*Thanks to Jenna for putting the pic up for me and basically single-handedly making this layout for me!!!!! Sankyuuuuuu---^.^v

Archives

Comments, please ^_^v

Name:
Jamie

Age:
21

Interests:
Japan, Japan, Japan. And reading :P My world revolves around things Japanese, particuarly manga, anime, j-pop, dramas, etc. I`m a huge fan of all of the above and I have definete opinions on certain parts of the fandom.

I am also a complete and utter addict of the tv show The West Wing, and a Josh/Donna shipper 100% ^_^v

Ever been to Japan?:
Yup, twice. First time, 6 weeks, summer of 1998, Nagareyama-shi, Chiba-ken. Second time, Fall 2001, 4 months, Nagoya, Aichi-ken ^.^v

Manga:

Okay, here goes, in no particular order: Mars, Kanata-kara, Hikaru no Go, Inuyasha, Sekai de ichibandaikirai, Hanazakari no kimitachi e, New York New York, Massugu ni ikou, Itazura na Kiss, Gertrude no Recipe and a TON more!

Fav. j-pop groups, in no particular order:
V6!, Yuzu, Porno Graffiti, Spitz, Kiroro, Misia, Something ELse, Fukuyama Masaharu, Chemistry, Gospellers, Kuwata Keisuke, Skoop on Somebody, Arashi, Kinki Kids, SMAP, Matsu Takako, Exile, Panicrew and again, a ton more

Fav. Japanese dramas:
Long Vacation, Virgin Road, Meguri Ai, Love Story, Namida o fuite, Aishiteiru to itte kure, Nemureru Mori, Koi wa aserazu, Bokura no Yuuki, Beautiful Life, Summer Snow, Long Love Letter: Hyouryuu Kyoushitsu, Asunaro Hakusho, Perfect Love, Team, PS Genki desu Shunpei, Hitotsu Yane no Shita, Oishii Kankei, Itazura na Kiss, etc.

Fav. Books:
Night of Ghosts and Shadows,His Dark Materials Trilogy,Harry Potter series, Pride and Prejudice,It,Blue Moon Rising,Last Herald Mage Series, The Neverending Story, Howl's Moving Castle (a Ghibli film in Spring 2003!!! ^.^)
etc. etc. etc. I`m a HUGE fantasy fan ^.^/ I`d put my favorite anime, but I guess something should be left as a mystery ^^;;

Contact:
e-mail: jun_inohara@hotmail.com
AIM: HikaShin
Yahoo: jun_inohara
ICQ: 146249241 (nick is "Jun")

Friends:
+Kiripin
+Katherine
+Megan
+Talia
+Lauren
+Jenna
+Amy
+Chloe
+Melissa
+Giro
+Kris
+Annie
+Joy
+Kira
+Elizabeth
+Rachael
+Serge
+Cali
+Kevin
+Siobhan

Layout: v. 6.0! Done by Jenna, as it says at the top ^.^ It's of V6! Top row Sakamoto, Inocchi and Nagano, bottom row Okada, Gou and Ken ^.^ My boys!!

Links:
+Last Time
+Anipike
+Pitas' Main Page
+J-Ent
+Sengoku o togi zoushi
+Amemura
+AnimeNet
+WGN Radio

Friday, August 16, 2002 :: Comments []

First Day I Really Feel Like Writing

So I'm feeling better ^^ Meg's right though, there's just this feeling of a hole ^^;; It feels weird coming home or waking up or going to bed feeling like "Ah, the dog needs to go out", and then realizing there is no dog to take out. gyah, is it bad that mom and I went to the humane society to look at dogs today? I think we're just a dog family. No matter how much we love and miss North, it's weird for everyone not having a critter in the house. There were a couple of dogs there I really liked...one a New Foundland mix and one a Samoyed mix, but my mom also really would like to look into rescuing a Greyhound, which I think is great, too. Because of North (We got him as a puppy from the human society in Wisconsin) I want to, if possible, get a humane society dog during my whole life, or do something like mom wants to, rescuing a greyhound. Not that dogs from breeders are bad, mind you, I just think it's a great thing to get a dog that really needs a home, you know? Wah, anyway...I'm better...far from perfect, regarding my beautiful "puppy", but better ^^;;

