4 posts tagged “ai”

You know… while I like this song very much (and heard so much praise from the International Wota comminuty at large), I’m somewhat disappointed at what I find. Don’t get me wrong - “Resonant Blue” is a grr-reat single Well,  I don’t really feel like pinpointing everything:
Pros

• I didn’t recognize you, Kussun! You’ve improved so much from the last time we saw you (and the last time those Kirari songs somewhat strain your voice). Then again, someone at YouTube said your voice in this song was edited (which I’m not afraid to believe somewhat since I heard your solo in “HOW DO YOU LIKE JAPAN?” on the Bon Kyu Bon Kyu Bomb Tour).

• Love the background the “blue” theme.  Whoever said this song was one of the more “cool” ones was spot-on (the ice at the bottom did/did not exactly help the case also).

• The dance on the break. Sexy, snaky, seductive-y, *insert -y adjective here*.

• Major bonus points for the fashion - kakkoii desu ne~! (Sure, let the lead singers be identified with their outfits as well ;P).

Cons

• If you didn’t like Takitty and/or Reina, you might not like the song since it’s basically “GAR & Takatanattsu (featuring Tsukishima Kirari).” I personally thought the lines were distributed more evenly but looking at the PV, I saw the truth. I don’t know what kind of ears I had XP. (OMG! I forgot Niigaki had gotten a line or two. Well, with TakaTanaka hogging handling most of the lines).

• I was somewhat bored throughout the PV - it was almost like one big dance shot.

• Just because we have a closer view on the dancing Musume doesn’t mean that it’s a “close-up.” Well, a “close-up” in the truest/most common sense of the word.

Other

• Sayumi’s “HELP ME!” at the end reminds me of “Shabondama.” (Others have spoken on that so...).
  

Now, let me go back to when it was just a radio rip, okay? read more

I’m sure you’ve heard the Resonant Blue preview. I must say this is my kind of song and it’s almost exactly like the kind of song I wanted the Musume Team to release.
If you’re a fan of Reina and/or Ai (I don’t even consider Koharu as a “lead” because all she does is say “Help me.” I’m sorry, Kussun but that’s the truth. Watched the PV again. You have some lines but you‘re still a guest singer. Wait… for some reason, after the third or fourth listen, you sound like Michishige! Either that guy was right about your voice being edited or UFA is unfairly having Koharu take credit for Sayumi’s lines! Let the former be true, please).

The night’s become hot and groovy, baby so let’s groove tonight!
You mean “steaming cold,” Magi-Kat, “steaming cold.” Don’t forget the ice that Morning Musume’s GAR & Takatanattsu featuring Tsukishima Kirari’s hotness (at least either in the mind of the wota or the wota themselves) have melted, leaving a little space for them to dance.

I actually don’t mind the single being pushed back because it doesn’t need to compete with their Hello! Project Kid Rivals. Berryz and C-ute already have releases that are guaranteed to battle each other for #1 position like shark fetuses in their mother’s womb (even if the Melons’ juicy new single is about the only “cool” musical release this month).
Yup, GAR & Takatanattsu featuring Tsukishima Kirari don’t need to compete with the Hello Kiddies - as popular GAR is, they’ll do just fine.

Time to check it off!
Now, a few questions and hopes to hopefully resonate in the heads of the Powers That be (which I doubt with UFA since it’s all about face, wota/sex appeal, and the Yen-jamins, baby) and not leave me blue (doesn’t hurt to be hopeful):

• Let the PV be kick-butt awesome! (At first, due to the “Egao” comparisons, I imagined a vid like that. Now, I imagine a sexy nightclub/nighttime city PV). Don’t get me wrong - the PV kicks major derriere (though I do admit that the slight lack of varied shots made it a bit bland). It’s just that it left me somewhat cold and blue (no pun intended). The focus on GAR made me somewhat let down (I wanted more 8th Gen since I was getting more into them and I don’t mind the minimal role Kussun plays also).

• Have the outfits in the album cover be consistent (even if some PV outfits appear deep In the album liner). (TBD)

• Have it go #1 in the Oricon charts (or within the Top 5). (TBD)

Of course, the single covers and (of course) the single hasn’t come out so I can’t exactly say for sure right now. However, I will keep track and pay attention. Now that the PV is out (and I’ve seen it), it’s only a matter of time before the covers come out so please, UFA, you’re starting off smooth but still rocky. Don’t spoil it for the Musume (I also hope the b-side has more even line distribution. If they wanted a unit made up of Ai and Reina, they should just get off of their butts and make one instead of shafting, like the other six members!).

