Tuesday 31 July 2012

Okay! Musume Digest! #10

Another day, another dollar... Another week, another Okay! Musume Digest. Okei, ready, set... DISCO!

So, this week has been a lot more eventful! There has been quite a bit going on, such as CD releases like Cha Cha SING, Tweet Dream and others, as well as a few videos which I had a great time watching and, oh boy, yet another Morning Musume colour change, one which I reacted to quite badly, and ended up liking more than I thought. Yup, I enjoy over-dramatising a situation, don't I?

Anyway, before I really get into any news, it's time to look at the results of this poll I put up! So, Which Group/Talent would YOU take to the beach? Let's find out!


Congrats to Morning Musume! This iconic girl group took the poll by the storm, and won the deciding vote! They are the group/talent that YOU, yes, YOU, would like to take to the beach! But, who will you spend the most time with? Who knows, that is for you to decide ;D

With 53% of the votes, Morning Musume has won!

But how did the other girls fare?

C-ute 33%
Berryz Kobou 29%
S/mileage 16%
Mitsui Aika 14%
AKB48 11%
Arashi 11%
Hey! Say! JUMP! 11%
Mano Erina 9%
SKE48 9%
KAT-TUN 9%
PASSPO 9%
NMB48 8%
StylipS 8%
AAA 6%
Sexy Zone 4%
Fairies 4%
Fudanjuku 3%
NEWS 3%

And that's the poll results! WOW there were a lot of groups, but hey, everyone has a group they like, right? We all have individual tastes, and I try to cater to those tastes in my polls... xD And personally, I want to spend some time at the beach with Eripon, Harunan, Zukkini, Haruka, Nishijima Takahiro of AAA and ManoEri xD Cos that's just me :P

OMG FUDANJUKU, TOO!!! <3

Anyway, with that all done and dusted, let's move onto...

Le News of Le Week!

Morning Musume members Iikubo Haruna and Sato Masaki voice their concern for fellow member Suzuki Kanon's sanity...



Kudo Haruka kicks ass in the latest Black Variety...


Almost quite literally, actually!

And Iikubo Haruna strips for you!


... Kinda...

Okay, silliness over and done with. It's time to move onto the real...

NEWS OF THE WEEK


A new week means another new episode of Hello! Project's new series, Hello! SATOYAMA Life! This week we have another agriculture and cooking based episode, featuring Mitsui Aika, Ishida Ayumi, Iikubo Haruna, Nakajima Saki and Yajima Maimi and a little bit of a Sayu appearence (in the form of an Uchiwa!)

Firstly, we get to see the girls wash and wrap plants, we have some Aika and Daishi time where the girls cook for the other girls who are busy tilling the land and working hard for the others. It seems that the cooking segments are quite well liked by people, and I can see why. It shows us another side to Aika, who likes cooking, and we get to see the girls enjoy the food made by the crops that they are learning about and helping to grow, whilst also giving the viewers ideas of what to do with the food and what they can make. These segments are helpful and informational, and enjoyable to watch because it allows us to see how Aika interaacts with the people she happens to be working with on the dinner.

There is also a small segment with Hagiwara Mai, Nakky, Iikubo, Ayumi, Haruka, Fukumura, Zukki and Eripon where Iikubo, Ayumi and Nakky present their fellow group members (Nakky to Hagiwara and Iikubo and Ayumi to the 9th and 10th gen members) with 'gifts'. It is a cute little segment.

There is also another segment which I am sure all fans will enjoy, as it shows clips from the latest Hello! Project concert, focusing more-so on the two new units formed: Peaberry and DIY♡. The segment also shows a clip from Mao Erina's graduation announcement.

Overall, the episode was nice to watch! Quite entertaining, and I liked the concert clips in it. Hopefully, everyone will take a look at this weeks episode!

What might happen next week: Clips from Chinami in Thailand! YEI!!!



Morning Musume posed undercover as Staff members in a segment from Mezamashi TV on 25/7!

This clip is really entertaining to watch, because we get to see some members of Morning Musume pose undercover, though Sayumi and Reina were recognised pretty easily. We also get to see some performance clips from the girls singing a few of their songs.

If you love Morning Musume, and you love reactions from fans, then watch this - some of the reactions from the fans recognising the Morning Musume members are quite fun! I would say the only thing that I wasn't pleased about was that the members chosen were the girls who are being pushed a lot now, as well as the two most recognisable members (Sayumi and Reina), but other than that, this is a fun segment, and whilst short, is worth the watch.



