Bikkuri Project

Wow…. I mean, I’m shocked, but I guess these rushed-feeling auditions make a lot more sense now. I said in a previous blog post that auditions probably mean graduations, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon.

It really seems that she may not be leaving on very good terms. It’s pretty clear that the agency didn’t want her to leave, but she forced the issue.   For example, Tsunku’s statement:

“Also, she is still an immature student.
A working adult would understand that abandoning work half way is an inexcusable act,”

So he basically says that what she’s doing is “inexcusable” but to please forgive her because she’s too young to understand responsibility. Also, the fact that she is leaving in just a few days, without any kind of graduation ceremony or send-off. Only girls who leave with h!p’s blessing get a graduation concert. Honestly, this is probably a very bad time in S/mileage’s development to lose a member, especially their strongest singer, so it’s understandable why they don’t want her to leave right now. I imagine it feels like they’ve invested so much into Saki, years of training and grooming, and done all this promotion and work leading up to S/mileage’s debut and their first year, and NOW just as they’re really starting to take off she decides to quit. On the other hand, Saki is young (14) and she joined h!p at the tender age of 7. Seems that a lot of important decisions about her life have been made for her, and now maybe she wants to take back control.

I mostly feel bad for the other members. I wonder if they only just found out too? It’s pretty clear that the other girls didn’t know at the time they announced the auditions, since they were all saying things like “But I want it to stay just the four of us!” They must be so sad!

~Celestia~

Not long ago I compiled my list of h!p “summer songs”. Interestingly enough, a series of photos of the h!p girls in yukatta answering the question “Which h!p song do you want to listen to in the summer (when it becomes summer)?” I thought I’d do a quick translation and see how their answers compared to mine. 3 girls (Aika, Chisato, and Nakky) are missing. I’ll be sure to update if their pictures show up!

Morning Musume:

Suzuki Kanon: Chu! Natsu Party

Sayashi Riho: Yume Miru 15sai

Ikuta Erina:Hyokkori Hyoutanjima

Fukumura Mizuki: Sekai wa Summer Party

Mitsui Aika: ???

Tanaka Reina: Chu! Natsu Party

Michishige Sayumi:Semi

Niigaki Risa: Genki Pika Pika

Takahashi Ai: Momoiro Kataomoi

Berryz Kobo:

Sugaya Risako: Semi

Kumai Yurina: Maji Bomber

Natsuyaki Miyabi: Natsu Remember You

Sudo Maasa:Maji Good Chance Summer

Tokunaga Chinami: Chu! Natsu Party

Tsunaga Momoko: Natsu Wakame

Shimizu Saki: Maji Bomber

C-ute:

Hagiwara Mai:Tropica~l Koi Shite~ru

Okai Chisato: ???

Suzuki Airi: Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu

Nakajima Saki: ???

Yajima Maimi: Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu

Mano Erina: Sekai wa Summer Party

S/mileage:

Ogawa Saki: Momoiro Sparkling

Fukuda Kanon: Wasuretakunai Natsu

Maeda Yuuka: Yume Miru 15sai

Wada Ayaka: Yume Miru 15sai

It’s been about 6 months since 9th gen joined, so I think it’s time to see how they’re doing (and do some pic. spamming).

Let me just say that I became a Morning Musume fan around “Ai Araba It’s All Right”, so I’ve seen 7th-9th gen’s entry into the group, and I was not nearly this excited/pleased about 7th or 8th gen. Koharu’s voice and “personality” made me cringe. Aika seemed promising at first, but I’m afraid she’s turned out to be quite blah in both talent and personality. The Pandas could have been great, but being Chinese, they just didn’t stand a chance with the Japanese fans and were quickly disposed of.

9th gen as a group has done quite well for themselves so far. They’ve all surpassed both JunJun and LinLin on mixi after only 6 months (the pandas were in the group for 3 years), and both Mizuki and Riho have now passed up Aika as well. All 4 seem to be gaining fans quickly, and I have been quite impressed by how their singing is coming along in recent concert rips. In fact, I find their version of “Suki na Sempai” to be far easier on the ears than 5th gen’s first concert DVD attempt at the song. Most importantly, I really find myself wanting to see more of all four of these girls, and that’s a very good sign.

Let’s look at them individually.

Ikuta Erina. Look how cute!