So I got this manga at Mitsuwa called Nibiirogenshikou, which is an Asuka comic. Needless to say, I bought it on the "Jamie Basis of Buying Manga You Don't Know" method....In other words: "Oooooh pretty!" :P....I liked the cover a lot, it looked interesting, so I bought it. Very glad I did so, because I really enjoyed it ^.^v There're a couple things I'm a tad bit sketchy on...but I think I got the jist of it. Bad part is, now I wish there were a second volume, but this one just came out in June, so no luck there. And I just got back from going to Mitsuwa Wednesday, so we won't be going again for at least a few weeks. Bah, komaru desho? Also got Meg some more of Sensei (which I really like. It's a pretty unassuming story....similar to Massugu ni Ikou in feeling and style) and more of I'll which I still need to read ^^

Also got 3 singles....Skoop on Somebody and Exile's newest singles, as well as Porno Graffiti's last new single ^^;; They, alas, didn't have "seVen", V6's new album. Ah well though, we didn't get "Happy" or "Volume 6" right away either, so I suppose it's no big deal ^^;;

Guess that's pretty much it for now ^^ Got signed up for independant study, so I'll be studying Japanese and Chinese this semester ^^;; woo~~

Tuesday, August 13, 2002 :: Comments []

This is for my "puppy" (if a puppy can be 6 ^^), who died too early but was loved forever...Meg wrote this in high school:

Not long ago but far away,
in a lodge by a lake,
a gift was given for two girls,
A dog! it wasn't fake!

The day had started bright and clear,
the weather it was good
Two friend of theirs had come to see,
what fate would bring these woods

The parents of the two young girls
had left in early morn
They headed for the Nordic Sleigh,
a place where crafts were born

The day wore on, no fun was found,
what could the young ones do
to liven up the boring sun
sadly, nobody knew

And when their game of hide and seek
began that very time
They couldn't know, they didn't know,
their gift was on the line

The Nordik Sleigh had kept the dog
'til it was two months grown
To care for it and see it's joy
though it was not their own

The little dog of black and cream
needed a home quiet soon
The other siblings shared that need
could death before them loom?

THe couple knew their girls would love
this mutt, this mix, this thing
The couple took him in their car
to the lodge, worrying

The girls and friends were on the porch
tries at fun exhausted
They heard the can come down the lane
Patience, all had lost it

So to the car the young ones went,
to see what had been bought
Not knowing that their parents had
a dream they'd only sought

With large round eyes and jaws hung down
no sound at all was said
their stomachs full of butterflies
their mouths full of lead

And then the silence broken by,
squeals of gladness and joy
The puppy soon was in their arms
more wonderful than boys

And all that day they thought of names
it seemed that none were found
but then the older brightened up
and pointed to the ground

"What name we give this palce we love
what way we come, what course
We'll name him to remind us of
this place, we'll call him North!"

And how they are, the dog and girls
now that years have passed?
They love their sweet mutt even more
this brute, their love, will last

It's far from a perfect poem, but I've always loved it because it's our story of getting North ^.^;; I just thought it'd be appropriate ^^ I want to thank all you guys that have given Meg and I a kind word or e-mail, and kept us smiling even though we're devastated with the death of our puppy. It's appreacited more than you guys can begin to imagine.

Monday, August 12, 2002 :: Comments []

I can't catch up now...I just don't have the energy to think about my whole week at the cabin. North has bone cancer....we have to put him to sleep. I want to cry but I don't, I want to yell, scream....I want to save my puppy, and I can't. I want to wake up tomorrow and have him come in my room and lick my face and scramble up on my bed and make himself at home. I wanna pull him into my lap again and hug him for eternity. I want to kiss him between the eyes and have him give me a kiss on the cheek in return. I miss him so much....To quote Naitachal in Castle of Deception: "Does it always hurt this much?" *sigh* I'll try to be genki guys, but for a few days I don't know how well I can be.

