majosai music!!

thanks to janinamedina 4 the links!!
but get it fast, **f-locked in 3 days!

the drama's OST: http://janinamedina.livejournal.com/8302.html

bday post~ update

updated the bday post!
more info about project #1 and 3,
and some h&c artsy pics, of course!! ~_~

only 2 ppl want to do something for toma's bday so far??
ma, it's still early, but i hope there will be more ppl soon...

please check it out! yoroshiku onegaishimas~

http://ikutatomalove.blogspot.com/2009/06/100-days-23-hrs-58-minutes-left.html

majoSai -EPISODE 8- notes

episode 8! just watched it yesterday. another awesome episode!!
kaori continues to get worst, toru keeps investigating, izumi's husband brings mai home, izumi is tricked, a new witness & a visit to the crime scene (the empty, ghostly mansion!)!! only ep.s 9 and 10 left. tfs will probably release ep. 10 this friday or sooner...it's really gonna end soon!!! =[

i'm anxious/excited to know how it ends, but kinda sad that i'll have to say goodbye to toru, izumi, majo world so soon. ma, it's not an exceptional drama, but it was still quite enjoyable and thrilling. =) and it's toma's 1st lead role after all, so it'll always be a little more special to me cuz of that.

well then, let's get to the notes!! it's getting close to the end, so more spoilers too. don't read them if u haven't watched, but remember to come back and read them later if u can. =P thank you~

kate's -EPISODE 8- notes:

-toru's promise!! "i'll never leave your side again." ♥♥ though it's quite a cliche line, but when toma says it, and with so much feeling and such a sincere look on his face!!! ahhhh~ he really is so worried about her, even thought of quitting jury duty (though he can't) to take care of her!! awww.

and when he asks her to stay♥, but when she says it's ok, but then he still says, then i'll take u home.♥ just makes me think, how lucky a girl would be if u she were his girlf in real life, cuz i'm sure he'd be so sweet and caring to her, like this!!!!! and manami is sooooo lucky, getting to hug (and kiss!) toma so many times in this drama! kutchii!! (so irritating!!)

-wah!! sugoi, toru tries to find their headquarters!! i really love the cool/sneaky/investigating toru!!

-that boy's haircut makes me think of toma when he was a little kid.^^ and his voice too! i guess most boys look and sound similar at that age though. haha.

-good grief, THAT'S how they are controlling the old man?! it's that easy??? geez, i feel sorry 4 her though. couldnt SOMEONE else have done THAT? what a dirty old man! well, i can't say i'm surprised though. ughh.


-we have to fight back with the one vote that we each have...good idea, toru!! gotta try their best to keep the case fair, really analyze the case better while in the discussion room. if he can really make a good argument that she's innocent, but the others all still vote guilty, then the judges will have to know that something's wrong. wait, are the judges also bribed?? i guess not? well, if it was in real life, they wouldnt need 2 go thru the trouble of threatening jurors to vote guilty!! haha. w/the 99% conviction rate in japan. and he says: I WON'T GIVE UP TILL THE END!♥ gambatte, toru!! we support u!! ^_^

-i'm getting very annoyed (and toru is too!) at all the threatened jurors saying all sorts of nonsense to show that they think she's guilty. geez, they're so annoying and desperate, i'm GLAD they've been blackmailed, they deserve it. (ok, i know they can't help it, but still!!) sheesh...

-izumi looks so angelic, standing at the window, light shining in, in all white like that~


-at one point, i suddenly thought, what if izumi killed him??? haha...nah. that wouldn't make any sense (except if there are some secrets to her we don't know??)... must be the daughter (who i suspected from the start!), who also often wears white?! but the person the boy saw in the window looks like a man, though??

-EVEN NOW, i'm not sure if kyoko, the witch, is really evil or not. now i'm sure she didn't kill him, but about manipulating kaori or doing other stuf to control the trial or having some kinda supernatural powers....eh... MAYBE she is good at persuading others, like almost like she's really good at sympathizing with others and making them believe her...at least for kaori. but seriously...right now, i still don't think she's doing all that it seems like she's doing. AND SHE CERTAINLY DOESN'T HAVE ANY WITCH-LY POWERS. i think...



