I just recently wrote two articles about school lives for high school girls: Some girls enjoy "K-on" club on a movie "Linda Linda Linda". Some girls also enjoy a making a Jazz Swing Band on another movie "Swing Girls". I know they are so real and, for them, the movie scenes are simmilar to their ordinaly lives on school. However, some school girls have different aspect, and the movie "Love & Pop"(1998), directed by Hideaki Anno, dipicts it which is also maybe real.

Today I would like to introduce to you a so funny and great movie "Kamikaze Girls" (Japanese tittle: Shimotsuma Monogatari). The movie tells the friendship story of two girls who are have complete different fashion sense and tastes each other.

As all people know well, Japan has suffered from severe diasters by earthquake and tsunami that happened on March 11. I extend my heartfelt condolence to victimes and sincerely hope that devastated area will get re-establishment at the earliest possible date. My first piece in a long while is about "Another" by Yukito Ayatsuji. 

I wrote a piece about a teary ghost story "Strangers" (Japanese tittle is "Ijin-tachi to no Natsu") by Taichi Yamada on last October. This novel made into a movie in 1989, which directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. Yesterday Ms. Mina Quiao, my friend on facebook and live in New Zealand, gave me an e-mail for her comment of watching the movie. So I wanted to write that again.

I just read a novel "Route 255" by Chiya Fujino a few days ago. It has been made into a movie and a manga. A main character and her brother lost a way of home and wanderd into a strange world. It depicts an regular life with a sence of loss. 

I hope that my favorite and heaart-warming novel "Colorful" by Eto Mori will be translated into English and other foreign languages someday and its picturization on last year must be the very good opener of that.

I would like to write a piece about "Crying Out Love in the Center of the World"(Japanese tittle is: Sekai no Chuushin de Ai wo Sakebu). It is a best-selling novel which is a pure and sad love story and was made into a movie and a TV drama. All of them have been extremely popular not only in Japan but also in Korea or Taiwan. The huge success in Japan was called a boom of "Seka-chu". 

At last!!! My very favorite mystery novelist, Shusuke Michio won the Naoki Prize , one of the most well-known literary award in Japan,this month. Michio  nominated for the prize for the fifth straight year, that is the first time for the Naoki Prize.

Wonderful! My blog has been filling comments from our two co-reviewer, Ms. Chizuru Takamine and Ms. Mei Kanata since the new year. I reprint them from now on.

Our co-reviewer, Chizuru-san put a comment about "The Night Time Picnic", which I, Noboru, mentioned in related with REMEDIOS.  

I would like to introduce you a novel, "In The Pool"; but more impressive one is an anime, which is based on it, and its music by Denki Groove. Both anime and music are very psychedelic and addictive.

About "Now You're One of Us" (Japanese tittle: An-Ki), a novel by Asa Nonami, I found an exactly suitable expression on the review of amazon.com. “No unearthly monsters. No ghosts. No curses. Not even a single drop of blood decorates these pages. The tropes of traditional, Western horror are completely ignored in this Japanese novel, and yet it evokes a sense of dread which is nothing less than genuinely disturbing.”- HorrorReader. I completely agree with this review and realize that the most scary thing is from human.

I introduce you a ready-witted story taler, Shinichi Hoshi (1926-1997) as known a gland master of "Short Shorts" in Japan.

The great ehon (picture book) artist, Yoko Sano died of cancer last week. Wish extend my sincerest condolences on the loss of her. The most impressive her work, in addition to the best selling children book in Japan, is "The Cat Who Lived One Million Times".

I would like to introduce you a Japanese famous novelist, Yasutaka Tsutsui and his early-masterpiece "The Maid", which is the beginning story of "Nanase" trilogy.

I just want to let you know a brilliant manga - "Memories of Emanon". It is based on a Si-Fi novel, the same tittle, but I think a sentient manga artist really contributes to figure a main character Emanon as an enigmatic but cute girl.

I realized how many fan around the world mourn the death of Satoshi Kon. I would introduce you "Paprika" - his last and great anime movie. 

I would like to introduce you "Kino's Journey" This is one of "Light Novels" - for short "La-No-Be" in Japanese.

We Japanese seems to love scary stories. That is why we have lots of famous horror movies such as "Ring" or "Ju-on". However, why do we love scary stories? I don't know, but we have been familiar with that since baby-ages. I will show you such a typical scary book for babies.

Do you have an experience to read a book or to see a movie with tears?

If you want to know the most trendy and exciting novelist in Japan, I strongly recommend you see "Kotaro Isaka". He is slightly like Haruki Murakami, but he is more entertained than Murakami.

Do you know "Fuyumi Ono" ?　She is the most talented horror and fantasy novelist in Japanese.