Asian Beauty Appreciation

You know, the Asian Beauty Appreciation Blog started about 4 months ago. We’ve had a series of great contributions from a number of people that included photo books, favorite gravure idols, Japanese television dramatic series, movies, gorgeous Asian actresses and models, reviews of AV and IV DVD’s, as well as just some nice articles from folks who just wanted to bring someone or something in the news to your attention.

I think the blog has gotten off to a terrific start and I wanted to thank every one who has contributed as well as to scanlover for deciding to have a community blog. Read more…

I guess I saw Koyuki for the 1st of many times in The Last Samurai (2003). She had a key-role in the film as Taka, the widow of a warrior slain by Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise). In her role she spoke only Japanese, but it was her ethereal beauty, and her soulful eyes that captured my attention.

I’ve since watched this film again and again. The reality is that Koyuki was so mesmerizing, that I’ve wanted to see her in other roles. I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve been able to see Koyuki in a good number of Television drama series. Read more…

Remember Yuka, or was it Yuuka? Maybe you called her Yu-ka? However her name appeared in print, she was unforgettable. Her series of gravure videos back in 1998 and 1999: Breath, to, and be, became instant classic collectors’ items.

And if you look closely  on the cdjapan page for each of these DVDs, you will see that on each of the DVD covers, her name appears as Yu-ka. Despite this, cdjapan lists her as Yuuka. And as you will see, her name has undergone yet another change.

She took leave of the gravure world after her Yuuka DVD in 2002, and headed for TV, print ads, and movies. She got work, and was never forgotten, but she was no longer a headliner.

Read more…

Mayuka Okada – Pai Pressure
Saibunkan
Catalog # Saibunkan-47

If you’ve seen the new video Pai Pressure, featuring big bust Gravure idol Mayuka Okada, then you know what I’m talking about. This is not going to be a full scale review. Instead I will talk about just one scene, which we will call A Day at the Beach.

So Okada-san and the crew from Saibunkan set up for a beach shoot at the JWB Resort in Cebu, Phillipines. Okada was wearing a standard tiny bikini; small on top but covering at least half of her breasts. The bottoms displayed the T-back effect in back, while being a bit more normal in front. Definitely this would be a woman you would notice and remember if you crossed paths on the beach – no matter how small her bikini might be. Read more…

Years back, okay – a little more than 9 years ago when we were in the previous century, they were called stewardesses, then the term flight attendants came into vogue as a way to describe the job. Nowadays, at least in what you might see in a Japanese tv series or movie, or even in a Hong Kong film, the job title has been modified yet again. We are now in the era of Cabin Attendants.

It is a popular job. Or so they want us to think. So much so, that they (the suits that make the decisions on what movies to produce and what TV series to broadcast) regularly trot out a tv series or romantic comedies for the movies featuring cute and pretty actresses as CA’s. Let’s have a look at some of them.

Our first title is called Flying Rabbits (2008). The leading role, Yukari, is played by the popular and very cute Satomi Ishihara. This was a movie about Yukari serving in two distinct spheres. Read more…

Isn’t she lovely?
Isn’t she wonderful?
Isn’t she precious?
Less than one minute old.
I never thought through love we’d be
Making one as lovely as she…
But isn’t she lovely made from love

Singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder wrote these words for the song, Isn’t She Lovely for his 1976 album, Songs In the Key of Life. He was celebrating the birth of his daughter Aisha. But here we are going to take a look at Japanese beauty Yui Aragaki and her recent award winning acting performance. While Yui is not my newborn daughter, for me, she is just a little more than a few days old as I had just started watching her in the J-TV Series Smile last week.

Read more…

Imagine a story about a pro basketball player who lacks confidence despite being paid to play ball, and being involved with a few pretty awesome women. There’s your one sentence intro to the recent J-TV drama series, Buzzer Beat. 

Naoki Kamiya is played by Tomohisa Yamashita. He is not just an actor who looks good in a B-ball uniform. He really CAN play. As the story begins, in a pressure-packed clutch situation, we see him clanking a much needed foul shot off the rim, and as a result, his team, the JC Arcs bows out of the playoffs and the season ends.

Read more…

According to multiple  news reports, and many media outlets, actress Erica Sawajiri has lost the leading lady role in a 2010 blockbuster movie called Space Battleship Yamamoto. Sawajiri, 23,  had originally beaten out Meisa Kuroki, 21, and other actresses for this role that would mark her comeback as an actress.

This film which was to have begun shooting next month, and was tentatively scheduled for release in December 2010, was rumored to be a very expensive production with an projected budget of around 1 billion JY. Read more…