And so without further ado, here is my review of the Hello! Project 2009 Winter Hello! Pro Award ‘09 Concert, AKA Elder Club’s graduation concert. T__T <3

01. Ame no Furanai Hoshi dewa Aisenaidarou? (Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou, C-ute and Mano Erina -> All)
At the start of this performance, I started getting all upset… “WTF?! It’s the EC grad concert!! GIVE ME MY EC!!!!!” and then, we get to the second verse, and Wonderful Hearts parts like the Red Sea to make way for Elder Club, and I was like “THAT’S RIGHT!!!! YOU BEST BE MOVING!!!” And I was sitting there laughing at myself on how into the concert I was with the first song. Also, Aya getting the solo line along with Nacchi for the Elder Club’s verse was awesome and put me into a great mood for this first song.

I have to say that I was absolutely surprised to see that at the end of this first song, Maimi was already brought to tears, as was Yuko. I wonder how many of the other girls were that moved by just the opening song.

02. Manopiano (Mano Erina)
In the past few months, I have quickly become obsessed with Angela Aki (thank you MorningBerryz! ) and I have since bought 2 of her albums and her 2 concerts on blu-ray… After watching loads of Angela playing piano and singing, I just cannot get into Manoeri and her piano bit. I’ve talked with a few people about this on wotachat, but Manoeri looks so awkward playing the piano. It also doesn’t help that I’m not too into Mano’s voice either.

3. Minna no Tamago (Shugo Chara Egg)
I haven’t really gotten into Shugo Chara Egg, but I have recently gotten back into watching Shugo Chara, and thus I’ve been hearing this song at the start of every episode for the span of 13 episodes. It’s so catchy, I can’t help but sing along every time. I do love Yuuka – she definitely caught my interest being in High-King, and I love Kanon Fukuda (the green girl, aka Amulet Clover). The girls put on a great performance.

4. Come Together (Ongaku Gatas)
I have both Rika and Hitomi in my top 10 for H!P, but I never got into Ongaku Gatas. It was a nice performance though, and I do love Rika, Hitomi and Asami! <3 4th and 5th generations are my favourite Morning Musume generations. ^_^ I like Satoda Mai enough... I can't say much for the rest of the Gatas girls though... I don't know anything about them.

5. Kenchana ~Daijoubu~ (Maeda Yuuki)
I’ve never really listened to Maeda Yuuki through my years as a Hello! Project fan, but I will not deny that she has a lovely voice. The song is very pretty, but the style just isn’t my cup of tea.

06. Uwaki na Honey Pie (Satoda Mai with Korenaga Miki, Noto Arisa, Sengoku Minami and Sawada Yuri)
Lookie! It’s Mai again. You know, I don’t get why they couldn’t put Miki and Konno in with Mai for this performance. I mean, this was the time of Country Musume ni Fujimoto Miki to Konno Asami. However, it was still a nice performance by Mai. This song has funny dance, but I’ve always enjoyed its quirkyness.

07. Kuyashi Namida Porori (Nakazawa Yuko)
Like Maeda Yuuki, I haven’t really followed Yuuko’s career. However, I DO know this song of hers. XD I’ve always loved Yuuko’s character within Hello! Project, and it funny how her character is completely unlike the kind of songs that she sings. But that’s okay Yuuko’s awesome, and she has a beautiful voice as well.

08. Happy☆Happy Sunday (Tskishima Kirari feat. Kusumi Koharu with Frances and Aiko)
…. SAVE ME!! Well, unlike in the Wonderful Heart concert, where there was debate over where Koharu was lip syncing or not, there’s no question that Koha was definitely lip syncing here. You know, it’s sad that I can’t take Koharu’s voice ’cause she has some really catchy songs. Also, Frances and Aiko are cute…. And tiny. XD The taller girl (sorry, I don’t know which one is which) definitely has the “keep your eyes wide open 8D” bit down.

09. This is Unmei (Melon Kinenbi)
I don’t quite know what my favourite Melon Kinenbi song is, for I haven’t listened to enough of their music. However, I have a top 3 that I could not put in order for the life of me. This is Unmei is one of those three. This is such an awesome song, and the girls had a lot of energy. Just as in the Elder Club winter concert, Megumi’s pant/shorts combination really weirds me out. XD

10. Forever Love (C-ute)
It seems there were quite a few people who weren’t too impressed with this release of C-ute’s, but I absolutely love it. The beat is awesome, the girls look amazing (I love these outfits – ties are one of my weaknesses, along with hats) and Maimi and Airi are two of my favourite C-ute members, so I have no problem with them being front and centre. XD Airi and Maimi were totally solid here.

11. Dakishimete Dakishimete (Berryz Koubou)
Ties in the last song, Miya in a fedora in this one… <3 I love this single of Berryz Koubou, and I actually have a review that it pretty much all written up for this song but I haven't posted yet because I haven't taken any screencaps yet. I have to say that in both the Wonderful Hearts winter concert and this one, Risako has sounded quite good... Particularly in comparison to how she sounded in Berryz's fall concert.

12. Tanpopo (Kaori Iida, Yaguchi Mari, Ishikawa Rika, Konno Asami, Niigaki Risa and Shibata Ayumi)
AWW!!!!! Mari and Kaori walking onto the stage with tears in their eyes!!! T__T I teared up, myself, but no tears actually fell.. However…. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CUT THIS SONG SHORT!!!!! That was so upsetting!!!! Also, I would have been a lot happier having just Mari, Kaori and Rika for this song. 3rd gen Tanpopo was just blah in my opinion, and they only released one song. They had nothing to do with the awesomeness of Tanpopo (both the song and the group). Buuuh.

13. Baby Koi ni Knockout (Yasuda Kei, Yoshizawa Hitomi and Ogawa Makoto)
I used to be obsessed with this song. I knew the dance through most of it (I won’t remember most of it any more). I actually sang and danced to it before music class in high school. My teacher walked in and gave me the most surprised looked as she saw me dancing. Let’s just say I was one of the quiet ones in class. XD

Anyway, good performance by the girls, and while Makoto never released a single with Pucchi Moni, I actually really liked “Wow Wow Wow” which was on one of the Pucchi Best albums, I think. Thus, I have come to accept her within Pucchi Moni more readily than I have accepted 3rd generation Tanpopo as a “true” part of Tanpopo even though they released “Be Happy Koi no Yajirobee”.

14. Chocolate Damashii (Matsuura Aya)
LOL.. Aya looks like a cat of some sort with her print outfit and the fluffy tail. XD Aya was still injured at this time, right? It’s too bad that she wasn’t at full strength for Elder Club’s final concert. However, she rocked out as she always does with a wonderfully solid performance. I love the flow and melody of this song. Aya is just too awesome for words.

15. Yeah Meccha Holiday (Matsuura Aya)
Again, so sad that Aya couldn’t run around and dance full out for this song. It was awesome watching the crowd dance along with her. You can see the wota in the background so clearly, and you could totally feed off their energy even just watching the DVD.

16. Egao ni Namida ~THANK YOU! MY DEAR FRIENDS~ (Matsuura Aya with Melon Kinenbi, Ongaku Gatas Eggs, Berryz Koubou, C-ute, Mitsui Aika, JunJun, LinLin, Mano Erina, Miyoshi Erika, Okada Yui, Hello! Project Eggs)
Three Aya songs in a row… She definitely was one of H!P’s best and brightest (well, in my opinion, THE best and brightest). I wonder if anyone else will have most of H!P as their background singers and dancers in this concert (*makes a mental note to pay attention when Nacchi does her solo stuff*). For some reason, I don’t think anyone else will have quite the same spotlight shone on them… This really goes to show the success Aya had as H!P’s best selling soloist. I’m so glad that I’ve been able to follow along with her career since as early as LOVE Namidairo. <3

Aya’s so awesome, she gets half of Hello! Project as her backup singers/dancers. <3

17. Hare Ame Nochi Suki (Morning Musume Sakura Gumi – Minus Kago Ai)
OMG!!!! MY FAVOURITE MORNING MUSUME SONG EVAR!!! <3333333
Only Kago's missing, but whatcha gonna do? Also, I know this isn't a full Morning Musume song, but this beats all Morning Musume songs for me... Please refer to my Momusu singles ranking posts (up until Mikan, I think). Hitomi was a little bit out of breath for this song... But OMG Sakura Gumi reunion!! <3 I love these outfits (though, why are they wearing the Sakura Mankai, and seriously this song is just soooo beautiful. I was about to go ballistic for there not being enough Risa in this song (I know she didn't sing much in it originally, but with Kago lines being distributed around, I was waiting for Risa to get her turn), but then she got the last 3 "Suki"s, which made me happy. ^_^

18. Ai no Sono ~Touch My Heart~ (Morning Musume Otome Gumi)
Otome Gumi reunion! I definitely like Sakura Gumi a lot more than Otome Gumi, but that’s because I’m a ballad freak. XD I love this song by Otome Gumi as well. It’s nice to see the full original ensemble back together here. No extra line distribution required for this song. It’s songs like these two that are what I was waiting for with this concert… I know I could go back and watch old concerts from when these groups first came out, but it’s different seeing how they are now, 5? years later… And oh, so nostalgic… <3

19. co.no.mi.chi (Buono!)
I love Buono! to death… But hearing the intro to this after Sakura and Otome Gumi was kind of a let down… I was so getting into the old school stuff.. I mean, come on, Ayaya followed by my favourite Morning Musume song, and just a general blast from the past… And it also didn’t help that the girls were a little bit off key in this song… How sad. Momoko sounded really weak in her solo line for the last bridge. I don’t know. I think it’s not good for me to be commenting on Buono! right after the performances that I just saw… -_-;

20. Debut! Koisuru Kado ni wa Fuku Kitaru (Ice-cream Musume)
LOL.. So, I don’t listen to Ice Cream Musume… And when they started singing in Japanese, i was so shocked. I went straight into wotachat and asked Mars and Juju about it, and got some funny internet looks from them. XD Whoops. My bad.

21. Hitoshirezu Mune wo Kanaderu Yoru no Aki (Puripuri Pink)
Poor Atsuko standing out in her purple coat, standing in the middle of 1st and 2nd gen Momusu members. XD This was my least favourite 2005 shuffle group, but it’s a very pretty song.

22. Magic of Love (Inaba Atsuko and Maeda Yuki)
I don’t listen to these two very much, seeing as neither have been all that active in H!P, but I can’t deny that they both have beautiful voices. At least Atsuko has a matching outfit buddy in this song.

23. Screen (Abe Natsumi)
I never really followed Nacchi’s solo career, but after seeing her perform this song here and at the Elder Club concert, I’m really liking this song. … Wow, only 1 Nacchi solo song… Even being the sweetheart of Morning Musume doesn’t give her more than 1 solo song at the Elder Club graduation… But then again, she’s going to be performing in other subgroup things (ex. Sakura Gumi, and Morning Musume OG later), so I guess it evens out.

