11 posts tagged “gravure idol”

Well it's one thing to celebrate your birthday with a splash~....but here (just a few scans below ↓↓↓) almost in your birthday suit?!!! (・д・`*) AKB48 seems to be really catered to men well it's sort of the impression I've gotten...the more I see of them. Wow Meetan's really *sexy* though and she has such a *beautiful* figure for sure!

And this photo shoot is soooo much more revealing than any that you'd see a H!P member in and of course I do mean the older members!!! XD Hmmm....if this is done for "birthdays" I do wonder what she does for Christmas??? (。ーωー。)! I'm kidding!!! :P

I just noticed that it says that this is her "first happy birthday bra shot" and I do wonder if swimsuits are no longer enough??!!…(^q^) and a~h we have the same beauty mark in the middle of our chest although mine is a bit tinier than hers~ and we're also quite close in age....she's less than two years younger. ＾　＾

From the late 90's till now Hara Fumina has graced countless magazine covers, appeared in numerous variety t.v., hosted sports programs, starred as Sailor Moon, appeared in lots of CMs, starred in both t.v. dramas and movies...has an array of idol DVDs & shashinshuu and while her career which has spanned well over a decade is primarily known as an actress and former gravure idol, this now 28 year old also ventured into the music scene back in 2001 & 2002~.

And while music may have not have turned out to be her niche, Hara Fumina did release two singles and a pv collection during that span of time.

Hara Fumina releases can be found here at Cdjapan, YesAsia, Amazon Japan and HMV Japan.

What's really sweet about these singles are the variety and effort put forth into the musical♪♪ compositions and particularly with her second single where both tracks "Koi wo hajimemashou" & "Aozora to taiyou to kaze no naka" show a great jazz influence in both with some of the chorus portions of the latter taking on a somewhat avant-garde approach~. Her earlier single is more in the vein of comtemporary pop with a bit of folk flavoring in "Naite iiyo" while "Negai ga kanau basho" is pure pop fun in a most catchy sense! Fumina's vocals throughout are more on the cutesy side with a light but sweet♥ intonation~. o(*´∀｀)o゛

Hara Fumina also frequented Bomb magazine which is like idol heaven photography for any collectors out there. (￣▽￣) Each issue averages about 178 pages and the magazines size is somewhat more like a digest in a sense as it measures 8 1/4" x 5 7/8" and the content in this publication is just amazing as in addition to extensive gravure photography in each issue you'll also find idol news, release news, event & t.v. show/drama updates, idol schedules for what they'll be doing in the coming weeks, and tons of interviews! Etc! etc! I subscribed from early '98 through 2002 and my modest Bomb magazine collection consists of 66 issues~.

The featured cover girl for each issue is featured extensively through photography, works, interviews as well as other special features including.....

.........your favorite♥ idol's room invasion!! Σ(￣◇￣*)!!...no I mean room check!…(^q^) It's really a long running cute feature for their cover girls and it's really great to see how your favorite idols live and yes~! organize their rooms! Really intimate for sure. ＾　＾

Then there's the "Growing Up Story" feature which also covers each issue's featured cover girl!.........

...........and last but certainly not least is the famous...

......."Body Check" feature! Of course only the slightly older idols get these and I'm thinking you can imagine why! (。ーωー。)

And here's just a little sampling of what you can expect from the pages of Bomb magazine......here of course is Hara Fumina's feature from their February 2002 issue........

And just a little peek inside her shashinshuu "Days" as I scanned a few favorite♥ pages...

Some of the following photography is of a mature nature so if you're a younger visitor you should avoid scrolling down or viewing this post.

It's been awhile since I last posted about a gravure idol here...tonight's visual focus will be Fukudome Yuko and part of the real irony here is that while some of the photography presented in her debut shashinshuu are rather on the mature side she herself was 17 at the time of this release..(sensual photography not nudity of course!) Japan's idol culture has long been one of contradiction in that while laws prohibit the youth under a set age not to appear on live broadcasts after a set time of the early evening (seemingly to protect) there really doesn't seem to be any barriers holding back the very essence in which idols may be presented in official publications.

The very existence of the acronym "U" ("Under") which precedes various ages of idols to categorize them into age says a lot in this regard and while cinema continues to feel a form of "censorship" which is all but non existent in other countries, it has lended itself to be leaked into other avenues of artistic expression...most notably the anime market where the extreme is often pushed to "adult" standards. Whether or not this is really a form of suppression on their society can be left up to debate but whilst this contradiction remains, what continues to be true is the unbarred presentation and expression of idols in Japan.

