Long story in the NY Times: The Fall of ‘Terrace House’ [Hana Kimura's] death sparked a national reckoning with cyberbullying in Japan and brought a sudden, tragic end to “Terrace House.” Fuji TV quickly canceled the remainder of the current season and hasn’t said if the show will ever return. (Netflix, which continues to carry existing episodes, including those featuring Kimura, declined to comment for this article.) But those close to Kimura like her mother, Kyoko Kimura, continue to wonder to what extent the gentle reality show set Hana up for a fatal emotional decline. This week she filed a complaint with a Japanese broadcasting ethics watchdog, the Broadcasting Ethics & Program Improvement Organization, implicating the show in Kimura’s death and alleging that the show depicted Hana as an aggressive and violent person, infringing upon her personal rights. She remains deeply disappointed with the response to the tragedy — or lack thereof — by Fuji TV, East Entertainment (the production company that works on “Terrace House”) and Netflix. “I’ve heard a deafening silence,” she said. “She was working so hard. It was all for someone else’s monetary benefit.” Much more with other cast members, some claiming that confrontations were staged and others saying staff didn't make suggestions to them. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/arts/television/terrace-house-suicide.html
The new GUNDAM Café TOKYO BRAND CORE in Akihabara opened today: if the video does not show watch the video here The camera shows it from right to left - the right-hand part has taken over the site of the AKB48 Cafe and Shop which closed at the end of last year.
I believe Japan will be one of the first countries to leave the Covid behind. It takes rational people to do what it's necessary now. Unfortunately, the Spaniards aren't too good at that...
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan said on Friday that he was resigning because of ill health, thrusting his country, during a global pandemic, into a new period of political uncertainty after a record-setting tenure that provided unaccustomed stability at the top. NY Times
I'm here to promote MNL48's 1st original song by their 1st official sub-unit Baby Blue! Please stream it here: https://eggs.mu/song/cd06cd6810738409c6ab5bc8b812d6b27d1cedb353c6ea644e952d01d9d200e7 I'm tellin' ya this is LIT! And not your typical AKB song/genre
HEY HEY HEY! What’s Happening! Hey guys! What’s up? Long time no see. Did you guys miss me? Wow... I remember this place having more active members online, especially during some 48G/46G drama... lol
Well to be honest, I do miss you Wil, but that's from a more personal standpoint than a forum thing since we know each other from living in the Bay Area Is there drama going on? I'm kinda out of the loop, haven't been paying too much attention to anyone aside from Wasamin.
Aww! Thanks man! I miss you as well. The Bay Area really got into “smoking” out here right now... if you seen any of the photos from Twitter. It was noon and it looks like it’s midnight outside. Speaking of Twitter, that’s where I saw the “drama” involving Aki-Pimp... seeing reactions on Twitter in regards to, something about “exchanging personal diaries” and “grooming” of an ex member. Reading some of those “hot takes” on Twitter, reminded me of this place and the “fun” I had. Good times!
This week Jean-François Istasse became the new mayor of the eastern Belgian city of Verviers (article in French): https://www.sudinfo.be/id254019/art...muriel-targnion-comme-bourgmestre-de-verviers The reason why I'm reporting this is because Monsieur Istasse is a big fan of AKB48 and he's been mentioned before on this forum. This link has a French-language Belgian TV interview from 2015 in which he talks about his love of the group (at 15:00 he says that Mayuyu is his favourite member!): https://www.vedia.be/www/video/cult...s-akb48-diffuse-le-28-09-2015-_87510_138.html And here's a video of him from a year earlier attempting to sing KFC at karaoke (very badly IMO!):
well that woman in the background was having her own thought about it it seems although her head seems to move to the beat just a little bit Just listened to the first part of the radio interview (with my 4 years of high school level French) cette homme, c'est une bon oeuf He's is for sure better informed about Japan than many a western journalist imho btw ... 'Akihabara quarante huite' pronounced in Frrench has a certain 'je ne sais quoi' about it (I'm not sure .... but I think that's a Kirito from SAO figure next to the Torii?) I think hear him say, just after Mayuyu's photo comes up, paraphrasing ... "it's not about them being perfect, but about watching them grow"
I think he said "donc que c'est pas parfait on les voient progresser" which I think can be translated as "Even though they're not perfect we see them progress (or 'grow')". (I'm pretty good at understanding western European languages, I just wish I could successfully transfer my skills to learning east Asian ones!)
I just watched the replay of last year's Hometown Stories about Miki Yakata. At the end, there was a short promo for Yakata Miki's new 2020 Hometown Stories to be shown later today. It is also on the Hometown Stories pages: last year: Miki Yakata, a former member of an all-girl Japanese idol group this year: Yakata Miki, a former pop idol,
Currently experiencing the strongest storm this 2020 on the whole Earth here in the Philippines This is probably the first Typhoon in Philippine history to hit Category 5, or as we call it: Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 5 We're kinda lucky to be only at the 2nd category but still
This should go in the SDN48 section, but there is no general SDN48 discussion thread nor a specific thread for Shinahama Saemi (3rd gen). Her brother was a victim of a hit-and-run by Kentaro Ito. "The name of Saemi Shinahama was highlighted in the "hit and run" case of actor Kentaro Ito (23). The victim was Saemi Shinahama's younger brother. Saemi Shinahama has been active in fashion magazine "Nikola" with Yui Aragaki since he was a junior high school student. Joined SDN in 2011 as a third-year student. After the dissolution, she joined the idol group "Women's School All Stars" and got married in 2016. Currently, she is active as a 17-river in the pachislot writer and the video distribution service "17Live". https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/entame/news/2361933/ Stories about the hit-and-run https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20201031/p2a/00m/0na/002000c https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/10/29/national/crime-legal/kentaro-ito-hit-and-run/
It's 4am and I just read about the election on The Guardian. Thank you for finally putting an end to his reign! I normally don't do politics, let alone American politics, but having watched John Oliver on YouTube, I learnt that there was a lot on the line for this election. So congrats America! And by extension all countries that will be affected by this, which is essentially the entire world, lol.