Believers (ビリーバーズ, Biriibaazu^?) is a Japanese seinen manga by Naoki Yamamoto and is his first weekly serial manga created entirely without the help of any assistants.^[1] Believers was first serialized in Weekly Big Comic Spirits between May and November 1999 and is published in two tankōbon by Shogakukan. The plot to Believers revolves around themes of sexual desire and the line between dreams and reality. While Believers contains many scenes of graphic sexuality, the sex and nudity is used intellectually and not merely as fan service.

Plot summary[link]

"Believers"^[a] is the word for members of the "Smiley Face Center", a cult organization with the goal of achieving purity of self and reaching "the land of comfort". Believers follows the events of three such people that have been left stranded on a deserted island off the coast of Japan. The three "believers" are referred to only by their rank and they practice various activities in an effort to purge their bodies from the perceived evils that society has subjected them to, such as lust and possession. But the "believers" are not able to resist their past temptations so easily, and the faith in their "organization" gradually weakens as the "believers" begin to question what is right and eventually what is even real.

Main characters[link]

The "Chairman" (「議長」, "Gichō"^?) is the highest ranking of the three "believers" on the island. He is a failed novelist but believes this is due to society rather than himself. Every night he has a continuing, epic dream that he can never remember upon awakening but believes that if he could reproduce his dream in print that he would be a best selling novelist. He rationalizes that this it is for the best that he is unable to; stating that if it wasn't for his inability to replicate his dreams, he would have never joined the "organization" and would have been stuck in the evil material world. He is slowly resented by the other two "believers" when, after having a fever due from food poisoning, he begins to act delusional and his sanity begins to come into question.

The "Vice Chairman" (「副議長」, "Fukugichō"^?) is the only female on the island and is the second highest ranking of the three. She was married to an abusive husband who accused her of adultery and hit her after she began to talk to a man referred to as the "3rd Division Chief". The "3rd Division Chief" then helped her leave her husband and join the "Smiley Face Center". She credits the "3rd Division Chief" for helping her denounce the filthy world and it is evident that grew to have feelings for him. She is the most doubtful "believer" in the group and often ends up going against the teachings.

The "Operator" (「オペレーター」^?) is the main protagonist of Believers and also the lowest ranking "believer" on the island. He learned of the "Smiley Face Center" through his mother, who was also a member. However, later, when the "Operator" was a member himself, his mother had had the effects of the brainwashing reversed and begged him to come back. The "Operator" refused to listen and chose to stay. The relationship between him and the "Vice Chairman" is a focal point of the manga, as he begins to find himself thinking forbidden, sexual thoughts about her.

Inspirations for the manga[link]

The Aum Shinrikyo and the Japanese Red Army[link]

Naoki Yamamoto's first inspirations for Believers came after the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995. The attack caused him to become interested in researching the Aum Shinrikyo, the terrorist group behind the attack. However, the Aum Shinrikyo had thus far kept their members quiet, leaving little research material. This led Yamamoto to instead read a book on the Japanese Red Army, a different Japanese terrorist group that has former members who have written about their past experiences. After reading the book, Yamamoto began to wonder what would happen if a group of fanatics who believed radical ideology were isolated together. This thinking would eventually lead to the creation of Believers.^[1]

The Second Sea Fortress[link]

The setting for Believers was modeled on the Second Sea Fortress: a small, artificial island built off the coast of Tokyo Bay in the late 1910s. The island had been destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and had been relatively untouched in the 80 years that followed. It was this desolation that intrigued Yamamoto when he first discovered the island in the Big Comics magazine "100 Ruins". Yamamoto used his connections with Shogakukan to borrow the pictures for reference use. Later, about half-way through the series, Yamamoto had the opportunity to visit the Second Sea Fortress in person, along with a model and some staff. The nude photo shoot drew the attention of some passing fishboats and the entire crew ended up with sunburn. Many of the later landscape backgrounds of Believers were taken directly from the photos of that shoot.^[2]

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Believers at Naoki Yamamoto's official website (Japanese)
• Believers (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia

Joe Nichols
Background information
Birth name	Joseph Edward Nichols
Born	(1976-11-26) November 26, 1976 (age 35)
Origin	Rogers, Arkansas, U.S.[1]
Genres	Country
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Intersound, Giant, Show Dog-Universal (formerly of Universal South)
Associated acts	Brent Rowan

Joseph Edward "Joe" Nichols (born November 26, 1976) is an American country music artist. Between 1996 and 2001, Nichols held recording contracts with the Intersound and Giant labels. In 2002, he signed with Universal South Records, now known as Show Dog-Universal Music.

