.) Since this was Gackt's first album after Kami's death, it wouldn't surprise me if this song really is about him.

I love this song because it is so cheery. Gackt doesn't see death as The End. As the lyrics show, he believes that he will see his loved ones again either in an afterlife or a rebirth. That's why this song touches me. I believe in rebirth so even when a loved one dies, I believe that I will see them again in another life. Death isn't something to fear. It's just another turn in the wheel of life.

JDorama review: GTO special

Title: Great Teacher Onizuka Drama Special
Broadcast date: 12/98
Genre: School-related drama
Cast: Sorimachi Takashi, Matsushima Nanako, Kitamura Soichiro, Katase Nana, Shimizo Chika, Asami Reina, Hosokawa Shigeki
Plot: Onizuka is substituting at an all-girls school. Just when he's thinking this could be the perfect job for him, three of the girls in his class blackmail him into becoming their "Genie of the Lamp." That is when he finds out one of the girls is deeply troubled. While he is helping her, he also has to make a good impression for Fuyutsuki-sensei's father so he can marry her properly. What is good: Sorimachi-san is still awesome as Onizuka
What is bad: This probably would have been a lot better as a second season instead of just a special.
Letter rating: B-

Overall: From what I hear, a lot of people didn't like this special. I thought it was pretty good, albeit a bit rushed. The subplot with Onizuka trying to get Fuyutsuki's father to like him was cute but this was a really good example of how things were cut short to fit into a two hour special. It definitely would have been a lot better if this was expanded into a full-fledged plot of its own. As for the class Onizuka is teaching, we don't get to see a lot of them as a whole class. The special focuses on three girls and, again, this is rushed as Onizuka is able to "transform" them into good girls within a half hour. GTO is a better show when Onizuka is able to work with the students one-on-one in order to help them get past their problems. Oh and for those fans of the series, no worries, the group of students from the old school do show up and hang out with Onichi for awhile. It was nice to see them still interacting with their teacher, even if he isn't their teacher right now. While this isn't a great show, it isn't terrible either. I'd recommend it to someone who enjoyed the GTO series.

Game review: GameTap

I have been a GameTap subscriber for a long time. GameTap is an online video game service. They don't rent video games. Instead you download games through their software and play them on your computer. For $10 per month, you can download as many games as you like. There is a huge variety of games available. My five-year old daughter can play educational games such as Arthur's Kindergarten: Trouble in Arthur's Treehouse, most of the JumpStart game catalog and Millie's Math House. Though the kids' games section isn't completely filled with educational games. There are also fun games like Pajama Sam and Putt-Putt. I've found these games to be a wonderful addition to my daughter's collection.

GameTap isn't just for kids though. I have played a majority of the Sam & Max games, which are exclusively available on the GameTap service. For those of you looking for a bit of nostalgia, there are older games too. BurgerTime, Zaxxon and Space Invaders are all here along with the ever-popular Worms games. And if you really need to let off some steam, try one of the 82 fighting games. In total, there are almost 1450 games available right now on the service.

This really is one of my favorite monthly services that I subscribe to. There is something that every member of my family would enjoy playing and they are adding new games all the time. It's definitely cheaper than buying new or used games at the store and you don't even have to leave your house! A win on all sides.

JDorama review: Bambino

Title: Bambino
Broadcast date: 4/18/07 - 6/27/07
Number of episodes: 11
Genre: Cooking drama
Cast: Matsumoto Jun, Fukiishi Kazue, Karina, Sato Ryuta, Uchida Yuki, Kitamura Kazuki, Sasaki Kuranosuke
Plot: Shogo Ban is a college student with dreams of becoming a professional cook. After working at an Italian restaurant in his hometown, he is sent to Tokyo in order to learn more. Once there, he learns that realizing your dream is not always as easy as one might think.
What is good: Kitamura Kazuki steals the spotlight as the head of the dining room at Trattoria Baccanale
What is bad: It would be nice if Ban (Matsumoto Jun) had more than two emotions.
Letter rating: B-

Overall: A lot of MatsuJun's roles revolve around his prettiness. This isn't an exception. The show is filled with close-up shots of him licking his lips or being contemplative. Once in awhile, we're treated to a genuine smile. The role of Ban (aka Bambinp/Bambi) doesn't require a lot of work on his part. He is either really excited or really depressed with little to nothing in between. While the older characters in the show chalk it up to being young, it gets old after awhile.

