The following two clips are from the two most recent episodes of AKB48's television program, "AKB０じ５９ふん".  All you need to do is watch the first minute of each clip...

(warning: mature content) 

Ohori Megumi FOR THE WIN!!!

Check out the look on her face after they show those videos, such a naughty girl!  And look at the horror on her groupmates' faces, priceless!  If you read Maeda Atsuko's expression, I'm sure she is thinking "OMG, am I going to have to do that next week?"

To semi-quote Broomhead, MANY MANY MANY BUYS!  Team K's Ohori Megumi has always been my "second" favorite member of AKB48.  But after this, I think she might be my favorite human on the planet!  And whatever you do, don't pay attention to :17 of the first video!  I guess she is the newest AV idol!

There shouldn't be any doubt about what direction AKB48 is heading! 

CK in California

(Videos are from You Tube user "akb1ji59hun"  Check out the page for complete episodes of the show.)

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So Berryz Koubou's new single, "Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance" has been previewed on Dohhhup...

I could say that the song is way too long (5:01)  Jeez, I thought the song was ending, then realized it wasn't halfway done yet!

I could also say that the song is really repetitive.  It is essentially the same verse over and over again.

I could even say that I am highly concerned about Berryz becoming a "novelty act".  What is up with these stupid songs?  "YYMD" has Koharu written all over it.  And I don't like they way they seem to "Americanize" their pronunciation of "Dance". 

But my main inspiration for this post is...

I Count Thirteen Closeups!!!

Maasa

And Maasa Sudou is all over the chorus of this song!.  I'll also add that she and Chinami are the two cutest little monkeys I have ever seen!  And the main outfit on the PV make her thighs look incredible!  Maasa-chan finally got a chance to be featured in a PV, I think she did a great job with it...

And that's good enough for me!

CK in California

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Welcome to the second episode of CK (and his cat, Dexter) Go To The Movies.  I am so pleasantly surprised to hear such a positive response to the first part of this series.  Especially all of the love for "Tokkaekko"!  In this episode we will focus on the three "serious" Hello! Project films.  Frankly, I am more of a fan of their cute and funny entries.  But the three following films all have something nice to offer.  And they all give a really good look at the acting abilities of the girls in H!P.  First up...

Koinu dan no monogatari

仔犬ダンの物語 (2002)

Koinu Dan No Monogatari, (The Story of Puppy Dan) was the companion film to The Minimoni Movie.  I believe they both premiered December 14th, 2002 (which just happens to be my birthday, hah!)  The film is unique in that the main parts were mostly played by the H!P Kids.  It tells the story of Mao-chan (Tsugunaga Momoko), a young girl dealing with the pending divorce of her parents.  Angered by her parents decision, she decides to go and live with her Grandfather in Gunma.  Being the new kid at a new school, Mao-chan is a bit standoff-ish at first, until she meets Chika (Shimizu Saki), a schoolmate who is hiding from her mother a little blind puppy she found.  Because neither of them are allowed to keep a pet, they attempt to find a suitable home for him.  But as time goes by, Chika becomes more attached to the dog, and the girls are willing to do whatever it takes to enable Chika to keep him.

Although the members of Berryz Koubou and C-ute are the main focus of this film, what I love are all of the "bit parts" played by the girls of Morning Musume.  Abe Natsumi is very sweet as Chika's neighbor and daughter of the building superintendent.  I just loved the scene with her working at an AM/PM!  Konno Asami also has a wonderful cameo as a schoolgirl who helps Mao find her way.  It's a really cute and heartwarming story, and the kids all do a terrific job of acting.  Yajima Maimi is especially good as the leader of the clique that Mao doesn't get along with.  There is a touching moment toward the end when Mao leaves town to go and live with her father.  All of her classmates show up to bid "sayonara" to their friend.  It is so cute to see them all crying as they say goodbye.  The movie ends with two great PV's for Ganbacchae and Hey Mirai!.  And the DVD extras include "making of" and "premiere" footage.

Of the "serious" H!P movies, this one is probably my favorite.  However, Dexter vehemently disagrees, as evidenced by the constant hissing every time Puppy Dan appeared onscreen.  Dexter also pointed out that just because a dog chases it's tail, it doesn't mean that it is blind!  But we both agreed that Okai Chisato is so cute in the part of Chika's little sister!

CK gives it 4 out of 5 stars, Dexter gives it Zero out of 5 stars.

Nama Tamago

  ナマタマゴ (2002)

Nama Tamago (Raw Eggs) was released in 2002 as the companion film to Tokkaekko.  Both times Hello! Project released two feature films simultaneously, they did one funny film coupled with a serious film.  Now this movie is going to be a lot harder for me to review because I have never seen a subtitled version of it.  In fact, the only reason I bought it was because Ohta-san was selling it so cheap that I couldn't pass up at least giving the movie a try.  This is by far the most serious of all of the movies.  And at times it is downright depressing.  It stars Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, Goto Maki, and Tsuji Nozomi.

