Sukeban Deka Codename Asamiya Saki

Watched Ayaya's movie last night. I have wanted to watch it since I first heard it was coming out, but had to wait a long time (obviously) since I don't understand Japanese well at all (only a snippet here and there) and thus had to wait for someone to sub it. Thank goodness for the Hello!Online tracker.

Anyway, I enjoyed the movie immensely, though it may be because I kept getting into these crazy giggle fits as Ayaya and Rika-chan went into their "badass" modes. It was just so surreal to watch. Aya and Rika are both so freaking adorable, that watching them in these roles was definitely an experience. And to clarify, I wasn't giggling because they were acting badly, it was simply because it was like a polar opposite to the personalities they exude on a regular basis that it evoked giggles from me for some reason.

And so, with this mention of Ayaya, I shall discuss my favourite H!P artist (from the entire list of all H!P members, soloist or within a group)... *drum roll* ...

Matsuura Aya!!!
Why is Ayaya my favourite H!P artist, you ask? Well, I first saw her perform in the 2001 Haru MM concert. She was cute, and I think she only had her first single out at that time. It wasn't the most memorable performance I've seen. Her first 2 songs were okay, but then came "Love Namida Iro" and I was hooked. I love that song, and it hasn't wavered. That is one of my top listed H!P songs of all time. Reasons for loving Ayaya: a) her voice. I think it's fabulous. She can do cutesy (as seen from her first 2 releases and things like "Momoiro Kataomoi") but when she sings ballads, wow. Particularly "Zutto Suki De Ii Desu Ka". From the moment I heard that song, I loved it. I could listen to that song forever and not get tired of it. I am personally a really big fan of ballads (have enjoyed "VERY BEAUTY" and "Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba" from Berryz"). Actually, my favourite rendition of "Love Namida Iro" was an acoustic version in 2002.6.8 Final Secret Live in Factory Stage. b) she's consistent. She's amazing live. she's able to pull off an entire concert, and seeing as how she has some pretty energetic songs, she has the stamina to keep it strong until the final note. I can't recall a performance where she went terribly off pitch. There was one concert (can't remember which one) where she forgot the lines to "I Know" (kinda ironic, wouldn't you say?), but she was so cute as she hit her head trying to get the words back in. c) she dances well and very energetically (while still keeping pitch throughout her concerts). d) she's so pretty... I find her gorgeous when her hair's long (see the "Zutto Suki De Ii Desu Ka" PV/CD cover). I feel the same way with Takahashi Ai. They just both look so good with long hair.

Still need more time observing C-ute to get a proper opinion on the members. But I will say that I love Airi - this is mainly due to the fact that I loved Aa! and back in those days Reina was my least favourite member... And notice who my favourite Berryz member is... Coincidence, you ask? I think not.

The next challenge will be to order a top list of H!P members, mixing from any group. Haven't actually tried to do that yet, but may do so soon.

H!P Members Ranking - Morning Musume

Here's my Morning Musume section of member ranking. I have to admit that I haven't been following MM as closely as I used to. Particularly because most of my favourite members have graduated and I haven't taken the time to familiarize myself with the new members.

So, rankings of the current line-up:

1. Takahashi Ai
She is absolutely fabulous. She has one of the best voices in H!P in my opinion and this girl can dance. I found she looked a little awkward when she first joined MM (but then again, the entire 5th gen did), but from her first solo line in "Souda! We're ALIVE" I was just wowed by her voice. Even in live performances, she sang it well (if you compare her singing her line in that song to Risa singing hers in live performances... well, there's just no comparison). So many people say that she has no personality, but I've always found her to be an interesting character to watch. I don't understand much Japanese (I'm working on fixing that) but while she's definitely not the most outspoken member, she definitely has her funny moments. And much like my reason for having Miyabi as my favourite Berryz member, Takahashi's consistency and talent just make her hands down my favourite MM member.

2. Niigaki Risa
This girl has definitely grown up from the 12 year old kid who joined in 2001. She wasn't one of my favourites back then because she was really inconsistent live. And she was awkward in interviews (as was Takahashi, but she was such a consistent performer, that I could overlook the interviewing awkwardness). However, she has developed both as a singer (I find she's pretty consistent during performances now, and her voice has matured into a nice quality than it had been initially), and in regards to her persona within the group. She exudes this energy all the time that just puts a smile on your face. She's definitely an interesting character.

