J-Pop Thoughts/Rants

Maybe it's because I've been in Japan for over a year now, but I'm beginning to feel the same way towards Japanese music as I do towards American music. That is, 25% of it is pretty good, while the other 75% is pretty much rubbish. I watched Music Station on Friday night for the first time in ages because 東京事変 (Tokyo Jihen) was performing, and while they were incredible, I found myself hating the world whenever any of the other artists were on the screen. 東京事変 is just so much better than anyone else right now that it's actually sort of comical. And while we're at it, some other random J-pop musings:

-I still think GIRL NEXT DOOR is pretty decent as a group, but I kind of want to punch Chisa in the face. She's just so...what is the word? Dumb.

-Ding-dong, the witch is dead! Koharu Kusumi graduates from Morning Musume this month! That's the best MM news that we've had in years. Just kidding (but not really). That being said, I honestly thought that「気まぐれプリンセス」was a really good single. Kind of a whimsical throwback to the days when their songs were a little more goofy and fun.

-Kimura Kaela will be making her first appearance on this year's 紅白歌合戦, which means that I'll probably be tuning in.

-New DAI single,「君がいない未来」. They've been putting out a whole lot of material since reuniting. I think it's a pretty awesome song, but hey, of course I do.



Ban-chan is looking really good here.

That's More Like It

November 28, 2008: My not yet fully operational Death Star.

November 27, 2009: Now witness the firepower of this FULLY ARMED and OPERATIONAL battle station!



Gonna go for my run an hour early because 東京事変 are performing on Music Station tonight. I guess this is how all my students feel whenever Arashi is on TV.

Thanksgiving Day 09

Listening to:
Do As Infinity
Gates of Heaven

I guess that I was too busy adjusting to life in Japan to miss Thanksgiving when I first arrived here, but I'm really craving a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal this year. I never really thought too much about it, but given that I caved and flew home for Christmas last winter, this year will mark the first time that I'm really spending the holidays away from my friends and family. Not to say that I don't have friends and family down here, but Thanksgiving and Christmas don't quite mean the same thing in Japan, or in the case of Thanksgiving, it really may not mean anything at all. Nevertheless, I've got an abundance of things to be thankful for this year, so cheers to that. In the end, it's about you being fortunate and lucky enough to realize it, not the turkey and stuffing.

...but I'd really kill for some good turkey and stuffing right about now.

ついにハイビジョンTV！

Mitsubishi 32V. The store only had 3 in stock, but I managed to nab the last one by showing up first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, I was running on 4 hours of sleep and forgot to pick up an HDMI cable for the PS3. Oh well. The lame coffee table setup is just temporary until I get a proper television stand.



My old TV is going into the bedroom with the PS2 for those rainy day/typhoon Persona 4 sessions.



update: Got an HDMI cable, and indeed, the difference in picture quality at 1080p is pretty staggering. That Advent Children Blu-Ray disc is gonna get quite the workout.

Lesnar Out With Ruptured Intestine

What doctors had originally diagnosed as mono turned out to be a big ol' hole in Brock Lesnar's intestine. It's as yet unclear as to what effect this will have on Brock's fighting career. Dana has gone on record saying that he's unsure whether or not Lesnar will ever fight again, while Lesnar's coaches have been saying that he'll be ready to go in 6 months. Whatever the case, Lesnar has had this problem for about a year now according to his doctors, which means that Brock beat Randy Couture for the title and dominated Frank Mir while his intestine was ruptured. Alrighty then.

10-2, Top Of The League

Can't say that I told you so (because for once, I didn't), but the Suns currently hold the best record in the league at 10-2. As it generally goes with this team, they're one Steve Nash injury away from the lottery, but it's nonetheless incredibly strange watching a Suns squad hold their own on the glass and shut down opposing teams with 4th quarter defensive stands.



I expected them to be a playoff team with Nash pushing the pace again, but I didn't foresee them making quite this much noise early on in the season. It'll be interesting to see when (if) they come back down to earth.

