Singles:
#47 love the world
#80 Dream Fighter

Albums:
#23 GAME

I’m not really surprised that GAME made it that high since it sold like crazy upon release. With the singles though, I’m kinda surprised they broke top 50. It’s definitely been a year of TechnoPop. I couldn’t be happier for the ladies.

Now that the Perfume news is out of the way, here are some shouts and special mentions for other people I listen to and made it onto the annual chart.

Singles:
#44 爪爪爪／「Ｆ」 (マキシマム　ザ　ホルモン)
Yay Maximum The Hormone! I still want to make a stepchart for this song since there are so many tempo changes and it’s just a fun song in general. Can’t recall F though. I just listened to TsumeTsumeTsume too much when it was still fresh.

Albums:
#40 - ＥＬＬＥＧＡＲＤＥＮ　ＢＥＳＴ　１９９９−２００８ (ＥＬＬＥＧＡＲＤＥＮ)
Don’t have much to say about it other than they were fun while they were around. I kinda lost track of them. Maybe I should give their best a listen…

#48 - ライフアルバム (いきものがかり)
I’m still in the process of getting into these guys thanks to reading about them in SEKUSHII ISLAND (ilu sei<3) though I've heard their name thrown about in #wotachat just never really paid attention. Their latest single, 気まぐれロマンティック, and the only song of theirs I've heard, is REALLY cute with the dance and all. Also, Kiyoe's voice is quite fun in it. Cute, without the helium, and just fun and energetic all around. The instrumental track is also up my alley for acoustic JPop, which I don't usually get into. I see myself getting more into them during the Christmas break... we'll see.

#52 - ＢＥＳＴ　ＯＦ　ＴＨＥ　ＢＥＳＴＥＳＴ (ＢＥＮＮＩＥ　Ｋ)
I've totally fallen off the BENNIE K bandwagon but I should definitely check out this BEST album since I was a fan of their older stuff.

#62 - Ａｗａｒｄ　ＳｕｐｅｒＮｏｖａ　−Ｌｏｖｅｓ　Ｂｅｓｔ− (ｍ−ｆｌｏ)
*Sigh* I wonder what's going on with these guys. love comes and goes was quite the exit track for the loves series and I miss them. Maybe I should do some research during the Christmas break...

#74 - ＴＨＥ　ＢＥＳＴ　ＣＯＬＬＡＢＯＲＡＴＩＯＮＳ (ＤＯＵＢＬＥ)
I only know of her thanks to the guys above. Her voice is awesome with all that jazz and soul. I should get into her more.

Check out the Single and Album charts at Oricon!

1. Takahashi Ai - The Complete Package Musume
She’s got the voice, she’s got the moves, she’s got the quirk, and she’s got the look (imo. Yeah, I know that’s totally subjective).

2. Niigaki Risa - Most Improved Musume
Anyone who’s been around since the debut of the 5th Gen, when recorded, Risa was alright. But live? Oh dear. I think that out of all the current members who began as “mediocre musume”, Risa is the most improved. If Konkon were still in MM, I think she’d give Gaki-san a run for her money for this award.

3. Michishige Sayumi - I’m Gonna Be Cute Today Musume
I’m sorry, well, no I’m not, but I find Sayu’s narcissism to be quite adorable. I know her voice isn’t up to par (lol understatement) with other members but I still kinda enjoy it. Don’t ask why because you won’t get a straight answer.

4. Junjun - I don’t know yet Musume
I don’t know why she’s up here yet though what I’ve seen of her on Haromoni@ is quite hilarious. That and she’s very easy on the eyes. And I love her thighs. lol. I’ll let you guys figure out that one.

5. Tanaka Reina - Ideal Musume
I don’t care how often she does that wink, it’s always gonna be cute. Vocally, I find her to be fairly consistent and easy on the ears. Tsunku called her the Ideal Musume. I can’t really argue.

6. Kamei Eri - I kinda disappeared into the background Musume
She used to be higher on the list except with the Haromoni@ layout, I haven’t been seeing as much as I’ve been previously used to from her Eric Kamezou segment on Hello Morning. Since then, I haven’t been able to get the same vibe from her. Maybe the line of GakiKame vids on MouTube might spark something new. I enjoy her vocally but the lack of presence brings her down.

