Sunday, February 12, 2012

Fanart Corner - The Sky Is Falling

Nacchi

I drew some AKB48 last year, too! But I don't really have enough interest to draw much fanart of them as I do H!P. This girl is supposed to be Natsuki Sato, the silly but smart university member. I don't remember why I drew her discovering gravity here. Maybe Nacchi knows.

Fuku-hime

Mizuki Fukumura caricature! I drew this shortly after she joined, so I only had the "princess aura" bit to go with. She's pretty shy, so it was hard to get to know her. I still think she's mysterious compared to the likes of Eripon and Zukki!



Fanart Corner - Bath and Turtle


ReinaJun. That radio show summary where Reina was embarrassed by JunJun's wanting to join her in the bath had hilarious fan reactions, like JunJun being a shower stalker. The fandom is amazing.


Eri Kamei caricature. Dog cheese refrigeta (vs. Goku) strange turtle. I gave her horrible fashion like a bad fan and only the turtle mouth and maybe the hairstyle resemble her. I need to work harder on eyes (both sets, har har.)



Friday, February 10, 2012

H!P Funny of the Week - Favorite Pocket Mornings



The Doctor (right) and The Master (left)?

Countdown of my six (or rather, eight) favorite moments in H!P's Pocket Morning, translated by the awesome epifanes, Kuno, and Ro-kun on Hello!Online!

Note: I had to type some of the questions vaguely from memory since they are missing from the archives. The answers are still there, but the questions themselves seem to disappear sometimes.


6.) Zukki's sexism.

If you were a boy, what would you do?


Zukki: Climb up to the very top of a tree.
Source


5.) Why we should stop saying Rinapu fell on her face as a baby. Give her a break, guys!

If you had a time machine, would you go to the future? The past? Also, what would you do there?


Rinapu: I'd go to the future and confirm if I'm still alive.
Source


4.) Reina's into THAT kind of thing.

Something to introduce yourself with?


Reina: Tanaka Reina, the super-M inside a super-S. Sound good? (laughs)
Source


3.) Momo's obvious death wish.

If you could swap your voice with another Hello!Pro member's, whose voice would you choose?


Momo: Chinami ♪ I'd yell out "Momochi kawaii" in Chinami's voice, record it, and play it back over and over in front of Chinami!! Ahh~ that sounds like fun ♪
Source

If you had a time machine, would you go to the future? The past? Also, what would you do there?


Momo: I'd go to the time papa and mama met, and make fun of them like, "Fuu~ raburabu~♪"!
Source


2.) Introducing Sayu, the creeper. And what I think may be a subtle jab back at her from Riho.

If you were an animal, what would you be?


Sayu: Sayashi's hamster.
Source

If you could have a pet, what would you have?


Sayu: Sayashi... (laughs)
Riho: A cow.
Source


1.) Yossie's thinking of a TARDIS instead, I think. And I heart Mikitty's misanthropic nature.

If you had a time machine, where would you go?


Yossie: Africa.
Mikitty: To the past, when there were no humans.
Source


Seriously, so many amazing things happen in this weekly questionnaire. And it provides fodder for fan jokes, like Sayu's unhealthy stalking obsession with Riho and the other younger members of H!P. There's so many funny moments, and I didn't put them all in because I didn't want to step on any toes (as it is, I hope I didn't quote too many...) So please read the Pocket Mornings, past and future on Hello!Online!



H!P Funny of the Week - Yurushite Nyan!



Momo and her young apprentice, 'Rook Norris.

Momo's latest catchphrase, "Yurushite Nyan," has reached meme status in H!P, just like Zukki's Butterfly. Nowadays, she rarely makes an appearance without it, which can actually be pretty annoying, like Kanyon's "Cinderella Revolution Bang Bang Bang Bang." So it's very entertaining when the other H!P girls take things into their own hands and smack her around for it. Reina's point and cackle when Sayu pushed Momo to the ground was epic.

I used to compare former Morning Musume member Koharu Kusumi to Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation because of how she annoyed fans by being treated like a gift from the gods by the people in charge, despite her inferior singing skills.

