Actress Aoi Yui is the voice behind the mysterious "Ikechan" in the movie adaption of Saibara Rieko's picture book "Ikechan to Boku". This creature kindly watches over the protagonist Yoshio and during his growth, it more and more adapts the characteristics of a girl. Oricon did an interview with Aoi to see how she things about her role, as a woman and as a an actress.

"Saibara's drawings, letters and story, you can't leave out any of the 3."

--- What was your reaction when you got the offer to voice "Ikechan"?

I was surprised about a lot of things. Up to now I played boys or girls, often not even close to my age, but this time it's a person that can't really be called a person. First of all I was surprised about the visuals of Ikechan, it's a thing that can't be grasped at all and I though, "I'm supposed to voice this?" I think it's an interesting experiment to turn a Saibara picture book into a live-action movie. That's one reason why I immediately wanted to do it and I felt very honored and happy that they want to entrust such an importent character to me.

--- What were your impressions when you read the original picture book?

I decided to do the role of "Ikechan" after I read the book. Many thoughts came to my mind while reading it, "What kind of voice would it have? How does it move? How will they realise it in the movie?" I got excited by all the hows?.

--- What did you think when reading the script?

That the phrases would be in a typical printed type. I was glad that they used some of the original expressions of Saibara. There were some phrases children don't use anymore today, so I was looking forward how they are going to act. Children can have some very interesting and amusing ways of talking and this work did a perfect job of catching those expressions.

Saibara's drawings, letters and story, I don't think it's good to leave out any of the 3 in the world of "Ikechan to Boku". The drawings and the letters would disappear in a movie adaption and all that is left is the story. How can you compensate the loss of those 2 important factors? It was very interesting how the director managed to replace the letters with amusing expressions of the chidren.

"I waited until I heard the voice of 'Ikechan' in my head."

--- How did you come up with the voice of "Ikechan"?

I watched it time and time again and waited until I heard the voice of "Ikechan" in my head. When I was reading the script, I already thought about a lot of things like the voice of "Ikechan". I went to the director, did the voice that was in my head and asked, "Is this the right tone?" He answered, "That's it!"

--- What was the voice like that you said to have heard inside your head?

It was a soft voice. However, I was very anxious about whether I would be able to put this voice into practice. I had to be careful about any tiny variation in my voice.

--- What was the most difficult thing while playing as "Ikechan"?

"Ikechan" is something that can only be seen by the protagonist Yoshio. There are times when they directly communicate with each other, but there are also times when they are physically far away from each other, but still connected to each other with their minds. It was very difficult to balance the volume of the voice according to those situations. I've never experienced something similar to that before. There wasn't a scene that was particularly difficult or easy to do. One thing that was very difficult was to get into the very last words of "Ikechan". They are one of the most important lines of the whole movie and I had the responsibility to handle them with great care.

--- What kind of relationship do "Ikechan" and Yoshio have?

Whether it can be seen or not, I think it's wonderful when 2 people have a relationship where no other person can fit in. They give each other strength. In the original picture book it's almost like a love story. I'm not good with love things or fantasy, but they had such a strength and such honest and great conversations! People with dreams, especially children should watch this, but for me I wish that many women will go and watch this movie. I think it's able to reach the heart of everyone women who experienced love at least once in her life. It's a really beautiful love the of them have. On the whole it's a movie that draws a very deep love.

--- At the end, could you please tell us your impressions after watching the complete movie?

When I was watching the movie, I think that the person next to me saw a much deeper meaning to it than myself. I'm not saying that I know this person's past, but to me it seemed like that she saw that boyfriend she had in her past. People with such a past relationship should be able to have much deeper feelings when watching this movie. I also would like you to focus on the relationship between Yoshio and his friend Misako. However, the biggest reason why I like this movie so much is the mysterious and extraordinary feelings that surrounds "Ikechan" itself.

---
Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: Oricon
Please don't post this translation anywhere else!