Eripon is first since it was just her 14th birthday. I’ve got to say, she was my least favorite out of 9th gen by a pretty big margin when she first joined, mostly due to her shouty singing voice. However, I’ve got to admit that the girl is adorable, and I think she’s learning to make her KY awkwardness work for her. Her recent photos make me want to give her a hug! I see potential in her to become a real beauty in a couple  years. Unfortunately, she seems to have been chosen to occupy one of the panda’s former “in the back corner” spots at the moment, but I hope she will be given her chance to shine eventually. While she’s last of the 9th gen on mixi, in the last month she has seen a big surge of new fans. I think the wota are finally warming up to her and forgetting about that whole “AKB fan” scandalousness. I bet AKB would love to get their hands on this girl, and she wouldn’t even have to sing live to fit in there, but too bad! She’s ours now.

Fukumura Mizuki- Pretty pretty princess

Somehow I feel like I’ve “gotten to know” Mizuki the least out of 9th gen. She’s still beautiful, no doubt about that, a stronger singer than I thought she was, and she really surprised me with her dancing in “Only You”. In a group of very experienced dancers, she actually managed to stand out with the energy she was putting into her moves. Mizuki is currently the 2nd most popular of 9th gen and has been given a bit of a push (she had a better position in “Only You” than Erina or Kanon anyway). I do sense a lot of earnestness from this girl, and I’m interested to see how her personality develops as she matures.  Sexy and mysterious? Delicate and soft-spoken “ideal Japanese girl”? Something else entirely? Only time will tell!

Sayashi Riho- Aichan in the making?

Riho reminds me of Aichan in so many ways. She enters the group with so much talent and such a pretty face, gets pushed hard right from the start, and seems poised to take Ai-chan’s spotlight after her graduation. However, I’ll admit I’m starting to wonder; is making Riho the new “face” of the group a mistake? Don’t get me wrong, I believe this girl deserves a featured position, but should she be the star? See, what I and many others, took for a “diva” attitude originally, more and more I begin to suspect is really just shyness. Like Aichan, she’s  a dynamite performer. Best dancer momusu has ever seen? Check. Able to hold her own vocally with Aichan and Risa during “Moonlight Night”? (not an easy song to sing on its own, much less while dancing) Check. But unfortunately, again like Aichan she seems to be somewhat withdrawn during interviews. She’s got the goods to be very popular with the existing Morning Musume fans (as her meteoric rise up the h!p mixi charts and sales figures indicates), but can she draw many new fans to the group?

Suzuki Kanon- Little miss genki

Zukki has clearly been pegged as “the funny one” of 9th gen and as such, is not allowed to be “pretty”. I’m afraid that from now on she is doomed to get the least feminine clothes and hairstyles (just look at “Only You”!), will most likely be pushed to the back, and I’m convinced they’re going to make her cut her hair super short any day now. It seems they’re setting her up to be the underdog. The girl that some fans (especially international fans) will love to cheer for because “she deserves so much better”! It’s sad, because if anyone in 9th gen has a zany, sparkling personality and the ability to inject some life into interviews, it’s her. To look on the bright side, in my opinion, she has all the potential to reach Gaki-levels of vocal ability, a brilliant smile,  and her dancing is already improving, so I think she will really start to sparkle on stage like she already does in interviews and hilarious blog photos. Zukki can’t help but shine, and it will be difficult for the management to suppress that, even if they want to.

In summary, 9th gen is rocking it as far as I’m concerned. What really kills me is that I left Japan before I could see any of these girls in person. Such bad timing!

~Celestia~

This one may be a bit trickier than the last two. Rules are the same: try to name as many songs as you can based on the two second clips. This time I’ve even upped the number of songs to 14! Artists this time may include Momusu Subgroups (Pucchimoni, Minimoni, or Tanpopo) as well as any temporary h!p unit (defined here as any group with 2 singles or fewer. Includes summer shuffle units). Good luck!

Next, I’m thinking S/mileage and Shugo Chara associated groups. All relatively new stuff, so you recent fans should have a better shot.