MC.
Tsuji looks so different. Did she get a nose job? Her face just looks so different. I noticed this a little while ago from photos on her blog…

23. Suki na Sempai (Morning Musume’s 5th Generation)
5th gen!!! My 2nd favourite generation!! It was so sad when they performed this at Konkon and Mako-chan’s grad concert … And it’s their graduation concert AGAIN… Poor Aichan and Risa. XD At leaswt the girls aren’t ready to bawl their eyes out in this performance. It’s definitely got a happier feelt than the last time they performed this together… And, uh, are they trying to take us back to when the gokkies first joined by putting Risa’s hair like that? <3

I was originally thinking of just putting a photo here to show off Risa’s flashback hair, but after finding this video, I couldn’t help but stick it in this review. It’s a great mix of the 3 defining moments of Morning Musume’s 5th generation (which just happens to be my 2nd favourite Momusu generation). The girls were so cute, and such newbs back in 2002. In 2006, well it’s hard to tell how much they’ve improved ’cause they’re so overcome with emotion as they’re singing. And we don’t get to hear much singing from the 2009 concert here, but it’s amazing to see how much the girls have grown from when they first joined Morning Musume 7.5 years ago.

25. Romantic Ukare Mode (Fujimoto Miki with Hello! Project Eggs)
As I said in my top 10 H!P ranking, I never followed Miki’s solo career, but I definitely know this song and I do love Miki’s voice.

26. Kacchoii ze! JAPAN (Biyuuden with Berryz Koubou, C-ute and Hello! Project Eggs)
Okay, Erika’s opening yell was kind of weak compared to Rika and Yui’s. Dude… like every outfit Yui’s worn this concer has been eye popping… O_O Yui also looked a little unstable standing on one leg. This is a fun song, but not one of my favourite Biyuuden songs.

27. Naichau Kamo (Morning Musume)
This is the first Morning Musume song that I have absolutely loved since Kanashimi Twilight. That’s a long Morning Musume drought for me. I’ve listen to every one of their singles in between, but none of them have stood out to me…

28. Resonant Blue (Morning Musume)
… Well, at least they didn’t turn this into a full H!P song like they did in the Wonderful Hearts winter concert. I thought this song as the opening for the Wonderful Heart concert was absolutely HORRIBLE. I do love how Risa gets so into the dance for this song…

29. Namida no Iro (C-ute)
So, the girls wearing the cover outfits for Edo kind of threw me off… Also, I found that after the intro dance bit, they energy really went down during their walk around the stage. There was absolutely no energy being given off by the girls. I love this song to death, but this particular performance of it didn’t do anything for me.

30. Madayade (Berryz Koubou)
… Why? T__T There isn’t enough Miya in this song for my liking. The girls definiely had more energy than C-ute did at least… And Miya’s line was lovely. <3 (Yes, I'm biased and going to comment on the wonderfulness of Miya in her one line in this song. XD) Also, Miya running past the camera near the end of the song and flashing the peace sign was so cute. ^_^

31. Morning Coffee (Morning Musume 1st Generation Members)
The Woo goes and Yuko looks overcome with emotion already. XD And the camera stays away from her right after that… XD I love these old school Morning songs. The utilization of harmonizing makes me so happy. They need more live harmonies in H!P songs.

31. Koko ni Iruzee (Morning Musume up to 5th Generation Members)
And here comes Morning Musume up to 5th gen. ^_^ <3 This is seriously making my day.. (my birthday just ended, but it's still the 15th in other time zones, so that's okay... Lovely birthday present from H!P XD) Nothing beats the original members singing their own song.. Yuko definitely had to do a lot of running for this number. XD Wasn't that why she graduated from Morning? She couldn't keep up with the young ones, right? XD

33. Love Machine (Morning Musume and OG Morning Musume -> All)
Okay… fine, bring out the rest of Morning Musume. I would have gladly continued on with a few more OG songs. So, Aichan got Maki’s solo line with Nacchi and Mair. Awesome. Lol, I looked down for a minute to type, and when I looked up, Miya was on screen. <3

34. Michi Naru Mirai he (All)
I don’t know this song… XD But I like the energy of it, and the distribution of lines. I like the generations singing their lines together. It was a short moment, but seeing 4th gen singing together (*cough*minusKago*cough*) gave me a lovely warm feeling… Too bad there wasn’t a 4th gen song equivalent to the gokkies’ “Suki na Sempai”.

The Graduation
I thought I would cry at some point during this concert, but I didn’t… I think the fact that the girls weren’t individually saying goodbye to the graduating members made it less emotional for me. I know that previous Morning Musume graduation concerts have brought tears to my eyes… Maimi was really close to breaking down while reading her letter, while Captain was surprisingly strong through her speech (meaning she didn’t waver much). She had a bit too much mascara, though, and it was so sad to watch that lone tear streak down her face at the end of her speech. Aichan… Poor girl. I was amazed she held it together the whole way though. Her voice definitely cracked – I mean, her and Risa have been around the longest from what is left of Hello! Project. She’s been with these girls for 7.5 years. However, considering how she’s broken down at previous graduations, I think her holding it together here gives us a glance at how she’ll keep herself together as she moves forward to lead Hello! Project.

35. ALL FOR ONE & ONE FOR ALL! (All)
This is such a happy song that you can’t help but smile as you watch them perform it… Even knowing this is the last time you’ll see the Elder Club as members of Hello! Project.

I’ve always loved how this song goes by groups as they joined Hello! Project. The flow is as it was in the original PV up until we hit the former H!P Kids. In this performance, Berryz Koubou and C-ute switch order, for back when H!P All Stars came out, C-ute wasn’t C-ute yet, and the H!P Kids (who were made up of the future members of C-ute) were formed before Berryz Koubou. But now, the H!P Kids are no more, and Berryz came before C-ute… XD Isn’t that all so confusing? Then, the last group that comes out has increased by quite a few members. Yui and Erika (Biyuuden) have added on Koharu, Aika, Junjun, Linlin, and Mano Erina. It’s kind of sad that the none of the eggs who’ve been featured, ex. Shugo Chara Egg, or even the Ongaku Gatas Eggs, were special enough to get something in this song.

As for the solo lines, Hitomi got Kago’s line and Aichan got Maki’s line. From the first time I heard this song, I had wanted Aichan to have a solo line in it, and I’m so happy that she did in this performance. Though, watching it, I find it’s really lop-sided on the solo line distribution, seeing as Ayaya is the only person to get a solo line who was never in Morning Musume. Favourtism much? XD

And that ends my Elder Club graduation concert review… Could it have been any longer? XD Well, I’m sure it could have, for I’m quite an accomplished rambler. However, to sum it all up, I thought this was a lovely send off for the girls who have given so many years of their lives to giving us, the fans, some wonderful and memorable moments. I could have done with a full length version of Tanpopo, and it’s too bad that Mini Moni didn’t have a reunion here (though there are only half of the original group was here). But, the song selection was fabulous overall, and it really brought me back to the good old days.

These girls who graduated have been a part of my life for about 7.5 years, and it’s sad to see them go. I look forward to seeing them progress in the entertainment world, if that is the path they choose (I’m particularly waiting to see/hear more of Aya), and if they decide to drop off the celebrity radar and go back to a normal life, I wish them the best of luck in all that they do! *Hugs Elder Club*

Actually… Make that two reasons. XD This performance comes from Morning Musume’s Fall 2008 concert tour – Resonant Live. I’m not going to do a review of the entire concert, but I watched through part of it this evening, and this song and performance just blew me away!

Gokkies FTW!! Reina is there… I don’t really need her there. But Aichan and Risa, oh dear me… They were absolutely smoking! If this had been an Aichan and Risa duet, I would have been in heaven. Aichan at around the 2:09 mark with that hip roll and feeling up Risa’s leg… :O This performance is just all around win! And I’m loving the song. The beat is sexy…

I am obsessed with this song. At least I know there will be one song on Morning Musume’s upcoming album that I will love.

Matsuura Aya’s last album as a Hello! Project artist was released on January 21, 2009. My copy arrived today (or rather yesterday now, since it’s past midnight) and I happily opened up the album (which I had already listened to) to browse through the beautiful lyrics booklet. I have to say that the photos within are wonderful and Aya just looks absolutely stunning… Thus, I scanned all the pages with photos and posted them here. I would have just borrowed off of the H!O picboard, but the scans I saw were kind of grainy, and with pictures as lovely as these… Grain is not allowed! So, even if you’re not too interested in what Aya’s been up to musically, I’d recommend the eyecandy of her lyric booklet.

*Note to RSS readers: There are audio embeds with each song I reviewed, but there isn’t a note like my flvs have on the RSS. So if you want to listen to the songs, feel free to visit the actual site!*

I’ve listened to it a few times already, and I have to say it’s a beautiful album to go with a beautiful lyrics booklet – or should it be the other way around? I expected nothing less from Aya. That’s not to say this album is for everyone, and anyone looking for poppy, bouncy, energetic music is looking in the wrong place. I know many of Aya’s fans have not liked the way Aya’s career has progressed, and wishes she would go back to her pop idol image. This new mature style of hers is too “boring” for many Hello! Project fans. Well, not for me! Aya has an absolutely beautiful voice, and I think this more mature style suits her quite well.

A ballad by Aya is absolute win in my books… And this album, particuarly the title track (which we’ll get to) displays this quite nicely.

Omoi Afurete is an easy listening kind of album. Aya’s album was the topic of discussion in wotachat recently, and Murr ofTsuyoki de Yukoze! classified it as a light jazz kind of album. Now, I’ve always been very bad at figuring out genres of music – the whole “alternative” genre just boggles my mind, and I lump a lot of things into that genre when I truly have no clue what it should sit under. Anyway, I’m not quire sure if I’d call this album light jazz, but when I think of the songs on this album, I picture myself sitting in a small lounge-type venue, with Aya sitting on a barstool and musicans behind her providing the instrumentals. A relaxing atmosphere, with no chanting wota… From what I can gather, Aya’s already done a few shows like this, and CK of CK’s H!P blog attended one of these shows. I’m so jealous!!

The following is the tracklist of Omoi Afurete:
1. Kekkon Shinai Futari
2. Nanakai Utau to Ii Koto ga Aru Uta
3. beautiful day
4. Boomboomboom
5. Omoi Afurete
6. Rescue! Rescue!
7. Chuuou Kaisatsu
8. Shinju
9. Fallin’
10. Kizuna

Unlike my prior album reviews, I’ll only be going over certain tracks from the album, rather than going track by track. With that said, here we go!

1. Kekkon Shinai Futari
I absolutely adore this album. However, I have to say that the opening track doesn’t do much for me. I’m glad that I didn’t let this song turn me off to listening to the rest of the tracks (like one song would stop me from listening to an Aya album), because this opening track is my least favourite song on the tracklist. Adding to that, this track also happens to be the longest track on the album, clocking in at 6 minutes… Just a little bit too long for my liking.

Unfortunately, all albums can’t be like Buono!’s “Café Buono!” or Hanson’s “The Walk”, where I enjoyed every single track, I’d have to say that I enjoyed the rest of this album with varying levels of love for each song. So, 9 out of 10 tracks is still pretty good in my books.

2. Nanakai Utau to Ii Koto ga Aru Uta
With that being said, the second track quickly altered my mood, for I love this song. Nanakai Utau to Ii Koto ga Aur Uta (… long title XD) has a wonderful instrumental track filled with a beautiful piano line, soothing acoustic guitars, and a nice mix of woodwinds, horns and strings to round out the rest of the instrumental. I love the trills of the woodwinds. They make me want to pull out my flute and play my old high school band pieces. The melody is quite catching as well. The verses are calm and relaxing, leading into a more energetic chorus. I can’t quite describe what it is about this song, but it reminds me of something… I have been trying for days to figure out what it is about this song that is triggering this strange sense of nostalgia for me, but I have been terribly unsuccessful.

