International Wota

Cake Day is Here!

By maiZe in Cake Day 2010, Noteworthy, Site News on 2010/03/18

Cake day has arrived, and while it’s not International Wota custom to do a Site News post on the actual day (we let all the bloggers celebrate it with us and have them highlight the day for us) we actually have something special to celebrate cake day with!

“What is it?”, you may ask. Well, if you’re actually on the site, I don’t think you’re asking that question. But if you’re reading our RSS feed, you may be wondering. To celebrate Cake Day, we’ve given IW a facelift with this wonderful new theme created by our editor johpan and pretty-fied with love with the help of some IW staff.

We’re all quite pleased with what johpan was able to come up with and I hope everyone who clicks through the new theme enjoys the interesting features that he has incorporated.

Happy 3 years IW!!!

*EDIT*: Feel free to drop by #wotachat and chat with IW staff, readers and bloggers to celebrate the day too!

Latest Posts Hello! Project AKB48 JE TNX Avex JPop TechnoPop JRock KPop

Toggle Noteworthy

zush Calls in Risako to Help Celebrate Cake Day

By Murr in Blogs, Cake Day 2010, Hello Project, JPop on 2010/03/19

Kakkoii 3rd Anniversary International Wota! (Berryz Kobo International)

zush has late birthday greetings for our beloved IW! He seems to be amazed at the fact that blogs and the like seem to age just like people do, but he’s even more apologetic that his post is late. Don’t worry! All is accepted! Also included in the post is a lovely video from Risako herself, wishing IW a happy Cake Day (LIES). Isn’t that sweet~! After all, like zush said, “no Anniversary party is perfect if our sweetest sweetie is not there.”

fem~taku Wishes IW a Happy Birthday with a Picspam!

By Amy in Blogs, Cake Day 2010, Eyecandy, Hello Project on 2010/03/19

Cake Day (fem~taku)

I’m sorry to hear that Renee was sick on Cake Day! Being sick always sucks (skipping school aside) but it’s especially bad when you’re missing such an important day! But, I’m glad to hear that Renee did manage to eat some brownies in honor of IW even though no photos were included. She rounds off her post with a set of droolicious photos of our favorite H!P girls and now I find myself craving some cheesecake… Recommended Drooling!

Merry Go Round Keeps Her Traditions Alive!

By johpan in Blogs, Cake Day 2010 on 2010/03/19

When am I going to actually bake a cake for IW?! (Merry Go Round)

Recommended Currying. It’s ~~Cake~~ Curry Day over at Merry Go Round! Amy’s got a bunch of pictures and the recipe (or back-of-box directions) for delicious curry in her Cake Day post. I don’t lie when it says it look DELICIOUS. T_T.

Amy also shares a picture of her Cake Day curry with IW community-related items she holds near and dear to her heart. She explains their importance with a story for each item. It’s a heart-warming read but she stops herself before she melts into an Amypuddle of IW love. We love our admins here at IW :3

Check out Amy’s Traditional Cake Day Alternative! I wonder what she’s got planned for next year… xD

It’s a Cheesecake Day over at Selective Hearing

By johpan in Blogs, Cake Day 2010 on 2010/03/19

Happy 3rd Cake Day International Wota (Selective Hearing)

Recommended eating. While he claims that it’s not as fancy as the other cakes around, Greg presents his cheesecake wheel he picked up for IW’s Cake Day. I don’t know about you but cheesecake is pretty pimp so I think Greg’s ballin’ harder than some for Cake Day (like me xD). He blames his lack of cooking skills for not home-making a cake but we still love you, man. I didn’t cook either! Check out his assortment of cheesecakes over at Selective Hearing!

Cheers right back at ya from the crew!

Indigo’s Grandmother Has Cake Day-Related Psychic Abilities

By Wendy in Blogs, Cake Day 2010 on 2010/03/19

HAPPY CAKE DAY + New York City GETS (氷点下の情熱)

Recommended eating… or uh. …Maybe not. Indigo’s blog is missing, but she still found a way to join in on the festivities! She resorted to posting on her livejournal. And amazingly, her grandmother happened to make a cake on Cake Day of all days! But like I said, the cake uh… maybe isn’t recommended for eating. Orange Dreamsicle? Earlier today she said in chat that it’s an actual mix flavor, not something her grandma made up. Somehow, that just sounds even more sketchy to me. Plus, I don’t really like orange cake. So… I’ll pass on that one.

After reminiscing about early IW, she posts some of her GETS from today when she went to Book-Off. (Grrr, lucky Indigo!) Why am I mentioning this in a Cake Day post? Because she bought Kousui by Melon Kinenbi for $1 and Kousui is the best song ever. That’s all that needs to be said. /biased

Cake Day Picspam from Aitakatta!

By johpan in AKB48, Cake Day 2010, Eyecandy on 2010/03/19

Happy Cake Day IW!!! (Aitakatta!)

Recommended Oogling. Cat celebrates IW’s 3rd birthday with some quality picspam! There’s someone for everyone in this collection: from front girls Acchan and Jurina, to the Watarirouka Hashiritai lolis in bikinis, to tomotomo in bikinis, and Yuko cosplaying as Avril Lavigne. There’s more within but I don’t want to spoil it for you! Check out the spam and Cat’s commentary for yourself! Did I mention bikinis because those AKB girls know how to fill them…

What Non-Sweet Does MorningBerryz Have To Share This Cake Day?

By maiZe in Blogs, Cake Day 2010 on 2010/03/19

~Happy Happy Cake♥Day~*~~* IW!!! ＼(^o^)／☆~ (モーニングBerryz…the morning after…..)

Recommended eating. Most people who read MorningBerryz blog knows that she has a strong aversion to nearly every dessert (I may be overexaggerating… but I don’t think I am XD). We’ve even joked around that we could form a group where she would eat all the spicy foods and I’d eat all the sweet foods (I can’t stand spicy food). So, whenever Cake Day comes around, I always wonder what MB will come up with to celebrate the day. We do call it Cake Day, but we’re non-discrimatory towards all food types over here at IW.

So at MB’s blog, it has become “IW Zaru Soba♥Day” and she (and Panda~kun) walks us through the making of Zaru Soba. She also adds a little message to IW in her final product. ^_^ Looks tasty! I’ve never had Zaru Soba before.

johpan Celebrates Cake Day With A Pun

By Wendy in Blogs, Cake Day 2010 on 2010/03/18

Happy Cake Day, IW! (johpanOnline)

Recommended eating. johpan has a cake, but not just any cake. It’s Iiwacake Maybe. Hahahahahahahaha, get it? And it’s McCain, which is one of my favourite kinds. Plus his AKB48 oshimen, Sato Amina, is there to celebrate! Aside from the cake, he also has a bunch of general shout outs to people who’ve helped IW become so awesome. Everybody, give yourself a pat on the back.

To end the post, he provides AKB48’s Namida Surprise PV and calls it the “best birthday song ever”. Pfh, okay there. Everybody else knows it’s Tanjoubi no Yoru.

NEWS (and Misa) Wishes IW A Happy Birthday

By IndigoSkies in Blogs, Cake Day 2010 on 2010/03/18

Happy Cake Day!!! (雨のち晴れ)

Misa decorated a cake to celebrate Cake Day, and even though there seem to have been some technical difficulties with the camera (don’t worry, I can…kind of see it!) she’s sharing the picture with us all. It looks really good! As a NEWS fangirl, she also finds it necessary to share the video to their single Happy Birthday. Recommended eating! The cake, I mean, not the video. Or the boys IN the video. Recommended viewing…?

Wendy Tackles Her First Solo Cake For IW

By maiZe in Blogs, Cake Day 2010 on 2010/03/18

Happy Cake Day, International Wota! (香水)

Recommended eating. IW has the honour of being the reason for Wendy baking her first cake by herself! We are treated to a highly enjoyable narrative (including a flashback on a previous cake experience) on how this cake came to be. The two things that made the biggest impact on me from her tale:

1. Wendy doesn’t steal!!
2. Wendy loves IW – she doesn’t want it to suck ass.

That second point was a boo-boo on my part, for it seems I can’t read. XD I really wish I could try some of her cake ’cause it’s just so cute! It makes me think of a basketball… (Why would a basketball be cute, you may ask? … Well, I’m weird.)

zush Calls in Risako to Help Celebrate Cake Day

By Murr in Blogs, Cake Day 2010, Hello Project, JPop on 2010/03/19

Kakkoii 3rd Anniversary International Wota! (Berryz Kobo International)

zush has late birthday greetings for our beloved IW! He seems to be amazed at the fact that blogs and the like seem to age just like people do, but he’s even more apologetic that his post is late. Don’t worry! All is accepted! Also included in the post is a lovely video from Risako herself, wishing IW a happy Cake Day (LIES). Isn’t that sweet~! After all, like zush said, “no Anniversary party is perfect if our sweetest sweetie is not there.”

fem~taku Wishes IW a Happy Birthday with a Picspam!

By Amy in Blogs, Cake Day 2010, Eyecandy, Hello Project on 2010/03/19

Cake Day (fem~taku)

I’m sorry to hear that Renee was sick on Cake Day! Being sick always sucks (skipping school aside) but it’s especially bad when you’re missing such an important day! But, I’m glad to hear that Renee did manage to eat some brownies in honor of IW even though no photos were included. She rounds off her post with a set of droolicious photos of our favorite H!P girls and now I find myself craving some cheesecake… Recommended Drooling!

Solo Celebrates Cake Day With Chinami

By maiZe in Blogs, Cake Day 2010, Hello Project on 2010/03/18

Cake Day 3.0 (Solo Space)

Last year, Solo’s cakes was one of my favourite cakes. This year, his is the second cake that I’ve seen and it looks like he’s going to be in the top group once again. It doesn’t hurt that there’s lots of orange to go around with the cake, and I do love the colour orange. However, as I looked at his second photo, the first thought that came to my mind was “An orange isn’t a berry…”

*EDIT*: Holy shoot… I’ve been told. Check out the comments and you’ll see Solo has put me in my place. XD I stand corrected. Also, I realized I didn’t recommend this cake for eating – that’s because it’s too pretty… ^_^

To Follow or Not To Follow?

By Murr in Hello Project, JPop, Pop Idols on 2010/03/17

Official Morning Musume Twitter Account Opened (Hello!Sayunii)

That is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer following a twitter account that at the moment seems to be replete with updates from Sayumin’s blog only, or to take arms against such a thing and tweet-bomb the account with pleas of updates from our other dear Musume and by opposing, end them. To follow, to be bored — No more — and by bored to say that I just want more updates from the other members! If this weren’t to happen, the heartache that the thousands of wota would suffer. To follow, perchance to gain inside information, ay, there’s the rub. But for what it’s worth, I think you should follow them, because such things might happen. Have you seen what Tsunku’s been tweeting? Seriously.

A New Literal Video From Pink Wota

By maiZe in Blogs, Hello Project on 2010/03/17

[Literal Video] DEF.DIVA presents Eli Roth’s ‘Suki Sugite Baka Mitai’ (Pink Wota)

It seems this has been on Vee’s youtube page for a while, but she’s just posting it on her blog now. It’s been a while since her last Literal Video post, and I’m quite glad to see a new one up! The lyrics she comes up with are so fun because Hello! Project videos are just so random. If you haven’t checked out one of Vee’s Literal Videos before, this one’s quite amusing as Goto Maki laments her lost balloon and Ishikawa Rika does “the pee dance” by a wall.

Hello! Project Nicknames Isilie-Style

By maiZe in Blogs, Hello Project on 2010/03/15

The Isilie-Nickname Guide (Itsumo Genki)

Anyone who reads Itsumo Genki likely knows the nicknames Isilie uses when refering to the members of Morning Musume. Have you ever wondered what names she has up her sleeve for members from the two other main groups of Hello! Project? Well, wonder no more! In this post she has complied a nickname guide which she will update as she comes up with new nicknames for the girls.

