Friday, March 16, 2012

2012 H!P Ranking Explanation

The majority of my past explanations for ranking are reserved for AKB and Morning Musume, so with the exception of Michishige Sayumi I don't think people are aware of my preferences.  (If you look at earlier posts two major themes appear for Morning Musume: I love Shige, but dislike Takahashi Ai.)    

10. Ikuta Erina (MM)
I have a sweet spot for the cute girls.  She stuck out to me as likely to pass through the auditions.  I was concerned when I saw her close-up shots from her first PV shoot because she seemed uncomfortable or at least awkward.  She appears to be more confident now.  It also was a good sign when Shige took her under her wing.  She just looks like she is a nice, quirky girl.  I like quirky.


9. Mitsui Aika (MM) 
She is the most unappreciated member of Morning Musume. I liked her right away because she seemed to have this feisty, like a little puppy, aura.  I began to adore her after watching subbed clips of one of their DVDs.  (That whole segment makes me smile.)  I like how her voice sounds.  The sad thing is that I am a bit particular about hair, it just has to look good.  Unfortunately, someone insists on doing sub-par work with her hair.  The above photo I think is perfect.  I also find the sibling relationship between Reina and Aika charming.  I don't know if it is a matter of her not getting pushed like she did when she first joined, or if she needs to work harder.  (I enjoy watching her in concerts.)  Then again, I no longer follow them as closely as before.  I am disappointed that the western fans are quite cruel to her, often saying she looks old and such.     


8. Tsugunaga Momoko (Berryz)
Her character has changed a bit, she moved into the comedy side where Sayumin has been carrying the torch for H!P. (I know I keep on changing her nickname = Michishige).  For one she is a definite ace.  Another one of her charms is that she has a nice butt, it isn't flat.  I can understand why people dislike her, for the same reason they don't care for Sayumin, because of her character.  But as a reminder, that isn't her so treat it like a character.  Did I mention she is a college student?        


7. Natsuyaki Miyabi (Berryz) 
Miyabi has sky rocketed in my ranking partly due to her chopping off her hair.  I think it looks best if it doesn't reach her shoulders.  She is another Berryz ace.  I guess her character is the nice girl.  She doesn't really have a distinctive character, maybe girl-next-door or natural.  


6. Suzuki Airi (C-ute)
There goes the last member of Buono. They are all aces in H!P, which is why Buono is so popular.  They just all perform well and have star qualities.  I don't know why, but if I had to pick a center for Buono it would be Airi.  It could be her look.  Shock by C-ute was a great song (click link for lolz).  I've never seen her look bad.  


5. Fukumura Mizuki (MM) 
Honestly, I didn't understand why she was added as part of the 9th generation.  She just didn't look like anything special.  However, since watching her she has become my favorite of that generation.  I guess I'm drawn to the natural character, nice girls.  She is also quite pretty.  I hope she gets more screen time.     


4. Hagiwara Mai (C-ute) 
I think she is really pretty, maybe more than Airi.  She reminds me of teenage Dakota Fanning.  It is hard to explain why I like some of these girls, because I naturally gravitate to them.  They stick out to me/ they catch my eye.  


3. Tanaka Reina (MM) 
She is one of the few members in Morning Musume with a clear character/ role in the group.  She is the 'lone-wolf', stylish one.  That is the reason why she is fun to watch.  Tsunku was right about her being the ideal; she never ages!  She has been consistently a strong member.

2. Sugaya Risako (Berryz) 
She may not have the strongest vocals, but I adore the sound of her voice.  It reminds me of a roar.  It is distinct and I think it is a good quality to have.  If you don't have strong vocals then it is best to have a unique sound.  I also enjoy her attitude; it is not a bad one, but a sassy one.  I guess I like confidence and people to have fun while performing.  Plus, boobs.  I'm sorry (it isn't the only thing I like but it is a bonus).  Oh, and she is average sized!  (which probably contributes to my previous point.)  I'm not that big of a pervert, I swear. . . okay no I am.  I am a college student; you can only think about sex once you enter high school.  (sorry I did that tangent thing again.)  She has the X factor that makes me incapable of not watching her.  


