Dai Hirai(平井大) - Wave on Waves Album Thoughts(J-acustic/pop)

    Dai Hirai is a singer that's music appeared to me on Youtube one day. I have a sometime(ish) kind of relationship with his music. He's only released one single during his career and he has a number of albums that seem to garner more and more popularity for the singer as they're released in Japan. His musical style also went from pop Reggie to a pop acoustic sound after his 2016 album: Life is Beautiful. Wave on Waves is the singer's newest album.

Tracklist:

01. SONG FOR TWO
02. RIDE THE WAVES
03. hajimari no uta (はじまりの歌)
04. MyLove
05. I SHOT THE SHERIFF
06. SOUNDS LIKE A LOVE SONG
07. BEAUTIFUL LANE
08. MyFam
09. FAMILY SONG
10. hajimari no uta with Hakase Tarou (はじまりの歌 with 葉加瀬太郎)  



   One reason that I have a love/hate relationship with Dai Hirai is that his music doesn't always give me what I crave from him. Dan's background has him coming from Hawaii so you can assume that dude is chill as hell. The music that comes from him is the same way but I didn't care for his earlier style of  ocean wave reggie because it wasn't strong enough to stand out to me. Now that he's older, he lost the youthful image of long dreadlocks along with the tropical beach style. Each album shows growth in a more solid direction of musical vision for Dai Hirai. He can speak English fluently… probably even better than he speaks Japanese, However, lyrical content in his songs have slowly mastered his craft of mixing the two languages together. Both languages actually form a complete thought using Japanese and English combine in his new songs over the last three albums. Wave on Waves is just an expansion on his acoustic guitar sound that seems to fit the singer like a three week old pair of pants. Song for Two contributes to the popular dance pop music thats popular right now in Japan. It's a track that might grow on me later on. I think that I enjoyed the song more accompanied by the music video. By itself, the track is a sugary pop number based a little too much on bubble gum music. A lot of the album is a mixture of pop and ukulele harmonizing off of each other. Beautiful Lane was a bit of the sound that I wished to hear from Dai. It's a med tempo pop track that brings out his vocals in a smooth emotional way. My Love basically sets Dai's place as the Jason Mraz of Japan, very cute but so fun that it's catchy. Hajimari no uta (はじまりの歌) was the stand out track of all on Wave on Waves. This track was the track used from promotions for the album as well. I couldn't agree more with the decision since this song might be one of the best songs that he has ever released. Life is Beautiful comes in a close second in my opinion. There's a second version of the track with Hakase Tarou who is a violinist. I loved the song even more because the second version added a new take on the original. Just Dai playing the guitar accompanied next to that drum rhythm beat really made the magic happen for the singer. Wave on Waves is Dai coming more into a mature version of himself as an artist.

   Dai Hirai has an easy going voice. Not too much or too little comes from his vocal ability. He sings in a chill manner without worry about the world around him. I look for him to give me more in his singing and he does little by little. I'm not wowed yet but he shines in an acoustic setting. Which should tell you that he can sing.

   I love this guy's style as a person so much. I absolutely didn't like his last album though[MIC DROP!]. Dai Harai is good artist who is a working progress…. Wave on Waves will probably sell more than On The Road since his albums seems he gets a higher chart positions with each album he releases.

Tunnel(터널) Korean Drama Thoughts(2017)

   Tunnel is another production that was inspired by the very famous Hwaseong serial murders where ten woman were killed between 1986 to 1991(The year I was born.) The case was once again revisited in 2004 after a female college student was killed and the murder was never found. Lee Eun Mi wrote the script while Shin Yong Hwl directed Tunnel. Choi Jin Hyuk, Yoon Hyun Min, and, Lee Yoon Young, also star in the crime thriller. This drama wasn't as popular as the other Hwaseong murders inspired drama, Signal but it was nominated for drama of the year and became a hit in China.


  Originally from 1968, A cop working on a case that involves several murders of women finds himself in the future after running through a tunnel trying to catch the killer. He ends up in the year 2017 where similar murders have started again.

