December 24th, 2009

See? I promised I wouldn’t fall off the face of the blogging world again!

As promised, this is sort of a continuation to my last post, delving into my adventures in the idol world over this past year. I apologize if I reiterate myself at all from the last post in this one, but I’m going to jump right on in again.

I feel incredibly lucky to say that I was able to see AKB48 shows and a mini-live in Japan, Morning Musume when they came to California, and AKB48 when they came to New York. All of these experiences have been my first time really up and close with the idol world; I was used to watching these girls through a computer screen, but seeing them live is something totally different. I’ll admit it—I got emotional. Several times. It’s surreal.

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December 8th, 2009

Well, HELLO THERE.

It’s been a while, to say the least. Contrary to popular belief, I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth! I’m still alive and kicking! And the events of the past, oh, twelve months definitely merit a blog post, I believe.

Just to brief you all on why the hell I haven’t been updating—not to worry, my interest in idols is still as big (if not bigger) as ever. Disinterest wasn’t the reason behind an absolute dry spell in blog posts around Egao YES Idols. A busy schedule was to blame, instead.

During the first six months of 2009, I was studying abroad in Japan. Was there idol goodness involved there? Youuuuuu betcha. I got to see AKB48 at a couple venues while I was out there—a mini-live near the city I was studying in, and in Tokyo, for two concerts (regular stage shows) and a handshake event. Lots to talk about there—and don’t worry, I’ve got a blog post in the works at the moment!

The idol goodness of 2009 didn’t end when I got back from Japan, either.

While I was still abroad, I got the news that Morning Musume was going to be performing in CALIFORNIA. WHAT WAS THIS NONSENSE?!

I’m a part of an online-based singing group, Sekai no Melody, and have been for a looooong time, so some of the girls there and I were talking about going. It was actually a friend of mine there, Umi, who peer-pressured lovingly convinced me into booking myself a plane ticket to California. I can still remember laughing out loud at myself, sitting in my little dorm room on my tiny futon in Japan, booking a plane ticket to California for the summer to go see a Japanese group. Oh, the irony.

But honestly, I couldn’t pass up on the event. Morning Musume’s public American debut? Sure, they’ve done events in Hawaii, but, hey, not to discount Hawaiians at all, they were coming to the mainland this time—this was SRS BIZ! And it was open for more people to come and attend!

Anyway, again, I’m preparing a giant post about my idol experiences this year, the Morning Musume concert being one of them, so you’ll hear more about that later. Basically, after running around Los Angeles with the girls from Sekai no Melody and doing our own events at Anime Expo, fangirling Morning Musume the whole weekend, and bawling (I get emotional, okay?!) and dancing at the concert itself, it was all a great time.

The real icing on this delicious 2009 cake first came to my attention in the form of a text message as I was getting ready to board the plane back to New York after the Morning Musume concert, ironically. AKB48 was rumored to be making their own American debut in September… in NEW YORK.

WHAT?! WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT?!

YES, PLEASE.

After some pretty bad PR work (on whose behalf, I’m not sure—the New York Anime Festival or AKB48’s management), we American AKB48 fans finally got the official notice that AKB48 was, in fact, going to appear at the upcoming New York Anime Festival in September AND hold their own concert in Webster Hall.

I live in New York—not the city, but upstate, but anyway, was I passing this one up?

HELL NO!

I was joined again by Umi from Sekai no Melody, because we are both totally shameless AKB48 wota. We really are, and we wouldn’t miss this for the world.

NYAF was amazing. While we both missed out on the autographing session that AKB48 was holding, we managed to get into all the other events. Another one of my complaints about AKB48’s debut in New York—the venue they hosted the concert at! Tickets were really limited—you had to enter a lottery in order to get in! What is this nonsense?! It’s like—oh yeah, how AKB48 shows actually are in Japan. But anyway, it was a little problematic. I got lucky and actually won more than my fair share of tickets by unknowingly entering into two lottery draws. Whoops. But my extra tickets went to good use, don’t worry! Unfortunately, some fans had to miss out on the concert! Total bummer.