I love her reasoning for Yajima Maimi’s nickname. Reading it immediately made me think of Maimi in High King’s Cinderella\Complex. She definitely put her all into that dance. Meanwhile, I’m not fond of Natsuyaki Miyabi’s nickname… But that’s just the Miya fangirl in me talking. XD

Droppin’ Loads of Fresh Eyecandy

By CK♂ in AKB48, Blogs, Eyecandy, Hello Project, JPop on 2010/03/12

High Castle Sub Timber-Trees (Hello! Island)
The Eyes of Amina (Idol Eyes)
:3 (Hello!Blog)
~AKB48 shines~* as UTB cover♥girls, the truth about sediments & Mayuyu’s awesome shirt~! (モーニングBerryz…the morning after…..)

I think it is safe to say I am running out of clever titles for these eyecandy posts. No matter…lets get down to business, shall we?

We begin in the land of the Loli, AKA Hello! Island. Here Pata has a picspam of AKB48’s Aki Takajo, who amazingly is over the age of 18! I say that because I know the Hello! Island Team prefers girls a bit younger. But I guess they made an exception for the super-cute and youthful Akicha. Or maybe it was the excessive use of bikinis.

Miitan continues the theme of his blog focusing on the eyes of Sato Amina. He wonders if she is wearing contacts, and I see what he means. I have always thought Amina had the craziest eyes! In addition Miitan has posted some of the awesome photographs he took at the NY Anime Festival. I’m not sure how he got so close. My guess is that they saw his big camera and assumed he was a pro, LOL. Actually, he is!

Like me, PTom is getting a bit tired with the Mitsui Aika bashing. So he brings the ultimate form of retribution in the form of a cute picspam set! Tom was recently taken with how good Mittsi looks in a bikini. So much that it has him clamoring for a photobook. I see what he means. I always think of her as the “baby” Musume, but she is filling out that bikini quite well!

MB brings it all together with a showcase of the new issue of UTB. I love this magazine so much! The cover features a few members of AKB wearing some crazy shirts. It isn’t so much that they have Engrish phrases, it is more the color schemes and pics that are awesome. Especially Mayuyu…you gotta love that shirt! The rest of the mag features Kashiwagi Yuki getting a bit kinky, S/mileage looking pure, Kitahara Rie playing sad and Maimi as the cutest snowbunny you have ever seen! Oh, and if you are reading this MB…I got Set A!

Enjoy the “kawaii”!

The Top H!P Songlist…As Voted By You

By CK♂ in Blogs, Hello Project on 2010/03/11

Fans’ Top H!p Songs Poll: Results Part 1 (Bikkuri Project)
Fans’ Top H!p Songs Poll: Results Part 2

You remember Celestia’s Top 100 H!P song collection, right? It did win IW’s Best Series Award for 2009. In that spirit Celestial decided to give the readers a vote, and put together a video of the fans’ Top 40 H!P songs. It wasn’t shocking that Morning Musume dominated the top end of the list, and most of the recent singles ranked pretty high. But there are a few surprises along the way. One of the biggest “WTF’s” to me is what ranked at the top. I thought everyone was tired of that song?

In addition to the Top 40 videos, Celestia breaks down all the songs that were voted for. This had me thinking “damn, I forgot about that one!” quite a few times. A big thanks to Celestia for taking on such a big project!

Have °C-ute Lost Their Way???

By CK♂ in Blogs, Hello Project, Noteworthy on 2010/03/11

°C-ute – Shocking 5 (Sora to Kujira)
Shocking 5 ~ Album review (Jiriri Kiteru)
C-ute – Shocking 5 (Tasuki Daisuki Blog)
C-ute – Shocking 5 (Selective Hearing)

The new album from C-ute has been out for a little while now. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that I haven’t seen/heard too much scuttlebutt over the new tracks. After reading the following reviews I am beginning to understand why. But if you are still wondering if you should hit the purchase button on your own shopping cart, here are a few opinions for your review…

Suffice it to say the new 5-nin version is not working for Jin, who has been disappointed with C-ute’s latest single releases. So there is one strike. As far as the new material Jin finds one song worthy of mention. But the rest of the CD is given the seal of “disaster”, making me wonder if the 2 1/2 star rating was a bit too generous.

Arche-JoIyO has been reading a lot of negative reviews, but wonders if the Cd could really be “that bad”. She rates each song individually, the final judgement being if the song makes it onto the Ipod (hehe). I won’t give away how many songs made the cut, but overall she finds the album enjoyable. At this point I’ll take “enjoyable” as the ultimate victory.

TD wonders if this album represents the group’s search for a new identity. If you think about it, MoMusu, Berryz and Manoeri definitely have a consistent style (more or less). But what about C-ute? They seem to be all over the map lately. And while she sees this effort as a bit “premature”, she appreciates the attempt to mature as a group.

Finally Greg is disappointed with the group he once said “gets the best songs in H!P”. Perhaps this is an aberration. Echoing Tasuki Daisuki, it could be that Tsunku is experimenting with a new dynamic. If it doesn’t work, then back to the drawing board I guess.

I feel badly for C-ute, as it seems they haven’t yet recovered from the loss of Erika and Kanna. I know they weren’t the front members of the group, but they were as much a part of the family dynamic as anyone. Unlike some of these reviewers I have actually liked their recent singles, so perhaps I would give a more favorable review than these. But the general consensus seems to be consistent across the board.

The good news is that like the bad haircut I recently got, nothing is permanent! Tsunku and the girls can always follow this up with something new and different, and then everyone will declare C-ute to be awesome all over again. And one other thing…

If this doesn’t speak to the benefit of adding new members, I don’t know what does!

Pure Idol Heart Is a New Idol News Blog

By maiZe in AKB48, Blogs, Hello Project, New Blogs on 2010/03/11

Pure Idol Heart

Pure Idol Heart is a new idol news group blog, but with familiar names behind the scenes. For those of you who used to read Hello Non-Pro Hour, Gaki is back, and HNPH owner, Jinryuichi, should be making his presence known on the blog as well. They, along with a 3rd contributor, Xacur, will be striving to bring their readers the latest news on the Japanese and Asian female idol industry. It looks like we’ve got another good source for idol information available to us! It’s definitely a blog to check out.

Cake Day Picspam from Aitakatta!

By johpan in AKB48, Cake Day 2010, Eyecandy on 2010/03/19

Happy Cake Day IW!!! (Aitakatta!)

Recommended Oogling. Cat celebrates IW’s 3rd birthday with some quality picspam! There’s someone for everyone in this collection: from front girls Acchan and Jurina, to the Watarirouka Hashiritai lolis in bikinis, to tomotomo in bikinis, and Yuko cosplaying as Avril Lavigne. There’s more within but I don’t want to spoil it for you! Check out the spam and Cat’s commentary for yourself! Did I mention bikinis because those AKB girls know how to fill them…

Droppin’ Loads of Fresh Eyecandy

By CK♂ in AKB48, Blogs, Eyecandy, Hello Project, JPop on 2010/03/12

High Castle Sub Timber-Trees (Hello! Island)
The Eyes of Amina (Idol Eyes)
:3 (Hello!Blog)
~AKB48 shines~* as UTB cover♥girls, the truth about sediments & Mayuyu’s awesome shirt~! (モーニングBerryz…the morning after…..)

I think it is safe to say I am running out of clever titles for these eyecandy posts. No matter…lets get down to business, shall we?

We begin in the land of the Loli, AKA Hello! Island. Here Pata has a picspam of AKB48’s Aki Takajo, who amazingly is over the age of 18! I say that because I know the Hello! Island Team prefers girls a bit younger. But I guess they made an exception for the super-cute and youthful Akicha. Or maybe it was the excessive use of bikinis.

Miitan continues the theme of his blog focusing on the eyes of Sato Amina. He wonders if she is wearing contacts, and I see what he means. I have always thought Amina had the craziest eyes! In addition Miitan has posted some of the awesome photographs he took at the NY Anime Festival. I’m not sure how he got so close. My guess is that they saw his big camera and assumed he was a pro, LOL. Actually, he is!

Like me, PTom is getting a bit tired with the Mitsui Aika bashing. So he brings the ultimate form of retribution in the form of a cute picspam set! Tom was recently taken with how good Mittsi looks in a bikini. So much that it has him clamoring for a photobook. I see what he means. I always think of her as the “baby” Musume, but she is filling out that bikini quite well!

MB brings it all together with a showcase of the new issue of UTB. I love this magazine so much! The cover features a few members of AKB wearing some crazy shirts. It isn’t so much that they have Engrish phrases, it is more the color schemes and pics that are awesome. Especially Mayuyu…you gotta love that shirt! The rest of the mag features Kashiwagi Yuki getting a bit kinky, S/mileage looking pure, Kitahara Rie playing sad and Maimi as the cutest snowbunny you have ever seen! Oh, and if you are reading this MB…I got Set A!

Enjoy the “kawaii”!

Wanna Play ‘Jan-Ken-Pon’ With AKB?

By CK♂ in AKB48, Blogs on 2010/03/12

GAME (The Ultimate Idols)

I never thought I would want to make idols cry until I tried this. J has a link to the Universal Studios Japan website, which is currently featuring the classic Jan-Ken-Pon game. But the coolest part? You are playing against a bunch of AKB48 idols. If you want to check out what it looks like, J has also embedded a YouTube clip of the game in action.

Although it obviously gets repetitive, the game is quite addicting. I couldn’t stop until I beat Kasai and Takamina. And I don’t think I ever beat Chiichan! It takes a couple minutes to load up, but after that the game runs smoothly. At least it does on my PC. So thank you J for turning us on to this fun site!

Queen & Elizabeth PV Has AKB Fans Buzzing

By CK♂ in AKB48, Blogs on 2010/03/11

[LOOOVEEE WAAAAARRSSSS] (AKB48 Journal)
Love Wars PV! (no akb no life)
Queen & Elizabeth – Love Wars PV (IXA Ready – Fist On!)

Fabulous…Fantastic…Awesome! These are the adjectives these bloggers used to describe the upcoming single and PV from new AKB48 sub-unit Queen & Elizabeth. If you don’t know them, Q&E are actually AKB48’s Itano Tomomi and Kasai Tomomi. And the song is in support of the popular TV series Kamen Rider Double, which TomoxTomo have been appearing on as recurring characters. This team teamed up last year with Miyazaki Miho for a unit called Nattou Angels, which also had a cute and catchy song. But this one, woah! It just blows me away!

The only bummer is that Q&E is apparently a “one shot” unit. Awwww, too bad. Perhaps we can all convince AkiP to rethink that one.

Pure Idol Heart Is a New Idol News Blog

By maiZe in AKB48, Blogs, Hello Project, New Blogs on 2010/03/11

Pure Idol Heart

Pure Idol Heart is a new idol news group blog, but with familiar names behind the scenes. For those of you who used to read Hello Non-Pro Hour, Gaki is back, and HNPH owner, Jinryuichi, should be making his presence known on the blog as well. They, along with a 3rd contributor, Xacur, will be striving to bring their readers the latest news on the Japanese and Asian female idol industry. It looks like we’ve got another good source for idol information available to us! It’s definitely a blog to check out.

At the End of the Day, it’s All Eyecandy To Me

By CK♂ in AKB48, Blogs, Eyecandy, Hello Project, New Blogs on 2010/03/02

MA・YU・YU (いただきまゆゆ!)
Matsui & Matsui (The Ultimate Idols)
Future rock ‘n’ roll stars (Berryz Kobo International)

Let’s get some eyecandy going in this house, eh?

