fields of maiZe and berryZ

The Hello! Project 2008 Winter Concert reviews have been popping up all over the place in our little blogsphere. I’m here to put my two cents into the mix.

Concert release times are my favourite time of the year in the H!P calendar. PVs and singles are all fine and dandy, but I love watching the girls sing live (lip syncing makes me want to cry). Live performances are where you get to see if the girls can reproduce the sound that they created with the help of mixers, touch ups and 8 million takes. I realize that in the idol world, you don’t have to be a perfect singer, or even that good of a singer, and I can accept that. But you have to be able to entertain and perform. Well, to entertain this fan, you have to be able to sing live because if you’re lip syncing at a concert… Well, I’ll just go an pull up the PV, thank you very much. I’d hear the song better that way (and with the usual design of H!P concert costumes, the outfits would probably better too).

So, I’m going to start off with my favourite group, Wonderful Hearts. I only have certain favourites in Elder Club, and the entire H!P concert, while fun, is so diulted with girls that my favourite ones don’t get enough screen time for my liking. And now, without futher ado:

My Hello! Project 2008 Winter ~Wonderful Hearts Nenjuu Mu Kyuu~ concert review!

1. 青空がいつまでも続くような未来であれ！(Aozora ga Itsumademo Tsuzuku You na Mirai de Are!) - All
My first thought upon seeing the girls was, “Hey… Those outfits look familiar!” XD And yes, I’m referring to the outfits in Paul’s Hello!Blog’s H!P poll. There are no solo lines in this song, so it’s hard to say much of anything in critique of this song. The dance isn’t anything spectacular, so can’t really comment on that either. But there’s a moment in the second verse, I think where the camera focuses on Risa, and the gives a cute wink and wave-ish gesture. Go Risa! But it’s a nice, uplifting song and good for an opening number.

2. 恋愛レボリューション２１ (Renai Revolution 21) - All
Wow… Aika’s “Hoi” sounded like a squeak to me… Let me rewind that… Yea… still a squeak. I’m sorry, but that will always be a Rika line for me. My favourite one being when Monkey man performed it with them on the field trip special (Okamura-sensei, is it?).

3. MC 1
I like the video intro. The split screen is nice. I like the group shot on one side and then close ups of each of the girls on the other side.

Now, during the opening MC, standing right behind Makoto and Mari are the leader of C-ute and the captain of Berryz. When the camera is focused on the two MCs, you can see Maimi’s left leg and Captain Saki’s right leg. Seeing this, I had the most random thought: Maimi has very bright and vibrant coloured legs compared to Captain. Next to Maimi, Captain’s legs look almost greyish… o_O Not a normal thought to have, or a normal observation to make, but who ever said I was normal? XD

4. LALALA 幸せの歌 (LALALA Shiawase no Uta) - All
Yay! Maimi starts the song off, as she should! Risako… why does she get the first solo Berryz line? Ai-chan gets the next line, so really, it should have been Captain Saki for Berryz… Yea right, like that would really happen. I think this song is suited for concert use. I did notice a very random and inconsequential thing as I watched. Through most of the second half of the song, Aa! stands all in a row - (from left to right) Miya, Reina, Airi.

5. 都会っ子 純情 (Tokaikko Junjou) - °C-ute
I absolutely adore Maimi! Airi’s consistency is a little off in this performance, but does well overall. Every time I see this song live, I always wonder how Maimai will handle her lines because usually it’s either really on, or really off. I was pleased to see that I didn’t have to cringe at her part. Just a little note: as much as I love the dance to this song, the fluffy tutu’s make me giggle as they bounce around.

6. チャンス！ (Chance!) - Tsukishima Kirari starring Kusumi Koharu (Morning Musume)
Okay… Koha and I don’t get along. I think that’s been thoroughly explained in the various posts in my blog. As I mentioned above, lip syncing makes me want to cry. Thus, I was upset when i saw yet another lip syncing performance by Koha. But then I stopped and thought about it… Do I REALLY want to hear the Miracle sing a solo song live? There’ll be no one to drown her out, and from the live bits she sings in Morning songs… Well, I think it’s best that she does lip sync.

7. ハッピー☆彡 (Happy) - Tsukishima Kirari starring Kusumi Koharu (Morning Musume)
See comments for song #6. An additional note: I would have no qualms watching her if it was muted. She’s definitely pretty, and her rarely relaxed eyes would (and do) provide me with much amusement.