Well, Momo is H!P's Steve Urkel. Not only do they both share a nasally voice, but look at their catchphrases. "Yurushite Nyan" is an irritating way of apologizing. Steve Urkel: "Did I do that?" It's scary. But I bet Carl and Laura wished they could dropkick or smack Urkel like television hosts and fellow idols do to Momo! With Momo, her catchphrase is an excuse to abuse her! (And I love her all the more for it!)




Thursday, February 9, 2012

Retro Corner - Sayuri Kokusho's Valentine Kiss




Since it's so close to the famous consumers' holiday, I had to include Sayuri Kokusho's "Valentine Kiss" (1986) this week in the Retro Corner. As cute as last year's Watarirouka Hashiritai 7's version was, I still prefer the original. Retro bubblegum is one of my weaknesses. If you're afraid of eating too many sweets this Valentine's Day, try listening to this song instead! It's enough sugar for ten Valentine's Days, haha.

If you have a soft spot for Rie Kugimiya, though, her rendition as The Idolm@ster's Iori Minase is super cute, too, minus the authentic retro charm.




Retro Corner - Candies' Yasashii Akuma




Beautiful, rich song. Candies' "Yasashii Akuma" (1977) has wonderful harmonies that bring so much depth to the song. When I try to get friends and family to listen to Japanese music, the language barrier is the issue in many cases. But seriously, listen to Candies' voices blend in this song! Does it really matter what they are singing when you can just relax and appreciate the beauty?



Monday, February 6, 2012

Review - S/mileage's Choto Mate Kudasai!

S/mileage - Choto Mate Kudasai!
1. Choto Mate Kudasai!
2. Namida Girl (Regular Version)
2. Chance Tourai (Limited A, B, and C Versions)
2. S/mileage Singles Gekiatsu Remix (Limited D Version)
3. Choto Mate Kudasai! (Instrumental)

Source

S/mileage has evolved, not necessarily for better or worse. Instead of being a colony of four unicellular organisms, the group is now one multi-cellular organism, each of the six girls filling a role. We have the front girls, but they don't dominate the lines they can't handle. We have the main singers, chipping in for the parts that need to be handled with skill. We have the back-up, mostly dancing to fill the stage, but contributing a different voice for the sake of variety or a bit of humor to the music videos and television performances. It's a situation I hope Morning Musume develops into for future singles (i.e. more fair while still sounding good.) Berryz Koubou and C-ute are already there.

Choto Mate Kudasai! screams Showa era (late 1926- early 1989) to me. The dance moves with the shaking head and outstretched arm, the chorus tune and high parts, and the retro dresses similar to the ones from Morning Musume's "Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game" all contribute to that feeling. That combined with S/mileage's trademark adorable voices makes for a pretty cool song. The high parts especially stand out, sounding like something recovered from the 1960's (which definitely tickles my fancy, because it delights me when I hear contemporary songs that continue old styles as though they never went out of fashion and instead became genres.) Or for an even older song that Choto Mate Kudasai! reminds me of, there's "When I See An Elephant Fly" from Disney's Dumbo (1941). It's more of a mood kind of thing since the two songs sound nothing alike; but my mind still connects the two. Overall, I'm in love with this song. S/mileage is doing great even without Yuuka, so hopefully Yuuka fans can pick a new current favorite and still appreciate the group.

The main b-side, Chance Tourai, is more laid back, just like the last single's b-side. It sounds like it could be the ending to a children's anime (like ones aimed at preschoolers, the Nick Jr.-type crowd.) The beginning instrumentals sound like they were performed on toy instruments. Throughout the song, the instrumentals stay simple, subtle, mostly leading the way for the melody. But you need good singers for such a song. So I was pleased to hear a lot of Kanyon and Takechan. The rest of the chipmunks seemed to get shared or group lines. I can't complain with such a set-up. The only negative point I would give this song is that the energy is more subdued, less exciting than the a-side, but that's just a preference. Chance Tourai is a cute song that doesn't betray the S/mileage sound, and is great for a change of pace.