Nichols has released seven studio albums: Joe Nichols (1996), Man with a Memory (2002), Revelation, A Traditional Christmas (both 2004), III (2005), Real Things (2007) and Old Things New (2009). His albums have produced fourteen Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the Number One singles "Brokenheartsville," "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" and "Gimmie That Girl" as well as five other Top Ten entries.

Biography[link]

Joe Nichols was born and raised in Rogers, Arkansas.^[2] He was the second son born to Michael Curtis Nichols (May 29, 1956 - July 16, 2002) and Robin Larson Nichols. Joe has an older brother Michael Curtis Jr. and a younger sister Kelli Francis. His father, who worked as a trucker, also played bass guitar in local country bands; eventually, Nichols himself found work in a local rock band, before taking a job as a country disc jockey.^[1] Nichols is part Cherokee.^[3]

Musical career[link]

Nichols in April 2010

Through a meeting with record producer Randy Edwards, Nichols began to work on his singing and songwriting skills. At age 19, he was signed to his first record deal, with an independent label known as Intersound Records. There, Nichols released his first album, 1996's Joe Nichols. Despite the minor success of its lead-off single "Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other" (which reached #74 on the RPM country charts in Canada), the album sold poorly and he was dropped from Intersound's roster. A second record deal, this time with Giant Records, was short-lived and did not produce any singles or albums.^[1] After his short-lived record deals, he took many jobs in Nashville, including moving furniture, installing cable TV systems, and selling steaks door to door.^[4]

[edit] Man with a Memory

In 1999, Nichols met Brent Rowan, a Nashville session guitarist who helped him land a recording contract with Universal South Records (which became Show Dog-Universal Music in December 2009). July 2002 was the release of his second album, entitled Man with a Memory. Its lead-off single, "The Impossible", went on to become a #3 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts, and was declared by Billboard as the tenth most-played country song of 2003.^[1] The same year, his debut album was re-issued under the title Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other.^[1]

Man with a Memory earned Nichols a Top New Male Vocalist award from the Academy of Country Music, as well as three Grammy Award nominations and platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[1] Its second single, "Brokenheartsville", became his first #1 hit on the Billboard country charts in 2003, while "She Only Smokes When She Drinks" and "Cool to Be a Fool" both reached Top 20.^[1] Also in 2003, Nichols received the Country Music Association's Horizon Award.^[2]

[edit] Revelation and A Traditional Christmas

Nichols spent most of 2004 on tour with Alan Jackson. In June of that year, he issued his second album for Universal South. Entitled Revelation, it produced the Top Ten hits "If Nobody Believed in You" and "What's a Guy Gotta Do", at #10 and #4 respectively. Later that same year, he also issued an album of Christmas music, entitled A Traditional Christmas. Four of the tracks from this album received enough airplay to enter the country charts.

[edit] III

III was the title of Nichols's third album for Universal South and was released in October 2005.^[1] Its lead-off single, "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off", became his second Billboard Number One hit, with both the single and the album receiving gold certifications from the RIAA. The album also produced the Top Ten hits "Size Matters (Someday)" and "I'll Wait for You", at #9 and #7. In 2005, Anna Nicole Smith met Nichols at the Grand Ole Opry and she became a fan.^[5] After Smith's death, he performed two songs ("Wings of a Dove" and "I'll Wait for You") at her funeral service. Nichols joined Toby Keith on tours in both 2005 and 2006.

[edit] Real Things

Real Things is the title of Nichols's fourth Universal South album, released in August 2007.^[1] Its lead-off single, "Another Side of You," reached Top 20 on the country music charts, as did the follow-up, "It Ain't No Crime." Also included on this album was the song "Let's Get Drunk and Fight," which Canadian singer Aaron Lines released as a single in 2008.

[edit] Old Things New

Nichols released a new single, "Believers", to radio on March 27, 2009.^[6] Written by Ashley Gorley, Wade Kirby and Bill Luther, it is the first single from his sixth album entitled Old Things New. The song reached the Top 30 on the country singles chart. The album's second single is "Gimmie That Girl," which reached Number One on the country charts in May 2010.

The follow-up single to his previous number one is "The Shape I'm In." It was shipped to radio July 2010.