3./4. Tanaka Reina and Kamei Eri
Not sure which one I like more from these 2. Reina obviously gets more lines, but I don't know whose voice I like more. However, I found both of them absolutely hilarious in one of the Hello! Morning episodes a few years back when they had a guy come in and teach them English. Reina with her "angry" story involving "people people people" on the elevator:

Tanaka was in a full elevator, but even though it was full, people kept stuffing themselves in.

"Reina! イっパイ　elevator... man power? 人　ヒト! ヒ~ト! ジン!　people? People イッパイ... マア　イッパイ... walk walk walk.... Elevator people people people people.... Reina ポッ~ン... Wow! People people..... Wow wow wow party party. hungry?"

http://wiki.theppn.org/Hello%21_Morning_Episode_265

In Eri's "shock" story, hearing her try to pronounce the word "refridgerator" - RE-FREE-GEE-TA - was priceless, as was the instructor's reaction.

Kamei ate some cheese in the refrigerator before finding out that it was meant to be dog food.

"Cheese Box Cool. Cool box. Refrigerator in cheese. Cheese in　refrigita. Cheese in refri... gerator. My hand cheese hand in hand in. Hand in cheese? Cheese in hand. I eat cheese in refrigerator. But mother talk dog food. "dog cheese". My shock."

http://wiki.theppn.org/Hello%21_Morning_Episode_265

5./6./7. Mitsui Aika, Jun Jun and Lin Lin
8th gen... I dunno much about them, 'cause as I mentioned, I haven't been following MM very much recently. I see watch the PVs, but I haven't really watched interviews and I haven't been keeping up with Haro Moni. I can't remember off the top of my head which one it is, but from what I've seen, I'm not a big fan on either Jun Jun or Lin Lin's voice.

8. Michishige Sayumi
This girl just gets on my nerves. No offense to those who full out <3 the girl, but she can't sing and her cutesy image absolutely rubs me the wrong way. For some reason, this section of my post (and the start of #9) keeps disappearing, so I'm tired of re-writing this... I'm forgetting what I wrote already. Let's just say I find her cute image irritating rather than endearing.

9. Kusumi Koharu
Now I just don't understand the hype surrounding this girl. How Tsunku chose her as the "ace"/"miracle" girl will forever boggle my mind. She can't sing for the life of her and she's so prominent right now. Theppn mentioned she was the top selling H!P soloist for 2006. How in the world did that happen? >_< Unless, she was the one with the most releases... Seeing as Ayaya has been kinda AWOL in the music scene (though I'd take a break too if I was diagnosed with temporomandibular joint disorder). But then again, flat out cuteness does seem to sell over singing talent. It really bothers me 'cause she's terrible live. And when she's solo, I don't think I've actually heard her live (I only see her live in the H!P concerts, and it all sounds very lip synced to me). Another point from theppn: She said she prefers the "cool" personas over the "cute" personas, with Hitomi and Miki being the MM members she admired the most (back when they were members) and yet her mentor figure is Michishige?... How does that work? Unless she didn't choose her mentor... But yea... She wouldn't bother me so much if she wasn't singled out for her fabulousness (which I simply don't see). One thing she's got is that she's pretty. I'll give her that. And I fully believe that this girl is going to grow up to be gorgeous. Some pictures I've seen of her have absolutely wowed me. However, the quality of her voice is not good... Maybe she'll surprise me in the future and develop much like Risa did. But for the moment, I don't see the "ace" that Tsunku does.

A mix including former MM members:

1. Ishikawa Rika
The quality of her voice is definitely not the greatest, but her ability to ham it up has just always fascinated me. She is able to play off a cute persona without annoying the heck out of me. And her ability to laugh at herself and accept teasing from the other members has made her very endearing to me. She was the first MM member that caught my eye (keep in mind that the first MM PV I saw was "The Peace"), and something about her has just kept her in my favourites list. My love for Rika is irrational, but what can you do? I <3 Charmy!

2. Takahashi Ai
For the reasons above

3. Yoshizawa Hitomi
Her gruff/boyish character has always been a joy to watch. All of her characters in the Haro Moni skits were fabulous. I particularly love her old man character (where Rika played her wife). And Yossie has a fabulous voice as well. Her consistency to very good now, and definitely improved compared to back in the day. I remember watching some of The Peace! live performances and cringing at some of her lines (as well as some of Nacchi's). But once they released Mr. Moonlight, I was wowed by her voice. It's very distinct within H!P. I would be able to pick her out anytime (just as I could with Takahashi and Fujimoto).

