we are only made of air and dust

...of Japanese TV doramas.

I felt rather underwhelmed with most of the winter season (though if you haven't watched Akai Ito, whyever the hell not? It's a cell phone adaptation that doesn't suck, and the main characters are fleshed out and emotionally real, and oh, I need to make a longer post about it without falling into flail.)

But spring season is looking decidedly up my alley. I have narrowed down my choices thus far:

Mr. Brain

Kimura plays the part of Ryusuke Tsukumo, a neuroscience researcher affiliated with a National Police Agency laboratory. Although his skills help solve difficult cases, he has one flaw: he is generally "clueless to the situation" (better known by the slang term "KY," or "kuuki o yomenai"), leading to various comical interactions. In general, each episode will be a different case.

Kimura's assistant will be played by Haruka Ayase, while Hiro Mizushima will take on the role of a young cop. Other characters include the head of the lab (Mao Daichi), another detective (Teruyuki Kagawa), and a couple of researchers (Yuji Tanaka of Bakusho Mondai and Tortoise Matsumoto of Ulfuls).

Sounds like a funny version of Galileo, and...with less math, but I liked Galileo a great deal, so....plus HIRO! and Haruka!

Oh, and that guy from SMAP. *g*

Smile

(and this is how I decided on that)

[21:56] calledinvain: that was japan STABBING YOU IN THE FACE.
[21:56] kitsune714: SPITTING IN MY FACE.
[21:56] kitsune714: and then SCRATCHING OUT MY EYES
[21:57] calledinvain: but you know i'm going to watch the first episode.
[21:57] kitsune714: i know.
[21:57] kitsune714: i watched cat vomit for you.
[21:57] kitsune714; now it's your turn.
[21:57] calledinvain: yes, i was going to say.

That's how our friendship works, people. We watch crap potentially hilariously terrible shows so the other one doesn't have to. Unless the awful is so MESMERIZING, that to not share would just be WRONG. Like that one SP I made her watch because in it, Maki Goto strangles a [has been redacted because the memory of it made me LAUGH SO HARD] with pantyhose! And it makes this whump noise when it falls over?

Yes, yes, look away now. But yes. Evil-sama's drama with Shun as Filipino gang members or what not and muteness and "Let it Be" in all the promo music. Oh, Mother Mary come to me, speaking words of wisdom......

and finally, no surprise,

THE LITTLEST HOBO er, Atashinchi no Danshi!

Fuji remembers what made Maki a total rockstar, and gives her a family comedy, so we can all forget the regret and trauma that was Innocent Love (though, Cute Guy.) Yusuke Yamamoto as a model with gynophobia! (well not really, I just find the term gynophobia hilarious.) Kaname Jun as a genius playboy who has 99 problems but..... That Guy from Nobuta wo Produce (and a host of other really good dramas) being a Yanki hoodlum marshmallow. Guy who played Unfortunate Haruma Miura stand-in in TV Koizora as a recluse with bad 80s fashion!

Requisite chibi hapa actor who is Smarter than everyone!

And Mukai Osamu, who I think looks a bit like this Korean actor that I can't name right now, but anyway, is handsome and a host.

Six adopted brothers who don't like each other, one ex homeless girl who's never had a real family, one sketch marriage, and one REAL SCOTTISH CASTLE.

I CANNOT WAIT. (it airs on Black Day!)

It's kind of telling how when going down the red carpet pictures, the one actress I get excited about seeing at the Oscars is Ryoko Hirosue, even though I haven't seen the film she's in (Departures, or Okuribito). It's nominated for best Foreign Language Film this year at the Oscars.

I don't think I'll  be tuning into the telecast (there's hulu and youtube now) and because I still have yet to see all of the nominees - every year, my interest in the Oscars dwindles.

Anyway, I'll be surprised if Slumdog Millionaire doesn't win at least one of its nominated categories, or if Heath Ledger doesn't get an Oscar posthumously.

re: Leverage, darkeyedwolf, I just finished watching episode 1, am part way through episode 2, have 4 queued up for download, and I need episode 3. NVM: kitsune714 comes through! Could you possibly help a girl out here?

thanks to calixa pointing it out, but there's another book in the Howl's Moving Castle series and it's due to be released JUNE 10, 2008. Yes, I just pre-ordered it. I love unexpected surprises like that - well maybe it's only an unexpected surprise because I haven't been checking the DWJ comm and possibly everyone and their cultish/obsessed dog knows about it...or are reading Stephanie Meyer books, so ---

NEW HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE BOOK, ZOMG.


Am watching the new episode of Venture Brothers - I don't think this is a spoiler, but, ( so )

got it off of my google reader just as I was leaving work: courtesy of amezri

Spaced is coming to America in a new definitive DVD boxset.

I already own the UK version, but this one has new commentary, and a reunion, and...grrrr, argh! And the cover art! Check Peggster - for even better news. The American remake of Spaced has not been picked up. HALLELUJAH. (ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES).

