C-ute: LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA (x4)

Just before I post part 2 of my All Morning Musume Singles Ranking, my thoughts on C-ute's new PV.

So, the PV for C-ute's new single "LA LA LA Shiawase no Uta" is up on Dohhh UP! and I'm sad to say that I am nowhere near as enthusiastic about this PV as I was after watching Buono!'s "Renai Rider" for the first time.

It's an okay song. It's not terrible. I like Maimi in this single. But I find I'm not liking Airi's voice so much in this release. I feel like she's c-ute-syfing her voice too much. She's not singing badly per se, but I don't like the quality of her voice when she manipulates it in the way she does in this release.

The girls all look C-ute in this PV, though I could definitely do without all that fur... But hey, it's an H!P PV, and sometimes you just have to wonder what the stylist was thinking. >_< I thought Maimai stood out from the girls - and I'm thinking it was due to her hairstyle. I just really liked it here.



I was highly disappointed with the lack of Chisato solo lines. It's absolutely ridiculous how Chisa hasn't had one solo line in the 4 official singles released by C-ute, and only 1 solo line from the 4 indie singles. That's 1 line 8 singles. Erika and Kanna tie for the 2nd and 3rd least number of solo lines at 3, while Nakajima's had 6 lines and Maimai has had 8. I won't bother counting Airi and Maimi. We know who the leads are... All I can say is "Wow..." and "GIVE ME SOME CHISA!!!!"

Moving on... Do you notice the title for this entry? That's 31 "LA"s. Notice the (x4). 31 x 4 = 124. That's how many times the girls sing the word "LA" in the last 50 or so seconds of the song (starting at around the 3:24 mark in the PV). I just thought all those "LA"s really dragged on... and on... and on... It felt like the song would never end.

So, while I don't hate this song, I don't love it either. It's energetic and happy, but I think it's longer than it has to be. I won't be able to bring myself to buy this single, no matter how much I love C-ute. Therefore, I'll just sit back and hope their next release is more to my taste.

PV: C-ute - LA LA LA Shiawase no Uta

*EDIT: I'm sitting at work, and the LA LA LA's are running through my head... I can't recall the melody of the verses for the life of me, but can't forget the LA LA LA's. If this keeps getting stuck in my head like this, I think this song may drive me to insanity... Or rather, even deeper into the insanity that is my psyche.

New scarves for the new year!

I just got home (yesterday) from a 2 week long trip to California to attend my cousin's wedding (where I was her maid of honour).

While I was in sunny California, one of my best friend's went to Japan for Christmas break (*jealous*). But she went with a big request from me... Please find me Miyabi and Chisato's 2008 H!P scarves!! I originally saw these scarves from a post Ray linked to from Hello!Blog on International Wota. I immediately wanted both Chisato & Miyabi's scarves, but I couldn't figure out the Hello Shop site (other than that the scarves were 2000 yen each) and Ohta's store was pretty expensive...

So, I implored my friend to get me these scarves when she went to visit. I gave her detailed instructions (and back up purchases in case she couldn't find an H!P store). But my friend pulled through! She was able to get directions to a store near her hotel from the internet (with picture landmarks... I was kinda worried, b/c my friend is notorious for having no sense of direction), and when she got to the store, she just pulled out my instructions and asked the sales lady where *points to description of the scarves in Japanese* these were and voila!




My friend who got these for me doesn't follow H!P, but when she bought the scarves, she also got a free pic. When she told me this, I asked her of who and she said:
"I had to draw some straws and she told me I could pick something from a bunch of different girls, and I was like....hmmm...they all look the same. so after 30 sec of looking totally confused, the saleslady pointed to one and pointed to the scarf i had just got. so i think it's one of the girls you like"
(Don't mind the punctuation. It's taken from our MSN chat).

LOL... My friend is so funny... The free pic she got was:

Yay! I'm so happy to have my scarves! And I got both of them for the price of one on Ohta's store.

So, while I was gone, I watched C-ute's fall concert (℃-ute ライブツアー2007秋　～放課後のエッセンス～ / C-ute Live Tour 2007 Aki ~Houkago no Essence~). The following are my thoughts on the concert, by member.

