Japanese Drama + Ketchup Mania (Japanese Indies Band)
Source: Drama Wiki
(Just a note, the translation for the Japanese on that picture is: "Why did this disease choose me? Mom, will I be able to marry?")
Is it just me or has there been a sudden surge in the number of dramas with the main character named "Aya"? First it was "Jyouou", now "Ichi Rittoru no Namida". There's nothing wrong in sharing the same name with a drama character, I just wish they would be a little more NORMAL. The Aya in "Jyouou" joins a Hostess Club to try to pay back the millions of dollars her father wracked up in loans. The second Aya, in "Ichi Rittoru no Namida" has a disease that causes her to slowly "break", becoming unable to move, and unable to speak.
On the topic of "Ichi Rittoru..", I recently started watching the drama because people on the J-drama message boards raved about how sad it is and how they cried watching each episode. Lately I've been a sucker for dramas that make me cry (Hotaru no Haka [Grave of the Fireflies], Taiyou no Kisetsu [The Season of the Sun]) so I watched the first episode. The main two characters, one being Sawajiri Erika and the other Nishikido Ryou (I knew him from watching "Ganbatte Ikimasshoi" [Give it Your All] which starred one of my favorite actresses to date: Suzuki Anne) didn't really impress me in terms of how they handled their characters.
Even though they were the main characters, I found that I was drawn to the side characters more. Namely, Ikeuchi Aya (Sawajiri Erika)'s father, played by Jinnai Takanori. It's entertaining watching how he reacts with the rest of the family. And his acting was what made me shed most of my tears, especially in the scene where he finds out about Aya's disease, in which he keeps repeating the same question over and over to his wife, that there must be some way to cure their daughter's illness.
Guess who plays the part of the doctor? Fujiki Naohito (from Itoshii Kimi E [To the One I Love])!! It was kind of weird watching him play the role that was opposite of his character in Itoshii Kimi E. In "Ichi Rittoru no Namida", he's the doctor, instead of the patient in "Itoshii Kimi E". And being the popular actor that he is (I'm still in denial of his acting in the 1995 movie Hana Yori Dango. Is this the same person?!) he's obviously not going to just blend into the background. In Episode 3, it's slowly unravelling that he has a painful past of his own. He's one of those people that gets better looking with age, I almost didn't recognize him in HYD as Hanazawa Rui. But maybe it's because as the years pass, better make up that hide age are released? ^^
Source: sound-tv.net
One band I've been listening to a lot of lately: Ketchup Mania! They're a 3-guys 1-girl band hailing from Nagoya (I stayed in Nagoya last summer for 10 days! I hit myself in the head just thinking how if only I'd discovered them sooner I could have gone to see their live show!) I discovered them through a Bittorrent site (yes, I'm one of those people who download. But on the bright side, I DO buy every single album of a band I like that I discover through downloading. My most recent find from Bittorrent: Aeronauts, I bought all of their albums AND their singles.)
Their sound is Dera*Sentimental, Sentimental Bus, and Judy and Mary thrown all into a blender with the catchiness of 3B Lab at their best. The main vocalist's voice is really cute (if you've heard Judy and Mary, you'd know what I mean). They've released 3 albums while an indies band, but this December, they'll be releasing their first major label single! On the down side though, I have looked up the single, and it seems there'll be only ONE song on the single, and it'll be 800 Yen, which is absurd, even for Japanese singles. Not only this, but it's going to be a Christmas-related song. Err..I've never liked Christmas albums (anyone remember that horrible *Nsync CD released ages ago?) but maybe they'll infuse their infectious energy to create the only Christmas CD worth having :)
On their official site, they label themselves as a "punk group", but I'm not seeing it. I love their music, but it's not punk ^^ When I think punk, I think Sex Pistols, Ramones, not cutesy band with a couple of great rock riffs.
Some of their songs are available for sampling on thier offical site: Ketchup Mania so definitely give them a listen if you have the chance!