Thank you, the world!!
Sorry for being apart from my vox friends.
I will make a post of my works as soon as I can.
LOVEDZG
Very nice and touching! Everyone enjoying the Olympics?
I apologize for the lateness of this. I actually had this done last week, but Band Camp came up so fast, I didn't have time to put it up! My apologies. Please enjoy my review on C-ute's Latest Single, Edo no Temari Uta II! Oh, and if you can't tell, I really don't understand this song. I sincerely apologize if my title is horrible and offensive and such.
(I was really really worried when I saw these covers..."Oh Mah God noo...Not lumberjacks!")
This song took me by surprise! Its so strange sounding...and its really short for the average Hello! Project song! I really wasn't sure what to make of it the first time I heard it...! It is a fusion of more traditional Japanese music and more modern hiphop (yes, I used the word hiphop.) noises...although I could be mistaken, it may just be an enka(ondo?)-pop fusion. I must say, Edo no Temari Uta II did a good job at leaving me clueless as to what they are trying to portray and what style the song is in...But that doesn't mean I don't like it! I think choosing this song for C-ute was a good choice. I especially love the line distribution. Everyone gets a solo line :D! I really love how Chisato gets a longer solo line (her being my favorite and everything..). I also noticed that Saki's voice didn't sound incredibly squeaky here! In fact, she sounds pleasant. Actually, I find myself very impressed with the vocals with song, even the weaker voices in the group sound great.
I personally find the neon lights in the PV great; they fit to me, since I associate the piano parts to 'downtown' and I only see Neon lights like that 'downtown' nowadays...anyway, I'm actually impressed at how intricate this PV is, I didn't notice it at first, but the spaces between the neon lights are plastered with Hello! Project CD covers! Its a fun idea to do this, but not all too original (Theres something like that Do It! Now, right?). I like how the covers are making more of a cameo than obviously being there, unlike in the Do It! Now PV. The sunrays and clouds add to the Japanese feel of the PV, and also add some background color to let the girls stand out more (but blend into the PV...) because of the black background behind everything.. The girls dancing in the background are also very Japanese and add to the overall feel of the PV too... No, I can't identitfy the girls. I'm guessing they are Eggs. They clearly are not meant to be identified since there are shadows on their faces most of the time! Having backup dancers for a group so large seems like a stupid thing to do, but it really added to the scenary and overall feel to the PV.
Member Review!
Umeda Erika: The only thing I don't like about Erika in this PV is that she is wearing black. It washes her out, which makes her look like a ghost along with making her look a bit out of place when you see the dance shot. Purple or a Dark Green would have been better (if they were tryng to go for a darker color). Erika herself shined beautifully despite the bad costume choice (whoever decided that: shame on you!). Her solo line was executed nicely. I had worries in the past that her voice would grow to become more whiny as time progressed, but she has relieved me of these worries!
Yajima Maimi: I really like Maimi in this PV. I've read some complaints about her "liberty bell" red dress, but I personally like it. I think it suits her. The bright red brings out Maimi's facial features flawlessly! I love it when Maimi wears her hair down. It is so pretty that way :D. Vocally, Maimi is great also. Her solo line sounds deeper and more mature than all of the other girls solo line. It fits the song magnificently; having her as the first solo line was a good choice.
Arihara Kanna: I love the color of her modified kimono. I don't love her shoes though (they aren't that great...). I kinda feel bad for her because her light-y pose was really awkward looking...like they only gave the girls one chance to do something and thats all she could think of and now she is thinking to herself "Dang, I wish they gave me another shot at that. :(" Vocally, I have to give an award to Kanna. She is very consistent in her singing voice, and never sounds very tired. Her voice may not be very strong or nice sounding, but it is very consistent! Therefore, I am very impressed by Kanna. She's cute, too, right...? EDIT: I just read the backlash on Kanna's scandal. I'm really just disappointed in Wota for doing such a deliberately mean thing to a 15-year-old girl who was behaving like a 15-year-old girl would. I understand that it is basically forbidden for members of the younger Hello! Project groups to have boyfriends, but I'm pretty sure UFA could torment her enough about her date. Hopefully this will blow over and not become a huge scandal. Since there wasn't a lot of news right after it happened, I don't think there will be...
Nakajima Saki: I like the yellow of Saki's Dress, even though its a sort of mustard yellow. It looks flattering on her, though. I first noticed that Saki and quite a few of the other girls are wearing gladiator style sandals. I don't really prefer those, but they fit the outfits quite well here. Saki's voice impressed me the most about her in this PV. She isn't squeaking out all of her lines, the style she sings in is much more mature. I hope that she continues to sing in this style, but something tells me she wont. Which is unfortunate, since this style is a lot nicer to hear.
