10 posts tagged “morning musume”
I got this a while ago...and I am just now reviewing it. I feel kind of bad for not reviewing this sooner...but at least I'm doing it now! I now realize my problem. I procrastinate like crazy! I will try to stop such a bad habit. With no other comments to say, on to the review!
Song: I have really liked this song ever since I first heard it, which is the main reason why I bought it. Its very...danceable. A lot of Morning Musume songs make me feel like I should learn the dance because I wouldn't know how to dance to them without it...but not this song! Which is...very different, but a good different. Anyway, more about the song itself. I really enjoy how the song is "Kuuru" at the verses, but sad at the chorus. I also really liked the beginning...it reminds me of Roman ~My Dear Boy~ for some reason XD. So basically, the song is everything is great in my opinion, right? I do really like the song, but I really feel like something is missing. That something is probably Mitsui, Junjun, and Linlin. I seriously thought Koharu's solo lines were Mitsui's at first. I was incredibly disappointed when I found out they weren't. As much as a ReinAi duet was a given with this line up, I still want the rest of the girls to have their own solo lines, also. The lack of them nearly ruined it, but...fortunately for the purchase of the single, I still liked it a lot. I really hope to find singles in the future featuring more than just Reina and Ai, but I guess if this really is "The start of a new Musume", having Reina and Ai start it is good.
Oh, and I asked my boyfriend what he thought of the song and he just says "It sounds like a "look, we're speckxy" type of Musume song. There are only three types of songs by the Musume: ZOMG Kawaii Genkiiiii!, I'm an angweee guwrl, or "RAPPPPEEEE MEEEE"".....I tried explaining to him that the song was more about being lonely but being surrounded by people, but he didn't get it. He's not really into Hello! Project, so...oh well.
PV: I was really disappointed when the dance shot was put up on Dohhh Up!. It was like my hopes were shattered in the two minutes it took to buffer the whole video...It features no one but Reina, Ai, (nooo) Koharu, and a split second of Sayumi (which frightened me, really). Although I do like the hand thingy the girls do in the intermission, I'm not very impressed... I was so happy when "Another Ver." was uploaded onto Dohhh Up!. I love that they show the girls in a "rehearsal". Its very different from other dance shots (and not cheap looking!). The Rehersal Dance Scenes and the Showing-The-Girls-Alone-Or-In-Their-Free-Time-Scenes make the PV worth it. I really think that the PV would have left a better impression if it was just the Rehearsal and Free Time scenes, but noo, we must milk the icky dance shot for all its worth! I wish UFA would make better decisions. I think we all wish that.
The C/W: Sono Bamen de Bibiccha Ikenai jan!
First of all, I am very excited to see Junjun and Linlin getting solo lines...even though its only on the C/W. I am happy that Reina and Aichan did not play a very prominent role in this song, since they basically stole all of the light in Resonant Blue. Although the C/W is always much less known, I can imagine this being a song to appear in a few concerts. The best part about this is probably Eri getting more lines. I really love Eri! She has a very nice voice; I really don't understand why she is not represented better in the A-sides (main song?). Although this is really your average C/W from Morning Musume with the happy positive lyrics, I really like this song.
Member Review Time!
Takahashi Ai: I feel as though she is going towards the "friend" leadership position. Thats fine really, but not being in control at all will leave you sad in the end! (Someone else *cough* Reina *cough* will try to take your position). She will most likely never read this words, but...they must be said. Hopefully she will get the picture and step up. But, knowing Aichan, she may just let Reina take the reins (ohoho, I made a pun.). Back to the PV. For Aichan's special scene in "Another Ver." , she gets to excercise. Woo. Although her scene is a bit bland, maybe it shows her determination? She certainly looks extremely serious about her excercising. I know these scenes are supposed to show the girls outside of work/potentially loneliness, but really now...I'm sure they could have come up with something better for Aichan to do -_-. But, its okay, because it fits very well for the beginning of the PV.
Niigaki Risa: I was disappointed she didn't get much recognition with this single, but I'm happy she got more than nothing (8th Gen D:). I love her and Kamei at the "Dakedo" part (who didn't?)...She got some "Oo's" and "Whoa's" also, but those aren't as notable. In "Another Ver.", Risa is seen alone in a taxi (I'm assuming its a taxi...). Its very dark, so it is hard to actually see Risa. That is disapointing... D: She appears to be texting someone at one point, so maybe she tried to hang out with them but was denied in the end. Maybe it was Aichan! Her and her need to excercise, jeez. Risa does look a bit lonely...aside from just looking bored. Her representation in this single is about the same ammount as Mikan, not much, but she wasn't thrown to the side either. I really hope there is another single where Risa will have a larger part, like in Egao YES Nude....
Kamei Eri: Her representation was about as much as Risa's, but a bit less. She didn't get any "Whoa's" or "Oo's". It is sad she didn't get any solo lines, but at the same time, it doesn't feel as though her voice would fit anywhere except for the "Dakedo" part in this single. Which is unfortunate D: In "Another Ver.", Eri is with Sayumi at an amusement park eating crepes (I've always wanted to eat one of those...). Perhaps the two are lonely because they can't really go to the amusement park without being spotted by paparazzi and being chased by fans...but this is all speculation. I don't really know how the two are sad and lonely, being at an amusement park and all...hm. I wish there was more of everyone thats not ReinAi/Koharu *sob*.
