Yui Aragaki star in film based on Yo Hitoto's "Hanamizuki"

"Hanamizuki," the hit 2004 tune by singer-songwriter Yo Hitoto (33), is being used as the basis for a feature-length film. The love story will star actress Yui Aragaki (21) and actor Toma Ikuta (25).

The movie reunites director Nobuhiro Doi and screenwriter Noriko Yoshida, who worked together before on "Nada Sousou" in 2006. Aragaki plays Sae, a high school student in Hokkaido aiming to pass the entrance exam for a Tokyo university. She meets Kohei (Ikuta), who attends a fishing school in order to follow in his father's footsteps. They go through a long-distance relationship and a breakup, but are visited by a miracle ten years later.

This is said to be Aragaki's last high school character, though the latter part of her role will also have her playing a career woman working overseas. She is also undergoing special language training, as some of her lines are in English.

Supporting cast members include Misako Renbutsu, ARATA, Yuichi Kimura, Yutaka Matsushige, Osamu Mukai, and Hiroko Yakushimaru.

Filming started at the end of September in Hokkaido. Future locations include New York and Canada.

Source: TOKYOGRAPH

Video Trailer :

Yui chan on alluring eyes survey

The "Bright Eyes" promotion committee recently conducted an internet-based survey of 500 men and women in their 20s and 30s, collecting their opinions on beauty with regard to eyes. One of the questions asked them to identify female celebrities with attractive eyes.

The #1 answer was actress Meisa Kuroki (21), followed by Kou Shibasaki (27) and Yukie Nakama (29). All three are said to possess the "golden ratio" of 1:2:1, which refers to the size of the iris compared to the white areas of the eye. One of the survey questions found that 44% favored the 1:2:1 ratio. The survey also found that men and women preferred large black irises.

1. Meisa Kuroki
2. Kou Shibasaki
3. Yukie Nakama
4. Ayumi Hamasaki
5. Aoi Miyazaki
6. Karina
7. Yui Aragaki
8. Misaki Ito
9. Maki Horikita
10. Yuri Ebihara

Source : TOKYOGRAPH

Yui Aragaki Latest Album - Hug

Hug is Yui Aragaki's second studio album, released on June 17, 2009. It was released in three formats: CD+Booklet A (limited edition A), CD+DVD+Booklet C (regular edition), and 2CD+Booklet B (limited editions B).



Disc 1
1. "Heart Will Drive" ("Round One" CM song)
2. "Utsushie (うつし絵, Silhouette?)"
3. "Only You"
4. "Make My Day" (Fuji TV drama "Hachi-One Diver" theme song)
5. "Furī Bādo (フリーバード, Free Bird?)"
6. "Shinkaron (進化論, Theory of Evolution?)"
7. "La La..."
8. "Hachimitsu (ハチミツ, Honey?)"
9. "Piece"
10. "Subako (巣箱, Nest Box?)"
11. "Reinbō (レインボウ, Rainbow?)"
12. "Akai Ito (赤い糸, Red Thread?)"
13. "Hug"

Disc 2
1. "Heart Will Drive"
2. "Utsushie (うつし絵, Silhouette?)"
3. "Only You" (Naked Voice Ver.)
4. "Make My Day" (Naked Voice Ver.)
5. "Furī Bādo (フリーバード, Free Bird?)"
6. "Shinkaron (進化論, Theory of Evolution?)"
7. "La La..." (Naked Voice Ver.)
8. "Hachimitsu (ハチミツ, Honey?)" (Naked Voice Ver.)
9. "Piece" (Naked Voice Ver.)
10. "Subako (巣箱, Nest Box?)" (Naked Voice Ver.)
11. "Reinbō (レインボウ, Rainbow?)" (Naked Voice Ver.)
12. "Akai Ito (赤い糸, Red Thread?)" (Naked Voice Ver.)
13. "Hug" (Naked Voice Ver.)

