[Discussion] Ainori/Love Wagon Reality Show (Summaries)

Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:44 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

episode 438 will be broadcasted today march 2nd 2009.

http://www.fujitv.co.jp/flvplayer/flvalone_komado.html?Pathes=variety/ainori/090302ainori

chem!

Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 10:23 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

I think your in Germany, and i dont understand how the time difference works, bu today in california means its broadcast at 7:30am today, which is close to Japans yesterday, and we'll see it tomorrow. So it's really all relative. cheers

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:03 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

lol, it was a good episode. I can't wait to see these last three. I just really wonder how its all gonna end.

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:12 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Hi Everyone!

Long time fan of the show. I'm a bit sad it will be over too. Sad

I remember watching a Special episode of Ainori where they show a "Making of AINORI". They show how people are interviewed, selected, then called up to go. How the girls and boys are separated. It was a really interesting episode where they showed a behind the scenes and making of.

I would love to see it again. Does anyone have any idea which episode it is???

Thanks.

Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 3:08 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

It was episode 358

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:24 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

So sad. Can anyone recommend another series to use as a study aid?

Preferably one with good stories, casual conversation, Japanese subtitles, complete episode transcripts on the official site, not to mention the English subbers, encoders, seeders, and leechers?

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:39 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

I just watched the final. I didn't like how it ended (I won't give spoilers). It left me very unsatisfied, literally the tape just stopped like in badly edited school video. WTF?

Does anyone have the real inside scoop why they ended it? Was the show too expensive to produce? Maybe it's because I have only been watching since 3 years but for my taste they could just continue it this way. I am not so interested in some boring twen's love problems, but the way they showed different countries was quite entertainingl

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:54 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Very suspicious, this "sudden ending". Consider Japanese variety shows and their tendency to repeat/recycle material (as in 10 replays of a gag or recaps after commercial breaks) and it all seems ever the more strange. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a special or two down the road sometime.

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 5:35 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

yes WTF! Why did the show end in such a way? No explanation, no nothing?!?!

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 7:18 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Now it's finishing. what do you think the chances are of them releasing a complete dvd box set? that would be amazing!

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 5:23 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

So any news on why it ended so suddenly? Anything confirmed?

Someone said there was info on Momo and Yamaji's blogs but I can't read any of it, as I only understand spoken Japanese...

I also heard that the reason for the show ending so suddenly, would be explained in the book they're selling/going to sell, I don't even know what book that is but if anyone has any idea? Either way, I can't read it so.

It's just so sad, I recently watched episodes ~340-441 in one stretch, so I'm feeling very disappointed with this ending. There has to be some specific reason why they'd end it like this. And since they didn't say why in the final episode, it has to be something bad.

Anyone who has any info? I've found many ideas, but no real info. Sad

(In the mean time, I'll be watching ainori from as far back as I can get episodes. xD)

*edit* I believe this is the book I mentioned:
http://shop.gakken.co.jp/shop/order/k_ok/bookdisp.asp?code=1340413000

So, old Ainori member Hide has a shop in Harajuku. I know it's been mentioned on Sylvain's blog, not sure about here, but it's called Maasai Market and he's basically selling African imports. His business has done so well that he actually has like 3 or 4 locations now, if I'm not mistaken...

http://maasai-market.jp/

But, the cool thing is, over the last few weeks/months he's had a whole bunch of ex-Ainori members in the shop as guests. Sanchan's been there, Suuzan's been there before (and will be there again for the whole first half of August), last weekend he had Umeo and Maamin and Garlic... and this weekend... he had Shrek.

I couldn't resist. I went.

I had actually gone by the shop randomly last week, but was too scared to go in... this time, no way was I going to miss meeting one of my favorite Ainori members of all time.

(I speak decent Japanese, I just wasn't sure how they'd react to a gaijin Ainori fan.)

And in person, Shrek is every bit as funny and sweet as he was on the show. I only got to talk to him a little because the store was crowded, but I asked him what he's up to now, it seems he's still working as a truck driver or machine operator in Hyogo, and I asked whether he was sad or surprised about the show ending, and he just said that he felt really bad for the newest members, that they weren't going to get to have their full ride. Also, the members mostly stay in touch and do get together to hang out from time to time.

It was a really weird situation though -- if you wanted to take a photo with him, you had to buy something from the shop. And I'm about as unfashionable as it's possible to be while still living in Tokyo, plus I know very little about Africa. So I bought a cell strap charm from Kenya, that I attached to my Ainori cell strap charm, and got a photo taken with Shrek. I think it's a super-weird situation but he was nice about it all -- when he said "arigato", I was like "arigaTON ja nai?" And everyone laughed.

Anyway, if you're a fan from the Suuzan-Hide era, you might want to drop by the shop in the beginning of August and meet your favorite guys!

Alternately, you can go to Odaiba, where they have the ACTUAL love wagon from the first year of the show! I was randomly at Venus Fort and saw this big pink van inside the mall (first floor, near the Italian restaurant), and nearly cried! It even had the polaroids of all the couples up to Ryo and Remi inside it.

BTW, no, I didn't ask him if the show was all a setup or not. I was mostly like "OMG! I can't believe I am TALKING to SHREK!"

Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 10:18 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

oooh, so thats what that was! saw a girl holding a sign plastered in suzans face and had no idea what it was. might have to check that out.

Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 1:39 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Hi all. It looks like this is where the lingering Ainori crowd hangs out.

Did anyone catch the Ainori special that was on yesterday afternoon? I didn't know it was on and caught the last 20 minutes by chance but missed the first hour.

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 1:43 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0