Midori’s J-pop Overanalyzations

Why does Morning Musume always get the short end of the stick?

nobody@vox.com(Midori) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:02:58 -0700

No. I'm not talking about PVs. I'm not talking about the number of members. I'm most definately not talking about sales.

Yes, I'm talking about costumes.

The eggs always seem to be the best dressed at concerts and such. Why? They don't get a big budget. If Momusu didn't have such a big budget, we might not have drunk costume designers getting away with putting tons of fluffy crap all over costumes. They might actually get yelled at for the excessive use of materials, so they wouldn't use as much. Now the eggs, on the other hand, barely have a budget, meaning that they don't have to deal with the drunk costume designer dilemma. Recent examples:

Risa in her sparkley and poofey dress

Now I can handle big sparkles, and I can handle big poofy dresses and sleeves. What I can't handle is how somehow a huge flower was sewn onto it.

Why Money Mattered: If they didn't have such a large budget, maybe we'd get a cool looking spakley mini-dress of the sort in Ayumi Hamasaki's "Dont leave me Alone" PV. Or just something without the poof in the skirt and the rediculous giant flower, which makes it a whole lot worse than it should've been.

Gaki in a fluffy dress

I like this dress. I mean, the colors could've been more muted, but crazy prints like this are coming back into fashion, along with the high belt, so who am I to complain? Also, the other fabrics for this set look pretty muted compared to this. The main complaint I have is the HUGE red fluffy thing hanging down from her shoulder. Now what's that supposed to be, exactly?

Why Money Mattered: The drunk costume designers wouldn't have been allowed to have gone on a fluff-loving rampage again.

Moo to you too

I like the design for these, so I can't really complain about that, but the fabric is all wrong. Why cow print, WHY? I love cows, but I'd rather see cow print on cows, since that isn't tacky.

Why money mattered: You really think that they could get these girls to wear these costumes if they weren't paying them some huge amount of money?

Gaki the mad-a-dor

This dress is just awesome. The chains and the belt, along with the black fabric is just great. I loved this at first sight, but then, I saw it. I saw that heinous jacket. Either Risa's trying to get a new job as a bullfighter, or she's paying tribute to Micheal Jackson in a sad, sad way. In any case, It kinda ruins the outfit for me.

Why money mattered: Well, if they didn't have the extra money to spend on that elaborate jacket, it wouldn't be there, now would it?

Gakifall5

I sorta liked these... until someone pointed out that it looks like they're wearing their underwear on top of their pants. And what the heck is up with that big fluffy black thing above her pants? The number 1 rule for making pants look like chaps without having to wear pants and chaps: Make them the right colors, and at least don't make the pants white.

Why Money Mattered: Maybe if they didn't have such a large budget, they would've had to wear their PV outfits, which are actually decent. The only problem with them is that if they're going to put flesh-colored fabric inserts in, it looks really good if the pants are tight, but terrible if the pants are loose.

Morning Musume in Resonant Blue

These are just too poofy. These dresses would've looked so cool without the pink fluff, and if they were tighter mini-dresses. Sparkley black and purple mini-dresses look great on stage. I'm sorry, but they really did this the wrong way with the materials they got.

Why Money mattered: If they didn't have such a costume budget, they wouldn't have so much extra poofy stuff and fluff all over these, and the simpler they were the better they would've looked.

Now to the eggs:

Eggs

These outfits are cute, simple, and they seem uniform, but not too much so. They work with all their bodies, big and small, and yet they're not too crazy. They seem like something that these girls might wear without being payed to do so.

Eggs2

These dresses are a little fancier, but they're still cute. They're have just the right amount of extra fabric, to where it compliments the outfit without making it look trashy. The colors are also all good for the girls who are wearing them, and they compliment their skin nicely. While they may be a little too cutesy for some of the older eggs, they really work here because the eggs they look best on are right in the first two rows to show them off, and the ones that they look slightly awkward on are further back.

Sm2

Now, I may not be a fan of S/mileage's songs, but their costumes are so cute! They're age appropriate, not too little kid-ish, but not too sexy, and they all seem like things tweens might wear. I know quite a few of my friend's little sisters about their ages who would wear these outfits for fun, and to school if the skirts were longer. They're not overdone, but they still look really nice in their own way.