Info Source : Wikipedia
Download (zip) : Rapidshare

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Oricon: young actresses to watch

In June, Oricon conducted a small survey of 350 high school girls, asking them which young actresses have most caught their attention. Now the results have been published, and 21-year-old Yuriko Yoshitaka tops the list.

Yoshitaka made her acting debut in 2006, and she won multiple awards last year for her role in the movie "Snakes and Earrings." It was recently revealed that she is in a relationship with actor Hiroshi Tamaki (29).

1. Yuriko Yoshitaka
2. Yui Aragaki
3. Maki Horikita
4. Erika Toda
5. Umika Kawashima
6. Haruka Ayase
7. Kie Kitano
7. Mikako Tabe
9. Nana Eikura
10. Kaho

Source : TOKYOGRAPH

Oricon: 2009's fresh stars

Oricon announced its "fresh star ranking" for the first half of 2009, which surveyed 1,200 men and women about young celebrities who have left the strongest impression on them. This time, actress Yuriko Yoshitaka and actor Hiro Mizushima led the rankings.

Yoshitaka, 20, has gained recognition through her roles in various television dramas, but her big break came last year when she received Best Newcomer awards for her performance in "Hebi ni Piasu" ("Snakes and Earrings").

The 25-year-old Mizushima, on the other hand, has been regularly topping recent popularity surveys and is likely to be one of the top young stars for a while.

Women:
1. Yuriko Yoshitaka
2. Haruka Ayase
3. Nana Eikura
4. Erika Toda
5. JUJU
6. Yui Aragaki
7. Maki Horikita
8. Aoi Miyazaki
9. Aya Ueto
10. misono
11. Ayaka

Men:
1. Hiro Mizushima
2. Audrey (owarai duo)
3. Takeru Sato
4. Hannya (owarai duo)
5. Hayato Ichihara
6. Yusuke Kamiji
6. Osamu Mukai
6. Eita
9. Hayato Sakamoto (baseball player)
10. Ryo Ishikawa (golfer)

Source : TOKYOGRAPH

Yui Aragaki Song Rank 10th on the Oricon Charts

Arashi's newest single, "Ashita no Kioku / Crazy Moon," easily topped the charts this past week, selling more than 502,000 copies. This marks their 15th consecutive number-one single and 22nd overall. It is also their second single in a row to sell over 500,000 in the first week, a feat that has not been achieved since Keisuke Kuwata in 2001.

GReeeeN's "Haruka" picked up the #2 spot at 63,000 in sales, and Ringo Shiina's newest landed at #3. Ikimono Gakari (#7), SPEED (#8), and Yui Aragaki (#10) also had new releases in the top ten.

Meanwhile, news was also made with the latest posthumous release from ZARD, "Sunao ni Ienakute." Ranked 5th on the charts, it became ZARD's 43rd top-ten single, tying her for the current record with Southern All Stars, SMAP, and Ayumi Hamasaki. Originally released as a B-side on her second single back in 1991, "Sunao ni Ienakute" has been recorded as a new version with singer Mai Kuraki featured in the song's chorus.

On the album charts, the #1 spot was taken by "Trash We'd Love" from The HIATUS, a new band formed by ELLEGARDEN's Takeshi Hosomi. It sold 80,000 copies, beating out Ken Hirai's new album, "Ken's Bar II." Other artists in the top ten were May J. (#4), Yoko Kanno & The Seatbelts (#6), Yuna Ito (#7), and MEG (#10).

Source : TOKYOGRAPH

Oricon: who would you want to become?

Weekly entertainment magazine ORI☆STAR polled 700 male and female readers on which famous person they would like to try being. In the men's category, singer/actor Masaharu Fukuyama ranked first, while Namie Amuro took the top spot in the women's category. Many of the readers expressed a wish to have similar personal experiences to those of Fukuyama and Amuro.

Male readers said they wanted to sing like Fukuyama and have his sexy voice. One 20-year-old commented, "I want to do karaoke. He sings well and the way he sings looks really cool." Another reader from Osaka said, "I want to see how it is to be popular among women. He's cool and 'Almighty.'"