I'll post a few rankings from sites like Oricon that got published over the past few weeks. I won't go into too much details and simply post the rankings with maybe 1 short comment from one of the people who took the survey (if available). Enjoy! (or not..) ^^

-

By which celebrity would you like to get woken up?
[456 unmarried men and women between 20 and 40]

- 01 - Nakama Yukie
- 02 - Aragaki Yui
- 02 - Ueto Aya
- 02 - Ayase Haruka
- 02 - Horikita Maki (yes, they really all are on 2nd place)
- 06 - Wada Akiko
[Wada Akiko only got voted, because people would have no choice but to wake up.. she might even scream at you!]

-

Whose female celebrity hairdo would you like to copy?
[500 women from senior high school students to women in their 40's]

- 01 - Ueto Aya
["Medium-length hair is so pretty. I want the same one as her!"]
- 02 - Kimura Kaela
["It's always creative, stylish and pretty."]
- 03 - Horikita Maki
["Short hair suits her a lot, it's easy and pretty."]
- 04 - Amuro Namie
["It's always easy and not easy to copy, I'd really like to have the same hairdo as her."]
- 05 - Toda Erika
["It's casual and adult-like, fluffy and very pretty."]
- 06 - YOU
["Her hair is always fluffy and has this natural volume, it's simply beautiful."]
- 07 - Yonekura Ryoko
["It's adult-like and very elegant."]
- 08 - Miyazaki Aoi
["I want to have a fluffy and soft athmosphere like Aoi-chan!"]
- 09 - Shibasaki Kou
["Her suits everything! I personally like dyed hair."]
- 10 - Hamasaki Ayumi
["She's stylish and pretty! I want to have the same charisma as her."]

-

Top 10 of "black hair beauties"
[1000 men and women from senior high school students to people in their 40's]

- 01 - Nakama Yukie
["I'm envious of her always glossy and long black hair!"]
- 02 - Kuroki Meisa
["She looks so noble, black hair and a small face is a perfect match."]
- 03 - Koyuki
["She looks pretty with her snow-white skin and black hair."]
- 04 - Kuroki Hitomi
["Her deep black hair is so beautiful and she always looks so youthful."]
- 05 - Aragaki Yui
["She always looks so pretty when she waves her black hair."]
- 06 - Kuriyama Chiaki
["Her unique bangs and silky black hair suit her perfectly."]
- 07 - Kashii Yuu
["She seems like a woman who perfectly displays the feminine virtues of old Japan."]
- 08 - Miyazaki Aoi
["It's only my impression from 'Atsuhime', but black hair suits her a lot."]
- 09 - Aoi Yuu
["She's like the representative of the typical beautiful Japanese person."]
- 10 - Nakashima Mika
["Her black her is pretty and it supports her image."]

-

"Gold-Ratio Faces," the perfectly balanced faces
[1033 men and women who are in their 20's or 30's.]

---Overall (Men&Woman votes combined)
- 01 - Kashii Yuu
- 02 - Fujiwara Norika
- 03 - Matsushima Nanako
- 04 - Aragaki Yui
- 05 - Shibasaki Kou

---Men voters only
- 01 - Aragaki Yui
- 02 - Ueto Aya
- 03 - Fujiwara Norika
- 04 - Hirosue Ryoko
- 05 - Horikita Maki

---Women voters only
- 01 - Kashii Yuu
- 02 - Fujiwara Norika
- 03 - Shibasaki Kou
- 04 - Matsushima Nanako
- 05 - Miyazawa Rie

---
Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: Oricon.. and others
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A full trailer for live-action adaption of "Ikechan to Boku" with Aoi Yuu who voices that mysterious little blob has finally been released. It's an adaption of Saibara Rieko's metaphorical 2006 picture book about a boy's relationship with his mother.

Except for the little trailer introduction, you won't be able to see her in person throughout the whole movie. However, it still looks great and Aoi Yuu's voice is beautiful all by itself. The film will be released in Japan on June 20, 2009.

Plot: For as long as he can remember, Toshio (Fukazawa Arashi Fukazawa) has had a mysterious blob-like companion named Ikechan (voiced by popular actress Aoi Yuu) watching over him. When Ikechan is happy, she multiples; when she's troubled, she shrinks; and when he becomes friendly with girls she turns red and starts getting angry. Throughout their time together Ikechan sticks up for Toshio when he's bullied, and the two of them fight when she becomes too smothering for his liking. Then one day when Toshio is older and has experienced his first love, Ikechan vanishes from his sight.




