FANTASY :: an Erika Sawajiri fansite

Musical career resumed, possible drama in July

2010-04-29T21:55:00.004-04:00

Sawajiri Erika (24), whom has expressed intention of divorcing her husband Takashiro Tsuyoshi (45) on the 29th, appeared from her parent's home in Tokyo. She continued her silence on the matter of the previous day, however did comment that her careers as an actress and a singer have already been resumed, and that music is currently being produced.

On this evening Sawajiri exited her mother's apartment wearing a leopard print camisole which emphasized her breasts. The previous day she wore an outfit which revealed her thighs while heading to Ninagawa Mika (37)'s photography exhibition. She wore a black jacket with embroidery of a dragon and tiger in a feather weave, coordinated with jean pants accented with several holes.

Within a myriad of camera flashes, Sawajiri waved to about 80 reporters with a smile. Questions like "Did you really break up with him through e-mail?" were met with only her sunglasses and a smile from beginning to end. She then boarded a black Mercedes driven by an avex official which confirms the contract with the management. According to her, she returned to her parents house early in the morning on the 29th. Since news of her divorce were discovered on the 26th she has returned to her parents home to encounter her mother for the first time in three days.

Though Sawajiri has kept silence about the divorce, she has talked to reporters about wanting to work again, "I want to do movies and music," and also commenting that several club-music songs have already been produced. Sawajiri made her debut in music on August 6th with the single "Taiyou no Uta" under the name Kaoru Amane, which met with being first place on the Oricon weekly charts, so musical activity is already guaranteed. It is not yet certain whether AVEX will help in releasing her next musical piece, though the situation most definitely calls it to be enough proof.

Additionally, an official of a TV station said that "She's received the most attention out of any other actress this year. I want to offer her a role in a cool drama for July at the earliest;" it was also commented that work is sure to start immediately after the divorce has been settled.

Translated from: Yahoo! Japan News

Comeback in August?

2009-05-28T18:01:00.001-04:00

The last thing we heard from Erika is that she went to Spain for her honeymoon, to study graphic design and to further improve her English skills all in one go. The plan was to make a comeback later this year and now some more details regarding that move has come to light.

"It's been more than 1 and a half years since all the riots she caused. She's been separated from work and from her fans for such a long time, so it seemed like that she didn't get offers for roles anymore. However, whenever there have been news about her coming back to Japan, her agency literally got flooded with requests for movies and doramas. The marriage with Takashiro was another smash in the face for the agency, but as long as there is work they can easily forget about such things. Now they've actually persuaded Sawajiri to return to Japan before the Summer." An insider revealed.

Erika was actually supposed to make her comeback right after her teary apology on TV after the Betsu ni... incident, but she disregarded that plan and traveled to London. Her marriage too, she never kept her agency in the loop. These events caused rumors like that her agency would deprive her of role offers in return, but now they unexpectedly seem to have changed their mood towards Erika and even decided to make a comeback with a movie completely produced by Stardust themselves.

"Since this year, Sawajiri's agency Stardust Promotions started not only to make but also to distribute movies by themselves. The first movie they distributed was "Yomei" in February. There is a lot of money to earn by distributing a movie by yourself and so it's just normal that they are seeking for a very big hit." A movie writer explained.

"There have actually also been rumors about Sawajiri getting the role in 'Yomei' long before it got released. Not many theaters played the movie when it got released in February, but a lot of them stated that it would have certainly been a hit with Sawajiri in the starring role and they definitely would have put it in their programs."

It's not that Erika and Takashiro really have to worry about their income, but a comeback in August could become reality since the timing seems to be right.

Credits to www.erika-sawajiri.net
Source: Cyzo

Oricon: Most Dramatic Life

2009-03-25T18:04:00.001-04:00

Oricon asked about 1,200 men and women which celebrity has the "most dramatic way of life". Actress Sawajiri Erika ranked first. She's someone who gained a lot of attention with her uncontrolled words and is probably the most appropriate person for the 1st place.

Unforgettable here behavior at the stage greeting with her several dull answers like "Not really.." which became a major buzzword and not to mention her marriage in 2008 that had been all over the press. It's not a big surprise that she got most the votes, but let's look at some of the comments from the voters. "I've voted for her, because she gets constantly observed by reporters, had this huge bombshell announcement, and she got married." A teenage girl from Osaka explained. "None of us ordinary people will ever able to live as freely as she does." Another teenage girl from Toyama commented. Some opinions like of this man (from Aichi, in his twenties) even go one step further, saying that, "You could be able to make her life into a movie."

On 2nd place comes Matsuda Seiko, an idol from the 80's who already went through two divorces in her life and constantly made headlines with her work and her private life. "She keeps on shining and standing at the foremost front despite all her scandals." Most of the comments said something similar to that one, but there also aren't just a few women who look up to her way of life, especially her love life.

The 3rd place goes to famous director, actor, comedian, host, writer, painter... Kitano Takeshi. "This man simply is a genius and he really crept up from the bottom." - "He's interesting, he's funny, he's cool, he's uncontrollable and he does whatever he wants. In short, he's an amazing person." Comments such as those two above always pile up when it comes to this man, not only in Japan. He used the boom of comedians to make it all the way to the top and and later became a worldwide acclaimed movie director. Kitano also had many drastic events in his life such as his severe motorcycle accident. It's hard to find someone who doesn't respect this man.

Here now the top 05:

1. Sawajiri Erika (22) - Actress and singer
2. Matsuda Seiko (47) - Singer and actress
3. Kitano Takeshi (62) - Personality, director, actor, writer, ...
4. Tamura Hiroshi (29) - Comedian
5. Amuro Namie (31) - Singer

Cr. http://jyoyu.blogspot.com

Gendai's take on the "retirement" theories

2008-12-23T14:17:00.001-05:00

Will Sawajiri Erika really just fade away like that? Lately there have been a lot of "retirement theories."

"The basis of this theory is that plans to play the leading role in next season's "Monday-9pm-dorama" on Fuji TV got suddenly scrapped. There have also been offers for doramas from NTV, but those got canceled on Erika's side as well, raising the discussions about a possible retirement."

There have also been rumors about them staying in London for New Year's holiday (note: her mother already said that they will come back before that, so that rumor was false!) and lately there are reports about a possible marriage with her lover Takashiro Tsuyoshi in January next year. However, it's highly unlikely that Sawajiri is going to disappear just like that.

As a matter of fact, she's going to come back by the beginning of next year. She'll renewal her CM contracts and talk with her agency about their future plans.

"During her 'suspension' there have been many offers to her office about roles in movies and doramas. However, her desire to marry seems to be very strong and so it's difficult to persuade her into accepting those offers. Her office has basically "became the horse instead of the commander." On the other hand it's said that Takashiro appealed to her the other day and suggested her to make a comeback. He's been in the business for a while and understands the circumstances of her office more than she does. It seems that they have come to an agreement to postpone the marriage for a little while."

With Takashiro as her "guardian" persuading her, Erika can't help but to accept some of the offers. A "January-Comeback" might be out of the question, but the more it's likely to see her in a dorama in April.

Credit: Gendai + ESN

Wedding Bells for Sawajiri!

2008-12-21T22:22:00.002-05:00

Yesterday it has been announced that actress Sawajiri Erika and multi-creator Takashiro Tsuyoshi are going to marry in January 2009. The couple has been together since September last year and since 2008 they have been living together in London. They often came back to Japan due to Takashiro's work during the year. Now there's information that their next trip home will be before the end of the year and while they are here, they are said to officially announce their marriage.

Their stay in London was caused by Erika's scandal in 2007, after which she gradually lost all her contracts for roles in movies/dramas and almost every contract as image character for all kind of different products. Erika also used the opportunity to improve her English by studying at a language school and to have some relaxing time together with Takashiro.

The marriage is pretty much a fact, but from people close to them there's also information about the marriage already going to happen in January next year. She's supposed to announce it once they are back home. Details about the marriage are still unknown, but it has been already made clear that she's not pregnant.

Her agency is not yet confirming the reports, "We can't tell you anything regarding this matter until we've heard a comment from her herself about the current state of affairs once she returned back to Japan." Meanwhile her mother in Tokyo has already been asked about the marriage as well. "I can't tell you anything, except for that they'll come back by the end of the year. I can't wait to see her." About Takashiro she says the following, "He's a very nice person. My daughter is very important to him." She also quotes her of having said, that "she'd like to get married where she's been born and raised."　This could vaguely mean that the marriage is going to happen in Japan.

During a live event Koda Kumi also already commented on Erika's marriage plans. "My deepest congratulations. I'm wishing them all the best." Further we have producer, TV Star and close friend of Takashiro, Terry Ito comment on the matter. "Isn't that a nice story? If I had to guess, then I think that Sawajiri fell in love with him first. You know, she lost her father at an early age and Takashiro might have a fatherly side to him." Comedian Katou Kouji then adds, "Would they invite you (Terry Itou) to their marriage? I don't think so. You are friends, but you aren't that close." Terry Itou just returned back to his function as main commentator in "Sukkiri!!" with Katou Kouji after his bone fracture on the 16th.