Among the women, many expressed their desire to have Amuro's good looks, as well as her balanced and fashionable style. "I want to feel satisfied standing in front of a mirror wearing all kinds of outfits! She has a goddess-like style and anything looks good on her," stated an 18-year-old female from Osaka.

Hiro Mizushima ranked second in the male category and Takuya Kimura followed in third place. Ayumi Hamasaki placed second with Aoi Miyazaki ranking third in the women's category.

Men's Category:

1. Masaharu Fukuyama
2. Hiro Mizushima
3. Takuya Kimura
4. Koshi Inaba
5. Kazutoshi Sakurai
6. Hiroshi Tamaki
7. Hiroshi Abe
8. Tsuyoshi Domoto
9. Shun Oguri
10. Joe Odagiri

Women's Category:

1. Namie Amuro
2. Ayumi Hamasaki
3. Aoi Miyazaki
4. Ayaka
5. Becky
6. Haruka Ayase
7. Yui Aragaki
8. Maki Horikita
9. Kou Shibasaki
10. YUKI

Source : TOKYOGRAPH

Oricon: ideal younger sister

In a recent Oricon survey, Teppei Koike ranked #1 as the male celebrity that people would want as a younger brother. The same survey also asked about younger sisters, finding that talento Becky was the most popular choice as a sibling.

Becky's cheerful and lively image was a strong factor in her popularity, though some women focused on her fashion sense, commenting that they would really want to go shopping with her.

The cute smile of actress Yui Aragaki fueled her to the #2 spot, just ahead of 9-year-old Nozomi Ohashi, who got her big break with Hayao Miyazaki's animated picture "Gake no Ue no Ponyo."

1. Becky
2. Yui Aragaki
3. Nozomi Ohashi
4. Aya Ueto
5. Mirai Shida
6. Maki Horikita
7. Masami Nagasawa
8. Aoi Miyazaki
9. misono
10. Haruka Ayase

Source: TOKYOGRAPH

Oricon: ideal new co-worker

With springtime meaning lots of fresh graduates entering companies for the first time, Oricon conducted a survey of 20- to 40-year-olds, asking them which famous person they would like to have as their new co-worker. Sho Sakurai of Arashi and talento Becky took the top spots in the men's and women's rankings, respectively.

For the male rankings, one female stated that Sakurai "thinks quickly and seems like the type to remember things about work quickly." Working as a newscaster for NTV's "NEWS ZERO," Sakurai has gained a lot of attention for his opinions. In the survey, he was followed by Teppei Koike of the duo WaT and pro golfer Ryo Ishikawa.

1. Sho Sakurai
2. Teppei Koike
3. Ryo Ishikawa
4. Hiro Mizushima
5. Haruma Miura
6. Satoshi Tsumabuki
7. Yusuke Kamiji
8. Takeru Sato
9. Junpei Mizobata
10. Eiji Wentz

Among the women, Becky's regular TV appearances have given her a very cheerful image. Some of the survey takers described her as someone who can "read the situation at hand," and as someone "so lively and cheerful that it'd be a nice breath of fresh air to have her around in the company." Right behind her in the rankings were actresses Aya Ueto and Yui Aragaki.

1. Becky
2. Aya Ueto
3. Yui Aragaki
4. Maki Horikita
5. Masami Nagasawa
6. Aoi Miyazaki
7. Haruka Ayase
8. Saki Aibu
9. Erika Toda
10. Mikako Tabe

Source : TOKYOGRAPH

MatsuJun, Aragaki Yui pair up for "Smile"

Jun Matsumoto and Yui Aragaki will co-star in a new TBS drama series titled "Smile." Takayuki Takuma ("Hana Yori Dango") is handling the script, though he is using his real name rather than his usual pen name of Mikio Satake.