---
Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com
Source: NipponCinema (also copied the plot from there)
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Actress Aoi Yuu (23) now had to try herself at surfing for the first time. In the new commercial for Kirin's "Kirin Afternoon Black Tea" we will be able to see how she can ride the waves, or not.

The commercial shows an Aoi Yuu who tries very hard to ride the waves, but she falls from the surfboard all the time. Even though she doesn't seem to able to ride the waves properly, she's still having a lot of fun with the challenge itself. She hangs in there, stays positive and asks her own body, "What do you need right now?" After that she comes back on the beach and drinks up one bottle of the delicious "Afternoon Black Tea".

The filming was done in Okinawa and thanks to Aoi's hard practice prior to the filming, she was able to really surprise the staff with her abilities and fitness. "We were done so fast...", they were astonished. That impressive surfing scene is a must-see for anyone!

The commercial will go on-air nationwide on the 18th.

Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com / Source: Sanspo
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Actress Fujitani Ayako will attend the public opening of the movie "Tokyo!" at Landmark's Nuart Theater in West Los Angeles on Friday, March 20th.

Three directors, Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-ho, come together in this omnibus movie which examines the nature of the Japanese metropolis of Tokyo and how it's constantly shaped by its densely-packed population.

Fujitani stars in Michel Gondry's segment called "Interior Design" in where she finds herself transforming into a piece of furniture. She is actually the daughter of Steven Seagal, but that shouldn't keep you from checking out the movie when it opens in the US on the 20th.

Keep on reading for a detailled description of the movie and the US trailer.


In Michel Gondry's segment, "Interior Design", Hiroko (Fujitani Ayako) and her boyfriend Akira (Kase Ryo) arrive in Tokyo with very little money. Akira is a film director whose first feature film is set to debut in the city in the near future. Until then, they find temporary housing with an old school friend named Akemi (Ito Ayumi) and her boyfriend while Hiroko spends her days hunting for affordable apartments. After Akira's film screens to dubious acclaim, one of the moviegoers strikes up a conversation with Hiroko and casually mentions that relationships between two creative people often result in one of them feeling useless or ignored. Hiroko totally understands this phenomenon, and when she begins questioning her position in the relationship she goes through a surreal transformation of self-discovery.

In Léos Carax's "Merde" ("shit" in French), Denis Lavant plays a bizarre subterranean man dwelling in the Tokyo sewers who rises up from his underground lair only to steal people's cigarettes, lick horrified schoolgirls, and frighten old ladies. A media frenzy ensues, as the public can't seem to get enough of the man's salacious antics. After stumbling upon an underground cache of hand grenades, Merde begins tossing them at passersby, creating an atmosphere of sheer urban terror that the media continues to relish tremendously. A French magistrate named Maître Voland (Jean-François Balmer) soon arrives for Merde's subsquent criminal trial, claiming to be the only man who can understand his strange language. The media circus continues as Merde's new representative attempts to defend his client. The court and public both want a quick, decisive resolution, and they get one—Merde is sentenced to death. But justice takes an unexpected turn.

In Joon-ho Bong's segment, "Shaking Tokyo", Kagawa Teruyuki stars as a hikikomori (shut-in) who has not left the confines of his apartment for a decade. His only link to the outside world is his telephone, which he uses to order everything he needs—evidenced by the hundreds of pizza boxes he has meticulously stacked in his apartment. One day his routine is suddenly interrupted when a beautiful young delivery woman (Aoi Yuu) arrives with his pizza moments before an earthquake strikes, causing her to faint. As he struggles to figure out what to do, he somehow manages to fall in love with her. However, when the next pizza arrives, a different delivery person informs him that the object of his affection has since become a hikikomori herself. Working up all the courage he can muster, the man ventures out into the real world to find her. Then, at the precise moment they’re reunited, another earthquake strikes.