The set list:
1. 都会っ子 純情 (Tokaikko Junjou)
2. めぐる恋の季節 (Meguru Koi no Kisetsu)
3. MC 1
4. 桜チラリ (Sakura Chirari)
5. ENDLESS LOVE ~I Love You More~ (C-ute Ver)
6. タイムカプセル (Time Capsule) - Yajima Maimi & Nakajima Saki
7. MC 3 - Buono!
8. ホントのじぶん (Honto no Jibun) - Buono!
9. MC 2~ Sketch - Yajima Maimi & Hagiwara Mai
10. 通学ベクトル (Tsuugaku Vector) - Umeda Erika & Arihara Kanna
11. EVERYDAY　YEAH! 片想い (EVERYDAY YEAH! Kataomoi)
12. ディスコ　クイーン (Disco Queen)
13. 美少女心理 (Bishoujo Shinri)
14. まっさらブルージーンズ (Massara Blue Jeans)
15. ふたりはNS (Futari wa NS) - Okai Chisato & Hagiwara Mai
16. 夏ＤＯＫＩ リップスティック (Natsu DOKI Lipstick) - Yajima Maimi
17. MC 4 - Umeda Erika, Nakajima Saki, Okai Chisato & Arihara Kanna
18. That's the POWER
19. As ONE
20. YES! しあわせ (YES! Shiawase (C-ute Ver.))
21. 僕らの輝き (Bokura no Kagayaki)
22. JUMP

Encore

24. 大きな愛でもてなして (Ooki na Ai de Motenashite)
25. MC5
26. わっきゃない(Z) (Wakkyanai (Z))

*Note: The setlist is taken from wiki.theppn.org; Where'd #23 go?


Umeda Erika
Watching this concert confirmed that I'm not a big fan of the quality of her voice. Listening to her sing Tsuugaku Vector did absolutely nothing for me. I particularly didn't like her "woah woah"s. Don't really have that much to say about Erika for this concert, actually. She didn't really stand out to me.

Yajima Maimi
I thought she was a little bit off timing wise (a split second late) while singing her solo lines at the start of Tokaikko Junjou, but she picked it back up in Meguru Koi no Kisetsu. One thing to mention... She dances very well, but man does she sweat out there. She reminds me of Takahashi Ai in that respect. These two girls put so much energy into their dancing. You can see that they're not holding back on their performances. Maimi was strong through the rest of the concert, and I must say that she definitely did not disappoint in her performance of Natsu DOKI Lipstick. She hit her high notes well, and not in falsetto, as I thought she might. That was definitely some dance solo... That split kick on the ground definitely raised my eyebrows. And the expression on her face when she and Chisato pecked on the lips during YES! Shiawase (C-ute Ver.) was priceless. XD

Nakajima Saki
Saki was a little shaky at the start. She had a lot of energy and was very into the dance for Tokaikko, but come her solo lines... Woah.. had to take a step back (and not in a good way). Her singing improved after the opening number, but she definitely had shaky moments throughout the concert. I got this strange feeling that she wasn't really into the concert as it progressed. She went through the motions, but many times, her facial expression didn't match the mood of the songs. She definitely didn't keep the same energy level that she started the concert with. She wasn't outstanding in this concert.

Suzuki Airi
From the opening number, Airi shows what she can do. This girl so amazingly consistent, it boggles my mind. What can I say about her? She's a decent dancer, and she's a great singer. Not quite as high energy as Maimi or Chisato (then again, she sings so many solo lines, that she does a lot of the "muted" dance moves), but still fabulous.

Okai Chisato
Chisato definitely did not get enough solo lines in this concert. But the solo lines she did get were pretty awesome. I'd list all of them, but that'd get pretty repetitive. I highly enjoyed her lines in Bishoujo Shinri, and I really liked her performance in Futari wa NS with Mai. However, I was very upset with the changes made to Bokura no Kagayaki. Why in the world did Erika get to keep her lines, but Chisa didn't get one solo line in that song?!? I was very disgruntled watching that performance (no offense to Airi, who had Chisato's lines). However, even with only a limited number of solo lines, Chisato kept the energy level high throughout the concert.