Fukudome Yuko's shashinshuu "Prime" can be ordered here at Amazon Japan.

Fukudome Yuko's "Ka.bu.ri.tsu.ki" DVD can be ordered here through sellers associated with Amazon Japan. (note: DVD is out of print).


UTB has gradually grown into somewhat of a more mature publication over the years but it remains to keep a younger audience as well as many of its idols and content are catering towards its youthful audience. In recent issues a distinct change towards an older audience is clearly visible in their inclusion of much more mature pictorial as well as older idols making regular appearances....many in much more "spicier" photo shoots.

Fukudome Yuko appeared in Young Jump as well as UTB issues just a few years ago and going from a simple pictorial to her debut pb what I found surprising at first glance at its arrival is the cover which you see to the right. It really wasn't what I was expecting and while here in the U.S. an idol of Yuko's age being presented in such a sexy way would be unheard of.......(although we do have those youth beauty pageants) in Japan it's clearly the norm as it's notably a thriving market in their society from past to the present.

A very nice surprise was seeing that Yukochan signed her entire set of first pressings of her debut pb.....(photo: above;top left)..as it adds a most personalized touch to those not fortunate enough to attend a premier book signing in person in Japan. =)

Yukochan's most striking feature has to be her *smile*~ (￣▽￣).......free of apprehension or pretense she has one of the most beautifully natural *smiles* ever I think!..........matched but perhaps not exceeded! =) She's really really ＊pretty＊ and on her DVD her fun personality really comes out as well~! I was thinking that she's a bit thin but I won't be one to judge as I could probably use a few more pounds, or at least I've been told (._.;)! It's grown into sort of a running joke aimed at me by co-workers....."you really should eat something!" :o

Again, some of the scans below from her debut pb "Prime" are quite on the "spicy" side.........you've been warned! XD Scroll down at your own risk! :P But many are on the ultra *adorable* cute side to counter.....so there's an alluring blend of sweet & sexy throughout her release making it quite a visual stunner to put it mildly! :o

............but first while the scans below are loading through your browser, here you can.....um watch Yukosan apply some skin lotion above~. XD She's quite the *sensual* idol too~. o(*´∀｀)o゛And here's a few screencaps from her debut DVD "Ka.bu.ri.tsu.ki♥"........
..."か.ブ.リ.ツ.キ♥" has a running time of approximately 50 minutes with an additional 10 minutes of shashinshuu making of footage including some candid funny moments and a few bloopers~. While most of the chapters are dedicated towards *girl* candy there are a few thoughtful moments of dialog as well as a showcase of Yukochan's background in hip/hop dance~.

The following scans are from her debut shashinshuu "Prime"...


............now here's where it gets interesting~.....um as all girls truly dream of heading down to the park...partially undressing and then swinging from a tree!! Wheeeee!!!! Okay, kidding!! I've never dreamt of doing such a thing ever!…(^q^).....(*sigh*) the life of a gravure idol. ＾　＾

It's been awhile since Idolcomix vol. one was posted here I think last year...and while silliness does reign supreme here for most of the year I do wonder why this next volume took so long. :P

But seeing that our incredibly adorable and once lost castaway Harukachan is ready to get back to work......here's volume 1 and what has transpired up till now just in case you missed it......or it's been too long to quite remember. XD Gomen~!

More Harukachan such as notes on her idol history, her pb releases, DVD releases, lots of cute photos and a bit more can be found here..  here..  here.. and here.   After seeing her in Bomb! magazine a few years ago Harukachan has become one of my most favorite idols and if it were up to me I so would have asked her to be in Momusu years ago~! ^ ^

The following is the result of what happens when one sees A-Rod and talk of steriods (performing enhancing drugs/PEDs) on t.v. one too many times in the past few weeks and its....um lingering effects~! :P I wish they would just play baseball as enough is enough already. :/ Hmmmm but then again it did finally get me to continue this series although I'm not sure if that's really a good thing. XD

(No idols, cameramen or animals were injured in the making of this idolcomic!) =)

....When we last saw our heroine she was in the midst of repaying the kindness of the "shirtless" one with camera...

...but soon after wardrobe change after wardrobe change and rolls of film after rolls of film the day began to wear on Harukachan.....

...and she soon began second guessing her decision to partake in the shirtless man barbeque which occurred on the boat just a few hours ago.....

....and Harukachan grew frustrated by their artistic differences as the man with camera insisted on everything being cute all the time.....