The English trailer:


Source: Nippon Cinema
Written by jyoyu.blogspot.com

Here some movies to look out for in cinemas in March.
There are no interesting Japanese DVD releases in March as far as I know.

March 7, 2009
The Glorious Team Batista 2:
The Triumphal Return of General Rouge

In this sequel to 2008 hit, "The Glorious Team Batista", Taguchi (Takeuchi Yuko) and Shiratori (Hiroshi Abe) return to investigate the suspicious connection between a charismatic emergency physician (Masato Sakai) and a medical manufacturer which loses its top executive to suicide as soon as the investigation begins.



March 7, 2009
Yatterman

A live action feature based on the classic Tatsunoko cartoon series. A trio of baddies (with female boss Fukada Kyoko) search for a stone that has the power to reveal the largest veins of gold on Earth, but are constantly thwarted by the "Yatterman" (including Fukuda Saki) duo. Also of interest is the cute young actress Okamoto Anri.



March 14, 2009
Koikyokusei (Days With You)

Toda Erika plays Natsuki, a young girl living in Hokkaido who takes care of her autistic younger brother. One day she is reunited with a childhood love named Souta (Kazuki Kato), whom she hasn’t seen since he moved to Canada 11 years earlier. He moved back to Japan 4 years ago, but chose to go to a university in Tokyo, causing Natsuki to feel somewhat betrayed and disappointed. Due to the heavy responsibility on Natsuki’s shoulders, she hasn’t experienced much happiness since the death of her father, but Souta’s kindness gradually brings a smile back to her face. They finally plan a date, but for some reason Souta doesn’t show up at the agreed time. Eventually she’s made aware of a terrible twist of fate that could interrupt the reunited couple’s happiness.



March 14, 2009
Honokaa Boy

A love-scorned college student (Masaki Okada) travels to Hawaii and meets various people who have an impact on him, not the least of which being an older woman whom he falls in love with (Hasegawa Jun). Aoi Yuu is also appearing in a side role.



March 20, 2009
Fish Story

Based on a novel by Kotaro Isaka, ‘Fish Story’ weaves together several seemingly separate storylines taking place at different points in time over a 37-year span to explain how a little-known punk rock song can save the world. Yoshihiro Nakamura (The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker, The Glorious Team Batista) directs.
In 1975, an unpopular Japanese punk band called “Gekirin” (Imperial Wrath) starts work on their 3rd album. Unfortunately the band is a little ahead of its time; punk won’t be marketable until the Sex Pistols debut in the UK the following year. Due to nonexistent sales, their record company decides to drop them and they break up soon after recording their final song: “Fish Story”.
In 1982 a timid college student named Masashi (Gaku Hamada) becomes fascinated by strange rumors surrounding the song. Apparently, at a certain point in the recording there is a brief interlude where you can hear a woman scream. Later, he meets a mysterious woman at a party who inexplicably predicts that he will save the world one day.
In 2009 a teenager named Asami (Tabe Mikako) falls asleep during a school field trip and gets left behind on a boat. Initially distraught, she’s eventually consoled by a kindly cook. Suddenly, men with guns storm in and attempt a boat-jacking.
In 2012 a huge comet can be seen in the sky on a path to destroy Earth. The US has failed in their attempt to blow it up and with only 5 hours left before impact, all major city streets are completely abandoned. That is, except for one record store that continues business as usual. Within the store, “Fish Story” can be heard playing on an old turntable.
Every previously unconnected event is eventually tied together as a song that transcends time and space somehow manages to change the fate of the world.



March 20, 2009
Dance, Subaru!

Subaru (Kuroki Meisa) and her twin brother Kazuma dream of someday becoming ballet dancers, but are consistently discouraged by their dad. When Kazuma dies of a hereditary illness, Subaru focuses all her effort on dance on his behalf. One day she meets a cabaret owner named Isuzu (Kaori Momoi) who notices Subaru’s raw talent and offers to train her. She’s a quick learner, and soon decides to step her goals up a notch by entering an international dance competition that could net her a scholarship to one of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world. The road is not an easy one, as Subaru is forced to deal with rivalries, betrayal, and other hardships along the way. Ultimately, the experience teaches her and her friends more about themselves, and life in general.



