The Best (and Worst) of H!P/Nice Girl Project 2008

I have been reading the responses to the Merry Go Round H!P/NGP Poll all this week, I even covered it on International Wota.  But silly me, I never posted a response.  How can I go through a year of blogging about them and not do some type of awards post at the end of the year?  And Amy's poll is the best I have seen, so here goes...

Bests

Best Group Single:  Seishun Love Lunch-Athena & Robbikerottsu (runners up: Anataboshi-Milky Way, Love Message-THE Possible)  I will probably be the only one voting for this, but I just found everything about this song/pv so cute!

Best Soloist Single: Family Mart Jingle-Matsuura Aya  In a field as weak as this, I had to pick something, and "Kitchen with Chicken" was the best song by a soloist I heard all year!

Best Group Album:  Cafe Buono!-Buono!  (runner up: Berryz Kobo [5] Five)  Buono's CD was just awesome from top to bottom!

Best Soloist Album:  No Winner

Best PV: Love Message-THE Possible (runner up Anataboshi-Milky Way)  Chicks with guitars in Loli-clothes.  It's a great song too.  And Ohse Kaede on the drums is pure WIN!

Group With Best Overall Releases: Buono!  (runner up: C-ute) Four awesome singles (I liked each one), and a great album.  Buono! demonstrated that they have staying power.

Best New Group (debuted in 2008): Milky Way  They are so cute, and Anataboshi was one of my favorite songs of the year.

Best New Soloist (debuted in 2008): Mana Ogawa  Just because Suppin Rock is pretty cool.

Best Established Group (did not debut in 2008):  Buono!  They are the best current group in H!P

Best Established Soloist (did not debut in 2008): Matsuura Aya  She didn't have a big year, release wise.  But she is still H!P's all-time best soloist!

Best Photobook: Tanaka Reina-Very Reina  Reina is just pure awesome.  The Book and DVD (Real Challenge) are both excellent!

Hottest Idol of 2008: Tanaka Reina (runner up: Sudo Maasa)  They're all hot, but Reina is my favorite H!P member!  Honorable mention to Maasa for being such a star in Berryz' tour skits.

Worsts

Worst Group Single: Melon Kinenbi-Charisma Kirei  It's a tough call, but this song just did nothing for me.  And surprisingly I like the Melons!

Worst Soloist Single: Mano Erina-Manopiano  With a bullet, man did I hate this song!  If it weren't for Manopiano, she might have won the best new soloist category.

Worst PV: Melon Kinenbi-Charisma Kirei  Once again, there was just nothing redeeming about this release!

Worst Vocalist of 2008:  Mano Erina  Listen, I really do like her.  But I think her vocals need a LOT of work!  As a consolation, I'll award her "best keyboardist" of H!P

Least Attractive Girl of 2008:  They are all cute, so no one wins (loses) here!

Fun Fact:  None of the "Big Three" won any awards in my selection.  So some "Honorary Awards" for them...

Favorite Releases

Morning Musume: Cinderella: The Musical  This was by far the most quality performance they had this year!  It's not my favorite play ever, but it's up there.

Berryz Kobo: (5) FIVE CD.  Aside from Cafe Buono!, this is the H!P full length CD I have listened to the most this year!

C-ute: Edo no Temari Uta II  C-ute had a lot of quality singles, although I didn't love their album.  But this was my favorite single they did!

And my prediction for 2009.....

"Ice Creamusume and 'Lightbulb' in Awards Sweep, To Appear at This Years' Kouhaku!"

Very wishful thinking I know, but wouldn't it be great?

CK in California