JMovie review: GTO the movie

Title: GTO the movie
Release date: 12/18/99
Genre: School comedy
Cast: Sorimachi Takashi, Tanaka Rena, Kasahara Hideyuki, Fujiwara Norika
Plot: Onizuka-sensei goes to a small village in Hokkaido to teach. As usual, he ends up with a troubled class, thanks mostly to the rich girl, Katsuragi Ayano. He takes it upon himself to fix Ayano and make everyone happy again.
What is good: The acting isn't terrible
What is bad: It is pretty dull.
Letter rating: D+

Overall: Sadly, this franchise has gone downhill. The series was awesome, the special was OK but the movie is on the edge of terrible. Onizuka rescues two students from suicide and, despite being fairly mean to him, ends up as the depressed boy's best friend. As he works his magic to make the lives of these two students better, he's being chased down by a reporter who mistakes him as a serial criminal. While he isn't guilty of the crimes she accuses him of, he does steal, kidnap and get involved in a police chase. (I'm hoping he borrowed the truck he was driving at the time since it isn't stated how he obtained it.) This doesn't feel nearly as light-hearted as the series or the special. Maybe it was the lack of Fuyutsuki-sensei's 'straight man' to Onizuka's comedian. Throughout the entire movie, I was hoping she would pop in at some point to tell Onizuka he's an idiot but she never appears. I suppose if you really love the GTO series it might be worth sitting through the 2 hour movi but I'm sure you could find a better way to spend your time.

Video game review: Concentration

Back in the day, there used to be a game show on television called Concentration. It ran for 14 years from 1958 until 1973. Since then, there have been a couple of other versions of the show aired. The one I am most familiar with was called Classic Concentration. It was hosted by Alex Trebek and ran from 1987 until 1991 with reruns airing until 1993. Concentration was a great show because it was easy yet hard at the same time. The two players would start out with a game of Memory. Each of the 30 tiles held prizes for the players to match. Underneath those tiles was a rebus puzzle, a word or phrase that had to be figured out using pictures, letters and numbers held together with either a plus or minus sign. While the matching part of the game was fairly easy since there were only 15 objects to match, the rebus was usually rather difficult as the pictures could represent a number of answers. In the final round, the winning player would match cars from the tiles in front of them. The player would win the last car matched.

I have played many variations of the Concentration video game. There was a DOS version for the Commodore 64 that I played as well as a NES version. Last night, I played a new version for the PC from All Games Free. This downloadable game stays true to the television show. Unfortunately, that makes this all too easy for a video game. I played the one player version of the game on the medium setting. My competitor was rather slow, meaning I won just about every round on every game I played. He won two rounds of the 6 that I played. (I completed 3 games and there are two rounds to each game where you play against a competitor. He won one round in two different games.) When I got to the bonus round to play for the car, I easily matched all of the cars well within the time limit. The rebus part of the game was a bit more difficult but still fairly easy to guess without removing too many of the tiles first. Of the 6 rounds I played, my competitor correctly guessed two of the rebus puzzles while I solved the rest.

The matching part of this game may be good for small children or someone interested in working on their memory skills. However, the rebus part will be too difficult for children. I am hesitant to recommend an adult/child pairing for this game because the matching part of the game requires at least a little bit of reading skills. All in all, this game is only good for sentimental values. If you really enjoyed the Concentration shows, you will probably enjoy this game for awhile. Though I doubt you will want to play beyond the 30 minute trial.

Music review: Arashi - Right Back To You

Artist: Arashi Members: Ninomiya Kazunari (Nino), Ohno Satoshi (Leader), Matsumoto Jun (MatsuJun), Aiba Masaki, Sakurai Sho Album: Iza, Now! Release date: 7/21/04 Video link: http://www.veoh.com/videos/e131869t4WaDnxG

English translation: At this wall that forbids time to flow back A lightning flashed through my heart Those days I’m used to, they’re still engrossed in my body Un~ frozen An amazing balance that gradually leaves A mask that shows Cannot hide my actions No no no~

Unable to tell anyone A secretive past The both of us in a tight embrace

Coming right back to you (those words are repeating, hiding the scars on the wings) Right back to you If only I were an angel Right back to you (chasing after love, to survive the cold nights) Right back to you Only one person, you, shall I believe in

Drowning badly in this prove of my non-existence Enjoying this easy game of one-man-show Don’t mind it (right about time) In the letter

Unsure of where it landed The key to the memory belonging to us (I will recall)

Coming right back to you (those words are repeating, hiding the scars on the wings) Right back to you If only I were an angel Right back to you (chasing after love, to survive the cold nights) Right back to you Only one person, you, shall I believe in

The four seasons starts to bounce again, baby Freaky, freaky, freaky night, dance baby When we touch, the temperature of our palms rise, mayday From the lightened oceans, thanks baby

Tomorrow night shall still be clutched But understand that we must run when there’s a chance Leading the crowd, unbolt the galaxy I’m coming right back to you

Coming right back to you (those words are repeating, hiding the scars on the wings) Right back to you If only I were an angel Right back to you (chasing after love, to survive the cold nights) Right back to you Only one person, you, shall I believe in Right back to you (chasing after love, to survive the cold nights) Right back to you Only one person, you, shall I believe in About the song: I, like many other fans, found Arashi through MatsuJun's jdorama work. He played Domyouji Tsukasa in Hana Yori Dango, which is one of my favorite shows. The band calls this 'Jun-bait' ^_^ When I first started listening to the group, I looked for videos of them. This was one of the first videos I found and I got hooked instantly. Even now, I don't even bother to read the translation for it. I simply let myself get taken away with the feeling of the song. Though I will admit that I immediately associate the song with the dance they did in the Iza, Now! concert. (This is the video that is linked above.) In my opinion, this is the type of song that really defines Arashi as a group. It's 'pop' enough to keep their fanbase happy, still has their typical rap in the middle and is very danceable. I could listen to it on repeat for hours without getting tired of it.

Jmovie review: Death Note

Title: Death Note
Release date: 6/17/06
Genre: supernatural drama
Cast: Fujiwara Tatsuya, Matsuyama Kenichi, Nakamura Shido (voice only), Kaga Takashi
Plot: When a human's name is written in a Death Note, that person will die. Light (Fujiwara Tatsuya) finds a Death Note and, disbelieving of its powers, begins writing the names of known criminals in the book. Soon those people mysteriously die of heart attacks. Light deems himself the God of Justice, silently killing any criminals that he can find. The police attempt to figure out why prisoners are dropping dead in their cells when the genuis L (Matsuyama Kenichi) joins them in their investigation. Thus begins the game of cat-and-mouse between Light and L.
What is good: The CG for the Death God Ryuk is absolutely stunning.
What is bad: There may be a few things that could have been explained a bit more to help those who haven't seen the anime or read the manga.
Letter rating: A

Overall: I haven't read the manga version of Death Note but I have seen some of the anime. This made a really good transition into movie form. In the anime, Light flaunts his genius but in the movie, he's a little more subdued about it. He knows that he is outwitting the police yet he doesn't brag about it to Ryuk. I liked the slight changes they made in L's character as well. In the anime, he was a bit more eccentric. In the movie, he seems to be just hopped up on caffeine and junk food. Ryuk's animation is breath-taking. He is a bit jerky when he's laughing but that was probably the intention. One of my favorite scenes with Ryuk was a simple one where Ryuk and Light are walking up a slight hill. Before you can see either character, you see the tips of Ryuk's wings. It shows the amount of thought that went into his animations. I would recommend this movie to just about anyone. While it involves death, there isn't a lot of blood so even those with a weak stomach should be able to handle it.

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.