Michishige Sayumi: Unfortunately, this is basically the same as Eri's, but...Sayumi did get a line "Help Me!". She came out of no where! She startled me at first! Sayumi is very pretty, and that is shown throughout the PV where ever she was randomly shoved in. She is in the same Carnival-Crepe scene as Eri...I already covered that, but I will say that I like Sayumi's outift a lot more than Eri's. I also love her Kitty Ear Sweatshirt that she wears in the Rehersal Dances Shot. As a closing note on Sayumi, I really hope she gets a couple lines in the next single, since she really has improved as a singer ._.
Tanaka Reina: Although Reina is my favorite, she is loosing favorite points quickly! I honeslty don't like her a whole lot in the Dance PV. If I just listen to the song, its fine...but not the Dance PV. Well, "Another Ver." isn't so bad, but watching her in the dance version is painful. She is either representing/exemplifying the songs lyrics in her actions too well, or just being really fake. I don't like fakers, be real Reina! She really is a big part of "Another Ver.", isn't she? She is shown first in the beginning walking through a graffiti'd alley (or something) and then on the city streets. She represents the songs direct meaning the best, I would think. Even though she is surrounded by a city of people, she can't find anyone, and is therefore lonely. I think of the girl in Resonant Blue as being a city girl, so its fits my impression well :D
Kusumi Koharu: Okay, seriously, whoever made the choice of giving Koharu the extra lines that ReinAi didn't sing, that...was a bad idea. In their performance on Music Fighter...its pretty obvious she wasn't singing. *sigh* With that aside, lets talk about the good stuff. I personally find her "Another Ver." scene to be the best. Although Koharu is surrounded by people giving her lots of attention, taking pictures and asking her questions, she still has sad eyes. She is lonely (at least the Koharu in the PV) even though she is surrounded by people. I actually wrote a short story-ish thing about feelings like that a few years ago. Perhaps I can relate the most to Koharu in this PV, since the "Being surrounded by people yet being incredibly lonely"-feeling plagued me for a year or two. I really do like that I can relate to the girls in this PV, instead of it being a "Look at the idols in their crazy costumes doing strange dances yay!" PV..
Mitsui Aika: I was so disappointed when I found out that it was really Koharu singing the miscellaneous solo lines. I really thought (at least one of them...) was Aika D: Well...at least she has the spotlight at the very beginning of the dance shot PV (and rehearsal?). Her point and walk backwards thing was very well done, but unfortunately we don't really get to see her much for the rest of the PV. Her "Another Ver." scene is depressing. Poor Aika is alone waiting for a train on a dark night. At one point she looks annoyed, as if thinking "Where is that train!? I'm so bored!", haha. There really wasn't enough 8th Gen. in this PV :( I want more!
Junjun: I considered doing both her and Linlin in the same paragraph, but I opted not to. Did you notice that in "Another Ver.", the scenes are mostly of Kamei or Junjun doing something? I really liked that XD. Her special scene is with Linlin (surprise, surprise) at some resturaunt. I would think Junjun to be the most lonely at the moment. Although she has Linlin and can speak rather good Japanese (she is learning quickly!), she must feel homesick a lot, and might not be able to eat some of the same cuisine (this is what I'm getting out of the restaurant-ness), and is therefore sad and lonely (this goes for Linlin too). Maybe I am wrong...but this is how it seems! I really love Junjun! I love her little clap when the food arrives :D.
Linlin: Although most of my comments on Linlin are in Junjun's paragraph thing, I will make a few comments! First of all, I really like the outfit she is wearing in the restaurant scene. Its something I would wear, thats why! I also think that the outfit she wore during the rehearsal scene fits her well. It looks good on her. Oh! I also like her curly hair in the dance scene. That also looks good :D Haha, I hope my reviews on Linlin aren't always like this! I wish I had more to say.
So, Resonant Blue is a pretty good single. I really like the song and the "Another Ver." PV, along with Sono Bamen de Bibiccha Ikenai Jan! This single is definitely a A-! 95% (I hate the dance version, and it was the first one to be released...)
:D
-Hotaru <3
I've been waiting for Paul at Hello! Blog to make one of these again! I didn't want to rank my members until then...but now I have the time!! Yay!
This was extremely hard. I honestly don't have super-strong dislike for anyone in Morning Musume right now. It was very hard to decide who should be first and who should be last! "Don't make me pick!" D:
1. Tanaka Reina - Its practically a three way tie between Reina, Eri, and Junjun! It was very hard, but in the end, I have decided that Reina is still my number one! She was the first member to stand out to me, and continues to shine magnificently in my eyes :D. Her voice has always been amazing to me, and the clothes she wears make me even more jealous! I sometimes wish I could wear as stylish clothing as she did! Haha...She'll probably be my favorite for a very long time....
2. Kamei Eri - Actually, now that I look at my last years pick, the first two are in the same position! :D I guess...Reina and Eri haven't displeased me at all throughout this year! Yay. Kamei has really impressed me lately though, shining when she gets solo lyrics and just being silly in Haromoni@
3. Junjun - Although she hasn't been in the group very long, she's already in the top three! Why is that? She has the most interesting personality out of the 8th gen, in my opinion. Also, she seems to be the only one on Haromoni@ doing random funny things, but without knowing she's doing them! Her love for Bananas is adorable XD. I also think she has a great voice! She's really the only Morning Musume member right now where "I want to know what happens in the future for her." right now...She has a lot of potential...I hope she gets to put her potential to good use!
