My Love/Hate Affair with Technology [plus poll winners and Idol thoughts]

TechnoMANIA and Me

Yep that's me. Sayaka 2012 poster calendar in the background yooeeh

Ever since I started with Tumblr and got back into using social media eg; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, my creativity has taken such a dive. I feel like if I was living in a time before computers my brain would be as active as Noel Fielding on crack, but being so easily distracted by so many different programs at once turns my mind into a big lump of moosh.

I love talking about idols and Japan, and even just rambling on about fitness, food and other things but I have to try and stay focused. In the new year I'd like to make this blog more personal, there will still be plenty of idol talk but it will also be about me and my thoughts. If I don't put them out there and force myself to write I will turn into another social media zombie just like everyone else, and that'd be damn sad.

Smartphones do not help either. I thought to myself 'I won't get addicted' - but of course I did and now I am just 1/100 people checking their phones on the train instead of reading a book or writing in a diary. This I dislike and would like to start some sort of weaning program in the new year. I love my phone and it is extremely handy but I do not want it to become like a third hand to me or something.

Before I started a writing course I thought writing might be something I want to do in the future, it still is but I need to have free rein over my work and not be bound by assignments forcing me to come up with a topic. This is why what I am actually doing is such a good idea, Commerce and Japanese, one of my friends keeps coming up with commerce as a generic degree but I think he means communications. Either way he doesn't realise that getting tertiary education is so important to me.

At this rate, I will now have two degrees before I turn 30 and then I can maybe start on a Masters or MBA depending on what I want to do. I feel, in my situation, the more education I can get, the better.

Here's to the New Year!

Back to Idols!

The winner of the last release round poll was Gingham Check with 5 votes, second was Kiss Datte Hidarikiki with 4 votes, and Virginity and Hashire! Bicycle both with four. Please vote on the new release round!

Graduations have been happening so much lately and now two beloved members of AKB48, second generation's Yuka Masuda and Tomomi Kasai, are leaving. Yuka got caught up in an apparent 'scandal' but it seemed like maybe she was looking for an exit anyway. I have no idea if DiVA will continue but I hope they do in some way as I really love them as a vocal group.

Tomo~omi announced her graduation at the AKB48 Kouhaku song battle, luckily with hers we are getting a solo single and a photobook, so I think perhaps she has thought about this for a long time. I'm still extremely sad that both of them are leaving, the second generation is looking very sparse these days.

Morning Musume's new single covers have been released and they are atrocious. I could do better photo editing myself and I only have gimp. *cue laughter* hey!

Type B Limited, the only decent one, albeit its simplicity. :/

check them all out here

The only good thing I seem to notice about these covers is that everyone gets a go at being in front, which is nice. Maybe now Reina is leaving they will have the chance to distribute lines better, although lets face it, Hello! Project have never been great at that! This is also the first single where Sakura Oda gets a look in, so hopefully she lifts MM to a new level. The members likeability rate is at a high so I'd love to see them actually getting good songs/designs/costumes once in a while.

The idol boom seems like it may have hit it's peak, now with all the former Team 4/KKS members being pushed in AKB48, 2013 might be a big year for graduations, so prepare yourself if you're a fan of any members who have been there a while. Tokyo Girls Style and FLOWER/E-girls are still going strong though so maybe it's time to switch focus to the newer, fresher and more musically-focused groups. Or just ride the wave like we always do and enjoy it! Idols are more addictive and pumping out more music than ever and there's loads to choose from with a personality for every fan. Let's support our favourite idols in 2013 too!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Ichigogo!

[PS: There will be more giveaways in 2013 :D]

❤ HiP Happenings! ❤

Hello! Project Happenings!



The past few months have been very busy, and quite positive for Hello! Project. My interest is definitely back, but for how long we shall soon see. As for the moment, as long as Kanon Suzuki is getting some sort of exposure, in any form whatsoever, I will be somewhat interested.



