10 Feb 2009
Posted by YuanHao 
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Most of you are familiar with Utada Hikaru (宇多田 ヒカル), born in 1983, New York. Fluent in both English and Japanese, she’s that cute face who caught us J-Pop fans by surprise on 1999 with her Debut album First Love, which is an all-time number one seller in Japan (I love this version). Well, guess what, besides being an incredibly kawaii girl, she’s also a Tetris otaku who wears geek glasses and will humilliate you in a Tetris match (yes video).
J-Pop Star
Utada Hikaru is, with no doubt, Japan’s most succesful pop star. 3 out of 10 top best-selling albums in Japan are from Hikki as her fans call her. Besides First Love, I’m also a big fan of Flavor of Life (live version), the 2007 best-seller in Japan.
Where’s the Tetris part?
When someone told me that Utada Hikaru probably owned me at Tetris (I’m really good at puzzle games, including on my own one!) I literally rolled on the floor laughing my ass off. Well, a video is worth a thousand words:
Anyway, at the beginning, she says that she’s not used to the controls and losses a few matches. Actually, Tetris rules have constantly evolved since the day Alexey Pajitnov created this masterpiece, so the button layout can get a little messy on the DS version.
超かたい！超かたい！(#%$@! this controls!!)
Well, after losing a couple of rounds Miss Utada finally gets a grip on the controls, and you’ll see that the geek behind the glasses is actually a die-hard Tetris otaku! She ends up with a respectable 26 win – 4 loss streak. よっしゃ～！is what she says after indiscriminately owning guys, gals, kids, and the Nintendo Staff themselves. Check out these two videos [1] and [2] if you’re into Utada Hikaru playing Tetris ^^
めっちゃくちゃかわいい～！
Seriously though, she is a monster Tetris maniac and fortunately I didn’t get the chance to get humilliated on TV (BTW, if you have Tetris DS let’s share Friend Codes, I love a good Tetris match!). Well, enough geekness, let’s get back to the J-pop star we love!
Did you see that coming? I certainly didn’t. Only in Japan I guess! Anyway, if you enjoyed today’s post, don’t forget to subscribe to our RSS feed, lots of tasty ramen guaranteed! Which Utada Hikaru do you prefer, J-Pop or Otaku?
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6 Comments
I just prefer Utada Hikaru. ^^
In the first photo – “Passion” – I am mesmerised by her eyes. In the last photo – “Bananas are better” – well, there’s a hint of cheeky naughtiness. :-)
Great article. This just shows that there is an inner otaku in all of us.
It’s funny to see how many facets she has. In an interview, she says that she’s not the typical celebrity/diva, instead, she just lives how she wants and she doesn’t get too noticed on the street.
The first picture is definitely eye-catching and cute, her Tetris otaku side is funny, and the last one (I didn’t notice the naughtiness of the message as you did reesan ^^) shows something different too.
Wow, the last picture of her is really nostalgic ! It must have been taken maybe 10 years ago ? I haven’t listened to her latest english album, is it any good ?
That’s true, watching her last picture makes me feel nostalgic and old. I’m a bit older than her, and I still remember when First Love was released. Fast-forward some years later, and she looks quite old, still has her charm though ^^
Haven’t heard her new English album yet, I mostly hear her Japanese albums but I think there’s a small preview on her website
NP: Simple and Clean ~
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