Wiki describes this film as the story of four girls who want to make it as table tennis players.  But after none of them improve, they decide to make a wager on who will be the best, inspiring a big competition.  After watching the movie, I didn't really get that description at all!  Yes, they are playing table tennis.  But I had never seen people so depressed while playing a game.  It seems more like a story of four girls who are troubled in life, and the friends and family members who are affected by them.  You find out later in the movie that they are in some sort of incarceration.  I'm not sure what kind, it could be a jail, juvenile detention, or mental health center.  Table tennis seems like a way for them to merely pass the time (sybolized by a ticking metronome), and to think about the mistakes they have made in life.  Of course I could be completely off in my assessment of the plot, I am merely guessing based on what I could understand.

I can't really be fair in stating how much I liked the film.  Although it has a very pretty musical score (jazz piano), and the girls do some really good emotional acting toward the end when they meet with members of their respective families.  But overall the film is long on talking and short on action.  2 stars out of 5. 

Dexter took a nap for the entire movie.

Pinchrunner

ピンチランナー (2000)

Pinch Runner was the first H!P movie I ever saw.  I stumbled upon it accidentally when I first discoved Hello! Project.  Abe Natsumi is "Ayumi"  A new girl in school who keeps to herself and the lone member of the Track and Field Club.  Sanae (Goto Maki) wants to join the club, but finds Ayumi difficult to talk to.  One day a fire breaks out in the school supply shed, and Ayumi's schoolmates team up to help save her from succumbing to the fire.  Suddenly Ayumi has quite a few friends, and they all want to be members of the track and field club.  The girls all have various motives for joining the club, and it is these serious themes that make up the backstory of the movie.  The girls deal with child abuse (Ichii Sayaka), depression and suicide (Iida Kaori), terminal illness (Yasuda Kei), physical handicaps (Abe Natsumi) and unrequited love (Yaguchi Mari).  Soon "running" toward a goal becomes a metaphor for the girls to confront their personal demons.

I will always have a soft spot for Pinch Runner because it was the first H!P movie I found, and the first one I bought a copy of.  I really liked the setting of the film, I would love to know the name of the small coastal town it was filmed in.  I also enjoyed the musical score.  At times it has a retro, almost 60's euro quality to it.  I have never bought the OST, as the only Momusu song actually in the film is "Dance Suru no Da"...on vinyl!  Yaguchi Mari and Maki Goto played my favorite two characters.  Gocchin is the one "happy-go-lucky" girl in the group.  There are a couple of great scenes involving her and bicycles.  The first is a cute sequence on the back of her boyfriends' bike stealing a banana from a vendor, and the second involves her taking a boys bike in order to chase down a professional runner she wants to meet.  Marippe is just damn cute throughout the movie, especially when she is interacting the cute surfer guy she loves.  But Nacchi is the star of this movie, and she does a great job.  Even doing some of her scenes in sign language.  And then there is this famous scene...

I give this film 3 1/2 of 5 stars.  I really like the first half of the film, but it begins to drag toward the end.  And the whole long distance relay scene was really hokey.  Thousands of people maniacally cheering on a bunch of girls jogging?  And did they win?  I guess whether or not they won the race wasn't really the point, but why did it seem like the entire crowd was cheering on the interaction between Nacchi and her mother?  How did all of these people get emotionally invested into that drama?  I guess we'll chalk it up to "artistic license".

Dexter did a lot of "purring" during the movie, so I think he liked it.  Or it might have simply been because I was petting him the whole time.  Dexter also wants to remind everyone to watch for the cute cameo by Momusu 4th generation during the closing credits!

So there ya go, another three H!P films.  I also consider "Sukeban Deka, Codename: Asimiya Saki" an H!P movie too, but I'll review that as a seperate post.  ***And now that Andra has informed me that I am leaving out 2 H!P films (see her comment below) I guess there will be a third episode of CK at the Movies!!!  Until next time, The balcony is closed!

Dexter

CK in California     

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Welcome to the first of initially two episodes of CK Goes to the Movies.  Now that I own a copy of just about every full-length film Hello! Project has been involved in, I felt it was time to give my reviews of each one.  This episode will focus on the "silly" H!P films.

Now a good film review program should have two people participating.  This way you have two different viewpoints of each movie.  So naturally I'm going to choose someone who has watched every film along with me, and that would be my cat, Dexter.  Ebert had Siskel, I have Dexter.  Now if I could only figure out where he is hiding!