March 20, 2009
Tsurikichi Sanpei

In this live-action adaptation of Takao Yaguchi’s classic fishing manga, Kenta Suga stars as Sanpei Mihira, the young boy with a knack for angling. Filling out the other main roles are Tsunehiko Watase as Ippei Mihira, Takashi Tsukamoto as pro fisherman Gyoshin Ayukawa, and Kashii Yu as Mihira Aiko.

The 32nd Japan Academy Awards have just been held in Japan today and a few days before Oricon took the opportunity to make a survey about what movies people would like to see again and which actors/actresses are favored on the big screen.

The popularity of Japanese movies really reached record highs over the recent years. Deep stories and unique outlooks on the world are what made them winning candidates in film festivals like Cannes. Even Hollywood can't turn their eyes away and try to remake many of the Japanese originals. The Japanese Academy Awards exist to pick out the most shining gems out of this flood of amazing movies. We took the chance and asked you people what movies that ever won one of the awards you would like to see in the cinemas once more. Apart from that we also wanted to know which actors and actress you like to see in movies the most.

Award-winning movies that you would like to see again

1. Spirited Away (25th Academy Awards)
2. Princess Mononoke (21st Academy Awards)
3. Always: Sunset on Third Street (30th Academy Awards)
4. Hula Girls (30th Academy Awards)
5. Tokyo Tower (31st Academy Awards)
6. Shall we DANCE? (20th Academy Awards)
7. A Taxing Woman (11th Academy Awards)
8. Poppoya (23rd Academy Awards)
9. The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness (01st Academy Awards)
10. Kamata March (06th Academy Awards)

Actors you would like to see in movies from now on
Their performances in doramas really influenced the ranking.

1. Matsuyama Kenichi
2. Eita
3. Miura Haruma
4. Fukuyama Masaharu
5. Mizushima Hiro

Actresses you would like to see in movies from now on
Both their acting abilities and originality are what important for actresses.

1. Miyazaki Aoi
2. Ueno Juri
3. Toda Erika
4. Aoi Yuu
5. Sawajiri Erika

The actresses elected for the top5 are all already active in movies and doramas. They are all young shining stars with a great variety in their personalities.
It's no surprise that Miyazaki Aoi took the 1st place. There's currently no actress as popular as her thanks to her starring role in the historical dorama "Atsuhime". She's currently in the cinemas with her movie "Shonen Meriken Sakku" and fans want to see more of her. "She's a great actress and while seeing her on TV is already a pleasure, I'd like to see her in more movies, too."
In 2nd place comes Ueno Juri who is liked for her superb performances in comedic roles. She became popular with her roles in the movie "Swing Girls" and the dorama "Nodame Cantabile".
Toda Erika on the 3rd place is able to pull off many different characters from Misa in "Death Note" to a newbie doctor in the dorama "Code Blue".
Aoi Yuu is just as able to pull off various roles and can easily make any movie, any dorama and any story so interesting that it is almost a crime to miss any of her performances.
On 5th place we have Sawajiri Erika who recently made more headlines with her marriage and studies abroad than with roles in movies or doramas, but there still is a very high demand for her acting abilities. "I want her to make a comeback soon!!" - That is the general opinion of movie and dorama fans alike.

If there is one thing we can say for sure, then it's that Japan is (still) looking into a very bright future when it comes to movies and the talents who act in them. The people who will benefit from that are us, the moviegoers.

Written by: jyoyu.blogspot.com / Source: Oricon
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Here now all the pictures from the "Pretty Style" magazine.
The main set is by actress and model Aoi Yuu.

Also on the pictures are (in order of the pages)
- Ueto Aya (actress, singer, idol, personality),
- Yoshitaka Yuriko (actress),
- Kobayashi Ryoko (model, actress),
- Minami Akina (personality, model, gravure idol, actress),
- Ifu Sarasa (singer, songwriter),
- Horikita Maki (actress),
- alan (singer),
- Suzanne (personality, singer),
- Kutsuna Shiori (idol, actress),
- Kaho (idol, actress, model) and
- Eikura Nana (model, actress).