Apart from Polysics, this is my other favourite band. I listen to Polysics to get my heart pumping, and I listen to Choro Club to calm my nerves, like before the job interview :P

My cousins and I very briefly talked about Aria yesterday, and funnily Daim thought Aria was at the same comedic/moe level as Azumanga Daioh. I mentioned that if Aria was to be equated to a live action genre, it’d be like one of those whimsical and mysterious French films, only less melodramatic. Amidst the beautiful futuristic version of Venice lies many secrets, like a flying train only for invited guests at midnight, a huge alluring cat figure hiding in the shadows, etc. It’s like the magic that exists in the world in Professor Layton.

Choro Club helped bring out the storytelling and the sense of mystery and allure in Aria further with their unique style of instrumental music, inspired by the music roots of Rio de Janeiro. There’s Sawada-san with the contrabass, Akioka-san with the bandolim and Sasago-san with the acoustic guitar. You might not have heard of them, but they’re pretty popular among the underground circles in Brazil and Europe. To date, they have produced around 20 CD albums.

Thanks to their artistic presence, they’ve been performing in classical concert halls, art museums, botanical gardens and jazz fests around the world. Always wanted to attend their performances, but the entrance fees were expensive TT_TT

They recently performed in Shangri-La Osaka last October. Someone managed to capture the moment and put it up on YouTube. Bask in the romance that has wooed fans throughout the world.

Hope the salary of my next job will get me into one of their live performances. One day!

I was watching the raws of Cross Game last night (couldn’t wait for the subs) and out came the drawing song of Nomo, the cute little cat of the Tsukishima family.

Thought it was smart coz the lyrics described a baseball match which follows the show’s premise.

I only saw the Japanese version in YouTube, so I took the liberty of ripping that, reuploading it to my own account and adding little subs of my own :) Hope they’re accurate. Enjoy!

(This beautiful wallpaper is courtesy of Mimi-na)

Recently my cousins and I were discussing about Disney princesses. Yes we talk about girls of all formats! Nothing like a bunch of macho guys talking about Disney princesses amirite.

A little trivia: Did you know that I watched Tarzan more than 10 times in the cinema? Don’t ask.

To satisfy my curiousity even further *ahem*, I went to Google Image Search with Safesearch off YouTube to check out some clips. Really brings back a lot of memories. Getting past the horribly mushy self-made music videos which I can’t stand watching 5 seconds of, I came across official Disney japanese dub clips.

Let’s watch them while reminiscing on Disney’s magic and wonderfully smooth animation.

The Little Mermaid. I know, should put the signature song Under the Sea. But Ariel’s japanese voice sounds great! … Sure

Beauty and the Beast. It doesn’t feel as magical as the English version though.

Aladdin. I’d say this is pretty well done! Aiyoh tarik bawah sikit…

The Lion King. A bit rushed rite the lyrics lol. Do note that some of these videos don’t have movie dialogue as the song was extracted from the soundtrack CD.

Pocahontas. Quite ngam!

The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Wow I quite like Quasimodo’s voice in this one! And even in the original it really feels like an intro to a musical. Charming!

Hercules. Dare ga ichiban tsuyoi? Herakuresu! Yes hontou! Too bad the sound effects were not there (again extracted from soundtrack CD). For Megara fans (me), watch this one!

Mulan. I’m guessing Mandarin would be more suitable for this :P

Tarzan. Surprise! It’s the Malay version, simply coz Zainal Abidin rox.

I watched the bonus materials on Daim’s Prince of Egypt DVD and saw the multilanguage version of When You Believe. Epic and inspirational! And I know it’s not Disney k!

Ok so it’s another YouTube-ridden blog post. Sue me.

Kodomo no Jikan has sparked controversy in some parts of the world. Usually judged by its so-called “child softporn” surface, it’s a comedy drama about how a kintergarden teacher deals with children that have really serious household and personal issues. Kinda like GTO, but with children.

Yes I watch the show too. I watch it for its unique approach to child psychology. Really! Why won’t you believe me?!

Anyway, the first TV season had a really cute ending sequence, to which many fans followed up with many fanvids. Hanamaru Sensation by Little Non. That was back in 2007:

Now let’s rewind back to 2000 and listen to Offspring’s One Fine Day:

So Little Non, is this… coincidence? Borrowing a note or two, or a hundred maybe? Who knows. Regardless, I still like both singers (yes I like Offspring songs, u know!).

Little Non started off from singing in parks to having albums and singing official soundtracks, so she deserves my respect. And I love her latest song for Kodomo no Jikan 2nd season, so all is well!

Expect more NicoNico fanvids for this one. Getsu Ka Sui Moku Kin Do Nichi!