Tokkaekko

とっかえっ娘。(2002)

Tokkaekko is by far the silliest film Morning Musume has ever done.  Although this is the one Hello! Project film I don't actually have a DVD copy of, it was the movie that most inspired me to do this post.  The first time I watched this film I totally hated it!  The basic plotline has been done a thousand times, there are mannequins playing key characters, horribly puppetry, and most of the acting is "over the top" bad, although I eventually figured out that this was done on purpose!  Charmy is a spoiled rich girl and Yossie is a downtrodden poor girl.  On their birthday their mothers (both played by Abe Natsumi) write a letter to "Magic User Aibon" pleading with her to help their children so they don't grow up to lead unhappy lives.  Aibon (Kago Ai being her adorable self) and her two companions (who look like Oompa Loompas on steroids) magically have them switch places so they can see how the other half lives.  Charmy is now endlessly waiting on her four sisters (played by Momusu 5th generation) and dodging debt collectors who are threatening to take their house, while Yossie now gets waited on hand and foot by two annoying butlers dressed like the Marquis de Sade!

Despite the dumb story, cheap sets, and questionable acting Yossie and especially Rika are really good in their respective roles.  Charmy is absolutely adorable every time she pouts for the camera.  The funniest thing about this film is the voice actor (Brother Tom?) who plays the role of both fathers.  The voice of the poor father sounds just like Stepin Fetchit!  Another highlight is the two comedians who play the debt collectors.  I don't know how accurate the subtitles were that I watched, but that sure was a lot of profanity for a Hello! Project film!  And for more off-color and sexual humor, don't miss the outakes during the closing credits.  There is a lot of Morning Musume music in this, but it is mostly used for background fill.  Over repeated viewings I began to appreciate the sheer "camp" of this film, but it is just so tremendously stupid!  I give this movie 2 1/2 of 5 stars, it would have been less, except it has a cute cameo by Country Musume singing "Hajimete no Happy Birthday".

Dexter liked the bird puppets!

Morning Cop

  モーニング刑事 - Daite HOLD ON ME (1998)

Morning Cop - Daite HOLD ON ME is Morning Musume's first feature film.  It also stars Michiyo Heike as the focal character.  The girls are all models for a teen fashion magazine called Lovely, and Michiyo is their most popular model.  All is peachy in the world until Michiyo receives some intimidating mail from a stalker.  The girls decide to take self defense lessons and go undercover to protect their friend. They also enlist the help of the "boss" of Akahibara.  The boss is the typical "Akihabara Otaku".  He loves Morning Musume and dresses as Darth Vader!  When things really begin to get out of hand, the girls retreat to an isolated house in the country for a really creepy finale.

I find the entire plotline really interesting.  The girls of Morning Musume are jealous of Heike's popularity?  Since the opposite was true in reality.  This must've been an attempt by their agency to promote Michiyo Heike.  What's also interesting is the mix of cute moments with a fairly serious theme.  I'm sure stalking is a troubling reality in the idol world, and it is quite disarming to watch the girls do a film about it.  But despite the seriousness, the film mainly focuses on the girls' personality and cuteness.  And I absolutely love Fukuda Asuka in every scene she is in.  Asuka is so adorable!  The soundtrack to this film is great too!  In addition to the above song, I love "Yoroshiku" and Heike's beautiful ballad "Tsuyoku Naranakucha...ne"

Dexter found the scenes with the stalker to be quite disturbing, but felt the overall acting intensity of Morning Musume carried the film...He also ran under the bed during the scene with machine-gunfire.

This DVD also has the greatest extra of all of the films, 20 minutes of Morning Musume frolicking around North Shore Oahu.  It is always interesting to see what kind of swimming attire the girls choose.  Yuko and Nacchi going for the skimpiest outfits, yummm!

The film gets 4 of 5 stars, the extras in Hawaii get 5 of 5 stars, as does the OST!

Minimoni Movie

ミニモニ。じゃ ムービー お菓子な大冒険！(2002)

Minimoni ja Movie Okashi na Daibouken! is by far my favorite of all of the Hello! Project films.  It is about one-third live action, and two-thirds cartoon.  But even the live action scenes have a cartoonish quality to them, mainly because of the background sets.  First generation Minimoni all work in a cake shop.  Mari the boss, Mika the chef, Tsuji and Kago are the waitresses.  They have created an amazing "castle" cake to celebrate their second anniversary in business.  Along comes the evil fairy-queen (Nakazawa Yuko) who hates cakes.  She orders her four fairy soldiers (4 KIDS) to turn all of the sweets to stone and takes over the cake as her own castle.  Complicating matters is the cat burglar (Takahashi Ai) who is intent on finding the secret to Minimoni's incredible cakes.  After a mishap with the fairy dust turns everyone into cartoon characters, Minimoni and Takahashi take on the queen in an effort to 1) get their cake back, and 2) become human again.

This movie has WIN written all over it.  It is great for so many reasons.  This is the one film that Kago and Tsuji got to act like their crazy selves.  Their reactions to Takitty when she was asking about the ingredients in the cake were priceless!  The two of them are incredibly good at mugging for the camera.  But my favorite characters had to be Sudou Maasa as the grumpy "Purple Fairy", and Hagiwara Mai as the silly "Yellow Fairy".  Mai Mai was six years old and they gave her most of the funny lines in the film!  She delivered all of them perfectly.  And Maasa's deep, gravely voice sounds amazing.  In fact, everyone did a great job in this film!  The soundtrack features some excellent music, although not many major hits.  The songs seemed to be written more around the plot of the film, making this the only true "musical" of all the H!P Motion Pictures.  I especially loved "Fushigi na Pocket" (aka The Biscuit Song).  It is such a cute moment and such a cute song! 