First up, the Dream Morning Musume concert was released on DVD, and boy is it good. I mean these girls have lost no flair, no performance stamina and they are mostly at the top of their game here. I love that they performed great lesser heard songs such as Happy Night and Mirai no Tobira. Mari and Kaori are sounding kind of strained (don't even get me started on Koharu...but she's always sounded like that) but they make up for it with their energy and even, for H!P fans that have been around for a while like me, the nostalgia quality. Highlights include: Makoto Ogawa getting loads of lines (FINALLY, we had to wait for her to be out of MM for 5 years? How annoying!), Yuko Nakazawa being spectacularly sexy and Natsumi Abe in 'Roman ~ My Dear Boy' - with loads of Yossi too. A Nacchi/Yossi duet would be a dream come true! Even more so than just this group existing.



Next, Ai Takahashi's graduation from Morning Musume, I have mixed feelings on this. While Ai was a very important part of the group for a very long time, I really do think it was her time to go. I am saddened that I never got to see her live, but if she pursues her dream of musical theatre, then maybe I still will one day. I am excited to see which direction she takes, hopefully after a well earned break! I'd love to see MM take a new direction now, with even more energetic and upbeat tunes, and with more age appropriate lyrics. As most of the group is under-16 now, I do not wish to see a lot of 2007-2010 Musume tunes in the repotoir, that said, they could easy perform some of the older songs, although the problem there is that Dream Morning Musume may be doing them instead. How confusing!





The 10th generation members were also introduced on Ai's 2nd last day as a Morning Musume member. We have Haruna Iikubo(16), Ayumi Ishida (14), Masaki Sato (12) and Haruka Kudo (11), Haruka surpasses Ai Kago as being the youngest Morning Musume member ever. She's got talent and experience though so I doubt she'll be the weakest, they all have something unique to add to the group. I'm interested in seeing the interaction between 9th and 10th generation members. Having a 12 member strong Morning Musume is hopefully going to distribute the lines more evenly. I don't want to see any more Sayumi lead A-sides please.





We also get to find out who the definite S/mileage members are in less than 5 days. I hope all of them get added. I really like them all, but my favourite is Rina Katsuta. So I definitely hope she gets added! I really liked 'Tachiagirl' - and the new members being announced got a lot of new people into S/mileage, including me, as their helium-sound may go down an octave with some new voices.



The Mobekimasu single 'Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku' PV preview has been released, and it's the usual suspects, but I hope we see the non front-girl members a bit too, or it will end up being terribly boring. The PV looks pretty and sparkly, but why does the choreography remind me of Berryz's 'Ai no Dangan'? It's quite similar, and one cover of the CD is really, really badly photoshopped. They really shouldn't be pulling this kind of crap when they have the most competitors they have ever had since their start in 1997. The game has been raised and they will have to raise with it.



This has been a really up-and-down year for Hello! Project, but it definitely looks like they are going to end on a high note, I really hope that there are no more graduations announced for a while! Good luck Hello! Project!

Buono! Partenza! Awesome!

Buono! New Mini-Album 'Partenza' Review.










Credit to SayuNii for the picture.

It's going to sound mean but I wasn't expecting much from this, as Hello! Project's releases have been lacking lately in style, structure and flair, but this is a perfect mini-album in a lot of ways. Including the singles 'Zassou no Uta' and 'Natsu Dakara!' and one of the B-sides for Zassou - 'JUICY HE@RT' - which were all great songs, so it's a good start. The filler tracks are very high standard for current H!P and fit Momoko, Miyabi and Airi's voices very well.




The album tracks are really good and varied, and the balance of hyper songs to slower songs (although not slow enough to call them ballads) is perfect. The quality of this mini-album is the highest I have heard from a H!P release since 10 My Me, and since 2007, quality has been slowly declining in H!P as any fan who has been around for a while would recognize.




The songs that have been released by Buono! S/mileage, Berryz and to a lesser extent C-ute (whose songs this year haven't been very good, bar 'Kiss me Aishiteru' which was fantastic) have been better than Morning Musume's releases by leaps and bounds. Whether this means Tsunku is trying to push MM back or re-assign someone else as the main draw for H!P, I'm not sure, but it is probably a good thing, as many H!P fans see MM as a bit old hat and they have been declining in popularity for a while.




I'll be buying this mini-album with my next pay as I think it really deserves our support with the quality it has. Which again, absolutely surprised me in a very good way.




