Japan On Heartwarming 2011 World Cup Run

One of the cool things about international sporting events is that it can sometimes help you forget some of the real life drama you're facing in your own lives, if just for that one fleeting moment.

The nation of Japan has had one jacked up 2011 so far to say the least.   Besides a 9.0 quake, the tsunami that is estimated to have killed 10,000 people and the Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown that occurred in the wake of the first two disasters, the citizens of that nation are probably looking for some positive news to savor.

It may be happening courtesy of the FIFA world number 4 ranked women's soccer team.

Japan has clinched a spot in the quarterfinals for the second time in its FIFA Women's World Cup history after beating New Zealand 2-1 in their opening Group B match and putting a 4-0 beatdown on Mexico earlier today powered by team captain Homare Sawa's hat trick

Japan can clinch the group with a win or draw with the Three Lionesses of England, and the scary part is their coach Norio Sasaki says that his team is only operating at 60% efficiency. 

"It's an honor to be counted among the contenders for the final winner, but we need to go step by step," said coach Sasaki. "We are continuously improving. It's an ongoing process and we would like to get even better."

If that's 60% efficiency, I'd hate to see Nadeshiko Japan at 100% efficiency.

We still have a few weeks yet to go until this event concludes, but so far it looks like a feel good story is developing at the 2011 Women's World Cup involving the ladies from Japan..  

New Trans Themed Japanese Anime Series Wandering Son

During my time in Da Ville, one of the things I discovered about my roomie Dawn was that she is a huge anime fan.

She got me hooked on one I adore and still spend hours watching called You're Under Arrest, which has a trans cop character by the name of Sgt. Aoi Futaba in it.

Dawn sent me a link a few days ago to another anime from Japanese television called Hourou Musuko or Wandering Son that is creating a buzz among the anime fans in transworld because of the trans theme coursing through it.  

The anime deals with transteens grappling not only with the issues transsexuality brings on, but issues related to gender identity and puberty as well.    .

It aired twelve episodes from January to April 2011 and is based on a manga written by Takako Shimura that chronicles the story of two characters who meet in fifth grade and become friends.   One is a young natal boy headed in the trans feminine direction named Shuichi Nitori who wants to be a girl.   His friend Yoshino Takatsuki is headed in the trans masculine direction as a natal girl who wants to be a boy.


Here's a fan subbed and dubbed trailer for Wandering Son..





Based on the descriptions, am definitely interested in watching it here at this website and seeing just how accurately the trans theme is depicted in the Wandering Son characters.

Close Your Eyes And Hold Me

I recently stumbled across a movie that I'm planning to add to my DVD collection that was called Japan's The Crying Game.   It was also a 1997 selection of the Palms Springs International Film Festival

It's the 1996 Itsimuchi Isomura film entitled Me Wo Tojite Daite in Japanese.   It's known as Close Your Eyes And Hold Me in English and stars Kumiko Takeda, Kazuya Takahashi and Natsue Yoshimura.

The movie focuses on office worker Amane who has a good job and a steady girlfriend in Juri.   His predictably pedestrian work and personal life is turned upside down by accidentally running over a beautiful but mysterious stranger while fumbling around reaching for his cell phone while driving  .  

Amane is remorseful and apologetic about the accident as he vists her in the hospital.  He takes responsibility for her injuries and promises to do anything for her, but she refuses compensation and disappears. 

Concerned about how she's doing, he becomes obsessed with the beautiful stranger and tracks Hanabusa down to the night club where she works as a hostess.   Amane enters and is surprised to discover it's a night club in which the elegant and graceful hostesses working there are all trans women.   He sees her on stage singing, and curiosity about Hanabusa leads to conversation and a triangular relationship that will eventually involve Juri and impact all their lives.

If you're at work, may want to wait until you get home before you run that trailer





Let's just say the movie gets interesting   Script was obviously written by a cis person, because no trans woman no matter what her genital configuration refers to herself as a man.   Hanabusa is played by survey says, cis woman Kumiko Takeda, who lets be real, does have it going on in the beauty department. 

Unlike you Satoshi Kanazawa, I give credit where credit is due when it comes to beautiful women.  

But back to the post.   For the most part, Close Your Eyes And Hold Me lived up to its rep as the Far East version of The Crying Game.