----------------------> SPOILERS:

-when izumi says u need be careful and looks at her husband, in a kinda scared way...DOES SHE SOMEHOW KNOW WHO HE REALLY IS?? hmm... HE ACTUALLY SEEMS TO BE QUITE A NICE AND SWEET GUY WHEN HE'S WITH IZUMI, THOUGH (and actually looks quite decent/KINDA handsome)...oh, now i get why he wanted mai to go to that school. =/ but does his assistants know izumi is his wife? i don't think so. well...it doesn't matter.

does he know kaori's been going crazy?? just letting her mess up izumi's house, HIS house, like that, in ep.7? maybe he figures it's good that she keeps toru distracted and freaked out, while he figures out how to blackmail brown and silver and maybe think of strategies to deal with the witch. AND straighten and dye his hair back to black, too. lol. it's just not the same, seeng him do evil things f/a well-lit small room, dressed like a regular businessman. hahaha.

-YESS!! HE CHANGED THE SCREEN, SHE DOESN'T KNOW! (i'd hate her if she knew from the start and lied to toru all this time, while helping kurokawa) from the preview in the middle, i thought she knew! OR AT LEAST HE DOESNT KNOW SHE KNOWS, IF SHE DOES KNOW. if u know what i mean~ haha. umm...now that i think of it...maybe halfway through, she somehow found out it was him?? ehh....so now she's pretending she doesn't know, to stay safe...

- OMG!!! *screams* kaori!! o__o kowai!!
how the hell did she get in?! 4 some reason, she's good at breaking into houses, even this mansion!! lol.

and she hits him (not that hard, luckily!)!! HOW DARE U HIT TOMA, U PSYCHO!!! but wow, toma even falls so beautifully!! ~_~ (love how it was deadly silent when this happend, as well as when she fell f/the window!!) izumi saves toru, yey!!! thank goodness!! and kaori is so angel-like when falling. wow... that was cool how they made it like she was flying almost. also cool how the witch fell too, of course.

-kaori got what she deserved!! that's what u get 4 doubting, hurting toru!! SHE COULD HAVE KILLED HIM (and izumi) or at least hurt him very badly. did she wanna kill him the same way that tojo-san was murdered?!!! even if he had cheated on her, doesn't mean he deserves to die!! what the hell is wrong with her?! i feel that kaori is crazy cuz of herself, not the witch making her so...i mean, maybe the witch puts certain thoughts in her head, but SHE is the one who's nuts and doing all this herself, right??

but, actually, i'm kinda glad that kaori went insane. lol. i know it's silly, but of course, i'm jealous of her, being toma's (i mean toru's!) girlf, and i don't like manami's acting, anyway. it's not like i really want her to die or anything, but the more problems in their relationship, the better!! haha. come on, i'm sure some fans feel the same way as i do??

mood: shocked
[credit: subliminalicon]

about the real saiban-in system / -toma weekend updates-

hi everyone.
how are you...

today (in japan time), the last episode of majo saiban will air, ep 10!! it's that time already...wow. it's been a pretty great drama, and toma's awesome as toru...i'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends...

ep9's ratings was 7.2. hopefully for the last episode, the ratings will go up to at least 9? remember how we were all so disappointed ep1 only got 9. who knew, it would turn out to be the highest rating majosai got?? =/ oh well. it's a late night drama and maybe cuz of the topic and (except for toma) not so attractive/famous cast, so...

u know what, although the saiban-in (lay judge) system went into effect on may 21, 2009, the first trials that will actually use lay judges/jurors will start in july. so right about now! after 65 yrs, the saiban-in system is back in japan. with this change, japan catch up to the other G8 nations, in terms of how their justice system works now. it's a big deal, right?? so i was curious (as i often am) about what ppl are saying about this system, and if they mentioned Majo Saiban at all (they didn't!), so i looked it up, and i found some interesting info!! turns out, in japan, they have a 99% conviction rate!! mostly cuz the judges are chummy with the lawyers and police...and also the police often force the suspect to confess. seems like police abuse is a common thing there. hmm. i would not wanna be a criminal there. well, anywhere, i don't wanna be a criminal, but now that i know all this, especially NOT IN JAPAN!!