Hagiwara Mai
Was very pleased with how Mai opened the concert. Where she usually is a little off tempo on her "Demo ne..." in Tokaikko, she was fairly well timed. She was pretty consistent throughout the concert, but still am not the biggest fan of her voice. Though I'd rank her voice higher than Erika's on my favourite list. She also had some lazy dance moments, not fully extending on movements (ex. Disco Queen).

Arihara Kanna
Kanna impressed me this concert. I thought she did very well performing Tsuugaku Vector. However, I don't think her voice blends well with Erika at all. She didn't look too awkward in this concert, which I enjoyed. This concert has definitely changed my C-ute favourites list. Her dancing was okay, but again, not quite reaching the level and energy of Maimi and Chisato.

Buono!
Yay for Buono performing at the concert! Momoko certainly wasn't in a bowing mood that night, though. She didn't bow when she introduced herself and she didn't bow when she did her ending speech. Though she did bow before they left the stage. The actual performance of Honto no Jibun was pretty good. Someone was going a little sharp at points during the chorus. But then again, it's a pretty bouncy dance, and with only the 3 of them in the group, it doesn't leave much room to cover up when someone's voice goes a little off. I have to say that it wasn't Miyabi's best performance. Her voice sounded a shaky for some reason. Definitely not normal for Miya. It was a little evident in Momoko as well. Maybe they didn't warm up enough piror to the performance (while Airi had already had 4 songs to really get her voice going). I highly enjoyed Miya and Momoko coming out at Ooki na Ai de Motenashite and doing some backup dancing. It was very cute. :D

So to end this post, I think I'll add my current C-ute favourite member list, for as I said, it has changed from my original list.

7. Umeda Erika
6. Nakajima Saki
5. Hagiwara Mai
4. Arihana Kanna
3. Sukuki Airi
2. Yajima Maimi
1. Okai Chisato

*GASP!* That's right, Airin has been dethroned by the ball of energy that is Chisa. I can't pick between Airi and Maimi right now.

EDIT: Okay, I won't cop out... No sharing spots... I still absolutely <3 Airi, but right now, I'm completely fascinated by Maimi (though not enough for her to take over Chisato). Never thought this would happen... Was so sure that Airi would stay my favourite C-ute member forever. I feel like my top 3 will be shifting possibly single to single or concert to concert. They're all very close to each other in my rankings.

I actually wrote up an appreciation post for Chisato (as well as Takahashi Ai and Ishimura Maiha) on the JPHiP forum. To salute Chisato moving to the #1 spot on my list, here's the link to the post (as well as Ai-chan and Maiha's).
NOTE: These links have lots of pics to load (other member appreciation posts are there too). If you load one of them, my 2 other posts are actually on the same page. [In order, Takahashi's closest to the top of the page, immediately followed by Maiha, and then the 9th one under Maiha is Chisato's post].

Okai Chisato appreciation post
Takahashi Ai appreciation post
Ishimura Maiha appreciation post

Wow... This turned into a freakin' long post.

New shipment in!!

They have finally arrived!!!



I ordered this from yesasia way back on Nov 8 or something along those lines, and seeing as I didn't want to pay extra for shipping, I had to wait for "Tsukiatteru no ni Kataomoi" to release. And for some reason, it took forever to reach me. Usually it only takes 4-5 business days from shipment date. This time it took 7 days.... Hmm... I think I was just really impatient for this shipment, since I ordered it so long ago. It's only 2 days late, now that I think about it...

Anyway, I love them! I've obviously listened to all the songs before, but it just feels so nice to own them and have the wonderful pictures and CDs in one's hands.

I love Berryz's new single. The PV is growing on me, and I so enjoy doing the dance along with the girls as I watch. As for the CW for this single, not a favourite, but it's nice to hear the others get a chance to sing. Miya, Momo and Risako don't get one solo line in the CW. I found that quite fascinating. When I first heard the CW, I immediately thought of a superhero movie... But not I can't recall which superhero I thought of... Oh wells.