While these have gotten a little fancier, they still look good. the shirts are a little tighter, and the skirts are more punk rocker tweenish. While the skirt on the far right is up a little far, these outfits are really cute, and while most tweens wouldn't wear this out, some would, and they wouldn't look too costumey if they had the right accessories. If they were worn right, these costumes might look like a mix between a punk-rock fan and a prep tween, which is a look that's coming more into the mainstream. Even if the majority of tweens wouldn't wear them normally, no tweens AT ALL would wear any of the Momusu costumes mentioned above, except maybe on halloween if they could find some sort of costume to make out of them.

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-Midori

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It's the Kimagure PRINCESS PV, where's the princess?

nobody@vox.com(Midori) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:37:44 -0700

Hello!

This post will be quick since I'm more excited to post the costume review!!!

Morning Musume - Kimagure Princess PV (Dohhh UP)

Kimagure Princess

First, the song is really interesting. Sure, it may go along with the typical H!P song formula, but it still sounds really interesting with all the mixing. I would've liked a more mature sound, but considering that it's Koha's last single, well, you kinda have to go all out and crazy. I still like the song, and it still gets stuck in my head occasionally, but it's not anything special like Nanchatte Renai was.

The PV is one of those PVs that makes me go nuts. I mean, they just sold more copies than they did before Resonant Blue and all we get is this crap?!?! I mean, Mikan sold half of what Nanchatte sold, and we get this? There's no princesses, just maybe cowboy pop stars. Hopefully, this will also be like Resonant Blue, where the original PV was crap, and then the second one that was released was, well, awesome. They said that there will be another PV for this, so hopefully we'll see some princesses, or at least girly girls looking whimsical, 'cause that's what "Kimagure Princess" means.

-------

-Midori

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First Impressions Do Make a Difference

nobody@vox.com(Midori) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:36:16 -0700

Hello!

My feed reader's been activity-less, and I haven't been helping much for other peoples' lately, so I decided to contribute a post today.

The eggs have finally somehow, by some miracle started to spark my intrest at some small level. My english teacher asked us what impression we would make on someone if they just saw us once, so I'm wondering what was the thing I saw once in an egg and caused me to start to like them. Why are there finally eggs that I like? I'll go over some eggs that I really like, and one that, well, let's just say I don't think I can ever, ever, ever like.

Miyamoto Karin

Karin, the cutest in H!P

I saw this girl's picture on the H!O picboard, and I fell in love. That was one irreversible first impression. While I may sound like a total lesbian pedo here, I'm not one, but she's just SO CUTE that I want to hug her every time I see her picture! Her huge eyes look so cute on her face, and her personality really shines when her picture's taken. The second I saw her picture again, I knew her name. I still don't know any of the eggs by face except for her.

Hirano Tamami

Tamami

While people are saying she's a little old or she seems boring, I like how cool she always looks. I don't know why, but her calmness and age really makes me drawn to her. While the rest of the eggs generally play off their cuteness or energy, she seems to be really cool, which just by how different it is from the others drives me to her. I think that she has real potential to become a good oldest member of the eggs.

Ogawa Saki

I didn't see this girl first, I heard her first. She's definately one of the best eggs in the singing department. After hearing the potential she has, I don't think that I can ever not like her. Also, she's pretty cute!

And... the one I'll never like...

Wada Ayaka

This girl's voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard. I'd rather hear Koharu, Rika, and Sayumi all singing together in one off-key rendition of my least favorite song ever that hear this girl sing. Sure, she's cute, but SHE CAN'T SING. AT ALL. Singing is one of the things I look for in an H!P member, and if that's the first impression I got of her, well, let's just say I'll never even dream of being her fan. Unfortunately for her, that was the first thing I knew of her: her singing.

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-Midori

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Recent Things Morning Musume's been dressed in...

nobody@vox.com(Midori) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:32:10 -0700

Hello!

I know I haven't done much of anything lately, blogging-wise, but I'm getting back into the swing of things, so the pace will pick up again soon!

As for this post, well, I can say I love what's going on here with the photo shoot outfits, but as for the other girls...