Since the scandal she still had commercials here and there and various photo shootings for magazines. By summer next year she's also predicted to start working as an actress again.

Credits to www.erika-sawajiri.net

Erika returning to Japan

2008-08-21T17:57:00.006-04:00

Erika is back in Japan once again to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday. She was followed by press again and ignored all questions as usual.

Here's a small picture from his blog with Erika in it.

http://blog.honeyee.com/ttakashiro/

Erika's New Sala CM

2008-07-19T01:15:00.002-04:00

Erika's Comeback Confirmed?

2008-06-26T04:53:00.000-04:00

According to a rumor, Stardust Promotion, Erika's agency, just opened a new division- Stardust Pictures, which will be primarily making movies. Erika's comeback is now apparently guaranteed because she has been chosen to star in the first film from the production company. A movie called "Life Expectancy", alongside Takeuchi Yuko, Nakatani Miki, Shibasaki Kou, and Takako Tokiwa.

Erika's Comeback?

2008-06-11T13:35:00.000-04:00

It's a fact that actress Sawajiri Erika, who went to Great Britain has frequently been coming back to her home country, though next to commercials and work for monthly magazines, she has actually steadily been preparing to hasten a real comeback.

"Once her tourist visa expires, it will only be a matter of time when the media is going to ask her office 'When will she come back?', but Erika has already been back in May for things like commercials and features in monthly magazines," a person from the office explains.

Erika got a lot of criticism from various kind of sides for her arrogant attitude in the "Betsu ni.." incident in October last year. This year she's been going to Great Britain with her 22 years older lover Takashiro Tsuyoshi, going as far as renting an apartment in London, therefore raising the question whether that's gonna be her exile from the world of show business for real now.

"In late March she returned home for a CM, once finished she went back to London again. It's said that if this CM was canceled, she would have gotten the sack from her office," a public reporter tells us.

However, the circumstances seem to be quite different according to authorized people.

"Erika got suspended from work for one year. In the meantime she studied in Great Britain. Her office and Takashiro supported her through the time of antagonism. Thanks to that she's been more grown up each time she came back here," are the inside informations from a movie company authorized person.

It's said that she stopped receiving offers after the bashing, but in truth she got flooded with requests. "A few movies have already been nominated for her comeback," says an authorized person from a major office.

Let us all believe that this is true and that Erika is soon going to work on a new movie.

From HPriest@ESN

Erika in VoCE July 2008 Scans

2008-06-07T13:55:00.002-04:00

FANTASY is One Year Old

2008-06-04T04:00:00.003-04:00

This isn't news, but I thought I'd post about it anyway.
It has been exactly one year since I first started updating this Erika fansite. The time has gone by so quickly! Thank you to all of Erika's fans and the everyone who visits this site and uses me as a resource for all of your Erika news.~

New COFFRET D'OR CM

2008-06-02T10:10:00.002-04:00

Download

Erika and Takashiro Split?

2008-05-30T18:40:00.007-04:00

Recent rumors say that Erika Sawajiri is to split from her boyfriend Tsuyoshi Takashiro. Before this it was reported that she and her boyfriend together were temporarily living in London and almost planning to get married, but now, they are suddenly going to separate. There is a surprising reason: Takashiro is in debt.

According to some in entertainment circles, Takashiro knows Erika likes brand-name products, and in London he bought her lots of high-end items as a gift for her birthday, which cost large sums of money. Takashiro has already spent about 20-30 million yen on her.

Takashiro has spent too much on Erika. We cannot say that it is an aid communication between them, but it does show that they were not meant to be together if they can break up for lack of money. Nevertheless, as the message of separation spreads, the call for Erika’s return becomes louder and louder!

VoCE July 2008 Cover

2008-05-19T14:23:00.004-04:00

Erika in VoCE July 2008 (Preview)

2008-05-11T15:10:00.002-04:00

The issue goes on sale May 23, 2008.

http://i-voce.boxerblog.com/shitabataraki/

Nikkei Ent. - Best Looking Celebrities

2008-05-08T01:40:00.003-04:00

Nikkei Entertainment has done another poll, this time surveying 3000 people ages 10-59 to find out which celebs they think outshine the rest in the looks department.

Kimura Takuya
Fukuyama Masaharu
Itou Misaki
Darvish Yu
Fujiwara Norika
Okada Jun'ichi
Hayami Mokomichi
Oguri Shun
Ebihara Yui
Koyuki
Yonekura Ryoko
Tamaki Hiroshi
Matsushima Nanako
Yamashita Tomohisa
Mizuki Arisa
Aragaki Yui
Gackt
Sawajiri Erika
Chibana Kurara
Leah Dizon
Takizawa Hideaki
Odagiri Joe
Ikuta Toma
Takenouchi Yutaka
Oshikiri Moe
Akanishi Jin
Shibasaki Kou
Takeuchi Yuko
Nagasawa Masami
Koike Teppei

It's nice that Erika still makes it into these rankings even after all of the bad press she has received, and her long absence from the spotlight.
From yunareira at esn

COFFRET D'OR Website Update

2008-05-07T20:48:00.002-04:00

The COFFRET D'OR hompage has been updated with the new images for the campaign.

http://www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/coffretdor/index.html

Erika to Return to Japan?

2008-05-07T16:48:00.002-04:00

A new rumor is going around that Erika will return to Japan once again sometime in June this year. Apparently she and her boyfriend Tsuyoshi Takashiro will be there to support Hidetoshi Nakata, a former football player (and a good friend of Takashiro) in his first friendly match since retirement.
If Erika does come back, she will also meet with workers at Stardust Promotion to come to an agreement about her future work plans, if any.
From Rabbitamane

Erika for Kanebo's COFFRET D'OR

2008-05-02T15:23:00.003-04:00

From Rabbitamane

VoCE July 2008 Cover

2008-04-24T10:47:00.002-04:00

Erika will be on the cover of VoCE magazine's July 2008 issue. The issue will be published on May 23, 2008.

http://i-voce.boxerblog.com/contents/2008/04/index.html

COFFRET D'OR Update

2008-04-24T10:43:00.003-04:00

Two new (low quality) images of Erika in the new Kanebo COFFRET D'OR campaign ads have been released. The images will be used for the summer campaign and will begin on June 16, 2008.

Erika in London

2008-04-19T04:41:00.004-04:00

Pictures of Erika in London have come out! It's sad that she can't even go to London without Japanese reporters following her around. She also seems to be smoking in the first picture...

From ESC

A silent departure, Erika back in London

2008-04-14T14:50:00.008-04:00

The work that had to be done is done and Erika flew back to London. Once again departing from Narita Airport, Erika and Tsuyoshi left Japan at 11:30 in the morning. It has been 15 days since they came back to Japan and Erika's welcome-back message 'Oh, shit!'
It looks like they reserved a first class lounge in an 'Virgin Atlantic' airplane. It didn't take long until the press noticed the couple and so they both hurried to check in. Erika wore a long white coat and her beloved huge sunglasses. Tsuyoshi had a white coat as well, making the couple's look perfect.

She has been asked how long they will stay in London this time. "Please, just a short note," but Erika's facial expression didn't change at all. Later when they were boarding the plane, they've tried it again, but this time in English. "How long will you stay in London?" Although she might have understood that already, she probably hasn't been in the mood to answer. All in all they didn't answer any of the questions.

As expected her stay didn't last very long, but during those 15 days she has been able to shoot a CM and to celebrate her 22nd birthday. This time the couple is expected to stay abroad for a longer time. Erika also will remain her studies at a language school there to increase her English skills.

Translated by HPriest@ESN

'Oh $#&%!' Foul-mouthed starlet Sawajiri's Career Crisis

2008-04-11T16:51:00.010-04:00

Having snuck off to London for three months with a boyfriend more than twice her age, actress Erika Sawajiri announced her return to Japan by proclaiming "Oh shit" after dropping her make-up kit at Narita Airport. If she's seriously thinking about her career prospects, Shukan Bunshun says she might use exactly the same phrase.
"She's having a great time taking things easy over there in her 'trial marriage.' She came back to Japan for work, but will go back to London in the middle of April," a reporter says. "This time, she's gonna stay there for a really long time."

Sawajiri, 21, has been living in the British capital with Tsuyoshi Takashiro, a hyper-media creator (whatever that is), who at 43 is 22 years older than her. Sawajiri's career has virtually been on hold since September last year, when she threw a tantrum at a news conference where she was supposed to be promoting her new movie. Her petulant display caused an uproar in the media, and though she quickly went into damage control and apologized, she's since done little work.

"There were reports of her going crazy at the Led Zeppelin concert in London in December and then she flew off to Britain not long into the New Year. Since then, she hasn't tried to hide her relationship with Takashiro and has had no problem being photographed with him," another celebrity beat hack following Sawajiri in London says.

"She's using a pricey apartment Takashiro is renting as her base and going to English classes every day. She's also going out doing a lot of shopping and taking in the tourist traps. She went and saw a lot of old English castles and has flown over to Spain. Takashiro has apparently got a lot of bases in Europe where he can do his work and she's apparently gone on a trip to the Caribbean with him, too."