Anyway, yes, NYAF was absolutely fantastic. It was so fun seeing AKB48 in America, and I was really, really excited about seeing Akimoto Sayaka in person for the first time. While I was still in Japan, I managed to either see many of the girls live or meet them at a handshake session. Sayaka, one of my favorite girls in AKB48, unfortunately, was one of the girls who I really wanted to see/meet at one point, but never got to. She was absent from the Team K show I went to see, and, well, I’ll detail the insanity I went through when I went to a handshake session in Tokyo with the intention of being there for Sayaka’s timeslot, but ended up shifted to a different timeslot, in another post.

But this time, Sayaka was definitely going to be there, so I was pumped! In addition to the awesomeness of Sayaka, I was going to see Wasamin (Iwasa Misaki) again, too! After I saw her performing when I was in Japan, Wasamin has absolutely STEAMROLLED her way up my list of favorites, and really is tied with Sayaka for my favorite girl in AKB48 at the moment. Wasamin’s unique in that she’s been at every full event (aside from a mini-live performance in Osaka) that I’ve seen AKB48 at. She performed in both the Team K and Team B concerts I went to see in Tokyo, and now she was going to be in New York! I felt so lucky because she’s only a Research Student (soon to be promoted to Team A)—but still—wow! Way to go, Wasamin! And yay for me, being able to see her again!

NYAF was also interesting in that… I got interviewed. A lot. A looooooooooooooot. Umi and I cosplayed Team K seifukus on one day of the convention, and I was decked out in Sweet Lolita frills on another day, so, um, I suppose we did draw attention to ourselves, and shouldn’t be surprised about being pulled aside for interviews (plus, it was totally worth it when a gaggle of AKB48 girls ambushed us at the convention and were checking out our costumes! Again, more on all of this later!)

But I still remember laughing when I popped open Youtube the day after the concert to find… me, singing Oogoe Diamond on Fuji Terebi. One of my friends over in Japan promptly sent me a message on Facebook asking, “I THINK I SAW YOU ON FUJI TV THIS MORNING—WAS THAT YOU?! GET BACK TO ME RIGHT AWAY!” Unfortunately, the Youtube police took down the link to the broadcast, so I can’t share that one.

I can be spotted in other news coverage/DVDs of the event, but the biggest interview for me was one that I did with NHK.

During the convention, right after I ended up ambushed by the AKB48 girls in the hallway, in fact, I was approached by a few people asking if I was a fan of the group, if I bought merchandise, and if I lived in the area and would be willing to do an interview. Check, check, and, uh, pretty much check! The crew explained that they were from NHK, and they were teaming up with AKB48’s management to do a documentary about AKB48’s fans in America, and that they wanted to interview me at home. Now, my hometown isn’t right next to New York City by any means, but the crew expressed willingness to travel to do the interview. So, after NYAF and the Webster Hall concert wrapped up, I went back home and got ready for an NHK interview!

I don’t know how long it’ll be up on Youtube, but just this past weekend, the documentary, “Exporting the Idol Format,” aired in Japan, and made its way onto the internets.

Here’s all four parts of the documentary –>

1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el2etOPBA1E

2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ85jVAghGw

3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxNTmkzZ110

4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnbI2rr_Txc

Now, some essential notes!

  • 01. My interview is near the beginning of part two, if you’re interested.
  • 02. My voice sounds like a dying crow because, keep in mind, this was filmed the morning after the Webster Hall concert. What was I doing the night before? Screaming my LUNGS OUT for Sayaka and Wasamin. And honestly, folks, I don’t think I’ve ever screeched so loud in my entire LIFE than when I did when Sayaka ripped off her coat in the performance of Blue rose. It was epic. And I had a fantastic, near-front and center view of the whole thing. I then proceeded to travel all night and get approximately… an hour of sleep. So my health, and especially my voice, was suffering during that whole interview. The night before, I could barely speak, so at least my voice improved a bit the next morning, but it still ached. And that’s why I sound so damn weird.
  • 03. No, that is not my whole AKB48 collection. I have other awesome goodies that they filmed but they just didn’t show in the documentary!
  • 04. They asked me a lot of questions—specifically about the unique appeal of AKB48, why I was a fan, what I thought of other fans, and if I thought AKB48 could have any success in America and if they should have a “NY48” branch of AKB48 (for the love of god YES. Sayaka and Wasamin in New York on a fairly regular basis? YES, YES, YES.)
  • 05. Yes, that’s my actual house. Yes, I enjoy decking out my room with AKB48 posters, and would put more up if I had them! (I should look into that!)

