Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Everybody Loves Eri

If you know about that American drama called ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’, you’ll understand why I named this post that. Then again, maybe you won’t know the reason since I’ve never watched that sitcom myself. But the title just stuck and I will always get reminded of Eri whenever I come across it again. Everyone in MM loves the turtle and no MM fan can say they hate Eri. She might not be their number 1 but she is never far behind on the list. And hence I conclude that there is indeed something about Eri that attracts people in general. I’m not sure what it is but its working tremendously well and I hope she never loses that appeal.

After rambling so much about that, it’s time to get on with her latest PB proper. Before this release, I never knew there was another way of calling a person when she has reached 20 years of age (Who says you don’t learn anything from worshipping idols? XD) See, I learnt that besides Ni Ju Ni Sai, there is a term ‘Hatachi’. 20 is Eri’s seventh PB out in Japanese stores on the 23rd of December 2008. Yes, you read right, SEVEN. Pretty soon she might even catch up to Ai-chan who has nine. Currently Eri is tied with Reina at second spot. Third in line is Sayumi with five books, excluding the one she did with Rika – Angels. When is UFA gonna let the girls release another joint effort? I want a TakaGaki or KameMame PB!!!!

Anyway, back to Kamei-chan. As expected from Elizabeth Kamei / Eric Kamezou/ Victoria something (her character from the Hakkan commercials), you won’t be disappointed. Not only does she photograph beautifully, she has a great body to boot! Some might argue that her tights are too fat or that Ai has flatter abs. But hello, her tights are exactly what makes her so attractive. You can’t go wrong with a little meat on those legs. Mind you, I said a little. Eri has just the right proportion. Sayumi’s are a tad too skinny and Reina? Don’t even go there. I shan’t say anything about Risa since it might be difficult for me to remain unbiased :P So, my point of this entry? It is this; Kamei Eri looks great in a bikini. LOL, that closing wasn’t the best was it? Fine, I shan’t end it here then.

Next up. ‘20 Dreams’. I have not watched it yet so I don’t know what it is about except that it was shot in Okinawa and has scenes of Eri talking about her dreams (for the future most probably). You can be sure there will be lots of images of her prancing around in various bikinis. Good stuff I say :D (Catch the preview below)




And now for my ten favorite pictures from 'Hatachi'.


#10

I like how the sun in shining on her hair giving it a warm brownish glow. Her face and figure is gorgeous and the added plus, that turtle print bikini. Kame wearing Kames, how cool is that! :P

#9

I adore this outfit for its fun and cheerful factor. Not to mention Eri looks absolutely adorable with that pose and hat ^^

#8

Can you say sexy... *dies*

#7

Too many reasons why this picture is a fave. (read: beret + tartan + heels + thighs + suggestive glance :D)

#6

Her face says it all. Doesn't Eri have the prettiest eyes? *swoons* It's so easy to get lost in them <3

#5

This picture strikes me as Eri being in between (Don't think pervy, you XD). Like she's no longer a girl but not yet a woman. Am I making any sense?

#4

This shot makes me wanna hug Eri real bad. She seems so sad *sniff*

#3

Another heartrending expression. Oh man, ERI!!!!!!!!!! XDDDDD

#2

So pretty and sweet. Those rosebud red lips, cute cheeks and mesmerizing windows to the soul.... (What did I tell you before about her eyes? Now don't you agree with me? :D)

#1

I like the overall feel of this one. Shiny, healthy hair, fingers hidden by sleeves, nice jacket and oh so droolsome stomach.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

The Cinderella Effect ~ Part 3

As predicted, my copy of the Cinderella DVD did arrive on said Saturday. Needless to say, I was elated. I slotted the disc into the player the first chance I got and sat impatiently through the starting credits. Since I was excited to watch the TakaGaki scenes, I skipped the front chapters after gaining enough satisfaction from seeing Risa's name alongside that of Prince Christopher :D

After repeated viewings of Cinderella and her Oji-sama's dance in addition to being enthralled by the body contact between them, the icing on the cake came in the form of the way they were gazing into each other's eyes (Tee hee hee) I was so over the moon after witnessing the subtle interactions between those two, you could say I was floating ridiculously close to my ceiling XD Over that same weekend, I ran through the musical a total of four times. I know that is scarcely enough tribute to be paid to one of my favorite MM pairings. But I truly had no more opportunities to watch it again. Since I own the actual DVD, there is plenty of time throughout the rest of my life to view it again XDDD Here are my thoughts and opinions of the girls (up till 7th gen) after watching.