4. Niigaki Risa - Ah! Gakisan, you moved down one to make room for Junjun! How nice of you....*ahem* Risa hasn't really changed in my eyes...Still the same old cute, underused, baby face, reaction queen Gakisan :D But thats who Gakisan is, and I love her being herself! She's also consistent in getting at least one solo line in every single XD. Can I imagine Gakisan being leader? Yeah. I can. I imagine she'd be a good, Yossie-like leader....but a lot crazier!
5. Takahashi Ai - Along with Gakisan, she was shifted down with the rise of Junjun. Aichan....is still Aichan, except now she's a leader. She has a bit more of a leader-like quality, now, but thats about it. I like Aichan, I do, her voice is amazing, but her personality has always been a bit bland. Not that its a bad thing, Aichan is just being herself, I think. Which is great, really...its just not very interesting if you're a bland person to begin with. Aichan can be funny at times, though! I'm rambling now XD. I like Aichan, I really do, but she's just not interesting enough to me make it higher...
6. Mitsui Aika - Yay Mitssi! I was rooting for her all through the 8th Auditions! She's such a cute little girl! Her voice is much better than expected too (Although she murdered Bon kyu! Bon kyu! BOMB GIRL). She's definitely going to become a memorable member...At least I think so! Her personality is adorable and seems...real. I love seeing Mitssi on Haromoni@, but she hasn't really done a whole lot, has she (then again, its just freakin' MouTube)?
7. Linlin - I feel bad for putting her so low...but she really hasn't appealed to me as much as the other members have...although I love her "Bacchiri desu!!!" She has this natural-idol-thing going on, and I hope she puts it to good use!!
8. Michishige Sayumi - I feel bad for putting her so low also. I used to dislike her in the sense that I dislike Rika, but suddenly...It was in Kanashimi Twilight, actually. I saw her as not being totally stick-like (Like...Well, Reina), which is very nice to see in an idol. She may not have the best voice...or even a good voice, but she tries. You can tell, since she has improved a lot! Take the Hello! Project 2007 Summer Concert's "Kowarenai Ai ga Hoshii no". Sayumi sang very well for her, and impressed me a lot...She might be higher next time I do a ranking!
9. Kusumi Koharu - The only member of Morning Musume that I don't really like. But even then, I can find myself liking her sometimes on Haromoni@. Why don't I like her? She gets wayyyyyyyyy more attention than she needs right now. Yeah, she's the new Gomaki, but Gomaki can sing! Unfortunately, Koharu's not very good at it now! She needs time to improve...and I guess the only good way to do that is give a solo line her and there. Her solo career seems unnecessary (but the songs are so catchy!) and she has stolen so many preteens souls because of her solo career *sob*
And now for Berryz!
Hm...It appears as though VOX is having troubles...accepting...my Berryz Rankings. It doesn't want to upload the banner-thing. So....Heres the link..
http://www.helloblog.co.uk/vote2/images/2606b6574732.jpg (I hope this works!)
1.Tsugunaga Momoko - I really was neutral to her before Buono!. I fell in love with her with Honto no Jibun, and continued through Renai Rider. I never really liked her voice...but now I do. It was like a complete 180 XD. I think I'll continue to love her for a long time :D...
2. Tokunaga Chinami - The funny one :D. I think I've always liked her. I don't know why though...She has a cute voice, but is underused :(
3. Shimizu Saki - Yayyyy Saki. She was my favorite for a while. I still like her, but Momoko and Chinami have just gotten more spotlight. She can dance really well, which is something I can only dream of doing XD And while others think she isn't a very strong singer, I think she is a very strong. She just has a deeper voice than most of the girls. In Tsukiatteru no ni Kataomoi's C/W, Warera! Berryz Kamen, she got a few solo lines, which I think she handled quite well. With a few lessons, she could be an extremely strong singer :D
4.Kumai Yurina - She's cute :). Out of the 'Big Four' she has the lowest range. Not that thats bad at all...She seems like the kind of person I would want to be friends with...and I don't have good reasons as to why. Maybe its because she's so tall...and all of my friends are taller than me, so its just natural..eh...probably not... She just seems like the kind of person I would eat lunch with XD.
5. Natsuyaki Miyabi - She was the first Berryz to grab my attention. She has a pretty voice and has good stage presence...at least...I think so...Something happened though...whether its just the fact that I noticed other members and like them more, or Miya just got boring...I don't know. She's a very solid Berryz member to me, though...I don't have negative feelings towards her, so its easy to just say "She's neutral to me."
6. Sudo Maasa - She's been getting attention lately! Yay! She can sing pretty well, but no one knew until these past two singles XD There is little known about Maasa, except that she's pretty tall looking...and is pushed to the back a lot :(
7. Sugaya Risako - *hides* I don't hate her, I promise! I just think she is used too much in singles...and that she lets it get to her head a lot of the time. She's a very pretty girl and has singing potential...so I understand why people like her. Even my sister, who says "Everyone in those Japanese groups are ugly!" says "She's okay." (Which is a big step for her...). I am not in support of her being such sex appeal at such a young age...You can make her look pretty without making her look like she's much older than she is. I promise.
