Peter's Japan blog

Neophilia [CD+DVD]

Release date: November 7th 2007.
Catalog no: LACM-4430
This is the second release in her three consecutive singles-release, which will have a concept-style touch.

Tracklisting:

1. NEOPHILIA
2. forget me nots...
3. NEOPHILIA(OFF VOCAL)
4. forget me nots...(OFF VOCAL)

From the short clip of the PV, I like this song, but I need to hear more. The PV reminds me of PVs from Ayumi ;p
After hearing the full song, I think I only give it 3/5, it might need to grow on me, but I loved Love Gun from the first listen.

Full PV:

Support Hirano Aya & buy on YesAsia:
Hirano Aya - Neophilia [CD+DVD]

Avex officially announced the new Countdown Live, which is this time a normal CDL as last year it was a Best Of Countdown Live. There are 2 concerts on the 30th & 31st of December.
As always, TeamAyu fan club members get a pre-sale period for the concerts.

Not sure though where it will be held, but since the works to the Yoyogi National Gymnasium are done, it will be held at its usual venue ^^.

Yesterday was a big day, we went to see the GazettE live in Cologne, Germany.
After everybody arrived at my friends house, got our makeup done, we went straight to Cologne at 12h. It was in the Live Music Hall in the Lichtstrasse 30 in Ehrenfeld, Cologne. Arrived there at 14h, and already saw some people standing at the entrance. Went for a quick bite at a small restaurant in the same street. We joined with some friends from the Netherlands and started to wait in line.

Davin, Misheru & Kumiko:

Read more »

Only 1 day to go until the GazettE concert in Cologne, Germany!
As of now 4 of the 6 concerts in the European tour are sold out! Only Berlin and Munich remain.
There is just one signing session in Germany on friday the 19th in Berlin, which I couldn't get to because of work ;( Why no signing session in Cologne!?

I'm very excited to go to the concert!! Gonna get my hair done like Reita and make a nose bandana. Will put some pics online in a few days of the result and the trip ;p

Signing session info from Rock Identity.

There are new Lucky Star gachapon-style collectables ;p Me wants them!!

Check them out here:
Hobby Stock

Info from Danny Choo

CDJapan just posted a re-issue of the re-issued lower-priced limited press concert dvds, for a limited period of time. Just like they did at the beginning of the year, this time from Decemer 5th 2007 until March 31st 2008. If I remember correctly it was only for 1 or 2 months, but now it seems 4 months.
Now, I can get the missing dvds for my collection ;)

The list is:
Ayumi Hamasaki - Ayumi Hamasaki (clip box) (AVBD-91387)
Ayumi Hamasaki - Concert Tour 2000 Vol.1 (AVBD-91388)
Ayumi Hamasaki - Concert Tour 2000 Vol.2 (AVBD-91389)
Ayumi Hamasaki - Countdown Live 2000-2001 (AVBD-91390)
Ayumi Hamasaki - Dome Tour 2001 A (AVBD-91391)
Ayumi Hamasaki - A Clips (AVBD-91392)
Ayumi Hamasaki - Arena Tour 2002 A (AVBD-91393)
Ayumi Hamasaki - Stadium Tour 2002 A (AVBD-91394)
Ayumi Hamasaki - Arena Tour 2003-2004 A (AVBD-91395)
Ayumi Hamasaki - Countdown Live 2005-2006 A (AVBD-91504)

A Big update on Hirano Aya. After the release of her first photo book "Stairway to 20", she will now start a triple single release spread over 3 months. The first new single will be released on October 10th, while the next will be on November 7th and December 5th respectively.
The new single is called "Love★Gun" which will have a strong rock sound to it. B-side will be called Glitter. Also an extra CD+DVD edition with a DVD that contains the PV for the song.

Tracklisting
01. LOVE★GUN
02. GLITTER
03. LOVE★GUN（OFF VOCAL)
04. GLITTER（OFF VOCAL)

Watch the PV on Youtube:

Buy Love Gun on YesAsia: Hirano Aya - Love★Gun

In a park in Belgium, some people have found body parts that were dumped. These were mostly limbs. These were accompagnied by 2 notes which had the text "Watashiwa Kira dess" written on them in different color. This is a reference to the very popular Japanese manga/anime "Death Note", in which Kira is the main character. It disgusts me to hear this, and that it was even written wrong, but I especially find this a sick joke.
The moral in Death Note is about the fact that "if someone has the power of god, and wants to rid the world of all criminals and kill them all. Can that be justified?"
The one who did this clearly didn't understand the manga/anime, it even seems that he didn't even read it, because Kira doesn't cut off limbs at all, he isn't even physically in contact with the victims. He just writes a name in his death note, and then the victim dies within 40 seconds of a heart attack (other ways of death and time of death can also be specified in the death note). This story has got a lot of suspense as it all revolves around the fact that people want to stop Kira and they need to find him and prove that he is Kira. This whole process is very well done and in much detail and complexity.

I think that this is quite blow to the already cliché image that manga/anime has in the west, especially in Europe where it is not well known, and it is mainly known to always contain violence and sex, which is so not true. Okay, there are those that contain violence or sex, but there's also action movies and porn too in the normal movie industry. It's just the same as regular movies, you have any genre you can think of, the same counts for manga/anime. It is true that you have manga/anime with bloody action or hentai (erotic/sex), but you there are many more that are comedy, drama, sports, magic, sci-fi. Many of these are even aimed at children. You have manga and anime for all ages and for all genres, just like regular movies. This is must one of the biggest misconception in the world about manga/anime.

I'm utterly disgusted by this sick joke, and the extra negative attention that manga/anime get, and gives makes the misconceptions even bigger. I don't like it, I love anime and manga, and I would never even think about making these stories real, one must be a real sick person to actually kill someone in this way and even make reference to something like that. And because I live in Belgium, I'm ashamed of it.