   I can now say with the upper most confidence that all the productions based on the Hwaseong murders are good. I've seen all of them expect for the Japanese remake of Signal, which I'll most likely check out soon. Tunnel's opening episode worried me a little bit with it's slow build up to the action and main conflict. It was necessary to introduce the characters in the past era. This is important because the characters in the past play an important role in the future. I'm not going to give anything away so don't worry…. Then the women's corpses start being left all over the place by the killer. These scenes are the adrenaline to give this show the kick off it needs to jump into full gear. The murders themselves actually began to get on your nerves when it KEEPS happening. Emotions of hate grow for the faceless killer in the same manner that it does for the police trying to catch the person. Oh, if serial killing isn't your thing then I suggest you skip this drama. There isn't anything overly graphic but there's instances of violence. Cute relationships and gumdrops falling from rainbows won't be found anywhere in Tunnel. Moments of romance make brief inserts in the story since both male characters have love interests. Romance just takes a huge backseat to the dark conflict on the main stage of the story. Viewers will like how the script juggles romance, mystery, and thriller around constantly as they each take turns mixing into the flow of events in each episode. What truly made Tunnel a good drama was that the storytelling was solid from the beginning to the conclusion. DAMN! THOSE CLIFFHANGERS LEAVE  YOU WANTING MORE! Plot twists always seem to effectively hit the mark while watching Tunnel. Trying to find the killer with the characters puts viewers in a head space of yourself being in that situation and what you do to help. I also loved how Tunnel showcased various characters from different cases that could have been the killer. Each character exhibited traits that remind someone of a murder. Gapdong had similar storytelling to Tunnel in more aspects than one in this regard. People who have seen Gapdong, Signal, or, the classic film, Memories of Murder will have no problem enjoying Tunnel.

  I enjoyed every single actor and actress in this drama. There wasn't really any problems with the performances. Even N from VIXX was alright. His acting blended together with everyone else's. I can't stand when an idol is in a drama and their acting messes up the vibe of everyone else's acting in the cast. It frustrates me to no end…. I've also decided to continue to give huge props to all the actors who played creepy crazed characters. Actors need a lot of talent to get in the right frame of mind to act out that kind of role. Without the proper preparation, these roles come across super cheesy and unbelievable. This was also why I praised Lee Joon when he stared in Gapdong(He is one of the best actors who is(was?) an Kpop idol.). Tunnel's costars knew what they were doing though.

   Tunnel goes on the list of one of the best new age Korean drama's out there right now. I would recommend you give it a watch if you want something a bit different from the norm in Kdrama. Let's face it, good Korean drama is becoming harder and harder to come by nowadays.

The Third Murder(三度目の殺人) Japanese Film Thoughts(2017)

   The Third Murder is a film that was released in 2017 and was directed/written by Koreeda Hirokazu(After The Storm, Like Father, Like Son). The film has won many awards in Japan that include picture of the year, best screenplay, and best supporting actor. The film also entered the main competition at the 74th Venice International Film Festival. An all star cast of Fukuyama Masaharu, Yakusho Koji, and, Hirose Suzu(My Little Sister) graces the film respectively.

   A man is charged with the murder of a man that he killed on the river bank before lighting his body ablaze. He is sentenced to death row but there seems to be more to the "truth."

   Hirokazu constructs a world that introduces that darkness lurking within people's hearts. Lurking inside of human law also to be honest. It's a film that slowly shows you that life isn't fair and there's nothing you can do to change that. Or can you change it with the truth? Hirokazu's characters act in rhythm to this question. The film makes you believe that the objective is to find the truth in the beginning as the opening scene is the bait to draw viewers in. Then you begin to realize that The Third Murder is an entirely different kind of storytelling all together. Viewers are actually given the truth without knowing that they have the truth. Some part of our minds are made greedy by the riddle filled script that you expect more. I'll will tell you that there's more but not in the normal way that all of us expect a mystery thriller to play out. The Third Murder has so many different view points that you can observe the film from. There's so many that even the characters start to question their own actions. Some of the lines are said in riddles so you have to focus on getting all the clues given for the uncovering of the full truth. I even got a little confused at one point in the film because of all the moving forward until suddenly the story moves backwards to retrace it's steps. You come to find that this film isn't about the murder itself. This film is more about life not being fair and the point is driven home by the conclusion. Ending this film doesn't make anyone feel good. Instead you are left with a life lesson of reality.

