26 posts tagged “review”

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!

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!

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 won't be doing a review of Morning Musume's new PV, because it's just so awesome, so I'll post it here, and from my Buono! PV review, I hope you can know what I think about it.

 

 

1. Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou?- This song just illustrated why the new H!P is so different from the old H!P. The newer girls sounded okay, but the second that the Elder Club started singing, it was appearent how much better singer singers they are. Their tone and their showmanship is amazing! The little dance that the eggs started off with was kinda cool, but essentially pointless. The camera work in this concert is just amazing! I love how they actually made an effort to get as many of the girls in close-up shots as possible, and the panning shots looked really good with how the girls were set up. Junlin sound amazing as usual, and they've only improved!

2. ManoPiano- Mano just frankly sucks. I'm sorry, but this song is really incredibally terrible and her vocal tone is really nasally and young. Is she really 17? 'Cause she sounds like she's 12. At most. Also, there are many parts where she seems to go quite flat. Why did they give her a solo carrer again?

3. Minna No Tamago- I didn't fully appreciate how short these girl were until seeing them standing on that stage. Yuuka is quite obviously the only one singing live. She manages to pull it off quite well, but you can tell even without looking that her microphone is on from the way that her voice sounds compared to the others. This was really cute, and because of the cutesy song, they have complete justification for sounding so young, but the 3 in the new unit have to sound much better to pull off any other song.

4. Come Together- The wotas seem really off beat in this song with their "OI's" for some reason. Maybe it's just me. When I saw the dance for this live, it's extremely obvious that it's way too easy for any of the girls. And while Misa is right (I admit defeat, Misa) that the majority of H!P aren't good dancers, this dance is still a piece of cake for them. Give them dances that challenge them, and they'll get better. The performance isn't really spectacular either. The wotas even seem to lose interest by the end. They sound about half as loud at the end as they did from the beginning.

5. Kenchana ~Daijoubu~- While I will admit she's talented in singing, and that she has a jazzy voice, her music isn't good for her voice, and the wotas can't get into it. It's too boring. It's too much of a difference from the loud dance music of the rest of H!P. And while the other elders sing soft songs, at least they come with some sort of beat.

6. Uwaki na Honey Pie- Now, that's better. I like how since they needed girls to harmonize behind her, they put in eggs, but still gave her all of the important stuff. The eggs match her well on stage for this situation. They really know how to back someone up! I can also appreciate the cowboy hat and boots, because weather it was intentional or not, they fit the whole country musume thing.

7. Kuyashi Namida Porori- Look at those wotas go! I really worship the light-stick wota who made light-sticks into the shape of her name! She looks really happy up there, and she looks happy to be retiring from idol-dom. It's long past time for her. I love her in H!P, and I just think she's a great entertainer, but I think she'll be much happier out of the idol bussiness. Even if she's just a TV personality, she won't be tied down by some of the harsher rules of it. She sings this song like the pro she is, and I love the way that she melts some of the notes at the end of the phrase. I highly doubt that if anyone else was doing this song, that I'd like it. It's also nice how she takes the ear things out at the end so she can hear the fans, not herself. That's a true idol.

8. Hapi Hapi Sunday- While Koharu was okay, as usual, she was totally outshined by those two little girls. They may not be quite good dancers or singers yet, they totally make up for it in their own way of just being energetic and cute! They seem so happy to be up there, that they totally outshine Koha who seems to just be doing her job. While these two aren't quite ready to do anything, I think they'll be very good if they take a few more years to devote to training with their new group, and then when all of those girls are 10 or so, and go through non-harsh but weekly or so training for 3 or 4 years, they're group could be very nice.