1. Michishige Sayumi (MM) 
Yeah, I'm predictable aren't I.  I prefer her 'I'm cute' character over Momo's, so I like watching her on variety shows.  She is actually really sweet if you read her blog.  I've pretty much have written all I can say about her.  (look at previous posts where her name is tagged.)  She never disappoints me.  If only v-u-den turned out well.  (I thought they were a good arrangement.)  

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Promotional Video Releases (031512)

Previous Poll Results (which was like three days ago. . .)
1. Namie Amuro - Go Round
2. Mano Erina - 黄昏交差点
3. C-ute - 君は自転車 私は電車で帰宅
4. EXO-K - History
5. Ayumi Hamasaki - How Beautiful You Are

I'm pretty happy with the results this time.  Namie definitely had my favorite of the bunch.  I was surprised by how well Mano Erina did considering I never hear good things about her from H!P fans.  I'll let you know after the results who I voted for from now on.  I voted for Namie Amuro, Mano Erina, and EXO-K.  If you had trouble deciding last time, this is going to be harder.

REMINDER: You get one chance to vote, but you get to select three options.


Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Mina's 2012 Hello! Project Ranking

H!P has had a lot of changes since the last time I ever ranked it.  So that is basically the reason I'm doing this. . . oh and I feel bad about just doing music video release posts.  Yep.  I might do an explanation for my top rankings later.


1. Michishige Sayumi (MM)
2. Sugaya Risako (Berryz)
3. Tanaka Reina (MM)
4. Hagiwara Mai (C-ute)
5. Fukumura Mizuki (MM)
6. Suzuki Airi (C-ute)
7. Natsuyaki Miyabi (Berryz)
8. Tsugunaga Momoko (Berryz)
9. Mitsui Aika (MM)
10. Ikuta Erina (MM)
11. Nakajima Saki (C-ute)
12. Suzuki Kanon (MM)
13. Yajima Maimi (C-ute)
14. Tokunaga Chinami (Berryz)
15. Mano Erina (Soloist)
16. Okai Chisato (C-ute)
17. Sayashi Riho (MM)
18. Fukuda Kanon (S/mileage)
19. Shimizu Saki (Berryz)
20. Kudo Haruka (MM)
21. Kumai Yurina (Berryz)
22. Sudou Maasa (Berryz)
23. Iikubo Haruna (MM)
24. Tamura Meimi (S/mileage)
25. Wada Ayaka (S/mileage)
26. Ishida Ayumi (MM)
27. Nakanishi Kana (S/mileage)
28. Sato Masaki (MM)
29. Takeuchi Akari (S/mileage)
30. Katsuta Rina (S/mileage)

Monday, March 12, 2012

And More Releases of the PV and MV Variety

Results of 3/07 Poll:
1. Berryz工房 - Be 元気 (成せば成るっ!)
2. Big Bang - Fantastic Baby
3. 2NE1 - Scream
4. SDN48 - 負け惜しみコングラチュレーション
[And no one cared about EXO]

Honestly guys, are you voting for your favorite group or who you thought did a better job?  I'm only questioning your honor because the groups popular with my readers win.  Although that means there are a good amount of K-Pop fans who participate, which is great.  Remember guys, you get only one chance to vote, but you can vote for three different videos!  I've noticed singular votes.  I'm not upset that Berryz won, sure there were some things I would of liked to be different.  I also don't love the song.  But, I adore those costumes and I'm interested in Berryz again.  While, Momo is not the center she is definitely bringing the most attention.  My female friends from Japan can only name her out of all the members, the same goes for Michishige and Morning Musume.  Being a variety idol is really helpful if you want air time.

Remember!  You get one chance to vote, but you get to select three music videos to vote for.  This week might be rough because there are a lot of big names included.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

J-Pop and K-Pop Music Video Releases 030712

Previous Poll Results:
1. Arashi - Wild At Heart
2. Big Bang - Bad Boy
3. Kara - Girl's Power
4. Girl's Generation - Time Machine


Arashi won by a pretty good margin.  Personally, I think Big Bang put in more effort.  Yet, I get why Arashi beat them.  They really know how to work the camera.  Now that I think of it, Big Bang reminds me of Arashi.  They both have a great assemble.  When it comes to both groups even if I don't like their music I gravitate to them.  


