For their first release in, oh, all year, NEWS put out a DVD for their WINTER PARTY DIAMOND SPARKLY YAY tour that happened… when was it?  Oh, yes, last year.  (Sorry, I hope you understand the frustration I and the majority of NEWS fans have shared this year.)

Despite being the only release in a full year, the DVD looks pretty good.  It’s jam-packed with extras, the highlight of which being each individual member filmed their own solo PV’s!  This was the part I was most excited about when details about the DVD were announced.

Some of them were blah, but then there were those few… that just made a whole year of waiting worth it.  :]

From my least favorite to the most epic thing I’ve ever seen in Jpop:

Yamapi – MOLA

I have got to say, I was extremely disappointed in this.  The remix is whatever, but what really got me was the PV.  I mean, it’s Pi.  The leader of NEWS?  The most popular one?  The sexiest one??  How come all he got was a dance shot with random slutty dancers in it?  I liked the dance, really, but come on.  That’s dull.  And the worst part is that he looks extremely bored.  Like he’s too good for this shit, so why even bother?  Honestly, from an award-winning actor I expected much, much more.

Ryo – code

Oh why, why why WHY couldn’t he have done “ordinary”???  ;_;  That song is beautiful and sexy and fits Ryo’s voice so much better than “code”!!!  Honestly, this song is not flattering to his voice at all.  He sounds like a dying cat.  But beyond that, the PV itself was also very dull.  There was no colour, it was all stagnant greys and blacks.  And Ryo seemed like he was acting as one of his drama characters (Sosuke from Last Friends and Aoi from Orthros no Inu come to mind), not himself.  Which is rather disappointing.  As was his entire PV, just like Pi’s.

Tegonyan – Ai Nante

This one wasn’t entirely dull, but it wasn’t exactly interesting either.  I felt like this PV was very, very Tegoshi: narcissistic.  I mean, half of it is him staring at himself in the mirror.  And GOD, random girl with no face again!!!  That frustrates me more than anything about this set of PVs.  Tegoshi himself looked like a poodle, and when he was wet: a wet poodle.  Not very attractive.  But I’ve seen worse.

I will say though, I absolutely love this song and him singing it solo is about fifty times better than him with Ryo and Shige on backup.

Koyamama – Love Addiction

The random girls that just pop in and out of all these PVs all seem out of place and in there… honestly, just to be there.  They’re not even pretty.  If you’re going to have girls with low-cute dresses, they should at least have boobs.  I mean, the whole point of them there is for sex appeal, yes?

Anyway.  This song has always been one of my favorites.  I was kind of hoping for the PV to have a full version (added second verse+chorus), but it was cool anyway.  I never really thought of Keichan as sexy before.  And God, that was hot.  And at least the girl in this one had a face.  (Man, that ending scene… if only they had kissed!)

Massu – Superman

This PV is so extremely adorable!  Massu being chased by an “akuma” (kid dressed up!), being watched by two little boys, attempting to be a hero, and the lyrics all about food, what’s not to love??   The best part is the “MASUPERMAN”!!!  That’s so adorable!!  And then, it only gets better.  Because it’s sexy, too!!!  I was hoping and hoping that he would do some acrobatics (every JE group has their acrobat), and I wasn’t disappointed!!!  His dancing and those flips… Thumbs up from me!  This almost took my number one spot, seeing as Massu is my favorite in NEWS and all…

And now, the best one yet…

Shige – Shalala Tambourine

God.  I have never watched anything so amazing in Jpop before.  That was absolutely epic.  Shige makes a hot girl (I didn’t even realize it was him until the end), an absolutely gorgeous host, a rather convincing VK performer, and even a disgusting pedophile creeper (not to mention a salaryman and a wota.  Yes, a wota).  The PV didn’t loose my interest for a split second.  There was so much going on, it was so captivating!  I mean, this is how all PVs should be (not this style, but that extremely interesting).  His vocals have definitely improved, so that added to the awesomeness.  And it was all times so perfectly.  It just has this “wow” factor that I so rarely find in Jpop these days.  That is the epitome of Jpop.  Right there.  That PV.

Also, will someone please tell me why Shige hasn’t had his own drama yet?  He’s such a great actor.