Tekken 6 Impressions

Playing
Tekken 6
(PS3)

The new Scenario Campaign mode is very much like the Force modes of the past; a slightly awkward, Final Fight-style brawler that pits you against hordes of not-so-intelligent thugs, robots, soldiers, ninjas, etc. It can be fun for what it is, but it’s more frustrating than anything, as you continually get your combos interrupted by soldiers shooting at you with riffles from afar, or almost defeat final boss Jin, only to have him knock you into the air and repeatedly lambaste you with uppercuts until you die. On the plus side, it does provide an alternate way for you to customize your characters and earn cash, as bags of money and boxes containing equipment are scattered throughout the various stages that you brawl your way through. The cut scenes that are sprinkled in between battles are also nice, as they give some depth to new characters Alisa and the otherwise lame Lars Alexandersson.



To be fair, as far as extras go, Scenario Campaign mode is indeed a doozy. The meat of the game is within the fighter itself, and if you take into account the fact that Scenario Campaign is just a gratuitous extra mode, there's really not much to be complaining about. In spite of its flaws, there's still some fun to be had here in that somewhat repetitive Dynasty Warriors sort of way. Upon being robbed of your dignity and hope by Devil Jin in the "Nightmare Train" stage, it’s simple to concede defeat and get on to the actual game.



What sets Tekken 6 apart from Tekken 5? For starters, a handful of new characters, the newly implemented “rage” and “bound” systems, some spiffy new stages and a bunch of new customization options. This is all good and well, but once you get past all the tweaks and goodies, the game feels alarmingly like Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection. It’s still a dream for hardened followers of the series, as a handful of new additions to a favorite character's move list will likely be enough to turn veterans into giddy messes. You can literally spend hours in practice mode incorporating the new moves into your juggles and figuring out their properties, or better still, trying to effectively utilize the new bound system. Unfortunately, it’s just the hardcore players that will likely be enthralled with these nuances, as casual fans may be less than apt to notice them at all. The new rage system, while certainly the most overt addition to 6, won’t push players to adjust their style of play any. "Rage" activates automatically once your health bar is depleted to a certain level, at which point your character’s hands will glow red and their attacks will do additional damage for the remainder of the round.



While this does make comebacks a lot easier to pull off, the rage system, along with the collapsing floors, seem to offer more in terms of visual punch than anything else. Beyond these tweaks, what Tekken 6 basically offers is a streamlined version of the DR engine…which isn't to say that it isn't really damn good. The game is fast and hard-hitting, not to mention incredibly deep; arguably the best installment in the series to date, but you can’t help but feel that the title is lacking something as a true numerical sequel. Given the complete overhaul that Capcom gave Street Fighter fans with SFIV, Tekken 6 just feels, well, familiar. I’ll concede and call it my favorite fighter to come out this year, but it just won’t blow anyone away in what gamers have been calling the “year of the fighter.”

Two big knocks on the title: 1) the long loading times, and 2) the ridiculous lag during online play (or so people say, haven't tried it myself). If you can manage to get past that, Tekken 6 is nothing short of a must-have for fighting fans.

A Couple Things I Need In My Life

Wale's Attention: Deficit and Copper Foams (via Wale's twitter).



Tower Records is a good 45 minute drive away, but I'm making the trip to get my copy of the album on 11/10.

3-0, Top Of The Pacific

Had to say it while I had the chance. Tough to complain about starting the season 3-0, but also tough to celebrate when those three wins are over the Clippers, Warriors and Timberwolves. The schedule from here on out turns absolutely brutal with 16 road games over the next couple of months, not to mention three games against the Lakers, two against Orlando, two against Boston and two against the Cavaliers. Seriously?



On the bright side, J-Rich looked real good in his debut and Channing Frye is shooting 65% from beyond the arc. They're going to get mauled by teams that can rebound, but at least it looks like they'll be an exciting squad to watch.

LeBron VII "Red Carpet"

I was beginning to hate how Flywire was starting to find its way onto every other basketball sneaker on the market, so naturally, I couldn't help but feel that the Flywire gave LeBron James' latest signature shoe a distinctly "Kobe" or "Hyper-something-or-other" feel. Not surprisingly, once the LeBron VII loses the Flywire, you get a fresh, dare I say, GORGEOUS pair of kicks.







The nicest pair of non-retro, non-fusion sneakers that Nike has put out since the Jordan XX3. There, I said it.