Dexter's favorite part of the film was also the fairies, he licked his "chops" every time they were on screen.  Dex also seems to be a fan of anything to do with food.  So as far as he's concerned, this film was great!  Good, we both agree...5 of 5 stars!!!

Tokyomexico 047

So that'll do it for this installment of CK (and Dexter) Go To The Movies.  Coming very soon we will finish the series with the "serious" H!P entries.  Pinch Runner, Nama Tamago and Koinu Dan no Monogatari.

CK in California

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Surveys are fun!  This one is from Cutie Party, here goes...

1. What was the first Japanese song that you ever listened to?

I'd like to answer this question last (see below)

2. Did it inspire you to like that group/singer, or did it turn you away?

Yes, I would say it made me a fan

3. What is the one song that you have been listening to for the longest time?

The J-pop CD that has been in my collection the longest AND I still regularly play is Pipo Angels' "Luvly Merry-Go-Round"  I love that song.  And I love that group!

4. What group/singer have you liked the longest?

That would have to be Shonen Knife, because I have liked them consistently since I discovered them while I was in college...

5. What is the song with the most plays on your itunes/media player?

I can only base this on memory, since I don't use a media player other than CD's and YouTube.  But the song I have listened to the most would have to be Ne~e by Matsuura Aya

6. Is that song your favorite?

I've never thought about it, but it might be

7. If not, what is?

Difficult question.  Ne~e is my favorite Ayaya song.  I'll list my favorites of a few UFA groups:

Morning Musume:  I Wish

Berryz Koubou:  (tie) Berry Fields or Fighting Pose wa Date Ja Nai

C-ute:  Ookina ai de Motenashite

Melon Kinenbi: Kokuhaku Kinenbi

W: Shiroi Iro wa Koibito no Iro

Mini Moni:  Mirakurun Guran Purin

ZYX: Shiroi Tokyo

8. Is there any one group that you can listen to all/most of the songs by? If so, who?

The only J-pop artist I can think of is Buono!  But they have only produced one album and one additional single.  As for J-Rock, I have three Ketchup Mania CD's, and I like just about every song on them

9. What is your favorite agency?

Up Front Agency, I thank heaven for their existence!

10. What is your favorite group/singer?

Matsuura Aya

1. What was the first Japanese song that you ever listened to?

I had to think about this for a minute.  The first Japanese pop song I ever heard (and it came out long before I was born!!!) had to be "Sukiyaki" by the great Kyu Sakamoto.  It is such a beautiful song, and proof positive that it IS POSSIBLE for a Japanese artists to "strike gold" in the west as it was a #1 song on the billboard pop charts in 1963!  And it is probably the best known Japanese song in history.  Sadly, he was taken away from us too soon in the 1985 crash of JAL Flight 123 in Gunma...

Rest in Peace, Kyu-chan

CK in California!

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This was inspired by the article posted by Japanator on the illegal filesharing issue between Japanfiles and LiveJournal...

Dear Japanfiles.com,

Let me begin by saying Thank You for your tremendous effort to bring J-music closer to the fans in the west.  I am an avid listener to your channel on Live365.com.  And I have enjoyed sharing a dialogue with you on your MySpace pages.  It is because of people like you that we have the opportunity to discover amazing music we may never otherwise hear.

I also appreciate your dedicated promotion of Ketchup Mania, who are currently one of my favorite bands.  I have posted/promoted them many times on this blog.  I enjoy listening to your KM "one hour block" every Monday Night, and quite often I purchase a CD after listening to your programming.

I recently read the article regarding your concerns about LiveJournal and illegal filesharing.  I know this is a very touchy subject.  I do not own an mp3 player, and have never uploaded music or videos on to the internet.  I absolutely respect your desire AND your artists desire to protect their artistic and intellectual property.  I am also aware that without illegal uploading, I surely would have never discovered J-music in the first place.  And as a result wouldn't have had the opportunity to enjoy these amazingly talented artists.  It is a double-edged sword.  But this is not what this letter is really about...

What really bothered me was an excerpt of an e-mail allegedly sent by you regarding the LJ controversy... 

If there is a band/label that you don't see on JapanFiles, it is most likely because (a) the label is not currently interested in USA digital sales; (b) the label is currently prohibited due to other contracts; (c -- and most common) the label is waiting to see how many American customers will support legal purchases Japanese music. (*The Japanese labels clearly see the rampant piracy, even for artists they have licensed to high-profile legal-download services like iTunes. So the view of the American audience is overwhelmingly negative.)

