half-assed everything

"relative-theory stars in this charming but unashamedly mediocre comedy. 2½★. " • Translations

[relative-theory]

Anyone going to COUNTDOWN JAPAN this year?

Looking for a concert buddy for the 29th. Give a shout!

[kimonobeat]

I remember a long long time ago… and I’m going to date myself, but WHEN YOUTUBE WAS STILL NEW… I heard Hikki’s cover of “Shounen Jidai” from her 20th birthday stream and the melody has haunted me ever since. maybe it was the fact that I had to wait 30 minutes for the damn thing to even buffer over a dial-up connection, but no other cover I’ve heard since then is quite as bittersweet and nostalgic as Hikki’s version for me. not even perfect goddess Natsukawa Rimi (I still love her though!).

ANYWAY the point of this was, I can’t believe I first saw this over 10 years ago now. I’m sure there’s some people out there that don’t get all the hype about Fantome. just, before you give us your Very Important Opinion about how boring you thought it was, please imagine how it feels for those of us who watched her grow over the years from a precocious teenager into a beautiful, hopeful, strong woman with a “normal” family. this album is like the Toy Story 3 of J-Pop for millennials. let us have this moment to celebrate her return and her happiness.

(that said, don’t worry– I enjoyed Fantome too!)

[hooful]

Utada Hikaru’s comeback details announced

Hanataba o Kimi ni and the NEWS ZERO theme Manatsu no Toori Ame (真夏の通り雨; lit. Midsummer Shower) to be released digitally on the 15th of April 2016.

The music videos for both songs will be unveiled on the same day on her website and on streaming service GYAO!

A new 16-page interview with photos by Ryuichi Ishikawa to be published in Pia MUSIC COMPLEX Vol.4 released today (4th April 2016)

(Source: natalie.mu)

[jrockexplosion]

Arakawa Kentauros- “Humpty Dumpty”

[relative-theory]

I saw Aira Mitsuki play to about nine people in an auditorium foyer yesterday

[kasukanakaori]

2005 ▷ 2015 Happy 10th Major Debut Anniversary, Perfume!

[relative-theory]

you can tell what year in their career any given video is from by how dead nocchi’s eyes look

[kumamonfan]

im so glad i biked all the way to the theatre

[securitylucy-deactivated2018102]

The line “Keeping my lane, on my way” in Especia’s Aviator is so iconic because not only are they staying on their lane like good hennys but they’re also on their way like doing shit getting shit done you know

[balconyscene]

[relative-theory]

you know it

[mochichan46-deactivated20221006]

[iaiamothrafhtagn]

it’s a lie that video games can be your friend, but satoru iwata made a businessman who seemed to believe that seem like a noble dreamer instead of something inherently ridiculous, and in the process, he made video games, at the very least, believable as something that could make you, your friends, and your family healthier people to engage with, to play with, and that isn’t ridiculous at all. 

when i grew up, playing video games was a social activity. you went to arcades, and learned how to struggle with controllers designed for kids twice your age; your neighbor had a console your parents wouldn’t buy; your neighbor had a console your loyalty wouldn’t let you buy, but curiosity would win out. 

by the time i was in high school, the most “socializing” most of the people i knew did in video games was “lol noob” and its lesser derivations; that, of course, wasn’t the only culture around video games even then, but it was the largest one. 

without the wii - shepherded into homes everywhere on the back of a vision satoru iwata was the face of, the encourager of, the tireless coworker of the developers of - satoru iwata, who joined nintendo on the back of a dream that he could make games, despite having never coded in his life and not even knowing what a ROM was, and turned out to be such a fantastic programmer he could do something like insert an entire pokemon game into another one just to see if he could, not even because they had to - i’m pretty sure all the mobile phone apps in the world wouldn’t have seen even a slight return back to the gaming culture i remembered from my childhood.

he did something better, in the end, than feed a benevolent but damning lie that video games could be someone’s friend. that corporate overlord gave video games a chance to be part of my home again. 

and i think, for that, i’m grateful. 