Takashiro is actually a bit of a celebrity in his own right.
"The apartment they're living in is in a pricey area of London. They're paying about 700,000 yen a month in rent. They're not showing any concerns about money, shopping at an exclusive supermarket near their place, eating out a lot and staying in five-star, luxury hotels despite having their own apartment," the hack says. "Takashiro's connections have seen her go out to quite a few parties at night. And he's always with her when she goes out to buy clothes for the dos. Sawajiri does things at her own pace and is not scared to speak her mind, but Takashiro just stands by, gently grinning."

What remains uncertain is whether Sawajiri is taking a break, or deliberately holding back on more work to show she is reflecting on her bad behavior last year.

"Actually, she hasn't got any TV or movie work in the pipeline at all. The only work she does have is for a few existing contracts for commercials," a TV industry insider tells Shukan Bunshun. "The situation is totally dependent on whether Sawajiri wants to do more work or not. Her talent agency is waiting with bated breath."

Several offers made to Sawajiri were withdrawn following her hissy fit, and though the spoiled brat act was not generally seen as being career-threatening then, things have changed now.

"Her agency is pretty keen to get her a high profile job she can use for a 'comeback' appearance, but life is so good for her at the moment, I doubt she's in a hurry to do it," an entertainment beat reporter says. "Considering she was a good money earner for them, I guess the agency would be pretty peeved."

A reporter for a women's magazine, however, says Sawajiri should think deeply about what she's doing.

"If nothing else, her time away from the limelight has showed the entertainment world here that it doesn't really need Sawajiri," the women's gossip rag hack tells Shukan Bunshun. "There are loads of actresses similar to her popping up all over the place."

Erika Shoots New CM in Tokyo

2008-04-03T11:52:00.005-04:00

Erika's first project since her arrival in Tokyo. She started filming her new CM at "Kadokawa Daiei Motion Picture Company" in Tokyo, Chofu City. Short after 9 in the morning, Erika arrives at the studio with a high-class sports car, appearing in a white jacket and sunglasses. She didn't respond to any questions by the journalists. It is known that within this month she plans to go back to England and probably visit other European countries as well.
From HPriest@ESN

News Reports on Erika's Return

2008-03-29T17:27:00.007-04:00

Hypermedia creator Tsuyoshi Takashiro (43) and actress Sawajiri Erika (21) left for London on the 29th of January and came back after an interval of about 3 months.

Sawajiri came down from a Virgin Atlantic airplane in Narita Airport at about 9:40 a.m. and was in the lobby by a two-shot much similar to the departure of January 4th. The camera coverage shows her walking briskly apart from a weary Takashiro, whom was told "Welcome home!" revealing a state of surprise from him.

But, Sawajiri's makeup bag suddenly fell out of her hand, and contents were scattered in every direction for an assumed distance of about three meters, leaving her with a stupefied expression for several seconds and then yelled "Oh, shit!" The first words she uttered since her homecoming were such vulgar words. Although she didn't use much English in public until now, her language ability seems to have improved greatly. It's rare to say such English in a public place, but her language ability seems to have improved remarkably and seemed to ease foreigners who worry about the amount of English speakers.

Her expression stiffened when reporters helped her gather her makeup together, she gave them all candy afterwards and said "I'm really sorry. Thanks for helping." while showing a lovely smile.

Afterwards she was asked a few questions, "Were you able to relax in London?" she said "Yes, I was able to relax." And "Is your next movie being prepared?" she answered "It differs." When asked "Where will you spend your birthday next month?" she answered "I will spend it in Japan."

September of last year, she appeared at a preview of her starring movie "Closed Note" where she answered with ill-humored remarks which developed into a sort of riot against her, but this year Erika seems to have changed and appears to be a kinder person. While leaving the airport she drew closer to Takashiro again. She will resume work for a CM photoshoot soon.
Translated by Chris for FANTASY. Please credit when used elsewhere.

Erika's Back in Japan!

2008-03-29T10:48:00.004-04:00

On March 29, 2008, Erika Sawajiri and boyfriend Tsuyoshi Takashiro returned to Japan after a 4 month stay in London, England. Aside from Erika appearing to be in a very good mood, there is nothing else new.

Photos of Erika at the Airport:

From Sawajiri Erika China

Closed Note DVD Ranking

2008-03-29T06:44:00.003-04:00

Erika's latest movie Closed Note has been released on DVD, and has taken two spots on the Oricon DVD Ranking.

The Standard Edition took the #2 spot in the first day of release, while the Special Edition took the #4 spot.

Erika's New Sala ~Superior~ CM

2008-03-27T12:12:00.003-04:00

Erika is in another CM for Kanebo's SALA ~Superior~ hair product! You can watch it here:

Or download it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?0vrbdga3bdg
From ESC

Marriage by the end of the year?

2008-03-19T16:52:00.003-04:00

This year Erika left Japan to have a 'long vacation' in London. She didn't went alone as we all know. Her 'good friend' Takashiro went with her. However, instead of living in a hotel, they both actually seem to live a very happy life similar to a married couple. Now we all wonder (or fear) whether a marriage within 2008 is possible or not. To find out what exactly we know and why marriage actually might not be that bad, keep on reading.

I'm skipping what happened last year, you all should know by now. After all the mess, Erika and Takashiro decided to go to Britain together, with plans for her to come back sometime again. Up until now her presence in London is still considered to be a 'long vacation' only. At the end of last month and the beginning of this month, rumors appeared about them coming back to Japan very soon. An insider now says that it probably started because of Takashiro's work. However, he doesn't think that his work will force them to come back as Takashiro can basically work from around the world as long as he has access to a computer or his laptop.

As both of them don't really have to be concerned about money, it shouldn't be problematic to stay in an expensive hotel during their long vacation, yet they don't seem to live that way.
"Takashiro actually bought a high class apartment there for them to stay in. It seems as if they want to settle down there. There are eye-witnesses of them buying goods in a local supermarket. You can't deny that they are living in a 'de facto marriage' right now," we learn from the same insider.

Even though Erika caused a lot of trouble last year, she has been the biggest earner for her agency. Shouldn't a comeback easily be possible for somebody like her?
"The incident ruined her image quite bad. It takes some time to calm down the people and she should enjoy her vacation in London as for now," thinks a professional for public entertainment.

It obviously is very comfortable for them in London, nobody is chasing them down, people are leaving them alone. You could say that a marriage under such conditions might be highly possible. An insider of an advertising firm even thinks of it as a great chance for her to clean her image. "If she really considers a comeback, she would have to change a lot to free herself from the bad image," he says. "As a married woman and maybe even as a mother it would be a lot easier for her than trying to keep on going with her current bold and sexy routine."

Last year they both have kept on saying that they are only good friends. The person from the advertising firm, however, tells us that he actually met Takashiro in a bar last year and asked him 'Is Erika your big love?' and according to him, he answered, "Yes, she really is." More than that, he actually already introduced Erika to his mother and his older brother. "The fact that they still live as an unmarried couple must be due to the current circumstances," he adds.

If Erika really plans to marry this year, she will definitely be on the top of every news again.

Source from livedoor news
Translated/Written by HP@ESN

Erika in Glamorous April 2008 Scans

2008-03-14T14:12:00.002-04:00

From ZHEN@ESC

Erika #1 Most Hated Female Talent

2008-03-09T22:44:00.000-04:00

This is a yearly poll done by Bubka. The number of votes is beside the name.

The Top 10 Most Hated Female Talent
1. Sawajiri Erika (503)
2. Nagasawa Masami (126)
3. Ogura Yuko (118)
4. Ueno Juri (105)
5. Kinoshita Yukina (104)
6. Hoshino Aki (97)
7. Natsukawa Jun (94)
8. Suzanne (83)
9. Abiru Yuu (79)
10. Koikie Eiko (73)

On the flipside, she also got in the Top 5 of the Most Liked Female Talent list with Nagasawa Masami, Aragaki Yui, Horikita Maki, and Ogura Yuko.

From ESN

Vote: ERIKA on MTV VMA JAPAN 2008

2008-03-07T04:06:00.005-05:00

ERIKA's first single "FREE", has been choosen to take part in the poll for the "Best New Artist Video" of MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2008.
If you wish to show your strongest support for ERIKA, please register an account at MTVJapan to cast your vote!

In order to vote, follow these instructions:

First, click here. (http://www.mtvjapan.com/vmaj/vote/vote.html) Click on any three categories you would like to vote for. (ERIKA is in BEST NEW ARTIST VIDEO.) Then, vote for your favorites.

