12 posts tagged “morning musume”

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...

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.

 

  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.

 

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!

 

CK in California     

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!

 

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!

 

 

  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!

 

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!!!

 

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

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".

 

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!!!

 

 

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!

 

 

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!

 

CK in California

I'm really enjoying the Hello! Project Taiwan Audition Process!  I know it's pure fantasy on my part, but it makes me feel like I am part of the judging as I analyze the entrants in the preliminary rounds.  It is similar to my hopeful feelings when I watch the first parts of the Miss America Pageant, only to have my hopes dashed in the first fifteen minutes of the broadcast.  So if this audition is anything like that, my favorites will probably all be eliminated early on.

 

 

I can't believe more people aren't jumping on the #41 bandwagon.  Has anyone noticed how much this girl looks like Manoeri and Gocchin?  Looking at these stills, I believe the clothing selection is a huge factor in advancing in this audition, and this outfit is great!  Her legs are great, nice belly, and the top seems to emphasize her chest.  I have no idea how well she performed during the talent portion, but she looks like such a little hussy!  If I could pick one girl in this audition, she would be the one.  I can hardly wait for her first H!P scandal!!!

 

#76 is very exotic looking, she almost looks more Thai than Taiwanese.  She looks a little bit like Sotoda Mai, but IMO much cuter.  There is a certain "warmth" in her facial expression that I find very attractive, and once again I love the outfit!  The more I look at her the more I want to make her my top pick!

 

And there are actually a few more H!P hopefuls I really like.  I'll attempt to explain why... 

I've always been a big fan of the buck-teeth.  I see a little bit of Maasa Sudou in #83.  She has a great smile.  One knock, she is a bit on the scrawny side.  Then again, so are quite a few girls in H!P  Judging from the expression, she looks as if she could be a "fun" girl...

 

#81 has the "girl next door" this going on, and she's already wearing the prerequisite H!P "Engrish" T-shirt that DJ Mai Mai loves so much.  I can't find anything not to like about her.

 

The consensus seems to agree that #46 is the clear cut favorite.  And I must admit she is cute.  Her outfit is sexy, but not too revealing.  The haircut is cute, and the babyface works.  In fact, she reminds me of Mariko Shinoda of AKB48.  I have no problem with her whatsoever.  I know everyone is crowning #46 the "It" girl (actually Clara Bow will always be The "It" Girl), however she doesn't grab me nearly as much as #41 (and possibly #76) does.

 

There are a few others I kind of like as well, but these were my initial favorites.  You can see many more photos in Nora1977ku's photo album.  Check em out!  And count this as my vote for the mega-sexy #41!!!  Go Baby Go!

Oops, I've probably jinxed her now...

CK in California 

Tomorrow is going to be great!!!  It is my best friend Dan's birthday, and we are renting a limousine and spending the day in Napa Valley cruising from winery to winery.  Just one of the many cool things about living in Northern California.  The tough part is picking the appropriate gift.  I am very bad at gift giving, and always put it off until the last overly-stressful moment.  On Wednesday I finally broke down and asked Dan what he wanted for his birthday.  He plainly stated, "I want you to take me to see Iron Maiden tonight!"  Little did I know...

Dan has always found my transformation into a J-pop fan a bit...comical???  Dan is strictly a Maiden, Priest, Metallica, Ozzy kind of guy.  Dan also knows that I used to be a big fan of those groups many years ago.  So in his mind this was going to be as much of an intervention for me as a birthday gift for him.  Unfortunately for Dan I was the designated driver for the event, which meant one thing...

I control the CD player in the car!!!

Yes, the conversation during the car ride to the show was pretty interesting.  It must have gone something like this...

CK:

Dan: Yeah Chris, But...

CK:  I know Dan, I know, but...

Dan: Whatever Chris...

Okay Dan, fine.  I'll continue to fantasize about Reina, Ayaya and Nacchi while you fantasize about Bruce Dickinson and Sammy Hagar.  And anyway it's my car so Mr. "Metal for Life" gets to be the latest lab rat in the Western J-pop experiment.  I honestly didn't hold out too much hope to convert him, but at least I would get a chance to share why I like these groups so much.  I decided to ease him into it...