Now I don't want to "shoot the messenger" here.  I realize that this is not necessarily your opinion of the American audience, and that you are merely informing us of the attitude about western fans held by the Japanese music labels.  However, you seem to have a dialogue with these labels, and maybe you can relay our reaction to their alleged stance.

Perhaps I am misinterpreting what you are saying here.  When you speak of "the view of the American audience" being negative.  Are you talking about marketing to us?  Or do the labels really prefer us not to be fans at all?  And is this really because of the supposed "rampant piracy"?  Or is there something else going on here?  Whatever the motivations are, it is quite surprising to infer that we are "unwanted" by the Japanese labels.

Speaking of "rampant piracy", this is the first I've ever heard of the U.S. being the world hub of pirating CD's and DVD's.  In fact, most every pirated product I have ever come across came from East Asia.  Yet the japanese labels seemingly don't have a problem marketing their products to these countries.  For better or worse, the U.S is one of the biggest "consuming" countries in the world.  And I would bet that on a per capita basis, music piracy is equally present in Japan, or any other country for that matter.

Now I am not implying that the labels should actively promote and license all of their products in this country.  It's the "overwhelmingly negative" attitude that I do not understand.  Personally speaking...

I have purchased over a hundred J-music CD's, over 50 DVD's, two dozen photobooks, and countless other souvenirs. And I have purchased these items almost exclusively from Japanese merchants and Yesasia.com.  Between the products and shipping I have contributed thousands of dollars to the Japanese economy.  But these Japanese merchants certainly aren't reporting how much of their sales are going overseas.  How would they?

As a result of my discovery of J-music, I have traveled to Japan to see the country and attend quite a few J-music concerts.  Not only financially supporting these artists, but contributing thousands of dollars to the Japanese tourism industry.  And I currently have another trip in the works.

I have attended J-music concerts here in the U.S. like Japan Nite.  Thus showing my support for the musicians' presence in this country.

I'm sorry, I just fail to see how these above actions are "overwhelmingly negative".

I am a realist, and I understand there probably aren't enough people like me in the U.S. to substantiate any heavy promotion of the Japanese artists here by their labels.  But in my travels I have met quite a few J-music fans with a track record similar to mine.  We invest our hard earned dollars to legally purchase their products simply because we love the groups.  And we continue to do it despite the labels' attitude.  And yes, we have been acutely aware of their attitude the entire time.  I am sure if you asked the artists themselves their opinion on the matter, it would be quite different from the label executives.  Per usual, it's the corporate hotshots that screw it up for everyone.  No different than in the U.S.  I would really love to know how the labels feel about American fans like me.

I don't think we are expecting some sort of paradigm shift in the access to J-music here in the west.  But as fans, we would simply like to feel welcome.

A J-Music fan

CK in California

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Back in February when I started this blog, one feature I wanted to do was a concert DVD "retro review".  I have done five so far, but haven't posted one in quite a while.  The first of those reviews was of Hello! Project's Winter 2002 concert.  After that post I had promised Andra that I would do a review of a Matsuura Aya concert.  Here we are in mid-June, and I still haven't done one!

Aya7

I've actually set out to do a review twice.  But I find analyzing an Ayaya concert much more challenging because it is "All-Ayaya all the time".  So most of the show is focused on one person.  The second challenge is that Aya is simply an incredible singer.  Part of the fun in reviewing a Hello! Project concert is poking fun at all of their shortcomings.  And as a performer, Ayaya simply doesn't have any!  Even when she occasionally screws up, she does it like a professional.  This brings me to my first point...

Matsuura Aya is the greatest talent in the history of Hello! Project!

By the way, that's not an opinion, it's a fact!  There was something obviously special about this girl that UFA would start her on a solo career immediately instead of placing her in a group.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading a recent post from Maize about a conversation she had with Second Blossoming.  Yes, Matsuura Aya has always been extremely mature for her age.  So it is understandable how SB could mistakingly think she is much older than she is.  Aya is an "old soul"

Aya6

She was headlining her own tour before her sixteenth birthday.  And I have not seen one performance where she wasn't singing live.  She also has an amazing way of interacting with the crowd.  She speaks way up in her higher register, almost like she is speaking to children (Wota=children?).  And it's almost as if she is whispering.  But once in a while she cracks herself up, which is so cute! 

Aya also has a certain "grace" that not too many pop idols have.  She has always possessed this trait, but has really begun to embrace it as of late.  She has abandoned the short-shorts and halter tops of her earlier tours, and now usually wears more formal attire when performing live.  She has also seemingly ceased doing photobooks.  Not that she isn't as "sekushii" and "kyuuto" as ever, it just isn't her style.

Aya8

Finally!  On To The DVD's.  Four "Quick Hit" Reviews!!!

I currently own four Aya Matsuura concert DVD's.  With a fifth one (Hello Pro Party! 2005) currently lost in the mail!  Two of those concerts had supporting acts (Melon Kinenbi), two of them didn't.  Two of them also had a live band, and two of them didn't.

