toma's recent messages & news & pics...

it's gonna be a late night post today.
sorry! i'll be back soon!

gomen, i am gonna just start this post now and go to sleep. really really trying to sleep at midnight and not later. i'll continue tomorrow, ok? =) good night~
sweet dreams~!!♥

ohayo gozaimas~! ^^

i just noticed recently that the total number of visits to this blog has past 50,000!! ^_^ by oct. 29,it's reached 55,029. if that took 2 yrs, maybe in 2 yrs, it'll be over 100,000!! it would be cool if we could reach 100,000 in less that 2 yrs, though! =D

toma posted new messages!!
about seeing a shooting star, meeting yamashita after so long, and most importantly, they already had a screening for ningen shikkaku!! (already?? UWA!!!) of course, he was so insanely nervous about that!!!! toma came back to tokyo to attend the screening on oct. 26 (thanks to xdustbunnys 4 the info!). yappari~ filming for his 3rd movie is still not done yet.

he posted on oct. 22 (maybe) about seeing 1 orionids shooting star with his manager. i love meteor showers and i love how toma loves nature and likes looking up at the sky too!!!♥ ~_~ (now i regret not staying up late and trying to see if i could see any orionids shooting stars that night...) probably be4 the ningen preview screening, he finally got to meet up w/yamashita. he said they haven't met in 3 months, though they've kept in contact. and the first time watching his first completed movie!! he wrote a long message about it on oct.27. toma felt so happy but so nervous and chaotic...he was so out of it, he wasn't really able to watch it, really! but after it ended, the director was so touched, his eyes were red. toma thanked him and hugged him, finally thinking, he has really fully represented this person, youzou!! IT REALLY MADE ME SO HAPPY TO SEE TOMA SAY THIS!! OF COURSE, I KNEW HE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT, BUT SEEING HE, HIMSELF SAY THIS...I'M HAPPY THAT HE NOW KNOWS, HE HAS BEEN ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY REPRESENT YOUZOU. HE DID NOT DISAPPOINT! YOU DID IT, TOMA-KUN!!!! OMEDETOU!! v^_^ U SHOULD BE SO PROUD OF YOURSELF...and YOU'VE WORKED SO HARD FOR THIS ROLE!!! and of course he hopes everyone will go see the movie in feb.2010. [these are just summaries. original messages translated by inseiko. u can read them at the Tomalicious forum (after u reach a certain # of posts).]

[pics credit: hpswf1]

some new toma magazine pics!!♥

finally, some1 just comes right out and says it. he IS completely super sexy!!! xD except i don't like the toma in leather and leopard print look that much, but STILL!! love his expressions and poses. heehee. and toma and the jam-chan look-alike is too cuuuuuute, of course!

u can get them here:
http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/482925.html
http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/483465.html

http://community.livejournal.com/tomalicious_frm/33426.html
(in case u didn't see my post at the chatbox--) TFS subbed it!! Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari (091005)!! i'm really looking forward to watching it!! ^_~ been too long after majosai...finally get to see him in a drama, even if it's a very short story.


toma LJ things:
http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/482706.html
(in case u haven't seen it, the 2008 toma profile translation, and my toma fan art too!!)

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/483107.html
(ningen teaser!! *_* u can see it better online than when u download it f/before. ah, toma in that white suit!! that last scene w/toma hugging that woman!!! 0_0 but really, toma's crying scenes R so genuine!!) (thanks, kmakms! ^.^)

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/484018.html
([translations] 0911 WU + 0911 Flix.) (thanks, enshinge! ^.^)

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/484424.html
(Ningen Shikaku Animated. check out the new anime version of ningen. the video linked at her lj has been removed, but right under it she links to another place to watch the whole thing, it is still working there. i just watched a little to see what youzou looks like...quite plain and depressed. yappari.) (thanks, kat_desu! ^.^)

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/484628.html
(First Seaside Motel pic~ i like toma's hair and look and the retro, blue-ish look of the room!!!! yey, i was wondering how his hair would be. post-ningen hair looks cool!! just like in the recent magazines, i like this hairstyle. still so much we don't know about this movie...) (thanks, Careline18! ^.^)

and in case u were wondering what the subtitles of Maou that i'm watching in the usa look like. yeah, it's yellow captions...most of the time, it's fine, but sometimes the subtitles kinda get in the way, even kinda cover part of someone's face. at least the subtitles are pretty accurate and detailed though!! i'm really enjoying watching it again, seeing naoto's intensity and seriousness again...ah~


mood: optimistic
[credit: subliminalicon]

pics f/my recent trip to marukai, book-off, kinokuniya, and mitsuwa. ^_^

doumo!
kate desu.
minna-san genki?

last night was a damn cold night~ (lyrics f/avril's With You. =P),
too cold even for me, who loves cold weather. (but i'll get used to it~)
wow, it's time for scarves and gloves finally, right??
and many many layers of warm clothes....keep warm, everyone!!

cuz this is not a good time to be sick, u especially don't want to catch swine flu. conan jokes that "swine flu is gonna kill us all, it's pretty clear." lol. don't listen to him, he tends to exagerrate. xD i think most of us will be able to get through this alright!! *fingers crossed*

so~ today is one of those not-toma-related posts full of pics. haha. but the pics R pretty, so that's good. i'll post again, about toma stuff, tomorrow, so please come back for that ne. *_*

ja~ i recently went to marukai, book-off, kinokuniya, and mitsuwa. ^_^ but i actually only spent a little time at book-off and kinokuniya. it was cool to come to these places for the first time, but as expected, fans of manga and ppl who can actually read japanese will find these places more interesting and useful. =P and since i'm neither... and i thought there would be a lot more magazines there (at kinokuniya), but the kinda magazines like winkup or duet, i saw really few of it! (or maybe cuz at this time, they've sold out) and it was almost eerily quiet in book-off, though there were plenty of ppl there.

(@book-off)

oh, before i forget, i picked up the winkup 11.2009 issue that i ordered at mitsuwa. NO TOMA FAN ART in it at all. =( i was hoping to at least see careline's...doushitte???!!! 0_0 i'm hoping it's cuz october had too many JE guys' bdays, so they didn't have room for toma bday fan art this time. i'm hoping to see at least my (and careline's) toma fan art in the next issue, even if i don't see my regular toma fan art. the bday fan art is more important!!! and remember how i was wondering why the winkup sold out so fast this time? i don't see anything particularly special about this issue, except that they seemed to have ALL the arashi pics EVER that was in winkup, but in tiny, stamp-like size, and a form for u to vote on yr fav winkup arashi pics EVER?? maybe that is why so many ppl bought it...

marukai market~ it's a little cramped, they really sell so much japanese food and lots of other household products, ceramics, makeup, etc. but MOSTLY FOOD. i think i'll come back sometimes to buy some snacks. they've got tons of different japanese snacks there (but, strange, i didn't see toma's LOTTE ACUO gum there). they even had some special-flavored kit-kats!!! ^_^

oh, i didn't take a pic of it, but the an donut they sell at the marukai bakery (forgot the name) is DELICIOUS! oishii!! i guess i love an (red bean paste filling) anything, anyway, but this was really so awesome. ^o^ i highly recommend it. it's also sometimes sold at mitsuwa market's bakery.


