Another H!P purchase...

Before I get into my MM singles ranking, I just want to share my most recent H!P purchase. A few weeks ago, Cutie Party's Misa posted that she got Sukeban Deka at PMall, a mall which I frequent on a semi-regular basis. There used to be a store that sold H!P releases at PMall, but quite some time ago, they stopped stocking the H!P stuff, so I stopped buying. I asked Misa where this store was in the mall, and voila! I finally got down to PMall today, and here's what I got:



I am now currently in the process of listening to GAM's 1st album (had never listened to it prior to this). I was compelled to buy it when I saw it because I absolutely adore Ayaya (as explained in a previous post), and have come to develop a newfound love for Miki ever since watching Ribbon no Kishi.

The 2 singles and the album are all limited editions (CD + DVD). I must say that it's ridiculous how much more affordable the Taiwan/Hong Kong releases are than the Japanese ones. Can anyone explain to me why this is the case?

Misa is absolutely fabulous for pointing me towards this new store! :D

New layout & Ribbon no Kishi Review

So, before I begin my review of Morning Musume and Biyuden's musical, Ribbon no Kishi, just a few words on my new layout. First off, well, it's new! (Kinda obvious, I realize...) My reason: As I mentioned in my review of Buono!'s new Renai Rider PV, Miyabi has such stunning eyes, and I just love that part of the PV, so I wanted to see it whenever I loaded up my blog. :) As for the other picture in my header, it was chosen once again because of Miyabi. I just absolutely love her in that set of official photos, and particuarly in that shot. Lots of Miya <3 can be found here! XD

It would have been nice to change the layout with the Buono! post, but layout changes take time (particularly for me 'cause CSS confuses the heck out of me, and I had to bother my brother frequently to get help as I started going cross-eyed sifting through the code). It's kinda funny to have a new layout change focused on Berryz/Miyabi (mainly Miya) and have a first post on the new layout regarding something Morning Musume related, but what can you do? So on with the review!

Ribbon no Kishi Review

I really had no pre-conceptions prior to watching this musical. I hadn't read any reviews or synopses regarding the musical, nor had I watched or heard or read anything about the anime or manga, so I didn't really know what to expect plot-wise. All I knew was that it featured Morning Musume and Ishikawa Rika (didn't realize Biyuden was in it until I started watching). That's generally enough for me to give something a try.

The story:
I found the premise of the story very intriguing. First, Ai-chan's character (at this point unnamed) being tricked into acquiring a second soul just prior to being born, and then finding out that the two souls are of opposite genders. Watching the struggles that her character, Sapphire, goes through in trying to juggle these conflicting facets of her nature allow you to connect with the character and come to care about what happens next. Being born a girl, her feminine side is ovbiously more prominent, but as she has to pretend to be a boy to maintain the legacy of her kingdom, she is able to fulfill that role with ease due to her dual nature (regardless that she is unaware of this dual nature).

The dilemma of dual and opposite souls is used very cleverly as a tool to develop further plotlines, past the usual and often used "must pretend to be a boy so that the kingdom doesn't fall into the hands of corrpt, evil people" plot. I won't say any more in regards to this so as not to spoil the twists and turns of the story for those who haven't had the pleasure of watching this musical and are planning to at some point in the future.

The performances:
First, I have to give mad props to Ai-chan for this one. I thought she was outstanding in this musical. Her singing was superb, her dancing was fantastic and her acting was very moving. I love her voice, and she was very strong vocally through the entire performance. We all know that Ai-chan has had formal dance training, and I find she's one of the best, if not the best dancer in H!P. She didn't dance much in this musical, but she did have that one scene with Rika when their characters first met. I'd never seen Ai-chan do ballroom before, but I thought she pulled it off very well here. Her posture was good and she looked so graceful in all of her movements. Overall, she was absolutely amazing in this performance.

Onto the second lead, Ishikawa Rika. I thought Rika did fairly well in the musical. However, very early into the musical, you could see the lopsided-ness in the strengths of the leads. I find that Rika is a pretty good actress. She was very convincing in her role in Sukeban Deka with Matsuura Aya. But When you put her head to head against Takahashi Ai in the categories of singing and dancing, well... Really, it's just cruel. No one can argue that Rika is not very strong vocally. She doesn't have the greatest control over her voice, and the quality of it isn't really suited to holding elongated notes. As for dancing, if you watch the scene I mentioned in my review of Ai, you can see that her posture is much more casual that Ai-chan's, which is not a good thing, seeing as the male has to lead in ballroom dancing. I realize she's not actually a guy, but her posture was very poor. Overall, I though Rika did a good job, but there's really no comparison to Ai-chan.