4. Niigaki Risa
For the reasons above.

5. Ogawa Makoto
I thought she needed a bit more screen time in general. Her constantly "genki" attitude was always entertaining to watch. And I loved all of her skit characters. I enjoyed her voice as well, but unfortunately she never got many lines.

6. Konno Asami
As the smartest member of MM, as evidenced by the Mechaike Bakajo Kimatsu Test, Konkon grew on me. I didn't like her much when she first joined. Her singing voice is definitely not spectacular, but something about her is just so endearing.

7. Yaguchi Mari
SEXY BEAM!! MINI MONI! Enough said.

8. Tsuji Nozomi
Tsuji (partnered with Kago) has always been an amusing character. But I really started to pay attention to her after I watched the concert where they performed songs from the 4th album, 4th Ikimasshoi! Prior to that, she was always using her cutesy voice, but in that particular concert, there was a particular line that she had in "Ikimasshoi!" and I was just like... :O That was Tsuji?!? I was surprised and impressed by the quality of her voice when it wasn't cute and high pitched. So, while she's enjoyable with the cute voice, I really like it when Tsuji belts it out.

I'll just list the rest. No more accompanying paragraphs.

9. Kago Ai (4th gen comes in second).
10. Yasuda Kei - Enjoyed her English lessons with Ayaka.
11. Iida Kaori - Such fun to watch the dancing... XD
12. Nakazawa Yuko
13/14. Tanaka Reina/Kamei Eri
15. Abe Natsumi - Was never one of my faves, though I also enjoyed her English lessons.
16. Goto Maki - Another who was never one of my faves. But highly enjoyed GoMaki Penguin on Hello! Morning.
17. Fujimoto Miki - Very distinct voice, but was never a big Miki fan, even pre-MM Miki.
18/19/20. Mitsui Aika, Jun Jun, Lin Lin
21. Michishige Sayumi
22. Kusumi Koharu

* Note: Ishiguro Aya, Fukuda Asuka and Ichii Sayaka were graduated by the time I got into MM, so no particular thoughts on them, though was always amused by the "Nice body, body body" of Aya's in "Love Machine"

First H!P shipment in!

I have gone an H!P ordering spree (more like Berryz Koubou/related spree) on yesasia and CDJapan. My first order, (which arrived yesterday!!!) was for Buono!'s "Honto no Jibun" and Berryz 4th album.



I was able to get a first press limited edition of "Honto no Jibun" with the DVD. Yay for the first press trading card! I just love the energy of this song. And it doesn't hurt that it features Miyabi and Suzuki Airi from C-ute. I was a huge fan of the subgroup Aa! (though Miyabi definitely did not get enough lines). Airi was such a baby in that PV, when I saw her more recently ('cause I didn't really follow much of C-ute until their newest PV) I simply could not believe that she had grown so much. She was so short back in the Aa! days. :) And I enjoy the dance of this song. I'm very glad that the DVD has the dance shot version on it. I have learned the dance for the song. It's quite enjoyable to do. ^_^




I absolutely love Berryz's 4th album. I liked all 4 of the singles released from this album (particularly "VERY BEAUTY" and "Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba"... Which many people seem to not have enjoyed due to their more ballad-like feel). For the album songs, I really enjoyed "Sayonara Hageshiki Koi". It's a good high energy, intense song... And I just saw that it means "Goodbye Intense Love", so it's good that it's an intense song. :) This was also the limited edition with DVD, but not first press (no trading card).



Am waiting on the "Kokuhaku no Funsui no Hiroba" single from CDJapan, and then a shipment with Berryz new single "Tsukiatteru no ni Kataomoi" first press limited edition with DVD, "VERY BEAUTY" with limited edition photobook, and C-ute's "Tokkaiko Junjo (Don't stop Junjo)" regulard edition from yesasia.

My personal H!P members ranking - Berryz Koubou

I've recently been wandering around on other blogs and forums, and have seen many lists of favourite H!P members or rankings for favourite members within the various groups, so I thought I'd get my say in.