....but with no choice Harukachan played along for the time being.....until either the moment of her escape arrived or his camera "mysteriously" fell.....:o.....

....however the seemingly endless barrage of questions involving IEPs (Idol Enhancing Products) were beginning to take their toll.....

....until alas an opportunity to escape "presented" itself XD................

PG: "But in an earlier interview with P-Chan you said that you had never used IEPs before...were you lying to P-Chan?"


PG: "Where did you get IEPs from?"




PG: "Um..on me?.................okay but after the interview though." =) \(^o^)/!!! Hm let's hurry then!..just one more question before we wrap this up as a lot of people want to know if you still think that you should be inducted into the Gravure Idol Hall of Fame and if so should there be an asterisk* there?"



PG: "....................................................................................."



PG: "Uh Harukachan............................................................."



PG: "...................................who will put makeup on me now? Interviewers need IEPs too~" :/

When will harukachan wake up?...Will Peter ever get his promised makeover?...Will someone explain what 'loosey goosey' actually means?...tune in next time for these answers and more as Idolcomix continues! :P

Primarily known as an actress, Ichikawa Yui, formerly popular as a gravure idol did what many idol/actresses do...venture into the music arena. Her debut came back on November 12th, 2003 with the release of her debut single "Ame." I easily would have probably passed up on this release had it not been for the Moritaka Chisato direct connection. Ichikawa's debut single "Ame" was co-written by Moritakasan and remains as one of her best known single releases in her vast catalog and just the premise of hearing a popular idol give her rendition of such a beloved classic peaked my interest...puttting it mildly. ^-^ Ichikawa Yui would go on to release a total of four singles, a mini album, and a pv DVD collection from late 2003 to March of 2005 and I've been able to complete her discography with the one exception of her single "Ai wa katsu" which had temporarily gone out of print...strange it's back and available now. One of the main attractions to collecting her singles are the inclusion of a few exclusive b-sides which didn't appear on her album which was released in December of 2004.

Ichikawa Yui's CD releases can be purchased here from Cdjapan.

And her pv DVD collection "i clips" can be purchased here at 10% off at Cdjapan.


Here, you can listen to "Peace" until you reach the pvs below...

...such a cute and catchy song deshou!


When I say "defines" J-Pop what I mean is that everything that ever attracted me to the genre to begin with is all right here in terms of song writing, production, and vocals. And while "Ame" was no doubt a nice effort what really reeled me in were the following releases and I think it would be best to begin with the pv for "Ai wa katsu." My initial J-Pop loves included groups/artists in that early 90's period such as CoCo and Ribbon and for anyone familar with either of these groups I think you'd agree that there was a extra effort put forth into the songwriting in particular...not to say that J-Pop today isn't of a high quality but rather that there was just so much in the melodies, hooks, and instrumentation back then that really defined what I to this day consider to be "true" J-Pop. There is just a different and unique sound to it and I hope I'm describing this okay. :P The landscape today is filled with crossover genres such as J-R&B, J-Rock, J-Trance and J-Techno just to name a few but the music of Ichikawa Yui although released after the millenium is 100% rooted in the pure form of J-Pop. Japan's version of the word "pop" personified by only Japan's influences with nothing from the outside altering the style or sound. Pure. Songwriters and music in general always go through a metamorphosis in change as outer influences and changes in style also done through time itself almost inevitably connect other genres until the original influence or style is nearly unrecognizable. Change is healthy and creativeness expands through this but for tonight I'd like to focus on pure J-Pop...unaltered in its true state. This form which is all too scarce in today's J-Pop landscape of releases makes for something rather remarkable as Ichikawa Yui's entire catalog is "purely" rooted in J-Pop. Even after over 15 years of listening to Japanese music "Ai wa katsu" is simply one of the most adorable songs that I've ever heard.I can't emphasize enough how much I ♥ these songs!!! They're really some of the absolute best J-Pop songs that I've ever heard! I bet you'll fall in love with "Ai no katsu" it's just so cute! ^-^
From its initial notes and melody this song is immediately catchy and add in a late choir of school children, one of the best choruses ever, very very cute vocals and a pv shot in nostalgic form and you have a song that is pure ♥! As I mentioned previously "Ai wa katsu" had gone out of print but happily this song is included on her mini 8 track album titled "i-pop mini.' I can't stress just how perfect Yuichan's vocals are for this style of songwriting!! There's a simple beauty to her vocals which breath innocence and the aura of adorableness. Oh and on a side note Yuichan's little niece in the drama "Hotman" was a part of the childrens' ensemble vocals heard later in the track. :) Now how cute is that!
LOL! that little girl has the Aiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnn! thing going on! =D The next track I'd like to share is "Kira Kira" which was also released as a single. Ichikawa Yui's pvs are so much fun and "Kira Kira" is one her best! Yuichan's got the itch for larger than life art and watch as the cuteness unfolds! ^-^ Chimes and bells were a big part of compostitions back then too and here "Kira Kira" uses it to perfection. You just simply can't get any closer to true J-Pop than what this song entails. Oh and the song......kampeki! ♥ 