Icky

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!?!

Seriously, though, what is this? ManoEri looks like she's wearing some type of tribal headdress made out of big bird, while Risako has managed to capture a giant bluebird and turn it into some sort of weird sun bonnet. The fake, shiny flowers that the girls are wearing as belt-type things look terrible, particularly on Risako's, where they make the dress look less flattering then it already was. The tacky fabric doesn't help this look one bit, in fact, in my opinion, the color and pattern of the fabric is the worst part. It just looks bad.

Now onto the good stuff...

The new Calendar Cover

The dresses and the acessories look great! They seem to have been chosen to fit each girl well, and to show off the best parts of their bodies, mainly their legs. The color also looks very appropriate with their more mature image, and I must say, they really pull the color off much better than any other. Some of the fluffy bracelets are a little overboard, but they're hard to notice when you're looking at how well the girls look otherwise. The dresses and shoes are also all in fashion, which should draw the attention of people looking for a fashionable idol group, unlike ones that have girls in bikinis or bizarre costumes all over them.

The only problem with this picture is some of the hairstyles. Did Risa really need to put her hair in a hairstyle that contradicts the mature image of the dress? How big can Koharu's poof get? Was Aika attacked by a bear shortly before the shoot? And most importantly, will Junjun's hair get her back to the '80's?

Sayu, Ai, and Junjun

Now, these are some outfits I love. they may be kinda skimpy because they're from a gravure magazine, but they still look amazing on the girls. While Sayu's hair could be less foofy, and her shirt makes her boobs look non-existant, the cute but sexy look is totally Sayu. I could see her wearing this normally because of it's mature yet cute look, something that Sayu seems to fit. She's cute, like the style, but she can pull of the short skirt with the high socks, that so many see as sexy. Ai's garter and high socks draw your attention to her great dancer's legs. The short-shorts along with the long top make the look more of a mature style than Sayu's when paired with the black and white color. The top of the dress works well with her bust, and while it makes her chest look smaller, it still draws attention to that area, which in a gravure magazine is probably a good thing. Her hair also looks very natural, which adds to the mature and sexy look. Junjun's dress may not be fancy or overly-acessorized, but she still rocks the look. The color looks really good on her, and the fit of the outfit and the fishnets really empasizes those legs. The lace on the top is a very good way to add something to the ensemble that makes it sexier. Her hair, like Ai's is casual and natural, which looks great for the image they've gone for with her. With no earrings and natural make-up like the rest of the girls, she looks like she's going for the clothing imitating lengerie look here, which I'd assume is the aim, since it's a gravure magazine.

Koharu, Reina, and Aika

Since two out of three of these girls aren't yet adults, they seem to have gone for a less lengerie look with them. Koharu looks like she's in the process of getting dressed. She has her hair up, albiet messily, and her nylons aren't completely brought up. Her tie's untied with the vest, which looks great on her. Her green cami along with the purple suspender shorts with the straps not up yet may create a look of her not being fully ready to go out yet. This whole look almost makes it look like she hasn't even decided what to wear yet, but her state of being only sort-of dressed is probably what makes this outfit seem sexy. Reina's red and black dress is already sexy by the colors. Red and black are the colors for most old tango dresses, and tango's considered a very sexy dance. The black belt, lace, and nylons also make it seem like a short little nightgown. The belt and bows around her chest make it look bigger, which is probably a good thing in this type of photo shoot. Aika's little one-piece makes her look a little younger, and not as sexy, but I have no problem with that. She's younger than me, so I think that it's kinda weird to call her sexy. Her nylons draw your eyes straight to her legs, which most wotas would probably drool at. Her tie-shaped necklace and the black ruffled tank-top make this look slightly more dressy, but not too much so. Her messy hair makes this look a lot like they're going for the sexy loungewear look, which makes it work.