I was very impressed with Risa. She didn't have many solo lines, playing 2 minor roles, but her solo in 戦いのとき (Tatakai no Toki) was very well done. In particular, she held her final note very well, unlike Kamei, who was a little flat on her final note during her own solo.

Another person who really impressed me here was Miki. I know she can sing. Although she's never been one of my favourite Morning members, I've never denied taht this girl has a lot of talent. I'm not sure what exactly it was in this performance, but I was just totally moved by Miki. The power of her voice (particularly in 大臣の願い ～ 魔女 (Daijin no Chikai ~ Majo) which she sang with Hitomi) absolutely floored me (in a very good way). She played her character very well, moving beyond just singing phenomenally. Her character had many dimensions and she was able to convey all the emotions beautifully. Her performance in this musical alone moves her up in my overall Morning member rankings.

Hitomi performed very well in this musical as well. I thought it was interesting to see that her human self was sneaky and backhanded like her pre-birth self. Her vocals and acting were solid. However, unlike Miki's character, Hitomi's was pretty one dimensional (not that it's her fault or that she played it badly, it's simply a fact). Basically, she had one goal in mind, and set about achieving it by whatever means possible. Her goal was a very simple one, unlike Miki's, and thus didn't have many varying emotions to play off of in her attempts to reach her goal.

Surprisingly, I wasn't overly annoyed by either Sayumi or Koharu in this musical. Koharu's voice is still not my cup of tea in the slightest. However, her solo song (where she lists the food prices and promotes herself) was cutesy so it was okay for her voice type (except for her last line, which was kind of painful). As for Sayu, she actually sang fairly well with Reina during their search to find Koharu a bride. I actually really enjoyed the harmony in that song.

A note on Mako-chan. The song she sang with Koharu was well performed, but I thought it was a terrible ending line for her. It's a strong line, which should be belted out. Unfortunately, it's completely out of her range and she had to go into falsetto, which took all the strength out of her voice. It was a disappointing ending to that song, IMO. However, her singing otherwise was well done and I really liked her character, and the obvious loyalty she had for Hitomi (even though Hitomi's character's motives left much to be desired).

Not too much to say in regards to the other members of Biyuden. They played pretty small roles. They did well in their song as the jailers, and the friendship between their characters was really cute.

Random points:
I was so amused with the randomness inserted throughout the play. In particular, when Sayu and Reina find Ai-chan. Their friendly little "kids, don't go off with strangers" message was absolutely fabulous!

I really did not like Ai-chan's eye make-up. It annoyed the heck out of me.

Miki's got some muscular arms.

Overall impressions:
Everyone involved had pretty strong individual performances, taking into account their varying strengths and weaknesses, making this a very enjoyable musical to watch. The acting was well done, and the vocals were solid all-around. And though I didn't elaborate on their performances due to the fact that they're not part of H!P, the Takarazuka veterans, Ebira Kaoru and Marcia, were amazing as well. The duets between Ai-chan and Marcia were particularly moving.

If you're on the fence about watching this musical, I would definitely recommend it. The strong performances in addition to a very interesting storyline with multiple plot twists make it very enjoyable.


Up next, I'm looking to do a ranking of my favourite Morning Musume singles from the American Wota: Wota Distractions (but I need to refresh myself on some of their older works before I can do that properly). My brother [johpan] beat me to listing his singles ranking, but if you notice the start of his post, he mentions that I led him to the Wota Distractions page. Evil brother for stealing post topics. After that, I think I may do a breakdown of Berryz singles as well.

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.

C-ute's mini album; C-ute vs Berryz

Just recently got around to listening to C-ute's mini album （２）mini～生きるという力～ (after watching a live performance of Bokura no Kagayaki, and realizing I could hear some quality Chisato on this album).

Listening to this album definitely solidified my top 3 C-ute members. There really is a big gap between my affection for my top 3 and the other 4 girls in this group.

The opening song "That's the POWER" has a really carnivale feel to it. It's bouncy and upbeat, but I don't think it will get too many plays on my list.

The 3rd track "Disco Queen", unsurprisingly, isn't quite my fancy, seeing as it features Mai and Saki, neither of whom quite have the quality of voice that I enjoy.

Airi's song, "Tsuugaku Vector", is okay. Not much to rave about on my part, surprisingly. I definitely still <3 her (one song won't change that), but this song won't go down as one of my favourites.