7. Mitsui Aika - Cute but what else Musume
I still haven’t been able to classify this one other than she’s a cutie and has a pointy voice. Other than Koharu having Kirarin, I find that Mitsi has more TV presence which was evident during the Chinese segments on Haromoni@ where, from what I remember, Mitsi ended up doing most of the talking.

8. Kusumi Koharu - I’ve got Potential Musume
Like Mitsi, Koha is cute as hell (however cute hell just happpens to be) but other than her as Kirarin, I don’t really see her as a separate entity from Morning Musume and I don’t even take Kirarin too seriously. That and her voice is definitely something to get used to. If she improved that and got her cheeks pinched more, she might be more than the cute puff-ball of potential she currently is for me.

9. Linlin - Why am I a Musume
I really don’t know what to say about poor Linlin. She really doesn’t do anything for me. Seriously.

Berryz Koubou Rankings

1. Tokunaga Chinami - The Girl Next Door
Her hair in Tsukiatteru no ni Kataomoi is to die for. She’s been my favourite Berryz member since no nyu~. She could work on her lives but I could care less. She’s always gonna be #1 for me.

2. Kumai Yurina - The Model
Yurina could work on her live vocals but she’s a knockout which makes it not matter for me. It’s not that I don’t pay attention to vocal abilities, I do, but this isn’t a ranking based on vocal abilities. This is a favourite member ranking. This girl has serious model potential. And given the proper song choice, she could probably knock ‘em dead with a little more work.

3. Tsugunaga Momoko - The Surprise
Buono! worked wonders for everyone’s favourite sqeaky-voiced Peach Child. She should really do less songs that throw her into uber cutesy mode and more that bring out the lady that’s on its way. They should’ve done that with so many other H!P members but nooooo. Cutesy sells… *sigh* I found it interesting in the Renai Rider Making Of when she was in the catering room with I don’t remember who, but she was talking in, I suppose, her non-stage voice and I found it to be cuter than her squeak voice. *sigh*

4. Natsuyaki Miyabi - The Performer
Hands down, Miyabi is the most consistent performer in Berryz. She’s got the voice and look to boot but I really want to see her on BerryKyuu! If I enjoy her there, her ranking will probably rise.

5. Sugaya Risako - The Superstar
I’m not saying she IS a superstar but they’re treating her like one already. Her voice is cute but not spectacular. She’s pedolicious, I guess I could use that term, and all upper management knows it and that’s why they milk her but I suppose that’s why she loses points for me. Bottom line, she’s cute but not spectacular.

6. Shimizu Saki - The Dancer
Or so I’m told. I haven’t really paid attention to her since she’s usually in the back with like a half a line to sing. *sigh*

7. Sudou Maasa - The Massive
I don’t know why I call her that. It just sounds like her name in a weird way. It makes sense in my head. She’s got height but she has her off and on days with her look. Not as consistent as Yurina. Her live vocal performance is shaky at best. Maybe I just haven’t paid much attention since, like Saki and Chinami, she gets no lines.

C-ute Rankings

Note: OK SRSLY. I so totally drew a blank when faced with the challenge of ranking the C-ute members. I don’t even think this really reflects what I feel for each individual but whatever. Here goes nothing.

1. Hagiwara Mai - Miss I’ve-got-more-presence-in-my-little-finger
Hagitty’s got presence. I’ve come to this conclusion after watching C-ute on Music Fighter while promoting Tokaikko Junjou. She’s quite the talker and comfortable in front of the camera for such a young idol. She gets two thumbs up from me. I wonder what she’ll be like in the future…

2. Nakajima Saki - Miss Gonna-be-the-next-big-thing
Even more so than Koha. Hrm, maybe they should do a duet together. That might prove to be entertaining. Her voice right now isn’t particularly bad but has enough room for improvement. I can’t wait to see her reach her full potential.

3. Suzuki Airi - Miss Line-whore
I know it’s not really her fault she gets all the lines but she can handle them. She’s consistent and quite entertaining. She has her lazy dancing moments but all the ingredients to a proper H!P idol are there. No complaints outside of her line-whorey-ness.

4. Yajima Maimi - Miss Leader…-san
I felt like her title needed a hyphen. What to say about Maimi? Her and Yurina should do a duet together. It might be interesting. She does a good job at doing what she does. Nothing to complain about which puts her in the middle.