It will ask you to either login with your MTVJapan account, or register a new one. If you do not already have one, you can register by filling out the form it gives you. Click the circled button in red in the image above to begin registration.
This is the form:

The first blank need you to type in in your Mail.
The second and third blanks ask you to type a password.
The seventh blank ask you for your mail address which MUST be something like 321-1234.
For the others, you can type in any thing you'd like and finally it will ask you to check your vote once again.
It only takes a short while to complete these steps, we hope that more fans will support ERIKA!!

written by:hydetetsu@ESN

Erika on Glamorous Cover (April 2008)

2008-03-06T13:30:00.010-05:00

Erika has the cover for this magazine, and has done an interview for the magazine as well! When full scans come out, we shall see more. Hopefully someone will translate the interview too. Perhaps she will talk about her recent time in London? Or maybe talk about when she wants to come back to work?

On an unrelated note, Erika's official website has been updated with something. When you visit here, you will be taken to the news, it has an update from 2008.3.6 thu with no subject, when you click that link it will bring up a popup with this page inside. All it is is a picture of baby Erika with "Back to basic." written on it. Any idea what this might mean?

Update on Erika's Contracts

2008-03-04T14:05:00.005-05:00

Sony Ericsson
Has most likely ended, or will end very soon.

Pepsi Nex
Erika's contract with Pepsi has probably ended as well, they have recently hired three new people to advertise for Pepsi nex.

Meiji FRAN
Has most likely ended, or will end very soon.

Kanebo SALA
Has just began a new campaign featuring Erika. Contract shouldn't end for a while.

Kanebo COFFRET D'OR
Just began in the last months of 2007, will not end yet.

Sourpuss thespian Sawajiri snared in Doppelgang bang scandal

2008-03-01T15:54:00.001-05:00

The actress storms off stage in a rage and demands a massage from her manager. Admonishing him for starting with her feet, she then thrusts out her breast and insists he start his petting there, according to Friday (3/7).

When asked her opinion of the manager's mammary ministrations the actress huffs "betsu ni" -- Sawajiri's trademark phrase meaning "nothing special" -- that derives from an infamous response to what she thought of her role in a recent movie.

From the clothes, accessories, blond wig, legendarily snooty attitude and uppity voice, there seems little doubt the actress is Erika Sawajiri, the 21-year-old thespian who raised a storm last autumn with a display at a news conference so petulant that has gone down in Japanese entertainment history.

But surely it couldn't be the otherwise squeaky clean Sawajiri baring a breast for all to see?

Actually, it's not. But it is a woman who bares an incredibly close resemblance to her.

What's going on is a scene from "Erika Sama (Lady Erika)," an adult movie that should have hit store shelves last week had it not been canned by producers Real Works, despite widespread expectation that it would be a surefire hit.

"Tokyo Sports (newspaper) had a big impact because it gave the movie front page treatment with a story that really raised expectations. It wasn't hard, because it was a movie featuring a star who's the spitting image of a really popular actress," an adult movie industry insider tells Friday. "It was definitely a movie I would have liked to have had a peek at."

But just days before the movie was due to go on sale, Real Works decided to cancel the skinflick, with only a cryptic message its website saying: "Sales have been cancelled for a number of reasons."

Real Works is not particularly forthcoming when the weekly contacts it to find out more.

"Sorry, but we can't say any more than what appeared on the website," a spokesman for the adult movie production company says.

Considering the movie had the copycat Sawajiri performing in scenes mimicking precise situations the real actress has appeared in, as well as featured take-offs of commercials in which she has appeared, rumors became rife that Real Works bowed to pressure from the performer's talent agency or sponsors. It seems "Erika Sama" was just a little too close to home.

"Being so accurate definitely had some connection to sales being halted," an adult movie production company boss tells Friday. "Initially, there were rumors that complaints from Sawajiri's talent agency or representatives from the beverage maker she advertises for had something to do with the movie being withdrawn from sale, but this talk was totally groundless.

"Real Works, which made the movie, is actually the subsidiary of another adult movie company. That company is part of the same group of corporations that makes up one of Japan's largest music and video rental companies. Apparently, a message was passed down from the top of the group's parent company to Real Works' bigger adult movie company, telling them to pull 'Erika Sama' because the contents were just too close to the real Sawajiri for comfort."

Source: FRIDAY
Written by: Ryann Connell (MDN)

Oricon: "hime kaji" fashion

2008-03-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

"Hime kaji" - short for "hime (princess) casual" - is the latest fashion style gaining in popularity. According to an Oricon survey on the topic, idol Shoko Nakagawa best exemplifies the image.

#2 was Kyoko Fukada, who topped the "hime sexy" survey last summer. She was followed by Yuko Ogura, Yuri Ebihara, and Ayumi Hamasaki to complete the top 5.

Erika Sawajiri ranked 6th, ahead of Yui Aragaki. At #8, there was a three-way tie among Suzanne, Emi Hashino, and Aki Hoshino.

Erika's AV Lookalike to Release Video

2008-02-23T15:01:00.003-05:00

The second lookalike Erika adult video now may finally be released. There was been a lookalike video earlier this year already, but by a different maker (yet same producer). Both videos feature the same actress. The new video with the title "Super lookalike shock!! Erika-sama AV-debut?!" had a lot of delays. One reason is that it's the same actress, but there have been complaints. It looks like that one soft-drink and one dress could be identified in the preview pics. Usually such things are censored in the final product.The pictures in the preview now have been removed. Apparently Erika's agency made those complaints to stop the release of the AV. They have only been able to delay it for another week, the video now has a release date of 03/06.

Translated by HPriest@ESN

Erika ranks in CM Top 20

2008-02-23T15:00:00.001-05:00

Erika ranks in the top20 of "most favorite woman in a CM of 2007." Last year, about 3000people have been asked each month, which celebrity of the currently airing CMs they like the most. Now the final result of the annual research is out and Ueto Aya finally stands at the top again. Last year she has only been third, but with her Softbank mobile phone CM she made the comeback as CM-queen. The biggest surprise is at place two with Aoi Yu who has not even been in the top100 the year before. Erika did a good job with her 13th place. Her Fran commercials boosted her into the top20. Last year she has been 52nd only. The complete top20 for female celebrities can be seen in the here.

Translated by HPriest@ESN

Erika's new SALA CM

2008-02-22T15:19:00.005-05:00

Even though Erika is in London for the year, it looks like we will still get to see her quite a bit through the year.

A new SALA Straight Mist CM has been put up on the official site, you can stream it here, or watch it at the official site.

You can also download the .flv file here. (sharebee)

Erika's Ranking in Yahoo! 2007 Music Award

2008-02-20T14:29:00.003-05:00

Yahoo! Japan has announced the results of its 2007 Yahoo! Music Awards. The main awards, which were decided by users' votes, went to the following artists:

Best Male Artist: Hideaki Tokunaga
Best Female Artist: YUI
Best Group: L'Arc~en~Ciel
Most Photogenic Artist: Maki Goto
Best Western Artist: Backstreet Boys
Best Newcomer: ERIKA
Best Artwork: "Tanz Walzer," Quruli
Best Collaboration: "yanokami," yanokami

Yahoo! also revealed its own rankings for the year, based on factors such as downloads and page views. Mr.Children was #1 in the Artist category, while GReeeeN's "Aiuta" won in the Works category.

The full lists of nominees and winners, including Yahoo! category rankings, can be seen at the official website.

Oricon: beautiful skin

2008-02-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

The website of Oricon's audition magazine De-View recently surveyed its users to see which actresses are considered to have beautiful skin. Aoi Miyazaki and Erika Sawajiri tied for first in the poll, both receiving praise for their skin's smoothness.

Nanako Matsushima, Koyuki, and Haruka Ayase were next on the list, in order. Yui Aragaki and Miho Kanno both ranked at #6. Erika Toda, Aya Ueto, and Emi Suzuki had a three-way tie to complete the top ten.

Poll: Who are you looking forward to in 2008?

2008-02-12T18:46:00.000-05:00

Erika has ranked in another poll. This time people are asked which stars they look forward to seeing more of in 2008. This question was asked in November of 2007, and asked to 3,300 people. Erika ranks at #17 in the poll. The fact that this poll was conducted in November of 2007 may explain the low ranking Erika received, since at the time there was still quite a bit of drama going on with Erika. Although she is currently in London on vacation, it has been said that Stardust will maybe be working on getting Erika a role in a movie or drama this fall.

You can view the article along with the rest of the top 20 celebrities in the poll here: http://journal.mycom.co.jp/news/2008/02/05/005/

Destination Nowhere Final Sales

2008-02-05T15:24:00.000-05:00

ERIKA's second single, Destination Nowhere, has dropped completely out of the top 200 in the 9th week of release. The total amount of copies sold according to Oricon is 43,209. But according to RIAJ, 100,000 copies of the single were produced/sold. The single was pretty much a "flop" compared to Taiyou no Uta and FREE. It did do decently with digital downloads. It was certified as gold (100,000) on download charts.

Jimmy Page on Erika

2008-01-29T11:47:00.000-05:00

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has been in Tokyo to promote the bands new release "Mothership" on Monday, Jan. 28, 2008. Erika once said that Led Zeppelin influenced her the most and even went to London to for their reunion concert.