   Fukuyama doesn't bring any new acting chops that haven't been seen before. I still love him as an actor and he was the main reason I watched this film. Seeing him as a lawyer just reminds me of the Galileo films. He has the charisma to embody this type of role. It's just nothing new. The applause  defiantly goes to Koji and Suzu for their performances. Hirokazu wrote the script so that each character had deep thought out background stories. These two performances were so convincing that you got confused by their mere presences and the lines that their characters spoke. It was a real gem to watch a film where characters intrigue me so much that them just having a dialogue in a scene makes the film interesting. I can see why both of actor and actress won awards for their performances.

   Scenery was a huge part of the message in the film. Every aspect of a small town in Japan was beautifully shot. Especially the snowy landscape that looked lonely and forgotten. Contrastingly, the murder at the river was shot from various angles showcasing emotion of wrong doing. The musical score was similar to a family member that supported the breathtaking scenes. Japanese film creators know how to get a rise out of the audience. I keep replaying certain scenes in my head as I type this…. [INSERT ME LAUGHING.]

  The Third Murder is an awkward new take on film making. Not everyone will take a liking to this film but I believe it earned a lot of respect from viewers because of how riveting the film can be. This film will have you thinking hard after watching it once until you're rushing to watch it again.

SEUNGRI(승리) - THE GREAT SEUNGRI Album Thoughts(K-pop)

Track List:
01. 셋 셀테니 (1, 2, 3!) *Title
02. WHERE R U FROM (Feat.MINO )
03. LOVE IS YOU (Feat. Blue.D)
04. 몰라도 (MOLLADO) (Feat. B.I)
05. 달콤한 거짓말 (SWEET LIE) (Feat. DANNIC)
06. BE FRIEND
07. HOTLINE
08. 혼자 있는법 (ALONE)
09. GOOD LUCK TO YOU



   Seungri's new comeback slid out of nowhere. Maybe I just missed the teasers and all that stuff. I'm so out of the loop dealing with the old mechanics of Kpop that I don't even mind that my ass runs around like a deer in headlights most of the time. Anyway, I found out on a music site that he had a comeback so I slowly(Nope, not hurriedly. I was cautious after Taeyang's new music..) went over to Youtube to watch the music video for the title track. Seungri should have waited until after Big Bang's comeback to release anything new. The music would have had a stronger impact in my opinion….. Oh. If you don't know, Seungri is the youngest member of pretty much legendary boy group, Big Bang. VIPs are their fanbase's name. I only know this because I use to be in the fandom years ago. I'm still a huge fan of the guys but I've stated many times how I feel about fandoms now that I'm older.

   1,2,3! sounds like a cheer song that belongs at some sporting event with a pop rock theme. You really want to like the song but you just can't because the chorus feels too childish for people in college or older. Seungri sings in his normal sometimes gritty filled vocals that does add a good amount of charisma. Overall, you wish that whoever gave Seungri the ok to make this song the title track would be chucked into the Han River though(.With a lifejacket of course… What kind of person do you think I am?) Where Are U From defiantly should have been the title track of The Great Seungri. Still waiting for a music video to appear for the song…… Impatiently tapping my foot knowing good and damn well that Papa YG must not have wanted to put up the money. The track isn't as good as Seungri's solo work back in his prime, however the song does update Seungri as an artist for the musical trends that are popular now in Korea. Speaking of which, most of The Great Seungri is dance EDM songs. Someone including Seungri, wanted to get the clubs in Korea poppin because there's an endless amount of dance breaks. I'm not a huge fan of dance breaks. I rather hear the singer singing more than hear a beat play most of the chorus. There's a lot of repetitive english lines in each track that can get predictable. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it's worrisome. Mino(Rapper of boy group Winner) and all the featured artists blended with the album's musical atmosphere too. Mino brought the fire in the "what should have been" title song, making the track reach a huge level of hype for a old Big Bang fan like myself. Hotline was the other track that I liked solely because it gave me old school Seungri vibes. He will always be the secret "sexy back" of Korea. [INSERT ME LAUGHING!] Dude can talk dirty in songs like he was born to be a male escort for woman after dark. SEUNGRI'S PRIVATE HOTLINE IS NOW OPEN YA'LL!