4. boomboomboom
Upon first listen through this album, I pegged this song as my favourite of the album. With a few more listens, it’s not quite the top of my list, but it’s definitely a nice upbeat number. It makes me want to start dancing everytime I hear it. With the constant whistles, I get the feeling of a carnivale kind of dance, but I keep wanting to salsa to this song.

Can I just mention how absolutely GORGEOUS Aya looks here? I mean, all the photos in her lyrics booklet are beautiful…. But WOW

6. Rescue! Rescue!
Keeping up with the upbeat songs on this album, Rescue! Rescue! is a fun number with an engaging melody. The verses are like those in Nanakai Utau to Ii Koto ga Aru Uta in that they’re slower and lead into a more uptempo chorus…. So this is a half-upbeat song, I guess. XD But still, a lot of fun.

09. Fallin’
You know, I’m just completely in love with Aya’s voice. It’s obviously no secret. Again, it’s the chorus that pulls me in for this song. That coupled with, once again, lovely woodwinds and strings bring it together nicely for me.

And again… GORGEOUS

05. Omoi Afurete
Now this song is absolutely gorgeous! The piano, the strings, the bass, the…. everything is just absolutely win! Aya’s voice is heavenly (though that’s not surprising)…. BUT I noticed something today during my drive home, that I wish I didn’t… You know how you notice that ONE THING in a song that once you hear it, it’s the ONLY THING THAT EXISTS? Well, I found it in this song. And I’m trying to drown it out because I love this song outside of that one thing. I don’t want to mess with the song for anyone who hasn’t noticed it… And maybe I’m just a little bit crazy (a little bit you say? o_O) and it only bothers me, but I’m going to “spoiler” this tibit out just in case. I hate the shaker in this song!!! It’s everywhere and doesn’t stop! It needs to die! Anyway, like I said, I’m going to try and ignore it… And here’s the song for your listening pleasure, because it’s beautiful and you should totally listen to it!

So, all in all, I highly enjoyed Aya’s last album as a Hello! Project artist. The title track is definitely the highlight of this album for me, even considering my newly found problem with the song. Although it hasn’t sold well in it’s first week, I wish Aya all the best in her future endeavours and hope that maybe out from under the Hello! Project name, she will be able to flourish more with this mature style. And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about her last H!P single which is due out in a few weeks… That’s on pre-order for me. It will be coming with my Buono!2 album. I can’t wait!

I don’t quite know where this photo is from, but I found it on the H!O picboard! <3

I’ve been a little bit slow on my reviewing of new singles and/or albums that have struck my fancy (take Berryz Koubou’s 5th album, for example, which still has a half written review in my todo list… XD). However, I thought I’d start my Buono! lovefest post with my thoughts on their latest single, Rottara Rottara. Well, at least for once I’m doing a review AFTER I have the hard copy in my possession.

I have to say that I am absolutely loving Buono!’s latest release. At the same time, I must admit that when I first heard the song, I wasn’t particularly impressed. Unlike Gachinko de Ikou!, where upon my first listen I was completely hooked, I listened to Rottara for the first time having heard everyone going completely bonkers for it and thought “Huh… It will just have to grow on me.” For some reason, I didn’t doubt that it would. I mean, it’s Buono! … It’s Miya! XD

And I have to say, that it definitely did grow on me! I barely listened to the radio rip, but I remember that it was while I was in New Jersey during the 2008 Wotacon that the PV first came out on dohhup. It was only a preview of the PV – half of the song… But for some reason, the PV got it stuck in my head, and all of a sudden I loved the song. What I originally found to be a fairly forgettable song suddenly wouldn’t leave my head…. Just ask pengie of unchained. I kept humming it for the rest of Wotacon and getting it stuck in her head as well. XD

I just find the girls looking at the Buono! logo in the LE DVD absolutely adorable for some reason..

The song is ridiculously catchy, what with the “Lotta love, Lotta love, Lotta love” bits. I love the melody for this single, particularly during the verses… Even though Miyabi’s second verse left me tongue tied for quite some time as I tried to learn the song.

Though the image of this song strays from Buono!’s previously rocker-style image, the girls are absolutely adorable, and I think this new style suits them. Really, I think any style will suit them, or rather they will be able to adapt to any style that is thrown at them. Have much faith in these girls, I do… Do or do not. There is no try.

… -_-;

MOVING ON… XD Now the b-side to Rottara is wonderfully energetic. When I first heard My Love, I was taken back to 1995… And I suddenly wanted to watch Clueless (movie starring Alicia Silverstone, for those of you who don’t know it, though not knowing Clueless should be a crime! XD) or rip out some Mighty Mighty Bosstones tunes. XD Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any prior H!P releases that have had quite as ska a feel to them as My Love has, which makes this c/w totally awesome in my books!

I am a huge fan of brass instruments, so generally anything that utilizes them is a-okay with me. If I hadn’t been able to take up the flute in high school, I would definitely have gone with a trumpet as my second choice. I actually tried the trumpet out a few times when my teacher let me take home an extra instrument, and I will own a trumpet of my own one day… When I have my own place and won’t deafen my mother as I try to learn to play it well. XD

This latest release by Buono! is definitely up there in my top H!P singles for the year list. It doesn’t quite beat Gachinko for #1 a-side, or Kioku no Meiru for #1 b-side, but both tracks for this single are definitely in my top 5… if not top 3 for the year. I need to take a closer look at what else has been released this year to say for sure about the top 3.

Miya is just so pretty in the top righthand corner photo… <3

Now, as has been mentioned on a number of blogs already and I’d assume on all the H!P forums, at their release events for Rottara, they announced their upcoming 6th single, set for release on January 21st. When I heard that, I immediately thought “SECOND ALBUM WUT!!! XD” And sure enough, not 5 minutes later, I see news on their second album which is slated to be released on February 11th.

This is feeling a lot like last year did. Renai Rider released on February 6th, and it was quickly followed by the release of Cafe BUono! on the 20th. Lots of people worried that Renai Rider sales would be low seeing as the album would be releasing soon after the single, but I don’t think that was the case (having theppn down makes checking sales numbers VERY difficult… -_-). Anyway, again, I don’t think having the two releases so close to one another will hamper sales. I know I’ll definitely be getting both release – I simply can’t stop myself from getting anything that Buono! releases. I can skip a Berryz or C-ute release, but Buono!? NO WAY!

In addition to their 6th single and 2nd album, these girls will be embarking upon their first concert tour with their first performance scheduled for the day their 2nd album releases. And this is what… Less than 2 weeks after the H!P 2009 winter tour featuring the Elder Club graduation. And just 2 weeks after the Buono! concert tour, Berryz will be launching their 2009 Spring tour.

As excited as I am for all that this means in terms of my Buono fandom (the FC concert that they performed for their 1st anniversary back in July – or was it August? – will also be release on DVD in December, if I’m not mistaken), I seriously wonder how Miya, Momoko or Airi have ANY time to breathe. I was just talking with IndigoSkies on #wotachat about Morning Musume this morning, and I came to the realization that Morning Musume has only had one original release this year – that being Resonant Blue. It looks like the H!P Kids have been picking up the slack in regards to releases and even concerts. And Seeing as Miya, Momoko and Airi are also in Buono!, they’re getting the heaviest load to shoulder.

To take a glance at that, let’s look at what C-ute and Berryz have done this year:

Up first, joint ventures:
- The H!P 2008 winter concert, as well as the Wonderful Hearts 2008 Winter concert
- Of course, we can’t forget the wonderful Berryz vs. C-ute concert from this spring
- Wonderful Hearts 2008 Summer Concert
- Berikyuu
- Yorosen (well, not quite a joint venture, but they’re all on the show, if at different times)
- Solo FC events

Next, C-ute’s solo stuff:
- Lalala Shiawase no Uta
- Namida no Iro
- Edo no Temari Uta II
- FOREVER LOVE
- 3rd ~Love Escalation~
- Koero! Rakuten Eagles
- CUTIE CIRCUIT 2008 LOVE Escalation (concert)
- C-ute Concert Tour 2008 Natsu ~Wasuretakunai Natsu~
- C-ute Cutie Circuit 2008 ~September 10 is °C-ute’s Day~ (I have no idea what this is, but it’s a Cutie Circuit release… so yea, something else they’ve done this year)
- Airi’s 3rd PB*
- Did they do a stage play? Wikipedia.com is completely unhelpful here.
- DVD Magazines for the year (not quite sure how many)

Berryz solo stuff:
- Dschinghis Khan
- Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance
- Dschinghis Khan Part 2…. o_O
- Madayade
- 5(FIVE)
- Berryz Kobo Concert Tour 2008 Autumn ~Berikore!~
- Berryz vs. Berryz (or something like that) stage play
- Momoko’s 2nd & 3rd PBs*
- DVD Magazines for the year (not quite sure how many)

This doesn’t have any FC events and whatnot that they also do, and radio shows. I’m not sure if any of these three are doing any radio shows right now (I know Maimi has hers) because I don’t follow radio shows. I may have missed some other things as well… It’s hard to keep up with all they do during the year. But here’s a rough idea of their main undertakings.

I look at these lists and just wonder how the girls don’t pass out in the middle of a concert or something. And to think in the midst of all this, they somehow still go to school… It just boggles the mind. However, the girls are definitely handling all the pressure well.

GANBARE BUONO!! YOU CAN DO IT!

**EDIT: Okay, I totally fail for during my drive home, I remembered more things I should have added to this list… Like what Buono! has done this year. >_<

- Renai Rider
- Kiss!Kiss!Kiss!
- Gachinko de Ikou!
- Rottara Rottara
- Café Buono!
- FC concert for their 1st anniversary (that’s like… 7 concerts for Airi.. o_O)

Additional Airi tidbit:
- She was also in that Pink Lady drama with Aichan and Risa (just a small role, but a role nonetheless)
**/EDIT**

*SERIOUSLY WHERE IS MIYA’S SECOND PB?!? HOW IS SHE THE ONLY BUONO! MEMBER WITH ONLY 1 PHOTOBOOK?!?!?!

So without further ado, here is the fields edition of a Hello! Project 2008 Summer Wonderful Hearts Kouen ~Hishochi de Date Itashima SHOW~ concert review!

1. OPENING

2. Natsu LOVE Romance
The concert opens with the H!P Eggs dancing around on stage with a blue sheet, and swimming like fish… o_O Okay….

I was surprised to see that Berryz Koubou got centre stage for the opening group poses. It probably means absolutely nothing, but seeing how central Mornig Musume is, it was highly unexpected. The song is lip synced, and I have to say that the song was not the slightest bit familiar to me when I listened to it.

Well, Koha definitely had her coffee (and probably 3 bags of candy) this morning… XD

3. Manatsu no Kousen
I absolutely love this song. Risa did this song solo at Morning Musume’s Spring concert tour and that totally made my day when I watched it. This is one of my favourite old school Momusu songs, and it upset me here that it was also lip synced. I’m a big tennis fan, but the dancing with tennis racquets was a little weird for me. There was this one part where the girls are all swinging and bouncing, and Risa really gets into it. Quite amusing to watch.

4/5. VTR – Member Introduction / MC1
My second surprise for the concert was Atsuko’s appearance in the opening MV. Where’d Mari go? When was the last time Atsuko was an MC for a H!P concert? I can’t say with 100% certainty who MCed with Makoto in the last few H!P concerts, but I really feel like it hasn’t been Atsuko.