fountains~ i like looking at and listening to them, but never enough to actually buy one.

really small, really cute cupcake cups!! ah, definitely too cute to use!!

i like how they sometimes have little cute drawings like this in front of the products they sell. blue hawaii!! (toma's fav shaved ice flavor)

KAWAII!!! so cute, but also made me lol, these different pics of the man and his little frog buddy on each box. i didn't buy it though, cuz the cookie does not look tasty to me. haha.

myojo (is myojo a location in japan or just a brand name?) yakisoba noodles. i just like the pretty design~

some things i bought at marukai. HALLOWEEN VERSION~ POCKY!! :)

i love mitsuwa's food fairs!! =D and they happen so many times during the year...on the right in this pic is osaka-style otafuku okonomiyaki (sorry i couldn't take a better pic, it doesn't look very appetizing here), from the autumn food fair that was going on. and some other food we bought. okonomiyaki is nakatsu's fav food, and i saw a bunch of ppl were standing in line (it must be good!!), so i tried it. yappari~ it was pretty good! just that i usually don't like to eat so much cabbage at once. but the sauce was good, kinda like a sweet bbq sauce, but it really smells (nice!) like ketchup.

and Toma continues to run on without rest~ (the top 10 reasons we should be happy that he's working non-stop this yr!!)

i'll post tonight probably.

dewa~



konbanwa!
ah, it's really late. sorry!
(I'M SLEEPY, I'LL REPLY TO
EVERYONE'S COMMENTS TOMORROW. THANKS!!^^)

it (was) kinyobi (friday) again.
but for a lot of u, it's already doyobi (saturday).
(lol, it's become very very very early saturday here as well, as i'm finally posting this up.)

SO~ new autumn banners!! the top is f/haneda, tokyo. the DT one is f/somewhere in japan. ii ne...i love the REALLY RED leaves. aki suki!

(i wrote this and meant to post this up after his bday, but i forgot somehow...please excuse me my lateness. i'll just post it here, then.):

ahhh~
i've really enjoyed celebrating toma's bday (last last week) and i hope u have too!! it's been fun, looking at toma's new magazine scans (kyaa!!) watching toma video clips, listening to his music/voice...filling my brain with a lot of new toma knowledge, messages, and news. lol. ureshii ne!!! doesn't it almost feel like a big holiday for all us toma fans?? lol. wait, has toma's birthday somehow become my fav~orite ho~liday of the ye~ar?! ehhhh...i guess it has, in a way~ (laugh)


...i meant to write this post since last week, but.
please excuse me for writing so much this time! it couldn't be helped. =]
wow, it's really very long!!(laughs) what was i thinking?? (no one's gonna read the whole thing!)

i had a feeling that 2009 would be toma's year, a BIG YEAR for him, but i never imagined that he would be getting roles continuously in dramas and movies this time, leading roles too!!! i know toma's always trying his best and working hard, but this year...even MORE so!!! he's really had so many breakthroughs this year, and i hope there will be more~ to come before we reach 2010!

but certainly, this year must be the most busy and exhausting in toma's life!! instead of worrying about toma's health and sanity cuz he's been working non-stop this yr (which is no use anyway), i've decided to do a 180 and com~pletely embrace the idea of toma working continuously this yr!!! (laugh) haih~!

and to convince other toma fans in joining me instead of worrying about him working too hard, here's a list of the top 10 reasons why we should be so happy that toma is starring in so many dramas and movies this year. douzo~!


------------- the top 10 reasons we should be happy that toma's working non-stop this yr!! xD

10. toma is a workaholic and gets bored or feels lonely easily. it's good that he can keep busy and is surrounded by a lot of ppl at the filming sites. =) and bonus: he can sometimes travel to different, pretty places to film movies/dramas!! and also, for each different project, we get to see toma with a new hairstyle and a new look! (ok, majosai and ningen hair is disappointing, but after a while, i've accepted it and even kinda like his curly/wavy hair!!)

9. the more work he has, the more $$$ he earns!! money that he can use to go to more stageplays, movies, and concerts and to buy more CDs and DVDs (and cool clothes). haha. and of course, more lunches and dinners to go to with his friends. and more money to save up to finally go on a family trip overseas somewhere one day.... ^__^

8. the more movies/dramas he's in, the more exposure to the public he gets, the more popular and respected and successful he will be!! MORE AND MORE PPL WILL KNOW OF TOMA AND THE TOMA LOVE~ WILL SURELY KEEP INCREASING!!! (maybe all this could help him DEBUT too??)

really~ the fact that toma is getting continuous roles in dramas and movies really proves that directors/producers/the public finally realizes how talented and cute and adorable he is, right???♥ WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG?? SERIOUSLY!! he should have been a big star many years ago!!

7. toma's really lucky that he can have continous filming projects even though japan's economy is quite bad right now (like every place else in the world). they're even gonna try making drama sequels instead of new dramas to save money now. read the news here: http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=689284

6. filming movies in japan is actually not such an exhausting, long process. at least for ningen, toma said the filming schedule is actually less hectic than when he's working regularly back in tokyo! (and getting to see him on the big screen is LOVE!!! *_*)

5. With each new project, toma gains valuable experience, can improve his acting skills, and also make new friends with the new cast and staff (who always seem to be very talented, nice, and caring ppl, wonderful to work with, according to toma!! especially the ningen people). or he can also meet cast and staff (or other ppl he knows, like nakai-kun) from previous series at the studio or while promoting the drama/movie! ^_^

4. TOMA LOVES ACTING~!♥ he really loves his job and gives his all in all his performances. and he's really serious about filming, about work. i'm sure each new role is a new challenge for toma and he'll completely enjoy the process of diving into a new role, learning new things, and making a good drama/movie.

3. He's too busy to move out of his family's home and live on his own. if he lived alone, it might be easier 4 him to have a secret girlfriend!! -__-

2. He's focusing on his career right now, so he won't be looking for a girlfriend cuz toma has said he can only focus on one thing at a time. =D

1. haven't u been paying attention?! i said HE IS TOO BUSY TO HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!!!!!!! xD we should all be so incredibly happy about that!!!!


“Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do it well; whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself completely; in great aims and in small I have always thoroughly been in earnest.”
—Charles Dickens (1812–1870); novelist
(to me, this describes toma's passion for the art of acting perfectly!!)


seriously, though... of course us fans have good reason to be worried about him getting sick, especially with the current swine flu epidemic that's freaking out many ppl in the world! but remember, toma says he rarely gets sick. i think he said he hasn't really gotten sick in 5 yrs?! even when he does and he's working, he'll somehow stop it by sure willpower, like "i CAN'T be sick now!" hahaha. but worse case scenario... if he DOES get swine flu (knock on wood!), he'll probably recover quickly, just like yamashita and a lot of other stars in japan and elsewhere have. (even one of the backstreet boys had it!) from the news i hear, it's children and young adults (teenagers) who are the ones most likely to catch it, and also the ones more likely to get very sick or die from it. (of course, pregnant women and ppl with asthma/breathing problems, heart problems, other medical conditions could get very sick/die from it too!) DAKARA, PLEASE BE EXTRA CAREFUL AND WASH YOUR HANDS A LOT IF YOU'RE IN ONE OF THE MORE AT RISK CATEGORIES!! 0__0

HOWEVER...and this is a funny coicidence...gakky (Yui Aragaki), toma's costar for his 3rd movie, got sick from working continuously in 2007. too much pressure and not enough sleep. like toma, she starred in movies for the first time, and had 3 that year. she was also in a drama and recorded a debut album too. all in a short time...well, toma's been in 2 dramas (and one drama special) and 3 movies this year!! but as long as he doesn't also work on a debut album, i think he'll be ok!! lol. (a debut single would be so **incredibly cool**, though!!)

her first time filming movies, and already, gakky won a Golden Arrow movie award that year. i hope toma will also win this award!!

http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-2689
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yui_Aragaki

i'm actually a little worried about the audience, the public, getting sick of seeing toma all the time in movies or dramas next year, though....u know, like over exposure? i sometimes get annoyed when i see the same actress/actor continuously in movies or dramas, just cuz that person is the current "IT GIRL or GUY" that everyone supposedly likes. even if i like the person, i could get bored or tired of seeing them all the time (especially in very similar roles/genres). if i don't like her/him, then MAN, IT'S ANNOYING TO SEE THEM EVERYWHERE!! i think u know what i mean??

BUT OF COURSE, TOMA IS NOT JUST ANOTHER ACTOR, IT'S TOMAAAAA!!♥ i could never get enough of him, nevermind be sick of him! and all his roles are so different and u get to see many (all pretty!) sides of him. *_* yappari...i think most ppl in japan will feel the same way as i do?? :P ppl getting sick of seeing him all the time??? that's insane! impossible, right?! lol.


--------------THE NINGEN FILMING SCHEDULE, IT WAS ACTUALLY KINDA RELAXING!! EHH!! MAJI DESKA?! O.O [credit: TFS, myojo sept.2009 interview]

toma describes his schedule while in kyoto...filming starts around 9am and ends in the evening. he goes eat at a different place each night w/cast and staff-san. can go 2 sleep early. he's kinda scared of going back to tokyo, where his schedule, life, is irregular cuz of work and other reasons. lol. (i think the "other reasons" = going to eat and hanging out with his friends till late at night, probably!!)

II NEEEE. luckily, i think filming movies in japan is not so bad, i mean, for your health. but HK actors, i feel sorry for you guys. the crazy filming schedule for dramas usually only allows them to sleep for a couple hours, and they don't even get catered food, just box lunches or cheap cafeteria food. movie filming schedules are even worse, maybe NO TIME TO SLEEP at all, but at least u suffer for a shorter amount of time. x__X that's why i've read about a lot of hk stars getting sick/fainting/going to the hospital cuz they've been worked to death by tvb (the infamous huge corporation that employs most actors and singers in hk. and that has huge power over the media, awards results, etc. kinda like Johnny's or Disney, i guess. haha. how freaky is it that johnny's uses the disney font to write out its brand name, JE?! are they friends or working together?! scary~)! we don't have to worry about this happening to toma, though. =)


---------------TOMA-KUN...HE'S REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT ACTING...

(i really love this pic f/the ningen filming set.

a quiet moment between toma and the director?
toma looks so serious~ and contemplative~)

u gotta read this!! toma's thoughts on filming, BEING YOUZOU...he really was worried about how to portray the character and talked about it a lot with the director. "When reading the script, there’re moments when I feel that I’ve captured Youzou within myself, but then the moment I think I have him, he’s gone.” It’s a repetition of this for him, but he says “I think that maybe it’s better that I don’t totally understand him though.”

many thanks to enshinge~!
http://enshinge.livejournal.com/332930.html



------------ toma just turned 25. but he still looks young for his age. and he jokes and messes around so much, i often forget... (or maybe i just prefer thinking of him as a boy ne.) that he's already been with JE, worked in show business, for 13 years!! a little more than half his life. he's been in A LOT of stageplays and dramas. in his chichin pui pui tv interview from sept.2007, they say that since 1997, he's acted in 21 dramas and 19 stageplays. all that in 10 years. add in hana kimi and all the stuff he did after that, and u get even bigger numbers. not to mention tv and radio shows he's hosted or that he's appeared on as a guest, and a couple CM's too. and his many many singing performances as a junior and dancing at his sempai's concerts. and WAY too many magazine photoshoots and interviews to count!!

no wonder toma feels old when he works with newcomers who are teenagers and have seen him on tv since they were little. lol. toma...he's done a lot. he's gone through a lot too... though he couldn't debut and was left behind, he never gave up...and moved on to the acting world instead. he's really worked hard to prove himself as an actor! and now, it's like...HE'S MADE IT!!!!! finally!! but he often says there's still many things he wants to do. ^_^

though he's still quite young, but toma knows what he's doing. and he won't take it easy yet. i'm not saying people will lose interest in toma anytime soon, but u never know, in this business...so it's good that toma doesn't let any opportunity pass him by this year. it's not often that he is offered so many great, unique roles, right?? so, for now, he's gotta keep working hard to pursue his dream of becoming a big star!! ~_^

and cuz he is so talented and natural, and he really enjoys the lively filming atmosphere, and working with the cast and staff, he makes it all seem easy and fun. but of course, in reality, it can be really tough, repetitive, time-consuming, exhausting WORK. there's a lot of perks and cool things about being an actor, but still...it's work. it's not always fun. (but when it's fun, it's REALLY FUN!! especially the crankup parties. lol.) i guess i'm just trying to say...sometimes we forget, but we should remember-- a lot of work goes into making a drama or movie, for the cast and staff, everyone...they're really working hard to make a good drama/movie to entertain us!! and i am really grateful to them. yappari, especially to toma, he always gives like...110% in effort and energy to act out all his roles!! BRAVO, TOMA!!!!!!!!! i love watching yr dramas so much. ~_~


and so, "Toma continues to run on without rest, but it seems his feet are no where near stopping yet." this is what they said in his winkup interview from may 2009. and being the lead actor in a drama for the first time, toma said "A new kind of determination was born." ^_^
[credit: enshinge, from 5.2009 winkup intv., http://enshinge.livejournal.com/243758.html#cutid1]

so....
i hope this really long post can make some toma fans less worried about him working too hard these days...though he does kinda look a little thinner...but he'll be ok. toma has said before that his weight often changes, depending on how busy he is....but at least he's still not as skinny as he was in hana kimi, right??

kitto daijoubu~!!
(it'll be alright! he'll be ok!)


alright everyone, all together! ^0^

TOMA-KUN,
GAMBATTE!!!!!♥♡★☀♪☁



------------ BUT~ ACTUALLY...TOMA DOES WANT SOME TIME OFF. (JUST A TINY BIT! ~_~)
he says in the winkup 9.2009 issue: he's thankful and loves working, but recently, he's actually thought, he wants a break!! and do nothing the entire time. xD also, ningen filming is tough (it's so hot!), but he won't dare complain, except at wink up. haha!
READ THIS INTERVIEW at enshinge's LJ: http://enshinge.livejournal.com/296579.html.


