Doramas

Was watching Trick2 last night… that is a great series. So funny and interesting. But, I am totally anticipating the next episode of Supli. It should have aired already in Japan, so I’ll give it a day or so to find it’s way to me… In the meantime, I have Trick3 to watch! I can’t get enough of Nakama Yukie!

Suppli (サプリ/ Sapuri)


Mariko and I started watching Suppli this week, and we both really like it. I guess its because Mariko likes KAT-TUN) and I like Misaki Itoh, especially when she wears her geek-chic glasses. The story is pretty good so far (only one episode has been shown), with Itoh as the experienced campaign planner in an advertising agency and Kame as the reluctant part-time worker who just started. The acting is pretty good, and really I love how the show captures the feeling of living in Tokyo. This drama really makes me miss living and working there, even though it was a long time ago. I get a natsukashii feeling when I watch Suppli. Even in this first episode, the yurikamome train going to Odaiba, and the photos of Tokyo Tower bring back great memories.

The ending of the show where the credits scroll is really well done, with still images from the story, and the photos are kind of holga-like in appearance. It’s very cool. I think the music goes perfectly. ([url=/media/video/Sapuri_ep01_ending.mov”>Click here to dl a QuickTime movie of the ending, 6.7MB, mov)

Speaking of the ending song, the name of it is “Real Voice” and it is sung by

Lastly, here’s the CM for the drama (3MB, mp4)

New DVD Player

I picked up a Philips DVP5140 DVD player the other day at Costco for only $49, and it is great! The advantage of this player is that it can play .avi movies directly. So, to watch all the Japanese dramas we have, we can just pop in a DVD+R and peruse the files. Before, I’d have to hook up my laptop to the TV with the sVideo cable. That was kind of a hassle, and something that Mariko didn’t know how to do. It was actually the switching of the monitor signal, fooling with the extended desktop, and controlling the mouse pointer on the tv screen that made it tricky.

Other benefits of the new Philips is that it can automatically read .srt (subtitle) files as long as they have the same name as the movie file. So, you got your avi’s, your .srt’s, and you are ready to go! Also, the player can be made region-free in just a few seconds by adding in a code. The only lame thing about the player is that the video output does not include sVideo, but there are component outs as well as standard RCA. Not a big deal for us at all, though!

Densha Otoko

Our friend gave us Densha Otoko to watch, and I am totally into it! I was up again until 4:30am last night watching. (I got up to episode 5) It’s even more addicting than Gokusen. The drama is based on a true story of an otaku, Yamada Tsuyoshi (Itoh Atsushi ) who has a chance meeting with a beautiful woman, Aoyama Saori (Itoh Misaki), and how he gets advice from his BBS (Internet chat room) on how to proceed with the relationship. It’s so funny to see all the otaku references, and neat to know that it is a true story. It must be somewhat altered to make it more over-the-top, as most Japanese dramas of this sort are, but still, it’s kind of cool.

There’s lots of funny parts, like when the Imperial March (from Star Wars) ringtone comes on when the bad person calls, or the reactions and expressions of the BBS denizens, including Nasubi! The scenes in Akihabara and all the other otaku scenes are hilarious as well. I like how they capture the feel of the chatroom, where most people are supportive, but there are a couple trolls as well. I like the main actors, and because Itoh Misaki is a babe, even the slow parts in the story are not unpleasant to watch. :). She was in Gokusen 1 as the “pretty teacher”, btw.

Read more:
J-Drama Wiki (nice synopsis there)
Official Site at Fuji TV
Densha Otoko Discussion thread at jdorama.com

Sprinkler System

We just got a sprinkler system put in our yard, and I must say, it is awesome. I can’t believe I lived for five years in our old house, and didn’t have a sprinkler system. I am so *not* going to miss dragging that frickin hose around, trying to water each part of the yard. Especially in the Texas heat with the mosquitos and other critters. Our sprinkler man, who was recommended by our neighbors, said, “What the sprinkler system does is give you back your time, that’s all.” And he is right. But that’s not all. Now the lawn and garden will be nice and healthy, and not suffer from my lapses in watering. I have the timer set to water the vegetable garden each morning for a few minutes. And when I want to water the lawn, I just push a single button, and can go about my business. It’s so great! A little expensive, but totally worth it.