9. This Is Unmei- KICKS ASS! Not only is MK in the best shape ever, they also manage to get the wotas off their feet and screaming their hearts out for the first time in this concert. From the second they come out, I love how they really work the crowd as a whole, and some of the wotas wearing C-ute, Berryz, and Momusu shirts are just so into this throughout. This is why these girls deserved so much more than they've gotten, sales and music-wise. I also really like how the choreographer used the stage to have them yelling and pointing accross at eachother. It really looked very effective. The girls really looked like they were about to get into a major idol-argument. If there's one group that the H!P eggs and kids need to learn from, it's this one. I also like how when they said "jigoku" (hell) the whole place went black except for the bright red part of the stage they were standing on.

10. Forever Love- Even though I recognise that Berryz deserves more attention because they've been around longer, C-ute continually owns them. The lighting and their expressions work so well during this, but they still didn't steal the show. I think with time, they'll become a great group, but for now, they're doing just amazing!

11. Dakishimete x2- With this dance, it seems that Berryz is attempting to beat C-ute at their own game, and well, quite frankly it doesn't really work. While the singing is just fine, except for a certain Risako's, they don't put out the performance factor quite as well as C-ute does. They don't seem to be as confident, and they just don't own the stage like C-ute. They still do seem to be improving in both areas, though, so maybe having C-ute as a sort of rival is pushing them to do better.

12. Tanpopo- YAYS! More elders again! During this concert, I feel that I'm enjoying the elders 100x more than the younger girls. Maybe it's the vocal quality, or maybe it's their showmanship. First generation Tanpopo owns this. Their vocal quality is so nice. The second that the other 4 stepped on stage, you could feel that this song just wouldn't sound as good. And... as a side note, why is Risa holding her stomach like Kaorin did when she was pregnant? O.o

13. Baby ~KOI NI KNOCKOUT!~- Maybe it's the song, but the wotas are really pumped up for this one! The dance looks fantastic, and they all sound fantastic! I'm surprised that Kei can still dance like that! Yossie looks feirce in all of her close-ups. I really love this trio as pucchi moni. The energy just doesn't stop! Also, their voices fit this kind of music. Then again, Kei's voice fits all kinds of music. Speaking of Kei, her high note at the end was just great! And her face at the end... she must've been possesed by Yossie or something!

14. Chocolate Damashii- Ayaya sounds great here, as she always does and always will. It's kinda freaking me out how her earpiece is shiny. Are they trying to make it obvious or something? I hear no wotas chanting here, so it's either that the song is way too new, that the wotas are still in the process of finding a cheer, or she's just failing at working the wotas into a frenzy like she used to.

15. YEAH! Meccha Holiday- Does she really have a broken toe? The wotas here still aren't quite as worked up as if this had been 6 years ago, but they still are getting into it by this point. It's really funny that you can see some wotas doing the dance at points. She seems kinda boring at the beginning, but when the wotas start going nuts, you can hear her getting happier and more into it herself. She's very good at the dance now compared to when she did this when the single was released.

16. Egao ni Namida- I didn't really like this particular song. It just didn't really work for me. The dance and the way that it was sung just didn't seem good, instead they seemed kinda awkward at points. Anyways, why does she get 3 solo songs? -.-

17. Hare Ame Nochi Suki- This was a really good performance. While I still like the way that Aibon sings her parts, so I was sad that she wasn't there, it still was nice. By the way, why are they singing this song again? At this same concert two years ago they did exactly the same thing with this song: same people, same costumes, same song. They could've at least done Sakuragumi's other song, which they seem to like to forget exists at every recent oppourtunity to perform it. Also, the line changing with Aibon out would've been easier: you could've just stuck Nacchi into singing her part.

18. Ai No Sono ~Touch My Heart~- While I heavily perfer Otomegumi's 2nd single to this one, I still like this performance, but again, instead of a repeat of 2 years ago, could we have had their other single at least? Is it too much to ask? I liked the smooth transition between the groups, and the girls just started to pump the crowd up from the beginning. Nono's singing has improved slightly, but her dancing seems a little awkward, probably due to her long time off stage. (I wonder if her husband was there to see this?) They also manage to work the crowd quite well, but MK still owns everyone in that aspect.