Today we lead off with a brand new site from Wendychi, Yayyy! And what a surprise, her new worship site is dedicated to none other than AKB48’s Team B cyborg Watanabe Mayu (AKA Mayuyu). In honor of her new blog, Wendychi has posted Mayuyu’s bio, as well as a huge selection of Mayu pics and YT videos. Mayu keeps quite busy with her AKB duties, as well as her lead position with Watarirouka Hashirtai. So I’m sure Wendy will have plenty of material to fill the site with. Anyway, we need more worship blogs!

J has posted a selection of Matsui Jurina and Matsui Rena pics from a recent issue of Memew magazine. I’m sure you know Jurina as she is the face of SKE48. But Rena is surely “second in command”. And after her turn as the evil and demented Gekikara on Majisuka Gakuen, she is a force to be reckoned with. That and the fact that she is as cute as hell!

Last but definitely not least are the girls from Buono! with their electric guitars and drum kit. Miya’s Fender bass looks exactly like mo own. I can never get enough of Momo with that Union Jack shirt! And Airi? That hairstyle just speaks rock n’ roll! As Zush states, the next step is to learn and play your instruments. Have the girls been practicing? Well then, I am looking forward to Airi’s Van Halen-esque guitar solo during the next tour!

How cool would that be?!?!

In Tribute to the Original Team K

By CK♂ in AKB48, Blogs, Noteworthy on 2010/03/02

K thx bai (no akb no life)
Goodbye Team K. (MELOS no Michi)

You may or may not be aware that AKB48’s Team K did their final performance of their 5th stage ‘Saka Agari’ on February 21st. The show marked the end of the original K lineup and the beginning of the AKB48 Team shuffles that were announced last summer. The end of the original Team A and Team B are soon to follow, although no official dates have been announced as of yet. Here we have two tributes…the first one by Xyish of “team no akb no life” Xyish has a great deal of the senshuuraku LOD in the form of snippet videos. There’s tears, laughter and plenty of memorable moments to catch. No question, it’s a must-watch performance.

Melos also has a review of the senshuuraku. In addition he has a translation of Ohori Megumi’s post-show messages that she blogged the day after the performance. I’m sure this was especially emotional for Meetan (and Nonti for that matter) since this also marked their “graduation” to full time members of SDN. I’ll leave you with an especially touching quote from Melos that I think says it all…

“Team K will always be remembered by me and I’m sure many others as the greatest, strongest, most united and most loving Team ever. Nothing can ever replace the old Team K. Rest in peace.”

MB Discovers AKB While Anni Finds Idoling!!!

By CK♂ in AKB48, Blogs, Pop Idols on 2010/03/02

～ＡＫＢ48 「桜の栞」Idol Heaven~* in a Jewel Case (モーニングBerryz…the morning after…..)
Idoling!!! (アイドリング!!!, Aidoringu!!!) (Kira Kira Anni)

They said it wasn’t possible. As wide-ranged as MB’s J-music interests are, she had never made the leap over to the “dark side”known as AKB. That all changed as a result of a cute pictorial of Watarirouka Hashirtai in a recent issue of UTB. This prompted her to take the next step and order copies of Sakura no Shiori. Hmmm, I guess we are now getting a clue where the 300,000+ copies went. MB is loving the new single package, and gives an adoring review full of screencaps and PV samples. Careful MB, next thing you know you’ll be collecting BLTs (not the sandwich!) and flittering around Ameba Pigg looking for Tomochin!

Meanwhile Anni has a discovery of her own, in the form of Idoling!!! Oh yes, I can feel the Idoling!!! momentum gaining strength. Pretty soon they will be the one’s with the #1 single!!! Anni picks some of her favorite PVs for you to check out. And what a coincidence, the first one on her list is the same PV that got me hooked too! In addition she picks 9 members that have caught her eye. Asahi Nao is awesome, I love her too. But no Yazawa??? That proves that Anni must be a female. Erika is definitely a guys’ kind of idol!

名古屋48 (AKA Nagoya48) is a Matsui Jurina Blog Translation

By CK♂ in AKB48, New Blogs on 2010/02/28

Are you interested in the day to day trials and tribulations of a 12-year old idol phenom? If so this is the blog for you. Jurina has been making a name for herself not only with SKE48, but with her appearances all over AKB48’s singles and television programs. Who could forget the cover and PV of AKB48’s Oogoe Diamond single, right? More recently she made a brief but eerie appearance on the drama Majisuka Gakuen.

It’s your usual idol fare. Posts about team events, her fellow groupmates and of course FOOD! Damn I wish I had an idol’s metabolism!!! So check out the site to learn more about the face of AKB/SKE’s future!

Idol Eyes is a New Blog About AKB…or Will it be H!P?

By CK♂ in AKB48, Hello Project, New Blogs on 2010/02/27

Welcome! (Idol Eyes)
Who is Kanakana? (Idol Eyes)

Idol Eyes…great name! This brand spanking new site is brought to us by Miitan48, who I know from frequenting Stage 48’s forum and chat. But if you thought this was going to strictly be an AKB site, guess again.

Miitan leads off with an quick homage to Berryz Kobo’s Maasa Sudo. I knew this guy was cool! Maybe I should introduce him to Dran from The Church of Maasa, eh? And if you really want to see an exercise in kawaii then check the second post, which is an introduction to SKE48’s super-cute Hiramatsu Kanako (aka Kanakana). Kanakana has been making a name for herself with great appearances on AKBingo! and SKE concert DVD’s, now she makes her debut on Miitan’s blog. She kind of has a S/mileage/Fukuda/Yuuka vibe going for her too. So definitely check that one out.

Great to see you blogging Miitan, I am looking forward to future posts!

The Troublemakers Get Mixed Reviews

By maiZe in Blogs, Johnny's on 2010/03/16

~ARASHI 「Troublemaker」 First 2X winner of The Maochan♥ award~ ー(*￣Ｏ￣)ノ (モーニングBerryz…the morning after…..)
ARASHI – Troublemaker (No Music No Life)
ARASHI – Mou Ippo (One Step) (Troublemaker’s B-side)

Anyone who follows the Oricon charts knows that Arashi’s latest single Troublemaker sold very well in its first week. But how did kind of reviews did it get from bloggers?

Anyone who knows MorningBerryz knows she’s a diehard Arashi fan, and her enthusiasm for the group is not dampened at all with this release. She loves everything about the single – from the PV (stating it to be one of Arashi’s best), to the b-sides. She loved it so much it got a double Maochan award, the first time in MB’s blog’s history. I think that’s her very subtle (ha!) way of showing her appreciation for the single.

On the other end of the spectrum, Karen of No Music No Life was less than pleased with Arashi’s latest venture. Giving the A-side and first B-side a listen, she was disappointed to find that both songs bored her as she found that Arashi was being too “safe” in their musical style. Luckily, upon listening to the second B-side, only available on the regular edition of the single, she found a saving grace to an otherwise lackluster release.

It’s Time to Rank the Guys

By maiZe in Blogs, Johnny's on 2010/01/06

BEST OF 2009: JOHNNY’S STYLE! (J-Excite)

“Best of” year rankers of all sorts pop up at the end/start of every year. Hello! Project rankers show up on almost every H!P blog (I actually need to get working on my own rankings). However, Misa is calling out all Johnny’s fans to share the best of 2009 with a Johnny’s twist. She gives a list of categories to help get you started. Share your answers on your own blog or in the comments of her post. She’s got a lot of responses in the comments already, but I think I only saw 1 or 2 blog links… Maybe this should be a call for more Johnny’s fans to start up some blogs. ^_^

Music Station Super Live Looking to be Promising

By Murr in Avex Trax, Blogs, Concerts, JPop, Johnny's, Pop Idols on 2009/12/20

Random Squee Post about MSSL 2009 (Raid My Minibar)

Looking at this list makes me want to squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee in delight too! Of course, the lack of some artists *coughMMcough* makes me a bit sad but overall, I’m just so happy! Arashi! Kanjani8! Ikimonogakari! And so many more artists are performing that it’s sure to be something amazing. Airing on Christmas Day, I’m sure this will a nice present for me to watch later after all the family activities have tired me out. :3

The Final Performances of the Year are Starting…

By Murr in Eyecandy, JPop, Johnny's on 2009/12/20

Best Artist 2009 (aramatheydidnt)

aramatheydidnt@livejournal links us to the performances that happened the other night on Best Artist 2009, one of Japan’s many year end shows that feature the best selling artists of the preceding year. As always, I’m impressed by the music that these artists continue to produce. My recommended performances are ayaka’s and both of Arashi’s. They made me very happy.

With the End of the Year Come End of the Year Rankers

By CK♂ in Blogs, JPop, Johnny's, Pop Idols, Recommended on 2009/12/10

My Pick!: Top JPop songs of 2009 (Favorites Edition) (Raid My Minibar)
My Pick!: Top JPop songs of 2009 (Rank 11th to 20th)

I remember Raid’s picks from last year and how ecstatic I was that Koharu took 1st place. I am remembering that correctly aren’t I? (Koharu, BAWWWWWWWWW ;_;) In this years edition Raid has separated the ranker into three parts. The first section is dedicated to his favorite artists Hirai Ken, AAA and Big Bang. There is a small commentary for each entry, and Raid highly suggests checking these songs out. So go for it! As a special bonus he has linked each song at the bottom for your sampling pleasure.

The second post features…everyone else. For the H!P faithful there is one entry here. Sadly it is the only one that made the list. But there are plenty of JE boys to check out. Actually it is a nice mix from some of the leading J-pop artists. And again, Raid blesses us with access to all the singles. I have been holding out posting this waiting for Raid’s Top 10. But he has kept me in suspense for too long. (Dammit Raid!) What I have always liked about Raid’s rankers is he takes a refreshingly objective look at each song. That and his unique brand of snark.

Now I will just continue to wait for his Top 10! (CK taps foot)

Celestia Ends One Top 100 and Starts Another

By maiZe in Blogs, Hello Project, JPop, Johnny's on 2009/12/05

Hello Project Top 100 Songs: Part 9 (Bikkuri Project)
Hello Project Top 100 Songs: Part 10 (FINAL!)
Top 100 Johnny’s Songs: Part 1 (KAT-TUN 2 Me)

Celestia has completed her top 100 Hello! Project songs series. I am seriously in awe of her for being able to rank her top 100 songs. I have a hard enough time trying to rank my favourite singles by individual group. Though, I have to say that her #1 H!P song is in my top 3 H!P songs… Unfortunately, I’m not sure what the order of my top 3 songs is. XD

And with the completion of her Hello! Project project (har har), she’s begun the male equivalent countdown over at KAT-TUN 2 Me – Part 1 of her top 100 Johnny’s songs. If you’re like me and haven’t followed Johnny’s acts at all, this could be a good intro into the “better” songs of their empire (of course, all personal rankings are very subjective).

J-EXCITE is All Johnny’s, All the Time

By CK♂ in Blogs, Johnny's, Noteworthy on 2009/11/30

jexcitebanner There is a new blog in town. Part metablog, part opinion site. But all hawt Johnny’s guys for tons of JE fun!!! (CK checks his masculinity at the door for a minute)

The site is run by Misa and Murr, and has been going strong for two months. I know Misa and Murr, which means I can assure you there will be plenty of NEWS and Kanjani 8 reports, as well as plenty of videos and eyecandy from the male idol world. The site also functions similarly to the way we do here at IW. So if you have a JE blog that J-EXCITE doesn’t know about, I’m sure they would love to hear from you.

So let’s give a warm welcome to the girls and their relatively new site. Judging by the demand for Arashi tickets these days, I am sure there are plenty of fans that would love a site like this. Personally I don’t know a Yamapi from a Massu but who knows? Reading this site perhaps I’ll be able to find the true “fangirl” in me!