*waves*

Pushing Daisies = Amelie + Tim Burton / Dead like Me x Wonderfalls. I should put in an pie analogy, but you get the drift.

I <3 it.


Point me to the LJ communities!

A write up of Dirty Sexy Money, my other new Wednesday favorite.

OH, HENRY.

<3 <3 <3 <3

And the originalMexican version of Betty was there, too! Oh, I love you, Univision.

ETA: OMG, UGLY BETTY.

Mmmmm. It'd be terribly sticky though. Have not really progressed much in my new books except for the Amy and Christopher Moore, as it is a re-read of a timeless holiday classic (zombies!) and I am now in a fiendish cupcake mood.

Going to work in a bit, so it'll have to be lists and fake bullet points.

[x] Aaron Sorkin needs to stop writing love letters to himself and his brilliance dressed up as episodes. I get you're a geek, and that you're a writ-ah, but dude, you're neither funny nor particularly wise in this new venture of yours, despite an excellent cast and cute guest stars (hi Lauren Graham!). It's just embarrassing. Jump off the wank pretentious train before you get mown over, or fess up to the pretentiousness and Get Another Schtick.

[x] Why yes, I am one of those angry people on the internets with an opinion and a blog. I am the mortal enemy of the Dutchess, Sorkin, and those fine people at Grey's Anatomy!

[x] Speaking of which - Shonda, your revisionist history hurts me. As do many things this season, and yet I'm still hoping for the light at the tunnel. Perhaps it will be the cargo train carrying live bears that EAT MCDREAMY coming through? A girl can hope. Also - actor drama is so shitty when it comes out like Chokegate, so I'm of the mind to either fire Isiah Washington, make him take anger management courses, make an obvious apology to the cast and crew. Recasting should be the last choice - he's made Burke his own character, I'd rather see him written off.

p.s. When you have to take the magical time machine of Crappy Retcon in order to make your OTP work on a moral high ground, perhaps it is a sign THAT THEY SUCK BIG DONKEY BALLS.

[x] Lane is pregnant. I'm really not watching Gilmore Girls. I'm just sayin. Lane is pregnant.

[x] I've finally caught up with Heroes. Hey, a fun, entertaining show with just the right amount of dark and light and geekery. I've missed those!

[x] Betty, Betty, Betty. My runaway favorite of the new shows this season. Evil Marc is definitely my evil gay boyfriend. His meanness is entertaining and not in a necessarily overt, truly malicious way, plus, I think there's layers lurking underneath those curls of his. *Gasp*

[x] One of the imaginary boyfriends has done Things to his hair and this also hurts me, but I realize it is for his Work and I must soldier on and accept this hideous eyesore and realize the beauty within.

[x] Movies I'd really like to see: The Prestige, the Illusionist (really, not the same movie! We promise!), Marie Antoinette (lots of fiery debate about this at work, and I'm just going because I love new wave and the 80s new romantic ridiculousness of it all, despite my huge hate on For The Dunst), the Science of Sleep, Babel, and Borat.

[x] I purchased a total la femme fatale trenchcoat, one of those old time numbers you'd see in black and white movies and the heroine is standing in a cloud of fog, her silouhette just barely visible. I suppose my ideal look is somewhere between the noir and pinup glamour girl with a healthy dose of comfortable realism.

[x] Postsecret came out with a new book, My Secret. The postcard that I could have written: "My eating disorder? I call it my mother." HOW.VERY.TRUE.

[x] My halloween costume is very very very very very pink. I do not know whether to be elated or horrified.

[x] It is a baby boom on the FL. Life! Brought into the world! By People I approve of! You will be awesome parents, please teach them manners so auntie Saff doesn't have to cut a bitch when she's on duty at the Retail Place. Theoretically - as I plan and hope to be millions of miles away from a retail job in the coming years, exploring the WORLD, lalalalalalala!

[x] Don't you know we're supposed to be together?

Third episode in - Studio 60 is still not funny to me, but damn, if they don't have great secondary casting. It's Brian!

Out of the new styles LJ's offering, I only like about five, but they're a pretty five. Like the one I'm using now. Magic paper, indeed.

Belated birthday wishes to voleuse, hope Vegas was fun.

I just bought Breyer's root beer float ice-cream, because it might be autumn, but there's always room for ice-cream.

I wish Grey's Anatomy was like LJ sometimes, in that you could have filters so you could skip the gross Meredith/Derek, Meredith with anyone of Boy Parts persuasion (with the exception of The Chief and George), and just view what you wanted to view. It'd be like...Izzie'd be the one with the recipes and the photos of the really amazing bundt cakes, and Callie would post Depeche Mode lyrics and analyses of Anne Rice novels with snarky commentary, and Cristina wouldn't have one, but Burke would post all about his favorite places to drink coffee in Seattle, and George would have pictures of his dog (I think a Bulldog) and top ten lists and favorite Monty Python movie, and Mark would just have pictures of Addison - the curve of her neck, her shoulder.

( spoilers for 3.01 and 3.02 of Grey's Anatomy )