Inoue Mao (井上真央) born January 9, 1987 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. In 1999 she was regarded as a U-15 idol. You may remember her portraying Makino Tsukushi in the live-action drama Hana Yori Dango, based on the anime and manga of the same name.
She started her acting career at the age of 5. Her current hobbies includes basketball, badminton, Japanese dance, music, oil painting.
More photos of her after the gap.
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The dance routine is good, and the clip would be much better if they are actually dancing properly. But the reason I posted this clip is that even with the on-going gags behind the dance routines, I find it funny. It’s not really the dance that is featured on this clip, but by how they have fun doing it. Besides, it’s freezing cold out there in the snow and ice in Gunma Prefecture.
Have fun watching, and don’t mind the dance. 
The Haruhi Suzumiya Dance from the anime The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. The music is very addictive, and so is the dance.
It’s the day of eggs, rabbits, and most specially for us Christians, we celebrate today the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. However, this year Easter is celebrated on different dates. March 23 western countries and April 27 on eastern countries. But even if our country is located on the east, we still celebrate Easter today, since it marks the end of this weeks’ holy week.
In predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines, the morning of Easter (known in the national language as “Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay” or the Pasch of the Resurrection) is marked with joyous celebration, the first being the dawn “Salubong,” wherein large statues of Jesus and Mary are brought together to meet, imagining the first reunion of Jesus and his mother Mary after Jesus’ Resurrection. This is followed by the joyous Easter Mass. [wiki]
Easter Eggs, after the break.
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The holy week is finally over, everything should be getting back to normal (like TV shows). Here are some tips that I found interesting on the Internet while bumming this week.
So it’s true. Both versions of the series will be played on the same day at a local channel here in the Philippines. Starting March 24, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (Hana Kimi / Japan) will be aired on GMA, while Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (Hana Kimi / Taiwan) is on ABS-CBN.
Both series are based on the Japanese manga Hana-Kimi by Hisaya Nakajo. Since both are based on the same story, the plot and characters are essentially the same. The only difference is how both drama portray the story, and of course their names. A rough English translation of the drama is “For You In Full Blossom”.
Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (Hana Kimi / Taiwan) runs in 15 90-minute episodes and is longer than the Japanese version. It was first shown in Taiwan in the late 2006. The three major characters are Lu Rui Xi (Ella Chen; based on Mizuki Ashiya), Zuo Yi Quan (Wu Chun; based on Izumi Sano), and Jin Xiu Yi (Jiro Wang; based on Shuichi Nakatsu).
I can’t comment on this one since I haven’t watched this version, yet. But my girlfriend told me that the leading man on this version is more “cuter” than the Japanese version. I told her that she is biased on the Korean/Chinese dramas. Or maybe “I am” the one who is biased on the Japanese one.
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (Hana Kimi / Japan) uses the exact name of the characters from the manga since it is originally from Japan. This series runs on 12 episodes, with 54 minute each, so it is shorter than the Taiwanese version. The 3 major cast are, the ever cute Horikita Maki as Ashiya Mizuki, Oguri Shun as Sano Izumi, and Ikuta Toma as Nakatsu Shuichi. This series aired in Japan on the 2nd-half of last year (2007).
This is one of the first few J-doramas (Japanese dramas) I’ve watched since last year and the second series I’ve actually recommended to my girlfriend (the other one was Liar Game). The show was full of humor and a little bit of drama. In the last few minutes of the last episode, expect heavy drama (^_^). I liked this series for two reasons; (1) because of the humor and wild antics of the cast, and (2) because of Horikita Maki (this is the first series I’ve known and seen her.)
I wonder which show will have the most viewers…