[edit] It's All Good

It's All Good was released on November 8, 2011. The album's lead-off single "Take It Off" peaked at number 25 on the country charts. Nichols left Show Dog-Universal in May 2012.^[7]

Personal life[link]

On January 8, 2005, Nichols returned to Nashville to see a therapist after causing a scene in Steamboat Springs, Colorado while intoxicated on amphetamines and alcohol. He had been battling an addiction since 2002 after the death of his father.^[8] On October 13, 2007, Nichols was checked into a substance abuse rehabilitation program.^[9]

Nichols married Heather Singleton on September 9, 2007, in Savannah, Georgia. He had known Singleton since they were both 19 years old. In February 2012, it was announced that Singleton was expecting the couple's first child. On April 17, 2012, the couple welcome a daughter, Dylan River Nichols.^[10] Nichols has another daughter, Ashelyn (born 1998), from a previous relationship.^[11]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 1996: Joe Nichols
• 2002: Man with a Memory
• 2004: Revelation
• 2004: A Traditional Christmas
• 2005: III
• 2007: Real Things
• 2009: Old Things New
• 2011: Greatest Hits
• 2011: It's All Good^[12]

Number-one singles[link]

• "Brokenheartsville" (2003)
• "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" (2005)
• "Gimmie That Girl" (2010)

References[link]

Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker in 2004 at Yokota Air Base, Japan
Background information
Born	(1966-05-13) May 13, 1966 (age 46)
Origin	Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Rock, R&B, country
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, rhythm guitar
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Atlantic, Hidden Beach, Capitol Nashville
Associated acts	Hootie & the Blowfish, Frank Rogers, Lionel Richie

Darius "Hootie" Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American musician. He first gained fame as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carolina along with Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld and Dean Felber. The band has released five studio albums with him as a member, and charted six top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Rucker co-wrote the majority of the band's songs with the other three members.

He released a solo R&B album, Back to Then, in 2002 on Hidden Beach Recordings but did not chart any singles from it. Six years later, Rucker signed to Capitol Records Nashville as a country music artist, releasing the album Learn to Live that year. Its first single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It", made him the first African American to chart a number one on the Hot Country Songs charts since Charley Pride in 1983. It was followed by two more number-one singles, "It Won't Be Like This for Long" and "Alright" and the number three "History in the Making". In 2009, he became the first African American to win the New Artist Award from the Country Music Association, and only the second African American to win any award from the association. A second Capitol album, Charleston, SC 1966, was released on October 12, 2010. The album includes the number-one singles "Come Back Song" and "This".

Early life[link]

Darius Rucker was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where his family history goes back generations.^[1] His single mother, Carolyn, who was a nurse, raised him with his five siblings: three sisters and two brothers.^[2] According to Rucker, his father was "never around," and Rucker only saw him before church on Sundays.^[3] His father was in a gospel band called The Rolling Stones.^[3] Rucker has said that he had a "typical Southern, African-American upbringing."^[1] His family attended church every Sunday and was economically poor, and at one point, his mother, her two sisters, his grandmother and 14 children were all living in a three-bedroom home.^[1] Even so, he says that he looks back on his childhood "with very fond memories."^[1] His sister, L'Corine, recalled that singing "was always his dream.^[1]

Hootie & the Blowfish[link]

Rucker has been the lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish since its formation in 1986. He met fellow band members, Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, and Dean Felber, while attending the University of South Carolina. Bryan heard Rucker singing in the shower, and the two became a duo, playing R.E.M. covers at a local venue.^[4] They later recruited Felber and finally Sonefeld joined in 1989.^[4] As a member of Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker has recorded five studio albums: Cracked Rear View, Fairweather Johnson, Musical Chairs, Hootie & the Blowfish and Looking for Lucky, also charting within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 six times.^[5] All six albums feature songs that Rucker, Bryan and Felber wrote. As the frontman, Rucker began to be called simply "Hootie" in the media, though the band title combines the nicknames of his college friends.^[2][6]