I really enjoy Maimi's solo song "Natsu DOKI Lipstick". I really need to see this song live and see how well Maimi pulls it off. The chorus is so catchy, and I just love the high note that she hits at the end of each chorus (except the 2nd last one). I don't know if it's just me and my bad memory, but I feel like most H!P songs don't have a key change within a song. I think because of that, the key change within this song really stood out to me. It makes the end of the song much more potent (not quite the word I'm looking for in this situation, but I like the sound of it XD). I really like the quality of Maimi's voice. She's definitely the most mature sounding of C-ute at the moment.

*EDIT*: My brother tells me I do have a very bad memory and that many H!P songs do actually have a key change (ex. Koko ni Iruzee!). Hmm... seems I need to brush up on my old school H!P songs.

However, I'd have to say my favourite song on this album would have to be "Bokura no Kagayki" which features Chistao, Erika and Kanna. Can you guess which of the 3 I'm particularly enjoying in this song? In the live I saw, Chisato was definitely the strongest performer, IMO. I love the guitar in this song. It's not overly complicated... Makes me want to figure out the chords... Hmm... there's an idea. I also enjoy the drum pattern in this song. It makes me want to go out and play this song on Drum Mania (if it were on Drum Mania, that is... Unfortunately I can only play fake video game drums. My coordination isn't good enough to handle different beats between my hands and feet).


To go off on a tangent, I've been think a lot recently about the C-ute vs. Berryz debate and who's better. Thought I'd get my two cents in.

Berryz has been getting put down a lot from what I've been reading. While everyone's entitled to their own opinion, I don't think it's quite fair to compare C-ute at this stage to Berryz when they were at the equivalent stage in thier careers.

First, when Berryz released their 3rd major single "Piriri to Yukou!", the members were at an average age of roughly 11.75. Compared to C-ute's 3rd major single "Tokaikko Junjou", C-ute's average age is almost 2 years older, at roughly 13.57. C-ute also had 4 indie singles prior to their major releases, so they had the chance to build up a fanbase, as well as get more comfortable with their position/roles as idols than Berryz did initially.

As for the most recent releases, most people have either loved or hated Berryz newest, while many seemed to thoroughly enjoy C-ute's latest. Well, can't do much there. It's not Berryz choice on what song they're given, or the choreography that comes with it. But at the same time, I think people need to give Berryz more credit (though it's so ironic that with the bashing of "Tsukiatteru no ni Kataomoi" before it's release, it ended up outselling all of the most recent H!P releases, with the exception of Buono!'s "Honto no Jibun").

*EDIT #2*: Someone pointed out that "Tsukiatteru" outsold in first week sales, and not total sales. That's what I mean to say, it just didn't occur to me to specify that when I originally posted.

Look at what Berryz has done in the 3 (almost 4) years they've been a group. They are currently on their 15th single (almost 1 year earlier than Morning Musume in regards to time from 1st single release to 15th single release). In addition to the singles, Berryz has also released 4 albums (albeit one was a mini album), just like MM had released by their 15th single. MM did 3 movies, 2 musicals and 6 concerts, while Berryz did 2 stage plays (I think it's 2... They just completed one recently, if I'm thinking correctly) and 9 concerts. Keep in mind that Berryz got to this point 1 year faster than MM. I think that's just mind boggling.

I'm not saying this to bash on C-ute in anyway, 'cause I definitely love C-ute as well. Call me non-confrontational (heck, I'll be the first to admit that I'm non-confrontational), but I just don't get why we need to bash on one group to raise up our favourites. They're 2 different groups with 2 different sets of girls. C-ute's gotten off to a good start, but just because they got the supposedly better song (once again, I say different groups, different sounds), you can't totally throw out all that Berryz has accomplished over the years.


And finally, forget a tangent... I'm gonna take a complete 180, and return from Japan back to Toronto and make my first real mention of the Toronto Raptors in my blog.

Watched the game tonight against the Hawks. This was our first game back at full strength since having injury problems with Bargnani, Bosh and Ford starting Nov. 20. So what happens in this game? First Jason Kapono goes out with a wrist injury. Initial X-rays came up negative for damage, but no futher info. Then just before the start of the 4th, Jose Calderon goes to the locker room for what seemed to be a dislocated finger. Luckily, he was back on court within a few minutes.