Kurayami Monogatari Reviews NEWS’ Color

By misa in Blogs, Johnny's on 2009/11/26

NEWS – Color (Kurayami Monogatari)

Solarblade over at Kurayami Monogatari takes a shot at reviewing NEWS’ third album, Color. When I asked him to review this I wasn’t expecting him to, and I definitely was not expecting him to like it. There’s a few songs on the album that aren’t to his tastes, but his overall opinion on the album is positive, and that is amazing to me.

When this album came out I was still pretty new to NEWS, other than my obvious choice of a favorite I didn’t really know who to like, and why I should like them, and yet I still decided which tracks I liked on the album based on who my favorites were at that time. It really is a breath of fresh air to read a review by someone who doesn’t know the group at all; no bias towards songs based on who he likes the most, it was certainly interesting to see which tracks came up on top.

I was really, really glad to see that he liked Ordinary, which was probably the only track on the album I didn’t like because of the song, and not just the person singing it. However, I’ve really grown to like it recently and its now one of my highest played songs on itunes. I laughed that he doesn’t like Summer Time–It’s bubblegum pop as it comes and it just doesn’t suit guys at all, so it’s obvious that it wouldn’t be to everyones tastes.

Like I said, I’m really glad the overall opinion on this album is positive. Hopefully at least one more person checked out the album because of this review.

Yamapi’s Moving Up in the World

By Murr in JPop, Johnny's on 2009/09/28

Tomohisa Yamashita’s first solo concerts (Tokyograph)

Looks like Yamapi’s got some new work for him. With the recent speculation of NEWS breaking up, I’m not surprised that Yamapi is being more promoted by the agency, but for him to have solo concerts?! And especially when he’s only released one single for the opening of a drama (even though it sold really well), what would he do at these concerts? I guess that one and the one he’s set to release soon, but I’m still confused as to why him and not someone else…

A Look at V6’s GUILTY

By solo-kun in Blogs, JPop, Johnny's on 2009/09/12

V6 – GUILTY [36th Single] (Amai Wana)

A review of GUILTY, V6’s latest single, amaiyume is liking the prettiness of the title track. Described as a mix of “smooth” and “catchy,” the song also brings along some interesting pop and rap styles to round things out. The B side also gave a nice ring to amaiyume’s ears, as she makes note of the great sounding vocals of this slower moving song. The two additional tracks made available with the regular edition however, didn’t really do much for amaiyume. The first is low energy with a distracting instrumental, while the second offers a different mix of sound but not much else; in the end they just aren’t memorable. Overall, amaiyume gives this release a pretty decent grade, but there was nothing about it that really stood out as one may have observed in previous releases.

Hey, Senpai! Is A Blog Here to Help

By maiZe in Blogs, Hello Project, JPop, New Blogs, Pop Idols, TNX on 2010/03/01

Hey, Senpai! is a new idol focused blog, less than a month old. It’s quite an interesting blog as their about page outlines their mission:

Our goals are twofold: to provide fans with hard-to-find information such as Mixi and song download rankings, and to assist fans in using Japanese resources to show support for a group or individual.

In addition to a Mixi FAQ (prior to this, I didn’t know much of anything about Mixi), they also have a tutorial on how to create your own Ameba blog. And of course, they also provide a healthy dose of current idol news (as well as a blogroll of official H!P, TNX, Idoling!!!, etc. blogs and twitter accounts).

It looks like this site will grow to become a good souce of idol information. I look forward to seeing what else they have in store for us.

Tokito Ami recognized as Idol of the Week. Glorious Eyecandy follows.

By johpan in Eyecandy, TNX on 2010/02/11

Idol of the Week: Ami Tokito (Japanator)

Dale North of Japanator has started an “Idol of the Week” series and is already on week 10. While focusing primarily on gravure idol as opposed to JPop idol, this post caught my eye since it features TNX’s Tokito Ami! The post also has a gallery of pictures for us to drool over featuring bikinis, etc.

Keep an eye out on this series for more eyecandy! I know I will.

Eri~na Leaves Canary Club and Akiyama Yurika Gets a Photobook

By broomhead in Blogs, News, TNX on 2009/06/01

Erina Hashiguchi leaves the nest of Canary Club (Tokyograph)
Akkyan 1st Solo Photobook (Miracle Sexy Dynamite)

Tokyograph reports that Hashiguchi Erina is graduating from Canary Club, but will also be remaining – arguably as a solo artist – with NICE GIRL Project.

mint as Miracle Sexy Dynamite lets everyone know that Akiyama Yurika of THE Possible will have a photobook released on June 25.

THE Possible to Appear Live at Ameba

By CK♂ in Media Site, News, TNX on 2009/06/01

THE Possible on Ameba Studio (Miracle Sexy Dynamite)

Juju reports that three members of THE Possible will be broadcasting live at Ameba Studio this Saturday. And of course it will be streaming live via the Ameba web site. She has posted a link and the local U.S./Canada start times for those of you who are “timeline challenged”.

I sometimes watch these Ameba interviews, but for some reason my PC freezes a lot during the show. Oh well, I am glad to see the NGP machine chugging along. And I think it’s about time for a new THE Possible single, ne?

Miracle Sexy Dynamite Reports on an NGP Single and Anime Tie-in

By CK♂ in Blogs, TNX on 2009/06/01

Ogawa Mana’s new anime voice role, opening/ending single (Miracle Sexy Dynamite)

Juju has all of the particulars on the new anime series starring Mana Ogawa. The series is called Gokujou!! Mecha Mote Iinchou and debuted this past weekend on TV Tokyo. She also has previews of the associated songs, which were performed by members of NICE GIRL project although we do not yet know which members were part of the single. I really like that first song, especially with that “Irish Traditional” sounding guitar lick on the intro. The second track sounds very R&B. And reminds me a lot of MiniMoni’s Crazy About You.

Miracle Sexy Dynamite is a New TNX/NICE GIRL Project Blog

By CK♂ in Blogs, Recommended, TNX on 2009/06/01

Miracle Sexy Dynamite

It’s about time someone started a blog dedicated to Tsunku’s NGP girls. Juju from Melody Life has taken on that task. Everything you have ever wanted to know about Canaria Club, THE Possible, Tokito Ami and the dreaded Nice Girl Myu!

The most recent posts are reports on a new Canary Club radio show, and a regular NGP television program which begins broadcasting on satellite in April. Plus Juju also plans on keeping us updated on all of the latest TNX/NGP releases. So go ahead and update your feedreader!

Merry Go Round has H!P 2008 Awards Results

By misa in Blogs, Hello Project, Recommended, TNX on 2009/06/01

2008 H!P/TNX Awards Results

Amy of Merry Go Round has posted the results of the 2008 H!P and TNX release poll she did, and I can say I’m not very surprised at the results. Niigaki definitely deserved her no.1 positions, because she is definitely the hottest idol of 2008, however I disagree with Monkey Dance being the wost PV. That’s just my opinion, isn’t it? Anyways, its interesting to see how this turned out. I think Erika’s hotter than people are giving her credit for! But being one who voted against Miki Korenaga, I’m not surprised she was tied with Erika for ugliest. Great poll, Amy!

Ai no ENERGY is Possibly a New Blog by a Nice Girl

By Amy in Blogs, TNX on 2009/06/01

Roselinde of Hello!°C-ute has had a new blog since December dedicated to news about Nice Girl! Project and THE Possible. She’s got a couple informative posts up about various artists under TNX, including downloads, magazines, and tracklists! If you enjoy Hello!°C-ute’s news reporting style and are looking for some about TNX, this is the place to head to!

Melody Life is a New Jmusic Blog

By Nicole in Blogs, Hello Project, Recommended, TNX on 2009/06/01

Recommended reading. To those of you who frequent #wotachat, Juju (otherwise known as Mint) needs no introduction, but for the rest of you silly bloggers who have no idea who Juju is or why she’s awesome… consider this your first lesson in, uh, badassery. Melody Life will probably focus on Juju’s main jmusic interests, which include Hello! Project, TNX, and (as I’m guessing from the banner) Perfume, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see her venture into other areas as time goes on. Having known Juju personally for quite some time, I’m fully confident that she’ll become one of IW’s favorite bloggers. … no pressure, right?

[Blogs] Some Love for THE Possible’s Latest PV

By CK♂ in Blogs, TNX on 2009/01/04

Getting into THE Possible – a newbies standpoint of Shiawase no Katachi (H!P Fangirling like Nobody’s Business)
Shiawase no Kitachi PV (Tricia’s H!P and TNX Blog)

I really like THE Possible. Although personally I haven’t loved their last two singles. But their latest, Shiawase no Katachi, is really impressive, and a change of pace from their usual material…

MaiMai had been sort of “lukewarm” on the group. But she really likes this single, which she compares to Morning Musume’s I Wish. And with WikiTHEPPN down, it has her clamoring around the internet looking for more info on the members.

Tricia gives the PV five stars and declares THE Possible to now be “officially awesome”! Both have included the PV in their posts. So if you haven’t given Nice Girl Project a good listen yet, this might be a good starting point.

Time For Cake Day Pink Wota Style

By maiZe in Avex Trax, Blogs, Cake Day 2010 on 2010/03/18

[Cake Day Symphony] Part 1: BAKE FOR ABSOLUTION (Pink Wota)
[Cake Day Symphony] Part Two: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL CIRCAKE

Vee at Pink Wota makes Cake Day epic. Last year’s Yuke Yuke Monkey Cake was awesome, and this year, she has 2 Cake Day posts to share. The first is filled with cupcakes dedicated to a band which has nothing to do with J-music… But the original idea involved idols (though it wasn’t supposed to be for IW’s cake day… But that’s not the point). The point of this first post (for me at least) is the awesome Muse vs. SNSD photo near the end of the post (and the cupcakes of course, cause they look tasty)! Her narrative throughout the making of these cupcakes is awesome to read through.

Cake Day Part 2 gets to the true IW Cake Day celebration as Vee makes another amazing cake to celebrate with us! You really have to check it out. This year, we are treated to her “making of” videos – now I’m really sad we missed out on the inside info of how the monkey cake was made last year. I just have to say that Vee’s dad is so awesome!

A double dose of recommended eating!

What Do Ayumi Hamasaki and Mick Jagger Have in Common?

By CK♂ in Avex Trax, Blogs on 2010/02/23

Give Ayu Shelter (Pink Wota)

With the announcement of Ayu’s 2010 concert tour, Vee doesn’t fail to notice the “humor” in the tour’s chosen title. Rock n’ Roll Circus? Where have I heard that before?

Yes Vee, the 1968 super-concert was the first thing I thought of as well. I even named one of my personal blog posts after The Who’s performance in that show. But back to Ayu, apparently she is getting in touch with her rock n’ roll roots. 60’s Brit rock to be precise. And it is no coincidence that Ayu has recorded in the same London studio as the Rolling Stones. All of this news has Vee excited about the tour and possible forthcoming album, which by every indication is going to rock!

Goto Maki’s Mother Has Died

By maiZe in Avex Trax, Blogs, Noteworthy on 2010/01/24

Goto Maki’s mother passed away: Goto Tokiko (55) (Hello! Online)

The mother of Goto Maki, a former member of Morning Musume and current Avex artist, has passed away. Goto Tokiko died after falling from a third storey window and suffering severe head injury. Hello! Online has more information on the situation, news clips and reactions from some former Hello! Project members.

My deepest condolences go out to Maki and her family as they deal with this terrible tragedy.