—

Overall, YAY for a new NEWS release, but boo that they’re all solo.  This just adds to the rumours more than anything that NEWS is gonna break up.  :c

So I’m home with swine flu, quarantined and not allowed to leave my house, even for my senior year homecoming game or dance.  As you can imagine, I’m pretty upset.  But, despite all that and my dad being a jackass, Morning Musume always cheers me up.  Why this time, you ask.

I shall tell you why.

Kimagure Princess is why.  D

The first thing that I noticed is that both the PV and the song lack quite a bit in originality.

The palace setting in the PV is so much like Biyuuden’s “Kaccho ii ze! JAPAN” that its sad.  Not only that, but the dance has more than a few similarities to that same song’s dance AS WELL as the Russian-themed melody. And while we’re talking about Biyuuden, the whole concentration on their asses looks strikingly like “Aisu Kuriimu to My Purin.”

The melody is also very very similar to Morning Musume’s own “Odore! Morning Curry.”  And the fire-coming-out-of-the-hand came from their “Iroppoi Jirettai.”

And THEN, the whole pitched-up, techno-fied voices during the voices reminds me a lot of Buono!, specifically “Internet Cupid” from their first album.

Once I got past all that, though, I really do love this PV and song (but of course there’s always something else to nitpick on).  I love that this is one of the few very vocally-challenging songs in all of H!P.  I missed Panda lines, and I’m also (shockingly) a tiny teeny weeny smidge upset that Koharu didn’t get any solos on her last single.

Now then, a girl-by-girl review!

Aichan – I have to be honest, I’m very disappointed with her vocal performance.  Her “Ii janai”s sound lovely, but everything else on the choruses is very sloppy and she sounds like she has absolutely no control over her voice.  Her “wowow” on the bridge especially made me cringe. (However, I <3 that her long hair is back.)

Gakisan – I really wish we could hear more of her on this song.  Gakisan sounded so beautiful on her solos, I couldn’t help but yearn for more.

Sayumin – I’m so glad Sayumin didn’t get any solos.  I love her to death, but she was so much better placed just looking sexy.  And holy cow, she was smoking.  Letting her do that for the PV was an amazing idea.  Her solo shots really bring you in and capture your attention!

Eririn – Wow.  That’s all I can say.  I didn’t know Eririn had those kind of pipes!  Damn!  Just makes me wonder again why she was so neglected in her younger years.

Reina -  Thank dear Lord Jesus that Reina only got like two solo lines.  Finally someone realized she’s not as great of a vocalist as they all thought she was.  I think that’s why I like this song so much: I hardly heard or saw Reina.

Koharu – Once again, I’m a little disappointed in no solo lines from her, but that’s very slight.  Holy frick Koharu looked amazing.  She’s going to make a great model.  Her dancing and everything was 100% sexy.  I loved it.

Micchi – Aika looked pretty bored and very very tired.  :/  I think that was her attempt to be sexy, but it kind of failed.   I think she’s too young to really master her sexiness yet.  She needs lessons from Marippe.

Junjun – Junjun… to say she completely baffled me would be an understatement.  She is so HOT (cue: Wonder Girls).  My jaw literally fell when I saw her first solo shot.  I mean, I wasn’t expecting that at all.  I’m very very pleased. 

Linlin – It’s really a shame she didn’t get any chorus lines, because they would have been beautiful.  Linlin has already proved she can knock those notes out of the water.  It’s a shame she doesn’t have enough fans to get her lines in singles.  :/

Overall, I really do love this song.  Although it’s a bittersweet love because this is also the end of the super lineup that’s been together for over 2 years.

We’ll miss you Koharu!  :’(

It was just announced that Morning Musume 7th Generation member Kusumi Koharu would be graduating both MoMusume and Hello! Project.  While I’ve never been a huge fan of hers, she’s one of the most popular MoMusu girls, so I do believe I can safely say that not only I, but the majority of the H!P fan community are in shock right now.

According to Hello!Online, apparently Tsunku wanted her to be a soloist full-time, which is why he let her graduate in the first place.  But she had other plans.  Koharu will pursue a career in modeling.

God, sound familiar much?

I understand Koharu’s never been much of a singer (and really, neither has Erika), but she is gorgeous (much like Erika).  I’m sure she’ll make a fantastic model.