Track by Track Breakdown:

1. Partenza ~ Lets Go!!! - A synthpop song complete with autotune and a starting that reminds me a little of the first few bars of MM's 'Only You' - A really interesting way to start the album, it's a different and upbeat track. The whole thing is autotuned though, so it will be interesting to hear how this sounds live. Miyabi's voice is quite suited to this. B-U-O-N-O Lets Go! A mini radio rip is here: LINK

2. Zassou no Uta - A recent single by Buono! With really interesting and different lyrics, and an uplifiting message (check out the translation on projecthello.com http://projecthello.com/buono/zassou.html) Airi sounds great in this, and it's a fun PV too. With a quite rock-like sound, Buono are getting back to basics here. It sounds fantastic, and it continues the trend of Buono! pretty much only getting very good songs, I don't think I've disliked a song of theirs so far. Official PV Here: LINK

3. FrankincenseΨ - This is a great song, with an awesome repetitive guitar riff the whole way through that keeps the cool beat of the song. Again, individual and unlike any other H!P song I have heard, this is good enough to be a single. There is still a bit of autotune, but it works here and it's only done in specific spots, and not the entire track. Miyabi sounds excellent here! For this album it's almost as if they were given extra vocal training, as they sound better than even a year or two ago. LINK

4. My Alright Sky - an Airi Suzuki solo song, the English at the start is not by her, it is by the composer of the track (credit to mm-bbs for this information). Airi's voice is often forced into high pitches that makes it squeak slightly and doesn't suit. This song is in a lower range, and it is just beautiful. A slow, ethereal sounding song that's a perfect halfway mark for this standout album. Airi's voice just keeps getting better. She does attempt some English in this and it sounds very cute. Mp3 Tube here: LINK

5. Natsu Dakara! - Buono's most recent single! A great summer song. A slightly slower song than recent releases, but a very good one nonetheless. I don't like the talking in the middle though, talking in a song usually weakens it (like a lot of No Sleeves's releases, if you want to compare..stop talking!). This isn't really a song you can dance to, but it is definitely one you could nod and sing along with. It's not my favourite single release from Buono! though. Official PV Here: LINK

6. Kia ora. Gracious. Arigatou - This is a great upbeat song that picks the album up again. This is Momoko's lead song, and she sounds fantastic. A high-pitched, fast moving track that works with Momoko's voice. This isn't as good as some of the other upbeat songs on the album, and it's a little generic, but it still works, and it's another song that I think would be good live.

7. JUICY HE@RT - A B-side to Zassou no Uta, an awesome rock-like song with hard riffs (I say rock like, as it's still quite poppy, and their vices are still pop...it IS H!P..) there is still a great rustic guitar feel with this, mixed with some synthpop overlay, but not enough to take away from the great old-school rock-pop feel of the track. They are wearing Union Jack jumpers in the PV...COME TO ENGLAND BUONO! Stop teasing us! Official PV Here: LINK

8. 1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou - A lower-range song, which I am always thankful for, as I think H!P is a bit of a squeakfest at times. This is a cover of a song by Siam Shade, which I will include the original here. It is an interesting cover for a girl group to do but it really shows their vocal range, I'd love to hear them do more songs in this range. It sounds fantastic. Which is not something I would expect from Momoko, Airi and Miyabi, who all have higher ranges, but their voices are so much better than we usually give them credit for, and this song shows it. The ORIGINAL by Siam Shade here: LINK - The Buono version is not available on youtube yet, but I am sure it will be soon so keep searching!




This is a great, great album, that any H!P fan would love, I have not heard any bad reviews so far. Hopefully, if H!P releases can start going back up to this kind of quality for regular singles and albums, it will bring a lot of disollusioned fans back, and new fans in. But, I don't know if it is just years of being let down, but I doubt that MM's new album or single will be anything like the quality put into this. Prove me wrong H!P! Prove me wrong!

What I Like (and Dislike) about AKB48.

What I Like (and Dislike) about AKB48.