Yet it's still easy to get swept up in the magic of the restaurant. Yonamine Tsukasa (Kitamura Kazuki) spends his time dazzling the ladies in the dining room while the kitchen workers manage to get through a long busy day without even getting a spot of sauce on their white shirts. Adding to that magical feeling is the lack of time progression. There is only one point in the show where the audience is filled in on how much time has passed. The rest of the time we are left to assume this is a daily grind for the characters.

I found Bambino to be a decent show that is mostly carried by the secondary characters. There is little reason to care about Ban beyond "you're supposed to." It's definitely more fun to watch the interactions between the eccentric dessert chef and everyone else or the three managers of the restaurant. Even though I know the main theme of the show was "work hard to follow your dreams," I felt somewhat unfulfilled at the end. I would have liked to see Ban grow a bit more, not only as a person but also as a professional chef. Hopefully there will be a special showing that Ban can really transform into a master chef.

Music Review: Gackt - Speed Master

Artist: GacktSong title: Speed Master Album: Moon Release date: 6/19/02 Video link: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v257966P6JN4CK4

English translation by Mina-P:

"love..." I love you Cause you give me everything So much that it destroys me, everything

I love you You let me coil around your wet body So much that is drives me mad again, everything

I can't get it again Pleasure from you

I love you Even your insane face is beautiful So much that I lose consciousness, everything

It won't go back again Even pain from you

But you're not here... I can't endure, all alone

But you're not here... Just once more I hold you

I won't let go again Even your rotten body

But you're not here... I can't endure, all alone

But you're not here... Just once more I hold you

But you... I can't fix it again

About the song: The music to this song, to me, is very erotic. It starts out with a fast pace then slows slightly to rev back up to a frantically fast pace again. The chorus has a sort of 'thrusting' sound to it. As for the lyrics, I interpret them as someone very deeply in love but they have lost their loved one...most likely to death. They just about go insane from missing the love they held so dear.

While I love this song by itself, it really comes to life when Gackt performs it live. He really knows how to bring the lust out of it. I know that Gackt isn't for everyone but it's difficult to turn away from someone thrusting their hips on stage ^_^

JDorama review: GTO

Title: GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka)
Broadcast date: 7/7/98 - 9/22/98
Number of episodes: 12
Genre: School comedy
Cast: Sorimachi Takashi, Matsushima Nanako, Kubozuka Yosuke, Nakamura Aimi, Kirari, Ikeuchi Hiroyuki, Oguri Shun
Plot: Onizuki Eikichi dreams of being a teacher. He is finally hired by a strange director to teach a class of troublemakers at Seirin Gakuen. Of course, his antics always get him into trouble but he'll always believe in his students.
What is good: Sorimachi Takashi is awesome as Onizuka
What is bad: A lot of people will compare it to Gokusen
Letter rating: A

Overall: After watching the first episode, I said "So this is Gokusen but with a male teacher?" I was wrong. It is similiar to Gokusen but only because both are set in a high school class filled with troublemakers. Once you look past that, the two series are completely different. In Gokusen, Kumiko becomes friends with her students by keeping them from fighting and pretty much forcing herself into their friendships. Onizuka becomes friends with his students just by being himself. While he does protect his students, he has "They'll make the right decision" type of attitude when it comes to trying to get them to do the 'correct' thing. GTO is a really good series that I would recommend to anyone.