The only thing is, this was a legendary Morning Musume lineup.  These nine girls have been together for over two years and accomplished more (not sales-wise, but internationally and landmark-wise) than any other lineup in Morning Musume’s history.  I just… can’t fathom it changing, even if I have been secretly hoping Koharu would leave for years.

And now the biggest fear is the addition of another member.  Another thing I can’t fathom at this point.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.  D:

—-

Uhm… in other news, the Nine Smile setlist looks awesome, especially Sukiyaki, Joshi Kashimashi, and SONGS.  I just wish it wouldn’t have to end so depressingly.  D:

Fans take their fandoms WAY too seriously.

This is well known.  But I’ve never personally experienced this.  I mean, seriously, wanting to actually murder me for something a very lightheartedly joked around with?  That’s just… I can’t even fathom how people take their fandoms so seriously.

I love Johnny’s as much as the next person, but I think it’s cool when they start dating people, whether it’s my ideal couple or not.

So, because I believe that the comments on the thread above are ridiculous, I’m going to address a couple of them.  I very much hope they find this post.

“Well. If the blogger paired them up with MORE suitable girls, it would be more acceptable. =_=”

And what exactly deems them “suitable” or “unsuitable?”  Is it because you don’t listen to Hello! Project?  Because more than one H!P girl has dated a JE boy.  And outside of H!P, many, many Jpop girls have dated JE boys.  For example, Perfume’s A-chan and Jpop Queen Ayumi Hamasaki.

“I RECKONNNN hahaha the person ended up blocking comments because everyone was saying how she was screwing things up… XDD”

No, actually, it’s because I can’t believe how immature people can be and I don’t want to see your whining daily.  If you don’t like it, great, don’t read it.  But day after day of people complaining because I didn’t pair THEM with the JE boys gets a little annoying after a while.

Take a reality check, girls: You will never date a JE boy.  Ever.  Get over it.

“Well they have their right of expressing their opinions. xD
If there are gonna be people that love HSJ, there will be people who hate~”

Oh, wow, look!  The only mentally stable person who commented on the thread.

“yeaaaah. she should just have kept her opinions private to herself AND her circle of friends =_=”

This is called blogging.  I share my opinions.  No one is forcing you to read them.  So if you don’t like it, and I know this is way bizzare for you, but don’t read it.

“*shivers* the things all HSJ fans would have done to her … : )”

And that in itself is just pathetic.

—

So, boys and girls, what did we learn today?  Fangirls are hardly sane.  How they can be so obsessed over idols is just beyond me.  No, they are not going to marry you.  They will not date you.  Hell, if they saw you on the street, they would avoid you if given any kind of choice.  NO ONE wants to have fans like that.  It’s CREEPY.  Let them LIVE THEIR OWN LIFE.  You DO NOT OWN THEM.

I mean, that’s all just common sense.

Watch me get death threats now.

C-ute’s new PV, Zekkachou Everyday, is out.

Wow, that was dull.

If you haven’t heard it, but have heard either Bye Bye Bye or Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu, don’t bother.  They’re all exactly the same.

I wish we could have more to remember Erika by, seeing as this is her last single and all.  She didn’t even a solo line.  She was pretty and all in her “solo” shot, but that was all we saw of her.  I also noticed that she looked very bored.  You can tell she’s done with C-ute; I don’t blame her at all.  Always being in the backround must be awful.

I’m also very sick of the Airi and Maimi show.  And that the past three C-ute singles have all sounded exactly the same.

I have a very strong feeling that 5nin C-ute will be Airi and Maimi with less background dancers.  While C-ute used to be my H!P group and was the reason I love H!P today, I now confidently say that they’re my least favorite by far.  They’re just so boring.

I know the girls aren’t at fault here, and for their credit, at least they look like it’s interesting, but we all know its not.

The PV itself was also dull.  At least they tried to spice up Shochuu, but this PV was nothing but a dance shot and about five closeups–not even solo closeups.

So, all in all, boo.  I hope the next release will be interesting, but I very highly doubt it.