It’s antics like this that makes people want to GTFO of the Hello! Project fandom but something makes me want to stay (like being optimistic about 8th Gen and the overall future of GAR & Takata- er, Morning Musume and the rest of H!P). (For some reason, after watching this PV, I was like “Takahashi, graduate already! You too, Tanaka!” Don’t ask me why. Maybe either can have a solo career or take my “form a unit” advice -like they follow through with what fans wish-. Maybe they can do it after the 9th Gen come or whenever Lovely and the Queen feel like leaving their background singers/dancers behind).

Dearly beloved, today/night we pay tribute to one of the Hello! Projects most loveliest idols to have ever graced the stage: Kago Ai.

Yes, today is Aibon’s 20th birthday and now she’s an adult in the eyes of the Japanese society at large (and that newsperson was unfortunately wrong in saying she’d make a comeback then. Then again, we’ve pretty much given up on that long ago).

Kago-chan has brought a degree of cuteness that is only something she’d bring to the table (along with her beacon of hope Nozomi Tsuji-Sugiura). After joining Morning Musume in 2000, this young 12-year-old from Nara-ken brought joy to our hearts. Her babylike face, her sweet vocals, everything! (Magi-Kat, you need organize this entry better, dudette).

When I came into liking Morning Musume in November 2003, Kago and her chum were still Musume. However… I don’t even know how I’ve gotten into this girl. Was it Mini Moni? (It’d had to be it!) Was it… I don’t know (Magi-Kat, you muddler!).

When W came around, of course, I looked into the unit. In fact, it became my favorite H!P act after Morning Musume and the one to replace the disbanded Mini Moni. Although I haven’t seen their PVs until late last year, I was delirious and deranged for W! Then… came the  train wreck to crash my H!P happiness for the time being….

That train wreck was Kago Ai’s smoking scandal. I was saddened by the news and was even more shocked at how Aibon broke the law! For the time being, I had to concentrate my energies on Morning Musume and my growing interest in Koharu’s career later on. Now that Aibon’s been expelled for being a return visitor to Scandal Land, I had to find an alternative to Aibon. Nono gave me hope with her “Athena” song (even if it’s a remake of a Morning Musume song) and Gyaruru but I quickly lost it after she left the limelight with a bun in her oven.

Fast forward to now: Kago Ai is 20 and doing who knows what. Nozomi’s resting from the birth, even cooking up a “Sugiura Special” for her hubby and Koharu’s releasing more anime-related stuff (I’ve finally downloaded her album… unfortunately, at this time, I’ve somewhat gotten out of Koha-chan). At this time, I’ve gotten over W’s demise and moved on with myself. However, no matter what happens, Kago-chan (and Nono) will remain my #1 favorite H!P member, even as an ex.

So, happy birthday, Kago Ai.

In other, more heartwarming news:

• 

  604px-Lalala_Shiawase_no_Uta_limited
  C-ute’s new song is super special awesome! For some reason, the song reminds me of Aqua and other bubblegum dance acts *is hit in the face with a pie*. I never really could hear the song in the Kouhaku performance and at this point separated the song from its origins. *Is pied even more for her liking the song*. I actually like this song more than “Tokaikko Junjou” *booed and pied especially for that*. I know C-ute has to move on as a group to dethrone Morning Musume as the flagship group, along with their comrades in Berryz, </sarcasm> but I’m a sucker for songs like this so forgive me. I might watch the PV later… *is pied until she is unrecognizable*.

• Morning Musume’s new single = “Resonant Blue.” Alright, home girls, don’t disappoint, Magi-Kat! With a new single comes a new chance to shine (especially for the 8th Gen) so ganbare!

• Same goes for you, Berryz, and that new PV. In fact, that goes for Tsunku and everyone else in UFA! If you ripe little Berryz and your C-ute comrades steal my heart like you’re beginning to, I might be able to get back into you guys again. Buono’s definitely helping you on your trek. Just for that, here’s a little treat for you H!P Kiddies fans!
  Miku, Rin, and Len doing Buono!

  1 comment

Getting back to the subject of Kago Ai’s birthday, joyeux anniversaire! Here’s a little birthday greeting from Chester and Friends (although it may be insulting to some people):

Magi-Kat out (and be thankful I made an appropriate "pyon!" reference than a stupid "Bon kyu! Bon kyu! Bomb" pun the title)!

First off, I must thank all who supported me and gave me words of encouragement after my little episode in the previous post. I highly appreciate it.

