Bikkuri Project

Man, I’m in a good mood today. I just got back from renting a cabin at the mountain for the weekend with my boyfriend and another couple, and it was just the sort of break from school that I needed. There was lots of snow! When I got back, I watched Buono’s new PV, and it really made me smile. I was impressed by how good all three girls looked. Finally, I realized that I am almost done with making my top lists of h!p songs by groups, so soon I will be able to compose the list of my favorites out of all of h!p, which is something I’ve been working up to for a while. Today I’m going to finish off my ‘by groups’ lists with the Morning Musume ‘gumi’ groups, Maki Goto, and VUDen.

Maki Goto- You might be surprised that she only is on a top 1-2 list instead of a top 5 or even 10 given all the solo material she has produced. The reason really comes down to my personal preference for groups over soloists. I like seeing the group interactions and how their personalities and voices come together. Also, more effort and planning seems to go into h!p’s groups than their soloists. H!P solo work (with the notable exception of early Matsuura Aya) doesn’t tend to interest me much.

2. Suppin no Namida- It’s a theme song for a drama, and it certainly sounds like it. With ballads either they really get to me or, more often, I get bored before I’m halfway through the song . There’s really no in between. This happens to be one of the ones that gets to me. You can tell that there’s a story behind it, and it shows in the emotion that she puts into her voice.

1. Sukisugite Baka Mitai (Goto version)- Oh that’s where this song ended up! Yeah, it’s a great song, but I picked the Maki version over the original for one important reason… Rika Ishikawa. It’s not that I don’t like Rika, she has her place, but that place is not alongside three of the strongest singers in h!p. Her voice sticks out like a sore thumb, and quite frankly, ruins the song for me. Of the individual versions, I like Maki’s the best because she can portray the attitude of the song a bit better than Aya or Nacchi. See what I mean about solo songs? My favorite song of Maki’s is technically a group song anyway.

Otome/Sakura Gumi- I actually really like all of the Gumi songs, but I’m only allowing myself to pick my top 2.

2. Sakura Mankai- This song might just have my favorite PV out of all of Hello Project. It’s just so pretty! The song is also very pretty, and it’s one of the few h!p songs that incorporates the traditional Japanese feel without sounding forced and annoying me. I love it when they whip out their fans.

1. Ai no Sono~ Touch my Heart!~ Originally I was a bit turned off by the strange English (hey every time I’m so proud of you?) but I quickly got over that and now happily perform the hand motions every time that part plays. Now this is the right use for a Rika Ishikawa. Her “bye bye” lines are quite nice. This song is really a lot of fun.

VUDen- So they broke up huh? I swear, every time I leave something happens. I go to Florida for Spring Break and they add Chinese members to Morning Musume. I visit my brother in college and Maki quits. I go up to the mountain and VUDen disbands. For my two cents on the matter… meh… another wrong use of a Rika. She was never meant to front a group. I’m surprised they lasted as long as they did.

2. Koi no Nukegara- Uh… this song only makes the list because I really like the music at the beginning. Their voices are whiny and annoying… I just really like that intro, okay?!?

1. Koi suru Angel Heart- This one is a really cute song. The girls aren’t trying to be overly sexy, and it’s got a nice catchy melody. I think another group probably could have sung it better though since Rika’s voice goes pretty thin on the high notes, but at least they put a lot of spirit into it I guess.

Woo! I’m done! I’m going to try to compose my master list now. I can’t wait to find out which songs I like best. I’ve always wondered about that. Lol. Not sure how this post ended up so Rika focused though. Even Maki’s section was full of Rika, huh?

the other reason I’m in a good mood is that the new KT pv is out, and it’s so freaking hot… Jin’s little smirk at the end..*dies*