The Pink Wota Longs For The Ayu of Old

By maiZe in Avex Trax, Blogs, JPop on 2010/01/19

[Article] The Empress Has No Voice (Pink Wota)

Vee takes a retrospective and emotionally charged look at the Hamasaki Ayumi of 2002 and finds that today’s version is just not living up to the Ayumi of old. Style seems to be beating out the substance in Ayu’s latest performances, and it’s breaking Vee’s heart.

Ayumi has been a staple on the Japanese pop scene for so many years, and while fans would obviously wish that she could keep up the same level of intensity she had in years past, it may not be a feasible wish. Vee says she will continue to support Ayu as she moves forward, but she puts forth a heartfelt plea which speaks for itself:

Give me a good concert again, Ayumi, or refuse to put yourself in the position of ridicule.

Aw, They’re So Cute!

By Murr in Avex Trax, JPop, Pop Idols on 2010/01/01

NEW AVEX IDOL GROUP TOKYO GIRL’S STYLE (aramatheydidn’t)

Do we really need a new idol girl group in Japan? Well, apparently the head honchos over at Avex Trax thought that we needed another one to spend our money on. Over at aramatheydidn’t, you can see the fresh new faces of TOKYO GIRL STYLE. All of them. Avex Trax had only planned to release the face of one girl a day, but that obviously failed. Yay for leaking! (That sounds strange…) They’re cute, I’ll give them that. But I still want to hear what they sound like.

Yajima Biyoushitsu to Get a Movie!

By Murr in Avex Trax, Blogs, JPop, Movies on 2009/12/25

Yajima Biyoshitsu gets a movie (Tokyograph)

If you don’t who Yajima Biyoshitsu is, here are their three singles. Yajima Biyoshitsu makes really good music! Formed last summer, this trio of woman is formed by the comedian duo Tunnels and DJ OZMA. And their movie that comes out next spring is supposed to be the group’s history before they debuted under avex and made their CD debut in October 2008 with the single “Nihon no Mikata – Nevada Kara Kimashita,” which charted at #3 in its opening week. They released two more singles this year, reaching #5 and #9 on the sales charts.

Music Station Super Live Looking to be Promising

By Murr in Avex Trax, Blogs, Concerts, JPop, Johnny's, Pop Idols on 2009/12/20

Random Squee Post about MSSL 2009 (Raid My Minibar)

Looking at this list makes me want to squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee in delight too! Of course, the lack of some artists *coughMMcough* makes me a bit sad but overall, I’m just so happy! Arashi! Kanjani8! Ikimonogakari! And so many more artists are performing that it’s sure to be something amazing. Airing on Christmas Day, I’m sure this will a nice present for me to watch later after all the family activities have tired me out. :3

Vee Reviews Ayumi’s New PVs In Real Time

By Wendy in Avex Trax, Blogs on 2009/12/14

[Review] REAL TIME PV WHAT, I DON’T EVEN. WOWEE. (Pink Wota)
[Review] Real Time PV Review: ‘BALLAD’

As you may or may not know, Hamasaki Ayumi is releasing a new single later this month called You were…/BALLAD. Vee of Pink Wota is a big Ayu fan, so she’s done real-time reviews for this single’s PVs. Both PVs are really… um, interesting. On the bright side, it makes for great commentary!

First we have You were…’s PV. Wow, this PV is… an experience, to say the least. It’s one of those things you can’t even begin to grasp unless you watch it (and even then, you’ll be WTF’ing all over the place). There’s Ayumi looking pretty, a glove bear, terrifying glowing people things, explosions, and light-up dresses. And if you didn’t know, this song is a ballad. A really nice ballad, too, which just makes this PV even more bizarre than it is on it’s own. What makes this even more amusing is Vee’s commentary. It’s mainly her being totally dumbfounded, which is completely understandable.

BALLAD, on the other hand, is actually quite nice. There are a few WTF moments. For example, the cats. I have no idea what they were thinking. But yeah, this PV is really pretty and heartbreaking overall. Even so, Vee manages to make multiple snarky jokes and comments that put a smile on my face.

Misono, It’s The Same Song, Only Different

By solo-kun in Avex Trax, Blogs, JPop on 2009/12/05

misono – Watashi Iro/Bokura Style (Kurayami Monogatari)
misono – Watashi Iro / Bokura Style (Beyond the Sea)

Avex seems to be having fun with the reusing of the melody in their artists releases as of late. Misono’s latest single, Watashi Iro/Bokura Style follows this little pattern and meets with some interesting reviews.

Solarblade of Kurayami Monogatari has overall been enjoying misono’s releases during the latter part of this year, and this one’s no exception. Though misono’s trademark “screaming” is found throughout the single, Solarblade believes that the general quality of the songs are on the good side.

Beyond the Sea has perhaps a more positive review of the single, with Lex pointing out that “misono hasn’t been sucking lately.” That’s good right? Bokura Style stands out with its more energetic style, but Lex makes mention that both are unique enough that they might appeal, depending on what you like.

The -same song only different- thing might not be the best formula for misono, but we can hope for the new year, for more looking good and even less sucking.

Don’t Do As Infinity

By solo-kun in Avex Trax, Blogs, Rock on 2009/12/02

R.I.P. Do As Infinity (stylejapan)

Nice try Do As Infinity, but your comeback has failed. That’s the sense that I get from stylejapan’s look at the reunited J-Rock band anyway. With their latest single and their newest studio album, to say that Noah is a bit unimpressed with what the band has put together would be much of an understatement. What makes this an interesting read is not only snark and brutal honesty of the given opinion, but the fact that even with that, there is still some hope, no matter how faint, that they can produce something to dig them out of their musical grave. Whether or not you like what Do As Infinity has been releasing as of late, it’s always interesting to see it from a different perspective.

zush Calls in Risako to Help Celebrate Cake Day

By Murr in Blogs, Cake Day 2010, Hello Project, JPop on 2010/03/19

Kakkoii 3rd Anniversary International Wota! (Berryz Kobo International)

zush has late birthday greetings for our beloved IW! He seems to be amazed at the fact that blogs and the like seem to age just like people do, but he’s even more apologetic that his post is late. Don’t worry! All is accepted! Also included in the post is a lovely video from Risako herself, wishing IW a happy Cake Day (LIES). Isn’t that sweet~! After all, like zush said, “no Anniversary party is perfect if our sweetest sweetie is not there.”

To Follow or Not To Follow?

By Murr in Hello Project, JPop, Pop Idols on 2010/03/17

Official Morning Musume Twitter Account Opened (Hello!Sayunii)

That is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer following a twitter account that at the moment seems to be replete with updates from Sayumin’s blog only, or to take arms against such a thing and tweet-bomb the account with pleas of updates from our other dear Musume and by opposing, end them. To follow, to be bored — No more — and by bored to say that I just want more updates from the other members! If this weren’t to happen, the heartache that the thousands of wota would suffer. To follow, perchance to gain inside information, ay, there’s the rub. But for what it’s worth, I think you should follow them, because such things might happen. Have you seen what Tsunku’s been tweeting? Seriously.

Droppin’ Loads of Fresh Eyecandy

By CK♂ in AKB48, Blogs, Eyecandy, Hello Project, JPop on 2010/03/12

High Castle Sub Timber-Trees (Hello! Island)
The Eyes of Amina (Idol Eyes)
:3 (Hello!Blog)
~AKB48 shines~* as UTB cover♥girls, the truth about sediments & Mayuyu’s awesome shirt~! (モーニングBerryz…the morning after…..)

I think it is safe to say I am running out of clever titles for these eyecandy posts. No matter…lets get down to business, shall we?

We begin in the land of the Loli, AKA Hello! Island. Here Pata has a picspam of AKB48’s Aki Takajo, who amazingly is over the age of 18! I say that because I know the Hello! Island Team prefers girls a bit younger. But I guess they made an exception for the super-cute and youthful Akicha. Or maybe it was the excessive use of bikinis.

Miitan continues the theme of his blog focusing on the eyes of Sato Amina. He wonders if she is wearing contacts, and I see what he means. I have always thought Amina had the craziest eyes! In addition Miitan has posted some of the awesome photographs he took at the NY Anime Festival. I’m not sure how he got so close. My guess is that they saw his big camera and assumed he was a pro, LOL. Actually, he is!

Like me, PTom is getting a bit tired with the Mitsui Aika bashing. So he brings the ultimate form of retribution in the form of a cute picspam set! Tom was recently taken with how good Mittsi looks in a bikini. So much that it has him clamoring for a photobook. I see what he means. I always think of her as the “baby” Musume, but she is filling out that bikini quite well!

MB brings it all together with a showcase of the new issue of UTB. I love this magazine so much! The cover features a few members of AKB wearing some crazy shirts. It isn’t so much that they have Engrish phrases, it is more the color schemes and pics that are awesome. Especially Mayuyu…you gotta love that shirt! The rest of the mag features Kashiwagi Yuki getting a bit kinky, S/mileage looking pure, Kitahara Rie playing sad and Maimi as the cutest snowbunny you have ever seen! Oh, and if you are reading this MB…I got Set A!

Enjoy the “kawaii”!

A Lot Has Changed in a Year

By Murr in Blogs, Eyecandy, Hello Project, JPop on 2010/03/07

What happened and who are these people?!?! (Sweet Wind)

It’s been a long since Izze has paid any attention to the world of H!P, specifically C-ute, and boy, is she stunned by the changes that have happened. Have you noticed the changes? Which of these changes seems to stand out the most to you? Since I’ve kept track of H!P in the past year or so, the changes haven’t really been all that obvious to me, but now that those pictures are put side to side, I can see how drastic the changes might be to someone who… hasn’t been around for the past year. Take a look!

Showa Era Music is Quite Simply Awesome

By Murr in Blogs, JPop, Pop Idols on 2010/03/07

Yonasu’s 80’s J-POP Selections (yonasu.com)

Ever wonder what the Japanese pop music scene was like before all these artists who are famous now debuted? Was the music the same? Are they still singing about the same things? What did the fashion look like then?! Well, Yonasu has a great selection for us to listen to! I know I have some songs that I need to… come into possession of in some way or fashion >_>

Tsunku Produces Music for Artists Other Than H!P?!

By Murr in Blogs, Hello Project, JPop on 2010/03/05

Tsunku set to produce new IKKO single (Aramatheydidn’t)

Blasphemy! And they said it would never happen! How could you betray me like this, Tsunku!? I thou- Okay, I’m done with the dramatics. But I wonder how this will turn out. I enjoy his music… when it’s well written. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t sell better than anything H!P’s done.

Hangry & Angry To Embark On A European Tour

By maiZe in Blogs, Hello Project, JPop, Noteworthy, Pop Idols on 2010/03/05

Hangry and Angry European Tour Germany, Finland, England and France. (Hello!Online)
Hangry & Angry European Tour Confirmed!! (Hello!Blog)
Hangry & Angry in the UK (and Berlin, Paris & Helsinki) (Morningtime)
Shit just got real (Wotaku Now!)
Is this true? (Kakko-II.com)

4 concerts, 4 countries. Holy smokes… This coming May, Hangry & Angry are coming to a European city near you! The European Hello! Project bloggers are all over this news and plans are being made. Links to get tickets are in the posts and you can definitely feel the excitement building.

I love how Zush already has his ticket in hand… Looks like he needs to pinch himself to make sure he isn’t dreaming. I have to say I’m jealous. Yes, I did see Morning Musume at Anime Expo last year, but I had to fly to the other end of the continent to do so… What are the chances that some Hello! Project related act will make a trip to the northern neighbour of the US of A?

Moe~! Kayo is Moe~!

By Murr in Blogs, JPop on 2010/03/04

Toisu! (Conflict Productions)

Toisu! I wonder what that means. For Valentine’s Day, Siggy got what could possibly be the best V-day gift a fanboy could receive. And with news of POLYSICS going on hiatus and his favorite member breaking away from the band, it seemed that it could never happen. A chance meeting with your favorite artist!? Seriously, how many of us with our love of Japanese musicians even get a chance to be at their concerts?! And if it wasn’t for those lovely women he met while at the concert, it might’ve never happened. It sounds like Siggy went to an awesome concert, so check it out!