19. Co.No.Mi.Chi.- Someone's slightly flat on the high note in the beginning. Otherwise, this is typical, cool Buono!. I love how quickly they move around the stage. Momoko sounds like she has a bit of a stuffy nose here, but she really seems to be doing her best to ignore it. She's probably the one who was flat. Still, they seemed to do very well here!

20. Debut! Lian Ai Deng Chang- I don't think that they were ready to debut this early, but I guess they did. They still seem quite awkward on stage, and their singing isn't the best. The dance really doesn't look very good either. With more practice, they might improve, but for now, they look like some kids at a school talent show.

21. Hitoshirezu Mune wo Kanaderu no Aki- This song is such a nice one. I love their singing on it. This is such a nice song for women about their age to sing. It's not extremely mature, but it's very slow and sophistocated piece. This song has such a nice melody, and the background music is made more to compliment it, not to match it. The chords at the end are so beautiful I could cry!

22. Magic of Love- These two look so great on stage together. Their personalities are good matches for eachother. This song fits so well with their voices. I think that both of them singing this song was meant to be. I love how they not only look like they love what they're doing, but how they also seem to be so into the song. They may be on the older end for H!P, but they're cetainly not on the end that seem disconnected to their music.

23. Screen- This was very similar to the version of this performed at the elders club concert, so just refer to that one.

24. Suki Na Sempai- This is the second time that they've sung this song and that they've said it's their last time performing together. With how they're always together, and their great chemistry on stage, somehow I doubt it. This song sounds so much better than it did 7 years ago when they first sung it together. They seem so happy to be together on stage and singing. This is the generation that seems to be the one most likely to reunite later.

25. Romantic Ukare Mode- Miki's improved so much since she first joined H!P, that I would usually have a problem with her singing this. Of course, She sounds great as usual, but she doesn't really seem to be as happy singing cute songs, for which the reason is quite obvious: she's older and probably knew that she would soon be a married woman.

26. Kachoiize Japan- While Biyuuden still sucks at singing, they seem to have gotten better here. I liked the starting set up for this. And while they didn't take the usual Biyuuden wears skimpy stuff route, they chose the show off their boobs one, which is equally effective. They make a great group, to the point where it just seems like they became inactive, not broke-up. I love the way that while the Kids are there, they're there to compliment, not take over.

27. Naichau Kamo- I don't really even want to comment on this since this was also a repeat and the members aren't graduating.

28. Resonant Blue- Resonant Blue sounds good when it's just Morning Musume. While adding other girls in doesn't change the sound, it's kind of really pointless on a song with line distribution like this one. This is a good performance, and I think by now the girls can do this in their sleep, and it looks like they're doing just that. It seems so rehearsed, and not in a good way. This song has to seem spontaneous and kind of like a fit, similar to Shabondama.

29. Namida no Iro- These costumes look just fabulous on stage. Also, Airi's hair appears to be channeling Tracy Turnblad's here. It's even puffier than earlier! The C-ute girls dance just wonderfully during the dance break and generally just own. They seem to be way more into this than Morning Musume, but I can see how considering that they are a lot younger than Morning Musume, and that this is the first song in a while.

30. MADAYADE- Berryz really shouldn't have sung this one instead of something else. I don't know why, but Madayade just doesn't look good the way that they performed it, and for some reason, they just don't seem on top of their game. I can't say that I don't like Berryz, but they were definately given the wrong songs and the wrong expectations for this show.

31. Morning Coffee- I love how the first generation is singing their exclusive 1st generation song. Their voices make such beautiful music in the harmonizing on this song. I love how they sing it. The harmonizing can't be done nearly as well by anyone except the first generation. They also seem like a very close generation. I think that they seem to enchant when they're singing, whereas the other H!P members pump them up. There's something to be said for good old performing, not just acting hyper on a stage.