The b-sides on other versions include a cover of Miki Fujimoto's Namida Girl and a remix. Namida Girl is an awesome hard rock song and Kanyon and Takechan's strong vocals deliver again. If you listened only to the b-sides, you might think they were the main front girls, not Dawa and Meimei! The energy in this song has a very "flowing" feel to it and it's very catchy. Really makes me want to scream "Namida Girl" in the chorus with them.

Rating: I want to give this a "Classic" label because I love it so much, but I don't really think this is going to be noted as a high point for S/mileage's discography. The lack of Yuuka will likely leave a stigma, too. Yet it still might become a concert favorite. This definitely fits in the Fondly Remembered category, but time will tell if it actually becomes a "Classic." That's up to the fate of the new S/mileage.

Buy this single on:
iTunes - Limited Version, Cover B-Side Version, Remix B-Side Version
YesAsia - Limited Version, Cover B-Side Version, Remix B-Side Version
CD Japan - Limited Version, Cover B-Side Version, Remix B-Side Version
Amazon Japan - Limited Version, Cover B-Side Version, Remix B-Side Version

* The other limited versions contain the same b-side, but different cover photographs and DVDs.




Gaki-san's Graduation


Risa's graduation. I'm actually really surprised it's this soon. What, is every finale of Morning Musume's concert tours going to end in a graduation ceremony from now on? Or at least until the 6th and 8th generations are all gone?

I'm not upset by this at all, of course. Adding and subtracting members is interesting and keeps things fresh. Gaki's been in the group for ten years when most members get what seems to bean average of four to six (yes, the clock's already ticking for the ninth generation members, who celebrated their first anniversary with the group at the beginning of the year.) Gaki has never ranked on my list of favorites and is always in the lower half of my Morning Musume rankings despite my love of her voice (she's great at reacting to the other members' shenanigans, but she isn't very entertaining to me when she's by herself.) Like with Yuuka, I'm glad that other girls that I like more will be able to shine in her place.

But I really will miss her voice so much. No one in Morning Musume, as far as I've heard, can pull off as smooth and soothing a voice as her. No one. Haruka's voice is deep and unique and cool-sounding. But it's not quite relaxing. Too much power. Zukki's deep voice has become absolutely dynamite, powerful yet smooth. But I don't know if she's ready for a ballad yet. Aika's voice is semi-deep, but not impressive lately and far from relaxing. Reina- Reina can sometimes pull off relaxing, but she's not deep by any means. So now instead of having a one-two punch with Gaki's vocals (and Aichan's 1 HIT KO vocals), Morning Musume is going to have to work together again. I really hope they use more than half the group in their singles after the chicken suit single. We can't tell anything about direction (lines-distribution wise) from generation-debut songs. "Maji desu ka Ska" taught us that. But really, even if they still keep three front girls (or four, with Sayumi), I hope they still have other voices even when the focus is on the front girl in the videos. People will complain at the music video, but at least the vocals will be stronger and varied and everyone gets to shine.

The other reason why I'll miss Gaki is completely stupid: now I'll have to omit her from future artworks I had planned, since some might be finished long after she graduates. I love these line-up changes, but they mess with my plans. I guess I'm afraid of showing my friends fanart of idols and they like a girl that has graduated and then aren't interested in the group anymore. Which is silly, but I already know I am silly.

Still, bring on the 11th generation!

And I think Aika should totally graduate next. She used to be my favorite, and I still think she's cute. But 6th gen are stronger members and someone has to graduate next, so it should probably be Aika in 2013. Though, who knows, 6th gen may really want out and Aika may yet prove herself again now that she's back in action and everything will turn out best for both the girls and the fans. I really hope so.