Ketchup Mania ~ I figured musically they would be pretty palatable for Dan.  And I was correct, although it took a few songs for him to get used to Hiro's high pitched voice, which Dan compared to "Chip n' Dale".  But overall he liked them, and thought the drummer kicked a$$.

The Possible ~ Of the two singles I have, I think he preferred "Happy 15", as he laughed everytime they screamed "HAPPY!!!"  Plus he preferred the "slutty" (his quote) outfits on that CD to the cuter look in "Love Message".  His best observation being that Kanami looks like she is "begging for it"

Buono! ~ He got a kick out of the cover, but that's about it.  He thought they were just o.k.

Perfume ~ He hated!!!  And I think he found AKB48 only slightly more tolerable, only because I was telling him what some of the lyrics meant.

Morning Musume ~ He seemed to find surprisingly listenable.  As I mentioned before I didn't have high hopes, so anything he didn't hate was a victory!  So much for the experiment, onto the show...

 

Now to be honest with you, this was actually the SIXTH time I had seen Iron Maiden live, although it was only the second time I had seen them in the last twenty years!  Boy do I feel old, and boy do they look old!  And the girls in the audience were probably pretty cute in 1985.  And now...sheesh they all look old too!  But it was really a great show!  Musically speaking, Iron Maiden is an amazing band.  They are all terrific musicians, and the songwriting is so creative!  Their lyrics can best be described as "an evening watching the History Channel".  There is no group quite like them.  Then again, there is nothing quite like a Hello! Project concert either.  But the motivations for seeing each respective show is quite different.  Personally I'd rather stare at Charmy and Maimi than Jannick Gers and Nicko McBrain any day of the week!  Then you have the fans...

Most of the fans of the 80's metal scene have grown up and gotten responsible jobs...MOST of them.  Yeah, they bang their heads and flash the "Lucifer's Horns" hand signal, but it's all so "kitschy" now!  The audience in general looked like stockbrokers in Halloween costumes, and many of them even brought their kids to the show!  I found them a lot less scary than the rabid J-pop Wota-gei Otaku's.  Now those guys are scary!

So I'm glad I have a varied musical taste.  I can have as good of a time going to a concert like this as any J-pop group.  But as for which one I prefer?  My vote is for the "kawaii"...

Sorry Dan, the intervention didn't work.  The biggest lesson learned here?  Henkka aka H!P Metalhead is an amazing anomaly.  Trying to convert a true hard rock fan to J-pop can be sort of fun, but it's mostly frustrating and painful.

Oh yeah...Happy Birthday Danny-Boy!!!

CK in California 

One of the things I would love to see Hello! Project bring back is the Summer Shuffles.  It gave everyone something new and surprising to look forward to each year, which could break up any monotony.  And some of my favorite Hello! Project songs come from these units.  It's sad to me that they stopped happening after 2005, which was a pretty good year for the shuffles.  I'm not sure why they decided to make that change at that point.  The sales for the shuffle groups always seemed to be good.  Maybe it was a creative issue.  Nowadays we see the occasional "one shot" unit, like Milky Way, High King, Athena & Robikerottsu, etc.  I like these groups a lot, but it just isn't the same thing.

These are my favorite shuffles of each year, sorted by preference.  You'll notice that often I mention the PV in my critique of the songs.  Personally, I find J-pop to be just as important visually as it is musically, so the video will have a great deal of influence on how much I like the song itself...

 

6) Odoru 11 (2002) ~  This is my least favorite year, as I don't love any of the songs.  Usually I like the shuffles Kago is in, but I just don't like Happy 7's "Shiawase Beam!" much at all.  The video is kind of cute, but it doesn't make up for the song sounding simple and stupid.  "Shiawase Desu Ka" is certainly a sexy PV, thanks to some great closeups of Gocchin and Michiyo Heike.  But Sexy 8's entry is a cookie cutter R&B song, and I just don't find anything special about it.  "Shiawase Kyouryuu Ondo" wins by default.  It might be one of the quirkiest songs H!P has ever put out.  Tsuji steals the PV with her "famous" dance move from Ayaka's English lessons.  The wigs are cute.  And I giggle every time I think I hear them singing "Vagina"!!!