First Date 2002

First Concert 2002 Haru "First Date" is a decent show.  The most amazing thing about it is the quality of Ayaya's performance at such a young age.  Like Momusu's "Memory Seishun no Hikari", the DVD is shot on film giving it a theatrical feel.  Watching her sing Machiawase while on a swing is one of the cutest moments in any H!P event!  Sou Ieba is another reminder of why her "First Kiss" CD is so great!  I would love to hear her perform these songs today.  Both are so good, and they fit in with her current style perfectly.  Another moment I really liked was Aya, Michiyo Heike and Melon Kinenbi doing "Chu! Natsu Party"!  The DVD might be worth the purchase just to witness that!!! 

It is easy to forget Aya is so young when she performs with such confidence.  Even at fifteen she had the vibe of someone much older.  That was until Heike, who was acting as MC acknowledged her at the end.  It is such a cute moment watching Aya wanting to get vulnerable, but holding back.  It reminded me of her friendship with Fujimoto Miki.  Ayaya comes across to me as similar to Mikitty when it comes to personality.  The both seem "guarded" and "strong willed", but Aya does a better job of hiding her true personality in public.  Anyhow, enjoy this concert for the costumes.  I doubt we'll see Ayaya wear anything as skimpy as these ever again!!!

Live in Shanghai

"Live in 上海 2006" is probably the most intimate concert you will see Ayaya do unless she performs in your living room!  The tiny venue is a blessing and a curse at the same time.  If I had to choose one of the four concert DVD's I own a copy of to actually see in person, it would be this one.  But even with the live band, the show lacks much of the energy that you get in the bigger arenas.  The music arrangements are quite different as well.  This show is sort of reminiscent of "Acoustic Nacchi".  Another cool aspect was that the male/female audience ratio was a lot more even.  And as a result there is a noticeable lack of moronic "wota-gei" going on!  What a relief!

I'm pretty sure this is her only concert performance of Norah Jones' Don't Know Why.  It's always fun to watch Japanese idols sing in English.  Especially after Aya was attempting to communicate in Chinese during the MC segment (xie xie!).  She does a really good job with this song!

Oshare! is just a great "jazzy" song that always sounds good live!  And my favorite part of the concert is during Kiseki no Kaori Dance, where she accidentally begins singing the lyrics to Momoiro Kataomoi...so cute!  She actually stops the band and has them start the song over...she does this again during Ki ga Tsukeba Anata which just added to the informality and intimacy.  She even screws up with dignity and grace!  Overall this is a cute concert, but there are better...

HAND IN HAND

Concert Tour 2005 Haru 101 Kaime no Kiss ~HAND IN HAND~ is Matsuura Aya at her finest!  It is possibly the best tour she has ever done.  The energy is electric throughout the show, and the lighting is crazy!  This is the only time I have seen Aya sweaty during a performance!  It starts off with an amazing techno variation on Yeah! Meccha Holiday, and some of the better live performances of Good Bye Natsuo and Ne~e I've seen her do!

This was also a pretty good showcase for Melon Kinenbi.  They do a cool cover of Kiseki no Kaori Dance while Aya does an amazing cover of MKB's Akai Freesia.  Later they team up again for a rousing rendition Renai Sentai Shitsu Ranger.  I like this version much better than Wonderful Hearts 2008.  Melon Kinenbi are so good in this show!  It makes me sad that they haven't been successful.  Like Aya, the four of them are all very good singers.  They are a huge reason why this DVD is worth the buy.  A special moment was this rendition of Dokki Doki! Love Mail...

I love unexpected stuff like that!  Song selection is another reason why this is such a great DVD.  Aya hasn't performed "Ne~e" for a couple of years, and it's one of my favorites.  And Melon's doing This is Unmei is always great!  This concert was around the beginning of the turning point in Ayaya's career from pop idol to mature artist.  It is a terrific show, but one other Matsuura Aya concert DVD gives it a run for it's money...

By the way, did you ever hear the one about Ayaya's outfit falling off?

 Actually I'm talking about Matsuura Aya's most recent DVD...

2007 Aki ~Double Rainbow~

Double rainbow

I originally wasn't going to purchase this DVD.  Like many, I haven't enjoyed Aya's latest work nearly as much as her early stuff.  But Morning Berryz has never steered me wrong.  And on MB's recommendation I had the chance to be pleasantly surprised!

The concert first caught my interest during Love Namida Iro when Aya's flowing dress comes flying off, revealing a cute cocktail outfit underneath...

Quite a few of the songs were brand new to me.  Uchuu de La Ta Ta is a lot of fun.  This is the c/w to "Kiseki no Kaori Dance".  That's funny, I have the CD but have never listened to the song!  Ayaya's backup dancers are both pretty hot too!  Especially the blond.  The one thing that bothered me on this DVD is that the Wota don't really react too much until she sings her old songs.  Then they act like idiots!  Like the concert in Shanghai, this concert featured a live band.  And they sound great!  But I can understand why Hello! Project doesn't use live music for most of their shows.  It's because the experience is mostly about the idols themselves.  And I am sure the Wota would hate it if there was a musical variation to some Berryz Koubou song that would cause their dance to be offbeat!  But with Ayaya, live music just adds to her credibility as a performer.