LIKE:




I am not going to write the entire history of AKB48 here. If you are reading this entry you are probably interested in them anyway so go check out their history on wikipedia or stage48.net, or get some info from their official website, which is partially in English. (Here)




I really like the fact that they have worked their way up. Being a fan since their inception in 2006. They started as energetic theatre girls, under an indpendent record label, and under the King of Idols, Yasushi Akimoto (who also produced massive 80's girl group Onyanko Club, who are also very worth a listen) . Now, Akimoto was not stalling, he was in a sense, training them, for bigger things, that he KNEW he could get. He was also waiting and biding his time for when there was a dip in the market. As sales of Hello! Project declined, AKB48 EXPLODED onto the scene.





More idols than anyone had ever seen in one go run onto the stage, smiles, dancing, radiant, these idols were fresh faces and new heights of wota-ism were about to be seen. Akimoto markets these girls like Tsunku never could, they appear in every magazine, every commercial, every billboard, photobooks streamed onto the market. He may have started out slowly, but by 2009, AKB48 were the biggest girl group in the country, and arguably, the world.




Not just the girls make the group, the songs and dances are professional and slick, and the production is second to none. The video clips are breathtaking, and even people who do not understand one word of Japanese can get the incredible feeling put into these videos. The girls are not only very talented at singing and dancing, and have worked VERY hard to be famous, they are also fabulous actresses and convey emotion with what seems like effortless calm.





Akimoto doesn't just stop at one group, under the AKB48 blanket, is SKE48 from Sakae (of which Jurina Matsui is frequently seen in AKB48 videos, and her sister Rena Matsui is also very popular) , NMB48 from Namba and SDN48, an adult entertainment group that stands for SaturDayNight 48. In SDN48 is several former AKB48 members including Megumi Ohori, Kayo Noro and recently announced Hana Tojima, among others. I find it quite endearing that people have graduated, then decided to come back, and he seems to have no problem with that. This is something Tsunku has trouble with. Once someone has graduated, now, not like before 2009 (Elder Club Graduation) , we barely see them anymore. Which is a shame.




Hello! Project has become very formulaic and kind of boring, whereas AKB48 and the other groups are unpredictable, and new releases, groups, subgroups and solo projects are always being announced. AKB48 are on the up and up, and considering how many sales they are already making, this is a grand thing.




DISLIKE:




These girls are being used as objects of lust. Yes, it sells records to millions and millions of male fans, but the over-the-top sexuality is sometimes a bit in-your-face for female fans. While AKB48 still endear to many females, the way they are marketed is very male-centric. The boyfriend rule is something I will never agree with, but all idol groups use this, so this is not an AKB48-only thing. Idol groups and soloists have been doing it for many years, but it still a primitive and ridiculous way of treating women (and men to a lesser extent, as male idol groups have a girlfriend rule also).




Also, they lipsynch. A LOT. I think I've heard them sing live only once. Their voices all sound fine. So I don't see what the big appeal is to not actually performing live. Performing live would give them an edge that Hello! Project still has.





The monopoly on the idol music industry is something I am a bit ambivalent about. I'd like to see them have competitors. FIERCE ones, not lukewarm ones. Akimoto is currently auditioning for his own competitive group called Nogizuka46. Hello! Project will never, ever have AKB's sales. That is something Tsunku just can't seem to grasp. He has modelled himself after Akimoto, but he just couldn't quite cinch it sales-wise. Hello! Project's golden age is over, and we are currently IN AKB48's golden age. It may get better, it may get worse, but if we continue to support them through the years, there will be many more exciting things to come!




What do you like or dislike about AKB48? Or about the Idol/Jpop world in general?

Chou Wonderful! 6 Review

℃-ute (キュート)






℃-ute have invoked a much more adult sound in their 6th album, which I would argue to be one of their best, if not the best, they have released so far. The Airi and Maimi show has lessened, and we get to hear the amazing voices of Chisato, Saki and Mai more often. ℃-ute are sounding like their voices have been thoroughly worked out, as they are all sounding like divas in this fantastic album. There are less cute tracks and more mature sounding tracks. Which I think now, that their youngest member Mai, is 15, they can start pulling off more often.