Matsumoto plays a half-Filipino whose father has died and mother has disappeared. Despite his misfortune and the issues he deals with, such as race, he lives his life positively with a constant smile.

Similarly, Aragaki plays a young woman living cheerfully despite losing her ability to speak due to an accident. Her character is said to be modeled after a real actress in the theatrical troupe that Takuma runs.

The supporting cast includes Kiichi Nakai as a lawyer who watches over Matsumoto and Aragaki.

"Smile" will air on Friday nights at 10:00pm, starting in April.

Source: TOKYOGRAPH

Oricon: wonderful smiles

Oricon conducted a poll of a thousand men and women, asking them which celebrities they feel have a wonderful smile. Actor Satoshi Tsumabuki ranked #1 on the list of men, while actress Aoi Miyazaki topped the list of women.

Men:

1. Satoshi Tsumabuki
2. Teppei Koike
3. Masaharu Fukuyama
4. Yusuke Kamiji
5. Hiroshi Tamaki
6. Ryo Ishikawa
7. Hiro Mizushima
8. Ryuta Sato
9. Takuya Kimura
10. Sanma Akashiya

Women:

1. Aoi Miyazaki
2. Aya Ueto
3. Becky
4. Yui Aragaki
5. Masami Nagasawa
6. Saki Aibu
7. Haruka Ayase
8. Yukie Nakama
9. Yu Aoi
10. Suzanne

Source From : TOKYOGRAPH

Oricon: who do you want as your lover?

Oricon has published the results of its annual survey that asks, "Which celebrity would you want as your lover?" This year, Masaharu Fukuyama topped the male list for the third time in a row, while actress Aya Ueto led the female list.

Among the men, Takuya Kimura moved up to #2, while Hiroshi Tamaki remained at #3. The rest of the list was very different from last year's, as it consisted of Sho Sakurai, Teppei Koike, Koichi Domoto, Yusuke Kamiji, Haruma Miura, Shun Oguri, and Takeru Sato. Of those, only Domoto was in the top ten last year.

On the female list, Masami Nagasawa repeated her ranking at #2, followed by Haruka Ayase (up one spot) and Yui Aragaki (last year's #1). Erika Toda was new to the list at #5. The bottom half of the top ten were Saki Aibu, Maki Horikita, Aoi Miyazaki, Keiko Kitagawa, and Ai Otsuka.

Source from : TOKYOGRAPH

Yui Aragaki tapped for drama theme song

Original From : Tokyograph
Actress Yui Aragaki has achieved her first drama tie-in as a singer. Her "Make my day" will be used as the theme song for Fuji TV's "81diver," which premieres on May 3.

Aragaki released her first album, "Sora," this past December. However, "Make my day" will be her first actual single, scheduled to go on sale July 16. It will come with two other songs - an a cappella version of "Make my day," and a currently untitled song that she wrote the lyrics for.

The single, which features jacket art drawn by Aragaki, will be sold in three editions. One will be CD-only, while the other two are limited first press versions that each come with a DVD. One DVD has the music video for "Make my day," and the other has footage of her concert at the Nippon Budokan in December.

Yui Aragaki to cover Kobukuro song

Original from : Tokyograph

Actress Yui Aragaki has announced her second single. It will be a cover of Kobukuro's "Akai Ito," a song originally created during their indie days. With this year being the 10th anniversary of their formation, Kobukuro decided to collaborate with a female artist to give the song new life.

Aragaki made her singing debut last December with the album "Sora" and was able to reach #3 on the charts. Last month, her first single "Make my day" made #2 on the Oricon charts and #1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.

"Akai Ito" will be released on October 15.

Yui Aragaki closes official blog

Original from : Japan Today

TOKYO —

Actress Yui Aragaki on Wednesday said on her official blog she would close it to achieve an emotional closure of sorts at the time of her 20th birthday the same day.