Rain + Pata = Idol Time!

By maiZe in Blogs, Hello Project, JPop, Pop Idols on 2010/03/03

The Idols You Can Meet: Ai Kago Edition (Delicious Cake Project)
Chasing Idols in the Rain

Some people wake up to the sound of rain and want nothing more than to burrow into their covers and not think about going outside… Pata, on the other hand, hears it raining and takes the rain as a sign of good fortune… It seems in Pata’s world, rain = a perfect day for J-idol chasing.

He missed out on meeting Morning Musume at Anime Expo – both autograph session days were beautifully sunny. However, he had the best of luck when AKB was in New York – it was raining… And just this past Saturday it was raining again, and who happened to be in town but Kago Ai.

He was able to attend two events and he explains them in detail in the second post. The first post has a video of her evening event, but what I loved most was his mall handshake event experience… I may have stopped paying close attention to what Kago’s been up to recently, but as a long time Hello! Project fan, I can definitely appreciate the awesomeness of having Kago do the “Kago-chan desu!” gag in person… That would be awesome to see.

Hey, Senpai! Is A Blog Here to Help

By maiZe in Blogs, Hello Project, JPop, New Blogs, Pop Idols, TNX on 2010/03/01

Hey, Senpai! is a new idol focused blog, less than a month old. It’s quite an interesting blog as their about page outlines their mission:

Our goals are twofold: to provide fans with hard-to-find information such as Mixi and song download rankings, and to assist fans in using Japanese resources to show support for a group or individual.

In addition to a Mixi FAQ (prior to this, I didn’t know much of anything about Mixi), they also have a tutorial on how to create your own Ameba blog. And of course, they also provide a healthy dose of current idol news (as well as a blogroll of official H!P, TNX, Idoling!!!, etc. blogs and twitter accounts).

It looks like this site will grow to become a good souce of idol information. I look forward to seeing what else they have in store for us.

Perfume’s Natural ni Koishite PV is now streaming!

By johpan in Fan Sites, Technopop on 2010/03/18

Natural ni Koishite PV Released! (Perfume City)

Meirin reports that Perfume’s latest single’s PV is up on TOKUMAJAPAN’s YouTube channel! Considering it’s been a year since we’ve heard a new single*, this is a very welcome bit of news on this fine Cake Day! It also justifies my pre-order. Yay Perfume for never failing me!

Anyway, check out this awesome new track by these lovely ladies!

*One Room Disco released in March 2009 while TRIANGLE released in July 2009

Some Upcoming Technopop Releases!

By Wendy in Blogs, News, Technopop on 2010/02/13

Perfume’s Valentines Gift to us: New Single Announced! (Perfume City)
NEW Perfume single!! (contemode LJ community)
New MEG Single Confirmed?
New Stuff In April, あいにいくよ (PlanetSAWA)

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve really been feeling the lack of contemode material lately. However, as you may or may not know, capsule has an album coming out soon (personally I am REALLY EXCITED). But where are Perfume and MEG? Well, the problem has been resolved. Perfume City and the contemode community on LiveJournal have information on Perfume’s new single set for April! Not much is known about it right now, though. The contemode community is also reporting on MEG’s new single, but there’s hardly any information on that either besides the fact that it’s coming out on April 21st.

SAWA, on the other hand, recently put out her Swimming Dancing mini-album (November isn’t really recent, but it’s MORE recent than contemode’s acts) so there’s not really a lack of her. Either way, you can never have too much SAWA! (Don’t bother arguing about that.) She has a new mini-album titled Ai ni Iku yo that’s set to be released on April 7th and we already have a preview and tracklist! There’s lots of info provided by BlackCheremy, so instead of me trying to summarize it all, I’d recommend just checking out the post itself.

I am SO excited for all of this. Perfume’s my favourite group, MEG’s my favourite solo singer, and I love SAWA! Her preview sounds really cute, too. Ah, April can’t get here fast enough!

Perfume City Has the Top Perfume Songs of 2009!

By Amy in Blogs, Fan Sites, JPop, Noteworthy, Pop Idols, Technopop on 2010/01/05

And the Best Perfume Song of 2009 is… (Perfume City)

Meirin over at Perfume City has the results for their recent poll asking readers what they thought the top Perfume song of the year was! I don’t want to spoil the top three, but I do want to mention that one of my favorite songs, the best thing, came in at #4! Either tons of Perfume fans have great taste or we’re all just crazy! I was surprised to realize that Perfume only released one single and one album this year, but I guess it’s good that they’re not flooding the market. Let’s hope that they release some more #1 singles ~~next~~ this year and continue their domination of the technopop industry!

2009’s Top 5… Disappointments?

By Wendy in Blogs, Hello Project, Noteworthy, Rants, Technopop on 2009/12/18

Top 5 disappointments of 2009 (Wotakular)

Brian over at Wotakular brings us a list rarely seen among all of the end-of-the-year blog posts: The WORST of 2009. I’ve mainly been seeing lists talking about the highlights of the year, so this interested me.

Number 5 is Kago Ai’s debut single, no hesitAtIon (I couldn’t figure out the capitalization for so long until I realized it’s A and I). Brian doesn’t like Kago but liked the song, so it was hard for him to come up with a definite opinion on the song. Number 4 is the lack of Perfume/the lack of good singles. They only released one single this year, One Room Disco, and Brian doesn’t like it very much. Number 3 is the flop that is Kimagure Princess. I have to agree with him on this one. After the past two singles, I can’t help but just feel a bit disturbed when I think of Kimagure Princess. Number 2 is, of course, Koharu’s graduation. It really was a shock and disappointment, wasn’t it? As for Brian’s number 1 disappointment, it seems pretty much every European fan was upset over this: Buono!’s concert in Sweden being canceled.

Sometimes it’s nice to read negative posts, and this one is full of humor. If you’re sick of seeing positive end-of-the-year lists, this post is for you.

Perfume’s Record Label Turns to YouTube for DVD Promotion

By CK♂ in Blogs, Concerts, JPop, Technopop on 2009/12/13

Perfume is Officially(?) on YouTube Promoting Tour DVD (Perfume City)

At least we can be assured these videos won’t be taken down…

Meirin has the link to the official YouTube channel of Tokuma Japan Communications, Perfume’s record label. Among the posted videos is a preview of Perfume’s upcoming Tour DVD which releases in January. I haven’t been listening to Perfume much recently, but I really liked the clip. The good news is the site has uploaded a few other vids as well so hopefully we will see a couple more previews of the concert. Additionally Meirin has posted the DVD tracklist and links to the usual buy sites.

stylejapan Questions the Power of Electronic Music versus Traditional

By Amy in Blogs, JPop, Rants, Recommended, Technopop on 2009/12/12

The Sound of Water (stylejapan)

Noah over at stylejapan has written a post whose type I don’t think we see enough in this community: thought pieces! I mean, there are some (and many of them do come from stylejapan, actually!), but the majority of blog posts concentrate on one particular artist or piece of news, don’t they? Well today, Noah has decided to tackle the genre of dance, house, and techno music! In short (Noah, I’m sorry if I butcher your point), Noah loves electronic music but hates it when people put it on the same level as other more meaningful music. I’ve noticed from Noah’s other posts that he puts a lot of weight on the lyrical content of a song; so it makes sense that he would be annoyed by this. Personally, I love electronic music as much as the next person, but I have to agree that it isn’t quite as satisfying as listening to a song filled with emotion. I hope Noah’s post gets you all to thinking about it, I would love to see a discussion about this!

SAWA’s attracting aliens in her latest Mini Album

By johpan in Technopop on 2009/11/13

Arranged Version (PlanetSAWA)
Fresh From Sa-world
Swimming Dancing PV

Blackcheremy’s keeping the SAWA love alive over at PlanetSAWA with the announcement of her forthcoming Mini Album entitled “Swimming Dancing” and the posting of the PV of the title track! ~~He also mentions a remixed version by none other than DJ TAKU from m-flo.~~ Both of the new tracks on the new Mini Album are produced by DJ TAKU of m-flo! (as cleared up by SolarBlade) How exciting!

The PV is reminiscent of what I can remember from the 1977 sci-fi film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” with a cute Japanese girl and some interpretive arm movements. Though there’s a certain prop that’s missing from the PV, I think it’s really awesome!

Check it out and buy the album when it drops on November 25th!

The Kyoto line-up

By wu-san in Blogs, News, Technopop on 2009/09/15

HALCALI to Perform at Kyoto Music Festival ‘09 (Halcali Sensation)

Not that any of us will be attending, but TeslaGuy puts up a very attractive flier concerning the Kyoto Music Festival ‘09. A flashy, rather lust-worthy line-up will leave concerned fans drooling. The festival takes place later this month, and for anyone with a ticket: I am willing to be your slave – maid adorned and all – if you can get me there. My hot picks? Fantastic Plastic Machine, Capsule, HALCALI and MEG. Sure, they’re obvious, but they’re also worthy givens.

Selryam Moves Blogs and Analyzes More Technopop

By Wendy in Blogs, JPop, Technopop on 2009/09/01

What is DISCO?
The Current State of Techno: DISCO Edition (What is DISCO?)

First off, I just want to properly introduce Selryam’s new blog. He moved from Vitamin Drop back at the end of June, but there hasn’t been a post on IW about it. In case any of you haven’t already, update your blogrolls and feed readers!

Moving on, Selryam’s latest post is the 3rd installment in his series of reviewing the current names in the technopop business, complete with samples of each artist. (The first post being from September 2008 and the second being from April 2009) He talks about Perfume and their new album ⊿, which in his opinion, got old fast, MEG and her new album Journey, which is getting lots of hate from what I’ve seen, and Aira Mitsuki and her album PLASTIC, which Selryam admits wasn’t perfect but seems to approve of. He also talks about SAWA, Sweet Vacation, immi and Ayaka Ikio. Each review has detailed reasons behind his opinions, and even if you don’t agree with him, it’s an interesting read. If you don’t like highly opinionated posts, or don’t want to see possible bashing of your favourite artist, this post probably isn’t for you. For everybody else, however, I recommend reading this.

A Plethora of PLASTIC

By Nicole in Blogs, Noteworthy, Technopop on 2009/07/26

Aira Mitsuki — PLASTIC (Kurayami Monogatari)
PLASTIC — Aira Mitsuki (What is DISCO?)
Aira Mitsuki — PLASTIC [2nd Studio Album] (Amai Wana)
Review: PLASTIC – Aira Mitsuki. The Deconstruction of Plastic and The Tragedy of Aira Mitsuki. (The New Eccentric Girl)

Technopop fans rejoice! Aira Mitsuki’s second album, PLASTIC, is out and about. Let’s see what four particular bloggers have to say about it, shall we?

Beginning with Kurayami Monogatari, solarblade finds the album enjoyable, and thinks Aira did a good job with what she was given. He finds some fault with some of the tracks, saying their mastering gave him headaches, and also wishes some more experimental songs had been thrown in… but overall seems to have a lot of complimentary things to say about each track. There are also some brief remarks on “the Aira vs. Perfume deal,” which I haven’t heard about, but by all means…

At What is DISCO?, Selryam begins his review by saying Aira “tried her best.” Uh-oh. He awards the album a B-, and has several reasons to back up this grade. He also agrees with solarblade on the headache-inducing thing. To top it off, Sel seems especially unimpressed by the included remix album, calling it “one big pile of recycled remixes.” Ouch…

Moving on to Amai Wana… the review here is more favorable. amaiyume calls PLASTIC “a cohesive collection of songs” and, like solarblade, has a lot to say about each one. However, amaiyume doesn’t seem to find fault with items that Sel and solarblade did, and instead focuses on the positive aspects… like the song “CHANGE MY WILL,” which is called a “gem.”