As I've said after reviewing the PV, I just love these outfits, and the girls all look so beautiful, with the exception of Momoko, who is still weirding me out with this single. Not to say she looks ugly or anything, just... odd... Which is strange, 'cause while her voice drives me nuts, her appearance doesn't tend to phase me. And I enjoyed her in Buono!'s "Honto no Jibun", even though I didn't like her hairstyle. Oh well.



I <3 Very Beauty! I love Miya's outfit in this song, as well as Yurina's, even though it makes her look even taller than she is (I think it's the vertical stripes in addition to the pants which make her legs look ridiculously long). Yay for the limited edition photobook! Not much else to say about the single. It's been out for a while, but I just got obsessed with Berryz recently, so just got it now. :)



Tokaikko Junjou!! This song is absolutely fabulous! I wish I could do this dance!! >_< Unforunately, my body is stiff and I can only handle dances of the "Para Para Paradise" variety, with basic arm movements and side stepping. Anything that requires more fluidity makes me look very stupid. Thus, I feel silly trying to dance along with them. I just recently saw a translation of the song, and I hadn't realized that this was basically a love song. A techno-vibed love song. Coolies! :)



Am really getting into C-ute now (but Berryz is still my fave). I watched them on Music Fighter, and their segment was very amusing. I particularly liked Chisato's rollercoaster roleplay. XD

Now that I've watched a little bit of C-ute's stuff, here's my initial feel on member ranking (I'll do it in the opposite order from what I've done before... More suspenseful that way... Or maybe not, since I've given away my favourite member in a previous post... Oh wells):


7. Arihara Kanna
I need some time to see how this girl develops. Right now, she seems very awkward on camera (at least in my eyes). My brother gets a freshly joined Takahashi Ai vibe from her, and I'd say I have to agree with him. I really wasn't a big fan of Ai when she first joined, but now she's one of my favourite H!P members... Maybe Kanna will surprise me in a similar way... But at the same time, I wouldn't put her in the same category vocally, so maybe not. Only time will tell.

6. Hagiwara Mai
She's cute, but I'm not a fan of her voice. And in the lives of Tokaikko Junjou, she's always been delayed in delivering her "Demo ne Demo ne Dakedo" line. I'll give her some time and see how it develops. I mean, she's only 11 years old. I'll let her go through puberty first and see if it matures nicely.

5. Umeda Erika
Also don't like her voice very much. In addition, I don't find her particularly attractive, and haven't been too taken by her live appearances. She just doesn't really catch my attention.

4. Nakajima Saki
She's very pretty. That's the main thing I've got down for her. Her voice is meh... Not one of my favourites.

3. Yajima Maimi
I think I'm becoming a little obessed with Maimi. I was on the road the other day, and there was this delivery truck that said "We deliver from Toronto to Miami", and my first thought was "Maimi? ... Why is Maimi's name on a truck...?" Did a double take and smacked myself for my dyslexia. >_< But really, I like her. I also find her to be very pretty and I like her voice.

2. Okai Chisato
As I said, above, I find her amusing. LOL with the rollercoaster and pretty scenery. :) I think her voice is absolutely fabulous, and she really needs to get some more lines. I hope that a trend starts in her favour, but I won't hold my breath. Talent doesn't seem to be a major factor when it comes to decision making regarding who gets lines in H!P (however unfortunate the truth is). She's also a very attractive girl. She has a subtle pretty, that doesn't jump out at you when you first see her, but there's just something about her.

And #1.... Suzuki Airi
The final 3rd of Aa! I have loved her since I saw that PV. At that point (I think she was 10), she already had a great voice, and she sang well live. That hasn't changed. I'd place her more into the "C-ute" XD pile rather than the pretty/beautiful pile in regards to looks. She's just so darn adorable.

I guess that's all for now, 'cause I have an early morning tomorrow (or should I say today) with lots of driving, so I should get rest...