Linlin, Risa, and Eri

This seems like it's going back into the closer to lengerie than clothes area. Linlin's whole ensemble really embodies this look. Her nylons with the lacy tops look like something that would be found in a Victoria's Secret, and those short-shorts barely peaking out under the longer but still short top makes this look like a really itty-bitty nightgown. The way that the polkadot fabric all meets right in the middle of her chest really draws your eyes there, and where it meets with the lacy nylons at the bottoms draws the same effect. The whole look really makes Linlin look great, but I still feel like it's too much like underwear. Risa and Eri's looks are more like clothes. Their nylons make sense with the outfit even as an everyday outfit. The short-shorts and miniskirt look great, and they could be worn as normal clothes. The tops are even more normal, and while they do have lace, the lace is just an add-on, it doesn't make it look like lengerie. Their hair is also put together and done up like they'd have it in a normal photoshoot, so that doesn't even fit the image. They still fit in, just not as well as those who have the almost-lengerie look down, like Linlin or Reina.

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-Midori

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Top 5 reasons why: Morning Musume's direction shouldn't change yet

nobody@vox.com(Midori) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:10:54 -0700

Hello!

I'm Ba~ack!

The entire time I was gone, I was worried that Momusu's line-up would change. I don't know why, but this has been a Morning Musume line-up that I don't want to see change. The girls are older, and Koha's voice still annoys me, so I wonder why I don't want it to change...

These are some of the things I've really been thinking that I really like about how MM is now.

5. The Line-up just works-

Auditions are the kind of thing that Morning Musume is famous for, but with how these 9 girls seem to work together so well, and how great they look on stage, I really don't feel that there's room for a new member. Somehow, I'm scared that if a new member is put into Momusu, the group's chemistry will be thrown off. They really just shine on stage, and with them being together for... 3 years now, they have learned how to blend their voices well and what choreography on stage really works well with the line-up. The girls can also play off of each other's energy really well during concerts, which makes the concerts even more fun.

Morning Musume sets the stage on fire with Nai Chau Kamo.

4. The Music-

I think Tsunku has also found just the type of music that this group can pull off, a mature yet cool sound. I'm worried that since their sales have been raising with this cooler sound, that they might go back to the declining sales if they go back to the bubblegum pop. Usually the time that they go back to this sound is when they have an audition, because they usually get younger girls who don't quite fit that mature image. The girls we have right now fit that image to a "T", except maybe Sayu and Koha when they are trying to be cutesy. Even the youngest, Aika is 1/2 a year from being 17, and all of the girls really seem to act more mature than the Musumes in the past.

Morning Musume - Nanchatte Renai 【HD PV】

3. The Changes-

Instead of Morning Musume staying with that pop that obviously wasn't working, they've really changed their strategy. They've really been working harder, and trying for those sales. It's great to see the girls working more in the public eye instead of just seemingly waiting for the sales to come in. I love seeing each girl working for it, which really does help the sales. Also, they've recently been reaching out to more than just fanclub members and those who have bought the CD to promote. They haven't only gone to AX in america, but they've also done more promoting accross asia than any line-up previously has done anywhere. I really like that they're trying to get new fans, not just keep the old ones. It seems not only to be helping sales, but also to be helping their public image.

2. The Break-off From the Past-

One of the changes I like is that the group as a whole isn't hanging onto it's past, it's moving forward. While they did just do a performance with the OG on Music Station, to me, it seemed more like a celebration of the 40th single than it seemed to be an attempt to go back to the glory days. Now that the Elders Club has left, it makes me feel more and more like this was a plan to get Momusu out of their past. They seem to be doing less of the old songs at concerts, and they've really been trying to stray from the cutesy-pop idol image that they've been weighed down by in the past. I think they've finally realized that the way to survive in the Jpop market these days is to be cool and mature, and that sticking to being cute idols will do nothing for them. It's nice that they still do some of it for the wota, many of whom like that kind of stuff, but they've been transitioning to something that will work better than their old, pure image.

1. Ai Takahashi-

While I know that some people don't like Ai very much, you can't say she hasn't done something for the group. It seems that she's led the group through some tough times, and with sales heading back up, there has to be something going on. She's also spearheaded the group's transition to a more mature sound with her image of maturity. She's also been one of the most consistant performers vocally and in her dancing. She's also a great leader for the group because of how involved she is in it. She's great on stage, and on the backstage stuff, she always strikes me to be a great leader. She's also learned from the best: Iida Kaori. Kaorin was no doubt a great leader for the group, and Ai joined right around the time that she became the group's leader. Also, now that she and Risa are the longest-serving members of the group, she probably knows a lot about how the group works and how she as the leader can improve it. I really wouldn't have it any other way. The group would just seem weird without her.