So, needless to say, while I haven’t been updating recently, it has been a pretty interesting and eventful, well, year for me. And I’ve got a bunch of posts in the works to cover all my idol experiences—from Japan to California to New York. I definitely can’t cram all of that into one post—there’s way too much to talk about! So I’ll have a good bunch of posts coming up soon!

I promise not to fall off the face of the blog world for another year!

December 22nd, 2008

Well, first off, hi again, all. It’s been a hellish semester. Classes were tough, I participated in NaNoWriMo (and won!), so I was buried in things to do for the entire month of November, and I’ve been doing a lot of preparations for my semester in Japan starting in January, but for now, I’m on winter break, so I’ve found some time to update!

Unfortunately, I have to start my post off on a sad note. About a month ago, I stumbled across the news that Sugiura Riho (Rippon) announced her upcoming graduation from the Canaria Club.

Rippon is my favorite member of the Canaria Club, TNX/NGP altogether, and one of my favorite idols overall, so understandably, I was upset. Then I found an audio file from the even she announced her graduation at, and, well, inevitably, it had me bawling.

Riho was an amazing performer. She didn’t get to sing (solo) much, but when she did, she proved she had a good voice, she was a really skilled dancer, had great energy on stage, has a fantastic personality, and is absolutely freaking gorgeous.

Sugiura Riho

I was left to conclude the only thing my fangirl brain could rationalize. She’s just too cool for this gig.

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October 10th, 2008

Well, long time no see! Let me start by apologizing for this absolute lack of consistent posting. Summer was hectic, this new semester at school is even more hectic. I unexpectedly lost my laptop for a few weeks while it was sent in for repairs, and school and preparing for my semester in Japan have just been kicking my butt lately. But anyway, I am back in possession of a laptop and stable internet access, so here I am again!

The return of my laptop didn’t come a moment too soon, either. Just around the time I got it back, NetCinema, a website that has been working with AKB48 to broadcast “Live! On Demand” stage recordings to viewers in Japan for a fee, announced that it would be broadcasting a free recording of Team B’s 3rd Stage, Pajama Drive. When I found out about that, I was ECSTATIC. I’m a huge Team B fan, and B3 is my favorite AKB48 stage to date. Just a few days later, NetCinema announced they’d be broadcasting Team K’s 4th Stage for free as well! I really liked the previews for K4 as well, so I was really excited about getting the chance to see that one as well.

One cool aspect of these broadcasts is that they were literally recorded just days before they hit the web. Nothing was outdated by a few months (which can encompass a years-worth of happenings in the idol world, as evidenced by the sudden departure of several AKB48 members over the past few months), hell, these two stages are still being performed right now in Japan. Additionally, I was really happy that they kept the MC portions of the performances in. In the official DVDs, all MCs are cut out, and I feel that the MCs really help give you a sense of the girls’ personalities.

The only unfortunate thing about these broadcasts is that there are certain members missing from each Team. The B3 performance was filmed just days after Inoue Naru suddenly announced her graduation, and it felt so strange seeing her already gone from the group… just like that. Additionally, Kikuchi Ayaka, who was fired back in August, obviously did not appear. One other member, Nito Moeno, the newest member of Team B, was also absent. However, she appeared in the K4 recording (ironically), so we actually did get to see a bit of her. Sashihara Rino, another brand new member of Team B, was there for a good half of the time (she mysteriously disappeared during the second half). In the K4 recording, Oshima Yuko, Kasai Tomomi, Ono Erena, Masuda Yuka, and Kobayashi Kana were absent. Seeing as three of those girls are some of the frontgirls of AKB48 to begin with, I can see a lot of people losing interest in that recording. Kobayashi Kana had just recently torn a ligament, so she’s been absent due to her injury.