seems like with this new jury system, trials might be more fair and quick... but then again, ppl are afraid the jurors will feel like they have to listen to what the judges say during deliberations and end up deciding the same way as they do anyway. i'm afraid of this happening too, but hopefully ppl will try to be fair and not just agree with everything the judges say. (in the usa, the jurors discuss and decide by themselves. but the judge can overrule it and change the verdict/alter the specifics of the sentence if s/he thinks the decision is wrong for certain reasons, i think?? not sure about this part. and i don't think i've ever heard of that happening...) and they can NEVER talk about the case ever, till death and beyond?! (in the usa, it's only DURING the trial that u can't talk about it.) ehhh... and about 65% of the public are against this system, mostly cuz they don't like judging others/they think it's gonna cause trouble for them. (here in the usa, i'm pretty sure we don't have problem judging others, it's just a pain in the neck for most of us cuz it takes up our precious time that could be better spent working or whatever.)

though i also don't like jury duty, but i have been a juror, and i do agree that jury service is so important to our justice system and our system of government. hopefully more and more japanese ppl could feel this way as they learn more about and take part in jury duty. (the picture on the right: this is how a jury would sit in the courtroom in the usa, off to the side, and taking notes. i like it this way better, rather in japan, where u all sit next to the judges up there, as if u are on the same level with them, if u know what i mean. and when u sit to the side, u don't have to be worried that some1 sees u almost fall asleep when it gets boring. lol. also, i don't need all the fancy computers and evidence shown on computer screens like in japan...not necessary.) well, if u wanna read about all this, here's some news i found. all the info i mentioned above, credits to these sites:

http://www.moj.go.jp/ENGLISH/issues/issues03.html
[has a cute little chart that explains the process in very simple terms, and a pic from a cartoon that explains the system. haha.]

http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/16/japan-lay-judges-markets-equities-asia.html
["Challenges Abound For Japan's New Lay Judges." news about why this new system is controversial and hard to implement]

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/06/06/japan-the-curtain-rises-on-the-lay-judge-system/
[ppl in japan blog about why they don't support/do support this jury system. some of these ppl's comments are so negative or they don't understand how their participation in the justice system will actually improve it, help give the defendents a more fair trial... =/ ]

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=63030
[very long article about how japan's justice system is flawed, how this jury system might help improve it, etc. **AT THE START IS A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXACTLY HOW THE SAIBAN-IN SYSTEM WILL WORK.** notice that at least 1 professional judge must agree with the majority vote!! geez...they really thought this through, huh...they don't trust the jurors/want to give them too much power. haha.]

http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/jury/index.htm
[for info about jury duty in the usa, go here. this is how it works in california, at least. might be some slight differences within diff states.]

ok, now that i got the boring stuff outta the way--
toma updates!! cool toma stuff from LJ this week. let's see...

TO BE CONTINUED...

hi hi! i'm back.
before talking about toma stuff, just wanna mention...

I JUST HEARD TODAY, THAT THE BACKSTREET BOYS ARE RELEASING A NEW CD THIS OCTOBER!!! TOMA'S BIRTHDAY MONTH!! WOW. I'M SURE TOMA WOULD BE SUPER HAPPY IF HE KNEW THIS. ^_^

and i read in the news today, HERE, that tokyo is the most expensive city for expatriates to live in, in the whole world. o__o whoa... living in 1 of the coolest cities in the world comes at a big price ne.

now for some cool toma LJ things!!! ^o^/
zehi~ please check them out.



http://community.livejournal.com/subliminalicon/35448.html
[subliminalicon: Well, my fangirling has apparently reached epic proportions, because I actually made a mood theme for Ikuta Toma. If you don't know who he is, what rock have you been hiding under?! here are links to the Wikipedia page on him, as well as the DramaWiki page on him. He's one of the boys of Johnny's Entertainment, and he's friends with Yamapi. He's been in a ton of Japanese dramas, currently Hachimitsu to Clover, where he plays the lead role. He also sings (pretty damned well), and he even acts in stage plays. Adorable! He's an amazing actor, and he's really expressive, so he was perfect for a mood theme subject. ;D]

this is awesomeness!! seen some LJ ppl use it, but not until now did i actually remember to try to find the source. though i don't have a plus account and can't use it at LJ, but i still downloaded to check out all the toma moods. heehee. and i can use it here!! sugehhhh.


http://community.livejournal.com/toma_gallery/12374.html#cutid1
[Wink Up, Duet & Potato August 2009 scans]

toma + poodle puppy = ♥♥♥!! ~_~

http://xdustbunnys.livejournal.com/43565.html
[about toma's guesting on VVV6 (1st johnnys to be there!), he likes women like Ishida Yuriko (the majo in majosai!), etc.]

