2 YesAsia shipments in and a Café Buono! Review

Today, the package I've been waiting for from YesAsia finally arrived! The estimated date of arrival was originally given as this past Friday, but alas, I was not lucky enough to receive it in time for the weekend.... But it's here now!



That's Buono!'s Café Buono! (LE) and A&R's Shouri no Big Wave (Photobook LE).

2 weeks ago, I also got another shipment in, which I hadn't posted here, so now's as good a time as any:



That has Buono!'s Renai Rider (LE), Yajima Maimi & Natsumi Abe's 16sai no Koinante (Photobook LE), and 2 oldschool Berryz singles (Koi no Jubaku and Anata Nashi de wa Ikite Yukenai).

Reasons for my purchases:
Café Buono!: I love Buono! Of course I was gonna get it! XD
A&R: Saw a photobook LE available, and I needed something to get me free shipping with YesAsia, so since I love Risa and Chisato, I added that onto my order.
Renai Rider: See comment for Café Buono! XD
16sai no Koinante: Another Photobook LE, and since I love Maimi, had to get that as well...
Koi no Jubaku: I LOVE that single. The end.
Anata Nashi de was Ikite Yukenai: I definitely like this single, but my real reason for getting this release was for the B-side Berry Fields. I don't know what it is about that song, but the weird sound to it completely wins me over!

Now, onto a review of Buono!'s new album, Café BUono!



I'd have to agree with Kawaiirrhea and say that this is one of the few albums I've listened to where I have enjoyed every single track. Prior to listening to this album, there had actually been only one for me, and that was Hanson's The Walk (2007). Since hearing Café Buono! I have another album to add to that: bury the bully's Life Death & Wonder (2007) [Didn't listen to it until just after listening to Café BUono!]. That's 3 albums in a lifetime (mind you, I'm not all that old, but 20+ years and only 3 albums... Then again, before last year, I was 20+ years with no albums...).

Anyway, onto a track by track review, along with scans from the album (since I haven't seen them on other blogs yet).



1. Café Buono!
This song is a nice start to the CD. It's got a feel-good, bouncy aspect, while also having a rock flavour, mainly due to the strong distorted guitar.

2. 泣き虫少年 (Nakimushi Shounen)
I think I'd have to say that this is my favourite song on the album. While Café Buono! had a slight rock flavour to it, this track really rocks it out, particularly in the chorus. I love the guitars and the drums. This would be a fun song for something like drum mania/guitar freaks or Rock Band... Well, maybe more drum mania. There's no amazing guitar solo in this one, but I just love the distortion.

3. 恋愛♥ライダー (Renai ♥ Rider)
I've commented on this song in my Renai Rider PV review. To paraphrase: I love this song. The contrasting styles which come in through different sections of the song (the ukelele, the acoustic guitar, etc.) give the song an interesting dimension that I really enjoy. I've almost got the dance down for this song... Pretty much just need to figure out the dance break.

4. ホントのじぶん (Honto no Jibun)
Buono!'s first single. This song is more mellow than their second single. I love the cheerful, upbeat melody of this song. Unlike Renai Rider, which I always want to start air guitaring to (or actually pulling out my guitar and rocking along), Honto no Jibun is a song that puts a smile on my face and I simply can't help but sing along with it.

5. バケツの水 (Baketsu no Mizu)
This track has a nice, feel-good melody and a catchy beat that makes me bob my head along to the music. The girls utilize their "cutesy" voices for this track, and it works well with the overall vibe of the song.

6. ガラクタノユメ (Garakuta no Yume)
I'm liking the bass and the filtered drum sound on this song. I also really like the vocals after the instrumental (would this be the bridge of the song?). It's already a mellow song, but this portion brings it to almost acapella with Miyabi (not really, but the instruments are softer, so you get my drift).

7. Internet Cupid
I was surprised to find that all lines are solo lines in this track. I don't know if I didn't listen to this song closely enough before, or if the voice manipulation in this song just threw me off a little bit. But I do highly enjoy this song. I love the old-school video game feel of it, but then again, I'm a gamer to a certain extent in addition to being an H!P fangirl. This song makes me picture bad graphics and linear side-scrolling VGA goodness. XD

8. Last Forever
I love the melody in this song. This may possibly be my second favourite song on the album... Still haven't quite sorted that out. For some reason, I'm having the hardest time articulating what it is about this melody that I love so much... So for now, I'll have to leave it at that, and hopefully clarify it when it becomes more clear to me.

9. こころのたまご (Kokoro no Tamago)
The B-side to Honto no Jibun, and opening theme to Shugo Chara! Initially I wasn't too keen on this song. But after a few listens, it definitely grew on me. I love the "Hop Step Jump, Drew Draw Drawn, Chips Syrup Hoippu" bits. Much like Honto no Jibun, it's another feel-good song, and it works really well as the anime's opening theme (and yes, I do watch Shugo Chara! I'm on episode 17).