Ai in a long dress

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That's it for today!

-Midori

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The new unit line-ups? Wut?

nobody@vox.com(Midori) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:44:18 -0700

Hi!

I'm sorry I haven't been doing anything this summer for IW or my blog. I was slated to work a summer camp I wasn't supposed to. >.<

Also, on Monday, I'm leaving for my annual sailing adventure, so I'll be gone until early August.

Anyway, with the new line-up's are up, so I'm going to go over my thoughts on them now.

ZYX-a-

Niigaki- If she's supposed to be kinda like the Yaguchi-leader figure of this group, I'm totally okay with that! She deserves a chance to shine as a mentor figure.

Kusumi- Umm... well... at least she's in the group where she's least likely to get an insane amount of singing time. Maybe she'll use her grown-up voice now that Kirarin Revolution's done?

Momoko- I really hoped she'd be in a group where she'd get more lines, but okay...

Chinami- YAYS! The funny one! I hoped she'd be in the new Mini Moni because of how funny she is, but she really isn't that mini, is she?

Maasa- I haven't really heard enough of her to get a good opinion on this one.

Erika- I was hoping that she'd get a chance to really shine in say, the new Biyuuden, but she was originally in ZYX, so this might be good for her.

Ayaka- No. just no. At least Koharu's consistant and Sayu's improving... but I don't think I can EVER like her. My god does her singing blow.

Saki- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I wanted her to get as many singing lines as possible. This girl's the exact opposite of Ayaka: a prodigy!

Tanpopo#-

Kamei Eri- Okay, this might work. It's good Morning Musume girls are being put to use here.

Aika- Is she really mature enough for some of these songs? I suppose she's only a little younger than me, but Tanpopo's songs are really deep.

Yurina- I really don't care about her, but she could be good for this.

Chisato- Umm... Wut? I guess... She has a potential to be an amazing singer if she gets a more mature tone, but let's hope she can keep up with the maturity this group needs.

Zoku Biyuuden-

Sayu- Biyuuden was made for people with little singing talent but lots of sex appeal, so she fits right in. Of course, since she's improved, she may end up doing a good job on the singing front too.

Junjun- this is either smart, or stupid. Smart because she has potential sex appeal, stupid because she'll probably be pushed towards the back vocals-wise by Sayu, even though she's the far superior singer of the three in this group.

Risako- Sex appeal? Check, even if that is creepy. (Look at why the fanboys like her) Singing ability? None. She'll be a perfect fit here, as long as Junjun, or even Sayu takes the lead vocals.

Pucchimoni V-

Saki N.- She fits this group well with her youthful energy, but her singing needs to be less nasal.

Mai- She'll do very well with her energy, and her singing has room to become very good as her voice gets more mature.

ManoEri- I guess... All of her singles have been kinda mature, not energetic, so I don't see her as the energetic type to fit Pucchimoni's music, but it'll have to work.

Shin Minimoni-

Linlin- This. THIS. I was SO exited to hear this! This is really made of win. I LOVE LINLIN! Also, she'll make the perfect leader for the group with her singing talent and her ability to be mature at times, yet hyper at others.

Kanon- It's good to have some of the younger members in Minimoni. That makes it easier to market towards kids, yet they can't be so young that they can't handle the job of being in Minimoni, and Kanon's the perfect age for that. She also has room to improve her voice, which I'm sure she can do here.

Akari & Karin- I really don't know anything more than what I've read from the getting to know your eggs posts, so I don't know too much about them. We'll see how they fare here.

Aa!-

Miyabi & Airi- this was expected, not that that's a bad thing. In fact, I can't wait to see these two girls in Aa! now that they're grown up and more mature. Aa's sure to be great if they're in it.

Akari- She has a hell of a lot to live up to with Miya and Airi, so hopefully she can do it.

-Midori

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Music sales for Jpop discussion

nobody@vox.com(Midori) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:38:23 -0700

Hi!