A preview of Tsunku's up-coming single, titled Shoppai Ne has been released. The video shows Tsunku recording the song in a studio. The single will also be featured on an upcoming tribute album dedicated to the late Miki Takashi.

I haven't really listened to Tsunku's songs, though I've seen a few clips on youtube where he has performed with Goto Maki or performed Morning Musume songs, so I am quite new to his voice, but when I first heard this, I was surprised by the nice tone of the song and how slow and gentle it was. Tsunku's voice also surprised me, it's quite different, but I like it. He suits the song well and I think the song is, overall, quite beautiful. I would love to see something like this on a Morning Musume tracklist, honestly!

Hopefully a longer preview will be available soon, because this sounds to be a really good song!



7 BeriKyuu members have been casted in the Stage Play Cat's Eye. The members are Shimizu Saki, Hagiwara Mai, Sudo Maasa, Yajima Maimi, Kumai Yurina, Nakajima Saki and Sugaya Risako. The stage play will be based on the manga of the same name by Tsukasa Hojo.

Hello! Project members are never out of stage plays! But that's good, because it means these girls learn about acting and also get noticed by people outside of the Hello! Project fandom, and this time they will probably be noticed by fans of Cat's Eye. Seeing the lineup, I am happy to see that Nakky has once again snagged a role in a stage pay - she seems to be one of the popular choices, and the same goes for MaiMai - they both have been in a few stage plays recently, so it's nice to see the two continue to get roles! I was also happy to realise that Yurina would be in the stage play too, as I don't see her in many acting roles (from what I know of, anyway).

This is exciting news, and I'm happy that these girls have been able to get the chance to perform in a Stage Play and experience acting and singing together in a temporary unit!

The girls will also be a part of a small group called Cat's Eye 7, and they will sing the theme song for the stage play.



MaiDigiTV has uploaded footage from the Cat's Eye press conference.

From what I can see, the girls basically introduce themselves and answer questions, and there really isn't much else to it other than that. However, it is nice to see some footage from the press conference and to see the girls in their costumes. Hopefully, there will be more videos... maybe a performance video of their song?

Source


BiS successfully wrapped up a 24-hour live event! The unorthodox Idol group held the special in-store event to celebrate the release of their major debut single, PPCC. The event was held at the Don Quijote Shinjuku store in Tokyo from July 20th until July 21st.

When I saw this headline on Tokyohive, I was really surprised - how did they hold a live 24-hour event? Well, the girls rotated throughout the night and alternated between performances and handshake events hourly, and apparently had no breaks in between. The fact that these girls even managed to continue for 24 hours is absolutely amazing! Then again, it's BiS - they seem to do anything!

It is honestly great to see that BiS are getting so much coverage, and are trying different things to promote themselves. The event itself would have attracted both fans and casual music lovers because of how different and appealing it is, as well as attracting everyday shoppers. It seems that there was a lot of attention for the girls too, as hourly events would bring in 100 to 200 people, and sometimes the store would be overcrowded with over 300 people coming to watch the girls! That is absolutely amazing!

Also, the girls later switched from regular handshake events to something a little more out-there - hitting the butt with a baseball bat, intimate hugs and even some PPCC action (licking and kissing). If that isn't out there, then I don't what is! The actions themselves would have pleased fans greatly, and it seems that it did go down well - so it's all good for BiS!

So, for their event the girls sang over 100 songs and attracted a total of 5,000 people that day, from fans to casual music lovers to everyday shoppers. This was an amazing event for BiS, and it's great that they were able to do this for their major debut single!

Source


Another video for Cat's Eye 7 has appeared on ComicZenon's youtube channel! Here, we get to see the girls talk as well as have a little look at the dance for their song.

More promotion for the stage play, I have a feeling that this will be a much-anticipated play and single for Hello! Project and Cat's Eye fans, because there seems to be a lot of promotion behind it. Good promotion is always great, especially for the girls who aren't as popular as others (Saki, Nakky, Mai) and to see that the play and the girls are being promoted quite well is nice to see!

Hopefully everyone can check out the video.



Takahashi Ai will star in a new Musical comedy titled the Wedding Singer.

