It’s a bit of a shock, but after Shimizu Saki’s blog announcement of her Berryz intentions she is hosting this edition of Hello! Station. Outfit check- she is wearing the outfit from the recent Berryz Kobo single “Asian Celebration“. We get a good look at those zebra stripes, finally!

The first video segment is C-ute preparing for their “Treasure Box” tour on April 20. We see the C-ute girls (and Kenshuusei/Juice=Juice girls) get out of their car and do some stretches. Then there’s some vocal exercises followed by a sound check. The sound check is nice since we here the girls harmonizing very clearly. Oh, and there’s a big pirate ship. This next statement should be no surprise: the girls take these preparations very seriously.

Next we get a concert clip from the show: “Crazy Kanzenna Onna“. Like some of the past concert previews from Hello! Station, this preview is a single camera long shot from the back of the room. We get a good look at the glowsticks, lasers, and the aforementioned pirate ship.

Have you always wanted to see Kumai Yurina fix her hair. I thought so. I’m sure someone out there will enjoy this segment; he might be in Baseball Bear.

Continuing the C-ute concert from earlier in the show, we get a concert performance of the recent single “Kono Machi“. Man, I really love the way Airi sings her lines in the chorus of this song. Let’s face facts: Airi is pretty perfect.

I’m beginning to wonder if they are ever going to bring back the solo vocal performances. I thought we all liked those!

I know I shouldn’t, but I feel a little bad that I didn’t get this out yesterday. I know the ten people reading this are probably super-bummed out that I’m late on the viewer’s guide and had to watch the whole episode. Cruelty, right?

Anyways, we get another week of Captain at the helm, so let’s enjoy, eh?
First we get some Berryz Koubou performing their new single “Golden Chinatown”. The wota are certainly up for this- screaming and waving their glowsticks like crazy. So, what the hell is up with those Mickey Mouse ears on Risako? I suppose I should be happy that she doesn’t have the horrible dye job. To tell the truth, the Berryz songs where Giant has the lead vocals tend to be my least favorite Berryz songs. I’m really curious about what Berryz will look/sound like in the next year. If we believe Captain, there should be a dramatic change in the quality of their performance. They’ve been stagnant for so long that almost any change would be remarkable. If you liked the performance, the release date for “Golden Chinatown” is June 19. Support your girls!

Next we get some backstage footage from Berryz. It’s only fair since Captain is the host this week. We start with the two oldest girls, Momoko and Captain, together. You know lots of folks hate on Momoko, and I get it. But she’s a girl trying to stay in the public eye while aboard a listing ship. If being generally annoying does the trick, then who am I to judge? I did think the bit at the end where Momo was embarrassed because Captain was trying to film her pink pajamas(?) was kinda cute.
Miyabi gets her turn next. She isn’t the least bit embarrassed about hanging out in a 100% pink PINK outfit. Risako starts eating next. Do we really need footage of her eating? It feels similar to filming Suzuki Kanon inhaling powdered donuts- well, maybe not that bad.
After the show (I think) Chinami appears to frighten the hell out of Captain and I get confused about chronology as Miya and Captain change INTO stage outfits in fast forward. It’s not as sexy as you might think…
There’s a quick digest of the concert, and those damn Mickey Ears on Risako!
Oh, and I think their stage bows at the end of the live are really cute. After the show Risako walks out looking a bit drunk (am I picking on her?) and Captain is emotional … and wearing striped ears.

More live Berryz Kobo follows. They perform the always popular “Yuujou Junjou oh Seishun” and genuinely look like they are having a great time. Thanks to the captions, I learned that the the girls are singing “Dear My Friends” in the half-time before the chorus. I would never have guessed.

The final segment is Berryz again starting with Maasa. I don’t get her. Sometimes, like in this clip, she looks quite nice. Sometimes she looks monstrous and perpetually puzzled. The rest of the girls take a turn on camera and we are DONE>

Well, this episode is great for the Berryz Kobo fans, and not much more. It shows a bit of the flaws of Berryz Kobo: most of the girls really don’t know how to sell themselves to the public. Say what you like about Momo, but she is the only Berry to have fashioned a character for herself. Miya may seem like Ice Queen/Queen Bitch, but this character doesn’t make her any more popular. Isn’t it sad that I’ve been watching Berryz Kobo for five years and the only thing I can say about Yurina is that she is tall and probably gave someone in BaseBall Bear a woody? That’s not right. Then again, I don’t have anything nearly as entertaining to say about the other girls (I’ve already picked on Risako enough).

So I wonder who the next host will be! I don’t think we’ve had a S/mileage host in a while, have we?

I know it has been a while since I posted anything substantial. My other responsibilities took its toll on both my time and my mental strength. It’s the same for all of you, I’m sure.
The real shame here was my inability to write about some great PVs that were released! I’m making a real effort to catch up with these releases starting with PASSPO.

If you’ve been reading my blog for more than a day, then you know that I have a real thing for the flight attendant girls. (Hopefully) like you, I’m watching their new television show as well. Let’s sum up this PV in a few words: playful, fun, a bit sexy.
The song keeps the rock sound but with a definite pop edge. It’s clear to me that they wanted a fun summer song so badly they included an addicting “ah-ah-ah” part in the song. Welcome to summertime- where catchy songs and fun time girls rules over all.
The girls look exhausted! I guess this is what happens when you’ve fly to Los Angeles, then Tokyo, and finally Germany…



Who is this guy? Can I have his job?