http://xdustbunnys.livejournal.com/44355.html
[Ikita Kotoba 0908 Vol 70. toma's encounter w/a dazai fan; why he didn't tell her who he is; why he went into maou mode!! ^_^]
GO TO xdustbunnys' LJ OFTEN TO READ ABOUT VARIOUS INFO ABOUT HIM FILMING FOR THE MOVIE...DAMN, I'M SO JEALOUS OF THESE PPL WHO GOT TO SEE TOMA IN PUBLIC/WHILE FILMING. @_@ THANKFUL for their fan reports, but still, ENVIOUS!!! SO SO SO LUCKY they got to see toma in person.


http://saladesu.livejournal.com/16908.html
[saladesu: Myojo (Jul 09) - TOMA "When it comes to fashion,
let's fight with intuition rather than trends!"]
translation of a magazine article. toma is always so fasionable ne.
i learned some new things about toma. =D


http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/436385.html
[PLEASE VOTE FOR TOMA & MAJOSAI!! THANK YOU~! i've voted!]

also, here's some general news about toma's movie, No Longer Human. oh, i didn't know his character is supposed to be from a rich family! no wonder the filming location pics i've seen look so nice...toma, u would really read the novel 100 times if the director hadn't stopped u??? ~_~ he's so dedicated neeee~
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=668499&st
Johnny's talent Toma Ikuta gets big chance with 'No Longer Human',
Friday July 10, 2009 Japan

mood: irritated [credit: subliminalicon]

music: IT'S MY LIFE, bon jovi

about the VOICE dvd set...

[ahhh~ how are u these days,
ryosuke, daiki, aki, teppei and hanei?? :D]

http://v6fan-in-jp.livejournal.com/199378.html
toma-kun talked about receiving the VOICE dvd already, since last week, but i didn't remember to check it out at yesasia and cdjapan till now. the dvd was released july 1...u can read his message about it at the above link. he also talks about how super busy he is now, but he's very happy and there are still lots of things he'd like to do... ^_^V toma's so ambitious ne~

i wish toma's dramas were released in DVD ALL format and also with english subs!! but since it's only region 2 and no subs...oh well, it's not like i can afford to buy them, anyways. i'm just happy i at least have the official hana kimi dvd set, with all the extra goodies. ~_~ Voice is my 3rd fav toma drama ever (eh...maybe tied with @Deep, though i still haven't finished that one! of course, #1 is hana kimi, #2 is Maou.), though, and i still listen to the Greeeen themesong a lot, as well as the soundtrack. it's really so inspiring!! and it reminds me of many special moments from Voice world.

at yesasia, the dvd box price is: US$252.49. yeah, it's expensive. as usual. but i'll just post the dvd description in case some of u are wondering what's in the dvd set. (i hope someone will buy it and upload some pics of what the dvd box and things that it comes with looks like!! I'M ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT THE H&C AND MAOU DVD BOXES...what they look like exactly...) VOICE was 1 of the highest rated dramas this winter?? hmm...actually, i guess that's true, remember how i compared its ratings to the other dramas...it actually did pretty well. =)

http://www.yesasia.com/us/voice-inochi-naki-mono-no-koe-dvd-box-dvd-japan-version/1017037538-0-0-0-en/info.html
One of the highest-rated mini-series of the 2009 winter season, the hit Fuji TV drama Voice revolves around five forensics medical students as they grow and learn through different cases, and try to find the final voice of the departed by solving the mystery behind their deaths. Popular stars Eito (Last Friends) and Ikuta Toma (Maou) lead the cast along with Ishihara Satomi (Puzzle), Endo Yuya (Nodame Cantabile), and Sato Tomohito (Giragira). Tokito Saburo plays the professor who guides the young students.

Comes with special booklet plus pre-broadcast special, unreleased footage, production presentation, birthday album, Q&A, and TV spot.

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=PCBC-61580
Special Features: deleted scenes, press conference footage, birthday footage, table-round talk, trailers.

P.S. and here's some funny news about Aki-chan (Ishihara Satomi) throwing the opening pitch for a baseball game in the Tokyo Dome!! kawaii na~ i like her hairstyle and outfit!! ;)
http://www.kawaii-joyuu.com/?p=1480