Review - Morning Musume's Pyoko Pyoko Ultra

Morning Musume - Pyoko Pyoko Ultra (or Pyocopyoco Ultra)

1. Pyocopyoco Ultra
2. Kanashiki Koi no Melody
3. Pyocopyoco Ultra (Instrumental)

Source

The chicken suit song. Love it or not, it certainly is attention grabbing. See, Morning Musume's previous single contained the completely cracked out "Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!," earning them more views on their YouTube channel at a faster pace than any previous video. They even caught the attention of totally random people seeing what was going on, which drove the views even higher. On the ADD Wasteland of the Internet, crazy wins, and noticing that, it's no surprise Hello!Project went to work on another "what the... cluck" song.

And that was exactly what I thought when I first saw the costumes. After coming to terms with the fact it was real, I then found it hilarious. Chicken suits?! Chicken suits!!? Never would have thought that would happen. My only gripe is that the girls don't look their best (except Sayu, whose gorgeousness even outshines the terribly bright yellow.) But the costumes are cute and funny, and I just don't take idols so seriously to be upset. They can't be cool all the time (how inhuman and boring.) I really looked forward to the song. And then... well..

It really shouldn't have followed "Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa o Honki de Negatterun da yo!/ Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!" That previous single was too perfect. I was afraid that Pyoko Pyoko Ultra wouldn't live up to my new, higher standards, and I was right. But it's not a bad song at all. It's catchy, it's cute, it brings back hyper H!P trademarks like the surreal background man's voice, while creating a new sound that can't be compared to anything else in their discography. "Guru Guru Jump" comes close, but only because they are both hyper and outrageously cute (and have ridiculous dances, oh gosh.) But Pyoko Pyoko Ultra is definitely not a take-two of anything, and I don't want to take it for granted. We might not be so lucky with the next single.

The b-side, Kanashiki Koi no Melody balances the single with a cool dance-style song. The beginning of the song sounds like it could come from a modern K-Pop or American dance song. All girls get individual lines, which brings it back to the world of idol music and its various voices and skill levels. Masaki's voice in particular really shines here. It's crystal clear and adorable. But from there the novelty wears off. The verses are robotic and the chorus gets a little better, but it's nothing listeners of Morning Musume haven't heard in the past five years. It's an all right song to listen to, not painful. It's just not exciting. If new fans were gained from all the recent H!P news and promotions, and those new fans like this song best on the single, then they're in luck when they check out Morning Musume's recent discography, though!

Rating: Fond Memories. It's not going to appeal to a wide variety of listeners, so it's not going to be a classic. But when Morning Musume moves on in a less "foul" direction, listeners might still come back to it for a laugh or chicken dance.

Buy the single on:
iTunes - Hasn't been added yet. Stalk their page.
YesAsia
CD Japan
Amazon Japan

* I listed the regular version only. The limited versions come with DVDs (like interviews with the new tenth generation members) and different cover photographs.


Sunday, February 5, 2012

Fanart Corner - Pissed Off Mikitty Plus Mittens



Whee! More art!


Mikitty and Koha. Another drawing from last year. This was the situation in Morning Musume when I became a fan. Koharu annoyed me when I first became a fan, so I watched Mikitty's grumpiness with excitement, wondering if she was going to push Koha out a window or something. I'm glad she didn't now, though, haha.

Mittsi~ woof, woof!

Aika caricature. I think I made her look too much like Maimai, though.

I actually have a ton of these caricatures from the past two years.



Fanart Corner - Turtle and Gaki



This took awhile... I meant to have two sketches a week. So I'll play catch-up throughout this month as I gather and scan artworks. If you like the concept of an artwork, please tell me! I may finish it by inking and coloring it! And if a drawing, even a cartoony one, doesn't capture the general looks or personality of the idol, please critique me so I can get better at caricature!

I'm starting out with some old drawings I dug up:


A Tribute to Kamei. I drew this back when Eri Kamei was about to graduate from Morning Musume. I like the concept of the pose, but the anatomy and execution needs work!


Gaki caricature. She had that really short, mature cut when I drew this. I didn't really exaggerate her face in this one, but I think I captured part of her personality in the expression.



Friday, February 3, 2012

H!P Funny of the Week - Ayaka's Surprise English Lessons

I love you, Yossie.