---------------- AND HERE ARE his feelings about working on majosai and ningen that toma talked about in his wink up ikita kotoba's that i want to share. i summarized most of it, but some of it is almost exactly as it was translated, cuz toma's exact words is much better! i love reading these...hearing about toma's life and projects from his own words. only this time, i took time to summarize certain parts, but u should really read all of it at TFS, toma always says some funny/random things. heehee~

(credit: TFS, go to TFS to read translations of his Ikita Kotoba! http://community.livejournal.com/tomalicious_frm)


f/may 2009:
everyday, filming for Voice was fulfilling. he's so thankful to meet everyone, they're all so talented and amazing, he wants to act with these people again and tell them 'you're amazing' again. (REALLY SO AWESOME THAT HE GOT TO WORK WITH SATOMI AGAIN, THEN!! and she got to play the role of his wife, even!! surely toma was happy he could work with her again so soon!!)

he's feeling mentally and physically chaotic about being in 2 continuous dramas (voice, then majosai). he never thought there'd be a time like this for him. he is seriously preparing himself to do this. he's really thankful he can work in such a wide range of dramas. he's determined to make this a good drama.


f/july 2009:
even though it's his first lead role in majosai, compared to before, he's gotten a lot more days off. (EHH?? not sure how this is possible...maybe cuz of the late night format, each ep. is about 10 min. shorter than regular dramas. anyway, it's GOOD TO KNOW he got lots of days off. *o*) 5 days off for Golden Week and then 3 days in a row off recently. doesn't feel like he's really filming a drama.

he met nakai-kun in the studio and had fun chatting with him. it's fun meeting all kinds of people in the studio.

the staff and actors keep calling him ningen shikkaku (failure as a human) when they see him since it was announced he'll be in the movie. he should be happy about this? (LOL, u're not a failure at all toma!! you're such a successful person!!) it's his first movie, there's many things he's not sure about, but he'd like to enjoy acting in it.


f/sept. 2009:
he's really so moved by how lively the ningen filming site is. so many talented, professional ppl here, all he needs to do is play his role. he is only thinking about acting. he will stay focused until the very last scene. as usual, he has done nothing really in his private life. (but he did go watch 2 movies, go eat soba noodles, went home (the hotel, actually) and slept. also watched Buzzer Beat.

the first day of filming, the cameraman gave him a director's chair with his name printed on the back. he's so touched, he got the feeling "i'm going to fall in love~" the Arato team is full of awesome staff-san like this.

on the first day, already they called him by just "toma". he hasn't had that happen in a long time. it feels like he's an equal. kinda like when he first encountered Gekidan Shinkansen. so shocking and moving. it hasn't been 1 month yet, but already sad that this will end. they have different backgrounds, ages, and positions, but they can work together to make this one movie. this is what he likes most.

they're not done filming, so he can't say "please go watch it!" but everyday, fine adults are sweating, working hard, because they believe this will become a wonderful movie. he will keep concentrating for the 2nd half of the movie.

[(picture of the arato (director) team t-shirt.) he and everyone all wears it when on the set. the arato team is really cool~]


mood: enthralled
[credit: subliminalicon]

a little bit of toma stuff & about BOOK-OFF, KINOKUNIYA in the usa, etc...

[i really really like these toma pics f/the Duet 10.2009....

ah~ i kinda regret not buying it. but i've bought way too many magazines lately...lol.]

konbanwa!
kate desu.

ano.....some news and info not really related to toma this time, i hope u don't mind. but some of these things got me really excited, so i thought i should share it with everyone. *_* and i'll post again in a couple days (this time, about toma-kun!), so pls come back later ne.

(oh, i finally changed the pics that link to Dear Toma...and back to here f/DT. =D cuz fileden has not been working for too long...instead of reuploading the gifs, i figured it'd be better to get more recent toma pics for them. i hope u like them~)


RANDOM SILLY TOMA PIC I FOUND:

[toma's expression in this pic!! :P wonder what year is this from...
i forgot where i got this. just recently found it at some1's crunchyroll page.]

so~ i've been watching Maou on TV, and yappari~ it's been awesome so far!!
the subtitles are pretty accurate/detailed, actually....better than i expected! and they're not too big on the screen, which i was worried about, but they ARE, however...yellow. =/ oh, i have emailed UTB, saying that i'm so happy they're airing maou and i hope they'll air more of his dramas in the future. heehee... but one thing i don't like is i can't see the scenes where naruse is in his dark room that well!! i guess cuz of all the RED light, it's a blur in there, and i can't see toma's cool, secretly-taken pics that well. -__- but they did translate the hymn in church when naruse was sitting there...nice!! "ah, what a friend we have in Jesus, all our burdens He bears for us, all our sorrows, we can tell Him...", something like this. I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS AGAIN THOUGH...does naoto sleep/live @the police station??!!! u almost never see him home, and he wears almost the same clothes all the time, and the one time he is, his room looks so empty and clean, like no1 really uses it..... hmmm.... i really think so!

toniaku~ i'm still so excited while watching and love seeing naoto again!! of course, i already know what happens, but i'm still gonna be looking forward to watching a new episode each sunday, waiting patiently to see what happens next. ~_~


found out from an ad in the free magazine, Japanese x Happy (JPy+, http://jpy-la.com) that there's a BOOK-OFF in CA!!!! EHHH!!! *o* there's several locations, in fact. and in New York and Hawaii too. SUGOI! (when i was writing that really long story about meeting toma-kun, i thought of the cd store to be kinda like a book-off at one point...so it's got a special meaning to me...^^)
http://www.bookoff.co.jp/en/info/kaigai04.html

1 of them is in a Marukai, a market/mall kinda like mitsuwa, but it's a membership market. but u can still shop there if u pay a $1, member-for-a-day, fee. marukai looks nice, but i think i still prefer mitsuwa....but i wanna go check out marukai sometime, definitely!! and book-off, too, of course!!
http://www.marukai.com/index-e.html

marukai only has stores in CA. both book-off and kinokuniya have stores in CA and NY and some countries in asia. book-off has locations in france, canada and korea, too. CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITES TO SEE IF THERE'S A STORE NEAR YOU. =D

and if u live in/near costa mesa, there's a marukai with a book-off inside and across the street is the kinokuniya bookstore!!! again, i'm surprised and happy to know this popular bookstore in japan is also open in the usa!!!

http://www.kinokuniya.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/kinokuniya-book-store-of-america-costa-mesa


