Hi and welcome to J-Everything.
I created this blog to give voice to my thoughts about Japanese entertainment – everything from jpop to dramas to variety shows. I was an anime fan when I was a kid, and started getting into the other stuff as I got older. Now, pushing thirty, I think I can make some cogent observations.
I tend to like dramas and variety shows that feature people from Johnny’s Entertainment because there’s always a lot of action and humor, and I can put myself in their shoes. Also, I can often find subtitles for the dramas from the JE fan communities. Do not, however, expect me to start flailing or to refrain from criticism when I see something not working out. I’m not that kind of fan. The groups I follow, in decreasing order of frequency, are Arashi, Hey! Say! Jump, Kis-My-Ft2, SZ, the Juniors, Kanjani8, NEWS, SMAP, KAT-TUN, TOKIO, and V6. In other words, I’m not too picky.
I like too many things to list, but at the top are the Hiyao Miyazaki movies that really got me started – especially Castle in the Sky. I never tire of watching the following : Cowboy Bebop, Horikita Maki dramas, Arashi variety shows, Kimura Takuya dramas, Music Station, Shounen Club, Matsumoto Hitoshi, and Tokyo Friend Park 2. For music, I like Mr. Children and Bump of Chicken (though I can’t say their names aloud without laughing), Hikawa Kiyoshi, Arashi, and the music Hisaishi Joe composed for Miyazaki’s movies. I’m up for anything with a catchy tune and/or good vocals, though.
I’m a science-fiction writer, composer, graphic artist, and I generally like making stuff. Nothing I do sells particularly well (yet), but I’m frugal and get by. I will try to post to this blog regularly, but if I get caught up in a project . . . .
My goal is to introduce people to stuff they might like – entertainment opportunities that the English-speaking world is largely unaware of. Along the way, I will practice my Japanese (which I have been learning very, very slowly over the course of a decade) and hopefully getting myself to the point where I can translate. For now, with my limited knowledge of the language, I’m confined to watching either shows that are already subbed, or shows that are easy to understand without a firm grasp of the language (and, actually, a lot of the variety shows and music shows are self-explanatory – the dramas are a bit more difficult). I would appreciate any explanations readers can provide.
By the way, I know the title is a bit . . . yeah.
Suggestions are welcome.
That’s it! I hope you enjoy reading!
J-Everything 
Hi! I stumbled upon your blog while googling for kis-my-ft2’s shows and just wanted to say that I enjoyed reading your reviews! It helps a lot especially since not all episodes are subbed so any explanation is useful… Thank you for writing! =)
Thanks! It’s always nice to know someone enjoys them. I try my best, but my Japanese is iffy, and I wish they were subbed, too. But, I do what I can.
Bumped here (?) because of your 24HR TV review, and I realized that you also did review for some Arashi’s variety show. Happy that you wrote review for Momoclo’s HnA appearance, it really helpful for me to understand 🙂
Thank you for your hardwork! I really enjoy your writing. 😀
I’m glad you found me! Thank you for reading and commenting!
Since I’m in a state of needing a good laugh (or distraction) I thought about sharing it with you. Like a follow-up to our discussion about using incorrect English in lyrics:
Didn’t find a better place to post it 🙂
Enjoy!
Enjoyed! Wow, what a collection! I had tears from the laughter by the end. There’s so much, but I especially like the sign that said “We have Engrish menu” because it was probably right. I’m going to forgo any analysis because it’d ruin the humor.
Anyway, it was hilarious, and thank you so much for posting it. Wish I had a better place for it (if I could put in a forum here, it’d be a lot easier).
I’m glad 🙂
I specially love “Child Sheet”, LOL!
ARGH~ So I wrote this really long comment about how I found out about your blog and how awesome you are and for some reason, it didn’t show up. Now I’m sad. And now it sounds super rude that I came here just to ask where you got your raw files.
Hmm . . . well that’s all right. Your question has me a bit puzzled, though – which raw files? Every program has its own source, and some of them would rather I don’t write about them. If you’re a bit more specific about what you’re interested in, there’s a chance that I can answer, but I can’t just go through the hundreds of shows I’ve covered to figure out where each came from. Sometimes for a single program like the Johnny’s Journeys, it was a different source from week to week (especially during the Takaki-Chinen trip), so I’d have to figure out where I got them episode-by-episode.
