Mina's Mass PV Review

Perfume never fails to be perfect.  What is amazing about it is that it gradually provides the audience with new surprises.  The video itself develops into something that we weren't expecting.  We discover that they are dancing on a table covered in food.  Then a whole 'nother color palette is added.  I wouldn't change a thing.

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This probably reminds long-time fans of the games they used to play in their old crack shows (like Shukudai-kun).  I don't believe many non-Arashi fans enjoying this PV.  The overacting is adorable if you like them.  Why is it that Aiba is the only one who doesn't look good in his outfit?  It has the same gothic storybook feel that some of their past PVs had, like Monster.  I like the playfulness of it, but like French Kiss' PV, probably not going to watch it again.
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I bow down to whoever decided to develop Tokyo Girls' Style into something different than all those other idol groups.  It is the reason why I still follow them while I've gotten bored by groups like Momoclo.  This is pretty standard when it comes to idols, but the gothic scenes are gorgeous.  Their styling is perfect because they don't stray to far from being idols but they get some amazing edge.
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I don't like it.  They are trying to be funny, but then they look like they are still trying to be cute.  It makes me suspicious of them.  One reason I like idols is because they are relatable and I could be friends with them.  But I don't want to be friends with anyone in this group.  Before they had the right mix of idol and humor, but now they look like a joke,  The video is well done though.  
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Oh god, where is Rebecca Black?  Chad go away no one wants to touch you.  It looks like K-Pop was mixed with Dragon Ball Z and Douche guys.  There are a couple guys which are attractive, but seriously the styling on Chad!  Who thought that was attractive!  Did Lance Bass just decide to give his boy toys a video or something?
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This is a pretty strong video.  The vocal shot is beautiful and suits the mood of the PV.  I enjoyed how the storyline highlights the importance of friendship.  It wasn't memorizing though.  Their gimmick are the dramas attached to the song.  I'm just one for variety, but I do enjoy it in the end.  I wouldn't watch this again.  It would of been nice to see some sort of dance shot because this wasn't a ballad.  I would of also liked to see them goofing around more because their friendship is very sugar-coated, makes it a bit unrealistic.  For example, the karaoke scene was awkward.  

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I don't like the song, but this is what SDN48 should of done.  It is a ton of fun and makes you feel like you are partying with your friends.  SDN could of gathered a larger female audience instead of looking like more eye candy for men.
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I find that some of the scenes are beautiful.  I love the use of lanterns to play with lighting and as pops of color.  I don't understand the hair wigs.  What does this have to do with China!  I hate the fact that the girls look identical.  The song is also as annoying as the girls.  I like elements of the video but hate the girls and the music.
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I absolutely think this song sucks major BALLS!  Who thought releasing this song was a good idea?  I hate. . . I can't even continue watching it.  She isn't even professional when it comes to her own dance videos.  What you didn't practice?  WTF is it doing on YouTube then?
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This is an amazing ballad PV, well was, in the beginning.  I love the simplicity of the close ups and the background.  Then the 360 camera.  Woah, whole different song.  Unlike Super Junior's Mr. Simple the mix of different song types as well as the video transition works well.
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The first dance shot looks cool, but the song and the members are trying too hard to look cool.  Way too hard!
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New PV and Previews Spam

UPDATED: Tons, and Tons of PVs!

Isn't this fun to watch(5 min later)oh did you say something?

I was originally going to review all of these, maybe it is the weather, but I am starting to be quite lazy.  Now I will post the following PVs after the jump, to keep things from slowing down:
S/mileage
DiVA
Meisa Kuroki
4MINUTE
Tokyo Girls' Style
Kara +1
GIRL NEXT DOOR
SNSD
Passpo☆
2NE1
AKB48
Mika Nakashima

Site Update+Mina's Crazy Dream+Poll+Previews!

Have you ever dreamt about an AKB48 member?
Yes, two of them (in the same dream).  I just had another dream about Sae, but I woke up and it was early in the morning so I just went back to sleep, so I don't remember what happened.  I do remember that it was mainly about Sae. 

First AKB48 dream:
I was eating dinner at a fancy restaurant with my parents, my aunt, and Walowitz from Big Bang Theory (or maybe just the actor.  (My little sister wasn't there and my aunt has a boyfriend, so just a bit of background info as commentary.)  The food was really odd, and they had weird names as well.  There wasn't any description to the food, so I tried to guess by the name which one I would like. 