Kirarin and I were talking on Wotachat# about why MM's single cases have gone back to being skinny cases for their singles, and it got to the whole sales and money issue. So, it was brought up that Morning Musume has declined a lot.

I beg to differ.

Yes, their sales have declined, and so has their fame, but I wouldn't say that no one else's has either. The worldwide music industry as whole's sales have vastly declined since illegal downloading and internet music download stores have taken off.

This was used as a reference.

: is your Naichau Kamo in a thin case or a regular case?

: KAMO KAMO KAMO KAMO

: thin

: hm

: interesting

: I want to know when MM switched over to thin cases

: it seems most of H!P's non-MM groups and artists have had thin case singles

: since forever

: but all my MM singles are regular-size

: I got the regular version, so maybe the thick cases are only for non-DVD versions to save money for MM

: probably

: but for the rest of the groups, they just always went for the cheap, thin one

: but MM used to have thick cases for regular editions too

: or they started using thick cases with Happy Summer Wedding

: Koi no Dance Site had a thin case

: I have most of their singles from HSW to Iroppoi

: and they're all regular size

: maybe they started recently for cost saving measures after seeing how much is saved earlier?

: and all but one of them are regular edition

: Buono! and Koha are exceptions

: they both have full-size cases

: Platinum 9 Disc has a normal sized case, and the stuff I see in Japantown usually does too for H!P singles

: hm

: P9D is an album

: the thin cases are only for singles

: On the otherhand, Avex's artists usually have HUGE cases, like 2x the size of a normal CD case

: hm

: hahahaa

: The one Avex single I have is a one-shot deal, so it's normal-sized (It's the Koda and Misono colab one)

: hm

: I'm going to search Yahoo! Auctions Japan

: okais

: and see when MM switched over

: this will be interesting...

: binary search go!

: (assuming it's monotonic)

: that is, they didn't switch over, then switch back, then switch over again

: hm

: ok

: Kanashimi Twilight is definitely full size for the regular edition

: http://page16.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u30048514

: so some point after that?

: and...

: Pepper Keibu looks like a thin case

: http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g71133511

: I know Mikan is normal, they have the regular edition of that in Japantown

: and Resonant Blue is full-size case

: http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h131642301

: so it looks like MM switched back to thin cases starting with Pepper Keibu

: Happy Summer Wedding through Resonant Blue ... what an era

: so it must be at Pepper Keibu

: yeah

: does this mean MM's prime was between HSW and RB?

: did anyone even notice when the Era ended?

: D-:

: Prime money-wise I guess, if our theory is right

: *sigh*

: huh?

: I think the whole Jpop industry is going down in sales. Because of the internet, many say it's now impossible to get a platinum record

: in any country

: looks like Tan Tan Taan! also had a thin case

: ah

: hmm

: so even the KiraRevo releases got hit

: Morning Musume's singles actually have stayed fairly even in the last few years considering they've been put on iTunes now

: yeah, Hapi Hapi Sunday was also thin case

: http://www.musictvprogram.com/corner-ranking-album.html ?

: did Buono! stay full case?

: Their album was, and the stuff I've seen in Japantown would suggest it...

: looks like Buono! still is full case

: albums are always full case

: but Buono!'s singles have been full case too

: so they're still in their prime! ^_^

: unfortunately, nobody else in H!P is ...

: On the list mp posted, the most recent album on there is from 12/2008 and the highest ranked from 2008 is 99th.

: the most recent in the top 10 is 2002, and the rest are from '98-'01

: It also appears that most overall are from '98-'02, which is when MM had the most success

: hm

: true

: 2002 is also when illegal music downloads started to become a problem, and online music stores such as iTunes started becoming popular

: the highest ranked one from beyond those years is from 2005, and is #69

: that's the first one for a large grouping of ones actually

: there's also only 5/275 from 2008

: It really shows that the peak of the Japanese music industry was just when Morning Musume peaked.

: I think that even with AKB doing so well, because of the decline in the industry as a whole, even if they sell 300000 singles a year, it would still take them 36.6 years to overtake MM

: as the best overall selling girl group

: assuming that MM only sold 11000000 singles, but I think it's closer to 12000000

: hm

: Also, even Avex's artists have been really suffering in sales lately. Koda Kumi and Ayumi tended to sell upwards of 300000 and 500000 respectively

: are barely reaching 75000 and 130000

: I wonder if the record industry will ever start accounting for sales made on iTunes, etc.