Takahashi Ai



I had never doubted Ai’s abilities and unsurprisingly, I was satisfied with her presentation of the main role. Leader is a disciplined young woman and judging by Ribon no Kishi, you know Ai-chan would spare no expense so as to deliver the highest level of perfection. Her amazing dancing skills aside, what made me view her in a whole new light is her crying scene during the duet when Cinderella and the Prince held onto each other. How she managed to tear on cue without the help of those little bottles of eye wash solutions would probably remain one of Earth’s greatest mysteries.

Niigaki Risa



Ahhhh my beloved Gaki-san. What can I say except that I was floored by her portrayal of the Prince? Granted, she didn’t make him out to be a cool or imposing figure as most people would expect. But hey, this was indisputably new and refreshing. Prince Gaki was endearing and charming. Akin to the little boy nephew or neighbor who you would whisk home in a heartbeat to showoff and parade in front of all your family and friends. He is the perfect epitome of cute in that red jacket and white pants. With regards to Mame-chan, the only imperfection came in the form of those scarily tall boots.

Kamei Eri



In the beginning, I didn’t feel her hairdo at all. I mean, an orange/pink wig with loops and a weird bun? Nonetheless, it’s hard to not fall in love with Eri. She could pull off adorable even while playing the bratty younger sister. How many actors given the evil character can do that successfully? Her blatant tossing of those cakes / puffs /? added delight to her acting and appealed to the audience. I felt whatever little time she had with the Prince was done exceptionally well. I don’t know if the hand rubbing at the ball was initiative on her part but it was awesome and really upped the comic factor. One final thing about Portia, the peeks you get of her stomach every now and then due to the design of her costume leaves you craving for more *drools*

Michishige Sayumi



As contrary to popular belief, Sayumi did get lines. They weren’t significant ones but at least she got to speak. I’m not sure if I’m right on this but it did seem that the fairies were on stage rather frequently throughout the musical. It could have been due to the fact that they had to flank the godmother in quite a number of scenes. Nevertheless, the bunny did a great job. She was beautiful in a youthful manner whenever she appeared as a townsfolk and relatively believable as the clad in green fairy. I have to give Sayumi extra credit for agreeing to wear that awful shiny green outfit. Oh and she was breathtakingly stunning in the pink gown. Her dance with Koharu? Mesmerizing.

Tanaka Reina



Reina has always struck me as the kind who would fit right into a cosplay function or as a waitress in a maid café. Hence, I didn’t find her image of Joy too hard to swallow. In my opinion, she didn’t exhibit any astonishing acting chops. Her behavior and actions as Joy is very similar to the usual Tanaka Reina of MM which she portrays repeatedly on screen. Although I probably shouldn’t fault her too much for her lackluster performance as it could have been worse if another person was thrust with the elder sister role.

Kusumi Koharu


With her height, Koharu has no problems playing a guy. Previously, I would have had reservations considering how high pitched and squeaky her voice is. However, she has shown both fans and haters alike that she is capable of pressing her voice low. Her role as the herald while not that substantial did make an impression on me. I cracked up every time she had to recite the Prince’s outrageously long name with a straight face and is still dumbfounded by how she manages to not get tongue tied. Koharu can emote to a decent level so I feel she has potential and can achieve great things if trained properly. Her dancing with Sayumi at the ball was perfectly in synch and I find them a very attractive looking pair. I know I mentioned this already but I just had to say it again :D

The Mini Live



As a fan, I love watching MM sing and dance. Therefore, having a mini concert thrown in works for me. On the other hand, if I were someone who went to the musical for the sake of the Takarazuka actresses, the flesh display in sexy red outfits would in all certainty scare me off. Let’s say I was somewhat impressed with the idol group’s performance and was willing to not condemn them to the lowest point in hell after the graduation of every single member I could effectively connect a name and face. Seeing young nubile girls half my age burst onto the stage shaking their hips and flaunting a size zero figure wouldn’t make me a happy camper. No sir, I think I would be extremely annoyed that my respected Takarazuka actresses were placed on the same level as yet another idol group. By catering to wotas, UFA pretty much blew their chances of easing MM or H!P for that matter back into the mainstream fan base. *Sigh* That was from a sensible fan's POV. Now that I can kick off that goody persona, I can announce my utmost delight and affection for the performance. Seeing Ai, Risa, Eri, Sayumi and Koharu looking so hawt in Cinderella Complex, The Peace, Shabodama and Resonant Blue makes my day :P