6. Edo no Temari Uta II (C-ute)
I don’t listen to this song much, but I really do like it. Doing this review, I just realized that I never reviewed this C-ute single…. :O How in the world did I let that happen? I mean, come on! Chisato finally got her first solo line in a C-ute a-side, and of course, she totally rocked it at the concert! I was glad to see this song was live. Usually, when the girls have the hand held mics, they’re singing live.. Headset mics are a little more iffy on the lives. Sometimes, they sing parts live and others are lip synced, or the entire thing is lip synced. But this was a good performance, and CHISATO!!!! <3

7. Namida no Iro (C-ute)
The girls performed this song well… Or should I say Maimi and Airi performed this song very well, seeing as this song is the Maimi/Airi show. But, I have to say that watching Maimi dance to this song in her Edo outfit amuses me greatly. The hotness effect that her Namida no Iro outfit brought is totally lost in this big red monstrosity of a costume that Maimi has to wear for this song. I mean, for goodness sake, that dress eats her up! I’m sure many Maimi fanboys (and girls) are upset to not see Maimi thighs in this performance.

8. Papancake (Tsukishima Kirari starring Kusumi Koharu
… I had been able to avoid listening to this song until now. I am not rewatching this performance to comment further. Note the headset mic. Imagine that, Koha lip syncing? :O Gasp! I’m shocked. I’m sorry… I’ll stop with the Koha hate now. Her voice just puts me in a bad place. XD I’m not very fond of this song. I actually find some of her other songs okay, I mean, if I forget the fact that it’s Koha singing. I enjoy some of her tunes. But this song does absolutely nothing for me.

9. Anataboshi (Milky Way)
Here’s another lip synced number. You know, watching the PV for Milky Way’s new single made me realize that I really don’t like Koha as well as the blue girl’s singing voices. So… yea. Poor Yuu. She’s not bad..

10. Monkey Dance (Berryz Koubou)
I’ve seen pictures from the concert, so I knew they weren’t wearing the monkey suits here. Seriously, if they did, I would have cried for them. But goodness, these outfits are ugly too. I mean, Maimi’s outfit in Edo is large, but it’s not ugly. If you took out the puff, it’d be quite lovely, actually. But these things are so ugly! Why is it that at near the end of the song, Risako doesn’t have to head bang like the rest of the girls and instead just gets to pump her fist… What’s up with that? It just enables her to continue with the lazy dance. All the girls sounded quite good in the performance.

11. Dschinghis Khan (Berryz Koubou)
And here is the song with the dance that brought about that terrible photo of Risako. I won’t post it here, for it’s quite terrible and I don’t know what possessed UFA to ever let that photo off of the memory card it was taken on. In Risako’s first solo line, she sounds out of breath. She barely held her note. Miya, on the other hand, handled her line quite well. <3 And I think I say this every time Berryz perform this song, but even though Chinami doesn’t get any solo lines in this song, she owns it every time. This is Chinami’s song.

12. MC2 (Berryz Koubou)

13. Resonant Blue (Morning Musume)
I’m not a big fan of these outfits… I think the mix of polka dots and then criss-cross corset thing just doesn’t sit well with me. The quality of Koharu’s voice seriously messes with the feel of this song. But Risa with her “Oooh baby”s and whatnot is totally rocking it out.

14. Mikan (Morning Musume)
This is such a feel good song. And there’s actually a little bit of line distribution in this song.. Though Risa’s line gets cut out since it’s a short version. Not much else to say on this one.

15. MC (Niigaki Risa, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi)

16. KoiING (Takahashi Ai)
I absolutely adore this song. I featured it on my second podcast where I played some of my favourite H!P b-sides. Aichan sings the song beautifully, which is no surprise. She gets a few Eggs to do some background dancing and singing for her, and that’s totally cool by me, ’cause really, that’s what the Eggs are there for, right? … However, I will soon have a lot of beef to share with the background singers/dancers in the upcoming songs.

17. Hajimete Kuchibiru (Linlin, Suzuki Airi, Ogawa Saki)
This is one of my favourite Aya songs, and the girls here do it justice. I’m not surprised with Airi. She’s usually awesome as it. This little egg… Wow, she’s quite impressive. Only 12 years old, and cute as a button! Now Linlin, her voice is not my favourite, but she holds her own on this song. What I like here is that all the girls get a chance to sing. You’ll see why I’m happy the girls all get to sing here in a moment. Though, with Airi there, you HAVE to let her sing… XD

18. Chu! Natsu Party (Michishige Sayumi, Sugaya Risako)
The concert shuffle group makers love this pair. Robokiss, and now this one… Hmm. Quite the cutesy song, and I don’t find that Risako has a very cutesy voice, but she does okay here. Sayumi obviously has a very cutesy voice, so she’s set for this song. They’re wearing fluffy dresses that I’m not too fond of, but meh. That happens through most of the concert anyway.

19. MC (Umeda Erika, Hagiwara Mai)

20. CC (CinderellaComplex) (High-King)
Ahhh! High-King! I have so much love for this group, it’s not even funny. I saw the headset mics and was highly disappointed, but then they started singing, and IT’S NOT LIP SYNCED!!! That totally made my day. I was glad to see that the song wasn’t cut down. The girls all give strong performances here, and OMG… The 2 leaders and Captain are just so hot dancing this dance!

21. Kioku no Meiro (High-King)
I seriously had a heart attack when I saw this song was on the play list back in July. As much as I love the a-side for this single, the b-side is what completely won me over. I love that Maimi, Saki and Yuuka actually get a lot of spotlight in this song. I have to say that Yuuka’s cheeks are so cutely flushed during this performance. I was a little bit disappointed with the dance for the song, mainly because they spent some quality dancing time running the length of the stage, and once they got to the end of the stage, they did a lot of walking around in a circle. But what there was of the dance was awesome! And Yuuka held her own really well during her solo, despite a slightly wavering start to it. Yay Yuuka!

22. MC (High-King / Mano Erina) Debut

23. Manopiano (Mano Erina)
Now, I have to say that I’m not a huge Manoeri fan. Her voice does absolutely nothing for me. It feels really unpolished and she doesn’t hold her notes. It makes the song feel really choppy for me (I have the same problem with her newer single ‘Lucky Aura’). Though, it is nice to see a H!P member playing an instrument during a concert (and something more substantial than the split second of what Aya did in her ‘AYA The Witch’ concert tour).

24. Tokonatsu Musume (Niigaki Risa, Kamei Eri, Mitsui Aika)
The girls are all cute here, and they get a pretty even distribution of lines, which is nice to see. I’ll take whatever I can get of more Risa singing time! I never followed Coconuts Musume much, but I like this song. It’s obviously got quite the summer feel, seeing as it was originally done by the Hawaiian H!P group.

25. Tropica~l Koishite~ru (Junjun, Sudou Maasa, Kumai Yurina, Okai Chisasto, Hagiwara Mai, Arihara Kanna)
I saw this and got all excited, because I love Aya songs (obviously), I’d get to see more of Junjun performing, and Chisato was also in this shuffle… And then I watched it and only Junjun got solo lines. WTF? I mean, at least Mai got to do the monologue, but seriously. The kids are big names in H!P now. And all of them definitely have seniority over Junjun time wise – screw the fact that Junjun is the only Morning Musume member in this shuffle. And yet, the kids all get shafted and demoted to background singers and dancers… BAAAAAH.

26. Kosui (Tanaka Reina, Shimizu Saki, Tokunaga Chinami, Umeda Erika, Nakajima Saki)
You think Tropica~l Koishite~ru got me upset… Well, that’s nothing compared to this song. It started up, and I was so excited because this is one of my favourite Melon Kinenbi songs. I have to admit that I haven’t actually followed Melon Kinenbi much. I know a few of their singles and I love some of them… But I actually first heard this song during the H!P 2007 Winter ~Wonderful Hearts Otome Gokoro~ concert where Ishikawa Rika, Risa, Eri and Sayumi sang it. That was where I fell in love with this song. I actually went and watched the original version and didn’t like it so much because it’s a Shibata Ayumi fest – nothing really against Ayumi, but I often find it depressing seeing how the other Melon girls get shafted in songs… I mean, at least for singles, Morning Musume only had Furusato for a single which was really a Nacchi solo with the other girls as back up. Off the top of my head, Melon has this song and Akai Freesia (another one of my favourite Melon songs, actually) as Ayumi solos.

Anyway, I’ve gotten way off topic. Seriously. Here’s another song where the kids get shafted for their Morning Musume “sempai” – though again, all the kids doing backup here have been around longer than Miss Tanaka Reina. I’m sorry. This just truly irks me. Like I was saying for Aichan’s solo of Koi ING, the Eggs are trainees… Their job is to be backup right now. But seriously… I mean, sure – all the leads from the Kids group are showcased elsewhere – Miya, Airi and Momoko in Buono!; Airi a second time with Hajimete Kuchibiru wo Kasaneta Yoru; Risako with Chu! Natsu Party; and Maimi with High-King (and luckily Captain gets some time to shine there too)… But otherwise, the other H!P Kids only get really focus time when with their respective groups – in the individual group songs… As I actually go through this, it’s pretty depressing for those other girls. I have lost most of my interest in Morning Musume (only Aichan and Risa really spark my interest over there right now), and yet even their background girls get spotlight in the Wonderful Hearts concert… It’s just very frustrating as an H!P Kids fan….

Um yea… That was a long rant. Basically – BOOO TO THE REINA SOLO!! … And on with the concert. – And a little aside: here’s the performance of this song that I absolutely adore.

27. Gachinko de Ikou! (Buono!)
I have no idea how Wendy of Renai Revolution 21 can be bored with Buono! right now. As I said in my Gachinko review, this song is my favourite Buono! song thus far (even over Rottara Rottara, though I love that song as well). Buono! is seriously my favourite H!P group at the moment – Miya’s actually getting some lines here (unlike Berryz Koubou’s latest single where she gets a total of 1 line! – the least of anyone…. on an a-side…. My world is turning upside down… >_<).

I keep going off on tangents… XD Anyway, awesome song, awesome performance. I love Miya’s outfit… She looks so good in it! And there’s another reason to love Buono! – the girls aren’t made to wear horrendous outfits. XD Instead they get cool/cute/sexy outfits to wear. So much better than monkey suits, or those funny looking yellow/green outfits from Dschinghis Khan. Airi really doesn’t have much to complain about in the costume department…

28. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! (Buono!)
Yay for Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! We get Buono! back into it’s PROPER formation – with Miya in the middle. XD All the girls are wonderful once again… Buono! is just filled with so much awesome, it’s ridiculous! Miya sings her “netereba ii” a little bit flat…. But that’s okay. It’s a lovely high energy performance by the lovely high energy group.

29. MC (Buono!)

30. Egao YES Nude (Morning Musume)
I don’t really have much to say about this performance. All the girls were pretty good… I just never really got into this song. I dunno why, but the song feels so low energy to me, being surrounded by Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! and Massara Blue Jeans.