: Hopefully. Otherwise, Platinum, gold, and even silver albums will be a thing of the past

: Indeed.

That's it.

Kirarin's posts are in Teal, mine are in Black, mp's in purple, and another person's in red. (I'm sorry, I forget already who this was)

-Midori

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Survey results~!

nobody@vox.com(Midori) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:38:35 -0700

Hi!

Sorry I haven't been doing anything at all IW-wise or my blog wise, I've been really busy with the end of school and finals. T_T

On the bright side, now that school's out and I don't have many summer assignments at all, I'll be doing my best with both IW and this blog.

To start the summer off, I have the results from my survey. Here they are:

Gender and Age-

Almost everyone who answered is female, and 13-21, with only one guy answering it, in the 21-30 age bracket. This isn't too surprising, since I assume that most people who read my blog are female H!P fans like me, who are also about my age.

1., 2., & 3. These results aren't too surprising either. It seems that most of the bloggers listened to '90's American pop music like I did. Maybe there's some correlation between liking pop music as a kid and liking Jpop? This could be very likely, considering that many of these groups were considered mainstream pop sounding, like Jpop is now, and that they are generally groups all of one gender who sing with recorded or instruments they're not playing to back them up. Another similarity is the music videos, that weren't made so much to tell a story or to compliment the music as they were to show off the singers in some way. From how similar these groups are, I can safely say that there's at very least a small connection between liking the mainstream pop of the '90's to the similarly looking and sounding Jpop groups of the 2000's.

4. It seems that many of us have only first heard jpop very recently, after 2000. Maybe this could also tie into the previous question in saying that maybe we liked it because we'd had a long enough break from the music we knew as young children, and when we became tweens and teens we wanted to hear it again. It's also worth noting that a few of the respondants said they'd found it through anime, and were unsure of the most popular groups, another sign that they might've been drawn to the pop side of things, where everything is "pop" (meaning popular) and therefore there isn't really a sense of who's more popular, such as when there was the ever-going debate between N*Sync and the Backstreet Boys, no one really knew who was more popular, so they just kinda ignored it. Of course, in that case, they ignored it by not bothering to find out to settle the debate, and we just don't bother to find out.

5. & 6. It seems that many of the people surveyed have always liked the anime music, and a few liked both pop and Jrock, but now are leaning towards pop. This is probably because while both pop and rock songs are used for anime openings, pop's simply more catchy to the point where you want to hear it again and again. Also, some rock was popular in the '90's, so maybe that influenced them, but since there was more pop on the airwaves, they might've liked it slightly more. Also, many of the bloggers are still more into pop than rock, which would support that theory.

7. & 8. It seems that as the bloggers have grown attached to the poppy sound of Jpop, they listen to more Jpop than English music, but they still do listen to music in languages other than Japanese. This is probably because they're into the groups AND the genre, so if there's good music of similar style in their language, they might like it. Many of the bloggers seem to like Lady Gaga and other pop artists from many different countries that would suggest that if they're a fan of the genre, even if they do have their favorite groups, they will stick to finding new artists mainly in that genre, in this case pop.

9. This question was thrown in not to be analyzed, but out of pure curiosity. It seems that most of the bloggers hadn't been to concerts.

10. Most of the respondents don't seem to know about the future of the industry in their minds, but a few say that they'll keep buying if they keep making it. The general concensus is that they believe that they'll still like it in five years just as much as they do now. This brings up the point that, even though critics (and even some fans) say that pop is too generic, they still seem to like it as a whole, and believe that it can't get old.

11. & 12. It seems like the bloggers do, in fact, like Jpop the best out of everything they've listened to. Only one responder had one answer that didn't fall under the Jpop category. This could be interpereted that people will always like the kind of music that they've always liked best, in this case pop. It wouldn't mean that their tastes don't evolve, it just means that they evolve with their intrests, such as anime fans adapting to Japanese pop, like Japanese animation, compared to American pop perferrers perferring American animation.