Finally, we finish things off with The New Eccentric Girl. kannazuki begins by describing the first draft for this review:

The earliest draft [...] had me writing out track by track reviews and I noticed that I was repeating myself in regards to the mastering of this album. Messy. Distorted. Overcompressed. Not clear. Headache inducing.

I think you can see where this is going. kannazuki is never cruel or unfair in this review, but tells it like it is, offering a clear view of the album (with easy to read summaries at the bottom). This review seems to have the most criticism, and is thus a complete contrast to amaiyume’s… but still, kannazuki does note that Aira’s music is “creative and daring,” and believes the singer does have potential. So it’s not all bad, people!

Four different takes on one album. So what did you think of PLASTIC?

X JAPAN to Move to US, Play at Lollapalooza

By Nicole in Rock on 2010/02/28

X Japan planning move to U.S. (Tokyograph)

Yoshiki, leader of legendary rock group X JAPAN, continues his hijinks with this announcement concerning the band’s move to the United States. Since Yoshiki has been living in Los Angeles for quite some time now, it appears that the group members will now all move to the US, and use LA as their “base.” Although the group has planned some shows outside of Japan before, they have almost all fallen through (except for this January show in LA). So the second bit of news–that X JAPAN will play at Lollapalooza in August–is not a surprise. But it appears that they might be considering some more overseas shows, so perhaps the band will be coming to a city near you in the not-too-distant future!

unchained With Two Recent Releases from UNCHAIN and HALCALI

By Amy in Blogs, JPop, Recommended, Rock on 2010/01/17

the endless night (unchained)
the world is yours

pengie over at unchained has decided to get back into HALCALI, who she hasn’t been following since the release of Long Kiss Goodbye (a great song!). Now, she has rectified that by listening to their new single, ENDLESS NIGHT! I like the song as much as pengie does, but I’m not a huge fan of rappers. That said, pengie mentions that Bose from Scha Dara Parr was featured as a rapper here! I think I’ll be following her example here and keeping up with these girls, as I haven’t really given them much thought since Long Kiss Goodbye. Moving on, pengie also has the PV for UNCHAIN’s new extreme maximum single, The World is Yours! The PV is amazing and I love how much thought they put into it! It’s somehow both simple and complicated at the same time! I’m happy for all the activity this group has currently; they are also rereleasing two of their indie mini-albums soon! I can’t wait!

X-Japan Hits L.A., Fireworks Ensue

By CK♂ in News, Noteworthy, Rock on 2010/01/12

X-Japan Hollywood video shoot: official photos and report (Japanator)
More Photos from X-Japan in LA (Japanator)
X Japan Finally Realize American Dream (Japan Zone)

This is one of the few times I wish I still lived in Los Angeles. X-Japan finally made their long-awaited debut in Los Angeles this week. So far there has been tons of fun for the 8000 or so fans that have been in attendance. Four video shoots in concert style from the roof of Hollywood’s Kodak Theater. I am sure if Ryan Seacrest were around he would be wetting his pants.

To check out some great reports, Tim from Japanator has a firsthand account of the concert. He takes the good and the bad of being in the press section. Better vantage point, but no photos. However, included in the two Japanator posts are plenty of official press pics. Japan Zone has more pics, plus another account of the show. The appearance holds some sentimentality for the band itself. Yoshiki spoke about “dreams coming true” in a press conference, while a “guitar shrine” was placed onstage in tribute to their late guitarist Hide. I am glad to see this appearance is turning into such a success, it was a long time in coming.

Blue Hearts Blowout!!!

By Murr in Blogs, Rock on 2009/12/29

The Blue Hearts to simultaneously release best album, tribute album (Tokyograph)

Next year is the 25th Anniversary of the Blue Hearts and they’ve decided to celebrate in style! If you don’t know who the Blue Hearts are, ever heard the song Linda Linda? Yeah? That was by them! Well, their Best Of will be two discs of all their singles from both of the labels they’ve been signed on. It will also have some concert clips, of which some had not been available before. The tribute album features some of the best names in J-rock, including Beat Crusaders, Merry, NEW ROTE’KA, and Melon Kinenbi! This is a release that I am VERY MUCH looking forward to… I wanna see who sings Linda Linda in particular.

A Break and a Loss

By Murr in Blogs, Concerts, Noteworthy, Other, Rock on 2009/12/27

POLYSICS to lose member, take a break (Tokyograph)

Sad news, POLYSICS fans. Kayo, who played (is that the right word to use?) synthesizer and vocoder, and did vocals, is reported to be leaving the group next year. This must be devastating, as she has been part of the group since 1998. She will take part in the group’s recently announced tour in the US, and her last performance as part of the POLYSICS will be at the Nippon Budokan in March. But not only is a member leaving, the group has decided to take a break after the Budokan run. Though, good news is, it’s only supposed to be a short hiatus. Preparation for a new era and all that. Ganbare, POLYSICS!

Japan Nite 2010 Might Be Coming to a Town Near You

By Murr in Blogs, Concerts, Other, Punk, Rock on 2009/12/26

Japan Nite 2010 lineup announced (Tokyograph)

SXSW (South by SouthWest) might or might not be coming to a town near you, peeps. Held once a year, the festival just announced their lineup for the tour. So far, the bands confirmed seem not well known, but more bands have yet to be announced. Confirmed though, and this is the only name I recognize, is Chatmonchy. You should definitely check out this tour if you’re interested in Japanese Indie music.

Don’t Do As Infinity

By solo-kun in Avex Trax, Blogs, Rock on 2009/12/02

R.I.P. Do As Infinity (stylejapan)

Nice try Do As Infinity, but your comeback has failed. That’s the sense that I get from stylejapan’s look at the reunited J-Rock band anyway. With their latest single and their newest studio album, to say that Noah is a bit unimpressed with what the band has put together would be much of an understatement. What makes this an interesting read is not only snark and brutal honesty of the given opinion, but the fact that even with that, there is still some hope, no matter how faint, that they can produce something to dig them out of their musical grave. Whether or not you like what Do As Infinity has been releasing as of late, it’s always interesting to see it from a different perspective.

The H&A Faithful Are Just Loving ‘Sadistic Dance’

By CK♂ in Blogs, Rock, Visual Kei on 2009/11/30

Hangry & Angry – Sadistic Dance (Selective Hearing)
Hangry & angry’s “Sadistic Dance” ～♪♪ ！ (モーニングBerryz…the morning after…..)

One thing I know for sure is Greg LOVES Hangry & Angry! How many H&A plushies did he buy at AX??? He reviews the new album, Sadistic Dance. And according to Greg he just can’t stop listening to it! Greg focuses on the five new tracks, with Top Secret being his far and away favorite. He also appreciates the song Doubt for it’s departure from their usual uptempo tracks. Overall a glaring recomendation…

MB’s entry is full of pics and samples from the LE CD set. Once again H&A’s album has a lunchbox version. Again? Is this a trademark of the brand? In any case, if you want to get the full picture of what the CD is like, look no further than here. I must say the mini-photobook/catalog looks really nice. With all of these positive reviews, maybe I should give this group a second chance! Although I am still giggling about Lady Madonna…

How many of you thought they were covering The Beatles when you saw that?

A Batch of Reviews from Selective Hearing

By Henkka in Blogs, Concerts, Hello Project, JPop, Rock on 2009/11/26

Mano Erina – Love & Peace = Paradise (Selective Hearing)
Hangry & Angry – Top Secret
Hello! Project 2009 Winter Wonderful Hearts Koen – Kakumei Gannen
SCANDAL – Best Scandal

Greg over at Selective Hearing has a bunch of to-the-point reviews of recent releases, the first being Erina Mano’s new single. He appears to be among the many who haven’t really been feeling Mano’s solo output so to say — in a past post, he described most of her songs as being “different shades of boring.” Brutal! Greg says he’s mostly been put off by her lifeless vocals before, but finds that on “Love & Peace = Paradise” she seems to have improved greatly. I couldn’t agree with Greg more: there’s been an audible improvement in Mano’s vocals when compared to her indie singles for instance. Round it off with a song that Greg describes as being “light years ahead of her previous songs” and you’ve got one happy Greg (and Henkka!)

Next up is the recent HANGRY & ANGRY single, sliced from their album. Greg describes it as one with a great hook and catchy chorus, but adds that the real spectacle is the music video. Unlike with Mano, I never got into the whole HANGRY & ANGRY business. One reason behind that might be that I was always expecting another “Melodies” era GAM-like group, what with the hot promo pictures that had them nearly liplocking. Now, imagine my gleeful snicker when Greg describes the PV as being full of girl-on-girl fanservice, sexual tension and, hell, even “Yossie eye rape.” Alright, sounds like it might be time to give this group another shot…

Third up is the DVD of the H!P Wonderful Hearts show from this January. Highlights for Greg include Maimi’s intense solo song, Kanon Fukuda looking like Ai Kago and, well, Koharu’s magnificent legs. If that won’t persuade you to watch this concert, I’m not sure what will. In addition to that, it seems that surprisingly Koharu sang her songs live! I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether that’s a good thing or not. Frankly, that’s something I’m a little apprehensive to hear…

Finishing off the bunch is SCANDAL’s album. You know, that “Most Powerful Japanese Girlie Pop Rock” group? That’s the one! Greg calls it a well-flowing debut album with little to fault, and while I can’t exactly call it a masterpiece… I think I have to agree. But what I want to know is, will they ever release what I still consider one of their strongest tracks, “PLAYBOY“?! Also, I must add I have a huge crush on Tomomi. I want to treat her to McDonald’s so I can see her stuffing her face with a Mega Mac. Just wanted to get that off my chest.

The Hello!Blog Road Trip to Paris With Hangry & Angry

By CK♂ in Blogs, Noteworthy, Pop Idols, Rock on 2009/11/21

Hangry & Angry @ Chibi Japan Expo Part 1 (Hello!Blog)
Hangry & Angry @ Chibi Japan Expo Part 2
Spot The Head

hangry angry 0 When one lives in the UK and the only thing separating you from seeing Hangry & Angry is the English Channel, what do you do???

Road Trip!!!

That is precisely what P-Tom did, and he writes all about his experience in this three part post. It begins with the concert experience, which Tom wasn’t sure he was going to make after his travel plans went awry. But he made it in time, and had a great vantage point for some excellent face time with Hitomi and Rika. He highlights some of his favorite performances and favorite moments of the show. It’s really cool to hear how fierce a performer Yossie has become…I have never known her to have such a piercing stare!

The second post details the autograph session and Q&A. I think anyone who has attended one of these events can attest, it is a total victory to be able to blurt anything out half-intelligent when in the presence of idols. Poor Tom, once again awestruck while getting his autographs. Dude, I can totally relate. So many times I have thought to myself “Damn, I should’ve said blah blah blah”. However, I am sure the girls are used to the fans looking like a deer in headlights. And am I reading that right? They did a sing-a-long in the Q&A? The post ends with Tom showing off his H&A swag!

For the final post it is short and sweet. It is always cool to see oneself in the same shot with the girls…even if it is just the top of Tom’s head. Good show my friend!!!

JKMUSICPH is a New Blog Featuring Hello! Project, K-pop and a Lot More!

By CK♂ in Hello Project, Kpop, New Blogs on 2010/02/28

The team over at JKMUSICPH brought this blog to our attention a few weeks ago. I’m sorry I took so long to write it up! So what is their site all about?