Currently, there isn't much information on the musical itself, but its great to see that Ai is continuing her acting activities with a new play! Of course, with it being a musical, she will most likely sing, which is something that her fans will look forward to. From the website, Ai may be a main character in the play, and if she is, then this is wonderful news for her fans.

There is a CM available for the play if anyone is interested in taking a look at it.


This looks to be a fun and interesting musical, so hopefully more info will be leaked, and maybe when the musical has finished, some clips?



S/mileage will be holding a handshake event and a mini live at the Tokyo Bay Lalaport Mall on August 21st.

More promotion? Heck yeah! Of course, the promotion will be for S/mileage's up-coming single, which will show a cool and cute side to S/mileage that we may have not seen yet from the group since their lineup change.

S/mileage are one of the more promoted groups within Hello! Project since their debut, and they continue to be uite popular and hold many events for their singles, so of course a new handshake event and mini-live isn't new. Hopefully many of their fans attend the event and get to meet their Idols.


A radio rip for S/mileage's up-coming single, titled Suki yo, Junjou Hankouki has been released!

This is a song that I expect many fans will be anticipating as it has a cool sound mixed with a cute chorus, something which is rather new to S/mileage. Hearing the song in good quality, I am really impressed with the overall sound, though I get more of a C-ute/MoMusu vibe from the cool sound of the song, whilst the cuter sound reminds me more of the S/mileage we know than any other Hello! Project group.

This is a good song, and I hope that the PV is just as good. Finally, after two lacking singles (in my opinion) S/mileage have come back with another good song! Hopefully everyone can check out the song itself, and hopefully, PV previews or the actual PV will be revealed soon!

PS be warned: The woman in the beginning of this radio rip is too over-enthusiastic and annoying. She is headache worthy.



Macpeople have released an LQ image of S/mileage's regular edition cover of their up-coming single, Suki yo, Junjou Hankouki. The image can be seen at the bottom of the page.

S/mileage seem to be on a bit of a roll with their updates this week, as the girls have secured another small event to promote this single, released their song on radio, and now the RE of the single has been released in low quality for all fans to see. The cover is pretty basic, but it looks good. Of course, Dawa and Kanon are in the front, with Maimi a bit more to the front than Rina, Akari and Kana, though it seems that Kana's had more of a push forward for this cover, which is nice to see. Everyone has a pretty cute pose in the picture, with Kanon sporting a cooler and my dynamic pose than everyone else.

I like the colours used in the background, and the girls look cute. Good to see that H!P are continuing to give them short skirts and hats.


The latest episode of Black Variety, featuring Morning Musume and Momoko Tsugunga, is now available to watch - and if you haven't watch it, I highly recommend that you do.

This has to be, by far, the funniest and most interesting Black Variety episode featuring Morning Musume I have ever seen, because pretty much from beginning to end I was laughing. In general I don't watc variety shows, even with my favourite Idols in them, but after the debuts of 9th and 10th generation MoMusu, I have gained more of an interest in them because we get to see how the Idols act, and seeing this episode just proved to me how much of a great generation both 9th and 10th gen are.

This episode is a continuation from previous episodes, and shows the members challenging other teams with a bungee cord game. I've actually played this kind of game before at fairs, so seeing Idols play it was even more interesting, and extremely fun to watch - especially Haruka's. Whilst Masaki's was quite cute to watch, seeing Haruka was even funnier and I loved how she reacted. For sure, she is the toughest member of her generation, and watching her here helped me to see how impulsive and tough she was. I think I fell for her more, because watching her react so quickly was absolutely wonderful! She was the most hilarious with her actions - I won't go into too much detail, because I don't want to spoil the episode, but I loved it, and I love Haruka so much more now! She actually reminds me of Reina, with a Yankee edge I guess. No wonder Reina is the one that Haruka admires the most!

Anyway... watch it. Don't regret watching it, because this episode is hilarious.



Morning Musume's 10th Generation will be holding a One-Year anniversary FC event this September on the 28th, the day before they joined Morning Musume nearly one year ago.

The news was announced on the 10th Generation based Ustream regarding Harunan's graduation from her Chocolate' colour before revealing her 'Honey' colour, and for the 10th gen and their fans, this is great news, because it means that their fans will get to see them perform and see how much they have grown since they joined Morning Musume, and to see how each of them have improved individually.