If any of you have started watching Orthros no Inu, Takki and NishiRyo’s new drama, you’ll know it’s full of very very sexy men doing very very sexy things.  Such as killing people.  *shot*    But even better for me was (as I was watching it on TV in Japan) the special surprise I had no idea about!  Hey!Say!JUMP’s Yaotome Hikaru!  And not only Hikaru, but Hikaru as the villain.  With tattoos all up his arms.  And neck.  And skin-tight clothes.  And Takki feeling him up.  While Hikaru’s shirtless.  And sweaty (from being stabbed, but that’s such a minor detail).

Did I mention how awesome that drama is?

ANYWAY.  I realized Hikaru has gotten way hot over the six months that HSK has bored me to death and I’ve ignored them.  So it’s only appropriate that he gets a scandal (okay, not a scandal yet, but there are rumours going around everywhere).

Same goes for A~chan.  While she’s very much my least favorite of Perfume, I have loads of repsect for all three girls, including her.  And Perfume has been working their asses off for years and are just now reaping the rewards.  So she also well deserves some.

So I think it’s awesome that they’re supposedly dating.  Go Hikaru, scoring the front girl of the most popular girl group in Japan right now.  Bravo!

PS – Prz to can has picz?  kthxbai

I just got back from the Hello!Chanpuru concert at Nakano Sun Plaza with Celestia.  It was… way beyond amazing.  When the girls first came out, I almost cried because it was… (definitely hard to describe)… something I’ve only dreamed of seeing, never thought I would, and… I dunno… it was like, “Wow.  These girls are actually real.  Not just some people on my computer screen.  They exist!”

Anyway.  Maimai was absent from the concert tonight, which is a real shame because after Erika she’s my favorite girl in C-ute and I was really, really looking forward to her in Pucchimoni V.  But that’s okay.  Didn’t ruin my day.

01. Guru Guru Jump! Man, what a perfect concert opener.  This song was awesome.  I also liked that it wasn’t all Linlin-Junjun-Koharu like the Winter Concert.  Everyone got lines (well, you know, not everyone, but a lot more than just the main three).  You can tell the Pandas really love this song; they got to into it.  As well as the crowd.  Energy 100%.

02. Piriri to Yukou I adore this song.  It’s one of my favorite early Berryz songs, and is totally perfect for anything summer-themed.  I haven’t seen this in a few years on a setlist, so it’s nice to see it surfaced again!

3. aMa no Jaku S/mileage was fantastic.  I was expecting them to not sing very well live, since they’re all so young, but it was actually really good!  Poor Yuuka, she had incredibly dark bags under her eyes and seemed so exhausted.  Saki really shined here.  And Kanon is so adorable. (And I still don’t know the other girl’s name)

4. Omakase Guardian I don’t particularly like this song, but I do rather adore Mittsi and Yurina.  They were nice.

5. Minimoni Jankenpyon! I wasn’t sure whether this group would be able to match Minimoni in my eyes because Minimoni is my favorite H!P group to ever exist.  However, this was awesome.  Linlin is the perfect leader for this group and the other girls, despite being way young (omg Karin holy crap), definitely have the energy and charisma for Minimoni.  I look forward to more from this group.

(I think Ice CreaMusume performed here?  I can’t remember when they came on) But it was dull.  I really don’t like Koisuru blah blah, and even with Junjun and Linlin, it’s still beyond boring.

6. Sekai wa Summer Party I’ve seen this on TV and this performance has definitely been the best.  She had some trouble with notes here and there, but Mano was way cute.  And this song is fun to dance to.

7. Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu I love this song.  Missed Maimai, but I loved it nonetheless.

8. Seishun Bus Guide When I got around to ignoring Risako, I totally loved this song live!  Berryz never fail to disappoint me.

9. Nanchatte Renai I adore this song.  End of story.

10. Shouganai Yume Oibito This really does sound just like Nanchatte, but either way this was a nice performance!  I love the dance.

11. Yume to Genjitsu (Aa!) I’m not too keen on this group seeing as I was a huge fan of the original Aa! and I’m a huge fan of Buono! and I think this group kind of ruins both.  I mean, if they release this as a single, it’s like, “Oh, it’s not Buono! or Aa!, it’s ‘let’s shuffle Airi and Miyabi around with other girls a lot!’”  I liked the song, but it didn’t had such a Buono!-esque vibe that it just didn’t seem right not to have Momoko there.