32. Koko ni Iruzee- This is the other side of Morning Musume: Hyper and fun. The way that they all burst onto stage like that is surprising, and then they go straight into the song. I've always loved the lives of this song because of the enthusiasm that goes into it. While some Morning Musume songs are insanely hyper like this one, this one really seems to be the most fun of them to perform. They just look like they're having fun doing such a crazy dance! Also, when Makoto says "I'm here!", you can really tell how good she's gotten at english. She seems to be a pro at that line. It's also kinda funny how you can see Ai really quickly kick her leg over Makoto's head while she's singing! I can kick my leg over someone's head who's taller than me, but she seems to do it so effortlessly and fast that it's hard to notice!

33. Love Machine- JunLin own the "Oo's" at the beginning: they're the only two I've seen sing them where you can hear their voice over the back-up. Iida does her priceless "Deiyaa" face, and all of Morning Musume performs together one last time before their next anniversary rolls around. I love how they don't seem bored with this song, even after preforming it close to 500 times!

34. Michi Naru Mirai He- I skipped over this for no appearent reason.

MC: Graduation- This really made me cry! It was so emotional. I started bawling when Yuko and Ai traded letters! I think that it was just so emotional!

35. ALL FOR ONE & ONE FOR ALL- This is such a perfect ending, I can't describe it! I think that this song is such a great way to see how H!P has changed over the years. I love how they're singing the "H!P Anthem" one last time as it was meant to be sung, in the order that H!P was built up, before the moment has to be over.

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Your Bawling Blogger.

-Midori

He~ello!

I LOVE BUONO TO DEATH!!!!!!

Can I say more? And their new PV is finally out. This will be quick since I'd like to save the insanely long posts for when I decide to write up this year's Haro!Pro awards/graduation bananza.

Anyways, here's the PV:

 

I LOVE THIS!!!

Everything is going right here! There's extras in an H!P PV, and the budget is awesome! two high-quality costumes and a great set. There's even a plot! They're getting more that Morning Musume is!!! Buono is moving up in the world! And they deserve it! The music is much better than Co.No.Mi.Chi, it fits Buono more. I really hope that Buono continues, even after Shugo Chara ends. They're so awesome~! I also love how the plot is Ninja!Buono sneaking into a building to steal the most heavily guarded cake I've ever seen.

Anyways, this new PV has led me to come up with my own ideas for how H!P should run without money flowing to the elders:

If this is the way that H!P is going now that there's not any extra money going to the elders club, who did nothing, I'm really excited. H!P may get a new, longer TV show, and better PVs, and maybe even more TV appearences. Now all they have to do is wipe that idol image off of them, and they're set! It's no secret that AKB48's sales have shot up since they started making dramas and created their own variety show for TV. It's also to be noted that the more interesting a PV is, the more likely people are to buy it. There was one song that came out a few months ago in Japan, which had cross-dressing men singing something like disco music. It's certantly interesting and eyecatching, and it's been selling extremely well. Other popular singers such as Koda Kumi or Ayumi Hamasaki have cool, eyecatching PVs, and they sell well. As for why Johnnys selling so extraordinarily well, it might not only be that they've been around so damn long, but also because right now, male singers are simply selling way better.

While the idol image is popular with the fans, and while the H!P parents may like it, anyone could tell you that no matter where you are, you can't make it into the entertainment world without scandals and publicity stunts. Scandals or relationships in J-pop may tick off the most creepy fans, but they don't ruin your carrer, they help it. How many wota seriously care if their girl is a virgin? I've already watched the winter concert, and I can testify to the fact that Nono and Kaorin got just as many cheers as any of the others even though they're married women. Also, how many celebrities have gotten famous because of who they marry or date. Not only in the U.S., but it also happens elsewhere. Has anyone else noticed that Nono's husband seems to have gotten all of these jobs since their relationship has started, and Nono herself has gotten many new oppourtunites from her relationship, weather it's the being a mother part, or just getting married. You'll often find that scandals can also raise publicity and intrest. When H!P was at its height, a scandal wouldn't get someone suspended, and in fact, it raised the publicity and intrest in H!P, which probably helped H!P stay popular. The second that they stopped tolerating scandals and were more conscious of what their girls did dating-wise, H!P stopped getting that publicity, and their sales dropped drastically.