During the press conference they came to the topic about their younger generation of fans. "Could you please comment on one of your fans, the 21year old Sawajiri Erika," he suddenly has been asked. "Unfortunately I don't know her," Jimmy replied in English, however, the translator at the event cleverly translated this answer into Erika's infamous catchphrase "Betsu ni..." This obviously triggered a lot of laughters among the other reporters.

Jimmy himself has been rather surprised about the reaction. "I wonder if maybe I should have met her beforehand. Supposing that she is a musician, please tell her to hold on to what she wishes for."

Just for your interest, there are no plans of Erika coming to Japan to meet Jimmy.

A small note for Led Zeppelin fans who already heard it anyway. Jimmy said that he is ready to take the band out on a world tour, but it won't happen anytime soon, because the singer has other plans at the moment.

Written by HPriest

Vote for Erika on Yahoo! 2007 Music Awards

2008-01-25T22:34:00.000-05:00

ERIKA has been nominated for best photo and best new artist on Yahoo! 2007 Music Awards!
Click here to get to best photo, and here to get to best new artist.

To vote, find ERIKA on the list of nominees, select the circle button underneath her, and click the button to submit your vote. This is what the button looks like:

ERIKA is currently in fifth place for the best photo, and fourth place for best new artist. Please show your support for Erika and vote for her!

ETA: ERIKA has gone from fourth place to third in best new artist, and from under 100 votes to about 600 in only one day!

Destination Nowhere Week 8 Sales

2008-01-24T11:37:00.000-05:00

Erika dropped to #140 in the 8th week of release with Destination Nowhere. Sales dropped to just 443 copies this week. That brings the total amount of copies sold to 43,209 copies sold. It looks like Erika will drop out of the charts completely by next week.

140　94　***,443　*,*43,209　*8　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
094　70　***,617　*,*42,766　*7　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
070　39　**2,369　*,*42,149　*6　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
039　32　**2,152　*,*39,780　*4　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
032　22　**3,842　*,*37,628　*3　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
022　07　**7,162　*,*33,786　*2　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
007　00　*26,624　*,*26,624　*1　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」

No Blue Ribbon for Erika

2008-01-23T09:46:00.000-05:00

Erika didn't win at the 50th Blue Ribbon Awards.

The award for "Best Actress," the category Erika got nominated for, went to Aso Kumiko for her role in "Yunagi no Machi, Sakura no Kuni." The movie "Kisaragi" won "Best Film" while Suo Masayuki got "Best Director" for "Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai." The main role of that movie, Kase Ryo also won "Best Actor." Aragaki Yui got the "Best Newcomer" award.

For the other winners, check out the Sanspo article here:
http://www.sanspo.com/geino/top/gt200801/gt2008012315.html

Written by HPriest

Kanebo COFFRET D'OR Update

2008-01-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

The Kanebo page for COFFRET D'OR has been updated once again with Erika's interview for the product. You can visit the page and read the interview here.

http://www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/coffretdor/interview/sawajiri.html

Destination Nowhere Week 7 Sales

2008-01-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

Erika dropped to #94 in the 7th week of release with Destination Nowhere. She only managed to sell 617 copies this week, which brings the total to 42,766 copies sold. Just like FREE, it looks like Destination Nowhere will drop out of the charts right before reaching a solid number (FREE dropped out of the charts right before making the 120,000 mark).

94　*70　***,617　*,*42,766　*7　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
70　*39　**2,369　*,*42,149　*6　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
39　32　**2,152　*,*39,780　*4　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
32　22　**3,842　*,*37,628　*3　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
22　*7　**7,162　*,*33,786　*2　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
*7　--　*26,624　*,*26,624　*1　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」

Erika Away Until Fall?

2008-01-16T09:22:00.000-05:00

Erika is going to stay in Great Britain at least until summer, according to authorized people.

"Until the 'Betsu ni..' riot last year, Erika had a full packed schedule for 2008. In February the filming for a new movie with her in the leading role was going to start. The start of the filming had to be delayed for about 1 month in order to find a new person to play the heroine, related people said. A major movie company is attached to this movie and having one of them as your enemy will make it difficult for you as an actress/actor to come back." (Movie company officials)

Gossip about Erika has recently became a hot topic in talk and variety shows. It seems like that not only this movie has been affected, various CMs and a spring dorama were actually also planned for this year. However, now Erika's schedule is blank at least until summer.

"Assuming that Erika's office doesn't want to get smashed, they probably are eager to get her in a dorama or movie for fall, but with Erika's current image the chances to get casted are not really high. At least until summer her office won't have anything to do." (TV Officials)

Maybe she actually desires retirement and marriage?

Written by HPriest

Erika in JUNON Feb 2008 Scans

2008-01-15T12:27:00.000-05:00

COFFRET D'OR Promo

2008-01-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

1166×1600px
Very large COFFRET D'OR Promo shot thanks to 小虫。at E.S.C.

Videos

2008-01-12T11:19:00.002-05:00

I have spent quite a while uploading many Erika videos to Dailymotion. I have uploaded just about every single CM Erika has done (aside from a few), and the making-of that is available, interviews for the CM, short clips of movie premieres, events, subtitled interviews, and more.

Interviews:

Domoto Kyoudai (English Subtitles)

Other

CodeNEO (October 2007)

Commercials:

Sony Music:

K - Beyond the Sea
Kaoru Amane - タイヨウのうた (Taiyou no Uta, Song of the Sun)
ERIKA- Debut
ERIKA - FREE (01)
ERIKA - FREE (02)

Music.JP:

There is also a Music.JP CM featuring Kaoru Amane's Taiyou no Uta (タイヨウのうた). I will upload that clip a bit later.

Subaru:

Erika's contract with Subaru was terminated after the Closed Note incident on September 29, 2007.

Kanebo:

If you are interested in any of the songs that are used in the SALA advertisements, they released a compilation CD with all of the songs used on the commercials. You can visit the special page for the CD release here: SALA FABRIQUE.

Pepsi:

Meiji:

Sony:

For the W52S CM Erika had to train to learn kung-fu! She had learned some of her moves from a kung-fu teacher, but still found it to be very difficult, but shooting the CM took a very short time. She enjoyed the kung-fu it and said she would like to continue. Shooting the W53S CM took a few days to complete. Erika had to dress up in 100 different outfits, each one matching each phone design! She gladly gave up one of her vacation days to work on the CM.

Yamahisa:

Misc:

Music Videos/Live: Being added.

2006:

タイヨウのうた (Taiyou no Uta, Song of the Sun)
タイヨウのうた (Drama Live)
タイヨウのうた (CDTV Live, )
Stay with me (Drama Live)

2007:

FREE
FREE (Making of)
FANTASY
Destination Nowhere
Destination Nowhere (Making of)
Destination Nowhere (CDTV Live, 12.08.07 )

Photoshoots:

ERIKA2007:

These are clips from the DVD that came with the limited edition version of Erika's third photobook, ERIKA2007. It was released on August 29, 2007. The limited edition version was already sold out in many places within a few days. Erika had complete control over most of the production with this photobook/DVD. This was also Erika's first time being able to do a photobook with things she wanted to do. She chose everything from the locations, clothing, and overall photobook design.

Other Clips:

Quite a few of the clips, not commercials, came from hydetetsu (who is amazing!) at ESN. If you want to download some ofthem, they are in the download section at ESN forums.
If you would like for me to upload any of the commercials or making-of commercials to Sendspace, Megaupload, Yousendit, or any other site, please comment.

This is only part one of the videos. I will have another post in a few days with the rest of my videos.

Erika Goes to London Against Stardust's Wishes?

2008-01-10T12:49:00.000-05:00

Sawajiri Erika, 21, creates trouble again? Currently, Erika is in England with her sweetheart Takashiro Tsuyoshi, 43. Apparently Stardust seems to have a problem with Erika going to England. At the beginning of this year, Sawajiri Erika supposedly handed in an application to take time off and go to England, but the application was dismissed by Stardust. When asked whether or not Erika will still be appearing during 2008, Stardust said nothing about it. So in the end what will be the outcome of this "fight"?
From EWN

Destination Nowhere Week 6 Sales

2008-01-09T08:58:00.000-05:00

Destination Nowhere has dropped from position #39 to #70 this week on Oricon's weekly single chart. It sold only 2,369 copies, bringing the total to 42,149 copies sold. It also ranked at #18 in Oricon's monthly single charts for the month of December. Hopefully in coming weeks this single will be able to make it to at least 45,000 copies sold. Reaching the same amount of copies FREE has sold will be impossible. Destination Nowhere will probably not even be able to sell as much as FREE in the first week.

70　*39　**2,369　*,*42,149　*6　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
39　32　**2,152　*,*39,780　*4　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
32　22　**3,842　*,*37,628　*3　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
22　*7　**7,162　*,*33,786　*2　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
*7　--　*26,624　*,*26,624　*1　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」

Oricon: who do you want as a receptionist?

2008-01-08T13:59:00.000-05:00

A recent popularity survey by Oricon asked 1,200 people, "Which celebrity would lift your spirits if she were a receptionist at your company?"