   He's settled more into selecting a set way in which he wants to sing now. I could hear more confidence in his vocals than I could a few years ago. Big Bang was kind of a crutch for him until recently so now he really is out here on his own. Baby RiRi isn't much of a baby anymore huh? Women's panties must be falling to the floor considering how he's so seductive in songs.

    Just to keep this post a hundred percent truthful, Seungri's comeback felt more like a ploy by YG Entertainment to get more income than a genuine release by Seungri himself. He might have had a say in the track selection but the song picked as the title track seems a bit off the mark. Especially since Seungri's solos in the past have been nothing short of epic. At least I liked songs on Seungri's album especially, after Taeyang's last few releases have been let down after let down for me.  - A retired VIP who's tears will never dry.

 

BRADIO(ブラディオ) - YES Album Thoughts(J-Funk/Rock)

1 Funky Kitchen
2 スキャット・ビート
3 Sexy Lover
4 Boom! Boom! ヘブン
5 きっと遠く キミともっと遠く
6 Sparkling Night
7 Shout To The Top
8 きらめきDancin’
9 INAZUMAジャケット
10 Feel All Right
11 人生はSHOWTIME
12 LA PA PARADISE

  Yes is supposed to be Bradio's first major album. This confuses me a little bit. Especially when the band has had two other albums released prior to Yes. Maybe they mean that this the first album that will actually be rememberable outside of the album's singles. If so, then I would have to agree. I'll be the first to say that I don't really check for Bradio and the only thing that this band has given me is the wonderful song called Flyers, which was the opening theme song for an anime titled Death Parade. Most anime fans overseas know them for this insert song. Some folks might have checked out more music after this song like I did but many of their albums didn't measure up to Flyers in any type of way, in my opinion. Yes hits stores after Bradio has had moderate success in Japan(Their releases have at least broke into the top 20.) where not much is expected from a group like them. A big problem with their band is it's really easy for Bradio's music to fall dangerously close to coming across as "late night at the disco club in downtown Tokyo". The lead singer has an afro while the rest of the band is religious about looking like a cutout from an American magazine in the early sixties and seventies. They also aren't the first band to style themselves like this, Not to knock them for trying to stay true to the kind of artists they want to be, It's just been done before in a mediocre fashion. You defiantly see what the record label saw in them when they perform though. Earth Wind and Fire's legacy lives on in certain parts of their sound. Then there's a hint of originality that comes from them being themselves. Yes as an album corrects some of the issues I always believed that Bradio had musically. One thing was that their music sometimes sounded too outdated for a larger audience and they needed to find a healthy medium where they could stay true their old school sound on top of appealing to the masses. Yes's tracks are were produced to be geared more toward them getting more units sold. Bradio explores expanding their expertise a little bit. Funkadelic is still the main theme of Yes's inner most idea however, the band has now tapped into the ability to bring diverse layers to their music. For example, On one hand, the funky traits of their signature sound are  still there such as the horns, saxophones, and keyboards then on the other hand there's music that taps more into the rock N roll side of the band. I actually always felt that Flyers was the track that represented that middle place in funk and rock that Bradio was trying to reach. Too bad that song wasn't hugely popular in Japan….. The two albums before YES didn't have the same energy either. I could hear the new hunger to take their careers to the next level on this album. This hunger made their songs become more enjoyable on a catchier level that makes you literally hum their songs while you go about your everyday activities. It's super funny to me that Bradio is pretending to have amnesia like they didn't already have two major albums…… Or maybe someone combed that afro too damn hard. Y'all tried it and I love the album.

   Those vocals are defiantly on point. My ass would pay to see them in concert because they can sing them hard notes when they want to. There's a unique flexibility how their vocals can switch back and forth between being really groovy to rocking out with a blazing guitar.

  If Yes is promoted well, I could see this being their breakout album. The album's content is meant to be heard by a larger audience. I've become a bigger fan after listening to this album.

Before We Vanish(散歩する侵略者) Japanese film Thoughts(2017)

           

       
     I had been seeing the Japanese promotions of Before We Vanish off and on all last year. My hope was that I got the chance to see the film at some point. I wasn't in Japan at the time so I decided to pray that the film got an international release.  The fact that Kurosawa Kiyoshi(Pulse, Cure) was the director made it more likely that the film would make it across the water. Then the news broke that the film was selected for the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, so I definitely knew that there would be a North America release. Very well known actors and actresses make up the cast of Before We Vanish who include, Matsuda Ryuhei, Nagasawa Masami, and, Hasegawa Hiroki. A cameo appearance is also made by Higashide Masahiro.