~Celestia~

HIGHLIGHT BELOW FOR ANSWERS

1. Minimoni. Hinamatsuri! (Minimoni Single)

2. Masayume (First Kiss B-side, Aa!)

3. Last Kiss (Tanpopo Single)

4. Gatamekira (Iku ZYX! Fly High B-side, ZYX)

5. Hitoshirezu Mune o Kanaderu Yoru no Aki (Puri Puri Pink, 2005 Shuffles)

6. Pittari Shitai X-mas! (Pucchimoni Single)

7. Okashi Tsukutte Okkasui~! (Genki Jirushi no Oomori Song B-side, Minimoni)

8. Bokura ga Ikuru My Asia (Morning Musume Tanjou 10nen Kinentai Single)

9. SanSan Gogo (Anataboshi B-side, Milky Way)

10. Kioku no Meiro (C/C Cinderella/Complex B-side, High King)

11. Shouri no Big Wave!!! (Athena & Robikerottsu Single)

12. Shiawase desu ka? (Sexy 8 Single, 2002 Shuffles)

13. Hana wo Pu~n (Kira*Pika Single)

14. Dancing! Natsu Matsuri (10nin Matsuri Single, 2001 Shuffles)

It’s summer refreshment time! So please, kick back and enjoy looking at this picture of my refreshment provided by International Wota. I bought ingredients and stuff to make a blueberry crisp with icecream! Here you can see the crisp editing a video. (Fun fact: All my videos are edited by baked goods)

Within the idol sub-genre of the Jpop genre, there are several sub-sub-genres, mostly seasonally based. There’s the “songs about spending (or not spending) Christmas with that special someone” genre (i.e. Aitai Lonely Christmas, Pittari Shitai Xmas). There’s the “it’s spring so we are mandated by Japanese law to sing about sakura” genre (i.e. Sakura Mankai, Sakura Chirari) But perhaps no idol genre is quite as prolific as the “summer song” genre.

So what constitutes a “summer song”? I put forth the following three qualifiers:

1. The song must be released within the time period of May through August.

2. The song must be light, upbeat, and cheerful. Preferably with a “refreshing” feel

3. The word “summer” or “natsu” doesn’t have to be in the title, but the lyrics and/or the PV must contain Japanese “summer” imagery which may include any of the following:

Use of the word “summer” or “natsu”, watermelon, yukata, festivals, fireworks, beaches, bikinis, bright colored beachwear, surfboards, beach balls, squirt guns, excessively sunny outdoor scenes, bubbles, ice cream, and shaved ice. Let me know if you think I missed any important ones.

Using these criteria, we can definitely say that not every song released during the summer is actually a “summer” song. I would also argue that many songs that include the word “summer” are not songs in the “summer” genre. For example, S/mileage’s “Yume Miru 15sai”  meets qualification numbers 1and 3 with a May release date, many uses of the word “natsu”, and mention of festivals and fireworks, but I wouldn’t consider it to be a true summer song because it fails qualification number 2. The overall feel is just too dark to really be in the summer genre. Morning Musume’s “Summer Night Town” and Berryz Kobo’s “Natsu Remember You” would be excluded for the same reason.

So, for your refreshment and viewing pleasure, here’s a compilation of some of H!p’s summeriest.

~Celestia~

It’s been a while since I’ve made a game! The rules are simple, listen to the video below and name that song. You’ve got to listen fast though, because each clip is only 2 seconds long. All songs are from Morning Musume albums, singles, or B-sides. Some are much easier than others.

So how’d you do?  If you got all 12, you are a true Momusu wota (personally, I think I’d only get 10 if I were playing). How’s the difficulty level? I thought about doing all h!p, but then I narrowed it to just Morning Musume because I thought that’d be too hard. Maybe I’ll do that for next time though!

~Celestia~

FOR ANSWERS HIGHLIGHT BELOW

1. Be Positive! (Sexy 8 Beat Album)

2. Happy Summer Wedding (Single)

3. Dekiru Onna (Ai Araba B-side)

4. Kira Kira Fuyu no Shiny G (7.5 Fuyu Fuyu Morning Musume Mini Album)

5. Pepper Keibu (Single)

6. “Suggoi Nakama” (No.5 Album)

7. Harajuku 6.00 Shuugou (3rd Love Paradise Album)

8. Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game (Single)

9. Shiroi Chou no Samba (Cover You Album)

10. Chance Chance Boogie (Sexy Boy B-side)

11. Tatoeba (Daite Hold on Me B-side)

12. The Peace! (Single)

That line is stuck in my head! Morning Musume’s new PV for “Only You” is out. Let’s look at what I feel are the positives and negatives, shall we?

+ I absolutely love the chorus. Best darn chorus Morning Musume has had in a long time.

- Not so sure about the verses. They’re… cool, but weird and sort of disconcerting?

+ Gaki-san’s lines are epic!

- Gaki-san’s lines have about twice as much autotune as they should. I think a little would be cool and fit with the song, but it’s just way too much

+ I actually like Ai-chan’s hair. I was shocked at first, but she’s really working it.

