Feb 26 2008
Top 10 Lists: Momusu Lines
Since the completion of my top list of Hello Project singles, I’ve been feeling rather, well, listless (pun intended). I find something strangely satisfying about making lists (type A much?) so, I’ve decided to think smaller and move to lists of favorite lines. As it turns out, there are considerably more lines in h!p than there are songs, so it’s exactly the kind of daunting task that I enjoy. For this first installment, I’ve decided to focus only on Morning Musume A-sides, and really limit myself to single lines rather than entire phrases of music, though I’m ashamed to admit that I couldn’t keep it to only 10. This is a rather unlucky top 13 list with choices ranging from beautiful and touching lines to stupid lines that just make me laugh.
13. Chou chou chou chou ii kanji, Very very very very good feelings, Renai Revolution 21:
Morning Musume’s battle cry. I often find myself chanting it for no reason. You might be sick of hearing it, but you can’t deny that it’s one of MM’s most memorable lines.
12. Goodbye, Memory Seishun no Hikari:
Just the last goodbye, that’s kind of like goodbyeeeee aiiii ahahaaaha. Oh fizzle. You know the one I’m talking about right? Those harmonizations get me every time.
11.Sou ikite iru, Souda! We’re Alive:
Risa, in all of her pig-tailed glory, attacks this line with such incredible zeal that no matter how much more mature her looks or singing become, I will never be able to get that image of her out of my head.
10.Homosapiens, The Manpower:
That song is so much crack, but I love it. That word is just thrown in there with no connection to the lyrics preceding it too. Bam! homosapiens out of nowhere! Engrish is best when it’s said in a very serious and emphatic way, so I very much enjoy watching Rika Ishikawa give her best fierce/sexy look to the camera and sing, “homo sapienzu”.
9.Break Through jibun wo Buchiyabure (ai-chan version) Break through, break through from yourself, Koko ni Iruzee:
Ai-chan at her best. There were some very good singers in the group when Koko ni Iruzee was released, but Ai-chan somehow outshines all of them here.
8.Konbini ga suki HAHAHAHA I love convenience stores, THE PEACE:
Tsunku works a random shout-out to his favorite purveyor of cheap food into a song, and all I can think is “Convenience stores, hell yeah!”
7.Sexy Island, Iroppoi Jirettai:
It’s repeated so many times with so much emphasis throughout the song, and it amuses me every time. Oh yes, our Momusu are indeed islands of sexy in a sea of sketchy wota. Did anyone pick this song as the one to take with them to the deserted island in that cell phone poll posted at Hello Online? If you’re going to be stranded on a deserted island, might as well make it a sexy island, right?
6.Enka mo Meccha Umai Hito, He’s also really good at enka, Go girl koi no victory:
Am I mistaken in my assumption that “mad enka skillz” aren’t the first thing a Japanese girl looks for in a boyfriend?
5.(Watashi no) rankingu (nani darou ka)? What could my ranking be?, Shabondama:
When I watch old performances of Shabondama the line I most look forward to is this one of Tsuji Nozomi’s. I swear she tries to sing it as awesomely bad as possible. Usually she looks like she’s having a pretty hard time keeping a straight face. The one major flaw in the Bonkyu Shabondama performance is that Ai-chan simply cannot do this line justice. She tries to sing it well, but that’s just not how it’s meant to be.
4.Sou sa minna-san, it’s all right! That’s right everyone! It’s all right!, Ai Araba It’s All Right:
If anyone can convince me that It’s All Right, Yossie can! She wasn’t always MM’s strongest dancer or singer, but she brought so much spirit to the stage, and she was perfect doing lines like this one
3.BAKA ne BAKA ne BAKA ne! You idiot! You idiot! You idiot!, Onna ni Sachi Are:
Has Morning Musume ever been quite this angry? I can just see Sayumi in particular beating some poor sap over the head with a heart-shaped pillow while screaming this at him. 6th gen are the cutest man-haters ever.
2.Ah, ame ga yanda. Ah, anata wa konai, Ah, the rain has stopped. Ah, you didn’t come, As for One Day:
The best way I can describe this part is haunting. Rika does a beautiful job with these lines, perfectly evoking a sort of empty, resigned, hopelessness. It turns a pretty good, if not particularly memorable song (imho) into one that sticks with you and leaves you with a strong lingering emotion. Who would have thought that Rika Iskikawa would be the one to make me love a song?
1.Demo egao wa, taisetsu ni shitai (aisuru hito no tame ni ), but I want to keep my smile precious for the one I love, I Wish:
The famous Aibon line from I Wish. No surprises here right? Perhaps the ultimate ‘chills down your spine’ moment for MM, turned bitter-sweet since we know what became of little Kago Ai. Still, the sentimental side of me can’t help but feel that a part of Aibon, in all her child-like innocence, is forever frozen in that one lovely, quavering note that captured the hearts of countless fans.
<3,
~Celestia~