  Aliens come to earth to plan an invasion that will wipe out the whole human race. They possess a select few humans and began taking different concepts that make humans who they are. Can anyone stop these creatures before it's too late?

   Kurosawa molds the concept of an Alien invasion with his own hands. Him using is own hands creates the shape of a plot that's been created before and remolded into something else. Now is the time for Kurosawa to mold this concept into his own unique shape of his choosing as a director. Before We Vanish builds it's foundation on the overused idea of extraterrestrials invading earth. The plot could have easily fallen into a pit hole of mediocrity using the same familiar traits to create a ScFi drama. Instead he uses the audience's familiarity to push a new take on Alien invasions. Kurosawa doesn't try to be too flashy with his horror of events but does give you just enough to feel that a horrible change is amiss. This film isn't about being too overly generous with the action either. The film defiantly makes you work for these scenes. Forcing the viewer to figure out what is going on since the film starts on a horrifying mysterious note. Only to then progress into a ScFi mystery drama with hints of comedy sprinkled around in unbelievable spots of the film. Much of Before We Vanish deals with the human mental structure and the Aliens trying to understand what humans are made up of emotionally. The aspect of concepts that make up human emotion that is present in this film made me think about how something so simple actually ties humans together as well as gives us a sound base on decisions that make us who we are. When someone takes that from us, the person we choose to become falls out of whack. In the center of this dilemma, Two characters have a revived love between one another(Her husband is possessed by an alien..). Even without a ton of Alien fighting scenes, Before We Vanish stays interesting because of the weird story and characters that inhabit it. I enjoyed how the director made less more while giving a lot of the film's lead way to the actors and actresses.

  I'm a pretty big fan of Ryuhei, so I was excited to see him in another film. He is very well known for playing strange roles in Japan while also being well diverse. I've also really come to like Hiroki too after seeing his performances in Attack on Titian and GOZU series. Both actors role choices range from very strange to kinda normal. This film was a perfect fit for both of them. Especially since the director left all the Alien's realism to the cast. There isn't any special effects to help the cast craft their  characters. The cast is just left to use their pure talent to convince viewers. Every single actress and actor made this film a blast to watch. Each person gave very believable performances to the point that  I was saying while watching that the film that there was no need so over the top special effects. The stuns that were done fit into the minimalistic plan that the film goes for overall. I think the explosions probably costed the most money. The film's music score helped the characters send their feelings into existence for the viewer. A dark classical soundtrack always makes me happy.

   Before We Vanish is so strangely made that is will satisfy you in weird way.  I enjoyed this film the most because of who it was made. The cast played a big part in making this film enjoyable too.

Yoon Mi Rae(윤미래) Gemini 2 Album Thoughts(K-rap/Soul)

    The Queen of Korean Rap has finally decided to grace everyone's presence once again with a new album after over a decade of not releasing any solo albums. Her reasons clearly being because of her family. She wanted to spend time with her son and her legendary rapper husband Tiger JK(Formally known under the rap group name, Drunken Tiger.). Tasha(Her real name while Yoon Mi Rae is her stage name.) still released music during her break including her collaborations with her husband, rapper Bizzy(MFBTY), and other artists. She's also done a bunch of drama OSTs that kept her relevant to the newer generation in Korea. Gemini 2 is her first album after a very long wait for her to finally release a compilation of new material.

Track List:
01. Rap Queen
02. 개같애 (Feat. 타이거JK)
03. Cookie
04. You & Me (Feat. 주노플로)
05. 가위바위보
06. 샴페인 (Champagne) (Feat. 주노플로)
07. Peach
08. No Gravity (Piano Ver.)
09. 오늘처럼 (Feat. Double K, WHO$)
10. You & Me (Eng Ver.) (Feat. 주노플로)
11. Peach (Eng Ver.)
12. 잠깐만 Baby (Remix)

