God, can we just look at those GQMFs right there. Just look at them.

Anyhoo, I’ve been meaning to watch a Kimura Takuya drama for forever but I’m still pretty new to Japanese fandom in general, and getting into a new country’s fandom is intense. Every kind of fandom — TV, film, books — has its own rules, and even moreso if the fandom originates from another country. I’m already comfortable in my Korean — and to a lesser extent, Chinese — pop bubble, because I know where to look for discussions on the pop culture and I know where to find that material on my own to sample it. Totally not fluent in J-fandom, which is why I’ve really put it off for so long. Also, I have a huge problem remembering Japanese names. They’re so much longer than their East Asian counterparts D:

More rambling after the jump, oh and yeah, off to watch every single drama Kimura Takuya has ever done.

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A friend and fellow Matsuda Shota afficionado sent me these pictures as a gentle slap in the head for neglecting MS for all the pretty, young (and sometimes talentless) boys of Kpop. My bad. Why did I ever neglect him again??

Here he is modeling jewelry for a current issue of Vogue Hommes Japan. There were some shots that had a little, er, too much butt, but the rest is all good:

I LOVE the second shot. (And no, I will not watch Liar Game 2.)

Pretty quintessential summer pop song for me:

Namie Amuro — HIDE & SEEK Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Oh Namie. You’re not a really great vocalist, but you’re fierce as hell and beauuuuutiful to boot.

Late Spring is a movie made in 1949 by Ozu Yasujiro, depicting the relationship between a widowed father and her daughter. From the Criterion Collection overview,

Late Spring focuses on the dilemma faced by a young woman who lives with her widowed father. She refuses several marriage offers, preferring to keep her father company rather than assume the duties of a housewife and mother. Determined that she will wed, he lets her think that he plans to remarry.

I vowed to dislike this movie, but after watching and rewatching a thousand scenes for an assignment, I’ve learned to love the film’s aesthetics. I just want to pet Ozu and his adorable OCD-tendencies, as illustrated by the freakishly symmetrical shots in so many of the movie’s scenes.