I'll put up C-ute's ranking tomorrow...I'm exhausted now!
-Hotaru~
Although its a bit early (its Christmas Eve as we speak) I received some of my Christmas Presents early! Its only one ittem...Morning Musume ALL SINGLES COMPLETE ~10th Anniversary~! This is very exciting for me, for I have had nothing to do over the past few days...!
This CD was a gift from my boyfriend, but unfortunately, the gift didn't come until today. He is currently in Wisconsin with his relatives, so he gave me permission to check his mail for the CD XD.
Since a lot of people have already put up scans of the CD, its not so bad, I hope!
The cover's great, in my opinion. It leaves you reminiscing about the past and yet wondering whats in store for the future (at least, thats how I feel). All of the girls look pretty expressionless, except for Reina! She looks pissed XD.
The Cd's (again, its a pretty horrid picture...) are unique, yet stay with the "10 Years, Yay!" theme. While the first CD is clearly a '10', I'm not sure what to make of the second CD. Is it a plus or a multiplication sign? Or both!?
Or...hm...upon further contemplation, perhaps it is the roman numeral X for 10. Yeah, that seems likely. So much for my multiplication idea
Within the cover there are multiple shots of the "Morning Coffee" scene, which are all very adorable! Unfortunately camera took a particular hate towards taking a picture of the inside cover, so I do not have a picture to share!
The CD also came with a very nice thick booklet with all of the singles lyrics and interviews of all of the Past and Present Morning Musume who are still in Hello! Project today.
The only new track, HELLO TO YOU~Hello! Project 10 shuunen kinen theme~, is a very nice step up from Hello no Theme. The beginning is really cool with the guitars and such...although it does sound a lot like Hello no Theme! I can imagine this will be a pretty good opening to a Hello! Project concert, similar to how Hello no Theme was XD
So...I would commentate on their clothing, but unfortunately, I don't have the time! I must fit in some late wrapping-of-presents! Merry Christmas Everyone!!!
Yay! A more timely review! I'm going to try to end the "3-weeks-ago-this-came-out" reviews >_<. Mikan is a great song, in my opinion. I really thought the song was going to be like Aruiteru. Why? I don't know! The title "Mikan" just struck me as an Aruiteru-song. Enough with my rambling here though, on to the actual review!
The Song:
As I said above, this song really helped me. The lyrics basically were telling me to "Cheer Up, even though you didn't get what you wanted, keep your dream, go on, try again next time. And its okay to cry!" it was so conveinant! It made me cry XD. I really love the whole song. When I first heard the beginning, I thought the song was going to be a bit of a ballad of sorts, but then the drums come in and cease my thoughts on that! The happy upbeat (approx. 168 beats a minute, if anyone wanted to know) song almost sounds 'powerful' to me. Like "Hey, we're still gonna be here for a few more years...yeah!" or something. I love how Sayumi and Risa got more lines this line, but unfortunately, the pandas got none! Reina and Ai got a lot of lines (I believe that they are the mains, but I could be wrong.) Other Bloggers have been saying that now is the time for Momusu to move on, to create their own style of music. I certainly agree with them, Momusu needs an edge that other artists or their previous selfs don't (or didn't) have. Really, I think Morning Musume's singles have been pretty good this year...but, I guess they could use a push. *moving on, I'm just rambling now.*
The PV:
While the PV is clearly pretty...cheap, the green-screen-ness isn't all bad. There was effort to make the green screen look good! Yay :D (Honestly, that doesn't happen often these days.) The City-scape scene is nice, I really love the skyscraper with the orange on it XD. Another great part of the PV, reminiscent of Furusato, pictures of Momusu when they were younger! Ahh! So cute! In the group shots, the little rainbow thingy floating around the girls was a nice touch, and...its very shiny in the background! Actually, a lot of the PV is shiny! The girls-on-top-of-the-world scene was covered in in shiny stuff, with the lighting, the rising/setting sun, and the added sparkles! The girls eyes are even made shinier with either them wearing contacts or the lighting (or something..) of a square-ish shiny/bright design :D Their outfits and hair pieces are even shiny!! At least they know that people are easily distracted by shiny things. I really like the PV, though, regardless of all the shiny things!
The C/W: Bon Kyu! Bon Kyu! BOMB GIRL
This song is a pretty good C/W...Here are the good parts:
1. Eri and Risa most of the lines, and sound great when singing them!
2. It sounds like Chance Chance Boogie, which is a nice C/W, too.
4. Overall, its a fun song that makes you want to dance :D
The Bad Parts:
1. Mitssi's solo line...it kills. Mitssi's really not a bad singer, I know, but this was not a good song for her!
2. They were counting...which gave it a Mini Moni feel. I like Mini Moni, but Mini Moni is for little kids...They're counting because of...bombs, rights? It just sounds
weird to me...
Since there are more positive parts than negative, I'll say its a pretty good C/W. Its worth a listen or two...!
Member Evaulation Time!