And when it comes to the perfect hook, "Love Letter" has a wonderful touch midway through its pre-chorus...anyone knowing the classic J-Pop hook will hear it immediately. :) Also released as a single "Love Letter" is a beautiful mid tempo J-Pop ballad. The melancoly piano notes laid over a emotionally charged melody create a touching ambience here and once again Yuichan's vocals are so sweet here.
Although "Orange" wasn't released as a single it did receive well shot pv which is also included on Yuichan's pv DVD collection.

A slightly grainy film effect was used here giving the pv a "home video" look through parts of it. Simplisticly shot but effective, "Orange" may be one the albums more laid back tracks but still memorable in its own right. The emotions portrayed though the verses and chorus are bitter sweet and likewise the pv carries it well as do Yuichan's vocals.
And now "Ame"... Several of Yuichan's singles were released as both LE and RE singles with the LE versions including the title track's pv and here I was able to get the LE version for her single "Ame." Luckily though all pvs were included on her pv DVD collection making these LE's possibly not essential although I'd still like to acquire them one day. :) For comparison sake I've included both the original Moritaka Chisato version along with Yuichan's cover version. Boy it's really raining in this pv!!! Whether it be fake rain or real Yuichan is beyond drenched here!!! I hope it wasn't cold out the day of shooting! Such an amazing J-Pop classic, "Ame" I think would definitely be included in the top 50 most important J-Pop songs of all time. Moritakasan always performs it live on the piano...always mesmerizing to watch! I also wanted to include just a few more audio tracks so I've uploaded mp3's of "Shiny day", "Pure" and "Fu Fu Fu Boyfriend" below. These additional tracks can be found on Ichikawa Yui's mini album "i pop mini" with the exception of the track "Shiny day" which is the b-side of her single "Ame."


....unprecedented but unavoidable! ^o^

When we last heard Nanachan she was releasing music like this...(if you love J-Pop click play!)... ..................................J-Pop at its best.

And prior to that Nanachan was a gravure idol...


Akiyama Nana's last single "Ongaji hoshi" was released just over a year ago on September 19, 2007 and nearly to the day one year later she has finally returned with a new single release to my great delight! ^o^ I truly had begun to think that we'd heard the last musical release from this idol whom has so much more to offer. More songs, photos, and Akiyama talk can be found here and here. A special thank you to Andra for bringing this single's new release information to my attention! ^-^ It's so remarkable for a former gravure idol to release music of this depth and nature as I for one would normally expect something much more cutesy or bubblegum to say the least...and Akiyama Nana does neither bringing with her attractive vocals, music deeply rooted and inspired by the 60's, a decade I'm totally in love with.

Akiyama Nana's first press edition (9 left at time of this posting) of "Sora wo oyogu sakana" can be ordered here at Cdjapan. 
Sayu's new shashinshuu and DVD arrived today as well! A visual post will follow shortly. Every now and then Cdjapan sends a quite large box and it usually means a poster is included! My only wonder was...Sayu or Nana? LOL actually in all of these years of ordering through Cdjapan (roughly since 1999) they've only sent me one Hello! Project related poster that being a live C-ute poster. So really I knew it had to be Nanachan in the box this time. :) The Akiyama Nana poster above is actually depicting the regular edition release of this single whereas I ordered the first press edition which also included... ...one Nanachan trading card out of 5 random designs as well as a special fold out jacket. ^-^ It's cute how they all depict a cell phone's face.I wonder what Nanachan has been up to over the past year in her musical absence...well one thing evident is that she's grown as an artist as the title track "Sora wo oyogu sakana" marks her debut as a lyricist! And with the same music composer back as well her infectiously wonderful breed of nostalgic pop continues as if she never left us. Something else that I think is wonderful is that Akiyama Nana is also credited in the liner notes as the "stylist", now what could be better than being in charge of your own look? :) A hair and makeup artist was on hand but from the sound of it Nanachan was directing it all.  "Sora wo oyogu sakana" is noted for its direct Elvis Costello influence while its coupling track "Start Line" (below) is heavily inspired by The Beatles. XD The title track's title alone creates a vivid and imaginative picture in one's mind and neither track here disappoints. It's such a delight that Nanachan has taken that first step in furthering her musical career by penning the lyrics here herself and both tracks represent such a high quality of musicianship and song writing and I just love these arrangements whole heartedly. There's a different level of depth in Nanachan's music catalog versus your average releases and these genres in particular lend themselves to a tried and true approach to music which will never go out of style. The Beatles in particular are responsible for influencing countless artists and groups over the decades (even in their own) and with such a well rounded and developed body of works left behind for us to treasure it seems that individually each and every writer is able to take an aspect of theirs and make it their own in a sense keeping the music alive and continuing its growth as new styles emerge and grow in time.
I'm really impressed by this latest release and I'm hopeful that Nanachan won't give up her musical aspirations as she has really shown the type of quality and true artist that an idol can become with the right type of direction. She vanished for an entire year the last time...hopefully that won't happen again.