13. The blogger's opinions are more mixed on American pop, where one says she likes it, another says he only likes Taylor Swift, and still others saying they don't like any of it. Maybe this means that American pop has grown in a different direction than American pop, one very different from the one that they like, the Japanese one that's similar to American '90's pop music, but it still hasn't gotten far enough to be completely obselete for some.

14. This question was for my own amusement, so...

And yes, Tenimyu does count as a musical by my defininition.

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Well, that's enough of my overanalyzing for today.

-Midori

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Berryz Koubou morphs... into teenage guys

nobody@vox.com(Midori) — Sun, 17 May 2009 21:35:06 -0700

Hello!

Berryz Koubou has released their latest PV, and I'll do a review for it, as usual!

I've been listening to nothing but Evita and Rent lately, so I'm in desperate need of some J-pop.

Berryz Koubou - Seishun Bus Guide

I'm going to be switching to a new review format for this PV- taking it step by step.

The Music is really shocking! I thought that this would be a really cutesy song with lots of Mini-Moni esque stuff. (I don't listen to the songs generally until the PV comes out.) Of course, the covers and PV shooting pictures should've led me to believe otherwise, but I thought that the covers used the costumes for RIVAL and that this would be totally different from that. I really like the beat of the song, and how this really doesn't fit what you think it would be by the title. I really like how every girl gets their own line, and the line that they get is always one that really fits their voice well for the song. I like how this is becoming more mature in the way that they're singing, and the music isn't exactly cutesy.

Costume-wise, while I can't say that I dig the girls' outfits when they're dressed as Bus Guides because the whole thing is that they're in love WITH the bus guide, and they're boys, not female Bus Guides. (Unless they're lesbos in the PV or sex-changing, age changing creepers) Dare I say it, but the dance shot outfits, while sexy and short on the bottom, could use a little skimping on the tops. They wear less during concerts, and they could go for an even more sexy outfit with the more mature music, so I wouldn't mind it. The boy costumes look great, and make them look like boys, but think they could've done more make-up wise to make them look like guys, not girls. Like put the make-up on in a different style, or just put less on.

I think that the bus guide lady was a perfect choice to play the part! She's older and more mature, so she looks like a pretty, nice lady to play a bus guide that teenage boys would drool over. Her voice is also perfect for the little speaches she does at the beginning and the end. She also interacts with the different girls very well. I can see why they chose her!

The PV is really fun! I love the theme: a boys-version of Berryz on a field trip falling in love with their bus guide! It's really funny and interesting to watch how each "boy" reacts differently to the bus guide and their "crush" on her. Miyabi's stalker-letter and I think Maasa's stalker-telescope thingy are probably the highlights of those. also really like how the mood is happy at the beginning, and then switches to being kind of anxious and nervous. I also love the way that they work the singing into the bus scenes, with them singing after her or things such as Chinami whispering into Miyabi's ear.

Finally, I'm a little worried about Miyabi. While I love her nails, (They look like the acrylics that girls at my school wear!) it seems that lots of Japanese schools are strict about fake nails and such, so I'm wondering if maybe she dropped out, or switched to a less strict entertainment school or something, maybe?

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-Midori

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News Round-up!

nobody@vox.com(Midori) — Sat, 16 May 2009 14:41:24 -0700

Hello!

There's more Aika in the news...

There's lots of news on the H!P front!

First, the OPV contest. I'm really happy that they're letting the fans have a fun time working on something for the girls!

Here are a few examples besides the one at Hello!Blog.

Morning Musume ~ 3,2,1 BREAKIN'OUT ! Aichan's dance&face mix ver ~

3,2,1 BREAKIN'OUT! OPV

Morning Musume - 3,2,1, BREAKIN' OUT! ( close up version )

Also, Mittsui's out for a few weeks for foot surgery!

I wish her luck. She's had a little trouble every spring she's been in Momusu! Hope she gets better soon!

Aika performing

She needs to get surgery to repair the cartilidge on her foot, because of it being detached at the toe. Too much dancing? They need to pay more attention to her health, being the youngest member of the group. Now I can see why they've been keeping her in the lower heels than everyone else lately. It probably would be better for her to stay in the lower heels.

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-Midori

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