However, as much of a hole as these missing members may seem to make, there’s a flip-side to it. In the place of the missing members were the newest Team members and a handful of Research Students (AKB48’s equivalent of the Hello! Project Eggs). I always love to get a glimpse at how the newbies are doing. In a previous post, I gushed about how impressed I was by the first batch of Research Students, so I was really looking forward to seeing how some of the newest girls are doing.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about them all. There are some clear stars, some who I just don’t get, and a few unexpected surprises.

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Posted in AKB48, review | 5 Comments »
August 11th, 2008

Just popping in with a quick post to say…

Happy 1st Birthday, Egao Yes Idols!

It’s kind of weird to think Egao Yes Idols has been around for a full year today. I started the blog on a boring summer day, and I never would’ve expected back then that Egao Yes Idols would have gotten to where it is today. But anyway, I just wanted to give a big thank you to all my readers. You all are the best! <3 And I hope Egao Yes Idols continues to be at least a slightly enjoyable read for you all.

:)

Posted in misc., personal | 1 Comment »
August 10th, 2008

It would be a fair assertion to say that I can tend to root for the underdog, or that I’m interested in the obscure. I don’t think I would have really gotten into Japanese music without a leaning toward the unique and obscure. But out of all the things that I take an interest in within the J-pop world, all of the newbies, Eggs, and Research Students have got to rank among the most obscure on my list.

Most of these girls will remain nameless faces in a sea of idols to casual fans. Some may just not be interested whatsoever and think it’s a total waste of time, others may show a mild interest, but don’t particularly care too much until they garner a more prominent role in their respective group/s. But there are fans like me who take a more active role in learning about these obscure girls. I’m sort of proud to say that I can identify all of the Hello! Project Eggs and could give an opinion on pretty much all of their singing and dancing abilities. With the AKB48 Research Students (formerly the AKB48 SEEDs), it’s a little bit of a different story, but, at the very least, I can identify them and absolutely rave about the talent of some of them (or the former members).

I do admit I have a fair bit of free time on my hands, but I do promise that a good bunch of these girls are actually talented– they are actually worth their fair share of attention every now and then.

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July 28th, 2008

Hey everyone, I figured I’d post a quick update on here to let you all know that I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth, and I do intend to continue blogging.

This past month has been absolutely crazy– from show rehearsals to an internship and life’s other miscellaneous bumps in the road, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to blog. But at the moment, I have a few ideas running around in my head for the next post. Life is finally calming down for me a bit, so hopefully I’ll have that post up soon!

Thanks for your patience!

Posted in misc., personal | 1 Comment »
June 22nd, 2008

The final part in my review of the Canaria Club’s latest DVD release. Enjoy!

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June 22nd, 2008

Part 2 of my review of the Canaria Club’s latest DVD continues here. Read on!

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June 22nd, 2008

First of all, let me just say that I NEVER thought I’d get to see this, so I am thrilled to just be able to SEE this DVD. I actually lost interest in the Canaria Club for a short while, after I was less-than-wowed with their recent singles. ‘FAITH!’ had an atrocious PV and the song wasn’t nearly as catchy as ‘SWEET & TOUGHNESS’ or ‘Seishun Banzai.’ Their most recent single, ‘Nishiki Kazare,’ had a PV that was immensely better than the one for ‘FAITH!’– complete with dreamy, cinematic shots and something akin to a story. But the song was just too… generic. It sounded more like an album track than single material. The skank picnic outfits (belly shirts + aquamarine plaid) didn’t help the single’s case, either.

After effectively getting that song stuck in my head, however, I’ve changed my mind about liking it. It’s incredibly catchy, and after seeing it performed, I can tell that the girls have fun with the song, which is a huge way to convince me to like the song.

Anyway, despite my indifference toward their recent releases, I still just had to see their concert DVD when I came across it. I’m incredibly glad I took the time to watch it, because I was far from disappointed. This DVD taught me a few new things about the girls, reminded me why I liked them so much before, and rekindled my interest in them.

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