    Gemini 2 must be the sequel to her album Gemini that she's done years ago. This continuation honestly feels like she never left the music scene. I often wondered if she still had the charisma to stand on her own anymore. Tiger JK is always with her when she does music so I wondered what kind of vision her new music would have without him around. Fans who don't know much about lady T's background might also get confused on whether she is a singer or rapper because of all the ballad drama OST's that's she continues to gain popularity for. Gemini 2 caters to all these elements that I have mentioned above but with less of the predictability. Natasha seeks the help of her husband for two tracks that are the opening numbers: Rap Queen and 개같애. Rap Queen formulates in the same way that her old hip hop songs have done, It's momentum builds off the strong beats that drop through every section under Yoon Mi Rae's rapping ability. In the matter of one track, this woman reminds us all why she is the Queen of Korean rap. Tiger JK's appearance is more apparent on the second track since he is actually credited as a feature and the lyrics deal with his and Yoon's relationship problems. Not in a alarming manner, instead there's a cute playfulness to the serious hint of frustration in Yoon's singing and raping parts. Tasha constantly crafts her new body of work into something that highlights what she is know for, then slightly rejecting what people would expect. Gemini 2 doesn't have any ballads unlike her previous albums. No Gravity was re-released as a piano version which really brings the meaning of the lyrics to the forefront of the track more. Peach is a med tempo RnB track that everyone with rhythm can slow jam to on the dance floor under the spotlights. The track's sound doesn't feel so outdated due to the production mixture of RnB and Pop. It's pop elements sound cute but chill with Yoon's soulful vocal. You and Me was the promotional track used to promote the album on television. I love the duel meaning of the track in how the lyrics are talking about a girl that just chills with everyone but Junoflo's rap is the view point of a guy that wants be seen as more than a friend to the girl. The track's MV actually has her chilling with all different kinds of people and I believe the song is about excepting everyone while having a good positive energy about life. Junoflo surprisingly appears on Gemini 2 more than Tiger JK. He holds his own too. Champagne is actually my favorite track on the whole album. Both Junoflo and Tasha vibe well with each other on all the songs they do together. Champagne is that high peak of the two artists flexing their chops. Junoflo helps brings Yoon more into the more current popular hip hop style of today in the west. She switches up her flow to a more modern style that rappers such as Cardi B are also dappling into. She does make it her own, stomping on every other Korean female rapper in the process. This might be the complete opposite of what she is trying to promote in her song, 가위바위보. Especially since the song talks about woman empowerment, however, There's no doubt that she's still claiming her title as Queen without being boastful. She goes the hell OFF during the second rap verse of this song as a multitasked rapper that wants to gather all women together. Just don't test her….. I wish some poor rapper would mess with the queen! Cookie as well as the rest of the songs I didn't mention play out similar to the rest of the album. You will never catch T using lackluster rappers in her projects. Double K has always had my respect as a rapper and this was my first introduction to WHO$ but he was holding down too. 잠깐만 Baby's remix was a fun listen. I don't usually like remixes. The reworks of the beat brought a new direction for the track. Plus it was in English along with the English versions of Peach and You and Me. Peach sounds kinda awkward in English, I'm not going to lie. The lyrics just don't flow as well as it does in Korean. Overall, Gemini 2 is a very good album from start to finish though. 

   Tasha's talent speaks for itself through and through. I don't have to write about how talented she is. You can go research her track record for yourself. What I will say is that their has yet to be a Korean female rapper that is anywhere near as good as her. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of good female rappers in South Korea, even some among the idols but none of them have the intensity and voice indiction that this woman possess. I'll go as far as to say that she's better than a lot of the male Korean rappers too. I don't like how it feels like some people in Korea try to gloss over her because she took such a long time off and they low key can't beat her head on. Certain others rappers talk a whole lot of mess about people giving them the chance to be top rapper just because they won Unpretty Rapstar. Tasha wouldn't even go on that show and it was an insult if they invited her to be a contestant when she clearly should have been a judge. When a Korean female rapper comes along that is as good as her then I will give them props. Until then sit down somewhere and eat your kimchi. Sometimes Koreans look at Hip hop and Rap like it's just some cool fad. Like there isn't important culture in the music genre. This is exactly the reason why no female rapper will ever be as good Tasha. Certain copycat rappers forget that Tasha has connection to the culture. Her father is African American(or just black) so she knows our culture first hand being that she grew up learning aspects of it. Many Koreans don't have that same connection or don't try to learn more about the cultural history behind Hip hop and rap. They instead treat my culture like it's a fad, a fashion statement that you can pull on and off while having negative sentiments about my people. Now, do I go around thinking that all Koreans who are into Rap are out to get my culture? No. Not in the least but I can spot the one's who fit into the category I mentioned above from a million miles away. Tasha's experiences shaped who she is as the person she is today. What truly amazes me about her personality is that she doesn't go around being bitter and upset at the world. She actually seems to be a very down to earth person who is nothing but humble and has a positive take on life. I'll always respect her for who she is has a women, artist, and mother. 