This is exciting news, and hopefully any fan who wants to go can attend to support their favourite 10ki member!


Prepubescent Zone Sexy Zone will be releasing their very first photobook, titled Sweetz, on August 1st and will cost ¥1,800. The photobook will contain pictures from their live rehearsals as well as shots of the boys in Hawaii.
Member Satou Shori says he can’t wait for the photo book especially since it’s their first one. He jokingly said that he “might go out and buy one dressed in disguise.” - Tokyohive
When I saw this announcement on Tokyohive, I was overjoyed. I love news regarding Sexy Zone, as they are one of my favourite male groups right now and I enjoy hearing updates regarding them. Regarding the photobook, it will be interesting to see what photo's there are of the boys. Hopefully all fans can reserve a copy and support this cute group.

Source


Actress, Idol and singer, Kawashima Umika, and fellow 9nine member Murata Hirona have both cosplayed characters from the popular and famous anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Umika cosplayed as Ayanami Rie, and Hirona dressed as Soryu Asuka Langley. Te cosplay was for a photo exhibition project titled J:COM presents Evangelion X Bishojo Sahshinten -Girls Collection of EVANGLEION-. Around 30 models and Idols participated in this collaboration between Neon Genesis Evangelion and Collaboration Concept Photo Exhibition.

The photo exhibition will be held from 1st of August until the 6th at Ikebukuro, Tokyo at the Seibu Ikebukuro flagship store, and from 8/15-8/21 at Shisaibashi, Osaka at the Daimaru Shisaibashi flagship store.
Murata commented about her cosplay, “For this photoshoot, I’m no longer Murata Hirona, I have become Asuka. Asuka is a girl with a strong will, and I have become the same.
Kawashima also made a comment about cosplaying the major anime character Ayanami Rei, “I felt a lot of pressure and was uneasy. I was very nervous during the photo-shoot and think I forgot to breathe!” adding, “I hope that the people at the exhibition will be brought into the world of EVA when they see these pictures!” She also revealed, “I get comments that the blue hair is unexpectedly suitable for me, so (my favorite part is) the wig.
When I saw the headline on Tokyohive that Umika was cosplaying a character from a well known anime, I was immediately interested, but I was happy to find out that alongside her, Hirona, my favourite 9nine member of the current lineup, was also cosplaying as a character. Whilst I don't watch Evangelion, nor am really a fan of it, it's great to see Idols participating in an event like this whilst also promoting a well known anime.

here are another two photo's from the shoot:




Morning Musume have revealed that they will be releasing their 51st single on the 10th of October! The release will come in 7 different editions, regular and A to F. Currently, the single is untitled.

Even though the 50th single has just been released, and is still being promoted well by UFA, we have an official announcement for the 51st single! Whilst details are few, many speculate that this single will be the last to feature this lineup before the new generation is announced, however I do wonder if the new generation will have already been added... It depends, really. The new generation may be added just after the release of Morning Musume's 13th album, which is set to release around a month before MoMusu's 51st single.

Regardless of the few details, this is exiting news! Hopefully the title and tracklisting will be revealed soon, as well as the covers and outfits and any previews.



A video of Hello! Channel 9, featuring Ikuta Erina, Tekeuchi Akari, Katsuta Rina, Nakajima Saki, Sudou Maasa and Natsuyaki Miyabi has been uploaded, showing the girls bowling.

There are a lot of gutter balls, and a helluva lot of cuteness and some lovely Nakky-pout scenes here, and for people who like bowling (like me, mwahaha) this should be enjoyable to watch. Watching this video clip actually gave me a new appreciation for Akari - she is extremely cute in this video, and I enjoyed watching her bowl. It is the same for both Eripon and Rina - all of the younger girls are cute in the video! That said, Nakky, Miyabeam and Maasa are all lovely here, and I love the pouts Nakky gives every time she throws a gutter ball xD However, it needs to be said that watching the same thing for twenty minutes or so can be rather boring, so if you like something that is fast-paced and changes every 10 minutes or so, then this isn't for you.

Source


Morning Musume's official logo for their Colorful Character Concert Tour 2012 has been released, showing the first letter of everyone's first name in their member colour which fills the kanji.