8. 付き合ってるのに片思い (Tsukiatteru no ni Kataomoi) - Berryz Koubou
Momoko scares me in this song. She sounds 10 times more helium filled than usual… Give me Buono! Momo!!! Why does Yurina’s first solo line seem to have no varying tone to it? But she makes up for it with her second solo line, so it evens out… I thought Chinami did her one *sigh* solo line very well. Risako’s voice sounds a little weird in this song…

9. 告白の噴水広場 (Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba) - Berryz Koubou
I absolutely adore this song. But why is it that Risako’s voice seems to die more and more every time I hear this song live? That weird sound quality in Tsukiatteru is more pronounced here, since she actually has to hold her notes… Is she trying out vibrato?! … Risako, I beg you, PLEASE STOP!!! On that note, you really don’t hear many of the H!P girls sing with vibrato - though one who has a very natural and nice vibrato is Chisa! It’s funny how they cut out verse 2, so Captain and Maasa don’t get their solo lines. Maybe they should have gone with verse 2 (though that would mean Miya would sing less, and that would be sad ’cause I really liked her in this performance - except her ‘Unazuite yo’. That was a little shaky) because Yurina didn’t do too well with her lines. Also, Yurina’s dancing was… aggressive for a song of this tempo and feeling.

10. MC 2
With my limited ability to understand Japanese, I was able to pick something out of this MC segment (it’s funny because I don’t usually have anything to say about the MC segments, but here’s 2 of 2 for comments so far!). What did I pick out? Mention of the Berryz Kamen vs. C-ute Ranger concert!! I’m SOOOO ready!! XD

11. みかん (Mikan) - Morning Musume
Sayu screwed up her first solo line. Koha did very well with hers, much to my surprise, though she did channel Reina with a wink at the end of her line. It was only recently (sometime after I started blogging) that I noticed Reina’s wonky eye… and that was because it was pointed out either in a forum or a blog. I had never really paid attention before. But in Mikan, there’s a moment where it was so prominent that it actually made me go cross-eyed for a second. XD It’s right after “Oh Yeah! ONE TIME!”.

12. SEXY BOY～そよ風に寄りそって～ (SEXY BOY ~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~) - Morning Musume
Koharu’s expression is almost manic at the start of this song. It kind of frightened me…

I don’t know why, but this performance did absolutely nothing for me. I’ve watched through this performance multiple times, doing my darndest to find something that stood out. My ending verdict: meh…

13. 踊れ！モーニングカレー (Odore! Morning Curry) - Morning Musume
I really like Leader and Subleader practically growling out ‘Morning Curry’ for some reason. Something about it is just so…. fabulous. Koharu has a really funny sounding line here, which I actually appreciated. It gave the song an even quirkier feel to it. Go Koha! And the randomness of this dance is magnificent! It makes me really happy, like the Shanimuni Paradise dance!

14. MC 3
Don’t know what they were talking about in this MC, so… next song!

15. 恋愛ライダー (Renai Rider) - Buono!
Airi had the best vocal performance from the three girls. For some reason, Miya and Momoko both seemed to have trouble hitting the last note in their verse lines. The note seems to be on the outside edge of their lower range. However, they all pick it up vocally after the instrumental break. The instrumental for this perfomance sounds live for some reason.

16. 青春LOVEランチ (Seishun! LOVE Lunch) - Athena & Robikerottsu
As much as I am not a fan of NakaSaki’s voice, I was pleasantly surprised with her performance here. With the exception of her first line, which I though was sung so enthusiastically that she was a little bit off, Chisato was fantastic. . She’s got this cute rise in tone at the end of her lines. Risa had a solid performance as well. I’d have to say the weak point here was Aika. She sounded a little winded at the start of the song, which is weird since she had been off stage for an MC and Buono!’s performance. However, she did pick it up by the end of the song, so good for her.

17. ロボキッス (Robokiss) - Michishige Sayumi & Sugaya Risako
Speaking of not being a fan of someone’s voice, it’s no secret that Sayumi is not one of my favourites, live or recorded. Risako on the other hand, sounds decent (generally) recorded, but come lives… well, she’s been known to destroy a song or two. But here, I have to say that I was really impressed by these two. That’s not to say that I suddenly love either of their voices, but I fully appreciate the effort they put forth, and I’m glad to report that they did not disappoint. They danced with energy, and Risako gave one of the most amusing facial expressions of the night.

