83 posts tagged “hello!project”
Hi again!
I'm trying to get lots of blog posts in here and on IW as Thanksgiving break's finally given me the chance to do so.
I heard Lady Marmalade on the radio yesterday, and I looked up the music video. Then it hit me. Why shouldn't Morning Musume cover it? There's no reason not to, so why should they do it? I'll explain here.
3. They've already done a cover song, and this one is more of a contemporary AND a disco hit.
Sure, sure. They've done a cover album, a cover version of a Japanese pop hit, and I think they've covered enough other songs to last a carrer on TV, but this would be a cover that they hadn't done: a cover of a cover that was a HUGE hit worldwide, and won a grammy. By covering Lady Marmalade, they could not only get more Japanese fans, but it's highly likely that they'll get more publicity in other countries too, even it's only just a small 20-second segment on the news or a 2-sentence mention on an entertainment blog. Any publicity of any amount is good publicity, right? Considering how popular this song is, a Japanese cover could also boost sales for the single in Japan.
2. The musical style is something new for Morning Musume, and it could lead to a new type of music for them
Morning Musume hasn't really done anything truly sexy music-wise. Sure, they do put out suggestive photobooks, and they often don't wear more than miniskirts or short-shorts on the bottom, and some of those dance moves... But, something that's mature and sexy anyway you put it, like Lady Marmalade might help them get into the sexy music. Because Kimagure Princess was a really sad attempt at trying to look sexy. They have to learn that you can't just say you're sexy and think that it will work. You have to dress in what looks like corsets and short-shorts, look the part of sexy, and sing sexily. They've already got the sexy look down from photobooks, so why can't they get a chance to master the art of singing sexily. It's not like their youngest member isn't almost 17. They're old enough to handle that sexy music, so give it to them.
1. The Fan-Factor
Oh, come on. What wota of the male gender wouldn't want to see their favorite Musume singing what essentially means: "Why don't you come sleep with me tonight?" And the wotas would probably be intensely happy with the whole "I'm sexy" act that actually worked. Also, AKB's strategy of getting their girls dressed up in what would normally be called accessorized underwear has been working very well. Hello Morning Musume, you only have one girl under 18 now... Also, I'm sure that the female fans can appreciate Momusu doing a cover of a song sung by one of the biggest tween sensations of the '90's. There's also an Takahashi Ai and Linlin to belt, which I'm sure all fans and non-fans of Momusu can appreciate thoroughly.
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-Midori
Hello!
Yes! The winner of the Amulet Diamond audition has been announced! And the winner is this 4th grade cutie-
Nanani Tanabe!
And here she is with the rest of the new Shugo Chara egg:
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-Midori
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:
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.
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.
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?
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?
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.
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:
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.
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.
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
Hello!
This post will be quick since I'm more excited to post the costume review!!!
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.
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-Midori
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
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
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...
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
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...
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 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?
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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That's it for today!
-Midori
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.
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
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.
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
Hello!
I just saw this survey, so I decided to do it for fun. (And since I haven't posted in a while) I'm feeling colorful today!
1. What was the first Japanese song that you ever listened to?
I honestly have no idea. My father used to work for a Japanese bank until I was 8, and I remember he sometimes brought back Japanese tapes and played them, but I don't know what they were... They're probably long gone by now. The first one I remember is the Sailor Moon theme song. That was... 10 years ago. The first J-pop song I was ever really obsessed with was Evolution by Ayumi Hamasaki and that was in 6th grade!
2. Did it inspire you to like that group/singer, or did it turn you away?
I'll just go with evolution, because it was the 1st jpop I remember hearing, but I never found out the artist until I started listening to Ayu after liking Morning Musume for a month or so, and I was surprised to find out that it was her! It didn't turn me away, but it really didn't turn me towards her either.
3. What is the one song that you have been listening to for the longest time?
I don't know! I know STEP YOU by Ayu is the highest by far play count wise on iTunes with about 160, but I also listen to the sounds straight from YouTube a lot. Recently, SONGS and For Good from Wicked and the Evita and Into the Woods soundtracks have been taking up a lot of my listening time.
The jpop song that I still listen to after a really long time is the first Morning Musume song I ever heard: Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari.
4. What group/singer have you liked the longest?
I've liked Ayu the longest, if you want to count Evolution into the count. Otherwise, that would be Morning Musume.
5. What is the song with the most plays on your itunes/media player?
J-pop: STEP YOU
Otherwise: For Good & Defying Gravity
6. Is that song your favorite?
No. My favorite song changes so often! I don't think you could count any song as my favorite.
7. If not, what is?
Anything Broadway on my iTunes. Jpop is great, but stuff from musicals is so much easier to sing along to! Then again, I still love Jpop just as much. I still try to sing along! Also, I have a good vocal range for broadway stuff while a lot of pop stuff including Jpop is in the alto range! (I'm a 2-part Soprano, 3/4-part Mezzo/Second Soprano)
8. Is there any one group that you can listen to all/most of the songs by? If so, who?
Morning Musume and Buono are definately shoo-ins for this category.
9. What is your favorite agency?
I would say UFA, but I don't agree with many of their executive decisions. I like quite a few artists under Avex, and their marketing and audition descisions turn out very well. They choose people who are and will be successful for a long time. Also, the music they produce is more mainstream, and it has something for everyone, not just those who like idolesqe-pop. Though, I must admit UFA has more acts that I like.
10. What is your favorite group/singer?
I really like Morning Musume and Buono! at the moment group-wise, but for soloists, Koda Kumi and Ayumi Hamasaki are way above and beyond the H!P soloists (ex-elder club members included) because of their music.
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-Midori
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