HE'S NO ROCKER IN REAL LIFE... YET
He sweeps girls off their feet as bassist in movie Nana 2
By Chang May Choon
January 17, 2007
HE may be only 17-years-old but Kanata Hongo has become the latest Japanese pretty boy to sweep teenage girls off their feet.
You may remember him as a reclusive handicapped boy in the 2005 robot movie Hinokio, for which he won accolades for his acting.
Since starring as a bishonen (pretty boy) bassist in the recent sequel of the manga-adapted film Nana, he is finally drawing screams from female fans, said Taiwan-based Central News Agency.
In Nana 2, Kanata replaces Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note) as the mysterious rocker Shinichi, who is part of a band helmed by punk star Nana (Mika Nakashima).
While it is usually tough to fill someone else's shoes, Kanata reportedly shone because he looked similar to a manga character's image.
But in real life, he is still as boyish as before.
Junon magazine recently described him as a 'cute boy' who shows his disappointment if he finds a three-leaf clover in the park (instead of the four-leaf variety that is said to bring luck).
'GROUSES'
The child prodigy, who made his big-screen debut as the young Takeshi Kaneshiro in the 2002 sci-fi flick Returner, did not hesitate to air 'grouses' about his rock star image in Nana 2.
To get into character, Kanata had to wear an ash-white wig, platform shoes and a chain between his lower lip and right ear.
'Initially I was happy (about his image) but now, I realise it's so inconvenient. The soles of my shoes are like 10cm thick, and I ended up spraining my ankles often... And I hate the wig. It's so itchy.'
Still, he enjoyed jamming so much that he said he plans to start his own band in the high school he attends.
His favourite rock band is L'Arc-en-Ciel and he raved about lead singer Hyde, his co-star in the 2004 movie Moon Child.
'I've never told Hyde that I'm a fan, it'd be embarrassing...
'I was just a primary school student (when filming with Hyde) and I'd say anything that comes to mind.
'He'd just listen and keep smiling. He's such a gentle and kind person.'
No apologies for 'naked' antics... yet
HE is known to be outrageous, but after dancing 'naked' at the annual Red And White Song Contest on TV, Japanese singer DJ Ozma has to face the music now.
Public broadcaster NHK has reportedly received some 1,800 complaints and issued an on-air apology.
DJ Ozma, who claims to be 'eternally 16-years-old', stripped down to skin-coloured boxers during the show, while female dancers wore bodysuits showing fake breasts.
The president of Toshiba EMI, which distributes DJ Ozma's album I Love Party People, has also apologised formally to NHK.
The singer has yet to make any apology, and it is likely NHK will not allow him to appear in any of its programmes for the time being.
But his album is in stores here if you want to check out how flamboyant he is. After all, he did the Japanese version of Alex To's controversial single Take Off.
Since February 4, 2006