I mentioned Utaban clips as one of the series that originally endeared me to the girls of Hello!Project. Another was Ayaka's Surprise English Lessons. First I watched Aibon and Nono's lessons, but desired more! It really helped me memorize the faces of Morning Musume's Golden Era members and opened me up to trying out Minimoni and eventually the rest of Morning Musume (because of how entertaining Mari and Yossie were. Sadly, I learned Mari had already left the group by the time I watched those clips.)

I learned more than just how hilarious English sounds with a thick accent from a non-native speaker (apparently "frying" pigs are not a common occurrence in Japan, as it is in America.)

I learned that Nono's butt was lethal (a precursor to the Momo Attack?)

I learned that Mari is an aspiring exhibitionist (a precursor to that SMAP guy?) (Thanks, International Wota. XD)

I learned that idols are so underfed that they can surprise the audience with decent English, just to get a slice of damn cake (a precursor to K-Pop?)

I really recommend the series to anyone who hasn't seen it yet. I've experienced its power of conversion firsthand, so it's totally something fans could show their friends to introduce them to H!P.

I think UFA may know this and that's why there are still Ayaka's Surprise English Lessons clips on YouTube from 2006 and 2007. Overseas fans don't come out of nowhere and I think subtitled clips are responsible for the health of the overseas fandom. Now if only they could simulcast Hello!Pro Time on Crunchyroll!

See, this is why people tease you, Mari.

1st Generation Butt Attacker Nono. Momo is 2nd Gen. Who will be the 3rd Gen? Meimei? Zukki?

It's not nice to pick on midgets, Ayaka.

H!P Funny of the Week - Manly Voice



New Morning Musume member Haruka Kudo is possibly the most boyish member H!P has ever had (even Yossie, fangirl favorite that she is, could still act the part of a classy lady.) Haruka also has a low, husky voice. H!P's first Brooklyn member? Nah, just Saitama, where Yossie's from. If Saitama females are this manly, I wonder what their men are like...

Anyway, I was really surprised and delighted when Zukki began impersonating the 10th generation with mock introductions (at about the 1:05 mark.) She really caught me off guard when she roared, "KUDO HARUKA DESU."

And then later, Kanon Fukuda of S/mileage (the Kanons of H!P are amazing) did the same thing while impersonating Haruka. Except it was even more epic, because she sounded like Bill Cosby's Fat Albert. I wish she would do a follow-up with a "Hey, hey, hey, I'm Haruka Kudo!"

HEY HEY HEY

I hope the posts on the forums are wrong about Kudo getting her revenge, because the Kanons are two of my favorites! They really liven up H!P, haha.

H!P Funny of the Week - Buggy

THE BUTTERFLY

Zukki is a complete nut. When she was first introduced in the auditions, superficially I didn't like her as much as Riho, Mogi, and Eripon. As I saw her happiness and energy, she moved into the top three that I definitely wanted into the group (along with Mogi and Riho.) But once she was in, I was totally unprepared for her randomness and mimicry. She amazes with each new impersonation or strange thing that she brings up (like her teddy with an afro, aww!)

Originally she got attention from her bug impressions: "the butterfly coming out of a chrysalis" and "the mantis." The Butterfly (flapping one's arms front to back) has become so popular, eventually other H!P girls began doing it, especially to mimic Zukki. It's become a regular meme, done at concerts or randomly inserted in other activities, like when Zukki did The Butterfly instead of the hula.

Zukki's Butterfly

Rihoriho's Version



Hidden Mantis Crouching Zukki




H!P Funny of the Week - Mari Abuse

This was supposed to be posted the first Friday of January. I am horribly behind.. perhaps this should be "Funny of the Month" instead.

Demonstrating how a certain girl uses her talents.

One of the things that got me into idols in the first place was the silly things they did on their television appearances. Yes, my first interest was sparked by a catchy, cute song (W's "Ai no Imi wo Oshiete!"), but staying up to the wee hours of the morning watching hilarious subtitled clips made them unforgettable. I was hooked, in love with their silly personalities, an H!P fan forever. I don't think that would have happened just by watching their music videos. I might have just moved on to the next catchy song.