31. Massara Blue Jeans (Berryz Koubou, C-ute)
And here we go into Berryz vs. C-ute battle concert – take 2! However, what I noticed here is that Miya didn’t have any solo lines in this performance… I’m almost positive that she had some in the battle concert. The only Berryz member that got solo lines here was Risako from what I saw. I really liked Maimi’s performance here – particularly her solo after running down the stage. And her dancing… I like watching Maimi dance this song most. – Oh, and a little side note: Berryz got the short end of the stick costume-wise YET AGAIN. I think their dresses are ugly and make them look frumpy. BAAAHHHH. C-ute gets a little bit of frills which I’m not particularly keen on either, but it’s not layers upon layers of frill…

32. Special Generation (Berryz Koubou, C-ute)
And now what annoys me here is the fact that while BK (meaning Miya) got shafted of their lines in Massara Blue Jeans, C-ute definitely still gets lines in Special Generation…. I amuse myself with how territorial I get watching these concerts. XD Okay… I say this every time this happens, but… Miya’s “woah yea’s” >>>>> Airi’s “woah yea’s”. Okay. Done. XD

33. Love & Peace! HERO ga Yattekita.
And here, we get another example of the Kids being back up to Morning Musume. I realize this is a Morning Musume song… But SHARE GOSH DARN IT!! However, I do enjoy the song. Unlike Egao YES Nude, it definitely keeps up with the energy level of the songs before it.

34. MC7
Just a little comment on this segment – Atsuko’s imitations are quite cute and amusing.

35. Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou?
The closing song is a beautiful song. I love the harmonies in this song… But I have to say – poor little Eggs not singing during the verses. XD And if you watch closely, just a little bit before the pandas’ solos, there’s this one Egg behind and between Manoeri and Aika that looks really hesitant to sing… The other Eggs are singing their little hearts out, and this one girl looks out of place and awkward. I must say that Junjun and Linlin’s solos were absolutely lovely! I quite enjoy Junjun’s voice in general. As I stated above, I’m not usually so keen on Linlin’s voice, but this solo really suited her.

So, I this concert to be quite enjoyable. I wasn’t too enthused with the opening 2 numbers – mainly because they were lip synced; Manatsu no Kousen is an awesome song, and the energy of it hits you better when the girls are truly singing it out. I also wasn’t too excited by Egao YES Nude to Special Generation – the Momusu section for the reasons mentioned above, and the BK/C-ute section because it was done in the battle concert already.

My favourite section would have to be the High-King segment for this concert. Why? Because they were an awesome subgroup, but were unfortunately a one-shot subgroup… Meaning, this is probably the first and ONLY time that we will get to see these girls perform these songs together in concert. MAYBE in a few years they’d have a reunion performance (following in the footsteps of Aa!) but I highly doubt it. And I’m POSITIVE that we will never see ‘Kioku no Meiro’ performed live again. I mean, the fact that they performed it here boggled my mind because the b-sides to subgroup singles are generally NEVER performed at collaboration concert such as this one. Have you seen ANY of Buono!’s b-sides performed in a Wonderful Hearts or full H!P concert yet? … Or even a C-ute or Berryz b-side for that matter… Didn’t think so.

My least favourite part… Well, I hope that was obvious… But that’s okay, ’cause it let me put up one of my favourite parts from one of my favourite concerts (though Hare Ame Nochi Suki from that concert is up there too – but that’s mainly for Miya and Maimi, rather than the entire performance). Rika <3! Risa <3! … Eri and Sayu… Okay, I can deal with you guys. XD In general, all the girls get lines, and it’s not just the Reina show.

Anyway, this was definitely a fun watch. What would have made it so much more enjoyable would have been if the Berryz girls were given a better wardrobe… I mean, come on! The covers for C-ute’s upcoming single have been released, and SERIOUSLY!!! Compare those to the Madayade covers… Someone out there in the H!P closet has song evil grudge against Berryz.

Seriously, this concert was fantastic (though, I’m a die hard Aya fan, so take that as you will). Live band + Aya’s awesomeness is a forumla for WIN!!

So with that introduction, on with the review! I reviewed this in a funny order. Some comments are from my first watch through, others are from subsequent watch throughs… Ans some have a mix of first watch plus later observations. I hope it all makes sense. XD

01. From That Sky ~Kaedama wa Katamen de~
Okay… Seriously, what a way to open the concert! That trench coat gives Aya so much attitude, and the live band… OMG! I’m dying already and it’s two seconds into the concert… XD This is just an awesome song, and a very hot Aya… What more is there to say?

02. Zettai Tokeru Mondai X = ♥
This is a nice follow-up to ‘From that Sky’ This is a higher energy song at a faster tempo with a lot of opporunity for crowd involvement. This is the first song from Aya’s first album to play, and just browsing through this setlist, I am ridiculously happy with how many songs are on here from First Kiss, seeing as that’s my favourite Aya album! Ahh… You just can’t go wrong with classic Ayaya. <3

When that guitar first came out for Aya, I though "OMG!! NO FREAKING WAY!!" ... And then... No. >_< Not cool. I mean, it wasn't entirely out there for me to think that Aya might actually play something or other on the guitar... Buono! did it at their FC concert recently, from what I can gather from the pics I've seen and the fan audio recording that I've listened to. But, seriously, I was unimpressed when she started air guitaring. But when the lead guitarist came up and tapped her on the shoulder with a little "Are you kidding me?! XD" look on his face, I just had to say "AWWWW... So Cute. XD" So it made up for it and brought my mood back up. Funny how I can go to from such enjoyment, to extreme excitment followed by a quick drop to thoroughly disappointed and back into "Aya's so cute and awesome" moods in less than a minute. XD

03. MC 1

04. Soulmate
Hmm… I’m assuming this is on Double Rainbow… I need to listen to that album more. It’s a very pretty sounding song with a slower tempo… But hey, it’s from Double Rainbow. Most of them are slower tempos. I just love Aya’s voice. And she is just so good live. But… Her dress looks funny. The skirt part looks stationary or something because it’s not moving with the rest of her… o_O

05. Oshare!
And… there we go… XD It IS stationary. I literally LOL-ed when she stepped out of the skirt. XD Here’s the second song from Aya’s first album, and this is making me want to go back and watch some old school Aya concerts… Though really, this live band is so awesome. Hello! Project really needs to get some live music going at their concerts. It just makes everything that much more alive and exciting.

06. Onna Day by Day
And here’s another Double Rainbow song that I don’t know well. I knew I’d heard it before, but I didn’t know which album it was on off the top of my head… Thus, it had to be on either Double Rainbow or Naked Songs. But I don’t think anything in this setlist is from Naked Songs. This song is a nice uplifting song with cute movements/poses… I wouldn’t quite call it a dance.

07. Hitori
I love this song. Like, REALLY REALLY LOVE this song. I have nothing against Aya and her slower stuff. I really like ‘Kizuna’ as well, I just hate the image she has in the PV. But I think I’d have to say I like the cw to ‘Kizuna’ better than ‘Kizuna’ itself. Something about the melody just gets me every time.

08. Dokki Doki! LOVE Mail
Wow… 8th song and no costume change… That’s impressive. XD Well, unless you want to call taking off the jacket and standing in that immobile skirt costume changes. But I don’t want to call those things costume changes. Aya has matured so much from the adorable girl that came out to sing ‘Dokki Doki! LOVE Mail’ at Morning Musume’s 2001 Live Revolution 21 Spring concert, it’s amazing. She was a joy to watch back then, and she’s only improved over the years. Seeing as a lot of Hello! Project members have gotten boring for me recently, I must say what Aya’s been able to do for me is quite a feat.

09. Date Biyori
My brother came in during this song (he loves this song… even made a step chart for it back in the day). He was impressed and liking the live band (because live bands are friggin’ awesome!!). I just had to laugh when he said “Aya’s not an idol anymore… She’s a STAR!” I can definitely agree with him on that one!

Awesome!!! Even though the piano playing wasn’t anything impressive, SHE PLAYED THE KEYBOARD!! No “let’s pretend I’m gonna play the keyboard” here… She actually hit the keys! Yes, she hit the wrong ones for a bit, which I actually found funny, seeing as she was only hitting one note for each finger… XD But, meh. She played the keyboard!

10. Hajimete Kuchibiru wo Kasaneta Yoru
I LOVE this song. The amount of love I have for this song is ridiculous. I love ballads. No joke. This is my favourite album song on Aya’s first album, First Kiss. This song has consistently been on my playlist since I first heard it back in late 2001 or early 2002, before the days of iTunes, when I listened to everything on WinAmp (and made my own custom skins XD).

The mood for this song is just lovely and the stage effects are wonderful. I love the moving water effect in the background. Aya has some funny facial expressions at points in this song, but you can feel the emotion coming off her in this performance. So moving… <3

It truly pains me when I talk to people and mention this song, and they only know it through Sugaya Risako's performance on Hello Pro Hour... That's just not right...

11. Yuugure
Theppn is down as I write this reivew, and I coldn’t remember off the top of my head which single this was a CW for. XD Amy of Merry Go Round kindly supplied the answer for me, but not before confusing the heck out of me by saying it was the CW for ‘Ki ga tsukeba anata’. XD

Anyway, this is the CW for Aya’s 2nd single ‘Tropical Koishiteru’ and I love how even back in the days of hyper happy Ayay, she was already singing slower, emotional songs… Not just non-stop “I’m hyper and on crack” songs… Not that ‘Dokki Doki! Love Mail’ or ‘Tropical Koishiteru’ are like that, but she showed right away that she wasn’t a one trick pony with “I’m cute, I sing cute songs. The end.” I mean, The cw for ‘Dokki Doki! Love Mail’ – ‘Machiawase’ already showcased this. She delivers ‘Yuugure’ beautifully in this concert, just as she has everything leading up to it.

12. MC 2
.. And the reason for the concert title suddenly makes sense. XD And woohoo!! Costume change #1! XD I’m liking this outfit… Could it be the hat? Have I mentioned that I LOVE hats? LOL…

13. Kizuna
A lot of people want Aya to go back to her old style. The fun, poppy, hyper Ayaya – the idol Ayaya, and I have to go back to what my brother said when he walked in on ‘Date Biyori’. Aya is no longer your typical idol. There was that interview she did for the music magazine Hot Express where she talks about her idol days and how she is looking to move forward… I like her current releases, even though they’re more mature and subdued, and Kizuna is a prime example of that. This is another beautiful song by Aya… Just ignore the PV.

14. Double Rainbow
Another beautiful ballad. watching this makes me realize I really need to give Double Rainbow (the album) a good listen. The emotion she puts into the ballads get me every time and this one is no exception. It’s a beautiful song to listen to and a beautiful song to watch Aya perform.

15. MC 3

16. Koishite Gomen ne
This is the first song in this concert coming from Aya’s X3 album. This is one of Aya’s edgier songs, and you can hear it as she has moments of raspy voiced Aya… Which is sooo hot. XD What is it about raspy voices for me? Taylor Hanson has the sexiest raspy voice. I could listen to him forever. And when Aya employs a raspy voice… Wowzers.

Why was watching Aya tie that tie so awesome? I don’t think I’ve mentioned this on this blog before, but in addition to my hat fetish, I also have a tie fetish. I love ties, and I really wish I had some sort of outfit that I could wear a tie with… Alas, I do not… But Aya with a the hat and the tie… that’s just so much awesome.