Rucker's signature contribution to the band is his baritone voice which Rolling Stone has called "ingratiating,"^[7] TIME has called "low, gruff, [and] charismatic,"^[3] and Entertainment Weekly has characterized as a "barrelhouse growl."^[8] He has brought additional attention as the sole African-American member of a major rock band with otherwise white members. Rucker said they "flipped" the formula of the all black band with a white frontman, like Frank Sinatra performing with Count Basie.^[6] Musically, he has sometimes been criticized or spoofed for not being "black enough".^[4] Saturday Night Live ran a sketch of Tim Meadows playing Rucker leading beer-drinking, white fraternity members in a counter-march to Louis Farrakhan's Million Man March.^[3][9] He also received death threats for singing the Hootie song "Drowning," a protest song against the flying of the Confederate flag above the South Carolina statehouse.^[3] The other band members were protective of Rucker in regards to the issue, and had a policy of generally ignoring racist comments.^[4]

Shortly after gaining a measure of fame, Felber and Rucker (who consider themselves best friends) moved into an apartment in Columbia, South Carolina.^[4] With Rucker's recognition as the frontman of a successful band came increased opportunities. In October 1995, Rucker was asked to sing the national anthem at the World Series.^[9] Frank Sinatra invited Rucker to sing at his 80th birthday party; Rucker sang "The Lady Is a Tramp."^[10] That same week, he made a voice cameo in an episode of the sitcom Friends.^[9] He also joined Nanci Griffith on the song "Gulf Coast Highway" from her 1997 album Blue Roses from the Moons,^[11] and sang backing vocals on Radney Foster's 1999 album See What You Want to See.^[12] Rucker encouraged Atlantic Records to agree to a deal with Edwin McCain, and made a guest appearance on McCain's debut album, Honor Among Thieves.^[13]

In regards to the future of Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker was quoted by CBSnews as stating in late 2011 that "I don't think we'll ever break up totally. We're Hootie & the Blowfish ... We'll make another record and do another tour someday. I don't know when, but it will happen. There's one more in us."^[14]

Solo career[link]

In 2001, he made his solo R&B debut album, The Return of Mongo Slade, for Atlantic Records. Because of contractual changes, it was never released by the label.^[15] Hidden Beach Recordings, an independent label, acquired the masters from Atlantic and released the album as Back to Then in July 2002.^[15] The album included work from the production team of Jill Scott and she made an appearance on the track "Hold On."^[16]

Rucker appeared on a pop-star edition of the quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in July 2001.^[17] He also portrayed a singing cowboy in a television commercial for the fast food chain Burger King, promoting their TenderCrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch sandwich in 2005. In the commercial, he sang a jingle set to the tune of "Big Rock Candy Mountain."^[18]

Country music[link]

[edit] 2008-2009: Learn to Live (Debut Album)

In early 2008, Rucker signed to Capitol Records Nashville as the beginning of a career in country music. His first solo single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" (which he co-wrote with Clay Mills) debuted at number 51 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts for the week of May 3, 2008. It is the first single from his second album, Learn to Live. For this album, Rucker worked with Frank Rogers, a record producer who has also produced for Brad Paisley and Trace Adkins.^[19] Rucker also made his Grand Ole Opry debut in July 2008.^[20] "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" became the first top 20 hit for an African American on the country music charts since Charley Pride's last Top 20 hit, which came in 1988.^[21] The single reached number one in September,^[22] making Rucker the first solo, African-American artist to chart a number one country hit since Pride's "Night Games" in 1983.^[23]

Rucker sings to a crowd during an Operation Pacific Greetings tour concert.

Learn to Live was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 6, 2009, and received a platinum certification on August 7, 2009.^[24] The album's second single, "It Won't Be Like This for Long", spent three weeks at the top of the country charts in mid-2009. Its follow-up, "Alright", became Rucker's third straight number one hit, making him the first country music singer to have his first three singles reach number one since Wynonna achieved that feat in 1992.^[25] The album's fourth single, "History in the Making" was released in September and peaked at number three on the country charts.^[26] The singles from the album also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, respectively peaking at numbers 35, 36, 30 and 61.^[27]

Rucker's entry into the country world was met with some intrigue, largely because of his history as a rock musician and because he is African-American. Billboard magazine said that "there's a sense of purpose that makes Rucker feel like a member of the country family, rather than calculating interloper."^[29] Rucker made visits to various country stations around the US, explaining that he was aware that he was the "new kid on the block."^[30] Mike Culotta, the program director of the Tampa, Florida radio station WQYK-FM expected that Rucker would be "somebody who would have entitlement," but instead said that "Darius engaged everybody."^[31] When Rucker found that "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" went to number one, he cried.^[32] On November 11, 2009, Rucker won the Country Music Association New Artist of the Year award (formerly known as the Horizon Award), making him the first African American to do so since the award was introduced in 1981.^[33] Only one other African American has won at the CMAs: Charley Pride, who won entertainer of the year in 1971 and male vocalist in 1971 and 1972.^[34]

