The Daily Denmark n°1: The Shirota Effect
Haha. People, you all know Shirota Yuu. (If you don't, Wikipedia is you friend. My LJ isn't. My friends' LJs even less.) I know Shirota Yuu. A lot. And I decided to share this... interesting bit of Shirowisdom I have.
I wrote an article, wanting to convince friends of the Shirotawesomeness. And I... succeeded (least you can say...). So there. First article:
The Shirota Effect
By DanishPinkcess.
Everyone has heard of Shirota Yuu. Everyone has seen Shirota Yuu. Indeed, the young actor promised to an amazing career is everywhere - movies, dramas, newspapers. But who is he really? What are the reasons for this popular infatuation? Our reporter explored the phenomenon...
I wondered, too, about the hows and whys of Shirota Yuu's omnipresence: music, acting, modeling, etc., nothing can be done without him. Is it his good looks? Amongst the twenty women I interviewed - schoolgirls, students, housewives, business women - ninety five percent consider Shirota as “today's sexiest man”. Is it his skills, undeniable? Shirota performed in many dramas and movies, each of them wining the hearts of their public. I asked around me: the answer is the same everywhere: “But he's amazing!”. The entire country - and perhaps world - is captivated in front of what can be called the “Shirota Effect”: let's admit it, Shirota Yuu rocks.
An incredible performance in Japanese drama HanaKimi
Young actor Shirota Yuu interprets lovestruck teenage Makoto. With a great deal of finesse, Shirota highlights the contradictions inherent to the character, torn between rivalry and romance. Subtly, he places Makoto as a key character to the drama, conveying both humor and tragedy, and acts as a representation of the adolescent conflict. Shirota's performance is a master piece in the Japanese tradition of homo-eroticism, and sets him amongst the cinematographic elite of his generation.
Links with the Japanese cultural and artistic world
In addition to being himself a well-known actor, Shirota is also very attached to today's Japanese entertainment, by the intermediary of a close friendship with several multi-talented personalities, including “Johnnies” Yamashita Tomohisa, whom he met during high school, and Akanishi Jin, respectively members of pop groups NEWS and KAT-TUN. Both consider Shirota as “their closest friend”. “Shiropon is like, you know, our bestest buddy, you know, like, we hang out all the time, and stuff...” Akanishi confessed.
Read interview on page 6.
An identity based on a cultural mix
Born of Spanish mother and Japanese father, Shirota Yuu equally represents both cultures. Despite wearing a Japanese name, he stays attached to his Latin roots. Of his experience in Spain - his family spent three years in Barcelona during the young artist's childhood - Shirota keeps good memories and an almost fluent use of Spanish language. In addition, he demonstrates every day his attachment to his mother's country by sharing with his friends his love for Spain.
Simplicity despite fame
Nobody can deny Shirota Yuu's celebrity: it's been recognized even by the greatests. However, the young actor doesn't seem to take advantage of his popularity: there are very few gossips about him: parties with his friends, nights out in town... Nothing can really be said. Shirota is beyond reproach. And the public likes that. Y***-san, executive in a computer company in Osaka, explains: “Yuu-kun isn't famous because of scandals, like other idols today, K*** or S***, for example. His behavior is normal, he seems like a neighbor. We like him because he's close to us.” And indeed, Shirota is everything but a show-off. From foolproof sources, we know that his life is based on simplicity: wake up, work, go home, hang out on week-ends, like the one of every twenty-three years-old today. And that's why he's liked.
Undeniable attractiveness
Shirota Yuu may lead a normal life, but he's not common. And if the fair sex is so much drawn to him, blame his exotic charm. Shirota is the perfect mix of the Latin lover and of the Japanese adolescent beauty. Although some have denied his attractiveness, he emphasizes the non-conventional criteria of beauty that make him stand out: height (measuring 1m88, Shirota is taller than most of his fellow idols), face, fashion, etc. And today, Shirota Yuu truly deserves his title of “sexiest man on Earth”.
An amazing singer
Shirota Yuu revives the Spanish musical tradition and links it back with his Japanese culture through a range of songs. The melody of a Latin guitar mixes with the rough sonorities of his voice, creating an explosive cocktail that charms our ears until the end. The best sample of this collection is the much celebrated: “Natsu no Owari” (litteraly, “End of Summer”). There, Shirota evokes, with a great deal of lyrism, the end of a love story. The song also strikes by its musical elaboration, and confirms what we already suspected: Shirota is more than just an actor, he is a fully accomplished artist.
So, here I am. What have I really learned through my research? Nothing that I didn't already know: maybe just that if Shirota Yuu is popular, it is because he deserves it.
Author's Note: If you wish to comment, use the terms "Shiro-...". Ex: Shirofriend, Shirolove, Shirosick, etc. It's fun, I swear.
Re: Author's Note: I humbly apologize. Really. ^^