Let's start with Berryz Koubou...
1. If you can't tell from my layout, the #1 spot goes to Natsuyaki Miyabi! I have just gotten into Berryz fairly recently (not that I haven't listen to their stuff before. I was a huge fan of "Piriri to Yukou!", "Special Generation", "Nanchuu Koi wo Yatteruu YOU KNOW?" and "Munasawagi Scarlet", but I didn't take the time to get to learn who the girls were until maybe 2 months ago). However, Miyabi was the first girl I had noticed from a concert that I watched a long time ago. I asked my brother back then who she was, and I haven't forgotten the name or face of Miyabi since. She caught my eye because I found that she was the most consistent during the live performance that I was watching. Since then, I find that she is still the most consistent of Berryz, and I'd say one of the most consistent in H!P overall. The quality of her voice doesn't vary from performance to performance. You can always count on Miyabi to produce! I also find her to be a pretty good and energetic dancer. Judging from the behind the scenes stuff I've watched, she's funny and easy going, and a good friend to the other members in the group. You can particularly see how she looks out for the others in the Hello Days FC extra DVD at the amusement park, first with riding alone on the rollercoaster since Momoko was obiously having a heart attack just at the thought of riding it, and then comforting Risako when they went up on the Ferris wheel (though I totally can totally relate to Risako in that scenario 'cause I hate heights and ferris wheels). And she has the coolest ability to produce a spark between her fingers just by spinning her hands around each other, as seen on their Music Fighter interview promoting the release of Munasawagi Scarlet.

2. Up next would be Sugaya Risako. She was the second Berryz member that I remembered the name of simply because she's so gosh darn cute! I don't find that she has the strongest vocals in the group. She's fine in the singles, but come live performances, she definitely a hit or miss kind of person. I like her voice better when she's not trying to belt it out. The quality sounds nicer when it's softer (unlike Miyabi who could be whispering or at full volume and she always sounds fabulous). A good example of her quieter voice would be from the song she sings with Momoko in the 4th album, "Watashi ga Suru Koto nai Hodo Zenbu Shite Kureru Kare". I also find that she's not the strongest dancer. It's not that she's bad, but definitely has her lazy dancing moments when she doesn't fully extend her arms and just looks kind of sluggish. But she's my #2 because she's such an amusing/cute character. I loved Berryz first live performance on Music Station for their first album. All the members introduced themselves. Risako was last, and she lost the rhythm of the intros, darting her eyes around for a few seconds trying to figure out if she should start talking. She was so adorably uncertain. Unfortunately, she also had a crazy out of tune line at the end of the performance, but tied in with her funny intro and her mike bouncing all over the place as she moved around, it wasn't too disconcerting. And she's a beast at PuyoPuyo. :D

3/4. I have a tie for 3rd and 4th between Kumai Yurina and Tokunaga Chinami. My reasoning behind this is not quite defined. Yurina's fairly constant in live performances, and she's just so freaking tall, I find that so cool. (Seeing as she was the tallest member of H!P from the age of like 13, I think...) Chinami's so cute, always so energetic and bubbly. Although I have to say I much prefer her hair shorter. When I go back and watch old PVs and performances, I can never recognize her, always wondering "Who was that?" when she flashes on screen. One particular note: I thought Chinami should have gotten lines in "Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba" simply because everyone else got a line. To balance the song out, I feel she should have gotten Momoko's lines from the 2nd verse.

5/6. Tied for 5th and 6th are Shimizu Saki and Sudou Maasa. I really enjoy how the audience calls Saki "Captain" at the concerts... I can't call to mind a recent one where I've heard a chant of "SAKI!" I should go back and check old concerts. When I first saw Saki, I thought she was the youngest, simply because she was the smallest. Imagine my surprise when I found out she was the oldest Berryz. However, I wasn't a big fan of Saki when she was in ZYX. As for Maasa, I enjoyed her funny character in their stage play "Geki Haro "Edo kara Chakushin!? ~Timeslip to Kengai!~". These two are futher down in my list because I don't find anything particularly outstanding in the qualities of their voices and they also don't get much coverage in general since they're not lead singers.

7. My least favourite Berryz, by process of elimination if you've been keeping count, is Tsugunaga Momoko. This is purely my personal preference. Her voice is really not my cup of tea. That's basically the main jist of it. I find her amusing to watch when she's not singing, but singing wise, it's just far too cutesy for me. It's a very different kind of cutesy in comparison to someone like Ishikawa Rika, who I have always found to be very endearing when she sings, even though the quality of her voice isn't the best. I would lump Momoko's voice more into the same category of Michishige Sayumi's voice, which I also do not enjoy. However, I will give Momoko credit in that she is another fairly consistent singer in live performances.

In general, I enjoy the group of Berryz immensely. They're currently my favourite H!P group. I started paying attention to H!P back in the summer of 2001, around the time of Nakazawa Yuuko's graduation, just before the addition of the 5th gen. But with almost all of my favourite Morning members gone, and not being particularly WOWed by the 8th gen (and definitely not Koharu) my MM enthusiasm has diminished somewhat.