........... THE 2009 OC JAPAN STREET FAIR!!!
anyone in the area should definitely go!!!
i wanna go, but not 100% sure if i can go yet...it's on Nov.15. ^o^
WAH, the akiba & harajuku street stuff sounds cool!!!
fashion and geeky anime/tech stuff!!! *__* I AM SOOO THERE (most likely)!!! xD
http://ocjapanfair.com/


........... feb 2010: backstreet boys THIS IS US tour in japan!!!
toma must be so excited about this...i'm sure he'll go to their concert even if he's busy promoting Ningen at that time. lol. i don't like their new songs though. =[ they're getting a little old for these kinda cheesy love songs, right?? i think it's so cool that their new album was almost released on oct.6 (in japan time = oct. 7), toma's birthday!!!! but it ended up being released sept. 30 in japan and a ton of ppl in japan bought it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backstreet_Boys



............. KATE'S RANDOM J-POP SONG RECOMMENDATION:

http://www.imeem.com/yuki1974/music/pQOxVvGh/michi-you/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHMa79AGICM&feature=related

miChi's YOU MV. i really really like this simple, sweet song...
the MV is pretty nice too. i wish i knew what the lyrics meant, though.

TOMA MOVIE(s) UPDATES, other updates, pics, etc. =D

ehhh....just saw enshinge's reply.
my fan art did not show up in the Winkup either. (cries)
yappari~ i thought it wouldn't be there......maybe next month?? onegaishimas!!
i've thought it over, i think my chances are very slim of my fan art appearing in there...so rather than just buy them without knowing if it's in there or not (like i did this time), once the scans are available online, i'll ask enshinge if she sees my fanart in the issues (i think she pre-orders them every month), and then i'll buy it if they are in there. UNLESS i am gonna buy it anyway, cuz toma looks super cute or there's something else special about the issue. xD

i will post tomorrow, but here's some nice pics i took f/the Duet and Potato issues for november, 4 u 2 look at in the mean time...also, i'm happy to see still many ppl coming here everyday even though i haven't posted anything new. and new followers!! arigatou~!



the pretty~ satomi, toma's lovely wife! (in ningen shikkaku, not in real life, of course)


the funny~ ohno, toma's enemy! (in maou, not in real life, i mean) and chinen, who really really likes ohno. =P it would be cool if toma could do a photoshoot w/one of his kouhai's that really looks up to him too!!!


TO BE
CONTINUED...

matta? ~_~

♥ toma-ism #108:
toma-kun...
you were created
with a beautiful purpose~
with a smile that warms,
with words that encourage,
with a heart that loves and gives
so freely and sweetly to others...
[text f/a bday card. =)]

doumo!
kate desu.
kinyobi desu ne.
(it's friday)

ja~ lots of toma LJ stuff, and some info about his 3rd movie!! though they still have not officially announced it, and toma hasn't said anything about it either. but in his newest tomagoto post (posted on oct.14 at tomalicious), he did say he's really happy that a list of his costars for Seaside Motel has been announced. =) and it's cold, but everyone be careful and don't get sick. and that yamashita reminded him that it's important to wash hands and gargle. =P

actually, it might seem like a lot, but that's only cuz i'm posting things from a week or 2, all at once here. it's all quiet in the fandom after toma's birthday again. though we're not seeing or hearing much from toma, we know he's working hard, filming for his 3rd movie, though, so GANBATTE, TOMA-KUN!!!

the latest news f/xdustbunnys' LJ...they're so popular, so lots of ppl have been watching toma and gakki (Aragaki Yui) filming in hokkaido!! gakki's role is of a high school student. it's very cold there. and shun said on ANN that it's strange that toma didn't come there on his bday, (xD i'm so used to him celebrating his bday with shun @ANN too!!) but that's cuz he's busy.

Aragaki Yui...she is pretty in a low-key, girl next door kinda way, but she's got one of those faces, sometimes she can look pretty, but sometimes she just looks very plain?? but to me, her voice is so high-pitched/kinda annoying!! at least when she sings. i hope her speaking voice sounds better...

but it's really cool that toma can be acting with such a popular actress/singer, and someone around his age, too!!! :D i see her in magazines a lot...

i've included the winter pic of her here to remind u that it's COLD in hokkaido, though it's not snowing yet (i think?). [pics credit: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aragaki-Yui/8975777033]

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/tenday/JAXX0078
the temp.s these days is only between 50-60 degrees F (10-15 decrees C)!! it's COLD and often raining in sapporo, hokkaido right now...but i'm glad cuz of filming this movie, toma was not in tokyo for his bday week, they had a typhoon coming through!! trains, flights stopped...some flooding. actually, since sapporo and muroran seem kinda close, i wonder if toma can visit his grandparents on his off days?? =)

i'm just guessing that they're filming the movie in the capital of hokkaido, which is sapporo.... (yes, that place that in feb., they have the famous Sapporo Snow Festival, 1 of japan's biggest winter events!! i wanna go sometime!!!^^) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapporo,_Hokkaido


.............. TOMA'S MOVIE NEWS/VIDEOS @LJ:

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/480684.html
["Why yes, dear people, Ikuta Toma has a third movie! YAAAAAAAY!" some general info about his new movie...] (thanks, frostbittenlove! ^.^)

yes, ohno's gonna be SO jealous that toma's a fisherman in this movie. lol. but maybe he can help, give toma tips on what it's like to be a fisherman. xD what's with toma starring with a lot of girls that were already paired up with yamashita?? haha. but he gets to be closer with them than him, so there!! toma wins!! ^o^

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/481577.html
[they've announced toma's other costars for Seaside Motel: Yamada Takayuki, Tamayama Tetsuji, Narumi Riko, Arata Furuta!!] (thanks, Jisatsu! ^.^)

i dunno about the others, but riko (hagumi in H&C) and furuta (he was in Cat in the Red Boots too)!!! it's nice that toma could see riko, his "little sister" again, and i know he really really loves, admires, and respects furuta. ^_^

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/481814.html
[[video] 101309 Ningen Shikkaku behind the scenes] (thanks, janinamedina! ^.^)
ONLY 8 SECONDS LONG!! xD

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/482095.html
[video: Ningen Shikkaku CM(cast)] (thanks, strawberry_gemm! ^.^)
LOCKED AFTER 3 DAYS!! (some1 will probably upload it to youtube, though...)


.........................more TOMA LJ STUFF:

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/475380.html
["Ikuta went on Red Carpet's Red Theater with Hanya way back when he was promoting Majo Saiban so I've subbed the clip" (thanks, d_e_l_u_g_e! ^.^)]

november magazine scanz!!! WINKUP, DUET, POTATO, etc.

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/476892.html
(thanks, janinamedina! ^.^)
http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/477426.html
http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/477440.html
(thanks, hpswf1! ^.^)

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/476457.html
[scans: Monthly The Television & Flix November 2009 (thanks, janinamedina! ^.^)]

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/477731.html
[more ningen scans: 野性時代 no. 71 October 2009 (thanks, strawberry_gemm! ^.^)]

[though he's been tied up and kidnapped or something,
he still looks so KAKKOII, right?!!! kyaa!!]