If you've been reading here for awhile then you're quite aware of how I from time to time obsess over Harukachan...it's a blatant weakness really! :P...she's just too adorable and how can one resist!! Well great news is that for the very first time (to my knowledge) she's set to appear in a drama that will air here in Hawaii!! XD Harukachan has an impressive t.v. resume behind her and she just about single handedly brought the gravure idol genre to stature as their #1 representative back in the late 90's. More Harukachan can be found here by searching under tags: suenaga haruka but for now here are some "new" scans that I just did from two issues of Pure Pure magazine which is a junior idol mook. I've actually never  heard of this publication before and just the lure of Harukachan on these two covers was enough to ask Ohta for his assistance in acquiring these through Yahoo! Japan Auctions. The original owner kept these in really great shape..haha and I just creased their spines on the scanner! :P Not even the trading card pouches were open which is quite remarkable considering these were published way back in 2002 just as Harukachan was preparing to make the move from gravure to actress. And check out the on the far right side of the August 2002 issue...it's Inoue Maochan! LOL she looks so tiny here!


But before the rest of the scans here's a brief synopsis of the two part drama series that will air here in Hawaii titled "Freezing Point" ("Hyoten"). Airing times are Sunday September 21st & 28th at 9:00 p.m. on the KIKU channel. The entire broadcast is subtitled in English. The following synopsis is from Kokiku magazine, a monthly publication aimed at Japanese t.v. and culture especially produced for Hawaii. The original version of "Hyoten" was broadcast in January of 1966 by TV Asahi and it starred Aratama Michiyo and Naito Yoko and is noted as having been a success.

"New Years of 1966, Yoko (Suenaga Haruka) finds out that she's really the daughter of the man who had killed her older sister. She tries to poison herself on the river bank early in the morning, but her older brother Toru (Tegoshi Yuya) finds her lying in the snow and she is saved. Regaining consciousness, Yoko learns a brutal truth. Her biological mother's name is Mitsui Keiko. While her husband  was off fighting a war, she became pregnant while seeing another man. That child was Yoko. Told the truth, Yoko is further burdened with a sense of guilt resulting from her shady origin. In the past, she had dreamed of a normal marriage send-off with the blessing of her family, but things had changed in her ever since she attempted suicide and learning of her origin. Now her immediate goal becomes to get a college education and she burns the midnight oil to study hard and passes the Hokkaido University entrance exam. At college, she becomes close friends with Aizawa Junko. During the summer, Junko visits the Tsujiguchi's and becomes pale when she hears about Ruriko's death and the name of the murderer."

Otanoshimi!! Sounds dark and emotion filled but really the reason why I'll be watching is Harukachan. :) I just purchased a new DVD recorder for the t.v. just in time so I'm all set. XD I've never seen Harukachan in a dramatic role so this will be great I know! These first set of scans including the one above are from the August 2002 issue: So kawaii!!♥♥♥ A little add was in one of these issues too for an event promoting her oh so cute idol DVD. "Beach" is cute too!


And these scans are from the February 2002 issue: Harukachan is so perfectly beautiful!! Doesn't she just melt you! ♥♥♥♥ Sometimes she has the uncanny ability to look so much younger too as seen in some of these shots despite them all being taken at the same time period. It has a lot to do with her hair styling I think...the free flowing look in many of the previous shots above this scan makes her look so much more mature in a way. So beautiful! I sound like a broken record I know! :P かわいい！！XD