Hi again. Sorry for confusing you. I meant the Johnny’s Journey files (Mitsu and ABC-Z ones). And I know you rarely review them, but sometimes you mention School Kakumei and Yan Yan JUMP in your Shokura reviews, so I’m curious if you can share your source for that too. Oh, and thanks for taking the time to explain. 🙂
For the Kitayama-kun series, I got them from a subber who might not want be to mention them – there seems to be some tension in the subbing community of late. Of course, the Kis-My-Ft2 community on livejournal would also be a place to look. The ABC-Z series is the same – check out the ABC-Z livejournal community. If you haven’t already, I recommend getting the kamichan toolbar from kamichan.com – it’s quite convenient if you’re looking for Johnny’s-related stuff. I get School Kakumei off of Youku – you can use the Japanese name of the series (スクール革命) to find it quite easily. You’ll need a downloader if you want the files. I only pick up Yan Yan Jump every now and then, and always from different sources. I can’t recommend a consistent source for that, but if I really wanted an episode, the first place I’d look is Weibo. As usual, search for the Japanese name of the show (ヤンヤンJUMP). I know it’s hard to find stuff a lot of the time, and I’m sorry I can’t be more specific, but there’s also a need to protect sources. Sharing direct links in particular can have consequences (since webcrawlers follow the links).
Thank you! I’ll go check out those you mentioned.
Good day! Hi, I stumbled upon this blog of yours and I’m really thankful I found it. ^^ Your reviews of Arashi’s variety shows were very useful. Especially when I was looking for a certain episode I want to watch but I don’t know the guests. Just Arashi’s clothing. XD Thank you for reviewing them!
You’re welcome! Now that you mention it, maybe it would be good to have some sort of index of the episodes with just a screencap or two of the Arashi guys and the list of guests so people could find which episode better. Once I manage to finally get caught up on shows, I’ll have to look into that.
Hm. *nods* That would be great. It would be nice for you and your readers to have that. I hope you can find time for that. *smiles*
I’ll try, but since I’m still in catch-up mode, I feel like I’m over-promising and under-delivering at the moment.
Don’t worry, no one’s rushing you. Your readers will eagerly wait.
Thanks 🙂
Found your blog while looking for VS Arashi guides. Thank you for all the reviews! I stopped following Johnnys shows for a while and had lost any hope of catching up with any of them, but your reviews helped me figure out what to watch (I can choose to watch those only that sound interesting!) and even introduced me to some that I didn’t know about. Watching them makes me kinda miss my fan-subbing days…maybe it’s time to get back in the groove. Thanks again!
Please do get back into fan-subbing if you have the time – it would be a tremendous help to those of us who have trouble understanding without the assist.
I’m glad you found my reviews useful (and in exactly the way I intended them to be). Thanks for reminding me that keeping this up is worthwhile!
It’s one of those things I think about often, but the lack of decent subbing programs for the Mac makes it difficult to make a comeback. Also, having been out of the subbing scene for so long, I no longer know what shows are being subbed and by whom.
I’m always on the lookout to assist, though. If you ever need someone to do a quick translation for a review, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
Well, I can’t give you any help on subbing programs – I use a Windows PC exclusively myself. The whole issue of what shows are being subbed and by whom is more difficult to figure out than it was three years ago, when JE Index was still working. There have been attempts to replace it, but I haven’t seen one that’s as well-organized or complete. D-addicts has charts for the seasonal drama subbing situation, so that’s all nice and organized, but I haven’t seen something similar for variety shows.
Actually, maybe a post-assist might be helpful to readers. If you read one of my reviews and see me struggling with a part or saying it was difficult to understand, it’d be nice if you could just briefly explain that part in the comments if you end up watching that show. Or, if you think I missed something in a show, a line explaining that would be tremendously helpful. I’m still trying to learn Japanese, and those sorts of tips and corrections are more like what I feel I need.
Thanks for the offer!
Hi~ I wanted to message you but there’s no link anywhere for that.. TT I liked your blog and just wanted to see if you were interested in affiliating with me~ You can take a look at my blog here ( http://www.ara-shop.net/blog ) and if you’re interested send me an e-mail admin@ara-shop.net ! Thanks~ ^^
At this point, I’m only going to link to non-commercial sites. Thanks for inquiring, though!
I stumbled onto your website after doing a Google search of Arashi ni Shiyagare. I’ve read several of your posts regarding that show and they’ve so humorous and fun to read. I’ll try to read more of your other posts to determine whether or not to watch those other shows. Thanks for taking the time to do this!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting! It’s nice to know my meager efforts are worthwhile.
So I found your blog while googling VS Arashi then it kept popping up whenever I googled “Shounen Club” or “Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou” or “Bakaleya 6” so I felt like Google was telling me you are my source for all things Johnnys and Google is correct. I love reading your reviews and I feel like you’re saying exactly what is on my mind before it’s even on my mind (If that makes any sense.)
Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for all your hard work because with your reviews, I’ve watched dramas and shows that I would have passed over otherwise.
Well, honestly seeing my site high up there on Google is always a bit strange for me, because I’m often looking for better sources myself! I can’t even translate Japanese, but there’s a lack of English-language attention on these shows – especially the variety shows and the non-prime time dramas. I wish there were more sources, but I’m happy to hear that you find my reviews satisfactory.