The last time we saw PASSPO rock sleepwear was in their GPP (Girls Pajama Party) PV. And putting the girls in casual attire really emphasizes how fun these girls are.





The hallway of hotness






Anna grabs the sticks

and plays a little drums

As for the sexy, did you see these legs in the red and white uniforms?

Whoo! Legs!!

The girls do some (uncomfortable) boy chasing like a this was a Pink Panther movie. Shiori makes off with the guitar player like she’s Hirano Aya

They’re shocked! Whatever happened to “bros b4 hoes?” or whatever’s the girl equivalent ..

The pajama party scenes are shot with this aggressive vignette. I know this shot is just MioMio putting on some silly red shoes. Is it wrong that I think it’s kinda hot?

And then Anna modeling that top for Sako… ouch.

GET AWAY FROM HER

Finally, we get the girls tossing each other into the pool. To answer that question: yes, I did need a wet, nightgown clad PASSPO.
The pool line up …

The worst fake “I got pushed into the pool“!

You’re going in, too!

I guess they’re just gonna have a pool party while they are in there.

Mio wants me in there, I know it.

You can buy PASSPO “Candy Room/STEP & GO ” at CD Japan.

PS, here’s the last PASSPO order I received.

While I was sleeping, we got a new PV from Juice=Juice. You remember them, the ones who had that song with the saxophone that drove me crazy. The ones with H!P Jesus a.k.a. DWEEB in front. This time, we get “SA-MI-DA-RE Girls It’s Crazy” a song that isn’t really all that crazy. You can tell from the screenshot above that the PV starts all “Naichau Kamo” with the water droplets descending down a sheet of glass.
Let’s talk about the song first. As much as I disliked the saxophone in “Watashi ga …” I must concede that I liked the previous indie single more. Even with the brass accents and the guitar lead, I’m not blown away with the instrumentals. There’s something very old-style about this song that I can’t really articulate. The girls repetitively sing “SA-MI-DA-RE bijou …” during the chorus, which is probably what you will be doing as well (mission accomplished).
The set for the PV is predictably minimal. The recycled water effects I mentioned above makes an appearance in the close up shots of the girls. The main dance set is decorated with lanterns hung from above and spotlights illuminating from behind the girls. But mainly, much is done to keep the setting looking as black as possible. They’re probably in the same studio where they shot “Watashi ga …”

We also get the girls under parasol turning to face camera.


There are parts of this dance that are .. eh. I like the end of the chorus where the girls get down on one knee and slap the floor.

But I don’t like the sumo shove. Please, can we stop this move from ever being performed? Where’s the petition; I’ll sign right now.

Mostly, there’s way too much arm flailing for me.


Of course the girls make the most of the arm flails in the chorus. It works pretty well, but then the back line of girls are doing that weird squat. I’m not a fan of the squat unless it’s Reina’s yanki squat.

Girl check.
Aina starts off the song and has quite a few lines. It’s interesting that they use her so much in this unit considering she was cast off so many auditions. Actually, that describes all the girls in this unit, doesn’t it?


H!P Jesus is as energetic as ever. I don’t like her shorts, but that’s just personal taste.

DWEEB gets a few jumps

DWEEB gets a few kicks

and DWEEB, Aina, and Sayuki get Matrix on us.

Sayuki … I just can’t get into her.


Yuka was almost invisible in this PV. Where the hell did she go?

Why is she so off here?

Tomoko is the biggest mover for me. She has a very rich voice. Tomoko’s voice makes me think that there’s a dark character somewhere in there. That’s kinda titillating, no? I look forward to more of her.


And, Akari is still built like a ladder. A really cute ladder.

Well, there you have it. The girls are still as spunky as ever. It’s too bad they don’t a song that can showcase their talents properly. Hopefully that’s coming down the pipe. Hopefully, Yuka doesn’t disappear before that happens.

Watch the PV here!

There has been a relentless onslaught of disgusting bikinis lately. Yesterday, I was enjoying the new AKB48 single “Sayonara Crawl” – crawling with flower bikinis. Although I should comment that occasionally the flower bikinis look like diapers …

THAT”S NOT WHAT THIS POST IS ABOUT. THIS IS ABOUT FUKU.

Some tasty “Making of …” video?

So, I’m just gonna shut up and let you
all do what you need to do….

Oh my lord

And, this is the end!

This week, we get Nakanishi Kana as our host.  You don’t know her?  I’m not totally surprised: she’s a part of the new S/mileage and is NOT named “Dracula”.  Kana gets the action going quickly with a performance of “Uchouten Love” by S/mileage.  I haven’t seen much of the new lineup performing this song- still too much feels.  I suppose watching this will be therapeutic.  Too be fair, they do a great job with this song, although I wish I got my Kanyon closeups!

Kanana keeps the pace brisk and almost immediately gives us S/mileage performing “Suki-chan”.  The girls are wearing the performance outfits for “Tabidachi ga …” and I really like the way the hooped mini-skirts move!    After the clip, she explains how the “Suki-chan” bridge works, in case you didn’t already know.

