Happy Birthday MIICHAN !!!

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Birthday wishes to Minami Minegishi  峯岸 みなみ, a.k.a. “Miichan” born November 15, 1992 in Tokyo. Japan is half a day ahead of me, so I want to be the first in my time zone to wish that little rascal a Happy Birthday. She has always been one of my favorites! She might not have her Uncle Denny’s eyes, but she has inherited my sharp, sarcastic sense of humor.  I could not be more proud of this effervescent young lady.

Remember her beautiful ballad from 2011? Please view “Watashi wa Watashi” in the optional HD.  It has an English translation.  It is very tender, and her gams are amazing. Miichan, don’t start crying, because then you will make me cry!

I know what y’all are thinking.  I never commented on that time that Miichan got in trouble in 2013.

MM broke the rules and spent the night with that dude that time.  Her mistake.  Her apology on the AKB Official Channel was worse than it needed to be.  She only had to say she was sorry for breaking the rules … shaving her head was her own idea. Look … I love Miichan. I will never post a photo of Miichan in that moment.  Instead please enjoy this slide show retrospective from better times.

The studio version of the song, with a montage of my young niece is linked here.

I think one of the reasons why she did it was because she has that acerbic – but funny – attitude of hers.  She has always been a “smarty pants” (American term), and sharply sarcastic wit. That she might “bite the hand that feeds her” (another American expression) would not be unexpected from Miichan. I think that is why she thought she could get away with it.

She was one of the founding members of AKB48, and I know that she is due to graduate soon.  She has the same sweet “baby face” today as she did in 2005.  Dynamite legs to boot.

Best Wishes Minegishi-san!  … because you can take it, I dedicate these sarcastic comments to you!

“Just because she spent the night at that guy’s apartment, does not mean that she had SEX with him… “

1.  “Maybe they just took turns taking tumble rides in the dryer.”

2.  “She’s a GIRL isn’t she? Maybe the man made her do a lot of ironing and it took longer than she thought.” 

3. “Two words:  Yahtzee Tournament!”

4.  “Maybe they spent the night going through catalogs looking for a birthday present for Mr. Akimoto!”

She was demoted, but why Miichan was not kicked out of the group, I do not know.  Maybe it is time to move on in her career. I would follow her solo career.

I always thought that she would be a good sitcom actor — maybe in America.  I would love to write a pilot for Miichan to star in an American sitcom.  I have this idea about a Japanese English-major exchange student who gets in all kinds of trouble due to hilarious cultural misunderstandings.  She would basically just play herself — sweet, funny and sarcastic. The audience would also be able to learn about many the fun and strange (to Americans) aspects of Japanese culture.  I will title it “Learning Engrish”.  Who should the American actors be?

Happy Birthday.  I bow respectfully to you, dear young lady.

“A Sense of Responsibility Changes a Woman”

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AKB48 music video “Ue Kara Mariko” featuring Mariko Shinoda! … linked here.

It will open in a new window, then you can enlarge it to full screen!   Alternateively you may just link to the JPopsuki site below!

http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/AKB48—Ue-Kara-Mariko-%2528eng-subbed%2529/290c201022d71531ed66ff67f38abd22

Oh those long Jpopsuki load times … but they have such great fansubs!

If you must use YouTube, here is the video. You can have CC for the song, but the “drama” is not subtitled.

The video is worth the trouble.  This JPopsuki fansub has the complete music video story.  There is an incomplete, un-subbed version on YouTube … but why on Earth would you want to go there?

Mariko Shinoda graduated from AKB in 2013, but she was long one of my favorites.  I was sorry to see her leave AKB, but I wish her well in her new “responsibilities” in the Japanese fashion industry.  Perhaps it was time, to graduate.  Shinoda-san was 27 when she graduated — which is fairly old to be a Japanese Idol.  What a charming beauty she was … and well, still is (see image gallery below).  Shinoda-san had a lot of style and grace.  Her dancing seemed effortless.  Like a cat always landing on her feet, she made it look easy.  She was also a good comedian, and I wish that the group would have taken advantage of her comedic talent.

Today, we will take a look back at this great music video, and also take a look at some of Mariko-san’s activities in the fashion world!

The song was written by Mr. Akimoto-san for Mariko.  It is another “boys perspective” song where the lyrics are about a guy singing to Mariko.  Oddly, Mariko is also singing part of the song.  So … she is singing to herself?  Make sense?

The video takes place at a private school “Aizawa Woman High School”.  Three students are bemoaning their bad luck, after finding out that each club’s leader must take part in a “Janken” (Rock/Paper/Scissors)  tournament, in order to select who will be the student council chairman (chair-girl?) .  Minami Minegishi (aka “Mii-chan”) steals the show here.  She tries to get one of her friends (Fujie and Kabayushi-san) to step forward and try to win the Janken tournament. Their  biology teacher Mariko Shinoda arrives, who they all admire, especially Fujie.  Side note: Mii-chan and Mariko are the same age, but Mii-chan is playing a school-girl and Mariko plays the teacher.  Mariko will mentor the shy, impressionable Fujie.

It is NOT going where you think it might at time 1:30.

The young women are surprised to find out that Mariko was a “nerd” in high school, yet blossomed into the teacher and professional model she is today.

To say that this music video is “leggy” would be an understatement.

Thanks go out to Musicsoloud.livejournal.com, HoneyRoastedPeanuts@Stage48.net, and Room560@youtube.com for translations and fan subs.  Arigatou gozaimasu!

About time she got her own magazine!

Always awarding.

Fly Mariko!

Mariko on the runway?

Nice Luggage.

Who is the lucky guy?

NHK Mariko

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It took two years  and nine months for this video’s starlight to reach my world.

For more Mariko please visit my Shinoda Pinterest board below!

(1980 joke reference.  “Dutta dutta dut dut — dut dut, dutta dut,  MY SHINODA!!!”)