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/479512.html
[[05.10.09] Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari - Toma's part, if u wanna watch the un-subbed version. i gotta wait for TFS to sub it.... aw...] (thanks, hpswf1! ^.^)

http://community.livejournal.com/ikuta_toma/480492.html
[ Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari - Italian softsub + RAW.]
wow, toma's got lots of italian fans, they have their own fansub group here:
http://community.livejournal.com/mugendai_fansub/


..............NOT TOMA-RELATED, BUT IF I EVER MEET HIM,
I HOPE IT COULD BE LIKE THIS....*____*:

a fan sighting~

★ Nakajima Kento @ Tokyo Station
He smiled and shook hands with me. Although we're the same age, he thanked me for my support. He just spontaneously said things like he hoped to meet again. - Female,15
[credit: http://unleashthegeek.blogspot.com/2009/10/celebrity-sightings-volume-214.html]

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Nakajima_Kento
UWAAA!! that's like the perfect scenario, of meeting a star. he's so friendly!! ~_^ NICEE!!! the 2nd cutest guy f/B.I. shadow. heeeeee. kawaii~~ (and doesn't he kinda look like chinen? haha.)

[he's in the middle! pic credit: the crunchyroll Nakajima Kento group]

mood: lethargic
[credit: subliminalicon]

KATE'S TOMA FAN ART (PART II)

i am still feeling bitter about what happened...
as expected, if feels bitter ne~
and right now, the skies are grey, filled with dark clouds. it might rain tomorrow.
ah~ very Maou-like, right?

before i talk about the last 2 drawings, just wanna describe
how i found out yesterday...(this is kinda long, sorry!)

OH, I ALSO WANT TO REQUEST, AGAIN,
THAT IF ANY OF YOU HAVE A COPY OF WINKUP, NOVEMBER 2009~
COULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME IF U SEE MY FAN ART IN THERE OR NOT??
THANK YOU!!^^

so, i went to mitsuwa. i had thought about it before, that i'd immediately go to the bookstore and check to see if my drawings were in the magazines, i had to know right away!!! but i was too nervous when i got there. lol, it kinda felt like i was at an actress at an awards show, and i didn't know if i would win or not, that level of suspense...kowai!! and i even kinda dressed up for it. lol. and there were a lot of girls at the magazine rack, so... i did other things first, had a piece of cake and coffee and wished toma a happy birthday ^_^ (with neesan), went to the market, bought a new cellphone charm, also looked for the Cinema and Flix magazines that had toma's ningen filming pics, but they don't have it there =/...but then things started to go wrong when i actually went to the main magazine stand.

1st, i didn't see Winkup there! (i always thought i had more chances of my drawings showing up in Wup cuz toma's got his montly ikita kotoba in it, i feel as if they're more likely to print toma fan art.) 2nd, the POTATO nov. issue was there, but it was sealed up in plastic. they were never before, but i guess to prevent ppl f/looking thru them and not buying... this means i couldn't check to see if my fan art was in there before buying. but i had some confidence it'd be in there, so i grabbed it. then i asked the lady at the cash register, where's the wink up and duet november issue? she said the winkup might be sold out, and went out and got the Duet for me.

NOOOOOO!!! i've gotta get the winkup!!! how could it be sold out so fast??!! she came back with the Duet. i keep asking if she's sure there's no more winkup and she says yes, but i seem so desperate, she then says that it's possible for them to try ordering it from japan for me, there might be some left, but it would take 2 weeks to get here. so i said, that's fine and thanked her and filled out the form. they'll let me know if there's any left in a couple days. PLEASE PLEASE, LET THERE BE SOME LEFT!!! WHETHER MY FAN ART IS IN THERE OR NOT, i think i'd like to have this issue, this issue that my fan art COULD HAVE been in....also, i hope there are some toma fan art in it??

BUT ONE GOOD THING THAT HAPPENED WAS THAT I COMPLETED THE BOOKSTORE'S STAMP CARD RIGHT THEN, SO I GOT 1 STAMP ON A NEW CARD AND I GOT 2 $5 GIFT CERTIFICATES. ^O^ yeyyyy!! at least i feel i've "won" something this night!! xD

but after that, i went home, still feeling so shocked and worried that i might not be able to get a copy of the winkup, even IF my drawings are in there....it took me a while to get me out of this funk and remember that my fan art might be in this Potato issue, and the 1st episode of Maou was airing soon!! but i had to eat dinner and do some other things first, and also was still too nervous to check...the suspense was killing me...

finally i got the nerve to open the magazine to see (my heart was beating so fast!!)...it's actually a good thing that i wasn't able to in the bookstore, cuz when i didn't see my drawings in both the bday fan art and the regular fan art section....EH!! i felt like just collapsing on the floor, so sad!! (cries) i re-checked both pages several times, even looked at the other pages...no, i don't see them anywhere. :( i failed. (cries) it hurts!

DOUSHITTE??? though my drawings were not really really great, but i thought it was pretty good, and just as good or maybe a little better than the fan art i've seen in these magazines!! (just that it might not be as colorful or creative, i guess??) but i had a feeling these days...that they were not chosen, cuz i thought that some1 might have told me by now, if they saw my fan art in these magazines (i know i said to not tell me, but some1 might have not seen my message). also, cuz i have a feeling they only print drawings f/fans in japan and not overseas. if that's true, then IT'S NOT FAIR!!!! =0 and you'd think that if toma's fan art is rare, they would try to print toma fan art whenever there are some pretty good ones???

oh well.....it can't be helped. I GAVE IT MY BEST SHOT!!! (my 4 best shots, in fact) I HAD TO AT LEAST TRY...even if they don't like it, i don't regret doing this. i spent a lot of time and energy on them, put a lot of thought into them...the whole process...it was difficult, frustrating, and drove me crazy at times, but it was also a fun, cool, happy, unique, and unforgettable experience for me. in the end, i'm proud of myself and my drawings!! at least i can share my drawings with everyone here and maybe even toma can see them here later...

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO LIKES MY DRAWINGS AND, LIKE ME, HOPED THAT THEY COULD MAKE IT INTO THE MAGAZINES!!!!! hounto ni~ ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITA!♥

so...yeah...after a while, i had accepted my defeat and i consoled myself by listening to some loud rock music and taking silly pics of myself giving toma (his pic in the Duet) a late bday kiss on the cheek. xD baaaaka. while i was doing this, it was time to record maou!! i let it record on its own and continued doing some things to make myself feel better...i put the new cellphone charm on my phone, it's got a pretty RED string and a small see-through red flowery rectangle block with a japanese word on it that i don't understand. lol. but i like the RED, Maou is just starting, of course i gotta support MAOU TEAM this way!! heehee~

much later, i finally got a chance to check if i was able to properly record Maou, and YES!! seeing toma on my TV so clearly, seeing naoto-kun again!!! ahhhhhh!!♥ though ep.1 is split into 2 parts, so i am gonna wait till later in the week to watch it so i won't have to wait so long for the 2nd part...but just that short glimpse of toma!!! so kakkoii and i all my strong feelings for naoto and maou world just come flooding out....(btw, they stopped at the scene where, it's that night, they are just coming out of shiori's home, and naoto says he doesn't believe in her ｐＳＹＣＨＯＭＥＴＲｙ and leaves...NOSTALGIC!!)