And, Kanana keeps on rolling, quickly tossing to the next clip where Makoto introduces Tsunku and Ogawa Makoto at a Kenshuusei event.  We see some Kenshuusei performances starting with “Uchouten Love” (again), and continuing with “The Matenrou Show”, and “Bye Bye Bye!”- they’re just dancing, though.   Next we have a crapload vocal performances from the eggs.  I’ll do the painstaking task of figuring out who’s who and what badge number they are wearing for you, starting with “Sono Bamen de Bibiccha Ikenai Jan!” from (1) Yoshihashi Kurumi, “Watashi Choito Kawai Urabancho” from (2) SASAKI RIKAKO (!!!!!), “Arigatou! Otomodachi” from (3) Hamaura Ayano, “Aitai Lonely Christmas” from (4) Taguchi Natsumi, “Uchouten Love” (AGAIN) from (5) Wada Sakurako, “Yumemiru 15″ from (6) Nomura Minami, “Suki na Senpai” from (7) Kosuga Fuyuka(!), “Waratte! YOU” from (8) Kishimoto Yumeno, “Campus Life ~Umarete Kite Yokatta~” from (9) Tanabe Nanami, “The☆Peace!” from (10) Makino Maria, “Daite yo! Please Go On” from (11) Kaneko Rie, “Maji Bomber!” from (12) Kaga Kaede, “First Kiss” from (13) Murota Mizuki, “Samui ne” from (14) Ichioka Reina, “Kono Machi” from (15) Yamagishi Riko, and finally “Furusato” from (16) Ogawa Rena (when I started this list, I didn’t think we would see EVERYBODY singing ….).

Ogawa Makoto then announces Wada Sakurako’s name … she won something.  Then Tsunku announces Tanabe Nanami as a winner!  I don’t know what she won, but I’m assuming it’s for this singing contest that we just watched.  Then Tsunku announces Tanabe as a winner again!  I really don’t know what they are winning here.

Next up is a performance from Juice=Juice of their latest indie single: “Samidare Bijou ga Samidareru“.   It’s nice to hear the song live- the girls really bring their spunkiness to this performance!  I have to admit that I like this song a lot more as performed live!

Kanana leaves us with Hagiwara MaiMai fixing her hair.  Yes, another thrilling hair segment …

Except, we get a bonus segment of Kanana playing keyboard!

The latest offering from Tokyo Girls’ Style sees the girls pushing their way past adolescence.  Like most of their singles, we get a funky number with the distinctive TGS sound complete with wah guitars and a funky melodic synth bass.  The big news with this single is not the sound of it, but the look of the girls.  They are made up to look more mature than their actual ages.  And, shockingly, there are boys in this PV.  The boys are more like statues, sure, but they are boys.

Immediately, I am hit with how stylish everything in this PV looks. They seem to be shooting in a swanky ass hotel with marble floors, leather couches, mosaiced ceilings, and fountained courtyard. Kudos to the location scout: this place looks gorgeous.

Hitomi wanders around a bit

Grand staircases for Miyu

Red leather couches for Mei

This is a pretty cool ballroom for the dance shots

The girls sport two outfits in this one. Their dance show outfits are clad black with leg-baring shorts and miniskirts. They are accented with silver and clear gemstones.

They just love the loli booty shake, don’t they?

These outfits are a good thing, too. This is TGS, and the dance is a big selling point o the girls.

The other outfit in this PV is an color keyed dress. I didn’t know the TGS had member colors, did you? Hitomi wears red, Mei is blue. Yuri gets green while Mei sports pink. My girl, Ayano, gets yellow.

Yuri and Ayano, what are you doing?  BTW, these two happen to be my favorites.  Then again with only five girls, they can all be favorites!

Miyu and Mei get in on the couple action

The girls seem to have nearly-faceless boys around them at points in the PV. It feels like the boys are stalking the girls a bit and the girls are trying to ignore/fend off the advances of these guys..

Hitomi has a boy waiting in the hall.

Hey, man. Stop harassing Ayano!

That’s a nice fountain, Yuri.  What’s that dude doing there?

These shots of Mei and her legs really do it for me…

Hitomi gets chased into ballroom, and the rest of the girls appear to help her give the guy the “heave-ho”.

Great balls of fire

Ayano says, FLAME ON!

Subtle and not so subtle, the girls dismiss their suitors.

Yuri would rather have the rest of her ephemeral youth, symbolized by the falling sakura blossoms.

Ayano pushes the hand away from her.

Even though TGS are playing with fire, they clearly don’t need the boy action just yet.  Or do they?

If you can indulge me for a  minute, I need to talk about my problems with the song.  Even though the chorus melody is nice and strong, something is wrong with this song.  Remember that synth bass I talked about earlier?  Yeah, its WAY TOO BUSY.  It seems that the producers fell in love with this sound, because there whole stretches of time where the only thing happening is that busy-ass synth bass.  I would have preferred a nice round sounding real bass.  The real problem, though, is the producer of this song forgot that the song is about the girls, and not the “neato” synth bass instrumentals.  I want the girls.  Bring me the girls!  Is that too much to ask?

You can buy “Unmei” at CDJapan.