So, scandals are good, and the more money they spend on getting the girls out and promoted, the better. This PV is certainly a step towards getting the PVs to get interesting so people will watch them, not just girls running around.

-Midori

HHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!

I have too much energy today!

Since life would have me worshiping Linlin at the moment, the costume example photos will be mainly of her, but there will be some others thrown in. Actually, I wasn't able to find too many Linlin pictures, but I used the ones I found.

To start off, there's so many costumes for this concert, that Momusu has certantly stepped up their budget. That's not to say that they're good, but it's to say that they're spending more. I have no idea what songs these costumes are for, but I could hazard a guess on one or two.

I'll be doing the overall and BAC as usual for kicks.

 

Linlin's unique costume!

I actually know a number of girls who would love this outfit and wear it to school if it was more normal, so I can't criticize it too much. It may actually be really cute in browns and without that hideous flower stuck on her head!

I really like how they're at least attempting to dress Momusu more normally. While this style of dress may look like a tent, it actally is in style right now, so I have no complaints.

Overall: 4/5

BAC: 0.02 (For good measure on the color)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Black & Silver zipper dresses

These actually aren't bad at all. I really like how they look like Morning Musume in the cut of the dresses, but that they seem to be going more innovative in the giant zippers. While these are really too shiny for me to fully appreciate, and I don't like how the zipper ends at the top instead of on the dress, I definately agree with the direction that these were going. If they zipped down and revealed a blace mini-dress underneath to accent the over-dress and distract from the shiny-ness, these might have been even better.

Overall: 4/5

BAC: 0.04 (Because of how the zipper ends and the uselessness of it's size)

 

 

 

 

 

The Marching Band-style uniforms

I'm really seeing Black and silver as a theme for this concert. Not that I mind it.

These costumes seem to remind me of Micheal Jackson on some perverse level...

These would only be good in the case that they're worn for SONGS. They seem to fit my image of what the costumes for that song would look like: darker, more mysterious colors, and marching band-esque.

If SONGS isn't at least in the set, there's no excuse for these.

Overall: 3/5

BAC: 0.03 (Really, why would you want to make anyone think of Micheal Jackson in anyway other than Jackson 5 or the Thriller dance?)

 

 

The OMGBBQWTF Outfits

I have no idea what drove anyone to create these...

They must have been really drunk. I feel like they just took a bunch of extra fake flowers from a kids show, along with some really retro fabric and glued them into a dress. Along with some random hats, buttons and belts.

Can you really call this a costume?

These are even worse than the fluff-covered nightmares form fall '07! Really, those at least looked sort-of thought-through, and not "a kids show barfed on me".

Look at it and watch your eyes burn. Or play I Spy.

Overall: 0/5

BAC: 0.3 (Or however drunk you can be without passing out or dying)

 

 

 

The "Mexican" costumes

Really, what were they thinking again?

If these didn't have the fake little hats, they might have been at least a little better.

Frankly though. I hate these.

Overall: 1.5/5

BAC: 0.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Take Off Is now dresses

I know what song these are for because of the poses she was in while the photos were taken. All of them are straight out of this dance.

By the way, did she sneak into Nono's closet and steal all of her bows, belts, and necklaces possible to?

This whole ensemble would have been perfect for her without either of the giant bows or the collar. The gloves also look really bad because they're way too big for her.

Make them classy, but don't try too hard at it!

Overall: 3/5

BAC: 0.15 (Or however drunk you'd need to be to break into the Sugiura residence and steal some stuff)

 

 

 

 

The Frilly Schoolgirl Dresses

I would've LOVED these if the skirts weren't so poofy. And covered in random crap.

These costumes look rather HUGE on the girls up top, and they'd look a lot bettrer if they were tighter, less foofy, and dare I say it... shorter.