As a 5 member unit. Their voices sound great together, and a lot of people who have never bought a ℃-ute album or single before are starting to. As a result, their sales are going up massively. I hope that they hit a number 1 soon, as they really, really deserve it. I'd also like to see them, and other Hello! Project acts to get Kouhaku, as they seem to have been forgotten in recent years.

This album is the epitome of pure pop fun, and the new grown-up, yet still youthful sound of ℃-ute is a phenomenon that I hope sells them a lot of records. Please listen to this Chou Wonderful album if you can! I have included radio previews or youtube versions of the tracks I can find.




Track by Track Breakdown





1. 超WONDERFUL！ (Chou Wonderful!) - This is an upbeat, fast song that is almost even-line distribution. It's a good introduction, with a really 'get up and dance!' kind of vibe, which sets the pace for the rest of the album.




2. Midnight Temptation - a high-energy song that also has even line-distribution, which is nice to see. The girls voices are a bit echoed and whispered, giving them a different effect, there's also a heavy hit of synth that pulses through this track, which is fantastic. There's also a minimum of high pitched tones in this song, which is a really great change. Chisato does a few very belting lines too. Radio Preview Here




3. Kiss me 愛してる (Kiss Me Aishiteru) - An EXCELLENT A-side that really catapulted C-ute to the front. Their strong vocals, coupled with the new promotion of Chisato, who is pushed almost as much as Airi and Maimi in this, makes for a really new and fresh sound. Also, the non-stop style of the instrumental makes this a very powerful and punchy track. Official Video Clip Here




4. いざ、進め! Steady go! (Iza, Susume! Steady go!) - A medium-paced song led by Saki, which is nice to hear as she isn't exactly super-promoted in C-ute. She sounds very good. A lot of 'Whoah Whoah Whoahs!' in this. An individual song that doesn't really sound like any other C-ute track. The instrumental break in the middle coupled with the 'yays!' make it a bit generic though. I think I could say this is the weakest song of the album, which is a shame, because Saki is my favourite from C-ute!




5. ルルルルル (Rururururu) - A slow sounding ballad song, that Airi leads, this is a song that really showcases their vocals. They still have a certain high-pitched sound, which I am sure is a result of the key they are having to sing in, which sounds mostly good in this, except for a few certain parts, where they could stand to sing lower. When C-ute sing low, they sing sweet. They have nice voices, but this needs to be in a lower key for it to be exceptionally pleasing.




6. 別れたくない… (Wakaretakunai…)- A synth sounding, boppy song that Chisato leads. Her voice is argueably the best of C-ute. This particularly suits Chisato's voice, as it's a bit slower and a bit lower. She sounds really good here, as do the rest of C-ute. This is better than ルルルルル and would suit an energetic break in Concerts as even a Chisato solo. Which is what this really should have been.
Vocal Cut Version Here




7. 会いたいロンリークリスマス (Aitai Lonely Christmas) - Another excellent A-Side from C-ute. This is the song that was used in the 9th generation Morning Musume auditions. Everyone sounds exceptionally good in this, again, Chisato shines, really supporting the others with her voice, as she has depth that Airi and even to an extent, Maimi, do not have. The oddness of the instrumental break, which is very much channeling the 80's, gives it a really unique feel too. A fantastic song. Official Video Clip Here


8. Circle - Another slower song, led by Mai! Underappreciated, Underloved Mai. Her voice is still very cute. This is a simpler song, with an understated instrumental, of course still a bit of synth, because C-ute bring all the synth to the yard. It's not super memorable though. It's very sweet, but forgettable.




9. Danceでバコーン! (Dance de Bakoon!) - This is what we are talking about! A fantastic, upbeat, funky song that is very much for dancing. The Airi and Maimi show is on in this track, but we still get to hear snippets of Saki/Chisa/Mai. The translation, on project-hello.com, shows the lyrics as being fun and youthful, just about wanting to dance! It's also a bit more traditional music wise, with thumping guitar and less synth than C-ute usually have in their music. A great A-side from C-ute! Ja ja ja! Official Video Clip Here