Can I talk about Perfume? Well, I’m going to talk about this new PV regardless. And, I’m going to pretend that we all know about Perfume already- a pretty safe assumption, I think. Because who listening to Japanese music doesn’t know Perfume by now?

The song “Magic of Love” is an easy, enjoyable listen. Personally, I love when Perfume is either super poppy sounding (“Natural ni Koishite“) or incomprehensibly machine-like (“Edge“). Melodically, “Magic of Love” reminds me quite a bit of “Spring of Life“, which is probably a good thing if you are me (which you are not). Surprisingly for Perfume, the vocals are not processed beyond recognition. In fact, you can easily tell the difference between Nochi, Aa-chan, and Kashiyuka.

The only think I really have complaints about is the abrupt fanfare ending. Surely, there is a better way to end this?



This PV is also similar to many of Perfume’s previous work. The visual tomfoolery is unrelentless! Almost every setup has some trick. Even their outfits are trickery, being patterned after the wallpaper of the different sets. Even the different sets are trickery as they are sections of wall from the same “room”. A look at my favorite tricks:

Aachan appears from the red circle

KASHIYUKA TURNS INTO NOCCHI

the sling-shot track shot

The moebius strip

Seeing double



the confetti falls upward!

In the unlikely event you are an idol fan, yet have not checked out Perfume … what are you waiting for?

You can buy “Magic of Love” at CDJapan

Do you like your idols with CG graphics? Have I got the PV for you. PASSPO’s “Step and Go” has the “B class idols” (See Shaku-Uma TV) in a variety of CG scenarios, like they are components of video games. In fact, at some point, they literally become a video game!
We are told that MioMio designed the outfits for “Step and Go”, so she rightfully gets a spot in center for most of this PV. The video begins with the girls on a boat that veers wildly and transforms into an airship to avoid certain destruction via waterfall.
Some map reading

Mio sees the problem

TRANSFORM!

Note the girls singing infront of rainbows. I like.

For here, the girls are pictured in other scenarios. They play a card game …

Riding a dragon?

A Mario style game?

How about a Final Fantasy style RPG?

Light sabers?


Flying around on hoverboards like they were from Eureka Seven?

Raising their flag.

I’m still not sure that the yellow and red makes them look like waitresses at a McDonalds. I’d visit the PASSPO McDonalds.

I wish we saw more of the choreography for this PV. The little one legged hop move is kinda interesting. I’m not sure how they managed to link arms- this group has got some shorties!

Look at Makoto’s face: saucy!

Oh, and how about these robot things? Their faces remind me of the robots in “Laputa: Castle in the Sky“.

Well, this PV is a piece of fluff. Aside from the catchy chorus, there isn’t much emotional residue from “Step & Go”. All of my favorite PASSPO songs leave an emotional impact by the chorus, which is regrettably not the case for this song. Not that this is necessarily bad; but, of the two A-sides, I just prefer “Candy Room” over this song. I know I said CG, but I didn’t say GOOD CG.

You can buy “Steph & Go” at CDJapan

I don’t know how this snuck up on me, but before I knew it my initial favorite in Morning Musume is gone. I think I might have a skinny girl thing …

Even though she’s got a laughably asymetric face

When I saw my first Morning Musume concert, Sexy 8 Beat, Reina was the first girl to catch my eye. She was always smiling and winking and had that glitter in her hair. I know the chief criticism of Reina is that she is still winking and has perpetual glitter in her hair, but as a new fan she was exactly what I wanted to see.

I was glad to be able to see her improve as a vocalist. No, she is not going to be a powerhouse singer. She does more than hold her own, however. Reina’s vocal presence grew with every single, as did the number of lines she sang.

Shabondama

THE Manpower

Kanashimi Twilight

Resonant Blue

Shouganai Yume Oibito

Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai

Maji Desu ka Ska!

One Two Three

Rock no Teigi

What makes me the most sad about Reina’s graduation is her newfound likability. I’ve always thought of Reina as the aloof, bitchy girl who was cooler than everyone. In her old age, Reina got closer to Sayu and her Kouhai- especially Masaki. I’ve never seen Reina smile so much as she has these last few months with these girls. In fact, you could say that Reina got more likable with this new generation of girls.

She’s the classic tsundere. On the outside, she is a lone wolf, a badass, a yankii.




On the inside, she is a girly girl who wants to be loved.

I hope Reina’s new career in LoVendoR will be fruitful! Good luck, Reina. Daisuki!

Another week of Nakanishi Kana! This edition is packed with performances, and like last week, Kanana keeps the action coming at a decent pace. These performances seem to all come from Hello! Project’s recent Premium Live at Hibiya.
Opening to Hibiya premium live. Not much to say.

5:05 things get rolling with the new Kenshuusei/Juice single. I didn’t expect the next Juice=Juice single to be a collaboration with the rest of the Kenshuusei. I think we should just consider this a Kenshuusei release. I really think that Hello! Project have finally caught on to how important releases from all of their members. Also, since they seem to be serious about promoting through their ranks (finally), this experience is nothing but positive for all involved. How is the song? It’s a sing-along number punctuated with a nice trumpet. The choreography consists of a lineup of girls line dancing their way through. The inconsistency in performance level is obvious, but unexpected.