In the last entry, Aragaki said, “Today is my 20th birthday, which is the end of my teenage life. Since I started the blog for a limited time until Jan 1, 2008, and extended the closure date, it is the right time to end it today. I really appreciate my fans who post more than 1,000 comments whenever I write an entry.” She said she will continue to update her official blog for mobile phones weekly.

According to Cyber Agent Corp which manages the blog, Aragaki’s blog has received from 1,000 to 5,000 comments on every entry since its launch in November, 2007, and has been one of the most popular celebrity blogs.

Aragaki Yui by NewPaper

Original From : NewPaper
By Chang May Choon

HERS is a sweet and sunny smile that has melted thousands of hearts in Japan.
Whenever she tops a poll - as ideal lover or 'most desired face' - fans cite her cuteness as their reason for choosing her.
Meet Japanese actress-singer Yui Aragaki, star of the hit romantic film Sky Of Love.
She is also known as the Pocky girl.

And the It girl whom Japanese guys most want to give their Valentine's chocolates to, according to a survey last month.
Also, she has been hailed by the media as one of the most promising 20-year-old female stars to look out for in Japan this year.
But fame didn't come easy for the Okinawa-born sweetie-pie, who started out as a magazine model before appearing on TV in 2005.

Last year, Yui was so overworked from juggling four acting projects and recording her debut album that she nearly had an emotional breakdown, reported Sina.com.
Her health reportedly suffered due to immense pressure and lack of sleep.
After drawing flak once for missing a gala premiere last August due to her busy schedule, she insisted on turning up at the next one in October despite developing abdominal pains.

Nikkan Gendai reported that doctors advised her to rest but she stubbornly refused to listen.
Yui also confessed that she was unable to cope with the emotional trauma faced by her character in the movie Sky Of Love, and she once cried three hours for just one scene.
She plays a high school student whose life turns turbulent when she falls in love with the punk student (Haruma Miura), who finds her misplaced handphone and starts calling her.
We shall not give the story away, but the most horrifying things that could happen to a teenage girl happen to her.

WENT DOWN ON HER KNEES
As if paying tribute to her, Yui's screen lover Haruma read out this letter during the gala premiere of their movie in Japan last November: 'If anyone asks me how I feel about her, I'd say she's always full of spirit. I can sense there is sometimes loneliness and anxiety in her expressions, but her smile is still very infectious.'

Hearing that, Yui reportedly felt so overwhelmed that she got down on her knees in front of the crowd of 400 people and thanked everyone for their support.
She even screamed 'I like you all so much!' in an Okinawan dialect and burst into tears when another co-star gave her a bouquet.
She has since assured fans that she is not going on a long break as rumoured.
She wrote on her blog in November that she was healthy and getting enough rest, so her fans didn't have to worry about her.

Sky Of Love, which is now showing in theatres here, grossed a remarkable 3.9 billion yen ($52million) at the box office in Japan.
Critics raved over Yui's natural and yet convincing acting, and she also became the darling of Japan's major film awards.

She has won five Best Newcomer trophies, but strangely, she still lacks confidence on stage.

She once said: 'No matter how hard I try, I still don't have confidence in myself and I feel panicky.'

At her last win at the Blue Ribbon Awards, the first thing she said on stage after receiving her trophy is: 'Can I really (get this)?'
With a shy laugh, she added that she was 'really happy' to communicate with the audience with her acting.
Her insecurity also showed when she released her debut album Sky last December and stood on the coveted stage at the Budokan stadium in Tokyo for the first time.

It is where every singer dreams of holding her first ticketed concert, but Yui was lucky to have her record label Warner Music Japan organise a free concert for her there.
Her opening address to the 10,000-strong crowd began with 'hazukashii...', which is Japanese for 'embarrassing'.
She then explained that she was feeling extremely nervous as it was the first time she was performing in front of such a big crowd, reported Takungpao.com.

Luckily, it didn't take long for her to warm up.
When someone screamed that he liked her, she said no one had ever confessed to her like that, other than during filming.