Suzuki Airi: Her dress is one of my favorites. The shade is perfect for her. Its also really short! Airi really left a good impression in this pv. Usually I find her to be a little on the boring side, but she pulled this song off beautifully. Because there are only seven members and eight solo lines, someone had to get two. Naturally, Airi got the second solo line. She molded her voice to fit the music perfectly! I love it!
Okai Chisato: I've read some positive and negative responses to Chisato's outfit...I personally think its really cool. Its the most "ancient Japan" looking, and it also fits Chisato. She looks like a warrior XD. Chisato's Light-y-up shot is perfect! Her pose was the best, in my opinion. Although it is a bit biased, I love Chisato in every aspect in this PV. I love her solo line, and I love that it was one of the longer "E~ E~" ones. So, in conclusion, Chisato rocked in this PV, and I really wish she had a more prominent role in more singles!!
Hagiwara Mai: Maimai's dress is clearly the winner in this section. It is awesome. The way its made to look like a modern and traditional kimono at the same time (actually, all of the dresses are like this, but Mai's is the best made). The blue and the white and the flowersss *fangirls* its just so great XD. On the bad side...Mai's solo line was kinda breathy and less mature than the other girls. Although, Mai always sounds like this. We must take into account that she is quite a few years younger than the other girls. I'm actually pleased with her performance, she looks a lot less like a dead fish just hanging there where as all the other girls are giving it their all.
This was really an amazing performance for C-ute! All the girls seemed to give it their all! A+!
I remember this commercial when I was a kid, but they were bullshit... I didn't mean "bullshit!"
Spanish version:
maiZe and I share the same sentiment when it comes to what is arguably one of Hello! Project's best units ever, this temporary unit being Morning Musume Sakuragumi which was active from late 2003 until approximately the summer of 2004. I remember the "scare" of 2003 which occurred when fans became alarmed at the possibility that Momusu was being permanently separated into two units, the other being "Otomegumi." But to everyone's relief these two units just turned out to be extensions of Momusu in the form of two temp units.
Every once in a while I am introduced to a song out of the realm of Hello! Project that really catches my attention. A few months ago Henkka posted an Uta Doki Pop Classics episode where Yaguchi Mari covered the Juicy Fruits' Jenny Wa Gokigen Naname. I love that tune!. And Mari is so cute doing it. But what I really fell in love with was Perfume's version of the same song, which was the c/w track of their Sweet Donuts single. It is a lot of fun, and the lyrics are great.
Last week Berryz Kobo International did a post about a recent Berikyuu episode where members of Berryz Koubou and C-ute did a cover of Natsu Matsuri. The song was originally done by Jitterin' Jinn and more recently covered by a really cool J-rock group called Whiteberry. I really love this song too, especially Whiteberry's version. And the original is pretty good as well.
CJ, formerly of Stuck in a Pagoda (check out his great new blog here) commented on IW that Niigaki Risa recently covered that song on Uta Doki too. That prompted me to search You Tube for more versions, as Japanese pop classics tend to be redone by multiple artists. I had seen some of the Uta Doki episodes of that week with GakiKame, but somehow this performance slid under my radar...
Now I really like Gaki's version as well. Risa looks adorable with that haircut! And the ending is great with Kamei joining in on the fun! I had commented once before that Gakisan has what it takes to be a popular solo artist. And this performance doesn't change that opinion at all. But the "best" thing that came out of my search was the discovery that the relatively new J-pop group Idoling!!! also did a cover of Natsu Matsuri. I've never heard the girls in Idoling!!! sing before. Let's see how they do, shall we...
Uggh!!! Doesn't Idoling!!! have any girls that can sing? That was a disaster! Japan's version of The Monkees has got to do better than this if they think they are going to make a dent in the music industry. In fact, the members of The Monkees all had musical talent. The girls of Idoling!!! are cute, but what else do they have to offer? It should also be noted that Idoling!!! also covered Pucchi Moni's BABY! Koi ni KNOCK OUT! And that was slightly...slightly better. To borrow one of my favorite pics form Morning Berryz blog...
I can only imagine what our good friend Simon would have to say. I would really like to become a fan of Idoling!!! But what I have seen so far just hasn't impressed me. Perhaps they sound better on some of their original material. So I won't write them off just yet. In any case, Natsu Matsuri is an amazing song. And thank you to Pengie (this might be a record for references to other bloggers) for turning me on to Whiteberry!
CK in California
Tackey & Tsubasa's latest single offering continues to challenge a fan's monetary devotion by means of releasing three separate editions in the form of "Koi ban", "Uta ban", and a regular edition which isn't so "regular" after all.