Rising star Yui Aragaki was the #1 choice across all surveyed age groups and was particularly popular among men. Another young actress, Masami Nagasawa, ranked 2nd, followed by Yuri Ebihara and Misaki Ito.

Comedienne Masami Hisamoto tied for 5th with Aya Ueto. Becky, who was voted #1 by women, ranked only 7th overall. Kanako Yanagihara was #8, while Nanako Matsushima and Erika Sawajiri tied for #9.

Erika's COFFRET D'OR CM

2008-01-07T23:49:00.000-05:00

Here is the COFFRET D'OR CM, with only Erika in it.

Closed Note Yearly Rankings

2008-01-07T10:56:00.000-05:00

Erika's latest movie Closed Note came in at #51 on the yearly box office charts for Japan. The movie (released on September 29, 2007) made about $7,524,929USD. The DVD release of the movie will be on March 28, 2008. It will come in 2DVD Special Edition and 1DVD Standard Edition.

[Video] Erika at Airport (01.04.08)

2008-01-06T01:31:00.000-05:00

Here is a video of Erika at the Tokyo Narita International Airport the other day:

You can also download the video here. (.divx file)

Sawajiri Starts 2008 With a Smile on Her Face

2008-01-04T15:35:00.002-05:00

Actress Erika Sawajiri (21) was seen at Tokyo International Aiport today (January 4, 2008) with her boyfriend, hyper media creator Tsuyoshi Takashiro (43) heading to London for a vacation. She arrived wearing a long black jacket, a long skirt, holding a camera. She started out shaking fans with many of her fans and reporters, all with a big smile. This wiped out much of the ill-humor from last September's Closed Note premiere. They started to refer to her as the "New Erika", and that they are impressed with how much she's matured since then. When Erika appeared in the second terminal, she was given a big stuffed bear. Reporters tried asking her questions about her future plans, but all she did was smile and continue on her way.

Written by Chris @ FANTASY - Please credit

Erika Going to London (01.04.08)

2008-01-04T09:36:00.000-05:00

Erika's Best Actress Nomination

2008-01-04T09:35:00.000-05:00

Today the Tokyo Movie Reporter published the list of the 70 nominations for the Blue Ribbon Award. Sawajiri Erika has been nominated as "Best Actress" for her role in "Closed Note." Takeuchi Yuuko, from the same movie, has been nominated as well. The complete list of nominations for "Best Actress" would be Asou Kumiko, Uchida Yuki, Satou Eriko, Sawajiri Erika and Takeuchi Yuuko.

For all nominations, go to (Japanese) http://www.asahi.com/culture/nikkan/NIK200801040006.html

Written by HPriest

An Open Letter to Erika

2007-12-30T01:44:00.000-05:00

Dear Erika:

You are human & have every right to behave as one. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You're young yet & have a right to have life experiences--whether postive or negative--because that's how we learn. If you want to cry, then by all means, do so.

If you want to spend money that you earned, be my guest. If you want to party like Jimmy Page on a week-long bender in 1972, then you have my blessing. (Life is for living, yes?)

You have to realize a cold fact, however: The the only thing the media likes more than the rise of a young star is to see that same star crash & burn--all the while preaching their smug, self-righteous "morals" to the public from their sanctimonious bubble of hypocrisy. And unfortunately, the public jumps on the bandwagon to nod their heads & agree like a herd of mindless sheep. We've all been guilty of it.

No one is perfect, & not everyone can express themselves accordingly, especially if they're depressed, stressed & exhausted. If you don't want to want to disclose your feelings & secrets to the public, then don't. Not everyone feels comfortable with this sort of thing...unfortunately if you're private or shy then you "have an attitude." On the other hand, if you do speak your mind then you're "difficult". (Really, in the public eye you're damned if you do & damned if you don't!) So I say damn it all & do what the hell you want. You have talent so stay focused on your music, because if you're a good enough artist then you'll get by on that merit--that's what's important in a musician--to me, at least. And if your fans have their priorites straight & leave their judgement of your personal life at the door, they should know this as well.

To quote you: "I am myself. Hear the future in the wind...and together, we will hear a voice we have never heard before." Good stuff, there.

So when all is said & done just be yourself, after all--who else can you be? If someone doesn't like it, they're the ones who'll have to deal with it. And Erika--you're stunning...live a little & have fun. But why.....WHY are you seeing someone who resembles Rhesus Macaque? This is easily forgiven, however-- you stone-cold rock some of the (second-best!) hats in the business.

Then again, why not come to America--where you can shave your head, make a sex video, drive drunk, take pics of yourself snorting coke in a hotel room, & then be photographed with no panties on! (and that's on a slow night) If we're offended-- splendid! It's what we need & we expect no less.

...and remember--a well-behaved woman seldom makes history!

Written by solstar

Erika Dominating News Of 2007

2007-12-29T12:31:00.000-05:00

Many news sites make a ranking of all news of 2007, including MSN. MSN Sankei recorded how many times each article has been accessed throughout the year. While Erika may not have gotten in the first place, she still dominates the ranking with a total amount of 6 articles in the Top 100, and 9 in the Top 200.

11 - Erika-sama's teary apology (The complete breakdown.)
14 - Sawajiri Erika's apology ("It's all my fault.")
36 - Obliquely good mood? Sawajiri Erika-sama's silence at the stage greeting.
44 - Erika-sama, disliked-woman no.1
65 - Togashi Shin's angry statement regarding Erika-sama's "Betsu ni.." speech.
83 - Kameda Kouki comments on Erika-sama

Top 100: http://sankei.jp.msn.com/special/news2007/news2007.htm
Written by HPriest

Erika Wants To Double Credit Card Limit? + More Information

2007-12-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

According to someone from an advertising company again, Erika requested to increase the limit of her gold credit card that she got from her office. The current limit is said to be around 2 million yen and with her request she wants more than the double amount of that. Her office doesn't really understand why they should give her a higher limit. The reason behind her request is unclear as well.

There have been quite a few rumors going on since she came back to Japan from the Led Zeppelin concert in London. It seems that she wants to study abroad in Great Britain or somewhere close to that, and nearly everyone has already accepted this fact. However, when you ask the staff/people of her office, they will probably give you a confused look and answer with "Huh? You knew that?" . They probably don't even know about this credit card rumor yet.

Stardust also doesn't seem to be too happy about the amount of leaks coming from their own people.

It's obvious that this information can only come from somebody with the staff. Who allowed you to spread this to the public?, the company president in a rage. It really is burden for the office, especially because of so many details that get leaked with each rumor. It makes it really easy to find out about her and her current schedule.
Will Erika have a more private life in 2008? We will see..

Written by HPriest

Destination Nowhere Week 4 Sales

2007-12-25T21:59:00.000-05:00

ERIKA's latest single Destination Nowhere placed at #39 this week. It is only a 6 spot drop from last week, compared to the 15 spot drop from first to second week, and 10 spot drop from second to third. The exact amount of sales this week are 2,152 copies sold, which brings the total amount of copies sold to 39,780.

39　32　**2,152　*,*39,780　*4　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
32　22　**3,842　*,*37,628　*3　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
22　*7　**7,162　*,*33,786　*2　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
*7　--　*26,624　*,*26,624　*1　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」

Closed Note DVD Release - March 28, 2008

2007-12-20T12:24:00.000-05:00

Erika's latest movie, Closed Note, will be released on DVD in March of 2008. It will be released in two versions, a special 2-DVD limited edition, along with the standard edition.

2-DVD Special Edition:
Release Date March 28, 2008
Duration 198 Minutes
Features Movie, Special Reports, Trailers, CM, Making-of, Interviews, Previously Unreleased Footage, Event Footage, and More.
Price ￥4,662 ($40.00)
Order Amazon.co.jp

Standard Edition:
Release Date March 28, 2008
Duration 138 Minutes
Features Movie, Special Reports, Trailers, CM
Price ￥2,953 ($26.00)
Order Amazon.co.jp

Google.co.jp 2007 Search Ranking

2007-12-19T18:03:00.000-05:00

Google.co.jp has released the rankings for the most searched things in 2007. Erika came in at #2 for the list of celebrites.

01 Nakagawa Shouko
02 Sawajiri Erika
03 Hatsune Miku
04 Leah Dizon
05 Kojima Yoshio
06 YUI
07 Aragaki Yui
08 Nagasawa Masami
09 AAA
10 Asao Miwa

Erika Causes Traffic Accident

2007-12-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

Actress Erika Sawajiri caused a traffic accident in Tokyo on Monday. Fortunately, no one suffered any injuries.

Sawajiri was driving in the Meguro ward of Tokyo at around 9:00pm on December 17. She was making a right turn at an intersection, and her car came in contact with a motorcycle making a left turn from the opposite direction.

The driver, a man in his twenties, was not injured. The police are treating the incident as a traffic accident resulting in property damage.