   I actually want to check out some of Junoflo's music after hearing him on Gemini 2. I've heard of him before but I didn't know how good of a rapper he was until Lady T showed me the light. Our Queen will always be around to show us what's good. 

Prophecy(予告犯) Japanese Manga Thoughts(2011)

    Prophecy joined my manga collection after I was browsing  through a bookstore on late afternoon. I was in need of a dark thriller inspired type of series and this one came into my sight on the bookshelf. This instance wasn't the first time that I had picked up volume one of the series but I wasn't in the right mindset for Prophecy's brand at storytelling at the time. So, I made an on the spot decision to by the first tow volumes then came back later for volume three. Tsutsui Tetsuya created Prophecy followed by two spin offs, One of the spin offs being a novel. A live action film was also made for the manga in 2015(I had seen little news about the live action adaption too but didn't know much about Prophecy back then…. Simply catching up is needed since I'm woke now.).

   Some group of detectives lead by a beautiful woman joins a game of cat and mouse led by an known man called Paper Boy. This man does live streamed videos online announcing the take down of high profile people who have done the society damage. These people are taken down one by one and the detectives must stop his new world order.


  I thought that Prophecy was going to be extremely more disturbing than it was. Readers are placed in the story without any inconsistencies. First half of the opening ark is told from the view point of the detectives, which was new if you consider the style format of thriller manga. Most of the time the plot is told from the view point of the quote on quote "villain". Prophecy instead leaves readers and the detectives in the dark on Paper Boy's true identity causing a hunger of sorts to learn more about the person under the paper mask. It does make Paper Boy's actions feel more shocking and real because you are seeing a character you know nothing about have all this power suddenly. You watch the detectives scramble to piece together clues on how to take him down on top of feeling a flood of mixed emotions. Justice that settles in each of us tells you that Paper Boy should be arrested. On the opposite hand, Certain parts of what Paper Boy is doing doesn't seem so evil. At least from the stand point of helping people who have been disenfranchised by the higher up powers in Japan. I actually found myself rooting for Paper Boy unconsciously all through my read without realizing what was happening. A part of the story opens up a much needed second take from Paper Boy's perspective. Here is where you learn most of what you need to know about all the one's pulling the strings behind the Paper Boy fiasco. I felt that the motive behind the characters was somewhat done before in other presentations of dark thrillers but it still felt new in manga format. Prophecy begins to lag a little bit during the final volume. The story struggles to find a solid way to reach a perfect conclusion so Tetsuya decides to destroy everything from the inside out. I was a tiny bit disappointed with the events not being more crazed to the extent of shocking horror however, Prophecy does deliver a deep message to readers. A message that puts me in mind of the same one Tokyo Ghoul sends to it's readers: Societies are based on messed up ideals that cause the whole machine to be wrong. A lot of things happen in our society that aren't fair to certain people and there are times that the disfranchised voices are never heard. People in power go day by day choosing to keep their eyes closed to the pain of said people if it doesn't effect their lives. Who will hear them? Will people stand along side the people down in the dirt to help give them a louder voice? Prophecy is a body of work that represents this very exact social struggle found in every kind of society.

  The artwork down to the paneling didn't look like manga created the normal way. Tetsuya's art work looks more like a whole big sketch that people would use to create the outline for model portraits. His methods of drawing the faces and the character's built looks like he used a stencil pen for sharper strokes and leaner facial structure. No other manga looks like Prophecy.

   Tsutsui Tetsuya's Prophecy is a manga with substance but it wasn't the best that it could have been. There was a lot more potential to make this manga sink into your soul forevermore but I felt that it didn't quite get to that point of excellence for me. I did like Prophecy enough to be willing to check out the spin offs and the live action adaption.