About the New Girl In Town And the Future of Morning Musume...

Hello! Project has issued an announcement echoing what we all being buzzing about - Sugiura Taiyou & Nozomi's newborn baby girl Sugiura Noa. Many bloggers are absolutely pleased to know about it and here are their reactions.

Now in previous interviews, Sugiura revealed that their daughter's name will be a combination of the parents name. Funny, the name "Noa" (希空) only have half of Nono's name, Nozomi (希美) and none of the father's name Taiyou (太陽). So I thought further, and with reference to Sugiura's fame due to his role as Ultraman Cosmos, a quick search produced this -->

ULTRAMAN NOA

Image taken from this site and information in English can be found here.

So now I understand~~~~~~~!
Well.... at least I think it's like that. (^_^)v

And here's a clip of the Ultraman Noa, the last mode of Ultraman Nexus, in action.


I called Noa-chan Hello!Project's first Morning Magomusume モーニング孫娘 (Morning Granddaughter) in my previous post. Some comments from my previous post questioned that, because NOno is not the only and not the first ex-Morning Musume to have a child. As noted by Sponichi, there was 1st gen member Ishiguro Aya, 2nd gen member Ichii Sayaka, and finally 1st gen member Iida Kaori (who got married the same day as me! ^_^) who is expecting her child in January 2008. To be clear, I said that this is the first Magomusume because Nono is the first person (soon to be followed by Kaorin) to remain under the Hello!Project stable even after the birth of the child. To me, this is certainly something significant, because they are supposed to be idols. Unless they are not considered as idols after leaving Morning Musume of course...

In any case, Tsunku seems to agree, and revealed his feelings in his blog.

In his blog, he mentioned that he was very happy for Tsuji, felt as if his own granddaughter was born, and expressed his joy to see a small-sized Tsuji being a mother. (I think he still find that hard to believe, as many of us do~~ ^_^)
He said that the newborn girl is a reserve candidate for Morning Musume!

Finally, he remarked that Tsuji is a "producer" now, and hopes that she will be a reliable, perfect, kakoii and kawaii mother for the kid.

Oh... he also said he wanted to meet the baby and give it a hug. ^_^



There has been concerns and talks about the future of Morning Musume, due to the disappointing sales of their latest single "Mikan" and that Momusu's time is running out.... because Buono,C-ute and Kirari have outsold Momusu.

Current sales report

Hello! Project Artist	Single	Total Sales to Date
℃-ute	Tokaikko Junjou	38,085
Buono!	Honto no Jibun	35,281
Tsukishima Kirari	Chance	31,766
Morning Musume	Mikan	28,082

I don't know about you guys, but I felt that from Tsunku's statement in his blog that the baby is a upcoming candidate for Momusu, deep inside he wants Morning Musume to continue on. (at least until the kid is old enough to audition, of course). I think Momusu's time is NOT over.

But this should not be the only reason. Please stay tuned for an upcoming post.




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RuRu's first!

I wonder if Jun Jun and Lin Lin already know this, but they aren't the first Chinese member to enter H!P. Back in 1999 T&C Bomber grouped up and consisted of a member from China, RuRu. The group disbanded after a year and split their own ways (Inaba is still with H!P) and RuRu had decent amount of songs outside of H!P.

Early this year she released an album under Avex. More like a cover album. It's nice that she has been given a chance in Japan still. Maybe there's even a better chance for Maki then. ^_^ It would have been nice if RuRu she was still in H!P today and give both JJ and LL a bit of reassurance since she was in their shoes.

Here's some nice info about her:

1. She has an amazing voice.

Other: Utaban

2. She has done some work in China.

Others: 愛してる | 美麗心情

3. She can dance.



Extra Links:
Blog | Promotional Website | Profile
>> Read the rest of this article

Romance of the Wotagei ~ ヲタ芸のロマンス

In the beginning, there was Japan. Then the Japanese created "idols". And for a time, it was good... RRRIIPPPP!!!

Okay, enough of the Animatrix reference, but I swear its soundtrack was playing my head while I was typing this post. ^_^

Why I did create this post for such an old topic? Because I have recently discovered that there is wotagei in my neighbourhood. Check this out, this culture is now in Malaysia!!



Man, I didn't think it was possible~~~~ Obviously I was wrong... (^_^;)

According to fellow blogger Artszfar of Haromoni.net, the guys read from this blog about the time when visited a karaoke centre called Yumekukan in Plaza Mont Kiara. Then they gathered their army and their Morning Musume T-Shirts, booked a room and did the Wotagei. (Funny, because that karaoke centre was at the ground floor of the building where my office is located. How did I miss it? Haha~~~! ^_^)


Well anyways, "what IS wotagei?". For the benefit of those who don't know yet, it's a unique Japanese culture where a group of concert goers would include hand-clapping, cheers and dance routines during a song performance by their favourite idols. It serves to increase the tension of the song and as a way for the fans to show their love and support to the performers. As this culture was a trademark for wotas (Morning Musume otaku), it was aptly named "wotagei" (lit. "the art of wota").



The discovery of this culture began when the performers and concert staff started to notice some fans spinning around while jumping during concerts. Further investigations found their answers in Akibahara, the material haven for wotas. In fact they are an organised group of people, and have set up headquarters and clubs in many cities in Japan. (Kinda like the mafia. ^_^)

This culture is arguably exclusive only to Hello! Project, though it should be noted that the wotagei has already extended to other acts such as AKB48. Generally, many still believe that this form of art is born out of Hello! Project concerts. Out of the many H!P songs, the wotagei is most closely affiliated to Fujimoto Miki solo hit "Romantic Ukare Mode". But it need not necessarily be only for Mikitty's song, any other (preferably up-beat) songs is just as good.

Today, this culture has travelled across the oceans and has been embraced by many international wotas. At the top of this post, the Malaysian wotas are enjoying themselves, forming an (unofficial) H!P Fan Club.

A while ago I saw a video clip of a bunch of guys in Mexico singing "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari" in a subway train and another clip of the same guys doing the wotagei on the train. (Annoying the hell out of the other passengers obviously ^_^). Now we have a properly organised Mexico H!P F.C. doing the deed in front of the bronze Angel of Independence statue.



I'm thinking that some these people have probably been to Japan, maybe stayed there for some time, and later brought the culture back to their home country.
So I'm pretty sure other countries may have adopted the wotagei as well, especially Taiwan, Hongkong and Korea.

As for me,..... I do not know how do it and most certainly did not practice the wotagei. I wanted to say that I'm too old for that kind of action, but suddenly remembered that some of the Japanese wotas are over 30 or pushing 40. I guess my way of being a fan is different...

Personally I think it's okay to show your support to your favourite H!P idol in whatever way you wish, whether it's the wotagei way or the common way. Some of you may think it's a bit extreme, but I look at it as being the most basic and pure way of showing love not in words, but in "actions". Just remember that it does not apply to every single concert. Imagine doing the wotagei in a Beyonce Knowles or Westlife concert... (^0^)


\\(^0^) Urya~ Oi!! (^0^)// Urya~ Oi!! \\(^0^) Urya~ Oi!! (^0^)// Urya~ Oi!!

Peace^_^
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Is Korea ready for another girl group?

If you follow Korean music like I do, you must know that this year many new boy groups and girl groups appeared. Fierce rivalry already appeared before they even debuted and now with the year almost ended I look and see if there’s room for Korea. I would like to take the newest girl group and compare them with Morning Musume.



So Nyuh Shi Dae (Girl’s Generation)
Members: 9
Time since debut: August 2, 2007
Company: SM Entertainment
Age Range: 16-18

All 9 girls have trained separately for quite a few years. One of the members has actually trained 7 years before her debut. Almost all the members have done dramas, commercials, and modeling jobs individually. (Still are.) One member can speak Chinese and two members grew up in America and are able to speak in fluent English. Also, another member have debuted in Japan before and ironically participated in ASAYAN's "Korea Japan Ultra Idol Duo Audition". They are most likely going to get compared to this group because of the number of members.

These girls have loads of experience that I’m betting the Morning Musume girls never had done. Well, maybe the newer girls. You might say that Morning Musume will kill them instantly since they have so much history, but look at the girls. There is a language barrier. It’ll be harder to get close to the fans that love them so much there. You might also say that they aren’t competition at all. Who knows? What’s your opinion and how do you think Morning Musume will come over to Asia? What ways can they do to make them stand out. Music wise, not like events like they had recently.

This is more of 'if's' if they ever debut in Korea.


So Nyuh Shi Dae Debut MV:

Other links:
[ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ]
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Takahashi Ai Takes the Lead

And so Takahashi Ai had her first job as Morning Musume leader .... AND as "2nd Gen EcoMoni" with Kusumi Koharu starting a few days ago in a Nippon TV Eco Week campaign on Friday, where she announces her will to take up the task as leader with a spirited "I will do my best!". And that she did, while she gave some useful eco-friendly tips and practices along with her partner, in support of the campaign.


Yesterday on Young Town Doyoubi we saw the appearance of Michishige Sayumi who took over Fujimoto Miki's place as a regular in the radio show. Ai-chan did not steal the spotlight and remained passive in her responses (well, most of the time she is like that), as she knows the initiation of the new regular is important. Time and again, she pointed out some good qualities in Sayu, and noted that Sayu is probably more mature than herself, more like an older sister. Though she wished that Mikitty would come back to the show soon.

But what kind of leader is Ai-chan? She still seems to be same as usual, still lacking an outstanding personality (well, actually by having no personality IS her outstanding personality. I think lots of people remember her that way ^_^) and wanting things to be the same as it has always been.

Ai-chan, although already 21 years of age this year, have remained a timid 17 year old in my mind. Mostly because of her small stature, and because she was not the most outspoken amongst the Momusu girls. She doesn't speak unless spoken to, and is always in a passive mode. I cannot imagine her leading the "Dancing! Singing! Exciting!" and "Gambatte Ikima-SHOI!!" cheer before concerts and performances later on. ^_^

However, that's where things get more interesting.

In my personal opinion, unlike her predecessors Ai-chan not the type that will lead by taking charge, but is the type that will lead by quietly watching over her fellow members, while they freely do their stuff. It is this trait that lead me to draw comparisons with Arashi leader, Satoshi Ohno. Both Ai-chan and Ohno are talented singers, easily one of the best in their respective counterparts. Both are also good dancers. And both of them are well respected by their peers and juniors. I remember in the past Morning Musume auditions where many participants cite Takahashi Ai as their favourite member and is the one whom they idolize - including current member Michishige Sayumi.



BUT, after all my blabbering here, there's a chance that Ai-chan will come back and throw all my assumptions out the window. As always, she is very unassuming, and performs above her best effort under pressure. Let's see how she will change with this new responsibility as leader and how Morning Musume will turn out this time under her leadership..... unless the paparazzi comes up with another scandalous scoop again.

Here's a little something in commemoration of new Morning Musume leader Takahashi Ai.

An instrumental guitar rendition of Takahashi Ai's solo single - Yume Kara Samete.

Video Link | Lyrics
Hope you like it. (^_^)v


Peace ^_^
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Yossie Birthday OPV

Welp... I did it!


Video Link

It's only a simple slideshow of UFA official pictures, featuring Yossie from her debut up till today. Used Yossie's solo song from the "Sexy 8 Beat" album "Sono Deau no Tame ni".

Youtube is being strict these days, so I hope that they don't take down the video... and my entire account with it.

The guitar video? Oh... well, that will have to come in another day. (^_^)/

Enjoy!
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Amateurism Revolution 21 - a Morning Musume and Rhymester Collaboration

"Amateurism Revolution 21" Morning Musume featuring Rhymester... or was it the other way 'round?

I discovered this video on the net about mid of last year, back when it was widely circulated among bloggers and in websites. It was uploaded on Youtube but as usual due to their rules and violation of copyrights, it was promptly taken down.


A couple months back, after some hard searching, I found it uploaded elsewhere. Thought I'd share it here, for those who have not seen it before. -->


モーニング娘。にライムスター／アマチュアリズム・レボリューション２１
music mashup by onn@man(arashi no kemono@J-POP only party)
visual mashup by kamikaze(HONKY PRODUCTION)

It's slow to load. If you're having trouble with it go here, so at least we get a pause/start button.


Note:
"Amateurism Revolution 21" is a fan-made mashup video of Rhymester's "The Great Amateurism" and Morning Musume's "Renai Revolution 21". Very nicely done~~~! (^o^)/

"The Great Amateurism" is one of my all-time favourite songs by Rhymester, as is "Renai Revolution 21" by Morning Musume. The mashup vid is a little bit too noisy, and omitted/drowned out the Hip Hop elements of TGA. But after listening for a while, it was really enjoyable, and blended really well during the chorus.
If Momusu ever plan to go Hip Pop, this probably serves as a good preview. ^_^
Hey yo yo Mummy-D, please consider a collaboration project for real, man... (^_^)v

Now if I can only find a way to rip the FLV file and archive it in my hard disk...

---

EDIT 30-05-2007: This was re-uploaded on da Tube again.

Video Link.


The original videos here

The Great Amateurism - Rhymester

Video Link


Renai Revolution 21 - Morning Musume

Video Link
>> Read the rest of this article

'Koe' by Morning Musume - Self Duet

I'm back! And sitting down at my comfy lair, typing away in my blog and surfing the net for Jpop stuff. Feels great to listen to some Jpop and H!P songs while having dinner once again. Ahh~~~!

Thought I'd share what I found during my holiday break.

A Youtube user Kiyoshi Shishido have used a previous video of myself playing Morning Musume's "Koe" on my guitar, and combined a split screen video of himself singing along to it.




I have no idea how he did it...


I was surprised the first time I saw it. He's got good voice, even did harmonies. But I am truly flattered, that someone would sing karaoke to my poorly recorded video. He offered to do more, and I asked him to choose from any of my vids. ^_^


Footnote: Did a background check on Shishido. It appears that he is a currently a college student aspiring to be a model and actor.
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Niigaki Risa - the next push?

Ladies and gentlemen, the Niigaki Risa boom has come.

Some crazy points here, coming from a huge Gaki-san fan. Apologies in advance if this sounded bias.

Old news made new. Way back (I think a couple months) before Yossie's graduation announcement, read from somewhere that there were some 'insider' rumour from internal staffs, that Yoshizawa Hitomi, Fujimoto Miki and Takahashi Ai have their solo plans scheduled already. Was it true? Now Yossie's gone, two to go. When? This year? Next year? I don't know. But one thing's for sure, the year 2007 has to be Gaki-san's time to shine.

Sometimes I don't get UFA nor Tsunku's rationale. They have been pushing Tanaka Reina and Kusumi Koharu all this while, but lately it's Gaki-san have been getting some good spots. I'm guessing, Gaki-san is being pushed to the front in preparation to take the lead of Morning Musume once Mikitty and Takitty has graduated.



Firstly, flashback ->

Niigaki Risa was the one who "shined during the final studio recording", according to Tsunku. Actually, Gaki-san was not new to the media. Prior to joining Momusu she has done karaoke commercials with Tomy Corp. Even took part in a local fashion competition. There has been talks amongst Momusu fans over the net, that there were suspected connections between that competition and her possible chances in joining Momusu. As a result, she had a certain amount of following before she finally joined Momusu in 2001.

Initially, Tsunku did make use of Gaki-san's modelling experience for the Tin Tin Town Fashion programme. Even put her in Tanpopo along with Shibata Ayumi. But years gone by, Tsunku seemed to forgot the reason why he chose Gaki-san, and she barely have many opportunities. But then again, she was outshone by her peers(namely Takahashi Ai) and the Tsuji-Kago combo at that time.

After the graduation of Nono and Aibon, Gaki-san became more outspoken, and not afraid to speak her mind. And after the graduation of Ogawa Makoto and Konno Asami, Gaki-san gets more attention - from the management agency and from the fans.


I think I speak for everyone when I say Gaki-san has opened our eyes(and ears) and proved to us that she is well capable of carrying her own weight, with reference to her famous solo rendition of "Koe" in the internet-only programme "Hello Pro Hour".

Video Link



Other than that, here are some noteworthy track record of Gaki-san, since the mid of last year till now:

1) Most appeal time and appearance time in Hello! Morning. Appeared in ALL segments in a single episode at one point. (Variety segment, Pucchi Game, Zekkyu Commercial)

Don't underestimate the lure of the Haromoni show. Yes, the ratings have dropped somewhat compared to the golden years. But when any of the girls are not scheduled for other prime-time TV programs such as Waratte Itomo and Music Station, Haromoni is the next best available place for self-appeal.




2) Centre position and lead lines.

Morning Curry - 2006 Fuyu Fuyu Special

Thanks! Aruiteru 2006 Ambitious Version - Kouhaku

3) Lined up next to Yossie on position and lead lines. Whether it's the sequence of camera shots in Kouhaku, lead lines in the upcoming "Egao Yes Nude", or dance position, she is arranged to be next to Yossie at a lot of times. I wonder if this is deliberate, perhaps to signify anything at all. (Seems like my dream last week was trying to tell me something)



4) Of course, who could leave out the Momusu A-Team.

I had thought since in the "Bokura ga ikiru My Asia" jacket photo Gaki-san is positioned to the far side, opposite of Iida Kaori, she was going to be another flower-vase yet again.

But after watching the Haromoni on Sunday, it presented otherwise, they're not shy to present Gaki-san (along with Koharu-chan) at the same level with the golden girls Nacchi, Kaorin and Gocchin. If Tsunku's plan of expanding to the Asian market works, with Gaki-san's chinese-like look, she may become even popular.




All this while, Gaki-san knows her place and remained in the background supporting others when it's not her time. She is one young pro, who loves her job and her fans, and she deserves her share of the limelight someday.

I'm not trying to predict anything, or make any brave statement. Just noting that it has been a good year of 2006 for Niigaki Risa. And the year of 2007 has started with a big bang for her too.

Let's hope this little Momusu veteran of 6 years will finally show us the power of her "Mayuge Beam".


Thanks for reading. Peace ^_^
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Dohhh UP!

A lesson learned today - Open your eyes wide, look around and you will see it.

Just saw an image at the bottom of Hello! Project official site.


Dohhh UP!

What a name. It is described as video contents streaming site. I have no idea what this is, but it seems to contain many streaming videos, probably related to Up Front Group projects. There are music, drama, variety, theater, sports and life & culture. As usual, at the bottom of the page, there's the "licensed by JASRAC" disclaimer, like all other Up Front sites.

All I know is that I see lots of streaming videos that are not uploaded on other video streaming sites e.g. Youtube.com and Google Video. The theater videos seems interesting to watch. There's also the "Fuamiresu Ojigi 30 dou" clips, starring Takahashi Ai, Michishige Sayumi, Kamei Eri and Tanaka Reina.

Don't know how long this has been up. But will definitely watch them all before it gets taken down (if that ever happens). However, seems to be a little bit slow to stream. Or was it because of the Taiwan earthquake issue?

Does anyone else know what this is?
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Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings!

I'm going back to my hometown over the weekend, for Christmas. Need time to rest and to nurse my headache. (For those who interested to know, can read about it in my personal blog.)

In the meantime, I have changed the banner to suit the seasonal period until New Year. To all those who have been reading this relatively new blog, regularly or not, a very big Thank You!..... and Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings and a Merry Christmas!

Pucchi Moni sends their greetings too... (meant to transpose this and play on guitar but I couldn't make the time, with all the headache and stuff)

... and Viyuuden...

... and C-ute as well.

Airi says "Byee~~~!"

>> Read the rest of this article

A Way Out for Yoshizawa Hitomi

Is there life after Morning Musume for Yoshizawa Hitomi?

Graduation is inevitable. Some day Yossie will have to break away from Morning Musume and start a solo career of her own, depending on UFA's plans of course. Right now, with so many kaisans and graduations happening this year, UFA is literally hugging her legs, begging her not to leave. But naturally, when it is her time to go, we have to start wondering if she can do fine by herself.

Currently, the thing that the media and the fans are concerned about Hitomi Yoshizawa is her tremendous weight loss, to a point that she looked too skinny and anorexic. Also concerned if Yossie can find a place in the entertainment biz other than celebrity sports, namely futsal. Ikimasshoi had covered this article.



I meant to write something about this long time ago, but I have nothing to counter with, except with my undying love and support for Yoshizawa Hitomi of the Golden Age 4th Gen Morning Musume. But now I do have some ideas, and it will be explained below.

In summary, Yoshizawa Hitomi or Yossie has been a favourite among fans. While she is not commended for her singing and dance, she was favoured for her outgoing personality and humorous character, and is admired especially by female fans. Within the Hello! Project, she is also most popular among the girls, which many have cited that if Yossie was a boy, "she" would be the perfect partner.

Yossie had gone through many transformation from childhood to adolescent, and from her debut in entertainement biz with Morning musume till now.

However, the sudden departure of Yaguchi Mari, the responsibility of a leader have fallen upon the shoulders of Yossie, and many have wondered if she was up to the task. I find that she took up the job rather well, cos' soon the fans forgotten about Yaguchi's scandal, and looked forward to young breed of Momusu under her leadership.

Time went by, with her active and grueling schedule of juggling between futsal and Momusu, Yossie had lost so much weight people are starting to worry for her. Tabloids had speculated all kinds of reasons for it. Health problem(anorexia), break-up with boyfriend, eating-disorder, over-worked... etc.

The news article mentioned above speculates that after our Yoshizawa Hitomi's graduation from Morning Musume, she has no where to turn to, other than futsal or any sports related work.

I think that's just a bit too narrow-minded. There are many possible ways Yossie can branch out other than sports.





Music Career
Skinny is not necessarily anorexic... in fact it's a body I know many girls would die for. "Skinny girls" or "Anorexic girls" can make it just fine in the mass media of Japan. If UFA can establish the right contacts, make the right strategies, Yossie can still perform as a recording artiste.

Take Hayami Kishimoto for example


I cannot help but notice the similarities between the two, not only the skinny arms and bony shoulders... it's the overall look. I swear, if Yossie goes Jpop, this would be a good preview on how she would probably look like.

Of course, Kishimoto is nothing like Yossie in person, but that's where Yossie can differentiate herself. I find that the one-time best friend and partner of Goto Maki can do well, if opportunities are given.

By the way, if you like Hayami Kishimoto, Japtard has two posts for your enjoyment here and here.

If Jpop is not Yossie's cup of tea, then there's always Hip Pop. And the best example would be Amuro Namie, Japan's self proclaimed Queen of Hip Pop.
Cannot picture Yoshizawa Hitomi in Hip Pop style? Here's a vid of Amuro in "Momusu Wonderful Hearts Land 2006"-like costume...

Video link here
There's also Pop Rock too. Otherwise, sticking to Jpop is just fine.

Another example would be Hitoto Yo, skinny too, but excellent voice and singing. Yossie cannot match with her of course, but if UFA is willing to invest their time and effort, she'll get somewhere close. Even, cutie-voiced Matsuura Aya is able to take a 180 degree turn to a mature-type singing and style now. So why not?

As you can see it's not impossible to be skinny, and yet be appealing to the mainstream at the same time. With the right song selection, packaging and promotion, she'll make it.




Acting Career
Yossie is not known for her acting, and had not been assigned to any major soap dramas before. Other than the time where she was casted as the lead role in a mini-drama, and another where she was casted as a receptionist. (Can't remember the titles now...) However, she is well known by all for her hilarious characters in Haromoni Skits. (Especially love that John Travolta and Ganko Itetsu ^_^) But Yoshizawa Hitomi has the looks of a jouyuu or actress. I especially loved how she looked with long hair during the Rainbow 7 time. This boyish and tomboy girl is deceivingly lady-like and beautiful.

With this kind of look, I think she can play some good J-Dramas.



Theater
If all else fails, there's always Takarazuka Revue.

I was SO mesmerized by Yossie's performance in Morning Musume's Ribbon no Kishi musical. I never knew that her vocal range can be so wide, and yet so solid when hitting the high notes.
I don't have the article clip with me now, but I remember reading that the reviewers were very impressed and praised Yossie and Miki's performance on the musical, especially their duet scene, adding that it was one of the highlights of the show. I get goosebumps everytime I recall that scene in my head. Mikitty is being Mikitty, her voice and style didn't change in Ribbon. But Yossie's different, and her portrayal of the Prime Minister character was great. (Her lower jaw still shifts to the right when she sings though ^_^)

Behold the next star of Takarazuka Revue...


We all know Takahashi Ai loves Takarazuka, theater and broadway. But she lacks the height. Limiting the type of roles that she can play, But Yossie on the other hand is different. Other than height, with her poise, confidence and singing she can be big in the theater scene. Probably it doesnn't suit her personal preference, I don't know. She probably would find the harsh world of theater too much for her to take, but we know she loves challenges and enjoys role playing, so it might work. She is the type that when put under a costume or guise, her mind warps into character. I think that Yossie can play any otokoyaku(man-role) in Takarazuka theater convincingly. Plus it is well known that Takarazuka actresses are popular and admired by the female fans, so Yossie may just fit right in.



To sum it up, Yoshizawa Hitomi can potentially have a great solo career after she graduates (Unless UFA messes it up). But for now, let's just enjoy watching her as the big mommy (or big daddy , if you will) of Morning Musume.
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SEXY BOY ~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~ - Fanvid

Found this on Youtube. QueenSagara(the girl in the video) decided to showcase her dancing with SEXY BOY ~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~. And looks great doing it. (Try and beat this one, Craig~~ :D )

QS did a good job doing the video editing, obviously she had a nice composition planned out beforehand when filming the video. Intro, multi-shots, flashes, cut-outs... etc. Love the part where she did Tanaka Reina's finger pistol pose.

The fact that she only used Windows Movie Maker to do this even amazes me. This gave me new ideas, and I'll never look at that simple video editor the same again.


Video Link

Ya know... after watching it, I'm starting to wonder if UFA may have used Movie Maker too! :P
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Matsu wa 待つわ - Internet Duet 2

Just when you think he's done, he came up with another one. This time it's way better than before. watercolour edited this vid PV style. Methinks he's got plans to go pro!

Song: Matsu wa 待つわ by W(DoubleU)

Performed by:
watercolour (Romania) - Guitar
Luna (USA) - Vocals

Editing by watercolour



Luna (the girl in the video) has a nice voice. Saw another video of hers, where she sings "I Wish" in acapella style. Wish she could do more...

I'm so envious~~~! I could never find the time to do vids like watercolour did. Already my current otaku activities have dominated most of my time/life... ^_^
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Manatsu no Kousen on Classical Guitar

Manatsu no Kousen (Ray of Light in Midsummer) by Morning Musume, played slow and ballady, much like the Hawaiian version in "Hawaiian de Kiku Morning Musume Single Collection" album. I haven't heard the Hawaiian version in full, only snippets here and there. It was performed by Coconuts Musume, Fujimoto Miki and Ishii Rika.

Manatsu no Kousen is listed by Music Station as one of top 111 summer songs of all time in Japan. Every time I hear this song, it certainly puts a smile to my face. An absolute "summer of love" kind of feel.

So here's what I got...


Video link

Lyrics and Romaji | Translation
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Matsu wa 待つわ - Internet Duet

This is what it means, to say that technology brings the people together.

Song: Matsu wa 待つわ by W(DoubleU)

Performed by:
watercolour (Romania) - Guitar
Paws (Finland) - Vocals

Recorded separately in their respective countries and then edited together by watercolour.


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Sabishii Nettaigyo by Wink, W(DoubleU) .... or The Nolans?

Lots of link for youtube.com today. I really hope they don't take down the videos for this post...

Okay now, the question is... who covered WHO?

We all know the tune "Sabishii Nettaigyo" 淋しい熱帯魚, one of 80's/90's pop duo Wink's greatest hits, was covered excellently by our favourite W (DoubleU).


Now Wink is known to cover lots of English songs but this was a surprise to me -> this song may also be a cover of an English song "Tidal Wave" sung by The Nolans. This auction item seems to approve of the fact.


The Nolans came out in the 70's, one of their most well-known songs is probably "I'm in the Mood of Dancing". So I thought that the Sabishii Nettaigyo to be a cover song should be true. However, I couldn't find "Tidal Wave" song in video or audio anywhere. So can anybody from the UK or Ireland please confirm this?

Comparisons:

Sabishii Nettaigyo by W


Sabishii Nettaigyo by Wink


Tidal Wave by The Nolans (song mixed with misc W videos)


What do you think?
^_^


EDIT 2 (13-11-2006): Received an email from Fiona, the webmaster of nolansfanzine.com/. Has confirmed that the song "Tidal Wave" IS a cover of "Sabishii Nettaigyo", their album also entitled "Tidal Wave" was released in 1991. She further mentions that The Nolans song "Sexy Music" was covered by a certain Japanese artiste in the early 1980s. There may be other covered songs. (Thanks Fiona! ^_^)


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More on The Nolans

I love 70s and 80s music, but due to our limited access to Western music from where I come from, I've only heard of "I'm in the mood for dancing".

The Nolans in action:
"I'm in the mood for dancing" by The Nolans



I also found out that The Nolans were huge in the Japan music charts, outselling The Beatles at one point.

This is probably why:
"I'm in the mood for dancing" by The Nolans (sung in Japanese!)



Sources:
http://80ssongoftheday.blogspot.com
http://www.nolansfanzine.com/
http://www.idollica.com/wink/Wink.html
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Koi No Dance Site on Guitar... Having bit of fun

The workload during the past week has been killing me. I know I am not in good shape if I cannot play a full song without making mistakes. Had a hard time recording "Koi no Dance Site", couldn't get it right after so many tries. (I didn't write down any of my transpositions in music sheets, so I have to play from memory) So I said "oh what the heck" and played the song differently. Here's what I got in the end:



You don't wanna know how it sounded in reggae. :)

"Koi" was supposed to be a fun song anyway, so I guess it's still okay. I'll get the proper one up another time.

Also, I managed to transpose "Koi no Vacance" by W too. Short song, lotta fun. That will come after this...
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Hello!Project Unplugged on Guitar

Nope. I'm not alone on this project. You should check this guy, watercolour and his works on youtube. It's amazing! Plus, some one actually put up some of his stuff on Hello!Online tracker. My works are purely for hobby and fun. I wish I could turn back time and find that same kind of enthusiasm in me.

So if anyone else out there that feels you can do something like that, do not be afraid to show it. Join the club, upload em' and share with us!

A few of notable ones by watercolour.

Do it! Now by Morning Musume, モーニング娘 , on guitar

Video Link

SEXY BOY～そよ風に寄り添って～(Soyo kaze ni yorisotte) by Morning Musume, モーニング娘。on guitar

Video Link
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Mushoku Tomei na Mama de on Classical Guitar

Another transposed song here ->

Mushoku Tomei na Mama de - Morning Musume

Video Link

I love this song. It's sad lyrics and ballady melody can have me play it all day in an infinite loop. It could have been a good A-side single, in my opinion. I prefer and hope Tsunku produces more songs like this in the future.
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