The one thing that really bugs me about these is how many little adornments they put on the skirt. Really, all they needed was the one little one on top. Did the designers not go on a drunken fluff rampage, but a drunk adornment rampage?

Overall: 2.5/5

BAC: 0.1

 

 

 

 

The Sexy Cat Outfits

These could've been better without the fake tails.

These costumes look kinda like ones that american singers would wear: they look like snazzed-up and sexy sweat-suits with the lace-up boots. While the fabric's pattern and the excessive bows/frills are slightly off that track, it's certantly closer to american singers than most stuff they have worn in the past and continue to wear. I think Koharu's from this set looks closest, but I just had to post the picture of Reina for some reason.

Overall: 4/5

BAC: 0.06 (When accounting for the frills and bows)

 

 

 

 

 

The Sexy Princess Costumes

I LOVE THESE!

When I first saw them, I was really hated them. Of course, it was in all the cell phone photos, so I couldn't see all the details of them.

Once you see the length with the bows and the lace, they seem like sexy, mature costumes to wear. I really like this set. It seems to fit the current Momusu: It's still poofy, and pink to represent their idol image, but the more sexy and mature image of the whole thing put together is what makes these costumes work, and work well.

They also look like something more mainstream for J-pop. If there was one Momusu costume in recent memory that I could see Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, or some other famous J-pop diva wear in a concert, these would be them: Sexy, mature, and cute, rolled into one!

Overall: 5/5

BAC: 0.06 (They'd need to be slightly drunk at least to consider putting Morning Musume in these because of how contrary they are to the rest of the set.)

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Avg Overall Score: 3/5

Overall, the designers must have had a beer party for this concert, did they ever!

-Midori

Hello!

Wut? H!P revolution? And to think I just had a 1-hour lecture about the Russian Revolution today.

1. Resonant Blue - all- YES!!! My wish came true! I really liked how the other girls really were back-up, but they complemented the song nicely with the dance during the dance break. The leads sound great as usual.
2. LALALA Shiawase no Uta - all except Shugo Chara Egg- This is always 100x more fun the more people that do it, so it was fun, but really, I'm sick of this song already. Why did they mention that SCE wasn't joining in? I didn't notice the eggs at all in either of these songs...
3. Minna no Tamago - Shugo Chara Egg- NOOOOOOO! They all sound like 2-year-olds! NEXT!!!
4. Happy☆Happy Sunday - What? I listened to this and Koharu was live and my ears didn't bleed? Wo0T! This shows that if she tries to sing like the 16-year-old she is, and not the 3-year-old she wants to be, she may have something there, no matter how small.
5. Tan Tan Taan! - Milky Way- YAY MILKY WAY!!! Too bad they're not going to be around much longer. Again, the other two totally outshine Koha.
6. FOREVER LOVE - ºC-ute- This. Was. Intense. My god does C-ute need to get more exposure.

7. Meguru Koi no Kisetsu - ºC-ute, Tanaka Reina and Mitsui Aika- Okay, I'm sorry, but I really don't like this combo. It sucked.
8. MADAYADE - Berryz koubou- They sounded feirce, but I couldn't stand to look at them, so it really wasn't a stand-out perfromance for me.
9. Koi no Jubaku - This was actually a nice combo, but I still think that it could've been better.
10. Lalala Sososo - Mano Erina- I skipped it, and on the one line I did hear, she sounded as young as Koha usually does, which isn't good. At all.
11. Rottara Rottara - Buono!- BUONO ROX MY MULTI-COLORED TOE SOCKS!!!
12. Naichau Kamo - Morning Musume- I like this live, and they all sounded amazing, so I don't really have any comments.
13. Mikan - Niigaki Risa, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, Kusumi Koharu, Mitsui Aika, Junjun, Linlin, Yajima Maimi, Sugaya Risako- I really didn't care about this performance. It didn't stand out, Risako somehow managed to get so many lines that so many other girls could've sung so much better, etc.
14. Jingisukan - All- Umm... this wasn't fun or exciting for me, and this song has never really been my favorite, so...
15. Shiroi TOKYO - Nigaki Risa, Yajima Maimi, Tokunaga Chinami, Nakajima Saki, Hagiwara Mai, Mano Erina- This was actually much better than I thought it would be. Besides the fact that it had a really nasally and as young as the original group.