10. 3 Ban Home 3 Ryoume ３番ホーム ３両目 (3 Ban Home 3 Ryoume) - A funky, R'n'B infused song that is lead by Maimi. With a slower beat and a 'head bopping' kind of feel. This song has a few really nice vocal breaks too, with a twist in the instrumental and Maimi's excellent vocals shining through. Radio Preview Here




11. キャンパスライフ〜生まれて来てよかった〜 (Campus Life ~Umarete Kite Yokatta~) - A really uplifting track. Just a feel-good song. Hardly any synth in this. More focused on traditional instrumentals. Which is a nice change as well. This isn't as powerful as Kiss me Aishiteru or Dance de Bakoon, but it is still a pleasant song. Official Video Clip Here




In conclusion, if you are a new C-ute fan, I would actually start here and work backwards, it's a really good album with some kicking A-sides and some excellent album tracks. We could all stand to listen to more C-ute!




Chou Wonderful 6 Jacket Photography making of part 1.




Chou Wonderful 6 Jacket Photography making of part 2.




Kiss Me Aishiteru Dance Practice.

Ribbon no Kishi ~ The Musical ~

Ribbon no Kishi ~ The Musical 2006 ~



Starring Morning Musume & Biyuuden


Hitomi Yoshizawa - Prime Minister of Silverland
Miki Fujimoto - The Witch Hecate
Ai Takahashi - Prince/Princess Sapphire
Makoto Ogawa - Baron Nylon
Risa Niigaki - Lady in waiting/Knight Nouveau
Eri Kamei - Lady in waiting/Knight Torteau
Sayumi Michishige - Lady in waiting/ Talent Scout Rue
Reina Tanaka - Lady in waiting/ Talent Scout Riziere
Koharu Kusumi - Prime Minister's son/King of Silverland

Rika Ishikawa - Prince Franz of Goldland
Erika Miyoshi - Gaoler/Lady in waiting
Yui Okada - Gaoler/Lady in waiting

Marcia - Queen consort of Silverland
King/God - Kaoru Ebira

Nozomi Tsuji - Gaoler (In certain performances)
Natsumi Abe / Aya Matsuura - Prince Franz (In certain performances)

This is the story of Sapphire, played by Ai Takahashi, who is born with the soul of both a boy and a girl. She is known to the public as Prince Sapphire, however her body is of a woman. Her father, the King of Silverland, has her in mind as his heir, and, as a woman, she would have to forfeit the throne.

Disguised as a flaxen-haired princess, she decides to attend a dance that only happens once a year in Silverland, and happens upon the Prince of Goldland, Franz, played by Rika Ishikawa. Who falls helplessly in love with Sapphire at first sight. Not knowing about her dilemma.

The Prime Minister of Silverland, played by Hitomi Yoshizawa, is desperate for power for her son, played by Koharu Kusumi, who is next in line for the throne of Silverland if Sapphire does not have any heirs. The Prime Minister asks the witch Hecate, played by Miki Fujimoto, for a truth serum, which she tricks Sapphire's mother, the Queen of Silverland, played by Takaruza actress Marcia, into drinking. After which she reveals Sapphire's secret. After a fight that goes wrong that kills the King of Silverland, the Prime Ministers son seizes the throne.

Sapphire's mother is dying, and when Hecate returns to bribe Sapphire for her mothers life, in exchange for her female soul, Sapphire takes it, and returns to the castle of Silverland to fight Franz and the Prime Minister for her right to the throne.

This musical is extremely well-cast, with each Hello! Project member fitting into her role perfectly. Ai Takahashi as the star is an excellent choice, as she is dedicated to the role and has an electric stage presence. I was particularly surprised at Koharu's acting skills, and think she suits the stage more than being in a girl group. Rika's lowered voice sounds fantastic, and she sounds much better singing in a lower register. Also included in this musical is Erika Miyoshi and Yui Okada from Biyuuden, who, while they have very small roles, do very well with what they are given.

This musical marks Makoto Ogawa's graduation from Morning Musume, and the end was quite sad as particularly Ai and Risa, fellow 5th generation members, were crying a lot. I only have high praise for this musical as extremely enjoyable, particularly well produced and a lot of fun. All the girls have clearly worked very hard and it shows, as the slickness of the production doesn't falter.