“WOW Suteki!” “SOME BOYS! TOUCH.” “Genshoku GAL Hade ni Yukube!” Sound familiar? “Sentimetal Boy.” “Dekoboko Seventeen.” “JINX.” Sound more familiar? If you are the seasoned Hello! Project fan, you’d notice that the first three song titles are Maki Goto songs while the last three are W songs (even if “Sentimetal Boy” is a cover song). What do these two have in common? Of course, they are all ex-Musume, along with former Hello! Project acts. Aibon smoked and onsened, Nozomi had a bun in her oven that had just finished baking, and Maki suddenly left (though speculation is still flying that this “graduation” was planned. After hearing how Maki’s voice has changed since the last time I saw her, I can accurately say she’ll be better off more confidently than that pathetic indifference mini-blurb. How ironic her graduation came days after this blog became set up, making it the very first Hello! Project news burst since “Morning Meteora” began).

With this little paragraph behind, let’s go a “W-mercial“!

Thank you, W, for that lovely commercial message. Amazing how cuties grow up? (Not just those cuties either).

November was a month of discovery and rediscovery. It was the month I grew to like C-ute (“Ooki na Ai de Motenashite” and “Sakura Chirari” are competing Tsukishima Kirari’s “Ramutara” as “Most Played Song on Magi-Kat’s Hard Drive”), along with Buono! (one factor in my getting into Shugo Chara!). Totally Hello! Project allowed me to fill holes in my H!P MP3 collection, allowing in rarities like Petitmoni’s “WOW WOW WOW” and “Koibito wa Kokoro no Ouendan (hyper dance version)” by Country Musume ni Ishikawa Rika (okay, that’s a b-side but it’s a rarity to me). Even if all of that happened around Thanksgiving in America (fourth Thursday in November, some time in October in Canada), it was a great treat for me during my days off from my hectic school year.

A week ago, I decided to download the rest of W’s 2^nd album (courtesy of TH!P), along with the b-sides to “Aa Iina!“ (“Otome no Keitaidenwa no Himitsu.“ I have yet to listen to it as of this writing) and “Koi no Vacance (“Kanashiki 16sai (HEARTACHES AT SWEET SIXTEEN),” another I have yet to listen to), instrumental versions of “Aa Iina!” and “Ai no Imi wo Oshiete!,” in addition to the song “Sentimetal Boy” from their cover album “Duo U&U” out of curiosity. As with most W songs, I became hooked on them like a kid gets addicted to candy. From bopping my head to “Dekoboko Seventeen” (ironically my a- Magi-Kat, don’t tell them that!) to “tsuu tsuu”-ing to “Sentimetal Boy,” my love for W was rediscovered after the Thanksgiving Binge (where it was full blast), partially due to a “weirdest Hello! Project videos” blog entry I read some time earlier that had one of their videos featured.

This past Sunday, I decided to give Maki a chance and get as much of her songs as possible (again, courtesy of Totally Hello! Project). I admit that Maki wasn’t one of my favorite solo artists but I can’t leave her in the lurch after only “knowing” her for barely a while. I must say I’ve fallen for her later works, even if I have yet to see her videos. I also admit that the same entry that featured W was partially responsible for reacquainting me with Maki somewhat (the “Uwasa no Sexy Guy” PV was something else but it didn’t get my vote - it went to “Hana wo Puun”). Anyway, as a fan of techno-dance, became hooked to Gocchin’s recent works, munching Ferrero Rocher hazelnut snacks all the way. I would say how eating chocolate covered hazelnuts would be ironic considering Maki’s “sexy” image but… I’ll let you figure that out for yourself ;). New favorites include:

• “Genshoku GAL Hade ni Yukube!” (Old school favorite. I love the genki rock feel of the song and… words can’t express how much I like this song).
• “How to use Loneliness” (Love the slight Middle Eastern flavors of this “tech-R&B” *jots it down* song. Maki may be gone but we’ll always remember her).
• “Glass no Pumps” (I can see this song being background music for a fashion show, or maybe its theme song! It has this “voguish” feel to it and it’s not just from the name).
• “SOME BOYS! TOUCH” (*sings* “She’s bringing SexyBack…” Oops, wrong song (and artist!). However, that describes my initial reaction to the beginning - it reminded me Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack,” and when you live in a country where that song was played almost non-stop when it was released, you tend to get it stuck in your head in some way. Unfair comparison aside, it’s a song that’ll have you dancing when you hear it like I am somewhat as I write this entry. I can see “Some Boys! Blog” named themselves after this song because it‘s possibly one of Maki‘s best).
• “WOW Suteki!” (Sorry, “How to use Loneliness,” but you may just need to put that “How to” to good use because you may feel a bit lonely knowing that “WOW Suteki!” has taken the #1 spot for “Magi-Kat’s Favorite Album-Only Song from Maki’s Newest Album”). How Maki sings the verses in the song, the catchy coolness of the music, it’s a keeper!).