16. Natsu Doki Lip Stick - Yajima Maimi, Kikkawa Yuu, Maeda Yuuka, Fukada Kanon, Sekine Azusa, Ogawa Saki- This was all Maimi, no eggs. Maimi just owns this song. I'm sorry eggs, but Maimi owns everyone in every way everytime she sings this.
17. Baka Ni Shinaide - Shimizu Saki, Natsuyaki Miyabi, Kumai Yurina, Sugaya Risako- This was feirce. I didn't like the dance for the music, but it was actually fun to watch. A good follow up song to Natsu Doki Lip Stick.
18. Mr.Moonlight Ai no Big band - Takahashi Ai, Umeda Erika, Tokunaga Chinami, Nakajima Saki, Okai Chisato, Arihara Kanna, Saho Akari, Sekine Azusa- There's only one thing to say: Ai-chan is pimpn'.
19. Soku Dakishimede - ℃-ute- This has vastly improved since C-ute first sang it. Again, these girls need a lot more credit than they get.

20. Gyagu 100kai bun Aishite Kudasai - Berryz Koubou- The sad part about this, is while I like how it was sung, it really pisses me off that they don't sound at all different or improved in any way, and this shows just that.
21. Darling I LOVE YOU - Berryz Koubou, ・℃-ute- The one at the battle concert was better. Hands down.
22. Take off is now! - Takahashi Ai, Nigaki Risa, Tanaka Reina- I LOVE THIS SONG LIVE! It's so much fiercer live and it's just so much better all around live. It's always exciting to watch, and that dance is just kickass at the beginning and end.
23. Renai Revolution 21 - Morning Musume- I just skipped this I was so sick of it.
24. Guru Guru JUMP - All- I LOVE JUNJUN AND LINLIN!!! THEY OWN MY WOTA'D OUT SOUL!!! They just own this! They're really moving up in the world, with solos at a major concert! YAY!!!
25. Ame no Furanai Hoshi dewa Aisenai darou - All- The JunLin bits sound great, but if all the really good singers got solos, why did Risako get one instead of say, Miyabi, Momoko, Captian, or some other Berryz girl? (Not meant to offend Risako fans, but she sucks compared to Miyabi and Momoko in singing. I must say though that she has a great stage presence.)
26. Go Girl Koi no victory - All- I skipped this. Why do I hate this song? I don't know, but I do.

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Overall: 8/10

-Midori

Hello!

I said that I'd do a crack album review a month or so ago, and here it is! (Or a warm-up for another one. Can you guess?) A crack review of Buono!2, since I was too lazy to do a real one. I'll summarize my actual opinions here:

Overall, Buono!2 is great. At first I didn't really like it too much, but now I'm adicted. In fact this, was my wake-up music on the day that we won our choir competition~! WOOT! The vast amount of single songs made me wonder if they were just being cheap, or if the rest was just really good. It turned out to be the latter. All of the songs except Early Bird are great, and I really like the way that this album tries out so many different forms of rock. While GOAL does remind me of Viva La Vida, that's definately not a bad thing. Over The Rainbow and You're My Friend aren't my favorties, but they're still pretty good. I NEED YOU and Kirakira are easily my favorites for the original album songs, and both are really fun to dance or air guitar to. Shoushitsuten ~Vanishing Point~ is pretty good, and it reminds me of some anime songs from the '90's for some reason.

Anyways, on with the crack review~! I'm only doing the album original songs, and since Platinum 9 Disc is coming out soon anyways, I'm saving the extreme crack such as comparing it with tickle-me-elmos, pieces of clothing, or something else completely out of the ballpark for that. This is more of me and my love for musicals showing.