Natsumi Abe, Aya Matsuura and Nozomi Tsuji all had appearances in this musical during it's run. Abe and Matsuura playing Prince Franz, and Tsuji playing a gaoler, an extra character that isn't included in the last day. From the clips I have seen of these versions, all do very well, in particular Matsuura, who I am disappointed she didn't get a smaller role in the days she didn't play Franz, as Rika did (as a lady in waiting).

I am now eager to watch Cinderella the Musical. Morning Musume, particularly Ai Takahashi, have shown their strength in theatre, and I hope that more musicals are to be announced in the future.

Morning Musume and Hello Project

モーニング娘。 * ハロー!プロジェクト





The origins of my fandom in Hello! Project are fairly tame. Mid 2001 I started watching subtitled Anime (particularly Sailor Moon) and loved it, part of the whole experience was listening to the many songs that were included in the opening titles, ending credits, and image songs for all the different characters. I listened to the soundtracks many a time, and even more when I found Sera Myu, which was like the holy grail for Sailor Moon fans.


This is the typical story for most J-pop fans, finding it through Anime, then getting obsessed and not watching Anime or reading Manga for a long time afterwards, as you are too busy trying to listen to every J-pop artist around at the time. I first found Ayumi Hamasaki, another very common artist for people to start with. This was 2003, and I absolutely loved her. I looked up similar artists and found Kumi Koda and BoA this way.


Late 2003, I started completely by accident, upon some pictures of a girl band that I thought were very pretty. I was always a fan of female vocalists and girl bands, and looked them up by saying something like '12 member Japanese Girl Band' - Of course, at the time, the only girl band with that many members was Morning Musume.


I looked them up online and found a few music videos, also found out a song called 'Roman ~ My dear Boy' was their most current release. I promptly bought a few DVD's of theirs that chronicled their music videos up to the time, and a concert, which I remember vividly was '2002 Love is Alive! - Maki Goto's graduation. I watched that first before any of the music video DVD's, and was promptly BLOWN AWAY.


This concert blew my mind. I remember being absolutely fixated on all the members and speechless at the enormity and extravagance of it all. The 5th generation members were my favourite at the time, and Risa Niigaki especially struck me. Being quite close to all of them in age I was just amazed that girls the same age as me could perform as good as that. I rewatched that concert so many times before I realized I could buy loads more concerts, but still to this day, that is the best Morning Musume concert I have ever watched.


Shortly afterwards, my PV DVD's arrived and I invited a few friends over to watch them with me. Again, immediately, Yuko Nakazawa stood out as being particularly beautiful and talented. We were head over heels with her, and intoxicated with the cute and funky poppy songs, and with the consistently changing member lineup. We learned all of their names especially quickly, as they all have such individual looks, it wasn't hard. We were only mixed up between KagoTsuji for a very short period of time. As they actually look nothing alike. But when someone dresses them indentical with mirrored hair, it can get a bit difficult.


As the time went past, we got into all the different Hello! Project groups. At that time, Berryz Koubou were in their infant stages, but I still found them incredibly talented and liked them from the get go. C-ute didn't exsist until 2005, but I liked them too (not as much as Berryz though.) Also Otomegumi/Sakuragumi, Shuffle Units, Country Musume, Coconuts Musume (who already by then was just Ayaka and Mika, very soon only to be Ayaka) and the soloists, Maki Goto and Aya Matsuura being the two biggest at the time. All this bubblegum pop was swirling around in my head and to be honest, I got a little obsessed.


I bought Shirts, CD's, DVD's, Musicals, funny little accessories, rare items, got a fringe cut that made my face look silly but I wanted it anyway because everyone in Morning Musume had a fringe (even Risa by then.) My favourites at the 2004 period were: Risa Niigaki, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Miki Fujimoto and Kaori Iida. Brilliant girls, and I really envied Miki's brilliant voice.


What I always thought was ridiculous, is that they are not allowed to have boyfriends, or even friends who are boys at any time, because they have to be perceived as 'available' (this is the same of many idols, even to this day, AKB48, Idoling!!!, etc)


This, unfortunately encourages what is known as the 'wota' - extreme fans who collect everything about their favourite girl and have a delusional vision that she could one day be his girlfriend. If you have ever seen any videos of these people, they are quite..sad, and will probably never get a real girlfriend because of their lonely habits. They hang around with packs of other wota, worshipping their idols like they were 15th century monarchs.