5. Okai Chisato - Miss Give-me-some-spotlight-plz
Probably the most underused talent in all of H!P. I know it’s not her fault she’s underused but because of that, she gets lower marks. So, Okai, I suggest complaining. Put your foot down! Be like, “I WANT MY SPOTLIGHT, BETCHES!” You can go further than most H!P girls with a voice like that.

6. Arihara Kanna - Miss I-don’t-quite-know-yet
I don’t know much about her and don’t really focus enough attention on her to make a good comment. So I won’t. I just know I like the fact that I don’t know more about her more than what I know about Erika.

7. Umeda Erika - Miss Tall-Stick
I remember calling her that back in her ZYX! days because she was a tall stick. I believe she was the tallest of the group and looked malnourished. These days, she’s not so much a stick but is still tall relative to her group mates. She’s still thin but at leas
t looks healthy. Vocally, she’s not the brightest bulb in the bunch. If I could, I’d rate Erika and Kanna the same.

Note: A little more than half way doing this post, I became curious about the BPMs (Beats Per Minute) of the singles and wanted to see if there was some sort of correlation between my likes and the BPMs. To me, anything around 120 is slow, 140 is my medium, and anything above 170 is comfy. 180-200 is fun. 200 and above is yay XD. Read on to see if the little experiment returned any interesting results.

35. Memory Seishun no Hikari (106 BPM)
I’m not the world’s biggest fan of Morning’s slower stuff which will be evident leading up to my #1. I’ve heard this single via concerts but just noticed I’ve never watched the PV before (I gave it a youtube search so then I can make some real comments about it while writing this up). I like Reina’s version better but that might be just because I like Reina more than the older members… Still, nothing personal with this single, just not into the slower stuff.

34. Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutanjima (~100 BPM)
Can’t really put a finger on as to why this single is ranked so low. Again, nothing personal but I just never found it that catchy *shrug*. I was surprised at the BPM. Sounds faster…

33. Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookiizo!~ (~150 BPM)
Again, I don’t know how this got all the way down here but I guess something has to be here… According to my experiment, this SHOULD be higher… I didn’t really like the single all that much though.

32. Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago (105 BPM)
I still remember watching this PV for the first time thinking uh-oh. Three of the more “acquired tastes” (vocally) of Morning are in the front lines. I relaxed a bit more after the second verse. Still, slow, not catchy enough for me. *sigh*

31. Morning Coffee (127 BPM)
Oldie…

30. Summer Night Town (~116 BPM)
Oldie…

29. Daite Hold On Me! (~125 BPM)
Wasn’t a big fan of the oldies too… lol >_>

28. Furusato (80 BPM)
See a pattern?

27. Happy Summer Wedding (127 BPM)
Why’s this down here? Hrmmm…

26. Roman ~My Dear Boy~ (175 BPM)
Same with this one… Also, I wasn’t expecting that high of a BPM…

25. Love Machine (129 BPM)
A good oldie but an oldie none the less?

24. As For One Day (109 BPM)
A good slow one but a slow one none the less? lol >_>

23. Mr. Moonlight (183 BPM)
Ok. I like this song except it wasn’t the best use of the 5th gen, especially since it was their debut single. Maybe that makes me a bit bitter… On a side note, I started listening to Morning around the time this single was released.

22. Manatsu no Kousen (126 BPM)
My favourite oldie. There’s something about the verses and chorus that make it very catchy. I like it around as much as I like Tanpopo. On a side note, 2nd Gen Tanpopo was adorable <3.

21. Koi no Dance Site (141 BPM)
I liked this song too… nothing personal I suppose again.

20. Aruiteru (107 BPM)
Again, I like these songs just something needs to populate the lower half of my list…

19. The Manpower!!! (162 BPM)
Why is this down here? This should be higher up I think…

18. Sexy Boy ~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~ (153 BPM)
I didn’t like this song at first and never really watched the PV but when they did it in a concert, I can’t remember which one, I really enjoyed the section of the dance during the “ue ue”s. One specifically when Sayu did it. I don’t know why I enjoy it so much.

17. Do it! Now (95 BPM)
Ok, halfway point. One of my favourite slower ones. Loved the costumes in the PV. Loved the room with all the previous costumes. Loved the fact that all the 5th Gen got at least one line each (I guess Mako’s doesn’t count since it was a “rapping” line) but still, it’s always good to hear the new members. Feels weird calling them new…

16. Shabondama (128 BPM)
Now this is how you welcome new members with good voices. It would’ve been nice if Souda! We’re Alive was the 5th Gen’s first song but meh. I still love 5th Gen. Reina really shined in her debut and is probably why I still enjoy her in the group. Eri got a shabondama and Sayu got her first Rika line which was a little disappointing but ah well. I love Eri and Sayu still too.