.....so, this was actually part of the bday project too, but i've made u wait until now to see my drawings. gomen! well, even if my fan art can't be in the Winkup or Potato magazines, i'm glad i can show everyone here my drawings. i hope u like them!!! i really worked hard on them, i really put a lot of thought into them!!! douzo~!!



and here are all the progression pics i took of them while drawing, take a look, kudasai!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/happybirthdaytoma2009/sets/72157622353853887/

i have looked at my drawings so much, while i drew them, after i drew them....dakara~ i'm not sure anymore...i think these 2 are pretty good, right?! ehhh.... and below are a bunch of pics and comments about why i drew toma in these poses, those clothes, etc. eh....most of it is mainly for myself, to remember what i went through while drawing them, and how it was certainly not easy!! so i don't mind if u don't read thru all my comments. haha.

(**i wrote all this soon after i sent off these last 2 drawings! just now posting it all up. ^.^ **)

-i like this sketch of what the Potato drawing should look like. haha. it's too bad i couldn't keep this pose in the end though.

- i took A LOT of pics of toma's pics from my computer, with my digital camera. his poses, hairstyles, clothes, etc...and i'd look at them while drawing, zoom in, even, to see the details...

-toma's transition hair!! i forgot to talk about it in my fav toma hairstyles post, but i really like it, his transition hair, after maou and be4 voice. ~_~ his short black hair can make him look more mature, but boyish and cool, too. kakkoii!!


-toma, lying down. wah... *_* i noticed that A LOT of times, when he's lying down, he'll rest his head on his left hand and put his right hand on his stomach. that's why i drew him lying in this position. =) and he also often has 1 leg raised too. haha.

-actually, i really liked my drawings better when it was only halfway done or still in pencil. u can see all the details better....but of course i couldn't send it to them looking like that!!



here are a bunch of comments i have about/to explain the process of drawing these last 2 toma drawings. in case any of u were wondering (but i don't think u are. :P). it might not be interesting to u, but this is more of a way for me to remember what i went through to get these drawings done. haha...i hope u don't mind, it's kinda long.


-MANY MANY THANKS TO PAIGE, who showed me the macro function on the camera!!♥ cuz of that, i was able to take lots of clear pics of my drawings!! lol, i wish i had known about this function earlier. yappari, i didn't read the manual, and i don't know much about cameras...

-i woulda finished sooner, but drawing (at least 4 me) is one of those things that u can't do when u're in a bad mood or u just don't feel like it. sure, i could have just forced myself to do it, but then i didn't want that negative energy to go into the drawing, if u know what i mean...

-also, it was often TOO FREAKING HOT at that time. the high was around 90 degrees F, or 32 degrees C. and no, not all of us have air conditioning here in california (cuz most of the year, we don't need it). like conan said on his show, it was so hot, "i stepped outside, i almost burst into flames!!" xD

-each of my drawings, i think of each as being, like a HUG for toma-kun.♥ haih~ i really really hope if any of my drawings get printed and he sees it, it would make him smile. ~_~ ahhhhh....

-i was having trouble thinking of a good pose for the WU drawing...finally i remembered that i love toma's sleeping/lying down pics!!

-i really thought of giving up a lot. lol. "well, i already drew 2 bday toma drawings...i don't really NEED to draw 2 more...". but then i already said i'd draw 4 in all, and with 4, i had more chances of them choosing my drawings, so I KEPT GOING!!!

-i often glanced (ok, stared!! xD) at the wink up march2009 pullout of toma, the one where he's looking and smiling so sweetly out at u, to give me more energy to keep going, keep drawing!!♥ must FIGHT the heat, FIGHT sleepiness/fatigue, FIGHT all the distractions/inconveniences, to keep going...FOR TOMA!!! GAMBARIMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!! (laughs)

-i used my digital camera a lot to look at/zoom in toma's pics to help me draw his clothes and hair, how his body is positioned...i even had to take pics of myself in that position sometimes to know how to draw it!! lol.

-i almost forgot to include the extra info that POTATO requires be4 sending the drawing!! *whew* luckily i remembered be4 i sent it!!

-i put so much thought, time, and effort into each drawing, i pray that they all get there safely!!! ONEGAISHIMAS! even if they are not chosen, i want them to be able to get to those buildings safely, so someone can see them, at least.
ACTUALLY, THE 2 WINKUP DRAWINGS that are on postcards, EVERYONE THAT WORKS IN THE POST OFFICE SORTING MAIL OR THE MAIL CARRIER WILL SEE THEM!!! it's a little embarassing to think about a lot of strangers looking at my toma drawings. it's different when i post them up here, cuz we're all toma fans. but random ppl that might not even know who toma is...it's a little weird to think about ne...(laughs)

-from what the man at the post office said, it seems like the drawings would arrive at their destinations around sept. 16-19. i'm not sure if that will be in time for them to be in the nov. issue of WU and POTATO if they r chosen...if not, and they show up in the dec. issue, i'll have to buy those 2 issues too!! but of course i'll still be SO HAPPY to see my drawings printed!!! LOL.

-i put a lot of effort and love into all my drawings, so in the end, it's like they're my "babies". LOL. i got so sad and nervous when i had to send them, thinking "bye! stay safe on your long journey!!" hahaha.....it was really kinda like that. i like all of my drawings, and had fun drawing them, too, though some of them took sooooo long and many tries to draw right. especially the LAST ONE, the potato drawing. argggh!! i came so close to giving up on it, but the top half of him was done and kawaii, so i had to just finish it!! but i got so frustrated and mad when i kept not being able to draw his legs right. =0

here's all the drawings in order of which took the longest, to which took the least time to draw:

1) WU bday drawing (pencil portrait of toma)
2) WU regular drawing (toma sleeping)
3) POTATO regular drawing (toma sitting)
4) POTATO bday drawing (toma gives you a piece of cake!)


-my right hand, my drawing hand-- started to really hurt after i sent the drawings. it's as if be4 i was done, it was holding back, but now that i'm done, my right hand knows it's ok to hurt now, and started aching. lol.

-i said it be4, but i'll say it again: THANK GOODNESS I BOUGHT THAT BIG, thick, MANGA MAGAZINE (THAT'S AS THICK AS A BIG BOOK, LIKE ALMOST 2 INCHES THICK!) THAT HAD ONLY 2 PAGES OF TOMA'S PICS. I REALLY RELIED HEAVILY ON THE DRAWINGS OF VARIOUS CHARACTERS INSIDE THIS ISSUE TO DRAW MY 3 MANGA TOMA FAN ART!!! originally, i thought i'd just copy the drawing style of some of the fan art i saw in the issues of WINKUP or POTATO that i had. THAT WOULD NOT HAVE WORKED OUT WELL!!!