17. Kiseki no Kaori Dance
I need to ask… How in the world did the tie come off during the costume change? It was around her neck… And one piece. They couldn’t have untied it with the pull of the clothes.. or could they? o_O

Somehow, I did not recognize this song when it started to play. For a minute, I was like “WTF?! This setlist missed a song… o_O” How in the world did that happen? I know that I’m not very familiar with some of her newer stuff, basically the things that released between around Sept. 2005 to Nov. 2007, but forgetting her early stuff is unforgivable!! I have failed as an Aya fan… *bows head in shame… T__T*

Time to introduce the band! I love watching/listening to the solos the guys in the background get to do at this point. The bassist doing ‘Ne~e’ was pretty awesome.

18. The Bigaku
I love the dance for this song. Now, none of Aya’s dances are very intricate, but really she’s doing all the sings the entire concert. Too much dancing would tire her out, seeing as she doesn’t really get much of a breather anywhere, unlike a Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou or C-ute concert where you have so many members in the group that you can shuffle the girls around to work in costume changes and little breaks. But this dance is so cute. I particularly love the “ah ah ah ah” hip thrust parts… Oh Aya, why are you filled with so much win?

19. Yeah! Meccha Holiday
Aya’s vault is filled with so much awesome, it’s not even funny! This is her last song before the encore, and she’s still going strong! Though this concert, I’ve heard only one or two voice cracks. Though, at the start of the song where Aya is just waving her arm around, I was a bit disappointed, thinking she wasn’t going to dance the song out… But she eased my fears as she got right into the dancing during the first verse.

This song will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the one Japanese song that my friends let me sing when we went to karaoke for my 19th birthday. I was awesome. I did the dance and everything. Because of that experience, I always love seeing this song performed live…

ENCORE

20. LOVE Namida Iro
My second favourite Aya song of all-time. I was kinda hoping for one of her slow renditions of the song, but I guess there have been a lot of ballads in this concert already. That’s okay. I love the original arrangement of this song too.

21. MC 4

22. Kanousei no Michi
Okay… I seriously LOVE AYA!!!! SHE IS THE MOST AWESOME AND CUTEST MEMBER OF HELLO! PROJECT EVER!!! Her mess ups in concerts are such a joy to watch because she handles them so cutely. She just laughs at herself and enjoys the energy of the crowd. It is moments like this one, and her memorable mess up of ‘I Know’ back in 2003 that just make me love her more. CatchFiveBats of Obnoxious Wota informed me of another cute mistake Aya made during her Live in Shanghai concert, where she started singing ‘Momoiro Kataomoi’ when the band was playing ‘Kiseki no Kaori Dance’… Now I MUST watch that concert! (Like I said, I’m not familiar with most of Aya’s things between Sept. 2005 to NOv. 2007). You know, it’s hard to comment on Aya in concert.. ‘Cause she’s just non-stop awesome… There are only so many ways to say that… And… how am I just noticing this now? The lyrics are being projected onto the walls? XD I have to go see if this has happened all concert…

23. Egao ni Namida ~THANK YOU! DEAR MY FRIENDS~
This is a great song to end with… Just take a look at the title. XD It’s energetic and a it’s a big old “Thanks for coming out to me concert!!”. Aya is able to keep the energy level high all the way until the end of the concert.

Umm…. What was up with that funny pose she made with her final “Matsuura Aya deshita!!”? XD It was… odd to say the least. But that’s okay. It’s Aya! She can be odd. I’ll still love her!

And so there’s my Aya concert review! I must now go and watch an old on to compare the progression she’s made over the years.. Though really, I think I’ll find it hard to compare pre-recorded background tracks too a live band on stage.

I am seriously in love with this concert, it actually quite ridiculous. It’s fighting it out with the Berryz Kamen vs. Cutie Ranger concert for my favourite of the year so far… We’ll have to see how Berryz Koubou’s fall tour concert goes… Can it compete with the greatness contained withint the two concerts previously mentioned? If it can, I think I may just explode from an awesome overload…

Oh, and I may do a write up or something on the extra bits on the DVD at a later date… ‘Cause it’s pretty funny.

I must say that this single is absolutely amazing! I am currently torn trying to decide if this is my favourite H!P release of 2008, or if High King still holds that title. What has me unsure is the strength of ‘Gachinko’s c/w, because the a-side definitely holds its own against ‘CC Cinderella Complex’. Let’s see if writing this review can finally set me straight.

The Song

Again, we are treated to the rock/pop feel that Buono! is known for. While others say they’re getting tired of this style continuously coming from Buono!, I’m still completely in love with it.

The song opens with a quick guitar arpeggio and goes straight into a strong drum beat with a nice guitar riff. I really enjoy the instrumental in this single, as I have with the previous Buono! releases.

However, what really gets me in this release is the melody. It is extremely catchy (it’s constantly running through my head) and flows so well. The verses sound soft and hopeful, which leads into a pre-chorus that sounds more reflective. We then get a a chorus which is full-force GO!!! which then leads back into more of a reflective post-chorus. I’ve looked over the translation at projecthello.com, and the lyrics seem to follow this pattern.

The tempo goes hand-in-hand with the melody. The verses and pre/post chorus have notes which are held longer, which go with the more contemplative mood of those sections, while the chorus just speeds on through.

Seriously, this song is just so awesome! All the girls sound great in it! As always, Momoko works so much better for me in Buono! than she does in Berryz Koubou. We’ll see if this patten continues when Berryz 5th album comes out next week. No complaints about Airi. Her voice isn’t too nasally for me here… And do I ever complain about Miya’s voice on an album or single? XD It is definitely my favourite a-side released from all of H!P this year.

The b-side

The b-side is called ‘Lady Panther’ and this is a fun, lively song. I feel like you could break out into an awesome jive with this song.. A very quick jive, which would probably leave me tripping all over my feet. XD But this song definitely gives me the feel of swing/big band/jive.

I feel like this is the kind of song that would drive me up the wall in a game like DrumMania (’Gachinko’ on the other hand seems like it would be indescribably fun to play on DrumMania).

Unlike ‘Gachinko’, ‘Lady Panther’ is non-stop high energy the whole way through. What I love about this song are the “Gao!” bits. Reading the translation, I see that “Gao!” is “Roar!”, and I just find that so adorable!! Singing “Roar! Roar!” or “Growl! Growl!” in English would just sound stupid… But “Gao!” sound so cute. Though, to a person who speaks Japanese, “Gao! Gao!” may sound stupid… Who knows. XD I also love Miya’s lines of “mada mada mada mada” and “goro goro goro goro”. I don’t know if it’s favourtism on my part, but the other 2 don’t have the lines, so I can’t really compare it.

I would put this down as a strong c/w, but the question is, does it outdo High-King’s ‘Kioku no Meiro’? Seriously, the c/w for High-King is just so awesome (as I explained in my CC review) I don’t think Lady Panther could beat it. So for the battle of c/w’s, High-King’s stays at my number 1 spot for 2008.

The PV

Now what is there to say about this PV, other than that Miyabi looks AMAZING in it?! XD I’ve read most (if not all) of the ‘Gachinko’ reviews out there from other blogs, and off the top of my head, I’d say about half of the bloggers expressed surprise at how awesome Miya looks in it… All I can say is that Miya’s been hot for quite some time now! But it’s better late than never to realize the greatness that is Miya, right?

She’s looking gorgeous in the casual clothes and lighter hair.

Don’t get me started on the hat… XD

Miya pulls of pouty and disappointed quite well.

The dance is cute, but not too intricate. I’m planning to learn this one eventually… Particularly since the instrumental break has a really simple dance going for it. Even I could learn that… XD

One thing I seriously do not understand within this PV is the mosquito biting Momoko… Really now, what’s up with that? o_O It bites her, she kills it, and there’s nothing to follow up with on that… What was the point of it all?

All the games the girls play are so cute! The seriousness at which they play cards, throw darts and play jenga is adorable! As for the barrel Buono! game… So AWESOME! Where can I buy one?!

Miya loses here… But that’s okay. Though, really, what was she thinking taking the card that Momoko was practically begging her to pull? >_<

Concentrate!

Look at Miya’s eyes widen! XD

The expression on Airi’s face is just hilarious!

Haha! Momoko loses this one!

What is this game called, anyway? I can’t think of it off the top of my head… But I want the Buono! head version!

And finally, the band scenes… They’re just pure awesome. The girls look like they’re having so much fun! Also, just a side note, but Buono! did a fan club concert recently (last week, I think) and in it, Momoko played the drums a little, Miya the bass (I’m almost positive)… and I’m assuming Airi played a little electric guitar (but I haven’t actually seen pictures of her holding a guitar from the concert). I MUST WATCH THIS CONCERT!!! XD I mean com on, fully Buono! preforming pretty much every album song and single… That’s just so much awesome that it’s ridiculous! I do hope that it comes out on DVD eventually…

Wrap-up

So, in the battle for my top H!P release for 2008, Buono! gets the a-side (by a fairly large margin), High-King gets the b-side (by a reasonable margin) and Buono! gets the PV (by landslide)… So, taking those 3 factors into account, Buono!’s ‘Gachinko de Ikou!’ wins the battle for my current favourite H!P release for this year. Good job girls!! This was definitely an earnest competition and they were able to get away with the win!

But anyway, I have been long awaiting this concert, and now that it’s here, I get to review it! This one’s a long one (aren’t all of my reviews – concert, PV/single or album – long anyways XD) so sit back, relax and enjoy!

1. OPENING

2. Darling I LOVE YOU
This clip was available on Dohhup!! a few days before the release, so I’d seen the performance already. Once C-ute’s ‘Namida no Iro’ was released and their version of ‘Darling I LOVE YOU’ and I realized that C-ute’s version was exactly the same as Berryz Koubou’s version, except that Airi and Maimi got the solo lines in comparison to Risako and Miyabi in Berryz’s version, I had given up all hope of a cool battle SOMETHING for this song… But nope. In fact, I find the dance for this song pretty boring. It’s very stationary, However, the song is pretty energetic, so it’s an okay start to the concert. In the main version of the concert, we get the Berryz version of ‘Darling I LOVE YOU’ and I must say, Risako doesn’t get off to a good start. I’m wondering if this recording is going to have her screwed up performance of ‘Very Beauty’. Miya on the other hand is wonderful and fabulous! XD

What I like here is that the girls are all in the same outfits and HA! Berryz has the nicer ones for once… At least for me, ’cause I can’t stand pink… And Berryz got blue! Booyah!

3. Special Generation
Here we get Berryz and C-ute splitting the lines. I’ve mentioned this before, but I don’t like people taking Miyabi’s “wow yeah”s. Miya rocks both of hers, while Airi cuts off her first one a bit – or rather she pulls her mic away from her mouth too soon. It kills the effect. Yes, I realize I get amazingly anal about these things… XD

The dance looks a little funny in these outfits, particularly when they bend forward and shake. It looks like the fluffy skirts are in the way as they bend over.

4. Ooki na Ai de Motenashite
Watching through this song, I was about to have a heart attack. After Special Generation being so blatantly split down the middle, I was ready to spit nails when I saw that only Maimi and Airi were getting solo lines for this song. Then the instrumental bit ended and Miya started singing. That calmed me right down. XD It actually amused me seeing how upset I got from that. I’m amazed that they didn’t give Risako a solo line in this song, and instead one went to Yurina. I feel that Risako got way too many solo lines in this concert. I had quite a few issues with some of them.