Sunday, August 11, 2002 :: Comments []

I don't know if anyone reads this during the day....but Meg and I may not be on much today. We took North to the vet, and found out he has bone cancer...We have some decisions to make *sniffle* Maybe see you guys later tonight.

Monday, August 12th, 2002 :: Comments []

Thanks to everyone who welcomes us back ^.^v I don't have time to catch you up on what we did right now, but I'll get to it tomorrow ^.^ Nice to know my friends were thinking about me while I was gone ^.^v

Saturday, August 10, 2002 :: Comments []


I love you kuh! Cal~~<("<)

Friday, August 2, 2002 :: Comments []

Will be gone tomorrow, Saturday August 3 until Sunday, August 11th ^.^ Bai bai ^_^

Friday, August 2, 2002 :: Comments []

Finishing Eiji, Psychotic Trendy Drama Voting, and Reflections

I finally finished up Psychometrer Eiji 2 today ;.; So now I've seen both series. I still have the big question of whether or not the second series has anything at all to do with the first one hanging over my head, but I was pretty much able to forget that after the first episode of Eiji 2. I really liked both series, although overall I think I loved the first series and really liked the second. From what I've gleaned from the manga there're elements of the manga in both series, but neither one seems to have a huge edge over the other. ^^;; There's on part in the the end of Eiji 2 I just about died over though ^^ cause it was really sweet and buddyish, and that does it for me as much as any good love story ^^ I want to explain it, but I want to save it so Meg doesn't get spoiled and it would involve too much explanation, and frankly, it's at the end and is much better to watch ^.^ But anyway, over all, I loved both series and I'm really glad I've seen both. They were just fun to watch, plain and simple (okay...occasionally angry, pensive Inohara was pretty damned kakkoii ^^;;)

So Meg was telling me about this reader vote taken by TV Guide Japan regarding the most memorable dramas of all. Not surprisingly, series like Long Vacation, 3nen Bgumi Kinpachi-sensei, Tokyo Love Story, Beautiful Life all appear on the list.....those kind of series are expected to be there...it's like knowing that shows like M*A*S*H, The Honeymooners, etc, etc, on a memorable list for American tv....the thing that is beyond all remote comprehension....the drama voted #1....out of all the wonderful, amazing, incredible, series somehow Nakai Masahiro/Takeuchi Youko's winter 2001 drama Shiroikage.......Okay...you guys reading this are most likely the lucky ones. I actually put myself through that series. Every single episode. And believe me, I can barely remember the majority of it, at this point. I cannot understand how this drama even got in the top 50, let alone the #1 place. It'd be something like The Beverly Hillbillies getting the top spot...as in...it's completely unthinkable. I swear I dunno what the trendy drama voting crowed were thinking U___U Ah well, no one ever agrees with those kinds of lists anyway

So I was chatting in Channel Japan on WinMX and ran into someone who went to Nanzan! ^________^ An American student I mean, so someone who went through the Center for Japanese Studies program and all that ^_^ It was sooooo fun, reminiscing about Nagoya and just talking about stuff we experienced. Except that he's now bitchin' at Japanese...ah well, someday I'll be decent at it ^_-

Anyway, was watching Primetime tonight, and their final segment was about this small town in New Foundland called Gander (I think ^^;;) where, on Sept. 11th, 6,000 passengers on various planes were re-routed there because of what had happened here. All these planes had to sit on the tarmac for more than a day, and none of the passengers knew what had happaned back home. Then, once the passengers could finally get off the planes, they discover that this whole time the whole town had been gathering food and blankets and setting up places for people to sleep, and taking people in. Even the bus drives, who were on strike at the time, went back to work transporting people around. I dunno why, but I was really struck by this story ^^ That these people gave so much to help people from the US, it really got me sniffling. That they put so much energy into helping people from country, it really makes me glad the US has a country like Canada as it's neighbor. So kudos to you Canada ^.^v thanks for helping my country when it really needed it.