For some reason Perfume starts performing a mini-live (you know how some places have a guy playing a piano or something like that).  In my notes it said they were performing it a Capella.  We decide to go over there, it might of been just me but all of a sudden I have a friend with me.  The friend I had with me, I don't know.  (Not important.)  Anyway, my friend starts singing along (and remember we are at a restaurant so the performance isn't going to be that loud.  I like Perfume and it was kind of rude, so I get pissed and I did something.  I think I either tried to shush her or do some form of tackle.  I know those are soooo similar.

I then run off to help Mii-chan or Sae.  I couldn't remember which one.  I wish I tried to remember this part better, but this is where things get really dramatic.  There was a feeling of episodes, like there was already an episode before this dream.  For some reason, Sae already had her episode.  Maybe the dream I had last night was the prequel, but I don't think it was as Topsy Turvy as this.

Okay, Mii-chan is running all over the place, like a monkey.  (This part was really hard to remember even right after I woke up.)  Sae and I end up hugging, maybe Mii-chan bumped me or I tripped and Sae caught me.  Our faces get really close, like in Japanese dramas where they are about to kiss.  She then runs off; so close I know!

For some reason the reason Mii-chan, Sae, and I are running around this place (we are like in a side hallway so maybe this is a restaurant in a hotel.  I remember the hall had a carpet and there were a lot of warm colors.  Sorry, tangent.  There is a coup or evil dictator or something along those lines, and their goons are trying to stop us/ grab us.  The reason, I don't recall.
I run from the goons back to my table where the food has just arrived.  Walowitz had some crazy eggs dish and I was right and ended up with something chicken.
The End.      

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Blogger now has something called Dynamic Views which you can try out.  I'll post the links and a screenshot.  Here is where you can get more general details about this option.

Flip card!

Mosaic!

Sidebar!

Snapshot!

Time slide!

Poll Results so far:

I've gotten 39 votes so far, wow.  

1. Acchan (12)

2. Mayuyu (5)

3. Lovetan (4)

4. Myao (3)

5. Miorin and Miichan (2)

6. Amina (1)

Other Votes (10 total)

Oshima Yuko - what part of REVENGE do you not understand?

Sae - I voted for her last year, plus I think she'll do fine without me

Sayaka+1

nobody - LOL?

Komori

Aki-cha

Haru-kyan

Nacchan

Takamina

I saved the previews and fun videos after the jump to avoid slowing down the main page.

Sae looks sexy and appears to be the center, which isn't surprising because she is voted significantly higher than the other three.  Sayaka's hair is put up in any fashion; in my opinion that is better because they tend to make her face look harsher.  They look great, but I would of liked to see their costumes have a bit more variety.  This sounds great.  It is a good medium because people want to see them dance and people want to hear them sing.  Plus, as long as they do well, there will be plenty of time for a ballad and strong choreography single.  


I'm super excited because I've been following Keiko Kitagawa since her time in PGSM and I've also enjoyed the anime.  The only thing that makes me worried is that the lolita isn't as loli and the rocker isn't as punk.

Greetings From Mina☆ + Single Reviews

I just noticed that I haven't been posting much for a little while, so I wanted to put something new up on the main page.  I don't have much time these days (and I have tests next week), so it'll just be a quick single review.  First off I want to fill you guys in on my change in musical taste as of late.  I've listened to AKB48 non-stop for a while so I am starting to get bored of listening to their discography.  I transferred my ears to the genki Momoiro Clover (I reordered their upcoming single) and SKE48 (I want their next single but I am saving my cash).  Thanks to a friend of mine, a raving Arashi fangirl, I found a place to get Arashi's past releases so I can be more familiar with them.  Their next single sounded good so I also reordered that.  I have two singles on their way besides those two (plus the AKB48 single will be shipped this week).  I wanted to wait till my orders came in because they were shipped over a week ago, but I did the cheap shipping option so I don't know how long to expect.  There are quite a few single downloads on the internet even before the releases.  I think this will be helpful for people deciding whether or not purchase it.

SKE48 - バンザイVenus
1. バンザイVenus

The main track is following the successful style of their last single.  An energetic, fun, 16-nin track.  It is pretty catchy (and I'm glad they are keeping up the good parts of their last single), but I don't find it as addicting as their last single.  

2. 愛の数 (Team KII)
I'm surprised that Team KII gets the coupling track.  It is similar to the title song, but it has a slower tempo to it.  However, I wouldn't classify it as a slow song.  It lacks anything that stands out.

3A. 卒業式の忘れもの (White Team)
The White Team continues their track record of vanilla songs.  It has the same issues as the coupling track, but the slower sections are a bit more interesting.

3B. 誰かのせいにはしない (Red Team)
Finally we get a song that stands a bit out from the rest.  It is nothing spectacular, but it is a darker dance track.  It reminds me of some stage songs (including a guitar solo and techno beat).    