Takahashi Ai - As usual, Aichan gets a lot of lines. Not that this is a particularly bad thing, she has a great voice, and the other members get solo lines too! I really really really like her hair in the PV! It looks so cool XD. I really like her short hair. It frames her face better! And about all of that "Aichan needs to go!!" crap thats floating around...I think Aichan is doing a fine job as a leader. Yeah, I like her. Why? She's quiet, so you're not going to see her lead, but she's definitely doing it in the background. Junjun and Linlin look much more comfortable in Mikan, and she's definitely being more "Leader-like" in the PV, wrapping her arms around the girls and the like. This line-up is truly a great line up, even though they're bound to change, I wish they wouldn't. Everyone that thinks Aichan should leave and Risa should become leader will never be happy! You wont appreciate a lineup while it exists...until after they're gone. So yeah...thats all I'm going to say in this discussion.
Niigaki Risa - She always looks so happy in everything she does! She is one of the only members who I've seen always looking happy to be there, or at least, most of the time. Her smile is the best! I'm happy Risa got some lines in this song! Risa really is a good singer, I don't see why Tsunku/UFA always seem to put her in the back. I can see why people would say she would make a good leader. I believe that she would, but I don't see why we should all wish Aichan would graduate so Risa can be leader..! It seems very possbile Aichan and Risa will have a "dual-graduation" anyway....
Kamei Eri- Ah, Kamei needs more lines! Thankfully she had more solo lines in the C/W...but I would have preferred hearing more in Mikan. So...she only got two solo lines (So did Risa) but you could tell she was singing when she had lines with other people, and she sounded great :D Eri's really been rocking the title for Number 1 on my favorite Morning Musume ranking! She's so lovable, random, and cute that its hard to not make her my number 1! After much debate, she's still only my number 2, but its a close tie with Reina! One other thing: Her outfit was one of my favorites that the girls were wearing on the cover. Its really something I would wear on a regular day XD. Kamei and I seem to have a similar taste in clothing!
Michishige Sayumi - Yay! Sayumi got lines and she sounded pretty good singing them! For her, thats really something. She's come a long way from the tone deaf girl who couldn't hit any of the notes on "Akai Fressia". I respect her for trying so hard. She knows she doesn't sing very well, andshe still tries her hardest to sound decent :D. I didn't really like her much at first, but...somehow, I started to like her more! Its probably because she's less stick-like than some of the other members...well...thats what started it. Anyway!! (off topic >_<) Her line was...the same thing...twice...oh well! Sayumi's still cute, and thats what really matters (for her, anyway.) Her outfit was another one of my favorites on the cover. The strawberry tank top-thingy is really cute...I would wear that too! XD
Tanaka Reina - Reina's a main again! I have to say, that makes me happy. She was the member who really made me interested in Morning Musume, so she will always be special to me :D. She was great in the PV, especially her "Oh yeah, one time!" line, where Linlin is like "Yep, Reina's saying something. Look at her!" Ahh, it makes me happy. I could go into a full-out rant about everything that I like about her, but I'll just say that: "I admire her hardwork and adorableness!" As a last note on Reina, I like her outfit, too. Its fun and more Yankii than anything Reina's had been wearing, lately. I like it!
Kusumi Koharu - I was surprised to find out that I am as tall as Koharu! She seems taller than a lot of the members...I guess they're just short :P Anyway, to be honest I'm happy she didn't get a whole lot of screen time. I still don't like her much...her lines when paired with Mitsui were good, I liked them a lot. She didn't really bother me in this PV, since she wasn't all "I ate five bags of sugar today!!! Look at me!! Yay!!!!!!" While doing that is fun sometimes, doing it all the time just gets annoying. This a step in a good direction for her! While her anime is appealed for little kids, I think it'll do her some good if she matures a bit when in Morning Musume...although, that may not be possible, since the little kids will look for her in the PV's and see that she is different and that would be baddd and yeah >_< I guess it probably wont happen for a while then...
Mitsui Aika - She grew on me so quickly! Although, she is a little boring at times, I think theres a reason for that! When Tsunku was saying why he chose her, I thought "She's the calm person that will even things out." And for the most part, she has done that, at least, in my opinion, she has. While everyone freaks out or gets really excited about things on Haromoni, Aika is like "Oh noes" or "Yay", but in a much more calm manner. Anyway, while she didn't play a main role in the song or PV, when she did get lines, she sounded great! Like I said above, I really liked her paired up with Koharu. Although Aika's solo line in the c/w killed me, she did great in Mikan, soo I'm not disappointed.
Junjun - My favorite panda :3 Watching her on Haromoni is the best...she isn't totally familiar with japanese yet, so she needs help sometimes and even though she has some setbacks and it would appear she couldn't give her all, I believe that she really is giving her all! She's trying her hardest to learn Japanese as fast as possible! Thats not easy, but the language barrier hasn't seemed to have stopped her much yet, as she's very entertaining and fun on Haromoni@ :D As for the PV...well, there isn't much of her. She doesn't get any solo lines, but you can tell she's singing when she has lines :D. Her close ups and such are simply adorable which don't really make up for her lack of lines, but certainly fill me with joy XD
Linlin - Now, when I say that Junjun is my favorite, I don't mean to say that I don't like Linlin! I really enjoy the panda's, their addition to Morning Musume is great, in my opinion :D. I love Linlin with her "Bachiri desu!" and her always happy attitude on Haromoni@. While, she also didn't get any solo lines, she played her role in the PV to the best of her ability. She was really giving it her all! I love how the panda's always seem to be doing everything to the best of thier ability, it really puts a smile on my face! I can't wait to see more of both of them, they really are awesome additions to Morning Musume.