5. VTR – Member Introduction
This is like the coolest opening VTR ever! One thing I noticed is that C-ute got the cooler form of communication. Berryz got boring cell phones, while C-ute got communicators reminiscent of the Power Rangers. I can hear the “Go Go Power Rangers!” beep in my head right now. However, I like Berryz Koubou’s head pieces better than C-utes, so I guess it all evens out.

6. MC1

7. Namida no Iro – °C-ute
I love this song. I love this dance. Maimi and Airi sing their lines quite well in this performance. This really is the Maimi/Airi show, but how can you fault them when they perform it so well? And for the record, Chisato’s hat is total win!

8. Munasawagi Scarlet – Berryz Koubou
Miya sounds a little out of breath in the first half of the song (during her “Aakeido…” line), which is weird, but she picks it up for the second half. Risako, on the other hand, started out well, but killed her last line (in a bad way…). You know, I’ve been thinking about the dance to this song a lot recently for some reason, and it’s amazing how much the funny leg kicks have grown on me.

9. MC2 – Berryz Koubou
Heh.. Watching through the concert, I wonder why this list in the setlist on theppn. There is no MC segment here. It goes straight to LALALA.

10. LALALA Shiawase no Uta – °C-ute
Not much to say about this performance. I’m not a big fan of the song or the dance. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing spectacular either.

11. Dschinghis Khan – Berryz Koubou
I don’t know what it is about this song and Chinami, but there’s just something about this combination that really wins me over. She doesn’t have a solo line in this song, but the energy and confidence that she has performing this song sets her apart in my mind. There’s a look of true enjoyment that comes onto her face with this song. It was apparent in the PV for Dschinghis Khan, and I see it here as well.

12. Tokaikko Junjou – °C-ute
You know, I really wish that one of the joint songs was either Namida no Iro (which obviously wasn’t going to happen since it’s their latest single) or this one. Not because I particularly need to hear the Berryz girls SING the song, but I really want to see how they dance to it. I haven’t liked any of Berryz choreography as much as I like the choreography in Tokaikko and Namida no Iro.

I’m always impressed with how the girls can sprint down the stage and go right into singing without sounding winded. Maimi owns all the girls dance-wise, but you can’t see Nakasaki very well, for it seems like she’s the competition to watch out for in this group when it comes to dancing.

13. Tsukiatteru no ni Kataomoi – Berryz Koubou
At the start of the song, Risako has such a fake, forced smile that I find highly amusing. During the first chorus, did Miya forget that they were going to be switching to the other side of stage, for she looked slightly delayed compared to the other girls in turning around. Risako sang pretty well in this song, so I have no idea what the heck happened in the next number.

14. VERY BEAUTY – Sugaya Risako and Suzuki Airi
Okay… So why in the world did Risako get this song? I complained about this when the setlist came out, and with very good reason… She DESTROYS this song. Ugh… I don’t want to pile on the Risako hate, but man… You butcher one of my favourite BK songs, and I start getting upset… She looks a little drunk as walks unsteadily down the steps at the start of the song. I’ve read other reviews saying that Risako has improved, but really, I find her voice just isn’t stable enough for this song. Her vocal control is horrible for the sustained notes.

Someone pointed out on the JPH!P forums that this performance was actually the same performance where Risako screwed up the lyrics. Instead of singing “Sore ga miryoku yo” she sang “Sore ga onna yo”. They covered it up by overlaying audio from another performance. I find that the camera work gives it away, because the camera angles are all closeups before and after that line. However, during that line they show a shot from further away, and from reading her lips, it doesn’t look like she said ‘miryoku’. Ugh… It’s one thing to screw up your lyrics… it happens. But I think it’s particularly embarrassing because she’s singing this song with Airi, a member of Berryz’s rival group. Airi got all her lyrics correct and blew Risako out of the water in her vocal performance.

Really, this should have been Airi and Miyabi. I would say Momoko could do it as well, but she doesn’t actually have any solo lines in Very Beauty, so picking between Miya, Risako and Yurina from Berryz, there really shouldn’t have been any doubt as to who would perform this best. But who understands why things are the way they are in H!P?

15. Bokura no Kagayaki – Okai Chisato, Arihara Kanna, Tokunaga Chinami, Sudou Maasa, and Kumai Yurina
I have a top 3 for my favourite performances in this concert, and this is first in that list (not necessarily that it was the best, but that it comes first in the setlist). Chisato is awesome in this performance. Not to say that I don’t want the other girls singing some solo lines, but I really have this song filed as Chisato’s song in my head. So the fact that she’s the only one with any solo lines here totally makes my day. I say she deserves some time in the spotlight for she is highly overlooked within C-ute.

My personal preference for this song is a voice with more of an edge to it. Chisa and Kanna’s lines are more enjoyable to me, possibly because they’re 2/3 of the original trio who sings this song. But at the same time, of the 3 Berryz performing in this song, only Chinami doesn’t have a softer voice. I don’t want to use the word “sharp” to define a voice, because it could be misinterpreted to mean that the girls were singing off key. But I hope that people are understanding what I’m saying in regards to a “softer voice” versus a “voice with some edge”. Because I love this performance so much, here’s a video clip of it!

16. Sayonara Hageshiki Koi – Shimizu Saki, Tsugunaga Momoko, Natsuyaki Miyabi, Yajima Maimi, Nakajima Saki, and Hagiwara Mai
Here is the second of my top 3 favourite performances. I think I’d have to say this is my overall favourite performance in the concert. So, in one way, I’m sort of glad that Miya didn’t sing Very Beauty with Airi because I absolutely adore this song, and Miyabi just ROCKS here. I love the shoulder bounce dance move they do during the instrumental.

I gushed about this song in my Berryz’s 4th album review, and this is song definitely one of my favourite Berryz Koubou songs, singles, b-sides and album songs all considered. The intensity of the song never fails to energize me, and live performances of it completely make my day! I’m not too fond of MaiMai taking Risako’s starting line. I don’t find her voice is smooth enough for this song. A cutesy voice doesn’t blend well for the tone of this song, IMO. However, I find that Momoko fits well in this song, for she uses more of her Buono! voice rather than her usual high-pitched Berryz squeak for this track.

17. MC3

18. That’s the POWER
When I first heard this song at a previous C-ute concert, and then listened to it on C-ute’s 2nd mini album, I didn’t like it too much. However, I find it’s energy is infectious and the song has definitely grown on me. The Buono! members are noticeably absent during this number.

19. Do Don Ga Don Ondou
I’m not a big fan of this song, for reasons I covered in my review on C-ute’s 3rd album. However, Erika has a solid performance here. It’s not particularly exciting or standout for me, but it’s solid.

20. Honto no Jibun – Buono!
Okay, I know that in later concerts, the setlist changed to Renai Rider and Kiss!Kiss!Kiss! for the Buono! section… WHY DIDN’T THEY PUT ONE OF THOSE CONCERTS ON DVD?!? They could have avoided the Risako screw up on Very Beauty (I am assuming that she didn’t screw up the lyrics at every concert), and we’d get Kiss!Kiss!Kiss! I wonder if in later concerts their costumes changed to something more Kiss!Kiss!Kiss!-esque for the Buono! segment.

However, must say that the eggs are dancing with conviction for Honto no Jibun. XD

21. RenaiRider – Buono!
Miya and Momoko have a bit of trouble with their opening solo lines. I don’t really compare their singing to Airi’s here because really, I find Airi has it the easiest in Renai Rider, seeing as all her lines are within the middle of her vocal range. Miya and Momoko on the other hand, their opening lines are towards the lower end of their vocal range. I often fail when singing in my lower range. I find it a lot easier to hit high notes than low ones. The lines they get later in the song are sung well by both girls, so really, rather than say that Airi sang it better, I’d like to see Airi get lines in the same range as Miya and Momoko before I decide on that.

However, I will mention that Airi’s shorts are just WOW… o_O They seem to cling to her bum a lot more than her original shorts in the Renai Rider PV did. I don’t know what it is, maybe she’s grown up some since Renai Rider released, maybe it’s the material, but it’s bordering on scandalous for a 14 year old, in my mind… >_<

22. Natsu DOKI Lipstick – Yajima Maimi, Nakajima Saki, and Shimizu Saki
I love this song. Maimi performs it very well here, and the Captain Saki versus Nakasaki dance battle was quite enjoyable to watch. The two of them put a lot of energy into their dancing. You don’t find any lazy dancers here. The instrumental was particualrly enjoyable, having all three girls give it their all as they danced their hearts out. Maimi’s chest thrusts were quite forceful.There is just so much win in this number! And this song rounds out my 3 favourite performances for the concert. I don’t know if I like this performance better than Bokura no Kagayaki. It guess it just goes to show that Miya > All in my books (minus Ayaya, that is) and Maimi = Chisato, or at least they’re very close for me.

23. Massara Blue Jeans – °C-ute
Maimi and Airi’s voices go really deep in the opening lines. I listened to the recorded version to see how it usually sounds. I figure it’s just fatigue setting in. It’s not off key or anything, it’s just really deep sounding. Like Aichan’s man voice. XD

Why, oh why did Risako get Megumi’s bit after the instrumental in this song? I just really don’t get the line distribution sometimes. Actually, Risako doesn’t do too badly on her usual lines from Berryz Koubou songs (excluding Very Beauty). I just really take issue with the lines she gets in C-ute songs where it really would have been nice to give another girl a chance… Or if whoever distributes the lines really wanted to keep it all with the leads, give more (or at least the particularly demanding vocal lines) to Miya or Momoko because they handle them a lot better than Risako.

24. Jiriri Kiteru
This song was mainly Berryz with solo lines. Maimi and Airi each got one near then end, taking a Momoko and Miya line, respectively. I’m just glad that Miya still got to finish the song off. I really do chuckle at how possessive I am over Miya’s lines.

25. MC4

26. JUMP
So, Chisato didn’t get a solo line in this performance, but she did get her “Wow!”, and she sounds so cute! There are actually very few solo lines in this performance… Maimi and Airi don’t get any. Wow… XD

27. Yuujou Junjou oh Seishun
I like that they end the pre-encore concert with two of my favourite H!P Kids b-sides. They’re both great songs that you can really get pumped up with. I think I first noticed this song while watching the Wonderful Hearts 2007 Winter concert, and I’ve loved it ever since. In that concert it was also performed by Berryz and C-ute.

28. MC5
This MC is amusing. I have no idea what they’re talking about but, it made me lol. Maimai cracked me up when the Cutie Rangers were knocked to the ground, and she looks like she’s having the time of her life being smacked around my this weird flying red-eyeball thing with 4 wings and a tail. Though, I wonder why Risako was trying to serenade the evil thing, and what he said in response to her “attack”. She adopted a very bashful look at his response. Was he hitting on her? XD

29. Warera! Berryz Kamen
I love how they kill the enemy with a song… Should that be taken as an insult? “Hey girls!! Your song killed someone!” o_O

This is a cute song, and it’s nice that the non-leads get their featured moment here, seeing as this b-side has no Miya, Risako or Momoko solo lines. For C-ute’s solo lines, I think there should have been a Chisato line in there. They could have broken up NakaSaki’s line to share it with Chisa, but NOOO… Of course not. Maasa did really well with her bridge(?) solo. Just a little observation on the dancing: Risako’s got a mad case of lazy dancing at some point in this song…

Watching through this, I was just wondering why it is that C-ute’s costumes are uniform (outside of the colours, of course), while Berryz costumes are all over the place. Yurina’s got the capris, Maasa has that ugly one leg has a longer short than the other.. Chinami’s short-shorts are hot. Miya’s ruffly skirt is cute. But really, on the whole Berryz got the short end of the stick again.