Tokyo Girls' Style - Love Like Candy Floss

1. Love Like Candy Floss
I adore this single.  I was a fan for SweetS when I first got into J-Pop, and I think they did an excellent job with this cover.  

2. Kitto Wasurenai... ~Royal Mirror Mix~
I would rather hear the original of this song, but it is okay.  I feel like the beat is too overpowering.

3. Love Like Candy Floss ~Royal Mirror Mix~

I'm not impressed by using remixes for coupling tracks.  If this was a the states yes because coupling tracks aren't as important and singles are much cheaper in the US.  If I was in Japan, I would just download the title track.  Artists need to make it worthwhile these days to purchase a physical copy.  I don't like this remix.  It does what I would like to see in a remix: make a slow-tempo dance track higher.  I don't think it suits the song.

AKB48 - 桜の木になろう

1. 桜の木になろう
It is spring time once again and we have another ballad about sakura. While the concept is expected the song is beautiful and well done.  I don't care for the fact that most of the lines go to a few.  However, I adore Acchan's solo lines.  Combined with the PV this is a tear-jerker.

2. 偶然の十字路 (Undergirls)
Unlike most of the recent title songs that each seem to differ in style than the one before, the Undergirls continue to release the same product.  I don't mind.  I wonder when Akimoto will run out of catchy songs of this breed. 

3A. キスまで100マイル (MINT)
MINT has unexpectedly returned.  My theory is that they would make this an actual subunit if Acchan wasn't already overbooked.  At first I wasn't that thrilled by it.  But my opinion shifted from an uninterested to content when it reminded me of American '80s tunes.

3B. エリアK（DIVA）
Akimoto is trying to cheer us up for the title track with another light tune.  Like the other third track, this one became better once I recognized a familiar taste (in this case Koda Kumi).  This song isn't as good as DIVA's last song, but it a dance track which differs from the other songs included in this set.  I like when coupling tracks either take a similar style and twist it or offer variety.

Itano Tomomi - Dear J
1. Dear J
This was a smart debut solo song.  It matches her personality and fits the current trend of popular music (using techniques like auto-tune).  If this was just a one time thing or a tester to see how she would manage on her own it was a success.  
2A. Tunnel
If I had bought this single (which I last minute changed my mind), I would of been pleased to select this version.  It is hard to describe because it doesn't fit into my music vocabulary.  It is like her other coupling tracks and Dear J had a baby.  
2B. Stay by my side
This song also reminds me of music that could be released in the states.  I am not sure about her and ballads.  She can pull them off, but considering her unusual voice I don't know if I approve.
2C. Thank you
It would of been nice if this differed more from the other ballad-esque coupling track so that all three songs would be different.  I like how she says 'Thank you'.  Since this has a pretty quick tempo for a slow song I find that it complements her better than Stay by my side.

渡り廊下走りたい７ - Valentine Kiss
1. Valentine Kiss
This is also a wonderful cover.  My requirement for doing covers has been passed: they must offer something different/new, or be better.  It mostly sounds like the back-track has been updated, but it is good timing.
2. ソミソミラシラ
Does anyone like this song?  There are parts (towards the end) that I like, but the chorus and most of the verses don't have my approval.  
3A. パジャマドライブ [渡辺麻友・仲川遥香・菊地あやか・小森美香]
I guess Akimoto is also overworked.  One cover and two stage songs. . . I like this song and all but I think Mayu's other two stage units are better.  I also wish that Mayu wasn't included in all of the stage songs because she gets a solo.
3B. 初恋よ、こんにちは [渡辺麻友・多田愛佳・平嶋夏海・岩佐美咲]
I enjoyed this unit song very much so I am thrilled that they used this one.  
3C. 夕陽のいじわる [渡辺麻友]
This was a good solo song.  Meh.

フレンチ・キス - If

1. If
This is another well done release.  I adore it.
2A. 前を向いてる君
It is an okay coupling track that complements the main song.  It is a little on the dull side, but it is still a nice track.
2B. 沈黙 [柏木由紀]
This is a pretty ballad from Kashiwagi.  Out of the three it is the one I like the most.
2C. 口移しのチョコレート
Maybe Akimoto is trying to encourage people to go to stages or familiarizing those who don't follow stages with their other songs for concerts.  I love this unit, but I find that just adding in a stage song is disappointing.  Plus, there is some odd. . . something with Kashiwagi's voice about halfway through the song.

New PVs

THE ポッシボー「やべ～な べ～な 圧力ベ～ナ～」PV


東京女子流 「頑張って いつだって 信じてる」 PV