-WHEW!!! SO RELIEVED AND PROUD THAT I WAS ABLE TO KEEP MY PROMISE AND SEND IN 4 DIFFERENT TOMA DRAWINGS. BUT IT REALLY TOOK A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY, SO I DON'T THINK I'LL BE DRAWING ANY MORE TOMA FAN ART ANYTIME SOON!! but if they do print any of my drawings, MAYBE....MAYBE i'll be crazy enough to try it again next year, but only for his birthday!!! (laughs)



____________THE WINK UP DRAWING:

-i was gonna have him wear a black suit jacket too, but then that would be a little more complicated to draw, and make him not look as comfortable. haha. and i like how toma looks in just a tie and shirt, w/rolled up sleeves. just like nakatsu in hana kimi!!^^

i love love ties, and i especially love to see toma wearing ties, so i knew i wanted to draw him wearing a tie. also, i think really...the 1st pic of toma i ever saw is from a magazine photoshoot while he was filming hana kimi, the pic above, and he's wearing a simple short-sleeved white shirt and a black tie. *_* kakkoii!!! i love the simple, yet so cool white shirt and black tie look. like in Maou, when naoto was dressed up, looking formal (and semi-formal, at the bar, afterwards), for the funeral. kyaa!!!♥

-i really like seeing pics of toma lying down. not in a provocative/sexy way (though of course, i like those too! haha.) or anything, just like, looking relaxed and natural. just resting. ~_~

-he's got a styled H&C kinda hairstyle. like i said, my fav toma hairstyle. ^_^ and it's black cuz his hair is black for filming ningen, and cuz i don't wanna have to try to shade it/add highlights to it. and cuz i remember paige likes toma's hair black. (laugh)

-it was actually so so hard to draw him lying down in that position!! cuz (and this will be a problem for me in the next drawing, too!) the picture i'm trying to copy, THIS ONE:


it was cut off, so i wasn't sure how to draw the rest. AND he's sleeping on a sofa, while i'm trying to draw him sleeping on a bed. anyway...it took a LOOOONG time for me to draw it right, get the angle right. but now when i look back, i think i made his left arm too small??? ehh... i have trouble making things all look proportional with the next drawing too. big time!! anyway, in the end, i'm not sure...please just think that he's lying on a bed w/white sheets?? eh....


-i think this drawing really looks like toma!!! :D more than the potato bday drawing, cuz this one, i can draw his nose bigger, and draw his lips so it looks full and soft...kinda...anyway, this drawing was a lot more realistic-looking. =)

-THE SKULL ON HIS TIE!! remember that toma likes to wear things with skulls on it??? though i haven't seen him with skulls on his clothing in a long while... but he did wear a tie with a skull on it in that super cute photoshoot f/jan. 2008. that pic that i'm sure u've seen a million times, of toma wearing a black suit and tie, and looking bored while blowing a party noisemaker thingy, and there's confetti, and the text says "the life of the party". :P so i wanted to recreate that...i love how he's all dressed up in formal clothes, but the skull on his tie shows he's ready to rock!! lol.

-the text for this drawing took me a long time!! it's the font from the hana kimi photobook, the interview section 4 toma. BUT it really looks nice, huh?? ^^



___________THE POTATO DRAWING:

-unexpectedly had to change the pose 4 this drawing. -___- cuz i couldn't see the whole pic (the one on the left), so i had a hard time drawing his legs, and looking at other pics of toma in similar poses didn't help much. =[ i really tried hard to draw him crouching like in the pic, but somehow, i just couldn't make it look right. had to improvise, have him sit on an ottoman (almost forgot what they are called, and i spelled it wrong too. haha). THIS DRAWING TOOK A LONG LONG TIME TO DRAW. I WAS SO RELIEVED WHEN I WAS DONE AND COULD MOVE ON TO THE TEXT PART!! yatta!!

-the text...the font is copied from an ARASHI potato photoshoot. haha. a lot easier to copy than the japanese text of toma's name!! and i was gonna just randomly make some letters a different color, like they did in that arashi article, but then afterwards, i realized the parts in pink spell out "iko", which means "go!" in japanese!! cool, right? GO TOMA!!! ^o^

-sorry about toma's too long and skinny legs!! cuz i looked at diff toma pics, all at slightly diff angles...and then i combined them, and this is what i came up with. i like this drawing from the elbows up, though. lol.

-i had trouble deciding how to draw this last fan art. i wanted toma to look more boyish and the drawing style to be more simple....i almost drew him in that really really simply, no nose, just big eyes and mouth, and very sketch-like, simple, kiddy way. but that looked too weird, and i'm not good at drawing like that. so i went back to the manga book i bought and looked for a style in between. not too simple, but not too realistic. BINGO!! found a good in-between style. from the same manga that i used for the POTATO bday drawing and the WINKUP toma-lying-down drawing!! haha.

but i had a lot of trouble drawing the BIG EYES. the first time was easy, cuz 1 eye was winking. but with both eyes open, it's harder than u expected to draw!!! cuz if the eyes r too big, it just looks really weird!! but i finally got it right after many tries...


-but the bottom, HIS SHOES!! it's his MAOU TEAM shoes!! haha. remember, he and ohno bought matching tennis shoes, and even wore them when they went on the Tokyo Park show! toma's is red, ohno's is black, right? ...anyway, i tried to draw them exactly as i saw them f/the TOKYO PARK screencap. ^_^ MAOU TEAM, YEAH!!!!!

-did u notice that toma often wore vests (in photoshoots and on tv shows, and in real life) while filming maou? and toma looks awesome in vests. so, that's why i chose this outfit 4 him. and cuz he wore almost the same thing in one of the pics that went with 1 of his ikita kotoba pages. ^_^ (the one where he's in a "playing golf" pose!)



-i got so frustrated with the peach/skin color water color pen that i used to color his skin. i didn't know that it changes color under different lights!! i didn't know till after i was done coloring the WINKUP toma sleeping drawing. it looks more light/yellow in bright kinda yellow light than in regular sunlight (in which it looks darker/more peachy orange than yellow). so it was hard to color using that pen, u're not sure of how it really looks like if it's nighttime and u're under light that's not perfectly white. geez....luckily things worked out ok with the POTATO drawing, though i had to color it under not-white light and wasn't sure what it really looked like till i could see it in the light of day! confusing!! x__x

-it's hard to trace over my pencil drawings, even with that very fine black pen i bought that never smears. it's hard to control the ink flow, and i can't really keep the really small fine pencil lines most of the time. and coloring it with markers is tricky too, u have to do it very fast, or u'll leave streaks.

-i accidentally got a few smudges on this drawing, on the right side. it's not that noticeable, though. i hate how some markers leak ink on my hand!! which causes the smudges.

-in order to finish this drawing, i stayed up till around 1:30am, which is really late 4 me, and i got only 5.5 hrs of sleep that night. wow....but i just HAD TO GET IT DONE!!

-was so relieved when i finally finished the drawing. but then i got a little sad...it's the last one!! :(