Whilst the logo is small, we can already see how colourful everything is - it's like a rainbow, and seeing Eripon and Harunan's new colours added into the mix is refreshing, and both of the colours work with everyone else's colours. I love the look of it, and I also like the name - Colorful Character - because that is what Morning Musume has now become - a Colorful group of characters, with everyone having a different personality and style, something which makes them stand out from the others.

This is a nice little logo, and I can't wait for the concert itself!

Source


Berryz Kobou's official youtube channel has updated with a new 30second spot CM for Cha Cha SING, which features Momoko Tsugunaga towards the end.

I watched the original CM for this, but the extended edition shows off Momochi, promoting her solo song that is available on the single as well. I thought that the little edit was quite cute, especially as the couple didn't seem too bothered with Momo herself. Anyway, all the CM's for Cha Cha SING are worth the watch, and it's great to see that the single is still getting promotion even after being released.


And that's pretty much all the news of the week I have gathered! This is the last week of July, too, so to end this month with the 10th release of this Digest is great! Next, August! I wonder what this month will bring us all in the World of Idols and cuteness? Stay tuned everyone, and may updates continue to leak! I need them, and so do you! >3<

Monday 30 July 2012

Let's Raise our Hopes with Yui Ogura in her debut PV, 'Raise'

All opinions within this blog are my own honest thoughts and feelings toward the singer, the PV and the song. If you don't like my opinions then that's perfectly alright, if you like my opinion, that's perfectly fine. If you don't mind my opinion, but don't always agree with me - then that is also perfectly alright~ Anyway, all opinions are our own xD


Ah, Yui Ogura... A voice I really don't like, despite being the sort of person who actually tends to lean towards these voices more so than others, but honestly... your voice is just grating on my ears, kind of like Momoko Tsugunaga's. Why oh why is your voice so hideous to my ears...?

Not that her voice is necessarily bad... I just don't like it at all. She has this horrible, fake little-girly voice which most idols (ones who can't sing or act cute because... well, because they just do Momoko) seem to use. It's perfectly fine when the singer is actually a kid or their voice is naturally that squeaky, girly and high (Sayumi, Masaki etc) but when a mature girl is using it, I just really don't like it. These are the voices that tend to grate my ears and annoy me to high Heaven's - hence why I am not a big fan of either Momoko or Ogura Yui.

Anyways... I've been waiting for this PV to be released for a while now, because whilst I am not a fan of Ogura Yui, I seem to be a fan of what the PV preview for Raise offered us - something extremely beautiful and worth the watch. Whilst the song, though strong and nice to listen to, was not the song for Yui's voice. I thought that she sounded weak in the preview, and that her voice didn't capture the power that the song was trying to show us. Her voice... well, her voice just let everything down with the song, really.

But, regardless, I wanted the PV, and I've been looking for it endlessly on youtube, youku, Dailymotion... most video sites that I know about. And today, I found it. I am actually quite pleased, because I've listened to this song more (in MP3 format), and I have more of a formed opinion on it...

So, without further ado, let's head over to the pic spam for Ogura Yui's debut single, Raise...


Already I am liking the fact that the background isn't dull, boring or extremely photoshopped. Bonus points for a real location ^^


And already, Yui is looking pretty... even if we can't really see her.


OH HAI THAR, YU! -waves stupidly-


...

Princess-chan?

Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai dress?


Yui: "I'm... too sexy for this curtain..."

Yui is getting awfully close to that curtain... and is that dress seductress red? xD


HELLO LEGS!!!

Legs legs legs~~~


I say, I want those shoes - I'm liking them straps, and also, HOLY HELL HER DRESS IS SHORT!


Yui: "Is it just me, or is it gettin' sexy in here?"

Lord, she really knows how to work that camera...


Aww, she looks quite sweet here... sadly, she has the voice of a Siren's Baby...


Oh lordeh, two Yui's! HIDE YOUR KIDS, HIDE YOUR BROTHERS, SISTERS, MOTHERS AND FATHERS... ARRRGH!


Yui is faint at the thought of UFA using an actual budget on her PV. Yeah, Yui, I'm in shock too...


... -death glare from Yui-

WHAT DID I DO NOW? -drops alcohol-


Two Yui's agaain?

Eh, who cares? The scenery is pretty, and damn her LEGS! <3


Yui: "Everywhere I go, it gets sexy... maybe I'm just too damned wonderful~"

Yeah, sure Legs... whatever you say...


You look tired, Yui. Get some sleep, k?