5) Elegies (2005) ~  The final shuffle year wasn't a bad one by any means.  "Hitoshirezu Mune Wo Kanaderu Yoru no Aki" is a sweet ballad.  Puripuri Pink was the "old guard" unit, and Yuko, Kei, Atsuko and Kaori all look beautiful on the PV.  By contrast, Sexy Otonojan featured two H!P kids.  "Onna, Kanashii, Otona" reminds me of Sergio Mendes' "The Look of Love"  Megumi Murakami looks absolutely gorgeous on the PV!  She and Miyabi look about 23 years old.  Miki mixes well with the H!P Kids, as I also enjoy "Samui kara Fuyu da mon!" from Momusu's 7.5 CD.  But Elegies is my favorite of 2005.  I fell in love with "Inshouha Renoir no You ni" after seeing the Elder Club perform it live.  It's a sexy song, and Tanaka is in it, 'nuff said...

4) Aoiro 7 (2000) ~  The first year of the shuffle units was quite possibly the best.  "Kiiroi Osora de Boom Boom Boom" has the catchiest tune, and has had a pretty long shelf life in the H!P catalog.  It still sounds contemporary when performed live even to this day. "Akai Nikkichou" is very sexy!  I love Delaunay's monolog at the beginning.  Gocchin is again very cute in the PV.  Yuko looks great too.  I especially love the way the song builds momentum into the first chorus.  But ironically, the least successful single of the "contest" is my favorite.  "Aoi Sportscar no Otoko" would've been the perfect theme for Speed Racer.  As I've mentioned before, I love any PV that includes "chicks with guitars", whether they know how to play them or not.  And was that a Makoto cameo?  I personally feel Team Blue came in third saleswise only because they didn't have the star power of the Red and Yellow teams...

  

3) 11 Water (2003) ~  One of two years I really liked all three songs.  7 Air is similar to Sexy 8 from the previous year.  But "Kowarenai Ai Ga Hoshii No" is a much better song to me.  I enjoyed seeing Sotoda Mai and especially Ohtani Masae getting major singing roles, and Mika managed not to screw up the mood of the PV either.  If you had asked me a few months ago, I would've said Salt 5's "Get Up! Rapper" was my favorite song of that year.  I love Ayaya and Kago's "tough girl" voices, and Nacchi flashing gang signs is totally hot!  Their photos are the cutest of the three groups in the Limited Edition CD/Photobook.  "Be All Right!" is my favorite of the three, and is the most fun too!  It is also great when H!P does it live!  Yaguchi and Miki are the standouts in the PV.  And I love that Konno Asami, Kimura Asami and Kimura Ayaka are all in this unit!

2) H!P All-Stars (2004) ~ C'mon, "All For One & One For All!" is their signature song!  Well...one of them.  They seem to have a few signature tunes.  This is a great PV to introduce any newbie to the "hugeness" of Hello! Project.  It's extremely uplifting, but at the same time very sentimental.  I don't believe that was the original intention, but I think many people look back nostalgically at members of the past when they watch this PV.  I know I get choked up on the 4th generations' line, especially now when I see Yossie and Charmy singing it by themselves...

1) 3nin Matsuri (2001) ~  This wasn't my favorite year, but it has my favorite song/PV.   10nin's "Dancing! Natsu Matsuri" is similar in theme to Odoru 11 from the following year.  It's a weird song, but it is saved with a pretty cute PV.  7nin's "Summer Reggae! Rainbow" is just the opposite.  I like the song, but the PV is strange.  Maybe my monitor needs a color adjustment, but I swear it looks like some of them are wearing dark blush.  What is up with that?  It changes the PV from a Bob Marley tribute to an Al Jolson tribute!  Or it could be that they look jaundiced from the bright colors they are wearing?  Or I might just be going blind, I don't know.  What I do know is "Chu! Natsu Party" is one of my all-time favorite songs and PV's.  Do I really need to explain why?  I'll give you a hint...(3 3 3 * 3 3 3)  The PV to this song is absolutely incredible.  And on a side note, Berryz Koubou's version of this song from their 3rd CD is very good too!

   

Summer Shuffles with Berryz, C-ute, Momusu and the occasional Egg would be pretty cool, don't you think?