15. Ai Araba It’s All Right (106 BPM)
This song is adorable. Upon further review, I wonder why it’s so low… slow? maybe…
The costumes, the everything, so yay. What happened… I dunno o_o.

14. Egao Yes Nude (118 BPM)
Good opener for Mittsi. I don’t even mind Koha in this single. Not too slow, good for what it was.

13. Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan (160 BPM)
The dance is a bit weird and I kinda don’t like Ai-chan’s and Yossy’s hair in the PV but yeah, those are irrelevant to what I think of the single. Very catchy and fun! I had it on my PSP not too long about but I think I had to make space for some new stuff and it had to go bye bye :(

12. I Wish (102 BPM)
My favourite slow song from MM. It doesn’t sound slow but it clocked in at 102 BPM for me and that’s slow in my books. The PV’s cute. I miss this era of Morning. Before all the drama and the graduations… *sigh*

11. Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari (145 BPM)
Fast[ish], catchy, super cute PV. It’s a great song to get people to listen to that know nothing about the Musume’s because of the whole singing about themselves thing.

10. Iroppoi Jirettai (112 BPM)
Koha’s first single. Quite the interesting one too. I didn’t think she had it in her personally but for her debut, it was pretty impressive. Not quite “miracle” status but a cutie still. Loved the flaming hands etc. It made them hot. lol.

9. The Peace! (136 BPM)
I think this was the first ever PV I watched. I thought it was adorable. That and it was only the short version and I never got to see the mostly awful golden musume outfits… *shudder* Rika’s was the only OK one. It wasn’t until a few years later I managed to acquire the full version. Oh where would I be without you, youtube?

8. Renai Revolution 21 (133 BPM)
My 2nd PV watched ever. And it was a short version again. lol. Oh, back when it was hard to acquire MM PVs… Both sets of costumes were fun and cute XD (well, maybe except Nono’s…) Anyway, I wish this was higher on the list. After doing the re-listen this might just be my favourite single of all time. Some of the others are only higher because the novelty hasn’t worn off yet. Still, Renai Revolution 21 never fails to put a smile on my face.

7. Souda! We’re Alive (121 BPM)
This is where I fell in love with Ai-chan: “hontou no kimochi wa kitto tsutawaru hazu”
Ever since then, I felt she had the best voice in H!P. Also, I love the “civies” costumes: Maki’s shorts. Mari’s and Rika’s dresses. Aibon’s jumper.

6. Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~ (155 BPM)
Super catchy and totally cute PV. I was all over this song when it came out. Made a stepchart and everything though I have no idea where that is now… The 6th gen (minus Miki) still hadn’t done anything with their hair. Though I like Reina’s hair now, I like Sayu’s and Eri’s they way they were here.

5. Koko ni Iruzee! (210 BPM)
This one’s always been near the top for me. I think I’
ve been meaning to make a stepchart for this for the past couple of years… I fail :( Wasn’t a big fan of the costumes but the song is so fun and entertaining. The PV had no effect on the song for me though.

4. Osaka Koi no Uta (200 BPM)
The bass really does it for me in this song. The dresses are super cute and the dance shot with the red background and blinky wings is just eyecandy.

3. Onna ni Sachi Are (155 BPM)
JunJun and RinRin’s debut. Pretty strong song for a debut. These golden musume totally kick The Peace’s golden musume butts. I still have this on my PSP so I hear it often. No one disappoints in this song. I just wish JunJun and RinRin got more lines.

2. Mikan (172 BPM)
This is most definitely still on my PSP. I don’t quite know what it is about this song but I just love it to death. Ai-chan really hits those lines well. Almost brings a tear to my eye.

1. Kanashimi Twilight (140 BPM)
I don’t even have to say anything about the costumes in this song. I am, however, going to say yum. That can’t be the only reason why it’s number one… lol *sigh* Maybe I should retake this again. Just kidding. I really liked the single just probably listened to it too much? *shrug* It’s not on my PSP.

Well there you have it. A good chunk of the slower stuff appears lower on the list while a good chunk of faster stuff appears at the top minus a few exceptions. What to learn from this? I dunno. It’s just fun to rank. ^^;