I want those shoes!

I want those legs! -cries-


Straight Jacket pose?


Oooh, nice shot! Yes, Yui, Reach up for the stars! Climb every mountain higher -Sclub 7 music starts-


Oh lord, she's going to KILL ME!!!

Yui: -glare-


Okay, dramatic pose... START! -insert random flashing lights-


Ah, how angelic... a nice change of pace from the darkness, I have to say~


... And let's be dramatic yet again! POSE!

Man she's fierce!... I mean it, too~


I actually prefer this dress over the other two.


Yes, run Yui - RUN!!! 


And... FINISH!

Okay, so Yui, I've watched your PV, I've listened to this song quite a few times, and I have more of an opinion on this MV and song, oh, and you, now that the whole song is available and the PV is viewable. So, what do I think of you now, eh?

Well... Yui's voice still sucks, in my opinion. It isn't the worst voice, nor is it the best, but it isn't a voice I really like either, however it's passable in this case. The PV, however, is absolutely beautiful.

The fact that there was a budget behind this, and some crafty (yet simple, easy-peasy editing) little effects added in there, I think that this is a strong debut PV for Ogura Yui's Anime voice-acting 'solo' career. It's a very pretty music video, with plenty of beautifully taken shots and a good location. It was nice to watch, and it was the main reason why I actually got all excited for Yui's debut. I care so little about the artist herself, but the PV and the sound of the song were what took me in and made me want to watch it. Though I actually like Yui a little more now than before.

The video is lovely - the location seems to be set in a mansion, with three different Yui's - an Angelic, more innocent Yui locked in a White room, a more mature and seductive version locked in a darker, mor dramatic room, and then the final version of Yui, who is a regular girl searching for a way out of the mansion. There's no specific storyline, but what I did pick up was that there were different sides to her, and that she was trying to leave, escape or break free from the mansion. It was also kind of like watching Yui figure out who she really was as well.

I liked the use of light and dark in this, with one side being the pure white room, giving off a pure and more vibrant effect, giving us a glimpse of the demure and delicate side to Yui's personality, whilst the other was a darker room filled with red and flashing lights that gave off a more dramatic vibe to Yui, and showed a daring and more vibrant personality that we don't get to see with the white version of Yui. It was nice to see her take on these forms, and you can see that in both of these scenes that she can really work the camera - and I was mesmerised by her performance. In fact, it was her performance that made me like her more. Yui has a really great look, and she really takes you in with how she acts, how she looks and how she can change from one persona to the next. She did a great job in this video showing off how good she is at presenting herself.

The other scenes contain the regular Yui wondering around, as if she is lost, and sitting on a staircase staring towards the camera. The scenes are simple, but I love how the shots work - we get great shots in the video, not just of Yui, but also of her feet, her hand, the door, the staircase itself - a lot of shots which focus not just on Yui, but also the building that she is in, and I like that aspect of the video. It gives a more dramatic effect, I think, and allows us to think about where she is as well as who she is within the video, and to wonder what she is doing there, and to create our own story too.

The video was edited beautifully, I think, and I loved the effects used - they are simple, but they really worked with the video and made it a little more interesting. Yui herself was a treat in the video, bringing a wonderful performance with her actions and facial expressions, it made me realise what a professional she was in front of the camera. Her voice needs work, but her camera presence is spot on. I like the video a lot - it's pretty, quite simple, but very effective. The location was perfect, and I love how light and dark are represented in this, and I like how there are around four to five unique shots for Yui - The light room, the red room, the sparkling scene with Yui's 'regular' self, the mansion scenes and Yui standing in the middle of two black walls. I liked the variety there was, and how each scene captured a certain image of Yui.

The song itself is something that I like, a song that suits the mood of the PV - it's powerful and nice to listen to... but it's too powerful for Yui. I said before that Yui's voice simply doesn't fit this song, and that this should have been a song for someone with a stronger voice, one which could carry this song better and make it sound great. Whilst the song still sounds good, Yui can not carry a song as powerful as this one. Her voice is far too weak, and she simply can't capture the powerful nature of this song, though in the chorus and climax of the song, you can hear how she does try her hardest to bring out the power in her voice. Sadly, it's just not there, and in the end she struggles to sing a song which simply does not suit her or fit her voice.