10. 星の羊たち (Hoshi no Hitsuji Tachi)
Can I just simply say that I love the melody to pretty much every single song on this album? I like the stringed instrument used in the second verse (I have no idea what instrument it is). This one is another track completely filled with solo lines, but since the girls voices haven't put through some filter, it's more obvious.

11. ロックの神様 (Rock no Kamisama)
Like Last Forever, this track has a nice intro line, mainly vocal with only very light instruments in the background. This song gets into rock vibe once again. Not quite to the same caliber as Nakimushi Shounen, but still fun to listen to.

12. 君がいれば (Kimi ga Ireba)
This ballad has a simple and sweet melody. It starts with acoustic guitar and piano, with some bass added in halfway through the verse. Come the chorus, strings are added which then continue on throughout the song. I particularly love the strings at the start of the second verse.



So, like I said earlier, I simply LOVE this album. The girls are all amazing here. I can't even find fault with Momoko.



I realize Momoko is a lead in Berryz Koubou, but I don't think she is used to her full potential in that group. Mainly, I say it's because she has to put on too much of her "cutesy squeaky" voice in those singles, while in Buono!, her voice comes down to a pitch within the range of frequencies comfortable for human ears... XD Her voice is still distinctly Momoko, but it doesn't leave me with the urge to try and protect my ears from bleeding (okay, maybe that's a bit harsh, but I think I'm getting my general point across).



Miyabi was fabulous, no surprise for me there. I think Miya really shines in Buono! She seems the most confident and comfortable with the image that the group is trying to pull off. She dances with the most ease in the videos - She makes it look effortless, but not in a such a way that it seems like she's not trying. And of course, I loved her vocals. :D



As for Airi, I thought her vocals were wonderfully fabulous. Her dancing... Well, let's just say with only 3 girls to watch in the dance shot versions and a stationary camera, you can see who the weakest dancer in the group is. I'm not saying she's terrible, but compared to Momoko who puts a lot of energy into her dancing, and Miyabi who looks so fluid and effortless, Airi looks a little bit awkward.





I did a quick tabulation of solo lines on this album, and the breakdown was as follows (n=212):
Suzuki Airi: 32% (68 solo lines)
Natsuyaki Miyabi: 32% (68 solo lines)
Tsugunaga Momoko: 36% (76 solo lines)

The leader takes it home, just inching out her two group members! Kinda makes you think of Renai Rider... Though to be true to the PV, Miyabi would have needed a line or two less than Airi.

And that just goes to show another reason why I love Buono! so much. All members get equal time to show their stuff. But then again, when you put 3 front liners like these girls into the same group, you can't really go about ignoring one of them, can you? Not utilizing such talent would be a sin, wouldn't it? *cough*CHISATO*cough* (Completely unrelated to Buono!, but was that subtle enough? XD)

To close this post out, a few more pics from the album:


The inside of the back cover.


The back cover.


One side of the trading card.


The other side of the trading card.

Official UFA Photo Shipment!! :D

I'm so happy!! My first batch of official UFA photos came in!! Mind you, these aren't my first official UFA photos - those came with my Miya and Chisa scarves... but I made those purchases for the scarves, not the photos. These photos were simply for the photos. Now that my random tangent is out of the way, I figured I'd share the photos, even though most of these have been around already.... You can never have enough H!P eye candy, right? :D )It also allowed me to test out my new scanner - my old one died on me, so had to get a new one.

To begin, I started my purchase off with my current favourite H!P group: Buono!


What can I say about Momoko? I'm really loving her in this group, but there just is no ground for her to move up within the member rankings for me... >_<


Osuzu looks kinda awkward dancing in the Renai Rider dance shot, but we still love her. XD


Miya just looks so cool in Buono! Her dancing, her movements, her style... It's all totally FOR THE WIN! :D

I have another set of UFA photos Buono! style coming in next month... Can't wait for those! :D

Up next, we have a group featuring 2 H!P members way up in my overall ranking: A&R (I really can't be bothered to spell out the entire name... I don't actually know the proper spelling of the "R" off the top of my head.. >_<)


Nakajima is cute, but man does her voice ever hurt my ears... She's fighting it out with Koha... Not a good thing to be fighting for. XD


Aika's still a work in progress for me. I'm fairly neutral to her.


I love Chisa so much! I just recently saw her sing Aa!'s First Kiss with Airi and Mai. I was afraid she would get Miya's lines at first (seeing as Miya has practically no lines in that song), but was very pleased when instead she sand Reina's. I thought she did wonderfully!


