HOLY CRAP #2-- (Fit's Gum)

Now-- I just recently found out about this Youtube craze a week ago, but still--- it was inevitable that this trend would spread all over Youtube Japan.

A Japanese gum company, "Fit's", released these commercials to promote a new, innovative, unbelievably soft, more mouth-accessible pack of gum. In the commercials, the model takes a piece of gum, chews it, and then proceeds to do a very distinctive, lively dance that gets anyone in a 15-foot radius excited to chew and dance as well. All the while, an infectious jingle plays in the background that would make anyone who knew the dance moves want to get up and shake it, too.

But wait!

We can shake it, too!

On the Fit's website was posted the instructions to the dance, in Japanese, along with their official announcement of their Youtube dance contest. That was when bunches of Japanese Youtubers picked up their webcams, shook it, and advertised their imaginary packs of gum.

A Fit's Entry
Another Fit's Entry
A Third Fit's Entry (my personal favorite)
A Fourth Fit's Entry (WHOA, foreigners?! No way. :P)

As far as I know, Fit's company (LOTTE) has promoted 32 entries. Now-- if this seems crazy or pointless to you, just think back a little-- just how many commercials have us Americans obsessed over?

Visa? (There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard.)

Geico? (The gecko AND the cavemen. AND the cash with the googly eyes.)

Freecreditreport.com? ("My legs are stickin' to the vinyl and my posse's gettin' laughed at!")

Remember those? :P

--JPOtaku

HOLY CRAP-- #1 (J-Dorama)

Ahh... What can I say about J-Dorama?

Well, for starters... ITSTHEMOSTADDICTIVETHINGTHATIVESEENINMYLIFEGETMEAWAY

FROMTHISCOMPUTERINEEDMORERIGHTNOWASDFGHGFKDFJWEROILJ

...

Okay. Just needed to get that out... Now! :D What exactly IS a J-Dorama?

The phrase "J-Dorama" actually stands for "Japanese Drama". It refers to Japanese soaps which actually air (or have aired) on Japanese television channels. Now, I am definitely NOT a person who enjoys dramatic television shows... In fact, that's the last thing I'd watch if I had a choice. But, allow me to say this, Americans-- Asian dramas are 100% DIFFERENT from American dramas.

Yeah, American dramas-- you know, the dramatic camera angles, the woman standing out in the rain crying, the man who enters a completely calm scene with a gun... etc., etc. This is exactly the stuff I like to stay AWAY from.

My very first experience with a J-Dorama-- I was reading this blog on a website called "Tofugu.com"... It was about "J-doramaholics."

ME: "wth is a j-dorama? durrr"

So... I look up a show called "Hana Yori Dango" (or, Boys over Flowers).

I watch the first episode.

I watch the first season.

I watch the second season.

I watch the movie.

I wa-- wait, there's no more. I NEED MORE.

I look up "Akihabara@DEEP".

I watch the first episode.

I finish the season.

I wa-- NO MORE. MORE. MORE.

I look up "Kimi Wa Petto" (You're My Pet). [MORE.]

I look up "Great Teacher Onizuka" (GTO). [MORE MORE.]

I look up "Gokusen".

I look up "Nobuta wo Produce".

At this point, a month has passed, and I'm lying on the floor near my computer, wondering what happened. My family is circled around me, shouting "We love you" and "Get help now" and "Please, think of your future". And what do I do?

I look up "Hana Kimi".

I look up "Beautiful Life."

Now, what do I actually THINK about these dramas? Well, first of all, they don't FEEL like dramas. They feel like television shows, sprinkled with scandal and romance. When I finished "Hana Yori Dango", I thought, "Well, yeah, this wouldn't actually happen in real life... but still, it didn't FEEL like a show at all!" (I also thought, "I NEED MOOORE"...)

Honestly, I believe that the reason why these shows are so addictive is because some of them feel like stories your mother would tell you before you went to bed at night. They do such a great job with projecting morals, it's unbelievable. Watching Akihabara@DEEP, all I could think of was, "I'LL NEVER MAKE FUN OF A COMPUTER NERD AGAIN!!!" ......Though that doesn't actually apply to me. Since I am one. -.-

Anyways, here are a few shows that I recommend (All of which can be found on a fantastic website called "mysoju.com", which will be linked to in the sidebar.)----->

First, I'll go with "Hana Yori Dango", just because it's the most popular. Almost like crack is the most popular drug. Plus, you gotta love that Inoue Mau. What a great actress. (Not to mention the heart throb, Matsumoto Jun.)

Then, it has to be "Akihabara@DEEP" (although, I'm not actually sure that this is a J-Dorama... it seems more like a comedy.) You'll have fun learning more and more about the world's #1 electronic district, Akihabara.

My third favorite is "Gokusen". The reason is that I just love the comedic air of the main character, Yamaguchi, and her posse of yakuza brothers. On that note, I also have to recommend "GTO" (which I haven't actually really been into, just because I've been getting into "Nobuta wo Produce").

Last is-- yep-- "Nobuta wo Produce". I don't know what it is about this one! Maybe it just resembles "Hana Yori Dango" so much, I just couldn't stay away. I do enjoy the plot, though... it's very original.

You may have noticed that I'm saying AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE about these shows... and it's just because I want you to enjoy them that much more. Now-- be careful how you spend your time on these ones, and who you send them to. You want your friends to enjoy these J-doramas, not replace food and drink with them.

Finally, visit Tofugu.com! I was first launched into this whole experience by that one blog post.

--JPOtaku

Starting over...

Okay, so I am now safely assuming that no one right now is reading this, and that in order for this post to even be made known, I'd have to e-mail it to my closest friends. It's fine! fresh start, right? ^.^

So, みんな, It's been a solid 5 months since I've posted here. After a while, I was a bit reluctant to post here, because I thought that I'd neglected this blog for so long that I should delete it, give up on my account, and deny that the entire experience had ever even happened.

But, why should I do that? I've been through so much so far, and my Japanese studies have been so exciting! I still feel like there's a part of me that just wants to document all of this, so I can just look back 20 years from now, when I'm a big CEO in Japan (schoolmates will get this), and look back on all of my fun times.

So, to... I suppose... regulate my posts here, I'm going to start a new series, called "HOLY CRAP". It's going to be, basically, an abridged version of all things Japanese, which have been obsessed over by 1) me, 2) my friends, 3) the entire nation of Japan, 4) USA. In addition to that, I'm going to continue the list of books I put in my Japanese Box. But... now, it's sort of a Japanese... Bag. At least the bag is biodegradable!! (Yeah, ik, Brooklyn Gardener!!)

Finally, thanks to whoever will read this! I hope you will enjoy my first edition of "HOLY CRAP"!!

--JPOtaku