So, as you can see, I really like Mikan! Its a good song to end the year with. I really have to give this a 10/10, there aren't many reasons for me not to!
As a last note, I'm sad at how poorly Mikan is doing in the Oricon, but maybe a miracle will happen at last minute!
I was looking on Ohta's Ebay Store (I don't know how to do link-y thingss *stupid*, so I'm not going to put up a link, since I can find his store by looking for it in ebay stores.) and saw a bunch of older Morning Musume singles. I originally was going to buy The Peace!, I WISH, and Renai Revolution 21, but unfortunately when I went to go buy the products, The Peace! was already sold. So I bought AS FOR ONE DAY, my first next-best-thing-pick, instead. I got them in the mail on Monday, but unfortunately, I was unable to post about them due to my crazy schedule last week (Drivers Ed, Band and such). Now I have the time!! Yayy.
I also have Koi no Dansu Site, which I bought at Acen (Anime Central, Anime convention in Chicago) last May. When I saw it while looking at CD's at the vendors, I just thought "This so old school! I wanna be a hardcore fan! XD" I was very excited. I'm still excited I had the single, but the overwhelming happiness has kinda passed.
Anywayy!!
I'll start the review-thing with I WISH.
Everyone looks good, the singles good...Its all good!!!
10/10
This single has the most boring CD, but the longest packet/jacket inside, with all of the portraits? on a spread thing-y. And Morning Musume are actually wearing two outfits, like Koi no Dansu Site, one outfit on the outside, a different on the inside.
I know almost the whole dance to this song....so I almost felt obligatory to buy this. Its a fun song, and a fun dance. Yasuda's huge purple hat in is quite amusing....
I think I'll have to give this a 10/10 too........(Why would I buy them if they weren't, though?)
And now, AS FOR ONE DAY.
AS FOR ONE DAY gets the award of having the most fun CD and Case. It had the smallest booklet though, which kinda surprised me since they seem to get bigger through the years. It also came with a laminated (I bought it used) papery thing that comes with the CD....I dunno what it is. But yeah! The Jackets extremely odd but colorful. Were they going for a Swedish kind of look? I have no idea, but its kinda fun (nothing like the PV, though.)
10/10
So, as you can tell, I am very pleased with my purchases from Ohta-san. I am happy I am able to add to my collection of Hello! Project goods, but am almost disappointed I didn't buy Berryz Koubou's new album instead (I guess I haven't totally given into Berryz Mania yet)!
Yes, I've already done a through opinion post on Onna ni Sachi Are, but hey, maybe my opinion's changed a little bit...! Well, it hasn't....but I have a bit more commentation on the single!
-Niigaki does have a line! One solo line....the only member not to get a line was Sayumi. Which is bad and good. While she's not the best singer and her voice is sometimes annoying, but I've grown to liking her lately, which is weird for me...
-My boyfriend kinda seems to like the song, since its techno-y, and, as I've said before, techno is 'delicious'. He also claims that techno goes with every meal, but I don't think it goes with breakfast. I'm just not ready for techno yet that early.
-I didn't buy this single, even though I really wanted to.
I am really liking Junjun and Rinrin. I fell in love with Junjun first, though. She's adorable...! While Rinrin is adorable too, she looks kinda scary in some of her pictures, which most likely delayed my liking of her.
Everytime I look at this cover I think, "Ahh, they all look so nice!"
I'm very happy they were at #1 the first day their song debuted!
I give this single a 10/10, because I instantly fell in love with it and probably because its techno-y. This has been a great year so far for Morning Musume. I hope they keep up the good work! Ganbaremasu!
EDIT:
I realized I haven't been reviewing the c/w to these singles, and that I should start!
Please! Jiyuu no Tobira, sounds more like your average happy Morning Musume song. I like it, its nice, but it really does sound more traditional and average. The beat and overall sound of the song reminds of songs like HELP!!, but a bit less hyped-up. "Jiyuu no Tobira" means "Freedom's Door" or something like that, right? So...I guess the song sounds like it has a happy message, but hey, I could be wrong. My Japanese skills aren't the best right now, and....yeah!
Well, I like this song too, but I give it an 8/10.
I'm very happy. I was waiting for this single for like...three weeks now? This is my second Hello! Project DVD purchase, my first being the Hello! Project 10th Anniversary Shuuketsu! DVD (that might not be the actual name, I don't know.)....the one where Asami and Miuna graduate. This one is much more depressing...Yossie's graduation. I really loved Yossie in Morning Musume. She seemed very real. Like she wasn't really trying to have a different character than her true-self. She was also not really girly or super-emotional about stuff, so I could relate.
Anyway, on to the DVD...
Anyway, I watched the DVD after my Marching Band's Full-Band rehearsal (which is only bearable for so long). I wasn't really watching the concert seriously, so I wont have a great review now. I'll write up a better one later, I feel the need to.
One thing I noticed was that when Yossie introduced Junjun and Linlin, and the girls walked out, the other members were like "Yay...........I guess." I found it kind of amusing and sad at the same time. Did the girls just not care that much, just hadn't let it sink in enough, or just didn't know what to do? The world may never know.