It is written by a team of bloggers from the Philippines who love the music of H!P as well as K-pop, and they seem to be especially fond of So Nyeo Shi Dae. But they are far from a one trick pony (or I guess that would be two trick pony). Just check out the front page which features song countdowns, video previews as well as plenty of the latest news.

The site just started up this month, and they already have 124 posts. 124?!?! Wow, I think I need to interview them for a position on IW! At this rate JKMUSICPH promises to be a major player in the blogging community. So this is totally worth a look!

Pink Wota’s Picspam is Full Of SNSD Goodness

By CK♂ in Blogs, Eyecandy, Kpop on 2010/02/11

[Eyecandy] ‘OH!’ Screencap Spectacular! (Pink Wota)

I think Vee has tapped into exactly why I love Girl’s Generation so much. The are all freakin’ gorgeous! The songs are cool and all. Fun and catchy K-pop always works. But the key is the MVs. Watching these girls dance, gyrate and fool around is like manna from heaven!

With that thought in mind Vee presents a plethora of screenshots from their latest video. And since this is a Pink Wota post, I wonder if there will be any snarky commentary along the way? (Hehe!) For those who have seen it, I’m sure you will agree that “eyecandy” doesn’t even begin to describe the hawtness going on. I love TaeYeon, but in this video I have a new appreciation for Tiffany too!

n-joi!

SME Idols Have Found the Best Outlet for Stress: Pillowfights!

By Amy in Blogs, Kpop on 2010/02/06

SM Entertainment singers pillow fight on Star King (K Bites)

K Bites reports today that on the latest episode of Star King, some members of SNSD, Super Junior, and SHINee were getting into fights with each other! But not the kind that will lead to lawsuits, the one that will leave all of us wishing we had large amounts of pudding and jello on hand! SNSD’s Seohyun and Sooyoung face off in a very intense battle with tons of wrestling, and I’m proud to say that my baby is FIERCE. Next off, Minho plays DIRTY, Eunhyuk and Eeteuk make the cutest pillowfighters ever, and Minho gets beat by a girl! The hugest shock is not the fact that pillowfighting is a sport, but that this professional(?) pillowfighter actually rejected Minho! Does she not realize that there are 23907237123 fangirls, including me, screaming right now because she was just all over my favorite member of SHINee? BAWWW.

A Batch of Eyecandy to Sweeten Up Your Day

By CK♂ in Blogs, Eyecandy, Kpop, Pop Idols on 2010/01/26

New Morning Musume Profile Pics (Lolli’s Love Lunch)
New Artist Photo Update: S/mileage With Q&A (♥May-Lyn’s Hot Spot♥)
More concept photos to So Nyeo Shi Dae comeback revealed! (K Bites)
Maeda Atsuko Magazine Scans (Sweet Japan)

I need moar pretty pictures!

Leading off with the new MoMusu profile pics. Lolli loves the boots. I love the entire ensemble, especially that wedding gown “on steroids”! By the way, I see Gakisan’s hair is long in these photos. Didn’t she recently cut her hair shorter? Anyway, the look definitely makes for a great single cover!

Next up is May-Lyn with S/mileage. Now these outfits are cute!!! I love the color scheme, and the little top hats are great! As a bonus May-Lin has the Q&A from the official site. LOL at the Google translator!!!

SNSD are sporting tight shorts, “letter-man” sweatshirts and what looks like a sequined heart tee for their new single release. But I really love the “above the knee” boots. So sexy. They show off the thighs, nice! I may buy this album just for the eyecandy!

Finally we have the fresh-faced Maeda Atsuko in a series of magazine scans courtesy of Annie. I have been so used to seeing Acchan frowning and scowling in the new AKB48 drama, so seeing her smiling and looking cute is a nice change of pace.

N-joi

A Few Hot New Releases for Your Sampling Pleasure

By CK♂ in Blogs, JPop, Kpop on 2010/01/26

Idoling!!! – S.O.W. Sense of Wonder PV (Dailymotion Streaming) (Acchi Muite Pie!!!)
So Nyeo Shi Dae ‘Oh!’ doing strong on album sales chart “faster than ‘Gee’ minialbum did” (K Bites)
SCANDAL 5th single 『瞬間センチメンタル』 2.3.2010 (Shabondama Days)
中野腐女子シスターズ『Honey Bee~』 PV (Shabondama Days)

Traditionally there have been a plethora of new singles/albums released in the Spring. I guess Spring has come early this year, although when I look out my window it is still unmistakably Wintertime…

Leading off with the new single from Idoling!!!, which came out this week. It follows their tradition of releasing fun and slightly upbeat songs. But I have to admit, that acronym drives me crazy. Sow??? C’mon, the girls are anything but that! I wouldn’t call it my favorite Idoling!!! song by any means, but it is likable enough. Silverbolt has the single PV.

Next up is the new release from Girl’s Generation. I don’t know that a MV has been released yet for ‘Oh!’. But SooKyeong has linked a high quality audio version. The scoop is that the new CD has already outsold their previous mini-albums. Hmmm, to buy or not to buy? (CK ponders) That said, I am looking forward to a video!

Next up is SCANDAL, who are following up their full length album with ‘Shunkan Sentimental’. For those of you who have dismissed for allegedly straying away from their roots, this song might be right up your alley. It is reminiscent of their earlier work, albeit more polished. But that’s to be expected, right? Nizmo has the PV, which he finds somewhat generic. Although he does like the song. The question for him is whether it has enough of the J-pop element to appeal to the mainstream audience. Oh, and the band’s profile pic could easily make this an “eyecandy” post!!!

I have saved the best for last (IMO). The newest, and I believe first major single from Nakano Fujoshi Sisters. Thanks to Nizmo for introducing us (or at least me) to this. I love it!!! I love Honey Bee’s techno beat, and the PV is total fanservice!!! Although Nizmo admittedly doesn’t usually go for songs like this, he finds it playful and gives the PV high marks for presentation. Do yourself a favor and check this one out!

And since a few of these are YT uploads, better check em’ out fast!!!

Mimi is leaving the Wonder Girls for her studies

By Amy in Blogs, Kpop, News, Noteworthy on 2010/01/22

Mimi is leaving Wonder Girls (OMONA THEY DIDN’T!)

For those of you who are following the Wonder Girls, I’m very sorry to report that Mimi will be leaving. She’s decided to postpone her career in order to study and it’s uncertain whether or not she’ll return. JYP will be adding a new member, Lim, in her place. Lim is fluent in English, Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese; I hope she’ll do well in the Wonder Girls! As for Mimi, I’m very sad to see her go while the Wonder Girls are so successful in America, but I wish her good luck with her studies. You can read the full announcement at OMONA THEY DIDN’T!

A Selection of New Album Releases

By CK♂ in Kpop, News, Pop Idols on 2010/01/13

Idoling!!!’s 3rd album in March (Acchi Muite Pie!!!)
So Nyeo Shi Dae for new album in February, will they give us another craze like ‘Gee’? (K Bites)
BoA’s 7th Japanese Studio Album is pushed back to Feb 10,2010! (K Bites)

I am surprised by the announcement of a new album by Idoling!!! this March. It hasn’t been very long since the release of Petit Petit, so I am wondering what this CD might contain. Perhaps a bunch of new tracks? There are three versions of the album available. Well…make that four, if you count the special “all version” set that gives you the opportunity to win an autographed poster. Always a gimmick. I love it!

Next up is SNSD, who are capitalizing on their current momentum with what is supposed to be a full-length CD release next month. SooKyeong wonders if there will be another sensational single on this release. I’m not worried, surely there will be at least a couple good songs on there. (hehe) I’m merely crossing my fingers that the covers won’t cause yet another controversy. It is getting to the point that I roll my eyes by reflex every time I hear the term “Netizen”. That and “Minihompy”. What the hell is that? It sounds like the latest model by Volkswagon.

“The VW Minihompy”…visit your local dealership today

Finally we have the announcement of BoA’s next CD being pushed back a few weeks. No particular reason, it’s just the way it is. So you better get used to the idea. The good news is that her next tour was also officially announced. I guess in this case you take the good with the bad.

Consider yourself updated

HyunAh is off to a Pretty Good Start

By solo-kun in Blogs, Kpop on 2010/01/08

[single] Hyun-ah – Change (You’re my Melody;)
Ch-ch-ch-change: Hyuna’s “Change” PV (appears)

Former member of Wonder Girls and current member of the South Korean quintet, 4minuite, HyunAh has made her solo debut and the reviews so far are leaning in the positive, despite criticisms.

You’re my Melody; takes a look at HyunAh’s new release and gives us some feedback on both the music and the accompanying PV. They first point out that the song is “fierce” while carrying a similar vibe to some of 4minute’s works. With that out of the way, they also let us know of some of the disappointment in HyunAh’s vocal presentation.

The PV also receives a blend of ups and downs, as the review makes clear the somewhat awkward “pelvic thrusting” that catches ones’ eye, but contrasts by telling us that HyunAh is generally a good dancer.

Appears goes in a bit deeper on the PV and the lyrics that accompany the song. Anna’s run down through the video is amusing and has some just evaluation and eyecandy to check out. The lyrics are a bit inconsistent as Anna points out, but in the end, the whole thing is an enjoyable experience.

Change seems to have gotten mixed reviews throughout the blogosphere, but overall as a debut, people seem to like it. With a solo album on the horizon, her stand out work within 4minuite combined with this single, it all might give you an idea of where things are heading.

Not Sure Which KPop Girl Groups Are Making a Comeback?

By Amy in Blogs, Kpop, News on 2010/01/07

Kpop girlgroups activities for Jan-Feb 2010? (K Bites)

Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of which groups will be releasing a new album or mini-album in the upcoming months, but sookyeong at K Bites has all the information in one place for our convenience! From the veterans, SNSD is scheduled for a comeback in February along with KARA. This is a hard time for fans like me, who adore both KARA and SNSD–who do I want to win when they duke it out on the weekly music shows?! And will we see SNSD return to a cute concept and storm the charts with a new “Gee” or will they make an even sexier comeback?

As for the 2009 newcomers, 2NE1’s delayed album that was set for last fall will be released this February as well! Now there’s a tough one; will SNSD be able to reign as the dominant girl group or will 2NE1 sweep the competition as they have with their previous hits? I can’t wait for February, the month of love will be the month of competition for our favorite girls!

Sora to Kujira Gets Serious About Ranking

By CK♂ in AKB48, Blogs, Hello Project, JPop, Kpop on 2010/01/05

Final Rankings: 2009 ~H!P & AKB48~ (Sora to Kujira)
Final Rankings: 2009 ~K-Pop~
Final Rankings 2009: ~J-Pop~
Complete & Total Dissection: H!P+2009

Jin has put some serious efforts into this set of 2009 rankers, with plenty of cool graphics to boot. The first post focuses on the best of AKB and H!P all rolled together. Wow, we really get to see where Jin’s feelings lie with these two rival idol stables. Actually, it is as neutral a ranker as I have ever seen, although you can see he is a bit partial to Buono! and AKB. But I am too, so that’s cool. I am also happy to see a special award going to Manoeri. I am still not a huge fan, but she is growing on me. It’s that cute smile. I was surprised to see who he voted as “biggest flop”

Next is K-pop, where 2Ne1 and 2pm dominate the rankings. I didn’t know 2NE1 had grown so big in such a short time. As far as J-pop, it looks as if Jin actually does like the new album from alan, along with Kalafina and KOKIA she shows well in the rankings. Knowing what I know about these artists (which isn’t a whole lot, but oh well) Jin really focuses on the overall singing quality. KOKIA and Kalafina are excellent vocalists!

For the final post Jin goes over the the highs and lows of Hello! Project in 2009, with a seperate section for each and every group. Jin also gives a forecast on what to expect from each group in 2010. Overall this is a great set of posts, and well worth the read.