WARNING:
Since all of the EXO teasers are basically a short music video I have caved and included them.  I will do a separate poll for them after the jump.  Only those who are over a minute in length are included, as well as they have to have actual singing/ vocals in the song.  They will be in the same order as they are in the poll.  There are six total, so you'll only get two votes for this poll.    




Sunday, March 4, 2012

K-Pop Fans, We Need to Talk.

You've become notorious for being cruel, shallow, and just plain horrible people.  I myself am a K-Pop fan, and a fair share of my friends (in the real world) are as well.  I've had it with this inexcusable behavior.  This is the reason why I prefer to call myself a fan of J-Pop over K-Pop.  You guys can really suck.  STOP IT!  This frustrated rant is brought to you by the fugly (at least on the inside. . . where it counts) T-ara fans.  [Summary: three members of Berryz Koubou as part of a SCRIPTED variety show (the host was there too) crashed a T-ara event.  They do the usual comedy-thing, but fans started yelling "Die!" + "You're not cute at all" and even calls about not ignoring them. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]  Stop being trolls who aren't actual trolls but just a bunch of sour grapes.  I don't want to be your friend and you are scaring away other fans.  Do you think I have any interest in learning more about T-ara now?  No!  I'm planning on never purchasing any music from T-ara again.  I don't want to deal with this sh*t.  I'm boycotting T-ara.  One of the reasons Hello Project started to die for me was because fans were being butt-heart that they aren't relevant anymore.  


I was pondering doing a 'State of the Project' post.  (Like the title I came up with?)  But I decided against it because I don't think I was going to bring up any new opinions, except my surprise in Berryz.  
I still find the music so-so.  However, I was surprised by how captivated I was by their performance.  They have a wonderful variety in personalities and looks.  I reminded me a bit of old Morning Musume.  I still don't think they'll make it because of the music and management.  While watching this performance I was struck with the thought that Miyabi has never been this beautiful.  Risako is still her sassy sex bomb self.  Momo has taken up Michishige's character (which is throughly entertaining).  All the other members bring their own elements into the mix.  If only I enjoyed the music, because I don't have the money to buy music I dislike.  I still love C-ute, by the way.  Morning Musume is like a foreign entity to me because I don't know 10th gen at all.  They should release more music or something so I can be more familiar.  If I find the latest concert to download I might do a review.  


The only K-Pop group where I follow their personalities, at least for girls, is Brown Eyed Girls.  The rest still seem to barbie for my taste.  I'm sorry they are all tall and too skinny [same reason why I've dumped MomoClo Z].


On the topic of not being cute.  Some male wota, whose dick doesn't seem to work right, threw a hissy fit about Amina's weight.  Well in this performance I thought she was much sexier than the two thin idols next to her.  

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

MV and PV Preview Releases


Previous Poll Results (022112):
1. miss A - Touch
2. Big Bang - BLUE
3. Momoiro Clover Z - Mugen no Ai
4. Orange Range - Anniversary Song ~1oth~
(No love MVs: Lily.μ - SECOND LOVE ~2度めの恋~, Brave Girls - Nowadays You, John Park - Falling)



Monday, February 27, 2012

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Mina's Photobook Wishlist, Idols & Dubstep, Provocative Dancing, and the Masterminds Behind J-Idols

Hello ladies, I feel like I refer to readers to much as 'guys' not that I actually think the majority of followers are males but in the modern-sense guys can be used as gender neutral.  WOAH.  I'm sorry it seems I went off on a tangent sooner than expected.  I'm sorry.  [What do you ladies think of the font size?  I was thinking the old size was a bit too small and this is the next size up.]


Photobook Wishlist [The Part Where You All Discover I'm a Perv]:
The news of Acchan releasing another photobook got me super excited; I almost bought it immediately.  I'm planning on going to Japan next year so I've concluded it is best to wait and just go on a shopping splurge.  AKB48 fans have likely heard this news by now.  Acchan's PB sales tend to amazing.  I personally adore her previous releases.  On that topic, the photobooks that I currently own are the following: Myao's Shining Sky, Watarirouka Hashiritai's Akkanbe, both travel diary PBs from AKB48, the third volume of TomoCawaii, AKB48 x Bijo Saishu, Acchan, and ATSUKO.  So if you are keeping track I own two of her PBs.  One was taken in Hawaii, the other in New York City.  The concept for this release is her clumsy side, which is very true.  Plus, it was shot in Paris.  I enjoy PBs shot in different countries because you see them play around more than if they were just held up in a room.  Now moving onto my current wishlist.  [They are in no particular order.]