Monday, July 29th, 2002 :: Comments []

Layout v 6.0 by Jenna

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Jenna! *glomps* My thanks goes to her for re-doing my layout. It's bai bai to the Il Mare one, which I loved, and hello to V6! Not the greatest pic of Tonisen and Kamisen, but I like them well enough ^.^ and I've wanted a V6 layout for a long time ^.^ arigatou gozaimashita, Jenna ^.^v

Anyway, so finished reading book three (called Destiny) in the The Blending Enthroned series by Sharon Green. I've already read the five books of The Blending, which is the first series, and the first two books in this second series. Thing is, somewhere around book 3 or 4 of the first one...I started asking myself why I was reading these books. Usually I'm fine with weird concepts...Mercedes Lackey's Knight of Ghosts and Shadows is one of my favorite books ever and in the end a human guy, girl and a guy elf end up together and in another of her books there's a demon that changes sex ever time he sleeps with someone, so basically he has to find two people that can love him for who he is. So those are concepts I could swallow, albeit the second one's kind of strange...but it's a fantasy book and he's a demon so you can sort of shrug it off :P But these books, aside from being written in a really really irritating way are just kind of beyond odd for me. We have Tamrissa, Vallant, Jovvi, Lorand, Naran, and Rion who are strong in the elements of fire, water, spirit, earth, sight and air respectively and against all odds they all end up meeting each other (as they're supposed to) and eventually begin pairing off: Tamrissa and Vallant, Jovvie and Loran, Naran and Rion. Okay, so far, so good. I'm a sucker for a good love story, and the possibility of 3 only makes me happier, right? Wrong. They soon discover that in order to become closer as a Blending they have to well....sleep around on each other with the other people. So while Tamrissa may love Vallant the most, she's also sleeping with Lorand and Rion. On top of this, by book 3 of TBE we discover that Tamrissa doesn't really love Vallant any more...she loves the other two guys just as equally, and the same goes for them and everyone else. So it's just one big 'ol love fest. Okay, maybe I'm being stingy...but there are two other factors working into this: 1.) They refer to each other pretty often as "brother" or "sister" or say "my brothers and sisters" which honeslty just makes the whole sleeping with each other pretty damned creepy to me *lol* and 2.) The way they talk about it just takes the possible romantic atmosphere out of it:

"Lorand, we once had a discussion about how you felt about Jovvi being a courtesan." I said slowly, trying to get my thoughts in order."You said you hated the idea of her lying with other men, but that can't possibly relate to her lying with Vallant or Rion. They're not other men, they're part of the whole that mkes up our entity. It would be like resenting your own lying with her
"And I seem to recall a time not long ago when you happily went with Naran while I paired with Jovvi," Vallant said when Lorand made no comment on what I'd said."You told me you weren't bothered at all, and you were also actin' like it. You can't mean you were lyin'?"
"I wasn't lying, not really", Lorand blurted, finally looking up. "I knew in the beginning that we had to lue with each other to make our Blending bond strong, and that time you're talkinga bout was to help out a brother as well as a sister. But now it looks like we'll have to lie with each other on a regular basis, and that's not the same thing at all. It's just not the same."

Now is it just me....or does the whole sort of semi-clinical discussion of it totally ruin anything romantic that could be had? And I'm saving you from the really bad writing. There are some parts that because of the way it's written, I want to pull my hair out. I think Sharon Green is the master of the obvious, because she'll write totally uncessary things....like a character won't talk in one part of the book, and in the next "scene" he'll start off by explaining he didn't have anything to say before, so he kept quiet. Well no shit...pardon my language ^^;; ARGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH....still, I'll finish up the series because I've already read 8 books...but lord!!!!!! I need some Mercedes Lackey now ;.;


My Japanese Dorama List


My manga list as well!