Stardust Announces "New Erika"

2007-12-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

Erika just returned to Japan from the Led Zeppelin concert with her boyfriend Tsuyoshi and immediately is in the topics of newspapers again. In the past we heard several rumors about that Erika's schedule for 2008 is blank, that according to some people she wishes to study abroad (like Great Britain) and so on. Now Stardust finally makes a move and even already has a replacement for Erika, the so called "post-Sawajiri". "The belonging office, Stardust Promotion is giving Sawajiri a special holiday, already announcing the promotion of a "post-Sawajiri". This "post-Sawajiri" has already been decided and will be the pure and innocent actress Kaho (夏帆), 16. Her character may be the exact opposite, but Kaho already is at the same level of Erika when it comes to acting. The announcement of her taking the leading role in the upcoming dorama "4 Shimai Tantei Dan" has been a great push for her popularity."
So the rumor about her studying abroad might be true, but this actually hasn't been quickly decided after her riot at the press event. "Her manager said that long before the riot, about six months ago, in meetings she already started to ask for a one year long paid vacation. That's why even the autumn schedule hasn't been fixed for a long time and that's also why there still is no schedule for spring 2008. At first the office didn't want to give her the allowance for this paid holiday, but she kept on bringing up this topic again and again. When looking at the riot, she probably only did it to finally get the permission, don't you think?"
So from now on Stardust will keep on pushing Kaho's career instead of Erika's. We will have to see how well she will do in the tough competition among the actresses, but so far it looks like that she is going to have a bright future... at least until her own riot....

Written by HPriest

Erika at Led Zeppelin Concert (News Clip)

2007-12-17T10:55:00.000-05:00

Erika in GDC (2007-08 FALL/WINTER COLLECTION)

2007-12-16T13:06:00.001-05:00

(HQ) Erika in Oricon Style 12/10 Issue Scans

2007-12-16T12:16:00.000-05:00

Erika Is #2 Top Female Star in 2007

2007-12-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Oricon has released the results of its end-of-the-year survey asking men and women who they thought was the most successful young star of 2007. With two thousand people participating in the survey, the answers were actress Yui Aragaki and comedian Yoshio Kojima.

Aragaki has had a phenomenal year, which included her first starring roles in film and television, the start of a music career, and an increase in commercials. Erika Sawajiri, who ranked 2nd among female celebrities, also saw similar success this year, though it was marred by the "Closed Note" PR incident.

The rest of the women's top five were Kanako Yanagihara, Sumiko Nishioka (the oldest of the list at 33), and Maki Horikita.

Kojima easily topped the men's list, as he was ranked first by all age groups. His silly routine has become amazingly popular, and his catchphrase "Sonna no kankei nee" was named one of the top ten "buzzwords of the year."

Shun Oguri was second in the rankings, followed by Yu Darvish, Ryo Ishikawa, and Toma Ikuta.

ERIKA's Rank in Oricon Top Singles of 2007

2007-12-14T12:15:00.000-05:00

ERIKA's debut single FREE has ranked at #67 in the Oricon Top 100 Singles chart of 2007 with 119,817 copies sold. Destination Nowhere would have gotten into at least the top 200, if it wasn't for the release date being the very last week of the Oricon year.

67 - 119,817 - FREE / ERIKA - 07/07/04

Sawajiri, Takashiro spotted together at Led Zeppelin concert

2007-12-13T09:26:00.000-05:00

As was reported last month, Erika Sawajiri was invited to the Led Zeppelin reunion concert in London that took place on Monday. She flew to England at the end of last week with her manager, but her real companion while she was there was her boyfriend, media creator Tsuyoshi Takashiro, whom she was recently revealed to be dating.

The couple was seen enjoying Led Zeppelin's concert together, and photos of them after the show have been published in Josei Seven this week.
Daily Sports also took pictures of them arriving together at Narita Airport on Wednesday, dressed in similar outfits (black jacket, sunglasses, and jeans). A friend of Takashiro met them there and took their luggage while the couple walked calmly to the parking lot. They apparently were not disturbed by the people around them staring and taking pictures, though they silently ignored all questions.
Josei Seven reports that Sawajiri and Takashiro have plans to visit England again before the end of the year.

Erika at Led Zeppelin Concert

2007-12-12T15:06:00.000-05:00

There it happened, the big reunion concert of Led Zeppelin. Many fans still hope for a whole tour, since only 20,000 people were able to see the show live. Over 100 million people applied for a ticket and through auctions those tickets have been sold for up to $170,000 (19 million yen). The special guests didn't have to pay this fee, of course. While a lot of celebrities from around the world (Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, Naomi Campbell) came to watch the show, there only have been three seats reserved for Japanese stars. As we all know, Erika got one of those three seats. Accompanied officials said that she has been completely thrilled and stood during the whole show in pure excitement. In Japan she has to worry about a lot of things that went wrong during the past few months, but at the concert she was able to let loose. In an earlier interview she mentioned that this chance is like a "dream come true" for her and that Led Zeppelin influenced her a lot, regarding her musical career.

Written by HPriest

MTV Long Interview with ERIKA

2007-12-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

MTV Japan has updated its website with a special page for ERIKA's interview that aired earlier today. You can view the interview, which includes more making-of footage from Destination Nowhere at the special page, here. The interview will be up from December 12 to December 19, so watch it before it is too late! The interview will also be available to download here later.

Destination Nowhere Week 2 Sales

2007-12-10T13:41:00.000-05:00

Erika's second single Destination Nowhere ranked at #22 in its second week on the Oricon charts with sales of 7,162 copies. This brings the total amount of copies sold to 33,786.

22　*7　**7,162　*,*33,786　*2　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」
*7　--　*26,624　*,*26,624　*1　ERIKA 「Destination Nowhere」

Making of Pepsi Nex XMAS Version CM

2007-12-09T02:46:00.000-05:00

Destination Nowhere on CDTV (2007.12.08)

2007-12-08T22:23:00.000-05:00

DivShare Download

If you like these songs, and videos, we ask you to please purchase the single

Pepsi Nex CM (Xmas Version)

2007-12-07T13:54:00.000-05:00

Erika has shot a new CM for Pepsi Nex, this time it is a Christmas version. You can stream the commercial on the site below.

Special Stardust PEPSI NEX Page

Takashiro Denies Pregnancy/Marriage Rumors

2007-12-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

Takashiro Tsuyoshi (43), the reported lover of Erika and creator of "Hyper Media", has been at a public event the first time since the news about their relationship circulated in the news. It was the announcement party of the new model of the "NISSAN GT-R". A reporter bumped into him and pretty much straightforwardly asked him, "Any marriage plans?". "No, no," Tsuyoshi immediately replied. "That's what everyone says when being asked the first time." Tsuyoshi then stopped the interview, said "Please leave me alone." and walked away with a smiling face, adding "And I am not becoming a father either." Later they happened to bump into each other inside of the GT-R again. Tsuyoshi sat on the driver's seat and while sitting on the passenger seat, the reporter tried his luck again. "You can drive it with your girlfriend," but Tsuyoshi repeatedly asked him to please leave him alone. To sum it all up, no marriage plans and Erika is not pregnant.

Translated by HP@ESN

Destination Nowhere Week 1 Sales

2007-12-04T09:28:00.000-05:00

Destination Nowhere has ranked #7 on the weekly charts for its first week, with sales of about 26,624 copies. This is about half of what FREE sold in its first week, and still less than what it sold in its second week. It looks like this single will have trouble to (and probably not even be able to) reach even 100,000 copies sold! Erika's recent behavior may be the reason for these sales, or the fact that people just weren't as interested in this single as they were with her past releases.

Destination Nowhere
Daily/Weekly Ranking:

Mon	--	11	x
Tue	4	21	x
Wed	4	23	x
Thu	6	x	x
Fri	7	x	x
Sat	6	x	x
Sun	10	x	x
Week	7	x	x

Week1: ~26,624

Sales/Ranking table from ESN.

(LQ) Erika in Oricon Style 12/10 Issue Scans

2007-12-02T19:49:00.000-05:00

Erika's Oricon Style Interview

2007-11-30T09:51:00.000-05:00

The "Revival of the cold and blunt Erika" or similar are the headlines at "Rakuten" and other news pages. What are they talking about? They are talking about the interview in the "Oricon Style" (issue 12/10, released: 11/30) magazine.
Now Oricon Style published a very long 9pages special about ERIKA this month. In the beginning everything is normal and nice. You have the nice pictures and a very interesting interview. Here a quick translation of some parts of the interview Oricon published on their website.

The lyrics for her new song "Destination Nowhere" have been influenced by her trip to the desert. The whole song is somewhat based on her experience there. She talks about the complete emptiness and how gradually the whole scenery changes with the sunrise and sunset. Especially the sunset left a really great impression. The sunset alone already is an amazing spectacle in the desert, but once you witness the clear night sky and all the stars..it's just great. "You completely forget the time while watching such a clear night sky", she explained.

This impression also continues when it comes to the case jacket design. She describes the theme as being "psychedelic" and somehow resembles the feeling you have in an empty desert. Erika herself wanted it to be this way and for the PV it is the same. You can find similar images like on the cover in the PV, making the "psychedelic" theme complete.