1. Maeda Atsuko (AKB) - Bukiyou
2. Maeda Atsuko (AKB) - Hai
3. Michishige Sayumi (Morning Musume) - La
4. Ishikawa Rika (Dream Morning Musume) - hanagocoro
5. AKB48 - AKB48 Twenty-Four Hours
6. Matsui Rena (SKE) - Kingyo
7. Asami Konno (ex Morning Musume member) - Alo-Hello!
8. Kojima Haruna (AKB) - Haruna Kojima
9. Oshima Yuko (AKB) - Yuko Oshima L.A.
10. Itano Tomomi (AKB) - TomoCawaii Vol. 2
11. Eri Kamei (ex Morning Musume) - 20
12. Fujimoto Miki (Dream Morning Musume) - Cheri
13. Abe Natsumi (Dream Morning Musume) - ecru [or whatever I love Nacchi] 


Idols and Dubstep:
There are people who love or hate dubstep, similar to the reaction received by to auto-tune.  I fell in love with dubstep thanks to the UK hit TV show Skins which is known for their music selection.  If you watch the sixth season which is currently airing you'll likely hear it.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about or what it sounds like, here is a link.  If you frequent YouTube, you've probably have noticed popular songs being remixed with dubstep.  It is basically good party/ club music.  Just like how not long after auto-tune went mainstream in the US that it went mainstream in Asia, dubstep has followed.  I've yet to see it gain the popularity it has in the United States, but that may be due to (at least in Japan) the clubscene is different when compared to the west.  


My interest in discussing this topic was due to the preview of Morning Musume's upcoming single which features auto-tuning and the use of dubstep.  Personally I've hated most instances of auto-tune by Morning Musume, and Hello Project in general.  It doesn't make Shige's voice sound better but pitchier.  It tends to ruin singles for me, like with Niigaki's lines in Only You.  I'm waiting till I see the PV for this song before laying final judgement on the use of dubstep.  At the moment it sounds a bit like they just added it in there to try to be cool.  The rest of the song sounds like their past singles.  It is only featured heavily in two segments: the beginning and presumedly in a dance section.  While other songs I've heard from the west integrate it more into the beat.   
Now K-Pop isn't excluded from the practice either.  However, I only recently noticed it.  There was one song in particular that it jumped out at me but I've forgotten which.  However, when I tried to figure out what it was I found out that it was used in Hyuna's Bubble Pop.  [face palm]  I've listened to that song so many times, why have I never noticed it!  So when I was listening to it I was like 'where is it?' because the most noticeable time is in the dance section.  [I was probably too distracted by the infamous butt-to-vagina wipe she does.]  A strong beat isn't uncommon for K-Pop, but if you notice they use a small dubstep part used as a beat in the verses.  I had to listen for it to notice.  I do like the approach because it is not too overpowering, so the song doesn't sound like a remix.  But that doesn't mean I wouldn't mind dubstep being more highlighted.  Songs like Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, and Ke$ha's Till the World Ends I think feature it well without making the only noticeable element.  [although that song is technically a remix.]  


Provocative Dancing:
I would like to focus on the example of the rookie K-Pop group ChoColat and their recent music video, One More Day, that has been getting some heat.  I want to start off with saying that I completely understand why people are upset.  The last thing I approve of is sexualization of children.  It is unhealthy.  I am in favor of banning child beauty pageants.  What the PV Guru Guru Curtain did I thought was distasteful which was sad because I did like relatively everything else.  