10:30 S/mileage perform new single, “Atarashii Watashi ni Nare!”. The song reminds me of a C-ute song. This is not unwelcome. I’m still not 100% sure I want a mature S/mileage, but I enjoyed this performance and song. A change of pace for these girls is welcome. Anything to keep Druacula-chan from being so damn hyper!

14:48 C-ute perform new single, also a double A-side, “Adam to Eve no Dilemma”. And, wow, those outfits are green and off the shoulder. The synth lead is back for this song- love it or hate it. I like the chorus of this song even if it ends with the strange robotic/dubstep sounds. And I just got distracted by Airi’s shoulder.

19:58 mitsui aika performs “Watashi no Miryoku ni Kizu” from Morning Musume’s “Platinum 9 Disco” album. This was a bit of a surprise. Other than Green Fields, we haven’t seen much of Mittens performing. She’s not my favorite performer, but I confess that I didn’t fast forward this immediately. Mitsui still sounds like off-pitch self. I know she’s probably out of practice, but then again she has never blown me away with a performance before.

Berryz Kobo’s latest double-A side, “Sayonara Usotsuki na Watashi” is performed next. I watched this performances closely to see if there is any difference between this Berryz and the pre-Miya co-captain Berryz. From the camera angles it was difficult to see much of choreography. Vocally, we seem to have returned to the Risako/Mia/Momoko Berryz lead- with a splash of Yurina. Maybe this is because I was concentrating on it too hard, but there seems to be more Miya than normal. Also, the singing parts are more challenging than we have seen in the recent releases. I’m sure I’ll be writing about this more, so I’ll stop here.

We get the beginning of “Chou Happy Song” abruptly cut short by Tsunku himself! The girls are seriously scared of this announcement! When Tsunku separates Berryz and C-ute, the girls’ confusion grows even more. We all know by now that this announcement revealed Berryz Kobo’s upcoming performance at Nippon Budokon.

Morning Musume performs “Resonant Blue” next. It’s very interesting to see this lineup perform the song from the Ai/Reina years. Riho, as expected, seems to have inherited all of the Ai lines in the song- and I imaging that Sakura should get the Reina lines now that Reina has graduated. I particularly enjoyed the prechorus part of this song where Sayumi and Mizuki take the Gaki/Eri choreography in the center. From the angles we get to see, the Michishige 11 do a great job with this song- not surprising since this group of girls and this song are very dance-centric. This was a highlight of the show (for me).

Finally, all the girls come out and sing “Love Machine”. I’ve seen this song performed so much, that I don’t know what to say. I’ll leave some stream of consciousness, how about that?
…whoa, Haruna in the center?…that’s a lot of girls…Hello Kitty again?…I might like the S/mileage outfits the best…oh, they’re still squeaky sounding…Mizupon line!…wait, what are those S/mileage shoes?…oh, hey there stage left Juice=Juice!…Did Uemura Akari just miss her cue?…yes, love is SO wonderful….Hello Kitty looks like she’s dressed like a granny in comparison…(spoiler tag) Kudo gets the final “Love Machine”

As befitting, we get a S/mileage song to close this extremely performance centered Hello! Station. In a remarkable change of mind, I find that I enjoy Dracula-chan’s voice more than I enjoy Takeuchi’s voice. I remember when the 2nd gen started, I figured that Akari would be the vocal standout when she learns to control her voice more. This hasn’t happened, and Meimi has improved dramatically. Kanyon’s still my favorite, though.

It would be difficult to ignore singles from AKB48, as I’ve done so far in my blog. I’m not one of those Hello! Fans who demonize everything 48, and I’m definitely not under the illusion that one group is inherently better than the other. You can see right away in the PV for “Sayonara Crawl” that the two groups, AKS and H!P, are different in their approach to entertainment. AKB48 seems to allocate much of their funds toward the creation of their promotional videos. The appeal of these girls is very apparent in this PV as they shot perfectly to highlight their strengths. The girls frolic on the beach together, inviting the viewer to imagine him/herself with the group. I’ll be honest: I felt like dirty paparazzi screencapping “Sayonara Crawl”!

The song opens with its chorus- a bouncy sounding thing with a catchy repetitive rhythm and horn accents. I like the way the chords work their way around the melody, and this is the most memorable part of the song. Visually, the girls twirl and hop around in their floral bikini: isn’t that what we want?





Their second outfit is an all white seifuku which the girls accent with flower headbands.
MARU!



Gettin’ slapped

Tomochin’s wicked smile

Mariko looks self-assured. She’s not graduating anytime soon.

Run away!

Kimonos, fireworks, and lanterns make an appearance.



So, what’s this PV about?

Yuki, what is this PV about?

What is this PV about?!

Oh look, a pool.


I really like this shot. Very imaginative use of florals.

Isn’t she just a surrogate for the wota? You want to BE her right now.

So, what is this PV about?

Hey, TakaMina, what do these strings do?

Throwing the cyborg around …

How about a bedroom set on the beach? I really enjoyed this set up. As the camera tracks to the right, we see the girls frolicking in pairs. This tracking shot is intercut with a two-shot of each pair gets a two-shot as the camera passes.




Brushing their teeth? Too much Nisemonogatari?

Itano Tomomi catches my eye quite a bit. Her smile just looks adorable to me.

Is she beckoning?