It's unhealthy and it's weird, it's bad enough if the wota were of similar ages to the girls, or even in their mid to late twenties. But they aren't, they are older, 30s, 40s, 50s, now, it's fine to be a fan at any age of course, but to think that your favourite Girl Band member will drop everything to elope with you one day is very, very sad, and should not be encouraged.


I was shocked at the low sound of the cheering from my first Morning Musume concert, and we didn't understand that the male fanbase often scare a lot of the female fanbase out of the concerts from their annoying and pathetic habits. I say the girl fans need to take back the concert majority! Take on the wota!


As the years went by, my fandom of Morning Musume seemed to go down, and peaked at Kanashimi Twilight, I have not been such a big fan since that time. Hitomi leaving and Koharu becoming a front girl was a big drop for me, and my focus seemed to shift to Berryz Koubou, who have not had a member change since Maiha Ishimura left. These girls are extremely talented and all have pretty good voices, Miyabi Natsuyaki and Yurina Kumai, in my opinion, being the strongest vocally.


Their songs have been consistently good since their debut in 2004, and their dancing and concerts have only gotten better. Since they have been such a strong unit for such a long time, I feel that if one left, which may happen pretty soon as they are all adults now. It may break the strength, although C-ute seemed to be fine after 3 members leaving, and they are probably better without Kanna Arihara, Erika Umeda and Megumi Murakami, although they all contributed at the time, it is no point staying if your heart isn't in it, as it will show right through your performance.


As of 2011, we now have 4 new 9th generation members in Morning Musume, the first upbeat and happy single since 'Ambitious! Yashinteki de ii jan' (which wasn't very well put together anyway, this feels like a better production), Berryz Koubou have just had their strongest and maybe even their best album ever (7 Berryz Times) and are about to perform in the USA. C-ute have had an incredible single (Kiss Me! Aishiteru) and what I am anticipating to be a fantastic album, full of their electro-infused dance tracks that they have become so good at. Smileage, even though I am not too fond of them, are gaining sales and popularity with each single, and hopefully one day, when they stop sounding like 8 year olds (>.>) will become strong in their own right.


As for soloists, since Tsunku took the rash (but probably correct, looking back) decision to graduate the entire elder club (any graduated MM members plus Aya Matsuura) from Hello! Project and move them to their own fan club called M-Line. There seemed to be a gap in the Hello! Project for great solo vocalists. Erina Mano took the stage in 2008 and debuted under a major label in 2009. While she is not terrible to listen to, I can see big potential in H!P's newest soloist. Yuu Kikkawa.


She was in the finalists for 8th generation, which Aika Mitsui passed, and was instead put into H!P Eggs, getting experience from performing in the Milky Way unit with Koharu Kusumi and in exclusive H!P egg concerts, everyone was surprised when it was announced she would be debuting under a major label with the song 'Kikkake wa YOU!' a play on her name.


Watching the video, it is clear a lot of work has gone into it, and while I am kind of a little sick of the 'child woman' angle (she is almost 20) - I can see why she is going to be very popular. She's cute and has a very sweet voice.


Now that Eri Kamei (one of my favourites) JunJun and LinLin have graduated from Morning Musume, and Ai Takahashi is going to graduate in September. A lot hinges on the new generation of Morning Musume, will a 10th gen audition be rushed through? 4th, 5th and 6th gen were all added in quick succession. Does that mean over the next few years we will see an onslaught of new faces and Morning Musume will become fun again? As Ai Takahashi's graduation will leave a big hole, a BIG hole in Morning Musume, maybe the biggest since Natsumi Abe graduated. The difference is that Natsumi had a solo career to fall back on. Ai doesn't. Will they finally give her the solo career she so deserves? Or will she fade into obscurity like so many others before her?


I hope to see Hello! Project gaining sales and popularity faced with J-idol giant and superseller AKB48.


The future of Hello! Project is bright!