I know what you mean about saying what’s on your mind before it’s on your mind – I get that sensation when I read reviews of stuff (and not just TV programs) too. Often I can’t pinpoint why I thought something was good or bad, but a reviewer or commenter nails it down. Occasionally, they even change my mind about something.
Thanks for reading!
Where do u watch subbed versions of dramas and shows? P.s i love this blog…rlly helpful thanks!!!
It depends on the show or drama – they all get subbed by different people. Variety shows are generally not subbed – I just have to figure out the Japanese as much as I can. For dramas the first stop is D-addicts.
I was searching for photos of my girl crush Haruka Miyashita when one of the results pointed to your page 🙂 . It’s a good thing it did, hoping I’d get more J – stuff here, and I hope you post something about One Ok Rock, I really love those guys. 🙂
Ah yes, One Ok Rock with Moriuchi-kun (at least, that’s how I remember Taka-kun). I didn’t realize until recently that he’s the son of Mori Shinichi-san, but that makes sense since I always liked his vocals. I spend most of my time reviewing variety shows and dramas, so there isn’t too much chance to mention them except the Weekly Oricon Rankings, but we’ll see.
Hey I was just browsing to learn more about Johnny’s and Associates. I got into the scene thanks to SMAP back in 2010 but I am branching out thanks to them doing things with their kohais and peers recently.
I like variety shows, as it reminds me of growing up with MMC/Disney (I’m 27) and I like the critical yet fun nature of this site and I look forward to learning more thanks to you.
Thanks for reading and commenting, and it’s nice to know you’re enjoying it!
Hey There!
I don’t know if you can help me, but thought I’d give it a shot. I have a good friend who appeared on an episode of Ikinari Ougon Densetsu. This would have been in 2000 or 2001.
The episode was where a Japanese celebrity athlete, I think a wrestler, and a celebrity actress won a trip to Los Angeles, California. They were met with a limousine and taken to Santa Monica where they arrived at a restaurant.
In order to continue with the vacation, they had to eat one of everything on the menu at an American restaurant. The winner could continue with the vacation. The loser was immediately flown back to Japan.
My friend was the American host. I would love to get a copy of that episode. DVD, torrent, VHS even!
Thanks for your help!!
I can’t really help there – I really only started watching variety shows in 2008 and my collection goes back to around 2003, but not earlier than that. Maybe some other readers will be able to help you.
Thanks so much. I hope that there are some regular readers who might know what I’m talking about here. Would be so cool to get that episode. Was definitely a food / eating challenge. I saw something out there about a food challenge at a “family restaurant”, and this is that type of place.
Thanks for the help!
I just found your blog and I am so thankful I did. Your reviews are well written, insightful and very helpful I was beginning to think I was alone in my enjoyment of Japanese TV until now. I have found subbed movies on Hulu but little in TV programming other than Anime.
I have been watching Japanese TV with my partner who is Japanese. His command of English is limited and my ability to understand Japanese is nil. I can follow a few programs (a bit) but I would love to find subbed versions, especially programs like Itte-Q! Which I love.
Any suggestions?
Itte-Q is very difficult. I don’t think I’ve found a subbed version in many years. The only episodes I saw regularly subbed were when Tegoshi-kun was featured in a segment, in which case NEWS fans would sub those bits, but I haven’t hunted for those in a while. Fortunately, Itte-Q is a lot of fun even without the subtitles, but I wish I could watch it subbed, too.
That’s been my experience too. Hulu has more subbed movies than other sites I’ve found but Itte Q! is only on their Japanese site and if you’re in USA it’s blocked for whatever reason.
I found only one episode that was subbed and Tegoshi-Kun was featured. In one segment that included an athletic event; I believe it was in New Zealand, a news feature in a local newspaper was shown, it listed his occupation as “Idol”. It made me laugh out loud; it described his status in Japan, however his career is as a singer, actor, comedian and more.
Well, I guess “idol” in Johnny’s is shorthand for “all-around entertainer” since they’re pretty much expected to do everything. 🙂 Not how the word is generally understood, though.
Hi there, thank you for all your Vs. Arashi reviews. I do subtitling/translation for Japanese/Korean shows so what you’ve done is a great help! I admire your passion and perseverance, as I can see that you’ve kept this blog for quite some time. Wish I was as determined. 😉 Anyway, just wanted to say hello and thank you.
Hey tyler,
I found my way here from your youtube channel. I am jadensimkins on twitch, and ilovetopgearandcars on youtube. I would love to take a look at all the different things you do. I would especially love to read your novel. Could you tell me where I can find some of your work? If you don’t mind that is.
Thank you so much,
Jaden
p.s. keep up all your good work
Hi. I want to get some help on Vs Arashi. I’m interested in knowing about all the Arashi members appearing on the show as guest. So far I’ve found Shitsuren Chocolatier and Kazoku Game. Do you know all the rest? And what teams are they?