Yukirin goggles

Won’t it be funny if we pick up TakaMina?

Getting ready for the big ending

Sayonara, balloons!

I get it. This will definitely have astronomical sales- it’s an election single on top of a disgusting bikini single. I don’t blame anyone for this.

I felt like I was in the minority with their last single “So Long” – I thought that it was a great song! I’m less enthusiastic with this song. I’m not a fan of the brass arrangements and I’m a brass instrument player! In fact, things just feel “off” with this arrangement: it might be the guitar’s tone or the flat drum/percussion track.

One thing that I learned from this: I have to fight the urge to screen cap Mayuyu. She’s pretty close to perfect, and every scene with her is close to perfect. How interesting is a screen capped review with only shots of Watanabe Mayu? Answer: very interesting (for me).

Keeping up with BiS, major changes have happened. Members Wakisaka Yurika and Terashima Yufu (Wacky and Yufui) have graduated from the group. In the wake of these graduations, we have new members. Joining Pour Lui, Nozomi and Mitchel will be Kamiya Saki, Tentenko, and First Summer Uika. Like all things BiS, the girls are not conventional looking idols. They must be special to voluntarily join a group like BiS. I can’t wait to see if they will be wielding those nailed baseball bats. Frankly, the news of Yufui’s and Wacky’s departure did put a damper on the euphoria of the last two singles (PPCC was sooo good). The new members have energized the group for me, and I hope there will be no more momentum loses in the near future.

We also have a new single and PV to talk about here. “DiE” makes me uncomfortable for all sorts of reasons- this is a good thing. “DiE” is a Cinema Verite style PV. The girls are all in various states of undress. They have just been a part of some unseen traumatic event and are dealing with the aftermath. The song matches the desperation of the PV with a wonderful melody that feels like it is searching for truth. The guitar drive is backed with a piano counter melody, noodling bass line, and a synth backs.
Pour Lui is seemingly naked, lying flat on her back in confession.

Nozomi stares at herself in the mirror, trying to face herself.

Mitchel looks beaten, confessing to the camera- close to the window of escape.

The new girls get into the PV as well. Saki hides in the closet at the point of tears.

Uika stands at the kitchen.

Tenten seems an objectified little Japanese doll.

There’s a sequence of shots of the girls’ feet. Is this kink or escape?

I have to reiterate that these images really disturb me. I might be a little sensitive. As a piece of filmmaking, this PV definitely emotes a desperation that is unexpected among the scores of vapid summer PVs that we will see this summer. This release seems like one of the best I have seen from BiS so far- thought provoking, well-executed, and musically interesting. Well done, BiS. How am I going to look at Mizuki’s photobook after watching this?

Little Sayashi Riho has turned 15! I don’t know about you, but I always get the feeling that this little girl is desperate to be just a little older. She always pushes her personal envelope just a little bit. I’ve accepted that Sayashi is the heir apparent to Morning Musume’s center position- I’m actually happy about it! Riho already performs at a high level, and will only get better. She’s 15! As per usual, we shall have our pic spam. Enjoy!

Everyone enjoys Azunyan cosplay



I like this look for Riho a lot!


See what I mean- always pushing it …

The mood in this photo…

Nice glasses!

Just a little bit older




Lastly, how about a really old picture from her ASH days?

Another week, another Hello! Station. If I seem to be writing these later and later each week, it’s because of my real life getting in the way of my wota life. Hopefully my schedule will clear up as we reach summertime!

The next host for Hello! Station is the newly minted subleader for Morning Musume- Iikubo Haruna. You know her, the one who looks a bit like a mantis, the one with large hands, the one who loves “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”, the one who can look stunningly beautiful in print. On the subject of Harunan, nobody could have possibly predicted co-subleaders (with Fukumura Mizuki and her universal boobies). There hasn’t been a Morning Musume subleader in quite a while- I believe the last subleader was Niigaki Risa. I fully expected that Mizuki would become a subleader if the spot opened up, but Harunan took me by surprise. If her hosting gig for Haro Suta this week is any indication, she does make a great choice with her maturity and calming presence even if she is far down in the seniority list. Mind you, I’m still hoping for a PonPon led Morning Musume- I would lose my mind!

The big topic on the table is Tanaka Reina’s graduation. No matter your personal opinion on Reina, her graduation leaves a big hole in the center of the group. No one has yet to prove they can nail down Reina’s lines consistently. I personally believe that her lines will be dispersed somewhat democratically and we will see the most balanced Morning Musume we have ever seen. Let’s see if it happens that way, eh?

Reina graduation speech leads things off. As a non Japanese speaker, I have no idea. But, someone might want to watch this for the feels.

Reina’s solo graduation song is performed next. Did you expect “Rock no Teigi”? NO!! You get “Kirakira Fuyu no Shiny G”. Now is a good time to talk about the Reina graduation outfit. Reina wears her member color with leopard print- not surprising. Also not surprising is the cat ears and gigantic bow on her rump. Tall leather boots and long socks and studded belts almost complete her look. To answer the question: Reinga graduated wil the glitter in her hair!