My next post will go over my MM thoughts, and my overall favourite H!P performer. :)

Berryz Koubou's Tsukiatteru no ni Kataomoi - Take 2

So, after watching the PV a few more times:

1. I still feel Risako looks very very tall. I think it has to do with the flowiness of her skirt. I feel like the outfits also make Yurina and Maasa look really tall (even though I know they are), but not as much as Yurina's outfit in Very Beauty. She looked like a giant in that one. As for Risako's hair, I was trying to figure out what it was, and my brother pointed it out to me... I like her much better with bangs. The completely bared forehead just feels a little off to me.

2. I definitely like the sound of the song. It's catchy and happy. Though I would say that I enjoyed the last 3 singles more. I think that the PV brings down the feel of the song a little simply because it feels a little out of place. But then again, I don't understand what I'm hearing. But seeing as theppn says that the title translates to: "Even Though We're Dating, it's Unrequited Love" it doesn't seem like the PV has much to do with the lyrics.

3. Regarding the outfits, I'd have to say I like Yurina and Maasa's best because of the pants under the skirt. The tops would be Saki and Miya's. But in general, I just find the girls all look so nice in this PV. Miya, Yurina, Saki, Chinami and Maasa all look spectacular. I like the hairstyles of Miya, Yurina and particuarly Chinami. The wispiness of her hair is very flattering. Risako looks really pretty, except the hair is throwing me off a bit (she's reminding me of someone else, but I can't pinpoint who... Though I've read some other people's thoughts, and I just don't understand how anyone could possibly be mistaking Risako for Miya in this video). Unfortunately, my initial feeling wasn't incorrect and I get a weird vibe from Momoko in this PV. Some of her scenes look really forced to me, which is keeping me from enjoying her moments. But then again, I've never been the biggest Momoko fan, all the way back to the ZYX days.

4. I find one strange moment at around the 3:16 mark of the Dohhh UP! version. It's just as the instrumental part is ending and they're getting back into the vocals. As the girls are striking their poses, it flashes a close up of Miya for a split second and goes back to the group view. It feels very jerkish to me in midst of the rest of the PV.

5. One thing that completely boggles my mind is the story in this PV. I just don't get it. What's with Risako being all by her lonesome and getting the cloth from heaven? And then at the end, why are they all flying? ...o_O

So my overall feel: Nice new song... I'm enjoying it (which is good 'cause I already pre-ordered the single due to my faith in Berryz releasing good singles - haven't had one that I haven't liked so far; unlike Morning Musume who I feel have had a few duds). But the PV setting is awkward to the perkiness of the song.

Berryz Koubou's new PV: 'Tsukiatte Iru no ni Kataomoi'

The new Berryz Koubou PV has just been posted on Hello!Online and I watched it once (yes, I know I'm at work)... So here are my inital thoughts:

1. Risako looks strangely tall in this PV, particularly in the dark scenes where she's alone. Has she grown taller (which is a possibility, seeing as she's only 13) or are they camera tricks? Also, not the biggest fan of her hairstyle in this one.

2. I like the set. I find it visually pleasing and very serene looking. Unforunately, it seems out of place with the feel of the song which is very upbeat.

3. The scenes of the girls sitting/lying down reminded me much of the Morning Musume Shabondama PV. I'll have to rewatch it later and see if I still feel that way...

4. I need to watch it again and pay more attention to the outfits to see how much I really like them, but in general the girls all look very pretty in this PV (even though not liking Risako's hair so much, as mentioned above)... Except I was getting this weird creepy vibe from Momoko for some reason. Again, must re-watch to see if I was just imagining things.

5. I enjoyed the song, but something was up with the sound quality, so I need to hear it on my speakers at home and see if it was just something with the set up of my computer at work (which I never use to listen to anything).

That's all I can recall at the moment. Will update this post later tonight once I've re-watched it at home.

And I just realized why those outfits looked so familiar to me... A picture of them in those outfits has been on theppn for a little while now on their profile page. It thought I was going crazy for a minute... >_<

Blogger revamping

So, this blog never got used for it's intended purpose, and my personal blog is staying on LJ.

So I have decided to turn this one into a general interest blog. Entries will vary regarding content on sports (particularly tennis and the Toronto Raptors) to music (mainly Hello! Project and Hanson) and any movie/books I'm watching/reading and feel the need to comment on.

We'll see how often I keep this thing updated.