Note: My brother pointed out that Sayu was much more enthusiastic in her dancing compared to Risako. I hadn’t really thought of it before he said that. Risako looked okay, but now I think that’s just because she wasn’t dancing as lazily as she tends to in Berryz numbers. So relative to a Risako performance, this was well danced. Relative to Say’s dancing in this particular performance, I think I’ll have to go with my brother and give it Sayu.

18. アイ〜ン！ダンスの唄 (Ai~n! Dance no Uta) - Kamei Eri, Junjun, Linlin & Sudou Maasa
I love this song. It’s such a crazy, hectic song. I was looking forward to this song, because I wanted to see more of the pandas. However, the second I saw/heard that it was lip synced, I was terribly disappointed. Here’s a song where Junjun and Linlin are finally getting some quality solo lines, and it’s all pre-recorded… BLEH! Not much left to say after that…

19. 直感２～逃した魚は大きいぞ！～ (Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookiizo!~) - All
I definitely like the smaller group performances better than ‘All’ performances. You get to see more of each girl, which is always a plus. Like ‘Renai Revolution’, this was pretty much Morning Musume featuring Berryz, C-ute and Eggs as backup. What I noted was that Koha, Buono! and A&R changed outfits. Miya and Momoko were in cute matching outfits (different colours, of course), with the same going on with the C-ute girls in those groups. However, Risa and Aika were in cool outfits with these nice long jackets, while Koha was in a frilly dress, closer to the style that the C-ute girls were wearing. I really didn’t get the logic behind that…

20. MC 4 - Michishige Sayumi, Sudou Maasa, Umeda Erika
Again didn’t know what they were talking about in this MC, so… next song!

21. Everyday Everywhere - Takahashi Ai & Tanaka Reina
I am definitely not a fan of these outfits. But I just have to say that Takahashi was amazing in this performance. Reina did well, but her falsettos just didn’t hit the mark like Ai-chan’s did. That’s not to say she was out of tune or anything, but it sounded a little nasal to me… So, I have to give this to Ai-chan.

22. EVERYDAY　YEAH！片想い (EVERYDAY YEAH! Kataomoi) - Shimizu Saki, Hagiwara Mai & Arihara Kanna
I don’t know what it is about Kanna’s dancing here, but her skirt really starts flowing! Is it aggressive hip thrusts? Commanding butt checks? Whatever it is, GO KANNA! I love the their outfits here. I have a strange obsession with ties - part of the reason why I love the Kanashimi Twilight video so much. All the girls gave solid vocal performances here. However, it’s really sad to see how Captain is generally still ignored even within a tiny group performance like this one. Her involvement in this song is about equivalent to Miya’s in Aa!’s ‘FIRST KISS’.

23. 王子様と雪の夜 (Oujisama to Yuki no Yoru) - Umeda Erika, Yajima Maimi, Kumai Yurina & Tokunaga Chinami
This song features the giants of H!P. The only one they’re missing is Maasa. It amuses me greatly that the tallest girls in H!P are 16 and under. This would have to be one of my least favourite Tanpopo songs. I simply was never able to get into it. However, this was another song where all the girls gave a solid performance. Nothing to complain about in this one.

24. 恋愛戦隊シツレンジャー (Renai Sentai Shitsu Ranger) - Takahashi Ai, Niigaki Risa, Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina, Mitsui Aika, Tsugunaga Momoko, Sugaya Risako & Natsuyaki Miyabi
The only 2 people who got solo lines here were leader and sub-leader. Both Ai-chan and Risa delivered their lines very well. I found there was a lot of Miya screen time too, so that made me happy. I liked that she was up front and centre a lot. I also have to say that having Risa and Miya in the orange costumes was greatly satisfying for me.

