[Video] 10 Years of Ayu Video

Vee’s still feeling the Ayumi Hamasaki love - which is always nice to see - and she’s sharing with us a videography consisting of 75 music videos that lasts up to 25 minutes or thereabouts. That’s pretty epic, and it’ll please all Ayu fans I’m sure. Even I - oblivious to Ayu - loved it. Certainly worth your time, as it’s a lovely retrospective peace outlining Ayu’s massive empire. And yes, I fear that from just one sitting I’m falling for some of the earlier material.

Kago Ai to release DVD through Avex

Ok, it’s not a recording contract, but Kago Ai announced on her blog that she will be releasing a DVD through Avex. Hello! Online provides a little more information, including a website on Avex to promote the DVD. It’ll be interesting to see if she officially signs with Avex to release music sometime in the future.

(Oh, and Misa says she called it.)

a-nation ‘08: The good, the bad and the costumes (Part 1 of 2)

Raid takes a look at a-nation 2008 and casts his judgement on the artists involved, ranking them mostly on performance. Pictures taken from the concert help the post along nicely.

SQS #007

Raid’s 7th SQS segment has AAA donning tracksuit jackets, and if they weren’t so bloody expensive Raid would have his by now. Pictures show whats on offer, and for once I think Misako’s looking the most attractive here, although Mr.Leader looks ready to win me over with his cool and laidback vibe he’s got going for him.

Ai Otsuka - Kurage, Nagareboshi

It’s Lex’s turn to review Ai Otsuka’s Kurage, Nagareboshi, and the amount of praise this record’s been getting is pretty much countless now. A positive review from lex then, and the Kingyo Hanabi and Plantarium comparisons continue on.

AAA 3rd Anniversary Live Outfits // Urata!!! // Other weird outfits
How much does Raid disagree with Japan?
SQS #006

Raid’s latest post features plenty of cotume photos from AAA’s 3rd Anniversary Live DVD, and Raid unleashes some praise for the choices, and a little bit of that snark too. Shuta and Nissy look tasty-tastic in those tie printed t-shirts, and as Raid himself points out, Chiaki looks terrifying throughout. Oh, and I couldn’t agree more on the assessment of the before and after analysis on Hidaka’s haircut. He really did look like a pot smoking hippie didn’t he?

An earlier entry sees Raid pitting his opinions against general Japan - as he nicely puts it - coming out with various dialogues on the current top charting singles. Much of the analysis on the singles are done really well, I must admit, because without getting slowed down by the detail of each song, Raid manages to pursue the heart of his opinions with confident prose. I only wish I had it in me to review quite like this, because the writing appears easy. I can tell you, it is not. This one’s an enjoyable read.

And last but not least we have Raid’s 6th SQS segment, this time featuring a recent Arashi photoshoot. Matsujun’s still got it - that tarted up geek look. Keep on living the dream Matsu.

And More Importantly…
One Year!
Damn That’s Hot.
Otsuka Ai - Kurage, Nagareboshi

Tsukiki mentions her blog turning one years old, and she spends a short time reflecting. Congratulations Tsukiki!

An earlier entry follows the same sort of route, saying happy birthday to Hey! Say! JUMP!! who’ve also turned one. A group photo is shared, and I’m happy to say I dont like the look of any of them.

Tsukiki then goes onto post about Koda Kumi’s TABOO PV, talking about the hotness of it all, and there’s mention of avoiding rape. Huh? Jesus Christ. The video link doesn’t seem to work, but you can get the gist of it through Tsukiki’s dialogue.

And to finish things off there’s a review of Ai Otsuka’s latest release Kurage, Nagareboshi, and Tsukiki’s loving it, comparing the first track to that little old number Planetarium. She finds that the last track has a bittersweet melody, and enjoys the song the most, conlcuding that this is one of Ai’s best records yet.

MUSIC!!! / ZERØ - AAA

Ethan does a quick review on AAA’s MUSIC!!!/ZERØ single, and is thankful that the Avex giants have gone back to their simple pop sensibilities for the first A-side. I agree with him, and this is AAA in their element. Whilst I found ZERØ to be a poor man’s edgey pop song, Ethan quite enjoys it. Oh well, AAA will always have a habbit of dividing fans, what with them having to tackle every genre imaginable. If you ask me, it’s a lot about hit and miss.

BoA Debuts with “Eat You Up” (溝のヒロイン)
BoA - Coming to America (The J-Pex)
BoA! It’s finally happening! (The Dream Cloud)
BoA To Debut In The U.S (♥pretty boy power♥)

Recommended previewing. The news of BoA’s US debut has been out for a few days, and we now get a taste (pardon the pun) of what the release will be like. The title of the single has been announced as “Eat You Up” and two teasers for the video are up.