I love Risa so much too! She's adorable! And she's gorgeous... That may seem like a weird combination of adjectives, but it works for her. Her personality is absolutely adorable and she's got facial features that are adorable. But at the same time, I find her stunning. That makes sense, right? XD

Those two above sets were ordered directly from the UFA store, while the following pics came from the fabulous person who actually got all these pictures to me - these are pics she got from photo sets that she didn't want (lucky for me :D).


Old school Berryz Koubou. I love this single! And Maiha's still there! I love her dimples!!


Another wonderful Risa picture... Though now that I look at it, she's got the same pose in this picture as her A&R photo... LOL. XD


Miya and Airi in outfits from last year's (summer?) H!P concert. I actually really enjoyed these costumes... Which is a pretty impressive feat, seeing as H!P concert costumes are usually very.... o_O ... for lack of better words.


I really liked the outfits in this PV, and I thought Miya looked so pretty in this PV (along with Yurina and Chinami... However, Yurina's photo wasn't available for purchase).

So there are my purchases! I got 2 more photos with this order, but I'm not posting them yet... They shall be birthday presents for my brother, who is birthday twins with the shortest member of Buono! He knows what who they are (and had even seen them when I ordered them), but I have refused to let him look at them now that I own them until his birthday. One's of Kamei Eri, and the other is of Chinami in her Tsukiatteru outfit (Chinami is his fave Berryz member).

Buono!'s Renai Rider PV is here!!

Buono!'s 2nd single PV, Renai Rider, is up on Dohhh UP! finally! I've been waiting impatiently to see how this PV looks for some time now. When the A&R Seishun LOVE Lunch PV came up, I thought Buono!'s would be up soon too, seeing as Renai Rider releases on 02/06, while Seishun LOVE Lunch comes out 02/14. Apparently I was mistaken.

But it's up now, and I'm very tickled by the PV. It's a cheesy PV with mini motorbikes, a tricycle (poor Momoko) and animated backgrounds, but what can I say? I LOVE CHEESE! :D

The outfits:
- I'm sorry Airi, but I'm afraid your outfit goes to the bottom of my list for this release. Not a big fan of polka dots, and skirts over shorts for me anyday.
- Momoko's outfit is great. I love the skirt, and do I see "Suicide" in red letters on her jacket?
- Miyabi gets 1st place in the outfit department for me due to her double belt and leather jacket.

The dance:
- Not quite sure about it yet. I want to see the dance version. Gotta wait for the LE 1st album for that. However, I definitely enjoy the dance break in the middle of the song. In addition to taking a break from singing, it also pauses on the cuteness of the PV and gives the PV a bit of edge to it.
- Not quite part of the dance, but during the dance break, I highly enjoy the closeups of the eyes/faces. I love the reflection of a heart in their eyes. IMO, Miya definitely has the most striking eyes in this group. Maybe it's due to the little mole right next to her left eye, but I just love her eyes.
- I'd have to say that I enjoy the dance of Honto no Jibun more, though.

The song:
- I only listened to the radio preview once, sorta. I was really waiting for the PV to come out to really listen to the entire song (I've head the cut version for the ending theme of Shugo Chara). I really like this song. The contrasting sounds through different parts of the song are very enjoyable and give the song a unique spin to it.
- The second verse where the guitars are taken out, giving a quiter background sound is nice as it puts more emphasis on the girls' voices, and Momoko playing the ukelele is just so cute. :)
- I also really like the change to acoustic guitar in the last pre-chours, right after the dance break. And this is totally biased on my part, but Miyabi FTW!! XD
- It is no secret that I adore both Miya and Airi to death, but I'm surprised to say that I highly enjoyed Momoko in this PV too. I didn't mind her too much in Honto no Jibun either. What is it about Buono!'s songs that makes her voice more bearable to my ears? And why is it that her lines in Berryz releases pain me so? If someone can explain the logic to me, I'd be greatly appreciative.

Overall:
I love this PV. It's cute and fun, while still having a bit of an edgy feel (particularly at the dance break). What I love so much about Buono! is how well balanced the screen time and lines are between the girls. No line hogs in this group!

I wonder how it is for Airi being in this group with 2 Berryz girls. At least in Honto no Jibun, she had reinforcements with the cameos of Maimi and Chisato (how I love that PV which has my top 4 H!P Kids). It's just interesting to think of the dynamics, because I remember watching a translated video of Hello Pro Hour episode 12, where Goto Maki and Matsuura Aya were discussing their time as Gomattou, and Maki saying that she felt like an outsider in the company of Aya and Fujimoto Miki (who we all know are best friends).

I don't know how to embed videos, so here's a link to the PV:
Renai Rider PV

And some screenshots (click on the pics for bigger versions):









Finally got around to watching Ribbon no Kishi recently, so am hoping to get a review of that up soon.

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.

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... >_<