Oricon also is interested in her feelings towards her first live performance of the song.
"When thinking about performing on stage, I am really in high spirits." There are a few small concerns like how is it going to be and whether she will present it the best she can, but she is really looking forward to it. Erika thinks a lot about the performance and therefore often seems to be completely absent. "People often ask me 'Hey, are you okay?' Actually I am 'super' happy right now. Well, there are a few things to be concerned about and I also have to think about some other concrete things, but I still want to do it at any rate."

Hydetetsu already wrote about the press event of Kanebo's new cosmetic brand "COFFRET D'OR" and that Erika has been pretty cold there already. However, she still kept a smile on her face and talked about things like her shopping habits. All in all it was still a somewhat normal interview back then.
Now Oricon Style published a very long 9pages special about ERIKA this month. First everything seems to be nice. You have the nice pictures and a still normal interview during the first pages. When asked about 'Led Zeppelin', Erika answers "Of course I will go. To see Zeppelin is...unbelievable!," still in a very nice mood.
The magazine then comes to a corner where fans are able to ask artists, Erika a questions. This is when the bad thing begins. For 11 of about 24 fan-questions, Erika only answers in very cold way, often even with one word only. A few examples:

"What kind of (casual) clothes do you usually wear privately?"
Erika: "Rough."

"Do you treasure something (a personal item)?"
Erika: "I don't."

"When do you have the most fun?"
Erika: "Bed time." ["...and I enjoy to work", she adds later.]

"Erika is really beautiful, but has she already been popular during Junior High School?"
Erika: "No."

"Is there a message in your songs." [or: "Is there a message for the people who listen to your songs?"]
Erika: "Not really. You can feel whatever you want to feel."

Erika should really think about what she is saying. Such feelings towards your own music and towards your own fans can easily be described as 'exploiting'.

From HPriest

Erika on Oricon Style 12/10 Issue

2007-11-29T17:36:00.000-05:00

||||||||

Oricon: Beauty in Boots

2007-11-29T11:20:00.000-05:00

With boots in style for the winter, Oricon surveyed a thousand men and women to find out which female celebrity looks best in boots.
The top two answers were pop singers Namie Amuro and Ayumi Hamasaki, in that order. While Amuro was ranked first by women, she only made #3 on the men's list. Hamasaki was the opposite, topping the men's list while only being ranked third by women. Model Yuri Ebihara was second on both sexes' lists, placing her at #3 on the overall rankings.
Model and actress Karina placed 4th, one spot ahead of Erika Sawajiri. The bottom half of the top ten were Yu Yamada, Kumi Koda, Rinka, Alisa Mizuki, and Nanako Matsushima (tied with Mizuki).

Destination Nowhere Wallpapers

2007-11-29T10:55:00.000-05:00

1280 x 1024
1024 x 768
800 x 600

1280 x 1024
1024 x 768
800 x 600

Also, 'Destination Nowhere' has stayed at the #4 spot on oricon charts today!

Destination Nowhere Debuts At #4

2007-11-28T05:33:00.000-05:00

xx->01 - TOKIO - 9448 (x1.75) = 16,534
xx->02 - Acid Black Cherry - 9361 (x1.75) = 16,382
xx->03 - Berryz Koubou - 9244 (x1.75) = 16,177

Destination Nowhere has ranked at #4 on the first day of release. However, the top three singles are all extremely close in sales, only around 400 copies difference from the #1 to #3 singles, so I expect that Erika is right on their tails.

Oricon Daily Singles

Oricon Special 'Destination Nowhere' Page

2007-11-28T05:10:00.000-05:00

Oricon has put up a special page for the release of 'Destination Nowhere' with information, preview, and more photos.

Visit page here.

Erika on GDC Cover (Vol4 Fall/Winter Collection)

2007-11-27T10:16:00.000-05:00

11/28 Releases You Are Most Interested In

2007-11-26T09:32:00.000-05:00

For this week (26 Nov to 30 Nov), there's a couple of new CD releases other than ERIKA's Destination Nowhere, artist like Crystal Kay, Salyu, TOKIO and Kazumasa Oda will be releasing their Albums/Singles as well.
Yahoo! Japan Music has set up a poll to ask visitors for their vote of the Albums/Singles which managed to interest them the most. ERIKA managed to top the chart with a overall percent of 19% (567 Votes), Currently Kazumasa Oda holds the 2nd place and is just short of a few votes to win over the 1st place.
Hopefully fans will be able to cast their votes to help ERIKA maintain her 1st place spot.

To vote, first go here. (music.yahoo.co.jp)

Scroll down until you see this:

Select ERIKA, and submit the vote!

Download FULL Destination Nowhere Single

2007-11-24T08:15:00.000-05:00

01 Destination Nowhere
02 ESCAPE
03 FREE -overrocket101007 mix-
04 Destination Nowhere (Instrumental)

Click 'Read More...' for download.

DL: Sharebee

This is to preview the single! If you like it, please support ERIKA and purchase the single!

Credit to KMC!

Destination Nowhere CD+DVD Scans

2007-11-24T05:23:00.000-05:00

Click 'Read More...' for the rest of the scans.

Credit to ESC

Destination Nowhere #2 On Ninki Scale

2007-11-23T09:56:00.000-05:00

Erika's second single 'Destination Nowhere' has gotten the #2 (61.40) position for 11/28 releases on Oricon's Ninki scale. She is only second to TOKIO (whose sales haven't been all that great recently) If you don't know what this is, it's just a poll given to about 400 people to see how interested they are in upcoming releases, if they plan to purchase or not, etc. Of course this is only 400 people, and this is never 100% accurate, so the ranking may be useless. Even so, it shows that the single will probably do moderately well. Erika's first single, FREE, was #8 (26.70) on the Ninki scale before its release. Do you think Destination Nowhere will have better sales? After all it has a drama tie-in, she will perform it on CDTV, and the Ninki ranking is higher (but this might have no effect on sales at all). There has been a lot of negative attention towards Erika in the past few months though! We will have to wait and see.

Erika #8 In Wonderful Voices

2007-11-22T11:44:00.000-05:00

In a recent survey, research firm Oricon asked 2,000 people, "Which celebrity has a wonderful voice?"
Among male celebrities, popular actor and singer Masaharu Fukuyama ranked first. Akira Kawashima of comedy duo Kirin came in second, followed by Shosuke Tanihara, Hiroshi Tamaki, and Hiroshi Abe. Akira Nakao and Leo Morimoto tied for 6th, ahead of Takuya Kimura, Gackt, and Koichi Yamadera.
On the women's side, actress/singer/seiyu Keiko Toda topped the list. She was chosen partly for her range of voices in anime, which includes Matilda from "Mobile Suit Gundam" and Anpanman. Nanako Matsushima, Yukie Nakama, Sayuri Yoshinaga, and Masami Nagasawa filled the rest of the top five. Hitomi Kuroki tied with Miwa Yoshida for #6. Erika Sawajiri and YUI tied for #8, while Ai Otsuka and Hikaru Utada tied for #10.

Yuu Abiru Criticized For Defending Erika

2007-11-22T11:20:00.000-05:00

Erika's close friend, actress Yuu Abiru is now being criticized for trying to defend Erika. Abiru probably thought that nobody would talk about this scandal anymore, but her harsh criticism in order to defend Erika backfired and now her thievery-scandal is back in the headlines. In 2005, NTV brought up the news that Abiru has been involved in a group theft when she was a 3rd grader. A 2month punishment by her talent agency "HoriPro" and a police questioning has been the result of the uproar followed by the news. Abiru then stayed under the radar for almost two years and came back in November 2007 with a full-scale schedule. She often appeared on various shows, released a photobook, a mook and even got the leading role in the horror movie "Tomie vs Tomie". During one of these events, they somehow started to talk about her friend Erika. ZAKZAK quotes her the following:
"Nobody except Erika herself knows the reason for her sudden bad mood during the event. Whether it was a bad or a good attitude is not really the problem, the problem is that people anonymously started to write very bad things about her. I really hate people who do that." The Fuji evening paper later commented that Abiru's comment has been more than thoughtlessly, confronting a huge enemy.
The net soon is filled with counterattacks, asking her "how she can say that attitude isn't the problem, when she doesn't even know the reason herself." and things like that. On 2ch the users didn't stop writing about the speech of Abiru and soon became a popular topic.
Entertainment critics also say that it was very foolish of her to comment on a delicate matter like this and newspapers commenting like "Who does she think she is?" or "Did she learn nothing from her own scandal and the uproar of the public back then?".
All her recent efforts like the marathon she attended, her mook and the new movie seem to be worthless already. The media event wants a real explanation about the thievery scandal and not just an apology like 2years ago. Let's hope that this won't affect her career that much. After all she seems to be a good friend of Erika and even tried to defend her in public, even thought she could have done it in a more careful way..

information/translation from hpriest

Erika Live on CDTV - Dec 08

2007-11-19T08:38:00.000-05:00

Erika will be singing live on CDTV on December 8, 2007 to promote her new single 'Destination Nowhere'! This will be Erika's second time total, once last year as 'Kaoru Amane' and now this year as ERIKA!