That said, listening to the song multiple times has made me like Yui's voice more - I don't mind it as much as I used to, but I still find her voice irritating and rather childish. I think that, for a debut single, this song should have been given to someone else, and Yui should have had something lighter and more playful. Dramatic, powerful songs are just not for her.

This is why Mayuyu, who gets simple, generic songs, is much higher in my ranks as an anime like soloist despite having the same childish voice as Yui - she actually gets songs that suit her. Yui doesn't, it seems. Honestly, her b-side song PON de Fighting! is much better, in my opinion - it fits her weak voice, and she doesn't sound like she's struggling to fit the theme and power of the song.

So... the verdict for Yui's debut single, Raise?

Raise is a beautiful music video, one which had a lot time, thought and effort put into it, and Yui is incredible in front of the camera. The sound of the song is also wonderful - a pretty good debut song, actually. The instrumental is wonderful, I love the strength behind it and how it sounds overall, but it was Yui's voice that was the overall let down of the entire thing. Her voice is just, well, weak. I've said it multiple times in the review, she just doesn't suit this song, and it did spoil it for me a little. But, with every glance from her, with every little smile, every shot, I found myself liking Yui more and more for her performance. Her voice may be terrible, but she is a wonderful performer, and honestly, I do like Idols who can work the camera.

I know, I know - I'm a negative cow, but honestly, Yui's voice does nothing for me.

BUT if you do like Yui, whether it is for her vocals, her body or how she performs, then give this video a go and see what you think of her debut single, Raise.


I wonder how long she will last as a soloist? I don't think long, considering she's an anime soloist.

Forever my Chokubo, Forever my Honey Pie


Iikubo Haruna's new official member colour is Light Yellow Honey! So, with this new colour, what are everyone's thoughts and feelings?

Well, first off, I sadly never saw the Ustream episode, cutely titled ~Sayonara Chocolate~, because I was slaving away at work (LIES) and wondering what colour Iikubo would get, hoping to high heavens that it wouldn't be Eripon's dark purple (it wouldn't suit her, I continued to tell myself) and actually wishing that it would be what every other fan said it would be: Light Yellow.

It's Light Yellow... The fans were speculating correctly! HECK YEAH, go you, Hello! Online writers, lovers, readers and general Honey lovers, because you guessed it, Iikubo Haruna is now representing the colour yellow! The Hello! Onliners are so clever, I wish I speculated as well as you all~

Anyway, I'm actually a lot more accepting of her colour change. I still don't like it, but hey ho, what can I do about it? Anyway, a pastel colour suits Harunan quite well, I think. If she hadn't gotten a new improvised colour, like her chocolate was, then I actually would have preferred she had Aika's lilac colour, because Harunan is mature, and she seems to suit those colours too. Anyway, the pale yellow suits her, and I like how she seems to go with calling her colour a sweet food again... Though I think this colour is more lemon sherbet than Honey, but oh well...

As I said, I am more accepting, and to know that it is a pale yellow, and not Ai's bright, eye-killing SHOCK yellow makes me happier, because this colour suits her more, and it also means that her fans will be able to finally buy glowsticks her colour. Though I still kinda half-wish that she had white, but I can live with sherbet lemon honey yellow~


So, what does everyone think of her new colour? How many are happy, and how many of you are in tears?

The world stopped pointing and laughing at me, btw... xD


Chiima~

Saturday 28 July 2012

Iikubo Haruna to change her Image Colour, Chiima cries, the world points and laughs


Morning Musume's Iikubo Haruna will be changing her image colour. Her new colour will be announced on 30th July on Ustream. The other 10th gen members will also be present.

Seriously, WHAT THE HELL? What? Why? WHY? I am going to blame UFA... UFA YOU DICKS!

Okay, now that that is over with, I have a feeling that Harunan herself would have said something towards the colour change too, but honestly, why? I know that the colour is hard to work with sometimes, in the form of glow sticks, but really, this colour is really different, new and unique and it fit Haruna so perfectly - kinda like purple fit Eripon, actually. Now I get how the Eripon fans felt when her colour change was made official, DAMN So, I'm really sad. When I read this news on Twitter this morning, I wanted to cry - when I told me sister, she was really sad. Why, Chokubo... Why?