MARRY YOU? WAIT TILL I'M 28
When another fan asked her to marry him, she laughed and told him to wait until she was 28.
With her debut album selling a respectable 500,000 copies in Japan, Yui is poised to give the new generation of J-pop chart-toppers like Ayaka and Yuna Ito a run for their yen.
Yui's first single, Heaven Days, which is also the theme song for Sky Of Love, has been downloaded more than 600,000 times on authorised pay-per-song websites in Japan.

And her popularity is not confined to Japan.
In Taiwan, she has scored five No1's with Heavenly Days, including KK Box's singles chart and Taiwan Mobile's ringtone download chart.
Her album is also ranked third on the G-Music J-pop chart last week - losing to Kumi Koda and Super Junior but beating Ayumi Hamasaki.

It was released here earlier this month by Warner Music Singapore, and its marketing director James Kang said an advertising campaign is in place to 'make Yui the next Takako Matsu'.
He added that Yui is now Warner's priority artiste, and 'it is rare to have an actress with a big hit album, so we will definitely promote it'.
Meanwhile, Yui was asked by the media in Tokyo if she would try a sexy image.

But she laughed and said she is more suitable for the sweet and innocent look. After all, that's exactly why her fans adore her so much.

Yui Aragaki on "Koizora" television drama

Source from : TokyoGraph

TBS has announced that it is producing a television drama based on "Koizora," the mobile phone novel that became a hit movie last year. The film starred Yui Aragaki and Haruma Miura, and both saw their popularity rise after the movie took in 3.9 billion yen from more than 3.1 million admissions.

The drama will feature an entirely new cast, with auditions being held for both Aragaki's and Miura's roles. Producers are said to be seeking unknown actors, particularly a girl who can be cultivated into becoming "the next Gakky (a nickname for Aragaki)." The cast is expected to be finalized by mid-June so that filming can begin for a summer broadcast. TBS will be airing the drama in its recently revamped Saturday 8:00pm time slot, which currently is the home of the baseball drama "ROOKIES."

Although the cast will be new, the production team is being carried over from the film, giving them another shot at the story. The team includes Natsuki Imai as director, Mutsuki Watanabe as screenwriter, and Shin Kono doing music.

Link Article :

• Koizora
• Heavenly Days Music Video
• Heavenly Days & Orange (Live)
• Another Heavenly Days Music Video

9nine gets CM tie-in with Aragaki

Source from : TokyoGraph

Teen idol group 9nine has their first major CM tie-in with their new song "sky." It is being used in a commercial for Rohto's Lycee eye drops that features popular actress Yui Aragaki. The ad begins airing on Monday.

The song is included on their second album, "second 9," which goes on sale July 9. Another song from the same album titled "Merry-Go-Round" will be used in a commercial for Nexon's MMORPG Mabinogi, and the group's members will also appear in the ad.

9nine formed in 2006 and released their first album in March 2007. Originally a 9-member unit, there are currently only 8 members due to the removal of Rubi Kato (reportedly due to the discovery of her relationship with Hey! Say! JUMP member Yuya Takaki). The group includes fashion model Moe Miura, actress Umika Kawashima, and Sayaka Nishiwaki (the sister of Perfume's A-chan).

Yui aragaki was named on "2008 Best Black Hair"

Original from : Tokyograph

Oricon repeated its survey from last year that asked the public who they think looks best with black hair, though this time around the survey divided the choices for male and female celebrities.

Not surprisingly, the female list was very similar to the previous results, with Yukie Nakama once again in the lead. Mika Nakashima and Chiaki Kuriyama traded places, ranking at #2 and #3, respectively, while Yui Aragaki moved up one place to #4 and Meisa Kuroki jumped three places to land at #5.

On the men's list, Junichi Okada took the top spot, ahead of Ryo Nishikido, who was the only male in last year's top 10 (he was #9). Hiroshi Tamaki ranked 3rd, while Jun Matsumoto tied with Satoshi Tsumabuki for 4th.