[edit] 2010-2011: Charleston, SC 1966

Rucker released his second country album, titled Charleston, SC 1966, on October 12, 2010. The title is inspired by Radney Foster's solo debut album, Del Rio, TX 1959.^[35] Its first single was "Come Back Song,"^[36] which Rucker wrote with Chris Stapleton and Casey Beathard.^[37] It was his fourth number one on the country charts as well as a number 37 hit on the Hot 100.^[26][27] The album's second single is "This", which was released to radio in November 2010 and also reached number one in the country charts.^[38] Rucker wrote this song with Rogers and Kara DioGuardi. "I Got Nothin'" is the album's third single.

2012-Present: Third Album[link]

On December 14, 2011, CBSnews.com reported that Rucker is currently working on a third country album with recording set to begin January 2012 followed by the release of the album early in the year. The article also states he will be touring with the country music trio Lady Antebellum in 2012.^[14]

Personal life[link]

Rucker is a Miami Dolphins fan, and has a tattoo of their logo.^[39] He also likes the film Stir Crazy, which he has seen more than 100 times.^[4]

Rucker's mother died in November 1992 of a sudden heart attack.^[2][4] His grief inspired two Hootie & the Blowfish songs: "I'm Goin' Home" and "Not Even the Trees."^[3][4] On April 21, 1995, Rucker became a father to a daughter, Carolyn Pearl Phillips. The girl's mother is Rucker's former girlfriend and the subject of "Let Her Cry", in which he flipped gender roles from those of reality.^[1] Daniella Rose—his second daughter and his first with his wife Beth—was born on May 16, 2001, in Charleston, South Carolina. Rucker and his wife Beth have a son, Jack who was born in 2005.^[40] The Hootie song "Where Were You" is about Rucker's strained relationship with his father, and was only released in Europe, where Rucker thought that his father would be unlikely to hear it.^[3] His country single "Alright" was inspired by his marriage to his wife, Beth.^[41]

Rucker is close friends with golfer Tiger Woods, whom he met in a bar when Woods was 18. Rucker sang at the golfer's wedding with Hootie & the Blowfish, and at his father's funeral.^[42]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Back to Then (2002)
• Learn to Live (2008)
• Charleston, SC 1966 (2010)

[edit] Billboard number-one singles

• "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" (2008)
• "It Won't Be Like This for Long" (2009)
• "Alright" (2009)
• "Come Back Song" (2010)
• "This" (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Darius Rucker

• Official website
• Darius Rucker on Myspace
• Darius Rucker at Allmusic
• Darius Rucker at the Internet Movie Database

Derek Ryan
Country	Ireland
Residence	Dublin. Ireland
Born	(1969-09-10) September 10, 1969 (age 42) Dublin, Ireland
Turned Pro	1993
Retired	Yes
Racquet used	Dunlop
Men's singles
Highest ranking	No. 7 (July, 1999)
Last updated on: March 8, 2010.

Derek Ryan (born 10 December 1969) is a retired Irish professional squash player who at the peak of his career rose to No. 7 in the world rankings, and for many years was the Irish men's number 1 player.

Ryan was born in Dublin. He began playing squash along with his brother Noel, as his parents both played. Living in Killiney he played at various local clubs including Squash Ireland and from the age of 14 he played league squash with Sandycove. Ryan was ranked first in Ireland by the age of 19.

He completed his school Leaving Certificate and decided to study accountancy which he discontinued after a year. Aged 19 he decided to play professionally and in 1991 he moved to Manchester.

After a successful international career as a professional player, including appearing a record 188 times for the Irish national team he retired from the professional circuit in 2002. He continued to play national squash with Fitzwilliam, the current Irish champions and studied Physiotherapy at the University of Salford. Ryan now practices as a Physiotherapist in Dublin.^[1]

In 2008 he played the then current world number 2 Grégory Gaultier in his testimonial match.^[2]

Derek Ryan currently plays at Irish number 2 and has reached 200 caps for his country. He plays below Arthur Gaskin, the world number 80 and considered to be one of the greatest coaches in Britain.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Derek Ryan profile on the PSA official website
• Derek Ryan profile on SquashInfo

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