CK in California 

AND...Why Tanaka Reina Is A Friggin' Genius!!!

 

Before I went to Japan, I was a casual watcher of the various Hello! Project television programs.  I've always found the old episodes of Hello Morning to be at best "hit or miss".  Granted, there have been some golden moments in the history of the program.  But I have seen as many weak segments as good ones.  And to be honest, I never found it worth my time to sift through all of the material to find the good stuff.  I have relied on other people like Maize to isolate the classic moments for me to watch.

Since the debut of Haromoni@, the reviews around the blogosphere have been mediocre at best.  I immediately wrote the show off as lame and never bothered to give it a good look.  However, when I was in Japan I happened to accidentally run across the show in my hotel room shortly before the Sunday matinee of H!P Haru Pro Award 2008.  I remember enjoying watching it, but it just may have been the fascination of seeing it on Japanese TV.  In fact, the only segment I remember from that episode was GakiKame "building" the clay bust of....Julius Caesar???  But I enjoyed it enough to resolve to watch the show more regularly when I returned to the U.S.

That resolve, and the hilariously snarky reviews of the program from True Life Seek made me an immediate fan of the show!  And it isn't because the show is all that funny.  In fact, much of the time quite a bit of it is really dumb!  I jumped on the bandwagon just in time for the four month Mou Tube marathon.  But for some strange reason, every Sunday morning I look forward to waking up and downloading the latest episode from Veoh.com.  Like Hello Morning, it is a mix of lame moments and the occasional "golden" moment.  But it's those great bits which come around once in a while that keep me coming back.  And I will also give the producers some credit for their continuous retooling of the show.  It seems as if they at least occasionally listen to feedback.  Here are five virtues of Haromoni@...

 

5)  The Outfits ~  I still wonder if the producers of Haromoni@ pay attention to what we are saying in the West, as Broomhead has constantly suggested the girls vary their outfits from week to week.  This makes perfect sense to me as a huge part of their appeal is the cute/sexy factor.  If they aren't being sexy or cute, then why am I watching the show?  Morning Musume is not Second City.  Lo and behold, now they have new outfits every week!  And they feature these outfits at the end of each episode too!  The business suits and cheerleader costumes have been my favorites so far.  And I absolutely love that no matter what they wear, they still have the ears and tails.  Totally Hot!!!

4)  Princess YY ~ Sayumi was my least favorite member when I ranked Momusu on Paul's Hello!Blog.  But Princess YY, coupled with Sayu's sensational MC segment during the Bon Kyu Bomb concert have completely changed my opinion of her.  It's not that her parlor tricks are all that fascinating.  It's that stupid "Y Balance"!!!  It gets me every time.

 

3) The Jun Jun/Lin Lin Game ~  This segment has always been pretty decent.  That was until their reenactment of Super Mario made it great!  Jun Jun stole the show with that silly expression on her face throughout the bit.  And Gaki, Sayu, and Eri's reactions during the segment were totally hysterical.  To me, an all time classic!!!  Nani? Ting???

 

2) GakiKame ~  This is the most consistently funny bit on Haromoni@, hands down!  First of all, Risa and Eri are adorable every time.  Second, the music in the background is GREAT!!!  I would love to know what it is.  Every week I hope for a GakiKame segment.  The best ever had to be the one from the march 30th episode, Eri should play for the New York Knicks...

And the number one virtue of Haromoni@...

1) Tanaka=Genius ~  Who is the one who always gets the answer right when the "King" quizzes the girls in the beginning?  Tanaka.  Who is the the one who figured out the Pandas Super Mario bit?  Tanaka.  Who figured out Mittsi's "snail maki"?  Tanaka.  Reina is constantly giving us snippets of her brain power on this show!  I have always felt that she is amazingly smart and is extremely shrewd when it comes to marketing herself.  My observations of this go all the way back to her debut with Morning Musume.

As far as I am aware, Reina is the only person to get into H!P after a second audition.  And it is widely known that one of her big motivations was a desire to meet Izaki Hisato of FLAME.  Like Ogori Shun, her reasons for getting into show business in the first place were pretty cool, like she wasn't primarily interested in even being an idol.  Although when you watch the old 6th generation auditions with the &