12. Pira! Otome to Onegai (Pucchimoni V) WOW.  This has to be one of the best songs, despite being only NakaSaki and ManoEri singing it.  I know Maimai would have just shined on this, so that was disappointing.  But this is such an incredibly catchy song.  I really hope this gets released as a single.

13. Heya to Y shirts no Watashi I liked it much better on the CD.

14. Umbrella (Tanpopo #) This song is SO Tanpopo!  And all the girls dressed like Tanpopo too!  I think this is my second favorite song on the setlist.  I absolutely loved it.

15. MY BOY And this is my favorite.   It was awesome.  The girls did so well and it definitely had that rock vibe that the girls seem to strive for in Buono!.

16. JUMP What a great concert song, really.  I was pretty dismayed at not being able to JUMP though.

17. Cosmos I don’t think I was listening to the song, really.  It made me sleepy.  I was more focused on Aichan’s lovely dress and her lovely earring… which she was only wearing one of.  It was odd.

18. Only You (Zoku Biyuuden)  I didn’t like this song on the CD.  Or the fact that these girls called themselves Biyuuden.  But after seeing it live… man, it was awesome.  Junjun got down on the ground rockin it out, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her the entire time.  She really has grown since she joined.  She’s gotten so much more comfortable, and trust me, it was obvious to see on this song.

19. Iku ZYX! Fly High I don’t really like this song, but damn, Gaki-san was sexy.  And I’m very glad Erika got Megumi’s lines.  It’s nice she got a little attention before she leaves.

20. Diamonds I expected more from this live.  Like, oh, you know, maybe some dancing from the group that was put together for their dancing.

21. C\C I am.  So happy.  That I got to see this live.  It was amazing.  And getting to dance along was way fun. 

22. Special Generation I’ve complained about this being overperformed before, and I know a lot of you have too, but I realize now why it is.  You can’t really understand unless you’re there at the concert, but it really gets the crowd going, and that makes for an awesome addition to any concert.

23. Tokaikko Junjou Same goes for this song.  I was rather disappointed that Maimai wasn’t here for this one.  Whoever was supposed to cover her first solo forgot, which was pretty amusing to watch.  I think it was Maimi since she covered her last solo line.  But like true performers, it didn’t phase C-ute at all.

24. Resonant Blue I would have been very okay without this song on the setlist.  But whatever, it was fun to chant to.

25. Sono Bamen de Bibiccha Ikenai jan! This song was really fun to watch live with all those girls!  There was really way too much going on to concentrate on anything, but it’s a great concert song nonetheless that really got the crowd going.

26. Koko ni Iruzee! Wow, Mittsi really belted her solo out.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  Kamei was way cute on this and Aichan rocked her solo at the end.  Overall, loved this song.  I wish it was the last number.

27.  Aozora de blah blah whatever Don’t like this song, thought I would live; not so much.  It’’s boring.  I wasn’t even paying attention.  My thoughts wandered like none other on this song.  I played the bow-finding game.  It was easy.

Overall, I feel like my journey of being a Hello! Project fan can now be happily completed.  Not that I plan on that happening anytime soon in any foreseeable future, but if it ever does, I will have accomplished all there is to accomplish.  I had a great time (and thank you so much Celestia for going with me, I felt so much better with someone else haha).

On the down side, the only shirts they had were L-sized, so my shirt is huge, but I have a Morning Musume shirt (that came with a complete photo set!) that I will put up pictures of later.

You know, when this lineup of Musumes first started, I really rather disliked them.  My two favorite members had up and left out of nowhere and two Chinese girls were brought in in their place.  I didn’t particularly like anyone in the group.  I hated the leader with a fiery passion and was convinced that she would destroy Morning Musume for good.

But having these nine girls together for the past two and a half years without any change has really altered my views of them.

Who would have though MoMusu would have gone on to conquer China, Korea, and then actually debut in the US?  Especially after going through such a “dark age”?

That time… 2007… was really the worst for them.  The girls lost two of their senpais and on top of that had two foreigners come and invade their comfort zones that they had spent so long building.  When Takahashi was suddenly forced to become leader without any notice at all, everything went downhill.  She didn’t know how to set the example for the other girls, while they no longer had a strong pillar to look up to.  And the two newbies must have been scared to death, wondering what the hell they had gotten themselves into: a group where leaders, of all people, who are supposed to set the examples, are getting into scandals and suddenly leaving?