Groove Heroine of 溝のヒロイン and spazzes ♥pretty boy power♥ report that the two teasers are for the English version and Korean versions. However, Sarah of The Dream Cloud and Pex of The J-Pex say that both versions of the video will be released (I read the post to mean both in America) on October 7th. Groove Heroine and Sarah have the two teasers embedded.

It looks like the single is getting a good reception so far. I have watched both teasers, and I’m liking the “Korean version” much better than the “American version” if we go by Groove Heroine’s labeling (the videos aren’t loading for me on Sarah’s site). I haven’t followed BoA since she released “Shine We Are”, but with her debut in North American, I may have to start paying attention again.

AAA IS THE NEW MORNING MUSUME! GASP!
SQS #004

Raid entertains us with a few AAA items, and they include a light stick, a pamphlet and some posters. They all go on sale on the 16th of September, and Raid gives a few short comments on what he thinks of them. Expect a few onion jokes and a Nice tie-in with Momusu’s Kanashimi Twighlight, where Raid compares the sets to both photoshoots.

An earlier entry continues Raid’s SQS segment, and this time around we’re treated to Alex - Of Clazziquai Project fame. His arm looks bigger than my whole body, which only ever renders me jealous. Damn him and his tight fitting Calvin Klein boxer briefs!

AAA Purchases // AAA TOUR 2008 PICSPAM // 2009 Calendar!
THANK YOU: NEWS (and some C-ute) on Music Station

Raid treats himself to some AAA goodies consisting of the Music!!!/Zero singles, and also the AAA tour 2008 DVD and calendar. Expect a few sreen captures to go with the post, and also a lovely segment involving Nissy not just wanting Misako, but also Urata. The captions had me all giddy inside - being both an AAA fan and a Nissy one - and yes, Raid, I think somewhere down the line all fans consider the posibility that Nissy wants to go a few rounds with the guys. Lucky bastards!

An earlier entry sees Raid thanking everyone for his top spot at Jappanblogger.com, and he’s also garnered a fair few hits, too. I have to say I’m a little jealous. Our man in Singapore thoroughly deserves it though, so well done! He also treats us to a self-translated C-ute segment from a Music Station interview.

AAA TOUR 2008 - ATTACK ALL AROUND

Choco-late does a very quick review on AAA’s ATTACK ALL AROUND 2008 concert, and there’s a few screen captures to get fans in the mood. Nissy still looks delicious, and I swear to god Misako doesn’t know how lucky she is. Not exactly an in-depth write-up - as typical of getLazy - but again it excels in it’s simple motivation to put out opinions. And since Choco-late has such an honest and sweet written voice, I always enjoy the read.

Goto Maki is back on stage A-Nation 2008

Hello!Online has a bootleg of Gocchin’s brief appearance at A-Nation. She performed a cover of Diane King’s “Shy Guy”, a minor 90s R&B hit, and a song of her own. I think she sounds a little nervous and forgets her recent vocal re-training already, so I’d like to her the studio version of her song before deciding on that. But I like her choice of cover. I think this shows she will be keeping people guessing and she can make it at Avex. But…Recommended for your own rabid over-analysis!

[Ranking] I Want Ayu to Keep Rocking Out

Vee ranks Ayu albums in order of their rockingness as part of the official opening of the new home of Pink Wota on Wordpress. Not being much of an Ayu fan myself, I like this list, as it leans heavily towards later albums I haven’t heard yet. I like the newest stuff from her a lot, but always judged her by the songs on A Best, which I was never that crazy about. This isn’t the typical guide, and I don’t think there’s many total Ayu noobs reading J-pop blogs, but it’s good subjective look at if you’ve never considered the albums, or want to reconsider them. Or you just want to argue. But her reasons are pretty solid, so it should be a good argument at least. It’s a great way to set the tone of the new blog. But so much swearing. My goodness. Recommended if you can deal with all that.

Rocket Sneaker / OnexTime

DJAeon does an excellent job describing Aichin’s latest single Rocket Sneaker/OnexTime, and if you can bare track-by-track walkthroughs, the commentary does well to describe the overall feel of Ai’s three tracks on the record, and it gives a good overview of Aichin’s sound as it’s developed thus far. A nice read for Otsuka fans alike.

Maki Goto to perform at a-nation ‘08

Gocchin to perform at the a-nation festival in late August. Also appearing: her nails. And a bunch of people. Famous people! That sell a lot of records! Really it’s no joke. So…be there?

New Music Review: Ninin Sankyaku (misono)

Solo gives a short and sweet track-by-track review of Ninin Sankyaku, misono’s final rock-themed single, saying that although both tracks were enjoyable, they had their minor flaws. He also went on to review each song that was in the medley, and also gives us previews of the single.

Amuro to entertain Avex shareholders

I’m not sure how important a measure this is of Amuro’s standing in Avex, but I think a couple of us called this some months back. After all, Kuu-chin had that scandal and Ayu’s dealing with her deafness, and now Amuro’s got a new singles collection slated.