The performance that we were really waiting for was “Shabondama”. This song is pretty special for Reina fans, being her debut song. And actually, this song is a great barometer for how the future Musume will sound. The girls spread out the lines among themselves more or less uniformly. Did you catch Mizuki’s lines? I didn’t think she had that kind of power in her! Of course, Sakura sounded great- this song is kinda tailored for her singing style. Other than Riho’s now obvious voice change (puberty is a bitch), I think she sounded pretty good- her new deeper voice is gonna be nice. You know what? They sounded great. This was a great performance!

A video premiere! Berryz Kobo’s “Golden Chinatown” gets a welcome on the show. I probably will write a full review about this PV, so I’ll just say that gold isn’t my favorite color.

Tsunku surprises S/mileage with one of his creepy “voice only” appearances. The frequency with which he is making these announcements is interesting. He seems to pop up in every appearance the Hello! Project girls make these days. My rational brain says that Tsunku appearances are the only ones that make it to air so his presence is artificially amplified. Blah blah- rationality has nothing to do with the internet. Oh, and I have no idea what he is saying. I think it’s safe to assume that S/mileage are NOT performing a solo live at Budokan.

S/mileage perform Yattarachan- the other side of their double-A side. Wow, is this song upbeat. The beat is unrelenting, and Tsunku dips into his synthesizer sound palette once again. Take-chan’s vocals are heavily featured in this song. Overall the song seems like a fun romp.

It’s one of the universal truths of 244. Berryz Kobo is better when they are stupid. Remember “Monkey Dance“? Loved it. “Seishun Bus Guide” and “Ryussei Boy” are equally silly and just as loved. “Madayade” doesn’t make the list. Whoever had the idea to sex up the Berryz is misguided about their appeal. Look at them! They are a motley crew if I ever saw one! So, how does “Golden Chinatown” stack up?

“Golden Chinatown” is another Berryz disco tune. The eastern sounding synths and their melody actually bothers me in the same way that the last Phoenix release bothered me. Even if they’re Japanese, I won’t give them a free pass on this. Verses and choruses pass; I’m more into chorus so “mission accomplished” on that fight. Musically, if the Tsunku disco sound is your thing, you’ll dig this one as well.

What am I looking at here?

The promotional video for “Golden Chinatown” is the dance-shot and close-up PV with which H!P fans are too familiar. Even though I’m not a huge gold outfit fan, I don’t see these as too offensive. Miya has bare shoulders, Risako, Maasa, and Giant have mesh shoulders, and the rest of the girls fall somewhere in between epaulettes and straps.

Giant

Risako

Captain

Momochi

Miyabi

Chinami

Maasa

The floor and the red draped backgrounds lead me to believe that they shot this PV in the same studio that they shot Morning Musume’s “Brainstorming”, “Kimi Sae…” and “One-Two-Three” and more. The girls dance in front of vertical light bars that flash in member colors during close-ups. In other words, nothing new.

The girls, bless them, dance away as best they can. They do their best to make jazz hands, pointing and thrusting, and one weird cat move look good.

I’m OK with this posing business at the end of the chorus.

Captain does her best to sell the PV. Really, she seems to be trying harder than most of the girls. And, she is looking pretty fantastic these days.

Can we talk about Risako?

I’ll admit it. I have a Miya thing going on.

Momo still has her Momochi look in this PV.

I hate to say she’s a problem, but it must be so difficult to choreograph with Giant. Where do you put her?

They’re putting her next to Momo just to mess with us..

And I just don’t know what to do with Maasa and Chinami. They never seem to do enough to stand out. Captain used to be in this category, but has broken out a little bit. Just a little bit.


This is really asymmetric

This ranks just above middle of the road for me. Even with all the silly Tsunku wordplay, “Golden Chinatown” is not nearly foolish enough for me. The song is better than the PV, but I just don’t know on this release.

Honey is back for her second week! Highlights this week are the premiere of S/mileage’s “Yattaruchan” (which I really like) and a metric ton of backstage footage from the Hello! Project concerts. Let’s get started!

C-ute live performance of “Kanashiki Amefuri” from their forthcoming double-A side (with “Adam to Eve no Dilemma”). Song doesn’t really do it for me on my first listen. There’s more Tsunku wacky synthesizer sounds. Cute still perform the best of all current H!P groups, but this song .. I might take a pass if my opinion doesn’t improve after a couple of listens. I did like their outfits. They looked like they were going to have cocktails- classy. It was also weird to see little MaiMai in a strappy top. I feel like I’ve gone from seeing her in diapers to seeing her all grown up. This is probably why it’s difficult for anyone to recognize her appeal.

Morning Musume event for “Help Me!” in Osaka. There’s a small amount of live coverage followed by the girls in small groups. More specifically, we have Sayu, Fuku-hime, Kanon, Ayumi, and Masakissu at a Tower Records event on 1/27. They show off some drawings, but I have no idea what they are saying. Then we have the balance of the girls (Reina, Eripon, Riho, Harunan, Kudo, and Sakura) at a handshake event. The report skips to 2/12 where Sayu and Mizuki makes and eat some Sayudon.

Premiere of the PV for S/mileage’s “Yattaruchan”. I’m really liking this song and PV, so I will write up a long form review. Can I just point out Kanana with a megaphone?