So it was awkward.  Oh so so awkward.  No one knew what to do, so they put even more pressure on Ai-chan and made the “Takahashi Ai and some backdancers” group while letting all the other girls adjust to the new situation.

Never, ever did I expect this lineup to be the longest stable lineup in MoMusu’s history.  I was so sure that this marked another era of constant changes.  And I was so determined to hate them.

But then it all started to change.  And they got more mature.  And more comfortable with not only themselves, but their group.  And they expanded.  And popularity grew.  And America!

Morning Musume used to be my least favorite H!P group, but with the recent awesomeness that they’ve been doing, it’s hard not to love them most.  I almost wish that the concert I’m going to was just MoMusu and not the rest of Hello! Project.  Haha.

I love MoMusu so much as they are right now.  I love their recent change in style of music, and most of all I love the girls!  I love Leader, who I used to hate; I love Junjun and her adorableness; I love how Linlin is one of the best singers to have ever graced MoMusu; I love how awkward Mittsi is; I love love love how sexy Gaki-san has become; I love how Kamei is blossoming into a lovely lady and idol; and while I don’t love Reina or Koharu or anything about them, they’re only two out of nine.  I think I would be very sad were anything to change about them right now.

I don’t know why I got all sentimental so suddenly.  I was looking at Iselwentari’s blog and BAM.  Made me realize how much I truely love Morning Musume.

Okay.  I’m done being sappy now.

Back to Japan.

I… er… what?!

The Kanna graduation from C-ute was… well, you know.  Expected after she’s been mysteriously gone for months after what should have been only a few weeks.  But… Umeda Erika?  Eririn?  My favorite C-ute member of all time?

So suddenly?

To be a model????

I mean, it’s lovely that she’ll still be in media and all, but omg.  T____T  Despite never ever getting any solo lines ever (with the exception of maybe two songs), Erika has always been my number one in C-ute.  She’s way pretty (so it makes sense that she’ll be a model) and can  dance pretty well.  She can’t really sing at all, but she’s like… the perfect idol.  Why she never got a photobook is beyond me.

I’ve alwas wondered what C-ute would have been like if Eririn had decided to be leader like she was supposed to be; if she would have gotten more time in the spotlight.  I guess I’ll never know.  But I’ll miss her like none other.

Goodbye Eririn.

I will miss you oh so so very much.

On another note, what is up with C-ute??  First Kanna and then only a couple weeks after that Erika?  What will become of C-ute now?  Will they add more members or remain 5nin?  The history of Hello! Project would lead most to say they’ll add more members… but the H!P Kids have all had unchanging lineups since their debut… until now I suppose.  D:  So we’ll just have to wait and see.

2009 is apparently the year for graduations.  I really really hope MoMusu doesn’t follow in suit.

I arrived last night in Tokyo.  Now I’m staying at the house of a family friend in Yokosuka.  Today was day one, and to kick things off we went shopping at a mall really close by in Yokosuka.

I don’t plan on documenting any parts of my trip here that don’t pertain to Asian entertainment, so today I’m going to share my Jpop purchases I bought.  We caught the music store on our way out of the mall and I must have been in there over an hour.  I can’t read kanji to save my life, so I kept asking the associate where everything was.  I felt so bad for him, bless his soul.

Anyway,  I spent about $130 on CDs and I could hardly carry them to the register.  Here’s what I got:

From the top left: ARASHI – Ashita wa Koiku/Crazy Moon, High-King – C\C, Goto Maki – Garasu no Pumps, Morning Musume – Ai Araba ~It’s All Right~, Perfume – ONE ROOM DISCO (was supposed to be Dream Fighter, but she gave me the wrong one.  Oh well.), KAT-TUN – Break the Records, NEWS – color, Berryz Koubou – Seishun Bus Guide/Rival, Morning Musume – Shouganai Yume Oibito

It’s exciting.  I almost don’t want to open them.  Haha.

In other news, I will be going to the Hello!Chanpuru concert August 7th, and I plan on reporting on that in full detail; so please look forward to that!