Since I still haven't purchased her latest album, the newer songs were totally unfamiliar to me.  My favorite songs from "Double Rainbow" are Hikkosenai Kimochi, which is intensely beautiful.  Happy To Go! which is upbeat and "H!P friendly".  And Bluebird is just a great song.  I also like the fun Onna Day by Day.  Maybe I should break down and finally buy the CD...

Ayaya rounds out the show with a series of "old favorites"  And they sound amazing with the live band behind her.  I was especially happy to hear her perform Zettai Tokeru Mondai X=<3, it is such a cool song!  For those of you who have "written off" Ayaya as boring and passe'.  Don't count her out just yet.  You owe it to yourself to buy this DVD!!!

Ayaya5

Ayaya is as great as ever!

So there ya go Andra, FOUR "abridged" Ayaya concert reviews, not to mention 10 hours straight of watching and listening to the concerts.  I need a Tylenol!

CK in California

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Mechanically speaking, in some ways I am really good.  In other ways...I am absolutely inept!

Such is the case when it came to downloading (or is it uploading?) the photos from my trip to Japan onto my PC.  Jeez, it only took me four months!  Now to be honest, the 50 or so photos I took weren't that great, but I have some excuses for that.   First of all, it was below 30 degrees Fahrenheit most of the time I was there, not the ideal conditions for photography.  And second, I am a suck-ass photographer.  Believe me, I am being generous with that description.  In any case, here are a few photos I took while on my trip to Japan.  I do have more, maybe I'll show them later.  **looks at photos**  Then again, maybe not!

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This is a shot of the Shin-Yokohama Prince Hotel, which is right acroos the street from Yokohama Arena.  I don't think you could find a better hotel if you are going to a concert at this venue.  It is reasonably priced.  The rooms are small, but nice.  You have a full-service mall and huge gourmet market in the lobby.  It is also right next door to the JR/Shinkansen station!  Oh yeah, the rooms have pretty nice views too...

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I didn't mind the view from my room.  Mt. Fuji to the left and the Arena to the right, not too shabby eh...

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 One answer to the oil crisis, take a bike to work!  And not one of them has a lock on it!

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Ahhh, the main reason I was there!  BTW, the reason all of the pictures are titled "Tokyomexico" is because my Japan shots are all mixed in with my Cabo San Lucas photos I took in April.  Did I say I was a dumbass?

Tokyomexico 038

There were many nice things about Yokohama Arena.  It is a very well-kept place.  It is in a nice neighborhood with a little park behind it.  They also did a very good job getting everyone into the arena in an orderly fashion.  The people who took your ticket and gave you the souvenir order form were very nice.  It was a cool place to see a show.  I cannot think of a place in California that does a better job!

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And finally, one of my favorite neighborhoods was Roppongi.  I believe it is one of the most posh shopping areas of Tokyo.  It is home of the U.S. Embassy, and I'm pretty sure UFA/H!P headquarters is somewhere nearby.  If you ever go to Japan, head over to the Roppongi Hills Mall.  Not only is there nice shopping and restaurants, but there is an attraction there called "Tokyo City View", an observation deck on top of Mori Tower.  On a clear day I'm sure the view is pretty amazing.  I was there on a clear night... 

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This picture doesn't do justice to how amazing it was up there.  They have a juice bar, art gallery, and jazz playing in the background.  There were many couples sharing a romantic moment.  For 1,500 yen, it is worth checking out!

Oh boy!  Now that I figured out this damn camera, let's see what other kind of trouble I can get into!  I promise you the photos will be better when I return for the next concert...stay tuned!

CK in California 

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A couple of weeks ago, Paul from Hello!Blog posted excerpts from an article in the June issue of Kindai magazine.  It featured an interview with the girls of H!P's Milky Way.  I found one particular exchange quite interesting... 

Were you nervous at the time the unit was first formed?
Kitahara: I was, but then Kusumi-san is just so nice...
Kusumi: No, no, no.
Kitahara: Yes, really.
Kikkawa: We have learnt a lot of things from what she's shown to us.

*** 

That was unexpected!  After reading that, I must conclude that Koharu Kusumi is either 1) a consummate professional with a wealth of experience to be "senpai" to up and coming idols, or 2) she is leading poor Yuu and Sayaka down the "primrose path".

Koharu Kusumi

Koha-chan is one of the most interesting "characters" in all of Hello! Project.  There aren't too many idols like her who have the ability to polarize the J-pop audience the way she does.  Most everyone thinks she is either a great personality and performer, or a cruel practical joke by Tsunku.  I recently did a post about Haromoni@ where I spoke about Tanaka Reina and the flawless marketing of her character.  Kago Ai also mentioned this marketing practice by UFA in her first return interview.  If the people at Up Front Works are controling the personal lives of the idols, then it stands to reason they are contriving their performers' public personas as well.  And if one chooses to buy into this theory, and I absolutely do, then you have to believe that Koha-chan's persona is being orchestrated too.  So much of Koharu's antics on stage and television are very much part of her character...