Prior to this, my favorite song by Maki Goto was “Nagadenwa,” the b-side to “Scramble” (though it could be tied with “Ai no Bakayarou” and “Sans Toi Ma Mie”). Not exactly an accurate picture of her but it shows… something. I can’t describe or explain it. While I try to find the words to describe it all, watch this second W-mercial.

Thanks again, girls!

I know a certain rock lover might get the title’s pun but it’s a reference to the Beatles song “Hello Goodbye,” which appropriate considering a little problem I have with some acts (getting into them after they’re gone, like the Beatles!). W doesn’t really count since I was into them from the get-go (me being an Aibon and Nono fan) but I didn’t really absorb into my W love (along with compelting my collection somewhat) fully until after they’re gone, even if I forced myself to stray from them. (After all, W filled the void left by Mini Moni and their disbandment. Now that they’re gone and Gyaruru had lost the reason I looked at them, that void is obviously filled full-time by Koharu).

Both Maki and W are things of the past but golden reminders of how good Hello! Project had it back in the day. Maki was a Morning Musume graduate for more than a year when I became an H!P fan in November 2003 so she already said “goodbye.” Nono and Aibon said goodbye to Morning Musume and hello to “W” in 2004, quietly doing the same thing within a one year span in a matter of two years *insert double joke here*. So…

You say yes, I say no

You say stop and I say go, go, go

Oh no

You say goodbye and I say hello.

Hello, hello

I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello

Goodbye Maki. Goodbye W. You may have said goodbye but I know that there are people like me who are willing to say “Hello!” to you in the days afterwards. (Jeez, that song can be used for all sorts of Hello! Project jokes, if not already).

And let's end this post with a final W-mercial

Mmmm... all of these food commercials are making me hungry, along with reminding me of a possible post I might make. Anyway, for now, sore wa Mōningu Meteora deshita~! Bye-bye!

Since I know that I may not write full-fledged entires (along with spamming the Internet with useless crap), I've decided to compile my opinions on the current blogosphere issues in short, little tidbits:

• Congrats to Nono-chan! I hope good things happen for the parents. If possible, Noa-chan might become an idol (or a tarento) in the future (a belief I also strike down with a giant hammer due to the big possibility that she might actually end up being *gasp* normal!). Anyway, all the best to Nono and Sugiura-san. Now to wait two months for Iida-san.
• "Mikan" isn't selling as well as I thought it would?! Well, imagine that. Then again, I always felt Morning Musume singles went #1 within their first week and that belief was proven wrong after doing research. Yes, I even thought "Ambitious!", despite it not being one of my favorite songs (it's a bit repetitive to me, especially after the same-genre-different-feel "SEXY BOY"). Well, this might as well prove how human I am (and judging by the reactions in the blogosphere, I'm not the only surprised one).

Look at it this way - it took a while for it to grow on the fans and wotas anyway so it may just grow on the public. I'm an optimist (or, at least, try to be) so I have high hopes for this single, especially with this message. All of this "Morning Musume is coming to end" stuff is both silly and plausible for me. Is this little sales drop a warning about the "decline"? Possibly. What's the cause of the "decline"? Anything you can think of because I really don't think it's just one little thing. Is Morning Musume near the end? I dunno and I really don't care (okay, I slightly do but despite failing sales, I'll always support Momusu).

Despite the "mandarin orange" reference, the name of the single could also make for a "fan"-created play on words ;).

• As I was still just a reader, I read about a lot of hate on Ai, along with questioning her leadership abilities. After a while, I am glad to see I wasn't the only one who supported her. So it takes Ai-chan a while to adjust to leadership. Give her a break! She was suddenly thrusted into that position (like Yossie was after Mari's scandal). Ai Takahashi will always have my support, no matter what. Ganbatte kudasai!
• Another hot issue was "Morning Musume in America." I'm one of the middle people on this issue. While Morning Musume may find some new fans in America, I doubt they'd actually be "successful" in America. Plus... Morning Musume in the US sounds more like a dream to me than a reality (hearing about them, and the rest of the Hello! Project, in the news, alongside the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears would sound a bit weird. Hearing their music alongside Miley Cyrus and all of them would sound a bit off to me. I don't know why but it just doesn't feel... right). I know I sounded like a naysayer but I also like to keep the hope up. At least they're on the US iTunes and what better way to get overseas fans initiated than a megaset of every single ever released up to that point? Makes sense? If it does to you, kudos. If it doesn't... I don't know what to say but feel free to say whatever you feel. 

Aaaaaand that's it from me for now. Until my next post, minna! (I know, I know, the bit about "Mikan" kinda qualifies as an entry of its own. Sue me!)