25. めぐる恋の季節 (Meguru Koi no Kisetsu) - °C-ute
This is a high energy number, and all the girls really seem to give it their all in this performance. I’d have to give special notice to Chisa and Maimi for this one (and this isn’t just because they’re my two favourite members… this is actually part of the reason WHY they’re my two favourite members) because they have the most constant ‘genki’ look as they perform this song. You can just feel the bubbly energy coming off them in waves, which I find fabulous. C-ute has very flattering outfits here. This irks me greatly. Why? Just wait for the next song…

26. 思い立ったら　吉でっせ！ (Omoitattara Kichi desse!) - Berryz Koubou
I have a very large bone to pick with the H!P wardrobe people. What in the world is up with these terrible outfits that they’ve given Berryz? Why couldn’t they keep those cute outfits that Miya and Momoko were wearing earlier? Dear goodness do I ever hate these outfits… Anyway, onto the song. When I saw this on the set list, my first thought was - who’s getting the lines in this song? For those who haven’t listened to Berryz Koubou’s 4th album, this is a track featuring Chinami, Maasa and Yurina. The others are not a part of this song. So, at best, I thought they’d evenly distribute lines, at worst they’d give all the lines to 3 of the leads - maybe leaving Yurina her lines, and giving the other lines to either Miya, Momoko or Risako. I just have to say I was pleasantly surprised when the only girls who had solo lines in this performance were those who originally sang this song. Chinami, Maasa and Yurina did fabulously, and it was nice to see Chinami and Maasa get some quality solo lines at an H!P (not just a Berryz) concert. However, poor Captain continues to get the short end of the stick.

27. スッペシャル　ジェネレ～ション！ (Special Generation) - Berryz Koubou & °C-ute
Two thoughts on this performance. 1. I liked the line distribution for C-ute better at C-ute’s °C-ute Cutie Circuit 2007 ～MAGICAL CUTIE TOUR～, seeing as Chisa was one of the leads (she got Miya’s lines). 2. If Miya is singing this song, NO ONE is allowed to share the “Woo yeah” lines with her. NO ONE!! Yes, I am just SLIGHTLY possessive in this regard. Miya is the original “Woo yeah” girl, and the best “Woo yeah” girl. FOREVER. It’s the management’s fault for assigning lines as they did, but it made me very irked at Airi for this performance. XD However, after watching this performance, I must say it again: Berryz Kamen vs. C-ute Ranger concert!! I’m SOOOO ready!! XD

28. ボンキュッ！ボンキュッ！BOMB GIRL (Bon kyu! Bon kyu! BOMB GIRL) - Morning Musume
I continue to be irked with the wardrobe department as Morning Musume come out for this song. The have cute outfits too… What did Berryz ever do to the wardrobe people? Moving on… I usually do my best to pretend that Koharu isn’t there, so maybe I’ve missed this, but she is a fan of winking. Do we have Reina the 2nd in our midst? I like this song. It’s fun and energetic, and all the girls look really into it. I particularly love the trusty leader and and sub-leader in this performance. Risa’s “Happy happy…” line definitely made me happy.

29. Go Girl～恋のヴィクトリー～ (Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~) - Morning Musume
I love the dance for this song. However, the vocals for this song aren’t the greatest. The girls are sounding a little winded. Don’t have much more to say than that. This was an okay performance. Nothing spectacular.

30. Hand made CITY - Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou & °C-ute
I love this song, but I don’t feel like Eri’s voice is edgy enough for it. Ai-chan’s is perfect for it, and of all the other girls in Morning, I think Risa would be the best candidate to take over Miki’s lines. She’s got one of the deeper voices of Morning, and this song is more suited for a deeper voice. Just to note, this performance is once again Morning Musume featuring Berryz Koubou, C-ute and Eggs as backup.

31. MC 5
Not much to say on this MC segment either… Finale time!

32. 何にも言わずにI LOVE YOU (Nanni mo Iwazu ni I LOVE YOU) - All
This song is from my favourite Morning Musume album, and it’s definitely one of the songs that I loved on that album. Not many solo lines here again, and they all go to Morning members, but overall a nice finale song. It’s a nice intimate song to close out with.

Overall Thoughts
This was a solid concert, even though I find that I was pretty harsh on almost all of the girls. I don’t know why I got so nit-picky as I watched this one, but oh well. It was fun, it was energetic and the costumes were okay (until we reached the end T_T). I was quite pleased to hear only one lip synced song. Good job girls!

This entry was posted on Monday, April 7th, 2008 at 2:21 am and is filed under Concert, Hello! Project, Review, Wonderful Hearts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.