3 posts tagged “maki”

    In an age of blogs, comebacks, hiatuses, exterminations, scandals, rants, snark, and all sorts of things I can go on about, we experience a variety of subject matter and events in our lives as fans and as people. Of course, since they’re people too, our favorite stars, Eastern and Western, experience them too. As a person, I experience these twists in the plot of life. Will it continue? Yes. Will various bumps and pit stops along the road influence how we live our lives? Of course.

    This blog article, this entry is about that. Wait, scratch that, it’s actually about one of them: comebacks. Our cousin John coming back to family and society after being in rehab (ironically after he said “No, no, no!”). Our little sister Naomi coming back to America after studying abroad. Us coming back to work after debilitating illness. Comebacks are universal and never-ending.

    Which brings me to my comeback as a blogger. As you may or may not know, I have graduated from high school three days before v-u-den’s disbandment. Even before marching on that stage to “Pomp and Circumstance” played on a piano (read: keyboard), I have considered returning to my blog after I unconsciously abandoned it. With the support of my fans, along with anyone and everyone, I humbly thank you from the bottom of my heart.

    I had a lot of doubts about the direction my blog was taking but now I realize it was a case of emptiness, a deficiency of confidence as a blogger, and me being a perfectionist, especially at one… small… hobby…. People actually do this for a living and even if this is just a pet project on the side, I can’t abandon “Morning Meteora” (or “Magic Meteora” as it’s beginning to be called by some blogs. You can tell by the subtitle).

    Yes, I had uncertainties, I had things within and outside my own power and control that prevented me from being “Magi-Kat the Blogger” but the build-up of my feelings, the acknowledgement of my writing talent (I won awards for my writings), and knowing I’m appreciated is enough to make me want to “come back.” Thank you all for supporting me.

(I would like to also give a shout-out, albeit somewhat belated for him to notice, to Henkka for mentioning me in his blog. It made me bashful and honored to be named among other great bloggers (in fact, that's part of what led me to do this) and for someone as young as me, it says a lot so arigatou gozaimasu. Ganbare~!).

    Now that I have my comeback pretty much set up and known, it’s time to get into other comebacks as well.

• Goto Maki - the comeback of Maki Goto had officially come and for once, fan speculation really paid off! (In fact, it was on the dot). I have been only a recent “fan” of Gomaki and I was sad to she her leave. I mean, I love “Glass no Pumps” with a passion (who doesn’t?) and with her last album, her career with Avex can only go in one direction: upwards. Ganbare Gomaki! You have the pipes so go crack some glass in a good way! (Hey, you may even get me back into listening to Avex artists. I mean, among some of my first J-pop experiences was with hitomi and Ayumi Hamasaki).

• Tsuji Nozomi - Tsuji’s first post-pregnancy appearance was, albeit minor, like a dream come true. I was happy to hear about it when I first read it at Hell! Project. I was like, “Tsuji’s back in less than a year? She’s back? SHE’S BAAAAACK!” It was a bit odd to see her as “Nozomi Tsuji” and not just as “Nono” but it was worth it. She has grown up into a respectable woman. Sure, it wasn’t as crash-and-burn as her [possibly former] buddy Ai Kago but Nozomi has found life outside the idol light. Even if she is married with a kid and probably qualifies more as a talent than an idol, Nozomi Tsuji (along with Kago) will always be my #1 favorite Hello! Project member and I will support her no matter what. Even if we don’t see much of her, she will always remain my favorite (though I do admit I haven’t been rigorously checking Kago’s blog like a good fan should).

• Ogawa Makoto - Screw the Haromoni, we got Mako. (I doubt any of you would get that reference). Pardon the moment but let me get this off my chest first: Mako-cha~n! When I heard about her comeback on International Wota, I was excited! I… I… I… I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I looked forward to the Haromoni@ episode and while she didn’t really get to do much, it was nice to see her. (Besides, as a member of the Elder Club, she’s pretty much stock to UFA). Considering her high scores on those tests, she has a bright future ahead of her, maybe doing some translation work and possibly bridge the gap between English-speaking fans and H!P (but that’s just a fan’s speculation). I even imagined “Makoto Ogawa’s Surprise English Lessons”! (Trés impossible! C’est trés impossible, chacun). I look forward to your future, Makoto, and may great things come to you.

• Iida Kaori - Imagine my surprise. I mean, I always thought it’d be years before we’d hear from Kaori-san (if not, ever! Ditto to Nono). After all, didn’t she say it was her dream to be a happy mother? Well, dreams do come true after all. Good luck to her and Mini-Kenji. (However, I highly doubt her spectacularly unique “Euro-enka” releases are gonna continue, especially with the bia- er, preference towards the Wonderful Hearts by UFA. BTW happy [early] 27th, Kaorin!).

    To end this blog post, I would also like to mention the grand comebacks Paul-sama, Samantha, Kuri, Solitudity, and anyone else I might’ve missed on the Interwebs. They are all examples of the cycle of hiatus and comebacks and they are sure to continue, as we all know from our experiences in life and in fandom. From the reunion of a long-disbanded band to the return of a washed-up celebrity to popular view, it’s here, it’s there, it’s possible, it’s always forever. I’m Magi-Kat and this has been another edition of “Morning Meteora.”

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!

Happy All Saints Day, nonexistent audience.

Speaking of saints, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard about the news about Maki Goto and her graduation. To tell you the truth, I was only a minor fan of her and yet I’m still sorta shocked about this. I had more to say but I pretty much forgotten it. Then again, why should I make a speech about someone I barely care about, even if she's one of the patron saints of the Hello! Project.

So, like most Hello! Project fans who wrote their opinions on time and later, I wish Maki the best in her endeavors no matter where she goes. (It's kinda funny since I was sort of considering getting back into her. Oh well, c'est la vie).

A few things too:

• I too think her brother's scandal had little (if not, nothing) to do with her "graduation." Then again, it was mentioned that she wanted to go in a different direction anyway.
• Due to Goto's graduation, the fate of the Morning Musume Tanjou 10nen Kinentai is "uncertain." Then again, I had already put the unit in that category since Kaori's pregnancy.
• One bright side: At least we know the reason for Goto's "scheduling conflicts," which leads credible evidence that the graduation was planned.

I think it's time to let this sleeping dog lie, especially since no one seems to be talking about it anymore.

In other news, reviews of the big "All Singles Complete" compilation are popping about the H!P blog circles and Morning Musume continues to celebrate its 10th anniversary full blast with an upbeat single around the corner to boot. According to Wikipedia (English and Japanese) and Wiki.theppn, the indies single ("Ai no Tane") was released on November 3, 1997. Now, I dunno if it's true (which is most likely not or most likely so depending on your point of view and/or your sources), that would make this coming Saturday the 10th anniversary of the release of said single.

All in all, happy anniversary, Morning Musume and laissez les bons temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!)