(Done in song-by-song format to piss off some of the IW staff for no particular reason. Actually, it's because crack reviews don't need flow to them. <insert evil laugh here> Don't hate me!)

 

 

Early Bird- Kiss Me from Sweeney Todd. They both involve yelling and what would seem to be talking. Also, they both seem to work in a point in a musical that you could randomly edit out, and no one would really care. (Except those that are devout fans.) Also, they're both uncharacteristically cheerful for the mood of the rest of whatever they're in.

Kirakira- Memory from Cats. Why? They both seem to be the selling point of the album/musical. This is the best album original song, and it's towards the beginning, so it's obviously the selling point, while Memory is famous enough that the song sells tickets by itself. Also, They both seem oddly out of place where they are. Memory seems like it wouldn't come from Cats because of the melody, while Kirakira's style feels like it belongs on Buono's first album, not this one.

Shoushitsuten ~Vanishing Point~- Phantom of the Opera from Phantom of the Opera. It seems oddly out of place where it is. Not even oddly out of place. Really out of Place. Just like Phantom of the Opera has a hard-rock instrumental and an opratic melody (I suppose to go with the opera theme) to go with it that just doesn't match the rest of the musical, this song sounds like it's from a different decade in Japanese music altogether, so while it fits the theme, it doesn't match.

I NEED YOU- It's like America from Westside Story. When I first heard both of them, I was thinking, wtf? But, as the song went on, I started to like the way they were written. Now this is the highlight of the album, while during WsS I always look forward to this wacky song. Also, the songs seem to be added in at awkward places, but still fit the whole theme.

You're My Friend- Cell Block Tango from Chicago- These songs both really caught my eye at first. They both have bad yet good interpretations of a foriegn language. ("I Love you day by day" sounds awkward, and the foriegn verse is supposedly sang with such a heavy Hungarian accent that it's hard to understand.) Also, both are more appealing when seen with the dance/a picture to go with them for some reason.

OVER THE RAINBOW- Knights of the Round Table from Spamalot. These songs both have names from movie songs, and the one from Spamalot is the same, but in both cases, the other versions intrigue me.

Goal- Defying Gravity from Wicked. These songs both end something, weather it be an album or an act. Both are also songs that can be loved or hated depending on where you hear it. Defying Gravity is sung differently live from the album track, so depending on which you hear, you have a good chance of hating the other. Goal, if heard after Viva la Vida, can be taken as a bad copy of it, or a good song inspired by it.

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-Midori

HIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI~!

I went to dohhh up today, thinking that this would be up, and it was! (Yays!)

I've already talked about the song and the costumes, so you'll have to deal with me not adressing them.

 

The good:

• The costumes: I'll sum up my opinion: They're pretty much pure awesomeness.
• The song: I love it. And the part after the dance break is very interesting.
• The dance shot: While the background is strikingly similar to Resonant Blue's color-wise, I really like how it looks, and how it makes the girls stand out, but not too much.
• The look: All the girls look fabulous in the dance shot when you put the whole hair-makeup-costume equation together, and my only complaint with it is Ai's excessively poofy hair. There should also be props to whoever decided to make those horrid cover outfits for the close-up so we barely have to see them. Also, Reina's nails scare me.
• The dance: While the dance is kind of boring, and the dance break is nothing spectacular, the dance is still complex and effective.
• The acting portions: While it's generally only them crying or standing there, their acting abilities seem to have improved.
• The artisticness: I really like how they took a more artistic approach to the close-up shots, while it's not the best I've seen, I still like how they at least tried something new.

The "I'm not so impressed"

• Resonant Blue-esque? Anyone? Does anyone else see the similarities to the resonant blue PV?
• The Budget: WON'T THEY GIVE MORNING MUSUME A BUDGET ALREADY?!?!?!

That's all I really have to say about it.

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-Midori