My "Ace In The Hole"...The Battle Royale Ranker
I really don't have much of an idea what my family, friends and co-workers really think about my Hello! Project and J-pop hobby.
Well, actually I do have an idea. It's a wierd dynamic for a fan living in the west. For someone like me, H!P is such an "out of left field" thing to be into that is causes many curious reactions. When I bring my recent purchases to work with me, everyone seems to like the CD covers and especially the photobooks. There is no argument that these girls are extremely cute. The music itself is a much harder sell because of the language barrier. But the few people that have actually given the music a chance have all found something to like about it. However, getting someone else to really be "into it" is a much harder proposition. I have done my best to turn as many people as possible onto the J-music scene, with a few moderate successes.
One friend really liked v-u-den enough to want a CD, which I purchased for her.
Two of my family members at least occasionally read this blog. Not so much for the subject matter, but because they say they like my writing. At least that's good for my ego, although they may be a bit biased.
My biggest success is a friend who has become a fan of Ayaya. I turned her onto Matsuura Aya by showing her a recent Ayaya article I wrote, coupled with a viewing of Sukeban Deka (AKA Yo-Yo Girl Cop). She has now graduated to watching the latest Ayaya concert DVD, and unbelievably Pinch Runner (without the subs!).
But I've learned one universal truth, people dig violent action movies in any language! And the one DVD that seems to win everyone over is the Fukasaku Kinji classic, Battle Royale!
Now I'm not going to bore all of you with a full length review of this film as most of you who read my blog have probably already seen it. A bunch of kids get taken to an island and have to battle to the death.....it co-stars the girl who played Go-Go Yubari from Kill Bill and the dude from Most Extreme Elimination Challenge on Spike TV (Beat Takeshi).....Quentin Tarantino loves it.....The classroom scenes from the Hello! Project Mechaike specials were a total nod to the movie.....and so on and so forth. But the fact is every time I have shown this film to a group of people they all love it and many people end up buying their own copy. And I often get asked the question "Do you have any more movies like this?" This question opens the conversation to Yo-Yo Girl Cop, which most all of them really like as well.
It seems like most of my friends who have come this far are then a lot more open to sampling the music, watching the PV's and DVD's and looking at the Photobooks. And Battle Royale was the movie that originally spawned my interest in Japanese stuff which ultimately brought me to H!P. So I'm sure the same could happen for someone else. And I would be lying if I didn't admit my original motivation for watching BR was the "hot asian chicks in schoolgirl uniforms" factor. So with that in mind, here are my top ten favorite Battle Royale babes...
CK's Battle Royale Ranker
(your gateway to j-pop fandom!)
10) Girl #14 Mayumi Tendou (played by: Nomiyama Haruka) She's one of the first to get killed in the film. But the last time I watched it I finally noticed that she was really cute. And how funny is it that her death scene is like the old Steve Martin "arrow through the head" bit? I guess she's a "wild and crazy" gal!
9) Girl #11 Mitsuko Soma (Shibasaki Kou) Kou would probably have made it a lot higher on this list if it wasn't for the brutality of the character she played. You hate her through most of the film, and it isn't until she gets shot by Kiriyama (Ando Masanobu) that you finally begin to feel any sympathy for her.
8) Girl #6 Yukiko Kitano (Kanasawa Yukari) Ah, the girl who was secretly in love with Nanahara. I love how she gets jealous when Noriko gives Nanahara the cookies on the bus. Her death scene is hardcore, but she looks so cute in the preceding scene after she hears Nanahara screaming for her to run!
7) Girl #16 Nakagawa Yuka (Hanamura Satomi) She is in the film for about 90 seconds, but she looks and acts so cute right up until the point where the poison she ingests takes affect. And of course she ends up having one of the grossest death scenes in the movie.
6) Girl #10 Shimizu Hirono (Nagata Anna) I love that she sounds like Stevie Nicks when she's angry. And it was so hot hearing her scream at Mitsuko for having sex with her boyfriend. And as she's gotten older, she has gotten even hotter!
5) Girl # 13 Chigusa Takako (Kiriyama Chiaki) Damn she has the most penetrating eyes I have ever seen on a human being! She has a very unique look, and is quite beautiful. But that stare could cut glass! Do not piss this girl off. I can see what Tarantino saw in her!
4) Girl #4 Ogawa Sakura (Shimaki Tomomi) I found her to be one of the more feminine girls in the film. I really like her big moment when she throws the duffel bag at Kitano with tears in her eyes. I just wanted to hug her! She's petite and cute. And I felt so bad for her when she jumped off the cliff.
3) Girl #15 Nakagawa Noriko (Maeda Aki) The cute little bookworm. That's the real reason why all the other girls bullied her. They all knew she was the "princess" who could take all of their boyfriends away if she ever realized her beauty. Maeda Aki is absolutely adorable!
2) Girl #2 Utsumi Yukie (Ishikawa Eri) She is so great! First she has that cute scene with Nanahara in the lightouse when she nurses him back to health. Whe she confesses her crush on him and hides her face, I just melted. She then does an about-face and has an amazingly intense scene during the famous lighthouse shootout. And her last words are one of the greatest lines in the film..."We are such idiots, we might have all survived!"
And who tops my Battle Royale Ranker???
1) Training Video Girl (Miyamura Yuko) Of course the video girl is going to be my favorite! She is the one character who draws every viewer into this film. Her dialogue is great. Her delivery and expressions are hilarious. And she is so damn cute I can't stand it. When I first saw this movie I watched her scene over and over. I just couldn't get enough!
Training Video Girl For The Win!!!
You can find eyecandy in the strangest places.
CK in California
(credit to www.battleroyalefilm.net for much of the photo content in this article)
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