LOTS of Hello! Project backstage footage from Honey’s cam. We immediately get Chisa eating a donut. There is plenty of off-shot footage of the girls wearing their new single outfits including the green C-ute outfits, the white S/mileage outfits and the striped Berryz outfits. The Juice=Juice girls are there. Remember before how I was all “KARIN KARIN KARIN”? It’s starting to turn into “AKARI TOMOKO AKARI”. I dunno anymore. Berryz are back there sitting together at a table. I always wondered whether if the Berryz girls pal around like this backstage. Maybe this is one the new rules imposed by subleader Miyabi? There’s a funny bit with Captain and Harunan trying to say “yellow”. Harunan next targets Oda Sakura watching and dancing along to a monitor showing C-ute’s “Massara Blue Jeans”. Some Aika footage is then followed by Masaki clinging to Reina and Sayumi- adorable. PonPon are together backstage, and Haruka shows off her Hello! Kitty doll (I’m not making that up).

And yet, another Hello! Station Viewer’s guide makes its way a couple of days late to the party. Judging by Chinami’s festive pose (above), I don’t think she minds. This week’s host is Tokunaga Chinami from Berryz Kobo. Other than being more tan than the other girls, Chinami has never done anything for me. Was it Chinami who said that Miyabi was her girlfriend? I think it was, and this was notable

First media we get is Berryz Kobo’s “Sayonara Usotsuki (Dance Shot Version)”. This dance shot illuminates the girls literally, since the regular PV is shot so that the girls are in darkness most of the time. Red is a good color for these girls. You know me by now, as long as they stick Miya in front, I’m OK. They look like they are dancing on that shiny new UF floor. This time, the crew have erected a square enclosure with some bits of scaffolding for extra flavor. The dancing seems more crisp than in past Berryz PV’s: this might be the sub-captain Miya effect.

The next clip is some live foodtage of C-ute performing “Dance de Bakoon“, affectionately known as the Bacon Dance.. As an added bonus, we get some of the eggs dancing along with inflatable guitar toys- I’m not making that up.

Next we get some introduction videos from some of the Hello! Pro Kenshuusei. I don’t have much to say about that…

Fukumura Mizuki, Iikubo Haruna, Sayashi Riho, Ishida Ayumi, and Kudo Haruka are currently acting in the stage play “Gogakuyuu”. The girls give short interviews about their experiences.

Live footage of Chinami and Maasa performing is presented as a bonus ending. After this duet is a Chinami solo. This footage is more of the single camera from the soundboard recordings. It’s a great way to see the whole stage, but there are no dramatic camera movements (by definition). It’s a good thing this is bonus footage!

I was looking through the clutter on my desk and I found these letters written to each side of the new S/mileage single. Is it just me, or is the double-A side trick just a clever way to get UF to pay for multiple PV’s on a single release? These two sides couldn’t be more different. I think this release might be a way for Tsunku to read the winds and decide on a direction for S/mileage. It’s obvious which of the two sides I prefer.
———————————–Letter One———————————–

“Atarashii Watashi ni Nare!”,
Is this more of S/mileage growing up? You jammed the girls into belly-button baring blazers (how is that possible?) and micro-miniskirts. What is this- an attempt to make S/mileage more like C-ute?


Do I need to see Kanyon rubbing her chest suggestively? I love the girl, but I just don’t know…



Their make up looks a bit ridiculous to my eyes especially in the dark solo spots. Was that supposed to look edgy and gritty?





How about that white room dance shot? It really highlights the skin and hair on the girls.


And this bridge! What is that choreography? Isn’t that just everyone have a seizure?


I know the girls are growing up fast, but this seems like they are singing someone else’s single.

Regardless of the rest of the PV, the Dracula-chan love fest begins here. She sounds great and looks … um, she’s taller?



It might be my eyes, but it seems like the only ones who are really into this PV are Dracula-chan (who is enthusiastic about everything) and Dawa (who probably wants the more adult S/mileage). This is not the S/mileage I signed up for. It’s a good thing that this is a double-A side, because this alone won’t work for me.

———————————–Letter Two———————————–

“Yattaruchan” … how much have I played you already? Why is it that I already adore you? Can it be your persistent, pleasing drive? You make me happy in a way that “Uchouten Love” made me happy way back in 2011. You are the sound of optimism. Your one note samba (without the samba) rings out like an anthem.

Believe it or not, I actually like your black and pink pleather outfits. Yes, it may be a low rent version of SNSD, but that doesn’t mean you are bad.



Your choreography has a kick line!

Can I talk about how much I love Kanana’s monologues? I think I might have a megaphone fetish.

I don’t even mind the fake guitar playing!

“Yattaruchan”, you made Take-chan sound natural. This is good!



And Dracula-chan, you are sounding less like the lovable goofball and more like a great singer. You are even looking less like a scary Japanese voodoo doll!



How can it be that a S/mileage with less Kanyon is a better S/mileage? The other girls are now shining, and this is good. You see, “Yattaruchan”, the girls finally look like they are having fun. Isn’t this what we wanted all along?

You can buy “Atarashii Watashi ni Nare / Yattaruchan” at CD Japan.

You know, I’m really enjoying the push that MioMio is getting. I don’t know if it’s her getting more confident or if PASSPO finally figured out who’s going to butter their bread. Jam this girl in front, wind her up, and watch the magic!

Photos posted by Unknown999