As you can probably tell, I'm not happy with this colour change. Heck, I will be even less happy if Harunan gets Eripon's purple, because I feel that purple wouldn't fit her as well. If the Japanese Wota are right and it is purple (there was speculation after the announcement of Eripon's colour change, and I think a lot of Wota want Harunan to be purple) then I will be quite unhappy. I would actually prefer her to take on white, or a different shade of yellow that isn't Ai's old yellow colour - anything that isn't purple, I guess. I would prefer that colour to role onto the new generation, though I doubt I will get that.

Anyway, she will always be Chokubo to me - she won't have any other colour in my eyes (unless I LOVE the new colour, we will see...) and her colour will always be 'Chocolate'. Iikubon... Why? WHY?

UFA YOU DICKS!

...

Watch this video, it actually eased the pain a little. Harunan is entertaining and charming as always.


Chiima~

PS: I am tired and achey, so yeah, rant was needed XD

PING!!! Idolminded Recommended Reading: July 28th, 2012

Thursday 26 July 2012

Love La Doll

Usually I keep introduction posts for Indies Idol units on my other blog, but because there is so little information on this group, I actually thought that I would post here because I do have some thoughts on these girls that I want to talk about... and I really want to get everyone to know them >3<



Love La Doll is a group with very little information on them... so little that they don't even have a website, and when you type in their name on Google, you will get a lovely list of sex dolls or something. I'm being serious - all I really get is stuff on where to hire a sex doll, and I don't want that! I'm looking for Idols, not Sexushii Dolls!

Anyway, away from that topic... There are three girls in Love La Doll, and they are Kana, Aya and Lee. Kana's colur is blue, Lee's is purple and Aya's is pink (or red, who knows?). Also, Lee may be of Chinese descent, hence her name, and she also speaks Chinese. The girls appeared on Kawaii Girl Japan for the first time too, which is how I found them. And so I researched...


I love Kawaii Girl Japan, it helps us International fans understand what they girls are saying as well as introducing us to new units, like this one.

From Kawaii Girl Japan alone, we get to know the names of the girls, we find out that they are going to be performing at this years Tokyo Idol Festival event, and that their dance for their single was choreographed by Nico Nico Douga and Youtube dance star, Aikawa Kozue (also known as xxxayu3. She is also a member of DANCEROID). The girls also have a high ambition: They want to embed their names in history like Pink Ladies and Candies.

Also, these girls were apparently formed by a Cosmetics Company. No wonder they dance in a salon...

The girls also have two videos up on youtube! I was quite surprised, considering there is nothing on these girls that I can find, so to realise that they have two dance videos for their songs LOVE☆MAGIC and HONEY♡BEE was a surprise.


The first is LOVE☆MAGIC, which is a upbeat dance-like song with a really cute dance that fits the song well. The girls are also really cute, and oh man, Lee's legs!

You can slightly hear this song on Kawaii Girl Japan, but only faintly in the background, so it's nice to hear the full song with great audio quality in this video! I was really impressed with the video too, because the girls are all so beautiful (I won't say cute, they look too mature for that) and the song is well produced for an Indies Idol unit. Okay, so the setting is a salon? Who cares - the girls are really interesting to watch, and the song is upbeat and fun! I didn't expect something so good, actually. I half expected something so-so.

It's a winner for me!


Next up is the cute and wonderful HONEY♡BEE. This is the song I am currently holding on loop, because it's really wonderful to listen to! The dance itself is really cute too, but I am really enjoying the sound. I love the girls' voices in this, especially Lee's (I am forming a bias here xD). This is actually the first song I heard from them in HQ quality, but I fell head first for it. It's so cute, catchy, energetic, fun and upbeat! I love how much fun it is and how playful the girls are throughout the video! They also look really happy, so that is an immediate bonus for me!

Both of the songs are really good - well produced, and pretty amazing for me. I love the energy and effort put into them! And its no wonder - apparently the songs were produced by ArmySlick, a composer who has composed songs for KARA, so two have a well known composer and a well known choreographer/youtube dancer behind the making of their debut single is great!

For a debut Indies single, this is really great. I'm already in love with these girls, and I would love to see more released from them. PV's, more dance videos, more songs... who cares? They have had a nice debut, and if Tokyo Idol Festival footage is ever uploaded, I want to see these girls performing!

Okay, time to loop HONEY♡BEE again!

Also, here is a small article on Kawaii Girl Japan (in English) for everyone to read! HERE!!!