After stating that little disclaimer I now want to get into the fact that I don't mind the dancing in the MV.  The youngest members are basically freshmen in high school if that helps give you an idea of their age.  I don't know about you guys but this is nothing by my freshmen standards.  At mixers, dance parties held above a local bowling alley after home football games, it was basically a mass of grinding teens.  Does everybody here know what grinding is?  [I know that it was odd for my friends in Japan.]  It is basically a lap dance standing up, or the person in front bending over.  One of my favorite things at mixers was establishing a grinding train which is about four or more people in a line grinding against each other.  Now when watching it, it looks like sex with clothes on = dry humping.  However, I usually did this with friends and I never had the intention of sleeping with any of them.  Another story to give you perspective on my outlook is that I was dropping it like it's hot since 6th grade (first year of middle school = 11).  It is just the style of dancing that is popular.  Britney Spears was 16 when Baby Hit Me One More Time was released.  


So when I look at what they did I'm not too concerned.  If they were wearing something more risque then I would have a problem, but at the moment it only looks like the dancing is suggestive.  I think the moves people are most bothered by are ones relating to the chairs.  Personally, it makes sense if you think choreography.  I tend to be unimpressed by dancing with chairs, but they did a good job of it.  Then there is the camera shots, like of their butts.  I've tried to think of a better shot that would be better to highlight the move, but I don't have any better ideas.  Plus, it is not gratuitous shots.  So, nope.  I do not think this is inappropriate.  


[I've bashed Miley Cyrus because I think the situation is different.  If you are a Disney star then your music is targeted at young children.  Britney Spears had a break after the kids TV show before debuting as a solo artist.  You can't help who your fans are, but if part of your target audience is children you must take extra responsibility.  I don't care if you all of a sudden want to act your age.  You need to handle a careful transition, preferably a break period.]


The Masterminds Behind J-Idols:
This was spurred by my discovery that I'll likely never purchase a Johnny's good ever (well maybe with the exception of a concert ticket).  Why is that?  Because the man behind JE, Johnny Kitagawa, is a pedophile.  Now this especially pisses me off consider the strict code idols themselves follow.  It also disturbs me because the media tends to avoid the topic because he basically owns all the popular males stars in Japan.  This is disappointing because when I was considering doing a comparison of the three main idol-production groups I was planning on praising them.  JE has the most long-term success not only for the groups themselves but as a organization as a whole.  They've been successful for a while.  Plus, older units like SMAP and Arashi, who is heading into their 30s, are still standing strong.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

PV Releases (022112)

Poll Results (021612):
1. Watanabe Mayu - Synchro Tokimeki
2. Tokyo Girls Style - Rock you!
3. SPICA - Russian Roulette
4. PASSPO - Kimi wa Boku wo Suki ni Naru
[Unloved Music Videos: U-KISS - A Shared Dream, SPEED - Lovey Dovey Plus]


Not a bit surprised that Mayuyu won the poll.  For one, I didn't love anyone in particular (I had critiques on all of them) but also because I'm confident there are a bunch of biased readers.  The production value on Mayu's was good.   


My favorite PV for this week has to be ORANGE RANGE's, and my least favorite goes to KAT-TUN.  I'm planning on using my three votes for miss A, ORANGE RANGE, and finally DAZZLE VISION.  I have a suspicion that Momoclo (without Akari) will do well in this poll.  The reason why I don't like it, besides the song, is that the concept doesn't make sense.  It is just a hodge-podge of things with just the excuse it is science fiction style.


So we first see the girls on the moon with glowing eyes so either their robots of some kind or have super powers, and one is playing the electric guitar for a couple of seconds.  They never reintroduce the playing instruments.  Yeah it is a cool shot but am I to believe these are cylon/ pirate/ rockstars on the moon?  Please pick a couple and stick with it and we are only three seconds in.  They fly around on bikes, but also can travel by floating, and their space ship or hub in the background also has wires that they connect to their heads.  They can do the whole dragon ball thing and celebrate when Reni starts floating away even though they've already done it.  WTF!  What does pirates have to do with any of this?  There is a significant lack of pirate-lack activity, so why aren't they wearing futuristic outfits.  Pillage a plant.  Give them some swords.  Just because you can put babies, kitties, sparkles, Russian Unicorns, dragons, cylons, singing policewomen, and coffee in a PV doesn't mean you should.  They could of done plenty with the bikes, space travel, and pirates to make a great PV.  I dig doing something different and all but that doesn't mean you get a pass on doing it well.