And that girl sure is a "character"!

She shows us that character in every solo PV.  Balalaika and Koi Kana are two of the funniest PV's H!P have ever put out.  She shows us this character on stage.  Who could forget that strange "mating call" she pulled in the middle of Odore! Morning Curry during this Winter's "Wonderful Hearts" concert?  I love her new "What's Up Tiger Lily?" bit on Haromoni@ (egg salad, anyone?).  And obviously she has enough talent to be the starring voice of Kirarin Revolution.  Yes, she's a great character.  But what kind of performer is she?

I recently purchased both of Koharu's full length CD's "Mitsuboshi" and "Kirarin Land"  Each CD gives a very different impression of the kind of "act" Koha-chan is...  

Is she a professional singer?  If this is how you see her you will prefer "Mitsuboshi"

Is she a "novelty act"?  If this is how you see her you will most likely enjoy "Kirarin Land"

Now the answer to the above question is pretty obvious to me.  I see her as an hysterical novelty act, not unlike a cute "Wierd Al" Yankovic.  I'm sure many people will disagree with me on this, but this is the girl who never sings live at the concerts.  So I can't figure it any other way.  That being said, I love "Kirarin Land", and don't like "Mitsuboshi" much at all!

I am not going to do a track by track review of "Mitsuboshi", as it doesn't interest me enough as an album to do so.  My first issue is with the two singles.  I mentioned above that Koi Kana and Balalaika are two very funny PV's.  But it's the videos that make them so good, the songs lose their luster without the visual goofiness.  Don't get me wrong, I still like the songs, just not as much without the PV's.  Aside from that, the one song I really like on the entire CD is "Love da yo Darling", it is the silliest song on it...

Next!!!

Kirarin Land

I really like "Kirarin Land" a lot!  In my opinion, it truly exemplifies what Koharu is all about.  It is full of songs that can best be described as hellaciously funny.  I swear I smile like an idiot while I'm listening to this CD in the car, and I'm sure my fellow commuters are puzzled by my expression coupled with Koharu's musical stylings blaring out of my window!  If you've heard Koharu, you know the first two tracks, Happy☆彡 and Chance!.  Happy is good because it has a great upbeat rock sound to it.  It's funny because the producers obviously abandoned any desire to have her sound on "key" throughout the song.  It is so out of her range!

Olala is funny because Koharu is doing some kind of "sing-song" rap throughout the verse.  It actually sounds pretty cute.  The song is good because it's catchy, and it has a 60's British sound to the chorus.  I could picture Georgie Fame singing over this music!

Himawari is my favorite "straight" song on the CD.  Musically it sounds like it could've been included on Cafe Buono!  And the same can be said for very! berry! Strawberry!

Konnichi Pa can't possibly be classified as anything other than a novelty song!  The producers had to have been laughing their asses off while mixing it.  Koha is at her wackiest, and is so off key...it's great!  And if that isn't enough, midway through the song Koha turns into Regan from The Exorcist!  Now she is also starting to remind me of Crispin "Hellion" Glover and his first album, "Big Problem Does Not Equal the Solution. The Solution = Let It Be"  Which might be the funniest bunch of songs ever to be recorded!

Crispin Glover

This song is crazy/great!  Kudos to the YouTuber who made this Fan Vid for it.  Whatever on your opinion of Koharu, here she is in all of her spastic glory...

Hana wo Pu~n, Mai Mai totally saves this song, she totally outsings Koha (not too difficult) and sounds so cute!  I love the way both of them exclaim "Pu~n" on their respective verses.  A very sweet "standard H!P song", although that weird "runny nose" in the background of the PV gives me the creeps!

Finally, Ramutara has the best of both worlds.  A great sounding song with Koha mostly mumblish gibberish over the music.  Actually the song is not unlike Milky Way's first single "Anataboshi"

When I went to the H!P Saturday matinee I was sitting next to a young mom and her daughter, who was probably 5 or 6 years old.  She stayed pretty quiet throughout the show, but got so excited first when C-ute performed and second when Koharu came out and sang "Chance".  It was adorable.  One of her big demographics is obviously the younger fans.

This entire CD just brings a smile to my face!  It is obvious that it was recorded with a "tongue in cheek" attitude, and I am sure that Koharu was at least somewhat in on the joke.  All of the idols in H!P are a lot smarter than many people give them credit for, and Koha-chan is no exception!  By the way, she's pretty hot too!

Hot Koha

CK in California

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After Broomhead's "Why Do You Blog" Invitation, These are becoming quite fun.  I have been officially tagged by Morning Berryz, and I think I was tagged by