What a Pleasant Surprise! °C-ute’s “Kanashiki Amefuri”

Earlier today, °C-ute released the music video (anyone else notice they stopped calling them promotional videos?) for one of the double a-side’s to their new single, “Kanashiki Amefuri.”  Based on their fixation with ballads as a-sides in this group within the last year or two, I was fully expecting another one with this song because a) the title, and b) the other a-side, “Adam to Eve no Dilemma”, is a face-pasted dance song, so I expected them to counter that with a ballad.  Alas!  It’s not!  It’s another dance track!  I’d say the chorus is a bit more docile than its’ title buddy, but a little variety is good.

Another reason I expected to not like this video was that the opening setting was the set of a photoshoot with a plain white background and blah.  And generally, these mean extremely boring videos in Hello! Project.  But again, what a pleasant surprise!  I have very few complaints about the song and music video!

…I did it again, didn’t I?

Woops.  Looks like I went on another long hiatus unannounced?  At least this one wasn’t a year and a half long? I apologize, friends.  I know I disappointed a lot of people last time and I’m sure I did it again.  I was depressed and shit and blah blah whatever.

Hopefully I can get back into blogging here within the next few weeks.  Really, I just wanted to let you guys know about this research paper I’m working on.  I just transfered to the University of Colorado at Boulder and I’m taking one of those ridiculous 3-week courses.  On the plus side, though, the class is Japanese Pop Culture.  Man, I am learning so much.

But anyway.  My research paper.  I’m writing it on idols.  Particularly, AKB48 and Morning Musume.  Even more particularly, the marketing of these groups towards each male and female fans, both positively and negatively.  I’ve read just about all the scholarship on idols and idol culture at this point.  Seriously, I’ve just learned so much that has shed so much light on issues that I’ve seen us in the English-speaking wotasphere struggle with so long.  We’re taking our Western ideas out of context with a very, very Japanese ideal.  It’s made me reconsider a lot of the things that have sent us all up in arms over the years but seemingly not the Japanese wota.

To keep you interested, I am using Wota in Translation as a primary source.  My professor absolutely loves it.  Henkka, you will be sourced in my research paper.

Anyway again.  I can’t wait to share with you some of what I write (though not all if it unless somehow I get kicked out of school for plagiarizing myself–I’m definitely waiting until I get my final grade).  I know a lot of you will be like “WOAH.  THIS IS SO INTERESTING.”  as I was.  Also, I’m a great academic writer (better than this informal shit if you can believe it </sarcasm>).  I won’t be able to un-realize all that I’ve realized doing my research, either, so my blogging might have a fundamentally different outlook that it did before.

That said,  I still cannot fathom for the life of me either why Tanaka Reina was so popular or why she was considered the perfect Morning Musume member.

That is all friends.

I will see you soon.

2012 in review

I always find these interesting to see my progress throughout the year.  Apparently you can view it now, too.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 24,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 6 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

Help me!! …No, Seriously, I need help.

Holy shit.  Morning Musume just released the dance shot for their newest single, a la Wakuteka, called “Help me!!”

Remember that time when I thought “Wakuteka Take a Chance” had the best choreography I’d ever seen from the group?

Yeah, I take that back.  This is by far the best I have ever seen Morning Musume.  

I… what… why…?