Of The Now: Aishiteru ~Kaiyo:

“Typical mother Noguchi Satsuki spent her days trying to balance her life as a wife to her hard-working husband Kazuhiko and mother to their only son Tomoya, a seemingly withdrawn fifth-grader with whom Satsuki struggled to communicate. Seiko and Ozawa Hideaki, living in the same neighborhood as the Noguchi family, were raising a rebellious junior high school daughter Mihoko and their first son Kiyotaka a second-grader who was showered with much love and affection by his mother.

On that ill-fated day when Kiyotaka was reported missing and was later found dead, Tomoya was taken into custody by police as the prime murder suspect. Tomoya slowly begins to open up about his innermost feelings as the hidden truth reveals the true motive behind his cruel act of violence. Satsuki, as mother of the perpetrator, comes face-to-face with her son’s true self while Seiko, as mother of the victim, deals with her sorrow and anger.”
– copied from http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Aishiteru

This isn’t your typical love dilemma, silly family drama. The only love you’ll find is that within the families affected by such tragedy. I can’t write an actual review yet because, unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to watch the last episode (it was recently subbed). However, I can assure you this drama is worth watching. Don’t overlook it because it lacks some young heartthrob actor, or some beautiful actress you’ve probably seen in countless other dramas. Take a break from all that. You’ll be in suspense each episode, and I guarantee you’ll get a good cry at least once. You’ll find yourself sympathizing with both sides, hating both sides, and hoping for peace of mind for everyone. It’s a heavy drama, but the acting is great, and you’ll get pulled in right away. Not to mention it’s ending song “Aishiteru” is sung by Monkey Majik (which is how I initially found out about this drama).

Old favorite: Proposal Daisakusen

“Iwase Ken and Yoshida Rei have been friends since elementary school. Ken, is obstinate and unskilled in love, but he fell long ago for the lively and cheerful, Rei. But Rei is about to get married to another man. While Ken and other friends from high-school attend the wedding ceremony, a fairy appears and sends Ken back in time, giving him a second chance to win the girl he loves.”
– copied from http://wiki.daddicts.com/Proposal_Daisakusen
Don’t let the fact that there’s a “fairy” involved throw you off to this drama. It’s somewhat old (April 2007), but it ages like a good wine. It’s just as funny as it is heartbreaking, and even has its suspenseful moments. Though it may seem predictable at times, you will likely find that things aren’t as simple as they seem. All the characters are loveable and play important roles no matter how small. The reason you can love all these characters is due to the fantastic acting and chemistry the actors share. The love story is innocent and sweet, and each episode provides a teary, sentimental moment. Actually, this whole series can be summed up in one word – sentimental. It also doesn’t focus solely on the relationship between Ken and Rei, but the deep friendship between their entire group of friends. It shows how time can move quicker than we thought, and looking back on things… we miss quite a bit. If you want just an all-around good, creative drama filled with sentimentality and everything that makes a drama worth watching, check out Proposal Daisakusen.

Title: 5 Centimeters Per Second (Byousoku Go Senchimetoru)
Directed by: Makoto Shinkai (She and Her Cat, Voices of a Distant Star)
Total # eps: 3 short segments to a single movie (about and hour long all together)
Opening Theme: None
End Themes: “One more time, one more chance” – Masayoshi Yamazaki
Genre(s): Slice of life
The Story:
Tohno Takaki and Shinohara Akari are very close friends in elementary school, but one day Akari tells him she must move far from Tokyo with a tearful goodbye. They keep in touch through letters, and one day middle school age Tohno sets out to visit Akari at the crisp beginning of spring. Unfortunately, a steady snow begins to fall and all sorts of things get in the way. The trains are delayed, and Tohno begins to feel a heavy heart. Will Akari still be waiting for him at the station even though he is hours late?
The rest of the story shows Tohno and Akari as they grow up, and grow apart. It mostly revolves around Tohno’s interactions with others, and his view on the world around him. His heart always seems heavy, he’s always writing messages to someone, and he always seems to be looking out into space. Will he ever meet Akari again?

Did you know that cherry blossoms fall at five centimeters per second?

My Thoughts: Makoto Shinkai blew me away with this one. He didn’t need to prove that he’s an amazing storyteller or animator, but he did so just in case! There are such subtle details in the storytelling and the visuals, that it had me in a trance through the duration of the film. It was poignant and relatable. Though this particular work didn’t contain the usual fantasy aspect that Makoto Shinkai usually throws in, there was still something magical about it. Some parts felt so real that I actually shed some tears. We’re all like drifting cherry blossoms. We drift together, and we drift apart, we lose touch, and we stick together. How will things end up when we stop drifting is a mystery…

Story: 5
Visuals/Animation: 5 -
The details and colors were breathtaking. The backgrounds were spacious and looked almost real at times. The characters drawings were fun to watch, and their movement was fluid. Everything was so smooth. The visuals weren’t just eye candy, they were the whole candy store!
Entertainment Value: 4.5 -
The visuals hooked you, the story was fantastic, but it had it’s slow moments.
Characters: 5 -
They were realistic and likable.
Music: 5 -
Fitting and tremendously beautiful; especially the piano arrangements.
Overall: 4.9 -
Watch this. Even if you don’t like anime, watch it for it’s beautiful artwork and storytelling. It’s not what you would expect, and to deny yourself a Makoto Shinkai work would just be plain wrong!

P.S Thanks to DJ for his review format :]

Hey guys, this post got deleted when Kuro switched host, so if you missed it last time, here it is again! This is my review of Last Friends.

“I’m a prisoner of love, I’m a prisoner of love…”

The lyrics to Utada Hikaru’s “Prisoner of Love” stick with me even a month after completing this very disturbing, yet heart warming drama series. To say that it takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride is an understatement! What it really does is toss the viewer down the backside of a tremendous mountain just as the sun is setting. It’s terrifying and beautiful all at once. For me to say such a thing about a series I almost passed up, well, says a lot.

Last Friends focuses on a group of people and their seemingly normal lives. Aida Michiru (Nagasawa Masami), is a hairdresser with a cute and sweet as pie boyfriend, Oikawa Sosuke (Nishikido Ryo). After being asked by Sosuke to move in with him, Michiru accepts instantly. After a fated meeting with a junior high friend, Kishimoto Ruka (Ueno Juri) the two reminisce for a bit. Ruka tells Michiru of the share house she is living in with her friend Eri (Mizukawa Asami). The rent is cheap, and Ruka offers to let Michiru move in, but Michiru informs Ruka of her life with her boyfriend. They exchange numbers, and agree to meet up soon. The writers then proceed to punch the viewers in the face when Sosuke’s jealousy turns him from the kind Ryo of 1 Liter of Tears, to a psychopathic monster. Soon, Michiru ends up becoming close with Ruka, her friends Takeru (Eita), Eri, and “Ogurin” (Yamazaki Shigenori). The series then centers around the meaning of love and friendship in unexpected ways. Each character carries their own burdens and pain, and in a way they all become prisoners of love.

This drama brings to light some matters that many young people face today – the most notable problem being DV (domestic violence) relationships. It sends the message that real love isn’t based on jealousy and control, but meaningful bonds that better your life. Because of its slight focus on DV, there are some graphic and uncomfortable scenes.

Generally, I loved this series. It is certainly a tearjerker, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who doesn’t like a lot of drama. Though there are happy moments that make your heart feel warm and fuzzy, the majority of it is heart wrenching. The series starts out sickeningly average, and even a bit too cheery. I only got through the first twenty minutes of the first episode before turning it off. Then I went back to it when I was ready to give it my full attention. By the end of the first episode I wanted to kick myself for not getting into it sooner. The acting is well done, and I found Ruka to be one of my favorite characters. Then again, I felt an attachment to each of them, even the creepy Sosuke.

The ending is satisfying in that it doesn’t cater to the typical love story you may see in other dramas. The story revolved, and ended, around the central theme of finding love for yourself and keeping the bonds of friendship strong. There are not only one or two kinds of love. Sometimes there is a feeling that goes a bit deeper – that can’t be defined. A love that is free.

I would give this series an 8.8/10

Shōko Nakagawa (中川 翔子, Nakagawa Shōko, real name:Shiyouko Nakagawa (中川 しようこ, real name:Shiyouko Nakagawa^?), born May 5, 1985, in Tokyo) is a female Japanese idol and multi-talented celebrity (an actress, seiyū (voice actor), illustrator, and singer). She is the daughter of Katsuhiko Nakagawa, a famous celebrity in Japan in the 1980s. Her blood type is A.

Big☆Bang!!! is the first album from multi-talented celebrity, Shōko Nakagawa released on March 19, 2008. Techinically, it is her third album after the release of two cover mini albums.

Tracklist:

1. We can do it !!
2. 空色デイズ
3. 恋の記憶
4. snow tears
5. Brilliant Dream -shoko☆planet mix-
6. フルーツポンチ
7. ストロベリmelody
8. pretty please chocolate on top
9. calling location
10. happily ever after
11. starry pink
12. スカシカシパンすこし変?

This awesome cool album was posted by our cool friends Sazabi and Flaminfox, Yup! That means there are 2 links available for the download. This album is something that fans of YUI or Nami Tamaki would love. It has some nice rocky feeling songs, and other more pop oriented. Is good non the less.

To download this Just Simply CLICK HERE to go to the thread.

To download this and MUCH more visit our forums @ HERE.

Thank you for your support, please keep supporting us! Tell your friends!

LIFE ライフ

Date aired: June – Sept 2007
Number of episodes: 11
Average Ratings: 12.2%
Dorama Theme: LIFE (Nakashima Mika)

Starring:
Kitano Kii – Shiiba Ayumu
Fukuda Saki – Anzai Manami
Hosoda Yoshihiko – Sako Katsumi
Seki Megumi – Hatori Miki
Sakai Miki – Hiraoka Masako
Seto Asaka – Toda Wakae
Osawa Akane – Shinozuka Yuko

Synopsis:
Adapted from Keiko Suenobu’s manga “LIFE,” this drama delves into the dark side of high school life. The story focuses mainly on bullying, but the manga also touches on subjects such as self-mutilation, suicide, and rape. Kitano Kii stars as Ayumu Shiiba, one of the students bullied by a group of classmates led by Ayumu’s former friend, Manami Anzai (Fukuda Saki).
D-addicts.com(click here to know more)

This Drama is NOT registered outside of Japan, is fan subbed by SOS. If this series become registered by any company outside of Japan, Please tell me and I’ll remove it right away! To discuss more about Life go to the FORUM THREAD HERE.

PS. This Series is PG13, no nudity involved of any kind.

Instructions:
The file is 334mb Big, so it was compressed and divided into six(6) 60mb archives for easier download. YOU MUST HAVE WINRAR to open them. To correctly uncompress the Drama episode, you must PUT ALL 6 COMPRESSED PARTS in the same folder, then either double click the first one and hit extract or just right click it and hit extract here. The file is a mp4 file, therefor you need either quicktime, windows player classic, realmedia player or get the best player available which is VLC player (click here to download it)

Download:
1st Part
2nd Part
3rd Part
4th Part
5th Part
6th Part

**Important Notice**
This is the only episode that will be available Open. All next episodes will only be available for people with more than 50 posts in the forums and good participation in here(comments). So if you wanna keep direct downloading freely the series, register(please register in the main site to avoid compatibilities issues) and start posting! Tell your friends.