[kimonobeat]

Utada Hikaru’s blog: “News for all of my fans” (3/July/2015)

I have some news for all of you.

Um, recently,

We had a baby!

He’s a very calm, quiet boy who’s been drinking his milk and sleeping well.

Once again I’d like to say thanks to all the many people who’ve supported me, the people who’ve been close at my side, and to my mother and father.

I worked on a new album while I was pregnant. It’ll take a little bit more time before it’s finished, but I can’t wait to work on the next part and show it to all of you. Wait just a little longer for me!

July 5, 2015

Utada Hikaru

[hooful]

Visit Original Link

Girlfriend | Skating On Thin Ice (Japanese Version)

From Girl’s Life (1993/Japan Only)

逃げ出すのなら　口元のルージュ　拭いていたら？ “Why don’t you just wipe off your lipstick if you’re going to run away?”

Remember when Australia’s number 1 girl group released an entire album in Japanese in the early 90′s?

[relative-theory]

A translation blog for Japanese AKB48 fan discussion

I was reading through a 2ch thread where AKB48 main group fans, whilst licking their wounds post-sousenkyo, were discussing possible strategies for next year’s voting, and suddenly, an idea popped into my mind.

In a fandom with a pretty extensive English translation community, I’ve noticed that there’s a bit of a divide between Japanese and foreign fans in terms of communication and understanding. A lot of the time I’ve noticed foreign fans on Stage48 and on here talking about the Japanese wota like this mysterious entity, and I’ve found that as someone with Japanese comprehension, my understanding of the events that unfold in AKB48 fandom is enhanced when I read what the Japanese fans have to say.

Much of the information people get about what the Japanese fandom is thinking at any given time comes either in bits and pieces passed on like hearsay, or is almost complete conjecture based on assumptions and theories.

In this regard, I was thinking about maybe starting up a translation blog for AKB48 2ch matome threads, something similar to what Netizenbuzz for example, does from the Korean entertainment fandom. Of course, it would hardly be a definitive guide to the Japanese viewpoint on AKB48, but seeing as one of my pleasures as a fan is reading through these threads, it might be something worth sharing with the rest of the Western fans too.

My question to Western AKB48 fans is this: would there be sufficient interest to warrant a project like this? 

Please leave an answer in the comments so I can gauge the response and see if something like this would actually be worth starting up. Also it would be great if people reblogged this and got the word around so I could get a range of opinions. Thanks!

[relative-theory]

I feel a bit obligated to talk about AKB election or whatever considering I am a Really Big Fan, but in all honesty I spent most of what was actually aired in between the advertisement marathon in a incapacitated state caused by a combination of hotpot overconsumption and being unable to leave the kotatsu because reasons. 

[relative-theory]

I was going through the people who had liked the post, and I remembered you had said you were following me, so I worked off a hunch (why else would someone with v diff posting styles follow me?) until I found a pic of you. As for the SFF screenings, I was at the last two, but the final one is tomorrow at Dendy Newtown, and I'm not sure about going unless I got new people I can force into the theatre. But don't worry, I'm gonna be hounding everyone about any and all ways to watch it probably.

praying 4 a dvd release lol. i didn’t realise you made an appearance in it until i saw you knocking back shots in the trailer!!!

[hooful]

Saturday 2nd May 2015:

I spent the whole day at relative-theory’s place watching the JKT48 sousenkyo, casually translating the girls’ winning speeches and the cheesy commentary from the hosts of the program. 

The fact that JKT48 have established themselves in Indonesia has gotten me in awe! Harugon’s fluent bahasa gives me so much pride for her. Though, seeing Indonesian wota go ballistic over their faves makes me feel a bit of secondhand embarrassment.

I wanted to try drawing a two-page spread. Seeing well-organised shelves get me excited.

[relative-theory]

you can see my akb48 shrine in the top right compartment shelf