But the major kicker happened with about 1:30 left in the 4th. TJ Ford made a steal, and as he's running down the floor going for a layup, Atlanta's Al Horford went for a block, but instead pulled on TJ's head. It took TJ off balance and he crashed into the ground, his head bouncing hard off the floor. He lay completely limp. It was terrifying to watch. A few years ago, Ford suffered an injury that required neck surgery and kept him off court for a year. It could very well have been a career ending injury. Since then, he's had a pretty sensitive neck/back and has suffered a few stingers from hard fouls. Tonight just left me with a terrible feeling inside, wondering how bad this injury is.

It was like watching the game against Boston last season where Jorge Garbajosa went to block a shot, but when he landed he broke his ankle (as in his food was 90 degrees/perpendicular to it's usual angle, with the bone sticking out). He has since come back to play, but ironically, he just had a second surgery on that ankle, I think it was tonight.... And then Ford gets this injury...

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...

Hanson concert!

A proper H!P update should be coming soon, since I'm fully expecting my yesasia shipment in any day now (I actually thought it'd be in on Monday, but it seems I was sorely mistaken)...

Anyway, I thought I'd post about the Hanson concert I went to this weekend, since I did mention that there would be random posts interspersed in this blog unrelated to H!P. Hanson wins in this regard! :) (Raptors posts will eventually come, as interesting things happen during the season.)

For those who still picture them with long hair from their Mmmbop days, a current photo.

L-R: Issac, Zac, Taylor.

So, Hanson was in town this past Sunday and their concert was superb (as per usual). Pre-concert, they did the 1 mile walk that they've done at every tour stop to raise awareness for poverty and AIDS in Africa (today's show in Ottawa was the first stop with no walk, due to extremely cold weather conditions).

The devotion these guys have put into raising awareness for this cause that is so dear to them is truly inspirational. They have donated all sales of their single "The Great Divide" from iTunes to a hospital in South Africa that works with kids who are born with HIV/AIDS.

They also just recently returned from a trip to South Africa, joining up with TOMS shoes to do a shoe drop (more on that later). On their website, they recently posted a video showing them with their photographer giving a check for $15,000 to a local school. Their photographer posted on his blog the idea to sell some shirts he had recently ordered for $30 each, and any purchases would go to the school. He was hoping to raise a few hundred dollars, if anything. In 14 hours, he had raised $2000. So, they decided to see how much they could raise during the few days (I think it was 3 or 4) they had left in Africa. To help out, Hanson allowed their photographer to take a picture of them in one of the classrooms, and sell 10 limited editions of this photo (framed and matted, with the guys signing the back) for I think it was $750 each. They had a goal of $10,000 in mind, and surpassed it beyond their wildest imaginations with the $15,000 they raised.

At their concerts, along with their regular merchandise, they've been selling TOMS shoes. Basically, for every pair of TOMS that is purchased, another pair will go to a child in need. That was the reason for their recent trip to South Africa. They met up with TOMS to help give out some of the shoes to the children (this current shoe drop is giving 50,000 pairs to kids in Africa). So, of course, I had to get myself some TOMS (since I unfortunately had been unable to join them on the walk, though I really, really wanted to). Also got myself some other goodies:


They're finally selling V-neck shirts, and I love the design, so I had to get one.

The performance was fabulous, as I've come to expect from Hanson. They're always energetic and entertaining. You can see on their faces that they have a passion for what they're doing. Zac on the drums is just soooo HAWTTTT, and Taylor on the piano...*melt* And Ike plays one mean guitar.

Only down sides: I was really hoping they would play "Georgia", but alas, my dream was denied. Also was hoping for a repeat of "Yearbook" live, but a no go to that as well. Oh well, at least I was able to make it to their previous acousitc show, where they played "Yearbook". I waited 10 years to hear that song live, and I wasn't disappointed! Oh... A few more down sides, but not Hanson-related so much as crowd related. 1. Someone FARTED!! It's a normal body function, but man, it's not nice in such close quarters when it's that ... shall we say fragrant, to put it nicely? >_< 2. A couple next to me kept making out. I mean, come on! OMG! Get a friggin room. No one needs to be seeing that.

Thus ends my Hanson post.

One final thought, H!P related: Berryz Koubou's new single wins!! After all the talk of C-ute's Tokaikko Junjou outselling all Berryz single sales ever, Tsukiatteru no ni Kataomoi goes and beats, Tokaikko, Mikan and all previous Berryz singles in it's first week! (well, not total sales of Tokaikko and Mikan in the first week, but it beat those two singles first week sales). So go Berryz!!! Omedeto Berryz!! :D However, it did fail to beat Buono!'s first week sales, but Buono!'s fabulous!!