- They could not have picked a less flattering hairstyle for Zukki if they tried. Are they THAT determined to make her unpopular?

+ Nice editing! I love when it quickly switches back and forth between the red and white background during the last chorus. Adds lots of drama.

+ “Boobs grabbing” dance move in the chorus makes me LOL. It’s like they’re saying “Stop bouncing around while I’m dancing!”

- Dancing during the bridge is awkward

+ Riho! Yep, I’m happy about what a good position she got. No one can deny she’s a fantastic dancer and has a really cute face, but I was also impressed with her vocals. Certainly not as good as Ai-chan, but she really held her own on that last chorus. Morning Musume needs new front girls, and I fully support Riho being one of them.

- All the people who now “hate” Riho because she’s being pushed. Boo to you.

Other observations: More Fuku-chan than expected. She actually got a better spot than Gaki-san during the V formation, and I think she’s center in the “two lines” formation they use a couple times.

I expect this to sell better than Majidesuka ska because this kind of song tends to do better than the happy kind, and the chorus is so strong. (BTW, Maji ska did end up outselling Seishun Collection eventually. HA!)

~Celestia~

Does anyone else get the feeling that Aika may graduate soon because of her foot problems? I mean, she hasn’t been dancing in high heels for years, and now she has a stress fracture in her heel. How can she continue to be a part of the group if she can’t dance? Even if her heel gets better, won’t it just become injured again when she starts dancing?

Predictions 2 for a dollar. Come and get em’

~Celestia~

If I have one regret about my time in Japan, it’s that I didn’t go to more concerts. I mean, sure, I probably spent over $2000 on concert tickets (not just h!p) over my two years there, but it was worth every penny. Today I had about an hour to drive by myself, so I turned on my h!p playlist, and I was singing along and doing the hand gestures (one handed of course. The other hand stayed on the steering wheel), and then “Sono Bamen de Bibiccha ikenai Jan” came on, and that song is just not the same without all the wota chants, so I had to add those too, and God I freaking miss going to those concerts so much.

I mean, my friends want nothing to do with Jpop. I was in a respectable sorority in college! But… there’s something about just saying “Fuck what the rest of the world thinks of me and how “uncool” this is. Tonight for two hours I’m going to dance and jump around like a fool and shout chants and have the time of my life at a Japanese idol concert”  Fist pumping to the “oh yeah!” parts of “Mikan”, bouncing like a hyper kindergartner during “Yuujou~ Kokoro no Busu ni Naranee” and “Koko ni Iruzee”, receiving a brilliant smile and double handed wave from Risa, and singing along with the girls to Ame no Furanai for the very last time with tears in my eyes… I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything, and I’d do anything (within reason) to be able to go back for just one more show.

Life is One Time,

~Celestia~

After a three year Morning Musume audition drought, suddenly we will likely have two new generation debut in the same year. Wow! Some fans seem upset because the 9kis haven’t really had a chance to settle in, but this is much more similar to how Momusu used to work back in their heyday, so maybe it will be all right. 1st-5th generation only had a year between each of them after all. I’m sure the 9ki will have at least 3 singles under their belt before 10ki debuts, and Maki only had 2 singles before 4th gen debuted.

Predictions:

I’m thinking this will be a small generation, maybe only 1 girl. They’re probably looking for a new singing “ace” to replace Ai-chan eventually. At first I thought it would be Riho, but I think Riho is more of an Eri/Reina replacement, because I think she can get to Reina/Eri vocal level, but not Ai-chan level. She’s more co-lead/top dancer material than THE lead singer.

If there are multiple girls, I really wouldn’t be surprised if one of them was Miyamoto Karin. As I’ve said before, that girl has STAR written all over her. Check her out in Shinminimoni’s performance of Gatamekira . She’s the one in the longer coat.

Impressive, no?

The other option I see happening with Karin is a new unit being made with her and fellow tiny yet talented Egg members Takeuchi Akari (other girl in the video who’s not Fukuda Kanon) and Kudo Haruka (looks like baby Risako)

I figure the timeline will go like this:

Summer: Auditions

Late Summer: We start seeing audition footage

MM’s Fall Tour: Announcement of the audition winners. Aichan’s last single (9th gen’s 3rd) debuts

H!P Winter Tour: Debut of new single featuring 10th gen, possible graduation announcement from one of the older members. Maybe Gaki =(

Later,

~Celestia~