6 posts tagged “buono!”

This going to be a tl;dr, so you can ignore this if you want, haha >_<

When people say that your junior year of high school is the hardest, they really mean it. I have two AP classes to deal with (AP Language and Composition, good class, lots of work, and AP economics, which is confusing), along with marching band and Japanese class. I'm taking Japanese class at my local community college this year, which is on wednesdays, one of my previous free-er days to write reviews. The class is great, and I just took the exam for Japanese I (talking II next semester), so I'll have a couple free wednesdays. Although it is time consuming, Japanese class is definitely helping me understand non-subbed Hello! Project stuff more, so I am grateful to be able to take that class.

Technically, Marching band should be over. We won state this year, yayyyy. You can watch the performance here if you want: http://www.sagacioustechnologies.com/lhsband/ The reason marching band isn't over though, is because we are going to the Fiesta Bowl Marching Competition in Arizona over winter break. I am really excited about it, and it shouldn't leave me all stressed, but I am (Airplane ride, people who have never riden an airplane before, all the information to get across...keeping the marching show stuck in our head). I was hoping this winter break I would be able to get caught up, but 1. I am going to Arizona, so I wont have access to a computer 2. I am probably going to be in detroit with my family beforehand, where there isn't great internet.... After break is midterm exams...and then I'll have to start doing things for my high schools musical production (Beauty and The Beast; I'm doing make up, masks, and hair) and start studying for the Michigan Merit Exam and the ACT. SOOOO, what I could have said was "I have a really busy life right now, so don't be surprised if I don't post at all!" but I'm pretty sure everyone has expected that of me now. But it felt good to  type out all the things I have to do. I guess I'm on a hiatus (I'm sad about it, though you might not be, haha) so don't expect regular posts until like..June :(

Before I get on to High-King...
-I like Pepper Keibu. I like the color green they are wearing, and I like the Reina. Hello! Project never fails me with covers of songs, so I am highly anticapting recieving Aka Yuu for Christmas.
-Madayade's song isn't amazing, but the choreography and the PV are a lot of fun (Yay Secretary Berryz!)
-LOVE FOREVER is a good...except...why does the song loose the serious-sound at the lyrics. Its like "Now the song is cute!...And kind of tropical sounding, somehow." I love their outfits, except for Kanna's Plaid...overalls?
-Buono! is probably my favorite group within Hello! Project right now. Despite the PV being minimalistic, it fits the 50's-60's theme. Rottara! Rottara! is great, and Momoko is still my favorite!
-Hangry & Angry is a strange name for a brand of clothes... "I'm so angry I'm going to eat my clothes!" is what I think. The song is catchy and likeable...the PV is kinda too...strange for my tastes, though...
-HALCALI's new single, Long Kiss Good Bye, is the new song I heard at their concert at Anime Central. I like the song a lot. The PV is meh, though.
(I like all of these things -_____-, why did I single out high-king? Because I had started something on it a while ago, and I didn't want to just throw it away)

On with High-King!

I love this group. Three leaders, Reina, and an Egg? I was a bit wary of Maeda Yuuka, as I am of all eggs, since I am generally unaware of their existence until something big happens like this! But I found myself liking Maeda. her voice is cute and young, but she doesn't sound out of place with the older members of High-King. It makes me sad that they wont get another single, but the greatness of Cinderella Complex leaves me satisfied. Its an upbeat song with a danceable tune that I really enjoy. The choreography is actually pretty difficult! I am impressed that the girls did the dance so flawlessly. Reina is featured in this group, so that might be why I like it so much, haha. I feel like she has a cute and cool character in this PV, which fits the song well. Saki, Maimi, and Maeda do a good job also! Ai is always amazing, her vocals add to the song so much! Now that I'm listening to Kioku no Meiro again....I think I like this song more. It shows off all of the girls voices equally, and blends them to create a great song. I'm sorry that this was quite incoherent, it expresses the stress I have right now -_-.

A++!

-Hotaru <3

Woo, my life is starting to slow down a bit. Marching Band will be over November First. Hopefully I can catch up...I probably wont be able to, though...so please bear with me. D:

I honestly don't find this song catchy at all. Whenever I try to recall any part of the song, I start humming "Buckets no Mizu" instead. Is that bad?

This makes it sound as if I don't like the song much!

I do like the song, really!! It is a summer-y fun anime-ending song. It fits the previous ending song tunes and themes well, and thats really what its supposed to do, I think. Tie up the series with an ending that is reminiscent of the previous endings...it seems to be sort of common these days in anime (Although the only example I have is with Code Geass...and all of ALI PROJECT's songs sound the same, so maybe it isn't as common as I would like to think it is). Anyway! I am enjoying the vocal selection of this song, as Momoko seems to be the major lead (with only three people, they are all leads..) in this song. She is also not singing in her usual squeaky voice, so she matches Airi and Miyabi very well :D. Although the song is very similar to previous singles, there are attributes that the previous songs do not have! Such as the cute speaking parts before the chorus, and the mixed-in speaking parts at the musical interlude. They add flavor to the song, making it a bit more interesting! Hopefully this paragraph convinced you that I don't dislike the song (haha). I enjoy the song, but I feel as though I would like the song a lot more if Renai Rider and Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! had not come before it.

The PV provides us with some amusing scenes of the girls in their adorable suits. These scenes have a dark-basement feel to them, which adds to the Playing-Poker idea I believe they are trying pull off. Instead of poker the seem to play Old Maid instead, which is probably more interesting for them to play than poker. Momoko's excitement when she gave Miyabi the joker alongside Airi's "Woohoo, whatever" attitude was great. Actually the girls playing the games makes the PV worth watching overall. The other two scenes we are provided are a little...bland. I can understand the use of a white background for the dance scene. Its supposed to make the girls pop out, right? The thing is, the girls are wearing a lot of black, gray and white, therefore they blend in to the background much more than they pop out. With better color choice, this could have been a perfectly aceptable dance shot. The other scene, with the musicians playing and Buono! running around 'playing' the instruments could have been a good scene also, except...the musicians seemed to be looking at Buono! like "Why are you playing my instrument? Go away!"...that kind of ruined it. There are a lot of fun and creative elements in this PV making it worth the watch. I still feel like there are some simple things the creators could have done to make the PV awesome.

Character Review:

Suzuki Airi: Although I always find her kinda boring, she tends to shine a bit more in Buono! PV's. Her totally uncaring expression during Momoko's excitement was the best XD. She has a cute outfit here, I like it a lot. Fits the anime's theme. I found her hair and hat outfit to be quite unflattering on her, though.

Miyabi- Oh my goodness! I am so happy that she wore her hair down! She is so pretty with her hair down...and her fedora, haha. I felt that her voice fit rather well in this song.

Momoko- She is the highlight of the PV (this is obvious, she is my favorite). She is really expressive, which is something I love to see in Idols these days. Momoko has such an adorable persona, it is very hard to not like everything she does (perhaps this is a bit biased.) I find that she fit the role best for this song. She wasn't the least bit awkward. This isn't to say the other girls looked strange in their suits or how they acted, Momoko just had the most fun. This could be because she was given the role to have the most fun, but I feel as though she gave it her all, while Miyabi and Airi gave most of it.

Overall: Good Song. Okay PV. B+.

-Hotaru <3

This sounds much more like an "anime song" than Renai Rider or Honto no Jibun does to me. At the same, Buono! has a unique sound that makes Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! sound like it is not part of an anime at all, and just a great sounding single. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! is a combination of cute and "punk" sounds. Normally I would be very skeptical about the description I provided (coming from other people..?), but when its a single by Buono! I know that the product wont be disappointing. (If it was bad, I would be very very sad.) I will admit, this song is a bit more generic than Buono!'s previous singles. Even so, it is still incredibly fun, with pretty food vocals and even a harmonica (how often do we get to here a harmonica properly placed in music these days?)

The PV is my favorite of Buono!'s. Its in a school, like in Honto no Jibun, but the girls school uniform outfits don't look horrible and unflattering. I also love that the girls are drawing all over the chalkboard, as if they are just messing around instead of cleaning up. I love the cleaning scene with Momo just hopping up and down to dust the top windows XD. A lot of the PV seems rather surreal, as I can't really imagine a school in Japan to be so colorful and fun looking! When its "lunch time" the girls all have vibrantly colored trays. I love them! I wish I some for myself XD. The outfits for the Hallway-Instrument-Scene aren't as wonderful as the school uniform ones...but I love them because Miyabi is wearing her hair down! She looks so pretty with her hair down! As said before, this PV is definitely my favorites of Buono!'s. It so fun! It makes me want to go that school and clean XD

Member Review!

Suzuki Airi: To be honest, when I usually watch the PV, I don't focus on Airi at all, and miss her when she appears on screen sometimes...I feel bad about it, since Airi is cute and a good singer! I just now noticed that the girls are only wearing one earing when they wear their school uniform outfit. Thats interesting...Airi's is a green and pink treble cleft! Its really big, but I like it. Airi was given a guitar to play with, which appears to fit her very well! She appears to be having fun with it XD. I like Airi's outfit in the Hallway-Instrument-Scene. I like her accessories a lot more, though, haha. They are also only wearing one earing in this outfit too! It appears to be dangling silver heart. I wonder why they are only wearing one earing...Ah well. Airi's vocals sound great in this PV, and she is cute and energetic in the PV (She unfortunately doesn't stand out to me as much as Momo or Miya do...)

Natsuyaki Miyabi: She should wear her hair down more!! I already said this, but she looks so pretty with her hair down! I like Miyabi's Hallway-Instrument-Scene Outfit the best...its great!  Miyabi's earing in her school uniform outfit was hard to find a clear shot of! I have determined that it is a white and black boom box (after about seven minutes of searching the internet for a clear screen shot/picture). Her earing in her Hallway-Scene outift is all dangly with red and black stars. I used to have earrings like that XD. I honestly think that Miyabi shined in this PV! She looked comfortable and brought out an energy that perfected the PV :D

Tsugunaga Momoko: She is like the icing on the PV...she is the most entertaining part of the PV! She hops up and down adorably to clean the windows (I can't say I haven't done that myself...), she plays drumsticks like a harmonica, and reads a cute bunny book while the other girls are reading novels..! Maybe its that I'm biased, but I really think Momoko was the best part of the PV. I like Momoko's big pink candy earring in her school uniform outfit, but find her huge star earring to be a little...too big. Actually, I find her Hallway-Scene outfit to be unflattering. It washes her out, even though she's adorable anyway. I darker shade of blue would have been a better choice..!  

I'll say it again, I really love this single. I can't help but give it an A!

-Hotaru <3

I'm sorry for my absence. School is finally over! I hope to make many more posts. It is also my birthday. Happy Birthday to me (XD). I haven't actually received anything yet. I plan on combining my "Look what I got for my birthday!" post with the things I bought at Anime Central this year.
Anyway...
This is a quick-review of two albums that I have wanted to review for a very long time now. I apologize that it is rather quick and messy.

Buono! - Cafe Buono!
I've seen a few "This isn't special at all." reviews...While there are some really disappointing and down right icky songs, I find this album pretty good. The first song, Cafe Buono! sets the album up with a fun "Hello, we are Buono!" song. I don't like that Renai Rider and Honto no Jibun are right next to each other, but its all right...the following song, Bakestu no Mizu, doesn't follow up to the two previous's awesomeness, even though I find it to be very fun in its own special way. This album...to me, seems like they're all songs about growing up. It definitely applies to the age group they're aiming for (Which is like preteen to early teen, I would assume...). A lot of the songs seem to be connected to the anime, which makes sense (For example: Garakuta no Yume, Rubbish Dreams. One who followed the anime or reads the manga will understand). So really, I would give this album a B+. :D

Most Fun Song: Nakimushi Shounen. Also the best song Aside from Renai Rider. It really caught me the first time I heard it. Bakestu no Mizu also comes close, but...it wasn't enough?
Most Amusing Song: Internet Cupid. They're...trying to be Perfume...? They add the Mario-Melody, which amuses me to no end. This doesn't really seem like Buono!-song, but its fun-cognate-packed-song.
Prettiest Song: Hoshi no Histsuji Tachi. I thought I wouldn't like this song at first, but when I heard it, I was blown away. Its so pretty...really! Momo, Airi, and Miya's voice blend very well (although they aren't really singing at the same time here), alowing a painless transition. Its very well done.
Most Boring Song: Kimi ga Ireba. This sounds just like an ending to an anime...an ending that no one cares about, so they just move on to the next episode or next anime without hearing the song. Bleh.
Worst Song: Garakuta no Yume. To be honest...its too generic for me...the melody and background...its more than boring. This might have been okay more towards the beginning of the album, but it was put far enough in that it looks as though it was just shoved in.

The second album I will be reviewing is C-ute's 3rd ~Love Escalation~! This is a lot less interesting or impressive as Buono!'s Cafe Buono!...but I still like some of the songs. I'm really liking the representation of Chisato. Yay Chisato :D I also love Umeda Erika's solo song. The only song thats just like "eh." is Image Color. It doesn't stand out, but its not boring enough to get a title such as the songs below. Overall, this album is probably C+. A 79% C+.

Best Song: Probably Homerare Nobiko no Theme Song. Its the only group song that isn't a single that stood out to me. The other, Otome Cocoro, is alright...but I like Homerare Nobiko no Theme Song more.
Most Fun Song: Dodongadon Ondo. I think its great that Umeda Erika got a solo song! I like her voice even though a lot of people say its weird.
Most Boring Song: Hare no Platinum Doori. Really now. Can you listen to this song without getting distracted? Its so boring you just want to move on to something else. This is also the worst song on the album in my opinion. Theres nothing...catchy about it.
Strangest Song: Sweets-->-->-->Live. The whole song is weird. Chisato and Kanna sound like they're whispering. And when Kanna sings, she sort of reminds me of Ishikawa Rika. Its not that bad, but its really not that great either >_<.

So...thats all for now. I promise be more...interesting...in the future!

-Hotaru <3

Yay! I finished this before the end of the week! I was worried I wasn't going to be able to..with all the craziness going on in my life (Test, Essays, Musicals).

I got it though...so here it is, Hotaru's Review for Renai Rider~...The song is awesome :D

The Song: The first time I heard this, and I think quite a few people thought this, it was okay, but it wasn't as good as Honto no Jibun. It doesn't flow as well as Honto no Jibun...but after hearing it a few more times, I fell in love with it. I might like it more than Honto no Jibun. Its definitely catchy. I'm also humming it! P-chu at "P-chu Piano Labs" said that this song was probably originally in the key of G...I totally agree. It probably was. (Yeah...I can be called a band geek.) I can't really see the song being as catchy in G for some reason though...the girls probably couldn't sing that low either XD. Anyway. This song is ridiculously fun. The verses could have been boring, but whoever arranged this made them fun with the "Hawaiinish" Style and the like. I love the concept of the "real instruments" being used in this group. I think that this group is closest to what "The People" want right now...they've got it :D

The PV: Simple, but not cheap looking. Its great. The colors bursting out in circles and splashes gives it a great retro feel, something that the song seems to be portraying a bit. The three girls quickly take their vehicles, leaving poor Momo with a tricycle (which she later simply gives up and just starts running.) Its creative, while still being on the simple side. Which is a great improvement for Hello! Project PV's!! The only point where the PV looks icky is the interlude-part with the black screen and the circle-y-colors flying out with the girls dancing in front...You can really tell its a green (or blue? as seen in the making-of) screen. The little hearts popping out was a bit cheesy, and would have been cooler if the hearts weren't the same...but its still better than the black-scene...other than those slight problems, this is a really good PV!!

The C/W: Janakyamottainai!
Amazing. This is good stuff right here, I tell you. Would this have done better as the A-side? Maybe...maybe even a double-A side...both songs are so good! More on Janakyamottainai...it sounds much more mature and "hard core" (I can't think of any other word D:) than pretty much...anything in Hello! Project. Its pure genius. Each girl gets a pretty even ammount of solos...and each girl shines individually. If you haven't heard this, go listen to it right now!!!

Member Reviews:

Natsuyaki Miyabi - She has such a nice voice...its very good for this group in my opinon. She fits being that more 'level-minded' of the three...at least...thats how it seems! She gets a mini red motorcyce (Which matches her scarf) and rides off! Lucky her, she didn't get gipped into getting the tricycle.....On a last note: Miyabi's Hair and Clothes. Her clothes? Great, much better than the ones in Honto no Jibun. Her hair? Nonono...a bigger hairstyle + a longer face = no. But other than that, yay Miyabi :D

Suzuki Airi - The best thing about Airi being in Buono! is that she gets solo lines and doesn't end up being the only member who gets solo lines...eheh. Really now...I love Airi, but UFA/Tsunku need to give other members in C-ute their proper solo lines. Airi also picks a green mini motorcycle to match her scarf (color coordination is very important!) and rides off! For her hair and clothes:  Her clothes are probably my least favorite...the mesh-looking jacket just looks strange on her. But its not terrible! Her hair is the cutest out of three...the pig tails match her perfectly!

Tsugunaga Momoko - In my opinion, she's the most impressive out of the three. Her voice seems very developed into her role in Buono!...something that is very impressive! She's also the most interesting role throughout the PV...getting gipped out of a yellow mini motorcycle and having to ride a Tricycle. She looks very confident when pointing at it though! "I choose you!" The way she sings in Janakyamottanai is great...she's not being the happy squeaky familiar Momo...which proves that she can be a really good singer <_<. For her Hair and Clothes? I loved her clothes the most...they were the most fun. I forgot what her jacket said..but it was something amusing....her hair was similar to Miyabi's, but it worked on her :D.

Overall, Renai Rider is a solid good single :D

A+!!!

-Hotaru <3

Ah, even though I have a break, there is never enough time to finish my posts! I have finally finished one, though! A review on Buono!'s first single. I was very excited about this single when I heard about it. 3 talented Hello! Project Kids singing the opening and ending to one of my favorite manga (being made into an anime)?! What more could I ask for?

 

At least, I thought that, until I watched a live performance on Dohhh Up! Then, I wasn't too wild about it. It must have been something about the sound quality or the crowd, but I was just like "Ew." XD. Thankfully, the PV came out, and my opinion changed drastically. How much? Well, you'll just have to read the review, wont you?

The Song: Honto No Jibun
I really disliked this song at first, if you couldn't tell by reading the above (<_<) And then, like a miracle or something, I loved it. Why? Well, the song wasn't annoying anymore, it was fun and had a decent meaning (show your true colors! Don't be superficial!), then again, thats the meaning of the entire anime. All of 3 of the girls sound great! There are real instruments in a song that needs real instruments! Joy! I realize that part of this is probably because of the whole "Punk-Rock" thing that the main character of Shugo Chara! portrays, but it makes the song good :D.

The PV:
Not cheap-looking PV from Hello! Project, yay! Seriously. This PV is great, and is probably what made me like the single so much. Its starts with the girls dancing in a field of grass, and behind them is what looks like a school. Maybe its a school courtyard? Regardless, it fits the PV and the anime well. The next scene appears to be in a classroom, where poor Momo has fallen asleep and Miyabi and Airi are trying to wake her up! Maimi and Chisato make a sly guest appearance, with Maimi motioning "Push her to wake her up, man!" Its always amusing to see other Hello! Project members as extras XD. After the chorus, the girls appear in a gym. Behind them you see...REAL MUSICIANS!? That really pushed me over to the "I like this!"-side. Another scene shows Airi to be all alone in the locker room, ("*sob* I'm emo even though I got most of the lines in Tokkaiko Junjou!" -Airi) who is quickly met up with Miyabi and Momo. Who knows what they're talking about, but this leads us to our "middle part of the song to last chorus" part of the song, consisting of the three masterfully air guitaring XD. And Boy, Miyabi knows her Pi! Which then follows more close-ups and dance scenes. That was an entertaining PV :D

The C/W: Kokoro no Tamago
The Actual Opening for the anime, its....your average b-side. Not that thats bad! Its happy but has a calm feeling at the same time! (Which is strange) The beginning "Hop Step Jump, Etc." is the 'catch phrase' that the main characters little...egg guardian's say. The song has a strong tie with the anime, pretty much...mirroring the basic plot of the anime. Its an okay song. Nothing to interesting, but nothing bad, either...

And the final part of the review: Individual Member Review!

Suzuki Airi- Ah, she didn't have all of the solo-lyrics in this song! She's a talented girl and all, but if she had all of the lines in a group with two other talented girls, it would make me cry D: In the PV she wasn't all too special, she was alone in the locker room for some reason, but you'll know my reaction on that if you read the PV review. Her outfit switches from being the best to the worst, it just depends on the day for me XD. Personally, I don't like any of the outfits. They're boderline "I'm a poser-punk el oh el" even though thats what they're supposed to be doing, I just don't really like it...

Natsuyaki Miyabi- Eep! Its okay if you have a long face, but if you don't want to look icky, don't pull your hair up like that! It just makes your face look longer! The outfit that was chosen for her to wear isn't very pretty either >__< She has a nice voice though, and uses it well in both the single and the c/w! I have to give her props for giving her best throughout the PV and the song :D

Tsugunaga Momoko- I've never really seen Momo like this! I absolutely adored her in the single, the c/w and the PV. She looked like she was having the most fun, and was really giving it her all in the PV. Being adorable when sleeping in class, or being adorable when dancing, she was awesome. I've never seen Momo like this, my first dose of loving Momoko! Haha, I think I'm a fan of hers now XD

As for the anime, I've episodes 1-5 so far. I must say, the anime is certainly a preteen anime. But have to watch it anyway. The manga is actually a bit different. It just seems more mature...for some reason. I definitely recomend the anime if your between the ages of 10-13, or are bored on a rainy day. :)

As for the rating? Ah, this is hard...I think I'll give it a 9.5/10. Its pretty good, but seriously, those outfits...!!! If it was based on the song and pv alone, I would definitely give it 10/10....!