I'm not going into lots of detail, but I'll point out the stuff I feel is notable:
-The Haru Beautiful Everyday outfits were adorable. I wish I had clothes like that, sometimes.
- I didn't pay attention to Miki's performance at all XD....I guess I really don't like her, and now that she's not in Morning Musume, I've lost interest entirely.
- The Medley of LOVE Machine, The Peace!, and Renai Revolution 21 was really cool. Its not the best medley I've ever heard by Hello! Project (That spot belongs to the 2006 Wonderful Hearts Concert Medley, that was awesome), but Tsunku always impresses me with the medleys....I'm a big fan of them.
- During the graduation MC, I loved it when Reina was like "I can't look at you or I'll cry!" and Yossie was like "O_____O" in her face. That was hilarious.
- The Encore outfits fit their personalities and ages, at least in my opinion. Everyone's outfits were nice, except...I didn't really like Miki's.......I really liked Reina's, but my favorite was Yossie's!
-My boyfriend was rather confused at the Dekiru Onna perfomence by Sayumi, Yossie, Mitsui, and Eri. He was like "What are they doing??" While the girls like...try to be all sexy and stuff by like...stroking the other girls arm and stuff. No, he's not a homophobic or anything, he was just confused.
And....I can't think of anything else. I didn't get to watch all of the graduation MC or the Encore! Since the DVD got messed up and started skipping. T-T. I hope I'll get to watch the all of it eventually...
I don't feel I've watched this concert enough to judge the performance yet, but I will soon!
About what? You know what. About Morning Musume's new single "Onna ni Sachi Are". Duh.
I almost
My First Impression:
When I first listened to a radio rip of the single, I thought it sounded kinda fun. Its techno-y and upbeat. And I have to agree with my boyfriend, techno is 'delicious'. I listened to it a few times after that, and I still didn't have much of an impression of it. I almost thought this song was going to be slower, sort of like the c/w to Egao YES Nude. But then I remembered that all of the debut singles to new members of Morning Musume have been upbeat in some way, so my thoughts were erased.
When I saw the PV for the first time, the first thing I thought was "ZOMG, Morning Musume have turned into a bunch of chickens!!!!" I sent the PV out to my friends and requested that they watched it...they all had the same reaction...and Noah, the friend who had the mean comment about Konkon in a previous post, said "And Morning Musume's teeth just get worse." He was probably commenting on Reina. This is a side note, and I could be wrong, but I think her top teeth look better than her bottom. My teeth are like that. Anyway, after the chicken-thing, I noticed that the costume looked eerily similar to The Peace! costumes. After doing some analyzing and stuff....I finally had my opinion!
The Song:
Overall, I like this song. Its not the best song I've heard from Morning Musume; it doesn't have that punch like Kanashimi Twilight did. It shows a bit more of Reina, which I am thankful for. I thought she was slipping into the cracks of banishment...! Or something...
The song doesn't really sound...Japanese-y or anything, but I guess its okay, because for some reason, I still like this single. Aichan dominates...which isn't bad, she's the leader, she has a right to be put into the spotlight. But where did Gakisan go? She didn't get a solo line at all! Neither did Sayumi, but theres a reason for that...at least Eri got an awesome solo in the middle of the song. Moving on....
The PV:
Blehhh. This PV screams "I'll make you blind and give you seizures!! Yay!" ...yeah. There's gold-flashy-costumes and lights flashing at you everywhere. It looks pretty cheap too. Not as cheap as Kanashimi Twilight, but still pretty cheap. This song had potential to be pretty good....so why be so cheap? UFA is so stupid sometimes...
As you can see, I don't really like this PV. But it might have a hidden message in it...maybe this is a statement, say "Hey, we're going to blow your minds soon, just like The Golden Age Morning Musume did." But then again, maybe not. I seriously wish Morning Musume would come out with a PV like "Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba".
Single Member Evaluation:
Takahashi Ai- Well, she sure does stand out in this PV. She really dominates the entire PV. She's obviously the main vocal, and she also seems to be handling the spotlight well. Good job, Aichan. Now please give this group a huge push into become better, faster, stronger.
Niigaki Risa- Niigaki who? Seriously! She's barely in this PV! Theres barely anything to say about her she was so scarcely found in the PV, or the song. No solo lines, barely any at all. Lets hope she gets more lines in the next single...
Kamei Eri- She's not found a whole lot in this PV either, but more than Gakisan. She has an awesome solo line in the middle of the song, as I said earlier. She also looks really nice.
Michishige Sayumi- Where'd she go? Oh yeah, she's over there with Gakisan in the corner. She's not really in this PV either, which is a shame, since I just started appreciating her more as a person. Not much to say...she did get some lines with Eri, and she actually made Eri sound better. Which is great. Maybe thats the potential Tsunku saw in Sayumi. Or maybe he's just a sucker to cute girls. Either way, Morning Musume wouldn't be the same without her.
Tanaka Reina- She makes a great first appearance in the PV mouthing "Baka"...they all mouth baka...anyway! She also has a few decent solo lines and a pretty decent appearance. Which is great, for me at least. She's gaining her spark back, the Yankii in her...or is it sexy now?...is coming out now. I knew that it wasn't really going to come back until Miki left, so maybe Miki being gone isn't that bad...If you can't tell, I'm a big fan of "Her Royal Hottness".