30. MC6

31. Sakura Chirari
I am not much of a fan of this song. I think the outfits from this PV (which I really abhor) have stuck with me, and I just can’t really get into this song. I never have it on my playlist and I never listen to it unless it’s in a concert. It’s not a horrible song, and they all perform it well, but I guess it is kind of a let down for the final song, seeing as I’m not a huge fan of it. >_<

So, I totally loved this concert! I’ve been waiting with bated breath since it was announced, and it did not disappoint me! Outside of Risako’s performance in Very Beauty, no one really upset/disappointed me in this concert, so that’s total win!

The fact that Miya and Maimi were the orange Kamen and Ranger killed me because after seeing zush’s battle concert t-shirt I became far too tempted and succumbed to the urge to buy BOTH Miya and Maimi’s battle concert shirts.

Now I’m looking forward to seeing Morning Musume’s spring concert where they will be performing all of their singles. It’ll be interesting to see how that goes. ^_^

This is a clip from the making of Sukeban Deka. It’s subbed, so it’s quite fun to follow along with. The bit I’m showing here is covers the girls and their yo-yo-ing abilities. Aya’s part is quite amusing. She’s quite the enthusiastic yo-yo-ist (what DO you call a yo-yo person? ‘-ist’ sounded better that yo-yo-er).

Rika’s bit, on the other hand, is a little more impressive. She worked with a yo-yo 2 hours a day for 3 months to prepare for this. It’s very apparent that she worked hard to improve upon her yo-yo skills.

I love this movie… Aya and Rika are so far from their normal personalities that it makes this movie a really enjoyable watch for me. What’s enjoyable about the making of is that you get to see how the girls struggled with their roles, particularly in keeping to their characters during filming. It’s not shown here, but both Rika and Aya had quite a few giggle moments as they constantly had to act pissed off at one another.

Really, this clip is here for Aya’s yo-yo mishap, but I figured it would be nice to show what Rika can do with a yo-yo as well. Hope you guys enjoyed this one!

But anyway, I haven’t spoken about this group as of yet, and so one of the first things I have to say is: High-King, I bow down to you!!! Seriously, I am loving this group so much it’s bordering on ridiculous. At work today, my bosses were both out for meetings, so I pulled out my iPod and had the a- and b-side of this single on repeat the entire day. I have now listened to both songs 47 times each… By the time I finish writing this post, that number will have increased…

So, I’m going to do this single review backwards, and I’m going to start it off with some comments on the c/w. Why, you ask? ‘Cause it’s a freakin’ fabulous song!

The C/W – Kioku no Meiru

I listened to it last night, not fully paying attention, because I was being distracted by the randomness that always ensues on wotachat*. In the midst of my lacking concentration, the only thing I really noticed was that it sounded like Yuuka had a fairly long solo, which was interesting to note, but not enough to take my attention away from the chat.

This morning, I put the two songs onto my iPod, and in my car on the way to work, I was able to really listen to “Kioku no Meiro” and I have to say that I was blown away!

The song starts out with a nice, mellow intro by Aichan. A strong bass and nifty guitars kick in once Reina starts singing… And then boom! The techno beat was surprising to me. I can’t think of any H!P release that sounds like this. I immediately pictured this being an anime theme. In particular, Gundam Seed came to mind. This song makes me think of TM Revolution or Tamaki Nami… Because of that, I went back and listened to those old Gundam Seed songs.

As I listened on, Eurobeat from Para Para Paradise came into my head. I can totally picture a fun para routine as the choreography to this song. The beat is sick and really gets your blood pumping. Come the instrumental portion, I’m hit with another association, and now I’m hearing “Through the Fire and Flame” by DragonForce… They do the ultimate difficulty song in Guitar Hero 3. The arpeggio’s in the guitar solo here are just sick! I really wish there was an instrumental track for this song, like Buono!’s singles which have instrumental tracks for both the a-side and b-side.

As for vocals in this song, what I’m loving here is that all the girls get a proper amount of lines! Maimi and Captain take the verses and sing them quite nicely. It’s nice to get more of a chance to hear Captain sing, because she really does have a pleasant voice. The pre-chorus features the other 3, and you get to hear Yuuka pretty well. She’s got a cutesy voice, but I don’t find it overly annoying, like I tend to with Momoko when she’s singing with Berryz, or Sayumi pretty much always. Aichan and Reina still have the most lines, from what I can gather (I haven’t counted them out or anything), but they’re not dominating the song like they do on CC.

I got into the instrumental pretty happy with line distribution, and we get to the bridge and I hear Yuuka again… And she gets the ENTIRE bridge! At that point, I was blasted off my feet, figuratively (seeing as I was sitting down and driving…). I’m really liking this little girl. It will be interesting to see how she progresses in H!P now that she’s been highlighted in a group with some pretty influential H!P members.

As for Aichan and Reina in this song, I must say that I like Aichan’s performance in the song, but it’s no secret that I absolutely adore Aichan’s voice. Reina is fine, but her voice isn’t one of my H!P favourites.

Overall, this c/w is totally rocking! I know people often overlook the b-sides of singles, but this is definitely one you should NOT miss. I’ve uploaded the c/w into my radioblog, located in the top of the right sidebar. Go and give it a listen! It’s totally worth it!

The A-side – CC (Cinderella Complex)

All my gushing over the c/w wasn’t meant to take away from the awesomeness of the a-side. I really love this song. This song is more of the R&B, Hip/hop genre (I know they’re 2 totally different genres… but meh).

The beat of this song fully rocks my socks. I was literally bouncing in my seat at work all day. I do wish I could dance without looking like an idiot, ’cause this is definitely a sexy hot body rolling dance-type song.

Vocally, Aichan and Reina dominate this song. Like I said for the c/w, I have no problem with Aichan doing so, because I love her voice. Reina on the other hand… Well, I could have done with a bit more Maimi… The other three girls do quite well with the lines that they’re given. The “Yes Yes Yo!” and whatnot bring me back to 7Air. I definitely enjoy the melody of this song, but really it’s the driving beat that makes this song for me.

The Dance Shot

A quick rundown of the PV: Aichan > Captain > Maimi > Reina > Yuuka.That list is based on the dance performances of each of the girls in this PV, and since this is the dance shot, I think it’s fair to break it down in such a manner.

It is completely understandable that Yuuka is at the bottom of the list here. Even though she’s been an H!P Egg since 2004, she has the least experience, and here she is in her first big break, being put up against the leaders/captain of H!P’s most successful groups and an additional member of the flagship group who has been in the spotlight from pretty much the moment she joined. That’s a lot to live up to. She actually does quite well with the choreography, but you can see how unrefined her dancing abilities are. Her moves just aren’t as smooth as the rest of the girls. She knows WHAT to do, but she doesn’t quite execute it with the precision of the other girls. Also, she looks like she’s trying to overcompensate for her lack of experience with a bit more energy, which makes her look like she looses her balance at moments. However, she would have blown Kaori out of the water, had Kaori ever tried to dance the choreography of this song.

Yuuka’s leg positions are awkward compared to the veterans Aichan and Reina.

Reina looks stiff through a few of the moves. Comparing her to Aichan is like comparing Rika to Aichan in Ribbon no Kishi. She’s not horrible, she’s just not as good. Also, Reina’s hair flying all over the place distracted me. Maimi’s hair’s up in a ponytail, so it’s not too noticeable when it flies, and the other girls have hats on… Reina, on the other hand, has her hair up in two pigtails, and the hair just flies everywhere.

Look at her hair…. LOL XD Also, what the heck is she driving that has a steering wheel that large?!

My main complaint with Maimi is that she’s a little too enthusiastic in her dancing. She dances well, but she’s hitting all the moves a little bit TOO hard. I watch the TV show ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and they often make the distinction between hard hip hop dancing versus soft hip hop dancing. And this song and the choreography to go with it looks better when hit with more finesse. However, Maimi can definitely move. We saw it in C-ute’s ‘Namida no Iro’ and we can see it here as well.

Look at how far Maimi’s head is thrown back. That can’t be comfortable…

Seriously, I’m just glad that Maimi didn’t hurt herself with the amount of attack she put into this dance

Captain was able to grasp the feel of this dance a little bit better than her C-ute counterpart. She’s got the moves down and she’s doesn’t overpower the dance. She moves smoothly throughout the dance and she’s definitely enjoyable to watch. She seemed to have a lot of problems with her vest though. It was like she spent most of the PV trying to get it to sit back on her shoulder. Also, I find that her body rolls aren’t as effective as Aichan and Maimi’s, possibly because she’s so short. She needs a little more height to give it more of a flowing look.

Captain’s vest was finicky through the PV

Now Aichan… What can I say about her in this dance shot? SHE WAS FREAKIN’ HOT!! She completely owns her hot pimpin’ hat! And she just goes through the choreography so effortlessly. Her body rolls are hot, her “Na na na” hip thrusts are hot, her voice is hot! Everything about Aichan in this PV is just so sexy! Work it girl! People go on and on about how Aichan has no personality… But man, when she performs, be it in a PV, a live or in concert, watch out! She knows what kind of attitude to bring during a performance. For me, that totally makes up for her awkwardness (which I find endearing most of the time, anyway) during interviews and while speaking in general.

Pimpin’ hat, pimpin’ pose, pimpin’ attitude. Aichan <3!!

So yeah… Basical, High-King is on my absolute total love list right now! I’d have to say it’s my favourite H!P single for the year thus far. I love the a-side of C-ute’s ‘Namida no Iro’ as well as the PV for it, but the c/w doesn’t do it for me. Buono!’s ‘Kiss!Kiss!Kiss!’ brings me a lot of Miya happiness, but it’s not my favourite Buono! single. So really, as an overall package, High-King is winning my H!P single race right now (Buono!’s ‘Café Buono!’ leads the way album-wise).

So as the post title says, High-King, I pledge my fealty to you, for you guys ROCK!

And on the topic of High Kings, another High King I pledge my fealty to is High King Peter Pevensie of Narnia, because he’s soooo friggin’ hot too!! (Just really wanted to get some William Moseley eyecandy in here, since it’s ridiculously un-related, yet still related [in my mind at least] to this post… XD)

SO HOT!

*dies*

Oh yea… I’m at 66 plays for each song now… XD

*Wotachat has been advertised on a number of my fellow bloggers’ blogs. Basically, a some of the International Wota community can be found there in the chatroom #wotachat on the IRC server Rizon. I am almost always there. All three IW admin, my fellow IW editor, and an IW advisor(Ray Mescallado, pengie, broomhead, wu-san, Julia) frequent the room, a few other IW contributers (Kirarin☆Snow ☃, Charmy☆Renai, Henkka, IndigoSkies and craig) as well as authors of blogs covered by IW (Second Blossoming, CatchFiveBats, Misa, Amimi, amyrulez and johpan). In addition, we have some non-bloggers (wota and non-wota alike) who come in as well. Feel free to drop by and visit us!

EDIT: For those who aren’t familiar with IRC, you can use an IRC client such as mIRC (windows) or x-chat (mac), or if you don’t want to go with a client, you can sign in through web-based IRC, ex. mibbit. Like I mentioned above, the server is Rizon.net, the channel is #wotachat. ^_^