One such show that I enjoyed finding clips of was Utaban. Two hosts making fun of their guests equals pure awesome. I especially liked when they made fun of Mari Yaguchi. She's so cute when she's embarrassed. Like when the hosts got a hold of her photobook shot in Vietnam...

Yaguchi's such a pervert! Her photobook even made a baby Momo cry!

Another awesome clip, but now missing from YouTube, was when Morning Musume took questions from an audience of children:

[Kid's question: Do idols fart?]


Ishibashi: That's from Ayaka, in grade 2.


Masahiro Nakai: Ayaka-chan?


Ayaka: Yes?


Nakai: Ayaka-chan, what did your mother tell you?


Ayaka: She said that idols never fart.

Source

Mari, unsure of destroying the kid's fantasy, eventually admits to letting out silent ones...

Masahiro Nakai: Yaguchi, don't go half-way! Those silent ones stink even worse!

Source


When Mari says that everyone farts, Charmy doesn't look too happy, heheh. Poor Mari~ I make silent farts, too, and my family teases me just like those hosts did to her! I have a lot of respect for her admitting it on TV, though, and I think the kids respected her for it, too. Maybe that's why kids seem to like her a lot. She's both silly and honest. And cute!

Click here for more hilarious quotes from Utaban!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Retro Corner - Wink's Ai ga Tomaranai


Wink has a couple things in common with the former H!P unit W. Besides being a duo, they've also done quite a bit of covers, some overlapping with W's covers, and W even did a cover of one of Wink's original songs. I like covers. They introduce me to songs that I may otherwise never have listened to, through the comfort of groups I'm already fond of.

Wink didn't just do a few covers of Japanese songs, but some Western songs as well. They sang them in Japanese, though, so it was fun to be like "this sounds familiar" and figure out what the original was. But I had never listened to Kylie Minogue's "Turn It Into Love" before I heard Wink's "Ai ga Tomaranai." (1988) Afterward, I actually thought I should give Kylie's work (at least her older stuff) more of a chance, haha. It's a very catchy song, and very 80's. It's awesome.

The original for comparison:




Retro Corner - Coco's Omoide ga Ippai


The first idol songs I was ever exposed to were from Ranma 1/2, though I did not realize they were idol songs at first. In fact, I originally thought that Coco's "Omoide ga Ippai" (1990) was sung by the Ranma 1/2 cast (because I found the lyrics to DoCo's version online.)

This song only continued the high esteem that I felt for Ranma 1/2's theme music. It's catchy, sweet, and I loved the variety of voices. I especially loved the adorable high-pitched voice (which I later learned from MorningBerryz's blog entry was Rieko Miura.)

Ranma 1/2 was also my first experience of anime in actual Japanese, with actual Japanese theme songs (before it was just Pokemon, Digimon, and Toonami for me.) I had no idea how abundant those high voices were in anime and idol music, especially now in our moe-filled era. It was new and cool.

Recently, Ranma 1/2 got a cheesy live-action drama. I haven't seen it, I'm actually not sure if I want to. But it made me smile that even after two decades, they still decided to use an idol group, 9nine, for the theme song. I need to listen to the theme song just to check if it matches the high standard I've set for Ranma 1/2 theme songs, thanks in part to CoCo.


Retro Corner - Seiko Matsuda's Nagisa no Balcony


My favorite Seiko Matsuda song is "Nagisa no Balcony." (1982) It's a varied song, with four distinct parts to the melody, and I find all of them pleasing and interesting. Every time I listen to the song, I anticipate each part. Even though it's a gentle song, I could never call it boring. I find the tune full of magic, relaxation, and freshness. Yes, it's the sweet freshness that really makes me admire Matsuda's voice. It's so different from the pop voices of today, which tend to have a sexy edge.

Momo wants to be an idol like Matsuda! My favorite H!P member has good taste, hehe.