Kusumi Koharu- What the heck is this thing doing? Why did they make her center? Why is she even in Morning Musume? I don't really like Kusumi. I never really have. She's cute sometimes, makes some funny noises, but thats it. Yeah maybe she's a "Miracle" or something, but what has she really done honestly? I will admit, she's improved a lot since first joining...but I still don't really like her. I don't hate her, she's way too cute to hate...but she's still...annoying....to me.
Mitsui Aika- Well, she's fitting into the group well, isn't she? She's a minor vocal in the song...but she shines for those small parts in where she sings solo. I'm very interested in her future with Morning Musume. Everyone seemed to think that she wasn't going to be very...awesome in the group. I never really thought that, since I'm the kind of person to think the best of someone until they fail. Mitsui hasn't failed. She's just gotten better. Her voice blends nicely with the rest of the group, and such.
Junjun- I like Junjun a lot. I don't even know that much about her, and I like her. I just do. Theres something about her....maybe its her cuteness? I don't know. She didn't have the best haircut at first, but thankfully she got it cut, and looks much better now. Although she doesn't have many lines, the one solo line she got proved that she can sing even though her audition thingy on YouTube and such didn't sound so great. She has tons of potential. Now if only she could get rid of that "I'mma gonna open mah eyes really wideee!!" thing....
Linlin- She's really cute...she looks like Ayaka and Satoda...together....and I she looks like she has a peppy cute personality too. She also has good singing potential...which is great! I hope to see more of her in the future...
And there you have it. Hotaru's late opinion of Morning Musume's "Onna ni Sachi Are".
My friend and I had sort of a friendly argument about Morning Musume and Marylin Manson just a few hours ago. He was trying to explain to me that while Morning Musume just does what they're told, which is pretty much true, Marylin Manson does what he wants. But, Morning Musume isn't trying to give everyone major shock and get negative reactions from fans like it seems like Manson likes to do. Morning Musume kind of seems like they just want to keep people happy, cheer them up and stuff.
"But both subjects are entertainers so its like, yeah, they both want a reaction
and they both want to act in the best interest of their fans, but i feel that Manson does it less, and Momusu sorta whoreout to the wota and merchandising while Manson just makes music (for all i know i may be wrong)"-My friend, edited by me for easy-reading.
Ah...yeah, I couldn't really argue with that. But what started to bug me was that he kept referring to all of Hello! Project as just always doing what they're told. I couldn't help but argue with that, even though most members of Hello! Project do as they're told, some do break the rules. So I brought our friends Fujimoto, Tsuji, and Kago (I forgot about Yaguchi at that time!) into the subject. He said that they were "A minority and replaced almost instantly." I didn't understand that...W is gone, and Fujimoto being replaced made sense because Takahashi was the Sub-leader (Yeah, she was replaced instantly, but it wasn't just like UFA was all "Replace her...! Fast!!! *grabs first talented girl they see on the street*) so it made sense. Tsuji was the only one who was actually replaced, and that was in Gyaruru...
At that point, my friend told me that I had too much information to back Hello! Project up. I explained that while I wasn't going to defend my cute asian idols forever, but if your trying to knock me down with silly statements, I'm going to have to defend them.
Then we started talking about the lyrics of Morning Musume....okayyyy, I'm certainly not going to try to tell anyone that their lyrics are really deep and have a whole lot of meaning, but you know, I don't think Morning Musume wants to to sing about dark things and 'explain things the way they are'. (I think I should say at this point that I am not one of those crazy super-christian people that think Marylin Manson is the devil or something, I just think what he does is kind of poserific)
Which brought us to the fact that Morning Musume is more like the group trying to bring people happiness, bring a smile to their face after a hard day, help stop global warming, cheer you up, that kind of thing. And that simply brought the arguement to a close, with my friends realization that Morning Musume and Marylin Manson have basically nothing in common except for the fact that they're both in the entertainment industry and sing...and yeah.
As a note for that friend (You know, it was actually Noah, the same person and his meanie-head comment on Konkon) you can argue with me about Morning Musume, but don't do it senselessly! I will bring you down.
^-^
Weeeelll, this is my first post on Vox...this blog-site is very shiny-looking compared to xanga...but I think my personal blog will be my xanga blog and this will be a blog more focused on Hello! Project News and other Jpop. I'll probably also review things like anime and manga and random books I read, because I like them muchly too.
If you couldn't tell by now, I muchly likes the Hello! Project, Morning Musume, and the like. I've always wanted to start a Vox for Hello! Project, and now I've decided to actually do it!
About Hello! Project....
I have been a fan since THE Manpower!!! era of Morning Musume. I heard the song and thought "Wow, this song is pretty cool." so I looked into their other stuff, and thought "Wow, this is some pretty cool stuff!" but I didn't become a real fan until early 2006. And now...I'm in love with them and all of Hello! Project. Its addicting...and I guess its better than actual drugs...They were 'that push' that made me convinced that I wanted to learn Japanese...and then I learned that I can pick up on languages extremely quickly! Yay Morning Musume.
This is probably where I shall end my first post. I hope to have fun her. Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu!