April 19th 『4월 19일』 - Apink [color-coded]

Notes : The color code made by me. I'm not really sure about Hayoung's and Yookyung's part on the climax so please correct me if I'm wrong. ;)


Singer : Apink (Park Chorong, Yoon Bomi, Jung Eunji, Son Naeun, Hong Yookyung, Kim Namjoo, Oh Hayoung)

Ddaseuhan bomnal mudae wiro ollatjyeo
Joshimseureon moseub ddeo oreuneyo
Geunarijyeo uri cheoeumeuro manatdon geu nal
Ajikdo itji mothae

Eoreobuteun uril utge haejun neo (baro na, ddo baro neo)
Ireohke eonjena isseojullaeyo (jikhyeo julgeyo)

My love ddo shijakiya uriga hamkke hal sigan
Ije deo boyeojulge bateun sarangboda deo
Jigeumen himdeulgo jogeum bujokhedo gwenchanha
Neoye geu ddaseuhan maeumman isseumyeon chungbunhe geugeomyeon dwe

Deullyeowatjyeo himi dwejun moksori
Gaseumsoke urin saegyeonoatjo
Ojik hana jul su itneungeon i noraebbuninde
Nomuna gomawoyo

Himdeun sigan hamkke gyeondyeowatdeon neo (baro na, ddo baro neo)
Ijeneun naega neol jikhyeo julgeyo (himi dwelgeyo)

My love ddo shijakiya uriga hamkke hal sigan
Ije deo boyeojulge bateun sarangboda deo
Jigeumen himdeulgo jogeum bujokhedo gwenchanha
Neoye geu ddaseuhan maeumman isseumyeon chungbunhe geugeomyeon dwe

Sigani jeongmal ppalli heullyeotjyeo
Beolsseo ilnyeoniran gin sigani
Geudongan motdahan maldeul ijeneun jeonhalgeyo
Gomawo ddo kamsahe ireohke gobaekhae neol saranghandago

My love ddo shijak iya uriga hamkke hal sigan
Ije deo boyeojulge bateun sarangboda deo (sarangboda deo)
Jigeumen himdeulgo jogeum bujokhedo gwenchanha
Neoye geu ddaseuhan maeumman isseumyeon chungbunhe geugeomyeon dwe (I will stay with you)

Nal bwa nae du nuneul bwa neowana hamkke hanikka
Jeoldae neol notji anha isesangi ggeutnado
Amumal eobsido genyang yeophe isseojumyeon dwe
Ddaseuhan sarang neomuna gomawo geugeomyeon dwe



Romanized Title : 4weol 19il (April 19th)
Single : -
Hangul Source : (the video above)

Getting To Know The New Idols On The Block: Tokyo Girls Style

Tokyo Girls Style is one of the new idol groups who stand out for their musical style. Out of the new idols groups who have released an album, theirs was my favorite. I also think they are quite strong vocally. They were the first idol group formed by Avex since SweetS. Their seventh single was their first to hit the Oricon Top 5.


Member Profiles:

Konishi Ayano (14)
Birthplace: Osaka Prefecture
Favorite Color: white and pink
Talent: piano
Favorite Artists: BoA and TVXQ
Favorite Brands: RONI and FANTAJIA
Favorite Foods: Potatoes, pancakes, grilled monja, Hiroshima grill
Dream: write and sing her own song

Arai Hitomi (14)
Birthplace: Miyagi Prefecture
Talent: Para Para
Hobby: Snowboarding
Favorite Class: PE and Art
Favorite Sports: Sprinting and Swimming
Favorite Artist: Koda Kumi, Hamasaki Ayumi, Amuro Namie
Dream: A popular artist

Shoji Mei (14)
Birthplace: Yamagata Prefecture
Likes: New Year Cards
- Former member of Crystal Children

Nakae Yuri (14)
Birthplace: Osaka Prefectures
Talents: Bushido and sword battles
Favorite Colors: Purple and Black
Favorite Artist: TVXQ
Hobby: ollects tuffed nimals
Favorite Foods: Baked noodles, Chinese-style noodles
Dream: acting in films and dramas
- left handed

Yamabe Miyu (15)
Birthplace: Chiba Prefecture
Hobby: Drawing and Dancing
Talents: Guitar
Favorite Class: Art
Favorite Sport: Basketball
Favorite Artist: Hamasaki Ayumi
Favorite Food: Chocolate
Favorite Color: Pink
- leader

AKB48's Senbatsu Election: Mina's Vote

Uchida Mayumi:
She isn't my oshi (Minegishi Minami), but she is my second favorite Team K member. Plus the set up of the elections has changed. There are significantly more spots up for the taking, so if she is unable to rank now it would be quite disappointing. The only other people I would vote for would be Takahashi Minami or Sato Amina. Takahashi is pretty much guaranteed a spot in senbatsu, but I wouldn't mind seeing her move up. Now that senbatsu has shrunk to 16 spots I don't think Sato will be able to make senbatsu. However, I highly encourage people to vote for her. (I'm also concerned about Minegishi considering she tends to be on the lower end, but I think she will make it.) My priority is for Ucchii to make rank.

The thing about the majority of idol groups, more so for groups as large as AKB48, is some members are aces and others are pushed towards the back. Now I don't think she deserves to be in senbatsu over other girls. Everyone brings in something different, and fans prefer different members. I gravitate towards Ucchii. The first time I saw her perform, while watching Team B's 4th Stage, she left an impression. She isn't the typical idol type. She can be goofy.

9nine ... wait, who are they now?

9nine

Nobody knows them... nobody. 9nine was established in 2005 but heck, I stumbled across one of their albums. Only one. Why only one? So they're not quite that great, but they have some potential! Just last December, their whittled-down-to-five team grasped a hold of a sit-com. However, that sit-com airs at... 1am?

Honestly, "Shiroi Hana" (2007) was the song that I fell in love with back in my high school days.

They're quite simple and it doesn't look like they put on too much make-up at all. They're also not stunningly pretty but they do have their styles. Although their singing isn't that good and their dances aren't nearly as interesting as Momusu's, they did make 9th on Oricon with "Shoujo Traveller" this January.

Their first album First9 never even made it onto the Oricon... and no wonder, it wasn't particularly good. I only had three songs that I really liked from it. The second album, Second9, placed at 186. The third and self-titled album 9nine placed 8th a while after "Shoujo Traveller" was released. This was pretty recent... as in March 7th recent. Could this be, suddenly, something with rising niche popularity?

Or maybe it's just a passing breeze of good fortune.

Morning Musume

ON A TANGENT, I kind of really wish Morning Musume would gain popularity again. Their dancing skills are still really friggin sharp... and even if I don't always like how their voices come out... I can't deny that their dance is amazingly good. I would even go as far as to say I like a few Momusu dances more than I like AKB dances, and here are just some titles I would recommend watching the dance shot of.

(I miss my Yoshi!!!)

• Nanchatte Renai
• Kimagure Princess (it grew on me after I watched it a few times)
• Do it Now
• Kanashimi Twilight
• Irroppoi Jirettai
• Naite Shimau Kamo

Nanchatte Renai has SUUUUUPER pretty music. Kanashimi Twilight was my favorite Momusu song for a long time but... I overlistened to it and the lives of it weren't that good at all. Do It Now has been my constant fave. Kago Ai's voice in it was so cute. * ^* I only recently started listening to Naite Shimau Kamo.

Nami

Speaking of dancing and losing popularity... I'mma mention the once top-selling singer in her category, Nami Tamaki. Besides doing songs for Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny, she also did openings for both D. Grayman and Kiba. Her place in the anime and game industry was once quite firm, even when she debuted at age 13 or 14 with "Believe," which became a Gundam Seed opening. Her dancing is also known to be phenomenal! But then what happened?

Well... let's take a look at the Oricon figures, courtesy of Wikipedia:

1st Album	Greeting Released: February 25, 2004	#5
2nd Album	Make Progress Released: May 11, 2005	#1
3rd Album	Speciality Released: July 12, 2006	#1
Compilation	Graduation ～Singles～ Released: November 29, 2006	#6
4th Album	Don't Stay Released: April 23, 2008	#14
Compilation	Tamaki Nami Reproduct Best Released: March 25, 2009	#84
5th Album	STEP Released: February 24, 2010	#55

Yes... Wut? From the top-selling artist and her single digits to figures in the 80s and 50s?! She didn't really have any new stuff for a while after Don't Stay except some live concerts. In 2009, she switched agencies as well. That could've been it?

Personally, I really liked her Winter Ballades. You should check that out. "Promise" is a gorgeous PV. In fact... I'll post it right here so you don't have to look for it. Arg... if only there was a working copy of it on youtube... -grumbles; offers a lame link-

I also recommend from her:

• Believe
• Reason
• Prayer
• Realize
• Brightdown
• Sanctuary

Down With Biases!

As some of you may know, I have only recently become a K-Pop fan. But, if you weren't aware K-Pop fans can be monkey fighting (if you don't understand the reference, click the link) CRAZY (link of some Monday-to-Friday crazy sh*t)! One thing I noticed is that there are fan names for everything. Personally I do not care for the practice. I am fine with fan clubs because it is a medium for fans to get goodies, but it is the identifying yourself by a single group that goes too far. [This is my opinion, just as a reminder.]


Why would labeling yourself by only one group be bad? Psychology has the answer for that: intergroup bias. In layman's terms, it is basically when you see yourself as part of a select group and see others outside of it. One example, although hyperbolic comparatively, is Nazi Germany. What I am saying is that by making an in-group, you increase the likely hood of rejecting criticism and hating on out-groups. Sports can work in a similar fashion.

For example, I am a sports fan for my university's various teams. We have cheers like other fans, some are witty and others are not so much. For hockey, one thing we do is when the announcer states that both teams are at full strength (because penalties have ended), we say "That's debatable, She's inflatable, Your mom is dateable, YOU STILL SUCK, dick." When we went up against one of our biggest rivals, who some consider to be weaker academically, we would yell "Safety School" and clap, and if any of their fans sat in our student section (usually peppered individually in the upper levels) we would all point and yell "@sshole". I would not recommend sitting in our student section, if you support an opposing team, if you are a sensitive person and or takes those kind of things seriously. We can be very loud.

Antis buy the majority of seats for a SNSD concert.

Do you see where I am getting at? Now I don't go to forums that much, especially not K-Pop focused ones so I don't have many examples to draw on. One example is from the comment section of a Brown Eyed Girls video on YouTube. The person said something along the lines that she/ he liked the group, but is a SONE (SNSD fan). By saying you are in such a specific fandom, I think you are less likely to appreciate other groups (plus previously mentioned issues). I also think it encourages antis. [Another comparison is Star Trek versus Star Wars; things can get heated.]


In terms of J-Pop, even though there is a lower prevalence of naming, this is likely seen in terms of the relationship between Morning Musume fans and AKB48 fans. [Reminder: I am a fan of both.] I think Morning Musume fans might hate on AKB48 more because of a rivalry. This is true vice versa, but I haven't seen it (likely because AKB is at the top). Technically, every artist in Japan is competing against AKB48 or any other group that releases music.

Conclusion: I believe you can rank groups on how well you like them, but shouldn't identify yourself by a single musical artist. If someone asks what music you like, you shouldn't respond you are an Exotic. You can say EXO is your favorite group, but you also like blah blah blah. This is a wota blog, but I wouldn't respond with just I am an AKB fan (even if they asked about idols). I identify myself as someone who likes a wide-range of artists like AKB48, Florence + The Machine, ADELE, Nicki Minaj, and Brown Eyed Girls to name a few. I do not hate on a group. I say what I like or dislike about them, because I have an opinion. This is why I hate when people accuse me of being biased. AKB48 may be my favorite artist, at the moment, but it is only one of them. I also like Morning Musume (although not their music at the moment) and SNSD (although it would make me feel better if they gained some weight).

AKB48's 4th Senbatsu Prediction: Risk It To Get The Biscuit

Every year there are even more girls in the running, but this year they are even more spots available.

Senbatsu can be pretty predictable. There only tends to be one or two big surprises. Now that Acchan's is out of the running, where will her voting block go?

1. Takahashi Minami [↑ / 22(7), 17(6), 13(5)]
2. Oshima Yuko [- / 22(2), 17(1), 13(2)]
3. Kashiwagi Yuki [- / 22(3), 17(8), 13(9)]
4. Shinoda Mariko [- / 22(4), 17(3), 13(3)]
5. Watanabe Mayu [- / 22(5), 17(5), 13(4)]
6. Itano Tomomi [↑ / 22(7), 17(4), 13(7)]
7. Kojima Haruna [↓ / 22(6), 17(7), 13(6)]
8. Sashihara Rino [↑ / 22(9), 17(19), 13(27)]
9. Matsui Rena [↑ / 22(10), 17(11), 13(29)]
10. Takajo Aki [↑ / 22(12), 17(13), 13(23)]
11. Miyazawa Sae [- / 22(11), 17(9), 13(14)]
12. Matsui Jurina [↑ / 22(14), 17(10), 13(19)]
13. Yokoyama Yui [↑ / 22(19)]
14. Kitahara Rie [↓ / 22(13), 17(16), 13(13)]
15. Minegishi Minami [- / 22(15), 17(14), 13(16)]
16. Yamamoto Sayaka [↑ / 22(28)]
Bumped Out of Senbatsu: Kasai Tomomi, Sato Amina, and Akimoto Sayaka

The predictable result would be Oshima Yuko returning to center. However, just to be crazy (and if it turns out I'm right it'll be so much more awesome) I am guessing that Takahashi Minami will steal it from Oshima. Takahashi Minami is a frequent MC or guest on TV programs. She also got a pretty big push in GIVE ME FIVE. But my main reason is that I think Acchan fans will move over to Takahashi. Plus, everyone likes a challenge. It will be either they mostly move to one girl or spread out among various members.

We might see a lower count for the top members because there are more spots in the overall ranking. I also suspect members who are on the lower end of senbatsu might have a better turn out in hopes that they don't get pushed out. For example, I predicted regular senbatsu member Kasai Tomomi won't make it to senbatsu this year. Her fans and ones of Minegishi Minami might come out in force this year for them to retain their position.

I have a feeling that Takajo Aki and Yokoyama Yui will rise in the ranking due to increased exposure. For that matter, if you are a member of a sub-group you have a better shot when it comes to elections. The reason why I believe Takajo Aki in particular has a good shot is because the smaller-cast version of Naruhodo High School includes her. Therefore, she is likely to be popular in Japan.

Onto Matsui Jurina (SKE48) and Yamamoto Sayaka (NMB48). Due to the increased popularity and appearances of NMB48 and SKE48 they are likely to have more votes from the casual fan demographic. I also think fans of Matsui Jurina will want to show her how much they appreciate her dedication considering her illnesses and her decrease in rank in the previous election.

Finally there is Itano Tomomi. I am going to test a theory this year. It is that Itano Tomomi has on and off years in the senbatsu elections. I think people assume she is guaranteed a high rank, but then she doesn't. Because of that, her fans try harder the following year. They then make the assumption she will hold that spot.

It is also going to be the year of combating goddesses. The fans of Shinoda Mariko and Watanabe Mayu both view their oshi as an empress. Shinoda is active outside of AKB48, but then Watanabe has her solo debut. Then there is Sato Amina. She never makes it into senbatsu these days, except during elections. Will her fans work harder to attain her a senbatsu spot? So, we'll see.

Itano Tomomi's 10年後の君へ & Clone PV Review

I've been waiting for Itano Tomomi's next single for what felt like a long time. She is my favorite soloist from AKB48, and one of my top idol soloists, that are active. (Although there aren't that many so it ends up being, in no particular order, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Narsha, and Itano Tomomi at the top of my list.) This PV brings me back to the early 2000s when it comes to musical style and cinematography. Did anyone else think of BoA's Japanese works from the 2000s.


This is why I can see Itano Tomomi doing well on her own as long as she has the right support system because she has the same cool swag of Amuro Namie. I used to not care for Amuro Namie live because she didn't seem to be trying too hard, but it has grown on me. I was used to Britney Spears' level of performance, so she seemed flat to me. This is why I don't think much of critiques of Itano performance quality when it comes to facial expressions. I mean, Amuro Namie is considered one of the top female artists in Japan.


Side Note: Itano Tomomi wrote one of the B-sides (lose-lose) for this single, which is a great sign. A lot of major female artists in Japan start off as idols, but now either completely or have a major hand in producing their own music.

The very beginning brings me back to the 2000s period, with the editing technique to make the video look fuzzy or poor quality. This combined with the rainy city backdrop sets the scene for a lovely ballad. I'm glad they only included this technique twice, because it would of likely gotten old if used repetitively.


Combined with the church shots and club storyline scene the video just screams retro. The retro concept works wonderfully with the theme, which is kind of like a letter 10 years later. [The title translates to 'To You 10 Years Later.] Ten years ago from now would be 2002. I guess if you don't care for that period then you won't appreciate this song and promotional video as much. That period represents my youth so it is nostalgic for me. Now that I think about it, the video itself feels nostalgic.

Back to the various shots. Itano Tomomi looks gorgeous in the church scenes. I appreciate that they incorporated a storyline to the PV. Considering the theme it is really necessary. One problem I have is that she is in high school then but she is having a fling with an architect. I can see girls enjoying it because high school guys can be immature and he seems like the ideal guy. Although, they have limitations. If they make her older in the flashbacks then she would be in her 30s present day. I also wouldn't prefer a high school drama considering Itano's age. She is becoming an adult, so her solo works should reflect that. So I guess this is a good compromise. [Still jailbait.]


Overall it is simple, but nothing exemplary. However, when you consider the theme of the piece everything works well to bring you back to the early 2000s. I would say it is a success. It is not my favorite PV, even from Itano as a soloist. It is successful at what it means to do, instead of just her singing a ballad alone on some cheap sets.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

I didn't know if I was happy that this isn't the A-side when I first found out. I liked it when I heard the leaked previews, but it isn't as catchy as her previous singles. However, I don't like the real A-side as much as Dear J and Fuini. Clone follows Itano usual style of Pop infused with Hip-Hop elements. It is the promotional song for another of her E-Mobile commercials, which isn't my favorite compared to their other CMs. I guess she gets to release a solo single every time E-Mobile wants another CM song.


This PV isn't anything spectacular, but pretty good considering it is for a B-side. The majority of idols, and even artists only produce music videos for their title tracks. Unlike the A-side, this doesn't seem to have much layers to it. It only has two backgrounds, but there is a variety in shots and pans. I have no idea what is going on with the bottles on ones of the sets. Itano Tomomi spends the majority of her time being chill and or having a playful, mischievous expression. They also didn't use the promotional outfit for Clone. This video might of been better if they had done a different dance shot. Then again, this is only a B-side so I shouldn't have high expectations.


There is a dance close up that is pretty cool. It is a close-up shot but instead of her just singing in front of the camera she does some minor choreography and you can see back-up dancers behind her. This works mostly because the dance difficulty is low. However, Itano with all her swag doesn't look stiff. It is a bit disappointing because she hasn't released a solo song yet that challenges her dancing. Itano was a child-dancer so I bet she is capable of upping-the-ante. On the other hand, the dancing reminds me of Hitoe (SPEED)'s solo PV Inori.


All in all this PV is pretty flat and low budget. But I'm giving management and Itano a break on this one because they don't need to make a promotional video for a B-side. I guess it is due to AKB48 that I now desire pretty good quality B-side PVs too. The dance and performance by Itano is not premium quality, but neither the choreography or the concept of this video require much from her. I would only recommend this if you like to watch Itano Tomomi because there really isn't any other reason to do so.
Rating: ☆☆☆


I'll post Itano Tomomi's previous solo PVs for those who aren't familar with her. I personally like them better, like I mentioned before. Enjoy!